— China —

Escape the summer heat in China: explore Yunnan’s ancient towns – Lijiang day trip to Shuhe Ancient Town (束河古镇) and costume dress-up

September 26, 2026

The InterContinental Lijiang breakfast spread was huge; it had both Western dishes as well as local…you named it, they have it! Freshly baked pastries yum yum: In beautiful trays, this looked more like a dessert table! The only “not so high-end” was the fruit in this fridge in those plastic trays: Their local specialty stall… Read More Escape the summer heat in China: explore Yunnan’s ancient towns – Lijiang day trip to Shuhe Ancient Town (束河古镇) and costume dress-up

— China —

Escape the summer heat in China: explore Yunnan’s ancient towns – Lijiang (丽江古城)

September 19, 2026

After breakfast, we met up with our driver (the guy who picked us up from Dali Airport to the hotel and Jason added him to his WeChat and negotiated the transfer fee of 600 CNY) for our transfer from Dali to Lijiang (丽江). The drive was around 2.5 hours, Jason asked him about where locals… Read More Escape the summer heat in China: explore Yunnan’s ancient towns – Lijiang (丽江古城)

— China —

Escape the summer heat in China: explore Yunnan’s ancient towns from Dali day trip to Xizhou

September 12, 2026

What’s better to start the day than a wonderful breakfast? Hotel Indigo Erhai’s breakfast spread was incredible from steamed dim buns: To stir-fried dishes that you could have them as lunch! My favorite was their made-to-order noodle station where you can add sides to customize your noodle soup. I had the Yunnan mixian (云南米线) with… Read More Escape the summer heat in China: explore Yunnan’s ancient towns from Dali day trip to Xizhou

— China —

Escape the summer heat in China: Explore Yunnan’s Ancient Towns – Dali

August 15, 2026

Ever since our daughter started kindergarten, we could only take a long vacation during the summer period so I was looking for “cooler” places to travel in China. We decided on the Yunnan region, where it’s at a higher altitude, but that was another risk – altitude sickness. Jason and I had been to high-altitude… Read More Escape the summer heat in China: Explore Yunnan’s Ancient Towns – Dali

— Czech Republic —

Long way to China via Prague – finally get to visit the charming Český Krumlov

July 25, 2026

Summer is here! This was the 3rd consecutive year we visited China and this time we routed through Prague. Why Prague? Long story short….since my daughter started kindergarten and school attendance became stricter, I had to make adjustments and at that time, airfares were crazily high. I came across Hainan Airlines flies direct from Prague… Read More Long way to China via Prague – finally get to visit the charming Český Krumlov

— Turks and Caicos —

Family Spring Break at South Bank Resort, Turks and Caicos

April 25, 2026

Ever since my daughter started Kindergarten where attendance counts, finding deals during school holidays has been hard. I tried to book one year in advance for the best price since airlines know the school calendar, flight tickets are just going up and up after that. I originally booked to go to the Algarve in Portugal… Read More Family Spring Break at South Bank Resort, Turks and Caicos

— France —

Loire Valley Road Trip – Château de l’Islette where kids get to dress up and Château d’Ussé

January 24, 2026

Sunrise from our hotel room window overlooking the Loire River, another beautiful day to explore the Loire Valley! Breakfast was very basic at the hotel – Château Le Prieuré – La Maison Younan. The best item was croissants; I haven’t had a bad croissant in France! The breakfast room: After the quick breakfast, we drove… Read More Loire Valley Road Trip – Château de l’Islette where kids get to dress up and Château d’Ussé