Dueling Backpacks

Day 256 (March 11, 2019) – Langkawi, Malaysia Malaysia was never on our list of places we planned on visiting when we thought about this trip long ago, but here we were! It was kind of fun because it felt a bit unexpected, although we had a very good reason for going there. Thailand only gives you a 30-day visa and our time was up. We wanted to stay longer to see more of the country and we could do that by exiting and re-entering to get another 30-day visa. In other words, out trip to Malaysia was our visa run. While we could have entered and left Malaysia on the same day just to get our new visa, we instead turned the opportunity into a 10-day Malaysia trip, visiting both Langkawi and Penang.

Day 252 (March 7, 2019) – Koh Lipe, Thailand Travel is sort of a funny thing sometimes. You spend all this time getting somewhere far away so you can see new things, learn about how others live their lives, have new experiences, or whatever else you want to get out of your efforts. Even though many people might agree on the reasons why they travel, it is an extremely personal experience. Everyone has their own preferences for things to see and do. Travis and I don’t always agree on what our favorite places, activities, or experiences were, but more often than not we find ourselves on the same page. That’s why the things we either liked or didn’t like about our trip aren’t necessarily what other people might like or not like.

Day 247 (March 2, 2019) – Koh Muk, Thailand When we started this trip I think I always had this vision of sometime along the way being dropped off on a remote and miniscule tropical island with perfect beaches and nothing to do but lay in the sun and read a book all day. This imaginary island was supposed to be the perfect get-away-from-it-all island with nothing to do and no way for people to reach you. Our trip to Koh Muk (also spelled Koh Mook) was pretty much as close as we were going to get to that tiny tropical island.

Day 243 (February 26, 2019) – Koh Lanta, Thailand Koh Lanta was pretty much a perfect Thai island. It was exactly what I was hoping to find from our island-hopping adventures in the Andaman Sea. The beaches were among the nicest we’d ever seen, all the cozy little beach-side restaurants we visited were absolutely delicious, and the whole place had a super relaxed feel. Forget Phuket . Koh Lanta was the elusive Thai island paradise we had been searching for.

Day 235 (February 18, 2019) – Koh Phi Phi, Thailand I was determined to not go to Koh Phi Phi while we were in Thailand. I had read all about it and came to the conclusion that I’d rather spend my time elsewhere. However, as much as I tried to avoid it, it was on the way to all the other places we wanted to go. We would have had to sail right past it to go elsewhere, so we decided to stop on Koh Phi Phi anyway and see what all the fuss was about.

Day 233 (February 16, 2019) – Phuket, Thailand Our first stop in Thailand landed us in Phuket (the “h” is silent), one of the main gateways to the Thai islands. Although Phuket is itself an island it’s so large that just trying to figure out which part to stay in is a challenge. So rather than planting ourselves in one spot for a week, we took the opportunity to visit three different parts of the island over nine days. We spent four days in Patong, three days in Kata, and two days in Phuket Town. These places were strikingly different from one another but in a way they each provided a different atmosphere so that anyone can find something to like on Phuket. No matter where we were on the island, we were never far away from the crowds, but at the same time we were also never far away from a pristine tropical beach.

We were in Singapore for such a short time, only four days, that reporting on expenses seems a bit unnecessary. However, for the sake of completion, here we go. This is short and to the point.

Day 226 (February 9, 2019)  –  Singapore Originally, our plans didn't involve visiting Singapore , but we were made an offer we couldn't refuse: free accommodation! My friend Sharon from high school now lives in Singapore and graciously offered to host us for the four days we were in town. Singapore is known for being quite the expensive city, and it certainly would've been had we paid for our own room. But thanks to Sharon's generosity, we were able to put that money towards awesome food and drinks instead. It was great catching up with Sharon, and the city turned out to be so much better than we had expected. The city is so vibrant and cosmopolitan that it is high on my list of places to live if we ever settle down and find a job again (and if that job would let me work remotely from Singapore). Public transit is super efficient, and the city is extremely safe. The only downside is there was a heavy Big Brother feel to the place, with government security cameras ...

Bali was a great start to our travels in Asia. We had a lot of fun during our short two-week visit. It felt like we were on a vacation from our vacation. Relaxing, swimming, eating, drinking… everything that you want out of a quick get-away. It’s touristy but fun. We enjoyed beers on the beach at sunset, reading books in the sand, swimming with the fish, and bar hopping in the evenings. None of it was particularly adventurous but we were happy to indulge for a while.

Day 220 (February 3, 2019) – Nusa Lembongan, Bali, Indonesia Nusa Lembongan, a small island located off the southeast coast of Bali, was the highlight of our two weeks. It was exactly what I was looking for. A laid back tropical island that feels authentic and isn’t swarming with tourists. It had killer sunsets, traditional Indonesian food, and beautiful tropical waters. It’s the first place I would head back to in Bali if we returned.

Day 218 (February 1, 2019) – Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia We took an hour-long taxi ride from the quiet and laid back Uluwatu to the loud and congested Seminyak. Seminyak isn’t even the most happening part of Bali (that claim to fame probably goes to Kuta), but every square foot is packed with hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, tattoo studios, and spas in what is supposed to be one of the slightly quieter but still happening parts of the island.

Day 210 (January 24, 2019) – Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia Our decision to go to Bali was a bit haphazard. To get our Australian visa we had to tell them how we were leaving the county. We knew that we were going to end our Australia trip in Cairns, so we looked up any cheap international flights leaving from Cairns. Flights to Bali were reasonably priced and Bali sounded exotic enough to qualify as our first destination in Asia, so we booked the ticket and that was that. We got our Australian visa approved and kind of forgot about it for a long time. In fact, we had made it all the way to Cairns and still hadn’t made any accommodation arrangements or even read up on where to stay in Bali.

Australia was a fun time for us that felt like a break from our normal travels. Staying with friends really changed the whole experience of being somewhere. It was fun to catch up with people we hadn’t seen in years and I felt like we were getting all the local insights to everywhere we went. It was a different pace. We didn’t feel the need to run around everywhere and take in the sights. We were happy to just hang out and catch up. But, our friends, being the awesome tour guides they were, made sure we got around to all the big (and small) attractions in their area.