Thailand or Bust (Day 12)

June 2nd (Tuesday)

We all knew this day was going to come quickly and it did. Today we start the journey home. But just like all traveling it didn't come without a few hiccups. We woke up super early to catch our transportation to the airport and we woke to a monsoon! We were so thankful for all the great weather we have had the entire trip (almost) so it was fitting that it was monsooning on the day we leave. 

We didn't think anything of the rain until we ran into some major flooding and delays getting to the airport. We had a fantastic driver who drove through all kinds of back ways/ parking areas etc to get us to the airport and not miss our flight.

There was a bit of excitement in the air as we were going to have a super long layover in Hong Kong and it looked like it would be long enough for us to leave the airport and go explore a little before catching the crazy long flight back to LA.

It was bittersweet to get on the plane in Phuket. The bittersweet feeling turned to frustration as we sat on the tarmac for a few hours and we watched our time in Hong Kong waste away. 

Unfortunately, they were unable to make up any of the time that was lost in the air so as we landed in Hong Kong, we knew that we were going to have to make the best of the Hong Kong airport and not any part of the city itself. We were excited that we would be able to get some Szechuan cuisine and Jed & I had flashbacks to our time in China. 

We wondered the airport for quite some time before settling on Taiwan Beef Noodle Restaurant. I supposed we should have known better, an airport restaurant is an airport restaurant no matter where you are in the world. This place was no different. It was way over priced (compared to what we have known the last 11 days) and the food was okay.   

After food, we wandered the airport finding some of the most random of things.

It wasn't too much longer before it was time for us to get on our final flight to head back to LA. It was still so surreal that our trip was coming to an end.

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After a 12 hour flight, it was nice to be home. None of us really knew what day or time it was so instead of headed back to Eric & Audrey's and going straight to sleep, we headed out for more food!

SO GOOD!! We finally made it back to Eric & Audrey's and ending up watching videos until about 3AM. It was glorious! We are so incredibly thankful for having the opportunity to take this trip with these guys. Can't wait for the next adventure!!

Thailand or Bust (Day 11)

June 1st (Monday)
Temperature High: 90 degrees

Today is our last full day in Phuket and we had plenty to cover so we got up and out to go exploring. We headed out of our hotel and find a driver for the day.Our first stop was Big Buddha. Our driver dropped us off at the base and we walked up to the top of the mountain where the Big Buddha was located. The walk up was beautiful!

On our way to the top, we walked through an area with chanting monks. It was just amazing to stand and listen.

As we continued to walk to the top we also ran into so wild monkeys! So cute!

Big Buddha was such an impressive structure. We took our time walking around, taking lots of pictures and enjoying the view from the top.

After our time at Big Buddha, our drive took us to Old Town Phuket. We figured we would walk around, explore, shop and get lunch before we made our way back to the beach areas. The weather decided to throw a bit of a wrench into our plans. By the time we got to the center of Old Town, it was pouring!

But our driver didn't care so he dumped us at the corner and off we went. Thankfully we had one umbrella. Unfortunately, we hadn't used it yet and didn't realize it didn't really work well.

We were able to find a super cute coffee shop, Photo Cafe, where we hung out for a little while as we continued to plan out alternative ideas for the day.

Thankfully, the rain passed and we were able to explore a few of the shops and the downtown area before looking for a place for lunch. 

One thing we didn't take into account was that it was a holiday in Thailand today. So our top pick for lunch was closed so the people at Photo Cafe recommended, "the yellow building", Kunjeed Radnayodpak. This place was the real deal!

We were with the locals and it was freaking amazing! This tiny little hole in the wall was most likely the best, real-deal experience we have had all trip and the food did not disappoint. We will be dreaming and talking about this place for years to come!

After lunch we continued to explore and shop until we were ready to find transportation back and make the switch from tourist to beach bums. We didn't love Patong Beach, it was a lot more touristy then we had expected and hoped so Eric did a fantastic job researching and finding us an amazing beach just up the road to go relax on.

Kata Noi Beach was exactly what we were looking for and we spent the afternoon and evening relaxing, swimming in the Indian Ocean and watching a wedding from afar.

The wedding even had a baby elephant for their sunset photos on the beach!!

We finished our time at Kata Noi watching and taking photos of one last sunset before we headed back to Patong to find dinner.

That night we had our last meal at an Thai Italian restaurant, Trattoria Capri da Rico. It was a fun experience but I don't think any restaurant was going to top our lunch. 

Before we headed back to our hotel for the evening, we had to get one more foot massage before we left Thailand at 5 Star Massage, we were the last people in the place before everything closed down for the night.