Wat Rong Khun, better known to travelers as the “White Temple” is a temple structure (Wikipedia refers to it as an art exhibit) a few miles outside of central Chiang Rai, Thailand. (If you’re looking for a “real” temple experience in the region, check out the hike to Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That …
During our year-long backpack trip around the world, we spent Christmas in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I recall that Christmas morning quite vividly. I was drinking a peppermint mocha and watching “A Christmas Story” on my laptop in a cafe. I knew that somewhere on the other side of the world, it was still Christmas Eve …
Back in 1383, the temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was built on the top of Doi Suthep Mountain just outside of modern day Chiang Mai. Monks had to hike up Doi Suthep to get to the temple, and Wat Pha Lat was later built as a resting place for those Monks. Today, you can still …
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China, located just south of mainland China. It comprises Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories and 200+ other near islands in the South China Sea, covering over 400 square miles of land. Hong Kong is hard to label because it’s (basically) a country but also a …
I came to Vienna with a lot of optimism. I liked the idea of the grand Baroque city, home to Mozart and Freud, and the scenes of the Sound of Music (which turns out was actually filmed in Salzburg, so that’s my bad). I took the walking tour, like I do in every city, and …
They love Fiestas Patrias, or Independence Day, in Santiago. I’m talking five-day festivals, decorations in every bar and restaurant for weeks, and flags everywhere. People seem to be more excited about Independence Day than we’ve ever seen anyone be about futbal (and they also love futbal in South America). We didn’t plan to be in Santiago for …
We did it! We hiked 26 miles along historical Inca trails to Machu Picchu! I can’t believe this journey is already over. I’ve been looking forward to this since we booked the hike back in February, and the experience exceeded every expectation. I wanted to take you along with us on this journey. This is a …
Last week we hiked Valle de Cocora. It was hard and we got lost, but it was so incredibly beautiful and so worth the trouble that we’d absolutely do it again. During the hike, you have the option to option to take a 20 minute detour to Acaime to see the hummingbirds. You. Should. Do. It. I …
One of the main attractions in Salento, Colombia is the Cocora Valley. You can’t read about Salento without seeing photos of the vast valley popping with unbelievably tall palm trees. These wax palms check in at over 60 meters tall and live well over 100 years. In order to get to them though, you have …
Sandwiched between lively Medellin and touristy Cartagena, Salento was the perfect oasis. It’s small-town vibe and abundance of nature gave us the chance to sit back and really take in everything it had too offer. We split our time in Salento into two parts, which allowed us to see Salento from two different angles. We …