Phuket and Phi Phi

A couple of weeks for the Summer we missed. A chance to get back into the water and get the masks on. A time to relax in the sun...and of course the food!
We didn't dally in Bangkok, just a night at the Pantip Court - our favourite - ate a red curry and larb gai - heaven - and then off the Phuket (missed our Zurich connection prior so had a night in Switzerland first - fun fun)
Phuket seemed a bit more together than Ko Samui initially but soon we found it a lot more expensive and structured. Cheap taxis and real tuk tuks were non existent and the streetside food vendors were much rarer than elsewhere we had been. So no sitting in the gutters devouring noodle soups - major disappointment - however the pancake vendors were superb. Having said that we stayed in a fantastic place in Karon, the Marina which was next to the beach in lush jungle and some really nice restaurants.

It didn't take long for the 'Harry Potter' stuff to start and Angus was fired up by day 2.

We persuaded him to try to talk his way out rather than kick peoples shins in. So the standard retort became 'stupid Harry Potter' with a rather bad Thai accent. What can you do? 'I will never read Harry Potter, I hate him, NEVER' - we felt for him. It's not easy being 5 sometimes.

Next we ducked over to Phi Phi for a few days. Loved Phi Phi. Heaps more laid back and not so up market. Different mix of people too. The long island iced teas were stupendous...and the view from the bar was tough.

Longtails on the beach

Interesting shops, no cars, nice swimwear - said Amber ahem - and some fantastic food. Best of all was hiring a longtail to ourselves and going snorkelling along the limestone cliffs. A couple of slices of bread and you were surrounded by thousands of fish in a coral world in a warm ocean. It doesn't get much better.

Archie and I had a great sea canoe adventure to the Monkey Beach.

We didn't get to 'Jame Bond Island' - but got a good laugh. We didn't get to eat maggoroni chi either...but the frozen Mango shakes at 60c were to die for.

I found myself up a big cliff less the bravado I'd had at the bottom!

Back to Phuket on Ambers birthday, one necklace heavier than when we left. We stayed at Kamala this time, different again - better with the kids and a nice row of cheap restaurants on the beach. Same scene, veeery relaxing. Angus got his first taste of boogy boarding and Archie got out into the waves. Bades well for our return to the coast and dad time down at the beach.
I think we had just about done Phuket when we had to return. The last night in Bangkok and the last night of our long journey was upgraded to a 2 bedroom luxury apartment 25 floors up overlooking the city. Superb.

Excited, sad, reflective, relieved, nervous, happy...the last day was a discordant mix of emotion - it seemed a lifetime since we had left - each day had been different and each had its challenges. I looked across the row of seats at my family and saw a completely different view from the one I had seen eight months before.



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