Ko Tao, Thailand

This was our grand finale and we could not have chosen anywhere better to spend our last week of vacation. It was incredible! This was our first time relaxing on an island and we loved every minute of it. The week consisted of:


Shakes as often as possible (mango, banana, coconut. YUM. Sometimes a mixture):

Zac skypes with the family while waiting for breakfast

Me!

Swimming, multiple times every day. Zac is a fish:

Or at least, he pretends to be

Doing "the Whale" as taught by Uncle Matt ;)

Hand stands were "mastered" on this trip

Ta-da!

We went beach hopping and explored the island by scooter! :) Super fun. 

I'm cool now, cuz I can drive a scooter

Zac loved it. Except when he thought he was going to die.

This beach was on the north side of the island and the map's
idea of what a road is is very different from mine. The steep
hills and dirt roads were NOT fit for a novice scooter driver.

What's a vacation without multiple near-death experiences though?

Snack time!

We spent one night walking along the main beach patio hopping. I loved it. 

Loved the atmosphere for our appetizers

Hanging out in bean bag chairs

As we were eating, a lady came by selling lanterns to lift up into the air. As
Zac watched it float into the sky, he asked, "Wait. Is this bad
for the environment??" Ya, probably. Oops. 

Fun!

Snorkelling was a huge hit too:

Pruney fingers!

We were on Turtle Island, after all

We saw some AMAZING fish! :)

We played games like Bocce, badminton, and cards. We also found a place on the island that had Mini Putt and Bowling. Zac's skin started to make bubbles though so we decided more shade was necessary. 

Explored the island, of course! :)

I snapped this moment before Zac caught me

Cute cats everywhere. Some we could touch.

A new Chinese friend we bonded with :)

It was really fun meeting Chinese people on this trip.
We would speak a few words in Chinese with them (Zac
more than me) and they were always so sweet and pleased
that we liked their country and their language :)

Our usual spot at our usual breakfast place
right on the beach. Loved it. 

Zac collected a few shells and rocks

I took this shot as the sun was setting :)

Zac has always been a little gentleman and loves
picking flowers for me to put in my hair :)

Sunset from our balcony

More sunsets! 

Cute, right?

We had a house cat that came with the room. Loved him.

The sun was HOT

Pizza and chocolate shakes on the beach!

And cards!

Have I mentioned that mango sticky rice is my new most
favourite thing on this planet? After Zac. I think. 

We played with dogs. From afar.

Pad Thai on the beach

We made art

We played pool! This was Zac's first time playing and he loved it. He would ask every morning if we could play, and we often could. He's play on his own to practice while I relaxed, and then we'd have a game after breakfast :)

These boats lined the shores of the island

Sapa, Vietnam

Sapa was amazing and we almost didn't go. It is very North of the capital and I wasn't sure we would have enough time. But because we were in Hanoi during Tet, and because we were already in North Vietnam, I decided we'd better do it because who knows if we ever would again?

WHAT WE DID:

Arrived at 4 am and waited in a cold restaurant for our room. So fun.

First order of business: Nap. The train was not my friend. Cockroaches = disgusting. Ew ew ew. Right beside my head on the wall when I turned on the light. So I leapt out of bed and waited in the hallway for our train to get in. We still had several hours to go at that point. I didn`t care. 

First view from our balcony.Mist frequently shroads the rice paddie fields, and
I was worried it wouldn't lift while we were visiting.

Luckily, it did :) View from our room!

We Went on a Hike:

So on the advice of a few friends, Zac and I took a tour of some traditional villages. It went something like this:

We met up with three ladies who arrived at our hostel. They were all dressed in traditional clothing. We had all sorts of interesting conversations about how tourism had altered their villages and way of living. They all thought tourism was a good thing. One of them made me this:

Then we saw things like this:

Then we arrived here, where we were to eat lunch in the buildings across the way:

Right about now is where two of the ladies say they are going home and pull out their items to force - uh, ask - me to buy from them. I feel stupid. Duped. Silly. This was so well planned! I can`t deny buying something now! Well, I can. But I`ll feel like a jerk. And who wants to feel like a jerk. I`ve laughed with these women, learned from them, and...who am I kidding, it was all a sham. I meant nothing to them. Le sigh. Then a bunch of other women came over and wanted me to buy stuff from them too. It was an interesting experience.

Cool little shack.

While waiting for lunch, I took action shots. So fun!

They look so innocent until they mob you

Having learned from the Cambodian children I met in the fields,
I bonded with these children through my camera lens again.

Super cute :)

Back on the road again. Pigs were everywhere. 

Playing with rocks

Zac insisted on a picture

After school

I love the rice fields. Love love love. 

This little boy was playing quite happily with his tire. 

More rice fields!

Are they not so cool. 

Our real guide.

Drove a Scooter!

This was a first for me and Zac and I were both concerned for our safety. However we survived and it was tons of fun! We got lost and got cold but it was all good. It wasn`t the first time I terrified myself on the trip and it wouldn`t be the last ;)