When you’re in a place for a month, with great people, great beaches and great weather there are certain things that happen to you. You start to feel comfortable, very comfortable in your surroundings.
When you do not even understand how to put fuel in the car, your days can get interesting as can the results.
You get your favorites and stick with them. Your favorite coffee shop, your favorite place for dinner, your favorite place to go for downtime. And of course as it’s Thailand, your favorite fruit shake stall, yoga centre and favorite beach massage lady.
You start by feeling nervous and out of place, your uncomfortable with what is new around you and a million questions usually go through your mind, where? what? how? when? etc.
Not us on this location. As I mentioned in the last blog it was an almost instant “home” feeling. Fabulous neighbors, traveling families and new friends to meet.
Our days were wrapped around the need to work on doTERRA and Kristi’s teaching and Lara’s final weeks of this school year. We certainly didn’t let that overtake what we were here for, the full on experience of being overseas.
Some days Kristi would head off with Susannah at 9am for 90 minutes of yoga on the beach, right up her alley and always good for her mind and soul. As Charlie would say, “Happy Heart”!
Our villa was wonderful, indoor/outdoor including rooftop terrace. Not what we expected but we loved the outdoor daybed, three bedrooms and three ensuites so everyone was sorted for privacy.
Each day we would have a plan around it, nothing military, just mainly beach or pool today and if it was beach, then which beach? We had a couple of favorites. We always planned around routine for the boys, not to try and overdo things and be back by 2pm at the latest for their nap time. Downtime for us to catch up and then when they wake up a quick dip in the pool before dinner.
The area was surrounded by what could be described as bush in New Zealand or jungle anywhere else and this gave the local monkeys a chance to wander into the garden along with a friendly green tree snake. The monkey actually looked in on the boys asleep before seeing my boot coming his way and we never saw him again. The snake was different, I didn’t spot him two metres behind me, Kristi did, I was soon two metres behind her. We called the handman who dropped everything, came running and then stopped and chuckled to himself before saying “no bite. no bite”.
The beaches are just drop dead gorgeous, everyone a favorite but one in particular we loved was Bamboo Bay.
This one was a short ride away, another excuse to call into our favorite fruit shake bar for three large mangos, one small mango and a small orange for Ashy. It also seemed to be free from little stingers, unseen by the eye but you know they are there. Not much life around which suited us fine and ultra safe for all the kids.
Other beaches were more local but just as nice. All with so much to offer and a ton of places to eat and drink, we were getting used to the places and they were getting used to us.
Sunset with Sissy
If it wasn’t the beach it was the pool or twice we went to the wonderful waterpark. The boys were so safe in the infaltable pools and slides and they got so excited when we said water park, Charlie claps his hands and dances around shouting waterpark, water park. Lara loved the grown up toys and the boys learnt how to climb high and slide down by themselves.
We enjoyed the safety of the Villa complex so much so we were able to grab dates, one of our favorite places was our local beach for a massage. Holy heck, this lady bent me in two and realigned my back like no Chiropractor has ever done. Back we went for more suffering, this time a foot scrub… WOW this hurt but my hardened Elephant feet came away feeling softer than Charlie’s.
We enjoyed the night market for cheap eats, or at least I did. The girls were not impressed and the boys couldn’t care less. The food looked dodgey but the whole family came away with no visits to the white bowl, so I felt that was mission complete for a first time experience. Did we go back? What do you guys think?
Although Lara is getting to the age where the only things that are cool are music, books, her room and maybe Daddy when he finds her the latest Harry Potter movie for a buck at the market stall, we knew most days she made a new good memory. She might not have always wanted to go to the beach because she was at a chapter in her book where the guy saved the world by a ton a magic in outer space, while being upside down in a space suit (you know what I mean here), but she loved it and joined in on castle-building and hole-digging (swiftly destroyed by her little brothers must to her chagrin). It is NOT cool to get your photo taken, hang out with your Mom or Dad all day, wash up, make pancakes for everyone but she did it and we know the memories are firmly stuck, we know she made great memories!
She deserved to be spoilt on the divers course and she deserved to have the time being a twelve year old with other twelve year olds. She equally deserved to be loved by the three new kids next door, she loved them and even texted their Mum asking if they were going to the pool that day.
The boys took everyday in their stride and just loved doing anything as long as it was with Mommy, Daddy & Lara.
We tried the local Festival, called The Krathong Festival. You set little floats into the sea with a candle on them. The thought is that you put all of your worries into the boat and send them out to sea. I gave Kristi her boat and she immediately chuckled and said that it was not going to hold all of her worries. My gorgeous Wife worries for all of us, often too much, and often brings something to a point of worry on herself that needn’t be there. I would not have it any other way and one reason I love her so much as a Wife and a Mother. The festival gave me a secret time to try the stall food for a second time and this time there was no fussing and even a stand in line for seconds. And PS – Kristi is adding that her float capsized immediately and put out her candle! It was all the worries!!
All in all we loved this piece of paradise, almost everyday had the most amazing sunsets. The last night in particular we were all feeling sad to leave and decided to splash out at the Fat Turtle. A beach restaurant that our friends Ben & Susannah had shown us a few days before. This sunset was mind blowing and this photo does not do it justice. This is taken with no filter.
Taken from our villa roof one night
We will remember this month forever as one very special place, at the moment it has the number one place visited for all of us, including the boys and they can’t talk fully yet.
So Thailand is a wrap…at least for now.
If you missed the photo gallery Click Here.
Next up……….Cambodia and the stunning Siem Reap
Love this blog. Wonderful to see you all so happy in Thailand.
Thanks we loved every minute of it
Never be afraid to eat at the market stalls and stree food, the food couldn’t be any fresher. It’s the cafes with no customers that you have to be more aware of.
I haven’t visited Asia. Christine has spent time in Thailand and Vietnam and loved it.
Seeing your fantastic time there it has become another one on the bucket list.
Yoiu definmitely should Kevin, go and enjoy while you can….