Thailand Pt. 2: Phuket, Krabi, and our first visitor!

Nelson, Cynthia, and Allie out touring the islands.

Welcome to Thailand, Cynthia! We were so happy to welcome Nelson's sister, Cynthia, to Thailand for a week of our journey. We picked her up in Bangkok and headed straight to the beaches of Phuket and Krabi for a fun filled week. We took in the unusual and outrageous sights in Phuket, then traveled east to Krabi where we stayed for several days on Ao Nang beach. We went on an island tour there and went snorkeling. We took in some live reggae music in the relaxed beach town as well. We headed back to Phuket to send Cynthia on her way. Overall it was a delight having her join us and the scenery and beaches couldn't have been better. We travel next to the island of Koh Phagnan where we found much more than just their infamous Full Moon Party. 

The reunion at the airport.

Cynthia has arrived!

The view from our villa in Kamala Beach just north of the Phuket madness.

Cynthia and Nelson with a dolphin fountain, their mother's favorite!

Checking out the nightlife in Phuket.

Seemed like everywhere was 2 for 1 drinks.

Nelson and Allie in Phuket

Brother and sister on the way back to the hotel in the tuk tuk!

The beautiful beach of Ao Nang in Krabi. 

Sparkling waters with long tail boats.

Very good piece of information!

Thai style lanterns 

Stunning tropical sunset from the room.

Typical beach vendor, equipped with charcoal grill on one side for grilled meat and hot stove on the other for hot noodle and rice dishes! Nelson waits patiently for his chicken satay. 

Nelson and Cynthia taking in the sights.

Tup Island, the whitest sand you will ever see...

...and the clearest water!

Cynthia ready to snorkel on Tup Island!

The cool thing about this island is that when the tide is just right, the water is shallow enough that you can walk from one island to the next! Looks like everyone learned to walk on water!

Nelson and Allie with Tup Island and its beautiful beaches.

Who needs snorkeling gear when you can see the fish right through the water!

A school of fish swimming by.

Nelson giving Cynthia a crash course on snorkeling.

Chicken Island..."Looks more like a turkey to me!"

The view from Poda Island

Nelson ventures out into the water between the long tail boats.

The water was like bathwater!

This baby monkey was quite the climber.

I wouldn't mess with this guy!

Nelson with the incredible view.

We saw this Thai woman selling beach mats and cold drinks from a cooler on the beach. What caught our attention was the back of her t-shirt. "Endlessly blessed."

We struck up a conversation with the woman and asked to take a picture of the front of her shirt. BLESSED: Being Loved Endlessly Supporting Salvation Every Day. She had the right idea and a good message!

Street food... spring rolls and shrimp the size of lobsters!

Meat on a skewer anyone? Eat at your own risk!

Live reggae music, a guartist and violinist teamed up for an interesting but beautiful collaboration.

Cynthia and Nelson and their bucket!

Jenga at a bar? How come no one thought of this sooner?

Our villa back in Kamala Beach

Locals praying at a shrine at night.

The three of us were joking around about how funny it is when you bargain with a Thai shop owner. First, you ask how much. They tell you an absurd high amount. You say, no no no, too much, and start to walk away. Then the clerk will ALWAYS rip out a calculator and feverishly start pounding numbers into it and adding and multiplying and show you a slightly lower number... like they just reworked the best possible deal they could give you and because its on a calculator it must be the very best they can do! When the woman pulled out a calculator the size of an iPad, we couldn't resist a laugh and a picture.

Cynthia in the luxury, beat bumping tuk tuk heading back to the hotel! We miss you already Cynthia!!!