Stage 10 - 10th March to 27th March 2014

So, back to Dubai. I had some work this week for Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank cancelled so decided to have a few days break at the Dusit Thani hotel - they gave us our usual room! But on Wednesday 12th March I had a workshop for senior managers on Values Deployment for Dragon Oil - the company who's oilfield in Turkmenistan I spent some time at last December. I had further work booked with ADCB at the Crowne Plaza, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi from the 18th March so decided to relocate there for a further break before starting the work on the 18th so a car picked us up and took us to Yas Island - a 90 minute trip.

The Crowne Plaza on Yaz Island is next to the Radison Blu hotel where I stayed last year. It's across the road from the F1 circuit and near to the marina and other attractions. We upgraded so we could use the Executive Lounge and they gave us a great room with a view over the golf course to the gulf, looking West so we could see some fabulous sunsets.

We spent most days at the pool but did a trip to the Marina one day - free bus - and spent one day on the beach before I had to start work again.

I did a three day workshop for ADCB managers on Service Excellence, had the weekend off, then did two, two-day workshops for some middle managers - the last work of the trip.

The 27th March is our wedding anniversary so we booked a meal at the Filini restaurant in the Radison Blu and had the one of the best meals of the trip - and great service too.

On the 27th we had an email from the car park who had our car saying the car won't start so we booked into the Sofitel for the night, not wanting that sort of hassle late at night.

A car picked us up late morning at the Crowne Plaza and drove us to Dubai airport where we caught the plane home - it was delayed so we were glad we'd booked the night at the Sofitel.

The next morning I was picked up by the car park people and taken to the pound where the car had been kept for nearly 3 months. I don't believe what they told me about trying to start the car because the AA guy started it first time! Hey ho.

So back to the real world of Swanage - it's good to be back.

The End.

View looking west from our balcony

Watching the sun go down over downtown Abu Dhabi from Yas Island

An unusually low sunset

View of the golf course from the hotel

The swimming pool at the Crowne Plaza, Yas Island.

Stage 9 - 21st February to 9th March

So back to Dubai! I am supposed to be doing some consultancy for the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank on Six Sigma but they decide they have too many initiatives underway so they decide to postpone mine until Q4 leaving me with the cost of hotels for 11 days in Dubai. I do have one day's work for Dragon Oil on the 12th March then I have to be in Abu Dhabi for the 18th March to deliver 3 training programmes for ADCB on service excellence so we decide to cancel the hotel booking in Dubai - it's a business hotel - and move to the Crowne Plaza hotel on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for the rest of our stay.

The last couple of weeks has been interesting both professionally and personally. From the professional point of view it's been a source of satisfaction to deliver an operations management course for 17 delegates from so many different sectors and countries - one delegate was head of the Royal Saudi Arabian Airforce - and a Service Excellence Course for 21 delegates, 8 of whom were from Saudi Airline.

Dianne's birthday was on the 24th February but that was a working day so we postponed celebrations until the 27th when we had a table at the Amal restaurant at the Amani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa overlooking the fountain. Not the best food in my opinion but Dianne loved it and I agree it was a special experience but at over £500 for the night a bit expensive.

On the 6th March we went to an Eric Clapton concert at Media City, Dubai. An open air concert, standing only, but a great experience. I've seen him several times before in the UK and he never disappoints.

Last night, the 8th March, we met a friend of mine - Anne McDougal - who is an international trainer working in the Middle East. We met at the Grosvenor House hotel at the Dubai mariner, where the Bhuda Bar is. Another great night in a fabulous location. So today was a quiet day, pool, reading...oh, and one conference call for an hour with ADCB!

looking up at the tallest building in the world from floor 3

Dining table at the Amani hotel

and a rare picture of me!

The Dubai Fountain

The Fountain again

and again

The Saddhatar restaurant at the Grosvenor House hotel, Dubai Marina

The bar at the Saddhatar restaurant overlooking the marina

I bought this without reference to Dianne - I like it and it fits!

The Clapton Concert, Dubai 

The band

The slow hand!

Stage 8 - 16th & 20th February 2014

Bahrain is one of the few Middle East countries we have not been to so we were looking forward to adding a different stamp to our passports! We arrived in the afternoon of the 16th February and checked in to the rather grand Intercontinental Regency Hotel in Manama - probably one of the best hotels I've stayed in - and managed to upgrade so we had access to the Club Lounge - I'm a platinum member of this group of hotels so the upgrade was free! 

We didn't do much on the day of arrival except a quick trip to look at the Souk, which we heard was a bit special, and it was. In fact, Bahrain is a bit special: very real, very liberal, it felt, well, normal. I'd go there again.

The Souk in Manama, Bahrain.

On the 17th February we had a free day so did some site seeing - the Fort, the National Museum and the Bahrain Fort Archaeological excavations carried out since 1954 have unearthed antiquities from an artificial mound of 12 m (39 ft) height containing seven stratified layers, created by various occupants from 2300 BC up to the 18th century, including Kassites, Portuguese and Persians. It was once the capital of the Dilmun civilization and awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. It was a good place for photographs though when we were there it was a little hazy so the results were not too good.

On the 18th February I started a 3-day operations management programme for a Bahrain Credit; my course was one of several delivered to a group known as 'future leaders'.  Nice group, enjoyed their company and feedback was good.

Dianne outside the National Museum

At the entrance to the Fort, which is seen in the background

Overlooking the Fort excavations towards Manama

Dianne at the highest point

Another view of the city from the Fort

More of the excavations

Time for home....

Stage 7 - 14th February 2014

We left Thailand with some reluctance, it's a very special place; we would love to stay longer but I'm afraid work is calling! I've had some changes to my work schedule so, instead of flying directly to Qatar we now have to stay in Dubai for a few days before travelling to Bahrain where I need to be on the 16th February.

The only flight from Phuket to Dubai is an overnight flight, overnight flights we always seek to avoid but on this occasion there is no alternative. The flight leaves at 12:30 am so we arrive at the airport in order to be at the check-in desk when it opens so we can ask about upgrading - we feared there would not be many seats available in Business Class and, if we left it too late, we might miss them. And, sure enough, there was only two seats left but the plan worked and we managed - after some debate - to book them, one with my airmiles for the other one we had to pay cash but we paid nowhere near the amount we would have paid if we booked Business Class originally.

So, as a result, the flight was comfortable - flat beds with Champagne and fine wine served with the meals. Dianne watched a few movies while I attempted to sleep or doze, with some success. After a 7 hour flight the time difference meant our arrival time in Dubai was about 4:00 am local time but we had a hotel car pick us up so we were in bed for a few hour's sleep soon after landing. We didn't sleep for long so managed to have some breakfast before the dining room closed.

The 14th February was St Valentine's so we booked a table at our favourite restaurant which I had a special menu which included drinks in the package - it didn't let us down.

We didn't do much in Dubai, just relaxed but Bahrain was working though we did manage a trip to the movies to see Gravity - great special effects, especially in 3D.

The Menu

Stage 6 - 14th February 2014

Again, not much action yesterday, 13th February because we had an overnight flight to Dubai departing 12:35 am, so we thought it best to just relax on the beach, do a bit of shopping - Dianne bought a few dresses and I a pair of shorts - and reading books; we also managed to avoid alcohol all day thinking it won't help us cope with an overnight flight. We returned to the apartment late afternoon to finish packing have a shower and get changed; the taxi to the airport turned up at 7:30 pm and we arrived at the airport about 8:30 - far too early for a 12:35 am flight but we had economy tickets and wanted to upgrade, just for this leg of the journey and the only way of doing that was at check-in. So, when check-in opened we were the first in the queue and managed to upgrade to the only two seats left in business class! Great news because I was able to sleep/doze for about 6 hours.

So, we arrived at Dubai airport after a 7 hour flight meaning we landed at 04:30 am local time. We were met by the hotel car and soon after checking in, at the Dusit Thani hotel, we were in bed for a couple of hours to catch up some sleep. We woke in time for breakfast and, after an hour or two decided to go for a walk so set off for the Dubai Mall - picked up a few things, including a new camera bag, a bit late really, I could have done with it in Thailand!

As it was Valentine's day we decided to book a meal in one of my favourite restaurants, the PAX where they offered a set menu for the evening with a welcome glass of bubbly. The 5-course menu was impressive and included Waghu beef and lobster - so we had to have two bottles of wine, red and white! The red, a St Emilion, was also impressive. (We had already drunk a glass of white wine in the executive lounge before going to the restaurant so, that and the bubbly and the two bottles of wine meant we had far too much to drink; our rationale was we needed to sleep well!)

Last photo on Kamala Beach, Phuket

Last look back at Kamala beach

Last shuttle bus to our hotel

The impressive St Valentine's Day menu

At the PAX restaurant with the bubbly.

Stage 5 -12th February 2014

Yesterday, the 11th February, was a beach day! Not much to note apart from the great weather! We had lunch at a beach cafe so didn't much fancy dinner in the evening so just took some snacks back to the apartment.

Today, Wednesday, we went on an excursion, a boat tour of the iconic islands along the east shore of Phuket island. We had an early start so alarm set for 6:00 am. The taxi was due at 7:30, before the hotel cafe is open for breakfast but we had bought some stuff yesterday so had breakfast in our apartment (it has a well appointed kitchen) then set of on the bus to the east coast collecting two other parties en route - one a Canadian couple from Toronto who we spoke with throughout the day. The journey was about an hour but did give us time to see more of the island, which was a benefit.

We arrived at the tour centre about 8:30 and sat around waiting for others to arrive - they had 3 large speed boats to fill - and for safety briefings, etc. and eventually climbed aboard to set of at 9:15. I was a little concerned about seasickness but they had offered pills, which I took, so didn't have a problem - the sea wasn't too choppy anyway. It took the boat about 40 minutes to get us to the first of a group of islands known as Phi Phi. We stopped first at Maya Bay on Kho Phi Phi Lee island where we were astonished to see the number of boats tied up on the beach, probably more than 50, many of which had 40 or more passengers so there could have been 2000 people on the beach! It was a good job the tide was out otherwise there would have been nowhere to sit or stand! We stayed there for about 40 minutes though there really was not much to see, in fact the most interesting thing was the sign warning that the beach was at risk if there's a Tsunami! Suggesting we climb to higher ground in the event of an earthquake!

From there we sailed around the island to view other coves and some caves the most interesting was the Viking Caves: For the most part Phi Phi Island is harsh limestone rockfaces. On the way from Maya Bay is a large cave eroded by waves which opens out to the waters. A shaky-looking bamboo scaffold covers most of it from view. In this cave is a colony of birds called swiftlets whose nests are valued as a Chinese delicacy. They’re believed to have properties such as improving the voice, increasing the libido (of course), relieving asthma, and general immune benefits.

Nest harvesting begins in February, and the first two nest builds are taken before the birds are allowed to keep one to breed. Getting the nests involve climbing up a bamboo ladder to the ceiling of the cave, which is more than a hundred metres high. The cave is covered with bamboo scaffolds and small alters..

The local name of the cave is Tham Phaya Nak, named by Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1972 after the Naga, a great serpent of Buddhist legend. The English name for it is Viking Cave, after a series of paintings on the walls inside depicting four tall ships. Little is known about the paintings or who did them, but reportedly they’re over a thousand years old. The ships appear to be European and Chinese, and while they don’t resemble a viking ship in the slightest the name has stuck.

We then headed for Monkey Beach, which, as the name implies, features wild macaque monkeys, though tame enough to be hand fed by the tourists! Then for lunch. This was a crap buffet at Tonsai Bay on Kho Phi Phi, the only inhabited island on the archipelago with lots of facilities including hotels and cafes. We lunched with the Canadians; the beer was welcome. We stayed there for an hour or so then set off for the last island, Khai Island, which is not part of the Phi Phi archipelago but on the way we stopped off at a coral reef to do some snorkeling - which was a great experience spoiled a little by the number of people in the water at the same time!

We stayed, relaxing, at Khai Island for an 90 minutes before setting off back to Phuket, which was now only a 15 minute sail. Then onto the mini bus and back to the hotel for about 6:30.

We dined at the Oiy restaurant again but the food was a let down, then we had a final drink at a roadside bar am met a Dutchman who claimed he'd been living here, in 'paradise' for 10 years.

Our speedboat

Maya Bay

The warning on Maya Beach

Loh Saman Bay

Entrance to Pileh Lagoon

The Viking Caves

Monkey beach resident

Tonai Bay for lunch

Dianne returning to the boat after snorkelling

On Khai Island wearing my hat!

High density sunbeds on the tiny Khai Island

Stage 5 - 10th February 2014

Although we wake up early we decide to take our time, catch up with the news, have a late breakfast, do some emails, etc. and catch the 12:30 shuttle bus to the beach; we also take a look at the excursions and book a day trip on a boat doing the islands tour, the only one we had hoped to take.

The shuttle bus dropped us off in village car park near Kamala beach but before the beach we decided to take a stroll through the town to take a look at what was there - just the usual, beachwear shops, a chemist, several restaurants, a few bars, some massage parlours and a supermarket. At the end of the road we found the beach. It's a rather large bay, maybe a little smaller than Swanage with a deep beach and an emerald green sea where a few longtail boats are bobbling in the small waves.

We settled down on some sunbeds shaded by an umbrella and paid the guy equivalent of £4 for the day and stayed there until nearly 6:00 pm when we packed up and headed for one of the shore bars to have a beer while watching the sun go down - I also took some photographs.

Through the day we did very little, just read ebooks and took the occasional dip in the very warm sea, probably the warmest I've swam in.

We stayed in town for an early dinner at the Oiy restaurant, the busiest and therefore probably the best in town! We were not disappointed, good food, good wine (SA Pinotage) and excellent service - if we dine in town again we will revisit. The only problem: we had two bottles of wine! Before catching the shuttle back to the hotel we picked up some provisions for the apartment: milk, coffee, washing powder (we have a washing machine in our apartment!), and some wine!

Just arrived at Kamala Beach

Dianne after a dip in the warm sea

Having a drink in a bar watching the sun going down - the lady is a stranger!

Tide coming in as two more strangers cross the beach.

Stage 5 - 9th February 2014

Had a restless nights sleep after Dianne's phone started vibrating at 01:30 with a text message. Tried to get back to sleep but failed. Finally got up at 05:00 to be picked up by a taxi at 06:00 - well eventually after some strange dialogue with a guy on reception who speaks no English! Don't know what happens if there's an emergency! The conversation goes something like this:
Hello, I have a taxi booked for 6 am, could you send the buggy for the luggage please?
Hello?
Hello, can you hear me?
Yes.
I have a taxi booked at 6:00 am, could you send a buggy for the luggage?
A taxi?
Yes, I have a taxi booked.
You want taxi?
No, taxi booked, I just need help with the luggage.
Hello?
Why do you keep saying 'hello'?

What comes to mind is Fawlty Towers, I'm just waiting the 'K?'

Then silence. So I put the phone down and head for reception where there are 3 guys on duty, none of whom speak English but, thankfully the taxi driver has turned up so I take him round to the villa and pack up the luggage.

The flight to Phuket is uneventful with some great views over the countryside, especially as we approach the airport when we fly over some of the iconic islands; looking forward to seeing them from a boat.

We booked a limo from the airport - we've done this each time because it only costs a few pounds more than a standard taxi but there is so much more space for us and the luggage.

The hotel - Treetops Resort - is on the west coast of Phuket Island on a bay called Kamala but it's a mile or so from the beach; thankfully they have a shuttle bus setting off every hour to take people into the town.

We are allocated an apartment - lounge, dining area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, very spacious but on the ground floor. The trouble is all the walls a glass so there's no privacy! So we ask to change and we are offered a second floor room, much better and totally private. Then we discover there's no hot water - again - then the safe doesn't function! So we decide to catch the shuttle into town to find a restaurant, which we do. There are several that look OK but we select one offering fresh fish and both choose the red mullet, which is delicious, with a bottle of French white wine, which isn't but is expensive. The bill was £56, the wine £26!

Back in the room which now has hot water and a functioning safe!

View from our room

Looking from our balcony to other parts of the hotel

Stage 4 - 7th February 2014

Sorry, nothing to blog on the 6th & 7th February about the travels, just had to do some work for some clients in the Middle East so we stayed around the hotel all day, Dianne spent some time at the pool and I had some time off to do some reading - finished my book: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, which is a well written narrative about the life of a slave in the USA in the 19th century; you get the feeling he holds back on much of the cruelty but it is rather harrowing.

Today - Friday - we booked a tour of the Chiangmai temples, or Wats as they are called. There are 200 Buddhist Wats in Chiangmai but we only had time for a few, three we stopped at for some time to browse, wonder and take some photographs - nearly 200 in all.

The first Wat we visited is the most famous. It's situated high in the hills north of Chiangmai but, thankfully, there is a now a road to take you there; we went by taxi and cable car! The following is taken from Wikipedia; if you just want to see the photos skip the narrative!

1. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

According to legend, a monk named Sumanathera from Sukhothai had a dream; in this vision he was told to go to Pang Cha and look for a relic. Sumanathera ventured to Pang Cha and is said to have found a bone, which many claim was Buddha's shoulder bone. The relic displayed magical powers; it glowed, it was able to vanish, it could move itself and replicate itself. Sumanathera took the relic to King Dharmmaraja who ruled the Sukhothai.

The eager Dharmmaraja made offerings and hosted a ceremony when Sumanathera arrived. However, the relic displayed no abnormal characteristics, and the king, doubtful of the relic's authenticity, told Sumanathera to keep it.

However, King Nu Naone of the Lanna Kingdom heard of the relic and offered the monk to take it to him instead. In 1368 with Dharmmaraja's permission, Sumanathera took the relic to what is now Lamphun, in northern Thailand. The relic apparently split in two, one piece was the same size, the other was smaller than the original. The smaller piece of the relic was enshrined at a temple in Suandok. The other piece was placed by the King on the back of a white elephant which was released in the jungle. The elephant is said to have climbed up Doi Suthep, at the time called Doi Aoy Chang (Sugar Elephant Mountain), trumpeted three times before dying at the site. It was interpreted as a sign and King Nu Naone ordered the construction of a temple at the site.

2. Wat Chet Yot

King Tilokarat commissioned the construction of the temple in 1455 CE after he had sent monks to Bagan in Burma to study the design of the Mahabodhi temple there, itself a copy of the Mahabodhi Temple of Bodh Gaya in northern India, the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment.

According to the Jinakālamālī chronicle, in 1455 CE the king planted a bodhi tree on the spot and in 1476 CE "had established a large sanctuary in this monastery", probably for the celebration ceremony commemorating 2000 years of Buddhism. The following year the 8th Buddhist World Council was held at Wat Chet Yot to renew the Tripitaka (the Pali Canon).

The design of the central sanctuary, the Maha Pho wihan (also called Maha Chedi, Thai), does indeed somewhat resemble the Mahabodhi temple, clearly having Indian influences. Crowning the flat roof of the rectangular windowless building are seven spires (In Thai: chet yot) which gives the temple its name: a pyramid-like spire with a square base set back from the centre surrounded by four smaller similar spires, and, set atop the two smaller annexes of the main building, two bell-shaped chedis.

The interior of the building contains a barrel vaulted corridor which leads to a Buddha statue at its end. Right and left of the Buddha statue narrow stairs lead up to the roof. In days past a bodhi tree grew on top of the roof but which was removed in 1910 CE to prevent the structure from collapse.

The exterior façades of the building feature 70, partially strongly weathered, stucco reliefs of Thewada (Devas), divine beings, the faces of whom have allegedly been modelled after relatives of King Tilokarat.

3. Wat Phra Singh

Construction on Wat Phra Singh began in 1345 when King Phayu, the fifth king of the Mangrai dynasty, had a chedi built to house the ashes of his father King Kham Fu. A wihan and several other buildings were added a few years later and the resulting complex was named Wat Lichiang Phra. When, in 1367, the statue of Phra Buddha Singh was brought to the temple, the temple complex received its present name. During restoration works in 1925, three funerary urns were discovered inside a small chedi. It was assumed that these contained royal ashes. The urns have since been lost. From 1578 to 1774 the Burmese ruled Lanna and in this period the temple was abandoned and came under serious disrepair. It was only when King Kawila assumed the throne as King of Chiang Mai in 1782, that the temple was restored. King Kawila had the ubosot built and the chedi enlarged. Later successors restored the Wihan Lai Kham and the elegant Ho Trai(temple library).

The whole temple complex underwent extensive renovations under the famous monk Khru Ba Srivichai during the 1920s. Many of the buildings were again restored in 2002.

The temple houses an important Buddha statue: the Phra Buddha Sihing which gives the temple its name. The origins of this statue are unknown but, according to legend, it was based on thelion of Shakya, a statue since lost which used to be housed in the Mahabodhi Temple of Bodh Gaya (India). The Phra Buddha Sihing statue is supposed to have been brought, via Ceylon(present day Sri Lanka), to Ligor (present day Nakhon Si Thammarat and from there, via Ayutthaya, to Chiang Mai. There are two more Buddha statues in Thailand which are claimed to be thePhra Buddha Sihing: one is housed in Wat Phra Mahathat in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat and another in the Bangkok National Museum.

It is alleged that the head of the statue had been stolen in 1922. The possibility remains that the present statue (or maybe only the head) is a copy.

Every year, during the Songkran festival, the statue is taken from wihan Lai Kham and carried through the streets of Chiang Mai in a religious procession during which the spectators honour the statue by sprinkling water over it.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and the white elephant of the legend

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - where the holy bone is kept

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - just some of the scores of images of the Buddha

Dianne in the gardens of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

A crystal Buddha at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Another image of Buddha at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - mostly covered with goldleaf

One of the many images of a dragon on the steps to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

What Chet Yot - the seven spired Wat. A very old temple but not too much to photograph

Wat Phra Singh showing some of the many lifelike images of monks

Me trying to befriend a Dragon at Wat Phra Singh

A monks working on the flower arrangements in Wat Phra Singh with some novices

The sun setting behind one of the buildings at Wat Phra Singh