1/1/2014 - Mullers Take Manhattan (erm Asia)

Happy New Year!  We rang it in like we always do, a few glasses of champagne followed by me waking Sarah up at midnight from her nap on the couch to wish her a happy new year.  Wow, 2013 was a doozy. Was just flipping back through our travel pics and it appears we have circumnavigated the region in the past 12 months.  Luckily, we had more visitors at the end of the year to keep us going and tomorrow we're heading back to Cambodia.  Before we channel our inner Indiana Jones again, need to begin the recap of the past few weeks.  A combination of too much relaxation and only public internet in Bali and Phuket sunk the ship on the live updates.  I'm bowing my head in shame as I type this, I can do better.

I missed out on the first few days of Asia shenanigans as I was wrapping up some loose ends in Penang before jetting off (make that propellering off) to meet the family in Phuket.  In between trying chicken rice and becoming addicted to sugar cane juice, the two sisters found some time to send me a few photos doing one of the things they do best, acting goofy together.  Apparently jet lag was not going to be a problem, however, I won't include the photo of a nameless individual taking a nap on the couch at the restaurant approximately 30 minutes after this.

Everyone beat me to Phuket by about 2 hours, prop planes, although having the benefit of a much smoother ride tend to travel a touch slower. After a taxi ride from one end of the island to another, I was rewarded with a great view of the bay coming around a corner as well as two sisters waving maniacally at me as they had spotted my head poking out of the back seat.  I was just in time as we witnessed the first of multiple picturesque sunsets followed by our new favorite restaurant, right next to the hotel.  A feast of classic Thai dishes followed, pad thai, massaman curry, pineapple fried rice, spring rolls and cashew chicken with a few large bottles of Singha. Somehow it was less than $10 a person, hooray for Thailand!

We were staying at the Kantary Bay Resort and the proximity to delicious cheap food and a killer view was only the beginning of the perks.  Their sister resort with a private beach was on the other side of Cape Panwa, so after breakfast we hopped in an over-sized pick-up truck with bench seats in the back for a 3 minute ride over the hill.  Upon arrival we discovered we had one more ride ahead of us, a mini-cable car that took you down the hill to the water.  It had a Mercedes logo on the front, so it was totally safe. Trust me.  2 slow minutes passed by as we were lowered down the hill and then we disembarked and saw the waves.

The beach became our home for 2 of the next three days.  400 meters of white sand, palm trees and beach chairs that we only had to share with the normal cast of characters you find on a beach in Thailand.  The new one to add to the list this time was an elderly couple smoking a pipe and drinking cans of Chang beer.  The pipe smell turned out to fit in well with the sea air and after a few coconuts and other beverages it was full on relax mode. 

Day #2 in Thailand would find us bouncing around on a boat bound for the Phi Phi islands.  Would it or won't it be a 3 hour tour?  Stay tuned.