Escape to Phuket

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Sen treated me to a short vacation in Thailand. We went to Phuket, a beautiful island in Thailand, for three days of pure laziness. Phuket is a popular tourist destination, and as a result, we didn't experience a lot of true Thai culture; however, it was a lovely get-away from China. Our trip was short, but that just means we'll have to return again someday.

We spent a lot of time walking on the beaches and enjoying the ocean. Sen grew up in Rio and loves the ocean. I grew up in Iowa and I love the ocean, but big waves scare the snot out of me! The waves big and crashing and so I stayed out of the ocean and Sen made fun of me. He dove right in and frolicked until the sun went down and the lifeguard whistled at him to get out of the water. (Apparently the ocean has opening and closing hours. Who knew?)

We went elephant trekking one morning. We got to sit atop a 50-year-old elephant named Nam Laak as he plodded through the forest. Afterwards, we watched a 5-year-old elephant dance and play the harmonica. And I got to feed him, which was the most fun. I also fed a 2-year-old elephant who hung out at one of the restaurants near our hotel at night. He was so cute!

The highlight of the trip was scuba diving on Coral Island. Neither Sen nor I had ever been scuba diving before and so it was exciting to be able to experience it together. It was great fun and we hope to do it again in the future.

It was a spectacular three days and I'm so glad we were able to go! We had some troubles arranging the tickets (because we decided to go at the last minute and the Hong Kong ticket offices were closed for a holiday) but everything went off without a hitch once we got on the plane.

(Getting on the plane was another story. Apparently, canned tuna fish and solid deodorant are both considered liquids and are not allowed in your carry-on baggage. I got stopped in security and was told to check them. Sen, however, managed to get his electric razor with sideburn-trimming attachments through two sets of security without any trouble. Um, anyone else as confused as I am?)

I have lots of photos again so be sure to go to page 2.

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Photos

Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
During our practice session in the pool, they kept telling Sen, "Hold her hand, hold her hand." Apparantly they could tell I'm accident-prone just from looking at me!

Sen and I at Karon Beach
This beach was a 5-minute walk from our hotel. Sen's from Rio and said the sand wasn't white enough and the ocean wasn't clear enough. I'm from Iowa and said "Look, sand! Ocean!"

Sen and I at Kata Beach
This beach was a 20 minute walk from our hotel. Sen said the sand was whiter and the water clearer, but it still wasn't perfect. So, the search for the perfect beach continued...

Our footprints in the sand
At Kata Beach

Kata Beach
All photos in this blog entry are from Sen.

Anyone read Thai?
We don't, so we hoped this sign at Kata Beach wasn't important.

Yum! Thai food!
A delicious dinner in celebration of us!

Baby Elephant!
He's 2 years old, but I didn't catch his name. It was something I could never hope to pronounce or spell. (We don't know why Sen's face looks so fat in this picture.)

Coral Island
Sen says the sand is white enough, but the water could be clearer. (It was low season, so perhaps that was the problem.)

Surrounded by Fish!
Yes, that's us in the background.

More fish!
Our guide was a skilled diver, but perhaps not a skilled photographer. He tried his best!

Me at Coral Island
I don't know, Sen, it looks pretty nice to me...

Comments

[Frankardenas]

Want to go now
Lovely description, Dawn. I went to Thailand but didn't make it to Phuket; yet, after reading your blog, I want to go back and spend some time there. Nice of you to inspire people to travel. And the baby elephant? CUTE!