Mountain trekking hut-to-hut. More to come.
Slovenia
Elliot in France
FRANCE
Saint Paul de Vence
Today we took a flight from Italy to Nice and rented a car to go to Saint Paul de Vence. When we got there we walked up some steps then got to our home. It was right beside the best gelateria in France. The family that owned it had kids that were named Emma and Fabio. Every day Fabio would come over to play. Sometimes we had French lessons and did stuff. One time we drove to Gorges du Verdon and I got a pocket knife by a French company name Opinel. In Gorges du Verdon we slept in front of sunflower and lavender fields. ps: better than a five star hotel. Oh and forgot to tell you…by our apartment in Saint Paul de Vence there was a small bakery. Every morning we went out around the corner to get a fresh baguette and pain du chocolat.
While we were there there was a festival of fire called St. Jean Festival. To celebrate you jump through fire. I jumped through the fire 3 times. Before you jump you’re suppose to wet your hair. I didn’t know that and just thought everyone was sweating. The fire is suppose to take bad luck away.
Vincent van Gogh
Van Gogh was not that famous in his life. He only sold one painting. Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands on March 30th. Van Gogh had two brothers and three sisters. At the age of 27 he finally decided to be an artist. Before that he had lots of different jobs he was a teacher, a minister, a book shop person and art gallery person. His parents were upset because he did a job then stopped a job and so on. So the parents kicked him out of the house. His brother Theo helped him by giving him money to buy food and paint.
Van Gogh learned to draw using pencils or charcoal sticks and sometimes he painted with oil paints. He loved drawing hard working people and he made a painting called The Potato Eaters. It’s one of his most famous paintings. It’s a very dark painting of a poor family eating potatoes. You can even search Van Gogh Potato Eaters. In his middle years he went to Paris to paint. Then his brother Theo sent a letter that impressionism was a new style. Then Van Gogh was inspired by Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. Van Gogh became close friends with the painters and started painting with brighter colours and he painted people on the streets and at the cafes. He also painted 28 self portraits. Then he moved to Arles, France (and ps: we live very close the Arles). OK so let’s talk about Van Gogh. In Arles, Van Gogh rented a big yellow house to live in and Van Gogh invited Paul Gauguin to live with him. The colours in his paintings become more vibrant and the paint got way more thicker and it takes weeks for his paintings to dry. Van Gogh 100 paintings during that time. Sometimes he painted a painting per day. The two artists had an argument and Paul Gauguin left in 1889. Van Gogh could barely take care of himself and so he went to the hospital. Oh forgot to tell you: people think Paul Gauguin cut Van Gogh’s ear off and some people think Van Gogh cut his ear off. In the hospital he painted 150 paintings in a year and some of his best work including Starry Night.
Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890. Van Gogh was cremated and curried next to his brother Theo. Van Gogh died in the middle of a field. Come people think Van Gogh shot himself and others say someone shot him because the angle of how the bullet entered his body. Some people think teenages shot him because the teenagers regularly made fun of Van Gogh like put salt in his drink. Most of his most famous paintings were painted in Saint Remy de Provence, the place where we stayed.
Beaune
Today we went to a hospital. Well, it’s a hospital for the poor and the real name is Hotel Dieu. The owner of the hospital was Nicolas Rolin. He built the hospital so he could go to heaven, not hell. He had 30 beds for the people and everyone got a mug and a bowl and a plate. They also held mass in the hospital. The smart thing is that if a person can’t walk to mass, they just needed to sit on their bed and watch. The roof has a nice pattern and the ceiling is made of colorful ceramic that was red, green, yellow, black and the patterns had pictures that show you hell and heaven. Oh and forgot to tell you, the people that took care of the sick were called nuns. They were hardcore. They went to bed at 9 pm and woke up at 5 pm and best of all…in World War 2, the nuns pretended that a French commander died and they filled a real coffin with only sand and the commander made it back safely to Hotel Dieu. The hotel was made in not 19, not 18, not 7, not 16, not 15 but 1443. That’s before you were born if you’re a kid and before all your parents were born too!
Paris
Today we went to Paris in a car. Close to the end of the car ride I When we arrived we settled in and the next day went on a walking tour. Because baguettes are so famous in France, they have baguette contests. The cool thing is that anyone can be a judge. You just enter your name and if you’re chosen, you could eat like 200,000 baguettes and they’re all different. If you want to find a good baguette in france the bakery has to say boulangerie. That means they wake up early and have to make it fresh. If places say ‘fresh bread’ or ‘pastries’ that means it’s not da one!
In France there’s literally prize for almost every food.
Centre Pompidou
Today we went to Centre Pompidou, also known as the museum of modern art. It has art that whatever you think it is, it is.
Then we had lunch and went to see David Hockney exhibition. My favourite part was the four seasons. It was a video that was made using 9 cameras filming in different direction while driving in a car. Then he stitched it together and did that for each of the 4 seasons. It was set up in a room with 4 benches and every bench faced a different screen and different season.
Musee d’Orsay
Today we went to the Musee d’Orsay. It’s not like the modern museum. It has much older paintings like Van Gogh but first I want to talk about The Fifer Player, a painting by Édouard Manet. Not a lot of people liked it because it had only 4 colours and they were with black, red, yellow and it was a big controversy because it had no background. Then we went to see Van Gogh. I was like is this the real painting? Then my head was blown. My favourite Van Gogh painting was The Church at Auvers.
Chloë in France
Saint Paul de Vence
Saint Paul de Vence was our first day in France. Saint Paul de Vence is a small town and we stayed there for two weeks in an apartment. Our balcony had a beautiful view of the countryside. Under our
The croissants and baguettes were very fresh and smelled so good! One morning I was coming back from the bakery and I had to run home because the baguette came fresh out of the oven and it was so hot! In Saint Paul de Vence I also made a really nice friend. Her name is Emma and she was 11 years old and she spoke a little bit of English so it was easy to communicate. Emma also had a brother named Fabio who was five years old. I played with Emma and Elliot played with Fabio.
Beune
Today we went to visit Hotel Dieu, a hotel for the poor. The hospital was built by a man named Nicholas in 1883. One of the reasons he built the hospital was so he could go to heaven. In the hospital there is one very big hall. The hall is where all the poor patients with absolutely no money lived. More wealthy patients got their own rooms. In the hall where all the poor patients are there are 330 beds. The hospital is run entirely by nuns which care for the patients. The nuns are very hard workers and wake up at 5:30 in the morning and go to bed at nine. In World War II nuns helped a French general escape by pretending he was dead. The nuns even made a fake funeral for him and filled his coffin with sand. The roof of the hospital is covered with beautiful colourful tiles. The tiles are made of porcelain and black, green, red and yellow colours. The Hotel Dieu is very old and figuring that it was built in 1883 even though it is more than 1,000 years old it is still running.
Museum in France
While in Paris we visited the museum de Pompidou. We spent one afternoon exploring the museum. There was
Luxembourg Garden
The Luxembourg garden is a big garden in Paris. One day for lunch we brought sandwiches and had a picnic in Luxembourg Gardens. We brought our picnic blanket hoping that we could have a picnic on the grass but we forgot that like most gardens in France you were not supposed to sit on the grass. Since you can’t sit on the grass, the many chairs and benches made up for it. After lunch we saw there was a bunch of sailboats in the pond. My mom and dad let my brother and I rent our own boat for 30 minutes. Each sailboat had a country flag on it. I wanted to get Canada but I was already taken. My brother got Poland and instead of Canada I got Japan. We got our sailboats and we also got a stick to push our boats into the water.
The boats are controlled entirely by the wind, when the wind is really strong the bolts will zoom across the pond, but when the wind is very still the boats will not move or move very slowly across the pond. After that we went to a really cool park. To get in the park you have to pay 1.50 euros but it was worth it! At the park there was a zip line!
Musee d’Orsay
The museum d’Orsay holds the largest exhibition of impressionist art work in the world. It was at first a train station and then converted into a museum. We spend a day at the museum admiring beautiful artwork and sculptures. The museum also has a collection of artwork by Vincent van Gogh! At first I thought that the room where van Goghs art is displayed was going to be very crowded but it’s surprisingly wasn’t that bad. The artwork was amazing! My favorite work by van Gogh is a painting called the starry night. It was especially amazing as we stayed in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the place where van Gogh painted the painting and then seeing the art in person. The famous starry night is at the MOMO in New York City but this museum had a similar one. At the museum there is a place where you could dine in 100 year old restaurant! A long time ago there was a hotel beside the museum d’orsay and the hotel had a restaurant where their customers could have dinner. 100 years later the restaurant was converted into a restaurant for the customers of the museum d’Orsay. The restaurant was amazing with an original painting ceiling and at the end of our meal our waiter showed us pictures of the restaurant 100 years ago and it was almost looking exactly the same!
Paris
We stayed in Paris for 3 weeks. Paris is a beautiful city with a river called the Seine that runs right through it. Get a fresh baguette from the grocery store and some lunch supplies sit by the SeineGogh’sand you will have an amazing lunch! It’s also fun to sit by the canal and watch the water levels rise and just watch as the water gates open and close. While in Paris we also visited the Eiffel tower! We went there at night because when the Eiffel tower lights upd’Orsay it’s so beautiful! When we got to the Eiffel tower we climbed to the second floor and saw an amazing view of Paris. In Paris because the Parisians love
Paris versus Rome
Paris and Rome are very different cities but they are also very similar in some ways. For example they’re both big cities with beautiful monuments like the Eiffel Tower and the Colosseum. Both of these cities are also famous for good wine and food. The most tourist day on is probably Paris because it is so famous for the Eiffel Tower. Both the cities are European so they are pretty similar. My favourite city is Rome because the food is just amazing!!!
Elliot in Italy
The plane ride from Tokyo to Milan was 16 hours, with a 1-hour layover in Shanghai, China. When we arrived in Milan we took a taxi to our hotel.
After Milan, we took three train rides to get to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is made of 5 villages and we stayed in Riomaggiore for 5 days. The other villages are called Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, and Corniglia.
After that, we went to Siena for 5 days. We were there for Easter Sunday and went for a two hour mass in Italian! In Italy, they have big chocolate eggs that are fancy and so for Easter I got an egg as big as my head…what?!? And I couldn’t even finish all the chocolate! That stinks, right? Then for the rest of the days….I forget.
Tuscany
After Siena, we went to our villa in Belforte in Tuscany. We arrived at a villa that was ginormous. Our friend’s were visiting us and their names were Mark, Scott, Jordyn, and Jeff (he’s the adult). We got settled in and then Mark, Scott and I made worlds in Minecraft. Mark was going to make a base and you need to kill pigmen, zombies, and skeletons. Then you need to get to the middle of the base and put one emerald on the beacon and then you win. We were also going to make a TNT run. So there will be three people and TNT everywhere and you need to run and try not to die. We made this ginormous house on a hill and then we were going to get an ender dragon and blow everything up. But I didn’t want that because it was so cool. Most of the time we played on our iPad’s together.
Here are some of the towns we’ve visited in Tuscany:
- Montepulciano
- Montalcino
- San Gimignano
- Volterra
- Monteregiano
- Rodicondoli
- Belforte (the town where we lived)
Rome
From Tuscany, we went to Rome. In Rome, I got a condo and we thought our friends were staying in a different condo but they were like two floors up and it was awesome. There was a playground just down the street so we went there E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y. Close by was the Pantheon and it’s like a meteor crashed a hole in the top and that’s where all the light shone in. There was another place called St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s one of the biggest churches in the world and it’s in the smallest countries in the world called the Vatican. The Vatican has its own laws and postage stamps and mail system. It takes 40 minutes for anybody to run around the Vatican and the Pope of the church is the king of the country so he’s a Pope King with a sword and a staff.
Facts from Rome:
- The Colloseaum had no start at first
- The Colloseaum was flooded everywhere every year until they built the ??
- The Trevi fountain has drinkable water
- In the Trevi fountain, they collect 25,000 euros every year
- The fight in the Colosseum started at 10 AM and ended at 4 PM
- The emperor of Rome is King Caesar
- A pope said if the walls of the Colosseum crumbled the world will crumble
Pompeii
Pompeii is a town outside of Naples that is covered in ash from a volcano eruption in 79AD. Archeologists uncovered most of the place. Some people got buried arrive in the ashes and they uncovered their bodies. There were these holes that measured how much food people get. So it works like this: If you want a big chicken for two dollars, two dollars equals a medium pot. So you give them two dollars and they put enough chicken to fill the two dollar pot.
Positano
Today we went to Positano and it was horrible. The road was twisty and I barfed after we got off the bus. The good thing was there was a lemonade slushy at the end. Every day we went to the beach. Positano was very little. Oh, I forgot, we climbed a hill to see the Black Madonna. It took 2 hours to get up there and it was in the blistering heat and you could go from one town to another by walking.
Castro Marina
Today we went to this place called a Frigitorria. They sell fish and calamari and so on. My favorite was the fried bread balls. They’re so good. Then we went home to go swimming. A couple of days letter we went to this place and bought a floaty mattress. Next day we walked to a supermarket. You have to walk like 400 steps because it was on a mountain.
A week later my grandma and grandpa came to visit us. They lived a couple of houses down from our place. The first day they came we went to a seafood restaurant called The Underground. The next day we ate breakfast and went out to the rocks to swim with my grandma and grandpa.
Today we rented a paddle boat. We had our grandma and grandpa with us and the paddle boat had a water slide. Two people sat in the front, so my grandma and dad were inside and my grandpa and mom were at the front. Me and my sister were sitting on the side. We went around a rock and went back and then we went swimming. At the start, this kid was holding onto my foot for some reason??
Today my mom, grandma, and grandpa went to Poland for a meeting, so my dad, Chloe and I went to a nearby town called Otranto. There was a church there with 800 people skulls and some skulls had holes in them. What you want to know is the way they died. They died because the others said to the Catholics if you don’t follow our religion we will execute you but the Catholics said NO! So you know what happened.
Tips for Italy:
- Most gelato places have pistachio. If it’s bright green it’s not real gelato. If it’s an olive colour, then you know it’s real.
- If you ask for a latte they’ll bring you a cup of hot milk because latte means milk in Italian.
- Italians don’t eat meatballs with pasta. They eat pasta first and then meatballs separate.
- They don’t wear white socks with sandals.
Chloë in Italy
Italy is an amazing country with delicious food, beautiful scenery, and so much to do. In Italy, we visited the busy city of Rome to the small but beautiful city of Belfort. Italy is a country that I would definitely visit again!
Cinque Terre
One of the first places we went to in Italy was Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is 5 little villages located on the Adriatic Sea. The five villages that make Cinque Terre are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Riomaggiore was the village where we stayed. Riomaggiore is the smallest village out of all the others. We stayed in Riomaggiore for 5 days and from there we hiked to the other villages. The hike to the other villages contains lots of steep hills which makes the hike very hard. The hike up the hills takes about an hour but seems much longer with the sun making everything sweaty and hot. The hike to each village takes about 3 hours but once you arrive you have an amazing view of the beautiful scenery. The village houses are painted beautiful colors which makes it look like a rainbow. At one of the villages, we bought lunch and sat on some rocks by the water. The water was amazing.
Siena
We stayed in Siena for 5 days. The apartment we stayed in was really big and it had a loft where my brother and I slept. We also spent Easter in Siena. For Easter, we went to a 2-hour easter mass. The mass was pretty boring because it was in Italian so for 2 hours we sat listening to a language we didn’t understand. For Easter, we also had an Easter egg hunt. After the Easter egg hunt, my mom and dad gave my brother and I an Easter egg. The easter egg was huge and it was the size of my head.
Tuscany
We stayed in Tuscany for 10 days in a small village called Belforte. We rented a really nice villa with a hot tub and a beautiful view of the rolling hills. The villa was pretty big because our friends were visiting us and we needed enough room. Belforte is such a small town that you could walk around it in 15 minutes! We rented a car so we drove to 5 different villages, Volterra, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Montepulciano, and Montalcino. The drive to each of these villages is very pretty. Along the way, there are vineyards, olive plantations and fields of beautiful red poppies.
Rome
We stayed in Rome for 7 days in a neighborhood called Trastevere. The friends that stayed with us in Tuscany also joined us in Rome and we stayed in the same apartment building. Really close to our building there was a park. Our friends, my brother, and I would spend hours playing grounders and it was so fun. In Rome, we also visited the Coliseum because who wouldn’t–it’s a 1,938-year-old building! The Coliseum was used for tournaments and battles. Gladiators, which were slaves, would fight against other humans and even animals. Because of all the fights in the Coliseum, 5,000 animals and 100 humans died each day. When a gladiator was fighting against another gladiator and they were about to kill the other gladiator he would look at the crowd. If the crowd was holding their thumbs up it meant to kill him and thumbs down meant to save him, he was a good gladiator. The Coliseum could also be filled up with water and it was used as a big artificial lake. Boats would be brought into the Coliseum and the gladiators would perform a reenactment of sea wars. The gladiators would fight each other in boats and more than 100 died. In Rome, we also visited the Pantheon. The Pantheon was originally built as a temple for the Gods but now it is a church. The roof of the Pantheon has a big hole and when light shines through it looks so beautiful. If you could believe it we also visited a country inside of a country. The country that we visited is the Vatican which is also a city. In fact, it is a city, country and a state. Most people don’t know the king of the Vatican because he is also the Pope!!
Renaissance
What was the Renaissance and how long did it last?
The Renaissance was a period in history after the Middle Ages. The word renaissance came from the French word meaning rebirth. It lasted from the 14th century to the16th century. The Renaissance was a drastically different change from the Middle Ages. It changed how people thought and lived there lives. The Middle Ages were also called the age of faith because it wasn’t exactly a happy period. People entirely believed that God controlled everything and the church is always right. They also believed that death and poverty was a punishment from God. When the Renaissance came people stopped believing in this and realized that the human body is very special.
Where did the Renaissance start and how did it spread?
The Renaissance started in Italy because it was a very rich country. The main reason it started in Italy was that it was the central point for trading and business. The Renaissance spread with the invention of the printing press. The printing press allowed information to spread faster than before. Before the printing press most people didn’t know how to read because all the books were handwritten and because of this, they were very expensive. Another reason most people couldn’t read was that most books were written in Latin and only the most educated could read Latin. With the printing press, books were printed faster, cheaper, and in many different languages.
What impact did the Renaissance have on art in the world?
Back in the Middle Ages people bought art only to symbolize that they are rich. The Renaissance made a very big impact on that and people started to buy art because of its beauty. During the Renaissance period, Michel Angelo, and Leonard da Vinci created some of the most famous pieces of art in existence. Some of these pieces are the portrait of pope Juliens the second, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the Monalisa.
Castro
Castro is a small town located in the south of Italy. We stayed in Castro for 1 month in a house by the sea. Every day we would go swimming in the sea and it felt amazing. The water is so clear and refreshing. The water looked shallow but only because it is so clear if you try to touch the bottom you probably won’t be able to. The bottom is so deep that your ears pop trying to touch the bottom. Castro is separated into two parts, Castro Marina and Castro. We stayed in Castro Marina which is the part near the water. Castro is the larger town just above Castro Marina. We would go to Castro to get groceries at a store called A&O. The walk up to Castro was hard because it was on a hill which meant lots of stairs and the sun made ever thing so hot and sweaty. While we were in Castro our grandparents visited us and it was really nice seeing them again. They stayed about 3 minutes away so it was really easy to meet up.
Conclusion
Italy is an amazing country and I loved every second of it while I was there. I have to say that the small town of Belfort is probably one of my favorite parts of Italy. I also really liked Rome. Even though the city was very big and crowded it was worth it to see all the amazing scenery.
Italy
Getting to Italy wasn’t going to be easy from Japan, and we prepared ourselves for the 16-hour trip—starting in Tokyo, with a short layover in Shanghai before a final 13-hour haul to Milan’s Malpensa International Airport. Three hours on a plane wasn’t a problem from Tokyo; however, the 13 hours from Shanghai to Milan was an unreal experience for us. Going through three-cycles of airplane meals was something we wouldn’t want to do again. This was the first time claustrophobia set in for us. Thankfully the stewardesses were, accommodating making the flight from China to Italy agreeable.
Walking through Milan’s international airport was a stark contrast to the reserved and orderly Japan. Upon arrival, the kids were especially disappointed that Italian toilets were neither heated nor musical and had only one button to flush—boring they thought.
Looking back, our 10 weeks in Italy were some of our most memorable. We explored north to south, beginning in Cinque Terre and making our way south through Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi and finally ending in Puglia, the heel of Italy. In lovely little Castro Marina, we spent four serene weeks by the sea. Italy is a place we still miss and hope to return back to re-explore areas we’ve been and explore new areas we missed on this trip.
Milan
We weren’t as exhausted as we thought after a 16-hour trip and decided to explore the town after unpacking at our hotel. The hotel made their bikes available to us, so we hopped on a couple and went to town. First thing on our list was to find a pizzeria. One was found, and the pizza definitely good, but to our surprise, the highlight was the rosso frizzante accompanying our lunch. Fantastic—a carbonated red Italian wine, served cool, not as sweet with a nice dry finish. The bottle went down too easily—la dolce vita!
The next day we explored Milan. It was easy enough to navigate the metro system to our stop at Duomo Station. Stepping off the subway, you’re met with grey granite walls with fluorescent lights cascading down. As we made our way toward the exit, ascending each stone step, more natural light enveloped us. At the last step, we crossed an invisible threshold: outside was Milan’s spectacular piazza, perfectly showcasing its grand Duomo as a centrepiece. The sparkling white glow of the Duomo was breathtaking and literally brought tears to our eyes. It was in that instant that we realized, after travelling so far, we had landed in Italy. We immensely enjoyed our short time in Milan and looked forward to beginning our Italian adventure.
Our first stop was Cinque Terre, a series of five connected villages along the Italian Riviera coastline. Getting there from Milan was a pleasant ride on Italy’s TGV, the national rail system. On the tail end of the train ride, we exited the interior countryside and started moving towards the Riviera coast. Our jaws dropped at the sights of beautiful coastal mountains and the shimmering sea below from the train tracks above. The sun was starting to set, casting a beautiful light, complemented by a pink and orange horizon off in the distance as we travelled into the “five lands.”
Cinque Terre
Our destination for the next five days was the picturesque Riomaggiore, our hub in Cinque Terre, alongside the Italian Riviera. We made arrangements to meet our host for apartment key pickup prior to leaving Milan. The directions looked easy enough for a 7 pm rendezvous. Exiting the TGV station brought us onto cobblestone roads in one direction—UP—at what seemed like a 45-degree incline. Villages in Cinque Terre are built on mountainsides and we followed the switchback streets leading to our apartment. With backpacks strapped on and adventure on our minds, we tackled the first steep climb, then the next four more while our minds wandered from admiring lemon trees, the mountains, the sea, and the various people that crossed our path. Our host said it would be six minutes tops, yet it was much more than that, and we still couldn’t find the “parking lot.” It took a little longer, but we ended up finding our host deep in conversation, we guess with other locals. He welcomed us to his hometown and pointed where we had to walk: up again. It was worth the one last trek to our apartment. Once inside and settled in, we breathed in the magnificent views of the Italian Riviera. Thankfully, our host had put together a small welcome package, which consisted of Italian pasta, tomato sauce, and a bottle of local red wine—a delicious meal to welcome us on our first night in Cinque Terre.
We settled into our beautiful Riomaggiore, the easternmost village, which provided scenic day treks to the other four westward towns making up Cinque Terre. Each day’s trek started with conquering a 45-degree climb out of the valley towards Manarola and beyond. There were also boat and train options on days where we were too tired to trek back, allowing us to enjoy the afternoon’s golden rays as they lit up the colourful homes in each village without rushing back. The kids got very excited and seemed appreciative when we took either the train or boat back to our village.
One day, we took a higher detour to Volastra and then Groppo to visit the local winery and try their specialty: Sciachetrà. It was served with crunchy biscotti for dipping in the wine. Chloe even liked it (it’s legal when in Italy, right?). Then we climbed down for a late lunch in the sun in Corniglia.
Another day, we took a boat from Manarola directly to Vernazza. There we had a lazy lunch on the rocks by the marina and explored the picturesque town while enjoying a tangy lemon gelato. With full bellies, we hiked back to Corniglia and took a train back to Riomaggiore.
One time, in Riomaggiore, we hiked up to Madona Di Monte Nero, offering panoramic views of the Italian Riviera. With no plans other than to enjoy the views from our location, we took a gentle climb back down to the town centre, picked up a few grocery items, and made a picnic lunch on top of larger granite <confirm the stone> boulders while we stared blissfully out into the blue Mediterranean sea.
We spent a lovely five days in beautiful Cinque Terre, hiking through colourful seaside villages, discovering the delicate taste of fresh anchovies, and dipping biscotti in Sciachetrà (we will try it with ice wine at home!). Next, we travelled to Florence for a few days, as we began heading south through Italy.
Tuscany: Florence
We arrived on Florence’s doorstep one hot afternoon at its central train station. Stepping off the platform was our return to a metropolis of loud noises, constant chatter, and, sadly, the sight of armed security patrols. However, this didn’t deter our excitement of this urban oasis—a distant memory of Cinque Terre’s tranquil lifestyle and laidback locals lingered from earlier in the day.
We couldn’t use our phone’s mapping app to find directions to our flat, as we hadn’t figured a way to activate our cellular account we purchased in Milan. Instead, we relied on hand-written directions and various screenshots to guide the way. No biggie, without deadlines or commitments, off we went into the afternoon sun. After what seemed like half an hour ambling in circles up and down main street, passing by armed security patrols, storefronts, buskers and all the life that make Florence exciting, the kids spotted a local tourist office and made a beeline to its entrance for directions to our flat.
Florentines are proud of many things; food and drink are the top of many locals’ list. Drinks we knew already. Food, however, was the other big thing we were starting to really appreciate with the locals. The dish they’re most proud of and take serious care in preparing is their la bistecca! And so we did! It’d been awhile since we’d enjoyed a wood-fired grilled steak, and that evening was a good enough reason to treat ourselves to a nice night out. We found a ristorante outside what we guessed was the main tourist area and added our name to its waitlist, which snaked through the front doors and outside. We were in for a treat; the last time we’d stood in line was in Tokyo for ramen noodles, and it had been worth the wait.
We got seated at 9 pm. By that time, we quickly ordered (without realizing the magnitude of the food to come) a 42-oz steak, side of oven-roasted vegetables, and another side of roasted potatoes. Our meals came shortly after the bread basket emptied. The bread basket and olive oil filled the kids’ stomach, and both drifted off to sleep shortly after. What a sight! The la bistecca was really three fingers thick in all its glory, served on a wooden carving board and done one way only: rare! That’s how Florentines have their steak, not that you had a choice in how it’s prepared. Even if you’ve asked for a “little more” well done, you’ll get la bistecca this way each and every time, accompanied by a frown from the waiter, of course. Our meal made us, and all the people around us, do a double take when it was brought to our table. The children were champs that night. Even though drowsy with sleep, both joined in for a few bites of steak and sides before calling it a night. That left almost all of the 42-oz steak for the two of us. Two hours later, accompanied by a nice red, of course, we slowly finished our meal.
The Uffizi Gallery symbolizes Florence’s decadent culture, food, drink, and architecture. The richness of all those Italian Renaissance paintings and sculptures under a single roof was staggering. After passing the congested front desk, the gallery’s main lobby opened up to an incredible array of masters’ artwork. Our tour guide from the previous day had recommended tickets be purchased in advance to avoid long line-up queues. With prepaid advanced tickets, we got inside in a few short minutes, whereas the walk-in queue had line-ups two or three deep. Once in, we made our way to the audio guide pickup counter for our headsets. The kids were at first excited to hear each audio description but got tired and just admired artwork as we proceeded from one exhibit to the next that afternoon.
We wandered around Florence one afternoon looking for a lunch place and walked into one of the most enchanting food markets we’d seen so far on our trip. The Mercato Centrale is a foodies heaven. We’d been in Italy for a couple of weeks already and thought we’d found a few amazing kinds of cheese, meats, and wines already. The Mercato Centrale, however, is still one of our food market highlights. The mercato spans two floors in a renovated industrial warehouse. The side walls were lined with food, and in the centre were cafeteria-style benches and tables to
enjoy your meal. It was marvelous to join in with locals and tourists alike, so densely packed with delicious aromas wafting through the air, while savouring the food and wine. The kids selected two pasta dishes from an incredibly busy pasta food stall, where we preordered our pasta combination and waited with everyone else until our order number was screamed out—in Italian—for pickup. Once the kids started their meal, we explored other stalls to expand our palettes and, regrettably, our waistlines. We landed on one stall for its amazing salad of rocket, grilled mushrooms, and zucchinis, with fresh burrata and shaved truffle drizzled with olive oil and crostini as the topper. Piercing through the burrata flowed the ooziest creamiest cheese we’d ever seen. The shaved truffles and a generous pour of olive oil created something heavenly. The kids didn’t think much of it though, while they slurped the last of their pasta and sauce.
Tuscany: Sienna
We travelled to Siena by bus, a short two-hour ride, moving through the small villages and rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside after our goodbyes to Florence earlier that morning. As mist turned to rain, we reached the city border, transitioning from the angular modern buildings lining the perimeter to a more historic centre lined with stone structures that were hundreds of years old in the UNESCO protected village. The bus entered a beautiful parkade, steps away from the town square. We ran for cover underneath a large tree to get our bearings before departing for our new home, a short 10-minute walk, as the rain started to let up. It was wonderful. Making our way past narrow cobblestone paths and historic buildings still left us in awe—not so much the kids. We felt transported back in time, centuries ago, walking the same paths when the Etruscans ruled Siena.
Siena was intended to be a longer stay; the feeling of unpacking all our gear (not that we had much to start) gave the place a homely feel. Our accommodations were in old town, right off main street, and the flat was outfitted with all necessary modern touches. The kids enjoyed their rooms, situated in a loft above the living area, with us in the first-floor bedroom with ensuite. The internet connection wasn’t too shabby either, a blessing as it provided time to catch-up on blog writing and, more importantly, backing up the few thousand pictures stored on our cameras.
Out the front windows stood a small café that turned out to be very popular. All seating was outside, under a building arch showered by the glow of street lamps in the evening. The night we ended going out to the cafe felt like the dead of winter in April. The cold didn’t deter us, as dining under the stars with a charcuterie platter made up of local vegetables, meats, cheeses and plates of local pasta made the evening very special. By the time the kids finished their pasta, they made a solid argument to head back. With our flat so close, we relented and let them go, while we stayed a little longer to enjoy being adults.
Siena’s old town is a maze of cobblestone streets crisscrossing its main Duomo and city hall. Our flat, situated centrally, provided plentiful opportunities to explore the many small alleys and narrow streets. We dropped into gift shops, gelaterias, pizzerias, and bakeries as we tried our best to blend in with locals. It didn’t work as well as we thought; the town offered too much history and culture to appreciate as tourists.
On another day, after the kids finished their assignments early, we spent an afternoon in the centre of Palazza Pubblico, city hall’s plaza. The piazza was full of tourists and locals alike, enjoying the afternoon warmth while resting on top of cobblestone grounds warmed by the sun
all afternoon. The kids ended up walking to a gelateria to pick up gelato on their own. To us, this was alone time, but to them, it was another opportunity in commerce and building their independence. They bounced back with gelato in hand (and on face) to enjoy the late afternoon sun with us. By the time we were done, we walked to our local store to purchase our evening wine.
Our last few days culminated in a significant religious holiday in Siena. Easter weekend at the main Duomo was the place to be to observe a full Catholic Easter mass with all pomp and pageantry. And so we did! The intimacy and serenity lasted for about 30 minutes tops before the children began getting fussy in the pews. To their credit, they toughed out a two-hour Sunday mass curated in Italian without a tear shed. After mass, the sun and blue sky were out, and all were ready to walk back home. At home, we put together a tasty spread of cheeses and meats—accompanied by Prosecco, of course. That weekend marked the end of our stay in Siena as we embarked on our next adventure to see more of Tuscany under the sun.
Tuscany: Belforte & hilltop towns
Each one of us anticipated our next escapade in Tuscany, not just for the wonderful wine and food awaiting us, but for a special visit from our friends back home. Nine years ago, as soon as we mentioned our idea to travel the world with kids, they had been the first to say they’d join us in Italy. And so they did!
Seeing friends again after so many months away was very special for us all; this gave our children an opportunity to tell stories and adventures to their friends from their perspective. That evening we shared a lovely slow dinner, accompanied by wonderful Tuscan reds of course. Paired this with close friends made for a memorable evening reminiscing old and new stories from back home and abroad.
Choosing a home base for our ten-day stay in the heart of Tuscany was difficult, as each region is dotted by historical and beautifully preserved hilltop towns representing a different wine-growing area. In the end, we chose a place that comfortably accommodated our group. We settled on a beautiful villa, located in a small hamlet called Belforte, perched high on top of rolling hills central to the regions we wanted to visit. Belforte is a tiny hilltop village—as in one convenience store (the owner, we guessed, spent most of her day sitting outside chatting with other ladies), one bakery, and a fantastic restaurant called Café la Mura that made excellent Margherita pizza and a hard-to-rival ragu du cinghalie—a Tuscan classic and a new favourite of ours.
A memorable part of staying in Belforte was its manageable size. After finishing dinner, the kids (all five) could walk back to the villa while we stayed to finish our meals. Another aspect of its relative size was that it made jogging around its cobblestone streets a breeze. By the third circuit around town, a sweat would bead if you tried hard enough.
Italy was going to be indulgent for our stomachs. This was just the beginning of our food journey, and knowing this ahead of time made our conscience feel better of course.
The kids were on homework hiatus for the next three weeks. We didn’t have the heart to give homework assignments while their close friends from Canada were visiting.
Belforte was central to most of the towns we wanted to visit in Tuscany. The drive each day to a different town was made especially beautiful and thrilling as we crossed the many rolling hills and our car would make sharp s-curves up and down the hillsides.
- Volterra: rugged and not as touristy as the others. Famous for alabaster carvings and sculptures and a beautiful main road leading through the town centre.
- San Gimignano: beautiful hill town, with towers reaching up to the sky. We arrived just before sunset when the light was golden and the town was still busy with tourists streaming in.
- Montepulciano: geography and landscape are ideal for underground cellars. Wine tasting in one of these cellars made it even more special.
- Montalcino: famous for their Rosso de Montalcino and Brunello, we couldn’t resist a tasting and a lesson about their many types of wooden casks used in wine production.
- Italian casks are the traditional method of aging. They are large and made of Slovenian oak.
- French casks are the modern method. French oak is not as dense, so the casks are burnt on the inside to provide another layer to reduce evaporation of the wine. The wine tends to be darker, with notes of various flavours from the cask.
- Chianti: beautiful, on a vast hillside. We had lunch in Panzano and gelato in Castellina. Lunch was spent on a terrace overlooking the Chianti vineyards on a patio covered with blooming wisteria.
- Rodicondoli: largest nearby town in Belforte, only 10 minutes away. It had nice dinner spots and beautiful views of the sunsets and olive groves.
It was hard not to enjoy 10 days under the Tuscan sun from our central perch in our tiny village of Belforte. We made daily commutes to these lovely hilltop towns along the Tuscan rolling hills, exploring the many and varied vineyards along the way. Being able to share this with our close friends was another highlight. Next, we all changed gears to prepare for life in the big city of Rome, encompassed by its magical presence and historical past.
Rome
We left Belforte in the early morning for the large metropolis of Rome. Driving through the scenic countryside was our last tranquil memory of Tuscany before immersing ourselves in Rome’s big lights and big-city feel. Getting there was an adventure in itself. For one thing, we “fixed” our phone’s cellular data and mapped our way straight to Rome from Belforte to avoid late charges on our rental. However, our phone settings were set to “avoid toll roads,” and, as you may have guessed, the resulting directions took us on the scenic route instead of the fastest route. Turning lemons into lemonade, our misadventure brought us to roads abutting oceans and through picturesque small towns instead of highways and freeways full of cars to Rome’s international airport. After returning the rental cars, we boarded our waiting private shuttle to take us to the doorstep of our new neighbourhood of Trastevere, where we planned to make our Rome home base.
Our research for our top wants (not touristy, traditional, lots of great restaurants, central walking distance, grocery stores, and all-around cool vibe) for a Roman neighbourhood kept pointing to Trastevere. It was also a place a friend stayed and absolutely fell in love with. As an added bonus, our place was up a street from a community playground the kids just loved. The game of Grounders became a daily tradition. While the kids worked hard at Grounders, we relaxed in the early evening sunshine with an aperitivo of rosé and snacks from a nearby enoteca or ristorante—everyone indulged in their favourite wind-down activity.
The days were spent exploring various landmarks throughout the city. We divided Rome into neighbourhood pockets and conquered one each day. Even with our strategic approach, Rome’s is such a massive metropolis that ten days wasn’t enough to see it the way we wanted to. We agreed a longer visit to each pocket was more meaningful than visiting as many places as possible. This prevented seeing everything Rome had to offer, but it provided a much more impactful visit, we found. A side benefit to longer visits was more walking for everyone! This helped burn extra calories so we could increase our vino and pasta consumption. All the kids complained of course, but not as much since they saw everyone else walking alongside.
Across the street from our flat was a small forno (bakery), which wasn’t hard to miss, especially when the door opened and a big waft of fresh pastry aromas drifted out. We found out later that the forno’s owner specialised in both French and Italian pastries, which made the place even harder to avoid. We did our best to resist in the morning; however, one time, Jeff hand-delivered a “little” breakfast treat—light-as-air, flaky, buttery croissants with a Nutella centre. It is safe to say, we lost the urge to moderate and instead indulged in each treat without regrets—day or night.
The Colosseum is such a beautiful, ancient construction. Our tour guide described the most amazing endurance battles that took place inside: 100 days of battles, 10 am to 4 pm—5,000 animals killed each day. Such gruesome brutality was enjoyed by the masses. When that wasn’t enough, the Romans flooded the inside of the Colosseum with water and replayed each battle while on board ships in the flooded battlegrounds. Thousands perished in these spectacles of human brutality and legendary fights inside the walls of this beautiful stadium.
Travestere is such a lovely and diverse neighbourhood and is mixed in with restaurants, enotecas, panini shops, coffee bars, and small and large grocery stores, all coexisting together and offering anything and everything Italian. We spoke to a lady one time who guided us to the best cheeses, in particular, buffalo mozzarella and gave us directions on how we could find an even more exquisite selection than this store, right in our neighbourhood. In the days spent with friends, we got ourselves into a routine and enjoyed both our days and evenings together. After eight days living as Romans, we reluctantly said goodbye, as their time in Italy was up for a flight back home to Canada. However, before leaving, we promised a return to Italy would be in the cards. Eight years of planning ended with hugs and kisses. After spending two weeks together, they left a void that was easily noticeable by all of us. The game of Grounders wasn’t nearly as fun for the kids.
After our goodbyes, we had a few more days in Rome, mostly spent revisiting places we thoroughly enjoyed. Spending a few extra hours at the Vatican, in particular, Saint Paul’s
Cathedral, was especially memorable, in a new light. Enjoying meals at our favourite restaurant, albeit as a smaller group, brought us back to how lucky we were on our year-long trip together.
We left Rome when the skies were grey, with light rain falling down, and boarded an Uber to the central train station. Even numerous train transfers, between national and local lines, didn’t deter us from the very easy and relaxing train travel on Italy’s TGV rail system. We were excited to continue making our way down south to Puglia, but before that we dropped into the Amalfi Coast in Positano for more blue sky, showering sunshine, and big views of the Mediterranean Sea.
Amalfi Coast
Positano is perched alongside the Amalfi Coast. For the unfamiliar, like ourselves, the coast straddles the mountainside, and connecting the town is a shared two-lane road lined by numerous hairpin switchbacks reminiscent of mountain roads found in Ooty, India. Protecting you from imminent death is a shabby three-foot guardrail, conveniently located at blind spots, otherwise, there was nothing but a thin shoulder on either side of the road. One too generous turn along a switchback would guarantee a hundred or so foot plunge into the sea below. This wasn’t such a big deal as we had encountered these in India; however, being on a large tourist-type bus navigating switchbacks without knowing what was in front of the bus or around the bend other than a warning honk made the drive exciting, to say the least. However, the bus drivers were all deftly skilled, including ours, and timed each turn at the right moment to avoid oncoming traffic. The sheer stunning beauty of the Mediterranean coast kept us preoccupied through most of the rollercoaster journey into Positano.
After a three-hour train ride to Sorrento’s main train station, we transferred onto the Amalfi inter-city bus to Positano and onto our final destination: a small local bus. We were instructed to let our bus driver know to stop at the “Mediterranean restaurant.” We loved it: no formal bus stop required. The small bus itself was a throwback to the 70s. We travelled down switchbacks, yet again, to our villa, something the larger buses dared not do as the roads narrowed significantly as you moved down the mountainside.
As an aside, surprisingly everyone’s stomach was fine as we arrived at our meeting spot without experiencing any significant motion sickness until Elliot complained of feeling sick right as we got off the last bus. We didn’t think much of it, as he had championed sailing on the Whitsunday’s turbulent waters in his room below writing in his journal with half the guests on deck doing their best not to get seasick. As soon as we stepped off the bus, Elliot threw up, minutes before the owner was supposed to come out to meet us—reminiscent of a similar passage up and down the mountains of Ooty, India. He’s marking his spots all around the world!
Positano is a lovely town, a more glamorous version of Cinque Terre; it’s a honeymooners delight. As we lived our life here, the majority of visitors were from North America on their honeymoon; everyone seemed so happy as we passed them by on our way to grocery stores, beaches, or just meandering through town in the evenings each day. Another aspect of a small seaside town built on the side of a mountain is numerous stone steps spreading up and down the main road. Steps were everywhere, and you were always either walking up or down. No wonder locals were all fit. On our first couple of days, we got concerned
due to the numerous 1,000 steps walked each day, but after the third day, we all took it in stride (pun intended).
If you’re looking for a town with numerous restaurants providing romantic and picturesque views of the Mediterranean, it is without a doubt Positano on the Amalfi coast. We tried a couple on the first few days (some with views, others with atmosphere) but kept going back to our very own terrace in the villa. We really enjoyed our villa with its panoramic views of the glimmering sea and fishing boats out in the horizon. We had many memorable meals out there, from breakfasts to lunches to dinners, just admiring the views and the company. The kids loved it as they got to enjoy their meals and go back to what they were doing before, while we got to enjoy our new favourite Italian salad (rocket, tomatoes, basil, buffalo mozzarella, with generous amounts of olive oil) and an ever-expanding selection of Italian reds. For the remainder of our stay, we naturally had most of our meals on our terrace. The evenings were wonderful and romantic when we had candles lit with a glass of wine, either talking about our day or just staring out at the water lit up by the evening stars and moon.
For Mother’s Day, we took a day trip to Ravello, a neighbouring town, higher up on the mountain than Positano. It’s safe to say, Elliot didn’t fare well on the climb up. By the time we stepped off the bus, however, we were greeted with another beautiful sight again. The elevation and views were out of this world. Chloe wanted a drink from the fresh juice stand by the town entrance and got a fresh-squeezed lemon juice—with no sugar or water added, that was it, and we leisurely finished it while staring out to sea. After walking through Ravello, we found another perfect spot in the gardens of Villa Cimbrone, the idealistic spot for a Mother’s Day lunch. The place couldn’t have been more perfect; under a clear blue sky with shade provided by a century-old tree, we enjoyed a nice and peaceful lunch.
One of our favourite outings while in Positano was the small beach closest to our villa. It was definitely smaller than the town’s crowded main beach, with a great feel. You could easily find a spot on the pebble beach to relax or jump into the sea. The water was incredibly clear and refreshing; we could swim far out to into the sea and back again without effort as the water was incredibly buoyant. Another favourite outing was going to the local grocery stores to pick up lunch or dinner items, and we would intentionally pickup up enough for one meal. It allowed us to walk up and down the steps to not only admire the views but have a cold drink before coming back home. On other occasions, we would just walk through town in the evening to the main beach, grabbing a snack and a drink and watching the evening set in and close another magical day there.
It was tough saying bye to beautiful Positano. We loved our days there. Most of all, we’ll miss our favourite activity of just sitting on our terrace gazing at the sparkling Mediterranean with a coffee in the morning, white wine in the afternoon, red wine in the evening and more red wine at night.
Next, we travelled to the other side of Italy, for one of our longest stays, to really immerse ourselves in southern Italian culture along the Puglia coast. Getting to Castro Marina was fun; we rented a car and drove down south through spectacular coastal roadways and small villages. To get there, we forewarned Elliot our initial travel out of Amalfi would be more of the same nauseous paths that took us here. Luckily for us, and Elliot too, the drive back to Sorrento wasn’t as bad as the first time getting to Positano. We walked through Sorrento’s main street to pick up our rental car, and we even helped ourselves to the lemons from the trees along the
way. We were all psyched for more food, drink, and swimming in the beautiful azure Adriatic Sea this time.
We took a small token with us to remind us of the sweet life in Positano: a 1-kg bag of Amalfi sweet and sour lemon candy. It added a little weight to our luggage but not as much as Maya the Elephant from India, which we took with us by air and bus. Slider: Ravello Gardens of Cimbrone. the terrace of infinity with eighteenth-century marble busts.
Castro Marina
Our day began on the Mediterranean in Amalfi and ended up on the Adriatic in Puglia six hours later. We moved from steep mountainous terrain in Sorrento, where we picked up a rental car and cruised through countryside towns along freeways and highways to the coastal town of Brindisi. Seeing the ocean again was breathtaking, as we all anticipated jumping back into the ocean, but before this could happen, we took a final bend south passing Lecce to Castro Marina, right into Italy’s “boot.” After greeting our wonderful host, we were itching to explore this new home for the next four weeks. We caught a dramatic sunset. The sun’s slowly sinking glow over a shimmering ocean below was an incredible welcome to this part of Italy. Even after the sunset, the limestone seabed became a stage for the crystal-clear water’s dancing show. Seeing this was magical, like nothing we’d ever seen anywhere else on our travels. The water’s reflection was something we hoped not take for granted, as we planned on many more evening walks to remember this sight.
Before going to bed that evening, we emptied our packs and placed them into drawers and closets. Each person had their own space without needing to share storage. This felt oddly satisfying after many countries living out of our backpacks or ensuing arguments because one had more room than allotted. After the kids went to bed, we grabbed our bottle of wine and enjoyed the evening outside our terrace overlooking the sea underneath a clear evening sky with an almost full moon illuminating the water.
Castro Marina is a seasonal town that sleeps in the winter and wakes up again in June when northern Italians come to vacation. When we arrived on May 19th, we were caught up in this, where locals were busy renovating, adding fresh coats of paint and slowly opening their shops for the approaching summer season. This was akin to sprucing the cottage on the May 2-4 weekend back home in Canada. Seeing this spring cleaning from the sideline, be it visiting a grocery store, spending time in restaurants being done up, or visiting shops restocking merchandise, allowed us to be in the privileged crowd. The four weeks we called Castro Marina home, we didn’t hear a sentence of English spoken by people around us. It felt like we’d found this place by accident, as all tourists were Italians, arriving in a very beautiful part of their own country to spend their vacation. Perfect!
The apartment in Castro Marina was right on the water, without grocery stores nearby. The largest grocery store was in the heart of Castro up on the hill above us, which made for a challenge to get sustenance. After Positano’s endless up and down climbs blanketing the town, we felt sufficiently confident to conquer daily uphill climbs for fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, rocket greens and our ever expanding Italian rose wine palette. There were local bakeries for bread, a pastry shop for sweets, and constant battles deciding on which of the many gelaterias for an afternoon heat retreat. It was the latter where we discovered some fantastic gelato, rivalling those of Rome. The gelaterias also served Noccilino, a fantastic afternoon treat made from Italian espresso and nocciola gelato. The kids enjoyed their gelato and we indulged in our nocillinos whilst sitting outside under the shade of umbrellas with the Adriatic in the foreground.
Visiting the local markets became our guidebook to fantastic suggestions for bread, gelato, cheese, and regional wines. Sometimes, speaking to the same person on different days would result in a different recommendation. Life is so easy when everything around you is so good.
Another discovery was the local friggitoria, which happened to be right on the water—the very same waters where the fish were caught the evening before. Our favourites were deep-fried tiny little bite-sized pesche and calamari, best accompanied by a cold <what’s that beer again? Not peroni>. One time we took out and sat directly over the water on the large boulders with the kids to enjoy the afternoon sun and cool azure water in front of us. Not only did the owner neatly package our meal, but accompanying this was a bag of ice for the white wine and two plastic wine goblets. As we became increasingly comfortable in our Puglia lifestyle, we incorporated a daily aperitivo, a late afternoon drink accompanied with small snack plates of olives, chips, pickled vegetables, and tiralli atop a café overlooking Castro Marina.
The water along the coast is so incredibly sensational. Whether there was sun or cloud the water remained a perpetual brilliant blue that seemed to glimmer endlessly. The shoreline along Castro is lined with smooth rocky boulders, similar to the ones we’d seen in Hvar on the other side of the Adriatic.
While in Castro Marina we had our second visitors from home. This was extra special, as we were looking forward to seeing family again, with kids counting sleeps for nine months to see their babcia and dziadzia. The kids were excited to see familiar faces again, displayed by large hugs as we greeted family. After a couple of hours catching up, we met up again for dinner at our favourite seafood restaurant just outside the main piazza by the bay. That night walking to dinner reminded us of how great it felt re-exploring a new town again. In the next couple of weeks together, we would discover more places, taste more wines, eat more food and dive together into the beautiful sea.
On one of our explorations, we visited a local winery that produced small-batch wine releases. Their most famous customer was Mick Jagger, who would apparently buy pallets full of their negroamaro to deliver to his chateau in France. We picked a few bottles after a fun wine tasting on the estate, the owner showcased a few of his favourites and proudly described each wine to us. After a fun mid-morning wine tasting, we asked if he could suggest a place for a late lunch, as being mid-afternoon in a small Italian town, all eating establishments were closed for the afternoon. However, at the last minute, he called a friend and brought us to a nondescript corner in the middle of his village. We said our goodbyes, and we entered through a side entrance up to a dining room. With each stepped we climbed, we felt we’d passed through a time machine to a 70s Italian dining room. The room was filled with Italian movie posters and other decorations of that era. We met the proprietor and she explained something in Italian. We looked blankly at each other, and only when she brought glasses and started to pour red wine
did we understand food was on its way. Everyone got red wine, even the kids almost, but they declined and got their sodas. All of this was accomplished without a comprehensible dialogue between us. It didn’t matter, we conversed in our made up impromptu sign language and our butchered Italian words. The lady knew we were hungry, which was our first mistake. She came back with a fairly good-sized casserole of pasta and Bolognese sauce. It was fantastic, and everyone dug in and cleaned the casserole dish quite well with our appetite. The dish was further wiped down by bread and olive oil. The food was fantastic, and not a second later, she returned with more dishes, one after the other. I think we had at least five courses before she asked if we were ready for dolce. All of us looked at each other and gracefully declined; we ended with take-out goodies instead from her. With an exorbitant expanse of wine and food in our stomachs, no one wanted to drive back to Castro Marina, so instead, we decided to walk through the small village in an effort to work off our impromptu feast. The epitome of an Italian home-cooked meal was something we experienced first hand. Seeing is believing and being able to experience Italian hospitality was a lasting memory we would share for a long time.
Near the end of our stay, we took a day trip to Santa Maria de Leucca for an afternoon swim in another part of Puglia at the most southern reach of the Italian coast, which turned out to be one of the most beautiful drives we’d been on so far. The infinite Adriatic Sea was on one side, blooming flowering trees on the other, and us in the middle as we cruised along this spectacular coast one magical afternoon. Our goal was to have an afternoon swim here, but secretly we knew our swim spot in Castro Marina was still tops in all of Italy.
Bari
Our final day in Italy was in Bari. We spent an afternoon meandering through Bari’s narrow streets. Of all the town we’d visited, it seemed the most lived in by locals, with laundry drying on the balconies hanging above as we crisscrossed the cobblestone paths in the old quarter. Kids playing along the street was a perfect visual for us to remember all sides of life in Italy. We ended our last night in a beautiful side street café, enjoying the most delicious meal and drink before we departed to our next and final country. It was bittersweet, but more sweet than bitter, as the lasting memories of our Italian adventure lived up to our imagination.
Grazie Italia
Our ten weeks in Italy were incredible. From north in Milan, down the coast through Rome, leading us to Amalfi, and then a four-week stay in Puglia’s Castro Marina on the Adriatic in the heel of southern Italy.
The food was an absolute highlight and delight to our stomachs. The Italians are very proud and very unique in each region we stayed: from heavy stews of wild boar in Tuscany to fresh seafood along the coast. Pasta along the way would melt in our mouths, comprising of each regions own type to compliment with the local sauces. In Tuscany, there was pappardelle (long flat wide noodles typically mixed with while ragu), while Puglia was known for their orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta). The sauces were fresh and always simple. Key ingredients were paired perfectly: never too much (meaning never too many ingredients in the sauce—always too much food, but somehow our stomachs adjusted nicely).
The wines flowed, from robust Tuscan reds in Chianti, Montepulciano and Montalcino to the bold sweet primitivos, negroamaros and roses in Puglia.
We were lucky enough to see Italy in bloom; the spring brought wonderful flower bouquets overflowing stone walls, highway barriers, and town walls. The patios were covered with wisteria in Milan, and along the trails in Cinque Terre were wildflowers and many more wisteria. We saw bright red poppy fields in Tuscany, fuchsia pink bougainvillaea in Positano and fragrant jasmine and honeysuckle in Castro Marina. Our trip through Italy was centred on our stomachs, but just as important, the culture, architecture, and religious places of worships were just as spectacular. The kaleidoscope of senses was so strong on their own, and put together they made for an unreal experience.
Italy was an incredible visit, made more so by seeing our close friends and family on this part of our year-long journey. We were sad to leave Castro, as it meant a short layover in Bari for an early morning flight to Nice via Rome. Nonetheless, our souls and stomachs satisfied, we boarded a plane for Nice, our next city and country on our 12-month journey. France would be the last country on our trip, a place we looked forward too.
Buongiorno Italy. Bonjour France!
Japan
They’re blooming! We came specifically for the Cherry Blossom (sakura) festivities and along our way discovered a beautiful culture and history as well.
Our goal was to see the magical sakuras blooming across three different cities: Tokyo, one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world and its capital; Kyoto, the historic capital of the country; and Osaka the second largest city and food emporium of Japan. Our time was a parade of sakura blooms throughout parks, trails, temples, historical castles, and grand boulevards at every twist and turn in these beautiful cities.
We walked out of Narita International Airport just past nine in the evening and boarded a bus to downtown Tokyo. The realisation of being in Japan, and Tokyo of all places, was hard to absorb while waiting at our bus stop. What an unbelievable feeling. We’ve grown up with Japanese products all around us from movies, cartoons, automobiles and electronics. Physically being in this country was quite riveting.
For the past eight months, with the exception of Nepal, we haven’t gone through cold weather and forgotten what it felt like to be in the cold again. It was quite a shock stepping into a chilly, rainy Tokyo evening. People we’ve met along the way to our apartment were incredibly friendly, stopping and asking if we required assistance. Luckily, after an 8-hour plane ride, 1-hour bus transfer, 10 stops on the JR Metro, a 20-minute splish-splash-puddled-laden walk in the rain, we were just “around the corner” from our apartment and managed to unlock the key box and enter our tiny oasis of an apartment, leaving the cold behind.
TOKYO
Tokyo was nothing like we’ve experience before. What a dramatic contrast to Australia’s warm climates and expansive terrain we just left that morning. The Japanese were in winter coats, some even in Canada Goose jackets, while we were in our “warm” Australian clothes of long sleeves and jeans. That entire afternoon was spent getting decked out at Toyko’s 12-story flagship Uniqlo store. Now that we were succinctly warm for our new home, we braved the nights exploring Tokyo by dark as well.
Japan has the most restaurants per capita than anywhere in the world, many of them Michelin star ranked. Every street corner or alley you turn is filled with inviting places to eat. Not only sushi, but izakaya, yakitori, teppanyaki, ramen and, if you can believe, an incredible array of delicious pastry shops—a dangerous combo for our expanding waistlines. Elliot watched a video on sumo training one evening. We joked at first, then realised to our horror their diets eerily resembled ours (big rich hearty meals, lots of beer with naps during the day) and quickly avoided all forms of elevators and escalators, instead taking stairs where possible as we weren’t going to stop eating the amazing array of food available to us.
Tokyo is divided into many districts each with its own distinct persona yet reachable in minutes on the JR Metro line. A few districts stood out on our culture trip:
- Akihabara is an electronics mecca for gearheads. From TVs, stereos, computers, phones, anime etc. you can find it all in the many department stores of this area. There were merchants with both new and retro gear. We even found an original domestic made only Nintendo Entertainment System. Mixed in all of this was a small hidden-away cafe dedicated to cats we found while looking for snacks. Didn’t get a chance to enter, as the café had an 18+ age restriction, and instead looked in from the outside. Bizarre, considering we saw people dressed up in cosplay meandering these streets.
- Ginza is a high-end shopping district, similar to New York City’s Fifth Avenue and the birthplace of modern day Japanese department stores. In the evening the street comes alive with designer wares showing off their glitter and sparkle. This was where we outfitted our winter clothing at Uniqlo’s flagship store.
- Shinjuku is the center for all camera and digital items and everything else, for that matter. Don Quijote was one of the oddest and fun department stores visited. The department store is spread across many levels carrying everything from grocery items to high-end Rolex watches displayed in a bazaar-like format, similar to the likes of former Honest Ed’s in Toronto. We later found out DQ was a chain.
We stayed in both Shinjuku and Ginza offering different perspectives of Japanese districts. The kids preferred Ginza as the location was steps to a metro station instead of walking through throngs of people in Shinjuku, which allowed us to ease into our day with a morning metro ride.
Moving around Tokyo was a breeze using their very extensive network of metro stations. Coupled with our smartphone navigating the many JR rail lines and finding metro stops was fairly straightforward. Furthermore, in comparison to Toronto, or any other metro we visited so far, the Japanese subway is the absolute quietest and well maintained, considering the amount of people passing through the station’s many different levels daily. As soon as doors close, all you hear are subway wheels over tracks with an odd noise of a distant conversations. Phones are on vibrate, no eating or loud talking. Conversely, everyone else overheard our conversations instead.
In Japan, everything is digitized from toilets to showers, it’s all preprogrammed and activated with a press of a button. Sanitized and clean with music playing in the background whilst doing your business. Something we’ll surely miss.
English isn’t widely spoken, yet everyone was always extremely friendly and most helpful. On a couple of occasions, locals approached us asking if they could help with directions—perhaps we looked a little lost huddled around a smartphone trying to decipher directions.
As in most big cities, we were used to seeing free product samples or flyer coupons handed out on busy street corners. In Japan, however, instead of handing out samples or flyers, staff hand out tissue packs emblazoned with the advertising company’s logo. We always had a few tissue pack (or 10) on hand.
Golden Gai
This was a place we found by chance. After a busy day of palaces and parks around Tokyo we returned to Shinjuku Station for an evening meal. Immediately after exiting the station we got lost meandering through a series of streets that placed us on the outer edge of an outcropping filled with low-rise wooden houses, criss-crossed by narrow streets, contrasting considerably from their neighbouring neon glass towers and wide avenues. It was the aromatic smell of food grilling over charcoal that led us here. Our noses, and not our smartphone, brought us to Golden Gai! We found a spot and sat down at the counter in an extremely intimate bar, no tables or chairs, and ordered away. The kids ordered grilled chicken, fish and squid. We had various yakitori dishes and a great time eating and dining that night with food and charcoal aroma wafting around us.
Yurakucho
This was another very cool area to visit for an izakaya and yakitori dining experience. The area is popular with local business people who stop in for a quick bite and cold drink before heading home. All restaurants are situated underneath the brick arcades of subway rails, stretching between Tokyo and Yurakucho Stations.
After another busy day of sightseeing, we were hoping to stop into Yurakucho to dine at a place highly regarded for its izakaya. It was early evening and each one of us hungry and thirsty. We struck out immediately as the place was bursting with people already seated. The next place visited was also filled and couldn’t accommodate anymore people. After the fourth attempt, we asked a host (who happen to be speak English) why we couldn’t get in. Apparently, reservations are a must and usually made weeks ahead for a seating. As this was a Friday evening he was skeptical we would find a spot. Dejected, we walked out and continued hunting. Kids weren’t thrilled at the thought of walking again. After the eighth or ninth place a free table was found – inside! We got seated immediately at the most amazing place ever. We sat at low-rise tables with just a few inches separating our neighbour’s tables on either side. One of the shared dishes came in a shichirin (small portable charcoal grill) and there we were roasting small fish in Yurakucho! The kids had a blast and so did we.
Ramen shops
Every time we think of ramen, we think of “Mister Noodle” or any other derivations from home. How so-so-so wrong were we after our first authentic Japanese ramen experience, in Elliot’s words, mind blown at the richness and deep flavours of this Japanese dish we ignored for so long. Each of us got immediately hooked and kids were planning the next visit.
The place was well known for its ramen noodle soup. It didn’t hurt to see a line stretching out to the street with people waiting in the cold too. Finally, our turn was next to get ushered in and, instead to a table and menu, guided to a machine with pictures and Japanese descriptions. After a couple of minutes at the machine, our meal was decided, prepaid and out popped a receipt for the wait staff. Eating stalls were separated by a fold-up wooden board on either side, separating each neighbour and in front was a 3×2-ft opening. The person behind the opening collects your ticket/order and closes the wooden shutters. After a few minutes, the bamboo window reopens with the meal you order! Fast and efficient.
KYOTO
Living and breathing in Tokyo provided a fascinating glimpse into modern day Japan with its infrastructure, people, food, and countless other uniqueness grabbing our curiosity. The next stop was a step back into Japan’s historical past to see its ancient traditions and cultures by visiting temples, shrines, parks, and public spaces. Kyoto was Japan’s imperial capital for more than 1,000 years and continues to be home to 2,000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines across the city. We also read the sakuras were close to full bloom in this area of the country.
The iconic Japanese Shinkansen, better known as the Bullet Train in North America, took us from Tokyo to Kyoto. It’s extremely fast compared to conventional trains and somewhat a mystical legend we read growing up. Now was our chance to experience this ourselves. After some research, even though cost was double a plane ticket, we decided on train travel for the convenience to be in Kyoto before nightfall.
The train leaves Tokyo Station and continues to Kyoto Station across 600kms of beautiful country and mountainous terrain, one of the world’s busiest corridor carrying over 350 million riders annually. The ride is thrilling onboard the Shinkansen. Inside is no different from rail cabins back home until you look out the window and see varying objects and landscape blur together in a whirlwind of lines and curves. The Shinkansen can reach 370 km/h, however, due to safety is currently limited to 300 km/h.
Arriving in Kyoto, we felt a difference from big and busy Tokyo instantly. In Tokyo the locals significantly outnumber travellers yet you somehow morph into their environment. It’s something we haven’t ever experienced to this level and something we thoroughly enjoyed. In Kyoto, however, as soon as we arrived at the train station, you see foreigners navigating their way through crowds, as us, trying to find their way in this city.
The plan was to take a short bus ride to our apartment for check-in after arrival to Kyoto Station. Outside the station’s north entrance is the bus waiting area. We jumped on what we thought was the correct bus to our apartment, but ended up spending all the time saved from the Shinkansen, commuting around Kyoto instead. What should’ve taken at most 10-minutes extended to over an hour plus impromptu sight-seeing tour. The bus criss-crossed our new city in a circular loop picking up passengers and, just when we thought the bus couldn’t accommodate anymore people, the next stop had a full class of children out on their field trip and eager to jump on. In the end, it turned out we were on the correct bus just in the wrong direction. Alas we got a fun city bus tour and good laughs out of it.
Geishas
Kyoto is home to Japan’s last authentic geisha district with five geisha schools still operating to this day. An evening was spent visiting a renowned geisha school in the Gion district to learn more of their traditions, culture, and training. To become a full geiko, as with any profession, one must go through many years of apprenticeship as a meiko (geishas are known as geikos and meikos in the district of Kyoto). The rules are strict and a huge financial burden is incurred at the start. When the training ends, not all are guaranteed to become a geiko. The kids were thoroughly impressed with a meiko’s regimen and surprised so many rules were in place, such as no cellular phones until becoming a geiko. An amazing fact was a meiko’s hair is done once per week and, to prevent damage, they sleep on a shaped box to maintain the hairdo’s form and shape each night. Once they graduate and become a geiko, they’re allowed to wear wigs, for example, and live much less restrictive lives compared to their junior counterparts.
After the evening show at a prominent school, the kids were ultra-confident they could spot fake “geishas” in Gion. Kyoto has many dress shops catering to tourists where one can transform into a fully outfitted “geisha” with kimono, pair of geta, obi, hair wig, and makeup for the day and guaranteed to be photographed by unsuspecting tourists. The kids had fun pointing them out. One evening walking out of our apartment, the kids spotted a geiko with a minimal kimono dress and makeup, walking gracefully to a waiting car. Other than this one sighting, we didn’t see any further during our stay in Kyoto beyond the tourist geishas.
Kyoto has numerous temples and shrines across the city that we found fascinating and wonderful. The beauty in their architecture and design is reflected in each building’s religion and spiritual meaning. Luckily, we had several days to visit all the known and popular landmarks. One that stood out from the rest was the Tenryu-ji temple, just outside is the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. As popular as this place is, and it was definitely busy while we were there, the immediate feeling was quite staggering to walk through bamboo groves with trunks swaying back and forth rhythmically in the wind. Another one that stood out was the Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its thousands vermilion torii gates which line a trail that leads into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari.
OSAKA
Osaka was the last leg of our travels through Japan. Considered a great city to view sakura blossoms, it was top on our list. It also doesn’t hurt visiting a city with a reputation for being the “kitchen of Japan” with some of the best cuisine the country has to offer.
Once we arrived, the weather was much warmer and with warmer weather meant sakuras were going into full bloom.
Getting to Osaka from Kyoto was the easiest so far as both cities are serviced by the same regional transit. We took a short train ride connecting each city’s rail system and then a quick subway ride to our apartment–just outside of Dotonbori district, the eating and tourist mecca in Osaka.
Osaka is a beautiful city for cycling, with many bike paths criss-crossing the city lined with sakuras. Our apartment had two bikes for our use, and having biked through Vietnam’s cities, Osaka turned out to be a breeze. The kids took their positions on the back as we cycled through canals and parks. Everywhere we went, weekday or weekend, people congregate together around Sakura trees to picnic with friends and family. It was a fantastic site to see so many people together under the warmth of an afternoon sun. We got so inspired and dropped into the nearest Lawson (popular convenience store with loads of fresh ready-made meals) to outfit our impromptu picnic and headed down to Okawa River and found our very own spot underneath the shade of sakura trees. It was a great picnic of Japanese BBQ by the water. The kids finished up first and played in the park while we nurtured our drinks. In Japan, drinking is allowed in public spaces and everyone seemed to enjoy their biru or sake with friends and family. What a way to join in on the tradition!
One warm sunny day, we biked to Osaka Castle and continued on to Kema Sakuranomiya Park where nearly 5,000 sakura trees line the Okawa River stretching for several kilometers. This time we came prepared for a picnic and brought a blanket, picked up lunch along the way and looked for an ideal spot to have our picnic under the canopy of sakura blossoms. After our picnic, we took our time meandering home visiting a few other favourite areas of the city.
Visiting Dontonbori Street was somewhat surreal in that everywhere was lit up with blinking and flashing neon lights along the canal – day or night. Kitschy yes, but it worked for Dotonbori. It’s also home to the famous Gilico’s Running Man. The same company that brought you Hello Kitty and Pocky Sticks sweets. We too posed for our Running Man pictures!
On our last day in Osaka, we visited Kaiyukan Aquarium home to one of the largest aquariums in the world. The exhibits showcased marine life from many of the world’s oceans, Japanese rain forests and even Canada’s arctic north! The aquarium is huge for good reason, as the largest tank is home to a few whale sharks. Seeing this in person was extraordinary as it’s not often you get a chance to see animals of these magnitude up close separated only by a sheet of glass.
Sakuras
The sakura blossoms were breathtaking to see in person and hard to describe. Everywhere you look from busy thoroughfares, streets, along the rivers, shrines or temples, to small and big parks alike are blooming together in a beautiful pink colour accenting the skyline.
The most magical aspect of the blossoms is an entire city coming together to celebrate their arrival, not just tourists. Locals plan Hanami parties, setting up tarps, hibachi bbq’s, sake, wine and pink Champagne. It seems all of Japan is happy to welcome the sakura season with family and friends alike. The event is also celebrated by corporations where business management treat their teams to a Hamani party. The youngest male on the team is sent to camp overnight sometimes to reserve the ideal spot in the park for next day’s celebrations. We’ve seen a few people sitting alone in a sea of blue tarp set out waiting for people show up.
We were lucky to be part of the sakura celebrations and came away with something special in our hearts and a new tradition to start our own Hanami party (sans alcohol) underneath Toronto’s sakura trees of High Park.
A country normally out of the way, we are extremely lucky to have visited Japan as a family. With our stomachs a little more expanded, we say goodbye to Japan and bonjourno to Italy–the country of more good food, more good drinks, and more wonderful places to visit.
Chloë in Japan
From Australia we flew to Japan, which was a very big shock in terms of weather—hot Australia to cold Japan. In Japan we stayed for over two weeks and visited three main cities: Tokyo, the capital and largest city in Japan; Kyoto, the previous capital of Japan, known for lots of ancient temples; and Osaka, known for cherry blossoms and great food.
TOKYO
From Cairns, Australia, we took a 8 hour flight to Tokyo. We arrived in Tokyo late at night. It was cold, rainy and wet. When we got out of the airport, we followed very hard to follow directions. Our first stop was Shinjuku, a district in Tokyo, where we stayed for 3 days. Once we finally got to our apartment, we were very, very cold and just wanted to go to bed. Since we haven’t had dinner yet, my dad went to a convenience store to get instant noodles. All the nearby restaurants were closed because it was so late. The apartment we were staying at was very, very small. When you walked inside there was a narrow hallway. On the left there was a bathroom and on the right there was kitchen. At the end of the hallways was a room with two beds and some drawers. So that’s basically our apartment in Shinjuku!!!
All the places we stayed in Japan had pocket wifi. Pocket wifi is basically a portable wifi device, so basically you can have wifi wherever you go.
While in Shinjuku we went to this amazing ramen noodle place. Now I’ll tell you how the ramen restaurant works. First you go to a vending machine and press the button beside the picture of the item you want to order. After, you pay for your meal through the vending machine. Then, you get a ticket per item purchased. While you wait for a table you hand the staff your tickets and they hand you a form. The form allows you to customize your bowl of ramen. On the form you can select the amount of garlic, firmness of noodles, strength of broth, white/green/both onions, and the amount of chilli spice. You can also add a refill of noodles or broth or if you’d like to add an egg to your dish. Once you complete your form, you go to a table that’s an individual booth with just enough room for one person. Each booth has separating walls on each side with your own personal water tap to fill up your cup whenever you please. In front there’s a bamboo flap, that the waiters open up to serve you your meal. When my bowl of soup came, I tasted it and it was so, so, so amazing. Even thought it was hot, I couldn’t stop eating it. Best ramen noodle soup I’ve ever had!!!!!
Our next stop in Japan was another district in Tokyo called Ginza. It was really cold and we didn’t have warm clothes, so we went shopping at Uniqlo and bought warm sweaters and jackets.
I forgot to tell you, in Japan they have really cool toilets. All of the apartments where we stayed had toilets with seat warmers and this thing that comes out and sprays your butt after you use the toilet. Public washrooms also have these features, including a button you press that makes a flushing toilet sound to cover up the splash of your (TURD).
KYOTO
From Tokyo to Kyoto we took the Shinkansen bullet train. Our train ride was just 2 hours. The regular train takes 9 hours!
Our second day in Kyoto we took a walking tour around the city. Along the way to learned a lot of interesting facts about Japanese culture. In Japan they bow a lot. A 15 degrees bow is a casual bow for a welcome, thank you or greeting. A 45 degrees bow is a more formal bow used when greeting your elders or important people.
In Kyoto we also visited a shrine called Fushimi Inari-taisha. The shrine is the most popular shrine in all of Japan. If you’re wondering what a shrine is, I’m going to tell you right now. A shrine is a monument for the Japanese Shinto religion. Like a temple is a monument for Buddhist religion. You can tell the difference between a shrine and a temple by the special Japanese gates in front of the shrine. The special gates are called tori gates. You can find a picture of the shine in the slider above.
In Japan there use to be lots of Geisha districts, but now there’s only one and it’s in Kyoto called the Ginsa district. There aren’t more Geisha districts because most Japanese no longer want to be Geishas because it’s hard work and lots of rules. Geishas aren’t allowed to use a phone or get married. In the streets of Kyoto there are lots of people taking photos of fake Geishas. A fake Geisha is basically a tourist (mostly Chinese) dressed up like a Geisha. The giveaway they’re not real is they have a phone and are probably taking selfies of themselves.
OSAKA
After Kyoto we went to Osaka for 5 days. Osaka is the second largest city in Japan and is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms. One day we went to have a picnic by the cherry blossoms. We biked with the bikes our apartment provided and got a picnic lunch and sat by the river. It was really amazing with thousands of rows of cherry blossoms surrounding us.
At first we were afraid the cherry blossoms wouldn’t bloom in time before we left Japan, but thankfully they were a peak bloom! The cherry blossoms were so pretty that we had to have another picnic. This time we brought a mat (aka our bed sheet) so it would be more comfortable. Unfortunately, one of our bike tires popped along the way, so we had to walk our bike the rest of the way. After that we had a nice relaxing picnic.
While in Osaka we also visited the famous Osaka Aquarium. The aquarium is one of the largest public aquariums in the world. In one of the tanks is a Whale Shark. The Whale Shark is huge and the tank it’s in holds 5,400 tons of water. The Whale Shark is the largest fish species in the world and can grow as large as a school bus. After visiting the aquarium, I made my own little aquarium to take home. Basically it was a glass cup filled with little glass sea creatures, then filled with gel and a light that lights the aquarium in different colours.
During our 2 weeks stay in Japan, I learned a lot about Japanese traditions and that being a Geisha is not only about looking pretty (it’s a lot of work!). Japan is futuristic country that also has so much ancient history. I had an amazing time in Japan, from seeing the magnificent cherry blossoms to meeting the giant Whale Shark in the Osaka Aquarium. Next we travel to Italy. Hello pasta, here we come!
Elliot in Japan
I was so excited for Japan. The vending machines, eating, electronics, department stores and cool gadgets I can learn about. We spent two weeks in Japan.
TOKYO
When we arrived in Tokyo it was CCCOOOOOLLLLLLDDDDD! When we got to our apartment, we unpacked and jumped straight into our beds to warm up. After we went out to look for a place eat. We couldn’t find a restaurant so….drumroll please…..we went to Seven Eleven for dinner. What, what?!?! I got steam buns.
In Tokyo there are crowds of people and everyone is speed walking. It’s like a crowd of bulls running at you if you’re walking in the wrong direction. Like in the TV shows when there’s dust everywhere when they’re running so fast. Someone once tripped and got crushed by people (we didn’t see this happen) and no one stopped, they just kept walking. So I guess it’s kind of dangerous.
There’s a part of the city that has a lot of department stores and I couldn’t see 1m ahead of me because it was so busy.
KYOTO
We took a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. The train was so cool. When we arrived we took a bus to our apartment. The next day we took a walking tour and learned facts about geishas. We learned geishas are not allowed to use pillows when they sleep because their hair could get messy. They do their hair only once a week. They sleep with these pillows on their necks. Geishas wear outfits that cost a fortune, between $5,000 to $3,000,000.
In Japanese culture a bow is a greeting, thank you or apology. When you apologize to someone you have to bow for 3 seconds to him the person you are apologizing to a chance to rip your head off. The good thing is they don’t do that any more.
While in Kyoto we visited Fushimi Inari Taisha we took a two-hour walk to the top. It was long. Did you know there are 1,000 tori gates in Fuchis (spelling?). Tori gates look like a half circle with a line underneath it and two poles that hold it up. The gates are red. The fox is the messenger from the god of rice.
JAPANESE TOILETS
We’re going to learn today about a butt washer, a butt warmer and best of all a music machine. …all in one toilet. Ok, let’s get this straight, it’s a butt heaven. Even your butt is jealous. It’s all over Japan. Ok, let’s start. Why have music when dirt drops out of your butt? Well, when you take dump no one wants to hear ‘plop’ and the butt washer washes your butt when you have brown dirt on your butt. So you sit down and let the water wash and there’s buttons and buttons to press. Sponsored by Butt Heaven Japan.
RAMEN
While in Tokyo we went to a ramen noodle restaurant and the soup was so good. When you enter, there’s a vending machine where you order your food. The machine gives you a ticket then the waiter gives you a sheet to customize your order. For example, if I want extra spice or garlic, I can add that. When you go inside they give you your own booth and water station and like 10 cups. You’re suppose to slurp noodles like ‘slurpppp’.
OSAKA CHERRY BLOSSOMS
We rode our bikes to see Osaka, the cherry blossoms and have a picnic. I was on the back and my mom was peddling at the front. We rode for half hour and stopped at the cherry blossoms. There was a view of the lake and cherry blossoms all around us. We went to the nearby convenience store to get lunch for our picnic. There was actually some healthy stuff but I got some strawberry milk with steam buns!!!
We also visited the Osaka Castle with 50x more cherry blossoms! It had a river surrounding it. At Osaka Castle you kind of feel like a local because everyone is doing their thing and there aren’t much tourists.
OSAKA AQUARIUM
The Oskaka Aquarium is one of the largest in the world. When we entered there was a large shark and I took a picture with it. Then there’s like 20 souvenir shops at the beginning. Ok let’s go back…so the aquarium is in Osaka and it’s 26,570 sq meters in size with two biomes: rainforest and the north pole. There are more than 15 tanks and one is humongous and has a whale shark. Their tank is 9m deep and 34m wide and has 5,400 tons of water. That’s where the big whale shark lives.
WHALE SHARK FACTS
- The whale shark is the world’s largest fish and can grow 40ft long and weighs 100 tons (an average elephant weighs between 2.5 and 7 tons).
- Whale sharks live in warm water and towards the surface of the water.
- Their eyes are as small as golf balls.
- Whale sharks have been around for 60 million years. The oldest whale shark is 100 years and the oldest human is 115 years old. Boom we got one off the list. What’s next, basking shark?!
- The largest whale shark record is 12.6m long.
- The whale shark can open its mouth 5-feet and 1.5-metres wide. That is enough to swallow a mini bath tub. It can fill 1,500 tons of water per hour. Whale sharks are actually playful. There was never an accident with a whale shark and a human. The whale sharks give free rides and they are never afraid. But the bad thing is, the whale sharks get close to a boat, they get hit by the boat paddle. Each whale shark has their unique pattern, this is interesting. And if a whale shark stops moving, it will drawn. Did you know if a whale shark stops breathing it will drown. Because they are a ram breather, well if you don’t know what a ram breather means, it means that they pump water through their mouth and over their gills and keep on repeating that to breathe. That method is called buccal, called pumping and ram.
Japanese Facts:
- Did you know you could get an entire meal from a vending machine?
- When you go to the washroom the toilet seats warm up.
- The Shinkansen train takes 2 hours minutes to get from Tokyo to Kyoto. A normal train takes 9 hours.
Japan was fun but two weeks was not enough. The department stores were crazy cool. They had everything, from food to electronics. I recommend you go to Japan. I bet you’ll have a lot of fun.
PS: Whoever is reading this, please get me a Nintendo Switch.
Australia
We left Hong Kong via Singapore to Australia excited for warm temperatures and ocean-side beaches. The flight into Gold Coast Airport took on a surreal feeling for a few reasons. One, the weather was incredibly pleasant; two, the South Pacific’s turquoise water enthralled us; and three, the year trip reached a halfway point. Bittersweet for sure!
Australia is a country with lots of sand, beaches, and beautiful coastlines interconnected by fantastic roads from the south to the north. RVing seems to be a national pastime, so we joined in on the tradition. Originally, the plan was to start in Sydney and drive to Cairns, a 2,500-km trip along Australia’s eastern coast. With our recent marathon “road” trip in India still fresh in our memory, we inserted a 2-week beach stay in Lennox Head before starting our RV trip in Brisbane, rather than Sydney, which saved us close to 1,000 km of driving.
Lennox Head
Lennox Head was a bit of an unknown to us. Originally our intention was to stay in Byron Bay for its amazing beaches and surf schools, but we couldn’t find beachfront accommodations and started looking south. Lennox turned out to be a perfect choice. It was a smaller surf town with just enough of what we needed—a grocery store, bottle shop, bookstore, surf shop– and a lot of sand and surf. Our place was on Seven Mile Beach, a quiet beach during the day, popular with surfers and joggers in the mornings and evenings. To us our routine was perfect and lazy: breakfast, swim, school work, lunch, naps, swim, cocktails, dinner. Rinse. Repeat. 😉
An entire house at our disposal was a breath of fresh air compared to the efficient and compact accommodations we had throughout Asia. Each day we’d greet the morning surf from our patio with a Vietnamese coffee while kids slept in. By the time our coffees were finished, one or both kids would straggle out to signal the start of breakfast. Afterwards, our biggest dilemma was deciding to stay at our beach or venture out to surrounding beaches for the day. The evenings were relaxed, either reading on our patio or taking in a board game before bedtime. Monopoly was a favourite of the kids. If they had a choice we would be playing every day and night with the roar of waves behind us.
Other times when the evening sky was clear we would all lounge outside staring at the twinkling stars above us. On one exceptional bright full moon, the evening sky lit up much like you would see during the day, revealing elephants, dragons, planes, puppy dogs, and sail boats in the clouds as they floated by us.
We were very lucky to discover Lennox Head, an amazing beachside community, for our two-week stay. Looking back, we could have stayed an extra month in lovely Lennox Head.
RV
The days spent in Lennox seemed to pass quickly and before we knew it, it was time for our trip north to Brisbane and into our RV home for the next five weeks. We were all curiously nervous and excited to experience living in a moving shoebox on wheels!
Just before picking up the RV, we stayed in Surfer’s Paradise, a town outside of Brisbane. Luckily, our place in Surfer’s provided a spectacular view of the South Pacific to fine tune our itinerary and stock up on anything we might’ve missed. Surfer’s Paradise is a place to visit for a different Australian experience. Alongside the surf and beaches are tall sky-high condos jammed into a small geographical area fronting an ocean. To us, Surfer’s Paradise is a larger Niagara Falls filled with tourist shops and restaurants along a boardwalk. After a short stay we were ready to pick-up the RV.
The RV had just enough room for the four of us! We kept our food supply in the galley kitchen. Sleeping was smartly arranged, with kids up top and us in a fold-out below. Luggage, not that we had much, was stored away in clever storage nooks. It took a little work to figure out the optimal spot for our belongings but managed well with three rules:
- when preparing meals, everyone not helping, out of the RV
- everything had to be put away after use, right away
- most importantly, no tracking sand inside
In addition to ourselves and our luggage we added two boogie boards from Byron Bay, several accumulated water toys from Lennox Head, and four fold-out beach chairs from Brisbane into the RV! We were packed and ready to go. Ahead of us were golden sunsets and sparkling oceans of the Sunshine Coast.
At the start of our RV trip we didn’t pre-book RV parks ahead of time and gambled to go with the flow and choose places exclusively along the ocean based on our migration from south to north. The gamble paid off with us staying at some of the finest beaches in the world.
And so we did with an initial stop in Mooloolaba, just outside of Brisbane, to see one of many amazing sunsets on our five week RV trip.
Mooloolaba
The RV was geared up with fresh food and cold drinks before entering Mooloolaba Beach Holiday Park.
We were assigned a spot behind the beach separated by a wooden fence. Unpacking for the first time was straightforward, hooking up water and electricity. After settling down, we promptly got to business, changed into our swim gear and ran into the ocean. We were greeted by tropical fish! Little ones swimming and quickly dispersing by the time we jumped in. The waves were calm compared to Lennox, but great swimming nonetheless. We love the feeling of salt water on our skin and, six months in, still get excited for swimming in the ocean. We swam for a couple of hours, then back to the RV to prepare dinner as the evening sky started to settle in after a spectacular sunset.
A no-cooking-in-the-RV-kitchen rule was in place to avoid making a mess of the small space we inhabited. Instead, meal preparation and cleanup was done in the park’s kitchen. We read most RV parks have some kind of kitchen facility and, from Agatha’s previous Australian trip, were spotlessly clean and readily available for their guests. So far so good.
That night’s dinner consisted of grilled lamb chops and sweet potatoes – our new Australian staple. The park’s cooking facilities were spotless. We discovered later most guests cooked in their RV kitchens or had their own portable BBQ grill, as everyone had a much larger RV then ours. This worked out well for us.
Later in the evening we read while kids caught up on their homework. At bedtime the RV transformed into sleeping mode. Perched above the front of the RV, kids rolled out their upper bed, assembled their sheets and enjoyed quite time in their “sleeping cave”. Our sleeping area was a traditional foldout murphy bed. The only catch was our bed occupied the entire dining area and, once down, wasn’t going back up until breakfast. Kids seemed eager to get to bed quickly after a full day of driving, sun, and swimming. We sat outside enjoying the evening with sound of waves crashing intermixed with questions peppered at us from inside. After a couple of hours the questions died down and we were ready for bed too!
Lounging at the beach, schoolwork, afternoon trips into town, or visits to the aquarium, made it difficult to leave this great seaside town. The adventures ahead put us back on the road again to our next destination.
Noosa
Noosa North Shore was much more rustic than the stay in Mooloolaba. To get there, you exit the highway bypassing the town of Noosa Head, travel along a local road before a ferry crossing to a remote area far away from gas stations, stores or homes. Noosa North Shore Beachfront Campground sits in front of a deserted beach and is marvellous in every way, completely opposite of Mooloolaba’s ample urban amenities. After selecting the park from our Aussie RV guide, we looked at each other and agreed no turning back. We traded the park’s lack of a camp kitchen for its remote wildness. Sticking to our rule of avoiding our RV’s stovetop, we experimented with microwave cooking. Kids didn’t mind, however, and loved their microwaved meat pie dinners – beef, chicken, and turkey – every night! Our fresh salads became a hit too.
The campsite is rustic on unspoilt land with tea trees and eucalyptus forests separating camp sites around the park. Every time we walked the stone paths, it felt like a day at the spa. The smell of eucalyptus and tea tree in the mornings and evenings was amazing!
In Noosa we saw our first wild kangaroos—mama and baby. It was around dusk when kangaroos ventured out to our site for the first time. We immediately grabbed our cameras to capture the moments with photos and videos. By day two and three they became regular visitors, sometimes coming in pairs, other times in larger groups to feed on the grass. By that time, we had our share of photos and simply enjoyed their presence as they grazed around us.
Staying at Noosa North Shore, as opposed in Noosa Head’s popular town centre, offered serene and unadulterated beauty of the Pacific Ocean—pure bliss for those wanting to see unspoilt Australia. On the other hand, you’re remote. Incredibly remote where no one patrols the beach other than unmanned rescue stations in the event a helicopter rescue is requested. We’ve been to incredibly beautiful and remote areas before and handled ourselves appropriately. Nothing prepared us, however, for what happened next when a valuable lesson on ocean safety was learned.
The kids finished their homework early that afternoon, sunscreen was applied, swimsuits on, and with boogey boards in hand, we all leapt into the ocean for a swim. We’ve done this a hundred times before, jumping into the surf and letting the waves carry us back to shore. Nothing was unusual. We don’t remember which wave took us out when all of a sudden we weren’t moving toward shore anymore and around us the sea bubbled a diluted milky colour. A few seconds earlier our feet were planted firmly in the sand and now they barely touched ground while water lapped above our necks. With each swim stroke forward we were pushed back with equal vigour by unrelenting waves. The ocean waves had their own idea. The waves teamed up with its undercurrent mate to pull us further out, which at this point our legs no longer touched sandy ground. No further proof needed, we were in an ocean riptide – in a remote area with no patrols – and if we needed a rescue no one was on our beach to press the rescue button.
Being in a riptide, without knowing it, feels incredibly stupefying—you’re swimming as hard as you can without seeing results. Rather than moving closer to shore you’re slowly pushed out to sea. You don’t show panic, concern, or anything that might alarm your kids. One instance you’re close together and the next you’re 10-metres, 15-metres, 20-metres apart in what seems like a blink of an eye. At one point, Elliot and Vinh were further out into the ocean and in a blink of an eye Chloe and Agatha were further out.
We assumed luck came to us at the right moment since we must’ve caught a diagonal line away from the rip to allow us to reach sandy floor again. Agatha, however, had a harder time as she got pulled furthest out to sea, after Chloe was able to catch the same line back as the boys. After what seemed like forever, Agatha’s feet caught ground on a sandbar and she walked breathlessly back to shore. Thankful to be on terra firma again and not out in the ocean, we all sat together, stunned and shaken.
As soon as we arrived in Australia we set water safety rules, since we’d be spending almost every day for seven weeks by the ocean. Primarily, kids always had to have their boogie boards with them when in water, we always swam in pairs and no child was allowed to go in water deeper than their stomach without an adult.
At dinner we discussed how our afternoon swim taught us an important lesson and avoided a tragic outcome:
- the kids had their boogie boards with them to help them float;
- we each had one child by us to on;
- kids were always in front of us, always closer to shore;
- not one of us panicked—this could have been the “ignorance is bliss” without realizing we were in a rip current—that saved us
Fraser Island
Back home in Canada when planning our time in Australia, Fraser Island was a top destinations on our list. Part of the draw is the sand island’s remoteness and raw beauty. Recognized as the largest sand island in the world, we planned a two night, three day expedition on the island.
There are many tour operators from fully organized trips on super-sized 4×4-tourist buses to camping outfitters offering island packages. We chose a local tour operator to arrange all vehicle permits, camp sites, equipment, barge passes, and 4×4 high clearance truck for our trip to the island.
Part of the package was to sit through a mandatory 2-hour briefing on vehicle safety and sand driving. The briefing effectively boiled down to two rules: one, drive on the beach only when tides are low; and two, stay within posted speed limits. There is a local police presence to assist visitors on the island, but unfortunately a large part of their time is spent investigating vehicle accidents. The majority of accidents occur when trucks go too fast and careen into deep washouts. Washouts are made from creek water washing out to the ocean creating wide and sometime deep sand cliffs. At high speeds, it’s difficult to judge washout depths from afar.
Supposedly the island has been the driest in two years, making for a very memorable (difficult) driving experience for first-timers like us. In Canada, the closes comparison is driving through two to three feet of fresh snow without slowing down. We didn’t expect how intense interior sand roads could be. At times, we’d wonder how our truck could continue taking on further abuse, but somehow it did. We were told never to stop or slow down along a sandy road but keep plowing through until you reach a turn or compact sand, otherwise the truck would get stuck in sand. Driving through these conditions was full-on white-knuckle driving from beginning to end.
The first stop was crystal clear Lake McKenzie. The lake is surrounded by pure white silica sand resembling Caribbean-like turquoise sea waters, but with fresh water instead. Chloe has been longing for calm crystal waters since Croatia, so this was her paradise (and ours!) We wanted to stay longer, but couldn’t afford to go off schedule at our first stop. If we stayed longer than permitted, high-tide would reclaim 75-miles of beach leaving us stranded until the next morning’s low-tide. We promptly gathered the kids and readied ourselves for a long and bumpy journey ahead.
The first half-hour into our trip went relatively smooth, if you didn’t mind being bounced up and down going over sand ditches, until we hit our first knee deep sand patch. We slowed down when we shouldn’t have, all four wheels spinning and going nowhere fast. Luckily help came quickly. An Australian couple arrived and the husband, who happened to be a rescue driver, quickly diagnosed the problem as having too much tire pressure. We went from 25psi to 15psi and ready to roll again in minutes.
The sandy road meandered through several old-growth forests and took us longer than our itinerary estimated. Just as we started to second guess our directions, we spotted Eurong– the access point onto the beach–and made the last sprint to our campsite! At this point, however, we’re not sure what was more stressful: driving through heaps (our new Aussie word!) of sand or racing to our site before high-tide covered the beach. In the end, we made it—just barely—with only a few feet of sand left before entering the camp entrance! So, so, so relieved to get off the beach and into our camp site salt-free!
Day two was much more relaxing. Driving was permitted between 9:30am to 5:30pm before high-tide, a nice stretch to enjoy the beach and plenty of time to our second camp site for the evening. We drove to Indian Head, situated near the top of Fraser, for an afternoon lunch perched above the beach. Indian Head is a picturesque lookout with so many panoramic vantage points of beach and ocean from high above. Next was Eli Creek. The creek was incredibly clear and refreshingly cool with sufficiently strong currents to carry you to the ocean. After cooling off, we spent a few moments visiting the SS Maheno. A shipwreck crashed ashore in 1935 that’s presently half beached and now a national Fraser Island landmark. We reached our second campsite to cap off another sun-filled day on Fraser.
Note: Fraser Island has no swimmable ocean beaches. The tides are extremely strong with sharks and stingers patrolling the coast to make the water dangerous. Yet the raw beauty of the ocean and powdery soft sand makes the island a remarkable place to visit even with these dangers.
On our final day, as we broke camp after breakfast we got a visit from local wildlife: Fraser dingoes. For a minute we were excited to see wildlife, then quickly realised these were wild animals and shuffled the kids into the truck. Not a minute later, a second dingo arrived to canvass the stove we had yet to pack. That was our signal to jump into the truck too! A dingo closely resembles any domestic dog, which disarmed us until one of them yawned and displayed their sharp K9s. We were more fascinated by them than they were of us and, after not finding any food, trotted away to find something more curious to poke around.
After breakfast the plan was to visit two lakes—Lake Wabby and a second visit to Lake McKenzie – before heading back to Kingfisher for our barge back to mainland. Once packed and clear of dingoes, we drove to the trailhead at Lake Wabby. In front of the trailhead was a big sign warning visitors of an aggressive dingo frequenting the area who wasn’t shy to approach visitors. With our close encounter that morning, it made a 2.5km trek along sand paths and sand dunes quite exhilarating. The day was hot and kids were questioning the existence of this lake quite a few times along the way. After what seemed like hours of endless walking, we finally reached the top crescent and directly below appeared the emerald green waters of Lake Wabby. Without hesitation we dropped our towels, bag and immediately ran down the dunes to dive into the refreshing cold water.
As an aside, when we visited Vietnam/Thailand/Czech there were many beauty parlours with large aquariums full of tiny fish used for pedicures. The idea is small fish nibble away dead skin on your feet leaving them smooth and clean. Well, Lake Wabby was full of these tiny little fish, not only nibbling away at your feet but feasting on your entire body too. It was a banquet for them if you stayed still long enough in the lake. A little squeamish for the kids, but for us, why not? By the end of the swim, both our skin and feet felt rejuvenated and smooth! We said goodbye to the gorgeous beach and drove inland for our second visit to Lake McKenzie.
Driving across the interior felt a little better this time. We cruised over to Lake McKenzie in record time. After spending the afternoon swimming, we gave ourselves ample time to cross the island to KingFisher Bay for an 8:30pm barge departure. The final ascent to the park’s exit onto firm asphalt felt incredibly satisfying and wonderful, not only because we came out with only little bumps, but accomplished something we would’ve never had the opportunity to in Canada. As we drove off the sand grate and switched gears to 2×4 driving feeling like champs, we heard a “whoomph, whoomph, whoomph” sound coming from the rear right side— noooooo, it was a flat tire just as we cleared the threshold!!!
A final memory and parting gift from Fraser Island’s wilderness– a flat tire we were sure to remember . We took this all in stride and had a good laugh over dinner while waiting for our barge back home to the RV.
Whitsundays
Next stop on Australia’s sunshine coast was sailing the magical Whitsundays, 70 islands located along the Great Barrier Reef. We booked a two night, three day package on the Prima, comfortably accommodating 12 people on a 47 foot yacht. We had a great group on board: two couples from London (one on their honeymoon); a couple from Brazil, and two ladies from Sweden. Chloe and Elliot were the only kids on board and provided the entertainment for all.
Clear blue skies were the back drop when we boarded the yacht. The weather was warm with a slight sea breeze coming off the ocean as we set off on our weekend sailing adventure. Not two hours later, the weather drastically changed. Grey clouds and wind rolled in and, after dinner, the sky opened up and rain barreled downed on us. The rain didn’t let up until our third (and final) day, an eerie reminiscence of the monsoon rains of Thailand. Even with inclement weather, everyone had a wonderful time.
Stinger suits were a must for stinger season, from October to May, as contact from a box jellyfish could be lethal if untreated immediately. Even with our suits on, we had a great time swimming in the sandy coves of Whitehaven beach—considered one of top beaches in the world. The powdery white sand hugs the coastline as turquoise water laps its shore. The sand is world-renowned for its silica (aka white and fine like flour!) purity that NASA’s Hubble glass telescope was made from it. Our afternoon spent swimming along the shore alongside mantra rays and lemon sharks made for a memorable visit.
Each snorkelling stop had incredible diversity of fauna and marine life and, once underwater, it didn’t matter if rain was coming down from above. At one location we were immediately surrounded by hundreds of small tropical fish, colourful Maori Wrasse (1-2 metres in length) and Batfish. The kids got the OK to feed the fish and had an up-close-and-personal experience with these massive fish. Another time, we saw several White Bellied Fish Eagles flying above us and a few swooped in to grab food from our skipper. The skipper asked if the kids wanted to try feeding, however, both kids graciously declined.
On our final day, the sun came out again and warmed everyone that morning. The weather cooperated and our skipper opened up all sails to make a picture perfect sail back to port. By that time, everyone on board made new friends and learned a little more about each other. We exchanged emails with a couple from London on their honeymoon. Coincidentally, they’re expats from Rome working and living in London. Once they heard about our trip, our new friends provided a detailed itinerary for our upcoming visit to Rome, including hidden restaurants, sights and a list of local foods to try. Everyone said their goodbyes and continued on their own way. Ours was up north to tropical Cairns.
Bowen
We spent a few days in Bowen. It was hot and humid and too dangerous to swim in the ocean so we spent most of our time in the pool, waterpark or eating fresh fish by the ocean.
Agnes Waters
Our stay in Agnes Waters was one of the most relaxing, so much so we extended five additional days at the Agnes Water Beach Caravan Park. We wanted to enjoy every minute, knowing Agnes Waters was the last swimmable beach before the sub-tropics of Cairns. It also happened to be the last surf beach on the coast (a mild surf compared to either Lennox or Noosa). The kids took surf lessons and were told they were naturals by their instructor.
We made friends with a family from Melbourne that was travelling along the coast of Australia for six months. Their daughter quickly made friends with our kids. They were excited to meet someone else their age. It was endless days of surfing school, swimming and running around the park together, especially evenings when they played ‘spotlight’ with flashlights. We enjoyed our drinks while kids ran around into the late evening.
Mission Beach
Mission Beach was hot! We melted by the time we found a spot at the Beachcomber Coconut Holiday Park. For the first time we second guessed ourselves if we should’ve stayed longer on the more comfortable southern coast. We had our hearts set on visiting Daintree National Park and diving the outer Great Barrier Reef, so up north we continued.
Most of our time in Mission Beach was spent trying to stay cool in the pool, reading in the shade or swimming in the ocean (thankful for stinger nets). The evenings were only slightly cooler and we dreamed of Lennox’s ocean breezes as we melted to sleep. That evening rain came down preventing windows from being fully open. Instead our only source of breeze was from the small electric fan. The fan barely dented the wall of heat and humidity to give us any relief.
Just before we arrived to Mission Beach, two Cassowaries ran across the road—mama and baby – surprising us all. There wasn’t time to take a picture as we were both too stunned to see an endangered animal that we narrowly missed. However, by the time we settled into our RV park, we were greeted by other cassowaries that happen to be regular visitors to the camp kitchens.
The cassowaries, considered endangered in Australia, resemble a cross between an ostrich and a dinosaur. They’re quite tall, measuring up to 2 meters. However funny they look, they’re extremely dangerous and aren’t to be approached. When threatened they’ll retaliate with head-butts and rapid pecks from their beaks. One time while preparing lunch in the camp kitchen, one mama cassowary with two babies in tow, charged at us. We quickly hid our lunch in the fridge and backed away slowly. All was eventually fine and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch after the scare and the birds far away from us.
Outer Great Barrier Reef
After snorkeling the inner Great Barrier Reef at the Whitsundays we were hooked by the colour and allure of marine life found on the world’s largest living organism. This is something we would rediscover again on the outer Great Barrier Reef. We did our research and landed on a company operating exclusively in the outer reefs: Hastings, Saxton and Norman Reefs. Included in the package was a scuba dive (adults only) and awesome snorkeling.
The visit was incredible. The marine life was astounding. The scuba dive was surreal. We felt so lucky to see all of this again, especially the inner and outer reefs during our trip. We knew seeing both reefs would be expensive, conversely we used this as a great learning experience for kids, to exercise financial judgement. As an aside, the kids accepted our sacrifices and understood why we agreed to cut back on a few luxuries to make both reef trips a reality. It was certainly well worth the sacrifices as we came away more appreciative of marine life and surrounding impacts of coral bleaching caused by global warming. The kids took away a few important lessons on how interconnected the world has become by seeing impacts of global warming from Asia to Europe and, now in, Australia.
Daintree Rainforest
Part of visiting northern Australia were the sparkling turquoise waters of Cape Tribulation and the exotic tropical rainforest of Daintree National park. Turns out there weren’t many areas to swim. We spotted only two designated swimming holes available to visitors and other creeks were strictly off-limits due to crocodile habitat. As we were in stinger season, swimming by the ocean was also ruled out. In addition to stingers, it wasn’t safe to swim in areas where fresh water creeks emptied into oceans, since crocodiles frequent these areas as their entry/exit points from mangroves.
This was a very hot (and humid) area of Australia. A place we thought we could survive in a non-air conditioned RV. We didn’t last the three days we reserved for our trip in the northern sub-tropics in PK’s Jungle Village. Choices were limited as many of the RV parks were closed for the season. The name probably should’ve given us a hint how hot it would be, however, being in the oldest rain forest of the world caught our attention. That evening it rained heavily outside which prevented the windows from being open, creating a hot and humid box. After the initial night, the decision was unanimous. We resigned and agreed a second evening was something we wouldn’t want to go through again. We packed up and headed south to Cairns the next day.
Another reason to come back to Cairns early was to swim one last time in the ocean before our Australian trip ended. We back tracked and stopped at a beautiful Ellis Beach Oceanfront Caravan park for one night with our sole purpose to swim one last time before heading back to the city and away from the magnificent coastline.
Cairns
We arrived in the city and checked into the hotel right before another extreme downpour. All of us felt lucky to be in our cool and dry hotel room while the temperature outside, with humidex, was north of 45 degrees Celsius. While it rained outside we repacked our travel bags for our flight to Japan the next day.
Just after we left Cairns for Japan, we heard news of tropical Cyclone Debbie barreling over large swaths of the Gold Coast. The cyclone made landfall at Airlee Beach, the same location we departed recently for the Whitsundays. The deadly cyclone crossed paths with locations where we visited—Airlee Beach, Whitsundays, Bowen and Cairns – just a few days ago. We were thankful for missing the storm and saddened for those impacted by Cyclone Debbie’s devastation. From what we’ve read online, each community came through by helping each other out—the Australian way we imagine as we’ve seen this kindness along our travels.
Our stay in Australia was incredible…
It’s such a gorgeous country with extraordinary spectacular beaches, beautiful coastlines and incredibly friendly and kind people. Part way through Lennox Head we even looked up how to emigrate to Australia. We’ll miss Australia for many reasons, but most of all our evening beach strolls, lunging into the waves to embrace the salty cool ocean, and hearing the surf while relaxing in our backyard. Australians seem to be more relaxed, enjoy life at a slower pace, and are naturally easy-going. Shoes are optional. We plan on returning again to explore the other coast –Western Australia.
We’re welcoming the fresh spring air awaiting us in Japan after a few scorchers from northern Australia. The drive to the airport was bittersweet, more sweet for anticipation of a new country and bitter at our eight-hour flight out of Australia. Kids, however, were more excited for airplane food, airplane loot bags, and Elliot’s was stoked to receive, yet another, airplane blanket!
And so we did. We left the summers of Australia for the springs of Japan, destined to see the world’s greatest Cherry Blossom Festival!
Chloë in Australia
When we arrived in Australia we rented a car and drove to the beach house we were staying at. The beach house had two rooms, one for my brother and I and the other for my mom and dad. Since my parents haven’t cooked for months because we’ve been staying in hotels, we were excited to finally be able to cook our own meals because we had a full kitchen.
From our beach house we had an incredible view of the ocean. We also had a large green yard for water gun fights! On the beach there was lots of washed-up jelly fish. Once I saw a jellyfish that had a thin brown layer on top of it because it was burnt from the sun.
The town we were staying at was called Lennox Head. Lennox Head is a small town with a beach that is very good for surfing (that’s why people call it a surfing town). It also has a really cool lake called Lake Ainsworth. The lake is surrounded by teatree trees and the leaves from the trees in the water make the water a brown colour.
Surfer’s Paradise
After two weeks in Lennox Head we stayed 4 days in a condo in Surfer’s Paradise. Our condo was very nice and had a gorgeous view of the beach. We also had an awesome outdoor pool that was filled with sand and looked like a mini beach.
While in Surfer’s Paradise there was a cool sand sculpting contest happening. It was basically sculptures made of sand. Some were as large at 15 feet. The sand they used is mixed with a little bit of clay, it’s a little bit damp and not as fine as beach sand. Normal beach sand is not good for sculpturing because it’s weathered by water and wind that polishes each grain of sand to be round. Making a sculpture from beach sand is like trying to stack marbles. The sand they use for sculptures is from a quarry and can stick together like a puzzle because each piece is irregular.
Noosa Heads
Noosa Heads was really awesome because it was the first time I saw kangaroos in the wild. When we arrived at our RV park we saw green balls everywhere. At first we thought it was dingo poop, so we got a little scarred. The next day we saw kangaroos and I saw it poop out a little green ball and that’s when we realized it was kangaroo poop!
The kangaroos came every day in the early morning and in the evening, because that’s the coolest part of the day. The kangaroos weren’t scarred of us at all and once I got to feed one.
One time when swimming on the deserted beach in Noosa, we got caught in a riptide. It was very scary and it was also very deep and I couldn’t touch the bottom. I was with my mom and my brother was with my dad. Luckily my brother and I had boogie boards so it was easy for us to float but still difficult to get to shore. All of a sudden I realized we were being pulled from shore and couldn’t touch the ground. When I looked back to shore, I noticed that I was so much further from shore than I was before. That’s when I started getting really scared. Eventually I caught a wave back to shore and everything was ok.
About a riptide
A riptide is current that pulls you away from shore. It happens when a wave goes over sandbars and escapes back in the ocean between them and pulls everything with it. How to escape a riptide is to swim parallel to shore until you no longer feel the current. After that you need to swim or ride the wave back to shore. The thing you absolutely shouldn’t do is to swim against the rip. By swimming against the rip you’re just tiring yourself out and not getting anywhere. Another thing to do is to not panic and stay calm.
Whitsundays
We took a three-day sailing trip to the Whitsundays. The Whitsundays is a group of 70 volcanic islands off the coast of Australia. Our sailing trip was very fun with our captain named Thierry and our hostess named Olivia. They helped us have an awesome sail along the Whitsundays.
When we first got on the boat, Olivia showed us around and explained where everything was. Our boat had a kitchen, four rooms, four bathrooms and one table that transformed into two beds at night.
When we started sailing Thierry told us it would take 2 hours to get to our snorkeling spot. We spent the 2 hours viewing the beautiful scenery from the boat. I also got to steer the boat a couple of times.
Once we arrived to the snorkeling spot, Olivia handed everyone their stinger suit. A stinger suit is basically a wetsuit but made of thinner material. We had to wear them because there may be deadly jellyfish floating in the water. They also double up as sunscreen. Oh and I forgot to tell you, Australians call jellyfish ‘stingers’, so that’s why I’m using that word. After the stinger suits we got our masks on. Usually your googles fog up all the time, so we had to spray them with baby shampoo to keep the mask clear. After all that, we jumped into the water and had fun snorkeling. The reef was amazing. I’m pretty sure that was my first time snorkeling and I had a blast. There was so many colourful fish with beautiful patterns. Some people even saw turtles. The singer suits kept us warm so we can stay longer in the water. After snorkeling we took off our suits off and hung them up to dry.
The next day we went snorkeling and sailed to Whitehaven Beach. Whitehaven Beach is ranked as one of the prettiest beaches in the world. To get to the beach we had a little hike up a mountain. While we were visiting the beach, it rained the entire time, but even in the rain I had a great time. When we arrived I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. The sand was as soft and white as flour and the water was so unbelievably pretty. It was raining so no one brought their suits to the beach, but once we saw how beautiful it was we (my dad!) immediately ran back to get them. When we put our suits on it got really cold because they were damp, but once we got in the water it was so much warmer. At the beach we saw two really cool sea creators. The first was a large group of stingrays. They were splashing around everywhere. The second creature we saw was a shark, but don’t worry it was a Lemon Shark and they’re reef sharks and can’t hurt us.
About Sharks
Sharks live in all of the five earths oceans. Not only do they live in salty water, they also live in fresh water lakes and rivers. A type of shark that lives in rivers is the bull shark. The bull shark is known to travel great distances up the Amazon River. A normal shark diet is small fish and invertebrates. A bigger sharks diet would be larger animas such as seals, sea lions and other marine animals. Most people think that sharks eat humans, but that’s not true. Sharks only attack humans when they’re confused or curious. If a shark sees a human splashing in the water it might go to investigate and that might lead to a shark attack. After all, sharks are more afraid of us than we are of them. Are sharks getting extinct? Yes and it’s because of humans. Humans hunt sharks for their meat, internal organs and much more. They’re also getting extinct because of climate change and getting stuck in fisherman gear. All of this causes 100 million sharks to day every year to die from humans.
Fraser Island
Fraser Island is the biggest sand island in the world! We could not bring our RV on the island because the island is made of sand and only 4×4’s can drive on it. We rented a 4×4 and took an hour ferry to the island. When we got to the island, initially the road was paved but then it turned into sand and got really bumpy! On the first day we planned to visit Lake McKenzie (which is supposed to be a very, very pretty lake) and then go to our campsite.
Once we got to Lake McKenzie, I was so amazed at how beautiful the water was!!! The sand was perfectly white and the water was turquoise! At Lake McKenzie there was a little sand island so we decided to swim to it! After that we swim back to the beach. We stayed at the beach for three hours and then we left .
After that we drove to the our campsite on the beach. Once we got there we put up our tent and had dinner–which was Kraft dinner because we only had a really small stove and one extra bottle of gas. To wash our pots and dishes we went to the ocean, which you can’t swim in because of sharks and deadly jellyfish. At our campsite there were lot of really annoying flies. They were like normal flies but three times larger! They got really annoying and they started landing on our car so my brother and I got our flip flops and started whacking them 🙂 There were at least 1,000 of them and we probably lowered their population by 10%.
Before we got on the island we had a huge talk about dingos and that you shouldn’t feed them because they’re wild animals! Since there are lots of dingos on the island, people told us that while you are at Fraser Island you’ll come across a dingo at least once. When we came across a dingo it was in the morning. Once I saw it I thought it was a dog but when I realized it was a dingo I immediately jumped into the car for shelter. Luckily we already ate our breakfast so the dingos didn’t stay around long because there was no food to eat! While we were on Fraser Island we went to a place called Eli Creek. It’s kind of like the lazy river at Great Wolf Lodge but longer and on Fraser Island. First you have a really relaxing ride along the creek and then you have to fight the current to get back. At one spot in the creek the current is very strong so when you swim you just stay in one spot and it is really fun!!!!!
Mission Beach
We stayed in Mission Beach for two days and good thing because it was very hot! We couldn’t swim in the ocean because they were jellyfish, but luckily the site we are staying at has stinger nets to protect us from the jellyfish. Our RV park also had a pool that we would swim in at least five times a day because it was so uncomfortably hot.
When we first arrived at our campsite we saw a cassowary (which is a big bird that looks like an ostrich) wandering around the campsite so we got really excited and started taking lots of pictures! Later in the day we saw cassowaries at least three more times. One evening while we were eating dinner we saw a cassowary approach us – and mama and baby. Suddenly they started running out of us and I’m pretty sure they wanted our food. My brother and I took our food and hid behind one of the camp stoves. I had no idea what my mom and dad were doing, although my mom was probably taking photos.
Agnes Waters
We stayed in Agnes Waters for five days. During our stay my two highlights were surf lessons and making a new friend.
While in Agnes Waters, I took surf lessons twice but wish I had taken them more often because it was so, so, so fun. I loved riding the waves and it felt so awesome! I met a new friend, named Maddie, at surf lessons because she was taking them too. We surfed together and then found out we were both staying at the same RV park. So we started to play together.
One night Maddie taught my brother and I a game that she made up with her friends. It’s called spotlight and it’s basically like tag. At night the person that is it runs around with a flashlight. If they see anyone, they point the flashlight at them and they’re it. Maddie, my brother and I and sometimes her little sister would play spotlight almost every night and it was so fun!!!
Daintree
One of the last places we visited in Australia was Daintree Forest. Daintree is one of the most northern parts of Australia and we wanted to visit it because it’s the oldest rain forest in the world. It is almost 180,000,000 years old which is tens of millions years older than the Amazon rain forest!
We stayed in Daintree for only one or two days because it was so hot, humid and uncomfortable. At Daintree you couldn’t swim because they were crocodiles and there are only two swimming holes in the entire park and we went to one of them. If you swim in the ocean or the creeks you would probably be eaten by a crocodile. While we were at change really took a crocodile tour. We found the tour online and then found out that our tour was the only tour that was able to have tours on D3 river. The tour guide had been doing these tours for a long time so the crocodiles were used to his boat and you are more likely to see one. There weren’t many crocodiles out in the river because it was the hot season and most of them were hiding in the shade and hard to see. On our tour we saw only one crocodile but it was still really cool!
Australia was one of the longer stays on our trip and it was filled with beauty and adventure. I had an awesome time RVing up to the east coast of Australia, snorkelling on the great barrier reef and meeting a fish the size of me!
Elliot in Australia
To get to Australia, we took a 6 hour plane ride and it didn’t have a TV! I was excited for Australia to hear people say “mate” and see them walking around with surfboards.
When we arrived we had to go to an internet shop to buy a sim card because there was no free wifi, like they did in Asia.
Australia is famous for meat pies and they’re delicious. You really, really, really should try one. I’m not lying. They’re very good!
Lennox Head
When we arrived we rented a car and drove to Lennox Head. We were staying there for two weeks and had a great view of the ocean. In the afternoon we went swimming and saw jellyfish on the beach. They were blue and as big as a balloon. We later found out they were called Blue Bottles.
We bought a couple of boogie boards that were really good quality pro ones. Too bad we couldn’t keep them when we left Australia!
Surfer’s Paradise
We went to Surfer’s Paradise for a few days after Lennox Head and before we picked up our RV. In the afternoon we went for a walk along the boardwalk and saw a sand sculpture competition. I made a head of a knight. We saw the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. The first place winner was a sculpture of Poseidon that had a trident in his hand.
RV
This morning we drove from Surfer’s Paradise to Brisbane to pick up our RV. It took half an hour to get our RV and I have a picture of it in my photo slider. Our RV has two beds at the top where my sister and I slept. At the bottom, there’s a table that slides out and if you put the table away, a bed folds out and that’s where my mom and dad slept. We have one oven, four cabinets and one stove.
Noosa Northshore
When we arrived in Noosa we put up our awning right away because it was so hot! Then we saw little dots of poop everywhere. When we found out it was Kangaroo poop it blew our minds because we thought it was from Dingos.
One afternoon we went swimming and when we tried to go back to shore we couldn’t move! We kept trying to swim back and couldn’t until somehow, what felt like half an hour, we made it to shore. When we got my mom got the idea that we were stuck in a rip tide.
When we stayed at Noosa Northshore we saw a baby and mama kangaroo at our campsite. And we saw them every day! My sister and I fed the kangaroo and they have crazy big feet. Did you know a kangaroo can stand up just on their tail?
Fraser Island
We rented a 4WD jeep named Tilley and it was the colour of the Italian flag. First we took a ferry that took 45minutes to cross to the island. When we first started driving it was very bumpy.
On the way to our campsite we stopped off at Lake McKenzie. The water was so, so crystal clear and the sand was like flour! After Lake McKenzie the road was flatter. When the tide is high you can’t drive on the beach because you might get swept into the water by the current. When we got to our campsite, we put our tent up. For dinner we had Kraft Dinner.
The next morning, when we were packing up our campsite and putting our pots away, two dingo approached us. They stayed at our site for only for a few minutes then went to another site and zoomed away.
We also visited Lake Wabby and we took this exhausting walk to get there. It was 2.5 km in the hot, hot sun rays. The total walk was 5km in the heat. When we got to the lake there were many sand dunes. Some people run down the sand dunes right into the water and for some reason I did that too!
Whitsundays
We went on this cool overnight boat. Well it’s a sailboat and I got to steer the sailboat for a bit. When we stopped we went snorkelling and saw all kinds of fish. We were so close to the coral I could almost touch it. Sorry forgot to tell you, we had to wear stinger suits to protect us from the deadly jellyfish stings. After we finished snorkelling we had nachos as a snack.
The next day it was raining, but we still got our wetsuits on and went snorkelling. We saw these fish that were literally as big as me. The ocean was very wavy when we got out. Then we sailed to our overnight stop.
The third day we went to Whitehaven beach. When we were walking to the beach we saw this little leaf nest. They’re actually made of ant saliva, stuck together. When we got to the beach we forgot our stinger suits, so my dad had to run back to the boat to get them.
Agnes Waters
We took surf lessons and it was kinda simple, I guess…except for getting wacked in the head by a surfboard coming full speed towards me.
“I’m your coach for surf lessons today. Are you ready? Boards down and paddle, paddle, paddle. Then push up and start to stand up on your board. Now let’s go in the water. Whoever is reading this, you’re a natural. If you fall down on your back, fall down like a starfish. Now go!”
Mission Beach
On the way to our campsite in Mission Beach a Cassowary ran across the road. When we got there we unpacked in the hot sun. Then we jumped into the ocean to cool off! It had a singer net to protect us from the deadly jellyfish…so we were basically swimming in a box. Then we ate lunch. Oh I forgot to tell you…most of the campsites have a camp kitchen with tables, so we ate lunch there. While we were having lunch a baby and mommy cassowary started running at us because we had food. Then they stopped, turned the other direction and, for some reason, started kicking the motor boat that was parked outside.
Great Barrier Reef
We went on a day trip to the reef. We went snorkelling twice. There weren’t as many fish as in the Whitsundays. We saw a swarm of fish around us. The company was suppose to be famous for their bacon and egg breakfast sandwich.
Jellyfish facts
When you hit a jellyfish it breaks a little capsule and shoots out poison like a harpoon into your skin.
There are 200 types of jellyfish and only three types are deadly and they all live in Australia.
Jellyfish are 95% water, so if you’re swimming in the water they’ll only come towards you if the current pushes them that way.
Daintree
We went to Daintree and passed little villages along the way. We stopped at an observatory along the way. When we finally got there we parked our RV and it was so hot we went to a swimming hole to refresh. The water was freezing but felt good. We couldn’t swim in the ocean because it was filled with stingers and crocodiles. When we were leaving we saw a sign that said “There’s no crocodiles in the water, we put them in our burgers”.
Then we ate lunch and dinner.
The next day we went on this crocodile cruise. For the first two hours we didn’t see anything. Then we saw a crocodile’s eyes that was so hard to see! $20 for just a pair of eyes?! I can go online and search that.
Australian facts: Did you know?
- Did you know that the Australian 50 cent is as heavy as a hummingbird?!
- Most Australians walk in grocery stores, banks and shops without a t-shirt or shoes. They walk barefoot everywhere.
- When you’re swimming in the Great Barrier Reef you need a stinger suit.
- Surfing is 80% paddling
- They say: “hey mate”, “how you doing”, “good on you” and “cheers”
Australia was fun, minus the heat. We loved Lennox Head so much we were thinking of moving there. I recommend going there. Bring some water guns to make it even more fun!
Hong Kong
Leaving Vietnam was bittersweet as it signalled the finale of the Asia leg of our trip. We’ve been travelling through Asia for the past five months–arriving in India mid-October, travelled from south to north, then to Nepal for the Everest Base Camp trek, got drenched by Monsoons of Thailand and dried ourselves off in Vietnam’s sunshine. It was now the end of January and before heading to Australia to work on the other side of our tan, we wanted a stop in Hong Kong to celebrate Chinese New Year 2017! We’ve heard and read many stories of epic celebrations and wanted to see and experience this ourselves. We scheduled three days in Hong Kong to take in festivities to welcome the year of the Rooster.
Arriving on the eve of Chinese New Year, we checked into our hotel in Kowloon, unpacked and found a dinner spot. The restaurant was close to our hotel and we arrived just in time for the last seating. The place is known famously across Hong Kong for their Peking duck, so that’s exactly what we ordered to complement our Chinese New Year’s eve dinner.
On new year’s day, we wanted to commemorate our adventures to date and begin our new year on a good foot by hiking the scenic Dragon’s Back trail along Hong Kong Island’s coastal side. From Kowloon, we took Hong Kong’s Star Ferry and then a bus to our starting point. We didn’t expect crowds being New Year’s day, however, there were quite a few like-minded people enjoying a hike too. It turns out to be auspicious to start the new year with a hike. The expansive views as we hiked allowed us to see across Victoria Harbour and the South China Sea.
The hike lasted two hours, not too strenuous, with opportunity to see a side of Hong Kong not many people associate with this large densely populated metropolis. After some time on Nepal’s EBC, the hike along Dragon’s Back was welcomed by us. We hiked through lush greenery while breathing in the salty sea air, spent time daydreaming out onto the sparkling sea and took more photos than needed of the beautiful coastal beaches as we meandered to the finish of Dragon’s Back. The kids were famished by the end and wanted to get a hold of a steam bun!
That evening we wanted to be in the thick of the excitement for Hong Kong’s extremely popular Chinese New Year’s parade in Kowloon. Held annually, the parade route stretches from Victoria Harbour and up along Tsim Sha Tsui to the centre of town. Locals and tourist alike start jockeying for prime spots hours before the official start time. Even an hour before the parade starts, finding a spot three feet deep would be fortunate. Luckily for us, we squeezed ourselves into a tight spot and, with help of people around, the kids managed their way out front for a prime view. Fortunately, our spot afforded us a great view of a massive screen to preview upcoming floats which allowed us to watch the last half of the parade. By the time the last of the floats reached us, both kids were ready to go. With a big hike and a busy parade that day, we finished our night with a feast at a lovely authentic street-side restaurant before walking back to the hotel. We were all zonked and looking forward to our comfy beds.
The Monday of Chinese New Year weekend, there’s the annual fireworks display over Victoria Harbour. The firewok’s dazzling pyrotechnics are reflected off the sky-high gleaming towers surrounding the harbour . Getting a front row spot requires a pre-booked dinner seating or a hotel room with harbour view – both we found needed to be reserved well in advance. The kids, however, ended up making small talk with Julian (the hotel manager) the previous day and bumped into him again chatting up difficulties of finding a spot at any hotel or restaurant to view the fireworks. Their new friend showed genuine interest in their concern and asked how they would like to spend the evening in a prime spot to see fireworks? Both kids immediately got excited when they learned they’ve been invited to their club lounge with panoramic views of the harbour (and didn’t have to stand outside in the crowded streets especially after our many outdoor adventures!) And so we did…spend a wonderful evening with an open bar of treats and drinks where we viewed the spectacular Chinese New Year fireworks.
Being in Hong Kong to see and experience the most famous Chinese New Year festivities in the world was a wonderful treat and something we would remember annually as we continue to celebrate each year. Making new friends, seeing different cultures and enjoying a variety of foods were all met again in Hong Kong. With the help of the children’s new friend, Julian, Hong Kong capped a wonderful tour of Asia for us. Up next is Australia, but before reaching our destination, we had a 24-hour layover in the city/state of Singapore! While Singapore was a short layover, it was a place where Elliot’s mystical creatures came to life. More to that in the slider.
We’re onto Australia next to soak up the sun and work on our tans – a breather in Lennox Head and then RVing up the sunshine coast of New South Wales and Queensland.
Elliot in Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a short stay for only 3 days. Then Singapore, then Australia. Hong Kong is the biggest place to celebrate Chinese New Year and so we did!
We celebrated Chinese New Year and for dinner we went to this fancy place. The main dish they sell is Peking duck. The entire place was full and there was only one place for us.
At our hotel they did a dragon dance to welcome the new year and bring good luck.
These are some things you are suppose to do on Chinese New Year. On Chinese New Year you wear tighty whities (but they’re red!), pray at a temple, don’t wash your hair on the first day, no cleaning on the first and second day so you don’t clean away the good luck and no crying. Chinese peeps believe if the Chinese New Year day is bad, the whole year is bad. Eating lucky food increased luck in the next year. 2017 is the year of the rooster.
The manager of our hotels was Julian and he was so, so nice. He gave us two red stuffie roosters and a super suite with a view to watch the fireworks over Victoria Harbour. It was pretty cool.
After Hong Kong we stopped in Singapore for 24 hours before flying to Australia. We spent some time in Singapore Zoo that’s suppose to be very famous. The lines were so long, but we got our tickets online so we didn’t have to wait. Here are some photos of what I saw at the zoo:
Chloë in Hong Kong
We spent Chinese New Year’s in Hong Kong because supposedly it’s the best place to celebrate the lunar new year.
On Chinese New Year our hotel organized a dragon dance to bring good luck to the new year and everyone in the hotel. There was also a fireworks display in the city and we had an amazing view of it from the top floor of our hotel. From the top floor you can see a huge crowd of people on the street gathered to watch the fireworks. If we weren’t at our hotel we would have been down there with all those people! 🙂
The night before the fireworks there was a parade! I didn’t really like the parade because first of all it was really crowded and second of all we were at the end of the parade route so it took forever for it to come our way (we waited at least one hour!).
Chinese New Year is one of the most important traditional festivals in the world and one of the most important celebrations for Chinese families. The main reasons families celebrate Chinese New Year are to work, have a good rest and relax with the family and to wish for a lucky and prosperous coming year.
Chinese New Year is a time to celebrate and spend time with the family. On New Year’s eve the entire family comes together and has a dinner that is called the reunion dinner. This dinner is believed to be the most important meal of the year.
During Chinese New Year, streets, building and houses are decorated with the lucky colour red. Red is the main colour of the festival. It is believed to bring good luck to the new year.
The main traditions for Chinese New Year are eating dinner with the family, giving red envelopes with money to family and friends, lighting fire crackers, wearing new clothes and decorations for the home.
Each year there is a new zodiac animal. 2017 is the year of the rooster.
After Hong Kong we were travelling to Australia, with a 24 hour layover in Singapore. We spent the day visiting the Singapore Zoo, admiring the supertrees at Gardens by the Bay and eating burgers at midnight!
Vietnam
We spent five weeks in Vietnam exploring the Mekong River, lounging on powder-white sand, meditating in the mountains and sailing in Halong Bay. Travelling from the south, through the centre and onwards to the north, on each leg of our journey we wanted to enjoy the culture, food and meeting like-minded people.
By the time the plane touched down in Ho Chi Minh City (previously known as Saigon), we were ready to ramp up our sunshine quota after Thailand’s monsoon. The plane landed at dusk, we breezed through customs, found our taxi and were out of the terminal with minimal hassle. As an aside, immediately arriving in Vietnam we felt a different vibe, more so than any other country we’ve been to so far. From customs officials in their communist-era uniform adorn with hammer and sickle to security officers in military green attire greeting us from their boxy white sanitize arrival hall, it was a clear reminder to everyone you’re entering the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. As we moved out of the terminal, however, our taxi passed sky high glass buildings, commercial storefronts and modern architecture that would fit in any large Canadian city, lining both sides of a six lane streets. Vehicle traffic mixed with scooters, some on sidewalks, zipping past us made our entry to Vietnam a very surreal experience.
The first evening in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was simply to acclimatize back to urban life. As in Thailand, our street food adventures would continue, however, this evening we leaned on our concierge’s advice to spend an enjoyable dinner popular with expats in district 1 of HCMC. After dinner, we meandered slowly back to our hotel as the street started to come alive with people, illuminating the night life in Vietnam’s largest city.
Mekong
Cai Rang market is one of the largest commercial areas in southern Vietnam, with all trade exchanged in the centre of the Mekong River. We were interested in a personal, private and slightly off the beaten track introduction. In our earlier research, we’ve read of various large packaged bus tours for Cai Rang – they advertised “Mekong in a day!”. The tour buses all arrive together in the early morning and leave together by the afternoon. There was more we wanted to see and settled on an intimate experience (as much as possible). We researched and finally settled on a local one-woman tour company who would be able to show us a sliver of Mekong river life.
Susan, our tour guide, was waiting for us at the local bus terminal when we pulled in. After a quick lunch we made our way to the riverside where a little wooden boat was there to take us to our first journey: grocery shopping! Before we departed, she handed each of us the iconic Vietnamese Non La hats to shield from the coming afternoon sun.
We enjoyed seeing Mekong day-to-day life from our small boat. It was just perfect for our family. Along the way we explored a fruit nursery, visited a Laos Buddhist monastery and saw a working rice-paddy farm. Our last destination was her home (a first homestay for us) where we spent an evening together with her family. She prepared a fantastic dinner with groceries we picked up earlier in the day. Dinner was delicious, full of traditional Vietnamese flavors and spices. It happened to be Vinh’s birthday and Susan arranged for a surprise cake with candles and party hats and all! After dinner, we settled into our bedrooms and were surprised to see (and feel) the wall air conditioners operating. A definite luxury as the day was both hot and humid!
Cai Rang’s floating market peaks at 7:00am which required a 5:00am morning wakeup. Susan got us onto a traditional long boat that guided us along the river. Our first stop was breakfast–wonderful Vietnamese coffee from one boat and freshly made delicious noodle soup from another – before seeing the floating market’s commercial trade. Near the end of Cai Rang Market, we enjoyed fresh cut pineapple at the top of a pineapple trader’s boat which happen to make for a perfect photo opportunity of the entire floating market.
Ho Chi Minh City
We were back in HCMC for a week of sights and sounds of a metropolis again. Even though we’ve been through several Asian cities—Bangkok, Delhi, Bangalore, Kathmandu—HCMC had its own fresh vibe. The significant difference noticed right away was the number of scooters that outnumbered cars significantly—and, surprisingly, everyone wore a helmet, not voluntarily of course (apparently a city helmet bylaw was passed fining non-compliance riders with huge penalties).
A beautiful city, HCMC has strong remnants from past French colonisation leaving it with gorgeous architecture, crispy banquettes, fresh beer and bold aromatic coffee. After travelling through Asia for more than two months enduring “coffees” of the instant variety, fresh roasted ground coffee was a welcome change. Vietnam is known for their Robusta coffee blend and a top commodity export, second largest behind Brazil. Starbucks and its equivalent large chain coffee shops were visible throughout the city, but more interesting were the multitude of independent coffee shops and bean roasters. We visited many shops and was difficult to limit the number of Vietnamese café da (made from coarse dark Robusta beans, condensed milk and ice) in a day. We settled on 2 cups a day (in addition to our morning coffees) as an afternoon and early evening treat.
One part of the trip was to see Vietnam and how the country rebuilt itself from their recent war with America. Showing kids first hand impacts of a war and its collateral damage to a country and people would be a good lesson in humility. The kids really got an up close and personal lesson when we visited the Cu Chi tunnels just north HCMC. The day prior to visiting the tunnels, we spent an afternoon in HCMC’s War Museum for a brief Vietnam history lesson – from the “other” perspective. After the museum visit, kids were eager to learn more that we watched documentaries on the internet to11:30pm that evening. After doing our homework, we were ready to visit Cu Chi tunnels war memorial park the next day.
Amazed by the Viet Cong’s determination and ingenuity to create such elaborate underground maze networks. The tunnels, built using simple farming tools, showed a glimpse of their determination and solidarity in their battle against the United States. The tunnels took close to 20 years to build. Some parts of the tunnel network were so extensive, certain sections reached into neighbouring Cambodia. Our guide jokingly asking if we wanted to travel to Cambodia. We would’ve until after 100-feet into the tunnel we had to stop as the air got damp, movement was by hands and knees, and claustrophobia started to set in. After backing out and into fresh air outside, we learned some Viet Congs would live in the tunnels without seeing sunlight for months. The day was a definite eye-opener for us and the kids. We left with a slightly better understanding of war in general.
Phan Tiet
After a 5-hour bus ride, we finally arrived at our next accommodations–a beach homestay. We weren’t sure what to expect as we made this booking almost one year ago. The place advertised itself as a mini eco-resort homestay for up to five different families/couples. We expected rustic but weren’t sure what this meant in Vietnam. Instead, we received a simple room with a large bathroom and a front patio overlooking the ocean. The place was indeed rustic, but very tastefully decorated and had amenities for a comfortable stay.
The open-air communal dining area was eclectic chic with gorgeous painted flower pots accenting tables and lights to make it quaint and perfect. The food was an incredible highlight. The meals a fusion of Vietnamese and western entrees greeted us each day. Situated right by the ocean, fresh seafood was a regular menu staple—grilled fish, squid and shellfish — all plates cleaned without a fuss.
The food alone would have been a highlight, until we saw their beach the following day. Made of fine white sand, stretching for miles both ways. Other than the local fishermen, who were out of the water by 9am, we had the beach to ourselves.
Our breakfast was taken on open-air tables, then off to the beach covered in sunscreen. After a few hours of morning sun, sand, and ocean swims we were back to our covered porch for kids’ school work. By the time kids were done, lunch was ready. Then free time and more school work followed by afternoon beach swims or walks and a power nap before dinner. Rinse and repeat for the next 5 days. It was perfect and exactly satisfied our beach stay.
After 5 lovely days turning into beach bums, we drove inland to the mountain town of Dalat for a few solitary days at a yoga retreat to ring in the new year. What a shock to go from lazy mornings drinking coffee on an oceanfront porch to meditation classes before the break of dawn. But as they say, everything happens for a reason. We spent five days at a classical yoga ashram. 5:30am wakeup, followed by four hours of asanas, one hour of meditation, two hours of kirtan. Everyday. The rooms were basic and meals simple. We happened to be there on New Year’s eve and celebrated (sans any alcohol or indulgent food) with meditation, traditional dancing and music with new found friends and yogis to bid adieu to 2016! The yoga group chanted mantras as the clock struck midnight to welcome 2017. This turned out to be a most special experience, reflecting on 2016 and welcoming 2017 as a family.
Victoria
After our yoga experience in the mountains of Dalat, we were ready for more beach vistas. Four spots were reserved on a sleeper bus to takes us to our next destination. We think a sleeper bus is the best invention ever, a bus where you’re fully reclined (narrow of course with just enough horizontal space to stretch to enjoy a nap or read) over long distance travel, in our case, a 5-hour ride to the seaside town of Mui Ne. We spent two wonderful weeks in an ocean-front villa overlooking the South China Sea. No need for pools as we swam each day in our ocean playground, did school work and ate far more than we intended too.
Hoi An
Next was the former bustling port city of Hoi An, often mentioned as a must-visit city in Vietnam by travellers. We knew it would be beautiful and dedicated 10 days to this UNESCO heritage town. The old quarters was connected by cobble stone roads lined with historical buildings and the Thu Bon river as a backdrop. Hoi An happens to be the culinary and tailor capital of Vietnam. The perfect combo of food and fashion—bespoke clothes could be tailored as waist size grew.
Getting around by bike made a very enjoyable way to see its many neighbourhoods spread across several bridge-connected islands. Our hotel provided bicycles to their guest, but lacked children sizes. The kids were relegated to the back saddle of our bikes. Our self-guided tours became exotic adventures where our paths took us from bustling busy streets to expansive desert roads, tropical farming villages, cemeteries, eroded beaches, country-side rice paddies, and many more Hoi An food emporiums.
After two weeks of biking daily, complimented by our very own taster menu tour of the city, it was time to say goodbye to this wonderful town. We got on an airplane to our next destination.
Halong Bay
Halong Bay was always a destination we wanted to visit, but we weren’t sure the best way to experience it. Sailing on a junk boat in Halong Bay was certainty the typical thing to do, something we were hesitant at first. It didn’t help as the number of tour operators in this region all provided the same “2D1N” or “3D2N” (D as in day and N as in night) packages. After some researching, we decided to go with the classic Indiochina junk boat company. We booked a two day, one-night cruise on their Dragon Legend boat, one of their newest boats that went out to remote Bai Tu Long Bay.
We boarded their Junk Boat and after a welcome drink checked into our rooms. Initially, an interconnecting room was requested. This was somehow missed in translation and individual rooms next to each other had been arranged instead. Kids loved the idea and so did we! There were no rooms available to make a last minute change, so that’s how it had to be. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Kids had their space and we had ours.
Halong Bay, known as the Bay of the Descending Dragon in the Golf of Tonkin, is surrounded by more than 3,000+ limestone islands, speckled with small floating villages, deserted sandy coves and hidden caves. Traveling on a classic junk boat made our two days magical, as we traversed across one of the natural wonders of the world sites. Our time in Halong Bay was certainty enjoyable, a definite must see and became one of the most memorable tours we been on so far.
Our departure city from Vietnam was Hanoi, but prior to going there, we stopped in Hai Phong—the place where Vinh was born. We visited the area and enjoyed a bowl of noodle soup to mark the occasion. The area changed a lot, even according to those who grew up there from the 1970s. Many of the smaller apartments and houses are now gone today, gentrified by large modern buildings and skyscrapers in its former place.
We enjoyed Vietnam from south to north, the country’s multitude of ethnic flavours each accented by different parts of the country. We noticed various remnants of the war, while at the same time, saw the country progress towards an entrepreneur climate. This was most evident in Hai Phong, which was a small fishing town in 1975 but now a bustling metropolis of 1.8 million inhabitants trading in commerce. We will always remember Vietnam mainly for the cultural experiences and wonderful food, but a close second was the beer, coffee beans and best buildings, as told by one of our local guides.
After five weeks replenishing our sunshine quota, we were ready for Chinese New Year in the epicentre of all places in the world–Hong Kong. Nervous and excited, we boarded our plane to our next adventure – and so we did.
PS: Food, food, glorious food. There was so much goodness we had to dedicate an entire slider to food in Vietnam.
Chloë in Vietnam
Vietnam is a country located in south-east Asia on the South China Sea. We travelled through Vietnam for five weeks, starting in the south and ending in the north. The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi, which is the second largest city by population. Vietnam is famous for many dishes, including Pho. Pho is a noodle soup you can have with beef or chicken (I prefer beef).
Cu Chi Tunnels
During the Vietnam War, Viet Cong used tunnels to hide and sneak up on the enemy. The tunnels were only 2 feel tall and 2 feel wide. The tunnels were also used to get places without the enemy seeing them. It took 20 years to build the tunnels and the Vietcong’s only used a hoe to dig. The ground was hard as a rock so it took a very long time to build. Luckily the Viet Cong’s didn’t have to worry about the tunnels collapsing because the ground is so hard. The earth that the Vietcong’s dug from the tunnels was used to fill up bomb craters. If someone got hurt they’d have to take the injured solider through the tunnels to get to the hospital. Since the tunnels are so small the soldiers would have to push or pull the injured solider through the tunnels to get to the hospital.
Hoi An
Hoi An is located in central Vietnam along the Thu Bon river. Hoi An is famous for lanterns, tailors and food. At night the streets of Hoi An are lit up with beautiful and colourful lanterns. While we were in Hoi An my brother and I when to a lantern making class. To make a lantern, first you need to make or buy the frame for the lantern. At our class we didn’t make the frame because it would have taken one day and most of the frames are made in factories. After you have a frame you need to choose a fabric to glue around the frame. Once you glue the fabric you can tie ribbons on the bottom of the lanterns to make tassels. When you’re done that, you’re pretty much done your lantern!
At our hotel you could rent bikes to bike around the city. Unfortunately our hotel didn’t have kids’ bikes for my brother and me so we only rented two bikes for my mom and dad. Luckily the bikes had an extra seat at the back of the bike so my brother and I sat on the back. We biked to many places including a vegetable garden, a rice plantation and a boat factory. We also biked to an eroded beach called Cu Dai Beach. Since the beach was heavily eroded you couldn’t see any sand, just water crashing against a retaining wall. While we were biking along Cu Dai Beach we came across a resort that was destroyed by the erosion. Half of the resort is now a pile of concrete and garbage, while the other half is an abandoned resort. On the broken side you could see items that you would find in typical hotel room like bathtubs, sinks and beds. Cu Dai Beach use to be one of the most popular beaches in Vietnam, but since the erosion, it’s completely abandoned.
My Son
While in Vietnam we visited the My Son Temple. My Son is an area in the jungle with lots of Hindu temples. The Hindu temples are 1,200 years old and still standing. Most of the temples were destroyed during the Vietnam War by the US air force dropping bombs. When you walk around My Son you can see lots of bomb craters from the war. When the French lost the war in Vietnam, they chopped off some of the statue heads and took them back to their country. Right now you can find the heads in the Louvre in Paris and the bodies in My Son. Near the temples there’s a large mountain. The bricks used to build the temple were made from the sand from this mountain. The bricks were stuck together by a glue made from tree resin and brick powder. After the temple was built they made a huge fire around the temple to heat the bricks to make sure they stick together. While visiting My Son we had a guide that explained lots of information about the temples. The temples were very interesting and you could even enter some of them.
Shivananda Yoga Ashram, Dalat
In Vietnam we stayed in a yoga resort for five days, including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. At the yoga retreat we had a very full schedule. We woke up at 5:30am and went to bed at 10:00pm We had 2 yoga classes a day. One in the morning and another at night. We also had this thing called chanting. Chanting was held for an hour and everyone sat on cushions and we chanted. At the resort we stayed in simple cabins with a washroom and beds. Dalat is a cold part of Vietnam and our room didn’t have heat so it was very cold. The meals were vegetarian with no desert!!! The meals were served on a typical Indian thali and a bowl for soup.
On New Year’s eve we stayed up until midnight, had a talent show, drank hot chocolate and had brownies (that was the only time you were allowed to have treats at the yoga resort!).
I had an amazing time in Vietnam trying many delicious dishes and making beautiful lanterns. Vietnam is a beautiful country that I recommend everyone should visit!
Elliot in Vietnam
From Thailand I was especially excited for the noodle soup and the good food in Vietnam. I miss Thailand a little, but I’m excited for the Vietnamese Pho…for 5 weeks! Yay!
Floating Market
Just after we arrived in Vietnam we went on a trip to visit the floating market. It wasn’t so cool at first but then when you move a little farther in there was like 300 thousand billion trillion hundred boats. There was even a gas station and convenience store on a boat. Some people never even step on land and just live on their boat. They sell a whole variety of fruits and veggies. Because you’re on a boat and can’t see all the fruits from below, they put a big, big bamboo stick and tie the fruit they’re selling onto their stick. For breakfast we had Pho (noodle soup). When you’re eating they tie this ginormous knot to your boat so you can’t swim away with their bowl. They literally chop everything up and make all the noodles on the boat.
Chu Chi Tunnels
As a day trip from Saigon we went to visit the Chu Chi Tunnels. It was cool. The tunnels were very strong made from a hoe and bamboo basket. They filled their baskets with dirt from digging the tunnels and then used the dirt to fill the landmines from the bombs dropped by the US. They beat the US. Hurray! In the tunnels they were able to travel from one spot to another and not get hit by a bomb. The US troops couldn’t fit in the tunnels because they were too big. The Vietnamese fit because they were kind of skinny J. The US used dogs to attack the Vietnamese in the tunnels.
Phan Thiet
We went to homestay at night. When we got there we put our bags down and had Christmas dinner. The next day we woke up and the place looked different. At breakfast we didn’t have cereal or pancakes. I don’t know the name of it, but it was good. Then we visited the beach. It was deserted. Literally nobody was there except up! The sand was like flour and sometimes you could find quicksand.
Then we had lunch. It was so good, but I do not know the name again.
Dalat
We went on a 4-hour bus ride to Dalat. In Dalat we went to a yoga retreat. The place was strict. We had two hours for yoga, then 1.5 hours of chanting, then we learned about yoga life. It’s basically school, but learning yoga. Then 1.5 hour break, then lunch. Of forgot to tell you, for breakfast we had tea, then another class of yoga and then dinner. For dinner we could only have veggies. After dinner, they don’t have dessert…what, what?!?!? After that we had satsang, which is basically chanting, for an hour. Then we went to bed at 10pm. Then we did the same thing every day. Argh, it was so boooooooorrrrrriiiinnnnnggggggggg.
Yoga tips so you live longer:
- Only sleep for 7 hours. If you sleep longer you get lazy.
- Medicate ½ hour minimum
- Nose breathing ½ hour per day
- Bedtime should be 10pm
- The ocean gives you prana (prana is life force)
PS: I never do this, I just wanted to add this to make my blog longer. It’s so boring, I can’t even do it for 10 minutes.
In Dalat we went on a rollercoaster thing. It was so cool because we were going through the woods and it wasn’t so long. At the end was a waterfall that was ginormous, literally. Then we walked around these steps and the railing was carved like bamboo, but it was actually cement. For a second, I thought it was real bamboo. On the way up we took another rollercoaster.
Hoi An
Today we took a 1.5 hour flight. When we got there we took a taxi to our hotel. When we got there we ate at a restaurant called Morning Glory and guess what, they didn’t have any morning glory! But it was still sooo good. Then we explored the city and that night there was a lantern festival. Lanterns were everywhere. When we were walking back the streets were flooded. The next day we went on a bike ride and I sat on the back of my mom’s bike. We biked 45km that day. It was crazy. I’m not lying. I pinky promise and don’t have my fingers crossed. After that I had two noodle soups and that was my favourite we had in Hoi An.
The next day we went to a lantern making place. We used this special glue to make the lanterns. I bought a stuffed pig and his is Mr. Scrufflot.
Vietnam was fun and at first I thought the floating marketing was a little normal, but it was so cool! I ate noodle soup on a boat…mind blowing! And I can’t believe that breakfast, lunch and dinner for four people was five dollars! I will miss all the great Pho but looking forward to continuing my adventure in Hong Kong.
Halong Bay
We went on an overnight boat along Halong Bay. If you don’t know what it is basically like island with water everywhere. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One island looked like a humpback whale. For dinner they made these fancy carvings from carrots and vegetables that looked like dragons. I tried one. Then I learned it was glued together and you shouldn’t eat it.
The next day we went to visit these caves on one of the islands. The caves were pretty cool with stalagmites and stalactites. That afternoon we when back and drive to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.
Thailand
After Nepal, the next country would be a place to recharge our batteries. Key requirements on our list were tropical climate, gorgeous beaches, laid back vibe and wonderful fresh food. This part of our adventure was simply to relax on a beach and soak up sunshine after the cold of EBC. Thailand was naturally the first place to come up in our research.
Thailand is a country of gorgeous scenery from jungles of the north to emerald islands (Kohs) of the south. Relaxing on the beach appealed more to us than jungle trekking. And so we did our research to find the perfect Koh for us. Thailand’s Kohs offer a wide spectrum of accommodations to tourists from isolated eco resorts to heavily trafficked backpacker’s hostels to high-end boutique hotels.
The hotel we chose sits on their own private beach, surrounded by seaside and jungle villas and in close proximity to a small village. Perfect! Being so close to a local community allowed us to see a bit of Thai culture which we wouldn’t if we stayed exclusively on the resort.
The hotel was located on Koh Phangan, an island on the eastern edge of the Gulf of Thailand. Coincidentally, it’s home to the original Full Moon parties of Thailand. Thankfully, our resort was on the opposite end of the island from where these parties are held, providing us enough distance to enjoy ourselves on the beach without the crowds. So we thought. Shortly after we checked into our villa, a late and unexpected powerful monsoon swept across all of southern Thailand. By the second evening, monsoon rains started deluging us continuously and didn’t let up until three days before our departure—that’s 10 days of rain. Every. Single. Day.
The unprecedented rain caused flooding across all of southern Thailand with hard hit areas in Koh Phangan (where we stayed a main highway was washed away causing power and telecom outages to the entire area including the village and our resort) and Koh Samui’s downtown quarters underneath a few metres of water. Normally hotels and businesses would be preparing for the start of tourist season in dry and sunny weather, instead everyone was trying to keep the rain out while trying to invite the few tourists that remained into their shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, a few businesses had to close down completely due to lack of tourists.
There was no problem keeping ourselves occupied through unrelenting rain, thunder, wind, and lighting storms that filled each day’s forecast. From swimming laps in our pool (rain or shine our kids were always up for a dip), evening movies, or dropping into the resort’s packed activity schedule of Muay Thai, Yoga and Pilates (we did all!). Even monsoon rains and wind couldn’t hold us down from venturing off our resort to explore the village. By the time we got back to our villa one of our umbrellas was flipped inside out at least once, our clothing completely soaked and stomachs full of Thai goodness.
One of our friends mentioned they spoiled themselves with wonderful Thai massages each day of their honeymoon. We shortly adopted that into our schedule. The Thai massages were so good that we continued to enjoyed every minute of them—every day—to make up for the weather. Initially kids had 30-minutes each. Chloe quickly upgraded to a full hour, while Elliot downgraded to eating banana chips and drinking tea in the lounge while he waited. This became our routine each day with a fruit smoothie stop on our way back to our resort.
The monsoon rains ended three days before our departure by blanketing us with blue skies and sunshine. After the wonderful weather, it was time to leave serene Koh Phangan for city life of Bangkok.
We originally had Bangkok as a stop-over to get our Vietnamese visa and then onwards into Vietnam via Cambodia on the Mekong River. Instead we decided to simplify our travels and fly directly into Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to give us a few (5) extra days to explore Bangkok in-depth. Our initial perception of Bangkok was like any other large metropolis we’ve visited so far, big and loud and a hub of busyness. This was definitely not the case. Our time was easily filled sight-seeing breathtaking wats, meandering through water canals, and enjoying a multitude of street food stalls (our favourite).
Moving around Bangkok was a breeze with a mix of tuk-tuks, Uber, sky trains, and walking to our destinations. Compared to other Asian cities we’ve visited so far, Bangkok was very modern, clean and calm (or at least the parts we saw). Supposedly it’s one of the most polluted cities in Asia, however, when compared to Kathmandu’s dust or Delhi’s smog, Bangkok is very clean. Though car traffic was indeed heavy, we noticed the majority of drivers obeyed traffic rules – with no noticeable honking. After spending two months in India and Nepal’s streets filled with incessant vehicle honking, Bangkok’s traffic seemed eerily quiet!
Bangkok is home to more than 400 Wats within its city borders. Each unbelievably uniquely ornate, like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Our hotel was a leisurely stroll to most sights and centrally located close to the old quarters. As an added bonus, the hotel was across from a popular street food stall (opens at 6PM with plastic chairs/tables laid out covering an entire sidewalk with a kitchen directly in front of you.) Morning Glory, Fried Squid, Fat rice noodles, Braised Fish, and a multitude of other favourites filled our stomachs each evening after a hard day of sightseeing.
Bangkok was a city we thought was too busy and lacked what we normally like, however, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and were very fortunate to be able to adjust our schedule to allow for a longer stay. Without this, we would’ve missed talking to the Thai people, living in their culture, seeing their city, and enjoying their food which created an eclectic mix of adventure and excitement of knowing you discovered something counter to your perceptions.
We’re off to Vietnam next, thankfully with no monsoons, and awesome weather ahead!
https://andsowedid.com/elliot-in-thailand/
Elliot in Thailand
Today we went on 3 airplane rides. We started in Kathmandu, then we went on our first plane ride. It was 5 hours. We watched a lot of movies. When we switched planes it was night there. You could just see a little light from the moon. Then we went to customs. After that we got our passports checked. My mom didn’t have her boarding pass so she had to sign papers. Next we went on our second plane ride. We had to sleep because it was midnight. When I woke up it was afternoon. Then we took a taxi to a place were we got a boat to our resort on an island. The boat ride was so bumpy because it was a windy day.
When we arrived we were so surprise the villa was so nice. We had our own pool. It was really big and even had a waterfall and outdoor bathroom and Jacuzzi. The next day I went swimming to wake me up. Then we went to a large buffet that had a lot of food. After we went to boxing classes. My feet were hurting. It was an hour of kicking, kneeing and punching. Then we took a little walk on the beach for lunch. On the way to lunch we looked at some stores that had bathing suites. When we went to lunch we had chicken as an appetizer and the main course was fish with lemon. It was perfect. Then I went swimming and got myself occupied by playing in the pool. After that we went for a little snack and shrimp spring rolls are the best. After it was night so we stayed up for a little and then went to bed.
Today we went to the town. When we were walking we saw three smoothie stands so we decided to get one. My sister and I got a strawberry smoothie and my mom and I got passion fruit. After that I went for lunch. I had fish with lemon and my appetizer was shrimp rolls. After that I had a massage. It was the exact same thing I had in India (If you didn’t read that blog, go back and read it), but a little lighter. After my massage I was waiting for my mom and dad to finish, but then the guy at reception gave me a little bowl of banana chips and tea. The tea was not so good. When my mom and dad were done, we walked out and it was pouring. The streets were filled with water, so we walked back soaking wet. Good thing I was wearing swim shorts. When we got back, I jumped in our pool. We had three mini pools and a big one, all connected and a Jacuzzi and outdoor shower…and it was all ours! When I got out of the pool, I went in the hot tub. After that, we went for dinner and I had shrimp rolls. Then we watched a movie and went to bed.
Today we went to the smoothie stand. I got a smoothie and a chicken wrap. It was so good. After that I got a Nutella crepe. The outside part was crunchy with Nutella inside. After that we walked and decided to jump into the ocean. It was so, so fun and my sister didn’t have her bathing suit, so we went back and ordered an apple juice as we waited for her the change. When she got back we went swimming again. After that my mom was looking for us. She went everywhere around the entire resort. Then she found us.
Today we woke up and went to the beach after breakfast. It was really fun. For lunch I had a passion fruit shake and chicken rolls. Forgot to tell you, the Smoothie stand was called Smile Shake. After we went to the beach and then went swimming in our pool.
Today we woke up and went for breakfast. Then we played and swam at the beach. Then we went to get a smoothies and chicken wraps. My sister got a chocolate crepe. Then we went for a massage (again L). I didn’t get a massage so I was taking pictures of random things. Then the guy gave me another plate of banana chips and tea. My mom, dad and sister got a massage for an hour, so I had to wait an hour. Then we went for lunch and I got lemon fish. Then it was raining (again L) and the streets were flooding. Water was covering all the sidewalks. Then we went back to our resort along the beach.
Today we walked up to the top of Golden Mountain and wrote our names on a piece of metal and hung it in the temple at the bottom of wind chimes and gave a prayer. It was a very nice view of Bangkok. When we were walking down, there were bells along the way that you can ring for good luck.
Ps: Forgot to tell you the King of Thailand died in 2016 and if you say any negative things about the King, you’d go to jail.
Chloë in Thailand
The flight to Thailand was approximately 12 hours and to get to Koh Phangan, the island we were staying at, took another half hour. Koh Phangan is the fifth largest island in Thailand. We took a motor boat to the island. The ride was so bumpy. Once we arrived at our resort we were greeted with a glass of fresh watermelon juice. In Thailand when you enter someone’s house, store, room etc. it’s polite to take your shoes off (at our resort you had to even take your shoes off in the bathroom!!!).
After our watermelon juice a lady took us to our villa. The walk was really short and took only three minutes. When we got to our room I saw a full sized pool (considering that it was all ours!) and a hot tub. I got so excited once I saw this.
On our second day in Thailand it started raining and didn’t stop for 10 days. When we were walking on the beach to go to the town for Thai massage the waves were so big. One wave was so big that I fell and got all wet and sandy. My wet clothes and all the sand felt so uncomfortable so when we got to town, I bought a new dress. It was raining so hard that most of the streets where flooding and it was so hard to walk because the water was up to our ankles because of all the rain. Since our resort was on a hill when we were walking up to our room it felt as we were walking up a waterfall because the rain was rushing down the hill. Because of all the rain there was a landslide and it knocked down four electrical poles and the entire island lost power for two days. Luckily our resort had a generator so we still had some power be we didn’t have wifi for 3 days!!!
Whenever room service cleaned our room they would leave an animal made from a towel. Some of the animals they made were elephants, rabbits, and rhinos. At our resort they have a Muay Thai class for kids. Muay Thai is basically a Thai version of kick boxing. It was only my brother and I in the class and it was so fun!!! Close to the end of the class it got really tiring so I pretended that the pads that I was punching were my brother to motivate me.
After the ten days of non-stop rain, it was finally sunny and I got to go swimming in the ocean!
After our stay on the island we flew to Bangkok, which is the capital of Thailand. We stayed in Bangkok for 5 days and almost every day we went to the night market. The night market is basically a market that is held every evening along a street called Khoa San Road. At the night market there’s all types of vendors and there’s even some that sold fried bugs. Some of the bugs that are available to buy are frogs, silk worms, scorpions and tarantulas. I still can’t believe I did this, but we bought some silk works and I ate one!!! Unlike my dad, I hated it! That’s when I decided I’m never going to bugs again.
Thailand was a very exciting and relaxing at the same time. The beach was the relaxing part and Bangkok was the exciting part. Bangkok was also the first time I ate a bug!
Nepal
The plane touched down in Nepal at midnight from India. It was 1am by the time our entry Visas were processed. Exhausted and ready for bed, we took the first taxi available. The taxi driver seemed confident he knew our hotel. After what seemed like an hour driving around town we started to get suspicious whether he knew the address. About midway he left us in his taxi on a narrow dead-end street, took his keys and vanished into the dark, and we’re guessing, looking for our hotel on foot—we could see him walking up to strangers asking for directions. While stuck in the taxi, we started strategizing plan B if our driver didn’t come back.
We were on our own, lost in the streets of a foreign country with dog packs running around keeping us company. Our driver eventually returned and plan B was put into action. We asked him to drive us to the nearest “big hotel” to use their WIFI and get directions. Right away he started asking people where the “big hotel” was located, a new plan was required and quick!
Plan C entailed going to Kathmandu Guest House (KGH). Our hotel was located nearby and since KGH was somewhat of an institution in Kathmandu our driver had to know where it was. Thankfully, he did…but when we got there the hotel gate was shut and their “friendly” security guard unhelpful, telling us a big festival just ended, everything was closed and there was no WIFI… end of story, move along please. Feeling helpless, we walked to a nearby restaurant which seemed open to ask for directions and after a few minutes of broken English and Nepali dialogue with our taxi driver, we eventually found our hotel! The adventures didn’t end there, as our excitement quickly vanished when we saw a metal gate covering the entrance. Unsure what plan D was going to be, Vinh rapped the gate in frustration, when it instantly rolled up and a startled security guard appeared. No matter if our room was ready or not, we were out of the cold and the lobby looking very appealing compared to our cramped car we just left. A receptionist eventually appeared, looking disheveled, checked us into our room and all of us collapsed onto our beds. We were officially in Nepal, happily to be asleep!
Breakfast was served on the hotel’s rooftop, the snow-capped mountains in the distance provided the perfect backdrop. It felt great not having a schedule, a guide, or a packed agenda. Instead having the opportunity to explore a new city on our own and at our own pace. Our hotel was situated in the centre of Thamel, the bustling hub of Kathmandu, streets lined with trekking companies, gear shops, pashmina stores, jewelry counters and restaurants. The neighbourhood provided all the action we needed for our time here. It was great exploring this together while sometimes getting lost through the maze of alleyways and corners.
As a side note, we noticed many locals and tourist alike dawned face mask. The streets seemed dusty but nothing that concerned us, as several parts of India were just as bad if not worse. We realized why the masks were important in a big way, but more on that later.
The goal for our first day was to interview trekking companies to decide who could help with our Everest base Camp (EBC) trek. In our initial planning back in Canada we entertained the idea to attempt EBC on our own without a guide or porter as the path is clearly marked by trekkers moving up and down through small villages leading to base camp. The consensus, after speaking with each outfitter that day, convinced us a porter would be helpful. The kids won’t need to carry gear at higher elevations and a third adult, with knowledge of the route, could manage any emergency we might encounter and customise how far to go with kids (and us) in mind. At the end of the day, recognising symptoms of altitude mountain sickness swayed us to hiring extra a guide.
We ruled out a package trek where meals, accommodation, and staff were prearranged on a set schedule. From our experience thus far, we liked our freedom to choose when to break, what to eat, and where to sleep. We also didn’t want a group tour with other trekkers. After consulting a few companies, we decided it would be a good idea to hire a porter and an experienced guide. With that settled, our next decision was to choose a trekking company to organise our logistics in and out of EBC. There are 4,000+ in Nepal to choose from. Because we weren’t looking for a package tour and were already in Kathmandu (most companies operate internationally and include airport transfers and accommodations in Kathmandu on arrival) our request was straight forward. We wanted a guide experienced with children trekkers, that had expert knowledge of the mountain range, was trained in first aid and could speak English relatively well. Not too much to ask? We could get by with limited English, but with two kids, we wanted someone they could understand to gain knowledge of the area, culture, and people en route to our destination. We ended up arranging our guide and porter through our hotel manager. He was very helpful with all our questions and most excited our kids were coming along. More importantly, the hotel was associated with a reputable trekking company in Kathmandu. This helped on two front, one we had a hotel to come back to after EBC; and two a safety support network back in Kathmandu in the event of an emergency.
The next morning, we moved from shop to shop comparing outdoor gear. There are hundreds of stores to choose from, mostly selling knock off “North Fake” merchandise and equipment. The knock-off gear quality ranges from poor to well-constructed, a few made from the same factories as their branded versions. There were also Nepali brands of high quality gear that we liked too. However, a majority were adult sizes with little (or no) children sizes to choose from. We probably visited 4x the number of shops necessary as most lacked proper children sizes (or good quality gear, for that matter). Just when we thought we visited all of Thamel’s outfitters, we spotted an authentic North Face store. Of all the places visited that morning, Chloe found her perfect jacket and, for us, the warmest one.
At lunch we had our first (of many) local favourites: Momos (Tibetan dumplings), Thenthuk soup (Tibetan noodle soup with vegetables), Banana lassi and Nepali beer…yummy perfection!
That afternoon we met our guide and reviewed our route to Everest Base Camp with an emphasis on traveling with children.
Everest Base Camp Trek
EBC – Day 1
The day started at 5:30am for final packing, even in a small country like Nepal, we had to be at the airport early for an 8:30am domestic flight to Lukla (the EBC starting point at an elevation of 2,860 m.) The airport was already buzzing with organized groups, guides and independent trekkers by the time we arrived. We were all trying to pick-up our boarding passes and get through security to the departure area.
The Lukla airport is commonly described as the scariest airport in the world. When we planned our EBC trek from Canada, we originally wanted an overland route to Lukla, as opposed to air travel. The airport is scary and dangerous not because of altitude, but rather by its runway which is a scant 550-metres long as opposed to the standard 1,800-metres! A cliff on one end and a solid mountain wall on the other leaves little margin for pilot error at this airport.
Reading a few fairly scary articles of plane crashes was enough for us to find alternate transportation to Lukla. After consulting with several tour operators, however, it seemed our concerns were misguided and after serious deliberations that evening, we decided a flight to Lukla would be fine. And so we did.
Four planes leave each morning: flights 1, 2, 3 and 4. We were on the 3rd flight that day. Only once the 1st flight returns, the 2nd flight can leave and so on for each remaining flight. If weather conditions (wind, snow, fog) deteriorate throughout the day, the next flight is delayed or cancelled until conditions are favourable again, causing further schedule backup. Thankfully, our morning forecast was blue sky with clear visibility. We boarded at 8:45am and took off at 9am. A 30min delay is not bad for Kathmandu airport.
The airplane was a twin otter turboprop from De Havilland Canada with single seats and an aisle between the two. The flight attendant passed a basket of cotton balls (to buffer the noise) and hard candy (for stuffed ears). The plane’s maximum cargo weight was reached comprising of 12 passengers, 1 crew and everyone’s gear! Upon take off the engine’s roar drowned all passenger conversations (made bearable with cotton balls in our ears) which allowed solidarity moments for spectacular views of the surrounding mountain ranges. It was relativity easy flying, until we entered a burst of strong turbulence as we approached the runaway at Lukla. We landed safely, only a few bumps, picked up our bags, met our porter, and had a quick snack to begin EBC Day 1!
The first day was mostly downhill decent from our elevation at 2,860 m. The number one rule to prevent Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS) on EBC is to sleep lower than the highest altitude climbed that day. We encountered yaks, various porters and trekkers going both ways along the route.
At lunch our first food staple was introduced to us by our guide, “Sherpa Stew” a delicious soup mixed with fresh veggies, fried egg, and rice. Each village had its own variation of the stew. The ingredients are grown locally, as transporting non-local produce is either expensive or not economically feasible on the backs of yaks and porters.
At the end of Day 1, we arrived to our first night’s guesthouse in Phakding. The guesthouse has magnificent views of mountains surrounding the property. The rooms were of typical Nepali guest house fashion: a simple room with two beds, shared hallway washroom, and a communal dining area. There’s no heating in the guesthouse other than a wood burning stove located in the dining area. Hence, the kids were excited to snuggle in their sleeping bags, after journal writing and reading. The evening temperature went down to 0-degrees Celsius and expected to get eventually cooler as we move closer to EBC.
EBC – Day 2
The night was surprisingly warm in our sleeping bags. The opposite was true when we got out to dress in the frigid room. It was a quick reminder how cold the nights get here and much colder as we progressed up. After packing our gear, we headed down for breakfast of hot apple porridge with (instant) coffee and hot chocolates to start our day.
Day 2 is typically straight to Namche Bazaar covering 8-kms uphill into the mountain, however, with kids we stayed at Monjo a mid-way village to make the second day a little bit easier. Total travel time was 3.5 hours on fairly even terrain, with some up and down sections in between suspension bridges. Under every bridge glacial runoffs filled the rushing rivers painting them a milky blue hue. The Nepali call it the “milky river,” similar to glacial waters found throughout the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
We were at our next guesthouse by 12:30pm, our guide pleasantly surprised us by arranging a room with a private bath and hot (solar) shower. Normally we would jump at any chance to shower. However, for one, we didn’t think to pack a towel and two, more significantly, not one of us brave enough to shower due to flashbacks of this morning’s frigid wakeup experience. After a wonderful lunch outside, we started on our journals and even napped while kids worked on their work assignments basking in the afternoon sun. Later that evening we spent huddled around a wood burning stove with other travelers from around the world sharing stories and EBC agendas. Another cold night was in store for us–we clearly saw our breaths already as we walked back to our room.
EBC – Day 3
All of us were on to the trail by 9am frigid toes and all. Today’s goal was a 600-metre switch-back ascent to the famous Namche Bazaar with a top elevation of 3,340-metre above sea-level. Namche is a two-day acclimatization town, mandatory, for all trekkers heading higher. It’s the last town where you can pick up last minute gear or forgotten supplies “relativity” cheap. Normally, the higher your ascent, the more expensive a chocolate bar gets.
This was our most difficult day yet. Our goal today was to reach Namche by noon, it was a steady ascent, with not much along the way to see, crossing dusty trails and stopping for caravans of yaks carrying their supplies up or empty gas tanks down. Along the way, we hit our first milestone view of Mount Everest glowing in the sunlight. The sky in Nepal along our entire trek so far has been a constant brilliant blue each day.
We arrived to our guest house at 12:45pm. Checked into our room, got organized and headed downstairs for a late lunch. While at lunch we noticed a sign for a 2pm showing of a Sherpa documentary at a local café. The movies are a tradition in Namche Bazaar. Most of the Cafes play a movie commemorating Mount Everest every day of the week. We settled into our seats and watched a documentary on the many brave Sherpas who play an integral role to the successful summit up Everest. It was a great learning experience for us and after the movie Elliot decided summiting Everest was on his bucket list.
EBC – Day 4
Today was the acclimatization period in Namche. We had a lazy start with breakfast at 8am. To keep our muscles working, a “short trek” was in store for us by our guide. First we walked to Sagartha National Park for views of Everest, L’hotse, and Nuptse. Then we ascended further to the popular “Japanese hotel,” a 440m climb to their viewing area of Mount Everest. The walk was steep and straight up, but manageable, across cat walks and rocky paths. On the climb we passed several hikers going both up and down to the hotel.
The view was in fact spectacular. The majority of visitors to the hotel take the climb up from Namche, even some tourists (mostly senior Japanese) visit the hotel by flying in by helicopter to the hotel for breakfast and then return later in the evening to Kathmandu. We had a light lunch, took ridiculous amount of photos and made our walk down.
Tomorrow was going to be a big day—a 5-hour hike, mostly 600m uphill ascent to Tengboche at a top elevation of 3,900-metres.
EBC – Day 5
Today’s goal was to leave Namche to continue to Tengboche. Starting with a steep ascent for 30 minutes, then a fairly flat route, followed by a descent down to the river, and a final 600-metre ascent to Tengboche. The day started off relatively smooth. We packed our gear, had breakfast and left the guest house to begin the day’s journey. Chloe didn’t want to each much that morning, however, we finally convinced her to eat a hardboiled egg after declining the “American breakfast”, porridge, and bread that was available.
Our goal today would cover less terrain than the previous day of climbing up to the National Park and Japanese hotel. The flatter part was quite challenging due to a steady hot sun baking on us. Chloe was getting tired and very irritable by this point and most of her layers were off by the first rest stop. We picked up sun hats for the kids along the way as we stopped for our first tea break. She declined the lemon and ginger tea which she normally enjoyed. After our break was a long descent down the river where we stopped for lunch. By this time Chloe was feeling very tired and didn’t wanted to move. We were already speaking with our guide about a plan B if she didn’t feel better, but first we hoped a full belly would help give us a better idea how she was feeling.
After our lunch, it was fairly evident to us Chloe wasn’t going to get better. In fact, she felt more miserable and upset throughout her lunch which she barely touched. It was well past the time we should had started our ascent to Tengboche if we wanted to get there by daylight. We were already exploring alternative accommodations for the night, but at the last minute Chloe asked to try climbing again. So we all agreed to climb to Tengboche. A few minutes in, however, Chloe slowed down considerably and, consulting with our guide, we decided the best option was to go to a lower elevation for the night and not climb further. The town Phunki Tenga was at 3,200-metres, even lower than Namche, as our guide feared he saw slight symptoms of AMS. If Chloe’s condition got worst a night evacuation would’ve been dangerous from Tengboche. So down we went, got a very simple room (only option), had a quick dinner, and prepared for the night. Chloe crawled into her sleeping bag and fell asleep immediately. We were hoping a good night’s rest would reenergise her body, as the previous two nights’ of on-and-off sleep and her lack of appetite combined with each days grueling climb weakened her body. Chloe woke up an hour later complaining of feeling pretty awful, now she had a fever to go with her upset stomach. Our guide gave her half an ibuprofen and paracetamol tablet. We were hoping she would feel better, but the opposite happened. Her stomach started to hurt more and then she threw up her dinner right by her bed floor. We asked the owner to change rooms. He happily obliged (we think), got resettled and tried to comfort Chloe to sleep. After she settled, we gave her the other tablet hoping that would help her sleep through the night. This time she threw up right away. We made the connection: paracetamol didn’t agree with her body which, in turn, caused her throw ups. She felt much better later that evening with ginger lemon tea. Later that night she seemed OK, asking for cup of hot water and going back to sleep again. It was the same on-and-off sleep throughout the night.
The guest house was close to a large rushing river; you could hear fast flowing water from inside our room. With close proximity to the river and combined with our current elevation, the temperature was the coldest we’ve experienced so far. If that wasn’t bad enough, Chloe asked to use the washroom in the middle of the night. The washroom is a shared outhouse with no running water in the evening, the owner disconnects the water line as temperatures dip below zero every evening, you have to finish your business quickly. Not an enjoyable walk outside either, however, the stars were out of this world incredible, and even Chloe, in her state, smile in awe when she looked up and then realised where she was and quickly ran back inside and back into her sleeping bag.
EBC – Day 6
By early morning, Chloe felt very lethargic and her fever returned. Her body was aching, her head hurt and her stomach felt sensitive again. She suggested breakfast herself so we all walked to the dining room where Chloe ordered a bowl of porridge and honey lemon tea. Loss of appetite is a sure sign of AMS so we monitored her appetite closely. It took a long time, but she eventually finished her breakfast. Once her stomach was full, we gave Chloe just ibuprofen for her fever and then back to bed. She felt better fairly quickly and joined us later outside in the afternoon sun. It’s amazing the temperature fluctuation between night and day. So thankful the day got warmer. The ibuprofen worked but we weren’t moving until Chloe gets better. We made a decision to stay until she was ready to go. We intended to do EBC as a family.
Today was another rest day with no physical activity for Chloe, she needed to regain her lost strength. More soup and lots of rest on Day 6 for us all. After so many days hiking we were suddenly at a standstill, getting restless, and itching to continue trekking again. If Chloe gets better tomorrow we continue, if not, we’ll stay another day and reassess. Having buffered enough time for our trip, we were able to afford to stay longer and still catch our plane out of Nepal.
We noticed a few times Garlic soup on different menus at guesthouse where we stayed. It was a great decision, it soon became a hit with us and Chloe. At lunch we met a family at our guest house from California with kids slightly older than our children doing the same EBC trek as us! It was a coincidence when they mentioned they too were on a one-year trip when we started talking over lunch. We’re not the only crazy family taking a year off! They continued on as we stayed another night, hoping tomorrow would be the day Chloe feels stronger and better to continue onwards. That evening, Chloe felt better and had a great night’s sleep. Things were looking up.
EBC – Day 7
We had an early 6:30am wake up. Chloe felt great. The temperature was the same outside as inside our room. Chloe seemed to feel much better and we were going to head up to Deboche (3,600-metre) for the night, just past the highest point of the day in Tengboche (3,900-metre). We had breakfast and set out by 8am for a steep 3 hour climb to Tengboche. Chloe persevered with us and felt much better than the previous days.
Reaching Tengboche released a swell of emotions in all of us, considering the past two days we weren’t sure if we were going further up or back down to Lukla. We were so happy we walked this far together after our ordeal the previous two nights.
Tengboche is gorgeous, set high in the mountain with incredible views of snow-capped peaks everywhere you look, you see yaks grazing in the open fields, and in the centre of all this is the home of the highest monastery in Nepal. The Tengboche Monastery looked busy with monks getting ready for one of their largest Buddhist festival in the next couple of days. It seemed everyone was preparing, painting, and cleaning to welcome many visitors from the valley and beyond to their festival.
In addition to the Tengboche Monastery, they also have a delicious bakery serving up pizza (made with yak cheese), homemade cookies and cakes. For dessert, Elliot ordered a “Snickers Pie” (basically a snickers chocolate bar wrapped in a panzerotti), the rest of us were a little more reserved and ordered a slice of fresh apple crumble.
Courtesy of our guide, we got an insider’s tour of the monastery to see the inner court yard and prayer hall where they chant and meditate each day. After our visit, we started on a 30-minute descent down to our guest house in Deboche. If we could rank guest houses in the Khumbu regions, this would classify as a 5-star Nepali guesthouse. As Chloe wasn’t 100% feeling better, our guide booked us a room with a private bath, hot (gas fired) shower and electric heated blankets (mind-blowing, according to Elliot). We enjoyed one of our best sleep on our entire trek here so far. As a sign of further luxury, the guesthouse supplied clean bath towels with every room! We all enjoyed hot showers after what seemed like an eternity without – even Chloe!
EBC – Day 8
This morning we had a slow breakfast, making sure the kids finished their breakfast. Our guide suggested to take a slower route to EBC through Pengboche, only a 3hr walk which permitted a later start to the day.
After 30 minutes into our trek, Chloe started getting lethargic and complained her chest started to bother her. We told our guide right away and had a discussion what we should do next. We decided to head back down to Deboche to stay another night at the same hotel to see if Chloe could get better. When we returned, the guesthouse owners invited their neighbor, a retired nurse from the Edmond Hillary Hospital who’s speciality is treating EBC trekkers, to check on Chloe. She confirmed it wasn’t AMS as her oxygen levels and blood pressure were within normal range. We felt we dodged a major bullet, however, we still had many more hurdles ahead. Her diagnose of a common cold, the locals call it the “Khumbu cough”, was a relief to us. She suggested no cold drinks, no juice and no sour or fried foods (lemon included…surprised us all) and to drink lots of warm liquids and hot soup. The family that ran the guest house was lovely and accommodated us to help Chloe get better.
EBC – Day 9
Chloe had chills, then hot flashes and a fever continuously that evening, making it one of the worse nights for her. We were ready to go down. When she woke up with an ear ache the decision was reaffirmed. Our plan was to walk down Lukla and fly stand-by. It would take 4 days at our pace. It was already 9:30am and Chloe’s earache kept getting worse and when she heard 4 days, she got further upset.
We called our guide to figure the quickest option to any full service hospital on the mountain. He suggested, in emergencies like these, a helicopter evacuation was necessary to Kathmandu.
While planning our trip in Canada, finding the best Travel Medical insurance was a top priority on our to-do list. Our guide called our tour operator who in turn reached out to the insurance company for approval to request helicopter evacuation. After a couple of hours, an emergency helicopter was dispatched to Deboche for a medical evacuation to Kathmandu. They flew us to Lukla, refuelled and then straight to Kathmandu airport. An ambulance was waiting for us on the tarmac to take us to the hospital. Everything was very quick and efficient.
The hospital stay was in a private clinic that resembled a hotel. The nurses took Chloe’s blood, doctor’s sent her for chest x-rays and she was later seen by a paediatrician to confirm it was a virus infection and antibiotics were prescribed
While our stay at the hospital wasn’t exciting, we got to speak to hospital staff and we noticed everyone wore face masks when they left the hospital. Later we found out that many tourist (and trekkers) get the “Khumbu” cough from constant dust being stirred up by motor vehicles and, most surprising, yaks/mules on the EBC trail. After being discharged, our first stop was to purchase four face masks. No way were we going to catch another cold, flu, or virus in Nepal.
Final note: The Everest Base Camp trek is not difficult. It’s a well-marked path, through villages with plenty of accommodations along the way. Rather, the physical exertion your body takes on day-in and day-out with a constant need to rest and refuel continuously is what taxes your body the most. This was our Achilles hill, it was a challenge to ensure the kids eat a proper breakfast, rest, have plenty of liquids each day on the EBC trail.
Another difficult situation was deciding whether we would continue or cancel EBC midway was the most stressful (and frightening) periods of this trip. Looking back from the comfort of our hotel room, it seems like a simple decision, however, when you’re up close and in the moment, the little variables cloud your judgement more than they should. A few more days we would’ve reached EBC, accomplished what we set out. However, after pondering all these what-ifs, the correct decision was made with no regrets, but difficult nonetheless, for all of us.
We have time on our hands now: Back in Kathmandu, we spent 7 days longer than we wanted to as all of us must’ve caught a variation of what Chloe had. The pharmacies in Kathmandu are all great and knew exactly what to prescribe. It took us a little while longer, but we finally got healthier and felt great to start exploring again. We visited Durbar Square, which provided a reminder of the devastating 2015 earthquake that struck Nepal. The square is slowly being rebuilt but the damage is still very evident today.
We still had a week before flying to Thailand and decided to head to the resort area of Pokhara for 5 days. Pokhara was a great change and a breath of fresh air (literally: dusty roads replaced with paved roads, noisy traffic replaced with row boats on a large serene lake…plus a few degrees warmer than Kathmandu happen to be a nice bonus) for us. In Pokhara we enrolled in yoga classes and tried a singing bowl chakra meditation for the family. It was a 1-hour private class to synchronize our chakras while various singing bowls were played all around us. Deeply relaxing and according to Chloe “It feels like you were floating”. We had the best sleep that night.
***
Arriving into Nepal, our plan was to get outfitted, organised, and be mentally prepared for an arduous trek to EBC. Everything within our control we managed to get a handle on. In the end, it was our health preventing our move closer to EBC. As parents with young kids, learning opportunities abound to recognise when to preserve onwards or, conversely, stop in times of danger or obstacles. The latter became the most important lesson we were all reminded of in Nepal—to recognise when to stop and assess with the broader goal in mind.
The Everest Base Camp trek is not difficult. It’s a well-marked path, through villages with plenty of accommodations along the way. Deciding whether we continue or cancel EBC midway proved to be the most stressful (and frightening) periods of this trip. Looking back from the comfort of our hotel room, was really a simple decision, however, when you’re in the moment, it’s challenging to see this. A few more days we would’ve reached EBC, finishing what we set out. However, pondering all these what-ifs, a correct decision was made with no regrets, but difficult nonetheless.
Not finishing EBC was unfortunate, however, staying strong to finish our broader journey together in good health was more important. We feel fortunate to see other areas of Nepal which we wouldn’t if we stayed on EBC.
We continue onwards to Thailand, looking forward to replace cold and snow with hot tropical weather! And so we did.
Elliot in Nepal
We went on a plane ride to start the Everest Base Camp trek. We had two bags and a porter carried them but my mom and dad carried their own bags. We have been walking for four hours and then we got to our teahouse. A teahouse is a hotel with a restaurant. We had a room with 2 beds, 1 window and a light. It had a shared washroom. We were staying for 1 night.
Forgot to tell you: the airplane can fit 13 people including the pilot and the runway was only 500m. It is the smallest runway in the world.
Day 2
Today I woke up and it was freezing. I put my clothes on and went to brush my teeth. Then we all went downstairs. There was heating by a wooden stove. For breakfast I ordered an apple porridge with honey ginger tea. Then we started on our way. I saw so many people walking. The whole thing was 3 hours. We were about to do 6 hours, but we didn’t because we would have been walking at night and if that happened I would not have been writing this for you. On the way along the hike we took a break for a snack and had finger chips (what they French fries).
Day 3
Today we woke up and it was not so cold. When I got out of my sleeping bag it was kind of cold. We got our warm clothes on and went for breakfast. For breakfast I got a tomato soup and it was homemade. Then we went on a 4 hour walk 600m up. We stopped at one point and saw Mt. Everest. Then we walked a little longer and got to a village. The village was so big. Then we went to our hotel. We were surprised we had our own washroom and 3 beds with a pillow and covers. Then we went for lunch. I ordered a tuna sandwich. In the dining room we noticed a poster for a documentary on Mt. Everest that we went to see.
Day 4
Today we climbed a mountain to see good views of Mt. Everest. Then we climbed a higher mountain and at the top was a hotel. We had lunch with a nice view then we walked down to our hotel.
Day 5
Today we got up and after breakfast we did a 6 hour hike with 1 lunch break. We all ate our meal except Chloe. She felt not well so we were walking slowly. It hurt more when she was walking uphill so we came down, changed plans and stayed at the bottom of the hill for two nights.
Day 6
We only took little walks to help Chloe get better for the rest of the trip.
Day 7
Today Chloe felt better so we did the walk. It was 5 hours and we took a lot of breaks. For lunch we went to a bakery. We had a pizza. It was special because it had yak cheese. My sister and I ordered a margarita pizza and olive pizza for my mom and dad. The pizza was not big but good. For dessert Chloe got an apple crumble, my mom and dad got an apple pie and I got a Snickers pie. It blew my mind. I have never seen a Snickers pie. They make it just melting a Snickers bar in dough, then baking it. After that we went to our hotel. It was different than the other hotels. This one had a bathroom, hot shower, 2 beds with electric blankets, two windows and a cupboard—that is considered fancy.
Day 8
Today when we woke up Chloe was not so sick. We all had breakfast and then started. We walked for half an hour and Chloe got sick again. We talked about it and then we went back to our hotel. Next to our hotel lived a nurse that retired 2 years ago. She said Chloe was fine, so that was good. Then we had lunch and that was good.
Day 9
Today Chloe did not feel good so we did not try to walk anywhere. In the middle of the day Chloe’s ear hurt. My mom and dad were talking we might walk down, but Chloe’s ear hurt more and she was crying for like half an hour so this blew my mind…we took a helicopter ride for an hour to go back to a hospital. Going on a helicopter was on my bucket list. I was so happy.
Forgot to tell you: We did not get to Everest Base Camp. We only went half way. When we went to the hospital they were doing test on Chloe. Then we heard we had to sleep there. The place was very nice and the food was good.
Chloë in Nepal
In Nepal we spent 29 days and for 9 days we were hiking to Everest Base Camp. Every night on the way to Base Camp we would stay in a very simple lodge and as you hike higher the lodges get more simple. The rooms in the lodges are very small and have one to three beds. If you are lucky the room might have a washroom inside but usually the washrooms are shared with everyone else. While you’re hiking you’ll see lots of yaks and porters carrying hikers’ gear. Some porters can carry 80 to 100 kg!
You also see lots of prayer flags and prayer wheels. Prayer wheels are a cylinder shape with prayers written on the wheel. When you spin the wheel people believe that the prayers float into the air and bring good luck. Prayer flags are almost the same, except the prayers are written on flags and the wind carries the prayers into the air.
Three quarters through the trek I caught a cold and fever. I was coughing and felt really dizzy and tired. The next morning I felt a little bit better so we kept on walking. Three days later I felt sick again and I had a cold and fever. Luckily the women who ran the guesthouse where we were staying was very nice and helped me when I was sick. She gave us electric blankets and a neck warmer to keep warm. There was a retired nurse living beside the guesthouse and she called her over to help me. The nurse checked me and told me what to eat and what not to eat. The nurse also said that if I don’t get better in the next couple of days we would have to take a helicopter back. Unfortunately, I didn’t get better and we ended up taking a helicopter. My dad had to call our insurance company to send a helicopter to pick us up. The helicopter took 3 hours to pick us up but it seemed much longer since I was sick. On top of all that I had an ear ache. When the helicopter finally arrived, when we were getting in, we had to duck so the propeller doesn’t chop our heads off. When we were up in the air, my ear ache was even worse because of the pressure. In the helicopter it was very loud and we had to wear a headset to make it less noisy. With the headset you can also talk to other people through a microphone. Instead of flying straight to Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal) we stopped at Lukla to refuel on gas. Once we arrived in Kathmandu, and ambulance took us to the hospital. Once we got to the hospital they took blood tests and x-rays. After that they took us to our room in the hospital and the doctor said that we had to stay three nights just to make sure my cold gets better. We were surprised that we had to stay overnight, because we thought it would be a quick checkup and then we’d leave. Luckily the rooms were really nice, with a private bathroom, a tv and a big bed. The food was also very good. It was really boring staying in bed for three days. The nurse would come in three times a day to give me medicine. The medicine didn’t taste that bad but it still didn’t taste good.
Once I got out of the hospital we had ten more days in Nepal. We visited two stupas: one named Swayambhanatha and the other named Boudhanath. Boudhanath Stupa is the biggest stupa in the world located just outside of Kathmandu. We got to the stupa in the afternoon and watched the sunset behind the stupa. The other stupa we visited was Swayambhanatha. Swayambhanatha is nicknamed the monkey temple because of the monkeys that sit on the temple. A stupa is shaped like a dome and at the top of the dome there is a point. Around the point there are 13 rings. A stupa also has 4 sets of two eyes on each side. Most stupas are white with a gold point but the colours can vary.
To make up for some of the hike we missed to Everest Base Camp we went to Pokhara to do another hike called Australian Camp. Australian Camp is a very short hike and it only took us one day to hike up and another day to hike down. Along the path to Australian Camp you see barely any hikers compared to Everest Base Camp. Once we got to Australian Camp we found a guest house to sleep in for the night. At the guest house there was a really cool swing made of bamboo. The swing was talk with a skinny seat and my brother and I loved playing on it.
At Everest Base Camp it’s really weird because at daytime it’s hot enough to wear a t-shirt but at night it’s so cold you need to wear layers and layers of clothes. After Australian Camp we still had 4 days in Pokhara and we visited the World Peace Pagoda. The World Peace Pagoda is a stupa built by Japanese monks to symbolize world peace. To get to the top you need to climb 500 to 600 steps. Once you get to the top you see an amazing view of the Annapurna mountain range.
While in Pokhara we did a singing bowl chakra meditation session. We had a private class so it was just the four of us and the two men that were running the session. The Tibetan people believe that there are 7 chakras in your body and your energy flows through your chakras. If there’s blocked energy in your chakras, it can lead to illness and it’s important to keep your energy flowing through your chakras. Each chakra in your body has a different vibration. The singing bowl meditation relaxes you by realigning your chakras. Once your chakras are realigned, the energy can start to flow and you feel very relaxed. At the session I felt so relaxed, I felt as I was floating. When they put the singing bowl very close to your body you can feel the vibration of the singing bowl. When the session was over, I opened my eyes and everything looked so blurry. I was sad to leave because it was so relaxing the sound of the singing bowl sounds so cool.
A singing bowl is a Tibetan instrument that comes in all different sizes. Some are as big as a stool and some are as small as a teacup. Each bowl makes a different sound depending on the size and the metal it’s made of. The singing bowl has the shape of a bowl and is made of metal. The singing bowl is played by rubbing a wooden mallet along the rim of the bowl. By doing this you can create a beautiful sound. Singing bowls are used for medication because of the relaxing sound. Singing bowls can be made of one medal and others can have as many metals as you want. Singing bowls that are made with many metals are ususally more expensive than those made with less. Some of the metals that singing bowls are made of include copper, brass, silver, zinc and gold.
Our time in Nepal was really fun (except the getting sick part!). I thought it was really cool to see Mt. Everest in person and I also loved seeing all the yaks along the way.
India
In India, the distances between cities are vast and transportation options (and comfort levels) vary greatly. When deciding our trip approach, we knew comfort was paramount to ensure all of us, mostly the kids, enjoy the experience. In the end, we decided to hire a private driver and use the support of an established tour operator to assist us in getting around south and north India. Our trip was divided into two parts: 10 days in the south (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and one week in the north (Rajasthan and Agra.) Our tour operator arranged a local guide to introduce us to the historical significance and culture in each city we planned to visit. This helped us tremendously to receive a deeper appreciation, from a local perspective, of the food, sites, and sounds of places we visited.
KARNATAKA (cities: Bangalore and Mysore)
Arriving at 2am, after a 14 hour flight from Montenegro via Abu Dhabi, we made our entry into India.
We received our e-visas onsite upon arrival at Bangalore International Airport. It wasn’t too complicated, however, we did spend extra time trying to convince officials our itinerary stretched from south to north India. The kids (Chloë especially!) were exhausted at this point and didn’t understand why we couldn’t just leave the airport immediately. At one point, when we called Chloë over to the counter for her visa photo, she was so angry she completely ignored us, and did the minimum to get her picture taken. She was not impressed, nor were we, at 2am in a foreign country trying to get our paperwork in order so we can leave the airport to start our trip.
Our tour representative and driver met us at arrivals in a tourist mini-van (Elliot perked up when he saw our name on a board). We stepped into the vehicle and were off to our hotel in Bangalore. By this time it was 4am and roads were already starting to get busy. Adding to the traffic congestion, a marathon was starting shortly with a few streets already barricaded en route to our hotel. As a side note, dashed lines and one-way streets are mere suggestions in India. Not one vehicle (including tuk tuks and motorcycles) respected those markings or signs on the highway. It was a quick introduction to Indian road rules.
We checked into our hotel and went straight to bed.
We didn’t get up until 2pm later that day. Feeling refreshed, we were ready to experience the sights and sounds of India. It was still hard to believe we finally arrived. India was the first Asian country on our itinerary and in so many ways, the change in scenery (and senses) was refreshing from the metropolis of European countries we’ve travelled through so far.
Rather than calling our driver, we felt adventurous and flagged down the first tuk tuk to guide us to a local restaurant. We haven’t eaten since arriving and didn’t feel for room service with all of Bangalore at our doorstep! The hotel suggested 40 INR would bring us to a nice lunch spot, so we had that in mind when speaking to our driver, however, he quoted 150 INR instead. Finally we negotiated to our 40 INR, but that included visits to his “recommended” shops. That’s ok–it was a good educational experience for the kids to see first hand the many layers of commission throughout India.
At lunch the kids tried their first (of many) mango lassis (fresh mango, curd and sugar) and it was love at first sip!
Mysore was our next destination, a 4-hour drive from Bangalore, known for premium silk, Hindu temples and the gorgeous Mysore Palace. Upon arriving in Mysore, you immediately felt life slow down as everyone seemed more relaxed than the big city, big lights of Bangalore we just left.
While in Mysore, we visited the 1,000 year old Chamundeshwari Temple, located 3,000 feet high atop Chamundi Hill. We bought jasmine flowers along the way as an offering to the temple. As a sign of respect, every visitor removed their shoes before entering. Inside was incredibly crowded with people trying to exchange their offering for a blessing from the priest. The kids held up well, while jumping at the chance to take off their shoes to go barefoot with others through the temple. We placed our flower donation, said a prayer and quickly shuffled through as many more people were waiting for their turn behind us. Outside we purchased a red and gold thread from a priest to symbolize protection from evil and a further appreciation of Hindu faith and traditions.
As Mysore’s known for its brass art work, we finished our visit with a purchase of a solid brass elephant…. weighing in at 7kg. Basically, a small child was added to our travel group simultaneously. We were going to ship it back to Canada but the quote was quite expensive, so we decided to travel with it to Kathmandu and try shipping from there. We named our new travelling member Maya. Maya the elephant from Mysore.
TAMIL NADU (cities: Ooty)
After Mysore, our next stop was a hill station town called Ooty, known as the “queen of the hill stations” and a resort town for Indians wanting to escape the summer heat. To get there, we drove through Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. As we drove through the sanctuary, our driver asked the kids to pay close attention to outside. We didn’t expect to see any animals…until the elephants came marching (hurrah, hurrah!) out of the trees! So exciting to see them in the wild. Then came lots and lots of black and white monkeys and, as on cue, the deer seem to come out of nowhere to greet us too. No tigers, though – next time.
The final drive to Ooty consisted of tight, narrow hairpin turns…all 36 of them (there are warning signs along the way counting down each remaining turn). Stomach turning for sure, especially for Elliot, however, it offered a few spectacular views of the entire valley below.
Ooty in the winter season (as it was now) can get quite chilly. It was 34 degrees when we left Mysore, a sharp contrast to the 13 degrees when we arrived in Ooty.
While in Ooty we wanted to take a ride on the popular Nilgiri Mountain Railway, known as a toy train from Ooty to Coonoor–similar to the infamous toy train in Darjeeling. The train ride was just 1 hour moving through breathtaking views of the valley, passing through tea plantations, eucalyptus forests and tiny villages. It was a mix of locals and tourists (both Indian and foreigners) excited for the experience.
After our train ride, our driver picked us up in Coonoor and drove us 30km in the other direction to Needle Rock Point, the highest viewpoint in the Gudalur region. The entrance was immediately off the highway. After a short hike along a dirt path, the manic vehicle noise suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a calm summer breeze offering views across the forest canopy below. It was a magical time to spend a late afternoon while surrounded by the beauty of south India.
KERALA (cities: Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey, Kochi)
Our next destination was Munnar. Our driver suggested we wake up earlier to start our drive, but we weren’t in a hurry and eventually agreed to a 10am start. Little did we know the estimated 5-hour drive would be 10-hours long. We didn’t reach our hotel until well past 8pm. The last bit of driving was along single-lane, switch-back roads. The ascent was more gradual than Ooty, but just as stomach-turning as its hairpin turns. If that wasn’t enough, fog rolled in for our last leg and turned the drive from an exciting single-track with cliff drop-offs to a nerve racking drive with minimum visibility and buses continuously passing in the dark. Then suddenly peaking through the fog you started to see high mountains and lush greenery–we made it to Kerala!
The next morning, after our 10 hour drive the previous day, we wanted to take it easy. We had a few things planned on our itinerary, but decided to clear our schedule and only explore the famous tea plantations. The hotel strongly recommended we rent a 4×4 jeep to take us to the top of the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate. The 100-year old tea plantation, the world’s highest tea plantation, is located 8,000-ft above sea level.
The drive to get there was an adventure in itself–the bumpiest ever, up switchbacks through muddy and boulder strewn roads, climbing in and out of clouds, and eventually to the top. The most picturesque landscape we’ve ever seen. Incredibly lush, green and gorgeous–the place where the perfect cup of chai originates from!
After rejuvenating in Munnar, our next stop was Thekkady for traditional Ayurvedic Kerala massages! Kerala is famous for Ayurveda drawing people from all over the world to this region, specifically Thekkady, for Ayurvedic treatments. We couldn’t miss it.
The massage was 1.5 hours long. Two private rooms for us: girls in one and boys in another. You get fully undressed with a single piece of cloth to cover your bottom. They start at your head, then back, legs, feet, stomach and back to your face. The Ayurvedic oil is heated before being applied to the body, with natural compounds in the oil absorbed into the skin by way of the massage. It’s neither gentle nor soothing–basically getting slapped across your entire body. Just when you think you’ve had enough, they move to the next body part and begin the intense routine again. The end is a steam bath to open your pores to further absorb the oils. Then a final rubdown to remove any oils before you get dressed. The process was quite painful….but relaxing (if that’s possible). Kids had the same treatment and hated us for it!
We had an early departure from Thekkady to make it to Alleppey by noon. Alleppey is the hub for houseboat cruises along the Kerala backwaters and that’s exactly what we planned to do.
As we boarded our boat, we received a glass of fresh coconut water (after all Kerala is the “land of coconut”!) from the staff. As a pleasant surprise, we had the entire houseboat to ourselves. This allowed our kids to run freely and gave us a breather to take off our shoes, relax, and really enjoy the Kerala backwaters.
Shortly after we boarded, lunch was served. The kids inhaled theirs and some of our too. Freshly caught local fish, Kerala rice (different than basmati rice, larger, thicker and whiter), dhal, beet coconut chutney, fresh pineapple juice and potato curry.
The day consisted of cruising to a local fish market to pick up dinner and slowly navigating along the Kerala backwater channels. We passed busy lives along the river, some bathing and doing laundry, others catching fish while their children played in the water.
The final leg of our south India trip was to Kochi, also known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. Kochi was a centre of the Indian spice trade for many years and now is known for its exciting island regions that make up the city geography.
From earlier experience, we cut short our packed itinerary and asked our guide to visit two places: the Dhobi Khana and the Chinese fishing nets.
The Dhobi Khana is one of the few places in Kerala where traditional method of laundry still exists in India. A skill passed from parents to children with some having worked there their entire lives in this trade. In fact, we saw mini apartments allocated to each family by the government that have been passed down from one generation to another. We visited the largest Dhobi Khana collective and were impressed how their trade was still applied today. Dirty clothes are dropped off to be washed by hand using a traditional approach of slamming garments against large stones. Rice water is used to starch shirts (a lot more effective than chemicals we use back home!). Clothes are rinsed, then hung on a long clothesline–with no use of clips, rather tucked between coiled ropes– to dry. After being set out in the sun, clothes are then pressed with a solid non-electric iron (Elliot attempted to lift one, but just barely with two hands). The iron is heated by coconut husk charcoal– lasting 5 hours surprisingly. What’s amazing is no labels are affixed to the clothing–each garment is recorded and at end of day, the tally comes up accurately across thousands of garments washed and dried together.
Next we visited a fishing area where traditional Chinese fishing nets are used to catch fish. The Portuguese brought this technique to Kochi in the 18th century and the same system is still used today by way of a cantilever system and counterweight stones.
That evening we attended a Kathakali performance–the traditional dance of Kerala. The term Kathakali is derived from Katha which means “story or conversation”, and Kali which means “performance and art”. The actors, traditionally male, wearing elaborate make-up, costumes and face masks, perform a story using exclusively facial expressions and hand/body gestures. The kids were enthralled by the motions they saw and tried practicing each movement on our way back to the hotel. By the time we got home the kids had exhausted themselves and were ready for sleep.
We had a short stay in Kochi, but as a big city, we really loved the feel of it. It’s a place where we definitely could have explored longer, in particular the various islands surrounding the city.
The following day, we said goodbye to our driver, Raj, who kept us company for 10 days along our south India travels, and walked through the airport to begin our north India adventures in Rajasthan.
RAJASTHAN (cities: Udaipur, Jaipur, Agra)
Our gateway into Rajasthan was through Udaipur, via Mumbai. Upon exiting the airport, we met our new driver and the local tour representative.
We arrived to our hotel at 6:30pm and kids were promised a swim (the pool closed at 7pm). Never did we see how quickly they could change and jump into the pool to enjoy the remaining daylight in the refreshing water. The rooftop pool was beside the hotel’s rooftop dining area. Elliot and Chloë were doing cannonballs and energetic laps beside a group of english ladies enjoying their evening dinner. After their swim, we enjoyed a nice dinner overlooking a city lit up for the night. Already we fell in love with Udaipur.
That evening we spoke with our tour company to reduce the amount of driving to just one long day instead of two. We asked them to drop Jodpur from our itinerary and add another night in Udaipur. The hotel was perfect, food amazing and pool fantastic.
The next morning we woke up for our 7am pre-breakfast swim. It was already getting hot outside but the pool was still cool. After breakfast, we met our guide, and requested we visit only the temple and City Palace so we could spend the afternoon exploring Udaipur on our own. We decided to walk the city rather than drive. After driving for such long distances in the south we, even the kids, felt excited to walk again!
The next morning, we continued our routine: swim then breakfast. We added errands to the day: Fix Chloe’s bracelets, buy Ganesh statues and miniature paintings (Udaipur is the birthplace of miniature paintings).
It happened to be money day, the third day leading up to Diwali. Diwali is India’s biggest and most important holiday, celebrating the victory of spiritual light over darkness. All stores were keen to make a morning sale on this day. We bought three miniature paintings: elephant (signifying luck); horse (signifying strength) and camel (signifying love) to add to our travel collection.
That evening our hotel held a Diwali fireworks display for their guest. The kids thoroughly enjoyed lighting sparkler after sparkler and watching fireworks launch from surrounding hotels and buildings into the night.
Udaipur was perfect. Small enough to explore on foot, right by water, filled with galleries of miniature paintings (top on our India shopping list) and the most perfect hotel for a break from our constant driving. The 3.5 days we spent in Udaipur were great and very happy with our decision to stay longer and skip Jodpur.
After beautiful Udaipur, we drove (5 hours) to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, also known as the pink city. That evening we planned to walk along the street to find a dinner spot, but when we saw random Diwali fireworks being set off along the “sidewalk”, we turned around and had dinner at our hotel restaurant (“Italian” pizza) instead.
The next morning we drove straight to the Amber Fort. The fort stands on the rocky hill of Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles) that overlooks Jaipur. Made entirely of red sandstone and white marble, the palace is nearly seven centuries old. Though we arrived quite early, it was already very busy and our first encounter with very persistent hawkers. Even the kids turned away hawkers. To get to the Amber Fort you could either walk up a steep incline or hop on an elephant to the top. The kids decided on elephants up to the Fort: boys on one elephant, girls on another.
In the evening, we had a 7pm pick up to celebrate Diwali at a nearby hotel. The driver got lost but this allowed us to see different parts of Jaipur. The city was lit up either by festive lights or fireworks continuously set off alongside live music. An entire city was celebrating Diwali! We eventually arrived to the Diwali dinner and got promptly changed: boys into their turbans and girls into their saris. Chloë’s was adult size but we improvised and she looked beautiful.
The evening had traditional music and dancing (Chloë joined right in). The kids finished dinner early which allowed us to sneak peak to a private fireworks show before the rest of the crowd joined us.
As we settled in for the night, fireworks were still going off well and continued into the early morning. It was such an amazing site, seeing the entire city lit up for the festival of lights.
We had our first small emergency of our trip. Chloë lost her journal and workbook the previous day and that night we were already making a plan B if we couldn’t locate them. Luckily, the next morning our tour operator called to say they found her school work bag. Emergency averted and journal found! After a quick detour to retrieve her bag, we were off to Agra.
Along the way we stopped at Fatehpur Sikri. We all fell asleep on the drive, as it was the first flat straight road (didn’t exist on our trip in the south!). We woke up groggy and reluctant to go sightseeing, but glad we did. Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal empire for 10 years during the reign of Emperor Akbar, in the 16th century. Akbar visited the village of Sikri to consult a Sufi who predicted the birth of a his child. When the prophecy came true, Akbar built his new capital here, including one of the largest mosques in India and three palaces for each of his favourite wives, one a Hindu, one a Muslim and one a Christian. He lived in harmony with his wives.
The next morning was hard to believe, it was our last day in India. For the finale we were to see the majestic Taj Mahal at sunrise.
After a 6am pick up from the hotel, we drove 3km to the Taj Mahal and took a rickshaw the rest of the way to the entrance (to protect the Taj Mahal from further pollution, motor vehicles are not allowed near the complex).
The Taj Mahal was breathtaking with a love story to melt your heart. It was built in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. When Mumtaz Mahal was giving birth to their 14th child, she died due to complications. While Mumtaz was on her deathbed, Shah Jahan promised her that he would build the richest mausoleum over her grave.
It took 22 years and 22,000 workers to construct the monument. When Shah Jahan died in 1666, his body was placed in a tomb next to the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. The magnificent monument is amongst the Seven Wonders of the World.
***
We knew 17-days in India wasn’t long enough to explore such a huge country, however, it gave us a glimpse of what it has to offer.
India is a country of contrasts, continuous haze, fast moving crowds, constant honking yet through all this you see vibrant colours, smiling faces and magical landscapes–from frozen Himalayas to gorgeous Kerala backwaters. Each part of India seemed as separate countries with different cultures, and sometime languages, all living together in orderly confusion.
Though traffic in India is absolutely chaotic–there’s one rule above all: everyone honks–what’s strange is that we didn’t witness any roadrage as we traveled from city to city, south to north throughout the country. Even in larger cities such as Bangalore or Delhi, the drivers were all aggressive but acquiesced –sans traffic rules– by way of warning honks as they passed each other. Even seeing a motorbike coming towards you on a one-way street seems normal now. For some reason, it all works for everyone.
During our trip we saw some crushing poverty as we drove through the larger cities. Even looking out of our vehicle sometime seemed like we were gazing through a tv screen. Our kids didn’t ask questions immediately, but from looks on their faces, as we drove through it all, we think they’re starting to see the world from a different perspective than they did at the start of our trip.
We always felt safe while in India. People were very friendly and seemed to go out of their way to make us feel welcome in their country.
Our travels through India allowed us to reflect how much a male dominated society we were in compared to Canada. Elliot got all the attention. On bus trips he got the first seat and our driver would go out of his way to get Elliot what he wanted. Not that it mattered to Chloë. She had to fight harder to get what she wanted and she did each time. Upon reflection, the women always seemed very well dressed and put together. From working in the fields, picking tea leaves, riding on a back of a scooter, to walking down a busy street, they always looked elegant in their saris. Maybe that’s it–the women don’t need to stand up and be loud. They’re the silent strong ones that make things happen in their own ways through grace and strength in their male dominated society.
The one part we found difficult was driving from city to city and having a guide with us at all times. Looking back, some of the more enjoyable times were when we got lost, without a guide or driver to assist, and found our way back in an unfamiliar city. This made us realized (something we already knew, but a good reminder) that we’d much rather stay longer in places and see less, rather than keep moving and see more. In retrospect, we would scaled down our itinerary (remove Bangalore, Mysore, Jaipur) and spend longer in smaller cities to give us time to explore on our own. This realisation is now shaping our Vietnam trip and extending our Australia trip by removing New Zealand entirely.
India is a country where we want to return someday to revisit places we enjoyed and, more importantly, continue discovering new places.
We’re off to Nepal next in our adventures.
Chloë in India
We stayed in India for 17 days. India was a very exciting experience for me. We went to 10 different cities and stayed in each city for 2 to 3 days. We had a driver that would drive us to each city and a different for each city. Usually to get to another city it would take 3 to 5 hours. The longest ride we went on was 10 hours!
When you look on the street you can see lots of cows walking around!!! People are very careful around them because if you kill one the fine would be around $5,000!!! The fine is so high because in India the cows are holy and they call them holy cows. There are also a lot of dogs on the streets. Since most of the dogs are homeless, I was scared of them because I thought that some of them might have rabies. Now I know that it is very, very unlikely that you will come across a dog that has rabies.
In Thekkady I went on my first elephant ride. The ride was half an hour and at first it was a little scary but then it got better and became very fun. Whenever we went up a hill I got scared because I though the saddle we were on would fall off. After the ride I got to touch the elephant’s trunk and it was so rough!!! The elephant is so big it eats 250kg of food each day. The elephant’s poo looks like yellow coconuts. At first, the poo is mustard yellow, but then it dries and it turns brown and it looks more like a coconut. The first time I saw the elephant’s poo I thought it was a coconut!!!
Munnar is another city we visited. Munnar is a city on a mountain and since tea is mostly grown on mountains, Munnar is famous for tea. While we were there we visited the Kolukkumalai Tea Plantation. We had a guide through the factory that explained the stages of making tea. At the factory we had to wear masks and a hair cap so we wouldn’t get our hair or germs in the tea. At the end of the tour we got to try some tea. It was so good made with milk and sugar.
Mysore is another city we visited and I got a really nice silk dress made there. In the morning we drove to a tailor that would make my dress. First I chose my fabric, then they measured me and then I chose the style of dress I wanted. Later that day at 6pm my dress was delivered to my hotel room and I couldn’t wait to try it on!!! I’m still so amazed that they can make such a nice dress in just 9 hours!!!
In India the driving is crazy, especially in the big cities. Usually most people don’t even use the lanes and all you can hear is ‘honk’, ‘honk’, ‘honk’!!! It is very unlikely that you see someone wearing a helmet while riding their motorcycle. You can also see mothers holding babies on a motorcycle with no helmet, while the father is driving—also with no helmet!!!
Closer to the end of our trip, we celebrated Diwali! Diwali is an Indian holiday that’s full of fireworks, festive lights, loud noise and much more. In Canada it would be illegal to shoot fireworks in a public space but in India it’s totally fine. On Diwali in India it’s crazy because people shoot fireworks randomly on the streets. At first it startled me every time one went off, but then I got use to it.
On the very last day in India we visited the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a gift from a husband to his wife. Most people say that it’s the most beautiful building in the world. The Taj Mahal and everything around it is perfectly symmetrical except one thing: the tomb for the husband’s and wife’s tomb. The Taj Mahal is made of non-porous marble so that’s why it looks so new, considering that it’s 368 years old.
To me India felt so much longer than just 17 days. We were busy doing so many fun activities every day that it made it seem like one month. I still can’t believe I went on an elephant ride (that was such a big experience for me). India was a very different country than any other country we have visited so far. Not only because of the different food and how they dress but the very unique culture. The culture was very interesting, especially all the stories about the Hindu Gods of India. Some of the gods and goddess in India include: Ganesh (the elephant god and remover of obstacles); Lakshmi (goddess of wealth); Saraswati (goddess of knowledge and learning); Vishnu (the preserver god who had 10 reincarnations including Rama and Krishna); Shiva (the destroyer god).
Elliot in India
We went on three plane ride to get to India from Montenegro. The first plane ride was one-hour going to Belgrade. The second plane ride was five hours going to Abu Dhabi. Then the last plane ride was four hours going to India.
When we got to India, it was 2 in the morning and we went straight to bed. We woke up, it was afternoon time in Bangalore. We wanted to explore the place, so we rented a tuk-tuk to explore Bangalore. The tuk-tuk driver recommended a place that sold scarves, but we didn’t want to buy anything because we just arrived there.
At lunch time, we ate off of banana leaves as plates. It was cool because we ate with our fingers.
After that, I noticed babies were on motorcycles and they didn’t have helmets, someone was just holding them.
After Bangalore we drove to Mysore. It took four hours to get there. On the way, we stopped for a fresh coconut. The coconut guy opened it by taking a machete and slicing the top off. After we drank the coconut water, we gave the coconut back to him and he cut it in half and there was jelly inside so we got to eat it. I only liked the coconut water, not the jelly. My sister liked the jelly.
Then we went to the hotel. When we got there, I noticed there was a pool. I was so happy but the pool was closed.
PS: I forgot to tell you, we got here at midnight.
In Mysore we bought an elephant that was made of solid brass. It was very heavy and we packed it in a box to send home to put on our bookshelf.
We went to a temple where you had to take your shoes off. At the end we got these orange and yellow bracelet strings that are supposed to give you good luck. When we were walking down the stairs, we saw a big black bull.
We went to the royal palace in Mysore. It was where the royal (Maharaja) family used to live, I think. There was a new palace and an old palace. The royal family lived in the old palace. I visited the new palace. You had to take your shoes off, because they wanted to keep the place clean. They put our shoes in a box so no one can take them.
After the palace, we went back to go swimming at the hotel. We got our swimming shorts on and went swimming.
The next day we went to Ooty on a very, very steep mountain with 36 hair pin turns. When we got to Ooty we unpacked and went on a walk to a chocolate place. We learned they made chocolate in Ooty. My mom and dad got chocolate with nuts, Chloe got milk chocolate and I got white chocolate.
The next day our driver took us to this viewpoint called Needle Rock Point. Our driver stopped the car and we walked for 30min to the viewpoint. We took a lot of pictures.
Next we went on a drive for 10 hours to our hotel in Munnar. Because we were driving on curves and bumps, that was why it took us so long.
A couple of days later, we went to a tea plantation. It was the highest tea planation in the world. To get to the top we took a jeep. We were driving up and it was really bumpy. When we got to the top we took a lot of pictures and we had a walk on the top of the mountain.
On the way down, we went to a tea factory. There were different stages: there was a sorting stage, then a grinding stage, then another grinding stage again where they added powder, and then they put the tea in the oven. After that, we got to touch it and it was very, very smooth. At the end we got to try the tea and had an Indian pudding cake with it. The cake was so good.
While in India we had a Ayurvedic massage. I hated it. They put oil on you and they karate chop you and whack you in the back. After an hour of torture, I had a steam bath. It was basically just steam on you. When we got out we went to a spice plantation. They let you try some of the spices. I tried one of the hot peppers and my ears were steaming.
Then we went on a 30min elephant ride. The elephants eat palm leaves, banana leaves and cooked rice—a total of 250 kg each day.
When we got back to our hotel we went for a swim. After a few laps we went out because we saw lightening.
On our trip we also went on a houseboat for one night. We had a cook that cooked for us. He caught the fish for our lunch. For breakfast we ate omelets and bread with jam. When we got off the fun was over (tragic) and back to normal again.
One evening we went to see a play. There were dancers and they were moving their mouth like crazy…like blah, blah, blah (you try it!). They were telling a story without any words. It was pretty cool. That day we also saw Chinese Fishing Nets. They were ginormous that catch a lot of fish!
From Kotchi we flew to Udaipur. We had a great hotel with this really old elevator. It had a chain door to open it. On the rooftop there was a pool. Every morning before breakfast we went swimming.
***
On the last day at the hotel was the start of Diwali. We had a big party.
We went to a place that was celebrating Diwali. We wore traditional Indian outfits. After that we went to the rooftop and saw the whole city and there were some big, big fireworks. We made some fireworks too and it was crazy and loud!!!
On our last day in India, we woke up at 6am to go to the Taj Mahal. I have never been there. Supposedly the king built it for the queen, but the queen never saw it because she died before it was built. The entire Taj Mahal is symmetrical. In the middle of the Taj Mahal is the queen’s grave. They were going to build a black Taj Mahal across the river, but the king did not have enough money to pay the workers and was bankrupt. The king had 2 boys and 2 girls. When the king got bankrupt one of his sons put him in jail and he made himself king.
The entire trip in India was a lot of fun. We had different experiences trying other kinds of food. The traffic was crazy. The driving was good but I did get carsick a couple of times. India was the first time I rode an elephant.
Chloë in Montenegro
We stayed in Montenegro for 6 days. Our apartment had a beautiful view of the mountains and the Bay of Kotor. The bay of Kotor is one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. My two favorite places in Montenegro were Lovcèn National Park and Sveti Stefan.
Lovcèn National Park is one of the most popular national parks in Montenegro. First you need to drive to the mountain and then you need to hike up 460 extra steps to get to the top. On the drive up to the mountain there are 25 hairpin turns so I got very nauseous. Once you are at the top of the mountain, you can see 80% of all of Montenegro. If you go on a cloudy day, all you can see is white! Sometimes you can see your shadows in the clouds!!!
Once you are at the top of the mountain it is 10 degrees cooler than at the bottom. Lovcèn is 1,749m high.
On the last day in Montenegro we spent the day swimming in Sventi Stefan. The water in the sea was sooo salty. There was enough salt to make you float!! I had so much fun in the water!!! The water was not too cold and not too hot. It was mostly refreshing.
Since most of the beaches in Montenegro are rocky, after swimming you can lay on the warm rocks and not only warm up buy dry off too (the rocks were surprisingly comfortable even if you lay on your stomach).
The 6 days we spent in Montenegro were very exciting. At Lovcèn National Park I was so amazed that you could see your shadow in the clouds. If you look very closely at your shadow you could see a rainbow halo around your head!!!
Montenegro Facts:
- Montenegro has 117 beaches along the coast.
- The population in Montenegro is less than 1,000.
- Half of Montenegro is 1,000 meters above sea level.
Elliot in Montenegro
We stayed in Montenegro for 6 days and it was the 6th country on our trip. When we were there we rented a car to explore outside of Kotor. I got so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so car sick. The whole trip was really nice.
I went to a rocky beach called Sveti Stefan and it was so fun. We saw a swan that had rabies (I think) and the water was so salty that you could float.
We went on a 2 hour drive to Lovćen National Park. Then we parked our car and climbed up this rocky hill. There were a lot of inuksuks on the way. When we got to the top we found a temple. Supposedly you can see 80% of all of Montenegro. There was so many clouds that you can see your reflection.
We rented an apartment on the Bay of Kotor. The apartment was messy so we moved to a hotel. The next day we went on a hike around the walls of Kotor. It was roughly 1 hour.
The whole trip was really fun because we had road trips and there where so many clouds that we could see our reflections in them.
Montenegro
From the beginning our Montenegro leg didn’t get a fair start. We arrived late by bus, everyone was tired, hungry, it was starting to drizzle and we had to find a taxi to our Airbnb host. Quite a contrast to leaving Hvar that morning with an incredible amount of sunshine reflecting off the Adriatic into our apartment. Montenegro, however, definitely grew on us…very quickly.
The landscape around Kotor and the Bay of Kotor is stunning—deep blue sea surrounded by a jagged mountain backdrop. Kotor was designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and named top European destination by Lonely Planet in 2016. As the days passed, we learned why it was such a lovely place to visit.
Kotor isn’t as developed as places we’ve stayed in Croatia, however, its surrounding landscape made up for that.
Having a rental car was a definite bonus to explore outside of Kotor, as we got to see so much more of Montenegro than we would’ve if we stayed within the town boundaries.
One day we drove to Lovcèn National Park. Lovcèn is 1.5 hours from Kotor, climbing up to 5,738 ft from sea level to the park’s entrance. The centre piece was a further 460 steps climb up, either through carved stone or natural gravel path, to the Mausoleum of Njegos. The mausoleum, located in the clouds, has a viewing potential (when it’s clear) to see 80% of the country. We were able to get a good view of the surrounding landscape, however, had to cut the visit short as the wind started to pick up, and being this high in the sky, the cold came in fairly quickly. We headed back home to the warmth of Kotor.
Our final day in Kotor we ascended up the city’s fortress for a view of the entire Bay of Kotor. Initially we thought of skipping this destination, thinking our kids needed a break from our Lovcèn climb the previous day, but we’re so glad we didn’t miss it! Phenomenal view.
After the climb, we were newly inspired and drove to Lovcèn National Park to redo our hike—this time smartly dressed with more layers. As we ascended the clouds started rolling in and blocked the blue sky we had at the start of our day. We experienced something that was totally new to us when we arrived to the top of the mausoleum–we saw our very own shadows cast onto clouds! It was totally surreal. We tried taking pictures, but like the grandeur of Plitvice Lake, photos don’t reflect the true beauty. You just had to be there to fully appreciate the effect. It was a wonderful afternoon before heading back home to relax.
For our final day in Montenegro, we decided a day at the beach at Sveti Stefan was a perfect spot to finish our visit, as we had a long-haul flight to India the next day. Sveti Stefan is an island connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Once a village, the stone villas have all been converted to an exclusive resort. One side of the beach is open to the public, the other side is open to guests of the resort – all bordered by the same gorgeous Adriatic Sea.
The weather forecast called for sun in the morning and rain in the afternoon, and having learned our lessons in Lovcèn, we brought our bathing suits and a towel ‘just in case’, but not expecting to swim.
The beach wasn’t very busy when we arrived, just a few swimmers and loungers taking advantage of the October sunshine. The beach, a typical pebble beach, was already warm from the morning sun. The kids started searching for treasures to add to their growing sea-glass collection while we lay in the sun. Very quickly we all agreed that it was time to swim. Our last swim in Adriatic Sea was perfect. The water was clear and deep and made you want to float forever. The warm rocks were like a little sauna that instantly warmed you up as soon as you lay on them. We stayed there longer than we thought and everyone loved every minute of our time at the beach.
Our last Montenegro morning had us leaving early to the Tivet airport for a 14-hour flight to Bangalore, India.
Montenegro was always on our list of countries to visit and everyone that’s been there always fell in love with it. Our 6-days in Montenegro had a great balance of mountain and sea. It’s a gorgeous country and we now see why people think this place is so special.
On a personal note, prior to arriving in Europe with our kids, we didn’t fully appreciate non-smoking in bars and restaurants that we have in Canada. Smelling smoke was not a problem outside, or even in public spaces, however, smelling smoke while enjoying a meal was something we could not get over. It was highlighted even more in Montenegro. We had difficulty finding a non-smoking spot to eat. In every restaurant, smoking was allowed. Whenever we asked for a non-smoking place, they got excited to share that yes, smoking was welcome in their restaurant! Even if we found a spot where people weren’t smoking, almost guaranteed someone would come in and start smoking right beside us. It’s amazing how lucky we are to have non-smoking establishments in Canada.
Side note: While in Montenegro, it was the first time we had an issue with our Airbnb accommodations. So far everything we booked has been perfect: clean, well located and as advertised. Our place in Montenegro, not so much. We booked the place for 6 days, but after two days of trying to make it work, we finally decided a change was needed. We contacted our host, explained our concerns, and in the morning she met us with a refund for the remainder of the stay. It was easy and relatively uneventful. We moved to a hotel in Budva for the remainder of our days in Montenegro.
Chloë in Croatia
We spent 10 days travelling in Croatia from north to south.
One of our first stops was Rastoke. We stayed there for only two days and it was so fun. We rented an apartment on top of a hill. From the apartment you could walk down the hill and see little waterfalls that were very pretty!!!
Next we stayed in Split for two days. We rented an apartment and it was located in the center of the old town. Right outside our window there was a choir. Whenever we opened our window we could hear singing and it felt like we had our own personal concert. Outside our apartment there was also an underground shopping market. At the market I bought a really nice coral bracelet. The bracelet was made of white, pink and red coral.
After Split we stayed in Hvar town for four days. Our apartment was very nice and had a beautiful view of the Adriatic Sea. One of the things we did in Hvar was rent a motor boat to explore the Pakleni Islands. We anchored our boat by a cove we found and all jumped in the water—the water was so refreshing!!! Most of the water in Croatia is very clear. Even if you look down 100 feet you can still see the bottom. Hvar is know for lavender, but we didn’t have enough time to get it so we bought it in Dubrovnik. We bought lavender oil and four lavender pouches…one for each of our backpacks.
Elliot in Croatia
In Croatia we went to Plitvice National Park. We rented 2 cabins. 2 beds were in my mom’s and sister’s cabin and 2 beds were in my cabin I shared with my dad. Our cabins didn’t have any WIFI or TV. There is a buffet in the morning. We have a restaurant and a mini grocery store.
Plitvice National Park is famous for waterfalls. There were a lot of waterfalls. There was one ginormous one and we took a ferry from one lake to another.
After Plitvice Lakes National Park we rented a car and drove to Split. When we got there we heard singing outside of our window and every morning we heard it.
For breakfast I ordered a tuna sandwich. I thought it was going to be small but it was so, so big.
That afternoon we took a ferry to Hvar. It was one hour. When we got to our apartment it was so modern. A few days later we rented a boat for one day and went to two island. By the second island we went swimming and snorkeling. On the way back I got to drive the boat.
Croatia
It felt great to arrive in Zagreb. Prague and Budapest were both stunningly beautiful, but so busy with tourists (like us!) at every corner. Arriving to the train station we were in the minority, unlike the previous two cities, with people speaking predominately Croatian and not English. For the first time, we landed in a city where very few people spoke English.
The train ride took about 6 hours stopping at smaller towns and, surprisingly enough, felt fairly quick for the four of us. Kids had the opportunity to catch up on their school assignments. The schedule was two writing assignments, 1 hour screen time; followed by 2 reading assignments, 1 hour screen time; and then journal writing. Minus a few tears from Elliot, they both did pretty well.
After a couple of hours, both kids ended up fairly hungry and wanted to check out the dining car for the first time. They each ordered a full dinner (no kids menu anymore) and finished everything-–including a side order of vegetables. A first so far on this trip.
For the last hour to Zagreb, we had a gentleman from Croatia join our berth who was thrilled to learn of our visit to his country. He prioritized the top 10 things we should do in and around regions we planned to see. One big take-away was Zagreb makes the greatest cakes in the world. He spoke in finite details about how they’re made with fresh butter, rather than margarine, using only natural ingredients without any added dyes, preservatives and a best-before date plaque to indicate freshness. There’s a chance he owned a bakery, but that didn’t matter—we were sold!
We arrived at the hotel by late evening. The kids had their feast on the train and were already too glued to the TV to even think about leaving to find a dinner spot. On the other hand, we haven’t eaten in the past 8-hours…we ended up getting dinner at a small bakery to bring back home. We had a slice of cake (as required by our new friend: a walnut, fig and orange cake—amazing!), burek (phyllo pastry baked with ground meat…soooo good), and various cheese breads to share. It was the perfect late-night meal we wanted (we still think about that cake and our mission for the rest of the trip was to find more).
The next morning was a visit to Zagreb’s Dolac Market—a large concentrated outdoor market with vendors from all over Zagreb’s surrounding areas, selling fresh veggies, fruit, mushrooms and cheeses. Smells, colours, and people packed into such a small area all hawking their products–it felt great to be part of it. We ended up with large bags of the sweetest little plums, fresh figs, and shelled walnuts before leaving to pick up a rental car for our trip south to Plitvice National Park with a night layover in Rastoke.
Rastoke is a tiny little hamlet built on top (and around) surrounding waterfalls. The town even has a few homes with waterfalls running underneath them! Most visitors (aka tour buses) use this town as a lunch stop on their way south, a precursor to the larger waterfalls in Plitvice Lake. Staying the evening allowed us to have a lovely dinner beside a waterfall without the hustle of tourists around us – just locals enjoying their dinner.
The next morning, after a quick breakfast in Slunj, we drove out to Plitvice Lakes National Park. Plitvice was one of our many “must-dos” on our trip.
Every image of the park we saw was absolutely stunning in our research. The plan was to spend 4 days (contrary to everyones suggestion that one day is plenty) to explore the park – thankfully we did because the first day it poured. When we arrived we were so excited to see the park for the first time that we ventured out, even in the rain, with our newly purchased plastic ponchos. By the time we got to the first look-out point we gave up (because plastic ponchos turned out to be very good at pooling water until they’re ready to find each dry spot to soak through) and ended up driving back to our cabin. Mother nature 1, us 0. Day two it poured again. We ended up spending our morning catching up with school work and reading. By afternoon the showers ‘seemed’ to have stopped, so we decided to venture back to the park and ended up getting only moderately soaked this time. We did, however, manage to finish a small section of the park. Again, mother nature 2, us 0. Day three was forecasted to be sunny with zero chance of precipitation. We left extra early to take advantage of the sun and spent an entire day in the park, visiting both the upper and lower lakes. The morning was a refreshing 8 degrees. Freezing! (One tip is to always travel with a toque. The kids made great use of theirs in every country we’ve been to so far. Now we need to get a couple more for Nepal!). Freezing in the morning, but absolutely warm in the afternoon. Mother nature 2, us 1.
Plitvice Lakes National Park is gorgeous. Nothing like we’ve ever seen before. The water was clear as in the Maldives and as aqua blue as glacial lakes in the Rocky Mountains. What made this place extra special for us were the numerous waterfalls, the meandering boardwalks covered with tropical-like foliage, and the many walking paths sprinkled across the park.
We were definitely not the first to discover Plitvice Lakes’ beauty. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, there are BUS LOADS of visitors each day. Mostly Germans and Koreans posing for photos like us (instead of “cheese” we heard “kimchi”). It was hard to take a photo without someone accidentally walking into your photo or waiting in line (some walkways were single file) for someone else to finish with their snapshot. Even with all these inconveniences, however, we’re still very glad to have visited and were able to capture the beauty of the park as a vivid memory in our minds, because our pictures don’t do justice it deserves.
We ended our last morning in Plitvice Lakes with breakfast at 7am so we could get an early start to our next destination in Croatia. The highway signage, even local roads, have been really good so far and we seldomly use our offline maps. The previous night we didn’t think we needed to download further map sections of Croatia but ended up downloading – just in case – to our phone. Well, good thing we did because the main highway to Split was CLOSED for maintenance (think Toronto’s summer closure of highways) and forced us to take backroads looking for an available onramp. Onramps aren’t plentiful like we have back home, but rather towns apart and between towns are scattered with single track roads. We serendipitously crossed the Dinara Mountains as a result. Beautiful, switch-back drive up and down to the Adriatic sea. Driving single file behind a late-era farm truck carrying a cow at 20 km/h at times wasn’t a bother –the scenery outside made the detour a success! We made it eventually, but set us back a couple of hours by meandering through small towns and mountainous landscapes we wouldn’t have seen otherwise if we stayed on the highway.
In Split we stayed at an apartment overlooking the vestibule in the Diocletian’s Palace in the old town of the city. An all-male acappella group was performing klapa—Dalmatian folk music—in the vestibule all day and into the early evening. The acoustics were so good, we heard it straight through our window. At first we thought someone had their music playing next door to share with the tourists walking around Old Town until we realized the music was directly below us.
Split was a lovely seaside town surrounded by the Mosor mountain and the Adriatic Sea. Its waterfront riva is lined with palm trees and cafes overlooking the bay. It’s the main ferry hub to several other Croatian islands.
We bought our first art piece in Split. A goal of ours is to buy original art in each country as mementos of our trip. In Split, we picked up a piece by a local Croatian artist that works in print and sculpture designs. It’s now wrapped securely in a cardboard frame and ready to be shipped home from Delhi, India (our first point to ship our collected items home) including the two not-so-light rock-salt eggs from Wileczka Salt Mine the kids had to get!
From Split we took a catamaran (no closed highways on our route this time) to our last destination, Hvar—a picturesque island town off the Dalmatian coast where locals go to holiday.
Hvar, which is an island in itself, has even the smaller Pakleni islands hugging the coast where we stayed. Our goal was to spend a day exploring those islands. Originally our plan was to take a water taxi to one of the islands and go island hopping via water taxis. After some research, we ended renting our own motor boat, going at a leisure pace on our own schedule. And so we did. The islands have rocky coasts with crystal clear water and deserted coves where you can anchor, swim, lunch, and enjoy the afternoon – we did all four.
Our time in Hvar was perfect. It was the first place we had a hard time leaving. The town of Hvar, deserted coves of the Pakleni Islands, swimming in the super-salty Adriatic and lounging in the sun overlooking the sea at the house made for everlasting memories.
From Hvar we took a catamaran back to Split, then a bus to Dubrovnik. Our original plan was a catamaran ride straight to Dubrovnik, but they stopped service on the day we wanted to leave (not noted on their site, by the way). The bus to Dubrovnik took four hours and was right along the Dalmation coast. Mountains on one side with alarming cliffs to the Adriatic Sea on the other. Stunning the entire way. As we got further south the landscape changed to more rolling hills with vineyards and orange groves.
Dubrovnik was beautiful, however, between tour buses and 2,000+ person cruise liners, to us it seemed very busy and hectic for their low season. Couldn’t imagine what high season would be like. We spent a few hours exploring the fortress city, and walking the upper city walls around the old city.
Our time in Croatia introduced us to some new dishes: Burek, Black Cuttlefish Risotto (made with squid ink), Gregada (Dalmatian fish stew made with local white fish, potatoes, onions and olive oil baked in a stone pot…so, so good—will try to make at home), and the delicious spicy Croatian olive oil—which the kids loved as well. Last, but not least, Croatian wines – especially the Plavac Malis – rounded out a fantastic time in Croatia.
Our 10 days in Croatia were fabulous and definitely a place we want to return. We’re off next to Montenegro.
Elliot in Prague
(This is me writing this post for you).
I am in Prague.
There is an old town and new town. We live in new town. There is a clock tower that has been there since 1410. The apple juice in Prague is called Cappy. In our apartment we have a foosball table. Every day we go on a 2 hour walking tour and I got a SEFIE STICK.
Chloë in Budapest
We arrived in Budapest at 8:30am in the morning. We rented an apartment and stayed for three days.
Right next to our apartment there was a really good cafe. Every morning we went there for breakfast and ordered and ham and cheese croissant. It was the best croissant ever.
Budapest is split up into two parts. One side is Pest and the other side is Buda. Buda is the more bumpier side with all the hills and Pest is the flatter side with more city life.The two parts are separate by a big river called the Danube. We took a cruise along the Danube. It was so fun. The cruise gave us a great view of Budapest and took about 2 hours. Since we took the cruise at night, all the buildings were lit up and it was so cool!!
Facts about Budapest
1. The Rubik’s Cube was invented by a Hungarian professor named Erno Rubik.
2. Budapest is the capital of Hungary
3. Budapest has one of the biggest parliament buildings in the world.
4. Budapest is divided by the Danube river into two parts: Buda and Pest
5. The Danube is Europe’s second largest river.
Hungarian words:
Hello = Hello
Thank you = köszönöm
You’re welcome = szívesen
Please = Kerem
Good morning = jó reggelt
Budapest
We arrived in Budapest at 8:30am by overnight train from Prague. We’re here for three days, a stopover, before continuing to Croatia.
After a long train ride, we thought a taxi to our apartment would be best rather than trying to navigate the streets as we did in Prague. The problem: none of them wanted to drive us because our destination was either too close or they were too busy smoking and chatting to bother. After approaching a couple of cabs, one guy relented and offered a fixed price, however, we became suspicious, when other drivers began smiling at the amount he quoted – we thought the metro would be best – and declined. Two metro stops and a short walk later, we arrived at our apartment. This time we checked in right away. Our apartment was located on the Pest (pronounced Peszt) side in the Jewish Quarter.
We settled in, showered and found a great little breakfast spot right next door which happened to make scrumptious prosciutto and cream cheese toasted croissants—the kids loved them – and fantastic espressos (for us, not the kids). We became regulars for the three breakfasts we had in Budapest.
The second night we booked an evening cruise along the Danube. During the day, Budapest is such an incredible city filled with magnificent buildings right along the river and in the evening it becomes even more magical as those buildings are lit up. The best views are from the river. The kids had a great time, as well, excited to see and document (with their new selfie sticks) the first gorgeous building we passed. After the half hour mark, however, they were more excited to catch up on Minecraft and Pixel Gun 3D, while we enjoyed the views and live music.
Later that evening we started packing to leave early the next morning. Elliot kept us company, hand selecting music and drying our clothes with a hair dryer. We had a very productive night, while Chloe slept through the evening festivities.
That morning (after our breakfast croissants…sad to say goodbye) we planned to visit Szechenyi Thermal Bath. Our train to Zagreb, Croatia, wasn’t until 2:30pm, so we thought a spa would be a good way to spend our last few hours in Budapest. We rented a cabin (sounds big but it’s the size of a tiny closet) to have a private change room (one person at a time, as stated in their FAQ!) and, more importantly, store our baggage. We stayed for 2 hours, visiting several different indoors and outdoor pools, hot and cold whirlpools, and dry/wet saunas. The weather was sunny and warm enough to enjoy the outdoor lounge chairs. Our favourite was the steam room + cold plunge pool + dry sauna combo. Reminded us of our getaways to Ste. Anne’s and how amazing your body feels (just missing the eucalyptus smell) after a day at the spa.
After the baths we took the metro to the train station to catch the 6 hour train to Zagreb, Croatia.
Chloë in Prague
Prague was really fun but short because it was only three days. To get to Prague we took an overnight, eight-hour train ride. On the overnight train we got a very, very small room. The room had two bunk beds. Sometimes there are robbers on the train and they steal from you when you are sleeping. To prevent that from happening you need to lock your door before you go to bed.
We arrived in Prague at 6:40am. We thought that the check-in time was at 7:00am, but it turned out to be at 2:00pm. While we were waiting for the apartment we went on a walking tour to explore Prague.
The apartment we rented was so nice. To me what make it extra nice was that it had a foosball table!!
One of the things Prague is famous for is this big clock tower. It was installed in 1410 and it is the oldest astronomical clock that is still working.
Facts about Prague
1. Prague is most famous for beer.
2. Prague is the capital of Czech Republic.
3. Prague is the 19th most popular city in the world. We heard languages from all over the world.
Czech words
Hello = Ahoj
Thank you = Děkuji
Bye = Na shledanou!
You are welcome = Prosím
No = Ne
Yes = Ano
Good = Dobry
Prague
Prague was a short three-day trip on our way to Croatia (via Budapest). Arrived into the city centre by overnight train from Krakow at 6:30am.
Our Airbnb host was notified in advance (two days) that we’ll be arriving early, we requested an early check-in which they confirmed it shouldn’t be a problem as reception is open 24hours to allow us in …great we thought! Later we found out, ‘open reception‘ and ‘check-in‘ are two different things apparently. We’re bracing ourselves for more of these scenarios in the days ahead. Our room wasn’t ready until 2pm. Soooo…we dropped off our bags, found a breakfast place, retraced our steps back to pick-up outgoing train tickets to Budapest, joined a morning city walking tour, and made check-in at the scheduled time.
We arrived in Prague on our 12th wedding anniversary. Another reason to celebrate. We’ve been having mini-celebrations each day, from waking up in a new city to walking 5-hours a day, but today entailed a bigger-celebration. Tonight we’ll be with our kids for a wedding anniversary dinner.
We explored the city further at night, Charles Bridge and found a classic Czech dinner spot in a medevial tavern. Chloe finished her appetizer and fell asleep on the table after her first course – promptly. Elliot stayed to the very end with us. After dinner, Chloe woke up and asked for a piggyback ride (up a hill) back to our apartment. After the kids went to bed, we shared an evening drink together. That was our day one in Prague!
On day two we shifted gears to make our schedule a lot easier. We had a single goal to visit the Strahov Monastic Brewery, a craft brewer across the river set in a beautiful medieval building overlooking Prague centre. It took us almost the entire day to get there, which was great, no rushing, just exploring, stopping along the way for a snack or two and following-up on a few things we saw on the previous day’s city tour. That may be the secret to traveling with kids…keeping it simple.
The ‘problem’ with Prague is each street has a gorgeous café or pub set in a century-old building with an inviting patio basked in sunshine—you want to stop, sit down, sample their menu, and have a drink – at each corner. Seriously. And so we did, because we’re here already.
The kids highlight: selfie sticks. We didn’t think we’d ever own one, let alone two selfie sticks, but kids started making these cool little video documentaries exploring where they are and what’s around them with their digital cameras. For that purpose, selfie sticks made sense. Elliot doesn’t even own a smartphone and fashioned his digital camera to his selfie stick. The kids better make some great movies. Will keep you posted.
Poland
Poland was a very special country for us. We visited family, met new cousins, caught up with friends and introduced the kids to memories from the past. It’s also the first country planned on our year trip—meaning our trip has officially begun!
We spent 10 days in Warsaw, 4 days in Krakow and 3 days in Zakopane in the Tatry mountains.
Warsaw
The first night we arrived in Warsaw was quite late and by the time we settled in it was already 11pm. We were concerned we’d only find something to eat at a convenience store, but all restaurants were open. Nothing like having bigos, ribs, fried pierogi and beer at midnight. Welcome to Poland!
It took us (and the kids!) three solid days to adjust to the time change. For the first few days our kids couldn’t sleep until 3am, eating cheerios at 1am and waking up at noon. Slowly they got back on schedule.
The first full day we did a walking tour. It’s the best way to explore a new city as you’re introduced to highlights (typically by locals) and then can come back to what you find interesting. We’re hooked on walking tours and joined up on two more in Warsaw–the Old Town and Praga (a part of Warsaw across the Wisla river). Each tour was approximately 2 hours long and the kids kept up the entire time without complaining (keeping fingers crossed this continues).
While in Warsaw, with a friend’s recommendation, we visited the Copernicus Science Centre. We spent more than 3-hours exploring the various exhibits, the exhibits were interactive enough to not require english translations. At the end of our visit the kids wanted to stay longer, building moving contraptions and sling-shots! That was their science lesson for the month.
The food and drinks were definitely a highlight. Most restaurants were lovely, set with patios overflowing onto cobblestone streets but our favourite were bary mleczne (literally meaning ‘milk bars’). Milk Bars, at one time only served dairy-based meals, originated from early Polish era providing meals in the city centre to workers. Nowadays, Milk Bars serve traditional polish dishes in a simple cafeteria-style environment. The menu in Milk Bars are almost 100% exclusively in Polish. This makes it hard for tourists to eat there, however, we saw one couple who took a picture and handed their order to the cashier. Milk Bars consist of three stations. The first station is where you order off the menu posted on the wall; the second window, you hand in your printed receipt to receive your order; and the third window, you drop off your dirty dishes. The service is not very friendly and if you can’t speak Polish, it would be difficult to place an order…but the food is delicious and the prices even better make up for it! Loved all the soups (cucumber especially) and salads (cabbage and sauerkraut) – feels like a home-cooked meal!
As Warsaw was our longer stay in Poland, it was the start of our kids’ homework schedule. In the morning one of us would get a fresh baguette and we’d have coffee and breakfast in the apartment while the kids worked on their reading and writing workbooks. “Classes” normally started at 11am (since we were all adjusting to our time-zone change) and finish around 1pm, at which time “breakfast” was ready. Our afternoons in Warsaw allowed us to explore the city until evening. We would cap off the night with kids working on their novel studies until 11pm. This was month 1—curious how this schedule progresses.
The time in Warsaw allowed us to catch up with friends and family we don’t see often enough. It was special for the kids to meet their cousins for the first time. Kids speak a sort of universal language where they connect without saying a common word and play the entire evening together in two different languages. We enjoyed an evening of classic Polish meals and, even more so, classic Polish drinking. Looking back, we were amazed at how many bottles of Wodka one could drink when accompanied with kabanosas!
We visited close family friends, who we haven’t seen in over 13-years, and had a fantastic evening dinner in their garden. We caught up over laughter, shared memories, and finished our evening with a promise to meet for a real powder skiing experience in Canada! Later that week, they joined us at a Polish restaurant for one of the best tartare in Warsaw. Tartare is fresh raw ground beef mixed with pickles, onions, raw egg, and secret spices. The dish was prepared at our table by a master chef. Our kids even had some and enjoyed it!
Krakow
Krakow is three-hours away, by train, south of Warsaw. This was our second major city in Poland we visited. When we left Warsaw the weather drastically changed to what’s more typical for a Polish autumn (15 degrees as compared to 30 degrees when we arrived), and our daily treats, instead of ice cream and cold beer, became hot tea and mulled wine. However, the kids still had their lody each day.
Top of Chloe’s to-do list was to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine, just outside of Krakow. A friend of hers was recently there and came back excited to reveal you’re encouraged to lick the walls on the tour. We had to go! Actually, we almost didn’t go since their website allowed us to only purchase three-days in advance, and with only four-days in Warsaw, we thought we blew it. However, thanks to the helpful information centre, we tracked down a ticket office and booked directly instead of taking our chances onsite the next morning.
Wieliczka Salt Mine shuttles between 4,000 to 5,000 visitors each day up an down the mine. They have foreign language tours daily in English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and German.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine dates back to the 13th century. The guided English tour was close to 3-hours and it only covered 1% of the total underground mine. We took 378 steps down to a depth of of 135 meters underground. Inside the mine everything was carved of rock salt from stairs, statues, chapels, intricate chandelier pieces, chambers, and marble-like floors–incredibly all from salt.
And of course, the kids licked the walls!
Another highlight of our trip was an evening kielbasa after-dinner snack. We had to try a few while walking back to our apartment. Kielbasas are not served on a bun, but with a fork and knife with condiments ranging from sauted onions, and of course, ketchup and mustard.
Zakopane
After Krakow we decided renting a car instead of taking the train to Zakopane, a popular mountain town in the Polish Tatry mountains, was our best option. A car rental provided an added luxury of going at our own pace. More importantly, the train would’ve taken four hours whereas the car was only two hours – driving according to posted speeds – south to Zakopane.
On our way to Zakopane we spent time in Chochołów, just outside the Slovakia border. Chochołów is a small Polish hamlet with heritage wooden houses built by Goral highlanders. The kids’ highlight was buying candy from their one convenience store—not the stone church, timber-built homes that lined the streets, nor the magnificent mountain views.
We arrived into Zakopane and settled into our hotel around dinner time. Instead of researching a local restaurant for the night, we ended up having a great charcuterie spread made of local meats and oscypek (a traditional salty, smoked cheese made of sheep milk exclusively in the Tatry mountains) in our apartment.
The second day in Zakopane we visited Kasprowy Wierz (15 minutes away) in the Western Tatry mountains—a popular ski area in the winter and hiking spot in the summer. The mountain range crisscrosses between Poland and Slovakia.
Our plan was to take a cable car up to the top and hike down, and to be honest, we didn’t have high expectations of the mountains. The ride consisted of two cable cars up: stage one was beautiful that took you to Myślenickie Turnie at 1,325 m; and stage two was mind-blowing (according to the kids!) awesome up to Mount Kasprowy at 1,987 m. As we exited the second cable car, our view was epic…we couldn’t resist climbing higher, even with snow around us, by taking the only ‘difficult’ walking trail up as opposed to the various ‘normal’ walking trails down! The path was rocky and slippery, however, well-maintained and well-travelled. We passed hikers from all over the world, speaking in many different languages, some carrying larger packs with sleeping bags embarking on a much longer route into the mountains. We explored for a couple of hours before starting the three-hour hike down. The weather is unpredictable in the mountains and we got quite lucky—it was sunny and clear at the peak, the clouds only started rolling in as our decent began into the valley.
The experience surprisingly became our top highlight of Poland and we promised to plan a future return trip to the Tatry mountains for a more ambitious hike (properly outfitted of course).
Our final third day we explored the streets of Zakopane, their ancient wooden churches, and historical cemeteries. We couldn’t resist any longer and tried our first fresh Polish ponczki with wild rose hip jam–and enjoyed…every. single. bite.
At the end of our time in Poland, it was officially confirmed…all the walking doesn’t neutralized the eating and drinking we indulged in. Our pants feel tighter. We started a little workout routine with pushups and sit ups by necessity. I’m not sure if it’ll help much—and slightly concerned as Prague is our next city with more food and drink to explore!
Elliot in Warsaw
I spend 10 days in Warsaw, Poland. Warsaw is the capital of Poland.
I visited my cousins, some I have never met before. I went on a two hour walking tour and saw a lot of graffiti. I went to Copernicus Science Centre. At the science centre I made a slingshot and there was a lot of cool things. There was a magic carpet. It worked like this: it blew air from the bottom and we can sit on it and float.
At dinner my favourite thing to eat was dumplings that had cheese and potato with a ginormous lemonade. We had a very modern apartment building.
Top things in Poland:
1. I like the ice cream
2. I like the waffles
3. I like the food
4. I like the ice tea
5. I like the dumplings with cheese and potato
While in Warsaw I saw a lot of street art and graffiti. There is graffiti scattered all over the place. I went on a graffiti tour. Some call it vandalism, in Poland they call it art!
Chloë in Warsaw
Right now i’m on three hour train ride to Krakow from Warsaw. Warsaw is the capital of Poland and Krakow is a popular city in Poland. In Warsaw we rented an apartment and stayed there for ten days. Our apartment was right in between the Old and New Town, so it was easy to walk everywhere. In World War II, 90% of Warsaw was destroyed so it had to all be rebuilt.
We did many things in Warsaw and one of them was go to a science center called the Copernicus Science Center. The Science Center was named after Nicolaus Copernicus. At the science center there were really cool exhibits and awesome things to learn about! Nicolaus Copernicus discovered many things. His most famous discovery was that the earth went around the sun instead of the sun going around the earth.
When we stayed in Warsaw the weather was great . In the ten days we spent there it didn’t rain one single drop of rain.
My top facts about Poland:
1. 90% of Warsaw was destroyed during World War II
2. Złoty is the local currency in Poland. 1 złoty = 30 cents Canadian
3. Poland is famous for amber
4. Poland has the best ice cream, in my opinion (especially strawberry!)
Polish words (I tried to learn)
Hello = Cześć
Thank you = Dziękuję
Goodbye = Do widzenia
I’m sorry = Przepraszam
You’re welcome = Prosze
My name is… = Nazywam się
Good = Dobry
Please = Prosze
Yes = Tak
No = Nie
Elliot in Iceland
Hi I am Elliot. I have a stickbot. I am bringing him on my trip around the world. It is swag. In every country I am going to take a different picture with him. I took my first picture in Iceland. Next I’m going to Poland. The flight was 5 hours to Iceland. The next day we went to the Blue Lagoon. There was mud that you put on your face. Three different types: silica mask, algae mask and volcano scrub. I liked the volcano scrub best. The algae one was disgusting.
In the evening my dad went to get pizza for dinner. It was a really good pizza.
In the evening I wrote this thing. And then I played on my ipad.
The next day I took a 4-hour flight to Poland.
Bye bye everybody,
Elliot
Iceland
Iceland wasn’t originally on the destination list. It was added as a layover on our way to Poland.
So glad we got a chance to experience some of its beauty, even if only for a couple of days.
Iceland was kept simple with only a few spots to visit—Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon—rather than trying to see everything in a short period of time.
We arrived in the early hours of the morning to our hotel, no problem with checkin, and jumped straight to bed. After waking up past noon, we planned to explore a hot spring that’s more off the beaten path, but we’re glad we spent our afternoon at the Blue Lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon was gorgeous. The kids were psyched and were kept occupied for approx 2 hours with smoothies and silica masks. By hour three they were done.
The day ended with kids starting their homeschooling assignments.
The next morning we had an amazing breakfast at the hotel (yogurt, musli, fresh bread, cheese and prosciutto–wish I took a pic!) and explored downtown Reykjavik before heading off to the airport.
Tonight we fly to Poland.
And we’re off on our big trip… (Chloë)
Right now I’m on a 5 hour plane ride to Iceland and we are going to arrive at 5am in the morning. This is our first destination of 16 countries and so far the ride is pretty good.
I can’t believe that this amazing journey has already started and I can’t wait to explore the amazing world ahead. In the past few days we were just finishing up last minute things and saying goodbye to everyone. It was so sad to say goodbye knowing that I’m not going to see everyone for a whole year!!!!
Chloe
Saying goodbye
“True friends fill your heart so you can take them with you wherever you go…”
This month was filled with many goodbyes…but it’s just for one year. You’ll travel with us in our hearts and we’ll see each other soon to share adventures and laugh together again.
Some friends we’ve seen everyday, others once a month and some much less frequently, but everyone has a special part in our lives and we’ll miss you.
Tonight our adventure begins,
xoxo
Saying goodbye to our home for one year
Six months of purging, packing and storing–this is it. The house is now leased. Bittersweet leaving the Beach and our routines. Thankful to stay with family and friends as we start the one-month countdown before our adventure begins!
Last day of school
School has just ended and summer started. I’m really happy about that but sad at the same time. I’m not going to see my friends for a year (unless we have a playdate or sleepover before I leave ). After graduation everybody ran up to me and gave me a big hug!
That’s when I finally realized that I’m not going to talk to them,see them,or hang out with them for a whole year! At graduation I also handed out cards that had our blog website on it so my classmates could follow me around the world and we could stay in touch.
Vinh’s backpack
Vinh’s one-year packing list:
- 2 pairs of pants
- 2 pair of shorts
- 3 t-shirts
- 1 long sleeved shirt
- 3 socks
- swim shorts
- sunglasses
- sandals
- walking shoes
- headphones
- e-reader
- camera + charger
- tripod
- water purifier
- universal plug adapter
- water bottle
- toiletries
- first aid kit
- micro steel cable
Elliot’s backpack
Elliot’s year-long packing list:
- 2 pairs of pants
- 2 pair of shorts
- 3 t-shirts
- 1 long sleeved shirt
- 3 socks
- swim shorts
- sunglasses
- sandals
- walking shoes
- headphones
- camera
- book
- homework
- water bottle
- toiletries
- fit bit
Chloe’s backpack
Chloe’s one-year packing list:
- 2 pairs of pants
- 1 pair of shorts
- 2 t-shirts
- 1 tank top
- 1 long sleeved shirt
- 1 dress
- 3 socks
- bathing suit
- sunglasses
- sandals
- walking shoes
- headphones
- iPod
- book
- homework (1 years worth!)
- water bottle
- toiletries
- fit bit
Agatha’s backpack
Agatha’s one-year packing list:
- 2 pairs of pants
- 1 pair of shorts
- 2 t-shirts
- 1 tank top
- 1 long sleeved shirt
- 1 dress
- 3 socks
- bathing suit
- sunglasses
- sandals
- walking shoes
- watch
- headphones
- laptop + charger
- phone + charger
- e-reader
- water bottle
- toiletries