Bangkok… Las Vegas on Steroids.

I’m not even sure where to begin with this one. We have been in Bangkok for a week now and I sure am glad we have plans to explore OTHER parts of Thailand as well!!

 

Culture. Holy Moly. We have now felt our first culture shock of this trip. As New Zealand and Australia were beautiful areas, in a way they resembled the United States when it came to culture. Bangkok? No way.

Outside the first Temple we visited via boat.

Between the food and style of living to the language barrier- I have never felt a culture shock like this in my life. Luckily, Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles so when they have no idea what we are saying, they just smile and giggle usually. Which is better than being rude! We tend to just giggle back and smile. We have learned the basic greetings of hello [sà-wàt-dee-kòp: male speaking/ sà-wàt-dee-kâ: female speaking] and thank you [kòp kun kòp /kòp kun kâ]. I really should learn how to say chicken…for my own sake of food requests!

Accommodation. We are staying in a Homestay [via AirBnb]. Homestays are pretty much what it sounds like- people rent out rooms in complexes or homes- this one is more of an apartment complex, but with a very tiny shared bathroom for the 3 rooms on the floor. Our room has an air-conditioning unit [HEAVEN SENT] which we now know to keep an eye out for when booking because sleeping in this heat would be unbearable. The room is simple- large bed and 4 walls pretty much.

AirBnb Room

A/C and WiFi included which is a plus. The shared bathroom is pretty gross- it’s just a showerhead where the toilet is… and there is no AC out there so cold showers are much more refreshing than warm ones [especially when the heat index has been reaching 105]. BUT- having said that, we chose to come to this one for the price. One week cost us $125 and we are in a decent location. You get what you pay for.

Transportation. We have really lucked out. We found TIM! Tim is a Tuk Tuk driver in Bangkok- but not like the rest

Tim & Nicole in the Tuk Tuk

Tuk Tuk drivers usually are all over the streets lined up and annoy you when you walk by [kind of like phone salesmen in the mall- sorry to anyone who does this but it’s true!]. We wanted to get to this one location to check it out and we saw Tim sitting in his Tuk Tuk on a quiet road just making conversation with another local. We walked up to him and asked if he could take us to where we wanted to go. He kindly laughed and told us it was around the corner. We shared the laughter and carried on. Less than 5 minutes later Tim rolls up and tells us he will take us the rest of the way, the street can get busy. So we hop in and the rest is history! He didn’t charge anything to bring us there but he gave us his number if we needed a ride again.

Tim & Adam

We have hired Tim every single day! He picks us up when we call and we can simply just tell him we want to get some Thai street food and he will bring us to a humongous market. Or we want to make some travel plans and he brings us to the best place he knows of for help.


Riding in the Tuk Tuk down the streets of Bangkok

While we are in these places the greatest part is- Tim waits for us! We just hop back in the Tuk Tuk and head to the next place. We were unsure of what to pay Tim since the first ride he said it was our call, also noting that he would be fair and if it was too much he would give us some back. He took us around ALL day so we handed over 500thb [Thai Baht]. He smiled and gave us back 100thb. Mind you- 500thb is $15usd. Out of the hundreds of drivers trying to scam you, we somehow found the honest and kind one. We feel so lucky!

Food Prices. I’m not sure I can even touch base on all of the incredible food we have had the past week. Not to mention, a large plate of Pad Thai or Noodle Soup [made right in front of you] will run you an average of 30thb [93 CENTS]. You grab a huge bottle of water from 7eleven [yes, they have 7eleven here!] for 13thb [40 cents] and you are GOOD TO GO! You can try different dumplings and traditional Thai favorites on the street for 10 to 15thb [30 to 50 cents] each.You are full for under $2.

First meal in Thailand! About 100 degrees F out- but still loving it!

This isn’t even just the street food. Adam and I were hungry last night and it was getting late so we walked by a restaurant that looked to be in a hotel and decided to give it a try. The motivating factor? It was open…and there was AC. We had an appetizer, I enjoyed some chicken green curry and Adam and a chicken noodle dish. We finished it off with a shared dessert. The bill was 500thb. $15. So even when you’re going out…the prices are shocking. I still prefer the street food here, though!

FOOD. Incredible. Just absolutely incredible. This is what we have been waiting for. The ultimate best food I have ever tasted has come from the streets of Bangkok. The spices and flavor are like nothing I have ever tasted. The ingredients seem simple but when you take the first bite, you couldn’t begin to list what it took to make the dish you are eating.

 

We have loved everything. Well, almost. Adam thought he was getting chicken until he took a bite. This was correct, but he should have asked what PART of the chicken he was getting… HAHA!

Not pleased.

And for me, I have learned to not always expect those little white balls to be chicken. When they are fish, you are in for a rude surprise.

Now, where we fall short is we really have no idea what half of these amazing dishes are called. The language barrier seems to come into play mostly when dealing with food. We know it’s delicious. And we will remember by photographs! YUM!!

Sightseeing. SO much to see!! Our first boat ride to see a temple was beautiful. This one was a little pricier but we didn’t know at this point we could have probably talked them down. For a 1 hour boat ride and 30 minutes to explore around the temple, it ran us 2000thb [$62usd]. Well worth it!!

The boat we were on.

The boats with fresh flowers hanging from the front.

We had our own boat and the temple was amazing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go in. You have to cover your shoulders and knees to enter and both of us were failing to do so, so we admired the building from the outside and just opted to buy a coconut to drink from. They cracked a huge coconut in front of you and stuck 2 straws in- 50bht [$1.55usd]. Now compare that to what bottled coconut water costs in the United States and we are in heaven.

We decided to go and see a Thai Cultural show that the travel place we visited suggested. The show was called Siam Niramit and it was the most magical thing I have ever seen. Before the show even started we were blown away. We walk into the Thai Cultural Center where the shows location was and there walks two elephants right in front of us!! 30bht and you can hand feed them- WE ARE IN. I put little bananas into his trunk and he shot them to his mouth.

 

Adam was next and he could not get enough of this guy- he just wanted to hug him! It was amazing to stand that close to an elephant. We were both blown away.

Adam & his elephant friend.

From here, it is set up like an old Thai village that you can walk through.

We came across a guy by the name of “Y” playing a guitar and a Thai woman standing next to him. She gave us the biggest smile so we decided to start dancing! Somehow, I ended up with a guitar in my hand pretending I knew what I was doing.

I would like to think Y was impressed with my new found skills… I know Adam was!

Big time skills.

In the center of the Cultural Center, which was outdoors where we fed the elephants, the performers started to do a pre-show performance which was jaw dropping. They had a few dancing numbers and one sword fight type number.



Pre-show performance at Siam Niramit.

One of the dancers grabbed my hand and brought me up with some others from the crowd as well. This is where I really got Thai and followed along with the hand moves and dancing. We got a good laugh out of it and it was cool to be up there with the performers!

The show was magical. We couldn’t take any photos but these will give you an idea of what we were looking at. At one point, the ground turned into water and the performer jumped right in. On stage there were giant elephants, goats, chickens, and at one point it even started to rain. It was so so cool. Similar to a Cirque show in Vegas- but up that by a thousand.

Photos you always see around town are that of the floating market- so we had to check it out. Tim picked us up this day in a cab since it was over an hour away. We got there and the haggling began. They tried to tell us to GET to the floating market, we had to take a boat for 2000bht a piece. We were shocked as this was way more than we were expecting and read about. We went back and forth [which I HATE!!!] and got in the boat after paying 1500bht for the both of us, thanks to Adam's skills. How does it go from 4000bht to 1500bht? I hate that. It truly bothers me. Just give me the price. Having said that- this boat whipped through the tiny channel like it was being timed for a race. The market seemed very touristy- selling lots of dresses, hats, bags etc.

Floating Market.

We didn’t see the magnificent colors of fruits and food on boats in the water like the pictures show, but it was still very cool and they were selling all different kinds of spices. Heaps of people, and again we opted to buy a coconut but only for 40bht this time. I also bought a decent size bag of Saffron for 100bht [$3]. Mmm, can’t wait to cook with that when we get back!

WHAT’S NEXT. We are heading North! We have an overnight train booked out of Bangkok on April 29^th arriving in Chiang Mai the morning of the 30^th. We spend a night there and get picked up bright and early to start our 3 day,2 night trek which includes riding an elephant and experiencing a bamboo raft!!! [OMG!] We return from the trek and spend another 3 nights in Chiang Mai which allows us to explore around the area.
From Chiang Mai, we will be picked up and brought to the airport for our flight all the way south to Phuket. We arrive in Phuket May 6^th and stay here for 4 nights. We will be picked up and brought to Krabi, where we will spend another 3 nights.

This brings us to MAY 13^th – MY BIRTHDAY!!!! Someone will pick us up bright and early to transport us to Koh Phangan Island where we will stay 4 nights in a bungalow. May 13^th is FULL MOON, and apparently things get pretty crazy during Thailand’s Full Moon Party- aka: Nicole’s Birthday Party! We also have a free Mexican Dinner provided by the hotel that night…again for Nicole’s Birthday Dinner. Adam and I Googled what happens during a Full Moon Party and…well… we better get our neon paint and glow sticks out because it’s about to go down. We have 3 more nights here so there will be plenty of time to relax and enjoy the island for what it is.

May 17^th we check out and are brought back to the train station for an overnight train to Bangkok. We arrive the morning of the 18^th and will spend 3 more nights in Bangkok until our flight out to Singapore May 21^st. We plan to connect back with Tim for any transport needs and get one more massage in while they are only $15 for an hour of pure joy.

Phew. This was a long one but Thailand has been incredible so far.More to come from the back of an elephant.

Less than 24 hours left in Australia, and this is my Thank You.

About a month ago when we first arrived in Australia, I posted on Facebook about the wonderful hosts we were staying with surrounding the Tough Mudder. The inspirational notes left around the house and huge hugs as we said our goodbyes made quite the impact to both Adam and myself. We have now found ourselves back at Chris and Noel’s home to close out our trip in comfort and relaxation. In a way, it feels like we’re home.

We were able to settle right in, use the same food storage box we used when we started, and make our way to our room. For me- this means more than just a place to stay. This has been the longest time I have ever been away from home. I graduated college, bought my house and went from living at my parents to living 15 minutes away. Yes, I may have traveled a ton for work, but it was a maximum of 8 days at once; not three months.

We have come back to a familiar place. We know where the pots and pans are, we know the sound of the animals early in the morning, and we know the place we are in is home to two of the most wonderful people we have come across.


Picture of a picture of Chris & Noel!

Chris & Noel- We will forever be thankful for your open arms and smiling faces. Your hearts are filled with so much love and we love you for that! We are sad we never were able to get a photo with you, so we took one of the photo you already had framed HAHA!

After traveling around a bit, we started our HelpX work for stay experience. Here is where we met Harvey and Jane- two more hearts of gold. They came over for dinner and after a bit of conversation, they opened their home to host us if we made our way back to Melbourne before we left. Sometimes we just have to sit back and think, is this real life!? Can people REALLY be so welcoming and kind? Well, they are!

We stayed in contact and after a week of camping in the pouring rain, we made our way to their house in Melbourne for some warmth, shower, and a comfortable bed. What we were greeted with and received was so much more. As soon as we arrived, Jane, Lara [daughter], Alex [Lara’s boyfriend] & Simon [son] were cooking up a delicious stir-fry while Harvey was absent due to playing a late game of squash. We filled our bowls, grabbed our seats and talked with everyone- it was so comfortable and felt like we have known this family for a while. Everyone is so interesting in their own way. It was awesome to hear about Lara’s incredible travel stories, Alex’s off roading Subaru [Adam loved it!], and Simons interest in sports and adventure. Lara photographs her journeys to different countries so beautifully we really felt like we were there while flipping through. Awesome people.

Melbourne, Australia

We stayed with Harvey & Jane for 3 nights and we truly just wanted to spend more time with them. Coming originally from Zimbabwe and spending time living in South Africa, these two individuals were intriguing to us and the more we talked to them, the more that escalated. Harvey can tell a story in a way that just captivates you. Jane can make you smile and laugh with just about anything she says- you know those people who can just bring a smile to your face? She’s one of them. And the relationship that Harvey and Jane has is so wonderful. I hope Adam and I complement each other as much as they do!  

The second night we stayed with them, we all [minus Lara- she was out on a research trip] went to a DELICIOUS Indian dinner. We sat around and talked about accents, our time in Melbourne, living in the US, what it was like to life in Africa, and so much more. The food was amazing and the conversation was even better.

L to R: Simon, Jane, Me, Alex, Harvey & Adam

We took the next day to explore the city of Melbourne and met again for dinner at home. Harvey and Adam shared their enjoyment of Scotch while Jane and I shared ours of wine. We felt like we could converse for days. Oh, and they had two wonderful pups- Buddy and Oly. Buddy wasn’t too fond of Adam, but he seemed to warm up when I was around. Smart pup!

Harvey & Buddy!

Harvey & Jane- Thank you for opening your home to us. We are so glad we have connected with you two and can’t wait until we can meet again. Until then, we will stay in touch and forever remember our time spent with you.

We have been so fortunate to come across heaps of incredibly nice people during our travels so far.

We are almost out of Melbourne. But until then, it’s time to relax.

Here’s to new friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

Quarter Life Break... Because, Why Not?

Month 3 marker- holy cow. Our time in Australia has almost come to an end with 7 short days left. I always look back and wish I wrote a bit more but then I question when I could have fit in it. Now is better than never though- and I’m thankful I will have this blog to look back on for a reminder of the incredible things we came across on this trip. After the Tough Mudder, we high tailed it to Sydney where we spent two days roaming around the city. We got to see the Sydney Opera House as well as walking all around the shops and restaurants. We stayed at another AirBnb that was less than a 2 minute walk to the train station- which is the suggested means of travel if heading into the city I’d say. No fuss with parking or worrying about paying the meter when a round trip ticket is $5. It was awesome to stand in front of the Opera House when I have seen so many photos and post cards of it prior.

Sydney Opera House

From there we made our way south and spent a night on the beach before starting our work-for-stay in Mallacoota. While Adam went on an hour car ride to acquire goggles and a snorkel, I was more concerned about setting up shop on the beach!

This was truly one of our favorite days here in Australia. I basically had a beach to myself, while Adam adventured around with his goggles and the GoPro to catch some awesome shots and a video of an octopus he near smooshed!

We loved it and fell asleep listened to the tide roll in. I couldn’t have been more relaxed. We picked this work-for-stay gig up through a website called HelpX.com. In exchange for a bit of your time, you are provided with different things. This house specifically provided all meals and a room for about 3 hours of work a day- so it was time to save some money for us! We stayed with Trigger, the town cop, and his family. The week flew by- Adam got to do some spotlight hunting one night and after our few hours of work, Trigger took us around town and showed us some secret spots and beaches- beautiful [even in the rain]!

Trigger & Nicole- Showing us around to secret spots.

It was nice to spend a week with an Australian family and have a full stretch of home cooking! Thanks to the Triggers! They also offered us up their mountain bikes to use, which we had a BLAST with!

From here, we made our way to hunker down for the next 4 nights in a camping spot while it monsooned rain for 72 hours straight.

Adam making a ditch for the water to flow through next to the tent!

Lots of napping, playing cards, and cooking in the vehicle. For you Shark Tank viewers- did you catch PowerPot on there?! We heard they were on it but obviously missed the episode. This is the pot that was provided to us to travel with on our journey by a good friend of Adam’s- Allyn, a PowerPot and Granite Gear sales rep. Pumped to see them getting some spotlight as we use this pot at least twice a day. We also brought this to their attention which they loved: The mesh bag that the pot comes in can be utilized as a pasta strainer!! Mmm, Ravioli.

PowerPot Pasta Strainer!

During our time at Triggers, we also met a wonderful couple, Harvey & Jane from Zimbabwe, who have so graciously opened their home to us to stay with them for a few days. We are heading there tonight and are excited to get a nice bed and hot shower. Another one of the wonderful things that come from traveling- meeting people and making friends from all around the world. Adam and I have said that when we get back, our home is open to all of these wonderful people who have opened their homes to us… let’s just hope they don’t all come at once or that will be a dinner no one would want to miss!!

Today we adventured around Phillip Island where we ran the Tough Mudder a few weeks back. We came across a daily feeding of wild pelicans, which was on the border of awesome and terrifying, as one could swallow you whole. I hid behind Adam after a few went rogue and out of the roped area. We walked along this beautiful beach and got some pretty awesome photos.

Adam jumping!

He said he didn’t get wet at all, so I decided to do the same. I was then pummeled by a gigantic tidal wave that almost knocked me over and drenched me.

Drenched!!

In conclusion, Australia is beautiful.

 

I hope to post more frequently on what we are doing and where we are- it definitely isn’t as easy as I thought it would be! Since we will be leaving Australia soon, here is where we are headed, AND WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!:

• April 22: Arrive in Thailand [Bangkok]
• May 21: Arrive in Singapore
• June 5: Arrive in Indonesia [Bali!]

That is all we have planned so far. Hopefully I’ll get to ride an elephant for my birthday in Thailand [AHEM, ADAM..]

I also just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone that reads and sends positive words our way. It means a ton! J