6 December 2025 Steps: 8,389 (but around 1000 actual steps)! We had been wanting to visit a temple in Ubud for a water purification ceremony . Jessica has really taken to visiting temples on this trip and the ceremony felt like something completely different from anything we’ve seen elsewhere in Asia. The main temple visited by tourists is Tirta Empul, but it’s about a 50 minute drive from our hotel, and gets very busy unless you arrive early in the morning. We did some searc

5 December 2025 Steps: 11,886 Today we headed into central Ubud to visit a few temples and explore some of the markets . We were dropped off at the Coco Supermarket on the south side of town, and it was about a 20-minute walk to Ubud Palace. It was incredibly hot , so we had to stop for a drink along the way before we even made it there! The Ubud Palace The Ubud Palace is free to enter , and while it isn’t the most impressive temple complex we’ve seen on this trip, it’s stil

4 December 2025 Steps: 10,838 Today we spent the morning relaxing by the pool at the hotel, before heading into Ubud for an afternoon at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary to see the Balinese long tailed macaques, followed by dinner in town. A Relaxing Morning by the Pool After a full day of travel yesterday, we promised the girls some pool time in the morning, and it was a lot of fun. The hotel has a few different pools, but we loved the crescent shaped infinity pool , and

3 December 2025 Steps: 7,922 We don't have too much to report today as it was mostly a long day of travel. We said our goodbyes to Koh Lanta and made our way to Bali, which we’re excited about as it’s our first time visiting. We used the same minibus service as we did on our way to the island and Mun Lanta was great again. The price was reasonable compared to others we saw and they were really responsive on WhatsApp at +66 89 971 7792. We’d definitely recommend them. We were

2 December 2025 Steps: 8,208 After our early morning wake up to go see the elephants yesterday, we had a lazy morning before heading to Khlong Khong beach in the afternoon, as it is the best beach for kids in Koh Lanta . We spent the afternoon at Koala Bar relaxing on the bean bags under the shade of a tree and it was wonderful! The sand is incredibly soft and the great thing about Khlong Khong Beach is the gentle slope into the sea, makes it perfect for kids. We took the

1 December 2025 Steps: 6,732 Following Giants, Koh Lanta Ethical Elephant Sanctuary We had spent some time looking for an ethical elephant experience and Following Giants Elephant Sanctuary in Koh Lanta kept coming up as the place that truly puts the elephants' wellbeing first. Ethics around animals is something we think about much more now than we did years ago. Back in 2006 when we were backpacking around the world, we rode elephants without really questioning it , and at

30 November 2025 Steps: 7,777 Koh Lanta Old Town Today we caught a taxi over to Koh Lanta Old Town to explore the famous town on the island that is known for its wooden houses , some of which are built on stilts over the water. We started by walking to the end of the pier and spent some time watching locals fishing both in the water and from the pier. From there, we wandered into the heart of the old town and found one of the wooden restaurants perched on stilts. Nothing be

29 November 2025 Steps: 11,205 Relax Bay, Koh Lanta We spent most of today at Relax Bay , which is just a short walk from our hotel. What we love about this beach compared to more famous beaches like Long Beach, is how close the water is to the bars and restaurants. It feels very intimate. It’s perfect for families because you can sit with a drink in the shade while the kids play nearby without feeling like they’ve wandered too far. It's funny to realize that after all this t

28 November 2025 Steps: 4,680 Today was my birthday, which was a bit of an odd experience as I don’t think I’ve ever had a birthday overseas before and I’m usually in work! It’s also been a while since I’ve had family with me, so it made the day feel even more special, especially as we celebrated with a cooking class at Lanta Thai Cookery School. Lanta Thai Cookery School I absolutely love cooking classes , and in fact me and Susie did a class here back in 2011 when we last

27 November 2025 Steps: 11,744 Today we enjoyed a slow, relaxed morning at the villa, and took the opportunity for Pops to spend some time working with Jess on her maths - it’s not every day you have a maths teacher on hand to help with these things! After a bit of homeschooling, we walked down to Lock Lack Coffee, where we got some fantastic smoothies and yogurt bowls . It was nice to have some fresh fruit in the morning! Lanta Animal Welfare Centre After an hour playing i

26 November 2025 Steps: 8,565 This morning we caught a flight from Bangkok down to Koh Lanta . It was nice having some help at the airport and my parents took the girls to McDonald’s for breakfast while Susie and I relaxed in the airline lounge. I could get used to this! We had pre booked our transport to the hotel with Mun Lanta . They met us at the airport and since our parents were joining us it made sense financially to get a private van. There was plenty of space for all

25 November 2025 Steps: 10.524 The Grand Palace, Bangkok The Grand Palace, Bangkok This morning we finally got to visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok , after turning up yesterday only to find it closed because of the commemorations for the Queen Mother who passed away recently. A bit of bad timing, but it worked out better as we got to walk around in the morning which was cooler , especially as we all had to wear trousers into the palace. And the palace is really strict about c

24 November 2025 Steps: 12,234 Wat Arun from the river After a quick breakfast, we made our way into the centre of Bangkok to visit the main temples, the Grand Palace, and to spend some time in the Khao San Rd area. Wat Arun The traffic was horrible and it ended up taking us around an hour to get to Wat Arun (200 baht entry fee), our first temple in Bangkok. Wat Arun sits on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River and is one of the most beautiful temples, as the central spir

23 November 2025 Steps: 7,858 Meeting up with Family in Bangkok! Today we flew to Bangkok to meet my parents , and even though their first flight was delayed they still managed to make their connection with minutes to spare. In the end they actually met us at the airport because our bags took so long to come out. We wanted to catch a six seater taxi but were told the large one could fit all of us. Technically they were right, although the girls ended up in the boot on a make

22 November 2025 Steps: 6,030 This morning we headed to the Coconut Market which only runs on Fridays Saturdays and Sundays. Later in the afternoon we gave the girls a treat and took them to watch Wicked For Good at the cinema . The Chiang Mai Coconut Market The Chiang Mai Coconut Market is a lovely artisan market set amongst tall coconut trees, and it’s a great place to find higher quality crafts and clothing . It’s also a good spot to eat, with stalls serving skewers, s

21 November 2025 Steps: 7,862 The girls at the Siamaya Chocolate making Workshop in Chiang Mai Today we visited Siamaya Chocolate in Chiang Mai and it ended up being one of the best experiences that we have had on this trip - educational, hands on, and we even got to eat the final product! Learning About the Chocolate Making Process The workshop starts with a look at how their chocolate is made , beginning with the cacao pods that grow in the forests of northern Thailand . Th

20 November 2025 Steps: 5,312 This morning we left the city and made our way to Bua Tong, better known as the Sticky Falls . It is such a fun waterfall to explore with kids as you can climb straight up the limestone rocks without slipping. Getting to the Sticky falls The sticky falls It took us a while to finally get on the road, as we spent almost an hour trying to find ourselves a ride to the falls . We had tried booking the ‘hire by the hour’ feature through Grab, but we

19 November 2025 Steps: 11,273 We started our morning with breakfast at the hotel, and honestly, it might be the best hotel breakfast that we’ve had on this trip . The selection was incredible - everything from classic English breakfast items to Thai dishes like stir-fried chicken and even massaman curry. There were cold cuts, cheeses, yogurt and muesli, roast pork, pancakes, waffles, all kinds of juices, breads, and pastries… and even ice cream! I don’t think that we will be

18 November 2025 Steps: 4,927 Today was mostly a travel day as we caught the Green Bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai , where we’ll be staying for five nights. It feels good to settle in one place for a little while after moving around so much lately. Green Bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai We looked into a few different options for getting to Chiang Mai , including hiring a private taxi, since that can sometimes work out cheaper for our family of four. A taxi would have come

17 November 2025 Steps: 6,448 We started our day with a lovely breakfast at our hotel, the Le Méridien Resort . One thing I really appreciate in Asia is that many hotels have a kids eat free policy , which makes the breakfast buffets great value for families. After we’d eaten we headed out to explore some of Chiang Rai’s famous temples. Chiang Rai's Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten) Our first stop was Wat Rong Suea Ten, or the Blue Temple , as it is more commonly known. After v