Our Honeymoon: Part 2-Phuket (the long post)

After three days in Bangkok, Ashley and I flew to Phuket for some much needed relaxation. Phuket was incredible! I mean, words can't describe what is possibly the most beautiful place we have ever been. After checking in to our resort, we explored the place we would call home for the next nine days. From the pools and the landscaping, to the baby elephants and giant lizards walking around the resort, we couldn't believe our eyes.

For those of you who don't know, Ashley and I ran a half marathon while in Phuket. Because of the run, we decided to take it easy for our first few days in Phuket. The half-marathon was a wonderful experience, but not something I would recommend doing on a honeymoon!

After our run, Ashley and I got Thai massages and took a milk bath. Although everyone we met raved about the Thai massages, we definitely thought they were overrated. We were also unimpressed about the milk bath as we got bored about three minutes into it.

While our days in Phuket started off slow and relaxing, we found ourselves trying to fit more and more in each day as our time in Phuket drew to a close. We didn't do too much before the marathon as we wanted to be fully rested and healthy for our run. Our first excursion was the one thing Ashley was most looking forward to experiencing on our honeymoon: elephant riding. Our elephant adventure started with a lecture on Thai elephants. Afterward, we met up with our elephant, Chumpoo, and her mahout (elephant trainer) to begin our 45 minute trek through the Chalong highlands. Ashley and I then rewarded Chumpoo by feeding her a basket full of fruit. Finally, our tour ended with a baby elephant show. It was amazing!

The next adventure was a day of island hopping. We went to the two Phi Phi islands. The smaller island was made famous by the movie, "The Beach" starring Leonardo DeCaprio. Our day started off with snorkeling followed by a Thai lunch (thankfully Ashley had the foresight to bring breakfast bars and other food), a hike on Phi Phi Don island and ended with some R & R on an island so small we were able to walk the perimeter in 15 minutes.

The day before we headed back to Bangkok, Ashley and I took another guided tour, The John Gray Sea Canoe Experience. This was definitely our favorite day! We traveled by boat to various caves and lagoons around Phuket. At each stop, we met up with our "friend for the day", Golf, to canoe around the caves. Golf took Ashley and I through some tiny cave openings in an inflatable canoe. Luckily, he did all of the work so we could just enjoy our surroundings. Words cannot begin to describe all of the amazing things we saw so I will simply post pictures.

On our final day in Phuket, Ashley and I finally braved the ocean at our hotel. Unfortunately, the red (no swimming) flag had been up the entire time we were there. Even though it was still displayed, we knew we would be disappointed if we didn't play in the ocean. The undertow and waves were out of control. Ashley was even knocked over and lost her sunglasses. She was crushed about her sunglasses!