Posted on by adusija

Philippines

After a long journey, we arrived in beautiful Boracay via a shuttle-boat-shuttle transfer from Caticlan airport. Our hotel, Henann Palm Beach was situated centrally at Station 2 in the middle of the action at the absolutely stunning White Beach. It was the perfect start to our vacation wading in the warm, knee deep waters, and powdery sand. We spent our time here engaging in water activities like a jet ski and banana boat, and Ayaan spent hours paddle boarding and playing with Ariana and his friend, Ivan, that he met while on the paddleboard. Ariana got her braids done, and Anjali and I had a well deserved massage. The hotel had a rooftop pool overlooking the beach and we ate our way through Filipino food and seafood. One of the highlights was a local sailboat at sunset with our feet dipping in the water. We wished we had spent another day here, but it was time to head to our next destination – Bohol.

It was another long travel day via flight, ferry and tuk tuk to get to our hotel in Bohol – Chez Judy. The kids were delighted since we had a villa to ourselves with a private pool and a PS5 console. A new preteen parenting challenge for us was getting the kids off their devices while traveling and keeping them engaged in activities – we are so grateful we timed our big trip in 2024 when they were the perfect age and didn’t need convincing to experience the most amazing beaches in the world. The hotel had two labradors that kept Ariana distracted. On our first full day we rented a private car to take us around the massive island of Bohol. We started with the beautiful view of Chocolate hills, a collections of tens of hills that were coral millions of years ago. The kids highlight was an ATV tour in the area, where Ayaan drove for most of the time and Ariana enjoyed her first time on it through the fields, rivers and tracks. Our guide was fantastic and captured some incredible shots! Our second stop was seeing the cute Tarsiers, which are tiny koala bear like stuffies with big eyes and fixed eyeballs. Our final destination was a boat tour on the Lobok river with lunch, music and a local dancing. The drives were long with the kids, but it is definitely worth exploring what Philippines has to offer outside of the awe-inspiring beaches. We spent our evening eating fried chicken, devouring local shave ice (at a place called Ice Flakes) and watching a fire dance show.

We woke up very early next day to be disappointed that our whale shark tour was cancelled. We made the most of the day though taking a boat out to Balicasag island, which is a haven for sea activities though the infrastructure could be better. Kids were amused sitting on a motorcycle for the first time as part of our transfer to the boat. At the island we took a small boat out to first snorkel with tons of fish, and then swam with turtles. The water was crystal clear as you’ve seen in images of Philippines. After we got back to the main island, we spent the rest of the day chilling at Alona beach, eating some Thai food, more shave ice, dipping in our pool, getting a massage and dining at an Izakaya. On our final day in Bohol, we spent the morning in ankle deep water at the Bohol beach and hanging out at a local beach shack. The kids love the mango milkshakes and coconut water that you only get in tropical Asia.

Our next stop was the epic El Nido where we landed just in time to have a nice New Year’s Eve dinner where we each reviewed our performance against our 2025 goals, and set our 2026 goals. Our inn, the brand new Amari was set right against the limestone cliffs with a rooftop pool. El Nido is a lively little town with restaurants, bars, craft coffee shops, live music and massage spots all over. You cannot make a trip to Philippines and not visit El Nido. Each evening we tried a new dinner spot and either got Halo Halo/gelato or massage, or sometimes both. Anjali and I got a chance to get out for a drink or live music most nights. The highlight of course were the all day boat tours that took us to absolutely stunning beaches, caves, sandbars and lagoons. We took tour B, A and C on three consecutive days, each making 5 stops. Tour B was a great introduction with the highlight being the sandbar at Snake island where we were able to buy beer and coconut water from a guy on a kayak. It was breathtaking surrounded by limestone formations on all sides with very minimal people around us. The kids enjoyed jumping off the boat many times, and climbing into one of the caves. Every stop had a bar and we ate a local Filipino lunch on one of the pristine islands.

Tour A is the gem and a must do, and we got lucky to get a really nice double decker boat with an amazing crew (because we booked through the hotel). After some amazing snorkeling with a turtle sighting, we spent time at the stunning Seven Commando beach where the kids enjoyed hand swinging over the clear waters. The highlight of tour A was kayaking in turquoise waters a at big lagoon through limestone cliffs and caves. Ayaan and Ariana jumped off the boat about 50 times each including Ariana doing a front flip of the tip of the boat. The crew on the boat were amazing with the kids, and Ariana was extremely popular on the boat as a result!

Tour C was the most intense as the waters were very rough to its destinations and the stops had strong currents near the shore. It started with us swimming through the waves with coffee, crepe and bags in hand – which was quite an adventure and sight. The hidden beach had us swimming through very strong currents and over shallow coral rock to a shallow beach nestled deep in the limestone formations. The kids did better than us, as we got back to the boat with bruises. The ride back was windy and rough, and we were sandy, wet and cold by the time we got back to our hotel to once again chill by the rooftop pool. Tour C is skippable with kids particularly during high tide and rough waters, and we hear D is even more intense.

Our final stop was a night in Manila before our flight back. We stayed at the Conrad and the kids were delighted at being at a fancy Asian hotel. Opposite by the sea side was a Christmas market with lights and rides (Ferris wheel, pirate ship) where we spent our night after an amazing meal at Din Tai Fung at the Mall of Asia. After a sumptuous buffet breakfast, we spent the late morning walking through the Spanish intramuros area visiting Fort Santiago, the cathedral and St Agustin church. It was time to hop on our flight back to home via Taipei.

Philippines was definitely a bucket list destination with the most amazing beaches we’ve been to. We were on at least one flight or boat every single day of our 11 day vacation, so definitely not the easiest or most relaxing travel experience. We’ll definitely be back to Boracay, El Nido and more! Happy 2026 to all!

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Monsoon summer in India

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!

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Baja California Spring Break

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.

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Taiwan

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!

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Caribbean Island hopping

After an eventful fall with my visit to India including the stunning Kashmir, and our 3-day trip to Mexico City without the kids, we were ready for another family adventure including my parents. Anjali and I had been on a few sporadic vacations to the Caribbean before (Jamaica, Cancun, Antigua, Bahamas), but were really looking forward to exploring the many different islands and cultures on this 2 week trip.

Our first week was aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise that we embarked on at San Juan, Puerto Rico. The kids loved their cruise to Alaska last year, and they were very excited for this one. we opted for this cruise because of its itinerary that spanned bucket-list islands of St Lucia, St. Maarten and Barbados. Although it was an older and smaller ship, there was more than enough entertainment, an engaging kids club, and great food to keep us busy. The weather was perfect in the 80s with mostly clear blue skies and no sign of hurricanes. One of the surprises for us was that almost 70% of the cruisers were Puerto Rican that made the entire cruise a cultural experience and an all day Spanish dance party! Some of the highlights were the Argentinian acrobatics show, silent disco parties and the Explosion show. Arianas highlight was the kids club, while Ayaan enjoyed ping pong, and Big Dada was obsessed with the casino.

Each port day was different and generally very relaxing. On the second day and first port day, we stopped at St. Croix, part of the USVI, where we spent a few hours at the beach and warm, wavy waters of Paradise beach, which was a convenient 5 min walk from the ship. The highlight was seeing a couple of swimming turtles right as we got off the ship! Our second port of St. Thomas provided another relaxing half day outing as we ventured in an open van to the stunning Magens Bay beach, while driving through the quaint town of Charlotte Amelie and stopping at the beautiful Drakes View point.

Our third port was the much awaited St. Maarten where we rented a car and spent the day driving around the Dutch and French side of the island. We first stopped at the cute boardwalk in the town of Philipsburg (Dutch) for a morning cocktail, before heading out to the world famous Maho beach with its white sand, huge waves and planes landing at runway right off the beach! Lunch was on the French side at the Anthony Bourdain recommended Rosemary’s serving delicious island food. We ended our tour of the island at the Orient beach on the east side where the kids spent an hour jumping over the waves.

St Lucia was the jewel of the ports and the one island we hope of come back to. Once we rented the car and drove out of the insane traffic in the town of Castries, we embarked on a 1.5 incredible drive towards the town of Soufriere surrounded by the two Peton towering mountainous spires and by the blue waters. It’s one of the most amazing sights we’ve seen in a long time and we were lucky to have lunch adoring the view. The main excursion in the area was visiting the drive-in volcano which was a great experience since none of us had ever been inside a volcano rim before! Ayaan was so proud that St Lucia was the 50th country he has visited!

Our final port of the cruise was Barbados where we rented a taxi for half a day. To our surprise, the first stop was Rihanna’s house (she’s a Barbadian) followed by the famous cricket ground Kensington Oval. We drank some local rum and visited the famous Harrison’s Cave in a tram and traveled 700ft underground to see unique stalagmites and stalactites. After a quick tour of Bridgetown, we had an amazing lunch at Lobster Alive and finished the day swimming at the Carlisle Bay beach, one of the best beaches we’ve ever been to with is soft white sand and crystal clear blue waters! Barbados was my 70th country.

After a wonderful week on the cruise, we were ready to explore San Juan and Puerto Rico. The old town is so cultural and historic with its forts, colorful buildings, cobblestone streets and live music everywhere. We spent all afternoon and next morning exploring the squares, streets, forts and bars across town with our best meal at the famous Raices serving traditional Puerto Rican food. We ventured out one evening to the Fajardo bioluminescence bay to kayak in the dark and although we didn’t catch the bright blue light, we did see sparkles in the water. On our last day in PR, we dropped my parents off to the airport and drove 45 mins to the El Yonque rainforest to see waterfalls and some fantastic views. For lunch we visited the St Regis Bahia beach for a relaxing beachside lunch, before heading to the airport to catch a flight to our final destination of this trip. We loved Puerto Rico and will definitely we back!

Our 30 mins flight to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic was 2 hours late and we arrived at the all-inclusive Royalton Splash just in time to grab dinner. The next day was Ariana’s highlight of the trip as we spent all day at the water park in the hotel with its 7 slides that the kids went on a dozen times each, while Anjali spent the latter part of the day at the pool enjoying cocktails and live music. For the last three days of our trip we relaxed at the pool and beach at the sleepy Westin Punta Cana with absolutely no agenda. A perfect way to end a two week trip to the Caribbean!

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Victoria Falls: Zim Zam

After a wonderful safari in Kruger, we took a short 1.5 hour FlySafair flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The immigration and visa line at the airport was longer than the flight, and we had to get our passports stamped three more times before arriving at the Avani hotel on the Zambia side! The Avani hotel is the closest hotel to the Victoria falls entrance on the Zambia side, and on the grounds of the Mosi-ou-Tunya (The smoke that thunders) or Victoria falls national park with zebra, giraffes, impalas and gazelles freely roaming the property. It’s also adjacent to the sister colonial property of The Royal Livingstone, where we ate a really nice dinner at the Old Drift the first night. On our buggy ride to dinner a giraffe walking directly at us forced us to take a detour!

We woke up next morning to zebras right outside our room! After breakfast, we decided to walk across the borders to the Zimbabwean side of the falls. It was our first time ever walking across borders, over the no man’s land bridge, and into a new country. I had been paranoid all trip that Ariana and I did not have enough passport pages left, but luckily all immigration officers have been very efficient. The Victoria Falls have been on my dream list forever, and they were as Epic as I had imagined – a true natural wonder of the world. Almost 2km wide and over 100m in height, we walked along the many falls including the rainbow, main and cataract falls, admiring the force with which the water hit the river bed. I was very surprised to hear from the guide that the country of Zimbabwe was 3 days younger than me, probably one of the youngest countries I have visited. After a couple hours of absorbing the grandeur of the falls, we took a taxi to the nearby Lookout cafe for lunch with views deep into the gorge. The rest of our day was spent lounging at the pool at The Royal Livingstone watching wildlife and admiring the Zambezi river.

The next day it was our turn to see the Zambia side of the falls. Ariana preferred playing at the kids club, so Anjali, Ayaan and I spent most of the morning walking around the marked trails and gushing over the beauty of the falls. The Zambia side offers a view into a smaller fraction of the falls than the Zimbabwe side, although you are closer and can cross the knife-edge bridge which is special. We at lunch riverside at the Kubu restaurant at the hotel, before another dip in the pool and some soccer – one of the zebras did a back kick as Ayaan kicked the ball towards it! The highlight was the day was the Mukuni Boma village tour, dinner spread, and live performances. We all wore the traditional outfits and painted our faces, Ariana got her hair braided, and Anjali and I visited a fortune teller. For dinner we loved the crocodile steak and local veggies, and Ariana thoroughly enjoyed all the performances – including a fire show, interactive drumming and dancing, and incredible costumes. A great way to experience the Zambian and African culture.

On the fourth day, I took the opportunity to go solo on a helicopter ride to get a different perspective on the falls, river and national park. You really can only appreciate the magnitude of the falls from the air, and the ride was made special with some wildlife spotting. We spent the rest of the morning walking down to the Boiling Pot where the water swirls around at the base of the falls and the Zim-Zam bridge. The afternoon brought on another adventure, as we embarked on a river safari on a small boat. We were treated to viewing half a dozen crocodiles, each about 4 feet away, and varying from tiny to gigantic. Dangerous hippos spotted the Zambezi river everywhere and grunted every time they wanted us to move away. We stopped at an island for drinks and snacks over the stunning sunset, and sat on the roof of the boat as we raced back to the dock of our hotel. It was a fantastic way to cap off our safari and wildlife viewing experience over the last three Kenya, Kruger and now Zambia.

On our final morning at the Victoria falls, Anjali sneaked in an adventurous Microlight flight over the falls where she also spotted 3 of the big 5! Victoria falls has been truly epic and Zimbabwe and Zambia have been very welcoming as our 10th and 11th countries of this summer adventure. Off to our last leg and week in South Africa before we head back!

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South Africa – Kruger & Game Reserves

We were excited for our next leg of the trip, South Africa which Gaurav and I had on our bucket list for over a decade. We’d decided to wait until the kids were old enough to experience it right. A lot of the private game reserves don’t allow young children because the animals are allowed to roam freely within the tented lodges. With Ariana turning 8, this was our time.

We landed in Johannesburg and experienced a relatively seamless 5-hour road trip to Kruger Gate Hotel arriving just in time for a lavish bush dinner. There were several fire pits, music, a combination of south African, western and Indian dishes and a large dessert buffet with s’mores. The next morning, we awoke early for a guided game drive in an open vehicle spotting elephants, giraffes, two lionesses running, a large hippo fairly close to us, and hundreds of impalas, kudu, zebras, nyala and other animals. Towards the end, we were rewarded with a large crocodile, next to another hippo. We returned to the lodge for lunch by the pool overlooking nyala, impalas and a visit from a buffalo and even a white rhino. This was special, and we lounged by the pool watching these animals go about their day. That evening, Ariana and I enjoyed a game of mini golf where we each cheered each other on (I’m so proud of how her cheers always bring me results!) while the boys played tennis. On the way back to our room, Ariana and I encountered a large herd of baboons which was enthralling to watch. From our room, we were greeted with impalas grazing outside.

The next morning, we decided to self drive through Kruger because the roads, infrastructure and signage were extremely tourist friendly. Immediately upon entering the park, we were greeted by two large giraffes right next to our car. We went on to see the hornbill (“zazu” from the lion king), a large herd of baboons, several elephants including babies, large black scavenger birds with red beaks, more giraffes, warthogs (Ayaan’s favorite) and impalas. Our most rewarding sight was a lioness eating a giraffe kill with her two baby cubs nearby. We stayed for a while watching this epic sight, an opportunity created by my insistence on taking the more adventurous route over to our next lodge.

We arrived around lunchtime to Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp in the Manyeleti Private Game Reserve. As we entered our tent, we witnessed a large herd of elephants passing by to the watering hole near the camps pool, which soon became a popular sight for guests. After lunch consisting of a rosemary-garnished burger (that even Gaurav and Ayaan enjoyed despite not eating beef), we embarked on our afternoon game drive. Our guide, Luis and the completely open vehicle (no doors) were the perfect ingredients for an epic afternoon of wildlife viewing. The sundowner stop at the lake where Luis poured us red wine and then handed out blankets as we ventured back to the lodge had us truly pampered. As it was dark, with the glow of a flashlight, we saw a pride of 4 lions walking right to us. As they approached our vehicle, I heard myself silently gasp “oh my god”, mostly in disbelief of how close they were and how thrilling this experience actually was! The kids did extremely well, sharing in the disbelief as Ariana let out a small giggle of excitement when one of the lionesses passed us by. We retreated to the lodge freely truly lucky to have had this extremely surreal experience.

On our next morning game drive, we got a good start with a single male lion who our guide believed had lost the rest of his family, that he was searching around for. We also saw two hyenas and a cub lying down. That afternoon, we lazed at the pool as herds of elephants visited within a few feet from us, a truly exhilarating experience to be this close in harmony with these magnificent creatures. Our evening game drive was relatively uneventful as we saw the same lone male lion and some giraffes and an ostrich.

The next morning was our last game drive, and it did not disappoint. Luis was determined to have us see a leapord that he heard was in the south side of our game reserve. He was relentless in his search (as leopards are notorious for being discreet) as he took the vehicle through large shrubs and bushes knocking them down until it actually startled the leapord who sprung out of the bush. That movement had us excited, as the view of the leopard completed our ‘Big 5’ sighting across both countries. We then followed the leopard around for a while, and were lucky enough to see him running, hiding, ducking back in and out until we finally gave other vehicles a chance to view this evasive creature up close. After lunch, we departed the game reserve completed satiated with our game drive experience and made our way toward Johannesburg.

On our drive, we passed through the beautiful Blythe River Canyon and stopped for lunch at a Trout river lodge where the kids enjoyed playing soccer with the owners three puppies (including a particularly adorable white French bulldog named Olive) and even got to meet a baby decker. That evening, we checked into the rather swanky Voco hotel in Rosebank, and the kids enjoyed arcade games and bumper cars in the mall next door. We strolled around, and then dropped the kids to the room before heading to the hotel restaurant for a dinner of grilled octopus and truffle risotto. Overall, this leg of our South Africa journey has been one that already has me craving for more of this wonderfully diverse country, and thankful that our plans call for a return in a few days.

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Seychelles

After a week in the bush in Kenya, we were ready for some relaxation on the beautiful white sand beaches of Seychelles. We arrived via Kenya Airways in the evening and rented a car to take us to the Laila Tribute hotel on the east coast of the main Mahe island, about 20 mins away. Seychelles is most similar to Mauritius with its French roots, though a bit smaller. We were greeted at the hotel with another cake for Ariana’s continued birthday celebration, and had some grilled octopus for dinner at the beach restaurant.

We set off in our manual car the next morning with a first stop at the botanical gardens. The kids had a blast feeding leaves to dozens of gigantic tortoises that were fairly aggressive. After a good hour spent, we drove to the trailhead of the Anse Major hike which takes you to an absolutely stunning, secluded beach. The kids did well in hike an hour to get to the beach, and we were all delighted to see a beach shack with food and drinks. After a quick dip in the Indian Ocean, we ate some grilled fish and chicken, accompanied by local Seybrew beer. While we waded in the waves for the next couple of hours, a wave swept away our belongings and unfortunately we lost Ariana’s glasses :(. Our hike back to the car was uneventful, and we spend the rest of the evening relaxing in the pool at the hotel and eating at the beach restaurant once again. We missed out on visiting the Takamaka rhumerie, an experience we had loved in Mauritius, though we did get to try some delicious mojitos at the pool!

Our next three days were perhaps the biggest splurge of our summer adventure (Seychelles isn’t cheap, especially after a month in Asia), as we took a 45 minute boat ride to the Hilton Labriz resort, located on the private Silhouette Island. Like a scene out of White Lotus, the staff at the jetty waved at us and gave us a tour of the property in a buggy. Our stay was exactly what we needed – relaxing in a beachfront villa spending most of our days moving between the white sandy beaches, warm pool, and the various activities and restaurants. Ariana was occupied by the kids club braiding her hair, painting her face, baking cookies and making friends. Ayaan enjoyed biking around the island, playing ping pong and mini golf, and pushing around the pool bean bags. The island had tortoises once again, as well as large hermit crabs, and baby sharks. The dinners were memorable and included grilled seafood on the beach, Asian fusion overlooking the ocean, a local dinner, and an incredible breakfast each morning.

With one more night on the main island before our 5 hour long flight to Johannesburg, we are refreshed and ready to visit our 9th country of this summer adventure and see more wildlife!

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Indonesia part 2 – Gili T & Lombok

After a week in Bali with my parents, we were off to explore parts of Indonesia we hadn’t visited. We took a 1.5 hour Grab to Padang bai port to catch a fast boat to Gili Trawangan (Gili T), largest of 3 Gili islands just off the coast of Lombok. Our boat was late, so we grabbed some local lunch and got a foot massage while we waited. Ayaan has gotten so used to the SE asian culture of foot massages! The fast boat took a couple of hours and Ariana enjoyed dancing on the top floor of the fast boat with mommy.

Our two nights at Gili T were probably the most fun of our summer adventure so far. Gili T is a small island with only bikes and horse carts on a 7km road around the island. A 2km strip has everything you can imagine – cooking classes, mini golf, hotels, restaurants with live music, multiple Irish bars, wine stores and many beach bars. Between the three islands it’s a complete independent ecosystem that is so easy to navigate. We loved our stay at the Pearl of Trawangan, at the south side of the strip with a lovely pool, and highly recommend it for its great service, facilities and location. After a swim in the sea and a dip in the pool, we spent the evening exploring the night market where they grill everything under the sun – from crabs to octopus. We ate grilled fish at the beach at Scallywags and it was delicious and just what the doctor ordered after an overdose of traditional Indonesian food. After dinner, Anjali and I put the kids to sleep, and ended the night enjoying some of favorite rock songs played live a couple of blocks away at a beach bar. Ayaan woke me up at 3am to watch the Spain – France Euro Cup semi final at an Irish bar. We were lucky to watch the only three goals for the 30 mins we were there!

On our second day in Gili, we rented bikes for all four of us and rode all around the island which was incredibly fun for the kids. We navigated through streets filled with people and horse carts, and spent an hour swimming with a turtle off Turtle beach! (It literally took us 2 minutes to find a turtle). Our afternoon comprised of a cook class where we cooked Four of a Kind – peanut sauce with Pan fried tempeh, mie goreng, a curry, and a pandan dessert. Ariana and Ayaan not only cooked well, but ate even better. The rest of the day we biked around the island, and ate dinner at the Malibu sunset bar. The kids got a pony ride on the beach, while we sipped Prosecco. For our last night on Gili T, we took the kids for ice cream and to listen to some live music.

On our last morning on the island, we biked to our private snorkeling tour. The Gili islands are famous for diving and snorkeling, and our experience did not disappoint. Over two hours, we swam at eye level with turtles, saw blue coral and an underwater statue at Gili Meno, and floated among thousands of fish. We cannot wait to come back to Gili, and explore Meno and Air next time as well. Wish we had a few more days…

Our final destination in Indonesia was Lombok, a sleepy and green island that reminded us of Kauai. Unlike Bali, it’s much quieter with no traffic and majority of the population is Muslim instead of Hindu. We took a private 15 min boat to Bangsal pier and were picked up right at the beach outside our hotel in Gili T. We stayed at the Sheraton Senggigi on the west side of the island, with an incredible sandy beach, and the resort had a slide in the pool. Ariana’s favorite part was feeding and walking the cats on the beach every evening. Walking a few steps along Senggigi beach, there were a few beach shacks that reminded us of Goa, though much more sleepier.

We spent a day on a tour to the famous Tiu Kelep waterfall on the north side of the island, with views of Mount Rinjani. It was a long 2 hour drive from our hotel (the island is huge), and unfortunately both Ayaan and Ariana threw up multiple times as we arrived. We suspect it was the noodle soup at breakfast. Both of them were troopers though as we first visited a traditional mosque and a local Sasak village. That was followed by a moderate hike to the Tiu Kelep waterfall, including a few river crossings. The waterfall was stunning once we got there, and we were able to go right under it with its strong force and chilly water. Definitely worth the trip.

The rest of our time was fairly low key as we all needed a down day after four weeks of travel, and the kids needed a couple of days to get over the stomach bug. We hung out around the beach and pool, played tennis, got massages, and ordered in room service. Ayaan and Anjali went on a jet ski ride that they thoroughly enjoyed. With almost 2 weeks in Indonesia, we were all ready for Singapore and to meet friends and family.

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Indonesia part 1 – Bali

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.