Bangkok Beautiful

Getting here took two months longer than we thought it would. En route from Uruguay to Rome, the problems between the Red Shirt deomonstrators and the Thai government began. Though we are quite adventorous in our traveling, we weren't ready to bring the family into that type of environment. We had a layover in Cairo, and decided to extend it from two hours to two weeks. The first week we explored Cairo and went to Luxor. Things weren't getting any better so we extended another two weeks and took a week to explore Israel, with a side trip to Jordan. A week in the SE of Egypt in Hurghada, on the Red Sea, and things still weren't improving, and in fact were going downhill fast. We decided to postpone the trip to Bangkok another month and took up residence in a condo in Hurghada. We loved our time there, it was so relaxing and a nice break from our whirlwind world tour. We enrolled the kids in swim lessons, dance class, bought bikes for the boys and enjoyed a month of beautiful snorkeling trips. As things cleared up in Thailand, our dream of living in SE Asia beckoned. We left Egypt saddened that we were leaving such a great place, but excited to begin our original adventure. With much ado about actually leaving Egypt, we finally made it here. The differences were stark. We had been in hard-core desert surroundings for two months, and even the relative lush-ness of Israel left us totally unprepared for the tropical environs in Thailand. It was a riot for the eyes. Green everywhere! So intense was the humidity, that I thought I might be able to move faster if I could just paddle with my arms! The smells were so different here. When we arrived in Egypt, I was taken aback by the smell, but quickly became accustomed to the particular fragrance of the country...except the body odor. That never was bearable...24 hours later and I'm already more accustomed to the Asian smells. The food... the food makes it all worthwhile. I came to this country expecting to love it. Egypt assaulted my senses, and it was a rough ride sometimes feeling the love, but I feel no such hesitation with Thailand. Everything is a pleasure, a treat, a surprise. Already we feel that two months in SE Asia won't be enough. Our self imposed deadline is the second week of August, as we need to return to Utah to get the kids in school. It will be a challenge to squeeze in everything we want to do! More later, of course, but this is a short list of what we've done in Thailand so far: 1. Been assisted by the extrordinarily helpful staff at the airport to locate our missing luggage. 2. Been pleasantly surprised by the hotel. We were expecting something on the low end, but this within-budget gem of a hotel is luxuriously comfortable and well appointed. 3. Sampled local street cuisine that has exceeded our already high expectations. 4. Had our minds blown by the first world technological grandeur of this city. 5. Been hit, prodded, pulled, punded, stretched, and contorted in a Thai massage and loved every minute of it. 6. Watched Shrek 4 in 3D and teared up at the end. I must be going really soft...(but I love Shrek!) 7. Purchased a lovely silk Mandarin collar shirt and pants for what I thought was a great bargain, only to see the pants next door for almost half the price! I guess I'll just have to really shop around. 8. Purchased contact lenses for the first time in 14 years. Now I'm stumbling around trying to get used to the depth perception difference. 9. Slept off some jet lag. 10. Resolved to do a better job recording our adventure. When the kids get older and feel a need to whine about anything, I want to be able to open up my journal and point out what a flippin' awesome life they've had!