First day in Phuket, Thailand
The creatures and I were so tired when we finally reached our destination, and lay our heads down to rest at 4:30am. The day passed in a bit of a blur, but we got settled into the Airbnb, and finally in the early evening realized that we were hungry, and needed to pick up a few groceries. Right by the grocery store, was a great little restaurant – similar to one I went to in Hawaii, where small plates of food slowly pass by on a conveyor belt – kind of like the moving walk ways in an airport, and you pull any plates off that you want to eat and have a feast.
A pot of soup flavored to your preference, is placed before you on a heated pad, and anything thing one places in it, cooks right there.
There is also a buffet of prepared sushi rolls, seaweed salad and all sorts of other goodness, that is all you can eat. Mycah and the twins had a blast and a half eating their weight in sushi.
At one point some Dr Seuss looking stuff passed by, and Mycah and I decided to try it…next time I think I’ll let it just keep going. Some yellow fishy flavored paste was inside that smelled rank and tasted like 7 day old toe jam.
This morning, while Emma was doing her school work at the dining room table, this bird of prey caught her eye. It appears to be some sort of hawk. I need to do some studying on what birds and animals are found here in Phuket, because all we’ve heard about thus far, are the pythons and cobras.
Once school was over, our adventures began with a trip to Phuket’s Big Buddha, named Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri Buddha. It was built in the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata in 2004 and stands 45m (135ft) tall.
It was constructed with concrete and Burmese White Jade Marble.
Right next to the giant Buddha statue, is another smaller one which is gold and made from brass.
Around the base of the giant Buddha are statues of reverend monks, as well as more Buddha statues.
Tied on to several trees on the grounds, are messages from visitors. These metal hearts are provided for those who wish to write messages in memory of deceased loved ones, as well as messages for good luck.
Off to one side, stands 32 statues each with at black pot before it, symbolic of 32 organs. Those who wish to, can place coins in each pot to bring good luck and health to ones body. The creatures joked around saying I should especially focus on the pots representing the liver (since I have polycystic liver disease) and the heart (since I have a pacemaker). We figured we’d have to return with a duffle load of coins for those!
Monks were blessing those who came to them, while sprinkling water on their heads and offering a prayer.
It was all such a peaceful setting and I admired their goodness and desire to help those around them.
Apon leaving, we were given the opportunity to sign the guest book, which lay open on a table next to a stack of filled guest books from previous years.
While driving back down the mountain, we stopped to see some elephants who were on the side of the road.
It always breaks my heart to see animals in captivity, especially when the owners use hooks like this one.
On my bucket list, is to set every elephant and dolphin free. One of these days…..
We made our way down to Karon Beach to take a look around the area. This is a particularly touristy beach, with many of the tourists being from Russia (unlike Bali, in that they are mostly from Australia.)
The sky was filled with thick grey clouds, and the ocean was calm.
The creatures and I had a picnic on the beach,
and made friends with a sweet dog who I’m pretty sure has a dislocated jaw. She shyly nibbled on some things we shared with her, then came over for me to scratch her head before she continued on.
Those who know me, know that I love trying funky new potato chip flavors, and we found one here that we hadn’t seen before: Sweet Basil
I could take it or leave it, and the girls felt the same way, but Aidan really enjoyed them. We also found this crazy looking stuff that appears to be pork cotton candy! It actually tastes jolly good.
It was fun to sit and breathe the fresh air, enjoy the ocean breeze and relax for a while.
Afterward we wandered through the market for a short time, enjoying the sights and smells of a new country.
En route home we passed through the Kata Beach area, where we stumbled upon a glorious scene that brought back beautiful memories and feelings….
Seeing sailboats anchored out in the bay caused us to feel the need to swim out, climb aboard, and feel the soothing motion and sound of water beneath the hulls. That feeling of peace and freedom that comes with boat life.
Our day will come again…..
Until then, we will continue to explore, follow signs we can’t read,
and at the end of the day, return home to our homes away from home, where we cool off, laugh, love and learn together, and prepare for the next adventure.
Adventures of a Tribe 