We started the day at 6am for an early breakfast at our bush camp. These camps have a lot of similarities in terms of how they operate. All inclusive, Wi-Fi only in certain areas (we’re currently all sitting in the Lobby), a bar for hanging out/beverages. This particular camp comes with a pool and permanentContinue reading “Amboseli, Kenya; Day 2”
Author Archives: Tiffany
Nairobi, Kenya, Part 2; Day 1
Today took us back over the ferry to Mombasa and then a quick flight to Nairobi. We turned in the rental car in what felt like a pretty typical experience other than paying cash for some fender damage Tiffany ‘found’ after a tree walked across the parking lot and hit the car. At least that’sContinue reading “Nairobi, Kenya, Part 2; Day 1”
Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 11
Today’s adventure belongs primarily to CreeperPuppy. He’s the kid who was ‘under the weather’ yesterday and actually for the last three days. It started as a headache and stomach ache – not unusual – but late Wednesday it added a fever. COVID-19 cases are very low in Kenya and he’s fully vaccinated so we weren’tContinue reading “Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 11”
Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 10
A short post for two reasons. One, a bit of a quiet day and two, the power is out and the internet along with it. We’re starting to think about moving on from Diani Beach and our house specifically. This place has been a reminder to never make assumptions about the listings on VRBO orContinue reading “Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 10”
Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 8
As we enter our second week in Diani Beach we’ve settled in our ‘normal life’ routine. Breakfast, school, lunch, chill, dinner, chill and bed. This morning we were short on groceries so we headed up the road a couple minutes to the Salty Squid Beach Bar and Restaurant for breakfast. It looked cute from theContinue reading “Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 8”
Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 7
Happy Super Bowl Sunday Monday! And Valentines Day! That’s right – the SuperBowl started at 2:30am local time on Monday morning. We didn’t watch it live but football fan Brian and Cincinnati fan Tiffany still wanted to catch the game so we set aside the morning to watch it. We feared getting “spoilered” when weContinue reading “Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 7”
Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 3
A short post for a quiet day. We are enjoying a light schedule and little activity after several weeks of moving and sightseeing a lot. We did get a return visit from the monkey thieves- this time they targeted a small outdoor cupboard we had put mosquito repellent coils in. They grabbed and broke severalContinue reading “Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 3”
Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 1
It’s been 50 days since the 5 Adventurers left Phuket, Thailand so it seems about time that we got back to a beach. We’re still on the Indian Ocean but this time on the western side in Diani Beach. Often tagged as the best beach in Africa and one of the top beaches in theContinue reading “Diani Beach, Kenya; Day 1”
Masai Mara, Kenya; Day 2
You know when friends or family take a big trip and come back with a ton of photos of scenery and nature and show them off. They would always say, ‘the pictures just don’t do it justice’. Well, this is one of those posts. What a truly amazing day of adventures we had. Our alarmContinue reading “Masai Mara, Kenya; Day 2”
Nairobi, Kenya; Day 1
The 5 Adventurers have left Asia and waved goodbye to our Bangkok guesthouse full of Thai personality. We stayed at the Old Capital Bike Inn there. It’s a small 10 room hotel in the heart of the Old City. The property was originally a palace bestowed by King Rama V and has been in theContinue reading “Nairobi, Kenya; Day 1”
Bangkok, Thailand; Day 7
As we prepare to leave Thailand tomorrow we were up and out early for our Covid tests so we could get same day results. We got a recommendation from our hotelier for a private hospital that is reliable and affordable and it was exactly that. The hospital seemed to take things more seriously than ourContinue reading “Bangkok, Thailand; Day 7”
Bangkok, Thailand; Day 5
Today started with some life maintenance activities. Everyone’s favorite – dental cleanings!! Hard to believe we’ve been traveling for over 7 months and we’re due for another cleaning. Actually we’re a tad early, but we decided getting them done in Bangkok would be easier than where we’ll be traveling in the next couple of months.Continue reading “Bangkok, Thailand; Day 5”
Bangkok, Thailand; Day 4
Today the kids asked for a day off from cultural or educational content but of course we still tried to find something fun to do. On our way to our big Adventure, we thought we’d have some small ones. We got dropped off about 1.5km away from our destination so we could walk through ChinatownContinue reading “Bangkok, Thailand; Day 4”
Bangkok, Thailand; Day 3
We booked our first tour using the company GetYourGuide. We’ve had them recommended to us multiple times and finally used it. It’s a global online marketplace for booking tours – they find you a quality guide for a private or group tour. They have a big selection of the popular activities in any given area.Continue reading “Bangkok, Thailand; Day 3”
Bangkok; Thailand; Day 1
You can fly from Chiang Mai to Bangkok in an hour and 15 minutes. You can take a train in 11 hours or a bus/car in about 10. We decided not to do any of those. Instead we took 10 days to make it from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and are glad that we did.Continue reading “Bangkok; Thailand; Day 1”
Kanchanaburi, Thailand; Day 3
Today’s adventures were lazy, hang around the resort ones. Our complimentary breakfast was served on the porch of our villa and the rest of the day was spent doing some math, playing in the pool and watching the sun set over the river. Timtub Siam still have a LOT of holiday lights up and turnContinue reading “Kanchanaburi, Thailand; Day 3”
Kanchanaburi, Thailand; Day 1
We have less than two weeks left in Thailand and when we leave, it will be from Bangkok. We started the day a 45 minute drive south from there, but that is not the direction we chose for this travel day. Instead we went 2.5 hours west to Kanchanaburi. This town of around 30,000 peopleContinue reading “Kanchanaburi, Thailand; Day 1”
Ayutthaya, Thailand; Day 3
Today was a bit of a slow moving, discombobulated day for these 5 Adventurers. We were all a little tired from our activity yesterday and from all the Wats and ruins over the last few days. Ayutthaya has been a tougher stop than Sukhothai. Perhaps because it’s the second ancient capital and we’re less excited.Continue reading “Ayutthaya, Thailand; Day 3”
Ayutthaya, Thailand; Day 1
This morning we said goodbye to our charming hotel in Sukhothai. With 5 Adventurers, we don’t fit in the standard hotel room with two beds so we have the debate to either squeeze into one room or get a bigger place/two rooms. If we’re staying a while, we’ll get a bigger place but for 2-3Continue reading “Ayutthaya, Thailand; Day 1”
Sukhothai, Thailand; Day 3
Today we continued our Adventures in the ancient city of Sukhothai – but this time we had an expert local guide and more transportation than our feet. It still involved our feet, but included 10 wheels! After another hearty breakfast at the hotel, we met Sumitra (nickname ‘Me-ow’) and her colleague in the driveway ofContinue reading “Sukhothai, Thailand; Day 3”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 26
We had a quiet day today after a lot of Adventures this week and a late night last night. A good Thai lunch, using up food from the kitchen for dinner and family movie night were the highlights of our activity. We leave Chiang Mai on Monday to explore some other parts of Thailand beforeContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 26”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 25
We had read good things about both of Chiang Mai’s zoos so we thought we’d pick one of them to try. One is the regular type of zoo – go during the day, see animals in enclosures etc, etc. The other one is called the Chiang Mai Night Safari and boasts a tram tour throughContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 25”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 23
The 5 Adventures Academy worked from a remote location today and came back stuffed! This afternoon we were under the excellent care of the CookVenture Home Cooking Studio. They teach how to cook delicious Thai food. It was a fantastic experience. We highly recommend cooking classes where you travel and this school if you’re everContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 23”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 21
We are over a month in Thailand and it’s been 3 weeks since we left the extravagant breakfast buffet in Phuket and came to Chiang Mai. So we thought we’d share a little about the cooking and eating we’ve been doing. Back during normal life in San Clemente, we cooked at home for a lotContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 21”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 19
Today these 5 Adventurers headed off to the Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. It was a great experience and got all of us closer to these animals than we had ever thought we’d be. The elephants we were visiting are either rescued, retired or unemployed. It used to be common in Thailand to use themContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 19”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 16
Today was a normal day living life in Thailand. School, reading, laundry, etc. For dinner Brian and Tiffany decided not to cook so we went to a place for BBQ and…cooked. But it was fun cooking over a clay pot with hot coals. There are a bunch of similar places but the one we choseContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 16”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 14
Today was CreeperKitty’s birthday party! His actual birthday is not until tomorrow but we had an all day adventure planned so decided to celebrate today. We’d tried to convince him it was going to be a pretty lame birthday and he believed us since he’s seen no evidence of shopping or presents. It felt aContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 14”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 11
Today was routine as we settle into the second week of our month-long Chiang Mai stay. School, wander the neighborhood (in this case in search of a liquor store, a fly swatter and AA batteries) and have a meal at a new restaurant. Suaram was the star of the show today. She is learning howContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 11”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 9
Today we took school on the road (finally!) We all like field trip days better than online curriculum days. After brunch out we headed to the historic and cultural center of Chiang Mai – the Old City. Built in the late 13th century, it is a 2¼ km square area in the center of currentContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 9”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 7
Today had a relaxing start and then a flurry of activity. The kids got some cash for Christmas yesterday and were itching to spend it. We’d heard a rumor there was a ToysRUs on the other side of town and this week at that mall is a joint Japanese/Thai festival (which is why the parentsContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 7”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 5
Today was Christmas Eve for the 5 Adventurers in Thailand. No school today so this afternoon we headed out to Nic’s Restaurant and Playground. They had an extensive menu, a playground for the kids and SANTA. Well, one of Santa’s helpers wearing a beard over his mask and an obvious pillow under his coat –Continue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 5”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 3
Most of the day was hanging around the house for school, present wrapping, reading etc. but around 4:30 we (ad)ventured out to explore more of our part of Chiang Mai. Our house host recommended the local Ton Phayom fresh market for fruits and vegetables so we thought we’d check it out and grab dinner whileContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 3”
Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 1
Today was an early but short and easy travel day for us. We left the resort about 6:15am and headed to the domestic terminal at Phuket airport. Our destination was Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and we flew Vietjet – a discount airline akin to Southwest or Frontier in the US. The experience was familiarContinue reading “Chiang Mai, Thailand; Day 1”
Phuket, Thailand; Day 8
After our favorite breakfast buffet we did school and then spent the afternoon at the pool. Buy one get one free happy hour was a draw for Brian and Tiffany while the kids decided to spend all their allowance money on donuts and then throw them in the pool. Afterwards we headed back to WeenaContinue reading “Phuket, Thailand; Day 8”
Phuket, Thailand; Day 7
This morning was our 7th at the Phuket Marriott Nai Yang Beach. That means it was also our 7th morning of the (complimentary) breakfast buffet. The kids are always thrilled with a good breakfast buffet – mainly because there are always treats offered which is highly uncommon when Mom or Dad cook breakfast. According toContinue reading “Phuket, Thailand; Day 7”
Phuket, Thailand; Day 6
Thailand requires 3 Covid-19 tests for travelers visiting from the United States. One before you board the plane in the US, one when you arrive in Thailand and the third on your 6-7th day in the country. The third test is an antigen rapid test we did ourselves – our first time doing one likeContinue reading “Phuket, Thailand; Day 6”
Phuket, Thailand; Day 4
Today dawned with clear, sunny skies and quickly started heading for the high 80’s in temperature. Despite the heat, we decided today we’d have some adventures off the hotel property. Since we arrived we have seen boats and other activity about 1/2 mile up the beach. We also frequently have seen hotel guests heading thatContinue reading “Phuket, Thailand; Day 4”
Phuket, Thailand; Day 2
สวัสดี (Sa-wa-dee) (hello) We promise not to do as much Thai language in our posts from Thailand as we did Spanish in Central America. It’s a much harder language and alphabet to learn but we are making a try of getting proficient in some of the common words travelers need. Most of the people workingContinue reading “Phuket, Thailand; Day 2”
Travel to Thailand; Day 2
After barely making our connection at JFK, we settled into our 12 hour flight to Doha. Honestly we were hoping for a little less adventure on this second travel day and we got it. A long haul flight in economy is not anyone’s first choice, but if you choose to do it, Qatar Airlines’ offeringContinue reading “Travel to Thailand; Day 2”
Travel to Thailand; Day 1
Today is the first of three travel day entries as we go from Leesburg, Ohio to Phuket, Thailand. We are leaving Jeremy Picklepants in Mamoh’s garage for the next few months so our launch point for this adventure is Cincinnati. We originally had booked this route for early November and we had two stops inContinue reading “Travel to Thailand; Day 1”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 3; Final Day
We hope we don’t jinx ourselves by posting that this is our last full day in Leesburg/North America for a while. Travel restrictions are pretty fluid so we’re not planning very far ahead. Tomorrow we head to Thailand until at least mid January and after that who knows. We’ll be a few different places inContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 3; Final Day”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 3; Day 2
Preparations continue for our departure on Monday. Tiffany’s second polio vaccine and travel required Covid 19 tests were the highlights as well as getting in a school day. But our thoughts are more and more turning to what’s coming next – warm weather, beaches, new adventures. We thought we’d share this Friday flashback to aContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 3; Day 2”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 3; Day 1
We arrived yesterday for part 3 of our Leesburg, Ohio adventure at Tiffany’s Mom’s house. She’s been a patient and generous host for a much longer stay than any of us had planned. Part of the reason for returning to the Cincinnati area was so that Brian could have his two week follow-up with hisContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 3; Day 1”
Chapin, South Carolina
We had a few reasons for doing a southern road trip this week. One was to get to warmer weather. Our drive through the Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina mountains today was sunny and 60°s and still showing some autumn color. We finished our drive to Chapin, South Carolina which is a small townContinue reading “Chapin, South Carolina”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 2; Day 7
Our day yesterday was pretty typical by Thanksgiving standards and today we did the quintessential Black Friday activity – we went to a major retailer!! But first we had a school day and continued diagnosing the dishwasher issue (latest thinking is the control panel). Then all 5 Adventurers piled into Jeremy Picklepants and headed toContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 2; Day 7”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 2; Day 5
Some of our adventures today were likely the same as many families in the US, preparations for our Thanksgiving festivities on Thursday. The first activity was grinding cranberries, apples and oranges for Mamoh’s cranberry relish. It’s always fun for the kids to use kitchen machinery and the Kitchen Aid grinder attachment was no exception. SuaramContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 2; Day 5”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 2; Day 2
A chilly, rainy, November day kept us mostly in the house finding our own fun today. Brian continues his recovery and walked his longest distance in a month. He and Tiffany took a stroll around the block – no cane, no pain. All good. CreeperPuppy had his favorite cuddle head to space – or atContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 2; Day 2”
Cincinnati, Ohio; Day 3
Today the Adventurers took things on the road including school. We went on a field trip to a unique Cincinnati museum but made a few stops first. Our first stop was to a Cincinnati institution Suders Art Store. It’s been around since 1924 and in its current location for 90 years. Suaram’s eyes popped atContinue reading “Cincinnati, Ohio; Day 3”
Cincinnati, Ohio; Day 1
We moved to a new base camp for adventures! We traveled about an hour up the road to the northern suburbs of Cincinnati. We’ll be here for a few days enjoying the city, having school of course and spending time with Brian’s mom and stepdad who drove down from Michigan. But before we left Leesburg,Continue reading “Cincinnati, Ohio; Day 1”
Leesburg, Ohio; Day 21
Today is predicted to be the last good weather for a while so we took advantage at the local Leesburg playground. The kids had fun exploring all the equipment but demonstrated they are getting close to aging out of parks like these. On the spring riders they almost touched the ground and had knees practicallyContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio; Day 21”
5 Adventures Together 