Final Thoughts…Part Two

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South Korea

South Korea was a nice intro into Asia. To be honest, I wasn’t super thrilled about exploring Asia before this trip (Grant’s was Africa.) But we both were surprised at how well we enjoyed both continents. Although I enjoyed the more nature/animal parts of our trip, Seoul was a neat city to explore. The subway system is extensive, easy to use, very clean, and allows you to easily make it to multiple parts of the city. Some key points we learned from visiting Seoul:

  • A visit to the DMZ is a must. We hear a lot about the conflict between North and South Korea on the news but it is worth it to actually go and see it and hear more about the history behind the creation of the zone. (Would recommend visiting the War Museum of Korea as it helps in putting the full story together)
  • Go hiking! The trail system was one of the best trails we’ve visited and they are very big on safety.
  • Look at the weather and pack the right gear. It was pretty cold when we were there so I was ready for the warm weather in Vietnam.

Vietnam (Da Nang)

To be transparent, the reason Grant chose Da Nang was because of the Golden Bridge. However, we didn’t realize the bridge was actually part of an amusement park, but it turned out to be worth it. We enjoyed the vibes of Da Nang as it reminded us of San Diego with the beach and people and we were able to make some day trips out of the city to explore nearby parts of Vietnam. Grant and I would probably rank this in our top three countries we visited on our trip.

  • Motorbiking is a must in Vietnam! Although I didn’t do my own bike, it allowed you the freedom to explore on your own rather than getting a Grab car or renting a car. It’s a little terrifying at first, but once you get the feel for it, we felt like locals.
  • There were plenty of options to choose from as far as food goes. I had to be a little more cautious with anything labeled as “seafood” with my shellfish allergy, but was still able to enjoy a mix of Vietnamese cuisine along with comfort “Western” food.
  • Get pampered! The massages are so cheap here and were actually pretty good. Although I wasn’t the biggest fan of a traditional Thai massage.

Cambodia

Cambodia was definitely hot! Being from the South and Texas, I can usually take the heat. However, when you’re having to wear pants and cover your shoulders to explore Angkor Wat in 100+ degree temps, ruins the enjoyment a little. And this was of course where Grant’s rash first started. But Angkor Wat is definitely a place everyone should go and visit at least once (just plan a little better with the weather.) We only explored Angkor Wat but we met a lot of people that tacked on other parts of Cambodia along with Angkor Wat to their trip to Thailand and Vietnam. Depends on what you are trying to see in Cambodia.

  • We had read that the streets and neighborhoods in Cambodia were full of trash, but surprisingly in the area of our Airbnb wasn’t that bad. We passed a group of school kids that were doing a required street clean activity Saturday morning. Our Tuk-Tuk driver said they have started these programs to help clean up the Siem Reap area.
  • They don’t allow tourists to enter Angkor Wat without a driver so just hire one through Airbnb. The Airbnb’s are so cheap out there and you get a lot for your money. Better than going through a hotel/resort.

Bali, Indonesia

Like I said in my initial blog posts on our week in Bali, this was not what we had expected when we first booked Bali. It is a beautiful country to visit, but we realized that before you visit you should figure out what you want to experience there.

  • If you want more of a relaxing beach vibe, stay on the southern point of the island near Uluwatu, or as we have since learned from friends the north part sounds more desolate. If you are looking for more of the adventure/hiking vibe, stay on the eastern side of the country. If you want to do the touristy things such as the Monkey Forest, Bali Swing, Tegalalang Rice Terrace, then stay in Ubud and day trip.
  • Traffic in the country is terrible and the roads are mostly one way streets unless you are in Denpasar. We thought about motorbiking but it’s not as easy as in Vietnam since you’ll mostly be sitting in traffic.

Australia

  • Cairns, Queensland

Definitely one of the must see cities in Australia. The city had a small town feel to it but had plenty to do both in and out of the city. Of course, the big thing to do is a Great Barrier Reef experience and I would say just spend the money to do two days out on the outer reef. Green Island was fun to explore but you see more on the outer reef tours. Renting a car is fun especially if you’ve never really driven on the opposite side of the road before and allows you to take the drive up the coast and make some stops along the way. The beaches there are so empty (due to the “salties” and marine stingers) so you can enjoy some time to yourself.

Places to see/visit in or near Cairns:

  • Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure
  • Daintree National Rainforest (We wish we had more time here to actually enjoy some hiking in the rainforest)
  • Churro Time in the esplanade (seriously some of the best churros I’ve ever had)
  • Sydney, New South Wales

If someone is going all the way out to Australia, you have to take the time to visit Sydney and do the iconic touristy activities. There is plenty to do in the city, however, if you’re wanting more adventure and hiking you have to go outside the city to visit Blue Ridge Mountains. Some tidbits about Sydney:

  • Great public transportation! It is so cheap and convenient to hop onto anything in the city from the metro to the ferry and just tap your credit card.
  • The tour of the Sydney Opera House is worth it to take a peak inside without having to pay the fee for a show.
  • If you’re expecting to see wildlife in the wild, you won’t get that in Sydney. You’ll have to go to the zoos to see the koalas and kangaroos.
  • The multiple attraction pass is a good way to knock off a bunch of the tourist attractions and makes it cheaper.

New Zealand

Absolutely spend more than just 12 days in this country! Besides the safari in Kenya, New Zealand tops my favorite country of the entire trip. The country is just overall beautiful and plenty of adventure and activities to do. The weather also plays a big role in what you can/cannot do during the day, but it is definitely a place I want to go back and spend more time in. I think the best way to explore the country is to probably do the reverse of what we did and start on the North Island before enjoying the views of the South Island.

  • If you enjoy camping, this is the place for you. We saw numerous camper vans across the South Island and is definitely a cheap way to see the country. In some cities (especially on the South Island), there are very few hotels to choose from though we were thoroughly surprised at how much we liked most places we stayed in.
  • Visiting Queenstown: you have to grab a meal at Fergburger, head up Skyline Queenstown to do the luge, and do one of the adventure activities like the gorge swing or if you’re more adventurous than us…bungee jumping.
  • And I will definitely promote the Kaikoura Dolphin Encounter because that was one of the highlights of the trip! I’m trying to convince Grant we should do this next trip:
Orcas are my favorite animals (even over penguins!)

Things we wish we could have seen in New Zealand:

  • Visit Christchurch. We had to choose between short trip to Christchurch for afternoon or head straight to Kaikoura so ended up missing out on visiting Christchurch.
  • Grant really wants to skydive over Fox Glacier but the skydiving company requires over 500 jumps and to bring your own gear…
  • Do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The weather is a big component in whether or not you can hike.

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