Can We do this Alone?
by oneluckydad
It’s the end of an era… my mom (Nana/babysitter) has headed back to California after spending the last three weeks with us in Thailand. It was so nice having her travel with us for these last three weeks. Having her with us afforded Jannika and I the luxury of being able to do some things together, without Freya. It was also a great way to spend time with my mom before moving to Sweden… we won’t be a 2 ½ hour car ride away anymore.Many ‘firsts’ happened on this trip for my mom, and it was so fun to be a part of that with her. I’ll remember the little things like her asking me how to order her first grilled meat stick from a Thai street vendor.
Mom: “What do I do?”
Me: “Point to it, and pay. Done.”
Mom loved the meat sticks because they were just like the kind they used to sell at food stands at the county fair… barbequed, but with a sweet sugary glaze. Although, the meat sticks in Thailand are only 28¢ each. I don’t think they were that cheap at the fair growing up, or I would have single-handedly eaten them out of product.
Other ‘firsts’ that will be forever remembered:
- The gibbon that we talked her into holding after she said “no” multiple times. I mean, it was a friendly little gibbon wearing clothes; we just had to get a picture of that.
- Mom’s face after her first massage in her entire life. Complete joy. Priceless. We ended up getting a few more before she left. Can’t really go wrong with a $5.60 1-hour massage on the beach.
- I took her in a kayak for the first time in her life. We rented a kayak for a couple of hours in Railay Beach, which ended up being super fun. There are rock pillars and caves all within paddling distance. Definitely worth the rental fee.
- Mom rode an elephant with me the last day she was here. It was a first for all of us. Ha! That was ridiculous and fun. We did a 30-minute elephant tour just above Kata Noi Beach, and it was a surprisingly smooth ride. Mom and I were perched on a bench that was fashioned to Bahn Mi (our elephant), and Bahn Mi’s trainer/life partner/best friend sat on her head while we walked up the hill to a gorgeous viewpoint over the beach.
Our travels will definitely change without my mom with us. Our sleeping arrangements have already changed. It has been tough on all three of us going from 2 rooms to a single room with one bed; Jannika on one side, me on the other, and Freya tossing around in the middle. Also, besides the days Jannika and I went scuba diving, it was great having someone else there to watch Freya for a bit. When you’re out traveling, there is no notion of a ‘comfort zone’ for you or your child… No living room, no toy room, no separate bedroom, no crib. Because of that, as a parent, you are always turned on. Three adults to one very exploratory little girl was a much better ratio. If Dora ever gets tired of hosting her show, I’m sure Freya would be keen to take over as Freya the Explorer.
It was an absolute pleasure having my mom with us in Thailand. We look forward to the new challenges of the two to one ratio. Next up is Georgetown, Malaysia. Tickets booked for Wednesday. We’ll see how it goes from here.
Thanks Pete and Jannika..