Garden lunch

This weekend we enjoyed the first garden lunch of the year. Saturday was lovely and oh how we long for some warm weather. Of course it was all an illusion and the week has offered some pretty miserable grey and cold days again. But soon, soon... summer will come (and then we'll sweat and complain, but that's another thing)!

Tây Hồ

These days, while the weather is still cool and permitting, I go for a walk around the neighborhood every morning. And I really am a Tây Hồ fan. The place is just so alive and vibrant and full of everyday life. It is definitely for a reason many foreigners chose to live out here, but the place still totally belong to its old time residents, the Vietnamese.

Japan Foundation

The other day, Hana's class went for an excursion to see the Paramodel exhibition at Japan Foundation. They were all fascinated by the installation, as were the accompanying parents and teachers. Impressive to see the whole bunch of three and four years olds completely absorbed with their task.

Listening attentively to art teacher Mr. Jacob.

Exploring.

And picking their spot for sketching. Hana and Vihaan doing the ambulance.

And now... back to normal

Of course, I don't say that anymore. We are indeed done with chicken pox, but many, many, many other out of the normal things can struck you anytime. But yes, we really would appreciate a few very normal weeks - before Keisuke is off to Manila in March. On the 11th to be specific...

Thailand part II - night train, chicken pox and surprise Bangkok weekend

Without doubt, train is the best way to travel. From Chiang Mai we took the night train back to Bangkok and all enjoyed it a lot.

Upstairs for kids, downstairs for parents.

Poxes popping out.

Then - and I really dont know how come it didnt cross our minds - we got into trouble at airport check-in in Bangkok. Fair enough they cant put highly contagious chicken pox kids in a plane with 250 passengers. After a quick repacking boys were waived off and girls got re-checked in at the hotel.

And honestly, we didn't suffer that bad during our three extra nights in Bangkok. There definitely are worse places to get stranded at.

Bye bye boys!

Considerably lighter packing (yes, we/I did have time for some shopping in Chiang Mai...), and off to check out the city.

Waiting for "poxes" to dry, and doctor to sign of the "fit to fly" certificate...

Thailand part I - Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is definitely also on our list of "places we could live". Thailand's second largest city, but still small, up in the mountains in the north, with lovely fresh and dry air. And lots of nature, elephants - and handicraft. Something for all.
We spent four nights at the lovely Secret Garden in a small village outside the city, went in and out to check out the Sunday market and so, but mostly just relaxed.

And then... chicken pox

After three weeks of winter break, a few weeks of school in between but too short to get any routines out of it, a week of Tet holidays and Monday finally brought kids back to school again. Then yesterday morning Keisuke left for a two week Vipasana meditation retreat in northern Thailand - of course completely disconnected from the rest of the world; no phones or internet, the whole point is to do absolutely nothing, not even talk, for ten days - and I was eager to get back to routines and get a loooot of time for myself. Apparently not meant to be. Yesterday afternoon Kai got all dotted... Chicken pox. It will take a week or two for him to recover. School is of course out of the question. A week or two is also about the time of incubation. Hana will most likely be next. So, I have quickly forgotten about the idea of time for myself, and put on the full time single mum dress...
(cant even call Keisuke and complain, maybe the worst of it all)

Tet week

Just as last year we spent Tet week in Hanoi, enjoying the relative calm, going here and there across town. Before that, however, we had to survive preparations, which is a lot of things, but calm is not one of them...

Hang Ma street propped with decorations.

Any shop can be converted to a Tet tree shop. Like this curtain shop on our street.

In school kids of course went on the traditional cyclo ride to the plantations.

Some "Blossoms 2" kids: Elina, Atabek, Amin, Sandra, Rebecka, Lena, Dion and Hana (hanging on to Ms. Frances)

And, parts of the "Stars" gang: Hoang, Kai, Soc, Jordy, Zack, Hosea and Amber.

Snack time with Theo at la Salsa on Nha Tho street down by the cathedral.

And it is actually possible to play football and fool around with the stroller on the street. Once-in-a-year opportunity.

Paying a visit to Jenny and Anh Kanh's place.

Traditional Tet lunch with Thoa and her family at her place behind the botanical gardens, just next to the B52 lake.

In 1972 when the American plane was shot down and came down in the middle of Hanoi she was seven years down and told us how the whole sky went red and booom down it came, less than a 100 meters from her house. No big pieces fell on them though...

Anything, especially during Tet, can of course be transported on a bicycle...