Category: Travel

Our meanderings

Outfitting Your Child’s Room South East Asia Style

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A  few months ago, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a French vendor based out of Vientiane who sells beautiful Batik prints for children’s rooms.  The brand, Anakijo, was founded by Valerie Baumal, who has been living in South East Asia for many years.

Valerie handcrafts each piece of artwork by selecting batik sarongs from Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.  The designs she creates are inspired by the flora and fauna of South East Asia.  Valerie’s artwork makes a beautiful and unique addition to a nursery or child’s room.  What a fabulous idea for a gift, also!  I bought the below elephant print for our baby girl’s nursery and had it framed locally in a simple wooden frame.  Oh how I wish I had bought more prints when I acquired this one!

Valerie hasn’t opened shop in Thailand yet, but you can order from her online or at Etsy.com.  Valerie travels to Thailand occasionally and when I communicated with her over email, she said she would be willing to bring some prints with her the next time she makes a trip.  Would anyone be interested in a private sale the next time she is in town?  If so, let me know, and I’ll do my best to arrange it with her.  I can’t think of a better way to add some South East Asian character and charm to your child’s room than through this unique artwork.  What an extra special gift the prints make for friends back home as well.

You can visit Anakijo’s website at:  http://anakijo.com/index.html.

Let the Water Fights Begin

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It is hot this time of year in Bangkok.  So hot, in fact, that all you want to do is submerse yourself in water – be it a pool, the ocean, a cold shower, or even a water fight.

Over the past week, our tod has been learning the joy in what is Thailand’s Songkran Festival – a holiday that Thai families and friends celebrate by visiting temples and splashing water on each other to wish each other good luck, which over the years has evolved into a nationwide water fight and a popular reason to travel and party.  Songkran marks the beginning of a new solar year and the summer season in Thailand.  It is Thailand’s most anticipated festival every year .  In you are in Thailand and you venture out of your abode during Songkran, you and/or your mode of transportation are guaranteed to get wet.  Three to five days of nationwide water fights to celebrate not only the new year, but this heat?  Brilliance, I say.

Below are a few photos of how Logan celebrated the pre-Songkran Holiday.

A week before Songkran begins, Zoila teaches Logan to use a water gun . . . a critical thing to know before the water fights get into full swing

Logan jumps in the "fish pond" at his friend's first birthday party to cool down and enjoys a Songkran spray down in the meantime

For the holiday, we headed to our favorite drivable beach getaway in Thailand, the Rayong Beach Villa at Rim Phae Beach.

Rim Phae Beach, Rayong

Rayong Beach Villa

What better way to celebrate Songkran than with friends at the beach?

Playing in the sand

Checking out the ocean, contemplating a dip

Just cooling off my feet!

Kids don water guns in the back of pick-ups . . . isn't this every child's fantasy?

Beware of the water truck!

Check out the Songkran Festival "damage" to our car!

We’ll miss your youthful ways, Songkran.  Until next year . . .

Five Asian Snacks Your Toddler Will Love

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Loved this idea for a blog post that my dear friend Ana Gaby, who just went from expat life in Bangkok to expat life in Jakarta, posted yesterday. Most of these snacks can be found in Bangkok, too, so I thought it would be useful for my Thailand followers. Enjoy!

Ana Gaby's avatarStumble Abroad

Evan thinks he’s Asian. He will eat sushi rolls, he’s obsessed with rice and noodles and he has to dip everything in soy sauce or kecip manis. Every time we go back to the US or Mexico he suffers from Asian food withdrawal and we have to at least find some rice from him.

Here’s a list of our favorite Asian snacks in no particular order.

1. Seaweed

Evidence of Evan’s Asian roots (being born in Thailand and all), is his fixation with Seaweed snacks. They provide a satisfying crunch just like chips but with less than half the calories and sodium! Now that’s a good treat! Evan likes the laver variety roasted in sesame oil the best. He can eat two packages at a time! Mom likes the fact that they barely have any calories and that they are very tasty. I don’t have a specific brand I prefer…

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A Walk-In Beach Pool and Cocktails – The Perfect Toddler-Parent Weekend Combination

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In our year and a half in Thailand, we’ve only given the popular weekend destination of Hua Hin a chance once.  Last weekend we thought we’d get away for a night and give it a second opportunity to wow us.

The first time around we stayed at the Anantara, which is a beautiful resort that boasts a great pool bar and classy ambiance, but in the end, lacks a good beach front and is not so kid-friendly.  This time, on a friend’s recommendation, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency.  While more expensive than the Anantara, the Hyatt definitely has more activities for kids of all ages.  The best part of the resort for us/Logan by far?  The man-made beach and walk-in beach pool.  This is a toddler and parent’s dream – no need to worry about a rough surf, steep drop offs, jellyfish (which Hua Hin does have) or peddlers on the beach.  No need to worry about lack of shade, trash on the beach, or a tide.  Instead, just sit back and relax under the shade of an umbrella, order a cocktail with the touch of a button, and watch your little one(s) play in the clean sand and make their way into the calm pool, testing their ability to stand and giggling as the water gradually gets deeper.  Ahh, now that is what vacation is supposed to be about!  The Hyatt also has a pretty awesome water slide and lazy river pool for older kids, fantastic and reasonably-priced Western and Thai tapas beachfront at the McFarland House for dinner, and several ponds where tods can delight in throwing bread in to feed beautiful koi and ducks during the day.

We certainly felt like we did Hua Hin right the second time around.  We recommend the Hyatt to anyone looking for a short weekend escape with little ones that allows parents to relax and kids to be kids.

Beach Bum

Inviting walk-in pool – perfect for tods!

Logan testing his limits in the pool while Mom and Dad relax beach-side

Raisins and milk before the journey home


What? You’re Telling Me I Can’t Get an Epidural?!

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For those mamas soon-to-deliver in Bangkok, I thought I’d shed some light on a recent rumor that’s going around about hospitals changing their policies on epidurals, and in some cases, the inability to get epidurals at all.  With an impending delivery on the way myself, you better believe I wanted to get to the bottom of what is really happening before Baby Girl Braunohler makes her debut in May.  I heard everything from – “women haven’t been able to get epidurals” to “more women are choosing c-sections” to “once you have an epidural, the anesthesiologist stays in the room with you the entire time through delivery, and you now pay based on the amount of time you are in labor with an epidural (instead of a set fee for having an epidural).”  I held out until 7cm to get an epidural when I was in labor with Logan, but I can tell you that I would not have wanted to know what the final 3cm + pitocin + pushing and final delivery would have felt like without it.  So, yes, when the time comes, I better be able to get an epidural if I want one.

According to my OB,  sixteen years ago, a women in labor at Samitivej Hospital died of an amniotic fluid embolism, a very rare condition that is almost always fatal.  The anesthesiologist who had administered her epidural was able to reach her in about one minute, however her rapidly deteriorating situation could not be reversed and she died quickly.  Last month, the judge rendered a decision on the case (yes, after 16 years!) and found the medical team to be at fault for not attending to the woman sooner.  As a result, all anesthesiologists in the city went on strike — and if you happened to deliver on that unlucky day or two last month, an epidural would have been very difficult to come by.  Because of the decision, hospitals quickly realized they needed to “take care of their own,” and each one restructured their policies and protocol for anesthesiologists working in labor and maternity wards.  As I will be delivering at Bumrungrad, the hospital has now hired an anesthesiologist to be present in the labor and maternity ward at all times.  In the event that you have an epidural and then have to deliver via c-section, you will be taken to the operating room and handled by a second anesthesiologist for the c-section.   This means that you will pay double the doctor’s fees for anesthesia, since the delivery will require two anesthesiologists instead of one.  I understand from other mothers that have/are delivering at Samitivej, if you are administered an epidural, the anesthesiologist must remain with you in the room through delivery.  You will then pay anesthesiologist fees based on the length of time you were in labor with an epidural instead of a set price for having an epidural.  I’m not sure about BNH or other hospitals in town, but if you know, please do share.

I hope this clears up some confusion surrounding why hospitals’ policies and pricing are changing.  One less thing to worry about during labor and delivery certainly makes for a more calm mama!