Merry WHITE SAND, SURF, and SINGHA BEER Christmas

December 23

We have made some friends in Ao Nang.  Pear is a 31 year old woman that showed us some homes and we all ended up hitting it off.  Since then she swings by and we usually have a coke and talk.  She is very Buddhist and is a very determined business woman.  On Saturdays Pear, Sow (her assistant) and Sonsee (Sow’s 8 year old daughter) usually come over and then we all load up a bunch of stuff into the truck and drive to the beach for a picnic. 

We have also made friends with an Australian woman and her Thai husband and their little 14 month old son.  Elizabeth, Son and Noah have a two long tail boats and run a custom made camping and touring company.  They have been wonderful at showing us around and we are looking forward to planning a one day trip with them with Marc and Maria. 

December 24

We went down to the wharf tonight for dinner with Pear.  It was her birthday as well as Christmas Eve.  It was a really great feast! 

December 25

Merry Christmas!  Today we did not really do anything that would remind us of what we might be doing at home.  No commercials, no consumer consumption and in general it was a nice day in paradise.  We got up and went to the beach and at night we had a really nice supper.  People, quite naturally, do not make a big deal of this day as they are either Muslim or Buddist.  We have heard that New Year’s is the day to celebrate.  We did both talk about how we are missing our friends and our family and that this is what the season means to us.  IT was pretty cool to have the warm beach to celebrate.

December 26

Sydney is a cool kid.  When we go to the beach she loves to dig, she runs to the water and puts her feet ever so slightly in the ocean and then squeals and runs to a the sand and throws herself in it.  She does this over and over until she is covered in sand.  She loves to search for sea shells and when the tide is out we will take our buckets and shovels and walk way out on the shore and look at all the tide pools.  She will try to catch the fish and then when we finally get one in our bucket she will say, “awe mommy, we should let it go now.”  We usually go to the local beach so many people want to touch Sydney or take her picture or put shells or fish into her sand bucket.  The response from Sydney in order is …”no”, “no” and “awe mommy we should let this one go.”  I just love watching her explore.  Our adventure usually ends with us sharing a popsicle on the side of the road, getting back on our scooter and coming home to feed our sandals some water (or in other words wash them off).  Our travels may not be big in journey standards but life is so good and the curiosity and exploration of a two year old sure beats the pants off of any backpacker that I know. 

Oh Crappy oops we mean Krabi...a rather shi** story

December 20

We are finally somewhat settled.  After living in one room hotels/villas for the past 5 weeks we made our way into Southern Thailand to a place called Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand.  We are not worried about being affected by the issues in Thailand at the moment.  We found a really great three bedroom house in this ‘little desperate housewives’ sort of community.  I am so pleased to be able to give Sydney her own room for a bit and to have a kitchen and eating area with a living room.  It seems silly but I miss not being able to just make Sydney what she wants and to let her just play for a bit.  There is no pool but the beach is just 5 minutes by motorbike away...and this seems great too.  I don't think that we are really going to do anything for Christmas; perhaps Rich and I will share a laugh as we have a beer on the beach and toast December 25 and then say a little prayer as to how lucky we all are. 

December 22

We are happily getting settled into our home just outside of Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand. We are 1 km away from the beach and Sydney just loves the sea shells. The surf is broken by a coral reef making it safe for us to wander all over even to other limestone cliffs (when the tide is out) and the water is warm.  

Sydney finally slept through the night and Sean is being sleep trained :( ... 

But he did only wake up one time last night and the I bolted into his room and rubbed his belly for about 10 minutes well, maybe longer but I DIDN'T pick him up. Sydney is sleeping through the night because she really wants Sean to sleep in her room. I think these two may end up sharing a room in the end-Sydney is so SO keen on it. 

Sydney and I have come down with some sort of stubborn cough which hits us at night and seems to keep Richy awake. 

We went to the beach yesterday and Sydney was given a gift of buckets and shovels by a Swiss family that was leaving Thailand.  Sydney was in heaven. She is a builder by nature but when I turned my back she pissed a few older kids off by tearing down their sand castle.  oops. 

She is almost potty trained but we did have our one shitty story that will go down in Sydney-kid  folklore.  We took her to the big grocery store in Krabbi town and at this mall is a kiddie play park where the kids can take off their shoes and play on all these foamy colorful apparatus things. Sydney was not wearing a diaper and to Rich's complete embarrassment and dismay the staff asked that the white kid pleased be removed as she had left a big poo right on the stairs. . . I was shopping for groceries (thank god) and Rich came up all sweaty and red with Sydney wearing no bottoms.  We grabbed something from the shelf and put it on.  Since then Sydney has pooped in the potty every time; she was heartbroken over not being able to finish her play in the park. 

Tonight we go to the night market for some food, food and more food.  Yesterday, Rich bought a pair of runners as he needs to run in order to make up for the consumption of food and BEER. But it is so good. 

Sean has found a food he loves...roasted squash with sweet coconut milk.  The coconut milk is sweet but also slightly salty.  We are in heaven...

Day 33 - 40

Ummm ….we have missed a few days but perhaps that is an indication that our trip was either really crazy and we had limited time or that we are finding a nice groove.  We are happy to write that it is has been a bit of both. 

We flew into Krabi International Airport on December 13 and even as we flew North West we both felt like the next leg was going to be good.  Rich and I both felt that there was  a nice energy about this place.  When we landed Sydney was in her glory to see “kids!  Mommy, I see kids!!” The two boys were burning off energy and running around the customs area so we figured ‘when in Thailand…” We let her go and she went for the gusto.  It was nice to see her running and playing with two other kids. 

Eventually we made it through customs; this time we took our sweet time and asked a few questions, made sure we were in the clear and eventually came out dead last, our luggage was being tagged and there was no one around ---fantastic! 

Of course the kicker was we had NO FREAKIN idea where we going to stay…not one single idea.  We walked out into the heat and right away bartered for a private cab to Ao Nang went from 600 baht to 450 baht.  The poor driver had no idea what he was getting himself into.  We drove and drove and drove and went to a few places. After some desperation we began to sweat a bit wondering where exactly we were going to stay.  I ended up walking and lugging Sydney down an old path that I once went on to search out a place.  Long story short we paid way to much for a complete dive.  The rain started and we both wondered “what the hell…” Rich went on a business trip…d-e-t-e-r-m-i-n-e-d …I stayed with two kids in a small dump of a room but hell, it came with a balcony. We went onto the balcony which faced a few other apartments.  To which I soon discovered had pools and were charging way, way…way less.  Piss me off.

Rich came back, told me to pack up and we were outta there.  I have never packed so fast in my life.

Rich found us a wee bit of paradise at the Queens Pavillion.  Amazing view of the limestone cliffs and three beautiful serenity pools.  A steal of deal because we have discovered that Ao Nang, thee place to be for holiday makers is very slow! 

Rich and I settled into our posh little place and madly got to work looking for a home base.  Three days later we found a three bedroom brand new home 1 k from the beach.  We rented a scooter and are calling this home until February 11 - we have a spare bedroom not being used but have found one taker for several days - Marc and Maria previously planned on coming to Thailand with Maria's sister - chances are they will stay with us for a few days before heading out to discover Thailand.  

For anyone daring enough - we have a spare room - cold beer is waiting for you in the fridge...

Day 30, 31 & 32

We arrived at KL Airport and started our one hour drive to city centre where the Concorde Hotel is located.  Jeff Colbert, someone who I knew in Jr High School, kindly offered to arrange for us to stay there.  He indicated he could get us a corporate rate at a fantastic hotel.  On our drive to KL we noticed all the beautiful palm tree fields.  This, as it turned out, was the only thing of beauty we noticed in Malaysia.  In fact, it was so bad in KL, we cut our Malaysia trip short after only 2 days and booked a flight to Krabi.  The people of KL are not what I would describe as a friendly bunch.  They are rude – as we discovered in the hotel on numerous occasions where we would be speaking to staff and someone would interrupt us in mid conversation. 

They are pushy – we visited the mall by the towers and were left waiting for an elevator after being first in line.  How, did we go from first to last?? Lets just say that the polite Canadians learned being polite in Malaysia gets you no where – don’t wait for the people to get off the elevator otherwise you won’t get on.

After finally reaching our destination at the food court via elevator our experience didn’t get much better. Sydney decided this was a perfect time not to listen and wouldn’t eat anything.  Sean knocked over a few food and drink items on the table with a good stiff right punch.  Tara and I didn’t fare much better as we continued our streak of dropping things (we are starting to feel we are ‘off’ somehow and that someone somewhere is trying to tell us something). This was one of the first times Tara and I felt we were on display for everyone to see how poorly North Americans raise their children.  We didn’t disappoint. 

The next day we took the monorail – a truly Tylenol time.  On the loud (LOUD) speakers inside the cab a constant message, in two languages, was read aloud: Watch the doors, watch your belongings, next stop, beep, beep, f****** beep.  All this in the loudest most obnoxious recorded statement man has ever heard. Get me the **** off this thing...and GOODBYE KL...

Day 27, 28 & 29

Gypsy and Ann swung by for our first and only date night.  So…one might ask, what did you do?? We had adult conversation with Richard & Richard, a same sex couple from Quebec who are in Indonesia working at the clinic Tara visited the week prior.  After getting out later than desired (the kids didn’t get dinner till later, etc) we took a cab to their place which was south of our location around the Monkey Forest.  Once we arrived at their place we realized how screwed we really got with Villa Rasa Sayang.  They paid $700/month for a 2 story Western style house which had 2 king size beds and 2 outdoor modern bathrooms located on the edge of a rice paddy field – to say the least, it was paradise.  Richard, the chef, made us a wonderful dinner while we spoke to Richard the Forester.  These 2 were wonderful to speak to and committed to helping others.  Tara and I on the other hand are barely capable of looking after our 2 charity cases.  For the night tho – we had freedom from the bonds of parenthood - ahhhhhhhhhh, nice.

Day 25 & 26

On day 25 we had a kind offer from Wayan to meet his family at his house approximately 30 minutes from Ubud.  His brother Oka picked us up and after driving around for 45 minutes (apparently he was filling in time as Wayan was cooking for everyone) we arrived at his house where we met his wife, 2 children (Agus and Dinny) and his mother.  The house was very modest with pencil markings on the inside wall.  One of the doors had a small hole in it.  The complex consisted of a small temple where the dead family members can come and visit.  Hence the offerings commonly seen at these locations.  The uncle also lived in a house that appeared to be in better condition.  Apart from the humble material items, we found richness in the relationships between the family members that was also extended towards us.  The food was good – tuna satay skewers, nasi goring, mixed vegetables and fish soup.  This family definitely put a spread on for us and I didn’t dissapoint them with my large appetite. After swearing I’d only eat small portions for the rest of the trip I fattened up a little more (who the hell am I kidding anyway).  So, like a fat kid on a smartie I had 3 huge helpings (guess they’re not having leftovers) and then consumed every piece of fresh mango they put in front of me.  Gluttony is alive and well within me and if I could pick a third given name for myself it would be Glutton - hey, that name would suit me like OJ’s glove did – nice and tight around the spare tire.

Wayan has a long life story and he seems to be wiser beyond his years. Oka and I discussed real estate (god bless him) and potential export ventures.  Real estate around his town is cheap and costs approximately 10-15 million Rupiah per square meter ($100).  Oka filled me in on his past travels while working with Carnival.  All in all a pleasant day with a generous local family.

Day 23 & 24

What I love about this place:

The mangos…unlike home, are best eaten when green.  These mangos are so incredibly juicy and dense that it almost tastes somewhat pungent.  It is truly nector from the nature.

The $4.00 massages from Sara’s Spa by Deeta.  One of us has been going every night at 8:00 p.m. for one hour and it is the best way to just completely relax.  The outdoor shower is magical too.

The small pancakes with different flavors on top …about a dozen for 70 cents—yummy!

The swimming pool, sorry to rub it in..but man it is sure great to have a swim or two or three a day to cool off (in November no doubt).

The thunder and rain—unlike any storm I have ever experienced.

The Bali Vanilla -finally made the splurge today and opened up the purse strings; for a whopping 4 bucks I purchased about 25 vanilla sticks…still sticky and moist and smelling of nothing but pure vanilla. Sydney couldn’t get enough of the smell. Though I think I might just have to mail these suckers on to a certain someone who just always makes us the best food (SJ). 

We had a nice play date today with Eka’s and his wife and 1.5 year old daughter named Putrie.  Eka, is a waiter that we have made friends with at the Barbekue restaurant located in front of our villa.  Putrie was so cute and it was nice to just chill out with another kid by the pool.  Putri had never been in a pool before so she really just took it easy by only putting her feet in. 

 

Shortly after this visit, I went with Gyspy to a not for profit birthing centre to have a tour and drop off some baby clothes, supplies and donations.  This place is called the Yayasan Bumi Sehat “Gentle Births for a Peaceful Future”  I am not too sure where to start or what to say about this experience.  It is an amazing, grassroots, truly magical place that sadly, is desperately needed. 

The centre provides pre/post pregnancy care to women and families who have little or no money. Let’s be blunt…by our standards they are poor.  The care is pretty holistic with volunteers from around the world that come as midwives, nurses, and doctors as well as teachers, massage therapists, acupuncturists and alternative care providers.  One day a week the clinic is open for pediatrics, the next day it is open for stress management/meditation/acupuncture and it is always open for labor and deliveries.  They also have a youth centre ..ahh right up my alley.. in which volunteers can teach english and computer skills to youth. 

This centre is humble and yet so incredible.  It was interesting to note that the maternal mortality ration on Bali is the highest among the ASEAN group.  Sitting at 718 deaths per 100000 live births.  This is largely due to the malnutrition caused by the introduction of Green Revolution rice in the 1960’s.  Overnight the staple of food of the people stopped providing pregnant women with the full rainbow of colors that rice once had, which in turn was necessary to sustain healthy pregnancies and birth outcomes. . . Apparently red, blue and black rice are incredibly important to both the mother and the fetus. 

 

During this visit I was invited to go into the birthing room where I was so blessed to see a 12 hour old baby boy sleeping on the bed with his mother and father looking on.  I am not the most emotional type, but that just got to me.  The universal look of love was on the mother’s face and the father looks so proud.  Don’t we all just start out so pure…

This little baby was beautiful!   I was also lucky enough to be allowed to take the mothers picture after the umbiillical cord was cut—I could get into the very important significance of this and the placenta and etc but it may just be best to say that this is VERY important to the Balinese people.  

 

I then ran into one of our two Richards that we met when we got here.  These two guys are in their forties (maybe 50’s) and are from Canada.  They are volunteering with this centre for 6 months.  One of them is a well known chef in Eastern Canada, they both have an organic hobby farm (the other Richard is a forester by trade) and they are so excited to be helping out.  Richard, the chef, is going to teach the youth how to cook and then he hopes to set up a restaurant in which the kids will cook and make the money.  I think he is going to make a success of it as he just eludes that kind of ‘can do’ vibe.  The other Richard is going to teach English.

 

I received their wish list of supplies that they would love to have and have told my Rich what I want for Christmas is on that list.   For anyone who is following along and for my own future reference the web site is www.bumisehatbali.org 

I guess I just need to end this rather long blurb by saying that I feel so blessed and so lucky to have healthy children and that I am thinking of my pregnant friends back home today and missing them.  It would not surprise me to guess that Moira had her baby today, as it seems to be a baby kind of day and Rich and I are both thinking of her daily.