Five Funny Things That Happened Whilst Travelling

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Janet

By Evie Hadley (Age 9)

BIG Fishing!

One funny thing that happened whilst travelling was when, in Sri Lanka, out of the bus window, we saw some Asian people sitting on bamboo (very thin) poles fishing in the sea wihout even holding on! Mummy explained that to us that they were stilt-fishing and that these people were very practiced at balancing and fishing at the same time. Clever and funny.

No stilt fishing captured on camera, but a lovely beach shot where you sometimes see the fishermen

Monster Ahoy!

Well, the story starts when we are swimming in the sea at Komodo National Park, Indonesia. Diving down to look at coral, playing with Christmas tree worms and chasing fish. Then suddenly Mummy came up screaming that she had seen a hideous monster with a human sized head, shiny, colourful skin, two slit-like eyes and no nose. A couple of days later we were watching a marine wildlife program and we found that Mummy had seen an octopus. Poor Mummy!

Mummy, blissfully unaware that she’s about to experience utter terror

Faking An Elephant!

This story starts when we were sitting in Chitwan on the verandah outside our large, cosy room.

We were chatting (about Tettie’s broken leg) when we all heard a strange, trumpeting sound and look around. Assuming it was an elephant (probably the one who lived in our resort) and carried on chatting. Then the noise came again and (once again) looked round to see a western man walking along blowing his nose. He sounded so much like an elephant!

The resident elephant at Travellers Jungle Camp

Just Keep Plodding

We were trekking in the mountains of Nepal walking, walking, walking, “GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE YAKS!” Jingle, jingle, jingle, yaks coming through! The yaks were clomping along on the thin mountain ledges where they probably wouldn’t fall off due to their stale, gripping hooves (although they were being whipped quite hard on the bum!)

The yaks were followed by donkeys (also being whipped on the bum). Did you know that yaks get low altitude sickness?!

Yaks Ahoy!

Crocodile v’s Elephant

Yes, Mummy let us swim in the elephant and crocodile infested river in Chitwan National Park, Nepal. (We had to wear life jackets though). There were two types of crocodile. Most were gharials, which only eat fish; others were marshmuggers which eat people and fish but are scared of elephants. We had a game called silent gliders where we glided silently along in the water (pretending not to be able to see each other). FUN!

A game of silent gliders during our first trip to Chitwan

Five Reasons Everyone Should Go Travelling with Their Family

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Fergus

Evie about to try snake on a stick in Cambodia

By Evie Hadley (aged 8)

Delicious Food

One reason everyone should go travelling with their family is because it means you can try a lot of different foods like fried insects, snakes, amazing Thai fried rice and Vietnamese phô.

Strange Asian Languages

You can learn a lot of different languages such as Thai, Bahasa Malay/Indonesia, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Nepali and many more besides. Now I can say “three twins” (meaning triplets) in five different languages: fet sam (Thai), tumba tika (Bahasa Malaya/Indonesia), gom blua bai (Cambodian) and sinba (Vietnamese).

Happy Family

Another thing I really enjoyed was spending a lot of time with my family because I don’t get to see Mummy and Daddy as much at home. I miss my friends quite a lot though. I also miss NanaRara*. My Mummy and Daddy are our teachers whilst travelling which I really love.

Trekking

I absolutely love trekking because there was an amazing view of white-peaked Mount Everest through a curtain of trees. There were many more mountains such as Gokyo Ri (which we climbed in the snow).

Elephant Land

You should come to Nepal and see Elephant-roamed Chitwan where you might make a large friend!

* Nanarara is the phrase Evie and her sisters use for Janet’s parents. They got Nana and rara (they couldn’t say granddad) conflated when very little and it’s stuck.

The Beautiful Mooooooooooooooon

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Janet

by Evie Hadley

The boat trip was set on a large river in the middle of nowhere on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. It was on the second and last night that I did it…

I was tired and fell asleep almost as soon as I had closed my eyes (and rolled over about 10 times). I can’t remember my dream. When I awoke it was still dark and I guessed it was about 1 or 2 O’Clock in the morning.

Suddenly I remembered, me ad my sisters had planned to go down to the front of the boat and look at the moon (forget the fizzy drinks). So I got up, put my fleece on, and I walked to the front of the boat, sat down one of the benches and, I looked at the moon.

It was slightly blurred by clouds with smaller whispy clouds dotted around in the midnight-blue sky. The moon was diagonal to the forward-right bank of the river where tall trees grew up infront of the sky creating a wide and beautiful scene. Oh, and the noise, crickets chirping, birds chirping, orangutans chirping – “Wait a minute, orangutans don’t chirp!”

“Not usually!”

After about a minute I got back didn’t fall asleep. I lay there for a long time until zzzzzz snort.

Suddenly pop. I was awake and at last it was time to get up and dressed.

: Our comfy beds on the boat – better than many of the guest houses we have stayed in!

: The girls’ favorite place on the boat

: Beer, Evies’s bear, enjoying the trip

: Evie and Daddy play cards

: A surprise orangutan on the walkway

: A new family member?

The Wild Dugong Hunt

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Fergus

By Evie

We were on a day trip to see dugongs around Koh Libong and near the end of it, just when we had given up looking for any wildlife, our guide pointed out something in the water…

He ran up to the front of the boat and pointed out a moving black fin. Then it jumped and dived – I had never seen one before but I knew what it was at once. A dolphin! What else would jump and dive and then completely vanish? Or I thought it had vanished until – whoosh! – there it was again! About 4 or 5 times.

No it wasn’t an ‘it’; it was a ‘they’ – two – two dolphins.

We asked the guide if we could swim with them; he gave us the thumbs up because he didn’t he speak enough English to say “yes”.

By the time we all had our snorkels on the dolphins had gone, however we decided to try anyway. We clambered into the water and began to swim towards where the dolphins had been. When we turned and swam back to the boat, I suddenly realized how deep the water was – so deep I couldn’t see the bottom even though the water was very clear. Ow! I bumped my head on the boat and climbed on.

I say now: “I wish we had seen dugongs as well because that is what we set out to do. Or maybe that would be a bit too lucky.”

Emerald Cave

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Fergus

By Evie

Today we went to Emerald Cave (in 4 steps):

Step 1

We walked about 3 metres to the boat, waded out to it and got on. Our guide started the engine and we were off, zooming along, the engine roaring and popping behind us, as we made our way towards Emerald Cave.

Step 2

As we went I kept a sharp lookout for Emerald Cave. Then I saw it. At first I saw only boats, and then the cave. Soon, I knew we would be in a long, dark tunnel, swimming with our guide.

“OK Evie, put this on,” Mummy said, jerking me out of my thoughts. She was holding out a small life jacket for me. I took it and put it on. Next I asked Mummy if she was scared like me. She said she wasn’t. I gulped. Then Mummy jumped off the boat. Then I jumped off the boat. Then Mima jumped off the boat. Then Tettie jumped off the boat. Then Daddy dived off the boat (without a life jacket).

Step 3

When finally we were all in the water, our guide led us over to a creepy, cavernous, cold cave in the side of the low-hanging cliff…

We swam in!

Inside the cave it was no better than it had looked, just a long tunnel leading off into the distance. Then it began to grow dark. I couldn’t see…until the guide switched on his torch.

Step 4

I could hear the waves crashing against the cliff walls with great thunderous BOOMS! Only then I saw the light, we were approaching Emerald Cave. I swam fast towards it until I reached the light, first. But not by far, my sisters were catching up fast. Soon we were all there. It looked like a secret cove with a small beach and big cliffs surrounding it. The only entrance or exit was the tiny dark cave.

Me and Daddy went and looked at some rocks that looked like dinosaurs and then I went in the sea and played silent gliders with my sisters, which is a game where we swim very quietly towards each other and attack (splashing each other).

[Evie and her sisters all wrote about our trip to Emerald Cave as part of homeschool. You can read the other accounts here and here.]

Koh Chang is Beautiful

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Fergus

Playing on the beach (can you spot us?)

Black and white sand

Sunset at Koh Chang

Having shakes at Chang Tong Resortcafe

Our bungalow on stilts

by Evie

Koh Chang is beautiful. It has a big beach and a small beach with rocks in between. The beaches have a layer of white sand over the top of black sand and we like it because it’s soft. Mummy doesn’t like the sand because it’s sticky and a bit muddy. She had to wash our bikini bottoms seven times and it’s still not gone. We’re going back to the beach again today. Poor Mummy!

If you try to go in the sea, you get stings all over your body. We think this is because it’s too salty.

The sea has crabs in it as do the rocks and the flat sand. So watch where you’re going! The crabs have snippers but the ones on the flat sand are tiny. They get out of your way so Tettie is not scared of them any more.

From our balcony, I once saw two crabs running away from a larger crab. They went really fast. I don’t like crabs. I don’t even like pickled crabs or barbecued crabs. But worst of all are big, living crabs. They look scary.

We live at Koh Chang Resort which is on the rocks in between the two beaches. Our bungalow is in the sea when the tide is in but we don’t get wet because it is on stilts. You can hear the sea washing around underneath you. It makes me fall aslee… zzzzzz…

Evie, on realising we haven’t seen rain since early October

Quote

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Fergus

“Mummy, what does rain look like? I can’t remember.”

First Impressions of Thailand

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Fergus

Evie

Thailand has a lovely sea and a warm beach. The sea is not as cold as England. The weather can be cold but most of the time it is warm. Bangkok is a bit busy but the islands are nowhere near as busy. The thing I like best is the sea.

Scarlett

Thailand is very hot. It is good that it is hot because it warms you when you have been in the cool sea. Thailand is also fun and exciting since we’ve never been here before. The people are also very friendly especially to children. My favourite thing is the people acting very friendly towards us.

Jemima

Here on Koh Samui it is exceedingly hot and every morning you feel like you want to jump in the sea but normally you are out on other business and we only get to go in the sea in the afternoon. The sea is not exactly cold – not as cold as in England – but if you are a child then if you get cold you can go and lie down on the sand in the sun because it is warm. The sun seems to go down very quickly and I don’t know if I’m imagining it because I like it here so much. My favourite thing is how every day you can splash into the refreshing sea.

Janet

The food is every bit as good as I remember. The smell of the warm air feels like coming home, almost. The language feels so much more familiar than Napali; I understand snatches of it and it makes me feel excited and I want to learn more of it. My favourite thing is the night market food stalls.

Fergus

Thai people smile and laugh so much. It feels so safe and friendly travelling here. Just how I remember – but even better with kids. And the food: wow! I’d remembered that it was good but since arriving I’ve also remembered how I grew my first ever belly here. Curse you fried honey bananas! After three months in the mountains, seeing the sea was such a relief. Is there anything better than throwing yourself into the cool sea on a blazing hot day? My favourite thing is… eating.

The Hospital

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Fergus

By Evie

After an unexpected, bumpy helicopter ride we arrived in hospital and waited. What was wrong?

When we arrived, Tettie was taken to a private room in the hospital called the Emergency Department. Only Mummy and the nurses were allowed in. Next moment, a Tettie on a stretcher came past! Amazing news – her leg was broken!

Soon after, we were in the room, the room Tettie lay in for 8 days. The room was comfortable, had enough beds and ,most importantly of all, there was space for me and Mima to play. Of course, we didn’t like Kathmandu particularly, however we couldn’t help liking our cozy room.

Tettie got a moving bed. I was so jealous!

We went to the zoo twice. We saw 2 tigers and a leopard and lots of deer and 8 bears and 4 monkeys and 5 buffaloes and lots of fish (including piranhas) and even a few guinea pigs!

Another day we went shopping for animal carvings in Thamel and Mima got a tiny gold tiger. Later, however, she said she wanted a golden deer that she had wanted for ages (more than 2 weeks!) I found a pegasus which was too much money (2000 rupees). A really sad day for me. Daddy says I can get it if I still want it after our 3 week trip to Chitwan though.

Spending a week in hospital was a bit much although the food was tasty and the beds were comfortable. I was sorry for Tettie because she couldn’t do these many things, just lie and wait. I guess she enjoyed night more than day! Poor young Tettie Wettie Woo Woo, falling from so high.

A Big Surprise

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Janet

by Evie

Travelling is not going the way we planned, mainly because Tettie broke her leg so we had to finish our trek with a sudden and exciting helicopter ride which included amazing views, a lot of bumps and took us to Kathmandu instead of Pokhara. This news was annoying however it meant that we could go to Chitwan where it is relaxed, flat, fun, comfortable and is extremely beautiful. All of these things are very good for someone with a broken leg who doesn’t know how to use crutches.

It’s very weird with Tettie on crutches because you can’t go anywhere without a grown up (Mummy or Daddy). It changes a lot of things including running around, climbing, playing. Though it does not stop the fun of Chitwan. We can still play with her. For example she can tel us how good our handstands are. She quite liked doing that. I wonder if she could do a handstand or if her leg would be too heavy. We are working hard on our handstands and there is a squashed mushroom in the garden which Jemima keeps sitting on (that’s how it got squashed!).

Tettie can still play chess. She’ll probably get good at chess; almost as good as Daddy. We can also play Dungeons and Dragons which is an amazing role playing game which doesn’t weight much. However, I like Mice and Mystics more. You can do this game without running around.

It tastes nice here, meaning that the food here is good, the air is good, the fun is good, the trees are good, the flowers are good and the room is good.

Mummy and Daddy are feeling sad that Tettie has a broken leg but happy that we are in Chitwan National Park.