Though Bali is an awkward shape, and it would be hard to figure it out, you can safely consider Ubud as the ‘center’ of Bali. It is surrounded by picturesque rice terraces with farmers working, but also where you will find some of the fanciest villas and 5-star dining. It is a mecca for vegans and yogis, with many retreats and cafes dedicated to this growing breed, and prices to match! Despite its huge popularity, Ubud still has a lot of charm and is definitely one of our favourite areas that we keep going back to. After 4 weeks here, we’ve now found some of the best day trips from Ubud. Transportation…
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Best Time to go to Bali for Diving and Where To Stay
Bali is an awesome island for scuba diving. While it wasn’t on my wishlist for a long time (the drunken Aussie bogan stories had always put me off), once I started diving, I heard it was the place to be. The diving around Bali has strong currents. Because of this, it is super rich in nutrients. This is what draws the cool stuff to see while scuba diving. The mola molas, the mantas, and the thousands of little critters hiding in the muck. Best time to go to Bali for diving? The best time to go to Bali for diving is from May to November. It’s after the hot hot…
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Our Island Ride
Did we mention that we bought a semi-automatic bike a few months ago? Here’s the beast. The kickstart works every time which is a bonus! There’s usually quite a few bikes, in various conditions, for sale on the island. The simplest way to find one is to join the Koh Tao community FaceBook pages, and see what people have for sale. You do have to be quick though cos if it’s a quality bike, and going for the right price then you’re going to have stiff competition from the many others who are also looking to buy. We were after a semi-automatic bike that wasn’t too new looking, and was…
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Nangnoi Guesthouse – Pakse, Laos
Cost 70,000 kip (LAK) What Clean fan room, en-suite bathroom, hot shower, wifi in room, double bed, balcony Where View Nangnoi & Soutchai Guesthouses – Pakse in a larger map Comment Run by a Laotian couple with their two children, this is a highly organized guesthouse. There are only about 10 rooms and each are located within the same building were the young family also live. The room was impeccably clean and comfortable. The bedding was white and we did not use our sleep sheets. Nangnoi rents motorbikes out at 60,000 kip a day, or 50,000 kip if you take it for a few days. They also provide a drawn…
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A Silly Calf and the Mother Who Tried to Kill Us
Passed a herd of cows resting on the road from 4,000 islands along the Mekong. In the confusion a calf thought our motorbike was its mum and started running alongside us. Next thing I know a giant cow is chasing us, mooing and huffing and galloping. Lionel thought it was hilarious and was trying to pat the baby calf while keeping the bike balanced at 5kms an hour. I was swearing and yelling, ‘The mother is coming for us, GO, GO, GO!!’ I was bugging out cowering, waiting for a giant cow to rear end us. Finally we took off and the baby cow kept chasing us, struggling to keep…
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Golden Triangle Northern Thailand Motorbike Loop
The rural north of Vietnam was spectacular, so we didn’t hesitate to explore the northern most region in Thailand. Our base for this loop was Chiang Rai. I recommend ST Rental for a motorbike. They have serious bikes too. I was batting eyelids at an all matte army green 250cc Honda off-road bike, but at 1000baht per day, that would leave nothing of our budget for food and other essentials. Maybe another time. Anyway, we got a Honda Wave S 125, which seemed to have lost a few cc in its many years of service. We packed one green bag plus the small dry bag and set off, dodging the…
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Off The Grid In Northern Thailand
There’s a reason why the blog has been quiet. We have been heading further north from Chiang Mai after saying goodbye to our friends Scott and Sarah. It is a very special little world up here. Sometimes we go days without spotting another tourist or meeting anyone that speaks English. We order food and bargain room rates by pointing at things and using our little Thai which consists of numbers and “thank you”. The people here are very honest, open and most welcoming. Most places require a bike to get around and it’s best not to expect or research and just go. It is a great adventure. So here’s a…
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1864 Corners In North-West Thailand
The Mae Hong Son loop in north-west Thailand is known for its many bends. It is claimed there are 1864 of them. In Mae Hong Son itself there is a shop dedicated to 1864 branded souvenirs! I didn’t count them, however I can confirm that there are many, many corners. Some are very sharp and steep. Unfortunately, the benefit of less tourists during the low season means that we got caught in the rain every riding day. Here is how we broke up the ride. Day 1 – Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang The roads are very good during this leg. The main danger being the first half of highway…
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Mae Sa Valley Loop – Take One
After our 10 day motorbike adventure in Mae Hong Son, we returned to Chiang Mai yesterday. We still had our bike today and decided to do the 100km Mae Sa Valley loop, before we return our trusty Honda Dream. This is apparently one of the most picturesque 100km you can ride in northern Thailand. So, after an early breakfast, we set off. Unfortunately for us, the weather had other ideas. It was raining the entire time and it got quite cold. That meant that the stunning views of the valley were lost on us. It didn’t help that both our ponchos have been ripped to shreds over the past weeks…
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Loopers – Looping Around Mae Hong Son
We set off on the Mae Hong Son loop yesterday and our first leg took us from Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang – a big one at 195km. Today, we pushed on along many winding corners on highway 108 for 162km. Riding away from the rain for most of the day, we actually ended up seeing a ‘double rainbow’ which was a great backdrop for the ride into the quaint city of Mae Hong Son. Going to spend a few days here to rest up and check out possible trekking options.
