Moving Back!

I thought I would put a quick post to let all our friends and family know that we have safely moved back to Chicago. It was very hard for both of us to say goodbye to all of our friends in Thailand but we look forward to visiting with them all again one day. The past year has been one of the most wonderful experiences for us and we are so thankful to have had this opportunity. We would like to extend a huge thanks to our Siam PVS family for their generous gifts and supportive words before our departures. You will all be missed!

We are now looking forward to starting the next chapter in our lives with a new addition to our family. We are patiently waiting for our little guy to arrive and will be sure to share photos and stories once he comes.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Siam PVS English Class

After spending the past few months teaching English at both the plant and the office, it was sad to see it all come to an end last week. After teaching the final classes each student received a certificate in Beginning English Conversation and we celebrated afterwards with delicious Thai lunches. I was even surprised with a few gifts! All in all this was such a fantastic teaching experience for me and I couldn't have asked for a more friendly and hardworking group of people.

Chatuchak Weekend Market

On Sunday, since we had a day without rain, we decided to head off to Bangkok's famous weekend market. This is The Worlds Biggest Weekend Market selling practically everything under the sun, from bathroom towels, to foods, trendy fashions, antiques intricate wooden carvings, masks from far-off lands, adorable fluffy dogs, colorful fish of every kind and singing birds. There are almost 9,000 individual booths overflowing with every imaginable to please the thousands of shoppers. Once inside the market, you will be caught up in a world of bursting crowds and stalls stretching as far as the eye can see. But, before entering the market it is always important to be prepared for the heavy crowds, extreme heat, and some most unusual smells. So, with a backpack filled with cold water, hand sanitizer, an umbrella (for rain or sun), tissues (you won't find toilet paper in the bathrooms), a map, camera, and money; we were off to the market.

After watching John bargain with a Thai salesperson over an antique piece with sweat dripping down his face we decided it was time to head back. We managed to last about an hour at the market but we were on a mission to find Thai artwork to bring home to Chicago. Our mission was completed!

Ancient Siam

Since I am not able to walk as much as I would like at 7 months pregnant, we did a driving tour through Thailand's Ancient Siam last week. Ancient Siam is acres of land with numerous replicas of palace halls, temples, stupas (mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics), stone sanctuaries, and traditional houses that may be found throughout Thailand. One the tour you can also visit several reconstructed historical buildings and sample villages from all regions of the country. Here are some interesting sights we saw along the way.

The Courage of the People of Bang Rachan

The Garden of Pha Daeng-Nang Ai

Sala of Ramayana

Sumeru Mountain

Bangkok Post

We're famous! (Not really) A few weeks ago we attended the opening of a great French restaurant next door to our apartment. John and I both became obsessed with their delicious sandwiches and fresh French bread. While we were in the restaurant we met the owners, who also live in our building. They are a lovely couple who moved here from Las Vegas to open up this restaurant. She is originally from France and her husband, the chef, is from Miami. After seeing them a few times in the restaurant they invited us to the opening. Little did we know that our picture was taken and has been in the advertisement that has been running in the Bangkok Post the past week.

You may have to use your zoom to actually see us or click on the picture. :)

Krabi

This past weekend we headed south to Krabi, on the Andaman Sea, to spend a few days with our friends Mike and Lauren. This is a very special time for Mike and Lauren because they are here on their honeymoon. They were kind enough to let us join in on their vacation for a few days to spend some fun in the sun together. It was also a special trip for us because we celebrated our 1 year anniversary on the 4th. Hard to believe a year has gone by! We have had some incredible experiences together this past year and look forward to this next year together with a new baby!

We returned to Bangkok on Sunday evening and left Mike and Lauren in Krabi for a few more days together. They will return to Bangkok on Thursday and spend two more days with us before heading back to Michigan. Enjoy the pictures from the trip!

Vertigo

On Saturday night we got together with a few of our friends here in Bangkok. We started out at Allison and Doug's house for a southern cooked meal (both are from Atlanta). After a delicious dinner we decided to check out the very popular and upscale Vertigo Bar at the Banyan Tree Hotel. This rooftop restaurant and bar offers panoramic views of the city of Bangkok, some 61 floors above the buzzing streets. We were very fortunate to have such a clear night when we got up there but after sighting rain in the distance we decided to move on to our next stop Molly Malone's Irish Pub-where the drinks were MUCH cheaper!

On Doug and Allison' balcony

Doug, Jake and John

Shelly and Allison

Banyan Tree Hotel and Vertigo Bar

Our last stop-Molly Malone's

Erawan Museum

There's nothing like driving home from the plant and seeing a huge three headed elephant statue on the side of the road. After having been rerouted on the way home from the plant due to heavy rains in the Samut Prakan province, we were able to see this incredible statue in the distance. A quick drive around the museum gave me some time to snap a few shots of this massive elephant.

This building was built to symbolize of the spiritual heart of the land where sacred objects of the land were housed and reserved. The three heads represent virtue, beauty and fertility of oriental culture. Tours run daily at the museum where visitors can see a collection of Thai antiques and art.

Siam PVS karaoke

Many of you have heard stories about the karaoke dinners we have attended with the PVS employees in Thailand. The night usually consists of a table full of Thai food, a large group of people and interesting renditions of both American and Thai music. There are always the favorites that are heard at every dinner including; John's solo of "Hotel California" by the Eagles and mine of "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. Erin and Craig requested to have the opportunity to experience this wonderful occasion so John invited about 15 employees from the plant to join us for dinner on Thursday night. It was a night to remember...lots of laughs! I think I managed to sing a whole entire Beatles track before the night was over-which you won't see on video.

Please enjoy a few pictures and video clips from the night. And to our Thai friends who star in the videos-YOU WERE GREAT! Thanks for a fun night!

Chiang Mai with Erin and Craig

We have had a great time enjoying Thailand with our current visitors, Erin and Craig. This past weekend we met up with them in Chiang Mai and spent a couple nights at a hotel in the mountains. We were excited to experience this part of Chiang Mai since the the last we were there we stayed in the city. Our hotel was located in a very serene and picturesque location in Chiang Mai.

Our first night there we had dinner at a wonderful restaurant on the river, not far from where we were staying. We were the ONLY people dining that night. The northern part of Thailand was very quiet with very few tourists since it is the low season here. Not many people travel to Thailand during the rainy season.

On Saturday Erin, Craig and John went for a hike with one of the resort employees to visit a hill tribe village about an hour away from our resort. I decided that it might be a little too much for me so I stayed back at relaxed by the pool with my book. On their hike they met a few of the villagers from the Karen tribe. The Karen group is the largest of all the minority groups with about 300,000 people who all originated from Myanmar. Many of the these villagers have converted to Christianity with the guidance and teachings from missionaries who have moved into these areas. On their visit Erin, Craig and John learned that many of these villages appreciate the help and care they received from missionaries all over the world. In fact, this village was working to raise money for a new Christian church they were in the process of building. I will have to post some pictures from the village when I download them off John's camera.

That night we decided to sit out on the porch of the resort and enjoy a Singha (not me) before leaving for dinner. While we were all relaxing at our table it began to pour! After about an hour of heavy rain we noticed that the waterfall had changed to a dark brown color and was moving at a very rapid rate. In fact, the part of the porch where Erin and Craig had breakfast that morning was completely submerged under water. I have two videos that show how the waterfall changed from calm flowing to an unbelievable rapid within a matter of minutes. Notice how the table is out in the first video and gone in the second one.

On Sunday Craig and Erin flew out early to head down to the islands and John and I spent the day walking around Chiang Mai city before we had to fly back to Bangkok. We are excited for Erin and Craig to return on Thursday when we will take them to a PVS karaoke dinner. I will definitely post pictures after that night!

At dinner the first night

A couple pictures from the resort

John's breakfast and drinks on the porch with Sam the owner.

When the rain first began.

An hour after the rain had started.

Chicago, Seattle, and back to Bangkok

Well, the rest of our visit in the States seemed to fly by. I enjoyed preparing things for renovations on our apartment, spending time with friends and family, and receiving positive baby updates from my doctor while in Chicago. My mom attended my 20 week ultrasound with me and we were pleased to learn that we are having a boy! Daddy cheered on the phone when I told him the good news following the exam.

John returned from Bangkok and spent some time with 5 of his buddies fishing in the San Juan Islands in Washington. After a few days with the guys, John returned to Chicago to help my brother John and me pack up the Chicago apartment so that there would be nothing in the way or damaged while the renovations are in progress.

After a stressful couple days of packing and meetings John and I flew out to Seattle for some R&R with the Nicholson family on Pudget Sound. We had 5 fabulous days of boating, swimming, crabbing, reading, games and eating with the entire family. We couldn't have asked for better weather while we were there!

Detroit Visit

I don't think there was a minute that was not planned while we were in Detroit but it was all worth it! We had a great time at weddings, family BBQ's, visiting with old friends and enjoying a sail on Lake St. Clair. Here are a few pictures from our time while visiting friends and family in Detroit.