Phuket, Thailand

Scott and the Girls in the Pool


Dueling Bubbles!


On March 15th, we headed to Phuket, Thailand for a planned Spring break with Missy and Greg. We were supposed to arrive late on the night of the 17th, but left a few days early due to the constant shaking in Tokyo. We had rented a 2 bedroom, beautiful villa at the Marriot Mai Khao Beach Club, and it was a great place to stay. The facilities were great- really great pool (quite but fun), a small slide in a separate pool, a very nicely equipped gym, ping pong, chess, a very fun kid's club, good restaurants and a short walk to the beach. We had a great vacation, and it was even nicer with a few extra days added in. Maya's good friend Tara Grace, and her family were also staying at our hotel, so Maya had someone to play with on a daily basis. Tara Grace's older sister Chloe would hang out with Hanna, and Scott and I had the opportunity to really relax and have a great vacation. Because of the earthquake situation, Scott ended up working nearly every morning of our 11 days there, but because I had Greg, Missy and the Gagnon family to hang out with, it didn't seem like he worked as much as he did. The girls made some great projects in the kids club, and daily spent between 1-3 hours there having fun. There were also a lot of other ASIJ families staying at this resort, so we had an opportunity to gage where everyone else was in relation to returning to Tokyo. We swam, and Hanna even taught herself to swim during this trip! She just decided that she didn't want to wear a floatie, and took it off and started swimming around the pool. Then, she started to go under water! This from a girl who cried when water got in her eyes in the shower! I was so proud of her! The first time she went under water with goggles on, she came up and said "Mom, I can see people's feet! This is awesome!" and she never stopped. Scott and I were so proud of her and so happy she decided to embrace swimming, and get rid of the floatie!!







While in Phuket, we went on an Elephant tour, Siam Safari's. We had the chance to see them do some training of the elephants (one actually painted a picture!), then ride them through the jungle, and finally, we got to feed them at the end. The girls had a GREAT time, and Hanna immediately asked if we could "do it again!".


Hanna and I on Patong (Thai for Pumpkin)


Scott and Maya on Tuk-Tik


Garrison Family with our elephant

We also went on a Phi Phi Islands Tour with Simba Sea Tours. Each Tour was maximum 15 people (we had 6 of them), and we had the chance to snorkel, see some unbelievable fish, swim, cannonball off the boat, eat a wonderful lunch on a secluded, gorgeous island, and get sunburned (I thought I grabbed the 50 but it was only 15! Thank goodness the girls had their rashguard shirts on - the sun is so much more intense there than anywhere else we have ever been!)Hanna didn't like to snorkel, but she swam right with us, and spent some time feeding the fish bananas and hanging out with the crew on the boat. It was probably the most fun tour we have ever done, anywhere we have ever been. Had a fantastic time!











This trip was such a fun time. Spending time with Greg and Missy was something we haven't ever had the chance to do, and it was really nice to get to spend quality time together. It also came at a great time, as we were so stressed out due to the earthquake and all the decisions that came with that situation. It was nice to turn it off for a bit and just relax.


M and her Tara Grace jumping the waves


H adjusting her Snorkel Gear