Queen Saovabha Snake Farm

A few weeks ago, we made our way back to the Queen Saovabha Snake Farm. This place is a little gem tucked away in Bangkok's busy streets.  The first time we visited the snake farm, it was our first year living in Bangkok.  I really didn't know what to expect.I knew I was terrified of snakes and wasn't sure why we were even there.   I guess I thought it would be a snake performance with snake charmers and who knows what else, I was way off.

When you walk into the snake farm, there are huge enclosures for the snakes to live. It's not like a zoo with the snakes crammed into cages that are too small.  The most impressive enclosure is the one for the King Cobra.  I don't know how many cobras live in there as it is hard to see through the chain linked fence, but it is an eerie feeling walking by and seeing one or two cobras with their hoods raised watching you.  

We decided to go back to the snake farm since the boys are older and though it would be a good lesson on snake safety.  During the show, the snake handlers bring out venomous snakes that live in Thailand.  They tell you all about the snake and what you need to do if you see one or happen to get bit by one.  Each time we have gone I have learned so much about the snakes in Thailand. This is how I know I have lived in Thailand for a long time.  First visit to the farm, I was terrified that a snake would get lose during the show and it would bite us and we would all die.  No, I am not dramatic or anything!  This visit, there was a point when the snake handlers brought out two cobras and the cobras kept watching the handler.  My exact thought was, "Awww.  They look like little puppies watching him like that."  Snap out of it Sara!  These are cobras and can kill you!! I have obviously lived here too long.

One of the best things about the snake farm is the museum.  The main floor is all snakes for you to look at, but my favorite part is the second floor.  The exhibits in this section are all about snake safety, what happens to your body when you are bit by a snake, and the life cycle of a snake. I could not teach the boys about snake safety the way this place does. You also leave with a sense of respect for the snakes and hopefully knowledge about what to do if you see a snake in the open.

 The snake farm is located at the Thai Red Cross. They produce the anti-venom for hospitals in Thailand.  The cost is 200 baht for adults and 50 baht for children.  I highly recommend a little trip to the snake farm if you are in the area.

I'll leave you with our last two favorite photos from the day.  Lincoln was brave enough to touch the Burmese Python.  

And Greyson was so excited to hold the Burmese Python.  He couldn't wait to show everyone this picture!

Staycation Bangkok

A few weeks back, my husband had a class he was attending in the city for the whole weekend.  We live a good hour outside of the city and that is not including all the crazy traffic jams we usually get stuck in.  So, the boys and I decided to head into the city and make a fun weekend out of it.  The boys were thrilled to have a weekend in the city and they were able to spend sometime with their dad.

Our trip started out a little rocky with a taxi driver that was falling asleep.  I was starting to get very nervous for two reasons.  One...I thought he was going to crash and two, if I asked him to pull over, was he going to freak out?  There have been some pretty crazy taxi stories and I didn't want to fall victim to either option.  I worked up enough nerve to ask him to pull over.  I explained that I was getting worried about him failing asleep. He pulled over and apologized a few times. So, I was dropped off along the highway with the three boys and our luggage! He pulled off with another customer and we found a much better taxi driver.

I booked the Galleria 10 Sukhumvit by Compass Hospitality, which was right on Sukhumvit ( a main street in the city).  When we checked in, they gave all the boys an ice cream cone!  Pretty great service.  The hotel is really modern and fun.  They had a great rooftop pool for the boys to play in.  I really enjoyed my stay there and all the staff were very friendly and helpful.  If you need a place to stay in the city, check out this hotel!

After Ben came home from his class, we headed to Siam Ocean World (recently changed to SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World.)  We have been to this aquarium once before and the boys really enjoyed it.  They added a fun glass floor to walk on over the shark tank.  Greyson walked across it with no problem, but Britton, Lincoln, and I were glued to the solid floor.  No way I was going to walk over that glass floor.  Lincoln finally conquered his fear and quickly ran across it. The sharks really are the main attraction there.  We could have sat and watched them all night.

The next morning I took the boys to the Neilson Hays Library.  This is the English library in Bangkok and owned by the British club.  On Saturdays they have story hour.  They read books by the author/illustrator, Quentin Blake.   He is one of our favorites.  The boys were able to do a fun craft after the stories. Then we decided to try out the cafe at the library.  It doesn't look like much, but we were all very happy with our meal.  I had some of the best samosas I have had while living here.  I wish we lived closer to this library.

We spent the day swimming and relaxing and then headed off to our FAVORITE Lebanese restaurant, Beirut.  Can you believe I never had had Lebanese food until we moved here?  Really great food.  All three of my boys love the food and that almost never happens.

We left the next morning after breakfast.  We had a great weekend in the city and need to do it more.

Power lines in the city.  

To Zoo or not to Zoo?

When doing research on kid friendly activities in Chiang Mai, the Chiang Mai Zoo kept coming back up on all of the lists.  The boys love going to zoos and as an added bonus, this zoo has a Panda bear. I had also heard how hands on this zoo was and after feeding giraffe and elephant, I thought we must add a few more exotic animals to the list.

First, if visiting this zoo with small children, do not bother bringing a stroller.  This zoo is built on a mountain and has ridiculous hills to climb.  We ended up buying the bus pass to take us around the zoo and found our stroller was just an added hassle. The bus pass will get you a ride around to different stops at the zoo.  You can get off when you want to see an exhibit and look around and then hop on the next bus.  It was a great option. If you have trekked this zoo with out the bus pass...you are amazing!  Our first drop off was the Panda exhibit.

Seeing the Panda after 25 years

Wow. That makes me feel old. I remember waiting in line at our local zoo when I was 6 or 7 years old to see the Panda that had been on loan to the zoo.  It was a big deal and we had to wait forever in that line. When I saw the Chiang Mai zoo had Panda, I wanted the boys to experience them too.  The zoo, currently, only has one Panda, but the kids still enjoyed watching him.  This exhibit is extra on top of admission to the zoo.  

This zoo is huge, but I didn't feel like there was a lot to see there. They were able to feed deer, ostriches, a cheetah, and I guess you can also feed hippopotamus, but we couldn't find them.  After an hour, I was ready to head out of the zoo.  The kids did seem to enjoy themselves, but if you're short on time and debating on going here or another location, I would skip the zoo.

Miguel's - Totally worth searching for

After we left the zoo, we were starving.  They only have a few small food stations at the zoo, so if you miss it at your stop, you may not find one again.  On our way up to the zoo we passed Miguel's, the Mexican place I had been hearing about.  If you want some really good Mexican food, stop here!  They had an amazing selection on their menu.  We had hard shell tacos, nachos, taco salad, burritos...and lemonade!  The portions were huge and everything was delicious.  Made me miss our favorite Mexican places back home.  If we head back up to Chiang Mai in the future, Miguel's will be on my list.

After a very long nap, we headed back out to the Night Bazaar to do some more shopping at Anusarn Market.  They boys all picked out soccer uniforms and the place actually put the kids names and numbers on the backs of the shirts while we waited.  The boys had to have their daily dose of ice cream. (Honestly, when we are on holiday the kids seem to have ice cream everyday!)   We also found some unique items for Christmas gifts.  I love markets, and it seemed like after 3 days of going to them, the boys were warming up to them too.  Day 3 in Chiang Mai was another great day!

Happy Songkran Day...and a little Spring break too!

Any teacher can tell you, you LIVE for holiday breaks.  Don't get me wrong. I love teaching, but working everyday and then lesson planning every night until 11 or later really starts to wear me out.  Waiting for spring break is the worst because you are so close to the end of the school year.  I kept plugging along and finally spring break made it to Thailand!!

The first weekend of our spring break we celebrated Songkran, the Thai New Year.  It falls during April 13-15, which is the hottest time of the year.  Most Thais will bring food to monks or pour scented water over a Buddha to receive good luck for the year.  The whole country pretty much shuts down for this holiday and they spend time with family and spend the time spraying water at each other.  Anywhere you go, you will see people walking around with water guns prepared to spray anyone.  So, if you visit over Songkran, prepare to get wet!  The boys had a blast with some of the neighborhood kids and spent over 4 hours playing in the water and spraying anyone that came by.  It was so much fun!

 

 

We decided to stay in Bangkok for the rest of break because we have some big summer plans in the works. Most people head to amazing locations like Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, Phuket or Chiang Mai, but good 'ole Bangkok got to keep us for the week. So, what was first on our spring break to-do list? We  cleaned and organized the house. (Real exciting, right?)  Ben and I also had loads of school work to do, so we tried to tackle that.  We did manage to have a little fun.  We took the boys to Siam Ocean World, southeast Asia's largest Aquarium.  It was a really fun afternoon.  We watched the shark feeding and took a glass bottom boat ride.  The sharks were right under us!!  When we were ready to leave, I noticed outside of the mall EVERYONE had water guns.  Thankfully, they were kind and only a couple people sprayed the boys.

We also took a trip to Playtime Ekamai, an inside playground, hung out at the pool a few times, and the boys took care of a friend's dog.  We had a busy, yet relaxing week.  Not quite ready for school to start back up, but the countdown has begun.  Only 6 weeks left!!  Let's do this!