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Lettre de Jan Smyth directement de Bangkok (anglais seulement) |
Letter from Jan Smyth directly from Bangkok |
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It’s almost Christmas again!!! As usual we’re busy running around to all the markets in Bangkok getting the last minute Christmas shopping done. Only 4 more shopping days for me…before we take off for Auckland, New Zealand to spend Christmas with Stephanie, Russ and Josh. As always we’re looking forward to our trip to Auckland. I find I miss family more and more these days. Maybe it’s because Joshua is growing up so quickly and I’m not there to experience it. It’s unrealistic to think that we can move to New Zealand permanently; however we are looking at ways that we can visit more frequently and hopefully spend more time in Auckland. Meanwhile, Stephanie is organizing Christmas and Russ has planned another road trip around New Zealand (in the Russ Bus) and that should be fun. Davey Watkinson (Russ’s Best Man at the wedding) maybe joining us for Christmas…the more the merrier. Our scheduled day of departure is December 19th arriving in NZ on the 20th and right now we are scheduled to return on the 5th (however we’re waitlisted in hopes of extending by a couple of days).
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In September we completed one year living in Bangkok and it certainly was the right decision to move into the city. There’s just so much more to do…and we have been lucky to have many visitors during the past year. Some have stayed with us and others we have just met up with for dinner or whatnot. 18 friends in all have passed through Bangkok sometime during the passed year, and there’s more to come this year. We love showing the Bangkok sites to visitors and I especially like taking visitors to the markets and shopping complexes.
Living on the river is invigorating. There’s always something happening on the river or in our neighbourhood. Gord and I spend hours out on the balcony just watching life happening around us. It seems there are always fireworks at one of the big hotels on the river. It’s strange, after a while you begin to think this life is normal. It’s not until someone comes to visit that you are reminded how different life is in Thailand (Bangkok).
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This year we had the opportunity to do some traveling with friends. When Vivie and Pat came to visit in January/February we took some short jaunts up to Chaing Mai and over to Kanchanaburi (Bridge on the River Kwai) and then up to the Burmese border. Pat and Vivie kept us on the go and we enjoyed experiencing Thailand through their eyes.
In addition to all the visitors we had this year we also took a few trips out and about in SE Asia. The end of February we set off to Luang Prabang in Northern Laos. Our friend Trish was working there so it was a good excuse to visit her and take in some culture. Luang Prabang is a World Heritage site so there are lots of temples, lots of tourists…great food and in Laos, great wine. All that adds up to a great vacation. We really enjoyed the trips we took on the Mekong River. Going up and down the river on a boat was a delight. I felt like we were part of the scenery watching the villagers tend their fields along the river, fishing, and the kids swimming in the river.
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In April we took our second trip to Vietnam. This time we toured central Vietnam, Hue, Danang and Hoi An. We were not disappointed. Central Vietnam is different from the North but there are lots of new and different sites to see. Some of the highlights were visiting the tombs of former Emperors and the new elaborate tombs that have been built with money from the now settled “boat people”. Gord organized these tours on a motorbike…two bikes, two guides and we were off. We traveled through villages that couldn’t be reached by car…criss crossing rice fields and over one lane bridges. It was a great tour and I know we traveled through areas where tourists have never been. Hoi An is another World Heritage site. The architecture is hundreds of years old and the houses and temples are spectacular with their Chinese influence. We were fortunate to be there during the new moon festival and the city came alive. Lanterns floating on the river, Chinese opera performed on the street and on boats floating down the river…plus the many, many vendors lining the streets. At the end of our trip we went to a resort for a couple of days. Gord and I were the only ones there…so we got pampered.
The end of June we went to the south of Thailand, to Phuket. Phuket was one of the areas hit by the Tsunami, December 26th. When we toured the Island we saw a lot of damage, however there’s lots of rebuilding going on and things are getting back to normal. June is the Monsoon season, so the wind blows and some days we had rain…not the tranquil beach and calm water that you see in December, January and February. June is perfect surfer’s weather and there were lots of surfers in the water. I’m not keen on beaching it anyway, so I was satisfied to pull up a lounge next to the pool in the hotel and read and swim the day away. We were there during the low season so we got great airfares and hotel accommodation…however we found that everything else was overpriced and we were quite surprised that the vendors, bars, restaurants, transportation… were gouging money out of the tourists that were there. That aside we would still like to take a boat trip out of Krabi and see all the islands down there. (it’s on our list of things to do in the future).
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And in between this traveling….we work!! I wouldn’t want you to think that we have a life of leisure. As a rule we work for six weeks and then get one week off. At Christmas we get three weeks and at Songkran in April we get a least two weeks. As well as teaching Gord and I create teaching materials for all the teachers at the school. In the past year we have been working on activities for all Levels…and we just found out that we are changing the curriculum in the New Year. As Gord says “we may be able to drag this project out for another year”.
The end of July we headed home for our summer vacation. This time we stopped in Seoul, Korea for five days on the way. We toured many Palaces, war memorials and markets and of course the major shopping areas...but the highlight was the tour to the JSA (Joint Security Area). It was a great tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Gord and I visited the Quonset hut where the negotiations between North and South Korea take place and the bonus of the trip was that we stood on North Korean soil (just long enough to get our pictures taken)….oooooo.
We thought this would be the highlight of the summer…however not so. We landed in Vancouver, had a ski reunion in Victoria…visited Doris in Vancouver for a couple of days and then headed east to Toronto. We visited Mom, Doug and family and we finally got to see the new addition to the clan. “Mia” (the daughter of Jenny and Mark) and it’s true that she captures the hearts of all who see her. We did a whirlwind visit with friends in Toronto and many thanks to Pat who organized several dinner parties so we could see as many people as possible. Then we drove to Montreal for “Christmas in Montreal” with Gord’s family. All the “Guest gang” gathered and our hosts Heather and Brian did a fabulous job keeping us organized and finding places for all to sleep. …. then back to Toronto and more dinner parties. Much thanks to Lynne and Steve for hosting a dinner party with many “haven’t seen you in ages” friends. By the time we got on the plane to Kelowna I was all talked out!! (hard to believe eh?)
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However the best was yet to come….we decided to bite the bullet and buy a condo in Kelowna. We’re very pleased with the location and the style and we’re looking forward to spending some time there next summer / fall. We’re fortunate that Deb and Bill (Gord’s brother) are living in Kelowna and they have moved all our furniture out of storage and into our new home. The pictures are wonderful and I can hardly wait to get there.
Which brings us to the question of how long we are going to stay in Bangkok? We’re not sure. Right now we are thinking that we will pack up and move back to Canada next summer and then come back to Thailand or wherever in December/January (via New Zealand of course). The idea would be to work six months and spend the balance of the time in Kelowna….or maybe not? All this to say, we haven’t decided yet. It depends if there are some teaching opportunities in Kelowna…or in Auckland. We’re going to check it out and see what’s up. We know we can always get jobs teaching in Thailand / China or whatever. We may not have such great accommodation. So if you’re planning on visiting…you better come soon…we don’t know how long we’ll be here. Book early to avoid disappointment.
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Think of us when you’re sitting around the dining room table, with family and friends, eating your Christmas turkey….we’ll be eating shrimp from the “Barbee”…or maybe we’ll be at the beach with a picnic. We’ll be with Stephanie, Russ and Josh…that means we’ll be having a great time. May you and yours have a wonderful holiday season!
Love, Jan and Gord
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