Phoenix Revisits Thailand

Phoenix had to do a "country report" this year in school. He was torn between China, Thailand, and Mexico (all places we've been together), but in the end he chose Thailand (since two other kids in his class did China). The kids were give six different visual options for their projects, and Phoenix chose to do a diorama of a Thai rainforest. We had a fun time putting it together.

Every day for nearly two weeks he worked for about an hour on a different portion of the project. One day he painted the background forest on paper that we then glued into the diorama box (see top picture).

Another day he created Thai ruins (modeled on Sukhothai) with salt dough, which he then painted "ancient ruin brown" on a different day.

He spent a couple of days creating trees out of paper and then gluing them into the diorama. On a different day, he sifted through his and Lutece's collection of plastic animals to select those ones appropriate for a Thai forest.

He also had a to write a description of the scene, which took him another couple of days. In the end, it turned out fabulous.

When I asked him how his presentation to the class went, he told me that everyone else's descriptions were much shorter than his, so when it came to his turn, he just read the first paragraph and cut out everything else. Everything else? You didn't talk about the elephants or the king cobra or the Buddhist ruins? Nope.

 

However, in addition to the diorama, Phoenix decided early on that he ALSO wanted to do a poster, which turned out to be fun too and hopefully made up for his lack of diorama description (since most of that information was also on the poster). We looked through all of the pictures from our trip to Thailand, and Phoenix chose the ones he wanted to use on his poster. He grouped them into categories about food, animals and nature, religion and Buddhism, and government.

It's so much more fun to do a project on something you've actually experienced for yourself. And seriously, how awesome is it to show off a picture of yourself bathing an elephant in the Mae Ping River or visiting an ancient Buddhist ruin in Si Satchalanai. SO COOL!

p.s. Please do not waste your time telling me that you like Phoenix's hair long. He begged for a haircut for weeks (specifically, a crew cut). It may look cute long, but it is a lot of thick, unruly hair to manage, and he prefers it short.

There Is a Story Behind This Pomelo

Have you ever tasted a pomelo? They are outrageously good. If you like citrus fruit, and grapefruit in particular, then you will love pomelos. It is sweeter than a grapefruit and more substantial than other citrus, both in texture and size. They are not cheap at about $3.00 each, so I don't think we would have thought to buy one on our own if we hadn't first been introduced to them by a very generous Thai woman.

Three months ago, on our very last day in Thailand, the kids and I were heading back to our hotel on the Skyrail after a day of sight-seeing in Bangkok. Stayc had gotten off two stops before ours to pick up some pizza (a quick, easy dinner on our last night . . . don't judge me). The old woman sitting across from us on the train seemed to enjoy watching the kids as they chatted together. Suddenly, she got up from her seat, reached over, and placed one of the two pomelos she was carrying in my hands, insisting I take it.

It was such a sweet gesture, and I remember it every time we eat a pomelo. The kids and I disembarked and walked to our hotel with our newly acquired pomelo in tow. It was a pain to get open (think one to two inches of think rind and pith), but it delicious and we were hooked.

At the beginning of October, the pomelo season started in earnest in China. We buy one occasionally when the kids beg for it. They are so large though, that they last a few days as we peel them segment by segment. A while back, our neighborhood green grocer insisted that Stayc buy the "red" variety. Who knew? It looked the same on the outside, but on the inside it was the color of red grapefruit. Yum!! It is one of our new favorite fruits, and we have a kind Thai woman to thank for it.

A Boy and His Snake

Did I ever tell you how Phoenix lost a snake in a Chinese airport? Not a real one, mind you . . . a plastic one.

On our last day in Thailand, we visited the Snake Farm in Bangkok and it left a strong impression on the kids. Phoenix was dying to buy a snake at the tiny gift shop. He looked through all of them and finally decided on a cheap plastic cobra that cost something like $3-4. It was so junky and we'd already bought souvenirs for the kids, so Stayc and I didn't want to pay the money for the snake. (I know, we're such cheapskates, and mean parents to boot.) Phoenix decided he would buy it with his own money. Sure kid . . . go ahead.

He was really proud of his purchase and carried it with him around Bangkok for the rest of the day and into the next, the day of our flight from Bangkok to China. We knew we had to stay the night in Guangzhou before catching a flight to Jinan the next day, so we let the kids pack a couple of favorite items in their carry-on backpacks. Phoenix took his snake, naturally.

We arrived in China without problems. The next morning, on our FINAL leg to Jinan, and our last time through airport security, a guard made Phoenix take his bag off the conveyer belt and pull out anything that might be hazardous (his Kindle, an iPod . . . and the snake). When the guard pulled the snake out of the backpack, he jumped about a foot in the air and threw the snake on the ground. Seriously? Would we let our 7-year old pack a live snake in his carry-on luggage? Luckily, the guard laughed when he realized his mistake. Then he used the plastic snake to scare two other female workers while we stood by and watched. (Hello? Trying to catch a flight here.)

Then, he smiled again, picked up a trash can, plopped the snake in the trash can, and waved us through security. That was it. We were in shock. A cheap plastic snake? Really?

Phoenix cried mournfully all the way to the gate.

I looked all over for a replacement plastic snake to give him for his birthday, but there was none to be had. Then, the day we hiked Qianfo Shan, we saw some cheap rubber snakes at a gift shop. Phoenix was beside himself. And yes, we bought the snake for him this time.

It seems there's just no way to get around buying cheap plastic toys for your children in Asia, no matter how hard you try.

We'll make sure to pack it in our checked bags on the flight home.

DuBravac Top Four ~ Thailand

The ruins at Si Satchanalai

Everyone loves TOP lists, don't they? It's the trend. Not to be left behind, we DuBravacs sat around the dinner table last week and came up with our own TOP list for Thailand. The kids came up with some of the categories, and sometimes people couldn't come up with just one choice, so we allowed two. Hey, we're trying to be flexible. Here goes:

Favorite Place

Stayc: Si Satchanalai
Christina: Si Satchanalai
Lutece: Sukhothai (She liked that we could walk everywhere and didn't have to take public transportation.)
Phoenix: Sukhothai

"Too small" pool at Villa San Pee Seau in Chiang Mai

Least Favorite Place (Yes, we decided on "least favorite" things too, cause that's the kind of critical family we are.)

Stayc: None
Christina: Chiang Mai if I have to choose. (Too crowded, sprawling, dirty, and full of exhaust.)
Lutece: Bangkok ("It was big and crowded, and I did not like taking the Skyrail.")
Phoenix: Chiang Mai (The pool was too small :)

On the balcony at Viva Garden Hotel, watching Thai children at school in Bangkok

Favorite Hotel

Stayc: Viva Garden, Bangkok
Christina: Baan Georges Hotel, Sukhothai (I never took pictures of our hotel in Sukhothai, but it was a lovely little colonial oasis with a rockin' pool and a fantastic breakfast.)
Lutece: Baan Georges Hotel, Sukhothai (Lutece especially liked it because it had built-in bunkbeds for the kids.)
Phoenix: Viva Garden, Bangkok

The temple (or wat) at Doi Suthep above Chiang Mai

Washing elephants in the Mae Ping River near Chiang Mai

Favorite Experience(s) (It was hard to choose just one.)

Stayc: The Elephant Nature Park and Kayaking on the Mae Ping River
Christina: Exploring the Ruins at Si Satchanalai
Lutece: Visiting Buddhist temples and The Elephant Nature Park
Phoenix: Shopping (really?)

At the market in Chiang Mai

Using iPod Touches on the five-hour bus ride from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai

Least Favorite Experience

Stayc: Stayc has no bad memories of Thailand. (Whatever.)
Christina: Walking from where the ferry dropped us to get food every night in Chiang Mai. (We were hungry and grumpy and tired by the time we sat down at whatever restaurant we ate at. Normally we got lost. One night, we just ordered in pizza at our hotel because the thought of trying to get into town and find a good place to eat was too much to bear.)
Lutece: The bus ride from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai.
Phoenix: Walking to Lumpini Park in Bangkok. (This was our first day in Thailand. We didn't realize quite how long of a walk it was.)

Our favorite rotee seller in Sukhothai

Favorite Food

Stayc: Dinner at Look-In restaurant in Bangkok (A more upscale restaurant close to our hotel and really good.)
Christina: Shrimp with asparagus street food in Sukhothai (Very fresh . . . they make each dish separately after it's been ordered.)
Lutece: Rotees or Poo Breakfast (That was what the cook was named at our hotel in Sukhothai. Thus, the menu read "Poo Breakfast." The Belgian owner of the hotel, Luc, cooked fresh mini baguettes every morning using imported French flour. They were awesome!)
Phoenix: Rotees

Monitor lizard crawling away in the downpour at Lumpini Park, Bangkok

Favorite Animal (of course!)

Stayc: Elephants (or stray dogs . . . he couldn't decide :)
Christina: Snakes
Lutece: Monitor lizards at Lumpini Park
Phoenix: Python

And there you have it . . . The DuBravac Top Four in Thailand. We LOVED our time in Thailand . . . especially now that we've forgotten most of the bad stuff :).

Goodbye Thailand, Hello China!

Note: I originally intended to link to all of the past posts. Forget about it! This post took way longer than I expected. Whew!

Cash Cab!

Some of you may remember the kids' first experience with the television program Cash Cab (scroll down to the bottom of the post). Oddly enough, it was during our trip to Mexico last year. As luck would have it, the second time the kids have ever seen Cash Cab was ALSO in a foreign country. HOW WEIRD IS THAT?!? Super weird. We found it on one of the English-speaking stations in our hotel in Bangkok. Once again, the kids loved it, and this time, Lutece knew most of the answers. Thank goodness! If we ever get into the Cash Cab in NYC, we might just make some money.

Thailand was full of surprises.

Here's to a Happy Marriage

After the snake show, everyone had a chance to get their picture taken with the python. I have no issues with snakes (having had my share of them for pets as a child), but do not feel the need to have my picture taken with one. However, the handler insisted, since, according to him, it bestows good luck on a marriage. Mmmm, I'll have to research that one. Still, here's the picture. This one goes out to you, Stubb, the biggest snake lover I know :).

Red Cross Snake Farm

On our last day in Bangkok, we thought the kids would enjoy going to the Red Cross Snake Farm. I'd read good reviews for it online, and we thought a kid-friendly activity was in order.

I have to say that the Snake Farm exceeded our expectations. It was awesome! It is run by the Red Cross and situated within the Red Cross Plaza (for lack of a better word) in Bangkok. Actually, all the Red Cross buildings take up about two to four huge city blocks in the area. I'm amazed anyone ever finds the Farm, ensconced within the compound and surrounded by high-rises.

There's a large outdoor area with open glass cases that house various snakes and serves as the arena for the Snake Show that happens in the afternoon.

The Snake Farm harvests all the venom for antidotes in Thailand.

Then there's a large building in which there are numerous exhibits of snakes as well (the nocturnal ones, which are most of them). This is also where the Education area is located and where we got to see the snake handlers milk the venomous snakes. This was WAY more exciting than I thought it would be. Seriously. I thought it would be cheesy or clinical and boring, but it was fascinating and very exciting. The snakes didn't always cooperate and it was interesting to see how the handlers dealt with it. There was also one handler who was clearly in training and so he couldn't always get the snakes to open their mouths. Another more experienced handler had to help him out occasionally and it served to highlight the special training and knowledge one needs to do such a job.

The second floor of the building was dedicated to educating the public on venomous snakes and snakes in general. The displays were really well done and engaging. The kids were mesmerized. I couldn't have come up with a better "homeschool" science day if I'd tried.

The King Cobra

After lunch, we hit the 2:30 Snake Show. Again, this was way more exciting than I would have imagined! Really good stuff. Because it was done by the Red Cross in a facility whose purpose is education, it was a really tasteful show and by no means sensationalistic. We really enjoyed it! There was lots of information (i.e., with most snakes you should just freeze and let the snake leave first, but with pit vipers, you should get out of there as fast as possible . . . and take your kids with you. Good to know!) and enough striking venomous snakes to keep things really exciting.

The "regular" cobras. They strike low, so the handles all wear rubber boots.

Let's face it, snakes are beautiful and really scary. They just are . . . even for a snake lover like me :).

We were in the front row, so the kids got a great view. This picture doesn't really do it justice, but they were really fascinated and TENSE for a good portion of the show. Lu kept really close to me and hid behind me sometimes :).

At the end of the "show," the gentleman who had been interacting with the audience and giving us all our information, asked who would like to be the first person to be an amateur snake handler. Lutece's hand SHOT up and he called her down. When he asked her if she was afraid of snakes, Lutece responded, "Only if it's venomous." Well, alright!

They brought out a small snake from the right side to draw her attention, and then pulled this one out from the left side and draped it over her shoulders. Crazy girl. She just smiled and put her cheek against its skin. Hilarious!

When I asked her what it felt like, she just said that it was "very heavy."

Then the announcer pulled Phoenix down as well so they could bear the weight together.

These crazy kids. Phoenix cries when he has to draw a picture for homeschool, but a python on his shoulders? No problem.

Back to Bangkok

After three wonderful days in Sukhothai, we took a flight back to Bangkok. We'd read that it was a seven- to eight-hour bus ride from Sukhothai to Bangkok (other sources in Thailand informed us it was more like six . . . who knows?), so we opted to pay a little extra and take a 45-minute flight. I wish we'd gotten to the tiny airport in Sukhothai early enough to explore more. It was a covered outdoor airport, very tiny, but the grounds had everything from a zoo (we saw two giraffes in the distance) to a temple to various museums. How curious.

 

We arrived back at our old hotel without incident and were reunited with our luggage and the kids' toys. Oddly enough, it felt a little like coming home. 

The kids loved this hotel (Viva Garden), since they always had their own room. It was big enough that I could have been happy living there for the year. (Happily, our home in Jinan is about as big, just not as new and clean. Ah well, you can't have everything. :)

Since we arrived back at our hotel in the morning, we decided to take advantage of the extra time and check out the King's Palace. All the guidebooks warn you that people all around the Palace will try to trick you into going on a "private" tour by telling you that the Palace is closed. In fact, the Palace is open EVERY day. There are even loud speakers along the walls of the Palace informing tourists in English that the Palace is, in fact, open . . . don't listen to "shady" people.

Needless to say, when we got to the Palace gate (after having been told by a few people that the Palace was closed that day), we found, to our great surprise, that the PALACE WAS CLOSED!!! Can you believe it?!? The one day we visit the King's Palace in Bangkok, it was really closed! It had closed at noon for a special ceremony at Wat Phrae Kaew inside the gates. How ironic.

I guess we'll have to see it the next time we're in Bangkok. Now we know that sometimes the Palace really is closed.

Walk Like a Monk

I mentioned in my first post about Si Satchanalai that one of the only other groups of tourists we saw the whole day was a cohort of Buddhist monks accompanied by several children. I think they were tourists. They had cameras and took more pictures of us than we took of them :).

One of the monks climbed the ruin with the children and began walking around the center of the temple and praying. All the children followed him. Phoenix followed suit, and so Lutece tagged along.

At one point, Phoenix realized that all the other devotees had removed their shoes at the "door" to the top level of the temple. He took off his shoes, and again, Lutece followed along.

Phoenix took it a lot more seriously than Lutece. I thought it was cute, and a bit sweet too (Phoenix, not Lutece).

She lost interest and looked at the trunkless elephants instead. Phoenix made the rounds with the monk about five or six times. When in Thailand . . .

Si Satchanalai, Take Two

When we arrived at Si Satchanalai, we asked what time the bus came back through to Sukhothai. I'm sure we would have survived if we'd gotten stuck there, but we didn't want to find out. The man showed us a sign that said 14:00 and 15:00. He also held up his fingers for 2 and 3. Got it.

We took our time, we didn't rush, but when it looked like we might actually make the 2:00 p.m. bus, we pedaled a little faster and sped through the last kilometer or so, skipped the last large ruin, crossed the rickety wooden bridge that spanned the river (so sad I don't have a picture of that), and made it back to the shop at about 2:05. Lucky for us, the bus was a little late, so we sat down at the bus stop to wait.

About 10 minutes later, the shop owner informed us that the bus was coming. All of us (including the shop owner) stood at the side of the road to wave down the bus. Nothing. The bus just kept going, full speed ahead. We all waved harder, yelled, did a little dance of desperation. Nothing. The bus never even slowed down. 

I'll be honest . . . I was a little freaked out. I did NOT want to stay in this little town for the night, with or without luggage, and we had no other way to get back to our hotel one and a half hours away. The shop owner seemed as puzzled as we were, but he assured us that the 3:00 bus would stop for us. Hmmm.

So we hopped back on our bikes and rode back (over the rickety wood-slat bridge) to the last site that we'd rode past on our hurry to catch the bus.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, right? Or rather, when the bus to Sukhothai doesn't stop for you, go see an ancient Thai temple. Same thing.

The end of the story?

We rode back to the small bus station at 3:00 (back over the rickety, dilapidated, wood and rope bridge . . . Lutece chose to walk it this time) and waited for the bus. At about 3:20 p.m. the bus came around the bend. Our desperation was palpable and our hand motions erratic. This time the bus started to slow down as soon as it saw us. Whew!! We arrived back at our hotel by 5:00, just in time for the street food vendors to open up shop for dinner.