We are posting this with the 1 GB of free wifi at a Roadhouse in Erldunda. We have so many awesome things to share, but we are enjoying our time unplugged for the moment. We just couldn’t miss a month of recaps though.

Countries Visited

4 – Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore (for round 2) and Australia

How We Got Around

  • 3 flights (USM to KUL, KUL to SIN, SIN to BNE)
  • 1 ferry from Ko Pha-ngan to Ko Samui
  • 2 Thai taxis around the islands
  • 1 motorbike all over Ko Pha-ngan
  • Multiple grab rides (like a taxi) in Kuala Lumpur & Singapore
  • 1 Rental Car for Eastern Australia road trip
  • 1 Campervan for Outback Exploring

Best Meal

Steph – ALL THE CHEESE. I missed cheese a lot when we were in Asia. We were essentially eating Vegan for the entire three months. Ordering cheese boards at the wineries was like having a birthday cake every single day. I’m back to eating it in moderation, but I’m pretty happy with my choices to indulge in so much cheese for the entire time my mom was here.

Justin – At a small brewery on Phillip Island, we had some cauliflower & beet dish along with roasted pumpkin. The latter was the star of the show. The texture of the pumpkin was like it sat on the doorstep a week past Halloween. It was the perfect temperature combined with honey, candied walnuts and pine nuts. The pumpkin was tossed onto a bed of rocket. Quarter sized chunks of goat cheese rounded out the dish making it one of the best I have had on this trip. I would eat that meal every day.

Favorite Beach of the Month

Steph – I’m struggling picking just one. I loved the beaches in Koh Phangan and being able to swim in the warm ocean with turquoise waters. But I think my favorite was Tallow Beach just outside of Byron Bay. There’s a national park there and we could walk from our AirBnB. We saw our first wild Kangaroo there and the beach was completely empty of humans.

Justin – Surfer’s Point on Phillip Island. The beach was below a cliff and so it was more remote. There were no buildings or amenities. It’s just a spot to purely enjoy the sounds of the ocean.

Our Peak

Steph – Touring the Wilayah Mosque in Kuala Lumpur was definitely a highlight for me. We learned so much about the Islamic faith and got a full tour of this beautiful mosque. I’m so glad we took the time to do this. I picked this because it was such a specific moment, but I also have to say that spending two weeks with my mom this month was amazing. Australia has always been on her bucket list and being able to be there with her was the coolest. It’s hard to pick a favorite of that two weeks, but I’ll make sure to do a full recap soon.

Justin – My peak has been visiting the Wildlife Sanctuaries in Australia. Seeing the animals in person that I haven’t seen before was very special. The unique to Australia mammals like the Koalas and Kangaroos were amazing. The stand out moment was seeing the Tasmanian devils get wound up, spin around and squeal at the others while fighting over a pig’s ear. Feisty little bugger. Also, Wombats are cute (see below). And of course, the native birds here are unlike any you’d see at a zoo or anyone’s parrot enclosure.

Both of us – Celebrating our 11 year wedding anniversary in the middle of the Outback was pretty amazing. I don’t know if we’ll be able to top that next year, but we’ll have fun trying.

Our Pit

Steph – I have been trying to go with the flow on this outback road trip and it’s been pretty easy so far. Until yesterday, we had been lucky enough to find spots to stay. We drove to Uluru yesterday and when we pulled into the only campground – they were completely booked. We hiked Kings Canyon all morning and driven quite a ways off the route to get there and we weren’t able to stay. I had a headache and just wanted to relax and chill while staring at a big red rock. We ended up driving another two hours to camp. It ended up OK, but I have learned my lesson about popular national parks with just one campground.

Justin – The confluence of emotions when we were done with part of our journey that hit me when we were in Singapore would be my pit. Leaving Asia meant that we were wrapping up a leg of our trip for the first time and that was sad for me.

Grateful to have…

Steph – My mom visiting for 2 weeks. We had a blast road tripping, wine tasting and getting to explore new places with her.

Justin – Being able to drive and have control over the vehicle. It has been awesome to be behind the wheel this month.

Missing this…

Steph – The MN State Fair. It is one of the best times to be in Minnesota and seeing all the pictures of the crazy foods and drinks makes me miss being there just a bit this year. The end of summer is also a time for lots of birthdays, anniversaries and celebrations and we missed out on them this year. My nephew turned one this week and I can’t wait to squeeze him again.

Justin – I miss music variety. We have been spending lots of time in the car and we downloaded some playlists, but with our inability to stream endless data – we are stuck with just those. #firstworldproblems – Am I right?

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What’s Next?

We have a little time left in Australia in our camper van. We leave here and head for Namibia for a safari that we have been looking forward to for months. Then we head north to Europe to meet Mom & Dad G for a week.