PHUKET : elephant tour

just like on curious george. :)
we were sitting right in front of a monkey. a monkey! the boys were distracted by a stray cat. later ty got to hold a baby monkey.
after japanese, thai food is my favorite. they made thai curry from scratch. like grind-your-own-spices-with-a-mortal-and-pestle scratch.
riding a water buffalo

PHUKET

an entirely different life

intricately decorated temples stand next to dusty shacks next to bustling night markets next to serene groves of trees next to giant shopping malls
i'm fascinated by it all



we had some power struggles with this little one. but overall, phuket was a success!

dim sum

we went to the famous din tai fung restaurant for a weekend treat. all i can say is, dim sum is YUM!! this restaurant is ranked as one of the world's top ten best restaurants by the new york times.
rhett is copying steve's pose.
so is ty...
it's fascinating to see how food is made.
at least 18 perfect creases to each little handmade dumpling.
timely arrival in a cute bamboo basket.




we ordered WAY too much food. next time we'll just get the steamed pork dumplings, braised beef noodle soup and fried rice. below is the damage for a fun experience. everything is in chinese and tip is always included. not bad.

din tai fung was the best singapore meal we've had. okay, mostly because the kids (rhett) were angels through service and because the food was delish.

trash

collected daily = :)

toy vending machines

now that's a selection!

a saturday night dinner

we introduced mcdonalds to ty when he was about three years old.

rhett just turned two and he eats at those darn magnetic golden arches about once a week. not pictured, but i guess it doesn't help that one of the only drive-through places is 2.6 km away from our front door and on the way home from steve's work.

the usge: quarter pounder meal (with coke) for me, big mac meal (with coke) for steve, two chicken nugget happy meals with apple dippers and milk for the boys. hot fudge sundaes if we're lucky.

sick days

box journey

from this in utah:

to this:

three months from the first picture:

two boxes to go and we'll officially be unpacked!
hooray.

the pottery jungle

it seriously is a jungle of pottery. you first drive down this back road to these gates. when you go in, there are pots and pots all stacked up neatly everywhere.



as you can see, this is an awesome place to get cheeeeaaaap pottery and vases. i got most of those huge pots for around S$20-30. and i didn't even try to bargain. the list price was such a steal!





i've got some re-potting to do, but i am in love with this place. i can't wait to go back.

thomson nurseries

there are a grip of plant nurseries right down our road, all in a row. it is so convenient.
they sell all kinds of beautiful plants
they even have a huge section at the end with fresh cut flowers. you can go into the walk-in fridges and pick a bunch for cheap. there are all types of flowers, most that i've never even seen before! the smell reminds me of keiki hula.
i got a huge orchid plant for S$12 that i heart.
pikakes - my favorite!



we were here about a month before i realized that our neighbors had a view of us in the shower at night. not cool.

cute boy with orchids in the background.


starting an herb garden again. i heard the one i left in utah didn't do so well. ;p