Flying from Chiang Mai to U-tapao airport went without a hitch with Air Asia as Chiang Mai was definitely more organised than Krabi. U-tapao is now an international airport - when we used it last it was still an airforce base - so everything has changed. Everything has gone from very small to very large......surrounding roads still under construction, airport carparks plus the airport itself- all very large. All of it was unrecognisable to us and the whole district seems to have started to boom. Taking a taxi from the airport to Baan Pictory we arrived at our most favourite place to stay in Thailand.
Eventually we were met by Yudt and taken to a room that we had, on a previous visit, been upgraded to. I heard Gary's cry of happiness as he thought we had, once again, been upgraded but.........this really beautiful, pool view room, (the only one in the complex) was now an office????? We were relegated to Exoteak 3 which continuously smelled of mould and mildew!!!!!
Much was our disappointment also to find out we were the only guests staying and most of what we had come back for was no longer offered. No scooter rental to get us around; no shuttle to the beach which was our biggest plan negated; no restaurant for an evening meal and no one to talk to either. The second pool and comfortable sitting room was out of bounds as it had been sub-let to some organisation who used it rarely and not whilst we were there......this was a beautifully decorated room and an area where we thought we could spend time reading and relaxing when not at the beach, on our scooter or having a massage. Oh yes - did I say there were no massages either - just the sign was still there.
Realizing we were stuck in the middle of nowhere with little to do except swim we took to walking and walking and walking. Covering a lot of kms in really hot weather we took to the bare surrounding streets where here and there over a 3.5km trek we saw new tourist attractions being built - a pretend vineyard where the Sauvignon was disgusting (I say pretend because you cannot grow grapes in Thailand it is just for the visuals and all grape juice is imported but sadly not from Marlborough) - a couple of new lakes - a water park - an Italian village. An upside down house park????? and a Swiss Sheep farm????? The Golden Buddha was still there etched into the mountainside as were all the local food stalls opposite - the elephants had gone though. Elephant PC has definitely hit Thailand.
To our delight though there were a couple of new restaurants that we could walk to for an evening meal and this we tried for our first night. Ordering crispy chicken with vegetables and rice all I got for my chicken was small balls of deepfried, chicken skin....no meat at all!!!! Garys meal was fine though....whatever it was.
Saturday evening was a Thai invasion - dozens of Thai families appeared, stayed one night, had breakfast - separated from us unfortunately - and left. No interaction at all!!!!! Breakfast was included in our price per night but, although it was plentiful and nice, every day was the same - no variation at all - 2 fried eggs and half a chicken sausage in the shape of a smiley face is novel for the first day but by day 5 we were over it.
On our 4th day we decided to take a taxi to Pattaya. This place is a bit like Benidorm - you just have to go and see what it is all about. Like Benidorm it is full of English men with huge paunches looking for local girls. The beach is lovely as is the walkway alongside it. There are bars galore everywhere as there are posers everywhere. To the right of the beach there were so many parasails and boats it was difficult to count the exact total. The sea was unswimmable....
At the end of the beach is Walking Street but not a Walking Street that we have experienced before except for perhaps Freemont Street in Las Vegas. This was a street full of bars, strip joints, pole dancers, lap dancers etc etc. We were there during the day so most were closed but during the evening it would come alive with Ladyboys and prostitutes as well. Quite sleazy but always good to see the other side of life!
Beautiful Baan Pictory used to buzz, used to serve amazing food in the evenings and catch the European eye with its high standards - sadly not anymore. The Potager gardens are not being looked after as neither are the grounds to the same standard. There are only 2 staff who do everything - cooking, cleaning, gardening, pool maintenance. Yudt and Oliver, the owners, seem to be running this place on borrowed time.
We were sad to leave because we know we will not be back - this was our 4th visit - but pleased our time there was over because of our huge disappointment, loneliness and feelings of isolation. We only hope the high season sees them back on some sort of track.
Hiring a car we drove to Bangkok to meet up with Bobby, Yo and Ohm at The Cottage Hotel. We had met these lovely Thai friends at Pinthong Villas at AoNang and they had invited us to stay at The Cottage - where Bobby and Yo worked - before flying to Cambodia. We were shown to a 2 room suite with all the luxuries which was free for us for the night. We had dinner with Bobby in the restaurant, unfortunately Yo and Ohm couldn't make it which was sad, Bobby ordering heaps of food which he would not allow us to pay a baht for. After dinner we went for a stroll around the night market - Gary and Bobby having a Thai desert on the way.
Next morning we were up early for our flight and after a quick breakfast and many goodbye hugs with Bobby we were on our way to the airport, on our free shuttle, for our flight to Phnom Penh Cambodia.
Thankyou Bobby for your huge generosity - it was amazing to catch up with you again. Thankyou Yo and Ohm for your lovely gifts as we left. The tags are on our bags already and your "wedding memory" will take a special place in our home when we get back.
BIG HUGS to all 3 of you. xxxxxx
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