Southeast Asia for the Holidays, Part 4: Mom! There's a Lion in the Toilet

By Lisa Anderson

"We could have been any other European family headed to Thailand for our two weeks of Christmas vacation.
But we weren't.

We were Canadian, and we arrived in Bangkok via Qatar and Amman, Jordan.
We had left our cold northern home six weeks previous, and had, in that time, visited eight countries on three continents, and traveled half way around the world.
Minds tired, bodies exhausted, hungry, dirty and dusty with desert sand, covered with bites, and on edge from the last week of immediate threat to our personal security. Twitchy and nervous, scared for our four children.
We were very ready for a beach."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lisa Anderson
• Release date: Nov 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9780988084834

Lisa Anderson

Would you drop your confortable, daily routine and set off to explore the world with your husband and four children on a globe-trotting adventure of a lifetime? Life is full of such opportunities, some of them by chance and others by choice. Lisa Anderson, middle school teacher, small business manager and farmwife, embraced the risks, and has never regretted it. Now a Canadian Author Association award nominee and popular guest speaker, she spends her days encouraging others to live their best life, at every age. And she continues to explore our world with her family, one day at a time.

Book preview

Southeast Asia

For the Holidays

Part 4:

Mom! There's a Lion in the Toilet

by

Lisa Anderson

6 Andersons 1 World

Southeast Asia for the Holidays

#4 in the series:

Mom! There's a Lion in the Toilet

by Lisa Anderson

Copyright 2012 Lisa Anderson. All rights reserved.

Cover and maps by Katie Dooley Designs.

Edits by Cindy MacDonald

Smashwords Edition

eISBN: 9780988084834

Rating: General Audience

For additional titles by this author, visit http://www.6andersons1world.blogspot.com

#1: The Americas, North to South

#2: A Whirl Through Europe

#3: Gasp! The Middle East

#4: Southeast Asia for the Holidays

#5: Off to the Land of Oz

#6: Paused in Polynesia

Disclaimer: Though this story is based on actual places, people and events, in the interest of weaving a compelling tale and protecting the innocent, certain details may have been altered, changed or simply forgotten along the way. We apologize for any errors or omissions made. Let’s chalk them up to personal interpretation, confusion or just plain mistakes. It was a long trip. We tried to catch all the mistakes, but, alas, we are but human. Please don’t take any too seriously. If something is really quite alarming, or if you'd like to share your comments or review, we'd love to hear from you, our readers. Please contact us and we can make our amends in the next edition of the book. Bon voyage! Hope you enjoy the trip!

[e-mail]

Southeast Asia for the Holidays

#4 in the series:

Mom! There’s a Lion in the Toilet!

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Southeast Asia for the Holidays

Part 4: Mom! There's a Lion in the Toilet

Table of Contents

Prologue

Landing in Thailand

Derek in Phuket

Seaside at the Golden Sands Inn

Christmas Break – Diving the Deep Blue Sea

Thai Style Christmas

A day at Phi Phi Islands

Beach days as Karon

Big Fight, Tonight

Hong by Starlight

The year 2554, with a BANG!

Koh Samui, for a change of scenery

Out of the Wet

Deep Sea Fishing

The Fish Market

When in Doubt, add a Country… off to Indonesia

Jaclyn in Thailand

Bali Safari, Two continents in one

Mom! There’s a Lion in the Toilet!

A Day on Safari

Derek in Bali

Ubud and the Monkey Forest

Ever-changing plans

Prologue

We could have been any other European family headed to Thailand for our two weeks of Christmas vacation.

But we weren't.

We were Canadian, and we arrived in Bangkok via Qatar and Amman, Jordan.

We had left our cold northern home six weeks previous, and had, in that time, visited eight countries on three continents, and traveled half way around the world.

Minds tired, bodies exhausted, hungry, dirty and dusty with desert sand, covered with bites, and on edge from the last week of immediate threat to our personal security. Twitchy and nervous, scared for our four kids

We were very ready for a beach.

Landing in Thailand

December 19, 2010

Happy Birthday, dear Katie, I sang into her ear, as the airline hostess warned us of the approaching descent.

Our overnight flight to Bangkok, plus the hours of time adjustment, put us down in South East Asia on the early morning our youngest daughter turned seven.

The air was heavy and perfumed, and the terminal was buzzing with activity. The original plan would have been to spend a few hours in the capital, then board an overnight train south of the city to the resort island of Phuket. We would have experienced more authenticity that way. But now, on travel day number 40, we opted for an easier route. Six tickets on the local hopper, and we toured from above.

We arrived at our sweet beachside resort just after noon, and they checked us in early; we were a whole day early, truth be told. This is the only reservation I had made ahead, months in advance, on our entire trip. It was Christmas holiday season, and Phuket is a popular destination of many European families. No longer the off-season, we didn’t want to risk no room at the inn.

The Phuket Golden Sand Inn at Karon was very accommodating. We set ourselves up into two double rooms on the third floor, ocean view, and only steps to both the shady pool and sunny Karon Beach. The air was moist and humid, the fragrant tropical flowers sweet and the birdsong loud. This was the perfect place for some most-needed R and R.

"Can we go