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Globe Trotting Trio

October 2023 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Ken Read more
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  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 72

    Munnar, India

    December 18, 2023 in India ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Twelve years ago, we visited India. For twelve years Ken said he loves Indians, but hated India and had no desire to return. Based on flights departing Mauritius, visa restrictions, and seasonal weather, I suggested India was the best choice for our next destination. He reluctantly agreed with the caveat that he would only visit for ten days.

    I don’t know what’s changed. It could be twelve years. Maybe we are in a different region (the south vs. the north). Or we’re staying in nicer places. Or perhaps his perspective on life and travel have evolved. But we landed in Mumbai (his previous “worst place ever”) and within one hour he looked with a devious grin and announced “What was I thinking, this place is great! Why are we only staying ten days?” I nearly strangled him.

    We stayed one night in Mumbai (ate the spiciest food ever and all got stomach pains; Ken vomited) and then took a quick flight south to Kochi (Kerala). Our first day was spent exploring via tuk tuk (rickshaw) to all the tourist sites – a mix of colonial era churches, temples, and a Jewish synagogue; Chinese fishing nets; local laundry site; and perfumery. Ken ventured across town via ferry boat for a sim card – not an easy task given he doesn’t speak the local language and no one speaks English. For Kelvis’ 19th birthday he wanted beef, fries, and Oreo milkshakes!

    For the next two days we stayed on a houseboat in the Alleppey backwaters (a huge network of lakes and channels with thousands of cruise boats). The first night we shared the boat with a newlywed couple from Bangalore and we had a wonderful evening with our new friends. At one point off in the distance we saw a small motorboat and realized he was selling ice cream. We asked Kelvis to get his attention so we could buy ice cream. Kelvis, excited by the idea of an ice cream boat, proceeded to scream “Ey Ey Ey” at the top of his lungs and wave his arms in a crazy, frantic manner. The ice cream boat sped over SO quickly, we made fun of Kelvis all evening for his wild attention-grabbing antics (very effective indeed).

    The second night we switched to a bigger, double-decker boat (with 3 new couples – unfortunately for Everett, he was the only kid). The upper level contained our two bedrooms and the dining hall. Unfortunately, we realized Ken was slightly taller than the average Indian, so he had to walk hunched over the entire ride.

    The people in Kerala have been some of the nicest we have encountered on the trip – really, genuinely friendly. Everett is seriously an anomaly-celebrity here because of his dreadlock hair. He gets 10-15 compliments per day and people are constantly asking to take pictures with him.

    Then we spent six hours driving on the windiest road we have ever been on. It was 160 km (100 miles) of switch-backs, climbing up a rolling mountainside to the town of Munnar. The drive was beautiful – rubber trees, spice trees, waterfall, coffee and tea plantations. To make the time pass faster we played the “alphabet sign game” so many times that by the end of the drive we were all car sick and going nutty. (Shout out to Grandpa Roy who used to play this when Ken was growing up. Ken shared the story of when Roy went as far as to even ask strangers in other cars for help on the hard letters. Fortunately Ken did follow this particular aspect of the tradition)

    We made very last-minute hotel reservations and everything was sold out (duh, it is Christmas!!!). In our ignorance, we wrongly assumed this was a Hindu country so maybe Christmas wouldn’t be a big deal? WRONG! There are many Christians here and Munnar is a major domestic tourist destination. So… we slept in two TENTS in the middle of nowhere-ville an hour from Munnar, with no restaurant onsite, construction noise and pounding club music all evening, terrible smog, and no toilet paper.

    Today everything turned around. Everett has good WIFI, Kelvis recovered from his stomach ailments, we are enjoying the cool mountain temperatures, and we ventured into Munnar via tuk tuk. Turns out our tents are right in the middle of beautiful tea plantations (the smog cleared) and we leaned into the Christmas chaos while walking around downtown Munnar. The boys got milkshakes and Ken and I enjoyed really good thali (sampler platter of veg dishes) for $1 each. In town I purchased four rolls of toilet paper so no one is without and now everyone is happy.

    Merry Christmas and belated Happy Hanukkah, we love and miss you all! I hope you enjoy this poem I found to share with you.

    “When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
    Pray that the road is long,
    Full of adventure, full of knowledge.
    The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
    The angry Poseidon – do not fear them:
    You will never find such as these on your path
    If your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
    Emotion touches your spirit and your body.
    The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
    The fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
    If you do not carry them within your soul,
    If your heart does not set them up before you.

    Pray that the road is long.
    That the summer mornings are many, when,
    With such pleasure, with such joy
    You will enter ports seen for the first time;
    Stop at Phoenician markets,
    And purchase fine merchandise,
    Mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
    And sensual perfumes of all kinds,
    As many sensual perfumes as you can;
    Visit Egyptian cities,
    To learn and learn from scholars.

    Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
    To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
    But do not hurry the voyage at all.
    It is better to let it last for many years;
    And to anchor at the island when you are old,
    Rich with all you have gained on the way,
    Not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
    Without her you would have never set out on the road.
    She has nothing more to give you.

    And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
    Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
    You must already have understood what Ithacas mean.”

    Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933)
    Translated by Rae Dalven    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 84

    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    December 30, 2023 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Have you gone through a hard week and then everything seems back to normal? And you think, did that really happen? What a week. We departed Munnar, India on Christmas and we couldn’t find transportation. Kelvis was sick again from spicy food so he’d been eating bread and rice for nearly a week. At the last minute (everything was booked) we found a driver of a safari Jeep who agreed to take us to Theni for double the price (Ok, it was Christmas morning!). The driver took us OFF-ROAD down the side of the hill on a NON-ROAD. At some point he jumped back onto the road and we arrived at Theni in half the time.

    One night later and we were on the road again. The hotel manager corrected us before a major disaster (we were headed to the wrong bus station). We hadn’t been to the bus station for 10 seconds and the bus conductor grabbed our luggage and yelled at us to get on the bus. It was pulling out of the station as we arrived. We had a fun two-hour bus ride with club music on blast to Madurai. (Spotify: Google Google by Vijay). The conductor himself was half the entertainment, yelling and joking with every person on the ride. Then coming into Madurai, Ken realized our hotel was on the bus route about 30 mins before the final stop. With no notice, we jumped off the bus and grabbed our luggage (under the bus) all in about 30 seconds, as the bus pulled away. With high fives all around we saw our hotel on that exact street corner, saving ourselves at least an hour of backtracking and extra expense.

    Ken and I had a fun date night visiting the Meenakshi Temple and the surrounding area (the boys stayed home). We then grabbed the 3pm train to Chennai, enjoying a pleasant trip watching the lush tropical scenery outside the window. After six hours as we pulled into the Chennai suburbs, we asked a nearby person how to get to our hotel. A perfect stranger, he gave us directions to exit the train early, in almost the exact same scenario (jump off the train with no notice at an earlier stop and avoid back-tracking from the main train terminal to the hotel). WOW! Following the stranger, he led us through the chaotic train terminal, bought us tickets on a local train, and ensured we got to our destination. We will never forget the kindness of that stranger who helped us with nothing asked in return.

    We arrived in Chennai in the late evening hours and had a quick two nights. The boys ventured into town, yes, for McDonalds and more adventure on the local trains. For Kelvis after 10 days of eating rice, he just wanted fries and a safe hamburger.

    At 5am on our way to the airport, a taxi tried to overcharge us by 50 cents and that made Ken crazy. He refused to pay the exorbitant 50 cent up-charge and instead hailed down two tuk tuks to the airport. Our flight was an easy four hours and exhausted, we landed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (another non-visa country for Ugandan visa holders).

    Twelve years ago, we had a layover in Kuala Lumpur and thought nothing of it. We didn’t even leave the airport. WOW! We were WRONG! After a tough week in India, we had the most fantastic few days here, I almost can’t explain it. It’s like breathing a sigh of relief after a hard week, like, finally, everything makes sense again. We are in a modern apartment on the 23rd floor (of a 50-floor high rise with an infinity pool on the 8th floor). All our favorites are on our doorstep: coffee (everywhere!!!), WIFI, comfy beds, A/C, glass skyscrapers (Kelvis is in AWE), washing machine, cheap clean public transit, beautiful roads, Japanese food (Everett), Garretts popcorn (Hillary), virtual reality zombies, Petronas Twin Towers, and the nicest high-end shopping malls we have seen on the trip.

    All our love for the new year. Who knows what is to come for 2024? It’s a beautiful and wild world. Happy New Years from our new favorite country, Malaysia!!!    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 94

    Singapore

    January 9 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Everyone wanted to stay in Kuala Lumpur longer, but we had already booked our next hotel (non-refundable) in the quaint southwestern city, Malacca. We easily took the train to the bus station, but all the buses to Malacca were sold-out so we spent most of the afternoon waiting for an available bus. We stayed in a fun touristy area with our hotel located on the Malacca River near Jonker Street. The city streets were full of multiple cuisine restaurants, Chinese souvenir/antique shops, and foot massage spas (shout out to Shelley!). One spa attendant convinced us to get our ears cleaned with “ear candles” (where hot flames melt ear wax – it’s very gross but also relaxing). Also, oddly, the number one attraction in the small town was the “Huskitory,” a house full of Husky dogs that you can interact and play with (shout out to Dad). So, between ear candles and husky dogs, Malaysia had surprises around every corner.

    Our bus ride from Malacca to Singapore was five hours (without a toilet onboard!). I wouldn’t allow anyone to drink liquids all day. Besides the toilet issue, the seats were comfortable and we spent the time working on schoolwork. Entry to Singapore was quick, although we had a slight panic attack when officials pulled Kelvis out of the immigration line and we lost sight of him momentarily. Luckily, it wasn’t a big deal as he needed to use the manual line (vs automated entry) because of his passport. Interestingly, we didn’t get stamps in our passports, but instead got an email with an “e-pass.”

    The first evening we found a “hawker stall” (large food court) on Old Airport Road. Since sit-down-restaurants are crazy expensive we opted for more reasonably priced local food stalls, which are surprisingly tasty. Normally we avoid food stalls but everything is exceptionally clean in Singapore so the food is safe. In the evening Ken took the kids downtown for the nighttime light/water show at Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

    The next day we took an epic 10 mile walk across all of downtown Singapore – Little India, Arab Quarter, Chinatown, Financial District, everything! Everett’s very happy about the food here: dumplings, potstickers, noodles, and Boba Tea. Although we are not night people, everything comes alive in the evenings (it’s incredibly hot and humid during the daytime hours). The city is strikingly modern with lush/tropical/green plants on every street corner. It has characteristically clean streets, courteous people, and everyone speaks English. If it weren’t so expensive, we would easily stay here for quite a while.

    Unfortunately, Everett’s Microsoft Surface tablet has a cracked screen, which has been impossible to fix given the countries we have been in. Ken tried unsuccessfully at 10+ service centers across 5 countries. Everett uses the tablet for online school so we really need to get it fixed. It’s Sunday here (+16 hours ahead) and there has been a major downpour all morning. Ken is venturing out into the thunderstorm in attempts to fix the computer for the 11th time. What a DAD!    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 95

    Bangkok, Thailand

    January 10 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Singapore came through for us and the computer was fixed, finally! Ken had to wait in the rain under an overhang at a random guy’s apartment for 45 minutes (the computer tech accidentally fell asleep). Our final day in Singapore we went on a long bike ride. All across the city are app-based bike rentals, but since we only had two working cell phones and Everett was under 16, we rented the bikes from a bike shop along the East Coast Park. It was a fun (and hot!) afternoon ride. Kelvis said it was the best day of the trip. That night we saw the light show at Gardens by the Bay, a super modern botanical garden that includes giant solar-powered trees.

    The next day we spent most of the day at the Chiangi Airport, one of the nicest airports in the world. That evening we said goodbye to Kelvis as he returned to Uganda and we headed on to Thailand. It was a wonderful experience to have a travel companion, experience new things through his eyes, and give such an opportunity to a deserving kid. We were worried about sending him solo across the globe (Singapore > Doha > Entebbe) but he did great and even made friends along the way.

    Ok, so here’s where the story takes a turn. For the last six days in Bangkok, I came down with Dengue Fever, which is a viral infection from a mosquito bite. Shout out to Dr Tanya who told me to go to the hospital. And shout out to Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital – highly recommend them if you ever get sick in Bangkok. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our scuba diving lessons on Koh Tao and stay in Bangkok longer than expected. Ken worked his magic and found us a very nice apartment near the hospital, since I would need to come back several times for outpatient blood work.

    While I’ve been under the weather, the boys have been by my side but also keeping busy – a hop on/hop off boat, swimming pool, shopping, foot massage, airplane themed mall, Aquaman movie, and the Millennium Hilton breakfast!    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 109

    Koh Samui, Thailand

    January 24 in Thailand ⋅ 🌬 29 °C

    After recovering from dengue fever, the doctor cleared me to travel. So, we booked a direct flight to an island on the southeastern coast of Thailand – Koh Samui. As a joke I bought the obligatory “elephant pants” for Ken and Everett so they would look like “real backpackers” on our departure from Bangkok. Well the joke was on me because they’ve been wearing them non-stop. We took the train to the airport and chilled at the lounge for a bit.

    Koh Samui is one of the larger, more developed islands but one we had not visited previously. Twelve years ago, in Thailand we met a Canadian couple (Ken and Crystal) and have stayed friends all these years. How did we meet? Well, Ken Altmann drank so many banana shakes at the local bar that the bar ran out of the key ingredient. The owner told his kid to climb the tree next to the bar and cut down more bananas. Ken and Crystal laughed so hard and talked so much trash we knew they were our type of peeps. Now 12 years have passed and they happened to be in Thailand and invited us to stay with them at their epic, beachfront AirBnB. It meant so much to us to not only remain friends for all these years, but to meet them back where it all started from. We love you Ken and Crystal! Thanks for hosting us for our epic week on Koh Samui.

    The first day was spent renting scooters (surprisingly difficult because everything was sold out), finding the grocery store (our purchases had to fit in my backpack), and getting our bearings along the west side of the island (first things first: coffee, boba tea, ATM). Day 2 we took a long tail boat (powered by a nauseating lawn mower engine) to a snorkel spot and then stopped at Crystal’s request on “Pig Island,” which is exactly what it sounds like – a mostly deserted island with a bunch of semi-feral pigs. This farm girl was not impressed – really, we spent money to hang with pigs? But Crystal was so enthralled with the baby piglets that her enthusiasm helped us all enjoy the experience. There was one “drinks shack” that sold the best mojitos. So, after a few hours and many mojitos later the Pig Island attraction ended up a pretty fun and unique afternoon.

    The next day our scooter gang of five traveled around the island (Everett was on the back of my scooter and we stopped at another snorkel spot). The cars on the road were surprisingly chill and considerate given the volume of tourists on scooters that didn’t know how to drive (us included).

    The beach at our house is less than 2 feet deep for several football fields out into the ocean. We can see the ferry boat terminal in the distance but we are 100% removed from other tourists. There are three beach dogs that frequent our beachfront (they have become our guard dogs because Crystal keeps feeding them breakfast sausages). And we are now known at the local dinner spot because we’ve gone five nights in a row and have ordered every item on the menu. What else? We are averaging 5.5 mangoes per day. Each night we sit and watch the sunset. Crystal makes the best cheese and appetizer platters. Ken Andrukow makes the best drinks and ensures we have the deep conversations of life. And they even made me brownies for my birthday.

    Yesterday, Ken, Ken and Crystal went scuba diving and Everett and I played in our pool and did homeschool. We are sad to leave our dear friends and now await the ferry to our next adventure- the island of Koh Tao.    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 113

    Koh Tao, Thailand

    January 28 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Koh Tao, Thailand

    The two-hour ferry to Koh Tao was rockier than expected (we drove into a storm) giving us motion sickness by the time we de-boarded the boat (note to future self: Meclizine). The hotel driver was waiting for us and we climbed into the back of his pick-up truck (aka local taxi). Our hotel specializes in scuba certification, so the resort had multiple swimming pools filled with novice divers. There was a small walking path along the shore from our hotel on Sairee Beach, filled with white sand, small beach shops, Thai restaurants, and massage spas. A great set-up on a popular and beautiful beach!

    We arrived late in the afternoon and Everett’s scuba lessons started with a 3-hour video. It was super boring and he cried when he got back to the hotel room because the class was really hard for him. The content was very technical and he had a difficult time with unknown terminology (disorientation, depressure, cardiac arrest, etc.). Luckily, the dive instructor allowed Ken to attend the class, so he re-explained the key concepts and quiz answers later that evening.

    Everett woke up the next morning determined to succeed. The first pool session from 8-noon was a huge success. Waen, his Thai instructor, said he was a rockstar and easily passed all the practical skills tests. That afternoon was another long, draining classroom session. On the second morning, he completed his first ocean dive, which he, again, performed like a pro. The second afternoon was more classroom time and the dreaded written test. We warned him the test would be difficult and not to be discouraged if it took several attempts to pass. (We even planned for a 5-day certification window instead of the standard 3-day.) Well, that kid came back to the hotel room (beaming) and announced he passed with exactly 75%! He was overjoyed and we were so proud of him!

    On the third day, Ken accompanied the class on their final dive and a photographer even came along to capture the moment. Congratulations Everett for becoming PADI certified! On the last evening everyone in the dive class ‘partied’ at 8pm to celebrate; Everett drank 4 Coca Colas. He became friends with a class buddy, Noah, who was 20 years old from the Netherlands; Waen was the sweetest “mom” teacher we could have asked for.

    In other news, the tropical storm hung around all week and it rained every day. Everett convinced us he needed a neon orange “ninja” cloak, aka rain jacket. I spent my time hanging at the coffee shop (stuck for hours during the constant downpour), researching our next few destinations – a perfect rainy-week activity.

    Last night Everett met a group of kids riding skimboards along the shore near our hotel. Ken and I sat on beach lounge chairs to watch the kids play. As darkness fell on the beach, we realized we were sitting in the front row for the evening entertainment… no trip to Thailand would be complete without a fire dance performance.

    Traveling sidenote: There is a more complicated balance between planned vs. spontaneous travel on this trip. “Plan as we go” and “just winging it” has proven to be more challenging than we remembered. We don’t like to be restricted when traveling and there is freedom to get inspired by the current moment and change our minds. This takes a lot of intuition and willingness to take risks. Showing up to a place, not knowing anything, and saying “What now?” is the most adventurous feeling.

    On the other hand, having logistics and discipline to follow a plan keeps our family from being a total stress case and wasting a lot of time and money. Some examples: most countries require “proof of onward travel” which means we need to purchase on out-bound flight before we’ve even arrived. We’ve also found transport options sell out much farther in advance (trains, buses, etc.) than they used to. It’s super annoying to book a train a month in advance because it locks us into a specific route and timing. If we get too rigid though, there is a lot of pressure to “get to the next destination” and we can’t take personal recommendations from people along the way. So, currently, the working strategy is to plan 1 month ahead for visas and international flights and about 4-5 days ahead for hotels and local transport. We continue to laugh at ourselves each time we say things like, "The trip was easier to plan before the internet."    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 121

    Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

    February 5 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We ferried back to mainland Thailand and rode north towards Chumphon Airport. With only one flight per day to Bangkok (9am) we stayed one night at a nearby hotel. Chumphon Airport only had one gate; we checked our luggage and cleared security in less than three minutes. Our AirAsia flight was only 45 mins but they served Boba Tea and Ice Coffee. The best service! The flight arrived at a small airport in Bangkok so we had to self-transfer to the international airport across town (BKK). On the shuttle ride we met a retired couple from LA who told us they too had taken a family gap year with their kids ten years ago. It’s always fun to meet fellow long-term American travelers, since they are so rare. The immigration line at BKK was extremely long but luckily, we had plenty of time to kill. We relaxed in the Oman Airlines lounge – it had the best food (Ken could eat Thai food indefinitely but I really love Arabic food so I was in heaven). Then: Vietnam Airlines to Hanoi, a brief two-hour flight.

    We were wary that Vietnam might be uncomfortable for American tourists. We couldn’t have been more wrong. The second we landed in Vietnam we knew we were somewhere special. First, the currency is 1:25,000, so we went to the ATM and got a few billion dong. Our driver, who was parked in the front row in the first parking spot, smoked a cigarette as the sun set; the road traffic was absolute chaos. We stayed in a 4th floor apartment in the Old Quarter, which had a French influence and was just a sight to see. There were a million motorbikes zipping by everywhere. The sidewalks were filled with parked motorbikes and people eating on tiny blue plastic chairs. So much of the sidewalk obstruction forced us to walk on the road. Ken was a giant: every restaurant used small chairs (in the US we would call them “kid size.”) Every kind of store was at our disposal (knock-off apparel, food, flowers, spas) and since it was Tet Holiday (New Year’s) the streets were particularly festive with red lanterns, kumquat trees, and fireworks. Shout out to Uncle Moku: Vietnam had the most extravagant and luxurious orchid arrangements. Vendor ladies walked by pushing baby carriages, which were filled with donuts for sale. Coffee was at every corner, including egg coffee, which was coffee with a whipped foam egg on top. The waitresses continued to be obsessed with Everett (we’ve been here a week and have not seen any black people).

    Nearby was a local restaurant where Anthony Bourdain famously dined with President Obama - for $4 we got the “Obama Special'' - pork noodle soup, seafood egg roll, and Hanoi beer. The endless street food was tasty and usually $1-3 – our favorites were banh mi (like a Subway sandwich but better) and bun cha (rice noodles with fried pork).

    I was skeptical about the Water Puppet Show, a puppet performance originating from the rice fields. A tourist trap, I thought. Pleasantly surprised, the super unique theater performance told historical Vietnamese tales, including one about a famous turtle with a sword. Ken and I exchanged big smiles, as the four-year-old boy behind us kept shrieking in delight.

    Our time in Hanoi was too quick (two days) and we can’t wait to get back soon. We booked a 3 day-2 night cruise through the famous Ha Long Bay, about two hours from Hanoi. The ride there was in a comfortable 12-person van, but we quickly realized we were now on the “tourist route” (the driver literally gave us lanyards that said “tourist”) and stopped for an oddly long restroom break. Of course, the bathroom was in the back of a giant souvenir shop. The Ha Long Bay pier followed suit – filled with pre-packaged tour operators and thousands of tourists wandering around. We didn’t mind though, since we were familiar with these places and knew what to expect (standing in lines, overpriced everything, endless selfies, etc.)

    Several friends gave us mixed reviews of Ha Long Bay – in addition to being over-touristed, the water was polluted with trash floating around. After so many beach destinations we now see the unfortunate impact of single use plastic water bottles. All that being said, it’s a UNESCO Heritage site and we can see why.

    The scenery was world-class with towering limestone mountains jutting out of the water covered by rainforests. Our super fancy cruise boat (Venus) had a pool and an elevator! (Sidenote: I do most of the trip planning but in this instance, Ken booked the cruise. We climbed aboard and I gave him the evil eye, like, “What did this cost?!?!?!” And his sheepish response, “I booked the cheap boat I swear… they gave us an upgrade??” Ok guys, I secretly love when he books the accommodations because they’re always nicer than I would pick!)

    Owen, the cruise ship manager, was so professional wearing his full suit. We could tell he was secretly a jokester, yelling to the newlywed Indian kayakers, “Shark!” and to the Swiss college students fishing off the boat, “Do better, we need to eat tonight.” The assistant manager, Ving, with his impeccable English, guessed Ken was either American or Israeli:) Ving also told us the story of his father who was captured - in this very bay - and was held in an American prison camp for two and a half years.

    The daily activities included extensive eating (all-inclusive with fresh caught seafood), kayaking (Ken did all the work), swimming (did we mention the pool?), cooking demonstration (spring rolls – Everett’s was more like a burrito), bicycling to a village where we drank “happy water” wine (see the snake?), fed fish with our feet, and took a bamboo row boat through a cave (5:30 am wakeup call!).

    We are absolutely enjoying our first week in Vietnam!    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 127

    Sapa, Vietnam

    February 11 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    The ride from Ha Long Bay to Ninh Binh had us questioning our decision to use local transport. The erratic driver yelled at everyone, suffered from Tourette-like symptoms, couldn’t stay in a consistent lane, and kept randomly stopping (in the road, not pulling to the shoulder) to jump out and deliver packages to people waiting along the roadside. Our nerves shot, that evening we arrived at our North Vietnamese commune hidden in the mountains, far away from the noise of the city.

    At the end of a village road, steep limestone cliffs formed the letter “C,” (closed on three sides with one entrance) with 20 individual bungalows positioned around a big lake at the foot of the mountains. We were a little worried about being trapped in the countryside, but luckily a 10-year-old boy from the UK stayed in the cabin next door. He and Everett had fun together running wild around the property. It rained the whole visit so Ken and I relaxed and enjoyed the nature, thankful that Everett found a new friend.

    Sad to leave our magical commune, we rode back to Hanoi, luckily with a composed driver this time. On the bus with us was a family from Montreal. The Vietnamese husband was born and raised in Canada (his parents were 1975 boat people resettled to Montreal). We had an enjoyable ride because he spoke Vietnamese and became our new-found translator.

    Hanoi was very quiet the days leading up to Tet. Shops were shutting down. We spent the afternoon looking for an open post office. Everything was closed but we found a lady who broke into the closed post office and came out with stamps. Success! We boarded the 6am bus to Sapa, a northwestern mountain town terraced with rice fields about 45 mins from the border with China. We unknowingly booked a sleeper bus!

    The tourist town was known for its spectacular views and its many ethnic minority groups (e.g., Hmong). Our first two days in Sapa were cold and rainy – not the ideal conditions for trekking, which the area is known for and what we had intended to do there. 95% of businesses were shut down for Tet, so the town was peaceful and festive. We took a long walk around the empty town and found scooter rentals; Everett happily zipped around the town square.

    Our third and final day the weather turned around. The sun peaked out, half the stores opened, and suddenly tons of tourists appeared out of nowhere. We took an unforgettable cable car ride up the forested slopes of Fansipan Mountain, the highest peak in Vietnam. Climbing the 600 stairs to the summit, we knew the visibility would be non-existent (totally fogged in) but nonetheless, we were thrilled to get out and enjoy a climb at 10,000 feet. The crowds were manageable and the grounds were immaculate with beautiful gardens. The captivating afternoon turned our Sapa journey into a memorable one.    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    1
    Day 136

    Malapascua, Philippines

    February 20 on the Philippines ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Another sleeper bus brought us back to Hanoi, where we spent our final days hanging out post-Tet. This being our third stay in the same neighborhood and on the same street, we didn’t do much tourist sight-seeing, but started to feel that comfortable “we live here” vibe. We truly loved our time in Northern Vietnam and will definitely visit again.

    Everett, being an airplane enthusiast, was excited to fly the A330 on Cathay Pacific. In hindsight we should have taken a long layover in Hong Kong (for at least a day or two) but instead, we rushed between gates with no time to spare and boarded our flight to Cebu, Philippines.

    After being in Vietnam the last few weeks we were thrilled to see and hear English again! The vibe feels very “Pacific Island” (everyone wearing board shorts and flip flops) so we had the first impression, “Are we still in Asia?” Since we arrived late in the evening we spent one night near the airport, intending to take a bus the next morning to the northern tip of Cebu Island. After calling a taxi to take us from the hotel to the bus station (5 mins drive), Ken jokingly asked the driver if he would take us the full distance to the north (3.5 hours one-way) and he agreed! Ken being Ken, negotiated a private ride all the way to the ferry port, avoiding the bus ride all together. Well, our $1.40 bus ride turned into a $55 private transfer (Survey: Is he even still a backpacker?!?)

    The “ferry” was a large canoe with outriggers, taking us about 40 mins to the small island of Malapascua, known for its thresher sharks. Apparently, it’s one of the only spots in the world where thresher sharks are reliably accessible to humans. Everett was recovering from a head cold, so unfortunately couldn’t dive. Big Bummer. But Ken went solo and met friends on the dive whom we’ve hung out with since (Germany, Australia, and San Francisco)! Annette was named Hot Mess (she kept losing everything), Jenni was Mom (she took care of everyone), Mike was Miguel (we were drunk and insisted on his Filipino name), Bec was Saving the Children (our young optimistic sociologist – a group always needs at least one), I was Bec’s Pharmacy, Ken was Dad, and Everett was Annette 2.0 (he was ALSO a Hot Mess who needed Jenni’s constant attention).

    In addition to homeschool, the events of the day included: beach volleyball, basketball with the local kids, fresh mangoes (sold from a laundry basket), sunsets (hit and miss), and floating in the ocean (thanks Jenni aka Mom!).

    Unfortunately, the power here is unpredictable, so we spent our last day with an island-wide black-out for several hours. Since our room was unbearably hot, we took the opportunity to snorkel with baby sharks at a nearby beach. Yes, I said snorkeling with sharks. The sharks were cute, about one to two feet long and traveled in small packs. Everett said he counted eighteen.    Read more

  • TravelerGlobe Trotting Trio
    Day 142

    Moalboal, Philippines

    February 26 on the Philippines ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Back on the island of Cebu, time has moved slowly for the last week in the tiny coastal town of Moalboal. It’s another top spot for scuba diving – home to a variety of marine life especially at Panagsama Beach, with its giant schools of sardines.

    We booked an AirBnB for four nights but after we arrived, honestly a little tired of moving around so much, we booked for another four nights. The house is owned by a large hospitable family, where the apartments are upstairs and the ground floor is retail (massage). Our place is just a short walk from the laid-back main street that has dive shops, tourist restaurants, and a few souvenir shops. But we are definitely in a local neighborhood: goats, roosters, and local food stalls (3 pieces of fried chicken for 45 cents). The neighbor boys build kites out of reclaimed plastic and Everett has joined them a few times.

    A common form of transport here is called a “tricycle,” which is a motorcycle with an attached sidecar. The small town we’re in has a strong American music vibe: loudspeakers blast 80’s easy listening music at all hours. And yes, karaoke sounds from most homes and establishments nearby. Everyone seems to be humming or singing, even at the grocery store. The weather has been especially sunny and the mid-afternoon sun is brutal. In the late afternoons, Ken and Everett have played basketball with local kids. Basketball is a huge sport here, and even the smallest towns have a covered court. The dive highlights so far have been swimming with the massive school of sardines (millions moving together in unison) and the coral wall near Pescador Island (good visibility, caverns, turtles, frog fish, barracudas, and sea snakes).    Read more

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