Krabi, Thailand According to Nate (Part 1)

For this post, I'm going to hand it over to Nate. The boy wonder. Little explorer. And all-around serious little dude.

 

My parents like to surprise me. They do it a LOT. So I wasn't surprised too much when they woke me up Thursday morning and packed me onto a plane. This has all happened before. We go up. And in about an hour we come down. Just enough time for me to talk my mom into giving me a lollipop and a bunch of Pringles.

 

But then we drove off in a taxi to this strange beach with a pier and a dozen of these crazy longtail boats. They didn't have normal sized lifejackets, so Dad unpacked my favorite swimmies for me. Next thing I know we have gone from plane. to taxi. to boat. What could be next?

 

Nevermind. I don't care what you call this place, though Mom says its West Railay Beach, but it had THE SOFTEST sand you have ever felt. And you could wade into the water waaaaaay out and it didn't get above my neck! Dilp (this is what he calls his brother) was all about that beach.

Dilp would have to wait, because we walked across the 'island' to East Railay to find some good food to eat.

 

It was pretty windy.

But you could find anything you wanted to eat over there. And they had all these strange shops with wierd pipes and reggae music. I bobbed my head a few times, but it really wasn't my beat.

 

Back at West Railay was more my scene. No walkways, lots of sand, and plenty of space to run.

 

My shark liked it a lot too. You don't see him here, but Spiderman came along. He liked watching all the climbers going up those cliffs. So we sang his theme song a lot. Loudly.

 

Now back to that sand.

 

We found out where Frosty goes on his weekends off in the winter. Although it puzzled us for quite some time how he might have gotten here. Maybe the monkeys helped. But I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

This Happened

I see that we have a lot to catch up on. I wanted to. Buut. The events in Connecticut hit all of us hard, and I wasn't feeling chatty. Each day since the shooting I am so much more aware of how beautiful my boys' smiles are, how amazing their little hands feel when they are holding mine as we walk down the street, and what an amazing gift each little life is to all of us. All children. Mine, yours, strangers, it is no difference to me right now. There is just such a feeling of loss, and sorrow for those people who will never laugh with theirs again.

So I'll keep it simple and plain. This is what happened.

Twice a year the Embassy holds an award ceremony.

We all went.

This happened.

At last.

Someone met Santa. And liked him.

Someone brought this tasty snack over our house.

We thought it only fitting to share it with others.

And then this happened.

 

This too.

Yes it did.

 

We also went for a walk around town to see the Christmas lights. And came upon a rock concert.

So, of course, this happened.

 

Spontaneous dancing, like only kids can do.

 

Thankful Thursday; Dharma Drop Edition Part 2

 

I'm getting better about sending these out now-for a few months I was getting a bit lazy. Or I wanted to keep the goods for myself. But that's not the point of the Dharma Drop, is it.

 

This one goes out to some good friends of ours, and it includes a silkscreen print on thai silk that is supposed to bring the bearer wealth and prosperity. And a whole bunch of thai snacks guaranteed to delight and surprise them. Because it may say "Extra Barbeque Flavor", but it still tastes like seaweed and fish to me! haha.

 

I would have something interesting to say right now, except I just spent the past two hours painting props for my son's sixth birthday party, and talking out loud to myself. Does anyone else do that?

 

So instead, I leave you with this adorable shot of Natester last night at the celebration of the King's Birthday at Benjakiti Park. We had a wonderful, but quiet time. There was a candlelight ceremony, music and dance, and lots of fireworks.

 

And dese wabbits.

Operation Dharma Drop

Its been AT LEAST a month since I've sent out a Buddha. Seriously, it is time to put on my A-game and resume what I set out to do! So here is the sixth installation of Operation Dharma Drop, going out to some friends back home. I especially love the amulets of Ganesh and Buddha, and think we will have to make our way back to the amulet market sometime to pick up some more.

 

Life in Bangkok has been enjoyable this October, as the flooding of previous years has not returned. There seems to be a huge amount of tourism, especially for October when weather usually isn't very good. We've had a lot of time with the boys this week, since school is closed for vacation, and have had fun going back to Chatuchak Market for Christmas shopping, hitting the street vendors for delicious food, and a trip back to Siam Ocean World so we could share it with my husband finally!

I think what we like most about this aquarium is how it is really geared for the younger crowd. Not heavy on information, but big on impact when it comes to interesting animals and mind-boggling exhibits. I mean, this sucker is in the BASEMENT of a mall, and has one of those aquariums you walk beneath and watch all the sharks gliding over your head. They have penguins of course, and a 'spa' where you can get your feet nibbled on by tiiiiny little fishies. I haven't tried it because the people participating don't look too thrilled, nor relaxed by the experience. Might be from the hoards of children ogling them and flinging popcorn as they walk by, I dunno.

 

I am just happy that when we give the boys a choice of what they would like to do, this is what they pick. I couldn't care less about the exhibits, but really enjoy seeing the wonder on their faces. They really are the light of my life!

Now That's Pinteresting

I should be packing.


I should be packing right now.


Because at 9:45 tomorrow we are boarding a plane to the luxurious island of Koh Samui for a long weekend retreat.

Instead, I am sharing photos of our version of a very popular Pinterest project, and babbling about Chinatown. You see, our nanny thought I was going crazy farang-style when we were walking through Chinatown and I went berserk over finding these wee bags of clear pony beads. So dirt cheap. She says, "what are you going to do with those?" and gave me the look of pretend comprehension when I yammered about suncatchers.

Fast forward a few days later, and now we both agree that we must go back and find more of these beads. She's hoping to make some for herself.

Score a point for the crazy farang.

A Walk in the Park

Last week we said farewell to my husband for almost a month. I can't complain, because I know some dear friends persevering through much worse. However, the last year spoiled us real good with all that wonderful togetherness. I can't wait to get it back again.

Sunday I wanted to get the boys out and about, partly to stretch our legs, and partly to stop my overthinking things and clear my head.

So we hopped the BTS to Asok Station and walked down to Benjakiti Park (not to be confused with Benjasiri!) because I was curious about how safe, clean, and comfortable it might be for future running. The park was quiet. Clean. And very closely patrolled.

The view was peaceful, even though it was in the heart of a city.

The boys brought bread to feed the fish. We picked flowers. And then threw them.

The grounds crew stopped their work for lunch, and in the shade one of them picked up some beautiful kind of string instrument and began to play.

 

There were swan boats, which I promised we would try when their daddy came back.

Eventually the mid-day heat drove us back home.

Rock Stars on the Floating Market

This shot pretty much sums up how the boys are received wherever we go in Thailand, so far. (Note adoring fans in background.) We could be in the greatest tourist attraction, yet our boys still seem to steal the show. For Nate, its a lot of fun. He "wai"'s like a native, and his manners cause people to grin widely and laugh. For Philip, the attention is disconcerting. He shies away and still doesn't know how to handle the stares and smiles, my sweet little man.

Saturday we hired a taxi down the street to take us to the biggest floating market near Bangkok. Still about two hours away, it was a pleasant ride. When we got to the pier we all took a little ten-minute walk to get a feel for the place. The drivers all push heavily for you to take a boat tour, and it seemed a little too involved for us-we are people who like to skip the tour and venture off on our own.

Besides, we wanted to make sure we got a taste of something cooking on these floating vendors before some tour guide whisked us away (to a cheesy vendor where the guide gets tipped for bringing in the gullible tourists, you know the deal.)

We flagged over this lady to grab a cheap bowl of rice and some fried chicken for a snack. Behind us on the pier was your typical maze of stalls with tourist trinkets and harem pants (the kind you see on all the backpackers that fool you into thinking they just stepped off a trek in Nepal.) Obviously, in order to see more, we were going to have to get ourselves a boat.

So that's what we did.

It turned out the boat tour operators were not a hard sell after all. We listened to the shpiel and then kindly asked them to skip the monkey place, the elephant ride, and the coconut farm. Since we're here for two more years, we would have plenty of time to do all of them, but with a toddler its wisest to tackle these adventures in small bites!

We hopped in a fantastic long tail boat, and the boys were thrilled to have it all to ourselves! And we took off through the canals. We passed the prettiest homes along the waterway, all of them up on stilts. After spending two months in the city, it was nice to see more traditional Thai homes.

When we got closer to the market, we did get a little bit of the push to buy from a few particular trinket vendors. After picking up just a few small souvenirs, we realized the prices were better at Chatuchak for the same exact things. So we pressed on.

This one stall was a true gem, however. We've often picked up sidewalk art on our adventures because they are really affordable, and fun to frame and hang as a reminder of where we have been. This was the floating market equivalent, so we chatted up with the artist and bought a few pieces to take home. I really want to keep them for ourselves, but come Christmas we may have to part with them and share them as gifts, they were so pretty. We shall see. I should be the good person and gift them, but they really caught my eye!



The floating market was crushed with tourists and vendors by the time we got there. As hectic as it was, it was still relaxing for us as we could sit back in our vessel, pick up a snack or two, sip from a coconut, and bask in the aromas of fish or sausage be roasted.



Our oarsman was a great guy, and kept smiling the whole way, even when we found ourselves in a floating traffic jam. The only stress we encountered was keeping the boys' fingers inside the boat, or from having to juggle pomelo slices while taking pictures!



Outside the market, a lot of people still transport their goods on the waterway. Fruits and food were being sold door to door. Coconuts were carried to the market, not only for the tourists because every house we passed had mounds of coconut hulls on the ground outside.



The only stop we had requested was to the Wat, so onward we went. Philip loved speeding down the canals, and insisted on riding in the very front the whole time.



I especially enjoy going to the Wats, as they rely a great deal on the contributions from tourism. So they are welcoming to outsiders, children, and anyone curious as long as you are respectful. They are also very beautiful, usually in colors and gold.

We bought offering bowls to contribute when we got there, and each of the boys had a chance to drop coins in the offering bowls. They rang the bells of course. Philip and I stepped up the the Buddha statue and lit incense out of respect.


On the way out we could buy pellets to feed the fish, so the boys were entertained by that too. Again, you gotta love Buddhist reasoning-buy some fish food, hey its good for the fish, and brings good luck for you! Sure, why not? Its hard to argue with that.

We had a fun ride back to the pier, and decided to head back home. Both the boys were exhausted, and it was getting near that four-PM-downpour-time. Turns out this trip was a winner with the kids, and we will most definitely come back.

But, again, we'll skip the monkeys.

Thankful Thursday

The day, yesterday.

The place, Funarium on Sukhumvit Soi 26 or other, Bangkok, Thailand.

Khun Kookai and I took the boys over to the fabulous Funarium. Much fun was had.

But now its Thursday, and on thursdays I like to reflect on what I am thankful for. And I like to get pretty specific. So this thursday I am thankful for the gift of laughter, because its easy to stop laughing. Life can get to you that way.

There is something healthful in laughter. It does something to you, if you realize how much you need it. I do. There have been times when our home hasn't had a lot of lightness. It got a little sad and dark at times. And heavy. I don't like heavy. I think the greatest mistake people make sometimes is overthinking things. So I try to keep lightness in my life.

And then the kids came along.

Now there's a lot of laughter. Sometimes you get serious about things that don't really matter, and I know it could happen easily to any of us. Dishes get dropped, walls get scratched, I don't know.....

But we are lucky. There's a lot of lightness and laughter in our home, and not a lot of heaviness. And for that, I am

so

very

thankful.