From one island to another and another

The standard Hong Island tour in Krabi brings you to four stops: Hong Island; a lagoon near Hong Island (or Hong lagoon); Pakbia Island; and Lading Island. While Hong Island has a nice, calm, and clean bay with plenty of shade to settle down for a spot of lunch, the Pakbia beach was filled with rocks and corals. Not great for little bare feet to walk on and certainly not great for sand play as there is very little shade.

However, we spent about half an hour on Pakbia Island feeding fishes and exploring the island. Kai found a long branch which he was playing pretend fishing with when I decided to walk round a tree stump in the water.

Lo and behold, I spied crabs with shells the color of the tree bark coupled with bright green spots mimicking the mould growing on the tree stump. You would have missed them -- yes "them", the stump was crawling with life -- if you didn't look too carefully. So Kai and I spent a good few minutes trying to spot crabs, both big and small, and sneaking up to them for a close look without scaring them away. But they were all too quick for us.

Our last stop, Lading Island was a huge disappointment and not even worth a visit as the small stretch of beach was filled with tourists, vendors, and boats. Kai absolutely refused to get out of our boat; this beach connoisseur knows when a beach is not worth his effort.

The motion of the boat combined with all the excitement in the morning put Kit quickly and easily down for his nap. Lucky for us. We didn't have to deal with a cranky, over-stimulated toddler on this trip!

Kai was a happy camper again after we left Lading Island for Sheraton. We'll never forget this adventure on our long tail boat! (Oh by the way, the boat on the left is our replacement boat which picked us up at Hong Island.)

I mentioned earlier that we thought the beaches on other islands in Krabi would be better than the beach outside Sheroton and that it wasn't so. That impression was based purely on this first island hopping tour -- the Hong Island tour. Only Hong Island got our thumbs up. But, but, but... I changed my mind after our second island hopping tour on Day #4 of our Krabi holiday.

Hong Island and an Amazing Race moment

It might not a big deal for some mothers/parents, but I wasn't sure how we'd fare bringing an 18mo toddler on a half-day island hopping tour in Krabi. I was worried about whether Kit would eat the packed lunch provided by the tour vendor as he is a very fussy eater and whether he'd have a meltdown if he's too excited to take a nap during the trip. But he was such a trooper, and so was Kai. Once again, Kai was doing so many new things on this trip; we could literally see him grow up before our eyes.

It was Kai's first boat ride^ out in the open sea in a wooden long boat, and he was looking forward to "a nice beach", which his parents promised, at Hong Island

As we neared our destination, our boat stopped suddenly and wouldn't start again. Terence and I looked at each other quietly. What are we going to do? Stuck in the open sea with two young boys?!?! How long are we going to be out here for? The Thai boat driver spoke so little English that he couldn't tell us what he was going to do or what was going to happen. His actions didn't inspire confidence either. He was texting (!) and calling a few people and when we asked him questions, all we got were weak smiles and "OKs".

It was like one of those Amazing Race moments you see on TV. The contestants are in a tight race to the pit stop and their boat just STOPS half way through the journey. Kaput. Adios amigo. Sayonara. There's nothing you can do. Just sit, wait, grip your wooden seat tight, and pray that the replacement boat comes quickly.

Ahh.... but the difference between the Amazing Race contestants and us is that we have a cellphone that, THANK GOD, had reception out in the open sea. Terence called the tour operator, who spoke with the boat driver. We were then told by the operator that a replacement boat would arrive in 20 minutes time. But the boat driver was more competent than he looked as he contacted another boat driver, who swung by and towed us to the island.

Terence and I silently breathed a sigh of relief. I was never so glad to see land.

The small incident was quickly forgotten as we all took in the beautiful sight. Here's Kai taking a dip in the clear water of the bay at Hong Island.

And this is the view that he was looking at.

Beach vacation

Hello Krabi.

Kai is very happy to set foot on your lovely shores.

The beach that is in front of our hotel, Sheraton Krabi, is very different from the wonderful stretch of beach that we are used to at Karon beach, Phuket. Karon beach has fine white sand, clear azure waters, and you can look out into the blue horizon as your walk without worrying whether you are going to sink your foot on a craggy coral. (You can compare the shot of the Krabi beach^ with our Phuket photographs taken during our stay in Movenpick Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Phuket Arcardia Resort & Spa.)

The beach here, however, is littered with dead corals, rocks, and shells which makes walking on the beach a rather unpleasant experience if you are not too careful. But it is a problem that can be easily solved by wearing Crocs (or in my case, a pair of diving booties). Both boys enjoyed it nonetheless. After all, their needs are pretty simply. Kai just wants to muck around in the sand with his toys and have a dip in the ocean once in a while. Kit just wants to splash in the water and feel the waves crash in his face. The water is here is very much calmer than the huge, crashing waves at Phuket, so I guess it's great for our young boys.

And because this is a beach holiday after all (and now that Kit is older), we decided to bring them out on an island hopping tour on Day #2. I thought the beaches may be better on other islands, but it wasn't so. We still had fun though! :-)

Growing up

Holidays are not just a great time to bond with Kai. We also learn new things about him which we wouldn't under normal circumstances.

Kai has been to Phuket three times. Once when he was still a baby in my tummy, the second time when he was two and most recently, we treated ourselves to a short getaway in a two-bedroom apartment in Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, Phuket.

This time, he didn't mind being tumbled round and round by the waves--something which terrified him so much in the past. In fact, he rather enjoyed it. He even surprised us by agreeing to sleeping in his own room--something which we didn't think he was brave enough to do. But we told him it was something only 'big boys' get to do on a vacation, and he happily went to bed with his three 'friends' (i.e. Eeyore, lamb, and guinea pig).

Our little boy... he's growing up. :-)

Sunshiny babe

We survived travelling with two kids. It helps that Kit is quite an easy-going baby to start with. He hardly fussed except when it came to nap and bed times.

We went to the beach every day when we were Phuket, and he always fall asleep after 10 minutes or so. But not before spending some time sitting on the sand with Terence, watching the waves crash in one after another, and getting his butt and toes wet as the water runs up the shore.

Mama? Beach.

"Mama? Beach." That's what Kai would say everyday when we were in Phuket, and we were there for four days.

We would go to the beach in the morning, hide under the shade for 45 min or so.

Then proceed to the pool for an early lunch. By then, he'd be very tired but he'd stay awake long enough to pester us for ice cream and finish it.

After his afternoon nap, he'd say: "Mama? Beach." or "Mama? Ice cream." So it's off to the beach again in the evening. He liked it better then as the tide would be receding and the waves less strong.

The Hilton touch

"Welcome Home" written with ferns and orchid petals

We stayed at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa during the recent holiday. We liked it even before Kai came along and when it was newly launched. Although the rooms are visibly 'aging', we like it just as much now as it's family-friendly.

The (Karon) beach which is just across the road is nice and quiet; not touristy like what you'd get at Patong. The hotel has got a playground for kids, shallow pools that are great for toddlers, a water slide, toys they'd place at the poolside for families with kids, and staff bring out crayons and paper immediately when you sit down.

They even have a club house for kids. There are plenty of toys, but rather dead when we went. There was suppose to be some daily activities (free) for kids, which I was hoping Kai could participate in. Perhaps because we were the only ones there, the staff didn't bother to start a class. Kai didn't care; just as long as we brought him to the beach and let him eat ice cream everyday!

Hand towels folded to look like an elephant!

Travelling with toddler: Survival tips

Check list (Books) for recent Phuket trip

Jorina once gave me this really useful list of what to pack when going on a holiday/plane with your toddler. A lot of it makes sense, and I'm sure she can point you to where she got that list if you write her.

But here're some of mine to consider:

Stock taking is serious business

After a long debate with your worldly-wise toddler, you have finally decided on the toys and the books that you will bring on the trip to keep both parties sane. When you travel on the road (i.e. from hotel to hotel), however, there is a chance you might forget what you've packed. So a toy or a book might get kicked (or thrown) by your toddler under the hotel bed/cupboard/blanket, and you won't miss it until you unpack at the next hotel after a gruelling four-hour car ride.

Your nerves are frazzled by then, and the last thing you want to hear is a toddler screaming: "THOMAAAASSSS!!!"

These toys and videos kept him out of my hair

To help you keep stock on the inventory of toys and books you've packed, take a picture of ALL the toys and books you've packed with your digital camera. It will help you remember if you've brought, for example, five railway tracks, eight books, six Thomas and Friends tank engines.

Whip out that picture to check you have exactly those items in your luggage before you lock it and throw it into the boot of the car.

Minimise the bulk

Don't bring a toy truck the size of your pet cat. And don't bring any hardcover books.

Extra clothes

One of the tips in Jorina's list is to bring one set of extra clothing for you AND the toddler/baby. Reason is clear: Accidents/Spillage do happen.

I did that the first trip, however, it really added to the bulk and weight of the hand carry luggage. I got lazy, but learnt my lesson on my third trip with Kai to Australia. (Think orange juice. Mess.)

A good compromise is to bring an additional set for your toddler (their clothes are tiny=not bulky anyway). Bring just another top for yourself and pray the gravy chicken doesn't land on your pants.

A good squeeze can land you in trouble

Airlines sometimes serve juices in kid-sized tetra packs. Give that to an excited toddler or a toddler who's learning how to drink through straws, and you're heading for potential disaster. Same goes with a plastic cup filled with juice.

Kai has squeezed juice out through straws and spilled juice from cups. A better idea, if your toddler lets you, is to squeeze/pour the juice into his sippy cup. This means: Bring your sippy cup on board.