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MBA Graduation: Reflection, Gratitude, and Adventure
What to do when you graduate from your MBA in the middle of winter and want to celebrate? Take an adventure trip to Lapland!
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Welcome
Thanks for visiting Expat Heather! I’m an international educator, writer, and expat mom currently living in South Korea. On this site you’ll find things about living abroad, teaching in international schools, travel, hiking, and expat life.
An Bang Beach is about a 10-minute drive from Hoi An. With older kids, you could take bicycles, however I decided to save my two-year-old’s “sun time” for the beach as the road from Hoi An to An Bang doesn’t offer much shade. A taxi ride should cost between 100,000 VND ($5) and 150,000VND ($7.50) depending where in Hoi An you are coming from.
The taxi can drop you off directly at the beach, which means no long walk through hot sand carrying a little one and bags of sand toys. Yay! Several beachside restaurants have lounge chairs and umbrellas set up. We rented two chairs for 30,000 VND each ($1.50) at the restaurant directly to the right when you walk down the stairs. If we had eaten lunch at the same restaurant the chair rental would have been free.
You can see the lounge chairs and umbrellas behind us.
The beach was clean and picturesque. Several beachside shacks are set up serving food, but other than that there aren’t any hotels or other developments. It has a very laid back feel and on a weekday in March, it wasn’t very busy.
For toddlers, the surf is too rough to really go swimming, but for competent swimmers An Bang is an awesome place for body surfing or boogie boarding. For the first 20 minutes or so, Gabriel kept trying to run full-on into the surf, but after feeling the power of the waves and having me grab him and take him back several times, he learned to just enjoy running in and out of the waves and playing in the nearby tidal pools.
An Bang is not a place where you can sit and relax while your toddler plays in the water though, so I will definitely be seeing the chiropractor for a follow-up from all the wave jumping! You also need to be careful about sand toys being taken out to sea in the strong current.
Traditional basket boats lined the shore.
Even though he couldn’t swim, Gabriel loved jumping in the waves and playing in the sand. I ordered some fresh watermelon juice ($1 each) from the restaurant we’d parked our stuff at to try to keep him hydrated. He was so excited during this vacation that it was really tough to get him to eat and drink.
After about two hours, we packed up and headed up the stairs to eat at Soul Kitchen. Several restaurants serve up Western and Asian fare right on the beach. I picked Soul Kitchen because it had a lot of grassy space for Gabriel to run around, and it was separated from the beach enough that he wouldn’t go running back into the waves again.
Soul Kitchen has a Western menu and room for energetic toddlers to run.
Soul Kitchen had a relaxed vibe and several families were there. We ordered the banh mi (sandwiches). I had a mahi mahi sandwich for 55,000 VND ($2.75) and Gabriel and the nanny both had pork banh mi for 50,000 VND ($2.50). Gabriel just ate the bread and the pork. Soul Kitchen also had salads, pastas, and meat-based entrees.
If you’re in the mood for oven-baked pizza or other Italian fare, you can head next door to Luna d’Autonno.
Pork banh mi sandwich at Soul Kitchen - a perfect light lunch!
Overall it was a great morning at the beach. For me what makes a beach good for toddlers is 1) a short walk in the sand 2) affordable family-friendly restaurants with bathrooms nearby 3) shady areas available 4) clean sand and 5) shallow water or tidal pools for toddlers to play.
Tip: Taxis aren’t always available, so take the phone number of the driver who drops you off and call him to pick you up when you’re ready. You can also call MaiLinh Taxi company and have them send a metered taxi to bring you back to Hoi An.
See more photos of An Bang Beach at Heather’s Picasa Web Album: An Bang Beach
Gabriel playing in a tidal pool. Don't worry, the nanny was just outside the frame of the photo!
We had booked a family vacation to Hoi An before my husband tore his ACL and ended up spending school vacation in Bangkok for surgery. It was going to cost too much to change the tickets to another date when we could all go, and nobody was interested in buying them, so I asked our maid/nanny to come with me and Gabriel. It was her first time flying!
I was hesitant to go without Duarte, as I thought it would be too stressful to travel with a toddler and not have anyone else to do stuff with, but I’ve really been enjoying having time with just Gabriel. He spent most of today chasing around some baby chickens yelling “Chicky! Chicky!”, riding on the back of a bicycle through Hoi An’s historic old town, and swimming at the Red Bridge Cooking School while I actually got to eat (and chew) my food while he played in the shallow end.
The feature photo is the view from our villa, a two-story townhouse with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen and a large balcony. The space is 100sq meters, and the idea was that Gabriel would stay in the downstairs bedroom with the maid while Duarte and I stayed upstairs. The price was $72 per night and includes breakfast, bicycle use and WiFi. More about the property in a future blog post. For now it’s my secret!
Here are a few photos of what Gabriel’s been doing.
At the Red Bridge Restaurant pool
Read to ride! Our maid helps Gabriel into his seat.
Tuesday after school I headed off to the Saigon airport for a 2-hour flight to Singapore followed by a 14-hour flight to London.
Upon arrival, my boss and I were picked up by a chauffeur and driven to Whittlebury Spa Hotel in Northamptonshire, about a 90-minute drive north of London. We arrived at the hotel around 8am, and in a few hours we’ll be attending a black-tie event with the education company our school is part of.
I learned about this trip a few weeks ago, and I’ve been stressing about the attire since then because in Saigon I have only clothes suitable for tropical Southeast Asia weather. I was able to borrow a shawl and dinner jacket for a colleague to ‘winterize’ a silk dress I already had.
Here’s the dress ($40) from a Saigon boutique called Candy Rox. I found this eye catching necklace for $10 at Saigon Square over the weekend.
I found these shoes ($10) at Saigon Square after my dark brown heels (also bought cheaply in Vietnam) fell apart. I have two options for the purse, which will depend on if I wear a shawl or a jacket.
The second purse is fancier and has a more vintage look, which goes well with the faux fur jacket. The bangles are from Pakistan.
Here’s the full ensemble. The shawl will show off the dress more and goes well with the colorblock Vietnamese purse, however the jacket will be warmer. It is quite chilly here in Northmaptonshire, even inside.
I probably won’t make the final decision til I’m on my way out the door!
I’ve been to the U.K. three times as a budget traveler, but during all of those trips, I was single and spent my time at hostels. However, since we now have a two-year-old son, we’d now be looking for family friendly destinations that won’t eat up our entire annual travel budget in a week.
Travel expenses in the U.K. can add up quickly; cheap accommodation and good value food options are the most important things to plan ahead for if you have a strict budget. The most important factor is to find good value accommodation that’s fit for children. Here are some ideas.
Holiday Parks
A holiday park is what Americans would most likely think of as a resort. The U.K. has many fantastic holiday parks where you’ll find swimming pools, kids activities, on-site restaurants, and good value family accommodation with a lot of amenities. I always used to wonder why my parents liked to take us kids to resorts when we were younger, and now I know. It is so much easier to have everything you need readily available than to get a baby or toddler ready to go out several times each day.
At holiday parks, you can book cheap Easter breaks and other deals during the kids’ school breaks. Accommodation ranges from budget/mid-range to higher end apartments with fully equipped kitchens. For the best value, look for accommodation options that include full standard board.
Holiday Cottages
National Trust rents over 400 historic cottages around the U.K. Most have equipped kitchens, and many have cots and baby chairs for young families. Eating in will save a lot of money on your food budget and be less stressful if you have a baby or a toddler. Search for a cottage near the beach for kid-friendly family outings.
Cottages range in price as they come in all different sizes, from 1 bedroom to 7 bedrooms. I was checking out some 2-bedroom properties near the beach, and some rented weekly for less than £400 during shoulder seasons and £600 during summer.
What I love about this option is how atmospheric and interesting each property is. I’d probably wait until our son is older to book this type of place, because I’d want him to remember the experience and be able to explore the surrounding countryside or city by bicycle.
Renting an RV
RVs are called caravans in the U.K., and renting one can be a great way to save on transport, accommodation and food costs. This would be a great option if you’d like to stop in several destinations and do your own cooking. The U.K. has 15 National Parks that are best explored by having your own wheels. Rent bicycles and transport them with the RV so that you have an easy way to explore each new destination.
Camping
The absolute cheapest accommodation you’ll find for families is old-fashioned camping. Within the national parks, you can stay in ‘camping barns’ for as little as £7 per night. If you stay in the camping barns, you don’t need to have your own tent. Regular campsites for tents and RVs range from £3 to £20 per night depending on facilities available.
The thing is, if you want to camp for your vacation, you’ll still need to arrange for the transport to get you from your point of entry in the U.K. to the campground or national park, and you’ll still need a way to get out and get to the store for groceries. This is where renting an RV may prove to be a cheaper option. Personally, I’d rather pay a bit more to have something fully equipped than lug my camping gear all the way to the U.K.
Youth Hostels
Another budget accommodation option for families is youth hostels. Although some have a younger backpacker/party vibe, many welcome families and have larger rooms with private bathrooms.
One example of cool place to stay with your family is the recently renovated farmhouse in South Downs operated by YHA. Rooms are available from £25 per night. The hostel has extensive grounds and is a good base for exploring the surrounding area. Staying in a converted farmhouse like this one assures plenty of room for active toddlers to run around and expend their energy.
After putting together this roundup I’ve realized that taking a short vacation with kids in the U.K. is not impossible for families on a budget! If you plan ahead, you can most certainly snag deals on all-inclusive holiday parks or other accommodation.
Do you have any tips for budget travel in the U.K.? Have you stayed anywhere that was wonderful for toddlers?
Leave a comment below!
Feature Photo: Butlins Holiday Park, Skegness by Lee Bailey
Yesterday was the first day of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam, so we ventured out to the city center in Saigon to see what people were doing.
The roads were quiet. It took about half the time it usually does to get to the corner of Truong Dinh St. and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St. The taxi dropped us off at the entrance of Tao Dan Park, one of the most popular locations for the annual Tet flower festival.
Everyone was busy taking photos of each other in front of the flowers.
We weren’t sure if people would be out, as I’d read that the flower festivals are open leading up to Tet, and it was already the first day of Tet. However, we were happy to find that the park was open and busy with lots of locals taking photos with the flower displays.
Some people were dressed in fancy ao dai (say a-wee ai), and everyone we passed smiled at our son Gabriel who was also dressed for the occasion. You can wear jeans and casual clothes, as many Vietnamese people were also not dressed up. We saw several incredibly cute babies in gorgeous silk ao dai or pretty dresses; their parents were making all sorts of funny noises and faces trying to get them to smile for photos in front of the flowers.
Performers were on hand for steel drumming and dragon dancing.
Taking pictures with flowers wasn’t the only thing to do. We saw the steel drum performers catching a nap, most likely between afternoon and evening shows. A large playground suitable for young children is on end of the park, and at the other end a large screen was set up and dance music was pumping.
A large outdoor eating area featured local vendors.
You could also eat at the park. Western and Asian options were available as well as ice cream and other snacks.
Colorful lanterns adorned an area with rock sculptures.
Several displays of rock sculptures and bonsai trees were set up around the park. They were all labeled with names, so it seemed to be some kind of contest or gallery.
The flowers do make a nice backdrop for a photo!
It cost 20,000 VND to get into the park, which is a little less than US $1. Gabriel is two years old and his admission was free.
The flowers were gorgeous and it was a fun place to take a toddler, however next year when our son is better at walking we’ll leave the stroller at home because there are some stairs and other obstacles (like garden hoses) that weren’t easy to maneuver with the stroller.
Chuc mung nam moi! Happy new year!
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