Erwan and Jen, 2 sabbaticals, 1 world tour, but 1 sorely missed cat.
This isn’t a huge travel blog, just a way for our cat to know what we’re up to. . .
Postcards to George
On this page, we will share the various postcards that we make and send to George throughout our adventure.
Week 46 – This time for Africa!
Dear Georgie Boy, we made it to Africa! That’s it – all seven continents! Granted, we’re not on the large continent itself, but the tiny, tropical island of Mauritius. Beaches, snorkelling, the infinity pool, cocktails, and the occasional hike are the order of the day. It’s also our last week – we’ll soon be back to you!
Week 45 – Last week in Asia – onto Malaysia!
Dear Georgie Boy, our time in Asia is sadly coming to a close, but we were able to more properly explore Malaysia (you’ll recall our time in Tioman previously). We first hit up Penang (love, love, LOVED it) and then ventured to Kuala Lumpur (meh). In Penang, there was great food, a good quirky vibe, and fun street art (including a large likeness of our fav feline). Kuala Lumpur was big city but it lacked some of the urban vibrancy that we expect – we did have good digs though with an amazing roof top pool. . .
Week 44 – Continuing the Thai island tour – Koh Samui + Koh Lipe
Dear Georgie Boy, the island tour continues – and now our backpacker tans are actually gone! This time we stayed beachside in both Koh Samui and Koh Lipe. There were beautiful sunsets, snorkelling, and beach fun at both, but we preferred Koh Lipe – it was less crowded and a bit more off the beaten track. Oh and we finally paddleboarded a bit and we saw monks on the beach – great times, but missing you. . .
Week 43 – Arriving in the islands – Koh Tao
Dear Georgie Boy, after a few days meeting up with Uncle Giles in Bangkok, we finally made our way down to the islands and beaches of Thailand. First stop – Koh Tao! It was gorgeous! We spent our days motorscootering around to all the beaches and hiking to the various viewpoints. The island was also amazing for snorkelling. We sadly saw no turtles, but amidst the vast plethora of fish, we did get very close to a huge Tiger Triggerfish, who was chewing apart the coral. He was actually a little bit scary – probably about three times the size of you. . .
Week 42 – Burmese delights 2 – a country of contrasts
Dear Georgie Boy, the hypertrek in Myanmar continues – Mandalay, Lake Inle and Naypyidaw! And wow what a country of contrasts. We went from the hustle and bustle of Mandalay (where there’s also tons of monks) to the serene landscape of Lake Inle (where there are fisherman who paddle with their legs while standing up) to the surrealness of the newly created and completely empty capital city (where we were two of six guests in a hotel that can accommodate over 300). It was still intense, but we did splurge a bit and relax one day at a resort on the Lake. . .
Dear Georgie Boy, so after our somewhat slow pace in Thailand, we went back to hypertrekking in Myanmar – first week was Yangon, Bagan and then Monywa – whew! So many early sunrises and then exploring until sunset – intense! Absolutely amazing though and the locals are some of the friendliest people in the whole wide world. . . so were their monkeys. . .
Week 40 – Exploring Northern Thailand – Mae Hong Son and Chiang Rai
Dear Georgie Boy, with our mouths largely repaired, we hit the road again, taking in all the sites around Mae Hong Son and the randomness that is Chiang Rai (including the white, black and blue temples respectively). We capped off the week back in Bangkok so daddy could attend an intensive course at a culinary school (mama even took a vegetable carving class).
Week 39 – Dental tourism in Chiang Mai
Dear Georgie Boy, we went to Chiang Mai for the sites, but stayed for the affordable, high quality dental care. Besides temples, hikes in nature (including climbing up a waterfall), a day long cooking class, and visiting another elephant sanctuary, mama got a cavity filled and daddy began to fix his mouth (crowns, root canal, and more). . .
Week 38 – Bangkok, the Marmite of south east Asia
Dear Georgie Boy, it seems that travellers either love or hate Bangkok. Surprisingly we’re a bit indifferent. We enjoyed the city as us urban people would, but nothing was completely wow for us (well, the food is wow). Mama did spend her birthday here though in the most random way – husky cafe, unicorn cafe, massage and visiting an elephant shaped building. Good times!
Week 37 (and part of 38) – The beautiful country of Laos
Dear Georgie Boy, oh how Laos has surprised us! We weren’t originally going to spend much time here, but it sucked us in. After 3 days trekking and ziplining in the jungle near Houayxay (awesome!), we took an urban break in Vientiane and then spent 4 days on a motor scooter road trip around the Thakhek Loop (awesome part 2!). Such amazing landscapes and surprisingly, really good food! We will be back. . .
Week 36 – ELEPHANTS!
Dear Georgie Boy, so we volunteered for a week at the Elephant Conservation Center in Laos. It. Was. Amazing! These incredible creatures are so beautiful, intelligent, and social. We learnt so much, met some great people and animals (there were some kittens too), and it was all set within an absolutely stunning landscape. Definitely a highlight of the trip. . .
Week 35 – Back to being backpackers part 2 – Cambodia + Laos
Dear Georgie Boy, with the laptop fixed (thanks Apple), we hit the road again and headed back to Cambodia and then Laos – more specifically, Siem Reap and Luang Prabang. Both UNESCO, both amazing, both very, very different and both having temples and monks galore. So many pictures taken!
Week 34 – Escaping the city to swim through fish
Dear Georgie Boy, as the laptop was still being repaired, we took a couple days away from the city and escaped to Tioman Island in Malaysia. The highlight was the snorkelling – there were so many fish! It was crazy!
Week 33 – SINGAPORE!
Dear Georgie Boy, we were always planning on visiting Singapore, but with the laptop broken, we moved it up on the itinerary – it has the only Apple Store in all of south east Asia. But more importantly, we also got to visit Auntie Alice and Uncle Francois, catching up with them after all these years. Oh and the city is great too – unique neighbourhoods, good food, and considering it’s mostly all been built since 1950, an urban studies gem – your mama was a complete dork.
Week 32 – An introduction to Cambodia
Dear Georgie Boy, our trip along the Mekong led us all the way to Phnom Penh. A great city, but also the place of our saddest travel date so far – we visited the Killing Fields and the S21 Prison in the same day. After which, mama just wanted some comfort food, but a Welsh Rarebit was nowhere to be found. Missing home and missing you. . .
Week 31 – Ho Chi Minh and the Mekong Delta
Dear Georgie Boy, so the big city was good for our history studies – plenty here regarding the war – the Cu Chi Tunnels, the former palace and plenty of museums. It, however, was not good for our laptop, which decided to stop working (and just as we resolved the passport issue). Anyways, we had already planned a few days in the Mekong Delta with Uncle Edouard, so we’ll resolve that shortly. . .
Week 30 – Travelling through Southern Vietnam – Hue, Hoi An + Dalat
Dear Georgie Boy, after spending a bunch of time on scooters, we decided to upgrade to motorcycles. OK, other people were actually driving them, but it’s still a great way to travel the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Add to that the historic treasures of Hue and Hoi An and the countryside around Dalat and Vietnam is shaping up to be a pretty fantastic country. . .
Week 29 – Back to being backpackers – Sapa, Mai Chau + Ninh Bing
Dear Georgie Boy, with the rest of the family back in Europe, we’re no longer enjoying their standard of travel and are back to being backpackers. No problem – northern Vietnam has plenty of gorgeous landscapes to see and fantastic people to meet. Oh, and we started renting scooters on a regular basis. Mama doesn’t like the semi-automatic ones. . .
Week 28 – Northern Vietnam with family
Dear Georgie Boy, on to the next continent! We made it to Asia! To celebrate, the other Guillo Lohan clan joined us to check out Hanoi and Halong Bay. Good food and sights were enjoyed by all! We all miss you though.
Week 27 – The big cities – Sydney and Perth
Dear Georgie Boy, your urban folks were now back in their element – neighbourhoods to explore, iconic architecture to photograph, museums to enjoy, and this time the cities came with beaches! Oh, but we still prefer Melbourne. . .
Week 26 – Bucketlist time! The Outback and the Great Barrier Reef!
Dear Georgie Boy, BOOM! We did it! We not only camped in the Outback, but we dived the Great Barrier Reef. Done and done! It was a bit tough for your dad though – you know he’s an urban boy who doesn’t like to camp (he was a trooper with his swag under the stars), and his passport also got destroyed by seawater due to the rough ride out to the reef. . .
Week 25 – Melbourne and our mini Aussie road trip
Dear George Boy, we made it to Oz! And another warning – we just might move to Melbourne. Such a great town (supposedly the world’s most liveable city) and don’t worry, you’ll like it – it’s a bit like London, but with better weather. After enjoying the urban highlights (including visiting Auntie Tamara and checking out a show at their annual Comedy Festival), we hit the road in Auntie (the boring, but stable relation to BB) to visit the Great Ocean Road and Kangaroo Island. Rock formations in rain storms (I know, again!), kangaroos, and koalas – oh my!
Week 24 – Finishing off in the cities
Dear Georgie Boy, sadly all good things come to an end and so completes our kiwi road trip after stops in the Caitlins, Dunedin and Christchurch. We finally caught a rugby game, spotted great street art (including one of your dad when he was young), ate tons of cheese, saw even more seals in the wild, and visited the cardboard cathedral – sport, art, cheese, and architecture – what else do your folks want from life? You, that’s what else – miss you. . .
Week 23 – Mountains, glaciers, lakes, and fiords – everything for which the South Island is known
Dear Georgie Boy, just look at the landscapes – I mean, look at them! We have hundreds more that didn’t make the cut for this card – seriously. This is what roadtripping is about. You seriously need to get over your fear of travel and come here. We have not ruled out moving to Wanaka (Queentown’s beautiful, but a bit too touristy to live). There’s even plenty of birds for you to watch! PS – we also flew a plane – an old one.
Week 22 – The capital city and heading South
Dear Georgie Boy, firstly, Featherston sucks and Greytown rules – or so says Auntie Debbie when we stopped to visit her on our way to Wellington. In the capital city, we visited Zealandia – a bird paradise that you would have loved (or feared considering many of them are bigger than you). We then took the ferry south, where we visited Nelson and our other fav from Aotearoa – the Abel Tasman National Park, which has a natural water slide!
Week 21 – On the road, kiwi style
Dear Georgie Boy, wow, this place is intense! Hamilton to Taupo to Rotorua to Tongariro Crossing to Napier. When your folks do a road trip, we do a road trip. So much was taken in, with our fav being successfully hiking the Tongariro Crossing on such a beautiful day – man were we sore afterwards though. Good thing the next stop was Napier with its bountiful wineries (and art deco!) to help with the pain. Oh, and there was some sailing, hot baths, exploring and farming beforehand. Yes, farming – your mama, even fed a baby sheep. . .
Week 20 – Arriving in Aotearoa – Auckland and the Northlands
Dear Georgie Boy, after a few days discovering Auckland (including seeing Uncle Tim and experiencing Timmy’s Terrific Tour about Town), we finally got down to what we came to New Zealand to do – ROADTRIP! We rented a small bright pink car, christened her BB (Badass Barbie) and took her north. There, with of course our luck, we came into a massive rain storm and didn’t get the supposedly great views of Bay of Islands, however we still saw stunning landscapes, tried sand toboganning, spotted a kiwi (at night), and learnt about Maori culture. We like it here. . . But miss you. . .
Week 19 – Our final South American send off!
Dear Georgie Boy, after our intense week 18, we rested a bit in the Atacama Desert in Chile – it helped that it was raining for some days while we were there – really, the driest place on earth? It was a great send off to South America though, as we tried out sand boarding for the first time and relaxed by floating in the Laguna Cejar. Both of which you wouldn’t have enjoyed – sand, salt, water – no bueno. . .
Week 18 (second half) – Even more spectacular landscapes in Bolivia
Dear Georgie Boy, oh my! We thought northern Argentina was beautiful – Bolivia took that beauty and raised it a level. We spent 4 days int he country on a 4×4 road trip, which took in the salt flats, the desert, the desert during a blizzard, lakes, geysers, and hot springs. The elevation was a doozy though – never below 4000 meters and even over 5000 one night!
Week 18 (first half) – Spectacular landscapes in Northern Argentina
Dear Georgie Boy, after our cruise, we’ve now returned to backpacking and it’s been intense. We’ve had really early starts and super long days as we explore the mountainous northern regions of Argentina around Salta. The exhaustion has been worth it though – we’ve seen some absolutely fantastic landscapes and met tons of friendly locals. And by locals, we mean llamas. . .
Week 17 (well one day) – FALKLANDS!
Dear Georgie Boy, as if going on a cruise to Antarctica wasn’t enough, but we also got to spend a day in the Falklands! It’s more British than Britian – traditional bobbies, post boxes, the queen, and odes to Thatcher are everywhere. Oh, they also have penguins and the southernmost craft brewery – thus, a hike and a pub crawl were the order of the day. . .
Week 16 + 17 – ANTARCTICA!
Dear Georgie Boy, ok, you definitely wouldn’t have liked this part of the trip, because: 1. We were at sea – so lots of water and, at times, a bit shaky. 2. It was cold outside for more than half the trip. 3. There were lots of unfamiliar people on board, whose hands you would have had to smell – it would have been time consuming. . . The bed was comfy and the food selection was good, so actually, maybe you would have liked it. . .
Week 15 – Rushing through Chile to get back to Buenos Aires
Dear Georgie Boy, you know how much we now love Buenos Aires, so it was fantastic that we got a chance to go back to the city to catch a cruise. Thing is, to get there, we had to race through Chile. Thus we spent a very brief time in Santiago and a few days in Valparaiso. Valparaiso was great – vibrant, hilly, little city on the sea with a great art scene, microbreweries and colourful architecture.
Week 14 – The end of the world in Argentina and Chile
Dear Georgie Boy, we’re still inPatagonia and this time at the deepest, darkest (or at this time of year, lightest) southern tip. In Ushuaia, with Auntie Linda and Uncle Lando, we rode on the southernmost railway to reach the southernmost post office and have a picnic in the Fin del Mundo National Park. Oh, and we also spent a beach day with penguins along the Beagle Channel. We then crossed into Chile and in Punta Arenas, we hiked 28 kms along the Magellan Strait to the southernmost continental lighthouse, where we also had a picnic, while watching dolphins in the bay. Although, the chilly nights make us miss cuddling by the fire with you.
Week 13 – Hiking around Patagonia – Perito Moreno, El Chalten, and El Calafate
Dear Georgie Boy, now we’re talking – this week we took on Patagonia proper and you’ll be surprised to hear that your city folks got up to lots of hiking. In Perito Moreno, there was the walk along the Rio Pinturas to the Cueva de Las Manos (UNESCO, yo!). In El Chalten, we trekked the longest we have ever done – 30 kms over 12 hours, up both the Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitzroy. And in El Calafate, we donned crampons and hiked on the Perito Moreno Glacier – where Auntie Linda and Uncle Lando joined us. They send their love.
Dear Georgie Boy, so we started our tour of Argentina by bus – first stops Mendoza and Bariloche! We cycled around the vineyards at the first and cycled around the lakes and microbreweries at the second. From all the drinking and cycling through, we’re tired and now wishing we were like you and could sleep 18 hours a day. . . Oh! And the views between the two cities – one of the best road trips ever!
Week 11 – We will move to Buenos Aires
Dear Georgie Boy, you have now been warned – at some point we will move to Buenos Aires (it is amazing!) and you will thus have to travel to come with us. We’ll set up in a nice apartment though, and while we tango, learn Spanish, hang out at the El Ateno bookstore and play polo, you will have plenty of birds to watch and lots of good meat to eat – it’s much better here than at home.
Week 10 – Brazil – Brasilia + Iguacu
Dear Georgie Boy, we know how much you love Modernist architecture! Just like Mama! And thus, you would have loved Niemeyer’s masterpiece of Brasilia! We also went to the amazing Iguacu/Iguazu Falls – both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides. Considering how much you hate water, we don’t think you’d like it as much. . .
Week 9 – Rio, better luck next time. . .
Dear Georgie Boy, Rio was not what we expected. We were anticipating a party time, whereas we spent most of the time in our air bob flat, resting and recovering after being violently mugged. Mama missed you immensely during this time – she knows you would have consoled her properly. We did escape the city to enjoy Ilha Grande, which had amazing beaches. In fact, even in Rio, the few times we left the flat, we still spent some time at the beach – you wouldn’t like the sand in your paws. . .
Week 8 (well one day) – 20 hours in Montevideo
Dear Georgie Boy, we spent a day in Montevideo, Uruguay. Although we had some touristy plans, instead we made some friends and enjoyed the local brew. They all liked the photos of you though. . .
Week 7 – we love Ecuador!
Dear Georgie Boy, we love Ecuador! The friendly people, the beautiful landscapes, the charming cities, and all the adventures! If only you’d liked to travel, this would be one of the first places we take you!
Week 6 – wowness in the Amazon!
Dear Georgie Boy, after quick stops in Quito and Otavalo, we spent the week in the Amazonian rainforest. It was wow, just wow! There were so many birds – you would have loved it. Granted several of them were bigger than you, so maybe not. . . You could hear them throughout the day and we even started to recognise some of the specific types by their sound. From the noise alone, you would have been super excited. There were also plenty of monkeys, sloths, various insects, snakes (including an anaconda) and one lone anteater – but those are probably less interesting to you (maybe the insects). Granted some of the insects and butterflies were also bigger than you. . .
Week 5 (and part of 4) – unexpected adventures in Colombia
Dear Georgie Boy, Colombia was unexpected. We were originally only going to be in Cartagena for 5 days, but due to weather the travel issues, we were in the country for 10 and covered Medellin, San Jeronimo and Bogota as well. The adventures were varied – from hiking in the hills of San Jeronimo to street art tours in both Cartagena and Bogota. We also learned to play Tejo, the national game. Hope you’re behaving. . .
Week 3 (and part of 4) – the big city, the countryside, and escaping Hurricane Otto
Dear Georgie Boy, Panama was also characterised by rain for us, so probably another place not for you. There are also more dogs – they were friendly to us, but for you, no bueno. We did have good weather in Panama City. A flat there would be more your style. Miss you!
Week 2 – outdoor exploits in Dominican Republic thanks to Adventuresque
Dear Georgie Boy, we enjoyed a week of adventure with Uncle Matt. Although there was lots of rain – you wouldn’t have liked it. Hope you are enjoying your time with Uncle Louis -be good. Miss you!
Week 1 – in Virginia and DC, visiting friends and family.
Dear Georgie Boy, Grandma and Grandpa Currier say hi. So do all your states aunts and uncles. They wished you liked traveling, so that they could meet you one day! We already miss you!
Dear Georgie Boy 