The Blonde Squad in Auz: October 2016

Saturday, October 29, 2016

SOUTHEAST ASIA PART 3

Part 3 of 3 South East Asia Adventure

BANGKOK, THAILAND

We have been to Phuket, Thailand before however, my girls had a great desire to visit Bangkok. Since we were flying through there, I thought it would be easy-peesy to just extend our layover on the way back and stay a few extra days. I had an uncle and aunt who were expats there for a number of years and I thought we should check it out. It did not disappoint. It is a HUGE city with unbelievable car traffic but it was vibrant and exciting. We had a fantastic few days shopping, eating and soaking up this bustling city. We were surprised to see so many American foods, brands and influences. We went on a delectable Midnight Tuk Tuk Food Tour through the streets of Bangkok and bathed 5 female elephants in the River Kwai. These memories will surely last a life-time! I can honestly say that we ate on the streets of this city and no one got SICK! It was truly an experience!

Jane's dream is to become the first female mahout (elephant trainer) and own an elephant. She loves those animals and feels completely at ease in their presence. Claire has a Bernese Mahout who was smitten by her. He was serenading her with Justin Bieber songs the entire time we were swimming with the elephants however, he did not understand the lyrics nor her limited conversation with him. Love at first sight clearly cannot conquer all!

I can safely say that Southeast Asia is a marvelous place filled with warm, loving people. Their traditions and cultures are so different from each other and yet they are so interesting to the outsider. We were thrilled to have had the opportunities to visit and adsorb the glimpse that we have had over those 13 days.

We hope that our girls will look back fondly upon this wild ride and know that although their childhood may have been unique it was filled with happy, smile provoking moments. CHEERS!

Street Food on our Foodie Tour!

Washing our dishes in the street!

Mango Sticky Rice - YUMMO!

All Night Flower Market - Unbelievable and so CHEAP!

30 Thai Bat for a bunch of roses, just $1.10 for me -- Beautiful!

Right as I took this photo....a huge RAT ran up my foot - GROSS!

WAT PHO

More Markets and lots of shopping.

We love public transport....so easy!

THE ULTIMATE WATER FIGHT WITH ELEPHANT TRUNKS

WHAT AN MEMORABLE ADVENTURE!

OUR KING OF THE JUNGLE

WE LOVED THESE LADIES!

NIGHT SWIMS ON THE ROOF ARE THE BEST!

BANGKOK HAS BEEN AMAZING - UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Saturday, October 22, 2016

SOUTHEAST ASIA PART 2

ANGKOR WAT

Here is PART 2.....

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

Claire has a desire to visit every square inch of this big wide world and Siem Reap was at the top her list. Tom and I were quite keen to make all of her dreams come true so we knew when we planned this trip, Siem Reap was a MUST!

It was hot, sweaty and I have NEVER consumed as many bottles of water but it was incredible. The ruins of these Hindu and Buddhist temples are indescribable. We were enthralled with their beauty and the craftsmanship that was required to build them. We learned from one of our tour guides (SUN) about how different and hard life can be as he was orphaned at 11 years-old. He raised himself with 10 other little boys in the jungle of Angkor Wat and is now 31 years-old. He speaks fluent English even though he has never had any formal education. Sun and his wife are expecting their second child and are doing well living in Angkor Wat. His knowledge of the Khmer history and first-hand experiences made for a memorable tour. We loved learning about their culture and saw how hard life can be for some of God's children. Our girls had a great appreciation for the bounty they enjoy and understand that they have a great responsibility to give back for their many blessings.

We swam every afternoon away and prepared ourselves for the morning heat. Did I mention it was HOT, HOT, HOT? It was a relaxing 5 days!