The Tiger Family Trip

"It's the Tiger Family Trip!" Ailyn sang at the top of her lungs as we our Tuk-Tuk zipped through the back alleys and side roads of Chiang Mai tonight. While our driver went at breakneck speed so that he could move on to overcharging the next customer as he did us, Ailyn and Sennen laughed and had the time of their lives – making the hefty 250 Baht fare more palatable.

And where did our Tiger Family (taken from the kids TV show, "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood") go tonight? The Chiang Mai Saturday Night Market which might also be called "The most crowded streets in Asia." Yes, we decided to brave the crowds the Lonely Planet warned of, and see this famed market that only comes around once a week and which is so diverse and complete in its offerings. When we arrived at 6:00, it wasn't too crowded yet and we had time to shop, buy some t-shirts and musical instruments and let the kids enjoy the market experience. 

When it became clear that tummies could hold out no longer, we explored one of the numerous food areas, grabbed a metal folding table and took turns sitting with the kids while the other scouted food stands and began gathering various items for dinner. A feast of sate, noodles, som tam (green papaya salad), northern sausages, sticky rice and drinks materialized and the kids were happy.

We met people using the adjacent metal folding table – first a young, college-age French couple, then a Thai family from Bangkok and then yet another Thai family – each inquiring about the kids, sharing information and broadening our cultural context. And in between these cultural exchanges, the kids played the game that has become so popular the past few days – What is Different From Home, and What Is The Same. Answers included, but were certainly not limited to the food, language, construction of the buildings, decor of the walls, sturdiness of the outdoor tables, taxis and of course the night market itself.

In addition to this favorite game, Sennen has been intermittently adding his own cross-comparison of Thailand and Bali – noting how the things that are different from home are sometimes the same between Thailand and Bali, while other things are distinct. It has been gratifying to watch how previous trips have made their impact and are being brought forward as he continues to form a worldview.

And as fun and fantastic as the Tiger Family trip was, it was actually not how most of the day went. Emily and I actually left the kids with Arielle for most of the day and went into the center, old-town part of Chiang Mai to walk around and do whatever we felt like – with no plans or demands. And it was fantastic. Our little tigers spent the day swimming and at the playground of our housing complex while Emily and I meandered down streets, browsed in shops, got massages, drank Thai iced teas from roadside stands and ate lunch in a market that was so local and traditional it made the Saturday Night Market look like a yuppy carnival.

We took the time to connect and discuss the things on our minds – like how do Thai market vendors tie the elastic bands on the little to-go bags of food so tight that we can't open them? But mostly, we bought a few items, got two-hour Thai massages and unwound together – feeling the day was long and luxurious rather than short, structured and rushed as it usually feels at home.

It was a day that felt like 2010 – 2011 when we traveled for a year and there were no errands, cooking or housework. Like then, we took the time to explore the alleys and side streets and smell the aromas of Thailand – both pleasant and not. The grit and texture of the back of the market was as enjoyable as some of the beautiful shops, clothes and artwork we also saw.

Which is exactly why we decided to take the kids to the Saturday Night Market when we could have brought dinner in or gone to a more organized restaurant. It's those sights, smells and textures – both refined and raw that we want them to experience and appreciate.

As we slowly made our way through the multitudes – making our way to the opportunist Tuk-Tuk drivers who knew they could get people out and away from the crowd faster and more easily than any other transportation providers – it was obvious from the kids' eyes that they were taking it all in and that these were formative moments. A live teeming market in Asia was no longer something they would one day see as a strange, exotic thing shown in a book, website, TV show or You Tube video – but a real, and normal thing they have experienced in their short time walking the world. Tonight as Sennen rode on my shoulders eating hard block Pandan ice cream, Ailyn sat on her mommy's arm with her Thai iced tea flavored ice cream – and as they had conversations at their flimsy dinner table amid the crowds, the world got a little smaller. All in all a beautiful day in the neighborhood.