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.
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!
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