Aviation Porn – Phuket

Posted on 17 December 2010 by christao408

The place we stayed in Phuket is just a mile or so stroll down the beach from the international airport. Far enough that you don’t hear much noise, but close enough so you can walk down and watch planes land and depart. We also spent an hour or so one morning parked alongside the service road that is the back entrance into the airport, paralleling close to the runway. Here is a little aviation porn for those of you whose tastes run that way.

And from the beach side:

THAI Airways A300 arriving from Bangkok.

THAI Airways A330 arriving from Hong Kong

Transaero B777-200 arriving from one of the Moscow airports.

“Be careful! The jet blast.” Yes, I managed to stand right behind a Dragonair A320 as it powered up for takeoff and learned just how strong that is. Smartly, I turned my back to it as it was kicking up a lot of sand. The blast was pushing little waves about 200 feet into the ocean.

There’s that Dragonair A320 from Hong Kong, about 45 minutes before it sandblasted me.

Another Transaero plane, this one a B747-200, coming from the other airport in Moscow.

Beautiful erosion in the sand banks just off the runway. You can see the top of the fence in the upper right hand side of the picture.

There will be some Mexican food porn from Houston tomorrow for everyone else.

Return to La Gaetana Phuket

Posted on 4 December 2010 by christao408

When we were in Phuket a year ago October, our friends Stuart and Piyawat took us to an amazing Italian restaurant called La Gaetana. What sets it apart from other restaurants is that the owner, Polermo native Gianni, takes such tremendous pride in his business and pleasure in serving his guests.

When Piyawat made the reservations, I don’t know if he mentioned that dinner was for friends who were visiting again, but Gianni greeted me so warmly that I felt like a neighbor who had been away for a year and returned.

Instead of essentially re-writing the entry from the first visit, I’ll just cut and paste key portions of it here along with some new pictures.

“… The venue was this hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant called La Gaetana. And let me tell you, it was without question the best dining experience I have had in Thailand.

That may sound like hyperbole, but Polermo native Gianni and his Thai wife Chonchita run the most charming of restaurants with the most attentive service I’ve ever received in the Land of Smiles. The restaurant, located in a warmly decorated 80-year old building, seats just 32 so reservations are a must.

The food is great, atmosphere is cute, etc. but what really makes the experience worthwhile is the passion with which Gianni and his staff, many of whom have worked there for years, attend to your needs. His tableside bottle-opening and decanting is a show in and of itself, and illustrates just how much care is given to each detail of the dining experience.

Here’s a video that shows it all.

…

This is exactly what I could imagine myself doing in the future. Running my own small restaurant in some idyllic town, spending my days making my guests happy and ensuring they enjoy excellent food, wine and service.”

And now, pictures from dinner the other night:

Gianni opens a bottle of champagne, chilling the glasses with ice, as Matt looks on.

Antipasto platter with meats, vegetables, and cheese.

Assorted crostini – small toasts with chopped tomatoes or fresh cheese and pesto on top.

Grilled portobella mushrooms with gorgonzola cheese.

Lamb ribs, beautifully cooked, with a side of homemade gnocchi in tomato and eggplant sauce.

For dessert, apple tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream.

After we left the restaurant, I noticed that the Chinese temple across the street was showing an outdoor movie, with a screen set up in the parking lot and the film being projected from a portable 35mm projector in a tent at the back of the lot. This is the way it was done in the old days – and to some extent, still is – in the countryside.

A view from the inside of the temple compound looking towards the screen. Rather a sparse crowd this evening.

Trip to the Andaman Opera Suite Phuket

Posted on 2 December 2010 by christao408

Three nights away from Krungthep was just what we (and our guests!) needed. We stayed at the Andaman Opera Suite located on Mai Khao Beach on the far north end of Phuket island. A year ago October we stayed at this three-unit condo which we knew as the Black Pearl. It turns out that each of the units, which are owned by a trio of couples, has a different name. The Black Pearl is one of the downstairs units and the Andaman Opera Suite is the the upstairs unit.

Since the Black Pearl was unavailable, its owners suggested we call the agent that handles the Andaman Opera Suite. It turned out to be a great move and was plenty of room for five adults, although the master bedroom suite (in which the three guests stayed) has only a sheer curtain between the bedroom and the shower portion of the bathroom, so this required a little coordination.

Here are photos from the website. I figured they are so much nicer than anything I could shoot, so why duplicate efforts?

The kitchen turned out to be rather well-stocked, enough to prepare a couple of meals at home.

Mixed grill – dry brined pork chops and a variety of German sausages.

Brownies! I cheated and used a mix. Seemed silly to buy cocoa powder just for one batch.

For our third evening, we stopped at the local market and picked up some fresh seafood, herbs, and vegetables to make a nice dinner.

Before and after: a snapper-like fish stuffed with lemongrass, dill, and galangal root, with kaffir lime leaves and a butter-soy-lime sauce. Wrapped in foil and baked 25 minutes.

Chicken biryani from one of the vendors at the market. Tasty!

Tawn’s own contribution: tom yum goong soup, a spicy chili-tamarand shrimp soup with coconut milk and herbs. Tawn held back on the chili to spare the guests.

Before we chow down for dinner on our final night: me, Tawn, Jack, Craig, and Matt.

Stroll Along Mai Khao Beach

Posted on 27 October 2009 by christao408

The final chapter about Phuket…

Jason was busy tanning, Kahlua on the Rocks in hand, and Tawn was napping after his yoga, so Stuart, Piyawat and I decided to go for a stroll on the beach. The condo we rented is on Mai Khao Beach. “Mai Khao” means “white trees”, a reference to the strands of birch trees located in this area. North of the airport by less than a kilometer in a straight line, this section of the island has little development in comparison to the busier cities on the south and west sides.

Our guard dogs, Sing and Yuri, ran under the fence to join us. I was initially concerned that they would run away and get lost but they were very well behaved, never straying too far and always racing back when we called.

Here’s a two-minute video highlighting the stroll:

It took about ten minutes to walk the kilometer or so south towards the airport. The runway ends just next to the beach and you can get quite a view of departing airplanes. Being an aviation enthusiast, I had to stop and watch a few THAI Airways Boeing 777s depart.

The airport is unique because it is located in an isthmus-like stretch of the north end of the island, wedged between two hills. You can see the control tower (white) on the hill to the left of the runway. The back entrance to the airport is by the narrow road that runs to the left of the taxiway. I can’t exaggerate how close this road is to the taxiway. When the jumbo jets taxi by, you feel like you need to duck lest their wingtips slice off the roof of your car. The terminal and ramp area are parallel to the beach at the far end of the picture.

Also at the end of the runway is a small creek which runs into the sea. It is fed by runoff from the airport grounds. Here we have a father and son fishing for dinner in this creek. I can only imagine what sort of petroleum residue there is in that water.

We encountered another fisherman on the way back. This man was fishing in the sea and landed an interesting fish as we walked up. It was long with a needlelike nose and small teeth. The color was translucent green on top and he was wriggling around like crazy.

Sunday afternoon there was no rush to leave as our flight wasn’t until after 7 pm. We all piled into the car and drove ten minutes up the road to the Sala Resort, one of the high-end resorts located on the north end of the island. I think I’ve figured out the best was to enjoy resorts: just go visit them and have a drink. You get all the attentive service and ambience without having to pay the exorbitant nightly rates.

The design of the resort is, I understand, by the same person who designed Alila Cha-Am. (See this entry from September 2008 about our stay at that beautiful resort on the Gulf of Thailand.) This means that it is largely modern in design, although Sala has more contemporary touches such as this vaguely Chinoiserie style screen at the entrance. Notice that some of the octagons rotate. Neat touch.

Guest registration, which looks more like an open-air bar.

The path from registration towards the beach. Notice the “white trees” – birches. All the guest rooms are individual pavilions (that’s where the name “sala” comes from, “pavilion” in Thai) hidden behind walls and gates on both sides of this path.

Heading through a wall of mist on our way to the spa to check our their offerings and prices.

Tawn chilling out in the lounge outside the spa. There’s just a little bit of water circulating amongst the stones and another quiet waterfall trickling down the black wall in the back.

The pool area near the beach. Surrounded on two sides by outdoor dining patios, we positioned ourselves on the large white sofa at the far end of the pool for some drinks and snacks. I didn’t realize it at first, but there is actually a seating area on top of the roof with reflecting pools, benches and tables.

Here’s the view of the pools taken from the top of the roof, directly above the white sofa at the far end of the previous picture. The wide lawn was very different from most beach resorts and with the pine trees, it reminded me more of a mountain retreat rather than a beach side resort.

Kobfa and Tawn in one of the many love seat swings on the property.

Okay, that’s it for Phuket for this trip. Hope you enjoyed!

La Gaetana Phuket

Posted on 23 October 2009 by christao408

The first night in Phuket we drove 30 km to Phuket Town, located on the south end of the island, to enjoy a fantastic dinner with Stuart and Piyawat. The venue was this hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant called La Gaetana. And let me tell you, it was without question the best dining experience I have had in Thailand.

That may sound like hyperbole, but Polermo native Gianni and his Thai wife Chonchita run the most charming of restaurants with the most attentive service I’ve ever received in the Land of Smiles. The restaurant, located in a charmingly decorated 80-year old building, seats just 32 so reservations are a must.

Here’s a video that shows it all.

Lest you don’t want to watch the video, here it is in pictures:

Italian antipasto platter. Yummy!

Grilled veggies in the back and a variety of bruschetta in the front.

Minestrone soup with fresh ground pepper.

Palate cleanser of passionfruit sorbetto.

Homemade spaghetti with pancetta and sundried tomatoes.

Grilled salmon with lemongrass sauce and spinach.

Homemade fettuccine with mixed seafood and tomato sauce.

Grilled bistecca (angus) served with veggies. Very lovely cut with lots of flavor.

For dessert, Gianni displayed the same attention to detail as he did when opening the wine bottles, garnishing each dish before it was served.

The desserts had a very French feel to them. Here, a tarte tartin.

Classic crème brûlée

Baba au ruhm with more sorbetto.

Finally, an Italian dessert! A tiramisu “island” with cinnamon and basil “palm tree”.

Trip to the Black Pearl Phuket

Posted on 20 October 2009 by christao408

A weekend on the beach in Phuket. What a nice way to get away. Our good fortune was that Tawn’s cousin Fon won a voucher for a free three-day, two-night stay at the Black Pearl, a three-unit condo on Mai Khao Beach in Phuket. Since the condo is not particularly young child friendly – unsafe edges everywhere – Fon generously gave the voucher to us.

After a few scheduling hiccups, we coordinated with Ben, Jason and Kobfa to join us for a weekend getaway at this beautiful property.

This is only the second time I’ve been to Phuket. Previously, I didn’t hold the highest opinion of the island because on our first visit we stayed in Patong, the heavily touristy area that, despite its pretty beach, reflects all the excesses and undesirable aspects of tourism.

The Black Pearl is located on Mai Khao (“white tree” – i.e. birch) Beach on the north tip of the island, at least a forty minute drive away from the tourist resorts of Patong and the main town of Phuket. In fact, Black Pearl is on an isolated stretch of beach with no other development immediately around it.

There are three owners, friends with each other, of this three-unit condo complex. Two units are on the main floor with master bedrooms on the back side of the top floor. The third unit is entirely on the front part of the top floor. Above is a picture of the outdoors dining area for our unit. This place is gorgeous and was a lot more enjoyable than some five-star resort because it felt like home and was many times more private.

The infinity-edge pool on the main floor, overlooking the beach.

We arrived on Friday night about 7:00 and drove down to Phuket town to meet up with Stuart and Piyawat, who moved to Phuket a half year ago. We had an amazing dinner at an Italian restaurant. This meal deserves its own entry which I’ll add soon.

Saturday we lounged around the house all day. Biscuits, bacon and eggs in the morning with lots of coffee. Sunning, swimming, walks on the beach, listening to music and enjoying the perfect weather and cooling breezes.

There is a caretaker family that lives on the ground floor. They are very friendly and helpful. You can send the maid to the market with some money and she’ll buy food and prepare all sorts of Thai food. We went with her, selecting the food ourselves for a grand seafood feast. Above, the maid, Tawn and Kobfa select veggies.

Fresh (and huge) prawns. These were ridiculously inexpensive.

Fresh fish anyone? We ended up buying a few red snappers from another vendor and stuffing them with herbs and grilling them in a coat of coarse salt.

In the kitchen, Tawn puts the finishing touches on the Tom Yum Goong (spicy shrimp soup). The maid did most of the work and then left him to adjust the seasoning. It was really tasty.

While the cooking was going on, we enjoyed a most amazing sunset, shown here in three pictures each taken about ten minutes apart.

In the final picture, you can just make out the lights of shrimp boats on the horizon.

The maid’s husband did the grilling, including these gorgeous shrimp, a few large squid, and the salt-crusted fish. The homemade nam chim chili dipping sauce was fantastic!

Sitting around the table before digging in to our seafood feast: Jason and Ben, Kobfa, Chris and Tawn, Piyawat and Stuart, and Noi, one of the owners of our unit. Noi and his partner Pat came down for the weekend and stayed in the upstairs unit which is owned by a friend of theirs. Very nice couple and they joined us for dinner and then for Sunday brunch, too.

Noi and Pat playing with their “guard” dog Sing. Their two dogs were former strays and both look and act very vicious when you first see them. About ten seconds later they are your new best friends, very friendly and well-behaved.

Sunday morning we awoke to the sound of rain. It was overcast and drizzly until about 9:00 after which the sun broke through and we had another beautiful day.

Jason looks on as Tawn does some yoga. Tawn thinks he resembles an embryo in this pose. He has one of the most flexible bodies and is able to do poses I would never be able to do no matter how much I practiced.

Harking back to the attempt at Parmesan Biscuits a few weeks ago, I made a modified recipe that turned out much better. I’m going to make one more attempt at it and once I’ve perfected the recipe, will share it in a sperate entry. They biscuits had smoked salmon and arugula again. Very tasty.

I’ll do a few more entries about some of the other things we did while in Phuket. Needless to say, it was a relaxing weekend. If you are planning a trip to Thailand, especially in a group of 4-6 people, I’d strongly recommend that you consider staying at the Black Pearl. If you do contact them, please let them know that you heard about it from Tawn and Chris.

christao408

The adventures of an expat American who moved to Bangkok for his husband.

Tag Archives: Phuket