Miss G

15th April
2014
written by bob

This post is long overdue. Yep, my bad…AGAIN. I’ve been slacking…

Over Christmas we enjoyed a family vacation in the southern French Alps. We have skied 2 of the other ski resorts, Auron and Valberg, in the 2hr drive from Cannes. The last one of the 3 we have not skied, Isola 2000, was our destination of choice for this Christmas ski trip. As we were heading there for a week, Miss G requested to go to ski school for every day. GREAT IDEA, G!

For skiing & snowboarding is something that we LOVE (almost as much as hockey for this Canadian)! We want Miss G to learn to ski as quick as possible. Family ski trips are the one thing that we look forward to and we have started G early with ski lessons. She had her first lesson when she was 3. Technically, she “should” have been 4 yrs old BUT since she was as bigger than most 5 yr olds in France, no one questioned it. Miss G enjoyed her week of ski school and improved to being able to use the tow rope and perform “pizza” braking. Two steps closer!

Christmas Day in Isola 2000.

Christmas Day in Isola 2000.

On Christmas eve, we had dinner at one of the local restaurants. Dinner continued into tobogganing for Miss G outside the restaurant. The conditions were perfect; lightly snowing with a healthy blanket of fresh snow already covering the ground. As it was Christmas eve, Santa was scheduled to make a stop-over in Isola “apres le Decente de Flambeaux”. Neither Katherine nor I have ever seen this event but it looked incredible! And just then, at 19h30-20h00 in the dark of the winter night, a line of torches from the right side of the mountain began descending from the top. The line grew longer and longer. It was quite amazing to see! Then, all of a sudden, a second line of torches were ignited and began a second descent from the left. As they descended further and further down the mountain, they were getting closer and closer and eventually joined into one line to become one super-long line. From mid-mountain onward, the line of torches lit the trail all the way to centerville. It was absolutely AMAZING to see and experience this “Decente de Flambeaux”!

Following closely behind at the end of the “decente” was Père Noël. Miss G was soooo excited to see Santa that she began shouting loudly, “Père Noël, Père Noël”! Within the large crowd around Santa and Miss G on my shoulders, all of a sudden candy was flying in every direction. I bent down and managed to grab a couple pieces from the snow while G balanced on my shoulders; quite well I might add.

Enjoy the video of the Christmas 2013 Decente de Flambeaux in Isola 2000.

Au revoir, mes amis!

10th March
2014
written by bob

A family vacation. That sounds good. Wait, a family vacation in Positano, Italy along the Amalfi Coast. Ahhhh yes, that sounds incredible! With Grandma, Aunt Holly, Katherine, Miss G, our au-pair Jess, and myself, all enjoyed this seaside paradise.

It was fantastic! Who wouldn’t want to vacation here?

Positano is simply an amazing place to visit!

Positano is simply an amazing place to visit!

If you have never been, we highly recommend it. We love Italy! Just make sure you are ready to do some walking AND some stair climbing! You will certainly get a workout in Positano! This past August in Italy was great; weather, food, wine, and family. This was the first vacation that we pretty much HAD to book our accommodation EARLY! We started looking in April/May for a place and at that time, there wasn’t a lot of places left. Positano is THAT popular! Our criteria for a place…large terrace, 3 bedrooms, and in town. We finally settled on Villa Balda. The terrace alone makes this place worth every penny! See for yourself, Villa Balda has everything you could need, a HUGE terrace, 3 large bedrooms each with its own full ensuite bathroom, a sitting area, dining room table, a large laundry room with washer, TV area (if you cannot live without although we never watched it), and an incredible, modern kitchen (with dishwasher). We enjoyed cooking from the kitchen (thank you Aunt Holly & Grandma) on two occasions as there are a few small markets nearby in order to take in a dinner on the terrace while enjoying the sunset view of the sea.

Arriving on a Saturday evening in Mid-August, we had pre-booked a walking tour of Positano first thing Sunday morning with Christine Cuomo owner of . A local in Positano for the past 8 years, Christine was extremely knowledgeable about the history and way of life there. She introduced us to local shop owners who have been pillars in the community for many years including Pepito’s. Incidentally, Christine married a local Vincenzo Cuomo, a qualified sommelier and they have created “Discover Wine Emotions”. You will learn about their wines (DOC & DOCG), the unbelievably flavourful dried meat, and excellent cheeses. We enjoyed this experience tremendously and would highly recommend both.

Looking for great, long-lasting clothes? Head over to Pepito’s (at Via Pasitea 39). This family run shop has been tailoring great, linen designs for the past 50+ years!

Us in Positano, Italy.  I just love Miss G's dress.

Us in Positano, Italy. I just love Miss G’s dress.

You might be thinking that linen isn’t that stylish or fashionable and to that I say, “You haven’t been to Pepito’s!” Pepito’s changed my perception. Their clothes are fantastic and the linen is superb. Both men and women can easily find something they like. Try something on and you’ll soon realize how incredibly soft their material is. While I wanted a large selection of the men’s clothes I found, restraint from breaking the bank was a constant forethought.

We spent LOTS of time at the beach. Positano beaches are covered with rentable lounge chairs and umbrellas. Prices range from 8€-20€ depending on which beach you decide to visit. There are a few beaches off the main beach where you can catch a free boat shuttle to them. Typically, each one has a restaurant right there at your finger tips on the beaches. So one day out of our seven, Katherine and I ventured out on a free boat and enjoyed a kidless day, snorkeling and soaking up the sun. The temperature of the water couldn’t have been more perfect for swimming. I even climbed a nearby cliff and jump from a couple different levels into the blue water below. It was AWESOME!

While in Positano, or Italy in general, it’s impossible not to enjoy the food and wine. Of course we ate at many different restaurants and the food was great. One place in particular, that we had an amazing dinner was a restaurant called Next2. Wow! From the moment we sat down, the restaurant’s ambience dictated the how the rest if our evening transpired.

Dining at Next2 was simply amazing!

Dining at Next2 was simply amazing!

The service was absolutely exceptional! And, the food, was simply incredible! We enjoyed a couple great bottles of Italian wine with our dinner, Classico Rosso Futura Reservi and Classico Rosso Futura. Then came dessert and it was SPECTACULAR! I’m not really one for peaches but when it comes with vanilla bean ice cream layered with thin, crisp, square pastry and topped with drizzled raspberry puree, sign me up. Delectable! If you choose to enjoy an evening at Next2, be sure to speak to Michael; he will take exceptional care of you along with the rest of his staff. On a side note, it was so good we enjoyed Next2 twice while in Positano. It’s that good. PERIOD.

Another fantastic restaurant was Hosteria il Pino in Priano a town just 10 mins up the road. Owned by Mr. Baldaserra, whom also owns Villa Balda. If you stay at his villa he will provide free transportation to/from his restaurant so you can enjoy an evening with fresh fish, pasta, a lemon shrimp risotto, and a fabulous wine, Francesca, named after his daughter and produced from the grapes harvested from the property. The first thing you notice at Hosteria is the absolutely spectacular view; one of the best on the Amalfi Coast!

Sunset view from restaurant Hosteria il Pino in Priano.

Sunset view from restaurant Hosteria il Pino in Priano.

Hosteria offers a picturesque view looking back at Positano and its nearby islands with even seeing Capri in the background. How amazing was that? In addition to incredible food, Mr. Baldaserra also produces his own olive oil which, by the way, is just as incredible as everything else you will enjoy at Hosteria il Pino. You will not be disappointed! To top our evening off (besides sipping Lemoncello), there was an amazing sunset view while we enjoyed an amazing dining experience!

One of the best days we enjoyed while on our honeymoon in Bora Bora, we renting a guy and a boat, literally. So, why not do it again while on the Amalfi Coast? Through one of the booths at the pier, we were able to set up a boating day with our own agenda touring the seaside along the coast. Our driver, Andreas, was great! A local, he highlighted the points of interest along the way including hotels, grottos, celebrity houses, amazing castles, turrets, and great swimming/snorkel spots complete with caves! We basically had the boat for 6 hrs that day and, with that, towels and drinks (coke, water, beer, Prosecco) were provided. Along the tour we stopped for lunch at a seaside restaurant that only seemed attainable from the water. Judging from the number of boats anchored in the small bay, it’s a popular place. With perfect weather that day, the private boat tour did not disappoint us. It was another incredible day!

We rounded out our vacation with a side trip to Capri, a view of Mount Vesuvius, watching the procession of the Black Madonna during the Festival of Our Lady of the Assumption complete with fireworks, and enjoying the incredible evenings on the patio at Villa Balda where numerous bottles of wine met their fate. Positano was, for us, an amazing place to visit – life is simple, the people are so friendly, and, of course, the food and wine, to die for! This was one family vacation that will not soon be forgotten.

Grazie, Positano!

Au revoir, mes amis.

31st December
2013
written by bob

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers!

Christmas this year is being spent in the southern French Alps at the Isola 2000 ski resort. Spending the week here for Christmas, we’re hoping for some great skiing and lots of fun in the snow. I was a bit worried the week leading up to our departure as there wasn’t much for new snow (for the past 2 weeks). Isola only had a base of 65cm. Not bad, but certainly not great. We were booked Saturday to Saturday and, unlike our last couple of local ski trips (Valberg & Auron), this time we drove rather than take the bus. The weather was perfect for driving and we arrived after a quick 2 hr trip.

This was probably the first real weekend for skiing since there hadn’t been too many snowfalls prior to this weekend. Where to stay? We were booked in the New Chastillon Hotel. Over the last 8 months, it has been completely renovated into a more modern hotel. It’s prior history did not have very good reviews. However with a new look, our first impression was that it appeared quite nice although they seemed to be still scrambling to get things in order upon our check-in; which incidentally took probably 45 minutes. Not a good start; especially if you want to improve your public perception and online reviews! (More on this in a future post.)

Miss G's Chateau Neige.

Miss G’s Chateau Neige.

Sunday was a day full of super-fun stuff to do! A fresh blanket of the “perfect packing snow” had fallen last night and awaited Miss G’s plans for a snowman! We ventured outside to explore the hotel surroundings. While I went to get G’s new, blue sled, G and Mommy rolled a few large snowballs for G’s first snowman. It was about as tall as her. We found a small hill for Miss G to sled down and after a few trips down the hill, we explored more of the area around the SkiPass Ticket building. G found some fresh, un-trampled snow where she could lay in the snow and create a couple of snow angels. Then, it happened. A family snowball fight! At first, it was every person for them self although G was taking the brunt of the flying snowballs. On the downside of a hill, G and I took cover from mommy. We stamped the snow for a floor and build a small wall to keep hidden from mommy’s barrage. Initially what was supposed to only provided cover, turned into 2 hours of snow engineering to produce a LARGE snow fort for Miss G. As time passed, the walls continued to be reinforced and built higher. Once complete, our “Chateau Neige” incorporated a lookout, an ammunition (snowball reloading) hole, and an underside entrance. People started to walk over, observe, and compliment us on our masterpiece. It had especially caught the eye of 2 younger boys that were nearby though they never came over. One gentleman, even went so far as to ask us if were going to build a roof for it? Ummm, not today! That 2 hours created quite the appetite!

Christmas Eve 2013 at Isola ski resort.

Christmas Eve 2013 at Isola ski resort.

After lunch, it was time to go collect our ski rental equipment. Miss G informed us that she wanted to attend ski school for 5 days this trip. Now enrolled, we need to go get her gear at InterSports. The shop was pretty much beside our hotel and following a quick 2 minute walk, we met Jean and his staff. With G taken care of we discussed a small problem we had with Katherine’s equipment. In the flurry leading up to our departure, we accidentally booked Katherine’s skis from the Auron store and not Isola. After 2 emails to InterSports to correct and clear up this honest error, no one replied to help us out (not surprising). At this point, we just figured that talk to the people a InterSports was the best solution. That was when we met Jean, the manager of the InterSports shop in Isola. Jean listen attentively to our situation and explained that it could be an issue since we paid for the equipment online and the money was with the Auron store. Ouch! However, Jean told us to sit tight and he would see what he could do. He would call the “big” boss and explain what happened. Ummmm, what? Actual customer service in France!? True story.

After a few minutes, Jean came back and informed us that it would not be a problem to collect Katherine’s equipment in Isola. Jean and his boss would work out getting the money from the Auron shop. Wow! We were amazed. In all the time we have spent in France, no one has gone out of their way like that before. Most shops/people we have dealt with would have just said, “too bad” and we would have had to double rent with no chance of refund on the mistaken gear. That is the typical French way. Jean and his staff are great! We HIGHLY recommend Jean and renting from InterSports when you visit Isola! Jean will take the greatest care of you when you aren’t expecting it! Merci beaucoup Jean.

Au revior, mes amis!

31st December
2012
written by bob

So during Christmas 2011, we missed out on an amazing Christmas deal; to take a helicopter ride via HeliAir Monaco and tour the city of Monte-Carlo from above. In 2011, it was sold out, however, not in 2012 though! We contacted our very good friends and asked them if they would be interested in a tour of Monaco as well. Carlos, Rita, and Bea happily obliged! At 30€ per person, what GREAT deal and an awesome way to close out 2012 with only a couple of days to go!

If you have seen Madagascar 3, you might pick up a small glimpse of what this helicopter ride was like. Albeit, the movie does a fantastic job of rendering Monte-Carlo in it’s present day form; pretty much to a “T”. However, nothing beats the real thing.

Enjoy the slideshow of Monaco – from above!

Au revoir, mes amis!

6th January
2013
written by bob

So this past weekend was the last weekend of our Christmas holidays coming to an end, Katherine and I decided on a ski weekend in Valberg. Located in the southrn French Alps this quaint and scenic town was quite impressive.

Booking such a trip at the last minute, especially, during school holidays, we were lucky to find a place to stay. However, after some painful (day long) internet searching we were able to locate a place the had accommodation with room that could sleep more than 2 people. Hotel Le Chatellan was a great little place to stay. This family-owned and run hotel was a perfect getaway retreat. The family is very nice and extremely helpful in providing an all-around excellent experience. From a “welcome” smile at reception to dinner in the main room complete with large fireplace to holding your luggage and ski equipment even AFTER checkout, our stay was great!

Getting to Valberg is quite easy. We opted not to drive ourselves and take the bus although we met a few people that drove themselves. Either way, it’s about a 2-hr trip from Nice. We got up before dawn on Friday 0500h, caught the 0624h train from Antibes to Nice Ville station. Once here we boarded the #770 Snow Bus, operated by Lignes d’Azur, departed for Valberg at 0715h, and arrived in Valberg around 0930h. Train tickets and bus tickets were under 40€ total. There is no way that we could drive our car, find parking for 3 days, and return home for that price! No driving worries for us was perfect!

Valberg from the top; Miss G ready for her first ski lesson; G lovin the snow!

Valberg from the top; Miss G ready for her first ski lesson; G lovin the snow!

Settling in we found the local shop to sign Miss G up for ski school. Then it was off for rental skis, boots, and a helmet. Check. Now time for lunch at Hotel Chalet Suisse. We tried to book this place to stay but unfortunately it had no vacancy. At lunch we were greeted warmly by Christophe; who was also our waiter on a subsequent lunch on Sunday. Christophe was an excellent waiter and understands customer service. His attention to customers is what I’d expect when dining in a restaurant. We highly recommend visiting him for lunch when in Valberg; he will take great care of you. As for the food at Hotel Chalet Suisse, it was delicious and there was a good variety of choices. All too often in this region you see menus that are always geared towards tourists where they are all basically the same. Not the case here. The food was excellent but, honestly, what made our dining experience most pleasant was Christophe’s service. It goes without saying that he wasn’t French…but South African. Quite frankly after our “service” conversation, it was clear he didn’t understand the French’s lack of customer service either.

Let me provide an example. Across the street was another restaurant/bar called “G”. On Saturday evening while Miss G wanted to play in the snow, we decided to sit on the outside patio and relax with a drink. After sitting for 20 mins, I decided to go into the bar for drinks. Once I ordered and only then did the staff offer to bring the drinks to us. Ummm really? Haven’t I done most of the work at this point? Then they asked me where we were sitting and when I informed them, they told me they couldn’t serve me there. Quoi? I was told to go to the restaurant area to be served. REALLY? I have $$ in my pocket and I choose to spend it at “G” bar, they don’t want it, and tell me to go buy drinks somewhere else? I kid you not, true story.

Ski school was very successful for G. By the end of the 2-hr class, Miss G was ski down the small slope all on her own. She did amazing! Saturday wasn’t so successful for ski school as G decided right at class time, she didn’t want to attend. Oh well…maybe another time but she did have lots of fun the day before. All three days, we rented a toboggan sled, you know…the kind with the pull-handle brakes? Miss G enjoyed being pulled up the hill and sent down by herself. While she didn’t know how to use the brakes (except when being pulled up hill), Mommy & Daddy became the crash pads at the bottom of the short hill. As for being in the snow, Guilliana LOVED it! It’s not the first time G has seen snow but living in Arizona and now the Cote d’Azur snow makes a very rare appearance.

Our weekend wasn’t quite so full of skiing but that’s okay. Getting G taken care of and ready to ski is a bigger deal. Katherine and I love to ski & snowboard! I we would like it to if Miss G would join us on the slopes. So far, all indications are looking in that direction. Yeah, baby! All in all, we had a great 3-day trip and where Miss G was bit by the ski bug. Now to catch that snow bus, provided by Lignes d’Azur, let leave the driving to someone else!

Au revoir, mes amis!

29th August
2012
written by bob

After 3 weeks in Bangkok, we decided it was time for a little side trip. Where? Well…from everything we have heard from friends, it sounds like Phuket & Ko Phi Phi Don Island is a tropical paradise not to miss. So, a couple of plane tickets later on Thai Airways, we booked 3 days at the Westin Siray Bay in Phuket and another 3 days at the Holiday Inn Phi Phi Resort.

We arrived late on a Thursday evening after an uneventful flight (which is exactly how we like to fly). After a good night’s sleep we awoke for breakfast and figured we’d do a little resort exploring. Unfortunately, we discovered that breakfast ended at 1030h and us late risers missed our chance. We didn’t have to wait long for lunch through and once finished we were off to don our suits and hit the negative edge pool & pool bar! While mommy and daddy sipped a cocktail sitting in the pool Miss G swam/floated around like a little duck with her water wings on. There was no getting her out of the pool, she loves the water!

G lounging at the pool in Bangkok.

G lounging at the pool in Bangkok.

And then, it rained. Wow, did it POUR! It totally reminded us of the monsoon season in Arizona. Ok, so a “little” rain got Miss G out of the pool albeit only for a brief moment. After the short downpour and within 20 minutes we were back out in the pool once again looking out at the bay and enjoying the view of the islands. That night for dinner, we took G to her first sushi dinner. We love sushi and and soon discovered so does G! It was hit! She has such a palette; eats all kinds of things I would never touch as child; broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and spinach. Not only that but she loves fish, lentils, smoked salmon, red pepper hummus, and seaweed sheet snacks (from Thailand). The great thing is, she’ll try everything once and that’s all we ask. If she doesn’t like it, just leave it BUT at least just try it.

Three days flew by and we were on a ferry ride to Ko Phi Phi Don Island for a few more days of serene sun and beach bliss. The weather was clear, sunny and warm; a perfect day for a boat ride! It was a calm 1-hour ride to Tonsai Pier with a view of numerous islands along the way. After a brief 20 min docking, we were on our way to the northern-western tip for our stay at the Holiday Inn. Approaching our resort, we noticed that there was no dock for the ferry. Turns out that long boats come out to the ferry and taxi people into shore. Once on shore, we were greeted with fresh tropical drinks while we waited for check-in completion.

Time for some relaxation. The next 3 days were all about spending time sunbathing on the beach, building sandcastles with Miss G, and swimming in the Andaman Sea. The weather for the next couple of days was amazing! Hot and sunny with clear skies wasn’t a bad forecast to have when you are in tropical paradise, right? Could you relax here?

Mommy and MIss G enjoying the serene beaches of Phi Phi Island.

Mommy and Miss G enjoying the serene beaches of Phi Phi Island.

We explored quite a bit of the beach and walked along the shore past a couple other resorts taking in periodic swims and some seashell searching along the way. On the walk back, we figured we could plan an excursion to a couple of the nearby islands? In talking to the concierge, we wanted to spend some time at Monkey Island where “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. Unfortunately, due to the time of year and the rough seas on that side of the island, our boat visit wasn’t going to happen. In the end, we had to cancel our half day excursion to Bamboo Island and Mosquito Island due to rain. The problem was the rain kept coming. It hadn’t stopped since last evening as today was our island departure date to head back to Bangkok for one last week of relaxation. Once packed and checked out, we headed down to the beach where we waited for the ferry to arrive. It began to rain harder. Long boats shuttled us out to the ferry. It was raining quite heavily and the wind was very strong. We were receiving the tail end of the typhoon that was slamming Korea! I didn’t have a good feeling about this. With everyone aboard, the captain headed for Tonsai Pier to pickup passengers there before making the 1-hr trek back to mainland, Phuket. The 20 minute boat ride to Tonsai took 40 mins and the waves were only getting larger. Not good. Fortunately, when we boarded we asked the deckhand where a good spot to sit was. He directed us to have seat in a spot where sea-sickness would be at a minimum. Perfect choice, not that we get sea-sick BUT, as I mentioned, the waves were HUGE and…you never know!

Passengers in Tonsai boarded. And boarded…and boarded. People just kept getting on! Then, it happened; “THE” thought. You know…the one that all of a sudden makes all the ferry capsizing stories in the news make sense? Yep, that ONE! I never really completely understood how I could read in the news that all these ferries had capsized in places such as this. It was now WAY TOO clear. Did I mentioned in a previous Thailand post that safety seems to be a secondary concern here? It is. Just check out the wiring strung across building fronts, no seat belts in taxis, etc.

This ferry had too many people on it. There was not enough seats for everyone and people were standing wherever they could find a spot. My stomach was churning one big knot. I mentioned to Katherine that we need to know where the life jackets are and be able to get them on quickly “IF” anything were to happen on the boat ride back. Fortunately, every seat had a life jacket on it. Unfortunately, all the jackets were snapped closed from behind the seat! I’m quite sure there were not enough life jackets for everyone. We departed Tonsai and less than 15 mins into the ride back the staff were handing out puke bags. In fact, people were requesting them and not for the “just-in-case” BUT for the NOW. The sea was THAT rough! Sadly, the only thing that kept going through my mind was our escape route. If something happened, I was making sure we were getting off this boat. The waves were so large now that the port holes that normally come with a great view of the sea are now just consumed by crashing waves on the glass. The swells were higher than the main deck of the ferry! I praised the captain for having the brains to NOT go full throttle back to the mainland. It would suck to miss our flight but there were others.

I am not kidding when I say this…during the boat ride I was scared like I have never been scared in my life. I feared for Katheine’s and G’s lives as well as my own. I prayed the ENTIRE way back on the boat. For the next 2 hrs, I prayed…and prayed…and PRAYED. I prayed that we make it safely back to Phuket. I prayed that this ferry did not become a headline like you read in the news, “Ferry Capsizes in the Andaman Sea”. I now have a full understanding of how ferry capsizing can happen! AND…I’m SOOOOOO thankful we made it back to Phuket safely without issue.

I have never been so thankful to reach mainland and if we didn’t have a taxi waiting for us at the dock to whisk us off to the airport, I probably would have kissed the ground! Normally that ferry ride takes 1 hr and a bit BUT the storm made our trip 2.5 hrs AND I was okay with that. Fortunately we made our flight with a few minutes to spare. Our flight was uneventful, thankfully!

Regardless of the ferry experience, I still love Thailand!

Au revoir, mes amis!

20th August
2012
written by bob

So one of the recommended things to do when in Bangkok is to visit the Floating Markets. There are a few to travel to that are only about an hour or so from Bangkok. We have heard as well as read quite a few reviews/sites indicating the Damnoen Saduak Floating market is extremely touristy. While it is probably quite exciting to see, we were recommended by a fellow colleague to instead travel to the floating market in Amphawa.

Two Thai boys taking their "pet" elephant out for a walk.

Two Thai boys taking their "pet" elephant out for a walk.

One major difference between the 2 floating markets is that the Amphawa starts at 1500h and shuts down at 2100h whereas Damnoen Saduak only operates from 0700h to 1300h. So after a little research, we booked a place to stay, we were off to Amphawa for an overnight stay at The Legend Maeklong.

How to Get to Amphawa?
Despite where you may be staying in Bangkok, you “should” be able to make your way to “Victory Monument”. We ventured there by taxi for a cost of 80 baht (by the meter). One thing we learn in the first couple days was to ALWAYS ask a taxi driver to travel by the meter. If they refuse, trust us, there will be another one in 2 minutes. There is NO SHORTAGE of taxis in Bangkok! You can also get to Victory Monument via the SkyTrain which is very quick and easy to use. This is an especially great option (and highly recommended) if you do NOT want to sit in traffic! Once at Victory Monument, find the location for the Mini-bus (Toyota van) to Amphawa, another 80 baht per person. If you aren’t sure, just ask one of the local vendors for “Amphawa” and they will be able to point you in the right direction. Once on the minibus from Victory Monument, you are on your way directly to Amphawa.

After an hour and a bit minibus ride, we arrived in Amphawa at the drop point. It seemed like when asking the locals where or how to get to “The Legend Maeklong”, no one knew what we were talking about. One local man graciously called the small resort for us. We soon discovered that we should have gotten dropped off Maeklong, the stop 10 minutes prior to Amphawa. A tuk-tuk was called to transport us to Maeklong that is, until we learned the driver wanted 200 baht for a 10 mins ride. Ummmm, no! First of all, we have a safety concern for our daughter in such a vehicle with no doors or seatbelts and secondly, it ONLY cost us 80 baht each to travel from Bangkok to Amphawa! After speaking with Kanita at the “Legend”, she informed us that we could take a long boat, water taxi, directly to the Legend’s dock on the river. Sweet! It was more costly than the tuk-tuk BUT it was VERY COOL and the river view was AWESOME!

During our 15 min water taxi ride to the resort, we had the opportunity to observe the floating market in its active and very lively state. There were people everywhere and, honestly, very few tourists – well…white tourists, anyway. Along the way we captured some pretty cool photos of the old wooden teak houses that local people rent out to tourists. Literally, a Thai family will take you in for your stay in Amphawa if you like. How great and hospitable is that? (Did I mention the Thai’s are incredibly polite and courteous?)

Arriving at The Legend Maeklong, we were greeting by Kanita and her staff. Unbeknownst to us but we were upgraded to a sweet room at the back of the 100+ year old Colonial home which is an amazing and the main house at the resort. Kanita and her staff were amazing! They greeted us dockside, welcoming us with friendly smiles and open arms. Our bags were shuttled off to our room to settle in and get ready for dinner. After dinner Kanita arranged for us to take another private long boat taxi to the night market for some sight-seeing and shopping. The night market was AWESOME! Lots and lots of cool things to look at; both souvenirs and edibles. We saw some worms, beetles, and other bugs that were available to snack on BUT…ultimately settled for a couple of handmade watches. On the way home, our taxi captain took us to an area that was quite dark with the only real light being that of the moon. As we approached, we were able to see a lot, and I mean A LOT, A LOT of fire flys sitting in the trees. The entire tree was literally lit up like a Christmas tree! It was VERY COOL! Miss G loved it!

As always, enjoy the slide show by clicking on the picture!

BKK Airport

Au revoir, mes amis!

20th August
2012
written by bob

Over the past few weeks, G and Daddy have ventured out into the lively Bangkok streets and managed to discover one of the largest malls in Bangkok, Central World. Let’s just say NINE STORIES of shopping! WHAT? It was crazy, awesome! Each floor is for someone or something different. Floor 1 is Jewelers, watches, some clothes, etc where, say, floor 2 and 3 is women’s shopping and men’s shopping, respectively. Floor 4 was more my speed with electronics whereas floor 6 was more G’s thing with kid’s clothes and play areas, or as G likes to say, “play or-eas”. Back by the Toys ‘R Us there is a huge play area and kids zone where kids can run around and jump, play, go on rides, and just be kids. There are also lots of shops for things like kids painting, a clay store, tutoring, and, well what mall wouldn’t be complete without a “Build-A-Bear” store?

Sid is now born!

Another great attraction for kids is the Dusit Zoo. What a great place to see some amazing animals! On the cab ride over we travelled past the Royal Palace where the Queen of Thailand and her family resides. We also saw the Thai Parliament buildings in the same viscinity. It was fairly “hot & humid” the day we decided to head to take in the zoo but, then again, everyday has been like that so far while here. Upon entry to the zoo, there was a tram that we could ride around the entire campus and jump on and off as desired to visit and take in the different sights and areas. First up, the giraffes and zebras. Then we were off to see the monkeys, penguins, hippos, and the “big” cats (bobcat, lion, tigers – bengals and white bengals, cheetah, leopard). We saw camels, bears, crocs, and other reptiles. Toward the end of the day, it began to rain but that didn’t stop us from feeding the elephants, visiting the lemur & squirrel monkeys, and finally seeing some parrots and flamingos to end our FUN day!

Another new day and new adventure. This day we decided to check a place called the “Fun-Aruim”. It was very similar to Boomiland and Fun City back in the Cote d’Azur. These are a two of G’s favourite places! It was a total kids’ playland and G took full advantage of an unbusy afternoon of kids. She played for 3+ hours with a half hour lunch break staggered in there! One of the coolest things Miss G found was a ball pit where you can feed balls into 2 tubes (hooked up to a giant vacuum-like device) that suck them up to a plastic holding box overhead. Once a substantial amount of balls are collected, the vacuum will shut off and the balls will dump out all over the kids. Everytime this occurred, G would laugh her head off! I got a good chuckle out of the kids that, instead of putting balls in the tubes to be sucked up, sat there and allowed their hair to be sucked into the tubes. Of course, the kids themselves thought this was quite hilarious too! Despite this place not being as big as Fun City in France, i have to say that I was quite impressed with the quality of food in the restaurant. For the fact that France takes their food so seriously, I’m quite sure that the Thai’s took this category hands down!

Traffic in Bangkok is a little crazy to say in the least. Then again, I thought that of France when we moved there too! However, today we ended up heading back to the hotel during rush hour traffic. Definitely NOT ideal! In the end it turned out that our taxi driver didn’t really know exactly where our hotel was. Seriously, isn’t that why I hired you? Good thing I paid attention to the route we took to get to Fun-Arium and had a “rough” idea of how to get home and after an hour in the cab, we were back at the hotel. Safe and sound.

Here is a picture slideshow of our adventure out. Click to enjoy!

Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand

Au revoir, mes amis!

7th August
2012
written by bob

After a LONG couple of days of travel, we arrived in Bangkok, Thailand! Wow, what an amazing place so far although we have only been here 2 days. We are looking forward to exploring this amazing city over the next month! Yes, that’s right 1 “entire” month. Personally, I have never had 4 weeks of vacation but I’m certainly not going to turn it down! While Katherine’s time here is work and vacation, Miss G and myself will be on 100% vacation trekking through the city locating the zoo & aquarium for starters. First observation is that Bangkok is pretty Westernized; good and bad. Albeit, it’s nice to see a few familiar things when out and about!

BKK, here we come!

Upon arrival at BKK, it was literally impossible NOT to notice the politeness, courtesy, and the superior level of customer service that the Thai people provide! UNBELIEVABLE! France, you REALLY need to take some lessons in Customer Service from the Thai. The Thai are extremely willing to help you. We were greeted as soon as we stepped off the airplane and with radio in hand, a BKK rep tried to get G’s stroller up from baggage hold. Too bad we she was unsuccessful BUT it was due to fact that one load of bags had already been sent to Baggage Claim. Talk about fast! Shit, when we left France we were on a “restricted airspace delay” due to ground workers being on roving strike. Not all, just some. And, who knows, they were probably striking because their coffee machine was broken or had been removed from their breakroom! WTF is that? (no further comment.)

While filling out our visa card for entry to Thailand, a second BKK rep approached us and directed us to use the priority lane since we had a toddler traveller with us. REALLY? We don’t have to wait in that LONG-ASS line with the other 2000 people that just arrived?!? Thank you, sir for pointing that out! After a little bit of a wait in the priority line where we think the one and only Mr. Grumpy “Thai” dude was working, we finally had our visas processed. Not one smile from this gentleman nor did he speak during the entire process; he just pointed to what he wanted or wanted us to do. BUT alas, Miss G made Mr. Grumpy smile! As we were processed through and on our way to pick up our bags, G stopped to tell him, “thank you” and he leaned over where G promptly offered up a “high five” and proceeded on her way! He smiled and chuckled. We are pretty sure Miss G “made” his day!

Bags claimed. Now transportation needed which was pre-arranged with our hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel wasn’t there at the time BUT another hotel driver offered to call our hotel and let them know we were ready for pick-up. Unheard of! We don’t even think we get that kind of service in North America! Within 5 minutes our driver arrived. Just when we thought that was all, Mr. Non-Hotel-Driver took all our bags to the van AND assisted our driver with loading them. WHAT? Unbelievable customer service, AGAIN!

Asia, I know we just arrived but…we think we love you!. More to come BUT we’ll leave you with our first Bangkok gallery of pics. Enjoy the slideshow by clicking this pic below!

BKK Airport

Au revoir, mes amis!

1st July
2012
written by bob

Wow…what an incredible day! No cars, no clouds, hot and sunny, and a beach on an island. Does it get any better?

Yesterday we decided to make a new play date with one of Miss G’s classmates, Bia. They are like two peas in a pod and are so cute together! We, along with Bia’s parents, Carlos and Rita, planned a play date on the beaches at Ile Sainte-Marguerite; famous for where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned and where the Hollywood movie was partially filmed.

According to Wikipedia

“The Île Sainte-Marguerite is the largest of the Lérins Islands, about half a mile off shore from the French Riviera town of Cannes. The island is approximately 3 km in length (East to West) and 900m across.

The island is most famous for its fortress prison (the Fort Royal), in which the so-called Man in the Iron Mask was held in the 17th century.”

G & Bia holding hands and waiting for the ferry to Ile Sainte-Marguerite.

While this trip wasn’t about touring Fort Royal (for another day), it was about languishing in the sun, enjoying a bottle or two of rosé wine, and great conversation with Carlos & Rita, who recently relocated to the Cote d’Azur from Portugal. Like us, they are enjoying the area and weather in the French Riviera and we all have so many things in common. It’s so great to meet new friends that are in the same place as ourselves; new parents, new country to live, etc. We have met so many fabulous people in the past year from all over the world. We are so blessed!

The Cote d’Azur is an amazing place to live and such a great opportunity for the kids! We are glad that Miss G has become great friends with Bia and now has yet another close friend to enjoy planned outings with. G and Bia walked hand-in-hand pretty much the entire way from the ferry to the beach! They get along so well and it’s so cute to see them having a conversation amongst themselves playing in the sand and floating with their water-wings in the water. Now, I think we just have to get all our other “France” friends together and have a “grande” time on the beach one day this summer! Hmmm, maybe a beach picnic is in store soon.

Here are some pics from our day on Ile Sainte-Marguerite! As always, click the pic below to enjoy the slideshow!

Fort Royal on Ile Sainte-Marguerite.

Au revoir, mes amis!

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