Five years of adventures, wanderlust first moments, togetherness, and love. It’s a special post this week as we are celebrating our five-year anniversary and reflecting back on all our favorite countries, so far. Here is a list, in no particular order.
Thailand- One of our first international trips as a couple was Thailand, we loved it so much that we can’t wait to go back and bring our kids to discover this beautiful country. We spent five days and visited two cities Bangkok and Krabi. It was definitely not enough time to explore these cities. What to do? There are so many things that we did in this country, we island-hopped the Phi Phi Islands, visited elephants, watched a Muay Thai Fight at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, took a cooking class, visited temples, and just lay on the beach. What to eat? Some of our favorite dishes are Tom Yum Noodle (Sweet and Sour) Soup, Pad Thai (Stir-Fried Noodles), and of course fresh coconut ice cream and mango sticky rice. What to expect? English isn’t widely spoken, only at tourist locations and hotels. When visiting temples, cover up shoulders and knees, if you don’t have anything to cover up many temples will provide shirts and skirts to wear for a fee. You have to ride a Tuk-Tuk at least once on your trip to Thailand. Bring mosquito spray, there is a ton of mosquitos here.
Singapore- A modern-day oasis, beautiful and perfect at first glance but if you look closely, their culture is everywhere. This small Asian island is packed with so much to do and see five days isn’t enough time to explore this beautiful place. What to do? The most popular places in Singapore are the Gardens of the Bay, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Art & Science Center, Sentosa Island, Tiger Brewery Tour, Light Show at Bay, and of course visit Merlin their national mascot. What to eat? We’ll need a whole blog post to name all the things to eat in Singapore but a must is definitely the Singapore Chili Crab. Other must-eats here are Hainanese Chicken and Rice, Dim Sum, Laksa (Curry Noodle Soup), and Nasi Lemak (Coconut rice, meat, and egg). What to expect? English is widely spoken in Singapore. Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world. Singapore is an expensive city, hotel rooms and alcohol are very expensive but food can be cheap if you go to a Hawker Center (Food Hall). How to reserve your seat at a food hall? Leave a pack of tissue on the table. Most importantly follow all the rules in Singapore, don’t litter, chew gum, don’t bring drugs, you will be fined, deported, or arrested.
Hong Kong- One of the top places to visit in Asia, Hong Kong has everything from food, shopping, nightlife, and culture. Hong Kong can be done as a quick stopover to a week-long trip. You’ll always find something to do in this city that never sleeps. What to do? The most popular places to visit is Victoria Peak to see the view and ride on the oldest cable cart; visit Ngong Ping 360 (Big Budda); visit Disneyland; shop at Ladies Market; eat street food at Temple Street Market, and have a drink at Ozone bar the highest bar in Asia. What to eat? Dim Sum (Chinese tapas for breakfast), Beef Noodle Soup, and Bubble Waffle with ice cream. What to expect? There are two areas of Hong Kong, the Island side and the mainland side. On the Island side more English is spoken there however on the mainland side English isn’t widely spoken. The subway system is the best way to get around, super easy to use. Hong Kong is an expensive city, accommodations, restaurants, and cocktails can be expensive but you can also find some good eats on the street or dai pai dong, which is an open-air food stall.
Spain- A country filled with history, architecture, and food what’s not to love about Spain. We took a bus tour of this beautiful country and stopped at a couple of cities along the way, Madrid, Valencia, Granada, Seville, and Segovia just to name a few. Spain is known to have the most UNESCO World Heritage sights in Europe so each city had its special historical sights. What to do? In Valencia The City of Arts and Sciences and eat Paella; in Granada visit the Alhambra (Palace) and eat tapas; Seville Plaza de Espana (Game of Thrones filmed here) and eat amazing tapas again. What to eat? Tapas of course! Have What to expect? Not a lot of English is spoken, so learn some Spanish phrases before you go. Some bars offer free tapas, which means buy a drink and a plate of food comes with it for free. Many of the shops in the smaller cities actually have siesta where they close down their shop in the middle of the day to have lunch and nap. People eat around dinner at 10 pm.
French Polynesia - One of the most beautiful places in the world and we got to experience it during our honeymoon. There are 118 beautiful islands that belong to the French Polynesian Islands. We were able to visit two of the most popular ones, Bora Bora and Moorea, both are beautiful in their own ways. What to do? Many of the activities are similar on the islands. There are plenty of water sports like paddleboarding, kayaking, and snorkeling which are usually complimentary to hotel guests. There are also many things to do on land like hiking and ATVs. But we thought the best thing to do was just hang on the beach relaxing with a drink in hand. What to eat? Poisson Cru is the signature dish in Tahiti, it is raw tuna marinade in lime and coconut milk then mixed with veggies. What to expect? French and English are the languages spoken here. Bora Bora and Moorea are expensive cities, don’t be surprised to spend $20 on a cheeseburger at a hotel. Many of the restaurants on the island provide free taxi service from the hotel to the restaurant. Island Excursions such as ATVs, Boat Tours, Scuba Diving, are also pricy, expect to pay over $100 per person for everything.
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