Goodbye SE Asia, hello Canada

It is hard to believe, but our 10 week stint in SE Asia has come to an end. Time is such a strange thing . . . 10 weeks felt like forever and hardly any time at all -- all at the same time.

As some of you might have noticed, we kind of 'disappeared off the blog scene' for a bit there. During our last week in Thailand we took off to the island destination of Koh Samet. On Koh Samet we had a very relaxed few days. We managed to find a great room with two queen-size beds and teak floors in a resort-type complex that met all our needs in terms of a final beach destination. Our days were spent swimming, hanging, eating, reading and going on leisurely strolls on the beach. The water on Koh Samet was warmer than any of us had ever experienced and we often spent hours just floating about in it. Being at the beach was the perfect way to end our time in Thailand.

Once back in Bangkok, we had a lot of things to do to get ready for our journey home to Canada. We did some last minute shopping, packing and of course we enjoyed some of Thailand's good food, knowing it would be a while before we had it again. The red coconut curries will most definitely be missed the most! The fabulous tropical fruit milkshakes were also a daily pleasure that will be missed.

It is hard to believe - but here we are back in Vancouver. The journey home went very well! Japan Airlines was great, and there was less of a wait in Tokyo this time round, making our total transit time 16 hours (versus the 21 in the other direction). We came home to our lovely friend Jill waiting at the airport. The kids did not know she would be there to meet us and it turned out to be a lovely surprise for them because they are very close to her. Vancouver was stunning to come home to after a few months away. The air was so fresh and crisp and the day was clear offering stunning views of the snow tipped mountains. On the car journey into the city, Kai and Pippin seemed mesmerized -- they were trying to take it all in, able for the first time to really appreciate how good they have it here in Canada.

So we now move onto the next chapter. A few days here in Vanvouver and Victoria and then off we go to the Europa! It is hard to believe that we are still continuing with more travel beyond Asia. This short reprieve will be a lovely opportunity to catch up a little and retool our bags for the European climate.
So stay posted . . . more adventures to come.

Until next time . . .

Ronato, Skye, Kai & Pippin