Thailand

We're going to Thailand! The next question from everyone to whom we said these words was - with children? Some thought it was cool, while others thought we were crazy. Maybe we are a little crazy, but we enjoyed this trip from the bottom of our hearts. Traveling with kids definitely had its challenges, but it wasn’t impossible. I want to believe that we have warmed up enough to venture even farther and warmer next time to escape the winter a little.

But let me share with you what we saw and where we went. 

Our trip lasted a total of 19 days, flights included. We stayed in four different places. Of course, we would have liked to visit more, but with children and in order to fully experience this country, we had to narrow it down to four spots. If you want to truly savour it and spend quality time in each place, I'd recommend sticking to just two or three locations overall.

I'll start with Bangkok. We spent three days here, and honestly, I couldn’t have asked for more. If it's your first time visiting, three days should suffice. I'd even say that you might manage to cram everything into two days, but with kids in tow, our pace of walking, the time spent driving, and seeing the places was naturally slower.

Here's the places we visited in Bangkok:

• 'Wat Phra Chetuphon Temple' — the entrance fee here is 300 THB per person, roughly 8 euros. If you choose not to wear the clothes provided, women must ensure that their shoulders and legs are covered.
• 'Wat Arun Ratchawararam Temple' — you'll need to cover your shoulders and legs here too. The entrance fee is a bit cheaper at 100 THB per person, which is around 2.50 euros.

We picked these temples because, after doing some research online, we found them to be the most visually attractive and interesting. Of course, the city is full of various temples, and some suggest visiting the impressive Buddha Temple, but personally, I'm not particularly drawn to temples in general. We went to see them to get an insight into the local culture, and we were captivated by the intricate carvings, which offered a fascinating perspective on architecture and art.

• Chinatown — I highly recommend not missing out on it if you plan to stay in Bangkok. It's like stepping into a whirlwind of activity: food stalls on every corner, bustling tuk-tuks, cars, and strings of lights. I also bought my travel slippers here for 3 euros, which served me excellently throughout the trip.
• Chatuchak Weekend Market — this market is one of the largest weekend markets in Bangkok; you can really get lost there. You can find incredibly affordable food here, but if you're shopping for products like clothes, bags, or something else, I would say that the prices are even high in some places because they are adapted to tourists.
• Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World — this will be a great location if you are traveling with children and have an interest in marine life. The price for adults is approximately 33 euros and for children 18 euros.
  

We also managed to visit two parks in Bangkok, although I have to admit, I didn't find them particularly remarkable. I'd recommend these parks if you happen to be nearby.

• Lumphini Park — in this park, you could meet huge walking lizards.
• Benjakiti Park — this seemed to be a more interesting and beautiful park. The journey between the two parks was also quite unusual; we found ourselves navigating through some rather sketchy streets. Therefore, I can say that gratitude poured into my heart knowing that a warm home awaits me in Latvia.

We indulged in plenty of food at various spots, often strolling around and choosing wherever seemed more appealing and budget-friendly. So, I won't have a long list of places to eat, but one spot I can recommend as a pleasant stop, albeit a bit more touristy and expensive, is:

• @sirihousebkk We made a stop here and snapped a couple of pictures because the place is truly stunning.

Next, onto Krabi:
Initially, we arrived in Krabi town, and I must say, there isn't much to do here. It's mainly a transit point to move on to somewhere closer to the beach. While in this town, we visited the market and tasted the fruit, which, of course, was fabulously sweet, as delicious as it is everywhere.

• Ao Nang Beach — we mostly stayed at this spot; our accommodation was very close to this beach. It was also possible to book several tours from this location to explore the wider Krabi region. I would say this — it's a beautiful central beach with stunning sunsets and plenty of beachside restaurants. We went to dine here almost every night.
• Railay Beach — we took a day tour here, and I must say, it's worth the visit to spend a day relaxing on its fabulous beach. The island is gorgeous, with rocky formations, monkeys, intriguing caves, and the water here is unbelievably blue. I wanted to stay here a little longer.

• Phi Phi Islands — this island is also included in the Krabi region, and it’s definitely worth a visit. We dedicated a day to exploring the island, but I would recommend taking accommodation and staying here for at least 2 days to enjoy this location without rushing. Our day tour, costing 50 euros per person, included a visit to Maya Bay (the iconic location from the movie "The Beach", one should expect a maximum number of tourists here, but I was happy to visit this location), we also had a 20-minute swim in a stunning rocky cove, 30 minutes of snorkelling at a designated spot (all the equipment was provided for us), Monkey Island — where we unfortunately didn’t meet any monkeys, Phi Phi Don — lunch was included at this stop, and the trip concluded with a visit to Bamboo Island - where we were dropped off and allowed to go snorkelling or just relax and nap on the beach. Here, I even had the unique experience of spotting a ray and a baby shark. After a bit of rest and relaxation, it was time to head back home.

Then we embarked on a lengthy journey to the beautiful Koh Samui island. 
Initially, we drove from the Krabi region for about two and a half hours to the port by taxi. From there, we boarded a large ship for about the same amount of time to reach the island. It took 5 hours in total, and we set off in the morning to ensure we could make the most of our first day on this island. It was my husband's birthday, so we had booked an absolutely fantastic villa for a couple of days to celebrate. We enjoyed some time in the villa, went for a swim, and with grateful hearts, feasted our eyes on those fantastic views over the palm trees. We were on this island for four days in total, and here's what we managed to do and what we'd recommend seeing:

• The Beach Samui — a tiny and cute beach with beautiful swings, perfect for the little ones if they're tagging along.
• Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks — this was an extremely small, quiet beach where I wished we could have stayed longer. This beach was full of huge beautiful rocks.
• Overlap Stone — here, there's a bit of a climb to see the large pile of stones. The ticket costs 5 euros for one person, and the entrance ticket at the top could be exchanged for a drink. I chose a Coca-Cola. The view from the top is truly breath-taking.
• Crystal Beach — another stunning beach with large beautiful rocks, but this one was full of tourists. It was a pleasure to see, but if I had to choose, I'd prefer the previous beach.
• Cape Away Beach Bar — a beach cafe where you can enjoy delicious food, fabulous sunsets, and in the morning, enjoy a stunning beach dotted with leaning palm trees.

If I had to choose one location to stay longer, then it would definitely be this island. We didn't have time to see much, but I would love to explore all the waterfalls that decorate this island and all the beautiful, quiet, and palm-filled beaches that adorn it.

Next, we headed to the small and somewhat 'wild' island — Koh Phangan, and we stayed here for a total of 4 days. This island brought us some unexpected adventures — both my husband and my friend's husband developed rashes and had fevers for a couple of days. As a result, we had to take things much slower so they could rest, and we didn’t see much of this island. Nonetheless, here's what we managed to see.

• What I would definitely recommend doing is renting a moped here, because the island is small, the views are fabulous, and you just have to ride around and enjoy the wind along the beautiful palm trees.
• Bottle Beach and Bottle Beach Viewpoint (we didn't manage to do this ourselves, but it was on the list, then friends went and we would recommend both locations). The viewpoint would be recommended if you are traveling without children, because the climb is very difficult and relatively dangerous, but you can still see the beach even if you have children with you.
• Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park — I had gathered information about this both on the Internet and from people who had been there, and it's probably the one location that we regret not being able to see. But I would definitely, definitely recommend it. Just Google it, and you'll understand immediately.
• Sand and Tan Café — here, you'll find delicious food, stunning views, and a beach with waves right next to it. This is one of those rare beaches where you can encounter waves.
• Eat. Co Café — this was a vegan cafe, and I went without knowing it. But everything I had here was really delicious.
• Secret Beach — I have mixed feelings about this beach, because we arrived here on Friday evening and it felt like we had stumbled upon a festival. There were lots of people, and while the beach itself was beautiful, I would say there were other equally stunning beaches with far fewer people.

In general, we also discussed with our friends what we liked about this island, and we realized that the scenes when driving through the island itself are also incredibly beautiful! The destination is not always the most beautiful thing, right? And it seems that this sentiment holds true for the entirety of Thailand, traveling from one point to another in any location made our breath catch and our eyes capture all the beauty. In total, we spent 2017 euros on tickets (2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant, each bag, and one large suitcase), we spent about 3000 euros on-site, although we aimed to stick to 2000 euros. I believe if we had spent less on accommodation and activities it would have been possible, but we wanted to fully immerse ourselves in this adventure since we were flying so far.

I would say that Thailand is definitely worth visiting and exploring. It is a very family-friendly destination, and I would love to come back here in a couple of years.