Happy Holidays!

The last three weeks have flown by, and it's a shock to think we only have a week left in Thailand before moving on. We continue to love Thailand and Bangkok, in particular the low stress culture, kindness and generosity of the locals, the beautiful weather we've enjoyed here over the winter, and just all there is to see and do. And I am SO fortunate to have Matt to share it all with!!

Thailand is largely Buddhist, Hindi and Muslim so Christmas isn't everywhere you look here, but it is definitely Christmas at the malls. Bangkok has a LOT of really large, vast malls. They are air-conditioned oases and are a bit like casinos, in that they are clearly designed to keep you completely lost within them. I've been to the Mall Lifestore - Bangkapi most of the days I've been here for groceries, coffee, etc. and I still get lost. It's so easy to get turned around.

We drove down to Hua Hin ("who-ah-hin") on the west side of the Gulf of Thailand and spent the 23rd - 26th of December at Reera Resort. The resort is owned and run by a kind older woman who speaks great English, and consists of about 5 villas, each like a typical bed/bath hotel set up and a front porch with a seating area. Our place was steps away from a pedestrian overpass to the local mall, so very convenient for picking up a few essentials and having some quick meals. It was also a short walk down a wide alley to the beach, and the beach was WONDERFUL! Fine white sand, waist deep warm water with gentle waves, and very few other people in our stretch.

Over the holiday we topped up our fledgling tans at the beach, waded and swam in the lovely water (both day and night), played with the resident 3-legged cat, and enjoyed morning coffee on the patio. We spent Christmas day at the Vana Nava water park! The beginning of a new holiday tradition? Only time will tell!

On Christmas Eve day we toured Kui Buri National Park and saw elephants, wild cows, birds and other animals. It was very cool! While it's simple enough to stay on a budget and find your own way to and around things - the best memories are coming from the paid tours we've occasionally splurged on. If you shop around you can find good prices. We learn so much more and the local guides are such veterans, they know just where to go and how to get there quickly - so we get see a lot more, too. The nature reserve is about 1,000 square kms and we saw at least 20 wild elephants and 30 wild cows on our two-hour tour.

We took the train back to Bangkok from Hua Hin at the end of our trip. We had a 2nd class sleeper to start but converted the bottom into two seats for much of the ride. The train runs away from the main developed areas. Much of it was threaded through flooded rice paddies filled with white cranes, beautiful vistas and flora, as well as the back sides of small villages. We bought some "pancakes" for our breakfast (seven for 40 baht) for breakfast, along with some strong instant coffee for 20 baht (about $0.65 USD). The pancakes were really more like muffins, very tasty and sweet, cooked in little hand-woven palm leaf holders, which I just loved!

Back in Bangkok, we also finally took a canal ferry into the city center. It's super inexpensive and quick. The boats are long and low. You just hop on and they come around for tickets. The cost is based on how far you go. We went all the way to the end of the Khlong Saen Saep canal, into downtown Bangkok, in about 30 minutes for 22 baht. This compares to a 250 - 400 baht cab ride or taking the light rail and transferring to the subway for 80-baht and1 to 1.5 hours of travel time. It takes multi-point turns to swing these long boats back around in the narrow canals. I've included a pic of one making the spin so you can see what I mean. It's tight!

I don't know that I would have enjoyed Bangkok as much if it wasn't for the good fortune of staying right off a pedestrian path along the Saen Saep canal. They are used relatively little yet often have a cool breeze along the canal and are out of the traffic, heat and noise of the city. Matt has become slightly obsessed with spotting monitor lizards and has managed to spot several already on his morning walks, including a pretty big fellow. They are very camera shy!

Matt took a pick of me next to a banana tree earlier this week to convey the size of the leafs. You could wrap me up like a burrito in one of those bad boys! There are also adorable tiny geckos everywhere along the canal at dusk. So cute! 3 inches long, tops.

As much as we will miss Bang Kapi and Thailand, we are excited for the next legs of our adventure. On January 7, we fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia (avoiding the land border, yes) to spend a few days exploring Angkor Wat - a place that Matt's wanted to visit since he was just a boy. We'll spend about 3 weeks in Cambodia, making our way from Siem Reap, to Battambang, to Pursat, and finally to Phnom Penh. On February 1, we fly to Vietnam and will spend Feb, March and April at An Bang beach, just outside of Hoi An. We have already rented a place in Hoi An for the beginning of Tet in February - which we are super excited about.

Matt and I are so happy, so in love, and so blessed to be living this life. Home and our people there are always very much in our hearts and on our minds. I hope you have all fared well through the stress of the holidays, the weather, and the ups and downs of life. Holiday blessings to each and every one of you!