Phuket, Thailand Adventure PART I

"Sawadee Krup" means "Hello" and "Welcome", in the Thai language.

After a six-hour flight from Tokyo, we touched down in Bangkok, Thailand. From there, the final stretch was a short connection flight to the southern island of Phuket. Markus handled the flights with no problems. He had his mind set on seeing the elephants so he was nothing but thrilled.

Obviously, Day 1 consisted of mostly travel. We arrived at our hotel, JW Marriott Resort & Spa at about 7:00PM. This would be our home for the next six days during our Obon Summer Holiday. I can't believe it's been a year since our last Obon holiday in Okinawa. As we stepped out of the transfer car, we were greeted by friendly staff with fragrant orchid flowered leis. So tropical!

View out to the placid water table outside the main lobby.

Our hotel room was gorgeous as it was grand, complete with a bottle of champagne and fruits awaiting at the table. Our serving table was refreshed daily with exotic fruits like mangos, lychees, grapes and miniature bananas. After settling in, we went down to the Marriott Cafe for something to eat. Markus had chicken and bread, Rodney had a Thai burger and I had a fish and crab sandwich....so yummy!

The bathroom

As we expected, it rained...well, monsooned almost everyday. It didn't matter too much. Either way, we were out to make the best of it. During the dry moments throughout the days, we enjoyed the beach and pools. Markus especially loved the children's pool and waterslide. Surrounding the perimeter were sandstone figures of turtles and elephants.

DAY 2

The lush tropical garden view outside the front door of our hotel room

Markus praying out to the weather gods for some clear skies!

Lounging around the lobby waiting for the driver

The first morning, we decided to take some time to explore the resort. We were pleased with the several child-friendly amenities that the Marriott offered. There was a large playroom for children of all ages equipped with a jungle gym, computer learning games and a craft center. There were also DVDs you could borrow and take back to your hotel room to watch. After lunch in the Siam Deli, we hired a roundtrip driver to take us into Phuket Town while we enjoyed some souvenir shopping and traditional Thai food tasting. He took us to a temple and other attractions enroute.


As the world knew it, the December 2004 tsunami devastated much of the coastal areas of Thailand, including where our hotel was situated. Though most of the city has been revitalized, especially around the tourist areas, I couldn't help but regard some of the dilapidated buildings and landscapes that appeared shabby and swept as we drove into town. Our driver gave us a little insight, but seemed disheartened to speak about the subject.




A Buddhist Temple in Thailand is known as a Wat. This is the ornate rooftop of one Wat we visited near central Phuket.

Food stalls at the Phuket Central Festival Mall

We arrived back at the hotel in time to watch the Sunset Fireshow held at the lobby. I think Markus was freaked out by the strange white masks and the fire.

Later that evening, we decided on room service for dinner and had a good night sleep to rest up for our big safari tour scheduled for Day 3.

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