Phuket and Phi Phi Islands

Itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrival at Phuket International Airport
Day 2 - One Day Tour Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay by Sea Angel
Day 3 - Patong Beach and Phuket FantaSea
Day 4 - Departure

The itinerary above looks simple and may appear like it was a boring trip, but this one actually packed a lot of memories that wouldn't normally fit in such a short time. Unfortunately, I lost most of the original pictures, so what I have here are only those uploaded in Facebook. Fortunately, we went to this trip just recently, so I can still remember most of the information.

We arrived at Phuket via AirAsia. There's no direct flight from Manila, so it's either Singapore or Kuala Lumpur (those were just our options because of availability of Cebu Pacific flights there, so feel free to check more if it doesn't suit you).

We were picked up at the airport by our hotel's airport transfer. We checked in at The KEE Resort & Spa right along Patong Beach. We got a Deluxe Pool Access room at 40% discount because of their Early Bird Promo, but this doesn't come with breakfasts. Only 8% of the room charges plus transfer services must be paid when booking.

For our first dinner at Phuket (and the dinner the next day), we ate at La Flora Resort, just across The KEE. We tried the Phuket lobster when we returned the next day.

We booked the Phi Phi Islands tour at the airport for Thb1000/pax. We were initially charged for Thb1100/pax, but you can always haggle. We were picked up at the hotel around 7:00AM (transfer to and from the port is included) and enjoyed the cruise via Sea Angel. The best view is at the top deck, but make sure to bring sunblock.

After a short stop at Phi Phi Don, the cruise continued until Monkey Beach, where swimming and snorkeling were allowed. After that, we returned to Phi Phi Don for the buffet lunch, which was also included in the package (but the Thb20/pax admission fee at Phi Phi Don was not). There was also free time after lunch for some more swimming at Phi Phi Don.

We ended the day by booking the tickets for Phuket FantaSea. Ticket prices are standard and there are agents all around, but because we booked too late, standard tickets for the show were sold out, so we had to get the Gold Seat (Thb1750/pax). There's also an option for buffet dinner but we thought we need the extra time for swimming and some shopping.

We started Day 3 by shopping at Jungceylon, a short walk from the hotel and just across Bangla road. After returning to the hotel to leave what we bought, we headed to Patong beach for swimming, parasailing and jet skiing. Parasailing rates vary depending on the operators, but we got ours for Thb1000. Similarly, jet ski rentals also vary, and we were initially offered Thb1500/30mins or Thb1000/20mins, but we eventually agreed at Thb1200 for 25mins.

That's me right there

To cap our last night at Phuket, we were picked up by the Phuket FantaSea hotel transfer and brought to the theme park together with other guests from nearby hotels. We were just after the show, so after claiming our reserved tickets, we just took some pictures and headed directly to the Palace of the Elephants. Cameras and mobile phones aren't allowed, but you may deposit and claim them right after the show. Some opt not to declare that they have these devices to avoid the hassle of claiming them, but of course, there's the risk of getting caught (though I don't know what they'll do to you).

Here are the related links:
The KEE Resort & Spa
Phi Phi Islands Tour by Sea Angel
Phuket FantaSea

Mt. Takao (高尾山), Mt. Kagenobu (景信山), Mt. Jimba (陣馬山)

Climbing Mt. Takao may be started from the Takaosanguchi Station (高尾山口駅), the terminus of the Keio Takao Line (高尾線). There are many trails available, each offering something different from the others, but for this trip, my friends and I used (from what I remember) the Inariyama trail (稲荷山コース) to the top of Mt. Takao, then the Mt. Takao/Mt. Jimba trail (高尾山・陣馬山コース) to Mt. Kagenobu and Mt. Jimba.

The Inariyama trail may be a little dull for some since you have to really hike and not see anything nice, though this is probably the trail best suited for those who want to commune with nature. The hike to the top of Mt. Takao may take 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on your pace.

The challenge started when we took the Mt. Takao/Mt. Jimba trail going to Mt. Kagenobu and Mt. Jimba. The trail between Mt. Takao and Mt. Kagenobu was quite steep for the most part, while the trail between Mt. Kagenobu and Mt. Jimba appeared to be longer than it really was, partly because of the fatigue that started to set in. We almost did not continue from Mt. Kagenobu, but when we reached Mt. Jimba, I guess it was all worth it. Besides, the descent from Mt. Kagenobu may be also as long as the ascent to Mt. Jimba and back down.

These are what I have for the trail between Mt. Takao to Mt. Kagenobu:

There aren't much things to see between Mt. Kagenobu to Mt. Takao (and I was also very tired at that time to take pictures), so what I have are just pictures at the top of Mt. Jimba:

When you're hiking and thinking of doing the same route, make sure to check the weather forecast. When we reached the top of Mt. Jimba, it was apparent that the rain was coming, so we quickly started our descent. When we reached the road, the rain started to pour and we didn't have enough umbrellas. The bus stop back to Takao station (高尾駅) (not Takaosanguchi station) was also farther than we expected, so we were all wet.

For the weather forecast in Japan, I use tenki.jp (link).
To get around, you may use Jorudan Train Route Finder (link).
For other stuff about Mt. Takao, here is the official website (link).