After 763 days, Emily and I are finally continuing with our travels! This time our planned route is a little different. For those of you that didn’t know about our original travelling itinerary, you can read about it here.
We spent six amazing weeks in South Africa, India and Sri Lanka before we were forced to abandon our trip and fly home due to COVID-19. We crossed our fingers but, it soon became apparent that it wasn’t going to be viable to travel anytime soon.
In January 2021, we moved to Manchester when I got my first job in journalism as a Reporter at Cavendish Press. I’ve met some great reporters along the way and thoroughly enjoyed my time covering Greater Manchester’s courts over the past 15 months. However, with the world now beginning to gradually open its borders once again, we believe now is a great time to continue travelling.
When we started thinking about the possibility of travelling again earlier in the year, there was still a lot of uncertainty surrounding COVID – and there obviously still is! At the time of planning, the West (USA and Canada) were more open to travel than the East (in particular Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand). You were able to travel so long as long as you had been double jabbed, which we both are.
There were parts of Asia that we could have travelled to, but Australia and New Zealand’s borders were completely shut. Therefore, we made the decision to start our adventure where it was originally due to finish – North America. Recently, Australia and New Zealand have announced the reopening of their borders, which was very, very welcome news for us!
The first two or so months have almost been planned to the day, due to only being legally allowed to spend 90 days in America on a visiting VISA, but the rest of our trip is less time restricted and more subject to change.
Itinerary
The beginning of our time away will see us fly from Heathrow to Washington, visiting New York, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Vancouver and Anchorage along the way. As part of our time in North America, we are also travelling via car down the West Coast from San Francisco through Los Angeles to San Diego, before picking up an RV in Las Vegas and travelling to the Grand Canyon, Bryce National Park, Zion National Park and Death Valley.
We have booked two Contiki tours in North America. The first – an 11-day tour of Canada and the Rockies, which you can read about here. The second is a 10-day tour of Grand Alaska commencing in Anchorage, similarly, which you can read about clicking here.
We’ll then make the loooong 17-hour journey over to Fiji via LA, where we’ll spend the next two weeks island hopping around the Mamanuca & Yasawa Islands.
COVID permitting, the plan is then to spend the next six weeks travelling via hop-on, hop-on coaches around the North and South Islands of New Zealand starting in Auckland. Emily has distant family members in Christchurch too, who we are hoping to visit.
Australia is next and I cannot wait to travel down the Gold Coast from Cairns to Melbourne – I just hope we don’t come across any huntsman spiders! We’re then due to spend three weeks in Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands in Indonesia before visiting Kuala Lumpur and the island Langkawi in Malaysia.
We’ll then embark on another One Life Adventures tour, this time of the Philippines – where we’ll spend the next 10 nights island hopping. I thoroughly enjoyed the One Life tour of Sri Lanka we did two years ago! A side trip to Tokyo, Japan is then next on the cards for five nights.
It’ll now be an ideal time of the year to travel around Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We’ll get around by hop-on, hop-off bus shuttles, which will gradually take us from Bangkok in Thailand to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in Cambodia, through to Ho Chi Minh City and up to Hanoi in Northern Vietnam. We also intend to spend time on the Western Island of Ko Phi Phi and the Eastern Islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan in Thailand (hopefully in time for a monthly full moon party)!
The final leg will see us return for one week to a country that already has my heart – Sri Lanka, before flying home via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. (I tried to persuade Emily to be in Qatar for the World Cup, but she wasn’t having any of it)!
If you’d like to keep up-to-date with our travels, then you can enter your email to receive notifications of blog updates at the bottom of this article; follow my blog by clicking the link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95.
and a lifelong amount of burgers, chips, pasta and pizzas consumed…
Our travelling adventure has come to an end.
Time flies when you’re having fun.
For one last time, here’s my travel diary for what was an epic last week in the metropolis that is Dubai. I must admit, we didn’t think about the cost of ending in Singapore and UAE when planning this trip!
UAE background
The UAE is made up of 7 Emirates – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah & Fujairah. Each Emirate is ruled by a different family.
Noticeably, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (who owns Manchester City) is the president of the country and ruler of Abu Dhabi, whilst His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum rules over Dubai.
Due to its vast oil resources, Abu Dhabi is considerably the wealthiest Emirate, whereas Dubai is the tourist hub and is far more multicultural being home to people from more than 200 nationalities.
89% of UAE’s population of 10 million are ex pats. The largest ethnic community are Indian’s and Pakistani’s who constitute 28% and 13% of the population, whilst Bangladeshi’s make up 7%. Incredibly, native Emiratis only constitute a measly 11%.
It’s not hard to see why people eulogise over the way that this country is governed when there is a stable and well-developed economy where income tax isn’t levied on individuals. Only foreign banks and companies that extract oil, natural gas, and other minerals are obliged to pay taxes.
On the other hand, there are extremely strict laws. To name just a few, public displays of affection are frowned upon, women are required to dress modestly when in public areas like shopping malls and to wear a abaya & shayla when in a mosque and alcohol can only be consumed in hotels and licensed establishments.
Flying to Dubai
After a 23-hour day, we eventually arrived at our apartment-style hotel situated on the Dubai Marina at 06:30 AM. Dubai is an extremely widespread city with poor transport links, so it’s impossible to pinpoint a central location.
It took two hours to leave Dubai International Airport when we arrived from our 9-hour flight from Singapore via Doha because our luggage was the last off the conveyor belt. Our bags were then randomly selected to be searched.
Day One: Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo + At The Top Burj Khalifa Viewpoint & Palm Fountain Display
We set our alarms for midday knowing full well we would be jet lagged and tired, but we didn’t want to waste any spare second with this being our last week.
From the Marina, it was a 25-minute Uber ride to the Dubai Mall – the second biggest in the world attracting a whopping 100,000,000+ people each year. This huge complex in the ‘Downtown’ area of the city is where several of the main attractions are.
You’re going to get sick of me saying UAE has the largest of this and the first of that because the country has a habit of building the very best of everything in the world. It wouldn’t surprise me if the country has its name in half of the Guinness Book of Records!
The first attraction we checked out was the Aquarium and Underground Zoo in the Dubai Mall where an ‘Ultimate Experience’ ticket set us back 299 AED / £68 p/p.
To be fair, this included a behind the scenes and glass boat tour, as well as entry to the 270 degree underwater viewing tunnel, penguin cove, an interactive platform and four 20 AED / £5 vouchers to use at the cafe and in the retail shop.
Seeing 80,000 fish over 140 different species in a 10-million-litre tank was a very enjoyable experience. I particularly liked watching the hundreds of manta rays and sawfish who just by happened to share the same name as my Mum – Sheena.
Afterwards, Emily purchased the most expensive Kinder Bueno doughnut she will ever eat in her life for £8.50. Naively, we hadn’t yet come to terms with the exchange rate. Nonetheless, I will never let her live to forget that!
UAE might not have the world’s biggest mall or Aquarium, but it does boast the tallest skyscraper. At a towering 830m, the Burj Khalifa dominants the city skyline trumping it’s nearest competitors – Kuala Lumpur’s Warisan Merdeka Tower at 679m and Tokyo Skytree at 634m (both of which we’ve been to).
The views from the outdoor observation terrace on the 124th floor at 456 metres high overlooking the ever-growing skyline were very, very impressive.
(You can pay 553 AED / £124 p/p for the premium ‘At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY’, ticket which enables you to relax in a public lounge and take in the views from the 148th floor at 585 metres. However, we thought paying 244 AED / £55 for the general admission ticket was steep enough.
Before heading back to the Marina, we watched a short three minute dancing waterfall performance from the Palm Fountain in front of the now illuminated Burj Khalifa. You’ll never have guessed, this is the world’s tallest performing fountain.
Day Two: Abu Dhabi Day Trip
Just over an hour away from Dubai is the capital of UAE, Abu Dhabi. We originally allocated two nights here, but when we looked at more detail into the main sightseeing attractions, we realised it was possible to see almost everything in an 8-hour day trip from Dubai.
As always, we looked at the best reviews on GetYourGuide to decide which tour operator to book with and in the end decided on a company called OceanAir Travels.
The first point of call was a visit to Qasr Al Watan – The Presidential Palace. This is a working mosque used only for business with government officials. I could feel the grandeur as soon as we entered the grounds. The structure and open halls echo its significance in Emirati culture.
In one hallway was a huge chandelier made up of Swarovski crystals hanging above a large gold sculpture labelled as ‘The Power of Words’. In another room was a library with books and resources piled high.
Outside was equally as impressive with a fountain and huge sprawling green gardens overlooking the city. We made the most of snapping photos at this picture-perfect location.
A 5-minute drive later led us to the Etihad Towers. Here, we we went up to Observation Deck at 300m to get amazing panoramic views of the skyline and Fairmont Marina Hotel – a lookalike to the iconic Atlantis Hotel on the manmade Palm Jumeirah island in Dubai.
Our final attraction was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque comprising 82 domes, 24 carat-gold chandelier and the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet. Em had worn suitable clothes to adhere to the beliefs in religion, but she was also required to wear a hijab in order to cover her hair.
If we hadn’t have already seen the Taj Mahal in India, we would have been completely blown away by this building. The white Greek and Macedonian marble laid throughout was blinding.
Day Three: Infinity Des Lumières Art Exhibition & Dubai Frame
With time on our hands, we decided to have more of a relaxed day. We headed back to the Dubai Mall to have a look around the Infinity Des Lumières Art Exhibition – an immersive experience inspired by the work of Gaudí, Kandinsky and Klee.
Standing tall at 150m, we then went to the Dubai Frame in Zabeel Park for more views of the city’s famous skyline.
Day Four: Desert Safari
One of the best highlights from our time in Dubai. We decided to book onto OceanAir Travels’ small group Desert Safari tour for 415 AED / £95 p/p because we enjoyed their day trip to Abu Dhabi so much.
Ziad, our tour guide picked us up in a 4×4 Toyota Land Cruiser at 08:30 AM and then we made our way over to the Lahbab Desert which was around an hour away.
The first thing on the itinerary was to hit the gas on quad-bikes at speeds of up to 50 km/h for 20-30 minutes on the undulating dunes across the desert in a sectioned off area. This was good fun because we had free rein.
It wasn’t the first time we had quad biked on sand dunes before. We did it on Stockton Beach in Port Stephens, Australia, but on that occasion we were required to follow a guide. To read more about that, click here.
Our next experience was dune bashing / off roading. To be honest, I thought we would have done this for a longer than 15 minutes and been thrown around in the back of the 4×4 more than what we were, but it was still a good laugh.
We then tried sandboarding but didn’t have the confidence to strap the board to our feet. Instead, we shuffled down the golden dunes on our bum. Em and I then proceeded to roll around in the sand.
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Al Khayma camp. Here, we enjoyed a BBQ dinner before going on a camel ride, holding a falcon, putting on traditional desert attire (where I pretended to be a King). Emily also had time to get a henna tattoo.
In the evening, we got walked along the Marina and got a closer look of Ain Dubai, the world’s largest ferris wheel from Marina Beach.
Day Five – Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour & Sky Glass Slide
For those that are regular readers of my travel diary blog posts, you’ll know that we love a city bus tour because we find it’s the best way of seeing the main sights. 1-day tickets cost 260 AED / £60, which was reasonably priced considering Dubai’s extortionate prices.
By now, we’d seen most of the iconic landmarks already except from the Palm Jameirah – a tree-shaped archipelago of artificial islands spanning 5km. Unbelievably, this can be seen from space.
It is at the end of the Palm where the 5* Atlantis Hotel is situated. Prices to spend the night here start at a cool £555.
We also thought we should venture out of the Marina and Downtown areas to see the different Souk’s (Arabian markets/bazaar’s in the Old Town of Dubai).
Described as being ‘one of the latest and most popular attractions in the city’, later we went on the 25m-long ‘Glass Slide‘ on the 53rd floor of the Sky View Tower. Sliding 25 metres down one floor was never worth 80 AED / £18 p/p. The experience was over in a flash!
Day Six: The View at the Palm, Marina Beach & Emirates Topgolf Driving Range
Today, we decided it would be a good idea to get 360 degree views from 240 metres high of the Arabian Gulf, city skyline and predominantly Palm Jumeirah from The View at the Palm. Expedia quoted this luxurious area as being ‘one of the world’s must-see architectural wonders’. I can see why.
Afterwards, we made the most of the sunshine by sunbathing on Marina Beach. In the evening, we ate at an Italian on the Marina and then used E-scooters to get back to the apartment.
Soon after, we headed over to Topgolf – a driving range with 96 bays overlooking the skyline. Surprisingly, this was an activity Em and I had never done together.
When we arrived at 21:30 PM, there was a two-hour minimum wait so we played games in the arcade and then watched Liverpool in the bar. I was gobsmacked when the barman charged us £28 for two ciders!
Whacking golf balls using a wide variety of different clubs from drivers to irons to sand wedges with such a stunning backdrop was another really fun experience, albeit we were both absolutely dreadful!
Day Seven: Yacht Tour
What better way to round off our once in a lifetime travelling adventure than spending the afternoon on a three-hour luxury yacht tour with a company called Xclusive Yachts around the shores of Dubai for 720 AED / £164.
Over three hours we sailed by Ain Dubai, Atlantis Hotel and Burj Al Arab, the famous 7* hotel where prices start at £1438 p/night. The photographer on board tried selling us a bundle for £55 but our photos were just as good! We never did get the nack of haggling a price down.
Our flight out of Dubai to Doha wasn’t until 23:50 PM, so we enjoyed one final meal at one of our favourite restaurant chains, Black Tap.
The flight from Doha to London Heathrow in the middle of the night was long. By the time we arrived back in the U.K., it was 06:30 AM with the -4 hour time difference. We were absolutely exhausted but still had one more flight to Manchester at 09:30 AM.
We managed to travel around the world without a hitch when it came to our luggage, but Em’s suitcase didn’t make it on the final stretch. Luckily, it was on the next flight out of Heathrow, which meant it was able to be delivered to her front door the next day.
Greeting my Mum at Manchester Airport and giving her a huge hug for the first time in four months was a lovely moment, but it was perhaps even more special for Emily who hadn’t seen her parents for the whole time we were away.
As Dr Suess once quoted: “don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened.”
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95. Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
The penultimate travel diary blog post. Our epic 10 month adventure travelling to 18 countries around the world is coming to an end, but we still had five nights in Singapore (officially the Republic of Singapore) and a week in Dubai to enjoy before flying home.
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore’s airport has been voted as one of the best in the world for years and it’s not hard to see why. There is so much you can do here, and a lot is free.
As soon as we landed from Krabi in Thailand, we walked straight over to Jewel – a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex housing the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.
Stretching over seven floors with water cascading down from the dome-shaped roof at a towering height of 40m, the HSBC ‘Rain Vortex’ is an absolutely spectacular piece of architecture.
Singapore Flyer
Having five full days to explore was a welcome change in not having to cram everything into a short period of time, but it was probably two too many.
This afternoon, we walked from our hotel located on Bencoolen St past CHIJMES and the Raffles Hotel (famous for founding the Singapore Sling cocktail) to the Marina Promenade.
We’ve been on the High Roller, (the world’s tallest giant observation wheel) in Las Vegas, the London Eye (first ever big wheel) and now the Singapore Flyer, Asia’s tallest observation wheel at 165m.
Tickets cost $40 SGD / £25 p/p to see panoramic views over the Marina Bay district and city skyline.
Back to the airport!
You may wonder why we chose to go back to Singapore Changi Airport today considering we weren’t due to leave for another few days, but we decided to be big kids and check out the Canopy Park because the weather was dumpy.
From luxury designer outlets, Michelin star restaurants and the Canopy Park, there is so much to do at Jewel. It’s no wonder this is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Singapore.
We purchased Bundle Deal 2 for $54 SGD / £34 p/p which included entry to the Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls, Petal Garden, Topiary Walk, Mastercard® Canopy Bridge, Hedge Maze, Mirror Maze, Walking Net and Bouncing Net. Overall, this was excellent value for money.
I particularly enjoyed bouncing around on the nets, getting lost in the two mazes and watching the tram pass through Jewel from the Canopy Bridge.
This evening, we headed over to Clifford Pier at Merlion Park for more amazing views of the Marina Bay district.
We then walked around to the unmissable Marina Bay Sands – a Las Vegas style luxury hotel complex complete with a state of the art casino, more luxury designer outlets, Michelin star restaurants and the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool.
Em suggested eating at a restaurant chain called Black Tap. We dined here in Las Vegas and really enjoyed the food and the CrazyShake® milkshakes. They were just as good as the first time.
Big Bus Sightseeing
From exploring 30 countries across five continents, we’ve found that one of the best ways of exploring a big, widespread city is via a sightseeing tour with the hop-on, hop-off Big Bus Tours company.
A 1-day ticket for $61 / £38 p/p enabled us to ride on both the red and yellow routes. To begin with, we travelled along the yellow line. This passed by the city’s most iconic sights including Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Suntec City, Singapore Flyer, Raffles Hotel and the Botanic Gardens.
After lunching at EggSlut – another favourite food chain of ours, we then hopped off to have a look around Chinatown, Hadji Lane and Little India on the red route before getting the MRT (mass rapid transit) back to our hotel.
Using public transport is most definitely the way to travel in Singapore primarily because it’s the most expensive country in the world to own a car. This is largely as a result of taxes aimed at discouraging car ownership. According to Guinness World Records, the average price of a car costs $84,412 / £64,359.
Vehicle owners must also obtain a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) to register and drive in Singapore for a period of 10 years. Unbelievably, this can cost anywhere between $70,000 – $100,000 extra.
You won’t find many cars on the road older than a decade because they have to be de-registered (unless the owner is willing to pay a huge surcharge).
This evening, we got the train to Bayfront to watch the ‘Garden Rhapsody‘ performed at Supertree Grove – part of Gardens by the Bay, one of Asia’s premier horticultural destinations. This was a real spectacle of light and sound. We enjoyed the show so much we went back to watch it again an hour later.
Afterwards, we tried looking around the lavish 15,000-square metre casino inside the Marina Bay Sands complex. However, this was harder to get into than Fort Knox. You needed your passport and proof of address. We came back the day after.
Gardens by the Bay – Cloud Forest, Flower Dome & Marina Bay Sands Skydeck
This afternoon, we went back to the Supertree Grove to walk along the 128m long OCBC Skyway suspended at 22m above the ground. The views of Singapore’s most iconic hotel and ‘Supertrees’ were amazing.
We then bought a combo ticket for $53 SGD / £33 p/p to check out the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.
The Cloud Forest was the highlight of the two. I’m not particularly a lover of nature, but I really enjoyed seeing all of the plant life around the 35-metre tall ‘Cloud Mountain’.
There was also an Avatar theme throughout the Forest. One of the experiences involved stepping into a simulator which turned us into indigenous Na’vi characters and the other involved riding a banshee.
Admittedly, we didn’t spend half as long looking at the thousand-year old olive trees, magnolias and orchids across five continents in the Flower Dome – the World’s Largest Glass Greenhouse.
To end our time in Singapore, we went up to the Skypark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands for the most incredible views of the city skyline.
We missed our flight…
But it wasn’t our fault! Our travel agent forgot to reschedule our cancelled Sri Lankan Airways flights departing Singapore at 09:00 AM to Dubai via Colombo.
Instead, we spent most of the day in the airport waiting for our eight hour flight at 20:25 PM to Dubai via Doha with Qatar Airways.
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
Koh Samui was next on our island hopping experience in Thailand, the second largest island in the country.
To read about our time on the east coast of Thailand, click this link.
Ao Nang > Koh Samui
It was a long eight hour journey by various modes of transport including minibus, ferry and Tuc Tuc to get from Ao Nang to our hotel in the Chaweng district of Koh Samui – the most developed area on the island.
We booked a half-day trip to see 12 pigs on the aptly named ‘Pig Island‘ on our first full day, but unfortunately it was cancelled in the morning due to bad weather at sea.
You probably think of the Bahamas when you picture these feral farm animals swimming in the sea and on the beach, but Thailand has its own version on the island of Koh Madsum.
Having to quickly change our plans, we decided to save a bit of money and lounge by the beach in hammocks for the rest of the day.
Our tour guide picked us up in a 4×4 army Jeep and then drove to the first sightseeing destination, the natural phenomenonHin Ta & Hin Yai (Grandmother and Grandfather) Rocks. Without being too crude, one of the rocks looked rather like a male body part…
I learnt more about Thai Buddhism in the next 5 minutes than I did throughout our time in South East Asia. The guide explained that Thai men over the age of 21 have a choice to make when it comes to serving in the army.
He explained they can either volunteer for six months, become a monk, OR take their chances with an annual lottery draw where the man has to pick one of four cards out of a bucket blindfolded.
If they draw a black card, they skip military service, but if they choose a red card then they have to serve in the army for two years. I think I’d be willing to take the risk.
The Jeep was then cranked into 4WD as we made our way to the Na Muang Waterfall in the jungle. This wasn’t anything special, but it was so refreshing to go for a swim.
After lunch, we had a brief stop at the Secret Buddha Garden, a private sculpture park built by a local Samui fruit farmer in 1976.
Before setting off to Wat Teepangkorn, a standing Buddha overlooking Koh Samui at one of the highest points on the island, we were given water pistols to spray at people along the way in the other jeeps, which was such good fun. Everyone was wet through by the time we reached the top of the mountain.
The views from the top of Pom Mountain would have been amazing on a clearer day. On the way back down we were thrown left, right and centre because we sat above the drivers seat which was also a really good laugh.
To end what was a thoroughly enjoyable day, we saw Wat Phra Yai – Koh Samui’s Big Buddha temple and Wat Plai Laem – modern Buddhist temples which incorporate elements of Chinese and Thai traditions.
Koh Samui > Koh Tao
The day after we got the Lomprayah Ferry over to Koh Tao where we were staying for the next three nights. Our studio apartment in the mountains had stunning views of Sairee Beach – the main tourist hub on the island.
In the afternoon, we had a look around and then watched one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen from Fishbowl Beach Bar. The colours were out of this world, almost as if the sky was on fire.
Koh Nang Yuan Snorkelling Trip
Koh Tao is the smallest island in Thailand, yet it was one of my favourites. There isn’t a great deal to see but backpackers flock here to become PADI Certified. Em started working towards this scuba diving qualification at home before we left but couldn’t quite finish the course in time.
Because of the abundance of tropical coral reefs in the area, we thought it would be a good idea to book onto a full day snorkelling trip for 800 THB / £19 p/p.
The day began with a visit to Koh Nang Yuan Island around 800m off the north west coast of Koh Tao. Here, we went on a a short 20-minute hike to a viewpoint to get panoramic views of the clear blue water and white connecting sandbar. The view was what you would see on a Thailand postcard. Simply stunning.
We spent the rest of the afternoon snorkelling at five different open water locations. To be honest, I struggled with this because we had to swim a considerable distance from the boat to get to the coral.
Watch below to see a time-lapse video of the sunset from the balcony of our room.
Koh Tao > Koh Phangan
Another day spent travelling. Checkout was at 11:00 AM this morning and the ferry to Koh Phangan didn’t depart until 15:00 PM so we made the decision to chill on Sairee Beach.
By the time we arrived at our hotel in the Haad Rin area of Koh Phangan at 17:30 PM, the day was nearly over. We decided it would be a good idea to have a quiet night in because we had a busy day ahead tomorrow.
Ang Thong National Marine Park
We looked at going on a day trip to Mu Ko Ang Thong Marine Park – an archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand consisting of 42 islands from Koh Samui, but we prioritised the 4×4 Wild Jungle Safari instead.
It was an ideal opportunity to visit the Marine Park today on a day trip with Orion Cruises for 4200 THB / £104 because we had nothing else planned in Koh Phangan (other than the Full Moon Party later tonight).
It took just shy of two hours to sail over to Koh Wao – one of the most northerly islands in the archipelago where we had 45 minutes to snorkel. I preferred it here because the spot was in an enclosed bay.
A short, steep climb to see the Emerald Lagoon surrounded by limestone cliffs on Koh Mae Koh island from above was next on the agenda. On one side, you could see the lagoon and on the other, you could see a selection of the islands.
After taking in the views, we then kayaked from Ao Ka Beach to another area of Koh Mae Koh. This was a challenge because the oars were so bloody heavy.
Before setting sail back to Koh Phangan we went on a challenging 50-minute hike up 714 steps on Koh Wua Talap Island to the most spectacular viewpoint overlooking Ang Thong Marine Park.
Honestly, this was one of the best hikes I’ve ever been on. The view was UNREAL.
Koh Phangan Full Moon Party
Koh Phangan is famous for hosting the biggest party event in Asia – the monthly Full Moon Party where around 20,000 visitors flock from all over the world to party on Haad Rin Beach. We planned our South East Asia travelling itinerary around experiencing this…and it didn’t disappoint!
We paid 400 THB / £10 for the entry wristband; 500 THB / £12.50 for merchandise to wear and take home as memorabilia, as well as an additional 600 THB / £15 to have UV body paint splattered onto our arm.
At 22:00 PM, we started fighting our way down the side streets to get onto beach. I’ve never seen so many people drunk in the same place at one time. It was carnage.
It didn’t take long for a cocktail bucket to be in our hands. I’d learnt my lesson from the mistake I made in the Phi Phi Islands of just how lethal these buckets are. Two was more than enough for me to enjoy the night!
Just by chance, we happened to bump into Elizabeth and Imogen around 00:30 PM – the two sisters from London who we’d met at the Chai Lai Orchid Elephant Sanctuary near Chiang Mai, so we spent the rest of the night with them.
By now we’d been up for 18 hours. I knew we ran the risk of burning out, although I thought we’d be able to power through.
Em, being the young spring chicken she is at 25 felt fine. On the other hand, I was exhausted. I told myself that I’d only be here once, but I could only muster up the energy to last for another hour or so. Eventually, we stumbled back to our hotel room around 03:30 AM.
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but we slept in until 14:00 PM the next day and then sweated off the hangover whilst lounging by the pool. I guess we must have just really needed the sleep!
…and with that comes an end to our Thailand Island Hopping experience. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the incredible time we’ve had. Next, we fly from Krabi to Singapore where we’ll spend the next five nights.
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
Renown for beautiful beaches, Big Buddha, markets and crazy nightlife on Bangla Road, Phuket in the Andaman Sea was our next point of call.
Our task was to see as much as possible of the biggest island in Thailand in one day because we only had 24 hours spare to explore the mainland.
Phuket Sightseeing, Ladyboy Cabaret & Bangla Road
We caught the first flight out of Chiang Mai at 06:00 AM, landed in Phuket by 08:15 AM and had checked into our hotel near Karon Beach by 10:30 AM. We’d been awake now for six hours, but didn’t have anytime to waste.
To begin what was an exhausting day, we got some breakfast and then booked a Grab to the Big Buddha overlooking the province. We could see the 45-metre statue on the drive, but it was huge close up.
Admittedly, we didn’t spend too long here before heading to the Old Town about an hour away. Em had read that this area of Phuket was worth visiting, but we found that there wasn’t a great deal to do or see.
By now it was 14:30 PM and we were both knackered from what little sleep we’d had and from the weather sapping our energy further. I much prefer the heat and humidity in the north of Thailand. At times it’s almost unbearable in the middle of the day.
In the evening, we thought it would be a good idea to pay 2000 THB / £50 to go and see the 21:00 PM ladyboy Cabaret show at Simon’s Cabaret in Patong.
I won’t beat around the bush, it was bloody awful. The dancers were out of sync, the singing was all lip synched and the performance was generally half-hearted (I think because it was the last performance of the night, but that shouldn’t have mattered).
To be fair, we’ve seen our fair share of spectacular shows like Chicago, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and the Lion King to name just a few over the years, so perhaps it was just our high standards.
It would have been rude to have not walked down Bangla Road whilst we were here. I thought Khao San Road and Soi Cowboy in Bangkok were extreme, but this strip was on another level! I understand now why it gets the reputation it does as being the most notorious street in Phuket.
There were a plethora of bars including go-go, live music, rooftop and nightclubs all lined along the 400m stretch of road. When we started mingling amongst the crowds, we were bombarded with people trying to get us to see their ‘ping pong show’.
You can Google that if you want to find out the true meaning of what this really was. I’ll give you a clue, it was 18+ and had nothing to do with table tennis!
Conveniently, it just so happened that Arsenal were playing United at 23:00 PM, so we had a few drinks watching the match and then called it a night.
By the end of the day, we’d spent over £50 in taxi and Tuc-Tuc fares. It’s a myth when people say Thailand is cheap.
Yo could possibly live off $30 p/day but only if you were to stay in a dorm hostel room eating local street food and to not travel or do anything fun. We found that both Bali and Thailand were very overrated in price.
Day Trip to James Bond Island & Floating Muslim Village
Ever seen Roger Moore star as James Bond in The Man with the Golden Gun? If so, you’ll recognise what is one of Thailand’s most famous beaches.
Situated northeast off the coast of Phuket is Khao Phing Kan in Ao Phang-Nga National Park, better known as James Bond Island. The iconic islet towering 20 metres above the seabed is called Ko Ta Pu, which is what you’ll recognise the film by.
We paid 2000 THB to go on a day trip to James Bond Island, a floating Muslim village, and a load of other islands in the vicinity including, Hong, Naka and Panak Island with Thai Adventure Club on GetYourGuide.
The day started when we were picked up promptly at 08:00 AM from outside our hotel. By 11:00 AM, we’d arrived at James Bond Island and had 45 minutes to get the best instagram shots.
It was ridiculously busy and there was a queuing system in place to get your photos, but I didn’t expect anything else. I played aloud one of the world’s most recognisable theme tunes by John Barry whilst we did our best Bond impersonations.
Next, we visited a floating Muslim village on Ko Panyi which is famous for its floating football pitch where Panyee FC, one of the most successful youth teams play. There’s even a fully functional school.
We’ve been to several floating villages in South East Asia, but none were as big as this. The locals live here permanently and rely heavily on tourists spending money on their handicrafts to make a living.
Later, a local guide kayaked Em and I into the tiniest of crevices in ancient caves on Hong Island. The towering limestone cliffs provided a spectacular backdrop. When I picture Thailand, this is what I imagine.
t/sdcard/DCIM/101GOPRO/GOPR1202
t/sdcard/DCIM/101GOPRO/GOPR1246
t/sdcard/DCIM/101GOPRO/GOPR1278
t/sdcard/DCIM/101GOPRO/GOPR1266
t/sdcard/DCIM/101GOPRO/GOPR1235
t/sdcard/DCIM/101GOPRO/GOPR1212
t/sdcard/DCIM/101GOPRO/GOPR1206
t/sdcard/DCIM/101GOPRO/GOPR1240
Before heading back to the pier, we were given 75 minutes on Naka Island. I made the most of this time to take a nap after a full on day.
The only negative was how long it took to get back to our hotel. Unfortunately, we had drawn the short straw and got put with the stragglers staying on the other side of the island. Instead of taking an hour to get back, it took closer to three.
Partying on Koh Phi Phi / Phi Phi Islands
This morning we headed over on a speedboat to Ko Phi Phi with a bunch of other ravellers looking to party. There were some families but I’d say the vast majority were going (like us) to experience the nightlife. Like Vegas, this island came alive at night.
We scouted out the beach bars lined along Loh Dalum Beach in the afternoon and then started day drinking at the Ibiza Beach Club. You wouldn’t have got any sleep if you were staying at this hostel (or any others in the area for that matter)!
In the evening, we had a lovely meal at ACQUA – the highest rated restaurant on TripAdvisor and then went back to the strip.
I remember sinking four buckets full to the brim of cheap cocktails between us in Slinky, Stones and Blancos (which came highly recommended by Josh and Tim – the two trainee tour guides on our Bali tour who had worked here for three months), but the rest of the night is a blur to be honest.
You haven’t had a great time if you didn’t end up throwing everything back up in the hotel toilet, right? That was me. Emily had to look after me and put me to bed.
The day after was a write off, not only from nursing the worst possible hangover but also from the torrential rain falling throughout the day.
Day trip to Maya Bay & Pi Leh Lagoon
One of the most popular day trips from either the Phi Phi Islands or Phuket is a visit to another of Thailand’s most famous beaches, Maya Bay. If you’ve ever watched Leonardo DiCaprio star in The Beach before, then you’ll definitely recognise this location.
We paid 1400 THB / £35 p/p to go on a snorkelling and sunset day trip departing from Koh Phi Phi at 11:00 AM. The first stops were at Monkey Beach (there were literally only three monkeys) and Rantee Bay – our first snorkelling location of the day.
Over lunch we relaxed on Bamboo Island’s golden sandy beach where I spent the next hour watching the world go by. Later, we snorkelled again at Loh Samah Bay. Here, we came across a school of fish all chasing each other. God knows what they were doing.
We then jumped off the boat to swim around the stunning inlet of Pi Leh Lagoon. The water here was a mesmerising emerald colour.
The highlight of the day came when we went around to Maya Bay. The beach was incredibly busy when we arrived, but by 17:00 PM it was much more bearable. We took dozens of photos and in the end were happy with at least a few! Leonardo DiCaprio eat your heart out.
To finish what was a thoroughly enjoyable day, the captain moored the boat at the top of Maya Bay for us to watch what was another incredible sunset.
By now it was dark and getting cold, but Em took up the opportunity of going back into the water to snorkel with plankton. She described how she felt like she was “swimming with fairies”.
Ko Phi Phi > Ao Nang
Today, we got a speed boat from Ko Phi Phi to Ao Nang, a resort town in Krabi Province where we spent the next couple of nights. This was a welcome change from partying on the Phi Phi Islands.
In the afternoon, I sunbathed in 30+ºC heat on Ao Nang Beach whilst Em got a full body massage. I’ve never been fussed on getting one at home or in South East Asia, but most people (including Emily) rave about them.
Railay Beach
On our last day before leaving for the islands on the east coast of Thailand, we got a long-tail boat over to Railay Beach, a small peninsula between Krabi and Ao Nang. This is one of the most beautiful beaches we’ve set foot on.
I’m really glad we hired a kayak for an hour in order to paddle around some of the limestone cliffs because the backdrop everywhere we looked was insane.
In Part II of our Thailand Island Hopping experience, we’ll spend three nights on Koh Samui, Koh Tao and finally on Ko Pha Ngan – in time for the monthly full moon party!
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
Famous for ancient temples and elephant rescue sanctuaries, the mountainous city of Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand was next on our South East Asia itinerary.
Chiang Mai (meaning ‘New City‘ in Thai) is steeped in history with 75 temples within the city walls. This popular backpacking destination was only founded in 1296 when it succeeded Chiang Rai to become capital of the ancient Lanna Kingdom.
If you’d like to read my most recent blog post on our week exploring Luang Prabang and Vientiane in Laos, click here.
The ‘Old City’
We’ve seen our fair share of temples in Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, but arguably none were more beautiful than the golden colours on the viharn houses and wats in Chiang Mai.
As soon as we arrived, we dropped our bags at the hotel and headed to the Si Phum district. Our first stop was to walk through the pigeon infested Tha Phae Gate – one of the five gates to enter the Old City.
Soon after, we looked around the grounds of Wat Chedi Luang – a Buddhist temple towering over the city at 282 ft high before picturing the neighbouring colourful mosaics of Wat Phan Tao and Three Kings Monument – a sculpture of the purported founding fathers of Chiang Mai.
Adding to our already high step count, we then admired the beauty of Wat Inthakhin Sadue Muang – a small Buddhist temple with traditional Lanna architecture.
Our final stop was at Wat Phra Singh Waramahavihan. This classic Lanna style temple which houses the famous Lion Buddha statue in the Gilded Hall.
Chai Lai Orchid Elephant Sanctuary
Two of our four days in Chiang Mai were spent at the amazing Chai Lai Orchid Elephant Sanctuary in Mae Wang National Park around a two hour drive away. Em was in her element for this and had been talking about it for weeks in the build up to us going. When travelling in Thailand, this really is a must-do experience.
We spent hours researching different elephant sanctuaries around the region making sure that the one we chose was ethical. Sadly, there are still businesses that use chains and hooks on the elephants as well as offering rides.
Some people may argue that coming into contact (in particular feeding and bathing elephants) is unethical, but we would say this isn’t doing anything they don’t do already by themselves.
Generally, elephants are used to human interaction because they have already been domesticated, by for example, being put to work in the logging industry, so unfortunately there isn’t any possibility of them being reintroduced into the wild.
We paid 7000 THB / £170 to go on a private 1-day Elephant Jungle Expedition and an additional 2000 THB / £50 to stay overnight in a Bamboo Bungalow Hideaway in the lush tropical forest of the Himalayan Mountain Range, homeland of the Pga k’ nyau indigenous people.
To start what was an unforgettable day, a local guide from the Lahu hill tribe community took us down the lazy Mae Wang River on a traditional bamboo raft using a bamboo paddle.
Next, our Chai Lai Orchid guide chopped down bamboo for us to use as a walking stick as we hiked through jungle terrain to the Mae Wang Waterfall.
Here, we spent the next couple of hours preparing a Thai jungle village lunch using bamboo as a cooking aid. I had BBQ chicken whilst Em enjoyed vegetable soup, fried rice and mango sticky rice for pudding.
Later in the afternoon, we headed back to Chai Lai Orchid for our one-on-one encounter with the elephants.
Dozens of freshly cut bananas in a bucket had already been prepared for us to hand feed Haroon and Meena – two of the elephants out of the 11 in total at the paddock. This was a magical experience.
They took the pieces out of the palm of our hands at such an astonishingly fast rate, almost like a hoover. Hardly surprising given nearly 80% of an elephants day is spent feeding. The bananas barely touched the 150kg of food they need to eat everyday!
To finish, we walked with them down to the river. We then stripped off and joined Haroon in the freezing cold water where we helped her to bathe.
After snapping so many pictures, we hiked back up to Chai Lai Orchid and enjoyed happy hour cocktails with the most amazing views before checking into our hideaway which also had stunning panoramic valley views.
In the evening, we got talking to Elizabeth and Imogen – two sisters from London who had just started travelling in South East Asia. They picked our brains over the next few hours on our travelling highlights, the best areas to stay and top places to see.
Elephant wake-up call & Muay Thai Boxing
This morning, we woke to the sound of elephants trumpeting from the jungle. No need for an alarm! (Can’t forget the village roosters clucking too).
After falling back to sleep for a while, we were then woken again, this time by a mahout knocking at our door with another bucket of chopped bananas to feed Seaway, his elephant.
We had arranged with reception yesterday for us to have what they described as an ‘elephant wake-up call’. Hand feeding an elephant from a bed in a bungalow made from bamboo is a pretty cool way to start a day! Emily’s bear, Henry helped us out.
Reluctantly, we left Chai Lai Orchid Elephant Sanctuary at 13:00 PM and were back in Chiang Mai for around 15:00 PM. In the evening we met back up with Elizabeth and Imogen to go and watch Muay Thai at the Kalare Night Bazaar Boxing Stadium.
Unlike normal boxing, fighters can use their fists, elbows, knees and shins – almost a bit like our version of UFC. Collectively, we made the decision to pay 1050 THB / £26 for ringside seats. It’s not often you can do that for such little money!
In one bout, a young Thai boxer was KO’d after being caught with a nasty left hook to the temple, whilst in another, the referee had to step in to stop the fight. The sisters weren’t too keen on what they were witnessing, but it was a form of the sport at its brutal best.
Wat Prathat Doi Suthep & Wat Phra That Doi Kham
On our last day in Chiang Mai, we ventured out of the city to see two beautiful temples in the mountains.
More commonly referred to as ‘Doi Suthep’ because of the hill in which it’s located, Wat Prathat Doi Suthep was an hour drive away. The temple is marked by seven-headed serpent statues that line the stairs and is one the most important in Chiang Mai. The view overlooking the city was equally as impressive.
Built towards the end of the 7th century, Wat Phra That Doi Kham or ‘Temple of the Golden Mountain‘ is perched on Doi Kham hill, which was a further 45 minutes drive away. Here, the most noticeable feature was another huge buddha standing at 17m tall.
I would have liked to have hiked up to Doi Inthanon – the highest peak in Thailand but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time.
Next, we begin our island hopping adventure in Thailand by exploring Phuket, James Bond Island, Koh Phi Phi and Ao Nang.
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
Laos wasn’t originally on our travelling itinerary but it made sense to visit because the country shares a border with Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, (as well as Myanmar and China). It was only an hour flight from Hanoi to the capital of Laos, Vientiane.
Unfortunately, we only had one week to spare which meant we had to miss out on visiting Luang Namtha, Nong Khiaw, Pakse, Thakhek and Vang Vieng.
If you’d like to read about the 10 days we spent in Vietnam beforehand, click this link.
Vientiane
I can see why Vientiane is often less frequented by backpackers who are travelling around South East Asia because to be honest, there isn’t much going on.
In hindsight, spending three nights here was too long because we saw everything we wanted to see on our first day. However, it meant we could enjoy some downtime at the hotel and plan for the next part of our travels in Chaing Mai, Phuket and the Thai Islands.
In soaring 32°C heat, we checked out Wat Ong Teu Mahawihan (one of many Buddhist monasteries in the city) and the Presidential Palace before admiring The Patuxai Monument – a ‘Victory Gate’ built between 1957-1968 which was dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France.
Later in the afternoon, we got a Tuc-Tuc to see the most important monument in Laos – the Pha That Luang gold-covered Buddhist stupa, which is regarded as being the national symbol of the country.
Luang Prabang / Louangphrabang
This mountainous UNESCO protected town was much more touristy with lots more backpackers, but it never felt too busy. This time, three nights was an ideal amount of time to explore around the ancient capital of Laos on foot and to see the beautiful Kuang Si Waterfalls.
On our first full day, we walked alongside the Nam Khan River to Wat Xieng Thong – ‘monastery of the golden city‘ built under the rule of King Setthatirath, and then ate lunch overlooking the Mekong River. It looked far less polluted than in Vietnam.
We then ambled around the Royal Palace where I took a nasty tumble onto the palm of my hand after slipping on wet cement when entering the grounds. That wasn’t the last or worst of my injuries of our time in Laos…
In the evening, we hiked up Mount Phou Si, Luang Prabang’s sacred hill to see the sun slowly set behind the mountains. We’ve been truly spoilt to some incredible sunsets in our nine months travelling.
Before calling it a night, we ambled through the night market and then bought some extremely cheap Taiyaki – a pancake battered fish with a custard centre.
Alms Giving Ceremony
I made the decision to wake Em up to go and watch part of the Alms Giving Ceremony for sunrise because it was 05:00 AM and I still hadn’t slept a wink. It was something we’d spoken about doing, so she wasn’t completely surprised by me waking her in the middle of the night.
The ceremony is a longstanding 14th century tradition in Laos Buddhist culture where offerings are given by locals to monks, who depend on offerings for sustenance during the day.
Unfortunately, this daily ritual was also a spectacle for tourists. I felt rather intrusive approaching and then photographing the monks taking their alms.
Note to self: Never ride a moped again!
I’ll never forget what happened on our second day in Luang Prabang for the rest of my life. I thought it would be a good idea to hire a moped for $10 USD from our hotel so we could scoot over to the Kuang Si Waterfalls, around a 50-minute drive away.
I’d never ridden a moped before in my life, (Em hadn’t either) but I thought we’d pick it up straight away. How wrong was I!
Apparently, you don’t need a U.K or International drivers license to drive a moped in Laos. Our hotel manager explained that if we wore a helmet and drove at the speed limit then the authorities wouldn’t bother us.
After signing my signature on what very little paperwork was required, we were then given a very brief demonstration on how to operate the bike. I must admit, I felt nervous and not totally assured of what I was doing.
Nevertheless, I reversed back and went to set off by what I thought was a very slight twist of the accelerator. The next five or so seconds are a bit of a blur. I remember losing complete control instantly and zooming towards a parked car.
Clearly I hadn’t got to grips with how much acceleration to apply because I crashed into a family’s gate no more than 10 yards away, (thankfully avoiding the car). I was more embarrassed than anything because this happened opposite a restaurant with a dozen or so people enjoying their meal.
The next thing I remember is two elderly women rushing out of their home and screaming abuse at me. There was nothing I could do other than to apologise profusely.
I’d got a nasty open cut on my leg so I took myself away from the situation back to the hotel room to clean up and let Emily handle the chaos. In the end, we had to pay 1,180,000 Laotian Kip (LAK) / £57 to repair the damage to the bike, which was thankfully only cosmetic.
The problem was agreeing a fee with the family. Originally, they asked for a settlement of 3 million LAK because they said they would have to call out a monk to bless their house again and prepare food for his visit, as well as to repair the gate.
They were an extremely religious family and now considered their home to have ‘bad luck’ because I’d crashed the vehicle into their property. Our hotel manager had never heard of this before, but who were we to argue. By the end of the day, we agreed on 1,500,000 LAK / £72.
Kuang Si Waterfalls
Eventually, after a disastrous start to the day, we got over to the Kuang Si Waterfalls. We made the sensible decision to pay a Tuc-Tuc driver 400,000 LAK / £20 to take us their and back on what was an incredibly scenic journey.
To reach the waterfall, we walked through the Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre and then after a short climb reached the main three-tiered waterfall.
I can see why this is considered to be ‘the most beautiful masterpiece of nature in the whole country‘.
Before heading back, we had a swim in one of the pools. However, we weren’t in for too long because it was absolutely freezing.
A shorter blog post than usual, but that concludes our time in Laos.
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
Travelling through Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Hanoi is a well-trodden backpacking route, and it was one we were both thoroughly looking forward to embarking on. I’d only heard good things.
Once under Chinese domination for over 1,000 years, Vietnam is renown for its coffee, floating markets, motorbikes (two-thirds of households across the country own at least one), nón lá hats and rice terraces.
With much longer drives and flights far cheaper than in Cambodia, we opted to fly everywhere. It was no surprise that we bumped into people we had already met in Thailand and Cambodia along the way.
The Giant Ibis coaches we got across Cambodia culminated when we made the seven hour journey across the border from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, formally Saigon. One of the first things we discovered was that Saigon is more commonly used by Vietnamese nationals.
Vietnam was once two different countries, but following the conclusion of the North winning the Vietnam War, the country became unified in 1976. Mr Ho Chi Minh was leader of the North Vietnam and as a homage they changed the name of the Capital of the South to his name.
To put this into context, North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China and other communist states, while South Vietnam was supported by the U.S and other anti-communist allies.
Day One: Củ Chi Tunnels & Mekong Delta River Cruise – Ho Chi Minh City
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Saigon is undoubtedly the Củ Chi Tunnels. We combined this with a Mekong River Delta Cruise near Gò Công on an 11-hour day trip costing £46 p/p with a company called KIM TRAVEL.
Learning about the military techniques the Vietcong used to bamboozle and fight off the Americans was fascinating. The extensive underground tunnel systems that stretch all the way to the Cambodian border were genius. They didn’t stand a chance!
The sound of tourists firing gunshots from either an AK47, Carbine, K54, M16, M30 or M60 on the firing range was deafening. I would have liked to have sprayed a round, but there wasn’t enough time.
Crawling 100m through a tiny segment of the Củ Chi Tunnel was the highlight of the day. If you were claustrophobic, then this wasn’t for you!
From bayonets, pistols and sub machine guns to grenades, mines and bazooka rocket launchers, the arsenal of weapons on display was like imagining what it was like to be playing in a real life game of Call of Duty.
Mekong Delta
It was nearly a three hour drive to reach the Mekong Delta at Gò Công. The world’s twelfth longest river meanders through seven countries, starting in China, then through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia before flowing into the South China Sea in Vietnam.
Over the next couple of hours, we explored several islands and villages on the Mekong River – one of the most polluted rivers in the world. On one island, we were shown how coconuts are opened and how they make sweets before being offered gecko and snake wine. No thanks!
Later, we sampled local fruit and listened to a music performance before being rowed in a traditional sampan to a honey farm.
Day Two: Sightseeing in Saigon
Saigon doesn’t have an abundance of sights but there’s a few that are worth visiting.
The museum primarily documents the American War, but the French-colonial period and conflicts with China are also featured. As soon as you walk through the gates, you’re greeted with US armoured vehicles including tanks and fighter jets, artillery pieces, bombs and infantry weapons.
Inside the museum itself is three stories of extremely in-depth information on the First Indochina War and Vietnam War including about Agent Orange, a tactical herbicide/defoliant barbarically used by the U.S. military to clear leaves and vegetation for military operations.
It’s reported 400,000 people either died or were maimed as a result of the exposure with half a million babies being born with birth defects.
Day Three: Ba Na Hills, Đà Nẵng
Just a few hours after falling asleep, our alarm sounded at 04:00 AM. Eventually, we mustered up the energy to move. We’d booked the earliest possible flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Đà Nẵng, just an hours flight away so we could make the most of the day at SunWorld in the Ba Na Hills.
We were really looking forward to seeing the Golden Bridge, but we hadn’t factored in the weather! At nearly 1500m above sea level, the conditions were awful. It was so unbelievably foggy, we couldn’t see more than 50m ahead.
Nevertheless, we made the most of the far from ideal weather conditions. However, we spent most of the afternoon enjoying the small theme park and simulator rides.
We were staying overnight in the colonial French village in the Ba Na Hills, so I took a nap around 17:00 PM and then later headed out with Em to have a more detailed look around the village.
By now the mist had lifted which gave the village a particularly spooky Halloween vibe. It would have been the perfect setting to shoot a horror film.
Day Four: Hội An
Continuing our adventure along the east coast of Vietnam, we actually went back on ourselves slightly to spend the night in Hội An.
Em had researched that there were wooden spinning coconut boats in the area. They were incredibly good fun! At one point, I was elbowed in the face by the man spinning the boat. You really had to hold on!
In the evening, we took another trip in a canoe along the river. We bartered the price down to 200,000 VND / £7 and bought two lanterns to let go for an additional 20,000 VND / 70p.
Day Five: Marble Mountains & Hải Vân Pass
We paid for a private transfer to take us from Hội An to Phu Bai International Airport in Huế (pronounced Hway) via the Hải Vân Pass because we were flying 500 miles north to the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi later in the afternoon.
Along the way, we stopped at the Marble Mountains and Lady Buddah because we’d missed seeing any of Đà Nẵng when we went up to the Ba Na Hills.
We were collared by locals trying to flog us marble pieces outside, but I really enjoyed the hour we had looking at the pagodas and temples in the Marble Mountains. Without realising, we climbed through a hole in a cave which led to a rather unspectacular viewpoint.
Our next stop was the Lady Buddha overlooking Đà Nẵng. Our driver then headed for the Hải Vân Pass – a 21km stretch of road separating the provinces of Đà Nẵng and Thừa Thiên–Huế.
The best mode of transport would have been a motorbike, but that wouldn’t have been possible with our huge 80 litre rucksacks.
Top Gear did a special episode here in 2009 which I imagine has made this even more popular with Western tourists over the years. Jeremy Clarkson quoted that the Hải Vân Pass was:
“a deserted ribbon of perfection—one of the best coast roads in the world.”
(and he was right).
By 16:00, we were sat twiddling our thumbs in the airport because our flight wasn’t scheduled until 21:20 PM. Luckily, we managed to change to one an hour earlier. Absolutely exhausted, we touched down at Noi Bai International Airport at 22:30 PM and were at our hotel in Hanoi by midnight.
Day Six: Hanoi Sightseeing (Part I)
Hanoi was the final stop for our last five nights. An ideal amount of time to do day trips to Ninh Binh & Hạ Long Bay as well as having enough time to explore around the city.
It had been a hectic few days, so we decided to have more of a chilled out afternoon. To begin with, we had a walk around the perimeter of the Hoàn Kiếm Lake and then walked over to Hỏa Lò Prison – one of the biggest and highest security prisons in Indochina.
We then walked down Train Street. Initially an obnoxious security guard wouldn’t let us past the barrier, but when we gestured that we would buy a coffee at one of the street-side cafes, he soon changed his tune. It was blatantly obvious they didn’t like tourists walking over the tracks.
The train passing was admittedly a little underwhelming but it’s not like you can experience anything like this at home.
Day Seven: Ninh Binh
My favourite day in Vietnam. We were up early for another 11-hour day trip to Ninh Binh – a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam.
Despite not having the best weather, we were still able to appreciate the limestone karsts and surreal landscapes. What would have been beautiful green rice fields in a few months time were surrounded by cloud and mist. The 10th century Dinh King and Le King temples were our first port of call.
We then cycled for 45 minutes around the local Tam Cốc villages. I opted to go back out for another hour when Em and the rest of the group went to lunch. I couldn’t get enough of the beautiful scenery.
A local guide then rowed us down the Ngo Dong River in a sampan go (a traditional river boat). The technique of rowing with his feet wasn’t dissimilar to the man in the boat beside us. It was an unusual one!
There is a tipping culture in Vietnam. A small amount of money for us goes a long way for them.
At the end of the canal a woman forced us to buy our guide a drink, fruit and a snack for 100,000 Dong / £3.50 and then when we got back to the wharf, he then asked for a tip himself. I duly obliged because he’d worked his bollocks off for the last 90 minutes.
Before heading back to Hanoi, we climbed 500 steps to take in the panoramic views of the countryside and Ngo Dong River. I’m nowhere near as fit as I was when we left in April.
Day Eight: Hạ Long Bay
One of the go-to attractions in Vietnam is UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hạ Long Bay -renown for its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands topped by rainforests.
We debated doing an overnight cruise but decided on a 13-hour day tour with a company called DragonflyCruise.com because the check-out time was ridiculously early the next morning. I didn’t think it was particularly good value for money.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn’t on our side today either. There was extremely heavy mist and typically, it was the rainiest day of our time in Vietnam. I didn’t mind that too much though because it gave the islands an eery, mysterious feel.
It was a three hour coach journey over to Tuan Chau Island pier where we were given a seafood lunch on what was apparently a five star luxurious vessel. Em had the vegetarian option and I picked at some french fries.
We then set sail to Ti Top Island passing by coves, limestone islands with rock arches and sheer cliffs, which we could just about make out.
After climbing 400 steps to reach the Ti Top Island Lookout, we then enjoyed 30-minutes kayaking around an open cave. I’ve become better at kayaking since my disastrous first time in Canada.
Before heading back to the pier, we explored Thien Cung Cave (Heavenly Palace Grotto) with huge chambers adorned with stalactites and stalagmites. Pretty impressive.
In the evening, we headed to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre to see the evening show. We didn’t understand a great deal of what was going on because it was all performed in Vietnamese, but I’m glad we had the experience.
Day 10 – Flying to Vientiane, Laos
I’ve loved every minute of our time exploring Vietnam and wish we had a bit longer to visit Nha Trang, Phú Quốc and Sa Pa as well as possibly doing the Ha Giang Loop, but that will have to wait for another time.
Our next stop is a whistle-stop one week tour of Laos where we’ll be spending three nights in the capital, Vientiane before flying to Luang Prabang.
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity of doing all of the incredible things we’ve seen and done so far, but I ‘crashed’ after One Life Adventure’s 14-day tour of Japan.
Being on the go 24/7 had eventually taken its toll. My body was achy and telling me to rest after exploring Bali, Malaysia, Philippines and Japan over the last five weeks. Three back-to-back tours was always going to be challenging both physically and mentally.
For the last part of our world trip, we’ll be going it alone through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore and UAE. No more tours! Back to the planning days of America, New Zealand and Australia.
Bangkok
We learnt when we arrived at our apartment on the outskirts of the city that there really is an awful stench around Bangkok. The city smells like rotten eggs and it’s hard to escape.
Siam Paragon Shopping Centre was our first point of call because I desperately needed some new trainers. We also treated ourselves to cinnamon swirls from Cinnabon and Krispy Kreme doughnuts for Christmas.
On our second day, we saw all of the main attractions in Bangkok. We’d researched that you could walk to see The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun all in one day.
We made the mistake of wearing shorts, though. The locals yelled Thai in our faces, gesturing for us to buy one of their cover ups when we rocked up outside The Grand Palace. (Covering the shoulder and knee areas is vitally important in the Buddhist religion). We should have known better.
In the end, we saved ourself a couple of hundred baht and bought two traditional Thailand elephant pants inside the beautiful grounds.
In hindsight, we would have been better paying extra to have a tour guide because we wandered around aimlessly this afternoon without understanding anything of what we were looking at other than brief descriptions in pamphlets.
Next, we checked out Wat Pho – a Buddhist temple complex famous for its giant, golden reclining Buddha around a 15-minute walk away. There wasn’t really anything else of note here so we soon turned our attention to looking for a Tuc-Tuc driver to take us to Wat Arun.
I was being lazy, we could have walked but Grab (the equivalent to Uber) and Tuc-Tuc’s are incredibly cheap in Southeast Asia. The driver we spoke to explained that we would be best going on a one hour cruise on the Chao Phraya River costing 1200 baht / £30 p/p.
Emily was apprehensive about heeding the advice of what could have been a ‘Cowboy‘ driver trying to rip a tourist like us off (most try to), but in the end I think we made the right decision.
The boat took us alongside Wat Arun and then went off the beaten track. I was worried where we might end up, but the next 40-minutes really opened our eyes to the poverty stricken areas in Bangkok.
We passed slums where a family’s wooden hut was literally collapsing into the water and then some extremely extravagant houses. It was strange to see the contrast of fortunes from just across a river.
Our skipper then dropped us as he could possibly get us to Wat Arun so we could take a closer look.
By now it was around 17:00 PM so we didn’t spend a great amount of time here before heading to arguably Bangkok’s most famous street, Khaosan / Khao San Road.
The street is only 397m long but after dark it becomes one of the most popular spots in the city crammed full of bars, restaurants, street food stalls and western takeaways.
We ate on a rooftop to escape the local street food sellers who were constantly running up and down trying to sell you a fried scorpion or tarantula. I’m all for trying new things and embracing new cultures, but this one wasn’t for me!
A lady had a stall with some of the weird insects on display that you could eat. It included centipedes, crickets, geckos and snakes. The skinless crocodile made me feel sick.
After a busy day exploring, we called it a night at around 21:00 PM. We didn’t get to experience the nightlife, but we did a couple of days later when we went to the go-go bars (strip clubs) on Soi Cowboy. That was an experience and a half!
Walking down seeing extremely vulnerable on the side of street trying to entice us to come into their establishment was an eye opener.
Christmas
Perhaps naively, we crammed everything we wanted to do into our first couple of days in the capital of Thailand so we could enjoy a few days rest over the Christmas period.
From my point of view, you only need a few days in Bangkok anyway. For the next few days we caught up on sleep, chilled by the hotel pool by the day and played what felt like a gazillion games of pool (all of which I won).
Christmas Day was strange with being away from our families on the other side of the world, but we were both on FaceTime throughout the evening. Spending Christmas Day in 32°C heat was rather unusual.
Siem Reap (Cambodia)
Instead of getting a flight to Siem Reap from Bangkok, we made the decision to use Giant Ibis coaches in more of a traditional backpacker way in Cambodia so that we could save on costs. The coach journeys were long and boring, but I’m glad we did them.
Because of our extended time in Japan, we were forced to cut short our time in Cambodia and Vietnam. We gave ourselves two days in Siem Reap, known as the gateway to Angkor Wat – the largest religious monument in the world and UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Going back to using USD in Cambodia was rather bizarre. We never got our head around the conversion rate to the pound and paying in USD but receiving Cambodian Riel in return. (Cambodia’s currency is not recognised internationally).
On our first day, we were picked up promptly outside our hostel (which had the hardest beds we’ve slept on throughout our 8 months travelling) at 08:00 AM.
This morning we saw the most interesting temples outside of Angkor Thom in Angkor Archeological Park. Our first stop was the Pre Rup Hindu Temple, built in 961.
Next was Banteay Srei, another 10th-century temple which is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The reliefs here are regarded as the finest and most skilfully crafted in the country.
We then visited Neak Pean on Jayatataka Baray – my favourite on day one. In the afternoon we checked out the Preah Khan temple, which is currently being restored by the World Monument Fund.
After being dropped back at our hostel, we had a wander around Siem Reap and ate at an Italian restaurant on Pub Street. It was the first time in months that we had found somewhere that sold cider.
The highlight of the tour came incredibly early the next morning when we got up for 04:00 AM in order to see Angkor Wat at pre dawn. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the perfect reflection in the lake because of excessive cloud cover, but it was still amazing nonetheless.
We spent the next couple hours at marvelling at the corridors, central chambers and upper terraces while our tour guide deciphered the stories behind the carvings, as well as giving us an insight into what life would have been like during the Khmer Empire.
By now we were absolutely exhausted, but we powered on and explored even more temples. We walked through Ta Prohm (Em’s favourite) because of the tree roots that were growing everywhere.
To finish, we walked through the Angkor Thom Victory Gate before wandering around the temple itself where the central towers are covered in over 200 faces. By the end of the day, we were officially ‘templed out’!
Phnom Penh
Back on the road once more, we headed to the capital of Cambodia in time for New Year’s Eve.
There wasn’t a great deal here that we wanted to do, but we were both eager to learn more about Cambodia’s most recent horrifying history at Choeung Ek Genocidal Center / Killing Fields and S-21 Prison / Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
To put this into context, between 1975-79 two million Cambodian’s were murdered because of Marxist Dictator Poi Pot’s evil Khmer Rouge regime.
Walking around Choeung Ek where 10,000-20,000 Cambodian’s tragically lost their lives was up there with the most distressing places I’ve visited along with The National September 11 Memorial & Museum and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
You could hear a pin drop as locals and tourists alike walked around the site while listening to an audio guide, trying to imagine what it would have been like not knowing what was about to happen.
During the Khmer Rouge era, loud music along with the sounds of road noise was played from ‘The Magic Tree’ to disguise the massacres that were ongoing. Seeing the mass graves including one with 450 victims and another with 166 headless victims was extremely moving.
So too was learning about ‘The Killing Tree’ where helpless children and babies were beaten against and killed, as well as going inside the memorial stupa where 8,000 forensically examined skulls lay.
Listening to the audio guide whilst walking around the S-21 Prison wasn’t any easier. Seeing the living conditions, school equipment used for torture and hundreds of photographs of what went on was abhorrent, barbaric and sick.
New Year’s Eve
On a lighter note, tonight was New Year’s Eve so we headed out to NagaWorld – Cambodia’s largest and most prestigious casino for what we thought was going to be a romantic meal.
However when we sat down at the table, we realised it was a set 6-course menu – no À la carte. I wasn’t prepared to pay $50 p/p and there was very little we would have eaten anyway.
It was now 20:30pm, so we weren’t left with too many options but luckily we were able to find another restaurant close to Bassac Street, which was lined with quirky bars.
After knocking back a few cocktails, we made it over to the waterfront just in time for the firework display at midnight.
The day after we used to plan as much as we could for our next 10 days in Vietnam.
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
Grab a coffee, get yourself comfy and prepare to read my longest and most detailed blog post yet from the epic two weeks we spent in Japan – ‘the land of the rising sun’.
One Life Adventure’s 14-day tour of Japan has been one of my favourite overall so far, but it was also by far the most exhausting because so much is crammed into such a short period of time.
To read about our time in Bali, click here & for the Philippines follow this link.
Embracing new cultures and different traditions is why I love travelling. Whether that be onsening naked in hot pools, partaking in a kendo and sushi cooking class, or learning the art of traditional Japanese tea-making whilst wearing a kimono.
Day One – Welcome Meal
Our time in Tokyo didn’t get off to the best of starts. We stayed one night in a hotel close to what we thought was the hostel we needed to check-in at for the beginning of the tour. However, we got the wrong hostel.
This was an easy mistake because there were two hostels with the same name. The one we needed to be at was 40-minutes away. Luckily, we’d left enough time to get there before meeting everyone in the hotel lobby at 18:00 PM.
I feared that I would struggle to eat in Japan but Sarah – our wonderful and insightful tour guide was great in finding alternatives. (You would have struggled to find food anywhere across the country if you were a vegan).
I’ve found that the first night on tour is always a little awkward and stilted in terms of trying to learn names as well as getting to know a little bit about everyone.
Sarah guided us on the Metro (no easy task with a big group of 21 in incredibly busy train stations) to the district of Asakusa where everyone ate at a traditional Japanese hot-pot style restaurant. There was nothing on the menu for me, so I snook off and found the first of what has been many McDonald’s over the last two weeks.
Afterwards, we checked out the Buddhist Senso-Ji Temple – the oldest and one of the most important in Tokyo.
Sarah provided us with an abundance of facts and information throughout the two weeks but I won’t explain too much about the plethora of temples, shrines and pagodas we’ve seen (primarily because I can’t recall a lot of the information)!
Day Two – Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Sega Centre & Maid Cafe
After an orientation of what to expect from our time in Japan, including some of the customs and basic Japanese words we could use, we headed to Takeshita Dori, a street in the Harajuku District – the birth place of Japanese teen pop culture.
There was a lot to do here ranging from eating a rainbow grilled cheese toasty or multi-coloured candy floss, to buying something Pokémon related or a souvenir from Daiso, the 100¥ store. Myself, Emily, Andy and Tara did most of the above and also had the time to go to a dog cafe.
Next, was a short walk over to the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park. Sarah explained the importance of bowing at the Torii gate before entering; walking on either the left or right out of respect because walking down the middle would be disrespectful to the Gods, as well as the routine to follow of how to pray when at the shrine.
This included bowing, clapping our hands twice and then bowing once more.
After some free time where a small group of us went to a billiards bar in Shinjuku, myself, Emily, Andy and Rob then made the last minute decision to hot-foot it over to the Tokyo Skytree for panoramic 360’ degree views of the city skyline.
Later, we met the rest of the group in Akihabara – Tokyo’s electric town full of neon lights. It wasn’t too dissimilar to Las Vegas.
Em and I particularly liked the retro games floor in the Sega Centre where we found the original Crazy Taxi game as well as many other classics including Whac-A-Moll.
Admittedly, we also had a mooch around the six-story sex shop next door. Men were only allowed to go up to the top two floors. It’s top secret what was up there I’m afraid!
Later in the evening, we went to a Maid Cafe. This wasn’t one of the seedy ones, but I’m sure you wouldn’t have had to look too far to find one.
Seeing women dressed in maid cosplay outfits on the street trying to entice us to go into their cafe felt unethical. You wouldn’t find this anywhere else in the world!
We would’ve been thrown out if we were caught recording in the establishment, but I managed to clip one of their instagram stories.
Day Three – Sushi making class, Imperial Palace, Shinjuku & Shibuya District + Yokocho Alley
This morning we learnt how to roll sushi; make miso soup and fry teriyaki fish. I struggled with the rolling element but still thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Sushi is neither to mine or Em’s taste but when else are we going to get the opportunity to say we’ve prepared raw fish in Japan?!
The rest of the afternoon was for us to enjoy at our own leisure. I probably should have headed back to the hostel, but I decided to tag along with Em and others to the Imperial Palace.
We must have walked two miles trying to find the entrance but to be fair, the Imperial Palace and grounds looked amazing in the beautiful crisp autumn colours.
Here you could eat peculiar meat on sticks including heart, kidneys and even tongue. We opted for the more traditional McDonald’s.
My energy levels were now extremely low, but I pushed myself and headed to the famous Shibuya Pedestrian Crossing. The plan was to have a look around the area and then go out for a few drinks on our last night in the capital, but by now I really needed sleep.
Day Four – Mt Fuji & Hakone
One of my favourite days in Japan was on day four because we had the perfect weather for sighting Mount Fuji, which can only be seen 25% of the time.
We left Tokyo on the ‘Romance Car’, checked into our overnight guesthouse accommodation in Hakone in the mountains and then used cable cars and ropeways to get to the Mt Fuji viewpoint.
‘The Fuj’ definitely didn’t disappoint. Japan’s most famous mountain looked absolutely spectacular.
This evening we helped make a traditional Japanese Nabe dinner before I tucked into my own microwave carbonara meal. 7Eleven, Family Mart and Lawsons have been such a lifesaver!
We then sat around the fire in the common room playing games like ‘through the glass door’, ‘two truths one lie’ and the obligatory ‘never have I ever’.
Day Five – Takayama Temple Stay
One of the aspects of the tour I was looking forward to most was spending the night in a temple on tatami mats.
Before arriving in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Takayama, we boarded our first Shinkansen to Nagoya. The video of the bullet train below hurtling through the station at 320 km/h looks much slower than the speed it was going.
From the thousands of vending machines lined along the streets, to the all singing all dancing toilets which do everything you could ever think of, to the unrivalled high speed public transport links, Japan are streets ahead of the world in terms of engineering and technology.
When we arrived, Sarah took us on a walking tour around the town where we sampled Sake – an 14-16% alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. It wasn’t great.
Onsening was top of the agenda in our free time. These are Japan’s hot springs and bathing facilities and can be found scattered throughout the country.
They are sacred places and the catch is, you bathe completely naked because swimwear can bring dirt in from outside. Another unique Japanese experience we can say we’ve both done.
While we were there, Pal, Shannon and Todd all went on an unguided hike overlooking the town…and they came back with a story that I’m sure they will tell their grandkids.
They near enough escaped death because there was a Japanese sun bear prowling at the top. These animals are extremely rare and are known to attack humans when they’re startled. Pal explained how she had screamed over to Shannon and Todd that there was a bear heading directly towards them.
If she hadn’t seen the bear, the likelihood is they would have been dead meat. Thankfully, they all managed to scramble their way back down unharmed. In what I’m sure would have been a terrifying ordeal, ultimately they all lived to tell the tale.
I’m glad we shared a private room with Tara tonight because I wouldn’t have been able to sleep a wink in the main area of the temple where ten people all slept. I’ve always been such a light sleeper.
Day Six – Kyoto
This morning we woke with the Buddhist monks at 07:00AM to take part in their morning prayer. I really appreciated joining in with the ceremony and learning more about their religion.
After the hour service, Em and I paid 3000¥ / £19 p/p to do a meditation session – another experience we’ve both never tried. I won’t lie, I don’t think it’s for me. I found it hard to sit still.
I struggled to concentrate on only my five senses and instead all I could think about was what others were doing around me.
In the afternoon, we got a scenic train back to Nagoya and then took another Shinkansen further south to Kyoto, which was once the capital of Japan.
This city is famous for Geisha’s, who are most commonly found in the Gion District. These are unmistakable female entertainers primarily because of their pale white makeup. We were lucky enough to spot four in our three nights here.
This evening, a local guide took us on a walking tour around the Gion District.
Day Seven – Fushimi-Inari Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple & Traditional Tea Ceremony
I got up in the early hours of the morning to watch England slump to a 2-1 defeat against France, which didn’t put me in the best of moods for the rest of the day.
I can take losing, but not when the officials made several horrendous decisions. Moan over. I’ll see England win the World Cup at least once in my lifetime!
Feeling dismayed, we headed on the metro over to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine – dedicated to the Shinto god of rice.
The Shrine is famous for the thousands of red Torii gates, which companies and individuals pay donations starting from 400,000¥ to erect because they are said to bring good fortune. My mood marginally improved when we arrived. Spending an hour ambling through the Torii gates was incredibly cool.
One of Japan’s most famous temples was next on another action packed itinerary. The Kiyomizu-dera ‘Pure Water‘ temple complex sits high in the mountains and provides spectacular views of Kyoto and the surrounding areas. The autumnal colours were amazing to see.
At the complex, we used cups attached to long poles to drink from one of the three Otawa Waterfall streams. Em and I chose to drink from the ‘fortunate love life’ stream while others drank from the ones dedicated to longevity and success.
In the afternoon, we all rented kimonos for 3800¥ / £24 p/p and some of the girls got their hair done for an additional 1100¥ / £7 for when we took part in a traditional Tea Ceremony.
I’m not a big tea drinker, but Emily most certainly is. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t like the matcha tea we made.
Day Eight – The Golden Pavilion & Kendo Class
This morning we got the Metro to The Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji) – a Zen temple with two top floors completely covered in gold leaf, formally the retirement home of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It’s been burnt down several times including once by a suicidal monk.
We were then supposed to reflect on our time so far in Japan at the Daitoku-Ji Zen Garden, but unfortunately the grounds were closed due to reconstruction work.
Another particular highlight from our time in Japan came later this afternoon when we took part in a three-hour kendo workshop in a dojo. Star Wars Director, George Lucas visited Japan to study this martial art closely, which he adapted in the films through the use of lightsabers.
Wearing the uniform whilst being taught the basics by our Bushido instructor and then going head-to-head with Pal was incredibly good fun, but I’d forgotten she had told us earlier that she was a black belt in karate. Let’s be honest, I didn’t stand a chance when she came charging towards me!
Day Nine – Arashiyama & Osaka food tour + Karaoke
This morning we took the train to Arashiyama, a town surrounded by mountainous valleys.
I was exhausted, but I wasn’t prepared to miss out on seeing the Bamboo Forest and Iwatayama Monkey Park. I’m not the biggest fan of monkeys (especially the ones in South East Asia), but Sarah assured us that these ones were much friendlier.
Thankfully we were able to rest our legs afterwards as a local guide punted us down the river in a private row boat for the next hour.
We then hopped on the metro back to our hostel in Kyoto to pick up our luggage before getting more trains to Osaka, our next destination for the next two nights.
Tonight, we spent the last night with everyone doing One Life Adventure’s 10-day tour of Japan by doing one final Japanese tradition – karaoke! However, beforehand we had sampled some of the cities finest foods in the Dotonbori area ‘the kitchen of Japan’.
I had Katsu pork on a skewer stick, Okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake) and Taiyaki (a Japanese fish-shaped cake). I wasn’t prepared to try the fried octopus pancake balls, Katsu shrimp and Katsu lotus fruit.
Karaoke was a really good laugh. I belted out some classics including Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, September by Earth Wind and Fire as well as Since You’ve Been Gone by Rainbow, which I killed (and not in the good way)!
Afterwards, we continued the good vibes by partying into the early hours.
Day 10 – Osaka Castle & Shinsekai
For the first time in Japan, I spent most of the next day hungover so it was a good job we had the morning and most of the afternoon free. Unfortunately, this time was ultimately wasted by trying to sleep off how I was feeling instead of exploring the likes of AmericaTown, Den-Den Town or the Shinsaibashi shopping district.
In the evening, we checked out Osaka Castle (Osakajo) before heading to the area of Shinsekai for dinner. We didn’t spend too long out tonight because it was absolutely freezing.
Day 11 – Nara & Koyasan Temple Stay
Batteries somewhat recharged, it was all systems go once again as we got the train to Nara – a former capital of ancient Japan, famous for the friendly local deer which roam freely.
We paid 200¥ to hand feed animal-friendly cookies to them. They’ve been taught to bow their heads back if you bow to them before handing over the food.
They took a liking to my food straight away. Rob dropped his wallet and seemed more than happy for the deers to take it. Some were more greedy than others!
Shortly after, we checked out the serene Nara Park and its temples. We then made our way back to Osaka to pick up our baggage before hopping on another train to the temple town of Koyasan.
After dropping our bags, we walked around the Okunoin Cemetery – the largest and one of the most sacred places in the country. Here, we checked out the many temples, shrines and halls including one filled top to bottom with lanterns.
Tonight, we enjoyed our last night staying in a temple.
Day 12 – Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
No rest for the wicked. We packed our bags and were on the move once more, this time viewing Konpon Daito Great Fundamental Pagoda before travelling on the train back to Osaka and then via Shinkansen to Hiroshima, our final destination.
The reason we paid the extra money to book onto the 14-day tour of Japan was to visit Hiroshima and learn about the city’s devastating past by visiting the museum and the Peace Memorial Park. This was an extremely difficult experience.
On 6 Aug 1945 at 8:15 AM, The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima as they believed that ending World War II with an atomic bombing would help prevent the Soviet Union from extending its influence. They also did this to justify to the American people the cost of the A-bomb development which commenced in June 1942.
Three days later, at 11:02 AM on 9 Aug, the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Tragically, 339,907 people have now died to this day from acute exposure and from the long-term side effects of radiation.
Like when we visited the 9/11 museum in New York, reading the personal stories and seeing the artefacts, belongings and memorabilia was tough.
A local guide then educated us further by showing us around the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. We said a prayer at the eternal flame, saw exactly where the atomic bomb first hit and viewed the still-standing Atomic Dome.
Day 13 – Miyajima Island
Sadly, today was our last day on what has been an epic whistle-stop two weeks in Japan. By now, I’d crashed and was ready for a break.
Summoning what little energy I had left, we got a tram from Hiroshima to the ferry terminal of Miyajima Island. Once on the island, Sarah showed us around the Daishō-in Buddhist Temple, Itsukushima Shrine and partially submerged huge Torii Gate.
Once back in Hiroshima, we ambled around more shops and then I took myself off for a much-needed nap. Tonight, we went out for one last group meal at Kemby’s Brew Pub.
Day 14 – Goodbyes & Shinkansen to Tokyo
We said our goodbyes in the morning to Andy, Bacon and David and then went to catch the Shinkansen back to Tokyo with Rob and Tara.
It was such a shame to end the tour on a sour note, but it took an additional six hours to get back to the capital due to power cuts on the line.
For anyone looking to explore Japan, I honestly couldn’t recommend this tour highly enough. A special thanks to Sarah who helped us have the trip of a lifetime.
Day 15 – TeamLab Planets
With the tour now finished, we still had one full day left in Tokyo. We decided to check out teamLab Planets, which was an immersive experience similar but better to the one we did did previously in Brisbane.
Next, we fly to Bangkok in Thailand where we intend on chilling out over the Christmas period. This is going to be a tough period of time for us both, but we’ll get through it together.
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
Getting to the capital, Manila (where the tour started on the same day we arrived) was a pain due to us having a 12-hour layover in Kuala Lumpur after spending four nights in Langkawi.
We intended on ‘roughing it’ in KL International Airport overnight, but in the end made the sensible decision to book into a cheap hotel.
On the first night, we met everyone at the rooftop bar for welcome drinks with views of the Manila skyline.
Day Two – Flying to Puerto Princesa & visiting Iwahig Prison
Manila isn’t the safest of cities, so it was no surprise we got a one-hour domestic flight in the early hours to Puerto Princesa – a coastal city on Palawan Island – voted as being one of the most beautiful island groups in the world.
When we landed at 08:00 AM, it was a quick turnaround because the first thing on the itinerary today was a visit to the open-air Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm. This wasn’t the high security prison you come to expect in the U.K.
Instead, prisoners who had been on their best behaviour were allowed to free roam around the grounds and perform work on the farmland.
Our tour guide, Stu explained that there were three risk categories ranging from low to high and that those inmates who were deemed reliable enough could be allowed more responsibilities.
After having a look around the grounds, a selection of the inmates performed several dance routines for us. They could all really move, especially one of the officers.
They rehearsed for up to five hours a day and had to go through a tough selection process, almost like a version of ‘Prisoner’s Got Talent’. They tried getting us up on our feet at the end for a boogie but I was quite happy sitting this one out!
From what I could make out from my time as a Court Reporter, the laws in the Philippines are much stricter than our court system. The inmates who we spoke to were all mostly serving 20+ years for cannabis offences, but there was one who had committed murder.
The rest of the day was for us to enjoy at our own leisure. We stocked up on snacks, bought stationary and a football with Grady and Tiana for our upcoming school visit in a few days and then caught up on some much-needed sleep.
Day Three – UNESCO World Heritage Puerto Princesa Underground River & Port Barton
I made the decision to get up at 03:00 AM again to watch England play out a 0-0 bore draw vs USA, which really wasn’t worth it. The time differences for the World Cup are not ideal but nothing will stop me from watching our matches.
After getting just a few hours sleep, we left our hotel at 07:00 AM and headed for Cabayugan where we got a boat shuttle over to the UNESCO World Heritage and New 7 Wonders of Nature Puerto Princesa Underground River.
A local guide meandered us through five miles of rivers and caves in a canoe while an audio transcription played detailing about the history, stalactites and stalagmites in the cave. You had to use your imagination for a lot of them!
Next, we headed to Port Barton – a secluded island escape which is part of the San Vincente area of Palawan.
This is a lesser-known region off the beaten track which tourists often miss. We were welcomed in style by the locals when we arrived. It didn’t take us long to be running into the sea with a rum and coke in hand.
Here is a good time to explain about the brilliant work that One Life Adventures do. Unlike other smaller tour operators, the company’s ethos is centred around positively impacting businesses used on the tour and giving something back to the local communities.
It’s one of the main reasons why we enjoy their tours so much.
Day Four – Island hopping (2 days, 1 night)
The main reason that pulls tourists into Port Barton is the island hopping experience here. The islands surrounding the area are far less touristic than other parts of Palawan.
We spent the first day snorkelling at several amazing spots in the turquoise water.
Lunch was freshly BBQ’d fish, which wasn’t to my liking, but I was more than happy to start writing this blog post from the first of many hammocks.
Tonight, we sat around the campfire exchanging stories whilst stargazing at the amazing night sky. It’s not everyday you drift off to sleep in a tent on a private island while listening to the waves.
Day Five – More island hopping!
Such a busy day! We started off by going to more snorkelling spots and then to a sandbar where beach dogs greeted us. They were all so friendly and loved being cuddled.
After lunch on another different tropical island, we headed to a local primary school. The children welcomed us with open arms with huge beaming smiles on their faces and performed a few dance routines in their assembly hall before showing us around.
Interacting with the kids was a special memory for me.
Continuing the action-packed day, next we trekked to Bigaho Falls on yet another island. It was so refreshing given the uncomfortable 30°C+ heat.
To end the day, we had a brief stop at Starfish Island – another sandbar in the middle of the ocean.
t/sdcard/DCIM/100GOPRO/GOPR1147
t/sdcard/DCIM/100GOPRO/GOPR1140
t/sdcard/DCIM/100GOPRO/GOPR1144
Finding Western food had been hard to come by so far, but I had my first proper evening meal tonight in Port Barton at CocoRico Hostel. You’re always going to struggle if you don’t like fish, noodles or rice in Asia, but we don’t let that get in the way of our travels.
Later, we had our first big night out partying at CocoRico and at a nearby reggae bar.
Day Six – El Nido bound!
Everyone was nursing a horrible hangover so it was a good job we had a lie in until 11:00 AM and a long four hour drive ahead of us to El Nido – one of the most popular places to visit in the Philippines.
Stu took us on a short walking tour so we could get our bearings and in the evening we eat at a Greek restaurant overlooking the bay.
Day Seven – Cultural Day
Today we immersed ourselves in unique Filipino culture with guides Mark and Shenny on their Philippines Experience.
To begin with, we learnt about the flora and fauna that grows in the jungle on a short hike and then took part in group activities ranging from cooking, climbing coconut trees, coconut shaving, palm tree leaf weaving, dancing and traditional stick fighting.
I particularly enjoyed learning some popular moves from stick fighting – the national sport of the Philippines and watching everyone try and climb a coconut tree. Emily did so well to make it to the top!
The coconut shaving, dancing and in particular eating what we had cooked wasn’t really for me.
Next, we ziplined 750m between two islands over the ocean to the stunning Las Cabanas Beach where we chilled out before watching the most incredible sunset.
When you picture the Philippines, this is what you think of.
Tonight, we hit the El Nido strip.
Day Eight – Island hopping again!
The Philippines is an archipelago made up of over 7,500 islands, 2000 of which are inhabited, so it was no surprise that more island hopping was on the itinerary from El Nido today.
We stocked up on alcohol before boarding the boat, went to a few snorkelling spots and then checked out Entalula Island and Snake Island.
I asked the question if snakes were actually inhabited on the island, but it was just a large sandbar.
For the second night running, we hit the alcohol hard and partied until 03:00 AM.
Day Nine – Canopy Walk
Not for the first time, I wasn’t feeling the freshest on our penultimate day but I still got up to do the short canopy walk up to Taraw Cliffs overlooking El Nido to get the best view of the bay and Cadlao Island.
Later, Em went for a massage whilst I went back to bed and then in the afternoon, we decided to get a Tricycle back to Las Cabanas Beach with Grady & Tiana, who by now we had formed an extra special friendship with.
Day 10 – The end of another unforgettable tour
With a tear in my eye, we said our goodbyes in the morning at breakfast and then all went our separate ways. I’m an emotional person, so leaving people you’ve made incredible memories that will last a lifetime with is always tough.
Continuing our travels, our next point of call is Japan where we’ll be starting One Life Adventure’s 14-day tour through Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Koyasan and the magical island of Miyajima!
As always, if you’d like to keep up-to-date with our adventure, you can either enter your email at the bottom of this article to receive instant notifications every time I post a new blog; click the Follow ‘Al’ Around The World link, or drop me a follow on Twitter at @AlecW95 or on Instagram at @AlecW95 or @alatw95.
Alternatively, you can follow Emily on her travelling TikTok account at @emstraveladventure.
