Severely behind in my blog update but we've been busy!
First things first... WE ARE EXPECTING! Expecting what? (you may ask?) Yep.. we have a little boy on the way with an expected arrival mid July 2014. After several years of trying our dream has come true. We couldnt be more excited!
So now what? (you may ask?) The plan is to have the baby in Tahiti barring any bureaucratic complications. We will be returning to French Polynesia late March and will sort out paperwork upon arrival. After the birth (assuming all is perfect) we plan to continue on to Tonga for the remaining of the cruising season. Thats about all the detail we should give at this point as all plans are loose and very flexible. Wish us luck! Its going to be a wonderful change.
Early in my pregnancy we didnt move around Phuket very much but relaxed at the local beaches, shopping malls, temples and markets. We had a great Christmas season as i had started to feel much more energy.
PHOTOS HERE
We were invited to sail to Malaysia (Island of Langkawi) after Christmas on a friends 90ft motor sailor. Great! Off we went with two stops at pristine Thai Islands and the Island of Langkawi in Maylasia was gorgeous. The officials are very welcoming in Langkawi, a duty free island. All the yachties fly duty free parts into the island and liquor buys weigh the bilges. As soon as you step off the dock you can see the different culture - Langkawi is 75% Muslim. This means lots of Burkas, great food, but really strange restrooms?! I still havent figure out how the hole in the ground works and i try to avoid the situation at all costs. No easily done for a pregnant lady!
ISLAND OF PENANG PHOTOS
After we left the boat in Langkawi we flew to the Island of Penang. Penang in the food capital of Malaysia. We tried a few local dishes which were perfectly spiced. A blend of India meets Chinese = Malaysian. Very fresh. The people we very gracious where ever we went. They really seemed to like foreigners travelling in Malaysia. And i liked that there are Buddists, Christians and Hindu mixed in the culture without much issue. Obviously there are problem areas and we did seem to feel a bit uncomfortable at times. Expecially when we flew into Kuala Lumpur and more traditional long black full Burkas with the women walking 5 ft behind the man appeared. Very different culture.
BANGKOK
To our surprise - we loved Bangkok. There were no tourists! We had to make a trip to the American Embassy and our appointment ended up being in the middle of the protestors anti government campaign. We were a little nervous but after research we felt we would be fine. And we were. We ended up two blocks from one of the shutdown gathering spots and had to cross over the street a couple times to get through the area. Traffic was a bit crazy at times but nothing the skytrain or walking couldnt fix. The humidity was down and the action was up all over Bangkok. We had a great visit.
KOH SAMUI PHOTOS
The island of Koh Samui is a resort island - everyone said you must see Koh Samui! It was a Jr. Phuket.... not really the laid back feel we were looking for but we stayed at a great resort and spoiled ourselves for the weekend.