Life in an ocean

We landed in Thailand 2 weeks ago today and still find ourselves saying "are we REALLY here??" We continue to give all the thanks to the Father that nothing is wrong with Noah. We've stopped trying to figure out the reasons why He brought us here and instead just trusting that we're supposed to be here for this season. There are many things we don't have answers for regarding all the medical stuff, but we do know one of the reasons we're here is to refresh ourselves as a family ... emotionally, physically and spiritually. And a part of that process has involved kicking back a little and just being. We have laughed more, played more, and definitely EATEN more (yep, and we can all tell ... there's a gym plan already in the works AFTER we get back) in the last 2 weeks than we have since we've been back from the states following Steve's dad's funeral. The Father knows best and we will never stop trusting that His ways are best.

Today, we visited an aquarium called Ocean World. We heard raving reviews about this place before we ever got here. It has now opened back up after being closed for nearly 2 months during all the political stuff. It was every bit as amazing as we heard it was. It was pretty awesome to be so close to the Father's "5th day creations!" Gen. 1:24 - "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life." Thank You, Father, for speaking this world into existence!!

A little pre-show as we walked in ... the incredible thing about this place is that it is in the bottom of a mall, one of the biggest we've ever seen! The Thai people love their malls .... and they know how to fill them up with all kinds of amazing things!

Emma and one of the ocean princesses!!

Let the tour begin .... Elizabeth passed her old camera to Emma after she got a new one. Emma was pretty snap happy today!

The coral was beautiful!

Picture of a shrimp ... taken by Elizabeth.

We also got a chance to go behind the scenes with a tour guide.

In an effort to recoup on some lost tourism dollars during the 2 months of political unrest in this city, Ocean World discounted the admission rate and put together an incredible package of 6-7 different "events", including the glass bottom boat tour. We spent several minutes in the shark tank and could actually see the hundreds of fish species below us. Not to worry, we had life vests!!

Waiting for our turn....

We had a really neat tour guide ... and somewhat of a comedian. He assured us that the sharks only ate kids ... as Noah was the ONLY kid on the boat out of about 10 of us.

....which is probably why it was good that these 2 had already chosen to stay behind and take pictures from the sidelines!! :)

It was pretty neat to look down and see the underworld below us....

Moving on to "Mermaid Garden" ... we never saw the mermaid show, but this was definitely one of the prettiest tanks.

The rainforest.....

We then made our way to the Amazon, which is also where you can be sure you'll find a python!! A definite highlight for our snake lover!!

They also had several "shows" throughout the tour, some of which were in Thai and English. This one, however, was only in Thai. It only lasted for 10 minutes or so, and even though we had no idea what they were saying, it was fun to watch. And Emma was eager to get her picture taken with the princesses!

Noah and a big pink fish!

The penguin exhibit ... these were NOT the real deal!

But these were!! Fun to watch them swim around....

Always good for a fun photo op!

And then we got to experience a foot massage by a fish, several thousand fish to be exact! "Happy Feet" was a part of our package, but we really didn't know what to expect. As it turns out, the fish DID make our feet happy ... by swimming all around us and attaching themselves to us in a "kiss-like" way. Sounds strange, yes, but it was one of the neatest things of the entire day!

We had to go through a "foot washing" process first ... sounds biblical, but it was not! :)

MOST of us put our feet in the water right away ... while ONE of us did not!

She just couldn't make herself do it ... but finally decided to go for it.

And then quickly pulled them back out. If you know Emma well, this is an Emma face no doubt!

It was a little weird to look down and see fish attacking you...

But in the end, we decided that happy feet make happy people!!

We then rounded the corner and saw "the tunnel." We visited one of these in Gatlinburg a few years ago and were reminded quickly how much fun we had there. There's no feeling quite like it when you can look up and see a 10 foot shark swimming above your head!

Looking up a glass bottom boat ... same boat that we rode - just a different angle!

Yep, the tunnel was a hit!!

And so were the jellyfish.....

Yes, another cheesy photo up ... but a photo op nonetheless!

A dive show....

The next stop ... an underwater play. They turned these massive bubble blowers that moved the sharks away from the front of the tank so the players could do their thing. The sharks were still in the tank, but the shark guards kept them in a cetain area until the play was over.

This play was in English and Thai.....

Next stop ... the shark feeding!!

Ocean World eventually came to an end ... but it was definitely a fun, memory-making day!!

Before heading home for the day, we went to the food court and had dinner. We let Elizabeth pick out the restaurant and she chose one of her favorites ... Vietnamese. The rest of us had never tried it, but Elizabeth had it with friends during orientation last fall. We're glad we listened to her!!

During orientation, Emma's class "practiced" using chopsticks with M&M's one day. We're thinking the practice paid off. Between the sticks (and a couple fingers), she managed to get full!

It was a great ending to a great day ... and after a 7-8 minute taxi ride, we were back home!! Thank You, Father, for Your underwater world, for Vietnamese food, and taxis with a/c!!