The Richards family left Chiang Mai and we still had a week of Christmas break left so we headed up north to Chiang Rai and Burma.
It is always fun getting out of town with our family, so many laughs and we get to check out new places.
Stayed at a unique hotel this time called the RASA, super cute place with an Indian theme. It is now one of our new favorite little boutiques in Chiang Rai.
(My three amazing bundles of joy, always good for a fun picture pretending they are so sweet)
(This was the kids room, very funky and one of the owls came for the trip as well)
(The restaurant/bar had some fun areas to chill out at. Ev chilaxing away)
~ Mae Ngad Dam for the day ~
(On the taxi raft to the Eakachai houseboat for the day. The boys lathering up because the sun is HOT)
(East hiding so he does not get tossed in the water — again)
(Ev jumping from the high platform with not a care in the world)
(Even Trent jumped ( after I did of course, he can’t be shown up by a girl he says..haha)
(Ev is saying “kapun krap”… Thank you in Thai for a delicious lunch)
(East and I went kayaking out on the dam, what a peaceful time just chatting and splashing everyone else)
(Emma and Sara paddling away from the crazies ~ Go girls Go)
(Em and Sara. Sara is Thai but was adopted as a toddler by a Britsh couple. Sassy (Sara’s nickname) has a Brit accent and does not speak fluent Thai which makes for an interesting situation when Thai nationals look to her to translate for us white people)
(Rupunzel, oh let your hair down)
(Everett and Trent heading straight for us but they were no match for the speed Easton had paddling away)
(The various other floating houses on the dam. You can spend a night or two if you wish but we go for the day, so peaceful out here)
(Our boat ride back to our truck… such a great day)
(Emma’s cupcake creations she made for a bake sale at school in support of COSA. COSA is Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia to help prevent human trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls. Love Em’s cupcakes, they sold super fast and to help raise money for the girls at COSA.
(Amazing Race at the Farm. A fun afternoon at the school farm competing in an amazing race. Activites included, eating the hottest peppers, swallowing bugs, counting the worms in the bucket, scooping goat poo, shooting a sling shot, walking on stilts (very hard) making mud bricks, a whole array of activities. It was loads of fun)
(Shoveling the goat poo was very smelly)
(Em taking aim at her target before she could continue on to the next event)
(Time to get muddy and make some bricks. This mud is a mixture of rice hulls and dirt to create a strong bond to withstand the natural elements of Mother Nature)
(After hauling the mud, it is poured in a form to then dry, the bricks will be used to make walls. This is a substainable option and I hope we can make something like this in the near future at home)
(My new wheatgrass station, such a great start of the day with freshly squeezed shots of grass)
~ Off to Macau and Hong Kong for the weekend ~ Woo Hoo!
(Heading on a jet plane for a fun weekend away with hubby to meet up with the Healey’s)
(Our first night was spent in the Venetian Hotel which is exactly like the Venetian in Las Vegas. Macau is Asia Vegas, just WAY higher bets on the tables with very serious gamblers)
(We arrived just after Chinese New Years being fortunate enough to still see many beautiful decorations lining the streets)
(A Catholic church in the middle of the Portuguese side of Macau Island. Love all the different architecture mixed in through the crammed streets)
(Sean confessing his sins, just no Priest to help relieve his burdens..haha..)
(A quick pit stop at Starbucks for a Chi Latte (oh how I have missed them, we don’t have them in Thailand) Always comical how the frangs look like giants among the people)
(Not a space to spare and no one is in a hurry)
(The face of the cathedral is the only piece remaining after a fire years ago. This was a popular spot for many visitors)
(Trent and Sean were a riot, they kept photo booming peoples pictures and I can only imagine what tourists had to say when they reviewed their pictures and seen two big white goofs in their backgrounds. This couple saw Trent and Sean sneak up in the photo and loved it)
(Wynn Macau ~ This is one amazing place, more posh than Wynn Vegas with some very big whale sharks rolling around here)
(Happy Chinese New Year)
(Tiff and I enjoying a perfect glass of wine in style)
(A drive to the beach to eat at the popular Restaurant Fernando)
(We had a couple great nights at the Hard Rock Hotel listening to great music, looking at all the memorabilia and celebrating fake birthdays..haha.. The House of Dancing Water show was fantastic, very entertaining and amazing diving stunts. Macau has been a fun adult playground)
(Rubbed the red ball in the lions mouth for good luck… May all the wishes come true!)
(Sean and Tiffany live on Discovery Bay an island just across from Hong Kong. Discovery Bay is like living in the Truman Show but no vehicles are allowed except golf carts at a tune of $100,000 Canadian Dollars
NO JOKE. There is a limited number of golf carts allotted to the island residence so they come at a cost. The pilots wives are the ones speeding around in their carts… This is an interesting community of people)(Siarra and Kai excited to see Trent)
(So happy we got to see my cousin Alicia, her little doll Sun and her hubby Daniel in Hong Kong for the afternoon. It’s comforting to know I have family on this side of the globe and it will be expanding soon (congratulations)
(Hong Kong, a fun time. I found it so calming to take the ferries everywhere, transportation is great as long as you’re not traveling at peak times, then it is a bit crowded..haha)
~ Prem Car Boot Sale back in CM ~
(Never heard the term Car Boot Sale before as it is a British term for “sell your stuff out of your car” The school organized a street market and my family jumped on board to raise money for charities and sell some stuff…. Em made and sold her jewelry, boys made and sold slime beside stuffies and Trent well he sold beer..haha.. It was a great day and Emma came out on top with her jewelry being a hot seller)
(Em has turned into a budding jewelry designer, great job kiddo, everyone loves their earrings)
(Most people sold their old clothing or unwanted goods from their house, we have ideas for next time)
~ Football News ~
(Ev loves his football – that’s nothing new)
(U10 Champs! These boys were unstoppable no one could come close to them. They will be exciting to watch in the years to come)
(East a top defence-man helping the team capture a playoff spot)
(U12 Champs!!! What a tournament this was. The boys cleaned house and dominated over the other teams showing that hard work and a great coach brings home gold) Proud of you guys!
~ Book Week at School ~
(For book week the students are to dress up like a character in a book. Ev was a hockey player..haha easy enough for us)
(Prem held the MUN – Model United Nations Conference at school with over 150 students from Norther Thailand participating representing 64 countries around the world. It was a huge success and Easton was very excited to be apart of it being a page runner. Next year he will be in senior school so he will be in the thick of the debates which we are looking forward to. East is our natural born politician, rule enforcer and comic)
~ James Bond Charity Night ~
(Such a great night. Myself along with my co-chair of the PTA put on a James Bond Charity Night for COSA – the Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia. Everyone had a great time, lots of raffle prizes, everyone danced the night away to fab music, ate delicious food and the best part was we raised lots of funds to donate to the girls. The D2 Hotel were great to work with and one of the highlights of the night was the bartenders show, the guys were a blast to watch) All the hot Bond Women of the night x x x
(A very memorable night and Trent looked so handsome!)
(Here the girls from COSA, the founder of the organization and other volunteers coming to school to collect their large envelop of cash. The girls were so sweet and excited about the money raised for them)
…Latest News…
~ My cousin Stephanie just had her first babe, so happy for you! Congratulations.
~ Another cousin Alicia is expecting her second babe in the fall – ya!
That is it for now. We are heading to Vietnam for term break and I am excited to get lots of fun pictures and recount many stories about that adventure. The kids will have to be troopers for this trip as we are on the move alot trying to cover the whole country in a few weeks.
Until next time!
Lots of love
Trent. Jody. Em. East. Ev
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