Rain or shine

One thing that struck me when we first got to China was the sheer number of bikes and e-bikes that are used. Now this is not like in the U.S. where people are trying to be "green" and conserve on fuel. For most people this is their only transportation (and really the family vehicle). With that being said, people ride rain or shine. No fair weather riders here! Just because it is raining, you still need to get to work or grocery shop. The Chinese, being the inventive and practical people they are, wear huge poncho-like things that fit over the person and over the whole front of the bike. These are appropriately called: 雨皮肤 (rain skin, pronounced: yu pi).

A whole gaggle of e-bikes. I particularly like the 雨皮肤 that have slots for the mirrors to stick out. Somehow they make me think of cute bugs with antennae. Yes, I know that I am silly!

A Thai toilet

Now we are no strangers to squatty potties (that is the standard for public bathrooms in China), but check this one out:

I took Tori into go to the bathroom, she took one look at the toilet and refused. She will use them in China, so I asked what the problem was. She responded with, "But Mommy, I might fall off!" Hmm, good point. I had never seen one raised up by itself like that. And just if you are curious, the trough to the side is how you flush (there is a bucket that you can't quite see which you use to scoop up water, pour in the toilet and you've flushed). Yet again, aren't you glad I shared this?

Packing diva

Over this past year, we have really begun to see Becca's individual sense of style emerge. She has definite likes and preferences. She tends to like bright colors and pairs things together that I am not sure that I would, but it works on her. We also find it interesting to see how her tastes have been influenced by her friends (which are from all over the world). As I was packing, I asked her to get out things that she wanted to take. Before long, she had quite the pile. But what surprised me was the amount of shoes! She had out 4-5 pairs. To go to the beach! I asked her why she needed so many shoes. Her response, "well, I want these flip flops for this outfit, my comfy shoes (van-like shoes) for the plane, these shoes for this outfit, . . . " She is 8 (well, almost 9, but still)! I finally told her: "You CANNOT pack more shoes than me." So we settled on packing 2 pairs and wearing 1. Is this just a bit of what is to come?

Bangkok

After an amazing week in the Dolphin Bay area of Thailand, we made the trek back to Bangkok. We spent a day here seeing various sights and managed to pack a ton in one day! We took a boat along the river. It is said that to be Thai is to be Buddhist. So our first stop was the reclining Buddha at Wat Poh. It is an impressive sight. Next we went across the river to another temple, Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). For some reason, I had been reluctant to take the time to go across the river to see this one (not sure why), but it turned out to be my favorite thing we did all day. At this temple, you can climb to the top. The view of Bangkok is spectacular. The steps were incredibly steep, which just added to the adventure. After sampling some of Bangkok's famous banana pancakes, we were onto the Grand Palace. For those of you not familiar with Thailand, they have very strong feelings and affection for their royal family. So much so that you can be fined for defaming the king's picture (which includes the money that bears a picture of the king). Because of this, the dress code for entering the Palace and accompanying temple (where the royal family worships) is strict: no shorts or tank tops. Shortly after we got there, I saw a sign telling about a free tour in English starting in 10 minutes. The tour proved to be very interesting and even the kids were listening and learning new things about Thailand. A busy day, but a great end to our trip.

Our super tourists on the skytrain.

Courtyard at Wat Poh

The Reclining Buddha -- this was impressively huge.

Tori pointing at the toes

Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)

Tori conquering the steps -- did I mention they were steep?

At the top of Wat Arun

The view from the top

Then the other direction along the river

Climbing down.

Courtyard at the Grand Palace. And yes, that building is covered in gold leaf. Impressive, huh?

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) located within the Grand Palace.

The Emerald Buddha can just barely be seen through the doorway.

The Night Market

On the same day we rode the elephants, we went into Hua Hin and shopped at the night market. I LOVE open air markets! It can be such a window into the culture. We ate dinner and shopped for souvenirs. Even the kids had a great time.

Hmm, is this dinner?

Waiting for our fresh fruit smoothies.

Uh-oh, a shopper at 4?

My boy enjoying one of his favorite things -- meat on a stick!

Dates with Daddy

While on a boat ride we saw some ocean kayakers and Becca was intrigued by them. Andy and I got to talking and he commented that it would be fun to do when the kids were older. I looked at him and said, "Why wait? Take Becca." So later that day, they set out for a trip to several of the islands and had a terrific time. The next day Andy rented a motorbike (something he really wanted to do) and took both Becca and Josh on rides along the coast. There is just something about a date with Daddy!

Signing up

Taking a break from telling the vacation adventures, I must tell you about my adventure today. Tomorrow Tori starts back to preschool after the CNY (Chinese New Year) holiday break. Today I needed to go pay for the next term. I just had a feeling that this was going to be a bit of a bother, so I asked someone from the Andy's company to call her school to see what paying would entail. After discovering that it indeed was going to be a pain, I asked someone from the company to go with me. (I am sure that I could have struggled through it, but it would not have been pretty.) We first needed to go to the school and pick up Tori's "number". We then had to go to a certain bank (which was of course not where we bank), and open a new account. Next we needed to use the ATM card to pay for the school tuition using her "number". At many banks in China, you use specified ATMs to pay your bills. Finally, we had to go back to the school to show them we paid and pick up the receipt. All I can say is that I am glad that someone came with me, because midway through using the ATM she had to call the teacher and ask a question. I would have been totally lost (because the ATM where you pay bills does not have the "English" option). But thankfully, it is done! I go next week to sign up at the university. I can only hope that will be a little easier. :-D