Page 2 of kellyhodo Travel Blog Posts


Asia » India » Karnataka » Hampi February 18th 2013

Though it saddens me to begin this post on a negative note, I must say that the process of getting from Gokarna to Hampi was nothing less than a nightmare. After about a 45 minute ride, we arrived at the bus stop in Ankola around 8:00 p.m. via a public bus from Gokarna. Just to be on the safe side, we’d gotten there quite early (3 hours early, to be exact), so we had some time to kill. We read our books and eventually got some dinner, but as 11:00 p.m. rolled around, our bus was nowhere to be found. The staff working at the bus stop withheld whatever information they had about our bus’s whereabouts, but occasionally we overheard talk about either an accident or a breakdown… In any case, we waited for a total ... read more
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Asia » India » Karnataka » Gokarna February 9th 2013

Our journey from Arambol to Gokarna, a sacred seaside town in the state of Karnataka, directly below Goa on India’s west coast, began with a train ride from Pernhem station to Margao. When we arrived in Margao a few hours later, we bought tickets for the “express” train to Gokarna. This train would supposedly arrive sooner and get us to Gokarna faster than the normal train, but, as it turned out, the slower train was on time and left on time, while our train was an hour and a half late! Once we were finally on the train, we had to search for empty seats, as it was rather crowded, and we ended up sitting in one of the last cars alongside a group of beggar children and an elderly man who appeared to be with ... read more
The walk from town to the beach
This lizard loved to pose for the camera!
Our first glimpse of the beach

Asia » India » Goa » Arambol February 6th 2013

Our train to Arambol, a beach in northern Goa, departed at 7:00 a.m. from Mumbai’s CST Railway Station and was supposed to arrive to Pernhem Station, a thirty minute drive from the beach, at 5:00 p.m. but, naturally, the train was running on Indian time so we didn’t reach our destination until almost 8:00 p.m. We weren’t in a rush, and this was my first Indian train experience, so I sat back and enjoyed the scenery, after first indulging in a two hour nap. We’d bought second class sleeper tickets even though it was a day train since it was a long ride and we wanted the extra space. Scott and I each had upper berths, which was nice considering the triple-bunk-bed style set up of each cabin. On day trains, the middle bunk folds down ... read more
Our rooftop bungalow
Some shops in the town
I didn't know there was an Olive Garden in India!

Asia » India » Maharashtra » Mumbai » Colaba February 5th 2013

We made it to India! After a four hour flight, we touched down in Mumbai at around 5:00 p.m. on January 24th. Getting through customs was hassle free, although we found out that India requires you to provide a significantly greater amount of detail about your stay than the other countries we’ve visited. Baggage claim was a rather chaotic introduction to the “every man for himself” attitude that many Indians possess when it comes to waiting in lines. Even before there were any bags on the conveyor belt, everyone was pushing and shoving to get a good spot. When our bags finally came around, we had to fight our way to the inside just to grab them! When we had our things and were ready to go, we hired a prepaid taxi, which we’d been recommended ... read more
One of those crazy kites!
Some locals by the water
The top of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Phayam February 1st 2013

It's hard to describe our time at Ko Phayam, an island off the southwest coast of Thailand, as more than a wonderful, relaxing week at the beach. Our ferry from Ranong arrived at the island's pier in the early afternoon, and, after grabbing a bite to eat and deciding which area we wanted to stay in, we hopped on the backs of three motorbike-taxis (the island didn't have any roads big enough for cars) bound for Ao Yai Beach. When we got there, we were told that many of the area's bungalows and guesthouses were full and were given a recommendation for Lucky Resort, a brand new set of bungalows set back from the beach a little ways. Though a little pricier than we'd planned, we couldn't help but stay there after seeing the giant, new ... read more
View of the beach
Where we stayed!
So nice and peaceful

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Jam January 17th 2013

After our misadventure at Charley Barley's, we set out for Koh Jum, a less populated and more relaxed island nearby. We arrived around 9:30 a.m. on January 4th and immediately found a much nicer place to stay than before called New Bungalows. The island, as well as the family-owned group of well-kept-up bungalows, had been recommended to us by a couple we met on our last night in Vietnam, and we were very grateful for their advice! We got settled in before exploring the island a bit. We ultimately found it to be much less busy and touristy than Koh Lanta. There were only a handful of cars, a few tiny villages and only one major paved road. Within our first few hours of being on the island, we met numerous friendly locals and tourists, ate ... read more
New "Bangalow"
Our bungalow
What could be better than an old guy in a thong?

Asia January 11th 2013

We touched down in Bangkok a little before noon on December 29th, and were immediately greeted by the heat and humidity of a South Carolina summer. We hailed a cab outside the airport, unaware that this would lead to our first misadventure in Thailand. Our driver couldn't find our hotel, so he ultimately dropped us off about a mile away, and then proceeded with an attempt to overcharge us followed by an outburst when we didn't understand where the extra charges were coming from. He left in a huff, and we were on our own to wander around in the heat with our packs in search of our hotel. We eventually made it and spent the rest of the day planning out our few days in the city as well as coming up with a game ... read more
Portuguese chef cooking delicious paella
Giant lying Buddha
Buddhist shrine

Asia » Vietnam » Northwest » Lao Cai » Sapa December 25th 2012

A few days before Christmas, Scott and I began our journey toward the mountain town of Sapa by taking an overnight train from Hanoi to Lau Cai. Despite the bumps and occasional wafts of cigarette smoke making its way through the air vents of our berth, we managed to get a fair amount of sleep before our arrival at 5:00 a.m. From the train station, we'd been told to catch a public bus to Sapa because that's the cheapest option. This proved to be difficult, however, since as soon as we set foot outside the train station we were swarmed by a mob of locals trying to offer us a ride. They followed us around as we walked from one unmarked, empty bus to the next until we finally found a bus with people in it ... read more
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Asia » Vietnam » Northwest » Hoa Binh » Mai Chau December 19th 2012

From December 16 through the 19, Scott and I decided to venture slightly south to the small village of Mai Chau rather than spend a few more days in Hanoi waiting for our Christmas excursion to Sapa. We called ahead and booked 3 nights at a traditional homestay with stilt houses and bungalows, located a little off the beaten path from Mai Chau's "city center" - basically a few shops, street-food restaurants and a gas station. We planned our journey, intending to take an 8:00 a.m. public bus, but, after taking a taxi all the way across town and arriving at the bus station, we were informed that the bus had left earlier than we thought, and the next one wasn't leaving until 1:30 p.m. Great. With no other choice aside from camping out in the ... read more
Stilt house/ common area
Bungalows
Water lilies

Asia » Vietnam » Northeast » Quang Ninh » Bai Tu Long Bay December 15th 2012

From December 12 through 15, Scott and I cruised through Bai Tu Long Bay, a cleaner and far less touristy section of Halong Bay, one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. After doing some research and hearing traveler's stories about how polluted and crowded Halong Bay has become, Scott found out about the Indochina Junk Company, one of the very few companies that host overnight cruises through Bai Tu Long Bay. Though definitely a splurge, we decided that this would be the best way to avoid the crowds and ensure that we'd get the most out of our trip. As soon as our journey began, we knew we had made the right choice. At around 8:00 a.m., we were picked up from our hotel in Hanoi in a comfortable, air-conditioned van, and, after picking up a few ... read more
This rock totally looks like a face, right?
Floating fishing village
Scott and me at the fishing village




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