Our months in Asia led us to believe that we were so firmly acclimatized to our tropical surroundings that the return to Europe in the height of winter would be a shock to our system (both in terms of temperature and culture... let alone time differences, food habits, domestic tendencies, etc.) But in fact, it was surprisingly easy. The flights home were smooth and uncomplicated, despite the crowds and disappointing lack of upgrades. We were met at the airport in Geneva by my parents who, armed with our winter coats and wool mittens for all, promptly whisked us away to their comfortable Provencal farmhouse 3 hours away in the South of France. Given that this use to operate as a guesthouse until a year ago, the hotel feeling made for a familiar transition from our lifestyle ... read more
When most people speak or read about Pattaya, images of sleaze and human desperation are summoned. It is certainly not a place associated with style nor with wholesome family vacations, and so clearly not one that would easily figure on our itinerary, let alone be the place to end our grand Asian adventure with. However, when dear family friends generously offered to treat us to a few days at a nearby resort, we thought it was nevertheless too kind an offer to refuse. With an ever so slight hint of apprehension, I decided to trust the good judgment of these friends, confidant that they would not bring our little family into the midst of everything I like the least about Asia- exploitation, corruption, and crowds. I’m pleased to report, we were not only right to trust ... read more
I never understood Dorothy from The Wizard of Ozmore than I did on our first day in Singapore… As we drove into town from the airport, my sentiments were rather similar to those she expressed to her dog, Toto, on landing on the other side of the rainbow: “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” The fact that we thought Kuala Lumpur was shiny and modern makes me laugh now. Singapore is what happens when a city like Kuala Lumpur turns Swiss. It’s not only full of sky scrapers and green tropical parks, it’s clean and tidy… Really really clean and tidy. Thanks to my Aunt Priscilla, an extraordinary Buddhist monk in Japan with extraordinary friends all over the world, we were greeted at the airport by staff from Kong Meng San Phor See Monastery. They kindly drove ... read more
Doing Christmas like we’re a UNICEF greeting card Where should an Anglophone Swiss-American protestant lady, married to a French Jewish man, with a self-declared Buddhist daughter and a Santa-fearing son spend Christmas? Across the street from a Hindu temple, among a predominantly Taoist population, in a Muslim country seems as good a place as any. And so through the Hare Krishnas we weaved our way over to George Town’s China House restaurant, where we enjoyed a traditional turkey roast, complete with heavenly mashed potatoes and fresh cranberry sauce! Just before heading out, the kids opened their collection of “easily packable” Christmas gifts: miniature Spiderman and Batman figurines for Sam and similarly sized mini Cinderella and Ariel dolls for Mimi. They also each received matching toy cameras, which were a surprisingly big success. And sure enough, we ... read more
Since the world did not come to an end on December 21st, it was time for us to get serious again and shift back into active sightseeing mode, making sure we took advantage of the rich culture around us. This is when we left the lovely Tanjung Bungah and moved to more spartan digs in the centre of Georgetown, Penang’s capital city. Though the apartment we moved into was clean and had a fabulous view over the historical “heritage” district, it was considerably plainer than the previous one and located in yet another soulless high-rise. This building, situated above the enormous “Time Square” shopping centre, was simply too massive and lacked any kind of charm or appeal. While it was great to have our own kitchen and living room, not to mention TWO bedrooms… plus a ... read more
After almost three weeks of city living in Chiang Mai, not to mentioned being inland for over a month, we knew that some lazy living by the beach would be a welcome change of pace and scenery. Having decided on Malaysia as the setting for our December holidays, the weather dictated that we stick to the West side. So we spent our first week in Malaysia on the northern coast of Penang, in the beach area of Batu Ferringhi. We probably would have spent the whole month there had our last-minute accommodation search not proven so tricky, forcing us to fragment our lodging and locations. After the joy and success of renting a holiday home in Vietnam, we searched for something comparable here, keen to stay in one place during the holidays in order to ensure ... read more
When we weren’t busy indulging and pampering ourselves (or nursing someone back to health!), we did actually manage to take in some of the sights, sounds, and flavours of this culturally rich and diverse region. Thank goodness we had allowed ourselves almost 3 weeks here, which was still barely enough. Northern Thailand is rich in natural beauty, extraordinary wildlife, and with an impressive cultural heritage. The biggest draw for tourists is perhaps the fascinating hill tribe communities, the ethnic minorities referred to in Thai as “chao khao” which translates literally as “mountain people”. Among the largest and best known hill tribes are the Hmong, Karen, and Akha. The most recognizable and iconic are the Kaya (known as the Longnecks), and the Kor Yor (also known as the Big Ear tribe) and yet these are ironically less ... read more
THE KAHNS IN THAILAND: PART II – Chapter 2 KEEPING IT KID-FRIENDLY It doesn’t take a genius to know that the key to successful travel with kids is to be sure to include plenty of activities geared towards their idea of fun. While it seemed counter to any of the objectives of our trip, let alone the cultural and geographic context of our current location, we nevertheless felt duty bound as parents to take our children to one of Chiang Mai’s biggest family attractions: the Night Safari. Following the depressing experience of visiting Saigon’s zoo, I did not have high expectations for this excursion. But of course, Thailand is nothing like Vietnam and so I did suspect it might be a little better. Sure enough, the place felt as organized, clean and efficient as any theme ... read more
(NB: There is so much to be said this time, that I could not contain in to one tidy blog entry… so prepare for a series coming your way, all about our adventures in Lanna Country, Northern Thailand…) THE KAHNS IN THAILAND: PART II – Chapter 1 Our arrival in Northern Thailand Thailand must have really missed us after our initial week in Bangkok at the very beginning of this Asian voyage... Our return was met with a wonderful celebration of fireworks, glowing floating flower displays across the rivers, and the release of thousands of rice paper lanterns into the sky. It was ever so kind of Chiang Mai to launch such a grand welcome for us. Some mentioned something about the Yi Peng Festival taking place at the same time, as well as Loi Krathong… ... read more
On the atmosphere: From the minute we stepped off the plane onto the tarmac of the little Luang Prapang airport, we felt enchanted. The airport was a small temple-like structure, with mostly wooden interiors, lending it a soft, welcoming quality. The passport control officer was a jolly little man who joked with out kids and pretty much set the tone, in terms of friendliness, for every Lao person we met for the next ten days. As our friend Serge rightly put it: it is impossible to feel stressed in this town. Even though the historical legacy of Luang Prapang, as a formal capital and ancient kingdom, is quite important and regal, the town nevertheless feels like a tranquil provincial outpost. The general atmosphere in town is so mellow and pleasant, it’s like there is an abundance ... read more
