One Month in Bangkok

So, we arrived in Bangkok just prior to Thanksgiving.  We have begun to settle into our new home, and get a feel for the place.  Aidan started school before the winter break, and made some new friends quickly.  We dove into exploring the city, and the area by our home just north of the city. 

We had a great Christmas party at Siam Nimrat, a Thai culture center.  Santa arrived on an Elephant, and Aidan feed an Elephant (see pictures below).

After the party we heading into the city, my first experience in town.  We took a taxi to the Mandarin Oriental on the river, had a cocktail, and then took the local river taxi up the river to the part of town we live in.  The river taxi has quickly become our favorite mode of transport.  Most of the sights are on the river, and the pier is a quick 10/15 minute taxi ride from our house.  Then you get a nice ride on the river, with fresh air, and a panoramic view of Bangkok.  Much better than sitting on the expressway in a taxi, stuck in traffic.  Takes a bit longer, but worth the time, and it is super cheap!

Over Aidan's break from school we visited the Bangkok aquarium at the Siam Paragon mall.  Afterwards we headed to a friends apartment in Sukhamvit Soi 3.  They have two kids, and we enjoyed a nice afternoon with a glass of wine while the kids played.  The peace was shaken when it took us some time to find a taxi to take us back north during rush hour.  We ended up paying a hefty farang (the word for foreigner), but we got home!  Will be glad when our car arrives for those times the river taxi is not convenient so we are not at the mercy of Thai taxis.

We were invited to have dinner and spend some time at Khun Boom, our maid's, home on New Years Eve.  Her family opened their home, and hearts to us, and gave us a New Years to remember.  Amazing traditional Thai food, Karaoke, wonderful people, and kids for Aidan to play with, really a great night.

New Years Day we went for a more American approach with brunch at the Peninsula hotel on the river. They had a magician, clowns, and games for Aidan.  For Matt and I we got to relax and enjoy the overflowing amounts of seafood!  I think Matt ate his weight in things that used to swim.  We then headed home to relax and enjoy some much deserved down time.

Our last outing before school started back was to Wat Arun, the temple of dawn, on the river in downtown Bangkok.  As the pictures below show, it is an awe inspiring sight.

Now that we are settled, I hope to update often with thoughts, pictures, and my observations about our new home.  I also plan to have Aidan produce a weekly entry for his friends, our family, and anyone interested in Bangkok from the perspective of a 7 year old, should be entertaining and educational!

We miss everyone at home, but hope by sharing our experience through this blog you can experience Thailand too.

                                         Aidan feeding an Elephant a cucumber

                                          Aidan with the Elephant
 

                                          Christmas party, Thai style

                                          Taken from a river taxi on the Chao Praya, notice the contrast between the
                                           modern high rise, and the traditional river buildings.

                                           Bangkok's skyline from the Chao Praya

                                          Looking toward the Grand Palace and Wat of the Emerald Buddha

                                                    Aidan enjoying a smoothie at our neighborhood smoothie shop

                                          Christmas Eve dinner at the River Tree House

                                           Christmas Eve sunset from the River Tree House

                                           River Tree House restaurant in Pak Kret on the Chao Praya where we had
                                           Christmas Eve dinner

                                          New Years Eve at our maid, Khun Boom's, house.

                                           New Years Day brunch at the Peninsula.  Aidan had a mocktail,
                                           Matt and I had cocktails!

                                                        Happy Buddha at the entrance of Wat Arun, temple of dawn.
                                                        The temple is on the river, right in downtown, and is awe inspiring.

                                                        From the second tier of Wat Arun looking at Bangkok
         

                                                        Aidan with a statue on the second tier of Wat Arun

                                                        Aidan climbed to the top, going down was bit trickier than expected!

                                           Some of the amazing carvings by the steps of Wat Arun.
                                           The mosaics are made from pieces of china.

                                                       Beautiful picture Aidan took of seated Buddha and the Wat in the
                                                       background.

                                          We took a long boat from the Wat to the Mandarin for tea

                                                    Another shot of Aidan's of what I think is a demon

                                                     Statue at the base of the Wat

                                                    A vertical look up at the Wat, and yes the stairs are steep.

                                                    One final shot of the Wat.

Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday Matt!

Two weeks from tomorrow we will be on a plane headed to Bangkok.  We will be enjoying our last halloween in the states with some friends, trick or treating, and pizza.  A little cake for the birthday boy and a few small (packable) presents.

It seems all is well in the neighborhood in Bangkok and Aidan's school is dry and waiting for him.  I think he was hoping for an extra long flood induced holiday break.

We will keep you all posted as we move through the next few weeks and on our journey to Thailand.

And were off . . .

We finally have our leave date!  We will be packing up the house over three days, from Nov. 8-10.  So, for my birthday this year I get a two year trip to Bangkok, not a bad deal.  Our flight to Bangkok will be on Nov. 15.  We do not yet have the finalized route, we are hoping for Europe but it will depend on the cost and what Matt's office approves.  Finn will be traveling through Europe and will leave one day after us so as to arrive a day after we do (wouldn't want him running around Bangkok on his own).

I am sure many of you have seen the news about the floods, but we have been in close contact with the Embassy and are assured of the current and continued safety in Bangkok, and Nichada where our home is located.

We are all excited for the grand adventure to finally begin, and are also feeling a bit overwhelmed with all that needs to be done prior to the 15th.  I am up to my neck in my master's thesis but hope to push through and am looking forward to graduating this May.  So glad I chose the online program as our move may add some stress, but otherwise does not impact my schooling.

Aidan is both excited and coming to the realization that the move is here and he will be saying goodbye to dear friends soon.  Matt and I are also sad at the prospect of saying goodbye to our many wonderful friends, but our door in Bangkok will be open to all visitors.

If I can find the camera I might post some photos of the chaos of the move!  Oh, and as of this moment the house is on the rental market.  It's official . . . we're off!

Getting Ready

Just set up our blog for our upcoming adventure to Thailand.  Looks like we may have a date of departure in the next day or two.  I may have a busy birthday, as it seems that day will be one of our pack out days.  More to come as soon as there is more to tell.