Bangkok is Back in Our Good Books

We’ve been back in Bangkok for a few days now and the city is definitely back in our good books.

After a disastrous first five days in Bangkok we’re taking it easier and not “doing” much. Just “being” here seems to be enough of a sensory overload for a toddler. We’re focusing on seeing or doing one thing a day and trying to keep cool – both in terms of temperature and temper.

So what have we been up to?

Cornflakes and Yoghurt Alongside the Chao Phraya River

We’ve been enjoying the breakfast buffet at New Siam Riverside.It’s so nice not to have to rush out the door to feed a starving toddler. Reuben is simply ravenous in the morning and needs to eat as soon as he wakes. Having a buffet offering cereal, yoghurt, eggs, bacon and pancakes right on our doorstep is a godsend. We can relax, eat together and plan our day. They even have a high chair for Reuben. It’s not a highchair with a tray that we’re acustomed to at home, rather a “high” chair that slides in to meet the table. Still, it does the trick.

3D Movies and Popcorn

We’ve been to two 3D movies. Actually, we’ve been to one 3D movie, twice. We’ve never seen a 3D movie before. We avoid the movies at all costs at home. (Seeing a movie in an earthquake-prone city seems more of a death trap than entertainment.) We were really impressed with the movie – The Avengers. It was great entertainment and looked fantastic in 3D. We went to Major Cineplex at Central Pinklao which is the closest movie theatre to the Banglamphu/Khao San Road area of Bangkok. It was a great choice because it was cheaper and much quieter than the theatres at Siam Paragon or MBK. We got a VIP sofa seat which was 700B for both of us and came with pillows and a blanket. The movie popcorn in Thailand is delicious and cheap compared to what we’d pay for movie snacks at home. We went for the sweet popcorn but there was also salty, cheese and… teriyaki salmon! Lee swears he got a taste of teriyaki in his tub of sweet popcorn. Yuck!

We visited Siam Ocean World at Paragon. It’s great place for kids. We’ve been tempted previously by the aquarium in Mooloolaba in Australia but it’s prohibitively expensive. Although pricey for Bangkok, Siam Ocean World was much more affordable than visiting the aquarium on the Sunshine Coast. Read all about our trip to Siam Ocean World in this post.

We went for another round of injections at the Travel Clinic at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.What a nightmare this has turned out to be! Everything seems to be overly complicated and on a “go slow” here. We wasted another two hours in the hospital with Reuben losing his mind with impatience. If I’d been more organised I would have got them done in New Zealand. So much easier to just drive to the local GP and get a jab rather than going through the process of finding a taxi that knows where to go, waiting around in the hospital for no apparent reason and trying to find a taxi to take us away from this place. I can understand Australians going here, as vaccinations are very expensive there, but for Kiwis – just get them done at home!

We went ten pin bowling at Siam Paragon.It was fun for me and Lee but Reuben hated it and moaned the whole time. I thought he’d get a kick out of rolling the ball down the kiddie ramp but, no, all he wanted to do was pick up the bowling balls. Not a good idea when you only weigh 12kg yourself.

The Flashpacker Family – Looking Rather Flash!

We went out for a fabulous sunset drink at one of Bangkok’s sky bars. Delicious cocktails and bar snacks and to make the evening even more enjoyable… a well-behaved toddler! I love it when we walk into places full of adults – bars, restaurants, airline lounges, and everyone rolls their eyes thinking “Oh god, just what we need. An annoying little brat that’s going to run around screaming and destroying my experience” only for Reuben to be a perfect little gentleman. See what we thought of our Bangkok sky bar experience over in this post.

I’ve been for some killer massages.I’ve discovered the perfect combination of massage is 30 minutes of foot reflexology and 30 minutes of Thai massage on back, neck and shoulders. I love Thai massage but never really felt comfortable having my legs massaged. It always feels extra painful and like they spend far too much time on my legs. Foot reflexology feels great after a long afternoon traipsing about in Bangkok. Having Thai massage on my back, neck and shoulders is just the ticket after many months carrying around a far too heavy toddler. I love all the stretching and contorting that comes at the end of a Thai massage.

While I’ve been out getting prodded and pounded, Lee and Reuby have been enjoying the pool at New Siam Riverside. It’s larger and gets more sun than the pool at New Siam II. Plus there’s a lovely view out across the river.

So… Bangkok has redeemed itself.I’m so pleased. I knew it was more to do with our frame of mind than the city I knew I loved. Lee has even talked about coming back and renting an apartment sometime in the future. Definitely an improvement on our first five days here.

We are ready to get out of the city for now. Thailand’s wonderful beaches beckon!

If you liked this post, use the buttons below to share it on Facebook, Twitter or email it to a friend.