Grand Palace is remarkable…Strict dress code: must wear long pants & shirts with sleeves

Canal Tour…we bought some bread and fed some fish from the boat

While on our canal tour we spotted at least 5 monitor lizards sun bathing

Buddha statues at Wat Pho

Reclining Buddha Wat Pho is 15 m high and 43 m long

Temple of Dawn Wat Arun

Small replica of Wat Saket Golden Mount…the point from which all distance is measured in Thailand

A different God statue for each day of the week…and for some reason Wednesday has 2 statues

Siam Ocean World is a pretty amazing aquarium on the ground floor of a mall

Learning about silk at the Jim Thompson house…and Mason feel asleep on Tia’s back

Fish Spa in the backpackers area of Khao San

Tuk Tuk is one of the local transportation in Thailand

Train Umbrella Market…A train comes through here twice a day and the vendors move their items while it passes

Wat Bang Kung Wat Bang Kung…a small chapel that is completely enclosed within the roots of a banyan tree

Floating Market where you can buy a wide array of items

Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua or The Tiger Temple. Also pigs, deer, antelopes, water buffalo, peacocks and maybe a few other animals roam the grounds

River Kwai Bridge was constructed by World War 2 Allied Prisoners of War

We rode the elephants, brushed them down and played with them…the highlight of the vacation for us

Flower Market of Thailand had hundreds of flowers and arrangements for sale

Exploring China Town…very busy place and full of crafting supplies and other items

Kalani and Felicia on the paddle boat at Lumpini Park

Mason at Lumpini park where he made some new friends

After a date Matt and I went to the Magnum Cafe and had a custom Magnum bar…YUM

Sky Train of Bangkok…we took almost every form of transportation while exploring Bangkok (walking, van, taxi, tuk tuk, sky train…just missing the underground)

Cobra out at the Red Cross Snake Farm in Bangkok. There is a show at 11am & 2pm where they bring the snakes out

Kalani asked and answered questions at the snake farm and then willingly went up to have this python around her

Enjoying a picnic prepared by our cousins and spending time at the beach

Tia and Mason getting ready to jump off the water slide. Water doesn’t run down the slide unless you pay extra for it…and after Typhoon Pablo many areas of this water park got destroyed

The kids loved playing on the beach, exploring the area and finding sea shells

Village volleyball tournament held at least yearly. (Cousin Judith Grado #18)

While the village volleyball game was going on, our kids were introducing the local kids to an iPad. Not sure if more people were watching the volleyball game or the kids with the iPad.

Cambugahay Falls – We had a rope swing to use and swam in the water…we all loved being here.

Butterfly Sanctuary – Sadly Typhoon Pablo destroyed a good portion of this…and we discovered that there is a local fee “donation” and a foreign fee “donation”.

Capilay Springs – swimming and relaxing … parts of this area was also damaged by Typhoon Pablo.

Enchanted Tree – 400 year old Balete tree.

Cantabon Cave – Exploring where there really were not any rules (swimming and breaking off a stalactite for a souvenir) and our cousin carried Mason the whole time.

Matt and Robbie watched this cockfighting where our cousin had a rooster competing. That rooster lost and I’m sure ended up as dinner for someone.

Our cousin’s finance invited us to his village disco (a yearly celebration) where ages ranged from toddlers to elderly.

Christmas dinner at our cousin’s house warming party. Family was put into a separate room while neighbors ate in the living room area. There was also a “brown out” during dinner so we ate by candle light.

We spent time doing family history. Our cousin would point out a relative while driving who was sitting on the side of the road and we would pull over and Tia would interview them. This old lady is my grandfather’s niece.

Our cousins introduced us to Julie’s Bakeshop and we love it. When our ferry boat got cancelled to leave the island, we hung out here to figure out what to do since we had plane tickets to reschedule.

We were able to leave Siquijor the next morning at 5am and some cousins went back to Dumaguete with us and made sure we got to the airport.

Siquijor isn’t a tourist trap but more of a hidden treasure. We look forward to visiting again and spending more time with family and enjoying the beauty of the island.

Bamboo huts that were our rooms at Pura Vida

Sleeping under mosquito nets. Reminded me of mission in El Salvador!

If there is a beach, our kids want to be buried

Farley Totem Pole

Chicken fighting in the pool

Candle light dinner on the beach

Walking from our resort to the road to catch a “bus” to take into the city

First time for all of us to ride a Jeepney

Mason found a “Bat Mobile” at a “county fair” type place

Kalani (age 8) with her new found cousin Kennybie (age 13) on a “Ferris Wheel” at the fair

All of the family that happened to be at the mall in Dumaguete

We were all born within 4 months of each other…all cousins

Aftermath of Typhoon Pablo that came through about a month before…this boat isn’t going anywhere

Sokha Angkor Hotel pool

Cambodian roads were clean…at least the areas that they tourist see

Our fabulous tour guide giving us information about the temples…notice the long sleeve shirt, pants, scarf and hat to protect from the sun and getting darker skin

Cambodian schools are held in 2 sessions. A morning and afternoon session with each session lasting 4 hours. This school was taught by monks

Palm Sugar. They take the natural sugar from the palm tree fruit and boil it down and then pour them into these molds to sell.

Super steep stairs were pretty common in the temples

Amazing stone sculptures seen throughout the temples

Amazing detail. And this was just one small area of the Banteay Srei Temple

Stone warriors on a bridge leading into the 12th century city of Angkor Thom.

Inside of a functioning pagoda…It was pretty amazing with the art work all over

Angkor Wat (one of the Wonders of the World)

Banyon Temple is known as the “Face temple” with Buddha faces all over

Family photo at the Banyon Temple with locals

Ta Prohm Temple is referred to as “The Tomb Raider Temple” Angelina Jolie stood in this very spot (so they say)

Kalani and Robbie got to see the Banyon Temple from the back of an elephant.

Robbie bought these cool wooden puzzles that entertained Mason

We paid the $2 to have fish eat our dead skin cells for 30 minutes. It tickles a lot!

Kalani got her first massage in Cambodia and loved it.

This lady really ran through the night market after Mason. Glad so many ladies think our 3 year old is cute, but it is kind of creepy too.

The kids were troopers to see the temples, even in the middle of the day…but it sure was hot

Day trip to Eagle Point from Makati, Manila = 100 minutes drive with no traffic one way.

Loading up in the “shuttle” to take us from the parking lot to the resort

Kalani helping her dad out with sunscreen so he won’t get burn.

Matt trying to get Kalani to snorkel in the pool with the black tip sharks…she didn’t want to do that.

Matt did get Kalani to snorkel with him out in the ocean.

Mason also tried snorkeling in the ocean with his mom.

The resort is called “Eagle Point” and they had about 6 “Filipino Eagles” there and a few other birds as well in their aviary.

The kids (and adults) really enjoyed this slide