An end to 2021 in Thailand….
It has now been 5 years and 6 months since we set foot in Thailand. I had never really thought about visiting Asia, apart from India so ending up in Thailand was not on the cards but life has its twists and turns… We are at a crossroads at the moment; reevaluating our life, options, needs and wants. Having choices is great and we are fortunate to be in this position but it also brings confusion and leads to difficult decisions having to be made. In the meantime, we are enjoying our time here, getting on with work and continuing to explore as much as we can during these Covid times. We are in the middle of a fifth wave and it feels as if everyone has had enough now. It seems the government is trying to keep things open and make Covid endemic this year. Let’s see…
October and it’s Halloween. Not a lot going on but some funky decorations and Marianne and Blaze looking cool! I tried to scare the kids at school
The much awaited December finally arrived with Joshua and Sandra visiting. After 2.5 years, it was a very exciting reunion! December also marked the end of the Monsoon. After 6 months of rain, some of it of biblical proportions, seeing blue skies and calm seas is good for the soul.
The wait is finally over. We all went to Bangkok to collect Joshua and Sandra and spent a few days exploring with Marianne and Blaze. Never been to a games cafe before but highly recommend it. Such fun and so many games!!
Went to a festival of lights which included a river trip to see some of the lights around Bangkok. Some unusual installations…..
Back to Phuket to a Xmas full of cheer. It was the first Xmas where we have all been together with partners. Very exciting to see the kids growing up into adults and enjoying their independence. Thank you to the friends who joined us and made it a fun and memorable day.
And so the adventure begins. On to Khao Sok National Park – it is covered by the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world, huge limestone mountains shooting straight up in the air, deep valleys and breathtaking lakes. We decided to go on a stroll which ended up taking forever but managed to get to a river for a cool swim. We thought it would be a leisurely stroll through the jungle, 3kms, they said, each way. It is indeed a beautiful forest, may types of trees, monkeys, plants… It all looked even better once we managed to get back to the car and rest.
We stayed one night at Cheow Lan Lake, an 185-square-kilometre artificial lake. The lake is only a few decades old but the area is ancient. Khao Sok National Park outdates even the Amazon rainforest, with scientists estimating its creation at approximately 160 million years ago. The cliffs in this area are thought to have been created at the same time as the Himalayas, when 50 million years ago the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates collided, forcing the rock upwards. It is an incredibly beautiful scenery with limestone cliffs jutting out of the emerald water. So much fun for swimming and kayaking! Shame is was cloudy but still beautiful.
And New Year came and went… Let’s hope 2022 brings joy and happiness to us all and hopefully less Covid. Time for one more picturesque trip before Joshua and Sandra head back to chilly Edinburgh. Coral Island or Koh Hae is very close to Phuket and easy to get to for the day. It has beautiful, clear, blue water and a coral reef which is just off the beach. Plenty of fish to see!
And the visit comes to an end! See you in Summer.
lisbonchick 
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