Miami sound machine + Cuba Libre

Miami Beach is an odd promontory of drunk tourists and sunbathers baking like red clams, lots of construction and atmospheric sights honouring Latin American singers like Gloria Estefan and Celia Cruz, who popularized Guantanamera (literally, girl from Guantanamo) and Azucar (sugar)! Lots of rumba, jazz, cigars and murals in search of the best empanada and cubano (disappointing, probably permenantly ruined by Chef). It’s sobering how near and far the hop across the Bay of Pigs is to a different world of deprivation, comparison and old-school Havana.

Kyoto dawned bright and sunny; we’d been here once over 15 years ago and were less than impressed by the kitsch of Gion, the hilly shrines, the pink and green kaiseki goo and hard sweets. You wouldn’t think that coming back here with children would change that but the experience was entirely charming.

It has been almost 5 years since the girls made their way into our lives, and I was reminded today how in the early days of Covid, our outings were very local. This shop was a favourite, which is why I think the pakciks are still entirely indulgent of their messy antics.

A pleasure to visit with dentist-turned-bladesmith Sinan Tansel, who started #kropknives to blend his love and appreciation for music and the culinary arts. He showed us his collection of Damascus, outdoor and kitchen chef knives which use recycled, sustainable materials. He also showed us his wonderful hand-made, dual-toned patterned knife blades, made by acid staining on steel.

A long and educational tour through the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cisterns, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. We started out at 7.30am and walked 22,000 steps in 8 hours! What a rich and haunting history, so full of clashes and disappointment of human civilizations.

A long and delicious food tour with Culinary Backstreets: Istanbul Eats exploring breakfast simit (ubiquitous baked sesame pretzel bread), peyniri (string cheese), kunefe (fried shredded wheat and cheese soaked in syrup), pide, pickles, pistachio ice cream and baklava.

The spectacle that is a US Christmas light-up, I wonder how the average 100amp house panel can support these incredibly effusive displays. The San Carlos Christmas street, Cambria Christmas market and cycling the 17-mile drive along the Pacific Coastal Highway. This is the first year we can all cycle together! We also passed the Vandenburg Space Military camp while they were launching Space-X rockets, which was Pezzy’s main interest.

Before the boys were in primary school, I never paid much attention to PSLE marking days, days where the rest of the school would be given holidays to assure the quiet or enable the teachers for the primary school leaving class cohort’s examinations. As much as I wavered about taking a quick trip away, it seemed really coincidental that the timing lined up with when my dad would be in Japan and when somehow we managed to catch the return leg flights on Zipair for $130! This was our jam-packed itenary over 2 days in Kusatsu, 2 days in Karuizawa and a day in Gotemba.

Last stop before the new school term starts tomorrow- I wasn’t too sure what to make of the idea of visit a Tang Dynasty-style theme park, especially on a very hot day, but it was a fun show and the (only) local visitors really got into it, all dressing up in traditional han fu.

Datang, one of the five large Chinese power generators, is synonymous with Jiangsu province, and has several thermal co-gen and offshore wind facilities in this area. It’s hard to describe how immense these huge wind turbines are up close.

Fascinating stop at the Qidong Evergrande Venice Resort <海上威尼斯>, where the “azure sea and silver sand” is also described as a 双色海 dual-coloured sea, because the blue lagoon turns into a Yellow Sea (no pun intended- it is where the 长江 Yangtze River tributary opens into the Western Pacific Ocean and forms the world’s largest continental shelf, which has a distinctive yellow-brown colour because of the silt washed down from the 黄河 Yellow River).

We were all enchanted but the children were mesmerized by the thrilling acts, hilarious Tweedy the clown, fat ponies and ice lollies amidst the hay strewn field. The show broke up by inviting the audience to dance in the circus ring before we dispersed into the cool air and still-bright dusky sunset.

I used to love the Wild Rabbit but this $200 3/4BR Airbnb is my favourite place to stay, on the quiet side of the Cotswolds. Jo Rigby is an interior designer and wife of CEO Charlie Rigby, their family-friendly cottages are an amazing combination of her style and eye for colour.

The New Caledonian sea ferries out to the Hebrides - guess who is the most excited about a ferry, just like in her book? I’d never actually seen cars go into a sea ferry before, the size of the open jaw hull is impressive

Happy birthday and Happy Fathers’ Day to Iggy Goh. Home-made chocolate fudge cake at a castle amidst wet laundry, but you have four children who all look like dad!

Today was the day the hike up Arthur’s Seat got the better of Pips, and also the day the kids were over spinach omelettes and PBJs so we went to Edinburgh for wanton noodles and katsudon. The boys clambered with me up the steep hour-long incline for some incredible views and we all really enjoyed the challenge- Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh.