Six months in South East Asia

We were thinking about traveling in South East Asia for a long time. Since we know each other. When we decided to move to New York, there was a clear moment to accomplish this travel dream in between the two cities.

Bo and I had different apprehension. Some of these were true, but nothing stopped us to stay even happier together at the end.

The pictures I’m going to show you from these 6 months are amazing; but I won’t lie: there were cockroaches and spiders in some of our rooms, 24/7 together was not always easy, some treks were pretty hard, … But we both learned and adapted from these experiences. I highly recommend you to give it a try in your life.

"Where did you go?"

Many people asked us how did we choose our destinations.

We had the countries in mind, but most of the timing was left free. Some countries require specific visas: we needed a longer visa for Indonesia where we planned to stay over 40 days, Myanmar and Vietnam require a visa in advance. The two first destinations, South Korea and Indonesia, require us to think about flights. But then everything was mostly possible in bus. It’s very enjoyable to feel free to move at your pace.

In order: South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand (Loy Kratong), Myanmar, Thailand (Bangkok), Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand.

"What was your Favorite country?"

This question comes every time. We have our answer, but it may not match your own travel style.

For us, the most amazing experiences were with the people. Some countries are used to the tourism and so you’ll have more a client-customer relation with the people who are trying to get money from you.

Myanmar is one of these places where people are very happy to see you in their country, they want you to like it, they want you to find what you need, and they are interested about yourself. They will smile generously at you. This is one of the reason we had such an amazing experience in Burma.

Another part of our trip where people were very generous was in Sulawesi (Indonesia). People have very strong death customs, but even in the pain, they invited us to join their ceremony.

One of the hardest trek was in Sapa (North of Vietnam). It was a very cold winter, and we had the chance to live one night in Em’s house, and sleep under a collection of blankets. It was very painful to see how some family live, every day, with very few comfort. But people stay positive and warmly welcoming.

culture

The second thing that drives us to travel is to understand other cultures. South Korean’s history is very interesting but painful at the same time. Actually, many countries we visited have seen lots of horror in the past. Each island we visited in Indonesia had a different prominent religion, which made our experiences so different.

The flying and floating lights in Thailand during Loy Krathong were so magical. As much as seeing baloons floating over the Golden Pagodas in Myanmar. The most interesting experience is probably attending a wedding elsewhere, thanks Thida & Bob.

"How was the Food?"

I can’t lie. The food discovering is probably my favorite part when traveling. I try everything: from the Cobra blood in Indonesia to the living Octopus in South Korea.

But there is something fascinating in South East Asia: every country (or even province) has its specific noodle soup. Or even many types. And I got addicted to try them all. It started in Myanmar where they have this Shan Noodle Soup with delicious sticky noodles. Pho is a know dish from Vietnam, but has very different flavor in the North and in the South. I think my favorite one was the Khao Soy from Laos which primary flavor is from fermented soy beans. Don’t confuse with the coconut Khao Soy from Thailand, which is also amazing.

Thailand was probably the food we liked the most. It’s not just because it’s Thailand, they have a huge range of dishes, very different from the province. The North has more special discoveries, but you need to be ready: brain, frog, raw meat.

Vietnam was incredible: we mostly know Pho and Banh mi, but stop for a few days in Hue, it’s a country by itself as they have so many particular dishes.

"Did you see some tiger?"

I’m from Belgium, and there is very few wild animal there. So each time I see a monkey, I’m like a kid. I love seeing them in their habitat, it’s so magic.

Nature

Between the rice fields and the smoking volcanoes, we found the best views while trekking remotely from the cities. I was so happy to see Bo enjoying more and more these moments, and understanding the reason why I love taking my backpack for a few days.

Sunsets

Back home, we never take the time to sit down in front of a beautiful sunset. But while you travel, you find all these romantic places to spend some quiet time.

Paradises

Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to reach the most beautiful and secret beach. In Sulawesi, we spent more than two days traveling to reach the Togean Islands. It was totally worth the agony: it was the most idyllic place on Earth.