So Phuket was great. And unlike most of our usual holidays, we didn't pack it with too many activities so we were able to get a fair bit of rest, which was just what the both of us, esp DD, needed.
This trip was also a little different in that it wasn't just the 2 of us, but a family holiday as we brought DD's Mum along for the ride as well. Admittedly this was part of the plan to ensure that she would not be seriously upset with the fact that we would be missing CNY! It took quite a bit of persuading and I think she only agreed in the end when she realised that some of the aunties and uncles who would usually visit during CNY were planning their own holidays over the festive period.
Thanks to the fact that we had, as we always do, made plans at the last minute, we had difficulty finding good affordable well-located accommodation, and after much searching, ended up staying in Nai Thon up in the north. The good thing was that, being rather ulu, there weren't many people around at all, which was great. The bad thing of course was that there were long commutes if we wanted to head out to Patong or virtually anywhere else aside from the airport! Plus the fact that taxi fares cost way too much. But for that inconvenience, we got to enjoy views (and peace and quiet) like this:
(This was taken literally from my table at breakfast so it's not the best taken shot but I think you get the idea.)
Yes, one of the features of the hotel was the fact that it had it's own private section of beach. So with only the hotel guests utilizing it, there was always plenty of space for everyone. Which meant that DD could embark in peace on his fav beach activity - disturbing the little crabs on the beach. My dear husb just can't walk past one of those little holes crabs make on the beach without poking some sand into it to see if a crab would come out. (It never does.)
DD and DDMum surveying a promisingly large hole in the ground
Poking at a little crabby
Please don't hurt me!
I on the other hand just enjoyed beach time, and when it got dark, the sunset right before us.
I also managed to take some time out on Tuesday morning to head down to a cooking class that I had booked myself for at Pum's in Patong. They had a couple of options available and I ended up having a one-on-one class with my instructor in which I picked 3 recipes from a book written by the owner of the restaurant and we set about putting it together. My instructor was the lovely Nit who very kindly shared a lot of tips with me. For someone who has only been really speaking English for 4 months I though she did very well! Under her guidance, I cobbled together (1) Tom Yum Goong (my all-time fav must-have Thai dish), (2) Tod Man Pla (Fish Cakes), and (3) Gaeng Khiew Wan Gai (Green Curry with Chicken)
And when it was time to eat, DD and DDMum (who had been traipsing around Patong in the meantime) came to join in the eating. The green curry in particular was really good despite the rather not-so-green appearance of my dish! The recipes were really very easy and I think I'll have some fun trying them out back home.
Convenience notwithstanding, I think we all agreed that Patong was not for us - what with the hoardes of people, seedy looking drinking holes and numerous touts. No, I really don't want a massage, tuk tuk, taxi, suit or anything, thankyouverymuch. It didn't help that it was sweltering HOT in the mid-day sun, and we just weren't walking too quickly, so I was just melting in the heat, which resulted in me being rather grouchy. I didn't complain, but DD (bless him) could tell from my expression and soon we were all whizzing back home in a tuk tuk for some welcome pool time.
The only other time we ventured further beyond the hotel was to go on a snorkeling day-trip to Phi Phi. That was quite a highlight I must say. Knowing how prone I am to seasickness, we booked ourselves on a big boat and it all went surprisingly well.
Me and DDMum on the boat, rather differently dressed
The limestone cliffs on Phi Phi Leh
Our little day trip included a 1 1/2 hour boat ride to Phi Phi for a spot of snorkeling around Maya Bay at Phi Phi Leh, and Ao Ling (Monkey Bay) at Phi Phi Don. Getting into Thailand's warm clear waters teeming with underwater sights, I realised how silly it was to be tempted by the beaches in the temperate waters in Europe, Australia, etc. where I would inevitably be shivering in the cold waters. This, right in our own backyard, was way better. Our first stop was at Maya Bay where we got into the water with some of the bread that was being sold on the boat. And when we held it out to fish, man, were we swamped. DD was delighted and took the opportunity to pet some of the fish. When we moved over to Monkey Bay, we paddled DDMum in a canoe to shore where she and I did some splashing around while DD messed around with the monkeys. 2 of them, perhaps sensing an affinity, came and pawed at him expectantly for food, much to his amusement.
From there it was off to lunch and just as we were leaving I spotted it - banana pancakes! I placed my order hopefully but there wasn't time and we had to leave.
Our canoes a-lying on the beach
A long-tail boat (Unfortunately we couldn't get the newer one beside it out of the shot!)
Splashing around in the water
The 2 of us on Phi Phi Don
And speaking of food, we certainly had plenty of it. After some really expensive seafood BBQ at the hotel on the first night, we wisened up and headed down nightly to the neighbouring strip of beach for seafood everyday. It was a bit of a hassle but very satisfying.
DDMum with our lobster dinner for the night
The giant prawn (and a very pleased-looking DDMum)...
...and it's lobster companion. That was a good night.
It was sweltering hot but I still had to have my Tom Yum Goong!
Oh, and speaking of lobsters, the most interesting underwater sight we came across was on our trip to Phi Phi but rather at a site over by some rocks a short distance off the beach near our hotel where we saw an actual lobster. It was hiding in the rock with it's rather long feelers (I'm not sure what you call them) sticking out over the rock surface. I'd excitedly pointed it out to DD but as soon as both of us were sure it was a lobster, my first reaction was to quickly swim away! The water was rather choppy and the thought of being flung against it was not very appealing. But it was very cool nonetheless.
Ok, I think I've definitely rambled on for long enough! Further photos will be uploaded on Facebook later.
In the meantime, I leave you with these - DDMum with the Ang Pow and 2 cans for Fanta Orange which we used to bai nian with her on the 1st day of CNY. We didn't bring any kum with us and had to improvise!
Hope everyone had a great CNY break.
