readme. abOut this site.

Work habit die hard, “readme” is a text file consist of instructions, T&C etc whenever installing a software. Thought it would sounds good to describe this blog. Anyway, cut to the chase, Thank You very much for visiting. The main intention here is to share our experiences as much as we can and as informative as we can with parents surrounding, who are reading this, who likes what we are doing, who would also like to make it happen and by NOT to JUDGE you or others on style of living.

This blog is all about us backpacking with our children. Not only for us parents to chase our dream decades ago but also part of education for our children. We have been to several countries in 2011 and that includes the “Incredible” India, the “Emptiness” grass land of Mongolia, “Multicultural” Indonesia, “Peoples and still Peoples” of China, ASEAN our neighbor Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and also Korea, the most comfort country I would say. Starting with away for 2 weeks, 3 weeks then a month and looking forward for longer. With the easy beginning by flights then overland border crossing. Challenges in languages, near helpless 800km away from nearest hospital, children complaint too much of walking until they themselves amaze their abilities.

It is not easy for folks around here especially malaysian chinese crossing in to mind the word backpacking with children comparing with westerner. There are so many questions and yet first question pop in mind of the spending and safety. Doubts on accommodations, unclear informations about transportations and route, insufficient details even googling around web, safety about the country, nearest hospital for emergency, and also importantly the budget ways. You have to times 6 if you have 4 kids when buying tickets. Yes, is true it is not easy.

Why we are making it happen? How could we afford? We are not rich, we still have to make a living and in fact we also learn from all these. We have heard folks giving the usual formula is to work hard enough then go with the saving but how much is enough? Children are still young, tuff to take care; busy and so on so on. I agreed, it ain't easy I repeatedly and life cycles are like fixed. We are going to start busy with studying in 20s’ busy with works in 30s’ busy with family in 40s’ then probably busy with hospital when 50s’. We can’t jump nor move in between but we may just fast forward a little bit. So, the first golden rule is to make it happen for the first time. Trust us, the second and the rest would be much more easier and easier.

chinese http://mylittlebackpackers.blogspot.com/ http://6backpacks.blogspot.com/ english

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TGM. bOrder crossing 2. Moxi

30/1/12 Update. Moxi (Moxizhen) - Hailougou. Simplicity.

There were so much pictures taken from all the travel, people, places, flowers, animals and so on so on. From all these nice pictures when we look back, sometimes we wonder is it true we came by following others, a must visit place of its famous? Captured from all the nice spot or even putting up the tripod. But I'm sure Sherilyn and I could't agree more the best taken are from the children. The most simplicity of it.

A walk nearby just after dinner.

With the help from camera technologies.

A small chat at first, then the camera woman said this looks wonderful

So we walk backwards and come front again then I said

"blar blar blar, blar blar blar blar, blar blar"

enhancing the simplicity laugh effect.

29/1/12 Update. The Greater Mekong begin. Moxi (Moxizhen) - Hailougou.

Panda tour finished at 11.45am. Our driver arrived early, a quick grab lunch then we hit the road to Hailougou National Glacier Parl, the first destination in the next six days. Moxizhen located southern part of Luding, and Hailougou is just about 20km away from Moxi. All and all, it's about 380km drive away from Chengdu but beside the state highway from Chengdu to Ya'an, the rest are mountains, narrows roads and also passes Mt Er Lang (二郎山) at the peak over 4000m above sea level. We almost following a river all the time along the way and the view were like breath taking for us. Is like we were form stone age, cameras just keep on snapping. We drove a standard 7 seater MPV and comfort enough for all of us together with our backpacks. But unfortunately we were caught jam in the middle for 2 hours with construction works ahead until we have to turn off the engine and completely not moving at all. Siao Shi（小石）our driver said it was very normal due to only single lane for mountain road. I'll be no surprise people from city life back home will scream like hell, what the hack?!@#$ Ha! This is one of the thing we have to learn from traveling. Patient, expect the unexpected and unexpect the expected. Children they have tons of questions and this is a good time to chat what we were experiencing. At the end we arrived at 8.30pm, 8 hours drive from estimated of 6. Sunset at around 6.15pm, most of the time we drove in the dark. There's no street light, the locals painted the tree body in white to get reflection as for safety drive.

Moxi lies at around 1,600m above sea level and population are mainly ethic Han (Chinese), Yi, Miao, Tujia, Qiang and Tibetan. It was one of the important town of ancient Tea and Horse route connecting Sichuan and Yunnan to Tibet old days. The landscape serving the Hailougou National Glacier Forest Park, the biggest glacier park in china and the lowest in the world. The valley glacier stretching around 14km long and covering about 24 square km with a low altitude of 2800 meters for visitors easy accessible. Many hotels & guest house were build for the fast increase tourists and mostly are in the camp site that are closer to the hot spring. It was a long drive and late, kids were tired and we believed the driver too, we just took the driver recommendation guest house name Happy Farm House ( 欢乐农村), a few km away from the park entrance. It was a little above our budget, RMB250 per night but the wooden deco make it nice. It runs from local farmer and serving all day meals. This night was quiet, so so quiet that we like it so much. There were just another newly married local couple staying and we are happy to meet them as they are almost taking the same route we did and self driving but just only a day a head of us. We were hoping to pass Xinduqiaozhen (新都桥) towards Yajiang (雅江), so they can call Siao Shi to update us on the road conditions. After dinner we enjoy the relaxing moment chatting about the route from the map and they were surprise we speak chinese too.

We weren't much interested with temples and hot spring as we have them back home. But we were like four crazies dudes first time seeing snow and ice mountain until surrounding tourist started thinking where we came from. RMB150 for adult and half price for children the entrance fees for the park. We bought the ticket from the guest house and a pickup at 8.30am, about 30 mins drive and including the return at the last call at 4.30pm.

PS: There were no hospital nor clinic around.

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Panda Tour Chengdu

18/1/2012 update. Chengdu 1.2

A while ago, Sherilyn mention she read an article published on 12th Jan, Chengdu Channel News:

Kung Fu Panda "Bao" will be transported and released to a new home - the wild nature where it belong. We were lucky having the chance to visit them. As from our earlier promise and children learn Chengdu kept about one thousand giant pandas remaining in their surrounding and Ecological Nature Reserve that was being built to be the world's largest giant panda breeding research base, the "hometown of panda ".

This day we were leaving Chengdu at noon to Moxi and only a little time to catch on. If we missed this, probably children will not leave here. So we took the guest house tour arrangement and cost RMB90/person to the research base to gain time. If to go by own, from the Chengdu New South Gate bus station directly to the Panda Base tour bus, round trip of about RMB20, entrance fee RMB58. You'll save RMB12. But given the time and we have a pretty guide so no big issue.... Panda Group runs every day, so the number is not much. We were with one couple from Singapore.

Giant Panda Base in the northern suburb about 40 minutes drive. It was established in 1987, covering about 200 hectares, is a specialized in breeding endangered wildlife research, conservation education, and non-profit educational travel organization. Start to save the giant panda, protection, breeding, and is committed to human nature in harmony with the giant panda, and to allow them to eventually return to the mission field. Is not a zoo. Currently it holds 108 giant pandas.

It is a large area and a very beautiful landscape, parks, delivery room, feed room, medical station, laboratory building, nursing homes, kindergartens, etc., are designed for the panda. We visited their early childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age panda, until into the bone and a movie of their beginning to end. This is a very interesting panda tour, full of educational value, we had a better understanding of the panda.

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MONGOLIA 3

3. Dream Chasing. Grass Land.

With the population less than 3 million and the most sparsely populated independent country in the world, It is also the world's second-largest landlocked country after Kazakhstan. Mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately 30% of the population are nomadic or semi-nomadic. The predominant religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, and the majority of the state's citizens are of the Mongol ethnicity, though Kazakhs, Tuvans, and other minorities also live in the country, especially in the west. About 20% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day! Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization in 1997 and seeks to expand its participation in regional economic and trade regimes. Geography of Mongolia is varied, with the Gobi Desert to the south and with cold and mountainous regions to the north and west. The highest point in Mongolia is the Khuiten Peak in the Tavan bogd massif in the far west at 4,374 m (14,350 ft). Most of the country is hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter, with January averages dropping as low as −30 °C.The country is also subject to occasional harsh climatic conditions known as zud. Ulaanbaatar has the lowest average temperature of any national capital in the world. Mongolia is high, cold, and windy. It has an extreme continental climate with long, coldwinters and short summers, during which most of its annual precipitation falls. The country averages 257 cloudless days a year, and it is usually at the center of a region of high atmospheric pressure. Precipitation is highest in the north and lowest in the south. (source from wiki)

Huge grass land outside UB is what we are looking forward to. Breath taking and dream catching! Everyone are so excited, especially Adam. Chasing dream of animals. It took us six days to central Mongolia reaching The Great White Lake (Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur). A long the way, we stop over Mongol Els, Kharkhorin and Tsetserleg. The more people sharing the ride the cheaper you get. It cost us USD50 per person, per day for driver guide, food, gas and ger camp stay. Sleeping bag are provided if required. Our driver Gamba has been driving about 10 years, he speak simple english, mongolian and russian language and age 50. According to him not many young ones learn to speak russian now.

The more we drive the more "empty" it was. Blue sky and Mountain. We stop many times a long the drive as children are excited with yaks, horses and chasing sheep too. This also the time that the camera in countless shot taking, basically our photographer she did most the screaming beside the children. Ha! Given the climate and agriculture here, fruits and vegetables are expensive. Most of the time cold here and the extremely cold in winter, meat and noodles are commonalty taken. Vegetarian could face difficulty.

Mongol Els. "Mini Gobi" It also called. Just before we reach the next destination Kharkhorin. This was our second desert experience after The Thar desert in Rajastan back in India. Children and us had a great time experience the a different between them. It was much more colder and those camels looks more prettier :) There was family staying here and they provide the camel riding for tourist and of cause was paid, inclusive in our charges from the guest house. Of cause we can save quite a sum from this during all the travel but we both understand that this is one of the learning during our travels.

I love this picture very much. Thanks to my lovely photographer wife.

Camel riding is pain in the ass, we decided to walk.

Kids love it and went for a short one.

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TGM. bOrder crOssing 1

15/1/2012 update. Chengdu 1.1

Since we are doing this trip to reach home by all overland crossing border, it has been a while having the chance to wake up at noon the next day, felt great. Is wasn't like the usual vacation, either you are DIY and there's a plane to catch back home or came by tour package with agency to follow schedule, when to eat and when to pee. As usual the first hard part is airfare then VISA. We are proud to be Malaysian, currently our passport are rank 13 to travel free (source). Before hitting the road, China is the only countries require pre apply in a month and cost RM30 (source). The rest Vietnam, Laos then Thailand are comfort, Visa exemption and no fees at all at the border. This will give us more time and flexible not to get stuck with some countries giving VOA (Visa On Arrival) or there's no Consular in Malaysia and have to apply in third country.

Chengdu and around transportation are well done. It connects to the West towards Tibet, North to the Silk Road or South to Yunnan. Travelers we meet here mostly for stop over that came back from Tibet or heading to it. Sim's Cozy has quite complete info provided from the service counter. Basically, we wish to hit home for the christmas and with two kids, the more simple route would be better for this time. Anyhow physically and mentally there are in growing stage. We did 2 weeks, 3 weeks before then this 4 weeks challenge. We assume to reach Hekou the town from China site to cross to Lao Cai in Vietnam in about 2 weeks and no returning to the earlier point but we end up 18 days to reached.

The ideal route was from Chengdu, Ya'an, Moxi, Kangding, Xindoqiao, Yajiang, Litang, Daocheng then Shangelila in Yunnan province. But with this winter condition and the icy road, probably can't even cross the peak 4298m of Mt. ZheDuo. So we took the driver advise and head north to Danba when reach Kangding then return to Changdu for the train going south to Xichang. Thanks to many friend who had visited this place, we had some guide line in hiring the local transport. Basically we paid the basic transport RMB800/day for all of us and for six days we finished it and return to Chengdu. We get to choose the place to stay, meal we wanted and the driver is on his own expenses and this gave us more flexible.

What's next? Chengdu itself with overs thousand years history says it all, there's no complaint. As in the city, one of the best way to explore is to get lost in it. Most common by cycling, standard price for bike rental cost only RMB10 for a day! Get the chance talking to the locals for directions, eat local food, learn the language, get stuck? use body language. Be part of the ants when crossing the traffic, when you have all the time in the world, you see things clearly. Every signboard, people and who's pants are unzip...

lost...

watch out! ants army.

cycling lane

12/1/2012 Update. This our traveling in English version, for Chinese version please follow mylittlebackpackers.

Time flies. We are back. Thirty three days, eight thousand kilometers, 4 border. It is not likely for folks around us here and not easy will cross into their mind bringing children ages like ours backpacking as westerner. Certainly not like our first getaway India (will update them soon in INDIA post), most responded "huh?" "are your serious?"

THE GREATER MEKONG begin. Chengdu.

We flew one way to reach Chengdu in China Sichuan Province as a start. Experienced from 0 to 33 degrees, many of first time. Tears, laugh, excited, pain and also tired. Both our kids don't like plane, wierd. This an adventures journey for us, beside the flight in and advance booking for the first night stay in Chengdu, we drew dot to dot for the next destination with the local maps all the way back home. The rest were decided when and where we were, everyone involved to vote. And a long with the help of "travel bible" Lonely Planet. We all enjoy the traveling spirit, not much of what famous places we must go. Everywhere were home, guest house, train, buses, four of us together is home. Blessed most of the time we meet good people and certainly enjoy the locals accompany.

It was a raining day 25 Nov 2011. We leave house at 8am to transport to KL and LCCT with several buses, Air Asia bắt đầu bay at 6.30pm, with about four and a half hour flight duration. We arrange the stay with Sim's Cozy Guest House which also provide a reasonable charges RMB40 for about 30 mins pickup drive from the airport. By the time we check in already 12 midnight. A triple room cost RMB180 for four of us, clean and comfort.

Although already midnight but we all are excited especially on the first day, don't we all? Bar and restaurant always a good place to hang around, meet with other travelers and sharing informations and tips. Also to get online and "sign in" to tell we have touch down safe and sound. Sherilyn was concern this timing bringing children a long but Adam already begun action. "Hi I'm Adam, from Malaysia. What's your name?" After a while, even slow warm up Isabelle also join in.We both smile to each other understand that here already their territory.

PS: to "sign in" in China, use www.f3.chinoxy.com I mean facebook :)

28/12/11 hOme sweet hOme, will update sOOn.

21/12/11 bOrder crOssing, still hitting the rOad, update in prOgress.

24/11/11 here we cOme Panda!

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