When we arrived back in Phuket, I was excited to start sifting through all the day trip options. We had 4 nights left, and then it was back home to Cape Town. Our transfer shuttle dropped us off on Bangla Road, and we walked to the bottom, turned left, and started searching for our guesthouse. We eventually found it, hidden away in a little nook, but we were very impressed with our (*cough cough* MY) choice. We had decided to rather stay in a small, affordable place rather than a hotel, and we were extremely happy. Our place was simple, yet clean and air conditioned, with a lovely little breakfast every morning. There were also computers in the upstairs lobby for our full use. The place we stayed at was called Patong Beach Bed and Breakfast.
We decided on 2 day trips, Coral Island and James Bond Island. We did James Bond island first. We were picked up in a large bus, and driven quite a while to a temple within a cave. There was a large Buddha figure, laying down, as well as a monk performing ceremonies for people. There were quite a few monkeys running around outside. Next, we hopped back on the bus and set off for the Gypsy village. This village was in the middle of the river/sea? I wasn’t sure what this body of water was, it was muddy and looked like river water. The village was built on stilts, and we stopped there for the usual tourist shopping experience. We were one of the first off the boat, and saw a woman quickly take a monkey out of a cage and offered us a photo opportunity for 100baht. I wasn’t impressed! We walked around, not buying any of the silly souvenirs, and eventually departed for James Bond Island.
James Bond Island.
We were very lucky to get there at low tide, it made for amazing photo opportunities. The picture of me holding up the famous cliff almost won us business class flights through an Etihad competition. Sadly I came 4th, so no prize for me 😦
I would recommend doing the kayak trip, as it looked a lot more fun and adventurous than the motor boat. We eventually made our way back home after a long, fun day. Our bus driver was very good, and our guide was quite informative. They even played the James Bond movie on the bus TV screen during our drive.
For our second Phuket day trip, we took a speedboat to Coral Island. This little spot, not far from Patong, had the most beautiful water I had seen yet. We snorkeled with fish, enjoyed a fruit smoothie on the beach, and truly relaxed in the warmth of the sun and sea breeze. 
Feeling adventurous, we also decided on a last minute parasailing trip. It lasted a grand total of 2 minutes for 800Baht per person, but wow it was so incredible!
The speedboat took me out for a minute, slowed down so that I floated down into the sea, and then sped up again to raise me back  into the sky. It was an exhilarating feeling! In my opinion, worth every baht!
For our last evening, we booked tickets to Simon Cabaret. We were very impressed with the surgery the men had undergone to transform so beautifully. The show was fun, and the best for me was the Cher lookalike. It was a great end to a wonderful vacation, and I was so sad it had come to an end.
We packed our now overly full bags (too many shopping opportunities!) and headed off to the airport the next morning. I was better prepared with leggings and a hoodie for our return flight. The journey home was very long, an 8 hour stop over in Hong Kong, and a 5 hour stop over in Dubai, but as soon as they announced we had arrived in South Africa, I found myself crying. I was so sad to have left such a beautiful place behind, but I promised myself to one day go back, see more and experience more of the wonderful land of smiles.
We had a great time relaxing at the hotel pool since the beach wasn’t the best. There is a small bridge crossing from one side of the pool to the next. It also contained a bar and waterfall. The drinks weren’t the cheapest, but the experience was awesome.
travelbugjess 