Phuket
We heard mixed reviews about Phuket. This is a mega resort beach destination. Package tourists from all over Europe and Asia come to Phuket for a few different reasons. It has some beautiful beaches but it is more famous for its nightlife – not all of it wholesome. The sex tourism trade thrives in certain parts of Phuket. We decided to stay away from these areas – but wanted to see the place for ourselves.
We did not need to see it for ourselves. The beaches were comical. It was like those old cartoons where a family tries to go to the beach but there is literally not single inch of space on the sand in between umbrellas. The water was very nice but not clear from all the foot traffic. Even the Phuket Chabad schnitzel did not compare to Bangkok's schnitzel.
Thankfully, we got some great advice from our good friend Elana Sobin which salvaged our trip to Phuket. She told us about a tour she did when she was in Phuket a few years back. We signed up for the trip hoping it would live up to the hype.
The Andaman sea is famous for clear water, amazing diving and huge limestone mountain islands breaching the surface. The trip was an afternoon trip that started on a big boat with about 30 people. Each group of two got their own sea canoe and a guide for the day. We headed out to visit different islands and explore. On our boat ride to our first destination we passed by schools of huge jellyfish floating in the open sea. We cruised by secluded deserted beaches created by wind and waves over time. We had big birds of prey following the boat hoping for scraps from the food being prepared on board. As we got the first island we all disembarked the big boat into our canoes. We were rowed to the base of the island/mountain and we saw a small cave mouth. We were instructed to lie on our backs as the cave ceiling height is very low. So Danna and I laid flat in the canoe passing under stalactites and emerged in a center lagoon not visible from the sea. Many of these mountain islands are not one big rock as it seems but actually a ring of rock. We sat up in our canoe and were floating in about 18 inches of gin clear water. The towering limestone walls surrounded us and mangroves grew in the shallow water. Theses lagoons are only accessible certain times a day depending on the tides. During low tide, all the water drains out and it is just sand – during high tide, the water rises to cover the mouth of the cave so there is no way in or out. It felt like we were floating in a pirate's secret hideaway – impossible to know there was anything like this if you were just sailing past the islands.
We explored more hidden lagoons and secluded bays. We floated under huge rock formations only to come out on the other side to a beautiful untouched paradise. We did see some wildlife in these lagoons. Danna spotted a small jellyfish floating along side the boat. We saw small fish in the roots of the mangroves but our guide also spotted a mud-skipper which is a very unique species of fish. The mud-skipper can actually breath air and is more like the mix between fish and frog than just a fish. They can walk across land and stay in the lagoons even when they empty out of water by digging holes in the wet mud.
We came back to the boat and learned how to make a traditional floating good luck charm – made out of banana leaves and flowers and finally added candles.
As the sun set over the water it was a beautiful end to a magical day. But before coming back to the docks, we headed out on the canoes in pitch black waters to send off our floating charms. It was very beautiful to see them all floating on the water surface. But, the real surprise and dazzling sight was what was going on in the sky above and under the surface below. The tour is actually called the “Starlight” tour for this moment. Sitting on the ocean with no lights other than from the candles floating in the water the sky light up with an endless vista of stars. Our guide then told us to put our hands in the water and much to our surprise, our hands light up with sparkles as well! We were floating in an area teeming with bio-luminescent plankton. Any disturbance in the water would cause these tiny creatures to emit their own light. Stars above and stars below – now that was a tour with a real wow effect! (Thank you Elana!)
We are now approaching “The Week” in the Averbook household. Mid February is full of circled dates on our calendar. My birthday (13th), Valentines Day (14th) and our second anniversary (16th) pretty much back-to-back-to back. So we are moving to the Krabi province for The Week to keep the fun in the sun going strong.
