Saturday - no golf this weekend

Yesterday blogspot started acting up and I have not been able to post for a couple days now. Everything finally seems back to normal and I am giving it another go. But Saturday, I did not do much anyways. Got up to a relaxed breakfast. Was reading by the pool and later by the beach all day.

In the evening at happy hour, I met Tom and Trevor with his Thai girlfriend Nat?? They are Irish and English, both working in construction here in Phuket and working with Enea - the same gardener my parents used in Switzerland for the resort they are helping to build. Small world.

They could not believe I ate the whole pizza I had ordered at the bar. But this was my first "non-Thai" meal since I got here and as it was so crispy and tasty, I just ate it all :)

Morning by the pool

Afternoon at the beach

Sunset at Surin Beach

Tom

Trevor and his Thai girlfriend Nat??

Trevor (and my hair...)

Loch Palm: Round 1 in Phuket on Friday 13th

The course was advertised by Golfasian (my local tour operator, which I can highly recommend) as a local favorite. And indeed, the setting is very nice. I was paired with two Chinese men. Frank and his friend who did not speak a word of English and got his caddie irritated not only with his "Austrian golf look"...

My caddie Nat had a bit first tee anxiety I think... I was off to a decent start from the back tees (5966 yards) with a 200 yard drive (zero roll) and then a nice 5 iron that just rolled of the green as my shot was a bit ("nid noy" in Thai) long. So, facing the water, I had downhill chip and 2 putts for bogey. This round also included 2 birdies :D and a lot of fun with the caddies Nat and Di (pictured with the Chinese man of unknown name). My score of 95 (32 putts) was a result I am happy with after being in water and/or other trouble on a number of holes...

Here are some more pictures of this scenic course:

Thursday: bye to Chiang Mai ... and hello to Phuket

The travelling days are not my favorite, as they stand for packing and un-packing, transfers, airports etc. But, I guess I will develop a routine over time and not waste more than a day adding up all the packing and un-packing on my trip.

Toon, the local Golfasian driver in Chiang Mai, helpful as always, was there early to pick me up and got me to the airport in almost no time. After a last glance at the old city canal and a friendly good bye, I was already sitting in a Thai lounge again (not such a fancy one in the domestic terminal here..., but free Wi-Fi and good coffee and fresh watermelon - which is developing into my favorite snack...).

The flight is not very long and so I was in Phuket already shortly after lunch. I am excited: my first island golf destination awaits me :). Twinpalms hotel in Surin beach is a very stylish and relaxed place. It is so nice, I am sure, time will fly and it will feel too short a stay here...

Upon arrival, my door key to the room did not work and I had to wait for approximately 5 mins before the lady from reception was back with a new key. No problem for me ("Mai pen rai" in Thai), but they do take these things here seriously and so after returning from my dinner, I found a bottle of bubbly in my room to apologize for the inconvenience created. Have to find someone to drink it with now... or get drunk one night ;-)

Highlands Golf Course: a challenge... too many bunkers

Indeed, there is this hole with 11 bunkers. Lucky for me, the back tees for the ladies do not really bring them into play unless you pull or hook your shot. On this hole, I had a nice drive and a pitch to the green and shot a par (one of  6 and 1 birdie; 31 putts today).

All in all, if in trouble, you got really punished on this course. My 96 with 31 putts sums this up - hit or miss big. Also lost a couple balls and overshot on some greens as my caddie gave a too much club on a number of approaches.

Toby and I both agree on Royal being the highlight of Chiang Mai golf. Highlands is pretty scenic too, but just has to many hazards for an enjoyable round to a mid handicapper.

On the way back, we had our driver take us to the Mandarin Oriental and after a coffee at the pool we were taken on a tour of the hotel and have just been in aaaaawwhh, wow... look at this...

And, we also stopped at a wood carving / furniture factory where we each picked some panels that we liked very much. Toby will go back to negotiate a good deal tomorrow or the day after. Bought my first real souvenir now and am glad, I do not have to carry it home myself.

Alpine Golf Course and Tiger Kingdom

This was the first morning with clouds that would not want to go away. At Alpine, we actually waited for a little while until tee off, as it was still raining. The board claimed sunny intervals and we actually got a pretty dry round after we teed off and it only started looking really dark again as we got to the last couple holes.

Happy with my 93 from the back tees an 32 putts. In fact, there is one putt that was literally hanging half way over the hole (I have never seen such a thing) but would not drop even after the 10 second wait... My caddie "Pin" took good care of me and they seemed to have fun with our flight today.

From some English girls, I had heard that 1 month old Tiger babys were now out at Tiger Kingdom. After a rather long drive out in a Tuk Tuk (30min one way, paying 200 THB including return) we got a close look at them (and stayed in safe distance from the bigger cats).

Monday Monday... and golf at Royal Chiang Mai and then Thai cooking class

Today, Tobias has joined me for the next couple rounds of golf. On the program are also a cooking class, lots of delicious Thai food and exploring the city of Chiang Mai.

We played Royal Chiang Mai and enjoyed a round of nice golf at a beautiful course out in the country side of Chiang Mai. Scoring 95 (36 putts) is definitely not so much of a highlight, but the company, the views and the food in the Club House all made it a very enjoyable round.
After a short dip in the pool, we waited for pick up to our cooking class. We cooked a variety of dishes: all extremely tasty and so easy to prepare.

my fish cakes and Tom Kha Gai

The cooking school is really laid back and they have found a very nice approach to teach the basics. It will be no problem to replicate at home with the right ingredients. Yummie! They took us to a local market first to show examples of the main ingredients used in Thai cooking.

Toby's Cashew Chicken

Back in the school, we each got a plate with the ingredients for the recipes we chose, an instruction how to prepare and cut the ingredients and then directions for how to actually cook it.

Lazy day at the pool and Sunday Market in Chiang Mai

By now I love getting up early for golf. But today, I slept a bit longer and took more time to eat my breakfast. Sunday, my day off. First, at the pool and later the plan is to go to the market in town (Thai do not like the heat and the sun so much and therefore the market is not going to start until late afternoon). The hotel pool at De Naga is really cute... and about the size of a large bath tub. When the sun gets out, it really heats up and I had to find the last bit of shade in the pool area to be able to take the heat today.

At 4pm then, like clockwork, the rain started again. But today it was only a little sprinkle and very short lived.

I was early, so they were still setting up the market, and it made for a pretty view with all the rain covers lighting up in the sun. There is a lot of local art and many food stands. And a couple of places where one can get a massage (with a view of the market).

I have visited also three temples today while browsing the Sunday Market. Wat Phra Sing Waramahawihan is very big and impressive and at the end of the road of the Sunday market. Inside, I had a the opportunity to listen to the monks chanting.