Congratulations!
You’ve stuck with us!
Drinking pop on the overnight train to Xian. Does life get any better?;)
More than 100 days, more than 8 countries and countless adventures.
Want more?
We hope so.
Making new friends in the Galapagos
We’re heading into the second leg of our journey and we hope you’ll continue to read along, send us your thoughts and suggestions and laugh along with us.
Your notes of support, website comments and online quips have kept our spirits high. We hope that some of our posts have helped to make your day as well.
And now without further ado…here’s where we’re headed next:
September/October- Sydney Australia, The Gold Coast, Hayman Island, New Zealand
October/November – We’ll play it by ear in Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia (and maybe a quick trip to Hong Kong) are all on the list
December/January – A quick trip to Mauritius and then over to the African continent to visit South Africa, Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania
February /March- Dubai and India
Have you been to these places? Have tips for us? Please share! This trip has been made so much better by getting some insider info from locals or travelers who know.
Hi Heather,
I can’t remember if I mentioned all of these to you in the restaurant in Yangshuo so possibly for the second time:
In Thailand, Ayutthaya and Sukhotai are lovely places to visit for a day or two while travelling between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Between Chiang Mai and Chiang Khong is Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Temple. It’s well worth an hour of your time.
In Laos the Meking slow boat is a nice way to spend a couple of days getting from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang is simply the prettiest little town I’ve visited in 7 months of travelling. Spend at least a couple of days there.
If you like Luang Prabang you’ll also love Hoi An in Vietnam.
In Cambodia when you get to Siem Reap you will of course go and see Angkor Wat. Whatever you do, the place to stay is Happy Guesthouse – say hello to Chhorpoan from me. And for the best fruit shakes (and great street food) in Siem Reap walk down Pub Street from the junction with Hospital street (the “Angkor What?” end). Go over the first crossroads (you’re still in Pub Street). Go over the second crossroads. In the evenings, on the right hand side of the street are a bunch of no-name street food places Shortly on the left hand side is one of those “let the fish eat all the dead skin off your feet” places. Directly opposite is the place to go. You’ll know it’s the right one because the girl out front touting for business has the nicest smile you’ll ever see. The mixed fruit shakes are to die for. If you get as far along here as Molly Malones then you’ve gone too far.
I blogged about a lot of these places over at http://walkjivefly.com
Cheers,
Mark.
Hey Mark,
We’re in Vietnam now. Never made it to Laos – though it is still on our list. We would love to check out Happy Guest House in Siem Reap but no room for families it seems :( We will however find the juice lady:) thanks for the tips!
I’ve wanted to go to New Zealand for some time now. Whats it like there? Is it cool?
New Zealand is one of the coolest places we’ve been! Literally! We had to wear jackets:) But they are also among the nicest people we’ve met. And what about those ALL BLACKS? Such a fun time there – posts are coming soon!
You guys are fantastic. Great idea.
I strongly recommend to visit Sri Lanka. The ancient capital Kandy with its lake and the incredible botanical gardens, the gigantic Buddhas and dagobas of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, the amazing feeling of going back in time that you get in Nuwara eliya where everything has remained almost untouched since colonial times, the luscious hills of Tea Country, the great wilderness in the National Parks of Yala, Wilpattu, and Gal Oya.
In Sri Lanka, in little time you can go from a paradisiacal tropical beach to the greenest 6000 ft. mountains you have ever seen.A must see. Have a good trip!
One of my best friends is from Sri Lanka so its high on my list. If I could find a way to work it in I’d be there in a heartbeat! Appreciate the tips!
Don’t worry Heather, you’ll get there. I have to make it back home to, and wouldn’t do it without you all!
I just stumbled upon your journey today, looks and sounds fabulous!! Do you know where you will be going in India? My husband and I just moved to Bangalore from Ottawa. I should have great recs by the early spring!! Look forward to reading more!
We don’t! I’d love some advice. Can we email? India seemed so far away -timewise – when we started planning. Can’t believe it’s almost time!
yes, please do drop me a line! kgraydonald at gmail dot com :)
You really need to check out Japan while you’re out and about. One of the most interesting places in Asia.
Hey Mike, We hit Japan as a couple a few years ago and loved it. Kindest people! Doubt we’ll get there on this trip – though I’d love too – just due to time and costs. Would love to contribute to their tourism rebuilding efforts so maybe another trip after I’m home? :)
Hey Heather/Ish….Been a while…Good stuff..keep it up….Let me know your anticipated Kenya dates? and how long you’ll think you will be there? ..I will most probably be there…It wld be nice to meet after many years…
Hey Mo,
We hit Kenya at the end of December (after Christmas) and are there until about January 10. Would love to connect. Email me: heather (at) globetrotting mama.com
Heather, would have loved to see you in Chiang Mai and met another nomadic family! We’ll be in India the same time, so depending on our itineraries, let’s try to meet!
That would be awesome! Let’s keep in touch.
We just came from spending 3 months in South India–highly recommend the south especially with kids and there’s surprisingly a lot to do too other than historic sites. We have also spent 1 month in Sri Lanka, and although the people there are the friendliest and the best with children, we found the country to be very expensive. Are you familiar with AirAsia??? They are the cheapest way to travel by air in SEA if you can get one of their sale fares. We ended up in Sri Lanka largely because of that, along with the Philippines. Feel free to email me if you would like anymore info on travel to those countries!
Thanks so much. We are big fans of Air Asia. We’ve been flying them the most followed by JetStar. I’ll definitely be in touch before we hit India. I think we’ll stay south and we only have about 4 weeks so I want to make it great. Appreciate it.
Love your travels – I will try to comment more. Two of our daughters have spent time traveling in some of the same areas you are sharing about…. It’s neat to see how much fun you are having.
Thanks! We are having a blast. Glad it shows :)