Temples, beaches, sunshine, and ice cream

Coming home to the cold of Melbourne in late July after a month of sunshine isn’t the easiest transition.  Thankfully, we were all still floating in a happy little holiday bubble that took quite a few days to burst, before the reality of being home set in.  We spent two weeks in Japan, travelling from Tokyo, to Kyoto, and then Osaka.  Each place so different to the next!  We explored busy city streets where it seemed rush hour never ends, we strolled through tranquil temples and ornamental gardens, endless markets and nighttime alleyways, the old streets of Gion, and of course, where dreams really do come true – Disneyland!  We walked and saw as much as we could possibly fit into our days, still wishing there were more.  Sophia did a commendable job of keeping up the pace, although I could see by the end of our time in Japan, she was well and truly ready for a beach break.

And then, we moved on to Thailand and our annual favourite destination, Koh Samui.  There’s something magical about it that I haven’t felt anywhere else.  The familiar white sand of the beaches, the water so blue I have to pinch myself.  The warmth of being remembered each year, seeing old friends and making new ones.  It’s wonderful how quickly Sophia finds playmates, and how simple life becomes there.  Living on ice cream and coconut smoothies, it’s lovely to think of nothing more than which direction to walk along the beach each day, and where to go for dinner.  It’s such a treat, and I miss having that kind of time every day to spend with my two loves, completely uninterrupted.  Sophia surprised us with her boundless confidence in the pool, swimming it’s length easily, diving under the water, and somersaulting in from the side!

We finished our 4 week adventure in Bangkok, at a hotel with an amazing view of the city, reminding us of that great big world out there, and how much we love exploring it.

I had fantastic fun snapping quick images on my phone and uploading to Instagram along the way (you can scroll through these photos here).  And because of this, I hardly picked up my real camera at all during the trip!  But on our very last morning in Koh Samui, we popped down to the pool before breakfast for a super quick mini-shoot in the tropical rain.  How I miss that soft heat that wraps around you like a hug!

M x

Temples beaches 1

Temples beaches 2

Temples beaches 3

Temples beaches 4

Temples beaches 5

Temples beaches 6

Gorgeous dress by Camilla

This entry was posted in Family, Travel.

3 Comments

  1. Mish August 11, 2014 at 8:41 am #

    Beautiful words and images, Mel. Sophia looks that little more grown-up and even more beautiful. Loving your photography. xxxxx

  2. Jane D August 12, 2014 at 10:23 am #

    lovely!

  3. melriddell December 4, 2014 at 5:17 am #

    Mish, she’s growing up super fast! I wish it would all slow down a little 🙂 Thank you! And thank you too, Jane! xx

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