Phuket, Thailand (Day 2)

I didn't make any plans for day 2 so it was supposed to be spent free and easy around the hotel. I do my best to stay away from strict and tight schedule when we travel because holidays are supposed to be spent in a relaxed manner.

We spent the first few hours of the beautiful morning having buffet breakfast and swimming with this breathtaking view. A perfect way to start a relaxing day, I must say. The sinfully delightful buffet spread provided us with all the energy we need for the first half of the day and the cold water in the swimming pool awakened our senses. The hubby joked to me that it feels liberating to live like we are rich once in a while. True that. We only get to rest in a relaxing atmosphere once in a while and we work too hard for a living most of the time.

Whilst the kids are having a good splashing time we realized that the weather is perfect for some exploration so we got them to shower and dress up for an unplanned adventure.

As of the time this photo was taken at the resort lobby, we didn't know yet where we are heading to. Yes, we are spontaneous like that and I love it. We actually strolled in the neighborhood after this photo opp and browsed some tour packages in nearby tour operators. We decided to go in a private tour with this itinerary:

• Sight seeing at Karon View Point
• Elephant trekking in the jungle with sea views
• Visit Big Buddha
• Visit Chalong Temple
• Stop over at Cashew Nuts Factory
• Stop over at Big Bee Store

Before leaving for the private tour, the tour operator gave us enough time to go for lunch. Hubby picked Louis Koffee and we were not disappointed. The food we ordered is not just photograph-worthy. It is as delicious as it looks.

When we came back from lunch, the tour operator was already waiting for us in the resort lobby. He offered to drive us personally using his new-looking white car as big as an SUV. While on the journey, the tour operator/driver pointed us a few landmarks. I complimented him for speaking English fluently and he told us that he was actually a tour guide before he put up his own tour agency.

Our first stop is the Karon View Point, which offers stunning views of a few small islands and turquoise-colored beaches in the area.

I warned you that you're going to see more of this pose, right? Haha! Let me digress a bit. I actually picked a floral one shoulder blouse for K to play matchy matchy with me but she refused to wear. In the end, she wore my see-through (oversized) crocheted blouse with her white singlet underneath. I felt overdressed after but had no time to change to an appropriate attire for our little adventure.

This photo was hubby's idea. He said we need a proof that we actually went to that place. LOL.

Next stop: Phuket Safari for the elephant trekking. Photo opp while waiting for our turn to ride the elephants.

Told ya I wasn't properly dressed for this adventure. Serves the vain in me. LOL.

The 45-minute elephant jungle trek with bonus sea views was quite an experience. G still talks about it up to this day. In fact, he was blabbering about it at bedtime last night. He said he wants to ride an elephant again.

After the trek, the kids fed the baby elephant with bananas. We paid 100 baht for a basket of banana. My kids loved the whole experience and they still talk about it too every now and then.

Here's another photo as an evidence. LOL. Don't ask me why I always had to cover my legs, ok?

Next stop: Big Buddha

According to phuket.com, Big Buddha is one of the island's most important and revered landmard. The humongous sized Buddha is 45 meters high, hence can be easily spotted from afar as it sits atop the Nakkerd Hills. It is still under construction as evident from the photo above.

Its location offers 360-degree views of the island, we were treated with sweeping vistas of Chalong Bay (behind us), Phuket Town, Kata, Karon beaches and more. The scarves we used to cover our lower body was provided for free at the entrance.

Next stop: Chalong Temple

Wat Chalong, built at the beginning of 19th century, is the largest and most visited temple in Phuket. Pictured above is the Grand Pagoda which K and I explored barefoot (as required) and our lower body and upper body covered with scarves. To say it's beautiful is an understatement. The exquisite and intricate details of the pagoda's exterior and interior made me swoon. We didn't explore the rest of the place because we actually left the hubby and sleeping G in the car. The ever supportive hubby told us to just go and have a quick tour because I will be needing it for my blog. So thoughtful! 

Next stop: Cashew Nut Factory

We made a real quick stop here too. K and I witnessed how cashews were de-shelled manually with the help of an antique looking machine. 

We were also offered to try Cashewy, a cashew nut juice, and to our surprise it is quite refreshing. We decided to buy 4 cups and K delivered 2 cups to the hubby and our driver while I paid for it.

Last stop: Big Bee

Big Bee is actually just a store selling all kinds of products with honey. I think there's a bee farm too but we were running out of time so we didn't ask about it anymore.

It was already dusk by the time we reached the resort. We quickly refreshed and changed clothes then we went out for dinner.

After dinner, we brought the kids in Patong Beach again because G missed playing there on our day 1. They made puddles in the sand and they got to watch fisherman sorting their catch of the day which includes big crabs and different kinds of fish.

They also watched other tourists wishing before letting go of beautiful sky lanterns. The photo above looks pretty dark because the hubby used flash but in reality, it isn't that dark and there are many other people who stayed late in the beach like us. In fact, while I played with K and G in the puddles they created, there was another family with a toddler playing with the waves near us. 

I love how our travels always offer us new and fascinating sights and experiences especially for the kids. What a well spent day 2! If you missed reading my Phuket travel tales day 1, click here. 

Stay tuned for I blogged about our Day 3 here. It is the most exciting day of our whole vacation so make sure not to miss it!

xoxo