Thankfully things have settled down since our first day here! We are having a blast - On Sunday we spent the day moving from pool to pool and then took a trip down to the beach. Boy those waves were rough! Sydney wasn't sure what to think of them, especially when the first one started dragging her back... but she giggled through it. Then on Monday we swam some more in the morning and then headed out to do a little touring/shopping in Phuket town. Chris was in the front seat of the taxi and told me to look at a sing - to my amazement it was a DUNKIN DONUTS! Of course, it was too late for me to have coffee but we did stop and get some donuts for breakfast - My father would have been in heaven - most of them were covered in fresh coconut!
On Tuesday we got up and got ready for our half day trek with the Siam Safari tours. This was absolutely awesome - we arrived and rode a safari type jeep up the mountain and got out to see how monkey's are taught to pick coconuts, then I got to sit on a water buffalo - no jokes please - we even got to sit in a cart pulled by a water buffalo - again, no jokes! :) After that it was time for the baby elephant show - too stinking cute! Sydney and Nicholas fed the little guys afterwards - they love watermelon! Then it was our turn to ride the big guys - those elephants are HUGE!!! We got up on the seats two by two and went off on our stroll through the jungle. Sydney and I rode one and Chris and Nicholas were on another - we walked around for about 30 minutes and saw some stunning views of the beaches below. it was a bit unnerving at times but our elephant was great - although he did poop as we walked along! You probably heard Nicholas laughing about that one on your end! After we got back to the hotel, we enjoyed some more pool time before a storm rolled in and we headed back to the room.
Yesterday we spent the day on a boat cruise to the Phi Phi (pronounces Pee Pee!!) islands - ABSOLUTELY gorgeous - we did some snorkeling, playing at the beach, and just admiring the amazing beauty of the islands - Nicholas finally figured out the whole snorkeling thing, but Sydney was just fine to look down at the fishies and ride on my back - we saw a "Dory" fish and Sydney said, Look mom, that one's singing, Just keep swimming! Pretty cute - We stopped off at a lagoon which apparently was where the movie, "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCapprio was filmed. Our tour guide was great, I nicknamed him "King Julian" because he sounded just like the guy from Madagascar! Of course, I didn't tell him this fact! Another stop was at the "Monkey Beach" to see if we could find some wild monkeys - we stopped because there was one in a tree but the next thing I heard was King Julian telling us to get into the water and as I turned around there were at least ten monkeys coming onto the beach - wild - we even saw a little baby - King Julian fed them some bananas and those little guys pealed it and ate it - then they went right back into the jungle. It was almost the perfect day - if only I didn't get a sunburn!! But it's not too bad - we put cream on 3 different times - but fortunately, the children are fine!
Today is Thursday and we are up and ready for a relaxing day - I'm going to the spa tonight for a traditional Thai massage and facial - definitely looking forward to that!
TTFN!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Welcome To Phuket!
We have just arrived in Phuket, Thailand after what seemed like an eternity! We were up at 5:15 and out the door with the taxi at 6:15 AM - then off to the Friendly Limousine Bus for an hour plus ride to the airport - board the plane and off around 9:45 - The flight was to be 7 hours 15 minutes which is quite a long time with two youngsters! Funniest thing was that since it's Spring Break at the American School - we seemed to know a vast majority of the families getting on board - Sydney found a classmate, Nicholas found a boy he plays with at recess, and we even saw our neighbors get on! We flew on Thai Airlines which is very colorful - Sydney just couldn't decide whether to sit in the purple or magenta seat!
Well, as many of you know, flying just isn't my favorite thing to do. A little over halfway through, I'm thinking how pleasant this flight is, and then suddenly - the plane went into a rogue cloud and starting shaking and creaking and everyone on that plane jumped and started looking around - one man who was apparently in the bathroom RAN back to his seat and we all couldn't figure out what was going on. Now remember how I said that everyone seemed to know one another? Most of the kids had left their parents and were sitting with other children - so lots of panicked moms were tyring to locate their babies! Fortunately, Sydney was sound asleep and Nicholas just told his Daddy that it felt a little like a roller coaster! Thankfully, it ended as quickly as it began - but, unfortunately for me, it was pretty much sweaty palms for the rest of the flight...
OK - so we landed and it was good and we finally made it through passport check - we came out of customs and were immediately met by the taxi patrol - it was almost Hong Kong-esque (I take you Dixieland Hotel!) and we got in one and headed off to the Marriot Resort - The driver was a bit fast - apparently staying in the lanes while driving through a curve is optional in Phuket... - he took us to the wrong place at first - I sort of realized this as we were getting out and got a bit sidetracked with that and the taxi left (this would come back to haunt me in a short time!) - The Marriot Staff were good and took us to the right place which was just a little more up the road - and we checked in and made it to our absolutely BEAUTIFUL room - it's a 2 bedroom place with kitchen, washer/dryer, and HBO! Everything was so nice, I decided I wanted to take a picture of it before we messed everything up... That's when the real fun started...
I quickly realized I had left my camera in the taxi. Plain and simple - it was there. No name, no address on it, in a foreign country. Period. Needless to say - chaos erupted - I ran down to the bell hop and met Joe - who called 3 different companies until he was able to locate the company and driver, who said we "called too late" and that "he didn't have it." Well, Joe told him how it was the driver's responsibility, etc. and sent me off to the airport to file a complaint with the company. I, of course, understand nothing of the conversation with him and the companies, but whatever he said to the driver must have worked because as I am almost to the airport, Joe calls me and says the driver suddenly "found the bag" and is bringing it to the hotel. However, Joe still wants me to go and talk to the taxi company at the airport - my new taxi driving friend, who's name I don't know, drops me off and waits for me - did I mention that I am in a foreign country where I don't know the language, have left my passport at the hotel, and am just talking to people in English as if they understand me???
Fortunately, my friend, Joe, wrote everything down for me - in Thai - and I gave it to the taxi company manager who called the driver and yes, suddenly the camera was on its way back to the airport. I waited a few more minutes when I looked up and saw the guy - yelled out - that's HIM! And he slowly lifted the camera bag - I walked up to the car and took it and looked him straight in the eye and said "Thank you" - he wasn't happy that he had to give it back! But guess he decided that he really had no choice as he probably could have lost his job and from what I've seen of this island so far, tourism is their industry.
My new good taxi driver friend took me back to the hotel - I ran and thanked Joe again - I will be going back to give him a big tip tomorrow - and went back to the room. Needless to say, Chris was beyond amazed that I had it back. We all kissed and made up and decided to start our vacation again. It was then that I looked back at the last few minutes and lost it - Chris said he was very proud of me that I knew enough information to be able to track the guy down - he said he didn't even remember the color of the car!
So we've had dinner and a drink, and now all I hear are the snores of my family - we are a tired bunch! I will sign off now and get on to bed myself - tomorrow will be a day of sun and sand and hopefully and frilly drink with an umbrella in it...
Well, as many of you know, flying just isn't my favorite thing to do. A little over halfway through, I'm thinking how pleasant this flight is, and then suddenly - the plane went into a rogue cloud and starting shaking and creaking and everyone on that plane jumped and started looking around - one man who was apparently in the bathroom RAN back to his seat and we all couldn't figure out what was going on. Now remember how I said that everyone seemed to know one another? Most of the kids had left their parents and were sitting with other children - so lots of panicked moms were tyring to locate their babies! Fortunately, Sydney was sound asleep and Nicholas just told his Daddy that it felt a little like a roller coaster! Thankfully, it ended as quickly as it began - but, unfortunately for me, it was pretty much sweaty palms for the rest of the flight...
OK - so we landed and it was good and we finally made it through passport check - we came out of customs and were immediately met by the taxi patrol - it was almost Hong Kong-esque (I take you Dixieland Hotel!) and we got in one and headed off to the Marriot Resort - The driver was a bit fast - apparently staying in the lanes while driving through a curve is optional in Phuket... - he took us to the wrong place at first - I sort of realized this as we were getting out and got a bit sidetracked with that and the taxi left (this would come back to haunt me in a short time!) - The Marriot Staff were good and took us to the right place which was just a little more up the road - and we checked in and made it to our absolutely BEAUTIFUL room - it's a 2 bedroom place with kitchen, washer/dryer, and HBO! Everything was so nice, I decided I wanted to take a picture of it before we messed everything up... That's when the real fun started...
I quickly realized I had left my camera in the taxi. Plain and simple - it was there. No name, no address on it, in a foreign country. Period. Needless to say - chaos erupted - I ran down to the bell hop and met Joe - who called 3 different companies until he was able to locate the company and driver, who said we "called too late" and that "he didn't have it." Well, Joe told him how it was the driver's responsibility, etc. and sent me off to the airport to file a complaint with the company. I, of course, understand nothing of the conversation with him and the companies, but whatever he said to the driver must have worked because as I am almost to the airport, Joe calls me and says the driver suddenly "found the bag" and is bringing it to the hotel. However, Joe still wants me to go and talk to the taxi company at the airport - my new taxi driving friend, who's name I don't know, drops me off and waits for me - did I mention that I am in a foreign country where I don't know the language, have left my passport at the hotel, and am just talking to people in English as if they understand me???
Fortunately, my friend, Joe, wrote everything down for me - in Thai - and I gave it to the taxi company manager who called the driver and yes, suddenly the camera was on its way back to the airport. I waited a few more minutes when I looked up and saw the guy - yelled out - that's HIM! And he slowly lifted the camera bag - I walked up to the car and took it and looked him straight in the eye and said "Thank you" - he wasn't happy that he had to give it back! But guess he decided that he really had no choice as he probably could have lost his job and from what I've seen of this island so far, tourism is their industry.
My new good taxi driver friend took me back to the hotel - I ran and thanked Joe again - I will be going back to give him a big tip tomorrow - and went back to the room. Needless to say, Chris was beyond amazed that I had it back. We all kissed and made up and decided to start our vacation again. It was then that I looked back at the last few minutes and lost it - Chris said he was very proud of me that I knew enough information to be able to track the guy down - he said he didn't even remember the color of the car!
So we've had dinner and a drink, and now all I hear are the snores of my family - we are a tired bunch! I will sign off now and get on to bed myself - tomorrow will be a day of sun and sand and hopefully and frilly drink with an umbrella in it...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Today...
Nicholas's school is closed this Thursday and Friday for parent teacher conferences, oddly, Sydney's school is still open. However, realizing that Sydney is 4 and there probably weren't any college entrance exams planned for today, I decided to keep her home with me and Nicholas...
We stayed up late and then planned on sleeping in late - which, of course, my son has no idea how to do! And then I realized that my husband was not in on the plan as he came in at 2 am... rang the doorbell 3 times until I realized what was going on, then proceeded to fall asleep in "his chair" until 5 am when I was again awakened by the loud sounds of Japanese FOX TV... I again stumbled into the living room, turned off the tv and muttered something probably not pleasant to Chris. Back to bed - only to be awakened around 7:30 by something which sounded like tennis being played in my house... ahhhhhh.... the Wii... Nicholas must be up. OK, try to go back to sleep - what's that sound at 8 am? The US phone... I hear the click and some mumbles and then here the scuff of Nicholas's feet... "Mommy, Denny called - I told her you were in bed but I'd get you so you could call her back." OK I GIVE UP!!!!! No sleeping in for me... or sleeping for that matter... I get up, chat with the boy, call back my mother, make the coffee... and while I am on the phone with my mother, my sweet boy makes my cup of coffee (one splenda and milk, please) and brings it to me - yes, that made it all worthwhile!
We played Disney Scene It while eating breakfast and it was during this game that I realized that my children - who are all about all things Disney - HAVE NO IDEA WHO THUMPER IS!! OK, before the day is over, we will rent Bambi and remedy this...
We're out the door around noon for lunch - I offer to take them to Wendy's but they prefer the Pasta place (Thank God!) and then it's a bus ride to Shinagawa to enjoy the Aqua Stadium aquarium - small, but so worth it! Dolphins, sharks, manta rays, lobsters, penguins, yes, we even found Nemo... Then we went off to the American Club to go to the library, rent some movies (YEEHA Bambi was in stock!).
Now we're home - we've watched Bambi, they've built a Webkinz fort, and are now brushing teeth for bed... I am overseeing the chaos while drinking some wine - Sydney has just come in holding a bean bag behind her proclaiming "look at my big bottom, mommy" - Here they both come with bean bags for bottoms... where do they come up with this stuff?? Nicholas just said they are running at "light speed with their big bottoms" and making tooting sounds as they go... I think I just heard something about "bottom air bags" - probably time to bust up this party and send them to bed! Yep - deinfitely time. Sydney's crying...
Oh well, it's been a great day - these guys are just so fun!
We stayed up late and then planned on sleeping in late - which, of course, my son has no idea how to do! And then I realized that my husband was not in on the plan as he came in at 2 am... rang the doorbell 3 times until I realized what was going on, then proceeded to fall asleep in "his chair" until 5 am when I was again awakened by the loud sounds of Japanese FOX TV... I again stumbled into the living room, turned off the tv and muttered something probably not pleasant to Chris. Back to bed - only to be awakened around 7:30 by something which sounded like tennis being played in my house... ahhhhhh.... the Wii... Nicholas must be up. OK, try to go back to sleep - what's that sound at 8 am? The US phone... I hear the click and some mumbles and then here the scuff of Nicholas's feet... "Mommy, Denny called - I told her you were in bed but I'd get you so you could call her back." OK I GIVE UP!!!!! No sleeping in for me... or sleeping for that matter... I get up, chat with the boy, call back my mother, make the coffee... and while I am on the phone with my mother, my sweet boy makes my cup of coffee (one splenda and milk, please) and brings it to me - yes, that made it all worthwhile!
We played Disney Scene It while eating breakfast and it was during this game that I realized that my children - who are all about all things Disney - HAVE NO IDEA WHO THUMPER IS!! OK, before the day is over, we will rent Bambi and remedy this...
We're out the door around noon for lunch - I offer to take them to Wendy's but they prefer the Pasta place (Thank God!) and then it's a bus ride to Shinagawa to enjoy the Aqua Stadium aquarium - small, but so worth it! Dolphins, sharks, manta rays, lobsters, penguins, yes, we even found Nemo... Then we went off to the American Club to go to the library, rent some movies (YEEHA Bambi was in stock!).
Now we're home - we've watched Bambi, they've built a Webkinz fort, and are now brushing teeth for bed... I am overseeing the chaos while drinking some wine - Sydney has just come in holding a bean bag behind her proclaiming "look at my big bottom, mommy" - Here they both come with bean bags for bottoms... where do they come up with this stuff?? Nicholas just said they are running at "light speed with their big bottoms" and making tooting sounds as they go... I think I just heard something about "bottom air bags" - probably time to bust up this party and send them to bed! Yep - deinfitely time. Sydney's crying...
Oh well, it's been a great day - these guys are just so fun!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Let's back Up a Little...
So... I keep a notebook with all those important things I need to do - you know, things to do, things to get at the grocery, even a page of blog entries that I need to complete... So while Chris is out of town, I thought I'd take the time to "back up" and write a few...
side bar... I'm watching Sweet Home Alabama - love that movie... wondering if and of my boyfriends would tell me that I had turned into some "hoity toity yankee b#$*h?" just a thought...
Nicholas's 8th birthday... Nicholas turned 8 on January 25th and for his big day he wanted to have his first sleepover. He invited 3 friends (all I thought I could handle!) and 2 of them ended up being able to spend the night. We went bowling - this is where Mr. Bowling Japanese Man didn't want to let me have 2 bowling lanes until he could prove that my entire party was present!) and then went off for dinner at the Outback - After we sat down, two sumo wrestlers sat at the table next to us. The boys loved watching to see what they ate next... believe me it was alot... Turns out that it was a "good sign" to see sumo on your birthday - they bring promises of "strong life" I'm told...
After dinner, we headed home and it was time for all out chaos - the boys were too funny - running from thing to thing - spending about 5 minutes at each until it was eventually bedtime... this is where my fun started. It was about 11:00 when lights finally went off and then the giggling started - I absolutely loved listening to those little voices - who seriously thought I couldn't hear them - there were lots of "time to be quiet" from one and then a silly sound from another - but my favorite part was when Nicholas said he was hot and another little one said "are you hot? or are you HOT??" As if that wasn't enough, I believe my son said something about being "sexy" - are you kidding me???? when did my 8 year old son learn words like that?? I just couldn't help but laugh - Next thing I knew and unknown child was tapping me on the shoulder... he couldn't go to sleep because he was all cuddled intol his sleeping bag and had gotten too hot - so a little blanket and some nice words, and he was right off to sleep.
they woke up bright and early and were off for the Wii and then it was time for pancakes and it wasn't long before the Mommies came and everyone was gone - Nicholas had a great smile on his face and I had a smile on mine knowing that he's growing up, but he's still pretty darn cute!
side bar... I'm watching Sweet Home Alabama - love that movie... wondering if and of my boyfriends would tell me that I had turned into some "hoity toity yankee b#$*h?" just a thought...
Nicholas's 8th birthday... Nicholas turned 8 on January 25th and for his big day he wanted to have his first sleepover. He invited 3 friends (all I thought I could handle!) and 2 of them ended up being able to spend the night. We went bowling - this is where Mr. Bowling Japanese Man didn't want to let me have 2 bowling lanes until he could prove that my entire party was present!) and then went off for dinner at the Outback - After we sat down, two sumo wrestlers sat at the table next to us. The boys loved watching to see what they ate next... believe me it was alot... Turns out that it was a "good sign" to see sumo on your birthday - they bring promises of "strong life" I'm told...
After dinner, we headed home and it was time for all out chaos - the boys were too funny - running from thing to thing - spending about 5 minutes at each until it was eventually bedtime... this is where my fun started. It was about 11:00 when lights finally went off and then the giggling started - I absolutely loved listening to those little voices - who seriously thought I couldn't hear them - there were lots of "time to be quiet" from one and then a silly sound from another - but my favorite part was when Nicholas said he was hot and another little one said "are you hot? or are you HOT??" As if that wasn't enough, I believe my son said something about being "sexy" - are you kidding me???? when did my 8 year old son learn words like that?? I just couldn't help but laugh - Next thing I knew and unknown child was tapping me on the shoulder... he couldn't go to sleep because he was all cuddled intol his sleeping bag and had gotten too hot - so a little blanket and some nice words, and he was right off to sleep.
they woke up bright and early and were off for the Wii and then it was time for pancakes and it wasn't long before the Mommies came and everyone was gone - Nicholas had a great smile on his face and I had a smile on mine knowing that he's growing up, but he's still pretty darn cute!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Our Day at Hong Kong Disneyland
As you can see below, we have been to Hong Kong Disneyland! Yep - That made our fourth Disney park in less than a year! How crazy is that? Certainly not something we set out to do, but after we hit Tokyo last November, we thought we might as well try and get the next one! We are considering traveling through Paris on the way back to Tokyo in the summer to add the 5th park to our list!
Anyhoo, we had a blast. This park is smaller than others and is only 3 years old - We went on a Friday and had absolutely no issues with lines or crowds - the shows were great and the kids were able to pick all the rides they wanted to go on. I think Nicholas got to ride Space Mountain 5 times! The only ride we were unable to get on was Autopia and I think it was because it only had one lane. There was a Lion King show very similar to the one at Animal Kingdom and we also saw High School Musical in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle - very odd but good nonetheless... There was also a Golden Mickey show sort of based on the Oscars and they showcase songs and characters from movies over the years.
Since the park is smaller, it was only open until 7 and concluded with a great fireworks show. We stayed at the Disneyland hotel for the two nights and ate most of our meals there. During breakfast we looked up to see Mulan walking through the lobby! Then at dinner, we saw Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto. they each moved through the tables and visited with all of the families. Not totally sure why, but they loved our children and kept coming back to visit. Goofy even took them to get their dessert!
Nicholas was excited because they do the pin trading here much like they do in FL & CA (they don't do the trading in Tokyo). He was able to get a large portfolio for his collection and now he can see what all he has... (and Mommy likes that he can keep up with the better now!).
All in all, we had a marvelous day - Dumbo, the carousel, space mountain, and Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters are good no matter which country you're in! The only drawback was that It's a Small World (my personal favorite!) was closed for renovations...
Anyhoo, we had a blast. This park is smaller than others and is only 3 years old - We went on a Friday and had absolutely no issues with lines or crowds - the shows were great and the kids were able to pick all the rides they wanted to go on. I think Nicholas got to ride Space Mountain 5 times! The only ride we were unable to get on was Autopia and I think it was because it only had one lane. There was a Lion King show very similar to the one at Animal Kingdom and we also saw High School Musical in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle - very odd but good nonetheless... There was also a Golden Mickey show sort of based on the Oscars and they showcase songs and characters from movies over the years.
Since the park is smaller, it was only open until 7 and concluded with a great fireworks show. We stayed at the Disneyland hotel for the two nights and ate most of our meals there. During breakfast we looked up to see Mulan walking through the lobby! Then at dinner, we saw Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto. they each moved through the tables and visited with all of the families. Not totally sure why, but they loved our children and kept coming back to visit. Goofy even took them to get their dessert!
Nicholas was excited because they do the pin trading here much like they do in FL & CA (they don't do the trading in Tokyo). He was able to get a large portfolio for his collection and now he can see what all he has... (and Mommy likes that he can keep up with the better now!).
All in all, we had a marvelous day - Dumbo, the carousel, space mountain, and Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters are good no matter which country you're in! The only drawback was that It's a Small World (my personal favorite!) was closed for renovations...
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