Christmas Break: Phuket

The last port of call during the cruise was in Phuket Thailand.  Unlike the other ports, the water here was too shallow to allow the Mariner of the Seas to dock against the shore so instead they had to dock in deep waters and have tenders, little boats ferry passengers to the shore from where the Mariner docked.  Our day in Phuket was primarily spent going to the Island Safari so that we could ride an elephant.  Seeing an elephant was probably the only Thai thing missing from my previous trip to Thailand last year, so it was exciting to get to see these amazing creatures this time.  We also went to Buddhist temple.  There are many more Buddhist temples to come in the 2nd trip to Thailand in the following week so I won't post that many pictures here.  Once again, we had some extra time as our guided tour finished so we strolled the busy touristy streets along Patong beach and went for a quick Thai fish massage.

From this destination, after another full day at sea, we arrived back in Singapore ready for the return leg of our trip. 

An early morning in Phuket

Here's Johnny!  No actually, this monkey's name is Johnny.

Johnny throws one down!

Elephant trekking!

Elephant show

Going for the dunk!

Well it doesn't get much more Thai than this.  A Thai elephant massage.  What an adorable "little" elephant.

He's wants a golden banana

More of these in the next album/trip

Buddhist temple

The dogs all want what I'm eating.

Shannon's first time trying the fish spa. 

Feeding frenzy

Tiny over my shoulder is the Mariner of the Seas

Patong Beach, the busiest beach in Phuket.  It was packed with people