Phuket, Thailand - Christmas 2012

When we first embarked on this crazy adventure… I never thought that I would appreciate traveling so much and we would get the opportunity to go to such amazing and exotic places.  Let’s face it, I started off not even knowing where Shanghai was on the map… let alone, Vietnam, the Philippines, Bali or Thailand.  It didn’t take long though to realize that with each passing month, our trips out of China are mentally necessary and we are happy to have access to some amazing countries.   This Christmas we decided to venture to Thailand.  Phuket is a popular destination for Expats and we had heard so much about it.  Just a short four hour flight from Shanghai, Phuket is an island located on the Andamana Sea in Southern Thailand and boasts warm water, clear skies and sunshine -- something Shanghai is not noted for.  It was surprising to all of us that we could fly such a short distance and land in a country that is so vastly different from China.  It was a pleasant reminder of our life in Florida with its consistent tropical climate year round and a rainy season between May and October.  

In July 2005, Phuket was voted one of the world’s top five retirement destinations by Fortune Magazine.   After spending 8 glorious days here, this came as no surprise and quickly earned its way on our retirement “bucket list.” 

On one of our first afternoons there, lounging around the pool and grabbing a bite to eat, we all did a double take when we saw a new “friend” that meandered by.   It didn’t take us long to register that it was a baby elephant!   We had heard that they inhabited the island but never did we realize that one would be walking around the resort.  The kids went crazy… and it was hard not to be mesmerized by these incredibly smart and sensitive animals.    

We ventured off the resort and afternoon and took a boat to do some kayaking in Phang Nga Bay.  The landscape was like nothing we have ever seen before except in the movies….There were limestone rocks jutting right out of the water and caves to explore.

We weren’t sure what to expect in the caves… the ceilings were blanketed with sleeping bats and sometimes a little too close for even my comfort level.  Once on the other side though the rocks surrounded us in the most spectacular cove where monkeys were climbing all around.  I felt like we were coming out of a page of National Geographic!  

Our next stop was

 Ko Panyi, Thailand

Ko Panyi is a fishing village in Phang Nga Province we explored.  This village is notable for being built on stilts by Indonesian fishermen. The population consists of roughly 200 families or between 1,500 and 2,000 people descended from 2 seafaring Muslim families from Java.  The village has a Muslim school which is attended by both males and females in the mornings.  The village includes a floating soccer field. Inspired by the 1986 FIFA World Cup.  The children of the village built the field from old scraps of wood and fishing rafts.  We arrived here one afternoon for lunch.   Like most international travel, you often sit down at most meals thinking… I wonder if this is okay.   As it turned out, the food was good and everyone survived the meal without any incidents.   Of course the main reason for the stop I think was the shops selling over priced local trinkets….  Decided to pass on those but enjoyed the experience anyway.  

I know the entire family would agree that some of our most memorable meals to date were our Christmas Eve & Christmas dinner in Phuket.  We were staying in a gorgeous hotel with various high end venues to choose from, but in our indecision and quest for adventure we decided to take our family to dinner at a place that was going to have a lasting impact.   (Of course the resort prices might have had something to do with encouraging us to venture off the path!)  It didn’t take long for us to find a running route once we arrived in Phuket and on our first morning there, we stumbled upon a cute open aired “shack” with some bamboo tables and red table cloths.  We joked as we passed by that we should go there for our holiday meal.  We were surprised that the kids were so enthusiastically on board.   While we were the only ones there dining that night, we had an amazing feast and probably one of our most favorite Thai dinners to date. 

 

It was a family owned restaurant and although they didn’t speak any English the wife cooked and the teenage son was our server.  The shack had a tin roof and no walls but plenty of wine, beer and great food.  We stuffed ourselves with food and loved it so much, we ended up coming back the next night for our Christmas meal!  The wife cooked us some special signature dishes we didn’t even order and I still think they are talking about Garrett eating every last one of their jumbo shrimps totalling I think around 8 on top of his regular meal.  

Although the Patriots fell short at the end of the Season we made sure to show our support and the kids wore their jerseys with pride.   Certainly made it a lot easier to find the kids in the resort too which is good because we had one incident where Ayden got “Lost”.  We’re not talking about this one anymore but lets just say there was about 15 minutes of sheer panic for the entire family while a search was conducted.  Did I mention the resort was huge?  Typical of Ayden she was calm and cool and just made her way to the resort front desk and told them she couldn’t find her family.  (We think she may have stopped in at the spa to get her nails done on the way but can’t prove it)

Our second favorite dining spot and watering hole...

 Don’t let this restaurants shack like appearance fool you… It was located right on the beach and though pretty simple it was just what we needed.  We rated this a close second for Thai food and a short stumble off the JW Marriott property.  The food was outstanding, the beers were cold and the drinks did not disappoint.  It sure beat paying the resort prices too…  paying a mere 1/5 the price.  It was worth the extra adventure!   

The bonus is the tree swing the kids could play on while waiting for our food… not to mention the sandy playground at our feet.

We definitely have two hard core adventurers in our family, but not surprisingly to anyone that knows her Ayden, is not one of them.  She was not on board with the catamaran rides we took one of our first days there… but slowly grew her sea legs and begged to go by the end of the week.  

   The beach extended forever… and often seemed like it was our very own despite the full capacity of the resort.

I have to say… I am truly amazed and privileged to be experiencing these adventures with my ultimate best friend and three amazing children.  The kids have really adapted to life in Asia and it seems as if nothing phases them…  While we have traveled to exotic locations it seems you are never far from poverty in Asia and the kids have grown to understand and appreciate a bit how fortunate we are.  Whether it is eating in a local family run restaurant in Thailand, playing with local children on the beach, or riding in a Tuk Tuk they have developed a taste for adventure and seem to be comfortable in any situation. These experiences have opened my eyes and heart to so many new things.   While our vacations may seem a bit lavish… It is a much needed escape from the grind of life in Shanghai and really makes the whole experience worth it.  I find myself thinking about the experiences the kids are having and appreciate the opportunities to show them new places and give them an appreciation for their lives.    

สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส

s̄uk̄hs̄ạnt̒ wạn khris̄t̒mās̄

Merry Christmas 2012!!  (Thai)

We are looking forward to our adventures to comes in 2013!

Sending our LOVE from Thailand!!!  

December in Shanghai...

We are marking another year celebrating Christmas in Asia.  I was very unprepared last year when Christmas rolled around.  I didn’t realize that I would not be able to get a Christmas tree easily.   We went to the Hongiao Flower market and purchased two small pine trees that we figured we could stash year around on our patio.  It wasn’t until they arrived that I realized they were very tiny cut trees that were carelessly stuck in a pot with a half inch of water at the bottom.   A week later the trees turned brown and the needles all fell off. That pretty much sums up our last Christmas.   The good news was the make shift ornaments we made stayed on and the lights made it look beautiful… to us.    

So this year, I meant business!!!  I was not messing around.  I was able to find a website that delivered a fake pre lit Christmas tree.  We put it up the day it arrived and it really felt like Christmas!!!!   

Until five days later… Garrett plugged the US 110 volt plug into the China outlet 120 volts without using the transformer… in seconds POOF! 

Oh the joys of Christmas!!   (this is a fake picture by the way but our tree looks like only a bit healthier version of this)  

We have been researching various activities to do to really wrap our hands around this foreign culture.  Here are a few we have recently stumbled upon.  

Activities in China

There are a few places in China that we are eager to see while we are here.  Chris and I have signed up for the Great Wall Marathon and thought a trip up to Beijing would be nice before actually running the event.   While researching things to do there, I came across a list of must do.  Now I am not sure who wrote this and CLEARLY this was not a Westerner but…  number three on the list read:

3:  Eat a Dick

Chris was immediately intrigued by this of course but this is what followed as its description.

There are plenty of weird things to eat in Beijing, from scorpion to chicken feet.  But for the ultimate guess-what-I-ate-in-China shock, you can’t beat penis.  

Try ram, snake, goat, dog and more!!!   Oh and the kicker here is that it only costs 988 rmb for the “Penis Hot Pot”

(That would be 160 USD)  Sounds like something they should be paying ME to do!  When things like this start to become normal is when I know I have been here too long!! 

December is a very busy month for us.  Both Garrett (8) and Jordan (10) celebrated their birthday at Planet Laser Tag.   

It has always been challenging organizing their birthdays right before the holiday and it is even worse here because school gets out even earlier so that families can travel to their “home” countries.   We had a great turn-out though surprisingly with a 99 % show rate and it was not half as “chinese” as we expected. 

Ayden lost both of her front teeth right before the holiday… The kids picked up pretty quickly that we have started to celebrate some different holidays here and that China is not the same as America.  This becomes very apparent when you loose a tooth or when Santa is supposed to find you.  The tooth fairy did in deed show… the only difference is he/she leaves Chinese money.  (Which fortunately with the conversion the kids think they are receiving an insane amount of money when really they are receiving MUCH less then they would in the states!  HA!)

Ayden has gotten very into being Fancy and these are two of her most favorite books.   She continues to take them out of the library even though we own them at home as well… and then forces the family to endure “Fancy Meetings” each week.   It seems Chris needs the most work but we all sit through our various criticisms on how we can make our own life more fancy.  We think nothing of the feather boa at church… and the sparkly NON walking shoes that force us to carry her on our outings.  It seems the more hair accessories the better etc. and we all need to work on our accents…   

 Christmas Card 2012

Greetings from Shanghai, China where IF I were to send this card to you, you would probably receive it by Halloween.  

Our fantasy….

The kids are fantastic… all excelling in school and rock stars in their activities.  Kristen is in the best shape of her life and Chris has managed to grow a full head of hair again…   I mean look at us … we are the perfect family frolicking through the park holding hands as if not just two minutes before this Garrett wasn’t sitting in time out for pinching his sister and Jordan didn’t almost get run over by a speeding scooter because even at the ripe age of 10 she still does not understand that you have to LOOK when crossing the street!!!   

The realities……

Jordan takes FOREVER to do homework… so much that, I have lifted the ban on electronics during the week just to give her some incentive to GET IT DONE 

Garrett is doing well in school when he is able to control his body and stay in his chair…  I have never seen a kid up and down so much.   It’s no wonder he eats us out of our home with all the energy he burns off making sure everything is fair and he is getting the absolute MOST attention from his mom.  

In truth and all kidding aside… We have a great bunch here and they have made this adventure so worthwhile.  To see how much they have grown and adapted and LEARNED about another culture is so rewarding.  

So we do wish you all a very happy New Year as it probably will be half over by the time I get these posts out… 

We are missing our family in friends in the states and appreciate all of our blessings both near and far!!! 

Great things to come in 2013!!

November Update!

Life here is going good… Nearly a year and a half into our move I can’t say it feels completely at home… but it certainly feels close to it.   The cooler weather is here and this year we are more prepared as we now actually own jackets.  We went from AC to heat in a matter of a week.  We are celebrating Thanksgiving this year with our family away from family - our expat friends.   50 of us misfits are getting together for some potluck fun.  Turkeys here are VERY expensive - I may have to do a chicken breast and call it turkey if I can’t find anything under 150 bucks.  My oven is much smaller here too so that could present some problems with cooking the bird.   The kids actually go to school on Thanksgiving!!  

Jordan is doing well… she still plays baseball in the boys league and is one of the top players.  She loves it and seems to be at her best when playing sports.  Her friends are more male dominated.  Each year I think it will change but the boys seem to be who she relates to the most (scary to even write that).  I  know we are embarking on that time when there is some separation and the guys think… oh, she’s a girl… but for now she has her guy pals and loves it.  This week, she was happy to report that she was the ONLY girl invited to her friend Christopher’s party.  It was kind of funny as the mom called me to make sure Jordan was okay with this!   OK… she was over the moon!!!  

I will say that recently she has done some totally “out of her box” things.  She signed up for a school DANCE show.  They practiced at lunch and after school and the big performances were held at night.  It was a bit surreal to see my daughter stand in line to get make up on and actually have her hair teased and done for the show.  She surprises us everyday with her confidence and out of character things she is tries.  She has also started to play Volleyball…  I think this stems from our Borocay, Philippines trip last year as we played beach volleyball everyday -- all day.  We are going back there again this February so I know she is practicing for some serious matches.  I know who I am picking to be on MY team!   She also plays soccer, basketball and flag football.  

She is doing well in school.  This school is absolutely amazing!!!  We couldn’t have asked for a stronger fit for her.  Our entire family is learning about the Chinese dynasties which has proven to be more interesting then I thought.  She continues to work very hard and has one of the strongest spirits I know.  

Garrett is having a fantastic year.  While he seems to be in complete motion constantly, he is REALLY excelling in school and thriving socially -- finally.  Last year was a rough transition year for him.  He has really gotten some traction and turned himself around.  He is taking swimming lessons once a week and is no surprise to be a “fish” in the pool.  He is VERY into music and can sing every top 40 song word for word.  He is obsessed with the computer - particularly iTunes, Keynote, Numbers, Garage Band & iMovie.  He puts together these visual shows that are outstanding!!  You can tell the wheels in his head are constantly moving which is right on par with his body that seems to be in perpetual motion as well.  (Could have a touch of HyperA)  We have this great study room for he and Jordan to do their homework.  I have found however that they are completely incompatible doing homework together because Jordan needs complete silence and NO distraction and Garrett can’t do work without singing.  Literally!!  I have tried to get him to keep quiet but unless he is belting out some Pink song or Queen  (his latest favorite) he can’t stay focused.  Who am I to stifle this homework strategy … so he has since been relocated to the kitchen.   

This is him holding a moon cake in celebration for the Moon Festival.

HOUSE RULES:

Last week after feeling like captain rule maker with no first mates to follow, I told the kids we were going to develop a set of house rules.  Garrett got up early the next morning and came up with his list.  

Ayden -- where do I begin.   At the moment Ayden is in heaps of trouble with me for getting into (and ruining) some of my makeup.  She also uses (and has ruined) this facial brush that I own.  Long story but the short version of it is… Ayden DO NOT USE & Ayden uses anyway.   We have now figured out how to lock my bathroom door because apparently this concept has not yet landed in her long term memory.  She runs to her own set of rules and that has landed her in a weeks worth of home detention.  On the other hand, she is loving school and has a social network that is hard to keep up with.  This year she has asked to take gymnastics.  We have been trying to get her into this class for a year now but she kept breaking her leg.  Now that she is healed, she is finally taking this sport she claims is her “best” thing.  If I could attach the video I would but to give you the verbal version… she sucks.  She will hop on the spring board and land face down on the mat -- no flip, no twist, no horizontal body movement and she can’t seem to land it.   Once to her feet however she does a tremendously talented arms stretched up and out for the judges with complete perfection!!!  We are so proud.  

The first two pictures of her and the kids is UN (United Nations) day.  They celebrate the countries they are from so as you can see we have the Russian flag on the left and the American flag on the right.   I am in the process of looking for things to put on my resume -- considering becoming a clown as the only thing on my current resume is face painting!

Both Garrett and Jordan started CCD.  Garrett has been very inquisitive about heaven and God.  He is learning a lot and has really embraced some of the traditions of the church.  Jordan only goes because there are snacks.    

Chris is doing good… I think he finally feels more settled now that I uploaded sports illustrated on his iPad and he has purchased NFL.com to watch both on the big screen and his iPad.    We haven’t seen him since. He is traveling a lot within China and has really grasped the mandarin.  We call his dialect “Bosmandarin.”  Like most Bostonians, he looks at people and says -- “what, I am saying it right!!”

As for me… I am living the dream.  There are Shanghai highs and Shanghai lows.  I have done a few things out of my box here and really enjoy the cultural learning experience MOST of the time.  As long as we are all together and healthy, I feel like a winner.  I am starting to research summer retreats as it isn’t the easiest finding a short term furnished rental… but we will land again in Charleston this year for the summer.   Chris and I also signed up for the Great Wall marathon in May.  We are mentally training for it now.  

I was able to check one thing off of my partial “bucket list” items off my list, but can’t believe I had to travel all the way to China to do it.   My bucket list is to be invited to an Indian and Chinese wedding….  but the Diwali celebration was right up there in awesomeness and I can’t help but give it a partial check.  

This past weekend we were able to celebrate Diwali with our Indian friends.  While the sari was a bit challenging to put on (thanks to a you-tube video) we were had an amazing night with friends and terrific food.  A first for both of us!