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| An Elephant Village Phuket |
From Singapore we got the chance to do a little side trip to Phuket with family. For those of you who have had the lucky chance to get to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands Phuket is very similar just on a much larger scale. Stray dogs run the streets, a rooster will crow at 3 in the afternoon, the beaches are blinding with white sand and giant waves (many of which wiped us out at Nai Haan Beach right down the bottom of the island), locals zoom around 2, 3, 4, and 5 people at a time on crazy motorscooters (some with side trailers that fit everything including the kitchen sink).
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| A Family on a Motorscooter Phuket |
What stood out most was the friendliness of the Thai people and the delicious food. The best food we had was at the most unlikely of places (one for the Lonely Planet books). Under the red white and blue umbrella's behind Nai Haan beach sit some local cafes where we sat and had the most delicious Thai Green Chicken Curry and Thai Fried Rice. If you don't mind waiting for your food and the meals coming out in dribs and drabs it is well worth it (and cheap!) We organized a private boat to take us out kayaking to the Phang Nga Islands which consist of 42 limestone islands.
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| The Longboats at James Bond Island Phuket |
It didn't cost us much more than if we had piled onto a tourist boat with 40 other people. This way we could time it so that we had beaches and hongs (caves you can kayak into) to ourselves. It was fabulous and the girls had an absolute ball. We managed a visit to James Bond Island (from the film The Man With The Golden Gun) where Taashi fell and badly sliced her knee open. This resulted in a visit to the first aid room built into a cave in the rocks and what will be a good scar on her knee that she now calls her 'James Bond Scar'. Phuket was an amazing break from the steamy heat of Singapore - even with temperatures in the high 30's at least there was a breeze and water to cool off in.
Each evening after the sun had gone down the Bull Frogs would appear in full song - Phuket's Orchestra of Bull Frogs. Who knew such small critters could be so loud!
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| The Spaghetti Wires that are Phukets Powerlines |
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| James Bond Rock from The Man with the Golden Gun |
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| Tilly, Natalie and Taashi swimming in our Villa's pool |
