Singapore, playground for the rich

Located at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula, Singapore is a tiny city-state that holds a heavy reputation. It's home to some of the wealthiest people in the world and it holds the record for most populated collection of billionaires. Singapore is known to be expensive, and of course I've had my eyes set on one of the most expensive places in the city; The Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I planned a trip to Singapore specifically for this dazzling hotel, and I honestly don't think I would've bothered coming if I wasn't so enamored by the hotel. I planned on having a "staycation" where I'd basically live either in my bathrobe gazing out at my bedroom views, or in my bathing suit at the highest infinity pool in the world. Though I did do both, I managed to do much more than I was planning in Singapore, and absolutely loved it!
For as much as I've traveled, I've done very little solo travel and Singapore got off to a slow start, as I figured it would. Although I light up around people I know, I'm painfully shy when it comes to strangers and I'd rather spend time alone as opposed to making small talk with people I don't know. My first afternoon in Singapore I checked into a far less expensive hotel and spent the afternoon lounging at the pool. I enjoyed quiet meals at the poolside restaurant with the company of my book, but eventually I had to get out and see the city that I had come so far to explore. I was just over a mile from the infamous Marina Bay, so I headed in that direction on foot, hoping to check out some sights along the way. The further I walked, the more I realized what a strange city Singapore is, especially compared to other Asian countries and cities. For starters, it's not crowded. I'll blame that on the fact that I was wandering through the business section for a while, but even after that there were very few people even out in the touristy areas. I never had to fight for space on the sidewalk, never had to fear my life while crossing the street and there was always room to sit on public transportation. It was weird, but a very nice breath of fresh air compared to the normal insanity of Asia.
Another huge difference in Singapore is how well it's maintained. Besides Swiss cities I don't think I've even been in a place that is so clean and proper. There are garbage cans and recycling bins always within your vision, the sidewalks and streets are clean and taken care of and there's absolutely no litter anywhere. Singapore is known as the "fine city", meaning that there's a penalty for almost any negative action you take towards the city. There's a hefty fine for littering and there's mixed reports on whether chewing gum is illegal (I think just purchasing gum in large quantities isn't allowed). This system is clearly working for them, because Singapore is spotless.
Although I did very few activities during my 48 hours in Singapore I absolutely loved this city, especially compared to other Asian locations. Although the energy of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur can be fun at times, I'm a sucker for order and simple things and Singapore gave me exactly that. There's no questioning or guessing here; restaurants and coffee shops are clearly labeled as so, there's no wandering down a random alley and eating at broken plastic tables. Signs towards the public transit are clear and large so there's barely an opportunity to get lost. And most importantly, they follow traffic laws! A red light actually means stop, and there's no chance of a car barreling past you even though you have the walk signal. Coming to Singapore alone I thought I would always be second guessing myself, questioning which way to go or struggling to find a good place to eat. I think this was a great city to visit alone, because it was so simple! It also doesn't hurt that English is a national language, making directions a lot easier.
Singapore was a good end to my seven months in Asia and it helped ease me back into the Western world. A world where water is free, streets are clean, people drive on the right side of the road, and the currency doesn't require complicated math.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

The Marine Bay Sands hotel, as seen from the harbor. 

 

 

Many moons ago I sat in my Intro to Tourism class at Ohio University and learned about the beauty that is Marina Bay Sands (MBS). Designed by Las Vegas Sands (the mastermind behind the stunning and intricate hotels of Vegas), MBS is a noteworthy contribution to their collection of unique hotels around the world. It's rumored to be the most expensive casino property in the world and it also is home to the world's highest and largest infinity pool. When I studied this hotel in school I couldn't even place Singapore on a map, but I still added it to my bucket list, knowing that I had to stand on top of that hotel one day.
As soon as I began looking into jobs in Asia I started planning a stay at MBS and subconsciously prepared to spend $450 for one night in a hotel. I like to think that the past six years of staying at cheap hostels helps even out the price a little. As my Asian adventure was coming to an end I figured it was more than a good idea to go out with a bang, and I spent my last two nights in Asia blowing my money in Singapore. I started my stay with a sensible mind and booked a smaller and cheaper hotel for my first evening in the city. I spent the first 24 hours wandering through China Town and various other classic Singapore sights, because I knew that the rest of my time would be spent inside MBS. Check-in at MBS technically starts at 3pm, but my overeager self showed up an hour early which seemed to be no problem to the staff. Check-in was a breeze and within 15 minutes of arrival I was in my hotel room. With over 2,500 rooms I figured that the lobby would be crazy during the afternoon but they seemed to have a pretty good system down, and there were never any long lines.
I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for this post, but needless to stay, my 21 hours at MBS were amazing. I was worried that such a large hotel wouldn't have the customer service and general attention that I'm used to from smaller hotels, but they appear to be very well staffed for the amount of people they host each day. I've read that they directly employ 10,000 people, but that can't be confirmed.

Bedroom view

 I booked the most simple of rooms with no package add-ons (such as breakfast or airport transportation) and I also chose the garden view over the harbor view ($30 cheaper). I figured garden view meant I would be looking at a courtyard, but clearly Singapore has higher standards than that. Pictured above is the stunning view from my 43rd floor balcony. Off to the left I was able to see part of the harbor that wraps around to the front of the hotel and the rest of my view looked out to the Singapore Straight. Singapore is home to the world's second busiest freighter port in the world and it was very interesting to see the number of ships that came and went during the day.

From certain angles it seems that the water just drops off the edge into the city below

The biggest appeal to MBS is the rooftop pool, which is only accessible to hotel guests. It sits on the roof of the hotel, connecting the three seperate buildings. Although it can definitely get crowded at times, the pool itself is more than 3x the length of an Olympic swimming pool, so it can hold plenty of guests.

No need to be nervous about swimming up to the edge, there are plenty of barriers between you and the ground

Sitting 55 stories high the infinity pool gives unparalleled views of Singapore. Getting close to the edge will offer you views of the harbor below, including the floating soccer field which is visible in the bottom left of the above picture.

The length of the rooftop platform is longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower

The majority of my stay at MBS was spent lounging in the pool and drinking $14 beers. Pool hours are from 6am to 11pm so there were plenty of times to enjoy the area without swarms of people in my personal space. $450 is a lot to spend on a hotel, and I never would have considered it had it not been for this record breaking pool. For me, this was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm grateful that I saved up for one night in this crazy location.
I was also very satisfied with my room in the hotel. The bed was comfortable, there were many English channels on TV and the blinds closed with a remote control. Besides that there's not much to write home about and the room itself doesn't rival my first night in Singapore where I spent $130 at Park Hotel. I had good service from friendly staff but I'm a firm believer that if $10/night hostels can provide free breakfast, then I could at least get some eggs from a five star hotel. Did I love it? Yes! Will I stay there again? Not unless someone else is paying.





** This post was written on a German keyboard with no spell check, so please ignore any errors you see :)

Bali, Indonesia

Bali is a small island located in Indonesia

After a few days of falling in love with Kuala Lumpur, Emiliya and I headed south of the equator to Bali, Indonesia. My major bucket list item for Indonesia was the Gili Islands, which are located east of Bali, so it seemed necessary to at least take a few days to explore the much-loved island of Bali along the way. Bali got it's claim to fame after Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love hit the shelves in 2006. The book tells the true story of Elizabeth Gilbert as she travels the world in search of herself after recently ending her marriage, along the way she stops in Italy, India and ends her year of travel in Bali, Indonesia. Known for it's "soul-searching" aspect, Bali is home to yoga retreats, medicine men and is rumored to have more temples than homes. Gilbert finds true happiness and love while in Bali, and as a result there has been a huge increase in travel to this part of the world ever since her book hit the New York Time's best seller list. A typical trip to Bali usually includes yoga retreats, temple visits and general detox from the world.

Front entrance to our hostel

I, however, had different plans for my quick visit to Bali. I've never found myself to be much of a spiritual person, and personally I don't feel that I need to do any soul searching. For me, Bali was a nice vacation lounging by the pool and enjoying delicious (and cheap) food. With no real plans it was easy to just relax and talk to the other backpackers and travelers staying at our hostel. Each day we took to the streets, strolling along in search of cute boutiques, souvenirs and gelato. Our hostel itself was an awesome experience to be a part of. It reminded me much more of a resort as opposed to a hostel and the area took up a large portion of land with many different buildings. There were hammocks hung up in the shade, koi ponds filled with fish, bamboo huts for taking naps, bookshelves everywhere, and plenty of rooms for sleeping.

The pool area of our hostel

Talking with some of the other travelers at our hostel, it became evident that a trip to Bali isn't complete without a trek to the top of Mt. Batur for sunrise, so without even questioning it we quickly found ourselves handing over $23 and agreeing to a 2am pickup for the next morning. Mt. Batur is an active volcano located on the island of Bali and it has an amazing overlook to a lake and other mountains. Everyone was right when they said it's a popular thing to do in Bali, from our hostel alone we had 9 people going, and our entire hike up the mountain you could look down in the dark and see a steady stream of hikers lighting their way with flashlights. The day before our hike there were numerous people complaining about their sore muscles and sleeping away their exhaustion, so I built it up in my head as a pretty challenging endeavor. Fortunately my mind played tricks on me and the reality of the hike wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. The two hour hike was in no way easy, but it helped that it was still the middle of the night when we started the climb, so the chilly mountain air felt refreshing as we hauled ourselves up. While waiting for the sunrise we got a filling breakfast and got time to talk with our fellow hikers and then we all watched together as the sun slowly peeked through the clouds and lit up the lake below us. It was definitely a site worth seeing and I would advise it to anyone who finds themselves in Bali!

Sunrise from the top of Mt. Batu 

On our way back to the hostel we all fell asleep within minutes of leaving the parking lot, only to be woken up 30 minutes later when we arrived at a coffee plantation. We were all exhausted, but the promise of free coffee was enough to get us out of the car. Bali is famous for their coffee plantations, and no one seems to know just how many there are, instead they just know that there are a lot. We got a quick tour of the area and saw how the coffee beans are grown, and then we got to sit down for a sample of five coffees and two teas. I'm proud to say that after 24 years on this earth I have finally found a tea that I like! Lemongrass tea! Lemongrass is an ingredient used all over Asia, especially in Thailand, and it's a scent that I quickly fell in love with, but I never thought to try the tea. I found my way to the tiny shop at the coffee plantation to buy myself some lemongrass tea to take home, and I hope I'll be able to find more once I finish my first batch.

Coffee and tea sampling at the coffee plantation

Cloudy sites as we made our way down the volcano

After our eventful morning of trekking and coffee sampling we made it back to our hostel where I took the deepest nap I've ever experienced. Three hours of sleep followed by way too much physical activity leaves me pretty useless. We spent the rest of our day swimming and eating and then settled in for our last night in Bali. Next up: Gili Islands!

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Logistical Info

- We stayed at In Da Lodge Hostel for $9/night. It's in a good location in Ubud and is a very popular hostel for the area.

- Ubud is located about an hour from the Bali airport and a taxi ride was around $30 one way.

- Meals and living are very cheap in Indonesia. A meal including appetizers and drinks is usually only around $5.

- Most hostels and hotels are in touch with tour companies for Mt. Batur and they'll include pick-up and drop-off at your accommodations. The tour is $23 and includes transportation, numerous guides on the hike (in case your group gets split up due to speed), breakfast, entrance and sampling at the coffee plantation.
- We booked our transportation to Gili Islands from our hostel. It was $45 for a roundtrip van (to the ferry docks) and ferry ride. The return can be to your previous residence in Bali, or somewhere else on the island.

Paradise on Gili Air

Eating lunch on pillows at the edge of the ocean
The mountains in the background are from neighboring islands

We often saw storm clouds in the distance, but nothing
ever went over Gili Air

An hour east of Bali are the three Gili islands. Gili, means small island in the local language, and that's exactly what these islands are. Stunning photos of these islands have crept their way into my life over the last few years, and before I even knew exactly where the Gili islands were I knew I needed to get there eventually. Since living in Asia I've learned of countries I've never even heard of, and it's been really cool to see what the locals casually talk about in terms of geography. They may not be able to point out New York on a map, but of course everyone in Asia has heard of the Gili islands! Talking with the locals has given us great vacation locations that I never would've found on my own.
After talking with some other travelers it seemed that Gili Trawangan is the most popular (and largest) of these three islands, it's the classic backpacker scene filled with bars and hostels on the beaches. However, I've already had my fair share of backpacker scene, and instead Emiliya and I decided to splurge on a bungalow on the smaller and quieter island of Gili Air. Now when I say "splurge" I mean $40 a night for a poolside bungalow, walking distance from the beach. Gotta love Asia!

Poolside view from our bungalow

We booked four nights at Gili Air Bungalows and enjoyed our long weekend of swimming and eating our way around the island. Gili Air is still pretty off the grid in comparison to other Asian countries, they just got their only ATM last year. There are no cars on the island, only horse-drawn carriages and a handful of electric bikes driven by the locals. The roads aren't paved, instead they're a mix of sand and dirt roads.

Indonesia has been very vegetarian
friendly. Veggie burger on the beach! 

It's been so refreshing to spend time on this little island with absolutely no plans. Each morning we wake up to a delicious and huge breakfast from our hotel and then we spend the morning swimming in the pool and relaxing in the sun with our books. From there we eventually head out to the main strip and find a new restaurant for lunch, soaking in the ocean views while we eat. It's rumored to only take about an hour to walk around the entire island, but we've mainly stuck to the main areas near the ferry dock because we can find all we need in that area. There are plenty of opportunities to rent snorkels or going on diving trips, there are kayaks to rent and stand up paddle boards; it's a water lover's dream!

Dirt roads and horse drawn carriages 

I think this is my first vacation in a while where I've spent more time talking with the locals as opposed to meeting other travelers, and I love it. Everywhere we go the waitstaff are so eager to talk with us, Emiliya is always getting complemented on her Armenian looks and people are always so amused by my curly hair. They want to know where we're from, where we're going next, and what we've seen in the world. We have yet to meet anyone that is specifically from Gili Air, it seems instead more people relocate to this island from nearby areas; but even if they've only lived and worked on this island for a few months they're always so proud of their new home and are eager to hear our praises about our stay.

Getting in my daily chocolate fix
with triple chocolate mousse

Southeast Asia is known for being a cheap place to vacation, and Thailand itself was a very cheap place to live. However, when it comes to touristy areas it's common to find higher prices and after a day site seeing in Thailand it's easy to find yourself spending much more money than you were planning. Indonesia has been the first place where I can truly splurge on whatever I want and not be startled with how much I'm spending. Even with eating out for every meal I've never spent more than $6 at a restaurant, and that includes drinks and appetizers. A "day out" for us on Gili Air would include both meals eaten in a restaurant, an afternoon stop for coffee, maybe some gelato, and purchasing a few souvenirs. Doing all of that in either Gili Air or in Bali would never total more than $15. The only place where I've been losing money in Indonesia is on the transportation. An hour taxi ride from the Bali airport was $30, which is good compared to the States or Europe, but compared to other Asian countries it's more than double. Ferries are also very expensive, my roundtrip ticket from Bali to Gili was $45, but expensive ferry tickets seems to be a common thing for all Asian islands.
While traveling around to more than one location the thought of my next city is usually enough to keep me moving, but right now there are no thoughts that can pull me from this beautiful island and lifestyle. If I didn't already have my next plane ticket purchased I don't know when I'd leave this place! I say this for practically everywhere I visit, but, I can't wait to come back to Gili Air.

Unexpected happiness in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is located on the peninsula of mainland Asia

After my sister visited last week it was time to jet off to some of the surrounding countries of Thailand. My first plan was to head to Kuala Lumpur (KL) to meet up with Emiliya. KL was an unplanned visit in our tour of Asia, we mainly stopped there because it's in between Thailand and Indonesia and we figured it was worth a visit since we'd be passing right by it. Before landing I only knew a handful of things about the country and city: they're predominantly muslim, homosexuality is illegal, and it's humid. Honestly, I had low expectations for KL and figured a long weekend would be more than enough to get my Malaysian fix. I don't think any opinion I've had on a city has been more wrong than my uneducated opinions on KL. Within 48 hours I was falling hard for KL and already planning visits back to explore more of Malaysia.
It's important to keep in mind that although I've traveled a little while living in Thailand I've mainly spent all of my time in developing countries. Malaysia was my first experience in a developed country in over six months, so that alone was a pretty exciting endeavor for me. The majority of my time in Asia has been in Thailand, so it's been easy to compare KL to what's fresh in my memory as opposed to an American or European city.

The Petronas Towers, the world's largest twin towers

My first impressions of KL were very positive, the city itself has a good vibe and they're much more developed and clean than the crazy Bangkok I just left behind. I was grateful to see far less litter, which I can only attribute to the fact there are garbage cans everywhere (very unlike Thailand). The streets and sidewalks are well maintained and it's actually possible to walk on the sidewalk or cross the street without fear of getting hit (again, unlike Thailand). I also quickly noticed how little plastic is being wasted here. Thailand is notorious for their usage of plastic. No matter what you're buying they'll put it in a plastic bag, even if it's just a pack of gum or bottle of water. On top of that, everyone in Thailand uses plastic water bottles, going through many in a day. I immediately noticed how many people in KL were walking around with reusable water bottles, but that can be contributed to the fact that many locals in KL drink the tap water, whereas Thai tap water is unsafe for consumption. There is also much more English (and a higher level of English) in KL than I've ever found in Asia. Malaysia is much more developed than the previous places I've been, so a higher level of English is to be expected, but it was still a shocking encounter for me.

A mosque visible from the monorail line

There isn't one big thing that stands out for my love of KL, instead it's all of the little things combined. It just seems like an extremely livable city, and is much more put together than I was expecting for an Asian capital. There are plenty of places to get free drinking water, which is a necessity in 100% humidity. There are many boutiques and malls, making fashion an easy thing to come by. The streets are lined with restaurants and coffee shops, so there's always a place to stop and chat with friends, or relax in the AC for a bit. My personal favorite part was the mix of ethnicities, cultures and religions. The majority of Malaysians practice Islam, but Buddhism and Catholicism are also recognized. It was an incredible experience to be on the public rail system, whizzing past mosques and churches on the same block.

Entrance to the Batu Caves, home to
a Hindu temple

In the hopes of not sounding terribly ignorant or racist, I had a revelation that I'd like to share: Growing up in America I've basically been raised thinking that Muslim women are often wearing their hijab as a form of oppression. I've also been raised to think that Muslim societies are extremely patriarchal, and women aren't given the same opportunities as men (it doesn't help that I just finished reading I Am Malala, where these stereotypes hold true). I was amazed when I first landed in Kuala Lumpur to see women of all types in positions of authority. There were female police officers, decked out in their uniform and badges, also wearing a hijab. There were store workers, restaurant owners, security staff at the train stations; all women of different colors, backgrounds and religions, some with a hijab and some without. It was a breath of fresh air for me because I honestly thought I was going to be landing in this oppressed land, run only by men, and I was pleasantly surprised to see women in the work force as well. Now obviously I don't know the true logistics of this country, after only being there for four days, but I was glad to see that their presentation as a city came off as very well rounded and developed.

Trying out some Indian food

This Southeast Asia trip is quickly turning into a food tour for myself, and we indulged in as many new and delicious meals that we could find while in KL. Because the city is such a crazy mix of cultures they have an awesome variety in their restaurants, and I was able to try out a lot of Lebanese and Indian food. Thailand often holds the stereotype for delicious food in Asia, but I'm finding many more delicious vegetarian options the more I'm traveling. Bring on the falafel!
We really didn't do a ton of activities during our time in KL, instead we just soaked up the culture and enjoyed some of the sights near our hostel. I loved the vibes from this city and it was a really great place to just wander around and relax with a tasty meal. Everyone is friendly and very eager to practice their English and we had some really great conversations with some of the local people. Emiliya got stopped numerous times to have her picture taken with people, which we found very amusing! That's something that never gets old. I was very impressed with the people, culture and city itself in KL and I hope that I'll be able to return to Malaysia and learn more about their country.

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Logistical Info

- We stayed at Twenty5 hostel which was a great experience. It's on the 25th floor of an apartment building and offers stunning views of the city skyline. It's located within five minutes of public transportation, and the hostel itself is very livable and has a great setup. Rooms were about $10/night. I briefly mentioned the layout in this post.
- Public transportation in KL is relatively cheap and very widespread. KL Sentral is the main hub of all transportation, and from there you can transfer to various lines. However, their rail system isn't the same as most others. Instead of it being all one big system, KL rail is made up of various different companies and you have to actually leave the station and go inside the mall to transfer to a new line. It was confusing at first, but once you know where you're headed it's very easy to hop on the next train.
- The train connects to the airport, costing about $10 to get into the city.
- KL is cheap. A full meal starts at just a few dollars and public transportation is under a dollar for each ride.

Relaxing on Koh Samui

The patio at our Koh Samui hostel 

When planning a trip to Thailand there are three popular locations that people have on their list: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the islands in the south. Although I've been in Thailand for six months and visited quite a few beautiful islands, I've never made it down south to the infamous Thai islands. Fortunately for me, this past month my sister came to visit with her roommate and boyfriend, and they were all ready to explore the beauty of the southern islands! When researching the islands there are at least ten popular ones that come up, and even more smaller ones, so we struggled at first deciding where it is we wanted to go. In the end we decided to pick two islands to see during our week down south and we decided on Koh Samui and Koh Tao. ("Koh" is Thai for "island"). Although each of the islands have something unique to each of them, we weren't catering towards any specific plans (such as scuba diving or hiking) so we decided to pick two that were popular and close together.

Blogging with a view 

We flew from the northern city of Chiang Mai down to Surat Thani and then took a ferry over to Koh Samui. I was grateful that our island hopping also matched up with the plans of three other English teachers that I've become friends with. We quickly merged our groups, blending ages and histories, and managed to do a lot of activities together over the next week. We stayed at Chill Inn Hostel  which was right on the beach, offering calm waters and beautiful sun rises. Our itinerary was very simple for the islands: relax, get a tan, take advantage of the cheap massages, and drink out of coconuts. On our first full day we were able to check everything off of our list and started off our beach vacation on the right note.
Samui offers various tours and adventures such as snorkeling trips, renting jet skis and parasailing, but I was pretty content with my book and a shady chair on the beach. The great thing about all of the islands is that there are endless resorts right on the beach and they're happy to have outsiders relax pool side as long as you're willing to purchase a drink or two. We spent our days bouncing between various resorts, checking out their pools and private beaches. And of course it wouldn't be a Thai vacation without a massage, and we managed to find some right on the beach for the great price of $7/hour.

View from the bar of the Conrad Hotel. See those floating squares close to shore?
They're personal little islands with a palm tree and lounge chairs for the hotel guests. 

Our last evening on the island we decided to check out the much talked about views from the Conrad Hotel. Located high on a hill on the southwest corner of the island, the Conrad offers stunning views of the sunset and the ocean below. Owned by Hilton, it is most definitely out of our price range, but they're accommodating towards any visitors who want to stop in for happy hour. We splurged on their buy one get one free deal, spending about $12 for two drinks, which is actually a really good deal, especially compared to SkyBar. The hotel itself has more of a resort feel and it appears that each room is it's own stand alone building on the side of the cliff. Even as visitors we got excellent service and I definitely felt fancy in my elephant print dress and $3 sandals as we got driven around in golf carts and rode in a private SUV back to our hostel, which cost us the same amount as our drinks.

The next morning we were picked up at our hostel by a scheduled van (which we booked through the hostel) and were driven to the ferry docks and we boarded an air conditioned ferry on to our next destination of Koh Tao. Read about that here!

Although vacation in Southeast Asia can be cheap, the ferry and general transportation definitely adds up, especially when on a budget. We paid about $16 to get from the mainland of Thailand over to Samui, and then another $22 to get to Koh Tao. From Koh Tao to the mainland we took a ferry for $17. It doesn't sound like a lot, but when you're budgeting $20-30 a day to cover accommodations and food it completely ruins the budget!

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Logistical Info

- Although the islands are still relatively inexpensive the ferry rides can add up. We flew into Surat Thani to get to Samui because flights directly into Samui were too expensive. We booked a bus, ferry, taxi combo to get to our location in Samui, costing us 550 baht ($16).
- There are numerous overnight buses and even ferries that go from Bangkok to the islands. These are much cheaper than flying.

- Chill Inn Hostel $12-$16/night

Koh Tao

Koh Samui and Koh Tao are located in the souther
region of Thailand, in the Gulf of Thailand

While my sister and her friends were visiting we set aside a week to relax on some of the islands in the south of Thailand. We started off on the larger island of Koh Samui and after relaxing there for a few days we decided to mix it up a little and head north to the smaller island of Koh Tao.
Because Koh Tao is so much smaller we felt it was easier to see and do all of the popular things. There's one main footpath that stretches along the west coast of the island, making the whole area easily accessible. On this route we were able to find a new restaurant for every meal, plenty of coffee shops, good bars, souvenir shops and taxi boats to smaller islands and beaches nearby.
As always, our plans for our islands adventures were very minimal: get massages, eat good food, get some sun. All of those were easy to accomplish during our time in Koh Tao.
Although we basically had the same goals on Koh Samui I enjoyed our time on Koh Tao much better. It's a smaller island with many more backpackers, as opposed to the families that Koh Samui attracts.

On a longtail boat with my sister and her friends, and some
fellow English teachers

During our first full day on Koh Tao we hired a longtail boat to Sai Nuan beach, which is still on the island of Koh Tao but is kind of difficult to get to by land. We had a full boat headed to the beach and we each paid around $6 for roundtrip transportation. We chose to go to this beach because we figured it would be more secluded and quieter than going to the main strip of beach, and we were right! It was just our group and about ten other people who had the whole bay to ourselves. There was a resort located relatively close to where we camped out, so we were able to rent snorkels from them for around $3.

Relaxing on Sai Nuan beach

View from the overlook on Koh Nang Yuan 

The next day was our big expedition of the trip, we hired a longtail boat to take us to the small neighboring island of Koh Nang Yuan. It's technically three small islands joined together by a sandbar and it's most known for it's awesome overlook, which is exactly why we came. As soon as we set foot onto the island we figured out which way the overlook was and began the strenuous climb to the top. In decent weather and hangover-free it would be an average uphill climb, however, it was pushing 100 degrees and a bar crawl the evening before left us feeling far from athletic, so it was definitely a struggle for us to reach the top. The view from the top was worth it, but I don't think it's anything I'd be jumping to do again soon. Koh Nang Yuan is a small island with limited beach space, so we went in for a dip to cool off after our hike, but then took our boat back to Koh Tao to enjoy shade,

air conditioning and more spacious beaches. 

Thais excel at drag shows

The rest of our time on Koh Tao was uneventful but as blissful as an island vacation can be. We drank out of coconuts, indulged in endless cups of coffee, ate Thai food, snorkeled and participated in the previously mentioned bar crawl. We mainly wanted to do the bar crawl for the free tank top but ended up having a lot of fun while participating. The highlight of the evening was our stop at a ladyboy bar where we enjoyed one of Thailand's infamous drag shows.

Koh Tao pub crawl with Lexi and Sam, two fellow
English teachers, and Sam's friend, Lauren, visiting
from the States 

Getting fish pedicures! These little guys eat off all of
the dead skin on your feet (if you can sit still long enough!) 

Overall I would say that the Thai islands live up to their hype, and we didn't even visit some of the most popular ones! On my next trip to Thailand I would love to explore some of the islands on the west coast of Thailand. After our week of ocean and sun we flew back north to Bangkok for a few days of city life before my sister and her friends flew back to wintery Ohio.

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Logistical Info

- Koh Nang Yuan is privately owned and therefore has a few more rules than a typical island. We paid 200 baht each for our longtail boat ($6) and then had to pay a 100 baht ($3) entry fee onto the island. All plastic water bottles are confiscated upon arrival, so if you don't want to overpay for water at the restaurant then you should bring a reusable water, which they'll let you enter the island with.
The island and beaches are slowly eroding away and because of that they're very protective of the sand there. As a result, you're not allowed to lay on the beach with your towel, because towels collect the sand and too many people end up taking sand away with them. Your options are to rent a chair for the day (but they fill up fast) or lay on the sand bare. Because of the limited laying options and limited shade we didn't stay on the island for too long, we mainly just did the hike, had some snacks and then went back to Koh Tao.
- We stayed at AC 2 Resort which was around $45/night. It was nice to get out of the hostels for a couple of nights but I wasn't blown away by the quality of our stay. I think there are cheaper or better options when it comes to bungalows or resorts on the island.
- To get to Koh Tao from Samui we booked a taxi and ferry through our hostel on Samui. It was 750 baht ($22) and we still had to pay for a taxi once we got to Koh Tao to get to our hotel, which was another $4.
- From Koh Tao we took a ferry to the mainland to Chumphom, and flew from there to Bangkok. That ferry was 600 baht ($17). That included our ferry and bus to the airport.- There are numerous overnight buses and even ferries that go from Bangkok to the islands. These are much cheaper than flying.

Hostels of Asia

Stamps Backpackers in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Each bed was in it's own cubby with a curtain
and bedside table

Hostels often carry a reputation of being unsafe, unclean and just overall weird, especially to those who come from countries where hostels aren't as common (aka America). However, for travelers on a budget hostels are a great way to save some money while still having a safe and cozy place to sleep each night. I've stayed in my fair share of hostels throughout Europe and Asia with my most expensive being $20/night in London and my cheapest being $6/night in Bangkok.

WH Hostel in Bangkok, made up entirely
of shipping containers

There are a lot of factors when it comes to judging a good hostel including bedroom sizes, bed comfort, atmosphere, cleanliness and location. For me one of the most important factors is function and convenience. I appreciate hostels who acknowledge that their main clients are twenty-something year olds living out of suitcases. Some of my best hostel stays have included free towels, cheap laundry, cheap or free breakfast and good layouts in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Newer hostels are doing a much better job at making their accommodations practical, such as having outlets for each bunk, providing safes or luggage lockup for each bunk, and having good shelving and storage in the bathrooms. My most recent hostel in Kuala Lumpur had an ensuite bathroom and changing room for our group of 12 to share. Knowing it was just the 12 of us using the bathroom (as opposed to a whole floor of strangers) we felt safe and comfortable leaving clothes hanging in the bathroom and our toothbrushes near the sink. This hostel also provided shelves for those on the top bunk, so I had a place to keep my phone, book and water during the night. Many hostels are also getting good at accommodating electronics. It's becoming more common for each bunk to have their own set of outlets and their own reading light, these bunks often come with curtains as well, making it a little easier to feel cozy and keep things dark while going to bed. 

Personal outlet, light and lockbox for each bunk at
Twenty5 Hostel in Kuala Lumpur

There's a hostel and bedroom for practically any traveler. Many hostels offer single or double rooms incase you're not jumping at the chance to sleep in a room of strangers, and they also offer all female or all male dorms. There are party hostels which cater towards rowdier groups and often have a bar inside the lobby and offer chances to join in on bar crawls each evening. I've stayed at hostels that have clubs in the basement and host beer pong competitions each evening and I've also stayed at hostels with a strict "quiet zone" rule at night and I have even stayed at a few that don't allow any alcohol on the premises. 

I do my research before staying somewhere new, and I almost exclusively book from Hostel World, which gives honest reviews and ratings from previous guests. In all of my years of hostel stays I've never felt unsafe or uncomfortable in any situation and honestly when it comes to traveling alone I'd much rather sleep in a room of strangers as opposed to staying in a hotel alone where no one would be able to help me if something happened. Because of hostels I've done free walking tours, learned new card games, participated in bar crawls, got educated on local foods, had epic New Year's parties and met countless people from every corner of the world. 

Hanoi, Vietnam

The hectic streets of Hanoi

My father, the history buff, was super keen to visit Hanoi during his time in Asia.  I got my chosen activity of a cruise in Ha Long Bay, so I let him run the show for the rest of our time in central Hanoi. We stayed at Boss Legend Hotel, which is located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi making it an extremely convenient location and allowed us to do a lot of walking as opposed to taking taxis. 

Vietnam was previously under French ruling and I was delighted to find some of those influences still present throughout the city in the form of French street names, fresh bread and good coffee. Besides the small charms of previous French inhabitance I was actually really startled and overwhelmed by the city of Hanoi. It's a very small city that hasn't expanded to their current population of seven million people. The streets are barely wide enough to fit two cars at the same time and there appears to be little or no regulations when it comes to traffic laws. Vietnam is often known as the land of motorbikes and Hanoi was no exception. It's a city of seven million people and home to over five million motorbikes on the streets. One thing that I was mildly aware of but couldn't have prepared for is the fact that they honk at everything. Passing another bike? Honk. Passing a car? Honk. Coming up to an intersection? Honk. Just driving? Honk. It was infuriating to me and something that I really struggled to ignore. I was never able to count more than eight seconds without multiple honks interrupting the silence. After coming from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok I thought I would be more than prepared for this capital city, but I realized that although Thailand can be crazy at times they apparently have much more order and purpose on the roads. Hanoi had very few traffic lights or signs, instead each intersection was treated like a giant game of chicken: just honking and hoping the other bikes dodge first. Crosswalks don't exist and instead I managed to cross the streets by practically closing my eyes and beelining to a safe zone. Landing in Thailand was a huge culture shock for me in October, but I honestly thought that if I could get used to Bangkok then I would be ready for anything. Hanoi proved me wrong right away and it took almost our entire time in the city to really start being okay with the city. 

Our tour guide, Annie

Eating the Vietnamese dish of Bun Cha

One thing that really helped us get acclimated to the city life was doing a walking food tour of Hanoi. We signed up with Hanoi Street Food Tours and spent about three hours walking around the city with our guide, Annie, as she practiced her English and taught us about the food and culture of Vietnam. They also offered bike tours, where you ride on the back of the motorbike while your guide drives, which is what we initially wanted to try out, but unfortunately it was booked solid. This tour was a great way for us to get comfortable walking in the streets of Hanoi and also helped us explore some safe and tasty foods to try out while visiting Hanoi. I was a big fan of the Vietnamese spring rolls, which are fresher than the normal fried Chinese rolls. We also tried out their popular bành mì sandwiches and various types of 'pho' soups. I'm usually a big fan of any sort of walking tour whenever I touch down in a new city, and this one was high in my books because not only did I learn about Hanoi, I also got to eat the whole time! I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Hanoi.                                                                                              The rest of our time in the city went relatively unplanned and we spent a lot of time wandering the small streets stopping for coffee or beers as the day went on. My dad loved checking out some of the historical sites available throughout the city such as the Vietnamese People's Air Force Museum, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and Hoa Lo Prison. Without getting too much into politics, I'll just state the obvious: it was clear that the history presented throughout Hanoi was very one sided, and extremely biased in favor of Vietnam. The Vietnamese People's Air Force museum had planes and missiles on display that supposedly helped them win battles during the Vietnam War, yet these battles and dates in history aren't found in US history. Similarly, monumental events that happened in favor of the US are acknowledged yet almost made to seem that Vietnam gave us those victories, instead of the US winning them fairly. It was crazy to see the differences in our history of a shared event, and it was a good lesson in socialism and patriotism.




I was a little disappointed in myself with how long it took me to adapt to the crazy city life of Hanoi, and honestly I think this was my first destination in quite awhile where I didn't love the city. However, Hanoi has a lot to offer and I have no doubt in mind that if I had spent longer there I would have fallen a little harder for this Vietnamese city.

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Logistical Info

- Boss Legend Hotel had rooms starting at $60/night, which includes a breakfast buffet

- The walking food tour was $20/person and included six different types of food at five different locations. It was a private tour with flexible hours. 

Cruise in Ha Long Bay

Dad and I as the boat was just leaving the harbor

As I finished up my semester teaching in Thailand I welcomed the arrival of my dad, step-mom and step-brother for a week exploring Bangkok and Chiang Mai. After a week my step-mom and step-brother had to get back to the States but my dad had more vacation time to take advantage of, so we flew over to Hanoi, Vietnam for a few days of historical sites and cooler temperatures. With only five days in northern Vietnam my dad had a long list of museums and war memorials that he wanted to visit in Hanoi, however, I'm much less of a history buff and instead had a visit to Ha Long Bay very high on my list of things to do. Ha Long Bay is located in the Gulf of Tonkin, which branches off of the South China Sea and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. Although there are day trips available from Hanoi, the most common way to visit Ha Long Bay is to do an overnight cruise on small ships. I looked into quite a few different companies, but after reading many good reviews I finally decided on an overnight cruise with Galaxy Premium Cruises. 

Kayaking in the bay 

The cruise started with an 8am pickup from our hotel in Hanoi and we loaded into a large van with all 19 customers and took the 3.5 hour journey to the coast of Vietnam. We were on the boat by noon and left port shortly after for our adventure! We quickly befriended the other passengers on the boat and spent the next 24 hours getting to know each other while sharing meals, playing games and doing various activities organized by the ship.

Squid fishing at night

I was initially worried that we would feel restless or bored while on the boat, but they kept us pretty busy. When we first boarded we were immediately stuffed with a huge lunch, serving up plenty of traditional Vietnamese foods. We then had some downtime to get to know the other passengers and enjoy the passing scenery as we headed further into the bay. After letting our food digest a little, it was time for kayaking! We spent about two hours exploring small caves and paddling our way through little books and crannies. The rest of the day included plenty of more food, some swimming for the brave of heart (the water was much too cold for my liking) late night squid fishing and card games.
The next morning we were up early for a quick breakfast (noodle soup, classic Asia) and then we headed off to a nearby cave for some exploration. We visited Surprise Cave, which is one of the largest caves in Ha Long Bay, made up of two main caverns with ceilings reaching up to 90 feet high. It's definitely the hotspot for all Ha Long Bay cruises and ended up being much more crowded than I would've preferred, but it was still great to see. We ended our afternoon by slowly cruising back into port while eating our last filling meal of the trip. 

Morning fog over the bay 

The four hour drive and stress of picking the right company definitely paid off at the end of this trip. We had such a great time getting to know the other travelers on our boat, and we enjoyed the scenery and quiet surroundings that Ha Long Bay has to offer. Although it's out of the way of Hanoi it's something I would definitely suggest for anyone in the area. I'm on a quest to see as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible, so it already had some initial brownie points in my book, but even for those not on that same mission the area is a stunning site to see and offers a relaxing 24 hours away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Hanoi. 

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Logistical info

- Galaxy Bay was one of the pricier options, costing $145 per person 

- It includes transportation to and from Hanoi and four meals