Speed Boats + Sea Kayaks = fun, fun, fun

Favorite, favorite part of our Christmas trip to Thailand was the last full day. We took a speed boat trip on the Andaman Sea. The guys at Andaman Leisure were fabulous. They loaded up the boat with drinks and snacks, and we headed out to "see what we could see."

We stopped at two different spots where we crawled into inflatable sea kayaks to explore some of the small islands. The guides took us through a bat cave. (Sidenote: I really, really dislike bats and the idea of them hanging over my head was extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully, they didn't fly around at all. The girls thought they were very cool which helped my fear some.) After traveling through the bat cave we came out into a lagoon in the center of the island. Incredible!! There were monkeys climbing the rocks, walking fish, and amazing foliage to be seen.

We stopped at James Bond Island and had a short hike around.

Rebekah loved being buckled up in her life jacket and going "faster, faster" on the big boat.

One of the caves Dan and Rachel ventured through was so small that air had to be released from the kayaks. They had to lay down flat to get through the opening.

The last stop of the day was a beautiful island with calm, shallow beaches. The guide said that this island is inhabited by about five people. They make money by allowing the tour companies to stop for a swim and sell drinks, ice cream, and corn on the cob cooked right on the beach.

Christmas in Thailand Photos

When we lived in China, Thailand was on our list of top five places we wanted to visit. Christmas 2010 we finally made it. The tropical weather and warm ocean breezes didn't quite feel like Christmas, but it was a wonderful vacation. We visited Bang Tao Beach in Phuket and stayed at Laguna Bay Resort. The resort grounds and facilities were beautiful. The customer service left a little to be desired. No complaining though. We got exactly what we wanted out of the vacation.....family time, swimming, sun, sand, and beautiful surroundings.

Family photo on James Bond Beach where the Man With the Golden Gun was filmed.

Lunch at a floating village.

Fun in the sand

The girls enjoying corn on the cob that was bigger than they are.

It's all "normal" now.....

Lately, I often find myself thinking about what was shocking and/or surprising when we moved to India. I should have sat down and made notes at the time. Sadly, I didn't. Maybe it was the jet lag, moving stress, two young, adjusting children, or who knows. Many of these things have become such every day occurrences and sightings that I don't even flinch when I happen upon them anymore. So recently, I did sit down and try to come up with just a few.

-Going through metal detectors and pat downs when entering shopping malls, hotels, movie theaters. Men with large looking rifles hanging casually from their shoulders at said entrances.

-Cows, pigs, goats, elephants, and monkeys on the street.

-The amazing colors of India in the clothing, homes, signs, flowers, and even delivery trucks.

*Tent villages

*Beggars of all ages, abilities, and disabilities

-The dirt and dust everywhere

-Standing in a group of people who are speaking a foreign language and having no idea what is being said. All the while, smiling and trying to appear interested

-The ten extra steps it takes to go to the bank, grocery shop, see a doctor, etc.

-The wonderful fact that almost every shop delivers as well as the many craftspeople who will come to your home to show their wares.

* I still flinch with these two but am not as sensitive to them. It is a little sad to admit that fact. I find the girls tend to look away when beggars come to the van windows. Rachel picks up her book and starts to read. Rebekah shakes her head back and forth and says, "No, sorry, not today."

Back in the saddle

I have been needing a big kick in the pants for weeks now. I'm not sure what happened. Post-holiday blues, cold winter weather, hitting the six month point of being in India, or just simply my innate sense of laziness. Most people enjoy the New Year and use it as a reason to turn over a new leaf or start new projects. Not me. I pulled up the covers and went into semi-hibernation mode. No new projects, no shopping, and no new blog posts. My apologies to my family and friends who look to the blog to see what new and interesting is going on in India. Call me a late-bloomer or what you may. February 1st is now my New Year's or starting fresh date for 2011. I'm getting back in the saddle and out of my rut. The weather is beautiful. I have started exercising again. I am back in a prayer time with God routine. I am doing my Hindi homework and starting to actually learn some. I have volunteered to work with Gurgaon Connection, the expat group, and will be helping new arrivals in India and Gurgaon with their adjustment. And with this short, sweet post I am getting back into the blogging groove. I have pictures from Thailand, Bangladesh, and the whole month of January to share with all of you. See you soon....

Fa-la-la-la-la

We found the boxes containing Christmas decorations and ornaments. I allowed the girls to unpack them while I made dinner. This happened in ten minutes. How can four little hands leave such a path of destruction behind?

Rebekah's box of ornaments or the ones that Rachel didn't want. Poor little one. She even gets hand-me-downs (or handy-downs as she calls them) when it comes to Christmas decorations.

When it came to putting them on the tree, she didn't seem to mind though.

Rachel was thrilled to go through the box and pick out all her favorite and special ornaments.

She is becoming very particular about where everything goes. Maybe next year I won't even have to go back and move them around after the girls go to bed.

Finished tree with ornaments and our two beautiful princesses.

Side note: Too bad the converter we bought doesn't work with the lights. The tree just doesn't seem the same without the lights on. Maybe next year....

Rebekah's Point of View

Rebekah is in that stage where she really doesn't need a nap anymore. If she does nap then we are both up until 11:00 or even midnight. This said, you can probably guess that I will do just about anything to keep her awake in the afternoons. This is a very difficult feat as we drive to Delhi four days a week to pick Rachel up from school. (I say "we drive" but have to admit that I don't drive in India. Nemlal drives and Rebekah and I ride along.) The drive can take anywhere from 40 to 90 minutes each way. Today the method to keeping her eyes open was my camera. These photos are Rebekah's point of view of our drive home from school.

Starting with a picture of Rachel being her normal nutty self.

Rebekah's self portrait

The setting sun from the freeway.

The always present sippy cup.

The toll booth man.

Rebekah's favorite sparkly shoes. She insists they go with every outfit.

Almost home....

Yes, we can see home out the right window but it still takes ten to fifteen minutes to get there as this is India and there is always traffic.

Being Thankful for It All

I have so many things in my life to be thankful for.... a wonderful husband, beautiful, healthy children, amazing immediate and extended family, good friends all over the world, and the adventure that Dan's job has allowed us to live for the past 16 years. There are days that I get caught in the moment and tend to forget so many of these positives. Life in India is a roller coaster to say the least. I have developed a love/hate relationship with the country. Most days it is more love but every so often those "grrrrr get me home days" creep in.

So, along comes the holiday season. Halloween was all about the kids. I was nervous about having seven families with a total of seventeen children at our place, but it went off with a bang. Friends included us in their Diwali celebration showing us the traditions and joy of this important Indian holiday. Then along comes Thanksgiving. A truly American holiday that I have always loved. Growing up, Thanksgiving was full of aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. We would eat at lunchtime, then play games, watch football, and pull out the leftovers at dinnertime. Great memories. When we lived in China, most of our friends were American. This meant that Thanksgiving was similar to the way we would celebrate it in the US. Close friends with good food, getting together, being thankful for everything God has given us and creating more precious memories. Our first Thanksgiving in India comes along without any plans. Sadness sets in while thinking of the four of us eating fried rice at home just like any other mealtime. An American friend, who was feeling the same way as I, came along and and bam....let the celebration begin.

We used the clubhouse at our complex which opens onto the playground. We rented a bounce house for the kiddos. No Indian celebration seems complete without a bounce house.

I ordered a turkey with the fixings from the club at the American Embassy and everyone brought their favorite dish. Yummy!! We even had apple pie and a gingerbread house. There were families from all over the world....America, Canada, India, Denmark, UK, Germany, Australia, Sweden and probably one or two more that I forgot.

I think Rachel and her friends put a little of each type of dessert on their plates.

The kids had their own area to sit and eat.

And...the men found a corner to sit in and discuss "man stuff."

I am so thankful for where we live, our friends and neighbors. Every time I am on the hate side of my relationship with India, one of my friends comes along with a smile, an offer to join them for dinner, some much needed advice, and/or a shoulder to lean on. I couldn't ask for anything more.