So, after many days spent in Bangkok and Cambodia, we headed down to the South of Thailand - Krabi first and then Koh Lanta. Both areas were incredible! Krabi graced us with its beautiful limestone cliffs and beaches while Koh Lanta allowed us to relax in its carefree, backpacker vibe. We spent many days on the beach checking out the local snorkeling and exploring the waters. We also ventured around to many different local sites in Krabi - namely, the deepest pool in Asia (250m and BRIGHT blue!), natural hot springs in the middle of the jungle and a hidden lagoon accessed only by a very steep rock climb down.
Once in Koh Lanta, we decided to take a one day boat trip to Koh Rok and explore the snorkeling. It as incredible! Giant colourful reefs surrounded by hundreds of species of tropical fish. It was the best snorkeling we had experienced thus far!
By the end of our trip we were very pleased with what we had seen of both Cambodia and Thailand. Our trip was both relaxing and adventurous and we'd definitely recommend anyone to take on a similar venture!
After teaching for a couple of weeks back in Busan, we headed back out for an 11 day trip to Bali, Indonesia! At the start of our trip we had a 24 hr layover in Hong Kong so we decided to check out the city! The area we had stayed was pretty shaddy - Chunking Mansion. We had read reviews of this building, however, like most reviews are, we had assumed the opinions were exaggerated. Well, this time, they weren't. There were persistant hagglers everywhere and the building itself looked to be falling apart. We also saw many members of Svein's family** and the hostel itself was NOT worth 45 bucks a night.
Aside from this though, it was still great to see the city. Hong Kong was the busiest city we've ever explored. There was shopping galore, restaurants with strange offerings and crowds and crowds of people. We had wished we had more time to explore the area and head out into the many hills and mountains surrounding they city. No matter how exciting a big city may be, we would both rather be out in nature exploring around.
The next day we headed down to Bali! The humidity and heat on this island hit us pretty hard when we got off the plane. It was really unlike anything we had experienced before. The heat made it kind of hard to muster up the energy to hike around and explore on foot for long periods of time. Those times we did, however, took us to some pretty beautiful places!
We were able to take in the views of many beautiful rice fields, active volcanic mountains (Gunung Batur and Gunung Agung),and black sandy beaches. This island definitely didn't lack in scenery. It was also very interesting to watch the locals partake in their daily spiritual activities. The Balinese have a strong and rich culture; more so than anything else we've observed so far. Every business and household within this Hindu community present offerings to their gods morning, afternoon and night. These offerings, usually in the form of colourful flower petals, cooked rice, incense, and sometimes other food items are presented to the gods and placed in different areas throughout the household (at the street, on the various shrines facing their holy mountain (gunung agung), on water pipes, at the cash register, etc). It as very interesting to watch as their daily life still involved these ancient practices. Every community also housed a temple, or pura, where ceremonies and offerings would take place. There were multiple occasions where we had witnessed Balinese women carrying offerings on their heads to the temples. It was really remarkable to see how important spirituality was for every individual on the island.
After exploring the mountains and countryside, we decided to head to Pradangbai. This area is located on the southeastern coast of Bali and offers a very low-key, relaxed atmosphere. The small area was home to few tourists and allowed us to relax for a few days on the beach. There was a spot close by (Blue Lagoon) that provided us with really great snorkeling! This was even better than Thailand! The only downside to it was the garbage. There was quite a bit of plastic debris floating around in the water and on the beach. It was quite disgusting, actually. We later moved down to Kuta where we also experienced quite a bit of pollution. It was sad to see that the heavy influx in tourism had resulted in such a mass accumulation of garbage. On a more positive side though, despite the tourism, the Balinese people have been able to retain their cultural identity. On a final note, we also decided to try out surfing while in Kuta. It was to say the least, very difficult! Possibly because the water had been very rough due to storms, or that we are just not fit enough! Either way, we had decided to give it another go in the summer when we might head down to Borneo!
Now that we're back in Busan we are happy to be home, despite the cold weather! Luckily, spring is just around the corner! This will also bring the arrival of Sarah's parents! We are very excited to welcome them to Busan and experience the city with them!
**for those of you who didn't get that one, that would be rats. We saw mannny rats haha
