BANGKOK, THAILAND (Week 18)

QUICK LOOK:

Location: Phra Khanong

Main Attractions: Wat Suthat, Giant Swing, Yaowarat (China Town), Pradara Thai Massage 4, Tailorworx, Bangkok City Ballet

Transportation: BTS, MRT

Holidays: Wan Wai Khru (Teacher Appreciation Day)

Over the years, I have visited various parts of Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Phuket, Naka Island, and more). However, my deepest and fondest memories are those from Bangkok and Petchaburi—my parents' hometowns. This week, my parents joined us and we got to see more of my extended family in Bangkok.

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BANGKOK FAMILY

My mom was born and raised in Bangkok. Like many others, her family is of Chinese descent; so, my sister and I grew up in a blend of cultures. It wasn’t until we were adults that we realized we used a blend of Thai and Chinese terms when referring to my mom’s side of the family. My mom’s father owned a factory known for its purses, accessories, and other items. We would often visit and even stay in that factory, building memories that would last us a lifetime. Decades later, the factory still stands and has been carried on through the children (my cousins).

My cousins on my mom’s side are primarily split between Bangkok and Los Angeles. However, as you might figure, it is easier to stay connected with family in Los Angeles versus Bangkok when we live in the Bay Area. So, it was quite special to see my mom’s oldest brother (my uncle) and two of his children (my cousins) and their children (my first cousins once removed??) this week.

Our first family date was having lunch with my uncle and one of my cousins. She has two children; but, of course, they were in school (she mentioned that it was “Wan Wai Khru,” or Teacher Appreciation Day) . Apparently, the six-year-old is already learning Thai, Chinese, and English in school for multiple subjects (not just language). I am already impressed. She picked us all up in her car to head to lunch. We had been riding the BTS so much that we had nearly forgotten what it was like to drive in Bangkok traffic. Now, if you know Bangkok, you know Bangkok traffic is different than normal traffic (or Bay Area traffic). Cars, taxis, motorcycles, tuk tuks, scooters (Brad always finds it amusing and impressive that a family of three, their dog, and their load of groceries can all ride on one scooter), and more all navigating city traffic together. I think it took us one hour to go one block last time we visited. That being said, I don’t mind being in an air-conditioned vehicle with my family. It gives us time to catch up and laugh. Now that I have visited Thailand as an adult (and now mother) a couple of times, it’s almost like I have a deeper sense of connection with my family. Also, my Thai seems to come out more comfortably with my family than with others. When I was younger, I used to be teased about my Thai being unclear. Even now, it is not perfect. However, it always makes me smile inside when my family and I can hold entire conversations in Thai (and not Thai-English). They make me feel so comfortable.

Side note: last year, my cousin gave the girls Hello Kitty watches that play Beethoven on them. Noe brought hers to the lunch to show my cousin. It was cute.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we discovered it was a Chinese restaurant that my uncle had chosen because it is known for its fish soup (usually, grouper) in a “maw fai” (fire pot). It also had taro and tofu inside, and it was delicious. That being said, there were so many other delicious dishes on the table (something I might be saying often in reference to our meals in Thailand). We had Shanghai noodles, various vegetable dishes (stir fried morning glory is one of my favorites), tofu, “tod mun pla” (Thai fish cakes), and more. I think my cousin was impressed with our girls’ adventurous eating side. Additionally, there was a little play area outside for the girls to play on while waiting for food (although, the playing didn’t last long due to the heat and hunger).

This was such a nice lunch because I got to bond with my cousin. She shared with me something called Labubu from Pop Mart. Apparently, it’s a toy doll that started in 2015 but has continued to become more famous over the years. There are other “monsters” and series from Pop Mart that people stand in long lines for and, when I say long lines, I mean looooong lines. Also, she told me that you cannot just walk into the store. You have to register ahead of time. Maybe someone reading this knows about this craze, but I had no idea. I told my cousin that I am definitely not an “in-the-know” kind of mom and she says fun heartedly, “Oh. You’re not a spoil-your-kid kind of mom.” Haha!

Our second family date was with my other cousin (the previous cousin’s older brother) and his two children. His children are eight and six, so it was fun to see our kids interacting. Both sides were a little hesitant to play together, at first, since there is a language barrier. However, they warmed up to one another at dinner time when they had drawing competitions and played hangman (in English) while waiting for dinner.

For dinner, my cousin took us to another Chinese restaurant but with different specialities. Once again, it took us a long time to get there due to traffic; but, it was worth it. The Shanghai noodles, the bao buns (you know the white fluffy goodness I am talking about; and, if you don’t, let’s have some together next time we see each other), the vegetable dishes, the omelette with bitter melon (yes, I like bitter melon sometimes), the tofu soup, and more. Yum.

Since we parked by a McDonald’s, my cousin promised his children an ice cream cone. When we arrived, they gave all the children free mini ice cream cones as a promotion of some sort. It was such a fun surprise! Since his son saved room just for the ice cream and was disappointed in (yet grateful for) such a tiny cone, his father kindly got him a larger one after. It was sweet. We arrived home late after having our bellies and hearts full and went straight to bed.

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YAOWARAT

Yaowarat, Bangkok’s Chinatown, was one of my mom’s favorite places to go. This district is known for its jewelry stores, delicious street food, and bright signs lighting up the sky at night. We went after visiting Wat Suthat, one of several “wats” (temples) in Bangkok. Wat Suthat is one of Bangkok’s oldest temples and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. At its entrance is “Sao Chingcha,” or the Giant Swing. This swing was once used in the old Brahmin ceremony and has become an icon in Bangkok.

After visiting the temple (the girls and I were free admission because I am a Thai citizen and the girls are young, so we only had to pay for Brad’s entrance fee), we walked to Yaowarat. Stores were still opening as it wasn’t quite yet sunset. However, as sunset neared, the streets got livelier. Street vendors were working hard and guests were flooding the street restaurants. After walking through the crowds (and sweating the whole way), we stopped to eat at a street vendor called Jsorn Hot Plate. They serve all their noodle and rice dishes in a hot skillet and, can I just say, the noodles and fried rice were DELICIOUS! We got “guay tiew kua gai,” which is a wide noodle (“sen yai”) dish with chicken (“gai”). From my basic understanding (I am not a professional on this), it is “kua” because the chicken is cooked over a hot flame. You might be more familiar with its sister dish, “pad see ew,” which is another wide noodle dish stir-fried all together with its other ingredients. We also got a Shanghai noodle dish and fried rice. I promise you, even in the hot climate, the hot skillet dishes fed our cravings. We walked around a little bit more after our delicious meal before returning home happily fed yet again.

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SUITS AND MASSAGES

A month seems like a long time to be in one city. But, we felt like there was so much to do in Thailand, especially with seeing family. Even so, we made sure to get a custom suit and shirts for Brad as well as a massage (or two) for me and the girls.

Near Pratunam (where I got my shoes), there was a custom tailor shop called Tailorworx. Brad found the shop online and saw amazing reviews, so he thought he would give it a try; and we were glad he did. The tailor Brad worked with was well-experienced and educated on suits and had great recommendations. Less than $500 and three fittings (including the final pick-up) later, Brad brought home one custom suit, an extra pair of custom pants, and three custom shirts. These were all of high quality, as well. If you ever find yourself in Thailand and needing a suit or know of someone who does, consider Tailorworx. We highly recommend them.

Fortunate for me and the girls, Pradara Thai Massage 4 (sorry, they don’t have a website I can share; but I shared their location) was right next door and willing to give myself and the girls one-hour foot massages (they even discounted the girls). So, while we waited for Brad during his fittings, which were actually quite quick, we had spa dates! And, were they fantastic (yes - we had more than one)!! For less than $20, all three of us got a foot washing, a one-hour foot massage, an ending back and neck massage, and complimentary “cha matoom,” or bael fruit tea (more on this below). The massage therapists adjusted their techniques and pressure for the girls knowing the girls were young and new to this. They were so great with the girls and the girls loved it! They even warmed up to the therapists and giggled when they played little games in Thai. They brought out “cha matoom” for us after the massages and it was such a refreshing end to our spa date. About this “cha matoom,” I discovered it is bael fruit tea. Bael fruit (also known as Japanese bitter orange, stone apple, and wood apple) has been found to aid in gastric health, heart health, pancreatic health (increase of insulin), and more. The second time we got a message (yes, this was not just a one-time occurrence), we bought a package of the dried bael fruit and made our own tea. We didn’t add any sweetener and it was so delicious and refreshing.

Thank you, Pradara Thai Massage 4, for a alovely spa and tea date and thank you, Auntie Veronica, for gifting Mama a special massage date for herself! I am excited to go back and use it.

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BANGKOK CITY BALLET

I finally took a ballet class, and it was so nice! I went to Bangkok City Ballet, which was only four stops away on the BTS. The first day I attempted to go, they were actually closed. Since I am not on social media, I hadn’t seen their updated schedule. Thankfully, an employee responded to an email I later sent and gave me the most updated schedule so I could plan my next attempt. I decided to go on Friday morning at 09:00. When I exited the station, I started walking the wrong way and nearly missed the start of class. Thankfully, I arrived with five minutes (not a lot, but just enough) to spare. I was already sweaty from just being outside in Bangkok weather that when I quickly changed in their dressing room, I had a challenging time putting on my leotard and tights. It was one of those comical movie moments in my head. Anyway, all this to say, I made it to class just in time.

Class was so refreshing. My body and mind wanted to move, stretch, create, and feel in ways that it hadn’t in a while. The right hemisphere of my brain needed to be challenged and I got that with this class. Being with so many passionate dancers at various levels was so fun, and the teacher led such a good class. I was definitely sore the next day, but in all the right spots. If I can, I would love to go back again. Thank you, Bangkok City Ballet, for letting me join in an inspiring and challenging class!

Our time in Bangkok this week was so special seeing my parents, reuniting with family, and enjoying delicious meals. Until next time…

ลาก่อน or “la gon” (bye for now!)