Bangkok-Koh Lanta Paradise-Bangkok

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In Bangkok we stayed at a very nice place called Suk 11. It’s a guesthouse in an area of Bangkok called Sukhumvit. We left Chiang Mai to go south but as well to meet up with an “old” friend of ours that we travelled with in Mexico, Nov/Dec -04. She was then travelling around Central America and just a few months after we said goodbye in Guatemala she had a terrible accident in Cuba that ended her journey. She was badly injured and taken to hospital in Miami and then returned to her home country Australia. When we saw her now she had just had her last surgery in her leg and seemed very positive on her recovery. Many things had happened since last time we saw her but surprisingly it almost seemed like yesterday when we met. It will be nice to spend some more time with her and really catch up when we come to Oz.
This time in Bangkok we left the guesthouse a bit more and even went to the backpacker haven of Khao San Road. It was nothing like the feeling you get on the Sunday night market in Chiang Mai but it was a lot of fun. Chris was remembering when he was there last…oh, those days of freedom and beer!
One morning we got out straight after breakfast to visit Lumphini Park. We thought that it would be nice to do something in the morning for a change. Usually Julian has had to stay in the room until the afternoon when its a bit cooler. So we took a taxi there and were dropped off by the entrance. It's quite a big park with a nice setup that has paths going around water, bridges and many places to sit for a picnic. I had read in the guidebook about a cafe but that was nowhere to be found. "I wanted coffee!!!" We saw some interesting things in the water and by the shore. Chris was pretending he was The Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) and wanted to jump around and play with the Water Monitors. These animals are very strong and could cause some serious damage if you would interfere with them. NOT a good idea. Im glad he is not interested in making that into his living. Me and Julian still need him for many years to come.
Then, after some research, we decided to take a flight down south to Krabi. And from there continue to Koh Lanta. That island seemed to be a good choice for us, relaxing, nice beach and popular among travellers and families. The full moon party at Hat Rin, Ko Pha Ngan seemed not an option… (but would have been a interesting experience! 10 000 ravers on a beach…)
We stayed one night in Krabi and then off to the island by bus and boat. We were 10 people in the minivan, 7 of whom were SWEDES, and that’s more or less the percentage of tourists here.
Our first couple of nights we stayed at Miami Beach Resort. This could have been great except for the a/c spitting out ice and wetting our clothes, food being plain and horrible muesli, our sink and toilet leaking and just really weird people. We couldn't figure out if they were all just stoned or that was the way they acted normally. So we changed to the next door neighbour, Lanta Paradise. Yippie!!! A bit above our budget but still working and it felt nice to get a good room after those nights. But you could think that we were still in Sweden. It was all swedish families with kids between 2 -17. No babies until the end but it didnt matter coz Julian had so many kids to look at and try to run after in the walker.
We stayed in a concrete bungalow with a fridge, TV and a/c. It was right in front of the sea and a nice little pool with a kids area. When we sat on the bed and looked outside we saw a couple of palm trees and the sea, in the evenings we could listen to the waves… it was so relaxing and I can feel a lot of energy coming back after some busy months. I am thankful for having the opportunity to have spent that time there with Chris and Julian.
We spent 10 days at Lanta Paradise. Our days looked pretty much the same. The day started between 6-7 when Julian woke us up. We took off his clothes/diaper and went for a walk on the beach and in to the water. In the beginning he looked a bit suspicious but he got used to it and liked it. After the beach we went to the pool for a little swim before breakfast. We took the walker to the resturant and he ran around playing while we ate and made many friends among the staff. Rin, really cool lady who is kind of in charge, spoke very good english and also has two kids who played with Julian alot. We tryed to make the breakfast last as long as possible before going inside the room around 9-10. Then usually Julian slept for 1 1/2 hour and we took turns on being in the sun. Around 1pm we went to the restaurant for lunch but it was very hot by then so we didnt keep him out for long. Back to the room untill around 4 depending on the weather. Then it was time for the afternoon walk on the beach. At this time the tide is different and there were alot of puddles where we could sit and play for a bit. Julian likes to eat sand. We didn't enjoy it as much and tried to stop his little hands. Our first evening we had a beautiful sunset and the other night were a bit cloudy.
So the days went on... THEN something not so nice happened. My beautiful friendly computer got infected by millions of ANTS. It was really disgusting to see them fall in groups of 5 every time you shook the computer! (jag har i vanliga fall stor respekt för de hårt arbetande myrorna men här gick min gräns, MIN DATOR!) We went to a computer shop and handed it in. I dont know what they did but the ants went away.
During our stay on Koh Lanta a very pleasant event took place as well, namely CHRISTOPHER'S BIRTHDAY. First we talked about going to Phi Phi for the day but that could have ended in total disaster with a screaming baby getting too hot or been a beautiful relaxing experience. We didn't wanna take the chance so instead we rented a 4WD car and drove around the island. For lunch we went in to Ban Sala Dan, the main town with a few shops, many restaurants and a supermarket. We found a nice spot by the water and Julian played with some of the ladies working there. After lunch we got a few things from the market and went back to the bungalow to drop them off. Julian fell asleep in the car so we decided to continue driving south. It was a very bumpy road and my heart was beating too quickly a couple of times. But very beautiful scenery.

After 12 days on Koh Lanta we decided to go back to Bangkok. Our decision was made on that I had left a book behind in Bangkok that I found out was necessary for the finishing of my philosophy course. But it was also time to leave and our plan was just to go to Bangkok for a couple of days and then go to either Ko Samet or Koh Chang for some more beach life. But as always, plans change…

We flew in to Bangkok on the 8th of Nov and got stuck at Krabi Airport for some interesting hours. Julian was walking around, talking to everyone and found a 5 year old playmate. The boy got down on his knees and Julian crawled after him. His mum tried to make the boy eat his dinner and said: Look at the baby, that’s a big boy! You could be the same if you ate your food. (the boy of 5 is 16 kg compared to our 11 month baby of 12,6 kg!!)
In Bangkok we once again stayed at Suk 11. This time in a different room and my computer picked up a signal which meant we had Internet in the room (YIPPIE! Internet on Koh Lanta was not very inspiring with high prices and all the ants..) Chris took the opportunity and called his parents and sister so they could have a chat. My mum is away in Norway so I just sulked a bit and played with the baby while C was having all the fun… njae.. maybe not really true but it was a shame that she wasn’t around for a talk. BEEN TOO LONG.
I hade a whole day of studying and my head was spinning with the work of Immanuel Kant and different arguments. But I made it! And soon we will be given our grades. I don’t expect a high mark but I hope I pass.

The not so nice part of our stay was that Julian was getting a lot of stomach problems and was vomiting, restless in the night and very annoyed with something during the days. He wouldn’t eat properly so we decided to go to the hospital for a check up. It was very good that we went! We found out that Julian had a virus infection in the mouth that was causing him pain. That’s why he didn’t wanna take the bottle etc. We also ordered a test to see if he had any bacteria in the stomach but that came back clear. Now, some days later, he is eating like normal again and hasn’t vomited at all. RELIEF.
During these days we also decided NOT to go to the beach but instead head back to Chiang Mai for continuing our studies and development. Felt like a good decision.


JULIAN UPDATE: I keep forgetting to tell what is really happening with our little one so here I dedicate some lines to pure development. He is 79,5 cm and 12,6 kg. (he was measured at the hospital in Bangkok on the 11th of Nov). His legs are still never completely still and we bought some good shoes for him so he can continue to walk and walk and walk… now he walks with one helping hand and has started to let go of that one sometimes. He is not really steady enough to walk far by himself but he has taken 5 steps once when he got excited and he walks 2-3 steps between furniture if he wants to get to the other side. He says; “mamma”, “pappa”, “tita” (titta?) and “du!”, As well as other interesting sounds. When you sing OM for him he sings with you (quite in tune! 😉
He has been practicing sitting down with a bamboo chair and he loves when you sing songs for him. Other favourite games are Peek-a-boo (Tittut på svenska) and “lets-lift-the-lamp shade-of-the-lamp-and-put-it-back” a 100 times in a row.
He has 7 teeth (a lot of drooling so more on their way) and his hair is very blond and we think curly.
That’s Enough

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Comments

[GunMarie]

Thailand is bautiful
Hi Now I`m back in Sweden and Stockholm So nice to see your photos I have shared them with my workingfriends in norway They are very impressed of vhat you are doing.....miss you but hope you have nice days until you leave for Australia....I`m leaving this rainy part of the country and goes to grandma for a visit at that time....hope Julian gets better and give him a big hug from me love to you both ( ska du inte lära honom att säga mormor också!) mamma

[Sture och Inger]

Fina bilder på våra grannar
Hej vi bodde grannar på Lanta Paradise och vi fortsatte till Malaysia,var och tittade på några hemsidor om Lanta Paradise och hittade eran sida en kul överraskning vi hittade till och med en bild på Inger i polen med Chris.Vi är nu hemma i norrland med regn och rusk som hör förvintern till.Vi hoppas att ni har det bra och att vi fick några rader från er.Hälsningar Sture och Inger . PS min adress ar [e-mail]

[bittan nyber Kramfors]

Hej på er, det är kul att kunna gå in och se hur ni har det. Inga-Lill med fam hälsar till er. Här i kramfors är det ett trist väder, regn och blåst och halka jag förmodar att ni har det betydligt varmare. Ha det så bra och sköt om er Kram bittan