It was a 38-hour trek to get from our house in Hood River to Our Jungle House, where we started our two-week trip. You were a total trooper on the long flights. You watched videos on the iPad, slept, and played, despite spiking a fever on the second leg of the long journey. Unfortunately, you were legitimately sick for the start of the trip--you had a fever, were sweaty and overheating all the time, and refused to eat much of anything for the first few days. But, you slowly adjusted to the heat and got over whatever bug you had, and things got better.
The Jungle House was amazing. We stayed in this really cool tree house on tall stilts made of tropical wood with an outdoor bathroom and views straight into the jungle canopy. There was a little river running through the resort, and you had fun wading in the water to cool off and throwing rocks from the bank. You also really enjoyed playing in the upstairs bar area, which during the day turned into the kid play area, as you and the manager's toddler son took it over, building cushion forts and romping freely.
One of the definite highlights of the trip was riding elephants, though I have to say that it is the most scared I have been as a parent...yet. It was hardcore elephant riding. We sat on a small metal bench seat on top of the elephant, and were held in with a thin rope strapped across our laps. With every step the elephant took, the little seat swayed dramatically back and forth, so it was all that your dad could do to keep himself from falling out of the seat while holding on tightly to you! To make matters worse, about 30 seconds into the ride, Tyler turned to me and said, "Is there something crawling on my back?" I looked over and there were big red ants all over the back of his shirt and up his neck and arms. I looked behind me and realized that the cushion we were sitting on was home to a colony of fire ants, who were equally concerned and were vacating their larval young as quickly as they could. They were all over both of us, in my hair and biting my scalp, and the whole time we were trying not to freak out so that you wouldn't be scared. Luckily, none of the ants ever got on you. We got a system quickly down--Tyler's job was to make sure that you didn't fall off the elephant, and my job was to protect Tyler, you, and myself from the biting ants. About the time that we had the ants under control, the elephant veered straight up an insanely steep and muddy jungle path. The elephant was incredible--testing the footing with his trunk and then carefully placing his giant feet into the deep mud without slipping. At one point, heading down, the elephant was basically surfing the muddy slope, slipping in a controlled slide down to the bottom of the hill. It was thrilling and terrifying and you loved it! The only time you cried was when we got to the end and had to get off!
From the Jungle House, we took a boat across the Chiao Lan reservoir to a super rustic, funky floating bungalow guest house right on the lake. It was incredible--like being in the middle of a postcard. The water was warm and clear, and we swam and fed the fish off the dock. We got to go on a jungle hike (lucky for all of us, Aunt Maryn offered to stay with you back at the bungalows as it turned into a leach-infested-hike-for-your-life type outing). The dawn bird-watching cruises on a bamboo raft, drinking coffee and watching the sun come up over the cliffs was another highlight.
From there, we made our way to Ban Talae Nok, where we stayed with a family for two nights. The first introduction was a bit uncomfortable, with the "father" of the house showing us to our bare concrete rooms with basically a grunt and a nod. He didn't seem too thrilled to have us around, but it was a great experience. It was so cool to be a part of the villagers' lives for a short while, to see how they live, and then reflect on our own homes/lives/work/etc. One night our host mom dressed us up in her Muslim clothing, complete with headscarf, and it was so fun. You could tell she was proud, and pleased to see us in her clothes, and it definitely broke down some of those cultural barriers. And, the food was amazing.
Next, we stayed in Kuraburi, a small town near the coast and did day trips from there. We had more amazing experiences: During a full day of touring around Koh Phra Thong, we got to crash a community pot luck and Buddhist holiday celebration, took a tractor through an island savannah to a gorgeous beach, and then had an incredible seafood lunch overlooking the Andaman Sea. The next day, a local guide named Rit took on a hike out to his family's rubber farm. He showed us a lovely little waterfall, where he left us for a couple of hours, and then when we finally got bored and hiked back down to find him, we were greeted by yet another incredible five course Thai meal that he and his buddies had cooked for us over an open flame, using mostly bamboo dishes that they had just fashioned with their huge machetes. It was very unique, to say the least.
Our last day we helped plant a "kitchen garden" at a school for Burmese children in Kuraburi, then we started our long trip (46 hours!) home. Again, you were an amazing traveler, though I don't think your dad and I have ever been that tired :)
The only downside to the trip was the fallout when we got home--we all, but you especially, had bad jetlag for over a week, and you would wake up in the middle of the night wide awake. The second or third night you were up from 12:45am until about 5:30am, when you finally fell asleep. At the same time, you discovered that you could easily hop out of your crib, and we entered a new level of alternating negotiation, discipline, and caving in that we've not experienced until now. I'm writing this in mid-January, and we are still trying to figure out how to keep you in your bed the whole night through.
