Bangkok Week 704 — Mika's Photos

We arrived at swimming a little early this week.

Waiting patiently for our class to start.

Surprising himself with his kicks. Arlo was the only student for the first half of class.

His power kicks continued on the motor boat.

And practicing his underwater swimming.

Arlo can climb out of the pool all by himself now!

Marching across the iceberg with confidence.

Practicing our back float. Still working on this one.

Arlo completed Baby Swimming 2, and has a certificate to show for it!

That night, wishing his Aa Top a happy birthday!

Another day, another (make-up) swimming lesson!

Really concentrating on his kicks.

And practicing with the U-shaped noodle. We haven't done this one in a while.

Oh my! A giant gift basket arrived while we were out!

Arlo's going on an afternoon adventure!

First ride on the BTS in a long time. Totally captivated by everything around him.

And bravely pushing the stroller down Bangkok's sidewalks.

We've arrived, at the Sofitel, for the European Christmas Fair. Arlo's never seen a tree so big!

A family Christmas photo.

Arlo wasn't very interested in the fair, but was quite eager to climb up this giant staircase!

Stopping at Terminal 21 on the way home, and what a great diversion it was: Arlo got to drive a Mini around the mall!

He took the driving very, very seriously.

Waiting patiently in the elevator to go down to the basement... and checking out his car.

The basement has fun bumpy floors... and a Dairy Queen!

Last stop: checking out the ice rink (which has now re-opened) at Ekkamai. Also very interesting!

Not only did Arlo get to drive a Mini and see ice skaters... he also bagged this new cement mixer. Lucky boy!

Tired from his busy Saturday.

Celebrating the start of the holiday break with an Indian feast: how festive.

Sunday morning: a perfect time to go to the park!

Arlo's getting much more comfortable on the playground. Arlo wants to ride THIS slide!

Sliding down the slide like a boss.

Found his way to a steering wheel at the top of a different tower...

... and eventually slid down the tunnel slide, too.

Crawling through a flat tunnel.

And trying a see-saw. This one is not fun yet.

Getting another good look at these sunflowers.

So many bees inside!

Enjoy while they're in bloom now! I'm sure they'll be gone by the time we next go to the park!

Mum ordered donuts for our afternoon guests; Arlo couldn't wait to eat his. (Daintily.)

Tasty Tim's!

P'It and P'At came by, for the first time in over a year. Wasted no time busting out the Scrabble.

Arlo wanted to play too; but in no time, Mum found herself playing instead.

Arlo and P'At ended up playing trains instead.

P'At was very enamored with Bella.

Arlo and P'It looking for Wally together; Arlo was playing with a handicap (upside-down).

The boyz.

And everyone altogether now.

On Monday, we received another fancy gift basket: this one from the bank! At least it's practical!

And we were invited to a holiday dinner at Arlo's friend Sally's house. He was fascinated by the fireplace.

The kids' table! (This lasted for all of 3 seconds.)

Arlo and Sally, pushing their carts and strollers around together.

Then it's off to Trat on a sunny Tuesday morning.

Snapped this photo of a cement mixer for Arlo, while stopped at a red light.

We're here! And what's awaiting Arlo? A beautiful new tricycle from his Aa Top!

He wastes no time staking claim to the trike.

Happy to be with his Puu.

Giving them a New Year's gift.

And a combo Birthday + New Year's gift for Aa Top.

Then, it's on to the Resort* where we'll be spending the next 3 days. (If it starts with a golf cart, it must be good.)

Exploring the area while Dad checks in.

Anything good in this pot?

Our room (with a view) for the next 2 nights. Arlo makes himself right at home.

The view from the balcony. Not too shabby.

Time to go explore!

The water fountain is still here! (This is the anchor of the resort.)

The pools are pretty calm.

The beach is nice and clean, with swings added since last year.

No one else for miles!

(Trying to) play badminton with Dad.

This fountain! I love this fountain!

Taking a break to eat the fruit in the room.

Then we're back on our mission: to swim!

Arlo pressures Dad into the pool.

Yikes. Looks a little chilly!

Verdict is in: the boys agree, it's chilly!

Mum prefers the shallow kiddie pool... where maybe the water is a little less cold?

Smile!

Time to come out of the pool, despite what Arlo thinks. The purple lips are a give-away.

Time to see what all this hype about the sand is all about.

Well, it is good for dozing around.

But it's very icky to touch. And heaven forbid, we sit down on the sand!

Showing Yaa how to dump the excavator's bucket full of sand into the dump truck.

Everyone's quietly observing the monkey at play.

Interference by Mum.

Trying the swings, while Arlo entertains himself.

Still not thrilled by the sand...

... but enjoying the digging nonetheless.

The sun is setting. Time to pack up the construction site!

It's also time for the crabs to come out and carve their sand balls!

Bye-bye beach. We'll be back tomorrow.

And a cozy dinner with a view.

The next morning, Arlo is ready to get on with the agenda!

Really not liking this soft, dry sand.

And not really liking sitting in this kayak either. ("It's wet!")

The harder sand, down by the water, isn't quite as bad.

There are even some shells to pick up!

The morning beach brigade.

Then Arlo spotted the Petanque field: oh my, these balls are heavy, he declared!

Nevertheless, let's try to throw two of them, overhanded, at the same time!

This little ball (the "Jack") is nice and light!

Still some work to do, to build up the distance of his throws.

Hanging out at the beach bar.

This beach bar is a great place to set up a construction site. You can dig in the sand, while comfortably standing on solid ground!

Just relaxing!

Then, Aa Top came to visit too!

Arlo wasted no time showing Aa Top around.

Enjoying lunch at an ocean-side restaurant.

Helping Dad swing in his hammock.

Joining Dad for a swing.

I guess this is kinda fun!

Lunch is here! I hope you brought your appetite!

Back at the resort, continuing his tour.

Getting some Petanque coaching from Aa Top: improving his form.

Then Arlo realized, this Petanque field can be a great construction site!

Time for a chilly afternoon dip.

No one else is in (or near) the pool. Isn't that a sign?

Another Arlo burrito!

The monkey didn't want to come in, despite having raisin fingers and purple lips.

Not enthused about going into the ocean water!

Some tickles put a smile on his face...

... which was immediately wiped off when his feet touched the sandy water.

This is much better!

But not sure why he's barefoot today...

Arlo could sit here digging and plowing, well into the evening.

Showing Arlo how he can also draw in the sand.

That basically sums it up.

Arlo has the whole entire beach to himself. That's a pretty big construction site!

Enjoying the low-amplitude swing.

It's a big sun tonight! (Although the picture doesn't do it justice.)

Nice sunset.

And another tasty dinner with a view.

Breakfast on our last morning at the resort. Arlo knows the drill now.

Dad enjoys a cappuccino and poses for a photo, while his son hangs himself with the umbrella string right behind him.

Is someone tired already?

Inspecting the morning's shells. Anything new this morning?

Arlo's archaeological dig has some spectators.

Doing a close-up inspection of some of the morning's new shells.

Arlo watches intently as one of the hotel staff goes out on a stand-up paddle board to rescue the volleyball.

Arlo's mastered the Sand Squat (TM).

Playing with his bulldozer and excavator in the sand one last time.

Somehow, Arlo looks huge when sitting on his Yaa's lap.

A cute portrait, as Arlo gets a neck massage.

Another nice portrait.

Laughing at photos of himself from this time, this place last year!

Trying to recreate this shot: with a more overcast (read: photo-friendly) sky this time!

Three generations on the beach in Trat.

See you next year, resort!

But wait: before you go! A special treat!

In case you can't quite tell the scale: the body of this spider is about 2 inches long.

One final ride back to the car on the golf cart.

The highlight of our visit!

Stopping at Makro on the way home: Arlo can manage the cart, thank you very much.

Browsing the dairy section.

Not quite a golf cart; but a shopping cart is the next best thing.

Tong, I missed you!

Trying on the new, formal outfit, that he got from Aa Top and Yaa. Snazzy!

Going for a ride with Puu.

Front-row seat!

At long last, nap time! Somehow, this boy manages to take up an entire King-sized bed!

Posing with the Lion at the City Pillar...

Paying respects as we go into the New Year.

Back at the house, Arlo plays with the coconut as if it's a ball.

Oh, Tong. Good night, Tong!