KaootaKids

After almost a week on a tropical island where the only things to think about were what to have for lunch and when to get out of the water, the blog has (once again) slipped over the horizon. Back in the real world again and time to pick up from where we left off... Crossing from Laos to Cambodia ended up being an effortless process, against all the odds. After all, we had to catch a boat from our sleepy island in the Mekong, Don Khong, cross the river, and wait for a bus that would hopefully take us to the border and beyond into Cambodia. I was amazed when the bus hoved into view at the appointed time and there were 5 seats waiting for us. In less than an hour we were at the ... read more

Finding it very easy to fall in love with Laos. Luang Prabang was a beguiling introduction to this beautiful country. You can easily see why it was listed as a World Heritage city a few years back. The majestic Mekong River eases its way past what must be the most relaxed tourist town in the world. There are dozens of temples, thousands of monks, hundreds of hotels and even more restaurants. And yet you feel as though you are wandering around a big country town. The Lao people have a very different approach to commerce than the Vietnamese. No one hassles you about anything and you can walk through the massive night market, which has hundreds of stalls, without once being asked to buy anything. We found an 'ethical' elephant tour company and had a wonderful ... read more

Island life. Too laid back to bother writing a blog. And there was no internet access in the hotel. So we're a bit off the pace here. Just over a week ago...we finally managed to catch a train in Vietnam. A comfortable 2 hour trip saw us in Hanoi. What a blessed relief to travel without the accompanying soundtrack of bus horn in A minor. Our hotel in Hanoi was great and slap bang in the middle of Hanoi's old town. Plenty of Parisiene (?) atmosphere and some great shops and cafes. Of course the ubiquitous noodle bars and old women selling random piles of salad greens outside your hotel door to remind you where you are. Poor Milla was suffering from some sort of tummy bug with associated action at either end of her body. ... read more

Everyone has had a great time in Hoi An. The kids have enjoyed swimming 3-4 times a day in the hotel pool and, even though they mightn't admit it, I think they have enjoyed the interactions with the locals that a smaller, quieter town allows. We've more or less worked out a formula that keeps both factions in the travel party content. Spend the first half of the day doing proper touristy things like walking around the old town, shopping, seeing sights. Then lunch and back to the pool to let the kids do what they like for the rest of the afternoon. Suffice it to say that during these times, Reuben can reliably be found playing on the internet. Every hotel has free internet, pretty much available any old time. Number one does sometimes complain ... read more

We all really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and cool climate of Dalat. While we were loving getting around in t-shirts in 20 degrees, the locals were breaking out the winter gear including beanies, mittens, scarves and down jackets. Our hotel was appropriately named the 'Dreams' hotel and was pretty much the perfect hotel. Beautiful rooms, spotlessly clean and with an owner who would quietly do anything for you. Taxis would materialise out of nowwhere, bus timetables were recited from memory and tickets booked with a phone call, with the added bonus that you just new she was quietly insisting we be properly looked after by whomsoever she was speaking with. The breakfast every morning was a fully certified banquet. Spent a great morning at the aptly named Crazy House. Although it was conceived by the ... read more