First stop and last stop, Bangkok. Summer 2016

August 1-4, 2016 Bangkok

After traveling more than 24 hours, we arrived bleary-eyed to the big city of Bangkok. Fortunately, we arrived at night which meant straight to bed.  We chose The Shangri-La, Bangkok and were surprised by how good a deal we received. This was commensurate with what we discovered years ago, in casting the net wide. Often, deals emerge at more expensive spots making them cheaper than ostensibly cheaper hotels. In this case, the Shangri La was refurbishing their luxury tower and was offering great deals in the other tower.  So instead of trying to find the best deal in the best location and the newest/chicest hotel, we just went with a reputable name. Great hotel with great service. So, after settling into our hotel, we all crashed and were ready to hit the ground running the next morning.

August 2

Our first morning we were off to see the Royal Palace and Wat Pho. We'd heart about the heat and humidity of Bangkok, but experiencing it was more impressive than we anticipated.  Our clothing was drenched after the first ten minutes. The kids were so enamored by the sights and the details, smells, colors and just the vastness of the Wat that fortunately they didn't realize how thirsty and hot they were until about thirty minutes into the visit. By this time the visit was over at least for them and we were able to get them a much needed drink and then head off to the next Wat (the Thai word for temple). On the way, this was a chance to discuss the tenets of Buddhism, and the Thai people's strong faith and reverence to the Buddha and his images.


Wat Pho is the birthplace of the Thai massage. All five of us settled in for our first Thai massage.  I think the kids were a bit freaked out having strangers' hands mashing their backs, legs and arms.  Settling down in the cool and quiet room, on the mat, I let my body relax. After massages, we went to see the Reclining Buddah, the temple's most iconic site. I don't think the five of us were ready for just how big it was, especially the kids.  They just kept saying, "I didn't think it would be this big." They couldn't wrap their heads around the size and scale of the Buddah. Impressive to say the least.

We took a cab to Chinatown and had a nice walk through the open market. The array of displayed and cooked animal parts of all types elicited many comments and many nose holdings. This was also an opportunity to talk about how other cultures don't waste food, and use every available bit of protein available to feed their families.  but this is something we don't have where we live, so I was happy they were able to see it. Then it happened, durian fruit was purchased. Everyone tried some (I chickened out after watching Andrew Zimmern nearly puke after trying it). My husband described it as creamy cheese and onions.  The kids reactions were not as subtle. We stumbled into a serviceble but unmemorable lunch in Chinatown and then we went back to the hotel for a swim. After several hours of heat, sight, and sounds, we gave the kids a chance to decompress. Dinner was a stroll and graze through the Pratunam night market.

August 3

After breakfast, we had the hotel set us up with a longtail boat and driver. We wanted to get an up-close view of the Chao Phraya River and its canals.  A longtail is a long (yes), and narrow boat with a car engine attached to the end, that powers a propeller through a long shaft. The driver didn't speak English and wasn't really a guide, but that's okay--it was the experience that we wanted.  The kids loved looking for fish as we went down the river on our way to our first destination, Wat Prayoon or, as the kids called it, Turtle Wat.  We took a quick tour of the Wat and then had an amazing conversation with a monk. The kids learned about a day in the life of a Buddhist monk, especially about the rigorous training in meditation. The conversation ended when his smart phone rang. The expression on the kids faces was priceless; a monk with a smart phone, who knew! We couldn't go back to the boat without stopping to feed and obsess over the turtles in the temple's garden pond. Then the ducks showed up, you would've thought the kids have never seen ducks or turtles, they were stepping over each other to get closest to this duck or that turtle. I was just waiting for one to fall into the pond. Shockingly, they did not.  From there we ventured into the canals to see how some people still lived in huts along the water.  The kids got a sense of life on the river for families in Bangkok. Along with it, they also pointed out the amount of garbage and pollution.  It was great to see them so conscientious about waste. After a day on the water, we headed back to the hotel for some swimming and dinner in the rooms as the kids were spent. By the way, room service was much cheaper than in comparable hotels in the US.

August 19-21 

After traveling back from Cambodia to Bangkok for our final leg of the tour, we decided just to spend the day at the pool relaxing. Kids embraced the idea with no complaints. We were tired, it's been a lot of travel. So with one full day remaining, what to do? Go to the largest mall in Southeast Asia of course! Siam Paragon, was massive and has an aquarium on the basement level. The aquarium is billed as the largest in Southeast Asia. It's substantial in size, and the kids took in a good array of marine life. The mall isn't really a tourist destination in the conventional sense, but gave the kids an idea of what middle and upper class life is like for modern Thais, and a chance to talk about the rise of consumer culture globally. Some type of comic-con was happening there so that added to the entire experience.

Finally, back to the airport and on our way home. Great three weeks, highly recommend the trip with kids, they loved the experience and the destinations. They loved the culture, most of the food and the activities. If you can find the time, get there, especially Cambodia!