From Australia it was on to Fiji, a newly independent country (from the Brits, of course) of over 300 islands. While, majority of the population lives on two large Fijian islands, tourists visit both the large and the remote. We had a chance to experience both. Fiji reminded me a little bit of Hawaii, with Read more about Highlights from Fiji — Our Final Destination![…]
After my bout with Delhi belly, I came back to life just in time for Angkor Wat, the highlight of our cycling trip! I was awed by its beauty and impressed by the size, power and wealth of this civilization that remained relatively unknown to the world until the mid-1800s. ANGKOR (or THE ANGKOR SITE), Read more about Cycling Indochina: Part II (Angkor Wat & Bangkok)[…]
Next on our itinerary was a 12-day cycling trip with gAdventures, a travel-adventure company we now affectionately refer to as the red-headed step child of Backroads given its slightly rustic conditions and accommodations. Our trip started in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), continued through Vietnam and Cambodia, and ended in Bangkok, Thailand. We road about 30-40 Read more about Cycling Indochina: Part I (Vietnam to Cambodia)[…]
After 6 weeks in Asia, we were excited to get to Australia. In our 6 weeks, we had gained a deep appreciation for western democracies and we were anxious to get back to one. We were so anxious, in fact, we ended up leaving two days early for the Land Down Under. Australia is called Read more about Highlights from Australia[…]
Mini you may ask? Yes, mini! Paul and I were both scheduled for a 4-day silent meditation retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was a Vapassina style meditation retreat (Vipassina is a Buddhist style of meditation which translates to insight into one’s self). In spite of the fact that Vipassina techniques are seen as secular Read more about My Mini-Silent-Meditation Retreat: Chiang Mai, Thailand[…]
Next stop on our journey was Nepal for a short 7 day visit starting and ending in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Five days of the trip would be a trek towards Mt. Everest in hopes of getting a good view of the world’s highest mountain. I had always wanted to see Everest first hand Read more about Highlights from Nepal: The Pinnacle of our Trip (written by Paul)![…]
Our two-week itinerary in India took us to six cities: Agra (Taj Mahal), Jaipur, Delhi, Amritsar, Dharamshala, and Varanasi. This post covers our itinerary in pictures. AGRA Our first stop was Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Since we knew we were going to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise the next day, we headed Read more about Highlights from India: Our Itinerary in Pictures[…]
Paul and I had always wanted to go to India. As for me, it held a certain mysticism, perhaps due to my love for yoga and meditation, the current Dalai Lama, and images of India’s brilliant dress and glorious food. As for Paul, he was interested in seeing the Taj Mahal and experiencing the stories he Read more about Highlights From India: Overall Impressions[…]
We ended our trip to Israel by venturing beyond Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, into other parts of Israel and even into Jordan. Nazareth & The Sea of Galilee We spent two nights in Nazareth where we were able to appreciate a few of the sacred Christian sites. Nazareth is where Jesus grew up and is Read more about Israel: Beyond Jerusalem, Into Jordan, & Eastward[…]
After Tel Aviv, we arrived in Jerusalem, the conservative capital of Israel. As we all know, Jerusalem is a sacred place for the three most prolific Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. A tour of the Old City is the place to start exploring Jerusalem given the shear enormity of sacred sites for each of these religions Read more about Israel: Highlights from Jerusalem[…]
12 days in the small country of Israel, gave us ample opportunity to experience this special place. We spent a few days on our own in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem before joining a formal tour, which took us to other parts of the state and even into Jordan. We found Israel to be a land of Read more about Israel: Highlights from Tel Aviv[…]
Perhaps it’s that we feel akin to Greeks and their (our) culture or perhaps it’s the beautiful weather and turquoise blue waters. Whatever it is we absolutely loved our two weeks in Greece. In that short time, we covered Athens, Sounion, Karpenisi, Thessaloniki, and the island of Rhodes. ATHENS Athens is the bustling capital city Read more about Highlights from Greece[…]
13 days and 7 cities in, we’ve created countless memories with many highlights and only one or two lowlights. With many insights revealed, we have tried to narrow things down to our top insights. Stockholm was our first stop. Two nights and 1.5 days was just enough time for a taste of Sweden, which we found to Read more about Highlights from Stockholm[…]
While the Olympians have just finished showcasing their hard work to the world, so too have we completed Olympic-style preparation for this trip-of-a lifetime. 13 countries in 87 days. Sweden Greece Israel Jordan India Nepal Vietnam Cambodia Thailand Laos Singapore Austrailia Fiji We pray that our arduous weeks of planning will pay dividends in terms of smooth(er) trails Read more about August 26th 2016: And We’re Off![…]