Strange Sightings Around Town

You see these ladies pushing carts everywhere.  Sometimes they are loaded with cardboard
 higher then they are!

Anyone know what philatelic means?  Couldn't find it in the online dictionary.

These are the handiest machines when it's raining.  You push your umbrella inside and voila your
 wet brolly is dry and easy to carry!

Love this babies bare bottom!  Saves on diapers but it seems to me it could be messy!! Until
recently diapers weren't used and on the mainland they quite often still aren't.

                                                             

Please don't use the tables and seats if you are not maternal!!!

I was thinking of buying meat at the market till l saw the whole carcass lying on the floor, and the
 mangled one hanging from the table!

Many strange types of dried sausages here and it's always hanging outside!

This is a chicken wing with a sausage stuffed inside!  Not the greatest! 

I was dyeing to see what was on the front of this sweater but she never turned around!! 
Looks like she has some kind of large animal hanging under her coat!

These dudes were all dressed up for the Rugby 7 games that were going on!! 

Pretty much anything goes here.  Bamboo poles stacked on top of a van.  They weren't tied together, and if the van has to stop quickly it's not a big deal to the guy standing on the poles!

OH! OH!  His poles are slipping off the top!!!  Nobody cares, the traffic just goes around and people walk in between the cars if there is a lull in traffic! 

Notice the N and E turned around on the word entry!  We laugh at some of the English on the signs here
but l sure wouldn't want to try and write anything in Cantonese! 

It's not every day that you see fish drying from your clothesline!!

This caption was in a restaurant in Phuket and was referring to people coming in and taking food out!!

In case you're not sure what he is trying to be, he's wearing a viking hat with horns on top of
his bowl helmet!!!!

I took this picture on Sept. 28.  This is one of the busiest roads near our place, and as you can see there is
hardly a car on it.  This was the one and only typhoon day we had while we were here and everything really does shut down.  People and cars were beginning to come out when l took this picture.
Only 5 1/2 weeks till we come home.  The two years have gone so quickly but l think there are
still a few things left to see before before we head back!

Birthday Boys!

Hunter turned 6 on May 1st. and Keegan will be three on May 18th.  Because their birthdays are 

so close they had a double party last Saturday.

This little girl is our pastors daughter Izzy.

The party was at the school in the covered area of the playground, which was great as
it was a drizzly wet morning.

Rachel peeking through the bars.

Azul the schools blue lion mascot  made an appearance (thanks to Jocelyn for dressing up) which the kids loved.

Keegan was thrilled to see Azul,  but at the same time  half scared of him!!  Later  when he was  saying
his prayers at night he thanked God for the blue lion and also when he said grace!!

Rachel and I.  She was a little freaked out about Azul.  Mommy disappearing into a big blue costumn
was a little too much for a little girl!

They had rented a bouncy castle which the kids loved and also  this motorized little car was a huge hit
with the kids.

Wall climbing!

With the schools play apparatus and the things they rented, it was a great place for a party.

Just hanging out!!

More hanging out!

It's been a long time since l made kids birthday cakes, but l think they each got the kind they wanted.

They all seem to be puzzled about something!!!

Keegan wanted a dragon, and Hunter wanted an octopus!

Keegans dragon had fire coming out of his nostrils!

Everyone liked the dragon especially when the marshmallow eyes almost started on fire too!

Another family milestone!

Hunter went steady from 8:30 till 12:30 running, jumping and climbing and having a great time!

Somehow Keegan managed to sneek a third piece of cake when no one was looking!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm  Everyone loves birthday cake!!

Rachel showing off her blue tongue!

Jill asked that no gifts be brought to the party (because of their move home) but we had a little private
 gift  exchange later in the weight room!

Checking out his toy dragon!

The boys came home with us for the night, and it was a toss up who went to sleep first
 for an afternoon nap!!!!

Last Day in Phuket

Our last day in Phuket dawned sunny and hot,  This is looking from our hotel down to the beach.
When the tsunami hit in 2004 the water came up this street.

Cute little red taxi bus!!

A little bigger bus!

I had to take a picture of this, because no one who knows Blaine would believe that he would actually be laying on a beach somewhere!!!

The beaches are really beautiful.  If you are looking for a beach vacation in a different
 country,  try Thailand. 

Trying to entice people to go sailing.

Loved watching all the people selling cover ups, bathing suits, brooms all kinds of things.

We had gotten back to our room and cleaned up, when at about 3:30 there was a knock on the door
and the fellow said for us to leave immediately and gave us instructions on how to get up to higher
 ground, as a tsunami warning had been issued!!  So we grabbed our Hong Kong ID, passports and
wallets and headed out along with everyone else.

We ended up in this construction building waiting out the alarm.

People on a rooftop a ways over from us.

Looking over to a calm and empty beach.  Before 2004 the word tsunami was totally unknown and
 there was no warning system in place. The reason the warnings were given, was because of an
earthquake in Sumatra, which could have caused damage in other places.  It was rather unnerving
to hear the sirens going and having to run for higher ground, but thankfully nothing happened and
we ended up spending a few hours of our last day sitting in the heat
up on a hill!!  The all clear was given around 9 pm.

Looking down one of the streets of Kata Beach.

Heading out to the airport.  It seems funny to see wide streets and low housing after the last
two years of cramped traffic congested streets surrounded by skyscrapers!

Most of the housing is very poor shacks but there were a few homes like this mansion with beautiful
grounds, and the newer buildings like the street in the above picture.  All in all it was a great trip, and
 fun to see another country.