Chrismate

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

2nd Trip back to the E.U. in 2017

JUNE 2017: from the shores of the Med to the Arctic

This is the 4th overseas journey for the year! This is also the right period to enjoy fine weather and not so crowded places. The beauty of retirement!

JUNE 6 - Now at Suvarnabhumi Airport [BKK] ready for the non-stop THAI Airways flight to Rome-Fiumicino [FCO]. Once again, I will travel on the brand new A350-900, a new generation of composite aircraft. Luckily, I was able to get the front row window in the economy cabin [31K]. More space for legs and no one sitting in front!

As I came early, I used one of the paying lounges ('Miracle Lounge'). I can have dinner and relax there before boarding just after midnight.

06/07 - Flights back to France.
- Night aboard the aircraft serving two real good meals: dinner (with chicken masama as the main course) soon after take-off and a hearty breakfast before landing. Smooth & comfortable flight of 10h50. I was able to sleep most of the time during the flight.

TG route from BKK to FCO.

- Morning at ROME Airport - A very pleasant temperature at Fiumicino: partly sunny with 22ºC. I have time to kill before checking in for the next sector to Marseilles [MRS].

Ciao! At Fiumicino Airport.

- After checking-in at the Vueling [VL] counter, I spend part of the time at the Avia Lounge of Terminal 1.
- The VL aircraft, an A320, leaves Fiumicino on time. From my seat (5A) I have a good view of the northern coast of Corsica: Bastia & then Cap Corse. It takes exactly 1h to reach Marseille-Provence Airport [MRS].

VL route from FCO to MRS

Flying above Bastia, Corsica

Cap Corse

Above Toulon, France

- Coffee with my sister before driving home to Arles.
- Evening with family.
08-10/06 - ARLES, Provence.
11/06 - Pays d'AIX: Le Tholonet, route Cézanne, montagne de la Sainte-Victoire, Lac de Bimont, Vauvenargues (château Picasso), AIX-EN-PROVENCE.

Lac de Bimont, Aix-en-Provence

12/06 - AVIGNON-TGV to pick up friend from Paris
13/06 - Fontvieille: château d'Estoublon, Les Baux-de-Provence: Carrières de Lumières (Bosch, Brueghel, Arcimboldo)
14/06 - ARLES: Musée Bleu & archaeological zone of La Verrerie in Trinquetaille.
Dinner with Mum & Marylise at Mazet-des-Roches, near St.-Gabriel.
15/06 - Tarascon & AVIGNON-TGV.
16/06 - Last day in ARLES.
Departure to Nice, French Riviera.
17/06 - NICE: staying at my elder nephew; lunch with my aunt & Mum at Les Jardins du Capitole on La Promenade des Anglais.
- Afternoon in the Vieux Nice.
18/06 - NICE: family stroll at Parc Phoenix.
Check-in at IBIS-Budget in front of Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport, Terminal1.
19/06 - Flights from NICE [NCE] to NARVIK [EVE] via OSLO [OSL]

DY flight from NCE to OSL

*Morning flight from Nice to Oslo aboard a B737-800 of NORWEGIAN. Flying time 2h30, seat 7F with a spectacular view over the Baie des Anges and the Alpine mountain range.

*Connection for a few hours at the newly refurbished Oslo Airport.

DY flight from OSL to EVE.

*Late afternoon flight from Oslo to Narvik/Harstad [EVE] aboard a B737-800 of NORWEGIAN. Flying time 1h25, seat 4F. Fabulous landing in a countryside made of snow-capped mountains, fjords, forests and green pastures. Temperature 10ºC upon arrival at the airport.
*Bus ride to Narvik: about 1h with a beautiful scenery.
*Checking-in at Enter Hotell, Narvik around 9:00PM.
20-29/06 - TRIP across NORWAY from NARVIK to OSLO including the Lofoten Islands, Bodø, Ornes, Sandnessjøen, and Trondheim.

--> See the link (in French) here: Journal de Norvège

TG flight back from OSL to BKK

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Tropical diversity of KHAO LAK area.

The coast along the Andaman Sea offers a wide variety of tropical species that the following pictures have tried to display:

1.Yellow Heliconia

3. Spathiphyllum

5.Red Heliconia

7.Heliconia

8.Banana tree flower

9.Spider Lily (Crinum asiaticum)

10.

11.

12.

13.Red Ginger (Alpinia purpurata)

14.Elephant Ears (Colocasia)

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.Torch Ginger (Nicolaia elatior)

20.Chenille Plant (Acalypha hispida)

21.Morning Glory (Ipomoea)

22.

23.White Ixora

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