Here’s a list of places/countries we’re hoping to visit, roughly in the order of visiting but it’s all subject to change depending on visas, transport, events….
If you’ve been to any of these places or know someone that has and could recommend places to visit, stay or eat then please leave a comment. Or even if you’ve been somewhere else that you think is a must visit place, let us know and we’ll see if we can fit it in!
Sri Lanka
India
Nepal
Japan
China
Hong Kong
Macau
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Thailand
Malaysia – Singapore
Indonesia – Bali
Australia
Vanuatu
New Zealand
Cook Islands
Fiji
Galápagos Islands
Brazil
Peru
Bolivia
Argentina
Mexico
North America
Canada
Hi Matt and Heather,
What a wonderful idea – good for you, in taking a different road by travelling this way. You will not regret doing this later on! I have been to many of the places on your list and can recommend lots to see and do. I am the author of the book you mentioned in your blog “When the Cherry Blossoms Fall: My Life as an English Teacher in Japan”. I have some great travel info I could share with you, particularly for Thailand, Mexico, US and Canada.
Regards, K. Hotzon
Thanks for your message – great book by the way, I really enjoyed it! Any travel info you could share would be great, we’re heading to Thailand for a month or so in a couple of weeks time and are struggling with an itinerary at the moment. -H
Thailand is a beautiful country. We were fortunate to visit before it became so developed and before the tsunami, but it is still an amazing country. The areas/sites that I would recommend off the top would be based on regions: in the south, a visit to the island of Phuket/Phi-Phi-Don and the town of Krabi are very James Bond-esque, with amazing rock formations jutting out of the sea. Seafood is a mainstay of their diet here and it’s also worth renting a small boat to see the swallow’s caves where they collect the eggs for their ‘bird’s nest’ dish.
Most tourists arrive in the city of Bangkok, and viewing the city from the canals is a must. From there you can head north to Chiang-Mi where you can ride the elephants and meet with northern villagers.
In the eastern part of the country, a visit to Phanom Rung historical park is recommended – there are Khmer architectural ruins dating back a thousand years. We were only in the country a little under two weeks and managed to see most of these areas. Happy travels!
K. Hotzon
Why is Vanuatu not on your list!? It definitely must be! (Save it until we’re coming to visit though!!) Hope you’re having fun. Lots of love xx
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