Need any teeth?

We were fortunate to make a quick 2 day stopover in Marrakech. It is one of those places I’d always wanted to go to as it has a certain allure few other places in the world do.
We stayed in a riad right in the middle of the old walled city, the medina. At first we were a little wary at venturing too far from our riad – not because of safety (the city felt incredibly safe at all hours) but because the medina is such a jumble of alleyways that we weren’t sure we’d ever find our way back again. Yet after a little bit of adventuring and discovering, we realized we were pretty good at finding our way around.

Our riad was down this alley. Maybe off this alley. Somewhere nearby

Two days isn’t really enough anywhere but such is the throbbing non stop activity of Marrakech that it actually felt enough. Roaming the streets and back alleys of the souk is incredible – it goes on and on forever- but a lot of the shops are pretty much the same so after a while it loses a little bit of its magic. However it is intriguing to see real life within those walls and alleys. The food is wonderful and if you tire of couscous and tajine, there’s plenty of Western stuff available as well. There are also many bakeries and it’s a treat just tasting a few different delicacies all over the place. We also did a walking tour of the city beyond the walls which is well worth doing – the medina can get a little claustrophobic after a while.

Benjy and his grandfather

Then there’s the incredible Djema el Fna, the famous night market/street carnival/outdoors circus – you name it. This is just a hive of activity of storytellers, restaurants, sellers of anything and everything, snake charmers etc etc. I got into a bit of trouble when I accepted a drink of tea at one stall (I don’t really like tea – I thought, naively, I was being polite) and then when I give it back after a couple of sips was hit up for a few dirhams. And then there was our one diabolical encounter. Entering the souk on the first afternoon, we were ushered into a medicinal shop, we we’re completely captivated by the shop owner, treated royally and then faced with a huge bill for the few items we had thought of purchasing. A rude awakening.

Great fun at the medicinal shop till the bill arrived

Looking at a market street

View from dinner

Marrakech is a great city, no doubt. It is a very fun place to take kids (I was with my father and my 14 year old son) but it can get a little much after a while. But everyone is so friendly and eager to help you if you have any problems or questions that you can’t help leaving with a smile and good memories.

Djemaa el Fna at night

Outside the Treasury at Petra

Even a quick 3 day trip to Jordan was enough to convince me that this is a spectacular family destination. Jordan really has it all, even if we only had time to see a few of its many highlights. But what incredible highlights they are! This is really a country everyone should visit as it has everything: desert, sea, great hiking and biking, and of course World Wonder Petra. And the people are so hospitable, you’ll want to stay a lot longer.

Starbucks, Amman airport

Scampering at Wadi Rum

We started in the desert at Wadi Rum. It’s hard to describe the experience of being in real Lawrence of Arabia territory. Wadi Rum is fantastic, one of the greatest kids’ playgrounds I’ve ever seen. Massive dunes, off roaring everywhere, amazing rock formations. My boys were in their element climbing around, getting dirty (weeks later some of my clothes still feel as if they have the desert sand in them) and being free to run and roam anywhere without any boundaries. Fantastic! And to complete the experience we stayed in a tented camp eating traditional food (and paying an exorbitant amount for a bottle of water) and enjoying a wonderful time together. Only problem for my 14 year old and me was trying to find out the score of the Chelsea v Barcelona Champions’ League (first leg) semi final, the first game we had missed for years. Just no way to do it in the desert!

One of many natural bridges, Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum dinner

From Wadi Rum, loaded with sand everywhere, we made our way to Petra. Petra was a recent inclusion in the New 7 Wonders of the World, and it is an unbelievable site. For one thing, it is immense. I’m sure you could spend days there and not see most of it. It is a tough place though – by mid afternoon we were wiped out and had to retreat to our hotel (which was very 2nd rate and did not offer much retreat). Benjy, my 14 year old, who had been to Petra before, enjoyed being our tour guide, especially on the hard slog up to the monastery. The sudden, dramatic appearance of the monastery makes the hike well worthwhile. Keeping up with my two teenagers made it even more worthwhile.

Monastery, Petra

Petra

Vanquished Barcelona logo from Petra sand

Local flavor, Garish

Next stop Amman, the capital. I did not have high hopes for Amman, yet we were very impressed. This is a clean, beautiful city and it really grows on you very quickly. After a quick stop at a supermarket (always one of our favourite things to do in foreign places) and a bakery (well who would not like that?) we went to Jerash which is one of the most amazing and underrated places I have ever seen. Underrated only because many people go to Wadi Rum and Petra, but not Jerash. This is an incredible Roman city, with 2 amphitheaters, massive columns, roads, an arch built for Hadrian and lots more. And there’s a definite Middle Eastern flavor with many local visitors dressed in traditional clothing. This is really a must see site.
Our last night we spent in downtown Amman walking along Rainbow Street, a very lively area weith lots of bars and restaurants. After a few more Jordanian delicacies, it was sadly time to go. However, we had another chance to witness the extraordinary friendliness of the local people. On arriving back at our hotel, I asked the taxi driver how much the fare was. To which he replied:” Anything you want to pay”, grinning. The nicest people, and we will be back!

Hadrian’s Arch, Jerash

Jerash

Tasting some local fare at Mercado Santa Clara

We loved Quito. Some places just surprise you and Quito is one of them. The city has a very mixed reputation. Look on Tripadvisor and every few posts will concern personal safety, stories of scams, amazing feats of pickpocketing, robbery, mugging etc. So one can’t help having some feelings of trepidation on arrival.

Quito's Old Town with Alfredo and Joaquin on the left

Old Town, Quito

It didn’t help that our prearranged, prepaid for transport from the airport never showed up. Being in the travel services industry, this is something that really irritates me as I know how important first impressions are. Never mind, we’ll just get by on our own.
We stayed at Cafe Cultura. It’s a beautiful old building in a great area with lots of character and it has many strong points, including the huge bedrooms and bathrooms. So within five minutes all our luggage was strewn around the two rooms everywhere. We stayed here for a total of five nights in three separate stays over a two week period so we got to know it pretty well. My review said: Beautiful hotel with flaws”. Sadly the longer one stays here, the more the flaws stand out, from spotty internet to slow service to the constant noise from the passages and entrance.

Up Pichincha overlooking Quito

Anyway we were fortunate to have the incredible Alfredo Meneses and his son Joaquin as our guides for 2 days. Just having a guide at all was new for us, but I cannot imagine someone with as much energy and pride in his city as Alfredo. He is wonderful, and Joaquin is not far behind. Not only did we do a standard tour of the Old Town (with its dazzling array of colonial buildings) and go up the Teleferiqo on Volcan Pichincha (sadly a white elephant attraction if ever there was one), but Alfredo took us to the Mercado Santa Clara (seemingly off limits for tourists) where we tried any number of local fruits and delicacies. He also treated us to a day at the exclusive spa, Papallacta which was a real treat after so long on the road traveling.

Fruit at Mercado Santa Clara

But what we really loved about Quito was that we actually got to know it, as opposed to just seeing the sights. We walked everywhere trying out different food, popping into shops and Dani, just turned 18, even tried a casino – for five minutes as we couldn’t breathe inside with all the smoke.

Dani outside the casino

Two memories will always stand out for me. On our first day, Alfredo introduced us to a Quito curiosity, Yogurt and Yuca. These are small shops selling blended yogurt which you drink while munching on fresh yuca rolls. After one tasting we were addicted. This was definitely one of the most delicious local foods I have tasted anywhere in the world.
And then, we were fortunate to be traveling during the Copa America, being played in Argentina, and despite Ecuador’s national football team’s ineptitude, the atmosphere was electric. On a Saturday afternoon after some touring, Benjy and me sat in the square at La Mariscal and watched a huge game: Ecuador v Venezuela, actually 2 of the weakest soccer teams anywhere, but somehow elevated to a big game because of our location. Just great with fabulous atmosphere.

Posing outside the Presidential Palace

All in all, this was probably our favorite place of the whole summer trip (even more than Cusco). Quito just surprises and the more time one spends there, the more hooked you become. Try it, it’s worth it.

Papallacta Hot Springs

Quito from Pichincha

Feeding at SeaWorld

A few years ago, I took my boys, then aged 9 and 7 to San Diego for a few days. It was February and that time of year when us Seattlelites are itching to escape the rain, greyness and cold. So what could be better than some time in the winter sun of Southern California? Wrong! Our trip coincided with some of the heaviest rain and flooding the city had ever seen. What an irony. And despite that, we had a great time. Because San Diego is just the perfect place for a family vacation.

Fun at SeaWorld

We stayed at Marriot Residence Inn in Mission Valley. After initially getting lost (my son in 3rd grade was doing a unit on compasses so I let him navigate; we could not find our way out of the airport), we found the hotel easily. It’s a perfect hotel for families: a two room suite, pool and complimentary breakfast complete with a wafflemaker.

Feeding the giraffe at the Wild Animal Park

Despite the rain, San Diego was fabulous. There is just so much for a family to do! We went to SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, Old Town )charming and quaint although a little less so when the roads are flooded up to your knees), the World War II aircraft carrier Midway, and lots more. Including the excellent Wild Animal Park where families are carried through the park on a little train, itself a source of amusement for kids. We loved the park, despite some early setbacks (I had to pull over on the highway as I couldn’t see through all the rain; then my youngest son threw up in the gift shop). And then we trekked out to Legoland and at last the sun came out after four days of non stop rain.

Legoland

Legoland...in the sunshine at last!

San Diego is definitely one of the best places for a family trip. There is much we didn’t get to see or do, including the beaches, and you could easily spend a week there and still not see it all.

Wild Animal Park

Giraffe feeding at Wild Animal Park

San Diego on Dwellable

Got to love those outside showers!

A number of years ago we spent two weeks in Duck, North Carolina with some of my wife’s extended family. This is a wonderful part of the world, a real family playground. Duck is pretty busy in the summer, but the beaches are fabulous. Our house was just minutes from the beach so our days mostly followed the same pattern – not a bad thing at all in such a great location!

Fun on the beach

I’d start my day with a run. A little foolhardy, mind you. After about 20 minutes, I could hardly breathe thanks to the heat and humidity. Even at 7 in the morning. But the reward for this was an early swim in the ocean. Then the family would wake lazily and slowly, on typical beach town time. Breakfast, then the morning on the beach. Off the beach for lunch, then back on, and then those outside showers which beach houses all come with. We’d close the day with takeouts and a movie, just real bliss.

Go up the stairs on the beach and you're at our beach house!

Duck is not as quiet as some beach towns I’ve been to (Long Beach Island,N.J. has a string of tiny, sleepy towns) but for some it will be too quiet. For them, Kitty Hawk, where the Wright Brother first flew, is a few minutes down the road. Now that’s a growing, big town with all the shops and amenities anyone could possibly want. Whatever you need you’ll find there (we had to find swimming diapers – I reckon if you can find those – we did – you can find most of anything).

Beach house pranks

The Outer Banks are sometimes plagued by turbulent summer weather. But for a relaxing, beautiful magical family beach vacation, it’s really a hard place  to beat.

Outer Banks on Dwellable

Ilani at the top

Recently I had the privilege and pleasure of climbing Huayna Picchu with my son, Ilani. As he is almost 16 and in very good shape, I was grateful for the years of exercise and running I have put in! Huayna Picchu is the peak opposite Machu Picchu and affords incredible views of the site from high above. It is a steep hike, but not particularly long – we were up in about 45 minutes.

There is so much written about the logistics of doing Huayna Picchu that it can be quite bewildering. Even with all the research, it is still quite confusing. And because most travelers spend only one night in Machu Picchu (which is sufficient), they get only one shot at doing the hike. So it is important to be very well prepared. And now that I’ve done it, at last all is clear. So here is my guide to climbing Huayna Picchu. Before I get on to specifics, here are two important notes to take into account.

a. The town of Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu township is the base for almost all travelers. It is reached either by the Inca Trail, or more commonly by train from Cusco or Ollantaytambo. It cannot be reached by car. It is very touristy with lots of hotels, sub standard restaurants and souvenir shops. From Aguas Calientes one reaches Machu Picchu itself by bus which takes about 15 minutes up a steep, windy road. Or you can hike up (about an hour).

b. Each day, only 400 people are allowed up Huayna Picchu. This is the main reason one has to be very organised if you want to do this hike.

1. You must sleep in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) town the night before. Or you could do the very expensive, luxurious option of staying at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge next to the site itself, a real treat, the only lodging right at the site,  but very pricey (about $1,000 per night). It is however virtually impossible to arrive by train in Aguas Calientes in the morning and expect to climb Huayna Picchu that same day.

2. Bus tickets – these must be purchased at the ticket booth around the corner from where the busses line up. They can NOT be purchased on the bus itself. Return tickets cost a whopping $15.50 per person (visiting Machu Picchu is very expensive). It is advisable to buy the tickets the night before which we did. The ticket office is open late so it convenient and easy to purchase the bus tickets the night before.

3. Machu Picchu tickets – these can be purchased at the Machu Picchu Cultural Centre office on the main square of Aguas Calientes or in Cusco (INC office at Calle San Bernado). Tickets bought in Cusco MUST be used within three days of purchase. Tickets are very costly, at about $40, and are only valid for one day. There is a 50% discount for student card holders. You need to buy the tickets in Peruvian Soles, and in cash. Again, be prepared and buy the tickets in Aguas Calientes the night before the climb. Also, there is NO way to buy tickets up at Machu Picchu itself, so don’t go to the site without tickets – you’ll be turned away. Also, you HAVE to have your passport with you when you enter Machu Picchu. Please don’t make the mistake of buying all the tickets, getting to the site early, and then forgetting your passport!

4. The 400 number: Each day only 400 people are allowed up Huayna Picchu. There are no exceptions. 200 go in the first stage between 7-8am, and the second group goes up between 10-11am. If you’re one of the 200/400, you’ll be very grateful for the limited number; if of course you were number 401, and someone must be, you’ll be cursing.

5. The buses start up for the site at about 5.25am. The site itself opens at 6am. However, because of the demand for places, you will need to be in line – at least in high season – by 4.30am. We were there by 4.20am and were about number 150 in line. If you want to just get to Machu Picchu early in order to see the sunrise, you can comfortably get to the bus stop at 5.30am. However, for Huayna Picchu, that’s much too late. If you’re in a group, one person could stand in line while others go get breakfast (most hotels start breakfast very early) or food.

6. Even with all the preparation in the world, when you actually arrive at Machu Picchu, you may feel overwhelmed and confused. The site may not yet be open and the crowds will feel immense, far more than one would guess from the (admittedly) long bus lines. The crowds will be boosted by people staying at the Sanctuary Lodge or others who have hiked up that morning. Either way, the crowd will be big! So when you get off the bus, GET INTO THE LEFT LINE which is the one for Huayna Picchu. That is not the time to dawdle, be distracted, go to the bathroom or anything else! Just get into that line! When you get to the little hut next to the main entrance, and if you’re in the first, lucky 400, you will get your stamp for Huayna Picchu. If, like us, there are still slots available for the 7am start, you will be offered a choice of going up at 7 or 10am. If the 200 spots for 7am have already been taken, you will be given a stamp for the 10-11am start. Your stamp will give you an hour in which to start (ours was 7-8am) and then you can actually relax – we only started at 7.35.

So it’s a lot of work, but it’s well worth it. The views are spectacular, and you’ll be seeing a piece of Machu Picchu that only a select few get to experience. Try it!

Well worth it!

Ilani in adventurous pose

I’m actually not such a big fan of volcanoes. I mean they’re okay but there are so many adventures I look forward to on vacation that i don’t think much about volcanoes. But Pacaya is the ultimate family adventure: accessible, challenging, fun, dramatic. An amazing place.

This is the real thing

We’re on a group trip with other students from our Spanish school in Antigua. On arrival, we have a choice of hiking up to the lava fields or going on pony. The boys of course will hike, and the girls decide to go on horseback. So we slog uphill, a hard 45 minute  climb and although I’m in good shape, besides my boys everyone else is in their 20′s so the pace is quick. There’s horse poop everywhere so I have to look down to watch my step and up to see how far I’m falling behind. Now and then when I get the chance, I notice beautiful, lush vegetation all around us.

Dani takes the easy way up

At the top, drenched

Green all around us

Near the top it starts pouring and so we’re drenched when we reunite. Visibility is poor and we’re very, very wet. Now follows a thirty minute trek over the lava fields to reach the actual volcano. This is not an easy walk : first, because of the rain, we’re holding umbrellas, but the wind is strong rendering them useless and too great a challenge to hold. Second, we have to be very careful not to slip or fall because a slight brush with the lava field can cause a lot of cutting and pain. And third, we’re jumping and skipping from one large boulder to the next and Benjy’s too small to do this himself so I’m helping him negotiate this terrain.

Benjy getting in on the action

Still wet, but not for long

We reach the volcano (technically we’re on the volcano all the time but now comes the active, exciting part) and it’s hot, hot, hot. There’s flaming lava everywhere, and although we’re drenched, we’re soon dry. We roast marshmallows while more intrepid (stupid?) types light cigarettes or by mistake catch sweaters on fire by standing too close. There’s very little supervision. If you want to step in fire and sacrifice yourself to the gods, you can go right ahead. It’s thrilling stuff.

Darkness descends on Pacaya

It begins to get dark so we head down. Dani and I lose our group for a while – the visibility is about zero – so we shout for them until we find them. We head down the slopes in the dark and although our shoes smell pretty bad at the bottom, it’s been an incredible adventure!

wet boys

down the hill

It certainly doesn’t look like much. A hill on a sheep farm outside of Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand. And it is expensive at about $40 a go. But man it’s worth it! Compare the endless family discussions about zorbing with the money I spent at the supermarket yesterday and I have to say give me zorbing every time.

I know it doesn't look like much but...

You climb into a huge plastic ball – like a giant hamster ball – which is filled with water to your knees. Then it rolls down the hill. Doesn’t sound like much does it. Well, as you’re tumbling down you’re getting soaked, and somehow – I can’t quite explain how or why – you’re reduced to a laughing child in no time. I can’t do it justice in words – you’ve just got to try it for yourself one day.

http://www.zorb.com/zorb/rotorua/

My attendant

For me, this one will take some beating. Totumo is just so unusual, so unlike anything else we’ve experienced on our travels, that I cannot compare it to anything else.

Getting helped into position

We went with a small group from our Spanish school in Cartagena. A typical sweltering early afternoon, well over 90 degrees. We had no idea what to expect, maybe a good thing. On arrival, we’re instructed to strip down to our bathing suits. We can’t take anything with us. We’re attacked by swarms of something, either wasps or bees, it’s hard to tell. We race up the 50 steps or so to the ‘Volcan’. It’s an odd sight to say the least. An inverted cone shape with a small pool like structure at the top. You can’t jump in – in fact you are assisted in by a private attendee. He is not the same as the attendee who is now in possession of your camera. The 1st attendee helps you in and lays you down in the mud. You’re floating, it’s physically impossible to sink. He then covers your body, including face with the mud and proceeds to give you a full body massage. For good measure (well not good) one of our group has a bad allergic reaction to the wasp/bees and has to taken off somewhere. Which leaves us, a small group now without our school guide/teacher. It’s great fun, but we are there a while, with our limited Spanish (we are at Spanish school remember) and we don’t really know what’s next. But it becomes apparent we must stay there till our minibus returns and that seems to take a while. I need to pee but we’re not allowed out – yet. I face a moral dilemma but decide I just cannot do it in the mud. So we wait. And wait. It takes forever. Eventually we get the instruction – we can go! We race out, to the lagoon at the bottom to soak off. There we’re bathed by attendant women, who amongst other things, make us take off our bathing suits so they can wash them. They do return them though while we’re in the lagoon.

It is a lot of fun!

More attendants

There’s time for negotiating fees with all the attendants (luckily our teacher is there to help us) before we go. A truly memorable, if totally bizarre experience.

Happy family

Alleyway of Cafe Condesa, around the corner from Bagel Barn

As our kids get older and enter (and exit) the teenage years, it gets progressively harder to find travel destinations that appeal to them. Once all we had to do was get on a plane and tell them e were going somewhere fun. No more. Like my parents before me, I’ve had to learn that our kids now prefer spending time with their friends. Our children are now 17, 15 and 13, but I’m not ready to give up. I still believe in Family Travel, not just as a concept, but even, still, crazily, for us. And so here are my ideas – which we have employed with various degrees of success – for family travel with older, somewhat reluctant (or very reluctant) kids. Today : Language Schools abroad.

The appeal of a language school is that one’s children actually can see a benefit of this. Even though they will not want to study in their vacation, they appreciate that this could be very advantageous for them. The secret, I believe, is not only to find a good school, but find a location that has its on magical appeal outside of the school. Let me (try) enlighten you.

Roasting marshmallows at Pacaya

Our children all study Spanish, so that’s the language we have looked for. First we studied at CLI in Antigua, Guatemala for a week. CLI was a wonderful school – set in a large colonial house with a big garden, every student has a one on one teacher specifically at their own level (mine is the lowest, and mostly very frustrating). So our daughter, a terrific Spanish student who will always be way ahead of me, could go at her own pace. Meanwhile her (then) beginner brothers shared a great tutor. Our classes ran from 8am-1pm, Monday to Friday, which allowed for a lot of sightseeing. Antigua is a great place to be, even for the most jaded teenager. It’s a gorgeous colonial town, a little bit in ruin, with lots to do inside and out. There’s Chichcastenango, arguably the largest and most famous indigenous market in Central America (http://travellingdad.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/guatemala-2008-chichicastenango-to-antigua/), and there’s Volcan Pacaya, still the most dramatic excursion I can remember doing. Drama, pure drama.

http://travellingdad.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/antigua-volcan-pacaya/

Antigua

But best of all (this is for the teenagers amongst us) Antigua is just a cool place to hang out. My kids tell me Bagel Barn had the best bagels ever (high praise indeed) and Cafe Condesa serves the most delicious deserts that actually make you forget that you’re a total imbecile in your Spanish class. Add the market, the ruins, and the general atmosphere and you have yourself a winner. And with older kids, you can allow them a little bit of freedom without the constant worry about getting lost r worse. CLI is a five minute walk from the mercado, so every day after class our kids went over there while we checked our mail. Just a top family place.

Next up Cartagena, Colombia. Now I have to say that conditions here were not ideal like Antigua. Firstly, our school, Cactus, was not as organised as CLI. Mainly they were not sure what to do with 2 students (my son and me) who clearly had so little Spanish. Secondly Cartagena is stinking hot. As my son would say 90 degrees(Fahrenheit, about 32 celsius) by 9am. But on the other hand, it is one of the most fantastic destinations imaginable. When you combine the passion and happiness of the people with the spectacular architecture, the Caribbean beaches nearby, the general atmosphere, and the incredible Volcan Totumo (http://travellingdad.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/colombia-july-2009-cartagena-part-2/) you will find a city that will captivate anyone. Even a teenager. Oh, and found us a tutor who  could teach a kid and his dad at the same time. And it was great fun!

Bizarre Volcan Totumo

http://www.tripatini.com/video/cartagena-de-indias-colombia-1

You can travel with your teenage kids. It just takes some work top find the right places and the right activities!

One of Cartagena's great plazas