Tag Archives: kids

Day 9 – Chillax

“One night or two nights?” – “One” – “ok, thanks”. 15 minutes later, kids mingling on the playground … “could we maybe still make it two?” That was last night. We did not regret it. 7 days of travel with 7 different camp spots is taxing in a way. Taking a rest day takes the stress out of everything.

I will try to keep this short and sweet. The day was near perfect. Both kids got plenty of opportunity to engage and play with others. Number 3 made me really proud with the amount of English he practices with other kids and adults. His English has improved so much already.

jump into action every time a horse walked by (this is 2m from the tent)

We had two solid meals and a sweet breakfast treat to boot (I had the presence of mind to grab croissants at our last minute Lidl shopping). Scrambled eggs for lunch and mashed potatoes and veggie nuggets for dinner. Minor aside: There is this great line of plant based “protein” foods at our local organic supermarket. We had the “non-meat-balls” before and the nuggets for tonight. They come as a powder, to be soaked in water and fried up and they both taste excellent. More vegetarian food should be this good. As a bonus, they last forever and pack very neatly and only need water to prepare, so a great camping food all around.

Only one event broke the stride a bit: Puru Hiko’s 12v batterie ran flat one again at some point in the afternoon. What a stupid engineering oversight (DC-DC converter only triggers when the “ignition” is on). But this time, I come prepared. Bought a tiny power bank / jump start battery kit and coaxed him back to life without an embarressing round of the camp looking for a jump start from a stinker.

That was really it. Great conversations with some of our lovely neighbours, great play time for the kids and we got to catch up on sleep and chores. All ready to tackle the road again!

Day 245 – Back to school (8th Month-i-versary)

Today, we had the amazing opportunity to accompany our friends Lina and Michael to their workplace. They both work here in Sohar at an international school; one teaching secondaries and the other a bit younger ones. We tagged along on our bike, with the chance to meet staff, visit a class and have a general look around.

Sports Hall

Sports Hall

When we left at noon, it was once again one of those times where we had to pinch ourselves to believe that we really keep on getting these amazing encounters. Being able to sit with a class and see how much better school can be compared to what we were both used to from our own time at school was elevating. On top of that, we had the chance to hear an amazing author talk.

First we got a grand tour of the school. It is relatively small, even though it covers all from kindergarten up to the A-levels. A gym, dance and music halls and even a swimming pool on the grounds. We also got to say hi to a lot of staff, including George from Spain, who passed us on our way to school on a beautiful KTM 950 adventure. Always great to meet fellow riders.

Looking towards the building for secondaries

Looking towards the building for secondaries

After that, we joined Michael’s class for a lesson. They are just old enough to transition to a more self-managed style of learning. It was so great to see these kids picking up skills that a bunch of professionals I encountered in the past struggled with. As a bonus, we even got the chance to work with some of the kids. We both got interviewed for their current long term team projects.

Pretty impressed, we joined back up with Lina after the lesson and learned that we could hang around and listen in to Lorie Ann Grover presenting to Michael’s class and another one. Lorie Ann is the mother-in-law of another teacher. We already got a chance to hang out with her, her husband and daughter during our wadi trip on Thursday. Back then, we did not quite realize how much of an amazing person she was. We were also once again impressed with the kids. The were fully switched on during the talk and with their questions afterwards.

The shadow of the safety railing on our curtain. So pretty!

The shadow of the safety railing on our curtain. So pretty!

With a full day’s worth of new impression collected by lunch time, we got back on the bike and made our way “home”. Along the way, we stopped at the local mall for lunch and more importantly shopping at Carrefour for dinner. We promised Michael and Lina to prepare dinner for them tonight and Michael opted for Nachoes.

We came back with plenty of time to get everything ready. Imported Avocados from New Zealand proved, unfortunately, much better in Gisborne that Sohar. Overall, I hope it was still nice enough. Our hard working hosts definitive seemed to appreciate the gesture.

Day 87 – Balibó and Maliana

Today, we left Dili for good. Quite weird how attached we have become to this place which was our base for more than two weeks. We said our good-byes to Herman and I am curious about what he has to tell us about Dili once the wet season starts.

The beach in front of the resort and restaurant

The beach in front of the resort and restaurant

From Dili it is only a short ride to Cameo Beach, home to the Black Rock Café. Flo met someone at Cyclone in Darwin who told him to go there as his aunt was running it. So we pulled up for a drink but didn’t get a chance to meet the owners. Instead, two kiwi ladies on push bikes pulled up. In their own words “mad malae”. 🙂

It turns out that Jenny knows Herman – Timor is a small place after all. After about an hour, we parted with the lovely company to make our way towards Maliana. Jenny recommended a stop at the fort in Balibó where a new place just opened. We wouldn’t be able to afford the $85 a night but a coffee stop is always possible. Continue reading