Our favorite indoor and outdoor activities
Those of us who live in Bangkok have probably been to Lumpini Park more times than we care to count. And when we get there, we usually do normal park things: jog, bike, visit the playground, feed the fish, take in the local aerobics and tai chi classes. But here is something I bet you didn’t know you could do in Lumpini:
Operate massive construction equipment . . . every little boy’s dream. Thank you, Lumpini Park, for delivering!
As some of you may know, Gateway Ekami Mall opened up last year and it is home to a fantastic new play area by Aeon Fantasy. I’m a little bit late to the punch on this one, but seeing as Ekami seems a world away to us – just under six miles (but a life time in Bangkok traffic) – we just scouted out this new venue for the first time over the weekend. We had been told by several friends that this place was great, but you really have to go and experience it to understand how awesome it is for the little ones. When you first walk in, you enter a type of indoor amusement park with ride-on Japanese buses, bullet trains, police motorcycles, trucks . . . you name it. There are heaps of video games for older children and a pretty pink carousel for the younger ones.
Katelyn and Logan were so entranced by this place that we couldn’t get either one of them to look at the camera!
Stimulation overload
Well, search no further! Siam Ocean World at Siam Paragon has a new seahorse exhibit on display that is super cool and worthwhile to visit. As you may have read on Toddle Joy’s FB page, we just renewed our yearly passes to Ocean World – and after a visit with Logan yesterday, I am so glad that we did! In addition to being a very awesome aquarium, Ocean World is always changing its exhibits, keeping things fresh and fun. If you are a regular to Ocean World, you will have noticed that the play area mid way through the aquarium was torn down and replaced by a photo shop. At first this seemed unfortunate, but it has been replaced by a much better play area that your little ones can now enjoy after their visit. Goodbye to the caged-in area with foam slides and a gazillion balls (that place never seemed squeaky clean to me anyway); hello to a nicely-padded area with a jungle gym, plastic slides, and ride-on sea animals . . . so much better! It makes so much more sense to have it as the last stop so that toddlers don’t get distracted from their undersea adventure prematurely. Finally, they have a treasure area where kids can rummage through a faux treasure chest and play pirate . . . fun! So, if you haven’t been to Ocean World recently (or if you haven’t been at all), now is a good time to go! Enjoy!
How do you compress a visit to Thailand’s most famous sights into two hours? The Ancient City.
The Ancient City: a perfectly-sized place for tods
Yes, with little ones in tow you can visit just over one hundred replicas of some of Thailand’s most well-known monuments and architectural sites in one day. A trip to the Ancient City is a great way to comfortably introduce your children to Thai history and culture without the inconveniences of long car rides, air travel, and packed bags. The Ancient City offers plenty of room for little ones to run freely on beautifully manicured lawns and practice their stair-climbing on scaled-down replicas of famous Thai wats. The Grand Palace? The famous floating market? A replica of a Thai junk boat? They can all be found at Ancient Siam.
Logan displaying a healthy glow after much stair climbing
Motorized vehicle-loving toddlers and bike-happy parents will love Ancient Siam. Tour it via your own private two-, four-, or six-seater golf cart or rented bike . You could also hop aboard a tram for a guided tour; however this is not nearly as cool as the first two options.
The golf cart was definitely the highlight of the visit for Logan
Travelling by golf cart
Now is the perfect time of year to visit Ancient Siam, which is about 40 minutes outside of Bangkok by car. Because it is completely an outdoor activity, bring hats, sunscreen, and water. A couple hours of exploring will probably suffice to take in the sights and wear out your little ones enough to sleep the entire car ride home. We were so happy to discover this new activity. We hope you will enjoy it, too!
Although we are headed back home to celebrate the holidays this year, I felt it obligatory to share with my readers what not to miss in Bangkok over the next month or two. After all, Christmas trees are already going up all around town and the weather is starting to cool off.
Logan last Christmas
1. In search of Christmas toys? Plan Toys has their unbeatable semi-annual sale throughout the month of December. Make a morning out of visiting their factory store on Sathorn Soi 10 and you will find discounts from 50-70 percent on some of their finest toys, from doll houses to pull toys to wooden firetrucks, tractors, and more. There is a crazy awesome train table set up in the front of the store, as well as toy kitchens, cars, trucks, etc. Bring your little ones along and they will be so busy playing they won’t even know you are buying for them. Seriously, this is the sale. Buy for Christmas and stock up for birthdays (both your child’s birthday and his friends birthdays). You will be happy that you did so. More about Plan Toys in one of my previous posts – The Land of Wooden Toys.
2. Do not miss the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra’s “Concerts in the Park” at Lumpini every Sunday evening at 5:30pm from December-February. This is an awesome opportunity to let the little ones roam free with their friends while you nosh on bread and cheese (and maybe – gasp- bring a little wine) and listen to the Orchestra’s renditions of famous tunes from the Indiana Jones to the Phantom of the Opera to Christmas music and more. The concert dates for 2012-3 as listed on the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra’s FB page:
Sunday 16, December 2012
Sunday 23, December 2012
Sunday 6, January 2013
Sunday 13, January 2013
Sunday 20, January 2013
Sunday 27, January 2013
Sunday 3, February 2013
Sunday 10, February 2013
Concerts are free of charge. Bring your tots, some food and drink (they sell popcorn, soft drinks and a few other snacks), friends, bikes and trikes, rent a mat or two to sit on, and enjoy. This is a beautiful time of year to be outside.
3. Hit up an enjoyable and delicious Christmas buffet. There are only a gazillion options in Bangkok – so choose a location that seems family-friendly, is reasonably priced, and will make your tummy happy. Our favorite is the Sukothai Chocolate Buffet. While the Chocolate Buffet is offered year-round, the Sukothai is decorated so beautifully at Christmas that we venture to the buffet once a year during the holidays. Don’t worry, there is a savoury table to match the sweet one. In the event of a sweet headache, just start altering between the two (my husband has the method down)! The buffet runs about 1200 baht/person (and half that for children) over the holidays.
Sukothai Chocolate Buffet last Christmas
Logan loved it!
Oh, there is so much more to do in Bangkok during the holidays. If you have suggestions, please share them in the comments. We’re all looking for new ways to explore a city that offers so much, and the holidays are a great time to explore.
Toddle Joy 