We have learnt much about ourselves and discovered a new depth and understanding to our relationship as a couple and a family. The following excerpt from Eric and Virginias Travel Journals rings so true.

“Traveling together independently and inexpensively in underdeveloped parts of the world is a severe test for any relationship, as many questions constantly arise requiring compatible answers from two different persons. Why are we here? How long do we stay? Where do we go next and how do we get there? Where will we eat?will we eat? How much (and which) baggage do we carry with us? are we living in this dump? are we paying so much? Is this the best we can do? are we going to do today? about tomorrow? long is this trip going to last? it time to go home? It is amazing that relationships can survive under such circumstances.”

Add to this a baby, mosquitoes and a toothache and you have one hell of an argument starter.

Highlights of our Thai adventure definitely include the food and the Thai people and their culture. The trip to the temple on Doi Suthep also rates highly, and watching Zofia make friends all over Thailand, especially at Suk 11.

Travelers beware!!! Be vigilant in your negotiations with taxi and tuktuk drivers, ‘western’ food is not a specialty and varies from edible to “who chose to eat here!!!”, and in general if someone is being nice to you, there is an ulterior motive.

As a starting point for our adventure, Thailand has as provided a real learning curve for us, in the way that we travel and forging our relationship from a couple to a young family.

a

Our saga with taxi drivers continues. For a 70 baht metered trip down the street and after we thought we the driver was going to use the meter, we were given the option of a) 100 baht + toll on the highway (for a route that didn’t require the use of the highway) or b) 200 baht for our normal route. Hmmm… I thought you were going to use the meter! So feeling a bit ripped off we insisted that the driver use the meter but instead we were then given option c) kicked to the curb. Luckily we were only 100 metres from the train station, so with Zofia and all our luggage in tow we fended off more 200 baht offers and got ourselves into a metered taxi.

We can not get our heads around the dual pricing that we have come across in our travels in Thailand. Maybe its our western mind of political correctness that kicks in but it just feels wrong that you should be charged double the price for entrances, transport and even food just because you are not from around here, even if by western standards it is still relatively affordable. This would be a lead story on A Current Affair in Sydney or Melbourne. But is it that they rely on these inflated prices to make a living? Somehow I do not think it comes out of necessity but rather because they can. Otherwise we would not have been kicked to the curb and, the honest food handlers taxi drivers and shop assistants would have been finished by now.

Catching the sky train and sky walking have been our highlights and window shopping at a few of Bangkoks mega malls Central World, Siam Paragon and Siam Centre. Siam Paragon and Central World have magnificent food courts. We are saving the touristy outings for when we come back to visit Zofias new Thai Mummy, JJ. Adding to Zofias accolades is ‘The Most Popular Guest‘ award from Suk 11

a

Not that our adventure is anywhere as serious as going into battle, but von Moltke sure hit the nail on the head when it comes to planning for a situation!

Originally we planned to travel around South East Asia for a few months, then head to Iran, Turkey, Eastern Europe and into Poland. However a combination of hindsight, difficulty organising our Iranian visa’s, Madzia’s mosquito magnetism, Zofia’s unanticipated increased mobility, and the fact that Madzia has not seen a Polish Summer since 1987 lead us to to change our itinerary a smidgen.

So, with the proverbial 20/20 vision in place, we will now be heading from;

1. Bangkok to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (End of July)
2. Dubai to Berlin, Germany (Early August)
3. Berlin to Koszalin, Poland (August)
4. Koszalin to Yakabagh, Turkey (September)
5. Yakabagh to Istanbul
6. Istanbul to Sofia, Bulgaria
7. Sofia to Vienna, Austria
8. Vienna to Rome, Italy
9. Rome to Perugia
10. and finally Perugia to Krakow!

We intend to stay in Poland and Turkey for a month or so each, with about 3-4 days in each of the other destinations.

We are extremely happy that we did not book in advance and gave ourselves the flexibility to alter our plans as we go along. So we are now enjoying our last few days in Bangkok, preparing for our journey to Dubai and Europe, and researching where I can watch the All Blacks play while in Germany and Poland!

a

Gaining an understanding of Thai Buddhism will surely have your head spinning. One thing is for sure and that is that Thai culture is entrenched with their faith, traditions and rituals, all practiced on a daily basis. From our short stay here we have come to see the austere side of faith through visiting the Buddhist Temples and our daily monk spotting. The monks are literally everywhere but nowhere. You can see by our photos how elusive these guys are, turning corners, disappearing behind trees. Then there are the ordinary Thai faithful, all 95% of them. Buddhism is a way of life for people here. It is not to say that they are all self denying and self sacrificing individuals. They are mostly accepting and compassionate though. Where you or they are on the path of enlightenment is not important to them and, with the ultimate Buddha offering being that of mental betterment, they are self development gurus!

Some basic googling finds that the primitive people of Thailand practiced Animism, which includes ancestor worship and brings life to all plants, animals and natural forces. In addition there were some influences from Hinduism that came through Cambodia. But when Buddhism came on the scene in 218 BE (Buddhist Era) the Thais took it on as their formal religion, retaining many of the former ways of Animism and Hinduism. This is reminiscent of Christianity and the conversion of pagan tribes in Europe, adopting the primitive traditions as their own. The operative and differentiating word here is converting. That is one big difference between Buddhism and other religions – It does not reject other religions. Further research shows that there are several schools of Buddhism followed today. Thailand, along with South East Asia and Sri Lanka, practice Theravada Buddhism. Also know as the Doctrine of the Elders, it is the oldest and most conservative school of Buddhism. This is the branch that has taken seed in the west. Theravada Buddhism interwoven with the folk religion and its animistic and Hindu belief systems makes for a highly pious and superstitious culture.

Here, prayers and rituals envelope each and every day and special occasion. The respect, simplicity and humbleness of these traditions makes you feel apart of something larger. It is actually very similar to being in a country that is solely Catholic, like Poland. There is something bonding and special when people come together to celebrate and mourn days, seasons and events in the same manner. The sameness is very comforting.

Our favourite sight has been the ubiquitous Spirit House and the offerings and trinkets that adorn desks and dashboards. Usually about the size of a giant doll house, just about every house, business and building has a spirit house erected out front, as a little shrine to the spirits about. The inhabitants of the property set out offerings of food and drink, incense and candles. For HBO viewers it is as if you have stepped onto the set of Rome, substituting the Roman Senators for Buddhist monks and brutality for compassion. The parallels between folk religions are interesting. This type of belief system is found amongst most hunter-gatherer, tribal and village cultures around the world. It seems that somewhere along the line we became disconnected.

Then there are the Buddhist temples or Wat. The Wat of Chiang Mai are extremely enchanting and ethereal. To some they may seem overly ornate and at times ostentatious, however they are clearly a reflection of devotion and honour. Chiang Mai boasts approximately 300 Wat, strewn among the roads and soi of the Old Town and beyond. Being a place of prayer, meditation and offering they are also used as a meeting place for the community for ceremonies, discussions and gatherings, fairs and fundraisers, food courts and support groups. You name it. A must see is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, Wat Chiang Man, and Wat Phan An, where the Sunday Walking Street Market food court is held. There you will most definitely be approached by a helpful tourist guide that will suggest other temples that are a must see within and beyond the gates of the Old Town. Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep up on Doi Suthep is a main attraction within Chiang Mai. To get there requires a beautiful scenic ride up the mountain, and make sure it is a clear day to fully appreciate the view of Chiang Mai and the valley from above. 309 steps later, we made our wishes, circled the Chedi, made our offerings of flowers, candles and incense and had Zofia receive a much needed blessing for protection from the local monk in the form of a white string around her wrist.

The Wat of Chiang Mai can also offer a wonderful place to cool down, reflect or simply relax. In the midst of all the history and the mish mash of cultural influences we found our favourite temple, Wat Lok Molee. Right on the banks of the Old Town moat, it is a gem hidden from the roar of the street traffic. It is peaceful and beautiful… ah the serenity of some family time.

a

Zofia came down with a slight fever in the afternoon. We attributed it to teething. When she went to bed early we thought we would keep an eye on her temperature while she slept it out. Her temperature kept rising and at after an hours sleep she woke feeling completely out of sorts. Then followed a major case of the collywobbles. We cleaned her up and headed off to the hospital. The security guard that hangs around our guest house must have been off on a snack run but luckily the local hairdresser was in. We were just going to use her phone when her friend, Moht (meaning Ant in English), said that she will take us to the Chiang Mai Ram Hospital. Not only did she drive us to the hospital, but she waited with us, interpreted for us and brought us home. Extremely kind.

Within an hour of us deciding to go to the doctor we were home safe and sound with our angel re-hydrated, medicated and sound asleep. Zofia was registered at the hospital, seen by nurses, prodded, weighed and measured by an English speaking doctor and found to have a stomach bug. All of which Zofia found highly amusing.

The last 3 days have been spent in our room. Now that Zofia is getting better we’re dealing with a slight case of sleep deprivation and cabin fever. Ho hum.

It has been another good experience within Thailand’s health care system. The whole experience set us back just under $30 AUD, including the medication, and at all times the hospital staff have all been highly helpful and professional.

It has reinforced our decision to stick to the main tourist route while we travel with a baby.

a

Someone once told me that Europeans have bad teeth because of the poor water quality at the time we were growing up. Not sure how true that is but my mother, brother and I all have bad teeth. My father doesn’t. Maybe the water was better on his side of the street. Either way, my teeth suck so when we decided to go to Thailand, I thought I’d further research the rumours of good dental care in this foreign land.

In my research I stumbled across the concept of Medical Tourism. Thailand boasts a strong medical tourism industry and it appears to be growing every year. My experience in this regard has been exceptional. Firstly, when we had our vaccinations done at the Travel Clinic in Bangkok and now with my dental makeover in Chiang Mai. Yay, not going to end up on 60 minutes with a dental disaster story!

Grace Dental Clinic, although a little expensive by local Thai standards, was at least 1/3 of the price of what you would pay in Australia for top specialist care and the latest technological innovations. No I am not taking commission for that plug. Still a tuk tuk driver in training I’ve never been to a specialist dentist so this was a phenomenal experience. I was directed from the Family Dentist, to the Cleaning Dentist, to the X-Ray Dentist, to the Root Canal Dentist and back to the Family Dentist all within several weeks. In and out.

The reception staff and doctors speak good English. However, a smidgen of Thai goes a long way… I managed to bite the X-Ray Dentist, and embarrassingly asked who I assumed was the Dentist, “What will we be doing today?” to which she replied hesitantly “Umm… well I will be assisting the Dentist”. Of course I thought and I think I will just lie here quietly trying not to bite anyone. Its funny because I am the worst with the nuances of English so when my questions get answered so literally I feel like I just got a little dose of my medicine. I always forget to keep conversations simple.

But I digress.. Basically, the clinic was clean, professional and welcoming. In addition, relatively speaking, for the price of one root canal I received the root canal, 3 crowns, 3 fillings, a deep clean and the X-Rays. If you’re saving up money for that next visit to the dentist why not book yourself a ticket to Thailand and have a holiday while your teeth get a pearly white makeover.

So I have my chompers back in good nick and steak is back on the menu! And on that note does anyone know of any good steak houses in Thailand?

a

Zofia not refusing solids… will wonders ever cease! Her exotic tastes are making their appearance, and although she still picks her days, she has taken a great liking to mango, papaya, paw paw, croissant, eggs, noodles and rice! Oh and there is the humble cucumber and the new favourite, mango and yoghurt shake.

It has been such a blessing to be still breastfeeding. I can not imagine this journey with bottles, sterilising solution, formula and the rest of the laboratory. In addition to breastfeeding, we offer her a range of non-chokeable foods, albeit coughable, from the meals we order when we are out. All of our food haunts are especially helpful with providing us with extra cutlery, plates and the fall back banana. They are very understanding of the sticky mess left behind!

Zofia has become very mobile with her Star Wars AT-AT Walker styles and pulling herself up on chairs and beds and walls. She is a real danger junkie! We did not expect her to be moving around as much as she is at this stage in her short life, which is making our travels a bit rougher and tougher then we anticipated. The stroller is great but once we come to a standstill she wants to get out and explore. This proves difficult with the packs of dogs lurking, open sewers and general dirtiness associated with humidity and a city in the tropics. Don’t get me wrong, Chiang Mai is very clean considering. The street sweepers are out in full force all day long but so are all the stray dogs (or are they strays?). It is clean enough for shoes but unfortunately not for little hands and feet. Although she doesn’t get to explore the city as much as she would like she definitely rules the roost back in our room.

As expected our days are ruled by our little look sow. As long as we stick to her nap times then the whole of the family is happy. She is becoming well known among the neighbourhood and it has given us plenty of opportunities to mingle with the locals. ‘Sophia!, Sophia!’ they call. Then its holds and cuddles and, kisses and waves and, funny noises and ‘Bye Bye Mama!’. And there is plenty of advice too. Zofia has even made a little friend down the street, 9 month old Guan. They chat, hold hands and give each other a polite whack every other day. The mothers enjoy it too.

So far, so good. Apart from keeping Zofias hands clean and entertained in the pram shes slotted into our life in Chiang Mai quite well. Keep on smiling sweetheart!

a

“Why skip the beaches?” you may ask, well, we originally wanted to go to a beach somewhere and relax for a couple of weeks, however after the first few days in Bangkok we realised that with Zofia around, theres not going to be too much relaxing going on. So we decided to get straight in to it!

As I posted previously, Chiang Mai has a much cooler climate and vibe compared to Bangkok. It is set in a valley sandwhiched between the mountain, Doi Suthep, and the Ping River. The historical centre is the walled Old City, which is surrounded by a moat and remnants of an ancient wall. Modern Chiang Mai has expanded in all directions, although a majority of guest houses and the associated restaurants and cafes are clustrered around the Thapae gate of the Old City.

We have based ourselves in the Old City at the CM Blue House. Tim and Tony, the owners, are fantastic and they gave us a great deal for the month. We also have wifi included so we don’t have to go cold turkey just for the moment.

Our first week in Chiang Mai felt very similar to moving into a new suburb or city. We spent a majority of the week out and about walking, familiarising ourselves with the neighbourhood and working out where the local supermarket/fruit stall/doctor/dentist are all located. And then there was the task of finding the best places to eat and/or relax with an iced coffee or cocoa. I know, tough gig, but someone has to do it!

On our second day here we stumbled upon the Ratchdamnoen Walking Street, where they close the whole street off for a market from sunset to midnight. It is a great way to spend a Sunday evening and it is enjoyed by both the locals and farang. We of course were enticed by the food stalls!

Now that we are more familiar with our surroundings and have a routine going with Zofia, we are feeling a bit more adventourous and like modern Chiang Mai will look to expand our horizons a bit further.

a

We chugged into Chiang Mai on the overnight sleeper, arriving at approximately 8 in the morning. The difference in climate was one of the first things that Madzia noticed! The pace was also noticeably slower, as we walked down the platform, preparing ourselves for a barrage of tuktuk touts, and instead meeting a trickle.

A short taxi ride to our guest house revealed a city full of character, with a comfortable, almost familiar feel to it. Don’t get me wrong, it is still fairly hectic, compared to say, Geelong, however it seems like the perfect foil to Bangkok, and we are looking forward to exploring the maze-like soi and various wat.

A surprising discovery on the first day was the UN Irish Pub showing live Rugby, Rugby League, AFL and the Euro Cup! With four weeks here in Chiang Mai I’ll be able to follow the annual rugby lessons handed to the northern hemisphere sides and the beginning of the tri-nations.

So as we settled ourselves into our room, we looked forward with anticipation to experiencing the local cuisine, exploring this city full of temples and being entertained by the game they play in heaven.

a

We saw a city of extremes, of street food culture, of tourism and of tuk tuks! I guess Bangkok is like most cities. You have your glamorous, glitzy super shopping complexes and your cultural heritage attracting tourism, and then around the corner you will find half finished developments, dust and grime, hyena type looking dogs (dead and alive) and parked street food vans! We were glad to see where the food vans were being stored before deciding to try the street food on the next street from us. The food looks so tempting (except for the fluro coloured condiments!) but I think our taste buds can hold out for now. Till then its your one million and one tourist restaurants and cafes.

The humidity, the danger tap water and the mosquitos were all new to our daily routine. Washing Zofia with bottled water (because she likes to have a taste of everything!) and keeping her from sucking the floor has been quite a task. She does seem to go after creepy crawlies so maybe she can team up with the geckoes. I on the other hand make a great mosquito repellant.. for others! Both Karon and Zofia got zero mosquito bites while I, despite lathering up with all the poisons I could find, have sustained at least 20 the week we were here.

Our accommodation was just perfect. Located on Sukhumvit Road (the commercial, entertainment and tourist centre of modern Bangkok), SUK 11 hostel was an oasis in the hectic surroundings. The staff were super helpful and friendly and ‘Sophie!’ became a SUK 11 mascot instantly. We got around using the Sky Train, taxis and Karon had the experience of a tuk tuk, although he couldn’t see anything as they are obviously designed for much smaller farang. The taxis are pink and purple and there are no baby seats, rare car seats and traffic is chaotic. Amazing how all your homely rules and regulations don’t seem to matter any more. Ironically everything flows really well.. organised chaos. You just trust that everyone else is keeping an eye out for you. We walked many stretches road side with motorbikes and 4W Drives zipping past. You just hold your breath, suck in your belly and hope those extra centimetres make a difference

People are always smiling and they love babies. Although, no matter how hard we try with the pink tops and the beads, Zofia just can’t seem to pass as a girl. The best comments were “Is it a man?”. When I said “no she’s a girl, but everyone thinks shes a boy, probably because she has little hair”, the response was “No, she look like man”. Funny. Although we learnt to say look sow (daughter) sometimes its just easier to smile and nod when they say “Oh, smiling boy”. She’s definitely a little lady to us.

Everyone here is relatively short in stature and are a very attractive race. They are very helpful and super helpful when making a commission. The City of Angle’s we read in a pamphlet (as opposed to City of Angel’s). There is the local and the tourist price for everything. Everyone can tell that you have just arrived and the pressure to ride in a tuk tuk and take a tour eases off within a few days. The flashing neon sign on your forehead screaming TOURIST must start to dim a little.

We were taken aback by their persistence in annoying you to hand over your Baht. For us it became extra annoying since we are not on a shopping holiday. Every taxi driver, tuk tuk driver and even the information people at the train station are either travel, tailored suit or elephant ride agents! Booking? .. booking? And they tend to flirt with the truth. Sometimes you’re scared to ask for help or directions because before you know it, you might end up sitting on an elephant at some monkey show wearing a new tailor made suit with bookings for a train+ferry to Koh Samui.

With what felt like a month, a week was too little time to settle, get our bearings, see the temples and please our little lady. It felt like we did so much but we did it super slow. Our most authentic Bangkok experiences were when we decided to walk instead of catching a taxi. We discovered many a soi filled with people working and people feeding the workers and people making offerings to buddha. When we went searching for daily supplies of water and bananas we got to practice our Thai. We visited the Tropical Diseases Medical Clinic to finish up our vaccinations and we put our winter climate luggage into a Bangkok storage facility. We enjoyed doing the latter because we got to feel and see how the people here live day to day. The most confronting sight was the shanty towns right on the rail way line. At first I was astonished. “Babe how close are we to that house!”, then “Theres people right there!”, and then “Their cooking and their children are playing right there!”. They were all within a metre of the rail way line and they didn’t even notice us as we clickety clacked passed.

There are many wonderful activities, sites and sounds to be seen on the tourist trail and in themselves are an awesome spectacle but to some extent the authenticity diminishes when everyone around you treats you like a king. One thing we are sure to do on our return to pick our luggage is to visit with the King at the Grand Palace and see how true royalty is treated here.

a