Thailand Part 1

Hello beautiful people 

So I've gotten asked about this a few times from my Instagram if you're not already I'd really appreciate a follow @chickity_boo 

Anyway last July Paul and I went for 2 weeks to Thailand I was totally beyond extcited and wanted to let you all know in detail what it was like. So first of all I'll let you know that I'll do two separate posts on this as it's just too long in one post. First of all you need to know that there's 2 seasons in Thailand. Rain season and summer. Rain season begins around July and lasts till October. It will always be hot but when it rains, it rains extremely hard! It didn't really affect our trip but it's something to keep in mind. 

So we flew with Ethihad to Abu Dhabi from Dublin and then from Abu Dhabi to Phuket and Paul surprised me with first class tickets which was only beautiful! I could get used to food and drink when ever I wanted! 

So finally after about 24 hours travelling altogether we finally landed in Phuket. We had transfers already sorted and this was a lifesaver I'd definitely recommend it if anyone is travelling that far to spend a little extra and get transfers it makes life so much easier as we had to travel an extra 2 hours to our resort. 

We stayed at the JW Marriott in Khao Lak which you can check out here http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hktkl-jw-marriott-khao-lak-resort-and-spa/ 

This resort is beyond beautiful and I really couldn't fault it at all. We arrived practically in the middle of the night and they were so welcoming and showed us to our room which was a pool access room. It's the room amazing?

 The rooms were bright and airy and were always lovely and cool which was always welcome coming in from the sweltering heat. 

Right across from us there was a bar situated in the middle of the pool it was such a treat to go for a swim around and then stop off for a cocktail. There was also numerous restaurants in the resort so whatever your taste is they'll have something to suit you. Also every night there's always specials on in the restaurants such as buffets or BBQ's and you also have to book every night at the restaurant you want. 

This place is pure luxury and the staff were amazing. This was my view every morning for breakfast. The beach was amazing but beware of the dogs. As far as I could see they were harmless but others mightn't be so happy being around them, they are wild dogs after all. Sipping out of a coconut lying on a white sand beach is the stuff of dreams I still can't believe I was here. It's also the location where the tsunami occurred in 2004 and the effects of that devastation can still be seen as the area is poor the people however are extremely happy and they are a joy to be around! 

So first off I'll start off with Phuket. 

All of our excursions and day trip were booked through our hotel. We decided to take a day trip to Phuket which left at 8 in the morning and was supposed to return at 6. However we soon found out that this was definitely not enough time in Phuket. When we got there we ended up getting a car for the day which costed us around €50! Now bare in mind the driver knew all the best spots and drove us back the 2 hours to our hotel and everything! He was so nice and spoke a good amount of English too and was always smiling and cracking jokes. First we were dropped to a shopping centre which was pretty much the same as any shopping centre with Boots pharmacy and Zara and all the usuals. 

We then went to tiger kingdom and I did enjoy it at the time but was honestly unaware of the accusations of cruelty to the animals and couldn't condone that so I wouldn't recommend going now and I wouldn't participate in such an attraction again. Saying that we saw no signs of cruelty, the animals were lively and healthy and in top notch condition. The keepers did  hold bamboo sticks but never hit the tigers they used them to put treats on them so the tigers would look a certain direction for pictures. They had loads of space and were respected in regard to that they didn't just have loads of people around them. If the tigers were asleep or tired they were left alone. I loved being able to interact with the baby tigers as they were just like kittens and so playful. 

Next we went to see the big Buddha which was amazing and also it's good to know that women are expected to cover up their legs and arms. They provide scarfs there for you for this purpose. The view is AMAZING! It's quite a climb so make sure you grab a bottle of water on the way in. There's a beautiful tree area at the top and it really feels like you're in a tree house and also beware of the monkeys there, any snacks or hats or sunglasses could be quickly grabbed off you! 

We also knew that we wanted to take in a night market as they're pretty famous and considered a must see! Be prepared for heat, humidity, crowds and strange smells from all the food! It was absolutely bustling and pickpockets are rampent but thankfully we were fine. It's so colourful and overwhelming. We had great intentions going in that we were going to try all these strange foods but we chickened out when we actually got a whiff off the food stalls. Anything and everything can be bought here from sunglasses to pigs trotters and even actually micro pigs and micro dogs! 

Yes there was grasshoppers and worms on offer! 

We even went to a ladyboy cabaret which was amazing! Unfortunately I've no pictures from it as photography wasn't allowed. 

Phuket was absolutely bustling with life and everyone was so lovely and kind and it literally is the land of smiles, everyone is smiling! 

We should have picked somewhere closer to the city though traveling was rough and took a lot of time out of the day. 

Next on our trip was an excursion to James Bond island or Khao Ping Kan. Now Paul wasn't so sure about this as he didn't think there was much to see but oh how wrong he was! This trip was brilliant and our guide had lots of extras included! First off we took a long boat to James Bond island which is a great place to meet people and chat. Its lovely and relaxing and there's loads of photo opportunities! The beach was lovely and there was some market stalls there with locals trying to sell you jewellery and hats and local crafts. 

The beach was a bit gravelly but not crowded so we were just able to relax. From there went went on to visit a floating village which was again such a brilliant experience. We visited a school and got to see how the people in the village lived and worked and then they made us lunch. 

This was the local school, inside all the children were taking their naps. We were allowed to take pictures but I didn't feel right doing that. 

We then went on to a temple that was COVERED in monkeys that were so playful whatever Paul did made them just love him I don't know but they were climbing all over him! It was hilarious and even people took pictures of him covered in monkeys! 

So guys there's part one of my Thailand blogs if you have any questions let me know!  I'll cover the other islands we visited and other excursions along with more information on the hotels that we stayed in and spas etcs

Speak soon

Love Victoria X 

#Thailand #Phuket #KhaoLak #Travel #Wanderlust #JamesBondIsland #JWMariott #July