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Published: December 29th 2016
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flashpacker noun
1. (Informal) a backpacker who has a considerable disposable income The above definition of "flashpacker" is from dictionary.com. I was surprised to actually see it in there! Most backpackers in SE Asia know the term. It basically means that you are traveling with backpacks but instead of staying in budget beach huts with a fan and cold water shower, you are staying in nicer resorts with air-conditioning and hot water. No roughing it required! I am ashamed to admit that we are now definitely in the realm of flashpackers. I blame it on the children. Scott and I have always been fine with just a fan and cold water shower, but the kids are another matter. We did ok in Somewhere Else bungalows with just a fan, although Jake would wake from his midday nap hot and groggy.
For Christmas and New Year our fan room was booked out so we had to stay further down the beach at Gooddays Resort. We had a bungalow with a beach view, a/c and hot water, and a breakfast buffet included and even a pool - a sure
fire way to tell you're a flashpacker! I have to admit, the a/c was nice to have!
The lead up to Christmas was a bit rough, with Kyla and Jake both getting sick for two days each, and a rain storm moving in for a few days. Luckily, Christmas Eve and Christmas day the weather cooperated and we got what you expect at this time of year in Thailand - calm, sunny days and warm nights. Everyone else spent Christmas Eve at the beach by our resort while I frantically wrapped the gifts. Nothing like leaving things to the last minute! We didn't find any Christmas wrapping paper here so all the presents were wrapped in hearts and balloons paper. The kids didn't seem to notice! The only problem was that we then had to hide them, but we didn't have a cupboard on anywhere hidden. We ended up putting them up on a high shelf and burying them in clothes.
We all ate lunch at a cute restaurant with beautiful views down the beach before getting Jake a good nap. Then it was party time. Christmas Eve here is a bigger deal than
Christmas Day because of all the Swedes. The beach looked very festive, with decorations and Santa hats popping up everywhere. We had a reservation at our favorite restaurant, ThaiCat. After our rather untraditional Thai meal, we headed off down the beach to find a fire show. We'd only watched it for a little while, though, when we noticed that floating lanterns were being set off further down the beach. Showing these to Kyla is on my trip bucket list as she loves the scene in the Disney movie Tangled when Rapunzel watches the sky fill with floating lanterns. We raced down the beach and soon found several groups of people setting them off. They had to be a little careful, though, as the Thai police was patrolling the beach as the lanterns are now outlawed due to the fire hazard. By about 10pm we decided to get a tuk tuk back home as the kids had a big day ahead of them.
The next day, Christmas Day, the kids slept in to a respectable 8am but quickly looked around for evidence of Santa. They found their gifts by the patio door and quickly got to work opening
them. Grandma and Grandpa arrived a bit later and we opened all the family presents "under" the tree. We finally managed to coax them down to the beach by taking some of Jake's new trucks. When Kyla first went outside and felt the heat of the day, she was a little perplexed, saying, "I thought it would be snowing on Christmas!" The funny part about this is that we live in coastal California. She has NEVER had a white Christmas in her life!
So with that, I'll say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our friends and family around the globe! I hope you all had a wonderful festive season!
*** Please scroll right down to see all of the photos ***
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