Pham Quang Tuan (Tuan Cuong Chan) is a 9X who has been a travel blogger for nearly 10 years, doing backpacking trips in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. He has a 2-year-old boy named Ca, and his passion for travel has not cooled down but has been passed on to the whole family, so in the past 2 years, the "crazy travel" family has traveled to many domestic destinations such as: Phu Quoc, Hoi An, Da Lat... The end of August is gradually coming to an end in the scorching summer in Thailand, so Mr. Tuan planned a 10-day trip and especially, this is the first time taking his child on a trip abroad.
Explore Bangkok as a small family
Having traveled by train and plane many times with his parents, the 2-hour flight from Da Nang to Bangkok made Ca no longer sleep as long as before, but wake up more easily. He did not cry, but was very active. Mr. Tuan shared that his family did not have the habit of letting their child play with the phone, so it took time to talk, read books, and entertain him so that he could sit through the entire flight.
This time in Thailand, the family "crazy" to go to Bangkok for the first 5 days and spend the remaining time in Chiang Mai. Bangkok is a city that "never sleeps", vibrant and colorful with the most colorful culture in Southeast Asia. But this time, Mr. Tuan planned a light family-style itinerary: "This time back to Bangkok, I did not go like a backpacker, I went with my family with a 2-year-old child, the schedule was adjusted to be more suitable, more comfortable but still full of typical experiences".
During their stay in Bangkok, Tuan and his wife took their children to visit two Chinese neighborhoods, Talat Noi and Yaowarat, ate at the Taling Chan floating market and took a boat trip on the Chao Phraya River to explore the shopping paradise IconSiam.
Yaowarat is a famous Chinatown with many delicious street foods. Here, there are many kinds of food, but the most prominent are seafood and Chinese restaurants. Meanwhile, Talat Noi Chinatown is smaller and has its own charm, suitable for families with children, with many small, cute alleys for taking pictures.
“Talat Noi is truly special with its unique street paintings, pretty little shops and many Thai handmade mechanical workshops. The first time hearing Thai and seeing this strange street, little Ca kept asking: "Mom and Dad, where are we going?" So the couple had to act as reluctant tour guides, walking and explaining to their 2-year-old VIP guest even though they themselves did not understand Thai,” Tuan shared.
Taling Chan Market is not a famous place in Bangkok but it is very clean and tidy. Here, the whole family can find many local specialties of Thailand. Going deeper into the market, there is a traditional music area and a floating market dedicated to cuisine. The market is about 7km from the center, you can get there by private car or train. This place is quite suitable for families with young children because it is not too noisy but still imbued with Thai culture.
Overnight train ride
Instead of flying directly, the family chose to experience the overnight train from Krung Thep Aphiwat station (or Bang Sue Grand) to travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Bang Sue Grand is the largest railway station in Southeast Asia, inaugurated nearly 2 years ago. Mr. Tuan said, as soon as he got off the taxi, he was overwhelmed by the "huge" scale of the station, covering an area of nearly 372 hectares with 26 large and small platforms. The whole family dragged their suitcases tirelessly through each gate to find the right platform to catch their train, so it took quite a while. The train trip lasted 12 hours, but the convenience was that they booked tickets from 7pm to 7am, the family got on the train, ate and slept before arriving.
Mr. Tuan's experience is that you should book tickets early on the website to choose a suitable seat, the lower bed will be less shaky and not as cold as the upper bed. The food on the train is delicious, clean and diverse, so you don't have to buy food or eat at the station first. The train runs fast, on time, spacious and has space for children to play instead of sitting in one place like on a plane.
Chiang Mai is a province in Northern Thailand with a cool climate and many natural attractions such as: Farms, elephant conservation centers, Baan Kang Wat art village... attracting family groups.
Tuan said that at home, his parents showed him picture books about vehicles and animals. Wherever he went, Ca was excited when he discovered tuk tuks, songthaews, or saw elephants, rabbits, peacocks... in real life for the first time. Although he was very interested and listened attentively to his parents' stories and feeding the animals, Ca was still very scared and rarely dared to approach them.
In addition to staying in the center of Chiang Mai, the whole family traveled by motorbike and stayed for a day and night in the ancient village of Mae Kampong, 50km away. The village has hills, streams, waterfalls, and peaceful ancient houses, making it a perfect place to relax and explore nature.
The trip marked the first country in the journey of collecting milestones for baby Ca's passport. Mr. Tuan confided that the baby was only 2 years old and had just learned to talk, ask questions, and recognize shapes and colors; everything was still very new. He did not expect the baby to have deep feelings like adults, but only wanted the baby to be exposed to many environments, experiencing strange things from food to language.
