After extending our time in Bali so we could celebrate our first anniversary in our new favorite locale, we began researching other areas of the island we might be interested in seeing. We finally settled on the Seminyak area, but the hotel search led us to a great hotel on the beach in nearby Legian. … Continue reading Legian Beach, Bali
We left Ubud city life and headed to a little fishing village on the coast for some Balinese R&R. Most people only stop briefly in Padangbai to catch the ferry to Lombok or The Gilis, but we heard it was a great spot for diving, so we settled into the OK Divers Resort for a few … Continue reading Padangbai, Bali
Our first stop in Bali was Ubud (pronounced "oobood") - the cultural center of the island. It was incredibly green, and jam-packed with artisans and massage parlors on every corner. The Ubud market was especially intense - and this is after several cities with markets much larger than this one! Let's just say the local … Continue reading Ubud, Bali
From the beaches of southern Thailand we headed north to experience Chiang Mai. Founded in 1296, Chiang Mai is the largest and most culturally significant city in Northern Thailand and was featured on Trip Advisor's "25 Best Destinations in the World" list two years ago. It certainly lived up to its reputation! We flew Air Asia … Continue reading Chiang Mai, Thailand
Getting to Koh Lanta from Siem Reap took a full day of travel and included a car, two planes, a sketchy van, a ferry, one grouchy husband and a very sassy wife. Needless to say these two travelers were looking forward to the beach. Unfortunately our Koh Lanta plans of sun and sand were derailed … Continue reading Koh Lanta, Thailand
Siem Reap was our destination in Cambodia. It exists almost solely because of the temples of the Angkor region, and nearly everyone there earns a living from tourism. The most famous temple, Angkor Wat, is even featured on the Cambodian flag. The vibe in Siem Reap is a mix of young backpackers, senior tour groups … Continue reading Siem Reap, Cambodia
February 8th-12th Saigon is officially known as Ho Chi Minh City. However, everyone in the city still refers to the city as Saigon - a form of nonviolent protest against North Vietnam renaming the city after reunification on April 30th, 1975. We only had one full day to explore the city of Saigon on our … Continue reading Saigon, Vietnam
Friday, February 10th Our Mekong adventure was quite a baptism to the South Vietnamese culture and climate. Day 2 was reserved for touring the Cu Chi tunnels, which are located 43 miles Northwest of Saigon. The drive should only take about an hour, but with the legendary traffic getting in or out of the city, … Continue reading Cu Chi Tunnels
February 9, 2017 The Mekong Delta is where the Mekong River meets the East Sea in southwestern Vietnam. This "biological treasure trove" has been inhabited since prehistoric times by humans, more than 1,000 animal species and countless plants, fish, lizards and mammals. The river itself has been a valuable maritime trade center since ancient times … Continue reading Mekong Delta, Vietnam
February 6th & 7th, 2017 Thank goodness my husband is an expert negotiator. When I mentioned in my last post that you shouldn't pay full price for anything in Vietnam... you really shouldn't pay full price. We knew we wanted to go to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of thousands … Continue reading Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
February 4th - 8th, 2017 We flew from Hong Kong to Hanoi on a Saturday, one of the last days of Tet celebrations. The Hanoi airport was very nice, with lots of natural light and easy to understand signage. What a difference from the city itself! The name Ha Noi means "city on the riverbank." … Continue reading Hanoi, Vietnam
Warning: this post brought to you by two incredibly jet lagged people. We travel a lot, so we're used to jet lag. We tried to sleep on the plane - John did a better job at that than I did, getting a solid 8 hours to my intermittent 6 (I was too excited about flying … Continue reading Hong Kong
Some things in life sound too good to be true. When you hear someone say "I flew business class to Asia for $12.50", this statement would make the list for most people. By applying for several credit cards over a two year period, Lindsay and I accrued over 490,000 American Airlines miles. Fortunately, we booked … Continue reading Flight to Hong Kong
Interactive trip map: https://www.tripline.net/trip/Big_Trip_2017_Part_I-3552243350161012A6B1DE784C249FF2 Here is our itinerary: We leave for our trip on January 30th 4 nights in Hong Kong, China 4 nights in Hanoi, Vietnam 4 nights in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (formerly Saigon) 3 nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia 5 nights in Koh Lanta, Thailand 4 nights in Chiang Mai, Thailand 7 … Continue reading The Big Trip I
