Staying with family in Lat Krabang

During all our trips to Thailand, we stay with family when we're in Bangkok. Usually in the district Lat Krabang, but for a few years we've also stayed in the neighboring district Prawet.

In 2025, just as in previous years, we are staying with Pia's youngest sister, Moue, whose official name is Wanna. She lives in a detached house in Lat Krabang with her husband Kaeng, their daughter Focus, and their son Gunn. Besides this family, there's also our niece Waan, who is studying nearby, and regularly our niece Toon, who is still studying and who alternates between staying with different families.
And then there's a young tomcat, a sweet, cuddly animal.

Moue's house is located on a quiet soi (side street) behind the motorway to Chonburi, about a fifteen-minute drive from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The house isn't very big, but there's still plenty of room for us.
There are four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The kitchen was built next to the house when Moue moved in.
And in front of the house is a small garden and a driveway for a car.
The soi leads to Thanon Chalong Krung, a wide road where more and more restaurants and shops are opening.

It's quite bearable here when we're on vacation. The room we sleep in is small, less than 12 square meters, but it has air conditioning, a comfortable bed, and plenty of closet space. We have to share the bathroom, but that's not a problem.
The children are taken to school around seven o'clock, and then Moue and Kaeng go to work.
They don't get home until seven o'clock in the evening, and two hours later they go to bed.
We don't have any trouble with our nieces either; they always get up very late, except when they have to go to school, and when they are awake, they mainly spend time in front of the TV.
Or they're busy on their phones; we sometimes get the impression they communicate with each other on their phones as well.
We practically have the house to ourselves most of the time.

Staying with family has its advantages: it's usually cozy, we don't always have to provide our own food, we don't have to eat alone, and there's a washing machine and dryer available.
There are things we take for granted. We contribute to the costs of electricity, gas, water, and internet. And if we take the car for a few days, we pay part of the insurance and, of course, the fuel. We also regularly make sure there's food in the house, just like the other family members do. And we also contribute to keeping the house tidy, such as washing dishes, vacuuming, and putting away the laundry.
But there are also drawbacks. We often have to provide food because the family comes home late, even though we don't always have to pay for it ourselves. We're confronted with the financial problems, and with the children's struggles with Thai parenting methods. And also with the school choices imposed on both of our nieces because a scholarship happened to be available, while they would have preferred something else.

Written on: 2025-03-19