The Roberts in Korea

Phuket Miscellany

Our trip to Phuket, Thailand was a wonderful experience.  The place, the people, the weather and the food were amazing.  Phuket is a very tourist oriented place and there are many famous food chain restaurants located in the city, but we bypassed all of that and went for the local cuisine.  Thai food is distinctive and delicious and we ate a lot of it.  Thanks to a recommendation from our friend, Craig, we ended up eating many of our meals at the Lamai Restaurant.  The food was excellent and the people at the restaurant got to the point where they knew what we were going to order.

We saw lots of amazing things in Phuket.  At the elephant riding camp we got the chance to feed the owner's pet monkey while we were waiting for our turn on the elephants.  At the close of the elephant ride we enjoyed the opportunity to pet a baby elephant.  He was four years old.

Phuket is an immense tourist attraction.  Most of the tourists that we encountered there were from Europe and/or Australia.  The place is filled with bars, restaurants and stores/shops. The roads are filled with cars, tuk-tuks (taxis) and motorcycles are everywhere.  Of course the beach/ocean are the main attraction of the island.

The Thai people that we encountered in Phuket were pleasant, humble, patient and helpful.  Upon greeting them and saying good-bye to them they always did so with the gesture of their hands folded in front of them.  We even encountered a Thai Ronald!

Riding Elephants in Phuket

When we first moved to South Korea five years ago Dina heard from some friends that you could ride elephants in Thailand.  This has been something that she has wanted to do.  We finally did it.  Here are some pics of us on elephants in Phuket, Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phi Phi Island

We spent one of our days in Phuket on a Phi Phi (pee-pee) Island Tour.  It was an amazing experience.  We boarded a tour boat at 9 a.m. and took an our hour long speed boat ride to the Phi Phi Islands.  We visited four islands--Phi Phi Island, Monkey Island, Mosquitoe Island and Bamboo Island.  Each island visit included a beach and many beautiful sights. 

A lunch buffet was served at one of the islands and throughout the trip we were served soft drinks and fresh fruit.  We did some snorkeling at two different stops on the trip.  One time was on the shore of one of the islands and the other time was at a large coral reef located in the center of the islands (seemingly out in the middle of the ocean).  The fish that we swam with were colorful and exotic and the coral was beautiful.

At monkey island were observed a couple of wild monkeys that live on the island and hang out at the beach to get food from the tourists.  They liked the bananas and bread that was offered to them, but they loved the Coca-Cola that the people were drinking.  They snatched the can out of the tourists' hands and quickly guzzled the soda pop.  The monkeys were a bit overweight--it seems that high fructose corn syrup affects monkeys too.

One of our stops on the tour was at the island where the movie, "The Beach" was filmed (Leonardo D. was the star of the movie).  It was an amazing place.  The Phi Phi Island tour was a great experience and one that we all won't soon forget.

The Pleasants in Phuket

It was a privilege for us to connect with the Pleasants family while we were in Phuket.  Mark is the high school principal at TCIS, April is an ESL teacher in the middle school and their boys, John and Michael, are students at the school.  They spent Christmas Break in Thailand and three of those days were spent in Phuket and we were able to spend one of those days with them. 

We had a blast hanging out together on the beach for most of the day.  We spent a lot of time in the water, talking, laughing and "riding the waves."  The Pleasants' boys, John and Michael, wanted to ride "The Banana" so Mark booked a ride for five on the tube.  Mark, Becca, Sarah, John and Michael took a wild ride in the Andaman Sea while April, Dina and I (Ryan) enjoyed riding in the boat.

Later in the day, both John and Michael did some para-sailing.  It was cool to watch them. To finish out the fun day we met the Pleasants for dinner and enjoyed some delicious Thai food, we walked and shopped a bit and then culminated the evening with a dessert of mango and sticky rice.  We made some memories and had an extremely "pleasant" time with the Pleasants in Phuket.

FantaSea in Phuket

We went to the FantaSea show.  It is one of the major buffet dinner/shows in Phuket.  It was quite an experience.  We took an hour long van ride to the show location.  We started the evening with a buffet dinner in an amazing dinner hall.  After dinner we walked across the courtyard past the elephants to the huge 3500 seat theater.  The show was great and included, pyrotechnics, singing, dancing, lazers, acrobatics, magic, and 15 elephants.  We had a grand time at the FantaSea.  Click this LINK for more information.

Tour of Phuket--the Big Buddha

Our half day tour of Phuket ended with a trip to the Big Buddha located at the highest point on the island of Phuket.  It was quite sight.  The trip down the mountain afforded us a nice view of the sunset.  We ended the tour with a drop off at the Hard Rock Cafe in Phuket.  It was a good day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour of Phuket- Cashew Factory

Our half day tour of Phuket included a stop at a cashew nut factory.  It was very interesting and tasty.  We learned that cashew nuts grow on trees and are just the small tip of a large bulb that grows on the tree.  The cashew nuts are harvested by hand and then they are shelled by hand.  That is why they are so expensive.  The Thailand produce is so interesting.  Some of the items we have encoutered are:  cashews, mango, papaya, jack fruit, bananas and even rubber trees.

Tour of Phuket - Part 1

For our fourth day in Phuket we thought it would be good to take a break from the sun on the beach and go on a tour of Phuket Island.  At the "tour desk" in our hotel I (Ryan) inquired about a half day tour around Phuket and the lady said that I could pay to go with a large crowd in a bus or pay ten dollars more and have a driver from our hotel take us around in an air conditioned Toyota van...on the same tour.

So, needless to say, we paid for the private tour.  It was a blast and we made a new friend. His name was Pik and he was our driver for the day.  He took lots of family pictures for us and we heard the stories and saw the sights of the city on our time table.  We traveled down the West side of the island and up the East side of the island.  Phuket is a beautiful and amazing place with lots of tropical foilage, mountains, breath taking vistas and ocean beaches lining its perimeter.  Here are some pics from part 1 of the tour of Phuket.

Phuket Days 2 and 3

So far these vacation days have been filled with lots of vacationing.  We are enjoying the warm weather and the cultural experience of Phuket, Thailand.  On Christms Eve we went to a compulsory Gala (that means we had to pay for it whether we attended or not) that was held at our hotel.  It was a buffet dinner with a hotel band playing songs from the 1970s.  It was a fun time and a memorable experience, but we ended up leaving shorly after dinner and were in bed by 9:30 p.m. 

  We have done a bit of cruising around the town in tuk-tuks (Thailand taxis).  We have enjoyed some shopping and some sightseeing.  So far the days here are hot and humid and each evening it rains for about an hour.  We are all very red from our time at the beach, but no one has a serious sun burn. 

We are not going hungry here in Thailand.  Each day we are enjoying the delicious Thai food.  There are also lots of opportunities here in Phuket to eat European food, but we are sticking with the Thai food.  So far, we haven't met another American here in Phuket.  It seems that Phuket is a popular beach destination for Europeans and the streets, beaches and restaurants here are filled with people speaking French, German, Russian, Swedish...and many other languages.  We are thankful for this beautiful time, place and experience.

Memories Yet to be Downloaded

Thanks to all for your care, concern and well wishes as it relates to me and my health.  Every email, comment, and Facebook post mean a lot to me.  I am feeling better every day and thankful for every energetic moment I get.

I finally got around to downloading the final pics left over in my camera from my trip to Bangkok, Thailand.  As I looked over the last few shots that I took in that fascinating place I found myself reflecting upon a couple of fond memories from my adventure.

The first picture is a picture of "mango and sticky rice."  It is a delicious dessert from the country of Thailand.  The mango fruit is soft and delicious and the rice has some type of sweetened coconut milk drizzled over it that is amazing.  The combination of the mango and sticky rice results in one of the tastiest treats I have ever eaten. 

On the day I was to fly out of Thailand and head home to South Korea I arrived at the airport early and made it through security unusually fast.  In the inner sanctum of the airport there were a few "authentic" Thai Restaurants.  I went in one of the eateries and ordered myself a big plate of mango and sticky rice and ate it all by myself.  (I know what you are thinking...no wonder I came home and spent a week in the cardiac ward at the hospital.)   Needless to say, the mango and sticky rice were delicious--a memory that I won't soon forget.

The next picture is a shot I took of Bangkok just before I checked out of my hotel room and headed for the airport.  It is a fascinating city.  As I rode alone in a taxi, through the massive city of Bangkok, I remember feeling very small.  I had been away from Dina and the girls for too long.  They, along with God, provide a very significant and meaningful dimension to my life.  Big cities and world travel are great, but there is no place like home.