So initial impressions of the city of Bangkok… it’s dirty, crowded and pretty unwelcoming. I basically felt like we were in a parallel version of NYC. One respite from the unwelcoming city though was our breakfast each morning at the hotel. As platinum elite Marriott members, we get free breakfast in the executive lounge, but since we had our daughter with us, they asked us to take our free breakfast in the restaurant instead (totally fine with that… much better options on the buffet!) Our server each morning was this lovely girl by the name of Fon who quickly connected with Little K and built great rapport with her.
After our breakfast the first morning, we headed to the Dusit Zoo.
After our visit to the Chiang Mai zoo and the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, (or maybe because she was tired) Little K was not impressed with the Dusit Zoo so we didn’t stay very long and headed back to our hotel for lunch and Little K’s nap.
After her nap, we headed to Lumphini park which in a way is like Central Park in NYC. We were amazed at all the gym equipment at various stations throughout the park where it seemed as though half of the city was working out. The park also had a pond where you could rent pedal boats (which we did!) and various playgrounds for kids. The pictures below show 1) the juxtaposition of the water and greenery with the skyscrapers right behind it and 2) the view from our pedal boat which Little K thought was pretty cool as she enjoyed the ride while J and I did all the work. PSA: Think about what you’re going to wear if going on a pedal boat. It’s much more difficult to pedal when you are focused on holding your sundress at the same time.
After our trip to Lumphini park, we headed to the Little Zoo Cafe. This is a kitschy little place where you can play with all kinds of animals you wouldn’t expect to from an arctic fox to a meerkat, a racoon to parrot and many cats and dogs, among others. For about $10 US, you can get admission to see the animals, a pair of socks to wear when you go upstairs to play with them, a waffle with ice cream and a drink. Not bad!
After our stop at the cafe, we continued to explore the city via tuk-tuk and walking. The pictures below are some of the interesting observations as we walked around the city: 1) it’s crowded, 2) there are motor bikes EVERYWHERE because it’s much faster to get around by bike, tuk-tuk or public transportation than car and 3) there is more art than we had expected.
Finally, aside from the zebras above and the animals at the Little Zoo cafe, J and I thought that Little K’s favorite spot was stopping in to check out the Hello Kitty Cafe/Store nearby. She basically decided she wanted to buy everything in the store, but we were able to convince her she just needed a shirt. #parentingwin
andyoumaysayimadreamer 