The girls had 2 weeks off of school for spring break, March 29 through April 8, 2014, so we took a trip to Phuket, Thailand. We stayed at the Swissotel Resort on Kamala beach. John and Kelly Guillory and their 3 girls joined us on this vacation. Our families had a great time together. The resort was beautiful and very comfortable.
You could sit in the pool at the bar.
The girls really enjoyed ordering drinks while sitting in the pool.
March 30 - First day we just relaxed on the beach.
Shopping on the beach! lol
There was this sweet lady selling necklaces
and bracelets that were made by her daughter.
There was this sweet lady selling necklaces
and bracelets that were made by her daughter.
She was kind enough to take us on a
road trip to go buy our excursion for the next day.
road trip to go buy our excursion for the next day.
I will always run in the other direction.
John's wrestling sharks.
March 31 - we did a full day Safari Tour. We visited a Tsunami Memorial-Sarasin bridge, a sea turtle farm, a waterfall, Bamboo rafting, lunch at View Point, Elephant Trekking, mini zoo, Monkey Cave temple, and local fruit stand.
Tsunami Memorial Bridge
Sea Turtle Farm
We chose this excursion because Hannah wanted
to see a water fall. She said that this one doesn't count. lol!!!
to see a water fall. She said that this one doesn't count. lol!!!
Rachael started off excited to help but it didn't take long
for her to decide to relax and let the guide do all the work.
for her to decide to relax and let the guide do all the work.
Lunch at View Point
Baby Elephant Show
Elephant Kisses
Helping bath a baby Elephant
Elephant trekking
Rachael and her friends getting an Elephant shower!
Elephant rides
We were surrounded by hungry monkeys!
so that her girls don't get mugged by a monkey.
April 1st - Tiger Kingdom! And then we had dinner at Hard Rock Cafe' and a little shopping on Patong Beach. The girls were only allowed to go in the cage with the smallest tigers which were 2 to 4 months old. Marty and I had a choice to go in with any of the other size tigers or with more than one size. We decided to go in the cage with the big tigers. I think there were 6 big tigers in the cage. I have to admit I was really afraid but not until I stepped into the cage. We were instructed to listen carefully to the trainer/guide and he warned us about being aware of where the electrical wires were and which way we should walk around the tigers. We were told that if you gently stroke the cats, it will feel ticklish and irritate them so you should pat them firmly. You don't want to make these cats angry!
Hannah & Rachael with the baby tigers
The tiger in the picture below is a medium size tiger!
There were about 6 big tigers in this area with us.
We must be crazy!
We got a tiger by the tail
Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe'
Shopping at Patong Beach
April 2 - A day to relax at the pool, massages on the beach and shopping!
Notice John photo bombing us!
There were many places to shop and eat at on the beach.
The sign below is a place called Blues Brothers Bar.
The sign below is a place called Blues Brothers Bar.
The Sand Box was an extension of our hotel on the beach so we could order drinks and food and just charge it to our room. For only $3 we could rent chairs, umbrellas and beach floats for all day and if we left for a while they would save our chairs and floats for us.
Marty's new friends!
April 3 - Phi Phi Island one day tour. Six islands are in the group, Phi Phi Ley, Phi Phi Don, Biddah Nok, Diddah Nai, Yung and Phai Islands. We were picked up at our hotel and brought to Royal Phuket Marina, then departed the marina by speed boat to Phi Phi Islands with tour guides. We were able to swim, feed fish, snorkel, feed moneys and had a great view of Camel Rock. Then we enjoyed lunch at Beachside Restaurant at a hotel on the Phi Phi Don Island. Next we viewed the Viking Cave, and then to Maya Bay where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. It's a very small island we could walk across it in less than a minute. We could snorkel, and get fresh fruit and drinks and ice cream.
Camel Rock
Monkey beach
swimming, feeding fish and snorkeling
Long tail boat ride
We enjoyed a buffet lunch at Beachside Restaurant and hotel on the Phi Phi Don Island.
Viking Cave
Maya Bay where the movie "The Beach" was filmed.
snorkeling again
April 4 - Chilling at the pool in the morning and Elephant trekking through the jungle in the afternoon with a nice view of the sea. Then we went shopping at a cool local outdoor market and dinner on the beach.
We all enjoyed getting served food and drinks pool side.
Elephant trekking for the second time at Camp Chang Kalim with a really cool view of the sea.
Beautiful view of the water
Rachael couldn't wait to sit there and drive this beast! Now she can say she trained an elephant, lol!
April 6 - James Bond Island and canoe trip. We left the pier on a slow cruise boat. We got off the big boat into canoes to tour 5 caves. Bat Cave, Mangrove Cave, Mud Cave, Diamond Cave, and Pirate cave. I didn't realize that all 5 caves were in one short 30 minute stop. I would have looked closer for each cave. I thought we were going to different locations for each cave but it was still a very cool experience. We became friends with this really nice man from Sweden and a young couple from Germany on this all day excursion.
You don't see these street signs at home
Chicken feet and baby chicks in an egg for dinner?
Grilled fish.
Shopping at a local outdoor market.
We finished the day off with dinner at an outdoor beach restaurant.
April 5 - We scheduled a trip to James Bond Island but it was raining so we rescheduled for the next day. We just relaxed and enjoyed the day at the resort. The girls were still able to go to the pool in the rain. All of the girls collected sand crabs, created homes for them and would feed them. They did this for several days. The picture below is Rachael with her sand crabs.
Canoeing through the caves.
Lunch was served on board the boat while we traveled to the next location where we transferred to a long tail boat to visit a Muslim fishing village (Panyee Island). We got to explore the Muslim way of life in this village, shopping and view the floating football (soccer) field.
Our captain on the long tail boat looked like
Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean
Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean
Muslim Floating Fishing Village
floating football (soccer) field
Marty's got a great eye for pictures.
Next we traveled by long tail boat to Phang Nga Island and James Bond Island
where the movie "The Man with the Golden Gun" was filmed.
Our new friends from Germany
Back to the main boat and then we went to Lawa Island
a private beach for more swimming and canoeing.
The girls enjoyed being in charge of the canoes.
April 7 - We enjoyed the pool and then went souvenir shopping. It was a big success. We even had some things shipped back to the United States. Later we had dinner with our friends from Germany and Sweden who were staying at a resort on Patong Beach.
We shipped this handmade teak glider horse home for future grandchildren to enjoy.
The view from our taxi on the highway in front of the hotel
There were fresh pineapple stands everywhere.
There were also mopeds everywhere.
Look at all the electrical wires.
Gasoline was sold in glass bottles
First thing I noticed about Thailand is that they drive on the opposite side of the road and mopeds seem to be the main source of transportation. I was really shocked at how much a little moped could carry. Families with 4 or more on them and some had home made racks for carrying crates of stuff. It is a very poor country but the people are very nice, smiling all the time and very hard workers. It is very inexpensive to do things and cheap to shop. Marty even had a tuxedo tailor made at a shop next to our hotel. Perfect inexpensive vacation!
April 8 - Last morning and one last relaxing time at the beach before we leave for the airport. When it only cost $9 to get a 1 hour massage you should get one everyday.
Marty getting a massage and the girls getting their nails painted.
Do we have to leave???
In the words of the Terminator... "I'll be back!"
