Spring Breakin' Thailand Part 1

When you're sick of you're house and routine all you want is a vacation.

Nothing helps you appreciate your own bed and having a routine like a whirl-wind week
jam-packed vacation.

We expected the shock of intense heat and humidity when we arrived in Bangkok but we did not expect the shock of seeing "Pimp My Ride" pull up as our touring bus for the week.

Here are some other unusual modes of transportation we saw.

This is a Tuk Tuk (took-took) called so because the motor goes (tooktooktooktook). It is used as a taxi or for deliveries around the traffic congested cities.

All the modern taxis were bright pink or green. I guess that makes them SUPER easy to see from afar.

We thought this one was cool to. There were so many strange contraptions for getting around or selling goods we couldn't possible capture them all on film. Plus, sometimes we just plain ol' missed the shot.

The morning we arrive in Bangkok we got on the bus and drove 2 hrs. south to Pattaya, which ended up as the ultimate beach party destination...not exactly what we had in mind. The ride did let us all catch up on some needed rest from our overnight flight.

Our first stop was Pattaya Park Tower a 25 floor high revolving restaurant. This was the first of our bad meals on this trip. I guess the only places that could accommodate a group our size had the worse food fare available because everyone I spoke with whose been to Thailand has loved the food.

Included in the price of the meal is one of five exits: One, the stairs (only used in case of a fire). Two, the elevator (only for the faint of heart). Three, a gondola (for groups and families with small children). Fourth, a zip line (for those who like to live on the edge or at least hang off of it for a moment).

I chose the fourth option!
After some hugs, kisses, and reassurances to the boys I'd meet them safe and sound at the bottom I geared up and took off. I was nervous not only for the thrill of the drop but because I am sure Thailand doesn't have the same safety standards I'm use to.

So, I waved goodbye and was.....kinda disappointed. There was no stomach dropping sensation. It was just a smooth slow ride to the bottom. Oh well. It was still fun and I can say that I did it.

Ethan however, was very anxious about riding down the gondola. We've ridden the tram up and down the mountainside in Girdwood Alaska several times but now I guess he's old enough to be aware of what's going on.

Off to our hotel for some R&R before dinner and a show.
If we stood in the middle of the room we had a pleasant ocean view.

However, if we stood at the window this is what we saw.
One of our group mates said all he say out his window was some guy taking a shower. I'm not sure who had the better view.

After some time at the pool we met our group for what we thought would be an evening of traditional dancing and music. It ended up being a Cabaret Show with interesting clad dancers intermixed with some traditional songs. We really couldn't tell who were men and who were women. After the show you could go out in the parking lot to have your picture taken with the stars and give them tips for future upgrades. We just looked for a rest room and found the bus ASAP.

The next day WE FORGOT OUR CAMERA so you won't see:
Chris and Michelle para-sailing.
Chris and Ethan walking underwater viewing coral and feeding fish wearing helmets full of O2.
Zach and Michelle taking a banana boat ride.
Graham, Zach, & Michelle relaxing on the beach and digging in the sand.
Chris and Ethan riding a jet ski.

However, there are numerous families globally showing their friends the photos they took of our family especially of our little Blondie Graham. We were bombarded the entire vacation with people wanting to take his/our picture. It became quite annoying. If we had started charging at the beginning we could have paid for our vacation. I swear it felt like we were being chased by the paparazzi the entire time.

ADVENTURES IN EATING
Things did not start off well when it came to eating. We were hoping for bacon and a lot of it at the breakfast buffet but instead the options were the same weird dinner items, salad, fruit, toast, and eggs. Chris had been riding a lot before the trip and had a huge appetite that was not satisfied on this trip.

After two days Z had had enough with the rice. E eats just about anything and Graham is well a bit picky but finely warming up to new things.

One dining experience took place on the river front in China Town, yes there is a China Town in Bangkok. The breeze felt nice but it kept blowing away our napkins and other table ware. And Ethan couldn't resist throwing things (IE bottles, napkins, food) over the edge. It was difficult to reinforce the no littering concept when all that was floating beneath us was refuse.

Our best dining experience was in the open market. We were a little leery because you see strange meat and animal parts hanging out all day in the heat and bugs......Not appetizing! We had no desire to be stuck sick on the bus or in a hotel room. But on this day we decided to risk it and had way good fresh veggie spring rolls with a sauce that burned all the way down and washed it all down with fresh strawberry smoothies.

The boys did offer some entertainment during meal time once they discovered the chop sticks.

And finally Zach got a bit of nourishment once he decided the soup broth, not all the floaty things in the soup, but the broth was OK.

BUS TIME
We spent a ton of time on the bus, traveling from city to city, waiting for the rest of our group who couldn't get their acts together to be on time, and stuck in the never ending Bangkok traffic. We, the family with 3 small children, never once delayed the trip but several single ladies did....gggggrrrr!

Overall the boys did great and got lots of compliments on their behavior from our group members.

Chris and I could not have survived without Leap Frogs and thank heavens for
iPhone Apps!

Up Next: Some of the Sights!