Bye Thai!

Thailand now feels very far away - but the jetlag is still oh so close, 3rd day home.

Our final days in BKK we did our best to break the daily steps record (the 2024 average of some 16000 daily will unfortunately drop like an Ericsson stock once home and back at work.) We also maximised the street food intake (oh how we miss those smoothies and the food!!!) and enjoyed the 25m pool. Kiara swam simborgarmarket, 200 m.

Cycling tour

Flower market 

China town

Reclining Buddha - world’s largest 

Last night market…

Thailand treated us really well, but eventually it was time to hit reality again. As usual, it was such a luxury to spend so much time together and build memories. Planning the next trip already started…

Bangkok!

We really enjoyed our week in Chiang Mai, and filled our last days with an inflatable obstacle course water park (resulting in next to whiplash injuries after to much pillow jumping), cycling, waterfall swimming and a lot of eating.



Some more hiking in Doi Suthep

Wae sa waterfall, 10th level




Justus favourite cup, by our lovely home exchange hosts (many interesting stories about working in North Korea)

Cycling tour to a small cake factory - where we added a bit of child labour 

Feeding the fish

Yesterday we took the night train to Bangkok, 13h, super smooth. We visited Lumkin park (where we ended up in a basket World Cup: team SWE-NL vs ENG-Sri Lanka-Mongolia), and Kao San Road, more hysterical than 20 years ago.

BIG friends in Lumkin park

Counting friends

Bangkok international basket cup


Kao san road

More food

One positive thing about travelling with the girls on a train is that they get really spoiled by other passengers, with lots of free snacks. The Thais are really sweet as palm sugar, super friendly and fond of kids.

Today we had a food day. Brilliant farmers market (some of us were most experimental than others, how about durian sticky rice vs hamburger?)

In the evening we joined a cooking course which was both great fun and really delicious. Justus and I also discovered that we were twice as old as the majority of our fellow cooking backpacker friends. The conversations become quite fun when exchanging travelling tips about destinations we visited when they were still in diapers (if even born.) Well well, age is nothing but a number.

Fried rice!

Chop chop chop




Master chef making mango sticky rice

Some more days in Thailand

The days that everyone has looking forward to… Diving! We woke up 7 am in the morning which the girls didn’t like but when we jumped in to the big van and got to the boat everyone started to finally wake up properly. We sat in the boat for about 1 hour until we finally reached the diving place. It was between two big beautiful rocks with trees and bushes on them. After we arrived we learned how to put on the diving equipment and we were soon in the water. Kiara was unfortunately too small to go diving (it was a 10 year old minimum) so she and mum started to snorkel instead. 🤿 Alma, dad and Junia started diving and when they came up the the surface they had so much to tell. They saw many many fish, corals and much more. After that everyone ate lunch on the boat with was delicious until it was diving time again! This time it was mum's turn to go dive so dad stayed up by the surface with Kiara. Unfortunately Alma went down to quickly so her ear started to hurt really bad. She had to go up to the surface and could my longer dive more. :( Now only Junia and mum were diving. Alma was disappointed that she couldn’t dive anymore but when she, dad and Kiara was snorkeling they saw a really big snake in the water! 
  

We are a big family so often we have to share safety belts…

It’s also hard to travel around and grab can take some time to come also. That was not a thing everyone liked…

Today we did something that also everyone thought was lovely. We climbed on waterfalls! In the middle off the jungle there is a place called “sticky waterfall” that is a place just like a normal waterfall but more sticky and fun to climb on. It was not many people there with was a relief. 


This was in the begging off the climbing and when Justus said “let’s take a photo” Junia jumped in under the waterfall and encouraged the others to join. Alma and Kiara gladly joined but mum would rather stand on the side. 







Some days before the Sticky waterfall we went snorkelling and when we saw the water we couldn’t resist to take a quick swim without snorkelling gear. ;)

Breathing under water

In Koh Samui we all recovered quite quickly, and focused on adventures below the surface.

We visited Pig island, snorkelled on several occasions and places (best: turtle size half Kiara, worst: jellyfish EVERYWHERE) and Junia and Alma made a discovery dive! :) To quote Alma: “why do people pay so much money to go into space when there is a totally new world here”.

Now we have said bye to the beach however, and are up in Chiang Mai. The temperature has dropped from around 30 to 25ish, we have a fantastic home exchange with lovely hosts (neighbours) and we are eating our way through the city (Thailand’s 2nd after Bangkok, approximately Stockholm size.)

Practicing new breathing skills 


Pig island

Junia in Ang Thong national marine park



Temple hopping in Chiang Mai

Kiara got a 3 euro watch from the market, and now we are asking her about the time continuously!



Is it only me who see similarities with the vikings?

Small legs can become very tired…

Stomaches out of order

After Alma’s cascade vomiting one night she and Justus recovered at home the next day while the rest of the family did a serious jungle hike, or obstacle course.

We saw (and petted) flying lizards and horn spiders.

We saw but did not pet hornbills, 3 kind of monkeys as well as a king cobra!!!

Then we said good bye to the jungle and continued to Koh Samui. By now Alma had recovered but Junia got fever instead. Quick recovery here as well, until I got the bug and challenged Alma’s vomiting record (she won with 8-6).

Hope for a quick recovery here as well so that we can go snorkelling tomorrow!