11 Feb

11 Feb - I just discovered, from Alexa.com, that this site is the 721,066 most popular on the web. My aim is to be in the top 721,000 within the next 6 months.

There's less than a month to go until the annual Koh Chang Queen's Cup event which involves kayaking for elephants. (As they cant do it themselves, their trunks aren't quite as flexible as they'd like to think.)

The good news is that the format has been changed from previous years. (I wrote an article last year about the crap format - teams of 3 people competing for 3 days which was about as un-tourist friendly as you could get). This year lucky participants get to kayak across the open sea from Bangbao to Koh Wai and on to Koh Kham. It'd make for an interesting paddle and I'll be taking bets on how many people actually make it alive if the wind picks up, as the two person teams have only around 6 hours paddling time to make it across nearly 20 kilometres of open water.

It is a very good cause though, and it'll definitely be an experience to remember so why not give it a try if you're on Koh Chang on 11 March and have 2,000 baht entry fee to hand. For more info call: 01 919 3995. You could visit the event website - www.kohchangqueenscup.com, but that would be a waste of time as it hasn't been updated for the 2006 event yet.

Of all the posh hotels on Koh Chang 'Nirvana', in Bangbao is the one I receive most complaints about. They're often minor niggles but they shouldn't occur in a place costing well over 5,000 baht/night.

A guest who contacted me a few days ago started by commenting that "Nirvana is a wonderful example of original style and design, truly inspired by its creator, the gardens are lovely and the setting is delightful - a haven of peace and tranquility" So far, so good.

But the positives were followed by a list of negatives. Among the small quibbles the guest had, the one that amused me was: "There were tea and coffee sachets (and mugs) in the room, but no means of heating any water. (Luckily we'd brought our own travel kettle)"

However, it was the fact that the guest contracted a rash which was later diagnosed as being due to bed lice, which they re convinced must have come from an unwashed duvet cover. The guest's conclusion: "Fantastic accommodation, setting etc. HOTEL MANAGEMENT SKILLS NON-EXISTENT!!"

Nirvana bosses should also note that charging walk-in guests around 1,000 baht a night less than those who book in advance online also isn't a way to win friends and keep guests happy.