Xavier has been thrilled about his impending birthday. Prior to the big day he had planned every event that we would participate in (especially since he has to wait 2 weeks until his friends-only birthday party). So when we arrived at Cartoon Kingdom for an hour of jungle fun, we thought things were off to a good start. Once the kids were justifiably dripping of sweat and exhaustion, we decided make our way to activity #2-- Dr. Fish.
Dr. Fish is one of those figures-it-originated-in-Southeast-Asia-activities that is not only common here, but also a must-experience while visiting. Found at the Supermal just minutes from the house, Dr. Fish is a boutique at the mall where you can pay $3 bucks for 15 minutes of incredibly weird fun. Cut into the floor are huge bathtubs filled with reddish log sucker fish. They offer a fish pedicure and nibble off dry, dead, skin from your feet and legs by sucking. Crazy! Putting our feet inside was a bit of a shock for the kids and I. Passers by froze in their paths as we (read: Angela) screamed with a mixture of excitement, fear, and exhilaration. The feeling is nearly inexplicable. A slight feeling of pins and needles as the fish swarm around your feet and suck away. Rob was thrilled with the feeling and, after a few minutes, the kids were relaxed and enjoyed the experience immensely. After our 15 minutes of fish reflexology, we dried our feet and walked away rejuvenated. Our feet looked fresh and felt clean--what a difficult day in Southeast Asia.
The afternoon was broken up by some brief shopping at the hardware and grocery store--the smell of durian lingering like a repulsive cloud over my head--thank God I'm not pregnant or I'd never survive in a grocery store here! Xavier quite enjoyed picking out his birthday present as mama spent some quality time negotiating paint colors. We spent the hottest part of the day at home in air conditioned loveliness reading, playing, and Skype-ing loved ones.
At night, we made our way back to the Supermal where Xavier wanted a dinner of pizza and ice cream. Pizza Hut pizza is a very exciting find here. Light and bubbly crust tasting similar to Brooklyn-style pizza is going to make it hard to give up bread again. Yummo! On our way home from the mall, we were on a quest for our frogs on the grass and bats flying through the trees. As we approached our house, we were planning our bath-books-bed routine but the large dark shadow scurrying along the outside wall of our house startled us. I tried to, coyly, ask Rob if that's what a rat. He told me it was and as we got closer to the house I was praying that the rat wouldn't make it's way up our gate and into our garden, but, of course, it did! Once noticed, Anouk immediately (and on cue) began crying. We tried to convince Anouk that his name was Ratatouille and he was a nice rat, but she put us in our place. While keeping one eye on the front wall of our garden to watch for the moving shadow, we unlocked the door of the house. Xavier ran in to unlock the garage door and release our foot-long guard dog who we thought would be desperate for a bathroom break (and who would chase the unwelcome visitor away). But like the lame little puppy that she is, she stood on the porch wagging her tail, totally oblivious of the task we had for her.
Once we were all safely in the house, we began to put away all of our bags of shopping and prepare for bedtime. I went into the kitchen to put the scissors away and freaked out when I turned on the light--a 2-inch long cockroach type bug was chillin' by the stove. I screamed bloody murder and ran out to the living room. Anouk, still crying over the rat freaked at the assumption that there was a rat in our kitchen. I spelled out my findings to Rob and told the kids not to go in there, which, in-turn prompted Xavier to walk right into the kitchen to see what all the hubbub was about. Tossing a towel on the bug, Rob trapped the creature and then pounced like an attacking lion. He came out into the living room to tell me that he hadn't heard a crunch but he thought he got it. He and Xavier went in to check the trap and were pleased to see the cockroachy thing was smashed to smithereens.
After that brief encounter, we all walked upstairs to get the babes (particularly our tiny tearful girl) ready for bed. I jumped in the shower to wash the day's adventure and humidity off me when Rob told me, in no uncertain terms, to not look on the bed. Of course, I freaked out again. Apparently, a millipede had founds its way onto my side of the bed. As I learned this information I screamed at the kids and warned them to evacuate their beds so we could do a bed-check. After our brave and fearless papa pulled off one sheet at a time, our timid family was hysterical with laughter (except Anouk who was hysterical with tears) at the peculiar turn our evening had made. After bed-checks, Xavier decided to keep his sister safe by letting her sleep in his bed.
Rob and I decided to conclude our crazy evening with a good movie, some popcorn, and a double gin and tonic. As I got the movie ready, Rob tossed the popcorn in the microwave. As the microwave pulled the amperage it needed to pop the corn, the circuits blew and we lost power again. With the freaky rat lurking somewhere outside, Rob braved the fuse box out in the garden. What would I do without him?
Xavier's 7th birthday was another interesting day in Southeast Asia and not one soon forgotten!
