Thailand with kids – the summary of our trip

4 adults and 4 kids

25 days in travel

5 flights

5 hotels

We traveled 160 km by train (to Ayutthaya and back),

180 km by bus (from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai),

More than 700 km by car.

Besides that, we traveled by tuk-tuk, golf cart, and scooter (Tomasz on Koh Lanta).

We went by speed boat, long boat, longtail boat (just the 4 of us), ferry (only the Brussel sprouts), some of us by kayak. Tomasz went running.

We visited around 10 temples and a few ruins, and saw many Buddha statues.

We fed elephants, giraffes, hippos and lions. And children.

We also washed an elephant (partly).

We bewitnessed a monitor lizard feasting on a snake, in a park.

We swam in a see clear as crystal and luke-warm (Lucky Luke?).

and in a pool on the 23rd floor with tremendous views of Bangkok.

We lost Adam’s sweater, Tomasz’ scarf and Gabriela’s cap as well as Daria’s temper (some more easily than others).

We ate kilograms of rice, uncountable pad thais, curries and tonnes of shrimp and spring rolls (we kid you not).

We drank litres of juice from mango, banana and coconut as well as Singha anc Chang beer (and one Red Horse), and one-two bottles of local snake spirit.

We brushed our teeth using tap water, drank juice with ice in it and ate food from street hawkers. Only Emilia had a short episode with her stomach.

The kids caughed a bit in Bangkok, but the climate of the sea at Koh Lanta cured them instantly. Maybe it was the smog?

We did not regret for a single nanosecond the fact that we brought the kids along.

 

Adam z naturalnymi zabawkami na Koh Lanta / Adam collecting natural toys on Koh Lanta.

 

Yes, there were some tough moments. The kids were tired, bored, hungry, and could not stand rice anymore. Activities which seemed to be attractive to children in our eyes were not always approved by them. But there were tonnes of fantastic moments and beautiful memories, pushing the worse ones away.

During almost 4 weeks we were together. We were doing stuff TOGETHER. We did not have to cook, wash, clean.

Thailand was the second country we visited in South-East Asia (after Indonesia). Did it make a huge impression? I guess not. Are we planning on going back? Not really. Not because it wouldn’t be worth it, it would. More so because our wish list of destinations is still quite long, hence we wouldn’t want to spend time on re-runs. In our eyes, Thailand is the perfect country for people who are just starting out their adventure with Asia. Getting transportation or organising any matter at all was exceptionally easy, and almost everything worked. we had a small issue with child boosters, but everything else was really uncomplicated.

What did we like the best?

The beaches and the sea…, which really looked like on the photos from the travel catalogues. More than the places we visited, I felt like the experiences were more important.

Traveling by train full of locals and not tourists, by tuk-tuk, going by different boats. Feeding and washing the elephants. The food…

The smile on Gabriela’s face while spending hours in the sea or in the pool. Her amazement with the temples full with gold and colourful stones and the excitement from watching traditional dancers late at night in Chiang Mai. Gabriela eating hips of spring rolls in Bangkok. Gabriela lying on the bow of the boat when we went to Koh Mook. Gabriela when she dared to jump into the water from the speedboat far away from land.

The joy in Adam’s eyes when running around on the beach. His amazement with China Town at night, full of light and activity. His popularity amongst the Thai people. The eagernes with which he ate papaya for breakfast, and dim sums for supper in Bangkok. Adam strolling around the bushes at the tea plantation.

Our trek through the jungle to the other side of the island on Koh Ngai.

The kindness of the Thai people, always ready to help asking for nothing in return.

There were many beautiful moments, giving us a great journey and some fantastic memories for the future.

If we will ever go back to Thailand, we would like to rent a car and drive around the small villages and towns in the northern part of the country as well as see one of their presumably beautiful national parks. These kind of attractions are rather more difficult with small kids. But kids grow up, so who knows 🙂

 

Gabrysia biegnąca do słoni / Gabriela running towards the elephants.