Krabi Trip

Krabi was beautiful! If you live in Thailand (or should happen to visit), I would highly recommend a side trip there. We flew out of Don Muang Airport which is about 15 minutes from Nichada and it was just about a one hour flight down to Krabi. The airport in Krabi was quite small and we collected our luggage and found the hotel transport without trouble at all. 

The hotel provided us with van transport to the pier. In my world, this is what is known as a beach but whatever.

At the pier, we transferred to a large long tail boat (similar to those above but a little larger) and set off for our hotel, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi. The hotel was located on the edge of a national park and was accessible only by boat (well, there was a walking trail that went over the mountain but I will have more on that later). The hotel property fronted the Andaman Sea and was surrounded by steep limestone cliffs on other three sides. What you can see in the photo below is pretty much the entire resort. Everything was laid out very well - the rooms were built up on the slopes of the mountains and the tropical landscaping was so lush and plentiful that it felt very secluded and private throughout the resort.

The view of the resort approaching from the Sea...

The pool.

There was a small soaking pool at the top of the waterfall and the kids spent a lot of time in there.

  

The view from the pool deck looking out to the sea.

 Miscellaneous photos from around the property.

 

 Our villa.

  

 The balcony.

 The view from the balcony.

 Another area on the balcony.

 Still on the balcony.

Tuesday morning, we hired a long tail boat to take all of us over to Railay Beach to meet up with some friends of Caitlynne's from school. 

I am so glad that we made this side trip because the Railay Beach Peninsula was amazing!  The limestone cliffs and thick jungle have essentially isolated the Peninsula from mainland Krabi and, like our hotel, it was accessible only by boat. There are no roads (and thus, no automobiles) on the Peninsula so it was very quiet and peaceful. Railay Beach was a 15 minute boat ride and just south of where we were staying.  The boat dropped us off at West Railay Beach West and we hiked through the jungle to Railay East Beach and then down along the coast and over to Pra Nang Cave Beach. You can follow our hike (the white path) on the map below from www.thailandparadise.com.

Christopher and Friends.

The scenery that we saw on the boat ride over to Railay Beach was spectacular.

 

 Christopher.

 Arriving at Railay Beach West.

 Going ashore.

 Caitlynne.

 Long tail boats for hire.

The sand crabs made these beautiful patterns when they dug into the sand. It looked like fireworks exploding all over the beach.

We hiked about 45 minutes through the jungle to meet up with Caitlynne's friends. The limestone cliffs up close were incredible.

Small world...Monday morning, as we were waiting out front for my friend to pick us on the way to the airport, my neighbor was driving out. Long story short, she and her two children were also staying in Krabi at the Centara also so we expanded our group by 3!  

The Welcoming Committee on footpath to Phra Nang Beach .

The sad face on this little guy reminded me of Sonder!

Finally, we arrived on Phra Nang Beach and it was well worth the hike. The beach was soft white sand and the water was crystal blue and so clear. We weren't in the water for very long when we saw a small sting ray and a lot of colorful fish right offshore.

In Miami, we had food trucks. On Phra Nang, there are "sandwich boats". The food was delicious (and cheap) and the beer was cold. A great time was had by all.

Back at the hotel...

Caitlynne ( obviously having learned well from her mother)! 

The boys at dinner on our last night in Krabi.

Our last night - Sunset.

So, the Centara is not really accessible only by boat. There is a "walking" path called the "Monkey Trail" that connects the hotel with Ao Nang Beach (to the North). It is about a 20 minute hike - straight up and then straight down. Hikers are forewarned to take a stick along to ward off the monkeys - however, friends who have hiked the trail tell me that "beat" is probably a more accurate description than "ward". Not my cup of tea, thank you. Guests at the hotel are cautioned to keep balconies clean of any personal items (especially food!) and to keep all doors and windows closed and locked. Each morning, we could see a lot of monkeys climbing all over the roofs and balconies of the villas. We had a monkey on our balcony just as we were packing up to leave Thursday morning but he saw there was nothing for him and scampered off. 

True to its name, on the beach, at the beginning of The Monkey Trail.

This guy broke the No. 1 rule - never make eye contact with a monkey!

A Spirit House at the beach.

We had a wonderful time - good friends, good food and very relaxing. Based solely on service (which was non-existent), I don't know if I would recommend the Centara to anyone. However, its location cannot be beat and it really was a very nice resort.. 

Have a great Saturday!

Just A Tease!

We are back in the bubble that is Nichada and I will have a proper post tomorrow but, until then...

 

 Have a great Thursday!

The Pioneer Woman

I am bringing my Kindle on the plane this morning but I also just received this book so I am tucking it in my handbag as well...

By Ree Drummond - HarperCollins - 2011 - Hardback - 352 pages

From the book jacket..."That's when I saw him—the cowboy—across the smoky room." I'll never forget that night. It was like a romance novel, an old Broadway musical, and a John Wayne western rolled into one. Out for a quick drink with friends, I wasn't looking to meet anyone, let alone a tall, rugged cowboy who lived on a cattle ranch miles away from my cultured, corporate hometown. But before I knew it, I'd been struck with a lightning bolt . . . and I was completely powerless to stop it. Read along as I recount the rip-roaring details of my unlikely romance with a chaps-wearing cowboy, from the early days of our courtship (complete with cows, horses, prairie fire, and passion) all the way through the first year of our marriage, which would be filled with more challenge and strife—and manure—than I ever could have expected. This isn't just my love story; it's a universal tale of passion, romance, and all-encompassing love that sweeps us off our feet. It's the story of a cowboy. And Wranglers. And chaps. And the girl who fell in love with them. 

From Amazon.com...Popular blogger and cookbook author Drummond shares the story of her courtship and marriage to her husband, whom she refers to as Marlboro Man. Though Drummond grew up in Oklahoma, she never imagined she'd end up there for good. After four years of college in Los Angeles, Drummond was only making a pit stop home before moving to Chicago. A chance encounter with a devastatingly masculine cowboy in a local bar changes everything. Though several months elapse before Marlboro Man calls her, the spark between them ignites as soon as they start dating. A rancher with deep roots in the land he works, Marlboro Man isn't going anywhere, which means Drummond has to decide whether, to be with him, she's willing to give up her dream of moving to Chicago. By the time Marlboro Man proposes, the decision is made, and Drummond prepares to marry the love of her life and discover what being a rancher's wife will entail. Charming and bright, Drummond's story will be an inspiration to those who despair of finding old-fashioned, lasting love. --Kristine Huntley

I "found" the Pioneer Woman a couple of years ago. I noticed that every time I googled a recipe, links to her recipes were always included in the search results so I thought she might be on to something. I tried a few of her recipes and found that they were easy to follow and very well written. She has a fantastic sense of humor and she takes amazing photographs of EVERY step (and then some!) so her recipes are great for beginners. Whenever I have used one of her recipes, it has turned out perfectly. I have two of her cookbooks -  The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from An Accidental Country Girl and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier and love them both. I enjoy just reading through them and looking at the photographs - no cooking required! I also follow her blog (www.thepioneerwoman.com) - she posts a lot of interesting articles, not all food related.  She made my heart skip a beat with this photo she posted on Friday (in her Home & Garden section)...

How pretty is that?!? And functional, too.

We are off to the airport in a couple of hours. Last night, Sonder discovered our suitcases (I hid them in the guest room and packed secretly) and now he is giving me puppy dog eyes and moping around the house. Since he is on so many medications for his allergies and needs to be bathed every other day with a special shampoo, we are boarding him at our vet's for this trip.

My best intention is to try and get a short post in while we are away but I am not sure if that will happen. In any event, we will be back on Thursday so, until then, have a great week!

Rest and Relaxation

Whew, what a week! I am really looking forward to the weekend and some R&R. 

Kevin and I had an official dinner Thursday night which, surprisingly, turned out to be a lot of fun. I always dread attending these types of formal work functions. Oftentimes, I do not know anyone and I find it difficult to make small talk all evening with a group of people that I just met. It seems once I get beyond the standard "where do you live" "do you have any children" and "what do you do", I run out of conversation. Last night, everyone was very friendly and there were some of the same people who had been to our home on Wednesday night so several faces were familiar to me.

The couple who hosted the dinner live in a home on an Embassy compound and the house is just amazing - high ceilings, beautiful dark hardwood floors, detailed wood trims and moldings.  The tables were decorated beautifully - the table covers were gold lame (and matched the slipcovers on the chairs) but they were placed over a larger table covering of crisp white linen which helped to mute the "sparkle" factor. The dinnerware was white and there were beautiful purple and white orchid centerpieces. I tried to count the orchids in the centerpieces on our table and lost count at 30! The servers were very attentive and food was amazing. The first course was a crab and avocado salad (which I declined as I am deathly allergic to shellfish) followed by gazpacho.The main course was a beef tenderloin in a red wine reduction served over mashed potatoes with steamed green beans. The vegetarians in the group were served what looked like a mushroom risotto. Dessert was raspberry sorbet and white chocolate cheesecake. Yum! 

I should also note that Sonder was specifically invited to attend this dinner so I guess he is a true diplomatic dog. The wife of the host "met" Sonder at our home on Wednesday, loved him and was insistent that we bring him to their home on Thursday evening so he could have a play date with their dog. I was SO reluctant to do this but, long story short, I ended up bringing him with me (in a taxi no less since Kevin had the car) and he had a fabulous time! We walked in the door and one of the maids immediately took him upstairs to play with their dog and we did not see him again until it was time for us to leave. The minute we got in the car to come home, he crashed on the backseat!

We had a barbecue at Kevin's office yesterday evening to welcome the new staff in his office to Bangkok. I was glad I went but, after it took me 1 hour & 45 minutes to get there and another hour to get home, I remembered why I avoid going downtown on Fridays! The traffic is so much worse than at other times during the week. 

The kids are off from school next week for Fall break and, since Kevin leaves Sunday for a trip back to the U.S., I was desperate to plan something that would get us out of Bangkok for a few days. Early Monday morning, the kids and I are flying to Krabi, a province about 1,000 kilometers south of Bangkok on the Andaman Sea. As you can see on the map below, Krabi is directly East of Phuket. I thought about going to Phuket but it seems to have become very commercialized and touristy so I nixed that idea. We have enough of that in Bangkok - I want to vacation in peace and quiet!

(source: www.krabiresort.com)

Krabi is said to have the most spectacular scenery and beaches in Thailand. Krabi is especially known for its unique rock formations and limestone mountains. 

 (photo source: www.beachthailand.com)

(photo source: www.valetourism.net)

We are staying at the Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas which came highly recommended by some friends here in Nichada. Since we are in a foreign country, I prefer to travel with another adult - just in case.  Fortunately, the father of a friend of Christopher's is also on business travel over the school break so his mom and I coordinated our travel plans. The kids have been busy planning our activities... snorkeling, sea kayaking among the different island and hiking in the national park. We are all very excited to have a little break from Bangkok!

Have a great Saturday!

Dinner Report

The good news is that our dinner on Wednesday night went off perfectly. The bad news is that I completely forgot to take photos of the food. I thought about taking the pictures as I was setting the food out (and even mentioned it to someone standing in the kitchen with me) but forgot to follow through, even though the camera was right there in front of me. So frustrating! 

Our menu...

Wines

From the Warburn Winery, Margaret River, Australia:

Beyond By Miles From Nowhere, 2010 Chardonnay 

Miles From Nowhere, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

Beyond By Miles From Nowhere 2010 Shiraz

From d'Arenberg, McLaren Vale, Australia:

The Custodian, 2008 Grenache

From Schild Estate, Barossa, Australia:

Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010

Appetizers:

Chicken and veggie spring rolls with sweet chili sauce for dipping.

Veggies with a tangy cream dip.

Entrees:

Green salad with blue cheese, cucumbers, red and yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and chopped mangoes, apples, and oranges. My biggest regret is that I did not get a photo of the salad - everyone commented how beautiful the presentation was. PeePorn made a creamy mustard dressing to accompany it.

Pad Thai with chicken and shrimp - this was a little spicier than PeePorn usually makes but it was very good.

Chicken cashew with veggies.

Mild red chicken curry.

Laab Gai - this is a spicy minced chicken salad that is served in lettuce leaves. It looks and tastes very much like P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps. 

Shrimp in a spicy red sauce.

Steamed white rice.

Dessert was a selection of Tim Tams (white chocolate, dark chocolate and strawberry). 

No one lingered too long after dessert and Kevin and I had the dishes in the dishwasher and the house straightened up before 9:30 pm. I am a little obsessive and cannot go to bed unless the kitchen is cleaned up - I hate waking up to a mess. There was a lot of food left over and, since we have plans for dinners out on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I wrapped everything up and Kevin took it all in to his office to "share". 

Have a great Thursday.

Miscellaneous Stuff

My new pillows arrived just in time for the dinner that we are hosting this evening. I am so happy with how they turned out. 

 

PeePorn began to cook yesterday and arrived very early this morning to continue. She has a friend that will come over and help her later if she feels like she is falling behind. She tells me that her friend is the better cook but I can't see how that can be as PeePorn is pretty darn good herself. We are so lucky that she is able (and likes) to cook for these dinners because I know I could not do it by myself. Some of my friends have Thai maids that cannot even cook Thai food, let alone Western dishes so we are very fortunate. 

In addition to a green salad, two appetizers, a fruit plate and rice, she is making four "main" dishes. One dish I know for certain is a curry (because she made it yesterday) but I am not quite sure about the others. We went back a forth a few times with our menu planning so it will be a surprise what actually ends up on the table. I am serving the dinner buffet style as there are just too many people to try and squeeze us all around our dining room table. We have several areas in the family and living rooms that have chairs and small tables (like in the two photos above) so people will be comfortable eating "off their laps". For dessert, I am serving Tim Tams (an Australian chocolate-covered biscuit) and some chocolates. I want to keep dessert simple because the group needs to be back downtown at 8:30 pm so if we start dinner late and they need to rush out at the end, I don't want to be stuck with a lot of sweets. I left my camera on the counter to remind me to take photos of everything before the guests arrive so, hopefully, I will remember and will have some photos to post here tomorrow.

Our basketball games did not go well this weekend. Caitlynne's team lost by a lot Friday night and Christopher's team had an amazingly close game on Saturday but ended up losing by just a few points. He was very upset with the loss because they won the season and were the number one seed going into the tournament so he thought there was a pretty good chance they would make it to the finals. Unfortunately, his team just didn't play well consistently throughout the game and the other team did. The basketball season continues for their school teams though so maybe his team will fare better in that tournament in early November. Baseball and softball begin in early as well and, before you know it, we will be back to being crazy busy with practices and games again. Just a brief rest for the weary! 

We are still struggling with finding a long-term solution for Sonder's allergies and I am off, once again, to the vet this afternoon. The vet put him on seven days of steroids and those really helped to ease his itching and skin irritations. However, the steroids are only a very short term solution and now that he has been off of them for about two weeks, the itching has returned with a vengeance. Poor thing!

Have a great Wednesday!