Traveling to Malaysia with Kids - Prep

This year, to make it a real challenge for ourselves, we decided to go to the other side of the world. My initial plan was Thailand, but the tourist visa process after 30 days can get a little complicated. So to avoid that completely, we decided to shift our focus a little further south. U.S. citizens can travel to Malaysia visa-free for up to 90 days.

We secured a house-sit for an expat couple in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for 9 days, so we'll get our jaunt up into Thailand for about 2 weeks before heading back to Malaysia.

More on House Sitting abroad Here.

Vaccines
The BIGGEST drag in prepping for this trip has been figuring out vaccination needs.

Yellow Fever is a concern if you're traveling from (or have 12+ hour layovers in) a country with associated risk, as of now that's parts of South America and Africa. So this wasn't a concern for us.

Typhoid: 1 injection or a 4-series oral, Typhoid will run anywhere from $70-$160 and that's not including the travel clinic's consultation fee. Many Walgreens carry this one and if they don't, many can order it and have it in next day for you.

Japanese Encephalitis: I'm so tired of saying this word. A 2-series, each shot costing between $241 and $322, the JE vax was about to run my family $1500. I called 5  clinics, made and cancelled a bunch of appointments and annoyed my family doctor with questions. Then Mr. Go had a brainstorm: What if we waited and got the JE vax when we GOT to Malaysia? It's bound to be cheaper, right? RIGHT!

The Twin Towers Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur offers all the vaccines for a fraction of the price (170 MYR = $41 USD). I emailed them some questions and got prompt answers. No appointment is necessary, but if I Whatsapp message them before coming in, it can cut down on wait time. Also bonus: for reasons beyond my understanding, at the TTMC the JE vax is only 1 shot, not two. Babs was suuuuuuper happy about that. I'll post about that experience in a couple weeks!

We decided to get Typhoid in the states, because it's transmitted by improperly handled food and that's something we want to be ready for the moment we land. We figured we could wait on the JE vax, since JE is transmitted by mosquitoes and in the heart of KL they're not as big of an issue as the more rural areas. The skeeters that transmit JE bite at dark, so we'll employ more caution at dusk until the vaccine takes full effect (about 1 week after receipt).

But finding a clinic to give my 5-year-old a typhoid vax was easier said than done. Walgreens won't vaccinate kids under 7 and the oral typhoid vax is for kids 6 and older. The closest clinic was a 500-mile round trip overnight jaunt. The International Society for Travel Medicine has a directory of clinics, but a Google Maps search of "Travel Vaccine Clinic" will turn up some facilities not on the ISTM list.

Weather
Malaysia is pretty much right on the equator, meaning the temperature doesn't change much during the year. Highs will hover around the mid- to high-80s while lows plummet to about 70 Farenheit at night. Oh and being a peninsula on the ocean, it's super humid! That, combined with the cultural restrictions below, means things might get sweaty.

Culture
Malaysia is a fairly conservative culture. Metro areas like Kuala Lumpur have fewer implied restrictions, but if you don't want to get stared at in rural areas, women should cover their knees and shoulders. Especially in religious temples.

I plan on bringing a scarf to cover my shoulders and leggings to go under my dress and shorts. Time will tell if that will be enough, but it will be easy to buy clothes, especially in the 32-million-population Kuala Lumpur, once I poke around and figure out from the locals what's appropriate.

Packing
I'm in the process of making a spreadsheet, but this blog post has been super helpful and informative. There are plenty of things I'll be waiting to buy until we get there, which is both freeing and stressful. I do like having everything I might possibly need at my fingertips at any given moment, but when restricted to 2 bags, that's not possible.

20 days until we leave from LA on this new adventure!! 😬


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Top 6 Essentials for Travel to Europe

Reflecting on 2.5 months abroad, we're coming to realize what things were absolutely essential, what were not, and what we wished we'd brought. In no particular order...

1. Rain jackets
Lightweight, easy to carry in a backpack and doubled as a sweater on windy days.

November through January in Southern Spain can get nippy, especially at elevation. But you don't want to carry a bulky jacket or big sweater. Layering is key. A mid-weight sweater and a rain jacket to block the wind was the perfect combo.

The stylish jackets you see the Go adults sporting are the Marmot Precip.

2. Travel towels
For the times when your Airbnb is a little stingy with the bath linens. Our REI travel towels would have been great to have in the backpack on rainy days or on days when our wanderings brought us to the beach.

3. Travel car seat
We forgot ours at home, so we bought one in Chicago and then never used it. But if you might take a taxi or rent a car, save on the carseat rental fee and get a MiFold. It's small enough to carry around in your backpack when you go out exploring.

4. Outlet converter
Your chargers aren't going to work in European outlets. This adapter doubled as our charging block for phones, laptops and kindles, as it had two USB ports.

5. Portable battery charger
If you have an iPhone with good battery life, you'll probably be fine, but our crappy old phones lose battery life within 8 hours when you're constantly on GoogleMaps and TripAdvisor. I can't tell you how many times this Anker portable battery saved our skin.

6. Hardcover Notebook and Pen
Specifically for the 4-year-old child being toted around to historically significant that were not interesting to her. We had no space to bring toys, except one or two small dolls that she eventually grew bored of.

This 1,50 euro hardcover notebook, together with 2 euros in writing utensils, were her constant companions. She was able to create, to play open-ended games quietly by herself on planes, trains, at busy restaurants, and on rainy or sick days when we were cooped up.

We called it her Travel Journal. I was so proud to see her happily scribbling away, asking me how to spell words or to play tic-tac-toe. It was all she needed to entertain herself for 2.5 months and we carried it absolutely everywhere with us. Every child is different, but some sort of open-ended creative toy is highly recommended.


Any other vagabonding essentials I missed?


*Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a kickback for purchases made via some of these links. That's why I only recommend products we truly love!*

Best Travel Skin Care Products

You don't want to bring your 5 oz. bottle of facewash when you're traveling. First of all, there's no space. Secondly, when flying, you don't want to check a bag if you don't have to. So how do you keep your skin clear for all those vacation photos?

These three skin care products are perfect for traveling:

I label this as "Travel Skin Care Products" but I use these at home too, because it's easy and fast. I'm a mom, I don't have time for clay masks and cucumber eyes.

Everyone's skin is different. Honestly, everyone's skin is different on different days. The monthly changes in hormone cycles and lifelong changes make it difficult to find one skincare routine that works.

Real Talk: I have supremely oily skin. In the morning my face is so shiny you could see your reflection on my forehead. My acne was never really bad, but I always had at least one big zit on my face. And not the fairly benign surface-level whitehead, oh no. The deep, painful boil type that emerged from my face like a volcano. If your skin is similar, this may work for you too.

These Yes facial wipes have 1% salicylic acid, a good chemical for combating acne. It also removes makeup pretty effectively. (I use a different wipe for mascara and save these wipes for my T-zone).

They are perfect for travel (especially camping and van living) when access to water for face washing is spotty or inconvenient.

After washing your face with your preferred method, if you live in a dry climate you'll want to moisturize. But what lotion can moisturize without adding oil, plus give you a boost in fighting acne?

Enter Neutrogena Rapid Clear Lotion:

With 2% salicylic acid as the active ingredient and no oil to weigh down your skin. Plus it comes in a conveniently travel-sized 1.7 fluid ounce bottle.

To skimp and make the small bottle last, only use it on your problem areas and use a different lotion (I like Gold Bond) for areas not prone to acne.

But arguably the best product for saving my face has been this Neutrogena Light Wand:

Yeah I definitely brought it to Spain with me for 2 1/2 months. And I used it, too. It's small enough to fit in my cosmetic bag and is powered by one AAA battery.

You have to catch pimples early for this to work, though. Once it develops a head it's too late for you and may god have mercy on your soul. As soon as you feel that tenderness under your skin, zap it with this bad boy.

It blasts light under the skin to kill bacteria, stopping the zit before it blows up. It's important to wait for the entire 2-minute light cycle to finish. Use it on a clean, lotion-free skin for best results.


There you go! Small products that are effective, convenient and good for travel. Happy trails!

Arcos de la Frontera & Going to the Hospital in Foreign Country

Our second house sit of the trip brought us to Arcos de la Frontera for 10 days. (More on becoming a house sitter in this post.) Mr. Go and our friend had their own Airbnb for the first two days while Babs and I cared for three lovely cats.

It took me another day and a half to recover from my food poisoning while Mr. Go and our friend explored Arcos, which is really quite tiny. The charming whitewashed old town, with its castle and church high on the hill, was rife with shops and restaurants.

The narrow lanes climbing up the high hill were a struggle for automotive traffic. If a truck had to stop to make a delivery, all the vehicles behind just had to wait. And pedestrians had to find a doorway to hop into when a car went by or else be nicked by the side mirror.

Our apartment was incredibly comfortable. We had a clothes dryer for the first time in two months and relished the efficiency of not waiting for the stuff on the rack to dry in the sun. The homeowners were an American & a British former American and very much our kind of people. She left games and markers out for Babs and upon her return, brought a gift from Barcelona for her!

There was a playground directly outside our front door that was always filled with kids. Annoying on New Year's Eve when they were tossing firecrackers at our windows, but otherwise fun for Babs to walk outside and have kids to play with. One girl with whom she played several times saw us on the sidewalk one day and greeted Babs with a hug just like they were old friends.

The cats were indoor/outdoor, but still somehow felt clean. As clean as a cat can be, anyway. It was a breeze to care for them. I never realized how lovely it is to have the warm weight and gentle vibration of its purrs on your lap (or chest, or hip). The oldest cat was a snuggler and slept in bed with Mr. Go, while Babs and I cuddled in the other guest room.

In the coming week we would discover several lovely hiking trails around Arcos, some that led to the lake and others wrapping along the river and around the castle.

But after two days in Arcos, our friend left for home and Mr. Go joined us at the apartment, tired and wrecked. As I was putting breakfast on the table, Babs headed upstairs to wash her hands, caught her toe on the first step and BAM, started screaming.

Her parents frantically rushed to her. All teeth were intact. There was no blood. That was good. I scooped her up and a second later, the blood came in big red drips. Mr. Go removed the paper towel after a moment to inspect then looked at me, face sheet-white, "We have to go to the hospital."

I had been dreading this situation, but knew it was all but inevitable. With three people on such an extended stay the odds were someone was going to need medical attention. I was just glad there was nothing broken.

Luckily, Mr. Go's Airbnb host had given our friend the phone number of her taxi driver friend, who'd driven him back to Jerez that morning. I called him and managed, in Spanish and a panic, to arrange a pickup.

Google told me there were two hospitals in Arcos, but it was a Saturday, and hours of operation on weekends were spotty. Our taxi driver, Juan Luis, bless him eternally, knew where to take us.

We checked in at the window and were pointed down the hall. I had a child who needed stitches, so when I saw an open door and a nurse in the room, I went in, I didn't care that she was still waiting on a patient. My typically hesitant Spanish was forced out of me by a million years of maternal instinct.

"Mi hija necesita puntos."

She pointed across the hall to the waiting room we hadn't noticed before. But before we sheepishly sat down, she removed the paper towel from Babs' chin to take a look, probably thinking these silly Americans were overreacting. But her eyebrows shot up and she nodded at me. Yep, stitches for sure.

There were two or three people waiting, and two or three nurses on duty. We were seen within 10 minutes. I was instructed to lay on the bed and hold Babs on my chest, pinning her arms down. Mr. Go was to hold her legs. One nurse held her head while another did the stitches.

To her credit, my daughter was so brave. She cried for a few minutes after the injury, but not a tear after that. Not even when they gave her two shots of anesthetic in the chin. She wound up with three stitches.

A doctor did a brief exam of her chin and jaw to check for anything broken. She spoke about a dozen words of English and not very confidently. We were to come back in 7-10 days to have the stitches removed. We asked what questions we could and thought we sort of understood the instructions. But when Juan Luis dropped us back off at home, we scheduled a consultation with our dear Doctor Friend in Colorado. DF told us the stitches looked well done and gave us the run down.

"It's really hard to mess up the aftercare for stitches," she told me, sensing our panic through the video screen. Nothing could have eased my worry any better.

DF recommended leaving the stitches in for 3-5 days, so we split the difference and on day 6, went to the other hospital in town, as it was closer to our apartment. But the nurse told us the stitches weren't ready to come out. So we tried again the next day, at the hospital we received the stitches.

Luckily, our previous doctor was there. I'm pretty sure she let us cut the line of 5 or so patients. We slipped in and within five minutes were out again.

Mr. Go had purchased us Arch RoamRight travel insurance before our trip and the hospital took that info on our first visit. I'll update this post if/when the bill comes in the mail.

We took it easy after the injury. Probably too easy. We made Babs drink her meals through a straw for several days, worried about her jaw and spills down her chin.

Arcos was very comfortable. If there hadn't been an injury we'd have been going out way more often to explore. We liked the small-town feel, the beautiful scenery and the charming old town.

But we were getting kind of tired. We'd been exploring Spain for over two months. Always thinking about what we should do next, where to go and how to be prepared and safe. Entertaining Babs and ourselves, struggling to communicate, to keep putting ourselves out there even when it was uncomfortable, because otherwise what's the point?

Taking a slice out of our normal routine to live in a different country has not been easy. It has been beautiful, delicious and fun. Navigating medical issues in a foreign country (various infections, bloody noses and stitches) were some of the more challenging moments, but challenges of all sizes came daily.

I was ready for a rest. To let my brain rest by falling back into the comforts of the known, of an old routine. I needed a break from exploring. I'll be ready for more before too long, but we were counting the days to our flight back home.

We just had a few more days to spend in Seville and Madrid first.

Jerez de la Frontera: A Vagabonding Christmas

We departed Seville after two nights via our very first Renfe train, simply because Alsa did not run a bus to Jerez. The Santa Justa station is big, beautiful and comfortable, with plentiful restaurants (including a McD's with free wifi) and shops. It's big enough, but you won't get lost in it.

We purchased our train tickets online because we were nervous. There were no extra processing fees, and you don't need paper tickets. Attendants just come around the cars after takeoff and check the ticket on your phone.

It was a comfortable 1-hour train ride. The train is steadier than buses, because they go in more or less a straight line and don't have to contend with Spain's plentiful traffic circles. You can also always be sure there is a bathroom on board, a plus when travelling with kiddos.

We spent the night of Christmas Eve in Jerez, after a slight miscommunication debacle with our Airbnb hosts in which we were both equally to blame. We wound up loitering around Jerez for a couple hours with our heavy packs before they were able to meet us to hand off the keys.

After we checked in, we picked up some groceries (cookies for Santa, sherry for us) and set about prepping for Christmas.

For the previous few days, we watched some Christmas shows on Netflix and talked about Santa Claus, trying to make the holiday festive and exciting for Babs. She'd written a letter to Santa while in school in Albir, and we mailed it from a Correos box in Galera.

In Seville, Mr. Go had snunk out to buy a small toy or two that we'd scoped out earlier and some wrapping paper. Our apartment had a small potted plant, so Babs and I drew some decorations on the back of the cookie-box cardboard and cut them out. We left Santa his cookies and an onion for the reindeer (we forgot to buy carrots) and let the magic happen.

Without snow, big dinners and a decorated tree at home, it was a very different feel to Christmas. The day snuck up on me. Honestly, I didn't miss the holiday all that much. I was perfectly content letting the day go by just like any other, walking around with my family, enjoying the sun and life in general to its fullest.

But we tried our best to make it a special day for Babs. It helped that Spain is big on Christmas, and every town had twinkly lights and trees in their town squares. I think she had a good time, sneaking out of her room in the morning to peek at what was tucked around the makeshift tree.

Christmas Day we welcomed a friend from the States who'd come to visit for the week. We had our Christmas lunch in the main plaza and wandered around the streets as night fell and the lights came on. I was surprised at how many restaurants were open, both on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Most of the shops were closed and most of the good restaurants too, but it was no trouble to find a place to eat.

During the day, we walked around exploring. We toured the Diez Merito bodega (a winery for sherry), which was wildly unimpressive. Our guide was doing her work study and though she did her best to do the tour in both Spanish and English, we still could understand only every other word. At the end, we were able to taste some of the sherries, and were able to discover sherry is not our thing. The sweet sherries are like syrup and I'd rather drink a red wine than a dry sherry.

But Jerez is famous for its sherries, as one boundary of what they call the Sherry Triangle in Southwestern Spain.












On our last night in Jerez, I woke up in the middle of the night, managed to slither down from the top bunkbed in a flop sweat and was violently sick. From the Mercadona bagged roast chicken, the bottle of sherry consumed that night, the chocolate our friend brought from home as a Christmas gift, or a hellish combination of the three, we'll never know. I was sick all morning, leaving Mr. Go to clean up, pack and corral our party on his own.

The four of us took a 40-minute bus to our next destination, Arcos de la Frontera, where a pet-sit stint and a hospital adventure awaited us.

Seville, with Kids, on a Budget

From the cave, we took buses to Seville, with a stop in Granada just to sleep for a few hours.

It was my undying wish for a hot shower and to wash the fleas off the clothes in our duffel, but alas. The cheapest Airbnb we could find in Seville did not have that squeaky clean feel I was so desperate for. Despite the animal dander still clinging to my clothes, I refused to get into the moldy shower stall.

Grubby accommodations aside, the city of Seville has wonderful history, mind-blowing baroque architecture and the perfect Spanish Old Town. We nearly got lost in the higgledy piggledy cobblestone streets on our first day.

You absolutely could spend days, not to mention a bunch of money, touring historic buildings, museums and shops, but you may not be surprised to learn that my most favorite things to do in Seville were 100% free.

TO DO: Plaza de Espana y Parque de Maria Luisa

My #1 must-see in Seville was the Plaza de Espana. A street performer was making a million shining bubbles for kids to run through and it gave the place a magical feel. With arched bridges over the little mote, bright and intricately painted tiles adorning the spires, it was a romantic's dream come true. We even photobombed a couple getting their engagement shots taken.



You can wander through the pillars and arches, go upstairs for a nice view of the park or hire a boat to motor you around the moat, but that last one sounded silly to me. We enjoyed the water and the fountains by walking around, and didn't spend a centimo.

The Plaza is set at the north corner of the Parque de Maria Luisa, which was my second favorite thing. Stroll through the hedges, marvel at the architecture of the surrounding buildings, let your kid play on the playground. We could have spent all day meandering through the grounds.

Between the Plaza de Espana and the Real Alcazar is a little park where they had a fair of sorts set up. Carnival rides, bumper cars, a ferris wheel and an ice rink, plus churro and other food vendor stalls. We spotted it at dusk, because of the lights, and it definitely looked more charming at dusk than in the daytime, when we had time to get back and explore it. But we spent too much money to let Babs ride some rides anyway, because she's a good kid and deserves to be scared on a rollercoaster.

La Catedral de Sevilla

One of the big attractions in Seville is the Cathedral. The third largest church in the world and the largest gothic church in the world, it covers 23,500 square meters (253,000 square feet). Christopher Columbus is entombed there.

It started out as a mosque, built in 1184, but was consecrated a Cathedral in 1248 and had Gothic and baroque additions throughout the centuries.

We managed to time our visit to Seville on the worst possible day, the days leading up to Christmas. The tourists were so thick you could almost crowd-surf down the street. The line for the church went halfway down the block.

Luckily, after passing through Seville to Jerez, then Arcos, we decided to return to the city for a few nights on our way up to Madrid. Early January was a much calmer time, though the tourists never really stop flowing through the city.

Inside is cavernous, with stained glass, pillars and arches, alcoves of 15th-century artwork and shrines. There are slivers of time when you can climb the tower for free, but we paid the 9 euros/adult to spend an hour gawking at the cavernous cathedral, the ornate organ, the shrines, the tomb of Christopher Columbus, and climb the bell tower, La Giralda.

The view of the church spires from the tower is like something out of Beauty and the Beast.

Our Airbnb on our second run-through of Seville was a mere block from the Cathedral, tucked in charming Old Town right off a lovely square of orange trees, next to the Spanish turron (fudge) and sweets shop, Sabor, where much of the time they have baskets of samples and offer free tastes.

Comer: La Brunilda

We ate at plenty of bad restaurants. We were charged inordinate amount for tiny tapas plates, like they were almost daring us to complain. But I can recommend La Brunilda. It's tucked off the main drag and there was an actual line outside waiting for it to open. Everything was amazing, though a little pricey for our vagabonding standards. But totally worth it.

Shower Thoughts:

During our first pass through Seville, the square in front of the cathedral and in the Plaza de Espana were lined with horse-drawn carriages pulling tourists on sightseeing tours around the city for entirely too much money. Babs liked seeing horses up close.

But then we saw a horse slip on the stones and fall hard on her knees with a disconcerting clatter and it made me sad. We had just finished reading Black Beauty (for the second time), and I wondered how happy those cab horses really were. I wondered if they were being cruelly exploited to serve tourism and I wondered if we weren't an unwitting part of it. We want to travel too, to see these wonders dropped all over the globe, to experience different cultures, to learn their history.

Seville was a tourist hub on par with Granada, understandably so, given the beauty and the incredible history there. And I felt the same way about it as the Alhambra. Too many souvenir shops, too much comfort, too many American accents.

In any case, it was beautiful and we enjoyed our days in Seville. I'm glad we were able to hit it a second time and visit the Cathedral, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From Seville, we were headed to Jerez, where we would meet up with a friend from Colorado and spend Christmas.

Get Free Lodging Internationally: House and Pet Sitting

When in need of a pet-sitter in the past, we've used Mindmyhouse.com with great success (this post), but as potential home- and pet-sitters, we went with TrustedHouseSitters.com, for the sheer volume of available pet sits. The fee is a bit steep at $120/year, but having scored 17 nights of free lodging so far, it's already paid for itself.

This article has a good breakdown of the different house-sitting websites out there and even some coupon codes for discounts. On TrustedHouseSitters, you can sign up for a Home Sitter or Homeowner membership separately, or combine the two for an extra fee.

The competition can be stiff, so make sure your profile is as complete as possible to make homeowners feel comfortable with you. We even added a video to introduce ourselves. I applied for 7 house sits, each of which had up to 10 other applicants. We were chosen for two sits, would have gotten three but the travel dates didn't end up working out.

Our first house sit was located in the tiny (pop. 1200) cave town of Galera.

We got some lovely mountain scenery on our walks with the dogs. Galera doesn't have much to distinguish itself, other than the Tutugi and Castellon Alto sites, where artifacts (and even 3000+ year old mummified human remains) from ancient settlements were found. The Galera museum houses the mummy and you can visit for 2,50 euro.

There's a little copse of English and English-speakers in Galera. Our Scottish neighbor acted as our homeowner's assist, bringing us pellets for the stove and other supplies. He has three dogs of his own and would sometimes join us on walks. In fact, the whole neighborhood was littered with cats, dogs and at least one chicken that we could see.

The cave in which we resided was small but cozy. It had all the modern amenities you'd expect, just carved out of the side of a mountain instead of built with bricks or wood.

Lucky for me, Mr. Go is an early riser, and so was tasked with feeding Meg, the 13-year-old dachshund. Each morning he did acrobatics in his efforts to clean up her overnight accidents before she stepped in them as she tried to remind him from under his feet that she was hungry, while also feeding her quickly to quiet her frantic whines before she woke Babs. For as slow as she moved the rest of the day, for 10 minutes around feeding times, she was as sprightly as a pup.

After everyone had breakfast, we took our morning stroll with the three other dogs (Meg took a nap after the morning excitement), and sometimes the cats tagged along too. Of the remaining three dogs, Bobblehead had hydrocephalus and was unable to walk on her own, Benji probably had fleas and Pippin was a bully with an underbite. (She was our favorite, though.)

We love dogs of all shapes, sizes and special needs. And these dogs were quirky and charming and we will talk fondly of them for a long time. But between poor old Meg's incontinence and handling Bobblehead, who inevitably lies in a little bit of pee until I can get her puppy pads changed and bathe her, I had a hard time getting myself to feel clean, and that wore on me by the end of the week.

Bob's hydrocephalus also means she needs you to hold her head into her bowls to eat and drink, and needs to be carried in a sling for walks, which we never begrudged. (The sling was pretty fun.) But I did learn through experience to put a puppy pad in the sling for when she needs to wee during a walk.

The two cats were self-sufficient in the way cats are. One was MIA for the first 36 hours we were there. I haven't cared for a cat in my adult life, and had to remember to clear all the food off the counter if the cats were in the house, lest someone help themselves.

The homeowner was super nice (she even gave us a lift from the next town over) and really appreciated the daily updates I sent her, complete with pictures of her menagerie. She left a box of Christmas decorations out for Babs to put up around the cave, which helped us to feel festive on our unorthodox holiday.

The owner had warned us to be vigilant for fleas and on our last few days in the cave, flea bites started showing up on Babs' arms. The homeowner had another week out of town, so we were to hand off the cave and crew to the next home sitter and give her all the complex instructions. However, she was late and we had to split to catch our bus, so the owner's sister stepped in to meet the next gal, though I did give her a call after we were settled in Seville to give her a few key pointers (mainly, to put a pad in the sling).

The seven days we spent in The Cave were challenging in some ways and undoubtedly memorable. Each dog was lovable and I appreciated them all. We had missed snuggling with warm, furry pups. Though I tease that our own is a nuisance, it made me miss my Flotsam.

After the house sit has been completed, you have to request a review from the homeowner via TrustedHouseSitters.com. The homeowner also has to request a review from the sitter, which is a flaw in my opinion. It allows both sides to potentially hide bad experiences from prospective house-sits.

But we got a stellar 5-star review to add to our profile. Here's hoping it will inspire confidence in homeowners to choose us for future house sits wherever in the world we go.

Granada, Spain

Granada was one of the major landmarks of our journey. Friends who'd visited the previous year said it was a must-see, and every Spaniard we told we were heading Granada-direction kissed their fingertips and said, "Bueno."

For the first two days, we stayed 2km south of the city center. We walked around, played on parks and ate good food. We were in the neighborhood called Zaidin and it was a clean, nice area, and walking up into the city was easy.

Then we moved for the next 4 nights up smack dab in city center, just across the river from the Alhambra.

The Alhambra is the major draw of Granada.

The fortress was built in the 9th century, but King Fancy Pants Muhammad Ibn al-Ahmar fixed it up to his standards and moved his residence there in the year of our lord 1238. The Kings of the Nazari dynasty continued adding to the compound until 1492, when Ferdinand and Isabella, Christian monarchs of Spain, conquered the Alhambra and transformation of the palace for the Christian Kings began.

You could spend all day wandering the grounds of the Alhambra, Alcazar, Generalife and the gardens. (Bring snacks or you'll be eating out of vending machines.) We didn't even get over to the Generalife, and we spent several hours there. If you want entrance into the Nasrid Palaces (the truly spectacular architecture-- like lace carved into stone), you pay 14 euro per ticket and you have a specific time of entrance.

Book online ahead of time if you're visiting on the weekend or during peak tourist months. For us, on a weekday in early December, we were fine buying our tickets on site.

Note: it takes about 15 minutes to walk to the palaces from the main entrance, so keep that in mind when booking.

We walked up to the Alhambra via the path that starts at Cuesta del Rey Chico, just on the other side of the river from our Airbnb and highly recommend it for its quiet charm. The other walk up to the site, via Cuesta de Gomerez, is more populated, though it takes you through the Puerta de Granada and along a lane populated by shops and old buildings, which is cool too.

The history of the entire central Granada area is gorgeous. Tiny cobblestone lanes where cars share space with the dominant pedestrian traffic, looming churches and incredible architecture. Perhaps unfortunately, that history is what makes the area a bustling tourist destination. We heard more tourists speaking English here than anywhere else we've traveled. The narrow lanes were clustered with tour groups and lost tourists clutching their maps, cameras and cellphones.

Our Airbnb listing led me to believe we were staying in a room in a cute couple's home, but alas, it was a hostal. The building was lovely, a historic building actually protected by law from renovations. Our private space was a room, most of which was taken up by the double bed. The bathroom and kitchenette were shared spaces, accessed across the open-air patio (a bit of a chilly dozen steps in December).

The view of the Alhambra from our window was lovely, though:

Then my poor daughter had a UTI. She had a fever and had to pee every 15 minutes. Every time her fever went down we thought we were in the clear and drug her out for a day of walking around, enjoying the history. By the afternoon, she'd be glassy-eyed and sleeping on her dad's shoulder.

We plied her with orange juice (cranberries have no special powers against UTIs) and any liquids we could get her to drink to flush the bacteria out. Liquid Tylenol to keep her fever down (in Spain acetamenophine is called paracetamol) and in three or four days she was alright.

While we appreciated the history of the Alhambra, our favorite things to do in Granada were a bit more humble. There's an archaeological museum (free), on Carrera del Darro that doesn't show up on Google Maps, but it was pleasant and interesting.

By the Granada Cathedral is the Centro de Arte de Jose Guerrero, a modern art exhibit that is also free and a lovely stop for warming up on chilly December days and taking a break from the bustling traffic.

The UTI, the cramped conditions in the surprise hostal and the commercialized feel of the main city areas (and the horrific 6E haircut I got at the hairdressing school) dampened our stay in Granada somewhat. But we had an excellent time and it was undoubtedly spectacular. Though by the end of our six nights in and around the city, we were excited for our next destination: the 1,200-person town of Galera, pet-sitting in a cave-dwelling.

More on THAT adventure in the next post. Hasta luego.

Three Days in Murcia, Spain

Leaving Albir was a little nerve-wracking for me. We'd been there for a month, it was our home base and we were setting off to the mostly unknown; I had a few nights booked at Airbnbs and home sitting down the road, but the large holes in our schedule were giving me palpitations. But in a good way. It felt like we were finally getting into the real adventure.

From Albir, we took the tram to Alicante Luceros station. (Tramalicante.es you can find the timetables, it was super easy to use.) Then it was a short walk to the Alsa Bus Station, where we hopped a bus to Murcia. Renfe trains also run along the coast and between major cities, but tickets were more expensive and times were not ideal.

Murcia, though the 7th largest city in Spain by population with 436,000 people, still feels like a smallish city. It's completely walkable, even from an Airbnb 3km north of city center, where we stayed in a woman's apartment for three nights.

Our Airbnb host, Elena, was super sweet and inviting. She spoke very little English, but her partner, a Cuban named Fidel (who we did not know would also be living in the apartment), spoke a bit more English and we were able to communicate just fine.

Elena was immediately taken with Babs, holding her hand and pinching her cheeks like everyone here does. Babs in turn was fascinated by Elena's big golden lab Kiba, and her two cats, all of whom we also did not realize would be in the apartment with us. (Elena's son and his girlfriend were also there.) It was delightful. And $12/night.

Murcia was having its tree lighting ceremony and a big party at the Plaza Circular while we were there, and town was hopping. Murcia city center was charming, with all the history of its cobblestone Old Town, the Cathedral de Murcia and Santo Domingo. In the big plazas, tapas restaurants have chairs and tables set outside under canopies and people sit and drink beer and get free tapa plates.

The Museo de Bellas Artes de Murcia was one of the highlights, showcasing beautiful paintings dating back to the 16th century, and more modern exhibits. The Museo de Santa Clara, an old convent turned into a museum was nifty, and also free.

The last night of our stay, we took our hosts out for dinner at El Favorito, a gourmet burger joint just down the street. When they ask you how you want your burger cooked, what they're really asking is how bloody do you want it. My 'mediano' was almost cold in the middle it was so pink. But we'd been eating paella and seafood nonstop, so a burger really hit the spot. We went twice during our 3-day stay.

Speaking of restaurants, Emboka is north of the city and a bit pricey (by vagabonding standards--we spent $50some), but I'll be dreaming about the tuna tartar for months.

Down by the river, the Museo de la Ciencia y el Agua was only 1,50E/adult and 1E for Babs. Interactive, educational and they had a kid's water table and playroom. We drag that child all over creation, it was good to give her a few hours to just play. They had a temporary exhibit about Houdini, of all things.

We kept thinking we needed to seek out parks for her to play at, but around every other street corner there's a slide and a swingset, or a trampoline built into the ground. As well as these weird outdoor workout areas with little pedal bikes and chest presses.

On our way to the Alsa station to exit Murcia, we stopped at the Club, Museo y Meson Taurino, a restaurant/bar/bullfighting museum, which was free and actually very interesting. Despite finding it barbarically cruel and being wholeheartedly opposed to bullfighting, Spanish history is steeped in it, and seeing a real suit of lights was cool, from a seamstress' standpoint.

Murcia was only 40km or so from the beach, but many tourists pass it by in favor of the coast, or one of the larger or more famed cities. But we loved it, we wandered around looking at old buildings, ate great food, blundered our way through conversations and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

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Albir, Valencia, Spain

We've been booked in an apartment in Albir for the month of November while Babs attends school at an international nursery.

Albir is a coastal town. The climate and views are amazing, therefore, the tourism is high. There's a remarkable population of Dutch and English in this tiny village. The beach isn't sandy, but pebbly with medium to small, smooth sea-tumbled rocks. (Not very comfortable to lay on.)

We booked our apartment on Airbnb, since 'holiday rentals' were crazy expensive, and 'short term' rentals are 6 months at the least. We were on the 2nd floor with a balcony that has a view of mountains and the village. It has two bedrooms, a lovely little kitchen and a super sweet host named Ange. He was really nice and helpful, and like most Spanish-speaking people who also speak some English, spoke it very well but was super apologetic about it.

We've been very comfortable. A little too comfortable. The area is super tourist-oriented, with signs in English and "English breakfast" on many sidewalk chalkboard menus. Many Norwegian folks have set up businesses here to cater to the Norwegian tourists. (We got the most amazing bratwurst at delicatessen 'Delicioso' from a Norse Goddess of a woman, who very impressively spoke Spanish, English and whatever Nordic language was her native tongue.)

But at least four times I embarrassed myself by speaking Spanish to a waiter or waitress who looked at me blankly and confessed they didn't speak Spanish. Mr. Go and I agreed after two nights in Albir to spend only one month in the area instead of two, as we'd originally planned. And even then, a month there was tough for us. To be fair, a month anywhere while traveling would be hard for us, but here even more so.

Along the main street heading toward the beach, second-hand stores run by Dutch immigrants and English tattoo parlors offered some diversion, but nothing I would call authentic. There's no real 'downtown' area. It's all new developments. Between Albir and the larger city of Benidorm there's nothing but camping and restaurants that cater to tourists. We were disappointed in every paella we ordered.

L'alfas del Pi, 3 km inland and Old Town Benidorm 7km down the coast has offered the best glimpse of the windy-streets and hidden plazas that I love so much about Spain. L'alfas del Pi is a tiny blip of a town, but they were having a fiesta the weekend we visited and the street decorations and parade of reinas y damas in their fancy dresses was charming to the max.

In Benidorm, along the bigger road and along the (nice, sandy) beach there are plenty of 'things' to do, eat and see, but save your lunch for tapas alley. Old Town is at the Southern end of the beach, and the windy pedestrian-only roads with patio chairs crammed in for tapas restaurants are a lively hangout for Spaniards.

Babs has been having a blast. Of course waiters and waitresses love her, pinch her cheeks and give her extra candies and stickers. She loves school, too, and comes home with new Spanish words every day. (More on the school in another post.)

A LA MERCADO

There are five grocery stores within a short walk from our apartment. Aldi, Lidl, Consum, Mercadona and a more regional Supermercado. Mercadona has the best prices and selection. The seafood counter is prodigious, it being a coastal town and all. They're no Super Walmart, their beauty/bath/pharmacy section is small, because there are Farmacias on every other street corner, recognizable by their green plus symbols.

PS: Thank goodness for the big-box Aldi, because everything else was closed for some holiday on our second day in town. All the grocery stores are closed on Sundays, too, except the Lidl and probably the Aldi too.

When you purchase some seafood, such as a lubina (seabass) or calamar (squid), they may ask you if you want them to clean it for you ("Limpia?"). I always said yes, and they used enormous shears to clip off the head, tail and open the belly. PS the squid was really good, despite my overcooking.

Pro Tip: For buying groceries from a deli counter, it's important to know your numbers. It took three deli experiences for me to figure out how to say a quarter kilo. (Doscientos cincuenta = 250 gramos)

Sunday Markets

On Sunday, there's a market in Albir along the main drag. It's like a little canopy city that pops up in a big parking lot and it's filled with clothing, bags, a couple fresh veggie stalls, coffee trucks and even a roast chicken truck. Though the only thing we bought from the Albir market was a pair of 1E sunglasses. Every town seems to have these little pop-up stalls, though not always on Sundays.

Life in Spain has a different pace and vibe to it than America. Most things don't get going until later in the morning. Stores, restaurants and even Babs' school seemed to open later than in America.

Spaniards enjoy their breakfast of croissants, bocadillos or tostadas around 9-10. They have a beer or another coffee and a snack around 11, then their big meal, "comida," at 1:30-2pm. Then it's siesta time. Some stores and restaurants even have signage on their doors to say they will be closed for an hour or two in the middle of the day for siesta.

Around 5pm it's snack time, aka merienda. Dinner, "cena," is typically more like a light snack which occurs around 9-10pm. We've been out for cena only once or twice so far, and even then it's been on the early end of it. This post (and her entire blog) offers great info on Spain.

Serra Gelada Nature Park

The best thing we found in Albir was a beautiful hike along the coast from Albir to Benidorm. There are lots of little trails in this green space. One trail goes up to a lighthouse (one of the busiest routes, as it is paved and easy). The longer hike through the entire park was populated by 3 other hikers when we did the route. It took us almost 3 hours traversing over peaks and saddles, stopping occasionally to snap a breathtaking photo of the coastline and mountain ridges, each more beautiful than the last. There were even some rocky parts that got a little technical.

The trail ends at a janky cross in Benidorm, then there's a bit of a walk into Benidorm proper. Make sure you bring snacks and water.

We took the #10 bus back home.

Bottom line on Albir: I wouldn't go back. It was commercialized and a sea of silver-haired Norwegian retirees. We were almost bowled over by a pensioner on a motor scooter more than once. As of this writing, we are 4 days out from Albir and inland is quieter, smaller, and much more our speed.

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Three Days in Alicante, Spain

Alicante is a smallish city on the southeastern coast of Spain. We stayed in a cheap Airbnb 2km north of city-center in an awesome area. The closer you get to city-center and to the coast, the more touristy it feels. It's busier, the shops and cafes are more modern and the wait staff speak some English. *thumbs down emoji*

In our area, at the corner of Carrer Colombia y Avinguda Novelda, at the end of a shady-looking alley, we were in prime authentic location. Google Street View tells the story better than I ever could.

With a welcoming front like this, how is the place not booked solid? Even with no hand towels, no paper towels and being given 1.5 rolls of toilet paper by our generous host, we couldn't really complain at $26/night.

On the whole, Spaniards were friendly enough, especially with Babs, pinching her cheeks and waving at her.

There was no shortage of places to eat. Every other shop is a cafeteria or coffee shop. But far and away our favorite place was El Mosquito.

Let me wax poetic about El Mosquito for a moment. It's small and cozy inside, but not crowded. Bathrooms are upstairs. The wait staff were all incredibly friendly and welcoming without being overbearing. They spoke no English. As the waitress was trying to explain menu del dia to us, other customers were chiming in with the handful of English words in their repertoire to help us all out.

We inquired, in a general way, if the entrees were gluten-free ("sin gluten"), which launched an in-depth conversation that no one involved understood. In an effort to be sure we were satisfied, I suspect they may have gone to the mercado next door to purchase a package of sin gluten breadsticks to serve us. We never felt they resented us for being difficult on so many levels, and the waitresses kept pinching Babs' cheeks and even gave us the rest of the package of sin gluten breadsticks to take home with us.

Find El Mosquito here. Maybe there are better places to go in Alicante, but this was the absolute best, most authentic, charming, delicioso restaurante we visited. Five stars, 10/10 would recommend.

What Not To Do:

Being right on the water, Alicante is a popular destination for tourists. We saw two enormous cruise ships dock at the marina and an influx of English and Dutch retirees and young families disembark for a daily venture through the city.

Castell De San Fernando was not much more than a platform on top of a small hill. Castilla de Santa Barbara, however, was a tourist trap.

Sure, it was cool that the castle was built in the 700s, but what wasn't cool was the crowds of people milling around. Some people are into it, it just happens that the Go Family is not.

You could step inside the "castle" proper into smallish chambers housing old pottery and other exhibits. The view of the ocean and the city was nice, though. The Internets said it would cost us money, but everywhere we walked around was free. Maybe we didn't find the paid portion, maybe it was a free day, who knows? My recommendation: Just Don't Do It.

When ready to depart to our next destination, Albir, about 50 km up the coast, we went to the Luceros train station, situated in central Alicante. The L1 tram goes north until it ends at Benidorm, then simply disembark the tram, go to the other side of the rail, where the L9 begins. The L9 goes further north, to Albir, where we are currently sitting pretty in a sweet Airbnb for the next month. The tram journey cost us 9.70 Euro (Babs was free).

More on Albir in the next post!