our little holiday was lovely. we had fabulous weather...veeery hot with a slight breeze. short stay so mostly spent at the pool and nearby beach. (which was perfect for me!)

for e 1st time in almost 7yrs, i didnt constantly have a baby at the hip. finally both are 'grown up enough' to walk well without carrying and for me to leave them to play alone on the beach while i take a dip in the sea, or relax on a deck-chair. this was acttually the best bit for me! :b

the kids ran like they owned the beach. such free spirits!...something so sorely lacking back home.  they occupied themselves for hrs at a stretch.  kay drew pictures in the sand, while ky tried digging to china. ;)   he made deep pools and ball-runs, roping kay in to help him dig when he got too tired.  further down the beach they were fascinated by the little rockpools and all the marvellous creatures encapsulated there.  while on the opposite side, atop enormous boulders, they stood awestruck at the mighty ferocity of the waves as they crashed and battered little crabs clinging for dear life, a few metres away. 

-kynan loved e 2 swirly water-slides at the hotel pool. even my hubby tried, but e speed almost made him have a heart-attack!

-kay loved the dress-up area at the kids-world playhouse, situated just  behind the pool. she tried on all the princess gear, appreciated the outfits in the mirror, then sat down to build some lego creations...like a little princcess in her own castle bedroom!

-another activity which required steadiness of hand and great patience, was painting their own batik t-shirts. slightly pricey (ie e cost of a good t-shirt in s/p), but a rare novelty keepsake, so we let them be. they each took an hour carefully choosing colours and trying very hard to keep in the lines. now they wear their creations with pride. :)

-i never got around to having the massage i so badly wanted, but i felt relaxed anyhow, so didnt really miss it that much.  a surprise treat for me though was us all going together on elephant rides. i've been before and it was qt boring.  but this time was more scarey... the adrenaline-rush was going up and down almost vertical embankments to get into a river. it was truly terrifying and i feared we and the kids mt simply slip off, either backwards, or head-over-heals down the trunk!  fortunately none of that happened! and i allowed myself to relax and take in the calm of e jungle sounds as we peacefully waded through the river, up high and dry on the elephant's back... surprisingly enjoyable as there's no real sound from this giant beast, but for the swooshing of his tail gently through the water.

-we later did a short hike to a waterfall near a gibbon rescue-centre. it was interesting to see locals literally bathing themselves and their kids in the shallow pools. while we were paddling about in the freezing shallows, we watched with surprise as they took out their soaps and shampoos and got themselves all soapy in the jungle stream. they emerged squeaky-clean, but poor kynan wasnt as lucky.... half an hr later he started sprouting itchy raised bumps all over his body.  he suffered a lot with them for the next few days, and it was only some steroid cream back in s/p, along with some antihistamine, that finally got rid of most of them. the moral of the story? ...perhaps kp climbing as close as possible to the waterfall and take a dip there? ...or leave the eu-naturale ways to non-tropical climes?

-hubby was happy to hire a car and scoot down to the busier stretches searching out a bargain or two. thanks to him we each returned with at least one new goodie. (and more for me ;))

-a wonderful trip all-and-all. food was great! accomodation was clean and comforatble. facilities were fab!  hotel staff were wonderful! and not one of us got thai-tummy! ;)

-lasting memory: ...on our final night dh treated us to drinks/dessert at a posh beachside bar-restaurant. large fires were burning in the floors, candle-lights adorned the tables, palm trees swayed, and a beach wedding reception bubbled quietly in the background. out on a raised wooden deck we reclined in comfort as the darkness enveloped us. the kids were calm and self-occupied, marvelling at the intricacies of cane, and how tiny sticks cd be slotted just-so through it's interesting web.  while absorbing the moment, we chanced upon the sight of 2 large flame-lit paper lanterns being released into the nightsky...at first they burned brightly, then they grew softer and more distant, eventually diminishing to the size of their neighbouring stars. then they disappeared altogether, like they'd never even been there at all.  quite cathartic...