Most times there will be a language barrier but this shouldn’t stop you from trying food carts. At first, we would move cautiously up to the food cart, looking at each other, whispering ‘do you think it’s safe to eat? What is that?’ and then point to something asking ‘how much?’ If you do ask how much, it may cause the street vendor to stop, think, and decide to tell you an inflated price. We now confidently walk up to the cart, have a look, put two fingers up, nod, hold out some cash, and hope for change. Just pretend you know what you’re doing! At times you will need…
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Money Matters in South East Asia
Money is obviously important everywhere and anywhere, but especially when you’re moving from one place to another, and changing currencies. Here are a few things we discovered about money as we traveled.
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Why We Traveled, and Why You Should Too!
We got to a cross-roads in our relationship and in our lives, about two years ago. We had good jobs and a bit of money. We could have invested the next few years climbing up our career ladders, purchased a house and a lengthy mortgage to go with it, or we could spend our money and go traveling. 100 points for guessing which path we chose! We did jump into it not really knowing what to expect, but one year later, we’ve come to realise we made the right choice. If you’re wondering if and why you should travel, here’s some of the reasons that made it worthwhile for us.…
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How To Use A Bum Gun (Butt Spray) in South East Asia
After eight months in South-East Asia it was inevitable that we would end up using that weird hose sitting behind the toilet in every public and private bathroom. Initially, I didn’t fully grasp the concept of spraying your butt hole, rather than wiping the butt hole (I blame my parents and Western society for leading me down the wrong path), but now having used the butt spray on more than several occasions, I completely understand the notion of showering your arsehole
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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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Weird Things to Eat in Thailand: The Edible, the Inedible, and the In between
This post is for my sister, the foodie and chef. She likes food. We like food too. And we especially like Thailand. We also like being on a budget. Everything below is food you would find in a random market off the beaten track or in a roadside hut. We tend to avoid the more Western options serving pizza, burgers, etc. because while we love pizza, burgers, etc. we kinda know the best pizzas won’t be anywhere near the border of Thailand and Myanmar. Sorry, truth. Anyway, here’s some weird things to eat in Thailand. “A Woman and her Curries” Most locals seem to buy their food from the markets,…
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Ma Pi Leng Pass: Riding A Motorbike From Dong Van To Meo Vac
The Ma Pi Leng pass is quite possible the single best kept secret of intrepid travel in Vietnam. A fellow traveler had told me about these very remote towns deep in the north of Vietnam. One called Dong Van and the other called Meo Vac. I had never heard of either of them. Of course that fact alone peaked my interest. It was not so much the towns themselves, but what lay between them. What connected them was the Ma Pi Leng pass. The single best bit of road in all of South East Asia in my opinion. This drive was so special that we did it twice. Yes, two…
