Escape from reality

(this is a makeup post from the final leg of our Thailand trip) 

We ended our trip to Thailand with a trip to the south--my first visit to Phuket even though this was my fourth visit to Thailand. It was a bit chaotic finding our bearings at the airport, the area definitely has a "touristy resort" vibe and Nik didn't like the feeling of being swindled by locals, but eventually we had to come to terms with the fact that Phuket is just more expensive than the rest of Thailand. 

Landing in Phuket

Even so, our fancy resort hotel room was only $52 a night and when we asked to move to a room facing the pool, it was a whopping upgrade fee of an additional $10 a night.

Arinara Beach Resort, probably the nicest place I've stayed

Nik had chosen our hotel based on its prime location directly adjacent to Bang Tao Beach, a 7 km stretch of uninterrupted white sand beach which is popular with families and those seeking a quieter beach holiday (as opposed to full moon parties). The hotel also had a spectacular pool area which featured your very own wading pool just outside your room's patio doors.

That's our room behind this mini pool

Relaxing in the warm tropical weather

When we arrived, we immediately changed into our swimsuits and made a beeline for the beach. The kids contented themselves with playing in the soft sand and gentle surf, and we were delighted to find that the ocean was as warm as lukewarm bathwater.

I'm not sure why Jad looks so gangsta here

[I will take over here as Amy hasn't had a chance to finish this blog entry from many months back.]

Sunsets were beautiful and it really was like a slice of heaven, especially after some stressful days with my parents and my mom's health deteriorating.  We didn't think about much, just tried to relax and enjoy 5 days away from reality.

Requisite beach selfie!

The seas were calm, like a giant pool with gentle waves

We had dinner a several evenings right on the beach 

I did feel very much like a tourist and was charged accordingly.  I think we spent more in Phuket than the rest of trip combined.  Still, we figured the Thai economy was doing pretty poorly and these people needed it so a bit of extra spending was ok. 

We bought a sky lantern and the
kids got to set it aloft

In the mornings, Amy would sneak out and go run on the beach.  

Bang Tao beach sunrise

Bang Tao beach is definitely more family friendly and a bit more isolated from the other parts of Phuket.  It was good for relaxing though there were also fewer restaurants and things to see.  Drinks were $2-3 dollars at the bar so we indulged a few times as well.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel was super convenient
but we probably got overcharged (like $3 a day for all of us)

They had these cool little boats in the pools

Sunset on the beach

We did venture out from the resort.  Phuket is larger than I thought with the main Phuket Town about a 40 mins away by taxi.  There are probably more places to explore and eat over there so maybe next time we'll stay closer that way.

We went to a cat cafe because the kids
were interested.. 

..and they had a great time!

Ate at the night market in Phuket Town

It was the busiest night market we saw in Thailand
as Phuket opened earlier than the rest of the country

That night we saw an awesome
lightning storm

A different smaller market near the resort

One of the days, we did venture out to the north end of Bang Tao beach to search for seashells.  We found quite a few and also some cute hermit crabs.  On the way back, we got caught in a monsoon downpour.  It was very cool actually to see what the monsoon rain felt like -- torrential but warm -- the kids had never seen anything like it.

Right before the rain started

Our driver had to put down the plastic sheets to 
block out the rain on our way back

Kai went for a quick swim in the rain upon return

After five days in Phuket, we packed up and boarded a plane back to Bangkok.  We stayed one night at the Novotel right next to the airport and woke up early the next morning to catch our flight back to the US.  They were only able to give us 4 seats next to each other, so I sat with all the kids while Amy was forced to sit alone :p  

They did pretty well on the flight actually

It's already been six months since our trip and it seems like a long time ago.  Overall, I'm very glad we went, both to visit my parents and also to expose the kids to other parts of the world and food.  Also, it's one thing for Amy and I to go but I'm super proud of the kids for putting up with all the changing conditions of traveling.  We're pretty lucky to have three great kids.

One more amazing sunset and we're back to reality!