Spring forgot to come to Shanghai, therefore, we went in search of the sun for Spring Break. We found the sun in Phuket, Thailand. Emersyn had a week off which turned into nine days due to the additional days given by the Shanghai government for the opening of the World Expo on May 1st. Eleri missed school, again. She had Spring Break the beginning of the month.
As it had been raining all week, we were all ready to leave Shanghai Saturday morning even if it was a 7:30am flight. With a stop over in Bangkok airport, we arrived in Phuket around 3pm. This year, the Jenkins Family – Jennifer, Scott, Sean and Sophie- were traveling with us. We had decided to rent a car to give us more freedom. The only problem was that Jim left his driver’s license on his desk in Shanghai – a fact he discovered at the rental car desk! I always leave my driver’s license in my California wallet – the only place I drive. After long discussions with the rental car company, we all moved to one large Toyota SUV with Scott as the driver as he was the only one carrying a license. We were a bit crowded with all the luggage and 8 people on the way to the hotel, but after that it worked out better.
We checked in, dropped our bags and changed the kids into their swim wear for a swim. We ordered pizzas and ate dinner at the pool while the kids had fun swimming. We had the pool to ourselves and the kids loved the night swim. The parents enjoyed Jim’s “poor man” margaritas concocted from the tequila picked up at Duty Free and the lime soda from the local store. It was a nice way to kick-off our holiday.
When we travel to Phuket, we stay at the JW Marriott at Mai Khao Beach. The Marriott is on the Sirinath National Marine Park. The turtles are hatched on this beach and go back to the sea mid-April. The pool has a fun slide along with shade for the adults provided by the many umbrellas.
I bought inner tubes from Decathlon for 19rmb ($3) knowing they makes the slide faster and more fun. The whole family had fun on the slide. Elle’s photos of her eyes close and her mouth open was the standard. The open mouth was because she was always screaming coming down!
We spent most of our time at the pool. Elle could reach so she got to swim without water wings which made her very happy. She needs to work on her swimming. She has always been a fish in the water, but a fish that can’t swim. By the end of the trip, she was doing back summersaults in the water. I don’t think her actual swim stroke improved much, but she had fun.
We generally arrived for pool side fun around 9:30am. We set up camp for the day. Jennifer and I enjoyed starting the day with a little light reading – People Magazine!
We like to go down to Bang Tao Beach to have dinner at the Lotus Restaurant located along the beach. Since we had a car, it was easier to arrange off-resort fun. We did a quick stop at the Jim Thompson Outlet as we wanted to be seated to catch the sunset. While we shopped, the clouds and rain moved in to darken the sky, therefore, no beautiful sunset for us. The sun did peak out at one point to give us some color.
The restaurant had a band that Sophie and Elle enjoyed. They were the only two dancing the night away!
The Marriott has a Kid’s Club that offers a number of activities and is a great place for the kids to get out of the mid-day sun. Pool side adventures began with the kids (except Elle) deciding they wanted to be hamsters in a ball.
The resort offered free scuba lessons for one hour…which turned into 2 hours. Emersyn and Sean enjoy the opportunity to drive in the pool.
We also did a day adventure on the John Gray’s sea canoe tour. We left the resort at noon for a drive to the local pier. Our family did this trip a few years back with the Szatkowski family. After arriving on the boat, we had an hour ride to enjoy the beautiful scenery and eat lunch.
The canoes hold one paddler, the guide, and two passengers. The guides paddle you through the many caves to discover the amazing hongs – inland lagoons. The timing of passing through the caves is based on the tide.
After a few caves, the crew gave the canoes over to the unexperienced. Jim and Elle paddled to the nearest shore in search of sea shells. Emmy and Sean took a canoe out together. After the canoeing, Jim went for a quick swim.
The guides made “offerings” with their boat team. The girls enjoyed doing this creative activity. The offering is a special offering that is done once a year as part of the Thai tradition. After a tasty Thai dinner, we paddle through a cave to release the offerings. At the time of passing through this cave, the tide is high. We must lie down flat in the boat to pass. The waters have plantkon that glows when you pass your hands through the water.
We arrive back to the resort after 10pm, but it is a fun day spent enjoying the beautiful nature of Thailand. After our big adventure trip, we enjoyed some relaxing pool time the last few days. The kids loved to blow up their rashie (sun shirts) in the bubble pool.
The swim-up bar is a fun place for a drink and an ice cream.
Our last night we drove back to the beach for dinner. The kids had fun playing in the sea while the adults relaxed with a drink.
We end the night with a beautiful lighting storm over the sea.
After dinner, we took the kids back to the pool for their last night-swim. They have fun having the pool to themselves. I took this photo before the night-swim for the anklets the girls are wearing. On the John Gray trip, the guides made these for the girls out of the water bottle caps. The three girls wore them the entire trip…recycle and reuse!
Another fun family holiday seeing Asia. This was a relaxing trip we all needed after being on the “move” for our last few holidays. We are blessed to have the opportunity to see Asia while living in China.