Bangkok continued......

All in all it was a truly wonderful experience.  I am so glad that we were able to give her this opportunity.  She was not very keen on it in the beginning, being the only girl and what have you.  She loved her Moline United team back home and nothing will be comparable to the commeradery of those girls, but she has started to really enjoy playing with the boys as well. 
One of the lessons that she learned this weekend is that not all countries are respectful of women.  There was a couple of teams that were not very nice to her.  The coaches were saying things to her on the field and telling their boys to play games of keep away with her......in which she got fed up with and showed them a thing or two and knocked one of them off and took the ball from them.  We later saw this same team of local Thai boys as we were walking to get a beverage, and they all were saying things and being ugly toward her.  One mockingly acted like he was going to spit at her.  I was ready to come unglued and Julia just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Really??  That's just sad!" They just didn't feel it was a girls place on the soccer pitch.  We are very fortunate that in the US there is equality.  Even despite all that, it was truly an amazing time that we had together.  We are definitely a soccer family and we are blessed that it is something we can all do and enjoy together!

Flying first class on Air China! 

Julia in front of the Buddha shrine outside of our hotel.

The streets of Bangkok???  These were floating houses.  Watch your step going out the front door!

Our bus, I was waiting for the male dancers to jump out of the luggage compartment.....

U12 China Club Football team

Buddhist monk watching the games.

Julia taking on team Japan.

Taking on team Taiwan.

This is the view out of our window.......WTH???

This is the view out of the other side of the hotel..........much improved!

BACK ROW:  Coach Ally (England), Curtis (China), William (Sweden), David (China), Julia (USA), Camo (South Africa) FRONT ROW: Wesley (US but raised in China his whole life), Azeem (Malaysia), Tom (Germany), Brandon (Chinese/American)

Julia was obsessed with the pink Taxi's.  She want one for her 16th birthday.....minus the sign on top!

A very bizarre statue in the Bangkok airport.

Julia in front of a shrine honoring the King of Thailand.....they love their king and wear baseball caps that say "I LOVE MY KING" to prove it!!

It was a fast, furious and freaking HOT weekend....she slept for an hour and a half in the airport while probably 250 loud Indian people packed around us to board a flight prior to ours.  Now that is tired!