Phuket 2019 Day 5 – Home Sweet Home

The morning of our last day was spent preparing to go home. I initially thought I could get up to jog around but after contemplating where to run to since the roads on the outside of the resort seemed very secluded, and that I had to return early so that we can go for breakfast early and in addition, K wanted milk so eventually I ended up lazing in bed.

We started to pack for the remaining items before K woke up and when he did, it was about getting everything ready quickly. We went for breakfast earlier than the rest of the other days, and started eating at 9am. Returned to the room after breakfast and checked out soon after, paying the dinner that we had for two of the days before boarding our Grab car, for a cost of less than 500baht.

Last breakfast in Phuket
Egg benedict

We disembarked after a quick 30mins ride and proceeded to check in our luggage. Went through immigrations which took a while since they took all the prints on both the hands and spent some time shopping at the small area. There was a tiny playground where K spent some time before there was the call to board.

Shopping at the gate
Tiny kid zone

The return flight was a much bigger plane than the one we arrived in Phuket, which was great because it came with an entertainment system where K was so looking forward to to play his game. The Endgame was available as a new release but I caught Shazam instead, which the flight was too short for the entire show. The plane took a while to taxi before taking off and landing took a while too due to traffic and weather. Food was so-so though and was a rush to eat before the announcement to land. Overall I thought the flight was a better one compared to the SilkAir one.

For this trip, we spent the super long weekend in Phuket. I believed that K had enjoyed himself and he kept saying he have to return to play the Dino mini golf. It was a good reprise from the daily grind although there were some moments of anxiety trying to fix stuff over the phone with regard to the domestic helper but nonetheless I too enjoyed the stay. Only thing was we learnt that maybe it would be better to stay more south than where we stayed, even though the resort was excellent in every aspect.

Phuket 2019 Day 4 – Splash Jungle waterpark and Mai Khao village

It was a restless night for K and I knew that K didn’t get enough sleep like he was supposed to. Eventually that translated to him waking up at a much later time. He was also throwing some tantrums and ended up being punished for it. We got out of the room only by 10 for breakfast.

It was again a busy morning at the restaurant and we had our breakfast on the outside this time around. It was the 3rd morning and it was getting boring already. But I can live with egg Benedict everyday.

The weather was exceptional today, no signs of clouds at all! However we didn’t plan anything so we ended up visiting the kids club first.

There were some activities planned for Thailand’s mother’s day but K outright rejected the staff when she offered him to create his own DIY aquarium. He went on to explore the 3 spacious rooms and the toys within. There were some kids there but they weren’t interacting much, 2 of them were on the PC and another one playing with one of the toys.

I thought I like the spaciousness of the area, one of the biggest that I had seen but there just weren’t enough toys. However K could spend more than an hour playing in the kids club was just baffling to me; he even didn’t want to leave initially.

Main room with reception
Room with the TV and game consoles
Another room
Nice hot weather at the hotel reception

We returned to the room to prepare to get to the Splash Jungle waterpark as K agreed to  pay it a visit. Once out, we got a Grabcar which cost about 440baht there. The driver brought us through a shortcut and in 15mins time, we arrived at the waterpark.

Thought I could get tickets on Klook but it wasn’t available for the same day booking, and missed the chance to save on a few dollars. However, we only need to pay for 2 adults for a total of 2900baht, as K who wasn’t 5 yet, got to enter for free.

We weren’t allow to bring any food and my packet of chips was taken away into temporary custody, in exchange for a number card to claim back later. At the entrance, we were given one wrist tag that was used for storing digital money as they didn’t allow cash transaction within the park itself. I topped up 1000baht into it and we entered the park.

Splash Jungle entrance
Digital wallet

 

Our first stop was the Jungledeli where we had our lunch. There were ongoing pop up stalls that sold cheaper food than the restaurant itself due to the Thailand Mother’s Day promotion and so we got some prawns and chicken on skewers and a bowl of fried rice from these stores while we ordered K spaghetti. All these amounted to less than 500baht in total.

Colourful slides
Fried rice and BBQ stuff
Cream puffs
Spaghetti
Fruit juice
Fruit coolers

 

Vouchers for use for pop up stores

 

After lunch, we headed to changing room to change into our swimwear. At the lockers room, I couldn’t find a locker with a key and only found out that the lockers had to be rent for a fee of 150baht on the outside. Since mommy was not going into the waters, she would take care of the stuff.

There was a carousel there
Turtle with a moving head
Kids play area
For older kids and adults

We managed to find a sun bed not taken and left the cheap stuff there before heading to the water play. Mommy headed to the massage area to get some massage at the same time.

There was quite a good section of areas for K even though I thought more information can be shared ahead of time, such as height restrictions. These info was only available on site. We were disappointed to find that the slides tower require a minimum height of 122cm. The wave pool was nothing like the one in Desaru and frankly disappointing as there weren’t much of a wave to speak of. There were a couple of children play area, a kids section where the waters were warm, an area where water jacuzzi was available and a lazy river which we tried all. Fortunately K was easily satisfied just playing over at the kids pool area.

Wave pool
Artic deco
Massaging water jet can be found here
Another kids section but with warm water

 

We stayed for almost 3hrs before convincing K to leave. Got ourselves changed and went through the store to exit. I have utilized the amount within the digital payment and had to come out with 50baht cash in addition to pay for the icecream. K wanted to get the rubber chicken toy but I disapproved it.

We got the same driver to pick us up (by dialling his number on his name card) for a cheaper deal of 400baht and he sent us to the Turtle village near to our hotel. We explored the area to find some restaurants there but thought we would visit Mai Khao Plaza instead. While walking there, we saw the elephants at a compound (from Mai Khao Elephant home) where there were many visitors also trying to interact with the 2 elephants there. We left when K wanted to use the toilet.

Stacked turtle fountain at Turtle Village
Elephant from the Elephant home

 

Eventually we ended up at the Living Room restaurant for dinner, where we got ourselves pineapple baked rice, Tom Yum Goong to share and Beef noodles for K. There was mango sticky rice that we bought for desert. The food was not too bad and I liked the Thai Iced tea with coconut milk!

Mai Khao Living room restaurant
Pineapple rice
Tom Yum Goong
Beef noodles
Mango sticky rice
Thai Iced tea with coconut

 

Spent some time at the fountain playing with the plastic balls there and also at a small kids playground while waiting for the resort shuttle bus return. Boarded the tuktuk pickup with a couple of other guests and returned to the hotel just before 9pm.

Balancing balls on the water sprout around the statue

We had our bath in the tub and the usual night preparations and soon K was fast asleep as expected since the exhaustion from the day spent at the waterpark was sure to knock him out. I managed to gather some of the day’s thoughts onto the trusty note on the phone with a struggling battery before getting my rest for the night.

Phuket 2019 Day 3 – Dinopark mini-golf, Weekend market and Jungceylon

We woke up close to 9 and K had wet his pants again! Diapers were pretty leaky and I had to use a towel to cover the wet spot for him to continue sleeping.

K was pretty cooperative and we were soon finding ourselves queuing up for the seat to enter the crowded Loca Vore restaurant. Managed to get a seat inside and went to get our breakfast. I had to have my egg Benedict again cos it was really good!

Day 2 breakfast
Crab egg benedict so sumptuous!
Sweet Thai mango
Cuppa to complete

After breakfast, we returned to the room to chill for a bit before getting out. The Grab app again didn’t give us a match for whole day rental and so we had to try the same trick as it was yesterday. Booked one car to get us to Dino Park mini golf and when the driver arrived, we asked for a whole day booking of 10hrs and was offered 3000baht instead. It was quite expensive compared to what can be gotten on Klook but I wasn’t negotiating so we just boarded.

The journey to the mini golf was very far, about an hour drive, which made us think if we got the right accommodation to begin with. K spent his time singing his favorite cartoon songs on repeat.

Saw Buddha statue at the top of the hill on the way to Dino park

The car exited the larger road onto the smaller streets and we got off onto the street right next to a large space that was designed with huge boulders like those in caveman shows. Registered ourselves for the 18-hole game and was each given a ball, a club with different length for different heights and a scoresheet to keep track! This cost us 240baht (11SGD) per adult and 180baht (8sgd) per kid and for adults not playing, it cost 120baht (5.5SGD) to enter.

Dino Park entrance

It was quite fun to go around trying to push the ball into the holes, some course came with short cuts that K was adamant to use even though it took more shots to use them. Sometimes K ended up playing hockey than golf! The weather though cloudy was still hot and humid. However we enjoyed the course while walking amongst the dinosaurs models and tricky course so much that K wanted to go another round. There were quite a few groups there and it was common to be held up by the earlier group if they were slower.

To the mini golf entrance
Restaurant to the side of the walkway
Balls and rules
Let the games begin!
One course in a cave
Stegosaurus nearby
Triceratops spotted!
Panoramic view of one section of the course

After much convincing, we ended having lunch at the Dino restaurant next door. Ordered a noodles with sauce for K, curry for mommy and me to share, glass noodles salad and a Thai iced tea and fruit juice. It was a huge eating area with a few dinosaur themed displays that K went around taking photos with his camera but the area under the shelter where we had our lunch was too dark and they didn’t turn on the lights till much later.

Skull fossil?
Stone age vehicle
Thai iced tea
Curry and rice
Noodles with sauce
Glass noodles salad

We returned for a second round of golf after considering the other options of zipline which I thought was too expensive and trampoline park which I thought was too dangerous. This time around, K was much more disciplined to wait for the ball to stop before hitting but still very adamant to use the short cut. The hold up was worst with a bigger group in front and we even had one behind us too impatient to wait for us to finish and hit their ball when we were still not done. They eventually passed us to skip ahead.

Thanks for the company T-rex!

We called our driver after we were finally done and got to our next destination, the Phuket Old Town Sunday market (Lard Yai). It was about a 30mins drive there and the closer we got, the heavier the traffic, I was so glad I didn’t choose to drive, I thought to myself. We got off at the entrance of a temple at Dibuk Road and walked towards the pedestrian only Thalang Road and there were just so many people looking at the many stores selling mostly food at half the section and handicrafts at the other half. We walked the entire length end-to-end and only bought an ice-cream for K. The food wasn’t looking very appetizing (and the stuffiness of the area didn’t make me want to stop to get anything) and we didn’t get anything from the handicrafts stores. Along the way there were also street performances mostly singers belting out their tunes. There was a sudden downpour and we all got under shelter to wait out the short and common occurrence. But I felt the rain was good because it cooled down the entire place pretty quickly and was nicer to walk around afterwards.

Lard Yai
Graffiti art
Entire street of make shift stalls
Much needed reprieve
Cotton candy ice-cream
Modern stores in old architecture
At one end of the street

Spent about an hour there and we returned to the temple to board the car after contacting him via message. We decided to skip Fantasea and went to Jungceylon Mall instead for dinner. Another 30mins drive and we arrived into super busy Patong town and Jungceylon was one megamall next another huge Central Patong mall dominating the area there. We alighted behind the mall which was less crowded and proceeded in.

Jungceylon mall

Randomly entered one of the building and out of the corner of my eye, we spotted a famous brand of restaurant also available in Singapore and decided to have dinner there. It was MK, but the gold edition!

MK Gold
Spacious on the inside

Ordered a plate of pork slices, vegetables for our steamboat and a bowl of char siew green noodles for K. The food was ok and we took about an hour and a half to finish our dinner. That dinner was about 1400baht which I paid by card, fearing that we didn’t have enough money to go home.

Pork slices
Vegetables
Wonton green noodles
Coconut desert

We walked around for a little shopping and entered an OVS store that had quite nicely designed tees but found them quite expensive (it was later that we found out that this was an Italian fashion brand!). Entered a inflatdecor store where they sold all sorts of inflatable bags and we bought ourselves a waterproof bag for 230baht and got ourselves a freebee inflatable cup holder by adding their contact into Line app.

Then we caught glimpse of the water fountain show before calling our driver for the last time for our trip back to the hotel.

Fountain show

The ride back was about an hour and I paid the 3000baht to the driver before we headed back to the room. The night routine was hastened up as it was getting late and K cooperated to bath quickly and got his playtime before it was lights off for all.

Phuket 2019 Day 2 – Phuket Aquarium, Upside-Down House and Chaofa Variety weekend market

Day 2 started with a overcast skies as expected. We were all up by 9am (which was early by holiday standards) and went out for breakfast at the Loca Vore restaurant that was near the reception. It was quite crowded but we managed to get a seat on the outside. The variety of breakfast was ok but there was egg benedict, a special version of it made with crab meat! The food quality was very good and that compensated for the its variety I supposed.

Breakfast with crab egg benedict
Had ice-cream after breakfast!

After breakfast, the sun began to emerge from the clouds and K wanted to visit the kids pool. So I went back to retrieve his swim wear while mommy brought the excited boy over to the kids club.

View of the pond in the hotel
Kids Club
Swimming pool in the day

I made a detour to check out the beach and was shock to see the waves of the beach – waters were very rough. The red flags told the same story of danger at the seas and I quickly return to the kids pool with the knowledge that we weren’t going to the beach, at least for today.

Beach at the hotel

Dressed and K found himself in the pool in a flash. I made a second trip back to the room  to retrieve a beach ball and we spent about an hour there in the water while mommy perched herself on the sun beds with her hp.

Pool pano
Slide
Dino theme pool

After many last rounds of the beach ball, we finally left the pool and walked towards the beach. K was disappointed that he couldn’t crash into the wave like when in other resorts but we didn’t get our feet wet with a little sea water as the waves spread towards the seashore. We washed up near the pool and returned to the room for a quick shower.

Went back to Loca Vore for lunch where we ordered fried rice for K and mommy and I shared Tom Yum Goong and fried noodles, having learnt of the enormous portions that they served. Again the quality of food was good, except that noodles tasted a bit Chinese.

Fried rice
Fried noodles
Tom Yum Goong

We wanted to get a private charter so that we could get from places to places without the need to get a taxi and Grab app had an option for that. However, booking it didn’t result in any acceptance. We spoke to the Navigator, a travel coordinator at the desk and he proposed we book a ride to where we wanted to go and negotiate with the driver directly. Punching the aquarium as a destination, we got ourselves a Grab driver, and with the help of the Navigator for translation, he agreed to a price of 2400baht for the entire day.

Boarded the vehicle and it was a long, almost 1.5hrs to the Phuket Aquarium. During the journey, we fell asleep most of the way and awoke to find ourselves traveling towards Panwa beach. We alight at the aquarium, used the restroom before heading into the aquarium close to its closing hour of 430pm. After paying the tickets for 2 adults (for K it was free as he was short) for about 16sgd in total, the staff assured us that we had enough time and sure enough, the place was small enough to clear under an hour.

Phuket Aquarium
Ticket counter
Tickets

I was busy on the phone trying to fix an issue with our domestic helper who was trying to fly back to Singapore after her leave. Had to coordinate with my mother back home with the documents and in the end that didn’t turn out well and had to leave it till she visits the embassy.

K was pretty fascinated with the display on the other hand and had a connection with some of the displays like the zooplankton and phytoplankton ones, some knowledge that he picked up on TV. On the other hand, he was spooked by the creatures of the deep sea display. We were impressed to see gigantic giant groupers near the end. We took a quick walk around it’s store, which was also bringing down their shutters and got ourselves a snack before getting into the car.

Colourful fishes
Inside the aquarium
Crab
Quite a few tanks
Sharks
Interesting deep sea creatures
Scary looking fishes from the deep
Huge groupers
Store
Pano view at the entrance of the aquarium

We got to the upside-down house Baan Teelanka in a 30mins journey and paid about 40sgd for the 2 adults and 1 child tickets. The staff then helped us with the photos showing us how to take them and we were off to explore the 3 levels building. K was excited just to climb the steps and not really interested with taking photos. Had to take a few to show him how it would look like on photos and he then reluctantly do a few. We spend the entire 1hr there till it closed at 6pm, even though it wasn’t that big but K was busy climbing up and down the stairs. After a visit to the restroom, we headed for our last destination, the weekend market.

Upside down house ticketing
As what it’s name implied…
Everything is upside down
A 3D painting to take photo with at the house

About a 15mins drive, we parked at a carpark just opposite side of the road and the driver guided us to the market. Crossing the super busy road was a challenge and the skies decided to start raining too. We found shelter inside a shop that sold ponchos for 30baht and we got ourselves 3 adults one as there were none for kids and we had to cut K’s one to size using scissor borrowed from the shop owner.

After we got the poncho on, we walked into the Chaofa Variety Weekend Market. Then we realized the rain stopped, its like we had been pranked by the rain.

Chaofa Variety weekend market

The market was split into 2 sections, one for food and the other for goods and we bought ourselves a Thai milk tea first before heading into the goods section. There were many shops selling mostly clothes, some toys shops and some souvenirs. We ended up buying quite a bit of stuff, negotiated for some of these goods. I got myself some shorts for 150baht per pc, got K a swimming vest for 200baht, a jigsaw toy for 200baht and a set of clothes for 200baht for K.

Crowded food section
Thai milk tea is a must
Goods section

We looked for a place for dinner and just near the entrance was a restaurant that had seats and had our dinner there. Ordered fried rice for K and mommy to share, a plate of vegetables, a bowl of green curry and a Phad Thai for myself, all this for under 500baht. The food didn’t taste good though.

Dinner place
Large sitting area but still crowded
Fried rice
Vegetables and curry
Phad Thai

After dinner, we went over to the restroom at the end of the market, paying 3 baht per person to get in. The toilet was not the best as expected but we did what we had to do and returned back to the market. Spent a bit of time marvelling at the toys in a toy store selling a variety of mini blocks before walking back towards the entrance where we met the driver. It was then already 830pm.

The market at night
The toilet

The rest of the journey back was smooth after an initial jam near the market and we arrived at about 930pm. Paid the driver 2500baht for his additional hour although he wasn’t going to charge and we went back to the room.

K had fun with his jigsaw while I packed the tub with water and we tested whatever we bought and were satisfied with the purchases. The swimming vest was initially having an issue with keeping the air in as the stopper kept popping out but I fixed it.

We spent some time at the tub, then it was straight to bed. There was a pee spillover from the K’s diapers which resulted in a PJ change before finally going off the dreamland.

Phuket 2019 Day 1 – Arrival into Phuket and check into resort

It was a super long weekend we decided that we wanted to spend it away in Phuket. Our flight was in the afternoon of the National Day holiday and thus it was an easy start to a trip without the rush in the morning.

We left home at about 1115 as my dad drove us to Changi. Without any much traffic on the roads, we made it easily to check in at Terminal 2 for our SilkAir flight just before noon. Pretty familiar with the self service machine, we dropped off our one and only big luggage at the automated gate (and K was just intrigued with it) and went through immigration.

National Day deco at Changi

The plane took off soon enough and the flight was pretty ok, though there were about 2 short periods of turbulence. Lunch was served for the children first and K had his meal of sweet and sour chicken with rice. This was a simple set without the bun that SQ normally have and mommy was disappointed with the simple affair.

Ours came much later and without a choice so we had the same thing that K had. By then K was already done with his food and was busy with Tom and Jerry cartoon on my hand phone that was linked to the aircraft entertainment system.

Shortly after our lunch, the plane was already descending into a cloudy and misty Phuket. We were forewarned about the bad weather online and true enough, it was dampening sight looking out of the window.

The immigration had a short line but K had to visit the toilet first so mommy went to queue. By the time we returned, mommy was already at the start of the line and we cleared immigrations promptly.

I met a colleague and his family on the same flight at the luggage belt (of all places) and after some quick exchanges and a selfie, we went our separate ways for our holidays.

Tried asking the car rental companies only to find that all of them were fully booked out. So we took the exit on the left and found 2 yellow stands offering taxi. Approached the busier one and was offered 1000baht (SGD50) based on their map with standard rates. Paid and left for a private sedan. While in the car, we thought we might have taken the more expensive option and should have checked around first since the distance didn’t seemed too far off.

Line of car rental companies but no car for rent
Phuket airport
Where we got out taxi

We arrived into a Renaissance Phuket after going through a portion of small roads. The reception area was beautifully designed and brightly lit and stood out in the gloomy weather. We were given some drinks and towels to freshen up as mommy went through the check in while K and me chilled. From there we saw a kids pool area with Dino design but we couldn’t really go there currently with the drizzle nor the clubhouse which the staff informed that getting there would need us to cross a path in the open.

At the reception
At the bar

We went to the restaurant below to get free ice cream as K was given a wristband that would entitle him to one ice cream every afternoon (from 3pm-5pm) since the room wasn’t ready yet. While at the restaurant, mommy ordered some spring rolls to munch on. It was served soon after an initial bread appetizer with olive oil and peanut crumbs, which we thought tasted pretty good.

Ice cream entitlement band
At Loca Vore restaurant to get ice cream
Yummy delicious bread
Yummy spring rolls

While sitting along the outside of the restaurant, we saw tiny frogs hopping around. One girl was shocked to see them and yelped while passing by. I wouldn’t have noticed as well if not for her.

What are those 2 things…
tiny frog! So tiny you can unknowingly squash them

Went back to the reception to collect our keys and proceeded to the room via a buggy. It seemed like a long journey as the buggy went through a tiny curvy road and then travel alongside the building. Got off and took the lift to the top floor (3 floors). Opening the door revealed a big and beautiful room that came with a balcony -I was already liking it.

Big room
With a big tub
Shower and toilet
Balcony
Panoramic view from our balcony
Activities suggestion during rain

Chilled in the room for a long time, as much as it took the rain to drizzle. K had quite a bit of screen time while I fell asleep on the comfortable bed.

When I woke up, K was just finishing his cartoons and asked to be bathed in the tub. We spend some time there as well before getting out of the room for dinner.

The rain had stopped and we thought we would walk to the beach. We managed to see the swimming pool and 2 restaurants in a single building but on different floors but didn’t get to the beach as it was dark.

Swimming pool
2 levels of restaurants

Went to the Takieng on the 2nd floor but was advised that it was fully booked and we had to wait if interested to have their Thai cuisine. However they also adviced us to dine at the Sand box below as they could deliver the food there too. So without much of a choice, we went downstairs and sat at the more casual Sand box, that had a sandy beach floor.

Ordered dinner consisting of nuggets and fries for K, mommy had a curry and duck with rice and I ordered a Margarita pizza to share with K. With the inclusion of one passion fruit drink, the entire dinner was about 1500baht. The food was good, as the nuggets were huge and tasted like they made it by themselves, pizza was baked in a flame kiln and Thai food was spicy.

Chicken nuggets and fries
Duck and curry
Pizza
Where we had dinner

We took a walk after the filling dinner and found out where the kids club was which was closed for the night, the kids pool which looked pretty fun and came with a slide and the way back to reception which now didn’t seem so far.

Kids’ pool
Around the compound
Huge gym

Back at the room when we prepared for the night, I came to a shocked realization that I had forgotten to pack K’s diapers! Called the reception and they advised to try find them in the coffee shop next to the gym and thus I went there quickly. There was a mini store inside the coffee shop but I only found medium sizes. The staff there advised that I should take the hotel shuttle to 7-11. I could make the trip at 9pm and still make it back before the last one at 950pm.

Went to the lobby and waited for the shuttle which was a small pickup with the back modified into a passenger seating area. Was dropped off at 7-11 at a building with 2 floors next to Turtle Village and I was glad to find XL sizes there under Mamypoko brand, something that I was familiar with back in Singapore, all for about 330baht.

Shuttle
Diapers travel size
Turtle Village

Bought milk and yoghurt too and proceeded to walk to Mai Khao Plaza just a minute walk away to get on the same transport back. The plaza which was brightly lit seemed to have more restaurants and some shops but I didn’t have any time to explore and the annoying drizzle was back.

Heading towards brightly lit Mai Khao Plaza
Mai Khao Plaza, shuttle pick up point just next to the sign

A short 5mins ride and soon I was back at the hotel. Returned to the room to find mommy reading K some books. Got through the night routine and soon, everyone was in bed. I went for my bath after everyone dozed off and went to bed soon after, ending an uneventful first day in Phuket.

Escape Plan to Phuket August 2019

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Phuket:

Total duration 5D4N
Singapore is 1hr ahead of Phuket.
Flight time is 1hrs 50mins on Silkair from Singapore to Phuket. Return flight is 4hrs 45mins on China Airlines from Taipei to Singapore.

Morning flight on 9th Aug at 120pm and arrival in Phuket in the afternoon at 210pm. Return flight from
Phuket on the 13th Jun at 1145am and arrival in Singapore at 220pm.

Day 1 Arrival into Phuket and check into resort
Day 2 Phuket Aquarium, Upside-Down house and Chaofa Variety night market
Day 3 Dinopark mini-golf, Weekend market and Jungceylon
Day 4 Splash Jungle waterpark and Mai Khao village
Day 5 Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was to utilise the National day and Haji super long weekend for a short getaway to somewhere close to home. Since we hadn’t really been to Phuket, we thought it would be a good time to do so.

Budget nature: Comparatively costly

Comparative to other parts of Thailand, I thought it was rather costly to visit Phuket. The flights were obviously expensive since due to the long weekend but we reduced the costs by claiming expiring miles for the flight there and paying for the return on a day after the long weekend. Our transportation could have been cheaper if we booked through Klook or negotiated with the driver more. We spent more than $700 cash than we bought for the 5 days.

Complexity: Easy

It was easy since most of the transportation was taken care of with a chartered driver. It could have been difficult had we been able to get our own car as we realised while in the taxi that it was quite challenging to drive in the chaotic traffic especially in town.

Koh Samui 2015 Day 4 – Home Sweet Home

630am, baby K’s slight cry awoke me and I quickly climbed out of bed to see a yellow round sun already up above the horizon. It was good weather but I didn’t catch the sunrise in time.

Sunrise.
Sunrise.

The morning would be spent entirely to pack, since we bought a lot of food before our transport from Samuitours come pick us at 11am. This was the cheapest deal I could find as a taxi would cost 100baht more if I booked from the the reception.

Baby and wife slept till 8 and after feeding baby, we went for brekkie. Took some porridge from the staff to bring away so that we wouldn’t need to cook any and then we could quickly packed the pot without having the need to clean. Brought the baby to the beach one last time before we had to go home.

Cappucino.
Cappucino.

Buffet table stuff.
Buffet table stuff.

Seafood noodle.
Seafood noodle.

Another Thai noodle.
Another Thai noodle.

Last few hours were spent packing and cooking and looking out for the baby. Returned the key to the rental car at the reception and also did a check out. The resort staff helped with our luggage up to the mini bus that had also arrived at 11am sharp.

Baby K fell asleep on the journey to the airport. 30 mins past and we arrived, check in was done quickly as all the counters were manned. We brought along the stroller because baby K was still napping away inside.

Checked in counters.
Checked in counters.

Airport mascots.
Airport mascots.

The gate was some distance away and we had to walk through what looked like a layout of a premium outlet. Bought some Swenson’s to eat before some heavy showers came pouring all of a sudden. Had to wait for the rain to lighten before moving on as it was splashing inwards.

Long walk to the gates flanked by outlet style layout.
Long walk to the gates flanked by outlet style layout.

Inside the airport.
Inside the airport.

The security check just before the gate was especially strict. They removed quite a lot of stuff from our diaper bags and another hand luggage even though we had a baby with us. Baby K who was snoozing peacefully in the stroller was almost asked to be removed from the stroller for checking. It was a frustrating moment.

I heard over the intercom as the staff was calling for me to approach the gate but I knew we were still early. When I arrived and checked with the staff, they said that there was a powerbank in my checked-in luggage and I suddenly remember too. But I was caught by surprise that they were so strict about it. I had to follow the staff (along with a few others) to the luggage check area and remove the power bank, which we could bring on in our hand luggage.

Waiting area at the gate.
Waiting area at the gate.

When it was boarding time, I had to bring the stroller and place it at the front of the tram where there was a storage place. It was then taken care of by the staff to load onto the plane.

Trams that ferry passengers to and from the planes.
Trams that ferry passengers to and from the planes.

The flight back was not all smooth. Baby K was cranky maybe due to not having enough sleep or even food. He was moving from one toy to another rather quickly and we were running out of things to keep him entertained. Fortunately he found interests in the passengers sitting behind us and was constantly playing with them. That gave us some rest time before disembarking.

The arrival into the airport was different from what I was used to, we had to go through security scanning, something that was not required previously. But this was not as difficult as the one in Koh Samui but time consuming nonetheless.

It was unusually crowded at immigrations and for Singaporean families more than 4 members there were special shortcuts opened at the side counters to allow faster processing for them. Thankfully we were allowed to go through that path after they processed the bigger families. DFS was also crowded but that was the final queue before meeting Dad at the arrivals hall.

This trip was a short getaway for baby K on his 1yr old birthday. The difference between this trip and the previous ones was that there were a lot less cleaning times but a lot more looking out for baby times since he climbs and crawls everywhere now. We had to bring pressure cookers bought from Taobao and rice and vegetables to cook his meals and also visit supermarkets to buy fish. Our accommodation had a kitchen and a fridge and that made things easier for cooking and storage. I prefer traveling during this period as you get to see more while out and not get restricted by his meal times which were already prepared and pumping times and of course the less strenuous cleaning that came with it.

Koh Samui 2015 Day 3 – Big Buddha, Wat Plai Laem, Lamai Viewpoint, Grandfather and Grandmother rock

620am and the sun was blocked yet again by the clouds. Back to bed.

Baby K was sleeping late into the morning and had missed a night feeding. He must be really tired! That gave us some time for preparations and immediately after he woke up, we proceeded to breakfast.

Having learnt from yesterday’s breakfast that although the food was free, we had to limit the amount lest we could finished eating. Ordered the eggs florentine and poached eggs and the rest we took from the buffet table. As usual baby K had his special kids set of utensils and he ate the bread and papaya available. I had latte which came with a face. So did the eggs.

Latte smiley.
Latte face.

Eggs benedict smiley.
Eggs benedict face.

We proceeded to the beach to watch the high tide waves. Today the water actually reached the resort steps. Back at the room, we took a dip in the pool with the opportunistic sun out and about. Then bathed in the huge jacuzzi tub before baby K drank milk (and still puke a little) and then fell asleep in mommy’s arms when she brought him out to listen to the waves from our huge balcony.

Went to book a car for 1500baht from the hotel reception and asked for a small one particularly due to the small roads in Koh Samui. We figured if each taxi trip was going to cost us 500baht, in no time this would equal the costs of a car rental. The only problem was the unfamiliarity of the road and there wasn’t a GPS available.

The first car then was delivered was a Nissan March but the remote was not working. So they sent another car that was a 7 seater Avanza. Not exactly the small car that I wanted but I wasn’t going to wait for another one. It came with an empty tank so I had to pump gas when we go.

Baby K awoke from his nap soon after and we packed and got onto the car for our first attraction, the Big Buddha over at the north of the island. I have downloaded the Google maps offline to get better details and used the map as reference to get there. There was an Esso station on the main 4169 and I asked for 300baht of gas, which gave me half tank, more than enough for the trip. The gas was topped up by the station service staff where I didn’t even need to alight from the car. Just tell him how much and paid after it was done, Then it was 30mins of driving on the single lane road with a mix of upslopes and downslopes. Baby K had lunch in the car en-route.

There were road signs that made navigation easy. As we cross the tiny stretch of land before the location, I parked just on the side of the road on this stretch of land, not sure if there was a official car park in place and we walked to the Big Buddha. We only realized that there was indeed a space reserved for parking as we walked closer but I didn’t bother going back to park the car there.

The Big Buddha sit atop a flight of steps which was not to difficult to reach. Took off our footwear as requested and we climbed to the top for some photos. There was renovation ongoing on the sides but we could still get to the edge to shoot the scenery of the surrounding from the top.

Big Buddha sat atop a little hill.
Big Buddha sat atop a little hill.

Big Buddha.
Big Buddha.

View from the Big Buddha location.
View from the Big Buddha location.

Just around at the ground level were shops selling stuff, mostly souvenirs and so we didn’t stay long and left for the next location, just a short drive away to Wat Phai Laem temple. Taking the left immediately on the main road from the Big Buddha, just a couple of hundreds of meters there was this temple with huge statues. The entrance was quite easy to miss as it was a small road without a clear indication and therefore I had to make a Uturn to get to it after seeing the big statues on the left side of the road.

Statues behind the parking lot.
Statues behind the parking lot.

Parking lot and the surrounding touristy shops.
Parking lot and the surrounding touristy shops.

This time I parked at the parking area and we went in to see the 2 huge statues of the Laughing Buddha and the thousand hands Goddess of Mercy. Bought some fish feed from a machine for 10baht and fed the fishes. There was a temple building that we could also visit that had bright coloured wall paintings and a Buddha statue in it. That was our temporary relief from the sun.

Laughing Buddha.
Laughing Buddha.

Up close.
Up close.

Elephant headed deity beside the laughing Buddha.
Elephant headed deity beside the laughing Buddha.

Fish feed dispensing machine.
Fish feed dispensing machine.

Middle temple.
Middle temple.

Inside the temple with colourful walls.
Inside the temple with colourful walls.

Middle temple.
Middle temple.

Thousand arms Goddess of Mercy.
Thousand arms Goddess of Mercy.

Up close.
Up close.

Inland temple.
Inland temple.

At this area was a cafe but we gave it a miss. The next stop was to get to Lamai viewpoint which we thought we could get lunch and on the way, we saw a huge Big C supermart and decided to visit it. Walking around we couldn’t find much eateries except KFC and MK restaurants that serves buffet. We took a stroll in the huge supermarket, something like the Tesco we visited on the first day. Left soon after without buying anything.

Big C supermarket.
Big C supermarket.

Inside the Big C.
Inside the Big C.

Lamai viewpoint didn’t appear on my Google map so I had to follow the road signs. Again we had to turn in at the right into a small road. The signs would indicate a change in direction from going straight to turning right to making a Uturn when you overshot while on the main road, which I did, and had to wait for the many vehicles to pass through. Even after I Uturn, I couldn’t determine the correct small road and entered the one before, driving on it a little and finding it suspiciously incorrect before going out again. Got off and asked some local people and they informed that “Lamai view” was on the next road.

Took the next road in and sure enough there were blue signs directing cars to the carpark. Parked at the near empty carpark (most people biked there) and paid the 100baht entry fees to the view point. The zipline would cost 800baht but we weren’t be doing that because of the baby.

Entrance where tickets were sold.
Entrance where tickets were sold.

Our receipt.
Our receipt.

The Valentine stone, small Siva Tara waterfall and the fish spa were just steps away from the entrance, nothing spectacular. The climb up to the viewpoint was a little tiring, especially with the little one and the bags that followed along but it was easy as there were steps all the way to the bar on top. From the viewpoint we could see the Lamai coast. The cloudy weather didn’t provide the best of the scene. The bar was also packed and unfortunately there weren’t any food so we could only have drinks.

Valentine Stone and waterfall. Didn't realise there was a heart shape stone.
Valentine Stone and waterfall. Didn’t realise there was a heart shape stone.

Siva waterfall.
Siva Tara waterfall.

Lamar Viewpoint bar.
Lamar Viewpoint bar.

View with cloudy skies at the viewpoint.
View with cloudy skies at the viewpoint.

Just before we could leave, the light drizzle started to upsize into a huge shower and for a moment it was pretty chaotic as the staff tried to pull down the transparent sheets to block off the rain but the winds were not doing them a favour. Guests were seen helping out as well. We move to the seats closer to the bar away from the rain.

Hiding from the rain with the transparent rain covers.
Hiding from the rain with the transparent rain covers.

After some 15mins, we left to descend down the wet steps back to ground floor. Went quickly to the car before the drizzle came back again. Off season weather could be really annoying.

Parking space at the viewpoint ground floor.
Parking space at the viewpoint ground floor.

Our last stop was the Grandfather and Grandmother rock (Hin Ta and Hin Yai) not too far from the viewpoint. Again the side road was easy to miss. This one was tricky as the road was a one vehicle width road and so you had to wait if there were cars coming out. Going through the road, we reached a split where a kid directed my car into a parking area. It was 30baht for parking but worry-free to park there since it was empty and manned. We had our snack lunch in the car as the rain continue to trickle down.

Finally when it was time to go, we had to pass through one shop selling souvenirs and get to the pathway towards the rocks. Just a few meters away, we could see the grandfather rock but the grandmother one has to go further down towards the sea where there was a split between the rock (see internet pictures to know what you are looking for). We didn’t know where to look until some guide showed another group of tourist the location and we just followed. However the rocks surface was wet from the rain and so we didn’t risk going too near the water plus it was high tide and waves were crashing onto the rock surfaces. Bought some coconut caramel to bring back home while on the way back to the carpark.

Entrance to Hin Ta Hin Yai rocks.
Entrance to Hin Ta Hin Yai rocks.

Grandfather rock.
Grandfather rock.

Grandmother rock.
Grandmother rock.

Grandmother rock.
Grandmother rock.

I thought I saw a fish.
I thought I saw a fish.

Panoramic view of the sea.
Panoramic view of the sea.

Coconut caramel stall.
Coconut caramel stall.

Parking lot. The silver car was our rental vehicle.
Parking lot. The silver car was our rental car.

Driving back to the resort was pretty straightforward and it was really close by. Back in the room, wife went for massage round 2 while I entertained the baby before meeting her outside the parlour 1hr later. Proceeded to walk the streets to look for dinner.

It was still very quiet at night with not many tourists in sight. The low season was really bad for business but good for people like us who didn’t enjoy the crowd (like Singapore). We made it to Samui Kangeroo where they served seafood and Thai food. I had a set of 3 tiger prawns and barramundi steak for 399 baht while wife had Tom Yum, prawn cake and fried noodles. We were filled to the brim! Baby K fell asleep while on the way to the restaurant and when he awoke, he was entertained by the very friendly staff that made   him comfortable. They even gave him a baby toy to entertain him while we fed him dinner, certainly made our job a lot easier!

Still quiet on Saturday night.
Still quiet on Saturday night.

Samui Kangeroo.
Samui Kangeroo.

Orange juice.
Orange juice.

A table full of food just for the 2 of us.
A table full of food just for the 2 of us.

As we walked back to the resort, the streets were just as empty and it was already 9pm. Back in the room, we spent some time at the balcony looking at the moon before the drizzle came and then it was all about clean up and packing before retiring for the night. The short 3 day getaway was coming to an end.

Bright moon.

Koh Samui 2015 Day 2 – Aquarium and Tiger Zoo and Bophut Fisherman’s Village

As sunlight peeked through the shades, I awoke at 640am to find cloudy skies, supposedly typical of off season weather. Went back to sleep.

A few more hours and we woke up and the day’s activities were quickly starting, first with feeding the baby. Then we proceeded for breakfast at the breakfast area situated just under our villa. There was a small buffet table but quite a selection of cooked food all for free. There were even fresh juice! We ate till we were very full and returned to the room.

Breakfast area.
Breakfast area.

Buffet table.
Buffet table.

Stuff from the buffet table.
Stuff from the buffet table.

Egg
Mexican egg dish.

Waffles.
Waffles.

Custard buns.
Custard buns.

Assorted Dim Sum.
Assorted Dim Sum.

Thai omelette.
Thai omelette.

Temple within the resort.
Temple within the resort.

Intricate design of the street lamps.
Intricate design of the street lamps.

Then it was off to the pool and after a light passing shower, it was a little cold for a dip. Baby K didn’t move for a while once he was in the water until he warmed up. Spent some time out in the pool until it was ready for food (had to bring him out to bath in the warm tub in the room and change him out to PJs but he didn’t sleep). Then he became really cranky, not wanting to sleep even though he looked tired. Tried to feed him some porridge and gave him Cartoon Network which calmed him down a bit but he puked after not being able to swallow some porridge. I guessed it must be some mouthful of water that made him felt unwell.

Afterwards when baby K was feeling better, we brought him out to the Aquarium and Tiger Zoo. The reception got us a taxi for 500baht which felt was very expensive. It was a 15mins short journey and baby K fell asleep in the common brown with yellow top taxi. Upon arriving, the driver asked when we would finish the visit and he would return so we told him 3pm. There weren’t many taxis around the area though.

Typical Ko Samui taxi.
Typical Ko Samui taxi.

The tickets for the visit was very expensive, 750baht per person. We paid and went to the sea lion show first which was at 130pm. The show lasted 30mins of which baby K only managed to watch the last 10mins. Immediately after the show was a photo session with one of the sea lion, for 100baht. The show was entertaining but not the best I have seen.

The ticketing counter to the aquarium and zoo.
The ticketing counter to the aquarium and zoo.

Our tickets.
Our tickets.

Stamps for entry.
Stamps for entry.

Direction to the Sea lion show.
Direction to the Sea lion show.

Sea lions doing the balancing act.
Sea lions doing the balancing act.

Guests throwing hoops to the sea lions.
Guests throwing hoops to the sea lions.

Jumping out of the water act.
Jumping out of the water act.

Next we proceeded to walk to the tiger and bird show which was at 230pm. Bought some banana Nutella and banana vanilla pancakes from a makeshift stall and ate at the eating area just outside the show entrance. Fed baby K porridge while we have our dessert-lunch. The show began soon after and there was quite a crowd comparatively. The bird show started mild with some parrots performing tricks then it was the tiger show and the leopard. Then it was back to the bird show with the toucan and the eagle. This was definitely more entertaining than the sea lion show and baby K loved the birds flying around.

Pancake stall.
Pancake stall.

Our banana nutella and banana vanilla pancakes.
Our banana nutella and banana vanilla pancakes.

The parrots and their trainers.
The parrots and their trainers.

Tiger show within the cage up area.
Tiger show within the cage up area.

Back to bird show with toucan.
Back to bird show with toucan.

What looked like a ferret.
What looked like a ferret.

Similarly, there was a photo opportunity but we didn’t go for it as there was quite a crowd waiting in line. We went to take photo with a tiger instead. Wanted one with the baby tiger but was advised against it by the trainer who said it was easier to control the bigger one, as we had a baby in tow. So we went for the bigger tiger for 600baht where the helper used our camera to take 5 shots consecutively.

We proceeded to walk through the aquarium (2 of them) and the zoo. The aquariums were a little run down and not as big as the ones we have in Singapore. There were some open top ones with sharks and rays which was interesting as one of the sharks actually splashed some water out when we were standing nearby.

The zoo was also small and we could see some toucan, monkeys and tigers and leopards. There were actually pretty close behind the fenced up areas which was kind of scary.

We left with the same driver who was already waiting for us outside even before we left for the zoo and aquarium. It was another 500baht back to the resort.

Zoo area was called Jungle walk.
Zoo area was called Jungle walk.

Cages with birds.
Cages with birds.

White monkey.
White monkey.

Tigers.
Leopards.

Spotted leopard.
Spotted leopard.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Tiger.

Aquarium number 2.
Aquarium number 2.

No vegetable allowed?
What? Why not?

 

Sea turtle in the aquarium.
Sea turtle in the aquarium.

Huge fishes in the aquarium.
Huge fishes in the aquarium.

Lion fish.
Lion fish.

Long neck turtle.
Long neck turtle.

Large area of tanks.
Large area of tanks.

Open top tanks with rays and sharks.
Open top tanks with rays and sharks.

Back in the resort, I brought baby K to walk on the beach that was getting high tide waves crashing in while wife went for a Thai massage on the streets outside our resort. Walking northwards, there were quite a couple of resorts at the beach. The beach was not crowded, just a couple of people trying to jump into the waves taking photos. Baby K was soothed into a sleep by the sea breeze and sounds of the sea waves and after taking a few selfies with me, I brought him back to the room.

High tide waters rushing inland.
High tide waters rushing inland.

Fed baby K dinner before heading to Bophut Fisherman’s village, which was only opened on Friday nights. This time the taxi cost 700baht, which sounded more fair then the earlier one where we travelled to an attraction not too far from our resort. 30mins later, we were dropped off at the entrance of the walking street.

Entrance of Fisherman's village.
Entrance of Fisherman’s village.

Pedestrian streets on Friday.
Pedestrian streets on Friday.

The initial street towards the main street was not too busy. Once we hit the Main Street that was parallel to the beach, we could see many people around. We had bought some food, since our purpose was mainly to have some dinner but instead of going to one of the many restaurants available there, we ate burgers and satays and drank fruit juices. Bought baby K a Tweety bird balloon that he liked for 50baht. There were some fire dancing show and some fireworks out in the distance, not bad.

On the side street before the busy main ones.
On the side street before the busy main ones.

Stall selling satays.
Stall selling satays.

Elephant walk, area packed with restaurants and people.
Elephant walk, area packed with restaurants and people.

Stalls selling from accessories to clothings.
Stalls selling from accessories to clothings.

Phat burger for dinner.
Phat burger for dinner.

Our chicken burger.
Our chicken burger.

and fries.
and fries.

Cheap shots were available at many of these stalls.
Cheap cocktails and shots were available at many of these stalls.

Fruits stall selling fruits and juices.
Fruits stall selling fruits and juices.

Watermelon juice.
Watermelon juice.

Fire dance going on.
Fire dance going on.

After walking to the end of the street, there appeared to be a lot more food stalls but we were already full. We asked the personnel at the entrance (another entrance different from the one we entered) to this walking street for a taxi back and was quoted 600baht. I accepted without bargaining (which I should have tried) and a private vehicle picked us up instead. Not a bad deal.

Side street lined with food stalls.
Side street lined with food stalls.

Bophut walking street, another entrance.
Bophut walking street, another entrance.

Watch tower at the village.
Watch tower at the village.

Back at the room, some 30mins later, we fed baby K again. It was then cleaning up the baby and the milk bottles and our bathing time while one of us had to take care of him. He wasn’t getting much sleep in the day and so when we fed him milk again, he felt tired enough to fall asleep. Fell asleep rather quickly from the tiredness of travelling with a super active 1year old.

Koh Samui 2015 Day 1 – Arrival at Koh Samui

Our baby 1st birthday trip began early in the morning, waking up almost the same time as we normally do when we go to work. As there were still plenty to pack, it was great that we had a helper to cook the porridge early in the morning.

After packing in the last items into the pink 25″ and haversack and feeding baby with milk, we left for the airport on a generally light traffic highway. Due to the school holidays, traffic was light enough that we reached the airport within 40mins.

Checked in at the Silkair counter for 2 luggage and a stroller before clearing the mess due to spillage of milk powder (from the portable dispenser) in the bag before going through immigrations.

As usual, we picked up the Combi stroller from the info counter and brought baby to walk around. 30mins before boarding, changed his diapers at the big “family area” and warmed up his flight milk before going through the walkway onto the small A319 Airbus.

Was asked if we could exchange our aisle seat for the window as the other family is on the other side of the aisle but we rejected as we needed the access to the aisle a lot more. There will be frequent access to the bags overhead to take stuff for the baby.

Baby K was quite well behaved and after downing his milk, he fell asleep in mommy’s arms as the flight took off. Can’t say about the noisy kids behind, fortunately baby K snoozed soundly through it.

After about 45 mins of snoozing, baby K woke up to find his parents eating rather-tasty meals. Warmed up some milk and fed him bread before the plane landed in sunny island Koh Samui.

The tiny airport was serviced by windowless trams. The airport itself was designed looking like a resort. Luggage was brought to the belt by vehicles but it didn’t take long for us to clear. Thankfully being in the front row of the airplane, we cleared immigrations quickly before a queue formed behind the counters.

Proceeding out of the airport after claiming our luggage and stroller, on the left towards the meeting point, the driver from Samui Tours holding a signboard with my name and destination stood waiting. After acknowledging, he went to pick up a Toyota minibus (which was big for our small family of 3) and loaded our luggage for a 30mins travel towards Lamai beach.

Koh Samui Airport.
Koh Samui Airport.

Meeting place where our airport transfer rep was waiting.
Meeting place where our airport transfer rep was waiting.

View from the minibus.
View from the minibus.

We went past towns with busy streets lined with low buildings and also stretch of vegetation. Going up the mountain which overlooked the bicolor blue and turquoise waters before turning left into narrow streets before arriving next to the reception building of Ammatara Pura, our accommodation for the next 3 nights. The Thai design made the buildings looked like a temple but the resort was lavishly furnished. It was indeed 5 stars accommodation fit for royalty!

Reception building.
Reception building.

Waiting area at the reception
Waiting area at the reception

Our villa was the first one next to the reception and it was huge, definitely value for money. The whole place was designed in modernly with Thai culture.

Room.
Room.

King bed.
King bed.

Side dining area.
Side dining area.

Day bed.
Day bed.

Computer desktop with wifi.
Computer desktop with wifi.

Walk in wardrobe.
Walk in wardrobe.

Large in room stone jacuzzi tub.
Large in room stone jacuzzi tub.

Toilet.
Toilet.

Large kitchen.
Large kitchen.

Outdoor shower.
Outdoor shower.

Villa view from the rest area.
Villa view from the rest area.

Towel holders.
Towel holders.

Tissue box with fan tissue deco.
Tissue box with fan tissue deco.

Bathing accessories.
Bathing accessories.

Old school telephone.
Old school telephone.

Baby K had lunch at the chill area beside the pool and after some rest, went for dip with me in the really deep pool (1.6m). Then I gave him a bath in the huge stone jacuzzi tub and ordered some room service for late lunch.

Fried Rice.
Fried Rice.

Spring roll.
Spring roll.

We failed to get baby K to sleep so we went out to Tesco by taking the free resort tuk tuk out, about a 5 mins journey.

Resort tuk tuk.
Resort tuk tuk.

The Tesco here was quite big, selling a whole range the domestic products. We bought a toy, foodstuff and most importantly, fresh fish necessary for baby K porridge. After supermarket shopping, we got ourselves a coconut ice cream in a coconut just outside.

Tesco in Lamai
Tesco in Lamai

Inside Tesco
Inside Tesco

Fresh seafood corner.
Fresh seafood corner.

Coconut ice-cream stall.
Coconut ice-cream stall.

Coconut ice-cream in a coconut husk bowl.
Coconut ice-cream in a coconut husk bowl.

Baby K fell asleep while we were in the supermarket and woke up after snoozing while we were eating the icecream. Called the resort and the tuk tuk was dispatched again to pick us up, some 10mins later.

Back at the resort we were informed of some Buddhist ritual going on near the pool and so went take a look. Spent some time to look at the performance where there were 3 people wearing cultural Thai costume dancing to a traditional tune played by a live traditional instruments band. Didn’t stay till the end as baby K got bored and so we walked to the beach which was about 20m away.

Thai Buddhist ritual.
Thai Buddhist ritual.

Chill beds at the beach.
Chill beds at the beach.

Lamai beach close to sun set.
Lamai beach close to sun set.

Sun was already setting and I let baby K feel the sea wave crashing onto his tiny feet. Before returning to our room, we washed our feet at the beach entrance before reentering the resort boundaries.

It was dinner time for baby K as he ate his dinner while multitasking some other activities such as moving around, like all other babies. We were still on Singapore timing since Koh Samui was one hour later. During this time, the room make up staff came and they helped tidy the room while we were still in there. They sorted out the pool jacuzzi that wasn’t working when I tried it earlier in the day and also cleared the lunch plates.

After baby K was done, it was our turn for dinner so we left the room and walked out of the resort. To the right and onwards were long parallel streets of shops consisting of bars, cafes, eateries, massage parlour and retail. It was quite quiet though, not many customers around. Don’t know if it was because it was a Thursday or if it was low season or it was still early to have dinner. We walked about 5mins and u-turned as it seemed never ending.

Muay Thai, where fighters were training.
Muay Thai, where fighters were training. This was located near our resort.

Quiet streets in Lamai.
Quiet streets in Lamai.

Went back to a eatery called ISky corner restaurant and had Thai food, consisting of omelette pad Thai, seafood Tom Yum and cashew chicken rice. I had banana Choco shake and my wife had a coconut. It cost about 450baht for that much food.

ISky corner restaurant.
ISky corner restaurant.

Coconut.
Coconut.

Banana choco milk shake.
Banana choco milk shake.

Omelette Phad Thai.
Omelette Phad Thai.

Tom Yum soup.
Tom Yum soup.

Cashew chicken rice.
Cashew chicken rice.

ISky Corner restaurant.
ISky Corner restaurant.

After dinner it was short walk back. The moon was round and bright illuminating the sea around. The rest of the night was about cleaning up the baby and preparations for sleep. Cleaning up bottles were a lot more easier now that baby K was feeding more on formula milk, which meant less cleaning on pump and bottles.

Night view from the pool.
Night view from the pool.

Had to bath a bit later and since the rain shower was out in the open, it was a good thing that the weather was fine. The water pressure wasn’t good enough for a storm shower , more like trickling rain. And I couldn’t seemed to get the temperature as it was consistently warm, which was not a bad issue since I was out in the open.

It was lights off at 1030pm, which was 1130pm in SG, already later than what I used to do since baby K was born. Sleeping early was to make up the constant waking at night and it would be difficult to do without sleep when traveling.