Category: Reflection

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Our FOURTH 30 Days Abroad: By the Numbers

These posts feel a bit like the monthly baby photos– we should have brought some sort of cute stuffed animal to mark our time away!

Not to compare our travels to raising an actual human child, but I will admit to feeling a little #proudparent -ish of how we are growing as travelers.  These posts may not mean as much to our readers as they mean to us, but Rich and I really enjoying spending time together reflecting and crafting these every thirty days.

Amanda has an unhealthy obsession with Gritty, the new Philadelphia Flyers mascot. He’s ugly, but he’s our ugly. It was only a matter of time before she slid him into the blog.

Without further adieu, our FOURTH 30 days!  And if you like this post or want to see the progression of thirty day reflections, be sure to check out our first , second , and third thirty day review posts too.

Dates Included: September 24 – October 23, 2018

Countries Visited: 4 (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia)

Cities/Towns Visited: 9 (Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Yogyakarta)

TRANSPORTATION

As you can see, our modes of transportation varied greatly in these 30 days!  It’s not just planes, trains, and automobiles for us.

Flights: 7

Bus Rides: 1

Taxi/Uber/Grab Rides: 28 (22 Grab rides)

Van Rides: 3

Tuk Tuk Rides: 1

Funicular Rides: 1

Ferry Rides: 1

Train Rides: 1

Long Boat Rides: 2

Rich boarding the ferry to Koh Samui, Thailand
LODGING

AirBNB’s: 5

Hotels: 4

FOOD

Percentage of Meals Eaten Out: 60% (41 meals)

Percentage of Meals Eaten In: 21% (14 meals)

Percentage of Meals Eaten in Airport Lounges: 15% (10 meals)

Percentage of Meals Provided by Hotels or AirBNB’s: 4% (3 meals)

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

If you are a frequent reader of these posts, you know that while Rich and Amanda spend most of their time together, walking what you would assume to be the same distances, Rich consistently records many more miles than Amanda.  Will the tide turn?  Or will Rich continue his walking dominance?

Rich

  • Total Distance: 342,795 steps (158.40 miles)
  • Average Daily Distance: 11,460 steps (5.28 miles)
  • Daily High: 22,434 steps (10.30 miles)
  • Daily Low: 1,676 steps (0.77 miles)

Amanda

  • Total Distance: 296,857 steps (133.22 miles)
  • Average Daily Distance: 9,895 steps (4.44 miles)
  • Daily High: 20,759 steps (9.07 miles)
  • Daily Low: 132 steps (.06 miles)

Rich wins.  I am also confident that the day I only had 132 steps was a day that I had my FitBit off, if only because we have not stayed anywhere where I could have only gone 132 steps and still eaten food.

INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY

We had a tough time finding anything to read where you would want to read the most: the beaches of Thailand!  As you can see, Rich and I both continued to love Kevin Kwan, the author of megahit Crazy Rich Asians.

Rich

Amanda

Reading at the beach in Koh Samui.
OVERALL COSTS AS PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL BUDGET

Flights: 16% (12% decrease)

Other Transportation (Buses, Trains, Ferries, Taxis, Funiculars): 10% (5% increase)

Lodging: 41% (1% decrease)

Food:  21% (5% increase)

Sightseeing: 3% (same)

Other (Books, Haircut, Laundry, Toiletries, Massages, Yoga): 9% (3% increase)

FAVORITES:

Favorite Meal:

  • Amanda: Rich’s birthday dinner at Akira Back in Bangkok.  We had the best sushi of my life.
  • Rich: My birthday meal at Akira Back in Bangkok. Amazing sushi.
The aforementioned sushi. It was so delicious, we forgot to take a picture of it until after we had eaten a few pieces already.

Favorite AirBNB:

Favorite Hotel:

  • Amanda: I really loved the Grand Sunset Hotel, our hotel in Phuket, Thailand.  There was a beautiful rooftop pool, and they had all kinds of little free treats throughout the day: coffee from 3-4 PM, popcorn and a cocktail from 6-7 PM, and free ice cream from 8-10 PM.
  • Rich: I loved our boutique hotel in Singapore, Hotel Yan. It was stylish, sleek, and perfectly located. They had the best toiletries and mini bar with free Cokes, M & M’s, and chips replenished daily.
At Hotel Yan!

Favorite City/Town:

  • Rich: Singapore
  • Amanda: Singapore

Favorite Beach/Pool: 

  • Amanda: So many beaches!  I really liked Railey Beach in Thailand.  Runner up goes to Phuket where we got the amazing sunset pictures.
  • Rich: Railey Beach was beautiful, but so hot! We lasted maybe 30 minutes before we were covered in sweat and retreated to the water, followed by a couple of Tiger beers with a view.

Favorite Mode of Transportation: 

  • Rich: I really enjoyed the rawness of traveling in the long boat to Railey Beach and back. It was exciting wading into the water and climbing in and out of the boat. There was a real authentic feeling that made me feel like a local.
  • Amanda: I did not enjoy the long boat because I thought we might drown.  I don’t have a specific flight, but I loved anytime we flew and got to go to an airport lounge.  It is so nice to be able to eat as much as we want and drink an extra latte without worrying about costs.
In front of two long boats in Krabi, Thailand

Favorite Book:

  • Amanda:  I weirdly read two books (Truly, Madly, Guilty and The Slap) about adults behaving badly at backyard barbecues in Australia.   Me Talk Pretty One Day was the first David Sedaris book I had ever read, and it was both hilarious and touching.  So it wins as my favorite book for these 30 days.
  • Rich:  Crazy Rich Asians. If you have not noticed yet, I…love…Kevin…Kwan… Almost as much as Amanda loves Gritty.

Least Favorite Moment:

  • Rich: We landed in Yogyakarta and our hotel was only a 23 minute walk from the airport according to Google Maps. We decided to tough it out and walk, can’t be that hard right? WRONG! We had to go a different route than what Google Maps stated due to airport security, and it added about 10 minutes to the walk in 90 degree heat with 20 and 25 lb backpacks on. When we arrived at our hotel, we were tired and drenched in sweat. FAIL!
  • Amanda: Trying to hike to the Big Buddha statue in Phuket and failing because the blog directions I followed were terrible.  I should have done more research before leading us down the wrong road in really hot weather.  Not finding a statue is really not that bad, but Rich and I got cross with one another, so that moment stands out as being my least favorite.  If you are going to argue, you should at least be able to do it in air conditioning.

Most Favorite Moments: 

  • Amanda:  I loved the day in Singapore where we walked and walked and walked and saw the SuperTrees and then had a drink at the top of the magnificent Marina Bay Sands.  It helped that we had seen Crazy Rich Asians in Singapore the night before– on our long walk, we passed so many places from the movie.  I also loved getting a Thai massage in Krabi, Thailand, and I loved our routine in Kuala Lumpur, especially getting to go to the amazing gym in our building.  On our last morning in KL, we got up to go to the gym but it didn’t open until 7 AM so we headed to the building’s putting green (yes, the building had a putting green) to do an Aaptiv strength training workout in the dark.  Right as we finished, the Call to Prayer came on softly in the background, and we were surrounded by all these huge skyscraper buildings– it was a moment where I really felt like I was a world away from home, experiencing something I never could have scripted if I tried.
  • Rich: I loved the sunsets at our rooftop pool in Phucket. I also loved our Thai massages in Krabi. But my favorite thing was EVERYTHING in Singapore. From seeing Crazy Rich Asians to eating at the hawker stands to the beautiful SuperTrees to the drink and view from the Marina Bay Sands, it was everything I imagined.  One day, I will swim in that infinity pool.
Enjoying Singapore and being on top of the world at the Marina Bay Sands.

DELTAS:

Looking back on the last thirty days, here are a few things we might have done a little differently.

  1. Eating out so much has been tough.  I think we have been to three grocery stores in Southeast Asia.  There are frequently 7-11’s or small local markets, but if I were to try to cook a whole meal, I’m not sure I would know where to start.  Eating out occasionally is nice, but Rich and I are both pretty introverted and so we find eating in way more relaxing.  And I miss cooking and eating what I have cooked.
  2. We would not have gone to Iceland.  Wait, aren’t you supposed to be talking about Southeast Asia?  Yes, stay with me.  We were looking at the budget last night, and we have done a pretty decent job staying on budget in Southeast Asia.  And yet, we are still over budget on the trip…for almost the exact amount of money it cost us to go to Iceland.  Iceland was pretty but was SO expensive, especially when viewed in light of how far the money for those 6 days would go in Southeast Asia (read: it would pay for everything for 19 days).  And we slept in a tent in Iceland and ate hot dogs.  We should have saved Iceland for a trip of its own versus including it in our around-the-world trip.
  3. We wish we had picked a better AirBNB location in Bangkok.  As I think about how much we loved Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and how meh we felt about Bangkok, I have to think that if we had been in walking distance of the things we wanted to visit in Bangkok, we would have liked it more.  Bangkok traffic was insane (makes 75/85 traffic in Atlanta and 676 traffic in Philly look light) and so it took forever to get anywhere.  And Rich and traffic are not friends.

LOVES:

  1. Our new planning routine.  Since Phuket, Rich and I have dedicated time to meet with each other to calendar out our time in each new location.  This facilitates a discussion about our priorities for what we want to see and do in each place so that we are on the same page from the jump.  If I am being honest, sometimes it is hard to really tune in and listen to Rich, not because he isn’t charming and interesting, but because we spend all of our time together and sometimes he’s talking to me, but I am daydreaming or playing on my phone or am just otherwise distracted.  During our meetings though, I can totally tune in, focus, and pay attention.
  2. The balance of beaches and cities in the last 30 days.  We had a lot of beach and pool time in Thailand, but we also spent a significant amount of time in some of the largest cities in Southeast Asia in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.  The balance was nice.  We could chill in the beach towns, and then enjoy walking and moving as much as we did in the big cities.
  3. Being together!  Nope, not sick of each other yet.  In fact, the longer we are gone, the more common experiences we have to compare and share with one another.  Rich was organizing our Insta stories the other night, and just watching videos of everywhere we have been and all we have done was so fun.  Remember when we watched the World Cup in Croatia (but left because the fireworks were scary and the fans were throwing beer bottles!), and then we were in Malta and we ended up at Friday Happy Hour with the St. Vincent Retirement Community, and then we were in Hanoi, Vietnam exercising with thousands of people in the early morning hours? All of our experiences build and build and build.  This is truly a trip of a lifetime, and we love sharing all of it with each other.
Sunset in Phuket
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Days 102 – 105: Kicking Back in Krabi, Thailand

Like Phuket, Krabi is a beach in Thailand.  So since our action in Krabi was a bit limited, I would like to start this post with something that has been on my mind a lot since we have been in Thailand.

In the fall of 2009, I moved to Washington, DC to start graduate school.  I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, went to college at the University of Georgia, and then taught high school for three years in Arkansas and Georgia.  The south is where I am from and what I knew.

A dear friend who is a few years older than me gently pushed me to apply to graduate schools outside of the south.  Not because the south is bad or because I could never go back but just to get a little perspective and to try living somewhere else to see how it fit.

In my first month in DC, I went out to dinner with grad school friends at a Thai restaurant.  I had eaten Chinese food occasionally growing up and sushi in college, but I had never eaten Thai.  What does it taste like? What should I order?  Will I like it?

The answers: Delicious, anything, and yes.

More likely than not, the friends I ate Thai with for the very first time in DC circa 2009.  Also: what am I wearing?

I share this because as I write, I have now spent over twenty days in Thailand.  Less than ten years ago, I had not lived outside of the southeastern United States, and I had never tasted Thai food.

Life is long.  The world is big. Given time and opportunity, people develop and change and grow in incredibly unexpected ways.  There is no way that twenty five year old me ever could have imagined that thirty four year old me would love eating Thai food in Thailand and would travel to as many countries as we are going to visit this year.  Thinking about that fills me with awe and gratitude as well as curiosity about what more the future may hold.  Be patient.  Give yourself and other people a chance.  Possibilities are boundless.

Day 102: Goodbye, Phuket!  Hello, Krabi! 

Travel from Phuket to Krabi was the easiest.  A van picked just me and Rich up at our hotel in Phuket, and three hours later, the driver dropped us at our hotel in Krabi.  Amazing.

We spent the afternoon tackling a little work and planning out our next few days.  We found a fabulous restaurant, Ton Ma Yom Thai Food Restaurant, for dinner and crashed hard.

Putting the YUM in Ton Ma Yom.

Day 103: Work Out, Pool, Work

One of the advantages of staying in a hotel versus an AirBNB is having a gym.  As we shared in our last thirty day post, our physical activity is WAY down in Asia, so we enjoyed a chance to get in a workout.

Another advantage of staying in a hotel, which may be at odds with the last advantage, is having breakfast provided.  We went straight from the gym to the buffet, eliciting a few looks for being so sweaty, and enjoyed being able to eat as much as we want.  These days we are not so much counting calories as counting bahts (the Thai currency) as food can eat (ha!) away at our budget quickly.

From breakfast, we showered and then headed to the pool for a couple of hours.  Neither Phuket or Krabi had bookstores so I had been without any pool or beach reading for days.  I decided to download a podcast to fill the void, and I landed on Slow Burn Season 1 which details how Watergate unfolded. I’m a nerd, but I thought the whole season was fascinating.

We got a bit of work done in the hotel in the afternoon and then walked on the beach in Krabi to get some pictures before heading back to Ton Ma Yom Thai Food Restaurant for our second night of delicious Thai dinner.

It started to rain when we left the hotel so our pictures have a slight melancholic feel with the boats and the rain.  Still, the landscape was really beautiful and watching the boats return from the islands was neat too.

Rich with boats.
Water and waves
Watching the boats come back in.
Is there anything more relaxing than being by the water?
Amanda with boats
Sunset selfie in Krabi
Rainy Krabi
Ao Nang is pretty even in the rain.

Day 104: College Football + Visit to Railay Beach

Go Dawgs!

The University of Georgia’s homecoming football game against the Vanderbilt Commodores was played at 7:30 PM in Athens, Georgia which meant a 6:30 AM start time for Thailand’s truest Dawg fans (me and Rich).

This was glorious!  Instead of waking up at 1:00 AM or 3:30 AM, we we able to wake up at a time that humans are intended to wake up.  We sipped our coffee, we ate buffet breakfast at halftime, and the Dawgs won.  Brilliant.

Coffee + Morning Football = Winning. What 2018 Homecoming looked like for me. Go Dawgs!
Getting to RailAy Beach

We stayed in Ao Nang in Krabi.  To reach the other nearby beautiful beaches, you take a quick 15 minute boat ride through the Andaman Sea.  Rich and I had heard wonderful things about the beach at Railay Bay and decided to take a boat there for an easy day trip.

I had never been in a boat quite like the boat we took to Railay Beach.  First, to board it, you wade about 3 feet into the water from the beach, and climb up a small ladder to climb in.  That was new.

The boats are all wooden, and all look like they could probably lose a plank or two at any minute.  I was giggling to myself that when we took the cruise across the Halong Bay in Vietnam every time we got on the small, sleek boats for an excursion, the crew insisted on everyone wearing life jackets at all times.

However, I had to look pretty hard to even locate life jackets on these boats in Krabi.  I eventually found them, up front by the captain, neatly packed away out of reach.  The captain didn’t exactly do a safety demonstration for us before jetting out across the sea!  Thailand: not so big on regulation.

But I obviously arrived safely enough since I am here to write today.  Being on the water was really pretty– Rich said the ride was one of his favorite moments of the whole time we were in Thailand!

Our TOTALLY safe boat.
Boat selfie.  I’m looking a little incredulous before we arrived safely.
We arrive at Railay Beach!
Beach Day!

So we arrived, and Railay was, of course, beautiful.  It felt like being in a Corona commercial.

One quick difference between Rich and me in terms of our beach going preferences: I could stay at the beach all day, without moving, and be the happiest.  Rich needs a little action.  “Okay,” he begins, “I think we apply the sunscreen.  Then we lay for 30 minutes.  Next we get in the water.  After that we come back and towel off and eat our snack.  Then we lay for 10 minutes, then…”  You get the picture.

I should also add that the sun was HOT.  In about 5 minutes of laying, we were both as sweaty as we have ever been in our entire lives.  We are soaked, the towels are soaked, the sand under the towels is soaked.  Puddles of sweat.  You get the picture.

So we did a little bit of lounging, followed by some picture taking, followed by some splashing in the water, followed by some sand art, and then we retreated to the town for a nice, cold drink.  We were on the beach itself for maybe an hour.

Marketing.
Railay Beach in Krabi
So blue and clear! This. Beach.
Rich would regret this move.
Railay Bay

Railay Bay is super chill as evidenced by every bar being named after or dedicated to Bob Marley.  We wandered around, got a mango smoothie, and then found seats with a killer view of the sea to enjoy one iced cold beer.  Heaven.

Then we waded back into the ocean, climbed in a rickety boat, and headed across the sea back to town.

I can think of no better spot for a beer.
Unclear what this move is.
Heading back to the boats.
We like each other.

We, of course, ate dinner with our friends at Ton Ma Yom Thai Food Restaurant for the third night in a row.

Day 105: NFL + Thai Massages

The Birds Lose.

The Philadelphia Eagles were not kind enough to start their game against the Minnesota Vikings at a normal hour in Thailand, so we were up at 3:25 AM to watch more football.  They were also not kind enough to win.  Watching your team lose before 8:00 AM is not the way to start your day!

We went to breakfast to eat away our sorrows and then went back to sleep.  Rich and I love football and are passionate fans, but trying to watch all of the football we want to watch has really done a doozie on our sleep schedules.  We can’t give football up, but I think we are both going to feel a little relieved– and a little healthier!– when the season is over.  When we were working in the States, we loved college football on Saturdays and NFL on Sundays.  Now it is brutal.

Thai Massages Are the Best Massages

If we made one mistake in Thailand, it might be that we only got one Thai massage.  After our post-game nap, it was rainy so we spent most of the day working from our hotel room.  In the late afternoon, we headed out for a glorious Thai massage at Massage Corner in Ao Nang.

Only getting one massage was a mistake because the massage was both wonderful and cheap.  Of the 10+ massages I have had in my life, the massage I had in Krabi was a.) the best and b.) only 250 Thai Baht which translates to $7.69 USD.  For one full hour.

Rich and I both felt gloriously zen when we left.  A Thai vacation with ten straight days of massages could easily be in our future.

Post-massage. Not a care in the world.

Closing Thoughts on Krabi

It is funny to me that the area is called Krabi because if we were anything in the four days we were there, crabby was not it.

Krabi was one of the easiest places to relax I have ever been.  If conflict and overcoming challenges make for an exciting blog post, well, this one is probably on the boring side.  We were total beach bums.

Several years after I tried Thai food for the first time, my best friend from high school, Alexis, visited Thailand.  I thought she was super brave and adventurous to travel across the world.

I’m not saying now that she wasn’t, but I am saying that if you are reading this thinking that Thailand and/or Asia are outside of your travel comfort zone, I really think you could do it too! Imagine: great food, affordability, beaches, massages, paradise, etc.

Sometimes a nudge to step past your comfort zone pushes you way farther than you could have ever imagined.  Consider this my paying that nudge forward.  Trust me, after the best massage of your life, you’ll thank me.

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Our THIRD 30 Days Abroad: By the Numbers

I sit here in shock that we are ALREADY on our third 30 days post– meaning we have been gone for more than 90 days total!  We had a lot of fun putting together our first and second thirty day review posts and hope you all will enjoy reading this one as much as we enjoy working together to crank it out.

Here goes!

Dates Included: August 25 – September 23, 2018

Countries Visited:  4 (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand)

Cities/Towns Visited: 10 (Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Vietvianne, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai)

TRANSPORTATION

Number of Flights Taken: 10

Number of Buses Taken: 12

Number of Taxi/Uber Rides: 3

Number of Vans Taken: 3

Number of Tuk Tuk Rides: 5

LODGING

Number of AirBNB’s Slept In: 5

Number of Hotels Slept In: 5

FOOD

Percentage of Meals Eaten Out: 62% (50)

Percentage of Meals Eaten In: 7% (6)

Percentage of Meals Eaten in Airport Lounges: 5% (4)

Percentage of Meals Provided by Hotels or AirBNB’s: 26% (21)

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

So for the past sixty days, as our faithful readers are aware, despite Rich and Amanda spending countless hours together going to all of the same places, Rich amasses MILES more of steps than Amanda as tracked by their FitBits.  BUT this thirty days, we had gyms!  Amanda ran MILES on the treadmill while Rich lifted weights.  Will it make a difference?

Rich

  • Total Distance: 329,684 steps (152.3 miles)
  • Average Daily Distance: 10,989 steps (5.08 miles)
  • Daily High: 28,060 steps (12.88 miles)
  • Daily Low: 3,342 steps (1.53 miles)

Amanda

  • Total Distance: 270,505 steps (121.2 miles)
  • Average Daily Distance: 9,017 steps (4.04 miles)
  • Daily High: 22,953 steps (10.03 miles)
  • Daily Low: 2,511 (1.1 miles)

So, nope, the running did not make a difference.  Sorry trainer Meg and Aaptiv.

Our steps are WAY down from our last 30 days where we were averaging over 2,000 more steps a day.  Europe is set up for walking as a mode of transportation in a way that Southeast Asia just isn’t.  We are hoping to get this activity back up.

INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY

I should really rename this category.  #shade

Our reading was down a bit; we had more trouble finding books in English in Southeast Asia.  We also had to pay for all of these except Trevor Noah’s Born A Crime.  Rich and I had better luck in Europe with taking books that were left behind in AirBNBs and hotels (and usually leaving a few behind ourselves).

Rich

Amanda

We found a HUGE bookstore in Ho Chi Minh City. It was great EXCEPT the books were not in alpha order by writer or title.  Mind blowing. How were you supposed to find anything?!?
OVERALL COSTS AS PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL BUDGET

Flights: 28% (13% increase)

Other Transportation (Buses, Trains, Ferries, Taxis, Funiculars): 5% (3% decrease)

Lodging: 42% (2% decrease)

Food:  16% (3% decrease)

Sightseeing: 3% (2 % decrease)

Other (Books, Haircut, Laundry, Toiletries, Trips to H&M): 6% (4% decrease)

Rich getting his hair cut in Chiang Mai, Thailand
FAVORITES:

How do we choose?!?

Favorite Meal:

  • Rich: Crispy Pad Thai (from the MAYA shopping mall food court) in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Runner Up– Philly Cheesesteak at Vibe Cafe in Siem Reap, Cambodia
  • Amanda: The Spicy Pork Ragu Noodles at Nu Eatery in Hoi An, Vietnam; Runner Up–Red Curry with Tofu + Mango Sticky Rice at Happy Mango Thai Restaurant in Vang Vieng, Laos (We ate twice at both restaurants!)
Food court crispy pad thai– It cost less than $2!  Imagine pad thai meets nachos.

Favorite AirBNB:

Favorite Hotel:

The view from our room at the beautiful Riverside Boutique Hotel

Favorite City/Town:

  • Rich: Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • Amanda: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Favorite Mode of Transportation: 

  • Rich: Flying for $15 one way in Southeast Asian cities
  • Amanda: The van ride from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang.  We started with one driver, and then midway through the ride, we got a new driver.  We drove over the most treacherous roads.  The second driver got out to pee on the side of the road three times.  But the land was BEAUTIFUL.  It reminded me of the rolling hills of North Georgia where my family is from, and for about four hours, I could just sit, stare out the window, and take it all in.

Favorite Beach/Pool: 

  • Rich: The hotel pool at the Riverside Boutique Hotel in Vang Vieng, Laos
  • Amanda: Our hotel pool in Vietianne.  While it wasn’t the most glamorous pool, inexplicably, for one day at the pool, there was a giant unicorn float when we arrived.  Read more here about how that went for Rich.
unicorn float in Vientiane
So much love for the unicorn float

Favorite Book Read:

  • Rich: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
  • Amanda:  Either Commonwealth: A Novel by Ann Patchett OR Born A Crime by Trevor Noah.  Although Crazy Rich Asians was really fun too…#nerd

Least Favorite Moment:

  • Rich: We had a great night out in Siem Reap enjoying a delicious dinner and two amazing cocktails at Miss Wong Cocktail Bar. We had a nice walk home and then…tragedy struck. OK, not tragedy just an unfortunate accident. Our Airbnb in Siem Reap was a really cute little place that had big glass doors opening to a small lobby. First, let me start of by saying the large glass double doors had been open the entire two days we were staying there. Second, they were really really clean. I am starting to tell this story like Amanda. I will get to the point: I walked face first into the glass doors as if I were walking through an open door. My nose and mouth started gushing blood, followed by lots of cursing and a call home to my dad to ask if my nose was broken (it wasn’t). This “clean glass door” incident led to lots of ice, Neosporin, and Bio Oil to help my face heal. I am happy to report that two weeks later I am 90% of the way to being scar free.
  • Amanda: That’s a lot to follow.  We took a van from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang, and in a strange turn of events, the driver dropped us off at a location that was NOT the bus station because “of the police.”  We had a tuk tuk scheduled to pick us up at the bus stop, and since we had no idea how to communicate our new location, we decided to walk to the AirBNB.  Little did we know, this walk, in the dark, involved crossing a VERY rickety pedestrian bridge over a river carrying all of our belongings.   I’ll probably write more about this in my post on Luang Prabang, so for now, I will just admit to having a complete and total meltdown, just short of tears, in the middle of said bridge of death.
Did we mention that the day after the glass door incident was our visit to Angkor Wat?

Most Favorite Moments: 

  • Rich: The four days exploring the Nimman neighborhood in Chiang Mai, Thailand, lounging by the pool in Vang Vieng overlooking the limestone mountains, and our day working at The Workshop Coffee in Ho Chi Minh City.  Oh, also hiking a waterfall in Luang Prabang.  We will blog about these soon!
  • Amanda:  Visiting Angkor Wat .  It was like being on another planet.  I cannot believe such an incredible place exists.  When we first entered Angkor Wat shortly after sunrise, most of the visitors were going straight, and we took a left.  About 100 steps in, and we were all alone, in this huge section of the temple.  It was amazing.  I also loved bicycling to see temples in Chiang Rai and then coming “home” to the hotel to read at the pool.  oh, AND I loved being at a lagoon in Vang Vieng when all of these middle school aged boys got out of school.  Watching them jump out of trees and off bridges into the water was incredible.  I ALMOST FORGOT THE CAT CAFE.  OF COURSE, THE CAT CAFE.

DELTAS:

Looking back on the last thirty days, here are a few things we want to commit to doing moving forward.

  1. Use the 7-11.  Hear me out.  In Europe, we stayed almost exclusively in AirBNB’s with kitchens, and going grocery shopping was a must-do in every new place.  Here in Southeast Asia, it is actually cheaper to buy food out, especially from street vendors or mall food courts, than to cook.  Still, there were many times that we were one or two snacks away from being a little less hangry if we planned ahead better.  We did a good job with this in Chiang Mai, where the “Sev” (as Rich calls it) was on our street, and it made a big difference.
  2. Do more research on the places we are visiting before we get there.  I am going to admit that often I learn a ton about a historical place like Siem Reap when I blog about it after we have already visited.  Several times, people who have vacationed in a place we are visiting have told us that we “HAVE” to get a guide to explore an area, but honestly, that’s just not financially practical on a trip as long as ours.  Still, I want to commit to doing a better job at researching historical sites before rolling out the door so that we don’t miss anything while it is happening.
  3. Schedule our time on a calendar.  At our jobs, Rich and I were both super type-A schedulers with serious calendars.  For better or worse, we have relaxed those tendencies.  There are ways that not being so scheduled allows us to enjoy the moments we are in, but we also can see a pattern of not getting all of the things done that we wanted to do (i.e. blogging, planning, working out) because our “plan” for the day evolves the day of, often after an hour or two in the morning lost to playing on Insta or Twitter.  We both love feeling productive so we want to try to start scheduling out the four or five days we will spend at a place on our calendars on the travel day when we arrive.  We can let you know how it goes.

LOVES:

  1. The confidence gained knowing that we are doing this. Rich and I have been gone for more than 90 days.  We are traveling the world.  We are not by any means perfect at it, but when we run into challenges, like glass doors (too soon?), we are able to keep on keeping on.  Neither had us had ever been to Asia before and now we have both spent more than thirty days in Southeast Asia.  When we first discussed traveling the world for a year, we weren’t quite sure it was possible.  But we are doing it!  That feels great.
  2. All of the support from our friends and family at home.  There are sweet friends who I had fallen out of touch with who because of this trip I am back in touch with as they reach out with kind messages, emails, and likes on pictures.  We both feel like we have a whole big team of cheerleaders, rooting for and encouraging us on our way.  And we have made new friends with other traveling couples through Instagram who provide us tips on places we are going next or even feature us on their blogs.  THANK YOU for all of the support.  It is awesome.
  3. Spending time together. Still.  Even when we melt down on bridges and are hangry.  Having this time to travel, explore, learn, love, and process is an unbelievable gift, and we are having a blast.

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Random Reflections and (Sort of) Deep Thoughts from the Road

Over dinner or while we are walking somewhere, Rich and I do a lot of back and forth about what we love about traveling, what we miss about home, what we are glad we did, what we might change, etc. In other words, we take some time for reflection.

We thought it might be fun to share some of these reflections with you!  We will still do our next 30 days post– think of this more as eavesdropping on some of the conversations we have back and forth as we hang out all day, every day.

And in terms of process, we answered the questions in the order our names are listed (i.e. the first person writes his or her response blind, and then the second person can respond).

What it is the one physical thing from home you miss the most?

Rich: Our large, grey, comfortable sectional couch. From watching the Eagles and Georgia football games to Homeland, Handmaid’s Tale, and Game of Thrones, it is where we unwind. It can be difficult to relax fully when you are switching destinations every 3 to 5 days.

Amanda: HAIR CONDITIONER.  Hear me out.   None of the hotels and AirBNB’s have it, and we fly so frequently that I can only buy it in travel sized amounts.  Also, everything we do is terrible on my hair– being in the sun and the heat, swimming in pools, oceans, and waterfalls, using the random shampoos provided by the hotels and AirBNB’s.

I think about a huge bottle of great conditioner every day.  I read articles about conditioning treatments (here, here, and here) which is just torture because there is no CVS or Sephora in Laos.  And if there were, I could only buy the best products in travel sized amounts! Seriously, #1 fantasy: a huge, budget busting bottle of Moroccan Oil conditioner.  The end.

What is one experience from home that you miss that you expected to miss and one experience from home that you miss that surprises you?

Amanda: I expected that we would miss family and friends, and we do.  Events that would seem super regular at home- kids’ birthday parties, friends going out to dinner- seem the coolest from this far away (“Oh my gosh, look at all those people we know in the same room!”).  Abbey starting high school has definitely been the most expected, hardest thing to be away for.

I realized yesterday that I unexpectedly miss folding clothes.  We are at the mercy of our situation on how we will get our clothes clean, but yesterday our AirBNB provided laundry service for a small fee.  I had to fight the urge to ask if I could fold the clothes myself when they came out of the dryer– the allure of clean clothes, DRIED IN A DRYER (not a given in most of the world), and then the sense of task completion when they are all folded neatly…sigh.

Rich: I expected to miss the fall, the start of school, and football, and I have. I especially miss the start of school this year as it is Abbey’s first year in high school. Fall is our favorite season: the cool temperatures, La Colombe coffee on our couch on Saturday morning, and watching football. Our travel route has us in summer in almost every country we visit, and fall seems so far away. Also,  halfway across the world “American” football is non-existent. This is unimaginable back home.

The unexpected experience I miss most is food shopping and having a well stocked refrigerator. I am a creature of habit and love my Saturday mornings at Whole Foods. I miss selecting the meat, fish, and produce that Amanda turns into delicious meals. I also miss the convenience of going into my fridge and grabbing a drink or something to eat whenever the urge arises. When traveling you have to plan out how to get every meal.

What is something that another country does way better than the United States?  Like, why don’t we do that at home?

Rich: Bus safety. All buses in SE Asia and some in Europe have two employees on each bus. Makes total sense. We have all heard stories of SEPTA or Metro violence, passengers not paying fares, etc. It is illogical to think one person (the bus driver) can collect fares, enforce collection of fares, ensure bus etiquette, prevent bus violence, and DRIVE THE BUS!

In other countries, the bus driver does just that, drives the bus. Another employee collects the fare, and keeps an eye on the bus and its passengers. Makes total sense. Part of me can’t help think that transportation companies in the U.S. are more concerned about their bottom line.

Amanda: I basically wrote this question because Rich is so fired up about the buses!

Something that we have seen in Asia that makes so much sense to me is that all of the escalators have motion sensors so they only start up when someone steps on them.  Genius!  Why does the escalator need to run continuously and waste energy?  It should just come on when you step on the platform right before you step on the escalator stairs.  An elevator doesn’t go up and down when there aren’t any passengers on it. America, you’re welcome.

Let’s talk about time.  Does it feel like it is moving more quickly or more slowly than you would have expected?

Amanda: That’s tough.  I cannot believe that we have been out of the country for 89 days, and I also cannot believe that we have seen everything that we have seen in only 89 days.  Like, oh remember when we were at that waterfall in Iceland, and then we were in Sicily for a long time, and now we are at a waterfall in Laos.  So in that sense, it is moving really fast.

However, it feels like FOREVER since we were in the United States grabbing a cheeseburger and going to CVS.  And I had a job? Feels like a lifetime ago.

Rich: I agree with Amanda here. Iceland seems like so long ago; however, I can not believe how much of the world we have already seen so far. We have learned how big the world really is and how small we really are in it.

What is your very favorite part of traveling the world?

Rich: For me, it is seeing how different cultures live and learn from each other across the world. I love the world fusion. I love it in food (Think: Bing Bing Dim Sung in Philly- Asian/Jewish food). I love it in music (Think: Hip Hop collaborating with Rock). Also, spending time with Amanda, the learning and growing we are doing together is amazing!

Amanda: Oh, that was sweet– thanks! Besides being with Rich, I really enjoy the unknown unknowns.  I might have a vague notion of what a town or a country will be like, but then all of these surprises unfold along the way.

Some of the surprises are amazing- trying a new delicious food or seeing something in nature that looks like nothing I have ever seen before- and sometimes they are a little quirky or even frustrating (oh, our “bus” is actually a minivan and the driver changes twice in five hours and the second driver gets out of the bus to pee on the side of the road once an hour and then drops us at a location in the next town that is not the bus station).

For better or worse, I almost always kind of love all of the surprise.  Things are never boring, and there are lots of good lessons about accepting things as they are.

Was taking this trip the right decision?

Amanda: Oh, absolutely.  There are so many things about having the opportunity to do this and seeing all we are seeing as well as being back home when we are finished that I hope I will appreciate forever.  There is psychological research that gratitude is the key to happiness, and I feel like we are making a yearlong investment in a lifetime of happiness.

Rich: Yes! We talk all the time about how lucky we are to be able to do this. I want to live a big, full life. I want to see the Big 5 in Africa, swim in the Mediterranean, dive the Great Barrier Reef, do Yoga in Bali, hike Machu Picchu, visit all of the great U.S. National Parks, and try great food, beer, and wine from all over the  world. And we get to do it all now!

Feel free to send more deep (ha!), higher level thinking and reflection questions our way!  Sending our love back across the world to you.  

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