If you have read the last few posts, you know that we are in Thailand right NOW!! Like Woahhh!
Life has been very busy leading up to this big change. So I am trying to back up a little and take you on a picture-rich journey of the last month or so.
Did you see this little clip I posted on Instagram?
Olivia kind of loved all the busyness of packing up. Pulling things out of boxes and them putting them all back in was her favorite game.
And right in between all of that she also started to walk like a PRO!
And then, almost without warning, it was our last weekend in Calgary so we had a little early first birthday party for Olivia.
Olivia loved to touch the frosting and even ate a little cake.
Party guests – these 3 girls were all born last summer within a matter of 2 months.
On Olivia’s actual birthday we left on our long trip to Thailand. Due to some flight delay, we spent almost 24 hours in Vancouver.
We had a great day exploring a bit of Stanley Park, eating great food and letting Olivia dip her feet in the ocean for the first time.
That delayed flight in Vancouver led to a missed connection in Shanghai. But we were provided with a hotel room to rest up in for a few hours.
Refreshed and happy we boarded old-school (via stairs) for the last leg of the trip.
Olivia was a fantastic traveler. She slept through the 2 shorter flights and through most of the 13 hour lang-haul.
Still, we were so happy to have finally arrived in Chiang Mai. I loved the wooden elements in our hotel room. But I had nightmares of Olivia hurting herself on it, since she loves to practice her new walking skills on the bed.
We spent the first few days frantically searching for an apartment. There are a ton of options for furnished apartments in Chiang Mai, but my need for a kitchen and spacial needs of a toddler made things a bit more complicated.
Finally, we just had to make a decision. And just before we were about to leave our hotel room, we got to witness a neat ceremony happening across the street.
A big sign was indicating a new business (a cafe + hotel) opening there soon. So I believe this was a ceremony for blessing and good fortune with the new business.
Do you see the squirrel running over the power lines just as I took this shot?
All in all, we are slowly settling in. For Konrad and I, arriving in Chiang Mai was a bit like coming home. We spent several months here on our last SE Asia trip. And it is fun to see the places that are still around, while also exploring a new part of the city now.
And Olivia loves it here too. She love the attention she gets everywhere we go.
She loves whirlwind tuk tuk rides,
daily pool breaks,
the baby powder we need to use now in this humidity (which she loves to help apply if she gets a hold of the container),
and Olivia loves the food here!
Fresh coconut water and delicious sweet pineapple are on the very top of the list.
