This has been a month FILLED with temples, finding ways to escape the heat and a lot of history lessons. It’s crazy to think that we have been traveling for a third of a year already.
Countries Visited
4 – Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
How We Got Around
- 5 flights (Hanoi – Siem Reap – Luang Prabang – Chiang Mai – Bangkok – Ko Samui) Total of 1944.22 miles (3128.92 km)
- 2 Van Rides to and from Ha Long Bay
- Junkboat Cruise on Ha Long Bay
- 1 kayak tour
- Lots of Grab rides (similar to Uber) when it was super hot out
- 5 Tuktuk rides everywhere in Cambodia and Chiang Mai
- 1 Bicycle tour in Luang Prabang
- A few airport transfers
- Ferry ride to Koh Phangan
- Thai Taxi Ride aka the back of a pick up with benches
- A few blissful days of motorbiking around the tropical island
- Walked 100.23 miles which seems insane considering how hot it has been.
Best Meal
Steph – Two things came to mind for me this month. First, the cruise we did in Ha Long Bay served us a dinner that went on for multiple courses. One of the items we got was a roasted sweet potato with sticky rice and it was one of the best things I have tried on this entire trip.
The second “meal” is my every day breakfast. I have eaten dragon fruit, yogurt and a croissant almost daily in SE Asia for breakfast. I can’t get enough. I have been able to find dragonfruits at the market everywhere we’ve been and there have been French bakeries in every town as well. I’m attempting to get sick of it before heading south to Australia, but I haven’t accomplished that yet.
Justin – This month I cannot pick simply one dining experience above all others. I have twice been blown away by exceptional fare. It is my humble opinion that about anyone can come up with a decent meat dish. A true chef is a master, in my mind, only when she/he can transform a bland or simple vegetable into a cuisine that actually makes you salivate when you look back at photos of it. That actually just happened to me when I looked at this past month’s selection.
So here we are, my two picks for July. Up first is Artillery in Siem Riep, Cambodia. Here I indulged in jackfruit tacos and they are quite honestly the best I’ve ever had. Which is saying something after the delights I had in Bali. My other favorite was at a little place called Utopia in Luang Prabang, Laos. This wonderful spot offered a cauliflower wing that is unparalleled by any similar feast I’ve had in recent memory. Jackfruit and cauliflower are pretty unremarkable on their own and that is why these two, both presented in a fashion leaving me wishing for more, are my July picks for best food.
Favorite Temple Photo
Steph – We did sunrise at Angkor Wat which was on the dream list. It turns out that it is quite busy and not as peaceful as I imagined. What I loved was walking through the temple right after the sunrise because the crowds of people seemed to move on and we found ourselves exploring all alone. Well, us and the monkeys that were busy cracking open coconuts. This picture is my favorite because it brings me back to that morning.
Justin – Picking this was a VERY difficult task for me. I looked through literally hundreds of temple photos in search of one that could sum them all up. Well I couldn’t find one. I settled on this one below because I think it captured the beauty and architecture of so many of the temples. Yes, it is a modern temple and doesn’t have that certain “ruin” appearance to it, but it shows perfectly what I expected to see on this journey and exploration of different religions.
Our Peak
Steph – I peaked in Laos this month. From the moment we landed in Luang Prabang and could see the green mountains surrounding us, I just felt different. We had the best week exploring the small town and I fell in love. I wrote an entire love letter here. It’s hard to pick a specific moment during our short time there because each day was just perfection. It has been the biggest surprise for me on this trip so far and I’m so glad we decided to visit. I can’t wait to return and explore more someday.
Justin – Month four was really great. Despite being sick early on and feeling a bit underwhelmed by the Ha Long Bay cruise that we were both so excited for, it turned out to be one of the best months yet. I was blown away by Cambodia and even more so by Laos (arguably my favorite place yet) and then got just the R&R I needed in Thailand. Picking a peak amidst a really great month still wasn’t that hard. I have one clear standout moment from the past 30 days and it came as a bit of a shock to me. That was the Cambodian circus in Siem Riep.
I need you to immediately clear dancing elephants and juggling clowns from your head! This was a spectacle unlike anything I have ever seen. The only performers were young, local Khmer musicians and gymnasts that performed a story of love and angst in modern Thailand. Unfortunately, I do not know how to put into words how much I enjoyed this. To try and give an idea, the story is completely spoken in Khmer, a language I do not speak, and you still are able to keep up and understand as well as be in awe of the physical performance of these talented youths. Ugh, I don’t know how to explain it, it was just amazing and I wish everyone could see it. Hands down the best show I’ve ever seen live.
Our Pit
Steph – My body really kicked my ass this month. I got the worst food poisoning while in Hanoi with lots of vomiting. A migraine took me out for a few days in Chiang Mai followed by the worst cramps in the world. The worst part was each of us being sick on separate days so we spent more days this month out of commission than the previous months.
Justin – Being sick during the Ha Long Bay cruise sucked. Somewhere during that fog I started thinking to myself, “why not just go home?” I’m glad I snapped out of it quickly.
Grateful to have…
Steph – Temple pants. When we arrived in Cambodia, I learned that the sarong I brought wouldn’t be enough to visit the temples. I had to have my shoulders and knees covered with more than just a scarf. So, we went to the market and I found myself two pairs of longer pants that are very thin and comfortable. I bought one at the night market in a stall with all kinds of tourist items (not my best move since it has the same tag as my 3 year old H&M t-shirt). I found a pair I liked even more at a small boutique after meeting the woman that makes all the clothes there. Now I own two pairs and they have definitely gotten lots of use.
Justin – A Kindle. Yeah yeah, nerd alert! Last month I hit on being grateful for technology and this month that gratitude continues. I have never read in a single year as much as I have on this trip so far. With the ability to have so much time to read and a way to do it that doesn’t take up additional space, I have been able to tackle books that never would’ve made my list in the past. With this freedom, I have deep dove into topics and perspectives so far outside of my experiences that I am ashamed I haven’t started burying my nose into books deeper sooner.
Missing this…
Steph – A dresser. That may be weird, but I wish I could nicely put my clothes away in something other than packing cubes. Don’t get me wrong, we love our luggage set up. I just miss knowing exactly where all my things are quickly. We try and settle in everywhere we stay, but some places are only a few nights and many don’t have a spot to put things away. The lack of order can be a bummer.
Justin – Cold weather! I know, it sounds insane. The reality that I’ve come to know is that I like it when it’s chilly. I LOVE blustery autumn nights and we have spent the last 2 1/2 months in the heat. And I mean REAL heat. Over 100 degrees a lot of the time. As I type this, there is a very slight chill in the air and it is pouring rain which makes my longing for colder weather even greater. I probably find myself in the minority on this topic, but give me a snow-capped mountain and highs in the 60s any day before a beach and 100 degree weather!
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What’s Next?
We will be wrapping up our time in Thailand, spending a few days exploring Kuala Lumpur and then heading to Australia for a month of road tripping.
We are working on posting our Cambodia & Laos posts in the next week of so. Make sure to follow us to see all the updates.
