Kids in Bangkok – Nov 2014

Most people will not associate Bangkok as a kid-friendly holiday destination. But the hubs and I love Bangkok, given its proximity to Singapore and the amazing value-for-money food and accommodation there.

We were saddened by the recent senseless violence, especially since we have stayed a few times at the Chid Lom area. Our hearts go out to the peace-loving Thai people, who are always so warm and welcoming, especially to children. I’ve been meaning to write this post on our trip’s highlights since last November, so here it finally is.

Bangkok became the first overseas (by flight) destination for both our kids, when they each turned around 11 months of age. The hubs also regularly tailors his shirts there, and here are a series of photos which I absolutely love.

Little Miss K at 11 months.

Medium Miss K at 3 years.

Big Miss K at 6 years.

All these photos were taken at the same tailor shop by the way, and we have since become familiar customers of Sam Gulati’s, whose father founded the business, and who runs it with his brother. I am always fascinated to hear him switch effortlessly between melodious Thai, gurgling Punjabi, and crisp English (he was educated in the UK).

Apart from the amazing Kidzania Bangkok, which our kids loved, we realised that they could enjoy Bangkok too, after minor alternations to our programme to acccommodate their needs.

Although they cannot last for day-long marathon shopping mall sessions, or more than 2 hours at Chatuchak market, it was interesting for them to follow us around the city.

There were also small pockets of unexpected fun too, like chancing upon this garden in the middle of the city, and spending many minutes of idyllic bliss exploring this green lung. There was something alluring about the sunlight that day……

A pocket of spotlight.

I lingered some time at this Chatuchak stall, purchasing souvenirs, mostly because it all looked so pretty!

What do I realise next? The hubs observed the kids gravitating towards the tiny TV next door, and soon they plonked themselves next to the stall owner to enjoy the show together, language barrier notwithstanding! The love of TV truly transcends all boundaries. -_-

It’s always great to tote kids around, cos the Thais warm up considerably they meet little ‘uns. After making a small purchase from this aunty, she wanted to take photos with the girls. So here’s our copy of it.

I chanced upon these really cute bucket hats at a shopping mall, and bought a few for friends because I could just imagine how cute the little girls would look wearing them to outdoor excursions with their kindys.

It’s a bit strange, but ever since A&W closed down in Singapore, every trip to a country with A&W means we have to eat there, complete with exclamations of “Curly fries! Root beer float!! Waffle!!!” I’m sure we wouldn’t love A&W as much if it never left our shores. Absence makes the heart fond indeed.

Swensens can also be found in almost every mall, at cheaper prices, so we do stop by sometimes for a treat.

I’m not sure how they do it, but ramen restaurants in new malls like Terminal 21, offer bowls of ramen for a song. Those pictured here cost no more than SGD$5 a bowl, and there’s full service offered in an airconditioned restaurant with comfy seats and free water! Only conclusion is as with many other things, we are being overcharged for ramen in Singapore (of course there is the crazy rental here, but with other things like Lego, there is some clear market segmentation going on, sigh).

The hotel we stayed at offered a free Tuk Tuk service, to and from the nearest BTS station. I particularly liked the deep green and brown colours of this Tuk Tuk, reminds me of London, somehow.

Bangkok is always bustling with life, and although life is tough, and its not easy to eke a living, I always come back from Bangkok marvelling at the resilience of its people. Thai ads always make me cry, because many of them show how close-knit their families are, even though they may have very little.

On our previous trip, we encountered many street children, and those who beg along the streets. I felt that the kids were old enough to start understanding that life is not straightforward for many people in the world (those we see might not even be related), and whatever their reasons, their motivations, or their failings, we can and should be kind. Simply because we have so much, even if we often think we have so little.

So we would purchase extra rolls of Oreos, and bring along extra boxes of Hello Panda, to give out to the children we meet along the way. We explained to our kids some of the reasons why these people could be there, and they will give their little tokens to the children as we pass. And in our hearts, all we can do is pray. That these kids will have a better life, that the adults with them will find gainful employment, and that these children will somehow gain access to education, and break the cycle of poverty.

We also pray for Bangkok, that civil unrest will cease, that the Red Shirts / Yellow Shirts will realise that all this discord and instability is not doing any one any good. While we may never understand because we are not in their shoes, we can only pray that this land may regain its former peace and that every child has a chance to grow up without such severe want.