Reset search
Epic Adventure in SE AsiaEpic Adventure in SE Asia
SatelliteEdit route

Epic Adventure in SE Asia

January - February 2020
Whirlwind adventure through Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai), Laos (Luang Prabang), Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City), and Cambodia (Siem Reap). Read more
  • 39footprints
  • 4countries
  • 32days
  • 303photos
  • 8videos
  • 34.4kkilometers
  • 28.8kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia

    Officially on vacation!!

    January 13, 2020 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ -5 °C

    Why stress about traffic and getting to the airport on time when you can start your vacation early by spending the night at the airport? Fairmont Vancouver Airport was just lovely, relaxing and stress-free. Good night world!Read more

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    1
    Day 1

    All that's left is the waiting....

    January 14, 2020 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C

    Sleeping in, waking up leisurely and having a nice breakfast before checking in. All that's left is waiting for the flight. Good-bye Vancouver! In less than 24 hours, hello Bangkok!

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    12
    Day 3

    We have arrived!

    January 16, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Finally arrived in Bangkok and checked in to our hotel. Once on wifi, realized we apparently missed Snowmageddon back home, so this trip was amazing timing on our part! It was just starting to snow when we left.

    Flew China Eastern for the first time. Wasn't sure what to expect as the reviews were mostly really good or really bad. All in all, I have no complaints! Well worth the $700 round-trip airfare! 😊

    I'm 5'2" but had plenty of leg-room. Sharon will have to provide her own opinion this! Each seat was provided a new pair of headphones, and there was individual in-seat entertainment. There was a mix of movies, including recent Hollywood releases. They even had games which were pretty fun and helped to pass the time.

    Foodwise, it's airplane food. What do you expect?? On the first leg, from Vancouver to Shanghai, we were served 2 meals. It wasn't bad but was served cold/lukewarm. My only wish was for it to be hot. Aside from that, the shrimp on rice in corn sauce was good, as was the pork pasta. They also served warm buns, but it came after they had served the meal. Would have been nice if it had been served at the same time. We also got a tuna sandwich as a snack between the meals, but it definitely wasn't that interesting. On the 4 hour flight from Shanghai to Bangkok, we got a single package of crackers. No comments on it as I didn't eat it.

    Finally arrived in Bangkok! We had pre-booked a transfer and after a little while, Sharon spotted the sign and the nice man waiting for us. Quiet drive to the hotel but thankful that there was no traffic at 2am! Couldn't wait to check in and get some rest. No complaints about the hotel! We had booked a holiday escape package that included a room upgrade and it definitely was that! Views from the 24th floor (highest floor the elevator goes to!) at 3am. Can't wait to see this view in daylight after some sleep.    Read more

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    1
    Day 3

    ICONSIAM

    January 16, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Yep, we went to a mall. Seemed like a chill, relaxed thing to do that didn't require any thinking. Didn't find any cute dresses that would be suitable for visiting temples (which require you to dress modestly and cover up your shoulders and knees), but it did have an amazing section with stuff made by local artisans, such as jewelry, pottery, glassware, beauty products and household decor. The bottom floor was an incredible replica of a night market and there was so much "street food". One of the upper floors had an incredible range of restaurants, all with delicious sounding dishes. If I hadn't been full from breakfast, the hardest thing would have been deciding what to eat! Stopped for a drink at Fallabella, to rest, relax and enioy the view. Overcast and smoggy and surprisingly bright, and then the sun came out and it got REALLY bright and hot very quickly. Still operating off little sleep, so it was time to go back to the hotel for a siesta before the street food tour tonight.

    We also learned that it was cheaper to pay the taxi by meter instead of a flat rate (75THB vs 200THB), and even though we were paying by meter, he still wanted cash upfront. (Which we definitely didn't do. How were we supposed to know how much to pay when we hadn't reached our destination?) He turned out to be pretty nice and taught us that a woman says khob kun ka, which means thank you, and a man says khob kun krub.    Read more

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    Day 3

    Giggles & Grips

    January 16, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Gosh: After much walking and discovering the city, I have noticed that the train stations are the tidiest locations in the city! Clean floors, so clean that entire families would be sitting on the floor if the stations eating!

    Gasp: We took a tuk tuk and I need to tell you that these folks are fun! They will swerve in and out of the traffic, back and forth and still allow the vespa’s squeeze by if there is space since they are smaller and they can fit in the tiny spaces between the cars and us! Incredible!    Read more

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    2
    1
    Day 3

    A Chef's Tour: Part 1

    January 16, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    This was a really great tour, fun and informative and our guide Andy spoke English well and was lovely about weaving in stories and history on our tour. This was mostly an introduction to street foods on Yaowarat Rd., along with a few brick and mortar stops. Most of the food was Chinese, rather than Thai, but most of it was super delicious!

    1. ginger soup w/crispy cracker, black sesame paste balls, gingko nuts and tofu: very gingery, lightly sweet

    2. dumplings filled with chinese chives and magic sauce (sweet soy, vinegar, chili, garlic)

    3. pork leg with vegetables (similar to sauerkraut, some type of pickled greens); chili oil and garlic on side. tastes like comfort food

    4. peanut sauce. soup w/ginger, cabbage, bean thread noodles, egg, green onion. very light and clean tasting, mild flavoured. peanut sauce really makes it delicious

    5. chicken skewers, satay sauce, side salad. I don't like ordering this at home and only end up with it when other people order it, because the chicken is almost always dry. This is nothing like what I get at home. The chicken is super moist, marinated in coconut milk overnight, grilled with charcoal. peanut sauce is spicier and less sweet than back home. salad is refreshing with a vinegary kick, very lightly spicy.

    6. herbal drink: pennywort, kind of tastes like spinach and carrot (It was refreshing to have in the heat. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. It was just something I tried but I wouldn't have it again.

    7. shrimp dumplings

    8. Thai green curry with rice and fried slices of Chinese sausage. This green curry tasted nothing like I would get at home. The fried slices of Chinese sausage are a brilliant addition, adding some crunch and a bit of sweetness and saltiness.

    9. soy sauce ice cream: tastes kind of like caramel

    10. green mango with shrimp sauce: a little coconut sugar on the green mango for sweetness as the green mango is tart. shrimp sauce is salty and spicy (green chilis) and also has some cilantro. Hands down, the BEST thing I ate all night!    Read more

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    1
    Day 3

    A Chef's Tour: Part 2

    January 16, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    tom yum soup: the original! distinctly taste the salty, sour, seafoody. chili on side

    water mimosa: garlicky, sweet, spicy. very good!

    river prawn: grilled, firm meat. seafood sauce: garlicky, spicy (red and green chilis), salty, lemony, little sugar

    kind of like a chinese donut with pandan leaf custard

    fresh mango juice

    mango with sticky rice. mangoes here are different. smooth, creamy, not stringy

    Yaowarat Rd: very different from day to night    Read more

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    2
    11
    Day 4

    A day of wandering

    January 17, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 32 °C

    Amazing day wandering this beautiful city. Started with a walk towards the river with a confused look on our faces and a tuk-tuk driver picked us out of the crowds and convinced us to take a long boat ride instead of the hop on hop off boat. The private boat was a nice experience, two temples later, Pretty sure we spent too much on the longboat but the experience was worth it.
    Wat Pho what is next on our list and it was outstanding! The weather is starting to be quite hot at this time of day so the shaded areas were most welcome. We were lucky enough to experience the monks in the temple with their chanting and the Buddha's were everywhere inside of the complex. We also learned that the Buddhas with the flame on top of their heads were the ones that reached divine wisdom where are the other buddha’s we’re their protectors. After that we were more than happy to have a beautiful lunch in an air-conditioned area.
    We tried to gain entrance to the Saranrom Palace but it was closed for the day so the kind gentleman helped us to get a tuk-tuk to a number of different areas starting with the tall Buddha at the golden mount. Then we received some excellent advice and details from a volunteer who had spent time in British Columbia as well as Alberta. We visited a export centre which had one week no tax per year for sapphires and rubies mined out of Thailand. That was 195% tax savings! Then off to the suit makers and we both are having beautiful suits made, yippee! By this time our tuk-tuk driver was tired of our company and chose to deliver us with a pout on his face to a metro station which was completely on the other end of town! Still with smiles on our faces we took the train home to prepare for Jay Fai, our Michelin chef experience!    Read more

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    Day 5

    Ayutthaya

    January 18, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We were picked up today at 9:30 for a private tour of what used to be the capital city. Ayutthaya was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1350 until raided by the Burmese in 1767. The city was never rebuilt. You could see evidence of the war between Burma and Thailand on these ruins. It was explained to us that the Burmese had cut the heads off all the Buddhas in the ruins and surrounding areas as well as burning the city to the ground.
    The historical significance of this city is felt by the way the tour guide explained it’s history.
    It was nice to see the changes from the city to the countryside.    Read more

  • Epic Adventure in SE Asia
    1
    Day 6

    Chatuchak market

    January 19, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Boat was so sweet he offered to drop us off at the market on our way home instead of going back to thehotel. After a brief drive back into the city we were stuck in traffic again. The traffic can be quite heavy during the peak hours with 🚗 🚙 🚗 cars, tuk tuks and Vespas 🛵 zooming in and out of traffic! It can be a little intimating to say the least.
    We finally arrived at one of the main gates of the market to grab a map, which is seriously needed if you plan on managing any kind of search for something specific! There is apparently over 3000 stalls in this market to navigate. After a short while you begin to realize that you are still seeing some of the same things over and over again. The one really confusing item was tie died items!!! When did that come back in style? It was everywhere! I was walking around by myself with a 🍺 in hand, too funny. I managed to get a skirt so I do not need to suffer further in the heat to see the temples and a rather pretty moonstone ring. Yep, that was it! Three hours & 3 🍻 beers later with ice cream in hand I was done. Coconut ice cream with palm seeds, peanuts, some kind of jelly and corn, yes you heard that right, corn! I figured if they thought it was good, I may as well give it a try. Off to the train for a relax before we head out again.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English