nateniale's travels

  Travels have probably changed for good - our last big trip was in December 2019 and last flight taken was coming back from Penang, Malaysia after the Chinese New Year celebration in February 2020.  Little did we know then that we would be in Singapore for the next 2 years (and hopefully not much longer)! Before we have children, we travelled extensively as a couple - averaging about 6 different countries in a year, in between our full time job.  Even when I was pregnant, we travelled whenever we can and even with our little baby girl. Little Em travelled to Bali, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Hong Kong before she turned 2. Little Ed came along, and together as a family, we travelled to Central Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Laos and to multiple places in Japan and Malaysia.  And it all stopped.  After years of travelling whenever we have pockets of time, and planning itineraries in between work and life, I suddenly felt a

The last we were in Laos was back in 2010, just the two of us before marriage and before children! We visited Vientiane , the capital of Laos. Laos is authentically Asian with paddy fields, saffron-robed monks and timeless quality of relatively rural life. However, in the main towns like Vientiane and Luang Prabang, the French influence is strong in their architecture and food - with lots of cafes and French restaurants.  We spent 5 days in Luang Prabang, Laos with 2 children, Ed 2 years old and Em 4 years old, in Oct 2019.  It can actually be done in 2 full days, but we decided to take it slow and spend time in the hotel.  5 days 4 nights 1 country - Laos 1 city - Luang Prabang 1 UNESCO World Heritage Site - Town of Luang Prabang 1 timezone - GMT+7 1 currency - Laos kip, but you can use US Dollars in hotels too Day 1 | Flight & Hotel in Luang Prabang  3 hours flight to Luang Prabang from Singapore - a short flight that was just enough to get the girls excited. As Laos kip was not

Sabah is a place that I've always wanted to go - the idea of the sea and mountains, a place to go diving and hiking. Then there's Sandakan and around the area with wildlife and orang utan sanctuary.  We suddenly found a space in our schedule and managed to squeeze in a trip to Sabah, Malaysia in July 2019, with 2 children, Ed 2 years old and Em 4 years old. We could not include all the places in Sabah, but managed to include Kota Kinabalu and Kundasang where Mount Kinabalu is.  5 days 4 nights 1 country - Malaysia 2 cities - Kota Kinabalu, Kundasang  1 UNESCO World Heritage Site - Kinabalu Park 1 timezone - GMT+8 1 currency - Malaysian ringgit (RM) Day 1 | Flight to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Flight to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia took about 2.5 hours from Singapore, and we went straight to the hotel in Kota Kinabalu. We stayed in a nondescript hotel in the city but there are many resorts to choose from if you would like a more luxurious hotel instead.  We took a walk around the

Japan is a country that we had been multiple times and can never get sick of! This time round, we trav elled in springtime. A three generation trip to Japan in May 2019, with my parents in their 60s and our girls, Ed 2 years old and Em 4 years old.  9 days 8 nights 1 country - Japan 9 cities - Fukuoka, Munakata, Hagi, Yamaguchi, Iwakuni, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Tomonoura, Onomichi 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) Itsukushima Shrine 1 timezone - GMT+9 1 currency - Japanese Yen Day 1 | Fukuoka  福岡  Flight to Fukuoka  Ohari Park - playground, Fukuoka castle ruin Ichiran Tenjin Nishidori - ultra-rich porky soup with ramen Stay @ Fukuoka (1 night) Day 2 |  Munakata 宗像  to Hagi  萩 Rent a car Munakata Shrine - part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, built around the 12th century Karato Market - fres

I've always wanted to visit Hoi An - old world charm, yellow dirty walls, travelling in boats and bicycles and foot. Not to mention, it is in Vietnam which has some of the best street foods. Somehow, we never managed to plan a trip there, till now, with 2 children in tow! Was a little reluctant at first - a cultural trip with an erratic almost 2.5-year-old toddler and a 4-month-old baby. In the end, after considering various other countries, we decided to go, but spend a longer time there and take it slow with lots of breaks and naps. So here are the details of our 7 days Hoi An trip with 2 children in tow, in July 2017. 7 days 6 nights 1 country - Vietnam 4 cities - Danang, Hoi An, My Son, Hue 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites Hoi An Ancient Town My Son Sanctuary Complex of Hue Monuments Day 1 | Flight to Danang & off to Hoi An  An early morning flight at 9am means waking up before sunrise! Not the best timing for flights with children, but as there are limited (direc