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Published: June 30th 2009
The last stop on our Phuket tour was the Marriott Resort and Spa. It's located north of the airport, and was our fanciest stop (save the best for last and all that jazz). While the brunch was by far the best buffet/brunch experience we've ever had, we all agreed that our first hotel, the Indigo Pearl, had a lot of pluses to make it the top stop of the three.
The Marriott is massive and has beautiful grounds and the best beach of the three hotels. The sand was smooth and the beach was free of the washed up garbage that plagued so many the beaches we visited. I'm guessing there were people out each morning cleaning the beach. I didn't get up early enough to confirm this theory. At this point in the trip, we were sleeping in later and later and being lazier and lazier. We spent a bunch of time at the pool and Emily did not spend much time at this Kids Club. While it was really nice, it was also much more crowded. I think that was the turn off. Too many strange kids and not enough personal attention for the princess.
Granted, we
were on vacation and at some very nice hotels, but everywhere we went we were treated with courtesy and felt very welcomed. We quickly learned to do the "wai" greeting of two hands together and a small head bow. I felt much more comfortable after I learned how to properly say hello and thank you in Thai. There are different versions of thank you depending on the speaker's gender. Men say Sa-wat-dee-krap and women say Sa-wat-dee-ka. I also giggled at being called "madame" by waiters, tour guides and salespeople. It's better than "hey lady" and it's way better than being "ma'amed".
The last full day in Phuket, I booked a sea kayaking tour for the four of us. I was online before we left for Phuket and did further research by consulting the hotel concierge and looking online some more. After realizing we could bargain for better prices than brochures list, I felt compelled to try to get a better deal on the kayak trip. I found a lot of great reviews for Adaman Seaykayaking company, the one recommended by the hotel. I called the tour company directly, and they said I had to go through the hotel to
negotiate the price. So I called the concierge and just said "I want a better price" and sure enough, they knocked the price down a bit. I think it helps that we were there during the low season, but it's a good reminder to always ask if you can get a better price.
The tour guide picked us up in a van at 10:30am. This was a nice pickup time so we could enjoy breakfast and not be racing to the lobby at the crack of dawn like some tours insist you do. The late start is a differentiator for Andaman Tours. They avoid the crowds by staggering their start time to avoid traffic at the caves. This worked out really well and we did not run into many other boats during the entire day.
When we arrived at the boat there were about 20 people on board including us. A couple other families and a few couples and one woman on her own. Again, lots of Australians.
Our first stop was to this nice little island for some relaxation time. I guess this stop is often at the end of the tour, but due to the tides
being high at the time we set out, our schedule was revised and it was beach first, kayak second. We were taken to the island on kayaks paddled by members of the crew. I was sort of embarrassed to be paddled places but that was the deal and in some cases the water was a little rough so I was happy to be escorted. I enjoy kayaking on still waters, but I am a novice ocean kayaker. Is there anything lower than novice? If so, that would be my category.
We had fun on the island and rented chairs, did a little swimming/wading and collected a huge number of shells. I have never seen so many shells on a beach. I found a few small sand dollars during the trip and we found many different colored seashells. Emily (I kid you not) said to me "Mom, I want to sell sea shells" and I was therefore obliged to inquire "by the seashore?" The fact that she's missing one of her top front teeth made this even funnier.
An hour later we were back on the big boat, eating a buffet lunch and heading to Phang-Nga Bay for our
first kayak stop. For the first kayak tour, the 4 of us all went together. It was way tight and cramped and I regretted not splitting up into 2 boats. We saw trees growing out of rocks, and some very beatiful rock formations jutting out of the water. We rode were near the place they filmed a James Bond movie in the early 1970s. This cracked me up since there are tours called "James Bond Island Tour" and this all relates to a small island in the middle of the ocean. I might have to go get the movie now to see if it's even recognizable.
The first kayak ride was not that long, and then we were on the big boat heading to the next stop. At the second stop, the tide had gone down, but we were told we'd have to lay down in the kayaks to enter the caves. I didn't think a lot about that and I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the instructions for getting in and out of the boat, so I put on a life vest and hopped in the kayak with Emily. When we reached what looked like a
wall with a tiny opening at the bottom, the guide started heading toward it. We were the first boat to go in and I was sure it was a joke. But then he told us to lie down and Emily and I did as we were told. Have you ever tried to lie down in a kayak with 3 people? Granted Emily is a very small person, but the guide/paddler was tall, and I'm adult-sized. It was tight. Later, another woman explained that in the Thai culture, to be forced to lie in a boat with a man's feet in your face is really inappropriate. I say, in any culture that is inappropriate. Don't get me started with where my head was during the lie down portion of the boat ride. I'll just say that Emily was practically back up the birth canal, and I was in the middle. You get the visual. Eeek.
Besides being tight, those of us women with what the guide described as "big coconuts" had an extra tough time fitting into the cave. Add to that the life jacket I had on and I really did think I would be the first customer ever
to be stuck under the entrance to the caves. Fortunately, we (barely) made it through the entrance. We were told not to touch the rocks at any time but I had no choice. My face was pressed against some of the rocks as we slid under and we also bumped into a few as we navigated the dark waterway. We had to stay down for quite a while and I held the flashlight (or torch if you speak that other English) and it was not too bright a light as I used it to help guide the boat.
The rock formations inside the caves or "hongs" which means rooms were magnificent. There were all sorts of sizes and shapes of rock coming out of the water and arching overhead as we paddled through the caves. We came out the other side and were in this shallow lagoon with an open sky clearing. There were trees with crabs and walking fish scurrying up and down the branches. These walking fish (mudskippers from what I can deduce from post-trip research) are able to walk on branches with these leg-like fins and then swim/walk on the water. Pretty cool. Emily and I
got out of the water and waded around a bit which was fun. We saw the other kayaks from our group as we all explored the area with our individual guides. The guides were very engaged and sought out fish and crabs to show us. our guide played a trick on us at one point. He said there were non-poisonous snakes in the water and he was going to grab one. He reached down into the water and pretended to grab a snake when in fact he grabbed some clay from the floor of the water. He squeezed it between his fingers and it looked like a snake jumping out of the water. Emily and I screamed and then laughed when we realized it was not a snake.
When we had to lie down to exit the caves, the water level receded significantly by the time we left. I was impressed at how carefully our tour guides monitored the tides. It's quite a process to ensure we were able to get in and out safely. I can't really imagine doing this trip without a guide. Especially with kids.
The last cave we explored was the best of all.
The opening was higher (the tide was lower) and we only had to lie down for about 5 minutes at the end of the ride through the cave. We saw bats in this cave and thankfully they were sleeping and not flapping and screeching. That would have been beyond my comfort zone and I'm sure beyond Emily's too. We saw more awesome limestone formations and the exit point was another beautiful and serene lagoon surrounded by greenery. We were told to be quiet in the caves to avoid loud echos but we had fun on our way out of the last cave doing a few "helloooooos" before heading back to the big boat and eventually back to the pier.
I wanted to get the details of that kayak trip down before I forgot them. I absolutely loved Thailand and our time together. We had amazing weather, with just a few short showers on a couple of our days. Tropical weather, warm ocean water, beautiful pools and hotels and very welcoming people made the trip extra special and one I'd love to repeat someday.
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Linda
non-member comment
caves
Loved your description of kayaking in the caves! What a cool experience. The whole Thai trip sounds and looks beautiful and relaxing. Sunny white beaches, snorkeling, boating...all this and Thai food too! You four Slavens all look great.