3 Ginger Snaps

Over the course of our two weeks with the ‘Gingersnaps’ we joked several times about me writing an entry as a guest blogger. Travel to the other side of the world to visit them and offer to babysit for a night and you might get to be a guest blogger too! 

So here I am… blogging for my first time…

On Sunday night, as I lay wide awake at 2:00 am trying to mentally prepare myself for my return to work and reflecting on our time in Thailand, I kept thinking about how thankful I was.

Thankful to be back in the comforts of my home safe and sound (in Toronto). Thankful that we weren’t more seriously injured in our little scooter escapade (see earlier posts). No broken bones, no stiches required, no head injuries… It definitely could have been worse. Thankful that my brother had a well-stocked first-aid kit, a recently updated certification, and a calm manner as he surveyed the scene (no fire, no wire, no gas, no glass!) and took great care of us. Thankful that pharmacies in Thailand are easy to come by. Turns out Koh Lanta has a pretty decent selection of bandaids… guess we aren’t the only tourists in Thailand to fly off a scooter. Thankful that although we got some serious scrapes (and I got some badass bug bites too!) we will be totally fine after a few weeks of healing.

Arden was the horn honker!

Although we had some mishaps, I am very thankful for the many wonderful experiences we had in our short two weeks. We are definitely very fortunate to have two weeks off work and to be able to travel to a beautiful country that we had never seen before.

Private beach on Koh Rok island for lunch and a swim.

I am thankful for the views of the lush mountains, scenic waterfalls, pristine orchids, ornate temples, colourful markets, glowing beaches, sparkling waters, and captivating sunsets.

Ruby enjoying the view in Doi Inthanon National Park:

 

The prettiest golden temple I ever did see.

One of the many gorgeous sunsets – the view from our hotel beach.

 

Thankful for all of the delicious fresh watermelon and pineapple, daily fruit shakes, quality Pad Thai and morning glory that we ate. The food in Thailand is awesome. The pringles, oreos, cokes and Chang beers also made for great travel and beach snacks. 7/11s are everywhere.

Thankful that I have a brother and sister (in law) that actually wanted my husband and I to join them on their adventures. It was wonderful to see them in person and now I can officially report back to family and friends that they are all happy, healthy, and enjoying life traveling. For those who may be concerned, I can also report that I witnessed school work being completed on several occasions! 

Thankful for Arden and her bright smile and positive energy. I also love that she is still tiny enough to curl up into a small ball on my lap – I can always count on her for a good snuggle. Also thankful that she just bounced off the road (or maybe off Boots?) after falling off the scooter and was eager to go riding again. Happy to know she still comes running at the sound of opening any crinkly bag… cookies…chips… trailmix….Arden is there in a matter of seconds!

One of our many selfies!

 

Thankful for Ruby who entertained us all with song, dance, cartwheels, or jokes and has the best variety of facial expressions I have ever seen. She also has an amazing talent of spotting ice cream signs from a mile away – a skill put to good use on several occasions. Her keen eye also came in handy as she spotted a somewhat terrifying lizard (it was the size of Arden and a little too close for comfort) while Arden, Ruby, and I were busy creating ‘crab city’ in the sand all alone on a deserted beach in the middle of Koh Rok island. Ruby was prepared to flea to sea… I was imagining Cast Away 2 featuring ‘Auntie Cate’, ‘Ruby the Boy’, ‘Arden the Baby’ and ‘The Big Pink Donut’ (a blowup tube that I was given as an early birthday present and then promptly asked to leave behind because the girls just couldn’t part with it). The Andaman sea was feeling pretty darn big… everywhere you looked there was just more water. More water. More water. More water. Luckily the lizard let us be and we were picked up an hour later by our boat as planned.

Twins much?! Tried to get Uncle Boots to buy this wallet… wasn’t quite his style.

 

Thankful for Char who remained stoic in the heat (literally!) of the somewhat unfortunate scooter accident. She was a great help in taking care of us. Also thankful to see how much she enjoys hanging out with my husband. Although I was often (or perhaps always) the third wheel, it was lovely to watch Char & Boots laugh and chat as they went crab hunting, fed and bathed elephants, cliff jumped, bobbed in the ocean waves, snorkeled and searched for colourful fish, and dined together. They even had a private breakfast for two on our last morning. It is pretty special to see your niece and husband (of which there is a 30+ year age gap) enjoy each other’s company so much.

Besties with the elephants!

Despite having the itchiest bug bites I have ever experienced and some serious road rash, it was a lovely two weeks well spent. I highly recommend Thailand to anyone looking for a new travel destination. The Gingersnaps are also pretty good travel companions if you are looking for company!

Wishing the Gingersnaps safe travels and fun adventures as they go on to see more of our big wide world. I am thankful that I got to experience a small taste of it.

Cate
Managed to capture this cute family moment