Off to see some family

Leaving Tasmania was hard but made easier because we knew we were on our way to Thailand for two weeks with Jon, Aor and Jake. We hadn't spent much time with our nephew so it was exciting for us to have the time to get to know the little guy (4 years old). We also hadn't really seen Jon and Aor for quite a while and it was fun to see how they live in Bangkok and spend some time at the International School where Jon works.



Jon had asked us to give a presentation on Antarctica to his 5th grade (10 year olds) class. We spent some evenings in our campervan in Tasmania putting together films and photos from our time on ice. (There WAS a good reason for Michiel to be carrying around those extra hard drives!) The kids were well prepared for our talk and had lots of questions for us as well as a surprising amount of attention for our slide show and videos.



For most of the rest of the week, we stayed at a great hostel in the newer and trendier part of Bangkok and didn't worry ourselves with being tourists, seeing the city or battling the heat. We hung out with Jon and Jake at the aquarium, the children's museum, the park, the massive shopping malls, the bowling alley, and at home (where Aor taught us how to properly cut mango and papaya). It was wonderful!














Michiel returns to the womb at the Children's Discovery Museum



We did leave Bangkok for a few days to do some snorkeling on the island of Koh Wai, near Koh Chang. But the heat was so unbearable and the wind was non-existent, so we had to upgrade from our cozy and hospitable resort to a larger resort with all-day electricity and fans. There was a ring of coral around the island which meant that we didn't need to take a boat in order to snorkel (as is the case with many of the islands in that part of Thailand). We snorkeled and relaxed in the sun for a few days, then returned for more fun in Bangkok.