We left Chiang Mai a couple days ago.  Took the night train down to Bangkok.  I really like the North of Thailand.  We had a good experience with the people we met.  The Thai people we have met have been very friendly.  They have names like: 'Ai' ,  'Gop' (means 'frog'), 'Cake' and a little girl Ruby played with was called 'Sanwit' , sounds like "Sandwitch".  Ruby said to me, "Mom, there must be someone named 'Cookie' too". I'm sure there must be! We just haven't met her yet!

On the train ride down we met a family from Kuwait with 4 girls and 1 boy. We took a 1st class sleeper train.  This means we have a private, yet shared sleeper car and Ruby and I share a bunk.  Ruby enjoyed playing with the little girls in their bunk in their car for a bit. She is getting really used to playing with others without having to speak the same language.  We didn't have anyone share our car with us, so we really had some privacy.

The woman named Cake  is a "took-took" driver and she always parked outside our guesthouse in Chiang Mai.  She is probably the most beautiful took-took driver I've ever seen.  She has a big, beautiful smile and very soft spoken.  She gave us a ride to the train station and I asked her to help with our bags, because I can not always rely on Ruby to help carry her load.  I told Cake I would tip her.   Thankfully she helped me, though I could have carried them on my own - and I did when we got to Bangkok I had to carry it to the subway and then to our guesthouse.  I know it sounds silly, but I am packing for 2 and when Ruby doesn't carry her weight, it means I have to.

The truth is, it is not always easy. At all.  People may think , "Oh, Dayna gets to travel all over the place, how luxurious and wonderful and fun!". But it is not that way.  In fact, sometimes it is no fun at all.  It is what I want to do, but it is not luxurious, we are on a budget.  Well, okay the massages are luxurious  - but they are also very "budget"!  Travelling is full of wonder, especially through the eyes of a 4  year old. Having a child in itself is an adventure, travelling with a child can be an adventure but also very demanding.  The fun is gone when it has been days since Ruby has had another child to play with.  Or I am exhausted from carrying all our luggage through an airport and Ruby is being stubborn or whiney or just being a typical 4 year old!  I often wonder, "WHAT AM I DOING HERE!?"  And this is why I plan each leg of the trip as we go.  So, we can do something different at the last minute or go back to the states.  It all pays off when we meet some other travelling  parents that I connect with and they have a child Ruby plays well with.  Or when I see how much fun she has and the progress she is making in our daily swim time.  Or we experience a connection with locals in a way that is beyond words and gives me a chill, and a knowing that, "Ahh, yes, we are here for a reason and we are all connected in some way - whether by God or the Universe".  Or like yesterday, when we were in a ginormous Bangkok shopping center and we run into these two lovely Irish women (mother and daughter pair) we met in Chiang Mai!  How amazing is that!?

When it gets hard,  I remember all the wonderful things we are experiencing and learning together, as a family, even when it is challenging.


The world is a beautiful place;
Life is a gift from the Divine;
You and I are a spark of the Divine.

Travels with Ruby

Ruby, my 4 1/2 year old daughter is really a gem to travel with.  Like a valuable jewel, she is full of sparkle, and so precious.  Many people would not travel with their valuable jewelry, they'd leave it at home, in a jewelry box or locked up in a safe.  Not me, I want to show Ruby the world and I want the world to meet my Ruby!

As we do this trip we are currently on  I plan each leg as we go.  I knew we would be in New Zealand for 6 weeks because you have to have a departing ticket in New Zealand and I knew we would go to Cairns, Australia next.  In Cairns, however, we did not know how long we would stay and when I decided to leave we bought a one way ticket to Bangkok.   It is much easier to travel this way with a 4 year old , rather than say, "Ok, we are going to be gone for 7+ months and go to 4 or more countries.  No, no, no...  I didn't know what I'd be getting into if I did that.  This way, we go at our own pace and if at anytime we wish to return to the states or to settle where we are, we can.

The short flights are nice too.  Rather than flying half way around the globe in one flight we take short trips from  country to country.  Night flights are best so Ruby can sleep - and maybe I can sleep too!  Day flights are okay, but I must plan and prepare a bit more for them if possible.

Ruby is becoming an experienced traveller!  She has a little Dora the Explorer suitcase with wheels that she pulls around in the airport and she has a purple unicorn Pillow Pet that Santa got her last Christmas.  While waiting in line at security I have become extremely annoyed at her typical 4 year old behaviour!  She has played with those straps that create the lines you stand in.  If you don't know what I mean they are these straps that you pull out from the metal posts and stretch them out (like a tape measure) hooking into another post.  Often she is the only child in a line of very patient and still adults  and she is a wiggle worm all over the place!  I am such the embarassed parent when this happens. It's usually all fine, but I'm always wary of that 'one' person who will be bothered by this rambunctious child!  She insists on putting her own belongings in the tray at the security and she knows the routine:  shoes off.....suitcase in tray......pillow pet in tray...... walk through security gate. She seems disappointed when you don't have to take your shoes off .  People like to watch her in her independence.   She is not shy at all.  She is a bit deprived of playtime with other children so does not hesitate when she sees other children.  Whether at a playground or the airport, she will go right up to them and say, "Excuse me?? Do you want to play with me??".   It's probably after hearing me talk to so many people, but she also will ask, "where are you from? Do you have any children? Well, where are they? Where do you live?  Do you want to come over to our house? "   She is getting really good at understanding people with various accents - literally from all over the world.  One time Ruby was playing with a girl from New Zealand.  I heard Ruby say, "So, ok, 'now' means 'no'."  It is true, to my ears, when I hear a Kiwi (New Zealander) say "no" it comes out as "now".  Nothing against their accent, I love their accent. When Kiwi's say, 'bear'  to me it sounds like 'beer' and when they say 'Pawn Shop' it sounds exactly like 'Porn Shop'.  I have a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communications, so am always fascinating with communication in any form.

For myself I  can say I am finally able to distinguish between Brittish, Irish, New Zealand, and Australian.  I am proud when I can guess where someone is from by hearing them talk! 

Ruby is so social it comes in handy when we travel.  Of course we all teach our children not to talk with strangers, but when you are travelling you have to talk to strangers all the time. 

At the guesthouse where we are now, there must be 7 children staying here.  It's great!   

If you are interested in travelling with your children, I highly recommend it!  Of course there are worries and concerns and fears, but there is that all the time - whether travelling or not.  Don't hesitate to ask me any questions about it if you are interested!   



                                                                                                                   

Wat is that?

Wat is the Thai word for "temple".  Yesterday we went to the well known and popular Doi Suthep Wat.  I think the temples are beautiful here.   Doi Suthep is painted completely gold, so in the bright of the day it shines as bright as the sun!  There must be a couple hundred steps to get up  to it, we didn't count them, but there is an elevator if you don't want to walk.  As always you take your shoes off before you enter and it is nice to bring an offering.  We bought a lotus flower, incense, and a candle.  People were walking around the temple with their offerings 3 times before lighting their incense and candle, so I walked Ruby through the process. She was very impatient and didn't understand any of it.  So as usual, being the 4 year old that she is she asked,  "Why?"......."why?"......"why?........  When Ruby discovered the orange temple cat as we walked our 3 times around, she could not resist to pick this very relaxed cat up and wake it from  its deep slumber. " It was just so cute and looked like he wanted to be picked up!"  Finally we made it around 3 times and went to light our candles and incense.  Of course, Ruby did not understand how we could just  leave the candles lit, she had to blow them  out!

Coming down the steps were much easier.  Tourists from  around the world, cameras around their neck, shuffled in and out of the temple; up and down the stairs.  Ruby is often a tourist attraction here with her platinum  blonde hair and fair skin.  Thai's love children and a blonde child is unique to them.  They can not resist coming up to Ruby, squeezing her cheeks or belly or touching the top of her head, or taking a photo of her.  Usually it is an Asian tourist (Thai, Chinese, or Japanese) that want to take a photo of her.  It starts to annoy me to see my child being bombarded by these strangers - much like me, as a tourist being bombarded by the tuk-tuk drivers when several swarm  me, saying "tuk-tuk ride, Madam?  Where you wan to go?".  When Ruby is approached by foreign photographers I've started to respond by saying, "50 baht...50 baht".  Ruby is catching on.....yesterday when two Thai's came up to her and touched her cheeks and started taking pictures, I said it, " 50 baht! 50 baht!" and soon Ruby was saying it.  Much cuter when she says it - "50 baht!" , she yelled out.  These guys started to laugh and they pulled out two 20 baht notes to give her.  Then she stood there and smiled willingly for the photographers!

Small World, Big Elephants

A couple days ago I decided to do one of the tourist attraction tours.  Since it is still my "birthday week", it really is not such a bad idea, in fact it's a great idea.  We went on one that included: Drive out to elephant camp; Bamboo raft down river; elephant camp experience including: feed and ride elephant and watch them perform; ride in an oxcart; lunch.  The elephants are amazing! Ruby and I love them!  Ruby is such a fearless little 4 year old, she just hopped on top of that elephant and looked like a princess.  Riding on an elephant is bumpy, but fun.  Ride on the oxcart is much smoother.  Ruby even said, "I like riding a bull much more than elephant".  The youngest elephant we saw was 2 months old -- so, so cute!  Did you know elephants only sleep 3 hours a night, and they eat about 250 kg's of food a day!?  Ruby loved to feed them bananas and sugar cane (and so did I), but at one point  one of the elephants sneezed and Ruby's dress got elephant snot on it, she didn't like that so much, she's quite particular about her dresses!

Two of the women on the same tour just came from India.  They reported to me that the temperature was up to 50 C degrees.  That must be 110-120 F degrees. It is summer there, and I am aware that it will be hot, now I'm pondering the idea of postponing our trip for a month....or well, what the heck, maybe let's just get thrown in the heat of it all!

Back at our guesthouse new guests arrived: a couple with their 7 year old daughter Julia, Yay! Someone to play with Ruby.  It turns out they are from Tasmania and know of a family that I know of that sailed from Kodiak across the Pacific.  Small world! 
The world becomes a smaller place the more I travel. This isn't the first time I've run into someone who knows someone I know. It's great, the world is truly a beautiful and wonderful place. I feel so blessed and am thankful that I can see and experience so much of it.


"Be content with what you have,
  take joy in the way things are.
When you realize nothing is lacking
The whole world belongs to you."

         ~ Tao Te Ching

Dear Friends who care/pray.....

Thanks for either caring or praying for us!

In March/April we spent 6 weeks in New Zealand, putting over 5,000 km's on our rental car.  Then we went to Cairns in Far North Queensland for 5 weeks where we met up with my mom for two weeks.   New Zealand is beautiful and Far North Queensland wonderful!  However, now that Ruby and I are in Thailand I feel as though Asia is truly where we are meant to be (at least for now, ha!).  And so, here we are in Chiang Mai and as hot as it is we are managing and adapting quite well to the culture and the heat. I have been hesitant to go to the Indian Consulate, but we finally did yesterday and I had no idea how relieved I would be. It is true, Thailand is a detour for us at this point, and our India visas our on their way, we can pick them up in a week. For those of you who don't know, Ruby's godfather, Father Joe Periera, invited us to come India after I told him how much it has been on my mind and heart. The reason for the hesitation is because I have been to India (3 times), so I know what it's like.  It is not easy travelling in India. This will be the first time for Ruby. travelling alone with a 4 year old has its challenges and combine that with travel in India and well, any prayers or positive thoughts are much appreciated. I will get our tickets next week after we get our visas and will probably go to Mumbai in July or possibly August.


I am a bit techinically challenged at the moment, so photos are lacking on this blog. Please excuse that and consider me old fashion and just use your imagination (like the old days!), I will do my best to be diligent about writing and descriptive of our experiences.

We miss family and friends but definitely feel we are on the path we are meant to be on. Thanks for prayers and any emails; comments; notes; etc are very appreciated.

Love & Namaste, Dayna & Ruby

Chiang Mai "high"

We arrived in Chiang Mai after taking the night train from Bangkok.  Ruby's first train ride!  Chiang Mai is Thailands 2nd largest city and so is a busy, bustling city with narrow streets, many tourists, and thai massage places.   We made reservations online for a guesthouse and at first I thought, "O great, only 300 baht!" . It wasn't so bad - it had a pool and the staff were very friendly.  I spent my 40th birthday there and the guesthouse staff surprised me with a teeny tiny cake with tiny words written: Happy Birthday Dayna . It was really a kind gesture and Ruby was excited I got a cake and could blow out candles!  The guest house was just a bit too loud in the evening playing loud techno and rock music and I didn't think it was as child friendly as I like. And of course we are in Asia and I know there are BIG bugs everywhere, but I am not used to them in sight, in my living space!  They aren't exactly what we want for as pets, so I decided, this will not do.

There are many guesthouses in Chiang Mai, so it was really easy to find another place to stay - with a pool, free wi-fi,  private bathroom, and this time a cute little balcony and great artwork on the walls.  Our new place is very "European/Thai" and for only 600 baht.

I was concerned about turning 40, I guess that may be normal. It is a big number and Ruby thinks I am really, very old now when I tell her how many I am.  But, I'm now quite excited to be entering a new decade, and doing so while in Asia.  We are enjoying Thailand very much. Yesterday, Ruby said, " Mom, when I grow up I want to be a tuk-tuk driver!!"

BKK; Chiang Mai

BKK is the airport code for Bangkok ( I think they call it airport code )....anyway, I think you know what I mean.  We are in Thailand!  I think I am having a bit of culture shock. Even though I've been here 3 times, this being my 4th time,  it has been 6 years since my last visit and this is the first time I've come during the rainy season.  The humidity and heat are bearable as long as we have a pool and a fan.   This time around I really enjoyed Bangkok. We stayed at a nice guesthouse (K.T. Guesthouse) that was very child friendly, had a good restaurant and a pool and next door to a Thai massage place. Where I was able to get a one hour Thai massage for 250 Baht or two hours for 350 Baht.   We rode the subway which made Bangkok less intimidating. After 5 days in Bangkok we took the night train up to Chiang Mai.

I thought I was getting a good deal on the Thai massages in Bangkok but found even better deals in Chiang Mai!

Thinking we would head north to escape the heat is really not accurate.  The heat and humidity are still here!  We found a guest house with a pool and our room has a fan - I don't care for air con.  The heat has a way of making unable to think properly or function normally, however it does help in making my muscles warm and supple so it is good for yoga postures!

Ruby seems to be having a good time and she is dealing with the culture shock just fine (no problem). She's catching on to the common Thai phrases and loves riding in the tuk-tuk's!

More later.....

The land of Oz

The land of Oz (aka: Australia), is really quite a place.  We left New Zealand April 30 and arrived in Tropical Cairns, in Far North Queensland.   Its the only part of Australia I've been to and I'm quite impressed with just this small part of Far North Queensland that we visited.  The beaches are amazing and endless, the rainforest beautiful and enchanting, and the wildlife is uniquely spectacular to this part of the world.  The animals we came across either in the wild or in the zoo were : Crocodiles, cassowary's, koalas, kangaroos, cockatoos, cookabura's, and a number of snakes, lizards and turtles.

My mom met up with us a few days after we arrived and we drove up past Laura to have an "Australian Outback Experience" amidst the gum trees at Jawalbinna station.  Even though its the tropics the nights have been much colder than the days and so we were happy to survive our experience in the outback - as it was quite cold through the night as we slept under a roofed, but not walled shelter.   Actually, I was proud of my mom for enduring this "adventure" with us!

I considered staying longer in Australia because our visa is good for a year, but I have had a strong pull to either go back to the states or into Asia.