We're officially done with jet lag. This morning, Jad woke at a seemingly leisurely 6:30 am and the kids didn't have any problems last night either.
But rewinding to yesterday: knowing that the kids would have limited capacity to tolerate a lot of sightseeing, we've been taking it easy for most of this trip. It's been good.. seeing Nik's relatives and having the kids spend a lot of time with their grandparents has been enough. But I felt like we should have the kids see at least one sight before leaving Thailand. So yesterday, we rallied the kids together early and had them take the ferry out to see Wat Pho and Wat Arun.
As with last time, they really enjoyed the ferry ride and there were lots of sights to see along the river.
We went to Wat Arun first. The kids lit incense and climbed the stairs around the central spire (prang). The stairs are really steep and they don't let you climb up as high as they used to.. not as if the kids would've been willing to anyway. As is, Sora was initially too scared to go up or down the stairs, though she eventually did it on her own.
We then took the ferry across the river to visit Wat Pho. Even though we had started off early and it was only 9, it was already hot and humid and the kids were getting whiny, so we stopped at the outlying tourist area to first get some refreshment for the kids.
The kids were rightfully impressed with the reclining Buddha.. it's huge! So much of Thai culture is steeped in Buddhism and most of the famous sights are associated with Buddhism.
By the end of our visit, the kids reaching the end of their respective ropes. So when Kai told Sora not to pick up glass mosaic tiles off the ground she lost it. Just in time for our family picture.
When it came time to go home, rather then heading back the way we came using the ferry/train combo, we decided that our sanity was worth the indulgence of a $12 taxi ride home. The kids were back to being happy as they spun Pokestops in Bangkok traffic.
Jad was so tired that he fell asleep in Nik's arms during the taxi ride home. While he napped at home, I took the kids to the pool. The kids are getting really good at swimming and though they need to work on their technique and bringing their heads up to breathe, I'm impressed with their rapid improvement (in the beginning of summer, Kai was apprehensive about even going into the pool).
After the swim, the kids were exhausted and took a short nap, while Jad woke up to play. When they were up again, Nik and Chris took the kids out to check out the rooftop playground.
This morning was the first day I could say that the kids are completely over being jet lagged, everyone woke up at a normal time and it felt like a luxury to wake up after sunrise (instead of at 3 am). We had breakfast and then headed out to the market to look for souvenirs. More cheap boba was to be had and after our market excursion, Jad went back home to nap while Nik took the kids out to lunch with his family.
We reconvened at the snake farm. Nik's aunt took me and Jad there in a tuk tuk. Jad was not happy and was crying and squirming almost the entire ride over.. though we made it to the snake farm, in retrospect, a tuk tuk probably isn't the best (or safest) mode of transportation for Jad.
At the snake farm, we watched the snake handling demonstration. We were impressed by the handlers' expertise.. those snakes were pretty scary.
After visiting the snake farm, we headed back to our rental.. it was a long walk home and we rewarded the kids with ice cream before going inside. We let the kids recover for a bit while finishing their ice cream and then had everyone cool down in the pool. Even though it doesn't feel like we did a lot today, the kids were exhausted after rinsing off and I have a feeling that everyone will sleep well tonight. It's hard to believe that we only have one more full day in Thailand before we head off to Japan!
But rewinding to yesterday: knowing that the kids would have limited capacity to tolerate a lot of sightseeing, we've been taking it easy for most of this trip. It's been good.. seeing Nik's relatives and having the kids spend a lot of time with their grandparents has been enough. But I felt like we should have the kids see at least one sight before leaving Thailand. So yesterday, we rallied the kids together early and had them take the ferry out to see Wat Pho and Wat Arun.
As with last time, they really enjoyed the ferry ride and there were lots of sights to see along the river.
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| Thailand is the land of $1 boba.. even Jad knows the word "boba" and gets excited when he hears it |
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| Pouty Sora |
We went to Wat Arun first. The kids lit incense and climbed the stairs around the central spire (prang). The stairs are really steep and they don't let you climb up as high as they used to.. not as if the kids would've been willing to anyway. As is, Sora was initially too scared to go up or down the stairs, though she eventually did it on her own.
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| Uncle Chris showing Kai how it's done |
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| In retrospect, giving lit incense to a baby probably wasn't the best idea |
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| They don't let you climb up this high anymore, so we weren't able to recreate this photo (circa 2008) |
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| This is as high as we could go |
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| Still pretty steep... |
We then took the ferry across the river to visit Wat Pho. Even though we had started off early and it was only 9, it was already hot and humid and the kids were getting whiny, so we stopped at the outlying tourist area to first get some refreshment for the kids.
 |
| Pricier ($2 :P) than our usual 7-Eleven treats, but worth it to calm our cranky kiddos |
The kids were rightfully impressed with the reclining Buddha.. it's huge! So much of Thai culture is steeped in Buddhism and most of the famous sights are associated with Buddhism.
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| A family photo op at Buddha's head.. |
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| .. and another at his feet |
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| Kids enjoyed putting coins in the copper offering bowls along the corridor, although they were slow and holding up the line |
By the end of our visit, the kids reaching the end of their respective ropes. So when Kai told Sora not to pick up glass mosaic tiles off the ground she lost it. Just in time for our family picture.
When it came time to go home, rather then heading back the way we came using the ferry/train combo, we decided that our sanity was worth the indulgence of a $12 taxi ride home. The kids were back to being happy as they spun Pokestops in Bangkok traffic.
 |
| Jad's been a complete daddy's boy and has been clingy this entire trip. He refuses to let anyone but Nik hold him (much to the detriment of Nik's sore arms) and will respond with a resounding, "no!" and pouty lower lip if I try to pick him up |
Jad was so tired that he fell asleep in Nik's arms during the taxi ride home. While he napped at home, I took the kids to the pool. The kids are getting really good at swimming and though they need to work on their technique and bringing their heads up to breathe, I'm impressed with their rapid improvement (in the beginning of summer, Kai was apprehensive about even going into the pool).
After the swim, the kids were exhausted and took a short nap, while Jad woke up to play. When they were up again, Nik and Chris took the kids out to check out the rooftop playground.
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| Nik bought this tasty dessert while the kids were sleeping. The kids didn't like it, but Jad loved it! |
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| Neat swing |
This morning was the first day I could say that the kids are completely over being jet lagged, everyone woke up at a normal time and it felt like a luxury to wake up after sunrise (instead of at 3 am). We had breakfast and then headed out to the market to look for souvenirs. More cheap boba was to be had and after our market excursion, Jad went back home to nap while Nik took the kids out to lunch with his family.
We reconvened at the snake farm. Nik's aunt took me and Jad there in a tuk tuk. Jad was not happy and was crying and squirming almost the entire ride over.. though we made it to the snake farm, in retrospect, a tuk tuk probably isn't the best (or safest) mode of transportation for Jad.
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| He calmed down while we were stuck in traffic so I took this picture to commemorate his first tuk tuk ride |
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| We made it! |
At the snake farm, we watched the snake handling demonstration. We were impressed by the handlers' expertise.. those snakes were pretty scary.
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| King cobra caught with bare hands.. eek! |
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| SO. SCARY. |
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| After the demonstration, you could pose with a (relatively) benign boa constrictor.. it's relative since I'm sure that snake is eyeing Jad as a tasty morsel. :P Kai refused to be part of this |
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| Checking out the snake displays after the demonstration |
After visiting the snake farm, we headed back to our rental.. it was a long walk home and we rewarded the kids with ice cream before going inside. We let the kids recover for a bit while finishing their ice cream and then had everyone cool down in the pool. Even though it doesn't feel like we did a lot today, the kids were exhausted after rinsing off and I have a feeling that everyone will sleep well tonight. It's hard to believe that we only have one more full day in Thailand before we head off to Japan!
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