Christmas morning in Phuket

Christmas in Thailand

Our Christmas in Thailand was great.  This was Alex's first year understanding that there was a Santa and that he would be bringing presents.  It didn't matter what they were, just as long as they were presents.  Christmas Eve was the first time in memory that he wanted to go to bed early.  Milk and cookies were left for Santa and I can confirm that they were consumed and enjoyed.  The excitement level was so high that it wasn't surprising that Thipp had a poor night's sleep.

Alex was so excited on Christmas morning when he saw that Santa had left gifts under our Christmas pole.  Of course, he has been disappointed every morning since that there hasn't been a return visit.  His gifts were fairly modest (A battery operated Percy the train and a box of Lego Duplo), but he couldn't have been more thrilled.

We spent a lazy day at the house, enjoying the pool and enjoying doing nothing.  For dinner we went to a nearby pizza place, where the Italian chef made pizza in a wood-burning oven.  Thipp declared that it was the best pizza that she has had since we were in Italy way back in October.  Alex enjoyed the pizza, apple juice, and shyly making eyes at the waitress.  All in all, it was a very Thai Christmas.

Santa comes to ABC Preschool Christmas Party

Phuket Weekend Market

The Phuket Weekend market is located about 45 minutes from our place.  We've gone there twice already.  There is something for everybody.  Thipp likes the food, I like shopping for cheap knock-off items, and, most importantly, Alex likes the bouncy castle.  We were there for three hours this past Saturday and Alex bounced for two of them.

ABC International Preschool

A morning spent at ABC International Preschool

I didn't intend to spend the morning at Alex's school.  However, after the 20 metre walk and guiding him to the playground it was apparent that an early departure on my part would result in a significant emotional melt-down.  As the school welcomes parents to sit-in on the classes I decided to stay and observe.

There were about 40 kids at the school, split into an older and younger group.  Movement between the groups seemed to be somewhat fluid.  Alex is on the bubble and so far has spent time with both.  The ethnic mix appears to be about about an equal split between Thia, Caucasian, and halfers.

At some point in the day almost everyone cries. For some it's upon arrival and for others it is due to some playground or classroom fracas. For Alex on this day it occurred when it appeared he wasn't going to included with the older group.  His sad face brought back memories from every time a hockey team cut me.  The teachers quickly reacted him and included him with the older kids.

The older kids seemed more accepting of their incarceration, while the younger ones were more likely to check to see if the outer door was still locked.  One little boy hadn't even taken his shoes and backpack off, naively expecting a parental rescue to be imminent.

The classes were taught in both English and Thai.  Alex had the same dazed look that I had in French 10.  The teachers are kind, attentive and firm when they need to be.  I'm sure that it would be easier to herd cats.

The next morning I again walked Alex to school.  I stayed for a while with him in the playground and told him that I had to go, would see him at lunch, and to have a fun morning. His reaction was not a big surprise.  Thipp thinks that I shouldn't walk him to school anymore.

Playing in Phuket

Getting settled in Phuket

We have been in Thailand for over a week now and starting to get settled.  As is the case whenever one moves to a new town there is an adaptation process that must take place.  For us it has been no different, but we are starting to feel at home.  The following have been a few of the bigger challenges:

1. Driving a car - the roads are quite good, but most roads don't have much of a shoulder.  So the only thing trickier than driving is finding a place to park.  Cars do in fact regularly park on the shoulder, necessitating passing vehicles to swerve partially into the other lane.  Therefore, when driving you need to be very aware of traffic in both lanes, plus the many motorbikes scooting on either side of you.  Oh yes, also in Thailand we drive on the left side of the road.  Otherwise, it's just like driving at home.
2. Shopping - no problem here, as we have a couple good sized grocery stores just a ten minute drive away.  One sells some items in bulk like a Costco. Our only problem here is that we need a larger refrigerator.  There are also some huge shopping malls on the island that are just like at home and I hope never to return to.
3. School - we knew that Alex had transitioned well to his new school when he announced that he didn't want to go to school anymore.  "Hang in there buddy, just twenty more years," I assured him.  He is going just part-time, during the mornings, and when we're home we can hear the kids playing and speculate whether or not that is Alex we hear crying.
4. Neighbourhood sounds - one of the characteristics of our Thai house that makes it so authentic is that is far from sound-proof.  Consequently, I've had the pleasure of being awoken in morning by local roosters, the local mosque's call for morning prayers, or a combination of the two.  The good news is that I'm getting used to it and sleeping in almost as late as Alex.
5. Gym - It is just a five minute walk from our place and has weights on one floor, a hot yoga room and cardio on the the next floor, and on the roof-top a restaurant and swimming pool with a spectacular view of the area.  My speculation is that hot yoga is simply regular yoga with the window open.  We haven't actually joined yet, but we will, very soon, when the time is right.
6. Favourite beach - with a pool in our backyard we (i.e. me) haven't always felt the need to explore the area.  However, so far our favourite is Nai Harn beach, which is just a five minute drive away, isn't too busy, has a shaded playground and a side beach great for making sandcastles.

Everything is Awesome

Sitting here relaxing at our Thai house in Phuket it occurred to me that my readership is probably wondering how we're doing.  Well, we are doing just awesome, thanks.

The flights to Hong Kong and then to Phuket were long, but went smoothly.  Alex slept well on both flights and probably arrived in the best shape of all of us.  Our taxi and rental car were waiting for us as planned and we arrived at our rental house in the Rawai area of the island on schedule.

Our rental house is wonderful. It is built in the style of a traditional Thai house, but with some modern conveniences included (air conditioned bedrooms, wifi, cable TV). Thipp is in love with this place, as she once lived in a similarly structured home in Laos during the first six years of her life (minus the modern conveniences). She has already declared that she wants to build a house just like this in the Okanagan.

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and on Friday morning Alex started pre-school. The ABC International Nursery & Preschool is literally next door to our house.  It couldn't be more perfect. Alex only lasted a few hours on his first day due to jet lag and then the principle walked him home. He said that he liked the school and that he "didn't push any kids."

Phuket is a big island and I'm told that it takes about one hour to drive from top to bottom.  It is definitely not off the beaten path, with many modern shopping centres.  Once I get used to driving on the left side of the road this should be any easy place to live.  We still have much to see and do, but given that our plane landed just 72 hours ago I think we're doing pretty good.

Our Thai House in Phuket

Thailand