Phuket, Thailand

"Are we in Phuket-Thailand?" said one Lilly Bryant every 5 minutes or so when we were in Phuket, Thailand.

(Lilly sometimes gets confused as to where exactly we are at the moment...Texas, Singapore, Phuket-Thailand. It can get confusing when you are three, or "free" as she says.

But yes!  We were in Phuket-Thailand.  And it was awesome.

(This trip happened in October.  Pretend it was last week.)

Phuket is a beautiful island off the south-west coast of Thailand.  It is a popular beach destination for those living on this side of the planet.

Phuket was my kind of trip.  We stayed in a pretty resort right on the beach where you could walk out and get a cheap massage everyday!

It was a....

do-a-whole-lot-of-nothing-on-the-beach-with-a-fruity-cold-beverage-in-my-hand-kind-of-trip.

I like trips like this.

KID FRUITY BEVERAGE TIME!

Our resort had an awesome kids club where we could check our brood in and
actually enjoy some peaceful time alone!  This may shock you but that rarely happens
to us.  


Ahhhhhhhhh.....peace, quiet and cocktails....that is until...

ABORT! ABORT!
The Kids Club closed early and our location has been discovered!
Well, it was fun while it lasted!

Our first night in Phuket-Thailand we headed into town for some fine dining and shopping at one of the local street markets.  Deric always likes to make sure we get out and hang with the locals when we travel.  I know I will thank him for this one day..right?

Some interesting mystery meats for the men.  Notice the little squid-like things... 

Sugar cane anyone?  

Giant bowl of fried stuff...seafood of some sort I think.

This table frightened me.

What are you people going to feed me?!!!

 

Ahhhhh....some recognizable corn in a cup.

This lady was frying the corn...which actually looked yummy!

Fine Thailand dining!  A spicy beef dish and chicken with noodles.  Very yummy!

MY ADVENTUROUS EATERS!

Our chariot awaits to take us home.

Breakfast buf-feast time!  I would like to take a moment to reflect on the

breakfast buffet.  It truly is one of my kid's favorite parts of a trip.  Where else can 

they eat chocolate cereal, spread chocolate nutella on their toast, drink chocolate milk

and wrap it all up at the frozen yogurt bar where they can put more chocolate toppings

on the frozen yogurt which is basically ice cream?  

Breakfast of champions grins...Chocolate-fueled and ready to start the day!

Beach-pool-massage-do-nothing-time!  

I did not tell her to do this.  

I don't know what it is but in Asia they love to put
you inside a giant ball that floats on water.

Lilly made a new hotel lobby friend in Phuket-Thailand.

She chatted with her daily.

For a change of scenery one day we took a very short and "bumping"
boat ride to a little nearby island called Coral Island..We enjoyed some snorkeling,
lounging and parasailing!

THEY WERE NOT KIDDING ABOUT THE BUMPING

AGGIE IN PHUKET....
(I am worried about Luke...I think we need to work on his team spirit)

Sand castle snuggle time...

Time for some parasailing in Phuket...

(Mama a little nervous)

I WILL PASS ON THE PARASAILING.....CAN SOMEONE

BRING ME A SNACK?

Gear check

We're Ready!!!

Up Blake goes!  Little did we know the fellow in the blue behind her

was going for a ride with her.  He climbs up the back of the ropes and hangs

on for the entire ride!  This is to ensure our children's safety...I guess?

Not sure of how he could help in an emergency situation...

 I won't think about that.

Back down they come..

Luke's turn!

The boat would make a loop..slowing down enough for your feet to
drag the water then back up you would go!

Olivia's turn.....Her landing was a little sketchy so I had
to abandon picture taking....this can happen parasailing on a
beach in Thailand.  Everything was fine...I just went into a little
mama-unecessary-panic-abandon-camera mode for a minute!

My turn?  Really?  I have to go up?
So many straps in unmentionable places!
Where is my lounge chair and fruity beverage?!

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

This is what happens when the mom is flying through the air.  
Strangers show up trying to hold and photograph the baby.
She was not down with this.  Time for lunch.

Fine Island Dining....fried chicken and rice!

On our way home Deric talked our boat captain into stopping
at a more remote less touristy island.....I love it when he does things like this.

Our guide showed the kids how to find all these little crabs..

BACK TO THE RESORT...



There was a little local restaurant right outside our resort.
We grabbed Luke, some bravery and decided to give it a try!
Luke spent most of the time during our lunch collecting more crabs!
He had some help from the waitstaff.



crab hunter

It's fun to have one-on-one time with the kids!

Its so nice to have an ashtray full of crabs at your table!

But if an ashtray of crabs at my lunch table brings this smile I'll take it!

My lunch.  Thai pineapple fried rice...YUM!

One night we took the kids to see the"Phuket Fantasea"...

Hmmmmm..how ever do I describe this show?  

Cirque Du De Soliel meets Thailand Disney World?.

Tigers, elephants, performers....it was a sight to see! 

Not my personal favorite part of our trip but kids loved it.

Outside the park entrance was this crazy pond of fish

This crazy show took place in this high security NO CAMERAS allowed
elephant palace.  They made you CHECK IN YOUR CAMERA!
Take my camera?  The HORROR!  Then after the show you had to wait in a
huge long line to collect your forbidden camera.  I guess they dont want you
taking pictures of their extra special tiger-elephant-circus show moves.  Oh well..
I will just steal one from the internet.

There is a catchy Phuket-Fantasea theme song that plays alot during
the show.  It never leaves your brain.  Deric still loves to sing it to me at random times.
"The Phuket-Fantaseeeeeea...The Phuket-Fantaseeeeea"

Potty break at the Phuket-Fantasea

After the show we got some elephant time.  You cannot leave 

Thailand or Phuket Fantasea without elephant time.  It is forbidden.

You can also not leave Thailand without hair-braiding time.  

It too is forbidden....by your children. Especially by your second born.

Olivia talked NON-STOP about the need for her hair to be braided.  Her ENTIRE

head.  We had to do some hard-core selling to convince her that less braids are more.

Three braids on each side.  Less is more Olivia!

(for the rest of the trip she wanted to go back for more)

Blake went for the colored braids...2 pink, 2 blue.

The braid negotiations were exhausting.  

Daddy needs a massage while his ladies get braided.

This lady needs a massage more than any of us!!!
Sweet Delia...her first Thailand massage.

Lilly felt she could do a better job on her Delia's feet.

SixonastreetinThailand.

On our last day in Phuket we took this beauty into town.

We needed just one more massage...

And just one more beach smoothie

A few more jumps off the cliff...
(Our hotel had these cool cliffs for the kids to jump off...
This is where they spent most of their time!)

\

A few last slides.  

Another great adventure for our family.  

  

Cheers from Phuket-Thailand!  I mean Texas....no Singapore!

Mama!  Where am I again?