Airplanes, Taxis and Tuk Tuks

We have travelled over 8000kms in the past 3 days!  Our flight to Bangkok was fairly easy, Lillie fell asleep just as the plane took off and she would have slept for most of the flight except that just after we put her in the bassinet the seat belt sign came on and we were asked to take her out and put her seat belt on which of course woke her up and she then stayed awake for the rest of the flight until the very end. Quite unfortunate but it couldn't be helped.  Thankfully we had the seat next to us as a spare so we had some room to spread out a bit.  Judd was given a sticker book on Dinosaurs from his Pa and he read it for nearly the entire trip.  As it was our third flight into Bangkok we thankfully knew where we were going and how to get out of that great labyrinth of an airport but once we cleared customs we couldn't find the driver I had arranged to pick us up but after a few phone calls we found him and were on our way home.  We didn't get in until midnight and we were relieved that the house hadn't been burgled while we were away and everything was as I left it, apart from the ghekko poo around the floor, the little buggers are everywhere over here.  A few hours of sleep later and I woke up with a raging sinus infection and a headache that lasted for 3 days!  Marcus went off to work for the day and I was left to try and handle the kids while unpacking and re-packing for our flight to Phuket the very next morning.  I wasn't pleased but somehow I got it done and we were even able to go out for dinner and take the kids for a play at the play center in town.
The next morning we were all up at 5.30 am to begin the process again of getting all the last minute things packed, food for the kids and everyone in the car for the 90min drive back to Bangkok airport. 
Unfortunately after arriving nice and early our plane was delayed by about half an hour so our bright and happy kids began turning into tired and nasty monsters and Judd started constantly asking "is the plane here yet? Where is the plane?" over and over again until he got in trouble.  Lillie was so tired that by the time we did board she lost it and started a big tantrum about having her seat belt on, but after switching from dads lap to mine for a cuddle she was asleep before we even left the tarmac and slept the entire flight until just before we landed at Phuket airport.  It amazed me the difference between Bangkok airport and Phuket, the taxi drivers are so pushy and in your face and none of them were willing to haggle over price.  In the end we went outside and found a driver willing to barter a decent price (which if we compared to what we pay our of Bangkok airport it was still too much).  It felt very weird having the kids in the back of a car with only adult seat belts on, but we didn't hit any high speeds so I wasn't too concerned.
The difference in surroundings from Pattaya to Phuket was instantly obvious, the roads were alot quieter, there weren't truck loads of people driving to and from work or the endless road trains of buses ferrying the workers to the multitude of factories that surround Pattaya.  Here it felt more slow and laid back straight away.  We were surprised when we drove through Patong, we thought it would be alot busier but when we got to our hotel it was even quieter, almost like a ghost town (compared to what we were expecting anyway). 
Now our hotel is a whole different matter, we checked in and straight away I asked for a babysitter service and was told by the receptionist that they don't have one.  I immediately got cranky as I purposefully booked this hotel after many emails to the reservation staff asking if they had a babysitting service and how much they charge etc.  So I was in a bad mood before we even got to our room.  Then we looked outside to one of the pools and it is murky and green!  Fantastic I thought, strike 2.  But once we got up to our room I was horrified to see that the fancy photos on the website were anything but accurate.  The floors are concrete, the furniture is concrete and the whole suite looks to be falling apart.  At least the linen and towels were clean and fresh and the bathroom didn't have any mould in it.  After unpacking a bit we changed the kids into their bathers and went straight to the pool and it was a definite strike 4!  The fancy kids paddle pool with fountain wasn't working and the bottom was full of dirt and sand, the kids waters slide looked ready to collapse and there were empty beer bottles, cigarette butts all over the place.  The kids club that was a selling point for me was empty of staff and kids with direct access to the pool and a balcony!  All of this I could have over looked but I was soon to discover that the pool bar and cafe was closed!  WTF!  I had visions of us sitting by the pool with cocktails while the kids swam and played, but all we did was argue with each other, poor Judd fell over a stray toy and scratched up his knees on the sharp rocks around the edge of the pool and he then didn't want to swim in it anymore.  The only one who was happy was Lillie who was trying to drink the funky water out of the kiddy paddle pool with a small cup.
Marcus couldn't understand why I was so upset and he offered no solace to me at all.  I tried to explain to him how I thought we had found a perfect family focused hotel and to see how crap it was (after we had paid a non refundable fee) I was upset.  All I needed from him was to say "Ok Al, this place is shit, you aren't happy, lets find somewhere else" or something along those lines.  But all I got from him was " you are making me depressed, get over it!"  So as you can imagine these sorts of comments didn't sit too well with me and we argued for the rest of the day.
We ended up grabbing the kids and going to visit Marcus brother and wife down at their hotel down the road.  A hotel which we were supposed to stay at but their prices were too expensive for us and we thought we could find something just as nice but cheaper.  I immediately got hotel envy as soon as we walked in, the place is huge with big fancy clean pools, pool bars, grasses areas, proper kids clubs etc.  So my mood didn't improve and my 3 day headache was at its peak. 

The green murky pool.

After a few beers and catching up I realised that I had forgotten that the couples hens and bucks night which was the reason for our trip was meant to be that night and I had no babysitter, my head was going to explode and we were all unbelievably exhausted as our long flight 2 days before had caught up with all of us.  So we missed out on hitting the town with everyone which was disappointing as well.  So all in all our first day in Phuket SUCKED!

Day 2.

We hit the sack early that first night and I woke up fresh and my headache was completely gone.  We took our time getting ready, we found a 7/11 and stocked up on essentials and food, packed our travel bags, got the kids down for a normal nap time and when they woke we went down to Kata beach to meet up with their Auntie and Uncle and had a lovely day drinking cocktails,swimming in the big surf and eating.  Marcus and his brother even attempted surfing after a 15 year break.  They unfortunately didn't get to stand up but they came out tired but pumped.  It took them about 2 hours to work up the courage in the first place so I think they were relieved to have broken the ice, so to speak. Since the kids had a good nap that day we were able to take them out to dinner with everyone and we found a lovely Thai restaurant and Judd got to eat his favourite meal, at the moment, shrimps and rice.  Lillie didn't make it to dinner time, she fell asleep straight away and slept in the pram.


Brothers off for a surf

It was a nice dinner but it wasn't a big night for drinking so we all ended up with early bedtimes again.

Day 3.
Woke up unbelievable tired and after taking the kids to breakfast and Marcus had a run I went back to bed for some more sleep.  I don't think I am sleeping that well as we have Judd in bed with us and I am constantly aware he is there and I don't want to wake him or Lillie in the cot by the bed.  Our suite is a one bedroom so thankfully we can put the kids down to bed while we stay up and watch TV and talk without disturbing them.
About mid morning we caught a Tuk Tuk into Patong to go to Carrefour to do some grocery shopping.  It is a relief to see stores that I recognise and to be able to buy the products I am used to.

Lillie asleep in a Tuk Tuk

Patong is similar to Pattaya, but nowhere near as busy.  But there aren't any baht buses here which makes it expensive when we just was to pop up the street and back again.  About 300 baht a trip when the baht buses range from 10 baht to 100 baht depending on the distance you ask them to travel, but because they have set routes its kind of like catching a tram in Melbourne.  But here there are only Tuk Tuks and hardly any motorbike taxis so the tuk tuk drivers asked ridiculous prices for such short trips.
I think we have spent most of our money on them so far just running back and forth from the other hotels are friends are staying at (since ours is so shit we prefer to go to theirs).
At nap time Marcus and his friend hung out in our room so I could go for a walk to find a foot massage parlour.  They charged me more than what I usually pay but because I am on foot without my car I cant be bothered walking any further in this heat.  I did however get a lovely massage and wandered back so the boys could go and get theirs as they were really sore from all of their running and surfing exercises and right now as I type this blog it is raining and windy and looks to be setting in for the rest of the afternoon.  Crazy Thailand, its meant to be summer and yeah its hot but it seems to be raining everyday lately and I don't think it is meant to be wet season yet.
We have 1 more day here before we go over to Racha Island for the wedding and I hope to take the kids to see the elephants or maybe go to a water park I think there is meant to be a good one somewhere here in Phuket, I just wonder what the bloody Tuk Tuk driver is going to charge us for that trip.  But all in all I am liking Phuket, but I do prefer the atmosphere of Pattaya and not to mention the cheaper taxi services. LOL.