March 8th Da Lat - Vietnam
The night that Kate and Adam met at his residency in 6th Floor bar. Kate went bouldering the next day.
March 9th Buôn Ma Thuột with Joyce
Kate and Joyce were hostel mates in Đà Lạt. Kate invited Joyce to join her on a motorcycle trip through the mountains and hills with a final destination of Buôn Ma Thuột in Đắk Lắk Province. In this region of Vietnam they are famous for their robusta coffee bean and Kate planned to attend the coffee festival in Buôn Ma Thuột. The duo and their easy riders visited waterfalls, tribal villages, coffee farms, a silkworm factory and more. It was a cultural adventure to remember.
March 14. Đà Lạt - Vietnam (Kate is back)
After some get to know you chats and insta video calls, Adam convinced Kate to take a detour from her travel route AND back track to Da Lat. They had more time to get to know each other. They cruised around on a scooter, went to a coffee plantation, a cool bar called Leon (after the movie The Professional, sooo cool), went to Golden Valley Waterfall and Tuyen Lam lake for sunset. Then Kate took a night bus to continue her exploration of Vietnam while Adam continued to DJ in Da Lat.
March 16. Cần Thơ and Vĩnh Long Vietnam (Kate goes to the Mekong)
Kate took an overnight bus to the Mekong Delta region in the South. Her first stop was the city of Cần Thơ. Mekong culture is very unique and Cần Thơ is known for the network of canals and floating markets. Eating delicious phở for breakfast on a boat is an unforgettable experience. Kate took a local bus from Cần Thơ to Vĩnh Long and she visited a ceramics manufacturer and nut candy factory. From Vĩnh Long she took another bus to Châu Doc and then a boat to Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia. The border crossing into Cambodia via boat was relatively cheap, simple and quick.
March 20. Kate Siem Reap Cambodia
Siem Reap is a city in Cambodia, about 6 hours from the capital Phnom Penh. This place is surprisingly charming with artisan shops, cafes and restaurants with western inspired menus. With nice hotels, hip hostels and a vibrant nightlife, Siem Reap can easily entertain for days. It is most known for the 12th century Khmer Temples and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor Wat. Adam first visited Siem Reap on a visa run in January 2019. His Thai visa was about to expire so “visa runs” are usually a quick fun way to get a new stamp. Adam visited the temples at Angkor Wat with a group of adventurous travelers and rode from temple to temple on bicycles. Kate went to Siem Reap after Phnom Penh in March 2019 and spent a few days exploring the city. She opted for the three-day pass to Angkor Wat and got around mainly by tuk tuk.
March 28. Kate & Adam Reunite
After Kate visited Da Lat (for a second time) they continued getting to know each other with almost daily IG messages and video chats. Kate was exploring Cambodia and would be in Siem Reap towards the end of her Cambo trip before she left for Indonesia. Adam decided that it would be a great place/time for him to take an overdue break from 6th Floor Bar. He saw this as the best chance to see if the feels were just a crush or something worth exploring ;) We enjoyed each other's company so much that we only took a few pictures. Haha.
Kate wrote a a descritpitve blog post on her time in Battamabang, Vietnam. It deserve more space than this small blurb area so head over to our blog section here and give it read. She will appreciate you reading it. ;)
March 30. Kate in Battambang
For the past several years Kate and her sister Emma take an annual sister trip somewhere in the world. In April 2019, Emma came from California to Indonesia and the two met each other in Bali for a 12-day whirlwind trip. Kate spent her first day in Canggu acclimating to the Balinese way and a totally different Southeast Asia vibe then what she experienced in Vietnam and Cambodia. When Emma arrived, they went to Ubud, along the way stopping at a farm for a coffee tasting. The goal in Ubud was to eat amazing food, do yoga, shop and spa. It’s easy to check all those boxes when in Bali. After Ubud came Nusa Lembongan for beach time and scuba diving. The weather wasn’t great for tanning but the manta rays were amazing! A guided day trip to Nusa Penida on motorbikes was the perfect way to see breathtaking views and hear about life and local customs in Indonesia. Final stop in Uluwatu. The highlight being the Uluwatu Balinese Hindu temple, where they caught a fire dance at sunset.
April 2nd. Kate & Sis in Indonesia
Isan, Thailand..(fast forward)
Isaan: The heart of Thai culture
10 days in Isaan, Northeast Thailand
December 2020
Isaan is Thailand’s largest region, it borders both Laos and Cambodia and it has remained relatively unscathed by heavy tourism. Issan was less affected by the international Covid travel bans and compared to the rest of Thailand they didn’t experience a huge decline in tourism. Most Westerners in Isaan were expats. They are either married to a Thai or they teach English. There are a few backpacking blogs that cover Isaan, and the ones we found were written by nature-loving, indigenous culture-seeking travelers. The night markets, national parks, restaurants and temples were open and thriving with locals when we were there. We ran into many Thais from other parts of the country and only saw a handful of foreigners aka “farang”. It was refreshing to be far away from Phuket and the large population of Western expats who stick out from the locals. In Isaan, you will NOT find nightclubs, dayclubs, sketchy massage parlors, full-moon parties, grand hotels, or rasta bars with trendy hippies getting high. Instead, you WILL eat the spiciest Thai food, get your fill of temples, have your picture taken with locals, visit unique night markets, rely a lot on Google translate, and see some amazing landscapes!
To get to Isaan from Phuket we flew directly to one of the major cities in the region, Khon Kaen. The same day we left Phuket, we arranged a rental car for 10 days which was conveniently dropped off at the airport for us. We spent around 7,000 baht ($240) which was a lot compared to my monthly rental in Phuket, however, it seemed to be the going rate at the time and after a week of driving those roads, the price made a lot of sense to us. Reach out to us for our full Isaan itinerary!
The Adventure Continues...
Life gets busy! From planning trips to postponing trips, working and dealing with a global pandemic, things get crazy. We have paused our work on Scooters & Noodles because we’re starting a new adventure in a new country and continent! We will keep adding photos, videos and stories to our Southeast Asia adventure, but we may be a little slow. We’re also excited to share some really new content with you once we are settled. So stay tuned! Ciao!
