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New Zealand – Tasman, Nelson & Marlborough (St Arnaud, Lake Rotoiti, Abel Tasman, Nelson, French Pass, Picton)
New Zealand – Tasman, Nelson & Marlborough (St Arnaud, Lake Rotoiti, Abel Tasman, Nelson, French Pass, Picton)
We saved the northern section of the south island for last because we were scheduled to meet the ferry in Picton for the short ride across the Cook Strait to Wellington. This section of New Zealand did not disappoint with…
Laos – Luang Namtha & Luang Prabang
Laos – Luang Namtha & Luang Prabang
After crossing the Mengla (China)/Boten (Laos) border, we immediately noticed the laid back difference of our new home for the next two weeks. Laos is lovely! Truck drivers no longer honked their horns incessantly, the people are polite, reserved and…
New Zealand – Canterbury (Christchurch, Lake Clearwater, Mt Cook, Timaru, Kaikoura, Hanmer Springs)
New Zealand – Canterbury (Christchurch, Lake Clearwater, Mt Cook, Timaru, Kaikoura, Hanmer Springs)
It was a shock to our system to fly in from tropical Samoa to New Zealand during winter! Thankfully, there were tons of op shops (second hand stores) for us to score some cheap winter gear. We flew from Auckland…
Iran – Esfahan
Iran – Esfahan
Esfahan is a magical city. We were thrilled to discover that our overland trip brought us back to this lovely section of Iran. Lucky for us, we had a whopping 3 nights here! Seeing the ancient bridges of Esfahan at…
China – Xiahe & Chuanzhusi & Huanglong & Chengdu
China – Xiahe & Chuanzhusi & Huanglong & Chengdu
Xiahe is known as “little Lhasa” and since we were unable to visit Tibet, this city was the next best thing. Xiahe is an ethnically Tibetan town famous for its Labrang Monastery, which is one of the most important centers…
American Samoa – Tutuila
American Samoa – Tutuila
American Samoa was our bonus Pacific island as it wasn’t on our original itinerary. But once we saw one of our favorite bloggers (X Days in Y) write about how easy it was to hop from Samoa to American Samoa,…
Turkey – Unye & Tirebolu & Sumela & Yusufeli & Dogubayazit
Turkey – Unye & Tirebolu & Sumela & Yusufeli & Dogubayazit
Our last week in Turkey came to a rapid end. From Cappadocia, we were supposed to visit Mount Nemrut and the massive statues from its Royal Tomb, but we had to give it a wide berth after reports of an…
Vanuatu – Tanna
Vanuatu – Tanna
Tanna is Vanuatu’s biggest draw card because of Mt Yasur, one of the world’s most accessible active volcanoes. It is a rugged, spectacular island with poor road infrastructure which is surprising given the number of tourists and aid groups who…
China – Wensu Grand Canyon & Kuqa & Turpan
China – Wensu Grand Canyon & Kuqa & Turpan
From Kashgar we drove due east and made our way towards Kuqa and Turpan. The journey was supposed to take 5 blazing hot days, bush camping en-route. However, those plans quickly went by the wayside on the evening of day…
Vanuatu – Pentecost
Vanuatu – Pentecost
Land diving, Pentecost. Ever since we heard about the birthplace of bungee jumping, we wanted to check it out firsthand. That was how our trip to Vanuatu was hatched. The problem with seeing land diving is that it only occurs…
Turkey – Saklikent Gorge & Fethiye & Kas & Olympos & Antalya
Turkey – Saklikent Gorge & Fethiye & Kas & Olympos & Antalya
Our second week in Turkey was a busy one! We left Pamukkale and headed straight for the amazing Saklikent Gorge, which is Turkey’s longest at 20 km. Here we donned waterproof sandals to hike into the gorge which was absolutely…
Fiji – Viti Levu (Pacific Harbour & Suva)
Fiji – Viti Levu (Pacific Harbour & Suva)
The main island of Viti Levu hosted our last few days in Fiji. We stayed at a lovely villa in trendy Pacific Harbour, which touts itself as Fiji’s adventure capital. 15 years ago, we dove Beqa Lagoon with Aqua-Trek which…
Kyrgyzstan – Karakol & Jeti Orguz & Son-Kul Lake
Kyrgyzstan – Karakol & Jeti Orguz & Son-Kul Lake
After the mountain resort of Altyn Arashan, we had one night at a homestay in Karakol. Little did we know this would be the start of a week of slaughter (sheep, rabbit, sheep)! When our homestay hosts offered to cook…
Fiji – Vanua Levu
Fiji – Vanua Levu
We spent 2 wonderful weeks enjoying a family reunion on Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second biggest island. Our idyllic base was at Siga Siga Sands, a fantastic place to call home! Located near Savusavu and sandwiched between the petite airport and…
Georgia – Tbilisi, Ertatsminda, Mtskheta, David Gareja
Georgia – Tbilisi, Ertatsminda, Mtskheta, David Gareja
The last portion of our Georgian adventure brought us from Kutaisi back to Tbilisi for a day on our own before a week away in Armenia. Upon our return to Georgia, we spent a fun day with Shota up in…
Fiji – Yasawa (Tavewa & Nacula Islands)
Fiji – Yasawa (Tavewa & Nacula Islands)
Fiji is a special place on earth. Ever since we visited in 2002, we have longed to return. 15 years later, the greetings of “bula” still ring as sweet as ever. Our first week in Fiji was spent on the…
Kazakhstan – Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve
Kazakhstan – Aksu Zhabagly Nature Reserve
Crossing the border from Uzbekistan into Kazakhstan (Yalama / B. Konysbayeva) was hellishly long because two members of our group (Daniel from Canada and Kevin from Ireland) had neglected to obtain their Kazakhstan visas prior to arrival. Since they had…
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur – Malacca) & Singapore
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur – Malacca) & Singapore
The final week of our 6 month journey! When we started this overland trip in Istanbul back in April, we thought that 6 months was a super long time and the trip would go on forever. But here we are…
Uzbekistan – Bukhara & Samarkand & Tashkent
Uzbekistan – Bukhara & Samarkand & Tashkent
From Khiva we made our way onward to Bukhara, an ancient oasis city on the fabled Silk Road. Bukhara is an easy city to explore on foot and we enjoyed getting lost in its back alleys while exploring its highlights…
Indonesia – Lake Toba & Bukit Lawang
Indonesia – Lake Toba & Bukit Lawang
One week in Sumatra (Indonesia) was barely enough time to scratch the surface, but we loved what we saw and experienced. We flew from Penang to Medan (Indonesia’s 3rd largest city, a bustling metropolis that we were only too eager…
Uzbekistan – Nukus & Moynaq & Khiva
Uzbekistan – Nukus & Moynaq & Khiva
Crossing the Turkmenistan border into Uzbekistan brought no relief from the relentless heat. If anything, it was kicked up a notch or two. And we still had a few more bush camps to get through…yippee!! First stop was in the…
Cambodia – Phnom Penh & Battambang & Siem Reap
Cambodia – Phnom Penh & Battambang & Siem Reap
The drive from Saigon to Phnom Penh took about 8 hours on a comfortable bus equipped with AC and WiFi. Even though we knew the Cambodian visa fee was $30, everyone had to fork over $35 to the bus driver’s…
Turkmenistan – Ashgabat & Darvaza Gas Craters & Konye Urgench
Turkmenistan – Ashgabat & Darvaza Gas Craters & Konye Urgench
Turkmenistan! Our 5 days/4 nights here flew by and its time to jot down a few thoughts of this fascinating and bizarre country. Getting into Turkmenistan was surprisingly easy. We were efficiently stamped out of Iran and into Turkmenistan in…
Vietnam – Hanoi & Sapa
Vietnam – Hanoi & Sapa
We flew into Hanoi the night before Typhoon Dianmu hit northern Vietnam. Tucked away in the old quarter, our original hotel (Grand Holiday) claimed they never got our booking because the storm had knocked out internet for the majority of…
Iran – Yazd & Garmeh & Mashhad
Iran – Yazd & Garmeh & Mashhad
Our last week in Iran was spent in the fabulous mud built city of Yazd, the tranquil desert oasis of Garmeh, and the holy city of Mashhad. Yazd was voted by many of our group to be their favorite city…
India – Amritsar, Golden Triangle & Varanasi

India – Amritsar, Golden Triangle & Varanasi

It’s been over a decade since our last visit to India so we were way overdue for a return trip. We didn’t cover too much new ground because we were traveling with family who were visiting India for the first…

BeckyApril 8, 2018April 19, 2018 Indian Subcontinent No Comments
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Philippines – Cebu & Bohol

Philippines – Cebu & Bohol

Celebrating Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in Vietnam is exhausting, so this year, we decided on a quick getaway to the Philippines. Cebu Pacific offers daily flights and after narrowing down our short list to include Cebu and Bohol Islands, we…

BeckyFebruary 26, 2018March 17, 2018 Asia No Comments
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Korea – Jeju Island

Korea – Jeju Island

We had zero intention of leaving Vietnam after only a few weeks in country but when Becky’s aunt told us about a decent deal to Korea, our interest was piqued. Vietravel was offering a 6 day/5 night special to Jeju…

BeckyOctober 1, 2017October 8, 2017 Asia 2 Comments
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New Zealand – Northland & Auckland

New Zealand – Northland & Auckland

We saved the Northland and Auckland regions of the north island for the end of our New Zealand adventure since our flight back home was out of Auckland Airport. Highlights of Northland include: Karekare falls, Piha beach’s “Lion Rock”, Waipoua…

BeckyAugust 21, 2017October 6, 2017 Oceania No Comments
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New Zealand – Waikato (Coromandel, Hamilton, Waitomo, Waikato, Lake Taupo)

New Zealand – Waikato (Coromandel, Hamilton, Waitomo, Waikato, Lake Taupo)

This portion of our north island travels brought us to the Waikato region. First up was Lake Taupo, the caldera of the Taupo volcano and New Zealand’s largest lake. Despite the inclement weather, we signed up for a cruise across…

BeckyAugust 9, 2017September 26, 2017 Oceania No Comments
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