The Terrific3 travel blog

I got a nice 3 mile run and 20 minutes of strength in this morning—yay! I made breakfast for the kids and they watched TV during my run, then I did plyometrics by the pool as they played. Ways to make this single mom traveling life work.

We then had a street art tour in Northern Chiang Mai with a woman named North, who we found through Airbnb experiences. It was almost 100 degrees and we were HOT. We learned a bit about the Lanna tribes who lived in Northern Thailand, and recognized 3 genders—male, female, and non binary, and how Thailanders are just much more open to LGBTQ community than a lot of the world (this came up in relation to arts I swear!)

Along the way, we enjoyed various street food snacks that North introduced us to. She said she started doing this tours to encourage tourism in the northern part of Chiang Mai, as that is where the government compounds are, and generally less tourists.

We then went back to the art studio and met one of the famous street artists, Dr Kas(?) and designed our own art, which then got spray painted onto canvas bags and then the wall outside the studio. The boys seemed to enjoy this unique activity.

We had lunch at a plant based restaurant kitty corner to the art studio (lots of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in chiang mai!), then headed “home” for a bit then to get haircuts for all 3 of us that I had booked last week. price tag: $44 for all 3 of us included.

Since this is a shorter post, I think it’s a good one to step back to reflect about Thailand and our trip in general.

On Thailand—I really love it here. Buddhism is pervasive in everyone’s lives, and it is apparent in the peaceful, kind, calm and compassionate nature of the people I have met. For example, on the road, there are many vehicles—taxis, trucks, motorbikes, etc, and people kinda weave in and out of lanes, allowing everyone to have space. Today, when we were in a taxi, I heard our taxi driver honk at a van who was slowing him down and was struck at how odd this seemed. It was the first honk I had heard. The only other country in Asia in which I’ve extensively traveled—India—is very different. There is a chorus of ongoing honks, a way of communicating, and I’m usually scared for my life when I’m driven in India. Not so in Thailand. And the roads are mostly very very well kept. The weather is hot and humid in the summer; the surroundings are totally gorgeous, and people are still very much connected to their land and into growing the food they cook. Most men in Thailand have been monks at some point, and meditation and calmness is part of the general nature of people here. Logistics-wise, it has been easy to travel in Chiang Mai. Even though we don’t have a car and are 20-30 min from the city, we use the app Bolt or Grab (much like Uber) to get around. We usually wait 5-15 minutes for a ride, so plan accordingly. There are lots of restaurants everywhere, from traditional Thai to pizza and western restaurants. Also lots of markets where you can buy snacks and fruits and vegetables. There is a higher end grocery store called Rimping that sells Philadelphia cream cheese and tillamook cheddar, granola bars, hummus, all the comforts of home, so it would easy to be an ex-Pat here. Luxury condos building in Chiang Mai right now are $42,000, so it would be a cheap place to live or retire on US $.

In terms of reflecting on traveling with 2 young children, I feel ages 7 and 9.5 are perfect for just enough independence, a good amount of curiosity, and enough of a malleable brain to be exposed to an entirely different country and culture. I’m not sure what my kids are learning, and they probably won’t know until months or years later. I spent many young summers of my life in India, and what was most impressionable to me were beggars who would be holding children with amputated limbs, who would approach us, tent villages lining the roads right outside Mumbai airport, and the sheer poverty. These early influences led to my pursuing a career where I wanted to serve the underdog. But I wouldn’t have known that then, nor did I until decades later. I do believe my kids are having a great time and enjoying themselves.

As far as me, I’m so happy I’ve been fortunate enough to do this type of travel with them. Is it easy? No. But I’ve never taken the path most traveled. Given I have zero childcare or child relief, I have found inventive ways to get the balance I need—morning runs while they watch TV, strength sessions with planks and push ups while they play in the pool, joint massage sessions, etc. That having been said, I do crave a little more time. I am often mad at myself for being irritated with my kids—with Z leaving a trail of wet messy clothes and crumbs and plates everywhere, and of S asking and arguing with me about mundane things and losing half the things I’ve gotten for him. And then I remind myself to have some self compassion—remind myself that I’m in the 1% of people who would even contemplate a trip alone like this with kids, and that it’s ok to be irritated because most of the time I’m present, engaged, and interested, and nobody can do that 💯 of the time. So for me, it’s been an interesting lesson in self compassion and patience and just acceptance of the situation as is, and finding flexibility within it. I really love the Airbnb we are staying at as it has a huge grounds to run around, for kids to play, and to feel safe. It is also gorgeous and relaxing, and our host is kind and sweet. He is Dutch and moved here about 25 years ago as he was burned out from being in the hotel business. He came with one suitcase in hand. 3 months later, he met his future wife, who is a Thai quantum physics professor at a nearby university. About 15 years ago, they bought this land and he built his house and several villas on it that he rents via Airbnb. What a story!

Anyways, to conclude, all is good…we have about a week left in Thailand and not much planned—a cooking class next week, another visit to bike around the Royal Park Rajapruet, and I may take my kids back to the mall as a treat to play in the arcade. And then we are Bali-bound!