Phuket, Thailand

These pictures were from out "Hong By Starlight" trip with John Gray Seacanoe.
http://johngray-seacanoe.com/thailand/hong-by-starlight.htm

We really enjoyed this experience. Many thanks to our great guide (see photo) ... I am sure that they were all great, but he was thoughtful and helpful and added to the serenity of the surroundings.

The bus pick up was late (we sat waiting for 45 minutes) and then had a bat-out-of-hell ride across the island. The PA system on the boat was next to useless so the instructions and descriptions were a bit hit-and-miss. So we are not off to a good start.

Organisation and communication was lax and haphazard at times. When the monsoonal rains struck, the crew all disappeared downstairs where they appeared to be having a good time, while we were awash upstairs not knowing what was happening. The site mentions constellation gazing and a nature game for the return trip but instead a mindless DVD was played. Disembarking was dark, slippery and dangerous ... I know from experience and bruises.

The biggest negative of the experience could have been fixed with a couple of simple ground rules :
1 : No alcohol
2 : No mobile phones
Because there was a small group that dominated because they were loudmouthed and drunk and didn't even go out in the kayaks ... a spoiler for everyone else.

BUT ... and this is the important bit ...

The kayaking was a fantastic adventure. The seas were rough but our guide was amazingly skillful and informative. I loved lying down and going through the caves into the hongs ... breathtaking on the way through and breathtaking, in a completely different way, once you were in that magical world. Two of the tunnel entries were extremely close (and Alphie did well with his claustrophobia!!) and the third was through a bigger, bat-filled cave.  While it would have possibly been better with more sunshine, the contrast between the open choppy seas and the placid jungle surrounded lagoon was just amazing.

It was also amazing that they are able to provide the quality of food that they do in such a confined space (maybe Centara Grand Beach could get some tips!!!)

Phuket, Thailand

We met up with Mary and Doug at the Centara Grand Beach Resort at Karon Beach, Phuket.  A Five Star Resort holiday is not our usual thing ... our holidays usually involve the local culture, local food and local sightseeing.  This was more a by-the-pool and shopping focused holiday.

The Centara Grand was a pink palace by the beach, spread out, glamorous and well equipped with swimming areas.  We had booked a Deluxe Pool Suite so we had our own infinity plunge pool.  There was also an Adults Only Pool and a big meandering family pool area with a "slow river".  In front of the hotel was Karon Beach but during our visit it wasn't swimable because of the rough seas (and raw effluent being released).  The resort had two restaurants, Cove (for breakfast buffet and theme night dinners and al la carte ... hit and miss) and Mare (Italian ... blerk).  Our upgrade included access to the Club facilities (afternoon teas, cocktails, etc) but unfortunately this was up two steep flights of stairs making it inaccessible for Alphie (not impressed).


We ate out with Mary and Doug at ??? (Japanese) at Jungceylon, at 9th Floor (Continental http://www.the9thfloor.com/) for Mary's birthday, at Savoey (Seafood http://www.savoeyseafood.com/) in Patong and at Two Chef's in Karon (International http://www.twochefs-phuket.com/).  We had facials and shopped at Jungceylong (www.jungceylon.com/), a combination shopping complex with a department store, specialty stores, market stalls, restaurants and fast food ... and an Irish Pub.  We bought some great clothes and souvenirs at a small shop with no bargaining hassles at Cape Promthep.

We flew AirAsia, a cut price airline ... though when you start adding on the extras (like food and like luggage) it all adds up.  On the way home, thankfully, I got a serious case of food poisoning ... either from our layover at Kuala Lumpar or the meal on the plane ... a not recommended way of losing holiday weight!!!

We loved the Thai people.  The ones we encountered were as beautiful on the inside as they were on the outside.  They were gracious, welcoming and spiritual.  Our waitress at breakfast, Aud, was sweet and thoughtful.  But we fell in love with Yui, who cried when we left, who befriended us, who epitomised the Thai people for us.

Cairns

The Birthday Week Visit

We had booked in to a Spa Apartment at the All Seasons ... but after one night we beat a hasty retreat! The room had an overpowering smell of mould and the contant thrum of the air con generators on the roof was headache inducing.

Thank goodness for the last minute internet specials!!! We got a great room at a good price at the Sebel. Bliss. An enormous room with a great view. They even let us check in early (and thank goodness for that because it was soooo hot wandering around in the beautiful Botanic Gardens). It was a major plus that it was right across the road from the Reef Casino ... home of Tamarind, the restaurant where we were going for my birthday dinner! Ahhh ... Penang Duck Curry ... Yum!

We had enjoyed our day out on the reef so much that we decided to drive back up to Port Douglas and go on the more intense 3-dive-sites trip. But, having got up early and driven back to Port, the wind had picked up, the sea was choppy and we decided to save it for another time.

Port Douglas ~ Reef

The Birthday Week Visit

When we were up here in Far North Queensland on our There & Back Again Tour, the Fates were against us and through a string of bad luck and bad weather we missed out on going out on the Great Barrier Reef. Our snorkel trip out of Airlie Beach had been a disappointment and hadn't lived up to Alphie's promise that the GBR was the "benchmark".

This was worth coming back for!

We ummed and arrred about what reef trip to take ... small boat, big boat, snorkel only boat, island trip, too touristy, too advanced ... but in the end we went with what just about everyone does ... the Quicksilver boat out to the pontoon. Absolutely no complaints!! We had a great day. We were blessed with great weather and a boat that was not filled to capacity. We thought the marine biologist who lead the small group tours was a jackass (just don't say "Nemo" to me!) and glad we didn't waste money on that add on.

Once out on the reef there was plenty of snorkel time. Visibility was terrific. The tides were just right. Fish were plentiful. Coral was colourful. BLISS. (In fact, the only shortcoming was having to share the underwater camera ... love that Canon!!! ... so this will be remedied for next time). There was a buffet lunch included and an open bar.

Maybe, just maybe, in hindsight ... the snorkel at different sites with a smaller group MIGHT have been better ... but this was a great day out.

Port Douglas ~ Daintree

The Birthday Week Visit

As we had missed out on going out for our planned snorkel, we decided (while we were still away on the There & Back Again Tour) to fly back up here for my birthday. What a princess!!

It gave us the chance to do some more of the same and some things that were new.

We stayed for the first 4 nights at the Rendezvous Reef Resort in Port Douglas (excellent value ... a 2 bedroom villa for $100 a night). Port Douglas was not what we expected and we would be back here in a flash.

The first morning of our stay we went on an early-morning, bird-spotting river cruise on the Daintree River. Can't say that we saw a quantity of birds ... but apparently we saw quality (we had a couple of serious "twitchers" on the boat) : Papuan Frogmouth, Large Billed Heron, Kingfishers, Wampoo Fruit Dove .....

After that we took the river ferry across to our green utopia. We drove up to Cape Tribulation and then had lunch at Whet (scene of the awesome Cauliflower & Scallop Soup from our last visit). This was a "find" through the Lonely Planet guide ... and it really is a find ... a great deck surrounded by rainforest and delicious food.