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

16 November 2025 Steps: 5,714 The second day of our Shompoo Cruise was an even earlier start than the first day – we had to be at the hotel reception at 6.30 am! At least there are lots of places to relax on the boat , and Jessica fell asleep again, and didn’t stir until we arrived at our first stop at 9.30am. Ban Paksith Village We stopped to stretch our legs at a local village called Ban Paksith , where we were shown around their village. I always feel a little awkward wh

15 November 2025 Steps: 3,098 Today was a very early start , as we were being collected from our hotel at 6.30 so we could catch the slow boat at 7am from town. The Shompoo Cruise Slow Boat Today we boarded the Shompoo Cruise slow boat , and the boat itself is very comfortable, with plenty of space to sit, lie down and relax . The cruise is definitely on the higher end of the price range , but we’d read some pretty rough reviews of the cheaper public slow boat and decided tha

14 November 2025 Steps: 2,431 Today was a relax and recharge day , and we decided that we would stay at the resort, rather than travel into town, so we spent time relaxing by the pool, going to the gym, homeschooling and packing our bags, as we leave early tomorrow morning. As I don’t have too much to write about today, I wanted to share my thoughts on our wonderful stay at the Namkhan hotel , as well as our time in Laos in general. The Namkhan Hotel Our time at the Namkhan

13 November 2025 Steps: 8,705 This morning we made an early start (or at least early for us) and drove about an hour to Kuang Si Waterfall hoping to beat the crowds. Spoiler alert: we didn’t quite manage it, but we still loved our visit. On the way back we stopped at the Laos Buffalo Dairy Farm for a tour and some buffalo ice cream , which was delicious, and the kids absolutely loved meeting the animals. Kuang Si Falls Kuang Si Falls was on our 'must visit' list from the mom

12 November 2025 Steps: 13.002 This morning we went for breakfast at the hotel restaurant . They serve a lovely continental breakfast of pastries, cereals, cheeses and cold meats, plus they have an egg station. They also have great coffee which I always appreciate first thing in the morning. Big Brother Mouse After we had spent a few hours at Big Brother Mouse chatting with students to help them with their English skills a few days ago, I wanted to go back and spend some tim

11 November 2025 Steps: 6,952 Breakfast at the Namkhan hotel This morning we went for breakfast at the hotel restaurant . They serve a lovely continental breakfast of pastries, an egg station, cereals, cheeses and cold meats. They also have great coffee which I always appreciate first thing in the morning. We spent some time walking through the organic farm , where the hotel grows most of the food they serve in their restaurant. It’s my dream to have something like this in Ca

10 November 2025 Steps: 9,065 This morning we left the Living Land Farm Homestay after breakfast and took a tuk tuk to our hotel for the next five nights, the Namkhan Hotel . This was a bit of a splurge for us compared to many of the places we’re staying on this trip, so we were excited to get to the hotel and see what it was like. The Namkhan Hotel Prior to us arriving, I had emailed the hotel to let them know about our 100 day trip , and to see if there was anything that t

9 November 2025 Steps: 4,147 (but we did plough a field) Today started with a nice breakfast in the centre of Luang Prabang, before checking out of our hotel and getting a Tuk Tuk to the Living Land Farm Rice Experience , where we took part in an interactive rice planting tour and then had dinner and stayed at the homestay overnight. The Living Land Farm Homestay Accommodation Our hut for the night The accommodation is a basic but lovely thatched hut right next to the rice p

8 November 2025 Steps: 7,604 Today we left Siem Reap and Cambodia and flew to Luang Prabang in Laos where we are spending 7 nights. Luang Prabang is one of the cities that we are most excited to visit as we have a homestay at a rice farm as well as a bit of a splurge at a luxury hotel. Eating Seared Beef and Red Ant Salad We spent the morning packing and relaxing by the pool for one last time, as we don’t have a pool for the next two nights. For lunch, I decided to try one o

7 November 202 Steps: 7,671 Today we spent a few hours in the afternoon visiting the Hero Rats in Siem Reap , and it was an amazing experience! Who would have thought that spending time learning about rats could turn out to be one of the most interesting and memorable things we’ve done in Cambodia? Hero Rats in Siem Reap The Hero Rats program in Siem Reap is run by APOPO , who specifically breed rats and train them to detect landmines , saving countless lives in Cambodia and

6 November 2025 Steps: 15,464 Today was our second day exploring the Angkor temples after an incredible first day visiting Angkor Wat and Bayon , and a much-needed rest day yesterday. We’d shown the girls photos of the famous tree roots weaving through the temple walls at Ta Prohm , and they were both excited to see it in person. Ta Prohm Temple Ta Prohm Temple was incredible to walk through, as there were massive trees growing right out of the stone walls and roots wrappin

5 November 2025 Steps: 5,334 Today was an intentional rest day , as we were conscious that we didn't want to burn the kids out with 'templeitis' , so we spent the morning relaxing at the hotel, playing in the pool, and doing some homeschooling. Angkor Wat Putt In the afternoon we caught a tuk tuk to Angkor Wat Putt , which is a 14-hole mini golf course just outside the centre of Siem Reap. It’s a fun course as each hole is designed around a miniature version of one of the A

4 November 2025 Steps: 12,726 The view of Angkor Wat from the famous pond Today was our first day exploring the Angkor temple complex , which is the unofficial 8th wonder of the world, and one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Cambodia on our trip. We hired a tuk tuk driver for the day called Mr. Vet , who took us around the temples for $20 USD . We’d pre-booked our tickets online the night before through the app, so it was easy to just scan the barcode on our phones whe

3 November 2025 Steps: 3,611 Today we caught the Giant Ibis bus up to Siem Reap , which was surprisingly a very good experience. The Giant Ibis Bus to Siem Reap The bus left from next to the Phnom Penh Night Market at 9:50am, and we got there in plenty of time to board. It made two stops along the way - one after about an hour for a quick 10-minute toilet break, and another at 1pm for a 30-minute lunch stop. The ride itself was pretty comfortable, although the driver was a bi

2 November 2025 Steps: 13,402 This morning we started the day at Pu Cafe Rock for breakfast again, as we all enjoyed it so much yesterday. . The guy who runs it is such a friendly guy and he remembered us from the day before and was joking with the girls. Wat Phnom Daun Penh From there we went to Wat Phnom Daun Penh , which is a famous temple located on top of a small hill in the city. There are some steps to climb, but nothing like the Batu Caves or the Big Buddha! Inside th

1 November 2025 Steps: 9,274 We started our day exploring Phnom Penh , with a great breakfast from a small place called Pu Rock Cafe , which was just a 5 minute walk from our hotel. Susie and Evelyn both had eggs, I had fried rice (seriously, why don't we do this in Canada?), and Jessica had pancakes with Nutella. I swear, we can travel anywhere in the world and Jess will still manage to find pancakes and Nutella ! Central Market Central Market roof, Phnom Penh As we were eat

31 October 2025 Steps: 6,286 As today was a travel day , we had a relatively lazy morning, before catching our 3.50pm flight to Cambodia. I was a little nervous about another Air Asia flight after the Langkawi flight debacle , but there were no delays this time. The girls even had a bit of time to do some home schooling in the airline lounge. Arriving in Phnom Penh Cambodia is the country I’ve been most nervous about visiting on this trip, but it’s also one of the ones I’ve b

30 October 2025 Steps: 5,475 Today we spent the morning exploring the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur , before using the afternoon to catch up on some much-needed admin - booking a bus in Cambodia, sorting visas, getting a haircut, doing laundry, and helping the kids with their homeschooling. Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur I’d forgotten what an incredible place the Batu Caves are! I say that because I’m pretty sure we came here 16 years ago on our honeymoon, although Susie isn’t so s

29 October 2025 Steps: 10,701 This morning we flew from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur, to spend two nights visiting Malaysia's capital city. We last stayed in KL back in 2009 as part of our honeymoon, so we were excited to see how the city has changed since then. Kuala Lumpur Central Market We arrived at our hotel ( Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral ) around lunch time, but we couldn’t check in until 3pm, so we decided to take a short Grab taxi over to the Central Market , as it’s one o