Sawasdee Kap!

Had a wonderful time at Phuket. Flew off on 7th June and back on the 10th.

Before dawn on Thursday 7th June, the whole family met up at Terminal 2 Changi Airport to board SilkAir Flt. MI752 for Phuket. Everyone were excited, and after two breakfast at the airport, we were the last to board the aircraft with barely 3 minutes to spare. Much to the chagrin of the airport staff. The flight was smooth as we tucked in to a third breakfast of bland omelet or noodles.

On arrival at Phuket airport, we were picked up by a new and comfortable mini bus, which brought us to L'Orchidee Villa, after a 45 minutes drive.

When we got into the villa, we were all awed and pleasantly surprised at the opulence of the truly five star resort. Centrally air-conditioned, the double storey bungalow featured a square living area upstairs and four bedrooms downstairs. With the staircase in the middle, one corner was the home theatre, one corner the seating area, one corner the dining area and the fourth corner the dry kitchen, with all upmarket features. By the side was a small but beautifully built swimming pool, with two jacuzzis. There was a large patio with deck chairs and a panoramic view of Patong Beach.

Downstairs all bedrooms had bathrooms attached. I slept in the suite sharing the balcony with the next door bedroom occupied by my daughter. My bathroom was a room in itself featuring a jacuzzi with shower and toilet stalls.

We hired two vehicles, an MPV and a jeep, which my son-in-law had a whale of a time driving. Bright yellow, it had manual shift and roared like a tank. Following behind the MPV, he was sabotaged many times when forced to stop on a sharp slope.

With food always in our mind, eating around Phuket was always an adventure. We bought plenty of stuff to cook for our breakfast. The shopping cart was full to the brim when we checked out. Like feeding a regiment! Lunch was usually at food court. We savoured Thai food from Tom Yam soup to pork balls and glass noodles. I must say the Thais eat plenty of vegetables and salads with hot chillies and spices thrown in. My son-in-law enjoyed his Tom Yam everyday.

For dinner, we went to restaurants and enjoyed Thai cuisines. The Villa management feted us to a catered buffet dinner for 14 people! It was very nice of them and we had so much food on the second night.

With two vehicles, we drove around the various beaches and visited the southern part of the island. I had a 4 km walk with my son along Kaka Beach. The little children swam and played in the sand to their hearts content. Some of us had Thai massage. While the children and their parents went for buggy rides, I took Emma and my daughter for an elephant ride through the forest. Emma was apprehensive at first, but when I carried her and climbed on top of the elephant, she held on to me and after a short distance, she relaxed to enjoy the ride.

I had both my Nikon and Sony HD video cameras with me and took a total of 305 pictures and two rolls of HD tapes. Working on my pictures at home with my Photoshop CS3, I was very pleased with the result. I have yet to edit my video.

Sunday 10th June was Emma's second birthday. We had a cake and durian and celebrated the occasion. Shortly after that, sadly we had to pack up to leave for home. At Phuket airport, we ate again before boarding the flight home. We arrived Changi at 2025 hrs. and dispersed for our various home with cherished memories of our Phuket holiday.

Credit no doubt, to my son, who organised the Phuket holiday, and to all of them who paid for the airfares. We all had a lovely time. After so many years, it is very nice indeed to have a holiday.

Till then....