Unlike many a tortured prima donna entering a reality TV showdown, Gloria apparently did come to Thailand to make friends. She couldn’t help it, really – the Thais seem to love love love babies, and it’s probably pretty rare that a farang baby as young as ours ventures from the US all the way to Thailand. Everywhere we’ve been, hotel and restaurant staff have been eager to hold and play with the baby, usually while chanting “cha eh, cha eh,” which we’ve been told is a meaningless baby talk phrase, similar to “goo goo gah gah.” It’s become a common occurrence for the waitstaff at a restaurant to drop off our food and then offer to hold the baby for the duration of our meal – free babysitting, not a bad deal!
At Black Canyon Coffee in Chiang Mai
Mr. Poon’s wife insisted on holding Gloria, singing to her, and soothing her to sleep when she was fussy and jet lagged
Baby holders at our guest house (breakfast) and on the beach (lunch)
Treau and her daughter, at our guest house in Mae Hong Son, both sang Gloria a chorus of “cha eh”s on our arrival
Once the word got out at our guest house that there was a farang baby about, all of the neighbors wanted to meet her
New friends at Fern Restaurant and Son and Mum
Our server at Rom Jinda, and the bowl of green curry that she traded for our first born
New friends at Aum Vegetarian and We’s Restaurant, both in Chiang Mai
Gloria bidding adieu to her friend M at our guest house, shortly before heading to the airport to start the long journey home