July 7 - An afternoon with Jack and Ying

Today Jack and his wife Ying treated us to some fun in Bangkok. He rented us a long tailed boat for a few hours. But before we head out we have another great Thai(with some Chinese influence) meal to fuel up for the afternoon. We also grab a couple bags of good fried stuff(banana, potato, etc) to bring on the boat :o)

First, we check out the Thonburi Snake Farm. We arrived in time to catch the show. I kept Felicia company waaaaay over on the other side of the show. She didn't care for it. There was also a small zoo. The kids enjoyed giving snacks to the monkey... until the food ran out and our hairy cousin was grabbing Turner by the shorts and Ronan by the hair.


Sadly, the snakes and other animals at the "zoo" did not appear well cared for (by American standards) or housed appropriately. It was certainly NOTHING compared to the Smithsonian National Zoo we're used to visiting and even difficult for the adults to stomach. It helps when you've got a neighborhood zoo with lots of money I suppose...

Next we head over to an orchid farm after making merit and feeding fish. The orchids are so beautiful. Too bad I can't take them back with me to the states. But then again... that's only a death sentence for any plant. Better not bring any plants to my house.


After we get back to land the kids and I have a ride-for-fun in a tuk-tuk. The kids love it! We're also catching lots of stares. Not sure if it's because the kids are screaming and waving in glee or that there's SO MANY kids screaming and waving in glee.


Finally Jack and Ying head to their football game(as in soccer) and the Howards head to dinner at Geoff's favorite restaurant. The drive to the restaurant reminds me of going to the Philippines in the 4th grade. We pass fish farms and houses on stilts surrounded by clay pot rain barrels. There's a storm a'brewin'... It's a wonderful dinner...


Jack has been a very thoughtful host who's spent LOTS of time with G. Whether it's working late or just getting us "taken care of" when we call him for help, Jack's sacrificed much of his personal time... Ying must be a very understanding wife :o)