Category: Thailand

The Single Best Thing We’ve Done for our Toddler in Bangkok?

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Teach him to swim.

Thailand is teeming with pools and beautiful beach destinations.  The weather is magnificent for swimming year round.  We’re fortunate enough to have a pool in our apartment complex.  With so much access to water, it would be silly not to enjoy it.

After arriving in November almost a year and a half ago, I was anxious to find activities for Logan.  The problem was, he was only four months old and the only things available to us were playgroups.  Sure playgroups are all well and good, but let’s face it – after two or three playgroups of drooling, grunting, pooping babies a week – Logan and I were both ready for something more.

Then I heard about a little organization called Bangkok Dolphins.  And to be honest, our lives haven’t been the same since.

At the tender age of five months, Logan began infant swim classes.  He started in a Tuesday class of about six children (with parents by their side), taught by an enthusiastic and endearing British swim instructor named Teacher Tom.   Every Tuesday since then, minus a few missed weeks for vacation and runny noses here and there, Logan and I both have looked forward to our Tuesday swim outings.  Logan has developed a love for the water, acquired the fundamentals of swimming, and has learned about water safety at a very early age.  Walter and I have had so much fun swimming with him. I was even fortunate enough to meet some of my best friends in Bangkok (I’m talking about you, Natalia, Barbara, and Alejandra) during infant swim classes.

Watching Logan’s evolution over the past year and a half has been awesome.  Here’s a little clip of Logan swimming at about 10 months of age.

And here are a couple of videos of Logan swimming more recently.

If you have access to a pool and/or swim school nearby, I highly encourage you to give your child the gift of swim lessons.  Enjoying the water at home and on vacation has greatly enriched Logan’s infant and toddler years.  Below are some pictures of our fun times in the water together over the past two years.

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This One’s for the Parents

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No matter whether you have one calm, sleep-happy baby at home, a house full of crazy toddlers, or heaven forbid, both, all parents just need a break sometimes.  Here are some new, hip locales that parents in Bangkok owe it to themselves to try out:

The view from “Up and Above” at the Okura Prestige

1. For a drink (or two, or three . . . ), hit up the newly-opened Okura Prestige‘s “Up and Above” bar.  Located on the five-star hotel’s 24th floor, the bar has an amazing outdoor balcony and seating area with an enviable view of the city.  Choices on the cocktail menu are generous and diverse.  This bar is so chic that they even attach small LED flashlights to the  menus so you can read the drink list in the dark.  Being a five-star hotel, the service is impeccable.  We visited “Up and Above” on what was threatening to be another rainy evening in Bangkok.  Even though the hotel had temporary closed the outdoor seating area due to impending inclement weather, the waitress opened it up just for the two of us to have a drink.  Read:  private evening cocktails overlooking the city.  Doesn’t get much better than that!

Up and Above Restaurant and Bar

  • Located at intersection of Phloen Chit and Wireless Road.  The hotel has a direct link via covered walkway to the BTS at Phloen Chit station.
  • Open Daily; Bar hours:  17.00 – 01.00

2. For an exquisite meal, venture out to Quince Eatery and Bar.  We were fortunate enough to first try out Quince during its soft opening in June.  The restaurant, housed in a restored 1950s Sukhumvit home, has a contemporary and homey feel that can be described as “rustic chic”. The chef consultant, Jess Barnes, hails from the Barossa Valley in South Australia.  Quince’s menu, which changes frequently, is divided into small dishes, salads, and more substantial plates; perfect for sharing.  Most of the ingredients are locally sourced and the dishes are reasonably priced.  Quince also has an extensive wine list that features good values – something you can’t often find in Thailand.

Quince by day, photo by farfromthemaddeningcrowd.com

Quince’s FB page features its current menu, as well as photos of the restaurant, the food, and some additional information about the chef’s vision.

In addition, here are some independent reviews for your reading pleasure:

Quince Eatery and Bar
Sukhumvit soi 45 (top of the soi)
BTS: Phrom Pong
Phone:  02-662-4478 (do make reservations, as this place fills up every night!)
Email:  eat@quincebangkok.com
Open Mon-Sun; 11:30-01:00

If you make it out to one of the above places, let me know what you think.  I hope to provide more suggestions of new cool places for parents to unwind in a subsequent post (when we have more time ourselves to get out and do some more exploring)!

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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