{"id":419,"date":"2017-08-04T10:00:32","date_gmt":"2017-08-04T10:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.athma.co.in\/?p=419"},"modified":"2017-08-07T12:19:38","modified_gmt":"2017-08-07T12:19:38","slug":"phuket-the-island-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/?p=419","title":{"rendered":"Phuket -The Island Paradise"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What better way to celebrate our graduation \u00a0anniversary than a \u00a03 day getaway to the island of Phuket- the beachy paradise \u00a0with \u00a0College friends(Amigos : Ajith, Narayan (our Able Team Leader), Rajendran, Tina, Sindhu, Santhosh ( Our Tour Ideation \u00a0Manager), Salim, Suraj (and ye the two \u00a0teenagers: \u00a0my son Aditya who staunchly believed that he had to do this trip despite giving his school a miss \u00a0since after all we only live once \ud83d\ude09 and Sindhu\u2019s son Achu) ) !<\/p>\n

We met at the Kochi \u00a0airport \u00a0to catch the 1 am flight to Bangkok amidst surprise birthday celebrations \u00a0and excitement galore ,setting the holiday mood,( thanks to the ones who plotted the same) . Thailand has On \u00a0Arrival visa and a couple of us opted for the same.\u00a0 The whole process got completed in about 45 min and we were ready to board our \u00a0next flight to Phuket .<\/p>\n

We \u00a0were picked up from Phuket airport by a representative from the travel agent and transported to Amari Phuket \u00a0resort \u00a0that nestles along side the \u00a0much famed touristy Patong beach.\u00a0 The drive took about one hour plus\u00a0 and we had lunch on way at an Indian restaurant. Surprisingly the landscape enroute saw a lot of rubber plantations and greenery which gave a feel of homeland ! The rainforests and mountains lend this place an alluring \u00a0charm. With good infrastructure and\u00a0friendly people , \u00a0the way Phuket has bounced back after the Tsunami in 2004 is\u00a0 quite commendable.<\/p>\n

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Amari Resort sits \u00a0majestically \u00a0perched on a hill top overlooking the azure blue waters of Andaman Sea. We were welcomed with scented towels and flavoured tea \u00a0that was quite refreshing. After checking in to our rooms \u00a0and freshening up \u00a0 , we \u00a0stepped out to explore the \u00a0beach lining the resort and its \u00a0rocky premises.<\/p>\n

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A narrow winding pathway through a dense \u00a0thicket led us to a \u00a0long pier which \u00a0summed up as a swimming deck . It extended into the waters where once could see coloured fishes swimming around . It seemed out of the world- this \u00a0idyllic experience!<\/p>\n

With the vast blue expanse shimmering in the sun and the breeze , the place lend a surreal\u00a0effect\u00a0that \u00a0let oneself lose in the moment. Bliss Indeed!<\/p>\n

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Needless to say it ended up as my favourite spot for the next three days as a part of \u00a0my early morning walks.<\/p>\n

FantaSea \u00a0Show was on the agenda for the evening . The theme \u00a0park \u00a0with its sculpted gardens , water falls and lighting \u00a0 teemed with tourists .We entered a \u00a0colourful market place which had\u00a0\u00a0stalls where creative \u00a0artisans demonstrated as well as sold their \u00a0beautiful work and wares.<\/p>\n

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After a stroll of the place checking out on the various exhibits and the white tigers that were housed in an enclosure \u00a0 \u00a0, we decided to head for dinner. A buffet dinner spread across a huge banquet dining area served different cuisines. Once done, we queued up for the cultural show based on a fantasy legend \u00a0themed the magical kingdom of Kamala.<\/p>\n

Soon, I realized, I was the only one awake(apart from my son whom I occasionally nudged from his sleep \u00a0to watch the performance much to his irritation) \u00a0with my eyes glued to the stage which glittered with various dancers ,magicians \u00a0and elephants \u00a0performing , \u00a0while my friends were busy \u00a0dozing after the long day of travel (occasionally being jolted awake \u00a0by the loud bang of fireworks)!<\/p>\n

We were dropped back to the resort in a \u00a0mini van whose interiors \u00a0gave a feel of a \u00a0dance floor with its flickering light effects .<\/p>\n

As Morning broke, Tina and myself \u00a0went for a walk in the beach ,while my son went for a swim in the pool. \u00a0 Pattalam \u00a0aka Rajendran \u00a0was already on the beach \u00a0immersed in his fitness regime and Yoga .<\/p>\n

Sadly, Sindhu decided to give the sight seeing a miss and take rest in the hotel due to ill health. Soon the rest of us \u00a0met at \u00a0the breakfast table and we were ready to take on day 2.<\/p>\n

Our first \u00a0stop \u00a0was at the Wat SuwanKhuha \u00a0a \u00a0Buddha temple located \u00a0in a limestone cave. The largest of the caves houses a stunning 15-metre reclining Buddha and this cave is decorated throughout with attractive Benjarong tiles. We explored \u00a0and walked \u00a0around the cavern \u00a0 which had many other Buddha statues \u00a0and cultural relics too for about 20 min before heading to our next destination: Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island tour.<\/p>\n

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We were to board the \u00a0long tailed boat that was docked in an area that was mostly covered with mangrove thickets.<\/p>\n

As the boat sped rapidly through the waters \u00a0splashing salty droplets \u00a0on our faces \u00a0, views of the imposing \u00a0 limestone cliffs \u00a0jutting out of the sea painted an amazingly exquisite scene.<\/p>\n

We then alighted from the boat \u00a0at Talu island to later on step into smaller \u00a0rubber canoes for kayaking around the stalactites caves, towering limestone cliffs \u00a0 and mangroves in the emerald green waters. The picturesque setting and the environment was delightful – the whole experience was \u00a0simply mind blowing !<\/p>\n

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Our next stop was Khao Phing Kan island (also known as James Bond island after it appeared in the movie \u00a0The Man With The Golden Gun) where we strolled around the \u00a0rocky cliffs and \u00a0tiny stretch of sandy beaches. Souvenir shacks lined the pathway where they sold knick knacks made from shells mostly. The limestone rock Koh Tapu\u00a0 is around 20 meters tall with a diameter ranging from about 4 meters at the bottom and up to 8 meters at the top .<\/p>\n

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We were then taken to the fishing village on the \u00a0island of Koh Panyee where houses rested on stilts in water. Lunch was served (Thai cuisine is\u00a0 a sea food lover’s\u00a0delight)\u00a0\u00a0here following which we had a look around the souvenir shops.<\/p>\n

Soon, we cruised back to the pier \u00a0in the \u00a0boat and were dropped \u00a0back at the resort by van .<\/p>\n

Evening was spent \u00a0strolling on the Patong beach catching up with all \u00a0in general on the past \u00a0and reminiscing \u00a0over the good old times and \u00a0accounting of campus tales that left one in splits.<\/p>\n

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Later on, we walked \u00a0around the bustling streets \u00a0which is famous for its vibrant markets and nightlife . It rained for a while too and we retired to the rooms post dinner\u00a0 , hiring a tuk -tuk\u00a0.<\/p>\n

That said, Phuket is not only about neon lights and loud music.\u00a0 As a striking contrast ,there is the Old Phuket town with \u00a0its row of coloured \u00a0buildings with tiled roofs(like a set of crayons packed) \u00a0giving the place a \u00a0quaint look.\u00a0 We visited this part of the town on day 3 , thanks to our guide who offered to take us there.\u00a0 The Sino Portugese architectural \u00a0influence is evident and a walk along the historical colorful \u00a0streets \u00a0with graffitis and shops selling interesting artifacts and curios is a unique experience \u00a0.<\/p>\n

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Big Buddha was on our itinerary next. The 45 m tall marble Buddha sits on top of Nakkerd Hills \u00a0and the site offers a 360 view of Phuket island.<\/p>\n

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The last on our agenda was the Wat Chalong temple. Magnificent paintings illustrating the life of Buddha decorate the walls and ceilings. The Grand Pagoda dominating the temple contains a splinter of Lord Buddha’s bone.<\/p>\n

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We headed back to the airport ,carrying with us great memories of a short and funfilled \u00a0getaway \u00a0that commemorated 25 yrs of friendship !Cheers until Toronto 2018 \ud83d\ude00 \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  What better way to celebrate our graduation \u00a0anniversary than a \u00a03 day getaway to the island of Phuket- the beachy paradise \u00a0with \u00a0College friends(Amigos : Ajith, Narayan (our Able Team Leader), Rajendran, Tina, Sindhu, Santhosh ( Our Tour Ideation \u00a0Manager), Salim, Suraj (and ye the two \u00a0teenagers: \u00a0my son Aditya who staunchly believed that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-things-that-caught-my-eye"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=419"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":494,"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions\/494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athma.co.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}