Caring for your little one in Thailand

Last year my sister planned a holiday trip to Thailand and she was in a major dilemma what to do with my 2 year-old nephew. Finally, she took him along. Though the kid enjoyed Siam Ocean World and Safari Park there, he fell sick due to change in weather and water and was a big problem to be tagged along while shopping and day tours.

So, if you are taking your little one to Thailand, holidaying with your toddlers on the labyrinth streets of Bangkok or in a maze like Animal Park in Phuket may turn out to be nightmare. You can follow these tips to make it easy for your kid and yourself.

When going sightseeing or shopping with kids in tow, it is always a good idea to collar your kids with a name tag, the name of your hotel and flight number lest you lose the little kids and have a tough time looking for you baby! Better still go on an organized tour, especially if you’re short on time and want to see several things. All transport, admission fees and a knowledgeable guide are normally taken care of. It just makes life a lot easier.

Bangkok is a fantastic place to visit with kids. They’ll love the colors, excitement, all the interesting sights and smells. But one thing should be taken care of; discourage your kids to feed the pitiful-looking ’soi’ (street) dogs. They might get over charged up and hurt your child out of sheer hunger!

Now, if you are planning not to take your child on the day tour with you, there are many hotels that offer babysitting service. One great option is kiDO, a fun daycare center where you can drop your darling off for a day of creative play and learning. There are two locations: Lumpini in Sathorn and at CentralWorld. This will ensure you a tension free trip.

Try the bird’s nest soup at the Viking caves!

One of the most famous places to do a little Phi Phi Island sightseeing is on the island of Phi Phi Lei. Here is the famous Viking Caves, a 3.2 square kilometers place where the extremely expensive swallow-nests were once collected. Contradictory to its name, there have never been Vikings, but the cave has numerous paintings of vessels, resembling Viking longboats and that’s where this attraction draws its name from.

The Viking Cave has tour boats queuing up through the height of the day to pay an entrance fee, though they have started to levy the entrance fee for the caves (much to the relief of the tourists). There are many interesting points inside the cave. Stay at the landing point where the clarity of the water in this area is very good. You could have clarity to great depths. At the entrance there is the precious swift’s nests, used to make Bird’s Nest Soup, a Chinese delicacy for which the Chinese aficionados will pay handsomely.

You may also notice ropes and bits of bamboo scaffolding on the cliffs outside. These are used by local villagers to climb metres up into the dark recesses of the cave to retrieve these nests, occasionally falling to their death in the process!

Viking cave may be temporarily closed at bird-nest harvesting season. In fact, the best season to visit the Vikings is from February to April. A bids’ nest company has the concession for the cave, and they must be asked if you want to visit the cave. You can rent a longtail-boat for a reasonable price or join a one-day or half-day tour to Phi Phi Lae island which stops at “Viking Cave”.