Thailand: Ko Samui and Chaing Mai
We spent a month on Ko Samui. Because of the time we went, Thailand’s rainy season, we decided to go where the rain came later. Our one excursion to Ko Tao proved bad. So we ended up staying on the largest island of the three clustered in the gulf. I found Ko Samui more local because it was larger and you can find less touristy bits. The first part of our time there we spent in the touristy area of Bo Phut. The second half on the much quieter side of the island down South. We rented villas with swimming pools and a car which is essential with kids. On the South side of the island we relished the lack of touristy stuff which was forty minutes away either side. We found our special things like the old woman on the side of the road who sold three types of curry sauce she made daily, which we would use with freshly grilled fish from the market. We went to little islands by long boat, getting savvy the second time with an umbrella because you get sopping wet on the boat ride. One island had pigs and small off vehicle bikes which the children sat on with delight.
Beaches are surrounded by shallow water which makes swimming hard - I found the beaches to be beautiful but not brilliant for swimming, not like Turkey or Croatia. You have to walk very far out to dive into deep ocean and I couldn't do that and leave children on the beach. The best way to swim is to rent a boat and go out into the ocean or go to a really touristy beach which I preferred to avoid. In that shallow water I slammed my hand on a big, black sea urchin. This was a few hours after stepping into cement that had been freshly laid down on the road. I felt something must be up with my dreaming, but it came to a sweet result. That evening after pain in my hand for two hours, an old woman, who worked in the kitchen of our favorite restaurant Hemingway’s, rubbed my hand with oil until the black quills were almost out. I gripped her leg and she smiled at me and rubbed.
The island life is quiet and slow. You can go to big shopping areas on the island but we preferred to be go to the local areas. The tourist scene is intense and getting more vivid. You can still find little gems walking the back streets and eating at places only Thai’s frequent. But the best way to do the island is to go to a really quiet area and just be there.
After one month of Ko Samui we decided to abort a planned longer stay, changed flights, found an place and in twenty four hours were off to Chaing Mai, of which we knew almost nothing about except for a hunch it would work.
Chaing Mai was great partly because of our Airbnb. We got the jackpot in terms of cheap, perfectly designed for living with children, in the right area, simple features and an exceptional host. As the days passed I learned that using Grab instead of Uber is better and renting a car is not necessary. We rented a scooter for short trips around the area and all piled on, Ruya in front, Aziz between Emrah and I. We avoided the large markets because they overwhelmed us and the children very quickly, and it would always end with tears. Instead we focused our adventures on the many singular experiences up for offer. Like Studio Naena where cloth is hand dyed in huge vats using completely natural pigments, then spun an hour away by hand on a loom.
Insect Zoo proved to be our favorite outing in the area of many animal experiences. There is a cluster of things there with the Tiger Park, Poo Poo factory etc. The Siam Insect Zoo was the best zoo experience I've had and least depressing. In general I find any type of zoo or animal show painful to witness. With children there is the draw of showing them something they may not otherwise see alive. That draw card is very strong and active in Thailand. Animal shows are one of the main tourist things to do there. We went to the snake park in Ko Samui and our children were very evoked by the reality of a snake near them. The insect zoo was filled with perfectly collated dead specimens of insects that put me in awe. Outside there is an area of tarantula spiders which were pure heaven for the children since they have a big game between them about scary wary tarantulas. But the best part was a showing in person, by a very attentive and kind women, of the creatures there. They live in cages, which is painful. But they are incredibly well taken care of and handled. We held a bearded dragon lizard, touched an iguana, found stick and leaf insects in the pot plants and Ruya held a little tortoise. The children were enthralled and I left uplifted.
The Tiger park was horrible. We went in and out and paid a lot for it. The whole picture thing which is foisted on you and I was stupid enough to fall for, is a trap of instagram and Facebook addiction. I'm not on either and I threw away the pictures afterwards. My child was put in a white coat and a sterile room with a small tiger, and a camera was shot at her non stop. She did not get to experience the reality of the tiger in any way. The large tigers paced their cages and I couldn't bear it. We left quickly. There is a ton of this kind of stuff up for offer in Thailand. The market for animal experiences is huge and it's mostly a big show and zoo. After attending a one day experience in which we walked and spent a day out with rescued Elephants, my latent No to zoo experiences is now fully conscious and decisive.
The Elephant Nature Park runs a large list of experiences. I chose something that took us South of the city, not in the main park at all. It was less touristy and perfect for little children. The elephant freedom day started with a pick up near us, a one and a half hour drive to the jungle spot and immediately we met our four elephants. We learned their names, routine, who was closest to who, which child lost a mother and who led the all female pack. Our guide was articulate, a bit preachy and married to his vocation. He rightly said that the product of animal experience has to change for conservation to happen. The product they sold, of being with elephants who are cared for, mostly free to follow their routine and happy, is a product that has to get more scope. Once you buy it and do it you won't go back to the old stuff. Its still a bit zoo like, it has to be to sell, but we left elated and feeling good. The elephants are all rescued from a life of carrying tourists on their backs or farmers, circus acts and drama shows. Their care takers live with them, carrying a history of once being old school elephant trainers who broke the animals spirits in chains. Now they realise they can do it differently and do. Our children walked with the herd, Ruya got into the mud near them while Emrah sprayed water on their backs. Then Ruya and Emrah swam in the river while Aziz and I fed the always hungry stomachs around us with sugar cane and pumpkin. If you are going to do an animal show do it this way.
There are a few trendy and great cafes, our favorite being Barefoot Cafe which is a truly hidden gem. You sit in a tiny room on a barstool and watch them make the thinnest crust topped with good cheese, baked and then devoured by little mouths who say it's the best pizza ever. The Seaside Cafe and The Barn were our other two favorites. They make amazing Matcha late which was my addiction in Chaing Mai.
Thailand is a long shape of land and it's useful to experience the North and South, much like India. I definitely recommend Chaing Mai over Bangkok and Ko Samui over the other islands in that cluster
