Dueling Backpacks

Day 256 (March 11, 2019) – Langkawi, Malaysia Malaysia was never on our list of places we planned on visiting when we thought about this trip long ago, but here we were! It was kind of fun because it felt a bit unexpected, although we had a very good reason for going there. Thailand only gives you a 30-day visa and our time was up. We wanted to stay longer to see more of the country and we could do that by exiting and re-entering to get another 30-day visa. In other words, out trip to Malaysia was our visa run. While we could have entered and left Malaysia on the same day just to get our new visa, we instead turned the opportunity into a 10-day Malaysia trip, visiting both Langkawi and Penang.

Day 252 (March 7, 2019) – Koh Lipe, Thailand Travel is sort of a funny thing sometimes. You spend all this time getting somewhere far away so you can see new things, learn about how others live their lives, have new experiences, or whatever else you want to get out of your efforts. Even though many people might agree on the reasons why they travel, it is an extremely personal experience. Everyone has their own preferences for things to see and do. Travis and I don’t always agree on what our favorite places, activities, or experiences were, but more often than not we find ourselves on the same page. That’s why the things we either liked or didn’t like about our trip aren’t necessarily what other people might like or not like.

Day 247 (March 2, 2019) – Koh Muk, Thailand When we started this trip I think I always had this vision of sometime along the way being dropped off on a remote and miniscule tropical island with perfect beaches and nothing to do but lay in the sun and read a book all day. This imaginary island was supposed to be the perfect get-away-from-it-all island with nothing to do and no way for people to reach you. Our trip to Koh Muk (also spelled Koh Mook) was pretty much as close as we were going to get to that tiny tropical island.

Day 243 (February 26, 2019) – Koh Lanta, Thailand Koh Lanta was pretty much a perfect Thai island. It was exactly what I was hoping to find from our island-hopping adventures in the Andaman Sea. The beaches were among the nicest we’d ever seen, all the cozy little beach-side restaurants we visited were absolutely delicious, and the whole place had a super relaxed feel. Forget Phuket . Koh Lanta was the elusive Thai island paradise we had been searching for.

Day 235 (February 18, 2019) – Koh Phi Phi, Thailand I was determined to not go to Koh Phi Phi while we were in Thailand. I had read all about it and came to the conclusion that I’d rather spend my time elsewhere. However, as much as I tried to avoid it, it was on the way to all the other places we wanted to go. We would have had to sail right past it to go elsewhere, so we decided to stop on Koh Phi Phi anyway and see what all the fuss was about.

Day 233 (February 16, 2019) – Phuket, Thailand Our first stop in Thailand landed us in Phuket (the “h” is silent), one of the main gateways to the Thai islands. Although Phuket is itself an island it’s so large that just trying to figure out which part to stay in is a challenge. So rather than planting ourselves in one spot for a week, we took the opportunity to visit three different parts of the island over nine days. We spent four days in Patong, three days in Kata, and two days in Phuket Town. These places were strikingly different from one another but in a way they each provided a different atmosphere so that anyone can find something to like on Phuket. No matter where we were on the island, we were never far away from the crowds, but at the same time we were also never far away from a pristine tropical beach.

We were in Singapore for such a short time, only four days, that reporting on expenses seems a bit unnecessary. However, for the sake of completion, here we go. This is short and to the point.

Day 226 (February 9, 2019)  –  Singapore Originally, our plans didn't involve visiting Singapore , but we were made an offer we couldn't refuse: free accommodation! My friend Sharon from high school now lives in Singapore and graciously offered to host us for the four days we were in town. Singapore is known for being quite the expensive city, and it certainly would've been had we paid for our own room. But thanks to Sharon's generosity, we were able to put that money towards awesome food and drinks instead. It was great catching up with Sharon, and the city turned out to be so much better than we had expected. The city is so vibrant and cosmopolitan that it is high on my list of places to live if we ever settle down and find a job again (and if that job would let me work remotely from Singapore). Public transit is super efficient, and the city is extremely safe. The only downside is there was a heavy Big Brother feel to the place, with government security cameras