shocked kids- A Submarine in the Newest and Biggest Aquarium in Thailand

Kids Fed the Fishes in Aquaria Phuket: Exploring the Largest Aquarium in Thailand

The new Aquaria Phuket is now the largest aquarium in Thailand, as advertised. It is located in Central Phuket Floresta, right at the heart of metropolis Phuket. Phuket is home to hundreds of expats and welcomes thousands of tourists each year. Aside from island hopping, this could be a great destination, especially for families or a group of friends. As expats ourselves, we had the chance to experience it. We had so much fun in Aquaria Phuket. Fish feeding is one of the most enjoyable activities you can do. Explore the largest aquarium in Thailand.

Kids Fed the Fishes in Aquaria Phuket: Exploring the Largest Aquarium in Thailand

Aquaria Phuket is divided into four distinct zones, namely Station Aquarius, South China Sea, Coastal Heaven, and Mystic Forest.

  1. Station Aquarius is a semi-interactive zone as kids are allowed to touch the different species of star fish in a medium size, shallow pool, which occupies most of the space in this zone. You are required to wash your hands before touching them. It is important to note the grabbing is not allowed. In this area, there are also variety of jellyfish, sea shells, and insect preserves.
  2. The South China Sea Zone. This probably takes the biggest chunk of the aquarium. One of the interesting features of this zone is the USS Lagarto, a USA submarine wreckage from World War II, which was found in the gulf of Thailand. Read more of the submarine in the newest and biggest aquarium in Thailand or watch the video straight away of the submarine in the newest and biggest aquarium in Thailand. Here, children are allowed to feed the fishes. So, it has got a walk-in platform that goes all the way into the center of one of a tank. With a bucket of fish worth 20THB (0.65USD), kids can have a top view of the tank and feed the fishes there. Also found in this zone is the largest underwater restaurant in Asia, the ANDASI Restaurant. It has a spectacular view!
  3. Coastal Heaven features marine animals like penguins, red sea turtles, otters, and reef sharks, and many more. My daughter was pretty excited to see sharks in the aquarium. Their advertisement shows a large shark, and so she wasn’t so thrilled to see the reef sharks. Of course, we had to explain everything to her.
  4. Mystic Forest features variety of fishes segregated; one tank for all colorful tiny ones, the other for the gentle giants. On the second floor of this zone, are wide selections of rainforest insects like spiders, centipedes, millipedes, and frog. It also got chameleons and snakes.

Here’s a short video of Derick and Summer Thailand in Aquaria Phuket. This video shows the Station Aquarius and The South Chine Sea Zones only.

Would you consider bringing your family and friends here? What feature of this aquarium would you be looking forward to seeing?

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AQUARIA PHUKET

A Submarine in the Newest and Biggest Aquarium in Thailand

Aquaria Phuket, Thailand’s newest and biggest aquarium opened in Phuket Island just last month (August, 2019). It’s located at Central Phuket Floresta shopping mall. This state of the art aquarium surprisingly incorporated a submarine wreckage from World War II called the USS Lagarto. A Submarine in the Newest and Biggest Aquarium in Thailand? How cool is that!

Watch this short video to see the USS Lagarto inside Aquaria Phuket. Enjoy!

USS Lagarto (SS-371), a Balao-class submarine, was a US Navy submarine named after a lizardfish. Its wreck found in 2005 was missing a starboard torpedo, suggesting it went down fighting.

A Submarine in the Newest and Biggest Aquarium in Thailand

I must say, the USS Lagarto definitely adds drama in that aquarium. Watching fishes swim around it coupled with the ambient sound of a submarine certainly gives an eerie feel. The concept is new (well at least on this part of the world). It is interesting. And it’s something educational. A great springboard to discuss a piece of history to children.

Kids and adults alike were awed by the huge structure inside the aquarium. It is something to marvel at.

What we really appreciate!

  1. Submarine wreckage. For us this is the main attraction of Aquaria Phuket. Whoever thought of this must be a genius. We love the idea. It’s refreshing, certainly different from the other aquariums we’ve gone to.
  2. Great Edu-tainment. Coming to any aquarium for that matter is certainly educational. But having this piece of history right in front of your eyes, gets into your emotions. And it actually gets you thinking of its history. Kids would start asking the whats, whys, and the hows.
  3. Basic information. Around the area are basic information about the displays and the sea animals in the tank. Plus additional information about the environment.

What’s more?

Aquaria Phuket also houses the biggest underwater restaurant in Asia, the Andasi Lounge and Restaurant. It is located right in front of the biggest tank, so you’d have a great view of the aquarium while enjoying a meal or snack.

people sitting outside an underwater restaurant in front a tank with A Submarine in the Newest and Biggest Aquarium in Thailand
ANDASI Lounge and Restaurant

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Longkang Chomdaw Resort Review: Hotel By The River

Accommodation: Longkang Chomdaw Resort at Phattalung Thailand @61/1 Moo 1, Lankoi Phatthalung 93210

This short video clip gives you a glimpse of the resort’s room, ground, river, and other attractions that you and your family may love.

Room/Bungalow: If you are coming, make sure to get the bungalows along the river. The place is huge, and the resort has quite a number of bungalows scattered all over the place. But I say, those along the river are the best. Although as seen in the video, all the bungalows are equally cute and aesthetically pleasant to look at; the ones along the river however has the best ambience- calm sound of running water from the river, soft chirps of birds from the forest across your room, and the gentle rustling of leaves as they sway with the wind. 

  • The bed in bungalow 13 has just the right firmness and softness I like in my bed. It is sturdy. It does not make any creaking sound or shakes as you change sleeping position. 
  • The bathroom, although I’m not a fan of nude cement wall, my husband is. He loves the simplicity of it. My kids love the shower; they say the water fell down like rain.^_^ Also, something different in this bathroom that we haven’t seen in any accommodations we have been to before, is the fibreglass roof right above the shower. So the bathroom is super bright during the day, and in the night you could enjoy your night shower while looking at the stars. Just my thought, wouldn’t it be extra special had there been a bathtub?
  • The back balcony is a very nice place to have your afternoon coffee/tea break. It is refreshing with all the trees around and the river below, or even to just chill out, be lazy, and wait for time to pass by.

Amenities: Longkang Chomdaw Resort offers the usual amenities and complimentaries – toiletries, bottled water, coffee and tea, small fridge, and flat-screen TV that shows Thai channels only.

  • WiFi is the resort’s weakness. Although in the hotel’s meeting hall the internet connection is strong, in the bungalow however, it is non-existent. So if you’re a blogger/vlogger and are planning of mixing R &R and work at the same time, you might find it totally frustrating. So, this may not be the right place for you. But if having no internet connection is not an issue, then this is a great place to visit.
hotel landscape
Longkang Chomdaw Resort Review: Hotel By The River

Hotel ground: The hotel ground is huge, really huge! There are plenty of places for everything like parking, pond, wooden bridge, huge Stonehenge, instagram-worthy ground structures placed on the hilly part of the resort, and all sorts of flowers and trees here and there.

Food. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were superb, well, at least to us adults. My kids couldn’t say the same. The meals prepared for us were all healthy, tasty, spicy Thai cuisine with lots of fresh greens and seafoods. 

Hotel staff. The staff, although there were a few negative comments in their Facebook page about them, from experience however they were accommodating. They were helpful regarding my kids’ requests during meal time. We had to be creative with their food as they can’t handle spicy food and the staff were very understanding of this.

river near the hotel restaurant longkang chomdaw resort
Longkang Chomdaw Resort Review: Hotel By The River

Activities: One of the major activities that visitors do whenever they visit Longkang Chomdaw Resort is to go river kayaking. My kids, having experienced this outdoor activity in Satun, were beyond themselves with excitement. Sadly though, the weather did not cooperate with us. The hotel had to cancel it. Well, there’s always a next time.

Overall our stay at Longkang Chomdaw Resort at Phattalung Thailand had been a pleasure. The entire place is well-kept, clean, and definitely a breath of fresh air. We strongly recommend this place for families, group of friends, and even for companies to conduct their trainings or workshop. The resort’s meeting hall is large, it could accommodate hundreds of people.

Southern Thailand is developing at a pace we could not even imagine. and surely a place not to miss. Two hours drive from Phattalung is the largest province of the south, Songkhla province. Please visit hotels in Songkhla for lists of hotel and affordable accommodations.

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Watching “Avengers:Endgame” without Bathroom Break: Tips for Parents

We did it! Props to my 7-year-old son for surviving the Avengers: Endgame.

We’ve watched almost all of the Avengers movies in the big screen, and there was never a time when he didn’t have to go to the loo, interestingly just when things get so exciting. With this final Avengers movie, we didn’t want to miss a thing. We had questions from the Avengers Infinity War that needed answers. And all the comments in social media like “a fitting ending”, “masterful”, “epic”, “sooooo good”, “a great combination of action, emotion, and humor” only fuel an already brewing anticipation. We planned to watch it in a much later day but the spoiler alerts in social media the day it opened were too much to handle. So we decided to watched it the following day.

All these excitement on one hand, and the fact that we would surely miss out on some important scenes because of bathroom break on the other, led us to make changes in our viewing practices. Usually, we have popcorn and some colas while watching, which my children look forward to. However the combination of low temperature inside the cinema, and icy cold colas scream bathroom break for them.

Well some changes are inevitable. Read on and find out. You might also want to watch our experience in Hatyai Cineplex in Central Festival Thailand where we watched The Avengers: Endgame.

 

Here are the changes we made in our viewing practices. It worked for us. It might help you too.

  1. Satiate their taste buds before the movie. We took the late afternoon show slot, and came two hours early in the mall. We had a proper meal and some ice cream after. Reason for this is that, my son has the appetite of a goldfish. We could then simply tell him off by saying “We just ate ” when he starts asking for something to eat again.
  2. Ask them to go to the bathroom a few minutes before the movie starts. A Piedmont urologist recommended emptying your bladder every 3 hours whether you have the urge to go or not. If your child pees five minutes before the movie, s/he will most likely be able to watch the entire movie without going to the bathroom to pee.
  3. Popcorn and drinks after the movie. We explained that for this particular movie we won’t be having popcorn and drinks. Of course it didn’t go uncontested. There were a lot of “whys”. We explained the whys, and we made a deal. They could have popcorn and drinks after the movie. I’m happy and proud that my children could understand reasons and are capable of delayed-gratification. In fact, they passed with flying colors the high-delay children challenge we previously did with them. 
  4. If possible sit at the utmost back row near the aisle or better yet at the aisle. There will be idle moments in the movie and your child will start fidgeting, standing, and/or moving around like a Kangaroo out in the wild for the first time (a bit of an exaggeration here, or maybe not). This is normal and when it happens at least nobody from behind gets disturbed. And also your child could have the entire aisle to himself/herself to do their thing.

So there you go folks! We recently did these, and we successfully watched the full 3-hour the “Avengers: Endgame” uninterrupted with our two children with us. My son got into the movie so much that he became so emotional. But for sure my son wasn’t the only one who cried.

I hope these tips would help parents out there or at least give you some ideas. For us though, we’d reserve these practices for movies that really matters.  

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When Do You Know Your Family Is Complete?

When we grow up we all dream about living in the perfect home, and having the perfect family. As we experience more of the world, we change our preferences, and our needs or priorities change. You might feel like you have created something that is very close to your definition of a perfect home, and this is the time to find a way to make the most out of your family life. Find out more below.

You Have Joy and Work-life Balance

If you know that you have everything you wished for as a little child, you know that you are there. You can look after your kids, build strong relationships with them, and make them understand the world without having to argue all the time. You can still pursue your career and do what you enjoy, while spending time with your loved ones and your friends. If you have achieved the work-life balance and are financially comfortable, you should be grateful.

Mother Together Kids Happy Family Baby Newborn

You Are Ready to Focus On Your Family  

Image via Max Pixel

In some cases, moms take a career break or change their job, maybe set up a business to have the time and energy to build strong families. If you have made a decision that you will not compromise your kids’ wellbeing for a corporate job, you will be able to improve your long term happiness. If you decide that your family is now complete, you can find out about the vasectomy cost and focus on your family planning eliminating stress from your life.

You Have a Family Support System

Image via Wikimedia Commons

If you can achieve work-life balance and enjoy your life with your loved ones being supported by your family members, this is a good place to be. After all, you don’t want your kids to grow up without knowing their grandparents or aunts or uncles. You have to involve your extended family in your life, so they can provide even more value to them and give them new perspectives in life.

You Have Shared Values

Successful families work together and achieve their goals because they share priorities and values, If your partner has the same values and standards when it comes to raising kids and finances, education, and social issues, you will find it much easier to make big decisions and get ahead with your life.

You Feel Like You Have Settled Down

If you sit down at night after a great day spent at work and with your family and you feel a sense of achievement, you are happy, and there is nothing you have to change. Being grateful for your kids and the emotional support you are getting from your loved ones is something you have to celebrate every day. Not everyone is as lucky as you.

When we look at our lives and see what we have achieved, it is easy to focus on what we don’t have. Take a step back and be grateful for the family you have, the love and support you get and the work-life balance you have achieved by making the right decisions.

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umbrella making in bosang umbrella center in chiang mai

Family Bonding at Borsang Umbrella Center

Borsang Umbrella Center is a great tourist destination, an awesome place for family to bond, and an inexpensive way to learn umbrella making. Borsang umbrellas are a legend in Borsang, a village in Chiang Mai province in Thailand. The history of Borsang Umbrellas started way back and the improvement and history that these umbrellas are making up until now is by leaps and bounds. It may have started as a ceremonial offering to monks but now hundreds are sold annually to tourists and are used for political, religious, and royal functions.

Umbrellas for tourism

Borsang umbrella center is located at  111/2 M.3 Borsang-Doi Saket Road, Sankambheng, Chiang Mai, Thailand 50130. Coming to Chiang Mai is not complete without dropping by Borsang, the umbrella capital of Thailand. Umbrellas come with variety of sizes, with attractive and vibrant colors, and one of a kind designs. They have got umbrellas for ceremonial purposes, home and office decorations, keychain umbrellas, and also for protection from heat and rain purposes. Borsang also has other wide choices of souvenirs apart from umbrellas all skillfully handcrafted by Chiang Maians. Many says that umbrella making is a signature of Chiang Mai, and so one could never find these kind of umbrellas anywhere else in the country. So these legendary umbrellas are drawing tourists all year round.

Family Bond at umbrella making centers

For kids, buying umbrellas could be pretty exciting, well, for the first two minutes. After they have explored it though the excitement wanes out. And then it becomes a thing in the past.

What’s good about Borsang umbrella making centers is that they allow individuals and family to design their own umbrellas. Now you’re talking!

For an affordable fee family members could sit together and hone out their sketching and painting skills. Now this is truly exciting for kiddos and adults alike. They not only get to buy but also design something that they can truly call their own. Now this may not be the newest craze but it would certainly draw kids attention and would have them engaged for a long time.

It could be a half-day or a whole day activity. There is no time limit. Materials are provided after which you sketch on to the umbrella the design you have in mind, paint it, let it dry under the heat of the sun. And then coat it with water-resistant substance. Voila! Your own masterpiece.

At the end of the day, you and your children would feel accomplished and proud.

This is an auspicious opportunity to teach children,

*the importance of following instructions
*patience as you wait it up to dry
*the value of doing things on their own
*the value of appreciation and love of their own work
*the value of hard work

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Unplanned Staycation: Rimlay Park Resort

Book your next staycation/vacation: Booking dot com

Rimlay Park Resort Review

If you would like to know our experience in this resort read on.

 

My husband and I work full time. Parents out there could surely empathize with us wanting to getaway and simply relax.  And in today’s busy and structured world, this does not come by easily.  Parents have busy schedules and kids’ have timetable full of classes from dusk to twilight, plus special classes here and there. With all these crazy sched in the family, finding the common time for a holiday is rare and difficult. Fortunately though, the previous week we had that rare time. And so we grabbed the opportunity and went on our unplanned staycation.

For us, a perfect staycation means staying in a new place with a nice accommodation, clean air conditioned room with wifi, fridge, and coffee maker, and most importantly a place with kids pool. So we hurriedly booked Rimlay Park Resort at Phattalung Thailand.

As soon as the booking was confirmed, we drove there the following day. Since it is unplanned, I forgot the kids’ life jackets. They love swimming but they do not know how to swim yet, thus the life jackets.  We ought to enroll them in a swimming class. And yes we will, it is important.

We got to the resort after hours of going back and forth exploring the outback. Yes it is in the countryside. It is a little haven in the middle of acres and acres of rice fields and forest.

The place is good and we rated it 4/5. But it does not have a proper kids pool unlike Haad Kaew Resort. It is actually an adult pool with a shallow area where adults could sit around and tête-à-tête while in the water.

Anyway, all’s well that ends well.  The kids had so much fun.  The accommodating lady owner lent them swimming aid noodles. Although short, but it had been a relaxing stay and an enjoyable one for the kids.

Rimlay Park Resort is a great staycation place for families or a getaway haven for group of friends. If you would like to know more about this resort, read Rimlay Park Resort Review.

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Our Family’s Precious Weekend 3

This weekend we did not really have any itinerary in mind.  What we did was our usual addiction..just drive around.  It is our most expensive vice so far.  Anyway, while driving going to Songkla, we happened to pass by this bunch of people who were flying something which looked like kites from afar, but are actually RC helicopter/airplane.

Summer was right away captivated by the sight of these big-sized RC (Remote Controlled) helicopter and airplanes.  She shouted in a dreamily fashion “oh I want to buy an airplane!”.  She was so curious.  Her questions were non-stop.

* Why is it big?

* Why does it have like this?  (imitating the motion of the propeller)

* Why did he do that?

* What did he put inside? (The RC airplane used real gasoline.)

* Can I touch it? Why not?

Oh my kids…

It was indeed a spectacle to watch.  If I was given the chance to play those big RC toys, I would gladly do so.  But we were mere spectators at that time; and I would not trust myself because it is not as easy as it looks.

Check our video

 

 

 

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phuket
The Family went to Phuket

 

 

 

 

Our Family’s Precious Weekend 2

A Fish I Wish
© By Karstyn B. Butler

Oh how I wish I was a fish to swim in the deep blue sea.
I would swim up and down and all around in laps of two or three.
There would be no rules to follow,all fun down here.
On land rules are trouble,a real pain in the rear.
Humans are not wanted down here and for them you must always look.
For they only want to see us fish dangling from their hook.
A sea full of wonder,yes that’s the life for me.
Oh how I wish to be a fish and one day soon I’ll be!

Collage21022431

 

That’s right we went to Songkla aquarium for the weekend.  The kids had fun.  It was their first time.  So they were all eyes.

Unlike the poem above the fish here are not as free as described by Karstyn.  But yes, they are very much loved and protected here.

We were not able to make a very decent photo inside.  Camera flash is not allowed.  So we took videos instead.  Please check out our Songkla Aquarium’s feeding show video.

 

 

 

 

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How was your weekend?

 

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Our Family’s Precious Weekend

For parents who are very busy, weekends are tremendously precious.  So during weekends, we take the opportunity to bond as a family…. in the zoo.  It is our favorite destination this year.  Aside from it houses numerous number of various animals, it also has a huge pool which I will be blogging in a few days.  On top of these reasons, we get to go there for free.  Why? click here for the answer.

In the past whenever we go there, we take bunch and bunch of pictures of the animals, but we only had a few family pictures.  So now, we have these….

we_in_songkla_original

 

We also got the chance to feed them.

feeding_time_original

The kids had fun.

It was fun.

It was educational.

 

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How about you? How was your weekend?

Please leave your comments and creative responses below.

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