Claire turns five!

 In some ways, we can't believe it has only been five years since we started having kids, since life before that seems so distant, but Claire continues to hit big milestones like learning to pump on the swings, cracking eggs herself and the biggest one--deciding to give up her "taggie" and stop sucking her thumb on her own.

Paul turns one!

 Paul's birthday fell during our vacation, so we celebrated a little late (poor third child), but it didn't matter much to him. He enjoyed the attention and made a mess of his cake. 

Krabi

The second week of Shawn's family's visit, we flew down to Krabi (near Phuket) and hung out at the beach. J and I splurged on two rooms, and it made all the difference. I actually found the vacation relaxing. We stayed at a Sheraton resort with nice amenities for the kids (pools, playground, kids' club), so J mostly took the girls out, and I got to read books while Paul napped. Heaven.

One day, we rented a boat and went out to tour some of the little islands nearby, like the one pictured above.  

Safari Park

I think close encounters with animals are going to define our time in Thailand.

Saturday morning, our plan was to visit the Bridge on the River Kwai and take a scenic train ride from there to a waterfall. The train was delayed enough that we had to scrap that plan, so we ended up at yet another animal park. This one was safari-style where they take you around in a mini-bus to see and feed the animals. This was quite the experience, as you can see from the picture above. 

Then, like every animal park, there were some animal shows. A crocodile show, an elephant show, and the worst one: a dog show. Picture a few neighborhood dogs pulled together by some kids to perform a few tricks. That was about how exciting it was. Then they had the audacity to send around a golden retriever carrying a money basket. Well, it must have been a hungry dog, because as it passed Isabella who was eating a roll, it snapped it away from her, and bit her hand. Despite the assurances of the park staff that their dogs had their shots, we watched the bite carefully, and luckily, no infection set in. Yikes!

Tiger Temple

One of the famed sights of Kanchanaburi is a "Tiger Temple." Apparently, monks often take in unwanted animals, and somehow at this temple, they ended up with some tiger cubs whose mothers were poached (or something like that). It grew from there, and now it is a tiger refuge turned tourist attraction. You definitely leave with mixed feelings (like many of the animal attractions in Thailand), but it is so unique, you think you have to do it.

The tigers that you can pet are chained, and you have to go individually with a guide, only during the tigers' nap time. I stayed back with Paul (quite a hefty entrance fee--all for the upkeep of the tigers, I'm sure).  However, we were surprised that even Sylvie was willing to go by herself to pet a tiger. She usually shies away from animals. We got lots of pictures of the girls petting tigers. Try not to judge our sanity as parents. :)

Damnoen Floating Market

 J took Friday off, so we could take a little overnight trip to Kanchanaburi (west of Bangkok near the Burmese border) and see a variety of sights. Shawn's family hired a driver, so we followed his lead and caravanned first to the Damnoen Floating Market. We had heard it was more touristy than authentic, but it was the most convenient for our itinerary,  so we went ahead.

We all got on a rowboat (which luckily we didn't have to row) and started to navigate the canal where vendors sell from their own boats and little stalls on the side. For the first 20 minutes, it was so crowded that we hardly moved at all. In fact, it was hot and stinky from the "speed" boats that were spewing exhaust, and I almost abandoned ship with Paul. But, finally things cleared out a little, and we were able to see some traditional homes and at least enjoy the ride a little more.

Bangkok Sights

Sylvie & Olivia at the Grand Palace

On Saturday, J took Shawn's family and Sylvie to some of the big sights of Bangkok while Claire, Paul and I went to a friend's birthday party.  First they went to the Dusit Zoo and had the classic experience of feeding elephants and other animals. Then they took a water taxi (an experience in itself) across the river to the Grand Palace. Amazing architecture.

Monday, J was back at work, so I took everyone to my favorite tourist spot, the Rose Garden. It is a little bit of a drive, but it is relaxing once you get there. It is a nice showcase of traditional Thai culture, and the gardens are beautiful. The best feature: a cheap, short elephant ride around a paved garden path. Anything more authentic is way too bumpy for me.

The rest of the week, Shawn's family did some shopping, visited Chinatown and bought some Thai silk for Karin. These sound like simple activities, but nothing is simple in Bangkok, especially with kids, so I got the feeling they ended each day exhausted.

First Family to Visit

matching hippo jammies

We were excited to welcome J's brother Shawn and his family as our first visitors. They stayed with us in Bangkok for a week, and then we all flew down to Krabi for a week at the beach. As you can tell from the five mischievous looks above (well, you can only see Paul's rear end, but I promise you, he is mischievous) we had quite the fun time. It took all four adults to keep track of this group. Shawn, Lucki and their girls are experienced travelers, so they handled the craziness of Thailand with finesse. But, mealtimes, naptimes, playtime and bedtime are a challenge with 5 under 5 no matter where you are. See subsequent posts and to discover more of what we saw together.