Beach Bums Return to the Beach

Bangkok is hot and humid. Fresh air at the beach beckons. We just couldn't resist.  

Result: Another unplanned trip to the beach!

Because we were at the beach just two weeks ago, and because there wasn’t time to make any hotel reservations, we decided to make it a day trip.  To the nearest beach just for the day. Never mind that it’s usually crowded there. Never mind that the beach there is not that nice. We just want the fresh air. And Roo just wants the sand.

Bangsaen beach is about an hour’s drive from Bangkok. The last time we came, Roo was about four months old. That's way, way back.  Too long ago for him to remember.  So when I asked if he would like to see the fishies at the aquarium, he said "Yes!"  right away.



Bangsaen aquariums is part of Bangsaen Marine Institute.  It's located about two hundred meters away from the beach.  The fish and other underwater creature collection is quite large and varied, even better than the ones at Underwater World in Pattaya where you pay three hundred baht to get in.  Entrance fee is here is just Bht.30 (used to be twenty baht).  







Because my memory is shorter than Dory's, I can only tell you that this fish is the lion fish.  The other two, I'll have to ask Roo.  I completely forgot.



And that's the grumpy old grouper who coughed right in front of Roo and scared him so much that we had to cut our visit short and head for the beach to help him forget the nasty-looking fish.



And Roo started his hungry strike. So happy that he can finally be in the sand, he politely refused our invitations to eat lunch with us. While we enjoyed tinolang manok, chicken barbeque, somtum and spicy mango salad, Roo scooped shovel after shovel of sand into his bucket.



This is what happens when you play with ice on the sand: a cold and dripping sand wonder for our little explorer.



Lucky for him, his photo-hungry daddy couldn't resist taking some pictures on the beach.  First chance he got, he followed daddy right into the midday heat and enjoyed the few minutes he had playing with the water.

A Day at Chokchai Farm

We left Bangkok prepared for another scorching summer day.  Surprisingly, Saraburi was enjoying rainshowers that day, making our visit at the farm pleasantly cool :D



First stop:  Cow-milking!  They showed us both the traditional and modern methods of milking cows.  



Here's Uncle Nimit trying his hand on the old fashioned way of cow-milking...



This carriage was our ride around the farm.  



I want to ride the horse Dodo!



Boy, these deer sure eat fast!  



Whoah!  This calf is ravenous! I'm having a hard time holding the bottle!



Mommy, the camels are very bbbaaa-hoooo!



Baby Roo wants to hold the little lamb



Like Mary's lamb, its fleece was white as snow.



This is what we mostly go back to Chokchai Farm for!  Yummy steak burgers!



What better way to end of the day at the farm than to sit down and enjoy a cup of chocolatey fresh cow's milk!  Ummm, milk!

Sleepless but Happy

I'm counting down.  Alone (huhuhu).  Blame it on a severe case of insomnia.  My boys are fast asleep, snoring their way to dreamland.  I can't sleep.  Not only because ten pm is not bedtime for me yet, but also because in about an hour's time, we're supposed to pick up my mom and dad at the airport!  Yaaaay!  

This afternoon, while Roo was biking around our tiny living room, he noticed that I was extraordinarily happy.  So he asked, "Mommy, why are you happy?"

I told him I'm happy because my mommy and daddy are coming!  He beamed me a smile that said he understood the feeling, then said, "I'm happy too mommy, that your mommy and daddy are coming."

That's an understatement.  The last time my mom and dad were here, he didn't even eat for many days because he got too excited!  This time I didn't even want to start a countdown with him, for fear that all his physiological processes and schedules will get skewed again.  But nothing can stop him from planning what he'll do with his "dodo and doda" when they arrive.  He knew that they were coming in April, and for more than three months, I had to put up with "Mommy, is it April already?" just about everyday.  He claimed one of our desk calendars as his own, asked me to show him where April was, then proceeded to inform us what he would do with dodo and doda on this "number" and that "number," pointing to the dates, as if he really knew what he was talking about.  His dad and I could only smile in amusement.
 
The next twenty days with dodo and doda will surely be busy for Roo.  He has lots of stories to tell, many new songs to sing for them, and he's excited to show them how to do puppet shows! He also can't wait to show them that he can now ride the bike that they gave him as a present for his 2nd birthday.  He's going to a farm with them, watch traditional and modern cow-milking with them, learn how to make ice cream with them.  For Songkran, he's going to the beach with them!  Of course, he doesn't forget to add, "And with mommy and daddy too!"

Exciting days ahead for me too!  Since I will have very willing babysitters, it means I can go out on a date with MY man (finally! It's hard to even have a meaningful conversation these days).  I also need to finish my med transcription course, catch up with my reading, take up a short cooking class, and hopefully, do a lot of blog-hopping, if not blogging :D