Just returned from Thailand - Page 3

CatsyCline · ‎07-24-2013

@fairydogmother wrote:
@CatsyCline wrote:
@fairydogmother Krabi and Andaman Sea - one of my dream vacations! Gorgeous beaches and views!! did you get to see Phi Phi islands? is the water so warm and clear as the photos online?

i follow a few you-tubers who tour the islands and beach towns..just breathtaking

glad to hear you had an amzing time!

my husband and daughter did some island hopping on a snorkeling excursion. I didn't go, as I'm a bit disabled with a bad knee and now need a cane. Getting in and out of those boats was extremely difficult

@fairydogmother oh i completely understand. we traveled to germany 5 years ago and i was using a cane but purchased a rollator to get around. i already had 2 back surgeries but did not realize the problem was my hip (which later got replaced). i still use my cane at times because i have balance issues...

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

Do you believe in signs? Because I’m literally looking at a Thailand/Laos trip for next November. Clearly this is my sign to book it!

Glad you had a great trip.

SaveTheTurtles · ‎10-09-2023

That is quite a trip! A long ways a away. Bet the food and scenery were awesome!

fairydogmother · ‎03-10-2010

@CatsyCline wrote:
@fairydogmother wrote:
@CatsyCline wrote:
@fairydogmother Krabi and Andaman Sea - one of my dream vacations! Gorgeous beaches and views!! did you get to see Phi Phi islands? is the water so warm and clear as the photos online?

i follow a few you-tubers who tour the islands and beach towns..just breathtaking

glad to hear you had an amzing time!

my husband and daughter did some island hopping on a snorkeling excursion. I didn't go, as I'm a bit disabled with a bad knee and now need a cane. Getting in and out of those boats was extremely difficult
@fairydogmother oh i completely understand. we traveled to germany 5 years ago and i was using a cane but purchased a rollator to get around. i already had 2 back surgeries but did not realize the problem was my hip (which later got replaced). i still use my cane at times because i have balance issues...

Thailand has little to no accessibility for the elderly and even slightly disabled. I have a bad knee due to multiple surgeries and replacements. Infrastructure is bad. For example everywhere we went, I had to gimp along the edges of extremely busy streets with my cane, nearly getting run over by scooters and cars. No sidewalks just chunks of crumbling concrete. I can no longer climb stairs or a high curb, and there were many of these. People had to hoist me up steps, into boats etc. Sort of mortifying. My daughter was not real convinced that I should even go. It's a country for youth, for fit able people.
also just so you know, their plumbing qualifies as "a developing country". 90% of the places you visit or stay, require that used toilet tissue be deposited in a wastebasket next to the toilet. Gross. Maybe in the fancy expensive hotels it's not like that, but we stayed with my daughter's friends and in a studio apartment. In Krabi at the nice resorts it was better.

Harmonize the World

CatsyCline · ‎07-24-2013

@fairydogmother wrote:
@CatsyCline wrote:
@fairydogmother wrote:
@CatsyCline wrote:
@fairydogmother Krabi and Andaman Sea - one of my dream vacations! Gorgeous beaches and views!! did you get to see Phi Phi islands? is the water so warm and clear as the photos online?

i follow a few you-tubers who tour the islands and beach towns..just breathtaking

glad to hear you had an amzing time!

my husband and daughter did some island hopping on a snorkeling excursion. I didn't go, as I'm a bit disabled with a bad knee and now need a cane. Getting in and out of those boats was extremely difficult
@fairydogmother oh i completely understand. we traveled to germany 5 years ago and i was using a cane but purchased a rollator to get around. i already had 2 back surgeries but did not realize the problem was my hip (which later got replaced). i still use my cane at times because i have balance issues...
Thailand has little to no accessibility for the elderly and even slightly disabled. I have a bad knee due to multiple surgeries and replacements. Infrastructure is bad. For example everywhere we went, I had to gimp along the edges of extremely busy streets with my cane, nearly getting run over by scooters and cars. No sidewalks just chunks of crumbling concrete. I can no longer climb stairs or a high curb, and there were many of these. People had to hoist me up steps, into boats etc. Sort of mortifying. My daughter was not real convinced that I should even go. It's a country for youth, for fit able people.
also just so you know, their plumbing qualifies as "a developing country". 90% of the places you visit or stay, require that used toilet tissue be deposited in a wastebasket next to the toilet. Gross. Maybe in the fancy expensive hotels it's not like that, but we stayed with my daughter's friends and in a studio apartment. In Krabi at the nice resorts it was better.

yikes! i see the those scooters all over the roads in the videos, and the video creators are all very young and buff. walking any distances and stairs are a problem for me too, not to mention bathroom and TP situation!

fairydogmother · ‎03-10-2010

@CatsyCline

also the length of the flights is brutal. This was a one and done for me

Harmonize the World

CatsyCline · ‎07-24-2013

@fairydogmother wrote:
@CatsyCline
also the length of the flights is brutal. This was a one and done for me

@fairydogmother oh yes...i always just about kiss the ground after a flight. that was two legs right?

if i ever win the lottery (lololol) i would spring for flights with the bedrooms...

fairydogmother · ‎03-10-2010

@CatsyCline wrote:
@fairydogmother wrote:
@CatsyCline
also the length of the flights is brutal. This was a one and done for me
@fairydogmother oh yes...i always just about kiss the ground after a flight. that was two legs right?

if i ever win the lottery (lololol) i would spring for flights with the bedrooms...

we flew from Orlando to Chicago, then to Munich, and on to Bangkok. Same on return trip. Flights were 12, 10 hours. Squished into economy middle seat. Even worse is the route my daughter takes-14 and 15 hrs No wonder the expats only come back once a year

Harmonize the World

Stray · ‎04-20-2013

I was in Thailand a month a few years back and loved it. It was the perfect lifestyle for me. I loved the fresh vegetables & fish daily, swimming in the Andaman sea everyday, calm & clean beach. We stayed at a lovely hotel so no toilet tissue issues. We stayed at an elephant sanctuary & learned to appreciate not only the intelligence of these magnificent creatures but their sense of humor & ability to understand human speech.

Unfortunately, my husband wound up in the hospital in ICU but care was top notch. The people are wonderful in Thailand. Those boats were tough to get into & I have no disability so I’d advise people with mobility problems avoid that activity.

fairydogmother · ‎03-10-2010

here's an interesting tidbit. At many of the popular attractions, for example the Chiang Mai Night Safari (very fun, I recommend it), they charge two prices. One for the Thai people and a lot more for the "farang" or "white people". They put the info in Thai to make it harder to spot. At the Night Safari, the Thai price was 300 Baht per person. For us it was 1200 Baht. Sneaky. Also it seems very unfair to the expats who live and work there, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy every day.

Harmonize the World