We got to do something fun this past week that we haven’t done in a long time…. We hosted friends for three days. And, strangely enough, these were very new friends. As a matter of fact, before they showed up to stay with us for three nights, we had hung out with them for a total of …oh… about five hours.
Fun evening in Chiang Mai, Dec. 4th, 2013
When we were in northern Thailand back in November, we were told about a virtual family travel support group and immediately invited ourselves to join. Luckily amongst family travelers worldwide, many of them seem to end up in SE Asia at some point. So, before too long, a meetup had been scheduled while we were there. We were excited! Four families showed up and we immediately hit it off. There is something about sharing trials and tribulations not only with fellow travelers, but especially with family travelers.
Questions flew around the table like:
“What is the best way you’ve found of reserving rooms that sleep four?”
“How do you keep your children motivated to work on their homeschooling?”
“How do you keep a hotel room safe for small children in countries where there is no protocol?”
“Do you ever hire babysitters on the road?”
“What’s the easiest meal you’ve made on a one burner induction stove?” and
“Do you have any suggestions for staying within budget once we get to Europe?”
Questions like these to which we could all relate went long into the evening, until the ages of the children dictated calling it a night.
And, beyond the questions…. There was also commiserating (“Wasn’t that bus ride from Laos to Chiang Mai the worst!?”), mutual sympathy (“We haven’t had a date night in four months either.”) and the sharing of travel tips (“If you are going to Australia, don’t miss Heron Island.”)
That evening, our family and one other continued on into the evening walking around the town, watching street performers, and grabbing dessert at a food cart. It was a fun evening and we all walked away having been very glad we’d gone.
Anyway, since we knew we were going to have a three bedroom apartment in Penang, we ended up inviting them to crash with us for a few nights. It worked out beautifully, and we all had so much fun. The parents each had their own rooms (how luxurious is that?!) and the four kids, used to small spaces, all piled into a small room which they had to themselves. (Yes, complete with ghost stories, pillow fights, and very little sleep.)
Downtown Georgetown
The first full day, we all took the public bus downtown to Georgetown to explore the area. We walked around the old streets, admired the famous wall art, cooled off with coffee in an air conditioned café, visited a Chinese temple, ate lunch in Little India, and took in some history at an old fort. The kids were having so much fun that they all forgot to complain about all the walking or the heat.
Fort Cornwall
Georgetown street art
Power outage fun
Ending the day with playing on a slide into the pool, a candle light dinner (power outage in our apartment – ahh, the joys of SE Asia), and a laser light dance party just added to the magic.
Pancake making team
The second full day, after a delicious pancakes breakfast made entirely by the three older kids, we took the kids to Escape, an adventure theme park loaded with obstacle courses, jungle gyms, huge long tube slides, zip lines, climbing, repelling, rope swings, etc. Although it was hot for all the climbing and activity, we all had a blast and got a good workout.
Heading up to the zip line.
Ahhhh!
Fun on the long tube slide
The fearless duo
Tarzan!
Ice cream and movies!
All three nights, the kids were having so much fun that we had trouble getting them all to sleep. But, I can’t say it wasn’t the same for the adults. Everyone stayed up way too late sharing stories, laughing, trading tips and enjoying each others company.
Dinner with new good friends.
After so many months on the road (they left home only 3 days before we did), all eight of us were so pleased to have the company of another family. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean to imply that we didn’t all really enjoy each others company. We sure did. Having those few special days to host new friends in our new home-away-from-home just felt so comfortable. Mike and Sonja are great parents who are clearly involved with and enjoy the company of their children. Their children were both well adjusted to life on the road, open and respectful to the world around them. All of them were a joy to be with and we all of us loved swapping life and travel stories. We all had enough shared SE Asia experiences to laugh with each other but also enough personal travel stories to make it interesting.
Our remaining weeks in Penang won’t be the same without them.
Aaah, such sweet words, Kathrin! You’re going to make me blush. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with you in Penang. It was such a good time and it was really fun getting to you all a little better. Thank you, thank you! Hopefully our paths will cross again. Happy and safe travels to all of you!