Blog

The second tour we opted for during our beach getaway took us on a 37-mile circuit southeast of Koh Lanta, stopping at four locations within the Trang islands along the picturesque Andaman Coast. Similar to Koh Rok, the day trip … Read More

While we enjoyed the beaches of Koh Lanta, we chose to dedicate a couple of days to visiting some of the other nearby islands. At the recommendation of a San Francisco couple we met in Khao Yai, we headed by … Read More

Our visit to Thailand (Koh Lanta, specifically) happened to coincide with the celebration of Songkran, the Thai New Year. Traditionally, its observance has aligned with the Buddhist solar calendar, though it’s now celebrated each year from April 13–15. Songkran is … Read More

While Bangkok was clearly not my cup of tea, something I really struggled to resolve, I was able to find a happy little corner of southern Thailand – namely, the Andaman Sea. I can’t imagine a trip to Thailand would … Read More

To escape the congestion of the city, we decided to head a few hours northeast of Bangkok, to Khao Yai National Park. Thailand’s oldest national park, it is part of a large UNESCO world heritage site which spans 230 kilometers … Read More

Okay, so some of you have asked things like, “Is everything really as wonderful as you depict? Has there been anything you haven’t enjoyed?” Until now, the questions to those answers (from our experiences in Australia and New Zealand) easily … Read More

WHAT WE DID: Traveled for 64 days around the eastern and southern parts of Australia Stayed primarily in rooms (either a guest bedroom or self-contained unit) booked through AirBnB, with the exception of a 6-night villa on Lord Howe Island, … Read More

To date, we’ve posted 74 blogs highlighting the beautiful landscapes, exciting excursions, magnificent wildlife, and delicious food of Australia and New Zealand. Thus, we figured it’s about time to change it up a bit, and shed some light on what … Read More

Just a quick wrap-up of the last few birds we saw in Australia before boarding our flight to Thailand! Not many interesting facts this time, but we did discover that the brahminy kite has very weak feet, so they can’t … Read More

Tucked away in the southern corner of New South Wales, a couple of hours south of Canberra and straddling the border with Victoria, lies Kosciuszko National Park, home to Australia’s highest peak, Mt. Kosciuszko. Rising 2,228 meters (7,310 feet) within … Read More

Because we are gluttons for punishment, we decided after spending a couple days in Brisbane that we could indeed make a beeline south to briefly see Canberra and do our much-anticipated hike in Kosciuszko National Park. What’s an extra 12 … Read More

After a multi-day trek up the Pacific Highway, we finally made it to Brisbane, a coastal city of about two million people in southeastern Queensland. Our generous friends we had met in the Galápagos invited us to stay with them, … Read More

When planning this trip, we had intended to spend about a month and a half in Australia, and then fly to Thailand to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary in mid-April. When we look at the sanctuary’s calendar in January, while … Read More

What would a visit to Australia be without a lesson in one of the Aussies’ most famous outdoor pastimes – surfing? We excitedly booked a lesson with Let’s Go Surfing! at Sydney’s most renowned strip of sand and surf, Bondi … Read More

It seems that no visit to Sydney could really be considered complete without climbing the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. Is it expensive and seemingly overpriced? Yes. Is it something that thousands of tourists do on a weekly basis? Yes. Is … Read More