Hello again my blogger friends! I have been a terrible blog writer as it has been over 1 month since my last post. The horror! Please accept my apologies and promises for better quicker future postings.
The month of April really flew by. For Tony's birthday, April 11th, we decided to take a much needed r&r trip to Phuket. It is pronounced Poo kete, not F*ck ette, for those of you with a dirty mind, and it is the largest island in Thailand. Remember that awful tsunami a few years ago? Well Phuket got hit very hard by it and thus almost everything you see if brand new construction as a result. We opted for the JW Marriott resort & spa knowing it was a secluded oasis and that if we didn't ever want to leave the resort, everything was there for our enjoyment.Upon arrival we were greeted with a lime juice cocktail and a beautiful flower necklace. The people took us right to our room and we checked in there rather than waiting at the reception desk. After a quick unpacking session, we suited up and hit one of the resorts three pools. One pool was the main pool and was where most of the kids and families hung out. The other pool had the swim up bar and was on one far end of the resort. And the final pool was shallow all the way through, perfect for lying in the water and escaping the sun, like a lagoon. We tried all three and 
could not pick a favorite! Everyday was more relaxing that the next. We just read our books and swam and drank and napped. We mostly stayed on the resort grounds. Here is a picture of our favorite bar, the Blue Lagoon. Set up outside on the beach were these big comfy beds / chairs where you could sit and sip your cocktail while watching the sun set. Here is a pic of the view....ahhh!
could not pick a favorite! Everyday was more relaxing that the next. We just read our books and swam and drank and napped. We mostly stayed on the resort grounds. Here is a picture of our favorite bar, the Blue Lagoon. Set up outside on the beach were these big comfy beds / chairs where you could sit and sip your cocktail while watching the sun set. Here is a pic of the view....ahhh!But the best part of each day was the afternoon around 3:30 PM when the baby elephants arrived!
There were two babies. The older one is Yum Yum, and he is three years old. He was very smart and friendly and he loves to pose for the camera and make little squeaky nosies. He also did tricks where he would sit on his butt or climb up onto a rock. Any little kid who dared could hop on his trunk and get lifted to the sky. He was so sweet and gentle. Here are some pics of my friend Yum Yum.
Tony really loved him too, but not as much as I did. He has my heart!
The second baby was Dumbo. He was just a little guy, and not quite yet two years old. He still had his baby elephant fuzzy hair on his body and unlike Yum Yum who would pop a whole bunch of bananas in his mouth at a time, Dumbo used his ninja trunk to peel each one individually, drop the peel on the floor and scarf down the banana. He also loved to swim! We caught them in the ocean one afternoon where Dumbo was floating around and body surfing. It must feel good to be weightless if you are a big baby elephant! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.
Tony really loved him too, but not as much as I did. He has my heart!The second baby was Dumbo. He was just a little guy, and not quite yet two years old. He still had his baby elephant fuzzy hair on his body and unlike Yum Yum who would pop a whole bunch of bananas in his mouth at a time, Dumbo used his ninja trunk to peel each one individually, drop the peel on the floor and scarf down the banana. He also loved to swim! We caught them in the ocean one afternoon where Dumbo was floating around and body surfing. It must feel good to be weightless if you are a big baby elephant! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.
Here is Dumbo at the pool after he had just taken a trunk full of pool water and squirted some of us in honor of the Thai New Year.
For Tony's birthday, we saved the fancy Italian Restaurant, Cucina, for his birthday feast (of 
course!) The best part was that I had arranged with the hotel a birthday set up where the seranaders came over to sing him happy birthday complete with cake and candles. He was pretty embarrassed, it was funny! Can you believe how old he is now? 33, old man! He never remembers, he always asks me how old he is when someone asks him. Must be starting to lose his memory already showing signs of age!
course!) The best part was that I had arranged with the hotel a birthday set up where the seranaders came over to sing him happy birthday complete with cake and candles. He was pretty embarrassed, it was funny! Can you believe how old he is now? 33, old man! He never remembers, he always asks me how old he is when someone asks him. Must be starting to lose his memory already showing signs of age! And as the birthday boy, he also was able to enjoy a massage on a daily basis. Right at the beach, they had these little thai ladies offering a one hour thai massage for 400 baht or about $13 USD. Can't beat that!
We did take one night off the resort and head into the Phuket city. Not too much to see there, but we did go to a very nice restaurant where we had a delicious Thai meal for the equivalent of $25 US. A lot cheaper than the resort prices! We also happened to be in Thailand for their New Year! Called the Songkran festival, the New Year spans April 13th - 15th and is most noted by the fact the everyone gets into a big huge water fight! People roam the streets with water guns and it is an all out battle to drench each other. We got squirted some but not too badly, all of the kids at the resort thoroughly enjoyed to fight, it was very cute. Just don't be caught in an all white outfit on any of these days or you will give the thai people the best wet t-shirt contest they've ever seen!
As for the rest of April, we did have another outing adventure over to a sister island in the Hong Kong mass called Cheung Chau. Tony, Patti, Grace and I went over there with the hopes of 
renting bicycles and cruising around a funky fishing village island. Well, we must have gone wrong somewhere because although we did find the bikes, the bike path was somewhat confusing - there were STEPS! Up steps, down steps, lots of steps. And also some ballistic hills that none of us except for Tony could get up. I had not been on a bike in about 10 years so the whole time I thought I was going to go flying off the front end and die, falling down the side of a cliff into the deep blue sea. It was pretty funny though. After we finished our biking attempt, we settled into a table by the water and ate a fabulous seafood lunch complete with Scallops on the half shell with garlic vermicelli, a steamed whole grouper with soy sauce, pan fried calamari with peppers 
and mushrooms, and some fresh baby bok choi with garlic and oil. Yum! So, not a total bust. Plus it was a beautiful day so we at least got some fresh air and exercise. Cannot explain to you how bruised my legs were from carrying the bike and bumping into my shins with the wheels, pedals, gears...ugh!
renting bicycles and cruising around a funky fishing village island. Well, we must have gone wrong somewhere because although we did find the bikes, the bike path was somewhat confusing - there were STEPS! Up steps, down steps, lots of steps. And also some ballistic hills that none of us except for Tony could get up. I had not been on a bike in about 10 years so the whole time I thought I was going to go flying off the front end and die, falling down the side of a cliff into the deep blue sea. It was pretty funny though. After we finished our biking attempt, we settled into a table by the water and ate a fabulous seafood lunch complete with Scallops on the half shell with garlic vermicelli, a steamed whole grouper with soy sauce, pan fried calamari with peppers 
and mushrooms, and some fresh baby bok choi with garlic and oil. Yum! So, not a total bust. Plus it was a beautiful day so we at least got some fresh air and exercise. Cannot explain to you how bruised my legs were from carrying the bike and bumping into my shins with the wheels, pedals, gears...ugh!In other news, the countdown has begun! It looks like the Sollazo family will be returning state side in mid June! So, six weeks to go or so, the official day has not been determined but we have found out where we will be returning to. Tony has accepted a job as the Branch Manager of our sales office in Minneapolis, Minnesota! It is the biggest office in the country ($$ wise) and this will be a great challenge and promotion for him. He is very excited. My job has not been finalized as of yet 100%, so more on that later, but of course I will be based in Minneapolis as well. A few things you should know about Minneapolis (don't worry, I just learned them too):
- It is the 16th largest city in the US (combined with sister city St Paul)
- It is America's most literate city, and as such draws creative people for theatre, visual art, writing and music
- Nickname is the "City of Lakes" and is very rich in water, wetlands and the like
- It is COLD! The average annual temp is 45 F making it the coldest major metropolitan city in the USA. Oh yea, and the average snowfall? 50 inches per year!
- The greatest artist of all time, Prince, hails from there. Maybe he can be my friend.
- Forbes ranked Minneapolis as the 3rd best city for couples
- The Mall of America - over 520 stores, 20+ restaurants, movie theatre, amusement park, Apparently it attracts more visitors than Disney World, the Grand Canyon and Graceland combined - OMG! Need I say any more?
- Minneapolis is one of the "greenest" cities and is very big of eco-friendly practises, a goal of mine is to become greener but as Kermit said, it's not easy being green
- Ranked the 3rd best metro area for raising kids
- The Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport was deemed the best in country for 'road warriors' by CNN Money
- Named the "Most Athletic City" by Men's Fitness magazine in 2005
- Minnesota has the nations lowest percentage of people without health insurance, and the second lowest percentage of people living below the poverty line
So, start your "Fare Watcher" and put us on the list for a visit to the mid west! But I'd suggest coming in the summer time, which lasts from July 1st to August 30th ; )
Till next time, I LOVE YOU & MISS YOU!
