Japan: The wild world of Japanese culture!

Nelson and Allie with the beautiful blossoms in Ueno

Tokyo! The world of electronics, Japanese baseball, sushi, and very interesting and unique culture! We loved Japan and have vowed to come back and explore more. Their culture is extremely unique. The Japanese are very orderly, respectful, and very willing to help. Although there was a large language barrier, as they hardly speak any English, we found the Japanese to be very friendly. We were lucky enough to be there during the annual sakura, which is Japanese for Cherry Blossom Viewing. The beautiful cherry blossoms were in full bloom. We visited a fresh fish market, saw fascinating temples, and ate some amazingly fresh sushi! We found the city to be very clean and extremely modern with a complex metro system that made our head spin! Enjoy our journey through Tokyo. Next, we leave Asia and head for our final continent, Europe!

Cambodia Pt.3: A day with Cambodian children

Nelson playing with the kids

When we arrived in Cambodia we were taken back by the poverty, we wanted to help in anyway we could. Although a very small act of volunteer work, we chose a worthy charity and signed up for a day with the children. CHOICE Cambodia is a charity that primarily provides clean drinking water to villages outside of the main city. They also have a small school set up an hour from Phnom Penh. Every other Sunday 4 local villages send their children to the school where we volunteered. The organization provides arts and crafts, games, english lessons, and a hearty meal for all the children. This getaway from their daily lives every other week is sometimes the only way for them to obtain such attention and have a bit of fun. We helped with arts and crafts for the day. We couldn't help but notice that these children were so incredibly happy! They were full of energy, playing catching, hitting mangoes down from the tree and practicing English. They also listened to directions very well and were able to focus on their drawings. The experience was very well worth it and we encourage anyone who is interested to check out CHOICE's website here  CHOICE

Our time in Cambodia and as we traveled throughout the world, made us truly appreciate our lives and what we have. We are truly blessed and we feel we are in a position to help others. If you feel the same, we encourage you to help out in your own communities. There is always someone who could use your help. 

Cambodia Pt.2: The amazing temples of Siem Reap!

The enormous grounds of Angkor Wat

Greetings from Siem Reap! We traveled about 6 hours by bus to get from Phnom Penh to its sister city to the north, Siem Reap and it was worth it! The town has some amazing temples to offer its visitors, the main one being Angkor Wat Temple. The temples were constructed as far back as the 1100s! It also had a busy bustling "downtown" with many restaurants and bars. We were able to visit many temples by buying a 1 day pass for around $20 each. They were beautiful. It just happened to be th hottest day we had experienced on our trip. HOT! We could not drink enough water and after our temple tour via tuk tuk, we needed a nap. Enjoy the amazing pictures! Next up, we spend a day helping Cambodian children in need.

Cambodia Pt.1: A land of poverty, sad history, but extremely friendly people.

 

Welcome to Cambodia. A land of extreme poverty, a very sad history, and some of the nicest people you will meet. Cambodia was quite a shock to us. We have seen poverty in several countries but this was very under developed. The city of Phnom Penh was a bit more developed and had businesses and malls. The city also had a very nice promenade area for walking next to the river with many shops and restaurants that catered to tourists. However the people there were very poor and there were many beggars along the main road, primarily children. It was tough to take it all in, but at the same time the people were so happy and very eager to work. We were in the city during their slow season so many vendors and tuk tuk drivers were trying hard for our business. We visited some historic landmarks including the killing fields of Choeung Ek and the Tuol Sieng Genocide Museum. After Phnom Penh we made our way north to the stunning temples of Siem Reap.

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City, a world of motorbikes, interesting food, and war history

Allie and Nelson at the Reunification Palace

 

 

 

 

 

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) was an interesting place and very unique to other cities we had visited. We wanted to visit the North of Vietnam but just didn't have time in our schedule. Many travelers have said that we did not get a feel for the true Vietnam by only staying in the city of Ho Chi Minh. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our brief stay in Ho Chi Minh and would describe it as very eye-opening, unique, and quite interesting. We visited the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, and traveled just outside the city to see the Cu Chi tunnels used by the Vietcong during the war. Enjoy our pictures!

Thailand Pt. 3: Island hopping from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao!

Nelson and Allie on an elephant!

The islands off the east coast of Thailand... one of our favorite places! We flew into Koh Samui and took a boat to Koh Phangan. We spent a week in this very uninhabited island before heading to an even more remote island of Koh Tao. We truly enjoyed the locals on these islands and it helped us literally get away from it all! We rode an elephant, saw amazing beaches and sunsets, went snorkeling, and checked out this infamous Full Moon Party! Enjoy our pictures of these beautiful islands. 

Thailand Pt. 2: Phuket, Krabi, and our first visitor!

Nelson, Cynthia, and Allie out touring the islands.

Welcome to Thailand, Cynthia! We were so happy to welcome Nelson's sister, Cynthia, to Thailand for a week of our journey. We picked her up in Bangkok and headed straight to the beaches of Phuket and Krabi for a fun filled week. We took in the unusual and outrageous sights in Phuket, then traveled east to Krabi where we stayed for several days on Ao Nang beach. We went on an island tour there and went snorkeling. We took in some live reggae music in the relaxed beach town as well. We headed back to Phuket to send Cynthia on her way. Overall it was a delight having her join us and the scenery and beaches couldn't have been better. We travel next to the island of Koh Phagnan where we found much more than just their infamous Full Moon Party. 

Thailand Pt. 1: Bangkok, the Grand Palace, grand food, and a grand view!

Allie and Nelson at the top of Red Sky, 55 floors up

Welcome to Thailand! We are exploring quite a bit of this country and we started in the heart of it all, Bangkok! We had a nice 4 nights here and it is quite a unique place. A city where anything goes, the food is cheap, the weather is scorching hot, and everything you heard or have seen of the city is a reality! We met up with a friend of Allie's from graduate school, Ming, who is from Bangkok and she showed us a great time! We visited the grand palace, ordered some custom shirts, and took in the culture. Enjoy our brief tour through Bangkok. Next, we head south to the beautiful beaches! 

Singapore Pt.1: A long weekend in a retail capital!

Welcome to Singapore! What a way to greet your visitors!

One word kept coming to mind as we strolled the streets of Singapore... impressive! We could not believe the shopping malls! They were giant , modern fortresses! The malls were all connected from one to the other to the other. The streets were immaculate and the people were so diverse! It was a beautiful modern metropolis. We took in the sights and tried some local foods.  We are so glad we made this brief trip to Singapore! 

Indonesia Pt. 3: Wrapping up Bali

A rice paddy on our hotel property.

10 days- 7 in Seminyak, 3 in Ubud

We had a fantastic time in Bali. The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, but best of all the people were amazing! Bali is just one of several thousand islands that make up Indonesia.  It is a very unique place, like nowhere we had been before. The Hindu religion was very prominent and was clearly visible in every day life of the people of Bali.