Great to See Family

I was very excited when my brother decided to come visit us over the holidays.  We have been away from our family (physically) for 2 months now.  So it was great to see Walker and share some of our adventures with him.  It was a big commitment for him to fly halfway around the world.  Literally!  He flew ATL to Seoul, South Korea to Bangkok, Thailand  to Phuket, Thailand.  That included a 6 hour layover in the Bangkok Airport from Midnight to 6am!  He was happy to be able to watch the Falcons beat the Panthers on his phone. Thank you smart software people at ESPN!

He arrived in Phuket on the 28th ready to rock.  With no nap and just a beach massage (see below) we hit the activities at the Le Meridien in Phuket and also got some good food in him.

The next day we took a “Ferry” to Koh Yao Noi.  I use quotes because it was really a big long tail boat with a giant Cummings dump truck diesel engine off the back. It was a ferry for people and supplies.

We had a great time in Koh Yao Noi.  The island and the Lom Lai Resort were exactly what I was looking for from the “Islands of Thailand”.  It felt very remote and relaxing.  It was truly spectacular.

Walk and I went scuba diving one day.  That was a lot of fun.  Hard to believe the last time we dove together I was 13 and he was 15 in Mexico!  The diving visibility was just OK but it was still a great trip.  We saw some neat fish and different types of coral.  The views of the islands above the water was also incredible.

We had a fun New Year’s Eve celebration after watching the sunset at a small family hilltop restaurant.  They totally took care of us with great food and drinks and gave Suzanne a customized soundtrack for New Year’s Eve dancing!  We were VIPs there.  No, Literally we were VIPs.  You can see on our bill! (That total of 2,410 is Thai Baht (About $75)).

It was a great trip to the islands.  It was hard to leave.  We headed back to Bangkok for a few days to see the sites of the big, crazy city.  We visited the King’s Palace, Reclining Buddha, and many of the other things you must see there.  We had some fun days and nights cruising around in tuk tuks and ferries.  Bangkok is a city that causes a bit of sensory overload, but you must do it.

On the last day, we had to leave Thailand early in the morning because we had been in the country already 30 days and our visa was ending.  Walker had the whole day before his flight home, so Suzanne booked him into a cooking class and he was very adventurous to attend a Muay Thai Boxing Class. He looks like he held his own.

It was great to see you, Walker. I am so thankful you made the trip to Thailand.  It was a big effort for you to come, and we had a great time with you!