Shopping!!

Our last full day in Bangkok was spent inside as the temperature topped out at 39 degrees - it was just too hot to be outside. We spent the day at CentralWorld Mall, one of many incredible malls in Bangkok. The girls found some great clothing that is difficult to find in Macau. We also took in a movie - Jack the Giant Slayer- and had a nice dinner followed by a trip to Dunkin Doughnuts. Overall, the shopping in Bangkok is the best we've encountered in Asia (and that's saying a lot!) Other excellent malls we visited included BMK and Siam Paragon; they are all worth visiting if you get a chance to visit Bankok.

The Grand Palace

One of the must-see places in Bangkok is the Grand Palace. Think of Buckingham Palace or the Forbidden City and you will u

nderstand the importance of the palace to the Thai people. The buildings were beautiful and there were many of them.  Around the grounds there were ornate statues and the buildings themselves contained incredible attention to detail. One building in particular contained a beautiful mural that continued on for several hundred metres. It was a difficult visit because of the heat, but overall it was well worth our time and energy. 

Jim Thompson's House

We visited the home of Jim Thompson, the man credited with developing the Thai silk industry to what it is today. The house and gardens were beautiful and the house itself was a great example of Thai architecture with a mix of western influences. Thompson was also an avid collector of art and sculptures and many of the pieces in the home were several hundred years old.

Easter in Bangkok

We wanted to get away for the break - somewhere close that was a short journey away. Bangkok fit the bill perfectly; we could fly from Macau and be there (fairly inexpensively) in under three hours. Our first full day had us visiting Chatuchak market, the largest outdoor market in Asia (so we were told). There are several thousand stalls/shops to choose from and I believe it; it took us nearly two hours just to walk around the perimeter of the market. When we did venture inside we cam upon a labyrinth of never-ending shopping and eating. It was a great place to look for clothing and household items as well as a great place to eat. We lasted as long as we could but with the temperature between 35 and 38 degrees, it was tough going. Nevertheless, we did manage to find some great deals.

Emily's Trip to Thailand

Last week Emily traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand with all the other grade eight students at TIS. It was the annual "Experience Week" where grade 7-12 students travel abroad or take part in educational conferences. It was a fun-filled week as Emily and her classmates took part in many activities: Muy Thai boxing, archery, batik painting, cycling, canoeing, Thai cooking, shopping and a trip to the Elephant Nature Park. More photos from her trip can be found here.

Emily the Track Athlete

Emily tried some new sports this year - Javelin, High Jump and Long Jump. I think she was partly interested because her Dad was coaching! She really developed an interest for the javelin and the high jump but not so much for the long jump. Unfortunately, she was only entered in the long jump at this years DSEJ track meet. Nevertheless, she gave it her all and finished in the middle of the pack. She is very much looking forward to next track season. 

Our New Home

The Varga family blog has been a bit quiet lately... it's been busy for all of us. We've been getting settled into our new home. Why move? Our previous apartment was sold and the new owners told us the lease would not be renewed. So we started looking around for prospective buildings with a plan to move in March or April. Of course we found an amazing place and couldn't let it slip by. So there we were, moving seven days prior to Christmas. It was crazy but it made our holiday in Malaysia that much more special. THe apartment itself is bigger than our previous one and on a quieter street as well. We are on the 27th floor and while we gave up an amazing view and a balcony, we still have great views of the inner harbor and of the mainland.