My Favorite Bangkok Toddler Activities - Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand
I had been following the BKKKids Facebook Page (from the USA) for months now. I have been recommending toddler appropriate Activities to my kids in Bangkok, for my 2 year old grandson. I found the Saturday story times at the Neilson Hays Library, very convenient for them, and I have seen great advice for nappy rashes etc.; I have learned where to find a good children’s dentist, hair-cutteries, kids furniture, or particular toys. And I have seen a successful emergency blood drive to collect an unusual blood type for a “BKKkids Mom.”
When I finally got to Bangkok to visit my grandson, I planned to try out some of the BKKkids resourceful suggestions firsthand! I’ll write about our favorite 3 excursions here.
Terran was 26-27 months when I visited & my kids were living in the Silom Rd JTC area. Terr’s parents are very busy working folks but Terr is lucky to have a wonderful nanny, “Z” and I was lucky to have her too! We first checked out the National Science Museum branch at Chamchuri Square.
It’s located on the fourth floor of Chamchuri Square, on Rama IV not far from the Thai RedCross & Snake Farm. Chanchuri Square is a relatively small shopping mall at Chulalongkorn University. The Chula bookstores are located there and you’ll find a good selection of children’s books in English - bargain tables too. The mall is pram friendly and has child friendly eatery options too. The museum is contemporary. It is inviting and not large and has simple hands-on exhibits demonstrating principles surrounding probability, magnetism, and physical forces, among many others. There is also a skeleton and fossil exhibit, including a small mock excavation pit. The Lego display had elaborate models constructed by local students and was great fun to look at. Best of all for a 2 year old, is the play area for kids. It had a puppet theatre, giant lego style building blocks, lots of educational toys, floor space, tables and chairs, computers. Best of all, this clean air conditioned educational playground is free to all. It’s open Tuesday - Sunday, 9:30 AM to 4:00PM.
Terr and Z and I got there early, found a nice place for breakfast and headed up to the Science Museum play space. We had to distract Terran to get him to leave, several hours later, when it was past lunch and nap time.
We visited in November, before the protests reached this area. So do check first and avoid Chulalongkorn University if it is an active protest site.
One Saturday, Z took us to the Bangkok Farmers Market and we liked it so much that I let BKKKids know about it. I was astonished to find this modern all organic Farmer's Market with so many creative "cottage industry" vendors. The tasting opportunities were fun and you are sure to find a healthy tasty lunch there, along with goodies to take home.
It's held once a month on the last Saturday of the month at K Village Sukhumvit Soi 26 in the mall with the Villa Market. On the morning we were there, there were gardening and cheese-making lectures, lots of healthy organic food, and some yummy sweets too. There were ponies for petting and pony rides, and a great little playground for the kids, complete with bouncy houses for the energetic ones!
My hands down favorite activity with Terran was our outing to the “Turtle Mountain Temple.” I found this quiet garden oasis with turtles to feed, listed as a Hidden Gem on the BKKkids website. We tried to follow the instructions from the website to get there. That was an interesting adventure but a challenge with a two year old. I’ll describe our efforts to find the Wat and then, I’ll make an easier suggestion for how to find this wonderful and unusual utopia in Bangkok.
Here’s the link with the info on the website: http://www.bkkkids.com/activities/wat-p rayoon-turtle-mountain/
Z, Terran and I took the commuter Riverboat from Saphon Taksin to the Memorial Bridge stop. We did not bring the stroller because we thought it too difficult to take on the boats. The instruction to walk across that huge bridge was really daunting with a toddler & probably unsafe. I speak a little Thai and asked where we could get a cross river boat. I understood that there was a ferry across the river to Wat Galanyah. We walked along the river and passed signs that said we were at the Bangkok Flower Market. It was late morning and not very active but we did see lots of fruit and vegetable stalls and larger warehouses too. After about ten minutes and more inquiries, we found a restaurant with a dock and got the boat. But Wat Galanyah was not the Wat with the turtles. I had seen the photo of the white Ayuthia style Stupa at “Wat Prayoon” on the BKKkids website and looked up river for that. We needed to walk another 10 minutes (longer with a 2 year old and no pram,) back towards the Memorial Bridge to find the riverfront entrance to Wat Prohm. If you say Wat Prohm, people will understand you.
To my surprise, we walked along the river on a Bangkok Bike Path. I have never seen a riverfront bike path in Bangkok and wow, this is a beauty. It’s on the Thon Buri side of the river and I know it goes from the Memorial Bridge to Wat Galanyah, where we walked. I do not know where it starts or ends, or how long it is, but I intend to find out on my next trip to Thailand, when I don’t have a pramless two year old along.
Finally, from the riverfront, we entered Wat Prohm, and walked past its school. We found a vendor for water and juice etc. And across from the Stupa, we found the entrance to the “Turtle Mountain” Garden. There was a donation table where we bought a bowl of sliced bananas for the turtles, and some fish food for the koi.
Oh what an enchanting garden spot. Like a true botanic garden, there are signs identifying the more unusual plants. The stone mountain is exquisite with its spirit houses and Buddha figures. The moat surrounds the mountain and the garden paths allow you to walk around the entire island. And the turtles! They are big, beautiful substantial creatures. Terran was a little afraid at first but you can see from the photos that he soon fed the turtles himself. The turtles eat the skewered bananas. Don’t use the fish food unless you want to feed the pigeons.:)
We sat entranced for at least an hour. It was quite the memorable adventure to get there; a commuter boat, a walk through the Bangkok Flower Market, a cross river boat, and a riverfront bike path. But we found a utopic oasis in Bangkok, like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. How would I go again, if I am taking kids? Starting on the Bangkok side of Maa Nahm Chao Praya I would take the riverboat to the Memorial Bridge and then get a taxi to take me across the bridge to Wat Prohm. Tell the driver that the Wat is on the right side, at the bottom of the bridge. Turn right into the parking lot by the white Stupa. Simple. Ask your driver to meet you in the parking lot at a designated time, for a ride back to public transportation or home. (It’s not easy to get a taxi near the Wat.) From Thon Buri, take a taxi to the base of the Memorial Bridge and turn left into the Wat Prohm driveway/parking lot.
Now I’m home in snow-covered New Hampshire USA, missing my little boy and remembering my Bangkok adventures. To become part of the BKKkids FB community, “Like” their page here:
https://www.facebook.com/BKK.Kids and go to the BKKkids website here:
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Thank You BKK KIds! What a terrific resource you are and a wonderful community we have become!