It’s Saturday, and there are Christmas activities going on here and there throughout the city. We have had our eye on one in particular for a while, but haven’t booked anything, so we book it this morning, for an 11.30am start. Only problem is, we don’t hear back… Joe uses the Asian app Line, which he started using in Japan, and messages the organizer. There is no reply. At 10am, we have to make a decision, and we get a Grab taxi to drive us the near hour out into the mountainside to the Art Café.
We are almost first to arrive, and ask if they received our booking. They hurriedly count their supplies, and decide that the girls can stay, and they each get a gingerbread house to decorate. There are supplies, decorations, icing “glue” and helpers galore! The event was supposed to be an 11.30am to 2.30pm gingerbread house workshop, so Joe and I settle in outside and order two juices and a sandwich.
Maylin is done decorating and comes outside to see us. She’s hungry, and we order her a sandwich. Ours arrives after more than 45 minutes wait, and we offer her some of ours.
Both girls are now done, their creations boxed up and it’s only just 12.45pm. We are in the middle of nowhere, and home sounds pretty sweet right now, Joe and I have been warm the entire time, as there was no room for all the parents to be in the air conditioning, the entire café is now a gingerbread workshop. Joe goes in to pay and enquire about Maylin’s sandwich. It has not yet been started, so we politely cancel our sandwich order, buy the girls an ice cream cone each instead from the freezer near the cash register (instantly ready to eat). But hurry! Our Grab taxi is arriving in 8 minutes! I’ve never seen the girls finish their ice creams quite this fast, and we carefully carry two beautiful gingerbread houses to the parking lot.
We get home, gingerly (pun intended) put our houses down, and jump straight into the pool (well, after changing into appropriate attire, of course). After swimming and showers, we get dressed and head – to Bluport! There’s an event there at 6pm, so we decide to eat inside the mall before the event, instead of trying to stop by Tamarind and then hope to find a ride to the mall.
Bluport outside is packed. There are important looking people on stage and an entire audience watching them when we arrive, and we hurry past to go eat first. Food court today, Téa picks a pork noodle soup, and Maylin wants what Téa has. Joe gets a chicken curry over rice, and I end up with fried chicken and briyani. All in total, dinner and drinks for the family, 310THB or $13.55CA.
After dinner, we head back outside, where it is now pitch dark and a beautiful lady is singing All I Want for Christmas. Téa asks me who she is, but I have no idea. Obviously famous, there are phones taking pictures and videos everywhere, tv cameras and lots of applause.
Her song finishes, and now the important looking people start speaking. First a former deputy prime minister speaks. Then another man, then another man. Maylin’s asking to go home. More speaking. Then they line all of the important people, including the singer, up on the stage, and the tree is lit! Now they promised snow, but where is it?
There’s a tiny canon at the back of the audience spewing out white smoke, which turns into white falling specks that look like snow. Tiny but magical. Lots of cheers. And then lots of coughing. It stings our throats and we hurry out of there, let someone else marvel at the dandruff in the sky.
We cross the street and stick our hand out when the tuktuk bus arrives. It is a busy night, and packed. Téa and Maylin usually always get seats, as kids need to be protected at all times in Thailand, it’s just the norm when dealing with locals. We’re dealing with a bus full of tourists, so no seats are provided, but one man kindly makes sure both girls are given sufficient space and a spot on the pole to hang on. Joe and I both stand on the little step inches above the road, holding on and facing the girls. My dress balloons, and I’m glad it’s a long one.
The bus empties when we get to Cicada, and now we have seats. We decide we’ve had enough food, entertainment and people, so we take the bus all the way home.
I’m in the mood for papaya, so I head down to the papaya vendor to buy some fruit. The rest of the evening is a Christmas movie and family time. It was fun to see snow, but makes me wonder how safe the stuff was, considering all the people around us were also coughing. Glad to be able to access the real deal whenever we want, once we’re back.