France - Fall in Lyon

Subtle fall tones in Croix-Rousse, Vieux Lyon.

Last November we spent time with Alex’s family and friends in Lyon. It was a wonderful month full of three-course (or more) lunches and dinners and trail runs in 8° C weather, changing diapers and making cailloux (rocks) with pâte à modeler (Play-Doh), yard work and competitive games of Sudoku by the fire. We visited old friends at their flats downtown and small chateaus in the countryside, accompanied our cousins’ to runs at the park and voting polls at the community center, stopped by museums and bouchons around the old town. There were fresh chicken eggs every day, fresh baguettes around the corner, leaves changing color, une petite balades, apéros, fromage blanc... and moments when we’d look at each other and say, “I could live here.”

Merci à tous (spécialement Marjo & Rémi), pour tout!

Thailand - The Family Vacation

A perfectly domed limestone rock with the ocean slowly carving away its base, and a long-tail boat in the emerald waters of the Phi Phi Islands, just waiting for their photo to be taken.

Family vacations - these times are precious and only ours, so we chose to share less than usual. Instead of words, you can see it through Madie’s lens. Here was our trajectory:
 

3 Days in Bangkok

We stayed at the Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn, where we had the best breakfasts and most expensive tours, though there’s something to be said for French-speaking guides. 
 

6 Days in Koh Samui

For this part of our trip we stayed at a beautiful Airbnb atop the hill near Bo Phut. We rented a car so we could explore the island on our own accord, visiting a waterfall with elephants, grocery shopping for our many homemade meals, and driving to the various beaches around Koh Samui. We also did a one-day fishing trip, and lounged by the pool - by day watching the storms roll in, and by night watching the lightning.
 

5 Days in Krabi

There’s a lot more to do on this side of Thailand, such as national parks, temples, taking a boat to the amazing Phi Phi Islands, and (of course) beach time. We also stayed at an Airbnb that had complimentary tuk-tuk service, and a wonderful option to have a private chef prepare a traditional Thai dinner. 

After my family returned to France, Madie & I stayed in Bangkok a few more days to decompress, take care of our Chinese Visas, and explore more of the city’s delicious street food. Reflecting back on the past two weeks, if we had to change one thing, we would have spent more time in Krabi. (Avoid Phuket unless that’s what you’re all about.) We know there’s so much of Thailand still left to explore, so we hope to be back to make a trek up north... maybe with our own infant?

Things we learned throughout this trip

• Traveling with a two-year-old is hard, but immensely fun.
• A recent study in The Onion revealed that vacation pleasure is reduced by 36% for each additional family member. Ah, maybe, but not really. :)
• It turns out you can trek in the jungle for 3 hours with an infant, but not climb 1200 steps. 
• It’s hard to teach a two-year-old that Madie’s name is not Juju.
• Bring a little white martian on a tour and he’ll become famous in many tourist pictures.