Happy Year of the Snake! 🐍
The kids returned to school this week after the lunar year break. We went to Indonesia (Bali + Komodo Island) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh). Too much fun to pack into one blog post, so Part 1 is focused on Indonesia.
The first part of our Indonesia trip was a beautiful resort in Bali. We swam, ate, read, and the kids went Kidz Club each day. This was the first time Tori was able to join the big kids in the programming, so that was really fun to see. These aren't the types of trips that I would have planned before, but have learned to enjoy them as a family.
Bali highlights:
- Resort buffets - the resort had several great eats, but the kids (and I) most enjoyed the Japanese buffet where they cleared out all the salmon sashimi. I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the delicious food. 🍣
- Swimming - we spent A LOT of time in the pools. The kids enjoyed the beach, by which I mean they enjoyed looking at the beach from the swimming pool.
- Kidz Club - Tori, Ellie, and Lexi were all able to join the kids club together for games, arts & crafts, and definitely some video games. Their favorite was the ginormous ball pit.
Our big excursion during the Indonesia trip was an overnight to Komodo Island. This small island and the nearby islands have so much nature and beauty. The guide said "welcome to jurassic park" when we arrived and it definitely delivered. Trekking to see the Komodo dragons would have been exciting enough for me, but there was so much more.
In addition to the komodo dragons, we visited a pink beach (from the red corral bits), Warren went swimming with manta rays, we saw baby sharks swimming nearby, saw a few dolphins, and experienced the vast beauty during our boat tour.
Our very short visit to Indonesia was lovely and we're so grateful to get to see so many Asian countries this year.
Upcoming family adventure year trips:
✅ Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)❑ Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms(Mar 2025)(Moving Kyoto to Feb 2025 with Michael & Richelle and will search for cherry blossoms in Taiwan)✅ Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons.✅ Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels. She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)❑ Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻♀️
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I'll be adding some practical travel tips for anyone traveling with younger kids, mostly so I don't forget when people ask me in the future. :)
Practical travel tips for Komodo Island (Kids ages: 3, 7, 9)
- Carrier: I took Tori in a carrier given the uneven terrain. This was a definite must for a toddler.
- Clothing: Hats + bathing suits + shorts was fine. It was very sunny and hot (85°F) when we went. I also brought a small portable fan, which the kids shared.
- Shoes: Kids wore their crocs, which was fine. If I did it again, I'd probably have chosen their sports sandals (Tevas) since we did about an hour of hiking with some hills. Our tour guide gave E a piggy back ride when she got tired.
- Tour: We would recommend a high speed boat as we were able to see a lot during our trip. Some stops were between 30 mins to an hour away from each other. We passed a lot of the slower, more cruise-like boats, which is different trade off if folks enjoy time on a boat.
