All 11 bags packed up again with not a pound to spare. Had a great summer in Canada but it was time to say “See You Later, chat with you on skype.” Got mentally get ready for the long haul flight, but these kids are troopers so I knew it would be great. Last time we did this trek to Asia Ev was 1 and a half… East 3 and a half… Emmy 5 and a half ~ that was interesting travelling. I read back my updates from back then, seems like a different world.
Off we go…
We flew out of Calgary early Sunday August 8th morning to spend the day in Vancouver before our 2:00am flight out. Our day in Van was fun and gave us time to catch up with our good friend Bruce Reid with his little cuties at Ma and Pa Reids… always good times.
(kids give one last hug to Mama. Now she can get her house back into one piece. Sad but excited tears)
Vancouver for the day!
Rented a car to explore a bit of Vancouver. We ate some great food, watched some street shows, met old friends and toured the Aquarium. Enough action to tucker the kids out for the long flight.
(East commentating on the creatures in the tank)
(My wonderful, crazy, amazing family. Love East face, he is one cute looking fish)
(my tired boys sprawled out at the Vancouver airport waiting for our departure at 2:00am. They are such amazing travelers… so proud of you guys)
(Em with her {Canada Ah} teddy in her pack. Even though Em is not a fan of airplanes she still does amazing)
(We had a layover in Taipei and we all had rumbling tummies. This is breakfast, noodle soup which was nice and light, preparing us for our change in food)
Arrived in Thailand... it was a four hour flight from Taipei to Bangkok. Our connecting flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was pretty tight so we were in a rush to get off the plane, get through Thai customs and make our connector. In all the hustle and bustle I forgot my big camera on the EVA airplane. I was sick when I realized it as we were boarding the BKK flight. Despite the pit in my stomach my camera was recovered and all is well. To leave my camera shows what a rush we were in… The fun of moving.
Landed in Chiang Mai on Tuesday August 10th. The trip was long but did not seem that long ~ (if you know what I mean). Under 20hours in the air so not to bad. We were greeted in CM by smiling faces and escorted to our place we will call home for a while. Made our way out for dinner the first night and Easton was out cold, could not even wait for his dish. After a few days of waking up at 3am we all adjusted our sleep to this side of the world.
Thai life begins…
(the first weekend we were in town we were invited to a birthday party. What was pretty interesting was that the host of the party wanted a big water-slide. She called a company but they did not have one so the host showed them a picture of what she wanted and wala it was made… pretty awesome )
(Here is the finished product with my boys sliding down at least 100 times each)
A NEW school once again. These munchkins are amazing at settling and adjusting to new experiences, I am so proud of them. They jumped in with two feet meeting new kids, learning their way around a new school all with smiles on their faces. Emma has already been the MC for the weekly school assembly in front of the whole student body from K2 – 12th grade, over 450 people. She did brilliant and all the teachers had nothing but praises for her, she can’ t wait to do it again.
(First day of school…. The kids started a few days later because of our late arrival in Chiang Mai. Here they are in their friday uniform which is a white Thai Lanna shirt with blue dress shorts for the boys and Em has a blue skort. Ev is sporting this gym uniform (I got it wrong on Friday..oops) Their third uniform is a blue golf shirt through out the week. Awesome uniforms that are comfy and easy to care for)
(We are walking towards the junior school building. It is a beautiful campus lined with amazing trees and beautiful gardens. It is a great way to start the day)
A few interesting names in the kids classrooms.
Difference of cultures, but can you imagine being named…
Tan, Pim, Team, Mean, Sheleu, Smile, Look, Rigpee, Um, Poom, Ai, Punn, SeenWorld Religions… Em’s unit of Enquiry
Emma in class has been studying the 7 major world religions. They went on an amazing field trip to mosques, temples, shrines and a church to ask questions to have a better understanding of the people who make up our world. Em loved it!
(In each house of worship they had to follow the practices and dress code of each. It is an experience Em will not forget. The school embraces all religions and the discussions in the classrooms are fostered to promote understanding. We love this!)
(Another thing I love about this culture is that shoes are not to be worn inside, that includes the classroom. The rooms are so clean and it allows the kids to be a bit more comfortable)
(Here are the girls from Em’s class, they are showing off their charms they recieved from a Mom who came and spoke to the kids about her story of migrating to Thailand… WOW some stories were so inspiring)
Sunday Market… our favorite market!!!
(sitting down relaxing getting our foot massage for $3 for 30min. Thai massage or foot massages are available pretty much everywhere… I love this culture..hehe. Everyone enjoyed their rub but Ev was a ball of giggles because he is so ticklish, the Thai people ate him up)
(a mushroom omelet for 25cents at the street vendor. Em said they were delish)
(just finished our yummy pad thai dish in the local market. Our whole family could eat for $3.00 at the side carts… love it. Em loves mango and sticky rice, boys like chicken fried rice)
Our Second Vehicle is a Scooter
(Trent and I both love to drive the scooter so we have to take turns. We have not attempted to all squeeze on like a typical Thai family. The kids have their days they get driven to school on it or picked up. It is the Thai way to scoot everywhere, a hole lot easier than parking a truck most days. When I go to the market I prefer to take the bike, now I just need a basket on the front to hold my groceries. Here Trent is taking Ev to school)
(The boys and Trent are off to go get dinner)
(at the flower market where flowers are sooo cheap and beautiful. It was amazing the amount of stalls and flowers lining the street)
First Adventure Out… of course it is snakes (very close to our house)
(this is a dream job… playing with Cobra snakes NOT)
(Notice how my guys like to be in the front row as close as possible. Trent says “are you seeing this” as I am in the stands up a bit higher..haha)
(here snaky snaky snaky)
(they love this a bit to much)
Hello Kitty Kitty Kitty
(Tiger Kingdom is also quite close to the house)
(Em is enjoying her time with the 4 month old cub… they are amazing animals. Even the little ones here made me nervous, they are so powerful)
(this 4 month cub has some big mitts)
< (no light touches here)
(this Kitty was on the table chewing the corners apart)
(one Saturday morning the kids went rock climbing at Chiang Mai climbing club. A great instructor from the US)
We have a NEW Baby… Essie
A dog was not an option in Panama because of our travel schedule but the kids have been yearning for an animal for so long. We agreed when we came to Thailand we would get a pup. One day Trent was in Bangkok and the kids were at school, my girlfriend Bec took me to basically a local puppy mill. I had no intentions of coming home with a four legged friend but here she is, our newest addition. To fit with our crew she was named accordingly with an “E” name. Meet ESSIE
(Essie has no shortage of love, Everyone can’t wait to get a piece of her)
(she is so darn cute. We are not entirely sure if she is a golden lab or retriever or a mixture at that. But cute is all we need I guess)
(my two puppy faces.. xooxox)
(Trent can’t wait for the kids to go to school then he gets Essie all to himself..haha. She is such a lovable little thing, loves to be held and to be with someone all the time)
(Took Essie to school to pick up the kids. Love the size difference. Also another shot of part of the campus)
(Oh Emma. This is Em’s way of dressing up a little sister, we are now balanced in our house. 3 girls – 3 boys. Essie is completely spoiled!)
Happy Birthday Trent… so close to 40 🙂
Trent had a great birthday. It started the day before with a trip to Bangkok coming home with new golf shoes and new golf clubs. He also got Essie, what more could a man ask for..haha.
For his birthday we took Trent to dinner and to finish the night off we went to the Fish Spa. It is as gross as it sounds. You put your feet in a tank full of fish so they can eat all the dead particals on your toes, bottoms of your soles and ankles. As crazy as it sounds, if you can get over the idea of it and relax I think my feet came out feeling nice and soft. The kids loved it of course.
A fish feast tonight
<
(the boys love it, but it tickles… )
(Trent’s monster feet getting a good cleaning. The boys did not want to share a tank with Trent because they said the fish kept going to his feet)
(a relaxing way to end the evening. I am on the street taking a picture of my wonderful family. Happy Birthday honey)
We went Zorbing at the X-Centre< (Ev knows what is going on)
(inside our bubble)
< (it was interesting, I don’t have to really do it again but it was fun. The kids loved it of course. The company told Trent he was unable to go in the ball because the straps inside would not fit around his muscularly arms)
(At a market with my girlfriend Bec from Australia. Looking for lanterns to light up her backyard for a birthday party… crazy how much stuff is at the market, it all goes on and on and on)
(our daily pit stop. This is the local Thai restaurant we eat at, at least once a day. Delicious – yummy- hot food right across from the kids school)A night out at the Chiang Mai Night Safari
(the kids loved it here. It is very similar to the safari in Singapore we visited years ago. You ride a tram around acres of land to watch the nocturnal animals at play. At the tail end of the evening a colorful lazer water show happens ~ Emma’s favorite part)
(the boys loving their new fury friend. We are sure it is related to a lemur)
(comical that the fam is posing with a snowman. Why do they have a snowman in Chiang Mai?)
(Ah, Ev I think you have a tiger hitching a ride on your head)
(Yes a real live baby Bengal Tiger. I had the honors of feeding this adorable 4 month old cub. He was beautiful! I have such mixed emotions about these amazing animals. They belong in the wild but as we all know it is because of their free existence that their numbers have led them to near extinction. This issue is something I really struggle with however in Asia particularity these wild animals are almost treated like a general pet like we would our puppies. Very different mentality, which does not make it right but keeps us aware)
The transition to Thailand has been pretty easy. We have been surrounded by wonderful people, a great school, beautiful house and delicious food all with our health and eachother. I miss aspects of Panama like how close I was to certain comforts, Chiang Mai is a bit more spread out but it is worth it to experience this wonderful world of S.E. Asia. Our day to day life has not changed to much as it still revolves around the kids it seems. I really thought once the kids were in school my life as a Mom would be boring, as most Mothers know ~ that is not the case. 🙂
On that note. It is time to sign off. Thank you for taking a peak in to our next journey in life. Have a great week and look forward to chatting.
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