In the land of dragons
Bells, bells, and more bells....
The family just got back from a fabulous week in Thailand. Other than laying over in the airport during a long trip, none of us had spent any time in Thailand. All the things we had had heard about this country seem to be true – easy to get around, tons of great things to do, wonderful for families, and very affordable. It is definitely one of our favorite countries.
Our autumn holiday was during the week of October 12. We had the option of spending less money on flights and flying from Colombo to Bangkok overnight – but with kids, it’s worth it to spend the extra money for a sane itinerary. So we left Sri Lanka on Saturday morning and were in Bangkok for lunch (1.5 hours time difference). As always, the kids were SUPER on the airplane – Maddie has the time of her life flying, and Calvin still just kind of sits there and smiles. We actually took advantage of the (normally awful) bulkhead seats and successfully used the infant cot that attaches to the wall both going and coming.
Getting friendly with villagers in northern Thailand
Our friend Peter met us at the airport – great to see him again after 5 years! A group of our friends from the Dominican Republic ended up here at the International School of Bangkok (ISB) a few years back and have never left. Besides Peter and Patience (and daughter Ellie), our friends Brad and Susie are also in Bangkok, and we saw all of them. The Bangkok airport is gigantic, and functions well.
Lots of wats!
The thing that struck us immediately was how uncomfortably hot and humid the weather generally is in Bangkok. Colombo is steamy, but Bangkok seems on a different level. Air conditioners are constantly on in Bangkok and to not have one in every room of your house is almost unthinkable (for those with the means to have them). At least in Colombo we get a decent breeze on most days… Bangkok is also colossal and pretty ugly. It’s a huge concrete jungle with insane traffic and poorly designed roads. ISB is out of town aways and comprises its own community.
Best friends after 2 minutes
On Saturday we just hung out with our friends and Maddie and Ellie became best buds. We played on the playground and generally got reaquainted. On Sunday we went downtown and had a nice lunch at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, then took a boat up the river to the Wat Po – a beautiful wat (temple) that was surprisingly uncrowded for a weekend. On Monday our friends went to school and we visited their beautiful campus. ISB is quite a place – as nice or nicer than most colleges I have visited. They really have their act together and are doing something right, as most people who get jobs there tend to stay for a very long time. Lots of playgrounds and things to do. And there is a Starbucks across the street! We definitely spent too much time and money there….
Lighting incense at the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep
The Smithwalds on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok
On Tuesday we left sweltering Bangkok and flew to Chiang Mai , way up north not far from the Myanmar/Laos borders. Our buddies in Bangkok recommended this as a great side trip while in Thailand and indeed, it seems to be the place that most first time visitors to this country end up. It was super and we could have spend way more than 4 nights there. A city of 170,000 that has everything you’d ever need but not overwhelming in size; tons of wats and other culture; a natural setting surrounded by mountains with lots of outdoor opportunities; great for families. We stayed in a bed and breakfast that Peter had recommended to us – absolutely perfect. It was a little ways away from the main part of town but easily accessible via a footbridge that spanned the Ping River.
With papa panda at the Chiang Mai zoo
We all really loved Chaing Mai. We went to the zoo, which Maddie and Calvin absolutely loved. Chaing Mai has one of the best zoos I have ever seen – so many things to see, in a beautiful hilly forest on the edge of town. Its big attraction at the moment is a baby panda – which we did not get to see directly because it was resting indoors. But momma panda was stunning. They do a very good job at this zoo to give their creatures a pretty good life in large enclosures.
2 babies in a faceoff!
Another highlight was a visit to the elephant conservation center south of Chaing Mai about a 45 minute drive. They take good care of the animals here and although they put on a silly elephant show (a bit like a mini-circus), it’s very well done. Of course, the family rode and elephant through the jungle. Imagine how much Maddie loved that! Though she was a bit scared of the elephant up close – I don’t think she realized just how gigantic and smelly they really are. She also got to feed them bananas and sugar cane. Definitely a highlight!
Wait -who's the tourist here?
And of course we visited many, many wats. There are so many temples just around Chiang Mai, it seems it would take years to visit them all. Our favorites were the Wat Umong (with underground tunnels) and the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep (on a hilltop overlooking the city). We also drove deeper into the hills and visited a ( touristy) Hmong village. With kids and our limited time there, we couldn’t do any over night trekking or hiking to distant remote villages, so this was the next best thing. We did some shopping and spent an evening at the famous night bazaar. Lots of stuff at pretty reasonable prices! We carried Maddie and Calvin around town on our backs/fronts. They were both the stars of Chaing Mai and everybody loved them – not only Thais, but the many Chinese tourists. We also took a dinner cruise up the river and saw the rice paper lanterns being lit that were set off floating high the air above the city. Maddie loved that boat cruise.
Another day, another wat...
We arrived back in Colombo late on Saturday night – good to be back. Gone are the days when mom and dad can arrive from a red-eye flight a few hours before school starts and be to work at 07:15. Now we need at least a day to recover! The following Monday was also mom’s first day back at work since Calvin was born, so we are all adjusting to her new lifestyle.
Public transport in Chiang Mai
Mads among her collection of animal dieties
Over the weekend of September 19-20, dear Madeline had her THIRD birthday celebration. WOW! It was great. After much build-up, on Friday afternoon the big kids’ party finally took place. Mom had spent most of the week planning the event – and did a professional job. All kinds of games and activities were planned to keep big groups of kids busy. Alas, the day was filled with near-constant torrential rain storms. Very bad luck that the monsoon has just arrived (over the past few days beforehand it was like this more often than not.)
The party started at 15:00 and visitors were very prompt. A few parents actually showed up but in these dases they just dropped their kids and nannies off at the house and kept going. The kids automatically took to the different ‘fun stations’ as if they all knew beforehand where everything was and what was on offer! Everybody had a great time playing – a real quality party. The most popular activity table was the crown-making one – everybody made one, though not all of them were dry enough to wear by the time the party ended (too humid and materials too cheap!) There was also a play-dough stand and a sand table to play with (that funky and sticky sort of ’space sand’ that Maddie has too much of…)
Then the cake – Mom had made a perfect chocolate cake, straight from Betty Crocker’s kitchen (via the American Embassy, of course.) Dad decorated this one-layer cake with lots of pink frosting and designs with sprinkles just before the party, so the icing didn’t have a chance to melt too much before the cake was presented. Too much! Maddie of course loved it and it was almost completely gone in about 10 minutes.
Madeline was so happy with her party – she will never forget it, I am sure. It’s one of those few things that is obsessed over forever before it occurs but when it happens, it actually lives up to its expectations. She had all of her favorite people there and got lots of great gifts. And some kids were able to go outside for a brief time between rain storms and play on the swings (but this didn’t last long.)
And the party did not stop there! The next day the family splurged and went to a very nice hotel at the beach just north of Colombo. On Sunday, Madeline’s actual birthday, we had the family celebration which meant yet another gift-giving ocassion. Then on Tuesday at school Maddie had another little birthday party (she took cupcakes for everybody, again from Betty Crocker.) This was an event that just kept going on and on! Just the way it should be.
