Chinese New Year in Phuket Thailand

One of the nicest things about our life in Malaysia is we have learned we can be super spontaneous and still go to some really wonderful locations close to home. On Friday morning, the day before our four-day long Chinese New Year holiday, we decided to go to Phuket, Thailand. I did some checking online and found a hotel and flights that were very reasonable. We left work at 1:00 p.m., went home and packed, drove to the airport, had a 1.5 hour flight, and at 7:30 p.m. we were landing in Phuket. It doesn't get much more spontaneous than that.

We lucked into a sweet deal at the Indigo Pearl Hotel. The hotel overbooked their standard rooms and we got a free upgrade to a Plantation Villa (see photo to left) with our own private outdoor tub and sunbathing area. It included breakfast, too. WOW! The hotel was impressive especially if you like contemporary architecture (which we do) and the food was to die for. Honestly, we never ate anywhere except the hotel because the food was so good, there was no reason to go anywhere else. Let me just say.... Thai food in Thailand - there is nothing better!

The hotel boasts three pools. The one to the left is the adult only infinity pool. It was so relaxing not to hear kids screaming and the swim up bar was amazing! They make the best Mai Tai I've ever had.

This pool is the main pool and it was beautiful as well. It had graduated colored tiles that started with a light blue and got progressively more green. The effect was beautifully serene and very well done. The hotel also has fantastic aromatherapy soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, oils, etc. The bed was heavenly and the room was divine. It's one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in.

We both had a lot of work we brought with us and it was quiet and relaxing.

One one of the days we took an all day boat excursion to Phi Phi Island which was made famous by the movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. To the left are the rugged mountainous islands that we passed along the way.

This is Phi Leh Cove which was the lagoon in the movie. There were TONS OF PEOPLE on boats and I couldn't help but think that with all the people going there, it wouldn't stay beautiful for very long. I was glad to see it in my lifetime. It's really, really incredible. It was just as beautiful as it was in the movie.

Van relaxing on the boat ride with the wind in his face and nothing work-related on his mind. We pinch ourselves every day because we are living in such a wonderful part of the world and seeing things that we never thought we'd see in this lifetime. We are blessed and know it. Sometimes it just doesn't seem real.

Long boats are the local form of boat transportation. We were wishing that we would have hired one for the day to take us around. We would have had more freedom and less of a commercialized experience. The motor set up on the boats was interesting. The long shaft had a propeller on the end that the driver could raise and lower as needed to negotiate the shallower waters.

Ever wonder where the birds nests come from in Bird's Nest Soup? Some from right here. They harvest the bird nests on the scaffolding in these caverns. I thought it was an archaeological dig! The birds are a special kind of cliff swallow that uses their saliva to make the nest and apparently it is very sweet. The soup isn't on my list of things to try while I'm here.

Beautiful, clear, clean, warm, refreshingly wonderful Andaman Sea water.

Here is one of the impressive cliffs that lined the lagoon. The reflection off the water gave a blue green cast to the rock. We stopped here for swimming. The white sand bottom at Phi Leh Cove was wonderful. With no white sand beach, it was just a nice spot to dive in and get cooled off.

Long boats parked along the shore in the lagoon. They tie colorful sashes on the front for good luck and decoration.

One of the altars on Phi Phi Island. It was near Phi Phi Natural where we stopped for a buffet lunch of Thai food on our excursion day.

These guys used the tractor to unload supplies that came in by speed boat. The tractor was driven out into the shallow water. We didn't think it would last long with that kind of salt water abuse.

When we were on Khai Island we saw a storm blowing in. The sky turned dark, but the sun was still shining. The light was fantastic. The beach was too commercialized for us, but it was beautiful with the storm coming. When it finally hit, it was raining buckets. 30 minutes later the sun was shining.

Another long boat parked on the shore before the rain hit.

There isn't any surf to speak of on the beach by the hotel. It's beautifully clear with white sand that is like talcum powder it's so fine. This native woman was fishing. She had a beautiful smile and was obviously having fun. From the beach you could walk out forever before the water was up to your neck.

There is a boardwalk and road between the hotel property and the beach. There are stands with food, souvenirs, postcards, you can get pedicures, rent scooters, etc.

On the last afternoon, we negotiated with a local fisherman who couldn't speak any English to take us out fishing. It was hilarious, but the universal language of fisherman (complete with hand signals) worked like a charm. We caught several smaller fish (that we were going to use as bait for the bigger fish) when the wind started blowing so hard we were afraid the boat was going to capsize. We were worried about how often he was bailing the rear end of the boat with a bucket. Funny, there weren't any PFDs and he used plastic water bottles for bobbers, but all be damned if he didn't have an expensive fish finder hooked up to a battery. He had his priorities straight! Boy, did we have a chuckle over that.

We also found it interesting the flavors of Lays Potato Chips they had available including the ever popular Nori Seaweed Flavor. Yuck!

Well, our trip was fantastic and we have plans to go back again with our friends Nancy, Spence, and Shawn when they come to visit us in November. There is elephant trekking, white water rafting, repelling down waterfalls, and checking out the city life yet to do there. It's comforting to know that about the distance Seattle was from Sequim, we can be in a beautiful relaxing place. We feel especially blessed.

One final artistic shot of a long boat. They were fascinating in their uniqueness.