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Around the world (again)
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  • Florence McGillivray
  • Ezyian
  • Florence McGillivray

Around the world (again)

Some highlights from last time, some new places. Same team, mum, dad, Lennox, Lola, Nora, Oscar Read more
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  • Around the world (again)

    Bukeleland

    May 11, 2025 in El Salvador ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We have a 2 night stay in El Salvador because it was the best place to get a cheap flight to the west coast of Canada.

    We were all very tired, and we saw a lot of similar landscapes in Honduras and Guatemala, so we limited ourselves to visiting the old centre of San Salvador, the capital city.

    I had been here before for work at a time when it was the most dangerous place in the Americas. Then, 4 people per 10 thousand were murdered each year. I remember a bus driver being killed for the $10 he had collected in fares.

    Now it's completely changed. That phrase is often overused, but here, it is entirely appropriate. The murder rate is down by 95% and other crimes by similar amounts. It's gone from worst to best in the Americas, and it's similar to Europe now.

    Seeing happy people in the town centre yesterday, walking about without fear, is great. I am sure that President Bukele may have been harsh, arresting 85,000, and creating a large, brutal prison, but for me, in doing so, he freed the other 6 million citizens. His popularity is the highest in the world, and so although he was freely elected, he has immense power that he can wield almost without limit. For now, that still works. Let's hope that he uses his power wisely. It's unclear if he will do so since lately, he has been assisting the orange gringo monster .    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Not stopping long in Trumplandia

    May 12, 2025 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    There was no direct flight from El Salvador to Vancouver, so we had to make a 5-hour stopover in San Francisco . Whilst we were there, we took a taxi into town to give the kids a tiny taste of the city where Flo lived for 2 years.

    All the time we are there, all I could really think of was how could they have voted for the orange clown? Of course, in San Francisco, not so many, but under his rule, the entire country is diminished    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    O Canada

    May 15, 2025 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    The national anthem "O Canada" seems very appropriate right now.

    The True North strong and free!
    From far and wide,
    O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
    God keep our land glorious and free!
    O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

    Well, we are for sure Team Canada right now. That was the case even before we arrived, but now we've been charmed by the wonderful nature here. We started in Vancouver, and we now travel the western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. They are just like an endless set of picture postcards.

    We do so in a mobile home that is way bigger than the three we have had previously. Lots more space, proper fridge and cooker, heaps of storage, and as long as you don't cut corners, it's not too difficult to drive. (Only negative is the loud, gas guzzling and cheap feeling Ford 450 motor. Americas just can't do good cars?)    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Summertime in Alberta

    May 20, 2025 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Every day here, so far, we go on a longer walk or a proper hike. Today's hike came with a surprise, snow! From the sky and plenty on the ground. So much so that nearer the top, it wasn't easy to ascend and even harder to decend, so at the steepest bits, we used the technique of the first man to climb Everest solo with no oxygen, we slid down on our bums. Only very experienced alpinists can do this.

    Of course, this technique wearing jeans leads to cold wet bum syndrome , but luckily, Lennox chose this trail because at the bottom, there is a naturally heated thermal pool. It wasn't as hot as we expected/hoped, but it was still super nice, warming the cold bits and soothing the sore bits (mainly feet).    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Banff AB, is named after Banff Scotland

    May 22, 2025 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    The link between the two towns is not so obvious. Banff Scotland is on the coast. It's flat and has beaches, and nobody could claim it's pretentious. Indeed, Flo and the kids were there, and I'm pretty sure they don't remember it at all.

    Banff, Alberta Canada was founded as a tourist destination for the wealthy in the 1890s. It has magnificent , grandiose mountains and beautiful lakes and forests. It's hip, and it's bustling, and I am quite certain it will be in our memory for a long time.

    The link between the two towns is personal, not topological. The Canadian one was founded by the president of Canadian Pacific Raikways, who was born in the Scottish one. The trains still run here, though nowadays it seems only for freight monsters that are 1km long or more. It's totally incongrous, but the noisy beasts don't distract much from the stunning location.

    Pictures are of Banff and nearby lake Louise.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Trees,Trees, Trees, Lakes & Hot Springs

    May 26, 2025 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Not forgetting waterfalls and mountains. Western Canada is just full of all of these, and they are untouched and natural. Nothing man made of any significance. Yes, there is the railway, and nowadays roads too, but they are barely tiny scratches on this vast area.

    After Banff, we travelled on to Revelstoke and then Kelwona . Banff was maybe the one place where the volume of tourists was a bit high, but once we left, we were back in the undisturbed wonderland.

    After two weeks here, places as magnificent as Revelstoke, and the drive South and West from there still astound. It's more of the same, but then again, it isn't.

    On the drive, we need to use two ferries to cross an enormous lake. First one way and lower down the other way. Both are free of charge. Everything is well organised, roads, hiking trails, campsites, hot springs, and more, and they only charge a family $120 for entry into all of the many national parks and museums for a year. So even our budget is really relaxed here.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Mine is bigger than yours

    June 2, 2025 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today, we said goodbye to C30, our XXL camper that has been our home for 3 weeks.

    We all agree that the huge size gave us much more space and comfort than the previous normal sized ones we had in Namibia and in Australia (x2). But of course, you couldn't drive or park such a monster anywhere other than North America.

    I was at times nervous about driving it, e.g. the narrow bridge in Revelstoke, and even on the last day, driving only 45 minutes into Vancouver, I was praying my perfect driving record would stay intact. Funnily enough when we got to the depot without even a scratch, we noticed others , even with smaller vehicles than ours, had not been so lucky, as they had crushed bumpers and smashed engine grills. My chest swelled with pride at my relative success.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    No Sweat

    Jun 4–7, 2025 in Hong Kong ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    18 years ago this month, this was the 1st stop on our honeymoon . Our flight was delayed, our luggage was lost for 3 weeks, but hey, we were happily married!

    We went then, and today to the peak park, only this time we are 6, not two. The weather today was nicer, and we had a far more interesting walk at the top, thanks to checking out the possibilities in advance.

    The biggest change, other than the 4 kids ;) , is that this time, I didn't spontaneously break out in rivers of sweat at the peak. It was still 32C and 90º humidity, but maybe these days, I can handle the heat better.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Home from home with Mr Chai

    Jun 7–11, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C

    There is no single city we have visited as much as Bangkok.

     There are a few transport hubs in South East Asia, but they differ tremendously . Singapore is clean, modern, crazily expensive, and boring . Hong Kong is more interesting, quite expensive, and the only part of China where the food failed to impress. Bangkok, on the other hand, is very cheap. 1/5 of the price of Singapore for accommodation , it has lots of interesting attractions, and the food is 1st class. Not only Thai, but also Chinese and Indian. Add to those hosts that are absolutely charming, supportive, and just great people. What's not to like?

    We thought our previous host was great at Diff hostel, but this time our host, Mr Chai, surpassed them. Indeed, I would give him the world champions title. Just one example is that he has a coffee shop below, and when you stay in the hostel, coffee (1st class) and some snacks are free.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Sweat

    Jun 11–16, 2025 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    The sequel to "No Sweat" in Hong Kong is "Pouring with Sweat" in Luang Prabang in Laos. In this case, it wasn't just me who found the heat (35C) and the humidity (90%) to be too much, but rather all of us who ventured out. (Lennox stayed indoors suffering from of all things a cold.

    We went on a 4km walk along the far side bank of the Mekong, where there are numerous temples and very few tourists. Indeed, we met only one couple, who turned out to be super nice and interesting since Mike had been leading the cleaning up the mess from land mines and cluster bombs after the Vietnam war. His real life stories captivated the kids.

    I was prepared with sunscreen, water, Panama hat, and an umbrella as a parasol, but I still turned around after about 90 minutes walking . The others managed 15 minutes more, but then spent the rest of the day telling anyone that would listen how hot it had been.

    Why go through such self-inflicted punishment? Well, it's stunningly beautiful, and you see genuine village life mixed with lots of working monsaries.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    The mighty Mekong...

    June 15, 2025 in Laos ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    ... and the not so mighty McGillivrays.

    The Mekong was planted in my memory in the 60s, as it was often an area where the Vietnam war was fought, and so it appeared regularly on the BBC news. Later films about the war gave the river a mysterious, powerful quality.

    So it's not surprising that we have been on or at the Mekong, several times in our travels. In Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. However, we never actually travelled any distance on it. Now, in northern Laos, that changes. Two whole days on the slow boat from Luang Prabang to the Thai border at Chiang Khong. We split the journey in two, with a stopover day in Pakbeng.

    The river and its surrounding are just as I imagined they would be. Perfect for a Hollywood movie.

    So we all had a great time?
    Emphatically, no! But through no fault of the river and the lovely local people. The problem was, 5 of us had Influenza B, which is nasty at the best of times, but worse if you are European in the heat and humidity of Laos, and on two boats fir 17 hours. We know what we had because I took Lennox to the ER after he fainted, and they tested us for all sorts of viruses. Thankfully, we didn't have something with long-term impact like Dengue.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Chiang wierd

    Jun 19–22, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌩️ 26 °C

    Late on the 19th, we eventually managed to cross from Laos into Thailand. If it had been Europe, we would have been in our hotel 90 minutes earlier . We went past our hotel on the boat and had to get off on the Laos side. Then take a touk touk to the border, go through Laos passport control, then take a bus across the bridge which switches from right hand drive to left hand drive using a clever loop, then Thai border and finally a touk
    touk again. Never let anyone claim the EU is burocratic. Traditional borders are great for criminals and grifters. According to our hotelier, the whole mess hinders tourists and profits politicians in far away Vientiane.

    The good thing here in Chiang Khong and the following 2 days in Chiang Ria is the amazing hospitality of our hosts, and we don't quite understand how it can all be so cheap. 2 rooms for 6, with breakfast, dinner, and lunch for less than $80. The Thai dishes are excellent.

    Our activities are severely subdued because Flo and Lola are still unwell. Nevertheless, we managed one temple visit and one street market.

    The white temple "Wat Rong Khun" is something special. It's not at all old, dating from 1997, and it was designed by an artist who built it with $1M of mostly his own money. It's the Thai equivalent of Neu Schwannstein/ Herrn Chiemsee as a modern opera stage set. Clear? I guess not quite, but the skulls, ghouls, monkeys, and fake caves filled with stuff are simply weird. Apparently, the King likes it, so there is that, which holds more weight here than my opinion.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    4 days squashed into 1/2 a day

    June 22, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Pai in northern Thailand near the Myanmar border is apparently the hippy capital of Thailand, and the number of shops openly selling dope seems to bear witness to that, although the visitors themselves are mostly posh university students who can afford a holiday in Asia. That said, there was a small percentage of dope heads. I couldn’t quite work it out, but it seems the police turn a blind eye in this town, and the tourist people openly encourage it. Rather strange given the otherwise harsh laws in Thailand, but then maybe they cater for the niche, in an out of the way location.
    We spend 3 and a half days chilling, not because we particularly wanted to, but because Flo is still down with Influenza B, and the rest of us can all do with some recovery time.
    The last half day, we decided to go on a whirlwind tour to see the local sights. No less than 9 stops in between 1300 and 1830. I won't go through them all, but they were a mixed bag, with some real highlights and some so-so. For me, the highlights were the walk across the padi fields on the bamboo bridge and the last stop at Pia Canyon. Although for the last one, I maybe did not get the best out of it due to my vertigo. (It’s a lot better, but steep drops left and right , whilst wearing flip flops, is still not my thing).    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Chiang Mai : Temples and treats

    Jun 27–30, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    To end our tour of Northern Laos and Thailand, we have spent 3 days in Chiang Mai, the 2nd largest Thai city. It could hardly be more different from the brash, modern city of Bangkok. There is not a single skyscraper, no motorway, no crazy intersections, and no metro . For a métropolitain population of nearly 2 Mio, it's very calm, laid back, and understated.

    The town was originally the capital of the Lanna kingdom, and some of the temples are from that period, in particular Wat Pha Lat, which has an unusual set of tunnels. The centre of the old city is surrounded by a large moat about 1.5km square. Somewhat strangely, the more interesting temples are outside of the moat. I have no idea why.

    Anyone who has visited Asia will know that at some point, your brain can't handle any more temples, so we decided to end the 3 days with a treat of a big meal in a top local restaurant. That cost $90 for all six of us, which was 8 times more than the previous night, but still only a fraction of what we would pay at home. And it was super good.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Swiss family Robinson or McGillivray

    Jun 29–Jul 6, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    The original Swiss family, the Robinsons, were stranded on a deserted island , somewhere between Europe and Australia . They, too, had 4 children, although in their case, 4 boys and not 2+2. I should also note that Mr Robinson was a pastor, not something I ever considered, even if my looks and / or behaviour are angelic. Of course, the most important thing is that, like them, we are on a deserted island. Well, by modern standards deserted . You see, we are on Ko Jum island in the Andaman sea, and we are the only ones here. (Except, of course, for the adorable hotel staff). It's off-season, and in the off-season, the ferries don't come here. You can only get here by hiring a rather dodgy boat. (We came at night, and it had no lights, no navigation, no depth warning, etc. Just lucky the sky was clear and we had half moon).

    We came here to recover from our year-long travel, which is far more exhausting than you might imagine. Good that we planned this week and another one on the next island, with no objective other than to relax and take it easy.

    We could go eat about 500m away, but that feels like too much effort. So our day is breakfast at 10:00. Sleep or build sandcastles till lunchtime at 2 pm. Swim/rest/ build sandcastles till 19:00. Dinner, play cards, and beer for the adults. Sleep, repeat. I don't think we can turn that into a best-selling book.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    All good thing come to an end

    Jul 6–13, 2025 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Our last step on the world tour is recovery. We are all exhausted and need some rest. Last week, we spent an easy week on Koh Jum. This week, we are on Koh Lanta. They are about an hour apart by boat.

    It's the off-season, so the place is quiet. There is no rush to get the best seats. For what we needed, it's good, if not a place we would normally choose. Yes, it's more upmarket . Yes, it's clean, has lots of staff, and it's directly on the beach, but it does lack a proper character and a soul. Luckily, the walk along the beach is quite special, as is a restaurant about 5 minutes away. Thai food every day, that is something we will miss.    Read more

  • Around the world (again)

    Let's not go home quite yet

    July 15, 2025 in France ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We have flown home to Switzerland, but we left just minutes later. We drove to our suburb, but strangely, we didn't stop, we didn't even see our house, because we went 35km further to Port Ripaille in France where Flo's dad lives.

    It feels a bit strange to go past your own house that you haven't seen for 12 months, maybe because it is highly unusual. Our lifestyle is anything but normal. Indeed, our family of four children is outside the typical 3 sigma , even without our travel bug.    Read more

    Trip end
    July 15, 2025
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