We always allow two hours for the bus ride to pick up Nicholas from preschool, in case the traffic is bad. Today the traffic was good, and we are here an hour and a half early. So, we are in an internet cafe, checking email and waiting for the preschool to let out.

Naa Kat is in Bangkok until tomorrow, and Nicholas has been bonding with her. Naa Kat works and lives in Patanee, which is in the southernmost part of Thailand. We will see her again in Hat Yai next week during the Water Festival. The Water Festival is something like the holiday season in America, in that families often travel in order to get together. The main event is people putting water on each other, and in recent years, the ritual has escalated to a huge water fight involving super soaker squirt guns and buckets. It will be a fun experience.

Nicholas has been enjoying the swimming pool at the hotel. It includes a shallow end that's just up to his waist, so it's perfect for him. He's very confident in the water -he has a signature way of swimming that's reminiscent of a seal.

The picture below is of the Brahma shrine at the Erawan Hotel. The original statue was vandalized, and it has been replaced by poster-sized photographs. The shrine is as popular as ever, and there are always lots of people there. Since it's between our hotel and the AUA language school, I walk by it on the days I attend AUA.