Bangkok with a Toddler

Coming from Chiang Mai, the flight time was only about an hour and we arrived early in the morning. We met our driver outside and headed for the hotel which was about an hour drive into the city. We tried to check in to our hotel, but it was too early, so we dropped our bags and headed into town. Matt had to conduct business when we arrived, so Garrett (Matt’s brother accompanying us on our trip), Lily and I headed downtown.

Since we were in Bangkok with a toddler we decided to visit the Dinosaur Planet theme park. Lily loves dinosaurs, but this park was definitely not suitable for toddlers. It was very small and the exhibitions included a 4D dinosaur-themed motion ride, a simulator that had us being chased by dinosaurs, and some other exhibits. We walked through an area that had dinosaurs moving and looked pretty real; naturally, Lily did not like that. Then, when we arrived at the learning exhibit, the worker gave Lily a plastic toy to help her feel better. Meanwhile, Garrett and I looked at the world map of where dinosaurs had been discovered, and we thought it was interesting that the dinosaurs we are familiar with were found in the U.S., but we did not recognize any of the dinosaurs that were found in Southeast Asia. I probably should have paid more attention when Lily watched Dinosaur Train, a PBS show, to learn about more types of dinosaurs!

After we had enough of the dinosaurs and walking around in the heat, the three of us headed for the hotel hoping to check in. We stayed at The Ascott, which had serviced apartments and our residence was a huge 2-bedroom apartment with a large balcony. After a few hours of relaxation at the hotel (with Matt now returned from his work stuff), we headed to Asiatique for some dinner and some unexpected fun. . . .

We ate riverside at a restaurant called Capri, which had western food choices and two for one cocktails! The ambiance was great, along with the service and the food. I may have mentioned before that mosquitos seem to find me everywhere I go, and of course, they found me under the table as we sat outside and ate, so my smart brother-in-law took a candle from another table and put it under the table to scare off the mosquitos! Lily was pooped from the Dino park and slept the entire dinner.

After dinner and a few drinks, we decided to go to a fish spa. The fish spa is where you stick your feet in a tank of water and the fish eat the dead skin off your feet and legs. I am extremely ticklish, so the sensation was not enjoyable for me and my laughing and whimpering woke poor Lily up where she became upset as she saw fish eating my legs!

Day 2

On our second day in Bangkok, we drove about 45 minutes outside the city to see Bang Pa In Palace, also known as the Summer Palace used by Thai kings and queens. Lily was able to buy some bread from a vendor and feed some fish in the big pond, and we also saw a large Water Monitor Lizard while roaming the grounds. The Summer Palace is a huge complex that required a lot of walking, which we did not prepare for as we were drenched in sweat.

Our next stop was the Ayutthaya Historical Park, once the capital of the Kingdom of Siam, which is now in ruins for visitors to view. We only stayed for a few minutes as Lily was unhappy because the heat was upsetting her and without being able to cool down fast she became more irritable.

Later that evening we went to the Chang Chui Plane Night Market which is quite new. It holds many different shops, restaurants, live music, and creative art pieces. One of them being a giant plane in the center with an exhibit inside and a slide to get down. We ate at Old Man Café where there was a live band playing some western songs. One of the guys in the band played five instruments ranging from an oboe to an accordion.

Day 3

Our last day in Bangkok we stayed locally in the city and hit the highlights of Bangkok. We first went to the Golden Mountain where we walked up the 318 steps, rang some bells and gongs for good luck, and enjoyed awesome city views. Lily even walked up every single step on her own! At 2 years, 6 months, and 2 hours and 37 minutes, Lily might be the youngest American-born female to climb all 318 steps at the Golden Mountain!

Next, we went to The Grand Palace, where it was beyond crowded. Bringing a stroller was a mistake. Between the heat, the crowds, and the long walk to and from the car, we were done for the morning and headed back to our hotel to lounge at the pool for the afternoon.

This ended our stay in Bangkok and next, we prepared for Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Don’t Forget to Pack: Summer clothes, sunscreen, hats, and bug spray. If you plan to visit temples, make sure you dress appropriately: no tank tops and women have to have their legs covered. You can buy “elephant pants” outside most places that require you to be covered.

Food: We were not as adventurous with local food on this leg of the trip, and thankfully, we were able to find any type of food we were in the mood for.

Observation on Bangkok: This city is massive and takes a while to get around with the heavy traffic. I find that Bangkok did not have as much stuff to do with kids, but it did have a lot of cultural aspects to embark on, which is great, but maneuvering through the crowds, in the heat, with a toddler was difficult.

Hotel Review: The hotel, The Ascott, was great as it had a lot of amenities we were looking for when choosing a hotel. It had a large pool with cabanas, a children’s playroom, convenience store attached, a fabulous gym, and even had a pub attached. The hotel was situated more in a business area, with touristy sites more than a 15-minute drive away. Overall it was the best accommodations on the trip so far.

Things we didn’t do, but wanted to: We definitely could have seen more Wats (temples as the Thai call them), but with a cranky toddler in the heat, we decided that we had seen enough and really wanted to enjoy the Bangkok heat from the shade and by the pool.

Check out more blogs about our travels here.

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