Gili Islands: Air is Water
Indonesia is said to have over 17000 islands, only 6000 or so of them inhabited. After traveling a couple of hours northeast on Bali to the beach-town of Padangbai, we took a boat to the Gili Islands vía Lombok. This is the western beginning of Nusa Tenggara, a chain of islands that extends past Timor […]
Indonesia Intro
Crossing the equator for the first time this trip, we arrived in Bali, Indonesia, escaping the end of rainy season in Thailand. It was time to redeem a few more Marriott points, which made total relaxation simple. We spent a few days on the Tanjung Benoa peninsula in Nusa Dua, the more luxurious tourist area […]
Family Spirit Phuket
Phuket is known as a beach paradise, a place to get away from it all, relax and enjoy. After almost five months on the road, that sounded ideal, and what better way than in the company of family? For the first time on one of our extended travels, someone paid us a visit! Greta (Donny’s […]
Capital Border Town Vientiane
Our journey from Luang Namtha to Luang Prabang was over one of the few paved roads in Laos, and it was rough. The rainy season wreaks havoc with landslides, bridges out, chunks of road cracked or missing and overflowed rivers and streams. We saw plenty of examples, and felt lucky to have made it safely […]
Coffee Shake Confluence
The heart of Laos: Luang Prabang. Royal capital and seat of government until the communists took over in 1975, Luang Prabang retains its romantic atmosphere, magnificent wats, French provincial architecture and surrounding natural beauty. Walking the streets of the old town you can understand why the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You […]
Luang Namtha: Gone Green
With its proximity to the Nam Ha National Protected Area, and abundant activities for trekking, kayaking, cycling and rafting, Luang Namtha is a prime ecotourism destination in northern Laos. Laos still doesn’t receive nearly as many tourists as neighboring Thailand. This, combined with an extremely laid-back culture, makes a visit seem very peaceful. Everything moves […]
Doing Lines and Flying High in Laos
Contrary to what we’d heard, crossing the border from (Chiang Khong) Thailand to (Huay Xai) Laos was a breeze. We arrived late in the afternoon and were the only ones at immigration. Thailand stamped us out with a smile, and we got in a longtail boat with two Thai ladies to cross the Mekong River. […]
Easy Rider…Well, Sort Of
As we arrive at the train station in Bangkok we’re unsure of what to expect. People sit in the middle of the station on the floor waiting to board their train. It’s a scene we’ve seen before, though here it all seems downright neat and orderly. There are also lots of Western tourists. We’ve booked […]
Wat’s Your Pleasure?
Bangkok was a surprise. Maybe it has do do with the neighborhood we stayed in, or the activities we chose, but we didn’t find the chaos or danger we’d heard so much about. Yes, the tuk tuks whiz up and down, weaving precariously through heavy traffic. Yes there are scams to watch out for. Unscrupulous […]
Tagong: Motorcycle Monks and the Yak-men
Intro to Tagong In this high-altitude land of snow-capped mountains and grassy plateaus, priorities revolve around what helps you to get by. Here, two of those things are spiritual beliefs and yaks. We spent most of our time in Tagong wandering. Our hikes took us most of the day, each day, and were worth every […]