Our trip to Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand

During the kids fall break from October 18-26, 2008 we took a trip to Thailand.  We spent a day in Bangkok and a week in Phuket.  The flight to Bangkok is about six hours from Tokyo.  The first photo is a picture of Bangkok from our hotel room.  You can see the Grand Palace, the official residence of the Kings of Thailand since the 18th century.

In Bangkok, we took a boat ride to the subway station from our hotel.  

Then we took the subway to the Weekend Market (love this subway sign that says to offer your seats to monks - you don't see that everyday).  This was by far the biggest market we've been to yet.  They sold everything from used clothing to animals (very sad actually). 

 It was very crowded and hot but a lot of fun.  This market is known for pickpockets so we saw a lot of the people wearing their backpacks on their fronts rather than their backs.  Thank goodness we brought our own tissues because here you have to pay to use the bathrooms and yes, you even had to pay for the toilet paper.  For lunch, we ended up buying some kind of mystery meat on a stick - and I say mystery meat because well, it was like nothing we had had before.  We ended up throwing two of them away after taking a bite (we really hope it wasn't dog!).   

 Toward the end of our shopping day we all sat down and enjoyed a leg and foot massage.  Maddie and Nathan loved it so much they almost fell asleep.  A 45 minute massage was about 200 baht (the name of the currency in Thailand) which is about $6.00 USD!  

On the way back to the hotel we decided it would be fun to take a tuk tuk (say the "u" like ooh as in "ooh, gross!").  Well, let's just say it was crazier than a ride from Disney World and that is not an exaggeration!  At first it was fun but after about 15 seconds of seriously thinking we were all going to die on this tuk tuk, we had the driver take us back to the boat instead of directly to the hotel.  As if it wasn't enough that he was weaving in and out of traffic at 30 miles an hour like a mad man, he actually popped a wheely taking off from a traffic light!  People in Thailand drive crazy - we couldn't understand the rules of the road.  Motorcycles and tuk tuks obviously, have no rules of the road!  We video taped our ride on our camcorder so when I transfer it over I'll post it so you can experience our wild ride.

The next day we left for Phuket, Thailand.  It was about an hour and a half plane ride from Bangkok.  We stayed at the Phuket Hilton Resort and Spa.  It was a beautiful hotel with three pools, waterfalls and slides.  Here is a picture looking onto Karon Beach from the balcony of our room.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't think of the Tsunami from 2004 while here.  Below there is even a Tsunami Evacuation sign.

Unfortunately, Madeline only got to enjoy one day of the water slides and beaches.  I'll tell you why later.

The first day we were there we played on 

Karon Beach near our hotel.  The water was a little rough but the kids had fun playing in the waves.  There was no swimming since the rip tide was so strong.  There was a lifeguard on duty telling people not to swim.  

The next day we took a speedboat out to the Phi Phi (said "pee pee" - giggle giggle) Islands to go island hopping.  They are stunning, huge mountain islands with trees.  James Bond Island is here where they filmed a James Bond movie.  They also filmed Leonardo DiCaprio's movie "The Beach" on one of the islands we went to.

On one of the islands there are wild monkeys.  We threw them watermelon and bananas from the boat.  

This island is called Viking Cave where guards actually live to protect the Swift Birds nests during harvesting season against robbers.  

Local residents will raid the cave to collect these nests which are made out of the male birds saliva.  They use these nests to make Bird's Nest Soup.  It is sold as a tonic for very high prices and is believed to promote growth.  These nests are high up on the ceilings of the caves and are dangerous to harvest.  The guards also protect these nests from snakes, eagles and natural predators.

We went snorkeling near a reef where the tour guide was throwing bread to the fish so we could swim through them.  Nathan took some good photos with his underwater camera (not pictured here).  After that we went to an island were we got to stand on the shore to feed the fish.  Who would have thought that fish love bananas?

  

The water was so clear in some sections that you could see the fish swimming and see clear to the bottom of the ocean floor.

Remember earlier I told you that Maddie only got to enjoy one day of the hotel pools and beaches?  We were all having a great time swimming in a little cove between the islands until Maddie was getting back into the boat and cut her knee, very deeply, on the engine propeller.  I knew right away it was deep enough for stitches.  

Thank goodness the hotel had a nurse on duty until midnight each day.  To make a very long story short, we opted (per Maddie's frantic tears and our fear of what the hospitals might be like in Thailand) to not get stitches.  Instead the nurse bandaged her cut with butterfly bandaids (not like we use in the USA).  I told Maddie that if she could keep her leg really straight and it healed without infection she wouldn't have to get stitches.  So, each night we would go back to the nurse before dinner and she would disinfect the wound and put on clean bandages.  I've never seen Maddie walk with her leg so straight for that entire week.  Thank goodness the wound healed perfectly with no stitches.  

So as a result, we had to plan some other excursions that didn't include water since Maddie couldn't get her knee wet for the week.

One of my favorite excursions was Elephant Trekking.  There is a place called Siam Safari that rescues elephants no longer needed to work in the logging industry.  They are the most gentle, amazing and HUGE creatures.  It was awesome touching one and being so close.  Here's some of our photos from that adventure.

I love the video of the elephants - so peaceful.  Throughout the forest where we went trekking with the elephants, there were a lot of rubber trees.  We went on a tour of how the Thai people tap the rubber from the trees and process it into rubber.  Our Mahout (the name of elephant trainers) stopped by a tree and pulled off some rubber for Maddie.  It starts as a liquid but he rubbed it in his hands and made it rubbery.  Here's the video of Maddie showing what it looks like.

Of course we did a lot of shopping.  One Thai baht was worth about 3 US dollars.  The note below is worth about 30 US dollars.

Since Maddie couldn't do any more water sports, we decided to have a girls day at the spa while Darren took Nathan to Patong Beach for some fun on the Wave Runner.  Nathan was thrilled.  Maddie and I on the other hand were very relaxed and ready for a nice nap after our spa treatments.  We began with manicure and pedicures and ended with an hour massage - each.  She loved it and cracked me up the entire time.  "Mom, do you have cucumbers on your eyes?"  "Mom, are you on your belly?  Can you see the flowers in the bowl?"  "Mom..."  She ended her day at the spa with a hair cut.

Here are some other fun photos from our trip.  Maddie getting a few strands of hair braided.

As I said earlier, people drive crazy in Thailand.  Motorbikes have no rules of the road.  It wasn't uncommon to see a mother riding with her babies on the bikes (see the baby at the front of the motorcycle?).

Look at the hodgepodge of wires.  It was like this all over Thailand.  You could reach up and touch some of those wires.

Nathan and Maddie next to the Phuket tuk tuk. Nice and calm compared to Bangkok tuk tuks.

Needless to say, we all want to go back again.



We just returned from our trip to Beijing, China so I'll try to blog about that soon.

Love to everyone!

Finally!

Okay, you can sit back in your chair now!  Yes, I am blogging!  This one is dedicated to Monica and Joy, my faithful blog readers.

September 12-15, 2008 Darren surprised the kids and me with a trip to Hong Kong to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary (yes, we went with the kids, how could we not bring them to Hong Kong?).  It is about a four and a half hour flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong.  We couldn't get over the prices of things - so inexpensive - even more so than the USA.  We were in heaven!  The dollars used in Hong Kong are called Hong Kong Dollars and the exchange rate was about eight Hong Kong dollars for every one American dollar.  Here are some photos from the trip.

The views of the harbor were amazing, especially at night.  We were a little surprised by the amount of air pollution and smog though.

There were so many double decker busses.  Nathan loved them.  We counted (no exaggeration) over 125 just on our way from the airport to the hotel (about a 45 minute drive).  They don't have double decker buses in Tokyo.

We had a blast shopping at the Ladies Market.  It was hot but fun.  We had to be careful of pick pockets since they work the market.  They seemed to sell everything here and the dealers were ready to sell - trying to lure you into their lair!  Fun for us bargain shoppers!  

There is a famous shopping street in Hong Kong called Nathan Road.  Here is Nathan on "his" road.  We bought him a sign that says Nathan Road for his bedroom.

We took a double decker bus up to the Stanley Market.  The drive up the mountain side was very scenic.  The bus ride itself was interesting - curvy and narrow and the bus driver driving like a crazy man!  I did manage to snap this shot.  Despite the smog, it is beautiful.

This is Stanley Market.  It was even better than the Ladies Market.  We had our names written in Chinese here and had it framed.

You'll have to click on this photo to read the words.  Never heard of that before!  Another sign said that wax burning is an offense so don't get burned. 

 

We went to Toys R Us while in Hong Kong.  It was so great to see so many toys at an affordable price!  The kids seem to have Christmas every time we go to another country.  They love it of course.  At first look, this is the most expensive Little Pet Shop toy I've ever seen!  It's actually about 25 US dollars (still a little pricey).  

We took the train a few times while we were there.  The subway consists of two tracks basically - night and day from the spaghetti tracks of the Tokyo subway system.   There is very limited seating as well, with most everybody standing.  If this was Tokyo, most every person would be wearing their dress clothes, heels, etc.  It was refreshing to see people wearing casual clothing.  Although, I have to admit, it was nice coming back and seeing people dressed really nice again.  Oh no, I think I'm turning Japanese!!!!   

We met our friends the Walkey's while there.  They moved to Hong Kong from the USA shortly before we came to visit.  Johnathan was in my Kindergarten class a few years ago.  We went to the Mid-Autumn Festival together (also known as the Moon Festival or Lantern Festival).  During the festival, people celebrate by carrying lit lanterns around and admiring the full moon.  I bought the kids fish lanterns but we forgot them at the hotel.  Maddie uses hers as a night light in her room now.

Before we left for the festival, we went to the Walkey's apartment for moon cakes.  Not like the moon cakes we grew up with in the USA.  These are sweet cakes made from ground lotus and sesame seed paste and egg-yolk.  They were, well, interesting.  

We had a fun stay in Hong Kong and it was great catching up with friends.  The night before we left we went to the grocery store and stocked up on cereal that they sell in the USA.  That is probably the one thing I miss the most is cereal choices.  Since the Japanese aren't big cereal eaters, there isn't a lot of cereal here.  Plus, the prices for a box of Kashi here is about $8.00 US.  

I'll update "soon" about our trip to Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket).  We're off to Beijing, China this coming week for the kids' short winter break.  

  

  

  

"We'll take five black eggs, onegaishimasu!"

A new entry!!! Can you believe it? Yes, after a restful summer break in the USA we are back in Tokyo and have hit the ground (rather, trains, subways, buses, taxis…) running with a new school year at a brand new school. More on that later…

Our wonderful friend Paige (and the kids’ second grade teacher from the USA) came to Tokyo for two weeks in June. We adore her and we all had such a great time. It was fun to see Tokyo through fresh(er) eyes and remember how we felt when we first saw this amazing city. Shoot, we’re still amazed everyday! This picture is from our visit to "Andy's" izakaya. Izakaya are a Tokyo tradition so we went one day after Paige's arrival. Even though she's completely jet-lagged, she still looks great!

Here are some photos from our adventures. Remember to click on them if you want to see a larger photo. We took the Odakyu "Romancecar" (so named for the scenic views as well as the standard seating which turn into love seats when you lift the middle arm rest!) to Hakone about an hour outside of Tokyo. It is a beautiful area in the mountains but still very close to Tokyo. The area all around Hakone is actually a collapsed volcano. We went to the Hakone Open Air Museum which had "playable" art for the kids to play on.

We stayed in a traditional Japanese Inn called a Ryokan. Instead of sleeping on beds, we slept on futons (matresses) on the tatami mats. We're glad we did it but we can't say we'll be doing it anytime again soon.

One of the best parts of the trip was eating a black egg. Since Hakone is built on a collapsed volcano, there are hot springs all around. There is a place where they trolly chicken eggs by cable up the mountain to be boiled in the hot springs. The springs are very hot so eggs are easily boiled in the water. The hot springs have a very high sulphur content which turns the outside of the eggs completely black (the inside stays white...and yellow). It is said that if you eat one black egg it will add seven years to your life. So, we're all going to live to 140! We actually only ate one egg although Nathan wanted more. We're going back there this fall to get photos of Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, it was too misty to see it while we were there.

After a great start to the summer and not one earthquake to be felt, we all flew back on the same flight to the USA for our summer adventure there. The kids truly had the summer of their lives. Swimming at the pool everyday, playing in the cul-de-sac, sleep overs, going to new release movies, shopping at Target, eating at Chick-fil-a, buying DVD’s and Wii games for our region (Japan’s DVD’s and video games won’t run on our systems…not to mention they’re in Japanese!) and of course seeing family and friends. Darren joined us a few weeks later and was able to hang out with his buddies, play tennis, golf, etc. We already miss all of you.

Even though we spent too much money while in the US (bringing our comfort foods back Tokyo with us) we realized that even with the rising prices in the USA, they still have a ways to go to catch up to Tokyo (where prices are also rising)! I spent four hours in Target one day and then four hours in Wal-Mart the next marveling at the affordability of everything! Zandy decided she’s never going shopping with me again at Publix! Movies in the US are a huge bargain at $6.00 for a matinee ($18.00 here, all ages, all times) and milk at only $4.00 a gallon ($8.00 here – and they don’t even sell it by the gallon). I won’t keep going on, you get the idea.

Darren and I celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary September 14th and he has surprised the kids and me with a trip to Hong Kong. I’ll blog about that next week. Also, September 14th marks the two-year celebration of my mom’s new life in heaven.

The kids got off to a great start at Tokyo International School (TIS). On a scale of one to ten they rated the bus ride a two million! They only have a 10 minute ride one way compared to the 50 minute ride one way last year. I love having them home everyday by 3:20 instead of 4:15. They have jumped right into making new friends and getting involved in afterschool programs. Nathan is taking Woodchippers (making things out of wood) and Tennis and Maddie is taking Cheerleading and Drama. There are 16 kids in each of their classes. The student body at TIS is incredibly diverse. In Madeline's class, 12 countries are represented and she is the only American. English is the common language and amazingly many of the children are tri-lingual (their home country, English and Japanese). So far we are extremely happy with our move to TIS...and so far they haven't complained about their uniforms (actually I think they kind of like them!). Nathan and Madeline continue to impress us with their positive outlook and even excitement toward these new experiences.

In an effort to help my dear friend Monica and her husband Andy expand their family through the adoption of a baby, I am including their website in this blog. If you know of anyone that can help them in this endeavor, they have set up a website all about themselves: http://www.andyandmonicaadopt.com/. They are an amazing couple and will be loving parents to any child with which God chooses to bless them.


Funny Photo of the Week:

This was in a vending machine in Hakone. How about some dried fish?

Words we should all live by. "Do not touch doubtful things."