If anyone out there is still getting this – Over the holidays I finally got around to editing down the videos I took while we were in Thailand, and I have now posted the video to youtube. It covers our arrival in Bangkok, and journey northward through Ayutthaya, Lop Buri. Sappraiwan, Sukothai, and ultimately Chiang Mai. So check it out:
Shark Video
Back at home and going through the photos and videos. I wanted to share one of the cooler shark videos I captured. You can view it on youtube:
Back in Montreal
An uneventful flight Back to Montreal. We are still recovering from the time change so the boys slept
Soon we saw the familiar sights of Montreal
To top it all off, my buddy Dave marshalled our flight to the gate. Dave works for Delta airlines in Montreal, and was working our flight by coincidence… I recognized his walk immediately as we taxid to the gate. He came by our window as we waited to disembark, and we waived like a couple of crazies. At first he just waved back politely thing we were just a couple of random nutjobs… But a couple moments later it clicked in and he came back for a closer look, and recognized us:
He met us as we got off the plane and we had a good laugh. What a way to end an amazing adventure.
We’re back at home now and the jet lag is hitting hard… Can barely keep my eyes open.
I look forward to speaking to all our friends and family over the next couple days.
Now that I am home I will be ble to post some videos too, so keep checking in… I should have some pretty cool stuff to share.
Bye for now
Ron
Mall of America
Since we had an unexpected layover in Minneapolis we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and see what we could in our limited time. Luckily the Mall of America is only minutes from the airport.
Sponge Bob welcomed us to Nickelodeon Park inside this massive mall. It was once the biggest mall in the United States, but lost the title a couple years ago… Not to worry, there is a big expansion underway, and they will reclaim the title in a couple months.
We spent most of our time thre riding a roller coaster and log ride in the amusement park area.
In front of lego land
This was interesting also… I guess there used to be a ballpark on the site.
We saw tha sign as we were leaving
That should keep the gun wielding maniacs at bay.
Jamie got a cool watch… He’s modelling it here as we ride the subway to the airport.
I was impressed with how clean the subway was, and would have liked to see more of the city, but we had to be back at the airport for 1pm.
Along the way we also passed Fort Snelling National Cemetary. It was established in 1870 on the site of a civil war base, and now contains the graves of over 208,000 veterans. It was quite something to see… I could not have imagined the enormity of the place, and we only saw a portion as we sped by on the train. There were grave stones as far as the eye could see.
A solemn place, but very beautiful. I read online that the bugle players there have never missed a service due to inclement weather. That is really something given the winters in Minnesota, and gives an indication of the respect that the fallen soldiers command and deservedly receive.
Shortly after we were at the airport and ready for the final leg of our journey.
Change of plans
we thought we’d be pulling into Montreal right about now, but instead we are in a hotel Minnesota… Why you ask?
The airline overbooked the flight and the airline rep was looking for volunteers to give up their seats and receive an online Visa card as compensation. They made us an offer we couldn’t refuse, and we took it. They put us up in a hotel, paid a dinner, and gave us visa gift cards, so our return to Montreal will be delayed until tomorrow.
Thank yous
We’re on the airplane right now about to reach the coast of Alaska, back over North America, with canada in our sights. I have been thinking about how to best conclude the blog.
I considered a summary of my favorite moments – there were many. I thought maybe about sharing my favorite photos – I’ve got tons of those. I thought about sharing what I liked most about Thailand – at the top of that list would be the people… Which made me think about that for a moment… People. Not just Thai people, but all of the people who made this trip possible. There are many.
Probably the best place to start is with our families. Gen and my parents, our brothers, and sisters in law who have all been so supportive of this crazy idea of ours.
My father and mother especially for me. For those of you who don’t know, my father has had a difficult year healthwise, and our decision to leave for most of the summer meant that it might be a while before we’d be able to visit them in Halifax. But never once did my father or mother give me guilt over that… Instead they were 100% behind our decision. Mom and dad – I don’t think you realize how much that meant to me – thank you.
Mom – I always looked forward to your blog comments too. It was a nice feeling of being close to you guys even though we were half a world apart. Thanks for that.
Gen’s father Gaetan was a sort of inspiration to us. Gaetan long dreamed of a prolonged backpacking trip to Vietnam, he and his girlfriend Lise made that dream into a reality a couple years ago. He has since made similar trips to Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and is planning one to Peru. Gaetan et Lise j’apprecie beaucoup l’nspiration que vous avez fourni. Vous avez montrer a nous qu’un voyage comme ca est possible, et aussi que l’experience a un valeur que tu ne peut pas calculer. Merci beaucoup a vous deux.
Gen’s mother Evelyne, has supported us all the way as well. Doing this trip meant that we would be missing the big Morrissette family reunion at the end of July. I know that must have been a big disappointment for you Evelyne, and we thought about you that entire weekend – wondering how things were going. I can’t wait to hear all about it when we get back. And thank you for supporting our crazy idea.
To my brother Todd and his family for providing that reassurance that they were close to Mom and Dad while I was on the other side of the planet. Thanks Todd… It means a lot.
To Shawn for picking up our mail and keeping me informed of anything important. Shawn was also good for a couple wisecrack comments on the blog, which always gave me a laugh.
To Olivier and his girlfriend Marie-Christine who made us feel good about our decision by telling us many times how jelous they were. Marie-Christine has been to Thailand, and played a big role in our decision to choose Thailand as our destination. Merci beaucoup! Nous avons penser beaucoup a vous deux pendant notre voyage.
Gen’s brother Sebastien volunteered to drop by our house to check on things from time to time. I was happy to know that our blog became part of his morning routine. Thanks for that Seb. It’s nice to know that you are always there to lend a hand whenever we need.
A very special thank you to Natasha, the niece of Gaetan and Lise. Natasha lent me here backpack, and it was perfect. I could not have been happier. Merci beaucoup Natasha.
A huge thank you to my friend Thaymian who volunteered to mow our lawn and take care of the pool while we were away. It takes a special kind of person to be so giving in helping out a friend. Thanks also to his wife Jennifer, for while Thaymian was at my place cutting the lawn (and hopefully having a cold one or two), she was at home with their three young children. It was nice to get your comments in the blog too Jen. Thanks guys… We owe you big time.
A special thank you also to Gen’s friend Lisa. Lisa has also been to Thailand, and had lots of advice before we left.., you were right Lisa, the long sleeve shirt was not necessary. More than that though, thanks for staying in touch throughout the trip, I know it was a huge comfort to Gen to be able to message with you regularly. The airport pickup is also much appreciated. I am happy that yours will be the first friendly face we see upon arrival. Thanks a lot Lisa😃
Thanks to Anthony as well for the airport drop off (a 3am pickup at our place on June 23… It seems like ages ago – yet somehow the trip seemed to fly by) thanks Anthony, sorry we missed Vincent’s birthday party.
There were many people that we met in Thailand as well that helped us along the way. Eduardo the bartender in Phuket who drew us maps of all the best places to visit in the islands. Thanks Eduardo.
Suzanne the South African I met in Sukhothai who gave me the tip about staying at Aow Leuk on Ko Tao, my new favorite place in the world. Thanks Suzanne.
Coco and his family from Spain, and Olivier and his family from France for providing such pleasant company at Aow Leuk. It really added to the experience. I hope we will see each other again one day. Thanks!
Chip, an American living in bangkok, who helped us find Khao San road at 4 o’clock in the morning after a 12 hour journey from Koh Tao, and with the bangkok taxi sharks circling.
And a big thank you to everyone who followed the blog. We had days where we hit almost 100 views, from places as far away as Tanzania. Your encouraging comments made it a lot of fun, and I am glad to have this journal of the trip. I will keep it forever. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the memories and experiences will last a lifetime. But time has a way of making memories fade… With this journal, I can relive the memories by just reading back through the blog. Knowing that you guys were out there in the world reading what I was writing motivated me to keep it going. So thanks to you all.
And finally my own family. You guys have made this the most special six weeks of my life.
Jamie, you are truly amazing. I felt like I was watching you grow up before my eyes these past six weeks. You kept your cool while being poked and touched by the Thai people who were so fascinated by you (with good reason I might add). You have a joy for things that is so fun to be around – I will think of you always whenever I see a tuk tuk wherever I am for the rest of my life. You came out of your shell, learned to swim and snorkel. You got right back up when you fell down, and toughed it out without a big fuss. You were game for anything , and even thought the ruins were cool. Jamie, I have a question… I love you😃 (inside joke) thanks Jamie. You’re the best.
Cameron, I am so proud of the little man you are becoming. You were adventurous – never afraid to do something new, and up for any activity. You kept a positive attitude even we were doing things that weren’t that much fun for you. You provided the comic relief on so many occasions. You are a great big brother, and I love the example that you set for Jamie. I love the passion that you have for the things that interest you. I hope we will have a chance to snorkel together again soon – I promise we’ll get you a new mask as soon as we get home. I will always remember that you were the first one to spot that shark, what an amazing experience. I am so happy we lived it together. You always keep me laughing and I adored our time in Thailand together. Thanks Cameron – you’re the best.
And last but certainly not least, my amazing wife Genevieve. What can I say. Gen you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I am thankful for you every single day. I did not need a trip to Thailand to know that. But it was your courage that made me believe we could do this. And for that I am forever grateful. It could be said that this has been the greatest adventure of my life, but the truth is that the greatest adventure of my life began on our first date. This is only one chapter… But what a great chapter it has been. Whether we were walking the ruins at dawn in Ayutthaya, swimming with the sharks together in Koh Tao, or just sitting together peacefully and watching the world go by, I am so grateful to have such a wonderful person to experience these things with. I admire your kindness, adventurous spirit, and courage. The boys are lucky to have you as their mom, and I see these qualities growing in them every day. So thank you for that😘.
The question is … What will be the next chapter?
The long way home – and one last priceless moment in Thailand
So today will be literally the longest of our lives. Because we are travelling against the rotation of the earth, and crossing the international date line, August 5th 2015 will actually last for 35 hours for us.
We will even travel back in time as leave Tokyo at 4:25pm on August 5th and arrive in Minneapolis at 1:45 pm on August 5th, 2 hours and 20 minutes before we left, and flying for 11 hours and 20 over the Pacific Ocean to boot.
And one last priceless moment in Thailand before we got off the ground… As we are passing through security in bangkok, Cameron comes to the counter with his backpack on, and the security agent extends his hand (motioning Cameron to take off his pack and place it on the counter). I have been saying how friendly the Thai people are, and Cameron has gotten used to the hospitality I guess so he mistook the extended hand of the security guard as an offer to shake hands. So Cameron being the friendly guy he his, looked he guard right in the eye, gripped his hand firmly, and gave him a friendly shake of the hand. The security guy thought this was hilarious and we all had a good laugh. He barely checked our bags at all and ushered us through to the gate area. I’ll be telling that story for years to come. Way to go Cameron… The innocence if childhood😃.
A fitting way to end our time in Thailand.
Last night in thailand
so we spent our last afternoon / evening in Thailand at an interesting market by the riverfront in bangkok. It is called Asiatique and over the years has been an important site in the history of Thailand
Cameron couldn’t resist photo bombing what was supposed to be a Grn and Jdmie shot.
Starting in the 1800s, when the capital of Thailand moved to bangkok, it became an important shipping port for thailand and all of south east asia. It was home to the first paved roads in Thailand, and during World War II was taken over by the Japanese, and used as naval base. There is an old bomb shelter that was left behind that we were able to visit. Pretty cool. Thailand was neutral during WWII but since the Japanese were so strong and recognized the strategic importance of Thailands location in south east Asia, they just marched in and took over. The Thais could not put up much a resistance so the Japanese just kind of took what they needed.
Now the place has been developed and houses a large night market, with many shops and restaurants and shows. We went to what they call a 4D movie. We set in a small 3D movie theatre where the seats move with he action on screen and give you the feeling that you are riding this roller coaster. It was really cool. No photos though…. My phone battery died😞.
We met up with a friend we made on the ferry/bus from Koh tao. He is an American born guy named Chip who is married to a thai girl, and together they have a 15 month old boy. Chip has been making his living here as an English teacher for the past six years. We spent a couple hours with them at the riverfront, chatting about life in Thailand, and Canada, and our trip. Chip shared some of his knowledge of the place, and it was a very enjoyable way to spend our last evening in Thailand.
One last tuk tuk ride, and we were back at the hotel to pack up and get ready for a 3am wake up.
It’s time.
Random thoughts
A couple random things I wanted to document for my own memory
- Cameron did not wear shoes for the entire time that stayed in Aow Leuk…. 7 days total
- We had a tiny lizard stow away in our bags during the ride from Ko Tao to Bangkok. He scurried out of my bag as we unpacked in the hotel room. He will have quite a surprise when he hits the streets here.
- We saw a huge spider in Ko Phi Phi. It was right between the feet of a fellow customer at a restaurant where we were eating … When we informed her, she freaked… And the waiter chased the spider down and killed him before I could get a picture. No joke, the spider was about 5 inches across.
- I got stung by a bee as we sat down to a nice dinner on the beach in Ko Samui
- Jamie scraped the same spot on his left knee on four separate occasions. He never once cried from pain… He did cry the last time over his frustration at having repeatedly injuring himself.
- The kids have started collecting Lego figurines…
I have started collecting postcards. Gen is collecting sea shells and beach glass.
- Jamie’s favorite place in Thailand is 7/11… There are 8334 7/11 stores in Thailand. They seem to be on every corner. Jamie’s drink of choice: chocolate milk. His snack of choice ham and cheese croissant. This combination formed a good part of his diet while we were here
- There are as many as 300,000 monks here… They are revered by the Thai people who offer them food every morning… The monks are supposed to live uniquely on food given to them by others, and not eat after noon each day. In Ayutthaya we saw a monk leave three piles of food in front of the ruins where three dogs were hanging out. It is part of a monk’s quest for nirvana to do good deeds for any living creature.
That’s all for now
Ron
Khao San Road
as mentioned in my previous post, we are spending our last couple days in Thailand on Khao San Road. It is known as the centre of the backpacking universe, and while I have not met any backpacking aliens yet, I have met people from all corners of the earth.
At night the street is closed to traffic, and it becomes one massive party. You can find:
- Macdonalds / Burger King / KFC / Subway
- Beer and other alcohol sold out of coolers by street vendors
- Many bars
- Laughing gas sold by street vendors
- Fake IDs sold by street vendors
- Offers to take you to a ping pong show… Ping pong seems to be a very popular sport here because there a lot of these
- A nice selection of fried insects (especially scorpions)
- Offers of massage – boom boom optional
- All manner of souvenir shop
- Silver shops
- 7/11 selling beer and liquor at any hour of the day (except between 2 and 5 pm for some reason… I guess you are meant to sober up in the afternoon so you can be fresh for a new round in the evening)
All goods things must come to an end though… Tomorrow we begin our journey home with a 6:40am flight😔.
One last day in Bangkok… I’d say we were going to make the most of it, but the truth is we are all pretty tired, so it will probably be a quiet one, but you never know… Maybe I’ll try to take in a ping pong match.
Ron Gen Cam Jam go to Thailand 