Adventures 2000 Thailand Vacation 2019

Hi, I want to take a moment to introduce myself. My name, is Thomas Hoey. I'm a current member of Adventures 2000. I also have the honor of being the longest lasting Member of The Club. Let's just say 10+ years and leave it at that :) I also happen to be one of The Club's Activity Coordinators (AC). As with all "AC's" I make sure my events run comfortably, smoothly, and most of all, fun! Suffice to say, I've been around.

I wanted to write a short review of our Clubs most recent trip to Thailand. If you couldn't make it, MAN you missed a good one. If you were lucky enough to be with us, you know what I mean, and what I'm about to say. And for those that couldn't make it, we missed you, and we wish and hope that you can make it to the next one.

Our adventure really began simply by finding out the when, where, and how, then simply electronically saying "I want to go" BOOM, Flights Arranged, BOOM, Hotels and roommates Arranged, BOOM Activities and/options available. Get the picture? Simplicity itself. Oh wait, I had to decide if I wanted to carpool or fly for a bit extra, for the first leg, from PHX to/from LAX. I flew. Otherwise, just show up with my passport and my luggage and go. We even had the extra advantage and honor of having someone I dubbed "Our Fearless Leader" and coincidentally our Adventures 2000 Club Owner, and someone I call a personal friend, Candice Rice, to show us where to go, and guide us back on the path, whenever we strayed. We all loved you for that BY the way, Candice :)

Days 1/2 are boring travel, so I won't bore you. My flights went from PHX to LAX To PVG to BKK. With Flights, Layovers, and Road Transfers, I end up being "on the road" for 25+ hours, and I almost never sleep on airplanes. Plus, we're only in BKK for 1 day at the start of this trip, and I have an all-day Bicycle Tour at 9am. But hey, I can get by on 4 hours of sleep, right? I get 2. Fortunately, I'm so hyped up and excited about being here, and Thai coffee appears to be Starbucks espresso on steroids, I'm actually feeling pretty good. Let's GO!

Bangkok

Day 3, Only myself and 1 other Member David Mortensen, have chosen this Bicycle/Train/Boat Tour. I think the bicycle part scared some off, but the bikes are in excellent shape, sturdy, fully adjustable, and easy to ride. The pace, with 2 guides front and back is so leisurely, I occasionally think I'm going to tip over, due to the laid-back pace, several times, we step off, when encountering people or critters on the paths, and always when crossing the 1 or 2 streets, the guides physically block the traffic for us. The amazing thing about bicycling, is that we went down bike paths, alleyways, and areas that most tourists will never get to see. The Thai people are MUCH MORE aware of 2 wheeled vehicles, maybe because scooters are everywhere, and so narrow bikepathes are everywhere, and mostly Wide Bike paths are present on most, if not all major roads. Another benefit, is our interaction with the local Thai people. Their friendliness and the amusement as the 8 of us in the group rode slowly by on our bright yellow bikes with our western style outfits, and non-Thai faces, made it even more fun to see the smiles on the faces of the Thai adults, and the giggles of the children. We stop at a couple of temples, that I won't bore you with. I'll just say that on this trip, I saw AMAZING Thai Temples in several places. There, now I won't have to describe each one, right?

They passed out water at the start, but right about the time I'm hankering for a drink, we pull up to this private little family grocery store at the path’s crossroads, and we sit down on short stools and have coca colas, in the middle of God knows where. it's a nice break, but that's not the only time I'm surprised. we later ride onto a Banana, Coconut and Jack Fruit plantation, and we sit down for a nice rice, chicken, and/or chicken curry lunch, and I get to see my first Jack Fruit Tree. My Vietnamese friend Ngoc Thu Nguyen, sent me some dried jack fruit a while ago, but seeing a Jack Fruit Tree and fruit for real is a blast, and I think nice thoughts about my friend :). We ride on a little way, visit another temple, then load our bikes onto a train and diesel locomotive ourselves across the countryside. a nice respite, and another view of the countryside that tourists don't see.

The third part of our trip, is another short bicycle ride to the pier, and then, we again load up our bikes onto a Long Boat this time, yes, I said a boat, and we proceed to putter our way down the back canals of BKK. I'm amazed at the mix of expensive looking hotels, and businesses, with the Mom and pop type businesses, and yes, some apparent poverty from dwellings and or businesses whose structures have seen better days, but again, I'm very impressed with the joy and friendliness of the people. A woman sitting beside the canal and her baby both broke into laughter, as we passed, when I waved to the baby and the baby waved back. We proceeded out into the bay near BKK, and the boat dropped us off near the Bicycle business, we pedaled over, and pictures and thanks all around. A great start to my vacation IMO. I shower take a short nap, then I'm up again for dinner. What? I can sleep later. We go downtown to the local market and eat delicious street food, but folks are still jet lagged or exhausted, so most go back to the hotel after dinner. I'm out cold as soon as my head hits the pillow. Other Members took a half day city bus tour, that they said was nice, and also air conditioned. By the way, the weather is mostly sunny, hot and humid.

Koh Samui Island

Day 4, One thing I like about this Club, we don't just go and stay in one place, we move, and experience more than 1 place at the destination, so on day 4, we're taking a short flight hop to the Resort Island of Ko Samui. Unlike Bangkok, this is an Island Beach resort. Here, we have the afternoon and evening free to relax, or whatever, we kick back and have a nice relaxed dinner, and a leisurely evening.

Day 5. The next day, day 5, I experience my second, Long Boat Tour. By the way, a Long Boat, is literally a long boat. with an automobile type engine, powering a long-shafted propeller on a pivot that the "captain" stands at the back of the boat and steers. We do the beach thing, which is the first of multiple times that we have the opportunity to visit beaches that are amazing and beautiful and peaceful and clean and amazing (did I already say amazing?) and all the other good stuff adjectives that you can think of. They were all above and beyond what I expected. And I don't know if you've noticed, but we have days of go go go, interspersed with relaxed days. I like that.

Jungle Adventures

Day 6, and we're on the move again. After breakfast, we take a ferry across to the mainland, and get picked up for a 2-hour drive to The Anurak Community Eco Lodge, at the edge of The Khao Sok National Park. We are in the Jungle baby. There are banana trees, and Palm trees and many many trees all around us. We are staying in 2 person huts, on stilts, with mosquito nets over the beds, but surprisingly, the bugs have not seemed to be bothering us this trip. must be lucky or something :) After check in, we have a relaxing rest of the day. I hang out in the hammock drink drinks, and do absolutely nothing, and love every minute of it. We have a specially cooked dinner for us in a nearby hut within walking distance, where they prepare everything cooked in bamboo tubes instead of pots, over an open fire, and the also grilled Thai style chicken. 

Day 7 is my favorite day, because today is the Elephant encounter! I grew up in NYC, so even getting close to an Elephant is something I only dreamed of. By the way, just in case anyone was of the opinion that these elephants are being exploited, the opposite is true. According to a chat I had with the lead handler, these 2 Elephants are about 40 years old, and were rescued from a life of labor, pulling logs and such, as beasts of burden. Now they are retired, and spend their days being fed sugar cane, and being scrubbed and bathed sometimes multiple times a day by tourists. I wish I had that easy a life. We fed them cut up sugar cane, taken from our hands by their trunks, then slowly followed them down to a nearby pond, where we waded in with them, and when they laid down, we got to touch them and scrub them, with wooden bristly brushes. Just being so close to them, and touching them, was awe inspiring, and definitely my favorite part of the trip. When they took my pic with the elephant, she laid her trunk against my head, so I turned my face and gave her trunk a kiss. Yes, that's right, I kissed an Elephant, and I liked it! (Katy Perry?)

Krabi

Day 8 and 9, guess what, we're on the move again, to the Island of Krabi where we're staying in Condominiums right on the beach, literally steps away. Did I mention that all the Condos have private pools? They do. after check in, we relax by the pools or the beach, until several of us decide to walk down the beach to a nearby beach restaurant. On the way, we turn off our phone flashlights, and one of our astronomy knowledgeable friends David Mortensen points out several constellations. I usually have trouble picking them out, but his precise directions, and with the skies are so clear, I see all of them. I'm amazed and in awe again on this trip, for the bazillionth time.

On the second day, a bunch of us take another long boat over to Railay Beach, which while a bit rocky, has amazing cliff formations that rise right out of the surf, and if you float above the water, you can touch the stone, and discover a secret cove. After we return to the condos, we go back to that restaurant, their food is excellent, and they have a large menu. We also visit the Krabi Night market, where we eat above the market, and then we have our only minor difficulty, and you could say "bump in the road", when the hired car/taxi/mini bus drivers all can't seem to find the way back to the resort condominiums, despite us having the address, and several Members get lost for a while. Frankly, this annoyance has occurred more than once, here in Thailand. Their car hire GPS seems to be hit or miss all over the country, and it can be frustrating if the driver doesn't know they area, and, why is that, by the way? Anyway, A cheerful attitude goes a long way, and we eventually get it all worked out, and everyone eventually makes it back, and Thank You again Candice Rice. :)

Day 10. Last move. We're on our way back to Bangkok. The rest of the day, is free time. Some people go to the closer smaller mall 10 minutes away, some go to the larger mall 45 minutes away, both easily reached by taxi arranged by the Hotel. Some, like myself, go up to the roof pool, and sun and splash the day away. We eat dinner together, and tell each other stories of our adventures. We can feel the vacation is starting to wind down, and it's a good time to reminisce about the fun we've had, the old friends we've reconnected with, and the new friends that we've made.

That's another thing that I like about this club and also this trip, is the friends I've made along the way. Nice people that I never would have known if not for this Club, not to mention the places I've been, and the experiences that I've had. Honestly, I don't know why every single person in the valley of the Sun isn't already a member of this club already, or at least might be considering it, now that you've had a glimpse at who we are, and what we do. Come on, you know you want to at least try it. I bet Candice could work something out for you. Try it, you'll love it.

Footnote: Day 11 was boring 25+ hour travel stuff. I'll spare ya. EXCEPT for the part where I got scanned, and wanded, and patted down, by that Female Chinese TSA Agent in Shanghai, on the way back. But that’s another story. :)