Boston with a teenager: Reluctant Education

Education, education, education. An old government slogan that applies to many households of school age children. Holidays should be a break, a change of scenery, but it’s always nice to throw in the odd educational experience. For a 16 year old who has just completed mandatory schooling, a solid dose of education was in order - so off we went to Boston to explore the Universities and the story of America’s break from Colonial rule. I was also keen to get the boy into the idea of independent travelling on a budget.

Our AirBnB was a twin room in a shared house in Revere; great value but well away from the tourist sights of the city centres. Revere is a firmly residential area of white clapboard houses adorned with patriotic tributes, sprawling shopping malls, and enormous roads - in short, what some might call the “real” America. The contrast of our small European city home to the suburban American sprawl was evident as we negotiated our way across 6 lane roads to a near deserted sandy beach barely half an hour from downtown Boston.

As is often the case in the United States, public transport difficulties ended up being a theme of the trip. We had installed the MTicket app on my phone to buy transport tickets, but couldn’t work it. However the MBTA Transit App was reasonably reliable, albeit that there weren’t a huge amount of buses to show us. We also downloaded Boston CityMaps, which gave us lots of adverts and a useful map of the subway; and Lyft, but didn’t use it.

We’d booked tours of Harvard and MIT as “prospective students”, which I suppose #1 son is. I’d always thought of him as more of a nerdy MIT type, and figured the tailored tour through his preferred faculties would be jolly interesting. However, whilst the charismatic student showing us round told us dozens of great quirky stories, it was Harvard that really grabbed his attention. The cool shady squares, ancient buildings (by American standards anyway), vast multi-storey library seemed to really inspire him. The bursary system really inspired me - Harvard and MIT give away over $100 million each in tuition fees every year! Harvard even pays for crazy overseas field trips all around the world. But I could see why the boy was inspired, Harvard has no modesty about appointing itself as the world’s most eminent university, and confidently asserts itself as such. The canteen is good (and cheap) too. Boy was inspired to do a bit more work for sixth form - mission accomplished.

A scientific friend had told me that we needed to visit the Science Museum, which contains the world’s largest van der Graff generator. This seemed a good plan for the rain forecast that afternoon. I had images of my own school science lessons when van der Graff generators turned our 1980’s expansive hair into quite an alien form. However this generator was actually developed to demonstrate lightning. You can miss the rest of the museum - this really was the thing. Played out in a purpose built theatre, the audience protected by a vast birdcage-like Faraday cage surrounding the central stage, the show demonstrates a phenomenal range of sound and light effects from the sparks generated. A bizarre highlight was playing Star Wars music through differently tuned generators as sparks flew between them.  The boy is too old to be a thrilled child, too cool to be interested in the Physics, but was as thrilled as I was, and as fascinated as all the other ages in there. 

While the rest of the family basked in the hottest British day ever, the rain in Boston continued the next day, so we invested $63 each in a one day Boston City Pass which gave us free entry to dozens of indoor and outdoor venues across town, including bike hire. This accelerated our tour through the aquarium, Paul Revere’s house, the Prudential Tower to look out across the neat rows of Brownstone Houses towards Fenway Park and the hills beyond, across Harvard Bridge (curiously measured in “Smoots” by some amusing co-MIT students of the diminutive Mr Smoot who was used as a measuring rod for the occasion),

The unexpected highlight was the museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Neither of us are artists, or remotely appreciative of art. I find Modern Art to be a very hit and miss affair, sometimes we’ll see something that we really like, but have no idea why. And so it was in the MCA, in the form of a permanent exhibit in a large room with various immense screens showing films taken simultaneously in a large house, in which people are jointly playing a piece of music in a weird range of locations within the house, various states of dress and undress, obviously different instruments and singers, but with the music perfectly synchronised. Walking round the gallery is like walking round this old house with the music all around you. We stayed there a while soaking it all in.

Next day the rain had gone and a beautiful clear day dawned. Following some basic research of Public transport, we plotted a trip Northward to Rockport.  This took us through absolutely stunning scenery with names utterly incompatible with their British namesakes. Manchester had huge clear blue lakes on both sides of the train tracks, lined by magnificent houses with vast green lawns reaching down to the shores. Gloucester and Chelsea meanwhile looked more like... well British Manchester really. Rockport itself seemed rather genteel when we arrived. Plenty of Art Galleries lining the main streets attracted the wealthy elderly crowd more than the teenage son and his dad crowd. However we had a jolly tasty seafood lunch, and proceeded on to collect a pair of pre-booked kayaks to paddle out across to some of the islands in Massachusetts Bay. The wildlife was surprisingly abundant, there were areas of big fish jumping out of the water (although I’ve no idea why), and hundreds of birds diving from the rocky shores. We stopped at Stratsmouth Island which was occupied solely by a retired couple who were restoring the lighthouse on the island. It was a fascinating tale, there was no running water or electricity when they arrived, so they had rigged up rainwater traps and solar panels to make the house habitable as a holiday let.

Our final day involved a proper day’s sightseeing, walking Boston’s famous “Freedom Trail” incorporating places of significance in America’s battle to shake off the colonial oppression imposed by the British Government. As Brits, we have a civic duty to express some cynicism about romanticism of some of the stories. It’s really not clear why Paul Revere is revered more than the other chap who  rode another horse through the night to warn of the British Advance. But that aside, the route is well planned, clearly marked for self-navigation with or without an explanatory leaflet, and at around 3 miles on both sides of the river - is easy to walk in half a day looking at the sights. Many visitors overlook the North side of the river, but that’s a shame as the view from Bunker Hill gives some real perspective to the City, and the old dockyard is fascinating. Back on the South side, and as someone who originates from close to Boston, England; it’s surprising to me to see the names of South Lincolnshire villages on street names and gravestones.  We finished the tour in Chinatown, where we ordered some fantastic Dim Sum, familiar tasty Cantonese food in enormous American portions!

The one thing that our One Day City Pass didn’t cover was the Boston Tea Party Museum, so we took ourselves there after lunch. It’s a bit enthusiastic for my muted British tastes, and much too enthusiastic for a self-aware British teenager, but it really is very well put together. All visitors are assigned an identity of a colonial rebel, and start in a protest meeting led by charismatic actors representing some of the heroes of the rebellion. The party then processes out onto a tea clipper and ceremonially dumps the tea into the harbour. The tour guides really were excellent, staying in character but answering any questions thrown at them with a wealth of knowledge of Boston’s history. The escalating rhetoric between the rebels and Crown was well illustrated through “paintings” of King George and Sam Adams having a heated row, their words based on actual correspondence between them. An understandably different slant to that taught in British Schools, and a welcome educational finale to the trip!

Hua Hin with extended family: the Brighton of Thailand?

Thailand has such abundant supplies of perfect beaches, with such a range of high quality and budget accommodation choices adjoining them, that the expectations of visitors tend to be pretty high. We had already enjoyed this level of luxury in Phuket and Kok Samui, so this time were looking for something a little different. Coupled with the fact that we were a party of 11, with an age range in the 8-80 region, but only a few days to spare, we had a slightly unconventional set of requirements. And as a result, we settled on Hua Hin.

Where? Few westerners seemed to have heard of it. Indeed, it’s less picture perfect than the beachy islands and sun-drenched jungle scenery of the more famous resorts. Not many blogs covered it, but those that did were enthusiastic (Would recommend https://livingnomads.com/2017/12/hua-hin-travel-blog/ here). Hua Hin achieved local recognition as a Royal retreat, splendidly documented in Alec Waugh’s “Bangkok”. Not unlike Brighton is to Londoners, Hua Hin is a seaside resort, a fairly easy journey from the capital. It was (and remains)  much loved by the Thai Royal Family, despite being slightly challenged by experiences of Malaria and military coups during their historic stays there.  

Like Bangkok, development hasn’t been kind to Hua Hin. The long beach that attracted the 19th century Kings is now hidden from the main road by a long sprawl of cheap hostels and smarter resorts; supermarkets, street markets, and shopping outlets; the odd school and temple lining the busy dual carriageway. The beach itself suffers from an influx of Jellyfish during the summer rainy season (when we happened to be there). But for all that, it does have a huge amount of character as a chaotic living city. While it lacks the classic stunning perfection of, say, Koh Samui, there is much fun to be had wandering through the markets and food stalls of the town, and living in it rather than viewing as a passive observer. 

Nowhere is this feeling stronger than the weekend Cicada night market. This had the usual selection of touristy knick-knacks, but interspersed with lots of live music, a play taking place in a small amphitheater, entertainment in the form of dogs leaping through hoops of fire. There was interesting shopping too, one stall was selling wooden home-made rubber band powered weaponry carved in the style of machine guns; the multiple elastic bands enabling it to be used like one to! The food market alongside sold a vast range of street food and drink - kebabs, curries, fruit juices, fried insects - no need for a McDonalds run here. A little further along the road is the smaller but no less variable “Grand Market”, running daily through the week and selling the most mind blowing delicious fresh fruit smoothies for pennies. 

Half an hour out of town towards the hills we found the Black Mountain Water Park. Such attractions are always a winner on hot family holidays, even better when low season meant that our family group made up most of the customers that day. Whilst the emptiness was a little eerie, no-one complained about the lack of queues for the 9water slides of varying degrees of size, steepness and downright madness. A separate lake alongside the pools contained a “Wipeout” style obstacle course complete with slippery floating bridges, inflatable climbing walls a trampoline enabling the larger of us to propel the smaller of us into the air by bouncing onto the opposite end of a semi inflated tube. I’m not sure how the facilities would cope in a busier season, but it was great for us in August!

Our final mini family adventure from Hua Hin was an ATV tour starting from a centre surprisingly close to the centre of town. After an initial half hour training and familiarisation session, we were guided into the hills by 2 of their instructors for a ramble through the countryside, and up a mountain to gaze down at the town and the sea. The more memorable part than the view was getting pestered by monkeys keen to extort a bag of nuts bought for the purpose. The instructors were great with the kids, the older ones were able to take turns to drive themselves, while even the little ones got to sort of drive with the instructors still firmly controlling the vehicles. The session finished off with a bonus air rifle shooting session, again with even the younger children having a go. However, they did reluctantly have to stand behind the line when those above 14 began the knife and axe throwing. And then back to our hotel where the more mature members of the group had endured a rather strenuous traditional Thai massage on the beach.

No story of Thailand is complete without mention of food, and the beachfront cafes and restaurants of Hua Hin cannot be missed. Simple decor and basic construction belied the delicious food produced from within. All the curries we tried had coconut milk to both take the edge off the spices and add a real sweetness that most of the kids could enjoy. The range of basic grilled food meant that no-one went hungry, and the prices were fantastic for such a large group. There was atmosphere too; romantic crashing of the waves in the background was drowned out by interesting Karaoke renditions of Western songs (I think).

Las Vegas: Diverting kids from the Sin of Sin City

Want to visit Vegas but worried about losing your shirt? Concerned that Vegas is rather prone to leading the impetuous types like yourself into debauchery? Well here's the solution, take the children along and they can divert you from some of the sins of Sin City. We managed to spend five busy days there completely devoid of drink, drugs, prostitution or gambling, much to the disappointment of the teenagers.

We spent most of our family holiday in Las Vegas simply ambling up and down the strip. We wandered through the casinos and hotel foyers stretching from the Luxor where we were staying up to the Venetian at the other end. One day we blew $8 each on a 24 hour bus pass to take us right up to the zipwires above Fremont Street at the Northern End.  

In "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", which I chose to read whilst staying there, Hunter S Thompson wrote "No, this is not a good town for psychedelic drugs. Reality itself is too twisted.” 45 years on, this quote seems even more apt. What made an architect think that Venice would be enhanced by re-arranging its major sights, adding travellators to the bridges and propellers to the gondolas, then dropping it all onto the strip? Where better to site a flamingo-themed nature park than as the centrepiece of another casino?  Why had no-one previously thought to pack the square beneath the Eiffel Tower with slot machines? Why did Italian Renaissance sculptors leave their artistry open to the skies rather than painting some white fluffy clouds on the ceiling above them? Don't pyramids look better when clad in blue glass rather than the blocky sandstone familiar to traditional archaeologists? Is a swimming pool not exciting enough unless its separated from an adjacent shark tank by a Perspex screen? Why should there be any water under the Brooklyn Bridge? Where else is Trump Tower the plainest building on the street? Why should a fountain simply spurt water straight up into the air when it could be one of 1,000 synchronised dancing jets of water?

 Each hotel, casino, shopping centre and pool resort seemed crazier than the one before it. This is the extreme nature of Vegas, and it's fascinating for the whole family. The continuous bombardment of incredible sights kept everyone's mind occupied, the air conditioning providing welcome respite from the intense heat outside. And best of all – strolling through it is all free.

 A trip to Vegas isn’t complete without a show, and there is plenty of choice even when you are limited to family friendly performances. We opted for tickets for Criss Angel, an illusionist apparently much better known in America than Europe. Whilst there were aspects where our 9 year old daughter had to cover her face – the lady being cut in half by a massive circular saw being one memorable interlude – the overall show was magnificent. It varied from close-up coin tricks, to spectacular transformations of people and objects, all moved along swiftly by a varied cast of entertainers. The climax of the show was the most incredible levitation trick, it simply defied belief. He tactfully weaved in an appeal for childrens cancer charities, and seemed to use the levitation to show their dreams lifting them into the air. This was a show that was really worth seeing.

We might have missed out on the sin, but we can always go back later. Our 13 year old is already planning a boys trip when he’s old enough to drink in the US, perhaps he’ll take his parents. In the meantime, taking away the bad habits unveils a fantastic eye-opening experience.

Grand Canyon: Its a very Big Gorge

The one pleasant aspect of jetlag when travelling West is that the whole family wakes early the next morning. We took advantage of this on our Vegas trip and headed off in a hire car into the desert as the sun was rising. We stopped at the fantastic South West Diner in Boulder City for our first proper American breakfast since New York last year. As usual, we hugely over ordered pancakes, one portion being plenty for 2, even without the accompanying bacon and eggs. It was delicious food, and the kind of service and attention that small-town America really excels at.  

We could have spent hours there, but our target was really the Grand Canyon, so we headed back onto the road, past "Guns & Burgers", past the world’s largest monster truck (isn't America marvellous), up into the mountains, eventually getting to the Hualapai Reserve mid morning. From here a fleet of buses distributes tourists around five suggested stops along the canyon; of which we selected the two that appeared to offer the best views. One of these includes the famous "skywalk", a U-shaped glass bottomed walkway stretching out above the canyon. Below our feet there was nothing to interrupt our line of sight, 3,000 feet down the cliff sides to the tiny trees below, and the seemingly minuscule trickle that is actually part of the mighty Colorado river. 

As spectacular as this was, it was the wildness of the Canyon itself at the next stop that was truly breathtaking. Every aspect of its scale was immense, in every dimension. The harsh beauty of the brown rocks, the jagged cliffs with seemingly no base to them left us awestruck. No photograph could do justice to the vastness of the landscape, the vista filling all directions from the rocky outcrop protruding into the canyon where we stood.

From an overwhelming natural wonder to an immense man-made wonder; we paid a fleeting visit to the Hoover Dam on the way back to Las Vegas. On any other visit this would have stunned us for the immense feat of engineering that it is. However, it was going to be tricky to follow on from the Grand Canyon. Even so, it's an incredible sight, and despite missing out on the full tour, the information boards provided a good explanation of the dam's construction and its immense electricity generating capacity, enabling the development of vast cities like Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Behind it stretches the magnificent arc of the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge providing another superb feat of engineering.

We rarely drive when travelling, mainly because it causes us to bicker rather than for any principled environmental stance. However while we had a car for a day, we stopped off in a shopping outlet on the edge of Las Vegas, actually spending a few hours there rather than the few minutes I had in mind. Shopping is just so much easier in America than Europe, the shops are big enough to cope with lots people, and the staff are invariably knowledgeable and helpful. So fully kitted out with sportswear for the approaching school year, we returned to Las Vegas as the sky grew darker and the lights grew brighter.

For kids dealing with Jetlag, the answer is simply to get up early and get on with the day. And do something interesting. Our 4 stops that day were different yet individually brilliant, but we would have struggled if we'd started later. 

Three generations boys adventure trip III: Northumberland & Cliff Diving

Somewhere between the Brexit Referendum and the election of Donald Trump, I took the boys to jump off a cliff. In the spirit of collective populism, we got 4 of our friends to plunge down into the sea below with us.  What a great summer! 

 

Like many British National Parks, the scenery of Northumberland is spectacularly beautiful. The slopes of the mountains, at times rolling, at other times harsh; the attractive stone-built towns, the wide sandy beaches, and of course the jagged cliffs plunging dramatically from the mountains to the sea.  But unlike many British National Parks, hardly anyone goes there. We enjoyed vast swathes of mountains and beaches to ourselves. And even more handily, there is a direct train to Alnmouth from London, by far the easiest way to travel with 4 boys and 3 drinking adults. 

 

As with Boys Adventure Trip II, we had booked activities with professional guides for most of the weekend. That left a reasonably amount of time amusing ourselves in the mountains and on the beach. Whilst Northumberland has nothing like the number of mountains that the Lake District has, there are a couple of chunky ones in the Cheviots, including the Cheviot itself. Due to time constraints, we climbed its neighbour, the prettily named Hedgehope Hill, close to the Scottish Border. This made it sound like a molehill, but in fact soars to 714 metres - just into mountain territory. The climb is a variety of grass paths, trudging though streams, and the obligatory battling through heather and scrambling over rocks to the top. It was a stunningly bright clear day, as it often is on the East Coast. We were rewarded with spectacular views to the Scottish Highlands one way, and over the rolling hills of Northumberland to the sea in the other direction. After that, we spent the rest of the day having simple fun on the beach. We improvised a version of rounders, there being enough space to really hit and run quite a distance. As the adults became exhausted, the boys buried one another up to the neck in sand. Frankly, there is nothing like a sandy beach in sunshine to amuse children of any age.

 

We stayed in the Sun Inn in Alnmouth, taking over 3 of their 4 bedrooms. This was a marvellous choice. The en-suite rooms were large and clean, the service was friendly, and the food was fantastic. Every morning several pigs were sacrificed for a wholesome breakfast to start the day. Our evening meals varied between the Sun Inn and an Italian across the road within the Hope & Anchor, both of which were excellent. One evening we ventured into Alnwick, shimmying up another hill first for some more incredible views up and down the coast, before descending back down into the town for a look at the castle and welcome selection of Indian food.

 

The next morning was a wet one, but it didn't matter too much as we were canoeing along the River Coquet. We had arranged a trip with Adventure Northumberland, who provided us (and another family) with 2 instructors, canoes and wetsuits. We met in the attractive town of Warkworth, close to its castle made famous by being used as the Quiddich pitch in Harry Potter films. After a brief introduction, we were tasked with paddling up over the weir (very hard) and sliding down it again (much easier) before paddling along the scenic river towards the sea. The reaction of our cityish boys was a real surprise. As with our previous canoeing trips, it’s a sport that we can all be equally good or bad at. The changing scenery around each corner and the wild birds flying past and wading in the shallows were all quite fascinating to them. However, just before boredom replaced curiosity, the waterfight began. This is where the instructors really helped, demonstrating a remarkable launch and bat technique with the paddles that thoroughly soaks your opponent!

 

However the next day we found that there is soaking, and absolute drenching. We met our Adventure Northumberland friends again for a session of “coasteering”, which simply involves making your way along the coast. However the coastal cliffs on this part are rather more dramatic than the beach. The waves really do smash over the rocks, repeatedly washing us into the sea where it's force was concentrated between the rocks. We’d scramble along cliff ledges, before leaping into the water where the ledge expired. Numerous times we paused to sit on what appeared to be a safe rock in the sea, only to get shoved back into the water by another enormous wave! Then bizarrely, we'd crawl through a tunnel in the cliff and find ourselves in a completed secluded lagoon in utter peace. 

 

Whilst each battle against the waves was adrenalin-lifting in itself, it was the cliff-jumping that was truly terrifying. We began slowly – initially just off a small rock, and gradually jumped off higher ledges as our confidence grew. By the end of the day, the more foolish amongst us were jumping off cliffs taller than a townhouse into jellyfish infested waves below. This took a certain amount of bravado, and I am proud to say that this was the one event where adults did better than the boys. Although as they pointed out – we have less to live for.  A welcoming optimistic view of life from the youth of today!

 

 

Kowloon: Bright Lights and Chaos

Kowloon. It's a name that conjures up choking tropical heat, dense neon lights, chaotic crowds  of people, exotic street food, pick-pockets, purveyors of fake watches and tailor-made suits. And it's all those. The assault of sights, sounds and smells on the Kowloon pavements is something that still excites me after visiting dozens of times, usually with the excitement of children emphasising the buzz.

Like most global cities, Kowloon hosts a set of museums to occupy the curious minds of children. Unlike the museums of most global cities, the Hong Kong science museum is so hands on throughout that its hard to leave. From a set of tricky logical puzzles and a mirror maze in the basement, through exhibitions on architecture, environment, sound, and on up to the transport section at the top with working engines to fire up, and Cathay Pacific's first plane hanging from the roof. Running top to bottom in the central atrium is a spectacular ball run which releases a set of balls every hour through a three-dimensional maze of pivoting beams, spirals and drops. If we are struggling to work out why Chinese children are so much better at maths and science than western ones, this isn't a bad place to start.

On the same site is the Hong Kong museum of History. Less hands on, but a well presented and interesting story nonetheless, it takes visitors from the early tribes settling on the flatter land, through colonial oppression and war, and economic development. It concludes with a slightly terrifying waxwork of Mrs Thatcher handing over the territory to Deng Xiao-Ping, followed by an optimistic view of the future of Hong Kong within a greater China.

Stretching North from the Museums are the craziest sets of markets, which amuse kids and parents alike; both beautiful but sickening at the same time. The bird market in particular has stunning brightly coloured creatures crammed into tiny cages with an impossible number of other birds. Onto the pet fish and reptile markets, where our children reliably plead with us to buy them some form of oversized lizards. Then around the corner to the flower market, where the splendour of the tropical flowers that bloom naturally in the heat of South East Asia make Columbia Road look quite drab. Finishing up in the dense crowds of Mong Kok, the most densely populated region in the world, but known to regular visitors as the ideal place to buy the latest electronics, generally cheaper than at home. Suddenly the familiar pressure to buy ipads for the whole family appears, so perhaps this bit is best avoided.

Around the Southern tip of Kowloon is the Tsim Sha Tsui, more popularly known simply as TST. Here are the bright neon lights in Chinese and English that are instantly familiar from films and pictures of the City. Its worth a stroll through Kowloon Park, a strange oasis of peace and tropical birds built on the sight of the previously crime-infested but self-governing Kowloon Walled City. The shock of then being plunged into the hectic noisy chaos of Nathan Road is all the more intense from here. Personally I prefer to navigate around rather than through the dozens of shopping centres clustered in this area, however the sheer scale of the Harbour City shops could make it a day out in itself. Aside from the welcoming Air Conditioning, the basement dedicated to childrens clothes and toys – covering the scale from Dior Kids to Toys R Us, will please some in the party. The top floor dedicated to electronics stores will please others. However you might struggle to squeeze a 60 inch TV into your suitcase if that appeals.

The final piece is a stroll along the waterfront itself, along the Avenue of the Stars, where you can pose alongside statues of Cantonese and International film stars. You may of course need to queue to model your Kung-Fu pose next to Bruce Lee, or simply photograph everyone else doing that for you. The walk takes you past plenty of other air-conditioned diversions; yet another amazing shopping centre in the Former Marine Police Headquarters Compound complete with unusually sympathetically restored colonial buildings, the Space Museum, and the Peninsular Hotel with its fleet of green Rolls Royce Phantoms and surprisingly accessible baby-changing facilities. All of this whilst presenting a spectacular view across the harbour to Hong Kong Island itself, only £2 away for a family of four by Star Ferry.

Hong Kong is an amazing destination. But to me, the buzzing life and chaotic activity of Kowloon is the most exciting part of it.

 

The New Territories of Hong Kong

Our view of Hong Kong is oddly skewed from most visitors by the way that most of our visits involve staying with family deep in the New Territories, close to the Chinese border and well away from the tourist spots of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. It remains incredible to me that many people visiting Hong Kong, and even many ex-pats living there, are completely unaware of the chaotic cities and rural wilderness a few minutes away. The city of Yuen Long for instance is utterly bewildering to westerners. White faces are rare, the few we see are confused foreign spouses like me, their Eurasian children galloping into the vast throngs of people with their local cousins - enthralling for them but terrifying for me.

Despite our lack of a common language, I am aware from certain facial expressions that my mother-in-law has concerns over the freshness of the fish on British markets. The fish market in Yuen Long provides an explanation for this - the fish are still alive. She nudges the boys urgently to draw their attention to a bowl of very agitated prawns randomly jumping out of the bowl and regularly landing in the bag of the old man standing by it chatting away completely oblivious. My daughter meanwhile gazes curiously at a densely populated tank of eels, struggling to connect which head follows which slithery body through the throng of other eels to which tail.

A bus ride out of Yuen Long, and the unfolding countryside varies immensely. In parts there are poorly maintained concrete roads with scrapyards dotted across former swampy farmland. Elsewhere there are new developments of 2 and 3 storey houses with pillars either side of the door and gleaming Mercedes' under tarpaulin sunshades outside. Into this mix, the ancient walled village of Kam Tin was once one of the larger settlements when the area was covered in farmland, and has parallels with remote Italian villages with its quiet narrow shady streets, children playing and old ladies sitting outside. This is also a good place to head for traditional Cantonese eating, particularly dim sum. The extraordinary range of tastes and textures of the food is matched by the deafening racket of the dozens of people chatting loudly to each other and their phones, half a dozen TVs playing different shows, the clattering of chopsticks and the staff yelling instructions to one another. But don't ask what exactly it is on the plate. Sometimes it's biologically obvious, sometimes ignorance is comforting.

Bus route 51 over the top of Hong Kong's highest mountain, Ta Mo Shan, is one not to be missed. Round each hairpin bend the views extend further, before disappearing completely as the road climbs through dense forest. A military airport appears in a previously unseen valley, a vast People's Liberation Army camp occupies a distinctive former British military base on the slopes. On and on upwards and the views across the Chinese city of Shenzhen appear, seemingly expanding more with each trip up. As the road steepens, the pained labours of the bus become more apparent, with the occasional super toned cyclist struggling past us. And then we're at the top, and begin the terrifying descent into Tsuen Wan, where the children again vanish with cousins into some vast neon-lit arcade to execute some more zombies.

A more peaceful time can be enjoyed around the Plovers Cove reservoir, a short bus ride from Sha Tin. Numerous bike hire venues surround the estuary and the reservoir itself, with off-road cycle routes populated by all kinds of pedal powered vehicles, both fun and more serious. The boys select a nice dual pedalled model with a comfy armchair type attachment for Grandma, I am quite surprised by their generosity. As we pedal out across the dam the views of the mountains open up again, the steep green mountains like a tropical version of the Scottish Highlands. In the distance we see an enormous statue of Buddha's mother, which apparently marks the site of a nunnery funded by Li Ka Shing, Hong Kong's richest man. When the apocalypse arrives - he will be protected in his secret bunker there.

Hong Kong is marvellously exciting wherever you go. There is so much to see and experience that its hard to narrow it down to a shortlist. However, I think a few days in the New Territories as part of your trip will show you what makes Hong Kong Different.

Hong Kong, extreme energy, extreme towers, extreme shopping

The spectacular island of Hong Kong is perhaps the most energetic place in the world where it seems no-one needs to sleep. Whatever it chooses to do, it takes to a mad excess, particularly when it comes to extreme shopping and extreme construction. The resulting skyline of 40 to 110 floor tightly clustered skyscrapers crawling up the steep mountainside from the harbour creates views that are imitated but never remotely equalled. Whilst the views of the Island from the opposite shore in Kowloon are impressive, there is plenty of fun to be had taking children up some of the towers to look out from amongst the throng of buildings.

Some of the more popular but quite different viewing sites close to the Star Ferry are Observation Wheel (a little like the London Eye), and the Bank of China Building Observation Deck. However my personal recommendation is the Hong Kong Monetary Authority Information Centre way up on the 55th floor of the International Financial Centre, or IFC 2. Not only are the contents exciting for an economist like myself, but the general entrance is great with kids, passing through a smart lift lobby, getting photo ID, and into the gleaming office lifts. Your children may recognise the building as being the one that Batman leapt from in “The Dark Knight”, but even if they miss this subtle reference, emerging from the lift is like stepping into the cloud layer. The height is breathtaking, but the humidity and apparent smog are also evident. The combination of IFC and IFC2 offer both extreme construction and extreme shopping. Fortunately there is a satisfactory set of food options across the two centres, including a McDonalds. As much as travelling with children opens their minds to different styles of cooking (see the blog on the New Territories), McDonalds does cheer everyone up.

A different kind of view emerges by taking the Peak Tram from Central, through the mid-levels, to Victoria Peak. Although a rather crowded tourist hot-spot, it’s a cheap and effective way to get a good idea of the overall layout of the Central Hong Kong, The extremes of construction are much clearer here, where the mountainside appears to be too steep to build on, yet 40, 50, 60 storey apartment blocks are impaled into the slopes. Eventually the tram rises above the building line to give another magnificent harbour view. Whilst most of the Victoria Peak Terminus building is rather touristy and tacky, the views from the rooftop are worth paying the premium on the tram fare to see.

On another Tram, horizontal this time, the Hong Kong Tramways has been running the same route along the waterfront for over a century.  It’s one of the very few areas where the business-like intensity of Hong Kong has been sentimental enough to allow some kind of nod to its heritage. The mechanics and controls of the tram are as cutting edge as one would expect from Hong Kong’s impeccably reliable public transport system, but the outside appearance is little changed since double deckers were introduced in 1912. Get off at Admiralty for some more luxury shopping – a particularly useful spot for buying a handbag that you will no longer have any money to carry in it.

 The best thing for me about Admiralty is the bus station underneath it, taking you well away from any of the shops. The 629 bus to Ocean Park is the one trip that should be mandatory for a family holiday to Hong Kong. A phenomenal theme park alternative to the Disneyland on Lantau, Ocean Park combines wildlife and heritage with rides for all ages and of course more views. This is the only place in Hong Kong where you can see Pandas, cared for in a large enclosure which is surprisingly uncrowded and educational. There is also a substantial aquarium boasting performing dolphins, again with an emphasis on education and ecology. Passing through the steeper parts of the site is made easier by a vast outdoor escalator – in this case only the second longest in the world. The rides are suitable for a good range of ages and fear levels, and feature plenty of cooling water splashes. A cablecar links the 2 sites on either side of the mountain, which itself presents more views of the bays of Southern Hong Kong, and the queues of container ships carrying China’s produce to the world.

Across this side of the island are the pleasant areas of Aberdeen, Repulse Bay and Stanley. Hong Kong lacks anywhere that could be remotely be described as “undiscovered”, but the tall blocks of flats surrounding these attractive bays look less out of place than they would in more rural island locations. The beaches are pleasant and extremely safe – even young children wander the towns and take taxis independent of parental supervision. The market in Stanley is pleasant for a wander and to pick up souvenirs, and the shopping generally is much less intensely glitzy than most of Hong Kong.

Although not on Hong Kong island itself,  no trilogy of a Hong Kong family tour would be complete without mention of the Big Buddha on Lantau. Built in the closing years of British Rule, with a distinct look towards the future (the Buddha faces towards Peking), this largest seated Buddha in the World is an engineering marvel even more incredible than the skyscrapers seen earlier. An exhibition inside the statue tells something of its construction, but the overall effect is incredible. Despite the usual parade of tourist memorabilia stalls here, the monastery to which the Buddha is attached still offers a wholesome vegetarian meal to travellers. Parts of the monastery are open to quiet visitors, and this is a good place to learn something about the Buddhist culture. Our pictures here are of the same boy in the same place with 13 years between the picture on his first, and most recent visit; just to show its worth coming back to. Not only does the climb up the steps to the Buddha offer amazing views over the mountains and sea, but the journey by cable-car, some with glass floors for added fear, give spectacular views of the airport, the countryside, the emerging Bridge to Macau, and eventually to the majestic Buddha statue itself.

Hong Kong island is glitzy and glamorous, which can mean expensive. But the most incredible experiences of this incredible island are the views, and they cost nothing. Don’t forget the rest of Hong Kong; Kowloon and the New Territories should be explored, but it’s the vertical sights of the island and the views from and over them that amaze children the most.

Three generations boys adventure trip II: Peak District and Caves

Buoyed by the success of the earlier 2012 trip to the Peak District, we decided to return 2 years later, but with the addition of a few friends this time. Each son brought a friend and each friend brought a father, making 3 men and 4 11 and 12 year old boys for the first few days. We stayed in Eyam, taking over the family rooms in the coach house adjoining the excellent Youth Hostel. This was a brilliant decision, we had a 4-bed room, and the other 2 families had a twin room each, with a shared bathroom. It was perfect for coming home muddy each evening, and waking up after a good nights sleep, at a phenomenally low price. Eyam itself, famous as the plague village which shut itself off from the world during the Black Death to protect neighbouring villages, was a 10 minute stroll across the fields down the hillside. Once again, the Youth Hostel provided breakfast and packed lunches, the excellent pubs of Eyam filled us up in the evening. 

 

We stopped at Carsington Water on the way up for an hour of kayaking. It was the first time that we had all got together, so bonding in wetsuits while soaking one another with oars as water beaters was a superb start to the trip. There is something marvellous about water for all ages. Strangely - everyone seems to be equally good / bad at kayaking, its a kind of natural action that anyone can pick up. This was exactly what we needed at the end of a tedious trek up the M1. From there it wasn’t far on to Eyam.

 

We had made arrangements with the excellent team at Pure Outdoor to provide activities over the weekend. They were extremely helpful on the phone in advance with suggestions, so we had high hopes as we arrived at their outdoor centre early on Saturday morning. After a thorough run through the options, I was outvoted on my plan to abseil off a railway bridge as we had originally planned. Instead we would spend the morning rock-climbing on Stanage Edge, and the afternoon “Weaselling”.  

 

Early adolescence is the stage where not only do boys start to realise that their fathers are not the majestic sporting heroes they thought, but they also overtake us in terms of sporting ability. Nowhere is this more apparent than rock climbing, where progress up a sheer cliff is dependant entirely on the ratio of strength in your fingers to overall body weight. That is to say, athletic skinny boys make a better job of it than middle-aged men with large feet and beer guts. All of the boys felt they were skilled climbers based on their experience of climbing walls. However a cliff face is a different matter entirely. Now the purpose of the ropes and the importance of the safety briefing were very real. But the actual effort involved to pull yourself up from the thinnest of cracks in the rocks is immense. Its also immensely satisfying to achieve progressively harder climbs. And from the top, the views are incredible, and so much more earned than walking round the cliff as on Trip I. The inevitable bloodied knees and bruised shins just added to the sense of achievement.

 

Weaselling didn’t sound like such a fun concept to me, but I was very wrong here – this was one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip, and the part where there was more laughter than any of the other bits. Essentially this involves scrambling over and under the enormous rocks that have cascaded down the side of Higger Tor. Sounds very simple, and it is if you have the physique of a 12 or 13 year old. However manoeuvring my belly between the narrower gaps and crevasses proved very challenging.  There were a number of occasions when it seemed the rocks were attempting to give birth to the adults in our group, although its not normally the baby that makes those noises. Each time we emerged from another gap, in any direction, we were greeted by another awesome view of the countryside, and a gang of four giggling boys.

 

Day Two was the challenging event 5 hours spent underground, working our way through the Cave known as the “Giant’s Hole”, with such a range of physical and technical challenges I sometimes think back and wonder if we really did it. The route begins very easily where some early 20^th century entrepreneur concreted the floor and blasted any obstacles out of the way. Then the fun starts. We abseiled down a deep hole through a waterfall into pitch blackness – thank goodness we had done so much abseiling on the rocks the day before. We then passed through the “Crabwalk” – half a mile of twisting through a crevice narrower than me (but again – wider than the boys) culminating in “The Vice”, which was as easy to get through as it sounds.  The route then goes through a series of steep climbs and descents, some scrambled, some on ropes, and mostly through very cold water. Eventually we got to the “Giants Windpipe”, a 20 metre or so stretch where the roof of the cave is about 18 inches from the floor, and its half filled with water. This was quite a challenging crawl, and our instructor John kindly rewarded us with a very welcome cup of Hot Vimto at the end of it. From there, it seemed a fairly straightforward scramble, climb and abseil back to the start. The pub that night was a very welcome sight!

 

Next day, our friends left us, and Grandad returned to join us for a few days walking.  Mountain climbing was off the agenda this time, so we followed the Monsal Trail and Tissington Trail. These form two of the old railway lines across the peaks which have been restored as foot and cycle paths. The routes are extraordinary, from the days when no expense was spared in building viaducts and tunnels to follow a straight line on a map regardless of the contour lines in between. Some of the tunnels are up to 400 metres long, but fully lit, which gives them a magically eerie glow. Much easier than crawling through the Giant’s Windpipe anyway.

 

This was an ideal adventure trip for boys who old enough to know that their dad’s aren’t cool, but young enough to get some pleasure from our company when we’re doing something active and fun. Most of the activities were things where they could really prove that they were better than us, and that;s oddly satisfying for all of us. The tricky thing was going to be… how do we beat that one?

Cannes: French food, sandy beaches, and glamour

I do like France. I know the language well enough to avoid starvation, but badly enough to feel I am somewhere foreign and exotic. You can smell the croissants the moment you leave your apartment to hit the Patisserie-Boulangerie. Provence has the added benefits of a splendid combination of chic glamour and an efficient subsidised public transport network.

Like two of our earlier trips to the region (see https://bigsummerholiday.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/cannes-with-one-baby-may-2003.html) we rented an apartment in Cannes within walking distance of the sea and the railway line. On this occasion we took the bus direct from Nice Airport, which was cheap and quick, and dropped us 5 minutes walk from the flat. Unlike our earlier trips, the children were now carrying their own luggage rather than us carrying the children and all the luggage!

I mention the railway because whilst Cannes itself is lovely, the trips out along the coastal line stop at no end of places well worthy of a visit. The stunning beaches and coves of St Juan les Pins, Villefranche and Beaulieu, the towns of Nice and St Raphael, the WaterPark at Biot are all just an air-conditioned ride away. However, we had a little mission in mind on this trip.  Changing for a bus at Cagnes-sur-Mer, we were carried into the mountains to the idyllic setting of Vence. Our destination was the the Rosaire Chapel, designed by Henri Matisse and suddenly well known in London following the creation of a replica version in the Tate Modern to accompany an exhibition of the colourful “cut-outs” associated with him and the Chapel. The chapel is beautiful, and well worth the walk with children in tow to see how the sunshine filters through the stained glass “Cut-out” windows to splash the interior with colour. There is a fairly lengthy talk about the chapel construction, which is best missed with children for the exhibition beneath it bi-lingually explaining the construction and art within. The coach trips then rock on to the scenic St Paul de Vence, but if your priority is Ice Cream and Snacks, Vence itself is much less touristy. We had a very pleasant afternoon strolling through the narrow streets and shaded squares, breezing into the occasional shop and cafe, before returning to Cannes for the evening.

A little further on the train passes through Monaco, and this has to be a highlight of a trip to the area. The station itself, hollowed out of the mountain and glamorously lined with marble, is a worthy introduction to the ludicrously expensive theme of Monte-Carlo. The wealth on display around the streets is marvellous or obscene depending on your point of view. One of the children was delighted to spot a second hand Airbus A320 private jet offered for EUR 20 million in the window of a ship and estate agent. Traffic jams of Ferraris of Ferraris delighted the kids, the diamonds and handbags flaunted on the streets reminded Mrs _H of some of her poor life choices. Aside from strolling the quayside and people watching (a low-cost activity that can be enjoyed from any pavement bench in the principality), it’s the Palace that provides most entertainment. The climb up the steps is quite hard work, but the palace itself is almost Disneyesque in its shiny white cleanliness and pretty steepled towers. Yet this is a living, working building, albeit one maintained by a very wealthy family. The tour of the palace is quite interesting, the audio devices enabling us to do it at the kind of pace that avoided children being bored. But the better attraction with children is the aquarium a few streets away. Whilst this lacks the vast shark tanks and Perspex tunnels of more modern rivals, the family all seemed to love the small scale of it, the format of the presentations and the collections of marine memorabilia founded by the Royal Family. It also presents outstanding views across the Mediterranean from its position on the corner of the rock.

Which brings me back to the theme of the seaside, and especially the beaches of Cannes. This part of Provence has huge stretches of sandy beaches, varying in culture from crowded to quietish; flanked by designer boutique to the occasional ice-cream seller; exposed and open to secluded coves; touristy to locals. One delight of Cannes is that the extremely glamorous but crowded beach along La Croisette (see my 2003 and 2006 blogs) is contrasted with a much quieter beach just the other side of the old port and castle. This is the beach used by the locals, with a few small snack bars to keep nourished, and the shady “Square Mistral” across the road to provide a playground and shade. The castle-topped hill, itself worth a climb for a look around, shields this part of the coast from the hoards around the corner, keeping it from the hoards nearer the centre of town. Life is also noticeable cheaper this side of town; there is much better value to be had in a café here than in the more touristy joints around La Croisette.

Lots of people have their favourite part of France, and this is ours.  Like anywhere else in France, the food and wine are excellent.  However this is the only region that we’ve returned to as a family three times, and there are reasons for that. The travel is convenient, the exploring is efficient, and the people-watching is outstanding; this area more than any other has that je ne sais quoi.

Three generations boys trip I: Peak District

Multi-generational holidays are apparently one of the biggest growth sectors in the travel industry. I can't really see the appeal of travelling with extended family. Too many people to involve in the detail of eating, sleeping, travelling and days out. However we tried it on a small scale by eliminating women from our trip, and it was so much fun that we repeated it twice more.

The formula was simple, I would drive with to my parents home with all the children, swap my daughter for my father, and carry on the journey into the Peak District. We rented a marvellous B&B in the turret of a house close to Edale, with a room on each of the 4 floors - one for the men, one for the boys, one sitting room, and one dining room.  Wholesome English breakfasts were thus sorted, with the landlord additionally making enormous packed lunches for our daily striding over the mountains.

Grandad time is marvellous for boys of any age, even with me in the party. We trekked over Mam Tor in the early evening, seeing the where the road had plunged down the hill with a few cottages, killing the occupants. As darkness and mist descended, my father terrified the boys with the ghost stories of the victims, and those that had met the ghosts when lost on the hillside. We staggered on through the mist.....

Next day was rather clearer, and seemed ideal to tackle Jacobs Ladder and cross the bizarre peaty landscape of Kinder Scout. I was expecting Jacobs Ladder to be a hearty climb for all of us, but small boys have infinite energy of course. They kindly carried our bags up the steps at quite a pace, waiting smugly for the old men at the top. The enormous lunch then vanished inside us as we looked down on Manchester. For reasons not entirely clear, boys listen to Grandfather's telling of the great Kinder Scout Trespass above my more interesting stories, and on that stunningly clear afternoon you could see what a marvellous day out that must have been.

Then it's compass time across the featureless landscape at the top of Kinder Scout.  The peat bogs sucked down the heavier amongst us, while my youngest son seemed to float confidently over the top.... until he didn't, and sank down like the rest of us. Eventually we could see down into the valley of Edale again, and carefully descended the steeper side of the mountain, not terrifically aided by bifocal lenses. A magnificent pub dinner topped off the day.

And so it continued over the next few days - another day - another mountain - and another view of the others side. We looked down on the beautiful views above the forest across Derwentwater, another opportunity for a Grandad story, this time about the Dambusters. We strode along Stanage Edge viewing the spectacular views of the valley below. We ate very well, 3 times a day. We played wholesome board games in the evening, like scrabble, draughts, and monopoly. We had lots of fresh air, and we all slept very very well!

Most of all though, we talked to each other. We learnt lots about each other and from each other, solving most of the world's problems. This is the positive of a multi-generational holiday, it was a lovely celebration of each other's company.

Belize Rainforests: Wildlife to terrify and fascinate us

If there is one holiday that threw us straight into the unfamiliar the moment we left the airport – this was it. We went into this stage of the trip with some trepidation, not really having much idea what to expect from a country we had barely heard of, and that seemed to be remarkably uncovered by most of the routine travel literature. This made the holiday that bit more exciting, it felt like our own little secret venue, yet exceeded so many expectations for adventure and wildlife.

All the logistics had been arranged by Reef & Rainforest, who I think are probably the best travel agents we have ever used, specialising as they do in family trips to…. Reefs and Rainforests. They had arranged for us to be met at the Airport by Francisco, a guide working for Pook’s Hill Lodge, the fantastic but tiny hotel in the thickness of the rainforest that we were due to stay in. Over the next week, Francisco was to become our greatest friend. His vast knowledge and enthusiasm for the wildlife, Mayan culture, and scenery of Belize was matched by his patience with the children.

Francisco suggested stopping at the Zoo on the way to the Hotel, as it was quite close to the airport, but when we arrived there it wasn’t remotely like the European City Zoos that we were used to. Fransisco parked the van next to a couple of old pick-ups in a small clearing in the jungle which looked more like his mate’s farm than a visitor attraction. Then the excitement began. I hate snakes. The boys love them. Filled with dangerous ideas from TV wildlife shows of Boa Constrictors and the Fer de Lance (one of the largest and most deadly snakes of Central and South America), we were greeted at the gate by a chap with a boa constrictor in his arms. He draped it round the shoulders of the gleeful boys, while they asked whether the zoo had a Fer de Lance. The not so re-assuring answer was that they did, but it had managed to get out of its enclosure a couple of days previously so they weren’t sure where it was!

As it was, the zoo was a lovely informal collection of creatures hidden and not so hidden in the trees around us. The zoo was very much in the thick of the jungle, with a vast variety of some of the local larger cats, including Jaguars and Ocelots (fortunately separated from us by secure enclosures). We also so the very odd-looking Tapir, often hailed as Belize’s national mammal, huge numbers of vividly coloured shrieking birds, more crocodiles than I would usually choose to associate with, the odd snake scuttling across the path in front of us  - all in all this was a great way for kids to start a visit to a new country!

We continued on to the hotel, the excitement rising as we eventually turned off the main road into the driveway. However this was no ordinary driveway – 5 miles of rutted track later and almost an hour since we’d left the main road – the jungle cleared and a stunning collection of thatched huts appeared in a little clearing. Separated from the rest of the hotel by a tiny footbridge, our room stood on stilts above the valley floor raising it to the level of the rainforest canopy. This enabled us to be level with plenty of birds and animals. Loudly growling howler monkeys were a theme of the night and early morning, we also saw a huge owl, numerous toucans and humming birds and the occasional group of bats from our balcony. Lower down on the ground next day, Francisco took us for a walking tour of the grounds, extracting rubber from the rubber trees, showing us more wildlife hidden in the jungle, more snakes. Later on we repeated the walk after dark to see the shining eyes of the nocturnal animals reflected in our torch beams, and tarantulas coming out of the holes in the forest floor.  Back again the next day, we drifted in rubber inner tubes down the slowly meandering river that bordered the grounds, after a warning to watch out for crocodiles. We made clay models from the clay in the river bed, hardening them in the sun.

Our major day out from here was to visit the vast Mayan ruin of Xunantunich. Rising 130 feet from the jungle floor, this was quite an effort to climb to the top in the heat, with howler monkeys giving a steady amused commentary on our progress. Francisco carried our 5 year old daughter most of the way up, after that they were firm friends. The view from the top was amazing, dense jungle covered mountains in every direction. We were less than a mile from the Guatemala border here, marked by a river hidden somewhere beneath the trees. The site is huge, it must have been a vastly populated thriving city in the centuries before European invaders. We toured the remains of numerous buildings and paved spaces across it, Francisco explaining many of the customs, beliefs, and games, including a version of volleyball where the losing team would have been beheaded. The boys were keen to start a game but it was a bit hot and humid for us all to join in.  

We continued on to the small town of San Ignacio, having a look around the town and a good wander through the market. We finished off the day with a canoe journey up the river with 2 guides to help us paddle the canoes and spot the wildlife. This was where we saw the hideous 4 foot long dinosaur-like Iguanas. They perched perfectly still on the branches overhanging the water, so much so that they were hard to see until we were almost on top of them; at which point they would clumsily and surprisingly quickly retreat crashing through the forest. We disturbed a colony of bats in a cliff overhanging the river, that flew off in a dense swarm, did a quick loop of the river and returned to exactly the same spot.

The final day we were so sad to leave, it had been a really wonderful stay after such trepidation in advance. As we sullenly munched our breakfast in the dining room, Francisco suddenly ran in to grab the boys with the news that a King Snake was lying on the driveway. They ran off to see the last horrifically deadly animal of the trip before we returned to the van and headed to the seaside for the next stage of our adventure. Before we went to Belize, all the children were addicted to the adventures of Steve Backshall and his “Deadly 60” series, in which he hunted out deadly creatures around the world. In just a week, we managed to cover plenty of these ourselves, but right there, in the wild, and in person rather than the safety of a sofa in front of the TV. This was the trip where the unfamiliarity made the excitement of travelling.