Island Hopping

Perhaps it's cliche to read Alex Garland's The Beach while island hopping through Thailand, but I just couldn't resist the backpacker classic. When I found it at a book exchange in Ko Phangan I snatched it up and found myself with an overwhelming urge to find an idyllic secluded beach of our own.

We began our island hopping in Ko Samui where we stayed on Chaweng beach. Busy as it was, it was still beautiful. There was also a great night market where we probably had the best pad thai of our lives.

After a few nights on Chaweng, we headed to Hat Rin - home of the infamous full moon party on Ko Phangan. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) we were not there for the full moon. We ended up getting some great accommodation for a third of the price and still enjoyed the surprisingly beautiful sunrise beach. We also rented motorbikes and experienced the "road of tears" - a pee your pants good time.

Coke has really saturated the market here...

Next we headed to Krabi for a night before catching a ferry to beautiful Ko Phi Phi. As touristy it is, it is still amazing and we managed to find a quieter place to stay in the main town. We did a day boat trip around the island to various beaches and snorkeling spots before stopping at Phi Phi Ley's Maya beach - the film location for The Beach (the book was actually set on the gulf coast near Ko Samui and Phangan). The irony did not escape us that the beach's claim to fame was its depiction as a secluded spot where a lucky few could escape the "banana pancake trail", and yet the beach is now crawling with tourists (us included)! For good reason though, this beach is every bit as perfect in person as it looked on the big screen.

By the time we reached Ko Lanta, we were really looking forward to escaping the crowds and finding that secluded beach of ours. Lucky for us, this was surprisingly easy to do. We rented a motorbike and rode around the island until we found a nice long beach with only a few other sun-worshippers around. Paradise found.

Myanmar: The Golden Land

I didn't know what to expect when we decided to visit Myanmar. You hear about the oppressive government and the violence, but what you don't hear about is the beauty of the country, the interesting culture and customs, and the incredible friendliness and strength of the people. We started our travels in Yangon where we wandered the streets to see markets, golden pagodas, and inner city lakes. Almost everywhere we went people smiled and waved, and were always willing to lend a helping hand. Some people would approach us to ask where we were from and just as you are steadying yourself for a sales pitch they would wish you a nice day and be off.

After Yangon, we took an overnight bus to Mandalay where we spent most of our time evading government fees for tourist sites with an expert guide. We managed to tour three ancient cities and a nearby town without paying these fees. Normally I would say that's not something to be proud of, but this is Myanmar. Some organizations advise against travel to the country so you don't show support or provide any funding to the government. As a compromise we decided to avoid any fees we could, while hiring local guides and putting our money to good use. The fun we had sneaking around was a nice bonus too.

One night in Mandalay we went to see the famous Mustache Brothers. These comedian brothers (and their extended family) have been entertaining people for years but as their show is politically centered, they have paid dearly for some of their jokes. The eldest brother Par Par Lay has been imprisoned on three separate occasions - the first because he told a joke comparing government workers to thieves. One particular joke that stands out from the show was in regards to Lu Maw's toothache. He went across the border to Thailand to see a dentist and the dentist asked him "What? They don't have dentists in Burma?" to which Lu Maw replied "Of course, but in Burma we cannot open our mouths!"

Our next stop was Bagan to see some of the city's temples and pagodas by horse cart. In a 42 sq km area there are over 2000 temples. It is an unbelievable place and definitely worth a visit.

After Bagan, we headed to Inle lake. This was another beautiful spot and we spent our time biking and boating around the lake towns - even hitting up a Myanmar winery (guess we have been missing Argentina). Back at our hotel we met an 84 year old American woman traveling on her own for six weeks or so. Despite her description of the Myanmar government as "really crummy", it was her third visit to the country. We can only hope that we will be able to do the same when we are in our 80's! 

Other highlights from the lake include watching the one-legged rowing, meeting some long necked ladies, and visiting the jumping cat monastery where seemingly indifferent cats have been taught to jump through hoops for treats - quite hilarious to watch. We also accidentally stumbled upon a wedding reception where we were welcomed in for pictures and lots of food. I still cannot believe how nice these people are! 

Although we would like to keep this gem of a country for ourselves, the cat is slowly creeping out of the bag (and getting ready to jump through hoops for tourists). We suggest that you consider a trip to Myanmar sooner rather than later.

A note on transport: I never thought I would be able to finish this sentence: the buses in Bolivia are better than (insert country here, probably imaginary). Unfortunately for Myanmar, I now know how to fill in that blank...flights might be your better bet here!

Back on the Road

Hello everyone!

We are now into the second portion of our world tour and enjoying the change of pace and the delicious food in Asia. Our first stop was Hong Kong and we stayed in the neon-lit, busy neighborhood of Mong Kok. We were soon met by a friend, Andy, from our commerce days who became our local tour guide for Hong Kong island. Navigating us through malls, parks, and seemingly hidden walkways, he took us to some amazing places and viewpoints. We were interested to find that there are a number of "free public spaces" scattered around the city in excellent locations that appear to be part of restaurants and lounges but are in fact places where you can bring your own food and drinks and hang out for as long as you would like.

While we were in Hong Kong, we also visited the Peak, the Avenue of Stars (for an awesome nightly light show the city puts on), and the Big Buddha.  Unfortunately, the day that we decided to make a trip to the Buddha was extremely foggy and any detailing on the large statue was largely left to our imaginations.

After a few days in Hong Kong, we took the ferry to Asia's version of Vegas: Macau.  We spent a couple nights exploring the casinos, eating some delicious food, and hitting those 5 cent slot machines hard.  The city itself was very interesting to see too as it was a Portugese colony and the city blends old colonial architecture with bright neon signs.

If anyone was wondering who was the better gambler, the stats speak for themselves.
Adam: negative $2 Hong Kong dollars      
Paula:  negative $50 Hong Kong Dollars

We are now in Bangkok for a few more days (hopefully) awaiting our visa to Myanmar.  We've been enjoying eating Thai street food everyday, and our stomachs haven't minded it either...yet!  I also had my first Thai massage today which was interesting (perhaps at times painful) but felt great after the long flights and getting back into carrying that backpack around.

Repacking

Coming Soon: Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand.

20 pounds. Personal Best.

Comparison of packing for South America. 

South America Roundup

For any friends and family that are interested in travelling to South America we included a list of the places we stayed and some of the costs of our trip.

For most of the trip we stayed at places that catered to budget travellers and took buses as much as possible. At times we had to sacrifice comfort but overall South America is quite affordable to travel in.

Per Person

Peru

Peru is one of the most affordable countries in South America. This is where we decided to do Spanish school (Fair Play is great) as well as our Machu Picchu Trek. A lot of companies in Cusco offer jungle treks which are close in price to just taking the train to Machu Picchu and spending the night. The 3 night Lorenzo Expeditions trek cost around $190 and is highly recommend. 

Lima: Open Guest House (Favourite Staff)
Cusco: Home stay
Ollantaytambo: Chaska Wasi (Lots of Cats)

Puno: Marlin's House (Good)

Bolivia

A four-course meal for around $2, need we say more! Bolivia is a fantastic deal and has a lot to offer. Our biggest cost was the 3 day Salt Flats tour with Brisa Tours (Cordillera and Red Planet Expeditions were also recommended) which cost around $130 including entrance fees.

Copacabana: Hostel Emperador (Ok)

La Paz : Sol Andino (Great)

Cochabamba: Residential Familiar Anexo (Highest Ceiling Award)

Sucre: La Dolce Vita (Great)/ Also stayed a night at Pacha Mama

Uyuni: Piedra Blanca (Good)

Potosi: Koala Backpackers (Good)

 Chile/Argentina/Brazil

Our costs went up a in the more developed countries (not to mention road standards and quality of buses) but overall it is reasonably affordable to travel here if you're not moving too fast. The best steak in your life will cost about $15 with a glass of wine. Based on previous guidebooks, prices in Argentina seem to jump dramatically every few years. 

Chile

San Pedro de Atacama: Juriques Hostal (Good)

La Serena: Hostel Jofre (Very, Very Clean)

Caldera: Hostel Ankona (Only Hostel in Town)

Valparaiso: Casa Verde Limon (Really good)

Santiago: Ventana Sur Hostel (Good)

Argentina

Mendoza: Empedrado Hostel (Really Good/Best Breakfast/Best Events)

Cordoba: Baluch Backpackers (Good)

Rosario: Che Pampa's (Good atmosphere)

Buenos Aires: Tango y Bandoneon (great B&B) & Kapake Hostel (in Palermo)  

Iguazu Falls: Marco Polo Inn (Alright)

Brazil

Foz do Iguacu: Pousada de Laura (most eccentric/awesome owner award)

Parati: Che Lagarto (Great)

Rio: The Wave Hostel Ipanema (somewhat dingy but great staff, next to 7 other hostels)

Colombia

Cartagena: El Viajero (Awesome)

Medellin: Wandering Paisa (Great)

Bogota: La Pinta (Good)

Guatemala

Guatemala City: Quetzalroo (best hostel in the city and best host)

Livingston: Casa de Iguana (party hostel)

Flores: Los Amigos (Great)

Semuc Champey/Lanquin: Zephyr Lodge (Best location/Don't Miss it)

San Pedro la Laguna: Casa Blanca (stunning views), Zoola is also good

Tips for Staying on Budget: 

* Always ask for a discount at guesthouses/hotels/hostels - (it works about half the time)

* Most restaurants have set meals at lunch time. The same meal for dinner may be double the price so it's a good idea to sample the nicer restaurants at lunch.

* Flying anywhere within South America is expensive. Buses are a better option if you have the time.

Our route. 28,000 km so far

Bonus! Our Sandboarding Video:

Guatemala

We arrived back to Canada today after spending an enjoyable couple of weeks travelling through Guatemala. We started our trip in Guatemala city staying at the highly recommended Quetzalroo hostel.

Our next stop was Livingston on the Caribbean coast. It was an interesting Garifuna town with a great local dish called tapado- a huge bowl of soup with squid, clams, mussels, a full crab, and a full fish in a coconut milk broth.

We didn't have a picture of the tapado, but we did have this
one of a frozen banana covered in chocolate and nuts!

From Livingston we took a river boat through the jungle before catching a bus to Flores. Flores is a little island city on a lake and a good base to visit the Mayan ruins of Tikal. We arrived at the ruins at around 6 in the morning to the sound of howler monkeys in the jungle. They sound surprisingly scary (like a lion's roar)! We spent a day at the ruins climbing temples, playing with tarantulas, and watching some entertaining "profound" ceremonies for the winter solstice (the participants being new-age crystal and rainbow wand donned Americans)...We hear that it will only get more interesting as the end of 2012 approaches.

Baby tarantula in hand

Our next stop was Lanquin. It is an incredibly beautiful place so we decided to spend Christmas there. We went on a day trip to Semuc Champey which is a limestone bridge over a river with turquoise colored pools to swim in. There was also a cave nearby that you explore with a candle in hand while swimming, climbing waterfalls, and jumping into dark crevices. Quite the adventure and definitely different than anything else we have done so far.

Adam's Christmas dinner...

Paula's Christmas dinner - unfortunately the stomach flu struck on Christmas eve

After Christmas we went to stroll the colonial streets of Antigua. It was a nice change of pace from our previous stop and we took our time wandering the city and trying our best to barter in the artesanal market.

We decided to spend the last portion of our time in Guatemala at Lake Atitlan in the town San Pedro la Laguna. The lake was very picturesque and surrounded by three volcanoes.  We spent new years eve in San Pedro where they shut down some of the streets for a block party and tons of fireworks.  We also took some time to visit the nearby towns of San Marcos and Santiago.

Guatemala was probably one of the most interesting countries that we visited from a cultural perspective. Many people, especially the women and children, tend to wear traditional dress that varies from region to region. The people are very friendly and you would be hard-pressed to walk down the street without being greeted by various passer-bys.  At the same time, you can also find people strolling around town (or perhaps sitting in front of you on a tiny shuttle...) with a gun in plain sight.  We thought it was a bit funny when we approached one of our first restaurant stops in Guatemala and were met with a "no guns" sign, however this type of sign can be found at many establishments and is perhaps necessary. Although we heard the odd horror story from other travellers along the way, we had no issues and really loved our time in the country.  Guatemala will definitely be added to our list of countries that we would like to revisit in the future.

Future Plans: After all of the hard work we have put in over the past four months, we thought it would be prudent to relax with our family and friends in Canada for a few weeks.  Thanks for reading and check back for more posts in late January.  We are off to Hong Kong on January 25th!