Old Town Phuket

Sunset at the Marriott, one of the best we have seen yet...

Sunday evening, our plane touched down in wonderful Phuket, and we were off to our accommodations at the Marriott (thanks Jon's dad!!!!). The resort is absolutely amazing as you can interpret from the image above and it was great to be able to settle in somewhere for more than a couple nights, not to mention get some laundry in! Additionally, our extended stay here in Phuket gives us a chance to actually explore an entire place without having to rush off to the next destination...

towel statue in our room... this one is for you ms. emerson rose (my two-year old niece) 

On the agenda (hopefully) is a Thai cooking class, a day trip to some islands, a trip to Patong Beach, and exploration of Old Town Phuket. We were essentially playing it by the book for this leg of the journey--Lonely Planet Phuket Encounter book to be precise.

We started off with the Old Town Phuket trip one our first day on Phuket.

Old Town Phuket is a hypocritical little place. Stuck in the heart of the ever populated Phuket Town, Old Town is home to stark contradictions of old and new as new businesses and residents have made home in some of the oldest buildings in Phuket, some with pretty amazing architecture. To start things off, we ate of course... at the China Inn recommended by Lonely Plant of course. What you are seeing below is the world's most amazing spring rolls.... total I think we have about 12 pictures of these things because they were so amazing, not to mentioned the flower made of a pepper that was included. Stuffed with pork, crab, prawn, and a myriad of other forms of delightfulness, these things were amazing and in all the meal was probably some of the best we have had on this whole trip.

World's Best Spring Rolls 

Some of the buildings I had mentioned previously... plus an adorable ambulance that anyone could enjoy a good ride in... 

After meandering through the city streets, and dodging scooters and taxis from every direction (Jon is quite the wimp about walking out in front of moving vehicles...) we stopped by the recommended Chinese Shrine to get a little culture in our spare time. It is dubbed the Shrine of Serene Light, and was mentioned as the most impressive Chinese shrine in town... while beautiful and colorful, we both were expecting something a whee bit more grandiose... 

Following this and a few more pit stops along the way, it was back home for massages, drinks and of course the sunset which was truly spectacular.