From Ruth Anne:
Two days left.
With so much of this trip being in the 'unexpected' category...both happy surprises and challenging situations....having any sort of regular blogging time has seemed difficult. Hence, here we are with less than 48 hours to go, having neglected to report on some significant experiences.
Originally planned was a trip to the Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium. Funds were collected at home to provide for this slightly 'expensive' (from a Thai perspective) outing. However, when the children's school (elementary) included this in their end of year trip schedule, an alternative needed to be found. The Night Safari was Yupa's suggestion, and both Megan and I agree, we enjoyed it better than we might have the Zoo.
Most importantly, the children had a riot!
Two tram rides take you through two separate exhibits where the gentler animals can come right up to the open sides of the vehicle, all up close and personal like. We're talking deer, wild pigs, zebras, kudus and giraffes! From a safer distance we were able to 'visit' with rhinos, hippos, lions, tigers and bears, oh my!
A wild cat show is next, followed by "Predators of the Night", a fascinating show/exhibit were a recorded narration accompanies live appearances of various nocturnal creatures who somehow show up on cue and leave, more or less, on cue. Most fun was the binturang (look it up, sort of a mix between a cat, a racoon and and bear) who did not want to leave with his two buddies, and hung out (literally on the wire in front of us) for longer than the trainers were pleased with.
Colourful, traditional dancing was part of the deal, as was a spectacular music/fountain/light show near to the end. The kind that makes you ask several times throughout, "How do they DO that?"
In all of this, to watch the children was undeniably the best part of the experience. Wild eyes, excited chatter, reaching out to touch the animals they can, pointing and being amazed at the ones they can't. Laughing, listening, holding hands with us, with each other, as we made our way from exhibit to exhibit. Just a normal 24-person family out for some fun.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this memory. Sometimes, with the children looking so good and being so very much part of this stable family environment, it's easy for me/us to forget that they have come from distressing situations. A day like this just would not have happened for them had they not come to Hot Springs, had God not seen fit to connect Highview with this treasure and provide for them and us in such astonishingly beautiful Night Safari kinds of ways.
From Megan:
And we can't forget to report on yesterday! We went swimming at Tutu's! (For those who don't know, Tutu is the National Director of Asia's Hope, and one of the biggest hearts for children we know.) She used to live in a nice complex, but has recently moved to her own place that she and her husband bought and designed, complete with apartments for guests, a conference centre, their own house, and a POOL. A rather impressive pool too. And in Tutu's wisdom, she even designed it to have a little wading pool attached to the side for the littler ones who can't swim yet.
It did not take long for the kids to change and launch themselves into the pool. For about 1.5 wonderful hours they were just kids. There were no hardships, no challenges, and no responsibility to deal with. They were just themselves. It was beautiful.
There was a lot of laughter, and a LOT of splashing. Tutu even had enough life jackets for the less capable swimmers, so everyone could play in the pool.
After swimming was a lovely, full Thai dinner from Tutu, eaten in the 'dining hall' area. Rice, chicken, pork, a Karin rice porridge dish, asian pears, pineapple, and soup! Plus, in Thai style, corn for dessert.
While some of the adults chatted, the kids wandered around, getting to know Tutu's other two guests, Doug and Jeff, better. Many of you have probably heard Doug's name before (he and his wife are from Guelph, and have been helping to support Hot Springs), but Jeff is a new one. He's currently helping Tutu raise funds for some new projects on the go (and a very interesting character - a man with a very thick French accent, who's currently living in Hong Kong, working for an American company, visiting Thailand). I had some good conversation with both of them, which was great. Meeting new people is always a joy.
At about 8:30pm we called it a night, knowing we still had a 40 minute drive back, making it a slightly-later-than-usual night for the kids (but that's what makes outings more awesome, right?). The ride back was filled with a peaceful contentment (and admittedly some laughter as the kids looked through my photos from the day). It was a good day.
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