The Ringdahl Family

Happy New Year 2012!

2011-12-31T01:09:00.002+01:00

The Ringdahl wishes all friends – near and far – a wonderful 2012!

The picture below shows Atlas’ idea of a Lucia celebration in Sweden. A future artist?

Happy New Year from OlaNinaTembaDisaTinnaAtlas

September to December 2011

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December was unusually warm, almost 10 degrees. The roses in the garden thought it was spring time. Tinna ended her dance classes with a very nice show. Temba kept on playing football outdoors, and sang beautifully in the school Lucia choir. We made a ginger bread house and drank our fair share of the Swedish “glögg”. Atlas gave a very nice Christmas concert with his Kindergarten friends. And Disa went on a scout camp. The favourite Christmas gift was a ping-pong-table!

November was full of handball tournaments for Disa. Tinna turned 6 years, Temba turned 11, and Nina turned 29 again (it’s a miracle!).

In October, Ola started a new job, with a healthcare company. Exciting times in a new industry! The kids imitated the American tradition of trick-or-treat for Halloween, and got handsomely awarded by the neighbours.

September was lovely. Disa threw a birthday party for all her classmates (she turned 8 in July). Atlas celebrated his 4th birthday and got a Spiderman birthday cake. Nina went horesback-riding, while Ola had to do with a Segway ride. Temba learned how to solve Rubik’s cube, much to the despair of his parents who always wanted to know how to to it (without breaking it into pieces and reassembling it).

Back from Morocco

2011-09-29T00:34:00.002+02:00

Below there are three postings about our journey from Sweden to Morocco and back. It took place June-August 2011. We drove 12,000 km through 14 countries. It was a great trip and we can really recommend it!

Morocco to Sweden

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We returned to Europe via a ferry from Ceuta (Spanish enclave in Africa) to Algeciras (Spain). We drove to the city of Cadiz. It is thought to be the oldest city in Europe. People have lived here for 3000+ years. And persistent rumours say that the lost city of Atlantis was in the Cadiz area.

Sevilla was next. Once a Roman port, it became the capital of the Muslim invaders in the 12th century. It then returned to Spanish rule and had a monopoly on trade with the colonies in America from 1503.

In Mérida we gaped at Roman ruins en masse. Then we wild-camped on a hill among beautiful olive trees.

We drove into France and relaxed a couple of days in Les Landes.

Dune de Pilats is Europe’s highest sand dune, about 100 metres high. We enjoyed it!

In Arcachon we found a lovely shack on the beach where they served fresh oysters.

In St Emilion we wild-camped in a vineyard and tasted the sour grapes (and the lovely wine).

We returned to Sweden via Lyon (wedding), Champagne and Legoland (Denmark).

All in all we had driven 12,000 km through 14 countries. It was a great trip indeed!

Morocco - July 2011

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A two-hour ferry ride took us from Tarifa to Tangier. We continued south along the coast, direction Casablanca.

El-Jadida is an old Portuguese fort, with canons, underground water reservoirs and tourist bling-bling.

The town of Essaouira was a favourite. We got lost in the medina.

Marrakesh is probably the most well-known city in Morocco. We enjoyed the spectacles in the main square (look at Atlas with a snake around his neck), the market and the palaces.

We crossed the Atlas Mountains. Our son Atlas was very proud and possesive. He claimed that every mountain and every stone were his. We walked through the thousand-year-old mud-brick village of Ait Benhadou. It has featured as a backdrop in many films.

As we continued south, the road disappeared under the Sahara sand. We continued another 200 km into the desert, in search of an advenure! We found dead camels, a lot of sand, and bedouins who live in this world of immense heat.

At dusk, a sandstorm hit us. Our guide Omar helped us to find shelter in a bedouin camp. Lucky us! After a few hours, the storm abated and we could sleep in our tent. The temperature was 2 degrees cooler in the tent than outside thanks to the fact that our bodies cooled the air inside the tent, Bizarre!

In the morning it was only 37 degrees. We took the opportunity to explore the sand dunes and play in the sand.

Omar knew some bedouins who had camels which we could ride on.

We escaped the heat, crossed the Atlas mountains at an altitude of 3000 metres, and came via Azrou to the city of Fez. Disa turned 8 years, and we celebrated her birthday in the Fez medina.

In the city of Meknes we had a superb guide who helped us through the maze of narrow streets.

Volubilis was a Roman outpost 2000 years ago.

We visited the blue city of Chefchauen and the medina in Tetouan before we reached te Mediterranan coast.

We left Morocco via the Spanish enclave Ceuta, and looked back at the African continent as our ferry crossed the strait of Gibraltar.

The kids loved Morocco. It is a great travel destination!

Sweden to Morocco

2011-08-25T23:36:00.007+02:00

Time to hit the road again and enjoy another adventure with our Land Rover. Our goal was to drive to Morocco and to see the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara desert beyond the mountains. We drove quickly to the Mediterranean through Denmark, Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Italy.

The Alfred Nobel House in San Remo, Italy.

The Casino in Monaco.

With the Lenander family in Le Predet, France.

Sunflowers in Provence, the Roman amphitheater in Arles, the Roman aqueduct in Pont du Gard.

We visited our Dutch travel friends Marcel and Nelly at their guest house outside Foix, France.

We touched the clouds in beautiful Andorra.

Spain was a delight. We focused on the high plateau, and the weather was perfect. Our first stop was Soria, where we stumbled upon a bull run. Very exciting!

Segovia is a gem, with its 2000 years old Roman aqueduct, its fairytale castle and its cathedral and narrow streets.

We did a lot of wild-camping in the beautiful countryside. People are very friendly. And we could follow in the footsteps of Don Quijote.

Back in 2008, we named our Land Rover “Alhambra”. It means “the red house” in Arabic, and we thought it was an appropriate name for our red mobile home. Now we had the chance to visit the real Alhambra – the Moorish fort/castle complex in Granada, Spain. It is touristic, but definitely worth a visit.

We visited our Dutch travel friends Ilco and Anna, with kids Bloem, Chaia and Dunya in their home outside Montefrio. Ilco is a photographer and peace activist. Anna writes children books. What a wonderful family! Read more on http://www.ilcovanderlinde.nl/

Continuing south towards Morocco, we visited the British colony of Gibraltar, an odd place with a lot of charm (and monkeys). To get into Gibraltar, we had to drive across the airfield. And then we got a special permission to drive all the way to the top of “The Rock”. Wow!

Our final stop on the European continent was on the beach outside Tarifa. We could see Africa on the other side of the Gibraltar strait. There was an air of adventure.

May 2011

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We are not used to having a garden. And when we moved in it was covered by deep snow. But now we discover new flowers every day. Wonderful!

April 2011

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We discovered that we have a beautiful magnolia tree in front of our house. Amazing tree!

We enjoyed the lovely spring weather. Ola and Temba took up skateboarding again. And Atlas got inspired and also wanted to try skateboarding.

And Easter was so warm that the Easter chocolate eggs melted and we went for a swim in the lake instead.

19 March 2011

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Finally! It is springtime!

February 2011

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We are getting to know our new neighbourhood. Being close to the see is really nice.

Nina, Temba and Disa went for a week’s skiing in Austria.

December 2010 – January 2011

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We had a lot of snow in Malmö this winter. The children really enjoyed it!

In January we moved into our house. It is on Beleshögsvägen, in the western part of Malmö, close to the beach. Temba and Disa moved to a new school. Very exciting times for all of us!

Books, blogs and article

2010-09-18T21:34:00.003+02:00

In the latest issue #8 of Vagabond (Swedish travel magazine) there is an article about our journey from Sweden to Cambodia. Click here to read the article on Vagabond.se (Swedish only).

Signed copies of our book “Kapstaden till Nordkap på 333 dagar” can be bought directly on our web site www.kaptillkap.se.

We aim to publish a book about our journey from Sweden to Cambodia, but it will take a few more months.

We continue to update our family blog www.ringdahlfamily.blogspot.com.

If you are interested specifically in our journey from Sweden to Cambodia, please use the blog archive and browse through the posts from April 2008 to July 2009.

Temba is also writing a blog (in Swedish). Read about his impressions on www.tembaringdahl.blogspot.com.

September 2010

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Atlas turned 3 years and was delighted by the Spiderman cake.

September has been a lot about football. Temba is practicing twice a week, and now Disa has also started playing.

Ola took Nina to her first live football game ever, Malmö against Helsingborg. It was a great show, with every seat sold out, and MFF won 2-0.

August 2010 – Sweden

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We returned to Sweden and visited Vadstena and Gränna.

A camp site by Lake Vättern offered pony riding and the kids loved it. And what a sunset!

After a few days in Småland we continued to Skåne and Österlen. The Svanström family arranged a barbecue in their lovely garden by the sea. This was followed by some sightseeing in Kivik and lovely days on the beach Sandhammaren.

And then it was time for the annual summer meeting of the Swedish Land Rover Club, this year at the island Ivön in northeast Skåne. We went together with the Tegenrot family and had a great time. Ola gave a photo show and presentation to around 100 people who were interested to hear more about our long trips with kids.

July 2010 – Norway

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We drove into Norway, took a ferry across the Oslo fjord and continued south to Verdens Ende (the end of the world). There we visited Nina’s university friend Wenche and her family.

Then it was time to explore the central parts of Norway, this mountainous and beautiful country. We stopped at Norway’s largest stave church in Heddal.

We met up with our friends the Hägglund Family (www.livetigulafaran.blogspot.com) in a mountain valley close to Rjukan where they had found a nice bush camp next to a small river. Christine had made a cake for Disa to celebrate her recent birthday. Bush cake!

Norway is definitely a bit colder than Sweden, but the natural waterslides in the river were too tempting to resist the thrill.

We went to the 35 year anniversary of the Norwegian Land Rover Club. More than 100 vehicles from several countries had gathered in Flesberg.

We enjoyed meeting other Land Rover enthusiasts and travellers. Many people were interested in learning more about our travels.

At a Land Rover meeting there is of course a lot of off-road driving. Ola got stuck on a rocky path and had to be towed out.

Pär Hägglund got seriously stuck in a mud hole and had to be towed out.

Nina and Christine seemed to have fewer problems. Nina even qualified for the Trial finals!

Even the kids were allowed to drive, and they did not get stuck either…

Our journey continued up to Bessheim before we had to return to Sweden. We had some wonderful days in the mountains, with beautiful scenery, bush camping on lakeshores or at riversides, and we met very friendly people everywhere.

July 2010 – Sweden

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Our friend Martin Tornberg is turning 40 and a surprise party was arranged for him in Blekinge. The Rock-karaoke with live-band and dancing was great fun!

We prepared our Land Rover ‘Alhambra’ for a five week tour through Sweden and Norway. The first stop was northwestern Skåne where we spent a couple of days with the Maurin family. Hovs Hallar, with its dramatic rock formations, was a highlight.

We continued on small roads along the west coast and enjoyed lazy days on the beautiful beaches.

Disa and Temba became addicted to minigolf and insisted on us finding camp sites where they could play.

In Grimeton, outside Varberg, we visited the highly interesting long wave radio station from 1925. It is a World Heritage since 2005 and tourists come from all over the world to visit this unique site.

Disa turned 7 years and we celebrated with cake in Varberg.

In Bohuslän the coastline changes appearance. Granite rocks form a beautiful archipelago and we visited some of the traditional fishing villages, e.g. Lysekil, Smögen and Fjällbacka.

Another World Heritage is the Tanum Rock Carvings from the Bronze Age. Vivid illustrations, some more than 3000 years old, tell stories about life in those days.

June 2010

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Ola was on a business trip to South Africa the week before the World Cup. The vuvuzelas were on sale everywhere. And Ola even got the chance to play a practice match on a street of Jo’burg. Check out the Bafana Bafana shirt!

June was full of parties and sunny days. We celebrated Swedish Midsummer with our friends in Nyhamnsläge. We did the traditional frog dance around the midsummer pole. Then it was herring, aquavit, herring tart, more aquavit – and later dancing on the pier.

May 2010

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Temba is enjoying the skateboard park in Malmö very much and giving expert advice to his father. Ola’s skateboarding is improving, and he is very excited about it.

We went to see a football match at the new football stadium in Malmö. Our home team MFF was playing against TFF from nearby Trelleborg. 17,000 spectators, sunshine and we were standing in the middle of the hardcore MFF supporters. The atmosphere was fantastic, especially since MFF played really well and won the game.

During a weekend in Gothenburg with the Lenander family we visited a wonderful art exhibition called “Renässansens Mästare”. It featured works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rafael. Visits to the amusement park Liseberg and the experience center “Universeum” were also on our itenary.

March to April 2010

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In March we started the skateboard season. Temba and Disa are learning fast. Tinna and Atlas are using the skateboard ramp as a playground.

In April we spent our Easter holiday in the summer house with Nina’s sisters and their families. The arrival of the Easter bunny was a highlight. The hunt was on, with 10 cousins in fierce competition trying to find all the sweets hidden in the garden. Atlas looked like a winner.

Nina has switched from a public dental clinic to the private clinic Smile, where she is now enjoying her work as a dentist.

Ola is still working as an Export manager. During his latest business trip, to St Petersburg, the volcano eruption in Iceland cancelled the return flights. Ola did not mind since he likes to travel overland instead of flying. He managed to get back to Sweden by car to Helsinki, boat to Stockholm and bus again to Malmö. It took a few days longer, but it was an interesting experience. Now he regrets that he did not buy an old Russian Niva jeep in which he could have driven home. Maybe next time…

Cheers,

The Ringdahl Family

January to February 2010

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In January we enjoyed the snow in Malmö.

At a memorable party with the Maurin family, Nina became a godmother to Malla. We have promised Daniel Maurin not to mention the results in the miniature ping-pong tournament later that same evening.

In February Nina went skiing with Temba and Disa in Canazei in the Italian Alps. They had a wonderful week with lots of snow, sun and fun.

Atlas and Tinna stayed at home with Ola, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Article in Aftonbladet

2010-01-08T01:15:00.005+01:00

There was an article about our journey from Sweden to Cambodia in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet last Sunday. You can find the article through this link: www.aftonbladet.se/resa/bilsemester/article6379336.ab

To order our book "Kapstaden till Nordkap på 333 dagar" (Swedish), please visit our web page www.kaptillkap.se

Best wishes for 2010

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Five months have now passed, since we came back from our wonderful journey from Sweden to Cambodia. The kids have adapted faster than their parents, but after a few months we have all settled in. The children are enjoying school and kindergarten. Nina quit her old job, and will start working at a private dental clinic in Malmö in March. Ola is trying to find time to put our experiences into writing.
We wish you all a very happy 2010. We hope that many positive adventures are awaiting you in the New Year.
Best wishes from Ola, Nina, Temba, Disa, Tinna and Atlas

December 2009

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We celebrated Lucia in kindergarten. Tinna and Atlas had practiced a lot and were very cute in their traditional attire.
December was cold and wintry in Sweden. Disa, Tinna and Atlas went ice-skating for the first time ever. They developed their own unique styles, and it was all very entertaining!
It snowed a lot and we all enjoyed the white surroundings.
We celebrated Christmas in Småland with Nina’s family. From the top: Mr. Snowman, Atlas, Tinna, Disa, Temba.
After Christmas we went to the north of Sweden for some skiing in the Arctic mountains. The heavy snowfall all over Sweden meant that Alhambra had a real challenge. 1200 km of driving through snow and ice. It was one of our most extreme drives ever. And we could not really fathom why we drove north for a holiday, instead of south…?!

The Arctic world was a great place to end the year. But at temperatures between -10 and -20, you have to ski very intensely to keep warm!

November 2009

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November was full of birthday celebrations. Tinna turned 4 and everything revolved around the princess theme (in pink and purple). Temba turned 9 and threw a party for his friends. Nina celebrated her birthday with friends in Stockholm.

October 2009

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In October we celebrated Halloween in Småland with Nina’s sisters and their families.
Tinna and Atlas enjoyed the face paint and Halloween costumes.
One morning the landscape had turned white with frost. We prepared Alhambra for the winter, removing the rooftop tent and other equipment.

September 2009

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In September, Nina and Ola went back to their jobs. It felt as awkward as one can imagine. Going back to normal life was a bit of a shock to all of us. Especially as everything was turned upside down when Temba broke his arm in a bad way. But it would have been far worse if the accident had happened somewhere in Nowhere-istan of course!
We enjoyed the beautiful September weather and made nice excursions in and around Malmö.

August 2009

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In August we moved back into our apartment in central Malmö. Temba started third grade, with his old class. Disa started prep school. Tinna went back to kindergarten. Atlas joined the same kindergarten as Tinna, but for him it was a big change that the whole family could not be together 24/7.
Ola went to Hamburg and collected our travel companion Alhambra from the shipping container. It felt a bit melancholic to cross the bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö. These were the final kilometers on our wonderful 60,000 km journey across 37 countries.

Our book from the Cape Town to Nordkapp journey

2009-11-09T15:21:00.000+01:00

If you are interested in the book about our journey from Cape Town (South Africa) to Nordkapp (Norway), you can order a signed copy of "Kapstaden to Nordkapp in 333 days" directly from the Ringdahl family. The book is in Swedish. Please visit our web site www.kaptillkap.se for more information about the book and how to order it.

Back in Sweden

2009-07-29T01:34:00.001+02:00

We were welcomed by our relatives at the Copenhagen Airport and we were overwhelmed! It felt great to be back! The party continued in Malmö.
We will now spend the next few weeks settling in. We have traveled east by car for 16 months and the flight back to Sweden took 16 hours. It is quite an abrupt change of environment! But we are coming back to an environment we know very well, and in many ways we will adapt quickly of course. Nevertheless, it will take some time to ’land’ properly. We have so many memories to digest, and a lot to catch up on.

Greetings from Sweden
Ola, Nina, Temba, Disa, Tinna & Atlas

5-12 July – Bangkok, Thailand

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We managed to leave Cambodia without any hassle. The customs officers were sleeping, so they did not even bother to check our special car documents (which we had fought quite hard to get when entering Cambodia). However, to our surprise, the Thai Customs insisted on a special Car Import Fee because it was weekend. They really could not know that they were asking the wrong people. If we had traveled this far without paying any ’special fee’, we would not do it now.

We reached Mega-Bangkok through a maze of elevated highways and miraculously reached the tourist district around Khao San Road without too much trouble. We found a hotel and safe parking on Soi Rambuttri. Time to prepare for our return to Sweden.

We spent a lovely week in Bangkok. But true to our promise to our children, we did not visit even one temple... We arranged the car shipment through a very nice and professional agent – Transpeed.
We went to the markets, indulged in excellent street food and relaxed in the hotel pool.
We squeezed the whole family into tuk-tuks, much to the surprise of the drivers. ’One, two, three, four children! Are they all yours?’
We experienced how brave our children were in a close encounter with a python!
We tried to prepare mentally for the trip back to Sweden. It can be a challenge to return after a long journey. But once you know that you are going home, you also start looking forward to it. The difficult phase comes when you have settled in back home and you start to live a life full of everyday routines. This will be a challenge.
We have driven 60,000 km through 37 countries. We have had the pleasure of spending almost one and a half year together, 24 hours a day, in the most exciting and challenging environments. We have enjoyed the freedom and feel extremely privileged and happy. This has been the journey of a lifetime! And who knows, perhaps we get a chance in the future to do something similar again. Once a vagabond – always a vagabond!

2 July – Angkor Wat, Cambodia

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Angkor Wat is the most well preserved temple complex of Angkor. It was probably never abandoned, so the jungle never got the upper hand. Angkor Wat is the flagship of Angkor, and the tour buses are many. The complex is beautiful, but the many tourists and all the restoration efforts have resulted in a lack of soul. At least in our opinion. We actually preferred the ’wilder’ and less polished temples of the Angkor region.
Nevertheless, Angkor Wat is spectacular. The moat is almost 200 meters wide and 6 km long. The buildings are enormous and perfectly symmetrical. The sculptures and bas-reliefs are very well kept.
Angkor Wat was the last temple we visited during our journey. It was quite a Grand Finale!

1 July – Ta Prohm, Cambodia

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We eagerly continued our temple safari. Admittedly, there were times when the children stayed in the air-conditioned car while their parents chased through some less famous temples...
We stopped to admire some of the entrance gates to Angkor Thom.
Ta Keo, a pyramid-like structure was impressive in its massive form. The steps were so steep that quite a few travelers must have ended their journeys here.
Preah Neak Pean was very serene and lovely with its five pools and a small temple structure in the center.
Ta Som is famous for the strangler fig tree which has all but swallowed one of the entrance towers.
Banteay Srei, from AD 967, is known for its pink sandstone and exquisite stone carvings.
The highlight was Ta Prohm, an enormous temple which has been invaded by equally enormous trees. Clearing the trees and vegetation would probably result in a collapse of the ruins, so the trees are allowed to continue their silent invasion. The result is spectacular for the visitors.

30 June – Angkor Thom, Cambodia

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The Angkorian period spans from AD 802 to 1432. During this long period, a vast number of temples were built in the area around present-day Siem Reap. At its peak, the city of Angkor is believed to have had more than one million inhabitants. Today, only the sandstone temple ruins remain, since the normal houses were built of wood. The centrally located temples are spread over an area of more than 500 square kilometers, but there are many other Angkorian temples further away from Angkor (e.g. Beng Mealea).
We bought a three-day entrance pass to the central temples of Angkor. We spent our first day exploring the enormous temple city of Angkor Thom (Great Angkor), constructed during the 12th and 13th centuries. The city is surrounded by an eight meter high wall, and a 100 meter wide moat, 12 km long. There are five impressive gates, guarded by gods and demons. We managed to pass through the narrow gate with our car.
The highlight in Angkor Thom was the Bayon Temple. It is located in the very center, and it was built in a different style compared to the other temples in the area. The temple has three levels and is crowned by 54 towers, each with four enormous faces, carved from the stone blocks, glazing enigmatically into the distance.
Children and adults were equally thrilled with Bayon and we did not want to leave, despite the scorching sun.
On the outer wall of the lower level, there are fantastic bas-reliefs, 1.2 km long, depicting life in Angkor during the 12th century.
Other favorites in Angkor Thom included:
The 350m-long Terrace of Elephants.
The hundreds of apsara sculptures on the Terrace of the Leper King.
The elevated walkway to the Baphuon Temple.
The beautiful Kleang structures, between which line dancers once entertained the Angkor kings.
The Preah Khan Temple, with its narrow vaults, beautiful sculptures and Hindu symbols.

26 June – Beng Mealea, Cambodia

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Our visit to the 12th century Angkor temple of Beng Mealea was a real highlight. It was abandoned centuries ago and the jungle has all but swallowed it. Even though many of the massive structures have collapsed, it is still a very impressive temple complex. Trees, bushes and vines grow everywhere and are completely intertwined with the stone structures. We had the place to ourselves and felt like real explorers!

25 June – Siem Reap, Cambodia

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Siem Reap is the base camp for exploring the many ruin complexes of the Angkor area. We found a lovely guest house, Earthwalker, where we could prepare for some serious temple sightseeing, and for the final leg of our journey.
We enjoyed the tasty Khmer food in the many good local restaurants around town. Banana blossom salad served on banana leaves, steamed fish served in coconut, lotus root salad, chicken in amok sauce with crispy vegetables, beef lok lak, and much more. And perhaps a dragon fruit for dessert? Yum!

24 June – Sambor Preikuk, Cambodia

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Driving through the Cambodian countryside is very scenic. But we stay on the road. Land mines and off-roading are a bad combination.
The 200+ temples at Sambor Preikuk, halfway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, are lovely. Most of the brick structures are from the 7th century, hidden in dense jungle. They predate the great temples of Angkor by about 500 years!
Our self-taught guide, Bun Teng, made our hike among the temples a very memorable experience.

22-23 June – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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We followed the Mekong River south towards Cambodia. We felt very good. Once again we had stood up against the ugly face of corruption. You can of course question if it was worth two days of hardship. We felt that it was.
Cambodia’s history makes you cry. Wars, civil wars, mass murder, communist insanity, more mass murder. The Khmer Rouge are said to have caused the deaths of about two million people (a quarter of the population) during their reign 1975-1979. The Khmer Rouge were collectively insane. This meant that even if they were defeated by the Vietnamese, who marched in to save the three quarters of the population who were close to dying, in 1979, the Khmer Rouge under their lunatic leader Pol Pot continued to wage a war on the Cambodian people during the next 20 years until Pol Pot died in 1998. The Khmer Rouge leadership is still to receive their punishment. Several of them are in leading positions in Cambodia today. The children of Cambodia are not taught about the Khmer Rouge in school. The subject is said to be too complicated.
In Phnom Penh we were invited to stay with Karl-Anders who works with Swedish development programs in Cambodia. Thank you for your hospitality Karl-Anders!
We did the tourist things in Phnom Penh as well.

We can report that the Silver Pagoda has a guard at the gate who wants people to bribe him in order to be let in. In our case, he did not realize who he was messing with until he stood there with his pants around his ankles.
After a visit to the National Museum and lunch at Friend’s (excellent place where street kids are given a second chance), the girls demanded to have their nails done. Glittery silver color. Beautiful!
We loved the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, a classic colonial institution by the confluence of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong Rivers. This is the place to spend some spare time in Phnom Penh!

19-21 June – No Man’s Land

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The road through southern Laos was much better than expected. Our temple visits rained away, so we went to see the Khong Phapheng waterfalls instead.
After only two days we had reached the border to Cambodia, formerly the death camp of the communist Khmer Rouge. We were speedily stamped out of Laos, and presented our documents to Cambodian immigration and customs.
Immigration said welcome. Customs said ’NO! GO BACK LAO!’

At some point we will tell the whole insane story about what happened over the next 48 hours. The summary is that we refused to bribe the Cambodian customs officer, he refused to let us enter with our car, and we refused to leave and camped in the middle of the road in front of the border gate for two days.
The Swedish Embassy tried to intervene but was interrupted by the weekend. Finally, through the brave intervention by provincial tourist manager Theany (a wonderful young lady with strong integrity), the vice minister of tourism in Cambodia heard about the Swedish family who was kept hostage at the border. He ordered that we should be released immediately. His will be done.

16-17 June – Vietnam War

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We visited the tunnels at Vinh Moc to see how the North Vietnamese soldier and their families survived the bombardments during the Vietnam War.
A few hundred meters south of Vinh Moc is the 17th parallel where the border ran between North and South Vietnam. For us, this area marked the eastern-most point (107 degrees east) of our overland journey. The only way is back...
A solid communist monument with the mandatory pompous mosaic showed where the border between the communist North and the capitalist South had once been.

A few meters away, soldiers were preparing to use their water canons against citizens who were walking in a peaceful demonstration against the oppressive regime.
When approaching the border to Laos, we expected serious problems. We had disregarded all the directives about the zillions of documents we had to arrange in Vietnam. But we were ready for a good fight in the name of freedom. Much to our surprise, we were allowed to exit Vietnam without any problems. Surely, all the border crossings would be a piece of cake from now on!?

5-14 June – Hanoi, Vietnam

2009-06-14T11:31:00.001+02:00

We approached Hanoi through a sea of motorbikes. It was obvious that we had left courteous Laos and entered a more intense and crowded country.
We arrived at the Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi where we where met by our friends Elsa and Kristoffer. They moved here a year ago with their children Jonatan and Miriam. It was steaming hot (35-40 degrees) and we happily accepted the offer to stay in the guest house where a modern A/C unit was humming.
We have had a wonderful time in charming Hanoi.
Some highlights:

Exploring the old quarters on foot, with our guide Linda.
Leaning back in a cyclo and cruising slowly through the narrow streets.
Visiting the Mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh lies on his permanent lit de parade.
The Swedish Film Festival which took place in Hanoi and was opened by Elsa.
Burning incense at the Ngoc Son Temple, where Kristoffer told the ancient tale of Hanoi, a story about a turtle and a magical sword.
Watching the water puppet show where skillful puppet masters showcased Vietnamese folk tales.
Spending time with Elsa, Kristoffer, Jonatan and Miriam. The talks, the food, the excursions, the wonderful hospitality. Thank you so much!

3-5 June – Laos to Vietnam

2009-06-14T11:25:00.000+02:00

We continued towards Vietnam via the old tombs of Sua Hin, believed to be more than 1000 years old.
After a quick stop in Vieng Xai, we approached the Vietnamese border at Na Meo. The whole situation felt very uncertain. Going back was not an option. We had to get through somehow.
The Vietnamese border police and customs did their best to block the dangerous Swedish family from entering Vietnam. They refused to believe that Swedish citizens can enter Vietnam without a visa. They refused to let us enter with our car.
After a completely Kafkaesque experience, and close to six hours of fierce argumentation, we were finally allowed into Vietnam. It felt great! We had promised our friends in Hanoi that we would arrive on the 5th. It looked like we would make it!
The drive from Na Meo to Hanoi was mountainous and very beautiful. Different hill tribes still live in the remote areas. They seem to be able to make just about anything from bamboo which grows everywhere.
Further down in the valleys, the rice harvesting was in full swing.

1-2 June – Plain of Jars, Laos

2009-06-14T11:23:00.001+02:00

The Plain of Jars in northeastern Laos is like something from a fairytale. Hundreds of large stone jars, carved from blocks of stone, are scattered across a wide area. The weathered stone jars are said to be 2000 years old. Most likely they have been used as storage containers for fresh water in the past – nobody knows for sure.
This area was very heavily bombed during the Vietnam War. The Americans tried to stop the North Vietnamese from smuggling weapons to South Vietnam along the so called Ho Chi Minh trail which ran through Laos. Many stone jars were damaged by bombs.
Many people in the area lost their lives during the war. Still today, several people are killed every year by unexploded bombs from the war. When children start playing with the bombs, they sometimes explode.

29-30 May – Luang Prabang, Laos

2009-06-14T11:21:00.000+02:00

We spent a couple of days in Luang Prabang with our friends Rein and Maaike from Holland. We first met in Turkey, and have managed to run into each other several times in Iran, Pakistan and India. Our kids spoke English to Rein and Maaike. We felt very proud. They have really managed to pick up a lot of English along the way.
Rein and Maaike told us that they had been refused entry to Vietnam when they tried to cross the border by car from Cambodia a month earlier. We hoped that we would have better luck when trying to enter Vietnam from Laos.

30 May – Towards Hanoi

2009-05-30T11:29:00.000+02:00

We are now heading east towards Vietnam and Hanoi where we will visit friends.
After Hanoi, we hope to see a bit more of Vietnam before returning to Laos to explore the southern parts. From Laos we will cross into Cambodia, and then it is time to return to Thailand.
We plan to ship the car back to Sweden from Bangkok some time in July.
We will all fly home to Sweden in August in time for Ola’s sister’s wedding and the start of the next school year.

27-29 May – Hmong people, Laos

2009-05-30T11:25:00.001+02:00

We drove through wonderfully green scenery with never ending mountains and small villages clinging to the steep slopes.
We stopped in many Hmong villages to interact with the friendly people. The Hmong form the largest hill tribe group in Laos. They are quite recent immigrants, having come from Burma, Tibet and China during the last century or so.
Returning to Luang Prabang, we stopped by a waterfall to let the children cool off in the clear pools below the falls. A true water wonder land.

26 May – Vang Vieng, Laos

2009-05-30T11:24:00.001+02:00

We were lured to Vang Vieng by promises of a stunning karst landscape (limestone hill formations). For us, the drive to and from Vang Vieng was a lot more exciting than the village itself. Vang Vieng is more for the young crowd who want to party all night (alcohol is cheap and most illegal substances readily available), wake at noon, have an extra large English breakfast, and then float down the Song River on an inner tube, stopping frequently to cure the hangover with more alcohol. So, Vang Vieng certainly has its audience. But families with small children should perhaps go somewhere else...
Our children did take a quick dip in the river however. The chocolate brown color did not stop them from playing in the stream.

22-25 May – Luang Prabang, Laos

2009-05-30T11:19:00.000+02:00

We spent some days in the old royal capital of Luang Prabang, now a World Heritage, on the banks of the Mekong River.
The town is full of French colonial style buildings, now turned into guest houses, boutique hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and trendy cafés where WiFi access comes with your cappuccino.
There is a nice food market and an exhaustingly large night market where tourists can satisfy all their souvenir needs.
Luang Prabang is famous for its many wats (Buddhist temples). Orange clad monks can be seen all over town, walking under their umbrellas or pedaling their bicycles.
In the villages around Luang Prabang, people are making a lot of handicrafts, using all the resources nature can offer. The Mulberry tree, for example, is used for many things. The leaves are food for the silk worms. The berries are eaten raw, dried or in yummy mulberry jam. The bark is used for making paper. The kids tried their hand at this, thrilled that they could create their own paper.

20-21 May – Muang Sing, Laos

2009-05-30T11:11:00.000+02:00

We have become fascinated by all the hill tribes. To learn more, and to visit more villages, we drove to Muang Sing in the very northwestern corner of Laos. Unfortunately, the deforestation in Laos is quite bad. The tropical forests are cleared, the timber sold to the Chinese. Slash and burn agriculture is widely practiced. Most of the original forests will be gone very soon.
We camped in a beautiful spot, very close to the Chinese border. We even checked if we were allowed a quick tour into China, but only locals were allowed to use this border. We looked across the border into China. Another time...
We visited an Akha village by foot from where we camped. The Akha always seem to be poorer than the rest. There were children everywhere, keen to get a glimpse of the unusual visitors.
Some women were showing embroidered bracelets, while making sure we got a glimpse of the much more potent merchandise they were hiding in their bags – the big O.
In a Yao village a bit further away, the older women were dressed traditionally in their colorful vests and hats. While they were trying to make some money, selling hand made souvenirs to us, their incapacitated men were smoking opium in a corner.
A visit to another village was effectively blocked. We enjoyed a traditional Lao dinner instead. The sun was setting behind the mountains. People were returning home from the rice paddies. The fire flies were starting their entertaining show in the dark. We are really enjoying Laos.

18-20 May – Luang Namtha, Laos

2009-05-30T11:04:00.000+02:00

We crossed the Mekong River on a primitive ferry. The last few meters we had to drive through the murky water ourselves. It felt like a rough and appropriate way to enter into the remote areas of northern Laos.
Welcome to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Just by reading the name of the country you know for sure that democracy is not allowed here. But large and colorful murals with soldiers are very much encouraged.
From the border at Houei Xai we drove through the mountains to Luang Namtha. We watched tribal life as we were passing through one poor village after the other.
We camped by the river next to the Boat Landing Guest House south of Luang Namtha. In their excellent restaurant we got an introduction to the lovely cuisine of Laos. Sticky rice, different dipping curry mixes (jaew), noodle soups (fôe), spicy green papaya salad, fresh spring rolls, etc.
We explored village life around Luang Namtha. Many people are busy in the rice paddies now, planting before the rains start.
The oxen have been replaced by the iron ox from China. This leads to more efficient ploughing, but suddenly the villagers have to get money to buy fuel for the machine and fertilizer for the field (the oxen took care of that before).
In a Black Thai village, the women were producing silk. We were invited to see the silk worms, the cocoons, the spinning and weaving of raw silk fabric. Nina did not mind having to add yet another scarf to her growing collection.

16-17 May – Golden Triangle, Thailand

2009-05-30T11:01:00.001+02:00

We spent a night in an Akha village on a steep hill. A nice experience, if not exactly action-packed. Village life is slow. Most people seem to be waiting for something that might never happen. We walked around in the village, meeting friendly smiles everywhere. But communication is of course a challenge. Very few people in these villages even speak Thai.
The Golden Triangle is famous for opium. Nowadays, there is not much opium growing on the Thai side of the Triangle thanks to an effective ban and a replacement-crop program. However, the opium business is still booming across the Mekong River in Burma and Laos. We visited the excellent new museum Hall of Opium to learn more about the history of opium. It was fascinating. And what a great museum!

We drove along the mighty Mekong River towards the river crossing into Laos. It was raining slightly, and a giant rainbow formed along the river. What a great end to our wonderful weeks in Thailand. New adventures are waiting for us on the other side of the rainbow – in Laos.

12-15 May – Chiang Rai, Thailand

2009-05-16T09:55:00.001+02:00

We are resting for a couple of days in Chiang Rai. We have been going at a very intense pace lately. There are many things to see in Thailand, and the driving takes time in the mountainous north. Our next destination is Laos.
We found a Swedish bakery where we have enjoyed Swedish cookies and cinnamon buns. When Tinna tasted the cinnamon bun she exclaimed: ‘These taste exactly like grandmother’s cinnamon buns!’.
The foundation which operates the bakery also runs several orphanages. We visited their orphanage in Hua Doi where 57 children, aged 7-18, have found a new home and a future. Well done!

10-11 May – Tham Lot and Cave Lodge, Thailand

2009-05-16T09:49:00.000+02:00

The caves at Tham Lot are very beautiful. There are at least 200 caves in the area, and several of them have been discovered and mapped by John Spies who is running the Cave Lodge since many years. Nina bought his book and really liked it. Check out http://www.cavelodge.com/ for more info.

We visited the Tham Lot caves and floated down the underground river while the bats and swifts tried to drop their loads on our heads. The kids were superbly brave, climbing into very challenging caves and enduring the darkness with bats all around us.
In the last cave we saw the remains of some teak coffins which are at least 1500 years old. Amazing that wood can last so long in this humidity.
We drove even deeper into the mountains, equipped with special maps from Cave Lodge. These tracks and roads were among the steepest we have ever seen. We often had to engage low gear. Sometimes the diff lock was needed.
We visited villages with people from the Lahu and Shan tribes. In the Lahu village Ban Eko we gave pencils to all the school children. They seemed to appreciate that very much. The poverty in these mountain villages is extreme.

9 May – Tea and coffee, Thailand

2009-05-16T09:48:00.000+02:00

We drove up to the very northwest, to the village of Mae Aw. Kuomintang soldiers settled here when they were defeated by Mao in the 1940s. Thanks to its remote location, the village is still very Chinese. They grow a special Chinese tea which they export to Taiwan.
We found the most wonderful coffee in Ban Ruam Thai. A Thai man called Hilary has learnt how to grow, process and roast Arabica coffee. Everything is done manually, without electricity. And Hilary does it so well that any European passing by will cry out of joy and try to hug this coffee entrepreneur. Wonderful!

8-9 May – The Long Neck Tribe, Thailand

2009-05-16T09:43:00.001+02:00

Along the Burmese border there are some very special refugees from Burma. They are the Padaung people, more popularly called the Long Necks.
The women are wearing heavy brass spirals around their necks, and their necks look longer the longer they wear these spirals. The practice, which is very bizarre, starts when the girl is around five years old. Grown up women wear a brass spiral which can weigh 5-10 kg. That is a very heavy adornment to be hanging around your neck!

6-7 May – Karen village, Thailand

2009-05-16T09:39:00.001+02:00

In the border areas between Thailand and Burma there are camps with hundreds of thousands of Burmese refugees. These refugees are caught in no man’s land. They lack citizenship and have no future anywhere. It is a silent tragedy.
We hired a guide who showed us to a very remote village where people from the Karen tribe live. It is only a kilometer away from the border with Burma. The track was ridiculously bumpy and steep.
We were warmly welcomed, but our unannounced visit caused quite a commotion. Our guide/interpreter explained that the people in this village had never seen blonde children before. Our four children were very much at the center of attention, so Nina and I could walk around and have a look at village life without people even noticing us.
We looked at how the people lived, played, weaved, cooked, and so on. Our children noticed the poverty and asked if this is how people live in Africa. They were right. This looks very much like the poorest parts of Africa.

5 May – Myawadi, Burma

2009-05-16T09:34:00.001+02:00

We spent a day in eastern Burma, curious to get a glimpse of the country. We were not welcome to enter Burma by car. The military strongmen who are the dictators of the Great Socialist Union of Myanmar seem to be particularly nervous about being invaded by Swedish families in Red Land Rovers. So we walked across the Friendship Bridge into Burma, leaving Alhambra in Thailand.
Burma is desperately poor. The people are suffering immensely under the dictatorship. But as long as China wants to keep Burma as a buffer state, things will not improve.
That said, as so often in countries where poverty and misery is the norm, people are very friendly and we enjoyed our day in the backstreets of Myawadi.

3 May – Sukhothai, Thailand

2009-05-16T09:32:00.000+02:00

Sukhothai is considered as the first capital of a unified Thailand. It flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Sukhothai kingdom is viewed as the golden age of Thai civilization.
Today, impressive ruins are scattered over a vast area. Sukhothai is a World Heritage.

1-2 May – Floating Market, Thailand

2009-05-06T04:47:00.001+02:00

The Floating Market has become a bit of a tourist trap. We can recommend a visit to the old market in Lad Plee, and canoe trips through the residential canal system, rather than through the tourist mayhem and souvenir shops of the main market.
With enough time on your hands, and if you manage to get away from the crowds, it is really a beautiful experience.

30 April – River Kwai Bridge, Thailand

2009-05-06T04:46:00.001+02:00

We visited the famous River Kwai Bridge in Kanchanaburi. It is the symbol of the 415 km long railway that the prisoners of the occupying Japanese forces built 1942-43. Around 15,000 allied prisoners of war died during the brutal conditions.
Today, the bridge has become a weekend destination for Bangkok’s young party crowds. They arrive in doubledecker buses with serious karaokee systems. Then they party all night on floating platforms in the river. It is…loud. And weird.

27-29 April – Khao Lak, Thailand

2009-05-06T04:43:00.000+02:00

Khao Lak covers a large area and includes many beaches. Some of them are very developed and bear no resemblance to the peace and beauty which made Khao Lak popular in the first place.

Hardly any trace of the tsunami damages can be seen today. Most resorts have been rebuilt, and more hotels are erected everywhere. But there are tsunami warning signs, evacuation routes and memorials – reminding you of the terrible tragedy which happened here 26 December 2004.
More remote parts of Khao Lak are still very beautiful. We found the nice Ao Thong beach in the northern Khao Lak area. Only a few bungalows. Mostly undeveloped shoreline. We camped on the long white beach and enjoyed our last lazy beach days before moving on to northern Thailand.

25-27 April – Phuket, Thailand

2009-05-06T04:40:00.001+02:00

We did not expect to find our very own beach on the intensely developed island of Phuket. But we did, on Mai Khao beach. Not a human being in sight. Great place!
The children are such good travelers, adapting without problems to any environment. It is great to spend so much time together.
Pictures below, in order of appearance: Atlas, Tinna, Disa, Temba.

21-24 April – Cameron Highlands and Penang, Malaysia

2009-05-06T04:36:00.001+02:00

After our steaming experience in the rainforest it was great to drive into the Highlands. At 1500 meters, the altitude reduces the temperature by at least ten degrees. We rummaged through our bags to find long trousers and sweaters. The air felt so fresh!
We visited the BOH tea plantation and enjoyed the marvelous views of the tea fields.
We feasted on strawberries and had tea and scones at the very colonial Ye Olde Smokehouse.
But our favourite culinary experience was at the Indian restaurant Kumar, where we had delicious meals. The children especially loved the Indian paratha pancakes (for breakfast, for lunch, and for dinner).
Cameron Highlands boasts a very substantial population of old, beaten up Land Rovers. We exchanged waves and friendly smiles with hundreds of them before leaving the mountains and descending into the hot and humid plains again.
Our last stop in Malaysia was a very efficient sightseeing of the World Heritage Site of Georgetown, Penang.

20 April – Taman Negara, Malaysia

2009-05-06T04:30:00.001+02:00

The rainforest in Taman Negara is said to be the oldest in the world. We took a walk through the dense jungle, admiring all the flowers, insects and trees. It was steaming hot, exactly as it should be in a rainforest!
The Canopy Walkway of Taman Negara is a real engineering feat. Ten narrow footbridges, each at least 50 meters long, are hanging between enormous trees. The resulting loop is nothing for people who dislike heights. The bridges are swinging and trembling. Flying insects realize that their prey can move only at a very slow pace, and start attacking your face. You are defenseless since your hands are busy clinging onto the ropes. The children loved the canopy walkway, perhaps because their parents attracted most of the bugs.

19 April – Turtle Sanctuary, Malaysia

2009-04-21T17:09:00.001+02:00

We visited a turtle sanctuary and learnt about the large turtles which come to this beach to lay eggs. Our children were very happy when they were allowed to help baby turtles to the sea and release them there.

13-16 April – Pulau Perhentian Besar, Malaysia

2009-04-21T17:03:00.000+02:00

We wanted to do some snorkeling, so we went further up the coast and took a boat to the island Perhentian Besar. We chose a resort very close to the coral reef.
Upon arrival, we rushed to the beach, donned our new masks and snorkels, and plunged into the crystal clear water. Wow! On the picture below, Disa can be seen in action.

8-18 April – East coast, Malaysia

2009-04-21T16:59:00.001+02:00

After the high pace of Singapore, it was time for some seriously lazy days on the beach. We drove along the east coast, seeing some lovely traditional Malay villages along the way.
We found the perfect spot in Cherating, halfway up the east coast. We camped on the beach, enjoying the breeze, the clean water and soft sand.

3-7 April – Singapore

2009-04-21T16:50:00.000+02:00

We enjoyed Singapore very much. The people are friendly and cosmopolitan. Everything is clean and organized. There is a lot to see and do, not least for families. And we actually managed to camp in Singapore, much to our own surprise.
We spent our first day in the busy West Coast Park, watching the local kids enjoying the weekend. Our children had a lot of fun at the giant Adventure Playground, meeting new friends from all over the world.
The next day we went to the Singapore Zoo, which is world class. Our children loved to see all the animals (and their parents had a good time as well!). Towards the end of the day the kids played in the KidzWorld water playground, cooling off after a long, hot day.
One day we took the super modern Metro to Orchard Road and felt like poor bums when walking through the temple-like malls with their chic boutiques.
We continued to Raffles Hotel where we had the mandatory Singapore Sling in the Long Bar. We enjoyed our drinks, the kids munched copious amounts of peanuts, and we soaked up the atmosphere together with a few dozen other tourists before continuing to Chinatown.
We spent several nights camping in the Sembawang Park on the northeastern tip of Singapore Island. Several people from the neighbourhood came to talk to us, and we met some great new friends.

Thank you Kate and Petter Thome for inviting us to your home, to your pool and treating us to both local and IKEA-Swedish delicacies!
Thank you Martha Chaudhry for spending a morning with us, portraying this odd family with itchy feet.

Thank you Michael Fiebrich for the lovely Hop-A-Long DVD. The children loved all the episodes and songs. They send their hugs!

2 April – Melaka, Malaysia

2009-04-21T16:47:00.000+02:00

It felt great to be on the road again, in our travel companion Alhambra. We drove south, on a perfect highway, through never ending oil palm plantations.
Our first stop was Melaka, once a very important colonial town in the region. We strolled around and looked at the buildings from different time periods. Dutch church, Portuguese fort, English mansion, Chinese shop, Malay fishing hut. Melaka is a pleasant place to spend a few days.

1 April – Port Klang, Malaysia

2009-04-01T18:42:00.000+02:00

Temba and Ola went to Port Klang to pick up the car. It was a smooth process. We are pleasantly surprised by how easy the whole shipping process has been. Our shipping agents in both Chennai (Interfreight) and Port Klang (Jets Express) have been very professional and fast.
Now we are ready to hit the road again. We plan to go south to Singapore before heading north through Malaysia and Thailand.

25-31 March – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-04-01T18:36:00.000+02:00

Coming to Kuala Lumpur was like stepping into the modern world again. It is truly a modern cosmopolitan melting pot. People from all over the world are gathering here, and the city is very modern and forward looking.
We are enjoying the sights and activities of KL, while waiting for the car to arrive. We are walking around in the historical districts, enjoying the night market in Chinatown, drinking Starbuck’s coffee in the large mega malls, and we are trying a lot of new food in the food stalls on the street.
We are admiring the 500m high Petronas Towers, and have found real playgrounds and even a public swimming pool for kids. KL is a great place to be while waiting for our car!

20-24 March – Chennai, India

2009-04-01T18:33:00.000+02:00

The city of Chennai (formerly Madras) has 5-10 million inhabitants. It is a major port with a lot of container traffic from/to Southeast Asia.
While organizing the shipping of the car, we did some sightseeing and enjoyed the food of southern India.
We managed to squeeze the car into a standard 20 foot container, and after some serious Indian bureaucracy the container was sealed and on its way to Malaysia.
We boarded a plane from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur. We are staring the next phase of our travels.

13-19 March – Kathmandu to Chennai

2009-04-01T18:26:00.000+02:00

We left Kathmandu and headed south across the mountains. The road had been blocked by a landslide, so we managed to drive through the ravine and across the river in order to circumference the blocked section of the road. It was very challenging driving. Nina walked ahead to scout the river bottom and the position of holes and large boulders. After an hour we were through and could continue towards India.
Our luck did not last very long however. A 30 km section of the main road between Kathmandu and India was completely blocked, with one massive road block every kilometer. Thousands of young, idle, frustrated, angry men were manning the barricades and refused to let trucks, buses or cars pass. This anarchy started nine days ago and the authorities did nothing to stop the madness. The whole situation felt very threatening. We smiled, waved, and showed that we had children in the car. Miraculously, we were allowed to pass through the road blocks, one after the other. Now we know how Moses must have felt when the Red Sea suddenly parted to offer him and his followers a passage through an impossible terrain.

We arrived safely to India, but the Indian Immigration had gone home nine days ago. Nobody was passing the border anyway. We were the first tourists passing this main border since anarchy started in Nepal nine days ago. So, we entered India without entry stamps and decided to worry about that later.

We had a long way to go through India. We stopped in Bodhgaya to see where Prince Siddhartha Gautama meditated his way to Nirvana some 26 centuries ago. Pilgrims, beggars and hawkers were swarming around the temple area.

Driving through India on a so called highway is a truly interesting experience. We actually managed to drive all the 2626 km to Chennai without a single accident. Considering all the goats, cows, pedestrians, bicycles, rickshaws and beggars on the highway, this is quite a miracle. And considering all the parked trucks, crazy speeding buses, and the many vehicles driving in the wrong direction on the highway, it is more than a miracle. We suppose that this is what a highway experience is like when you are in a country where most people cannot wait until they get a chance to be reincarnated...

12 March – Heading southeast

2009-03-12T07:14:00.000+01:00

We posted 8 new texts today, covering the period 27 Feb – 12 March. Please check in the archive for March to see all new posts.

We are now heading back to India. Our destination is Madras, where we will try to put our car in a container and ship it to Malaysia. The family will fly to Kuala Lumpur and collect the car there. Then we want to explore South-East Asia during the spring. New adventures await us there!

11 March – Bodnath Stupa, Nepal

2009-03-12T07:09:00.001+01:00

It is now exactly 50 years since the Tibetans revolted against Chinese occupation and Dalai Lama was forced into exile. We decided to visit the significant Tibetan community at the Bodnath Stupa to see what the atmosphere was like on this special day.
The stupa is the largest in Nepal and the surroundings are very peaceful. Hundreds of Tibetan monks are walking around the stupa in their purple robes. But there were many heavily armed policemen, and we could read in the papers that there had been riots the day before.
The streets around the stupa are packed with Tibetan souvenir shops. The Tibetans are souvenir superstars!

10 March – Holi festival, Nepal

2009-03-12T07:08:00.001+01:00

Today the Hindus celebrate the Holi festival. It is the festival of Color and Water, marking the beginning of the hot season. We are staying in our camp today. Otherwise we would get completely soaked in water and sprayed with red color powder. Foreigners are apparently very popular targets, as some of our fellow overlanders have discovered today.

7 March – Swayambunath Temple, Nepal

2009-03-12T07:05:00.001+01:00

We climbed the 350 odd steps up to the ”Monkey Temple” in Swayambunath in western Kathmandu.
A large Buddhist stupa dominates the hill. The all seeing eyes of the Buddha look drowsily out from the top of the stupa. A few tired monks and pilgrims are in stupa orbit.
Small souvenir shops try to attract the few tourists who have climbed the hill. But the tourists seem to be more interested in a cold drink than a small Buddha statue, a miniature prayer wheel, or a painted mask.
Some monkeys were clinging to the smaller stupas surrounding the main stupa. A thousand pigeons were busy doing what pigeons are good at. Hindu pilgrims were burning sacrifices to their gods. As usual, this temple visit was a colorful but rather smelly affair...

6 March – The Step, Kathmandu, Nepal

2009-03-12T07:02:00.000+01:00

We visited a new orphanage, The Step, which has been created through the efforts of Sofia Lindblom from Sweden and her Nepali friend Rajeev Singhania. We were shown around by Rajeev and had a very interesting afternoon.
There are currently six girls living in the Girls Home: Srijana, Samjhana, Rista, Yuta, Mina and Smriti. They are between five and eight years old. The plan is that the girls will stay at The Step until they are 18. Gradually, Sofia and Rajeev would like to expand the orphanage.
Our children played with the girls. They would like to come and visit again in the future. We donated some money to help fund new school uniforms for the girls.
You can read more about The Step at http://www.barnhemmetsofia.se/.
We think it is a great initiative.
Well done Sofia, Rajeev and everybody else who has been involved!

4 March – Old Town, Kathmandu, Nepal

2009-03-12T06:56:00.001+01:00

Kathmandu also has a Durbar Square, beautiful and similar in style to that in Patan.
From the square we walked north through the old town, enjoying the street scenes and the crowds.
Nina even found the Dentist Street, and at its center is a wooden lump where people come to pray to the toothache god! If you have really bad toothache, you should nail a coin to the wood. There are many coins there…
The Kathesimbhu Stupa, nestled into a small square in the old town, is beautiful with all the prayer flags flapping in the breeze.
Buddhist monks from the neighboring monastery are walking around the stupa, clockwise, turning the prayer wheels containing the infinitely repeated mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum (hail to the jewel in the lotus).

2 March – Patan, Nepal

2009-03-12T06:51:00.001+01:00

South of Kathmandu, the city of Patan has a wonderful historic center. We strolled around in the narrow alleys, watching the local crafts people at work, using the same methods as their ancestors.
We visited the small temples which are interwoven with the houses, courtyards and small squares.
We were very impressed with the Durbar Square, with its collection of palaces and temples.
Women were filling their water containers from ancient taps, designed as mythical animals. The scene was beautiful, but we suppose that the women, if given a choice, would have preferred a more modern way to get water.

27 Feb - 11 March – Kathmandu, Nepal

2009-03-12T06:46:00.000+01:00

We are spending ten days in Kathmandu to extend our Nepali visas, arrange new visas for India, service the car and buy new tyres, and to explore the many attractions of this bustling capital city.
We are enjoying the handicraft shops, the espresso cafés, the trekking gear shops and the laundry service!
We are camping at the Nepal Scouts headquarters. There are a handful of other overland vehicles, from Germany, France and Holland. Two families have children and all the kids, including a couple of local boys, are playing together in a very international way.
When we are not occupied with the bureaucracy at the Indian Embassy, we go sightseeing in and around Kathmandu. There is a lot to see here!

26-27 February – Tribhuvan Highway, Nepal

2009-03-04T17:03:00.001+01:00

In Nepal, we think that Highway means a road which runs at a high altitude. The Tribhuvan winds its way up from the plains (200m altitude) to a 2488m high pass south of Daman.
It took two hours driving, and we were suddenly in a different world. Rhododendron, pine trees, cool air, eagles in the sky.
However, the advertised view of all the highest peaks in Nepal (including Mt Everest) was covered by clouds today.
We reached Kathmandu. Even if it is the capital, the Maoist government is only switching the electricity on for a couple hours a day (like in the rest of Nepal). They are probably selling the electricity to India in order to finance all the weapons needed to keep the power they recently gained after an eight year civil war against the king and his supporters. This country has a lot of problems!

25 February – Crocodile bath, Chitwan, Nepal

2009-03-04T17:02:00.001+01:00

Since we are bush camping, we have to use the available bathing possibilities. Here is means taking a bath in the river. And there are crocodiles in this river. We knew that one crocodile is occupying this territory, and we could see him lying on the far bank of the river, about 30 meters from where we went to have a swim. We tried to keep a close watch on the crocodile, but suddenly Temba declared the croc had disappeared! We ran out of the water, luckily with all body parts intact.
We calmed down with a gin tonic sundowner in our camp, watching the sun set across the river. This is such a nice place!

24 February – Elephant ride safari, Chitwan, Nepal

2009-03-04T17:00:00.000+01:00

The whole family hitch-hiked into the Chitwan National Park on the back of an elephant. We ventured deep into the jungle in search of wild animals.
We were not disappointed. We saw the almost extinct one-horned rhino. It is really a beautiful animal. And since we were on an elephant, we could get very close.

23 February – Elephant bath, Chitwan, Nepal

2009-03-04T16:55:00.001+01:00

We camped in the most amazing spot, right on the banks of the Rapti River in Chitwan. In the morning the elephants strode past our tent on their way to the river.
Bathing with the elephants was a fantastic experience, and we tried it many times!
First some pictures of the kids.
Then some pictures of Nina in action - quite some acrobatics there!
And Temba helped his father to gain enough courage to take a swim as well.
The kids also loved to ride bareback on the elephants along the river.
Atlas showed a lot of courage when he sat on the elephant Basantikali, matching his baby weight against a four ton elephant.

22 February – Twin elephants, Chitwan, Nepal

2009-03-04T16:53:00.001+01:00

We visited the Elephant Breeding Center in Chitwan in the south of Nepal. What is presumably the world’s only twin elephants are amazingly cute. They are three months old, and full of mischief.
A nine month calf was running around among the tourists, giving us all the photo opportunities we ever wished for.

21 February – Royal Beach Camp, Nepal

2009-03-04T16:52:00.001+01:00

We spent a day at a place called the Royal Beach Camp (http://www.royalbeachnepal.com/). It is beautifully situated by a white sand beach along the Trisuli River, halfway between Pokhara and Kathmandu.
They organize kayaking, rafting and canyoning here. Our contact is Ram Silwal who shares his time as an expert kayak instructor and guide between Nepal and Sweden. We had a very relaxing time in the camp and the kids really enjoyed the rafting experience!

19-20 February – Bandipur and Gorkha, Nepal

2009-03-04T16:48:00.000+01:00

We left Pokhara and headed east. The town of Bandipur is balancing on a ridge high up in the sky. The drive up there is spectacular. We walked around and looked at the old Newari architecture and the people sitting in front of their houses, enjoying the winter sun.
We found a few flat square meters (perhaps the only in Bandipur) on the top of a hill and camped there, halfway up in the sky. The sunset view of the snow-capped mountains was very nice.
In Gorkha we expected to see Gurkha soldiers and to buy Gurkha knives. But the soldiers are occupied elsewhere, and the knives are made in Kathmandu. We focused on the famous Gorkha Durbar (palace) instead. It is perched on a hill 1500 steps above town. We managed to drive most of the way, on a rocky mountain track. It cost us a goat (it committed suicide in a kind of chicken race with our car) and the hairpin turns were scary, but at least we only had to climb some 400 steps to reach the palace.
On the other hand, the palace is now a Hindu temple and a center for animal sacrifice to the very demanding Hindu gods (there are many of them). So, the palace has been turned into something very gruesome. The ground is stained with blood from ex-goats and ex-chicken. You are required to take off your shoes. The smell... Yuk! We ran down those stairs again, almost forgetting that we should enjoy the unique architecture of the original palace.

18 February – Paragliding, Nepal

2009-02-22T16:24:00.000+01:00

Pokhara is a lot about paragliding. It is one of the best spots in the world to enjoy flying on the winds. We found an experienced Swedish guide, Peter Olsson, who agreed to fly in tandem with Temba. Nina was very keen as well, so she would go at the same time as Temba.

Temba and Nina jumped off the Sarangkot mountain (1600m) and landed half an hour later on a patch of grass next to the Phewa Lake (800m). They were both extremely excited about the experience! In the pictures below, Temba has the chute with the red front edge, and Nina’s is grey.
In Pokhara you can also paraglide along with falcons, vultures and eagles. That looks awesome! Check it out on http://www.parahawking.com/.

14-17 February – World’s Deepest Gorge, Nepal

2009-02-22T16:16:00.000+01:00

We wanted to get closer to the mountains and explore the Annapurna region by car. But we did not know how far we could drive. Large parts of Nepal are only accessible by foot, and we did not want to trek for three weeks along the Annapurna Circuit in the mountains with the kids. Lucky us, the trekking path to Jomsom was broadened to a cow path last year, and we could actually bump along that track in low gear until our thirst for mountains was quenched.
We crawled and bounced through what is called the deepest gorge in the world – Kali Gandaki. To the west was Dhaulagiri (8167m), looking like a dragon’s back, with glaciers rolling down into the valley. To the east were the Annapurna mountains, dominated by Annapurna I (8091m). We were driving at 1200-2500m altitude, straining our necks while looking up at all these amazing mountains.
The valleys are surprisingly fertile. The villagers grow citrus fruits, bananas, wheat and vegetables up to a very high altitude.
We turned around just south of Jomsom. We had reached the best viewing spots and were now at 2600 meters above sea level. We wanted to descend to lower altitude to avoid sub-zero temperatures in the tent at night. The next day we dipped our feet in the thermal hot springs in Tatopani before continuing south towards Pokhara.
We washed the car in the river next to our camp site outside Pokhara. The next morning we woke up and saw that we had a flat tyre – our first on this trip. All our tyres are really worn out and we had planned to buy new ones in Kathmandu. The kids helped to change to a spare tyre and they found the whole exercise very exciting!

7-13 February – Pokhara, Nepal

2009-02-22T16:09:00.000+01:00

The road from Tansen to Pokhara is very scenic. It is amazing to see how the people have managed to build terraces in the impossibly difficult terrain.
People in the small villages were enjoying their day off (Saturday). Women and children were washing themselves and their clothes at the public wells. Men were playing Nepalese board games (most of them are doing that Sunday to Friday as well).
In Pokhara we relaxed for a few days. We enjoyed the Overlander Camping outside of town. In town we found tasty cheese, brown bread, real butter and red wine in a real supermarket. Wow! We were very happy after months of abstinence…
The camping is on the fertile river plains close to the lake Phewa Tal. It is a very peaceful place. We enjoyed the beautiful surroundings for a few days, resting a bit after our long drive through India from Goa to Nepal.
We drove up to the closest view point, Sarangkot (1600m) and enjoyed the view of the Annapurna range, the Phewa Lake and the paragliders riding on the thermal winds. What an amazing panorama! This gave us an appetite for more mountain views.

5-6 February – Tansen, Nepal

2009-02-10T08:30:00.001+01:00

We found an empty, flat space on the top of Batase Hill (1600m above sea level) outside Tansen in Nepal. It was not until the next day that we realized that the pattern on the ground meant that this is a landing field for a helicopter. Anyway, the view from our camp in the morning was fabulous. We saw the snow clad tops of Dhaulagiri (8167m), Nilgiri (7061m), Tilicho (7132m), Annapurna I (8091m), Machapuchhe (6997m), Annapurna III (7555m), Annapurna IV (7525m) and Annapurna II (7937m). Amazing!!! There is something about mountains…
Tansen is a nice town with old Nepalese architecture, good food, a thriving market and narrow streets at bizarre angles.

Temba had a haircut in a local shack, with a sizeable audience.
We had many visitors at our camp. All were very polite and friendly. Our children played football and cricket with local kids. We are looking forward to getting to know Nepal and its people over the coming weeks.

4-5 February – Lumbini, Nepal

2009-02-10T08:27:00.001+01:00

We are entering Nepal, the 30th country on our journey. We have now driven more than 40,000 km since our start from London, UK.

Learning about different religions seems to be somewhat of a theme for us on this journey. Now, the time has come for us to visit the birth place of Prince Siddharta Gautama. He was born in what is now Lumbini, in May 563 BC, and he became a very successful guy, assuming the name Buddha, The Enlightened One, after 29 days of serious meditation under a tree in India.
Today, many Buddhist communities around the world are financing Buddhist temples around the Lumbini Development Zone. The most impressive one to date is the German temple (and if you find out exactly how that fits with Germany’s religious history – please let us know).

3-4 February – North towards Nepal

2009-02-10T08:20:00.001+01:00

We leave India with very warm feelings. We were nervous when entering India. We had heard from many people about the heat, the humidity, the bad roads, the difficult people, and the terrible things that can happen to your poor little stomach. But we have had such a lovely time.
The people are extremely friendly – if sometimes very curious.
The food is wonderful – with tasty dishes prepared in the simplest shack.
The climate is perfect from November until March – nice warm days with cool nights.
And there are zillions of things to see and do. Our only question is: Why did we not go to India before?

1-2 February – Varanasi, India

2009-02-10T08:11:00.001+01:00

We admit that we (=Ola) were a bit nervous about Varanasi. Many people we have spoken to have warned us about Varanasi. Nowhere to camp. Dirty. Smelly. Chaotic. Thieves. Disease. Hot. Ugly. Noisy. Disgusting. Absolutely not for children. And the terrible things floating in the holy river Ganges...
We loved Varanasi. For us, it was the perfect end to our two and a half wonderful months in India. We could never have imagined that Varanasi would be so peaceful (morning walk north from Assi Ghat), cool (25 degrees at noon and 12 degrees at night), dignified (everywhere except maybe at the main ghat), beautiful (grand architecture of riverside palaces south of main ghat), with so much good food (we will remember the Lotus Lounge), colorful people (washing clothes, bathing, fishing, resting), reasonably clean river (it is actually not as bad as we thought it would be) and tremendous photo opportunities.
Our 5 km walk from Assi Ghat (washing and bathing) to Manikarnika Ghat (burning bodies) was among the best walks we ever did.
And the sunset ceremony is bizarrely unique, if somewhat strenuous for your ears.
All that said, Varanasi for sure attracts a lot of weirdoes and goofs, both Indian and Western. But that is part of the package. Just smile and be happy!
And by the way, we do not mean to say that the Ganges river is exactly clean…

30-31 January – Bandhavgarh National Park, India

2009-02-10T08:07:00.000+01:00

We always dreamt of seeing a tiger while in India. But we knew that this nearly extinct predator is very difficult to spot, so our expectations were low. We went to one of India’s best national parks and managed to get a special permit to drive our own vehicle into the park. Our guide was very good and tried his best to spot a tiger. But with only 22 tigers spread out over hundreds of square kilometers, the odds were of course not very good. After three hours of rough driving through the beautiful park, we were giving up. The children were disappointed, and so were we. Spotted deer, as cute as they are, cannot compare with a tiger.
As we were driving out of the park, we saw a motion in the bushes to our right. Tiger! A large female was moving graciously through the elephant grass and came out in full view just a few meters from our car. We were so excited that we screamed and jumped up and down in our seats. Wow, how lucky we were. The tiger crossed the road and disappeared into the bush. We rushed back to the main gate and were yelled at for being five minutes late, coming out of the park. Did we care? We had just fallen in love with the queen of Indian wildlife!
We camped just outside the perimeter of the national park. During dinner we talked a lot to the children about extinct animals, endangered animals, animal conservation, national parks, and so on. It is a profound tragedy that almost all wildlife has been driven to the brink of extinction in India. This country could have looked so different today.

27-29 January – Khajuraho, India

2009-01-30T09:58:00.000+01:00

Our World Heritage Ruin Race continues in Khajuraho. Close to a hundred temples were built here 950-1050 AD. Today the remaining temples are famous for their Kamasutra carvings, showing how to enjoy life, if you are into tantra and those things. There are also many massage and yoga places in Khajuraho – perhaps there is a connection?

23-26 January – Bhimbetka and Sanchi, India

2009-01-30T09:55:00.000+01:00

Many of the historical places we are visiting in India are UNESCO World Heritage sites. The list includes Bhimbetka, a peaceful place on a hill south of Bhopal in the center of India. There are 750 rock shelters on the hill, and rock paintings have been found in 500 of them. The red and white pigment paintings depict animals and people. They are said to be 10-12 thousand years old. When you look at some of the most well preserved paintings, it is completely impossible to imagine that they are so old. They look so vivid, so alive, so fresh.
We continued to Sanchi, north of Bhopal. When the Mauryan emperor Ashoka realized that he had been very cruel in a war, he converted to the peaceful religion of Buddhism in the year 262 BC. Actually, Buddhism seems to be an offspring to Hinduism, Buddha being just one of many manifestations of the Hindu god Vishnu. Anyway, Ashoka felt an urge to build a large stupa (Buddhist holy building) in Sanchi. And tourists are very happy about that decision. It is a great looking monument which we enjoyed in the honey-colored afternoon sun.

20-22 January – Ellora & Ajanta Cave Temples, India

2009-01-30T09:48:00.001+01:00

We are really enjoying the Deccan plateau in the center south of India. We drive through the tranquil countryside with friendly people; good roads or no roads; lovely food; rich fields of cotton, sugar cane, mustard & wheat, empty forests, grazing cows, working women and idle men.
We can camp in the bush, we can enjoy clean air and silence. However, we occasionally have a welcoming committee at our camp during breakfast.
Almost nobody speaks English here, so we suddenly need a crash course in Hindi. But that’s about time. We have been so spoilt by the fact that many Indians speak English that we only know a few words in Hindi.
The Ellora cave temples were constructed by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monks during a five hundred year period, 7th-11th century. The largest temple, Kailasa, is believed to have kept 7000 workers busy for 150 years. If there is any truth to that legend, those men must have taken long siestas. On the other hand, judging by the speed of Indian men working today, the legend is probably true after all.
After admiring the Ellora cave temples we continued to Ajanta and were blown away by the cave temples there. The setting, 30 man-made cave temples hewn out of vertical cliffs above a horse-shoe shaped river gorge, is much more dramatic and scenic than Ellora. And the (Buddhist) caves are much older, some dating back to 200 BC, the youngest dating back to 650 AD.
It was hot and sweaty, Indian tourists demanded at least a hundred line-ups with our kids, and there were hundreds of steps. But we loved Ajanta. The kids too – perhaps because they were excited by the bats in the caves.

17-19 January – Hampi, India

2009-01-30T09:43:00.001+01:00

On our way to Hampi we passed the chili-growing belt. We sneezed as we passed the many women sorting and drying the red chili fruits.
Hampi is a popular stop on the backpackers’ circuit through India/Nepal. It is a relaxed place, with plenty of places to chill out and an abundance of ruins to admire. In the 15th century, Hampi was a major city of almost half a million souls. Now it is mainly a banana plantation with wonderful temple ruins scattered among balancing boulders.

12-16 January – Beach camping at Agonda, Goa

2009-01-16T07:14:00.001+01:00

Time to change environment and prepare for the next phase of our journey. We moved a few kilometers north to Agonda where overlanders can camp right on the beach. It is a lovely spot, although without any facilities. We set camp under the coconut trees and enjoyed lazy days on the beach. Dolphins were playing in the warm sea. Monkeys were playing in the bushes. Crabs were playing on the rocks. Our children were playing on the beach. They are tanned and really blond now, from all the sun and salty water.
Time has come for us to leave wonderful Goa. We are now heading north towards Nepal. We plan to cross the border about three weeks from now.