Bangkok for Kids!

I've always thought of Bangkok as a shopping haven. Well, rightly so. But our last visit made me realize that they also have a lot of fun places for the kids.  I'd like to share with you two fun parks in Bangkok that the kids enjoyed during our recent trip.

(1)  Siam Ocean World

The aqua marine park is conveniently located at the basement of the Siam Paragon Mall.  It is perfect for families who cannot decide whether to go shopping or visit a children's park.  You can finish Siam Ocean World in 2 hours and spend the rest of the day shopping and dining inside the mall.

The park contains a lot of interesting sea creatures that are not usually available in most aqua marine parks.

Some poisonous frog - think Rio 2

King Crab!

Here are some fun activities the whole family can enjoy at the park:

The Glass Bottom Boat Ride is an ideal adventure ride for the whole family. This is the best way for the kids to experience riding a boat in shark-infested waters.

  

For thrill-seekers, i encourage you to try to dive with the sharks or do the Ocean Walker in the same shark aquarium. My sister and i were planning to do this but we didn't have enough time since we had to meet some friends for dinner. Maybe next time.

Another fun way to enjoy the huge sharks in the park is to watch the 5D Cinema Xtreme which is a virtual ride that allows you to have close encounters with the deep sea creatures.

Shark Feeding Show

Watch the divers feed the sharks. The sharks were so impatient they dove into the basket to get their own meal.

Shark Feeding

You may also check out the park's official website for the park schedule and ticket prices: http://www.siamoceanworld.co.th

(2) Safari World

The highlight of the trip for the kids is definitely Safari World. Troy came back telling Dens that he'll bring his dad there one day. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing the animals in a wild but controlled environment.

One thing that really amazed me in Safari World was feeding the Giraffes up close. The place claims to have the largest herd of Giraffes in the world - counting over 300 as of today. 

The kids enjoyed petting and feeding these amazing animals. I never realized Giraffes were that big until we saw them up close and personal in Bangkok. Some of them had heads almost as big as Dawn! No kidding.

Another Safari World highlight was the elephant show. You simply cannot visit Thailand and not see an elephant show! Troy and Dawn wanted to ride the elephants but got too scared to try when we had the chance. I was even able to volunteer to have an elephant walk over me during the show. I only have the video but will try to share some pictures when i get the chance. My mom was so scared the elephant might crush  step on me.

My sister, Tammy, riding an elephant

The kids also enjoyed the Orangutan show. The set was very colorful and the show was funny...well, funny for the kids. I honestly had more fun watching the kids laugh to their hearts' content. 

Finally, there was also the bird clinic where they kept pregnant birds and their babies. It was pretty awesome -- not to mention a good break from the heat since this area is fully air-conditioned. 

Visit their website for more park information http://www.safariworld.com/

One thing i learned from this trip is that there is truly no country that is unfit for kids.  This is simply because there are children in all countries. If there are no widely-known theme parks, then you just have to find the places where locals bring their kids. 

My kids left Thailand with so much fond memories. I'm sure they don't mind going back next year. Maybe they will be brave enough to ride the elephant then. We'll see.

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Malaysia: Kidzania!

What did your kids do last Christmas? Well mine became a pilot, a policeman, a fast food server, a painter, a model, an actor, and a construction worker...all in one day. Read more to know what happened.

We woke up early on December 25. We were in Malaysia spending Christmas with my cousin's family. She told me about this newly opened theme park in Kuala Lumpur and said the kids might enjoy it. I didn't know much about it but i trusted her judgement and immediately agreed to check it out. What we experienced when we got there was waaaay beyond my expectations. I was thrilled for my kids!

This is how the company describes themselves:

KidZania provides children and their parents a safe, unique, and very realistic educational environment that allows kids between the ages of four to twelve to do what comes naturally to them: role-playing by mimicking traditionally adult activities. As in the real world, children perform "jobs" and are either paid for their work (as a fireman, doctor, police officer, journalist, shopkeeper, etc.) or pay to shop or to be entertained. The indoor theme park is a city built to scale for children, complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles, a functioning economy, and recognizable destinations in the form of "establishments" sponsored and branded by leading multi-national and local brands.

Upon entering, we were greeted with a check-in counter that looks exactly like an airport.  In fact, you can even see a portion of a real airplane parked somewhere (not in the picture).

There were 'government offices'...

The kids (and parents) were excited! The park in Malaysia opens at 10am but we got there at 9:30am to maximize our time. We only waited for a few minutes before they started checking us in.

Each person will be given an electronic bracelet as entrance ticket to the park. This also serves as a safety device to ensure that kids will not leave the park without their parents.

Once checked-in, each child will be given a check in Kidzos (Kidzania currency).

The kids will then need to go to the bank to en-cash their checks. Adults are not encouraged to enter the mini establishments with their kids. This will encourage them to be independent and gain confidence.

The kids will then get their Kidzos (i.e. cash) to be used to buy stuff inside Kidzania. They can earn more Kidzos by working in various establishments.

Troy and Dawn decided to work at a fast food chain first. They were oriented and dressed up before the hand-on training began. The kids were tasked to make chicken burgers which they can take home afterwards. Dens and i ate them and they were delicious!

Kidzania is a little city with actual streets and cars inside. This ambulance picks up 'patients' (again, pretend patients) and brings them to the hospital. The kids will act as doctors, paramedics and nurses.

That's my sister, Trixie, waiting for someone to 'rescue' her...

There's also a beauty salon where older kids can learn how to fix their hair and put on make-up. The younger ones, like Dawn, can go there as a customer.

Dawn decided to skip beauty school and enroll in an art class instead. She was oriented how to use different paints and paint brushes and was given her own easel afterwards. The finish product was too abstract for my taste but she obviously had a blast working on it.

Meanwhile, Troy and his cousins enrolled in a photography class. Each establishment there is sponsored by a real company of the same nature. The photography lessons were sponsored by Sony so each child was given a Sony DSLR for training. I love that they trust the kids with these expensive gadgets!

After her art class, Dawn decided to try her hand at modeling. The picture below was during their training. They were later on brought to an actual theater where parents can watch them strut their stuff. I don't have Dawn's modeling pictures as i only took a video of the entire event.

While her sister was busy being 'kikay', Troy decided to join the police squad. He got trained and went out to the streets to manage traffic while the fire fighters do their job.

After Troy's stint as a policeman, the kids decided to try their hand at the construction site. The little girl was assigned to the construction area while Troy helped with the paint job on the second floor.

 

By this time it was already around 2pm and the little girl was getting sleepy. Troy wanted to train to become a pilot so we allowed him even though the line was about an hour long. The good thing is that there is a parent's lounge right beside it where you can relax while waiting for your child.

I'm happy Troy was willing to endure the one-hour line by himself because he said being pilot was the most fun he had that day. Sayang we don't have any picture of him in his pilot uniform since parents weren't allowed inside. The kids' electronic bracelets would have pictures of them taken by the Kidzania professional photographers but the line to view the pictures was also too long so we decided to skip it.

Our last stop was the Broadway musical theater. Troy played the tiger and his cousin, Zoe, played Dora. They were dressed up in their costumes and trained for a few minutes before going "LIVE"

The play was held in the same theater Dawn did her modeling stint. It was a full-blown theater that probably seats around 300 guests.

Kidzania is definitely a place you don't want to miss when you find yourselves in Malaysia. There were still so many 'jobs' the kids wanted to try but too little time. Kidzania actually has a lot of branches all over the world and I heard that they will be opening a franchise in the Philippines by October 2015! woohoo!

Check out the video below to learn more about Kidzania

Visit http://www.kidzania.com for the main website and https://www.kidzania.com.my for the branch in Malaysia. Ticket prices are available online.

  

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