As the school year ended (Ayaan is going to 5th grade and Ariana to 4th), the kids were super excited to spending part of their summer in India visiting family. Unlike our usual travels, we didn’t book our flight until about ten days before the trip. We also had no plan except to get on a one-way flight to New Delhi to visit Sonil bua, Ravi uncle and Sid, and at some point catch a flight to Mumbai.
Our journey to Delhi turned out to be a mini-trip on its own. Thanks to a missed Delta connection in Atlanta, it took us 4 days including 3 nights in Atlanta and Denver (yes they made us fly back west), and a bag that arrived 11 days later. None of us are keen on flying Delta anytime in the future, but we most of our time including a visit to the World of Coca-Cola. Ariana is particular loved trying sodas from all around the world including Thumbs Up from India.
We spent a relaxing 5 days in Delhi at Sonil buas amazing farm where the kids were deeply engaged in driving the golf cart, playing with the dogs (Sushi being their favorite), cooling off in the pool, and enjoying Indian food. Highlights included an escape room that we solved, bowling and arcade games, and clay pot making. The weather surprisingly turned out to be great with overcast skies and cool mornings and evenings. Sid and Sonil were amazing hosts, thank you!
After a wonderful stay, we made our way to Mumbai to see the grandparents who happen to live in the same neighborhood! The kids were so happy to be pampered with love, attention and great food. It was also their first experience of the gorgeous Mumbai weather in the monsoons. Ariana joined a gymnastics class, and Ayaan basketball, ping pong and tennis classes at our country club CCI. They also enjoyed connecting and playing with our friends’ children, while we enjoyed some adult dinners and night outs with their parents.
Anjali and I took advantage of having the grandparents, and did an overnight trip to Lonavala in the rains, staying at the Fazlani Natures Nest wellness resort. It’s a beautiful property overlooking a lake with a wellness center, farm, birds, flora, and lots of nature. We had a fantastic retreat focused on yoga, meditation and relaxation. From Lonavala we reconnected with Nani and Ayaan in Pune where we stayed at the Sheraton Grand. The goal in Pune was to attend an event with children from three slums to whom Ayaan was donating his savings. We enjoyed answering questions from the kids, Ayaan played soccer with them, and the kids engaged in painting. It was Ayaan’s highlight of the India trip. We also visited Nani’s place of worship, and spent time at the hotel pool and playing ping pong and squash.
After a few days in Mumbai, we took a 5 day trip to Kerala with my parents. Anjali and I have spoken about going to Kerala ever since we got married so we were thrilled to finally make it there. We rented an SUV with a driver Abhilash, who was fantastic, and it made a difference when we’re driving 15 hours over 5 days. We spent our first night in Kochi and spent the following morning visiting the area Fort Kochi with its Dutch, Portuguese and British history. The highlights were the Chinese fishing nets, the St Francis church where Vasco de Gama was initially buried, the Dutch museum, and the Jew town. In the late morning we set off on a long 4 hour drive to the mountain town of Munnar. We stopped for lunch for some traditional thali on a leaf at Rasa restaurant, visited a spice and Ayurvedic garden, and a couple of beautiful waterfalls on the way.
We stayed at the new Taj’s Scenic IHCL hotel in Munnar with beautiful views and an amazing pool. Kerala had a strike the next day, but luckily it didn’t interrupt our plans of visiting the Tea Museum, seeing some Tea estates, and visiting the stunning Eravikulam national park. We hired a golf cart / buggy which was a great way to see the park and me stops along the way to see mountain goats, bison, waterfalls and the scenery. This park is a must visit for anyone planning a trip to Kerala! We ended our day with a relaxing traditional Abhyanga massage, including for Ayaan and Ariana!
Our final adventure of the Kerala trip was perhaps our highlight of the month long stay – an overnight private luxury 3 bedroom houseboat from Xandari riverscapes cruising through the backwaters near Allepey with an onboard chef. As soon as we got on the boat, we were so relaxed appreciating Kerala’s beauty navigating through narrow rivers, canals and lakes dotted with coconut tree coastlines. We took a canoe ride through the very narrow canals through a small town only accessible by boats where many of the houses were partially submerged due to the recent floods. We stopped to buy some crabs, prawns and lobster that the chef prepared along with some delicious food. Kerala has some of the best food I’ve eaten including appams, puttu and Malabar parothas. We wish we stayed another night on the houseboat, but it was time to head back to Mumbai. We stopped at one of the beautiful beaches before heading to the airport. Kerala is truly God’s Own Country!
Back in Mumbai, we continued to enjoy family time, CCI time, and friends time. Ariana became very close to Anjali’s friend’s daughter Rhea and they had a couple of sleepovers and all day play dates. Nani celebrated Ariana’s upcoming 9th birthday with a really fun birthday party at her home with 5 other children participating in games and dance. We celebrated Big Dada’s upcoming 80th birthday with Sonil visiting Mumbai. Anjali left a few days early, and when it was our time to leave the kids really didn’t want to and were already planning a trip back soon. A great summer month in India!
After our extensive travels, the kids had urged us to stay local for spring break this year. However 2 days in Ayaan and Ariana were getting the travel urge, asking if we could go to LA or telling us how their friends were traveling. Luckily we had a major surprise up our sleeves!
We had planned a trip to Baja California, Mexico, but kept it a secret until the Lyft arrived (We packed their bags without them knowing). Ariana thought we were going to the mall; Ayaan with his good navigation and observation skills, figured we’re heading to the Oakland airport but didn’t know where we were going. Even after arriving at the gate, the kids thought we were for flying to San Jose. Only once the pilot started speaking in Spanish and said the flight was 2 hours 45 mins did Ayaan realize we’re actually headed to San Jose Del Cabo! It was such a fun surprise for the kids and us.
We arrived into warm Baja, rented a car and drove to Todos Santos where we stopped for a beachfront dinner at The Green Room. With its beachfront relaxed vibe, incredible tacos and ceviche, music, and fire pits, it was the perfect spot to start our trip watching the stunning sunset on the west side at the Pacific. Ayaan chased the huge waves in the water, while Ariana practiced new gymnastics moves on the beach. At dark, we continued to our first destination at La Paz.
We awoke to a beautiful marina and bay view from our room, and ate some local Mexican breakfast including freshly made chilaquiles and quesadillas (which became Ariana’s staple diet for the week). We made our way 20 mins north to one of the best beaches we’ve been to – the protected, calm Balandra beach on the Sea of Cortez with miles of shin height water, the famous mushroom rock, and surroundings of dessert, dunes and cacti. We sat and waded in the water, and played catch for a couple of hours before we all got hungry. Luckily, just 5 mins away is the more commercial Playa Tecolote with restaurants, bars and street vendors. This beach is beautiful as well, though much rougher and windier. We ate octopus, coconut water and mangoes, alongside some local beer, while admiring the view. After stopping at another calm beach for a short period, we headed to the warm hotel pool for some chill time. In the evening, we walked around the Malecon in main La Paz, ate ice cream, visited a playground, ate dinner, and grabbed a drink overlooking the sunset. La Paz itself is a bit sleepy compared to the other towns in Baja, PVR or Mazatlan.
Our second and final day in La Paz was a repeat of day 1 visiting the Balandra beach, another beach where we kayaked, a dip in the pool, before driving towards our next destination at the JW Marriott near San Jose del Cabo. On the way we stopped in the quaint town of Todos Santos walking around the church, square, park and the Hotel California. We ended the night eating tacos once again at the Luche Libre taqueria at the hotel and listening to live music.
Our 5 nights at the JW Marriott were mostly centered around relaxing, taking a few calls, and exploring the local area with our car. The kids enjoyed going to the kids club one of the days, while Anjali and I got some work done, visited the spa facilities, and got some adult time at the pool. Every morning started with a filling Mexican breakfast followed by a walk along the beautiful but rough beach. Each night ended with live music at the bar with fire fits. And most of the day was spent lazing at the pool and spending time as a family. The resort had some alcohol related programming where we enjoyed sipping local cocktails such as mezcal, jalapeños margaritas and old fashioned. Unfortunately not much programming for the kids, and in general fewer kids than we expected. They did have a ping pong table that Ayaan and I enjoyed a game at!
The highlight of our stay was a sunset sail cruise Anjali had reserved out of Cabo. It was a 12 person sail where we sipped cocktails, ate hor d’ourves, and got lucky to watch 2 whales for about 20 mins against the sunset setting. It was a magical family experience that we’ll remember forever. We topped it up by eating chocolate and caramel stuff churros, and walking along the waterfront. On a couple of other days, we drove to the main square in the town of San Jose del Cabo, which we found very charming. We ate more tacos and churros the first night, and on our final night ended with my 45th birthday celebration at the Don Sanchez restaurant, with an amazing singer who happened to sing all our favorite songs all night.
The trip was just what we needed – something that was simple, easy, kid-friendly, experiential., and with great food.
Inspired by our love for Japan and other major Asian cities, we decided to head to Taiwan for ski week. The fact that Taiwan is the only country outside of Japan that has a Hoshinoya resort played majorly into our decision as well. We started off our first day in Taipei climbing seemingly countless stairs up the elephant mountain where we were rewarded views of the city and the unmissable Taipei 101. Next up, we visited the iconic Taipei 101 where, apart from the towering views, we were impressed with the exhibits they’d created in the viewing spaces. After we paid our dues waiting at Din Tai Fung, Gaurav and I devoured the Xiao long bao dumplings, both the pork and chocolate ones while the kids enjoyed following the robot servers that even had their own names! Next up, we visited the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial and spent the evening strolling the Ximending pedestrian street. We ended the night at a karaoke room which, while intended to be swanky with two dedicated servers inside the private room, felt a bit stuffy for us and our inevitably unmelodious but rambunctious style.
The next morning, we took the bus to the charming town of Juifen where we enjoyed numerous street food delicacies including the peanut roll and the taro balls and a tea tasting atop the famous tea house that inspired the film, Spirited Away. Our next stop was the town of Shifen, smaller but even more fulfilling due to its year-long lantern celebration. Each of the colors on the lantern symbolize a hope such as success, joy, peace and love. We chose the one with four colors and each of us painted our hopes and dreams onto the lantern, as is the tradition. We then, with the help of the locals, lit the lantern and watched it soar to the skies amidst numerous other lanterns from travelers visiting and sharing their wishes from around the globe. We then hiked to the stunning waterfalls which we viewed from various points before making our way back to Taipei. This was one of the highlights of my visit because I found both the towns and their street atmosphere and food very unique, quaint and charming.
We rented a car early the next morning and drove to Sun Moon Lake. After an upscale Sichuan lunch overlooking the lake at a swanky hotel, we took the gondola over the lake high up into the mountains. It was a long ride and the kids were pleased to have gotten the special Sakura gondola on the way down, replete with a glass bottom floor to view the lake. Once back at the town, we took the electric boat around the lake which Ayaan called a “once in a lifetime opportunity”. We enjoyed xiao long bao’s in a small local joint for dinner before retreating at our balcony to enjoy a glass of wine while listening to the beautiful mandarin melodies from a musician below. The next morning, we rented bikes which we rode on the bike path along the lake. After checking out, we stopped at the Wenwu temple, a must-see with extremely intricate carvings spanning multiple levels with stunning views of the lake. We then headed to Hoshinoya, the much awaited part of our trip. We arrived early and strolled around the beautiful water gardens, drank tea and read books in the lobby. We also made tea-infused coffee and a fungus mocktail before checking into our room, which was two levels with its own private onsen. That evening, we enjoyed a leisurely dip into the resort’s multiple pools at the onsen, most definitely the most beautiful onsen I’ve ever been to. For dinner, we enjoyed Hoshinoya’s infamous in-room dining experience which we’ve all come to love, wearing resort-provided matching clothing that is ever so comfortable, it’s hard to change into anything else.
After a restful nights sleep in Hoshinoya’s signature PJs, we enjoyed a multi-course Japanese breakfast at the restaurant and then embarked on a guided tour of the town of Guguan. It was interesting to hear of the impact of the Japanese colonial rule over Taiwan for 50+years and understand some of the local customs of Guguan, including popsicles made from pine trees by workers who had cooling equipment.
That night, we celebrated Ayaan’s birthday with a multi-course Kaiseki meal at the restaurant which should easily have earned one of not two Michelin stars. The food, service and presentation were nothing short of exquisite.
I awoke to a lazy last day at Hoshinoya enjoying the in-room onsen to myself while the others went to the resort pools. After indulging in more of the resort’s programming, we made our way to Taichung to visit the Rainbow Art Village. Back in Taipei, we headed to the Rahoe Street night market where we enjoyed numerous street foods including egg and noodle rolls, pan fried pork dumplings, chicken skewers, and Thai-style desserts.
On our final day, we visited the Maokong Gondola, the longest gondola ride we’ve ever taken with views of beautiful temples, cherry blossoms and tea plantations along the way. We learned that cherry blossoms arrive in Taiwan earlier than in Japan and as luck would have it, our timing was impeccable! After lunch at Taipei 101, we headed to the Taipei Children amusement park, a surprise I’d planned to celebrate Ayaan’s birthday. We ended the night with dinner at our hotel’s Italian restaurant and a nightcap at the bar featuring live music. Ayaan was lucky to visit the cockpit on his flight home (the UA pilots were friendly and welcoming) while I enjoyed a Taiwanese cooking class where I made new friends and got further inspiration for future extended travel!
Chile had been on my bucket list since I came across pictures of Torres Del Paine National Park 15 years ago. We were excited to finally be going there and a bonus was a long layover in Houston that gave us a day with my sister and her family. We enjoyed a leisurely brunch followed by games of table tennis and long talks about life 😀.
After a fairly long journey, we reached Puerto Montt and made our way to Puerto Varas in our rental car. The hotel, Cabana del Lago and our suite were stunning, overlooking the sprawling lake and snow-capped volcanoes. At the hotels recommendation, we enjoyed a leisurely seafood lunch at a restaurant that reminded us of San Sebastián (one of my favorite food places in the world)! The Carmenere wine that our server recommended was fantastic. We were instantly drawn to the wonderful and friendly Chilean people that seem relaxed and content.
The rest of the day was fairly relaxing after our 3-flight journey, spent at the hotels beautiful pools and hot tub overlooking the volcanic mountains. The kids were thrilled with the water slide and took more than 20 trips on it – it really doesn’t get old! For dinner, we opted for casual food trucks near our hotel and were blown away by an Italian man’s hand-made pizza which was followed by our favorite – churros stuffed with condensed milk!
The next morning, we drove to Volcán Osorne and took the chairlift up to the first level. From there, the beauty of the mountains and the snow beckoned and we began a spontaneous climb towards the glaciers. After some time, Ariana and Gaurav retreated back down to view the crater while Ayaan and I continued the climb toward the peak. The incline was steep but we were rewarded with stunning views of the mountain up close and cheered on by the people on the chair lift. When we rested on the black volcanic rock, it actually felt warm, contrasted by the snow which we let melt in our mouth because we hadn’t carried any water. We ultimately retreated back down and Ayaan was very upset to have left his favorite warthog stuffie up on the mountain during one of our breaks.
We then proceeded to the Petrohue waterfalls which were a really stunning sight – the blue glacial water gushing down against the backdrop of the towering peaks. After another relaxing evening at the heated pool, we enjoyed dinner at a vinoteca. Warm bread, a ribeye steak and a bottle of Carmenera were a perfect way to be rewarded after the steep climb.
The next day, we embarked on a fairly long journey to view two species of penguins, the Humboldt and the Magellanic. Ayaan was stoked to see our car aboard the ferry to Chiloe Island. Although our guide only spoke Spanish, we appreciated his effort to help us understand the different wildlife we were viewing including birds such as the oyster catcher and turkey vulture. After our short tour, we enjoyed a lunch of fresh-caught ceviche, grilled chicken and a local white fish, washed down with a glass of vino. We stopped in the town of Ancud to enjoy the Christmas festivities at Plaza de Armas and proceeded to the fort.
Since it was Christmas Eve and most restaurants were closed, we enjoyed dinner at the hotel bar and spent our last evening viewing the volcanic mountain range from our balcony as the sun retreated over the coastline.
The next day, we boarded our flight to Puerto Natales to experience the much-awaited beauty of Patagonia. The views from the flight were jaw-dropping with one side overlooking several glaciers and bright blue lakes and the other side flying right over the Torres del Paine (Towers of Blue) as we approached. After renting a car, we drove straight to the caves of Milodón, a large cave where we saw bones and other fossil from several large extinct creatures such as mammoths and others from the sloth family. We then proceeded to hike on a trail to the top of the hill where we were rewarded by fantastic 360 views. Ariana has really started to love hiking. During this trip, she displayed the desire and ability to do some pretty steep and challenging hikes which left me proud and eager to do more together. That evening, we celebrated Christmas Day at a small local restaurant near the square.
We had an early start the next morning driving 2 hours into the Torres del Paine national park. The views as we approached were absolutely stunning particularly as the Cuernos (horns) and Torres (towers) came into view. Near the glacial blue waters of Pehoe Lake, we hiked a steep trail to the very top of a hill offering panoramic views of the lake and its surrounding vistas. Wildflowers greeted us on the trail and when Gaurav and Ayaan turned back because the trail narrowed and become too steep, Ariana and I continued on. After a brief stop at the Pehoe Lake Inn to pickup a picnic lunch, we proceeded to Salte Grande, an impressive gushing waterfall. Despite very strong winds, we picnicked here but decided to skip the next trail to Cuerno due to the extremely heavy winds that were getting hard to overcome for the kids. We then saw the beautiful waters of Laguna Amarga where we spotted several Guanacos, the first one solitary perched on a hill, and a large herd shortly after.
When we reached the base camp for the Torres del Paine hike (a fairly intense 8-hour hike), the guide there recommended a family friendly hike called intertievo. It was a fairly easy 1.5 hour hike following which we drove by Lake Sarmiento and made our way back to the town or Puerto Natales. We rewarded ourselves with dinner at the towns acclaimed restaurant where I enjoyed their wood-fired BBQ lamb and Gaurav devoured reportedly the best grilled salmon he’s ever eaten, both paired with a bottle of Carmenere.
The next morning, we had an early start for an 8-hour boat cruise that Gaurav had booked to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. The journey was breathtaking dotted with waterfalls, glaciers, and seal and condor sightings as we glided through stunning glacial waters. Before lunch, we disembarked for a 40 minute hike to the Serrano glacier which was absolutely epic as we were able to get pretty close to it. Once back on the boat, we each wrote our goals for 2025. This time, each family member was allowed to add a goal they wanted the other family member to accomplish in the new year. We were pretty impressed with the thoughtful and aspirational goals the children took on. Lunch was a real treat at Estancia Perales where an abuela served us pisco sours, and a whole chicken on the grill, table side. After a two hour leisurely lunch, we napped on the boat ride back to the hotel.
The next day, we had a leisurely start as our primarily goal as to hike to the Lago Grey glacier. The hike included a walk through a black beach with water on both sides and then a somewhat steep incline to the viewpoint. We enjoyed lunch at the nearby Grey Glacier Hotel. After lunch we hiked up halfway to the ferrier view point to take in breathtaking views of the Rio Serrano river.
On our last day, we took a 3-hour horse riding trip atop the Cerro Dorotea mountain, where we came within striking distance of Argentina. At the very top of the mountain, the panaraomic views were a true jaw dropping sight. Ariana did particularly well on her horse and enjoyed the ride! After a quick pit stop to pickup crepes, we departed on a flight to Santiago. Torres del Paine lived up to my high expectations and more. It is truly the most picturesque and stunningly beautiful place that I have ever been to from my travels to 70+ countries!
The day in Santiago started with a ride up the Gondola to Cerro San Cristóbal. At the top, we were all amused watching a robot machine make cotton candy before it “discharged” it for consumption. We arrived down in a funicular and then explored the cool, Bellevista neighborhood. Next, we walked to the more sophisticated Lasterria neighborhood and ended up in Plaza des Armas.
The following day, we drove to Maipo Valley and enjoyed a wonderful tour and tasting experience at Vina Aquitania. At the recommendation of a couple we met at the tasting, we went to see the Bahia Lotus temple, a part of the same faith and design as the one in New Delhi.
To celebrate New Year’s Eve that evening, we decided to return to the bohemian Bellevista neighborhood. It was the first time we were bringing in the new year together as a family as the children were allowed to stay up late to watch the fireworks. We didn’t realize though that Santiago is fairly quiet during New Year’s Eve (unlike its sister cities in South America such as Buenoes Aires or Cartegena where we’d enjoyed boisterous street parties and celebrations). Nevertheless, we enjoyed bar hopping with the kids and recapped what we were grateful for in 2024 and what we were looking forward to in 2025. We brought in the New Year viewing the fireworks from the 23rd-floor lounge of our hotel.
On New Year’s Day, we set off to the artsy town of Valparaiso where we strolled around the neighborhoods appreciating the artwork and graffiti that adorned all of the buildings. We also took a boat ride from the pier in Valparaiso that gave us a great vantage point to the city on the hill. We then enjoyed the heated pool and spa at the hotel in Vina Del Mar which offered sweeping ocean views. Ayaan and Gaurav also spent time at the beach and we played ping pong in the kids club while Ariana jumped on the trampoline and tried to make friends despite her sparse Spanish vocabulary. We enjoyed an early dinner at the hotel’s terrace restaurant and Gaurav and I enjoyed a bottle of Cabarnet from our balcony overlooking the ocean once the kids went to bed.
The next morning, we took one of Valparaiso’s super steep funiculars that reminded us of the hillevator in our Sausalito home. After browsing the neighborhoods including a stop at a famous poets home (now museum) to take in sweeepint ocean views, we headed to the airport for our flight to San Pedro de Atacama.
When we landed in Atacama, we were greeted with a pretty strong earthquake at the airport. After about an hours drive from the city of Calama, we approached the town of San Pedro and I felt as if we were taken back in time about 100 years or so. The unpaved narrow streets were barely habited, the shops were tiny and had just the basic necessities, and the homes were extremely modest. Other than the sparse cars, there were no signs of modernization or technology. It was quite surreal. We arrived at our small B&B, La Casa de Jose and were greeted warmly by the hostess, Alicia. After a quick dinner, we retreated for the night.
We started the next day with the Valley of Mars. The kids were excited to climb the sand dunes and run down as we watched other “sand board” down. The sights, terrain and topography truly felt like another planet! Our next stop, and probably my favorite from our time in Atacama, was the Valley of the Moon. This place was truly incredible from the various hikes to the miradors or viewpoints – it all felt celestial! We ended our day perched on a rock as we watched the sun set over the expansive landscape below.
On our second fully day in Atacama, we first drove an hour to the salt flats at Laguna Chaxa within the Flamingo reserve national park. This was Gaurav’s favorite spot as we admired hundreds of flamingoes over the salt flats, and their reflections on the lake. During the trail, we learned about the 3 types of flamingoes and their diet, consisting primarily of brine shrimp that are the only other form of life that can survive in the saline waters predominant in this region. We then drove up to 14000 ft to see the blue Altiplanic lagoons, passing by several Vicunas (part of the Llama family) running around the unique landscape. Our last stop was Lake Tebenquiche where the water had almost completely evaporated leaving behind a snow-like salt deposits. We ended the night with a fantastic meal at restaurant Adobe in the charming downtown of San Pedro de Atacama.
We had an extremely early start the next day on a tour to see the hundreds of suphur springs and geysers of ElTatio at 13000 ft. While we’ve witnessed the eruption of Yellowstone’s Old Faithful on multiple occasions, this was different. There were geysers in every direction, with volcanoes and snow-capped mountains as their backdrop. It is necessary to arrive early to watch these geysers in full eruption, and while I typically dislike early mornings, this start was absolutely worth it. The tour included a breakfast overlooking this beautiful natural wonder followed by stops at another flamingo-dotted lake and a large gorge / canyon. That afternoon, we returned to the Valley of Mars to undertake the actual hike, which felt as if we were walking on the planet, surrounded by red rock and craters. Ariana and Gaurav enjoyed some pool time while I napped. After playing with Bella, the hotel’s pet dog, we headed to a restaurant with a live concert.
On our last day in Atacama, Gaurav and I hiked up the fort and were rewarded with panoramic views of everything we’d seen in the Atacama region over the past 4 days. We appreciated the grandeur of the volcanoes, snow-capped peaks, the town of San Pedro, sand dunes and a different vantage point of the valley of Mars. It was the perfect way to end our trip! We were blown away by the rich diversity of Chile, and all that this wonderful country has to offer while occupying just a slender strip of South America.
The final leg of our summer adventure brought us back to South Africa, starting at Port Elizabeth where we rented a car and drove down the beautiful Garden Route over the next few days. This part of the journey was familiar as the Garden Route and Cape Town are very similar to California in every way.
We visited the Tsitsikamma national park with its stunning shoreline with waves crashing, very similar to Big Sur. We took a walk along the coast line walking over the three suspension bridges hanging over the waves. The kids enjoyed watching the cute rock hyrax comfortably nested on the rocks along our hike. Next morning we ventured on another zip lining adventure over the forest canopy and from one 600 year old yellow wood tree to another. Ayaan wasn’t satisfied so we took a Segway tour through the forest floor. The Segway was quite enjoyable and we also became pros after an hour on it. We stopped for lunch at Plettenberg bay and grabbed lunch overlooking the beach with oysters and sparkling wine. Ayaan enjoyed running into the cold ocean and jumping over the waves, while we walked the Plett beach. Our stop for the night was in Knysna, but we stopped on the way at the gorgeous Heads view points that reminded us of the cliffs in Ireland. We loved staying at the Chez Pierre b&b on Leisure island, that was identical to our town of Belvedere and Tiburon. We relaxed in our room, walked to the nearby beach, grabbed dinner at a local joint, and enjoyed some wine picked by Pierre. The breakfast was perhaps as the best of our trip with homemade Belgian waffles, baguette and croissant.
We woke up next morning excited for our adventure activity of the day – paragliding in Sedgefield with one of the most stunning views you can imagine. Ayaan was the first one to run off the cliff, sailing into the skies above us. Ariana was next, followed by Anjali. By the time it was my turn, the wind had died off and I landed up in a field on the floor! We’re so proud of the kids to be brave enough to go on this adventure. We stopped at Dolphin view point and walked along The Point at Mossell Bay, before driving 3 hours to our next stop at Montagu hotel. The kids got a bit antsy on the drive and we all were happy to reach our hotel, order room service and crash.
Anjali and I were excited about the next couple of days in the wine country region of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. We spent the morning walking the massive 16th century estate of Babylonstoren, owned by Richard Branson. After eating a farm to table lunch at the outdoor Greenhouse, the kids fed the donkeys, we all strolled the gardens, and watched turkeys run around. The wine tasting room was modern and reminded us of Napa, with splashes of Cape Classique, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Rupert & Rothschild was a more exclusive tasting experience with three fantastic wines, two of which we bought. After checking into the Mont d’Or Franschhoek, we returned to Babylonstoren for one of our most memorable dinners at Babel.
In the morning, we drove to another 17th century wine estate called Vergenoegd Low. We took a tour of the property and while we tasted our wine, the kids played in the playground nearby and watched 350 ducks waddle around in the gardens. After lunch in the garden, we drove into Cape Town where we were staying in the center of town.
Cape Town has striking similarities to San Francisco with the fog, beaches, mountains, pier and food. We had a wonderful 3 night stay indulging in everything the city has to offer, including the Apartheid history. We spent the first evening wandering the W&A waterfront and pier, identical to Pier 39 though a bit more upscale, stopping to seals and nibbling through the TimeOut food court.
We spent our first full day in Cape Town driving down to the Cape Peninsula. An absolutely stunning drive along the coast, beaches and mountains, took us through Hout Bay, Chapman’s Peak Drive and Kalk Bay. We arrived at Cape Point hungry, and ate at the Two Oceans restaurant overlooking the Indian and Atlantic oceans. We spent most of the afternoon climbing up to the top of the Cape Point lighthouse, and the famous Cape of Good Hope. The highlight of the day for the kids was watching hundreds of penguins swimming and waddling at the Boulders Beach. This completed our wildlife viewing adventure for the summer!
On our last couple of days, we spent time exploring the different areas of Cape Town. The gorgeous sunset views from Lions head, Signal Hill and Table Mountain were magical. We took a couple of amazing walking tour: one of the colorful Bo-Kaap neighborhood, and the other an Apartheid tour that walked us through this grave history of South Africa. Both were incredible and highly recommend them. We also visited the District Six museum that gave us a deeper understanding of Apartheid. Although a very complex topic, Ayaan and Ariana were interested in learning about it. Anjali and I sneaked out for an incredible lunch at the acclaimed Fyn, African influenced Japanese food. We also had a delicious Indian dinner as a family at the highly rated Vadivelu. Our final activity of the summer was a few fast and fun Toboggan rides, that Ariana said was the most thrilling roller coaster she had been on.
After 2.5 months of travel, we spent our final hours on the local Camps Bay beach where Ayaan dipped himself in the chilly tidal pools and waves, while Ariana played with mommy on the beach. South Africa was a great way to end our summer adventure, especially since it’s so similar to home!
While we’d been to Singapore multiple times when my sister and her family lived there, it was great to return to reunite with old friends and family. We were impressed with the efficient automated immigration experience which had us from touch down to Dhiren’s house in just over an hour! The kids were excited to play with Stuvan and Maeve who they remembered from their trips to the Bay Area over the years including just the summer before. They instantly connected and built forts, played music and other games. We relaxed over beers, soju and multiple bottles of wine and interesting discussions with Dhiren, Bhamini and Adi while simultaneously watching the Wimbledon final. Not surprisingly, it was soon midnight and an evening well spent with friends and family! Dhiren’s, Gaurav and Ayaan woke up at 3am to watch the Euro final between Spain and England which Spain won, breaking Dhiren’s heart.
The next day, we enjoyed a lazy late start to the Gardens by the Bay where we marveled at the 7 levels of the Cloud forest. Stuvan and Ari enjoyed in many deep discussions, with Stuvan sharing his scientific knowledge and insights well absorbed by Ariana’s intense listening interspersed by some challenging questions. It was intriguing to watch them interact, so different but yet so deep into conversation. We enjoyed chatting with Adi and viewing the exhibits, particularly the interactive ones.
We then proceeded to see Adi’s well appointed post-college apartment where the 3 kids enjoyed playing video games. That evening, the kids enjoyed a slumber party while the 4 is us devoured an 8-course Sichuan meal at Birds of a Feather. Following dinner, we made our way atop the Marina Bay Sands to the Sky Bar for cocktails. We then transitioned over to C’est La Vie where I created a game asking everyone to embody the accent of the country from which their cocktail originated. This resulted in an entertaining mishmash of Colombian (Anjali) British (Bhamini, switching between proper and cockney on demand) and midwest American (Dhiren) while Gaurav didnt participate, much to my disappointment. Several rounds of shots later, we hit the dance floor and the night ended with us jamming to and singing Above and Beyond in the taxi ride home. Overall, such a fun time! Thank you to the Sarin family for hosting us so warmly in your home.
After visiting Ayaan’s 40th country (Japan), we arrived in Bali via Kuala Lumpur. My parents arrived from Mumbai two hours after us, and we planned to spend a week together in Nusa Dua and Ubud. Ayaan and Ariana were very excited to get another week of family time, this one with dada and dadi.
Our first destination was to relax and get some pool and beach time at the Ritz Carlton Nusa Dua for four nights. The first couple of days were a bit overcast though the weather did get lovely after that, and we made the most of it by taking advantage of the resorts programming. Ariana enjoyed the kids club where she made cupcakes, made new friends, and went down the water slide. I enjoyed a massage at the spa and got some much needed gym-time. All of us engaged in making Dudur Gulung, a local dessert just like a pancake made with pandas leaves and filled with palm sugar and coconut, and in a cooking class making fish satay and sambal. Anjali and dadi took a Balinese dance lesson, while Ayaan took buggy rides around the resort.
Every evening we stepped out of the resort to explore different neighborhoods (Sanur and Nusa Dua), get foot massages, and eat some local food with live music. Ayaan got pampered with his first foot massages that he thoroughly enjoyed, and Ariana got braids and did her nails. On our last night in Nusa Dua, Anjali and I left the kids with the grandparents and ventured out for a fun night out at Rock bar and the After Rock nightclub (our first in a few years).
Our next and final destination in Bali was a stay at a private villa with a pool in Sayan, on the outskirts of Ubud. It was a very different experience than staying in a large resort, and we all enjoyed the serene view and peace at the villa, a few km away from the craziness of Ubud. We did have our first misadventure at the villa though, when some money was stolen from our bags in the room.
The drive to Ubud from Nusa Dua was two hours, and we stopped at the Monkey forest on the way to the villa. Ariana was fascinated watching the monkeys interact with each other and the visitors. After a delicious rijsttafel meal at Gedang Sisi Warung, we watched a traditional Legong dance show at the lit up Ubud Palace.
Anjali had planned a surprise ATV tour for Ayaan the next day, and the three of us set out early. Dada, dadi and Ariana had their own adventure visiting Tanah lot temple and eating some dosa. The ATV tour was definitely the highlight of our Bali adventure. We spent two hours driving our ATVs through rivers, caves, villages, hills and mud tracks. Ayaan had the time of his life driving the ATV with Anjali’s help. Our reward was lunch and drinks at a pool club overlooking the rice terraces, where we spent a few hours relaxing. After reuniting that evening, we all had an amazing dinner at a gazebo on the water watching the sunset at Bebek Tebasari. Anjali and I took another opportunity to get some cocktails at the Pinstripe bar at the Viceroy which was recommended and lived up to its reputation (they even had an amuse bouche and dessert drinks to supplement our cocktails).
On our last full day in Bali we rented a car to take us to the north side of Bali. Our first stop was breakfast at Sayan Point with a wonderful view of rice terraces, the river and forests. Next we stopped at the famous Tegalalang rice terraces where the kids enjoyed “hiking” up and down the fields. We briefly visited the holy springs temple before driving up to the peak of Mount Batur, with its cooler temperatures and sprawling views of Lake Batur and surrounding forests. At this point, we became accustomed to eating Nasi and Mie Goreng for most of our meals. Ayaan has been very amused that chicken is called Ayam in the local language. On our way back to the villa after a long day, we made a final stop at a coffee plantation where we learnt about how coffee is made, including Luak coffee, and got to taste 13 different teas and coffees.
For our last meal in Bali with the grandparents, we had planned to go to the popular Cafe Lotus. However, the infamous Bali traffic had us stuck for 45 minutes and we decided to eat at a random restaurant named Brie, which turned out to be our best meal in Bali! After a fun family week in Bali, we bid farewell to the grandparents and continued onwards on our adventure in Indonesia.
This blog is a bit late, given we’re in the swing of 2024 already. Last year was another year full of adventure with several flights within the US and globally, and a myriad of family trips. Ayaan turned 8 and Ariana 7, both at great ages to travel as well as start experiencing local events such as Warriors and Earthquakes games, an Ed Sheeran concert, and the Mamma Mia broadway show.
Local adventures featured trips to our favorite destinations – Carmel Valley where we stayed at the Bernardus with Adi visiting; Tahoe where Ariana skied for the first time and Ayaan went on the slopes himself; camping at KOA Mendocino by Manchester Beach and Autocamp Yosemite; and a trip to Santa Barbara with Vidur and his family. We also had a couple of beach vacations: to Kauai where we stayed at the stunning 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay that Anjali is overseeing and met Bobby uncle and family, and to Punta Mita, Mexico at the fun W resort.
We had three big trips in 2023: a spring break adventure in France and Germany, a summer cruise and land adventure in epic Alaska, and finally a family trip over the winter break to India and Sri Lanka.
Spring break started with a flight to Munich and a short drive and stay at Abbotte Boutique hotel in the quaint town of Ulm, Germany. We spent the next couple of nights in the Baden-Baden staying at the grand Maison Messmer, strolling around, hitting the spa pools, and eating at places such as Rizzy. From there we drove to Burgundy, France stopping in the famous Alsace region and having an incredible meal at Le Petit Atelier. We love Burgundy and our stay was made special at Ermitage de Corton where had a very special meal and the kids got introduced to escargot (and loved them). We spent couple of days exploring the food and wine in the region from Cote de Beaune to Cote de Nuits. The most memorable wineries were Domaine d’Ardhuy with a private tour of the 400 year old winery, and Chateau de Pommard where the kids had their own tour and tasting including spending time with blind horses taking care of the vines. A surprise adventure for the kids in Burgundy was an afternoon at a tree top zip lining park in the hills. We ended the trip with three days in Paris where we drove in as protests disrupted the city. The kids enjoyed exploring the city with its bakeries, the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, the Sienne cruise and an outing to see the Lion King broadway in French. Anjali surprised me for my birthday with dinner at Le Clarence, ranked in the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants. Overall a fun road trip for spring break.
Summer was epic with a 7-day Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise starting from Vancouver. It was probably the highlight of the year for the kids as they loved the entertainment, karaoke, buffets, activities, live music and the kids club. Ayaan had his walkie talkie and was enjoying his independence exploring the ship, and making friends (Max in particular from LA who he spent a majority of his days with when not with us). In Juneau, we took a taxi to explore the Medenhall glacier. In Sitka, we strolled through the historic park with its totem poles, watched hundreds of salmon swim upstream, and visited the flight center to observe native birds. And in Skagway, we took the bus tour through the incredible landsacape entering Canada. The most amazing part of the trip awaited us as we disembark the cruise ship in Seward. We took the 7 hour Major Marine boat cruise where we saw incredible wildlife including dozens of orcas, a fin whale, puffer birds, seals and sea lions. The next day we drove along glaciers to the Alyeska resort stopping on the way at one which Ayaan did not want to leave. On our way to Denali National Park, we stopped at a reindeer farm. After seeing the reindeer in real life, Ayaan started questioning if they could fly and if Santa was real. Our couple of days in Denali were magical. On one of the days we went river rafting through the stunning landscape. And of course the Tundra tour that took us deep into the 42nd mile of the Denali park along which we saw bears and moose. Alaska isn’t cheap, but is as epic as any other international destination.
Over the winter break, we flew home to Mumbai, India. It was our first post-COVID trip to India as a family – the last time Ayaan was 4. It was great to spend time with the grandparents and Sid, meet friends, spend time at CCI, and eat at our favorite joints such as Trishna and Indian Accent. The highlight in Mumbai was a morning we spent with the kids of the Cuffe Parade slums. Ayaan had saved money all year to donate it to these kids and buy gifts for them, and Nani had arranged this special morning for us. From Mumbai, we took a 5-day family trip to Sri Lanka with dada, dadi, Sonil bua, Ravi uncle and Adi. We spent the first couple of nights relaxing at the Doubletree Weerawila located at the lake on the edge of the Yala national park. The food in Sri Lanka is incredible with egg hoppers, crab and giant prawns. We took a half day safari to the beautiful Yala national park where we saw some wildlife including elephants and crocodiles, but didn’t spot a leapord. We spent an afternoon exploring the Galle fort and town, before settling into the beachside Sheraton Kosgoda resort. Right outside the resort was a turtle sanctuary with one day old babies as well as mature turtles. We also took a river cruise as a family that took us through mangroves, Buddhist temples, wildlife and a cinnamon farm. Highly recommend Sri Lanka!
Looking forward to new travel adventures in 2024 as Ayaan and Ariana approach their 40th country!
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!!!
To end the year, we were late in planning our travel but were all excited to explore another new South American country – Colombia for two weeks! We escaped the cold, rainy winter in SF on a flight to Medellin via Cancun. The drive into Medellin from the airport, gave us a great feel for this unique sprawling city – the downtown located in the valley, surrounded by lush green mountains spotted with varying neighborhoods at different elevations. Arriving at the Marriott Medellin, located in a upscale neighborhood, we were pretty exhausted and spent the evening listening to live music and eating at the lounge with an amazing view and getting some good sleep.
I woke everyone up next morning to quickly grab breakfast (yummy queso arepas) so we could rush to a local bar to watch the World Cup final between Argentina and France. We sat on stools with the locals staring at a massive screen sipping cerveza as we watched the best final of all time with Messi and Argentina winning against an incredible Mbappe. The locals cheered every Argentina play and the streets were filled with celebrations after the win. An amazing experience similar to the won we had 4 years ago on our sabbatical when France won while we were in Lyon. The difference was that the kids were partaking in the experience as opposed to napping last time! After the game we ate some street side tacos nearby and walked around the Parque Lleren neighborhood that was buzzing after the game with restaurants and bars filled with locals celebrating on a Sunday afternoon. We had trouble withdrawing money from an ATM (very unreliable), which messed up our plans to take the cable car up to Parque Arvi for a panaromic view. Instead we took an Uber to the Centro Historico Plaza Botero with unique sculptures that Ariana loved. It was super crowded being a Sunday and overall a bit sketchy or a neighborhood with homeless people, so we headed back to Parque Lleren to end the night with a delicious meal with Chilean wine, pizza for the kids and a local cream rice dish (like a risotto).
We woke up late, fully recovered from our flight in, and ate a delicious breakfast before catching an Uber to try our luck at Parque Arvi again. Being a Monday it was closed(!), however we were able to take the cable car from Acevedo metro station to the San Domingo station 7/8th up the mountain giving us an incredible view of Medellin and its lush green mountains while flying over the different neighborhoods and favellas. For lunch, we stopped at Mercado del Rio – a local food court where each of us enjoyed a meal and beverage including fresh mango juice for the kids. In the afternoon we joined a 3 hour walking tour of the famous Commune 13 in the San Javier neighborhood of Medellin. We explored the area while better understanding the history of hip hop, guerillas, murals and graffitis. We also got a performance of hip hop dance from local teenagers and an improvised rap battle. The highlight was ascending Commune 13 on slopes, stairs and escalators as it was filled with tourists, locals, murals, graffitis, culture and fantastic views. As the only kids as always, Ayaan and Ariana not only loved the tour but also became friendly and danced with a couple of girls on the tour visiting from Portugal. The tour gave us a great feel of the culture of Colombia and specifically Medellin. We ended the day once again in the Parque Lleren neighborhood munching on some arepas, chic Jaron and arepas.
We rushed the next morning as our driver arrived earlier than expected for our tour to a coffee plantation outside Medellin. An hour drive later, we arrived at the Arrerios coffee plantation where we wore the local picking outfit with baskets, picked our own beans, learned about the different types of coffee and the overall process of coffee making. Colombia is the third largest and finest producer of coffee in the world, primarily producing Arabica type of coffee. We smelt and tasted the cherry and honey types medium roast as well as a drink made from the mucelage. Ayaan had a whole cup of coffee with milk too! We ate the local food of the farmers that included rice, plantain and chicken wrapped in leaves. Our tour ended with Ayaan and Ariana’s first real horse ride as we rode up and down through the plantation and across the hills! Our final meal in Medellin was a special one at Carmen, one of Latin Americas top 50 restaurants. We enjoyed amazing cocktails and food while the kids were very well behaved. Anjali and the kids returned to the hotel for the night, while I strolled around the Parque Lleren neighborhood at night as it was buzzing with outdoor and rooftop bars.
The next morning we were picked up to drive two hours to the beautiful Guatape. Our Uber drive was interesting as we took an alternate route an extreme dirt road. Our hotel Los Recuerdos was located lakefront and a couple of minutes from the Piedra del Penal. We climbed up 700 steps to the top of this rock to the incredible panaromic views of miles of the lake intermingled with luscious green landscapes. We spend the evening dipping in the pool overlooking the lake and completed our day with a meal at the hotel ready for the next leg our trip to the beaches.
We really enjoyed the weather, culture, food and scenery in Medellin and could have easily stayed a couple more days. Off to Santa Marta and Cartegena!
Two Little Wanderers 