When preparing to leave China and cross the border into Kyrgyzstan, on foot, over mountains, I couldn’t help but quote the final scene from The Sound of Music. Maria: “But what about the children?”Capt. Von Trapp: “They’ll make it. We’ll help them.” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” was just one of the many songs we sang to make…
Author: Five Backpacks Family
Not all who wander are lost — we are living nomadically, exploring, and wandering to learn about the world, its people, and ourselves.
Chris and Holly Santillo are not your regular authors.
They are the epitome of the Latin phrase “Mens sana in corpore sano,” which means “A healthy mind in a healthy body.”
Having strong backgrounds in Martial Arts with Chris being the founder and Head Instructor at Potomac Kempo in Alexandria, Virginia, and Holly being a Senior Instructor, they have managed to develop the principles of Martial Arts into a cohesive parenting methodology.
They believe that children (and parents) with broader horizons and an open mind can sow the seeds for future generations of confident, strong, and resilient adults.
Now, you can find them gliding through the Siberian steppes on the Trans-Siberian Railway, visiting the buzzing markets of Samarkand on the Silk Road, or wondering at the vastness of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. They have decided to live a nomadic life and explore the world with their three boys in order to bring back memories, ideas, experiences, and a fresh view on life.
Join their epic journey at www.FiveBackpacks.family, visit www.ResilienceParenting.info for more information on their book, and www.PotomacKempo.com to learn about their Martial Arts teachings.
Sampling China on a Stick
Some of our greatest joys in China come from amusing translations. Warning signs might say “go up and down the stairs to be more aware” or “Don’t be crowded; Carefully fall down.” A museum plaque taught us that “Traditionalliteraryintentionsandoutstandingmartialachieveme ntsworshipedtogetheristotellfuturegenerationsthatthegovernan ceofthewesternregionswillbesupplementedbycivilandmilitaryc ooperationinordertounitesurviveforthousandsofgenerations.” But, our biggest guffaws came from using our translator app to read restaurant…
China by the Cappuccinos – Questing for Coffee in a Tea Culture
In Beijing—despite its metropolitan enormity—it is surprisingly challenging to find a cappuccino. With the help of our Chinese friend, maps in two languages, and hours of searching, we netted zero cappuccinos. We eventually stumbled, weary and parched, into a Starbucks inside a shopping mall. Starbucks, for all of its grace, only serves in paper cups….
An Expanding Train Comfort Bubble
On our first overnight train, we looked askance at… at the… at the everything. The bathroom wasn’t quite what we expected this century. The ‘beds’ were amazingly small and hard. The idea that one was to sleep in such proximity to strangers was a little unnerving. Our compartment held four—two lower and two upper bunks—but…
Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going
This segment of our journey is fast drawing to a close. In less than a month, we will board a plane to fly back to the United States so our mothers can see their grandchildren. So far, we have toured the US (with a brief stint in Canada) by car, cruised the coast of Alaska,…