December 2021
Just before lockdown Nov 2020, thinking COVID would be a distant memory, our son in law decided he wanted to take his family to Thailand for Christmas 2021. Both our daughter and son in law are workaholics, our granddaughters both studying but also with part time jobs all needed a holiday. Last time they had a holiday like many people was early 2019 so a break was well overdue. Roger and I were persuaded to come too and with no choice were booked and hooked! I mentioned it to my baby sister and we persuaded her and brother in law to join us. Gary our son in law travelled extensively in the 1990’s and ended up in Thailand with his travelling companions. Some of them stayed in Ko Phangan. Gary made friends with a Thai family and these are the family he still visits today. Ko Pha Ngan is an island located in the gulf of Thailand, and is 65 km from the mainland, between two islands of Koh Samui to the south and Koh Tao to the north. It has an area of about 125 km and is part of the Samui archipelago, a group of islands that includes another 60 islands and islets. Gary uses a flight agent Adam at Dial a Flight, who gets us amazing business class seats for a fraction of the price normally paid. The price we paid was reflected in the number of flights , Norwich to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Doha, Doha to Bangkok, Bangkok to Ko Samumi, then ferry to Ko Phangan. The beach resort of Pinchang was booked, we all had beach front bungalows. Roger and I have visited Thailand many times in the last 25 or so years and love it. We stayed at Pingchan before with the kids so knew we would love the basic chilled atmosphere with very few tourists and just a few backpackers! As time grew nearer it was apparent COVID was not going anywhere soon so all the paperwork began! Gary was like a man on a mission. He checked and double checked but as we got nearer to our travelling date it was apparent we might not make it. However Gary went ahead and started the paper work sending it to myself and my sister to duplicate for ourselves. Then the flights started to change, first times then dates and we had to book to stay over night in Amsterdam to manage our tight connection flights. So ŵe booked the Hilton Amsterdam airport for the first night. Meanwhile we had to apply for a Thailand pass which was basically the same as Verifly – the info needed for our visit to New York in November. This included uploading our passports, vaccines certificates, applying for Thailand COVID insurance, apply for a certificate to be exempt from quarantine. Ordering our return to GB tests. Eventually we got our Thai passport and ŵe moved on to sorting the travel arrangements. Then we were told we had to take PCR tests 72 hours before leaving but as we were overnight in Amsterdam we were worried these wouldn’t be back in time to then extend to the arrival in Bangkok. We also needed to apply for permission to enter Amsterdam! We used Norwich Airport testing centre who were great and probably the cheapest in our area. When we got to Thailand ŵe had to quarantine in a Thai SHA hotel whilst we took another PCR test. Then ŵe could move on to our Ko Samui flights. So another day was a added to our journey. A few days before leaving Omicron appeared and contraction numbers started to escalate. We all thought the same, shall we stay in the uk and maybe get locked down for Xmas or be locked down on a tropical beach! I can tell you my arthritis screamed PLEASE GO! So we did. A last minute scurry round to find someone to house sit and a mummy for my chickens, thank you Janet, and ŵe were packed and off.
Thursday 16 th December 2021.
Roger and I meet Gary, Joolia, Aspen & Logan our granddaughters at Norwich airport. Gary is like a highly coiled spring waiting to be released…. Getting through check in was the first relief , we hear my sister Celia and Mike have safely landed in Amsterdam, their flight from Luton. So the champagne was ordered whilst we waited for our flight. Sadly Norwich airport only stocked one bottle of champagne so Prosecco followed. By the time ŵe got to our hotel in Amsterdam we were cream crackered so ordered rooms service and retired. The Hilton Hotel was fabulous, however it was room service only as the bar and restaurant shut promptly at 5 pm like the whole of Amsterdam. Next morning Celia couldn’t open her case as the keys had been lost! Hilton to the rescue and a burly young man with bolt croppers soon clipped the padlock. Celia purchased a new padlock once inside the airport, Jooles and Gary purchased smart new luggage labels for their smart new cases.
Friday 17th Saturday 18th December 2021
Check in for our flight is relatively easy as we are business class and we head for the business lounge. Time passes quickly, we are soon on board our 15.15 flight to Doha and in our fabulous seats on a Boeing 777-3DZ(ER). We are on Qatar airways QR274 Qsuite seats. We sit in fours. The Gilveys together in one four and Roger, myself, Celia & Mike in the other. Very cosy. The privacy dividers come down between people so you have a table of four to eat and chat. A few glasses of pink bubbles and my fear of flying diminishes! Food is delicious, a multitude of films, I watch Blithe Spirit & The Little Things. Gary reminds me to watch The Beach again with Leonardo DiCaprio & Tilda Swindon which was filmed in Ko Phi Phi Le Thailand. Just the job but I now do not want to go in the sea! A six hour flight we land at 23.00 in Doha, the airport is immaculate, everyone masked, hand sanitizer everywhere. A short stop and we transferred to our 02.20 flights to Bangkok. This time it was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. We sit in normal business seats but are all together in the same cabin. We are given White Company PJ’s and lovely wash bag kits. After a few bubbles and supper we all snuggle down and try to sleep. Woken too early for breakfast I can’t manage mine but Roger of course eats it all. Land at 12.40 local time. Obviously pleased to have tourists return Bangkok airport is relatively quiet, first off we line up as told and sit on readily spaced chairs and show our forms. We are directed through immigration, COVID passport checks, Thai passport checks, collect our luggage, clear customs, visit the immaculate loos, change into cooler clothing and make our way to arrivals to meet the hotel representative who will take us straight for our PCR tests. It’s an interesting drive through the busy city of Bangkok, after twenty minutes or so we arrive at the hospital and are queuing in our transport for the tests. Roger says, “prepare for a brain scrape and throat swab!!!” They let us get out of the vehicles for the tests which are fairly comfortable and quick. Ŵe are given a receipts and told the results will be sent to the hotel within 24 hours. Thank fully Gary has paid for express results to enable us to get our flights to Ko Samui the next day. Ŵe then head for our hotel. Gary has booked presidential suites for us all, I’m needing lessons on how to get these upgrades he manages. The rooms are fabulous. We have a fully stocked kitchen dining room lounge. Kitchen complete with dishwasher and washing machine that have never been used, all up to the minute models. The bed is enormous, The bathroom is gorgeous and before long I’m in the tub having a soak. The views from our window over Bangkok are spectacular. We order some cool beers on room service and hope our tests come back to enable us to explore this fabulous hotel. After a while we ordered some food as we are peckish. 10 pm it’s clear our tests are not coming back tonight so we retire to the dreamy bed. Our tests come back clear at around 23.30.
Sunday 19th December 2021
9.30 Next day we are all repacked and waiting in reception for our cabs to the airport for final flights to Ko Samui. On check in we are given a ticket and told we need to fill in a form online to obtain a QR code. This ends up being a bit of a pain as we have to give a Thai telephone that we can be reached at. As none of us know the correct sequence of numbers for Thai telephones ŵe get a bit desperate to complete this task and Gary has to find an English speaking person to help. We make it by the skin of our teeth and get to the gate for our flight on a Airbus 319-131 to Ko Samui at last. We are slightly taken back that the crew are all dressed in white gowns and masks covering their uniform. The usual meal is not served and ŵe are told to keep our masks on securely. The 50 min flight is soon over and we are instructed to leave the plane and collect our little lunch bag on exit. Samui airport is a cute little airport, it’s all open air and the conveyor belt for luggage is in a covered coconut shy style hallway. Most passengers beside us are Thais but there are two really rude young girls who had no manners and we notice that they treat the crew with contemp. I’m so proud of my grandaughters, they are so polite and completely opposite to these individuals.
More tomorrow – our arrival on Ko Phangang……
Liquid Tales 