Don’t Skip: Rotorua, New Zealand
Intro to Rotorua Located on New Zealand’s North Island, a 2-3 hour drive south of Auckland, Rotorua is an established attraction for visitors. The town is located on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua and is part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. We’d been warned that it might be more “touristy” than we typically like, […]
Food for Thought with Viet World Kitchen
Through the Food for Thought interview series, we explore what it means when we say “to truly experience a culture, you must taste it.” Food often helps us make meaningful connections that we never would otherwise. As new installment is published each Friday, we learn more about the role food plays in other travelers’ journeys. This week we hear from Andrea […]
Colombian Hospitality: Intro to Bogota
Hospitality Every culture has its own form of hospitality. Some people make us feel at home right away, while for others it takes more time to warm up to new people and new situations. As an exchange student in Japan, my “favorite” host family, the one I still keep in touch with, welcomed me as […]
Travel Photo Roulette Round 64: Dance
We are thrilled and honored to have been selected as the winner of Travel Photo Roulette’s Round 63! Last week’s winner, Passports and Pamplemousse, presented the excellent theme “Hands at Work.” Our interpretation was this photo of a young deckhand working the lines on a boat about to set out on the journey from Siem […]
Longsheng Rice Terraces
Longsheng Rice Terraces Hands-down, our favorite part of our visit to Guilin was a day-trip several hours away to the Longsheng Rice Terraces. We shared transportation with four others from the hostel: a recent high-school grad from Peru studying in China, whose father is Chinese, a guy from Slovakia, and a couple from Holland, the […]
Don’t Skip: Jeju Island, South Korea
Intro to Jeju Island Jeju is marketed as the “honeymoon island,” popular with couples who take the opportunity to visit Love Land and the Museum of Sex after their walks on the beach. Get past the tourist promotion though, and volcanic, subtropical, Jeju will surely reward you with its unique history, culture and charm. Jeju is best known […]
Announcing Turtles Travel’s New Logo!
When we first started our blog in 2005 it was a small, online diary of sorts, a way for family and friends to keep up with our whereabouts. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to! We enjoyed telling the stories and sharing the photos of our life on the road so […]
Don’t Skip: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
[mappress mapid=”13″] Intro to Yogyakarta, Indoniesia Jogjakarta (Yogyakarta, or, locally, Jogja) was our last stop in Indonesia after a month of exploring in Bali, diving in the Gilis and Flores, relaxing in Lombok and communing with dragons in Komodo National Park. We wanted to see some of the famous temples not far from here, and […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Culture
Pre Rup temple is located just south of the Eastern Reservoir within the Angkor Wat Archaeological Complex in Cambodia. The temples are a symbol of the country and a source of pride for its people. The ancient site, as much as 1000 years old, is visited by hordes of tourists, but somehow retains a deep sense of peace. […]
Don’t Skip: Hoi An, Vietnam
Intro to Hoi An One of the best ways to get around Vietnam is their well-developed train system. However, Don’t Skip: Hoi An just because is not on the tracks. Hop off at Da Nang and share a taxi to Hoi An. This ancient city is recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage town and […]