Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep

Up 309 steps on the top of the mountain is the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Tempe. It's the most famous temple in Chiang Mai with a 360* outlook of the surrounding area. Lining the street up to the mountain are dozens of little shops selling fresh food, little souvenirs and beautiful flowers folded into roses that the Buddhist people will buy and leave as a part of their ritual. The stairs up to the temple are lined by two huge serpents beautifully carved and leading the way. There were so many people, both tourists like us and devout Buddhist making their way up or down the massive set of steps. Climbing your way to the top of the mountain the thick jungle forest is on either side and you can feel the cooling difference in temperature from the city below. Reaching the end of the serpents tails you find the entrance to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. It is a free entrance to Thai people but for us as tourists we had to pay a small fee in order to enter and take a look around. Since the temple is being used you need to make sure you are modestly dressed and reverent before being allowed to proceed. So once we climbed the 309 steps, paid our fee, made sure we were all decently covered and gave the kids a quick pep talk on behavior inside we finally were able to take a look inside this famous temple.

Along the outer edge or bottom floor of the grounds were these huge bells that people were ringing, beautifully carved statues of elephants, Buddha and dragons. This amazing view of the mountains and the city was visible from anywhere you stood and brought this peaceful awed feeling with it. There were also a few mini Buddha shrines with people worshipping inside. Everywhere you looked there was this perfected detail in every bit of architecture. I can only imagine the time it took to create such a huge temple and the upkeep that has to go into keeping it up!

After walking a complete circle around the outer grounds you take off your shoes and climb up a small set of stairs into the middle and highest part of the temple. BREATHTAKING. Inside all you see the bright sun shimmering off of this intense amount of gold. Right away you can feel the heat of the sun being reflected and you have to squint your eyes just a bit to take it all in. In the center were gold. Gold statues, gold towers, gold everything. And the pathway around all this gold was lined with practicing Buddhist carrying their flowers before leaving to kneel down, light their incense and leave their flowers for Buddha. It was really amazing and I was totally blown away by it all. It felt so weird to be there staring at these people as they were worshipping but I was curious and captivated by the whole ambiance.

We ended our morning by going up further into the mountain to Bhu Bhing Palace which is where the royal family resides when in Chiang Mai. It's only open a few weeks of the year when it's not occupied and so we thought we should go up and take a look. Sadly other then a massive rose garden it wasn't too special. The King is so old now he doesn't really ever leave his main residence but apparently the Princess stays there at times.

When telling this to the kids Brayden asks "Is she in?"
"No" I explain, "she's out."
"I wonder where she is" he continues, "maybe at the ball with the Prince."

How cute is that!? I wish that I lived in a Disney world filled with happy endings!
For more pictures of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep and the Bhu Bhing Palace you can just click "here"

Welcome to Chiang Mai

We arrived in Chiang Mai around 7:30am Sunday morning. I was amazed at the difference in temperature from Bangkok (which was similar to the Philippines). I was so cold! We were up further north and in the mountains a bit so it was expected and I found it so refreshing. It was like a September morning and it was great to be outside in the warm sun but not sweating buckets from the humidity at the same time. Such a treat to actually be able to wear my hair down all day long and not have that sticky wet feeling bugging me. I also just want to clarify that this cooler temperature was around 22*C so it was still nice and warm, just not the warm I've grown used to.
We arrived at the hotel which was happy to store our luggage for us until check in time later that afternoon so after making some Christmas calls home we decided to go out exploring. We made our way down to the older part of the city and walked along the original city boundary wall admiring and exploring all the old buddhist temples. They were so beautiful with incredible detail to colour and design. The kids also seemed to enjoy running around and checking out the different dragons and serpents that each temple was decorated with. They knew to take of their shoes, kneel down and show reverence when they wanted to go inside and they kept up with us the whole day as we walked from temple to temple.

We stopped off in some restaurant off the side of the road for our first authentic Thai meal and it was so delicious. Even the kids seemed really happy with what ended up on their plate (or just grateful that we were able to find something not spicy on the menu for them). The spices they used were flavourful and all these amazing fresh vegetables in each dish. That's one thing the Philippines does not do... vegetables. They just can't really grow them, they are pricey and no one eats them. It was so yummy and different then what i've ever had before. It was the perfect meal to fuel us for a couple more blocks and a few more temples.

We slowly made our way back to the hotel and again I have to mention how amazing it was to walk all day in the warm sun and not melt away! The kids were able to go go go all day long and no one was soaking wet at the end of the day. We ate a quick dinner, made plans for the next day and it was early to bed for us after all that exploring.
One thing that never got old was seeing these monks walking around in their orange robes and then having them whip out their cell phone or mp3 player. It just seemed to go against my naive view of them constantly meditating in these temples but I guess they have to get around just the same as everyone else!

P.S. 7-11's are amazing. I love them. Maybe it's just that familiarity of them or the promise of a slurpee that sign brings. I wish they had them here in Bacolod because it's hot enough I'm sure I would be a frequent slurpee drinker. When I saw one just down the street from the hotel how excited I was! We went to pick up a couple of things and while I was getting a few essentials Ryan went to the back where the slurpee machines were and came back looking so excited and telling me to go and check out the flavours. Ohhh, my mouth was watering and I grabbed what I needed and made my way to that far corner of the store. OH, to my disappointment they were the most disgusting flavours ever! Creamy strawberry, coffee and something else I can't even remember I was too sad to really take it in. Where was the cream soda flavour? The sour green apple? Anything familiar!? BOO
Clicking "here" will take you to the photo album with most of our pictures of all the beautiful temples we saw that day in Chiang Mai. Definitely worth the look!

The Real Christmas Day

December 25th we woke up in Bangkok Thailand ready to start our adventure. The majority of Thailand's population is Buddhist so I wasn't expecting much in respect to a Christmas celebration but I was pleasantly surprised. There were Christmas lights hanging from the trees with Merry Christmas banners, decorated Christmas tree's and a little nativity set up in our hotel. How thoughtful is it for a country with 95% believing in one thing but still be so willing to try to make Christmas pleasant for everyone else! We had already celebrated our Christmas so didn't really do much more then wish each other a Merry Christmas ... again, and I took a snap of the kids in front of the nativity the hotel was sporting.
The other time we had been in Bangkok Ryan and I were captivated with the huge weekend market and all the amazing things they had, seriously everything! Since it was Saturday we decided to head to Chatuchak weekend market and see what we could find as far as treasures. We got ourselves a tuk tuk and squashed all up together and off we went to the market and definitely were not disappointed! They had every kind of snack you could want, coconut ice cream, fresh fruits, shakes, wraps, thai curry, popsicles. They also had some foods that maybe you wouldn't want to eat:

It was such a busy day and by the time we made it back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and head to the train station I was ready for bed. I think the 5 of us were all in our bunks by and sleeping by 6:30pm.

You can also click here to check out more of our Bangkok pictures.

Christmas Comes But Twice a Year

We had a trip to Thailand planned over Christmas this year but Christmas day we were going to be more in transit then anything. We were arriving in Bangkok around midnight Christmas morning, spending the day in the big city and then boarding the night sleeper train around 6pm Christmas night. We really didn't want to rip the kids off of their Christmas so we kind of tricked them into thinking that Christmas was on Wednesday this year instead of that coming Saturday. It worked out perfectly. The kids had been so busy with Nana and Papa arriving and our quick beach trip that they quickly lost track of the days and one day they woke up and BAM it was Christmas Eve and we were eating our Chinese take out anticipating Santa's arrival by leaving him some cookies decorated earlier that day and some Super Lolo firecrackers (we heard Santa liked firecrackers as much as their dad).

We woke up in the morning and were so excited to see that Santa had found us even though we were early this year. He's one smart dude! The main floor of our house quickly turned to chaos and no inch of wrapping paper was left untouched. Our kids were spoiled mostly with craft and building type loot and a few stuffed animals for the wee one. Hopefully stuff that will keep them entertained for a while!

We finished our day with my very first turkey! I did it and it was a success, or I thought so anyway. It tasted good and we had way more then enough which came in handy the next day for lunch before leaving to the airport. We had mashed potato's, yummy carrots, turkey, stuffing and gravy. Just the basics but it was really tasty and thankfully I had my mom there to help me out. The house got smoking hot with the oven on and the door wide open with excited kids running in and out that was letting in that 30*C air. The poor air conditioning really had to work overtime. We did take a few breaks over the afternoon to let off some of the big firecrackers that are in the video I previously shared so thankfully it wasn't just play time for the kids. It was a really nice fake Christmas day. The best part about it was that when Ryan and I went out on December 24th we were just chilling and watching everyone else in the malls scramble for all their last minute gifts. It was so wonderful to have dealt with all that already and just relax!

Alive and Having a Blast!!

Well, we are in Thailand right now having quite the amazing adventure. I've taken loads of snaps but have no laptop to upload them for you! I promise lots of day by day updates when we get back to Bacolod early next week.
I hope you are all having a great Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm A Big Pig ... You Can Be A Big Pig Too

So we keep our bacon grease because we don't really have hot water in our kitchen sink and as it thickens it clogs the drain and it's gross. We drain it into a empty tin and when it's full it goes into the garbage and we don't ever see it again. I keep it under the sink so it's easy to access and out of the way. Ryan eats a lot of bacon and so he'll drain it off and leave it there on the kitchen counter for me to put away when it cools down enough to touch. One day when I went to put the tin under the sink I found this:

KA-BOOM

I've mentioned that we've been celebrating the Christmas season with fireworks and firecrackers. Well we've been testing a lot of different firecrackers to see which ones are the loudest most breath taking. Well I put together this little ensemble so you can decide for yourself which ones gave us the best bang for our buck:

White Snow vs. White Sand

This year for Christmas my mom and step dad made the trip out! So exciting. They've been here before for Christmas and we did this busy trip from one island to another and when we were in Bacolod we were trying to show off the things we loved. It was very go go go. Very fun but very busy. This time I wanted them to kind of get a glimpse of what life is like here for us day to day, relax a little bit and enjoy the company. We have two weeks here in the Philippines before finishing their stay with 1 week in Thailand. We've been doing some Christmas shopping, swimming at the pool here in the subdivision, lighting off fireworks and chilling out. These last few days we took them south a little bit to Punta Bulata. I really wanted to take them to a beach and last time they were here we did the famous Boracay and the beautiful Bohol and so I really wanted to show them something different. I also did not want to do a lot of travelling since they just got off that awful plane ride a week prior and we were going to do a fair bit of travelling in Thailand so Punta Bulata seemed like the perfect choice. Plus the fact that we would most likely have an amazing white sand beach all to ourselves is always enticing. There isn't a whole lot as far as shopping goes but we were able to stay busy exploring the beach, swimming, reading, suntanning and eating. I was able to go for a nice run down the beach one morning while the sun was rising, so peaceful! Oh and did I mention 'amazing white sand beach all to ourselves?'

All three of my kids love swimming. Both Brayden and Sydney have just started swimming on their own without life jackets for pretty amazing distances and so it was perfect for them to practice and gain more confidence. They did this by jumping into the deep end and swimming back, getting thrown into the middle of the pool and swimming back to the edge and putting on the snorkel and masks and putting around the perimeter. I am so proud of them and how amazing they have become. Brayden can swim more then the length of the pool on his own now and Sydney is not too far behind him! Maddy putts around with her water wings on refusing to be left behind. She is just too cute following behind squealing with delight.

We had the perfect weather. The sun was hot, we had a little rain late on our last afternoon which lightened up so we could light off our fireworks on the beach which were AMAZING! Even the staff of the hotel all applauded after the big show. The kids also lit up some sparklers and roman candles shooting out across the water. The sun was back in full forces the next morning as we walked out and explored the beach during low tide. We discovered so many treasures and played around in our own little touch pool.

The evenings were pretty relaxing. The sunsets were amazing and Ryan's newest supply of fireworks proved to be successful, some that would put Lethbridge fireworks to shame (not that it takes a lot to do that). The kids played with their sparklers and Ryan also bought some torches which the kids loved. They were like sticks that burned down changing colour the further down they burned then at the end they would spit out sparkler type lights. We had a few boxes of real fireworks that lit up the sky with amazing colours and loud booms and a few rockets launched from the sand flying across the ocean. It was so much fun and I know the kids loved it!

Such a great weekend. I know the kids had a great time. They couldn't stop talking about how much they love Punta Bulata, the swimming pool and they were all smiles the whole weekend. From the moment they woke up in the morning until bed time they were running around outside enjoying themselves. The resort laid a lot of grass since the last time we were there and it was so nice for them to be able to run from the soft green grass to the soft white sand or the nice cool water. Our room also joined right up to the pool so there wasn't far to go. I've noticed that when my kids are happy and burning off their energy it sure makes my job a whole lot easier!

Swan Dive

Do you guys ever watch these hilarious Old Spice commercials?

Well I see this picture and all I can think is 'Swan dive ... into the best night of your life':

Always a Good Time To Blow Something Up

Ryan loves exploding stuff. The Philippines loves fireworks and firecrackers. Therefore we have a match made in heaven. We were out buying some Christmas presents for the kids and Ryan decides that he's going to buy a couple bags of army men. Great, Brayden would love some army men to play with ... but no, these weren't for Brayden. These were for our fireworks. Apparently when you have little plastic men to explode they become even more fun!?

So of course the kids need to be involved because this is family time together! Brayden and Sydney LOVE exploding stuff just like their daddy. They love exploding little plastic green men just like their daddy.

Ryan is so thoughtful that he even buys fireworks that the kids can participate in first hand:

Lots of fun. Where is Madison in any of these pictures? Whimpering in the corner wishing it was over. Poor girl, she's the only one that doesn't share her daddy's excitement. Hopefully she'll grow into it because I don't think her daddy will ever grow out of it.

Tooth Fairy Dust

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY! Brayden's loose tooth finally fell out today. He had it so loose that all he had to do was bend over and it just fell jumped out! Poor guy just really did not want anyone in there pulling it out and so he patiently waited and waited for it to loosen. Finally today on the way from school I animatedly told him how I used to twist my loose teeth around not just wiggle them. So he goes and turns it 180* and gets a little excited. Then instead of turning it back the opposite direction he turns it another 180* making a full circle. He then procedes ANOTHER 180* so his poor tooth is seriously hanging on by nothing! He can't turn it anymore which causes a little bit of alarm for him until I get him to understand the tooth needs to be turned in the other direction so it's not backwards anymore and he quickly rotates it back 180* but it's still in there turned one full circle without him realizing it! We get home, he gets out of his cute school uniform and runs off to Isabelle's house and returns maybe 10 minutes later with his tooth in a paper towel. I jump out of the kitchen to take a picture and ask him if he had been twisting his tooth to show Bobbi (he made me text her he could twist it on the way home from school, pretty exciting stuff) but he very adamantly told me "NO" he bent down and "it just jumped out!"
SO COOL!

AND, guess who left evidence behind!? The tooth fairy! Yes, it's true ... tooth fairies have pixie dust and strange shaped feet.

That's Gotta Be One Special Woman

Last night we were driving home from the grocery store the kids started talking about how many kids they were going to have after they get married. Brayden then tells us that him and his wife are going to have to have 7 boys and 7 girls to make up their 14. "Wow!" I said, "How are you going to fit them all in a car?"
"Some will just go in the back, some in the middle and some in front with me and my wife," Brayden pauses a moment and continues "and some will stay home with a babysitter because that's a lot of kids."
I laughed out loud. His poor wife! She better have baby machine on her resume!

Our Newest Garden Additions

I briefly mentioned in a previous post that we added a chili pepper tree to our collection. We have been wanting to grow some in our garden for a while now but haven't found the right type of seeds for the type of peppers we wanted. While we were up in the mountains yesterday we found a few different pepper plants and took the plunge taking them home with us. We got one large tree and then 2 small pepper plants with larger peppers on it. We've put the tree along the side of the house for now and planted the smaller plants next to our green pepper plants (which are thriving!).

Our cucumbers and pumpkins are also coming along with buds and our lettuce is getting big enough to actually think about putting in a salad. It's very exciting to see them grow and try different types of seeds. We just had radish's and melon's planted but I have yet to see anything sprouting from the melon's. I think that my next project is going to be pineapples!