Tag Archives: patong

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Lucky!

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Friday, 21 March 2014: Three Hundred and Fifty Four Days Old.

Lucky we didn’t have much planned today because two thirds of us are sick!

It turns out that one of the meat-on-stick “delicacies” Hubby ate last night had probably seen better days, and as a result he was up half the night being sick.

Then this morning Ayla woke up with a mild fever due to teething which understandably made her miserable, irritable and clingy.

Thankfully though I’m ok – a little tired but certainly not sick – because I needed all my energy to keep my little family afloat today!

It was our last day in Patong and we were transferring to the southwest tip of Phuket Island to stay the next five nights at a resort in Cape Panwa, a one hour car trip away.

Fortunately we had a late check out from our hotel which gave us just enough time to get Hubby well enough to travel and allow Ayla a big morning sleep to tide her over for the journey.

It also gave me plenty of time to have breakfast (alone), pick up the laundry, pack our suitcases and book a taxi for the transfer – phew!

The fever meant poor Ayla napped fitfully for two and a half hours and when the time came to check out I unwillingly had to wake her.

Ayla’s temperature had climbed to 38.2 so she was definitely feeling sick and sorry for herself and the only thing that would keep her happy was mummy cuddles.

Don’t get me wrong, I love mummy cuddles but having a sick clingy baby and a sick sleepy husband was exhausting!

When we got to the resort we knew we’d made the right decision in choosing Cape Panwa as our final Thailand holiday destination; it’s breathtaking.

Our resort has two pools, a private beach, sea view balconies and stunning restaurants, the perfect environment for rest, relaxation and recovery. And the local village is quiet and minimalist, with a long esplanade that meanders along the shoreline and looks out across a crystal clear bay to an assortment of nearby islands.

We did very little this afternoon. Ayla’s fever came down after some baby panadol and she able to sleep peacefully for another three hours. Hubby was still ill but slowly on the mend so managed a short walk down to and along the beach.

The day ended with a brief dinner at one of the resort restaurants before we retired to our room for air conditioning, movies and darkness.

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Precious

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Thursday, 20 March 2014: Three Hundred and Fifty Three Days Old.

Ayla learned how to give a massaaaaaage today.

On our way back to the hotel after our morning walking Ayla fell asleep on Hubby’s head again so I seized the opportunity and snuck in for a massage while he put her to bed in our room.

But in staying true to Murphy’s Law Ayla decided she didn’t actually want a nap at all (she must have been “faking” her sleep on Dad’s shoulders!) and I was only about half way through my massage when Hubby and Ayla peeled back the curtain.

Ayla was a little frightened at first I think, watching a strange lady poke and prod her Mummy but after a little while Ayla worked out “if you can’t fight ’em, join ’em!”

With Hubby on the massage mattress beside me, Ayla kept swapping between us helping the massage lady out; if I was getting massaged on my legs, Ayla would be at my legs slapping and pulling at the skin, and when the lady was doing my shoulders Ayla thought it would be funny to tickle me under my arms!

The result was one oil, slippery, happy but tired little baby and not surprisingly when Ayla actually went down for a nap she was slept for a good couple of hours.

When Ayla resurfaced we headed to some night time beach markets at Patong Beach that we had passed yesterday on our way to Fantasea.

It was great! There was everything from carnival games, to shopping stalls, a jumping castle, live music and what seems to be the Thai equivalent of takeaway food… Meat on a stick.

We had a fantastic evening, stuffing our faces with random delicacies, shopping up a storm and having fun with the games.

Hubby even won Ayla a couple of stuffed toys and I’ll never forget seeing her hang off my hip holding on to one of the prizes like it was the most precious, sacred thing in the world.

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Weird and wonderful

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Wednesday, 19 March 2014: Three Hundred and Fifty Two days Old.

There was so many weird and wonderful things to take in this morning that Ayla fell asleep on her Daddy’s shoulders on our way back to the hotel!

It’s the first time Ayla has ever fallen asleep while we’ve been out and about and it’s the first time she’s fallen asleep without having a feed first.

Poor Baby Ayla was so plum tuckered that she didn’t even wake up when we took her off Hubby’s shoulders and put her in her cot, and all this was after an uninterrupted 9.5hour sleep last night!

After breakfast we headed out on foot and ended up in an area of Patong that felt like a world away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist strip, and it was here in the backstreets that we stumbled across a fresh produce market.

Wow. The market had countless sights to behold; from skinned pig-faces, to live eels, crates of terrapin turtles ready for soup and white toad-like frogs… some skinned and some still alive.

It was a bit confronting and I’m glad I didn’t need to explain “culture” to Ayla, who was just as intrigued as we were but more so from the strange sounds and smells than the sights I think hope!

It was on the final leg home that Ayla passed out on Hubby’s head, and I’m not surprised given the assault to the senses we’d all just experienced!

Then this evening we took Ayla to Fantasea, our number one recommendation for everyone who travels to Phuket; it’s hard to describe but trust us… Don’t miss it!

Hubby and I went last time we were in Thailand and because the main theatre show didn’t start until 9pm we opted to give it a miss tonight and instead spend some time taking Ayla around the park.

We played some sideshow alley type games and won Ayla a few prizes, and Ayla even won her own prize by playing a fishing game with Hubby!

We had dinner in a gigantic buffet hall that words just cannot describe, and we watched real elephants parade around in front of a huge stone palace which doubles as the theatre hall.

On the way out we bought Ayla a little drum as a souvenir, and of the way home in the taxi Ayla fell asleep on my shoulder this time; one very tired, very happy little girl.

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Awesome adventures

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Tuesday, 18 March 2014: Three Hundred and Fifty One Days Old.

Hubby and I could hardly wait to see what Ayla’s reaction would be when she saw and then rode an elephant for the first time today!

Well… she loved it! Ayla sat up on the elephant with her Daddy and I as we trekked though the jungle and up to the top of a hill that overlooked the ocean.

I think Ayla found it a little hard to comprehend at first because she got so excited at seeing the other elephants with people riding them it was as if they suddenly reminded her of what she was doing.

We got some great photos while on the trek and when we got back to the start we were able to take some more photos, this time with a baby elephant aptly named “Dollar”.

Dollar was quick to give me a cuddle with his trunk and kiss me on the neck… I tried so hard to be calm and collected for Ayla but I certainly wasn’t ready for an elephant hickey!!

Despite my elevated heart rate Ayla stayed relaxed and intrigued by the funny, leathery, hairy thing with a snake like trunk that wanted to tickle her feet and she couldn’t take her eyes away… Until she noticed the monkeys!

There were two monkeys nearby chained up which was sad but secretly I was grateful they couldn’t climb on us (primates aren’t my strong suit)!

Ayla was mesmerised by the monkey’s jittery movements but we were warned not to let Ayla get too close because “he doesn’t like children.” Hubby said he wondered how they worked that out and I was just glad they had!

We got back to the hotel and had a swim and a nap then headed out to a nearby town called Kata to go to the Dino Park putt putt (mini golf).

It was amazing!! I have no idea what Ayla would have made of it all but for Hubby and I we felt like we were playing putt putt in Jurassic Park!

There were life sized and life like dinosaurs riddled throughout the park, and everywhere you could look was thick jungle, sometimes it was almost hard to find the next green!

There was also running creeks and waterfalls, caves and even a giant three storey volcano complete with flames and steam that we had to walk through to play the fourth hole!

It was a bit of a shame Ayla is too small to remember today. Both the elephant trek and the putt putt were awesome adventures that Hubby and I will remember always.

PS – if you haven’t already, please vote for Ayla in the Bonds Babies Search; Australia’s biggest baby photo comp!

C’mon… who wouldn’t wanna see that gorgeous face on a billboard!. Click here to vote

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