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Published: December 20th 2012
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One week old
They like to spoon I'm a little late with this blog, sorry. The past two weeks haven't felt that exciting to us (with the exception of the weekends), so I haven't been compelled to write. Here's what you've missed:
-I volunteered at the Phuket Ironman
-I got my stitches out
-John got sick
-I got sick
-We got two days off school for His Majesty the King's 85th birthday and Constitution Day
-The kittens' finally opened their eyes
-I got my official work permit (HOORAY!)
-We broke 50 on our couchsurfers count
-We hosted a mother and her three sons: This could be a whole blog in and of itself, but my mother always told me if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all....
But the really fun stuff came on the weekends. Two weekends ago we returned to Bon Island for a Survivor-themed birthday bash. This involved spending the whole day on the beach swimming and playing games, cooking dinner over a fire (including fish our lovely boat driver caught and gave us), and then drinking enough until sleeping in the sand sounded like a good idea. While it
is quite hot here this time of year, sleeping on a beach without anything but a damp towel to cover you is actually really cold. This night does not make my list of top ten best sleeps I've ever had, that's for sure.
The following weekend we cashed in the coin jar money to go on a splurge adventure: the 4-in-1 canoe trip in Phang-Nga Bay (pronouced Pang Na). We woke up early to join a large crowd of tourists and a dozen friends on a ferry out to the islands just north of Phuket. Our first stop was Panak Island, where John and I were paired up with our tour guide for the day, Roman. We hopped in his inflatable raft-of-a-canoe and sat back while he paddled us up to the cliff wall. We followed the line of other canoes into a cave in the side of this wall. To our shock this cave was quite extensive, and Roman steered us right into the darkness with only a flashlight to guide the way. We admired the stalagtites and stalagmites, as well as the sleeping bats. We even went through a passage where we had to lay completely flat
because the ceiling was so low!
We made our way back into the light and back on board the boat to head to stop 2, Hong Island. Again, we joined Roman, but this time he paddled around these cool islands and rock structures in this little bay. There was another smaller cave system we ventured into, as well as a secret cove completely surrounded by an island. Once we'd gotten our fill of photos, we said goodbye to our guide and climbed back on board for some lunch. The third stop was the popular tourist destination known as James Bond Island. This oddly shaped rock structure was apparently in the 1970's film "The Man with the Golden Gun". It was a nice photo-op, but otherwise not that impressive compared to our previous destinations. Our fourth and final stop was an island of unknown name with a rope swing. It was a relaxing spot to swim and hang out and just reminisce on the day. From here we headed back to port, just in time for the torrential downpour to start and turn the ocean in a scene from "The Perfect Storm". Luckily, we made it safely back to the
Caves of Panak Island
Kristin on film crew, John on lighting, Roman on steering dock. You can judge for yourself from the photos, but it was absolutely one of the best things we've done since coming to Phuket.
We've been working hard, trying to stay healthy, and just enjoying the island life with our teaching friends. Sadly, we will be working on Christmas day, but our lights are up, so there is still some spirit here! We wish everyone happy holidays and thank you for all the cards and presents that have made it so far. Stay warm and full 😊
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