Nothing bad to report about my trip to Thailand. Mostly picayune things, but mostly highs.
The fearsome factor was that Thailand had the second-most cases of covid-19 when I left Honolulu on February 12. Today, it is #9. No new cases appeared after I arrived in that country. No one is known to have died.
It took 24.5 hours to get from my home in Honolulu to the Marriott Marquis in Bangkok. Both Sakura Lounges (on the way back, the Narita lounge had unexplicably--they said coronavirus--fallen to something worse than the United Club) were excellent and the flights terrific. Watched a bunch of movies and drank too much alcohol, which can be viewed as a positive.
Sent you Happy Valentine's Day from Bangkok:
Certainly, one of the highlights was the Grand Palace, featuring the Emerald Buddha, which is made of jade, as you can see:
All the breakfasts were spectacular--and primarily responsible for the four pounds I gained:
I had a manicure, pedicure and foot massage, the last I'll ever have. The pain was, again, excruciating.
Phuket was only okay. We went to their 3D museum where you took photos of yourself with their artwork. At the end of the day we were treated to a fireworks show seen from our room:
Had a Viva Las Vegas dinner at the Phuket Les Meridien:
A nearly one hour taxi ride to the Phuket Airport, then a two-hour flight to Chiang Mai. If you are a Star Alliance member, don't catch Air Asia, book with Thai Smile, which allows you to use the Thai Air lounge. It was a $5 cab ride from the Chiang Mai Airport to the Les Meridien, which, compared to the Les Meridian Phuket, was an oasis. There was an executive lounge (Thai resorts, like Phuket or Chiang Rai, don't have any) and the night market was just outside the hotel. In Phuket, nothing was close and no place for free drinks and food.
Bought six Thai shirts at the night market. The whole walking experience should not be missed. There is no worry of pickpockets or scams here.
Another particular highlight was our tour of Tiger Kingdom. Essentially, for $20, you can pet a tiger. For double that, you can choose either a giant tiger or cubs. The butterfly farms were interesting, and so was an insectarium. The orchids were fine, but not exceptional, considering that Thailand exports the most of them in the world.
Four meals in particular were memorable, the Sunday Brunch at the Marriott Marquis, both Grand Sheraton Sukhamvit breakfasts and dinner at Rossini's, the latter of foie gras and truffles:
You see, for each, just one of three courses, with two yet to come.
I've long been championing the cause of the Blue Revolution, and, in particular, the Ultimate Ocean Ranch, which requires a low trophic level fish, like tilapia. In Thailand you can purchase red tilapia, which is sometimes yellow and red colored:
So those were my Thai highs.
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