CROSS COUNTRY FAMILY ROAD TRIP

We bought a van, named her Deborah Vance, converted her into a campervan, then went across the country and back over 6 weeks in summer 2025.

More here.

INTRODUCING: GEMMA

Since we couldn’t really travel anywhere in 2020 and 2021, Scott and I went full domestic: got a puppy (Lenny), bought and renovated a boat, had a baby (Gemma) and we bought and am currently renovating a house, too.

We’ve been very fortunate to keep healthy and stay busy.

I’m planning to get back into posting on here more regularly, but for now… here’s my little Gem:

My girl, Baby G.

EDITMATE UPDATE: 2021

A lot has changed with EditMate since my last official update in 2017…

Way back in 2018, after 1 year of R&D (funded by revenue from our first clients) and then after another 1.5 years of slowly building it, we launched a software platform to complement EditMate’s video editing service.

The EditMate Dashboard (a streamlined project management system) is equipped with tools and features that make it easy to plan projects, upload and crowdsource footage/content, collaborate with a professional Video Editor from the EditMate team, review and comment on drafts, share edited videos and more.

(In short, we built a tech product so now it’s even easier for our clients to create video content.)

Since then, our client list has evolved and the number of videos we’ve created has multiplied so we thought it was about time we gave the EditMate brand a bit of an upgrade, too. (After all, while building EditMate in Bali in 2015 I did slap together a logo on Canva and say “this will do for now”… and we were still using it 5 years later.)

So, this Fall we unveiled EditMate’s whole new look…

We brought on Rachel Talbot Studio to design the new brand identity and website. Rachel was a delight to collaborate with and overall, just a really nice and lovely person to work with.

And I must say, after almost 6 years of designing and managing the website on my own, I was beyond thrilled to hand it over to a qualified professional. I’m over the moon with the result — and particularly proud of our About and Client Testimonials pages.

Be sure to check out all of our new website over at editmate.com

P.S. See more about EditMate here, too.

TONGARIRO ALPINE CROSSING

One of the highlights of my 4-month stint in New Zealand back in 2019 was completing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

The full-day hike covered a wide range of landscapes, including fluorescent green lakes and desert-y stretches that felt like we were walking around on Mars.

Casual lunch break in front of an active volcano

The 12-ish mile hike passes over volcanic terrain, through craters and around the Emerald and Blue Lakes.

Since the hike requires an early morning start, we stayed at the nearby Awhi Farm in the foothills of Mount Ruapehu and experienced 2 nights of camping at the rustic farm.

Manuka honey bees

Fresh veggies galore

Camp kitchen

We enjoyed cooking in the outdoor camp kitchen with fresh eggs, veggies and honey from the farm but my favorite part of our visit was hanging with the kune pig who acted like the family dog.

LAST OF GOA, INDIA

An elaborate parade we stumbled upon on the streets in Calungute. Note the KFC shaped like a temple.

A cow being excluded from group games.

The streets of Goa, where cocktails and dreams are made.

Parking lot at Keri Keri beach.

Neighborhood watering hole.

Goa was a wild mix of bustling commercial streets, relaxing deserted beaches and traditional Indian scenes. It was the perfect place to chill out during our last leg in India.

SHOTS AROUND GOA

Scott in line at the fruit shop, picking up breakfast for the next day.

Packed church.

Vagator Beach.

Youth soccer.

Tibetan prayer flags…

… all over.

We stopped in to a store to buy sunscreen and met this little gal who was very intrigued by my camera…

And her sassy older sister, who also wanted a portrait taken.

Sight seeing.

A corner at Natti’s Naturals.

A local entreprenuer.

FOOD IN GOA

After 2 weeks of eating hot Indian food for every meal, I was curried-out.

So I was thrilled to find that Goa definitely caters to the vegetarian-eating-yoga-practicing-hippie-crowd and was filled with great restaurants that served smoothies, acai bowls, tofu dishes, buddha bowls and the like.

These were my favorites:

1. Ma Cafe in Pernem - EXCELLENT vegan food, we went back 3 times for the banh mi and the tacos

2. Bean Me Up in Vagator Beach - delicious buddha bowls in a beautiful garden setting

3. Natti’s Naturals in Anjuna - good smoothies, killer patio

Brunch at Bean Me Up.

Lounge lunch at Ma.

GOA, INDIA

After Jaipur, we headed to Goa for the last leg of our trip.

After the luxurious celebration which was the wedding in Mumbai, and the adventurous motorcycle trip through Rajasthan, Goa felt like a tropical work-cation.

We’d wake up early every morning to work from our hotel in Calangute Beach then around 1 PM we’d hop on our bright orange scooter and head north to explore a new area on the coast until the sun set.

The 3rd floor was our spot.

Breakfast roof top nook.

Remote office.

Commuter traffic.

Beach bum cow

There are dozens of beaches all up the coast but my favorites were Vagator, Arambol, Morjim and Querim.

AROUND JAIPUR, INDIA

Jaipur is a massive city that seemed to include a bit of everything: colorful regal palaces, glistening modern buildings, lush green parks, smooth efficient highways and meandering alley ways.

In one day, you could feel like you traveled both back and forward in time.

We would visit dusty ancient forts in the morning and then stop in to ultra-futuristic shopping malls like The World Trade Park, in the afternoon.

JAIGARH FORT IN JAIPUR

We navigated the bumpy, hilly city streets to visit Jaigarh Fort and get a birds eye view of massive Jaipur.

The fort was built in 1726 AD and is considered to be the strongest monument in Jaipur.

The forts windows are made of lattices so they allow a complete view of the exteriors, but nothing can be observed from the outside.

PUSHKAR TO JAIPUR

We left Pushkar and rode 100 miles northeast to Jaipur, “The Pink City”.

Whenever we stopped for gas, a small crowd always formed around Scott. I don’t think a lot of New Zealanders frequent these gas stations.

Red eyes, full hearts, can’t drink the water.

Pit stop.

Arriving in Jaipur.

Hawa Mahal, built in 1779.

It was built for Rajput women (a social class that adopted the custom of “purdah”, the practice of female seclusion). The women were not allowed to appear in public places but could hang out in the fort be able to watch the royal processions and see what’s going on in the city from the windows and small balconies. It was said to give the women a sense of freedom, without appearing in public.

The city was painted pink in 1876 for the arrival of the Price of Wales, who later became the Emperor of India.

I think it’s actually more of a “terra cotta” but what a welcome.

PUSHKAR, INDIA

Pushkar is a pilgrimage site for Hindus and Sikhs (along with being a major destination for the Holi Festival) and is also well known for the Pushkar Camel Fair which brings over 50,000 camels from distant places to be bought and sold.

Bordering the desert, it’s a dusty place and has a holier vibe than anywhere else I visited in India with it’s temples around every corner, ghats for pilgrims to bathe in and the sacred Pushkar Lake glistening beneath the hills.

Monkey meet-up

Scott, blending right in.

Town gossips.

CVS

My favorite moments from Pushkar include:

• emerging from the darkness of our hostel room after 12 hours of throwing up to be greeted by hordes of stoned Israeli’s, covered in rainbow paint

• hearing a vehicle approaching from behind and turning around to see a giant camel cart being driven by a 7 year old

• the bull and monkey duo hanging out near our hostel

• discussing app development and startup ideas with Kapil and Sunil, 2 young students from Jaipur we shared momos and fried rice with at the local Tibetan Restaurant

• realizing an elaborate, multi-person effort to get us to pay to put flowers in Pushkar Lake was pretty much just a well organized sales funnel

• thinking that this dusty little town was cited in the Mahabharata (a 2000 year old text that I read in Asian Studies class in high school) as the oldest religious hub in India… and here I was rolling through it’s purple stained alleyways on the back of a motorcycle in 2018.

HOLI IN PUSHKAR

170 miles later, we rolled up in Pushkar — just in time for Holi.

But then, a few hours later, Scott and I both fell deathly ill.

Like, yacking in an alley way… can’t eat for 24 hours kind of sick.

It hit me first and then Scott soon after. I think some “bottled” water we bought on the road was the culprit. It was rough.

So unfortunately, the closest I got to Holi was seeing mini-parades of people heading to the center of town from the hostel window while I took small sips of ginger ale. From the thumping techno I could hear echoing from the main square, it sounded like it was quite the dance party. Though I’m still not sure what trance music has to do with Hinduism.

But 24 hours later we were both fully recovered and ventured out to see the aftermath — it looked like a purple powder bomb went off — and we got a solid recap from 2 lovely Indian students from Jaipur who joined us for momos at a Tibetan Restaurant.

View from the hostel.

Post-festival street clean up.

So, that was a bummer — but these things happen, especially while backpacking in India.

But I will experience you one day, Holi.

One day.

UDAIPUR TO PUSHKAR VIA MOTORCYCLE

While we were on a boat cruise in Udaipur, we met a nice Australian fellow who said that Pushkar (a town bordering the Thar Desert) would be a great place to celebrate Holi, an important Hindu festival that was coming up.

So we mapped out a trip, rented a Royal-Enfield motorcycle and rode 170 miles to Pushkar.

Shout out to my Auntie Donna for giving me the scarf Scott’s wearing as a face mask a few Christmases ago. It really completed the look. And protected his lungs.

Uber pool

Gas pit stop.

I think these decorated cargo trucks were my favorite things in India. They’re everywhere on the highways and they’re decorated with the enthusiasm of a 7th graders locker. From what I learned, they’re owned by families and are decorated so beautifully because they ensure the entire family’s livelihood. So, the owners decorate them with “jewelry” kind of like the way you would adorn your wife for all of her hard work. These are the trucks where you would see the “HORN OK PLEASE” written, as referenced here, too.

Curious on-lookers.

Fellow commuters.

Jay walkers.

All about the accessories.

I had never been on a motorcycle before (only scooters) so I sort of accepted my death prior to hopping on the back (“It’ll be unfortunate, but what a way to go”) but we arrived in Pushkar safe and sound and only almost hit a cow once. Okay, twice.

SHOTS AROUND UDAIPUR, INDIA

Inside Jagdish Temple

Now smoking isn’t cool but this guy is smoking 2 cigarettes at the same time so he’s the coolest

View from the boat cruise on Lake Pichola. Udaipur is known as the “Venice of the East”.

City Palace from a boat cruise.

View over Udaipur from inside City Palace.

Setting up for an event. FUN FACT: There was a wedding here in December that Beyonce performed at.

Our favorite rooftop restaurant in Udaipur. I don’t remember the name but it had excellent views, veggie burgers, curries, special lassies AND lounge furniture.

Nightime shopping.