Sometimes things happen that make you tardy, having a child has definitely taught me this lesson over and over. And traveling has done nothing else if not reinforce my flexibility when it comes to being on time. I do try my darndest though to write my blog posts so that they fall on the correct days no matter what part of the world you may reside in. Today I have failed in that goal, it is currently Tuesday here in Thailand, but at least it is still Monday on the other side of the world, so my Monday Montage is not a total lie.
Yesterday started like any other lovely Monday here in Hua Hin. The cleaning lady was starting to clean, Chad was starting to work, and Zoë and I were doing our Bible study before playing together. Suddenly a smell permeated our Rockwellian picture of life. A noxious smell of pesticide was floating in from the pest control guys that had appeared in our yard. The landlord of our villa has the house sprayed against all the creepy-crawlies once a month, and yesterday was the day. We had to quickly throw on some presentable clothes and drive away so they could do their job without killing us from the fumes.
We drove aimlessly for a while trying to decide what to do. I could not think of anything to do, maybe it was my intense need for a shower (or at least a healthy swipe of underarm deodorant) that made it hard for me to think. We ended up driving north of town a bit and pulled into a place called Venezia, which we thought was shopping outlets with Venetian styled buildings. It was so much more than that, I am going to write all about it on Friday, so make sure to check back then.
That took most of our day, and then I got caught up in catching up with what needed to be done at home when we finally returned. Oh, and also the town we are staying in has turned off the running water again, so that shower that I so longed for was not happening (i know… call a wahhh-mbulance right?!). Somehow the end of the day was upon me and I had not completed my blog post, but here it is… better late than never.
If you would like a real Christmas tree, you can order one at the Villa Market for only 9,900 baht ($308)!
Just a random For Rent sign on our drive around yesterday.
Z playing on Kao Takiab beach with a new friend!
We could not find an advent calendar (you know the kind with chocolates) for Z, so we made her an advent box. Each day she pulls off a number and gets to choose something (candy or small toy) out of the box.
Framework for a massive floating turtle for the Kings birthday celebration on Khao Tao Lake.
The completed floating turtle.
A beautiful sunset and lights for the Kings Birthday celebration.
The crowds from the Kings Birthday in Hua Hin. If you look in the background, you can see the big screen showing the King. This was the first time he stayed in Hua Hin for his birthday ever and the first time he had given a public address in quite some time. It was truly thrilling and emotional to be there.
And Three To Go 
I love the idea of the advent calendar, I bet Z loves it too!
The King draws a great crowd, I bet the food was yummy 🙂
Oh she does love it! I think it is like Christmas everyday for her 🙂
There was actually people lining the street again yesterday to see the king being driven back to the main Hua Hin palace from the Queens palace near our house. Everyone here loves the King and wants every chance to see Him.
The food here is always amazing. As long as I stick with Thai food I am never disappointed. It’s only when I try western foods that I sometimes get something not so great tasting. 🙂
Well done. Life is full of surprises sometimes.
Love,
Cyndie
So true! Thanks Auntie! 🙂
I loved the photos (again)! The floating turtle and the Christmas tree sign (with interpretation). Ouch at the price! How are the bugs there in your villa? In South Carolina, the bugs were nasty. As long as I stayed up on the pest control stuff, they were okay. How about there?
The bugs are actually much better here than in Taipei. The mosquitoes occasionally get me. But I haven’t really experienced anything too scary… Yet 🙂
You have a Villa Market! Do you like it? When we were in Bangkok, we sometimes went to Villa Markets for a quick sushi and they sometimes had brownies without chocolate! Like a vanilla-brownie. Cindy Muller is the brand. It is Thai! I am allergic to cocoa powder so it was high excitement for me to find this.
The turtle looks very nice and I love it that you also posted the before look. Some of these hand-made beauties seen in Thailand sweep me off my feet..
You saw the King. Impressive. Have you been to the movies in Thailand yet? You see a little movie of the King before each film. Culturally, super interesting. You have to stand up while watching. It reminds me so much of communism that was in Hungary.
Do you drive a car?
How are you with killing bugs by the way? -when it is needed. I assume, there are some, no matter what.
Even in a five star hotel you cannot promise a bug-free vacation because of the jungle we are close to…
xoxo, Eszter
I like villa market a lot, although it is very expensive so we don’t go too often. It’s great having it here though so if we do need something western, we know they have it. The vanilla brownies sound yummy, I will have to look for them!
Yes, we have been to the movies here in Thailand, but years ago. We wanted to take z to seeFrozen in the theater here, but they aren’t going to play it 😦
I do drive here, not often though. I get nervous if it’s too far. The driving here takes some getting used to.
We haven’t really had many issues with bugs here so far, but the landlord has pest control come spray every month. We get mosquitoes (who doesn’t in this part of the world), but no cockroaches, spiders or anything like that yet. Mostly we get fighting beetles, which I think are kind of cool. 🙂
So sad that we won’t be able to meet up in samui, but who knows maybe somewhere else someday…
Love that sunset! Paul would love it! Hes enamored with sunsets and thankfully there has been some gorgeous ones here too. Love you guys and your blog! Congrats on your nomination!
Thanks Patti! Love you guys! Say hello to Paul and the kiddos for us 🙂 ❤
$308… wow. I guess they sort of know that they’re mainly in the rich foreigner/pretentious upper middle class market but I still think they may have overshot on the pricing?? I’m pretty sure they’re not that expensive in Singapore and you’re not *so* far from here.
I am pretty sure my jaw dropped onto the floor when I saw the sign. I guess they are imported from France… I don’t see why anyone would spend that kind of money on a tree here though. Especially when you can get a 5 foot fake one for about $30. But, hey, I guess if they can afford it… 🙂