We were buying some street food and Jason asked (in Thai) if they had
change . The lady said she did and then spoke really quickly saying
something I didn't understand. I think she expected us not to but
Jason is quick and realized she said, "Maybe I don't have change and
you could just give me a tip." Jason laughed and responded to her
quip. She blushed and laughed, and then after she gave us the food
and the change Jason gave her a tip. They don't routinely expect
tips here so when you give one it is very appreciated.

We drove the tuk tuk outside the gates of our neighborhood for the
first time. Traffic is a little scary and crazy here. We went to a
Thai massage place within walking distance from our house. We got a
two hour Thai massage for $7.50 each. It was fabulous! They don't
just rub the muscles, they stretch them out and pull on your joints to
help you loosen up. They walk on you, use elbows to dig into the
muscles, and sometimes use their whole body weight for leverage.
Jason and I were in the same area that was curtained off. They gave
us loose fitting clothing to wear for the massage. The two girls
talked to each other in Thai in whispers at first and then gradually
expanded into a full fledged conversation. We didn't complain and
they chatted and gossiped away. I was curious to know how much Jason
understood and we had a laugh afterward that they had no idea that he
spoke Thai. Jason enjoyed hearing local Thai spoken and although he
didn't follow all of the conversation he knew enough to gather that
some of it was about us Farong (foreigners). One of the girls
answered her cell phone and rubbed my back with one hand for awhile.

I went to a Thai supermarket today. It was as big as a Costco. It is
challenging to know what things are because the local products are all
in Thai. You have to look at the pictures and try your luck. I have
gone before with friends who know what some things are and helped me
out. There are so many interesting things. The eggs are not
refrigerated because naturally eggs have a coating that protects them
and we wash that off in the U.S. The meat is out on these huge open
trays with ice under them. There are all kinds of seafood and meats
that I don't even recognize. They have all kinds of parts of the
animal available that we don't have in the states too like pig heads
and chicken intestines that look like worms. They have lots of dried
meats and seafood in big open barrels. There are all kinds of fruits
and vegetables which I don't know the names of yet. They import
things from all over. I took a taxi there and back and the taxi
driver helped me load and unload the groceries. I gave him 20 baht to
say thanks. Cup Coon Ka.

We went to the pool for the first time last week. It was so hot! The
water was lukewarm and didn't really cool us off. Jason said the
water cools off at night so the morning is the best time to swim.
There were slides and diving boards and a children's pool with partial
shade over it. There are black decorative tiles set in patterns
around the pool which get so hot! I kept reminding the kids to put on
their sandals when they were outside the pool. I noticed a stainless
steel cover by the children's pool and guessed that it would be hot to
the touch so I pointed it out to the kids not to walk on it. When I
wasn't looking Justus ran on it and screamed that he was hurt. We put
him in the pool for awhile and carried him home. That afternoon he
had blisters on his feet and it hurt to walk. But being the quick
healer that he is; was fine the next day with no more blisters!

We went to a 'Welcome the Newcomers' party on Friday. We had
hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, salads, soda and desserts. These
foods are really expensive and hard to find here. I guess we haven't
been here long enough to appreciate it and would have preferred Thai
food. There was Mango sorbet that was really good though. It was fun
meeting new people and finding out what people who have been here
awhile like about Thailand. One lady loves to go to rock concerts and
thinks it is so strange that the Thai sit quietly during the music and
politely clap when each song is over. Our neighborhood is so safe
that no one has had anything stolen but people have accidentally left
their doors open when they are gone and come home to a house full of
mosquitoes.

There is a small grocery store within the community here that sells
American foods. Normal mild cheddar is $8 a pound, Hershey's candy
bars are $3 each and cold cereal is $7 a box of only 12 oz. We have
been eating oatmeal for breakfast and leftovers for lunch. We have
been avoiding refined prepared foods which I am happy about. It is
easy when those foods cost so much more than meat, veggies and rice.
We found that we miss oatmeal cookies and ice cream - is that any
surprise? and the kids miss cold cereal. I found some ice cream that
has whey in the ingredients but no milk or cream. We found that if
you mix in lime or lemon juice in it tastes pretty good. You can find
regular ice cream here but it costs a lot. We have friends that get
milk delivered and spend $100 a month for for a family of five.

We got rides to church with friends last week and this week we needed to get a taxi for half of us. We planned on having the taxi follow one of our friends cars but when Jason talked to the taxi driver he assured us he knew how to get there. He took us to a Thai church near where we wanted to go. We accidentally left the cell phone at home so we couldn't call for better directions. We walked up the street a ways hoping we could see something familiar. The sidewalks are high off the road and don't have ramps so it is difficult to push a stroller. We stopped in at a beautiful hotel called the Conrad and asked for directions. The guard took us across the hotel to the receptionist's desk and she looked online for the address. She seemed to get it right and wrote the address and even called a taxi for us. We headed out again only to go to two more churches and neither one was ours. We tried the Thai phone number that can help with directions but no luck. So we went home. At least the older three kids got to go to church today. :) We considered going to a Thai service but were worried that just being Falong would be a distraction enough not to mention the chaos of our unruly youngsters. I wouldn't want to do something wrong or disrespectful on accident. (There are rules about not pointing to or even calling attention the small temples people keep in their homes or on their land). You shouldn't point to something or someone with your foot, or touch someone's head. You should always use a quiet voice and never display strong emotion.

Yesterday Jason and I went to a huge outdoor market called the Chatuchak market. It has over 5,000 stalls of absolutely everything. It is set up in what seems like a crazy haphazard way but eventually realized that similar items were grouped together. We walked for over a half an hour before coming to one of the main roads. It was very hot in the sun but more bearable in the covered shop areas with fans. We saw pets of all shapes and sizes and all the parifanalia you need for keeping them. We saw soaps, lotions, oils, purses, wallets, bags, backpacks, shoes, clothing of all types including Thai silks. We saw decorations and art of all kinds. Western and Eastern. We saw young children playing instruments in the hot sun for donations. We saw several lame or blind men begging for sustinence -for some the only way to move was to drag themselves along by their arms.

There were food venders all throughout the market selling food made on carts. There were larger places with tables set out selling similar food. We got delicious fresh squeezed orange juice and green coconuts. We got green mango slices that have sugar mixed with fish sauce and spices on top. We tried Turkish ice cream and Jason described it like a fudge sicle only thicker. We ate a meal in an indoor mall close buy and ordered a lemon smoothie. They put salt in their citrus and lime drinks and some places will advertise 'no salt.' We realized too late that the ice in the smoothie was probably from tap water, but no worries we were fine. We got some chicken on a stick and after taking one bite Jason spit it out into the bag. I have never seen him do that (and he has tried some pretty exotic foods, no problem)! My first thought was . . spicy - but he can handle spice, then I thought maybe it was not chicken but again he wouldn't spit it out. Then I thought it must be moldy or rancid. That must be it. So I asked what was wrong. "It's a chick," he said. "I can't eat a baby animal."

We were there five hours or so walking almost the entire time. We got a 30 minute Thai foot massage for five dollars. They don't just rub your feet, they rub your calves and lift your legs to stretch them and move your ankles and toes to stretch them too. It feels wonderful! They end by sprinkling baby powder on your toes and you walk away feeling like a new person!

We didn't take the children with us and I really can't imagine taking more than one there. You could seriously get lost. It wasn't very crowded in the heat of the day but when it started cooling off crowds of people came in. I could have lost Jason if I wasn't holding on to him. Watching and listening to the people was as interesting as looking at the things for sale. The Thais are very modest people and most are wearing clothing with sleeves and shorts or dresses past the knees. Most all foreigners had tank tops etc. and that made them even more foreign. Some of the young people have more extreme styles but most are more conservative. It started pouring rain when we were indoors using the restroom. (if you want T.P you have to buy it in a vending machine for 10 baht) I only had leather sandels so I bought some cheap slippers (flip flops) to catch a taxi. We talked to two through the window who didn't know where we lived but just got in the third hoping to get him nearer to our house by a well known landmark. Turns out he was familiar with our neighborhood and got us home just fine. We were exhausted! But it was so fun to experience something so different than what we are used to. I want to go to the water market, see the grand palace and the Buddhist temples, and go to the beach.

We got our club passes and can go swimming and use the fitness center this week. It is about a 15 minute walk from our house. We have a small bike that I picked up and some scooters that we borrowed from a neighbor. The younger boys get red faced and so sweaty that they look like they just got out of the shower when they play outside for very long. Believe it or not we haven't gotten hardly any mosquito bites! We don't have any bugs in our house either and so far no geckos. Isaac really wants to find a Gecko to keep for a pet but they are considered pests by most people here.

This is our fourth day in Thailand. We love it already! The tropical
flora and fauna are spectacular. It seems like every plant and tree
has its own beautiful flower. There are bird of paradise flowers all
over our yard. We love our house, it is perfect for us. We feel so
blessed to not be in an apartment or condo.

We have been to downtown Bangkok twice. It is about an hour away. It
is fun to see the street signs and billboards in Thai. There are such
tall buildings and different sights. Like motorbikes loaded with
people and wares that weave in and out of both lanes of traffic.
Driving on the other side of the road. Markets and stalls set up in
any available space on the side of the road. Advertisements for skin
lightening products. Wildly decorated buses and bright pink taxis.
High rises with no airconditioning and laundry hanging out everywhere.
It is the start of the rainy season and the weather hasn't been too
hot. The heavy rains don't last very long and when it is over the
bugs are all in hiding for awhile.

We are adjusting to the 12 hour difference slowly. Justus and Steven
woke up at 11:30 p.m. two nights ago and 2:45 a.m. last night. They
have so much energy and act like it is time to start the day.

We have had fresh pineapple, papaya, bananas, mangosteen, asian pears
and dragon fruit. They also have very fresh greens. We ate Pad Thai
in the embassy cafeteria but it wasn't spicy. I went to a large
grocery store with a friend to stock up on household items but hope to
go to the fresh markets and get street food soon.

We borrowed a tuk tuk to get around the community. There is are
stores and a mall close by but really are out of the urban part of the
city. We can buy a membership to the pool and gym at a discounted
rate and it is a 10 minute walk from our house. The community is
gated and has guards at each entrance and parents let their older kids
play in the park unsupervised. We are looking for a vehicle to buy
but are considering using public transportation and taxis instead.

We aren't supposed to drink the water here and have a water dispenser
in the kitchen. Justus has swallowed bath water but was fine. I
don't have to do anything special when I wash produce and dishes and
none of us have had any stomach problems so far. Yea!