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Our little family adventure
  • Jean, Angie, Lila and Seb
  • Jean, Angie, Lila and Seb

Our little family adventure

We are travelling for 6 months for a bit of world education for Lila before she starts school + we like travelling :) Leggi altro
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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Day 7- Du Gia to Nam Dam

    24 settembre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After a quickish mission to help the couple be reunited with their bag and his passport, we head through small villages heading back towards the homestay we stayed at when we began our trip. We pass through a small village and see people making thread with flax and there are always lovely smiling faces along the way. It's always so nice to see so many kids playing outside, and now it's less shocking to pass what look like 10 year olds riding motorbikes on these mountainous paths and roads. We are always in awe when regularly passing men, women and often older (or not so much older) children carrying loads which look like 10 times their body size on their backs. It makes you really think about how hard life is to live in these beautiful mountains.
    We enjoy a great coffee when we arrive at our homestay and then I try the famous herbal bath from this area, which was a really nice treat and also reminded me of a herbal drink our mum used to make when we were kids.    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Day 7- Textile Cooperative

    24 settembre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We pass by the small town of Lung Tam to visit a textile cooperative which is a group of local women coming together to weave items they make from flax. All items are hand made and they use natural dyes to colour their beautiful hand spun an weaved fabrics. Lila and I are lucky to try some of their traditional clothes which are so beautiful, however also have a considerable price tag attached. Lila is very happy though with the small bag we get for her from this place.Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Day 8 - Nam Dam to Ha Giang

    25 settembre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After a lovely breakfast from one of our favourite homestay on this motorbike trip, we head back on the road towards our start point Ha Giang. It was quite an overcast morning, also feeling the effects of smoke which has set in from the slash and burn which is practised after rice harvest. It was interesting passing by places, which we had passed in pouring rain when we had started on the way up. We reach Ha Giang just in time to return our bike and hop on the bus back to Hanoi.Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore
    1

    Our Hanoi family

    26 settembre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We head back to Hanoi a little earlier than planned because Lila said she really wanted to play with the twins before leaving Hanoi. So we got the bus which eventually arrived back in Hanoi at 7pm and had dinner waiting for us with our lovely Workaway family, who have been so generous to us.
    The kids had a great time playing after dinner and then an attempted sleepover. They all eagerly and excitedly hopped into one bed, I read them a bedtime story and then turned off the light and walked out. The next almost 2 hrs we check on them a few times which sees their bed move to the floor and also various promises of sleep. We eventually decide we will need to seperate them if they were to get any sleep, as the girls were apparently planning their next morning of dress ups as Anna And Elsa with make up and heels! Pour Nghia was super tired and was kept up with the girls chatting!
    The kids had the morning off kindergarten to spend with Lila, which was more dress ups and role play. We took them out for a drink and enjoyed a lunch together before heading for Hanoi train station to head south for sone beach time.    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Overnight train

    26 settembre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    We hop on to our first train since India. We love taking the train, especially sleeper trains, as we find they are a nice was to see the country side as well of enjoying the motion of being rocked to sleep by the trains motion. Unfortunately we were maybe unlucky with the train we were on but we ended up having people smoking in the carriage pretty much the whole trip and then had a very loud mum and son in our cabin for a huge part of the 24hr trip. On top of that we weren't that organised with food, so we were pretty hungry and tired when the train pulled into our stop.

    We decide to return the train tickets we had just bought the day before to get to Saigon (after our few days at the beach), deciding the bus would be better. The beach we would stay at was a little tricky to get to from the station (2buses + taxi), so after getting on the wrong initial bus we ended up working out it was probably easier and cheaper to rent a motorbike for a few days. So on our way walking to the bus station we pass a Yamaha shop, ask using a mix of their basic English and Google translate, wait 15minutes for someone else to turn up and then after another 5 minutes and a call to Ahn for some slightly better translation we are off to find out beachside getaway for the next few days :)    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Checking out Nom beach

    28 settembre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    As we had arrived in the dark last night, it was almost like a little surprise to wake up and see the beach we were at. This morning we decided to take the motorbike and explore some surrounding beaches before it may get a little busier on the weekend. We past a temple who looked like they were cleaning from moon festival celebrations and Lila tried the lion. As we drove through the villages and on the roads which hug the sea, you see nets, traps, round boats, traditional boats and unfortunately a huge amount of fishing and non fishing related waste. We see people sorting sea snails and small roadside fish sellers.

    We pass through a small village with skinny streets to find Nom beach which was pretty It's empty, except for a steady stream of fisherman coming to take their boats to sea. We had a swim in the incredibly warm water and some snorkeling uncovered some lovely corals and small fish.

    Another treat today was finding lots of little small street food stalls or restaurants. There were many small restaurants in people's houses set up with a few tables and chairs in very relaxed settings. We found a lovely woman and her baby for a great coffee stop. We had Bahn mi (bread roll) in the front yard in a small village. We were treated to some yummy rice paper rolls made on the spot and banana fritters and then later we found a yummy roadside Che (sweet drink/dessert) with some pancake type thing made of rice paper topper with egg and other toppings cooked on coals.    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Visiting Om beach

    29 settembre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today we took the motorbike to visit nearby Om beach. On our way we passed the feather duster seller on her motorbike and again passed through a small fishing village.

    We get to Om beach, and it is beautiful, however like many places here, you need to get used to seeing quite a lot if rubbish around. The water however, is generally clean and today it is transparent :) Jean has a snorkel around, however says most of the coral is destroyed and there are few fish.
    For lunch we find another great street stall selling Bahn mi (bread rolls) and avocado shakes... delicious!

    Before we leave we check out the neighbouring Om beach in the next bay. We had a lovely local kid show us the way on her bicycle. This bay was more sheltered and would have been stunning, except the sheltered bay also meant to rubbish stayed there and there was noticeably more concentrated rubbish at this beach.

    On our way back we drove along the inside of the bay, seeing what looks like the beginning of lobster farming season. There were many people making (here and everywhere else we have passed through), big netted cages, which we assume are for lobster farming. Unfortunately the waste product of this is also clearly evident too.

    We stopped by for some yummy Che at the roadside stall we found yesterday, which was the perfect way to end the day :)    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Our last day beachside

    30 settembre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    Today the storm clouds were threatening very close by, so we decided to leave a bit earlier in the day back to Quy Nhon to return the motorbike and catch the night bus to Ho Chi Minh / Saigon. We stopped by a little seaside coffee shop that we had passed the other day and loved for the very friendly owner and her very cute baby! And then after a lunch stop, we slowly drove back to Quy Nhon to enjoy some time on the beachfront here as well as the promenade park area which buzzes with life in the evening with kids rides and activities. That evening we get on the overnight bus to Ho Chi Minh, our last stop in this beautiful country.Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Visiting Ho Chi Minh City

    2 ottobre 2018, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    We finish up our time in Vietnam with 2 days in the biggest city Ho Chi Minh (also known as Saigon). We passed some lovely moments in this city which include playing at the local playground. We treated ourselves to some great food a nice restaurants, including a fancy French restaurant and a galette restaurant. As well as the fancy stuff we also loved finding amazing Che at a roadside stall one evening. We visited the beautiful old central post office building and sent some postcards from there. There is a Notre Dame cathedral next door, however it was getting refurbished when we were there.Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Cam on Vietnam, Sawadee ka Thailand

    3 ottobre 2018, Tailandia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today we say 'cam on' (insert Vietnamese tonal accent) and good bye to Vietnam, after a very beautiful 4 weeks visiting this country. Our time went by so quickly and we had such a great experience with lovely smiley and genuine people in such beautiful places. Today we hop on a plane to head to Thailand. We land in Bangkok, and it's interesting to be in a familiar place, despite it being about 7 years since we were last in this city. Lila is pleased to have her ticket for the SkyTrain and we visit some parts of Bangkok which seem to have transformed in that time to become a surreal futuristic highrise mega city.Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Visiting Wat Pho

    4 ottobre 2018, Tailandia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Today we visited Wat Pho temples, home of the very big reclining Buddha. The size of the reclining Buddha is quite overwhelming and incredibly rich and the old paintings on the walls are quite amazing. It's always a nice serene and spiritual experience when you are surrounded by many temples and shrines to Buddha as well as hearing monks chant in the background, despite the huge number of people also here visiting.

    It was really nice to take the boat on the river of Bangkok. It's where we also see a huge amounts of development which has happened, with huge hotel chains with fancy modern buildings next to old wooden Thai houses on stilts. Taking the river boat also reminds us of what a nice city Bangkok can also be :)    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Bangkok - Old and the new

    6 ottobre 2018, Tailandia ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    We finish off out time in Bangkok with a visit to the amazing huge Chatuchuk weekend market. Actually we changed our plans to hang around a little longer to go, as the markets are amazing for shopping for anything and everything, and also a good chance to restock the wardrobe with some great different stuff.

    After seeing how much Bangkok has changed it was also quite nice to get in a bus which looks the same as 10 years ago, with ticket sellers giving the same little tickets from their cylindrical ticket money holders :)    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Visiting Chiang Mai

    8 ottobre 2018, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We were originally going to head for the beach, however we decide to head in the opposite direction, towards the north of Thailand, a place we both enjoy and is actually where we met.

    Lila is really excited about taking a different overnight bus and loves taking the 'cool taxi' songteuw. We go to a lot of markets and meet an old friend and eat great street food. It's nice to be back in such a familiar place and also be able to communicate a lot more than we have in the last few countries we have been. Lila has picked up some Thai quite easily too which has been quite nice :)Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Back to Baan Nana, Mae Sai

    10 ottobre 2018, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After travelling to Chiang Rai we rent a motorbike to head to border town Mae Sai, to visit Baan Nana (or Childlife), the children's shelter we both volunteered at more than 10 years ago. It's been about 5 years since I last visited and about 7 years for Jean. It was nice to see Kru Ngaow, the founder, who hasn't changed too much and this place in the middle of rice paddy fields which has and also hasn't changed so much. There are a lot more strutures on the property as they have plans for a vocational college, and this year they got electricity! Kru Ngaow told us there are less street kids now (especially since Myanmar has changed somewhat politically), however there is still big problems with alcohol and drugs and broken families.

    There are still a few familiar faces which is nice, including one boy we knew as a 9yr old, now 20 years old and working there. It's also nice to hear of stories about other children we spent time with there and what they are doing.    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore
    1

    Around Chiang Rai

    11 ottobre 2018, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    With the weather looking a little overcast we went on a little motorbike ride next to the Kok River, passing by yellowing rice paddy fields and pineapple fields. Lila was surprised that pineapples grow from the ground like that (as she thought they came from a tree). We make a very quick stop at a hot spring and then pass an elephant camp and had a little ride. Heading back to town we met up with one of the very grown up kids from Baan Nana, now working in Chiang Rai.
    That night was another night bus to Bangkok for our journey southwards towards Malaysia.    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Travelling to Malaysia

    13 ottobre 2018, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We break up our trip to Malaysia with a quick stop in Bangkok, to meet another old friend from Baan Nana, treated ourselves to some yummy food at a nice restaurant, do a last minute Chatuchuk pit stop and then post some more things back to Oz. We take a super comfy sleeper train for 18hr ride to the Malaysian border, which restores our love of the sleeper train :)Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Pit stop in Penang

    14 ottobre 2018, Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    With a last minute decision on the train we decide to stop at the lovely Penang island for a night before heading to KL. Penang is known for its amazing food and has also been added to the UNESCO list since both of us last visited. The food didn't disappoint and there is amazing Street art all over the old town , which made it a great little stop over for our first night in Malaysia.Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Family time in Sandakan

    16 ottobre 2018, Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    After an overnight in Kuala Lumpur, we jump on another plane to Sandakan in East Malaysia (Borneo) to spend some time with family. My cousin was so nice to drive the 300+km to pick us up and look after us for our time in Sandakan (where my parents grew up). Lila has been asking about visiting Malaysia throughout our trip as she knows she will get to play with her cousins. They had fun from the beginning, with Lila hopping in the back of the car with the kids as soon as we were picked up from the airport.

    From there we basically had a week of eating, days revolved around eating and talking about eating with the family :)    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    More family pics

    18 ottobre 2018, Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Today we visited one of our favourite temples in Sandakan, at the top of the hill with a nice view of the city. Sometimes when I look down from there I try to think about what Sandakan would have been like when my parents were growing up there, as the city has certainly grown in size with more and more concrete buildings and almost non existent and dirty beach.

    Of course there is more eating and eating with family :)    Leggi altro

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  • Jean, Angie, Lila and SebOur little family adventureViaggiatore

    Hello from Maumere, Flores

    24 ottobre 2018, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We land in Maumere, the biggest town on the Flores Island. We spend sometime trying to find a motorbike to rent, without much luck and then head to some nice beach front bungalows, and arrive after dark.
    It's nice to wake up the next morning and have a suprise as to what it looks like where you are. Here and on many parts of the island the beach disappears at high tide and many have grey black sand. We spend a lazy relaxing day at our bungalow and Lila practises snorkeling in the sea and is more confident each time :)    Leggi altro

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