Day 5 - last day in Phuket
We walked down the beach and found some beach chairs. It was really nice laying in the sun, nice and warm, reading or napping. If it got too warm, we jumped in the water. It was perfect. Warm, but still refreshing.
Sandy had a full-treatment Thai massage at the deluxe spa at the hotel. While she was doing that, I hiked over the ridge at the end of the beach and then down to an isolated spot. Very pretty and nice to get away from crowds.
We spent the evening running to the tailor shops getting last minute changes made to Sandy's custom suits. It was hectic and took a lot of finagling, but I think she ended up with some really nice stuff for a real deal.
We did get a photo by the marker that showed the high water mark of the Great Tsunami, which hit on December 26 2004. It was just over two years and there wasn't any sign of the disaster. Kind of funny when people keep talking about how New Orleans still hasn't recovered from Hurricane Katrina. The US is the richest country in the world, and not making light of Katrina but it was nothing like what hit these people. But you couldn't even see any evidence of the tsunami other than the marker at the main roundabout in town.

Day 6 - going home
Of course, the airport was a complete zoo leaving. That was the only bad part of the whole vacation. It took us two full hours to get through security (twice), check in, and emigration. The last took an hour for some unknown reason, and when people started to try to skip because their flights were leaving a riot almost broke out. Sandy was holding me back as I was ready to get right into it and go after the people who were jumping the queue. Hey, don't mess with a nerd.
Overall, it was a great trip. Thailand is a beautiful country and the Thai people are extremely friendly. Even with tourists, who are sometimes obnoxious and probably always somewhat annoying, I didn't meet anyone there who didn't seem genuinely friendly and courteous (ok - the taxi driver we had on the night we arrived, but that's only one guy). I'm sure we will go back. They do have diving in the Andaman Sea, but it is mostly on some of the outlying islands and takes some time and effort to get to. But it is supposed to be quite good diving. I would also like to explore some of the nooks and crannies of the island. There are supposed to be isolated beaches, but you have to get out and drive to find them.