tuk tuk no good

Things lost on the road

Wrapping up a year of travel, I thought I would make a list of things I have lost this year.

  • four toenails, thanks to Rinjani
  • my iPod
  • my swimming costume
  • a beanie
  • my consumption of meat
  • my Australian identity (After spending four years living outside of Sydney and a good part of this year in Vietnam, I now feel a whole lot more Vietnamese than Australian.)
  • a fear of squat toilets and peeing in nature (When we were waiting for our bus to Danang, I asked a woman where the bathroom was. She brought me to the side of the road and we peed on the grass along with three other Vietnamese women, while a bus pulled up next to us.)
  • caring about what i look like (Though this may come back upon arriving back in Europe. Right now I am too used to wearing the same thing everyday and not wearing any makeup.)

Snorkelling the Gilis

We went snorkelling around the Gilis four times during our stay there – once as part of a snorkelling trip and then three times off each of the different islands. I definitely recommend just going off on your own rather than joining a trip. [Read more…]

Where we stayed for under $20: recommended budget lodgings in Asia

Here is a compiled list of our favourite budget places we stayed throughout Asia. We paid less than 20USD/night, and a majority of them under $15. (Though a lot of the time we negotiated the price/ it was low season/ we were staying a few nights.) None of these places we booked – we just found them while walking or motorbiking, looking for accommodation. I know you can definitely get much cheaper (and we have stayed much cheaper but then cleanliness also goes down), but we these places are the ones that stand out when I think about all the places we have stayed on this trip. They were clean, comfortable and had a nice vibe. [Read more…]