Koh Samui with a Baby (Part Two)

So here we are. Three more days. Four, if you count our travel day back to Bangkok. It's incredible how quickly this whole trip has gone. Sometimes I worry I haven't really sat back and enjoyed it. We're trying to do that now.

We're back on Koh Samui, and after 9 days at The Spa, we found a great deal for a pool villa, at Elements Boutique Resort and Spa, a beautiful resort tucked far away from everything else on the south west corner of the island. It's quiet, it's peaceful, and it's pretty luxurious. We've only been here for a day, but in the past 24 hours I think we've managed to really unwind. We've sat with Melvin outside, shaded under the cover of a four poster sun bed, by a long infinity pool, with a cool breeze blowing over his naked little body. The temperature has dropped enough for us to do this, and it's bliss. It's how we imagined the whole two months. We sit and look at him, at each other, at him, at the palm trees, the ocean, the long stretch of white sand, and back to him. It sounds pukey, but it's true. 

The last couple of weeks on Koh Phangan went by smoothly. We ended our stay at Cookies after 9 days - we just got bored. We moved to B52, a resort much closer to Thongsala, for the last 4 days on the island. We could walk into town for meals, and could get Melvin into the pool with no stairs or trouble. 

Melvin turned 6 months while we were there, so we started him on solids. A first meal of mango and banana was mostly smushed, and the little bits that did make it to his mouth were grimaced at and spat back out. Baby steps.

We left Koh Phangan on the same boat we came in on, and our journey was just as smooth. A minibus at the terminal took us directly to Lamai, where we headed into the hills to The Spa. This would be our second time at The Spa, both times staying at their Village location, which is nestled in the lush hills of Samui. It's absolutely beautiful up there, but upon arrival, realised it's not really ideal for a baby. Not only is everything on a steep hill, our villa was far away from everything, and up even more of a hill and stairs. We spoke to reception and they said it was fine for us to move down to their beach location, which, while much smaller, gave us easy access to a pool, the sea, the beach, the restaurant, and to Lamai town itself. Our little room was tiny, and we barely fit on the bed, but it was incredibly cosy. We spent our days relaxing, swimming, walking into town, and watching Melvin go from sucking food and grimacing to gumming it and reaching for more. Our wee man. 

And here we are. At Elements, not really doing much other than enjoying the space, our pool, and making the most out of the time we have left. 

We've learnt a huge amount about travelling with a baby. I'll do a good summary when we're back home. Some of the things were obvious, but some we've been surprised about. Most - if I'm honest - have been facepalmingly obvious once we've realised them, but I suppose that's how it goes: you never really know until it's happening to you. 

The fuse in the camera plug blew a while back, so unfortunately we've had to make do with our phones. I really regret not taking more photos before that happened. The camera has just been that one thing too many every time we've gone out, what with all the junk you need for a baby - not to mention navigating the pavementless busy streets. 

We leave on Saturday. Our flight is in the early evening, and we arrive in Bangkok airport at 6pm. We spend the night in a hotel next to the airport, and head back to Copenhagen the next morning. How odd it will be. 

Bangkok

Leaving Bangkok

Koh Samui Part One

Leaving Koh Samui

Koh Phangan

Koh Samui Part Two

The Final Cut

Koh Phangan (With a Baby)

So here we are in Koh Phangan. We’ve been here for almost three weeks now, and the time has flown by - despite us doing very little at all. 

We went out to a Belgium Beer Bar last night on account of yesterday being my birthday. It was a surprise from my parents, via Thilde. I had a couple of very good beers, a tough old steak (I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no good beef on Koh Phangan), and Thilde had a huge bowl of mussels. Very nice. It was Thilde’s birthday at the end of May, which we celebrated with a trip to a very nice spa, where she was pampered extensively. Other than our two birthday treats we’ve not done a great deal…

Our journey here was smooth. We were a little interested to see how the ferry from Koh Samui went, seeing as Thilde would be pushing Melvin, and I would be pulling our two rather large bags. We’ve only made this trip before in the high season, so were expecting a packed ferry, and mild chaos during boarding. We were pleasantly surprised to find everything went very calmly. We waited at the ferry terminal for a good hour and a half, during which there was a rain storm, but boarding was smooth, there were plenty of free seats, the AC worked, and in 30 minutes and lunch for Melvin later, we were in Koh Phangan. 

I should add something about breastfeeding while I remember. We Googled a bit before we left and the general consensus seemed to be towards going somewhere private. We thought about it, and realised we’d never seen a Thai woman breastfeeding - or a tourist, for that matter. We’ve managed to time our outings and trips quite well in regards to Melvin, but due to the heat he often demands a quick thirst-quenching drink at random times (we’ve only given him water a few times, but don’t think it was really necessary. Instead, he’s just preferred to switch boobs more often and take short drinks to get the lighter milk instead of the full-fat filling milk that comes later). When he’s surprised us, it’s been very easy to find a hotel with a private corner, or just a clean toilet with AC, in which Thilde can help him out. He even caught us out during a massage in Bangkok. I took him outside and kept him entertained (or rather, the massage women kept him entertained), until Thilde was finished, and then they very kindly let us use a private massage room for a feed. Everyone, the women in particular, have been sympathetic and very kind whenever we’ve asked if there was somewhere we could breastfeed, but we’ve never just gone ahead and done it in a public place. I think it would be frowned upon, you could say. Anyway: short of the long is that it hasn’t been a problem, despite the fact you can’t just whip your boob out. That said, we have seen a couple of tourists breastfeeding in public places. There’s not been any trouble at all - not even any funny looks as far as we could see - but we just decided to err on the side of caution (and respect), and keep it as private as possible. 

So. Koh Phangan. We were hustled in to the back of a taxi (except Thilde and Melvin - all taxi drivers have offered the front seat - using with seat belt and AC - to whoever is holding him), and then hustled out and in to the back of another taxi. Not too much hassle except now we’re lugging two months of luggage and a stroller. Gallons of sweat and a 10 minute drive later, we arrived at our first port of call, Orion Healing Centre in Srithanu.

Thilde had booked a yoga thing and a Reiki course, and we would be going full vegetarian for two weeks. Turns out the first week was International Vegetarian Week, so good timing us. Anyway, we paid for a week and stayed for a week. A combination of cockroaches and nothing for Melvin to do (i.e. no pool), convinced us that we’d be better further up the road. So we moved. And it was good. We’ve come to really appreciate a pool. Not only is it great for us to cool off in, it’s also perfect for Melvin. He’s not that comfortable with the sea, but a good splash in a pool is perfect. Of course, he prefers a private plunge pool, but one can’t always have what one wants. 

One great thing about travelling in low season has been the deals we’ve got. We shouldn’t have booked in advance anywhere. The two places we’ve walked in have given us vastly reduced rates, this time a suite by the pool for almost a quarter of the usual price. That said, it’s been good to know we’ve definitely got a room when we arrive somewhere, instead of having to walk up and down the beach or road looking for the perfect place. 

So a week was spent at Loyfa Resort, just up the road from Orion, and from there we took a short drive up the coast to Cookies’ Resort. We’d been here two and a half years ago, and were very pleased with it, but reading reviews on TripAdvisor got us all worried. It seemed as if the place had taken a turn for the worse, and I was already planning on moving, but worry we needn’t have as it is just as we remember (bar the beach. That’s got worse, but with a couple of years of heavy tourism, what can be expected. Unfortunately I don’t think sustainability is high on the priority list here). Yes, the rooms are a little loved, with wonky taps, and quick fixes here and there, and yes, some of the staff either don’t seem to understand a word of English/look moody/smoke joints on the restaurant balcony, but for the most part, they’re friendly and helpful. Our room (an upgrade from our last trip!), is fantastic, with a huge bedroom, a small seating area, and a good bathroom with tub! One of my favourite things to do is take a bath with Melvin, so I was pretty chuffed about that. 

The beach is a very short stroll away, the pool even less so, and while our baby monitors won’t reach to either, we’ve just fallen into a routine of taking it in turns to go out. Not only is this nice as I don’t think anyone wants to be outside in this heat all day, but it also gives us some time alone to do whatever we want, important when your day runs on an almost 6 month old’s schedule. 

Melvin has two teeth now. They poked through shortly after we arrived on the island. The only children's toothbrush we could find was a Hello Kitty one, but it does the job. He hasn't kicked up too much of a fuss about them, but boy are they sharp. Glad I'm not breastfeeding... He's also started to show definite interest in what we do with our food and drink. He watches as we eat and use straws, and will strain his head back when he's in your lap to see just where you're putting that glass. We're holding off until he's 6 months, and then he can go nuts. He's played with watermelon a couple of times, but so far, shows no interest in putting it in his gob. On us, yes, but in him, no. It'll come (we're following baby led weaning, if you're interested. Basically skipping all mush and puree, and going straight to solids, but when he's ready and shows interest). 

I'm currently weaning myself off good tea. I’ve only got three tea bags left - disaster. I’ve had to resort to Lipton Yellow Label, which calls itself tea but isn’t really. I don’t know what it is, but if you leave the bag in long enough, it tastes…well, it’ll have to do. Right now I’m treating myself to a proper brew from my extremely limited supplies. 

After 5 weeks in Thailand, life has really settled down. We wake up, play a bit, have breakfast, and then work out while Melvin naps. We have a play, head out for a walk and lunch, and then Melvin naps. The afternoon is spilt, with each of us taking some time in the sun, reading our books, or just relaxing. Then it’s more playtime, a swim, them dinner, and bed. The only big difference is that we go to bed earlier, which is really kind of cosy anyway. I’ve become a little homesick for things like our bed, or our sofa, and the way our home smells. We’ve also started to talk about different kinds of food, and the clothes we’ll wear when we get back. Not to mention how nice it’ll be not to sweat so much (or have unlimited good tea).

Just over two more weeks of this. It’ll probably go incredibly quickly, just as everything before this has done. It’s strange, this maternity leave business. It’s really not a holiday, despite the fact that we’re in Thailand. It’s normal life, just with less cooking and more heat. I should think the coming time will be as uneventful as this blog post. We’re moving to a new place today (two weeks in one place is rather long), and then on the 13th we’re heading back to Koh Samui, but other than that, I should think we’ll spend the rest of the time just doing as we’ve been doing; looking at Melvin and wondering where time went. 

Bangkok

Leaving Bangkok

Koh Samui Part One

Leaving Koh Samui

Koh Phangan

Koh Samui Part Two

The Final Cut

Leaving Koh Samui

Today we leave Koh Samui. For now. We'll spend 28 days on Koh Phangan, and then come back here for another two weeks before heading home. It's strange to think we've been here for two weeks already. It's been so very different from what we're used to. Gone are the days where we would get up and spend the whole day sitting on the beach, swimming in the sea, and enjoying cold beer as we watched the sun go down. Instead, they're mostly about being with Melvin, and taking care of the little guy. But that's OK. That's what this trip is all about. 

There's no rush with anything - that much hasn't changed. Our mornings might be earlier, but so are our evenings, and our days, while spent with Melvin, are fairly lazy. Of course that'll change when he figures out what his legs are for, so we're making the most of his immobile state. 

Our accommodation standards have certainly changed. The first time we went to Thailand together as a couple was in 2009. Below is our room.

I remember we thought it was fantastic. It was a little bungalow, with a very small sitting area outside the door, and a shared bathroom down the path. No A/C (clearly), a bed as hard as stone, no towels, no sheets, no nothing - just walls and a roof. 

Now look at us. 

A video posted by @twesterby on May 11, 2015 at 11:41pm PDT

We've been incredibly happy with our stay at Briza. With off-peak prices, we booked a villa made up of a large bedroom, outdoor bathroom (with bathtub sunk into the ground), two sinks, an outdoor living room with separate toilet, and - best of all - a private plunge pool. The food is good, the staff extremely friendly and polite, and it's just a few minutes walk down a path to the beach and sea. The sea itself is very shallow for about 50 metres out, and only then does it gradually begin to deepen.

As a result, the water near the beach gets really quite hot by the afternoon, hot enough for us to think twice about putting Melvin in it, but seeing as he's not the biggest fan of the sea, that's not been a problem (although we did take him out in the morning). He has loved the plunge pool, however. He's discovered that he can make a splash, so he kicks away with great abandon as I hold him up. Great fun. 

The nappies we've been using over here (MamyPoko - sold in every 7/11 and Family Mart in Bangkok and Koh Samui), have been fine. Melvin's not had any reaction to them at all, but they don't seem to last a full night so we've saved the ones we brought from home to use during the night. I'm not sure if it was the nappies not being tight enough around his legs, or the force of Melvin's poo, but we did have a slight emergency one morning at breakfast when he decided to empty his bowels at the table, only for it to squirt out and on to Thilde. It was messy, and a shower job to get him clean, but what can you do. Fun times. 

We took a good long stroll along the beach and to central Chaweng, which in low-season and daylight looked clean enough, but it was fairly easy to imagine what it could be like. Seedy bars and dubious massage parlours abound, and huge speakers were pumping chilled out lounge to vast empty dance floors even early in the afternoon. We struggled a bit with the stroller - just a lot of up and downs over high pavement edges - ate, and then took a taxi back to the hotel for a cup of tea in bed.

So here we are, about to leave for the ferry. Our next stop will be very different from this, and we're looking forward. Onwards!

Bangkok

Leaving Bangkok

Koh Samui Part One

Leaving Koh Samui

Koh Phangan

Koh Samui Part Two

The Final Cut