Bryce's First, 4th of July

On the 1st of July Ramiro came home early from his trip to my surprise.
We Celebrated the 4th of July with the American Embassy on the 2nd, with good old fashion BBQ. Over a thousand people, US Embassy employees and their families attended. We had a lot of fun.

The 4th we went to the Great American Rib Company for a buffet. Our friends reserved a indoor (air conditioned) table. It was a good thing they did. It started to poor buckets half way through our meal. All the people outside scrambled in to a cosy dry (packed) dinning room. They put a huge tent over the buffet and the party continued. Bryce, the stud muffin, had 3 cuties to dine with.
Tommorow will be the big American comunity BBQ, with fireworks. However, many Americans left for the 3 day weekend. It should still be fun.

Bryce, Jordan, Hannah, and Kayla (the twins).

Durian Fruit

With it's large, distinctive thorny husk and fragrant smell, Durian fruit is known in Asia as the "King of Fruits". The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Regarded by some as fragrant, others as overpowering and offensive, the smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in Southeast Asia. This I found out after trying to board the MRT(subway). The attendant would not let Lisa and I board. So Lisa whisked us away to a taxi. As soon the taxi driver noticed the fruit he took it and closed it into his glove box stating "It stinks."
I had heard roamers but I never smelled anything foul, so what was all the commotion about? I sampled a little piece before buying it. It has a sweet nutty taste to it. I actually like the taste. Many people say it taste good if you can get over the smell.
Lisa and I got out of the taxi and headed to the BTS (sky train). We were going opposite directions and it was the most central stop. I placed the fruit into my bag so that there was no stopping us this leg of the trip. We said our goodbyes and I boarded the next train. With in minutes of boarding the train one lady moved to the other end of the car. People were staring around to see who was the offender. I took a seat and smelled a odour. It smells really bad. I was enclosed in a train car with it right under my nose. I may as well have not showered for weeks. The smell made me so self conscious the rest of the way home.
I bumped into my neighbor upon returning home and shared with them. They reported back it tasted like a banana and a sweet onion mixed. They also confirmed the smell.

BAMBI

We made many new friends at Bangkok Mothers and Babies International (BAMBI). It was great to meet new moms and for Bryce to have a playgroup. The Mums were all so nice, and such a variety of International backgrounds. It was held at the British Club, a nice venue. We ordered a nice lunch that Bryce and I were able to share. We are looking forward to meeting at BAMBI playgroups again.

Tonight the local Marines are holding a dinner event that Bryce and I will attend. They seem to have events most Fridays. Tonight has a luau theme.

Baby Gym

Bryce uses the wobbly gym to stand.
Pretty soon he will be saying look ma......... no hands.

City View

Some of you asked for a view of the city from our balcony. I took a few at sunset and then after it was dark so that you could see the lights. I think it is a good view. this is the east side of the building so sunset is not as spectacular.
There is one other thing. There are these black birds with a white stripe that circle and dodge our building every night. They start around 4:30 pm and go till late in the night. It sounds like a choir of chirping birds.
Today, Ramiro left for a two week business trip. Bryce wanted to go with him so he climbed into a suitcase.

To Market, To Market

There are many great open air markets in Bangkok. Friday night we spent browsing the Suam Lum Night Bazaar "Night Market"; even though it officially closed in April of 2007 (I guess the vendors did not get the notice). There was also a cool beer garden that had a stage and a live band. We only caught a glimpse of the band but seemed like fun.
Markets are everywhere. We live above a large market. But none are as grand as Chatuchak, the "Weekend Market", it is 35 acers of shops. The vendors can sell everything from furniture to jewelery, art, clothing, shoes, toys, Thai artifacts and any thing else you might imagine. The scene is swarming with locals and tourists. There are many great buys but you must bargain for them. We ventured there today and saw a small corner of the home goods section before we decided it was too hot and we needed to get in from the heat. But first we needed to find a restroom.
There were to types of toilets in the women's bathroom, that is after you pay 5 Bhat for two squares of tp. One had a hole in the ground and the other was a squat pot. I later found another toilet similar, but cleaner. I do enjoy small luxuries. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Some of the future markets we would like to venture to are Chinatown, Flashlight (many vendors can not afford shops with electricity), Wat Sai Floating Market on the Chao Phraya River.

Welcome Home (ออกแขก บ้าน )

We are finally starting to settle into our new home. For those of you who not know, we live on the 24th floor of a place called the Trinity Complex. The building has a lot to offer. There is a setup of shops for clothes, and jewelry, and these types of things. There is a grocery store right across the street as well as a couple of restaurants (they call it a "mall"). There is also a street right out back lined daily with various street venders. This is very convenient for those nights when you are tried and want something quick. But if you are looking to venture out, the sky train (BTS) is a block away) and y0u can get around most of the city that way. In addition, our building has a 25 meter pool on the 9th floor with lap lanes and even a starting block. On the 8th floor is there is a 250 meter jogging track. We put together a quick video of your apartment, but it really does not do the place justice; not to mention from every balcony there are stunning views of he city (especially at night). You simply have to experience it to appreciate it fully (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).