Leaving Bangkok (with a Baby)
So here we are. Melvin is asleep next to me, Thilde is in the shower, and I am in my underwear in bed. We are getting ready to leave Bangkok. It's been a great three days, but we’re ready to head out and get on with our trip. First stop: Koh Samui.
Bangkok was much easier to manage with a baby than I expected. Our stroller really held up over the many bumps, cracks, and high pavements that are all over the city, and being out of peak season, we’ve not had to deal with too many crowds. OK, so we’re hardly heading out at peak times (bed time is about 8), but still.
We've been on the public ferry with the stroller (folded up and stuck on top of the engine room), which was absolutely fine. People are keen to offer you their seat, and I didn't manage to lob Melvin in the river, which was something of a concern. We've done the BTS (skytrain), which again, was fine. Not too many lifts in the stations, so a fair bit of hauling the stroller up and down, but it's a light stroller so no problem there. We've hit a palace (no breastfeeding so we had to make a quick trip to the toilet). We've hit the malls (oh sweet air-con! Not to mention large toilets with changing facilities - handy when Melvin decides to do his weekly poo in a coffee shop), and we've hit the streets. All without a hitch. I read a lot of blogs about coming to Bangkok with a little baby, and I must say that I managed to get myself a bit worried. As is so often the case (99% of the time), I should have ignored all that crap (but don't ignore this if you're reading this. This - of course - is different). It's been a breeze.
In fact, the biggest problem is that Melvin is something of a people magnet round here. To the point where people stop us in the street, and various staff from various places pick him up and have their photo taken with him. It's lovely to watch as a parent, but seems a bit much for him every now and then. Of course, it's hard to say no when people just want to pinch his thighs and coax a grin out of him, so occasionally we resorted to covering up the front of the pram, just so we could be sure to get him home quick in time for a feed. Oh what hard times.
He's coped very well with the heat. It's about 35° but feels like 45°, and while he's been a bit listless if we've been outside for a long time, he soon kicks back to his old self when we get inside. He's 100% breastfed, and has wanted to switch boobs more often so he gets more of the thirst-quenching light milk instead of the thicker stuff - that he saves for a good feed every now and then. We've given him a couple of sips of water too, just to make sure, and aside from initial surprise, he didn't seem to have any problem with it (we used the Avent Natural Drinking Cup).
So back to the airport it is, and a one hour flight down south. We hoping for a bit of a breeze, it must be said. I can't wait for Melvin's feet to get sandy (incidentally, his bare feet touched the ground for the first time ever yesterday - at the palace (pictured above), of course). I'm looking forward to just kicking back on the beach with him, while his mor hits her yoga mat, and the waves hit the shore.
We've 10 days at our next stop. See you then.