Phuket and the rest of Thailand

I couldn't deal with the internet in Phuket.  It was really really slow.

Anyhow, after a short plane ride to Phuket from Chang Mai (1.5hr), we negotiated a deal with a taxi to get to our hotel in Kata Beach (south-west Phuket).  Negotiating in Thailand is a tricky business.  Or, rather an unpleasant one.  Chris and I are not the negotiating type.  We're more of, you tell us what's fair, and we'll take your word for it.  Unfortunately, if you go this route, you will continually be taken advantage of, and that is not a good feeling.  Negotiating in Phuket was definitely the worst.  As it turns out, we got a great deal from the taxi driver going to our amazing hotel.  When we arrived we were served fruity drinks while we checked in, and then were "golf-carted" to our room.  We were upgraded to a room (by coincidence)  that had pool access.  This was by far the coolest part of this hotel.  There is a large pool (as in most hotels) but this one was connected by a moat the meandered throughout all of the rooms.  It was pretty convenient to leave your room, no need to stash a towel or camera somewhere, since you can just leave it on your personal balconi.  We jumped in the pool after we got a meal at our overpriced hotel restaurant, then tucked into bed for a good night of sleep.  The next day we went to the beach in our town (about a 10 min walk), which was of course gorgeous.  However, Reina wasn't feeling good (or something) and after playing in the quite strong waves, she was ready to go home.  We didn't do anything worth noting the rest of the day, except meals and the pool again.  The next day we tried the beach again,  and were much more successful.  Reina loved the waves and playing in the sand (although at the end she decided she was scared of the waves - they were the strongest I've ever been in - I wouldn't let her out of her floaty tube more for me, since I don't think I could stay above water without her in it).

Enter mean Thai man.  Reina, who has been a CHAMP at going in the potty this whole trip, told me while we were at the beach that she had to go.  So, we went up to the PUBLIC bathroom (I lugged her up there) only to find out that of course, they are charging 5 baht for it (15cents).  So I go get money, and we only have a 50baht note ($1.60).  So I give the note to the guy and he gives me 10 baht back. I'm like, no, you owe me more.  He says something about a shower and I say I don't want a shower.  He says no.  So I take my 50baht note out of his hand and storm off.  Now, in retrospect, 1.60 probably wasn't worth this whole ordeal (but I truly had know idea how much 50 baht was or 5 at this point). When you're learning a new currency, what its worth, what it looks like, its tricky (at least for me).  But I was PISSED that this man was denying my "been-potty-trained" for months 2 year old access to a public restroom. I should have pulled down her pants and had her pee in plants next to him.  Ugh.  So I storm back to the beach and try to coax Reina to pee in the ocean....with no success. She needs her panties off, and I can't imagine trying to get her panties off and keep track of her and them in these waves.  So, Chris says he'll take care of her....and about 10 min later they come back, and said he got her to pee in the trees!  What an ordeal.

Enter crazy Thai taxi driver.  So, after cleaning up and having lunch after the beach ordeal, we decide to cab it to the "big Buddha" and check out a mall (since Chris was on a hunt our entire trip for cheap soccer jerseys).  So, we negotiate with this lady on the street, make a deal and get in her car (no taxi sign - geez, I've had a million trainings on how you don't do this) and its like a souped up sports car with pretend bullet hole stickers in it!  Anyhow, we get in, because she seems like a sweet Thai lady.  We drive about 10 minutes out of town, only to be pulled over by a random police check point. Yep. Pulled over by the cops.  She reluctantly pulls over and has a fairly heated discussion with a cop whose head we never see.  Chris and I sit silently in the back, trying to comfort scared Reina, and trying to glean any information we can from this conversation that would tell us what is going on!  Finally the cop came back with what I can assume to be a ticket, and I think he took her licensee.  We still have no idea what happened, but we drove off to finish our pre-arranged trip with no other problems.  Perhaps she was an "illegal" taxi driver or something? She wasn't wearing her seatbelt?  We'll never know.

The next morning we played in the pool and packed for our trip to Bangkok.  We got pissed off at the hotel when they suggested a ridiculous price for a taxi back to the airport....twice what we paid to get there.....then they didn't bring back our laundry in time (and it cost $12 to have about 5 things washed)....so we left with a bit of a bitter taste in our mouths after all of these experiences!  Our flight to Bangkok was uneventful and we finally found a nice person who guided us to our hotel (for free!  Just out of the goodness of his heart - course he wasn't Thai).

In Bangkok, our hotel was the highest building in Thailand.  We were on the 57th floor with a great view.  We didn't have much time in Bangkok, so aside from doing a lot of walking around, we didn't see much other than shop vendors.  It was a very crowded, smelly city.  Oh, and somehow I have failed to mention how HOT it was in Thailand.  I am usually not one to complain about the heat....but this was the first place I've ever been where I had rings under my armpits!  Chris and I were wondering if it was actually that much more hot than Okinawa; in Okinawa the second you go into any store or restaurant, there is very cold a/c.  Not so in Thailand.  A/C is a luxury that you only get in your hotel room, and maybe a handful of restaurants we couldn't find!

All in all, it was a great trip. But before we go back, Chris and I will have to work on our negotiating skills.  Now we have to unpack, wash, and pack again for the big flight to the states on Wednesday...oh, and the ultrasound on Tuesday to hopefully determine the gender of baby number 2!

Chang Mai

After three plane rides we got to Chang Mai, a smaller town in northern Thailand.  Traveling there went perfect - everything was on time...what was interesting was our very first meal, in the air going between Naha and Taipei.  We were served chicken burgers. What was interesting was the buns were not made out of bread, they were made out of rice.  Literally.  It was the funniest food I've ever seen!  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, but Reina loved it!

In Chang Mai, we didn't do much the first night. After traveling all day, little Reina was ready for bed. Our room was very nice, with a big king bed and a pink crib for Reina.  The next day we woke up early (Thailand is 2 hours behind Okinawa) and we had the best "free" breakfast I've ever had at a hotel.  And the fruit was amazing.  They had leeche (?) and dragonfruit, and then of course some more of the usuals, like pineapple, bananas, watermelon....this was in addition to bacon, eggs, toast, cereal, and even some noodle dishes.  Then we went for a short walk outside to see a little of Chang Mai before we got in a van to go to the elephant camp.  The city was definitely bigger than I thought, and while the surrounding jungles are beautiful, the city was a little dirty.  Chris and I kept saying how so far Thailand reminds us of an Asian Costa Rica.  We were also surprised to notice that they drive on the left side of the road!  And here someone had told us only island countries do this!  Anyhow, we left for the elephant camp around 8:15.

After picking up several other people, and driving for about an hour, we arrived at the camp.  There were elephants everywhere.  We were told that as part of the tour, we would start our bamboo raft portion first, so our group was quickly herded towards the river.  On our way down, there were several people, both workers and tourists, amongst several elephants. Reina, who we've been prepping for this, was terrified of them.  I think at this particular moment, there was just too much going on. After we got on the raft, she calmed down. The raft ride was peaceful, just slowing going down a river and enjoying the natural beauty of the jungle.

After the raft we were brought back to the main area, where we bought some elephant food (bananas and sugercane) and fed the baby elephants. THis was definitely a highlight for Reina. The baby elephants were smaller, and while I couldn't get her to feed any of them, she did finally touch the smallest one.  They were pretty cute.  Then there was the elephant show, which was a nice break in the shade for Reina and us and Reina had a snack, while Chris enjoyed his first Thai beer.  After the show, we got on the elephants.  Reina thought this was pretty cool too, as did I!  We trekked up through the river and then into the jungle.  There were stands throughout (like treehouses) where we could buy food for our elephant and at one point our driver got off and took several pictures of us (only to then tell us how much it had cost us!). He did get some good ones though.  There was a VERY bumpy, uncomfortable ox ride back to the main camp, followed by a pretty good lunch. Then we headed to a small orchid and butterfly farm before heading back to the hotel.  Needless to say, we were all exhausted.

We relaxed and cooled off in the room a bit before heading out to find some dinner.  I feel like every time Chris and I travel, this is our biggest challenge...and this particular night was no exception.  We walked to the Night Bazaar, thinking they're be food there, but nope! Our hotel, which was really nice, was on a street that had mostly bars, so we had a very hard time finding a restaurant.  We finally did, and although we could't find Thai, the Italian/Mexican food we ended up with was pretty good.






The next morning we walked around and found some pretty cool temples (for Buddha) and a really nice juice bar where we had CHEAP shakes.  Mmmm.  I had Mango and Chris had dragonfruit, and Reina was completely absorbed in a connect four game - which she insisted we "buy."  After having the best Phad Thai at our very own hotel for lunch, we headed to the airport for Phu Ket.  The flight was about an hour and a half and then the taxi drive to our amazing hotel was about an hour.  We got upgraded (yay) and when we got to our room, were surprised to see that it is the nicest room we've ever had.  The bathroom alone is amazing!  And did I mention that we walk out onto a balcony that has our very own private entrance to the pool. Very cool.  We head out today to explore Phuket, and then I will have to post more on it later.  

Something you should know....

I imagine Reina is a pretty typical two year old.  However, she is the only one I know, and she does some things that I think aren't so "typical." Tonight at dinner she had a bowl of macaroni and cheese.  Chris has sushi and I had a commissary sandwich (which Reina isn't quite into yet) and we both had chips.  We also pulled out some olives.  So...you'd think that the chips or mac 'n cheese would be a big draw for a normal kid.  Nope.  We have to tell Reina, "take another bite of macaroni before you have another olive." Seriously, this kid was devouring the olives.  She always does, and it always surprises me.  What's annoying is that the olives we had (kalamatta) were not pitted.  This means that Chris or I have to get the seed out prior to handing them to Reina, which gets annoying since its ALL she wants to eat!  Finally, she figured out how to do it herself.  When I told her she couldn't have anymore olives, she quickly announced that she was all done.  Strange.

Reina, Mama, and a 17 week bump (its bigger than it looks here!)

My other story tonight is about how little kids (particularly ours) likes to copy us.  Man is it funny.  If you know Chris at all, he loves to drive with his rap music on and sing.  I like music too, but I can't sing (I simply am terrible at remembering the words). Well, I get in the car with Chris and Reina tonight to drive to the beach and Chris puts on some Kanye West.  Reina is in the back singing up a storm.  I'll have to get it on camera, because it is probably the cutest thing she does.  She has NO idea what any of the words are, but as soon as certain songs come on, she will start saying maybe the one word she does know over and over.  I'm telling you, its hilarious.  Its moments like that when.....well, you know the rest.  

As promised, my storyboard of this summer!

We head to Thailand next Saturday.  We can't wait.  Every time I bring up riding on the elephants, Reina says, "lets go."  I think she is excited too!  We have graduation tomorrow, followed by a little bbq with friends before we all leave for the summer.  WOOOHOOO. We also can't wait to see all of our family and friends in the states.