I'm Back!

Back by popular demand.....  HA - that's a joke. Maybe not popular just a few complaints from a few friends and family members wanting me to continue to blog about our adventures in Thailand-  So I return to the blogging world. 

Let's back up a bit. 

Summer - what can I say

After 6 weeks, 7 plane rides, 6 states, 12 different places of sleep and 6200 miles driven in the car, it was time to come home. So much fun was had. All the friends and family we got to see and spend time with was truly a blessing. We quickly adapted to being back in the US, almost scary that at times it felt like we never left. Nothing better than being able to pick up right where you left off and not miss a beat in friendships. It was emotional and stressful at times but lots of good personal growth was accomplished plus lots of much needed bonding with our first born. 

We felt so loved by all the attention we got from friends and family just dropping everything for us, offering their beds or just entertaining us. 

Floated with our first born. 

Went flying!

Stayed with old friends!

Partied with MI friends. (They are candy cigarettes people)

Caught up with old school friends

Had a Moloney family reunion

Got to be with Grandma on her 70th birthday!

Played with some of our cousins!

Celebrated our other grandmas 76th birthday!

Vacations are awesome but it is always good to get home. I was never so happy to see KB(driver). I think he was a little surprised when I jumped and gave him a big hug when he picked us up at the airport. Only kidding but it did cross my mind that's how excited and giddy I was to be home. I can finally call this place home. Weird!

Big papa only got to stay in the US for 4 weeks so after being away from him for 2 weeks it was great to see him again. And Sparky lets just say she didn't stop bouncing and wiggling for several hours. I think our little black dog missed us. She was more than happy to curl up next to me in bed. She didn't leave my side for a week. She has finally forgiven me for leaving her for so long, I think. 

That night (or morning since it's about 2 am) when we arrived home the first thing we did was swim. So much fun. We all just jumped in. Being gone for 6 weeks we were on US time and we were not ready to sleep. It felt so good. 

Another person I truly missed - Khun Bic. We were just getting ourselves aquainted when I left in July. Her being new for me. Well let me tell you after 6 weeks of cleaning, cooking and laundry I was done. That sh...t is hard work. I couldn't have been more happy to hand back over those duties to her. She is the best. No longer does she make my beds look like they have dead bodies in them. She must have taken those 6 weeks to learn how to keep house. I came back to windows washed, socks sorted, undies lined up properly in drawers, beds like we are in the military, everything organized and clean. Ahhhhhh  Sooooooo Nice!  She is a gem. My non managerial skills worked again. Betsy I guess I don't need those little tiny balls after all. Lol

It is nice to not have the other one who showed me dead bodies on her pad or tell me how everyone hates America, or never show up for work.  This one doesn't speak a word of English. It's great. 

Home at last. Jet lag kicked in and I think it took at least 10 days to get over it. That is the only thing I hate. I get it bad. We had a week before school started so it was back to reacquainting ourselves with Thai life. Boys caught up with friends and Erin began her year long grueling school work of being a year 13 IB student. 

Being a newbie no more now it was time for a change in another way. Adjusting to those friends who left us behind inThailand and went off on their new adventure. Erin, Andrew, Jack, Walter and I all experienced a close friend leaving. Being expats you develop very close relationships with people FASt. Not used to this since we are usually the ones who leave it was an adjustment. Entering that first coffee morning you look around for that familiar face who is always happy to see me and realize she is gone. Who will I talk to?  Who will I lunch with? Who will I crack a bad joke with and get it?  Eventually you move on and other people fill the void. Luckily I have been adopted by the Aussie posse and they have put me in Aussie school. Now we are all best mates. Lol

School starts 

Ryan - second year of university. He is adjusting. He lives in an apartment and we caved and bought him a car. It was a rocky first year with lots of changes for him hopefully this second year his feet will be planted a little more firmly in the MSU life. He has the world at his feet, all up for him to take advantage of and make it a success.  I know he will make it happen. 

Erin yr 13. Wow where has the time gone. Graduation in May. Will she really leave me next year?  So not ready for that. I have a year to get it together for when she does.  She is in the hardest year of IB. With university applications to fill in, essays to write, final exams and an Extended Essay due I am glad it's not me. If anyone can handle it it's her.  That girl has her fathers drive. 

On top of all her academics she was made captain of her football team.  Together we do a cardio combat class together so she can kick all the boys butts in Uni.  

Andrew yr 9. He is a true teenager. Most times he doesn't want to be in our existence. Occasionally he will grace us with his presence and you better listen to whatever he has to say because he will only say it once before he quickly retreats into Andrew world again. He is back to hanging with friends and YES thank goodness he Made the Fobisia team. His team will play at the Fobisia games held in Bangkok this year in November. He is also giving us one more year with the saxophone. Hopefully this year he expands his ability to play more than the same 6 songs. 

And then there is Jack - yr 7. No more elementary school. He has moved up into the big times - Middle School. He is loving it. Gets to see Andrew and Erin through out the school day. He switches classes and has fully embraced the challenge of being a middle schooler. He is playing basketball, football and rugby. 

First official back to school photo.

Jacks first big yr 7 project. He builds the Mackinac bridge. 

Big Papa is back to India. India, India, India. That man travels. The job is coming to a close quickly and so his trips to India should start slowing down. Going into our second year he has a true handle on the Asia Pacific work life. As soon as he gets really good it will be time for us to leave. Yep just as we start to feel settled here the talk has begun. What next??  Will we go or will we stay?  Those are the questions that will be answered in the next 6 months. This is our life, not for everyone I know but it's ours and we accept it. 

Our Thai life has returned and going into our second year it's easier. No longer do I fear the unknown I embrace it. Things that use to bother me or scare me now somehow comfort me. The raw meat hanging around the markets I don't even notice. Wide eyed no more when KB is driving me around. Lady boys start looking the same. Prostitutes on the corner are just women or in some cases men. The annoying high pitched Thai voice over the intercom in the store is still annoying. Soi Dogs are just rats and I no longer have a strong desire to feed them all and I know now they won't attack me they are all harmless. The smells here - well that's just something I don't think I'll ever get use too.  It's always green and hot which I love. Life is quiet, life is normal. 

You get use to seeing this. I swear you do, sort of. Lol

BUT then BANG your world is flipped upside down just as life was getting comfy and you get thrust forward to remember that nothing in this Thai life is normal. 

Sunday afternoon we go to the driving range to hit golf balls and to get a bite to eat. We send KB off to run an errand then come right back, figuring we would hit golf balls and eat within an hour or so.  An hour has passed we are ready to go Big papa calls KB to meet us at the entrance to take our clubs. KB doesn't answer the phone. Big papa calls him several times no answer. Steam is forming in his ears. I call KB he answers before the first ring completes. I ask where he is. 20 minutes madam. WHAT. Walter is steaming mad like furious mad. He says we are not waiting we are walking home. Well that's what we did, all 5 of us with 2 big golf bags. Let me tell what a sight we were. Thais are not use to farangs (white people) walking their streets. 5 of us single file with Jack carrying one of the bags. All of us Sweating profusely. Walter bitching up a storm about KB and where he could be. The rest of us bitching up a storm under our breaths about why we are walking. People are driving by whistling and carrying on. What a sight we are. We see KB in our car. He slowly approaches us. We gratefully get into the air coned car. KB apologizes profusely over the next few days. Walter wonders why we need a driver. 

Fast forward a week later - Flat tire on the side of the highway. I no longer wonder why we have a driver. I am SOoooooo happy to have a driver. Big papa at home feeling helpless. He is trying to get us a new car and driver to pick us up off the highway. KB fixes the flat while Erin and I tried to not play chicken with all the passing cars. No safety here. Cars don't slow down they drive 100 mph past us. They ride on the shoulder right at you then pass. I can't get a damn taxi in downtown Pattaya but one stops on the side of the highway offering a ride. Motorbikes stop and turn their bikes into the traffic and park to help take off the tire. Erin and I wave our phones with the flashlight app light so cars can see us. Erin learns how to light a flare. Crazy it was but the tire was changed and back into our bubble of a world with KB taking us home. No walking this time. 😊

We are abck in the land of Thai!

KB getting ready to change the tire. 

Nice motorcycle guy helping KB find the spare tire and helped get the flat tire off. 

Erin's flare and the pink taxi cab

Home at last!

Cheers from the other side

😘 m

Reflection

Wow!  A few weeks from our year anniversary of living in Thailand. Where has the time gone, seriously this was the fastest year ever. 

Look back at the latest month. 

End of May - Cooking with Poo and weekend in Bangkok. Started as hairy scary because of the coup but ended as the best weekend ever. Wow what a weekend. 2 sleeps in Bangkok and traveling all over the city on the BTS line and taxis made me a pro (joking) but it did make me so comfortable to get around this city. Gave me lots of confidence and knowledge about this enormous city. Found some amazing shopping malls and even more amazing places to eat. Reminds me of NYC. 

Cooking with Poo was awesome!  Walked through the markets and cooked with this incredible woman who still lives in the slums but has made a name for herself and become extremely successful while also making other people in the slums become successful and prosperous. She has everything she needs and lives a very simple life but the work and charity she does for others is quite amazing. She is in her 40s and it's all about helping others. To be so selfless. She says she can only be as good as the people around her. 

First weekend in June - traveled to Malaysia with Jacks school for the Fobisea games. Impressive is the only word to describe this event. 5 days in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Fobisea games are like the Olympics of international schools. Andrew went to Brunei back in March. It is a select group of kids who have tried out to make the team. Each team is made up of 6 boys and 6 girls for their year group. Jack is part of year 6. Year 4, year 5, and year 6 compete in their respective year groups. Soccer, T ball (not American T ball) and athletics are the categories that the athletes compete in.  Jack performed really well taking home 3 bronze medals in TBall and athletics. I will say it was great for him and his ego, tough competition. For me it was a HoT HOT HOT 3 days of sitting on the sidelines cheering them all on but nothing I regret and SO glad I got a chance to go. 

The athletics were great but I think I was more impressed with the 5 teachers and the 36 kids that were with them. We are talking 36 kids from the age of 9 to 11 traveling to the airport, handling their own passports and luggage, dealing with customs and immigration. They walked through the airport like they were adults. They handled winning and losing as a team. Everything was a team effort. Life skills that can't be taught in a classroom. These kids and teachers are impressive. The independence that is taught is incredible. Yes I went but did not travel with the team nor did I stay at the same hotel, no parent chaperones. The team stayed at a hotel in KL with 4 to a room and 5 teachers to look after 36 kids. No one was hurt, no one acted up, all had respect for one another.  They were up everyday at 6am dressed and ready to get on the bus to travel to the venue by 7:30 everyday, professionalism at its best. 

Home from Malaysia Monday night - gearing up for Friday - Sports awards and the BIG sisters show up. Oops a glitch in the plan- Erin calls me from school Friday morning and something is wrong. Pick her up from school and see half her face is paralyzed - scary. Off we go to the hospital. 5 hours of laying In the emergency room and playing guess the diagnosis of other patients( not much privacy in this hospital, guess they don't have the HIPPA act). She is ready to get OUt. It's Regents sports award night and she wants to go. After an IV drip and some chats with the neurologist we are cleared to leave with no prognosis but an ok to go to Sports award for a little bit as long as we go back tomorrow for MRI. I dash home change and grab clothes for Erin and in the bathroom of the Amari Erin changes from hospital scrubs to fancy dress - hey it's the Amari and she wants to look good. We go and Jack wins the Sportsmanship of the Year award and the MVP player of rugby. What a day and night. Shipping Erin and Walter (he just returning from India at 8am that morning) Andrew and Jack home, I head to the airport. 

FINALLY From what it seemed like FOREVeR - planning been going on for like 5 months my sisters finally arrived. Something I had looked forward to in like forever. Never having spent 10 days with just my sisters in like 30 years I was a bit nervous. Us Moloney sisters rose to the occasion. Having more fun than you can imagine. Troopers they were. Bangkok not just once but twice, Thai cooking school (which I know did not respect the USDA laws of cooking schools), massages twice, temples, high tea, rooftop bars, eating out LOTs, drinking LOTs, a little tennis, sun, pool, sweating, shopping and more shopping and I think more shopping. If the Thai economy displays a boost next month it's because of them. :) it was everything I hoped for and more. Incredible. So thankful they made the LONG trip. I know it's not easy.  Wish my parents could have joined us. 

My life is so different, weird, incredible and sometimes unexplainable that it's great to share it with family and friends so they can see it first hand. 

Monday afternoon before my sisters show up the maid quits. What??  Can't be. I deal and eventually hire KB, my drivers wife. Now I have beds made up that look like dead bodies are buried in them. She washes dishes and then puts them in the dishwasher for a few hours then puts them away. And washes all clothing together, if my whites werent dingy enough before they are now. My Sisters make fun of me bad because now I'm making my bed as a tutorial for this woman who speaks no English so she learns how to make a bed. I have no managerial skills. I'm teaching her how to do wash and clean my house by doing all the work.  Walter says I might as well just do the work myself and save some money. Hahahaha like that's gonna happen. 

I was lucky enough for Betsy and Katy to also be here for my birthday. Might have something to do with my booking of the tickets 😜  Walter as always spoiled me rotten and had a party for me. Have not enough words for what that man does for me. He always goes above and beyond with this birthday being no exception. 

In this crazy week of my sisters being here - Erin had an MRI and was diagnosed with Bells Palsy from an inner ear infection that was pressing on a facial nerve causing the paralysis. She is fine now. No worries. On steroids and everything is clearing up. Enough for her to leave on her 10 day London trip with school. Have I ever said I want to be one of my kids. What a trip she is on. 7 drama productions at world class theaters, from Miss Siagon to Phantom of the Opera. She has picnicked at Buckingham Palace, rode on a double decker tour bus, and shopped at amazing places,  all enough to make her mother and father very jealous. The chick is still not home. Left the 21st and comes back the 1st. NICE (saying that obnoxiously) is all I can say about that. 

School is ending. - Jack received his Global Citizenship award, Andrew is Andrew receiving Mr Sports award and a service award for his trip back in March. 

Final Goodbyes - UGh!  In this expat world people come and go on a regular basis. Walter and I wanting to have a party for a while decided to throw a MEGA party for 2 couples that are leaving. As my kids would say it was EPIC!  Never before have I thrown this kind of party. Ice Bar with a swan carved on my driveway, wait staff, pool filled with candles and hundreds of flowers, tables brought from a hotel and set up (gotta love our Amari connection), a pig on a spit and about 70 people. Wow it was incredible. 

4 days from now on an airplane for our summer trip back to America. What a year it has been. So many people that weren't in my life a year ago now I'm feeling the affects of them leaving. How life can change. 

We are ALL so excited to come back. Can't wait to see Ryan. Just turning 19 I think this was a major year of growth for him. This has definitely been a year of change, growth and adventure for us all. 

The 5 state American tour begins July 3, one day after big papa and I celebrate our 20th anniversary. 

How lucky we are!!

Cheers from the other side

😘🇺🇸 M

Proud Moment

Another tic in the box to reassure me that this move to Thailand has been worth every little and big struggle. 

Erin received the Brittany Tang Award for Outstanding Global Citizenship.  It is the highest award honored in her school. Only 6 students out of the entire school were nominated. She was nominated by a teacher in the school who recognized her willingness to give so selflessly. 

She received 9000 baht / $300 USD. She will not be using the money on herself she plans to use the money to raise more money in the fall for another project at the Mercy Center. 

Below is the write up on what the award is all about. 

Below is her write up from the school and why she was nominated and chosen for the award. 

We couldn't be prouder of her. 

Cheers from the other side

😘 M

The coup

First thing I learned it's not coup with a P sound like as in chicken coop it's pronounced cou no P. Don't judge this is my first coup and I really don't remember much about high school history. :)

The Thailand military seized control of the government in a coup last Thursday. As the Thais say, it's about time. They have had political unrest for about 6 months. Military took over and instilled militia law. Thailand has had 18 coups in 82 years, some successful and some not. Only 6 days in to this coup and from my point of view it has been relatively peaceful. 

First day of the coup gave an uneasy feeling purely because of the unknown. It all happened so quickly. My phone started lighting up around 4:30 with alerts, by 6:30 TV was cut, 7pm a curfew was put in place and by 9:30 school was canceled. Social media was lit up with all kinds of talk and it was rumored that we were going to lose internet. Never did lose internet. Erin was stuck at the mall with KB and I was on edge. 

Erin finally arrived home and things started to calm down. School was called and everyone got out of bed to celebrate the coup day, can't have snow days so we have coup days. 

Poor Walter is in India and missing all the excitement. Don't worry I always make him feel included 😜

I probably sent him 50 texts with in an hour window, from sheer panic driven texts to relaxed and calm texts. 

Despite the coup life has continued normally. Monday TV came back, you don't see any sign of military where I live, kids are back to school and the only thing still in place is the curfew. 

This curfew thing has made life tricky. On a normal school night not a big deal. Curfew is from 10pm to 5am. This curfew was put in place on a Thursday night right before the weekend. Erin's prom was this weekend.  The prom was held at the Hilton from 5:45 - 8:45 now that is a party!!  She made the best of it and it was truly a memorable night. She is still deciding if that is good thing or a bad thing. 

Walter and I had a party on Saturday night as well. Instead of the normal adult start times of 7 or 8pm our party was moved earlier. Hey this curfew doesn't excuse expats. We adults all had to be conscious of our times not just for ourselves but our drivers too.  We all agreed we would leave the party at 9 but like teenagers we pushed our luck a little and didn't leave until 9:45. It was like a mass exodus of people quickly leaving and all the drivers lined up outside anxious to get home themselves.  Walter and I feeling incredibly guilty that we are late and now KB will be late.   I was never very good about curfew when I was a teen can you imagine how difficult it is as an adult especially when your having fun.  We arrived home a few minutes after 10 and felt terrible that now KB had to drive home so we padded his wallet a little to make up for it. Money helps with the guilt. He arrived safely home with no issues. 

The only thing remains is the curfew and I don't know when that will be lifted. As for any issues we have had none and this coup has not affected us one bit. The army seems to be making strides in unraveling some of the corruption that has taken place. Keeping things peaceful seems to be the goal of the military. None of the airports have been affected and there is no talk of anything like that happening.

This weekend I go to Bangkok and I REaLLY want to go so let's just hope the coup stays on this peaceful journey and gets sorted out quickly. 

Cheers from the other side

😘 M

It's just reality!

First accident that Khun Biayoon has had since he has been driving for us. Does it sound like I'm surprised well, yes I am. Lol. If you saw the way these people drive around here you would understand. 

KB is actually a really safe driver. Shhhhh, but I prefer him over Walter, okay maybe because I sit in the back seat when KB drives and don't watch the road. 

So the car accident, well it was barely an accident. He hit a woman on a motorbike going about 5 mph. Seriously when he hit her I didn't even think the bike would go down, oh! But it did, then the dramatization began. 

KB gets out of the car and the woman is laying in the road. A taxi driver comes to her rescue and he and KB help her get up. She can't walk.  She actually has a helmet on which is a shocker because I think about 60% of the motorbikes don't wear helmets. It's her leg. Erin and I stay in the car. I am really not sure what to do. This was not part of our cultural training. 😊 hmmm now what

They walk the girl over to the side of the road pick up her bike and sit her in a chair. Of course there is a chair we were right near one of the million taxi stands. A small crowd gathers. Poor B is trying to explain, nope I can't hear this I am still in the car but I can tell by the body language and hand jesters. 

Okay now what, I ask Erin. She just looks at me and shrugs her shoulders. We both pick up our phones and start texting. Walter is in India so I text my friend who has lived here for a while. Erin calls her friend who has lived here a long time. We are both looking for advice on what to do. First piece of advice don't get out of the car - good because I wasn't. Lol. Second piece of advice don't tell them you have money - well that's a little hard when KB just took me to the ATM, hopefully he doesn't share this info with them. 

KB comes back to the car shuffling around. I ask what's up - he says they want money. I say how much?  He says maybe 500baht - easy not a problem less than $20USD. 

Next thing I see a policeman approaching the car- KB cuts him off and they walk back to the lady. Now she is standing. Oh and her nasty farang money bag (old foreign man who probably "keeps" her) shows up. Erin and I sit in the car rolling our eyes. Thank god for heavily tinted windows. 

They start  inspecting her leg, her head and now the bike. Erin and I continue to roll our eyes. Poor KB. 

KB comes back to the car and starts calling someone. Who are you calling, I ask?  The car company - why? So they can come pay the lady - I laugh. Okay KB the car co. is NOT going to come here and just pay your lady off especially when you hit her. How much?  Lady wants 1000 baht ($33 USD). I think - Guess they found an old scratch on the bike. Okay fine - as I hand him the money.  

KB comes back to he car with his head down. Now what?  The policeman want 500 baht?  What!!  What for??  He will take me to station. HA HA yeah right they will - I hand him the 500 baht. 

Corruption people at its finest. 

As we drive off we get stuck in some traffic. The lady we just hit drives by and waves, the old nasty farang drives by and waves. I would like to wave something at them but Erin grasps my hand and fingers and keeps them in my lap.   Lol

My first encounter with corruption in Thailand. Walter says - hey that is not bad almost a year here and this is the first accident plus it only cost about $50 USD. Think about that same accident in the US, our insurance rates would go up, the scratch on the bike would have been hundreds of dollars to fix, I begin to rethink what he has said and realize maybe the corruption here is not so bad. 

Walter alway thinking on the bright side. 😉

Along with this lovely incident I also wanted to share some of our normal reality so you can see not everything is glamorous here in Thailand. 

We have a rat problem - they die in the ceiling and smell REalLY BAD. 

Cockroaches - they seem to like us as well and they are HUgE.

We have a leak in the bathroom but no one can seem to fin it. 

There is a snake in the garden somewhere but no one can seem to find it. (Do you see the pattern)

Have I mentioned the size of snakes here. Yes this one was a python on the road when we were  driving at night by my kids school. 

Thailand beer is really bad and I'm over it. (whoever thought those words would come out of my mouth) hahahaha

Have I complained lately about my laundry - no dryer - rainy season is starting so everything stays damp. 

My maid decided she didn't need to come this week, my sisters are visiting and now I am cleaning my house. Okay maybe that one I should not complain about. Seriously though it's annoying! Lol

Oh and Walter is on a major travel schedule so I have seen him like 2 days in the last 3 weeks. I am missing my buddy. 

So as you can see life in Thailand is not always perfect but who wants to read about that stuff. Lol

On a brighter note 

MY SiSTeRS are COMiNg in 2 DaYS!!!  Can't wait. Woohoo!!

Cheers from the other side

😘 M

Ahhhhh Singapore!

I always said Walter was a smart man, us not moving to Singapore was a really good thing. First because of our wallet, super expensive, but also because I would never want to leave!

Singapore was incredible. Now I know why people call it Asia lite. I think it is more western than America. Everyone looks Asian but English is the common language. It is a really beautiful city. My kids kept saying it reminded them of Chicago but cleaner. It is the cleanest place I have ever visited. Not a wrapper, coke can, cigarette butt nothing on the ground. Trash cans are not even noticed and sometimes hard to find. No one walks around with a coffee, water bottle or soda. Coming from Pattaya which I think is the filthiest place I have ever lived Singapore was like a shiny new penny. 

Singaporeans are kind and courteous. Everything and anything you could ever want is in Singapore. I have never seen so much shopping in such a small square footage of a country. Erin was like a kid in a candy store. All her favorite stores were there which of course was where we spent a bit of time. 

What kind of food do you want to eat?  Every choice is available. Restaurants are everywhere. We ate Mexican and German. I also had a Raddler, a beer and lemonade. It was good 

Singapore consists of 63 islands including the main island which is how most people identify singapore. It is Hot and Humid. Singapore is ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. It is an education hub with more than 80000 international students. The country is the worlds 4th leading financial center. It is a hub for foreigners seeking medical care. It has the highest percentage of millionaires (now we know why it's so damn expensive).  I could go on and on but won't. 😊 

We had a fabulous weekend. 

People always take photos in the Bangkok airport so Erin said maybe we should to. So we did really for no reason just because. This was us on our way to Singapore. 

No threats were made and no bribery, the three studying on the plane was a remarkable thing. Well not for the IB student. She studies all the time but the other 2 it was a rare occurrence for the school books to be brought out on a plane. I guess the approaching exams have encouraged this behavior. Whatever it is a shout out to Erin, Andrew and Jack for studying on the plane while I played my iPad games. Sometimes i love being an adult with no job. Lol!!

We rode the MRT everywhere, Singapores train. 

Finally made it to dinner. An English pub for fish and chips. 

Look what else was on the menu

Marina Bay Sands resort. Yep that's a boat on top. That is where the pool is and there is a restaurant and bar. Nope we didn't stay there and had a parent fail when they wouldn't let us go to the top for a drink because the boys had on shorts. We walked around the downstairs part which is an enormous mall. There is a small river that runs through the mall as well. It is quite an incredible building. 

This is the Merlion. It sits across from the Marina Bay Resort. There are 2 in Singapore. An even bigger one is in Sentosa Island (second picture) Merlion is a mythical creature that is the sea and lion coming together. It is the mascot of Singapore. 

You can actually walk out of the mouth for a view of the city. 

The Singapore river runs through the city and empties into the Indian Ocean. The city is built up around the river. 

No Soi dogs just stone cats. Gives you that warm and cuddly feeling right. 😜. Statues of animals around the city. We thought it was funny. You didn't see a stray anything so I guess the statues of cats were suppose to make up for it. Maybe????  I did say it was a very clean city. Very difficult to bring a pet into this country. Lots of quarantine time. They have no rabies or any other funky animal diseases. 

Saw the light and fire show outside the Marina Bay resort. 

My chocolate lovers outside the Hershey store. 

Who doesn't love a Reese's peanut butter cup. 

Made the kids day, went to Universal studios. Visited Hollywood and New York City while we were there. 

4D rides are the best. Transformers was the best ride. 

Have to take a picture with the dinosaur in Jurassic Park. 

Oh Lord Farquaad we are coming to help Shrek and Donkey save Fiona. 

Madagascar ride here we come. 

The castle from far far away land!

Everyone loves a minion. 

Who doesn't love a minion hat. 

Yep got a little crazy in the minion store. Lol

Hello they left the price tag on my groovy glasses and crown combo. Someone could have told me BeFORE they took the picture. 

Everyone loves a crazy hat selfie!!!

Yep we took a few. 😊

To cool for us. Andrew riding the luge. 

Snake charmer extraordinaire. 

This is when Andrew ran far far away. Lol

It was Mother's Day so I was rewarded with a moms the greatest oscar statue and a margarita. Sorry I didn't video my acceptance speech. 😝

Yum but at a price. 2 beers for 32 sing dollars which is about $25 USD. You could go broke in this country. 

Cool place called Clarke Quay. It's a river wharf with tons of restaurants and bars. All outdoors but with giant umbrellas covering the entire area so you can still eat and drink when it rains. It had a large fountain which of course my boys could not stay out of. 

We had a rough and exhausting day. Lol. Walking around universal, riding the rides then having margaritas makes for an exhausting day. 

Of course these two weren't going to let Erin and I have all the fun. 

Walter worked the next day so when the cat is away the mice will play. This is what my boys did to amuse themselves in the mall while Erin shopped shopped and shopped. 

Found a store to keep Andrew and Jacks interest for a while, the Super Hero store. Every boys dream. 

Before the night safari we stopped in Chinatown. Amazing spring rolls. Not enough time spent in this area. 

It was a fabulous trip. Can't wait to go back. 

Cheers from the other side

😘 M

Doctors and Dentists

Referrals are a beautiful thing when living in a foreign country. We expats depend on each other for recommendations for about almost everything, restaurants, shopping, grocery stores, massages but most importantly medical. 

Honestly I already made my dentist appointments for this summer in the US but a friend of mine highly suggested a dentist here. Being a bit skeptical I have been dragging my feet so of course my child pushes a decision on me when he comes down with a tooth ache. Jacks tooth is bothering him. I am already convinced he has a cavity, his brushing habits are not star worthy to say the least. After a night or two I realize this ache is not going away. I go on line to the dentists website to make an appointment (this is how you do it when you don't speak Thai, website is in English, guess what kind of patients these dentists want?  The having money kind, lol) Get an email back they can see him the very next day.  Appointment time - dentist is awesome perfect English, office is modern and super clean. Dentist is graduate from Georgetown medical school and still has a practice he owns in Washington DC. Lived in US for 18 years. I am curious to know why he is in Pattaya. He is from Bangkok came back to Thailand because of family and likes the more laid back atmosphere in Pattaya. Okay so I got his entire history. Hey he spoke great English and I'm always curious about Why someone is in Pattaya besides the ladyboys and beer bars. Lol. Long story short Jack didn't have a cavity but a cracked filling. In and out in under an hour the dentist did the entire procedure under $50. Needless to say Jack and I went back for cleanings.  Again in an out less than an hour and the dentist did the cleanings himself each cleaning less than $100. Best service ever And we didn't have to wait 6 months for our appointments. You can make an appointment for the same week you call. The other three now have appointments. 

Okay so far boring post right? Just trying to show you not everything here is funny. Some can be very normal. Thank goodness BUT then the funny happens again just to remind you that our life is just not normal here and there is never a dull moment. 

Erin has been going to the dermatologist lately. Normal 17 year old stuff. Just so happens she went 2 weeks in a row. The way it works here is you go to the waiting room and then a nurse comes and gets the patient to take vitals, normal stuff, weight, blood pressure, height and temp. A friend told me that you can actually say no to this service because there is an individual charge on your bill for it. Today thinking this wasn't necessary since it was purely a follow up I told the nurse no it wasn't needed. 

The nurse gave me a strange look, shook her head (this was her attempt at telling me she didn't understand) and took Erin by her hand. We followed the nurse into the vitals room then the nurse proceeded to explain in very broken English, hand gestures and actions what she was going to do.

She shows Erin the blood pressure cuff puts it on her arm says blood and then proceeds to hit her own chest and say thump thump thump, gives Erin ok sign. Takes thermometer puts under Erin's arm says sun hot no good, wraps her arms around herself says cold no good but points finger at Erin and gives ok sign. Erin is looking like OMG really. I'm trying not to laugh. The nurse shows Erin scale, Erin picks up her foot to show shoes nurse shakes her head, Erin takes off shoes, nurse shows Erin how to step on scale, Erin is like REaLLy!  Nurse doesn't say much just says body and takes her own hands and rubs them down her sides and crouches on the ground jumping a little and points at Erin and gives her ok sign.  Erin is trying not to laugh realizing that this nurse does not think Erin speaks English nor does this nurse speak much English. When she gets around to height Erin tries to tell her what her height is but doesn't know it in metric so goes to use her phone to convert but the nurse stops her and says tall then goes to the floor taps it with her hand and them raises it up to Erin's head and says ok, never measures her at all. Best comedy routine of the day and I'm am just relieved that Erin is OK. Lol! Gotta love the Thais. 

To all my nurse friends - Thai nursing school - much easier and I bet they will teach you the hand movements too. Lol!! 😜

All this for 300baht (about 10$). Couldn't ask for a cheaper laugh. Erin and I were in hysterics. 

We think I must have caught her off guard when I said that I didn't want this service and she probably wasnt sure what I said and since everyone is Russian here maybe thought we were Russian and spoke  no English.  Who knows. It was a great giggle for us. 

Cheers from the other side

😘 M