Bangkok, Thailand

We arrived late, late, checked in and went straight to bed.

Day One:

We rested, arrived crazy late and slept. We have crossed the international timeline, so lost a day. Left at 9am (local time) from Hawaii on a Wednesday and arrived at 11pm (local time here) on Thursday. Beat!

Day Two in Bangkok:

We didn't waste much time on our first full day. Being jet-lagged again, we woke up early at 5am and were able to get an early start on the sightseeing. First we headed to the Grand Palace, arrived minutes after it opened and were spoiled in minimal crowds. I was aware of strict dresscodes, so we were all appropriately dressed. We enjoyed the temple and stayed as long as the kids would sustain. Hungry, hungry after the Grand Palace, we grabbed a less-than-steller-bite-to-eat. An honest disappointment as food is what we've been the most excited about. Next we headed to Wat Pho (Wats are temples), another temple and also the home of the Reclining Buddha. We really enjoyed Wat Pho, it was a more relaxed environment and the stuctures were neat and overall a more comfortable vibe. We are now ready for some shopping and street food! We headed to Khao Sao Road! This really brought Thailand to life for me, I saw a lot of what I've thought of Thailand for, the food, the street vendors, the people, lots of happy locals...and yes we were cautious about the suit-sellers. Boy, did they love Steve!

Our first tourist stop, The Grand Palace. Massive and well kept, we saw the guards.

Grand Palace

Grand Palace

Grand Palace

VIDEO: On our way out the guards came marching in!

We are taking a tuk tuk ride to check out Khao San Road.

VIDEO: A tuk tuk ride. Our first!

The boys flattering me with a pose at Wat Pho

Wat Pho

My goofballs at Wat Pho.

Aiden with the golden buddhas at Wat Pho.

Conner's turn at Wat Pho

This is my every day! Silly and goofy, and I'm so very happy I made the choice to build these memories with them.

VIDEO: Wat Pho, a quick glance of what we saw.

Next we head to Khao San Road to eat some street food and do some shopping!

Yes, it's true! We loved Khao San Road.

Yup, those are scorpions on a stick!

Aiden went with chicken on a stick instead.

Steve waits patiently for his Pad Thai dish.

Day Three in Bangkok:

Today has been my favorite day of this vacation. We hired a tour guide from Absolutely Fantastic Holidays and visited a floating market at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market. The food was AMAZING! We've been on the lookout for good (and safe) street food and we found it at the floating market. It's food galore, also lots of fun fruits and vegetables to discover. A boat ride and ano orchid garden complete the trip. Great day indeed!

Our arriving to Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market.

So many amazing foods. Here are grilled squid and giant prawns

These were red curry fish pies. Not my favorite really, but I did get them a try.

The little banana leaf purses are sticky rice, along side entire chickens on screwers.

The eggs are pickled, didn't try these, the deep red uolk was pretty intense looking.

Our choices, our tour guide kept coming back for more. The green curry was by-far my favorite. It was just amazing.

Green papaya salad (som tum) is everywhere in Bangkok. I had it a few times, popular among street vendors. Tasty, in a vinegar dressing with cashews, tomatoes.

The "actual" floating market vendors. So picturesque and autentic, I really just loved seeing it in person.

Our turn on a boat along the river, our guide took us to a few other local markets and an orchid garden, along with just enjoying a "fast" boat down the rivers.

Breeze was very nice, it gets HOT in Thailand. I loved the boat ride and the locals we got to meet. Our tour guide really made the trip authentic, explained all the foods and encouraged us to sample things that I would have normally never picked for myself.

VIDEO: A great-great day on our visit to the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market.

My mother would have loved this place. An orchid garden that grows orchids for local sale and wholesale export. I bought a bouqet of orchids for $0.30. Hard to believe. There are orchids all over Thailand, usually a centerpiece at our restaurant table.

Day Four in Bangkok:

Today we checked out Chinatown and Wat Arun. Plus ate a lot of yummy Thai food. Must stuff our faces with amazing Thai food!

We decided to try mass transit today. We have already riden many a taxi, and a few tuk tuks. The tuk tuks are fun and all, but hot in the traffic and also a little scary for an over-protective-mother like me...so opted to try the Sky Train today and boat "trains".

The boys in Chinatown. Lots of bargains to be had. Aiden scored the best with his selection of fidget spinners and new shoes. I packed light, very light, amazing light and then wished I had packed lighter, because there are to many amazing things to buy and I could have gone crazy here with the bargains...but I don't have much room for stuff and opted to just let the kids enjoy their findings.

Along with the "stuff" that you can buy at Chinatown comes a lot of spices, herbs, teas, and pacakged foods.

VIDEO: Chinatown, crowded, bustling, lots of deals and exotic foods.

While I didn't go crazy in Chinatown, I couldn't help myself t markets near Wat Pho...these elephant pants are gorgeous and comfy and I just had to have a few...they were $3 a pop!

A big win on amazing Pad Thai at Ama, near Wat Pho. Just delicious and exactly what we were craving after a long, hot day of shopping markets.

Coconut ice cream. I was told it was a must try and really quite refreshing. These Thai coconuts are different than the ones I'm used to, almost slimmy in consistency. Pairs well with ice cream!

We ended up at Wat Arun by accident. I promise! The kids were tired and they wanted to head back to the apartment to go swimming...HOWEVER, I got us on the wrong train and instead of heading down the river, we ended up across-the-river, oooops! Now, across the river, Wat Arun was right there! Literally, we get off the boat and look up and see the Temple of Dawn! It's a colorful temple and easy to spot as it sits along the river...anyways here we are, I'm looking at it and yet, I have these whiny-I-want-a-pool kids, so we comprise with a walk around the temple, a few sights and then hustle on out. I got a decent enough look at it, but never made it inside...boo!

There are statues lined up all along the temples.

This is what we could have seen, but instead we wonder around outside. Some battles, I gotta let go of, to maintain peace and happiness among my crew.

At least Conner can smile for a touristy photo. Aiden can't hold it back, he wants a swimming pool and another temple isn't what he had in mind. Oh my goodness!

I love this picture. We're waiting for the boat ride back to our apartment and Conner is chilling next to monks. Fabulous. You certainly wouldn't see this back home.

VIDEO: We made a lot of mistakes on boat tickets. I know it sounds weird, but these types of experiences is what I wanted for the boys. Figuring out maps, transit systems, getting lost, over paying, language barrier, the works. You learn a lot in these momements, patience for one, trial-and-error and persistence. Well after ending up on the "other" side of the river, we get worked into buying tickets on the local boat vs the express. It's significantly cheaper, but it comes at a price, since it's really overcrowded and the boat stops at every price. I can only laugh my way through it. Here's a short video clip to try and show you just how croswded this train was. Upon getting off, the boys wanted a taxi vs the Sky Train...Aiden took his turn at hailing a cab. We learned a lot today and patience kinda lost.

VIDEO: Aiden hailing a cab...

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, pool time and movie.

Dinner in! We bought lots of goodies from the street vendors and decided to stay in and eat. Viola, it was a hit!

VIDEO: We tried a new fruit today. I've seen it at street markets a bunch and was curious. About $0.90 got us a ball full of these little, Rambutans. They kinda taste and feel like a giant grape.

Day Five in Bangkok:

Today we take it easy. Enjoying Lumphini Park, eating Thai food and checking out a roof top bar..

Lumphini Park, it's like Central Park, in the middle of Bangkok. There are these HUGE Asian Monitor Lizards that swim in the creeks...wild, they look like Komodo Dragons. Plus lots of work out equipment. We meandered and then headed to lunch. Yup, we eat a lot.

Lumphini Park. The boys working out side-by-side two Thai women. Giggles. What these women must be thinking.

Lumphini Park

Day Six in Bangkok:

Today we fly out. Meltdowns are inevitable on a trip such as ours...and today was our first meltdown city. The kids grew sick of my quizes on where-we-were, what-we-were-learning and I reached the end of my rope in feeling unappreciated. Yikes! A few words were exchanged, before we could dust ourselves off, hug and move on.... We enjoyed our last Bangkok Thai meal, picked the Queen of Curry, since the Panang curry, green gurry, red curry and Tom Yum Soup dishes have been such a hit. Then hustled over to the airport for our now-delayed-flight. Huh, time for a change of scene.

What we Learned:

• In Thailand you drive on the left side of the street, I was naive about this one.
• Dress appropriately at temples, cover knees and shoulders.
• Traffic hour is anytime after 2pm.
• Difficult to cross street!
• It's hot people, very hot and humid and hot.
• While tuk tuks are fun and a must do, they are very expensive and a taxi (WITH A METER) is definitely a better deal. We also tried BTS and boat rides, again a fun experience and glad we tried it, but for a family of four, a taxi is cheaper, AIR CONDITIONED and a better experience...however, read the next bullet.
• Many taxi drivers can't read our alphabet well, meaning you better pronounce things well, have your location written in Thai characters or use a map.
to communicate where you're going.
• The food is amazing, there are a lot of similarities to items we order off menus in the US, and whole lot more!