MIL was quite nervous for today’s plan. She had prepared medicated oil and an empty plastic bag as a puke bag. As for me, I was quite excited! I couldn’t swim but I had to put a brave front for the sake of my kids. I wanted them to have fun.
Fortunately we stayed in Royal Lighthouse Villas at Boat Lagoon because we can depart from there. I will interject a bit about the accommodation. It was a massive 2-storey 2bedroom unit with fully equipped kitchen. There’s 1 full bathroom on the upper floor which can be accessed by both rooms thus providing privacy for 2 couples. The bathroom downstairs has a shower instead of a tub. The bedrooms were huge with a lounge area in them. It’s really perfect for families. It also provided complimentary wi-fi which can be connected by many users at once.
Now back to our itinerary. To get to the jetty, we just need to call the receptionist and they will send someone to come and fetch us with a buggy. The tour leader briefed us on safety procedures and told us that if the tide’s too high, we wouldn’t be able to go Maya Bay where they filmed the famous Leonardo DiCaprio’s, The Beach. The weather was really on our side because it was a warm and sunny day. It was monsoon season mind you and it was raining when we arrived yesterday.
There’s a small shop near the jetty where they provide coffee/tea and seasick tablet for free. You can also purchase waterproof handphone or camera casings at the shop if you wish to take pictures or videos underwater. They also sell slippers, snorkels and fins, bags, snacks and other necessities for island hopping. Don’t worry the package includes snorkels for free so you don’t have to buy it. Before we boarded the speedboat, the tour leader took a collective shot as well as each group of family. He informed us that there’s a dedicated cameraman who will be taking photos and videos of everyone even when we’re underwater so we could purchase it later.
Alrights, let’s brace ourselves for a 45-minute windy and adventurous boat ride. As we were about to reach, there were a couple of other speedboats coming coming from behind. They sped to our right and left and suddenly we were in a friendly race. Oh, just so you know, we won! 🙂
1st stop: Maya Bay. We got out of the speedboat with our feet touching the crystal clear water directly. No jetty, no dock, no nothing.The water was clean and cold and the sand was soft. My kids couldn’t resist anymore. They immediately sat down and buried their legs in the sand. We stopped here for a while only because it was not recommended for snorkeling. We went back to the speedboat about an hour later and headed to the next destination.
2nd stop: Pileh Lagoon. The place where everyone could swim in the 30-meter deep sea. Other adventurous groups jumped from the boat straight to the sea. Me? I took the steps provided. Hehe. Teana, the lady who was afraid of water, swam in a 30-meter deep sea. Who would have thought! So, I wore a life jacket. So what? It was a major stepping stone for me. I swam and swam till I didn’t even realize I had so much fun. Looking at how much I enjoyed myself, my kids didn’t think twice when I offered them to join me. Hubby declined because he was conserving his energy for snorkeling. My kids took turn to swim because I couldn’t handle 2 kids at the same time. I was elated when I heard their laughter. Their happiness was my heartbeat and I never felt so alive. Thank you Allah for the opportunity and blessings. Time to get onboard and head to the next destination.
3rd stop: Bamboo Island. Snorkeling! A sport that I had never done. It’s never in my to-do list because I was not a watersport enthusiast (except for jetski which I intend to try before I die). I was already messy and wet, so might as well. I disallowed my kids to snorkel because they didn’t know how to breathe using their mouth. Thank goodness they didn’t get in the water. The current was rather strong and I had difficulty keeping steady. I snorkeled for only 5 minutes because the goggles were not tight enough and I had trouble breathing. I surrendered and let hubby enjoy himself.
4th stop: Viking Cave & Monkey Beach. Well we didn’t stop here per se. We just took pictures from the speedboat. Viking Cave was where they harvest bird’s nest. We also didn’t get upclose with any monkeys because the tour guide said the monkeys were naughty. Hahaha…
Time’s up. It’s lunch time!!! The tour guide assured us that the foods were halal and we felt more relieved when we saw several ladies wore the hijabs. We were so famished that we scooped every dish that we saw. I could not give a fair review of the foods because I gobbled up the foods really fast. Plus, I was so hungry so the foods were delicious to me.
Burp! We are one contented family. We saw a small shop and went to take a look. Souvenirs! I only shopped for magnets that state “Phi Phi Island” and a tshirt for hubby. Splurging will be later tonight. 🙂
Our final stop was Koh Khai Nai. There, we indulged ourselves to unlimited servings of tropical fruits. It was part of the package. My FIL was one happy man because he loved fruits. It’s a must-have in his daily meals. Hubby was not so keen. He’d rather sit down on a beach chair and meddle with his phone. As for my MIL, she was more interested in shopping. I brought my kids to the beach and let them play till their hearts content.
Enough of playtime, time to head home for a quick rest and then…… SHOPPING!!!
Do share your views and post any questions you have in the comments box and I will have them answered in an instant! 🙂
Later,
Teana
