Sam brought us to the different beaches: Karon beach, Kata beach and Kata Noi beach. The girls really enjoyed walking on the beach and they also tried to look for seashells but couldn't find any.
Next, we went to Koh Chang Safari. It is the first time the girls were so close to elephants. Well, my first time too. We went on elephant trekking for 30 minutes. Marieann and I were on one elephant while Juliane and her father were on another elephant. On the jungle trek, Marieann and I talked about the rubber trees and rubber tapping we saw along the way. I am surprised that she knew quite a bit about rubber tapping. :) We saw giant spiders sitting in the middle of their webs *shudders*, family of squirrels moving amidst the trees, we also heard monkeys chattering but we didn't get to see them. Juliane and her father was on the elephant behind us but she didn't look too happy cos I think her father was holding her very tightly, perhaps scared that she might fall out of the seat. The girls' father also didn't look happy. Actually he had a perpetual frown and look of fear on his face. Sigh. He is not a nature lover. We came up to an opening where we saw the coastal bay. It was beautiful!
Happy faces here
Contrasted with frown and pouting here
Rubber tree tapping
I was caught on camera patting the elephant
After the elephant trekking, we went to Karon View Point where we took plenty of photos of the entire Karon bay. We proceeded to Nai Harn beach where the girls and I walked on the beach and picked up a few seashells. We also saw little fishes and a sand crab which was really tiny and blended right into its beach environment. I am really glad that the girls find nature interesting, and that they are really enjoying and appreciating the nature around them. :)
Busy looking for seashells
Juliane and our guide, Sam
Next we went to Promthep Cape, another view point which is famed for viewing the sunset. A pity we weren't there at sunset. I would have loved to catch the sunset. We also took some photos of the scenery at the Promthep Alternative Energy Station.
We went to Rawai Beach where we had lunch at a local Thai restaurant. My parents and Sam ordered Green Curry Chicken, Curry Crab and Curry Fish to go with their rice over at their Spicy food table. At our Non-spicy food table, Marieann had Thai fried rice, Juliane had Thai fried noodle, the girls' father had Thai noodles and I had Pineapple rice. The food was most delicious and really reasonably-priced. :)
The cashew nut factory was our next destination. We saw what cashew looks like when it is still on a tree, it is really interesting. We also saw how cashew nut is processed. As cashew nut is healthy, we bought many cashew nut products, both for our own consumption and as gifts for friends. :) We then went to Patong to shop. We didn't stay long as it was very warm but I still managed to buy dresses for the girls and a batik dress for myself lol. :P
Sam and my familyWhen Sam sent us back to the hotel, it was just after 4pm. We lazed around a bit before deciding to take a dip in our jacuzzi. The girls were most excited. It is the first the girls and I experienced a dip in a jacuzzi. :) It was really fun hahaha.
At 7am, we had the Andaman Sea BBQ buffet at The Cliff. There were various salads and starters, live cooking stations of fresh seafood and meats, grilled seafood and meats, Thai and International dishes and desserts. We were most full by the time we were done with our buffet dinner at 9pm+. :)
Tomorrow will be a rather relaxing day, just roaming around on our own.
6 comments:
Hi!
Did you book a package from Singapore or did you book online? Does the package come with accommodation, meals and the service of the guide?
Thanks.
Hi,
We didn't book our trip as a package from travel agency. Instead we booked everything - air ticket, accommodation and the guide separately through the internet. MISA travel had a package deal: airfare + accommodation (Centara Villas Phuket) but the flight times were fixed and at really odd times. So we decided to book everything through internet ourselves to have better options in terms of flight times and room selection.
Centara Villas Phuket has several packages too just for their accommodation: with breakfast included; room only; gold package; spa package. You can check out their website http://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/ckv/ckv_default.asp
The service of the guide, Sam in our case, was engaged separately. If you are thinking of going to Phuket (free and easy), I would like to recommend Sam as your guide. He is very friendly and his fees are really reasonable. You can contact him at siam_intouch@yahoo.com for more details. He is very popular and is booked up very fast. So do let him know early if you intend to engage his service as a guide.
I hope the info I have given you is useful/ helpful. Do let me know if you need to know more.
Cheers,
Hwei Ming
Wow! You already gave me a lot of useful info. They will come in handy when I plan for a trip to Phuket with my family :-)
Thanks so much! As usual, your blog is always so interesting and informative :-)
Hi,
You are most welcome. I always thought it is better to have more info than too little. :P Only glad that I can be of help. Thanks for your compliment about my blog. :)
By the way, another 2 suggestions for Phuket if I may.
1. We went during the low season for tourism in Phuket. In many ways, I thought we got more attention from staff (but of course it could also be their good service to begin with), places are LESS crowded, easier to book on day trips/ tours within a day's notice because there are always vacancies, things are less expensive and the weather isn't too bad (although it's the rainy season from May to September, it only rained for under an hour on one day only when we were there!).
2. If you have children, you may want to stay at a less crowded beach like Karon, Kata, Bangtao, Rawai. Patong is a little too crowded and especially at night, a little seedy (putting it nicely :P).
So you might want to consider planning a family trip to Phuket during the low season, rather than during the high season and maybe stay at an accommodation at a less crowded stretch of beach.
Cheers,
Hwei Ming
PS I made a typo error in my previous comment about accommodation at Centara Villas Phuket, it should be "golf package". :P
Hi, I was thinking of booking Centara Villas for our family trip to Phuket. And, reading your blog gave me fairly good idea of resort & phuket ---- you have put good amount of photos to speak themselves, I like that most with your flawless writing.
Hi there,
Thanks for your lovely compliments. :) I hope you and your family will have as great a time as we did staying at Centara Villas and holidaying in Phuket. :)
Cheers,
Hwei Ming
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