Bangkok, Thailand in 3 days

If you are wondering if Bangkok, Thailand is the city for you, think no longer, because the answer is, "YES!" Bangkok has something for everyone! 

Thailand is known for its beautiful and ornate teak wood carvings. This was approximately 10ft tall.

The hotel's outdoor restaurant.

Our daily offering of fruit in our room.  Here we have dragon fruit, guava, and sapodilla. 

A gift from a friend placed inside our room upon arrival. Delicious chocolates that were ALMOST too beautiful it eat. They were hand painted artisan chocolates. 

Hotel decor. I feel in love with all of these beautiful wood carvings

I am sure you recognize this river from  The Hangover 2, also known as the Chao Phraya River. 

I have had several people ask me what there is to do in Bangkok with children because it has received a bad rap since The Hangover 2 was released. Or perhaps it has always been a city of sin. Yes it is a party city and is often referred to as the Vegas of the far east. It didn't get its name Bang-KOK for nothing if you get my drift. Prostitution is EVERYWHERE and in plain sight. I commented soon after landing that the entire city needed to be hosed down with a gallon of bleach because I just couldn't believe my eyes. There was no shame in white business men hiring paid escorts as their dates and inevitably for sex in broad daylight. Daniel laughed and said, "I take it I won't be able to come to Bangkok for business anymore after this trip?"

But there are plenty of adventures to have with your family. We stayed in a hotel along the famous Chao Phraya River known as the Shangri-La. It was a beautiful hotel and the service was excellent. We had one major issue and it was quickly and professionally rectified. The hotel manager catered to our every need. If you choose to stay at the Shangri-La be sure to book a Club level room because the lounge is perfect if you are traveling with children. Fantastic breakfast in the morning with made to order eggs and a large buffet in the quiet club lounge. Unlimited beverages and snacks during the day with a beautiful view of the river down below, plus at 5:00pm there is a happy hour for the Club guests offering unlimited hor d'oeurves, wine, cocktails, and beverages for the children. A few nights we actually fed the kids a large lunch and then allowed them to eat a light dinner that was heavy on hor d'oeurves, took them back to the room and got them set up with a movie and Daniel and I were able to dine alone in the amazing Italian restaurant downstairs named Angelini. Everyone must give the restaurants a try. Simply amazing!

Fresh fruit and sandwiches if anyone needs a bite.

Snacks and beverages readily available for the children throughout the day in the Club Lounge.

So what is there to do in Bangkok with kids?
River cruise on a long boat. This could be taken right at the rear of our hotel.

While on the long boat stop at The Snake Farm and have a look at the snakes and other animals. Be sure to take your hand sanitizer with you and educate the children on not touching anything dangerous.

The Little Man having a heart-2-heart with one of his favorite birds. They match! 

Yes there were monkeys so close that you could touch them if you wanted. I, of course, didn't allow it. My kids would say I am a "Kill Joy" but I like to say I have an anxiety disorder that, while ruins all of the fun, keeps everyone safe. Therefore, GET OVER IT, you will thank me later!

Continue on the long boat tour and stop at the floating markets. You can find all kinds of things, including caskets. But the real gems are hidden along the open air markets on foot near the temples. 

Pick up a souvenir. But make sure to haggle. They know you are a tourist!

We were able to purchase an ice cold beer and a few bottled waters for just a few US dollars from this lady.

Normally I don't eat street food. But in Thailand it is the BEST!

I have no idea what these were called but we had the corn fritters and they were awesome!

Fresh seafood on ice.

Quench your thirst with an ice cold coconut water. Sadly they are not my favorite.

No trip to Bangkok is complete without a tuk tuk ride. The kids loved it!

Be sure to visit some of the world famous temples.

World famous temple, Wat Arun. 

The kids and I enjoying a family photo in front of the temple. This never happens.... me in the picture!

Stop by any fruit stand and rehydrate with some fresh fruit juice.

 We had a street vendor outside of our hotel that we wanted to try for dinner. If you are traveling with children when you walk outside the hotel the gentlemen will try to sell you a private boat tour but if you are a man walking alone they will instead open up a 3 ring binder that is full of pictures of young Thai prostitutes for you to choose from. I only know this because I was irritated every time we walked outside the hotel to go on another adventure that we were bombarded with, "Hey pretty lady, you want a boat tour? You wanna hire a tour guide? You wanna hire a boat?" Daniel then said we should be thankful it was just a boat tour because just the night before when we was walking alone into the hotel he had a 3 ring binder with pictures of girls for rent. But the following pictures are of the street food vendors that can be found right outside the Shangri-La. The food was fantastic and we never became sick. But you can find places like this all over the city. I wish I could remember what everything was but lets just say IT WAS ALL EATEN! Members of the clean plate club!

Hailey trying to gross all of you out! She loved her squid!

Thai boxing for your entertainment. 

Taxi driver hangout.  

CLEAN PLATE CLUB

When you are a street vendor this is how you do dishes.

If you look closely you can see a gentleman hanging out of the window cooking is food. 

Typical houses along the river.

Sweetest family who waved at us while feeding the fish.

For Moms and Dads, don't forget about a stop at the Lebua Hotel for drinks and/or dinner. I am sure you remember this from The Hangover 2 as well. But beware. The drinks are overpriced simply because you are paying for the view and a little piece of the movie set. Kids are not allowed, so make sure you have a sitter the night you go. We only had 3 full days in Bangkok and I wish we had more. Our adventures were only the tip of the iceberg. So if you ever get a chance to stop and vacation in Bangkok don't hesitate.  There was so much more of the city to see that we just didn't have time for. But next time....there is always next time!

Traveling with Kids

I am always asked how we do it. How do we manage to travel around the world with 2 kids in tow. And all I can say is plenty of Xanax and Wet-Ones. Don't worry I am the one taking the Xanax and the Wet-Ones are for the kids. We have had several incidents where I failed to plan. I say, "I", because lets face it what man actually packs a suitcase for his children and plans anything?  Am I right or am I RIGHT?!  I have made a list of necessities I would never live without on a trip around Southeast Asia. Here is a copy of that list:

1. Wet-Ones
2. Antibacterial Spray
3. Snacks for the plane ride and hotel room
4. A backpack for each child filled with coloring books, crayons, an empty water bottle, a few Matchbox cars for the boys or Barbies for the girls (Hailey is too big for these so she takes an iPod and a Kindle), and an extra change of clothes for everyone in the carry on bags.
5. Mosquito spray as well as Mosquito Bands
6. First Aid Kit: Pain reliever for kids and adults. Motion sickness medication. Antihistamines in case of allergic reaction. Ice/heat packs. Bandaids. Antibiotic ointment for scrapes, cuts, or bites. Thermometer. 
7. Sunscreen
8. Plastic Ziploc Bags, Extra Large
9. Paper towels
10. And last but NOT LEAST...a PUKE bucket! I will tell you how to make this.

We have traveled one time without me fully preparing my list and packing wisely and it was a disaster of EPIC proportions. Still to this day I don't know what I was thinking. Well actually I wasn't thinking  obviously because I left for 2 weeks in Bali with 1/3 of the list packed. As a result this happened and I wasn't prepared. CAUTION: GRAPHIC!

Bali is beautiful and over the top amazing but the roads are disastrous. We decided to book an adventurous trip to the Turtle Farm on Turtle Island followed by a trek into the Balinese rain forest for an elephant ride. The children and I had been dreaming of the elephant trek for weeks. But as soon as we climbed into the hired car I knew we were in trouble. The car had an obvious gas leak and the fumes were being circulated into the rear seat where I sat with the children. The car was not equipped with seat-belts which lead me to have an anxiety attack since our 32 lb four year old was sitting unrestrained in a vehicle. The roads looked like they had been bombed and were overcrowded with motorbikes and other vehicles. Here are a few pictures.

Within 30 minutes I realized all of us were going to be sick in the back seat. Daniel was smart. He sat in the front seat beside the driver. The problem was we were sandwiched in between cars and scooters on both sides of the street thus preventing us from being able to pull off to the shoulder because well...there wasn't a shoulder! I, of course, came ill-prepared for car sickness and once it started there was no stopping it. She erupted like a volcano, hitting the driver in the back of the head, spraying myself, Alistair, and the entire car. Once we were able to pull off the side of the ride came the daunting task of cleaning her and the car without the aid of paper towels or a change of clothes because once again, "I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING!" And apparently paper towels and cleaning products are scarce in Bali because we could never find anything and only could use water. The driver informed us that the drive to complete the trek was another 2 hours and so we decided to call it a day.....30 minutes into the adventure. Instead we continued on until we reached the Turtle Farm and washed her off in the ocean and bought her a new sundress. As for the rest of us, we just wore puke for the rest of the day. 

But a valuable lesson was learned on that trip. YOU NEVER LEAVE WITHOUT THE ENTIRE LIST! Because all of this could have been prevented. So that is how we do it! We pack smart from now on. Always make sure you have a change of clothes and ziploc bags to store wet, dirty clothes in. Pre-medicate your children with the appropriate dose of motion sickness medication and bring plenty for the trip. Always have a small puke container that can easily be packed inside of a backpack and is portable. I am spilling my secrets now because I usually use a medium sized round bowl from the Ziploc disposable line like this.

When we stay in hotels I take all of the free shower caps that are in the rooms. Yes, I steal them! Well not really steal because they are there for the taking. But I place it in the bowl and the elastic sides stay put outside under the edge. I then put a folded paper towel inside to help absorb the contents. Now just pop it into your diaper bag, purse, or backpack and the next time the kids are sick in the car you have a small bucket that they can hold onto that is less cumbersome than a GIGANTIC bucket and easily transportable. If they use it and you can't get to a trash can soon enough just pop the lid on top to contain the smell until it can be disposed of. Although it is just easier to give them medication prior to the trip and all of this is avoidable.

So happy adventures and be sure to pack smart!