Phi Phi and Phuket.

After a couple long, exhausting days of travel (all day in a car through the mountains, the next day all day on a bus, we still missed our flight to Bangkok by 30 mins and then got stuck in the airport till 4am!!), Jonny and I finally arrived in Bangkok late on the 11th. Our friend Yuji had arranged a beautiful hotel for us to stay in, and we had planned on meeting his childhood friend Ruthie and her husband Peter the following day. At around 1:00 in the morning, there was a knock on our door. We both had fallen asleep watching a National Geographic special on space and were a bit startled by the knocking. We opened that sucker up, and Yuji and Kara were standing right in the hallway! All of us started hugging, crying, and jumping around. Turns out this "Ruthie and Peter" (the childhood friends) who we had been in contact with over email for about a month, were actually fictitious characters made up by Yuji and Kara so that they could keep tabs on our whereabouts! Earlier in the evening, I thought our situation couldn't get any better. There was a pool on the roof of our hotel and there was a 7-11 next door. Boy, was I mistaken.

Soon after surprising us, Yuji announced that we would be on a plane in a few hours to Phuket. Thus began 5 of the most fun, incredible days of our trip.

Day 1 and 2:
We flew down to Phuket early in the morning, and then took a ferry to Phi Phi Island. The water at Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee) Island is unlike anything I've ever seen. It is aqua and crystal clear. Our awesome pool villa looked out over "our" beach (there was pretty much no one else there!). We snorkeled, swam, played cards on the porch, slept like kings and queens, and stuffed ourselves with pad thai, fresh fish, etc.






Day 3:
We boated over to Maya Bay, an uninhabited island where the Beach (featuring good ol' Leonardo DiCaprio) was filmed. It was an overnight excursion where we ate delicious food, watched fire twirlers, swam, snorkeled, and slept under the stars in sleeping bags right on the sand. It was perfect. It was so fun just talking and catching up in the most beautiful scenery you can imagine!





Day 4 and 5:
Phuket. This might have been the best yet. Best swimming pool, more like an underwater city with alleys, and coves, and water jet beds. Kara and I were able to have tons of girl time, which was much appreciated and needed, and Jonny and Yuji were able to golf their little hearts out and have some man time as well. Kara and I also enjoyed a luxurious day at the spa:) We got a floral foot bath and massage, a mineral bath, a FULL body aromatherapy massage, and then a facial to boot! We were both jello like afterward.




Night 5:
Back in Bangkok. It was our last night with our dear friends:( We went to the night market and around town a bit, and then called it a night. Yuji and Kara had to leave for the airport at 3 am, so we tried to all stay awake until then...ya that didn't happen. But it was fun nonetheless.

THANK YOU SO MUCH KARA AND YUJI! Seriously you refreshed us and gave us some extra strength for the last leg of our trip. We miss you both and love yall lots!

We are in Cambodia now and loving it! An update on our time here is on the horizon. Only have 9 days until we leave for New Zealand!