Adventures with Jack and Julia

Follow along on our World Wide Adventures!

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  • Bali Beach Towns (Canggu & Seminyak)

    Canggu

    Ahh, Bali. Everything you’ve heard about this place is true. We landed at Denpasar airport after a quick flight from Sarabaya, and quickly made our way to the beach. As we approached, some kind of gravitational pull activated and we were dragged into a beautiful bohemian nautical-themed beach club called La Brisa. Some things that became immediately clear right off the bat and remained constants during our 5 days in Canggu were that everything is themed and the food and health culture is huge here. Not themed in a Las Vegas way, though. More in an aesthetically pleasing mix of earth tones and greens and a really laid back kind of vibe. Everyone is dressed to match in flowing outfits and yoga attire while also being focused on healthy living and eating nutritious and nourishing food and this was true at La Brisa. They’re playing chilled out Tulum-style house music and everyone is drinking coconuts. It set the tone right from the start that we were in for a real treat.

    Jack’s beer and Julia’s passion fruit sorbet iced tea (so good)!
    We came back a second time
    Will order anything with passion fruit on the menu

    Because everyone is so healthy and environmentally conscious, there’s a never ending plethora of amazing vegan and health food restaurants. The ones that we tried in Canggu and can highly recommend were: I am Vegan Babe (the best vegan nachos we have ever tried), Secret Spot (amazing pasta and healthy desserts/smoothies), Shady Shack (also great vegan nachos), Cafe Vida (amazing avocado toast), Mexicola (delicious tacos and margs!), and Times Beach Warung (Julia had the most amazing ahi tuna tostada she has ever tasted). Everything is made with locally sourced foods often made from scratch in-house and you can’t help but feel healthy everywhere you go.

    Shady Shack nachos and pasta
    I am Vegan Babe nachos and falafel bowl
    Cafe Vida avocado toast
    Secret Spot pumpkin ravioli and lasagna
    “Snickers bar” and carrot cake from Secret Spot

    As is probably becoming more than clear we have a bit of an addiction to cute cafes and arabica coffees. A couple of spots we loved were Kynd Cafe where they make gorgeous smoothie bowls with fruit cut into letters on the top, Revolver coffee which has won many awards for their outstanding roasts, and Two Face. Every street has multiple cafes to check out and they all have unique varieties and blends to try out. It’s going to take us multiple more trips here to try them all.

    We really engrossed ourselves in the vibe here by going to some really funky jungle themed gyms, our first Bali yoga class, walking along the beach watching surfers hit some waves, trying the amazing food and browsing all the cute shops & cafes. Because we already had Seminyak planned next, we stuck around our zone mostly since we didn’t want to rent a scooter and the traffic in Canggu is notorious for being terrible. So many roads turn into one ways at rush hour so you end up taking a 45 minute car ride when you could have walked somewhere in 20 minutes. We were fine with hanging in our zone, though, as we saw some of the most incredible sunsets on days when it wasn’t raining.

    Canggu really hit all the check boxes for us in Bali and is somewhere we would seriously consider moving to. Sure, it’s insanely busy and we didn’t even go during the dry season, but it just has this feel to it that’s hard to put into words. There is a huge digital nomad culture here and we loved the laid back feel of people just going about their day. People seemed to spend their mornings catching waves and then bringing their laptops to the cafes and working for a few hours before hitting the gym. Everyone is healthy, happy, motivated, and social. And as much as we love a good cocktail now and again, it was cool to see so many people opting for healthy juices, smoothies, and coconuts when sitting on the beach. We didn’t want to leave here and know we will be back for sure. The one thing we will say is Canggu doesn’t have the nicest beaches, though. They’re this dark volcanic rock and so many people are on the same stretches of sand that it can be a bit much. Luckily, our next destination was less than an hour by car down the coast and promised some stunning white sandy beaches.

    Seminyak

    Unfortunately, although Bali is truly beautiful, the island doesn’t have a proper waste management system, which means the beaches are constantly covered with garbage. So, even though the beaches themselves were white and sandy, they weren’t the most pleasant to sit on due to all the plastic garbage that washed up on shore. Local volunteers do come around and help clean up, but there is just too much garbage that continuously washes up on shore that they aren’t able to keep up with it. Of course the impact of all the tourists also contributes to the pile up of garbage and the problem is further compounded by the time of year it is. We visited during December, which is the rainy season in Bali, and so much more junk washes up on shore due to the weather. It’s generally not as busy as the drier months, though, so we often found ourselves with our own area on the beach to enjoy despite the trash. This honestly made us really sad to see and also encouraged us to want to reduce our impact and help in any way that we can. We are trying to use less plastic, make less waste, and reuse what we have whenever possible. It can be so tempting to buy souvenirs and shirts and stuff from all of these places that we’re going but after seeing the impact our mindless consumption is having on these natural landscapes is just devastating. We plan on bringing these practices home with us and being really aware of our impact on the planet.

    Truthfully, we enjoyed our time in Canggu more than Seminyak. Seminyak felt busier on the streets and more touristy to us despite it being filled with huge resorts all along the beaches that were mostly empty because of the time of year. There was a significant decrease in the health culture and much fewer vegan restaurants. It’s also one of those places where you’re constantly being asked if you need a scooter ride from a Grab driver (they are off duty drivers trying to make cash without having to use the app, or just drivers who aren’t registered at all), asked if we wanted to buy junk from someone’s random store, or offered random tours from scammers who try to over charge you. They also have the people on the beaches trying to get you to buy sarongs, sunglasses, and fans. Just a bit much when you’re trying to relax.

    Despite all of this, we did manage to find some delicious food after a bit of searching. Some highlights for us were: Milos Warung Souvlaki (Greek food), Neon Palms (Asian fusion tacos), Sea Circus (more yummy tacos), Bernadette’s Warung (amazing authentic Indonesian food) and Dough Darlings (amazing gluten free and vegan donuts). We also found a coffee shop called Niki Seminyak that had a 50% off coffee special in the morning, so we found ourselves there quite often!

    Some of our favourite memories of the trip are when unexpected things just happen organically. One example of this came after dinner at the Greek Warung when we were in the mood for a sweet treat. On our walk home, we stopped a couple of doors down from the restaurant at a chocolate store called Krakakoa to grab an Indonesian bar of chocolate. As our luck would have it, we happened to into their store on a Sunday which happens to be the day that they offer two for one experiences at a chocolate bar making station! We of course each had to make some and got to choose from a variety of ingredients to include such as nuts, dried fruits, coconut flakes, etc. The chocolate we have tried in Bali has been amazing and often they don’t add a bunch of sugar or extra preservatives. The authentic dark chocolate doesn’t have any milk products either so Jack has been very happy about that!

    Besides making chocolate, we spent our time in Seminyak checking out the beaches, trying new gyms and visiting the world famous Potato Head Beach Club! Potato Head Beach Club is world renowned due to both the incredible facility they’ve built and their promotion of sustainability through recycled materials and eco-friendly initiatives. They collect plastic recycling from the beach, melt it down and then create new things from it such as coasters, chairs and clothing and you can watch the whole process being done on your way into the club. We went in the morning when it was less busy, so we had a seat right near the pool overlooking the beach. We each enjoyed a freshly squeezed juice and read our books before continuing to La Plancha for an afternoon snack.

    The menu is made from entirely recycled materials!

    La Plancha was a place that popped up in our research a few times so we knew we had to check it out. It’s located along long boardwalk ob Seminyak Beach and known for their extensive area of colourful bean bags and umbrellas set out on the beach for people to relax, enjoy some food and drinks while listening to music and watching the sun go down. We arrived around 2:30pm so they hadn’t quite set up all the bean bags yet, but we got a front row view as they started to put everything out around 3pm. The chips and guac as well as the green pea hummus with toasted mix spices, seeds, and smoked paprika on top were both delicious!

    We wanted to take a second to say that although we preferred Canggu over Seminyak, we both agreed that they’re still incredible places to visit. It may be unfair to compare two different places at the end of the day when in reality, that’s exactly what they are – two different things and it really depends what you’re looking for in a trip. For us, we felt much more comfortable in Canggu with our diets and lifestyles, but could absolutely see staying at a lovely beach resort right on the water in Seminyak to be an incredible experience as well. Regardless, after 10 days of relaxing and exploring these two beach towns, we excitedly headed North to spend our time exploring the rice fields and jungle nature in Ubud. This was also our first Christmas away from home and it was certainly one we’ll never forget!

    Lots of love,

    Julia and Jack

    Thank you for continuing to follow along on our journey! If you want to help support us, please also consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Java (Jakarta, Yogyakarta & Malang)

    Jakarta, Indonesia

    Day 1:

    Fresh off a sweltering hot plane into an even hotter climate, we caught a Grab straight from the airport to our hotel in Jakarta. Fun fact if you didn’t happen to see our last blog post: Jakarta was just named the world’s biggest mega city with 42 million people living in the metropolitan area. And boy were they ever right about that! We’ve never seen so many people in one place at all hours of the night. We went straight to sleep after the travel day so we could get up bright and early to explore the city.

    Day 2:

    Post-travel day, we went to a fancy hotel to work out first thing in the morning and had some tasty coffee at a shop called Alter Ego. We felt the itch to explore in the afternoon, so we took a streetcar from our hotel to Chinatown and the Old Town. It was at this moment that the wealth disparity came into full view. Since our hotel was located in the financial district and we checked in on the weekend, it was pretty quiet and everything was sparkling clean. However, once we headed outside our zone, we found people living on top of each other in various levels of filth and an extreme mixture of scents coming from every which direction. Walking through a street market was like being in a crowd crush coming out of a concert so we quickly made our way out of there. Talk about a culture shock! One thing we will say about Jakarta though is their transit system in fantastic. The roads have designated bus lanes built into them going both directions with stations in the meridians between directions for easy access from cross walks. We flew through the traffic and it was for the most part a very pleasant experience.

    We also noticed that we’re getting a lot more attention as tourists from the local children. They are so excited to try to speak English with us and always psych each other up to come and approach us to say hi and to interact with us. They either call us “bule” (pronounced boo-lay) with means tourist or Mister since the male article is what is most often taught in school as a polite greeting. After we got off the train, we stopped at the popular Cafe Batavia. Due to the East India Trading Company, you can find quite a lot of Dutch colonial architecture around Jakarta with this square in particular showcasing a variety of beautiful old buildings. We walked around the square, walked to Jembatan Kota Intan bridge, and learned how the area used to be a hub for trade in the past, and how it has now become a tourism spot symbolizing Jakarta’s heritage.

    It also became apparent to us that Indonesia is home to a lot of vegan restaurants and they are aware of gluten allergies as well so we had a really delicious vegan meal for dinner at Burgreens.

    Day 3:

    We only got one full day in Jakarta, and today we took a 9 hour train ride to the next city on our list called Yogyakarta.

    Yogyakarta, Indonesia

    Day 4:

    Once again to shake out the travel day legs after a long day of sitting we went to the gym. We then needed to exchange some Thai Baht for Indonesian Rupiah so we went for a walk to try and find a currency exchange. As luck would have it, we stumbled upon a street festival happening with a big parade and the streets were shut down from cars with vendors selling various foods and trinkets. It was a great intro to Jogja! Part of the festival was also to showcase batik art from the local school and we were invited in to an exhibit to learn all about it. Batik originated in Yogyakarta and the process of making the art hasn’t changed in over 300 years since it was first invented and the colours are still so vibrant today compared to when they were first made. It’s quite an involved process that involves pigments made from various plants, spices and herbs as well as bees wax and it was fascinating to learn all about it from a local artist. We really wanted to bring a piece home with us but with our tiny backpacks we can only bring home memories so that’s what we did.

    The steps of making batik art
    Batik supplies

    For dinner, we tried some Indonesian foods with Julia having gado gado and Jack having mie goreng. We watched the sun set and all the passers by on Marlioboro street below us while we settled in to our time in this city.

    Day 5:

    Today was a huge exploration day. Due to our limited budget, we do a lot of walking to save money to splurge on coffees and treats so we set off on a 6km walk this morning. Aside from saving money and all the health benefits of walking everywhere, walking’s allowed us to explore some really cool side streets that we otherwise would have zoomed right by in a car. We took a really cute walk way that zigzagged through a beautifully painted area full of friendly people and homes. It was such a pleasant surprise that we found ourselves remarking on it multiple times as we made our way to our destination of Jl. Prawirotaman street. Jl. Prawirotaman is a notable street in the area for tourists as it has a bunch of cafes, clothing shops and boutique hotels and we couldn’t help but stop on at Via Via bakery for some gluten free cookies. From there, we walked towards Space Roastery 1890 but not without stopping at Monggo Chocolate to sample and buy some Indonesian-grown dark chocolate.

    Space Roastery 1890 is so named because it is in an old heritage building built in 1890, and is worth a stop at for any coffee lover. They have at least 15 different coffee varieties to choose from and they let you taste and smell them all before you pick which you would like to have for your beverage. Much better than picking blindly off a wall menu as we’ve become accustomed to and allowed us to learn more about their coffee. They also let you buy individual packets of coffee so you can take home a selection if you so choose.

    Next up, we decided we needed a break from all the food and drink and should probably do something cultural for a change. We made our way to Taman Sari where the Sultan used to live with his 30 wives. It’s a beautiful palace full of swimming pools but the thing that made it extra worthwhile was that the palace has been connected to neighbouring villages and you can wander through the streets chatting with the shop owners and helping to support the local economy. We also made our way through the underground waterways that used to feed the palace pools, and stumbled upon one shop selling the world-famous “kopi lewak”. Kopi lewak translates to weasel coffee and is so called because the process to make the coffee involves a weasel eating the coffee beans and then pooping them out. The beans are then dried out and turned it into coffee! The shop keeper was nice enough to let us try some since buying a bag was out of our budget and we couldn’t leave without trying it. It has a unique taste to it that was actually pretty enjoyable but we couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the head of the first person who decided to drink weasel poop! In any case, we met the weasel whose product we drank and he was pretty cute. He was napping after a hard days work but normally he is out of his cage and roaming free (and feasting on coffee beans)!

    Day 6:

    Today was a productive day. We went to the gym, went to the hospital to fill a prescription for Jack, and then did a ton of trip planning for our time coming up in January in the Philippines.

    Malang, Indonesia

    Day 7:

    Another long travel day as we made our way to Malang. It took about 7 hours by train but it was quite a scenic journey through the Javanese countryside.

    Day 8:

    Today, we walked through Kajoetangan Heritage Village which is right in the middle of the city and home to lots of cute buildings, decor and shops. They charge a nominal fee to enter the area so we didn’t mind not buying anything while we wandered the streets. A lady with two cute daughters wanted to get a picture with us and we felt like celebrities which was pretty funny.

    It’s also worth noting that Java is predominantly Muslim, so women are often asked to cover up when entering shops and restaurants. This meant that Julia had to wear a long skirt and cover her shoulders most of the time and it was a little uncomfortable that the same treatment didn’t go for Jack. Different cultures have different sets of norms and it’s something we find ourselves constantly making an effort to be open minded about. We couldn’t say the same for the live animal market that we witnessed, however. It’s really tough for us to see animals being treated so poorly around the world and it’s inspiring us to make a change in our lives to do more for them. We’ve decided that every time we see animal mistreatment we will make a donation to a local cause to help support them in their difficult work. It’s not much and we wish we could do more, but it’s the best we can do at the moment given our visas and budget. Something we will keep in mind as we continue our travels.

    Day 9:

    In an effort to boost tourism, Malang has painted two villages in bright colours and filled them with Instagrammable spots. We decided to walk through both of them and they are named Arema Blue Village and Kampung Tridi (the Rainbow Village) after their themes. It’s honestly a great idea as both villages are located under a bridge in a steep valley and would otherwise be passed over without anyone ever visiting. Today, there are tons of tourists taking pictures with the beautiful colours and they charge a small fee for visitors to each village to help support them so their plan is working out!

    The afternoon was spent relaxing and we went to sleep around 8pm as we had a very early (or late) start tomorrow!

    Mt Bromo, Indonesia

    Day 10:

    The best way to break down today is by the hour, so we’ll do that here:

    11:45pm

    We were picked up by our driver in an old school red Toyota Land Cruiser 4×4 behemoth to take us to Mt. Bromo! Mt. Bromo is an active volcano on Java Island and a huge reason people travel to Malang along with visiting the coloured villages. The reason we had to get up so early was because we wanted to watch the sunrise over the volcano and it was a bit of a drive to get there with picking up some other passengers along the way.

    2:30am

    We arrived at the base of the viewpoint for the volcano and managed to get a good parking spot as a result. Since it was so early still, however, we were directed to an indoor waiting area and it was really cold – maybe 5 or 6 degrees Celsius. A stark contrast from the 30 degrees and 80%+ humidity we’d been facing for the past couple of months!

    Sleepy and waiting!

    3:45am

    We started walking to the viewpoint, and positioned ourselves in a good spot. December is the rainy season in Indonesia, but despite this, there were still many tourists here waiting for the sunrise. We can only imagine how busy it gets during the dry season.

    4:30am

    After being awake for five hours already, we started to see some light appearing over the horizon. For the next hour, we watched as the sky changed from dim yellow to vibrant pink hues. The fog was deep over the valley below but we could clearly see Mount Bromo peaking out the top along with its huge cloud of smoke billowing out the top. This was the most beautiful and surreal sunrise that we have ever experienced and we had forgotten that we only had a couple of hours of sleep. An immediate highlight of the trip so far.

    5:30-6am

    We made our way back to our Jeep and took off through the Sea of Sand, a vast expanse of volcanic sand forming the caldera floor in Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park. You truly feel like you’re on the moon as you drive through here it’s bizarre.

    6:30am:

    Our Jeep parked and we followed the herd of people making their way to the base of the volcano, where we climbed up hundreds of steps to the edge of Mount Bromo’s crater. This was one of the coolest things that we have ever done. You are standing on the edge of an active volcano, looking down into it as the smoke rises from inside the Earth. The smell of sulphur was strong and we were in awe at the power of this volcano. As if today couldn’t get any better with the outstanding sunrise and now this. Truly a once in a lifetime experience that we’d recommend to anyone. We were even able to FaceTime Jack’s dad Jim from the edge. Technology, man. Too cool!

    We were back in Malang at our hotel before noon and were completely exhausted, but so happy that we decided to go on this tour. We napped and vegged out for the rest of the day.

    Day 11:

    As luck would have it, it was raining all day so didn’t do much other than trip planning and resting. Just what we needed to do anyways. We made extensive use of the local food delivery app and enjoyed our last few hours on Java before heading out tomorrow.

    Day 12:

    Today, we flew to Bali where we’ll spend the next few weeks and Christmas. It’ll be our first Christmas away from family and friends and as such we decided to treat ourselves a bit to make up for it. We booked some nicer hotels and will be soaking in the sunshine, delicious food, and of course doing some yoga. Bali has been near the top of our list of places to go, and we are excited to see if it lives up to the hype!

    Thank you for continuing to follow along on our journey! If you want to help support us, please also consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Krabi & Phuket

    Krabi

    We decided to combine the next two places because unfortunately, it was raining pretty much the entire time for both places. October is the end of the rainy season and November is a shoulder season before the dry season starts, so it was a bit of bad luck. We had a whole array of things planned that we were excited to do like a hike, go to the various beaches including visit Railay Beach but as it so happened, Jack also got a really bad bout of food poisoning that put him out of commission for two days of Krabi anyways. We made the most of the time in both places, and still had a blast nonetheless!

    Day 1

    We booked a slow ferry boat this time leaving Koh Jum after the terrifying speed boat experience. The waves were much calmer today and being on the more stable vessel made the passage much more pleasant. Once we made it to Krabi town, we had to transfer to a bus that would bring us to Ao Nang. Our hotel was a bit outside of the main Ao Nang beach area, so he wouldn’t take us all the way there. Right away we almost got scammed by taking a taxi as she wanted to charge us 500 baht (about $22 Canadian), which was absolutely insane considering it was only a 20 minute ride. Another taxi mafia is present in this town but this time Grab does operate. We booked a Grab for 130 baht (about $6 Canadian), which was much more reasonable, but we learned from the driver that it can be really sketchy for them to pick people up in certain places as a result of the taxi mafia. Drivers often get yelled at and abused for taking business away from the taxis. We stuck to Grab anyways as we feel much safer in them.

    It stopped raining for the afternoon today, so we freshened up and decided to head back to Ao Nang to walk around and check out the scene. It was lucky that we decided to go back on this first day to check it out because little did we know, the rain was coming back and it wasn’t going to stop, plus Jack’s sickness was looming on the horizon.

    Ao Nang is a very busy and touristy zone and as such everything is marked up in price. We counteracted that by spending the majority of our time walking around, having a cheap smoothie, got a budget massage and Jack bought a new bathing suit from a local supplier. After doing a little digging and walking an extra couple of kilometres, we were able to source some great deals and still stretch our dollars further than we would’ve been able to otherwise. We went to Tops Restaurant for dinner and the owner was so kind and lovely to chat with. Her place was a little off the main road which meant we had some leftover budget to spend on some coconut ice cream down at the beach to end off the night. A bunch of kids were putting on a fire spinning show as the sun set on another perfect day in paradise.

    Day 2

    Today was when the real storm hit. As soon as we woke up, Jack’s stomach was feeling really uneasy. We ate our homemade overnight oats for breakfast and had coffee then took the morning slowly. As the day progressed, his stomach started feeling worse and worse, and took him out for the remainder of the day. It so happened to be raining the entire day, so it was a good day to stay indoors and rest. Meanwhile between moments of taking care of Jack, Julia went for a run in the afternoon, ordered some light food for us for dinner that turned out to be less than great, and then we went to sleep early with hopes of feeling better for tomorrow.

    Day 3

    It rained all day again today and Jack was still not feeling 100%. Julia took a Grab to the gym in the afternoon and then walked around town a bit before picking up some delicious pasta that fit each of our dietary requirements respectively and brought it home for dinner.

    Day 4

    Jack was finally on the mend today! As luck would have it, it also wasn’t raining as hard as it had been for the past 2 days. One of the main tourist activities in Krabi is to visit Railay Beach. We didn’t end up going because of the weather, but we did visit a closer beach called Pai Plong, which you can access by walking along Monkey Trail. True to its name, and there were many silly monkeys playing and hanging out all the way along the path. Unfortunately, and despite there being a plethora of signs about not feeding them, we saw quite a few people giving the monkeys food, which didn’t sit right with us.

    On the way back to town, Julia ordered a delicious corn on the cob from a deaf street vendor who is known for selling amazing corn heated using coconut charcoals. It was delicious! Jack wasn’t up for testing his luck with any risky food tonight so we picked up some higher end Thai food for dinner and brought it back to enjoy at the hotel.

    As you can see, we didn’t get up to a whole lot in Ao Nang. Krabi is actually a rather large province and Ao Nang is merely a small part of it so we really didn’t have the chance to take it all in this time. From what we saw, it seemed to be an awesome place to hang out and we’d love to come back some time. Sure, it’s touristy but it’s touristy for a reason. Lots of great food, beautiful beaches and sunsets, and a mix of local and international amenities to enjoy. If you’re on the way to the Thai Islands, we’d recommend making a stop on your way even just for a couple of days to check it out.

    Phuket

    Day 1

    To get to Phuket from Ao Nang, we had to make yet another ocean crossing. The waves weren’t quite as bad as some of our previous days, but the sea was still claiming its fair share of sick casualties this time. The employees were passing out sick bags to everyone and more than a couple of them were being used which made for an especially uncomfortable experience for us. Thankfully, Jack was all better before today and we made it to Phuket town in one piece. Phuket is also a huge area so we then hopped into a van to take us to our accommodation near an area called Karon Beach. Karon Beach is one of a few main zones where tourists usually stay (Karon, Kata, Patong Beach are all close together – Patong is the busiest zone). When we finally arrived, the first thing we did was our laundry at the Otteri where you have to sit and wait for the machines. As we like to do on our first day, we walked around our zone to check everything out. One thing that struck us right away was just like Nha Trang, the Russian travellers are very fond of Phuket. All the signage and menus include Russian and the beach was filled with travellers from the country. As we walked along the beach, we also noticed that the sand was different from all the other beaches we’ve been to. It had an almost brown sugar consistency which was lovely to sink your toes into. We finished off the night with some delicious Thai food for dinner and got ready for day two.

    Day 2

    The weather was not in our favour again and it rained for most of the day. We wanted to do a hike while in Phuket, but because of all the rain, the trail was not safe to do. This also meant that we wouldn’t be able to do it throughout our time in Phuket for fear of lingering mud and dangers so we opted to go to the gym instead. The one closest to us was so quiet, it was just us and the owners working out. Later today, we did some more trip planning and then went out for an early dinner.

    Day 3

    Being from Vancouver, we couldn’t let some rain get in the way of seeing the sights even though we had high hopes of more sunshine. Today, we took the public bus to Old Town Phuket, and we were really glad that we did as it had so many cute pastel buildings, murals and quaint little stores to check out. While wandering through the streets, we walked past a café that advertised having a lion cub that you could pay to pose with and take pictures. We knew this kind of exploitation of animals existed around Southeast Asia but it was really disheartening to see in person. We also walked past an owl café, and although Julia loves owls, it was terrible to see them with chains around their legs, unable to fly around freely and merely being used as tools to advertise a coffee shop. We sat at a different café to warm up with some hot tea, to play cards and to get a break from the storm outside and to debrief on what we’d seen.

    After fully exploring the area, we took the bus back and went for another early dinner at a restaurant called Mama Jin’s which was so delicious that we went back again the next night.

    Day 4

    Not a whole lot today unfortunately. We went to the gym again, walked around town and went down to the beach one last time before Mama Jin’s for dinner and an early night in.

    Nov 27

    Phuket was our final destination in Thailand and we are off to Indonesia now! We spent one night in Bangkok before our flight the next day to our first city there: Jakarta. It was just named the world’s biggest city with 42 million people and we’re excited to experience what it would feel like if the entire population of Canada lived in one metropolitan area.

    Thailand Tier List:

    It is difficult to make this list because we didn’t really get to experience Krabi and Phuket to their fullest due to the bad weather. They are beautiful places that we would like to visit again someday (hopefully in the sunshine)!

    Julia’s top 5 favourite places in Thailand:

    1. Chiang Mai – perfect mix of cultural sights, amazing food, cute cafes, adventures in nature and markets (our favourite market so far has been the Sunday night Chiang Mai market)
    2. Koh Lanta – really fun island that was busy but didn’t feel too crowded. Really nice beach with lots of fun cafes and restaurants to sit at and enjoy the water. The national park was a highlight for sure
    3. Kanchanaburi – this was a surprise as we hadn’t really heard of this place until recently, but it was a nice spot to visit for a few days. The Erawan waterfalls were another highlight of the whole trip
    4. Koh Phangan – the most beautiful beach that we have seen so far was on Koh Phangan
    5. Chiang Rai – really enjoyed seeing the modern and new temples, plus trying their amazing teas

    Jack’s top 5 favourite places in Thailand:

    1. Chiang Mai – for all the same reasons as Julia but also because you have Amman right there. The mix of culture, historical sites, modern, vibrant and upscale areas all in one zone makes for such a beautiful city. Plus you can’t forget the elephants!
    2. Chiang Rai – beautiful nature, world-renowned tea and coffee, super kind people, and a real peaceful feel to it. Northern Thailand has some of the best food in the world!
    3. Koh Lanta – what I wanted in the Thai islands. Lots of places built with driftwood that will sell you a coconut on the beach while you soak in the sun. Lots of delicious restaurants and a laid back feel to it that’s hard to beat.
    4. Koh Phangan – same reasons as Julia. There were a bunch of places we wanted to go still so I know we’ll be headed back there some day in the future. It’s also close to Koh Samui so I’d love to check that out one day too. I also saw there’s this old guy who runs a Reggae bar in the middle of the forest called “Inna me Yard” that looked excellent. You’ve also got the full moon party, the Eden Garden and various other events to check out that we didn’t get the chance to as well.
    5. Karon Beach – sure, it was very crowded at times and you could tell a lot of the locals were not thrilled with the crowd that has descended upon them there, but it was such a beautiful place and I want to go back to explore more of the beaches and surrounding areas there in the future.

    Thank you for continuing to follow along on our journey! We are excited to take you along to a new country and can’t wait to share what we get up to in Indonesia! If you want to help support us, please also consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Koh Jum

    Day 1:

    You can get to Koh Jum in one of two ways: the slow ferry, or the speedboat. We opted for the speedboat, but when we did so, we did not realize what we had signed up for. Jack valiantly gave up his seat to a mother of three young children but ended up having to stand at the back holding on for dear life as we made the ocean crossing. We barrelled over large waves through the rain as passengers were either in tears, trying not to be sick, or generally terrified for their own well-being and of their babies. Safe to say we took the slow boat back.

    Koh Jum itself is a tiny little island that you can scooter from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. It’s so small in fact that they only just got electricity and wifi in 2009, but it was only available during certain times of day. It wasn’t until 2012 that it became available around the clock. As a result, the island is very laid back, relaxing, and devoid of tourists. Exactly what we were looking for!

    We arrived at our accommodation via a saleng, which when you look up what that is it’s exactly as crazy as it looks. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the most friendly family who would be hosting us during our stay. We had our own little blue bungalow near town with the perfect little porch to have our morning coffees and listen to the birdsong.

    It should be noted that our place was located off of the “main road”, and it was immediately obvious that the people of this island were not as successful as those of the previous two we’d been to. In order to reach our accommodation, you had to scooter or walk through a very poor area where people’s homes are literally constructed over a swamp. Each home was a small one room building with many family members living inside. Despite this, everyone always seemed to cheerful, and always smiled at us when we went by. One woman even offered us to come over for food while she was feeding her family, which we politely declined but were in awe of nonetheless. It really reiterated for us that you don’t need a lot in order to live a happy and fulfilled life, and to never take for granted what you have. We were getting to see a glimpse of real Thai life outside of a tourist destination, and although it was tough at times to witness, we were glad to have had this eye opening experience.

    After we were all settled in, we settled in and decided to go for a walk along the beach to explore the area.

    Due to a severe lack of infrastructure, Koh Jum does not have a proper waste management system and trash must be taken to the mainland to be disposed of. The result being a lot of garbage covering the beautiful beaches and the main road. In bigger tourist areas such as Koh Phangan and Koh Lanta, the shops and restaurants along the beach help to pick up the trash in front of their space to help entice customers to stop by, but in Koh Jum, there are so few people and even fewer along the beach so no one is regularly helping keep it clean. We had this vision before going that we’d be escaping to our own private beach oases, but that was definitely not always the case. We still had a great time and enjoyed the beaches in cleaner areas and loved exploring the waterfront, but it was really heartbreaking to see. We ended up at a funky reggae bar on the water this evening and enjoyed a margarita in a coconut shell and a beer while watching the waves crash against the shore. This was a highlight for Jack as he loved the vibe they had there. The whole compound was made from driftwood, and was complete with hammocks, swings, and a tree house to sit and watch the ocean while listening to some tunes.

    We continued our journey down the beach until we found ourselves at another spot on the water called “The Rock Bar,” which was built by a local fishing family out of driftwood. It was a really cool little spot. Jack had a beer and Julia had a coconut.

    One thing that Jack had noticed from time to time for sale in Thailand was freshly caught barracuda. On our walk home from the beach, we spotted a restaurant that had barracuda advertised out front so we decided to come back here for dinner. Jack enjoyed the barracuda and Julia had her favourite green curry. Julia tried the barracuda but it wasn’t for her.

    Day 2:

    We woke up, had coffee and cards on the patio, and went out for breakfast. Today, we decided to go for another walk and explore a different beach called “Magic Beach,” where we relaxed, read our books and dunked in the ocean. It was boiling hot and very humid the whole time we were on Koh Jum, so we came home and tried to cool off in our room with no AC (only a fan). It wasn’t super successful, but we endured until just before sunset when we headed down to the beach to enjoy the last bits of sunshine. Tonight for dinner, we went to a restaurant right next to barracuda man that seemed to be very popular called Tingrai. We’re so glad we did as it was so delicious that we went back every night for our entire stay. It was the best panang curry that we had every tasted (see photo below of curry). Once you find a reliable restaurant and have tried what you like in these more quiet towns, we’ve found it best to stick with what you know to avoid getting sick especially with our dietary requirements. Although as you’ll find out in the next blog post, no matter what you do, it’s sometimes an inevitability…

    Day 3:

    Having fully exhausted every possible thing to do in our little town, today we rented a scooter from the lovely ladies at our accommodation and decided to check out the other areas of the island. Koh Jum has three “towns” or stretches of road: Ban Koh Pu, Ban Koh Jum, and Ban Ting Rai. Our town of Ting Rai is located right in the middle of the island, and we started by making our way north towards Ban Koh Pu. On the way, we stopped at a restaurant called The Simple Life Cafe & Restaurant and had delicious vegan smoothie bowls for breakfast. We had a nice long chat with the owners, who are a young family with a cute baby who told us that they came to Koh Jum to open up their restaurant and live a more simple life (hence the name) after living in Bangkok. He told us that he built the restaurant and can remember where he got every piece of wood and decorations from as it’s all driftwood and local art. This was a highlight of Koh Jum as they were so kind and we were more than glad to support their business. It should be said that things weren’t a lot cheaper on Koh Jum as we had originally anticipated. Since there are so few tourists, they increase the prices to the same as you’d see on the other islands just to get by. It’s still much less than you’d pay back home, but it was still a surprise to us anyways. When you could be someone’s only customer, you really feel for the struggle that these people face from day to day.

    After breakfast, we attempted to do a hike (Khao Kau Pu) but AllTrails led us on a weird path straight up a hill through the bush and we were met with a sketchy barbed wire fence. With no service to guide us, we decided to come back down and not try to figure out the right way on our own even though it’s pretty hard to get lost on a tiny island. This was also our first major encounter with the rubber trees that grow throughout Koh Jum! They have these huge clear cut areas where they grow these trees and then tap them for this white sap that is later turned into rubber. We were fascinated to learn that they have this industry there and it turns out it’s a large part of their economy outside of trying to attract tourists.

    As a reward for attempting to do something athletic today, we got back on our scooters and headed over to a place called Rock View Terrace to share a delicious mango smoothie right on the water with nobody else around. From there, we continued our northern Koh Jum tour by visiting Sunset Beach where we walked along the sand until we came to a bar literally built on top of a rock, where someone apparently used to live.

    Since we still had some energy in us but we were running out of gas, we quickly filled up before heading all the way south to the very bottom of the island and sharing a fried rice for lunch at Mr Boy Cafe. If you ever find yourself on Koh Jum, Mr Boy actually offers various fishing tours, including one right off the dock where you pay $10 and he’ll give you a rod and will cook you anything you catch off the dock. He also does this for squid at night if you’re up for it which we thought was pretty cool.

    In the evening, we relaxed at home and had Tingrai for dinner again. They remembered us from the other day and even remembered about Julia’s allergy which is always a really nice touch.

    Day 4:

    Not too much happened today. It was raining on and off all day so we had a big relax and catch up day. The only main outings we had were in the morning when we went to a cafe to get caught up on some blogs and emails as our place did not have WiFi and then having a final dinner at Tingrai before packing up and preparing for a travel day tomorrow.

    Day 5:

    We said goodbye to our lovely hosts and made our way to the ferry to head to our next location: Krabi!

    Overall, Koh Jum is what you make of it. If you have high expectations, you’ll be let down. If you have a desire to travel off the beaten path and to really see how Thai people are living in the more remote parts of the country, then absolutely consider it. We’re sure in the next ten years it’ll be slammed with tourists, and that’s of course both a good and a bad thing. While we were on the island, we did witness some animal cruelty with pet monkeys being kept in tiny cages and some very sick animals which we did report to the necessary authorities, but at the same time you have some of the most kind and considerate people you’ll meet anywhere. We did struggle for some time trying to figure out whether we should say anything about what we saw as we didn’t want to take away the livelihood of some impoverished families, but in the end knew what we did was right and is what the Thai authorities hope people will do. Hopefully as they get more access to the internet it will become more common knowledge there.

    We’ve been doing our best to keep an open mind with everything we are experiencing, and are having the most incredible experience of our lives on this trip. If anyone is needing a change in their lives, feeling stuck, or always wanted to travel, deeply consider making a paradigm shift and allowing yourself the opportunity to enrich your life through these experiences. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us and we’d be happy to share our story of how and why we ended up taking this trip and what it’s meant for us so far.

    Lots of love,

    Julia and Jack

    PS: Thanks again for continuing to read our blog! We hope you’re enjoying the adventure so far. If you want to help support us, please also consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Koh Lanta

    Day 1:

    Getting to Koh Lanta was a full day affair. We first took the ferry back to Surat Thani, then bussed to Krabi where we got dropped off and had to wait about 30 minutes for another bus. That bus then drove us to the pier where we waited for the Ferry to Koh Lanta, and then we caught a ride to our accommodation from the pier. Lots of modes of transport, lots of transfers, and boy were we glad to have finally made it! We were excited to check out the island but with it being so late we decided to just have a late dinner at our accommodation. The place we booked was a set of cute little bungalows about a 10 minute walk from the beach with a restaurant and a pool. Not much else you could ask for and as it turned out, the restaurant was so tasty and reasonably priced that we ended up eating there every night. We got to know the restaurant owners Alex and Poo quite well as a result. They were both very kind and expert chefs!

    Day 2:

    Breakfast was included in our stay this time. It was very basic where you choose tea of coffee and how you want your eggs cooked then you get a plate with eggs, toast and some fruit. Nothing crazy, but a perfect way to start the day. To add to that, we found out the whole property we were at is owned by the same family. Alex’s parents were an elderly couple who were so sweet and welcoming and we appreciated how they always checked in on us as we walked by their door. Thai people are so kind!

    To follow up breakfast, we made our way to the gym. We hadn’t gone a single time on Koh Phangan since it was $10-15 for a drop in EACH (more than the cost of a drop in back home). After great workouts at the gym near our hotel, we went to Khlong Noen Beach to soak up some sun where we sat at a vegan restaurant eating a grilled veggies and hummus platter between dunks in the ocean.

    Day 3:

    Today was pretty tame. In the morning, we had breakfast, went to a nice coffee shop to play some cards, and hung out with the cats at our hotel. Then, we went back to the beach where Julia went for a long walk all the way down before meeting up again with Jack for some fresh coconuts and swimming in the ocean. Dinner at the place as usual before an early night.

    Day 4:

    One of other things we were excited to do on Koh Lanta was to head to Mu Ko Lanta National Park. We got up early, rented scooters and made our way along the coast enjoying incredible vistas and beaches along the way. Once we arrived, we did a hike through the jungle where we learned about some plants and trees native to the region, saw a few monkeys, until we ended up at a secluded beach covered in tiny crabs. Every time we got close, they would scurry away or hide in their holes on the beach. We learned that they’re called sand bubbler crabs and they build these fascinating patterns of tiny balls of sand as they sift through it for food. The last part of the hike took us to a lighthouse and more amazing views of the Andaman Sea.

    Back on the scooter, we went beach hopping to three nearby beaches: Bamboo Beach (lots of garbage and aggressive monkeys so we didn’t stay long), Nui Bay (we stopped at a cute spot on the beach and had smoothies), and Kantiang Bay (we walked around on the beach a bit but this one was very busy so again we didn’t stay long). Nui Bay in particular was really cool because you walk down a steep trail and are met with this beautiful beach with bamboo shacks serving up yummy food and giving massages. Worth checking out if you’re on Koh Lanta!

    Day 5:

    Back to the gym today. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to some fruit smoothies and went back to the beach one last time. The weather was pretty unpredictable over the course of our time here and most afternoons a tropical storm would quickly roll in. This, however, was nothing compared to how much rain was waiting for us in Koh Jum and Krabi next.

    Overall, we had an amazing time in Koh Lanta. The grandparents running the hotel were so kind, Alex and Poo at the restaurant were lovely, and we got lucky with the weather for the most part. The vibes were laid back and chill, not as busy as Koh Phangan and the beaches were beautiful. Lots of cool spots to sit along the beach with nobody else around and much more laid back in a good way.

    Day 6:

    We went for a walk in sunshine to get ourselves some fancy smoothie bowls and coffee and start our day right. Good thing we did because we were in for quite the harrowing speedboat journey in the torrential downpour later today. Stay tuned to hear about our next Thai Island and one that you may have never heard of before because it’s very small and rather undeveloped: Koh Jum!

    Thanks again for continuing to read our blog! We hope you’re enjoying the adventure so far. If you want to help support us, please also consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Koh Phangan

    Day 1:

    It’s been a while since we had to take a flight, so we were excited to make use of our AMEX and get some free lounge access (check at the end of this post for further details)! Even though the lounge was about 50 square feet, we made sure to eat our fill and load up on coffee before takeoff. After a quick one hour flight, we found ourselves in Surat Thani which is located south of Bangkok and we spent the night next to the airport bus station before a long travel day to the island.

    Our shuttle to the ferry took a couple of hours, and then we took a 3 hour ferry to the island of Koh Phangan! We passed the time eating oreos, drinking Singha sodas, and playing cards. We switched a couple of weeks ago from King’s Corner to Rummy – real thrilling stuff! We’re still on the hunt for a travel Cribbage board that we can bring with us, however.

    Day 1:

    Koh Phangan is famously home to a “taxi mafia”, who dictate the prices of rides all over the island and are very aggressive against anyone who tries to undercut them. Consequently, there aren’t any Grabs there either so we were happy when our chosen hotel was positioned near the middle of the island. As soon as we arrived at our hotel and paid the egregious taxi fee, we immediately put on our bathing suits. Our resort was located right on the ocean, with our bungalow steps from the sandy private complete with hammocks, loungers and cabanas. That expensive taxi ride was immediately put in the past and we spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging in a cabana, swimming and enjoying some guacamole by the water. To finish off the day, we walked up to the main stretch of road for dinner and found a delicious local spot called Mama’s before heading to bed.

    Day 2:

    We were pretty tired from the big travel day yesterday so we spent the morning booking flights and trip planning. Since we already found ourselves in paradise walking right out our doorstep, we decided to have another day enjoying our beautiful resort relaxing in a cabana for a few hours. The gyms on Koh Phangan are very expensive and cost more than they do back in Vancouver for a drop-in, so Julia did a quick hiit workout on the beach while Jack decided to take a rest day and “hiit” a quick beer in the lounger. We got some supplies from the grocery store and made our own guacamole on the beach, read and swam until dinner. A nice relaxing day settling in to island life!

    Day 3:

    Today, we spent more time at our beach before going for a walk to explore our area a bit more. On our walk, we picked up some delicious fruit shakes (Julia passion fruit and Jack mango). On our walk, we ran into a restaurant with some talking parrots who gave us a lovely “sawadee kha” which means hello in Thai. We had a good chuckle having a chat with the birds then went for a delicious dinner with one of the sweetest owners before calling it a night.

    Day 4:

    Having done everything we could do in our immediate zone, it was time to hop on a scooter and explore more of the island. We had a lot of plans to travel around the island to various different destinations on this trip but found Koh Phangan to be a lot more expensive than we were expecting. Instead, we made our way down to Haad Rin beach where the monthly Full Moon Party takes place. We had actually planned our trip to line up with this, but the Thailand’s Queen Mother passed away recently and while the country is in mourning a lot of events have been put on hold this month. Because of this, we were able to experience Haad Rin beach a lot differently than people normally do with hardly anyone there, crystal clear waters, and beautiful soft white sand. We took some pictures and had a quick dunk before heading off on foot to see the nearby Leena beach. When we got there, the tide was in and it wasn’t nearly as nice as Haad Rin so we headed back there, found a restaurant on the waterfront to have some food and enjoyed the loungers for the afternoon.

    After scooting back to our hotel and getting cleaned up, we watched the sunset from the beach, had dinner at Mama’s again, and then had an early night before heading to Koh Lanta the next morning.

    While we don’t feel entirely qualified to give our full opinions on the island, we still feel like we got a good idea of what you can expect. There are a lot of tourists, which makes it very busy and everything is priced to match. Even shared taxis or Songthaew are super expensive, and when compared to some other places we’ve been and will go, it’s hard to say it’s worth it if you’re looking for a relaxing beach vacation. If you’re looking to party, there are so many cool events both up in the jungle and on the beach that go all night and we heard nothing but great things about. There are also a lot of other places on the island that we didn’t get to, and other than our hotel we didn’t love the area we were in, so our view is certainly somewhat narrow with regard to what the island has to offer. We’d love to check out Koh Samui some time as it’s right next to it, but we were certainly glad to have been on Koh Phangan this time as we looked over to them in a massive rain cloud the whole week, however.

    In the end, it’s hard to complain when you’re in paradise and the above are small nitpicks. For anyone not on such a tight budget as we are on this trip, you can absolutely have a great time on any of the islands and we are still glad to have visited here. As you’ll find out soon, there’s a lot more to the Thai islands than full moon parties. Thailand is home to 1,430 islands, and everywhere you go has a unique feel to it. Stay tuned as we head to arguably our favourite island, Koh Lanta!

    If you also love the idea of unlimited lounge access at over 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries, for you and a friend, please click here to get additional welcome points on an Amex Platinum card. It also helps us out too!

    Thanks again for continuing to read our blog! We hope you’re enjoying the adventure so far. If you want to help support us, please also consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Chiang Rai

    Following an amazing week in Chiang Mai, we boarded a bus to travel even further north to visit Chiang Rai. We arrived in the early afternoon and settled into our hotel. There are 3 main sites that everyone visits in Chiang Rai: Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten), White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) and Black House (Baan Dam Museum). These temples are much newer and more modern than the traditional ones we had previously visited. We unfortunately didn’t make it to the Black House on this trip as without a car, it’s more difficult to get around. Instead, we opted to take some Grab rides to see some of the sites our hotel was better positioned for in the city.

    After dropping off our stuff, we visited the Wat Rong Suea Ten, which was designed by Phuttha Kabkaew. He began constructing it in 2005 and it was finished in 2016. The temple’s dominant feature came as no surprise; it was a big blue building filled with blue religious symbols. We arrived just as a massive rainstorm came out of nowhere but while we waited for it to pass, we marvelled at the exterior of the temple which was absolutely stunning. Once the rain subsided, we made our way to the front of the temple where a large crowd of people came pouring out. Now that the rain was gone, they were free to leave and we had the temple mostly to ourselves after. If you find yourself in Chiang Rai, it’s worth checking out. However, we found ourselves much more impressed by the temples in other cities as this one was dominated by tourists taking selfies and buying the same souvenirs sold all throughout the country.

    Wanting to escape this massive tourist destination, we decided to head to a nearby tea house down by the river called Chivit Thamma Da Coffee House. Something we learned on the way to Chiang Rai is that it’s known for producing some amazing tea and coffee on local plantations, and we’d seen what a cute little building it was so we happily made our way there. This tea house is actually two separate buildings – one more of a restaurant and one more of a cafe. We opted for the latter, and spent a couple of hours marvelling at the wide variety of floral mugs and saucers. They also had a huge selection of teas that you could smell and choose for a pot, as well as some truly mouth-watering desserts to pair with them. Following a relaxing afternoon of cards and tea, we had a chill night at our hotel and dinner at a local nearby restaurant.

    On our first full day, we woke up really early with the idea of being the first people at the White Temple. The temple is known for its intricate, all-white exterior that symbolizes the purity of the Buddha. It was designed by the artist Chalermchai Kositpipat and opened to the public in 1997. Unfortunately, our plan was foiled as it took a while to get a Grab so we arrived at 8:20 and it was already packed. You could tell right from the beginning that there were a lot of people due to the log jam created at the entrance where everyone was waiting for their Instagram photo on the bridge out front. It was totally worth the wait however, and the temple was very beautiful and unique. It was a cloudy day, but on sunny days, it supposedly sparkles magnificently. Something that we didn’t expect but thoroughly enjoyed was the artist’s self-built cave at the back of the compound. Inside, Kositpipat has let his creativity flow with no bounds as he sculpts sea creatures, golden treasures, dragons, demons, and a sacred Buddha in the back. It was certainly worth the small additional cost to check out.

    In the afternoon, we visited another tea house. This one was called Sawanbondin Tea House & Experience and it was a serene oasis in the countryside of Chiang Rai. We got to sample many of their award winning teas and the staff were super knowledgeable. A highlight for us was getting to spend some time meeting and chatting with the owner who’s very passionate about getting her tea recognized on a global scale. The tea house was so charming and the vibes inside were calming and relaxing with the floor to ceiling windows letting in lots of natural light. Julia had an amazing homemade yuzu ice cream topped with wild honey while Jack had some delicious vegan biscuits. We shared the “flower garden” special blend tea with notes of jasmine, rose, orange, mulberry, chamomile and oolong while we waited out some afternoon rain. The owner told us that someone came in looking to bring their tea to Vancouver, so be on the lookout at any new shops that open up – it’s delicious! We had another chill night after dinner at the same local spot as the night before. We have been loving the fresh fruit smoothies that are available all over Thailand for around $1-2 CAD, so we each had one for dessert.

    Our third and final day was spent doing some trip planning, working out at a new gym and checking out a market for some local bites to eat. We have enjoyed exploring Northern Thailand so far but we can’t wait to travel down south to the Thai islands! Up next, we will be visiting Koh Phangan, so stay tuned!

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  • Chiang Mai

    If you’re looking for somewhere that blends local culture, backpacker vibes, and amazing food, Chiang Mai is the place for you. We both absolutely loved Chiang Mai, and even decided to extend our time there by a few days. The prices are more than reasonable when compared to Bangkok, and there is so much to do in the city or on the outskirts if you’re willing to drive or take the bus. We visited local night markets, saw so many temples, trekked through the jungle, took a cooking class and even got to meet 2 beautiful elephants. We did so much over the week that we were there, but still feel like we only scratched the surface of what Chiang Mai has to offer. We both agree that if we were to move to a big city in Thailand, this would be the place.

    Day 1:

    We started our day by checking into our hotel which was located just outside of the Old Town. Because it was Sunday, we made our way over to the weekly night market to see what was on offer. It was the usual cacophony of smells, sounds, people and colourful displays that we’ve come to expect when walking through these markets, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a much broader selection of artisans and food vendors than normal. So far we’ve found that each city often sells the same knock-off bags, clothes, and cheap souvenirs, but this one also had a lot of local artists painting portraits of passersby or their pets, as well as a variety of delicious foods to try. We definitely ate our fill with Julia having a ginormous loaded baked potato with tons of toppings, and Jack sampling some pork skewers, chicken satay, and some dumplings. We finished it off by getting some fruit smoothies, mango sticky rice, and some frozen mochis. A great first day!

    Day 2:

    Day 2 was our big temple day. We like to hit a bunch of cultural sites in one dedicated day to ensure we’re getting the chance to see and learn about everything early in the trip, so we got up early and started off on a big walk. Our first stop on the way to the Silver Temple was a neat artist’s compound that Jack found online called Kalm Village. It’s got cafes, art studios, traditional clothings and fabrics, and spaces to relax and enjoy the ambience. Then, we made our way over to Wat Sri Suphan (also called the Silver Temple), and we were not disappointed by its beauty. The pictures online don’t do it justice at all, and it’s truly a sight to see. It’s also one of the few lasting temples that doesn’t allow women in it on account of their menstruation cycles supposedly meaning they aren’t “pure”. Jack stood in solidarity with Julia by choosing not to enter the temple itself, but it was more than enough to marvel at its exterior to recognize how incredible the building is.

    Kalm village

    Next up, we went over to Wat Phra Singh, where we saw a beautiful golden Buddha, and then to Sao Inthakhin, an incredibly sparkly temple.

    For number four of the day, we visited Wat Chedi Luang, a temple that used to stand at 80 metres but has been reduced to 60 metres as a result of earthquakes and erosion. Still so beautiful and well worth the visit, however.

    For dinner, we went to a restaurant called Garden to Table as we’d read online that they had a version of Chiang Mai’s signature dish of Khao Soi noodles that could be made gluten free. As a bonus, we had a lovely chat with the owner and she told us all about how she uses lots of fresh produce and edible flowers from her own garden, and opts for sweet fruits and vegetables like pumpkin instead of refined sugars in her foods. This meal was a highlight for us and we knew it wasn’t the last we’d be seeing of this spot!

    Fresh fruit papaya salad
    Slow cooked beef khao soi

    Day 3:

    With a couple of days full of delicious food under our belt, we decided it was time to visit a different kind of temple – the fabled “iron temple” (aka the gym). We spent a good hour and a half there, then after showering and changing we set off to explore some other districts of Chiang Mai. First, we went by the university so we could eat at an outstanding gluten free bakery where Julia had a pesto chicken sandwich.

    Then, we went to Nimman. Nimman is a much more upscale neighbourhood right next to Chiang Mai with big malls and higher-end clothing stores but it also has a really cool laid-back, hip set of Sois (Thai name for side streets) run by locals and expats that we strolled through. We had some smoothies, made our way back towards home for an early night.

    Day 4:

    Today started off with coffee at a cafe with a few resident cats. Where Vietnam had tons of dogs everywhere, the Thai seem much bigger fans of cats. Either way, it’s great to have some friendly companions to start the day with. We didn’t linger too long this time, however, as we had a Thai cooking class that we’d been looking forward to for the better part of the trip!

    To start, we hopped in a vehicle called a songthaew to head to a local market. Here, we learned about some of the food we were to be cooking, as well as a lot of the spices that are used in the dishes. We really enjoyed this part of the day as this market we went to was one that the locals buy their groceries for home and for their restaurants, so it was super authentic. Our guides were very knowledgeable and answered the whole barrage of questions we had as we took everything in. Once we collected some necessary supplies for the day, we hopped back in the songthaew and made our way back to the classroom.

    Fresh curry pastes
    Fresh noodles
    Our instructor holding a premade soup mix for sale
    Chilies and herbs
    Spices and seasonings
    Decorations for the upcoming lantern festival

    We’d already chosen ahead of time the dishes that we were going to make, and we were sure to pick different ones so we could learn first hand from the masters as much as possible. Jack made spring rolls, green curry paste, green curry, chicken cashew nut and spicy chicken soup while Julia made fresh spring rolls, panang curry paste, panang curry, pad thai, and Thai herb soup. As part of the experience, we even got to flambe the pans, which was exciting but a bit scary for Julia. The food was so delicious, fresh and we had so much fun. We were sent a recipe book so we can try the recipes at home so if anyone feels like coming over for Thai food when we’re home, let us know!

    Spicy chicken soup and spring rolls
    Fresh spring rolls and Thai herb soup
    Jack’s curry and cashew nut & Julia’s curry & pad Thai
    Mise en place
    Uncertain about the flambé!
    A natural at the flambé!

    For the rest of the day, we chilled at home and packed for our big 2 day jungle trekking excursion we had planned for the next day.

    Day 5:

    We knew as part of this trip that we wanted to see elephants when we visited Thailand, but not at the risk of poor animal welfare. Through our research, we discovered that there are very few wild elephants remaining in Thailand and the ones that live in the sanctuaries are rescued from abusive, exploitative, or dangerous conditions in the tourism, entertainment and logging industries. We learned that a lot of elephants are often rescued from Myanmar where they are used for labour or in the worst cases are sent out in fields to test for landmines. We also learned that of the many sanctuaries that claim to be ethical because they no longer offer elephant rides (it’s widely understood that these are terrible for an elephant’s back), once you dig a little deeper, it’s impossible to believe that these places are truly ethical. While they no longer offer rides, there are many sanctuaries that force elephants to perform tricks, line up for photos with tourists, or restrict their movements. The elephants should have ample room to roam in natural areas, and tourists should observe them in their habitat, only interacting if the elephant chooses to approach them. After some pretty extensive research, we found an organization run by the Karen tribe that offers multi-day jungle trekking excursions, where you get to hike, sleep overnight in a village, bamboo raft and visit an elephant sanctuary. We felt confident after watching YouTube videos, researching and reading other people’s reviews, that the sanctuary they visited was a good one so we went ahead and booked it.

    Eagerly waiting to be picked up, we checked out of our hotel and waited for them to pick us up. After an hour drive, we left our big backpacks at the head office and started on our 10km hike through the jungle. Our guide’s name was Nimit, and he was awesome. He was super knowledgeable and hilarious. We took 3 breaks throughout our journey at different waterfalls, where we had the option to cool off and swim. We stopped at a local Karen village (one of Thailand’s largest ethnic minority groups) to learn more about their culture and watch an elder doing traditional weaving. It was clear that the Karen people enjoy living the simple life and are so happy being a part of their community. For us, it was a nice reminder that you don’t need to have a lot to live a happy life. They don’t have electricity in the village we visited, and lived in a remote area where they survive through educating guests like ourselves or through agriculture. We learned that in the past, the Karen people used to grow opium and that was their primary source of income until one of the kings came in and helped convert their fields to rice, corn, flowers, and other legal things they can sell to restaurants and at markets. After our visit to the village, we made our final descent to our sleeping spot for the night just as the sun was starting to set. We settled into our cozy room and joined our group for some delicious Thai food for dinner and songs around the campfire.

    Nimit cooking up a curry feast!

    Day 6:

    After a restful sleep in the jungle, we woke up, had breakfast and packed up for the day. The first stop was to visit the elephant sanctuary! We were forewarned that they weren’t sure whether the elephants were going to be there when we arrived as they actually live up in the hills beside where we would be going and we may have to trek into the forest to find them. Luckily, however, they came down to where we’d be arriving and we had was one of the most amazing experiences on the trip so far. The elephants were so majestic and it was clear that they were happy and well looked after. We got to meet two elephants today: Mae-Poe and Bobby. You can tell them apart by the size of their heads. Mae-Poe who has a small head, is a type of elephant who was traditionally used for fighting, whereas Bobby has a large head and was raised for logging and working in the fields. Today, however, they have a very large plot of land where they are free to roam, and a big pond where they like to bathe and cool off. When we arrived, they were both eating a healthy serving of grass and sugar cane. We had the opportunity to watch them eating, bathing and we even got to feed them sugar cane. Fun fact: elephants often eat up to 300kg a day. Talk about having a feed! Sadly, we couldn’t spend all day hanging out with the elephants, so we headed off to our next and final activity- bamboo rafting. This was a lot more fun than we were expecting! The bamboo rafts fit up to 3 people and a guide is steering you down a fast moving river. The ride lasted for about 30 minutes and we were completely soaked from the waist down. After drying off, we were driven about an hour back to Chiang Mai and we checked into our new hotel.

    Our guide, Nimit

    Day 7:

    For our last full day in Chiang Mai, we kept it pretty low-key given the amount of activities we’d had the past couple days. We had one of our “self-care” days where we went to the gym, had massages, and went to the market where this time we ate corn, fresh salad rolls, a ginormous khao soi bao bun, some smoothies, and polished it off with some mochi. For the mochi, our flavour selection included taro, strawberry, pandan, red bean, and the infamous durian. This was our first time trying durian and Jack likens the taste as a somewhat sour wet sock and Julia agrees….

    Clockwise from the top: red bean, durian, pandan, taro, strawberry
    Salad rolls for $2 CAD!
    Corn on the blog!
    Khao soi bao bun with curry dipping sauce
    Mango sticky rice! Our new favourite dessert
    Fresh mango and watermelon shakes

    All in all, Chiang Mai was far from our cheapest stop yet but we wouldn’t change anything for a second. From cooking authentic thai food, to spending the day with elephants, to trying so many new foods at the night markets, we had the best time. There’s no doubt in our minds that northern Thailand shouldn’t be missed by anyone coming to the country and there is far more to Thailand than the islands to the south (which we’ll also be visiting and are equally excited to experience).

    Stay tuned for our next blog where we head further north to the city of Chiang Rai! Home to the blue and white temples, award-winning coffee and tea, and even more new adventures.

    Thank you for reading our blog and following along on our journey! It’s crazy to think we have officially been gone for 2 months already! If you want to help support us, please consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Kanchanaburi and Sukhothai

    Kanchanaburi:

    In an effort to travel to the lesser known areas (and extend our trip through choosing cheaper locations), we’ve found ourselves in Kanchanaburi. After a quick 3 hour train ride from Bangkok, we went to On’s Thai-Issan Vegan restaurant. We had the most delicious massaman curry and chicken with cashew nuts with rice. So tasty! Perhaps poor planning on our parts, but we next headed to the gym on full curry stomachs but still had good workouts! On the way to the gym, our Grab drove past a cat cafe, so of course post workout, Julia said we had to go check it out! To end off our first day, we went to a night market and saw a bunch of delicious food.

    On our second day in Kanchanaburi, we got up early, had breakfast, rented bikes and began our 15km bike ride to Wat Tham Suea, also known as the Tiger Cave temple. Before we arrived at the temple, we stopped at Meena Cafe and had a delicious coffee before walking the boardwalk through the grass. This coffee shop is located on the outskirts of the temple and is a very instagrammable spot. We continued on to Wat Tham Suea and climbed to the top, enjoyed the view and saw the massive Buddha!

    We hopped back onto our bikes, went about 4km towards home and stopped at Wat Ban Tham to check out another temple. To reach this temple, you need to climb up the stairs and pass through a dragons mouth statue, which leads down a long, colourful staircase. It then leads up inside a cave, where there is a large Buddha statue. This is still an active temple, so there were monks around the facilities praying. There was hardly anyone else there, so it was very peaceful and we really got to soak in the calm beauty of this mountain side temple. At this point, we had been biking for a few hours total so we were just about ready for an afternoon treat and to cool down. Fortunately, there was a lady selling ice cream and cold drinks just outside the temple, so we enjoyed those before continuing our ride home. In total, we biked about 35km! The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging at our hotel’s pool before heading to a restaurant down on the river for sunset.

    The next morning, we got up early, ate breakfast, and headed to the bus station. We took an hour and a half long bus ride to Erawan Waterfalls (no, it’s not sponsored by the high-end grocery chain!). It is a series of seven tiered waterfalls located in Erawan National Park. Every single level was different, and just as beautiful as the last! We hiked to all 7 levels, and swam in a couple (level 5 and level 2). Level 7 was truly magnificent as it was the final and grandest waterfall of them all. After hiking back down, we took the bus home, grabbed some snacks and drinks, and went back to hotel. We decided to go back to the vegan restaurant again since it was so delicious the first time we tried it. The owner even had gluten free oyster sauce and soy sauce so Julia got to enjoy pad see ew for the first time and loved it! We wrote a review for this place as it was so delicious. After a busy day, we had an early night as we had a train to catch at 7am the next day. We had another long travel day ahead of us as we travelled all the way to Sukhothai – another spot we didn’t initially have on our lists but was recommended by our travel guide, ChatGPT!

    Sukhothai:

    To make it to Sukhothai, we had to first travel back to Bangkok where we were set to catch a bus. For the first couple of hours of our journey back to Bangkok, we sat on wooden benches in the train before realizing some cars had cushions. Unfortunately (or actually fortunately), our train broke down and we had to switch to a different one. This new one we managed to get comfy seats for the rest of the journey and we made it to Bangkok just in time to catch a Grab to the bus station. The traffic is and the arrival time on the map kept changing so we were unsure if we’d make it for our bus. Fortunately we did and it left right on time. To add to that, we were treated to our nicest bus experience so far! It had comfy seats, a bathroom, it stopped for food, and they even provided us with free Jr. Chickens on our trip. Julia can’t have those so Jack had the misfortune of getting two but he managed to suffer through it! 😉

    Thailand’s roads are substantially more developed than Vietnam, so the nice wide highway was a smooth ride. We even got to see Wat Phra That en route from the window. We checked into room late and we were starving so went to nearby spot for dinner and met a litter of 6 day old kittens!

    Day 1

    After a long travel day, we got a slower start at a local restaurant where we had some coffee and congee for breakfast. We then did some trip planning, and sat by the hotel pool to read our books. Travel can be exhausting so it’s important to take time to relax from all the excitement (ha ha). We finished the day by going into town for smoothies and massages before going to Poo Restaurant for some great Thai food. After laughing like immature little kids for a couple minutes, we found out poo actually means crab in Thai which makes a lot more sense.

    Day 2

    This was our big culture day! We rented bikes early in the morning and went into Sukhotthai historical park. We stayed in a hotel near this area specifically so we could make sure to arrive before the massive tour groups and we’re very glad we did. For a couple of hours, we marvelled at the temples and buddha statues built between the 13th and the 15th century. It was amazing to see how well some of them have been preserved, and we also liked that they had signage that showcased what they used to look like in their former glory. Just as we were finishing up, a whole bunch of huge busses pulled up and people flooded the place in droves. We escaped and got some food from a nearby restaurant then went back to the hotel for more pool time and cards.

    Day 3

    Our hotel booking ran out this day so we switched to the hotel attached to the restaurant that had all the kittens (plus some grown cats – see photos below). The family there were so nice and truly made it feel like home for us. They offered us breakfast, and even drove us into town the next day so we could catch our bus. Not much else to report this day other than we had lots of cat visitors on our patio, and we went for a yummy dinner at a fancy restaurant nearby where we were way under dressed. We were made to feel welcome nonetheless and we enjoyed a peaceful evening before making our way to the city of Chiang Mai.

    We’ve been having so much fun on our trip so far. It’s been an experience that we will remember forever and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to do something like this. Exploring all the places we’ve heard so much about while also having the freedom to travel to these lesser known spots has opened our eyes to what’s out there in the world. It’s helped us become way more comfortable abroad, way more confident in the unknown, and been a heck of a lot of fun along the way We’re learning about new cultures every day while living every moment to the fullest in and we can’t wait for what’s next!

    Thank you for following along on our adventure so far! If you want to support us, please consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Bangkok

    Well, from one huge chaotic city to the next, we finally found ourselves in Bangkok in what feels like no time since we left from home. On the way, we of course had to stop at the lounge to check out the feed options. It was awesome! They had salmon nigiri, mini gyozas, a pho bar, char siu bao… they even had massage chairs! Worth arriving a couple extra hours early at the airport for.

    Bangkok is definitely a polarizing place. It’s true what they say – you either love it or hate it. We definitely wanted to explore a lot of the city but decided to stay in the classic backpacker area of Khaosan Road. We’d heard it was a funky area and also had a lot of the temples that we wanted to see, and for our first evening, we spent it walking around the main street and checking out the market.

    It became pretty clear to us right off the bat that Bangkok is a city you can get by on a backpacker’s budget, but we had to get a lot more creative to do so. It’s a lot more developed than Vietnam (even Hanoi), and the backpacker area has started really up-charging everything to tourists. We found much better deals in other areas of the city and off the beaten path though, luckily.

    Day 1:

    Our first day in Bangkok was pretty packed. Traffic is absurd in Bangkok and getting around is quite expensive so we decided to just walk for the most part. We started off by visiting the Imperial Palace which was stunning. For $20 to get in, we were also glad to see there was quite a bit to do inside the compound. It’s a huge sparkly, golden building and is known for the Jade Buddha inside. We couldn’t get any pictures of it, though, as you aren’t allowed. We also learned about the significance of the hermit in Buddhism by translating the tablet in front of his statue.

    Also included in our admission was a visit to the the textile museum which comprised of outfits donated by the King and Queen from their private wardrobes. We didn’t get photos here either because we weren’t sure where exactly we were allowed to. They are very strict here on that and you can get in a lot of trouble for not following the rules so we played it safe. Needless to say the outfits were beautiful, covered in gold and jewels, and a cool addition to the palace.

    We had plans to visit Wat Pho next, which is right beside the Imperial Palace but it was another $20 to get in. This site is home to the famous Reclining Buddha which we would’ve loved to have seen, but we decided that we’d save that for our next visit. Instead, we stopped at a mango restaurant for lunch nearby and saw Wat Arun from across the river. We’ve seen quite a few of these shops around and they’re not all the same but they serve mango sticky rice, mango ice cream, and fresh mango as well. Always delicious, fresh, and reasonably priced.

    To follow that up, we finally caved and bought elephant pants after sweating profusely in our Lululemon pants on every temple day. They may be cliché, but there’s a reason they’re so popular and why now even the locals are often seen wearing them and we’ve embraced the tourist look whole-heartedly.

    We then stopped at a gluten free bakery where Julia found her first gf beer of the trip! Turns out Singha makes a pretty solid GF brew so we’re keeping our eyes out for more.

    We’d walked about 10km already today, so we decided to take a rest and a shower before heading downtown to the biggest mall we’ve ever been in. They had a specialty grocery store there with lots of international options and Julia was over the moon to find one of her favourite snacks: Smartfood! The mall has a huge movie theatre inside so we finally went to see Conjuring 4 (pretty decent!). It was in English with Thai subtitles and there were only 6 other people in the theatre with us. We also saw that they have a theatre full of beds for watching movies which we thought was bizarre. Ours was just a regular VIP, though. Overall a very active but a great day!

    Day 2:

    Started off as laundry day. It’s been an ongoing mission this trip that we’re still trying to figure out since we only have a week to 10 days of stuff. So far it’s been pretty cheap to get it washed, dried and folded ($2-4) but we’re wanting to make use of our laundry sheets soon. It’s been pretty hard to dry the clothes well in this humidity has been our problem thus far.

    Afterwards, we set ourselves up for another huge walking day today. We first made our way to Wat Saket, which has a beautiful view of the city after you climb the steps to the top. It has a pretty fascinating and also at times gruesome history when you learn about the vultures but I’ll leave that to you to research if you so desire.

    Then, we walked about 45 minutes to Chinatown but not without stopping at 7/11 for a coconut water and some salmon onigiri. It’s become a new staple snack for us because they’re a little over a dollar and offer a good protein-rich snack. When we made it to Chinatown, we explored primarily the area of Talat Noi, which is one of the oldest parts of the city. We saw a bunch of street art, the old mechanic shops that have been there for generations, and even a funny store filled with rubber ducks. Truly an eclectic zone!

    Since we weren’t up for walking back for an hour, we caught a Grab to our next stop which was a hotel we’d received free drink coupons to. As a result of asking the reception for directions earlier and leaving a positive review, we’d earned ourselves some free cuba libres on their rooftop deck. Not a bad way to start the afternoon!

    Somehow, our plans managed to take us to another mall this evening. The mall is called Terminal 21 and is designed like an airport with security gates and the same signage as an airport between floors, and each floor is themed as a different country! We came here for the food court which we’d heard a lot about and it didn’t disappoint. Lots of cheap eats on the top floor to try. Just be careful which way you walk out of this mall after or you might find yourself on Soi Cowboy!

    Day 3:

    Started off with a chill morning of coffee and cards on a street close by our hotel called Soi Ramabuttri. We were also greeted by a mama cat and her six 3 week old kittens hanging next to us. A great way to start the day if you ask us! From there, we went back to the room and Julia did some trip planning. We’re planning anywhere from 2-6 weeks in advance right now, but plans have been changing rapidly depending on what places we’ve enjoyed, what we’re in the mood to experience next, and what we can afford. Thus making the trip planning an ongoing part of our days and week. Thailand’s looking to be about 40 days of temples, jungles, beaches, and objectively one of the best cuisines on planet earth.

    After that, we made our way to Chatuchak market, which is a weekend only market that is vastly superior to Khaosan Road. I’d say go to Khaosan road if you’re here to party, meet people, and do a bit of shopping, but go to Chatuchak for cheaper food, way better shop selections, and endless exploring of the many pathways through there. Jack had siu mai, some sausage balls served on sticks you see in Japanese animes and Julia had some corn (her all time favourite street food). We bought some souvenirs and clothes, then made our way back to the hotel for an early night. Tomorrow, we leave at the crack of dawn for somewhere that wasn’t at all on our radar but our trusty tour guide ChatGPT thought would be a good fit before we head north. That place is called Kanchanaburi, and we know very little about it other than it looks beautiful so we’re excited to see what it has to offer!

    Thank you for following along on our adventure so far! If you want to support us, please consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Hanoi

    This was our third and final trip to Hanoi and last stop in Vietnam before heading to Bangkok. The bus ride was much smoother as we went with a different company who were so much better. They gave us each a water and a couple of snacks!

    Every time we’ve been to Hanoi we’ve had a different experience even though we’ve mostly stayed around the Old Town. It’s definitely a polarizing place. Julia doesn’t like it (way too chaotic and overwhelming with the amount of people), but Jack surprisingly thinks it’s a great city for those reasons. So many people moving around everywhere on scooters, running tiny little shops out of their houses, and an insane amount of good food. Not laid back at all, and you have to be ready to have your senses overloaded.

    After we arrived in Hanoi, we walked around and explored some of the areas we hadn’t seen before. We went to St Josephs Cathedral, which was designed to look like Notre Dame in Paris. After having just recently been in Paris, they do really resemble each other! The Hanoian variant is much much smaller in size though. As luck would have it, we found ourselves in a massive rain storm yet again (what’s with Hanoi and the rain for us?!?!?). We sought out shelter in the Uniqlo, which had some cool Vietnam-specific items that we wished we could’ve brought along with us but passed on. While we waited for the rain storm to pass, we played cards and shared some ice cream.

    Before coming to Vietnam, we had heard about the famous water puppet show that takes place in Hanoi and knew that we had to go. They’ve existed in Vietnam since the 11th century and originated in the flooded rice fields and they’re still done to this day in Hanoi. Totally worth seeing if you’re in town. The show lasts for less than an hour and they provide descriptions of each scene in English which helped us follow along.

    We were pretty hungry after the show and craving some banh xeo, so we found a local spot for some, which were delicious. This dish was one of our favourites that we tried during our time in Vietnam.

    As we were walking back to our hotel, we realized that we walked right past the Hanoi train street, and the train was scheduled to come in 5 minutes. Our first experience with the train had been disappointing, but we decided to give it another shot. After all, it was supposed to come in 5 minutes so what was the harm in waiting. We found a spot on the street, away from the overpriced bars, cafes and chaos. We waited 10 minutes and still no train. Then another 20… 30… We were getting antsy but the local people kept saying that it would only be another 5 minutes, so we didn’t want to give up hope. Finally, the train came after an hour, and it was a much more exciting experience this time. It wasn’t just one car but rather an entire train with too many compartments to count! Julia took a video of the train passing and the video was longer than 2 minutes! We were happy that we waited it out.

    On our final day in Vietnam, we woke up to rain (of course) but we started the day with some delicious coffee (for Julia) and a strawberry matcha (for Jack). The coffee and matcha has been unreal everywhere we’ve gone. Jack had one final delicious banh mi for and Julia had a yummy smoothie. We went for huge walk around town and got ready for our second country!

    Vietnam was a great place to start off our adventure and we’re already planning our next trip to come back and visit the places we didn’t get to see this time. The people, food, history, culture and nature made this one of our favourite places we have ever visited. If you are planning your own trip to Vietnam, these are our top must visit places of the ones we experienced:

    Julia:

    1. Ninh Binh/Tam Coc (breathtaking nature and natural beauty)
    2. Hoi An (rich in culture and history plus amazing food)
    3. Cat Ba (Ha Long Bay is an absolute must visit)
    4. Pu Luong (tranquil and peaceful, with stunning rice fields and nature)
    5. Da Nang (beautiful beaches and laid back feel)

    Jack:

    1. Ninh Binh/Tam Coc (an incredible natural wonder with laid back vibes)
    2. Hoi An (amazing food and the lanterns at night are stunning)
    3. Hanoi (so much delicious food, and the city truly feels alive at all times)
    4. Ha Long Bay (we stayed in Cat Ba and took a day trip here, but if you have the budget then I’d suggest booking a multi-day cruise to take it all in. Lots of tours leave out of Hanoi)
    5. Da Nang (stay right in the tourist zone – lots of cool cafes and a great beach that stretches on forever)
    6. Pu Luong (you have to see the rice fields. Lots of people suggest SaPa and that might be a better option with more going on but we didn’t get to go on this trip)

    Thank you for following along on our adventure so far! If you want to support us, please consider buying us a coffee 🙂

  • Cat Ba

    After making our way from Pu Luong, we spent one night in Hanoi before catching the ferry to Cat Ba Island. In the morning, we went to the gym, had coffee, and one of our new favourite drinks that we have recently come to enjoy: strawberry matcha. We both used to think that matcha tasted like grass, but are coming around to it after trying some delicious ones in Vietnam.

    Our trip to Cat Ba was not the most pleasant. The bus was very hot and our bus driver was rude and angry. The heat combined with not really having lunch resulted in Jack getting heatstroke on the bus. We took a bus, then onto a ferry boat, then drove a crazy windy road on Cat Ba island and Jack almost passed out. Fortunately, the windy road was short and we made it to our hotel in about 15 minutes, but for Jack, those 15 minutes felt never ending. We took it easy this night, hydrated a lot, and ate some more typical food like we’d have at home (crackers, then later some spaghetti).

    Cat Ba day 1:

    After yesterdays ordeal, we had a nice slow morning and enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at our home stay. Then for the first time, we rented a scooter. Cat Ba is a great place to try it out in South East Asia because it’s pretty quiet, especially compared to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh. Our first stop on the scooter was to find a barber shop so Jack could get a haircut. Next up, we went to one of the famous beaches, rented lounge chairs, swam and read our books. We had another early night again tonight after a quick dunk in the pool. Our home stay was run by a really lovely family and it was obvious how much love and effort they put into keeping their property beautiful.

    Cat Ba day 2:

    This was our big tour day and we were out of the house for the majority of the day. The day got started early when we were picked up at 8am and driven to the harbour. We got on our tour boat, and cruised our way through Lan Ha Bay. Continuing on, we travelled to Ha Long Bay, which was incredibly beautiful just like in the pictures you see online. Ha Long Bay is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and in 2012, the New 7 Wonders Foundation officially named it as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. We got off the boat and hopped into kayaks to make our way through beautiful blue waters and through caves. It was sad to see how much garbage was washing up in such a special place. We also saw a famous skinny rock that has somehow never blown over in a storm (see photo below).

    “Skinny rock”

    Post exploring, we had a massive feast for lunch filled with local dishes of rice, grouper fish (a local variety of the fish which is much smaller than the one more commonly known), chicken, vegetables, and as always some fresh fruit. Afterwards, we suntanned, jumped off the deck, and swam to a small beach with the most magnificent clear blue water. The next stop on our boat tour was to a local village, which we accessed by golf cart. It’s really nice that the tours and long distance busses always include a stop at a village along the way so you can learn about their culture and also support their economies. We hopped on bikes to explore the area and even got to try the fish foot massage, which was extremely ticklish and weird! Julia did not like it at all and was only able to keep her foot in for a second. Jack got a bit more used to it and kept his in for longer. This was quite a strange experience, but we’re happy to have tried it once (and probably won’t again)! The final stop on our tour was to visit the floating village near Lan Ha Bay. The village is home to 900 families who raise fish and other seafood and sell them to the mainland. They are located in a very exposed area, however, so when there are bad storms or typhoons, they have to tow all the floating houses behind large rock outcroppings and to safer waters. They are also the most impoverished people and the tax payers help subsidize them by providing services like a small boat and bus to take the kids to the local elementary school on the mainland. After this final stop on our tour, we were pretty tired after a full day of activities, so we came home, swam in the pool, had dinner and went to sleep early again.

    Floating Village

    Cat Ba day 3:

    Our third and final full day started how most do with coffee, breakfast and a game of cards. We then rented a scooter, and went to Cat Ba National Park. We did a short hike and saw some amazing views from each of the 2 viewpoints. Even though the hike was only around 4km round trip and 250m elevation gain, the heat and humidity made it even more challenging. All the hikes that we have done so far have been challenging for this reason. We finish them nice and sweaty and always need to replenish our electrolytes. We had a post hike swim in our pool, played our usual game of cards at dinner, then went to sleep before another travel day back to Hanoi (for the third and final time).

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  • Pu Luong

    After so much movement, so much excitement, and some active days, we were ready to relax away from everyone and enjoy some peace and quiet. Pu Luong was the perfect destination for us! Only a few hours from Tam Coc and Hanoi, we caught the bus and made our way over there.

    In Pu Luong, you’re very limited on the things there are to do. There’s a beautiful nature reserve, and you can walk or scooter through the rice fields, but that’s about it. It’s therefore important to pick a base camp that you can spend the majority of your time at, and we were so happy with ours. It’s called Pu Luong Home, and we ended up staying in a cute little bungalow right next to the pool area. After a long few days of travelling and exercising, we spent the next couple days playing cards on our patio, walking through the valley trying different coffees, and relaxing in the infinity pool. Not too much else to report from here but we will say if you’re looking for something super laid back and need a little break from the excitement of the bigger cities, it might be worth it to add Pu Luong to your list. Be warned though – with it being further out in nature, you’re more likely to encounter some creepy crawlies. It’s not a malaria or dengue fever hotspot or anything (it’s actually very safe), but there is definitely a noticeable increase in bugs around.

    That’s all for this post, but stay tuned for our next and final Vietnam adventure soon where we stay in Cat Ba and tour the world famous Ha Long Bay!

    Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian friends and family! We miss you all so much! ❤️

    PS: thank you for reading our blog! If you want to support us, we have set up a page where you can help fund our coffee addiction 🙂

  • Ninh Binh

    The sun finally decided to come out on our last day in Hue as we made our way to the train station. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were about to visit one of our favourite places in Vietnam. Ninh Binh is a more quiet and rural town, located about 10 minutes away from the more popular and touristy town of Tam Coc. We ended up staying there for a couple nights too, and it was also beautiful, but we absolutely loved Ninh Binh so much. If you are ever planning a trip to Vietnam, we highly recommend spending a few nights in Ninh Binh, and not just doing a day trip as many people seem to do. Our first day was spent swimming at our pool, checking out the main street in town, and admiring the amazing limestone mountains in the distance.

    Our second day in Ninh Binh was one of Julia’s favourite days of the entire trip. We woke up early to have breakfast and then make our way on bicycles to the Mua Caves, or “Hang Mua,” which translates to Dancing Cave in Vietnamese. The Mua Caves is located within the UNESCO-listed Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. You hike up 500 steps to the top and are greeted with breathtaking panoramic views over Ninh Binh and the surrounding areas. This was the most beautiful place we had seen on the trip so far. Looking below the limestone mountains, you can see boats slowly cruising down the Trang An river. At the highest point of the hike is a statue of a dragon that is overlooking the city. After taking in the beautiful scenery, we hiked our way back down, past a resident goat who was just hanging out on the steps and taking photos with people passing by. Located next to the Mua Caves is a beautiful boardwalk shaped like a lotus flower that was built in the lotus fields. Unfortunately, due to the typhoon, much of the boardwalk and the fields were still flooded so we were unable to walk the entire path. It was still very tranquil and peaceful and we enjoyed checking out the views of the mountains from below.

    After a quick coffee and coconut break, we hopped back onto our bikes and headed to the starting point for our Trang An river cruise. Normally, there are 3 different routes to choose from and you are assigned a boat based on which route you choose. All of the routes take you through the river to different caves and pagodas. One route even takes you to the site where King Kong Skull Island was filmed! Unfortunately for us, the typhoon had caused flooding in all the caves, so the boats were all taking the same route and we were unable to visit any caves. Despite this, we still enjoyed the slow cruise through the lush jungle and beautiful waters of the Trang An river. After a couple hours on the water, we biked back to our homestay and cooled off in the pool before having an early dinner and heading to bed.

    Our third day we were sad to be leaving Ninh Binh but were excited to move just 10 minutes away to a new place called Tam Coc. The vibes here were so different from Ninh Binh, despite their close proximity. We noticed a lot more backpackers and the town was bustling with people. We settled into our new spot and went for a walk to check out the scene.

    The next day, we woke up early and had a breakfast of omelettes and coffee at our hotel. We then rented bicycles from our hotel and went on the most scenic bike ride of our lives:

    We started the day at Bich Dong Pagoda, then made our way to Thung Nham Ecotourism zone where we had our second coffees and took a scenic boat tour through the bird sanctuary. We were amazed by the amount of herons and other birds to be seen there, but what was most amazing was the fish that jumped straight into our boat! We managed to get a picture of the guy in front of us tossing it back in. I guess it assumed it was safer with us than anywhere near the birds!

    Afterwards, we biked back along the pathway towards the “Water Loop”, but went around the far side this time. The pathway we took is of special significance in the area as the home owners have been generations of farmers, and welcome people onto their properties to learn about traditional life, or for a beer to relax in the serenity. We managed to feed a buffalo at one stop, then we stumbled upon a small café tucked away in a beautiful garden. The owner named Nguyen Hon was so friendly and excited to show us his unique bonsai trees, hand carved tables, chairs and flower pots. We communicated through Google Translate and took many photos.

    After a long 21km bike ride, we rested for a bit before having a nice dinner on the river.

    Next morning, we caught our bus to Pu Luong! It’s a beautiful mountainous region filled with terraced rice fields. Stay tuned!

    PS: thank you for reading our blog! If you want to support us, we have set up a page where you can help fund our coffee addiction 🙂 we miss everyone back home!

  • Hue, Hanoi, and Typhoon Bualoi

    This next section of the trip was a real roller coaster of an experience. Nobody ever said this was going to be easy, but we were definitely put to the test!

    Hue:

    Day 1 we arrived in Hue via the Heritage Train from Da Nang. It was a bit more expensive than the other options, and also a bit slower, but we go to travel through Hải Vân Pass which has been recognized as one of the most beautiful drives in the world. If you ever travel from Da Nang to Hue, we highly recommend it. They also have a cultural train car that’s all decorated, has live music, and local foods and coffee to try if you like. It was a pretty uneventful day other than that. We stopped in for an hour long massage and also checked out some shops. One that stood out was called Maries, and they describe it best on their website as: “a Vietnamese brand of handicraft products with beautiful and unique craft-work created by the women who live in our local villages and townships with a mission of nurturing and enhancing Hue traditional village’s value”. They are fighting back against fast fashion and the Westernizing of their culture by passing on the skills and craftsmanship of their ancestors all the while focusing on empowering women. They have a workshop upstairs where they’re hand-making and painting the products that they showed us around, and we would recommend doing the same should you find yourself in Hue.

    Cultural train
    Views from Hải Vân Pass

    Day 2 was our big cultural day, and we knew it was going to be a long one as Hue used to be the capital city where the royal family lived, so there was a ton of history to take in. It so happened to also be the first day of the trip that called for some heavier rain. We opted to bring ponchos instead of our rain jackets on this trip as there’s nothing worse than sweating in a rain jacket. The ponchos also allowed us to keep our bags dry underneath. This will definitely come in handy as you’ll find out later…

    Our schedule for the day was as follows: Imperial Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, and Old Garden House, then lunch at a local restaurant, visiting Minh Mang tomb, Khai Dinh tomb, the Incense and Conical Hat village, and Vong Canh Hill.

    The Imperial Citadel needs to be seen to believe as it’s very large, and very beautiful. It’s built with layers of stone walls, with the Royal Family having lived in the very last one and there were very strict rules on who could enter each zone as well as by which doors. We got to see the Royal Theatre, where performances are still held today, the King’s Poetry House, his garden, and of course the royal palace. The palace is absolutely beautiful, and showcases the traditional Vietnamese art style of khảm sành sứ where they break coloured ceramics and porcelain and use the shards to create mosaics to don the walls. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the structures were destroyed as part of the Vietnam War, as it was the site of heavy bombing for three consecutive days. The only thing that remains 100% intact from before then is the King’s throne. The rest is mostly a recreation.

    Royal Palace mosaic up close
    Inside the Theatre
    Royal Palace
    Queen’s Palanquin
    The King’s Poetry House

    From the start of the Imperial Citadel, we were experiencing some of the heaviest rain we’d ever seen, but our spirits were high and we were excited to continue on. To get to Thien Mu Pagoda, we took a river boat shaped like a Dragon. There are still monks who live at the Pagoda and take care of it, and it is also the site of the car of Thich Quang Duc who drove to Saigon and self-immolated in protest of the President’s opposition of religious freedom. It’s very intense to take in.

    Dragon boat

    We stopped at an Old Garden House, which showcases the architecture, and lives of those living in the 18th century in Vietnam. We then had a lunch filled with many new local dishes such as Bánh Lọc, Banh Beo, Bánh Nậm, Bán Bèo, Bánh Khoái, and of course, Bún Bòế.

    Next, we carried on to one of Julia’s favourite stops of the day – Khai Dinh Tomb. At this point, the rain had been relentless all day, and we had to redirect ourselves multiple times due to roads flooding on our route. When we pulled up to the Tomb, water was pouring down the steps like a waterfall (see below). We climbed up anyways (very carefully, moms!) and saw the various chambers in the building at the top of all the steps.

    Khai Dinh Tomb

    After Khai Dinh, we visited Minh Mang Tomb. This was a highlight of the day for Jack and not because Minh Mang had approximately 500-600 wives and concubines and fathered 142 children, which included 78 sons and 64 daughters, but because of the serenity of the site. You pass through multiple buildings as you venture further away from the road, between which are these beautiful canals and bridges, until you reach the tomb at the very end. We couldn’t actually go inside the tomb as the doors are only opened once a year for Tet, but the whole site was stunning nonetheless. We also learned that the main door to the site was only opened once when the coffin of Minh Mang was moved into the tomb, and will never open again.

    By now, everyone on the tour was completely soaked, and we were starting to yearn for warm showers and a change of clothes. Our tour guide insisted that we continue, however, and we did check out the conical hat and incense village. Unfortunately, we couldn’t really walk around too much and stayed primarily to one building, but we once again learned how to make incense, and we had a nice chat with an elderly lady in the process of making the famous straw hats.

    Lastly, it was way too unsafe to climb Vong Canh Hill, but we did drive by it. It’s supposed to be one of the best views of the city and the Perfume River, and was a popular spot for emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty used to come for relaxing and sightseeing.

    After having our fill of culture and torrential downpour, we were dropped off at our hotel and we relaxed for a couple of hours… until the thunderstorms started.

    By now, we were fully in the path of Typhoon Bualoi, and we didn’t have many options other than to hunker down and hope for the weather to pass. We spent the whole next day relaxing in our room, only leaving to go out in the storm for meals. We spent the rest of the time relaxing, trying not to stress out too much, and following the news.

    The following day, the weather was still quite mixed, but we were able to get to Hanoi on our flight. Luckily, the weather cleared up just enough time for us to make the hour long flight up there from Hue. The other option was a 13 hour bus ride and with all the flooding going on around us, we just wanted to get out of the area as soon as possible.

    Hanoi

    On our first night in Hanoi, we weren’t really up for too much as we were still tired from the madness of the last few days. We were, however, able to make our way to the famous Train Street. If you’re not familiar with it, Train Street is this row of cafes and bars that have been built within feet of the train tracks. It’s filled with tons of lights and lanterns, and it’s honestly a pretty cool little zone. We each bought a drink and sat, patiently waiting for the train to go by. About two minutes before it arrived, a mad rush of screaming and yelling from all the shop owners to get everyone and some of the tables out of the way ensued, for what ended up being a train the size of half of a single car. Instead of paying for an overpriced drink in one of the cafes, we would recommend just watching from outside of them or from the end of the block where you can still experience everything just as well.

    Day two of Hanoi was meant to be another travel day, so we packed up our bags and started to make our way to the train station. We booked a Grab but nobody was coming to pick us up for some reason. Since it was only a kilometre, we decided we’d just walk through the rain. With our ponchos over top of our backpacks, we began the trek towards the station but as we got closer and closer, it became abundantly clear why nobody was going to drive us there. The roads had become so flooded from the amount of rain that they had received just within the past few hours, that the locals were saying areas that never flood had become covered in water. We had to wade in water up to our knees at one point just to get to the train station. Luckily, the water was very slow moving so we felt safe enough making the journey (albeit a little soaked by the time we arrived). As should be expected, the train was not able to run due to the flooding, but we had no way of knowing that before leaving our hotel as the updates aren’t as frequent as we’ve come to expect at home. Luckily, there was a decent enough hotel right next to the train station where we waited out the storm for the night.

    On the following day, the typhoon had completely passed, and we were able to take our train to Ninh Binh. After what was no doubt the craziest travel experience we’ve shared so far, we couldn’t wait to visit one of the hidden gems of the country and what would become our highlight of the trip so far.

  • Da Nang

    After a very short car ride (and a sad goodbye to Gordon) from Hoi An, we arrived at our next sunny destination: Da Nang. Another beautiful coastal beach town. The vibes here reminded us of California with the more laid back feel in the streets and crashing waves at the beach. We checked into our new hotel and went out exploring. We settled on a steak restaurant for lunch and Julia had a delicious steak, potatoes and egg for lunch, while Jack had a hamburger.

    Our hotel had a lovely rooftop pool, so we spent the next few hours reading and going for dips in the water. The restaurant next door was a Mexican spot, so of course, Julia had a burrito bowl for dinner. Da Nang really surprised us with all the food options that were available for both of us. There were 2 vegan restaurants within a few blocks from our hotel so Jack didn’t have to worry about dairy. We had a hard time finding food for Julia in the first few more rural cities we visited, but in Da Nang, Mexican food was available within steps of our front door!

    Day 2:

    Our first full day in Da Nang was a very relaxed one. We spent the morning at the gym and picked up delicious smoothie bowls from one of the vegan restaurants on the way back to our hotel. After grabbing towels and putting swim suits on, we brought the bowls to the beach where we spent the afternoon lounging in the shade and jumping in the ocean. For dinner, we went to the other vegan restaurant near our hotel for more delicious food, and even tried their “snickers” bar for dessert.

    Day 3:

    Day 3 was a busy one! We got picked up early from our hotel by our tour guide “Handsome Lung,” as he referred to himself. After picking up the rest of the group from their hotels, we were driven to Monkey Mountain, where the Linh Ung Pagoda is located. The most prominent feature of the pagoda is the ginormous Lady Buddha statue, which stands at 67 metres tall! You can see her all the way from the beaches back in the city of Da Nang. Lung told us that the statue is a powerful symbol of protection and is thought to bring good luck and a sense of peace to the people of Da Nang. We also learned that since her construction began in 2004, there has been less typhoons to hit the city of Da Nang.

    Our next destination on the tour was Marble Mountain. We started by going deep into Am Phu Cave, also known as the “Hell Cave.” The caves were filled with statues and carvings depicting scenes from Buddhist hell. We learned about the Buddha of Compassion, who is said to offer salvation to those who repent for their sins. When we emerged from the Hell Caves, we took the 156 stairs to The Heavens Gate, one of the highest points on Marble Mountain. We took in the beautiful panoramic views from the top before making our way back down and heading to lunch at a local spot in town.

    Hell Cave
    Views from Heaven Gate

    Our tour finished after lunch, and we got dropped back at our hotel where we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool and reading our books.

    Day 4:

    On our final full day in Da Nang, we went to the gym in the morning and relaxed at our hotel. Later in the afternoon, we went for a walk along the beach and found an awesome local restaurant called The Tamarind Tree for dinner. The food was super fresh, delicious and not very expensive. We had an early night because we had to get up early the next morning to catch a very scenic ride on the Heritage Train to our next destination: Hue.

  • Hoi An

    One thing that’s becoming apparent is how crazy the driving is here. It’s like a controlled chaos, where everyone agrees to not really follow the rules, and instead just weave their way around each other even through intersections. This is especially apparent when you’re on a sleeper bus, as the bus drivers often drive way too fast, and pass in the oncoming traffic. On the bus ride to Hoi An, the bus wasn’t very full, but there was a major language barrier between the few North American travellers and the driver and guide. Jack needed to go to the bathroom about 2 hours into the trip, so he went up to the front to ask using Google translate when we’d be stopping for snacks and the washroom. The guide said in 4 hours… It was a bit unbelievable that they expected us to sit on a bus for 6 hours with no bathroom breaks, so he pulled over on the side of the highway so he could go.

    It’s also become the norm that the busses stop at these big rest stations where they try to get you to buy food and support the locals. On every bus we’ve taken so far, we’ve stopped at least 2 or 3 times along the way so we didn’t bother bringing food this time. Big mistake as we didn’t stop to eat until 8 hours into the trip. Lessons were learned today and we eventually arrived in Hoi An around midnight, checked in to our hotel, and went straight to sleep.

    Day 1:

    We woke up, had breakfast and coffee that was provided by the hotel and included omelettes, banh mi, fruits, and toast. We’ve started booking hotels with included breakfast since it saves so much hassle trying to find something Julia can eat first thing in the morning. We also met Gordon this morning! He’s a little dog who lives across the street and would always come visit us when we ate breakfast before continuing on his morning patrol of the streets and ensuring we were all safe.

    After breakfast, we walked across the bridge to Old Town. If you’ve never been to Hoi An, the Old Town is totally picturesque. Beautiful old buildings, tons of flowers, friendly shop owners, and lots of cute cafes. The shop owners welcomed us into their stores to see them making silk, handmade silver jewellery, as well as pottery.

    Hoi An is also very well known for their custom tailoring. In fact, we were told there were upwards of 600 in the local area, and prices range from $80 to $250 for an entire three piece men’s suit, so it’s a very popular tourist activity. We were planning to get some items made while we were here, but we were so overwhelmed by the amount of shops and the various options that we decided to skip it and save our money to splash out on extra dinner items. We had also heard that a lot of the stores simply take your measurements, and then send them to the same two or three factories, so we were a bit put off by that.

    We’ve sort of settled into a two large meal a day plan, with the huge included hotel breakfast, and then an early dinner. Tonight, we decided to try all the local specialties from a shop we’d visited earlier in the day. Hoi An is known for Banh Xeo, a crispy pancake with shrimp, meat, and vegetables and made from rice flour, White Rose Dumplings, which are made only by one family with water from a special well and supplied to all the local restaurants in the area, Cau Lao, a delicious noodle dish, and Mi Quang, another noodle dish. We tried the first three today, and were blown away with how tasty they all were! Julia in particular was excited because everything is gluten free (except the cao lau), so we ordered another round of dumplings before finishing up.

    Cao lầu
    White rose dumplings
    Bánh xèo

    If you’ve ever seen pictures of Hoi An, you’ll know that the city really comes alive at night. The city is covered in lanterns, and they light them all every night for a lantern festival, and they have little boats as well. It’s absolutely worth experiencing at least once in your life.

    Day 2:

    The city is filled with ancient cultural sites, and you can buy a ticket that allows you to see 5 of the 25 over the course of 3 days. We picked ours up today, and went to the Quan Am pagoda, and the Hoi An Folk museum. The museum was particularly fascinating as it showed the traditional way of life for the locals.

    In the afternoon, we rented bikes and headed to the Kim Bong Carpenter Village across the river from Hoi An. For many generations (some of the families up to 13 generations that we saw), people have been working on boats, sculptures, bird houses, incense, etc. in this village to make a living. The skills have been passed down all these years, and it was an honour to meet the locals and see their masterpieces.

    Handmade incense

    Tonight, we went to a local restaurant called Madam Lau, where we of course had to eat more white rose dumplings and cao lau. This time, however, we also tried the Mi Quang dish, and it was also tasty. Jack preferred the cao lau though. We finished the night off by walking through the market, where Julia got fresh fruit rolled ice cream.

    Madam Lau herself!

    Day 3:

    Our last full day in Hoi An was spent at the beach. We rented bikes once more but this time we also made time for a quick workout at the gym, and took the scenic route through the rice paddies where we also saw some buffalo. Our destination was called Hidden Beach, and is right next to the popular An Bang beach but is far less crowded and much cleaner. There are many local spots here where they will park your bike, let you use their internet and washroom as well as a beach chair for as long as you like if you buy a meal from them. An average meal there came out to about $5 per person, so we can definitely say it was money well spent! We hung out here for hours before heading back to town and spending the evening walking the streets of old town once again.

    Day 4:

    On our final morning, we visited the final three of our cultural sites. We started at Fujian Assembly Hall, then went to Tan Ky House (the home of the white rose dumplings), and finished it off by going to Quan Thang Old House. We then checked out of our hotel, said goodbye to Gordon and our lovely hotel conciege Anna, and made our way to Da Nang!

  • Nha Trang

    Against all odds, we made it to Nha Trang (a city on the coast). Our shuttle bus driver loved to pass semi trucks and cement mixers in the oncoming lane around blind corners on the rainy and foggy mountain road. While it was a bit of a frightening ride, it was also beautiful and the terrain reminded us of Kauai. We saw stunning vistas where people have built homes on the sides of mountains.

    After we checked into our hotel, we walked around to find food and immediately were taken aback by the number of Russians that we saw. Jack was feeling more than a bit uncomfortable at first as a Ukrainian. Da Lat was so dominantly Vietnamese, so this was a huge shock for us to see such a drastic change. Nha Trang is a very beautiful place, so it’s not hard to understand why they love coming here. They also have a long history with the Vietnamese, so there was a lot of history to learn here. Part of this trip is to experience how different parts of the world coexist, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow as a result of coming here, however.

    One thing that we did like about Nha Trang is that there are more worldly restaurant options as it’s been particularly difficult to find food that Julia can eat. We ended up having some delicious Greek food for dinner.

    The next day was a very exciting one for Julia. We heard about a cafe that had capybaras that you could feed and play with, so of course we had to go check it out. It did not disappoint! The cafe also had baby rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs. The owner was a lovely man who explained to us how he takes the capybaras swimming and for walks 3 times a day.

    After spending some time with the animals, we took a Grab to Long Son Pagoda, the oldest temple in Nha Trang. The Buddha statue, which is 24 metres high, was a magnificent sight to see.

    We returned back to our hotel and walked a few short minutes down to the beach, where we relaxed until a thunderstorm rolled in and poured rain on us! The next day, we went to Thap Ba Mud Baths to spend some time relaxing in the mud baths and mineral pools. The admittance fee was only $15 each, and included time in a mineral clay mud bath, followed by a hot mineral water tub, and then unlimited access to their swimming pools. This experience was so nice, but if they’re open to suggestions, a cold plunge and a swim up bar would’ve taken this place to the next level! We felt great and were happy to have a chill night at the hotel because the next day was going to be a busy one with the island hopping & snorkelling tour that we booked!

    The following morning, we were picked up from our hotel bright and early to be taken to the marina. We boarded the “Nemo trip” boat and were immediately greeted by an enthusiastic tour guide wearing dreadlocks and blasting Bob Marley. We knew right away that this was going to be a super fun filled day. Our first stop on the tour was to try snorkelling and we actually saw a lot of fish! Our tour guide blew up a giant slide to go down from the top of the boat, and joined us in the water on a giant party island floatie. The reggae music continued as our guide (dressed up in a coconut bra and Afro wig) was pouring drinks in everyone’s mouths and dancing on top of the floatie. This turned out to be such a highlight of our trip.

    Digital Camera
    Digital Camera
    Digital Camera
    Digital Camera

    The second location was a stop for lunch, where we were served fresh seafood that had just been caught and grilled.

    Following our delicious lunch, we were taken to the third and final stop for the day. A beautiful, quiet beach that reminded us again of Hawaii. We read our books, swam in the warm water and enjoyed watching the parasailing. This was one of our favourite days of the trip so far!

    The next stop on our journey north in Vietnam is Hoi An, which is a 10 hour bus ride away. We are starting to pick up some key phrases in Vietnamese, such as xin chào (hello), cảm ơn (thank you) and tạm biệt (goodbye).

    Digital Camera

  • Sleeper bus and Da Lat

    When we arrived at the bus station in Ho Chi Minh, we were expecting a “VIP sleeper bus” that we’d booked quite some time in advance. Instead, they loaded us into a 10-person passenger van with little to no AC and windows that we were too tall to see out of. Nobody else spoke English, and we were dreading what the next eight plus hours were going to be like crammed into those seats. Luckily, however, this was just the transport to the main bus station where we met our first new friend, David. David was born and raised in Da Lat, and was more than kind to us and helped us to understand the bus system. We sat with him at each stop on the way, and we are so grateful for his translation skills. After a long eight-hour journey, we finally made it to Da Lat in the pitch black, took a Grab straight to our hotel, and went to sleep.

    Day 1:
    It’s still taking us some time to adjust the 14-hour time zone difference, so we woke up at around 5am. Once we pulled the blackout curtains aside, we were greeted to this beautiful view:

    Near our hotel, we went to a cute little coffee shop called Amelie Coffee. The owners were so happy to meet us, and even offered us a giant avocado from their garden to have with our coffees:

    From there, we caught a Grab to Asia’s longest mountain coaster. For about $10 each, we had such a great time flying down the canyon in a rickety cart. Once our adrenaline settled, we decided to walk around Xuan Huong Lake, which looked nothing like the pictures as the water was a dark brown and it was crowded with scooters honking. It was still a nice walk, though. By now, it was only about 1pm so we decided to make the journey over to Truc Lam Zen Monastery. You take a tram away from the city and out into the countryside, making it much more serene compared to the madness we were just in. Here are some pics from that outing:

    As you can see, we crammed a lot in this day, and it’s barely half over at this point. I have a feeling it’s going to come back to bite us soon.

    While we waited for the night market to open at 5:30pm, we decided to kill an hour playing cards as we made a stop at Starbucks. You can see some of the local food variants we saw here:

    We still had an hour or two to kill, so we went by what can only be described as the single coolest bar we have ever been to. It’s called the Maze Bar, and they absolutely mean it. They’ve taken what appeared to be a 5 or 6 storey town house and created all of these little corridors and passageways that wind their way up to the top where there are other hidden bars and a secret garden at the very top. If you are ever in Da Lat, this is a must do.

    As for the market, it was pretty crazy there and we weren’t really in the mood for what was on offer, so we went to a pho restaurant where Julia got a delicious bowl of noodles. We went back the next day for it as well!

    Day 2:
    Our big plan for today was to hike Mount Langbiang. Before that, however, we stopped for a breakfast of pho and eggs, where Julia tried the first of many famous egg coffees. Julia described it as “the best coffee she’s ever had in her entire life”. If you know Julia, that’s saying something.

    Fuelled and ready to adventure, we made our way to the mountain and made the climb up through the humid forest. At the top, we were greeted by a lot more than we expected, with lots of instagrammable spots, and a little cafe where we stopped to play cards. Two local photographers who didn’t speak English were watching us play and managed to pick up the rules and make suggestions as we went. It seems cards are a universal language and are a tool we’re going to carry with us whenever we go out to help make friends.

    On the way down, we met a lovely Vietnamese family, who wanted to hike down with us. We used Google Translate to talk with them, and it further solidified just how genuine and kind Vietnamese people are. Back in Vancouver, if someone approached you and asked to hike with you, you’d have your guard up fully. It’s totally different here and makes us rethink how we interact back at home.

    We had a chill evening and prepared ourselves for our next destination – Nha Trang.

  • Travel day and Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh City

    We arrived in Ho Chi Minh city around 10pm on Tuesday night after a long journey with a layover in Tokyo and over an hour at immigration. We flew with Japan Airlines for both flights, and they were incredibly kind! On both flights, they gave us a congratulatory basket as we mentioned that this was our honeymoon trip.

    When we woke up on Wednesday morning, we immediately were on the hunt for our first Vietnamese iced coffee! It did not disappoint. We then decided to take a Grab into Downtown and check out the Cafe Apartment, which is a multi-storey apartment building that houses many different cafes and restaurants.

    Mint iced coffee (left), coconut iced coffee (right)

    After we took in the view from the top floor, we walked to Bếp Mẹ Ỉn, which is a Michelin recommended restaurant for authentic Vietnamese food. For $20 we had some incredibly delicious food!

    Vermicelli with grilled minced pork and pork belly
    Loutus stem salad with shrimp and pork

    After we finished lunch around 12:30, we kept wandering around downtown, but our bodies weren’t quite ready for the 32 degree heat. Luckily the closest place with AC was a spa, so we decided to go in for a 30 minute foot massage to escape the heat and relax. We then continued walking around and Jack got the first bahn mi of the trip.

    Bahn Mi The One – bbq pork

    Before heading back to our hotel, we stopped for a quick drink at The View Rooftop Bar, located in the Duc Vuong Hotel.

    Our first day in Vietnam was a culture shock compared to Vancouver, but we had a great time exploring the city. Trying to cross the street in the morning during rush hour as thousands of scooters flew by on the street showed us how vibrant and active of a place Vietnam really is! We are excited to get out of the big city and explore what else Vietnam has to offer. Tomorrow we have an 8 hour bus ride to our next destination: Da Lat.

  • Welcome to our blog!

    Hello! We are Jack and Julia. We are two adventure seeking Canadians who are about to embark on a ten month journey around the world. We are so excited to be sharing our adventures with you. Today is September 7th and tomorrow, we are heading to the airport, each with a 40L backpack, ready to begin our journey in Vietnam. We have been planning for this trip for two years now and it feels surreal that this day is finally here! We are going to miss our friends and family so much, but we can’t wait to come back and share so many stories with everyone. We will be posting an update after every city that we visit, so follow along to see what we’re up to!

    Love,

    Jack & Julia