Bangkok Family Adventure | Temples, Jet Lag and Unexpected Headlines

Bangkok Family Adventure | Temples, Jet Lag and Unexpected Headlines

After 30 hours of travel from the UK to Bangkok, the jet lag hit us hard. By day two of our big trip, we didn’t even wake up until nearly lunchtime. Once Danny and Margo had splashed around in the pool, it was already mid-afternoon before we set out. Day two felt like a bit of a writeoff, but that’s the beauty of a year-long adventure. We’ve got plenty more days to fill with memories and moments that matter. So, we’ve come to explore the Grand Palace and uh our research has let us down a little bit because um I’ve just paid 200 part B for some long trousers. Um which from the research we did online, we didn’t think I needed to wear long trousers. We thought it was just Haley. Um and I’m wearing shorts. And then we go to enter and it’s 500 bar per person which works out50 50 pound uh in Sterling for the four of us and it’s 3:00 in the afternoon. It closes at half 4. So we’re kind of going m maybe not uh not such an attractive proposition to go on the inside. So we’re going to go and have a little tour around the outside and see what we can see. And as we toured around the outside of the Grand Palace, it then became apparent that I’d overpaid for my trousers because I could have got better trousers for half the price. But hey, you live and learn. But one piece of advice we will give in this particular video is as you are walking around the Grand Palace, there are people on the side streets that will offer you um a tuk tuk for 20 Bart to go to the pier, which is where we are now, and then it’s 2,400 Bart to do a boat tour. Um, we’ve walked to the pier, which is a very, very short walk from where we were. Um, so save yourself 20 B. You know, not that I’m penny pinching here, but then when I’ve spoken to the information desk about the same trip, it would be less than half the price. So, be very, very careful when you’re wandering the streets around the Grand Palace, or to be honest, from what I’m gathering from wandering anywhere, be very, very careful uh with the touts on the street. Um, they’re clearly going to charge a lot more. Now, that’s very common in the UK. We’re very familiar with that. Didn’t necessarily expect that here. Um, so a bit of a word to the wise on that really. But what we’ve now done is we’ve booked with the information office to hop on a boat down to Watun. We’re going to have a wander around water. That’s open until 6:00. So yeah, come with us on that tour. So this clip is included for context that Marot covered herself in water before we got on the boat and didn’t wet herself. [Applause] [Music] [Music] on a boat right now. And when we’re on a boat, we’re going to the Thailand. We’re at Thailand right now. We’re on the boat right now. And we’re going to go and see what Aaron, aren’t we? I don’t know. And the golden Buddha. The golden wedgie. And And what did Sandy call it earlier? The golden budgy. The golden bi boat and we’re on a big boat and the boat cost 80 B. 80 B. The boat cost 80 B. 80 B which was a lot cheaper than we were quoted. Yeah. A lot cheaper. bloated [Music] and she going on a big trip and and we’ve got a book on a boat after being on the boat and we’ve got we’ve on a we What are we going to do now? [Music] So, we’ve just taken a 5minute boat ride down the river to Watt Aun. And what a place it is. It’s absolutely stunning. And from a cost perspective, a darn sight more reasonable than the Grand Palace. It cost us 200 bar each for me and Haley. Children got in free and it’s just absolutely stunning. Um, so we’re just having a wander around. will show you some of the sites. [Music] So Stanley and I have just been into a temple, just me and him. Uh we sat down in front of a giant gold Buddha and did a little prayer together. Um and then a monk shouted him over and um he’d been blessing some of the wristbands and he said, “Would you like me to to bless you?” Um and it was a really touching moment. Stanny put his hands together in the prayer position. Um yeah, and it was really sweet seeing him in that way. But I’ve got to say anyone that’s thinking of visiting what Arun, it’s an absolute incredible place. It’s it’s it’s so hard to put into words how detailed the work on this thing is. It’s it’s it’s insane. It’s beautiful and 100% worth the visit. Wouldn’t you say, Babs? Absolutely. And uh I love the pronunciation of what Arun put a real real twist to it. I feel really bad that I’m never saying anything correctly in Thai, you know. Okay. So, I’m trying a little bit of work, you know. I’m trying to I’m trying to like roll the tongue a bit and get it right. Love that. I might need to hand over to James cuz we’ve got uh Margo trying to stroke a goat with a hairbrush he’s just found on the floor. Very good. And that’s how you know it’s prayer time. It’s very big, isn’t it? That’s why it’s got no gold on it. Look, cuz it’s been hit so many times. It’s got a little bit of gold on it. It has, hasn’t it? One. That was loud. Do you want to try with your hand? Ready? Can you go? Come on then, mate. With your hand. With your hand. Your long. Yeah, that was a hard one. [Music] figure at what a run. They’re actually statues of Chinese soldiers, not goats. The Ara is really um a soldier. And what’s he doing to protect what’s he doing to protect what I run? to scare people away away from the castle. That’s right. So that the Buddha is safe. Yeah. But someone got in there and wasn’t scared. So they So they just gone in and attacked the Buddha. Who told you that bit? I don’t know. And what have you what have you got on your wrist, mate? A wish. What is it? A wish. Yeah. And who gave you that? Was it the monk? Did he bless you? Are you a yaka, Stanley? Yeah. Are you going to protect the Buddha? Great. Stanley, what did you just use? Sorry. I used the bum the bum gun. Can you move that away from your mouth a bit? The bum gun. You used the bum gun? Yeah. Yeah. And how was it? It was good. I wish the favorite thing in my my life today was the budgie. The big budgy. It’s the big Buddha. We have come to the newest mall in Bangkok, which is Ducet Central Park. This place is absolutely huge. Apparently, it costs 46 billion taibart to build, which is about a billion uh English sterling pounds. Um, and it’s just absolutely incredible. Come and check out this amazing spot. And hopefully we’re going to get the opportunity to go and have a little look at the outside uh garden area, too, which we’ll share with you shortly. The queue for that place is absolutely ridiculous. [Music] So, what we doing? We’re going at the top of the river garden. So, Daddy and Stanley are having a walk to the top of the rooftop garden in Central Park because Margo was a bit tired and grumpy, wasn’t she? So, mommy has taken her to find something to eat. But, you really wanted to come and see the top, didn’t you? So, we’re going to go explore, aren’t we? Yeah. We’re going to see that amazing view behind us. Yeah. Ready? Oh, look at that. What a view. What a view. Yeah. You like it? Yeah. [Music] [Music] So, we’re just stood in the queue waiting to get our metro back to our condo block. Um, and bit of a reflection on the Central Park Mall. What did you think? Um, I thought it was big. I thought it was it was busy. It was very shiny. And he actually had the cleanest escalators I think I’ve ever seen. For someone who once lived in Dubai, that’s quite impressive. Very true. Yeah. What I will say is we went there with Stanley and Margo with the intention of finding toy shops and what have you, entertaining things for them. Um, I personally wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for fun things to do for the kids. Would you agree? I don’t think malls and supermarkets are really what kids enjoy anyway. If we’re being wholly honest, we drag them along cuz we have to. Yeah, but I expected I suppose a little bit more for them. Um, I think there are malls in Bangkok that are tailored more towards children. I just think you wanted to come to this one cuz it was on the metro line a bit easier for us to get to. Uh, true. And I guess uh me and Stanley, we had a little look at the rooftop garden, didn’t we, mate? And that was good. Awesome. So, um, we enjoyed that. But other than that, one experience that we did enjoy, Margo and I had a side by side with two toilets in one room. First time we’ve ever done it, wasn’t it, sweetheart? There you have it. So, if you want to have synchronized uh toilet time with your daughter and mother, then um yeah, head to Central Park Mall. Central Park Mall. So, whilst we’ve been out exploring Central Park today, um we got wind of the news that we have made the local press back in Darbashier. Um I will tag the article below for those that are interested in seeing it. Um as we expected when I spoke to the person um from the press office, I I I said to him, even when I spoke to him on the phone, I expect uh we’ll get some negative backlash and some criticism uh because of what we’re doing. Um, and it’s very interesting. Look, it’s live and let live in my opinion. Um, for those that are keen to explore a different way of living their lives and educating their children and and everything else, um, then good for them and for those that wish to follow a more mainstream conventional way of life, good for them. Um, but it’s very interesting seeing some of the comments, the the criticism. Um you know even one uh person made comment around uh our children bearing in mind Stanley is five just turned five so would only be starting school just um one of the comments was around um when we come back after a year he should not be uh given any support from the teachers to catch up which I’m all for I don’t believe there’ll be any catching up required um but then goes on to say that uh because we’ve taken this year out at the age of five and three and a half for Margo. Um if ever they needed to uh seek benefits in the future that they shouldn’t be entitled in any way, which again I’m absolutely fine with. Um everything that we want to teach our children is about how to make their own way in the world. Um and I’m very much an advocate. I’m a business owner. So I’m very much an advocate for uh being a leader rather than uh an employee. And again, that’s personal. That was my choice. It’s hard being a business owner. Um but I chose that hard. And so it’s just very interesting when people are that scathing that they know so little about you. Um and then pass those sorts of comments and I’m quite comfortable with those comments from the point of view of neither will be relevant. But uh yeah, very interesting how people react to things. Um, you know, one of the big things we found around being in Thailand and and reflecting on today specifically, we went to 7-Eleven to get the kids smoothies and there were these two Thai women in the queue and the chap serving us didn’t really understand what we were asking for. And one of them spoke good English, so she helped translate what we were asking for. And they then stood in the queue talking to us. They were absolutely um absolutely loved Stanley and Margot. But they stood for 10 15 minutes chatting to us whilst we waited for our smoothies. And all they were doing was buying a couple of bottles of water and they just took the time and they’re such they were such kind people. Um one of them her name was a she gave Stanley a bracelet and gave Margo uh Margo one too. The other one her name was Minnie. Um they were just so super friendly and that’s the type of environment we want to bring our children up around. That’s the kind of culture we want to immerse them in. Um, so yeah, just in the same day, we’ve experienced such kindness in person and then such scathing comments from people that just simply don’t know us. Fascinating, but we knew it would come. What’s been the highs and lows of Bangkok? I think the low has been a road has been nice. Why? A. Have you struggled to sleep? I struggled. Okay. So, that’s my been switching lights off and on. I struggle to get to sleep. And that’s been a low. Yeah, that’s fair enough. What’s been a high, buddy? Seeing the big Oh, what did you like about the big buddy? Because he was golden. He was golden. I’m talking. And cats really like hot roers. Do you think they do? Yeah, they do. Wow. Have someone eat one. Wow. And they will and they really like it. Would you eat a cockroach? No. No. Me neither. If I’m a cat, then I’ll eat it. Would you? Can I ask you, Mrs. Kitty? What’s been the highs of Bangkok? Why do you call me Kitty? Cuz you said you were a cat, so I called you Mrs. Kitty. But I don’t eat catwalk because I’m a human. You’re a human? What’s been the highs of Bangkok? Human? I don’t know. What have you enjoyed the most? I don’t know. You don’t know? No. What about seeing cats? Has that been a high of yours? No, I don’t see that cat. I don’t I want to see that again. I know you do. What’s been the lows of Bangkok? Boring. This is a boring. Marlo, what did you think of the boat ride? It was disgusting. Um, I think we didn’t Wait, did we go on a boat? We did go on a boat where we went to that big temple and we saw the princesses. And that brings an end to our time in Bangkok. We’ll be exploring Chiang Mai next, so make sure you hit that subscribe button to follow along. Crew, prepare for landing. Thank you.

After 30 hours of travel from the UK to Bangkok, our first few days as a full-time travelling family didn’t quite go as planned. Jet lag hit hard, day 2 was nearly a write-off, and yet Bangkok still managed to surprise us in the best way.

From exploring the beauty of Wat Arun to discovering Dusit Central Park Mall, to receiving some unexpected headlines from back home, this video captures the highs, the chaos, and the reality of travelling with two young kids.

For Stanley and Margot, this trip is about learning through the world itself; different cultures, new foods, and experiences that no classroom could ever teach. For us, it’s about slowing down, creating memories, and embracing a life less ordinary.

👉 Hit subscribe and join us as we continue our journey across Southeast Asia. We’ll be sharing the magic, the mishaps, and everything in between.

📲 Follow our adventures on Instagram & TikTok: @Live.Learn.BeFree

📰 You can read the news article here – https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/derbyshire-family-rejects-mainstream-schooling-10503727#comments-wrapper

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro
00:24 – Grand Palace confusion
02:21 – The boat to Wat Arun
03:23 – A tour of the magnificent Wat Arun
08:02 – Visting Dusit Central Park
09:02 – The Roof Top Garden at Dusit Central Park
10:25 – Our Thoughts on Dusit Central Park for the children
12:00 – We made the headlines in the UK
15:06 – Stanley & Margots final thoughts on Bangkok