Thailand: The Shores of Serenity

With Chaing Mai in the rearview mirror, we hopped a plane to the largest island in Thailand, Phuket.  Doing some research, Ronnie and I decided it was more important to have a quiet resort right on the beach.  Again, the Lady Draggins came through with some fantastic suggestions and we settled on the Kathatani Beach Resort on Kata Noi Beach. 

This area of Thailand had been inundated with rain over the previous week, and we landed to grey skies and a steady drizzle.  But no matter, because we are believers that a rainy day at the beach beats a sunny day at home any day of the week.  The first day, we just explored our hotel and played on the beach while trying to get an alternative plan together for the next few days.  

Thursday brought some more cloudy skies, but the rain had pretty much stopped.  Ronnie and I discovered the hotel offered cooking classes and the girls were begging to go to the Kids Club.  Perfect!    Even better was when we showed up for the class, it was a class for just the two of us as the other couple had dropped out.  So our class wound up being private Thai cooking lessons.  We learned about the different ingredients, how to prep everything, and prepared a four course meal.  By the time we were done, we were stuffed to the gills. 

The sun decided to start peaking out, so we headed to grab the girls and go for the pool to play for a few hours.  We finally headed in to get cleaned up for dinner - not that I could eat another bite.  We went into the Kata Beach to eat at a local restaurant and explore the market there.  Unfortunately for them, we had been to Chiang Mai and knew what things should cost in Thailand.  There was about a 50% markup on pricing there.  But darting down a side alley, we found the one thing we couldn't find in Chiang Mai - sterling silverware.  We were shopped- and walked-out and decided to head back to the hotel, as we had an early morning the next morning so we could head to Phi Phi (pronounced pee-pee) Island. 

Friday morning, we caught a speedboat to Phi-Phi and the surrounding islands.  Talk about beautiful!  We hit all the usual sightseeing spots.  Maya Bay, where the beach was filmed was too much fun.  While swimming, a group of Korean vacationers swarmed the girls.  Luckily they are used to that sort of thing.  Ronnie and I were joking that they can now make a stir wherever they go in the world. 

We continued our trip with island hopping, snorkeling, and a nap on the beach (well, at least I got a nap on the beach).  By the time we got back to our hotel, we were wiped out and unfortunately had to pack for our trip home. 

Our trip to Thailand came to an end way too quickly.  All I can say is if you get a chance to go, GO!   From a bustling megacity, to the artsy fartsy north, and down to the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, Thailand is a wonderful place to experience and one that we will never forget.