Country hopping.

Keith and I have been busy country hopping in Southeast Asia. Over a two-week break we took some time to go to some new places. We saved our money over the last few months so that we could add some stamps to our passports. We were able to go to several places for a really great price including Bangkok, Thailand, Penang, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

We bought our tickets to Bangkok with AirAsia for $11 each! Of course that was before taxes and fees, but still, it was an amazing deal. I think in total for 2 one way tickets to Bangkok we paid about $50 ($25 per ticket). The flight was just over an hour long, so paying a little extra for a flight rather than a bus ticket was a good move time wise. We were unable to see a lot of the tourist attractions because of some ceremonies that were taking place, but we still enjoyed walking around the city and checking out some local spots.

From Bangkok, we flew to Penang, Malaysia (again on AirAsia).  We were unaware at the time, but during our flight an earthquake hit the Indian Ocean and was felt in Penang. When we landed we were informed of the situation, and were a bit nervous, but kept an eye on the news and the weather. Fortunately, we were unaffected by the quake and were able to enjoy our time in the city. We stayed a small hotel with a private beach. We spent the days kayaking, shopping, testing out the public transportation, and eating.

 Next, we hopped on a quick flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. This was the best bargain at 30cents per ticket, again that’s before taxes and fees, but come on THIRTY CENTS how can you say no?! We had been to Kuala Lumpur before, so this time we just hit up the markets and relaxed instead of running around trying to see everything. We got a lot of goodies and enjoyed the surroundings of the buzzing city life.

From Kuala Lumpur, we headed back to Phnom Penh, but only for 2 days before heading to Ho Chi Minh. For this leg of the trip our friend Sophia joined us. We took a bus for about $12 from Phnom Penh to Vietnam. The bus driver was very heavy on the horn, so napping was pretty much impossible during the six hour drive. When we finally got to the city we enjoyed venturing around, eating, getting lost in the city and in translation, and haggling at the markets. There were a lot of similarities and differences between Ho Chi Minh and Phnom Penh, so it was a unique experience.

Overall, we had some really amazing opportunities. Each city was different and had a lot to offer. We didn’t like one more than another, but each in it’s own way. We are so happy to have the ability to go to so many awesome places and will remember our adventures for years to come. Here are a few photos from our trip!