Elephant Riding

OK, so, I look ridiculous. I know. I just wanted to get this obviously ridiculous moment out of the way so that you are not distracted by the immense awesomeness of this wonderful day we spent with elephants. The costume is the old costume of mahouts, elephant handlers. The hat didn't come with the costume but my lovely husband saw them in a closet at the nature preserve and for some reason, our family, tending to lean towards laughing at ourselves more than caring about what others think, were all over the hats. The Germans chuckled at us but two minutes later, we were all doing this...

There was a moment when we were riding the elephants through the jungle that it was very quiet and I welled up with tears. I thought about all that my family had done to get to this place. I remembered, very clearly,four years ago, talking to Steve's parents in their kitchen about whether or not he should take a chance and take a temporary job down south possibly losing his permanent geologist position. His Mom had just completed a successful round of chemo and both of them, without a pause, said live your lives to the fullest. And here we were, with three kids, riding elephants through Thailand. It is something we could have never done if we had stayed on the safe path of job/mortgage/kids. Although it has been ridiculously hard at times starting your own business, I was so happy to see everyone's smiling faces on this day. To watch Casey feed enormous beasts, watch Phelan jump on their backs and yell Pai Pai and hear Ryder at the end of the day, tell his brothers in the shower that it was better than Disneyland felt incredibly gratifying and I hope that they take something away from it. Myself, I took away gratitude to have choices in my life and for Steve's parents who have always seen why we walk a different path, and relishing in it with us. Thank you.

My love for Alaska

I just wanted to send a shout out to my Alaska followers whoever you are! Thanks for the love.

Food Thailand Part 1

So, my "kids in Thailand" is a big theme of our trip. We have been here before so we don't really care what we see. The three of them having a good time and maybe learning something along the way is the true spirit of the adventure. Which makes food kind of hard here. If this was a trip all about them we would be in Italy eating pizza but we are not. We are in Thailand where last week Dave's soup was so spicy it literally burned his lips. It's ridiculously hot sometimes and equally weird sometimes. Somewhere along the road less traveled though I learned from others that when traveling with kids, don't force any of it. Which means that we eat a lot of Pho. Every single day we eat Pho. We also eat curries, papaya salads, chicken satay, sushi and Indian food. Then sometimes we eat fried chicken and french fries or pancakes. Even those things are a learning experience though as pancakes are actually crepes made into a taco and filled with shredded coconut and fried chicken comes in unrecognizable shapes and flavors (such as fish). Our breakfasts are the best as Steve goes out to a market and "hunts" for breakfast. He came home this morning with BBQ chicken, pineapple, rose apples, sweet potatoe fries,buttered toast with condensed milk, rubbery crepes and orange juice with squishy jelly things in it. Always an adventure, always interesting. We eat together on a bed in our room discussing what is good that day and what we don't really care for. Yesterday we met an American family that had eaten nothing but McDonalds for breakfast since they arrived so I guess we are doing OK. Only one Pizza Hut visit in 22 days.

P.S. the woman in the boat is making Papaya salad and the kids tongues were attacked by Fanta red and blue. Green is gross though they say, it's bubble gum!

Temples and Wahts and Buddhas and Monks and

So here's the thing, there are temples in Thailand. Like a lot of temples. Like on every street corner. Here's the other thing, they are all beautiful. They are shiny and colorful and filled with people and vendors and children and monks and they are everything you picture in Thailand. I could show you ten million photos of temples but yes, I am gonna say it, wait for it, once you see one temple, well...BUT this one is beautiful. Seriously the amount of detailing in the gingerbread factor is so lovely.

This is a seriously old one as in 700 years old when Buddhism was first introduced to Thailand. Before that they were probably a form of Hinduism which is the oldest religion in the world and the one all came from. I'm sure a theologist would hate me spelling it out that simply to people but I was teaching an eight year old about Buddhism/Hinduism and Confucism just today so pardon me for the simplification. I truly get this is a complicated and yet beautiful religion where nobody ever yells and everyone buys fresh fruit, cookies and flowers everyday of their lives to honor a higher power. You can see in these temples how first a temple is made with brick, then covered in mortar and then painted which has come off after the ridiculously hot and rainy summers here.

And this is a modern dragon in front of a modern temple. What I cannot capture without a 5 story building directly across the street from this compound is that it is huge. All of these buildings and about 15 other temples are on the same grounds. Old with new and small and weird out buildings that we cannot tell what they are for but probably rooms for monks to live in and possibly classes to be taught in. Wahts are actually a compound of Buddhism. They are recreational as well. A place for Thais to come and visit friends and burn some incense. As there is no set times for "church", people come and go at all times of day and weekends. It truly is the community meeting place similar to a European plaza or promenade. It is beautiful as well as a necessary part of our society.

Lastly, our kids have visited many a temples now along river canals and in cities. They are quiet like churches at home but somehow more relaxing than a church. There are not so many rituals that you feel uncomfortable in a temple and as long as you act respectful, all seem to be welcome. Usually there are some people sitting on their feet in front of some flowers they brought or perhaps sittng quietly and contemplating. I could spend hours in a temple if it weren't for the rugrats we bring along that see the carpet as an awesome opportunity for a wrestling match. I have no idea what they wil absorb about Buddhism or Islam when we go to Malaysia but I hope they simply remember that they were beautiful and peaceful.

Just In Case You were Wondering

Well, I wanted to update you on a very well known topic of conversation amongst travelers...."are Germans the most annoying travelers in the world?" I can say that three years of my 43 years have been spent in other countries with a lot of Germans as I believe they and the Dutch are the most travelled people, in the world. Two things I will say here, in public, one and only time then never admit to in public again, especially to a German. German men are gorgeous creatures and German people are ridiculously intelligent. They are often times tall with great teeth, great bone structure on their faces...yes, I am generalizing here but when you travel, it is difficult to not generalize your observations. They know more about American history then we do as well as composers, art, science and speak at least three languages. They are just smart as all hell. But then that isn't what this post was about, it was about how annoying they are cuz honestly, that is far more fun to talk about. The answer is yes. They sure as hell are. Omg, how many times since we have been in Thailand they have asked what school work my kids are doing while here. (Btw, the answer is nothing cuz everyday is a pre-scheduled field trip to museums, national parks and food tours you big jerk!!!!). It is funny that the French or English don't ask such silly questions like that but then the English invented the GAP year and the French invented eating slowly. Germans are annoying to our ears as their language is brash, they dress funny (had to throw that in) and they know everything. The truth is though, we have become friends traveling with more Dutch and Germans than any other country. I am impressed with Germans immensely but simply giggle more with Australians and Brits (yes, English spoken by both). We have never spent much time with the French cuz we don't speak French or wear our scarves the right way but Aussies are the partiers that take over a bar and Brits are a little like hanging out with someone from Boston. So my dear readers, to finally answer the ongoing travel debate amongst travelers, yes, Germans are the most annoying foreigners, for a reason, of course. I love them for stimulating conversations reminding me I really need to read more Tolstoy or learn about the black hole situation near nebula 3. But when that conversation is over, I am heading over to the next bar to have a sandy with my bloke. P.s. If you are German and are reading this, could you please believe me for once that not all Americans eat ketchup! Thanks. P.s. If you are Dutch or Swiss German, you are excluded from this post, kinda. P.s. If you are English, fried hard boiled eggs were also an amazing invention. P.s. If you are French, you cannot read this so thanks for the French fries and Gerard Depardeau.

Five Days of Absolute Bliss in Sai Yok National Park

On a whim, we woke up one morning in Ayuthaya and simply decided to pack up and head in a different direction to this fantastic National Park I had read about. Man, did we score. It was hard to get to as there were no direct buses but being that we have done this kind of travel before, we knew that by the end of the day, it would all workout (which it did with a little ingenuity, smiles, finger pointing and giggles). Sai Yok National Park is in central Thailand and is home to all kinds of animals we didn't see like tigers and elephants and what not. Why did we not see, because we could not stop swimming in the waterfalls, floating down the river, drinking cold drinks and sitting in our absolutely friggin awesome floating houses on the river. We did do some hiking through jungles filled with vines and bamboo and beautiful butterflies, saw some parrots and bright blue kingfishers and spent the rest of the time in swimsuits. Can I just say that my kids are the most awesome travelers and are definitely cut from the same cloth. So much fun! Daily Budget: 2800 Baht/$93 for two floating houses and food for five.

1, 2, 3, 4

3 colds, 2 icky bellies, 1 rash, 1 ear infection, 1 mysterious burning lump BUT 85 degrees, sandals and shorts, chicken skewers in peanut sauce, boat rides and tropical fruit! How you doing?