Something that had been on my list of things to do while in Phuket was to take a speed boat out to Phi Phi Islands (a gorgeous area where several movies have been filmed). When we got there and tried to book our excursion, I found out that none of the companies wanted a pregnant lady on board their speed boat! So, we started searching for other options. We heard some great things about John Gray Canoe Tours (and when I looked on Trip Advisor, people seemed obsessed with it) so we thought it sounded like a great option. At the same time, Grant was approached by the hotel to listen to a 90-min presentation about their Vacation time shares, with a free gift at the end. One of the free gifts was a trip for 2 on this tour, so we agreed to go to that one day that we were just hanging out at the resort, and we got this $250 trip for free! (although we had decided it would be worth paying for anyways).
The van picked us up at the Marriott around 11 and took us to the port where our boat would be leaving from. We met up with the rest of our tour (probably about 25 people) and headed out on our boat (one of Rowan's new favorite words) and headed out towards the islands of the Phang-Nga Bay.
Each couple (in our case triple-although Rowan was the only child on board) had their own tour guide."Toy" was out guide and immediately took a fondness to Rowan. Rowan seemed happy to hang out with her too, so it was a mutually beneficial relationship. He got some special treatment and she was very cautious with him (although at one point Grant said, "well, if we ever lose our child, this is how it happened" as they were out sitting on the front of the boat). The more I watched her with him, the more comfortable I became though.
Rowan did AMAZING on the trip. I don't think he fussed or cried once, and the other guests loved interacting with him and many complimented him on his good behavior.
Rowan did AMAZING on the trip. I don't think he fussed or cried once, and the other guests loved interacting with him and many complimented him on his good behavior.
We had heard excellent things about the food on this trip and were excited to try it out. They served us lunch on the way out and it did NOT disappoint. The entire bottom of the ship is a kitchen and they stay busy! We had a huge spread with some of the best thai food I've ever had! We had brought food for Rowan, but he ended up eating the food they served too and loving it.
The special thing about this tour is that it is very time sensitive according to the tides. These limestone islands have caves, and several of them are only accessible during "middle tides". If the tide is too low there's not enough water to access the lagoons and if it's too high, the water is up above the opening. So, it is important to be with someone knowledgable, otherwise you could potentially be stuck inside the island waiting for the tide to change since there would be no other way out!
The tide was still a little bit too low when we got out towards the islands, so we did some free time canoeing first around one of the islands which was pretty fun. We saw this enormous jelly fish!
The tide was still a little bit too low when we got out towards the islands, so we did some free time canoeing first around one of the islands which was pretty fun. We saw this enormous jelly fish!
We pulled up on a little beach to walk around and play for a little bit and so Rowan could practice his paddling skills :)
After some time out there, we headed back to our big boat and headed towards our first adventure. Just the boat ride alone was worth the trip. The weather was perfect, the wind felt amazing and the scenery was unreal!
All of a sudden, a BUNCH of eagles started following our boat. We later learned that the cooks were throwing chicken skin and fat, etc off the back of the boat which attracts them! It was quite the sight to witness, very cool birds .
When we hit our next destination, we were excited to get in the canoe with our guide and venture into and around some islands. Unfortunately, my heart started doing weird things again (after about 2 months with no episodes), so I began this canoe tour trying to lay down getting my heart back into rhythm. Of course I had thoughts of it not going back in, my water breaking, etc...luckily none of those came true and after what seemed like an eternity (although was probably only 10 mins), my heart flipped back in and I felt amazing and ready for the rest of the day!
Rowan laid behind me dragging his sticks through the water for almost this entire ride...he loved them. And luckily they floated since he dropped them a couple of times ;)
The first lagoon! We took our waterproof camera, but heard that we would probably want our "real" camera too, so we put it in a waterproof bag and brought it out for a few shots. The water was super calm and the canoe stable so it really wasn't as scary as it seems.
After we had paddled around that lagoon for awhile, we headed back to the boat and on to our next stop.
It was gorgeous! Although the rocks alone are beautiful, I really liked the fun boats that were parked around. Apparently there is some good fishing that people do out around here. The only other wildlife of note are birds and monkeys that live on the islands and come down at low tide to eat the seafood! I thought that was pretty cool :)
We were all excited to get back on the canoe and start exploring again. This one had a really long "bat cave" that we traveled through, and one of the exits into the lagoon was a bit smaller where we had to lay down as to not hit our heads on the rocks. Luckily it wasn't too tiny since my stomach doesn't really suck in anymore ;)
The exit into the lagoon...
Inside the lagoon looking up from our canoe...
Rowan wanted to swim SO bad, so he got to get out in the super shallow area and walk around for a little bit :) He loved it.
And then he used his paddling skills to row us around the lagoon, where we saw mud skipper fish.
By the time we paddled out of the last cave, the sun was starting to set and the views were even more gorgeous. It was nice to have a guide who was willing and asked us if she could help by taking pictures of the 3 of us! Those are hard to come by sometimes, especially on vacation.
The people helping were pretty amazing and made 3 orchid birds to symbolize our family :)
And then came dinner, seriously one of the best meals I've had in my life. I love thai food but was worried I wouldn't like "real" thai food quite as much, but I was definitely wrong. It is very similar to what I have had before but exponentially better, it was amazing. We were all SO full by the end of dinner.
And then we watched the sunset and prepared for our last trip out on the canoe for our kratong ceremony.
When we got into the cave, we lit the incense and candles and let them float for awhile and then covered it with water so the darkness stayed in the cave. We then got to splash and enjoy the amazingness of luminescent plankton which were in abundance and made the water glow with each splash. It was pretty cool.
This was the perfect way to end our time in Thailand, couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.
You are my hero. What a trip!
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