Christmas in Thailand! (in brief)!

We flew up to Chiang Rai - all very exciting!!!

Hotel actually turned out to be an hour out of Chiang Rai in Chiang Saen - a really little place on the banks of the Mekong River - we had a lovely week there including Christmas day. The locals grinned at us every time we passed them on the bicycles! Really lovely atmosphere even though they don't celebrate Christmas.

The first of many tuk tuk journeys

Amber and Poppy playing 'poo head' by the Mekong - not a bad location! Really cold morning and evening but daytime was lovely! Actually nice to feel cold which was odd!

We loved the robes!!!

Burma behind us, Laos to the right over the river and we were in Thailand. We did go to Laos for a quick trip and got our passports stamped - a proper trip will happen at some point but had to be done! We took the girls to an Opium museum which was really good but have had a million questions since then - mostly from a curious Poppy! (funnily enough!)

Amber and Poppy had their first massage ever - will not be their last!

Christmas Day at a hotel with an elephant camp?! We watched them playing Elephant Polo then having a bath in the river - really lovely to see! Celebrated Christmas with a glass of decent wine, in a jacuzzi overlooking fab views. Happy Christmas everyone - more photos to follow but a little snapshot now to keep you going!

Its now Boxing Day - we are in Chiang Rai and tomorrow going trekking for two days with the girls, elephant riding, cooking with bamboo and seeing hill tribes - I am doing the blog whilst getting my fix of carols thanks to the ipod - HAPPY BOXING DAY!!!

love to all, Liz, Ian, Amber and Poppy XXX

Christmas Time is here!!!!

Festive Greetings everyone!

Its been an interesting couple of weeks since last blogging - Ian has managed to pay two fines to the police - firstly the police pulled him over and came up with no reason whatsoever for stopping him - we think he got fined for having a beard?!

The second was a parking ticket - a friend translated it and it transpires that you can only park on the left or right hand side of the road - depending if it is an odd or even day?! 400 baht later we are no clearer!

During the last week of term the boarding staff all became Alice Cooper and sang to 'Schools out for Christmas' - very amusing!

Ian and Del with a few of the students!

Amber introduced the acts at the Christmas Concert and even managed to say 'auspicious' - in front of about 500 people - we were very proud!!

Ian has discovered his 'green fingers' and is becoming Percy Thrower of Pattaya - all very colourful.

I've managed to take two Zumba classes a week which is immensely exciting - leg holding out so far!

Girls night out in Pattaya this week!

We had Christmas Day yesterday with friends at school - all the 'newbies' that had arrived together - really lovely to have everyone round at Baan Lazenbury. Ian was a fab chef, we had prawn cocktail, roast turkey (only missing parsnips and sprouts - parsnips don't exist here and sprouts were outrageously expensive - and also revolting - so good excuse not to have them!) and little mince filo tartlets. Charades, 'Name in the bag' and Twister then followed with a late cheese board (a huge treat here as cheese is really expensive!) Fab night - it took me until 6pm today to feel remotely human again!

Amber opening her present from Nanny - all very exciting - we've had to open bigger ones as we leave for Chiang Rai tomorrow and can't take them all with us!

Amber did her normal lovely thing again and gave each of us a present - this was Poppy's turn.

The mad chef!

We had a lovely time with lovely friends!

We are away now for three weeks - Chiang Rai and then Chian Mai where we are going to see Amber's elephant called Hope that Aunty Susan bought for her - can't wait to see him - we've already heard he is a bit naughty and flings poo at the vet when he visits!

Have a great Christmas everyone and a very Happy New Year!!!!

Love,

Liz, Ian, Amber and Poppy xxx

Ok - things are getting Christmassy now!

On a recent market visit we found great bunches of shallots and garlic - now on the wall in our....living room?!? Strung up some chillies and Amber added the finishing touch! Ian has a cunning plan for the kitchen so they will be moving at some point!

'How the other half live' - I went along to the Pattaya International Ladies Club Christmas Luncheon at a wonderful hotel (Amber was told it was the poshest in Pattaya - but that could have been to ensure the kids were on their best behaviour) - it was amazing! Whilst I was lunching darling... The Regents School performed - how funny! Amber was among them - it was lovely and bought a tear to my eye! Lu (in front) did a wonderful job with them!!

Out on the balcony of the hotel - not bad eh?!

This is our tree (slipped in out of order!)

Back to the hotel - an ice sculpture of Father Christmas - yes I was that sad that I had to take pictures at the venue - I was in awe!!!

What a gingerbread house!

The food was amazing!

OK - back down to earth now - this is Chez Lazenbury (Ian got artistic with the trees and tinsel!)

Even with the most cantankerous oven known to man we somehow managed to create our own gingerbread house - if a little burnt on the inside! Yesterday made gingerbread cookies for the tree, I made a wreath a couple of nights ago - got inspired with threading chillies, dried oranges and orange paper?! Oh yes Blue Peter has arrived in Pattaya!!!

Kids had great fun decorating - as you can see - yes - I do believe Christmas is on its way - even in the heat! Happy Festivities everyone!

December in heat!!

The most exciting news in the Universe! I am now doing Zumba again - gently it has to be said - but I have taken two classes and best of all they love it and so do I!!! Now doing two classes a week - all massively exciting - hoorah!

Amber helped narate the music concert last week

Then played the recorder to 'Silent Night' - all rather lovely! 

Poppy then sang a selection of Christmas songs - the highlight being Hosannah Rock! (Poppy is 5th in from the right on the second row - not easy to see sorry!)

This weekend we went away for Ian's delayed birthday present to Siam Court a lovely little place near Sattahip, highlight for Amber was a dog called Charlie!

Poppy discovered that her now non-elasticated swimwear makes a fine bottom!

It is a hard life! and Amber had just returned with icecreams for all!

Terrible picture but I was over the moon to have a hotel dressing gown!!

Evening Meal at The View



Back to the hotel for a game of 'Poo Head' which the girls have totally mastered now! Infact Ian is now the reigning Poo Head!

The King of Poo and I!!

This weekend we made paperchains out of wrapping paper whilst watching ELF (it has to be done!). For the first time ever we have.... shock, horror.... a fake tree (OMG que pasa?!) I am now on a mission to find nice decorations to cover up that fact! We decorated the apartment whilst singing to the traditional carols - it is December really?!

Ian's Birthday Weekend - OMG he's 44!!!!

Birthday lunch next to the lotus field

a healthy bowl of noodle, fish ball soup - that I nearly killed myself on by adding too much chilli - really should have learned by now... Ian loved it (and added tonnes more chilli than me!)

In the evening we went to watch Nick as an Ugly Sister in Cinderella!!! (Nick, Lu, Polly and Tilly came out with us to Thailand from Bere Alston, Devon, and are fab fab friends!!)

Yes it got worse! Ian had a fab time heckling then Nick got revenge and pulled him up on stage!

Pantomime followed by a very colourful ladyboy cabaret!!!

The following morning we recovered with a good breakfast!

This is our new golden truck called Hugo! We have Thai driving licences now after telling the difference between blue, green and red when pointed to on a chart, pushing a foot pedal on the ground when a light turned red and managing to get two pieces of plastic lined up - we are now allowed to drive in Thailand without even going near a car?!

After breakfast we headed off to 'Zign' where the girls swam and played for hours...

Whilst Ian came to grips with his first day of being 44!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN!!