2018 was a very good year

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Nanette Harter

As I sit here listening to Christmas music and enjoying the colored lights and ornaments we have put up to celebrate the season, I am grateful for all my family and friends. We had the opportunity to visit family on the mainland as well as enjoying many Maui visits from friends and relatives throughout the year.

I continue to work as a freelance Travel Director. The freelance part means I work for several DMC (Destination Management Companies) and also means I am not full-time with any. The busy “season” for Travel Directors is January to May when many companies schedule their employee incentive trips to Hawaii . I do a wide variety of things: I work at the airport for arrivals and departure greetings, work at activity locations (e.g. zipline or snorkel boats), dispatch transportation, oversee evening dine-arounds, and work at the hospitality desk. Sometimes I am scheduled out a year in advance when a company knows they will be hosting a large group and other times I get contacted just a week before as the group is finalizing their activity plans. I might be scheduled a full week with one group or a day or two at a time. That’s why it’s good to work for several companies to keep a full schedule during the season. This past year, I worked on Kauai, the Big Island, and on Maui (the companies cover all expenses for me on other islands.)

Neil continues to work at Hilo Hattie’s shipping and receiving as his “day job.” He commutes to Lahaina and prefers working four 10 hour days a week saving a commute day but making the other days very long. He enjoys driving our new Kia plugin hybrid allowing him to be on electric power when stuck in Lahaina traffic. Not only that, they like him so much they let him put in a power outlet at work so he can charge up the car while he works. That means we hardly ever use gas in that car and sometimes get over 300 mpg on a tank. Yessss!

We enjoyed time with Neil’s daughter Mailea this spring when she spent several months on Maui. She was traveling the world since completing her PhD last summer. Most recently, she taught some courses at Washington St. this summer and fall. She is headed for Australia for a few months on her next adventure. Neil and Mailea just submitted a second scientific paper on Maui water quality which they have been working on this year. Their previous submission was so dense with information that the reviewers recommended dividing it in to more than one paper. They have more data and research to continue their work and another paper is being discussed.

As soon as my last Travel Director program ended in mid-May and we had attended Quentin’s high school graduation, Neil and I headed to the mainland for a month-long trip. We had a 12 hour layover in Portland where we spent a fun day touring the beautiful city with Quentin’s sister Sophie, her father Peter, and her grandparents Dianne and Mike. Our next stop was Missoula, Montana, to spend two weeks with our grandson Patrick and his parents Ariann and Eric Schultz ;-). Patrick was 2 ½ at that time and was so full of energy. We had adventures hiking and exploring. One of his favorite things was throwing rocks, especially into water. He has a strong throw and good aim, and appears ambidextrous like his granddad. We worked on a few house projects and left a few that they completed when we left (downstairs bathroom remodel). We also got exciting news that Ari and Eric are expecting a baby due February 1 right after Patrick turns 3 on January 9. Ari is wonderful staying in touch making weekly video calls with Patrick so we can be part of his life and watch him growing up. It touches my heart every time he enthusiastically says “Grandma” with a big smile. Such a precious boy.

Our next stop was Hastings, Minnesota, visiting Neil’s sister, Cindy, new husband Dan, and nephew Keegan, and nieces Gillian and Kalli. They showed us a fabulous time. We were going non-stop for the 3 nights and 2 days including boating, fishing, kayaking, sunny cocktails, cooking, eating, touring, and lots of gabbing to catch up with their lives. Minnesota is beautiful in the summer but glad not be there in the winter. On to Ohio and visits with Dad, Warren, and cousins, aunts, uncles on my Mom’s side. Neil hadn’t been to Ohio since our 2007 two month trip in a camper van! We were there on Father’s Day and Dad had all four of his kids there to celebrate! (We hardly misbehaved at all.) Pamela spent a week in Ohio overlapping our trip, and Melanie drove up from her new home in South Carolina where she and Will were still settling in. It was fantastic to all be together with all my siblings!

Back home on Maui, Neil went back to unpacking boxes at Hilo Hattie’s and I had a few occasional working days working with DMCs through the summer and fall. My Mom came over for a week in July to visit and spend time with her Great Grandson Quentin before he headed off to University of Portland mid-August. She helped him pack and sort boxes for his “move.” I helped him finish up packing and emptying his room the week before he left. Family and friends saw him off at the airport for his new life adventure.

Jean, Neil’s mom, and her husband Morley are still great neighbors living right next to us. We usually check in with each other every day. Morley spent a week in the hospital in August with an infection but is back to taking care of all the shopping and other chores. Jean took a fall in October and fortunately no broken bones but just a knock on the head with a few stitches. She said it knocked some sense into her. Neil said he is waiting for her to prove it.

I realized I had a month between work in Sept/Oct and was missing Quentin already. I really wanted to see Quentin in his new “home” (read that as dorm room on campus). Dianne and Mike graciously offered me to stay in their home for my visit and Mailea offered me her second car for the 4 days. I arrived in Portland Friday morning and Quentin gave me a quick tour of his dorm and the campus between his classes on Friday afternoon. He said classes were hard and took some adjusting but he is loving campus life. He is clearly well liked from all the friends he introduced me to in the dorm. He had a weekend dorm house retreat scheduled Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon but I had plenty to fill my days. I enjoyed evening meals and breakfasts with my hosts Dianne and Mike as we traded cooking. Saturday I drove to The Dalles, Oregon, to visit my niece Hailey (Warren’s daughter). She is now 32 and has two beautiful children: Jesse 3 years old and Jemma 1 month old at time of my visit! I hadn’t seen her since she was 16 but with Facebook photos we have been able to keep up with her news. Sunday afternoon I picked up Quentin from University of Portland and Sophie came to grandma and grandpas. We visited while I cooked Indian food for a fun family dinner with Mailea driving down to meet Quentin’s extended Portland family for the evening. Monday morning I visited my good friends Sara and George in North Plains and then connected with Mailea in the afternoon to visit her tiny house home. We picked up Quentin for dinner at Le Bistro Montage before she dropped me at the airport for my flight to Ohio.

It was hard not stopping in Missoula to see Patrick, Ari and Eric but I still had Ohio and California on my schedule. I spent 10 days staying with Dad and Jane. We had lots of projects to do including cutting firewood and cleaning the Lion’s Club sausage trailer. Warren is working full time but was still there with his chainsaw early morning when we went to cut wood! I am glad I got to see a lot of my brother! And I also enjoyed lots of visits with Mom’s side of the family.

The very sad news this year is the death of my brother-in-law Christian Beamer, Pamela’s husband. He was in pain since April but the doctors didn’t diagnosis the 4^th stage pancreatic cancer until mid-July. Chris chose palliative care and I am so grateful Pamela and he had quality time preparing for his passing. The grief is for those missing his presence with us on earth even as we can celebrate he is free of pain with his Lord and Savior. Pamela and Chris’ sister Cynthia were with him as he transitioned on September 30, 2018. I had scheduled 10 days in California even before his passing knowing I could help or be there to support my sister Pamela.

I arrived in California about a week after Chris’ death and Pamela and Cynthia already had things well in hand. Pamela had decided to move to Ohio near Dad, Jane, Warren, and extended family rather than move to the California desert near Mom and Bill who are still in good health. Pamela started the house hunting process while I was still in Ohio. Dad, Warren and I looked at 3 places and we thought a certain clean and well managed duplex was the nicest. I took lots of photos and Pamela agreed with us. She got confirmation within 3 days that she would have a place to move to when she arrived in Ohio at the end of October! (Update: She is really enjoying her new home and furnishing it. The cold however is another story after living in California for most of her life.)

By the time I arrived, Pamela was ready to get out of LA for a while and so we drove to Ridgecrest to spend a week with Mom and Bill. The day before we left LA, Neil’s niece Stephanie, nephew Dustin, and great-nephew Jonathan were wonderful to drive over from San Jaquinto, California, to spend the morning with me. We walked the beach and had lunch on the pier at Redondo Beach. It was a great time catching up with them. Stephanie has just retired from the Army after 20+ years and she and Jonathan have a new home in California. Dustin moved from Iowa to help them with their home remodel and upgrades.

Overlapping our time in Ridgecrest, my sister Melanie and her husband Will came to town for their 40^th class reunion. Pamela, Melanie, and I were all in Ridgecrest to celebrate Mom’s 83^rd birthday! What a special time for all of us.

Back on Maui, we continue to love our little cottage in warm Hawaii while we think of all of you in the cold and snow! Mele Kalikimaka and Hau`oli Makahiki Hou!

Photo gallery below:
If you are viewing this in a browser, clicking on any photo thumbnail brings up the full size photo with a description. To easily see them all, use the arrow buttons or keys to move through the full size gallery photos with descriptions. If you are receiving this in an email and don’t see a photo gallery below, please click into my webpage to view all the photos!

$Celebrating Father\'s Day in Ohio$

$Quentin\'s extended family in Portland$

Quentin Graduates and Heads to University 2018

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Nanette Harter

Quentin graduating

Quentin graduated from King Kekaulike High School on May 24, 2018. Many of you know I first saw my great-nephew Quentin when he was 1 hour old born here on Maui. I have been privileged to be part of his life for 17 years as he has grown up on Maui.

Quentin going to Senior Ball

And now he is ready to leave Maui and start the next phase of his life. He will be attending University of Portland starting August 27, 2018. He flew out today to see his Grandparents Beamer in California and then off to Portland to spend a few days with his sister Sophie, her dad Peter, and her grandparents Dianne and Mike before moving into his dorm and starting the UP orientation weekend. He is excited to be living near his sister and to be able to spend more time with her.

It’s hard to think of him leaving Maui and I won’t be able to spend time with him every few weeks. Yet I am so happy for him to start his next life adventure and I am very proud of him. Saying goodbye to Quentin at the airport

Two Google Photo Albums you can view:

Quentin’s Graduation

University of Portland
Quentin the week before he is heading to college.

Happy Holidays 2017

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Nanette Harter

Happy Holidays to you!

That song was going through my head as I walked the beach this morning. It felt wonderful to have my feet in the sand and the waves lapping around them. Neil and I are grateful to still live in our little Maui cottage on the ocean. We are also grateful to have family nearby and to have visited our family farther away this year.

We were able to spend the month of August and September visiting on the mainland. I started my trip in Ohio visiting with Dad and Jane and getting to see all my Kreischer uncles, aunts, and cousins. I flew to Montana to join Neil visiting with Ariann, Eric, and our grandson Patrick. Patrick was 19 months in August and it was a precious time to spend with him. Ariann is fantastic about video calling on Duo weekly so we continue the connection with Patrick watching him grow into a little man. Hard to believe he will be 2 years old in January! We worked on several house projects as well as having adventures with Patrick. A highlight of the trip, beyond the family time, was experiencing the Solar Eclipse in totality at a State Park near Challis, Idaho. I stopped in Los Angeles over Labor Day spending time with my sister Pamela and husband Chris. My brother Warren, Mom and Bill came down for the weekend to save me driving to Ridgecrest. Mom and Bill decided to come to Maui for two weeks since they were already in Los Angeles. I like their kind of thinking!

Back on the home front, we continue to live next door to Neil’s mom Jean and Morley. They have the usual aches and pains of aging but are doing very well overall. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving together and we look forward to tree trimming and Christmas together.

Quentin is 17, has his driver’s license, and is applying to colleges. He is a senior in high school and it has really hit me that he will be leaving Maui within the year! He is doing very well academically, involved in several clubs and community service activities, plus works a part time job. He is applying to colleges in California, Oregon, and a few other states. Financial aid is going to play a major factor in his decision once he has his acceptances. I am very proud of the young man he has become.

We have a new car! The last new car I had was my Fiero when I was 24. We had been talking about an electric car but didn’t feel the need for a new car when we had 2 working (older) cars. Our 2000 convertible VW started having problems in October and we determined it was the transmission—not worth the repair on a car that was rusting and starting to leak. On my birthday, we spent the afternoon car shopping. That night, after some research, we had a possible list of plugin hybrids as well as electric cars. By the next afternoon, we decided on a Kia Optima Plugin Hybrid and signed the papers to lease it on Saturday morning! A three year lease is a great deal right now because of all the incentives for electric plugin cars. We can choose to buy it in 3 years or look for an alternate car at the time.

Speaking of birthdays, I had wanted to experience ziplining last year for my big 6-oh birthday, however, Neil was on the couch at that time with bad road burns. We made up for it this year and went on three different zipline courses in October—two while I was still 60 and one on my birthday itself! And it was so fun, I took Quentin and his girlfriend another day for them to experience it.

We started Neil’s January birthday celebration early this year by parasailing near Lahaina (parasailing is closed from Dec 15 to May 14 during whale season.) They have a zodiac that picked us up right on the beach and took us out to the larger boat that hoisted us up side by side on 1200 feed of line. We will horseback ride in a week when Mailea is visiting Maui and we plan an ATV adventure in January.

We have joined the ranks of Mauians who work multiple jobs. Neil started working full time at Hilo Hattie’s in the shipping and receiving department. He especially enjoys the couple of days a month when he drives the shuttle on Lahaina cruise ship days. He also got a call from a company to do event setup and strike which he brought me in on. It was hard work, often in the sun, setting tables and chairs, spreading linens, building temporary structures, and then breaking it all down (strike) late when the event is over. We noted that most the people our age were either the coordinators or banquet staff. Neil began working on the banquet staff at Maui Ocean Center’s occasional evening events while I worked them as a marine naturalist. I continued day shifts at the aquarium as a naturalist until this November when I switched to working only the evening events. My new job is working for Destination Management Companies (DMC) as a freelance Travel Director (TD). The DMCs are the organizations that coordinate the large company groups which visit the islands (usually the top performers.) The Travel Directors are the staff onsite for activities, airport, and hospitality desk. High season for the DMCs is January to May when TDs could work almost every day if they want. I have worked four events since September (two on the Big Island) and am loving it. I am also working in the office a few days a week for one company learning more about the Program Manger role. I am scheduled for six 7 to 10 day events through May so far. And I pulled Neil in to be an occasional TD. He will be coming to Kauai a few days in January while I am there 10 days.

A great big congratulations to Dr. Mailea Miller-Pierce who completed her PhD in Biology at Washington State University this summer. And a big congratulations to Dr. Miller-Pierce and Neil Rhoads for submitting their second scientific paper on Maui water quality for publication. It was over a year for the research, data analysis, and writing. There was a break in there while Mailea was completing her dissertation! Mailea is currently traveling. She visited Maui for a month and she is now in Australia. She will come to Maui for two days on her way back to have Christmas in Washington. I hear she is planning to go to Ireland for the New Year. Ariann continues as a Labor and Delivery Nurse and Eric is doing postdoctoral research at University of Montana (Missoula). Patrick is taking swimming lessons with mommy, likes his friends at daycare, and loves his doggy Lyra.

On a sad note, my nephew Jason, 37, passed away of a heart attack at the end of July. It was a shock to all of us. His parents, Pamela and Chris, are accepting but one can never fully comprehend losing a child. It was also difficult for Quentin and his sisters in Kansas, to experience losing a father. I know it is still hard for Neil losing his brother and Jean her eldest son a few years ago.

I am grateful that both my parents are in very good health. Pamela and Chris continue to live in Lawndale, California, and run the family LAX airport shuttle service (ha). (Thank you! Both of you!) Melanie and Will are still in Maryland near their daughter and son’s families enjoying their two grandsons. I hear they are looking to move from the area as Will explores his retirement options. Warren moved from California to Ohio and I hear Ohio is getting its first snow of the season. It will be an adjustment for him! He is very happy being near Dad and all the cousins.

The sun is sparkling on the ocean as the warm breeze blows in the front door. Sending you all blessings and love and some of the sunshine and prayers for true peace on this earth.

Bangkok Touring

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Nanette Harter

Wednesday morning, Grace, Jill and I decided to make our own touring adventure and see a floating market. Grace suggested Bang Nam Pheung which was also the one Neil suggested to me earlier in the week when he was researching floating markets. It is located in area called Phra Pradaeng, known as Bangkok’s green lung because of all the trees and greenery. It is a peninsula that is almost an island formed by broad sweeping curve of the Chao Phraya River as it meanders through the fertile lowlands. The market itself is described as “by the water” instead of “on the water” in the floating sense but was to be full of locally grown produce, home cooked items, and handicrafts. I read three articles on it before venturing out and just one said it was only open weekends. The other two didn’t mention times so we thought maybe the only weekends was old info. We three hopped in a taxi and arrived to find all the stalls closed midweek, sigh.

There was a permanent open air restaurant on the canal and we were ready for breakfast. The taxi driver wouldn’t wait for us, so I communicated with him to pick us in an hour. (Later it was clear my gestures had failed.) We had a wonderful fresh-cooked Chicken Pad Thai for our breakfast and then walked along the canal viewing what would be bustling stalls on the weekend. We came across a government building and read the signage that this area was known for fireflies! We returned to the restaurant waiting for the taxi. Grace and I went to visit the neighboring temple while Jill waited. The mourning banners and King’s photo were in front of the temple and we ran into a monk as we wandered around. He let me take his photo and then he wanted to see it. Of course I left a donation in his bowl.

Finally, a local woman felt sorry for us sitting waiting for a taxi to show up and sent one of the scooter taxi boys to get a car taxi. (Of course we tipped them all.) It was interesting to see the south part of city and drive over the huge beautiful bridges spanning the river.

Dental Update

Wednesday night I had my three crowns put on as I mentioned before. Thursday night I had my two right infected wisdom teeth extracted. It went fast and smooth and was over quickly with no pain. I had to bite down on gauze for a couple of hours after she sewed in the stitches. She said to hold an ice pack to my face for a few hours too but when I went downstairs at the clinic, they couldn’t find one so said I didn’t need it. Actually I was just fine without because I didn’t have any pain in my jaw as the Novocain wore off but I did take one ibuprofen for a slight headache. I had eaten dinner early because I knew I wouldn’t want to eat after the teeth extractions. I changed the gauze before I went to sleep and continued to leave it in place to bite on all night. I slept well with no throbbing (I had been having continual throbbing in jaw because of the infected teeth and it was finally gone!)

I had an appointment Friday night with the oral surgeon for her to check the healing process 24 hours later. She said “oh very good work” and laughed because complimenting her own work. It did feel like it was doing well and no bleeding. I was feeling fine. They scheduled me for Monday night for my final appointment. That night I resumed using clove oil and started making fresh ginger tea.

All the scheduled dental work that I approved (and paid for) the first day of my arrival was completed within a week, except for the checkup appointments which we scheduled a few days later since I had already planned to stay in town longer. I was very glad I had built in more time because if there was a problem like infection I figured it would show up within the first few days and I wanted them to be able to catch it.

Where to go?

I planned to spend a quiet day after my extractions. I felt good enough that Friday morning to walk the neighborhood and find a mango smoothie (just fruit and ice; I couldn’t find a protein smoothie anywhere.) I then settled down at my favorite downstairs Craft Café with my tablet, a cocoa, and a croissant to do more research on where to spend the following week. Options that I was considering were flying to Chiang Rai and taking the bus to Chiang Khong to visit with Grace and Jill, flying to Singapore to visit with my friends Vanessa and George, going to southern Thailand and finding a beach to sit on, going to western Thailand to a national park, going to eastern Thailand including some cities with more historic sites. Neil was helping me from Kihei, doing research and sending me lots of interesting links. He had even found a train schedule that would take me from Bangkok to Singapore in just over 48 hours.

While I was browsing, a gentleman came into the café and approached me saying “You look like you speak English, do you know anywhere to change money?” I said the only place I knew about was at the BTS station one stop south of the café and it might not be open yet. He said his name was Silvio and he was visiting his son for a few days from Australia. His son Rennie had told him to wait to exchange money in town rather than the airport for a better rate but Silvio woke before his son and thought he would go get some breakfast. I bought him a cup of coffee and we visited until it was time for me to meet Grace and Jill for lunch. He gave me a $2 Australian lucky coin. 🙂 I ran into Silvio and Rennie a couple more mornings at the café and he was so appreciative, he bought me breakfast as a thank for the first day. He had even gone for an initial appointment with Dr. Sunil after I told him why I was in Thailand, however, he decided to come back another trip with his wife to have the work done.

Saturday morning was my goodbye breakfast with Grace and Jill. They were heading to the airport at noon for a flight to Nan. I really enjoyed their company all week. I then headed out to explore the nearby canal. Neil had viewed the area with Google Earth and there appeared to be an obstruction across the canal a little ways down. On reaching the canal, there was a boat taxi dock that is nestled under the bridge. I walked to the right (southwest) on the sidewalk that runs all the way along the canal. Sure enough, a short distance down there was a lock across the canal and the Phrakhaong Pump Station. The canal had split at one point making an island in the middle of the canal that appears to be only accessible by boat or by a foot path over the lock on my side of the canal. Homes flanked the canal right up against the sidewalk, in some places with potted plants and drying fish overhanging the canal. I walked the sidewalk back and continued in the other direction (northwest). I came upon some fishermen and one proudly displayed his catch for me to get a photo. I then came to the end of the sidewalk, literally. The sidewalk just ended with no railing or barricade. One more step and I would have dropped into the water! Several yards beyond that point was a concrete pillar sunk into the canal supporting the overhead roadway bridge. It seemed clear the sidewalk had once gone farther but had been crudely removed when the modern roadway infrastructure was put in place.

On my way back through the Phra Khanong neighborhood market, I stopped at one of my favorite street vendors for dinner take away. She cooked up my single serving of Pad Thai on her shiny silver griddle. I couldn’t resist taking a series of photos. She got into it putting on her cap and posing. As I passed through the Food Court on my way home, they were setting up specialty vendor stalls for Saturday night. I bought a brownie for desert and a chocolate croissant for breakfast. I have to say the brownie wasn’t as good as the ones I make but the croissant was wonderful the next morning.

Sunday morning, to the sound of Mozart’s Horn Concerto from my tablet, I made breakfast in my room with fresh fruit from Jill and Grace plus the chocolate croissant and an avocado I bought the day before. I then ventured out to the large Bangkok Weekend Market, officially named Chatuchok Weekend Market, to do my souvenir shopping. Very easy access by taking the BTS to the end of the line where I emerged to enter a 35-acre flea market complex, broken into 27 sections with over 8000 stalls. They even have maps available to navigate the 8000+ numbered stalls. I spent a few hours shopping and people watching in one small area. One hint given on the websites was to remember the stall number if you think you will want to come back for more purchases because otherwise you are lost in the maze. I understood because I went back 3 times to the cotton scarf shop and one of the times I had to wander a little to find it. A few hours was my limit for shopping and crowds and heat. One of the most interesting realizations about this touring adventure was it’s the first time I was in a “tourist area” surrounded by foreign (international) visitors. I was used to my Thai residential neighborhood and local Thai shopping areas.

Dental Update

Monday evening was to be my final appointment to review all my work and I would get a disk of the x-rays and work charts. I thought I would be seeing Dr. Sunil but they took me upstairs to my oral surgeon. I complained about two places in my mouth still having a little pain and she checked my lower left wisdom tooth and said there was some infection in it. However, they don’t fill wisdom teeth, they pull them. I was taken back downstairs and waited to see Dr. Sunil. He checked and said both wisdom teeth need to be extracted and I said only one was infected. He explained that they take the pair when they extract wisdom teeth. Another quick decision, I was in Thailand to get all my teeth taken care of so I decided to have it done. Another trip to the money changers and I was back in the chair with the oral surgeon. She was concerned I might need to eat first because it was getting late but I said I had dinner before I came in. (I had learned from a few long waits in my past week.) Two more wisdom teeth gone and I was biting down on gauze again. When she found out I wasn’t taking any of the antibiotics, she practically begged me to take a course of them. I relented and took the strong ones for the 3 day course but the first thing I did was have Neil order Probiotics so I had them to take when I got home. I had a headache the three days I was taking the antibiotics and it quit the day I was done. Imagine that. I’m sure I would have been better off with the clove oil and ginger (both are antibacterial).

I went back Tuesday night 24 hours later for her to check the healing process. This time I had one place bothering me a little. She snipped the knot on one of the stitches and the pain disappeared. They set my final appointment for the following Tuesday night because they said coming in Wednesday at 1 pm right before I flew out was too early for an appointment. I was now free to head out of Bangkok for a week! Stay tuned to hear about train rides, waterfalls, and a floating bedroom.

Text and Photos by Nanette Harter

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Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Nanette Harter

I was free all day Tuesday and decided to spend the day going to the downtown Bangkok aquarium. Grace and Jill didn’t feel like going on this outing so I headed out on my own adventure before noon on the BTS Skytrain . I was a little delayed leaving because I was trying to book a package online that would have included the Behind the Scenes tour and the 4D movie for the same price as regular admission price. It was through a 3^rd party site and suffice to say that I needed to be booked at least one day in advance. (I read later that even if you buy online tickets on the Sea Life Bangkok’s website, you need to make the purchase a day in advance.) After this little bit of hassle, I was on my way.

The first thing I noticed was color. Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World (formally Siam Ocean World) is located on two basement floors of the Siam Paragon Shopping Centre (The BTS conveniently stops right at the shopping center.) Descending the escalator to the lower floor, it looks like I was entering the ocean because the floor is painted to look like moving water and the walls are filled with marine life. This entire underground floor belongs to the aquarium and there are several venues beginning with the Shark Dive kiosk staffed full-time to provide information and book dives.The souvenir shop is next door and you can enter to shop without aquarium admission but I was also funneled through the shop on exiting the aquarium from the floor below up a narrow escalator. This design seemed to work well to prevent backwards entry into the aquarium. The shop selection was pretty much limited to small plastic souvenirs and tons of stuffed animals.

The main entrance had multiple cashier stations moving the queue quickly and behind on the opposite side of the floor was the prepaid queue and a separate entrance to the 4D movie theater allowing purchase of tickets for the theater only without aquarium entrance. The snack bar was nestled in the back corner open to all. All signage throughout was in both Thai and English and everyone I interacted with was bilingual.

When I reached the cashier, she very efficiently laid out a laminated sheet (in English) which visually described purchase options listing the prices in both Thai baht and in US dollars. Beyond regular admission there were various bundle packages providing a combination of 1) a glass bottom boat ride on top of the large tank, 2) a behind the scene tour, 3) the 4D movie, and 4) a soda plus popcorn. I opted for just the regular admission at $29 USD. She handed me the English version of the map brochure plus a separate insert titled Talks and Feeds schedule and very politely told me where and when the next presentation would be occurring. I thought this was a brilliant idea to tell the guests where the next presentation would take place until I found that I was zooming thought the entire aquarium to get to the Gentoo Penguins exhibit which happened to be the very last exhibit in the aquarium!

The aquarium is designed so you follow only one route through the two floors of exhibits (at one point you walk gradually down a boardwalk to the lower floor.) I will explain the exhibits in a moment because after my mad dash to the very end for the presentation, I went backwards to a seating area, took time to look at the map and presentation schedule, and then walked all the way back to the beginning to start my tour after noting a few talks I would be able to see on my tour. It is interesting that most of the presentations are billed as feeding shows. At Maui Ocean Center, we don’t announce feeding times but now I understand why so many visitors ask me when the next feeding show will be.

The naturalist presenters outside the exhibits all spoke in Thai and then translated to English. When there were staff inside the exhibits communicating with the naturalist as part of the presentation, they only spoke in Thai in the few talks I saw. The first presentation at the Gentoo Penguin Feeding was very clear and I could understand the naturalist. At the Diver Communication talk located at the Tropical Ocean Exhibit, not only could I not understand the either presenter (I couldn’t tell when the naturalist was switching from Thai to English and the diver only spoke in Thai) but the volume was so blaringly loud, I had to leave the presentation area. Later when I walked back by, I noticed that at the end of this presentation the diver had stayed in the water moving closer to the lower front of the exhibit and the naturalist was encouraging guests to come up and take photos with the diver behind them (many were taking advantage of the photo op.)

The Sea Life Bangkok brochure map was confusing but there were numbers next to the area names that indicated the flow, plus it didn’t really matter since there was only one route to take (online map version of the map). The first exhibit was Rocky Hideout including a Giant Pacific Octopus and other camouflaging marine animals. Shark Walk provided the first glimpse into the huge tank that houses the sharks and rays by allowing me to walk across an acrylic see-thru floor. I next moved into the Coral Reef area. The coral was brilliant bright colors—all painted plastic—but the fish were beautiful in their real colors! This top floor level had two doors with stanchion queue lines for access to the Behind the Scenes tour and the Glass Bottom Boat ride. Even though I wasn’t taking the tours, I was able to take photos through the windows in the door where the tours started. The part I saw looked very shiny and impressive. I could also see the cables strung over the top of the tank creating the path guiding the glass bottom boats. After viewing the Seahorse Kingdom, I moved onto the Tropical Rainforest. This transitioned out of the ocean world into fresh water and included not only fish but amphibians and otters. Walking along the very gradual descending boardwalk to the lower level were terrariums of bright colored rainforest frogs. It was at this point that the soda and popcorn café was situated off the walkway with a few tables if I had wanted a snack. (That area and vending drink machines were the only refreshments inside the aquarium area.) When I reached the bottom floor, here were the adorable looking Asian Short Clawed Otters housed in a playful water world exhibit.

Back to the ocean world and the Green Sea Turtles were next! They were housed in a clear walled exhibit so I could see in from multiple views. Beside it was the area called the Rockpool where I could touch sea stars, sea cucumbers, and empty shark egg casings. The touch zone was a small defined area in the middle of the exhibit which was staffed by a naturalist at all the times. I spoke with the naturalist about the rotation and she said each naturalist only needed to work a one hour shift per day at the touch station. (They are open 10 am to 9 pm.) A thoughtful addition was having a hand washing station right by the touch zone area.

There were exhibits for Jackass Penguins (aka African Penguins) and the Rays before reaching a children’s interactive activity and play area. Next was the 8 meter (26-foot) high Tropical Ocean tank exhibit stretching up the height of both floors. The Diver Communications presentation occurs three times a day in this exhibit and doesn’t include feeding. (This was the one I left because it was so loud and I couldn’t understand anything.) There were seating areas on both floors in front of this tank; the top floor provides balcony-like seating for the presentation or just sitting to enjoy the tropical exhibit.

From here, I moved into the first tunnel walking under several species of sharks, rays, and some huge fish before emerging into a small room surrounded by clear walls with a few seats to pause and continue viewing the pelagic marine life all around me. A second tunnel lead on bringing me out to a seating area where they present the shark feeding show. I did see part of this presentation because it was scheduled after the Gentoo Penguins as I moved back toward the beginning of the aquarium. A naturalist started a presentation (again, I couldn’t understand her) as two divers entered into the exhibit and knelt on the bottom with a box between them (no diver communication equipment hookup.) They each had a stick with a long metal rod tucked under their arms and I wondered what it was for? I soon found out as a few HUGE Sand Sharks came around, one diver would open the box enough to poke a large piece of fish on the end of the metal rod and then hold it up. As a sand shark swam by, the shark would take the piece off the rod. Sharks don’t need to eat every day and it was clear that it was just a few of the sharks coming by to be feed at that time. The feeding presentation happens twice a day so there seemed to be enough sharks in the giant tank that most likely one or two will eat during each show. I didn’t find out the actual size of this tank but I would estimate it to be about 3 times the size of the 750,000 gallon Open Ocean exhibit at Maui Ocean Center.

The Sea Jellies were next and they had several different kinds of jellies including the Immortal Jellyfish. The last exhibit was the Gentoo Penguins in their frigid ice enclosure. Around the corner was Conservation Cove with signage describing Sea Life Trust programs and contributions (there was also a column about their conservation activities on the Brochure Map.)

Right before the exit escalator was a photo station where guests could have their photo taken in front of a green screen and then choose from a variety of aquarium scenes for the backdrop. As the guests sat for their group photo, the wall to the right had about eight different monitors with their group displayed in each aquarium backdrop scene so they could see immediately what each looked like! Once they picked the background, they walked around the corner to pay and the photo was printed right then—no wasted paper!

The photo gallery below includes pictures I took while touring the aquarium. If you are viewing this in the browser, clicking on any thumbnail photo brings up the full size photo with a description. To easily see them all, use the arrow buttons or keys to move through the full size gallery photos with descriptions.

Text and Photos by Nanette Harter