The Chao Phraya River Cruise finally, at the end of my 5th calendar year in Bangkok

Boarding the Grand Pearl before 3 hours cruising on the majestic Chao Phraya River

While the political tension has continued to heat up, temperatures in Bangkok have hit new lows. I am writing now wearing a jacket at home, shivering at 18degC, though it's slightly 'warmer' than yesterday's 15.6degC, which was Bangkok's coldest day in 3 decades.

December 2013 marked the end of my 5th calendar year in Bangkok (yes, I moved here in August 2009), and what a month it was. I spent a brilliant few days with a good friend from Singapore (played EscapeHunt, visited Ayuthaya and the sunflowers in Lop Buri) before welcoming back my family, then subsequently went to Jim Thompson Farm and camping at Farm Chokchai in the 'extreme cold'. I even managed to find time to finally do a couple of 'must-dos' for tourists - viewing Bangkok from 84 storeys at Baiyoke Sky Hotel and cruising the Chao Phraya River.

Congratulations Nat and Mew!

Perhaps, one of the most meaningful things I did among the many unforgettable events was to attend Nat and Mew's beautiful wedding. As I told Nat many times, I had been waiting for this moment for YEARS, to the point I wasn't even sure whether it was going to happen, but all of a sudden, it did, and I am extremely pleased for both of them.

What a beautiful couple

Having a picture with the groom before boarding the ferry

How can we miss out on a family portrait

It was also because of them that Li Li and I had the opportunity to embark on our first ever cruise along the Chao Phraya River. I would like to thank the couple again, because there were limited seats on the ferry, and to be one of the guests invited on board to celebrate with them was an absolute privilege.

Many friends of mine have already done the cruise as tourists, and though none of them said it was very good, none of them complained about it as well. The service and food were decent, a mix of live band and Thai traditional dance performances kept everyone occupied, but if the weather is bearable, I do recommend choosing an outdoor Alfresco dining seat as the star of the experience is most definitely the view, as the ferry cruises for 3 hours, giving you brilliant views of both sides of the Chao Phraya.

Wat Arun looks better at night than it does in the day

Did you even know that there's such a beautiful bridge in Bangkok? This is the Rama VIII Bridge.

If you don't wish to join the squeeze at Asiatique, looking from afar's pretty cool too

Ok, now my verdict.

Like my other friends, I feel though there's nothing to shout about, there's absolutely nothing to complain about too. If you are in Bangkok and just can't find a place to spend your evening, the Chao Phraya River Cruise might just be the solution to all your headaches. Who knows, like me, you might end up writing good things about it after the experience.

Not a very good 1st of January 2014 for Daddy Eddie indeed.....

Brushing teeth has to be Noah's least favourite daily activity, and I have used many ways to make sure he behaved during each session. For the last week or so, I 'threatened' to leave him alone in the room, but two nights ago, it stopped working. So, I started to switch off the lights before leaving the room to make it more 'scary' for him, which did the trick.

Last night, Noah decided to play punk and asked me to leave the room even before I flashed the toothbrush at him. I was a little taken aback by his rudeness, so decided to switch off the lights and walk out immediately, closing the door behind me.

Alas, when I turned back to open the door to confront him, the door was locked! Noah was stuck, keys in the room, lights off, laying on a new mattress that measured at least 70cm off the floor. My wife, understandably, became very worried, and Noah soon started wailing. I was never a handyman myself, so it was fortunate that we stayed in a condominium with technicians standing by 24hours. I frantically rushed out to call for assistance, and within 10-15 minutes, with the help of a kind neighbour and the resident technician, the lock was broken. Thankfully Noah was still sobbing on the bed, unscathed.

Looking back at the whole incident, I can only count my blessings that the only tangible result of it is a couple of days with a lock-less door. Honestly, it could have been worse, I mean, really really bad. I cannot imagine what would have happened if Noah fell off the bed, tripped in the dark while making his way to the door, or suffered prolonged trauma if I did not find skilled help in time (or worse still, a combination of all of the above).

This has served as a shocking reminder of the level of ineptitude I have as a husband and father. 2013 was an exceptionally challenging year for the family, with Noah going through a difficult growing phase and both Li Li and myself forced to adjust our lifestyles to accommodate him.

It did not help that the Thailand economy and politics went through a disastrous patch and I was given the added responsibility of setting up a 2nd company during this non-ideal period. Whenever I thought I was really doing my best to balance everything and make them my absolute priority regardless, things happen to bring me back down to earth. What happened last night was no doubt my rudest awakening.

Over the last 3 years, be it through my utter ignorance, severe lack of tact when I say things, or sheer carelessness, I have never failed to continually cause immense pressure to my wife or trauma to my son, no matter how hard I had been trying make everything else as perfect as possible.

I am never going to un-Eddie myself, but my wife and son are here solely because of me, shouldn't I buck up and consciously do a better job to make their sacrifice worthwhile?

So here's my 1 and only resolution for 2014, that is to minimize my shortcomings and maximize my potential to become the perfect husband and Daddy (if I had any in the first place).

The hard work starts now, I hope it's not too late.

The Thailand Winter Getaway Series Part 3: Sunflowers @ Lop Buri

Happy New Year everyone! It's my 1st post in 2014!

With winter slowly but surely coming to an end, I shall draw a temporary conclusion to my series with the my first getaway during the cool season: visiting sunflower fields in Lop Buri, which I did with my Singaporean friends Yaohui and Wendy (who are also proudly gracing my latest banner) before Li Li and Noah came back from Singapore.

The lame trio

It was not so long ago that I deliberately flew to the Netherlands to visit Keukenhof (and made some life-long vows there), the world-famous tulip garden which only opens a couple of months a year, and passed by endless yellow patches of canola while in the UK. Little did I know that I could have enjoyed similar splendor in nearby Thailand as well. One of the locations to witness this is in the province of Lop Buri, 3 hours drive up north from Bangkok, which is famous for its monkeys, Pa Sak Dam and most of all, sunflowers.

A bright yellow sunflower will never fail to brighten anyone's day

A sunflower field magnifies the happiness a million times 

Don't go too late because the sunflowers start to droop a little in the afternoon

There isn't much English information online with regards to the exact locations of the sunflower patches. Most instructions tell us to drive in the general direction of Lop Buri and watch out for signs, which are not necessarily useful because many signs will be in Thai. I did not drive, so unfortunately I cannot give you much information too, but I can tell you that you might want to go towards the direction of the city centre of Lop Buri. There you will pass by un-commercialised sunflower farms in front of bare mountains called Khao Jiin Lae.

The location of the sunflower fields we visited, if this means anything to anyone

If you headed the way we did, towards Pa Sak Dam (pretty decent local family hangout place but really nothing to shout about), you will only see a few smaller commercialised patches providing parking, toilets, photo-spots and sunflower-related merchandise in return for a small entrance fee. The size of the fields are pretty underwhelming though, but heck, since we went all the way there, we decided to make the most of our time and enjoy ourselves anyway. Besides, a sunflower patch, big or small, will light up anyone's day.

Yaohui and myself sharing a laugh in front of the short mini sunflowers

动感超人！呵呵呵呵呵呵！

On our way back, we decided to make a quick stop at Ayuthaya since we were passing by. Ayuthaya is an ex-capital of Siam and had witnessed a lot of internal and regional warfare. Much of Thailand's history can be seen and felt here through the beauty and tranquility in its many temples and ruins.

Food-wise, Ayuthaya is most famous for its fresh river shrimp, as most of the best shrimp farms are located here. They are succulent, grilled-to-perfection, cheaper and easily found in many local restaurants.

Not been a fan of river shrimp, but those in Ayuthaya are really quite delicious

Overall, I must admit that if we had taken the correct route to Khao Jiin Lae, I might have felt that the sunflowers were much more spectacular and that Lop Buri is a must-go destination. Unfortunately, the route I went meant that there are many other places which might give you a similar view (see here, on the way to Jim Thompson Farm), though they are all relatively long drives from Bangkok.

If you couple your daytrip with a visit to the historical province of Ayuthaya, like us, then I would definitely say that it is a trip worth going, particularly during the cool winter, as the sunflowers only bloom for a month annually, and it's usually blistering hot or terribly rainy in Ayuthaya during other parts of the year.

Our only proper picture together, taken in Ayuthaya

I am very pleased with the new little series I have started, as it helps me preserve precious memories as well as give good recommendations to all my readers like you while you are making your travel decisions in Thailand. This is by no means the end of the series, as I will most definitely visit many more places when the next winter arrives.

Meanwhile, have a happy new year, and may 2014 be a year of joy and immense family bliss for all of you.

The Thailand Winter Getaway Series Part 2: Camp @ Farm Chokchai ฟาร์มโชคชัย

My first tent in 20 years.

I was 13 when I slept for my first and only time in a tent. It was in Sentosa (Singapore) during a mid-year school camp. I remember clearly how I fought with some of my classmates over the concept of our Talentime performance (which managed to win the big prize), and also how my first and only sleep in a tent was a muddy flooded one as torrential rain poured over our campsite and we had to move into a huge hall in the middle of the night. It was really a case of 'been there done that' for me.

Camp @ Farm Chokchai!

It took me 20 more years before embarking on my 2nd and definitely not my last camping expedition. Part of me wanted to do something unique with Li Li and Noah, the rest of me gave full trust to what Farm Chokchai is capable of, bearing in mind the excellence of their agro-tour and how much we loved their fresh milk ice-cream, surely they will not charge campers 3500THB per tent per night and give us a disappointing experience right? So here's to share some highlights of our stay as well as give a few pointers to make your stay a better one:

1. A 'real' camping experience

One thing Chokchai did perfectly was to give their campers a 'real' camping experience. We slept in tents pitched close to each other, surrounded by greenery, with no TV and a need to use a communal toilet. Why I emphasised 'real' in inverted commas is because there is enough in the tent to free campers from all worries bar the bitter cold (12degrees Celsius) which the in-tent air-conditioning cannot do anything about.

Bath robe, insect repellant, torch, umbrellas, towels, toiletries, laundry bag, ice box with drinks, even air-conditioning

A bed! Not the most comfortable bed, but still, a bed in the tent!

Writing table, lamp, mirror, tissue. No TV, which is brilliant

Noah playing high-5 with mummy, not caring that he was trapped outside in the cold

Time to wake up!

View of the campsite in the day

How long since we had a couple pic like this?

2. Answering nature's call nature's way

No one will leave Camp@ Farm Chokchai without mentioning their toilets.

I have finally found the toilet.

What the?! Where's the toilet bowl and how can I do my business when the toilet isn't complete?

Ok, it's complete, it's meant for us to answer the call of nature in the nature.

The view while you're sitting on your throne.

Doesn't get much better during your shower as well

Even though we trusted the level of privacy in this open concept, we ultimately did not take our showers, because in temperatures as low as 12 degrees Celsius, it would be freezing cold to bathe under such circumstances.

3. Burgers over steaks, and lay your hands off their pasta

There's breakfast included in the package, but if you are looking for something to eat at other times of the day, I have some advice. Many would be drawn to the famous Chokchai steakhouse, but having eaten there before, I can conclude that their steaks are generally not worth the price. Their pork chops are pretty good value, and please lay your hands off their grossly overcooked pastas.

Instead, there is something that Chokchai does pretty well, their burgers (only available in the day).

Totally loving it

At 150THB for their original steakburger (pork/beef) with full option (cheese, caramelized onion and bacon), this makes the best meal in the entire Farm Chokchai facility, particularly if you wash it down with their excellent dairy drinks.

4. Plan your stay to be before or after Farm Chokchai's agro-tour

I am not going to spend too much time here as I have written a pretty detailed piece on this a few years ago and nothing much has changed since. But it simply means that the award-winning family-friendly tour is still worth going, especially if you have kids with you. This camping experience will work perfectly with the farm tour, besides, what's the point of camping here if you do not know anything about the farm itself?

Noah did not feed the deer himself, but he got very very close to them

5. Immerse your children in the fun!

Noah really enjoyed himself during the trip

Our 2-day-1-night trip to the 2 farms was a huge success, largely thanks to the magnificent weather and the angelic behaviour of Noah, who honestly had the power to totally destroy the trip if he wanted to. I have heard of parents who prefer to leave their little babies and toddlers at home until they are older and are able to remember their vacations. I beg to differ. We have been bringing Noah out since he was 4 months' old and he has enjoyed himself every single time. Of course, there is always an element of risk that a little baby might spoil the mood of a leisure trip (on top of the added amount of packing required), but his exposure to the fresh sights and sounds is better than any lesson we can give him at home.

Dancing with his hat in the tent

So, while the cold winter will still be here for a few days yet, where shall we go next?

The Thailand Winter Getaway Series Part 1: Jim Thompson Farm จิม ทอมป์สัน ฟาร์ม

Merry Christmas everyone!

The festive season is here again. Though there's no public holiday here in Thailand and I expect myself to work till I drop today, it will not dampen my Christmas mood, not when I am soaking in a wintry low temperature of 17degrees Celsius writing this.

There is always a week or two every year here when the weather will become nice and cool, but never has it dropped to the lows of 16degrees Celsius. This has lasted for more than a week and is expected to continue at least until the end of the year! In the midst of all the political chaos, the brilliant weather has to be one of the silver linings in an extremely cloudy sky looming over Bangkok now.

This weather has also prompted me to go for more than 1 weekend getaway this month, and I feel it's appropriate to start a series on this topic, to help all my readers plan family getaways in Thailand during the annual cool season, starting with Jim Thompson Farm.

I believe everyone recognizes the words Jim Thompson through its international chain of shops selling his famous silk products. Less people know that this American man who revitalized the silk industry in Thailand made a legendary exit from prominence after successfully completing a disappearing act in Malaysia after he set off on a leisurely afternoon stroll. Even though he was never found, and reasons for his evaporation never known, Jim Thompson has most definitely left a lasting legacy which could last generations after him.

I chose to feature Jim Thompson Farm first in my series is due to the fact that it is only open for 1 month a year (*GASP!), so everyone interested after reading this better start planning a trip because this time, it is only open from 14 December 2013 through 12 January 2014, from 9am to 5pm everyday.

Without boring you with more lengthy writing, I will summarize the farm's highlights into 4 main categories:

1. Flowers and other vegetation not called Pumpkin

It's not easy to find large patches of blooming flowers in Bangkok, unless you consider the King Rama 9 Park as one, but then, it looks more deliberate than natural there. Here, you can find an abundance of flower patches with different flowers with mountains as backdrop, certainly very refreshing for city folks like us.

 

My darlings enjoying the flowers

Endless patch of pink flowers

Bottle Gourd lesson for Noah

2. Pumpkins galore!

Pumpkins have always been pretty interesting for me. They are delicious, versatile, uber nutritious and come in all shapes and sizes. The folks at Jim Thompson are proud of their ability to cultivate various species of pumpkin and they should be. A trip to the farm is equivalent to a pumpkin lesson.

Giant pumpkin made of little ones, which becomes a pumpkin species lesson after you enter

Picture taken inside the giant pumpkin, look at the variety available, there's even one named "Jack Be Little"

Family pic taken in front of the giant pumpkin

Butternut Squash spell "N', and "N" is for "Noah"!

"Drive drive drive! Noah driving in the car!"

3. Understanding of the silk production process

Jim Thompson is most famous for their silk products, so the production of silk is naturally the main spirit of their farm. Here, the process of rearing silkworms and how they finally get the end product is clearly explained and demonstrated.

The life cycle of a silkworm

Weaving some spectacular smooth shiny purple Thai silk

4. Sights and sounds of village living

I come from Kuching, a place where natives roam the land and where there might be more wooden houses built on stilts than most other places in the world, so even though Jim Thompson Farm tries to showcase many things in a village-style setting, for me, it's nothing much to shout about so I will not spend too much time on this aspect.

Jim Thompson fabric displayed in the Isan Village

One of the signature sights at the Farm, but too many people around to take a really good picture of it.

As you can expect, the trip ends with a walk through their shop, where you can get your hands on all their products and bring them home, ranging from vegetables, food items, live plants and silk products, so even though the entrance fee is only 140THB per adult, be prepared to spend much more per head before you leave.

The final verdict is that though there is nothing to really go "Wow" about at Jim Thompson Farm, there is enough to keep the whole family occupied for at least 4 to 5 hours. Keeping in mind that it is only open for a month (less than 3 weeks left this time round), any bored family in and around Bangkok should seriously consider paying it a visit, especially in this chilly weather.

If you are going to drive yourself, it's going to take you a good 4 hours drive from Bangkok (and the same time back). A day trip will be highly exhausting, but here's something that might cheer you up along the way, if you keep your eyes wide open.

A decent-sized plot of sunflowers, consider Lop Buri covered as well after you take pictures like this!