Luang Prabang lantern festival

It was back in October that we headed up to Luang Prabang for an impromptu long weekend. It was the boat racing festival here in Laos and the streets around our apartment in Vientiane were becoming congested. Street stalls were popping up, there was loud music, and a really festive atmosphere.

Joff was speaking with friends who had decided to skip the 'craziness' of Vientiane and head to Luang Prabang instead. He came home stating that there was also a festival in Luang Prabang but that this was a lantern festival and according to friends who had lived in Luang Prabang it had been their favourite festival there.

After hearing all of that we decided to go for it. We booked flights and accommodation and were gone 2 days later.

As it turned out we were not the only ones. It seemed that every expat family that we know had decided to escape the chaos as well and we found ourselves out for dinner in Luang Prabang with 10 adults and just as many kids all sitting around as if we were in Vientiane. It was a lot of fun, and a different kind of chaos. The town itself was not congested or busy. There was no raging parties, or crazy drunken behaviour.

In fact, the first night we were there, it was magical. All the temples (Wats) were lit up with hundreds and thousands of paper lanterns. Monks were taking photos of their hard work, tourists were quietly and peacefully walking through the grounds. I don't think i will ever forget it. The second night this all happened again but in addition there was a parade of paper lantern boats through the main streets. Beatrix and the other kids loved it. Bea has only been to Luang Prabang twice- the first time she watched a parade of elephants, this time it was lanterns! After the parade we headed down to the banks of the Mekong and let our own paper lanterns up into the sky while we watched Lao families send offerings down the river.

It was all beautiful and brilliant and more than we had anticipated. Words don't really do it justice. Here are a few photos to share instead.

24 hours in KL

KLCC Park playground

Back when we had newly arrived in Laos I was obsessed with making the most of our time here and trying to get as much Asian travel in as possible. Not a bad pursuit. I spent a fair amount of time searching for cheap flights and deals. Luckily for us I stumbled across some cheap flights from Vientiane to KL with Air Asia that were too good to miss out on.

So last week we headed to Malaysia for a mini break. The original plan had been for us to spend the entire time in Langkawi relaxing on the beach but Air Asia made a minor adjustment to our flights and we ended up with an extra day of holiday and consequently an unexpected day in KL!

I'll write about Langkawi another time but I wanted to fill you in on our day in KL. We started our planning with a google search "things to do with kids in KL" or something along those lines. Its my usual starting point. Mainly because happy children = happy parents = happy holidays. But also because whenever we go to a big city there are things there that you just can't get here- like playgrounds, and aquariums, and other kid friendly activities.

We had stayed in some relatively budget accommodation in Langkawi so we splashed out a bit on our accommodation in KL and got a suite in a hotel/residence quite close to the Petronas towers and all the action. The hotel was excellent. Clean, huge rooms, friendly staff, amazing food and a very relaxing pool. And to top it all off (in Bea's eyes)- it even had its own playground. When we walked into the hotel room rather late at night Bea looked around the room and said "this hotel hasn't got a bed!" She was looking at us like we were idiots for having booked such a room. But when we showed her the separate bedroom with the huge bed her eyes lit up and there was at least half an hour of excited squeals while she got comfy in the big bed, jumped on it, and snuggled in with the down pillows.

Moments like that are what holidays are all about- staying up past your bedtime to jump on the incredibly plush bed and snuggle into the bedding with your mum and dad!

Anyway our full day in KL was mainly spent around the Petronas towers and KLCC park. We headed there in the morning and spent a good couple of hours in the "ginormous" playground. Honestly, Bea was running around like a lunatic. She was hot and sweaty but she didn't care because there was SO much to do. Unfortunately the adjacent splash park area was under maintenance so we had no way of cooling off but we went into the shopping mall instead and enjoyed mixed berry juices in the air conditioned delight.

After a kip by the pool we all had an afternoon swim. KL was quite a bit cooler than Vientiane and the water felt fresh compared to the swimming conditions we have become accustomed to. Feeling refreshed we ordered room service snacks and then headed out again to the playground for an evening play before heading out for dinner. We could have gone to a number of amazing Malaysian restaurants but in the end I fulfilled my craving for a beef pie! Yep, I am Australian at heart!

FYI some of the other attractions that we had thought about going to but just didn't get to were the KL Bird Park and Botanical Gardens, the aquarium and the Petronas Towers observation deck (closed on the day of the week we were there)

We really enjoyed the little of KL that we saw and would be keen to head back there another time. But for now, we had a ball for our day there!

Melinda xx

KLCC Park, Kuala Lumpur

The perfect dismount!

Hot and sweaty playground action

The pool at our hotel

Trip review: Phuket

I have been to Thailand on holiday a grand total of 5 times so far in life (lucky girl). There is a lot to enjoy- culture, amazing food, amazing beaches, friendly people, excellent diving. These reasons make it one of the more popular Asian holiday destinations for Australian's.

So when we wanted to plan a week holiday with my parents it was the obvious choice. 

The big question was where in Thailand we would go.

Phuket has never really been on my radar as somewhere I wanted to go in Thailand. I thought it was big, and touristy and that the beaches had been spoilt by tourism. In some ways that still holds true. But it also had a lot of EXACTLY what we were after and was a lot easier to get to and enjoy from where we are in Laos.

Still, even once we decided on Phuket there is a plethora of places to stay. In fact if you go to Agoda and type in Phuket it will tell you there are 1465 hotels to choose from. How do you even begin? 

I spent more hours researching Phuket than I care to let on. It was tricky- we wanted somewhere nice, with a pool and very close to the beach (or on the beach). But we also wanted it to be within a village so that we could leave our resort and eat in other restaurants or explore other shops without having to get in  taxi. Oh, and we wanted the resort to be quite and not next door to a party place. 

In the end we decided on Kamala beach, and more specifically the Sunwing Beach resort. Kamala beach is one beach north of Patong and is known for being a bit quieter but also having a variety of accommodation. Unfortunately the combination of being shoulder season and the recent political unrest in Thailand meant that all of Phuket was pretty quiet and many restaurants in Kamala were closed. 

That said we still managed to find some gems both locally and further afield.

We did two day trips during our 8 day stay. We hired a taxi for a day to take us on a tour of the island. Essentially we went to Phuket aquarium, a few different beaches and a few gorgeous look outs. The other day trip was to Phang Nga Bay to go sea canoeing into some caves and lagoons. We had brilliant weather and everyone (especially bea) enjoyed the canoeing and going into the dark caves and popping out the other side in a lagoon. The trip was topped off for Bea by seeing a monkey outside one of the caves- the sight of it causing her to actually squeal in excitement!

The other days were spent doing a mix of the following: in the pool, at the beach, having a massage, shopping, eating and generally hanging out together. Tough times. 

Anyway, it was a great holiday and we came back feeling refreshed from the soft sand, sea breeze, and fresh seafood.

Sunset walks/runs along the beach are the best aren't they? 

View from a view point on our taxi tour day

White sandy beach stop on our day trip to Phang Nga Bay

Canoeing into this cave and then out the other side into a lagoon

One of the 7 pools at our resort, Sunwing Kamala Beach

Seafood on the beach- what the best holidays are made of!

Sunwing Kamala Beach mascot Lolo, Bea was so excited!

 Life is tough when you have to curl up with Nana on a couch and read some books

We're back!

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all well. Sorry for the hiatus. As I mentioned in my last blog post, we headed off on a family holiday to Phuket with my parents who were on the final leg of a 3 month trip. It was so nice to have a holiday! As much as i love my job here, it is challenging and complex and the medicine, the culture and the responsibility can sometimes feel all encompassing.

Anyway, after 4 months without seeing the ocean, it certainly lived up to expectations. The wind, the salt, the sound of the waves- it was magic! Good for the soul.

I will write more about what we got up to on our trip to Phuket another time but here is a bit of a snippet:

Eating: fresh seafood (so much of it!), fresh fruit

Drinking: nice wine, soda with mint and lime

Smelling: the subtle salt of the ocean, coconut oil as people walk back from the beach after massages

Feeling: Thai massage. Had forgotten how invigorating it can be. The head and shoulders combo was the best! Semi painful, but still the best!

Listening to: Bea squeal when she saw her first wild monkey

Reading: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

It was a great holiday. We got back a week ago but have had mum and dad's company for the week so it has felt like the holiday was extended a wee bit. They left yesterday so we have a bit of post holiday adjusting to do. Don't you find the week after holidays a bit draining? Any tips for post holiday blues?

Its 06:30am and its just me and the computer as the sun rises in Vientiane. Oh. Me,  my computer, and a coffee. Little Bea has had 2 weeks of a 4:1 Adult to child ratio and I have a feeling that this week is going to be pretty demanding.

Check back soon,

Melinda xx

Same but different

I recently read this post on a blog that i follow about raising worldly children.

Essentially they travelled as a family to Haiti on a work trip and were amazed by how well their children coped with the conditions- the heat, the sweat, the dirt, the spicy food and the lack of toys. She was writing the post to talk about how proud she was of them.

One part of the post that really resonated with me though was trying to walk the balance between teaching your children that we are all children of the same world, while also explaining to them that they are a bit of an oddity by the fact that they look different. I have definitely had similar thoughts.

Bea may not cause much of a stir in Vientiane but she definitely stands out when we travel out of Vientiane. All of a sudden she is the only fair skinned, blondie in town and she is constantly surrounded, pinched, touched, stroked. How do you explain to a 2 year old that she is different and that makes her exciting to the locals. That she was lucky to be born where she was born in the world, and that she is lucky to have so much when others have so little? I guess you can try. And hope that the experience of living over here will become a part of who she is.

When we were in Champasack we visited a local village that was literally full of children. It was dusty, hot, and there was a bit of a mexican standoff. Bea and her pal were looking at the locals wondering why they were so dust covered and not really wearing clothes. And the locals were wondering who these blonde haired fair skinned children were. And probably why they had shoes on their feet.

How to raise globally aware children

We have always been keen on raising children to have a genuine interest and desire to know more about the world around them. I imagine many families have a similar interest. This started very early on in Bea's life. In the beginning it was reading books about different kinds of places- places with extreme seasons, cold places, deserts etc.

As she got older we progressed to trying to introduce her to language- both through books and music. In Auckland Bea and I went to a weekly Spanish music class which we both loved as an alternative to the usual library run music sessions. We still sing the Spanish songs we learnt there. I would really recommend it.

Now in Laos, we have enrolled Bea into a French speaking preschool (although i may note this has been for more than one reason).

There have been a few key resources that we have used to aid us in our desire to raise a global child. And they are accessible wherever you are living.

Today i wanted to talk about the simple blow up globe

We actually have 2 of these. One has the countries on it, the other is just the geography. At the moment, here in Laos we have the geography one. The possibilities with these things are endless. It is a great travel toy. We use it all the time. Sometimes we use it to burn off some steam and kick or throw it around. Sometimes we roll around on top of it. But other times it is more educational. I was impressed when Bea wanted to show we where the penguins live the other day and could spin the globe around and around until she found the land mass of Antarctica. She can also accurately identify Australia and NZ (Laos is proving to be a little bit more difficult).

At the moment we have been using it a lot as we track our various friends and family members. My parents are somewhere in Russia, Joff's mother and sister in Kenya. The globe has been great for explaining where everyone is.

I can also see it being put to use in the future when we want to show other kids and adults where we come from.

If you don't have a blow up globe i really recommend getting one, they are such a fun, educational toy!

Melinda xx

Trip Review: Champasack

Last weekend we took advantage of some cheap flights and discounted accommodation to head to Southern Laos. It was an area of the country that i had really wanted to get to but was unsure whether we would find the time to explore it properly.

We flew down to Pakse, a reasonably sized hub for Laos, and headed out to Champasack town, approx 40 minutes away by tuk tuk.

It was a lucky weekend and we are incredibly grateful to have been able to enjoy it.
Everything seemed to go right and it was extremely relaxing!

When we got off the flight it was early in the morning so we headed to a cafe in Pakse to get some breakfast and also try to make some inquiries about tours in the region for the following day. We were sitting there, having just ordered our food when a tuk tuk driver approached us and told us he would wait for us to finish our food and then we could head to Wat Phu (khmer ruins/ temple) We were a bit perplexed, we hadn't booked a tuk tuk. We tried explaining that we didn't want to go, we had only just arrived, and that maybe it was someone else that had booked him?? Let's just say it didn't go well. The tuk tuk driver got more and more annoyed that we didn't want to go to Wat Phu until finally he stormed off.

About 10 minutes later a Swiss guy approached us asking if we had seen a tuk tuk. Oops. I guess all foreigners look alike. Especially when they are travelling with a wife and small falang daughter.But in actual fact every cloud has a silver lining and it could not have worked out better.  For the next 2 days we shared transport and tours with this couple who are travelling around the world with their 4 year old for a year. What fun we had.

We only had time for a very small part of southern Laos but we would love to go back. It is a beautiful part of the country and has so much to offer that a lot of people don't get the time to see.

Happy (and slightly sweaty after some serious ruin exploring)

Beautiful Mekong

Living not blogging

Sorry for the lack of activity. I can assure you that all is well.
We have simply been busy living. Just the way it should be.

There has been lots of fun and challenging things going on- a couple of full week training courses, one of which took me away from Vientiane for the week. I have been training local doctors and nurses on newborn health, in particular how to look after babies in their first few hours of life. It has been a roller coaster of emotion. One moment you are worried that you mustn't be teaching it properly and the next you see something that makes you realise that it has all come together. Teachers- i have always had a lot of respect for your job, but the last few weeks have multiplied this by 100!

Poor Joff was solo dad for 5 days- a challenging week for him as well, although in a completely different way. Although, now that i think about it, perhaps we both were practicing how patient we could be. Bea continues to be a joy, albeit an exhausting one.

I have lots of posts i want to be writing but for now i am just going to leave you with some photos of my travels to Phak Lay (about 4 hours from Vientiane by minibus)

Stay tunes for updates on choosing a preschool for Bea, a weekend away in Southern Laos, and how to survive the heat…

Mekong river

The view across the street from my guesthouse

The power went out the first night we arrived so it was dinner by candlelight!

Virtual travel

I remember how it started. There I was, in a 2 bedroom unit in Auckland, having just moved there in the last month with Joff and Bea, who was 5 months old at the time.

It was raining. Bea was probably putting her feet in her mouth, or trying to reach for a toy. It seemed like it had rained every day that week. And it was before I realised that in Auckland in winter, you just go out in the rain. Because otherwise you would not get out.

And it happened. I had one of those panicked moments, like a lot of new mums, and thought- this wasn’t quite what I had expected. Now don’t take that comment the wrong way. I loved my beautiful newborn daughter, I loved my husband, and I looked forward to my daily walk out the door around the beautiful tree-lined streets of Auckland that looked out over the harbor. But I was still in the eat, sleep, poop, repeat stage of life with an infant. I felt like I was a bit trapped. Was I really going to become a suburban mum in the city with a dog and a vegie patch? Don’t get me wrong, I quite like to sound of that. But I wasn’t ready for that. I still had have itchy feet.

So when Bea went down for her nap I sat down with a cup of tea and opened the laptop and googled “families going on adventures” or something like that. And when the search list came up I sighed. It was exactly what i as searching for. 

Turns out there are lots of amazing people out there who have even more itchy feet that I do! And a lot of them had written a similar post to this one explaining that they just weren’t ready to “settle down.” They were full of phrases like "wanderlust" and "life outside the box". That afternoon I virtually travelled from Costa Rica, to the alps in Europe, and then sailing in the Bahamas. There was a world of opportunities. And to make it even better, all of these people were doing it with kids.

I still read a lot of those blogs today. They have helped me get here. They have helped me realise that kids can enhance the journey rather than prevent it. 

So, if you also have itchy feet, a newborn asleep on your shoulder who doesn’t want to put down, or a toddler who just had a total meltdown, grab yourself a wine/coffee/hot milo/lactation tea and enjoy. But be warned, it is kind of addictive!

www.Windtraveler.net

Brittany is a fantastic writer who set sail on a yacht with her husband and few years ago from the US. Since then she has documented her experiences sailing with a toddler. She is currently back in the US as she has newborn twins but her blog has many archives that make excellent reading for some inspiration to live life outside the box!

www.itsanecessity.net

I got to this blog about another family sailing full time through windtraveler. They have two young girls and have recently settled in the Dominican Republic to do some work for an NGO.

www.hotpotblog.com

Dani is a great photographer who is currently living in India with her 2 kids, having previously lived in China, and is about to move to Milan. Great insights into what it is like to be an expat.

http://travelwithbender.com

A family that have been travelling for nearly 2 years with their 2 children all over the world.

www.familyonbikes.org

This was the website I found that blew my mind. And I think when Joff got home that evening and was listening to my ramblings it was when I mentioned this family that he gave me the look that I think equates to “oh my gosh, my wife has gone crazy”. I may have been suggesting we cycle through cuba with our 6 month old daughter.

www.edventureproject.com

Another nomadic family with their children living and travelling around the globe.

Design Mom

A lot of people know Design mom. Although not really a travel blog, for those who don’t know she move to rural france with her husband and six (6!) kids for 2 years. Some really interesting reading.

Cup of jo motherhood series

Cup of Jo is a really popular blog by Joanna who lives in NYC. While on maternity leave she did a series called motherhood around the world which interviewed various Amercians living abroad with children and the different experiences they were having. Find the link here.

Do you have any blogs that you follow? Any other blogs that inspire you to lead a life less ordinary? I would love to hear about them if you do!

A world away from Auckland. Northern Laos

Kuang Si waterfall, Luang Prabang