Butterflies and Biking

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Fall has arrived in Bangkok.  The beautiful, blue sky fall.  I would add “cool,” too, except for the fact that it was a balmy 95F last weekend, which in my book does not really qualify as “cool.”  How about cooler?  Ok, yes, let’s settle on that.  So, the beautiful, blue sky, cooler-weather fall has arrived.  And you know what?  It’s a travesty not to spend it outside.    There are lots of great options for a little trip away this time a year.  Get your ancient Thai history on and head up to Ayutthaya for a day spent marveling at the palatial ruins.

Family trip to Ayuthaya soon after we arrived in Thailand

Take a two-hour drive to Hua Hin, relax on the beach, and try out the new water park.

Enjoying the walk-in beach pool at the Grand Hyatt in Hua Hin

Mosey on up to Khao Yai and enjoy the national park, wine country (just the country; not the wine), and let your little ones delight in feeding calves and goats and riding ponies at Chokchai Farms.

Logan feeding calves at Chokchai last month

Or, for an even closer option, spend a morning at Rotfai Park.

Beautiful day for a bike ride in Rotfai Park

Rotfai is nice and shady; perfect for biking and jogging

It took us two good friends (thanks Jane and Rob!) and a year and a half on the ground before we discovered Suan Rotfai.  And since that discovery a few months ago, we’ve been to Rotfai five times.  Nestled close to Jatujak Weekend Market, Rotfai Park is an oasis of shade, bike paths, and butterflies.  It is serenity.  There is plenty of space for your little ones to run around, practice their bike-riding skills, and take in nature.  Aside from the shade, the best part about Rotfai is that you can rent bikes at 20 baht a pop (yes folks, that is less than 0.75 cents) – bikes for adults and kids of every age and size, bikes with training wheels, bikes with bike seats for children, bikes with baskets, bikes adorned with Hello Kitty – they have it all.

Step One: Rent a bike

After shelling out 20 baht for a bike, stroll through the park to the Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, an indoor type of arboretum, which is home to many beautiful butterflies, and your occasional fish, tadpoles, and frogs.  Toddlers love this place.  Parents should love this place.  Kids can run free, up and down ramps, across bridges, around in circles, all the while admiring flora and fauna.

Step Two: Park your bike at the Butterfly Museum and wander inside

Step Three: Let your little ones explore the museum until their hearts are content

Beautiful butterfly

Butterfly deux

Butterflied-out, head around to the park’s playground, part of which is sponsored by Michelin  and boasts tire swings, tire bridge, tire ladders, tire seesaw . . . you get the point.

Step Four: Visit the playground

Step Five (optional): Check out the park’s heavy equipment

Your best bet is to go to Suan Rotfai early.  It’s a great thing to do as a family, but can be even more fun with a few families and several bikes in tow.  I don’t dare try to give you directions to Rotfai because I would probably get you lost.  Instead, I’m going to leave you with some additional reviews that provide maps and directions, including the official Suan Rotfai link:  Bangkok.com – Bangkok Parks, the parent vine – Rotfai Park, and the Government of Thailand’s official Rotfai Park site.

Rotfai Park makes for an awesome weekend morning spent out with the kids this time of year.  We highly recommend it.  Get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather!

A Healthy Mom is a Happy Mom

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Let me just start by saying that if you are a mom in Bangkok looking to get back into shape via running, here are some critical links for you:  Go Adventure Asia and Jog and Joy.  The first site provides a list of some of the bigger and more well-known races in Thailand and the region; the second lists the more local races in Thailand.

Just last weekend I challenged myself by jogging the Vertical Marathon at the Banyan Tree.  That means climbing 61 floors (1,093 stairs) as quickly as possible.  It was awesome.

On a high after fourteen minutes of stair-climbing to the top of the Banyan Tree

Now on to my weekly blog post story:  When I was pregnant with Logan three years ago, I joined a prenatal yoga class on Capitol Hill.  My ultra-hippy yoga teacher would start each class by having everyone introduce themselves and use one word to describe how they felt.  I remember using the word “frustrated” one week and when it came to why, I explained that I just wanted to go out for a run.  Logan was born in late July in Washington, DC and as the beautiful spring and summer months came out to play, I was aching to go on a nice, long jog.  Prenatal yoga certainly helped me with delivery, and for that I am grateful, but blah blah blah blah, it was boring (my apologies to all of you yogis out there)!  Four weeks after delivering Logan, I went out for my first jog.  I was pathetically out of shape, but it felt great to be jogging again.  And as the weeks ensued, I got back into running, lifting and some tennis, started some short-distance races, and a year later I was pregnant again.

Pregnancies don’t treat me kindly, so I counted chasing my one year old around as my daily exercise while I was pregnant with my second (and those of you that have had a 1-2 year old boy know that chasing him around is exercise indeed).  I was extremely ready to get back into jogging after Kate was born in May.  I started slow and built up.  I feel about a thousand times better now that I can challenge myself physically again.  The endorphin high is an extra plus.  This fall weather in Bangkok is another bonus.  What a beautiful time of year to jog outside.  There were actually leaves falling on my jog in Lumpini today.

Bottom line, for me, a healthy mom is a happy mom.  Every day I can get a quick jog in or some lifting, I feel like I’m a better mom.  I’m less stressed, more fit, get in some valuable alone time, and build up energy for the day with my children.

Find what it is that makes you healthy – a good read, a good swim, some time with friends – and find the time to do it.  You will be a better mom for it.

Push-ups in Lumpini

U.S. Brands at Very Low Prices? Yes, Please.

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How many times have you checked the tag of your child’s $18 Gap shirt to find out that it was made in Thailand?  Right.  So, where is all of that clothing and how do you find it here at super bargain-basement prices?  While I’m certainly not the expert on this, I have found one joint that delivers.  If you are strolling around the Central Chitlom area, check out the indoor market on the bottom floor of the Sindhorn Building (just next to the 7/11) on Wireless Road on a Tuesday morning.  The best time to go is between 9-11am; before 9 the vendor is still unloading his clothing, after 11 the market gets swamped with lunchtime browsers.

Children’s clothing vendor at Sindhorn on Tuesdays

You have to dig, but you can find some great stuff!

I’m not sure if this stuff isn’t sized exactly right, is sample clothing, or you know, just fell off the truck, but I have found some awesome Gymboree, Oshkosh, Carter’s, and Sprockets clothes at excellent prices at this little market.  You have to dig, and you have to be mindful that what you’ve picked up doesn’t have a small defect here or there, but I have been happy with everything I’ve gotten for both Logan and Kate.  Furthermore, nothing that I have bought (from onesies to pajamas to shorts/shirt combinations has cost more than 180-200 baht).  You know how quickly little ones grow.  It’s so nice to be able to find U.S. brands at very low prices so that you don’t feel so guilty when they grow out of them right away.

Darling Sprockets spacehip pajamas for boys

Sweet Logan modeling his pajamas

The market also has great seasonal/holiday finds.  I picked up the below Halloween sleeper (Carter’s) for Kate and Santa bibs (Gymboree) for Logan and Kate.  It’s not easy to find a U.S. brand Halloween sleeper in Thailand, but this guy has it.  Enjoy your shopping!

Kate modeling her Halloween onesie

Super cute onesie feet

P.S. – I’ve also heard from several friends that the third floor of Platinum Mall offers some great children’s export clothing at low prices.  I have yet to check it out, but from what it sounds like, it’s worth a try, too!

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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