Blog entry #1
We’ve had such an interesting week full of adventure and culture shock- lots of things are very different here from what we are used to!

Our time in Phuket was filled with hanging at the pool, getting our sleeping patterns adjusted, and a few touristy activities such as visiting the Big Buddha and riding elephants. We had a great time staying at a posh hotel for a few days!

We then flew to Ko Samui and spent a night there. It rained quite hard but we had a great time exploring the markets and jumping in puddles.
We caught the Catamaran passenger ferry to Ko Phangan, taxied to Haad Rin and then by long tail to Haad Tien, which his where we are now.

Haad Tien is a pink coral beach with a few restraunts and resorts nestled around the beach and up into the hills. The bungalow that was available for us was a bit sketchy by western standards- holes in the thatch roof, thai style squat toilet, no hot water, etc. and it was pouring rain. We were able to secure a much nicer bungalow for the same price two days later, and we are happy to stay here for the next week.

The family that runs this resort (the Horizon Muay Thai Boxing camp) is very friendly and loves the kids- in fact, all the Thai people have been incredible with the kids! They always come up and ask their names, how old they are, etc. Caden has decided that he loves the attention (most of the time) and will give them his “cute look” which always causes a reaction.
We assumed the kids would be the most adaptable, but the heat is getting to us all a little bit. It’s also muggy, and though most times there is a nice breeze at our hillside bungalow, it is still very humid and we are all feeling very sticky. Swimming at dusk seems to be a recurring theme for us. The water feels warmer then and it is less busy. Also refreshes us from the hot days.

Kevin has made a run into town today to grab some essentials, including a data plan for the iPad (and thus the first blog entry) and talc which the Thai people use many times a day to keep fresh. The overland road is a 4×4 only affair, and due to the sandy soil, gets washed out quite regularly. The owner of our resort needed to do a supply run of his own so didn’t mind the extra baggage.

Caden has a bit of a cold and so hasn’t been his normal chipper self and there has been lots of whining. 😦 But we are hoping! he’s on the mend and have been letting him sleep in the hammock as much as possible. Jenna also hasn’t been functioning at 100%, but did do a good practice burn with her (2 wick) fire hoop yesterday. She will continue using LED for performances for the next while until she gets more experience with the fire hoop.

The highlight of the trip had been hooking up with the SparkCircus team! We have been super busy choreoing our individual and group routines. Our first show is on Thursday, so we’ve only had 3 days to prepare. I’m excited to be working with such a diverse bunch of talent- all are amazing!