Thailand - Phuket

The girls had two weeks off from school this past spring break. Hannah opted to go on a school sponsored service trip to an orphanage in Nepal for the first week. (She will hopefully write about that in a separate posting soon.) For the second week of spring break we decided to have a family vacation in Phuket, an island connected by bridges to the mainland of southern Thailand.

We stayed at a modest resort right on the water - Best Western Bangtao. The beach is lovely:

 

Vendors walk up and down the beach selling nice fabrics and Thai tourist knick-knacks. At first I thought a woman was handing me a stuffed animal to look at when it turned out to be the real thing. It's called a slow loris. Pictures were of course a must and a generous tip was given.

There are lots of nice restaurants available right on the beach. Just walk up the beach until you find the one that's right for you. Did I mention this was a relaxing beach vacation?

An obligatory beautiful vacation sunset, right on cue.

We had more delicious thai food at restaurants further up the beach. The high tide meant we actually waded through the water when it was time to leave this restaurant Much more fun than using the front door.

John's favorite cool modern restaurant, Bliss Beach Club, still right on the beach:

We took a boat ride in Phang Nga Bay to see Khao Tapoo, also known as James Bond island, made famous in the movie "The Man With the Golden Gun"

Along the way we saw lots of the gigantic limestone islands that Thailand is known for,

and a single monkey

Our tour to James Bond Island was in a big speed boat that held about 40 people. Aside from the captain and a special tour guide just for us, everyone was Russian. Thailand is a popular place for them to go escape the cold Russian winters.

Later in the day we transferred from the big boat into smaller sea kayaks to explore the limestone caves and mangroves. Someone else did the paddling for us.

 By the time Hannah and I got to this tunnel, the water was too high for us to slip through, so we went around the long way to the mangrove cove beyond.

Evolution is alive and well and living in Thailand. This is called a walking fish. Look closely.

Next stop, the floating Muslim village Koh Panyee for lunch.

Another irresistible animal was offered to the girls by a Thai Ladyboy. Ladyboys are a highly visible and generally accepted part of modern Thai culture.

Last stop, a pristine beach. Our speed boat was the first to arrive that afternoon and we had it all to ourselves for a while, along with our 34 Russian shipmates.

Towards the end of our vacation we decided to go on an elephant ride. The elephants and other animals at Camp Chang Kalim are not treated as well as the ones at the Lampang Elephant Conservation Center near Chiang Mai in northern Thailand that Hannah and I visited a few years ago. The chains are short and the mahouts, or elephant handlers, were rather harsh with the metal hooks during the ride. But the animals didn't seem too distressed by the conditions. Next time, though, I'll do a little more research before signing up for an activity like this!

Our hotel had a big french tour group with planned activities. The girls joined some of them for a game of volleyball and a chance to actually speak some french.

Right next to the hotel is a place we called the puppy bar. It's also known as the Bob Marley bar. The music of Bob Marley can be heard all over Phuket - on the beaches, in the restaurants, and in the bars. The residents of Phuket like to channel the laid back atmosphere of Jamaica. And there's no doubt about it, with or without the reggae music, Phuket is a great place to relax.