Pattaya, Thailand (April 6-8)


Geoff decided it might be nice to finish this adventure of a lifetime up with a “real vacation” and he chose the Intercontinental Hotel Pattaya. Wow is it nice! There are pools gallore and, as I just learned when i took the girls to watch them in the kids’ play area, a supervised childrens’ area. So away I went!

We got here yesterday afternoon after a car ride that was supposed to be 1.5 hours but in fact took 4 hours. My Thai aunt, Sam-Ang organized the driver they use to take us, so away we went in the same van that picked us up from the airport. Bangkok is SO HUGE. I cannot even explain to you how many cars, how much traffic, and how much pollution was on the road. G and I have been very affected this trip, particularly by seeing the injured turtles, at the damage single-use plastic is doing. But while the US and Australia play HUGE rolls in this (straws, take-away coffee cups, to-go meals), Thailand is out of cobtrol. All of the fruit we have seen is wrapped in cling wrap. Everyone drinks bottle water - so so so so so many plastic bottles. And then the traffic problems in and around Bangkok. We have to do better. All of us. So while this wasn’t meant to be a soapbox blog post, G and I are resolved to do better when we get home. If not for us, then for our (the collective our) children. Every child deserves the chance to swim with turtles (expected to be extinct by 2050 if we don’t make changes). Every child deserves the chance to breathe clean air (G found these articles on the devastating status of Thailand’s air pollution: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2019/03/11/breathe-in-thailand-and-die-up-to-4-years-sooner-researchers/ and https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1656840/thailand-must-take-action-for-cleaner-air-in-asean). And the children of the nonhuman animals dying every day deserve the right to survive and thrive. So, please make personal changes. We all can.

Back to the trip. We checked in and headed straight to the beach, our Portland beach toys in tow. These green buckets have now been on 3 continents! Amd the bocci balls came out again! We then gave the girls a much-needed bath and ordered room service while they played with some elephant statues they found. Everyone slept great. Breakfast is included and was a bountiful collection of perfect fruit. We feasted and then hit the pool by 8:30am. Then, as I mentioned, the girls went to the kids’ room!

And now, pictures:

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