Sunday we were up and the kids were in the pool at 8 am. I went to get breakfast with May around 10 am. We brought back pork fried rice. It was delightful.
We rode in a Tuk Truck and went to Art in Paradise, a 3D art museum. It was amazing and the kids loved every minute of it. After the museum, we walked through the main part of the city and ended up in a shopping mall. We ate at the food court and then we did some shopping. We bought sausages for dinner and some crisps and snacks to last us through the week, although they didn’t.
Our favorite toilet sign.
Our recreation of the kiss. Not terribly convinced we did it justice.
We got engaged in a gondola at the Venitian in Vegas.
Tiny parents, giant children.
I’m sorry about all of the pictures, but they were all so cool I couldn’t just chose two or three.
We took a tuk truck back to the villa for swimming. Sausages on the bbq was for the kids’ tea, and we spent the remaining time of the day in the pool. Kids were in bed by 8 and we were giggling in the pool for the next few hours.
We were up at 8 am on Monday morning and discovered our booking for the Sanctuary of Truth had not gone through. So after breakfast Scott and Clare headed to the tailors to pick up the shirt Scott had made for his interview on Wednesday. The kids went in to play a game of pool and Stuart and I sat on the back patio in the stillness of the morning. It looked as if it would rain, which is common at this time of the year in Thailand. However, we did not get the thrill of a thunderstorm on Monday.
When Scott and Clare returned we headed to the Sanctuary of Truth. We decided we were just going to take our chances with entry. It was a spectacular site. The project was initiated in 1981 by a Thai businessman who wanted to feature the architecture of the Ayutthayan period. It is expected to be completed in 2050. It’s obvious it is a work in progress.
This was on the grounds of the Sanctuary of Truth. This might has been as much fun as climbing through the Sanctuary.
We had hard helmets because of the construction. I wore mine a bit skewed for style.
The kids fed this large beast.
Every carved character was as intriguing as the next.
The end of every tour must include ice cream and Millie’s messy face.
At the end of our time at the Sanctuary of Truth we let the older kids ride quads.
When we returned to the house we swam for a bit. Clare and I decided to go to the market up the road around 4 pm. On the way, we inquired about motorbike rental. We shopped around a bit, then headed to a place to have a beverage.
While having our cold beverage, we saw our favorite salesman, the broom man.
When we returned to the house, we all went to the motorbike place and what was going to be a one day rental turned into three days. Oh my goodness, what were we thinking?
We took the motorbikes around the block and then parked them in the back garden of our villa. We then went to dinner. We had some tired, but very anxious, kids we needed To get home and in bed because we knew they would be up at the crack of dawn, begging to go out on our new mode of transport.
On our way, I decided to scoot across the street to get some socks for Jack and myself. I hadn’t brought enough for the entire week as I had no idea I would be needing my tennis shoes. While crossing the street, Millie decided to come with us at the last minute. I turned to grab her and must have not noticed the older lady coming at me from the other direction. She screamed and stopped immediately. Scott and I both insisted she came out of mid air. The amazing part was that she had a bowl of fried rice in her left hand and didn’t drop a grain of it. I was fascinated by her ability to stop and maintain the bowl of fried rice. I apologized all over myself. In the end, she laughed and headed on her merry way.
On Tuesday we spent most of the day on the bikes. We went to visit the Big Buddha. We went down by the beach and walked around for a while. We let the kids play at a park/gym for a little bit and then got some ice creams. We hit the bike scene again and went to Cabbages and Condoms. So, why the bizarre name? Simply put, the founder believes that “birth control should be as accessible and as easy to buy as vegetables in the market!” The restaurant uses jokes and fun visuals to overcome reluctance to discuss issues such as sex, family planning, and HIV/AIDS. The proceeds from the profits made at the restaurant and the resort, The Birds and the Bees, that are attached to each other, goes to sex education programs in Thailand.
The Russian in Thailand are the bravest beach goers.
Ice cream face, again.
The walk way to Cabbages and Condoms.
Some spectacular sayings to live by.
This drink was called the blue condom. I think they just needed to use the word condom in all their drink names.
While we were in the restaurant, and by the way the food was spectacular, there was a thunderstorm. We had timed everything perfectly, without even trying to do so. We sat and enjoyed our lunch with a background of a beautiful shower.
The rain stopped just as we were getting ready to leave. We got back in our slightly damp motorbikes and headed back to the villa for a swim. We went to the super market to get some provisions. As I was getting back on my motorbike I hit the handle bars and it tipped over....with me underneath it. A few bruises, mostly to my pride, but I would live.
Once we were back at the villa for the evening, it was a game or two of pool for the dads and boys, and the girls just chilled on the sofa. Stuart and Scott went out for a take away pizza and then there was more pool time.
Flamingo bit the dust.
I woke up on Wednesday morning with a sore shoulder. Old gray mare she ain’t what she used to be. I can only assume when I landed on my forearm, that jarred me a bit, this causes the sore shoulder. Getting old is brutal.
The kids Skyped Grammie and Pop and we had a nice chat. I then went for a walk with Clare. Once we were back we had breakfast at the house, coffee, and then set off on the motorbikes for the Pattaya Floating Markets, about a 25 minutes ride from our villa. We weren’t exactly sure of the roads but decided to go for it. Once we were there, we opted to just walk around the market. It was cheaper than committing to the boats and we got to see all the stalls. In fact, I think the boats were a gimmick and money maker.
Whilst at the market, we tried many different foods and drinks. Jack ate crocodile, chicken hearts, stuart had a homemade sausage, we got smoothies, and a slushie in a watermelon.
Another great bathroom sign.
Crocodile!
The dads and kids decided to rent these car/boats and have a little adventure, with both kids driving the vehicle at some stage in the journey. They got stuck and nearly crashed into a few floating markets, but were saved by the locals, thank goodness.
The bugs Jack decided NOT to eat.
We left the floating market and headed toward the villa. We were going to head back to Cabbages and Condoms so we could get a souvenir. However, we got a bit lost and ended up at a chocolate factory. We decided to eat lunch there and grab a sneaky chocolate on our way out. We got back to the villa and settled in for the rest of the evening. The motorbikes were such a good idea and created more adventure than we could have imagined.
While Scott had his interview, we went and had the fish eat the gook off our feet. Clearly, it was very tickley!
By the way, Scott got the job!
Dinner for the kids was ramen noodles and grilled cheese sandwiches. Clare and I just picked at food while Scott and Stuart went out to Dom Pizza, our new hang out just up the road from the villa. We were all in bed by 10 pm.
Stuart was up around midnight and barfing his guts up. Then he was up for the following 2 to 3 hours being sick. Lovely. We had both been taking Imodium each day to try to avoid the all too common dodgy belly. Unfortunately, on this night, the bug won.
By the time we were all awake, Stuart seemed absolutely fine. It’s not terribly uncommon to get a dodgy belly in countries’ whose water isn’t the safest to drink. Fortunately for him, it didn’t last long.
Thursday morning we left the house around 11 am and decided to go downtown to Ripley’s Believe it or Not. We bought 2 passes to 5 activities and got 2 passes for free. We did a laser maze, Ripley’s Museum, Louis Tussaud’s wax Museum, a 4 D movie, and a laser experience where the kids had to maneuver through laser beams. The day was incredible, and another unexpected surprise.
We ate at an Irish pub we had passed several times the first few days we were in Pattaya. The name was Dicey Reilly’s. Since our friends, the O’Reilly’s were to come with us on this trip, we felt we owed it to them to eat at this establishment. I had corned beef and cabbage, which in the end made me have a dodgy belly.
We tried to find and outlet mall, but couldn’t locate it. But I did get my token Starbuck’s mug that had Pattaya on it.
When we got back to our place, we dropped the motorbikes back at the rental stand and I ran home. I wasn’t exactly sure I was going to make it. I was sick for sure. Something I ate? Who knows.
I spent the next 4 hours in the bed or on the toilet. It was not nice! The kids played pool and swam. I’m sure they were also fed dinner but I was not aware of it. The tomaine poison had set in. I pretty much had the chills through the night.
Friday we set out for a boat trip to an island we were to snorkel and fish. I still wasn’t well, but I wasn’t going to miss any fun. No way! I tried my best to eat something and participate, but definitely struggled. We got back from our tour around 3 pm.
We all swam and enjoyed our last full day in the pool. Around 5 pm Clare and I set out to find a specific shirt, but turned up empty. We then walked all the way around, what we thought was, the block. It turned out to be a bit longer in the end. The kids and dads were having a beverage at a bar close to the villa. We then decided to walk across the road for our last meal at Dom Pizza. I was hugged by one of the waitresses. We had become ‘regulars’. Again, I struggled to eat. I was still a bit dodgy and feverish. I definitely had it worse than Stuart did.
Once we were home, the kids hopped in the shower and then went to bed. We stayed up and watched some horrible Ozzie telly. When I finally went to bed I was ridden with a slight fever again. I woke up around midnight in full on sweats. I had to change my jammies. Yuck!
Once we were all awake Saturday morning, the last preparations for travel took place. The kids had their last swim. We all did our best to clear the fridge of anything edible or drinkable. We continued to play games of pool and then got ready to leave our villa.
At 11 am the taxi showed up. We had an hour and a half journey to the airport. Our holiday was nearly over.
Once at the airport, we had a meal at a pub and then did some shopping at Duty Free. The flight boarded just after 6 pm and we spent the next 6 hours flying. I watched The Darkest Hour, which was spectacular. I also watched a few sitcoms that were hilarious. The flight was relatively uneventful.
We arrived in Dubai just before 9 pm. Passport control was relatively fast. Once we said goodbye to the Richardsons, we called our shuttle from a close by hotel and he came to get us.
We piled in the car and headed for home. Of course Jack and Millie slept the entire journey. Because I had them to shower before we left the villa, throwing them in bed was not a big deal. However, Jack decided he wanted to shower anyway.
While he showered, Stuart brought Millie in the house and simply put her in bed. I started in on the laundry and then went up to say good night to Jack. I allowed there to be dirty laundry in the laundry room, even through it goes against my grain. But it was after midnight when I finally got to bed and work was the following morning.
It was a wonderful week that I didn’t want to end.
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