Annie Bananie

Here we are on Wednesday morning at 3am. We have been out on the old dirt road since Sunday.  Getting on a plane and flying across the Atlantic  to Thailand is like time travel.  It is a whole different world here and I love it.  We are in Suratthani which is 12 hours south of Bangkok,  where I taught English for 2 years.   It is a lot to take if for Zoe and Owen but they are troopers.

This was Zoe and Owen`s very first  time flying and it was the most excited that I have seen them in a very long time.  It surpassed any Christmas morning of opening the toy they had been dreaming about for months.  It surpassed birthday parties, anything really.  It was a beautiful experience all on its own.  They had me in stitches and I fell in love with them all over again.  As we sat in the very small plane, waiting for take off, their faces were beaming with vibrant smiles of expectation.  As I watched them literally bouncing in their seats, I knew that all the money saved for this trip was worth every penny.  Already, just experiencing their first flight was heart warming.  We hadn`t even left Ottawa yet and I noticed a difference in them.  They were getting along instead of fighting, laughing together and working as a team and that is just awesome in my books.  

 It seemed like forever before the plane started moving. Finally, when it started backing out  from gate 5 Owen exclaims: `Do not tell me that we are going to take off backwards!` that had me in stitches and I noticed that the 3 ladies sitting in front of us were laughing as well.  I told them that it was Zoe and Owen’s first flight and they said: ``Obviously.  I was tickled pink to see that they were enjoying this magical moment as much as I was.   At take off when the plane accelerated speed, smiles beamed on their beautiful faces.  They glowed with expressions of wonderment and amazement.  Happiness filled me and I laughed and tears sprung to my eyes.  As the speed increased and the plane left ground the children laughed with the sensation. Owen declared:  It’s my first time flying!!!`. Zoe looked out the window and said: `` I can see the edge of the Earth`.  This was our moment.  It was magic and I knew it then and there that this was going to be a trip of a life time. 

At this point we were travelling alone as Jay was only leaving Canada the next day.  Zoe and Owen were awesome travellers and great team mates.  Our connection from Washington to Frankfurt was 50 minutes and we had to run from gate to gate.  They were with me all the way, running without complaint and helping to find signs for gate C18.

Finally after 36 hours of travel we arrived in Surat on Tuesday afternoon.   We are staying at the Wang Tai hotel in a great big room.  There`s a pool and free breakfast.  Things are good.

It is now Thursday and we are moving through jet lag which means that we have been wide awake since 3 am which is early morning here but afternoon in Canada.  It`s like part of us is still in our home land.  It is a weird feeling and at the same time it is magical to wake up so early in the morning where the world outside of this room is sleeping and we are wide awake spending time together.  Zoe is reading Owen just finished doing homework and now playing checkers with Jay. Yes we picked up Jay at the airport yesterday.  It is so nice to have him on board this great adventure.   There is so much more to say but we will soon be getting ready to go for breakfast which starts at 06:00.  

To sign off I will leave you with a story that Zoe wrote yesterday while sitting in a very traditional Thai restaurant.  I have to tell you that I am living through my children on this trip.  It is my 4^th time here (yes I am spoilt) and they are helping me see Thailand with new eyes like I did a long time ago in 1997 when I first travelled here.  Things are so different that the children have to stretch their minds to all that they are seeing, hearing, smelling and experiencing.  There is so much to take in.

 The Cafe

By Zoe

 

Right now I am sitting in an old run down sorry excuse for a cafe.  I swear the smell of fish and roaring cars seem to be getting louder and stronger.  At least my coke tastes good.  Everywhere I look I see people eating Thai food.  It looks spicy. I do not know how people eat so much spice.  I mean this morning I ate a chilli pepper that was  below mild.  It was kind of like a mix between a hot chilli pepper and a sweet pepper so it was cool but still a little hot.  All I want to do is get out of this run down cafe.  It`s also hot but I just went swimming so my hair is wet which keeps me cold.  OMG the fish is so smelly, please mom can we go I say.  My mom answers no.  Then I say my nose is falling off.

The End

We are off to breakfast now.   At yesterday`s breakfast Zoe and Owen discovered their first favourite Thai food which are Thai donuts.  I hope you enjoyed the beginning of our adventure and that all is well in cold Canada.

Love,

Zoe, Owen, Jay and Annie