Singapore, Singapore.

We spent the last two days of our Asian trip and explored Singapore. Sightseeing included the famous Raffles Hotel, War Memorial Park, Fountain of Wealth, Singapore Fyler, Parliament, Marina Bay Sands (& Sky Park), Chinatown, National Musuem, Botanic Gardens, and walks along the marina. As you can tell by our list, the two days were busy! 

We catch our flights back via Los Angeles and will be home on Thursday! We had a fabulous Asian trip and can't wait to come back in the future. 

Kevin+Kristen

Kuta, Bali.

We spent four days in Kuta on the beach. On the first day we rented a scooter and visited the Uluwatu temple on the cliffside of the south of the island. It was picturesque! In the afternoon, we watched the surfing competition at Pandang Padang beach. We also did a day trip and went up to Padang Bai to go scuba diving. The soft corals and fish were gorgeous and during the second dive we swam through a shipwreck!! Kevin took a two day surfing lesson and Kristen enjoyed the hot weather and read on the beach. To end the lovely week in Bali off right, we visited a spa and got a couples hot stone massage (plus Kristen's body scrub, manicure, and pedicure). 

We are off to Singapore for a few days before we come home. 

We can't wait to come back!

Kevin+Kristen 

Ubud, Bali.

We flew into Bali and continued on our way north to Ubud. Once in Ubud we walked around the central town and went for a traditional Balinese dinner. The next day we did a Eco Bicycle Tour around Danau Batur and cycled 35km in the countryside along the rice patties and country homes. One of the best tours we have both been on! The food was to die for and the countryside was beautiful. Kevin even got his feet muddy to plant baby rice in the rice fields and we both harvested the mature rice. We also tried the world's most expensive coffee - Luwak coffee. Google the reason why.. Lastly, we spent the evening at a Balianese dance show at Ubud Palace. Today we are off to Kuta to enjoy the beaches and world renowned sunsets. 

Kevin+Kristen 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Before arriving in Kuala Lumpur, we took a stop at the famous Hindu Batu Caves.  The caves which include three natural chambers, 43m statue, and 272 step staircase. They were truly amazing. Once we dropped off the rental car and checked into our hostel, we hit the city.  We went up the Petronas Towers to get a view of the city from 88 stories or 450 meters. We ended our day walking around the down option core and park. The next day we went to the Malaysia National Museum, National Mosque, Merdeka Square, China town, and back to central KL.

Kevin+Kristen

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Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

We hopped back in our car and drove north to the Cameron Highlands. They are known for their tea plantations, honey, and strawberries, so we made sure to take advantage. We went on a tour of a local Boh tea plantation, which included tasting several fresh teas, touring the fields and the factory, and finishing it off drinking our favourite teas along with eating scones and fresh strawberry jam while overlooking the beautiful scenic plantation. Next we were off to a honeybee farm where we tasted fresh honey and watched the busy bees at work. The rest of our time in the highlands included hiking to waterfalls and, of course, drinking more tea and eating more scones.
Kevin+Kristen

Melaka, Malaysia.

After a quick flight to Malaysia we were back to our road trip. We took a bus from the airport to the car rental agency, jumped in our Hyundai Matrix and were on the road. We drove from Kuala Lumpur (dodging scooters and tuk-tuks) south to the city of Melaka. We explored the historical Dutch heritage site and did a little shopping in the old houses, now converted to little shops in Chinatown. 

Kevin+Kristen

Railay & Phuket, Thailand.

Arrived in Railay in the evening, just in time for a walk along the beach at sunset and delicious Thai dinner. The next day we rented a scooter and drove along the coast to various beaches and lookouts. The rest of the day included relaxing by the pool, Thai massages, and even more Thai food. We hopped on a bus and drove from Railay to Phuket. Once in Phuket, we got to our hotel, right on the beach, and took to some more island relaxation. Swimming in the ocean and pool, reading and lounging, and going for walks in the warm weather. Fittingly, our last evening in Thailand was concluded with two orders of pad Thai.

Kevin+Kristen

Koh Phi Phi, Thailand.

We finished our Scuba Diving Openwater certification in Koh Phi Phi, while doing dives in Koh Bida Nok, Malong Bay, and Koh Phi Phi Leh. We saw lots of beautiful coloured fish and corals!! We spent the afternoons relaxing and reading on the beach and swimming in the ocean.

We are taking the ferry to Railay this afternoon and plan to do some rock climbing tomorrow.

Kevin+Kristen

Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Sightseeing included exploring the old city wats: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phan Tao, Wat Chang Man, and our favorite, Wat Phra Singh. We also visited the Chiang Mai Arts and Cultural Center before walking through the famous Sunday market for over two hours. One day we rented a scooter (Dad - it was a Honda) and drove to Doi Suthep-Pui national park to visit the Doi Suthep Wat and Palace, which is on the top of a mountain with a beautiful view of Chiang Mai.

Our down time activities consisted of two evening yoga classes in an open air classroom and Thai oil massages. Chiang Mai is known for their safari animals so we visited elephant and tiger sanctuaries.

We are flying to Phuket today to tour the islands on the Andaman Coast to finish our diving certification and get some sun.

Kevin+Kristen  

Ayutthaya, Thailand.

We took a day trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya - the ancient capital city of Thailand that was the capital city of Siam for many years. We visited temples and ancient ruins for the day - Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Phra Mahathat, Wat Ratburana, and Chai Wattanaram.

We had a traditional Thai lunch and our favorite was the pumpkin chicken curry. Lastly, we visited the Royal Summer Palace of King Rama before heading back to Bangkok.

Kevin+Kristen

Bangkok, Thailand.

Sightseeing included the Grand Palace (royal residence of the King), which included the Wat Phra Kaew (temple of the Emerald Buddha), Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Traimit, cruising the Bangkok waterways, visiting Chinatown, shopping at the Patpong Night Market, and even getting a Thai massage at the Wat Pho Traditional Thai Massage Medical School.

One evening we went to the new Spiderman movie and out of the blue saw our friend Kyle Harke and his girlfriend Megan, so we had ice cream and talked about out travels! One morning we did a Thai cooking class (5 coures) at the Silom Thai Cooking School!! The cook took us to the market to buy fresh ingredients for our meals - so fresh the chicken and fish were still alive when we got there. Kevin and I had a blast learning how to make green curry, pad Thai, chicken salad, hot coconut shrimp soup (for Kev), and banana coconut dessert.

Just about to board our flight to Chang Mai!

Kevin+Kristen

Hot Water Beach & Auckland, New Zealand.

RAPIDS from New Zealand! Last day in the campervan (much to Kristen's delight). We spent the morning at the Hot Water Beach, where we dug a hole in the sand to the underground hot springs. As we dug, our hole filled up with the steaming water and we had a natural hot tub right on the beach! Then we had a drive back to Auckland to unpack and return the campervan. In the evening were off to watch the Auckland's NRL team, the Warriors play rugby against the North Queensland Bulldogs. The Warriors of course won and we even got to touch the game ball after a drop goal :)

Woke up bright and early and were off to the ferry to Rangitoto, a volcanic island off the coast of Auckland Harbour. The morning was spent hiking up to the breathtaking views of Auckland's harbour and surrounding seas. Then back down to the ferry and back across to the city. We spent the afternoon walking around the harbour and downtown Auckland before heading back to pack all our things and move Kevin out! Off to the airportr where we started our sleepy night flight to Singapore.
Kevin+Kristen 

Rotorua, New Zealand.

We woke up in Rotorua to icy toes and frosty windows. It dipped down below zero degrees last night! Chilly!! We visited the Wai-o-tapu Geothermal Wonderland where we saw 26 active volcanic thermal pools and mud pools. Heather - you would have loved it!!

We drove up to Tauranga/Bay of Plenty for lunch (NZ pies) and then continued along the Coromandel peninsula for a scenic afternoon drive before stopping at the Hot Water Beach for the night.

Kevin+Kristen

Taupo, New Zealand.

Woke up in our little campervan listening to the ice river flowing by our park spot. We drove to a nice lookout and ate breakfast looking over lake Taupo and the mountains (Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro). Then we were off to the Taupo townsite where we stared our 5.5 hour kayak trip. We kayaked our way around the first couple of bays before the wind picked up and we were soon kayaking over 1.5meter waves!!!!! We paddled ashore and continued the tour an foot along the coast of the lake until we got to the caves and the Maori carvings. Then we returned to the kayaks and paddled back. We hopped back in our van and were back on the road.

We drove to Rotorua where we went to the Polynesian Spa geothermal hot springs before a grilled cheese sandwich dinner and sleep in Rotorua.
Kevin+Kristen

New Plymouth & Mount Taranaki, New Zealand.

We spent the morning walking around New Plymouth and visited the black sand beaches, the Puke Ariki museum, and the main town. In the afternoon we hiked two trails on Mount Taranaki, one of which led to the beautiful Dawson Falls and the other led to a look out of low sat clouds and fog.

Kevin cooked a yummy chicken stir-fry dinner on the campervan stove and then we relaxed for the evening in Tuapo.
Kevin+Kristen

Waitomo Caves, New Zealand.

We woke up and picked up our campervan. Then we went back to Kevin's place and got all loaded up. Then we were on our way and drove along the coast to Mission Bay. Then we hiked to the top of One Tree Hill for the view of the area around Auckland. We then left Auckland and drove to Waitomo, where we spent the night. Today we woke up in a chilly campervan and went to visit the Waitomo caves. We begun by rappelling 100 meters into the caves and then hiked through the dark caves with our headlamps and spelunking suits. The caves were huge and so neat!

We also visited a cave formation called the Natural Bridge and some waterfalls on the west coast of the North Island.

Lastly, we drove to New Plymouth for the evening and plan to visit the city in the morning and hike Mount Taranaki.

Kevin+Kristen