Life with the Lokeys

Back to Bangkok: Day Trip to Ayutthaya

We took a short flight from Phuket back to Bangkok. We had two days left to relax and explore more of Bangkok. We stayed in a different part of the city that was next to all the shopping. We splurged and stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. It was an absolutely magnificent hotel. I have always wanted to stay at the Waldorf in NYC so I was so excited to stay here. The hotel was so beautiful and the service was amazing.

We decided to spend the next day shopping around Bangkok. Our first stop was the MBK Center. Inside is a huge market. There are several floors filled with shops of all kinds. Brandon had a custom suit made while we were there. He was so excited because that was the one thing he wanted to get while we were in Thailand. I picked out some beautiful scarfs, and the boys found some neat souvenirs.

There was also a huge mall near our hotel. We had fun looking around in all the stores. I wanted to go in the Louis Vuitton store, but the looks on my boys faces told me maybe next time! I loved all the Christmas decorations!

Finally, on our last day in Thailand we decided to take a day trip up to the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya. Our flight didn’t leave Thailand until 1:45 in the morning so we had the entire day before we had to get to the airport. There are several ways to get to Ayutthaya. We decided to just hire a taxi to take us up there and then drop us off at the airport on our way back. Our taxi driver was very knowledgeable about the different temples in Ayutthaya. He was the perfect tour guide for our trip there.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya is about 70 km north of Bangkok. Founded in 1351, Ayutthaya is the old capitol of the Kingdom of Siam. It was once an important trade center between China and India. In 1767, it was destroyed by the Burmese Army. It was once home to over 400 beautiful temples. Today there are around 10 temples left. You have to drive around the city to visit the different temples. You cannot just walk from temple to temple. Our taxi driver was very familiar with all the temples and the order in which we should visit them.

The first temple we visited was my favorite, Wat Chai Wattanaram. It was a magnificent temple situated on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Inside you will find the row of Buddha statues that were beheaded by the Burmese Army in 1767.

The next temple we visited was Wat Lokkayasutharam. The highlight of this temple is the huge Reclining Buddha. In front of the Buddha is a small alter where visitors can make offerings. There are a few small shops near the temple where you can buy flowers from the Thai ladies to give as an offering. You are also given little pieces of gold leaf by the local ladies to give as an offering. It was neat to experience this different culture.

Next we visited Wat Mahathat. It is one of the most famous temples because of the Buddha head entwined in the roots of an old tree. We had fun seeing who could find the tree in the temple first. I believe the boys were the first to find it!

The boys were starting to get tired so we visited one last temple and as we were walking to the temple we were greeted with elephants just walking down the streets of Ayutthaya!

It turned out to be the perfect ending to an amazing trip to Thailand. We headed back to the airport for our late night flight. I hope that one day you have a chance to visit this amazing country. I never imagined in my wildest dreams I would have had this experience!

Phuket and the Phang Nga Elephant Park

We took the ferry from the Phi Phi Islands to Phuket. It took about 2 hours to reach Phuket. Once we got to the pier we grabbed a taxi that took us to our hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa. It was an absolutely beautiful resort. This was Brandon’s favorite place we stayed on our trip. The resort is on Karon Beach which is one of the most beautiful in Phuket. We were happy to just hang out at the resort the rest of the day.

The next day was the highlight of the trip for my family. We could not wait to visit the elephant park. I did a lot of research before we left for Thailand to find a park that treated their elephants in a very ethical and caring way. The Phang Nga Elephant Park was so amazing. There are two different experiences you can book. They offer a half day elephant care experience and a family elephant experience. We chose the family experience because of Colt’s age, and it turned out to be just exactly what we were hoping for.

It took about 2 hours to get to the park from Phuket. You can also get there from Krabi. The park opened in 2015 so it is a fairly new park. In Thailand, families will own their own elephants. A mahout is an elephant keeper. As a boy, a mahout, is assigned an elephant by his family. The bond between the boy and his elephant remains throughout their lives. The mahout must look after and care for his elephant. The mahouts at this park lived there with their elephants. It was neat to learn about the history of the Asian elephants in Thailand.

As soon as we arrived at the park, we were assigned to a volunteer that works at the park. The volunteers come from all over the world to work here. Our volunteer’s name was Amy, and she was from England. She assigned us to our very own elephant to care for while we were there. Our elephant was one of the most beautiful in the park.

After we were assigned our elephant, it was time for her snack. We feed her bananas and pineapples. She loved them so much! I couldn’t believe she could just scoop up an entire pineapple and eat the whole thing. It was amazing to watch!

After feeding our elephant her snack, she went to rest and we went over for drinks and painting. We were given a drink to try that comes from a flower. You can add a little lime to it and it changes the color and flavor. Then the boys were able to paint their own elephant magnets to take home with them to remember their day with the elephants!

After our elephant rested, it was time for her bath. We were so excited to get in the water and scrub our elephant. I was a little nervous to get it with this majestic creature. Colt was also a little nervous about this so he just watched from the bank. Our elephant was so gentle with us, and she loved when we scrubbed around her ears. If she wanted you off at any time, she would just slowly dump you to the side into the water.

After her bath, she went back to rest and we washed up in their showers and changed clothes. We were then given a delicious Thai lunch. It was so good and there was so much food!

The Phang Nga Elephant park was the most amazing experience. If you ever visit Thailand, I highly recommend this beautiful elephant park. I know my grandmother was smiling down on us that day! I definitely felt like Patsy Bea! It was the perfect family experience!

ISLAND HOPPING IN THE PHI PHI ISLANDS

After spending several beautiful days on Railay Beach, we headed for the Phi Phi Islands! I couldn’t wait to explore these islands that I had heard so much about. To get to the Phi Phi Islands, we decided to take the ferry. I was able to book the ferry tickets the day before from the same boat stand that is on Railay Beach. The ferry from Railay to Phi Phi was 400 bhat per person and leaves at 9:45 am. It is a little tricky to get to the ferry. The hotel will bring your luggage down to the long tail boats and then the long tail boat will dock right up next to the big ferry for you to climb aboard. Once again, I do not recommend bringing nice luggage as it will be in the sand and can get wet from the water.

The ferry ride from Railay to Phi Phi took about 1 hour 45 minutes. The ferry was nice and big enough to rest on the way to the Phi Phi Islands. The ferry docked at Tonsai Pier, and our hotel was there waiting to pick us up. We had to take another long tail boat to reach the hotel. The Pier was nice and there were several little shops and restaurants lining the street. In 2004, a Tsunami completely destroyed the Phi Phi Islands. Everything is now rebuilt and looks amazing. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like when the Tsunami hit. We knew we would be taking the ferry back to Phuket when we left so we went ahead and bought our tickets before we left the pier. The tickets for the ferry from Phi Phi to Phuket were 350 bhat each.

We stayed at the Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort, and I highly recommend this hotel. It was my favorite of all the places we visited. From the minute we checked in to the minute we left the service was absolutely amazing. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted with the most amazing pineapple drinks and cookies while we waited to get checked in.

We stayed in the two bedroom villa with a private pool. This was the highlight of the trip for Colt because he could swim all day! The resort was so beautiful and smelled so good with all the flowers along the paths of the hotel. Our villa was up on the hillside and there was a cart that would come and pick us up and take us anywhere we needed to go in the resort.

After swimming in the pool, we decided to check out the little village right outside the hotel. There is just a single street lined with a few souvenir shops and restaurants. It started to rain that evening so we decided to just order room service.

That night it rained and the wind picked up and I was so afraid we would not be able to take a long tail boat tour around the Phi Phi Islands. However, after breakfast the rain started to slow down and we were able to hire a long tail boat through the hotel. It was about $70 to book a private long tail boat that would take us on a tour around Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley. It turned out to be the most amazing day! Our first stop was to Pileh Lagoon, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The boys snorkeled and jumped on and off the boat.

Our next stop was to the famous Maya Bay. This beach was made famous because the movie “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed here. However, the beach has been closed for tourism since June of 2018. It will remain closed until the natural resources return to normal. Maya Bay is a stunningly beautiful bay with high cliffs on three sides. The whole bay is one big reef. We were able to drive by the beach and to snorkel in the bay. It was so beautiful and filled with little colorful fish.

Our last stop was to Monkey Beach. This beach had the most beautiful turquoise water. The monkeys on this beach can be aggressive so you are not suppose to get too close to them. They will bite and if you get bit you have to get rounds of rabies shots. I warned the boys to not even think about getting too close to these monkeys. We watched as one man bent down to get a picture with a monkey and it jumped on his arm and bit him. I couldn’t believe it.

We had the most amazing day touring the Phi Phi Islands! If you ever come to Thailand you must visit these islands.

DAY TRIP TO HONG ISLAND

Hong Island is an island off the coast of Krabi! The most magical way to experience Hong Island is by long tail boat. The boys thought they were Vikings sailing around on these boats. From Railay Beach where we were staying, it was easy to hire a long tail boat for the day. I highly recommend hiring your own private long tail boat because you will have your own private tour of the islands. The boat driver will stay as long as you want at each stop along the tour. On Railay Beach, there is a place to book your own long tail boat for the day. It was around $70 to book the boat for the day. You can bring your own lunch or buy from the food stand on Hong Island.

It was about an hour boat ride from Railay Beach. We left early in the morning so we would be some of the first people there. Our first stop was Than Bok Khorani National Park. As we arrived at the beach it was like something out of a movie. With the tall cliffs and beautiful turquoise water, Hong Island was absolutely breathtaking. Once you reach the dock to get off at the beach, there is a small entrance fee of 300 bhat to enter the national park. This was one of the most peaceful and beautiful places we visited in all of Thailand. The beach is great for relaxing and snorkeling. The boys saw a huge pink jellyfish and lots of other colorful fish. There are also several nature trails around the island.

Our next stop on the Hong Island tour was the famous lagoon. We got back on our long tail boat and headed for the lagoon! The passage to enter the lagoon was so beautiful and stunning. You ride though a small opening between huge limestone cliffs to get to the lagoon. The lagoon was breathtaking. We arrived at low tide so the lagoon was filled with starfish!

Our final stop on the tour was a beautiful beach with a swing that the boys had so much fun on! This beach is perfect for a picnic or just to rest and relax! There are a few things I recommend to bring with you to this island..Sunscreen, beach towels, snacks, drinks, hat, sunglasses, and of course your camera!

Our visit to Hong Island turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! If you are ever in Krabi, Thailand you must take a long tail boat to this magical island!

MY FAVORITE BEACH IN THAILAND: RAILAY BEACH

This was the day I had been waiting for since we first decided to visit Thailand. I could not wait to visit Railay Beach! It was exactly what I had imagined as the perfect Thailand beach with its beautiful turquoise water and massive limestone cliffs.

Railay Beach is a small peninsula off the coast of Krabi and is only accessible by boat so it can be a little bit of a challenge to get there. We left our hotel in Bangkok and hopped on a short flight to Krabi. We flew Thai Smile Airways, and I highly recommend this airline. After we landed at the Krabi airport, we were picked up by our hotel. I had booked the hotel transfer ahead of time, and this made everything so much easier with all the kids. We were picked up by a van and taken to the pier where we boarded a long tail boat. Keep in mind that if you have luggage it is likely to get wet and sandy when island hopping around Thailand. I would not bring really nice luggage with you on this trip. We took the long tail boat all the way to Railay East Beach where a tractor with a trailer came and picked us up in the shallow water. That was definitely a first for me! Once we made it ashore, there were golf carts from the hotel that took us to check in.

There are only a handful of places to stay on Railay. When I first decided to go to Railay, my heart was set on staying at the Rayavadee. However, with such a large family, I usually have to get two hotel rooms, and it was going to be really expensive for two of the villas. We decided to stay at the Railay Bay Resort and Spa, which turned out to be amazing. The two hotels are literally right next to each other. If you do decide to stay at the Railay Bay Resort, I recommend that you stay in the Suite Cottage. You will have your own cottage that is right near the beautiful pool and Railay West Beach.

Before we left for Thailand, Brandon was not feeling very well. By the time we got to Railay Beach, he was very sick and had a high fever. Luckily, there was an urgent care center right there in the resort. He ended up with an IV and had to stay in the center until that evening. He said that it was the best care he’s ever had! While Brandon was getting better and resting, the boys and I explored the beaches of Railay. There are three main beaches…Railay West, Railay East, and Phra Nang.

Railay West

Railay West is my favorite of the three beaches. It is a beautiful stretch of beach surrounded by the stunning limestone cliffs. In the afternoon, the beach is lined with long tail boats waiting to take you to the nearby islands. If you walk down the beach you will come to Walking Street. It is a single street that is lined with seaside restaurants, souvenir shops, and wonderful Thai massage shops. It is the perfect beach to watch the sunset.

Railay East

Railay East is not much of a beach. It has a long wooden boardwalk that connects Railay West to Phra Nang Beach. There are a few shops along the boardwalk. The walk from Railay East to Phra Nang is like something out of a movie with the limestone cliffs and caves towering over you.

Phra Nang Beach

Phra Nang Beach was absolutely amazing! It is about a 10 minute walk from Railay West. You can also take a long tail boat or kayak to this beach. It was spectacular with its beautiful white sand beach and amazing cliffs. You can even go rock climbing here from the cliffs.

And Finally…the amazing sunsets on Railay Beach! The boys enjoyed the sunset paddle boarding while we enjoyed a fresh coconut on the beach! After the sunset, thousands of bats filled the sky. It was amazing and like nothing I have ever seen before!

If you ever get the chance to visit Thailand, you must go to Railay Beach!