The Boys

I've been cleaning out drawers and closets (well, wardrobes...for whatever reason people don't build closets here in Singapore) trying to put away clothes the boys have outgrown and find winter clothes before we travel. I ran across a tiny pair of sunglasses and Ben was excited to have a buddy wearing glasses, too! The funny thing is that Alex has such a big head already that I think they could have traded.

A preview of cuteness to come:
Ben is going to be a golfer for Halloween but the entire time he was wearing this he said "don't like!" so I'm not sure how we'll do on the trick or treating. I tried to show him that if he dresses up and says trick or treat he gets candy, but the message didn't quite get across. Hopefully he'll cooperate tomorrow!

Mr. Alex is full of smiles these days. He refuses to be swaddled anymore (sigh) so I gave him this little soft blankie to hold in his hands when he falls asleep and it seems to be helping. Now if I could just get him to stay asleep we'd be pretty happy around here.

Every mother's favorite sight!

Weekend in Bangkok, Part 1

We had an amazing 3-day weekend in Bangkok! It was everything I expected - crowded, noisy, and exciting. Thailand is a fascinating place with extremely friendly people, wonderful food, and amazing landscape and architecture, so it's a fun place to explore. We took about 300 pictures in just a few days so I'll only share the highlights here and in the next few posts.

Our trip started off a little crazy on Friday afternoon because we were a bit late checking in and it turns out Alex wasn't listed as a lap infant and it took a long time to get it sorted out. A Singapore Air representative escorted us through immigration so we could make the flight on time and we even got upgraded to business class (not too shabby for Alex's first flight!). Alex did great and Ben got a little freaked out by the noise and the pressure on his ears, but he was much better on the way home. Things are looking pretty good for the trip to Houston next month! As soon as we arrived in Bangkok, an airline rep met us in the jetway and escorted us through immigration again, but this time so that we could finish booking Alex and, more importantly, pay for his ticket. It worked out fine because we never had to wait in line and got out of the airport fairly quickly. We settled into our hotel, a 2-bedroom serviced apartment - which was perfect since we brought our maid along - got the kids to bed, and Matt and I went out to explore the town. We went to the Silom area and checked out some markets and pubs.


Later, we caught a little Thai boxing. I've never seen a live fight before but I think this was probably a lot more interesting than regular boxing because they're using 6oz gloves and kicking. These two guys were wailing on one another.

Here was the winner...I had no idea he was so little until I stood next to him!

We went to a seafood market restaurant that was pretty unique. The kitchen was open to the outside so we could watch all the chefs working and smell the food cooking as we walked in.

The really interesting part was inside where there was an enormous seafood counter and produce rack so the customers walk through and select exactly what they want to eat, check out, then take their "groceries" to the table and tell the waiter how to have everything cooked. These lobster and fish were all alive and kicking....doesn't get much fresher than that!

Our groceries made for one delicious dinner.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel Ben was calling for room service. Our maid Jocelyn spent the weekend hanging out in the hotel with Alex so she ordered room service for lunch and dinner and Ben thought it was great fun. We finally unplugged the phone so he could call for chicken nuggets as much as he wanted.

Ben got very friendly with everyone he met and most people were crazy about him. He learned how to say hello in Thai and it got him a lot of attention, on top of being fair-haired and blue-eyed.

Alex, on the other hand, only got to say hello to people in the restaurant at breakfast because the little guy never left the hotel. Bangkok was not exactly infant-friendly so he enjoyed his toys in the comfort of the room. We are extremely fortunate to have a full-time maid who likes to travel with us because it's also a vacation for her, because she gets to have someone else do all the cooking and cleaning. Since we have no family around to watch the kids it's the only way we're able to take trips and actually see anything.

Headed back home Monday Ben had one last mandarin orange juice in the airport. He wore his sunglasses most of the trip....maybe that's another reason he turned so many heads?

He was really good on the plane and we didn't even need the portable DVD player on the way home. It's only a 2-hour flight, though!

Alex checked out the bassinet and even slept in it for a while until one of the flight attendants bumped it with a cart. It gives me hope for a pleasant journey to Houston because Ben would have nothing to do with it when we flew over here the first time and I was really disappointed.

We got back to rainy Singapore this afternoon and Matt and I decided it's one of the best weekend trips we've ever had. Check out the next two posts and you'll see why....

River Tour and Temples

On Saturday morning we hopped in a boat to cruise up the Chao Phraya River and a few of the canals that branch from it. I had no idea that Bangkok was full of canals and even though people don't fully rely on them for transportation anymore, there are still lots of river taxis and communities that are built around the canals.


This was Ben's first time in a boat and he was a little freaked out at first. He refused to let go of my finger, as you may be able to tell by the lack of circulation. After a while he relaxed and started to enjoy himself but he was pretty glad to get off. We pointed out some boats to him on Sunday and he said "no boats!". Guess we'll hold off on more boat rides for a while :)

The mix of wealth and poverty was everywhere as we saw gilded temples next to shacks.

The open-air market was interesting and full of exotic and smelly things to eat.

We visited Wat Pho temple, home of a 150-foot long reclining buddha.



The temple grounds are so ornate! This is said to be home of the traditional Thai massage and now the most well-known school for people to train. We've gotten several massages on our trips to Thailand and they're pretty intense - it's like having yoga done to you. No laying there and relaxing because the masseuse uses her hands, feet, knees, and elbows and works out all your joints and muscles.

We took a tuk-tuk (motorcycle taxi) to the Grand Palace. They are a great way to get around because you can travel for less than one US dollar.

The Grand Palace complex was really impressive and reminded me a little of Disneyworld because there was so much to take in. We could have easily spent the entire day here but it was getting hot and we were tired and hungry. The royal residences are here as well as many government buildings and temples.

All of the buildings are just beautiful and even appeal to the ears as well as the eyes because many have windchimes hanging around the roofline.

Ben liked the waterlilies everywhere.

He also liked the golden chedi and pretended he was picking things off it and eating them.


We saw a miniature replica of the Angkor Wat temple, although I'm not sure why it was there. It's actually in Cambodia and another place I'd love to visit.

The detail everywhere just amazed me. No part of any building was left plain.


The Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha was beatiful and you can just see the buddha inside. He's about 45cm tall and actually made of one solid piece of jade, but the abbot that discovered him in the 1400's cased inside plaster thought he was made of emerald and the name stuck.

The Chakri Maha Prasat is used for state functions and celebrations.
It was a terrific day of exploring! We took Ben back to the hotel to rest while Matt and I visited Jim Thompson's house. He was the founder of Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company and had an amazing teak home full of interesting artifacts. We also visited two local homes where the families still make and sell beautiful silk. Check out the next post for the most exciting things we saw!

Bridge Over River Kwai and Tiger Temple

On Sunday we hired a driver and guide to take us to Kanchanaburi, the site of a museum about the infamous Thai-Burma railway line constructed during World War II. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the inhumanity that nearly 200,000 POWs suffered at the hands of the Japanese while forced to construct the railway. An estimated 80,000 of them died from disease, malnutrition, and injuries and the bodies that were recovered have been laid to rest in this cemetery.

We drove on a little farther to the River Kwai Bridge, made famous in a 1957 movie. It was bombed by the Allies to cut off Japan's supply lines.


We hopped on the train to take a 90-minute ride through the countryside and the scenery was pretty amazing. Big muddy rivers, rice paddies, tapioca fields, mango farms, huge termite mounds, and lush hills all around.


Ben was crazy about our tourguide Nina. She played with him nearly all day because she had seen the sights many times and was much more interested in a kid who wanted to sing songs for hours. She tried to get him to nap on the train but he would have nothing of it.

The final stretch we rode was built right on the side of the cliff...not for the fainthearted.

We stopped for lunch at a local place overlooking the river and enjoyed phad thai and sweet curry and as much pineapple as Ben could stuff in his mouth.

Then it was off to the activity we were most thrilled about - the Tiger Temple. Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua is a buddhist temple that has taken in stray animals for years. They had fowl and pigs, but once someone brought in an orphaned tiger cub and it became known as a home for tigers. They have about 10 adult tigers and at least 6 cubs right now and we got up close and personal with all of them!

It was after lunchtime and these guys were all sacked out. They are only fed boiled meat and dry cat food so they've never tasted blood. That hopefully calms their killer instincts but we didn't test the theory by letting Ben poke at their eyes or anything.

It was unbelievable.

The volunteers in the yellow shirts escorted people from one tiger to the next and took all the pictures for us so it was really organized and there weren't too many people crowded around any of the tigers. That way we could enjoy the moment and not jostle for pictures or wait in lines.

The tigers spend their afternoons sleeping in a rocky canyon with the visitors, then later the monks or volunteers walk them back to their cages.



The cubs were just adorable! They are slowly being socialized to the crowds so a few were grumpy and had to go back home. They have a separate area from the big cats and the monks are taking donations to build new habitats for all the animals and visitors.

This little guys was really playful.

This cub was like a little housecat - he loved being rubbed behind the ears and rolled around like a domestic kitty.

Ben was having a great time playing with Nina while Matt and I took pictures and played with the cubs. There were cows, pigs, peacocks, water buffalo, deer, and chickens wandering freely in the temple.

Ben loved the cubs! They weren't monitored the way the adults were so we got to spend a lot more time with them and Ben got a closer look.


"Hi kitty!!" I had to keep friendly Ben from sticking his hands in the tiger's face because the little cub still has a mean set of teeth and claws.
It was an unforgettable day, especially for someone who loves cats as much as I do. I only wish Ben was old enough to remember the visit but we'll always have pictures to show him. It was a 2-hour drive back to Bangkok and we all took a long nap in the car after all that excitement.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. It was fun that we planned the whole thing 2 days before we left so we know we can still be a little spontaneous, even with 2 kids! I don't think any of us got much sleep because nap times were messed up or nonexistent and we got to bed late each night. Ben still went to sleep around his normal time in our bed and we'd join him later. Thank goodness he had no trouble going to sleep in a different bed, but the problem was that he'd wake up at 1 or 2am and find Momma and Daddy in bed with him....what fun! I woke up the first night to a little hand wiggling on my back and "tickle, tickle", along with his entire repertoire of songs. Really cute in the daytime...not as easy to enjoy in the middle of the night! But we're back home now and catching up on our sleep. Now we're thinking about Halloween and how to convince Ben to wear his costume so we can take him trick or treating!