Curious Cait

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh and what a drastic change it was from Siem Reap. There were so many people, cars and motorbikes. I really enjoyed and laid back feel of Siem Reap; now time for a busy city. We grabbed a taxi and headed to District 1. Our hostel was located right in the middle of the restaurant and bar district. Once we dropped our bags off at the hostel we walked down the main street and grabbed a coffee at a local egg coffe shop. After the Vietnam War there was a shortage of milk, so the Vietnamese started using egg in their coffee. It was delicious! It was a creamy, frothy texture and did not taste like egg. It came to be a favorite coffee place; even for Amber who is a tea-aholic! For dinner we went to a Pho soup place- it was savory and very filling. I am still going strong on my soup kick. When continued to explore District 1 and grabbed a few drinks before calling it a night. The next day we wandered around the local market; you could literally buy anything y...

Next stop--- Cambodia!!   We arrived to Siem Reap and were immediately greeted with a whole slew of tuk tuks. I heard that this was their form of transportation, but I did not realize it was pretty much their only form, along with motorbikes.   We met with a helpful gentleman at the airport who helped us get a taxi- well a taxi is actually just a 4-person tuk tuk. We packed our luggage in and set off! One app that has been very helpful during our travels is Grab; this is Asia's form of Uber. So when hailing tuk tuks I was able to compare what they should be charging us. One thing that I learned very early on was that Cambodia mainly took only cash and they loved American dollars. Everywhere we went they accepted US dollars.   After a bumpy tuk tuk ride we arrived to our Onederz hostel; it was lovely. There was a pool and full of fellow travelers. Foot massage- 2$. Keep em coming!   We took full advantage of the pool when we arrived and met...

I turned 33 while in Malaysia! If you would have asked me what I thought I would be doing on my 33rd birthday, celebrating in the hill country of Malaysia would be the farthest from my mind. But that is exactly what I got to do!! And it was amazing! We decided to take a bus to the hill country to explore a different side of Malaysia. I must has it was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of major busy cities. Cameron Highlands are located approximately 3 hours north of Kuala Lumpur. Their main attraction are tea plantation and strawberry farms. Now this may not sound very exciting; but it was beautiful sights and we had a great time exploring the small town of Tanah Ranah. BOH Tea Plantation Bee farmers and their bee hives The hostel we stayed at was perfect location and of course we grabbed some Asia food for dinner and a couple beers with a new friend we made on the bus trip to the highlands. I am on a soup kick- so delicious I had a TomYum noodle soup and it...

Second country up is Malaysia. We decided to check out one of the largest cities in Malaysia and also the hill country. The AirBnB we stayed at was beautiful! It was an apartment within this HUGE apartment complex, The Faces Suites. There was an infinity pool on the 57th floor.   Those views were amazing! Luckily I am getting over my fear of heights and really enjoyed the restaurant/bar and pool. The first night we were pretty wiped out from Singapore and traveling. We relaxed at the pool with a couple beers. The second day we got up bright and early and visited the Batu Caves. This colorfully designed Hindu Temple is located in Bombak, Selangor, Malaysia. I would suggest if you ever go, to go early! We went around 7am and had the whole place to ourselves! We found the most delicious breakfast cafe- BubbleBee Cafe. The fruit smoothies were so fresh! They were much needed after walking around HOT Kuala Lumpur. Strawberry-Lychee Smoothie  After a mug...

I have always been interested in Southeast Asia, but never thought I would have the chance to go. I went to Europe on my own, but I felt this trip I needed some travel buddies. When I first met Gina in Hawaii she mentioned going to Thailand after the assignment. Well, that interest is becoming a reality. Gina, Amber and myself are doing a trip through Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Amber is a fellow travel nurse that also has a passion, for well, travel. Getting to Singapore was a daunting thought- 24 hours on a plane. But it actually was not that bad, All Nippon Airways was great! They had comfy seating, excellent entertainment, surprisely good food and very nice flight attendants. Burger patty, rice, carrots; salad; noodle soup; antipasto; spinach and chicken salad; vanilla ice cream I landed in Singapore around 11:30pm, so I decided to just grab a hotel and shower and get some rest. It was a very charming hotel, that was previously an Opera H...