Festival – Two Little Wanderers

After a wonderful few days in the Medellín area, we were ready for some beach time. We arrived in Santa Marta in the afternoon where it was 87 degrees humid and hot. We stayed in centro which gave us easy access to the malecon, the square, marina and to many restaurants. Our first afternoon was spent at an ocean front restaurant for lunch followed by a short drive to the nearby Rodadero beach with a beautiful sunset and the hundreds of hawkers. The kids played soccer and made a sand castle at the beach past sunset, before we headed to the square to get some local food in the square listening to live music. The next morning we took a tour on a sailboat to a secluded beach in Tayrona national park. We enjoyed the 1.5 hour ride to the beach that was choppy with beautiful views of Santa Marta, the coast and the park. Our afternoon was spent chilling on the beach, snorkeling and eating a grilled whole fish. We walked around Santa Marta that evening and ate dinner at a spot called Ouza which had delicious Mediterranean food. Colombia is an interesting mix of South American, Caribbean and Centra American culture and food.

We drove to Cartegena next morning for 4 hours to catch our boat for the next leg of our journey. Google Maps detoured us again which reminded me why it’s better to trust the locals than technology in countries such as Colombia. Nonetheless the drive was beautiful and we reached just in time to catch our boat to the amazing Isla del Encanto hotel in Isla Baru. We’ve been dreaming of our hotel stay in Belize from our sabbatical, and Encanto was that and much more. The entire experience was a little like the show White Lotus with no twists. A small 34 room property that can only be accessed by boat with 2 salt water pools (one with a pool bar), all inclusive local meals and a really calm beach. We spent our time here kayaking, lounging and eating some great food. They had pony rides on the beach at the hotel too! Ariana, Ayaan and I also learned how to stand-up paddle board (Anjali being the pro). For Christmas Eve, they had a celebratory dinner with live music and an elaborate buffet, which made the night memorable. We really loved our stay at Encanto which felt really intimate, and ended with a private boat transfer directly to our next hotel at Playa Blanca also on Isla Baru.

Playa Surf Baru is a tiny beach shack hotel with 6 rooms above a famous restaurant right on the beach. Our room and balcony was literally above the water with the smooth sounds of waves crashing. We witnessed a beautiful sunset as we walked along the narrow white sand beach spotted with beachside shacks. Playa Blanca is the beach you’d expect when you come to the Caribbean with brilliant blue warm water and white sand beaches. The stretch of beach gets crowded in the day with day tourists from Cartegena and tons of boats and vendors. We enjoyed our day having all meals on the beach, swimming and hopping between different snacks for meals and drinks. My favorite foods were the huevo arepas and the garlic grilled octopus devoured while staring into the sea. Ayaan had a pina colada in a real pineapple, while Ariana got her hair braided.

Our last stop for the last 4 nights was the international city of Cartegena. Founded in the early 1500s, Cartegena is a walled city with a ton of history, culture, live music, lights, nightlife, dining and stunning sunsets. We stayed at the Hilton located at the tip of Bocagrande with a beach and four pools. It was perfect with the kids as it had a kids club and served as a nice break from the afternoon heat. We started the first evening with a drink watching the sunset at Cafe Del Mar sitting atop the wall and ended it at The Arsenal: Rum Box, a wine and chocolate tasting restaurant where the kids got to make their own mocktail at the bar! The next morning we joined a free walking tour of the old town that walked us through the charming streets and squares over two hours. Ayaan and Ariana did really well even in the heat and we were all rewarded with a delicious local lunch at San Valentin along with live music. After some pool time, we went on a sunset catamaran cruise overlooking Cartegena that ended with Ariana and Anjali dancing to Colombian music with the locals.

On our third morning in Cartegena, we left the kids in the kids club and visited the San Felipe fort overlooking Cartegena and the bohemian Getsemani neighborhood. We loved Getsemani with murals everywhere, colorful houses and tiny bars and restaurants on the street. We liked it so much that we took the kids and went back on another free walking tour of the neighborhood that evening! On our last day we relaxed at the beach and the pool, and Ayaan loved playing soccer with the locals. It was New Year’s Eve, so we started the evening with the kids at the Wala beach club near our hotel overlooking a final stunning sunset while listening to house music. To bring in the new year, we left the kids at the kids club that had celebrations planned, and went bar hopping. From a street side bar in Getsemani with $2 mojitos to the swankier El Mirador with specialty cocktails and house music, we wandered in the crowded party streets. Our final hour of the year was spent at Cafe Del Mar as 2023 arrived with a stunning display of fireworks across the city.

Colombia, the land of Pablo Escobar, Shakira, Sophia Vergara, Encanto and arepas, made a memorable two week vacation with amazing hospitality where we not only felt safe but also welcome and well treated. The people are kind and make an extra effort to compensate for the reputation that country unfairly has. We definitely recommend it for families! Such a great way to end 2022 that was filled with travel and to kickoff off 2023. Happy new year to all!!!

I had high expectations for Chiang Mai….and it beat all those expectations! We were extremely lucky to have been in the city during the Loy Krathong (Floating baskets) and Yee Peng (Floating lanterns) festival which coincide with each other in Chiang Mai during the full moon. The entire city is adorned with beautiful colorful lanterns which are particularly prevalent in the city’s numerous temples. This festive atmosphere added a new level of charm and delight to this already beautiful city. As we approached the city from the airport, Ayaan started pointing out the lantern decorations along the way. Since the kids were relatively tired from the flight, we decided to dine at the hotel restaurant which turned out to be a fantastic meal of Penang curry and our favorite pad see ew. After the kids slept, Gaurav and I chatted in the balcony for a while before turning in for the night. The next morning, we took a 40-minute ride up the mountain to the famous Doi Suthep temple. As we ascended, we were greeted with views of the city below as well as Buddha statues and temples along the way. Ariana fell asleep as we approached requiring Gaurav to carry her up multiple flights of stairs to the top of the temple. Bright golden hues and several Buddha statues makes this temple particularly stunning! Ayaan enjoyed being blessed by the monk with water drops and a string around his hand. Ariana enjoyed playing catch with the new friends she’d made. We returned to the mall near our hotel for lunch and the kids enjoyed playing with the kiddie planes and cars and the huge Christmas tree outside. I seized the opportunity to get a foot massage near our hotel while the kids napped. That evening, we set out to enjoy the festivals and got dropped off near the banks of the Ping river. We dined at Woo, a restaurant and art gallery that was casual yet classy. We enjoyed a Khow Soi, A classic Chiang Mai dish of noodles and curry topped off with several condiments. Toward the end of our meal, we noticed the lanterns floating in the sky and decided to skip dessert and hit the streets. We walked along the ping river and stopped on the bridge. Thousands of lanterns were released into the sky and as they floated up, they illuminated the entire sky. Down below, the river was lit by thousands of small flower boats and baskets with candles and incense sticks, making for another feast for the eyes. It was a sight to marvel at, and we felt lucky to experience it. Ayaan bought his own floating boat which we released into the water, which is believed to release all ill and unhappiness.

The next morning, we decided to wander the old town of Chiang Mai, starting with Wat Chedi Luang. We were amazed that this complex consisted of several temples within it with countless statues of the Buddha. We then took a tuk tuk ride stopping at several notable temples within the old city, each more inspiring and rich than the next. We were awed by the collection of temples within such a small area of the city. Our final stop for the morning was the gate at the entrance to the old town where we saw a large decoration of beautiful lanterns. We ate lunch at a local restaurant that had a nice outdoor garden. Ariana who is still being potty trained had an accident while Ayaan lounged in his hammock. This time Gaurav went for a foot massage in the old town while the kids napped. When Ayaan awoke, I took him down to the hotel lobby where he made his own ‘Krathong’ to set down in the river. He also took one for his little sister. When she awoke, we set off to view the festivals by the Ping river. We arrived early and set our krathongs while wishing for the release of ill. This time, we had dinner reservations at the Gallery riverside restaurant. While the food was relatively average, the location allowed us an amazing view of the lanterns being released into the sky all at once, without the crowds. Ayaan was the first to spot the first release at 7pm. We retreated back to the hotel after dinner to prepare for our early morning the next day.

We visited the Mae Rim elephant sanctuary the next morning. Upon arriving, they had us feed the elephants several bananas to befriend them. We then walked with them to a large mud pool where we learned more about this magnificent creatures and how they were rescued from cruel camps or circuses to be cared for at Mae Rim. Next we set off to play in the mud pools with them which Gaurav and Ariana enjoyed thoroughly. Ayaan and I enjoyed the next water pool where we splashed the mud off their backs to clean them. As we retreated back, we played in the ‘human’ pool and then learned to make noodle soup which we devoured for lunch. The kids napped on the way back to our hotel. We took the kids to the nearby Maya Lifestyle mall that evening and they loved playing in the kids play area there. We’d called for a babysitter from the hotel that evening since Gaurav and I were hoping to spend some time with each other. The babysitter though didn’t speak any English and seemed way in over her head with both kids so we decided it was best not to leave the kids in her care. We strollered down to the Nimmam district for a quick dinner at Nimman Social before heading back for a nightcap in the balcony while the kids slept.

We were excited when we awoke the next morning since we were checking in to the luxurious Dhara Dhevi hotel in Chiang Mai. We took a ‘Grab’ (equivalent of uber in Asia) and were greeted by stunning grounds as we approached the hotel. The main lobby as well as most of the villas looked like temples with golden tops, and the grounds were lush and green. We spent a relaxing couple of days here, alternating between the resort pools, the kids club and the various restaurants. Ayaan enjoyed the buggies that would transport us within the resort as well as the local arts and crafts center where he made fish and frogs out of colored bamboos. The highlight of our stay was our family dressing up as local farmers and planting rice with the water buffalos while being serenaded with live music. The kids even played in their own little ‘orchestra’. Gaurav and I did manage to get a date night in at a nice, Italian restaurant while we left the kids with a caring sitter from the resort. We really enjoyed dining as a family in our outdoor living room on the last night as well. On the last day, a horse carriage took us around the resort before we left for our flight to Phuket.