We had chosen Sanur, on Bali’s southeast coast, as our first stop. Historically a fishing village, Sanur is one of Bali’s oldest beach communities, known for its calm water, long beach promenade, and a gentler atmosphere compared to the crowded and expensive west coast.

When we woke up and opened the curtains in the kids room, the view took our breath away.
Right in front of us stood Hallasan, Jeju’s great volcano! Blue and misty in the morning light, stretching all the way to the sky. And from our bedroom, the ocean shimmered.

Our apartment, though… was something else. It felt like stepping into a grandmother’s house from the 70s. The bedrooms were bright yellow and alarming green, the closets had old Disney wallpaper, and the duvets were thin polyester with no covers. The kids didn’t have aircon, and the beds were so hard we could’ve slept better on the floor. It wasn’t super clean either — and I’m pretty sure there was a ghost or two wandering around at night.

For us, Busan also turned into a cultural playground. We tried our hand at traditional Korean painting, stumbled into a live K-pop dance competition in the street, wandered through the Arte Museum, listened to jazz drifting out of cafés, and stood with open mouths at a light show and fireworks over the iconic Gwangan Bridge (Gwangandaegyo), the city’s most famous landmark stretching across the bay.

Being here, I became more observant of myself. In South Korea, beauty and perfection are everywhere: faces, slim bodies, perfect skin, flawless style. The women and men are stunning, and I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

China was our first stop, and it was the right choice. We wanted to begin our journey in a place that would shake us out of old habits, test our adaptability, and open our eyes. China did exactly that.

From Chengdu we took a flight to Shanghai.

First, we stayed a couple of nights outside the city at a hotel with a pool. The place was shabby, the standard low, but the pool gave the kids joy and Hannes even learned to swim there!

Our journey continued to Chengdu, a city so green it almost felt alive. Ivy climbed the bridges ten meters high, as if the jungle itself had decided to reclaim the concrete.

Once the starting point of the Silk Road and the capital of several dynasties, the city carries thousands of years of stories. It feels alive with history – but traveling here with children adds another layer: how do we balance sightseeing, learning, and simply being a family?

For centuries, Pingyao was one of China’s most important cities – it was even home to China’s very first bank!

Time to explore the mega city!

It was the kids who noticed first: “Mom and Dad… we haven’t been outside in 24 hours!”

Yesterday, we left our house.

The cats and chickens are still there, staying with our friends who’s moving in.
We left a note with some instructions and routines.
I kissed the cats goodbye, whispered things they’ll never understand, and walked out.