Coconut smashing....

On a very sunny day this week, we decided to stay home and just relax by the pool. Actually you think it is always sunny here but we had some cloudy days the last 2 weeks, so this was an exceptional hot and sunny day. Normally it is just HOT! Besides swimming and jumping in the pool, the girls decided to try a new game: coconut smashing!

Next to our resort is an empty lot where a lot of old coconuts are laying around. So Juliet and Jasmine gathered some of these heavy nuts and brought them back to our place. We are directly on the beach, but it is a rocky beach and the girls play a lot climbing up and down on these rocks. Looking for little critters.. anything that moves. But today they found another way of using these rocks. Climbing on top and throwing these heavy coconuts on the rocks below in hopes that they crash and the liquid that is inside will come plashing out. Well, they tried their hardest but they couldn't crack these nuts! However, they had fun trying it, and it kept them busy for quite a while! In the meantime I was relaxing and reading my Kindle... mommy had fun watching them in between my chapters :-)

These are the rocks at the end of our resort. The island in the back is Koh Pangnan.



Jasmine and Juliet gathering old coconuts.



and trying to smash them!



And on the left you see my beach chair, nice and relaxing under a big tree to make sure I don't get too much sun at a time!



A view from where the girls are standing looking back into the garden of the resort.



Looking towards the west, next to us is the Four Seasons Resort.



Looking towards the east, there is my favorite Thai restaurant where we eat quite often these days :-)



Khun Porn, the manager here, thought that the girls were trying to open these coconuts to drink the liquid, the girls knew though that the liquid inside these old nuts is not good, but she didn't know they knew! So she plucked 2 coconuts from the tree and gave the girls these fresh and young ones... but these tasted not well either!! Surprise, surprise the juice out of these coconuts tasted SALTY!! Because the trees on the seaside need liquid too, but the water they use is salty so the juice inside the coconut was salty as well... we learned something new today!

Thailand, the land of fresh coconut juice!!


Did you know that coconut juice is one of the healthiest beverages?

Its unique combination of nutrients gives it incredible health-promoting properties. Coconut water has a normalizing effect and gives the body a boost of energy so that it can overcome a number of health-related conditions. It is effective in relieving dehydration, fatigue, constipation, and other digestive disturbances, kidney and bladder disorders, and vision problems such as glaucoma and cataract. It is reported to turn back time, so to speak, by reversing or slowing down the aging process. Coconut water also has an alkalizing effect on the body, helping to counteract or balance the effects of acidifying foods which are so common in our diets. Research shows that coconut water can improve blood circulation, lower elevated blood pressure, and reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes. Studies have been so impressive that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has approved coconut water to carry the claim that it "may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke."

Sawasdee Kha!
Mireille

A day on the boat

We were invited to go on a boat trip with our friends Annette, Oscar, and their children Jing Lan & Chang, their neighbor Rutger has a small boat in which we made an exciting day trip to Bandon Bay at the mainland of Surat Thani, this is the largest of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand, which is about 80km from the western coastline of Koh Samui.

Some boats laying around at the pier of departure on Koh Samui.



Here is our Captain Rutger with one of his handmade boats.



We are heading to Don Sak.




And our youngest passenger, Chang. The son of our friends.



Our first destination, a small beach side restaurant in Bandon Bay, where we stop for a coffee and the children go and look for shells.



An idyllic white house with a red roof is situated here on the coast, next to the restaurant. How bliss!!



We are welcomed by a small dog, which the kids immediately made their friend.



Back onto the boat for the next stretch, now we go onto the Tapi river to have some lunch at a seafood restaurant before heading back to Koh Samui.



Hundreds of fishing boats are laying on the docks of the river, the area has a strong fishing smell, which the kids didn't like too much. But after a while we either got used to it or the wind turned...





A lot of local people live here on the banks of the Tapi river, all working in the fish industry.





On the way back we saw many small uninhabited islands with gorgeous white sandy beaches, there is still a lot of land in Thailand that is not invaded by tourists, that is great to see. And I hope these small islands will be like that forever!!

We had a great day, saw so many beautiful sights, had a great seafood lunch at a place where not many tourists will go! The real deal! Thanks to Rutger, Oscar and Annette!!

Sawasdee Kha,
Mireille

It is hard...

to live without your Nintendo DS.... even when you are on such a beautiful island as Koh Samui! LOL





PS: Are you following the World Cup Football??
I got away from it... but since my dad is here, I am following some games as well... must admit it is quite addicting ;-)

PPS: Dirk is shaving his head bald, when HOLLAND wins the finals..... they are getting closer...
Can't wait to see my hubby again after the finals, 6 weeks without him is quite long!
With or WITHOUT hair would be fine for me ;-)

Have a great Sunday!
Mireille

Beaches...

The other day we spent a day on the beach, I like to explore all kinds of different beaches, each has their own character. So we went to Mae Nam Beach. We had been there before with my friend Annette and her daughter Jing Lan, but then I didn't have my camera with me, and my dad hadn't seen it yet, so we went again.



Mae Nam Beach has to be one of the most under-rated beaches on Ko Samui. A delightful stretch of yellow sand on the north coast of Samui. The 4-Km long beach here is clean with calm waters, so ideal for children. The sand is not as smooth as Chaweng's and the sea not as shallow, but it provides a quiet and remarkably tropical feeling. It has some great vistas, palm trees right on the sand, so you always have shade... which is very important to me and above all, some great massages directly on the beach, for just Bht.300/$10 an hour! Can't beat that!!



The girls brought their little pet shop animals to play with, and they had set up a whole scene ;-)



After we settled down under a huge palm tree, we immediately got a warning from a lady next to us and a beach vendor.... we were too close to the tree, there were huge coconuts above us, and if some winds came up we could be killed by those heavy nuts, so we moved a bit away... still in the shade, but not directly under it anymore :-)

While we are relaxing all kinds of beach vendors pass by, luckily not so many that it gets annoying, just a few and they actually had some decent clothing, jewelry and yummy foods, fruits and ice creams. So the girls were happy to choose something and me and my dad ordered a spicy papaya salad, which is just one of my favorites! Som Tam Thai... arroy maak!



Our Som Tam lady...





The lady who sells jewelry, no luck with us today, but who knows maybe another day ;-) Even though she didn't sell anything, the Thai people still stay friendly and don't make a fuss. That's what I love about them!!



Life is good!

Sawasdee Kha!
Mireille

Mummified monks & sunglasses...

On our road trip the other day we saw a nice temple and decided to stop. It was Wat Kunaram. With inside the body of Koh Samui’s most famous mummified monk Loung Pordaeng. He sits, 25 years after his death, wearing sun glasses and his orange robe in a specially built glass case and display room. 2 Monks were hanging around the temple grounds trying to throw a rope over a tree, and another older monk was sitting there trying to sell some holy paraphernalia. A special place which we found by luck! How great is that! Luckily we were all dressed decently, otherwise you can't visit the temple grounds!! We were just on our way to the water falls :-)

Wat Khunaram.











The girls looking a bit hot and not so much in the mood for posing ;-)



Although the monk is wearing sunglasses, we as the common person are NOT allowed to wear sunglasses inside the temple! There must be a difference :-)

Thailand, the land of great beaches, spicy food and mummified monks!

Sawasdee Kha,
Mireille

Waterfalls and elephants....

There aren't that many tourist attractions on Koh Samui. People visit this island mostly to hang out on the beach and there are plenty and really beautiful ones!

But we read about a waterfall, so since we were making a road trip and would pass it anyway, we headed for Na Muang II Waterfall. The highest point is 80 mtr, so not that impressive. What is nice about is, that it is in a shady area and it has a nice natural pool underneath where you can swim and cool off. But by all means; I have seen more impressive waterfalls in my life... even the girls have seen better. So if you are visiting Koh Samui, go if you have some spare time, but don't despair if you miss it! Maybe an interesting fact: This waterfall has been visited by several Thai kings such as Rama V and his queen, Queen Saovapa Pongsi and later by King Rama VII. King Rama IX and his queen visited in 1962.

When we arrived we were told that you can only go by elephant to the water fall, or you have to walk/climb 4 km.... well, in this heat we didn't feel like walking and climbing, so we opted to do the elephant ride. Since my dad never had been on an elephant back it was a nice thing to do.

Juliet went with my dad and Jasmine came with me, it is quite the bumpy ride, but fun! We made a trek from about 1 hour through the beautiful forest around the waterfall.



View from on top, Bang Bang's huge head, with its stiff hair on top, feels very funny!



We even saw some durian growing in the wild. This is a very large fruit, with a bumpy scale and it smells very foul!



Grandpa and Juliet on Jumbo



The girls first wanted to go and swim in the pool at the base of the waterfall but had decided against it... it was a bit chilly!



At the beginning of the waterfall was also a Holy Tree, a new pair of women's shoes was donated and I was wondering why? But reading this info below I got it! Even a woman's spirit needs shoes!!



A very big and very tall tree of the kind which the people believe to be the abode of the spirit will not be felled at any cost. The Takian tree in the particular is a very well-known one where a female spirit has her habitation. She is known as "Nang Takian" or Lady Takian. In the imagination of the people, Lady Takian usually takes the form of a beauty maiden who sometimes makes a wailing and piercing sound when the tree, her abode, is felled. Unforeseen and mysterious calamities will befall the person or persons who destroy her abode. A Takian tree growing near the bank of a river with its root protruding above ground is to be avoided, for the Lady Takian of that tree is a fierce one. Whoever relieves himself near the base of her tree will suffer from ulcers. To add to the belief, both kinds of trees, Takian and Yang are usually found in a Wat where all sorts of ghost stories emanate.

Thailand; the land of smiles, but also many mysteries and superstitious!!

Sawasdee Kha!
Mireille

Spa on the beach

On Sunday we gave the girls a spa treatment on the beach. Jasmine, Juliet and their friend Jing Lan lined up on the beach chairs on our beach and each got a chocolate face mask, a full body massage and a nail polish on hands and feet done by these 2 'professionals' named Mireille & Annette :-)

So much fun, a great idea for a new kind of business.... "Spa for Kids" or "Relaxing on the Beach for the Missus"! To get rid of all kinds of kids stress, to forget busy school schedules and other things that worry a child's mind! Hey if the daughters of Kimora Lee Simmons; Ming Lee & Aoki Lee can do it, WE CAN TOO!! LOL




So here the line up on the beach. It is not too sunny and a little breeze is going on, perfect weather for a perfect afternoon!
Is this the FABULOSITY life style or what??





Juliet, with her chocolate face mask. An excellent moisturizer that leaves your skin soft and glowing.



Jasmine is realizing that chocolate helps stabilize your mood by initiating serotonin release. It is very rejuvenating and helps you feel more at peace, happy and relaxed.



Jing Lan is already a lot happier than when she came! :-)



The girls and the moms had a fun afternoon! I can't remember that I got these kind of treatments when I was 5 or 8!!
I was playing in the mud, instead of having this mud kind of concoction on my face :-)

By the way; if you like to give your daughter or son a treatment like this, you can make the chocolate mask by using this recipe here, or if you like to do it like us just go to a pharmacy and look for the chocolate mud masque by Montagne Jeunesse, it is really moisturizing & hydrating!
And it smells divine as well :-) Addicting these kind of treatments, but now it is time for MOMMY!!

Sawasdee Kha,
Mireille

A relaxing day at the pool

Some days the girls are just happy to have a day with nothing planned and just play time at the pool. So we do these days as well. Me and my dad sitting in the shade, reading a book or just chatting away while the girls do all kinds of pretend play in and around the pool. Easy, fun and relaxing!!

Making exotic juices for us to 'pretend' drink :-)



Jasmine is into brewing things from leaves and flowers, she can play hours, also by herself, while Juliet is reading... :-)



JJ reading her books at the side of the pool, she can't leave her books alone. These are new ones that Opa brought from the Netherlands.



A view from the beach side, the pool and the girls having fun.



A view from the pool into the garden, our house is the second roof on the right.



And at night sleeping in their new nightgown, the T-shirt they got at the Dutch bar from the soccer match Holland vs Japan. Their faces glowing from all the sun they got...



Today we are making a road trip around the island, this is in total about 100 km. There are different beaches we like to explore, some waterfalls and other vistas.

More about that later.
Have a good day!
Mireille