End Of An Era

Ok, maybe end of an era is a bit strong, but its the end of our incredible, awe-inspiring, amazing 4-month adventure traipsing through SE Asia. And we have the luggage to prove it. We feel this trip/vacation/journey has enriched us forever. So to that we say good bye to Sydney, one of Anne's top destinations now scratched off the list.So now what? But before we jump into that we decided to provide a quick Q&A on the last 4 months of our lives. 1. One Place you'd go back to again and again. Anne: Oh starting with a tough one. So many places I'd love to go back to on this trip - Tokyo; Vietnam, especially Saigon; Penang; Bangkok; Ubud, Bali; Singapore; Sydney Mike: Japan, Vietnam, Bangkok, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and Sydney 2. Place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit? Anne: Tokyo! Everyone should see Tokyo! And for my parents: Singapore. Mike: Japan 3. Place you've never been to and are dying to go Anne: So many places, so I'll be specific and in no particular order - Hong Kong Serengeti National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya Cape Town, South Africa Angkor Wat, Cambodia India, region yet to be determined New Orleans Trinidad & Tobago Java and Sumatra Islands, Indonesia Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Italy, Croatia, Turkey and Greece South Carolina and New Mexico Mike: Hong Kong 4. Place you'd never go back? Anne: Kuta, Bali Mike: Kuta, Bali 5. Most memorable moment Anne: Mike proposing to me at midnight on New Year's Eve at the rooftop of the Rex Hotel, Saigon, Vietnam Mike: Stepping out of our hotel for the first time in Hanoi, Vietnam, after arriving late at night and thinking "We're definitely not in Kansas anymore!" 6. Preferred method of transportation? Anne: Scooter! Mike: Scooter Rental! 7. Most "foreign" place Anne:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Mike: Hanoi, Vietnam
8. Most "memorable" place Anne: Tough one, it was all so memorable, but I'll provide specifics. Rex Hotel Rooftop, Saigon, Vietnam Bamboo Forest, outside Kyoto, Japan Ha Long Bay, Vietnam Emperor Tu Duc's compound, Hue, Vietnam Hammocks and midnight swims in Phu Quoc, Vietnam Bangkok night markets Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang, Malaysia Taipusam Hindu Celebration at the Batu Caves, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The Living Galleries and Lau Pa Sat Food Court, Singapore Terraced Rice Fields, Bali The Gap Park and Sydney Harbor, Sydney, Australia Mike: Rex Hotel, New Year's Eve 9. Any place you feel you had too much time? Anne:
That was the beauty of having 4 months to travel. We had a general agenda, but came and went as we pleased. If we like one particular place we'd stay longer if we didn't we'd leave. So no, I don't feel like we spent too much time in any one place, sure, there were places we didn't like, but we would decide that and leave. Mike: Kuta Beach, Bali 10. Any place you didn't have enough time in Anne:Japan! Mike: Japan
11. Must have travel item Anne: Silk sleep sacks we bought in Hoi An, Vietnam - priceless! Mike: Good walking shoes, laptop computer, insect repellent, sunscreen and sunglasses 12. Items that were a waste of space? Anne:In the end we may have carried around more meds and first aid items than we needed, but the peace of mind was worth it. Clothes would be my space waster. There were items I didn't even wear or only wore once. Mike: Sigg water bottles 13. Favorite Souvenir? Anne: My buddha I purchased at the Saigon Souvenir Shop on Dong Khaoi Street. He makes me smile everyday. Mike: A Fiancee 14. What did you learn about travel Anne: You may not appreciate some place while you're there, but you will definitely after you've left. Mike: Every occurrence is an unexpected, unpredictable, incontrollable and inspiring moment. And People are people are people are people 15. What did you learn about yourself? Anne: I'm a luxury traveler with low carbon footprint ideals Mike: I can adapt to anything 16. Suggestions for an extended trip? Anne: SE Asia - it's exotic, mesmerizing, funny, inexpensive, innocent and raw. If you don't have 4 months, it's easy to break up. We want to do Hong Kong and Taiwan someday soon. Or major cities in Vietnam, Phnom Penh and Bangkok. Or Southern Thailand beaches, Penang, Perhentian Islands, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Indonesia is an extended trip in and of itself starting with Jakarta, the island of Java and the world's largest buddhist temple at Borobudur, the islands of Sumatra, Sulawesi and Flores to see the Kimodo Dragons! Mike: Be prepared for the unexpected 17. If you could live anywhere for year, where? Anne: Saigon, Vietnam; Sydeny, Australia; Singapore; Honolulu, Hawaii; New York City; Southern France; London, England Mike: Japan 18. Most inspiring culinary place you've visited? Anne: New York City; Saigon, Vietnam; Japan Mike: Vietnam 19. Least inspiring Anne: Beiing, China; Thailand Mike: Thailand 20. Next Trip? Anne & Mike: Vietnam for Tet New Year! Good bye Year of the Ox (both of our zodiac year) and Hello Year of the Tiger!
So if there are any questions about our travels you'd like to ask please feel free, we'd love to answer them for you!