From the bustling city to the humid mountains, Thailand so far had been an absolute blast! However, we had one more destination within this country, and that was to head all the way south to the beautiful beaches of Phuket.
I noticed how it was significantly warmer stepping off the plane in the southernmost part of Thailand. But that was to be expected when heading somewhere more tropical and closer to the equator. We were staying the longest in Phuket, a total of four days (but only really two full days to enjoy what it had to offer, so there was no time to waste).
On our first full day we were picked up to head to an all-day boat tour in Phang Nga Bay. I'll never forget when the boat set off in the direction of the hilly islands along the horizon. It was so surreal to see this landscape in real life and no longer behind a screen. We stopped among several of these islands, and at each one we would board into small canoes.
Our guides led our canoes through pitch black caves in order to find secret coves that you would never have guessed even existed in between these rock formations.
Before long we stopped to have a delicious home-cooked Thai lunch that had fried chicken legs, various fruits and fried rice. While we were relaxing after eating our guide jumped up and said 'Now who's ready to jump off the boat!?"
I remember my husband and I laughing along with the joke. We were on the second floor of this thing, no way they would allow tourists to do that. We shut our mouths as soon as the guide then turned and unlatched the metal chain next to him that we didn't notice before. This opening on the boat did not have a bench or balcony like the rest of the floor did.
Before long, us and the rest of our group were taking turns jumping off of our boat's second story and into the blue-green waters. We got to enjoy swimming about for awhile before it was time to head to the main attraction of the tour.
I don't know about you, but I had seen this rock in pictures all of my life. And even though it's always been on my bucket list to see, I never knew it had a name - James Bond Rock. It got this name from being featured in the film 'The Man with the Golden Gun' from 1974. Regardless, it was a stunning sight to behold. Keep in mind though, that these pictures are taken with the bottom cropped out. The area was teeming with tourists and rather crowded, so it may be worth getting an early or late tour if you have the option. Although even with the crowds we still enjoyed ourselves and got to explore the island a bit more.
On our second full day, we had another day-long boat tour but this time to tour the Phi Phi Islands specifically. And, this tour began BEFORE sunrise! This time we were on a much smaller vehicle, a speedboat, and we sped off to a small isolated beach to enjoy breakfast while the sun rose over the horizon. There were cats and even huge hermit crabs wandering about as we ate too.
Similar to the previous day, we explored different islands and learned more about Phuket as we did so (we also saw sharks and monkeys!). We enjoyed lunch at yet another island before we got to snorkel. There was SO many different kinds of fish and other aquatic creatures amongst thing reef, it was incredible to see. I've snorkeled in many different places around the world, but I never pass up the opportunity and this is why - you will always see new species you didn't see before, you just have to look hard enough!
And with the ending of our boat tours, our time in Phuket came to a bittersweet end as well. Not only that, but this also meant the last of our time in Thailand itself. This country was probably the most adventurous one we've been to yet and it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. If you ever visit Thailand, please be sure you see ALL it has to offer and do not confine yourself to just one spot. This country has something for everyone! I cannot wait to go back one day and do even more!
"Dare to live the life of your dreams."
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