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.
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
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
- Books Read: 3 (Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend)
Amanda
- Books Read: 4 (China Rich Girlfriend, Truly Madly Guilty, Me Talk Pretty One Day, The Slap: A Novel)
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.
Favorite AirBNB:
- Rich: Our AirBNB in Kuala Lumpur ($40/night) It was located right in the middle of all of the places we wanted to explore. Below the building were a bunch of cool restaurants and coffee shops, and I enjoyed the views and the gym. I just wish I could have gone swimming in the amazing infinity pool.
- Amanda: Our AirBNB in Kuala Lumpur ($40/night) The views were amazing, and I LOVED the building’s gym. The location also could not have been better and allowed us to walk almost everywhere we wanted to go.
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.
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.
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.
DELTAS:
Looking back on the last thirty days, here are a few things we might have done a little differently.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
