Floating lanterns are not allowed in my country but it’s very common in Thailand.

My kids are always excited to see one. However, floating lanterns create water pollution and can be quite harmful to airplanes. I wonder why it’s not ban in the land of smiles?

Let winter begin in Thailand please. It’s so cool and windy today, and I hope that it lasts. At least until the new year.

My kids used to play in the rain with their rain coats and rain boots during the rainy season, and they have yet to do so this year. Hopefully, the rainy season is coming soon.

Stalls at the pier

We boarded the boat as soon as we got there. The view was nice.

The boat ride took about an hour, and it’s quite bumpy.

The map

A shot on the boat ride

We went to 2 snorkeling spots. On the second spot, we dropped by an island.

I found that the corals are not as colorful as Similan Islands, but then, I should not be complaining.

Fish feeding is allowed here, and the fish are so FRIENDLY!

The fish got close to the boats as soon as they were packed. I guess they were used to having tourists around.

It’s our kids’ second snorkeling trip. I’m glad that they love the sea just like their parents. Having a swim in the sea is definitely a great work out, as comparing to taking the fat burner pill.

The Lobby

Another part of the lobby

We arrived in the afternoon, and checked into the hotel in group. I found that this place is quite colorful, and it’s pleasant.

The Pool

I didn’t go for a dip in the pool for the 3 days stay. Maybe I was too eager to go to the beach in bikini instead. LOL! I don’t have nice body ok? But I feel that bikini is best for the beach! So does lipozene work? Maybe I need some.

The hallway to our room

Our room, as I said, it’s just a decent room.

The restaurant

We had free breakfast here, but the food is quite limited. Gee…it’s not a five star hotel, so what can I expect?

I’ve almost forgotten about our trip to Dumnoen Saduak Floating Market on the last day of 2009. This floating market is about 2 hours away from the city, but hubby was eager to check it out.

It’s just like a normal market, but not the usual wet markets I visit. You can basically find a lot of things here, but most of them are handicrafts. There are food, antic toys and books and clothes too.

If you fancy a photo shot with the python, feel free to try it out.

We took a ride on the boat, and it’s not too expensive. If you need to get anything, just ask the boat to park by the side, or by the boat stalls for your shopping need.

You can grab some guavas!

I didn’t get these bags, if you are wondering. I don’t support pirated products.

Our boat ride including a short tour to coconut sugar farm.

Remember to get a pack of the coconut sugar, it’s really delicious!

You can shop for some handicrafts at this sugar farm too.

I still have some photos to share on this trip to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Stay tune for next post.

We will be there on a company trip that includes team building games and snorkeling. So, my kids will be having a lot of fun again.

SIL booked the rooms at a new hotel found at the travel fair recently. I didn’t get the name of the hotel from the pop displays, maybe I will ask her again later and check it out. I hope that it’s a nice place to stay.

I wonder if they have top acne treatment at the spa centers too? Maybe hubby needs one. LOL!

The kids had great fun running around, and chasing after them was more tedious that working out at commercial fitness equipment.

It’s the first time my kids have ever spent so much time playing on the beach at night. It was fun seeing them enjoying themselves, while I tried to take some night shots. My night shots are pretty bad, so I needed more practice.

Yeap, I still need to work on it!

So, since we hatred the crowded Baen Saen beach, we decided to drop by Pattaya. What then, being one of the famous tourist spots in Thailand, Pattaya was very crowded too on the first day of 2010. We couldn’t get a room, and the traffic was congested. Thus, we went to Jomtien beach, which is not too far away from Pattaya.

We had luck on our side this time. After a quick dinner, we managed to find a hotel with 2 rooms. And it’s at Nusa Playa Hotel and Spa.

I haven’t noticed this hotel all the while, maybe I’ve missed it.

The price was reasonable and SIL got a discount with her credit card.

The only thing I don’t like about the hotel is the balcony. It’s quite dangerous for little kids, and it’s still under renovation for some part of the hotel. They didn’t block the restricted area well and my kid almost walked towards to open area of 28 floor! Gosh, mesothelioma won’t give me a fright at that time comparing to my kids’ safety.

But the room is good enough for a night. We didn’t have anything to complain about it. Breakfast was great too, considering that it’s not a 5-star hotel.

Best of all, even if this hotel has a lot of oversea tourists, but they check out very early in the morning. So, the pool was quite empty. LOL!

My kids had great fun in the pool and that’s truly enjoyable.