Chrismate

Friday, May 19, 2017

Return to the Andaman, May 2017.

After discovering the KHAO LAK coast, north of Phuket island, two years ago, I had strongly wanted to return there for a relaxing holiday. Unfortunately, it may not have been the best time to get there as the southwestern monsoon was slowly settling in.

The bright tropical waters of the Andaman had turned gray due to the poor forecast. Yet it has been a refreshing break from the city life of Bangkok.

May 16 - Departure from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport [BKK] to Phuket [HKT] aboard an A333 of THAI AIRWAYS (flying time: 1h).

TG flight route from BKK to HKT

- National car rent from a brand new renovated airport to Khao Lak with a compact silver Nissan.

Road map to Khao Lak south

The driving time is just a little more than an hour.

- Rest of the day spent at MORACEA Resort on a beach near the rainforest hill area of southern Khao Lak.

May 17-19 - At MORACEA Resort for 3 full days in a beautifully tended tropical park having a great number of pools of all shapes. Too bad, the weather was a bit wet.
Moracea Resort

Hillside bungalows

Another pool

Room bathroom

Bedroom decoration

Resort beac

The beach at monsoon time

KHAO LAK village offers a wide variety os shops, restaurants and even some trendy coffeeshops:

Centara coffeeshop

Nice cosy café with original B&W picture frames

There is another attraction nearby: KHAO LAK LAM RU National Park. Located on the hill south of Khao Lak village, this park is a natural reserve preserving the rainforest.

- However, the facilities are not well maintained,

- and you need to be equipped with good shoes to be able to go on the trail.

- The entrance fee of THB200/per person is for all foreigners of any age, local residents included. When you know that Thais only pay THB20, it becomes a clear rip off, which is truly questionable in our times. Thailand is not the only country with such practices in southeast Asia. But there is no clear policy and this may change from one place to another. Yet, being a National Park, which ought to be a showcase for tourists, this policy is perceived as a blating discrimination.

Viewpoint

May 19 - Departure for BANG SAK Beach in the northern part of Khao Lak area (about 35km away).

HAADSON Resort is a lovely beach resort set in a tropical setting by a lagoon and a long stretch of sandy beach on the Andaman. This is a returning trip to this exotic resort also laid in a beautiful park with a definite Thai atmosphere.
Haadson Resort, Khao Lak

The resort bungalows

Lush tropical environment

Lagoon view

Bungalow balcony on the river

Resort swimming pool

The beauty of the lagoon

BANG SAK Beach- The resort is facing a pristine beach on the Andaman. Khao Lak area is just a long stretch of sand with hardly anyone.

The beach by the resort

Rainy season sunset over the ocean

May 20 - Last day in Khao Lak with a quiet morning spent at the resort.

- Drive back to Phuket Airport.

- THAI AIRWAYS flight to BKK (1h10) aboard a brand new A350-900.

Roadmap from Bang Sak to HKT

THAI A359

PHOTO ALBUM

- End of this trip -

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

1st TRIP BACK TO THE E.U. in 2017

April 04 /17 - Early morning departure for a journey to AMSTERDAM with QATAR AIRWAYS at BKK-Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

- The first half of the flight to DOHA lasts 6h40 aboard a B777-300ER. This is not my favorite aircraft but I was able to get a window seat on the first row (#10K). More space for legs and a good service as usual.

QR route BKK-DOH

QR route DOH-AMS

- At Hamad International Airport in Doha, I had time to relax at the business lounge, having time to savor a proper lunch at the dining room with a glass of Pomerol.

Business lounge dining at HIA/Qatar Airways

Overall view of western Iran mountain range from the aircraft

- The flight to AMSTERDAM was also done aboard another B777-300ER, but this time, I was

Above western Iran

traveling in business class, so no problem with space or comfort (seat #01K)! The first third of this flight was quite spectacular as we flew right above the snow-capped mountains of western Iran, on a very clear day. It remained scenic all the way to the shores of the Black Sea as the aircraft flew above more snowcapped mountains and a few lakes (Tabriz, in Iran and Van, in eastern Turkey). I tasted some superb wines on this sector: my favorite white St.Clair, from New Zealand and a fruity Portuguese red. I chose to have dinner two hours prior to our arrival at Schiphol: an aromatic soup in entrée, followed by an Arabian chicken biryani; then I had a plate of selected cheeses and a fruity ice-cream for dessert.

Mountain lake

Clouds over mountain range

- The aircraft landed at Schiphol Airport ten minutes ahead of schedule after a 6h30 flight.
At this time of year, although the local time was 9:00 PM, it was still not fully dark here in the Netherlands. As a matter of fact, just before landing, we could see the sunset through the clouds. Actually, the weather was fair at Schiphol Airport and the outside temperature was 12ºC.
- I spent the night at the CitizenM airport hotel, a few minutes' walk from the terminal.
April 05 /17 - Flight to Marseilles.
- The CitizenM hotel has an interesting contemporary design and the check-in experience is also a new concept almost entirely made through a series of flat screen computers. After a relaxing & comfortable night, it was time for a nice and hearty breakfast down at the bar and multiple, homey lounges.

At a CitizenM hotel lounge at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam

- Schiphol Airport is reputedly considered the best in Europe. The security is extremely efficient and done in a different way from any other airport I've been traveling. Kudos! But today, for some reason, it took longer than usual so it is always a good idea to start the procedure ahead of time.

- The Air France (AF) A319 was fully booked and the flight from AMS to MRS lasted 1h25 today.

- In the main hall of Marseille-Provence Airport, I met my sister, and a few minutes later, Stephan, my younger nephew came too. We had coffee together. Stephan left later in the evening for Rome, where he'll be staying for a few days with his girlfriend.

- Back to Arles for the next two weeks with a temperature of 20ºC.
April 06-07/17 - In ARLES, Provence.

A window on Provence

April 08/17 - Coffee at Fontvieille.

April 09/17 - Dinner at friends' in Salon-de-Provence.
April 10-11 /17 - In Arles.
April 12/17 - Visit at friends' in Fourques.
April 13/17 - Arles.

Saturday morning wet market in Arles

April 14/17 - Day in CASSIS with Mum, my sis and Timéo.

Cassis- Harbor front.

Castle & harbor

Cassis harbor

Fishing harbor of Cassis

Shop window

Old town lane

April 15-18/17 - Last days in Arles.
April 19/17 - Trip to BAHRAIN via Amsterdam & Doha.
Early wake-up to catch the 06:32am train to Marseille-Provence Airport.
- TER (Train Express Régional) to the airport in 35min via St.-Martin-de-Crau & Miramas. Great new shuttle trains with a bus connection to the air terminal.
- First sector: AIR FRANCE flight from Marseilles [MRS] to Amsterdam [AMS] in 1h45 on board an A319 (seat #6F).

- Amsterdam-Schiphol remains a pleasant airport for transit. The Aspire Lounge is a fine place to rest to wait for the next flight.
- Second sector: QATAR AIRWAYS from Amsterdam [AMS] to Doha [DOH].Pleasant flight on the front row of the cabin (seat #10A) aboard a B777-300ER covering the distance in 6h15.

- Stopover at Hamad International Airport [HIA] at the First Class Lounge.
- Third sector: QATAR AIRWAYS from Doha [DOH] to Bahrain [BAH]. One of the shortest flight on a commercial airliner: it takes 20 minutes for the A320 to get to Bahrain Intl. Airport.

- Chauffeured car from the airport to Bahrain International Hotel in Manama.
--> Link to Journal de Bahreïn in French.
April 20/17 - Full day in Bahrain
April 21/17 - Full day in Bahrain. Evening flight from BAH to DOH with QATAR AIRWAYS, A320 (40min).
April 22/17 - Connecting QATAR AIRWAYS flight DOH-BKK with A388 (6h35).

- End of trip -

Monday, April 3, 2017

PART 4 - WILDLIFE OF THE SEYCHELLES ISLANDS: a few more shots.

In order to complete the preceding posts on the SEYCHELLES, I thought it would be interesting to add a few more photos taken at random on the three main islands of Mahé, Praslin & La Digue.