November 12

Laura and I got up before the sun on November 12th to head to the local market, where she does all her shopping for fresh produce. It truly was like being in another world.

 Katie, Madeline and one jet-lagged Abby were awake when we left, so we brought them along.

     

Bowls of seasonings used in Thai cooking. Have no idea what they are as I can't read or speak Thai... but they all look good (and spicy!)

This, however, looks not so good. Those are mesh bags of live turtles and toads just waiting to be made into, well, something I won't be eating. I do feel a little sad for them. Even the toads.

Squid Anyone?

The girls and some ginger and a bunch of other stuff I don't recognize.

These pretty flowers are sold to hang on rearview mirrors. Almost every cabbie has them. They smell really good and are very pretty.

Every business in Thailand has a section set up with pictures of the King and Queen and Buddha statues, complete with offerings.

See what I mean? Everything is more colorful!

The Monks were all over the marketplace. They only eat before noon and live on the offerings of food that people give them. Thankfully, Laura warned me that it is very offensive to the Monks if they are to touch a woman, so we made sure to give them a wide berth so as not to accidently brush up against them. The last monk, the one in white is actually a female monk.

There are stray dogs and cats everywhere. In Buddhist cultures, animals are only killed for food. So all the strays (and even a lot of pets) are just allowed to roam the streets. The area around the market had a bunch of stray dogs. They just walk along, looking for scraps or hang out in the streets, not bothering to move for vehicles. The cars and bikes will go very slowly around them.

Some of the local doggies showcasing their talent...

A Thai 7 eleven!

In the afternoon, we took the kids out for some coconut ice cream! No one was brave enough to try the local toppings (like beans) except Jeremy who asked the waitress what her favorite was. He had his ice cream with potatoes. He says it was "fine", but he doesn't like coconut anyway, so I'm not sure I trust him...

After our ice cream, Laura and I went for Thai massages while the guys took the kids to this water park. It was a bit chilly for the desert and jungle rats, but they were still able to have fun.

Brrrrr!

(Like the swim caps? HEHE!!)

Think Marshall is cold? You can count his ribs, that water is so cold!

When we got back to their house, we warmed up by playing outside. I LOVE this bike. It has a seat on the back for a passenger! I hope some American bike company reads my blog and makes one of these to sell in the U.S.

The two little girls trying to figure out how to tandem ride a ripstick.