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  • Andreas and Whitney

World Adventure

From New Zealand to San Diego in a year. The adventure of a lifetime. Read more
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    May 14, 2017
    Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Here we go, New Zealand!

    May 14, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    World here we come! First stop Bali. Final destination San Diego. Who knows where we will travel in between. We will miss you New Zealand. #whitandreasadventures

    I can't believe how small our bags are! Andreas' bag is 7kg and my bag is 8.4kg.Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Kuta Beach, Bali

    May 15, 2017 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After 19 hours of travel, including an eight hour layover in Sydney, we made it to Bali! We were both super tired when we exited the plane and had about a 10 minute taxi ride to our hotel. The guide books say that there is only one reputable taxi company you should take while in Bali, Blue Bird taxis which are light blue and have a little blue bird logo on the side. Easy right? Wrong. Battling the sticky tropical heat, we withdraw about 500,000 rupiah ($60 NZD) and BAM we are bombarded. Swarms of hawkers see Whitney's pasty white skin as if it's a neon sign blinking "tourist!" Suddenly every counterfeit taxi driver in town was following us around trying to give us a 'very cheap price.' We said no about five times to each driver but they just kept following us no matter how much we ignored them. Talk about persistent. Within our first two minutes of being in Bali we also got offered to "smoke the special stuff" and it wasn't an isolated incident. To avoid all this chaos we ran out of the airport and eventually settled for an illegitimate taxi with a driver that appeared trustworthy! When we finally got to our room with all our organs, Andreas and I shared a long hug and thought "what did we get ourselves into." This is going to be a big adventure!Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Seminyak, Bali

    May 16, 2017 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Following on from a great first day on Kuta beach, we traveled up the coast to Seminyak. Here we spent our time walking on the beach, swimming in the warm ocean, exploring the shops, eating delicious acai bowls, and drinking ice cold beers on the beach at sunset.... we could get used to this! In Seminyak we stayed at our first party hostel and partook in the festivities that evening. I think our eyes masks and ear plugs will come in handy on this adventure.Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Canggu, Bali

    May 19, 2017 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Canggu is amazing! It's a tiny laid back beach town with surfers everywhere. We finally decided to rent a scooter and it was such a good idea. 50,000 IDR for 24 hour ($4.50 NZD)... what a deal. Andreas got to use his mountain biking skills on the tiny cobblestone roads and in the crazy traffic of Bali. We are pretty sure there are no road rules and whoever sticks their nose in first has the right of way. Needless to say, I was very happy riding on the back. Andreas has been encouraging me to drive but I don't think I'm ready yet. Filling the scooter up with gas is an adventure in itself. You get it on the side of the road out of Absolute Vodka bottles and it's about $0.60 (NZD) for one liter. I wonder how many people have acciddently drunk it.

    One evening while in Canggu we drove to the nearby Tanah Lot Temple to watch the sunset. The place was packed because every tourist in the area does it but it was very beautiful. We've been hanging out with a French girl, an Italian girl, and two Egyptian guys. We all went to a beach party and plan on meeting up later on down the road.    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Ubud, Bali

    May 23, 2017 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We spent the last three days in Ubud, the hippie capital of the world. More importantly, we have finally seen monkeys and they are crazy! They jump on your back and undo zips to get into your bag for food. One of them stole my banana and another peed on me! Some other highlights from Ubud were taking an awesome yoga class at the famous Yoga Barn, waking up at 2am to hike Mt. Batur for sunrise (although it was foggy), checking out the rice fields, and drinking Luwak coffee (Luwak's poop it out and they call it a cat poochino). We also met a group of cool Americans and have started traveling with them.. next stop Gili T for some relaxing beach time, partying, and SCUBA diving. Bring it on!Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Gili Trawangan, Indonesia

    May 24, 2017 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We took a ferry from Bali to the tiny magical island of Gili T. There are three Gili islands in total. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the Gili islands so it feels like we have been transported back in time - horse drawn carriages, bumpy dirt roads, and bicycles everywhere. The island has turquoise blue water and is surrounded by coral reefs. We went snorkeling and saw sea turtles everywhere. Andreas spent three days getting his SCUBA certification. I joined him his last day for a refresher course and for his last dive. We went down to 18m to check out a pier that sunk 20 years ago. We saw lion fish, cow fish, scorpion fish, and a manta shrimp. There were even bikes down there. We are still traveling with our squad of Americans. We also found out that all the water on this island is desalinated (although it is still a little salty) and the whole island is run on generators - electricity can be a little shotty. Next stop Gili Air!Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Gili Air, Indonesia

    May 31, 2017 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    After a 20 minute overcrowded public ferry ride in the 32 degree heat, we arrived (sweating) to Gili Air. This island, known for its "chill factor" and accessibility to psychodelic mushrooms, is the smallest of the three Gili islands and takes about 26 minutes and 54 seconds to run around (we know this because I did it). We had to walk for about 10 minutes from the ferry to our hostel 'Bedadang' which was located on the opposite side of the island. True to the island's reputation, we were offered magic mushrooms several times during this 10 minute walk. Our hostel's rustic island theme (grass huts, palm trees, mosquito nets) was accented by a mushroom shaped swimming pool which was awash with flashing colours after sunset. We were still travelling with our USA contingent so most evenings we would head out as a group to get some cocktails and the cheapest meal we could find. Whitney and Alli (a girl in our travelling group) sought out the infamous Gili Air swing for a beautiful picture in the dying light while I proceeded to use the hostel table tennis table to assert Kiwi dominance by thrashing Max (a guy from our group) who suggested he might have some talent for ping pong (current score 8 - 5 to me). We now head to the Island of Lombok, known for its waterfalls, trekking, and surfing.Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Lombok, Indonesia

    June 2, 2017 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌬 31 °C

    Our group took the "public boat" from Gili Air to Lombok. It costs about $1 and was packed full. A scary but cost-effective way to travel between islands. In Lombok we stayed at a hostel that served free banana pancakes 24/7 by a friendly man named Abdul. Our first day we explored the nearby town of Sengigi and stumbled upon a really nice resort. We decided to splurge and eat there... great decision! The food was Italian, and equivalent to the dishes I tasted in Italy. We decided to explore the grounds after our meal and found the private villa part of the resort. This included a 'lazy river style' pool and complementary coffee and muffins bar. As there was no one around, we spent the rest of our afternoon swimming in the pool, drinking coffee, and eating muffins.... until they asked for our room number. With some quick thinking and apologizing (from the staff to us) we got out of there without any issues. Because it was so tasty, we ended up eating dinner at the resort and watching the sunset.

     The next day we were ready for adventure. We rented four scooters between the 7 of us and set off on a waterfall hunt. Apparently there was a waterfall 30 min from our hostel and we set off into the mountains to find it. Our paved road soon turned into mud and rocks. At some points I had to jump off the back so Andreas could make it up the steep muddy hills. The locals were cheering and laughing at us as we rode by; it was clear that not many tourists came this way. As no one spoke English this far in the mountains, we had to show people the Indonesian word for waterfall on our phone and they just kept pointing up the road. Finally we parked our bikes and a little girl (about eight years old) in a pink shirt ran up to us. She didn't speak a word of English but grabbed my hand and pointed forward. We did what any normal person would do... we followed her! She was wearing flip flops about four sizes too big and started moving quickly through the jungle (we all had to hurry to keep up). We soon realized we were on an advanced trek following a small child that spoke no English. After about an hour of hiking we found our majestic waterfall and it was pretty spectacular. We paid the little girl with a half a pack of Mentos and the equivalent of $1. Happy that we didn't get eaten by a cobra or have our organs harvested, we hiked back to our bikes and started our ride home. Lombok was quite the adventure... next stop Uluwatu!    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Uluwatu, Indonesia

    June 5, 2017 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We had quite an adventure traveling from Lombok back to Bali. Being on a tight budget, our group decided to take the four-hour public ferry from Lombok to Bali for about $5 (NZD) rather than the fast one-hour ferry which cost about $20; of course this was a mistake. While the public ferry did arrive to port on schedule, our boat had to queue in the habour for about three hours before it could dock. Needless to say, our group were less than impressed when we finally made landfall at 6pm. We then travelled by shuttle for about two hours to Uluwatu where we discovered that our reserved airbnb did not exist... sigh. By now we were beginning to see the humorous side of our day's misfortunes and held it together long enough to book nearby accommodation. We stayed the evening in a hotel that had clearly seen better days and moved to better lodgings in a better location the next morning.

    We spent the following three days visiting Uluwatu temple where monkeys stare unwaveringly into your eyes as they snap the sunglasses they just stole, lazing (and paddleboarding) on the overcrowded yet picturesque Padang Padang beach, and watching professional surfers cleave their boards in two on a 10ft shallow reef-break. As our final day in Uluwatu drew to a close, so did our time with our travelling companions who all dispersed to various corners of the globe. It was time to end our journey through Indonesia and make our way to Singapore!    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Singapore

    June 9, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    With our first country down and 1/12 of our trip complete. We said goodbye to Bali as we flew to Singapore. We were pleasantly surprised by the bustling metropolis. Singapore is extremely modern, well organized, and clean! The extensive subway system makes it very easy and cheap to move all over the city.

    Andreas and I spent three days exploring the city. We ate at a Michelin star dumpling restaurant for cheap. We explored the cloud forest (enjoying the AC), the botanical gardens, and the sky gardens. Singapore is an orchid lover's dream as we saw hundreds of different beautiful species. We spent one morning on a free tour of China town and visited Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist temples. The Buddhist temple had "Buddah's tooth" and was encased in 370kg of gold. That evening we did a five hour push-scooter tour of the city visiting two spectacular light and water shows. Our group definitely turned a few heads when we scooted through restaurants, malls, as well as up and down escalators. Next stop: Malaysia    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Malacca, Malaysia

    June 11, 2017 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After crossing the Singapore/Malaysia border by bus, Whitney and I took a two hour air-conditioned bus to the city of Malacca on the West coast of Malaysia. Malacca is best known for its Dutch and Portuguese heritage, so we spent the following two days visiting ancient forts, ruined churches, and night markets in China town. We devoured local Malaysian delights including Malaysian laksa (seafood coconut cream soup), nasi lamak (coconut rice, fried chicken, and sambal), onde onde (rice pastry balls filled with liquid palm sugar), and coconut shakes (ice cream in coconut water and ice); Malaysians sure do love their coconuts! We also survived our first torrential downpour. Now we head to the Malaysian capital city Kuala Lumpur to reunite with our travelling companions, TJ and Alli.Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    June 15, 2017 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    After a two hour air-conditioned bus ride for 24 RM (about $8 NZD), Whitney and I arrived in Kuala Lumpur. We reunited with TJ and Alli (our counterpart U.S. travelling couple) and took to the city to see the local attractions. Just north of the city, we visited the huge Batu caves, a Hindu religious site guarded by a 40m high golden statue. We took the railway to Bukit Bintang, a shopping district harbouring dozens of malls including one with an inside theme park, and were caught out in a tropical thunderstorm (Uber came to the rescue). Most nights we ate a second dinner for cheap at an Indian restaurant near to our hostel (between 50c and $2 per meal). Kuala Lumpur is huge, but very accessible with its metro system. We now head to the east coast of Malaysia for a week of relaxing on the tropical island Pulau Tioman.Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Pulau Tioman, Malaysia

    June 18, 2017 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We spent the past five days in paradise. After a six hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur, a night in the port town of Mersing, and a two hour ferry ride, we arrived on the small island Pulau Tioman off the east coast of Malaysia. It has thick jungle, white sand beaches, and turquoise clear waters. Our accommodation was very basic, but we had AC so it felt like luxury. There were basically two places to choose between to eat but they are both delicious and super cheap. Andreas and I were both stuffed for around $5 NZD.

    Andreas and I decided to get our PADI advanced open water certification. We dived five times over two days. We did a deep dive down to 30m to see a ship wreck. We also learned to navigate with compasses underwater and about fish identification. On our favorite dive we swam through a series of underwater caves in crystal clear water which were packed with schools of fish.

    We made friends with everyone at the dive shop and spent most evenings hanging out on their deck. One evening the guys cooked us a huge meal of "chicken rice" and we spent the night playing music and singing. Andreas enjoyed showing off his ukulele skills. We managed to find some wine (a rare occurrence in Asian countries) and spent our last evening drinking it on the beach. Next we move up the coast to the Perhentian Islands.    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

    June 28, 2017 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Let me start by saying that the Perhentian islands off the north eastern coast of Malaysia are awesome! Crystal clear turquoise waters, long white beaches, and cheap but fantastic diving, what more could you want?!

    We got to the smaller of the two Perhentian islands (Kecil) after a 40 minute boat ride from the small port town, Kuala Besut. We stayed on the southern coast of Kecil on a long white sand beach caed Long Beach. It is packed with dive shops, restaurants, hotels, and bars. Because the island is so small, we weren't confined to this tourist area, instead we ate most mornings at an all you can eat resort buffet ($5 NZD) on a beach on the nothern side of the island (about a five minute walk).

    During our time on the island, our group kayaked for about six hours around Kecil, frequently making landfall to explore secluded beaches and gathering much needed supplies. We hiked to a windmill in the middle of the island and stumbled upon a decrepit staircase leading us down to a semi-sunken concrete pier. I went diving at the Temple of the Sea where I paid my respects to an underwater mountain buzzing with all kinds of marine life. Whit and I also dived a 90m long sugar transporter wreck which was so big that we swam through it's propeller shaft surrounded by circling barracuda. On the evenings that it wasn't raining (about half), our group was entertained by live fire dancers while we sipped cold Tiger beers.

    After a week of paradise, we leave the Perhentian islands to explore the more temperate Cameron Highlands in the middle of Malaysia.    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

    July 2, 2017 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We wore our jackets and it was magical! We traveled up into the mountains, and as we did the temperature dropped. The Cameron Highlands is famous for its tea fields, strawberries, hiking, and a place for locals to cool down. One day we rented scooters to explore the famous Boh Tea Estate. We imagined we would have a relaxing time sipping tea among the vast tea fields, however, our idea of a peaceful time was quickly shattered when we arrived. It was the last day of a public holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan and the place was packed. The fancy tea estate we had pictured was more of a cafeteria mass producing tea for the long lines of people. We got our tea to go and ended up finding a quiet spot outside. We also went on a factory tour to see how the Boh tea is made. We also spent two days hiking through the jungle. We were amazed at how similar the trails felt to New Zealand. At one point we had a close encounter with a pack of wild dogs which led us to hiking half the trek with big sticks to protect ourselves. The food in Cameron Highlands was great! We had Indian most mornings for breakfast (Idli) and ate like locals using only our right hand without utensils! We also had a delicious steam boat soup which you add all sorts of goodies to. Overall the Cameron Highlands was a beautiful escape. Next stop George Town.Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    George Town, Malaysia

    July 10, 2017 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    George Town was fantastic! The city is on the island of Penang off Malaysia's north west coast (two hours south of the Thai border). It is considered to be one of South-East Asia's food meccas and its streets are coloured with vibrant street art.

    During our week in George Town we stayed at the Tipsy Tiger party hostel, in a flash apartment with an infinity pool, and in a hostel above a karaoke bar (great times). We spent our days hiking and swimming in the national park on Penang island, sneaking into hotel pools when we didn't have our own, walking George Town's street art trail, watching the All Blacks vs Lions game in an English pub, and visiting a cat cafe! Our meals were exceptional and affordable with our highlights being local chicken rice and cendol (a Malaysian dessert with coconut, green spaghetti noodles, and red beans). Whitney and I now leave our travel companions TJ and Alli to travel to Phuket. Bring on Thailand and its delicious curries!    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Phuket, Thailand

    July 14, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We made it to Thailand! First stop was the wild island of Phuket. We stayed on the famous Patong beach - full of bars, massage parlors, and lady boys. We spent our first day exploring the town, watching tourists parasail from the beach, and gawked at sunburnt old fat men walking hand and hand with beautiful Thai girls. We are definitely back on the tourist trail. In the evening, I researched a reputable massage parlor and Andreas and I both got amazing massages for cheap. I got a Thai massage (a combination of stretching and deep tissue) and Andreas got a relaxing oil massage.

    The second day we rented a scooter and took it all around the island. Scooters are a great way to see the sights. I have not yet driven one and I don't think I want to with all the crazy drivers. Andreas' mountain biking skills really shine weaving around cars and obstacles. I totally trust Andreas and his driving but I can't help being on high alert the entire ride, letting out the occasional "WATCH OUT!", "SLOW DOWN!", or just a general scream. We spent a few hours swimming at a remote beach and then visited the 45m tall Big Buddha statue! While at the Big Buddha, we escaped the heat by attempting to meditate in its presence with a number of tourists and locals. It was a very relaxing and special experience.

    When we exited the Buddha we noticed the sky getting darker. When we started riding away we began to feel a strong wind that almost blew us over. Time to put the pack cover on. Then the rains came and Andreas and I were soaked! We made it to a cafe in Phuket city and waited out the rain. When it finally stopped we headed back to our hotel. Except that was back over the hill into the storm. Suddenly the skies opened and full monsoon rains pelted us so hard it stung. Andreas and I pushed on and arrived back at our hotel soaked through... quite the adventure. Next stop Ko Phi Phi.    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Kho Phi Phi, Thailand

    July 16, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Our first Thailand island was a success. Although it rained heavily our first evening, the rest of the time the weather was beautiful! Koh Phi Phi is famous for being in a lot of movies and there was a movie being filmed while we were there (Changeland directed by Seth Green). We also watched a Muay Thai tournament and tried our first Thailand bucket drink. The water continues to be bathtub warm and my new goggles helped me see underwater! On our last day Andreas started to feel sick with stomach pains... so we will see how that goes...Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Railay, Thailand

    July 19, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Railay is a rock climber's dream destination. While it is attached to Thailand's southern peninsula, it is only accessible by boat because of the sheer limestone cliffs surrounding its white sand beaches.

    Whit and I, having rock climbed regularly in New Zealand, were super excited to put our abilities to the test in this Thai paradise. Unfortunately, our bodies had different ideas. On the night that we arrived, I became violently ill and did not leave the room (or its attached bathroom, praise the gods) for the next day either. Then, two nights later and after I had partially recovered, it was Whit's turn for a sleepless night experiencing all of the same symptoms I had suffered. We left Railay the following day exactly how we had expected to leave, aching all over. Sadly this had nothing to do with rock climbing :(    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

    July 22, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We spent our time on the island of Koh Pha Ngan visiting the secluded beaches by scooter. To get to one beach, Andreas had to put his mountain biking skills to use, taking the scooter across some seriously steep off-road terrain which I opted to walk down. This adventure was worth it however as it led us to a very magical beach that most people got to on their dirt bikes! On the way back up this steep terrain our little scooter struggled to make it, so I pushed as Andreas navigated up the various ditches and loose dirt. We finished off the day by eating a much deserved ice cream and watching the sunset. Next stop Koh Tao.Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Koh Tao, Thailand

    July 27, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Whit and I arrived to Koh Tao after a two hour ferry trip from Koh Pha Nang. Since starting this adventure, other travellers have consistently had good things to say about this relatively small island with the highlight being its affordable SCUBA diving.

    At the recommendation of my brother, we rented a scooter and some snorkelling gear and spent one day visiting several different spectacular snorkelling spots across the island. We discovered a phenomenal Thai vegetarian restaurant and devotedly attempted to eat each item on the menu during our numerous visits. While we had reserved a SCUBA trip to 'the best dive site in the Thai peninsula',  unfortunately the weather failed cooperate, cancelling this excursion and dashing our hopes of diving in Koh Tao. After four relaxing days we left Koh Tao feeling refreshed and ready to travel to the city of Hua Hin, two hours south of Bangkok.    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Hua Hin, Thailand

    August 1, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Andreas and I enjoyed visiting the coastal city of Hua Hin wjere we stayed at a hostel that reminded me of Harry Potter (possibly because I am currently re-reading the Harry Potter series). We rented a scooter for the duration of our stay and used it to explore the city and the surrounding areas.

    One day we rode the scooter an hour each way to see a giant waterfall. However, when we arrived with numb butts we realized that the waterfall was closed with a flash flood warning. We didn't mind as we went for a swim with the locals in the river and enjoyed the hundreds of butterflies fluttering around. The next day, we rode an hour each way in the other direction to a national park. There we hiked along the coast to breathtaking caves. The caves were around 150m tall filled with hundreds of stalactites and stalagmites. One of these caves even housed a Buddhist temple!

    One evening we explored the Cicada market. They had many delicious food stalls, as well as about 100 craft, clothes, and art markets. I found something I wanted to buy in just about every market, however I exercised self-control and only bought a beautiful navy blue scarf with gold embroidered feathers. I will be mailing this home! Just pretend that we bought you all presents there :)

    Next stop Bangkok, where we meet up with our New Zealand friends Paul and Arnetia!    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Bangkok, Thailand

    August 4, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    When Whitney and I arrived in Bangkok, we headed straight to the airport to unite with our New Zealand friends Paul and Arnetia. Because of flight times and stopovers in various airports, Paul and Arnetia had been travelling for about 23 hours and looked exhausted! After greeting them at the arrivals gate, we rushed them to our airbnb near the tourist district of the city for a much needed shower and some rest.

    During our time in Bangkok, we spent one day visiting Wat Pho, a large temple complex housing a 100m long reclining Buddha statue; an hour 'sampling' at an upmarket award-winning grocery store (free dinner anyone?); as well as an evening partying on Khao San road where we met other travellers, convinced each other to eat insects (fried crickets), and visited an infamous ping pong show!

    After three days in Bangkok we had had our fill of big city chaos. Next we fly to Siem Reap in Cambodia to visit the Angkor Wat temple and its surrounding ruins.    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney
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    Siem Reap, Cambodia

    August 7, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We said our goodbyes to Thailand (for now) and flew to the Cambodian city of Siem Reap. We felt as if we were transported back in time when we were picked up from the airport in a small tuk tuk and driven through the countryside to our upmarket hostel in the heart of the city. It was fun seeing the small children ride by on huge bikes.. they had to get a running start to jump up onto the seat.

    Our first evening we went to a phenomenal Cambodian circus performed by refugees from the Cambodian war. The circus school trains 1200 performers, musicians, and artists each year and there was some serious talent in that tent. The whole audience was engrossed and amazed.

    We spent a day exploring the city by bikes and haggling with vendors at the local market. I think we are finally getting the hang of this bartering business.

    Our final day we woke up at 4am to see the sunrise over the famous temple of Angkor Wat. It was amazing how many other people had the same idea as us. In the dark we walked with the masses to our viewing spot. As the sun rose we saw a spectacular sight as the temple pillars reflected onto the glassy lake below. It was a very special and surreal experience seeing these ancient ruins. We spent the next few hours walking around the temple enjoying the architecture and the ancient carvings. It is hard to imagine that elephants dragged each stone about 40km to the temple site in the early 12th century. Our tuk tuk driver spent the rest of the morning taking us to other temples. We saw a temple with large heads that reminded us of Aztec ruins as well as an overgrown temple covered by giant trees. Apparently this was the temple where they filmed the old Tomb Raider movie. It was an amazing experience we will never forget. Next, we bus to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh.    Read more

  • Andreas and WhitneyWorld AdventureAndreas and Whitney

    Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    August 10, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    While we only stayed in Phnom Penh for two nights, our experience of the city was generally positive unlike many backpackers we had met during our travels.

    We spent our only full day in Phnom Penh visiting Tuol Sleng (S-21), a high school turned Khmer Rouge prison, and the Killing Fields, where thousands of Tuol Sleng prisoners were executed and buried. The most poignant moment for me was the story of a 27 year old New Zealander who was captured by the Khmer Rouge while attempting to sail the world. Just like many Cambodians, he was tortured, forced to sign a damning confession, and executed. Personally, it is strange and saddening that despite the deaths of over two million Cambodians, the story of a same-aged New Zealander was needed to intensify this experience for me. My reflection is that his story made the Khmer Rouge's atrocities and the vicitims' suffering seem so much more real. Needless to say, it was a very quiet, sombre, and surreal day for our travelling party (watch the movie The Killing Fields if your interested in learning more).

    We now head to Koh Rong island off the southern coast of Cambodia for some RnR.    Read more

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