Well better late then never, right? It's almost be an year since our Thailand trip. I miss it everyday. I've never been to a more beautiful place.
Our trip landed up being during Thailand's military coup... That's where the military takes over power to restore stability in the country. Perfect timing, right? They had curfews set and everything. Ha... just our luck!
The first leg of our trip was Phoenix to San Francisco. This was the worst part our trip I think. Our flight was delayed for almost 3 hours. So we just hung around the airport. You pulled your bag around the terminal and everyone loved you. Once we finally got on the flight Ryder was pretty done with being a quiet human. I can't blame him. We woke up at 5AM to be at the airport on time then hung around for 3 hours playing with our thumbs. Anyways. Not the funnest 2 hour flight for Princey boy. The delayed flight was a HUGE problem for us though. Our flight from San Francisco to Japan was scheduled to leave 30 minutes after we landed in SFO thanks to the delay. If you've travelled at all you know they close the gate 10 minutes before departure. Our flight closed 20 minutes before take off. We had 10 minutes to get from domestic arrivals to international departures. Reese ran with the luggage and I ran with Ryder on my back. We ran for our lives to make it and unfortunately missed it by about 10 minutes. I wanted to kill Southwest. Why are they ALWAYS DELAYED? And by 3 hours? Give me a flipping break. Anyways, this was so disappointing. I was in tears, Ryder was in tears (because he was so tired), and Reese was so frustrated. It was not a good start to our holiday. Luckily after a lot back and forth we were able to get on the next flight to Japan UNFORTUNATELY it was the next day. It landed up being graduation weekend (or something like that) in San Francisco so all the hotels near the airport were fully booked. We had to take the BART and walk to get to the first available hotel. An hour and a half later we made it to the hotel and just decided to relax and go to bed early because we were so tired. Ryder was a bit of a crazy man in the hotel room because how our day had played out. I think he wee'd, poo'd, and even fell on the bed at one point. #momoftheyear The next morning we got up extra early so we could make it back to the airport on time to FINALLY get on our flight to Thailand. Our first leg was to Tokyo, Japan. It was 11 hours and you only slept for 1 hour of the flight. Boy oh boy was it interesting. I am actually unsure how we all survived it. Or should I say how my nipples survived it... Luckily the flight wasn't full at all so we got the bulkhead and 2 extra seats to ourselves. I had filled Ryder's giraffe bag with a bunch of random stuff since we decided not to bring the IPAD. We played with tape, stickers, colouring, balloons, books, silly putty, the airplane remote, and whatever other random stuff we could get our hands on. It was interesting to say the least. Once we arrived in Japan we had a 3 hour layover where he stayed awake the WHOLE TIME! We were so exhausted. Ryder was miserable. Finally 20 minutes before our flight was due to leave for Thailand, he finally fell asleep and stayed asleep for about 5 hours of the 7 hour flight to Bangkok. HALLELUJAH! (I swear I could hear angels singing for those 5 hours)
Our trip landed up being during Thailand's military coup... That's where the military takes over power to restore stability in the country. Perfect timing, right? They had curfews set and everything. Ha... just our luck!
The first leg of our trip was Phoenix to San Francisco. This was the worst part our trip I think. Our flight was delayed for almost 3 hours. So we just hung around the airport. You pulled your bag around the terminal and everyone loved you. Once we finally got on the flight Ryder was pretty done with being a quiet human. I can't blame him. We woke up at 5AM to be at the airport on time then hung around for 3 hours playing with our thumbs. Anyways. Not the funnest 2 hour flight for Princey boy. The delayed flight was a HUGE problem for us though. Our flight from San Francisco to Japan was scheduled to leave 30 minutes after we landed in SFO thanks to the delay. If you've travelled at all you know they close the gate 10 minutes before departure. Our flight closed 20 minutes before take off. We had 10 minutes to get from domestic arrivals to international departures. Reese ran with the luggage and I ran with Ryder on my back. We ran for our lives to make it and unfortunately missed it by about 10 minutes. I wanted to kill Southwest. Why are they ALWAYS DELAYED? And by 3 hours? Give me a flipping break. Anyways, this was so disappointing. I was in tears, Ryder was in tears (because he was so tired), and Reese was so frustrated. It was not a good start to our holiday. Luckily after a lot back and forth we were able to get on the next flight to Japan UNFORTUNATELY it was the next day. It landed up being graduation weekend (or something like that) in San Francisco so all the hotels near the airport were fully booked. We had to take the BART and walk to get to the first available hotel. An hour and a half later we made it to the hotel and just decided to relax and go to bed early because we were so tired. Ryder was a bit of a crazy man in the hotel room because how our day had played out. I think he wee'd, poo'd, and even fell on the bed at one point. #momoftheyear The next morning we got up extra early so we could make it back to the airport on time to FINALLY get on our flight to Thailand. Our first leg was to Tokyo, Japan. It was 11 hours and you only slept for 1 hour of the flight. Boy oh boy was it interesting. I am actually unsure how we all survived it. Or should I say how my nipples survived it... Luckily the flight wasn't full at all so we got the bulkhead and 2 extra seats to ourselves. I had filled Ryder's giraffe bag with a bunch of random stuff since we decided not to bring the IPAD. We played with tape, stickers, colouring, balloons, books, silly putty, the airplane remote, and whatever other random stuff we could get our hands on. It was interesting to say the least. Once we arrived in Japan we had a 3 hour layover where he stayed awake the WHOLE TIME! We were so exhausted. Ryder was miserable. Finally 20 minutes before our flight was due to leave for Thailand, he finally fell asleep and stayed asleep for about 5 hours of the 7 hour flight to Bangkok. HALLELUJAH! (I swear I could hear angels singing for those 5 hours)
We were so excited once we landed in Bangkok. It was nice and hot...especially humid and we were SO EXCITED to finally be there! Once we got off the plane we had to get a paper from the airlines giving us permission to take a taxi to our hotel passed curfew. The curfew that said no one could be outside between 10PM and 5AM. Our flight only arrived at 11PM. We got a taxi and headed to the hotel. It was about a 30 minute drive and Ryder fell asleep on the way there. Bad idea! He thought it was nap time (Thailand is 13 hours AHEAD of us) and once we go in our room it was time to play! Needless to say we were pretty tired come sunrise. But thats ok! We were in Thailand. No need for sleep now. :) We went downstairs to breakfast and thats when the oogling and googling started from the locals. I mean, how often do they see a cute little white toddler with the blondest, curliest hair and bright sky blue eyes? Never. That Saturday we went to this huge local market to buy stuff and try all the yummy food. Ryder loved running around and captured EVERYONE's attention. And I mean everyone. I have never seen people stare, point, say hi, touch, pick-up, etc a baby more often than I did in Thailand and it was MY baby. Good thing germs don't bother me... ha ha and luckily he is such a happy-go-lucky boy he didn't mind the extra attention for the most part. This weekend market they have was incredible. It was HUGE and the street food was amazing. Counterfeit heaven for sure. ;) We spent most of the morning and afternoon at the market before heading back to our hotel to dry off (talk about humidity!) and get ready to head to the airport to catch our flight to Krabi. We flew on Bangkok Air which was nice. They gave us a meal for the less than 2 hour flight which was weird since you don't even get a free meal on a 6 hour flight in the States. Fancy! Ryder was on the go the ENTIRE plane ride. I guess we should have suspected that. Being 13 hours ahead we were all pretty jet-lagged and messed up! If the flight attendants didn't think he was so cute I think they might have killed him for not listening.
Once we landed in Krabi, we got on a super hot bus and drove for over an hour to get to the beach area where we would be getting on a long tail boat. Ryder was so tired and crabby on that car ride. I was apprehensive to nurse him because he had nursed so much my nipples were blistered and it hurt. But a bunch of people of a small, unairconditioned bus in the heat and humidity couldn't handle a crying toddler on top of that. I eventually caved and he fell asleep nursing. Once we finally got to the beach area we hoped onto a long tail and had another 45 minute boat ride to get to Railay Beach- our first Island destination. Thailand is so stunningly beautiful. The water is crystal clear and calm. There are these random rock formations that are in the water and then Islands everywhere. It's really incredible. Our first Island stay was amazing. We stayed in our own little Thai bungalow. By the time we got to Railay it was already sunset (talk about another long day of traveling). We walked around the beach, checked into our hotel, then went and got dinner. The fun really began on Sunday, the 25th of May, 2014. We spent our time in Railay playing on the beach and swimming in the sea. We even rented a kayak and explored around some big boulders in the middle of the sea and went to "winky beach". It was basically a beach area of Railay that had a shrine to penises. Not even joking! We had such a great time though. Ryder was loved by all the locals and LOVED pointing out all the kitties.
Just a side note... Blogger is stupid (or maybe it's me...) and my pictures get all mixed up when I upload them. Oh well.
Ryder actually sleeping from Japan to Thailand. A miracle for sure!
The public transportation in Bangkok is so clean, airconditioned, and very easy to navigate even when you don't speak or read anything in Thai.
Thai street food
Just a regular snack of curried crab and prawns. ha ha
Ryder taking a break.
Enjoying our first of MANY coconuts.
I think we paid $0.50 for it. Also I am proof that over-plucking is really an epidemic. (I've worked on it since this trip, I promise)
Waiting for lunch.
Soooo sweaty.
The chef.
BEST FOOD EVER.
Less than a dollar for a kg of fruit.
Curly boys on the air train.
More street food.
Railay Beach
The most painful 11 hours of our life began from San Francisco to Japan...
We went through a looooooot of painters tape. (Thank you Joanna)
Gross airport food in Japan.
Bangkok Airport at midnight. YAY!
Thai juices... like Mexican juices but better. Coconut alllll day long!
Ryder being touched by Thai people.
Long tail ride to Railay Beach...
Lounging...
Our BART ride in San Fran.
I loved the toilet signs... Also half the toilets in the airport bathrooms were holes in the floor. I'm assuming those are for people working on their squats. ;)
This Thai guy decided he was going to walk around with Reese and Ryder for the 45 minute wait at the airport. Very sweet....and very weird too.
Heaven on earth. Railay Beach.
More coconut water.
SUCH GOOD FOOD!
This waiter decided Ryder needed to be shown around to ALL the restaurant patrons.
He was a little apprehensive...
Dessert....our thai pancake in the making.
Probably my favourite picture.
Getting ready to go kayak
He fell asleep on the way to winky beach. (That is not an official name... that is according to Courtney. It's probably called Penis beach)
Oh the shrines...
Thai lime soda and coconut water.
Cutest little Thai guy
My favourite meal.
Thai money
Twins.
From Railay beach we went to Koh Phi Phi. We got on a long tail boat that took us to a big, almost cruise looking type of boat. From there we had about an hour and a half transport to the island. It was a much bigger, much more touristy island on our Thailand adventure. We went hiking, swimming, played on the beach, and ate lots of delicious food. Ryder was the centre of attention everywhere once again. From Koh Phi Phi we took another large ferry boat to our last island stay in Thailand. This was by far my favourite island, Koh Lanta.
Koh Lanta is long and narrow, but not that touristy and so beautiful! We stayed at a lovely hotel AND we were the only guests. That means we had the restaurant, pool, and beach to ourselves! While on Koh Lanta, we went on a fun kayaking excursion. We took a bakkie to a river and then a boat back out into the sea. From there we got on kayaks and explored more rock formations and caves. It was so much fun and Ryder did really well for the most part! From there we took a long tail to Monkey Island (I think thats what it was called) and played in the water then ate some lunch. When it was time for our excursion to end, we got back on the long tail and went to go see monkeys in the trees! So as we were in the long tail floating past these mango trees in the water, the Thai guy starts throwing pineapple pieces and watermelon rind into the trees. Oh my word. There were little monkeys EVERYWHERE!!! Scary little monkeys. Oh my gosh. It was so cool and so scary. They even jumped on to the boat. There may have been some screaming from me. Even a mommy monkey with her baby on her stomach jumped on our boat to get some food! I was a little worried about getting bitten, but as soon as all the food was off the boat and we started driving away, the monkeys jumped back in the water. It was such a fun day! Just typing about it makes me want to go back right now. We didn't do a lot more after that with our time in Koh Lanta. It was so nice a relaxing just to hang out by the pool and on the beach. We went and ate at great places and had the best time! We went to a local market that was really fun and had some really strange food. I took a thai cooking class and Reese got a thai massage from a lady boy. haha. He came back from the massage feeling good and sore. Thai massages are deep! Anyways, he comes into the hotel room and says "I'm 70% sure it was a lady. But her hands were huge". I made him walk us passed the massage place and he pointed out the "lady" who gave him the massage ($10 for an HOUR, hello!) and it was a man... lady boy. Hilarious.
It was a sad sad day when we had to make the trek back to Krabi to take a plane back to Bangkok. We had to get up early in the morning and took a van to drive to Krabi. The van ride was about 3 hours long. Ryder did great. He slept most of the time. Also the van was airconditioned and the British couple in front of us fought the whole time which gave us great transportation entertainment. We went on a big, giant ferry to get back to Krabi from Koh Lanta. We stayed in the van the whole time but like the rest of Asia everyone was standing outside of their cars smoking. Once we got to the Krabi airport we got to wait in a nice airport lounge with free food before our flight left. The flight was short and sweet and we arrived in Bangkok in the afternoon. That day we spent using the public transportation and checking out the fun HUGE malls and trying more good food. We stayed out till almost midnight exploring the city and popular areas like Khao San Road. By then the curfew had been lifted although the military was still extremely present. The next morning we woke up at 3am to make our EXTREMELY EARLY flight back to the States. Ryder was a typically toddler on the flight back. When we finally arrived in Arizona it was so bitter sweet... Thailand was the best family holiday yet!
Koh Phi Phi
Koh Lanta
When all else failed on our trip.... #poweroftheboob
One of Ryder's Thai buys..
Dinner on the beach...
Jet-lagged
Railay Beach
Long tail to the boat
Boat to Koh Phi Phi
Koh Phi Phi
Drying out the bum... haha. We like to keep in classy.
Sweetest little guy! We came prepared with lots of sun lotion and bug spray. That the only bit he got, right on the face naturally.
Packets of cigarettes. Delicious.
Koh Phi Phi
Hiking to a hidden beach.
I changed my mind. I think this is my favourite picture.
Mango juice.
The yummiest.
We literally picked these crabs right out of the sea.
Playing with vaseline at some awful hour.
Grumpy guy after a fun day. Typical toddler.
Koh Lanta
We rode in this. A tuk-tuk. Very safe.
Local market. Only westerners there.
I don't know what these were, but they weren't good.
We decided not to try these...
This fruit was kind of like a litchi. You peel it and eat a slimy fruit and spit out the pip.
Grilled meat and seafood. Asians all over love meaty angry birds. No idea how and what mean and no one spoke English for us to find out.
This wasn't even the most people we saw on a 2-seater bike. 6 was the most and I didn't get a picture. Safety first!
Off on our excursion.
A house on top of the river. I had to document.
A bare bum at the beach!
This was at this house we went to that was situated on top of a river. It was bath time for baby girl AND mommy. I had to document. Reese said "Courtney you are such a creep"
Ryder hating life and trying to get out of the kayak. It wasn't all rainbows and glitter on this trip with him...
Our guide loving on Ryder.
Working on my squats.
Food for all!
Ryder playing with one of the Chinese tourists. (They had the best camera...)
Ok, I lied. These have to be the best pictures of our trip. Watch out models of the world... you have some MAJOR competition.
The monkeys on our boat.
Private Thai cooking class.
The most hilarious teacher and chef.
We He was pretty fierce.
That giraffe has literally be everywhere...
We spent 14 days in Thailand. This is all we brought. If you know me, you know this is impressive. 2 carry ons and a giraffe. I am still patting myself on the back.
Only in another country do the security agents let toddlers play with their scanners.... and give kisses.
The trip home is always the worst...
First morning back we hit up Trader Joes. I haven't been back since. Those tiny carts are the devil.
Koh Lanta
Jet-lag can be awesome sometimes...
Cab ride.
Authentic Thai shirt. ;)
Woke him up from his sleep... not a happy camper. Starting to feel that 13 hour difference.
Jiff and tuna. Don't worry. We chose nutella and banana on our thai pancake.
Can you believe that this entire place was covered in water during the Tsunami?
So many breakfasts to choose from...
Thai signs are the funniest.
My masterpieces...
Military near a mall.
Ryder getting loved on.
Khao san road...
Coconut icecream
The End!
It was a sad sad day when we had to make the trek back to Krabi to take a plane back to Bangkok. We had to get up early in the morning and took a van to drive to Krabi. The van ride was about 3 hours long. Ryder did great. He slept most of the time. Also the van was airconditioned and the British couple in front of us fought the whole time which gave us great transportation entertainment. We went on a big, giant ferry to get back to Krabi from Koh Lanta. We stayed in the van the whole time but like the rest of Asia everyone was standing outside of their cars smoking. Once we got to the Krabi airport we got to wait in a nice airport lounge with free food before our flight left. The flight was short and sweet and we arrived in Bangkok in the afternoon. That day we spent using the public transportation and checking out the fun HUGE malls and trying more good food. We stayed out till almost midnight exploring the city and popular areas like Khao San Road. By then the curfew had been lifted although the military was still extremely present. The next morning we woke up at 3am to make our EXTREMELY EARLY flight back to the States. Ryder was a typically toddler on the flight back. When we finally arrived in Arizona it was so bitter sweet... Thailand was the best family holiday yet!
Koh Phi Phi
Koh Lanta
When all else failed on our trip.... #poweroftheboob
One of Ryder's Thai buys..
Koh Lanta. The whole place to ourselves!
Dinner on the beach...
Jet-lagged
Railay Beach
Long tail to the boat
Boat to Koh Phi Phi
Koh Phi Phi
Drying out the bum... haha. We like to keep in classy.
Sweetest little guy! We came prepared with lots of sun lotion and bug spray. That the only bit he got, right on the face naturally.
Cuttlefish. Healthy snack I am sure! Some locals gave Ryder some to try. He enjoyed the dehydrated squiddies.
Packets of cigarettes. Delicious.
Koh Phi Phi
Hiking to a hidden beach.
Mango juice.
The yummiest.
We literally picked these crabs right out of the sea.
Playing with vaseline at some awful hour.
Grumpy guy after a fun day. Typical toddler.
Koh Lanta
We rode in this. A tuk-tuk. Very safe.
Local market. Only westerners there.
I don't know what these were, but they weren't good.
We decided not to try these...
This fruit was kind of like a litchi. You peel it and eat a slimy fruit and spit out the pip.
Grilled meat and seafood. Asians all over love meaty angry birds. No idea how and what mean and no one spoke English for us to find out.
This wasn't even the most people we saw on a 2-seater bike. 6 was the most and I didn't get a picture. Safety first!
Off on our excursion.
A house on top of the river. I had to document.
A real live Monk! They are treated like royalty in Thailand. At the airport the chairs that usually have handicapped pictures on them also have pictures of monks. They also have a special security area for them AND everyone bends down and bows to them.
A bare bum at the beach!
This was at this house we went to that was situated on top of a river. It was bath time for baby girl AND mommy. I had to document. Reese said "Courtney you are such a creep"
Ryder hating life and trying to get out of the kayak. It wasn't all rainbows and glitter on this trip with him...
Our guide loving on Ryder.
Working on my squats.
Food for all!
Ryder playing with one of the Chinese tourists. (They had the best camera...)
Ok, I lied. These have to be the best pictures of our trip. Watch out models of the world... you have some MAJOR competition.
The monkeys on our boat.
Private Thai cooking class.
The most hilarious teacher and chef.
That giraffe has literally be everywhere...
We spent 14 days in Thailand. This is all we brought. If you know me, you know this is impressive. 2 carry ons and a giraffe. I am still patting myself on the back.
Only in another country do the security agents let toddlers play with their scanners.... and give kisses.
The trip home is always the worst...
First morning back we hit up Trader Joes. I haven't been back since. Those tiny carts are the devil.
Koh Lanta
Our little Thai guy.
Jet-lag can be awesome sometimes...
Monkey Beach:
This funny guy lives at the top of the mountain we hiked to on Koh Phi Phi. The huge Tsunami that completely covered the Island? He saw that happen. He can also say "hi, how are you" in about 30 different languages. Quite the character.
Cab ride.
Authentic Thai shirt. ;)
Woke him up from his sleep... not a happy camper. Starting to feel that 13 hour difference.
Jiff and tuna. Don't worry. We chose nutella and banana on our thai pancake.
Can you believe that this entire place was covered in water during the Tsunami?
So many breakfasts to choose from...
Thai signs are the funniest.
My masterpieces...
Military near a mall.
Ryder getting loved on.
Khao san road...
Coconut icecream
The pictures could just keep coming but I'm tired. All I can say is Thailand was amazing. It seems like it was a dream now but Reese and I definitely plan on going back soon.
The End!
1 comment:
Oh my gosh this was the best post! Too funny that we are the same wave length with blogging about Thailand like a year later! hahaha Too funny. Oh my gosh this looked like you guys had an amazing time. I want to go back so bad and this post did not help haha ;) Loved all the pictures, thanks for sharing!
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