Keep it coming We are loving every minute of your travel blog. Sometimes feels like we are right there with you. Laura is missing Milla lots and we look forward to your return with countless more adventure stories. Lots of love to you all. Jo and family
oh...you guys! wow....you are so cute!!1 Having such a wonderful trip....everyone is sooo big and grown up! really nice to see the photos, an hear all your funny stories too
Love us
we all love pools Hi Cathy and Fabian, yes we have all been enjoying the luxury of a pool now and then. We are on Cat Ba island now and have replaced swimming in pools with swimming in the ocean which is still quite warm. Another novelty. Ill let Milla know that you are following our progress...
Steven
Hi Mum and Dad Hi Mum and Dad,
glad you're enjoying the blog. It's a bit different, isn't it Mum, from waiting for the next instalment of the paper based diaries of Africa, that you'd read out to Nana. I can't get over how easy it is to access the internet at every Hotel we go to.
Just came back from a lovely breakfast in Hanoi (I LOVE Hanoi) and we'll get ready to travel to Cat Ba island today (will take us about 4 hours of travel by bus and boat). The kids continue to have highs and lows. Milla has just got over a bout of vomiting and diarrhea (and prior to that an infected toe) so she's been having quite a few "lows". At one stage I seriously thought about sending her on a flight home to you guys! We have to do a lot of things to "jolly" them along at times, but really I think overall they are having more fun than not. Having kids seems to open a world to us that might not be there if we were travelling without children. For example, last night our kids were playing with the two small children of the hotel staff and although they couldn't share a language they were having a ball singing and dancing together. Jude is treated as an absolute god by all we meet. At every meal at every restaurant they get him the best seat, they put a napkin in his shirt, they cut up his meal for him, they would feed him as well if he let them. He regularly gets mobbed by little old ladies (which can be a bit scary) they want to pick him up and cuddle him. He's getting quite good at side stepping them. Milla is starting to enjoy her "celebrity" status and is regularly asked to pose in photographs taken by local Vietnamese.
will talk soon.
love Julie
thanks Dorothy thanks so much Dorothy, you are a champ!!! Let me know where and when you'll be in Halong bay as it might be that we overlap there. Have met some great people already while travelling around (they are the older "sympathetic" types, not the young (dare I say it... arrogant) traveller types - those ones avoid us like the plague.
Jude is getting good at avoidance strategies because all the adults (especially but not exclusively women) are absolutely besotted with him. all of the cleaning women in our hotel in Hanoi kept hanging around our room or the pool, waiting for him to emerge so they could swamp him with hugs and kisses. I told him to lap it up while he could (after all he was plied with extra bananas at breakfast because of it) but I don't think he appreciates it.
thanks again for the vitamins - hopefully we can catch up somewhere.
Julie
Green mounds coming up Funny, that's the first requeset I've had for green mounds and piles of rubble. I have some shots of some Cham kingdom temples from the 4th century which were hidden in a jungle. Had to leave the wife and kids behind for that particular outing. I just had a feeling that dragging them for 2 hours on a bus to see piles of bricks would stir a rebellion. It was a great site, unfortunately most of it blasted to pieces by the good old US of A. Apparently when he heard about the destruction, Nixon ordered the army to keep killing the VC but try and miss the temples. What a guy...
Currently in the old imperial city of Hue. Staying in the mandatory hotel with pool to placate the kids. Great place. We are inside the city walls, 10 km long and surrounded by a 30m moat. Imperial Palaces and forbidden city await this morning. If I can drag Julie out of the pool and the kids away from the TV.
Thanks for the message
Steven
Vitamins Hi Julie and Steve
Ho Ain sounds nice, I was intending to spend a few days there and get some silk pyjamas made. Have bought your vitamins, 2X100. We will be staying at the Lucky Hotel in Hanoi in the Old quarter, I don't think it has a swimming pool but has been recommended by some locals that Greg is going to catch up with to look at forests. We will be flying into Hanoi at 19,20 on Tuesday 8th dec. We intend to stay a couple of days then head to Halong Bay. Do you have any idea when you will hit Hanoi? We will leave the vitamins at the hotel for you
Keep having fun, it may also be a little challenging travelling wiht an 18 yo who in the last few years has only left his bedroom to go to school!
Fantastic Hi Steven,
Thanks for adding us to your postings. I am really enjoying hearing about your trip. We love hearing about other people who are crazy enough to travel with there kids. Hope things keep going well. How about posting some pictures of some ancient temples and such like. As much as I love your kids show me the green mounds!
Hello Hi guys! Just logged on to your site today. Lovely to hear your news. It's bringing back memories of Thailand as well- the heat, traffic chaos and welcome swimming pools. What an experience! Hello Milla- we are missing you at school. How do you say 'hello' so we can say it to you when reading the register?. I will show them some of your photos. Take your time traveling and don't do too much (like we do).
Take Care, Sarah, Scott, Rowan and Ella
Hello Canada Believe me, we're exhausted too. The kids are having a great time but there are times when you feel like you are not really Vietnam. I mean we do spend a lot of time in swimming pools and restaurants that advertise pizza and pasta as well as Vietnamese food. But of course a compromise is better than not being here at all. Hoi An is an excellent town. World heritage listed old town is a gem, given that most of Vietnam had the living daylights bombed out of it by the US, its nice to see what towns here used to look like. The rest of the country is the typical concrete box architecture beloved of the communist world. Food is great, people are incredibly friendly. The kids are being cuddled and are having their cheeks pinched almost to excess. Somtimes they are a bit overwhelmed by all the lovin but generally they are cool with it all. Stay in touch. Steven
Hello from Canada Sounds like a fabulous trip. Love reading the blog and seeing the pictures. Even with 3 kids, and even from the other side of the world, your pace of sightseeing exhausts me...
Keep taking those important detours into tv, pools, and other kid essentials.
Karaoke madness Hi guys, I made sure the Karaoke masters were burnt (as in torched) before they fell into the wrong hands ie anyone. Survived a 12 hour sleeper bus trip last night. Now in beautiful Hoi An in a hotel with (you guessed it) a pool. Still only $35 for all of us. Where are you guys now?
can you do me a favour? Hi Dorothy, I was hoping you could bring something over to Vietnam for me. I need some more vitamin/mineral supplement for Reuben (his range of food hasn't increased at all, unlike the other kids) and he won't have a bar of any local supplies (they're not the same). The only one he'll tolerate is the Herron Vitaminis chewable raspberry flavoured. Can you buy me two big containers of them (I'm doubling his dose).
Hopefully we may be able to meet up in either Hanoi or Halong Bay (if you are going there) but the safest thing would be to leave them in a package for me at the hotel you are staying in, in Hanoi and I'll grab them from there. hopefully they won't think you are a drug runner!!! (Don't worry there was no scrutiny of all the pharmaceutical items I have in our bag).
By the way here are a few things I'd wish I'd packed more of: bandaids, tampons (you can buy locally but they are a bit more expensive here), antibacterial hand gel (very handy before eating meals); and a penknife (forgot one) to cut up all the beautiful local fruit.
if you can't manage the vitamins for me don't worry we'll muddle along.
take care
Julie
looks like fun Hi Guys. Looks like you are having a great time. Yes the hotel pool is still the greatest attraction of all. If only you could have folding one in your pocket wherever you go, then travelling with kids will be a doddle. Pam has been to Na Trang and agrees that it is better than the gold coast. She rememvers having a great time going out on a boat trip to some remote island where they were excited about seeing foreigners. Can;t wait to get my hands on your self published karaoke tracks. Im surprised you didn't rip some discs onto the blog so we could hear some of the action. Cheers from John, Pam, Alex and Lucas
Hi guys
Don't worry about me Jude. I'm having a great time in your big house. Ffan is keeping me company and I have lots of things to do to keep me busy. Can't wait to hear more of your adventures. Great photos.
Big love to all.
Michael
I'll reassure Jude I'll let Jude know that you are coping OK. How was your trip to Sydney. Cows giving you any grief? We're about to head off on an 11 hour bus trip. Should be a new experience as it is on a sleeper bus, instead of a seat you have a little bed to lie down on. Not sure how much sleeping will happen. Let you know.
Sleeper bus ? About to emabark on a 11 hour bus trip to Hoi An. Opted for the overnight bus with beds ?! Decided it was a better option than 2 x 5 hour journeys in the local mini vans. Let you know how it goes
Hi guys
Looks like you're having a great time. Don't worry Jude. I'm really happy staying at your place. Ffan is keeping me company. I had a little trip to Sydney but am back now. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more.
Love Michael
Hi to Dorothy Hiya Dorothy,
thanks for the comment on the travel blog. Money wise we are really only using ATMs (even though we came with US dollars, travellers cheques and a cash card). Having some US dollars might be an advantage when bargaining for things (which we haven't done yet because we don't want to carry it), but really the dong from an ATM is very easy. We've only stayed in 3 hotels so far. Can highly recommend Hotel Dreams (number 1, there are two of them) in Dalat - very gorgeous helpful lady runs it. The MyMy Art house in HMC was fine but I'm sure there are many others - you definitely need air conditioning in HCM. And our third hotel is this one Vien Dong in Nha Trang - which we are really only staying at so the kids can swim in the pool (not good beach weather). In Na Trang we had to book two rooms as we couldn't fit into one, but were able to put five of us in the one room at the last two hotels. I don't think you need to put in a sleeping mat I think you'll get three in a room no worries.
Food is great, but it would be so much easier without needing to accomodate children's tastes (especially Reuben!!). Have got any nasty bugs in tummy yet. The Pho is wonderful and you can get cheaply anywhere. very fragrant with basil leaves, lime, chilli, garlic etc.
So good to hear from you.
keep emailing us to let us know where you are. who knows we could cross paths in Hanoi.
love Julie
We still have our moments Thanks guys. Yeah the kids are having fun. Spent a couple of days in a pool here in Nha Trang. I even managed to drag Milla and Reuben to some ancient temples which was a coup when an air conditioned room with cable TV was the alternative.
They're tuckered out tonight after non stop swimming in the pool. I don't think any of them have ever drank so much soft drink in their lives...
Stay in touch
Steven
Laura Nichols
non-member comment
Keep it coming
We are loving every minute of your travel blog. Sometimes feels like we are right there with you. Laura is missing Milla lots and we look forward to your return with countless more adventure stories. Lots of love to you all. Jo and family