Monty is about to trade me in if I don’t stop snapping photos, but this first part of Bali has been so breathtaking, my eye might as well be super-glued to my camera for convenience. And, I’m a Smith.. I’m pretty sure, it’s in my genetic makeup, right family?! We arrived in Bali on November 7th completely out of fuel. Requiring us at the airport before 4 am in Bangkok after a night on Koh San was a task that only an all-nighter seemed right for. Sleeping on the plane saved us a bit, but we were pretty exhausted to say [View Full Entry]

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Bangkok has it all. Cheap night markets, bugs on a stick and an incredible amount of stuff. People will sell you ANYTHING, and they do. With cheap and easy transportation on the Chao Phraya River, the Sky Train and taxis, this place is a no brainer to navigate. If and that is a big “if”, you can find a taxi driver who will leave their meters on, a ride from one area of Bangkok to another will run you less than $2. Getting lost in this city of culture and tolerance is affordable, so completely lost we got. And now we [View Full Entry]

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Upon leaving Railay on October 27th, we hopped a longboat, a sweet minibus and a catamaran style ferry (an 8 hour journey in all) to Koh Tao, a small island off the northeast corner of southern Thailand. The world knows Koh Tao as a magical diving Mecca and the laid back island lifestyle is an added bonus to say the least. Not really sure how long we’d spend there, we opted for 4 nights in our Sairee Village hotel, the Simple Life, but ended up staying 7… I guess you could say we fell in love. The second we got off [View Full Entry]

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The entrance to Railay Beach is a gateway to tropical heaven. The only way to get here is by longboat and so we arrived at dusk on a weighted down longboat filled with backpackers on October 20th. A sliver of land, guarded by giant limestone cliffs with beachfront real estate on all sides. Sunset gazers and rock climbers toast one another from seat cushions on makeshift bamboo decks overlooking the ocean. James Bond Islands compete against one another, like stalagmites reaching from the depths of the Indian Ocean. We spent 7 glorious days laying about beachside pools, swimming in blue lago [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Phuket, Thailand on October 16th at night via Malaysia Airlines. With a bit of trouble for Trisha at customs (still no idea why?), a nice Thai man picked us up to take us to our hotel, Sino House, in Phuket Town. We wanted an easy stop over for a night before jumping off to another paradise. What we found was wonderful hospitality, comfort, cleanliness, free wifi, breakfast buffet included and $10 massages in the upscale spa at our place so we stayed for two. (For 1200 baht aka $40, it was a no brainer) Phuket Town was a [View Full Entry]

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After almost two weeks of traveling here there and everywhere, we were good and ready for what awaited us off the northeast coast of Malaysia…. two glorious little islands, Pulau Perhenthian Kecil and Pulau Perhenthian Besar. A 3-hour van journey on Oct. 11 with a nice Canadian family and a 30-minute speedboat ride brought us there… to crystal clear water, white sand beaches, monkeys swinging in the trees, no roads, shoes optional and 5 days of beachside bliss. And, that’s not all! Each island has a little something for everyone and water taxis are the only means of tran [View Full Entry]

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Leaving the busy city of KL we found ourselves on a deluxe bus for a 4-hour journey up, up and up to the Cameron Highlands (pronounced cam-er-oon), sitting at around 4,000 ft. Nestled in central mainland Malaysia, halfway between the China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Notoriously known for its tea plantations and an escape from the heat, this is the heartland of Malaysia. The British once owned it and its colonial style chalets upon acres of bright green tea plants are without a doubt, breathtaking. Perched on the hilltop was “Fathers Guest House,” a backpackers oasis, our home [View Full Entry]

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In the U.S., it’s pretty much drilled into you the moment you sit behind the wheel, that “pedestrians have the right away.” There are nice little cross walks on every street, you feel comfortable stepping out in front of slowing cars & they even give you a ticket if you don’t abide. In “KL” this is not the case. We quickly learned after being dropped off at the Puduraya Bus Station from the airport that dancing in & out of cars & scooters doing 80 through the city is a crafted sport you don’t want to lose. There are not many [View Full Entry]

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Jet setters are nothing like James Bond, I can assure you. Then again, we jet setters didn’t have a private jet and our route was anything but direct. The most daunting task was not flying around the world for 3 days; it is the knowledge that we must eventually endure it again. With a 7-hour stop over in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, (I had to look at a map too) Trisha and I decided to break in her unblemished passport with a stamp from the Middle East. Our mission was simple; see the Middle East mosques, temples, thriving night markets and [View Full Entry]

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Vegas baby! When Monty’s dad, Michael Goldman, told us he wanted to treat us to a trip to Vegas for working so hard this summer, we responded with a “Hell yes, thank you thank you!” & quickly started planning like anybody would. After packing for a kite trip, a Vegas trip & a backpack through SE Asia trip all at once (grueling as you can imagine), we happily departed on September 29th and stayed at Mandalay Bay for 3 nights. There was basking at the beach pool, hitting the strip at night, yards of margaritas, eating great food, rolling dice, seeing [View Full Entry]

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