In very un-Darryl form, we woke up about 6.00 this morning!  I had seen a message on Facebook from Julie so I gave her room a call and we planned to meet downstairs for breakfast.  So after a quick shower, off we went.

Breakfast was included and a full buffet.  So we ate for about an hour, enjoying all we could see!  It was a bit noisier than our normal breakfast of the two of us; all the kids were there!  But a fun start to the holiday.

We went down to the pool where the kids had a swim, and we arranged Mum and Dad’s pick up car for the evening.  Then all of us except Darren went for a walk along the beach, and a swim in the surf.  The water was amazing!  So nice and warm, but still refreshing!

After a good leg stretch we decided we deserved a massage.  So the lot of us went to a place Julie and Darren had found yesterday, with a happy hour (no, that’s not “happy ending” – get your mind out of the gutter).  200 baht (AU$7) each for an hour – it would be a crime to say no.  So my body got twisted in ways I didn’t know were possible for a while.  During this, the heavens opened up, and it was bucketing down.  Unfortunately it hadn’t finished by the time our massage had.  So we walked through it.

We found somewhere for lunch.  It took a while for lunch to arrive, but we enjoyed some food and drink and waited for the rain to stop.  By now the lack of sleep was catching up with me, so I went back to the room for a siesta.

Feeling a little refreshed, it was time for some excitement.  So I hired a jet ski for half an hour and took David out for a play around Patong Bay.  It wasn’t as powerful as my old jet ski was, but still an enjoyable time.  It was fun just opening the throttle and going flat out on the water and David enjoyed it too.

We went for a walk to get a drink, which was a scenic trip, and we ended up just buying one from a 7-11 and drinking it on the streets!  We got back to the hotel in time to watch the sun set, and then got changed to go out for dinner.  Dinner was just had down a food court lane way so we could all get whatever we wanted.  Kaoru and I had skewers (Beef and Crocodile).  Izzy had a pineapple friend rice, served in a half pineapple!

The Hawkes went back home (with the kids) and Kaoru and I went for a walk and to see how the streets changed in the evening.  It was a lot different!  We went through the seedier areas that we hadn’t found last night.  We also found a 7-11 and bought a SIM card so we could communicate.  200 baht for unlimited calls and internet – can’t go wrong!  We picked a bar to have a drink in and got the phone working, and then went back to the hotel.

Julie and Darren came down to our room for a drink as the kids were asleep; we were going to grab some travellers and take them to the reception and wait for Mum and Dad; while getting ready Kaoru could hear Dad’s voice!  They were being put in the room we were originally in.  So they came in and had a drink with us all, and then we went back to the food street for Mum, as she didn’t have dinner on the plane.

Kaoru and I went and got 2 more SIM cards, as we knew this one worked, and we got them set up in Julie and Dad’s phones.  Then we came back to the hotel and called it a night.

Well, here’ something new….

Mum has been wanting to do a family holiday for about 17 years now…and today it started.

The Hawkes left on Thursday for Malaysia, and the plan was that we would meet them at the hotel in Phuket.  Mum, Dad, Kaoru and I were flying today.  So Mum and Dad arrived at our house around 11.30, so we could go to the airport; I was then taking the car to Brett’s house (for the free parking).  And so began the dramas.  On the way to Brett’s I got a call – Mum’s passport wasn’t there.  Long story short, it wasn’t in any of their bags, so they couldn’t fly.  So Mum and Dad changed their flight for tomorrow (out of Sydney).  They drove back to Geelong (and luckily found Mum’s passport), and Kaoru and I flew out.

We were on Jetstar, and decided to spoil ourselves so we went Business Class – on the new Dreamliner aircraft.  Pre take-off drinks were a nice touch.  Wider seats, nice food and larger screens for watching a movie.  So it was a nice treat.

We eventually landed in Phuket and after immigration, found the resort car to take us to our hotel.  We checked in and were taken to our room, only to find that after about 5 minutes of activity the air conditioner would stop working.  After demonstrating the problem to the staff, we were eventually given another room (Mum and Dad’s – next door!)  This was better because it meant a large bed instead of two singles.

After such a long day, although it was late, I wanted to go out for a walk and drink.  So we went and found a pub and enjoyed a drink, before coming back to the hotel and calling it a night.