Almost forgot - July 24 - Our favorite nearby restaurant

Just a few photos from our favorite neighborhood restaurant... Bung Wa Pee. It's just off of Srinakarin road in walking distance from Seacon Square Mall.

August 15 - We're home!

Today we'll fly out of Narita into Chicago O'Hare then connect there to a flight to BWI.

We take the Airport Limousine bus to the airport.

On the plane it already feels like America. There are a number of U.S. military and their families travelling on this flight. I'm tickled by the discipline that these military kids have on the long flight.

At O'Hare we have an "incident" that wouldn't have happened in Thailand. To change from the international to domestic terminals we need to catch the tram/train/whatever. It's not the longest of layovers and G's concerned about us missing our flight... but even more, he's determined we're going to make it. So we SQUEEZE on to the tram. More people SQUEEEEZE in behind us and Felicia's getting smashed into other people, luggage and the pole. She's yelling and starting to cry. So, Geoff shoves back. There's more shoving...
There's words flying in our end of the car among a variety of people:
"Stop pushing!"
"You're crushing my daughter!"
"You think that just because you're a big man you can do this!"
"You're just trying to protect you child..."
"I'll call the police"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"You're stupid"
"You think that just becasue you're a big man you can do this!"
"You don't have to push her."
"You're stupid!"
it goes on...

Ahhhh... welcome to America.

So, we taxi it back home and we're greeted by the most welcoming presence of my in-laws who've started the AC and stocked us up with food and diapers :o)

We made it... we're glad... and sad...

OK... now we need to relearn where we keep everything in the house. Man! we need to relearn where we live! We almost didn't remember what to tell the taxi driver :o)

Amen! What a blessing and a privilege it was for us :o)

Now it's time to get the kids ready for school in less than 2 weeks!

August 14 - 1 day of Japan

Today we're lucky to get to do one day in Japan.

We start the day with the hotel's breakfast buffet and then take a taxi to the Imperial Palace . Geoff's been there before and he has a plan. We'll taxi to a particular gate; walk a particular route on the palace grounds and end up over at the science museum. I suppose it's just OUR luck that on this freakishly HOT day that particular gate is closed and we'll have to walk a WAYS to get to an open gate. It's all a good time :o) I never thought I'd get to see where samurai stayed!




After exploring the palace grounds and the science museum, we have a mini happy hour at the hotel's Manhattan Lounge up at the top of the hotel. Nice views :o) While we're there Geoff gets a noodle restaurant recommendation. Now we know what we're doing for dinner.


Now a side note: Tokyo has the coolest taxi action ever! (Not that I've had tons of taxi experience) They drive the Toyota Crown which is LOTS more roomy than the Toyota Corollas of Thailand. (Actually, they also drove the Crowns in Singapore) The neat thing about the Crown is that it has an automatic door. The driver can remotely open/close the rear passenger side door. The taxi drivers in Tokyo are also very presentable. They wear WHITE GLOVES. If they weren't wearing a suit, they at least had on a vest over their button down and tie. Every taxi we rode had a GPS/navigation system. Just cool.

OK, now back to dinner... We'll go to Tsurutontang in Roppongi. The concierge helps us get a reservation and we catch a taxi out front with the help of the doorman/porter/taxi-guy. The taxi drops us off at the streetcorner and points toward the restaurant. Cool! Pay driver... climb out of taxi... okaaaaaay.... which restaurant was he pointing to? Geoff asks a random nice person which restaurant goes with the name on our restaurant-info-print-out provided by the concierge. Cool... we're good now. We're now IN the restaurant and OFF the street where the pimps are trying to drum up business for their "staff". (It really wasn't that bad, if Geoff hadn't pointed them out I don't know that I would've noticed) We enjoyed a deeeeeelicious dinner in our own private room.



Just needed to ring the bell for service :o)


This is not very "American"... it's raw horsemeat.


Yummy, yummy curry udon in my tummy!


After a wonderful meal we taxi over to Ginza and take a few photos among all the big lights.... It's closed by the time we get there. Just perfect... seriously! That way we aren't even tempted to spend the money we don't have :o)

August 13 - Airport farewells...

It's a sad and glad day. Peter will take us to the airport and we'll stay in Japan for 2 nights.

We get to the airport and I'm shocked to see that Jack and Ying are there to see us off! Will the hospitality EVER end? Or maybe Jack just wants to be sure that we get on the plane so that after 4 1/2 months he can finally get a break :o) (Just kidding Jack!) Well, I feel bad... there, of course, was some morning airport chaos and we needed to get over to check-in a 1/2 dozen aisles away and I didn't give a proper "thank you" and "farewell" to our exceptional hosts. I thought they would be walking with us.... OOPS!

So, we fly ANA to Japan. The kids get to enjoy airplane toys and don't really give us any trouble. I'm a blob of emotion. Sad to leave a beautiful place with a less "American" pace of life. Although more logistically complicated... life was more simple for us in Thailand. There's been something good for the soul by stepping outside of our American life and getting a sample of a different way... of living, of thinking, of appreciating.

Once we get to Narita we bus shuttle over to the ANA Intercontinental in Tokyo. There's SMOKING INDOORS! Like in the lobby! I feel like I'm back in the 80s. I half expect to see those ashtrays with built in fans and "filters". Don't you remember them from office buildings and holiday-season-infommercials?

There's pretty lights to look at from our connecting hotel rooms.




To make it easy on ourselves we eat at the hotel sushi restaurant. The kids like tuna rolls! OH YEEAHHHHH! Should they EVER be left alone with chopsticks? OH NOOO!

August 11 - Packing? Who needs to pack? LET'S EAT!

I was planning on packing today. Geoff informed me this morning that we'd have the Delta van(with Peter the driver) available to us. So much for packing.

We went to Geoff's favorite restaurant in all of Thailand. It's down by the water. On the way we pass fish farms. There's no "city plumbing".
Houses are on stilts. Flush the toilet by dumping water into the toilet from the rain barrel. Homes have large clay pots to catch rain water for home use. At the restaurant... When you first walk in, take off your shoes and put on a pair of slippers at the door. There's toys for the kids to stay entertained. It gets chilly with all the strong bay breeze so the restaurant keeps long sleeve shirts and light jackets on hangers for guests to borrow.

While you're watching the tide come in you're entertained by the lung fish and crabs in the mud below.
It's comfy, casual, and of course... The food ROCKS!







After that we stop by a market an pick up dessert. It's sweet coconut grilled in banana leaves. YUMMMMMMMM. We should've bought more. I could've eaten that all night long... ok, it's good that we didn't buy more. We have a few other sweets and smoked buko(young coconut) juice. People are STARING at us BIG TIME!

We visit another striking wat.










Finally we meet Jack and Ying and their niece and nephew for a kick butt dinner. It's going to be sooooo hard to enjoy Thai food restaurants in the States after having the real deal. I'm beyond words. The kindness and hospitality is endless!

The restaurant is practically floating. It's in a neighborhood equivalent of Orange County. Live music, private karaoke rooms, and water features are ALL OVER the place. Unfortunately Felicia did get a small 2nd degree burn when she grabbed on to a light. But she got over it pretty well. It was a spotlight for one of the waterfalls. There's also lots of coy and the kids are having fun feeding them. It tickles me that in the photo you can see my kids have finally learned the "Asian squat". Sitting... without really sitting :o)

August 6 - Trying to be more Thai

We're flying back to Bangkok tonight so we need to finish check out of the hotel before we have a full Disneyland day. Check out wasn't too bad. We beat the rush (and I mean RUSH!). Of course there were folks who ignored the roped queuing areas. Many had no issue interrupting your conversation with the front desk staff member with whom you're OBVIOUSLY speaking.

We shuttle it over to the park where we enjoy the character breakfast buffet. I load up on the dim sum... yum yum dim sum! (that's the name of a board book in the children's section btw)




OK... so now G is getting the full park flavor today and it's SOOOOO not pretty. Today would've been a good day to be more "Thai" and maybe not made so much of a scene or a big deal during the "trying" times... oh well. There's yelling at people trying to cut/push their way at different ride lines. There's elbowing of folks. The degree of pushing and line jumping is so overwhelming that G and I have lengthy conversations about how the 'line' culture might have evolved into what it is today. I don't think they could pay me enough to be a "cast member" at this park. It's continuous. Cast members denying entry to people who are trying to jump the line by catching up with another member of their party who "got in". Cast members repeatedly announcing the line etiquette rules. Please don't misunderstand. Every OTHER aspect of the experience was wonderful. But MAN! The cultural difference in this ONE aspect was overwhelming. And, when you've got irritated people yelling at each other about it in the line it just kills the magic.








But anyhoo, it was fun. We made it back to the shuttle in a series of swift walks between a series of serious downpours.







At the hotel we get our bags and take two taxis to the airport. Luckily, ONE of the two drivers knew which terminal held Emirates Airlines. The driver of the taxi I was in almost dropped us off at the wrong terminal... at Hong Kong Airport - the largest passenger terminal in the world.

We're almost home... We weather a flight with a REALLY grumpy flight attendant who would snatch the tray of food while you were still holding a forkful to your mouth. HELLOO-OOO!

OK, so we're now at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and we're going to save time by taking a TAXI. ...where do I even begin? I'll start by saying that there is a designated taxi stand downstairs where you're supposed to pay a fee and get a taxi. You're not supposed to catch a taxi upstairs. If you've already got all your belongings and 4 kids in the taxi you'll have to get out to the sound of irritating, irritated "discussion" with 3 security guards, a taxi driver and a husband who hasn't slept in a few days. You'll have to haul all your bags and kids downstairs through a maze of moving walkways and hallways. Once you get downstairs you can't just catch a taxi; you must pay the fee. If you try to bypass the fee it gets very irritating for the mother and nerve racking to the taxi-van driver. Then to top it off, your oldest child will lose the precious "squishy coin" from the park because she fell asleep while holding it in her hand.

But hey... WE DID IT! We did a Disney thing...

Now we're home... bring on the magic of Baileys!

August 5 - The magic must be on sebatical

OK... G & T-Boy are still at the Hospital so we're going to have a day without them at the park. I'd already prepaid(you get a discount) the buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Chef Mickey, so I take the other 3 kids and they're thrilled to have *waffles*. Extra bonus: They're shaped like Mickey Mouse heads :o)

I'm thinking that G's absence from the park experience is a good thing. G and theme parks don't go together very well. Once we get to the park I realize that I am SOOOOOO glad that G's not with us. I'm not sure if you've all heard, but in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in China they're practicing -standing in lines- on designated queuing days. Apparently pushing, shoving and line jumping is commonplace. Well... today was NOT a practice day at Disneyland. It didn't take too long to realize that I ought to just "let it go"... but not TOTALLY. I had the benefit of a double stroller (good for the diagonal positioning block) and a 6 year old who had NO issue with shoving back at whoever was pushing up on her. Just like any other Disney resort they're quick with the stickers when kids cry and of course there's not too much crying because... they're in Disneyland!


We head back to the hotel to take a break and meet up with G and T-boy. After a buffet dinner at Chef Mickey in the hotel (where I chowed on sashimi BIG TIME) we head back over to the park to ride a couple rides and see the fireworks. T-Boy is MUCH better now. But my poor husband G, he's another story.
As far as Disney parks go... this one was cheaper on the ticket prices but the park is smaller. It was a good fit for us and our 4 small kids. With 2 days we still couldn't finish the park. But if you have the option of choosing ANY international Disney experience I would NOT choose Hong Kong... just because of the line issue alone. You've REALLY got to show up with your own magic to deal with all the shoving.

August 4 - Maybe not so magical of a day

Today's plans for an uneventful day sure ended with a bang, or a wheeze.

Today we just go out to eat for lunch and catch our reserved van to get from Kowloon to Lantau Island where we'll spend 2 nights at Disney's Hollywood Hotel and do 2 days in the park. (They were having a stay 2 nights get a 2nd day in the park for free promotion)

I'd made the reservation on the phone a few weeks ago after several failed online attempts. Well... it turns out that the "park view" rooms I reserved and requested as "connecting" can't be HAD as "connecting" because NONE OF THEM ARE CONNECTED. A SMALL detail that would've been helpful during the reservation process. Oh! and of course, there are no connecting rooms available. So blah, blah, blah.... we'll just cope. We're glad to be in a room where the kids can veg in front of more innocent cartoons in the English language(so that they'll actually stay parked in front of the TV long enough for me & G to take a break/nap).

Now here we go...

T-boy is having a bronchiospasm episode that's not responding to his inhaler. We all go downstairs to try and eat but T-boy's just getting worse. Geoff goes to the front desk to see if there's a doctor. The front desk manager calls him a taxi to go to the Adventist Hospital. I'm at the cafe with 2 trays of food and drink and 3 kids... we need to go to the room. I can't keep them corralled. Wonderfully there's a "cast member" who sees me trying to manipulate 2 trays of food and drink and 3 kids and helps us up to our room. In the elevator I vent some of my stress about Turner... He responds "Oh, you're in room -insert our room # here-." He was one of the staff members helping G get the hospital trip together.

Once I get the kids fed and settled I get a call... I'm hoping its' G but it's the front desk manager. She tells me that if there's anything they can do to help to let her know. She's also asking me if I have any new news. I suppose that when you've got a Disney resort management position you need to know if there's a case of bird-flu at your hotel.

I finally hear from G. They're spending the night and T-boy will have IV medication. I respond, "Wha!? What about a nebulizer?" We're in Hong Kong(China)... they don't do nebulizers because of SARS. G and T-boy have also gotten the quarantine treatment once the staff discovered we'd come from Thailand... bird-flu-fear.

Well... at the least the other kids got to watch the fireworks from the hotel room. The TV read them a few bedtime stories... and we all eventually went to sleep.

... Here's where I wish we could ALL breathe a sigh of relief.

Geoff says to go ahead to the park with the other kids tomorrow. I feel off about it... but it makes sense... certainly no sense in staying cooped up in a hotel room with 3 kids.

Tonight, the luggage gets a treat... its own hotel room with a view of the park.

August 3 - Victoria's Peak and more Good Eats

Today we eventually made it OUT of the hotel room to check out the views at Victoria Peak. We walk out of the hotel to the pier where the ferry would take us from the Kowloon shore to Hong Kong Island.



We walked from the pier on Hong Kong Island to the appropriate bus stop at the terminal. We rode the bus to the cable car that would haul us UP, UP, UP to the gift shop. We trekked through the tangle of souvenirs to the bottom of almost a dozen escalator rides up to the observation deck. We stop at escalator ride 5ish to have a Burger King lunch. After proceeding up escalator rides 6 and 7ish we get to the top and take in some pretty amazing views of Hong Kong.



We do everything in reverse(minus the Burger King stop and with the addition of souvenir purchases) and make it back to Kowloon for more deeeeeelicious eating. Once I dig out all the souvenir receipts and what not I hope I can include the names of more restaurants...




Tomorrow we'll make it more low key to gear up for Disneyland Hong Kong! The kids don't know we're going!(tee-hee) Actually T-boy knows... it's our secret. I've forgotten why he was so frumpy that I shared this secret, but hey it worked and he felt cheerier! Started taking steps bigger than 2 cm!