The Great Month of June

June was a BIG month with 3 birthdays and an overseas trip to Australia. We kicked off June with Claire's birthday. Twenty-five or so friends gathered at Em Bar, Robertson Quay for a night of champagne and some rather dodgy fried canapes. The act was followed by dancing and vodka (thanks to Dan and Bill) at Clarke Quay. Let's just say there was not a lot of movement the next day and a serious bout of 'food poisoning'. Classy.

The next big celebration was Ai

den's 2nd Birt

hday. Given it's the first of memory AND Grandma was in town, we decided to celebrate not once, but three times. We had a fabulous 'Treasure Hunt' party at home, then (of course) cake at school. Finally, a BBQ in Labrador Park with just the family on his actual birthday. As the A-man is now a master at present unwrapping and candle blowing, I think our work here is done.

Finally, the biggest surprise of all was reserved for Mum, as I joined her on her flight home from Singapore to Brisbane. Dad had arranged a fabulous surprise birthday party for 40 guests. Mum was very moved and beyond happy. To have everyone there to celebrate her BIG DAY is truly a great moment.

More pics from Aiden's Birthday available here!

http://picasaweb.google.com/clairemula/AidenTurnsTwo?authkey=Gv1sRgCIKV94D4p9DsZg&feat=directlink

Rough Guide to Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is one place that has been on my travel wishlist almost as long as we've lived in Asia. Just the idea of Chiang Mai gets my travel hormones buzzing. A former Thai Royal city, surrounded by mountains and nature. Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand, where hospitality and asian food doesn't come any better. It's situated just below the "golden triangle" where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet at the Mekong Delta.

We stayed 4 nights and 5 full days, as flight connections from Singapore on Silk Air are excellent. Opting for a boutique hotel, Bodhi Serene  inside the walls of the "old city". The hotel was excellent with a lovely pool. Although not unlike many other Asia cities, Chiang Mai is not stoller-friendly. So we put Aiden in the child backpack and headed out of the serene hotel. From here it was relatively easy to walk to restaurants, temples and wall gates. 

After a half day of 'wats' (or temples) and chedis (Pagodas) partly visited by 'Tuk Tuk Taxi', we were ready to explore outside the city. There are plenty of agents or a 'man with a van' ready to offer transport to sites around the city. We took advantage of the slightly cooler temperature (when it wasn't raining) to enjoy hiking and mountain biking, which were the two highlights of our trip. With a two year old in tow, we visited one of the many Elephant camps (elephants playing soccer - why didn't I think of that!) We had quite a bit of rain on most days, so I would recommend you avoid the 'hot' season which starts May / June and rainy season to October. Best time to go would be November, but we still had a great time.

Tioman - Dream Isle or Dump?

Our last visit to Tioman Island was paradise. Mind you our situation was different primarily because we stayed in the fabulous, but secluded Japamala Resort on the southern end of the Island (we were still 'a couple' then, Japamala is not really suited to toddlers).

On this occasion, with Aiden and grandparents in tow, we decided to try the northern beach of Salang. We chose a more 'rustic' cottage style for 3 nights and 4 days. Our accommodation, while basic, was large and had hot water and air conditioning. Unfortunately, it was unclean when we arrived and we ended up with Ajax and cloth in hand to clean the bathroom ourselves.

While the water and beach are stunning (white sand, clear blue water, plenty of tropical fish and excellent snorkeling), Salang itself is fairly disappointing. Back off the beach, it is unkempt and polluted with rubbish. The small stream that runs alongside the beach appears to be used as the local dumping ground for all sorts of rubbish and dirty water. 

The highlight of Salang is definitely the snorkeling and diving. We had some awesome dives with loads of tropical fish, excellent visibility - the perfect diving experience. Bram's parents also enjoyed the snorkeling direct from the beach. While the coral is a little dull, the fish are abundant.

My advice is if you really want to go there, spend as much time underwater as possible. Or try one of the other beaches on Tioman, which is truly a natural island paradise. It's a shame the locals and tourists do not take more care to keep it that way.

Andrew & Juanita tie the knot

Andrew and Juanita tied the knot in a post-Xmas wedding, where else but, New Zealand. We spent two weeks hanging out with Nita's family and touring the South Island. 

Neil Finn is right. NZ truly is 'four seasons in one day. Christmas felt almost like most days we came to expect in Holland - cold and wet. However, on the days to follow and Wedding day itself even the sun turned out to wish A & J the best day ever. 

We enjoyed some good ole' fashioned NZ hospitality in Geraldine from Bev and Kerry, which involved loads of excellent dinners, a mountain of red meat, free-flowing NZ wines and a sheep muster through Kerry's paddock in his sedan.

NZ is probably about as child-friendly a travel destination you're  ever going to get. Compared with traveling in Australia, where long road journeys are interspersed between popular tourist sites, NZ is just gob-smacking beautiful at every kilometer. You don't even have to get out of the car. It hits you in the face at every turn.

We left Geraldine by rental car, heading North to Hamner Springs - know for its healthy hot springs and clean mountain living. By chance our bed & breakfast hosts at Mira Monte were Dutch, who had  emigrated many years ago, but could still make a mean coffee and 'gevulde kooek'. While the hot springs were supposedly the highlight of Hamner, for us it was the mountain biking. 

After two nights we headed far north to Motueka, the top of the South Island. Better known as 'Mot' to locals, its the gateway to the gorgeous coastal Abel Tasman National Park. We hired a cabin within Motueka camping ground, popular with the locals. Abel Tasman is remarkable and I can't recommend it enough. Whether you like your hikes short or long, or prefer to view the natural beauty from the deck of a yacht with gin and tonic in hand, the Tasman N.P offers it all.

Our final stop was Blenheim, in the heart of the Marlborough Wine country. The Dry Olive website promised a child-friendly, semi-luxurious self-contained homestay on a tranquil olive grove amidst rolling hills and vineyards. It was spot on. Our friends, Michael and Kym joined us for a day of wine tasting and delicious food, after which we Scrabbled and BBQ'd the night away.

NZ has a lot to offer any traveller, but for us it was particularly special. And my brother is now officially a bro'!

More Wedding pics

More NZ travel pics