Trip There: Just like our trip to Phuket in 2012, this year's trip started off with a couple of days in Bangkok. Peep and her mother had their annual check-ups at the doctor's and were both given clean bills of health. After an overnight stay in Bangkok, the three of us flew to Phuket, arriving just in time to sit down and have lunch with Peep's boss John, who was again our host for the trip. At lunch we met two of John's friends visiting from his hometown in Idaho. The rest of the day was spent getting settled in, an afternoon walk around town and, of course, dinner with our host at his favorite local restaurant.
Morning Walk: The following morning Peep and I joined John and his two friends for his ritualistic morning walk on the beach, which is about a mile and half in length. We started in the middle, located a half block away from the front door of Patong Tower, and walked to one end, where we turned around and walked the entire length to the other end before returning to our original starting location. We then had breakfast before heading out for the day.
Cruising: The first leg of our day-long excursion entailed navigating the crowded streets of Phuket. With John and Peep's mom in the back seat and me in the front, Peep chauffeured us to the eastern side of Phuket Island. Once safely there, we parked the car at the Royal Phuket Marina, met up with John's two friends and his brother, and boarded his yacht for an afternoon on the water. We spent about two and a half hours cruising along a different course than the one we took last year, seeing all new sites, before finally docking at John's island.
Island Activities: Once back on dry land, we made our way up to the guest house and into its swimming pool. Everyone, including Peep's mom, enjoyed getting some exercise in the pool. After our swim, we toured the construction site of the main house, which has progressed nicely since our visit last year. Very few of the structural concrete pours remain, with the bulk of the work remaining on furnishings and decor. Following our tour, we headed back down to the dock area where the island cooks were busy preparing dinner for us. We sat around one of the two large tables located in the pavilion there and were served a delicious meal. It was already dark by the time the tides were high enough to allow our boat to enter the marina, starting our return trip to Patong Beach. Peep once again drove until we reached Patong Tower, where we immediately retired for the night.