This past weekend, we headed to Phuket as Thursday and Friday were public holidays. The flight is less than two hours which makes it a perfect weekend destination.
We stayed on Karon Beach. The red flags indicated that it was not safe to swim in the ocean as the rip tides were very strong but we still spent all of Thursday hanging out by the water. The boys found a safe spot to play and Jason & I found a little hut selling cheap beer. Perfect day! Even though it looks cloudy, it was very hot. Both Jason & Josh got a little burned!
Friday we took an all day city tour which allowed us to see some of the major sites of Phuket. The first stop was at the Kata View Point which offered an amazing view of the beaches. Karon Beach is the farthest beach in the picture on the right.
We took an elephant trekking tour which was a highlight for the boys. I rode with Jake and he was initially apprehensive when we got on top of the elephant. He thought the seat was going to fall off but after I reassured him that we were safe, he relaxed and enjoyed the ride.
The trek took us on a hillside and it was very picturesque. You could see the ocean from the top of the hill.
After the elephant trek, we watched a monkey show, snake show and walked through a mini orchid farm (all at the same location as the elephant trekking). The boys really enjoyed watching the snake show, especially the part where the trainer kisses the top of a King Cobra's head!
There was an adorable babyelephant on site and the boys fed him bananas and he smothered them with kisses.
After lunch, we canoed through the mangroves, visited a couple of different temples and visited the Big Buddha, who sits on top of Nakkerd Hills. At 45 metres high, it can easily be seen from far away.
Friday, we signed up for a high speed boat tour to the Phi Phi Island, but it was questionable if we would all make the tour. Jacob woke up at 3am sick, so I had assumed that he & I would be spending the day at the resort while Jason & Josh took part in the tour but Jacob didn't want to miss out and said he wanted to go. What a trooper!
First, we visited the Bamboo Island and the kids had so much fun playing in the waves. One wave tossed Jacob around like a rag doll, causing him to lose his snorkel mask. He thought it was awesome!
The speed boat that took us around travels at 50 knots (57 miles /hr) and even though the waters were a little rough, the ride was surprisingly smoother than I thought it would be.
We were so lucky with the weather. The only time it rained was on the way to lunch and right after lunch while we travelled to the next island. Once we arrived at our destination, the rain stopped and the weather was beautiful!
We visited Monkey Beach and fed wild monkeys bananas from the boat. We stopped at Viking Cave then spent awhile in Pi Leh Cove snorkelling and taking in the beautiful surroundings. It was amazing. Jacob decided to opt out of snorkelling and chose to take a nap during the stop. Josh was diving off the boat's edge and doing cannonballs from the top of the boat!
Our final stop was at Maya beach, the location where the movie, The Beach, was filmed. It was truly breathtaking!
Each day, after our activities, we spent by the pool bar, playing Connect Four, drinking cold beers and fruit smoothies before heading out for dinner. The perfect way to end each busy, fun-filled day!
Speaking of dinner, I had gone to Phuket, eargerly anticipating the cuisine (which is probably my most favourite) and I have to admit, that I was not blown away. Don't get me wrong, it was really good, but wasn't any better than what I have prepared. So, I guess my Thai friend, Ying, from Holland, really did teach me how to prepare authentic Thai food! Thanks, Ying!
This is the final week of summer holidays for the boys as they start school on Monday. They can hardly wait!
There was a slight glitch when we went to move into the house on August 1st and the date was moved to this week so I will post pictures of the new pad once we are settled in. Just wish I had Jen around to help us get settled!
