Koh Samui, Thailand

Since we were taking a detour on our way home for the summer, we decided to leave Sri Lanka and make a stop over in Thailand.  We spent one week in each place and now we know we must return and spend at least two weeks in these wonderful, unique, and adventurous places.

We decided to follow our good friends, Justin and Rebecca Somerville, to Koh Samui.  They live about 4 houses away from us in Kaust and have been a family we immediately connected with.  They are from New Zealand, about our age, have three awesome kids, and area also a little looney like us.  This is our second adventure with them and we look forward to making more memories in the years to come.

We also decided to fly Gracie, our niece, to meet us.  She flew to Bangkok on her own and then we continued to Koh Samui.  She did a great job!  Her words: "I love airports!"  She enjoyed the independence, courage, and adventure it took to make this long journey.  We are so glad she spent this week with us.

We didn't spend too much time on the beach.  I think we are a little spoiled by living right on the Red Sea. 

Our place was quite large, but when you shop around you can find some great deals.  4 of the bedrooms faced the pool.  We also had a lovely view. 

Sorry ladies, but I had to post this picture.  Notice how the mommas are hiding behind the cute girls.  We all bought the same suit in different designs from a beach vendor. Rebecca S. worked us out a nice deal.  I did not appreciate being told I was extra large and had to pay more!

Our home!

You can buy gasoline in bottles.  It must be for all the scooters that are racing around the island. 

The food was so delicious! 

This was the name of our villa.

The Big Buddah was a great find!  The shopping was amazing and it is always fun to learn about the customs of the country you are visiting. 

This is a typical boat.

Shopping!  Everything is so cheap!

Carter lost his tooth right when we arrived.  The Thailand Tooth Fairy delivered 50 bot for this front tooth.

Gracie's first night.  She did a good job of not falling face first into her food.  Catching up on her sleep was an important task for the first few days. 

Our good friends.  The Somervilles!  We hiked to a waterfall, which was barely flowing, and a did a little swimming.

Cameron being blessed by a Monk.

Gracie was blessed too.

Bryan and Cameron just had to go to the Snake Farm.  I can't believe I gave in.  It was the most miserable experience of the entire trip.  The snakes were kept in awful conditions, but the people were so happy to show us around.  I tried to be upbeat, but I really thought I was going to pass out. 

This is the snake charmer!  He also had pet scorpions and wanted to prove to me that they were friendly.  It did not work.  This guy also had a USA tattoo.  Very strange!

This has been bit 324 times!  He is missing several fingers!  

Carter wanted a massage.  He was lubed up with coconut oil and a little Thai lady rubbed him down for a 1/2 hour.  Gracie also enjoyed a massage, but mine was awful.  The He-She that massaged me made me feel like I had been in a boxing ring.  I am not a fan of the Thai massage.

Now we are back in the U..S spending time with our friends and family.  We missed everyone dearly, but did enjoy our adventures over the last 11 months!  We will be flying back to Saudi in August and look forward to the adventures that are still to come. 

Sri Lanka

We believe Sri Lanka is a hidden gem that our adventurous friends should discover.  North Americans are the least likely visitors, which is probably due to where it is situated (below India, Far Away), and most people have never heard of Sri Lanka.  It is an amazing place and has to be home to the friendliest people in the world.  It is a place we will be visiting again soon!  

The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist.  You can visit these temples all around the country. 

Each of us took a turn being blessed by the Monk. 

He told me that he blessed me with the hope that I will someday have a daughter.  Ugh!

These boys were studying to become Monks. 

This little girl is three and she loves Carter!  I am pretty sure I could have offered the family money and we could have come home with a daughter.  She was precious, happy, and very poor.  Her mother asked if she could be our nanny.  

Bird watching was taken very seriously. 

We loved our time in the Tuk Tuk and had the best driver ever!

Flying Fox bats!  The largest bat in the world!  They eat fruit, so don't be afraid!  

They can have a wing span up to 5 feet long. 

Visiting the local school was amazing!  

These kids were so thankful for the one pencil we gave to them. 

Cameron was quite popular!

After our amazing school experience we went to our Tuk Tuk drivers home.  His friend decided we each needed a coconut.  He climbed quickly into this tree to bring down a treat for all of us.  

We came home to all of our beds decorated with flowers.  This place was so much fun!

Yala National Park was amazing!  They have a healthy Asian Elephant population. This little guy is about 5 months old. 

Many of the mommas had a 5 year old and a baby.  Seeing them in the wild was an unforgettable experience. 

We spent 13 hours in this jeep.  

I little creepy!

The sloth bear was an amazing find!

Most people go to Yala to see the leopard.  They are not easy to find.  We were able to find 2!  They are difficult to photograph. 

After being on our Safari for 13 hours we ended up sleeping in a tent.  We went for the full meal deal!  We had 7 helpers at the campground and we were not allowed to do anything.  It was so awkward being served.  We slept in the tent while the rest slept around the campsite.  They had to be on the lookout for elephants while we slept!  

We taught the staff at this hotel how to play Uno.  They loved it!

Our driver for a few days. The roads are crazy in Sri Lanka, so hiring a driver is a good idea. 

Our picnic while on Safari. 

Cameron in his underwear relaxing. The animals hide in the heat of the day, so we spent a few hours eating, swimming, and just hanging out. 

Amazing place!  Great guides! 

Camping in the middle of nowhere.  I kept thinking where we were on a map.  Far away from home!

There are so many good things to say about this country.  It is untouched by tourism, which is a good thing in my eyes.  It is home to so many different animals and the adventures are endless.  We will be back but have a few more (lots more) countries on our list.  Good bye Sri Lanka!  Thanks for an incredible experience! 

School Is Out

I thought I would have more time this school year to focus on some of the small things in life.  I guess I did, but getting to this blog every weekend did not work out.

All I can say about this school year is that it was amazing!  Our boys grew in so many ways and I was challenged each day.  It was an incredible experience and we are so thankful to be part of the Kaust community!

I am glad our family was brave enough to pack up our life and move to such a mysterious place.  It was the best decision we could have made!

Rollin' Down The Highway To the Red Sea

What is it like to cruise down a Saudi highway?  It isn't a trip that most people will ever be able to experience.  This weekend I was able to do a road trip 3 1/2 hours south of here, so I saw a lot of the highway.  Here are the things I saw: sand, camels, sand, garbage, sand dunes, sand, blue sky, sand, security check points, and more sand.  At times I would drift off to sleep and then open my eyes and I would see a freeway from home, but when I looked closer I would notice that the people driving were men in Thobes with wives covered in the back seat.  Every once in awhile I would feel several speed bumps, which meant we were approaching a security checkpoint.  I have never stopped at one of these checkpoints, and hope that we can always easily pass right on through.  The important thing to notice is which line is passing through quickly.  I always wonder why some people choose the slow line.

To you it might seem very dusty, brown, and boring, but these road trips can lead to some marvelous unexplored places.  This weekend I was able to stay at a hotel on the red sea.  Now this hotel was nothing to write home about.  In fact, I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.  It was very bizarre but it was on the shores of the red sea, which is a fascinating place that is the least explored sea in the world. 

I boarded a boat early on Friday and Saturday with about 15 others and a few researchers from the University and we set out to find Whale Sharks.  This is the time of year that the juveniles come into the red sea to feed on plankton.  Researchers are studying them and trying to figure out why the adults are staying out in the Indian Ocean.  Unfortunately this weekend was one of the few weekends that these gigantic fish were not seen.  Yes, they are the world's largest fish.  They are not even a whale or a shark, but have similarities to both, so hence the name. 

Even though we didn't see these incredible creatures, we had a lot of opportunities  to snorkel and dive.  I chose to dive each time to get a break from the waves and see the beauty under the surface.  It was amazing.  I felt like I was placed in the Nemo movie!   So many fish, coral, urchins, anemones, sting rays, and a turtle. There was so much to see and an hour wasn't even long enough.  I spent a total of 4 hours under the sea and I want more!  It was so fun swimming around coral mountains, going under bridges of coral, and going up and down the bottom of the sea.  I have never been so at ease diving.   If you live in this unique place you must dive!  It is amazing! 

Bryan did this journey a in March and was also on one of the few trips that did not see the Whale Sharks.  So, next year we will try it again and hopefully be swimming with the world's largest fish.  We will for sure take Cameron next year, since he is a full on fish in the sea.  He will snorkel for hours!  Carter is a little hesitant, so we will see how he progresses by this time next year. 

The diving center offers a "Little Bubbles" course that is for kids 8 and up.  We are going to check it out next year for Cameron.  Also, if you are a high school student here you become a certified diver during your P.E. class.  How cool is that?! 

Here area a few pictures. I guess you need a red filter for the camera to pick up all the colors.  Just turn on Nemo and you will see what I saw!

 Blue Spotted Sting Ray!

 Nemo!

 These giant clams are beautiful!  They are bright blue inside.



Me!  About 60 feet under! 

Now we are one month from leaving our home and coming back to the U.S. for a summer holiday. Of course we are taking the long way home, which will lead to more blogging.