I may have mentioned this in passing, but this week my children have no school. It’s mid-term break, and Tuesday was Chulalongkorn Day. It would be nearly impossible to have the girls home for nine days straight, so I needed to find a way to entertain them. Many preschools advertise weeklong camps, in-lieu of school, that children who aren’t registered for the term can attend. Compared to the U.S. where working parents are primarily left scrambling for childcare options during such school breaks, this is a novel solution. Though if you don’t want to put your older child into future camp, or a swimming and sports camp, taking off as a family on vacation – or holiday as I feel like all non-Americans say – seems to be a popular option.
I did not have the foresight, organization or general wherewithal to make travel arrangements for the week. Besides, it has only been about two weeks since we returned from the trip to the U.S., so I didn’t have a huge desire to pack up and go on the road again. My husband also had work travel for the second time this month. The girls’ school was offering a camp that would cost me THB 1850, or about USD 56.30, per day. The bus service that I rely on to get them to and from school would not be operating. I was sure that I could entertain the girls for the week for less than that and give them a chance to explore Bangkok.
We started the week by returning to a nearby favorite: Imaginia. It is located on the third floor of the Emporium mall in Phrom Phong. The tuk-tuk for our building runs a shuttle service to this mall/ the Phrom Phong BTS station for free. Then afterward we went to the food court in the basement for dinner. I even used the opportunity to get one kid’s brand new glasses fixed (for free!). Total cost for this excursion (Imaginia + food + transportation): THB1305 or about USD 40.
Tuesday we took it easy and went out for lunch at Beirut Restaurant. We love this place because there is an outdoor play area for the girls to play while we have a meal – and drinks. I’m always on the lookout for more places like this in Bangkok because at three-years-old the girls are too big for high chairs, but not big enough yet to sit still through an entire meal. There are other places I have come across like The Commons, Roots and Blue Parrot, but I’m always looking to add to the list. If you’re on the hunt for places (mainly in the U.S. but also around the globe) you can have a nice meal AND bring your children, check out Nibble+squeak.
These last two days we’ve been taking it easy. The girls have been sleeping in, and it has rained at somewhat inconvenient times of the day. To be perfectly honest, I have also been feeling unmotivated and anxious about catching up on things I have been neglecting – like publishing new posts. Let’s see where I have the motivation to take the girls tomorrow. Only four more days until the girls go back to school!
