Phuket, Thailand Adventure PART IV

By DAY 6, the sun came out in full force...figures it was our last day. We were relatively all 'vacationed-out' and content to be heading home. We requested a late check out at the hotel, so we used the time to lounge by the pool and beach. I also spent an hour getting a very relaxing Thai Beach massage, which was a perfect way to end the incredible holiday.

Here are just a few more photos of our last day.

The massage on the beach costed only 400BHT, which was about US$15 for an hour. It was amazing.

Our last look at the beach

When did my little baby become such a grown boy...

After a four-hour delay in Bangkok Airport, we made it home safely in sunny Tokyo.

We hope you enjoyed learning about our Phuket adventure, just as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you!

Phuket, Thailand Adventure PART III

DAY 4

We intended on having another big island tour planned for the start of Day 4, however we woke up plagued with a monsoon. So I made a few phone calls to the tour operator. To my surprise, I was informed that even during torrential rain, most tours take place as scheduled. Rodney and I were reluctant to take Markus out in such heavy rain, especially since our tour involved riding in a speedboat. So without much thought, we cancelled and rescheduled for the following day. Markus spent about an hour with his colouring books and solving a new jig-saw puzzle, while we lounged out in the meditation area of our hotel room and watched the rain pour through the palm trees. Observing the pouring rain can be dramatic in a tropical setting.

After hanging out in the Children's Pavilion and shopping gallery of the hotel, we hired another driver and went into town to a different location to do some more sightseeing and art shopping for a couple of hours. We try to make a point of purchasing pieces of art from our travels to add to our home collection. In town, the driver took us to a local market where streets were lined with souvenir shops and small restaurants. There was a small department store, which we didn't care for too much. (I guess I can't help but compare to the Tokyo shopping, that I've grown so fondly of.) By the time we returned to the hotel, the rain had subsided, so we changed into our swimsuits and headed to the pool for an afternoon swim.

We dined at Cucina, an Italian restaurant at the hotel. Rodney and I indulged on the shiraz, while Markus sipped on his freshly squeezed OJ. After a satisfying dinner, Markus didn't seem quite ready for bed yet, so we took a stroll around the hotel. Each evening, the Lotus Pond on the lower level is lit up with fire torches reflecting over the water. Since it was a very calm night, the water was as tranquil as it was picturesque.

The Lotus Pond For additional photos from Day 4, CLICK HERE...

DAY 5

This was our last full day in Thailand. The first thing I did that morning was confirm the weather forecast with the concierge. He said it was likely to rain for most of the morning with skies clearing in the afternoon. No monsoon in the forecast, so the planned James Bond Island Tour was good to go. We packed our backpacks, rain ponchos and baby Dramamine (just incase), and met with the tour transfer pick up at 8 A.M. at the lobby.

Our first activity was a speedboat ride to Phang Nga Bay to the island where James Bond "The Man With The Golden Gun", was partly filmed in 1974. Neither Rodney nor I have ever seen the movie, but we were still happy to take part in the famed tour attraction. Upon arrival the shore was crowded with many long-tail boats. To the locals, the island is known as Tapoo Island, meaning "Nail Island". The limestone structure with patches of green shrubs stands straight up above the clear water, which appears like a nail (see photo above). We hung around the island for about 40 minutes in the rain and enjoyed the scenes of seacaves and deep crevices of limestone rock formations. Markus enjoyed the beach shore and getting his already wet feet even more wet, if that's possible. The temperature of the water was very warm and would have been more enjoyable had it not been raining.

Back on the speedboat, we headed to a few other small islands and viewed some ancient drawings in caved walls deemed about 300 years old. Next, we boated out to another area of the bay and docked by a floating cafe to board canoes for a ride in the caves. At that point, Markus had fallen asleep so we sat around in the cafe and waited for our group to finish canoeing. Rodney opted out of the canoe ride and sat with me while Markus was asleep in my arms. For lunch we headed to another popular attraction known as Panyee Village, AKA the "Village on Stilts". This place is quite unusual but fascinating. Literally held above the water on wooden stilts, it is a small Muslim village with inhabitants that depend on the sea for their livelihood. There are quite a few seafood restaurants where many tourists stop for a bite to eat during their tours in the Phang Nga Bay area.

This is a scanned image from the tour brochure that I had. It provides an aerial view of Panyee Village, which makes for an interesting perspective.

Docked in front of Panyee Village

Back on land, we headed to the next segment, which was the Eco-Safari Tour. This involved an elephant show, oxen ride and another elephant trek in the flooded river banks. During the elephant show, Rodney braved the elephant massage. He figured if I could do it, he could!

We bought a basket of fruits to feed the elephants. Markus thoroughly enjoyed this activity!











This elephant trek seemed to be bumpier than the first, but nonetheless quite the exciting escapade in the jungle atmosphere.


It was nearly 6 o'clock in the evening when we arrived back at the hotel. After a quick shower we headed down to the Marriott Cafe for the international buffet dinner. We feasted on Pad Thai noodles, sushi, fish, and spicy barbeque chicken. There was also a plethora of tasty desserts and more fruits. We had fun sampling nearly everything! Finally after dinner, we headed down to the banquet hall to check out the night festival. Several stalls of vendors selling unique artifacts were lined up along the walls. The crowds of people were being entertained by a group of Thai natives performing cultural dancing on the stage.

Thai artifacts

Yet another enjoyable, action-packed day in Phuket. Goodnight!

For more photos from Day 5, CLICK HERE

Phuket, Thailand Adventure PART II

DAY 3

After a comfy night's sleep, we woke up to a dry morning the next day. Perhaps Markus' prayers worked since the forecast claimed 90% rain in the A.M.

A BIG day was planned ahead of us. After breakfast, we strolled down to Mai Kao Beach. Our transfer to the Island Safari Tour would pick us up at noon so we had time to spare.

Zou-san (elephant, in Japanese) was so friendly
















We were delighted that our first sight along the shore was a young elephant and his trainer. Markus was absolutely beside himself! He grabbed each of our hands and said, "Let's go, let's go see zou-san!" Rodney approached first and asked if it was okay for Markus to pet the elephant, and the man said, "Sure, she's very friendly". He even insisted that Rodney hop on...so Rodney did...bare-backed and all. Then of course, Markus eagerly joined him. It was so exciting! I think I took about 50 pictures of that moment. We were more than happy to tip the man out.

Following our first elephant encounter, we ventured to the pools. We had no plans of swimming so we weren't prepared. But when Markus saw more and more children getting in, he asked us if it was okay. So Rodney raced back into our hotel room, grabbed Markus' swim shorts and they took a dip while I kept dry and took more photos.

My "Babes in Thailand"

Our little guy couldn't get enough of the waterslide

Later that morning, we hurried to get ready to meet with our tour guide at the lobby to jet off on the Island Safari Tour. After already having a big morning, Markus was out cold on the ride to the location.

First on the agenda was an elephant show. We learned that most elephants on the camp were female. This is because they are more timid and easily trained than their male counterparts. These elephants are widely domesticated and often used in forestry and in ceremonial purposes. Asian elephants can age to about 90 years old and weigh between 6,500 to 11,000 pounds.

After the elephant was through with showcasing its talents, volunteers were requested for an elephant massage. "A WHAT?!" I asked. And after reconfirming with Rodney that the tour was 100% insured, I volunteered. Then and there, I got a minute massage from the elephant herself! Being in a relaxed state of mind was completely and utterly out of the question. She actually moved her big stump in slow circular motions. Not my ideal Thai massage, but interesting, nonetheless.

When the trainer said "Kiss", the elephant used its trunk like a suction to my shoulder and laid a big fat wet kiss!

Moving on, our tour guide Pim lead us over to the monkey show stage where we witnessed how monkeys picked coconuts from high atop the palm trees. Monkeys are known to be man's best friend in Thailand and are readily found throughout the islands of Thailand. They are known to be treated very well.


Next, we took an oxen cart ride around a rice field. Markus was happy to sit on a water buffalo for some photos. We then watched a demonstration on how rice is farmed and harvested using the water buffalo as its plow. Soon after, we had a short Thai cooking presentation. Papaya salad with dried shrimp was prepared using many spices including fresh Thai chilies. A bit too spicy for my palate, however Rodney liked it.


The next part of the tour was a Thai boxing demonstration known as Muay Thai. We observed pre-match rituals and training techniques, which involved a considerable amount of meditation. The two opponents battled it out in the ring for us. The demo appeared very real to me as they were giving each other some pretty tough blows. Then we were off to Markus' most anticipated portion of the tour - the safari elephant trek. It was then when it began to rain. The trek was slow-paced and lasted for about 40 minutes into hilly terrains. This experience we will never forget!

"BoPi" the elephant is 40 years old.

Just when we thought the tour was almost over, we jumped into 4x4 land rovers and rode toward a large lake and took a canoe ride in blown-up canoes.

Markus thoroughly enjoyed the ride. He spotted monkeys roaming freely on an island we paddled by. After a certain point, we then boarded onto an old wooden long-tail boat (sometimes referred to as "wooden junk") that brought us all back to the dock.


Back in the jeeps, we rode through more rugged terrain deeper into forest to a rubber tree plantation. Before then, I had no idea that rubber was made from rubber trees. Pim, showed us the method of harvesting the rubber.

Primarily, it comes in the form of a thick white pasty liquid, (similar to sap from a tree) then collected in a bowl attached to the tree. After a specific amount of time, it is mixed with chemicals and water and compacted through rolling pin machines over and over before it is sent to manufacturers in its rare form. Each part of the procedure is meticulous and all is prepared in the forest near the plantation.

A rubber tree

Just when we were about to leave the rubber plantation, our driver somehow dropped his keys into a tight crevice between the windshield and front panel of the dashboard. All the other jeeps took off and headed for the restaurant for dinner, while we were stranded for about 20 minutes.

Being off the beaten track in the deep forest, made me feel a bit nervous. But with the help of Rodney and another passenger, the driver managed to squeeze his fingers in the panel and got the keys...phew! Finally, we were off to join the rest of the group for dinner! A seven-course Thai meal was served at an outdoor restaurant under a large canopy, overlooking the water. By then, it was obvious that most of the participants seemed spent.

The 4x4 ride was so bumpy that Markus' hands were clenched tight to Rodney's pants

Markus was a total trooper the entire day. We thought for sure he'd crash when we got into the transfer van to take us back to the hotel, but he and Rodney were chatting and laughing up a storm. I found myself apologizing to the passengers behind us of the loud chatter, but they seemed to be entertained by Markus.

To view more photos from Day 3, CLICK HERE...