Some quick notes after Asia trip
Bangkok/Koh Samui/Taipei for 3 weeks!
Hi all,
We have been back from our Asia trip for a couple of weeks now, having fully recovered from sickness and pretty horrible jet lag.
I’m planning more comprehensive posts and maybe some YouTube videos in the future but wanted to make a few observations so you don’t forget this newsletter exists.
Thailand and Taiwan are so much more kid-friendly than the US. People smiled at my kids, random strangers helped us when they were in imminent danger, and nobody got mad when my kids were just being kids. And nobody shamed us/yelled at our family for being a family. Oh yes, this happens in Seattle. On our way back from Taipei, an old white guy barreled through us at the gate, loudly complaining “Why is everyone in the way” (he wasn’t even going to be late for his flight, he was just the zone ahead of us). Also, there are shortcuts at the airport in Thailand and Taiwan for people with kids/the elderly/handicapped/monks etc…basically all groups that our society should treat more gently.
Bangkok malls are a godsend for families with young kids. Bad AQI? Go to one of the many giant malls and hit up Harbor Land, a chain of indoor playgrounds so massive and well designed, you don’t need to bring any toys with you. Bonus, you can hire an English or Thai speaking babysitter to watch your kid while you do your own things.
When picking an area to stay in Bangkok, make sure you’ll want to do a lot of things in the area and that you have access to the BTS skytrain. Traffic in Bangkok is just…so epically bad. Uber estimates should be at least doubled or tripled and you should not schedule any back to backs in different parts of the city. We stayed in Sukhumvit near the Phrom Phong station and the Em district malls, which was convenient with lots of cute cafes, three giant malls, and access to the BTS.
Bangkok is on a third wave coffee and European-style croissant kick. We had incredibly good bean to cup coffee and one of the better croissants outside of France in Sukhumvit.
For long term stays, book a hotel apartment like 137 Pillars Suites & Residences, where we stayed at Bangkok, and negotiate lower rates directly with the staff, not through a third party. Monthly stays take a huge discount off the daily price. We 100% recommend 137 Pillars for the convenient location, excellent service (there’s a free mall shuttle bus), and daily cleaning (so necessarily with two messy young kids). DM me to connect directly with the hotel booking staff.
Grab (Thailand) and Uber Eats (Taiwan) are so cheap and quick. We ordered multiple meals on Grab for the kids when we didn’t want to venture out in 90F temperatures/180 AQI in Bangkok.
People in Taipei are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met, maybe the nicest in all of Asia. The service is excellent, the attention to detail in artisanal crafts is out of this world like in Japan. But there’s genuine warmth and hospitality on top. Gives me a taste of what China could have been like if no Cultural Revolution happened. Yeah I just said that, and if you don’t like it, shove it.
Din Tai Fung in Taiwan is really worth trying. It’s way better than DTF in the US and even better than the DTFs in China. We were skeptical, but we are now converts.
After drinking $2 bubble and milk teas in Taiwan, I just can’t justify dropping $8 on that in the US. Going to make my own milk teas from now on and save my $ for future Asia trips.
Bangkok is a good place to get aesthetic treatments at a lower price than in the US IF you go to the right place (why yes I do have a recommendation) AND if you know what you want. Seoul is still the better place to go as a newbie since they offer more guidance. But, Bangkok has most of the same products that Seoul has and definitely more than in the US. HOWEVER, most aesthetic clinics in Thailand are operated by MDs who are not specialized in dermatology. In Thailand, you go to med school in undergrad, just four years. Since aesthetics is lucrative and marketing-driven, a lot of doctors with no dermatology training open clinics. You need to make sure your provider in Thailand is a board certified dermatologist who has received additional training on top of their MD. Otherwise stay the fuck away.
After eating street food, trending food, etc in Bangkok, my go-to places are the restaurants of MK Restaurant Group. You can’t eat super spicy som tum with raw shellfish every day, trust me. Street food gets tiring real fast especially if you have kids. Actual Thai people love MK restaurants and so will you. It also gives you total street cred to eat at MK ;)
Ok but the best hot dog and burger and Mont-Blanc dessert I’ve had is in Taipei. Our Airbnb was on the same block as this seemingly random hot dog restaurant that turned out to have thousands of reviews and does American fast food with an artisanal flair. I love you Jimmy’s Hot Dog Club. And Quelques Patisseries, which I’ve been stalking for four years on Instagram, did not disappoint. I feel like Asian French-style patisseries give a lighter flair to traditional French desserts, and I’m all about it.
Ok signing off for the weekend but let me know what you think and stay tuned for more content!
xoxo