Pampering my legs with Osim U-Squeeze. The whole boarding area is full of them!
We stayed at Patong Lodge Hotel. Fairly decent 3-star hotel with basic amenities. About 10mins walk to Patong beach and the city area. Looking back, I would have prefered to stay at Patong Bayshore Hotel or Patong Beach Hotel, which was right in the city centre and near to the beach, but then my thoughts flew back to the tsunami disaster, where the whole beach and city area was washed out. Patong Lodge Hotel was untouched as it was high up in the hills.
Snippets of our hotel
Highlights:
1) Shooting Range - Hubby was overly excited about shooting with real guns and rifles. There is no way he can do this in Singapore so he was very eager to give it a go. I didn't want to, the sound of the guns were loud enough to scare me away and besides, I was not too confident handling real weapons. It was also quite expensive, about S$36 for a semi-auto pistol with 10 bullets.
Just look at the range of guns/rifles to choose from!
He scored 75%! 2 bullets went off target. Not bad for a 1st-timer, actually.
2) All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) - I joined hubby this time. I thought I could sit with hubby on the vehicle and I did not have to drive, but unfortunately, each ATV is meant for one person, so I had to drive on my own. Gulp! Could I do it?
We went through Phuket's countryside, and went over rough terrains, muddy hills/slopes and overgrown greenery. It was tough! I nearly fell into muddy water a few times. Hubby was quite smooth, but I suspect it was because he was riding at a slow speed. I, on the other hand, was speeding at full throttle! However, we certainly enjoyed the scenery and fresh air of the countryside.
3) The Cobra Show - We went to the snake show without much expectations as we have seen enough at the Singapore zoo. But the show was quite different because it was both scary and funny. While the snake charmer (he was just a young chap!) was kissing and playing with the cobras, there was a commentator/DJ in the background providing sound effect and funny one-liners! The audience laughed hilariously even though the snakes were horrendously scary.
At one point, the snake charmer went around the audience giving them a closer view of the cobra, and when he came to Hubby, he purposely place the cobra's head near to Hubby's crotch! I think Hubby nearly got a heart attack! I also freaked out at that point. Everyone else, though were laughing at our panicky expressions!
4) Snorkeling at Monkey's Island & Swimming at Phi Phi Island - We took about a 90min ride by ferry to Monkey's Island. I have always wanted to try snorkelling. And I did not regret my decision one bit! It was the best experience ever! The corals and the fishes were so pretty and beautiful. I admit I was damn nervous, and was actually contemplating to quit at the last minute, but then young children were jumping in the water, so I thought if they could do it, I should have no problem ,right?
My camera is not waterproof, so I was quite sad at not being able to take pictures underneath the sea. I even saw Nemo (clownfish), they were so cute! Lucky never see any sharks!
Our ferry ride
That's us with the instructor! I really have to give credit to him, he was so patient with us even though we were so nervous and jittery in the water. I was hanging to him for dear life. And he really made sure that we were confortable and his pace was just nice. The minute I got into the water and dipped my head under the sea using the snorkel mask, my nervousness disappeared and I remember screamingly excitedly at every fish and coral I saw. At one point, there were schools of fish all around us and I think I might even have gotten free fish therapy as they nibble at my legs and body.
And off we go!
We also went on a kayak steered by our instructor. I felt so at peace with the tranquility of the island and the beautiful blue sea against the backdrop of the green hills.
Happy Travellers
We then headed for Phi Phi Island for lunch and swimming. The Andaman Sea was amazing, we went so far into the sea and it only came up to the waist level! 
80% of the island's population is Muslim, so there was no trouble with food. The island was also badly affected during the tsunami, which destroyed many homes and hotels there.5) Motorbike Rental - We decided to rent a motorbike to make our way around Phuket as each time we wanted to go to town, we had to pay about S$8 for a tuk-tuk or $4 for a motorbike taxi ride. Btw, both of us would sit at the back of the motorbike taxi rider, so that's 3 of us on the motorbike! Really crazy!
The motorbike rental fee was just S$10 a day and we could go anywhere we wish to. The only problem was, Hubby does not have a motorbike license! It would be his 1st time riding a bike and I am quite skeptical of his riding skills :) Luckily he managed to master the skill of riding the motorbike quickly. We went along the roads slowly and steadily. It was great!
We could go to many places with the motorbike. We went for Thai massages, (just S$10/hr), I went for manicure and pedicure, and we also visited the beaches of Patong.
Phuket is definitely more expensive than Pattaya, but its beauty is no lesser. I had a wonderful experience, as always in Thailand, who are just full of gracious and friendly citizens.
Somehow my infatuation with anything Thai has rubbed of my son. Hmm...
Look out! The next Muay Thai sensation is coming!
