An October Vacation

(I am way behind on blogs lately due to some technical difficulties, both device and operator related! Am working on getting caught up!)
Last year, in China, we celebrated the October Golden Week with a simple staycation daytrip nearby in Shanghai. Thailand does not celebrate the Golden Week but the kids had the second week of October off school. We decided to go someplace new and different and have some real fun. Phuket, an island on the south western side of Thailand, is a major vacation destination for those looking for sand and surf and a spoiling choice of resorts. It is also a beautiful destination for sailing.
Since leaving Sydney and his sailboat behind in 2001, Heinz has had little chance to scratch his sailing itch. This was the perfect opportunity to change all that. We left Chiang Mai on Sunday and flew down to Phuket, arriving mid-afternoon. After checking in with the charter company, getting a briefing and laying in some stores from the local grocery, we settled into the boat for the night with the hope of sailing out the following morning.

Breakfast on the boat

Melissa briefs us on our boat, the Fei Yu. (Interestingly the owner is an investor from Shanghai)

During his check of the boat, Heinz had noticed a problem with the halyard lines. Out came the bosun's chair and one lucky devil had to go all the way to the top to fix it!

That's a long way up!

Finally the boat was ready, but unfortunately the weather was not. The forecast was terrible so we ended up spending Monday and Tuesday waiting it out at the dock in the Marina. We managed to keep ourselves entertained. The boys practiced their knots.
We rode around in the dinghy,

 ate our meals on dry land (and someone else cooked and did the dishes!),
 

and Heinz read the charts and mapped out our course.

 

Finally better weather arrived and Wednesday we prepared to set sail. Ironically, after days with almost no sun, the bright sunshine made reading the equipment a challenge!

Finally we're ready to go!!!

It took us about an hour to motor out of the channel and into the main bay, where we were finally able to set sail.

 

Conrad gets a turn at the helm.

The sailing was fairly smooth and the scenery was stunning.
 

We sailed for about 2 hours to reach our first overnight mooring, a lovely little bay in a small grouping of islands in the northeast corner of Phang Nga Bay.

We dropped anchor (more on that later) and headed out in the dinghy to explore the little beach.

We passed a quiet evening, had dinner on board, and went to sleep. It was a beautiful, calm evening. Heinz said "While checking on the anchor around 3 a.m., I ended up staying on deck all night, the scenery was so beautiful, yet surreal!"

He saw numerous meteors each night, along with the "banana moon", as Vivienne called it. The sunrises were also amazing.

There is certainly no shortage of dramatic land and seascapes in every direction that you look. We had specifically chosen this group of islands as it was near Kao Ping Kan Island, also known as James Bond Island, from the movie The Man with the Golden Gun. After breakfast we piled back into the dinghy and headed in that direction.

It took about 15 minutes to get there. I haven't yet seen the movie, I must confess, but the approach to the island from the west was quite dramatic.

Rounding the north side, the famous pillar becomes visible.

We landed on this small beach on the south side and walked around a bit. Luckily it was still early enough that it wasn't yet swamped with other tour boats.

  This seems to be the more well-known view of the pillar.

I'm not sure if this dramatic rock formation, this large, tilted rock, figures into the movie but it was certainly interesting. It can be seen over the beach, where we landed, on the left side.
The island group is quite small so there isn't much else to see there. We only stayed about 20 minutes and headed back to the boat to set sail for our second destination: Koh Hong, a small group of islands about 30 minutes away. All of the land formations in the bay are limestone and many of the islands are peppered with small caves, "hongs", meaning "room",  in Thai. There are many tour groups that run charters for a day, bringing people out from Phuket or Krabi to see the interior caves and it seems some of the best or most famous are within the Koh Hong island group. We had passed this particular group the day before and had seen all of the charter boats surrounded by kayakers.

We weighed anchor and decided to take the dinghy in from the other side, through the lagoon. It was also full of charter boats and kayakers.

We headed for the hong, following instructions that it should be entered at high to mid tide.

We followed a few kayakers in. 

Turned out our dinghy was too wide. The kids were not very excited about it (ok: they were freaked out and did NOT want to keep going in) so we came back out and just paddled around the lagoon for a bit.

We did catch a glimpse of the sunlight further in, part of the interior "room" that apparently makes the trip worthwhile for everyone. We decided to head back to the ship and try the cave again first thing in the morning, when the tide was lower.

 The ship looked so calm and peaceful as we returned, but it was hiding our drama on the high seas, within.

Before we left the marina, Melissa had warned us that pirates had been hitting some of the boats mooring in the area, looking for cell phones, ipads, whatever they could find on board. When we first saw that our boat had been hit, we were quite smug: we had foiled the bad guys by taking with us everything that might have been of interest to them. But when you aren't a bad guy, and you don't think like a bad guy, you can't completely thwart their evil. All week I had been telling the kids to keep all of their books and crayons and toys in their backpacks and keep the backpacks zipped so things wouldn't be falling out and rolling all around the cabin. When they bad guys found nothing of any value out in the open, they simply grabbed all the bags and ran. We managed to keep everything that would have been of value to them, but they in turn got everything that was of real value to the kids. They were heartbroken when we realized their bags were gone. (Though thank goodness their special stuffed animals and blankets were NOT in the backpacks!) I felt so bad for them, and was left wondering how we would survive the last 3 days without all the puzzle books and story books to help entertain them in this tiny space! It takes a certain kind of rotten egg to steal a little girl's Barbie backpack, but in the end it is all just things. We were all safe, and that is what matters. So we put up our feet and relaxed for a bit.

First thing the next morning we headed back to check out the Hong. Turned out the reason for entering the caves at high tide is that the land that is exposed at low tide is deep, sticky mud, about 24 inches deep! Thankfully we saw some of the other kayakers wading through it before we stepped out of our own boat! Luckily there were some other small caves that we could paddle into and out of, but Vivienne still wasn't too keen on it all so we again did not stay long.

 
 
Reaching our next destination involved a bit of motoring to begin with.

 Vivienne was much happier with that.

We had a tiny spot of rain. The bay is quite deceptive: it is very wide but very shallow in places so we motored through the shallow bits, around to the far side of Koh Yao and then hit the deeper channel with some great wind and about 2 hours of exciting sailing.

 Conrad trims the sails and takes the helm like a pro.

Vivienne got tired and went down below for a nap. You can get a bit of a feel in this picture for how the boat was heeling and she slept right through it, not bothered by it at all! I think we have some real sailors on our hands! Eventually we reached our mooring point at the south end of the island and had a well deserved break with some watermelon.

 Before it got too dark, we headed to the nearby beach to play in the waves.

 
We had a few extra minutes of daylight so Conrad learned to drive the dinghy.
 
After a nice dinner of noodles and red curry, we settled down for a sleep.

That was the first night that there was any real swell where we moored, and it was the first time I felt the need to take any precautions: a bit of dramamine before going to sleep. The rolling of the ship can be quite nice but I didn't want to take any chances.
Saturday, our last day on the boat, greeted us with a beautiful surprise up on deck.
 
We pulled anchor for the last time, or shall I say "I" pulled anchor. We had discovered to our dismay at our first mooring that the anchor winch was not working so we had to drop and pull anchor by hand every day. Naturally since I do not know how to actually drive the boat, I got the dirty grunt work of actually pulling the damn thing up while Heinz steered whatever way to help reel it in and keep the lines from fouling the motor and the boat on a safe course. That should be my incentive to learn how to drive the boat already!

I looked at it as filling the role of the workouts I was missing while we were on board and tried to make the best of it. Eventually we were on our way back to the marina. We motored a bit and then again hit the deeper channels and some fine winds.

The captain enjoys the beautiful blue sky

The happy crew heading home

 All in all it was a really wonderful week. We were a bit worried at first with the bad weather keeping us in port for the first 2 days but we still had a great time, saw some amazing things and did some terrific sailing. (And turns out pulling anchor 4 times was just enough!) I was a bit worried about how we all would fare in such tight quarters for a whole week but we did just fine. Even with the lack of all the kids entertainment material for the last 2 days! No one got seasick, no one fell over board. We had a few dramas: Conrad cut his foot on a shell during one of our shore excursions, the dinghy ran out of gas coming back from James Bond Island and Heinz and I had to row the last 1000 or so meters, and the whole pirate thing and anchor issue. But we planned adequately and had just enough food and water for decent meals every day and a few fun snacks along the way. It was a big success and I think it is safe to say that this will be the first of many sailing trips to come. Afterall, we only explored about half of the bay this time. Wanna join us for our next outing?

Alternative Sources of Protein, as Recommended by the U.N.?

Not long after we moved to Chiang Mai I stopped to shop in Makro, one of the local big-box stores, like a Costco, where food and other goods are sold in bulk and one must have a membership to take advantage of the savings offered there. I was thrilled to see the size of the frozen food section, large by any standard, and significantly larger than any I have seen so far in Asia. I thought to myself "surely in a frozen food section of this size I will find a large selection of chicken nuggets, frozen pizzas and french fries, the children's preferred cuisine." I walked among row after row of the cases and soon found that this was not to be. (Fear not, my healthy eating friends, in the absence of said foods I have resolved to start making more from scratch. Cheaper, healthier, a bit more time consuming, but definitely worth it in the end.)

According to a May article in the Washington Post titled "Should we eat more insects? The U.N. thinks so" by Brad Plumer, the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization has recommended that "insects are healthy, nutritious alternatives to mainstream staples such as chicken, pork, beef, and even fish". The article further argues that "edible insects are environmentally friendly - farmers don't need to clear acres of forest to raise them and the bugs produce fewer planet-warming greenhouse-gas emissions than, say, cows. It could be a sustainable way to help feed a growing world whose demand for protein is soaring."

Most of the articles that I have found on the report are quick to point out that, given the Western aversion to eating bugs, perhaps the U.N. leaders sponsoring and publishing the report should lead by example but I can safely say that Chiang Mai is already on the bandwagon. In all those cases of frozen goods I found no pizza, no chicken nuggets and only half a case full of french fries. What I did find is the following: (You may need to enlarge the photos to get the full effect)

No, "Grasshopper" is not a brand name, it is the contents of the package.  Perhaps you would prefer SaGu, which appears to be big, fat, roly-poly (perhaps some would say "juicy"?) grubs.

 Better yet, perhaps some caterpillar?

And last but not least, for your gastronomic pleasure, some free-range "Giant water bugs" that look large enough to carry off a small child, if not properly supervised when thawed.

Sadly, I realize that I did not get pictures of the freezer full of about 4 different kids of frozen frogs. (There actually was a "No Photographs" sign up, I just pretended I was using my phone to write a text and oops! snapshot!) Although I do have to say that I think the kids find the supermarket here to be a bit boring. Used to be, while living in China, they asked to be parked in the fresh "fish" section while I shopped in the adjacent fruit/veggie section, so that they could watch the live fish, turtles, frogs and eels swirl around their tanks. I think perhaps they just thought "Hey, Carrefour has a pet section". I don't know if they realized that the people picking out that big turtle were not taking it home to name it Myrtle. They never asked, I never offered.

Perhaps this is not the time to insert my usual plea for visitors. But if you promise to come visit us, I promise not to serve you grasshoppers. Or Caterpillars. Or giant waterbugs....Quite seriously, the bugs found in the freezer cases aside, is Thailand not known for it's awesome food? Come for a visit and we'll treat you to some GREAT food!

Hugs and love to you all~

School Days, Part 4; August 2013

I've written a lot about school so far: three times, it seems. This episode is very special in its own right as it is the first time we have participated in an official "first day of school". Very exciting for all of us! This one is also very important as Daddy is traveling so we will try to share the day with him as best we can with our pictures.

For Vivienne, the day was full of the familiar: as a preschooler, she returned to the same room and building with the same teacher and many familiar friends. For Conrad, it was a move upward, to the "big school" as his new classroom is now in the main building! A year ago, when we started our homeschooling project, Conrad was sad about not actually going to school so Miss Rebecca had helped us put together a Schultüte to make his "first day" more special. Typically, though, the Schultüte is only for first graders. Last June the school had a special meeting to share information with the parents of the incoming first graders and to give us materials to put together a Schultüte for their first day in August. I presented it to Conrad at breakfast and he brought it to school for the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Conrad in front of his new classroom, with his Schultüte.

This first day was more of an "Opening Day", mostly a "Meet your teacher" day with an opportunity for the kids to see their classrooms and where they will sit, and informational meetings for the parents regarding yearly schedule and available after-school activities. We arrived early and took our seats. The younger students had reserved seating, with a special place dedicated to the First Graders.

Conrad sits next to his best friend, Andrew

The ceremony started at 10:00 with a short service by one of the local pastors and then Principal Liebold spoke.

Conrad in the crowd

The first graders were called up on stage, carrying their Schultüten, and were introduced to everyone by their teacher, Herr Tetzel. It's a bigger class then they expected: 11 kids!

I am so proud of him; he looked so grown up. It was a nice ceremony, a nice way, I think, for the students to start the year. But I have to say that these are the moments when I find myself feeling...apart. The Biggies, the milestones; the times that you would usually celebrate with those around you. Yet family and all of the familiar feel very far away. It was a bit difficult for me because it was all in German, naturally, and I understand about one word in 5; just enough to have no idea what is going on. Which unfortunately translates into an overall feeling of isolation from the school. I always imagined myself as a "Room Mom", someone intimately involved in the social and academic aspects of my children's education. I'm hoping I can remedy that issue, and am working towards that aim but it certainly brought a level of bitter-sweetness to the day, for me. 

The following day, Wednesday, was the first full day of classes. The morning sun is very bright in Thailand! Off they went in their new school outfits (Thank you again, Aunt Vickie -Love, Vivienne) and I wondered all day long about them and how they were doing.

They arrived home tired and ready for a first-day-of-school icy cold treat. (Aunt Vickie, you might also notice the bunny-ear ice pop molds! You are with us every day!)

Before I even had a chance to ask, Vivienne informed me "Conrad says his school is boring! It only has tables and chairs!" Welcome to the big leagues, kid! He seems to be mourning the passing of Kindergarten harder than I expected him to but it's still early. We're working out the schedule, hoping to get him involved in after-school soccer and chess activities. He seems to have made some more friends, as the first graders are in the same room as the second graders, so I think he is starting to warm up to the idea of full-time "real" school.

We've got the first week under our belts and are feeling better about having a routine, finally. And with them in school now, I can finally focus on finishing the house and then focus on my own education with Thai and German lessons. It is certainly never dull in our world!

Thanks for joining us as we embark on this next layer of our adventure. Our love to you all~

The Anti-Cheating Helmet

Seriously, I can't make this stuff up. I just received my newsletter from ThaiVisa.com in my inbox and this was the headlining article, courtesy of Coconuts Bangkok:

Bangkok university makes students wear anti-cheating helmet during mid-term exams
Followed by this picture and this story:

"In an effort to curb rampant cheating Bangkok's Kasetsart university has created an anti-deceit paper helmet for students to wear during their midterm exams.

The device, which resembles horse blinders made out of computer paper, was unofficially unveiled on an alumni Facebook page.

Shortly after being uploaded the photo was quickly taken down, but not before a loyal Coconuts reader Thanut Udomhirun captured a screenshot of the helmets in action.

Coconuts is still searching for more information on the helmet. It's not clear how many classes use the device or how long the university has taken such extreme measures. Thanut mentioned that in addition to the helmet, there were two versions of the test given out to students.

If you have any information on the helmet, please let us know via our Facebook page."

I tried to do some checking to see if the story was legit or satire. I had recently seen a similar picture posted also on Facebook, although I can't remember the context. I didn't find anything online in English to support or refute it's veracity, but I did find info indicating that apparently cheating is a very big problem in Thailand overall. Some speculate that the overcrowding in test-taking sites does nothing to discourage the problem. 

Either way, it gave me a good laugh. Again. Thailand's innovation at it's best? How do the proctors hand something like that out? And who assembles them? Things that make you go "hmmm?".

In The Rainy Season

We've been back from our vacation in the States for over a week now, (not yet long enough for me to figure out which side of the car I'm supposed to get in before I open the wrong door-again!) and it's taking a bit of time to settle back in to any kind of routine. Perhaps I'm still in denial that our awesome time in New York with the family is now in the past. Perhaps I'm still in denial about how disorganized my house feels and how much work still needs to be done. Perhaps I am just waiting for the kids to start school next week so that we can finally get back into a real routine. Regardless, life goes on and errands need to be done.

Here in Chiang Mai we are in the heart of the rainy season. Now, it rained a lot while we were in New York; caused a change of plans more than once or twice and many of our pictures included umbrellas and rain boots.

Watching Zach play baseball in the rain 

Walking the streets of New York City with Uncle Smitty

Getting ready to make a mad dash for the car as the Independence Day parade has been rained out

But for the most part we could trust that the roads would be passable when we finally did make it to the car, drowned as rats though we may have been.

Today, back to reality and the business of everyday life, I had a few errands to run. The rain had begun about an hour before I left the house and it turned out parking would be the least of my problems. I had left behind my familiar routes as I tried to find the quickest way from where I was to where I needed to be, when suddenly I was confronted with this:

and this

 I managed to navigate my way out

and eventually made it back to drier roads. But the rain continued while I was out and about, and life went on in spite of it. 

The Coke gets delivered rain or shine, no matter how big the puddles get. No one here seems to wear rainboots.

It floods from the back door in, in some of the shops.

I'm very relieved my front yard doesn't look like this:

Or at least it doesn't yet. Check back with us tomorrow...

One rule for the rainy season:
Never leave the house without your umbrella.

Probably a good idea to being a friend as well!

Stay dry!