Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [207]
Nappies (diapers), international brands of milk formula and other infant requirements are widely available, and for something more specific you’ll find the Central Chidlom department store as well stocked as anywhere on earth (there’s an entire floor devoted to kids). In general, Thai women don’t breastfeed in public, though in department stores they’ll often find a change room.
Not all kids enjoy Thai food, though with the amount of cheap fresh fruit around you should be able to find something to satisfy. Note, though, that for something bland, big hotels usually sell their baked goods for half price after 6pm. Highchairs are rare outside expensive restaurants – an exception is Cabbages & Condoms.
Aside from the usual common sense precautions (drinking lots of water, washing hands etc), parents needn’t worry too much about health concerns. The main areas to be aware of are dehydration (bring some rehydration fluids) and warning children specifically to keep their hands off the local soi (lane) dog populace; while rare in Bangkok, rabies is relatively common in Thailand. If you do need a doctor, we found the paediatricians at Samitivej Sukhumvit excellent.
Kids’ clothes can be dirt cheap in Thailand and we know many families who justify their trip by calculating how much they’ll save shopping for clothes for the next couple of years (and gifts for all their friends). Department stores have a wide selection, but the real savings are at local markets (usually weekly; ask your hotel) and centres such as MBK Click here. To target your shopping, try Motif & Maris (Map; 0 2635 9111; 296/7 Th Silom; Chong Nonsi), which sells dolls and various other low-tech toys made by charities aiding women. For major brand clothes at discount prices, without the chaos of MBK, try Little Me (Map; 0 2661 4008; Soi 33/1, Th Sukhumvit; 10am-8.30pm; Phrom Phong).
For a list of places to see and things to do that should keep kids happy, see the boxed text, Click here. Check out Lonely Planet’s Travel With Children for further advice, or visit the following websites:
Thorn Tree Kids To Go forum (www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree) Questions and answers from other travellers with children, on Lonely Planet’s community forum.
Bangkok.com (www.bangkok.com/kids) This broader website lists a dizzying array of things to do for kids.
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CLIMATE
At the centre of the flat, humid Mae Nam Chao Phraya delta, Bangkok sits at the same latitude as Khartoum (Sudan) and Guatemala City, and can be as hot as the former and as wet as the latter.
The southwest monsoon arrives between May and July and lasts into November. This is followed by a dry period from around November to May, which begins with lower relative temperatures until mid-February (because of the influence of the northeast monsoon, which bypasses this part of Thailand but results in cool breezes), followed by much higher relative temperatures from March to May. It usually rains most during August and September, though floods in early October may find you in knee-deep water in certain parts of the city. An umbrella can be invaluable – a raincoat will just make you hot.
It’s worth remembering that we’re talking about the weather here, a temperamental beast if ever there was one. So all the dates above are flexible. In 2008, for example, Bangkok was flooded by a major storm in normally dry January, and the cool season stretched well into March.
For recommendations on the best times to visit Bangkok see Click here; for a handy interactive weather map for Bangkok and the rest of Thailand, see www.travelfish.org/country/thailand.
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COURSES
You can learn a lot in Bangkok. In half a day you could learn enough to impress your friends with a firey home-cooked Thai meal; for recommended cooking courses see the boxed text, Click here. Taking a course in traditional massage will undoubtedly be well received by your special friends or, if there’s someone