October '10 Travel and More Celebrations

Switzerland

Bob and I planned a long weekend in Switzerland for the first weekend in October.  We took a 12 hour over night flight from Bangkok to Zurich on September 30 after celebrating Chloe's birthday.   We arrived in Zurich Friday morning and spent the day walking around the city looking at old buildings and churches.  The air was crisp with just a little fall chill.  It was nice to see some colors of the season and enjoy a little bit of what we were missing in the tropics.

Liechtenstein and Heididorf

Our second day in Zurich I booked a bus tour that took us through the countryside to the tiny little country known as the Kingdom of Liechtenstein.  I describe this country as Genovia,  those of you with young to teenage girls know about the fictional country in Princess Diaries.  For the others I will describe Liechtenstein as a perfect little fairy tale kingdom where the royal family rule and govern from their castle on top of the mountain overlooking the village below.  Our time in Liechtenstein was limited as we were held up at the border for the Miss Leichtenstein parade to pass through.  The parade was more of a 4-H showing of the countries best heifers.  Now, I'm not implying that the women of Leichtenstein are a beefy breed but truly it was a parade of cows.



Downtown Vaduz, Leichtenstein



Vaduz Castle

Home of the King of Leichtenstein and his family

After our short time in Leichtenstein, just long enough to get a passport stamp and snap a few pictures, we were back on the bus and heading to Heididorf.  On our way we saw beautiful scenery of the Swiss Alps including a breathtaking view of Matterhorn, "Did you get a picture of that, Bob?"  "No, I was looking at it, didn't you get the picture, Leslie?"   Sigh.... no picture of Matterhorn but a beautiful sight none the less.

Heididorf was actually just a small area of country in Maienfield that was used for outdoor scenes in the 1937 Shirley Temple movie Heidi.  It didn't take the residents long to capitalize on the marketing of the movie and name the area Heididorf.  A Heidi house stands on the property with movie memorabilia inside.  This was a very touristy thing to do but we did see some beautiful countryside scenery of Switzerland during this side trip.

Back in Zurich we enjoyed another day of sightseeing and food.  The city is beautiful and very clean but I have to say that Swiss food does not top my list of favorites.  A lot of plain beef and cheese made me only worry about cholesterol too much while on vacation.

Cheese Fondue for Lunch





Of course we had to take a ride on a funicular.

One last look at Zurich

Back on Thai Time

As I said in an earlier post, I promised to make 2 birthday cakes.  Here is Robert's requested cherry cake with almond icing and pictures from Chloe and Robert's belated birthday dinner celebration at Bennihana.

Pattaya Floating Market

Floating markets have been a way of life for the people of Thailand for many years.  However, Pattaya's floating market is not so old and was built for the many tourists that visit each year.  The market has been replicated very well to demonstrate the floating market lifestyle of Thailand.  We enjoyed our day at the market by tasting some local foods and buying some cheap souvenirs.

 Here a couple makes coconut tapioca treats

 Lilli thinks they are a hit!

 Muay Thai boxing demonstration over water

Another food vendor and a person that offers rides in his boat

Hua Hin

The kids had a break from school the last week of October for Chulalongkorn (celebrating one of the greatest kings of Siam, who kept the country from ever being colonized) so we planned our first road trip here in Thailand.  We went to Hua Hin, about 4 hours from our home in Pattaya, on the other side of the Gulf of Thailand.  We stayed at the beautiful Marriott Resort on the beach.  We were happy to see our high school friend Boyd Barker who was in visiting the hotel as he works for the company that owns the property.

 Lilli enjoys the pool

 Chloe enjoys lounging by the pool

It's 95 degrees F and look how the beach clean up crew is dressed!  Thai's do not like to be exposed to the sun.  They do not like for their skin to be tanned.  Completely opposite of us farangs (fa-lahng, what a Thai calls a westerner).

Spirit Houses

Thais have a strong belief in in spirits.  One group of spirits are the territorial spirits.  These spirits exist in a certain area.  If a person wishes to build a house or operate a business they will first put up a spirit house so that the spirits that are already existing on the property will have their own dwellings, will be comfortable, and not cause problems for the people living or working on the grounds.  Spirit houses can be plain structures of wood or elaborate replicas of palaces.  Food and drinks are left each day at the spirit house to keep the spirits happy.  Spirit houses can be seen everywhere.  They are at private homes, hotels, places of business including everything from large factories to small beer bars.  The spirit houses below are at our favorite Mexican restaurant Mike's Mexican that I mentioned in an earlier post.

It was suggested once by co-workers of Bob that perhaps he needed a Spirt House at our house so that he might get some better sleep.  We had only been here a short time and were having troubles adjusting to the time shift.  We thought that we might be able to get over our jetlag by ourselves so we opted out on a spirit house.  Plus being Catholic we weren't even sure if the spirits would mind us and stay in their own house anyway.  A co-worker came back to Bob after some of her own research and asked if he had had a "Priste" out to the house yet.  Bob said, "Excuse me, Priste???"  She smiled and said, "Yes, from your church... to get rid of spirits for you."  Bob replied, "Oh, Priest!  Well, no I haven't but that I might consider."

Not to long after this I was at the Redemptorist Center here in Pattaya.  Redemptorist Center is a compound area like a hotel resort owned by the Catholic Church that hosts various Catholic retreats and such.  Imagine my surprise when I noticed a SPIRIT HOUSE!  Right there on Catholic property!  I noticed there was a sign placed on the spirit house so I had to read it.

       

So there you have it!  A piece of wood from the Most Holy Cross, right here in Pattaya, in a spirit house!  Again, a blending of religions and cultures.        

                Halloween

Lilli and her classmate Rein celebrate Halloween.

We were curious how Halloween would be celebrated here in Thailand.  Surely there celebrations weren't as big as American celebrations?  Au contraire mon ami, Halloween was celebrated with much gusto here in Pattaya.  One of the larger ex-pat compounds here in Pattaya had a big celebration on October 30.  The high school students at ISE were asked to help run the game booths.  Smyth signed up for two shifts working a ring toss booth and the Haunted Tour.  The Pattaya Players, a local theater group made up of ex-pats, told stories as guests took the tour around the compound.  The make-up and costumes were quite realistic and the stories gave a good scare to the kids.

Double, Double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble

Rise Table, Rise!

Here, our neighbor girl, Alexis, tries to walk on water in a giant hamster ball.

Not only did we enjoy the festivities at Horseshoe Point but also the next evening in our neighborhood we had a block party where everyone brought food and we grilled out while the kids ran around in costumes playing hide and seek and eating way too much candy. 

And so ends October.







September '10 Zoos, Sanctuaries, and Birthdays

With a house in order and kids on a normal school routine it almost seemed normal,  as normal as can be when living 10,000 miles from all that is familiar. 
                                                                             

                                                                   Mâe Bâan
The addition of a mâe bâan (maid) to the family has been very beneficial.  We learned that it is common and expected to hire domestic help in Thailand as well as many Southeast Asian countries.  We went through the proper channels one must go through when hiring a maid.  You tell your driver or the maid next door that you are looking for a maid.  The next day many ladies in a wide range of ages will show up at your door inquiring  about work in your home.  We began interviewing and found we had quite a range of personalities and work desires wanting to join our family.  One nice older lady wanted to move into our house with us and work Monday-Saturday but have one weekend off a month to go to Bangkok.  She was a very sweet lady and spoke very good English.  She took one look at our 3 levels of stairs and told us she had a foot problem and might have a hard time going up and down the stairs.  Another lady wanted to work M-F with all holidays off paid (there is no less than one holiday a month in Thailand).  Her English wasn't too great but I'm quite certain she asked for her rice to be included with her pay (Thais eat a lot of rice.)  Happily we hired Dowan.  She cleans, she irons, she cooks wonderful Thai food, she does windows and screens, and she is very good at charades!  This being a major part of our communication since her English is limited and my Thai is even more limited.

A mortar and pestle is a must in all Thai kitchens.  Dowan asked if I had one so I got out my small spice and herbs mortar and pestle set that my sister in law, Laura, had given me.  Dowan laughed and laughed.  She came to work the next day with the large clay and wood set you see in the above photo and told me how much I owed her for it.

Here Dowan is making Phad Thai.  One of our favorite Thai noodle dishes.

I thought fish and chips would be good for dinner one evening and asked Dowan if she could buy some good fish and fry it for me.

Not exactly the fried fish I had in mind but it was so delicious.  Smyth's comment was, "This is the first time I've ever been concerned that my dinner might bite ME!

Zoo

An outing to Khao Kheow Open Zoo was our first outing for September.  The oldest child, who has been to many zoos in many cities, was not quite so thrilled with the idea of going to yet another zoo to see a bunch of stinky animals.  But once we got there his attitude changed a little as we learned exactly what an open zoo is.  An open zoo is much like those animal parks that you drive your car through and are warned to keep your windows up at all times because the animals are free and roaming around.  The only difference here being, you do not drive your car through the park but instead, YOU WALK!  All the big animals and ones that aren't considered too friendly are either surrounded by a moat or in a glassed in habitat.  But the other animals, monkeys, peacocks, flamingos, deer, gazelles are all walking about looking for handouts.  The cutest being a monkey family we saw, a dad monkey, and a mom monkey, holding hands with a young monkey between them and the mom monkey carrying a baby monkey.



"Don't even bother coming over here if you don't have food!"

Yes, the hippo was quite friendly too.  He came all the way to the fence.

Lilli liked the giant fishing pole mounted on the fence until she realized that it was used to feed the tiger that is snoozing in the background.

Chloe said, "Look Mom, there's another person riding an elephant on the road" My reply, "So it is."

(a somewhat common sight here)



                                   To market, to market to buy a fat....
hog, duck, shark, turtle, mango, pomelo, garlic, leech, rambutan, you name it!  You will find it at a Thai market.  My driver, Nick, said I needed to go a market.  So off we went.  My eyes were amazed.  The amount and variety of seafood, chicken, pork, and fresh produce was unreal.  Of course everything belonging to the animal kingdom was still breathing and running or swimming around. Hey, I said it was fresh.

Na Klua Market

Rambutans

Yes, you eat them.  It is a fruit.

Soft shell crabs just swimming along happily.

These guys were still breathing!

Thai cooking must have a bushel of garlic and a peck of phet chilis for it to be authentic.

Beautiful produce

Home again, Home again, jiggity jog

Our home is in a compound that caters to ex-pats.  The compound is owned by the Regents School.  Regents is an International British school.  All homes have a wall around the property, a private swimming pool, a maid's quarters, and nice landscaping.  Since all the homes in the compound are for leasing only we enjoy the benefits of a garden crew that comes several days a week, a pool person that comes twice a week, and a maintenance man that comes when we need anything done like a new water filter in the refrigerator, a toilet unclogged, or a picture hung.  This has really freed up a lot of time for all of us to spend the weekends enjoying our home and seeing the surrounding area.  Here are a few pictures of the house but not too many as we would rather have you come and visit us and see the place in person.

Smyth, Chloe, and Lilli enjoy the pool.



Smyth and Chloe's bungalow

The Great Room



Lions, Tigers, and Tokays???

OH MY!

One evening in September while Robert was working in Brussels Smyth came to me and said, "Mom, there is a giant lizard in my bathroom."  I head to his room with a small Thai broom and a dust pan.  Smyth notes that I'm not armed properly.  I'm quite sure that I'll be able to wrangle the gecko as Smyth is one that surely exaggerates some.  However, when I get to the bathroom and see the large beast I realize that we have a greater problem than a little gecko running loose in the house.  I swat at the Tokay (the Pitbull of geckos, according to Wikipedia )  with the broom and the thing snaps at it and takes off running up the wall.  Now what do I do?  Did I mention that also in our compound we have 24 hour security guards?  It took 3 highly trained professionals to chase this creature down and capture it in Chloe's dresser drawer.  Yes, that's right, it started in the bathroom and ended up in Chloe's sock drawer.

I was told that having a Tokay get into a house that had glass windows and screens was not common and that I would probably never have that happen again.  But a few short weeks later I'm in the kitchen and I start getting a lot of IM notifications on my computer.  I go to check it out and Chloe is frantically typing to me, "MOM!  There is another huge Tokay over here at the bungalow.  Bigger than the last one!  I can't get out of my room!!!  GET IT!"  I go check it out and sure enough, another Tokay is waiting above the door for Chloe to come out so to pounce on her.  My maid is at the house at this time so I figure she's Thai, she's probably dealt with these critters all her life.  So I say to her, "Kuhn Dowan, Tokay at Bungalow" and I point to it.  She runs away from the house screaming.  Great, I've lost my mâe bâan and I'm stuck with another Tokay.  But within a minute she is back and has brought a security guard with her and is yelling at him now.  Within 5 seconds the Tokay was in the bag and the security guard says to me, "Thank you, Ma'daam"  He's thanking me???  Apparently he is of Chinese descent and finds the Tokay to be a tasty treat. 

Sanctuary of Truth

http://www.sanctuaryoftruth.com/

A beautiful place right here in Pattaya located on the beach is The Sanctuary of Truth.  This structure has been in the process of being built for quite a few years now.  It is a blending of the Hindu and Buddhist faiths but is not a temple but a building to reflect the beliefs of the two religions.  We had a boat ride that took us out into the Gulf of Thailand so that we could view the Sanctuary from the water and get a good view of Pattaya as well.  We had a tour that explained so much of the architecture and beliefs of the Thai people.  We were then treated to a traditional Thai dance show while we sipped a frozen nam manao (non-alcohol lemon lime drink). 




The Sanctuary of Truth

 

After our day at Sanctuary of Truth we hit one of our favorite restaurants in Pattaya,

Mike's Mexican!



Beach Clean Up

As a service project to the community of Rayong, Solvay participated in the annual beach clean up weekend.  Our family was happy to wake at 5:30 am on a Saturday to offer our services of picking up debris and litter on the beach....well, maybe not so happy about the 5:30 wake up call on a Saturday but happy, non the less, to offer our services to help clean the beach.

But in true Thai fashion the opening ceremony started late then ran for about an hour and a half as every local dignitary had to speak to the crowd.  The speeches were all in Thai therefore The May family had no idea what was being said and got quite antsy waiting for the clean up to begin.





After the clean up of our designated section of beach we had a delicious lunch prepared by a spouse of a Solvay employee.  The dish consisted of rice, chicken, and a boiled egg wrapped in a banana leaf.

We were so hungry after our work that none of us thought about taking a picture of our meal before we devoured most of it.



Food carts are the Thai version of drive thru fastfood.  The difference being that the food cart is the one doing the driving.  You can get anything from noodles and soup to fried crickets off a food cart.  Here, an ice cream cart pulled up ready to serve us a much needed cold treat.  As you see this ice cream man is much different than the iconic Good Humor ice cream man of the States.  This ice cream man has an ice cream maker/freezer mounted to his side cart.  He makes homemade coconut ice cream right on his motorbike then drives around until someone flags him down for an ice cream cone.  The cones were small, a perfect size, and cost a whopping 5 Baht (about 16 cents).  

BBQ, Thai Style

After Beach Clean Up we went to a cook out with other Solvay employees.  This was our first BBQ to attend in Thailand.  What a treat, so much food, and such a variety too!

The drivers for the ex-pat families do the cooking.  Nick in the white t-shirt with the hot dog is our driver.

Longan Fruit

 Rumbutan fruit

Lilli sits like a proper Thai female




Big Buddha, Big Buddha, Big Buddha

Big Buddhas are quite common in Thailand.  It seems that every large town in Thailand has its own Big Buddha statue in one of the 4 Buddha postures, seated, standing, walking, or reclining.  This seated Big Buddha is right here in Pattaya.

September 30

As with every last day of September we celebrated Robert and Chloe's birthday.  This year Chloe turned 13 and Robert turned 45.  Every year the two have their picture made with Chloe sitting on Robert's lap.  Chloe requested strawberry cake, as usual, for her birthday cake.  There are no strawberry cake mixes in Thailand.  Thanks to the internet and Paula Deen I was able to pull up a strawberry cake recipe that turned out to be Chloe's favorite birthday cake so far. 

Although I agreed to always make cakes for both Robert and Chloe I never agreed to making them on the same day.  Robert gets his cake a few days later.