Nov 2006

Sa-wat-dii Kha from Thailand!

These past few weeks have been filled with rest and adventure. We spent some wonderful time on two beautiful island beaches in Southern Thailand: Koh Samui and Koh Tao. Keith and I both had Thai massages on the beach ($7 for one hour!). Oliver and I took a snorkel daytrip around Koh Tao and the tiny island of Koh Nang Yaan (3 small islands connected by a sandbar). Oliver had his first motorbike ride on the way to the Thai doctor in our first official trip mishap. On our last day on the beach in Koh Tao, he stepped on some glass and we got to see firsthand the inner-workings of Thai medicine. $35, 20 minutes, 3 stitches (and a whole lot of screaming) later we were on our way. Soon thereafter, Emmett got seasick on the water taxi back to Koh Samui. Luckily that is all behind us as we are now in the Northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai. The food is fabulous: Pad Thai, Panang Curry, Green Papaya Salad, Fried Chicken with Cashews, Tom Kaa Gai Soup and of course, Pizza. Yesterday we hired a Tuk-Tuk (small scooter taxi) to drive us around and visited the Prah Singh Temple, an Umbrella Factory, Insect Museum, Wood Carving Center and Silk Factory. The boys were fascinated with the silk making process from the worm to the cocoon to the thread and finally the weaving. Last night Oliver and I took a Thai cooking class together. After shopping for our ingredients at the local market, we chopped, mixed, fried and stirred. We departed with full bellies and recipes to share with our friends when we return. We miss you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Ni Hao from China!

We are now in our 4th week of travel (sometimes it feels like we've been gone 4 months!) and all is well. We had a great last week in Japan staying with the Tensaka family in Morita and enjoying some fabulous hospitality: amazing (and often mysterious) food, three 40th birthday parties for me, and Karaoke - all the while making some great new friends. We said goodbye to Travis (thanks for all of the help T-Bone!) and hopped our next plane to Beijing. Needless to say, China is very different from Japan. We are gathering some great research for Oliver's "Potties Around the World" book here. We have visited the Forbidden City, watched a Chinese Acrobats show, hiked along the Great Wall and eaten some interesting snacks (scorpions and squid at the Donganmen Yeshi Night Market to mention a few). Tomorrow, Nov. 5, we are off to Thailand and are all looking forward to getting out of the big crowded city and onto the beach! We hope everyone is fabulous and we miss you all...