Yesterday was Jaidan's birthday and it was a low key affair with Harvey and Phai dropping by. Everyone else lives out at the airport or was in their village.
We celebrated with a Dairy Queen Ice Cream cake and some presents for Jaidan.
Jaidana's number one present was a tent that he will use in the village to sleep outside with Tai and Dun. He is always building a fort out of cushions at home and really likes his tent.
Next up was a Nerf gun and Lego Bad Guy set.
Harvey and Phai gave Jaidan a remote control vehicle which he always enjoys.
A Buddhist Holiday combined with the King's birthday means that all the bars are closed for 2 days which means that Bangkok is like a ghost town. Even if the bars were open they would be near empty as most of the ladies have headed home to be with family over the long weekend.
My buddy Harvey told me it was taking 5 hours to drive to Pattaya on Thursday night. It is usually a 90 minute drive!
Today, Saturday we decided to head off to a recreation/renovation of an old Chinese village in Thailand. It was okay, but it too was mostly empty. We walked to a Buddhist temple nearby and took some pics. The best part of the trip was the ride across the river on one of the boats plying the route for 20 or 50 baht. Thavorn an Jaidan had never been on a boat so they enjoyed it.
We also took a long Tuk Tuk ride to Siam Paragon so Harvery (a vegan) could chow back on a veggie burger. We ended up walking over 6 km and burning 350 calories. It was very hot so when we arrived back home in air-conned comfort it was time for a nap.
Harvey and I decided a few beers would be in order on Sunday night after the bars reopened. It is nearing the end of the month, so the girls will be hungry as the rent will be due :-)
The theme song of my children's summer sports camp in Huntsville Ontario and
the Imagine Dragons version ..
We are moving form Soi 22 where we have been living for over 5 years, outwards to near the airport. It is amazing how much stuff we have accumulated over those 5 years.
We move once again about the 4th week in February to Canada for 6 months. We are, therefore sending some of our stuff to the village about mid August and are moving only what we will need for the 6 months out near the airport.
Ideally we only want to take just the stuff that will travel to Canada with us in our first move. That means, what stuff fits in 6 large suitcases weighing under 25 kilos each. That is the allotment for use when we fly internationally.
I certainly will fit in 2 large suitcases as I will be taking 2 laptops, some backup drives, some clothes (not much) and some papers that will be required when we land in Canada to apply for a SIN card and child allowance for Jaidan. That means another trip to the translator for translations of Jaidan's birth certificate, our marriage licence, etc.
Jaidan is a suitcase of clothes, and a suitcase of his favorite toys.
Thavorn will be the problem as she has accumulated many purses and clothes over the last 5 years. Purses can be bought for 300 baht here in Thailand. Ditto for jeans, skirts and tops. However, she should fit in 2 large suitcases.
I am finding it difficult to jettison the paperwork I have accumulated over the years to apply for visas for Thailand and Canada. I have multiple copies of everything and receipts for airline flights and condo rentals going back 5 years. I no longer need them as Thavorn has her Permanent Resident Visa, but it is still difficult to get rid of so many documents which were necessary to securing our new lives.
It will also be difficult to leave the community, here on Soi 22 that we have become part of. 7/11 employees lend us umbrellas when we get caught out in the rain and motorcycle taxi drivers give us free rides now and again. The food vendors know how we like our noodle soup and the massage girls no better than to solicit my business, but instead ask, 'Where is Jaidan?'
However, I usually view change as good and rejuvenating .. so off we go :-)
Thavorn preparing dinner ..
We figure these 2 sweaters will be good for our trip to Canada .. bought both for 800 baht
I just watched a refreshing interview on Fox News (Objectivefied) with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. What a refreshing non PC view of Rock n Roll and life in general, including a frank discussion on Steven's use of drugs and how and why he decided to stop.
Thavorn went out on Saturday night and as usual she is sleeping Sunday away so Jaidan and I decided to head off to Country Road on Soi Cowboy for the late afternoon. The rain locked us in for 2 hours so we chilled out.
The dinosaurs travel in Jaidan's backpack .. courtesy of Shaun :-)
Jaidan can name just about every Dinosaur
Triceratops eyeing the chips
Standard fare is a jug of Singha .. 200 baht
After the rain (it is rainy season) we headed off to Carl's Hamburgers, at the top of Soi 22 to buy some chicken tenders and Chili fries to take home for supper. Thavorn was beginning to stir and had the munchies.
I know I am going to miss Bangkok when we head off to Canada for 6 months in late February. For me, Bangkok and Thailand is an adventure that never ends .. Mother would be happy to know her Walter Mitty had found a home :-)
Sami, one of my former basketball players arrived Monday for 2 years of teaching at TCIS (Thai Chinese International School). On Tuesday I suggested we get together for dinner along with my buddy Shaun and his gf Nancy. Thavorn's brother Tum showed up at our apartment at the last moment so despite having no English, he decided to tag along for a free meal :-) I suggested the Wine Connection as the prices are reasonable and the food is good, and not spicy for the newly arrived farangs.
After the dinner and a bottle of red wine, Thavorn was ready for a night out at Soi Cowboy and we had Tum as a babysitter so off we went to Country Road and some music and dance. People at Country Road are always surprised to see us together as we usually do not have a sitter so we party separately with a variety of friends. Typically the first item of conversation is, 'Where is your boy?'.
Thavorn found herself being stalked by a girl who seemed to think she knew Thavorn from this year's Songkran festival which is probably true as Thavorn tied one on big time and could not remember the girl who obviously remembered Thavorn.
Some pics:
Ooops .. did got get any pics of Sami and her family
Today's song is:Rock and Roll from the Vietnam War era
I am currently watching the Netflix series on the Vietnam war and I am astonished at the duplicity of the LBJ and South Vietnamese government. Reminds me the democrats have been morally bankrupt for a long time.
Sooner or later I will be on Google's Earth View as I managed to capture one of its imaging cars and no doubt it caught me at the end of Soi 20.
On another note, we are getting ready to move from Soi 22 out to near the airport. It is time for a change as we have been on Soi 22 for 5 years now. Our rent will drop by 50% which frees us up to stay overnight at a hotel downtown whenever we wish to party which I suspect will be about 4 times a month.
My buddy John and his wife phone are also moving from Nana out near the airport as well so we will have friends nearby. My buddy Shaun and his girlfriend Nancy are also moving into the same building as us so we will not be lonely.
Thavorn and Jaidan just returned from 15 days in the village. Jaidan really enjoyed it as he is quite close with Thavorn's older boy Dun, as evidenced by these photos. The younger girl is from another father and lives near Phuket with the father's family and is being raised by the grandmother. The photos shows she does not really feel part of the family.
I have finally trained Thavorn to hug her kids and they now hug back. Typically when Thai parents say goodbye to their children, they simply wei.
Jaidan is still growing like a weed and just hit 106 cm. and is still off the Canadian growth chart. He will turn 4 on July 31st and the invite list is growing, but everyone invited is an adult. When we arrive in Canada I will have to enroll Jaidan in some sports so he can develop his social skills with the same age group. He interacts with adults all the time. We will forgo 4 year old kindergarten :-)
