All of Southeast Asia is a little bit crazy, but Vietnam is in a class of its own. I struggled with how to organize this post, but I ultimately decided to allow it to feel a little disjointed to reflect my experiences. I entered Vietnam with pretty high expectations. Several backpackers I met throughout my travels said it was their favorite country in Southeast Asia. My first few days here, however, were disappointing. And I’m still a little conflicted about…
Before I set out on this journey, Bryce and I committed to seeing each other every couple of months. Dublin in September worked out conveniently as a short reunion. We chose Indonesia for a bigger vacation due to its world-class diving. It exceeded all of our expectations. Sorong After meeting in Jakarta, a couple more flights took us to Sorong, in the far eastern part of Indonesia. It’s quite remote here. To put it in perspective, Sorong is in West…
I’m flipping the order of my posts for Indonesia, largely because Bryce took all of the footage (via GoPro and his drone) for phase one and hasn’t had an opportunity to edit it yet. For now, I’ll just say that we had an absolutely amazing time together. This is my view in Bali at the moment: And this is nearby Seminyak Beach: But I’ve discovered that paradise is pretty lonely when you can’t share the experience with someone you love…
One of the most interesting aspects of traveling over an extended period of time has been the opportunity to compare countries within a region. As a historian, I’m intrigued by how the choices different countries and their leaders have made over time influence their developments today. Singapore’s government has chosen a strikingly different path compared to its mainland Southeast Asian neighbors over the past fifty years. As a result, Singapore is considered an Asian Tiger – a country that through…
For this portion of our trip, we embraced slow travel, which exposed us to several new experiences – including a few less touristy ones. Bangkok again (sigh!) We returned to Bangkok with hopes of catching an overnight train to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, we realized too late that we weren’t the only ones trying to get to the lantern festival, which is a huge event in Chiang Mai. Since only third-class tickets were available (i.e. no beds or air conditioning) for…
Southeast Asia has been the most emotional leg of our journey for me, filled with some of the most magical moments but also some heart-breaking experiences. Thailand: Bangkok again We keep trying to leave Bangkok, but circumstances like getting vaccines and catching flights to other destinations keep forcing us to return. I’ve tried really hard to like this city, but I just don’t. It’s way too hot and muggy. The architecture features too much concrete and corrugated tin – often…
I don’t have as much to report this time, because we’ve been doing a lot of this… Bangkok After our adventures getting out of the Philippines (see last post), we were ready for a slower pace. But first we went to Bangkok, a crazy and hectic city! We only spent a couple of days in Bangkok. We particularly enjoyed our street food experiences as well as the night markets – such inexpensive and delicious food! In general, we’ve eaten well…
We’ve swapped church bells in European towns for the Muslim call to prayer in Turkey, a country that provides a true feast for the senses. Turkey has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, and it did not disappoint. Istanbul We had lots of “pinch me” moments while here. Sight Our first stop was to the Hagia Sophia, the famous church turned mosque turned museum that we study in my classroom as a case study…
This post is long overdue. I was reflecting on why it’s been difficult to find the time to write it, because I’m on a nine-month long vacation! I realized our days are jam-packed with sightseeing plus figuring things out: logistics (why does every country have different systems for their public transportation?), foreign communication, cultural norms/etiquette, historical information, where we’re going to lay our heads tomorrow, etc. I’m not complaining at all, it’s just more mentally exhausting than I anticipated. I…
We’ve now arrived in countries where neither of us speaks the language, and we’ve continued to push out of our comfort zones in other ways too. Switzerland Lauterbrunnen, in the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland, is unbelievably gorgeous – exactly as I imagined Switzerland would be. There is a huge waterfall in town, an aqua blue river cutting through the valley, and the mountains are phenomenal. The architecture is quintessentially Swiss, and the cows roam in perfect green pastures. I…