The day started early. With both kids having a rather fitful night sleeping in a strange place (Spud woke up wailing away at midnight from being startled by some noise which the AC had made and Squirt got out of bed crying at 3 am in the morning; probably confused), our night felt really short when both kids decided to storm into our bed at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m.

Our attempts to send them back to bed was futile; they were up, can’t wait to start their day and ready to play! We managed to stave them off for another hour or so by ignoring them as they entertained themselves hiding in the cupboards while we tried to continue our zzzs amidst the noise created by 2 toddlers high on the adrenalin of water and milk.  The whining, swatting and screaming started soon enough and the kids made sure that they made our sleep impossible by interrupting us every 2 other minutes with random stuff. Before I knew it, Squirt climbed next to me and emptied the contents of a bottled water, giving me a huge wet spot on the side of my bed. Clearly the kids were bored out of their minds and we were hauled out of bed soon after.

We decided to head out to a recreational area called the Swiss Sheep Farm located no more than a 15-minute drive from our resort after the kids had their breakfast. I thought that it was kind of a weird concept to have such a theme in blisteringly hot Bangkok – so frigging hot that I had to buy myself a hat there and then  (only 120 baht!) as I could feel a migraine coming –  but , fortunately for the kids, it turned out to be a rather interesting place for them.

The highlight of the place was sheep feeding. Carrots, grass and milk are being sold to visitors so that we could feed the sheep. Both kids had tons of fun doing that and it was such a joy watching them interacting with a bunch of sheep – either trying to feed them and at the same time, running away from them when the walking-bag-of-wool got too close for comfort.

 

Apart from that, I am not really sure what the place is all about besides trying to replicate the scenes of being in some farm in Switzerland. From makeshift barns to replicas of old automobiles and lawn mowers, to Spiderman and pony/bull rides, to a garden filled with heart-shaped artifacts and a few more automobiles from the past, I struggle to find some sort of educational meaning to the whole set-up.

Given how the place was named, I was hoping that we would be able to at least see how sheep milk is being processed or how sheep cheese is being made, and eventually having the opportunity to purchase them.  I would have thought that it would be a rather interesting sufficiency concept adapted to Thailand now, wouldn’t it?  I mean, who wouldn’t find freshly-made sheep milk and sheep cheese super-cool? I know I would!

But perhaps, I am just over-thinking this whole thing and that the fancy place is just being set up in the most simplistic way for families and couples to get together and allowing more photo opportunities and plenty more selfies.

The Swiss Sheep Farm is, in my opinion, an interesting but a little odd. It seems almost out of place in the scheme of things.  The space is good for running around and tumbling about if it wasn’t too hot and humid for such activities. We did not stay too long not only because the kids are turning pink as if they were roasting away like suckling pigs in the unbearable heat, but also because there wasn’t much we could do after feeding the sheep to keep them occupied as the rest of the activities did not seem to offer much educational value for the kids. Entrance fees to The Swiss Sheep Farm with dual pricing applies:

• Thai: Adults – 50 Baht, Kids 30 Baht
• Non-Thai: Adults – 120 Baht, Kids – 80 Baht

If you are residing in Thailand, though, they will accord you with local rates when you present your work permit or Thai Driving License – as we did.

We got back to the resort just in time for the kids to have their lunch and Squirt, his nap soon after. We then spent the early evening with the kids in the pool, hoping that we could tire them out.  They had a blast mucking about in the water while alternating the choice of the pool every 5 minutes…which tired US parents out instead.

It’s amazing how kids can be so happy with just the pleasures of simple play. There were no toys, no phones, no tablets, yet we all were having fun and were utterly enjoying each other’s company that was accompanied by lots of laughter and silly antics. It was just us parents being our kids’ playmates playing together with them and going along with whatever they wanted that deemed permissible.

The day ended with dinner being served in our resort and as a reward for their good behavior, they each scored themselves a cone of ice-cream. I guess we had been successful in tiring them out with the events of the day and by 7 pm (under our watchful supervision by lying next to them to minimize the fun they could be having), both kids went out like a light.

The evening was quiet. We had a pretty darn good day.

 

 

Related post(s):
Chaam Day 1

Chaam Day 3

Chaam- The Regent Chalet Review