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Our Journey – Five Countries in Five Days

Sol: 180 by the time we landed in the fifth country.

We travelled through five countries in five days. Like many a parenting moments I’ve had over the last eight months, I never thought I’d say that statement.

This is a log of our adventure inlike I thought we’d ever take. We travelled through five countries in five days. These are our adventures. I document the countries visited, modes of transportation taken, jet lag experienced, sustainance obtained and currencies used. I start on day one of movement on our journey and continues through six days.

IMG_3062.jpgDay One, Tuesday: We woke up in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. IMG_3060.jpgWe had been staying at a nicer hotel as we had been traveling hard for a while. We decided to let ourselves stay in a place a bit nicer than our normal choices. Meaning, we had predictable hot water and the beds were blessedly soft and fluffed with clean duvets. We had some more room and there were not as many unpredictable bugs visiting us.

We had a late check out and lounged around outside on the warm grass and I read Harry Potter The Goblet of Fire aloud to the boys as we drank in the warm sunshine, not really fullsizeoutput_c5a8knowing it would be nearly the last of our tropical weather. fullsizeoutput_c58dWe got a ride in a van to the bus terminal which doubled as a cafe’ on the side of the road. Our bus was leaving from Sihanoukville at 8:30pm. The sun was down as we climbed onboard our overnight bus to Siem Reap.

Our bus, called the Giant Ibis, was actually very comfortable as we were able to lay down in little slots the size of a full bed. The bus had a toilet, plugs for electronics, a bottle of water for each of us and WiFi. fullsizeoutput_c5aaFor about $25 a person it was not a bad way to travel North through Cambodia in the dead of night.

Day Two, Wednesday: We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia around 6am passing the ghostly outlines of Angkor Wat near the bus station. As the fog lifted we sorted a Tuk Tuk to the next bus station and we met our friend from our earlier stay in Siem Reap.IMG_3115

At this bus station Kelvin sought out a cup of coffee, an a pile of bananas for less than a dollar on that dusty road. We stayed in the station which was likley someone’s house in the not too distant past waiting for the bus to be ready for departure as the staff washed themselves in the station bathroom.

IMG_3110We departed at 8:30am for Bangkok, Thailand. This bus goes through the notorious Poi Pot border crossing from Cambodia into Thailand. The border crossing is a bit easier this way as we didn’t have to get a visa before going through passport control. However, it is still an assault on the senses and having sensory sensitive kids it was especially so.KLZZpSxjT0KftXO142EgsQ.jpg

Oakley does not do well with struggles of being too close to people he does not know, things being too loud, too odorous, too touchy and people really wanting to know more about him and us.

kZOiEtVOSuakF5zI8jLR5A.jpgIt was hard, sweaty and dusty but, we did it. Each stop from passport control to the next is outside in the city along camps of people with outstretched hands offering or asking us many things.

In the end, we adjusted through to the border to Thailand. cqA8tqRNK9Xjmixw99w.jpgWe dug out our the Thai Baht we had saved and bought fresh snacks. We were coming in on 19 hours of travel. The bus driver dropped us not far from the hotel we booked in Bangkok near the airport.

We tried to get an Uber ride but, it is illegal in Thailand so struggled with some of the limitiations. We eventually found a ride in the complimentarly hotel van we didn’t know was an option.

We arrived at the hotel at around 5pm. We took hot showers and some of us a hot soak as we had a bathtub! A luxury! We dropped to sleep after getting some food sent in from the hotel after Kelvin wandered around the neighborhood for a 7/11, the best place for supplies.

imageDay Three, Thursday: A rest day in Thailand. A good friend from back home Grace came to hang out with us for the afternoon. IMG_3137This is after Kelvin ended up cooking our eggs and breakfast for us at the restaurant as they were, seemingly, short on staff.

Grace is a Vietnamese American who has her incredible own story of how she came to the US as a five-year old via a refugee camp on a boat in the dark of night. Her story is not mine to tell but, she taught us a lot in our afternoon together. She was also the first person we knew that we have seen in months.

BJAEdHPXTT66DOwk9X4THgIt was the start of the Lunar New Year so many fireworks exploded through the night as we tried to sleep.fullsizeoutput_c599

Day Four, Friday: We woke EARLY at 4am to get to the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, Thailand. This was going to be the big push day. After spending the last of our baht on over priced coffees, we lined up for security at our gate.

fullsizeoutput_c592We flew from Bangkok, Thailand to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates in seven hours on Etihad Airlines.Video from Airline Cameras

I count the United Arab Emirates which may be a stretch but, we were there! The desert stretching out to the end of the sea as we watched from the airplane cameras. IMG_3182

The airport had a few snack options, a chance to sit on a bronze camel and a long security check on every single electronic item we possessed. fullsizeoutput_c59dAll wiped down with tissues seeking nafarious substances. We had a short layover and then took off for London. Another seven hours in the air.

It was a truly round the world experience watching the map on the plane plot our course though time and space. I felt I should tune into Stephen Hawking a bit more.fullsizeoutput_c597

Video from Airplane cameras

The plane has these amazing cameras that show live footage from the bottom, the tail and front of the plane. An other worldly experience that had us marveling at how one to can go so far in such a span of time.

fB5luFVZSEmzBnKjqRqHOgOur plane held 496 passengers and 22 staff. Our row was ten seats across with two aisles and was a double-decker with a staircase and business class in what I read were actual beds. When we landed it felt like a barely a bump.wWGWiS00QueeZLgDLcIO8g

We landed in London, England. Scrambled for food, sim cards and British pounds. We took an Uber to our friend’s house and had the sticker shock of being back in one of the most expensive counties.

H8ZffcE7RduwaljTQ+sXUwOur ride from the airport cost more than seven days of accommodation in Cambodia. Jet lagged and chilly we counted the hours we were awake (24) and fell into the comfy and clean beds of our friends house was we were nuzzled by their two kitties.

Day Five, Saturday: We rested in London, England as we adapted to the time change as well as the weather. We were ill-equipped for the chilly winds blowing through the city although, we were delighted for a change.

We ended up going out for breakfast which was tasty yet, a shocking zap to our budget. We then wandered through charity shops looking for long pants, fleeces, gloves and other adjustments to our wardrobe.L8q9fm9ER96F7E06ME5oow

I took the Tube across town to have lunch with some friends while the boys played Legos with our friend’s collection. We had to have a traditional fish and chips for dinner while continuing to adjust our heads and sleep schedules.

g6TmxHQSRoCZIDBd6ULHXgDay Six, Saturday: We woke up before the sun to gather our belongs one more time and shuttled off to Luton Airport. We had an interesting ride through the fog gazing out at the hills reaching for green as we wheeled past.

At Luton, it was another exercise in airport check-ins as we eyed the automatic weapons of the police staff that patrolled the walkways.LFY+CKH4RgicDqsycKC%AQ

Wandering stores after check in, we bought sandwiches, trashy newspapers, chocolate, coffees and bags of crisps for our trip. Completly enjoying having options in English for the first time five months.

QGUg2pcSRySdcpa1hPp0GwAfter boarding a Ryan Jet flight by trudging up the stairs in the icy wind from the tarmac we bid goodbye to Britain for a while. We winged our way to Copenhagen, Denmark. We found our way to the train connections to bring us to the Danish village we were going to  stay.8Vw6zrHdSL+V%twT7wTbiA

We sorted the change in platforms after witnessing someone lingering too long as the efficient Danish train door closed exactly when it said it would on a passenger’s leg effectively shutting down the entire train for a while as emergency workers came to extract the passenger from their painful fate.

Z8wCr1yHR5S4Xoi791eycwWincing, we found our alternative train and trundled towards our destiny on the Island of Fyn to the town to Nyborg where our host was patiently waiting for us as we disembarked some nearly two hours later.

After nearly six months on the road and five months since we stayed with people that we knew beforehand, we were welcomed into the warm embrace of our Danish hosts in the village of Vestrup. We were truely treated like family.zKhzBzGdRlaj3iLUSwdROA

The evening felt like a homecoming even though none of us had met before. A large welcoming meal and several glasses of wine later I snuggled in an extra cozy duvet surrounded by our boys on the second floor of this 140 year old farm-house. It was lovely, calming and blissfully welcoming.

IMG_3308What followed was an amazing Danish farm experience. That will be documented on my next post.

As I drifted off, I could scarcely believe that we had, indeed, touched soil in six countries in six days ending up in another place to practice our round the world journey and world schooling for the boys.

As always, thanks for reading. Please share if you like!

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18 Thailand Observations and the Lessons Aren’t Over Yet!

Sol: 183

We have left Thailand, however, we spent a lot of time there and our memories are full of colorful images. Our time took us to the Gulf of Thailand and to the Northern mountains. The people were very helpful and, as they say, it is a smiling culture. You find a lot of smiles.

A selection of 18 things we noticed while in Thailand. Some of these observances happen in other SE Asian countries, however, they are very Thai in their own way too. Enjoy.

A google search without my VPN on.

1- SIRI confusing the Thai street names. Driving with SIRI is hilarious and annoying at the same time. Because we are using an English language version. Siri would often just opt out in pronouncing names. So, you would be told to, ‘Turn left on ____ in 200 meters’. Or try a Google Search without using a VPN in an English speaking country.

2 – Men working on construction wear face coverings that look like bank robber masks. It was startling to see at first and then the idea of how incredibility hot it has to be in those masks all day really struck me as well.

3 – It is Illegal to talk badly about the King in Thailand. Thailand just completed a year of mourning for their beloved King who passed in the autumn of 2016. The new King is his son and is not not quite as popular. The elder King was reknown for his kindness and the way he helped people in all corners of the country. He was in power for over 70 years.

PD with her spoonful of rice and a chili!

4 – Spicy means a whole different thing here. I thought I was one who liked spicy food. Eating Thai food in the States has always been a milder experience for me. 25 years ago I visited Thailand and I had clearly forgotten how incredibly spicy the food can be. Our friend PD in Chiang Mai would put chilis in her individual bites.

5  – Elephant is the National animal of Thailand. You probably knew that but, it is profoundly touching and incredible to see the tributes to Elephants in everyday life including temples at the side of the road

6 – The National Anthem plays twice a day at 8am and 6pm. The Thai people will literally stop in their tracks to pay homage to their country and their King. It is impressive and powerful to see a bustling train station stock still for the anthem. Also, there is often a loud speaker near you where ever you are to remind you that it is time to stand.Video of Bangkok Train Station at 8am

7 – The King’s name takes 24 seconds to say. If you are from an age and from the States you might remember a song you sang to remember all the States in the Union. In Thailand, they have an equivalent song to teach school kids on how to say the King’s name.

Also, Bangkok’s original name was so long it took 20 seconds to say as well and it got shortened. Otherwise, these would be very wordy maps! Have a listen above.

8 – There are geckos everywhere. This is pretty much anywhere in warm SE Asia but, I found them fascinating. I was also incredibly grateful for them as I knew they were eating some of the other insects that would normally be gnawing on us. To see more on this check out my husband Kelvin’s blog about all the insects we have seen at  Degrees of Kelvin PS. Read at your own risk.

9 – Everyone is on a phone or device. Even dental assistant while working on my son was watching her show while guiding the dental equipment. Also, little tiny kids will also have their parent’s phone in action. People often take their kids to work so, this seems to be the easiest form of distraction. We even had a Grab driver (like Uber) who had her 4 year old daughter in the front seat helping with directions.

Statues of passed on monks

10 – Shoes off before homes and some businesses. Take clean socks without holes or get used to flip flops because you will be taking your shoes on and off several times a day.

11 – Some monks are like rock stars. Meaning they are famous and honored and yet, they can sit still like a statue for hours. During one of visits to a Wat in Northern Thailand our friend PD said she got goosebumps because the Monk that started that Wat was there in person. We also saw some monks that were nearly indistinguishable from the statues next to them as they did not move for the entire time we were there. Many monks will have a likeness them made into a statue after they pass so they are always present.

12 – There is a mandatory monk service for all males in Thailand. The timing varies but, it is a family honor. Also, each male family member needs to ‘help’ family members pass on so, they will be made monks for hours or even days to help with this process. They can do this three times in their lives. If you have a girl heavy family. It is harder to do this as females cannot do this process. It is a great honor and responsibility.

13 – Street food is a normal everyday choice for everyday Thais. People eat on the streets or ‘out’ frequently for one if not two of their meals a day.

Here is a sampling of the delights.

Banana pancakes!!!

Sometimes the food will walk up and find you!

Packing up rice to go. Most to go orders are in these plastic bags tied together with a rubber band.

 

 

 

Pad Thai on the streets of Bangkok. I promise that beer was mine, not his!

Curry and vegetables.

Incredible fruits and vegetables at the market. I know that fruits will never taste the same when we return to the states. These tropical flavors were heavenly.

Pick your saute’ and they will grill it for you. Eight sticks of this cost about $2.50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini donuts for your morning commute!

 

14 – Thai tea and coffee are legendary and deservedly so. There are so many flavor combinations and the cup is pretty important too!

 

Sweet flavors are in high demand. So, if you want carmel corn in your iced coffee. You can have it!

15 – Train travel in Thailand is an amazing way to see the country and the overnight
trains are rather nice.

All the berths are ready for sleeping! Curtains into place.

Before the transitions to beds.

 

 

 

Day travel to the north.

16 – The 7/11 stores are the best place to buy whatever you need. I loved going through the aisles to see all the packages of goodies that you didn’t know you might need. As long you you’re not trying to buy alcohol before 11am or between 2-5pm (national law) you can buy nearly everything there. You can even buy toothpaste that is flavored ‘herb salt’. I kid you not!

17 – It is the year 2561 in Thailand! I mentioned this before but, wanted to share some photos showing how that date shows up. Amazing!

 

18 – There are some very imformative signs in Thailand to guide you.

 

These are some of the amazing things we learned while in Thailand. We have such gratitude for our rich experience there. To date, we spent more time in Thailand than any other country, over 50 days and everyone was truly royal. Thank you Thailand!

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Umbrellas, Elephants, Waterfalls and Mountains – Thailand has our hearts.

Sol: 173 Looking back a bit. 

Feeling very, very lucky to have had such a magical experience in Thailand. We ended up staying nearly 50 days in this magical country. The trip to Chiang Mai was the icing on the cake.

IMG_0628Bangkok is the most popular place in the world for International Tourists so, it’s no fullsizeoutput_b4cfwonder that there are a zillion of blogs and suggestions of places to go there.

Many people go to Thailand to see Bangkok or the Beaches but, the north has many, many treasures that may get overlooked. Chiang Mai has this smaller town feel but, defiantly has a lot to offer in likes of food, entertainment and mind broadening day trips.

IMG_0910In our journey there we found joy in the Sticky Falls . It is an amazing water fall that you can climb up like a superhero thanks to the gripping limestone. Our friend PD (Moon) took us there and it gave a new meaning climbing mountains.

Getting there is half the fun. We visited an amazing temple Wat Ban Den .  IMG_0781Our host PD (her name is moon in Thai) was amazed to see the main monk there. She said she had goose bumps on her arm as if seeing a favorite movie star.

While we were there were able to take part in the Umbrella festival at Bo Sang. fullsizeoutput_bc05Delightful paper umbrellas were on display and joyously celebrated throughout the weekend. We were there for the afternoon and part of the Umbrella parade. Try riding your bike while holding an umbrella!fullsizeoutput_bcdf

We also visited some amazing creatures. Some rescued elephants in a local sanctuary. We learned it is not good to ride elephants as their spine cannot hold a human’s weight. So, we fed them, gave them mud baths then played in the water with them. IMG_1524-1.jpgPretty amazing experience. I can now say I have had my hand inside an elephants mouth. IMG_1454-1.jpgWhile feeding them many bananas. Pretty big tongue!

There is a lot of controversy about the elephants and how they are treated in Thailand. They are considered livestock so there are varying ways in which they are cared for. Being from the States we are familiar with controversy with zoos so, you may imagine the varied conversations here about elephants.

With some friends (Australian and Thai) we journeyed up to the top of Thailand to Doi Inthanon and it’s national park.fullsizeoutput_bed9  It stands over 8400 feet and it was blissfully cooler or the first time in weeks. fullsizeoutput_bf06I know that sounds a bit annoying to anyone who has been in the cold blasts that have been experienced in the States over the last weeks but, it was truly refreshing for us. It was also fascinating to see folks getting their selfies with the sign on top. This is a very serious business in Asia.

fullsizeoutput_bea0We also experienced some amazing waterfalls on the way back down.

The place we stayed was a string of townhouses with two others for rent and one housing the owners. fullsizeoutput_bf33We became fast friends with our hosts who are sisters. There are three and their names translate to Moon, Star and Sky.

They helped us see other places and find various sampling of Khao Soi, a northern Thailand dish that is now one of my favorite things in the world. fullsizeoutput_ba6fThis bowl of egg noodles with meat, spicy broth topped with lime, pickled cabbage and crispy noodles is quite seriously, a bowl for the soul. I am wondering if there is a food cart back in Portland that has it…otherwise, we need to build it.

The family hosted a block party our last night and we all shared dishes, drink and laughter as well as Canyon’s Magic Show. His newly honed skills kept the crowd cheering.

fullsizeoutput_bfd2Our last full day we awoke at 4am to get a ride then climb to the top of Doi Suthrup and the Temple on top that was first built in 1383. fullsizeoutput_c0a7Did you catch that? 1383….and it still operates today as a Monastery and has several temples to visit. After calling the boys class back in Portland at the bottom of the stairs, we climbed 309 stairs to the top and found ourselves with only three other people that weren’t monks there.

fullsizeoutput_c006After the sun came up, we saw loads and loads of buses and songthaew with visitors streaming out as we departed. I’m glad we had our quiet, peaceful visit.IMG_1785

As always, thanks for reading…we love sharing our stories and really do want to hear from you. Tell us about your thoughts and travels!

All the best,

Audrianna

 

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Not the kind of gang I want to be in!

 

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Thank you Vison and PD! You guys are the best!

 

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Canyon’s new job and our new friend Olivia!

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Oakley and his buddy Dean

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Thailand Holiday Rest and Recuperation

Sol: 134

We have been in Thailand for over three weeks. It’s a bit of a struggle these last days as its been hard travels in a way. Now, I am not complaining as I do know that what we are doing is amazing and I am incredibly grateful that we have been able to make this happen.

However, when you do something, even something amazing, after awhile it can lose a bit of it’s shine. This blog is all about the honesty of our travel and experiences. Today, I’m writing a bit about that.

The struggle really started in Vietnam. I really feel in love that country, however, it was hard travels at times. I had been struggling with some physical ailments (back pain, sleep issues, digestive challenges) Then I got pretty ill. Headache, fever, chills, throat pain. You know that feeling that you’ve swallowed broken glass? I was there. I was going through Ricolas like cigarettes for a heavy smoker.

We had to travel to Thailand as our Vietnamese visa was expiring and we had plane tickets. It is relatively easy and cheap to buy airline tickets in SE Asia but, they are also non-refundable and changeable if you buy them as cheaply as we had been. Then if you have four tickets, it is a larger cost. So, to Thailand we came.

We landed in Bangkok. Nothing like a city of over 8 million, humidity, a smaller hostel room for four to emphasize your discomfort. For our entire time in Bangkok’s Chinatown (where our hostel was) I saw the inside of a hospital (twice) and a 7/11 (they are everywhere in SE Asia) to get supplies.

Oakley came down with my flu and bronchitis a couple of days after arrival. Canyon and Kelvin running errands to arrange food and supplies and holding their breath when near to avoid our plague.

We came to Pattaya for our house sit which has positively saved us. I gotta throw out the biggest kudos to   Trusted Housesitters again as they have made this trip possible for us. We are taking care of the sweetest, mellowest dog I’ve ever met all while staying in a home, a real home with a big kitchen (great for chef husband) and two big bedrooms, living spaces and the added bonus of a swimming pool. Really, really luxorious and grounding.

And when we slow down other things often catch up to us. I have found that I am feeling a bit lonely and depressed as of late. The holidays are always a hard time for plenty of folks. For me this is no exception.

We are in a beautiful place in warm weather. The dream of many folks, especially with all those winter storms happening in the States at the moment. Yet, I am feeling a bit rudderless. I think this is the longest place we have stayed in the last 4+ months of travel.

I was really worried about making it a wondrous and memorable Holiday for the boys. Knowing they would be missing so many traditions and experiences. I think we pulled it off as we were able to find strands of Twinkly lights to put up where we were, found a Star Wars Lego Advent calendar which can do wonders for little boys psyches. We even found a 5 ft plastic tree for $10. A bargain!

Seeing the Christmas celebrations here in Asia is different as it is a lot about the decorations in public. The holiday trees, lights, reindeer and sometimes Santa but, rarely him. Also, I haven’t seen any nativity scenes anywhere.

We did manage to find the coldest place we could on Christmas Eve. Frost Magical Ice of Siam which consists of sand sculptures on the outside and a glorified meat locker on the inside. You walk and slide among ice sculptures. You even get an ice drink made from ice and get to gleefully throw it against an ice wall as you depart. How very satisfying!

The most entertaining part of that visit was watching locals shiver through the place in about a minute. We spent about 25 minutes inside (they have a requisite three minute acclimation period going in and out of each side). Many people spent more time in the acclimation room than in the actual ice room.

I am currently on a two day trip on my own. It is a little reprieve for my soul to have a bit of totally me time. You may not realize how much time you spend away from your family when people are going to work, school, playdates, babysitters, shopping or trips around the neighborhood.

It is completely different when you cannot leave your kids by themselves. Kelvin and I haven’t had awake time  alone in months, especially in daylight. I am enjoying not thinking about when we eat next, what to do next, thinking about how everyone might react to the next choice.

I am carefree for a couple days and loving the solitude. I’ll be be back soon and then we send Kelvin out for three days/two nights on a fishing trip. He too needs his recharge time. These are the Christmas presents we gave each other.

And so, now we are appreciating our place, our temporary home before we embark into the new year and the next travel adventures. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Happy Holidays! Happy 2018 or 2561 if you are following the Thailand calendar.

Check out the 31-12-61 reference. The Thai Calendar.

My favorite isle in the specialty store we found. So many kinds of fizzy water.

Wine from Oregon costing a princely price.

We got a flat tire and people showed up to help and really weren’t gonna let us fix it. Very, very kind. It takes a village and then there is Canyon reading his kindle in the background.

 

Would you like some meat for dinner?