Phuket, Thailand

In early November, we headed to Phuket for a week, during the Hajj break. This is when Muslims from around the world journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the holiest site in Islam.  With all these travellers coming in, we thought we might as well get out :)

We met many of these pilgrims in the Bahrain airport while we were waiting for our flight, and they, I assume, were waiting for connections to Jeddah.  I tried to sneakily take some photos of their traditional Hajj dress, which involved lots of draped white blankets.

In Phuket we went on an amazing tour to the Ban Pae National Park.  We made the short hike up to Ban Pae Waterfall, where we climbed on the rocks and swam in the water. 

A crab at the base of the waterfall

Rob and Jack by the waterfall

 At the base of the waterfall lies the Gibbon Rescue Project.  This is an organization that rescues and rehabilitates gibbons, which are often mistreated in Thailand by being used in monkey shows and to pose for photos with tourists.  After rehabilitation, they are released into the wild, but some of the gibbons have never learned to make attachments and will never survive in the wild so they have giant cages to play in.

One of the rescued gibbons

My favorite flower, orchids

 We also took a trip to the Phuket Zoo and several beaches.  Some of the highlights are below.

Just in case the monkeys looked tasty...

The highlight for Rob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had the opportunity to go kayaking. 

 As we were walking down the dock to the kayaks, Jack was getting pretty tired and hungry and hot.  I gave him a bag of mini breadsticks that I had been saving just for a time like this, when he would need a pick-me-up.  Soon we saw some adorable monkeys sitting around.  As we walked, one monkey jumped up on one side of the dock and made some adorable noises, so we all looked (a distraction).  Just then, the alpha male monkey, the gang leader, jumped up from the other side and stole Jack's breadsticks right out of his hands!  The bag broke open and breadsticks flew everywhere.  About ten other monkeys appeared and there was a mad race for the snacks.  Needless to say, Jack had a meltdown, but Rob thought it was hysterical.

The gang

The leader, the one that Jack is still having nightmares about!

 Soon we are off to Sri Lanka for the Christmas break, and will of course follow up with more pictures!  My parents are visiting in February, Rob is leading two student trips, and his parents should be coming in May.  I'm sure that will keep us busy and make time fly until we see you again.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Thailand Part 4

Our last two days in Thailand were spent at an amazing resort called Birds & Bees.  Not only is it a beautiful and lush resort, it is run by a socially- and eco-conscious organization whose profits are used for fighting poverty through education in Thailand.  They have several restaurants as well, called Cabbages and Condoms.  The man who started this organization is known as the Condom King in Thailand, because he teaches about family planning in an effort to fight poverty and slow the spread of AIDS in Thailand - and he has been very successful.  The name "Cabbages and Condoms" is due to his belief that family planning and health issues should not be taboo -- they should be as easy to talk about as vegetables are.  Therefore the resaturant is decorated with condom art and condoms are passed out as after-dinner treats.  The organization now has a school in rural Thailand that is supported by the resort.  Students pay tuition by doing community service and planting trees.  They also hire people from rural Thailand to work at the resort, providing housing, daycare, and job training to people who otherwise would have very limited options.

An example of "condom art"

Playing at the pool

Loving the water slides!

We took a tour of the resort's mini-farm where they grow many of the fruits and vegetables, and produce eggs, for the restaurant. So inspiring!

Herbs and vegetables

Compost bins

Man-powered watering system for the mushroom house

Jack's favorite new fruit -- Jack fruit!

Pineapples

Also at the resort we learned about spirit houses, which are present near many of the Thai houses we had seen so far. 

Thailand Part 3

One day in Bangkok we went to the Dusit Zoo, which was really impressive.  The best part was that they have a tall platform by the giraffes where people can stand at the height of the giraffes' head.  The zoo workers let Jack feed the giraffes!

Check out its tongue!

Here are some of the other highlights...

A white Bengal tiger

Albino Soft-shelled Turtle

Golden Thai Python

Funny sign in the bathroom (but not meant to be funny...)

Jack having a conversation with a goat

We had to go all the way to Bangkok to see camels...

...and cows!

Side note: Two-humped camels (bactrian) are not found in Saudi Arabia; only one-humped camels (dromedary) are.  My mom taught me that when she came to visit us.

 

Loving elephants

 

Thailand Part 2

One day we took a tour of the canals of Bangkok on a long-tail boat.  Apparently Bangkok used to have an extensive system of canals similar to Venice, and some of the canals are still there. 

Along the canal are houses raised up on stilts.  We saw eight huge monitor lizards basking in the sun!  Our guide told us that Thai people are terrified of monitors, even though they keep the houses free of rats.  Jack insisted they were crocodiles, and would not be convinced otherwise, even when Rob explained that crocodilians and varinids are in completely different orders. 

In one of the canals, we pulled over to buy a couple loaves of bread from some monks so we could feed the fish.  Our boat was swarmed with gigantic carp, which are huge because there are rules about eating fish that live near temples.

 

Jack had to taste the bread, of course

Just then, a lady floated up in a kayak selling beer!  What a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Thailand Part 1

Last week we traveled to Thailand for spring break.  Rob and I attended an international teaching conference in Bangkok, but we had plenty of time to explore and have fun.  Grandma Nancy came with us after a week in Saudi, and Alek and Ryan came to meet us all the way from Minneapolis! 

The first thing we did after arriving in Bangkok was to go out and get some street food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying some deep fried taro and potatoes.

My favorite thing was a hard-boiled quail egg in a wanton.

After Jack had a nap, we took a water taxi up the river to see a Buddhist temple called Wat Pho, or Temple of the Reclining Buddha.  It was amazingly intricate and Jack loved the animal statues.  The centerpoint of this temple is the Reclining Buddha, which is a giant (46 meters long and 15 meters tall) gold plated statue depicting the Buddha as he entered nirvana.

Nancy in front of the Reclining Buddha

Buddha's toes inlaid with Mother of Pearl

 The next day we took a boat to Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn, which is across the river from Wat Pho.  This temple is very tall (85 meters) and has very steep steps going up it. 

Wat Arun as viewed from the river

Rob climbing the temple

Looking down

to be continued...