Very full day today! We called a Grab from our Airbnb and drove the 20 minutes or so to the trailhead for Wat Pha Lad. The trail leading to this is known as “monk’s trail” because it’s a sacred walk up through the jungle to the temples.

During Millie’s complaining I tried to explain the concept of presence and meditation and noticing everything we were feeling, hearing, and seeing. I don’t think it sunk in but it bored her enough to stop the whines. For the most part she did great and led the way up the hill.

We stopped for some breaks on magical vines and then got to the top.

We spent a while exploring the beautiful grounds and going into each of the temples. There were monks and cats and dogs roaming the area and it was very peaceful. Millie spent about 30 minutes collecting little leaves and petals, throwing them into a stream, and watching them float out of view with the current. So maybe she is practicing mindfulness more than I realize.

We walked back down the hill and called a taxi to take us to Elephant Parade. This is a company that was founded to raise money for rescued elephants. They hire both famous and well-known artists to paint elephants, which are sold and exhibited around the world. It felt a little gimmicky to me but Millie loved seeing all the different elephants. We saw the production artists and the manufacturers.

The highlight for her was that she got to paint her own elephant. She did it slowly and carefully.

Meet Lucy:

As I was looking on the map to find lunch, I saw something 2 minutes away called “Hidden Village” with good reviews and a million photos of playgrounds. We walked over to it and found the weirdest but most fun place. It was a large private park for kids, except we were one of only 3 families there. Millie had a great time running around and trying everything out.

She got her Friday ice cream (popsicle) at the little cafe. She’s been posing like this in most photos which drives me nuts. Payback for when I used to do this to my mom.

We killed enough time here that we started planning early dinner instead of late lunch. We decided to go back to the market we went to last night because there had been a very popular cart with a long line that our guide recommended. We sat in crazy traffic but eventually arrived, only to see that it was being used as a TV set and closed for the day!

We made do and ate from other carts. Nick and I had Khao soi noodles which seem to be everywhere here. Millie had pork and rice, corn on the cob, and a big bowl of fruit.

Tomorrow is a big day: Millie’s birthday! She is so excited that she got up twice after bedtime with excuses like needing to use the bathroom and being cold to try to catch us wrapping presents. We waited until she was officially asleep and got to work.

Tomorrow we will have a 5-year-old! For some reason this feels like a big one. She has officially entered the kid years.