travel

Being in NYC, we knew we had to watch a show on Broadway – the only question was which one to catch. I was all up for Book of Mormon or Wicked but those were pretty questionable on the kid-friendly scale so we settled on Spiderman instead. Ok, the reviews were pretty meh but it’s got a Bono-Edge score! And flying stunts! And hey, it is spidey after all.

We took our chances with the rush tickets and when we got to the box office at 9.30 in the morning, we managed to score 4 rush tickets with some pretty great seats at some pretty great prices.

The show turned out to be a fab choice – the husband loved the music, the kids loved the flying spidey stunts and I loved the fun and campiness of it. The green goblin was delightfully campy and he probably stole the show for me.

Truett and Kirsten were still struggling with jet lag but they powered on and sat through the entire 2-hour show like little seasoned Broadway pros.

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In between, we had lunch at Shake Shack. Oh, the Shake Shack. Those guys make one tasty burger, is all I can say. This is how fast food is supposed to be done. A dogmeister, a shake stack, fries, a fair shake plus a bowl of custard ice cream to round things up and we were in fast food heaven.

And I hereby declare that indeed it was good.

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We also managed to stop by the American Museum of Natural History, a really fun museum for kids. Tru was super excited about seeing the real dinosaur bones on display and actually, so was I.

Seriously, how is it that these things existed on the earth? Being there looking at these giant bones that palaeontologists dug up from the ground, that’s just of mind-blowing proportions.

The animal replica exhibits were pretty cool too. They looked incredibly real and I stood there for a while, half expecting them to move like when they came alive in that scene in Night at the Museum.

Definitely one of the funnest museums to visit with kids and it was so cute to see them so excited about learning stuff. They were fascinated with everything and Truett made me read all the write ups at every exhibit like “hadrosaurs were first thought to be primarily aquatic…” while he peered at them all deep in thought.

A whole afternoon exploring and we barely managed to cover  the popular exhibits. We’ll have to do this again soon.

First thing we did in NYC was to visit the 9/11 Memorial. It is sort of special because that was the day the husband and I had our first unofficial date. We were having our first meal together at a McDonalds 5 minutes from campus (I know, so romantic!) when the husband (who wasn’t even the boyfriend at that point) delivered the breaking news. And then we spent the next few days camped out in front of CNN watching everything unfold.

When we decided to visit NYC, we knew we had to check out the 9/11 Memorial. Not that the city is defined by this one great tragedy but it is a testament to the triumph of the American spirit in the face of tremendous loss.

Just being there where it all happened was an incredible experience.

The kids didn’t quite understand what it was all for and we were telling them about the heroism and sacrifice of the first responders when we walked past the 9/11 fire department and saw a couple of real firemen in a fire engine about to go about their heroic duty (they even had the sirens on and everything!) Truett was so thrilled.

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The second stop: The Statue of Liberty. Day 1 was turning out to be a totally educational trip full of history and stuff!

We didn’t actually go to Liberty Island – we took the free ferry to Staten Island and waved to Lady Liberty on the way there and Kirsten was all “why the statue of liverty is so small?” and I was like “ok, it’s liberty, sweetheart, which is the whole point of the statue…freedom and progress and all that” and she was all “um ok can we have pizza now?”

History lesson fail.

Staten island was beautiful though.

//photo credit: Kirsten. She’s quite a photographer, this one.

Hey y’all, sorry for the radio silence – we’re here having an incredible time falling in love with New York City.

I didn’t think I’d love it as much as I do. I always thought I was more of a California girl but it’s just been 24 hours here in Manhattan and I think NYC has already stolen my heart. I’m beginning to see why everyone calls it the greatest city in the world.

We just had the most wonderful day and I was planning to write a long post with tons of pictures but on retrospect, that seems like too ambitious of a plan because a 23-hour flight + severe jet lag + an entire day of walking = a very comatose brain. In fact, I’m about 12% awake at the moment and words are very fuzzy in my brain so imma post progressively over the next couple of days.

I’ll also be updating Instagram on the fly so check that out here. Back in a bit!

Wassup from Bangkok! I’m here with the husband (again!) for a long weekend getaway and this place is turning out to be one of our favorite annual kid-free getaways. Loud, dusty, gritty, colorful Bangkok, the land of smiles, the city of angels and a paradise for food, massages and shopping.

Over the years, we’ve stopped doing the intense 12-hour non-stop shopping sprees. I’m too old to be bolting around the city hunting for cheap finds. These days, we take things a lot easier and we’re discovering another side of Bangkok – the laid back, relaxed, less touristy side. And I’m possibly loving this side a little more.

Here’s a list of my favorite things to do in Bangkok.

1. Wanton Noodles at Chatuchak Market. 

Forget the 15,000 booths selling everything from fridge magnets to fluffy dogs. I go to Chatuchak market for 1 thing: the wanton noodles. Located in Section 2 Soi 40, this nondescript little stall doesn’t look like much but it’s the most springy and delicious noodles I’ve tasted. It’s run by a cantonese speaking Hong Kong lady and she makes one mean bowl of noodles (for about $1 per bowl). Sprinkle on some chili flakes and prepare to pass out from happiness.

This time, we spent an hour walking around the 27-acre market looking for this tiny stall and we almost gave up hope until we finally found it tucked away in a little corner of Section 2. I felt like Christopher Columbus when he discovered America (victory dance and all). Note to future self: Turn left from the entrance and keep walking.

2. A proper Thai massage at Ruen Nuad. 

Featured in CNNGo & Wallpaper magazine, Ruen Nuad has some really talented masseuses. The one I got attacked every single knot in my upper left back/shoulder and for the first time in a long time, I woke up without pain in my back. Absolute bliss.

The prices are also very reasonable, ranging from 350-600 baht for 1-2 hour treatments.

3. Coffee + brunch at Roast Cafe.

Being the coffee addicts that we are, the lack of good coffee is perhaps the only downside of being in Bangkok. The overly sweet Thai coffee does nothing for me (except maybe give me diabetes) and I’m usually in varying states of coffee withdrawal whenever I’m in Bangkok. Today, we found the perfect place for coffee – Roast Cafe along Thong Lor Soi 13. It’s got (dare I say it?) the taste of Melbourne in a cup. And the brunch offerings are pretty decent too.

4. Asiatique. 

Part bustling night market, part upscale riverside dining, Asiatique is one of the nicest places to visit in the evenings. Walk around a bit to pick up some collectibles by talented local designers and wrap up the night with dinner at one of the many riverside restaurants with a stunning view of the Chao Phraya river.

5. Desserts at Mr. Jones Orphanage. 

In spite of the name, it looks nothing like an orphanage. In fact, it feels like we’re walking into an old-school Victorian tea house for an English tea party with little bears. We wanted to try everything here but too much food and too little stomach space so we ended up with a milkshake, a mango freeze and a sticky date pudding. They were all really good. There’s also free wifi, making it a perfect spot to do a bit of work and people watch while having a scone.

6. Mango sticky rice at Mango Tango.

Seriously, you can’t do Bangkok without having a plate of mango sticky rice and one of the best sticky rice in all of Bangkok is found at Siam Square’s Mango Tango. That’s all I have to say about that.

7. A pampering treat at Eugenia Spa. 

If the kungfu back-cracking Thai massages aren’t your thing, there are also luxurious pampering spa treatments all over Bangkok. We booked a 4-hour massage + scrub + facial treatment at The Eugenia Spa tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it. It’s the first time I’ll be trying it so I can’t say much about the quality of the treatments but the reviews are pretty impressive.

We’re missing the kids like crazy but I’m also enjoying 12-hour interrupted sleeps. Back tomorrow, have a good one, you guys!

This will be the final post on the trip and I’ve saved the best for last – a ride on board Puffing Billy, a preserved steam railway that has been in operation since the early 1900s.

I don’t know how we missed this during our previous visits but it was SO. MUCH. FUN!!! Upper case and 3 exclamation points worth of fun.

It’s up in the Dandenong Ranges (10 minutes away from Miss Marples Tea Room) and that whole place is filled with such old school charm it was like taking a trip back a hundred years in a time machine, to a time where steam trains had real steam, train conductors wore proper conductor hats and railroad engineers dressed in coal-smudged overalls.

The most amazing thing about this entire operation is that it is run entirely by volunteers. It takes about 900 volunteers to keep the railway going and these guys dedicate their time to doing it for free. The conductors are mostly retirees who do it full time while the train engineers and railway workers are young guys who spend their weekends and after work hours manually repairing tracks, cleaning carriages and keeping the trains operational.

And they’re all so passionate about it.

The conductor who was in our carriage was so cute and friendly in a grandfatherly sort of way. He had a twinkle in his eye as he told us all about the railway’s history and he would point out all the cool stops excitedly so we could get our cameras ready. I mean, the guy has probably gone up and down this track thousands of times and he was still as enthusiastic as the kids were during the ride.

We took a leisurely 1-hour ride from Belgrave (such a lovely name, Belgrave) to Lakeside and the view was magnificent. Rolling hills, lush green plains and charming little cottages, exactly like a scene right out of The Sound of Music.

The coolest part was that they even let us sit along the ledge of the carriage with our feet sticking out at the side. It felt a little dangerous, especially when the kids were half dangling from the train as it made its way across a very old-looking bridge (we held them extra tight and it was actually safer than it looks).

Seriously, it’s among the top 3 most awesome things I’ve done, just sitting somewhat dangerously on the ledge and looking out at the glorious, glorious view. The cold wind felt delicious even though it was freezing and I could barely feel my limbs.

When we got to Lakeside, we spent an hour exploring the place before hopping back on the train back to Belgrave. We had more sandwiches by more lakes, chased some more birds and ran up and down a pretty little bridge.

And then we rounded off a perfect day with some killer sticky toffee pudding from Miss Marples.

This being our third trip to Melbourne in the last 3 years, we wanted to find new things to do instead of visiting the same old attractions. Which is a good thing because we found this gem of a place called Moonlit Sanctuary.

It’s located near Mornington Peninsula, about an hour’s drive out from the city.

We were there on a Thursday morning and apart from a handful of other visitors, we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. It was so nice just standing leisurely by the lake eating our sandwiches.

Unlike the other zoos we’ve visited in Melbourne, there aren’t a lot of animals here but what’s special is that they allow visitors to get up close and personal with the animals. Like really up close. Apparently it’s one of the few rare place in Melbourne that allows you to feed wallabies by hand and cuddle a koala.

The first thing we did when we arrived was to buy 2 bags of wallaby feed before making our way down to the Wallaby Walk trail. Some of the wallabies were really shy and they hopped away before we could say hi but as we walked further along the trail, the friendlier wallabies came up to us and started eating the food right out of our hands. Some even allowed us to pat them while they ate.

Did you know that wallaby fur is ridiculously soft? It doesn’t look that soft but it is. And they’re really sweet, gentle animals. It was so, so adorable watching the kids make friends with the affectionate little wallabies and they kept asking “Can I bring this baby wallaby home? I promise I will take care of him, please please please…”

During this trip, we discovered that Truett is quite the animal whisperer. He’s got a way with them that’s so heartwarming to watch. He’d hug the wallabies, stroke their backs and talk to them like they’re his friends.

He even spent 10 minutes cradling a ginormous python that’s twice his height and as thick as his thigh. I’m not hot on snakes and I was a little nervy when the monstrosity was curled around his body but he patted it and whispered to it like Harry Potter while it slithered around like he was a tree branch. That was both terrifying and kind of cool at the same time.

And my favorite part? Koala cuddling.

Due to its endangered status, most places won’t allow you near a koala, much less cuddle it. In fact, a special license is required if you ever want to hold a koala like this lady right here.

The kids loved that they got to have a meet and greet with a super cuddly koala. He was awake one moment and then fell right asleep the moment the kids started patting him. We called him Mr Sleepy Snugglebums.

Kirsten was a little apprehensive as she reached out to pat the koala but Tru was all “you’re so full of cuddly awesomeness imma hug you and squeeeeeeeze you and love you and make you my new best friend…”

And here’s one more of me with my little koala.

While we were in Sydney, we took a one and a half hour drive up to the Blue Mountains to visit the Three Sisters. It’s basically a pile of rocks caused by land erosion but legend has it that they are actually three sisters (Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo) who were turned into stone in a tragic tribal love story.

I think it’s a sign of age because 10 years ago, I would not have imagined myself wanting to spend a day up in the mountains looking at some rocks. I mean, I’m still not like a huge fan of rock formations and I pretty much looked at it for 3 seconds and thought, “That looks like a pretty decent pile of rocks” before starting to feel a bit bored.

Besides, I wasn’t really paying much attention during Geography class so I couldn’t really give the kids a commentary on the difference between igneous and sedimentary rocks. So instead, I tried to think of some jokes about rocks. Like what are famous rocks called? Rock stars. Or what music do the Three Sisters like to listen to? Soft rock. And so on.

But what I really enjoyed was breathing in the fresh, cool mountain air, looking out across hundreds of acres of wide open spaces, watching the kids run around with the biggest smiles on their faces and feeling like life was truly beautiful.

On the way back, we found this quaint little place called Leura Mall. It’s not really like the massive malls we have back home – just a row of shops and cafes, but good enough for a bit of shopping, some bread pudding, scones and coffee.

It’s probably just me but everything seems to taste better when it’s so ridiculously cold.

Happy times.