Looking back on the past few weeks, it’s fun to think about the trip as a whole. It’s hard to see the big picture when you are knee deep in the daily grind of sightseeing, packing, traveling, finding food, navigating maps, getting lost, etc. We learned a lot about what it’s like to travel with 2 kids while trying to keep your sanity. Oh, and of course, having fun as a family! ☺ We are blessed to have been able to do this trip, even if it felt a little crazy at times!
It seemed like it was sometimes challenging to have all 4 of us on the same page with energy levels, hunger, desire to go out and do things, etc. When we went to China in 2008 with Audrey, it was so much easier in so many ways. One thing while traveling with 2 kids, Joe and I were always ‘on.’ At home, we each get sporadic breaks & a chance at alone time. During the trip, this only happened a couple of time for each of us- when we got massages, during our cooking classes, a run for Joe and a swim for me and when I snuck off with Laurel for a bit and when Joe went to the rugby game with Brian. That was it for the entire time. And when we were trying to get certain things done every day, it was almost impossible to make sure we each got some frequent down time.
And I suspect Audrey had similar feelings. She is used to getting time away from us to tend to herself- when she goes to school she gets to run and play with friends and go to ‘work.’ I think this is part of why she had so much fun playing with baby Miles and her friend Chase. Even though we made sure she got to choose activities and that we did kid friendly stuff, it’s just not the same. Plus, Audrey seems to be going through an emotional time lately, so she has been extra fragile and has needed to be handled with care. I just think her brain and her body are growing rapidly right now and she’s trying to process it all.
And poor little Scarlett. She is rounding the corner to being 2 years old and all she wants is freedom to explore and do things all by herself. She wants to walk by herself without holding hands, she wants to jump, run and be hands on. She wants to (and tries to) do everything her big sister does. She needs to be constantly watched because she will just walk off the edge into a swimming pool or run out into traffic- she just doesn’t know any better yet, but we are working on it! And there was A LOT of time that she spent strapped into the Ergo carrier or just being carried. And 98% of the time, the weather was HOT and humid. So being strapped into the carrier was extra hard on her as she gets sweaty very quickly. And when we were moving through very busy airports or in crowded markets, it meant she just couldn’t be down on her own. She is such a free, independent little spirit this was trying on her little soul.
With all of that said, one thing we learned from our China trip that we implemented here was to make sure we took breaks from busy days packed with sightseeing and have some down time in there too. This is where the 5 days on the beach came into play. And that time was indeed special for that very reason. We chilled out, we sat and watched the sun set, we played in the water and we had fun. Ahhh…
We tried not to do TOO much, but it was a busy schedule that we kept. We tried to soak it all in. We learned that even when you have been sitting on the back of an elephant for an hour and it’s a bumpy, hot, steep ride down and you are just ready to be done- it’s important to stop and remember the incredible thing that you are part of at that very moment and soak it all in. When you get home, you won’t have the chance to go outside and say, “Let’s go ride an elephant today.” It’s not an option, so enjoy the moment now.
We had fun. We were challenged. We truly enjoyed everywhere we went, loved seeing our friends and exploring places we’ve never been to before. And yes, we are still suffering from getting over jetlag, but we’d do the trip again in a heartbeat. Where to next??
And of course thanks to my wonderful hubby for making it all possible. ☺ We used the airline miles from all of those years Joe traveled back and forth to Boston to go on the trip. We couldn’t have afforded to go otherwise.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The WORST Line in an Airport EVER Could be Found in HKG Today!
Sunday, May 1: Day 19:
So we got up this morning and had a yummy pancake breakfast with the Allbrittons, said our good byes and hopped in a cab at 8:00 am. Audrey was totally bummed to be leaving Chase- she felt like she didn’t get enough time with her friend and even said in the cab, “I wish this was just the very first day of our trip so we can do it all over again.” Very sweet! Thank you thank you thank you for hosting us B, L, C and M!!
We were at the airport and standing in a medium sized line by 8:50 am for our 11:30 flight. PLENTY of time! We are NEVER this early to the airport. (This is one reason I am looking forward to Scarlett moving up to having her own seat on flights- when you travel with a lap infant, you can’t check in online. You have to do it in the airport, especially when traveling internationally.)
So we are standing in line, then Scarlett wanted milk, so I decided to wander around looking for some for her. We were gone 10-15 minutes & when we got back to Joe and Audrey, they had only moved 1 or 2 spots in line. We left again to go to the bathroom and same thing happened, but now the line was huge. We stood, we stood and stood some more. One hour passed. We probably moved about 3 spots up & still had at least 8 people in front of us. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Now the line reached almost to the exit doors. And now it was 10:30 & we still had a few people in front of us. People were starting to get pissed & official United folks were running around. Part of the problem- yesterday’s San Francisco flight was cancelled, so now those folks were trying to get on our flight. Plus, today’s Chicago flight was cancelled, so those people were scrambling. It wouldn’t have been so bad but it seemed like today was every United employee’s first day on the job. I mean they were clueless! One guy a few spots behind us flagged someone down to ask how worried he should be about missing the flight and they gave him a sticker. A sticker! No explanation about what that sticker meant either, then she just ran off. Audrey was stoked to see that they were handing out stickers so she asked for one too.
Well, long story and a lot of mad people later, we FINALLY made it up to the counter around 11:00 and got checked in. Thankfully we were not checking any bags as they never would have made it! (We do our best to only carry on due to one too many lost bags in the past) Mind you we still had to go through security and customs plus make it out to the proper concourse. We were moving as fast as possible and still had to run to catch the flight. Thankfully (for their sakes really) United held the plane until everyone was onboard. Idiots.
The flight went pretty smooth. The girls settled in and took some decent naps. We played games, colored, watched movies, wandered the aisles and watched the sun set and rise again. I don’t know which is stranger- having it be day time all the way across or watching night move that quickly.
We made it to SFO pretty beat, but still kicking. We had a 2-3 hour layover and thankfully our flight’s gate was right next to the kid’s play area. This kept the monkeys occupied until take off again. If you are ever in SFO with a decent layover and you are traveling with kids, you should seek it out. It’s located near gate 87. (And if you are ever there WITHOUT kids, avoid the area around gate 87 like the plague!) Everyone napped on the flight again which was good, but Audrey and Scarlett got into that deep sleep zone and Scarlett was NOT happy when we landed in Denver. She did her breath holding, kicking, crying thing the whole way off the plane.
And once again, we have to give 2 (or should it be 8??) thumbs up to our neighbors Dave and Sally. Not only did they drop us off at the airport when we left Denver, but they also parked our car at the valet off site parking lot so it would be waiting for us upon landing. (They were out of town this weekend too) So we hopped in and made it home safely by mid afternoon. And what do you know? While we were gone, the Easter Bunny came and left (plastic) eggs in the front yard for the girls to find. AND Easter Baskets on the dining room table! Wasn’t that super of him? Audrey and Scarlett happily ran around the yard collecting eggs and Audrey exclaimed, “This is the BEST Easter day ever!”
We all were about ready to pass out, but wanted the girls to go to bed at a reasonably normal hour. They were down and out by 7:15 and now Joe and I are just relaxing on the couch.
Phew! What a long, yet oddly short, fabulous journey. We are indeed glad to be home though and look forward to processing it all over the next few weeks.
I’ll be adding photos tonight after I get them all downloaded.
Thank you for following us on our journey!
So we got up this morning and had a yummy pancake breakfast with the Allbrittons, said our good byes and hopped in a cab at 8:00 am. Audrey was totally bummed to be leaving Chase- she felt like she didn’t get enough time with her friend and even said in the cab, “I wish this was just the very first day of our trip so we can do it all over again.” Very sweet! Thank you thank you thank you for hosting us B, L, C and M!!
We were at the airport and standing in a medium sized line by 8:50 am for our 11:30 flight. PLENTY of time! We are NEVER this early to the airport. (This is one reason I am looking forward to Scarlett moving up to having her own seat on flights- when you travel with a lap infant, you can’t check in online. You have to do it in the airport, especially when traveling internationally.)
So we are standing in line, then Scarlett wanted milk, so I decided to wander around looking for some for her. We were gone 10-15 minutes & when we got back to Joe and Audrey, they had only moved 1 or 2 spots in line. We left again to go to the bathroom and same thing happened, but now the line was huge. We stood, we stood and stood some more. One hour passed. We probably moved about 3 spots up & still had at least 8 people in front of us. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Now the line reached almost to the exit doors. And now it was 10:30 & we still had a few people in front of us. People were starting to get pissed & official United folks were running around. Part of the problem- yesterday’s San Francisco flight was cancelled, so now those folks were trying to get on our flight. Plus, today’s Chicago flight was cancelled, so those people were scrambling. It wouldn’t have been so bad but it seemed like today was every United employee’s first day on the job. I mean they were clueless! One guy a few spots behind us flagged someone down to ask how worried he should be about missing the flight and they gave him a sticker. A sticker! No explanation about what that sticker meant either, then she just ran off. Audrey was stoked to see that they were handing out stickers so she asked for one too.
Well, long story and a lot of mad people later, we FINALLY made it up to the counter around 11:00 and got checked in. Thankfully we were not checking any bags as they never would have made it! (We do our best to only carry on due to one too many lost bags in the past) Mind you we still had to go through security and customs plus make it out to the proper concourse. We were moving as fast as possible and still had to run to catch the flight. Thankfully (for their sakes really) United held the plane until everyone was onboard. Idiots.
The flight went pretty smooth. The girls settled in and took some decent naps. We played games, colored, watched movies, wandered the aisles and watched the sun set and rise again. I don’t know which is stranger- having it be day time all the way across or watching night move that quickly.
We made it to SFO pretty beat, but still kicking. We had a 2-3 hour layover and thankfully our flight’s gate was right next to the kid’s play area. This kept the monkeys occupied until take off again. If you are ever in SFO with a decent layover and you are traveling with kids, you should seek it out. It’s located near gate 87. (And if you are ever there WITHOUT kids, avoid the area around gate 87 like the plague!) Everyone napped on the flight again which was good, but Audrey and Scarlett got into that deep sleep zone and Scarlett was NOT happy when we landed in Denver. She did her breath holding, kicking, crying thing the whole way off the plane.
And once again, we have to give 2 (or should it be 8??) thumbs up to our neighbors Dave and Sally. Not only did they drop us off at the airport when we left Denver, but they also parked our car at the valet off site parking lot so it would be waiting for us upon landing. (They were out of town this weekend too) So we hopped in and made it home safely by mid afternoon. And what do you know? While we were gone, the Easter Bunny came and left (plastic) eggs in the front yard for the girls to find. AND Easter Baskets on the dining room table! Wasn’t that super of him? Audrey and Scarlett happily ran around the yard collecting eggs and Audrey exclaimed, “This is the BEST Easter day ever!”
We all were about ready to pass out, but wanted the girls to go to bed at a reasonably normal hour. They were down and out by 7:15 and now Joe and I are just relaxing on the couch.
Phew! What a long, yet oddly short, fabulous journey. We are indeed glad to be home though and look forward to processing it all over the next few weeks.
I’ll be adding photos tonight after I get them all downloaded.
Thank you for following us on our journey!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Our One Full Day with the Allbrittons
Saturday, April 30: Day 18:
Since we leave tomorrow, today is our one full day with the Allbrittons in Hong Kong. They wanted to show us around Sai Kung town so we could get a feel for the place they enjoy living in. Sai Kung is part of the New Territories east of Hong Kong. Depending on traffic, they are about 30-60 minutes from Central Hong Kong. Sai Kung town is technically a fishing village with a little walkable downtown. We went into town for dim sum right near the water. The food was pretty tasty, which the girls ate with their new kiddy chopsticks that Langley bought for them. Scarlett enjoyed practicing by picking up her raisins with her chopsticks. It was raining again, so we didn’t really walk around town too much.
The other fun part of today was going to a kids’ fashion show in Central. At the last minute, Chase was invited to participate in it, so they jumped at the chance. We felt like we came rolling into Hong Kong on fumes yesterday, so we welcomed the chance to just do something low key. And since it was again raining and foggy, Victoria Peak was out. Unfortunately, Audrey got the impression that she was also going to get to put on make-up and a pretty dress for the show. When she discovered this was not the case, she was heartbroken and didn’t understand why she just couldn’t do it too. Langley and I tried to explain it to her, but it was a toughy. I realized how bad she felt, so I decided to take Audrey into the city and walk around a bit. She needed some special mommy time to bring her spirits back up. The rest of the gang came later right before the show started. Scarlett was able to get a much needed nap in while Joe and Brian hung out.
The fashion show was a total hoot. Chase did great and even won first place. Audrey enjoyed seeing her friend walk the catwalk and decided she would like to try it someday!
After the show, we went back to Sai Kung with the kids while Joe and Brian stayed behind and went to a rugby match. Hong Kong vs. Japan, with Japan winning. The guys had a great time and were back home for dinner. Once again JoJo made amazing meals for both kids and adults and we all had a great time chatting. Scarlett and Madoc played well together as did Audrey and Chase.
We lost the Allbrittons again tonight to an early bedtime ☺, while Joe and I stayed up so I could get stuff packed for our departure tomorrow morning. It’s so weird that this is our last night! But I feel like we are all ready to head home.
Since we leave tomorrow, today is our one full day with the Allbrittons in Hong Kong. They wanted to show us around Sai Kung town so we could get a feel for the place they enjoy living in. Sai Kung is part of the New Territories east of Hong Kong. Depending on traffic, they are about 30-60 minutes from Central Hong Kong. Sai Kung town is technically a fishing village with a little walkable downtown. We went into town for dim sum right near the water. The food was pretty tasty, which the girls ate with their new kiddy chopsticks that Langley bought for them. Scarlett enjoyed practicing by picking up her raisins with her chopsticks. It was raining again, so we didn’t really walk around town too much.
The other fun part of today was going to a kids’ fashion show in Central. At the last minute, Chase was invited to participate in it, so they jumped at the chance. We felt like we came rolling into Hong Kong on fumes yesterday, so we welcomed the chance to just do something low key. And since it was again raining and foggy, Victoria Peak was out. Unfortunately, Audrey got the impression that she was also going to get to put on make-up and a pretty dress for the show. When she discovered this was not the case, she was heartbroken and didn’t understand why she just couldn’t do it too. Langley and I tried to explain it to her, but it was a toughy. I realized how bad she felt, so I decided to take Audrey into the city and walk around a bit. She needed some special mommy time to bring her spirits back up. The rest of the gang came later right before the show started. Scarlett was able to get a much needed nap in while Joe and Brian hung out.
The fashion show was a total hoot. Chase did great and even won first place. Audrey enjoyed seeing her friend walk the catwalk and decided she would like to try it someday!
After the show, we went back to Sai Kung with the kids while Joe and Brian stayed behind and went to a rugby match. Hong Kong vs. Japan, with Japan winning. The guys had a great time and were back home for dinner. Once again JoJo made amazing meals for both kids and adults and we all had a great time chatting. Scarlett and Madoc played well together as did Audrey and Chase.
We lost the Allbrittons again tonight to an early bedtime ☺, while Joe and I stayed up so I could get stuff packed for our departure tomorrow morning. It’s so weird that this is our last night! But I feel like we are all ready to head home.
Hello Hong Kong! Our Final Leg
Friday, April 29: Day 17:
So we arrived in Hong Kong at 10:15 am. We really just had this morning/ early afternoon in the city because we planned to go to our friends’, the Allbrittons, house in Sai Kung around 4:00 pm. We had to find food somewhere because we only had a small breakfast and everyone needed some sustenance. We also needed to figure out what to do with our bags while we explored. It had to be somewhere that made sense for us.
We took the train to the Kowloon station, which was in the lower level of a large shopping mall. We ate lunch at the mall and left our bags in a locker there. This worked great b/c we planned to go back to the station to catch a train out to Sai Kung.
Before we left on the trip, we got some kid friendly videos of the different cities we were visiting so Audrey could be inspired. One thing she saw on the Hong Kong video was that the world’s longest escalator was there. (see photo- we are at the beginning of the first section of the escalator)
That was her top choice for things to do. One thing we are doing while traveling to keep the kids engaged is making sure we do things they will enjoy. And even more importantly for Audrey is that we give her the power to choose activities (within reason of course). So escalator riding it is! And with the weather the way it was today, Joe’s first choice of Victoria Peak wasn’t possible.
We took the train a few stops across to central Hong Kong. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the escalators it was already 1:30 or so (due to a horribly annoying experience at the restaurant where they brought us the wrong foods, didn’t bring us the one thing I thought the girls would eat, ignored us, were rude, etc… I feel like this time it was more than just a language barrier.)
The escalator is divided into sections. Sometimes it was a block long, sometimes a couple of blocks. Sometimes it was a moving walkway and at others it was a standard escalator. We would have liked to stop along the way, pop off into the neighborhood and check things out. However, we were short on time and it was raining, so we kept riding. It was actually a great activity because most of the escalator route was covered and the weather limited us in what we could do.
The neighborhood was filled with interesting shops, a huge variety of restaurants, tons of people and apartment buildings. We stopped for a bit to take a rest and have a snack. It felt like a real slice of Hong Kong. If we had an extra day here, I would want to spend a little time exploring this neighborhood more.
We got back to the bags by 3:30 and asked the MRT guy how much time a train vs. cab would take to get to Sai Kung. If we just took a cab, we could get there pretty close to our estimated arrival time of 4:00. We got in the cab line, which took us a solid 15-20 minutes just to get a cab! Then once we got in, the cabbie didn’t know how to get to the Allbrittons’ house. The guy managing the cab line helped us help the driver, but it was annoying. We immediately thought maybe we should just take the next cab, but they insisted we stay and figure it out. It took at least another 20+ minutes to start moving! By this time it was 5:00 and rush hour! Argh. We were frustrated and since they didn’t eat much today, the girls were a little nutty.
We finally made it to Brian and Langley’s just before 6:00. We know these guys from Audrey’s class last year at Montview. Their daughter Chase was a friend of Audrey’s. The girls are very similar and hit it off right away when they met. They also have another daughter, Madoc who is 5 months older than Scarlett, so it was fun to see those 2 actually play together. They were just babies when B&L moved from Denver to Hong Kong last year.
Their helper JoJo made some lovely meals for the kids and us. She even hung out upstairs with the kids so the adults could have a relaxing dinner free of interruptions from the kids. Um, hello- how cool was that?! That was AMAZING! I would LOVE to have a JoJo of my very own. Not only for what she does, but how she does it and who she is. We only just met her and can sense what a great person she is. And Scarlett, who is usually very skeptical of anyone who doesn’t live in our house, took to JoJo right away. She even said “Hi JoJo.” And “Thank you JoJo.” ☺
The Allbrittons had just returned from the US 5 days before we arrived, so they were tired and we all went to bed early. We had a great time catching up tonight!
So we arrived in Hong Kong at 10:15 am. We really just had this morning/ early afternoon in the city because we planned to go to our friends’, the Allbrittons, house in Sai Kung around 4:00 pm. We had to find food somewhere because we only had a small breakfast and everyone needed some sustenance. We also needed to figure out what to do with our bags while we explored. It had to be somewhere that made sense for us.
We took the train to the Kowloon station, which was in the lower level of a large shopping mall. We ate lunch at the mall and left our bags in a locker there. This worked great b/c we planned to go back to the station to catch a train out to Sai Kung.
Before we left on the trip, we got some kid friendly videos of the different cities we were visiting so Audrey could be inspired. One thing she saw on the Hong Kong video was that the world’s longest escalator was there. (see photo- we are at the beginning of the first section of the escalator)
That was her top choice for things to do. One thing we are doing while traveling to keep the kids engaged is making sure we do things they will enjoy. And even more importantly for Audrey is that we give her the power to choose activities (within reason of course). So escalator riding it is! And with the weather the way it was today, Joe’s first choice of Victoria Peak wasn’t possible.
We took the train a few stops across to central Hong Kong. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the escalators it was already 1:30 or so (due to a horribly annoying experience at the restaurant where they brought us the wrong foods, didn’t bring us the one thing I thought the girls would eat, ignored us, were rude, etc… I feel like this time it was more than just a language barrier.)
The escalator is divided into sections. Sometimes it was a block long, sometimes a couple of blocks. Sometimes it was a moving walkway and at others it was a standard escalator. We would have liked to stop along the way, pop off into the neighborhood and check things out. However, we were short on time and it was raining, so we kept riding. It was actually a great activity because most of the escalator route was covered and the weather limited us in what we could do.
The neighborhood was filled with interesting shops, a huge variety of restaurants, tons of people and apartment buildings. We stopped for a bit to take a rest and have a snack. It felt like a real slice of Hong Kong. If we had an extra day here, I would want to spend a little time exploring this neighborhood more.We got back to the bags by 3:30 and asked the MRT guy how much time a train vs. cab would take to get to Sai Kung. If we just took a cab, we could get there pretty close to our estimated arrival time of 4:00. We got in the cab line, which took us a solid 15-20 minutes just to get a cab! Then once we got in, the cabbie didn’t know how to get to the Allbrittons’ house. The guy managing the cab line helped us help the driver, but it was annoying. We immediately thought maybe we should just take the next cab, but they insisted we stay and figure it out. It took at least another 20+ minutes to start moving! By this time it was 5:00 and rush hour! Argh. We were frustrated and since they didn’t eat much today, the girls were a little nutty.
We finally made it to Brian and Langley’s just before 6:00. We know these guys from Audrey’s class last year at Montview. Their daughter Chase was a friend of Audrey’s. The girls are very similar and hit it off right away when they met. They also have another daughter, Madoc who is 5 months older than Scarlett, so it was fun to see those 2 actually play together. They were just babies when B&L moved from Denver to Hong Kong last year.
Their helper JoJo made some lovely meals for the kids and us. She even hung out upstairs with the kids so the adults could have a relaxing dinner free of interruptions from the kids. Um, hello- how cool was that?! That was AMAZING! I would LOVE to have a JoJo of my very own. Not only for what she does, but how she does it and who she is. We only just met her and can sense what a great person she is. And Scarlett, who is usually very skeptical of anyone who doesn’t live in our house, took to JoJo right away. She even said “Hi JoJo.” And “Thank you JoJo.” ☺
The Allbrittons had just returned from the US 5 days before we arrived, so they were tired and we all went to bed early. We had a great time catching up tonight!
Final Thoughts on Chiang Mai
We really liked Chiang Mai and feel that we could have spent a couple more days exploring the city and the surrounding area. We recommend going here if you get the chance. There are a couple of big, beautiful temples outside of the city that I really wanted to see, but we just didn’t have time. I have read about some amazing trekking that you can do in the mountains too, but that will have to wait. This just means we’ll have to go back. And while the hotel was nice and had some great features for traveling with kids, it was a bit too far out of town to easily explore the city. And there was really nothing else near the hotel. It will be nice to go back someday when the girls are quite a bit older so we can do more in the evenings and stay at one of the little boutique hotels in town. So many of the neighborhoods we walked through had great little bars, restaurants, hotels, markets, etc, all tucked into alleys and small windy streets, hidden from the busier streets.
Audrey’s favorite part was the elephants. And I think we all agreed!
Audrey’s favorite part was the elephants. And I think we all agreed!
Trying to Soak it All In
When we were on the shuttle from the Bangkok hotel to the airport at 4:00 am after only being there for approximately 11 hours, Audrey turned to me and said, "Mommy, why are leaving Bangkok so soon? I haven't had a chance to soak it all in yet."
Good Bye Chiang Mai & One Night in Bangkok
Thursday, April 28: Day 16:
Today I had my cooking class, which was loads of fun! We pounded our own spices and made curry from scratch. It was amazing how the spice of the curry cooking FILLED the room and made us all choke and cough. (more about it in the cooking class blog entry)
I took the Yellow Car into town at 8:00 am. I planned to take a motorbike tuk tuk to the neighborhood where the class was, but
I saw a bicycle tuk tuk guy parked across the street. Since it was just me this morning and not the whole Keeley gang, I could fit in his small carriage, so I decided to experience something a bit different. It was a great, slow 15 minute ride past temples, shops, and local people going about their day.
I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't find the kitchen since we took the wrong turn last night, but I did. I also discovered that when we got lost last night, we had veered right when we should have gone left and that we were only 3 blocks from a hotel where lots of cabs came. Doh!
Joe spent the morning with the girls at the hotel grounds feeding the gigantic fish and going to the playground. He finished our packing, checked us out of the hotel and caught the 11:00 free shuttle. They went shopping at a market a few blocks from the kitchen where Joe finally got himself a souvenir- a Chang Beer t-shirt. ☺
They had lunch together and Scarlett apparently gobbled up several breadsticks. Hey, at least she ate something!
After my class, Joe & the girls picked me up, we took a tuk tuk (which Scarlett now yells “Tuk Tuk!” whenever she sees one) and then took the yellow car back to the hotel. The hotel shuttle brought us to the airport for our 5:30 flight. We landed in Bangkok at 6:30 and the hotel there picked us up with a shuttle. It was a little annoying b/c we had to wait for about 20 minutes for other people to get on the shuttle, it was dinnertime and the girls were done.
We finally made it to the hotel and went to the restaurant to eat. The hotel is outside of the main city, but is close to the airport. Since we fly out at 6:30 am tomorrow, we tried to get as close as possible. The baby bed that they left for us was broken, they didn’t have one that wasn’t broken, so they gave us this baby bassinet that swung from side to side. Really? I had to squeeze it between our bed and a nightstand and tuck towels around it to hold it still so Scarlett wouldn’t get hurt by standing and flipping it over. Needless to say, I barely slept as I was too worried about her. We would have just put her in bed with us, but Audrey was already there.
In the short time we are staying in this hotel, we feel like we’ve gotten a lot of the “Uh huh. Yes. We understand. No problem. Consider it done,” attitude from the hotel staff, when in fact they don’t understand and don’t do anything we ask. Definitely just a language barrier problem, but I just wish they would just say, “I don’t understand. Please explain in another way.” That would be way less annoying.
We have to get up at 3:45 am to catch the 4:00 shuttle to make it to the airport on time for our flight to Hong Kong, so early bed time for us tonight. The city of Bangkok will have to wait until another trip when we can really explore it.
Hong Kong, here we come!
Today I had my cooking class, which was loads of fun! We pounded our own spices and made curry from scratch. It was amazing how the spice of the curry cooking FILLED the room and made us all choke and cough. (more about it in the cooking class blog entry)
I took the Yellow Car into town at 8:00 am. I planned to take a motorbike tuk tuk to the neighborhood where the class was, but
I saw a bicycle tuk tuk guy parked across the street. Since it was just me this morning and not the whole Keeley gang, I could fit in his small carriage, so I decided to experience something a bit different. It was a great, slow 15 minute ride past temples, shops, and local people going about their day.
I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't find the kitchen since we took the wrong turn last night, but I did. I also discovered that when we got lost last night, we had veered right when we should have gone left and that we were only 3 blocks from a hotel where lots of cabs came. Doh!
Joe spent the morning with the girls at the hotel grounds feeding the gigantic fish and going to the playground. He finished our packing, checked us out of the hotel and caught the 11:00 free shuttle. They went shopping at a market a few blocks from the kitchen where Joe finally got himself a souvenir- a Chang Beer t-shirt. ☺
They had lunch together and Scarlett apparently gobbled up several breadsticks. Hey, at least she ate something!
After my class, Joe & the girls picked me up, we took a tuk tuk (which Scarlett now yells “Tuk Tuk!” whenever she sees one) and then took the yellow car back to the hotel. The hotel shuttle brought us to the airport for our 5:30 flight. We landed in Bangkok at 6:30 and the hotel there picked us up with a shuttle. It was a little annoying b/c we had to wait for about 20 minutes for other people to get on the shuttle, it was dinnertime and the girls were done.
We finally made it to the hotel and went to the restaurant to eat. The hotel is outside of the main city, but is close to the airport. Since we fly out at 6:30 am tomorrow, we tried to get as close as possible. The baby bed that they left for us was broken, they didn’t have one that wasn’t broken, so they gave us this baby bassinet that swung from side to side. Really? I had to squeeze it between our bed and a nightstand and tuck towels around it to hold it still so Scarlett wouldn’t get hurt by standing and flipping it over. Needless to say, I barely slept as I was too worried about her. We would have just put her in bed with us, but Audrey was already there.
In the short time we are staying in this hotel, we feel like we’ve gotten a lot of the “Uh huh. Yes. We understand. No problem. Consider it done,” attitude from the hotel staff, when in fact they don’t understand and don’t do anything we ask. Definitely just a language barrier problem, but I just wish they would just say, “I don’t understand. Please explain in another way.” That would be way less annoying.
We have to get up at 3:45 am to catch the 4:00 shuttle to make it to the airport on time for our flight to Hong Kong, so early bed time for us tonight. The city of Bangkok will have to wait until another trip when we can really explore it.
Hong Kong, here we come!
Asia Scenic Thai Cooking Class
The cooking classes began with a tour of the homeowner’s herb garden, then a walk down the street to the local food market to introduce some of the ingredients Thai people use in their cooking. 
For the 1/2 day class that we signed up for, you make 3 dishes from different categories. (a full day class does all 5 categories) You can choose from Appetizer, Noodle, Stir Fried, Soup, or Dessert. Then you have to make a curry paste and a curry. The class agrees as a whole on 3 categories, then you can choose individually what you want to make. Joe made Spring Rolls, Pad Thai, Spicy Basil Stir Fry and red curry. I made the Papaya Salad, Pad See Uw, Sticky Rice with Mango and Penang Curry.
It was all so fun and easy to make! The classes were about 8-10 people from all walks of life, which made for fun atmospheres for Joe and I. He began chatting with the girl next to him and as it turned out, she also was from Denver and lives in the Wash Park neighborhood, just 4 blocks away from some friends of ours! Too funny!
Joe and I both look forward to cooking Thai food at home now that we know how. And I have discovered a new thing to do while traveling! Or even while at home. Cooking classes are loads of fun! And this particular one was 700 Baht (about $23). The full day class was only 900 Baht, but we didn’t have the time for it unfortunately. We were not only sent home with the skills, but we also got a great little cookbook to keep.
For the 1/2 day class that we signed up for, you make 3 dishes from different categories. (a full day class does all 5 categories) You can choose from Appetizer, Noodle, Stir Fried, Soup, or Dessert. Then you have to make a curry paste and a curry. The class agrees as a whole on 3 categories, then you can choose individually what you want to make. Joe made Spring Rolls, Pad Thai, Spicy Basil Stir Fry and red curry. I made the Papaya Salad, Pad See Uw, Sticky Rice with Mango and Penang Curry.
It was all so fun and easy to make! The classes were about 8-10 people from all walks of life, which made for fun atmospheres for Joe and I. He began chatting with the girl next to him and as it turned out, she also was from Denver and lives in the Wash Park neighborhood, just 4 blocks away from some friends of ours! Too funny!
Joe and I both look forward to cooking Thai food at home now that we know how. And I have discovered a new thing to do while traveling! Or even while at home. Cooking classes are loads of fun! And this particular one was 700 Baht (about $23). The full day class was only 900 Baht, but we didn’t have the time for it unfortunately. We were not only sent home with the skills, but we also got a great little cookbook to keep.
Elephants!
Wednesday, April 27: Day 15:
I intended to book an elephant camp excursion before we left for the trip, but things were NUTS! Then I fully intended to book it sometime before getting to Thailand, but the internet access was spotty at best. So needless to say the 2 camps that had been recommended to me by friends were totally booked. But I did find one, called Maesa Elephant Camp, that had room for this morning. So we went! The hotel booked a taxi to bring us out there, wait for us, and then bring us back to the hotel. This was about 5-6 hours of service for 1200 Baht ($40). We arrived at 8:00 just in time for the elephant show. Now honestly, for this adventure, I was imagining more of a hands on experience- getting into the river with the elephants, bathing and feeding them and experiencing what it would be like to be an elephant handler for one day. The other camps do indeed do this. Joe however was glad that this camp was less hands-on and more of a sit back and watch some elephants do stuff. Joe's not really an animal guy.
So we watched the 1 hour show (that the children also enjoyed) which included elephants playing soccer, pulling and piling logs, painting, etc... and then we went to ride an elephant.
All 4 of us sat in a seat (much like what you find on a ferris wheel at the fair) on the elephant's back while the trainer sat behind the elephant's head. We rode for an hour on a path that went up and down hills at a pretty steep grade, making our way to a village in the hills. The elephant moved slowly, stopping to eat, pee and poo whenever his heart desired or needed. At one point, Audrey felt a bug on her ankle, so she kicked her shoe off to scare it away. The trainer had to get down to retrieve it before it got squished into elephant poop and left behind. He was very kind and gave us an umbrella to shade the girls, stopped to take our photos for us (a service they were charging 200 Baht for back at the camp) and he chatted with us occasionally in his broken, yet reasonably good, English.
We made it to this village in the hills where the Longneck People live. Now it obviously caters to tourists on a certain level as the women have their goods for sale in front of their houses and they are all decked out in their colorful outfits, jewelry and make-up. 
However, it is indeed a working village where people live, farm and make their woven goods. (from the internet: Long Neck people are a unique hill tribe in Thailand as some of the women choose to wear a brass coil that over time elongates the neck as much as double. Originating in Burma (Union of Myanmar) these unique peoples are a small minority of the Karennin or Red Karen people of Burma. There is much speculation about why the rings are worn by the women of this tribe but, when asked, most of these gentle and proud ladies will tell you it is simply tradition.) It was pretty interesting actually, but it was also getting very hot. The driver met us there and brought us back to the hotel around lunchtime.
We had lunch, put Scarlett down for a nap and relaxed in the room for a bit while it rained. Chiang Mai is positioned up against a mountain range much like the Denver/ Boulder area is. It also seems to have a similar weather pattern as Denver does during the summer with a regular afternoon rain shower.
We got Scarlett up and caught a Yellow Car around 3:00 so Joe could be in town for his cooking class. We booked Thai Cooking Classes through a place called Asia Scenic. I have one tomorrow morning. Unfortunately we had to split up so one of us could be with the girls while the other was cooking. The girls and I wandered around until his class ended around 8:00 pm. We had dinner at this place called The Riva, mostly because I could order pancakes for dinner, which is the one food we can almost guarantee Scarlett will eat on this trip. She has been unbelievably difficult with the food situation. I plan to stage a food intervention when we get home to get her eating properly again. But for now, it's pancakes for dinner.
We then took a tuk tuk to the Night Market, which opens at 7:00 pm. This is just a handful of blocks of people selling trinkets, tourist stuff, junk, and art. The girls REALLY liked this tuk tuk ride. Scarlett was woo hoo-ing and screaming happily as we bumped along the streets. Audrey loved checking out the sights and sounds and looked like she could be 19, holding onto the hand grip, her hair blowing in the breeze and soaking it all in.
We then went to pick up Joe. He really enjoyed the class! (See next entry for details) As we left the kitchen, we accidentally took a wrong turn and instead of walking 3 blocks before getting to a good spot to hail a cab, we walked a LONG way, carrying the 2 tired girls. (I have been telling myself that even though I have not been able to keep up with official workouts on this trip, carrying a 25 or 36 pound child around everywhere must count for something!). We saw NO cabs and couldn't quite figure out which direction we were walking in. A tuk tuk driver pulled over and said he would take us for free to a spot where we could find cabs. He drove us for about 4-5 minutes, found the cabs and got out to talk to the driver to make sure he knew where to take us. This is just a good example of the truly kind people we have run into on this trip. That man did not have to do any of that, but i think he saw us carrying the girls down a dark street and took pity. How nice! We are so grateful to his kindness and did of course tip him. There was some discussion between the tuk tuk guy, the cabbie and this lady who appeared out of nowhere. She insisted that it should cost 5oo Baht to get to the hotel, but I assured her it was 400. More discussion, but of course we agreed to 500, as it was late and we just needed to get the girls to bed. We got to the hotel and the cabbie realized it wasn't as far away as he thought it was. Joe handed him a 500 and he gave us 100 back. (Again an example of kindness) He didn't have to be honest, but he was. He even chatted with us a bit as we got out of the cab, helped us with our bags and showed us pictures of his baby girl. Kids down and lights out for me after midnight as I had to get the bags mostly packed for our departure to Hong Kong tomorrow.
I intended to book an elephant camp excursion before we left for the trip, but things were NUTS! Then I fully intended to book it sometime before getting to Thailand, but the internet access was spotty at best. So needless to say the 2 camps that had been recommended to me by friends were totally booked. But I did find one, called Maesa Elephant Camp, that had room for this morning. So we went! The hotel booked a taxi to bring us out there, wait for us, and then bring us back to the hotel. This was about 5-6 hours of service for 1200 Baht ($40). We arrived at 8:00 just in time for the elephant show. Now honestly, for this adventure, I was imagining more of a hands on experience- getting into the river with the elephants, bathing and feeding them and experiencing what it would be like to be an elephant handler for one day. The other camps do indeed do this. Joe however was glad that this camp was less hands-on and more of a sit back and watch some elephants do stuff. Joe's not really an animal guy.
So we watched the 1 hour show (that the children also enjoyed) which included elephants playing soccer, pulling and piling logs, painting, etc... and then we went to ride an elephant.
All 4 of us sat in a seat (much like what you find on a ferris wheel at the fair) on the elephant's back while the trainer sat behind the elephant's head. We rode for an hour on a path that went up and down hills at a pretty steep grade, making our way to a village in the hills. The elephant moved slowly, stopping to eat, pee and poo whenever his heart desired or needed. At one point, Audrey felt a bug on her ankle, so she kicked her shoe off to scare it away. The trainer had to get down to retrieve it before it got squished into elephant poop and left behind. He was very kind and gave us an umbrella to shade the girls, stopped to take our photos for us (a service they were charging 200 Baht for back at the camp) and he chatted with us occasionally in his broken, yet reasonably good, English. 
We made it to this village in the hills where the Longneck People live. Now it obviously caters to tourists on a certain level as the women have their goods for sale in front of their houses and they are all decked out in their colorful outfits, jewelry and make-up. 
However, it is indeed a working village where people live, farm and make their woven goods. (from the internet: Long Neck people are a unique hill tribe in Thailand as some of the women choose to wear a brass coil that over time elongates the neck as much as double. Originating in Burma (Union of Myanmar) these unique peoples are a small minority of the Karennin or Red Karen people of Burma. There is much speculation about why the rings are worn by the women of this tribe but, when asked, most of these gentle and proud ladies will tell you it is simply tradition.) It was pretty interesting actually, but it was also getting very hot. The driver met us there and brought us back to the hotel around lunchtime.
We had lunch, put Scarlett down for a nap and relaxed in the room for a bit while it rained. Chiang Mai is positioned up against a mountain range much like the Denver/ Boulder area is. It also seems to have a similar weather pattern as Denver does during the summer with a regular afternoon rain shower.
We got Scarlett up and caught a Yellow Car around 3:00 so Joe could be in town for his cooking class. We booked Thai Cooking Classes through a place called Asia Scenic. I have one tomorrow morning. Unfortunately we had to split up so one of us could be with the girls while the other was cooking. The girls and I wandered around until his class ended around 8:00 pm. We had dinner at this place called The Riva, mostly because I could order pancakes for dinner, which is the one food we can almost guarantee Scarlett will eat on this trip. She has been unbelievably difficult with the food situation. I plan to stage a food intervention when we get home to get her eating properly again. But for now, it's pancakes for dinner.
We then took a tuk tuk to the Night Market, which opens at 7:00 pm. This is just a handful of blocks of people selling trinkets, tourist stuff, junk, and art. The girls REALLY liked this tuk tuk ride. Scarlett was woo hoo-ing and screaming happily as we bumped along the streets. Audrey loved checking out the sights and sounds and looked like she could be 19, holding onto the hand grip, her hair blowing in the breeze and soaking it all in.
We then went to pick up Joe. He really enjoyed the class! (See next entry for details) As we left the kitchen, we accidentally took a wrong turn and instead of walking 3 blocks before getting to a good spot to hail a cab, we walked a LONG way, carrying the 2 tired girls. (I have been telling myself that even though I have not been able to keep up with official workouts on this trip, carrying a 25 or 36 pound child around everywhere must count for something!). We saw NO cabs and couldn't quite figure out which direction we were walking in. A tuk tuk driver pulled over and said he would take us for free to a spot where we could find cabs. He drove us for about 4-5 minutes, found the cabs and got out to talk to the driver to make sure he knew where to take us. This is just a good example of the truly kind people we have run into on this trip. That man did not have to do any of that, but i think he saw us carrying the girls down a dark street and took pity. How nice! We are so grateful to his kindness and did of course tip him. There was some discussion between the tuk tuk guy, the cabbie and this lady who appeared out of nowhere. She insisted that it should cost 5oo Baht to get to the hotel, but I assured her it was 400. More discussion, but of course we agreed to 500, as it was late and we just needed to get the girls to bed. We got to the hotel and the cabbie realized it wasn't as far away as he thought it was. Joe handed him a 500 and he gave us 100 back. (Again an example of kindness) He didn't have to be honest, but he was. He even chatted with us a bit as we got out of the cab, helped us with our bags and showed us pictures of his baby girl. Kids down and lights out for me after midnight as I had to get the bags mostly packed for our departure to Hong Kong tomorrow.
Ouch! That Hurt
Tuesday, April 26: Day 14
Well, it was bound to happen eventually. How could it not, really? When you take a trip like this with 2 small children, you expect it. You anticipate it. You feel it's looming presence and you dread its arrival. The anticipation is almost worse than when it does finally come, almost. What do I speak of? The horrifying Day of Devil Children. Today was the day that our travel angels turned into travel demons, testing us at every turn, whining, crying, screaming, kicking, tantrums, complaining... making you want to set them down and walk away. And believe me, today Joe and I were tempted to do exactly that.
Today we planned to visit some of the many lovely Buddhist Temples all over the city of Chiang Mai. And each and every one we visited had welcoming steps that I'm quite certain our children would have been safe on as we abandoned them. I'm equally as certain that the monks would have taken good care of them and quite possibly raised them better than we are raising them.
Ahh... that almost feels better just typing it! So what exactly happened today that made me want to leave my children with Buddhist monks?
We started with a fairly uneventful breakfast, but one in which Scarlett would barely eat anything.
We went to the petting zoo, fed the animals, did the playground, then went into town. We then wandered around the gardens at the hotel until 11:00 when the free shuttle went into the city. There was lots of whining from #1 as we walked around about all of the things we were doing that she didn't care to do. And mind you, she was being carried around by yours truly.
We had the driver stop at the first temple, Wat Phra Sing where we were mobbed by tons of taxi drivers who wanted to drive us around the city checking out temples. The girls were grumpy, so we decided to get a snack across the street at a coffee shop before bringing our highly spirited children into the sanctuary of the temple.
The whole time while having the snack Audrey complained and moaned at us about how we never buy her anything (mind you, the child has been getting souvenirs in every city so far), she didn't like this, didn't like that, we were horrible and mean (all while she's munching on a piece of Dutch Apple pie that SHE picked out) and Scarlett is hitting us, NOT eating (again), doing her best 'backbends of rebellion' as if she were being judged on precision of motions, screams and tears. Joe was having an epic battle with her, so I took her outside and gave her a time out. This relaxed her a bit, so we took our chances on the temple.
It was lovely, the children cooperated and we exited unscathed.
We decided that we needed to stop and find lunch b/c Scarlett really needed to eat something. We found this fantastic little place about 1 block from the temple. It was a small restaurant attached to a guest house and was super quaint and relaxing (or should have been). We ordered a sweet & sour veggie, a chicken noodle dish and some sticky rice with mango. Surely she would eat something -NOT! Scarlett continued to be a mad child while Audrey went back to her diatribe about how we weren't doing anything for her and we were so mean. Scarlett continued with her Olympic quality performance of "I'm almost 2 tantrums" and not eating. Joe and I shoveled in bites as fast as we could and continued onto the next temple, which was across the street.
There was more of the same for both children and I tried to bring myself to some place mentally where I didn't want to either slit my own wrists (I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen often outside the doors of centuries old Buddhist temples!) or abandon my children.
I did manage to bring Audrey down a bit from her crazy train, but it was obvious that both children were just plain exhausted. A storm had slowly started moving in from the mountains and was now dropping some rain.
From being accosted by tuk tuk drivers earlier, we knew that we could get one to drive us around the city sightseeing for 60 Baht. We decided to do this to encourage naps and get out of the rain. I argued a bit with one guy who insisted on bringing us out to this "village" with streets lined with shops filled with silks, jewelry, umbrellas, etc.. All of which he ASSURED me our kids would really enjoy walking around seeing. Meanwhile, I'm standing there holding Audrey whose eyes were crossed from being so tired and Joe had Scarlett who was again revving up into her next performance. He obviously was not paying ANY attention to our kids' behavior, but we suspect he got some kind of financial kickback for bringing people out to this shopping district and that's why he was so hell bent on bringing us there. We walked away, tried another guy who said there was no way he could drive us around for an hour for 60 Baht and insisted on taking no less than 100. (He obviously WAS paying attention to the kids' behavior and was like, "There's no way in hell I am spending 1 hour with those devil kids and only getting paid 60 Baht! You people are nuts.") And yes, I realize this is only a difference of roughly $1.30.
But the next guy agreed to it, so we jumped in just as the rain was really starting to come down. Scarlett was asleep within 2 blocks and Audrey enjoyed the ride for a bit, but was out about 15 minutes later. Joe and I (finally) enjoyed a moment of peace, snuggling our (again lovely & sleeping) children, shielding them from the chilly rain in the back of a tuk tuk as we drove around seeing the city of Chiang Mai.
About an hour later, the driver dropped us off at Wosret Market, which is their Chinatown. We wandered around a bit then looked for a Yellow Car to take back to the hotel. To take a taxi back out, it costs 400 Baht. The yellow car is really more of a little truck with a topper on it. It has a padded bench on each side of the truck's bed and seats about 10 people. The back has an open doorway that you just pop into. There's also a little platform with ladders on the back of the truck that can fit a couple more people and 2 more can fit in the front seat with the driver. There are no organized stops, you just push a buzzer to let the driver know you want off, and then you pay him the fare. We paid about 60 Baht for the 4 of us to go the 10+ Km.
We had intended on staying in the city for dinner, but at this point, Joe and I felt like we had been through battle and just wanted to call it a day. It was dinner and early lights out for all.
Phew.
Well, it was bound to happen eventually. How could it not, really? When you take a trip like this with 2 small children, you expect it. You anticipate it. You feel it's looming presence and you dread its arrival. The anticipation is almost worse than when it does finally come, almost. What do I speak of? The horrifying Day of Devil Children. Today was the day that our travel angels turned into travel demons, testing us at every turn, whining, crying, screaming, kicking, tantrums, complaining... making you want to set them down and walk away. And believe me, today Joe and I were tempted to do exactly that. Today we planned to visit some of the many lovely Buddhist Temples all over the city of Chiang Mai. And each and every one we visited had welcoming steps that I'm quite certain our children would have been safe on as we abandoned them. I'm equally as certain that the monks would have taken good care of them and quite possibly raised them better than we are raising them.
Ahh... that almost feels better just typing it! So what exactly happened today that made me want to leave my children with Buddhist monks? We started with a fairly uneventful breakfast, but one in which Scarlett would barely eat anything.
We went to the petting zoo, fed the animals, did the playground, then went into town. We then wandered around the gardens at the hotel until 11:00 when the free shuttle went into the city. There was lots of whining from #1 as we walked around about all of the things we were doing that she didn't care to do. And mind you, she was being carried around by yours truly. We had the driver stop at the first temple, Wat Phra Sing where we were mobbed by tons of taxi drivers who wanted to drive us around the city checking out temples. The girls were grumpy, so we decided to get a snack across the street at a coffee shop before bringing our highly spirited children into the sanctuary of the temple.
The whole time while having the snack Audrey complained and moaned at us about how we never buy her anything (mind you, the child has been getting souvenirs in every city so far), she didn't like this, didn't like that, we were horrible and mean (all while she's munching on a piece of Dutch Apple pie that SHE picked out) and Scarlett is hitting us, NOT eating (again), doing her best 'backbends of rebellion' as if she were being judged on precision of motions, screams and tears. Joe was having an epic battle with her, so I took her outside and gave her a time out. This relaxed her a bit, so we took our chances on the temple.
It was lovely, the children cooperated and we exited unscathed.
We decided that we needed to stop and find lunch b/c Scarlett really needed to eat something. We found this fantastic little place about 1 block from the temple. It was a small restaurant attached to a guest house and was super quaint and relaxing (or should have been). We ordered a sweet & sour veggie, a chicken noodle dish and some sticky rice with mango. Surely she would eat something -NOT! Scarlett continued to be a mad child while Audrey went back to her diatribe about how we weren't doing anything for her and we were so mean. Scarlett continued with her Olympic quality performance of "I'm almost 2 tantrums" and not eating. Joe and I shoveled in bites as fast as we could and continued onto the next temple, which was across the street.
There was more of the same for both children and I tried to bring myself to some place mentally where I didn't want to either slit my own wrists (I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen often outside the doors of centuries old Buddhist temples!) or abandon my children. 
I did manage to bring Audrey down a bit from her crazy train, but it was obvious that both children were just plain exhausted. A storm had slowly started moving in from the mountains and was now dropping some rain.From being accosted by tuk tuk drivers earlier, we knew that we could get one to drive us around the city sightseeing for 60 Baht. We decided to do this to encourage naps and get out of the rain. I argued a bit with one guy who insisted on bringing us out to this "village" with streets lined with shops filled with silks, jewelry, umbrellas, etc.. All of which he ASSURED me our kids would really enjoy walking around seeing. Meanwhile, I'm standing there holding Audrey whose eyes were crossed from being so tired and Joe had Scarlett who was again revving up into her next performance. He obviously was not paying ANY attention to our kids' behavior, but we suspect he got some kind of financial kickback for bringing people out to this shopping district and that's why he was so hell bent on bringing us there. We walked away, tried another guy who said there was no way he could drive us around for an hour for 60 Baht and insisted on taking no less than 100. (He obviously WAS paying attention to the kids' behavior and was like, "There's no way in hell I am spending 1 hour with those devil kids and only getting paid 60 Baht! You people are nuts.") And yes, I realize this is only a difference of roughly $1.30.
But the next guy agreed to it, so we jumped in just as the rain was really starting to come down. Scarlett was asleep within 2 blocks and Audrey enjoyed the ride for a bit, but was out about 15 minutes later. Joe and I (finally) enjoyed a moment of peace, snuggling our (again lovely & sleeping) children, shielding them from the chilly rain in the back of a tuk tuk as we drove around seeing the city of Chiang Mai. About an hour later, the driver dropped us off at Wosret Market, which is their Chinatown. We wandered around a bit then looked for a Yellow Car to take back to the hotel. To take a taxi back out, it costs 400 Baht. The yellow car is really more of a little truck with a topper on it. It has a padded bench on each side of the truck's bed and seats about 10 people. The back has an open doorway that you just pop into. There's also a little platform with ladders on the back of the truck that can fit a couple more people and 2 more can fit in the front seat with the driver. There are no organized stops, you just push a buzzer to let the driver know you want off, and then you pay him the fare. We paid about 60 Baht for the 4 of us to go the 10+ Km.
We had intended on staying in the city for dinner, but at this point, Joe and I felt like we had been through battle and just wanted to call it a day. It was dinner and early lights out for all.
Phew.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Thai Massages
On our first full day in Phuket, Joe mentioned that I should get a massage while Scarlett was napping. OK! No problem following THOSE orders! The hotel's massages occur under a big pagoda next to the pool and start at 300 Baht ($10). Well, because of my sunburn I acquired that day, the lady suggested I get their "after sun care" massage which was 500 Baht, so I did. It felt great! 60 minutes later and having to be awakened twice (I guess I was relaxed), it was over.
Then on Sunday during Scarlett's nap, I walked down the street to a reflexologist for a foot massage. I was really hoping it would be one where they told me about specific ailments I had or dietary needs or something cool like that, but she didn't really say anything except to giggle at me when I jumped from being ticklish. This was 60 minutes and also 300 Baht.
And now, today, on our first day in Chiang Mai, Joe got his first Thai massage. (Also 60 min, 300 Baht) He also enjoyed it, but thought it was a little painful.
Then on Sunday during Scarlett's nap, I walked down the street to a reflexologist for a foot massage. I was really hoping it would be one where they told me about specific ailments I had or dietary needs or something cool like that, but she didn't really say anything except to giggle at me when I jumped from being ticklish. This was 60 minutes and also 300 Baht.
And now, today, on our first day in Chiang Mai, Joe got his first Thai massage. (Also 60 min, 300 Baht) He also enjoyed it, but thought it was a little painful.
Good Bye Phuket, Hello Chiang Mai!
Monday, April 25: Day 13
Today we said good by to Phuket. I feel like we could have used one more day to explore Phuket Town, one evening to witness the craziness of Patong (although not really appropriate for small children) and perhaps another full day to spend lounging on the beach and time to give scuba diving a try. But alas, we have to keep trucking. It's nice to know there's a spot in the world that we'd like to explore further. And while some of the parts of Phuket and Phi Phi feel very touristy, other parts are so lovely and relaxing that it's worth going if you get the chance.
We had a 10:35 flight this morning, so just enough time really to get up, shower, eat, pack and go. I haggled a bit with the cab driver over price. He told Joe it was 700 Baht to get to the airport (45 minutes away) in the small car (think Ford Focus) or 800 Baht in the mid sized SUV. I told him we prefer the cheaper option and the small car was fine. He insisted on taking the SUV, started the engine and started loading our bags. I told him no, the small car was fine and that we only wanted to pay 700. I think he just wanted to drive the SUV b/c when I told him (again) we are paying 700, he said, "Ok. 700." If you stop and think about it, it was only $3 difference, but it was the principle of it all. :)
The 2 hour flight was w/o incident, but we arrived hungry. We secured snacks and a cab (360 Baht to go about 40 minutes) and got to our hotel, the Horizon Village Resort, around 1:15 pm.
The hotel is part of a large complex, complete with botanic gardens, topiaries, paddle boats, restaurant, pool, petting zoo, sauna, playground, etc.. It is outside of Chiang Mai, but has a free shuttle into town, was a great rate for a large room and seemed like something the kids would enjoy. We walked around a bit after Scarlett's nap and found this pond with a fish feeding area. We bought some fish food and started feeding them. The koi were 1'- 2.5' long and the catfish were easily 3' long. We then wandered the gardens a bit, had dinner and retired for the evening.
Tomorrow- thai cooking school and temples!
Today we said good by to Phuket. I feel like we could have used one more day to explore Phuket Town, one evening to witness the craziness of Patong (although not really appropriate for small children) and perhaps another full day to spend lounging on the beach and time to give scuba diving a try. But alas, we have to keep trucking. It's nice to know there's a spot in the world that we'd like to explore further. And while some of the parts of Phuket and Phi Phi feel very touristy, other parts are so lovely and relaxing that it's worth going if you get the chance.
We had a 10:35 flight this morning, so just enough time really to get up, shower, eat, pack and go. I haggled a bit with the cab driver over price. He told Joe it was 700 Baht to get to the airport (45 minutes away) in the small car (think Ford Focus) or 800 Baht in the mid sized SUV. I told him we prefer the cheaper option and the small car was fine. He insisted on taking the SUV, started the engine and started loading our bags. I told him no, the small car was fine and that we only wanted to pay 700. I think he just wanted to drive the SUV b/c when I told him (again) we are paying 700, he said, "Ok. 700." If you stop and think about it, it was only $3 difference, but it was the principle of it all. :)
The 2 hour flight was w/o incident, but we arrived hungry. We secured snacks and a cab (360 Baht to go about 40 minutes) and got to our hotel, the Horizon Village Resort, around 1:15 pm.
The hotel is part of a large complex, complete with botanic gardens, topiaries, paddle boats, restaurant, pool, petting zoo, sauna, playground, etc.. It is outside of Chiang Mai, but has a free shuttle into town, was a great rate for a large room and seemed like something the kids would enjoy. We walked around a bit after Scarlett's nap and found this pond with a fish feeding area. We bought some fish food and started feeding them. The koi were 1'- 2.5' long and the catfish were easily 3' long. We then wandered the gardens a bit, had dinner and retired for the evening.Tomorrow- thai cooking school and temples!
Tsunami Territory
I had to make special mention of the fact that we have spent the better part of a week in areas pummeled by the December 26, 2004 Tsunami. While in Penang, Laurel pointed out the corner of the island that did get hit by the wave, but otherwise Penang was relatively unscathed. And of course, Phuket was devastated. Kamala Beach was apparently the hardest hit part of the island, as evidenced by all of the newer looking construction. The vegetation is pretty mature by now and we saw very little remnants of tattered structures. I sort of expected there to be some of that, but there wasn't. And everywhere you go along the coast, there are "Tsunami Evacuation Route" signs, warning sirens, and signs telling you what to do in the event of a tsunami. (I wonder if any of those things were in place before 2004?) Directly across from our hotel in Kamala Beach there was a Tsunami Memorial Park. There was a large sculpture and a couple of memorial signs and plaques. The sculpture is meant to represent the shift in nature that occurs to obtain equilibrium of the earth- meaning natural disasters only occur when things are unbalanced. And the other thought is that loss of life and other things happen for a reason and the sculpture is meant to be the physical object that rises to replace this loss.
Hello Kamala Beach!
Sunday, April 24: Day 12
Today is our 1 full day at Kamala (with the accent on the last syllable) Beach. We intended to go to the beach in the morning before it got too hot, then do the pool in the afternoon, but by the time we did breakfast and got the sunscreen slathered on, it was pretty hot out already. So we decided to do the pool in the morning and the beach for dinner and sunset. (how horrible that THAT was the extent of our decision making for the day, right?!) After the morning pool time, we wandered down the street to find lunch. (The main street in Kamala is way less busy than in Kata) We ended up at the end of the main drag at an open air restaurant that sort of had a pub feel to it. It overlooked the ocean and had a nice little breeze which was perfect because it was HOT today and the kids were grumpy. While wandering around outside with Scarlett trying to divert a melt down and waiting for the food to arrive, Joe noticed a little Indian place that he wanted to try for dinner. And I wandered out for a bit later while the girls were finishing their meals and watched a local fisherman throwing his net out. He just wandered around in the knee deep water looking for a good spot. He didn't catch much that I could tell.
After lunch it was back inside to escape the heat and let the kids rest, while Joe coded for a bit and I went to get a foot massage. When I returned, it was time to hit the pool bar for happy hour (can't pass up on a BOGO!) while the girls swam & splashed around a bit. Audrey has now added diving from the pool step to her list of swimming accomplishments. (The last time I took her to the rec center pool in March, she would sit on the pool ledge and jump into my arms, but only if she was holding onto my arms the whole time & her head didn't go under)
We then wandered across the street to the beach, walking through a Tsunami Memorial Park (see later post). We walked along the beach slowly- it was quite lovely with very little waves, perfect sand and a nice late afternoon temp. Unfortunately the girls were obviously hungry and not in the mood for going in the water, so we made our way to the Indian restaurant. It was Northern Indian cuisine and super yummy! The naan was thin, but good. I got a mushroom masala, which I've never seen on a menu before. It was very tasty! And Joe got a daal makhani that was apparently delish. Scarlett gobbled up her Tandoori Chicken, Audrey ate a little of it, but ate most of the naan and rice. Mostly she complained about how very little attention she receives from her parents (seriously) and was on the verge of a full meltdown with tears brimming in her eyes. She was definitely tired, but beyond that, she has been extra sensitive lately, turning to tears if you just look at her funny. I've been trying to understand what it's all about. The best I can figure is that the seasons are changing and it's her 1/4 birthday (she has a definite pattern of major mood swings with the changing of the seasons, and the quarterly age mark falls in the same time frame).
Anywho, if you could get past the whiny, melty down 5 year old and the rather content but squirmy toddler who kept wanting to lean over the unsafe railing next to the table, one would notice (which thankfully we did) a lovely, picture perfect sunset occurring over the Andaman Sea. We saw it from start to finish and attempted to savor every moment. Even the kids enjoyed it but Audrey was stuck on the thought of "Well if it's getting darker b/c the earth is turning away from the sun, then how come we don't fall on our heads?" And "I don't feel it turning, so it must not be." None of my rather lengthy and detailed explanations about gravity and the position of the earth and sun seemed to work for her, so we just dropped it and watched the sunset and the little lizards crawling on the walls.
A quick walk (really more of a light jog) back to the hotel to get the lovely little beasts, er, I mean ladies, their beauty sleep. Tomorrow, we leave Phuket Island and head to northern Thailand!
Today is our 1 full day at Kamala (with the accent on the last syllable) Beach. We intended to go to the beach in the morning before it got too hot, then do the pool in the afternoon, but by the time we did breakfast and got the sunscreen slathered on, it was pretty hot out already. So we decided to do the pool in the morning and the beach for dinner and sunset. (how horrible that THAT was the extent of our decision making for the day, right?!) After the morning pool time, we wandered down the street to find lunch. (The main street in Kamala is way less busy than in Kata) We ended up at the end of the main drag at an open air restaurant that sort of had a pub feel to it. It overlooked the ocean and had a nice little breeze which was perfect because it was HOT today and the kids were grumpy. While wandering around outside with Scarlett trying to divert a melt down and waiting for the food to arrive, Joe noticed a little Indian place that he wanted to try for dinner. And I wandered out for a bit later while the girls were finishing their meals and watched a local fisherman throwing his net out. He just wandered around in the knee deep water looking for a good spot. He didn't catch much that I could tell.
After lunch it was back inside to escape the heat and let the kids rest, while Joe coded for a bit and I went to get a foot massage. When I returned, it was time to hit the pool bar for happy hour (can't pass up on a BOGO!) while the girls swam & splashed around a bit. Audrey has now added diving from the pool step to her list of swimming accomplishments. (The last time I took her to the rec center pool in March, she would sit on the pool ledge and jump into my arms, but only if she was holding onto my arms the whole time & her head didn't go under)
We then wandered across the street to the beach, walking through a Tsunami Memorial Park (see later post). We walked along the beach slowly- it was quite lovely with very little waves, perfect sand and a nice late afternoon temp. Unfortunately the girls were obviously hungry and not in the mood for going in the water, so we made our way to the Indian restaurant. It was Northern Indian cuisine and super yummy! The naan was thin, but good. I got a mushroom masala, which I've never seen on a menu before. It was very tasty! And Joe got a daal makhani that was apparently delish. Scarlett gobbled up her Tandoori Chicken, Audrey ate a little of it, but ate most of the naan and rice. Mostly she complained about how very little attention she receives from her parents (seriously) and was on the verge of a full meltdown with tears brimming in her eyes. She was definitely tired, but beyond that, she has been extra sensitive lately, turning to tears if you just look at her funny. I've been trying to understand what it's all about. The best I can figure is that the seasons are changing and it's her 1/4 birthday (she has a definite pattern of major mood swings with the changing of the seasons, and the quarterly age mark falls in the same time frame).
Anywho, if you could get past the whiny, melty down 5 year old and the rather content but squirmy toddler who kept wanting to lean over the unsafe railing next to the table, one would notice (which thankfully we did) a lovely, picture perfect sunset occurring over the Andaman Sea. We saw it from start to finish and attempted to savor every moment. Even the kids enjoyed it but Audrey was stuck on the thought of "Well if it's getting darker b/c the earth is turning away from the sun, then how come we don't fall on our heads?" And "I don't feel it turning, so it must not be." None of my rather lengthy and detailed explanations about gravity and the position of the earth and sun seemed to work for her, so we just dropped it and watched the sunset and the little lizards crawling on the walls.
A quick walk (really more of a light jog) back to the hotel to get the lovely little beasts, er, I mean ladies, their beauty sleep. Tomorrow, we leave Phuket Island and head to northern Thailand!
Scarlett's Language Explosion
So funny little Scarlett is having a language explosion while we are on our trip. Before we left, she would pair 2 words together, but it sounded more like 2 words that happened to be said next to each other instead of a little 2 word phrase. For instance, "Hi. (slight pause) Mommy." Now it's definitely a little phrase! In the mornings she pops up out of her crib and whispers, "Hi Day (for Audrey) Hi Daddy. Hi Mommy." We have also heard "Chase birdie now, pleeaassee." And "Pool! Simming! YAY!!!" And "more, more noo-nos (noodles) pleeaassee." She is also giving it a go at Thai. For 'thank you' she says "Kap Kap Kaaaa" (it should sound like kob kuhn kah-aa) and for hello she is saying "Sa mommy kaaa" (it should be more like sa wah dee kah-aa) Too cute! And yesterday she was walking around saying "Ni hao" (which is hello in Chinese) and we asked her, "What does ni hao mean?" Her answer: "Chinese." I didn't realize she knew that connection. And when you ask her how you say thank you in Chinese, she growls like a dragon. I'm not sure what that's all about!
Hotel Bookings
I wanted to mention here about how I booked the hotels we've been staying at. I used a website called Agoda where you can get rooms for 40%- 70% off of the standard rates. Mostly, we stay in 2 star hotels when we travel, especially in Asia. They are usually just fine (except for that one time in Longsheng China... I'm not sure it was even worth the $15 we paid to stay there. *shudder*) and have the level of amenities that a Courtyard Marriott typically has. I noticed while trying to decide which hotels to stay in however, that when I mentioned we were traveling with a 5 year old child, any of the 2 star hotels (that typically cost $25-$60) would automatically add a nightly extra bed fee of at least $30 to stay there. Argh. Suddenly, the cost of the 2 star hotels was the same as the 3 star hotels, which, for the most part, don't charge for an extra bed. (Scarlett's baby cot is free at all hotels we are staying at) So, we have been staying at nicer 3 star hotels. And b/c of booking through Agoda, we are staying pretty inexpensively.
Also, as a side, side note, my hotel research method also (of course) includes an extensive cross checking of online travelers' reviews, mostly found on Trip Advisor and Agoda. I then set up a matrix (sometimes in Excel, sometimes just in my head- dorky I know) comparing cost, amenities, location and reviews. Then I decide which 2 or 3 hotels are the best value (using the previously mentioned criteria) with the best reviews. I then present the options to Joe to see if he has an opinion. And then I book. This process can take HOURS to sift through all of the options! It wasn't until I got to THIS point in my booking process for our first hotel stay in Singapore that I discovered the extra bed fee. You can imagine how irritated I was to encounter this problem. In the end however, we have been staying at lovely places that are fairly problem free.
Also, as a side, side note, my hotel research method also (of course) includes an extensive cross checking of online travelers' reviews, mostly found on Trip Advisor and Agoda. I then set up a matrix (sometimes in Excel, sometimes just in my head- dorky I know) comparing cost, amenities, location and reviews. Then I decide which 2 or 3 hotels are the best value (using the previously mentioned criteria) with the best reviews. I then present the options to Joe to see if he has an opinion. And then I book. This process can take HOURS to sift through all of the options! It wasn't until I got to THIS point in my booking process for our first hotel stay in Singapore that I discovered the extra bed fee. You can imagine how irritated I was to encounter this problem. In the end however, we have been staying at lovely places that are fairly problem free.
Good Bye Phi Phi Don!
Saturday, April 23: Day 11
We got up this morning and headed down to eat breakfast at the restaurant. So far every hotel we've stayed in (with the exception of Singapore) has had a free buffet breakfast. This has worked very well for us and the kids because we can offer them little nibbles of lots of different things. This is especially good for Scarlett, who as I mentioned before is being quite picky with food lately. I NEVER thought I would say this, but Audrey appears to be our good eater, for now, anyway.
I then popped back up to the bungalow to pack everything up so we would be ready to bust out of here at check out time. We then lathered everyone up and headed down to the beach. For some reason, Audrey didn't really want to go swimming this morning, so she and Joe just mostly relaxed in the shade on the lounger. (A note here about Joe's injuries- they are getting better everyday and the swelling has subsided quite a bit. I think just sitting on the boats and chilling with his feet up at the beach has helped. Both feet are bruising around the heels, from landing on them strangely I suppose. But he is walking without much difficulty now. Phew!)
This particular beach has some nice shells, so we collected a handful of them to take home with us. We then showered, checked out and hung out waiting for the 1:30 long tail boat ride back to the pier. We bought 30 minutes worth of internet access at their "business center" (a handful of computers & wi-fi sitting under an open air pagoda structure). We had lunch and then went to the ferry. By this time it was the heat of the day, which we have learned is the perfect time to find some shade or air conditioning and just relax. It is also perfect that this hot time coincides with Scarlett's nap time, so she's been able to take one daily.
The ferry ride was uneventful, but Scarlett did pass out on me while on the long tail boat. I suppose the ride lulled her to sleep. We then took a cab to our next destination, Kamala Beach, located on the northwestern end of Phuket. It took about an hour from the ferry. I would have liked to explore Phuket Town, as it apparently has some nice art galleries and is not 'resorty.'
Instead we went straight to the hotel, the Print Kamala Resort.
The hotel grounds are nice with a main hotel up front near the restaurant, fountains and pools, then a collection of bungalows toward the back of the property. I reserved a bungalow, which is pretty nice. We are supposed to have free wifi, but are having trouble accessing it. Hmmm... it is spotty at best near the front of the resort and nonexistent where we are at the back.
There are a lot of little shops along the street the hotel is located on and there is a bridge accessing the beach right across from the hotel. Score!
We had dinner at the hotel where they had live entertainment. It was a Sonny and Cher sort of duo singing 90s cover songs, all in a calm, acoustic manner. Lovely voices, but sort of funny really. It was just us and one other table, so every time we made eye contact with the singer, she really responded to us with smiles and hand gestures. We of course then went to the pool until bed time. I can't believe we only have 1 week left on our trip!
We got up this morning and headed down to eat breakfast at the restaurant. So far every hotel we've stayed in (with the exception of Singapore) has had a free buffet breakfast. This has worked very well for us and the kids because we can offer them little nibbles of lots of different things. This is especially good for Scarlett, who as I mentioned before is being quite picky with food lately. I NEVER thought I would say this, but Audrey appears to be our good eater, for now, anyway.
I then popped back up to the bungalow to pack everything up so we would be ready to bust out of here at check out time. We then lathered everyone up and headed down to the beach. For some reason, Audrey didn't really want to go swimming this morning, so she and Joe just mostly relaxed in the shade on the lounger. (A note here about Joe's injuries- they are getting better everyday and the swelling has subsided quite a bit. I think just sitting on the boats and chilling with his feet up at the beach has helped. Both feet are bruising around the heels, from landing on them strangely I suppose. But he is walking without much difficulty now. Phew!)
This particular beach has some nice shells, so we collected a handful of them to take home with us. We then showered, checked out and hung out waiting for the 1:30 long tail boat ride back to the pier. We bought 30 minutes worth of internet access at their "business center" (a handful of computers & wi-fi sitting under an open air pagoda structure). We had lunch and then went to the ferry. By this time it was the heat of the day, which we have learned is the perfect time to find some shade or air conditioning and just relax. It is also perfect that this hot time coincides with Scarlett's nap time, so she's been able to take one daily.
The ferry ride was uneventful, but Scarlett did pass out on me while on the long tail boat. I suppose the ride lulled her to sleep. We then took a cab to our next destination, Kamala Beach, located on the northwestern end of Phuket. It took about an hour from the ferry. I would have liked to explore Phuket Town, as it apparently has some nice art galleries and is not 'resorty.'
Instead we went straight to the hotel, the Print Kamala Resort.
The hotel grounds are nice with a main hotel up front near the restaurant, fountains and pools, then a collection of bungalows toward the back of the property. I reserved a bungalow, which is pretty nice. We are supposed to have free wifi, but are having trouble accessing it. Hmmm... it is spotty at best near the front of the resort and nonexistent where we are at the back.
There are a lot of little shops along the street the hotel is located on and there is a bridge accessing the beach right across from the hotel. Score!
We had dinner at the hotel where they had live entertainment. It was a Sonny and Cher sort of duo singing 90s cover songs, all in a calm, acoustic manner. Lovely voices, but sort of funny really. It was just us and one other table, so every time we made eye contact with the singer, she really responded to us with smiles and hand gestures. We of course then went to the pool until bed time. I can't believe we only have 1 week left on our trip!
And What a Good Friday it is!
Friday, April 22: Day 10
So this morning we went down for breakfast and packed everything up then took a cab to the Phuket Town Pier to catch a ferry to Phi Phi Don (pronounced 'Pee Pee' which Audrey finds hysterical), where we will be staying for just one night. The hotel receptionist told us the ferry was at 10:00 and it took 30 minutes to drive to the pier. Well, it actually took at least 45 minutes to get there and the ferry didn't leave until 11:00. This was a bit irritating as we just sat waiting at the pier with 2 grumpy, hot girls when we could have been either hanging out at the hotel, walking around at Kata Beach or wandering around Phuket Town. Oh well. What lie waiting for us on the other end of the ferry ride was wonderful!
The ferry ride took about 1.5 hours and went past some lovely little islands. When we landed on Phi Phi, the area around the pier was filled with people selling trinkets, food, drinks, etc. It was mostly portable stalls, but there were some permanent structures too. We saw one lady with a monkey dressed in clothes performing and taking photos with people. I didn't see her charging for this, but I'm sure she was. We had watched a video about traveling in Phuket before we left home and they spoke about these monkeys. Apparently people steal them from the jungle, train them, then discard them when they get old and more hostile. It is a real problem b/c the monkeys can no longer fend for themselves in the wild and need to be rehabilitated on this special island just for them.
The hotel we are staying at is called Phi Phi The Beach Resort. It is located on Long Beach at the southern end of the island. We were picked up on the pier by a long tail boat taxi. The ride to the hotel took about 15 minutes through truly lovely water. Now the water at Kata Beach on Phuket was beautiful, but this water has that magical, clear aqua color that you associate with paradise. Truly lovely!
The hotel is a collection of small bungalows perched on the hillside with the hotel reception desk, bar, pool and restaurant down below next to the beach. We arrived in time to get our suits on and head down to the restaurant for a late lunch then to the beach. We had curries and noodles, all of which were very tasty. The water was calm and perfect and Audrey could safely walk out pretty far. Plus there are a ton of fish right near the shore, so the girls could experience swimming with the fish without officially snorkeling. They loved it! We intend to do more of this tomorrow too.
We sat and watched the sun set completely from the lounge chairs on the beach with some happy hour Chang beers (Buy 2 get 1 free!).
The people working and living here seem pretty happy and like they are loving life. We are questioning WHY we are only staying one night as this place is indeed a little slice of heaven!
So this morning we went down for breakfast and packed everything up then took a cab to the Phuket Town Pier to catch a ferry to Phi Phi Don (pronounced 'Pee Pee' which Audrey finds hysterical), where we will be staying for just one night. The hotel receptionist told us the ferry was at 10:00 and it took 30 minutes to drive to the pier. Well, it actually took at least 45 minutes to get there and the ferry didn't leave until 11:00. This was a bit irritating as we just sat waiting at the pier with 2 grumpy, hot girls when we could have been either hanging out at the hotel, walking around at Kata Beach or wandering around Phuket Town. Oh well. What lie waiting for us on the other end of the ferry ride was wonderful!
The ferry ride took about 1.5 hours and went past some lovely little islands. When we landed on Phi Phi, the area around the pier was filled with people selling trinkets, food, drinks, etc. It was mostly portable stalls, but there were some permanent structures too. We saw one lady with a monkey dressed in clothes performing and taking photos with people. I didn't see her charging for this, but I'm sure she was. We had watched a video about traveling in Phuket before we left home and they spoke about these monkeys. Apparently people steal them from the jungle, train them, then discard them when they get old and more hostile. It is a real problem b/c the monkeys can no longer fend for themselves in the wild and need to be rehabilitated on this special island just for them.
The hotel we are staying at is called Phi Phi The Beach Resort. It is located on Long Beach at the southern end of the island. We were picked up on the pier by a long tail boat taxi. The ride to the hotel took about 15 minutes through truly lovely water. Now the water at Kata Beach on Phuket was beautiful, but this water has that magical, clear aqua color that you associate with paradise. Truly lovely!
The hotel is a collection of small bungalows perched on the hillside with the hotel reception desk, bar, pool and restaurant down below next to the beach. We arrived in time to get our suits on and head down to the restaurant for a late lunch then to the beach. We had curries and noodles, all of which were very tasty. The water was calm and perfect and Audrey could safely walk out pretty far. Plus there are a ton of fish right near the shore, so the girls could experience swimming with the fish without officially snorkeling. They loved it! We intend to do more of this tomorrow too.
We sat and watched the sun set completely from the lounge chairs on the beach with some happy hour Chang beers (Buy 2 get 1 free!).
The people working and living here seem pretty happy and like they are loving life. We are questioning WHY we are only staying one night as this place is indeed a little slice of heaven!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Gas Stations
One thing we noticed while out walking is the "gas stations." Actual gas stations like back home are few and far between. I think I've seen 1 or 2 while driving and walking around the island. But what you do see is this: sitting in front of a shop there's a handful of 40 oz beer bottles all lined up on a table or in a wire rack, filled with gasoline, a funnel sitting next to them and a sign for "Gas- 50 Baht" (or whatever the price is). It is really a great idea, especially considering the high volume of motorcycles and mopeds that people drive. It's great as long as you don't sit the gas bottle down next to your bottle of Chang beer and get them confused, as they look remarkably the same! Here is a good argument for drinking a Stout or other dark beer.
First Full Day in Phuket
Thursday, April 21: Day 9
So this morning we went down for breakfast then packed up to go to the beach. We were there by 9:30 or so and secured a couple of lounge chairs under an umbrella. The water was a little choppy, but ok if you got past where the waves break against the beach. I took Audrey out while Joe sat under the umbrella with Scarlett nursing his club foot and scraped up shin. He wasn't sure how salt water would feel on the scrape. Audrey really liked "riding the waves" and swimming around with her goggles on. Then it was Scarlett's turn. Normally I don't mind handling both girls at the same time, but in a choppy sea that can have strong undercurrents, I don't feel comfortable with more than one at a time. I wasn't sure how Scarlett would feel about going in the water b/c she wanted to have nothing to do with it in Penang. I grabbed her, brought her to the water's edge and asked if she wanted to go in. She said "toes. water. swim?" Ok then! In we went. She LOVED it and was saying "simming! simming!" between giggles. I then managed to convince Joe to come in mostly because I didn't want him to remember our time in Phuket just watching from under an umbrella. He came in and was fine. We all then retreated under the shade of the umbrella for awhile b/c it was starting to get warm and we were feeling parched. Chang beers were 40 Baht, so we had a couple with apple juices.
One thing I had read about the beaches here, and that turned out to be true, is that there's no shortage of people wandering around trying to sell you stuff. After a couple of 6.4% alcohol beers, I was in the mood to haggle with them. So they walk past you and hold out their goods. If you shake your head no, they are pretty good about walking away and not bugging you. But if you show any interest, they are right there wanting to chat. Audrey of course sees these pretty little things going by and starts pointing, saying, "oo!! Mommy! Can I have that? Please? It's SO beautiful!" This type of enthusiasm does not help set me up into a very good bargaining position. A guy came by with necklaces with little dolphins & elephants made out of "real fish bone, not plastic." He started at 500 Baht for one and even with Audrey exclaiming how much she liked them in the background, I was able to get him down to 180 Baht for 2. I learned in China the fine art of doing this (learned by watching Tim & Laurel do some amazing bargaining in the markets in Shanghai). I set my own little rule to not pay more than 30% of the starting price and that you can usually get down to 20-25%.
Then a guy came by with some sunglasses and even though Joe got a pair in the food market in Penang, he saw a pair that was exactly what he was looking for. The guy started at 1800 Baht ($60) and Joe got him to go down to 600 baht ($20). I was slightly disappointed as I thought he could have gone down to 500 Baht, no problem, but in the end it was still an ok price.
We then ordered lunch from a food stall down the beach- some sweet & sour veggies and pad thai. So yummy and deliciously inexpensive, especially for beach food.
It was too hot to spend any more time in the sun, so we walked back to the hotel. I stupidly did not put cover ups on myself or the girls and all 3 of us managed to get sun burned! As soon as we got back to the hotel I could see the red on Scarlett's arms. :( It's not a horrible burn by any means, but still, we are trying to be so careful with them and the sun.
Audrey and I headed to the shady part of the pool while Joe worked and Scarlett napped. We then popped out to find dinner down the street, where we wandered in and out of shopping stalls (not in the mood to bargain, so no shopping was done), got some drinks & ibuprofen and some other swelling reduction medicine for Joe, then stopped into an Italian restaurant for dinner. We ordered a pizza that was actually a really good New York style thin pizza. I was surprised it was that good. Then back to the hotel for bed.
So this morning we went down for breakfast then packed up to go to the beach. We were there by 9:30 or so and secured a couple of lounge chairs under an umbrella. The water was a little choppy, but ok if you got past where the waves break against the beach. I took Audrey out while Joe sat under the umbrella with Scarlett nursing his club foot and scraped up shin. He wasn't sure how salt water would feel on the scrape. Audrey really liked "riding the waves" and swimming around with her goggles on. Then it was Scarlett's turn. Normally I don't mind handling both girls at the same time, but in a choppy sea that can have strong undercurrents, I don't feel comfortable with more than one at a time. I wasn't sure how Scarlett would feel about going in the water b/c she wanted to have nothing to do with it in Penang. I grabbed her, brought her to the water's edge and asked if she wanted to go in. She said "toes. water. swim?" Ok then! In we went. She LOVED it and was saying "simming! simming!" between giggles. I then managed to convince Joe to come in mostly because I didn't want him to remember our time in Phuket just watching from under an umbrella. He came in and was fine. We all then retreated under the shade of the umbrella for awhile b/c it was starting to get warm and we were feeling parched. Chang beers were 40 Baht, so we had a couple with apple juices.
One thing I had read about the beaches here, and that turned out to be true, is that there's no shortage of people wandering around trying to sell you stuff. After a couple of 6.4% alcohol beers, I was in the mood to haggle with them. So they walk past you and hold out their goods. If you shake your head no, they are pretty good about walking away and not bugging you. But if you show any interest, they are right there wanting to chat. Audrey of course sees these pretty little things going by and starts pointing, saying, "oo!! Mommy! Can I have that? Please? It's SO beautiful!" This type of enthusiasm does not help set me up into a very good bargaining position. A guy came by with necklaces with little dolphins & elephants made out of "real fish bone, not plastic." He started at 500 Baht for one and even with Audrey exclaiming how much she liked them in the background, I was able to get him down to 180 Baht for 2. I learned in China the fine art of doing this (learned by watching Tim & Laurel do some amazing bargaining in the markets in Shanghai). I set my own little rule to not pay more than 30% of the starting price and that you can usually get down to 20-25%.
Then a guy came by with some sunglasses and even though Joe got a pair in the food market in Penang, he saw a pair that was exactly what he was looking for. The guy started at 1800 Baht ($60) and Joe got him to go down to 600 baht ($20). I was slightly disappointed as I thought he could have gone down to 500 Baht, no problem, but in the end it was still an ok price.
We then ordered lunch from a food stall down the beach- some sweet & sour veggies and pad thai. So yummy and deliciously inexpensive, especially for beach food.
It was too hot to spend any more time in the sun, so we walked back to the hotel. I stupidly did not put cover ups on myself or the girls and all 3 of us managed to get sun burned! As soon as we got back to the hotel I could see the red on Scarlett's arms. :( It's not a horrible burn by any means, but still, we are trying to be so careful with them and the sun.
Audrey and I headed to the shady part of the pool while Joe worked and Scarlett napped. We then popped out to find dinner down the street, where we wandered in and out of shopping stalls (not in the mood to bargain, so no shopping was done), got some drinks & ibuprofen and some other swelling reduction medicine for Joe, then stopped into an Italian restaurant for dinner. We ordered a pizza that was actually a really good New York style thin pizza. I was surprised it was that good. Then back to the hotel for bed.
Audrey Learns to Swim!
Wednesday April 20. It's our first day in Phuket. Within minutes of being in the hotel pool, Audrey had her goggles on and was being quite brave going under water without holding her nose. (side note here- she used to not be afraid of the water. Then we had a bad experience with swim lessons when she was 3 and ever since it has been an uphill, gentle battle getting her to approach the water without trepidation) So she was playing around looking underwater, holding my hand and kicking. Then all of a sudden, she let go of my hand and started moving through the water by herself! No glug, glug to the bottom which is what usually happens (granted we were in less that 3' deep water) but actual forward motion! I was so excited I picked her up shrieking about how stoked and proud I was and yelling to Joe across the pool to watch, totally embarrassing her. I gave her a few tips on hand movement and proper kicking and she tried again. This time she went further! She was so excited and wanted to immediately play mermaids. Now obviously she's not doing proper strokes, but she is doing AMAZING in just one afternoon! I was beginning to think about swim lessons for the summer, trying to figure out if we go the rec center route again or spring for more personal lessons. But in typical Audrey fashion, she beat me to it and pretty much taught herself how to swim! (she taught herself how to read last fall and took to riding a bike like nobody's business last summer) By the end of the day today, she was swimming with her face underwater all of the way across the kiddy pool (about 12' maybe?) without needing to pop up for a breath. She was quite proud of this action!
Our 2 Thai Phrases
So the 2 Thai phrases that we learned from Beam and Alanya in the pool today are:
Hello: "Sa-wat-dee kah-aa" and
Thank You: "Khob Kun Kah-aa"
Hello: "Sa-wat-dee kah-aa" and
Thank You: "Khob Kun Kah-aa"
Good Afternoon Phuket!
So we landed in Phuket on a pretty small prop engine plane, all bruised and battered from the morning's excitement. We secured a cab to our hotel in Kata Beach called the Kata Sea Breeze resort. The airport is on the NW side of the island while the hotel is on the southern part. It took over an hour to get here from the airport and cost about 750 Thai Baht, or $25. (Exchange rate is $1=30 Baht) The drive took us past a Tsunami Memorial, through towns with old & new construction, and past the road that goes up to The Big Buddha. The Buddha sits up on top of a giant hill (really more like a small mountain) overlooking the sea. It is quite lovely! We enquired today about how much it would cost to hire a cab to go up there- 1000 Baht. I'm not sure we'll spring for it since we'll still have time in Chiang Mai with other temples and Buddhas to see.
Scarlett slept in the cab, we got to our hotel and immediately headed out to check out the beach. We plan to spend a significant amount of time there tomorrow, but we just wanted to lay our eyes on the Andaman Sea. It was about a 10 (very hot) minute walk down the street to the beach access. The beach is long and beautiful with powdery fine sand and was quite busy. We hung out for just a few minutes, then went back to the hotel & immediately to the pool, which was complete with a swim up bar. Yes! We ordered apple juices for the girls (Scarlett said, "Apple juice pleeaasse mommy?" How can you say no to that?) a Chang beer for broken down Joe and a pina colada for me. It was late afternoon, so the weather was perfect and sunny, but not too hot as the shade was moving across the pool. We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the pool then went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. Afterwards, Audrey wanted to go back to the pool, so Joe took Scarlett up to our room for bed while I went to the pool with Audrey.
There were 2 other little girls in the pool whom Audrey started to play with. One was a 7 year old Thai girl named Beam who speaks no English and who's mom worked in the hotel. Then other was a 9 year old Scottish Thai girl named Alanya who lives in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and was visiting on holiday. She speaks a few words of Thai with a Scottish accent and was able to teach us some. The three of them played until the pool closed at 8:00, then it was upstairs to bed. Joe worked some tonight with a 24 hour wifi pass. Unfortunately, no free wifi here either!! (This is totally different than China, where we were able to hop onto free wifi pretty much everywhere we went without any problem.)
Scarlett slept in the cab, we got to our hotel and immediately headed out to check out the beach. We plan to spend a significant amount of time there tomorrow, but we just wanted to lay our eyes on the Andaman Sea. It was about a 10 (very hot) minute walk down the street to the beach access. The beach is long and beautiful with powdery fine sand and was quite busy. We hung out for just a few minutes, then went back to the hotel & immediately to the pool, which was complete with a swim up bar. Yes! We ordered apple juices for the girls (Scarlett said, "Apple juice pleeaasse mommy?" How can you say no to that?) a Chang beer for broken down Joe and a pina colada for me. It was late afternoon, so the weather was perfect and sunny, but not too hot as the shade was moving across the pool. We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the pool then went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. Afterwards, Audrey wanted to go back to the pool, so Joe took Scarlett up to our room for bed while I went to the pool with Audrey.
There were 2 other little girls in the pool whom Audrey started to play with. One was a 7 year old Thai girl named Beam who speaks no English and who's mom worked in the hotel. Then other was a 9 year old Scottish Thai girl named Alanya who lives in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and was visiting on holiday. She speaks a few words of Thai with a Scottish accent and was able to teach us some. The three of them played until the pool closed at 8:00, then it was upstairs to bed. Joe worked some tonight with a 24 hour wifi pass. Unfortunately, no free wifi here either!! (This is totally different than China, where we were able to hop onto free wifi pretty much everywhere we went without any problem.)
Audrey's Favorite Part of Penang
I asked Audrey what her favorite part of Malaysia was. Her answer: "Playing with baby Miles and Laurel's banana pancakes!" She did indeed have fun entertaining Miles and he just followed her around. And Laurel's pancakes were super yum! Audrey was upset that we only had a few days with them and asked if we could stay longer. :) Thank you so much Tim, Laurel and Miles for letting us invade your home, being excellent hosts and showing us around your special little corner of the world! And of course, thank you from Audrey for being her favorite part of Malaysia. :)
Bites, Bruises and Malaysian Ditches
Unfortunately, we have to have a special post for injuries and mishaps. In the week before we left on the trip, Audrey came down with a cold. She started with a slight fever one afternoon, which disappeared very quickly, but was replaced by a runny nose and sneezing. We were REALLY hoping to avoid having the kids get sick right before leaving as flying for 21 hours could be miserable with a head cold. Thankfully Audrey cycles through illnesses quickly (which I attribute to the fact that she went through a licking phase when she was 2. She would randomly lick things- once it was the walls of the elevator in the doctor's office (EW!) and once it was the handrail in the Beijing subway station!!(SHUDDER!!) And everything in between for several months. She apparently built up a rather incredible immune system with these antics b/c she rarely gets sick) She did indeed get better moments before leaving town, but of course we were worried that Scarlett would get ill. And as you know from our previous post, she did come down with a fever and runny nose in Singapore. Poor babies! So on Tuesday morning (in Penang), Audrey woke up early complaining that her elbow hurt and she couldn't sleep any more. I looked at it and it looked fine. By the time we sat down for breakfast, her elbow had swollen to twice it's normal size and was super puffy. It looked like a spider had bitten her. We gave her benadryl and marked the area with a pen to watch it's progress. It did grow a bit more throughout the day, so we marked it's new line, but by this morning (Wednesday), it had subsided quite a bit. Phew!
As I stated earlier, one of our last stops in Penang was at the park to let the kids play, which they did. On our way back to the car, Joe was carrying Scarlett. There is a concrete drainage ditch that you have to step over, no more than 2' wide, but about 3' deep. We had JUST been talking about how careful you have to be around those things on our way to the food market as Laurel relayed a story to us about how her friend fell in one while carrying his baby. Well, you guessed it. As I was trying to help Audrey across, Joe stepped across with one foot and somehow slipped and fell when he didn't get his proper footing. It all happened so fast, but the part that I still can't shake is the sound of Scarlett's head hitting the concrete. That is one of the worst sounds in to world! I screamed, jumped down to rescue Scarlett and help Joe up. The poor guy had twisted one foot and scraped up the other shin. Within seconds he had a giant goose egg on his shin and an ankle starting to swell. Scarlett got a tiny little quail egg on the back of her head, but of course my mind raced to imagining her with a brain hemmorage and needing to be cut open half way around the world! (Thankfully I just have an overactive imagination!) We raced back to the apartment where Laurel quickly got a bucket of ice together for Joe to put his foot in and I got bags of ice for Joe's leg and Scarlett's head, while Audrey tried to help stop the bleeding on Joe's leg. We had about 45-60 minutes before we needed to leave for the airport, but luckily all seemed to be doing better by the time we left. Fortunately I had packed the gigantic band-aid into our travel first aid kit (not thinking we would really need it and that it probably was just taking up space for more practical, smaller, Hello Kitty band-aids) as well as the neosporin. (And yes, "practical" and "Hello Kitty" were used in the same sentence) Both necessary tools when your husband falls into a Malaysian sewer/ drainage ditch. In an effort to always look on the brighter side of a situation, at least he is up to date with his shots and the ditch was dry and not flowing with who knows what!
As I stated earlier, one of our last stops in Penang was at the park to let the kids play, which they did. On our way back to the car, Joe was carrying Scarlett. There is a concrete drainage ditch that you have to step over, no more than 2' wide, but about 3' deep. We had JUST been talking about how careful you have to be around those things on our way to the food market as Laurel relayed a story to us about how her friend fell in one while carrying his baby. Well, you guessed it. As I was trying to help Audrey across, Joe stepped across with one foot and somehow slipped and fell when he didn't get his proper footing. It all happened so fast, but the part that I still can't shake is the sound of Scarlett's head hitting the concrete. That is one of the worst sounds in to world! I screamed, jumped down to rescue Scarlett and help Joe up. The poor guy had twisted one foot and scraped up the other shin. Within seconds he had a giant goose egg on his shin and an ankle starting to swell. Scarlett got a tiny little quail egg on the back of her head, but of course my mind raced to imagining her with a brain hemmorage and needing to be cut open half way around the world! (Thankfully I just have an overactive imagination!) We raced back to the apartment where Laurel quickly got a bucket of ice together for Joe to put his foot in and I got bags of ice for Joe's leg and Scarlett's head, while Audrey tried to help stop the bleeding on Joe's leg. We had about 45-60 minutes before we needed to leave for the airport, but luckily all seemed to be doing better by the time we left. Fortunately I had packed the gigantic band-aid into our travel first aid kit (not thinking we would really need it and that it probably was just taking up space for more practical, smaller, Hello Kitty band-aids) as well as the neosporin. (And yes, "practical" and "Hello Kitty" were used in the same sentence) Both necessary tools when your husband falls into a Malaysian sewer/ drainage ditch. In an effort to always look on the brighter side of a situation, at least he is up to date with his shots and the ditch was dry and not flowing with who knows what!
The Penang Food Market
One thing we wanted to see that we hadn't seen yet was the food market, so we went! It is so totally cool. I wish we had something just like it at home! It is probably about 100' wide by 200' long and is open air with only the roof. There are rows of stalls with food vendors all split into different sections. For instance, one section was the meat market. And subcategories w/i the meat section were poultry, fish and pork. Since this is a Muslim country, the pork is always separated from everything else. The poultry section was fascinating really. There were 3-4 cages of live chickens in the back part, then there was a butchering station next to that. (can you imagine being the chickens in the cage, watching your buddies getting pulled out one by one and slaughtered while you watch, knowing all too well that your time is coming?? Sorry- a vegetarian's perspective of the situation. :D) So then once they are slaughtered, there's a bath area with people working on gutting and cleaning the meat. Once they are finished, they hand the meat to the butcher and he works his magic with his cleaver. Or you can buy them whole of course! Laurel said that whenever she buys chicken there, she doesn't even refrigerate it before she starts to cook with it. It is probably dead no more than a couple of hours before it gets cooked. Now THAT is fresh!
Then there was the bakery section, lots of areas of fresh fruits and veggies, the flower market, the egg stand, etc... Then spilling out onto the sidewalks, you have the sunglasses guy, the ladies selling women's underwear, batik fabrics, clothes, souvenirs, toys, gadgets, etc... you name it, they had it all right there. Sort of like Wal-Mart only way better and supportive of local people. Laurel can walk to this market from their place, which she does twice a week to buy their goods. Yummy experience!
Then there was the bakery section, lots of areas of fresh fruits and veggies, the flower market, the egg stand, etc... Then spilling out onto the sidewalks, you have the sunglasses guy, the ladies selling women's underwear, batik fabrics, clothes, souvenirs, toys, gadgets, etc... you name it, they had it all right there. Sort of like Wal-Mart only way better and supportive of local people. Laurel can walk to this market from their place, which she does twice a week to buy their goods. Yummy experience!
Morning in Malaysia, Afternoon in Thailand
Wednesday, April 20: Day 8
Today was our last day in Penang with the Stelzers. We started the morning with Laurel's banana pancakes. Hello Yum! Audrey ate a plate full of them until she was too full to eat any more. We then went to the Food Market (see the next post about this experience) and then back to the batik factory. Yes! This means Joe agreed to purchasing the artwork I liked. My birthday is coming up in a few weeks, so this is officially my birthday present! I'm so excited because it truly is beautiful. And we have this nice big empty wall in our living room that I have been trying to decide what to do with. Now I know! We then decided to take the kids to the park for about 15 minutes (see post below for THIS experience!) before heading back to the apartment for lunch and then departure to the airport. Good bye Malaysia, Hello Thailand!
Today was our last day in Penang with the Stelzers. We started the morning with Laurel's banana pancakes. Hello Yum! Audrey ate a plate full of them until she was too full to eat any more. We then went to the Food Market (see the next post about this experience) and then back to the batik factory. Yes! This means Joe agreed to purchasing the artwork I liked. My birthday is coming up in a few weeks, so this is officially my birthday present! I'm so excited because it truly is beautiful. And we have this nice big empty wall in our living room that I have been trying to decide what to do with. Now I know! We then decided to take the kids to the park for about 15 minutes (see post below for THIS experience!) before heading back to the apartment for lunch and then departure to the airport. Good bye Malaysia, Hello Thailand!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Roti, Butterflies, the Beach, Oh My!
Tuesday, April 19: Day 7
Today Laurel took us down the block to this Indian restaurant for breakfast so we could have Roti. This is the same as the Prata bread we had in Singapore. We got some plain, some with cheese in the middle, egg and banana. It is served with curry and you are supposed to chop it up and dump curry on it- sort of like one would do with french toast and syrup. I liked it plain and thought is was also good with curry, but I just can't fully embrace eating curry for EVERY meal. They all were so good! Of course Scarlett acted as if we were trying to poison her, as she has acted for most of this trip. She seems to be on an every other day eating schedule. At least there is plenty of cheap rice everywhere we go, which we can almost count on her eating whenever. The rest of us loved it, and including coffee, tea and hot Milo, we spent about 24 RG, or $8.
We then headed out to the Butterfly Farm, which was very much like the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, CO (only they don't have to manufacture the humidity!).
After that we stopped at the beach on the way home. Audrey enjoyed the water but Scarlett wouldn't get near it. It could have been the rotting, dead, very large (perhaps a shark??) fish just down the beach from us.
We then headed home for lunch and baby naps. While they were napping, Laurel and I popped out to go to the batik factory. There were 4 batik artists working on fabric in the workshop while we were there. We had a chance to talk to a couple of them about their process. They use a mix of stamps and hand drawn patterns with wax. Then they use paint (the consistency of watercolor) and dab it into the wax shapes. It bleeds into the fabric, but is contained by the wax. Those guys move quite fast too! And the colors they use are at the artist's discretion. One thing that is nice to note here is that if we were in China in a place like this, it would have felt pretty... "manufactured for the tourist's experience." Here however, it was very much like we just happened to pop in and see a slice of a day in the life of a batik artist. It was very enjoyable to see! Laurel and I then went into the shop where they sell the batiks and one in particular caught my eye. It was 480RG (which the lady in charge will discount 15%, or down to 405RG, for me), so I chose to wait and ask Joe what he thinks about spending that much $$. If we were at home, I would have snapped a quick photo of it with my Iphone, emailed it to him and either waited for a text with instructions to buy or not buy or just called to talk to him. Then I could have purchased it on the spot. Instead, I will wait and if he agrees, then we can come back in the morning.
After the batiks, the mommas took the kids down to the pool for awhile until Tim got home from work. We then headed down the block to this Chinese restaurant where you just tell them what you would like to eat (using their ingredients on hand of course), then they make it for you. No real menu to order from. The food was so good and the girls gobbled up 2 orders of noodles. We also had a couple of tofu dishes, spicy prawns, broccoli, and a couple of other dishes plus 2 rounds of beers and waters. All of this deliciousness for about 110 RG or $35. Yum!
We played a fun game of Scrabble after putting the kids to bed where Tim came in first place.
Today Laurel took us down the block to this Indian restaurant for breakfast so we could have Roti. This is the same as the Prata bread we had in Singapore. We got some plain, some with cheese in the middle, egg and banana. It is served with curry and you are supposed to chop it up and dump curry on it- sort of like one would do with french toast and syrup. I liked it plain and thought is was also good with curry, but I just can't fully embrace eating curry for EVERY meal. They all were so good! Of course Scarlett acted as if we were trying to poison her, as she has acted for most of this trip. She seems to be on an every other day eating schedule. At least there is plenty of cheap rice everywhere we go, which we can almost count on her eating whenever. The rest of us loved it, and including coffee, tea and hot Milo, we spent about 24 RG, or $8.
We then headed out to the Butterfly Farm, which was very much like the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, CO (only they don't have to manufacture the humidity!).
After that we stopped at the beach on the way home. Audrey enjoyed the water but Scarlett wouldn't get near it. It could have been the rotting, dead, very large (perhaps a shark??) fish just down the beach from us.
We then headed home for lunch and baby naps. While they were napping, Laurel and I popped out to go to the batik factory. There were 4 batik artists working on fabric in the workshop while we were there. We had a chance to talk to a couple of them about their process. They use a mix of stamps and hand drawn patterns with wax. Then they use paint (the consistency of watercolor) and dab it into the wax shapes. It bleeds into the fabric, but is contained by the wax. Those guys move quite fast too! And the colors they use are at the artist's discretion. One thing that is nice to note here is that if we were in China in a place like this, it would have felt pretty... "manufactured for the tourist's experience." Here however, it was very much like we just happened to pop in and see a slice of a day in the life of a batik artist. It was very enjoyable to see! Laurel and I then went into the shop where they sell the batiks and one in particular caught my eye. It was 480RG (which the lady in charge will discount 15%, or down to 405RG, for me), so I chose to wait and ask Joe what he thinks about spending that much $$. If we were at home, I would have snapped a quick photo of it with my Iphone, emailed it to him and either waited for a text with instructions to buy or not buy or just called to talk to him. Then I could have purchased it on the spot. Instead, I will wait and if he agrees, then we can come back in the morning.
After the batiks, the mommas took the kids down to the pool for awhile until Tim got home from work. We then headed down the block to this Chinese restaurant where you just tell them what you would like to eat (using their ingredients on hand of course), then they make it for you. No real menu to order from. The food was so good and the girls gobbled up 2 orders of noodles. We also had a couple of tofu dishes, spicy prawns, broccoli, and a couple of other dishes plus 2 rounds of beers and waters. All of this deliciousness for about 110 RG or $35. Yum!
We played a fun game of Scrabble after putting the kids to bed where Tim came in first place.
First Full Day in Penang
Monday, April 18: Day 6
Scarlett slept ok last night, but was up at 5:00 wanting mommy and milk. Oh how I miss the days of nursing when I get this call! It now requires a trip to the fridge, which always wakes me up completely. But she fell back to sleep laying on me and slept until 6:30 or so. And yes, I realize I am reporting a lot about how the kids are sleeping, but what type of day we have is directly related to how the kids sleep, generally speaking.
Today Tim had to go to work in the morning, but we sprung him free at lunch time. The morning was spent going to Penang's Little India for some shopping, followed by swimming in the pool. Pretty much 4 types of shops can be found in this area of town:
1. the metal, sparkly, colorful bracelet store (literally all 4 walls are floor to ceiling full of said bracelets- it was like heaven on earth to a certain 5 year old little girl),
2. the sari store (lots of beautiful fabrics!)
3. the trinket/ souvenir store (every level of junk you can imagine)
4. the spice store (a culinary delight!)
You can imagine that our first stop was in the bracelet store, where the girls each secured their own set of ~15 bracelets "just like all the Indian girls wear" as Audrey said. They were 12 Ringit for each set, but the guy sold them to us for 12RG ($4) total. The spice store we went into had bins of wonderfully smelling spices and sacks and sacks of rice all stacked along one wall. We only had an hour in this area, so we just browsed for a bit in a handful of stores. I did get this lovely little string of elephants for 10 RG in a trinket store.
We then drove to Tim's office (he works for National Instruments) to have lunch with him. His office is pretty close to the airport on the other side of the island. The hawker center we ate at is directly across from his office building and is a huge open air building (probably 100' x 200'??) with just a roof. There were probably 50(??) or so food vendors serving a huge variety of yummy goodness. I got a plate of Chinese vegetarian, Joe got Chicken rice, mango lassis and lime juices for all, some soup, and a couple of other dishes that I can't remember for about $4.oo. (See photo)
We then went back to the apartment and dropped the men off with the babies for nap/ beer time, while Audrey, Laurel and I went to the nearby mall for gelato and pedicures! This was Audrey's first time and she was in heaven. After we were done, she walked toward the manicure station exclaiming, "And next, we get our fingers done!" Sorry to disappoint kid, but we only have so much time!
After the babies woke up, we went to the Penang Botanic Gardens where there were a bunch of monkeys running around. At first the girls were skeptical of them, but the monkeys acted like squirrels do- running around chasing each other, climbing trees, walking along telephone wires and walking past us on the sidewalk.
They didn't bother you and only approached people if you held out food to them, which of course you shouldn't do but we saw this boy feeding one monkey an ice cream cone! The park is also a popular place to go running, play games and check out the orchid house.
For dinner we went into Georgetown to a Northern Indian restaurant called Gem. It was SO good! The naan was to die for, as was the food. This place was a little bit more expensive, but worth it. I think we spent $60 for all of us, including beers.
Georgetown is an interesting mix of old and new. There is a law that you can't tear down historical structures, which is good, but there's a handful of buildings that are very run down, pretty much beyond repair. Those fall under the Heritage Building category, so they sit, waiting for something to happen.
Then it was babies to bed and hanging out chatting for a bit.
Scarlett slept ok last night, but was up at 5:00 wanting mommy and milk. Oh how I miss the days of nursing when I get this call! It now requires a trip to the fridge, which always wakes me up completely. But she fell back to sleep laying on me and slept until 6:30 or so. And yes, I realize I am reporting a lot about how the kids are sleeping, but what type of day we have is directly related to how the kids sleep, generally speaking.
Today Tim had to go to work in the morning, but we sprung him free at lunch time. The morning was spent going to Penang's Little India for some shopping, followed by swimming in the pool. Pretty much 4 types of shops can be found in this area of town:
1. the metal, sparkly, colorful bracelet store (literally all 4 walls are floor to ceiling full of said bracelets- it was like heaven on earth to a certain 5 year old little girl),
2. the sari store (lots of beautiful fabrics!)
3. the trinket/ souvenir store (every level of junk you can imagine)
4. the spice store (a culinary delight!)
You can imagine that our first stop was in the bracelet store, where the girls each secured their own set of ~15 bracelets "just like all the Indian girls wear" as Audrey said. They were 12 Ringit for each set, but the guy sold them to us for 12RG ($4) total. The spice store we went into had bins of wonderfully smelling spices and sacks and sacks of rice all stacked along one wall. We only had an hour in this area, so we just browsed for a bit in a handful of stores. I did get this lovely little string of elephants for 10 RG in a trinket store.
We then drove to Tim's office (he works for National Instruments) to have lunch with him. His office is pretty close to the airport on the other side of the island. The hawker center we ate at is directly across from his office building and is a huge open air building (probably 100' x 200'??) with just a roof. There were probably 50(??) or so food vendors serving a huge variety of yummy goodness. I got a plate of Chinese vegetarian, Joe got Chicken rice, mango lassis and lime juices for all, some soup, and a couple of other dishes that I can't remember for about $4.oo. (See photo)
We then went back to the apartment and dropped the men off with the babies for nap/ beer time, while Audrey, Laurel and I went to the nearby mall for gelato and pedicures! This was Audrey's first time and she was in heaven. After we were done, she walked toward the manicure station exclaiming, "And next, we get our fingers done!" Sorry to disappoint kid, but we only have so much time!
After the babies woke up, we went to the Penang Botanic Gardens where there were a bunch of monkeys running around. At first the girls were skeptical of them, but the monkeys acted like squirrels do- running around chasing each other, climbing trees, walking along telephone wires and walking past us on the sidewalk.
They didn't bother you and only approached people if you held out food to them, which of course you shouldn't do but we saw this boy feeding one monkey an ice cream cone! The park is also a popular place to go running, play games and check out the orchid house.
For dinner we went into Georgetown to a Northern Indian restaurant called Gem. It was SO good! The naan was to die for, as was the food. This place was a little bit more expensive, but worth it. I think we spent $60 for all of us, including beers.
Georgetown is an interesting mix of old and new. There is a law that you can't tear down historical structures, which is good, but there's a handful of buildings that are very run down, pretty much beyond repair. Those fall under the Heritage Building category, so they sit, waiting for something to happen.
Then it was babies to bed and hanging out chatting for a bit.
Houston, We Have a Problem
So this morning Joe spent some time trying to figure out a problem with the app his client had just launched. He was having trouble connecting to our computer at home. (a word here about how truly awesome our network setup is at home. Joe can connect to our Mission Control from anywhere in the world really and do his work. This is mostly a blessing, as we can go away for 3 weeks and he can keep up with things and not feel too buried upon our return home. But on the down side, this means he is never 100% disconnected from work) So we realized it was Sunday evening back in Denver & decided to call our fantastic neighbors Dave and Sally to see if they could get into our house to flip the computer off and then back on again. (while Mission Control is a great setup, we've been having some minor glitch lately that requires a reboot. No problem when you are in the kitchen, but a bit of one when you are in Malaysia) We got ahold of Sally via Skype (also an awesome tool), gave instructions on how to acquire our spare key, turn off the alarm and find Joe's office. While she was there she called us b/c the computer wasn't responding when she tried flipping it off and on. After chatting with Joe for a few minutes, they discovered the problem... in my very detailed plan to leave the house as safe and ready for being empty for 3 weeks, one of my tasks was to unplug all unnecessary things like lamps, toasters, coffee pots, etc... yep. You guessed it! The plug that I thought was only attached to 2 table lamps, ACTUALLY powers our phones, cable modem, TV and yes... Mission Control. It lasted for about 4 days on the backup battery then died. Sally plugged it in and voila! Up and running!! Joe was able to fix the problem, the client is happy and the stress is gone. And ALL of it was made possible by our fab neighbors Dave & Sally. (well, I suppose I had a hand in it too :D ) I hope you all are as blessed enough to have some 'Dave & Sallys' of your own. There's nothing better than being on the other side of the planet and knowing that you can call upon your neighbors if needed.
Heading to Malaysia
Sunday, April 17: Day 5
We just had a couple of hours in the morning in Singapore b/c we had to catch a late morning flight to Penang, Malaysia. So we packed (meaning I, while Joe wrestled the crazy beasts we call our children. I'm not sure who gets the better deal here...) Scarlett was still a bit warm this morning, but her temp never got over 99 today. And oddly enough, the runny nose stopped this morning. Thank goodness b/c I was dreading the thought of taking a sick kid to our friends' Tim & Laurel's house & infecting their 15 month old son.
We arrived at Changi Airport w/o trouble. And immediately upon seeing the kids, some airport employees presented the girls with stuffed 'animal' airplanes. Scarlett's is named Changi & Audrey named hers Stuffy. During our now 2 trips to Asia, we have been treated with nothing but kindness while traveling through airports simply because we have children with us. They really have it figured out here! You get priority boarding, toys/ games for the kids to keep, special lines opened just for us, etc... It is the ONE & pretty much only (and yes, I challenge you to disagree with me here!) instance where having kids along makes things easier. Don't get me wrong- I'd love to take a 3 week tropical vacation with just my hubby, but it's nice to know the kids are valued as important little people here.
About 20 minutes before landing however, there was this totally foul stench. Of course everyone started doing the uncomfortable looking around to see who the guilty person was. Then a liquid substance started dripping out of the overhead compartment a few rows ahead of us. I can best describe the smell as this: rotten kim chi/ teenage boy sweaty gym socks & shoes. Seriously! Ew! The flight attendants got rubber gloves, a ladder and cleaning supplies and got busy. They later told Joe it was, and this is in their words, "Some gross Japanese snack food."
Our friend Tim picked us up from the airport in Penang after a 1 hour 15 minute easy flight. We drove the 30 minutes or so back to their place on the northern side of Penang island near the town of Georgetown. Penang is connected to mainland Malaysia by a long bridge, but Laurel told us they never have any reason to go over there. All you need is right there on Penang.
We hung out for the afternoon while babies napped, then we went to dinner at this open air Indian restaurant just around the corner from their apartment. Our "plate" was a giant banana leaf, the size of a standard placemat. We ordered the food which they scooped into piles on our banana leaf. Technically, we should have mixed up the different foods with the HUGE pile of rice on our leaf then eaten that with our hands. But we fork & spooned it. I'm all for eating with my hands, but when you are constantly "on call" with kids & you may need to grab them, spilling glasses, tipping chairs, etc at a moment's notice, it really doesn't help to have a handful of curry, rice and soupy vegetables. The other marks against eating with your hands here, in my opinion, is the lack of napkins. Of course there was a small sink right in the middle of the restaurant that we could use if needed. The food was really good and cheap! For 4 adults & 3 kids to eat dinner, including lime juices for all, it cost 15 Ringit. 1 US$ = 3 Ringit. Isn't that crazy?
Then back to their apartment, kids to bed, hanging out, then lights out. We all started to feel pretty normal today and seem to have adjusted to the time change.
We just had a couple of hours in the morning in Singapore b/c we had to catch a late morning flight to Penang, Malaysia. So we packed (meaning I, while Joe wrestled the crazy beasts we call our children. I'm not sure who gets the better deal here...) Scarlett was still a bit warm this morning, but her temp never got over 99 today. And oddly enough, the runny nose stopped this morning. Thank goodness b/c I was dreading the thought of taking a sick kid to our friends' Tim & Laurel's house & infecting their 15 month old son.
We arrived at Changi Airport w/o trouble. And immediately upon seeing the kids, some airport employees presented the girls with stuffed 'animal' airplanes. Scarlett's is named Changi & Audrey named hers Stuffy. During our now 2 trips to Asia, we have been treated with nothing but kindness while traveling through airports simply because we have children with us. They really have it figured out here! You get priority boarding, toys/ games for the kids to keep, special lines opened just for us, etc... It is the ONE & pretty much only (and yes, I challenge you to disagree with me here!) instance where having kids along makes things easier. Don't get me wrong- I'd love to take a 3 week tropical vacation with just my hubby, but it's nice to know the kids are valued as important little people here.
About 20 minutes before landing however, there was this totally foul stench. Of course everyone started doing the uncomfortable looking around to see who the guilty person was. Then a liquid substance started dripping out of the overhead compartment a few rows ahead of us. I can best describe the smell as this: rotten kim chi/ teenage boy sweaty gym socks & shoes. Seriously! Ew! The flight attendants got rubber gloves, a ladder and cleaning supplies and got busy. They later told Joe it was, and this is in their words, "Some gross Japanese snack food."
Our friend Tim picked us up from the airport in Penang after a 1 hour 15 minute easy flight. We drove the 30 minutes or so back to their place on the northern side of Penang island near the town of Georgetown. Penang is connected to mainland Malaysia by a long bridge, but Laurel told us they never have any reason to go over there. All you need is right there on Penang.
We hung out for the afternoon while babies napped, then we went to dinner at this open air Indian restaurant just around the corner from their apartment. Our "plate" was a giant banana leaf, the size of a standard placemat. We ordered the food which they scooped into piles on our banana leaf. Technically, we should have mixed up the different foods with the HUGE pile of rice on our leaf then eaten that with our hands. But we fork & spooned it. I'm all for eating with my hands, but when you are constantly "on call" with kids & you may need to grab them, spilling glasses, tipping chairs, etc at a moment's notice, it really doesn't help to have a handful of curry, rice and soupy vegetables. The other marks against eating with your hands here, in my opinion, is the lack of napkins. Of course there was a small sink right in the middle of the restaurant that we could use if needed. The food was really good and cheap! For 4 adults & 3 kids to eat dinner, including lime juices for all, it cost 15 Ringit. 1 US$ = 3 Ringit. Isn't that crazy?
Then back to their apartment, kids to bed, hanging out, then lights out. We all started to feel pretty normal today and seem to have adjusted to the time change.
Audrey's Favorite Part of Singapore
Generally speaking, I like to ask Audrey what her favorite part of things are. Today's question was about Singapore. And her favorite part? The Singapore Flyer!
Shopping in Singapore
A quick note here about the madness of shopping in Singapore. Even though it did rain heavily, we got to experience enough of Orchard Road. If I remember correctly, it is about 3 km long and the 1 km or so that we walked was both sides of the street lined with 4-7 (or higher) stories of high end shopping malls. There are gigantic tv screens on the exterior walls of the centers which housed Cartier, Prada, Gucci, etc... And it isn't just Orchard Road that has the shopping malls. There are malls everywhere. Across the street from our hotel was a 4 story mid-high end center. Then 2 blocks down, there was another just like it and so on. It's no wonder people say you can come to Singapore and max out your credit cards. If I was more of a shopper, I could see where that would be trouble. Those of you who are shoppers, stop salivating before you ruin your laptop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
