thailand.

It's been two weeks since we returned from Thailand and I'm still dreaming about our trip.
With over 700 pictures to go through, I knew this post was gonna be a doozie! But, I've finally finished uploading the pictures, so buckle up and join me on a journey to Thailand!

We arrived in Thailand late Wednesday night (Sept. 16--our anniversary.) As soon as we pulled up to the resort, I knew this was going to be an amazing vacation. Every morning we stuffed ourselves at the continental breakfast buffet and almost every night we snuggled up under the covers and called room service. It was the perfect vacation and my only regret is that I wish it had been longer.

Here's a brief outline of our trip:

Day 1 & 2

We spent the first two days enjoying the resort and private beach. It was heaven! The resort provided us with an endless amount of fresh, homemade popsicles and we ordered lunch poolside. We could have spent our entire vacation lounging like that, but we knew we had to get out and see the country so we planned the rest of our trip that night.

Day 3

We hired a driver for the day to take us around Phuket.
We began by touring Old Phuket Town and the Chalong Temple. We lucked out and happened to be visiting on a Buddhist holy day where the locals come to give offerings. The temple grounds were surrounded with merchants and vendors and it was interesting to witness Buddhist customs and traditions.

Next, our driver took us to a local Thai restaurant right on the beach. The food was great! Ammon got the chili crab and the kids and I ate traditional Phat Thai (thai noodles.)
After lunch we headed to the Chalong Big Buddha, a marble Buddha located at the top of one of Phuket's highest points. The Buddha is currently under construction and stands 45 meters high and 25 meters wide. We ended our day trip with some souvenir shopping along Patong Beach.

Day 4

We booked an island tour through the resort.
A van picked us up early that morning and took us to the Royal Phuket Marina where we boarded a large ferry and headed out to Phi Phi Island. The views along the way were amazing! I've never seen anything like it. The water was so clear and blue.

At one point, a smaller boat pulled up to the ferry and we hopped aboard to go snorkeling at Coral Bay. Since we all went in as a family, we don't have any pictures of us snorkeling, but here's a quick rundown of our snorkeling adventure:

Carly--hated it. Cried most of the time because she kept swallowing salt water and she was terrified that the fish were going to bite her.

Me--trying to be brave for Carly, but every time a large school of fish swarmed me, I was screaming on the inside. Other than that, I had a fantastic time.

Wes--indifferent about it all. Didn't say much other than the occasional, "Nemo!"

Ammon--loved it! Spent most of the time under water exploring the reefs and fish.

After snorkeling, we ate lunch and then spent the afternoon at Phi Phi Don. The kids loved playing in the calm, shallow water.

Day 5

Ammon and Carly went on an Elephant Trek.
Carly fed the baby elephants and then they both rode on the back of an elephant through the jungle. Meanwhile, Wes and I hung out at the pool until Ammon and Carly returned.

Then, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the resort's private beach. That night, Ammon and I dropped the kids off at the kids club and went to dinner at Cucina, one of the 5 restaurants at the resort.

Day 6

We left early that morning. After the plane took off, Wesley turned to me and said, "Mom, I want to go back to our Thailand home."

"Me too," I thought.
"Me too."

To see photos of our room, click here.
To see photos of the resort, click here.
To see more photos of Phi Phi Island, click here.