In many ways, the last two days feel a little like the movie Groundhog Day, although in completely different countries. In both cases, we start by heading to the airport in the morning, flying into the city (Kuala Lumpur first, Hong Kong second), rushing to the hotel to check in while there is still some time left in the day, and heading to the local market to browse through more knock-offs until bedtime. Each location has its respective nuances (our cab driver in KL channeling Mario Andretti, and the street vendors in Hong Kong selling the chicken-head banana hammocks (Rachael when do you graduate again?)), but one big city mostly blends into the next for me.

Tomorrow we begin the long journey home. Nick is dreading the 15 hour flight to Chicago, but going back always seems faster so I think he will get through it OK. Angela has mastered the art of sleeping anywhere, so no worries there. And me? Well there’s a stack of gastrointestinal endoscopy guidelines I need to read through to make into an app, so let the good times roll.

As trips go, this one had a bit of a different flavor than most we have gone on. Of course having one of the kids along was the biggest change, and where in the past the memories came from our seeing things for the first time, this time around, we watched it all happen through Nick’s eyes. I think back to when I was 11, when a big trip was going from Dawson Creek to Vancouver, and after getting past just wanting to be Nick in my next life, am amazed at how resilient little people are. To be able to get dropped into a country 7,500 miles away, and carry on as if such things are perfectly normal is pretty cool. And while I don’t think he understands it yet, being comfortable going new places and trying new things is a tremendous gift.

It’s no secret that we love Thailand, and every time we go it is hard to leave. The people were just as wonderful as we remembered them, and all the new things we tried (from crocodile kissing to bungee jumping) have made for another set of great memories. Even more valuable that those, are the memories of the wonder that only exists on the face of an 11 year old petting their first elephant, diving their first tropical reef or cooking their first Thai meal. We’ve had a very busy three weeks, and as I’m sure Nick would agree, now it’s time for some rest.

One last day in Thailand and one final activity on the list. We added Railay Beach as a destination specifically for the rock climbing Nick read about trying to plan for the trip, so in some ways, it seems fitting that we can end our time here on this note. Knowing we don’t have a whole lot to accomplish, we take it easy most of the morning, just relaxing on the beach until the heat gets to be too much.

The climbing is no more than a 5 minute walk from our hotel, thankfully on the shady side as it is pushing 90 degrees. There are climbing shops everywhere here, and for about $20, we are able to hire a guide to take Nick one on one for four hours (assuming he can last that long). Angela and I tag along, but purely as spectators, and to capture the event for posterity. We get some good shots from the ground, but after a few routes figure we’ll give the Joey Cam a try and capture the climber in action.

After five routes, Nick’s arms are like noodles, so even though he still has some time left, he calls it a day and we head back to the hotel. He has checked the movie Inception out from the front desk and is anxious to watch it before dinner, which gives me a chance to catch up on some work that I have been pushing off most of the last couple of weeks.

We head back out for our last dinner here, and while we were hoping to find something memorable, we strike out again, leaving us 0 for 3, and reminiscing about Samee’s on Koh Phi Phi.

Before turning in, we return to the beach, this time with the Joey Cam to see if we can capture the bioluminescent plankton from underwater. It is spectacular once again, and while we are able to capture a few minutes of film, when we play it back in the room it appears mostly black. So as a substitute, I came across this clip from The Beach that is a pretty good facsimile (you’ll have to use your imagination a bit to swap me in for Leonardo, but it’s a close resemblance, so shouldn’t be too hard).

And with that, our time in Thailand is done. We still have a few days before flying back to Redmond, but they are going to be big city days (Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong), so will feel a whole lot different than what our life has been for the last three weeks. As always, it is sad to have another adventure coming to an end, but it has been a long time for all of us away from friends and family, so we feel ready to start working our way back. Watching Sammy sing his hairbrush song, and Joey shake his booty to the electronic piano via Face Time is fine, but there’s no substitute for the real thing.