Okay, you want Thailand posts? Well here they are. This is first of, hopefully, several posts chronicling (sp?) our recent trip to Singapore and Thailand. The following post describes one single day of our two week vacation. Enjoy.
We booked an island hopping tour through http://www.phuketsailtours.com/. They picked us up at our hotel at 7:45 AM and we arrived at the boat dock (after picking up a couple other people) around 9:00. As soon as we arrived we were welcomed wholeheartedly by the Captain, Sean, and his “first mate” Elise. They are from Australia and have essentially grown up doing this sort of stuff (boating, diving and such). They were extremely friendly from the very beginning and all three of the kids took them almost instantly (good for us, maybe not so for them). The rest of the group consisted of two brothers on vacation together, a couple and their 3 children, and another couple. I think they were all from India. Then there were, of course, Sean and Elise, and their crew (four gentleman from the local area).
First we had to get flippers. Never used them before.
Soon after that we were on our way. Don’t forget the anti-nausea meds (conveniently provided free of charge).
Hop on the speedboat and off to the first island – a mere 50 km away. I was worried that Alex and Katya might fly out of the boat but Sean assured me that only one person has ever fallen out of the boat before: himself.
On the way to the first stop, we drank soda, water and chocolate milk to our heart’s content, along with nibbling a few bananas and mystery fruit (can’t remember the name, but like grapefruit yet not so sour). After warning us about the locals (monkeys) we disembarked to get a quick snorkeling lesson.
Katya was a regular fish in the water.
Then we hopped back on and ferried offshore about 100 yards to a good snorkeling spot by the cliff. There were so many exotic fish just on the surface. We’d drop a slice of bread in the water and immediately hordes of colorful fish would begin nibbling away at the treat. I could feel their scales rubbing against my arm as they thrashed about vying for a chance to snatch a morsel in their tiny mouths. Mark loved watching the chaos as he bobbed around in his lifejacket.
We saw schools of colorful fish all around us, sea sponges, weird looking eel-like things just sitting on the ocean floor doing absolutely nothing (like I do at home most of the time), a bunch of “Finding Nemo” (mostly Marlin and Gil, though someone said they saw Dori), lots and lots of coral and all the stuff that grows on coral. I ventured close to the cliffside a bit as well as between some of the rocks, almost beaching myself a couple of times in the shallow tide. I should mention here that Sean and Elise tailored this trip specifically for our group. None of the 14 of us had any substantial snorkeling experience, so it worked out perfectly and everyone was happy.
After snorkeling, off to lunch. P P island. Food included in the package. What kind of food you ask? Thai food. I liked the Massaman curry and chicken. Very spicy. After lunch, we waited for a brief downpour to blow through then we were off again. This was where I got to jump in the water with Mark and just throw rocks around. Never seen a happier kid.
Wind and waves picked up a little, but no worries -- just means a bumpier (and more fun) ride to the next stop. Pulled up alongside a cliff face and hopped out for another round of snorkeling. I was amazed at the life teeming just below the water’s surface. I’m addicted to snorkeling now.
Next stop, “The Beach” beach (yes, the beach from the movie “The Beach” which I have never seen (because it’s rated R and I tend to avoid those movies, but mostly because it features Di Caprio of the Leonardo variety). The beach: two thumbs up – absolutely breathtaking. The restrooms: one thumb down and the other pinching my nose along with the opposing index finger. But let’s not get too picky. What do you expect when hundreds of tourists flock to a single island every single day (and probably right after lunch like we did).
Here’s an example of how I knew we picked the right tour company. It’s hard to make out, but that’s Sean in the middle of that mess of children there. As every parent knows, you only have fun when your kids are happy. I’d venture to say that Sean was having a good time too.
Time to head home. Made one last stop on the way at this privately owned island (one of a few in Thailand). Just walked around a bit, checked out the insanely expensive jewelry at the pearl shop, picked up a few shells for free, then we left.
Arrived back at the dock around 5:00 PM. Said goodbye (multiple times) to Sean and Elise and the crew. Then we were off in the shuttle back to our hotel. Best day of our whole two-week vacation.
On the tour’s website it says: “We want you to feel like you have had a day out with a group of friends.” Well, Sean and Elise, you definitely succeeded and I hope I will have the privilege of taking a trip again with you. Maybe next time we can take the sailboat.
sawatdee,
Robert
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