Train Ride

We paid for seats in a minivan for the 3 hour drive to Trang from Koh Lanta. This was probably the scariest part of our journey. We packed ourselves into this van and they had Shannon sitting in the front middle seat, between the driver and a Thai passenger. None of us had seatbelts, they had all been removed from the van. Twice along the route the van stopped and put on another passenger. Another family from France was also in the van and the driver tried to have their small son and Shannon share a seat, after their refusal he tried to put Shannon with a different, very small Thai girl. We objected vehemently because we had all paid for our seats. I was so scared we would be put off in the middle of nowhere! So the driver repacked the pile of luggage and a very old man and young girl shared a seat in the back with the luggage! Oh my! The driving was crazy! He sped through the very narrow backroads without much regard to other drivers and had me catching my breath many times. We arrived in Trang in time for our overnight trainride to Bangkok.

Another first for us, the train. The 1st class car was completely sold out so we bought the 2nd class ticket. We each got our own seat and own bed, but shared the train car with other people, and it was air-conditioned, what more could we ask! The kids began the trip by meeting a 17 year-old Thai boy and he taught them lots of hand games and magic tricks. The train was incredibly loud, the clickety-clack of the tracks, resounding through the traincar. We were doing just fine, enjoying a beer, when a rather inconspicuous bug traipsed his way across my table, right in front of me! My reaction of course was the butt of many jokes! But you won't believe this, while lying in my bunk reading before going to sleep, I swear that same bug went walking right in front of my eyes on the wall! The porter selling beer really took a liking to Eric. She would walk by and smile with a little suggestive eyebrow lift, then walk by from the other direction, and smile again, this went on throughout the entire trip, very disconcerting. Eric was actually worried about going to sleep! She went out of her way to make sure Eric had everything he needed. She even brought us a bucket to keep our beer cold! We bought a beer for each of us, then she brought us the bucket full and said it was in case we wanted another and she wasn't around, of course by then, they were all empty! :)

Koh Lanta

We toured the island of Koh Lanta on what is called a Tuk Tuk. Let's just say a family of five strains the limits of this mode of transportation! We had the most hilarious experience when we first got on it and tried to drive out of the hotel driveway. The driveway was sloped and met up with the regular road at a steep angle. We hadn't quite achieved the correct balance and we did a wheelie at the bottom of the hill! Eric was driving and the rest of us in the side seat were screaming as the whole vehicle was in the air except the back wheels! The Thai people rushed to help, although they couldn't help but let their laughter show. We laughed later, when we got back on all three wheels! We rented this for 24 hours for a ridiculously small amount of money and toured our side of the island. What a great day of seeing some of God's incredible wonders...and we shopped! We had a wonderful Christmas dinner on a beautiful beachfront restaurant and then watched an incredible fire show and fireworks. The ceremony on Boxing Day was very touching in commemoration of the Tsunami. It was very sad for many of the workers as I am sure many of them had lost something or someone in the devastating tragedy. They made some beautiful sand sculptures and lighted candles and released these lighted gas balloons in the sky. Koh Lanta was completely different from Phuket, more rustic and slow-paced, and completely relaxing! Definitely put it on your list of must do's!

Thai Massage

It may look bad, but it sure felt good! The massages can be had almost anywhere for about 250 baht for one hour. That's about $7.50 usd. You can't beat that anywhere. While on Koh Lanta, Eric had one almost every day! The women were ready to jump in his suitcase by the end of the week. Taylor and Shannon had their doubts, and weren't quite sure if it was torture or relaxation, until they had their own. I'd sure like one today!

Elephant Ride

On the island of Phuket, we drove to the jungle and embarked on a great adventure, an elephant ride! Eric took Shannon and Taylor on Henna and Erika and I rode Fanta. It was definitely nothing like anything we imagined. We were wayyyyyy off the ground! The experience gave new understanding to the word "lumbering" through the jungle. An elephant doesn't just walk, its whole body sways with each step it takes, and so do the riders! There were moments where we held on for dear life. We seriously thought we were going over the side, especially when she walked up and down a very steep incline. The skin was unexpectedly hair and very thick and rough. We walked through a rubber tree grove. We saw how they drain the rubber from the trees and even got to feel the dried sap. It was just like a rubber band! The young men driving the elephant took leaves and during the ride wove beautiful treasures for us, a bird and a grasshopper. We really enjoyed this "once in a lifetime" experience!

Taylor's Haircut

Taylor has lost his mind! Well, not exactly, but he's definitely lost the hair that covered it! Taylor asked me last night to shave his head! Eric was ecstatic, but the females in the house were mourning all his curls! Don't know what possessed him to do it, but I do know, he'll be a little colder for it. He certainly doesn't look like my baby boy anymore!

Day trip to Phi Phi Island

Our day trip started with a speed boat ride for an hour out to Phi Phi Island. (This is pronounced "Pee Pee") :) There were probably about 25 people on the tour with us, I think we were the only Americans, as it would be a long time getting to Thailand from America. As it was, it took us basically two days of travel to arrive in Phuket. It was the most exciting boat ride we've ever experienced! I think the only time he dropped below 100mph was when he stopped altogether! We were traveling at top speed bouncing across the waves of the Andaman Sea, some of which had to be at least five feet high! We were all holding on for dear life, not wanting to fly from the boat. Eric had to hold onto Shannon as several times she came flying off the seat as the boat flew from crest to crest. From the pictures, you can see we sat in the bow of the boat, this was infinitely better than the back because there were many people losing their breakfasts and lunches throughout the whole day! We had no problems until he stopped and the boat was rolling on the waves. We traveled around the area and saw really breathtakingly beautiful sights. The Viking caves were impressive, although we weren't allowed to go into them, they aren't safe anymore, Monkey Beach was fun, we threw bananas out to them and I have never seen bananas peeled and swallowed so fast! We stopped at a couple beaches to swim and snorkel on the reefs, just incredible to be surrounded by such bright, colorful fish. The sand on one particular beach was whiter and softer than I've ever encountered before, the water so crystal clear and blue, just beautiful! They dropped us on Phi Phi Island for an hour to eat and shop. This was one of the places most affected by the tsunami of 2004. We purchased a memorial pamphlet that showed the devastation the tsunami wreaked on the island, definitely sobering. We finished our day with more snorkeling on another beach and then were beaten again by the waves and the captain's sense of urgency in getting us back to port! The next morning my muscles were so sore I couldn't sit up in bed, I had to roll out! Just so we're clear, it wasn't the snorkeling that beat us, it was the constant bouncing in the boat that did it! All in all it was a great day, sore muscles and all!

Patong Beach Market

We took a taxi from the Marriott to Patong, cost about $25 USD. We spent the afternoon walking the open air market on the beach. Erika got a screaming deal and got her hair braided for $16. It took two women one hour to braid it all. I have never seen braiding done so fast before. Her hands would appear to just wiggle a bit and the braid was done. It also stayed in for the rest of the vacation and she took it out after about two weeks. Eric and I visited the Fish Spa. You have got to look that up on the internet! It used to be used to help people with skin diseases. The fish just eat off any dead skin. I squealed and squirmed the whole time; it was like putting my feet in an ant hill and letting them crawl all over me. It didn't hurt at all, it just wasn't a good feeling having those fish swarm my legs and squirm between my toes! While we were looking for some food to eat we came across some snack food: Fried grasshoppers and larvae! I kid you not! We even saw some woman eating them! Yuck! This was all fun until sundown, then all the freaks came out. I don't mean weird looking people, I am talking of the kind in whom you pay for their services!

JW Marriott, Phuket, Thailand

Well, we have finally reaped the benefits of Eric living in Japan for one year without us. We used his Marriott point to stay in this incredible 5-star beach resort, that words cannot even describe, but I will try. Our "room" was a two bedroom suite with a fully stocked kitchen, dining room, living room, deck with beautiful furniture and a master bath to die for! The resort was very isolated from everywhere else which was a negative, but they had shops and restaurants, 3 huge pools to choose from, a kids center, and golf carts to take you where you needed to go. It was breathtakingly landscaped and decorated and there were lots of lovely people waiting on us hand and foot. Every evening there was a silent "Sunset Ceremony" performed by the masked dancers. There were activities to sign up for, for both kids and adults. Erika and I did Batik painting on a t-shirt. For me, this was one of the highlights of our trip. They turned out beautifully and actually not too shabby for a first attempt. We stayed here for 6 beautiful days. We did take a couple side trips, by taxi, that were a lot of fun.

Layover at Tokyo and Bangkok airports

We had a 5 hour layover in Tokyo and survived! We found an area that was doing a free "cultural experience" and couldn't resist. All the decorations/ornaments in the photos are done from paper! I know it doesn't look like it, but it is. What looks like wire is actually wraps of paper. They were so beautiful I wanted to share them with you all. The rest of the time we killed by playing Boggle (Eric, Erika and I) and Taylor and Shannon played their DS. On arriving in Bangkok, there were such interesting sights, I had to share these with you also. The Thai people love their king. In every shop there is posted (usually in gold and very large) a picture of the king with a caption "Long live the king!" The picture I took covered almost the entire front of the airport, about 3 stories tall I think.

Detroit, MI

The second stop, but our first steps back on US soil, was Detroit! Oh how sweet it was! It was quite funny though, driving with Uncle Bob; I'm not used to driving on the right side of the road anymore and it was difficult to say the least. After a few days I drove and I had to keep verbally reminding myself "Stay on the right side, stay on the right side!" I have to say the thing that stood out most to us, besides the cars being on the correct side of the road, was that we could read all the signs! It is amazing the things we take for granted until put out of our comfort zone!
I told Aunt Linda we didn't want to do any running around or touristy things, just relax, and she took me for my word. They spoiled us rotten with food and swimming and gin rummy (that's a card game, not a drink!) and great company! Eric was able to take a week off and come with us so he got to golf a few rounds with Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob and that was quite a treat. Uncle Bob actually taught Taylor how to cast with a fishing pole, unfortunately, there weren't any fish in their lake to practice anything other than casting. But he had fun trying! We found the library and tried to get caught up on some novels we've missed out on. We had many beautiful afternoons spent on the lake in the canoe, watching the graceful herons flying into their lake everyday, there were eight, I think, that call this one particular tree home every night. One day we even saw a swan, an awesome sight. This was the perfect way to begin our summer vacation!

Pottery

In June, before we left for the summer, Erika and I had a great opportunity to go and make our own pottery, on a wheel from a lump of clay! My friend Mio came with us and we each got our own wheel. The potter was actually very impressed, he said Americans aren't usually very good at it at first, a backhanded compliment if I've ever heard one! It was an unusual experience. The clay was very rough feeling (my hands were exfoliated!) but very slippery because of the water you had to add to it so it would move smoothly in your hands. The worst part is the feeling as the clay was drying on your hands. (You must understand I hate the feeling of dirt on my hands too!) We each made a small plate, a rice bowl, a noodle bowl (yes, there are different sizes according to what you put in them!) and a cup. One thing we've noted since being in Japan, the typical American drink is usually, at least, 12 ounces, in Japan the typical cup at the table is about 4-6 ounces! When we finished our pieces, we left them to dry, and then they painted them for us, then fired them. We were able to get them back after we returned from summer vacation. This, I think, was one of our most memorable activities in all our time here. We fully intend to do it again!

Tokyo Disney

Tokyo was the first stop on our itinerary, unfortunately, it was pouring down rain! June is the rainy season in Japan, and as such was supposed to be less crowded. It was one of their most crowded days! We had to buy rain ponchos, only we couldn't find one to fit Eric! As he was trying on the XLg size a Japanese man was behind him trying to hide his laughter and awe of my husband's size. It was hilarious! We proceeded to get soaked and stood in lines for over an hour for every ride! The newest ride was "Ride & Go Seek" and the wait was over 3 hours! Then the letdown of the century was that the best rides were closed for maintenace (unscheduled)! I definitely prefer Disney World Florida!
After 2 days at Disney we threw in the towel (a very wet one) and tried some tourist spots. Just being on the Tokyo subway system was a trip in itself! There are 6 layers of subways underground! It is quite a feat in scheduling to make that work! We went to see Tokyo Tower. It is taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but quite ugly in my opinion; it is painted a flourescent orange! We went to see the Guinness Book of World Records Museum! This was perfect as that is Taylor's all-time favorite book! We spent 3 hours walking through a very small museum; it was fascinating and all of us enjoyed it. The last place we saw was a bit on the strange side. It is a walk through room full of optical illusions. Eric and I copped some down time (Hee Hee) and the kids had a lot of fun!

Summer Vacation

The third stop on our itinerary was Orlando, FL with my mom and Russ. Relaxation was top on our list of priorities, so we spent 6 days enjoying the swimming pool, lots of sunshine, and eating good American food. Grandma made us her wonderful BBQ ribs and Smores! One of Taylor's highlights of the whole summer was getting to fish! He outfished his teachers! The kids kept Grandma busy playing billiards and ping pong, while I lounged outside in the pool! (Yeah me!) We celebrated the 4th of July there, oh it was good to be back in the good ole US of A!

Hawaii Vacation

Well, we survived our whirlwind tour in the U.S. and we finished it with a relaxing week in Oahu on Waikiki! It was a blast as we just played the whole time. We drove around the island to find some awesome (and sometimes pretty scary) waves and we just played in them. It was just what we needed to wind down a bit before heading back to Japan for school. The kids had 3 days to recover from jetlag and we sent them off to school. Erika will be homeschooling this year with me. Her seizures are almost rare these days, but we cannot be assured of their absence so we will stay at home. Taylor will be 13 next week! Two teenagers, OMG! I know many of you are wondering when we'll be coming back. No one knows the answer to that right now. Just pray for more jobs in Seattle, namely one for Eric, so that we can come home! Much love to you all!

Shannon's Haircut

As you can see from the picture, Shannon had her hair cut as soon as we arrived back in Seattle! She asked when we left Seattle last year that she wanted to donate her hair when we came home and that is what she did. She donated it to "Locks of Love" for patients who have gone through chemo and lost their hair. So there will be some very fortunate people with some beautiful hair!