Abrams Family World Travel

World Travel: Our Favourites - Three Years On

AT the end of our first year of travel, we posted a blog about our favourite spots - places, restaurants, beaches, parks and hotels, locations we’ve travelled to (including before our journey began) and have no trouble recommending. Now that over three years have passed since we started our adventure, we thought it would be a good time for an update.

Places

1. Vancouver, Canada: This city on North America's west coast offers a bit of everything. It ticked a lot of boxes for us. Nearby there's snow and beach for starters. There's an excellent public transport system, a fantastic range of organic/healthy produce, lots to do and see socially, the people are friendly, there's a large alternative schooling community, it's relatively safe and, for Canada, the weather is on the mild side. The only downside was the cost of property and renting. Otherwise, we really loved it - a lot!

2. Napier, New Zealand: Known as the 'Art Deco Capital of the World', this town on the north island is incredibly pretty. There's ocean, stunning surrounding mountains, hiking trails, wonderful rivers, clean parks, loads to do and see, little, if any, traffic, clean air and not lacking anything that we'd want in a big city.

3. Kukljica, Croatia: This little village on the island of Ugljan, across the water by ferry from Zadar, is a magical place for us. It's where I spent much of my childhood during the hot summer months. The Adriatic Sea is gorgeously salty and blue. The village has charm and lots of beautiful, though mostly rocky, bathing spots. It's wonderful during the hot season, but can be harshly cold in the winter.

4. Edinburgh, Scotland: Nice for walking, plenty to see, close to the coast, variety of restaurants, compact.

5. Lisbon, Portugal: Amazing architecture, lovely climate, great squares, economical and efficient public transport.

 

Beaches

1. Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica: Long stretches of sand without a person in sight or litter, stunning sunsets and perfect sea temperatures

2. Whale’s Tail, Costa Rica: Set in a National Park, with impressive caves you can walk through, great sand and warm seas

3. Los Frailes, Ecuador: Clear water, secluded, perfect waves, clean sand, sea temperature consistently good. All it’s missing is some shelter from the scorching sun and somewhere for refreshments (make sure you bring your own!)

4. Englishman’s Bay, Tobago: Long, intimate stretch of beautiful sandy beach with palm trees and clear green water, just where you’d imagine Robinson Crusoe making his base. There’s a shop and café on site also (not built by Crusoe, by the way).

5. Piracanga, Bahia, Brazil: We stayed here for more than 10 months in 2011. We lived practically on the doorstep of miles of vacant sandy beach. The ocean here, while often quite strong, was nearly always the perfect temperature and the sand ideal although we did have to lookout for troublesome little flees. www.piracanga.com

 

Restaurants

1. Napfenyes Etterem, Budapest: So good we ate there every day on our short stay, sometimes twice in a day. Great menu, nice staff. Almost too many delightful dishes, making our choice so much tougher (hence the reason we kept coming back) Rózsa u 39, District VII, Budapest 1077 +36-1-3135555. http://www.napfenyesetterem.hu/

2. Pure Food & Wine, Manhattan, New York: Somewhat pricey, but worth it, if only for the scrumptious desserts. Formal vegan restaurant with raw options. Jamie can't wait to get back there. www.oneluckyduck.com 54 Irving Place New York, NY 10003-2314 Tel: (212) 477-1010

3. Terra, Lisbon, Portugal: Fabulous buffet spread when we visited over seven years ago. Food is fresh and the ginger juice, though laced with sugar, so refreshing. www.restauranteterra.pt Príncipe Real, Rua da Palmeira 15, 1200-311 LISBOA, Portugal Tel: 213 421 407

4. Tiestos, Cuenca, Ecuador: Delicious food delivered in a large tagine (tiesto). The chef can make almost whatever you like and uses his ingredients so perfectly. A hit every time. Juan Jaramillo 7-34, City Centre, Cuenca, Ecuador

5. Buenos Aires Verde, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Outstanding organic vegetarian nosh, always beautifully presented, fresh and nutritious. Plenty of vegan and raw vegan options. Lovely setting, relaxed atmosphere and genuine staff. There is a menu in English. Try the salads, pizza, deserts and smoothies. Reasonably priced as well, especially when compared to most organic raw food/vegetarian restaurants. Gorriti 5657, Buenos Aires. http://www.bsasverde.com/index_en.html. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-0.30am.

 

Parks

1. KL City Park, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Bang on the doorstep of the Petronas Towers and an enormous shopping centre is a large fountain which backs on to a great park. Whether it's jogging, walking, kids play or splashing in water, this park has it all. It's where I infamously smashed up my shins doing box jumps on marble columns (I slipped!) We spent countless hours there with our kids in the second-to-none children's play area. 

2. El Retiro, Madrid, Spain: Outstanding and in the city centre (near Retiro subway). Has many jogging paths and exercise areas as well as a lake with boats, cycle routes and quieter, shaded areas to sit.

3. Munich Olympic Park, Germany: By the former Olympic stadium, these manicured grounds near the centre of the city were used for the 1972 Games. The park has a lake and river and is perfect for running, cycling, rollerblading or just strolling.

4. Central Park, New York: At the tip of Manhattan, the park has something for everyone in any season, Great for walking, running, playing sports, rollerblading or just to pass some time.

5. Bosques de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina: We stayed just a few blocks from this park. I went running there a lot (it can get busy) and Zenchai and I hired bicycles. We also went there for days out in the sun, just to play about on the grass. It's a huge park with beautiful gardens and monuments as well as a lake in the middle where you can rent paddleboats to calmly take in the scenery and relax. 

 

Sites/Experiences

1. Iguazu Falls, Argentina: Truly breathtaking, immense natural wonder on the Brazilian and Argentine border. Well worth the ridiculously long bus journey from Buenos Aires and wait for the lashing rain to subside.

2. Milford Sounds, New Zealand: Spectacular scenery on the South Island, visions I can't imagine you'd find anywhere else all in one place - mountains, lakes, hills...every corner turned delivered something special.

3. Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia: Down Under's answer to the Grand Canyon. Impressive views, walks and cable rides.

4. El Zapato/Cajon Dam, Capilla Del Monte, Argentina: This site took us by surprise. We were on a walk, looking for the dam and stumbled upon an immense mountainscape that looked like something from 'The Land Of The Giants'.

5. Superclassico Football - River Plate v Boca Juniors: A truly memorable occasion for any footy fan - the biggest rivalry in the Argentine league. Whether it's at the River Plate Stadium, where the 1978 World Cup final took place, or Boca's smaller, but more cauldron-like ground, this is an unmissable fixture, more so for the bristling atmosphere than the football. 

 

Hotels/Hostals

1. Villa de las Aves, Uvita, Costa Rica: Fabulous two-floor house-type buildings with private jacuzzi, kitchens and a communal pool set in grounds surrounded by trees, animals and birds. With delightful owners, too - from Australia and UK, this is a spectacular place within reach of Costa Rica's great beaches. http://www.villasdelasaves.com/

2. Bahia Principe Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Mexico: All-inclusive resort hotel close to crystal clear sea water and private white sandy beaches.

3. Mandala, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador: Immaculately decorated – has so much to offer, like a library, games room, restaurant, gardens and music room. http://www.hosteriamandala.info/

4. Hip Hotel, Maastricht, Holland: Super sleek, funky one-time apartments converted into themed hotel rooms at affordable prices. There’s secure parking also, but at a fee. http://www.st-martenslane.com/

5. Intercontinental, Chicago airport: Comfortable, tasteful and sheek. 5300 North River Road, Rosemont. Tel: (847) 544-5300

 

Children's Activities

1. Parkour, Vancouver: Of all the activities we have introduced Zenchai to, this was the best. He couldn't get enough. What kid wouldn't want to run, tumble, climb, crash, jump and generally have heaps of fun exploring movement? http://www.originsparkour.com/

2. Wall Climbing, Kuala Lumpur: We took Zenchai along to the largest indoor climbing facility in Asia - and it is huge. It's all supervised and, while a little daunting, children get the chance to scale some enormous walls and grow in confidence. 

3. River Play, Piracanga, Brazil: During our stint at an eco village, we lived close to a river, which was perfect for children. Zenchai learned both to kayak and swim here in addition to spending countless hours just playing.

4. Children's Museum, Buenos Aires: Although the cost of entry wasn't low, it was worth it. Children got to role play and dress up to their heart's content. Zenchai used to beg me to take him here. 

5. Waterfall, Chiang Mai, Thailand: This northern Thai city is surrounded by waterfalls of various sizes. We found one on a Sunday afternoon and the kids loved it so much we couldn't tear them away. 

World Travel: 200 Not Out

SO after nearly two-and-a-half years travelling as a family - about 850 days - we have reached our 200th blog.

We've been to many countries and places and often people want to know which ones stand out the most.

I frequently ask Jamie which locations she either misses most or would like to re-visit. Her list is much shorter than mine. 

While we haven't yet found the 'perfect' location and don't even believe such a place exists, here are my top 5 hot spots, in no particular order. 

 

KUKLJICA

A picture-perfect village on the island of Ugljan off the coast of Zadar in Croatia. It holds special memories for us. We lived there for two months in the summer of 2010. We could never get enough of the deep blue Adriatic Sea and local, fresh food. We found the locals so friendly and welcoming. The weather was perfect, too. Jamie doesn't even like me mentioning the place, because she yearns to be there. We shall return one day with Kobra, part of whose named was derived from the village and country.

 

BAHIA

WE lived in Piracanga, an eco village south of Itacare, Brazil, for nine months in 2011. Kobra was born there. That makes the place unique in our memories. Our life there was basic. There were no shops. We made our entertainment by visiting the ocean and river and using what was natural around us. We played on the long, deserted sandy beaches. Sharing a home with us were spiders, bats, a rat and, occasionally to steal our fruit, monkeys. Jamie found our existence there too limiting after a long period. But I miss many aspects of the lifestyle, especially just living in a pair of shorts (nothing else required). Zenchai still talks fondly of the place, too, because he made friends there.

 

BRECON

OUR Christmas of 2011 was spent in the Welsh valleys. We did a stint of house-sitting and looking after cats and ducks in a beautiful cottage. It was mostly cold and wet, but the house was so cosy and the scenery spectacular. We liked the people very much. Both Jamie and I felt a strong affinity for the region. 

 

BUENOS AIRES

THE bustling capital of Argentina is a place I'd like to go back to more than to stay or settle. It has so much going for it - loads of places to visit; lots to do; cheap and efficient transport; lots of restaurants; nice people. I got to know it well during the near-three months we lived there in late-2010/early-2011.

It ranked as one of Zenchai's favourite spots, too, because he loved seeing all the classic old cars scattered on the streets. 

 

VARKALA BEACH

ALTHOUGH we were only in India a few months ago (Jan 2012), I look back affectionately on our time there. The weather was perfect and the people so glowing, inquisitive and almost overwhelmingly friendly and helpful. Being by the beach offered our kids a great playground every day. We felt very safe there. Although it was more touristy than we like and India in general is overpopulated, noisy and polluted, Varkala Beach has a great charm about it. Living and being there is so easy. 

 

Kukljica: Night Riding and Skinny Dipping

I HAVE no idea how the couple sitting quietly on a bench, enjoying an ice cream after dinner, must have felt. But out of the shadows in the calm waters I emerged, swimming towards the pier.

It was dark. You could see the city lights across the water in Zadar and the stars up above. I decided to take a late-night swim, my first.

Why it had taken me this long in life to experience such a pleasure I cannot explain. But better late than never.

It was admittedly unnerving at first. Jamie said the same when she followed me later. You can see NOTHING beneath you in the deep, dark water and it's eerily quiet and lonely.

Thoughts - not good ones - enter your mind. But I kept reminding myself these waters were safe. And they are.

My only genuine concern was finding the pier from which I started my swim. Lighting wasn't exactly great and I preferred not to step on to a sea urchin when getting out.

However, as far as swimming experiences go, that was only the beginning. The following day it got even better.

The water in the Adriatic had been so calm and warm, the air muggy and sun hot that taking a plunge had reached new levels of irresistibility during the day.

Best of all was stripping naked - skinny dipping. That was real freestyle swimming. It was done discreetly, of course.

But now I know how it feels all the time for Zenchai and why the little guy always grinning when in the ocean.

Planet Earth: Self-Professed Foodie

As a self-professed foodie, I am continually thinking about food: how to veganize a recipe; make it with a higher raw content; where to buy the best ingredients or just plain ol’ day dreaming about eating something luscious. It is just something I can’t help. 

When we arrived in Zadar before heading out on the ferry to Kukljica, we stopped by the local outdoor market for some fresh produce. Cherries, apricots, peaches were all in season and more yummy things blessed the stalls, too. 

From my last visit to Croatia, I remembered how delicious the local cherries and strawberries were. And Claude has always talked fondly of his childhood summer days of picking figs, apricots and peaches from the trees here. 

To be sure I was getting the real deal, I kept prodding him to ask the vendors if their produce was local. Beautifully enough, most of what the sellers had was home grown. 

Even when we were in Ecuador we bought most of our produce from farmer’s markets. Everything we purchased was locally cultivated and in season (excluding some apples we bought that had been transported from Argentina – but after we found a stall selling local apples we bought those instead). 

Thus far on our travels we have found it much easier to eat seasonal, natively grown produce. Whether that is due to a less westernized approach to buying foods solely in supermarkets or the sheer abundance of markets is hard to tell. 

So where am I going with all this locally grown in-season talk? 

I picked up a book in an American airport when we were in transit back to London from Ecuador. I usually don’t buy books in bookstores. I prefer to get hand-me-downs from Amazon, but this one really caught my eye. So I paid the top-end price and bought it. 

It is called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It is the tale of one American family that vowed for one year that they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves or learn to live without it. 

Now I am only a few chapters in, but I am already feeling the walloping weight of its important message. I was already aware of many of the author’s concerns. However, the light in which it is delivered has had my head spinning with the sustainability of the way we eat as a family. 

I have been asking myself the question that why when I am in London supermarkets am I not as discerning about getting in-season produce? Then in only the way humans can, I justify it with how the English climate makes it more difficult to get a variety of vegan foods in ones’ diet. 

In fairness I would never buy out of season strawberries. I made a point to get organic veg deliveries from English farms, go to pick-your-own farms, tried growing a selection of greens and would shamelessly beg off my green-fingered friends for some of their goods. 

More to the point, I am thinking about how our vegan lifestyle is going to be sustainable for the future. At this moment in time being a vegan family is right for us and I hope it always will be. 

However, being vegan does present its challenges but the rewards are also tremendous. As a family we eat a hugely varied diet. I have been known to order exotic ingredients for desserts or special ingredients to enhance our diets. But I don’t want that variety to come between us and the health of the planet. 

My ultimate dream for us is to have a plot of land where we grow most of our own food and supplement our crops with what our neighbours have produced. I want to know where my food has come from, to intimately get to know my food and share this with Zenchai. I don’t really cherish the idea of eating fruits or vegetables that have travelled thousands of miles to make it to our dinner table. 

No sane person can argue against how fruits and vegetables taste the sexiest when they are freshly picked or cut from the garden. 

I would like to think that our veganism is reducing our food footprint. But in my heart of hearts I know we can do better. I look forward to the day when I can sit down to a meal of food from our garden. I know it is within our reach. 

How can you make it within yours?