Bye Bye Bangkok

We left Bangkok behind on Friday and headed down to Hua Hin. I can honestly say that it was with a thankful heart that we have finished that part of our journey. All of the paperwork and schedules are over and now it's just us trying to figure out how to be a family of four.
I must admit that Bangkok was not what I imagined. I have heard so many wonderful things about this big city and was immediately disspaointed when we arrived. It is, like many large cities, crowded with both people and cars. There are many large shopping malls, hundreds upon hundreds of places to eat and street vendors selling everything from soup to jewelry. There are noise and smells to overwhelm the senses every second of the day. The sun didn't shine through the smog and the clouds for more than a few hours the entire week.
The people were extremely friendly (as promised in the guide book) and there is a feeling of servitude that cannot be surpassed in the States. I really felt that the staff at the Amari went above and beyond to treat us with kindness and respect during our stay. I can not say enough about the work ethic demonstrated at that hotel and also here in Hua Hin. Every person seems to be working toward a common goal: service, cleanliness, kindness. It really is a treat to stay in a hotel here.
When we arrived in Hua Hin it became obvious as to why so many westerners flock to south east Asia. It is really beautiful and tropical with find sand beaches like those along the gulf coast in Florida. H and I both finally feel like we can relax and enjoy this country that has given us so an amazing gift.
Speaking of which.....Prim continues to do better each day in many respects. She has difficulty at night and seems to grieve mostly when she is very tired or in her sleep. She is insistent on sleeping right on top of me and while I can talk or watch tv, the moment I move she begins to cry and holds on for dear life. I think she afraid of waking up and not finding me there. The times when I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and Hung takes her, she screams until I come back and then falls into a fitful sleep. She is warming up to Hung although he would beg to differ. She refuses to be in his arms and the times that he does have to hold her she gets very upset. Sometimes I walk beside him and hold her hand and talk to her but then I think about how the social workers did the same thing with me when we were first introduced and I wonder if this is helping or hurting. Right now I think the best thing is to go slow. I think that once we get home it will be a whole new ball game and she'll do better once we are into a predicatable routine.
Today we went to the beach, Prim's very first time. G loved it, especially because of the sand dollars and star fish that he found. There are horses right on the beach that you can ride with an escort. It's fun to watch people go by on horse back. H still thinks that we should take the kids for elephant rides but I object. In this case Mommy trumps Daddy. Riding the tuk-tuk and taxi boat already took a few years off of my life, I don't need any more excitement....
Prim did not like having her feet sandy but enjoyed jumping into small puddles of water as long as I held her hand. A different girl from the one who jumps right into the pool! This girl loves the water just like her brother. She has no fear and could care less when I dunk her under water. Trial by fire right? She will jump in without hesitation and loves to hang from the railing that leads into the pool. G has such a good time sliding down the water slide and there is a section that he can stand up in and swim around without daddy having to hold him all of the time. His swimming is awesome and I'm so amazed by how quicikly he's learned.
He's taking his "big brother" role in stride. Little sister likes to hit when she doesn't get her way or if I hold him or give him hugs so we are working on teaching her "gentle". She's picking it up quickly but tends to lash out when she doesn't get her way. Unfortunatley she's big enough for it to seem like she's trying to inflict bodily harm and G gets upset. He gets over it quickly and it's back to calling her LT Prim (he's Commander Gl) and trying to save the galaxy from the Dark Sith Lord or something like that.
After five days our little girl can say "Hi", "Bye, bye", "Da" (for daddy) and can sign "all done". She also understands when I sign "eat" to her and can give kisses and wave bye bye and blow a kiss. She calls me mom in Thai and asks for water and milk in Thai (she can also say a bunch of other words) and we say "water, milk and carry" in Thai. It's really cute to hear her babble in Thai. The language is tonal so her syllabels are different and it makes her jibberish fun to listen to. Prim is really happy being outside and does not like this hotel room either so we spend alot of time on the patio or walking around. There are koi ponds and a big parrot named Alex on the resort so it's a fun for the kids. There is a huge swinging lounge-like platform at the check in area and the breakfast is so very good. I give the Marriott a thumbs up here in Hua Hin:)
We are here until Tuesday and then we check out. We're only doing internet for 24 hours and then will use the free internet in the business office so this may be the last post with pictures. Enjoy!!