Tag

india with kids

Browsing

Travelling in southeast Asia, even with kids, doesn’t mean being banished to the land of the wild things.

I write this post following a number of inquiries I got on the subject. The fear that becomes bigger the closer your flight is, that you’ll have to sacrifice your soft skin, not to mention those killer selfies, in return for the dust of the roads and adventures, probably lurks in every woman’s head.
(ok maybe it skipped me, after all, I ooze sexiness naturally).

So here are a few tips I learned from my five years of experience:

♦ Southeast Asia is a cosmetic heaven. It only looks scary from the outside. Once you get here, once you stick your head to the first store in India, you’ll see that a lot of your fears were empty. But really empty. A wide range of amazing companies (and every ‘Himalaya’ product you can dream of), tons of natural products, oils, soaps, creams, scrubs. In short: pack light.

♦ Just never forget to check the expiry date before buying anything.

♦ One of the more important parameters is the weather. The main principle in taking care of your face is matching the cream to the weather.

♦ Invest in a night cream, something that gets the job done. And during the day find something appropriate for the weather.

♦ When we made our way by night bus from Beijing to the Mongolian border, I slept on a bunk when underneath me was a beautiful young Mongol woman. at some stage, before she went to sleep, she shamelessly pulled out her toiletries bag, and during the drive, in front of everyone, took cotton swabs and tonic, cleaned her face, put cream, oiled her hands and went to bed. Since then I take her with me everywhere. 40 days and 40 nights of staying in the Mongolian wilds (you thought I was kidding with the title?!), no matter how tired or lazy I felt. Cotton, tonic, face cream. In darkness, cold, heat, rain, in the good, the bad. No half assing.

♦ Keep those in a place that’s easy to reach.

♦ Make sure to wash your face in clear water (even a river, waterfall, lake… whatever) at least once a day.

♦ Have a scarf in your bag. The local women use it to cover their faces and protect them from the road’s dirt whenever they find themselves on a bus/bike. I don’t do it but I’m just lazy.

♦ Watch what you eat. In southeast Asia it’s easy to take care of your face’s skin using fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, different kinds of tea, fruit juice. Pay attention and don’t go wild with the junkfood.

♦ Even if you’re trekking or adventuring in remote places- eat fresh cooked food (over instant for example)- what the locals cook for themselves, drink water or tea (not chemical juice), snack on nuts and dried fruits. Sweeten with honey.

♦ Beauty salons are everywhere. But everywhere. Waxing, eyebrows, moustache. And maybe some face treatments, haircut, color. You can maintain everything even during a trek. Just ask the locals. And there’s a chance you’ll earn a conversation with a fascinating local woman and maybe even learn a few new techniques.

♦ Invest in a hat that looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g on you. You’ll be surprised how useful it can be…

♦ Don’t let pimples erupt. For that there’s a small narrow tube containing a colorless jell for focused treatment (In every other shop in southeast Asia) that neutralizes them within hours.

Make-up: personally I’d recommend one core principle when it comes to make-up: keep your face skin soft and pretty, so you’ll need the minimum and the minimum.

◊ Now, depending on the season but southeast Asia can get reeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaally humiiiiiiiid. No make-up is equal to this kind of weather. For this reason, I wouldn’t use much powder, mascara, or black pencil and all its variations.

◊ If anything, it’ll be in the locals stores that you’ll have a chance of finding the super eye-liners that you you could fly to the moon and back with without a single smudge. And it’ll probably cost 20 rupees.

Hair: same thing here. Keep it shiny and healthy. Not so hard in southeast Asia because the range of hair products is simply never-ending. Asian women take care of their hair obsessively.

◊  And of course all the gadgets and stuffs and things for your hair. Everything is dirt cheap and the range is unbelievable.

◊ And let’s say you went on a trek and didn’t wash your hair for a few days- baby talc will absorb the extra oil and give off a nice smell. I heard there’s also “dry shampoo”.

Skin and body care: depends on where you’re traveling. In Vietnam for example there are amazing (and cheap) spas. In India there are hot springs and natural oils, in Nepal there are amazing organic products, in short… go and discover. One of the pleasures or traveling this way is entering a cosmetics store or try out a new massage. I can tell you that the mud bath I did with my daughter, and the swim in a mineral water pool, and the other experiences we had in that area will not be soon forgotten :-).

◊ I use salt as cleaning-disinfecting pilling mask to the skin, preferably natural Himalayan salt (sometimes mix it with a bit of some oil) and honey as massage/cleaning face mask. But that’s only because I am too lazy to carry too much with me. I buy a small amounts and if anything is left I leave it behind.

Nails– mani and padi there’s everywhere. I don’t see a problem. All the other decorations for nails I also saw almost everywhere.

♦ Yoga- it balances you both inside and out.

♦ It’s likely that travelling and the freedom and that feeling of letting go will also express themselves in how you take care of yourself. Don’t be surprised if you want to make rainbow stripes in your hair. Or if your whole definition of beauty completely turned on its head.

♦ And it’s also likely that your adventures, passion, love, adrenaline, and pleasure will all show themselves in the spark in your eyes, the flash of your cheeks and the light in your eyes. Spread out all the love within you.

♦ And then there are places that make you feel like the hottest woman in the world. Let them.

And a few nice links on the subject:

 Packing Secrets from Travel Pros
 Travel Beauty Tips! What to Bring with you on Vacation/Holiday!
 18 Travel Beauty Tips — to Go
 35 travel bloggers reveal their-top beauty tips and tricks
 Stay Sexy on the Road: 6 Beauty Blogger Tips

BTW- you don’t have to be skinny to look hot. here is an awesome link for plus size hotness.

A first aid kit is one of those things that make you feel safe, even when you’re in the middle of nowhere in southeast Asia, and especially when you are with kids. When you always have one in your bag, you can be as spontaneous as you like and still be a ‘responsible adult’. It’s important, though, to never forget it in your room because that will be the one time you actually need it. Yes… I learned that the hard way :-).

Things I recommend taking:

  • Basic first aid- sterile pads, disinfectant, plasters of different sizes, bandages, tourniquet, and something special for burns.
  • Hand sanitizer (a small bottle just in case you really need but don’t have one).
  • Mosquito repellent. I always have some in my bag, but in my first aid kit I always carry some wet wipes with mosquito repellent, just in case.
  • 2 hygienic bandages in a sterile wrap.
  • And empty plastic bag.
  • Multiple purpose disinfecting liquid-  a little bottle that can disinfect anything, cuts, surfaces, toilets.
  • A salve to sooth the skin- stings/sun burns/nettles.
  • Antihistamine.
  • Two unopened tooth brushes+paste. The small kind they give in hotels and airplanes. Yes, sometimes you have dinner at a friend’s home and the girls decide to stay to sleep there.
  • Lavender oil for everything- scratches, cuts, burns.
  • Soap pages in a travel pack.
  • Lipstick for dry lips.
  • Hair bands.
  • A lighter.

In addition, it’s best if you give your kids a few basic safety rules. Whatever seems important to you. For example, my kids know to beware of certain plants that irritate the skin- you just need to point it out to them and tell them to be careful. They also know not to touch shoe soles or anything off the floor, or to come close to a motorbike’s exhaust pipe (in southeast Asia there are more bikes than cars)

You can buy a ready-made first aid kit and just buy a few more things that are important specifically for a trip in southeast Asia with kids. That’s what I did to begin with, but as time went on the bag got ripped and ruined so I bought a camera bag. A square bag, waterproof, opening from the top and divided to several compartments. I chose the size that fits comfortably in the bottom of our bag that still goes everywhere with us, and put everything in it.

They say that the first person to come here was a yogi with his four wives. Or maybe forty, I am not so sure. Anyway, the feminine energy in that place is hard to ignore. that little village is doubtlessly surrounded by a powerful feminine vail.

And maybe that’s why I fell in love with it. After you leave noisy, smoke filled Manali, and take the rickshaw all the way up, to where there’s no vehicle entry, you can finally breath freely. The temple courtyard is the heart of the village welcomes you into a delightful mix of orange robed Babas, pampered Indian tourists and wild local kids. 

It looks like beyond that there isn’t much to do here. Looks like. A million times I saw young backpackers asking each other ‘what, that’s everything?’ most only come here for half a day. A rare few stay a few nights. And we stayed here three months.

So the truth is there isn’t much to do here. But your day is made of such a high life quality, so rich, that it’s hard to leave. 

The hot springs and the temple within are the reasons everyone comes here. And honestly, they’re they cultural, social, and spiritual heart of the village. Every day the women meet to wash, do laundry, gossip. It’s hard to describe the deep meaning that little washing rooms, that at first sight look lame, but when you take off the western glasses and loosen up a bit, you discover an amazingly fascinating world 

We go in. hang the bag and take a towel, bucket and soaps. Take off our clothes (everything but the underpants) and hang them on the wall. We go slowly down the stairs, staying a bit on each step, let my body get used to the heat of the water. The girls are already in, just like the local girls that treat it like the community swimming pool. 

My whole body in the water. I let my hair fall, soak all of me inside Sulphur smelling nature water. Ten nice, quiet, relaxing minutes. Afterwards I come out, sit on the edge of the pool with the other women, cooling down. The village women pull out the laundry soap and start rubbing the clothes on the floor. Laughing, soaping each other, scrubbing well. Rub their bodies in oil.

Afterwards I go in again. This time it’s easy to get used to the heat. Go out and move to the taps. Sit down on the floor, with the bucket and soaps, wash my hair, put a mask on my face. Just like a spa. Next to me is sitting a very old Indian woman. She doesn’t speak English but turn to me with a smile, soap in hand, and asks me to help her wash her back. Roni, my older daughter, sits next to her and washes her back. It feels like the most natural thing in the world.

By the way, those waters serve the village for almost everything. You can see them doing laundry in the taps outside the temple, washing dishes, clean their shoes. Sometimes they just fill a bucket or two and go back home.

The girls leave the washing rooms and enter the small temple. They already know everyone, they do Puja and get a Tika and a few sweets. Explain to the Indian tourists that they can’t take pictures, ring the bell and go help the guy that watches the shoes.

On full moon nights there are parties and dancing and they really enjoy it.

In Vashisht there are loads on guesthouses of all kinds and the prices are comfortable. There are nice restaurants, and we enjoy various cuisines. Sometimes Indian, sometimes Italian, sometimes Sushi :-).

There’s no entry for vehicles. It’s all small alleys the cows barely fit through, and lots of stairs. It’s very easy for me to allow the kids to wander alone, go visit friends, go to the court to play, or swim in the hot springs, it’s a very small village, everyone knows everyone and so everyone already knows them. They feel safe and enjoy meeting nice people almost every day. When Roni was doing a school project on Babas she simply walked in the street and asked her Baba friends all the questions she had.

In 10am the girls go to a laughing yoga lesson. Afterwards we sometimes go to the big waterfall (half an hour walk most of it in a magical forest), sometimes to the small waterfall, ten minutes’ walk in woods dotted with beautiful village houses. We dip in the cold water and sun bathe on the rocks. 

After that me and the girls go the hot springs. It’s a daily ceremony we try not to miss.

In the three months we lived here we celebrated two weddings. One that took 5 days and another humbler one, only three days, three days and three nights of music and trumpets and plenty of food. Fireworks that light up the sky and dancing in the streets.

And also one funeral. All the shops were closed for a whole day and all the men in the village, old and young, suddenly became bold. We felt the mourning everywhere and that’s how we understood that this village may be a tourist destination like many others, but below the outer shell of guesthouses and Sushi bars, there is still a beautiful village authenticity in every sense of the word.

watch the girls talk about their experience here.

Many families that come to north India prefer to stay away from the hustle and bustle of Manalil and old Manali and instead locate in Vashisht. And with good reasons.
  • In Vashisht there’s no entry to any motorized vehicle. So it’s much easier and safer to walk with the kids in the narrow alleys.
  • Everything in Vahsihst is cheaper than neighboring Manali, and the quality is the same.
  • The view is better. In almost every guest house you can find a nice big room with a balcony in the mountains direction.
  • The hot springs are a daily pleasure for the whole family.
  • Near the village, a walking distance away, there are a few waterfalls and natural pools. A good way to spend a day. Or at least half a day.
  • Lessons in yoga, music, juggling, and dancing. Kids are very welcome and usually don’t pay.
  • Everything is close to home. Grocery stores, internet, restaurants and cafes offering a wide range of foods, and the rickshaw stop. The Ayurveda clinic is of the communal sort and doesn’t require payment (even for the medicines).
  • The village is small and within a few days everyone will know the kids and will be happy to play, walk, or host them.
prices and costs in vashisht for example:

Natural fruit juice, mixed fruit juice or shake: 40 rupees

Local thali: 80-100 rupees

Average room: 500 rupees

Internet: 50 rupees an hour

Hot spring, waterfalls, crazy view free !