· Travel
The long drive to Cameron Highlands
Two families, a very long day on the road from Singapore, a slow first morning, tea and roses around Brinchang, and an unplanned stop at a waterfall on the way home.
Tag / 44 stories
Family
Everything filed under Family, newest first, across all categories.Back to all tags.
· Travel
Part 1 of Tagging along to London
Our first days in London
Landing at Heathrow, and a first full day around the Tower of London, St Katharine Docks and Tower Bridge.
· Travel
Part 2 of Tagging along to London
Daddy and his little bus navigator
While my wife worked, my son and I went out on our own by bus, to lakes and meadows, an urban farm full of animals and a LEGO aisle in Staines.
· Travel
Part 3 of Tagging along to London
Westminster Abbey, a boat and Greenwich
Westminster Abbey with an audio guide for only one of us, the river boat down the Thames, and an uphill walk through Greenwich Park to the Prime Meridian.
· Travel
Part 4 of Tagging along to London
Windsor with my son
A bus out to Windsor, a day at the castle and by the river, just the two of us.
· Travel
Part 5 of Tagging along to London
Dover Castle and the white cliffs
A change of hotel, then a high-speed train to Dover with a friend, for the castle, the white cliffs and the harbour.
· Travel
Part 6 of Tagging along to London
Stonehenge, momo and the Cotswolds
An organised tour from Stonehenge to Bath, a plate of momo and the Cotswold village I had asked for.
· Travel
Part 7 of Tagging along to London
A day for Mummy at Kew
A relaxed family day at Kew Gardens, chosen with my wife in mind.
· Travel
Part 8 of Tagging along to London
One last look at London
A hop-on, hop-off bus around the sights, the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, and the flight home.
· Travel
Part 1 of New Zealand's South Island, 2019
From Christchurch to Lake Tekapo
Two families, two rented cars and my first time driving in a foreign country, from a nervous drive through Christchurch to a first evening at Lake Tekapo.
· Travel
Part 2 of New Zealand's South Island, 2019
A clear day at Aoraki/Mount Cook
A sunny day with some cloud, short walks the grandparents could manage, and a suspension bridge we reached but did not cross.
· Travel
Part 3 of New Zealand's South Island, 2019
Queenstown, the lake and the wind
Tricky streets on arrival, some of the best views of the whole holiday, a quiet day in town and a windy day on the Skyline Luge.
· Travel
Part 4 of New Zealand's South Island, 2019
Dunedin and the Otago coast
A stop in Alexandra for petrol, an evening walk in Dunedin, Baldwin Street on foot, the gardens at Larnach Castle and the beach at Moeraki.
· Travel
Part 5 of New Zealand's South Island, 2019
Methven and over Arthur's Pass
Friendly locals in Methven, the limestone rocks at Castle Hill, lunch at Arthur's Pass and the walk to Devil's Punchbowl Falls.
· Travel
Part 6 of New Zealand's South Island, 2019
Blowholes, a gorge and driftwood on the West Coast
The blowholes at Punakaiki, the suspension bridge at Hokitika Gorge, driftwood on Hokitika Beach and an evening at Monteith's in Greymouth.
· Travel
Part 7 of New Zealand's South Island, 2019
The TranzAlpine, at last
Returning the cars in Greymouth, and the one thing I had asked for on this trip: the TranzAlpine across the South Island to Christchurch.
· Travel
A quick Phuket getaway with friends (2019)
A short trip to Phuket in August 2019, joining a friend's family on their hotel offer at Marriott's Phuket Beach Club, with time at the pool, an evening by the Sarasin Bridge and a rainy last morning before the flight home.
· Travel
Part 1 of Bintan, Three Times in Two Months
Two Birthdays and a Weekend at The Canopi
A glamping weekend at The Canopi in Treasure Bay with another family, celebrating two children's birthdays with the lagoon, sky lanterns and a humbling attempt at cable wakeboarding.
· Travel
Part 2 of Bintan, Three Times in Two Months
Back to Bintan With Four Families
Less than two weeks after The Canopi, a visa application mistake, then a weekend at Bintan Lagoon Resort with four families, an ATV ride, swimming and good dinners together.
· Travel
Part 3 of Bintan, Three Times in Two Months
A Rare Family Holiday at Cassia Bintan
Our third Bintan trip in less than two months, and a rare holiday with both sides of the family, cooking in the apartment at Cassia Bintan and spending days by the beach.
· Travel
A Week in Dubai with My Son
A week in Dubai in January 2019, exploring with my young son while my wife worked, and joining her for a desert safari, a speedboat tour, the Burj Khalifa and a last day on the Palm.
· Travel
Chinese New Year in Chongqing and Chengdu
Chinese New Year 2019 with my wife's family in Chongqing, a few days in Chengdu visiting her grandfather and her grandmother's grave, a boat ride through Zhangguan Water Cave and family outings around Chongqing.
· Travel
Part 1 of Beijing, 2018
Exploring Beijing With My Son
Walks around Sanlitun with my son while my wife worked, a little help with Chinese, a lunch I struggled to pay for, and evenings out together as a family.
· Travel
Part 2 of Beijing, 2018
An Evening Among Beijing's Hutongs
An evening walk through one of Beijing's hutong neighbourhoods, with lanterns, little shops, rose-shaped ice creams and hotpot for dinner.
· Travel
Part 3 of Beijing, 2018
A Morning at the Forbidden City
A small-group tour begins at Tiananmen Square, our guide gets us past an enormous queue, and we walk north through the Forbidden City's vast courtyards, halls and gardens with our young son.
· Travel
Part 4 of Beijing, 2018
The Great Wall, a Toboggan Ride and Three Lucky Toys
A nervous chairlift ride up to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, steep steps with our son in my arms, a toboggan ride down to shouts of "Faster, faster, Daddy!" and three lucky claw-machine toys.
· Travel
A Short Family Getaway to Krabi (2018)
Three nights in Ao Nang as a family before a new job began, with a pool outside the room, sunset at The Hilltop with friends and a few memorable meals.
· Travel
Christmas in Panabo, Philippines (2017)
A rushed connection in Kuala Lumpur, Christmas at a friend's new house in Panabo, three unhurried days on Samal Island and a day in Davao.
· Travel
Part 1 of Western Australia, 2017
Back to Rottnest Island, This Time for the Night
The start of a family holiday in Western Australia, and a return to Rottnest Island with a friend, this time with a night on the island.
· Travel
Part 2 of Western Australia, 2017
Sunrise and Quokkas on Rottnest
A sunrise over the bay, a slow morning around the settlement and our son's first quokkas, before the ferry back to Perth.
· Travel
Part 3 of Western Australia, 2017
Wildlife and a Sheep-Shearing Show at Whiteman Park
Koalas, penguins and pelicans, and my first sight of a sheep being shorn, on a morning at Whiteman Park.
· Travel
Part 4 of Western Australia, 2017
A Relaxed Afternoon in the Swan Valley
Seven of us in a hired seven-seater, wandering between wineries, tastings, honey and chocolate in the Swan Valley.
· Travel
Part 5 of Western Australia, 2017
The Blue Boat House and Sunset at Cottesloe
The end of a long day out, from the Blue Boat House on the river to sunset at Cottesloe Beach, and an evening with old college friends.
· Travel
Part 6 of Western Australia, 2017
Margaret River and a Chalet in the Woods
A coach south from Perth, a second try at renting a car, and a quiet chalet deep in the woods that became our base in the South West.
· Travel
Part 7 of Western Australia, 2017
Shark and Chips in Augusta
A drive south to Augusta, my first taste of shark at Blue Ocean Fish & Chips, and an afternoon by clear water and granite.
· Travel
Part 8 of Western Australia, 2017
Cape Leeuwin, Where Two Oceans Meet
A tall white lighthouse, granite, surf and a vast ocean at the south-western tip of Australia, and still one of my strongest memories of Western Australia.
· Travel
Part 9 of Western Australia, 2017
Out to Sea on Busselton Jetty
A ride on the jetty train, the underwater observatory and almost two kilometres of white railings over clear blue water at Busselton.
· Travel
Part 10 of Western Australia, 2017
Perth Zoo and Saying Goodbye
Back to Perth by coach, an afternoon at Perth Zoo for the children, and a late-night flight home at the end of almost two weeks in Western Australia.
· Travel
A Cruise to Penang, November 2016
Our first cruise, from Singapore to Penang and back on Mariner of the Seas with family and friends, remembered for a lost US$100 at the casino, a day spent aboard in Penang, dolphins on the way home and a night of stars from the balcony.
· Travel
Bali, February 2017 — A Family Holiday Together
A short family holiday in Bali in February 2017, with my wife, our young son, my parents and my brother. A private villa in Dreamland, an evening at the beach and the cliffs of Uluwatu Temple.
· Travel
Chongqing, Summer 2016 — A Two-Week Family Visit
Our son's first visit to his mother's hometown in Chongqing, in the summer of 2016. Two weeks with family, three fish I caught and then ate, the European-looking streets of University Town, plenty of hotpot and a night at a hot-spring resort in Beibei.
· Travel
Melbourne, November 2016 — Travelling with a Little One
A work conference in Melbourne in November 2016 became a family trip with our one-year-old son, with a long minibus day on the Great Ocean Road, a delayed lunch, a wallaby at Moonlit Sanctuary and a cold wait for the penguins.
· Food
Spaghetti from What Was in the Fridge
Shiitake mushrooms, celery and dried shrimps from the refrigerator turned into an improvised spaghetti dinner that my wife and son both loved.
· Travel
Two nights in Bintan
A two-night family trip to Bintan in June 2026 for a close friend’s 40th birthday, with a day on the water and fireworks over the resort that nobody explained.