BANGKOK with two kids -- are we crazy or what

 Well after a relaxing trip to Khao Lak lounging around on the beach (yeah right more like trying to catch two kids running different directions on the beach) we headed to Bangkok.  Mike had to be at work in Bangkok Monday and Tuesday so we flew with him and went sightseeing while he was working so hard.

 Friends told us our double stroller would be too big for the little shops in Bangkok so we brought one umbrella stroller and borrowed a second from the hotel.

 Kate and Alex were our tour guides.  Here they are figuring out how to get to the King's Palace. 

 To get to the palace we had to take two trains and a boat.  How cool is that--two trains and a boat!  Let's just say Andrew and Joseph had lots of fun on this adventure.  

Below Kate and Alex are buying our tickets.

Joseph and Alex were buddies in the crowded train.

This shows you what a good sport Alex was the whole trip.  Alex you are awesome.

Bangkok was so cool because in the middle of a train ride you would see buildings like this.

Waiting for the second train.  Alex was so good at keeping the kids occupied.  See I told you Alex is awesome.

This is probably the worst picture of me ever taken--but at least you can see the cool Thai words on the train stop sign.

Okay this was the funniest part of the whole trip--we had to CARRY the strollers up and down all these stairs.  Most of the train stations didn't have escalators or lifts.  Can you even imagine!  Alex took one stroller and Kate and I took the other.  And yes, the kids were inside the whole time getting the ride of their lives.

We made it off the two trains so now we are ON THE BOAT for the last leg of our journey to the King's Palace.  Getting on the boat was nuts--lets just say the bobbing on ramp wasn't stroller friendly--but we made it.  The boys just stared and stared at all the boats going by on the river.

More people get on the boat and it gets crowded...

Here are some of the buildings we passed on our boat ferry trip.  Don't ask what any of these buildings are (mom) because I have no idea.  They were just cool.

This is probably some really cool old temple that we drove past.

This is not our boat but this is what it looked like.

Finally we made it to the king's palace.  See pictures below:

 The palace was full of tour groups.

Offering prayers at one of the hundreds of shrines.  Seriously there were so many shrines.

 "All finished" (as Andrew says) with the King's Palace.

Finally done with the King's Palace.  We are all HOT, SWEATY, and tired.  We had no idea that the whole thing would be outside we weren't really prepared for the sun, heat and dehydration.  Next time we will bring umbrellas, sunscreen, and leave the boys at home.  But overall a must see when you are in Thailand.

We were SO happy to get back to our hotel room.  Andrew literally RAN to the door (below).  He was so excited to get into his crib to take a nap.

Mike and I went out at night to dinner after he got back from work.  Here are some shots:

Last photo of Bangkok--the airport!  Even the airport was cool.  It was full of beautiful Thai museum-looking pieces.  The architecture was cool too.  We all voted it the coolest airport we have ever been to.

Bye bye Bangkok.  You have sufficiently exhausted us.  

Thailand

 

Part one: KHAO LAK

 We have lived in Malaysia for seven months now and haven't traveled at all!  What is wrong with this picture?!
Well since Kate and Alex were coming we figured it is the perfect excuse to get out and see some of southeast Asia.

We picked Thailand for our first beach trip in Southeast Asia.  We basically just looked for hotels where we could stay for free using Mike's starwood points.

We chose Khao Lak, Thailand, a tiny town full of empty beaches which supposedly is way better than "touristy" Phuket.  I have never been to Phuket but that is what I hear. 

To get there we had to fly to Phuket and then take a 1.5 hour drive up the coast.

 We hired a car to drive us because it was cheaper than the hotel shuttle.  It was so cool because our name was on a card.  That was a first for me.  I was so excited I made him stand there so I could get a picture.  Mike was just laughing at me.  So was everyone else.

The first thing we saw when we walked out of the airport was the welcome to Phuket" sign.  I was so excited to be in Thailand that I just kept taking pictures of everything.  It was kind of ridiculous but hey you never know when you're going to need a "Welcome to Phuket" photo.

This will show you the emotional condition of our children at this point.  Joseph is so tired from missing his nap that he is swatting Mike.

We found this car company called "BOSS Cars" on Trip Advisor.  They quoted us a much cheaper price than hiring the hotel shuttle--don't you love Trip Advisor.  We were suprised when we showed up that they sent a minibus! 

Getting flower bracelets upon arrival.  That was also a first for me.  So many firsts on this trip.

Sipping welcome Pandan leaf tea--I guess Thailand is famous for its Pandan leaves which have the most amazing flavor--while the hotel checked us into our rooms.  The guys got flower bracelets too and I thought it was awesome they were man enough to wear them with pride.

Another photo of the emotional condition of my children when we arrived.  Andrew was so tired he just kept wandering and wouldn't listen to anything we said, including commands like, "Andrew sit here," or "Andrew don't touch that!"  Kate is my hero for following him around.

Breakfast the next morning.  Can you tell who didn't get enough sleep?

Andrew did so good eating on this trip and using his utensils!  I am so proud of him. 
Here he is eating pancakes (these were millet zucchini pancakes packed from home).

Good morning Khao Lak

Morning yoga on the beach organized by the hotel.  I wish I were there, but instead I was running after two kids!  That has got to be some form of exercise right?

Tasting sand, a favorite activity

One great thing about having Kate and Alex around is we got lots of pics of our family all together.  Often I would see something completely dumb (like this random wood pole) and say, "WAIT!  We have to have a picture HERE" and luckily Kate or Alex would sweetly oblige.

Kate and Alex are in this picture but you have to squint to see them.  Hint: check in the pool.

We thought this would be an artsy pic but you should have seen the drama we went through to get it...see below photo...

Lunch

I have never seen Joseph coloring before so this was so fun.  I will admit that most of the time he was eating the colored pencil instead.

Towards the end of lunch the boys were so restless to get out so I had to entertain them with songs so Andrew would finish his meatballs and "green trees" (aka broccoli).  I think this song was the cheer "Give me an A! A! You got your A you got your A.  Give me an N!" and on and on.  Oh the joys of being a mom.

Seeing real seashells on the beach for the first time.  Unlike California, Thailand actually still has big seashells along the beach.

Thanks to our Utah family for the boys' new outfits!

Waterslide with dada.  Andrew was scared the first few times Mike took him down.  "No, no big slide," he would say.  Mike refused to give up and kept trying until Andrew actually smiled.

Goodbye Khao Lak. 

For all future travelers to Thailand, we highly recommend this hotel.  

You can get deals for like $100 a night.

And then come visit us because we miss you all.