Hong Kong, 4 - 9 May 2014

So Hong Kong was pretty amazing. It is a huge metropolis with a very interesting history. It is a perfect collision of China meets England. It wasn't until 1997 when the English finally gave Hong Kong back to China; so it has a strong English feel to it. Now, HK is under the “two systems, one country” policy and is supposed to be that way for 50 years post the hand over. My recommendation, go to HK before the 50 years is up as no one knows what China has planned for the city-country-state and what it will turn into after its sovereignty comes into question. Many local Hong Kongians already do not like the mainland Chinese, let alone having to deal with the rules of Beijing. It is a very interesting time to go to HK (while you can!) to see the capitalist, socialist, metropolis blend that it is. 

It is a brilliant city with great food, shopping, history, outdoor activities, and really is just awesome. You need to see it to believe it. The highlight for me was the transportation system as one minute you’re in computer geek heaven looking at weird tablets for super cheap, the next you’re in Old Kowloon with the markets & museums, and then just a quick ferry ride you’re back in fancy Central. You really can be transported anywhere within minutes inside of HK. Seriously, I cannot say anything bad about Hong Kong.... probably other than the crazy thunderstorms we had while we were there. Other than that, you got to get to Hong Kong !  

Gulf Coast Island Hopping-Thailand, 18 - 25 March

island life

Island hopping in Thailand- really anything you want it to be. Luxory, relaxation, partying, anything goes. It is true island bliss. We’ve been taking ferry to ferry from Island to Island. It has been great. We’ve done cheap guest houses, a luxury resort (which is still only like $50/night), and bungalows in the hills. It doesn’t seem to matter where you stay, it will always be beautiful beaches, a nice pool if you're lucky, and it will always be relaxing. To be honest, there is not much to say other than it was absolutely relaxing and beautiful. We could have partied, but after a month of backpacking and travelling already, we decided to just chill out and relax. It was a much needed recovery before heading to Bangkok.

view from one of the bungalows-Koh Phangan

sunset from the bungalow

The only stressful bit was going from Koh Lanta via ferry, then mini van bus to the other side of Thailand to the Gulf coast. The bus drivers are INSANE! They drive so crazily, have their phone in hand, taking phone calls, texting, and commenting on photos on Facebook. Luckily we arrived safely to the other side for our ferry, but it definitely made the decision to not take any further bus rides if we could help it. We booked the train to Bangkok instead of the overnight bus. Other than that, the ferries are great and reliable and we thoroughly enjoyed our Island hopping. However, we are SO READY to get off the islands and get some city life in Bangkok !! 

on one of the ferry's we took, what a view !

another beautiful sunset

Koh Lanta, 14 -18 March 2014

views from the National Park

After our crazy adventure in Koh Phi Phi and Maya bay, we decided to spend some time in Koh Lanta. It was the polar opposite of Phi Phi. Super chilled out, relaxing place. We just lazed around and relaxed, ate, and drank. It was great after our overnight lack of sleep on Maya Bay and Phi Phi.

sunset, 2 min walk from our guesthouse

We met up with our Canadian friends we met in Maya Bay and formed a little “biker gang”. It actually was sooo much fun riding our little MoPeds around the island. We went to the National Park and did the hike in it. This was sort of a sweaty disaster, but we made it. We also hiked to the waterfall, which was not really a waterfall due to the dry season. Again, it was still super fun. We went to the bat cave and saw a few bats, scary !!!

our bike gang !

super sweaty during our hike !

After our sweaty day of hiking and adventuring, we went to Brett & Emma’s hotel as they had a pool. (thanks Brett and Emma!!) We had a few drinks before heading to a huge dinner at “Same, Same, but different”. It was a nice little restaurant on the beach. I have had better Thai food, but the view couldn't be beat. I actually loved Koh Lanta. It was a great place to just take a break, roam around on a scooter bike, and just have a fun relaxing time !!

view from our table at Same Same, but Different