It was great to get the chance to try Tibetan food, in Tibet. We’d skirted around the edges of Tibetan food and culture in the Sherpa villages of the Everest region and dined in Tibetan restaurants in Kathmandu and Pokhara, often run by Tibetan refugees, but what of food in Tibet? How would that be? …
Asia Travel
Visiting Lhasa Tibet, our experiences. What’s Lhasa like? Things to do in Lhasa, places to see, points of interest and a travel blog on Lhasa Tibet today. With photos and video. Lhasa is a fascinating place, very much worth visiting. Our Lhasa tour was part of a longer 8-day tour of Tibet. We travelled overland …
This post deals with things to do in Ao Nang and trips to take from Ao Nang, a beach area in Krabi province, Thailand. Krabi is on Southern Thailand’s west coast, approximately 800 km south of Bangkok. It’s part of the mainland, not an island, and is famous for beautiful limestone formations which continue out …
Sarawak is a state in north-west Borneo, part of Malaysia. The Malay part of Borneo is sometimes called Eastern Malaysia. Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan are the three Malaysian states and federal territories in Borneo. The rest of Borneo belongs to Indonesia and Brunei. In times gone by Sarawak changed hands regularly before becoming a part …
The Three Kings Monument Square in Chiang Mai Thailand is a large open square in the heart of the walled Old Town. The statue portrays the three founders of Chiang Mai, King Mengrai, King Ramkhamhaeng and King Ngam Muang. King Mengrai ruled Lanna, King Ngam Muang was ruler of Phayao and King Ramkhamhaeng was King of Sukhothai …
The day we went swimming with manta rays off Bali Indonesia, was one of my favourite days of our six years of full-time travel. The famous Manta Bay is actually off Nusa Penida and we were staying in Ubud Bali. Were we even close enough to take this epic snorkelling trip? We were, and in …
Sera Monastery, near Lhasa Tibet, is the place you need to visit to see Tibetan monks debate in the traditional way. In this post we share photos of Sera Monastery, plus video of the monks debating. One of the massive bucket list highlights of our tour of Tibet was visiting the Sera Monastery. This Buddhist …
So here’s the thing, Tibet is way, way high. Crazy high. Everyone knows that to trek in the Himalayas you’ll have altitude issues and probably need to take diamox and have acclimatisation days and such like, but before we set off to Tibet last week I hadn’t actually thought much about the altitude of the …
I honestly don’t know where to start with Tibet. We’ve just spent 8 incredible days travelling through Tibet from Kathmandu and those 8 days were some of the most mesmerising of our last 6 years of full-time travel. I now need to create a Tibet travel blog to record our memories before they fade and …
Chitwan Nepal can be reached by bus (public or tourist class) from Kathmandu or other departure points in Nepal. A short domestic flight can take you to Bharatpur Airport in Chitwan district, 22 Km, 14 miles from Chitwan National Park. The easiest way to visit Chitwan is to book a multi day tour from Kathmandu or …
It’s so good to be back in Kathmandu! This is our third visit to Nepal and it will be our longest. We are in possession of 3 month tourist visas and have plans to make the most of them. Empty time stretches ahead of us, no more rush, stress or anxious preparations. Let’s just do …
We posted already about our experiences of travelling around Southeast Asia with kids (for 5 years!) now let’s have a look at where you should go in Southeast Asia. What are the standout, must-see places, attractions, and destinations You’re probably in the process of planning your Southeast Asia trip, or thinking about taking your children …
It may surprise you to know that you don’t need to be Ironman fit (as I am) to trek in the Himalayas. Most people will require minimal preparation for a Himalayan trek, be that in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, India, even Pakistan. You won’t want to be a couch potato for these high altitude treks, but …
First of all, don’t panic. You can visit Asia with kids. In fact, travel to Asia with kids is pretty easy. I normally tell people how to backpack around or through South East Asia with kids, in that, I help them with planning, itineraries and travel arrangements. Today I’m going to tell you what it’s …
One of the best things I did during our 6 months in Hoi An Vietnam, was find a morning for myself to take a Hoi An photo tour with Pieter. Pieter runs Hoi An Photo Walks – Now renamed Photo Voyager – and we already knew him socially through our running in Hoi An, he is …
Ethical elephant attractions in Thailand are a bit of a hot potato so over the years we’ve decided to just not get involved. We haven’t done anything involving elephants since back in the days when we were all OK to ride them. Then suddenly it wasn’t OK and a huge publicity campaign made elephants something …
A reader asked me to write a Thailand itinerary for her 3-week vacation, I think it’s best to start with 2 weeks because that’s how long most holidaymakers have, and add on some optional extras as trip time allows. A Thailand itinerary is something unique to each person, one man’s dream tour is another’s trip …
It’s time for us to write a post on our favourite and recommended hotels, hostels, and guest houses in Southeast Asia. Hostels in Southeast Asia are generally very good and many have family rooms, however, they’re not always the cheapest accommodation option. You’ll find that guest houses and cheap hotels in Asia are often cheaper …
Hoi An is a magical little town on the coast in central Vietnam and is a lovely destination with kids filled with interesting things to do for your children and for you as a family. We enjoyed 6 months in Hoi An with our kids and we return regularly. This post is about things to …
Maeklong railway market is really no distance at all from Bangkok, is easy to get to and well worth the trip. The Maeklong market itself is a fascinating warren of stalls many selling local seafood, but it’s the trains passing through that most want to see. We’ve tried getting to Maeklong by local bus ( …
The kumquats and flowers of Tet were just one of the highlights and interesting happenings during our 6 months living in Hoi An. Tet in Vietnam is a huge festival, Lunar New Year, and it was a privilege to be in Vietnam at this special time. In this post we share Kumquat festival photos and …
Visiting Singapore at Christmas, what is there to see and do in Singapore over the holidays and where should you stay? We share experiences and reviews of spending Christmas in Singapore, plus tips on what activities to book in advance. Nobody will ever tell you Singapore is cheap. Singapore is expensive, that’s a fact. This …
We spent Christmas in Singapore. Of those 2 weeks the highlight was our 3 days staying at Telunas Resort on their private island site. Along with the Private Island’s luxurious over-water villas, we also had the chance to experience the fantastic family-friendly facilities on the neighbouring Telunas Beach Resort site, for a slightly different slice …
Tha Kha floating market is a smaller, less well known floating market near Bangkok. It is a much better experience than visiting the popular Damnoed Saduak floating market, which is the market most tourist tours will take you to. Amphawa floating market is also near Bangkok and trips can take you to any of these, …
Northern Thailand is one of the best places to visit in Thailand if you want to see beautiful temples, villages, unspoilt landscapes and “real” Thailand, away from the holiday beaches. This post coverst the best, most beautiful places to visit in Northern Thailand and gives you ideas for a Northern Thailand Itinerary, we talk about …
Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand should be a lot higher on people’s places to visit list than it is, we enjoyed 2 very full days staying in Chiang Rai on our Thailand road trip and highly recommend you make the journey just 3 hours (roughly) from Chiang Mai to explore the temples, villages, forests and …
We’ve been seeing amazing images in galleries around town of picturesque Vietnamese women paddling canoes and sampans through floodwaters in Hoi An‘s incredibly ancient laneways but we didn’t really expect to be here to experience the Hoi An floods for ourselves. This post is about being in Hoi An during flooding. The day before yesterday …
We only stayed one night, but the Almanity Hotel Hoi An was a resort, hotel, and spa, to fall in love with. We know Hoi An well now, after 2 months living on the edge of the historic Old Town and we know that standards in Vietnam are superb at the Almanity Hotel’s level. Still, …
The Sunrise Premium Resort Hotel in Hoi An is one of the best places to stay near the UNESCO listed Hoi An Old Town yet also on the beach with views of the East Vietnam Sea and the Cham Island Biosphere Reserves. The Sunrise Premium Resort Hoi An could be the resort hotel for you …
Our big, number 1 thing to do in Saigon Vietnam is the Cu Chi Tunnels tour and Cao Dai temple visit as a 1 day tour from Ho Chi Minh City. This post covers the best way to get to the Cu Chi tunnels, take a tour of the tunnels, and visit a Cao Dai …
We spent almost 6 months living in Hoi An Vietnam, so we needed to shop at her markets regularly. We started with the Hoi An Central Market near the river in the UNESCO listed Old Town. As we found our feet we started to use Tiger Market and other local food markets. The Hoi An …
We’re here in Vietnam with kids, two of them, plus two parents. Our first three days in Saigon (the wider area is Ho Chi Minh City) were sensational and I’ll tell you a bit about how that went and all the wonderful things to do in Saigon along with where to stay and what to …
Hiring a car in Thailand is pretty straightforward and a great way of seeing the country. While renting or hiring a car in Bangkok maybe isn’t such a great idea, other parts of Thailand are perfectly set up to explore by road. We tried our hand at driving in Thailand with a self drive vehicle in …
Malaysia is a fantastic destination for families boasting beaches, culture, wildlife, great food, and plenty of child-friendly attractions. It’s not the cheapest place in the world, but being in South East Asia, prices for family travel and vacations are moderate. In this post we tell you where to go in Malaysia with kids, where to …
Thailand for families, best places and parts of Thailand for families to visit. Thailand highlights for families to enjoy on a visit. trip, or vacation. Information on visiting Thailand as a family, for families. Thailand is a fantastic and relatively easy destination for families, for you and your kids. We’d certainly rate it the easiest …
Sri Lanka is an amazing place to take your kids. This magical island combines low prices, friendly people, stunning coastline and a wealth of cultural and wildlife experiences. After months exploring Sri Lanka, these are our, and our kids’, recommendations for highlights of Sri Lanka for families. Finding family accommodation in Sri Lanka is fairly …
I posted already about the various ways of getting to and from Lukla from Kathmandu, Nepal. Flying into Lukla isn’t the only way to start your Everest region or Everest Base Camp trek, there are various bus, jeep and walk options. We feel that flying is the best way to go based on our experience, …
There is an incredible selection of things to do in Penang with kids along with family-friendly resort hotels, good food, and reasonable transport options. Penang is a popular vacation or holiday destination for local and international family travel. This post is about places to visit in Penang with family or with kids, with ideas on …
A few days ago somebody on social media asked me what my favorite, all time, travel memory was. Without hesitation I told the lady-of-travel that it was the time I trekked to Tengboche Monastery with my son, then 11 years old. I added a footnote, that I doubted he would agree. I was curious though …
There are places to visit in Kathmandu Nepal that will take your breath away. This post tells you about the best places to see during your time in Kathmandu, most are temples or districts of Kathmandu city. We also cover places near Kathmandu to visit. If you only have a day or two in Kathmandu …