Tag: Kid’s Travel Books

The Anton Valley

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Many of you know we went to Panama this year. One of our favorite places was the Anton Valley, or Valle de Anton. That’s pronounced “Vie-yay day Anton.” It is a small town in the center of an ancient, extinct volcano.

These mountains were once part of an ancient volcano!

The old sides of the volcano come up on every side of the town and look like mountains!

We had an amazing time in Valle de Anton and started out at a butterfly sanctuary. There were some of the biggest and most colorful butterflies I’ve ever seen! Later, we had some yummy pizza at a local restaurant. I think the owner was Italian, his accent was different from everyone else’s.

After that, we rode horses and then explored the Nispero Zoo. We saw ostriches, spider monkeys, an ocelot, and even an American Crocodile!

Valle de Anton was a highlight of our trip. You’ll be able to read more about it soon!

Cincinnati Zoo!

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Michael and I took a trip with our parents to Cincinnati this summer. One of our favorite places  to visit was the Cincinnati Zoo. It opened in 1875 and is the second-oldest zoo in the United States! My favorite animals were the White Tigers, and Michael loved the Colobus monkeys. I got my face painted, and we all enjoyed a 4D movie. No matter how near or far you go, there are always exciting things to explore!

El Drac in Barcelona

Beautiful Mosaics

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Have you ever seen a mosaic? A mosaic is a piece of art made by arranging colored tiles. A great place to see mosaic artwork is in Barcelona, Spain. A famous architect named Antoni Gaudi made tons of buildings and sculptures using mosaics. Our favorite is the giant lizard in Park Guell – his name is El Drac (The Dragon in English), and he’s enormous.

Michael and I like to make our own mosaic patterns and pictures out of construction paper. Try your own and see what beautiful things you can make!

Almost Mango Season!

Posted by Chris Oler on

April and May is Mango season in Thailand! One of the best things we’ve tried is mangoes with sticky rice. Our friend Yung told us about it, but we didn’t actually eat it while we were there. It was maybe the only thing we didn’t eat!

Yung, Molly, and Michael at a floating market.

Mangoes with sticky rice is just what it says. The “sticky” part of the rice comes from coconut milk and some sugar. A friend of Yung’s Dad always says it “melts in your mouth,” especially with the fresh mangoes in Thailand.

Get your parents to try one of these recipes!

Thai Table

Epicurious

 

[Author note: When our contributor described this dish, he repeated a few times how good it was. The “melts in your mouth” quote is direct from him, but we can’t reproduce how he said it: lips smacking, eyes closed, arms raised, and the look of relish on his face would convince anyone this is a dish to try.]

Animals in Australia

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Michael and I saw such cute and unique animals when we went to Australia. There was lots of sea life, and of course kangaroos and koalas, but also some animals I’d never seen before. We saw cute little echidnas (pronounced eh-KID-na), which are also called spiny anteaters. They are prehistoric animals and one of only 2 mammals that lay eggs. We also saw quokkas, which look like really small kangaroos – but they can climb trees! They’re about the size of a house cat, and they are very friendly with humans.

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Capybaras in Rio

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Check out these unusual animals! They’re called Capybaras and Michael and I saw them when we went to Rio de Janeiro. They’re so cute and playful, but they’re actually the largest rodents in the world! They live in forests and near water, and some people actually keep them as pets.

 

Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai

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My last, but definitely not least, post for Garden Week is Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai. Talk about beautiful! Yuyuan was started way back in 1559 and has huge rocks and even caves. My favorite part is the “Inner Garden,” which has ponds and Chinese-style pavilions. Different sections of the park are separated by walls that look like dragons!

I hope you enjoyed all these gorgeous places during my first theme week. Next week look for another fun surprise theme!

Yu Yuan Gardens Small

 

Rosenborg Castle Gardens in Copenhagen

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Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities! Right in the city is Rosenberg Castle, with it’s beautiful gardens called “Kongens Have” (it translates in English to “The King’s Garden”). The gardens are beautiful, but also really fun. They have a garden maze, tons of flowers, lots of sculptures and statues, and an awesome puppet show theater! Plus a castle – what could be better?!

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Awesome Garden in Sydney

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One of my favorite places to visit in Sydney, Australia, was the Chinese Garden of Friendship. It is an amazing Chinese-style garden designed by Sydney’s Chinese sister city, Guangzhou. It has a Dragon Wall, Tea House, and bamboo plants, but my favorite part to visit was this beautiful bridge and waterfall.

Chinese Garden Small

Garden Week!

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Welcome to my first-ever theme week! One of my favorite things to see when Michael and I travel is nature. This week I’m going to share some of my favorite gardens from around the world.

Can you believe that in one of the world’s major cities you can find flamingos, ducks, streams and ponds, and beautiful Spanish and English gardens – all on a rooftop?! This magnificent place is called the Kensington Roof Gardens in London. The gardens cover 1.5 acres of land on top of the former Derry and Toms department store building in central London.

Check in with us all week to see more spectacular gardens from Michael’s and my travels!

Rooftop Gardens Small