April 30, 2015

Easter egg upset




Finn found one egg and was completely an utterly satisfied. In fact, when we tried to have him put the egg in the basket and go find other eggs he started to pout and stomp his feet in a fit. He didn't quite get the concept of an Easter Egg Hunt. 

We'll try again next year!

April 23, 2015

Bangkok Thailand



After our adventures in Chiang Mai we flew to Bangkok and then caught a ride to Pattaya beach, just a couple hours away. We enjoyed the beach but definitely enjoyed our infinity pool and kiddie pool at the Holiday Inn.  Finn loves the water and followed the big kids down the water slide. Brave boy.




Our adventures in Bangkok, Thailand

















  


We loved shopping along the vibrant and loud Khaosan Road.

Riding in a tuk tuk.

 We were so happy to be able to spend a day with our sweet friend, Mai. She was an exchange student with a family from our church about two years ago and we kept our promise that we'd visit her in Thailand!  She showed us around her hometown of Bangkok, explained a lot of the history and architecture, and made sure we got the best prices for taxis!




The details and architecture of the Wat Pho temple are amazing! IT was interesting to learn about the Thai, Chinese, Indian and European influences throughout.  The paintings continue around the entire temple and tell an Indian story that Thai children read in school but is so long they never finish.













The Grand Palace 

The Golden Buddha
138 ft long and 45ft high!

Climbed to the top of the Golden Mount Temple where we enjoyed a view of Bangkok.





April 22, 2015

Chiang Mai Thailand

Nestled into the foothills of northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is a beautiful and jungle-like place. The pace is much more laid-back than Bangkok. Here, we found ourselves riding elephants, hiking to waterfalls, visiting a fresh strawberry farm, driving a scooter around town, shopping at the artisan markets, taking a trip to the zoo, and visiting their sacred Temples.



We went for an elephant ride. Admittedly, I was scared, more because I was afraid Finn would fall off as we took corners near cliffs and held on for our lives when the elephant tried to feed on branches that seemed out of it's reach.  Finn and I got off at one point and let Ben ride alone to catch more pictures and regain our composure. 

I think I was also a bit more scared because I am 24 weeks pregnant here. This is how we announced the pregnancy to our friends and family. "Room for one more on this ride!"







Finn was so cute and brave around the elephants.



Took a hike to the Mork-Fa Waterfall where we cooled off and enjoyed the scenery.






The Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium is unreal. Never in the United States would you be able to get this close to the animals, especially such dangerous ones as the hippopotamus! We fed them sweet potatoes and as you can see from the pictures we were close enough to pet them (this would never fly in the USA).







The panda bear. We paid extra to see the panda bears. Probably wasn't worth what it cost to peer at the panda through a glass window, while it sat, where it probably had been sitting for hours, contently eating bamboo.





We took a tuk tuk to the most beautiful temple, Doi Suthep in the Hmong Village.  We hung a bell with our name to say that we were there.


We definitely felt the burn on those stairs!









We hopped on a scooter and made our way to the countryside where we swam under a waterfall and ate fresh strawberries at a little farm along our way.



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