Oh well, it’s back to the grind again. Luckily both kids are not fussy this morning, despite Isabelle bumped her head against the wall and Justin slipped and fell in the bathroom. Sigh…that’s how life is being the only one who manages everything from getting kids ready for school and breakfast set on the table. So, how you know why I don’t have time for makeup??? Seriously, me no tai tai la ok?

Kids enjoyed their trip to Sg, mainly because they got to play with their cousins. They didn’t look for us too when hubby and I was out for market survey, but daddy kept calling back home to check on them.

The only place we visited is the zoo but it rained. For the rest…next time la. SIL’s place is always there for us to stay mah. LOL! Even without the fancy hotel furniture and savoy house lighting, it’s a decent and nice place to stay!!! Did I mention that her maid is super great!!! And she helped a lot in taking care of the kids and our laundry.

The grumpy gal complained about the sun.

Again, there are a lot of photos, but not as much as our previous trips. I still don’t have time to sort and upload them, so later la…

Now, it’s back to work!!!

So, who shall I meet in Sg?

For me, Chiangmai is a very small town, which I don’t mind visiting once in a while but definitely not for long stay. It’s very cultural and simple, and the city gal inside me would be screaming to go home soon.

Since BIL has set up a branch in Chiangmai, it’s not surprising that he picked Chiangmai as his annual company trip for his staffs. Not all workers went though but there were around 40 pax of us already. We tagged along since I don’t have a lot of staffs, and I shared some of his staffs. Generally, SIL will plan any event and I will just pay our share and go along. Save me all the hassle. LOL!

We flew there after hubby finished work, and arrived in Chiangmai after 9.15pm. The van left early but came back again. By the time we checked in, it’s almost 10.30pm but we went looking for supper. There was an art and food fair opposite Amari Rincome Hotel, so we didn’t have to walk too far to get food.

After stuffing ourselves silly with food, we went to bed and Zzz for the night. Everyone was so tired.

The next morning, we decided to revisit Chiangmai Zoo. Kids wanted to see pandas so we went along with SIL’s family and another partner’s.

They left early because the workers were arriving and SIL needed to check in for them. We stayed behind and continued visiting the rest of the zoo. This zoo is really hilly, so forget about walking here, especially if you are coming with kids!

Going back to hotel after visiting zoo

We went dinner on our own since both kids were very tired, instead of joining SIL. We did manage to check out some stores and did some shopping at the air fair, nothing too fancy like a two step stool, but the kids were happy with their loots.

The next morning, we gathered with the staffs at 6am. No joke. SIL planned to pay tributes to the monks. Another Thai cultural thing which I learned in Thailand.

Just remember not to touch the monks, especially for women.

After that, we went to Doi Suthep, a popular temple in Chiangmai. Both kids were very grumpy by now, considering that they woke up early and so tired with the long steps.

Isabelle din even wanna look at the camera.

But they got a good nap when we drove down hill. Our next step was the elephant camp. It’s not our first visit but the kids could not wait to feed the elephants.

But the kids were not as daring as they were last time.

For dinner, we went for Lanna food and cultural show. SIL said the food sucks but hubby and I couldn’t tell, we still ate a lot.

Isabelle went dancing with Thong Thong.

The next day was pretty relaxing. We had breakfast late, and checked out an hour later. We were going to change to another resort called Krisdadoi, which has pretty gardens. The workers were going to have camping there.

But before that, we stopped by another temple.

Thai people really like to pray.

We arrived at Krisdadoi in the evening. The sun was almost setting, so I didn’t snap a lot of photos then.

Isabelle was very excited for her first camping, but Justin wanted to sleep on the bed in our room. LOL! So, only Isabelle slept in the tent with hubby. I must say the resort is very thoughtful. The tent comes with mattresses, pillows and blankets. With Chiangmai cool weather, sleeping outdoor is pretty nice.

We had camp fire that night, and everyone had a great time. I must say that this trip is pretty enjoyable. Let’s see where are we going next year, if we manage to hit our sales target.

Bye for now Chiangmai.

I’m not sure if the weather will be cold by then, it’s very hard to predict the weather these couple of years. If it’s cold, all those thick jackets might be very useful. The kids might have outgrown their jackets next year if they don’t wear them this time. Maybe we should get them North Face jackets, if we are going to colder country next year.

From my experience, I don’t think we need jackets in the day but only at night. I haven’t checked out the agenda, will there be a hiking trip up the hill to visit the tallest temple in Chiangmai? If so, a jacket, a backpack and a pair of walking shoes might be useful.

Let’s hope that we will have a nice short break in Chiangmai again.

The kids had a great time this year, and unlike last year when they were so scared of being splashed or splashing someone, they totally enjoyed being wet this time.

I shall upload the photos in FB soon.

Justin with his cousins from Singapore

We had our reunion dinner at BIL’s house. FIL bought a lot of Thai food, and it’s the first time we had Chinese reunion dinner, ala Thai style. LOL! I thought of eating out, but MIL said, with 7 kids, and 10 adults, it’s best to have the dinner at the comfort of our own home. Thank god BIL’s house is so spacious. The kids had fun playing in the family room and later watching TV like no body’s biz.

Isabelle and the boys.

On the first day of CNY, everyone dropped by BIL’s house again for angpao and gathering. We were going to Hua Hin beach for 3 days, so everyone was pretty excited about it.

Isabelle’s struggling to wish “gong xi fa cai”

As you know, our family is quite a “beach” person. We go to the beach very often.

Off to the beach in Hua Hin

Bikini is a must!

The kids spent most of the time in the pool and on the beach. As for adults, we drunk and ate, besides watching the kids.

Hubby and his princess

Thank god she lost her tan very fast, even if she’s in the sun so often.

House riding is a must!

One of the highlights during our stay in Hua Hin was, the kids found a big jellyfish on the sand.

Justin and his cousin found it.

The papas tried to rescue it, but to no avail. Maybe it’s dead la.

So after 3 days of sun and beach, all of us got really tanned. Nonetheless, we all had great fun, and snapped over 700 photos during this CNY. But after 2 years of CNY in Thailand, all of us planned to celebrate next CNY in M’sia. So, it’s time to book the tickets and fly back to Ipoh next year. I’m not sure how many days can we afford to be away, with the kids skipping school and us skipping work. But I surely need to check out the insurance quotes back home, and make some comparison, and renew my safe deposit and bla bla bla. There are so much to do once we get back home again. But then, it’s always nice to be home.

Hence, see u guys next CNY!

At about 1pm, we reached the jetty to catch the ferry to Koh Chang island. It’s really that far from the city!

The ferry reminds me of Penang. But they don’t allow passengers to be in the cars, so most passengers have to get to the top rack after packing the vehicles.

Isabelle on the ferry

It took us about 45 minutes to get to the island, and here is a group photo of all of us.

Sorry, got to put small small.

The roads on this island are very winding and steep. I would advise that you get the local transport or tour vans instead of driving on your own. Oh man, really kiasi lang…

After checking in at the hotel, we went for the first activity of the day: The Tree Top Adventure. The adults had some team building games here, while the kids enjoyed themselves on the high rise net and catching crabs on the beach. Hubby and I watched the kids, with the help of a worker.

My adventurous boy just jumped on the net as soon as he saw it. It was about 10 ft high from the ground. O.o

The kids spent a lot of time on the net, with a worried mommy watching closeby.

Hubby had a lot of fun too.

Some team building games

Catching crabs on the beach

Hubby saw this from the bottom and decided to dump the babysitting job to me and joined in the adult fun.

Ok la, you deserve to have some fun. (Actually, it’s the mommy who’s too afraid of the height. )

Ah, really look like a lot of fun, hanging from one tree to another.

Our city kids enjoyed exploring the nature

But the mommy was almost running out of breathe chasing after them from one spot to another. Justin is SOOOOO adventurous now, and Isabelle follows him everywhere. Faint…

We spent about 3 hours here, and after that, all of us got back to the hotel. It’s been a very long day so all of us were dead exhausted. We went to bed early after a quick dinner, and called it a day.

The next morning, the kids got up bright and early and they were excited for the day’s event: Snorkeling!

Checking out the tadpoles in the pond while waiting for our transport.

The route to the pier was bl*rdy scary. So steep and winding la.

Hubby snapped this for me at the pier.

He said if he’s not holding the camera, the kids won’t know that mommy is there when they see the photos next time. The boat ride took about an hour to reach the snorkeling spot. So, it’s another bumpy ride.

Kids knocked out on the boat. Isabelle refused to let go of the bread for fish feeding. LOL!

Since the kids were napping, we stole some time to snap some photos.

I didn’t snap much on this snorkeling trip as I left my camera on the boat. Watching the kids in the sea is more important! But anyway, we had other cameras around.

Finally got to feed the fish.

Justin and daddy in the sea, with fish flocking towards them.

I found that the corals here are not as pretty as Phuket and Similan Islands, but for some workers, it’s their first snorkeling trip, so they were happy about it. As for Justin, it’s his second trip. He was happy to see the fishes but at the same time, too afraid when they were getting close to him. LOL!

We had a dinner and mini party on the last night in Koh Chang, and the staffs had great fun with the games and gift exchange.

I have a pressie.

On the last day, we dropped by the beach near the hotel. I noticed that there are a lot of foreigners here, mostly Russians.

Beach on Koh Chang island

Enjoying the sand.

That concludes our trip to Koh Chang and more photos are uploaded in FB.

Then this week, we will be going to Hua Hin beach with hubby’s family members. We are going to be very roasted and tanned again.

We are off to the beach again tomorrow, and this time, it’s Koh Chang island, and it’s our first trip there. We shall leave home at 5am, and the journey will take about 3 – 4 hours to reach the jetty, and there will be another hour of boat ride to reach the island.

So, if you don’t see me online, you would know where we are.

The moment we arrived at the market, the kids complained about the smell. LOL! I guess they have all grown to be city kids, so they are not as adventurous as before. We were persuaded to take a boat ride about the market, and it took about an hour ride, including a visit to a coconut sugar farm.

The kids were not interested in the making process, but they love the coconut sweets. I regretted that we didn’t buy more too.

Snapped this at the coconut sugar farm.

After that, we went on a bumpy and faster boat ride to a nearby temple. Justin was so  worried that he didn’t have a life jacket, and he swore that he won’t come to this floating market again. LOL!

Hanging on tight to daddy.

Nonetheless, he was back to himself again when we stepped on the shore at the temple and was told that he could feed the fishes here. The kids love fish feeding, and that’s something we do often in Bangkok.

After that, we headed back to the market for lunch, and the food was prepared on the boats by the canal. I was worried about the cleanliness of the food since none of us have any medical travel insurance. But luckily, the boats are packed by the side of the market, and they use tap water for washing and cleaning the utensils. Frankly, hubby and I haven’t had any food poisoning in Bangkok, but the kids had one pretty bad one, but it’s not due to any tourist spots.

Overall, I think a floating market is a major attraction in Thailand, if you are interested to understand the culture of the local Thais.  But my kids said they won’t go back there again.

Here’s a summary of our trip:

Day 1:

We reached Phuket at about 1pm and rushed to Ramada Resort. Everyone got changed and rushed for a quick bite at Mcd, before going to Marriott for family photo shooting. Yeap, we had some photos taken by Aaron, and I can’t wait to see them.

Of course, we had some hiccups here, like hubby lost his ring, and then his Crocs (but later found by Aaron). After dinner, everyone called it a day as we were all so tired…

Day 2:

Got up very early to Similan Islands. It’s a national park, so I LOVE IT!!! It’s not as commercial as Phi Phi, and if you really like nature and well preserved islands, go to Similan or Surin. Worth the diamonds $$$ and time spent on boat, I tell you!

Don’t ask me where she learned to pose like this….

Justin’s first snorkeling trip. He’s so happy to see jellyfish, clown fish, coral reefs and other sea creatures.

Day 3:

Spent the day at Karon beach and Ramada Resort only. We didn’t have plan to go for a tour in the town, so the kids spent some time at the Kidz Club.

Justin’s at Karon beach.

Isabelle had a great time at Ramada’s Kidz Club.

In short, it’s a nice trip but 3 days is indeed too short. I would love to go there again and my kids can’t agree more.