Thailand Week!

I'm a little behind on my country recaps, but here was a fun week spent in Thailand. Every country has had amazing food, but Dan really outdid himself on this week's menu. Every meal was more delicious than the next.

Crafts 

We found these adorable little paper dolls that the kids could color and play with. The writing on the doll says Sawadee Kha and Sawadee Khrap, which is how you say hello in Thai. Dan helped them put it together and made this GIF to show you how they work.

Dan also made lotus flowers with the kids. Lotus flowers have religious and cultural significance in Thailand, as they represent growth and and purity. I found this description beautiful:

In Buddhist and Thai tradition, the lotus flower is seen as a symbol of purity, faithfulness and spiritual awakening. The flower itself emerges from the mud, constantly growing upwards towards the light and warmth, representative of the act of spiritual growth and reaching enlightenment.

Culture 

I studied abroad in Malaysia during graduate school, and at the end of my semester there Dan came and met me for five weeks of backpacking. We traveled through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In fact, it was on the second-to-last day of this trip that we got engaged in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay! We showed the kids some of our adventures in Thailand, including one of our more memorable rides in a tuk-tuk (a rickshaw), and one of our favorite spots--James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan).

We also watched a few NatGeo kids videos that toured the country. Each one is only around 5 minutes, so they're a perfect little peak into a country (here, here, and here). We also learned about Thailand's geography through this catchy song. 

Food

As I mentioned though, the food was the real hero here. I happen to love Thai food, so this week was already going to be a winner. When Dan and I were in Thailand, we took a cooking class in Chiang Mai. It was so fun to tour the market with our guide, hand-pick fresh ingredients, and then turn those ingredients into a three-course meal. We do a fair amount of Thai cooking at home, but usually just the standards. And, lately, we are more likely to order in from one of the amazing Thai restaurants near us. We decided to use this opportunity to both order and cook something new. Here was our menu: pad thai (of course),  pineapple fried rice, mango sticky rice, and pad kaprow gai (spicy thai basil chicken--new to us). We ordered these from Thai Taste by Kob (highly recommend!): crispy veggie spring rolls, fried fish cakes, and panang curry (my favorite!). 

Next up, France week! Ooh la la!

See our other country week adventures here.