Rick and I returned from a whirlwind trip to Bangkok this past Wednesday. We flew out last Tuesday, arrived Thursday morning, Bangkok time (you loose a day going over since you cross the international date line) and were busy from the time we got there until the time we left! However, we accomplished a lot!
Thursday and Friday were spent getting acclimated to Bangkok and to a time zone 14 hours ahead of our own. We also spent a lot of time checking out the kids' school and finding a house.
The school was really oustanding...it's an international school that is located right in the middle of the community we'll be living in. There's a huge amount of diversity there, with most classes representing about 8 to 10 different countries. Since it is a private school, it gets all kinds of neat corporate sponsorship which results in things like the Nike Athletic Center there, complete with a pool, gym, indoor/outdoor equipment, dance studio, etc. There is also a very nice performing arts theater and more neat technology there than I've ever seen at another school! We're sure the kids will really love going there and they are already very excited about it!
The neighborhood where we will live is also very nice. It's made up mainly of ex-pats, like ourselves, with plenty of Americans in the mix. The houses are all western style and BIG! We settled on a four bedroom home on a cauldesac in a neighborhood that is packed with kids and very close to the school. The nice thing about the whole community is that it is very self contained (school, grocery store, urgent care health and dental clinic, dry cleaners, health club, olympic size pool, church, etc. all on the grounds of it) and very safe. It's got a guarded entrance and then once you enter into each, each neighborhood also has its own guard at the entrance. You see people just cruising around in golf carts (we're going to need the stretched model to fit us all!) and little motor scooters. Once you are inside the gates, you could really be anywhere in the US!
Over the weekend we also managed to do a little sightseeing, which was fun. We went to the Royal Grand Palace, where Thai kings have lived off and on for hundreds of years. We also went on a Tuk Tuk ride (a kind of 3 wheeled motor scooter with a covered bench on the back that is used as a taxi) that took us all over the place (to see a temple with a big golden Buddah - neat, to a jewelry show room and to a silk showroom - we didn't want to go to either of those places but it seems the Tuk Tuk driver was in charge of our destinations!) We hit a huge outdoor market that is set up every weekend - the Chatuchak market, where we saw quite a variety of stuff - trash and treasure - for sale! There are over 9000 stalls there, with an amazing variety of stuff displayed! We also spent some time downtown in Bangkok, which reminds me a lot of being downtown in Manhattan - lots of big buildings, traffic, and pollution, but lots of really interesting people and sites, too. You see people zipping around on motor scooters with kids clinging to their backs, food carts everywhere (I think the Thais must eat 10 times a day) with some really interesting looking foods, buddhist monks walking around, people from all over the place (we didn't feel out of place at all as there were so many Westerners wandering around, too), and probably the funniest, a baby elephant getting walked down the middle of a very busy street!
Thursday and Friday were spent getting acclimated to Bangkok and to a time zone 14 hours ahead of our own. We also spent a lot of time checking out the kids' school and finding a house.
The school was really oustanding...it's an international school that is located right in the middle of the community we'll be living in. There's a huge amount of diversity there, with most classes representing about 8 to 10 different countries. Since it is a private school, it gets all kinds of neat corporate sponsorship which results in things like the Nike Athletic Center there, complete with a pool, gym, indoor/outdoor equipment, dance studio, etc. There is also a very nice performing arts theater and more neat technology there than I've ever seen at another school! We're sure the kids will really love going there and they are already very excited about it!
The neighborhood where we will live is also very nice. It's made up mainly of ex-pats, like ourselves, with plenty of Americans in the mix. The houses are all western style and BIG! We settled on a four bedroom home on a cauldesac in a neighborhood that is packed with kids and very close to the school. The nice thing about the whole community is that it is very self contained (school, grocery store, urgent care health and dental clinic, dry cleaners, health club, olympic size pool, church, etc. all on the grounds of it) and very safe. It's got a guarded entrance and then once you enter into each, each neighborhood also has its own guard at the entrance. You see people just cruising around in golf carts (we're going to need the stretched model to fit us all!) and little motor scooters. Once you are inside the gates, you could really be anywhere in the US!
Over the weekend we also managed to do a little sightseeing, which was fun. We went to the Royal Grand Palace, where Thai kings have lived off and on for hundreds of years. We also went on a Tuk Tuk ride (a kind of 3 wheeled motor scooter with a covered bench on the back that is used as a taxi) that took us all over the place (to see a temple with a big golden Buddah - neat, to a jewelry show room and to a silk showroom - we didn't want to go to either of those places but it seems the Tuk Tuk driver was in charge of our destinations!) We hit a huge outdoor market that is set up every weekend - the Chatuchak market, where we saw quite a variety of stuff - trash and treasure - for sale! There are over 9000 stalls there, with an amazing variety of stuff displayed! We also spent some time downtown in Bangkok, which reminds me a lot of being downtown in Manhattan - lots of big buildings, traffic, and pollution, but lots of really interesting people and sites, too. You see people zipping around on motor scooters with kids clinging to their backs, food carts everywhere (I think the Thais must eat 10 times a day) with some really interesting looking foods, buddhist monks walking around, people from all over the place (we didn't feel out of place at all as there were so many Westerners wandering around, too), and probably the funniest, a baby elephant getting walked down the middle of a very busy street!
Monday and Tuesday Rick went out to the Microchip facility where he'll work in Chacherngsao. He got a taste of the commute (about 1 1/2 hours each way - ouch!) and a taste of more Thai food in the cafeteria! He also got to get a feel for the place and meet the people he'll work with. All in all, a productive couple of days for him. While he was there, I spent some time riding the SkyTrain through Bangkok and checking out some of the local shopping malls so that I'd have an idea of what will be available to us when we move. Also productive for me!
Wednesday found us at the airport by 6am to start our very long trip home! We were glad to finally arrive in Phoenix early in the afternoon Wednesday (there's that big time difference again - we gained a day coming home) and happy to be home and see the kids again. Now the real work starts...packing and getting ready for the move at the end of July!!! Stay tuned for more details! :)
Here's a few pictures from our trip:
Wednesday found us at the airport by 6am to start our very long trip home! We were glad to finally arrive in Phoenix early in the afternoon Wednesday (there's that big time difference again - we gained a day coming home) and happy to be home and see the kids again. Now the real work starts...packing and getting ready for the move at the end of July!!! Stay tuned for more details! :)
Here's a few pictures from our trip:
Us at the Royal Grand Palace
Downtown Bangkok, view from our hotel
2 comments:
can't wait to follow your journey!
Tracy
wow. rick gets the short end of the stick! 1-1/2 hr commute each way. but looks fantastic. Can't wait to visit! xo Jess
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