Day 5 - Do we have to leave?

It was no surprise that today was like all the other days...making it tough to leave. Our flight left at 8:50 pm, so we spent the day in the water & in the sun - soaking up and trying to store some warmth before returning to Shanghai. The week here was truly a week in paradise, with perfect weather and lots of time in the water. The boys got in another round of archery before joining the girls at the pool.

The kids loved doing 'walking on water', a game organized by the resorts activities coordinator. As you can see below, Justin did pretty well - able to walk a desent way on water, Amanda did the best as she was able to maintain her balance well, Tanner - well, I'll let you be the judge of that!!

The kids took their last romp on the beach, catching a couple different types of crabs, including another hermit crab that Justin let crawl all over him. It was tough leaving, but we had to go back to reality. Reality in this case was a red-eye flight that arrived at just after six in the morning in Shanghai. It was drizzling and about 40 degrees. Ron was still wearing shorts, refusing to let go until the last moment. If given the chance, we will go back...it was a great place to spend a vacation!!

Goodbye Paradise!!!!

Day 4: Absolutely Beautiful...Stunningly So...

After spending nearly two weeks on the go seeing as much as we could in Australia, our trip to Thailand was to be slower paced.  For this reason we only did one excursion away from the hotel.  We decided to take a tour of Phi Phi Island and do some snorkeling as well.  Good decision...very good!!  Let me start by saying that pictures do not do the trip justice, but will share a few nonetheless.   We joined a full day tour (Laguna Tours) that used a large speedboat, with a capacity of 18.  We had 11, 5 under the age of twelve, the extra space made the trip even more enjoyable.  We made four stops along the tour.  The first was at a small lagoon where we spent some time snorkeling and some time on the beach.  This particular beach had sand that felt as fine as freshly sifted flour.  The coral was not as nice as the Great Barrier Reef, but the scenery was incredible.   Our next stop was in the lagoon where they filmed the movie "The Beach".  This spot is very popular with the tourists, so we took some pictures and Ron and the boys explored some less populated areas near the rocks.  Next we took a scenic tour of the Island; visiting several beautiful lagoons and towering cliffs before heading to Bamboo Island for a picnic lunch on the sand.  Here the kids enjoyed searching for hermit crabs (see the picture of Justin's new found friend) and swinging on a tree swing.  This beach was only occupied by a few boats and was a great place to hang out while we ate.  The last stop was at a coral reef between the many islands which had many colorful fish and a very large jellyfish (which we didn't venture too close to except to take a picture, of course). After we finished snorkeling we had about an hour ride back to the harbor.  The kids crashed as soon as the anchor was pulled up and they finished their snack.  The day was topped off with a fabulous sunset; the picture below was taken from the balcony of our hotel room.  The day was about as perfect as could be...do we have to leave?!!?!?

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3: Day with the Elephants

Today started differently than yesterday as there were a few clouds hanging around this morning.  However, the day would contain the same agenda as past days, more pool, beach, and even more elephants!  The kids took an elephant ride this morning, a must do for any trip to Thailand!!  Justin even took a turn in the driver's seat.

After their ride, the kids fed the elephant some bananas - which he absolutely loved!  While we were waiting for the kids to finish up their ride an elephant was eyeing up our basket of bananas.  In a sweet baby-like fashion I asked the elephant if he wanted a banana.  Unexpectedly, he wagged his tail & started nuzzling the tree - it was actually kind of cute.  Even though he wasn't the elephant the kids rode on, his display of 'cuteness' earned him a few bananas!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They love bananas!

 

He even convinced Justin to feed him some bananas!!!

Later in the day, the elephants ventured down to the beach and then into the water.  Ron and the kids went in with them.  You hear of swimming with the dolphins, but how about elephants?

Tomorrow we will be venturing to Phi-Phi Island!

Day 7 - Michaelmas Cay (Great Barrier Reef)

The day began bright & early!!! We had to get ready for our Great Barrier Reef adventure! A bus picked us up at our hotel & took us to the port to board the Ocean Spirit Cruises. Ocean Spirit Cruises is a 5-star catamaran. Aboard this boat we were able to relax as we cruised an hour along the water to Michaelmas Cay. Upon arrival, we boarded a small boat that took us to the beach where our snorkeling began. It was very hard trying to walk in the sand with flippers on while trying to get Amanda ready to go into the water without getting knocked down by the waves. Once out, the roughness of the waves subsided & the relaxation of viewing the underwater life began. What amazing sites we saw!!! Even though the weather was cloudy, the reef was full of color! The kids did so good snorkeling! Here is a good one of Justin ready to dive in.

We even had an encounter with a green turtle that was almost missed.  Ron was busy taking underwater pictures of fish when he felt a tug on his arm.  Tanner was trying frantically to get his attention, pointing in an excited fashion.  They both quickly swam closer to the turtle and swan along side for a couple of minutes.  In this picture Tanner is trying to touch the turtle's back.  There are also two videos (the second is a beautiful example of amateur videography) for this on YouTube:

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJrybVKDbVg and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LJ6HbASbOg

Tanner also tried to touch the giant clams to make them close.  This he could do without them swimming away!!

There were also a couple of rays that Ron got to see close enough to nearly touch.  Here is one:

Check out the ray on video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyPTjXtLuJo

Michaelmas Cay is also a bird sanctuary.  There are literally thousands of birds all over the island.  A video was captured as well, but Ron forgot to take it out of underwater mode so there is no sound (the birds though were anything but quiet) and the color is a little off.  See it at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hZOZvjz0Sk

Amanda was a trooper during the long day...but she was caught red handed taking a break.

 

Here are a couple of other shots:

The boat ride back was nice & relaxing.  Justin & Amanda seem to think so too!!!