Bangkok Holiday Day 2 - Christmas Day

Sunday, 25th December 2011

Both hubs and I woke around 730am-ish and waited for the kids to wake so we can all go down for breakfast together. William woke (trust this early riser) and I went down with him first, whilst hubs waited for the Queen to awake from her royal slumber. ; P

Buffet breakfast at the Twin Towers Hotel was average, we had porridge, stirfry noodle, the usual fanfare of sausages, bacon, eggs and toast, fruits, cereals and stuff. Vic and Daddy came down at 915am, ate something quick before we adjourned with the rest of the group at 945am, leaving the hotel in two hired private vans to bring us to the famous Jatuchak Market!

A personal note aside, as I write this, I have a tinge of regret of not buying more at Jatuchak, and for the few days after I was still thinking of a few things in the market which I saw, and thought I should have bought, or bought more!

Jatuchak Market


The journey took us 1.5hr or was it 2 hours? I lost track of time, only know that it was a long journey, and thank God the kids somehow entertained themselves; the boys played toy cars at the back for awhile, Vic chatted and laughed with Mama Yeh Yeh in the front and off and on the rotated places.

We had good sunshine today, and after the driver dropped us off at a designated place where he will pick us up again, we split into two groups ie Pastor Kevin and his family in one, and us in another group. The crowd was reasonable, in fact I'd say it was not crowded to the extend of being uncomfortable and although the weather was sunny, I did not feel humid.

Too many good deals, and if you buy more than 2 pieces from the same shop, they give you their special "wholesale" price which is quite a big difference from the price of that one item alone. Most sellers will not reduce price anymore from their wholesale price and they'd rather not sell, than to make lesser. So, times really aren't that bad, right?

From handicraft materials, baskets, bags, paintings, decorative figurines, clothings, belts, accessories, jewellery, beads (millions of 'em!) to shoes, food, uniquely designed serviettes, toys to of course, various types of souvenirs! Basically everything under the sun they can sell, they sell, and you will be spoilt for choices and amazed at the very affordable prices! Honestly, I was already thinking of buying wholesale there and starting a little biz here in Malaysia... haha, imagine the margins! But reality hit me, so...

Here's some pictures...

... of woven bags

... the beef noodle stall which we ate at

... that did not taste very nice, and the beef was tough

... of a stall selling "chap fan" or economy rice which we passed by, after our lunch... just look at the colors of the food!

... many stalls selling jewellery and beads either sold individually or in big wholesale bags

Love the bright colors of these fake fruits.  Selling 3 for THB100 or 7 for THB200

... the kids love the colorful wriggling magnets from this shop.  Vic chose a peacock whilst William chose a happy crab. 

On our way out of Jatuchak Market, hubs sneaked off to buy me my favourite coconut ice cream, shortly after that Pastor Kevin showed us this stall selling home made ice cream, scooped into half a coconut as a bowl, with flesh to go with and a choice of side condiments plus a cup of coconut drink, all for THB30. We bought two.

I paid THB30 for this stick of potato chips, sliced thick from a real potato then deep fried and sprinkled with your choice of BBQ, Cajun or Chili. Very. Very. Nice.

At 230pm, we hopped back into our waiting vans outside of Jatuchak Market as the crowd was swelling inside. We moved on to our next destination, which was Amphawa Floating Market.


Amphawa Floating Market


I thought this police station was relatively big, unless they expect many crimes.  Most tourists including ourselves use this place to answer nature's call.  There was only one policeman manning the entrance and he was watching tv, oblivious to the people walking in and out. 

Fish for sale.  Please don't judge me, but I honestly don't know what they are called. 

In Malaysia, we have oyster omelette.  In Thailand, they have even better - seafood omelette, comprising of squid, shrimp, oyster and mussels.  Yummylicious!

Seafood available from the boats.  We ordered some from here as our dinner at Amphawa Market.

We ate our dinner under this bridge, with lorries and cars driving on top. 

Real fruits for sale. 

Thais love their dogs.  If they own one, very likely the dogs are dressed up, like this, or a couple of mongrels who can't afford designer wear, but still don on second hand tee shirts.

THB10, that's equivalent to RM1 here.  Fresh pancooked "mua chi" with black sesame and sugar.  Glorious.

Finally, one of me and the kids, Daddy took our picture from the bridge before the sky got dark.

The night view from the bridge at Amphawa Floating Market.  William was disappointed that he didn't get to sit on a boat as I initially told him we would, which was my mistake.  He didn't like the crowds, and shopping doesn't interest him at this point of his young life.  But will be good training for him, I guess.  ; P

We got back to our hotel after another long drive at around 10pm.

Christmas Holiday in Bangkok Day 1

The week leading to Christmas has been very busy for me, as the kids, myself and maid move down to Seremban for refuge away from our home which was scheduled for a fresh coat of paint on the interior walls. Then we travelled back up PJ on Tuesday 20th Dec as Vic had music class in the evening, and we overnight at a friend's condo as our house was still in a mess and dusty. We had dinner with two other families at Extra Super Tanker in Damansara that night, enjoyed the good food, ambience and fellowship.

The next morning, I went for my pre-booked Groupon appointment at Bangsar together with a friend, for a mani pedi session cum foot bath (which was really just soaking your feet for 5 minutes in warm water) and hair wash and styling. Here's me with Joanna, with our temporary wave which didn't last to the next day.

Oh well, at least the nails lasted till Christmas minus a teeny weeny chipped off on the right thumb.

At night we went back home to pack up for our Bangkok holiday which is super last minute I know. Then we headed back to Seremban.

This year, we let the kids open their presents 3 days before Christmas, and unlike last year's loot of merchandise, this year we kept it very very simple with only a present each. Have to teach them that it's not the value that counts, but the thoughts, and most importantly, we don't want them to look forward to Christmas for the presents, but to understand the real meaning of the occasion.


Saturday, 24th December 2011


Our taxis came slightly before 9am to fetch us and Mama Yeh Yeh to KLIA for our flight MH788 departing KLIA at 1225.  We met Yee Sok, Yee Sam and cousin Theodore at the airport.

The kids were excited, as usual they love to run around the airport, pulling their push trolley bags along.  After check in, we relax and at the Plaza Premium Lounge where we enjoyed the facilities there.

Vic headed straight for the computers and ipods available to surf for her favourite characters Smurf (yes, I think she has moved on from Ben10 to the little blue creatures now).

We arrived at 1330 local time, and met up with Pastor Kevin, Aunty Judith and their families who arrived an hour before us. Together, we left the airport via two hired vans. Thai weather greeted us with sunshine, unlike the gloomy drizzling weather that sent us off at the KLIA.

We stayed at the Twin Towers Hotel in Bangkok, about 1 hour from the Suvarnabhumi Airport, and 20 minutes away from MBK Shopping Mall, minus traffic jam.

The lobby area.  Vic, William and cousin Theodore simply love to run around the spacious lobby area.

The next day William accidentally broke off Mr Santa's thumb, and Daddy quickly stuck it back before the staff noticed the dismembered limb.  ; P

Double beds in the room, love it!  The rooms were clean yet very basic as it did not come with any pantry facility ie electric kettle or a safe deposit box.  We called housekeeping to ask for one, and they sent a hot water thermos up, then we called to explain again, and they sent up a maintenance guy!  Finally we got our message across and they loaned us an electric kettle. 

After checking in, we had 2 hours of rest in our rooms. I bathed the kids, and it's always the excitement and joy in them (about staying in hotels and going for holidays) that brings smiles to us.

We had dinner at an uncommercialised (read, not many tourists go there) seafood restaurant, recommended by Pastor Kevin. Here are only some pictures of the food we ate.

The restaurant is not very big and was crowded - sign of good food.  We climbed two flights of narrow stairs to get our seats.  Service was fast, and the manager who took our order could speak a little mandarin and english.  We informed her for certain food, "mai sai kai" which means no eggs. 

Deep fried fish with garlic and pepper

Stuffed crab

Fishcake

Spicy tomato sauce fish

Sights of Chinatown...

What is Chinatown without lanterns?  No Christmas trees or decos, no christmas jingles... no hint of christmas at all...

Selling fresh seafood by the roadside

There were many stalls selling freshly squeezed promegranate juice in a plastic bottle, only for THB40. The kids can easily down more than 3 bottles if not for me limiting them (first day holiday - better be careful especially with too much Vitamin C can cause diarrhea)... ooh, but just look at the inviting, juicy red rubies... if Gong Gong was here, he'd buy the whole cart back! 

Imported fruits can be found here.  Yeh Yeh bought the cherries upon hearing Vic's request to eat cherries.

William got restless after dinner, I guess walking around by the roadside is not his cuppa.  He kept asking when we will be sitting the tuk tuk back to the hotel.  This boy loves to sit in the tuk tuk.  The first tuk tuk charged us THB100 to Chinatown and the return trip cost THB70.  We tried to bargain with a few tuk tuk drivers, but they rather ride away than to earn less.  Not very smart.

Merry Christmas from...

Victoria @ 6 years 8 months

William @ 3 years 7.5 months

 

The other night the kids were racing up to the bedroom, each singing to the tune of Jingle Bells...

Vic sings, "Tinkerbell... tinkerbell... tinker all the way..." whilst little brother screams "Anene.. anene... Ane aneneee...."

I. So. Did. Not. Teach. Them. This!  (Can be quite embarrassing when William calls other people "lazy" or "anene" in his cheeky mood) 

Victoria's Little Holiday Socks Plan

Before the school holidays started, Vic and I made this unwritten gentleman agreement that she can only wear socks on the nights before a school day. So that means, she used to get Sunday to Thursday nights with socks.

I truly believe she is enjoying her holiday as she gets to sleep in till 10am-ish, although she said in her 2nd week that she was not, which was rather hurtful as we just came back from our family holiday in Krabi, but couldn't go anywhere in the 2nd week as she had to resume her Chinese tuition and also Mama was hospitalised, which was unforeseen.

For a few random nights, my little girl has "withdrawal symptoms" of not wearing her socks. When it's time to clean up before bedtime, she'd sit around with deep thoughts, then approach me with her cheeky smile like she's got something up her sleeve. It normally goes like this, where she'll ask with her sweetest smile if she can wear her socks for the night. When the answer comes back negative, she changes strategy and tells me she regrets making this deal with me, and wants to change it to alternate days, or sleep before 10pm deal, or blah blah blah.

Finally I give in... by giving her the Little Socks Plan. Started last week, Vic gets to wear socks if she accumulates a minimum of 20 points during the day, and the points are determined by:

Read a book - 2 pts
Practice Maths / Chinese / English / BM - 2 pts
Practice piano - 2 pts
Put two buttocks on the chair during meal times - 1 pt
Bring plate / cup to the kitchen after meal - 1 pt
Drink 1 cup of water - 1 pt
Greet and hug daddy - 1 pt
Don't fight with William - 2 pts

She achieved 4 nights with socks, and was happy. Then she asked me to make it tougher for her by changing the challenges or increasing the minimum mark. So I did the former.

This week, I put:

Sing and dance in front of all of us - 2 pt
Memorize times table 1x 2x and 3x - 6 pt
Draw and color a picture - 2 pt
Copy one page of words - 2 pt
Read a book - 2 pt

Sadly, our friend didn't achieve any socks night this week. I may have to revise my plan for next week.

On another note, I haven't come around to scout for Primary One uniform yet. I looked at the Professor brand, but find it too thick and too pricey. Seriously considering getting from my old supplier in Seremban.

Please, just keep quiet for a while

William loves talking. I remember when he was a baby and still haven't learnt to say words, I was secretly worried, for whatever reason I was. I mean, I knew that it's only sooner or later, and I am told that boys' speech develope slower than girls, which brings to mind my brother who is older than me by 16 months who developed his speech same time or after me; so I was told by mom. Hehehe...

Anyway, my William talks a lot now. On the last day of our Krabi holiday, he skipped his afternoon nap as our plane departed Krabi at close to 3pm, which was his nap time, and I thought he will sleep in the aircraft, but he did not, and then I thought he will knock out in the cab bringing us out of LCCT back home, but he did not. All these while, he talked... and talked... and talked!!

At home, he talks almost non stop too. At this age, he asks many questions, some can be quite irritating especially when I am in the midst of some task, or just don't have the mood to answer him. When I recall his questions, I will add that into this post. I have to make special effort to note those questions down, though.

Sometimes (forgive me!) I have to tell him to just keep quiet and don't talk so much. Some other times (forgive me again!) I ignore him. Sigh, but I do, and I really do make effort to reply him as best I can, chat with him, and entertain him. He can be quite funny too but at this time, I don't think he's ready for school environment yet - the sitt-down-don't-walk-around part, the don't-yak-and-yak-and-yak part, the following instructions and don't-do-your-own-way part, etc. Or maybe he's just taking advantage of his poor mother.

I love you, my talkative William! But please, please, please... stop singing the "Anene" song in public. Oh my, he even made a jingle out of this simple phrase to the tune of "Jingle Bells" while his sister sings her version of "Tinkerbell, tinkerbell.. tinker all the way..."  That had me bursting out in laughter as two of them race into the room singing away! 

Krabi Holiday Day 3

Tuesday, 22nd November 2011


Today we have no driver, as we have earlier planned to have a free and easy day.

We took a walk down from our resort to the beach which is about 5 minutes walk, and at the beach, we approached some boatmen on prices for a short half hour ride out to the sea, no stopping, no need to reach any island. All we wanted was for the kids to experience a boat ride on the long tail boats. But their quotes were unreasonably high, however, trust Daddy to haggle it down to a bargain.

One thing we learnt from here, is that the local Thais here doing business are more superstitious, preferring to start of their day with a sale (even at lower prices) than to close their day with a sale, if you know what I mean. That means, shop in the morning is better than shop at night.

The weather was gloomy, a little drizzling after 15 minutes on the beach. William quickly occupied himself with building a sand castle, or more like a sand house, whilst Vic and Daddy checked out the waters near the boats and mummy stood guard in between. William is quite alright to play by himself, so long as he doesn't "need help."

The majestic rows of long tail boats awaiting passengers on Ao Nang Beach

Daddy and Vic walking on the beach, hand in hand... how come I didn't get to do that?

William happily build his sand house in his own words, "all by himself"!

Daddy approached the 3rd or 4th boatman before almost securing a deal with him. Finally the price we got was THB1000 (all 4 of us) for a 90 minute boatride to Railay Island without stopping. Not bad, from an initial opening price of THB1800.

We took refuge under the small roof in the long tail boat, and enjoyed the wind blowing in our wind, the scenery around us, watching other boats pass us by and occasionally spotting some tourists snorkeling.

On the boat

Scenery

I didn't check the time we got on the boat, but the ride felt more like 1 hour instead of 90 minutes. We didn't feel ripped off though, since we only wanted a quick 30 minutes ride in the first place. The kids can now add on another "transport experience" on top of the tube, train, LRT, cab, bus, ferry, aeroplane, horse and elephant rides they have had. I think Vic can remember, but I doubt William can.

Getting off the long tail boat.  Daddy carried William to the beach first, then helped me down, followed by Vic and finally the stroller.  My eyes were on Vic and Daddy for that few seconds, and suddenly, hubs realised that our boy has gone off by himself...

As I called him, he took a look back, then continued to walk further down the beach.  I was confused, but eyed him.  We later found out he wanted to check on his sand house which he built.  

Look at me, not the babes in bikini in the background!

It started to drizzle heavier after we got off the boat, and we walked quickly along the shops, looking for a lunch place. During this time, I bought a picnic mat, which I have yet to open ceremony.

We ate at Black Canyon Coffee, which serve delicious Thai food as well as an impressive variety of coffee.

We stayed in the resort in the afternoon, all of us rested and when we were all packed and ready to go out, the sky poured. So we ordered room service - food was not nice at all for THB645!!! We ate dinner on the bed watching Cartoon Network, all of us - contrary to what some very creative friends think, that kids were watching CN whilst parents ahem... haha!

Pineapple fried rice. This is the only dish that is "edible"

When the rain stopped, we walked out to the shops abit, but didn't shop much as we under budget our cash (again, happens everytime on our holidays) and weather was still wet.

Making funny faces for the cameraman ie William, in a tuk tuk

Retired early for the night.  Tomorrow we check out.