Oct. 2023

Phuket was our treat at the end of our Asian tour. We planned to have some downtime after spending so much time in the cities over the past 2 weeks of travel. Phuket is a popular beach region with brilliant blue water, rainforests and mountainous islands located in the western coast of Thailand. Since we were only able to spend 3 days here, I chose the tourist region of Bang Tao Beach, because of it’s proximity to the airport and it’s highly rated long stretch of beach. The weather was a tropical mix of sun and storm. It was a bit more touristy than what I was hoping for but we had a great time none the less.

Getting there…

Travel was hassle free fortunately getting to our final destination. We traveled on VietJet airline to get from Bangkok to Phuket airport. It was a no-frills airline, meaning you are squeezed in like sardines, no leg room and no amenities. I remembered my water this time and they allowed my bag to carry-on, unlike our flight to Bangkok from Japan, so I had no complaints. The view from above was spectacular once we neared the Phuket, seeing the spikey tiny mountain islands along the coast. Once on the ground, we caught a cab with easy to get to Bang Tao and were able to take in the sights of rubber tree orchards, small market towns and huge storm clouds.

Where we stayed…

I was charged with choosing our accommodations in Phuket. I searched Airbnb and landed on a room in the Hilton Garden Inn. It had a rooftop pool, breakfast, and was in walking distance to the beach. It also had a gym, which for me was a must if I wanted to exercise considering the heat and humidity. It was nice enough, had good people watching and happy hour on the rooftop to enjoy the sunset.

What we did…

We kept it pretty basic here trying to embrace the downtime and just relax. We spent a good chunk of time up at the rooftop pool, visited a few nearby beaches, and had a massage just before we left. If we were staying longer, it would have been nice to have scooter or a car because the beaches and towns weren’t that close to one another. It worked out though for our stay using Uber or a tuk-tuk. I want to give a shout out to the Thai massage therapists at Shana Spa for not killing us and relaxing our bodies before we took off for home.

The beaches we got to were Bang Tao, Surin Beach, and the elusive Haad Laem Sing (aka Lamsing Beach). We used AllTrails to find a hike near Haad Laem Sing and let me tell you that was a memorable, not to be repeated experience. It was uphill, muddy, humid, there was a spider the size of your hand and run-down shanties for people who tended to the rubber trees. AllTrails usually can be trusted but not on this occasion. We did manage to find the beach after we escaped the hike and we enjoyed some cold beers and fruit at Surin beach after. We had hoped to hang out at the hidden beach but anything near Haad Laem Sing was deserted. The water in Phuket is gorgeous and the highlight for me were the sunsets viewing over the ocean.

What we ate…

We had good food during our stay in Bang Tao beach, spending our morning meals and afternoon snacks at the hotel then venturing out to the town in the evening. We did have to dodge the downpour storms that would roll through, but we were pretty lucky overall. There were many beachfront restaurants and a small area that had bars and nightlife.

Here are some of the restaurants we visited:

• MR. TOM YAM– Thai food on the beach just after sunset on the first night. Very good food and view
• Catch Beach Club– This was our nicest meal in Bang Tao. It was beach side, upscale and super relaxing. The sunset was beautiful, and the food and atmosphere matched up well.
• Smigo’s Bar & Restaurant– Another great place for sunsets, apps and drinks. We were overtaken a bit by some Russian families with small children, but what can you do?
• CUT Grill & Lounge– Last night meal was had here. It is located in the Villa Market off Boat Ave, a popular region in during the on-season, but quiet in October. We had a nice view of the lagoon and the food, and service were good.
• MAYA BEACH CLUB PHUKET– After dinner drinks and people watching. This was located in a zone that probably goes off on-season, but we had a nice chill time.

Final thoughts….

Phuket is a beautiful spot on this world, and it was lovely to spend a bit of time in Bang Tao. It felt a bit familiar to me like a combination of the best parts of Hawaii and Mexico (no offense to any parties mentioned). I would have liked to have gone swimming more and seen more of the out of the way places- the islands, the big Buddha temples and maybe an elephant, but that can always be a reason to come back. I’m super happy we squeezed this into our trip and look forward to visiting Thailand again.

P.R.

October 2023

The conference in Bangkok was the catalyst to our trip to Asia. The highly anticipated yearly conference of Dave’s digital entrepreneur group was back in full swing post-COVID and he was ready to go. He invited me to join and after getting through a round of “I can’ts” and pivoted to “let’s make it happen”, the trip was on the calendar. The scale of this city was something I hadn’t fully grasped prior to arrival. It was a juxtaposition of so many things- old and new, wild and conservative, dirty and opulent. I should have done my homework a bit more prior to arrival, so I didn’t get to fully experience this city properly. I did have a memorable time though and was grateful to be staying an amazing hotel that was worth the trip on its own.

Getting there…

We flew AirAsia from Osaka to Bangkok after our stay in Kyoto. This required an early morning car trip to the high speed train station then about 90minute directly to the airport. It was pretty seamless until our “digital tickets” we thought we had were turned away after waiting >30minutes in the security line. We had to hustle back to the ticketing desk, wait some more, then they made me check (and pay for) my bag causing us to be at serious risk for missing our flight. Dave saved us by sweet talking an agent at the priority line, so we made it just in the nick of time. It all worked out as fortunately it usually does.

Asia Air is a no-frills airline, so I spent 6hrs slowly sipping my one water bottle and zoned out to my book. Bangkok international is a HUGE airport but was modern and easy to navigate. We hired a car to get us to the Conrad Hotel. It was surreal how different Thailand was compared to Japan. I was dehydrated and exhausted and getting to our hotel was a blur for me. We made it though, and the hotel did not disappoint.

Where we stayed…

The Conrad hotel was where the conference was held and Dave set us up with accommodations onsite, so we didn’t have to waste any time on travel and could see each other on off times. This place was a fantastic, 5-star oasis in the middle of a crazy bustling city. It is located in the center of the city’s business district but maintained a tranquil spa-like vibe. I can’t recommend this place enough and I think it was nicest hotel I have ever stayed.

I had really wanted to venture out to see some of the famous temples, particularly Wat Pho, but everything was out of walking distance an I was not comfortable hailing a taxi or tuk-tuk and wandering about with a completely lost voice. I did motivate to get an authentic Thai massage that I will never forget and went walking to the 2 large parks that were nearby. Once I figured out there was a pedestrian sky bridge it made getting around much easier. The chaos of traffic/car situation on the city streets is crazy and I felt like a scooter or car was going to take me out at any moment (even on the sidewalk).

Dave conferenced, networked and ran.

What we ate…

Most of our dining was taken care of at the hotel. The upgrade to the executive lounge was so worth it. The spread was expansive for the breakfast, teatime and cocktail hours that were offered. The service was top notch as well. We did have a lunch at the hotel bar once, ate at finger foods at the after parties and went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant our last night.

Final Thoughts…

Bangkok was a quick visit that did not really do the city justice but was a great experience, nonetheless. Meeting other conference goers and getting a peak into the lifestyles of digital entrepreneurs was new for me and I did enjoy it. I would definitely go back and luxuriate at the Conrad again. Next time I will make sure that I have a game plan beforehand for adventuring out more and will be sure to stay hydrated and not lose my voice.

October 2023

Japan turns out to be the place that I never knew I wanted to visit. With an upcoming conference in Bangkok set for the later weeks of October, we decided to add on a visit to a place that was “on the way” to help acclimatize to a large time difference and explore a new part of the world in the process. After considering a few ideas in Europe, we realized that Japan was actually closer to Thailand and had a closer climate to where we were ending up. We only had a week to spare in Japan before needing to get to Bangkok and settled on stays in Tokyo and Kyoto to minimize travel times and to be able to get a taste of 2 iconic Japanize locations. Tokyo turned out to be a wonderful whirlwind of new people, customs and foods. It was a great way to start out our Asian adventure.

Getting there..

Since I was coming from the Seattle and Dave from Kamloops, we took connector flights to Calgary in which we were then able to fly direct to Narita International Airport. Our flight times were leaving our home bases around 11am and then leaving Calgary at 1pm PST. Our arrival in Tokyo was set for 2pm the next day. We flew with West Jet and treated ourselves to an upgrade to the “Premium Plus” (i.e., business class) experience. This was worth it from some many angles- early boarding, less seats, more leg room, extended seat recline, bottomless drinks in glassware, and meals. It was an excellent way to spend 10hrs+ on a plane. Everything was on time and there was no significant turbulence the entire flight. I enjoyed the views from above for almost the entire flight as the sun never went down. 3 movies, 2.5 meals and more than a few drinks later and we landed in Tokyo.

We then caught a high-speed train from Narita to the Tokyo subway station. It took us a good 2 hours to get to our accommodations in Tokyo and it gave a real appreciation for the scale of Tokyo. It is a sprawling city with several large high-rise districts and the most complicated subway system I have ever experienced. That isn’t saying much, as I am not the most traveled person, but for real, the public transit system here was massive. Despite the complexity, everything ran with order and precise. Thank God for google maps as it gave us the details for all the train/subway lines we needed to take. We did get a bit turned around once we got off the subway in Chiyoda City but by tapping into some data, we did make it there all before dinner time.

Where we stayed…

Chiyoda City is a district a bit out of the center of the city but in walking or subway of parks, palaces, shrines and endless restaurants and shopping. During the week it was bustling with people rushing off to work in the multitudes of surrounding high rises.

Our Airbnb was called Spatium Kanda and was located in a new, narrow 9-story building. It was modern and tiny but was perfect for what we needed, and it felt like Tokyo. The was only one apartment per floor, so it was quiet, and we didn’t see another occupant of the build during our stay. The bathroom was probably the most interesting feature for me, being a glass cubicle with a high-tech toilet and tub shower. It didn’t leave much for privacy but the toilet did have a “privacy” feature to it so you could turn up some water sounds as a buffer. The room included a washer/dryer combo too, which wasn’t all that necessary so early in our trip but came in super handy after our rainy morning run on our last day. This was a 5-star experience of a stay, absolutely no complaints to report.

What we did…

True to form, our trip consisted primarily of eating, drinking and exploring on foot. I tried to do some research beforehand and bookmarked a few palaces and gardens I wanted to see but Tokyo is expansive, and it was overwhelming with the options. We really only had 2 full days here and decided to stay relatively close to the apartment, so we didn’t waste a bunch of time in transit.

With the new time zone, we woke up early and were able to take in so much before noon. We first found an exceptional bunch location on the top floor of a fancy hotel near by then set oof to the closest main attraction- the Imperial Palace and the Kokyo Gaien National Garden. I failed to read the fine print on visiting the inside of this place. There are 2 openings that tourists can go in beyond the gates and then you would have to go in with a guide. So, we walked the perimeter trail in which we watched tons of jogger pass by. The people of Tokyo seem to be very active and city runner culture was apparent from the get-go.

After the viewing of the outside of the Imperial palace we headed over to the Tsukiji Outer Market. On our walk over, we passed through the Ginza district that was dense with people, upscale shops, the Kabuki-za theater and a huge clock at the Seiko Museum. Once we reached the market, we took in the many food street food options and vendors displaying local produce and fish. Through the blogs I read prior to arriving here, they did warn that most vendors accept cash only, and were unprepared. By the time we arrive we were hot and thirst, so we landed at a little indoor sushi place that was air-conditioned, had cold beer on draft though and was good enough.

We continued walking and taking in the sights of the city. For the rest of the day and finished off with one of the most thoughtful and delicious sushi meals and at tiny place around the corner from our place.

Our last full day was filled with more walking and eating, this time to

Before we took off to Kyoto, we went on a rainy morning run and were able to walk the Tokyo marathon grand championship both on TV during breakfast and live while walking to the subway. Never have I run nor watched a full marathon but it was a really enjoyable way to spend a few hours on a wet morning of a travel day.

What we ate…

The food in Japan was beyond compare. From our first meal at a completely non-English speaking underground yakiniku restaurant to a tiny sushi spot that was around the corner from our apartment, Tokyo food culture is amazing. We lucked out and a multitude of places right on the block where we stayed in Chiyoda City. People were friendly, patient and took pride in the food they served. It was a really fun experiencing Japan through their food and traditions.

Here were the highlights-

• Yakiniku Ebisu Honten– Fantastic first night find…specialized in yakiniku and underground. No english speaking but very welcoming. Our neighboring table helped order for us. It was cool to be at a locals place so early in our trip.
• Tama Sushi– Tiny place with some of the best sushi I have ever had. We sat at the bar with another couple. The chef and owner was friendly and asked to take photos with us after we left.
• Crazy Craft Beer– local beer bar on our block. Fun atmosphere with a ton of beers on tap.
• Tsukiji Outer Market– we found a little place in the market for bento boxes of sushi. There are lots of options to eat at the vendor stands but they accept cash only.
• Asada– This was a really nice restaurant on the top floor of a hotel offering a Japanese style buffet called Kaiseki. We went for brunch and there were lots of traditional and western options.
• Azuma– In the heart of the Taito district, we got to experience the take off your shoes and sit on the floor tradition. We had the specialties of an eel appetizer, Gomoku yasai soba soup, pork Katsu-don & Chu-hai cocktails.

Final thoughts….

Our time in Tokyo was brief but was a blast. It totally did not match up to my incoming expectations in the best way possible. Even though we only got to experience a tiny segment of this amazing city, it gave us a taste for both the modern and traditional sides of Japanese culture. I wouldn’t hesitate to visit Toyko again and would recommend a visit here for anyone who is curious and would like an adventure that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.