Adventures in Thailand Archives

Patong Beach, Phuket: PARTY CENTRAL

March 17, 2014 By Tam Warner Leave a Comment

If you are looking for a quiet beach vacation in Thailand, Patong Beach is NOT for you! Wow! Party, party, party. Patong is busy 24 hours a day. I did find a quiet spot: the Amari Beach Resort in Patong Beach is off of the main party beach, but close enough to walk. Not to mention beautiful and service oriented and clean! Perfect.

I jumped off the boat, said goodbye to my Deep Andaman Queen diving buddies, and rode the minibus (it took forever) to my hotel. Phuket is about the same size as Cozumel Island in Mexico, but here is the difference: Cozumel has about 80,000 people living there….Phuket has over a million! After checking in, showering and relaxing, my daughter, Alexandra, arrived from Dallas via Manila and Bangkok. She had some adventures, which I will feature as a guest blog! So begins daughter and mommy vacation time. We have a full itinerary planned!

We spent a relaxing day at the hotel, and the next morning we went off to Phang Nga National Park, where James Bond Island is located. I didn’t care much about James Bond, but the scenery, canoeing through lagoons and caves, and going to see the Cave of the Reclining Buddha (Monkey Cave) was a draw. We had an absolutely lovely day. We were the only Americans on the boat…it is so intriguing, listening to the different languages. I enjoy meeting people from other cultures. I will do a photo blog tomorrow or the next day on Phang Nga…it is spectacularly beautiful, and what one thinks of when one hears “Thailand”. Ally and I had a marvelous time!

We did spend our last day exploring the city of Patong Beach, a massive tourist attraction in itself. Shopping, shopping and more shopping! Bar after bar after bar! Ladyboy shows! An elephant show we did NOT do, as it is a terrible thing to make elephants perform “tricks” and “play” football. I plan to do a blog specifically on elephants, and the need to do ethical tourism.

Want botox? 200 baht! 7 bucks! Want your lips puffed up? They have that too. There are many, many “massage” businesses, most of which will give you a “happy ending” if you so desire! I don’t know if they perform this “massage” on women, but it is infamous for men. There are so many of them…some of the masseuses are katoeys, or ladyboys. You know, transvestites or transsexuals. Did you know that Thailand is on the cutting edge of transgender surgery? Anyway, massage can be pretty exotic here. I had my massage at the hotel, where the happy ending is most definitely NOT an option. I decided I did not need to do any personal research into the practice!

We especially enjoyed traveling by tuk-tuk!

There are still some pieces of paradise…check out Koh Chang, a blog by Wife With Baggage.

Last 2 dives: Boonsung Wreck, Similan Islands!

March 16, 2014 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

The Similan Islands are in Thailand, in the Andaman Sea. Getting back into Thailand was not nearly as difficult as getting into Myanar was. I did get off the boat and wander around Kawthaung, Myanmar a bit, but they have NO emission standards, and it didn’t take long to get sick off of the fumes from the cars and motorbikes. Also, Myanmar is not filled with tourists, and the sight of my blonde hair (I think it was the hair) created a stir. Many stares, and a few people followed me around, which made me a little nervous. I was even asked for my passport! (I didn’t have it, it was still in the immigration office!) Not to mention that it was so hot and humid I couldn’t stand it. I was ready to get back on the boat in half an hour!

Our last two dives of the trip were on the Boonsung Wreck. What a beautiful site! The wreck is a mess…spread out all over the place, but the fish and creatures living there are amazing! I really enjoyed these dives. The “schools” or shoals of fish were so thick you had to wave them away to take photos! I confess that one of my very favorite things to do is to sneak into a shoal and become one of them. They quickly form themselves around you, and you instantly have new friends!

The wreck had so much life! Shrimps, fish, eels, nudibranches, crabs….the list goes on. It was truly beautiful. Enjoy these photos!

An Amari Massage

March 5, 2014 By Tam Warner Leave a Comment

It is Sunday, March 2nd, and no, I have not yet left for my dive trip. I have a late check out and decided to use some of my time to have a massage. Oh EM GEE. Exclamation.

Of course, the Breezes Spa is just about the farthest building from the lobby. Getting there is all uphill, but coming back all downhill. After the climb, I was more than ready for a treatment. Since I have the tightest muscles on earth, I decided to go for Deep Tissue, called the “Invigorating Massage, to leave Chronic Tension behind”. I could do very well with leaving my chronic tension behind! And my masseuse, Longluk, did her best to oblige. She realized very quickly the challenges presented to her. ( If you are a guy, you can stop reading now. Really!)

I had a spinal fusion when I was 18, and it broke down completely after my second pregnancy. As it continued to worsen, I started gaining weight, and by the time I had my anterior and posterior spinal osteotomy at Johns Hopkins in 2000, I was barely able to walk. The surgery was a great success, but it took a good year of recovery, and a few years later I had an unfortunate run in with MRSA, the staph infection everyone fears (and for very good reason). I had an attempted abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) which turned into a nightmare when MRSA entered the picture. I won’t go into great detail…it was much worse than having back surgery, or any other illness I have ever had. It took 3 months to clear the infection and do a skin graft that took. I am left with a lower tummy that looks like a great white shark took a bite out of me, and a bulging upper tummy (especially on the left side) which should actually be my lower tummy. I know I need to get it fixed…it is painful, but the threat of another MRSA infection has stayed my hand.

My muscles are so tight, and Longluk was surprised. My legs are solid muscle, so are my arms, from Pilates, and I am quite flexible thanks to yoga. Looking at me, you wouldn’t think it, but it is true. The weight that clings to my upper body is distressing to me, I don’t like to even look at myself in the mirror. I have decided to ignore things like arthritis (which I’ve had for a very long time) and fibromyalgia (I decided I just don’t believe I have it), thyroid issues and my back. And of course, diabetes, which runs in my biological family like wildfire. I keep my numbers within range with diet and exercise. In short, I behave like an active, thinner person. Snorkeling and diving are my salvation, I am passionate about the ocean and all of its creatures, and underwater I feel strong and pain free (the support of the water, even in a pool, creates less gravity, and floating is wonderful.) Maybe I should live in space. Or have an operation to get gills so I could stay underwater. Anyway. Add stress and 3 days of carrying dive gear, luggage, camera equipment, etc, and I’m strung like a bow.

A surprising feature on the way to the spa!

She was fantastic! Very strong. I feel like I’ve been in a prizefight with Rocky Balboa. She did miracles with my neck and shoulders which are always painful. The pain was blinding at times ( I didn’t know all of those tight muscles and things were even in my body), but now….ahhh. A swim, a shower, and in less than 3 hours, I get picked up for my dive trip.

Life is good.

Phuket…I’m still standing…I think.

March 2, 2014 By Tam Warner Leave a Comment

I am off on my travels … Thailand and the Mergui Archipelago (Burma/Myanmar) March 2014! I will be posting about each leg of my trip, and I look forward to sharing it with you! While on the dive liveaboard, Deep Andaman Queen, I may not have access to internet. If not, I will post on my return!

I left Dallas on February 27 at 10a.m. I have arrived in Phuket, at 5a.m. Dallas time, March 1. In Phuket, it is 5pm. And yes, I am tired. I’ve been traveling non-stop, and have yet to find a full 8 hour sleep. I plan to make up for it tonight! I am struggling to stay awake. As much as I want to head down to the beach and walk, I know that I need rest more. My shoulders hurt, my wrists hurt, my entire body feels like it has been in a prize fight. And in 24 hours, I will be picked up for my liveaboard, the Deep Andaman Queen, which heads to the Mergui Archipelago off of Burma/Myanmar. So, here is the plan: stay awake another hour, go have dinner, come back to my room and pass out. I will explore the beach tomorrow morning. And have a massage.

It has been a fascinating trip already! I woke this morning in Bangkok, looked out my balcony window, and saw Buddhist monks walking along the reflecting pool…complete with dragon! I enjoyed breakfast, then watched a wedding procession pass the reflecting pool (the reflecting pool seems to be a very popular place!). I have learned about the Thai Wai, the Thai greeting which is hands in prayer with a bow. Women say Sah-wah-dee-kah to say hello. The deeper the bow and the higher your prayer hands, the more respect you show. To offer a wai to a Buddhist monk is to hold your hands at the forehead in prayer, and bow. The higher a person’s position in society, the more respectful your wai should be. It is considered very rude in Thai culture not to return an offered wai. Kob kun ka is “thank you”. I’m learning, and I love to learn! Everything is so new and exciting.

There are beautiful shrines everywhere! Did you know that 95% of the Thai people are practicing Buddhists? And photographs of the King and Queen….Bhumibol Adulyadej is the King of Thailand and took the throne in 1946, making him the longest ruling monarch in the world currently. The Queen’s name is Sirikit. The royals are adored here. They are apart from any government problems.

I am staying at the Amari Beach Resort on Patong Beach. The hotel is quite lovely, and situated a little to the side of the public beach of Patong. The beach at the hotel is similar to Cozumel…I hope I have some time tomorrow to snorkel a little. If not, I return here on March 9, at which time my beautiful daughter joins me for a week.l,

March 2. 11a.m. Well, I did not sleep as much as I wanted to, but I have breakfasted by the ocean, and have repacked my bags. The hotel is kindly going to allow me to leave a bag here, which is a relief. So now, my one bag carries clothes, dive equipment, camera equipment, and personal items. Shit. It is heavy! But better than dragging another bag with me to the boat. I will be on the high seas tonight, heading north toward the Mergui Archipelago, in the Andaman Sea.

As I said, I don’t know if I will have any internet, so if not, I will post as soon as I get back to the hotel. My fingers and eyes are itching to see pelagic animals and take great photos! ลาก่อนนะ! (Goodbye!)

Why not travel solo?

February 28, 2014 By Tam Warner 12 Comments

I am off to travel Asia and dive Asia…Thailand and the Mergui Archipelago is my destination in March 2014! I will be posting about each leg of my trip, and I look forward to sharing it with you!

It is February 28, 420p in Tokyo, Japan, but my body seems to know that for me, it is 130am in the morning. I just finished a 12 or 13 hour flight from Dallas to Tokyo, and another 7 hour flight from Tokyo to Bangkok awaits. I will start walking to the gate from the Admiral’s Club (American Airlines) in one hour. I hope writing will keep me awake! I arrive Bangkok at 1115pm, have to go through customs and immigration, then catch a shuttle to my hotel. Yes, I know it is a long trip, but don’t feel too sorry for me, I’m traveling first class and business class. I get 8 hours to sleep, then I leave Bangkok for Phuket. Then I will have more than 24 hours before the next leg of the trip…7 days in the Andaman Sea!

For the first time ever, I set off gongs going through TSA cleared security. Never could figure it out….but had two body searches in Dallas, then two more when I got to Tokyo! In Tokyo they also found my dive knife (and scissors, for cutting line), and now I have no dive knife. I did not have my thinking cap on when I packed it in carry on.

So, here is why I wanted to write a blog…I have so many women friends who tell me how “brave” I am to travel alone, but I really do not understand that. I would rather be traveling with my husband…but he is still recovering from a double lung transplant last September ( I know, crazy right?)…so if I want to travel, I travel solo. Of course, I have traveled alone many, many times. I’ve never really thought it was a big deal until I traveled to Africa in 2012 by myself, and did volunteer work for 3 1/2 weeks. Now that was a journey! Randy joined me afterwards, and we did a fabulous safari through Tanzania. I felt empowered by the fact that I managed perfectly well by myself. Well, with mishaps. But that is always the case.

The last thing I would have ever expected would be that Randy, of all people, would become seriously ill so young. Yes, young, at 56. Midlife was kind of thrown for a loop when he began to get ill, and we spent 2013 canceling almost all of our trips. Then he became critical, quickly. This has been a very challenging time for my family…and you know, we all have to adapt to circumstances. I am fortunate that my adaptations have not included financial hardship…we have been very lucky in our life together. So what to do with all of those midlife adventures we talked about? Well, some of them I will just have to do on my own. I don’t know if Randy will ever scuba dive again, but I truthfully doubt it. That is a blow for us because it is an activity we have always enjoyed doing together. Randy likes to dive, but I am passionately crazily in love with diving. So here I am, on my way to the Mergui Archipelago to dive on a liveaboard. I’m sure Randy and I will enjoy snorkeling together in the future.

So why am I considered brave by other women for taking trips on my own? Really, we are all capable of going and doing and accomplishing whatever we want to. What is it about traveling alone that seems to alarm so many women? I am asking this question: why not travel solo? If you really want to do something or go somewhere, and there is no one to accompany you, why would you let that stop you? Talk to me! I really want to know, and I think it is a great discussion to have! Why do you travel solo? Or why won’t you travel on your own?

Adventures in Thailand

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