MANALI + TERRY | Newlyweds Backpack Round The World » Preparation

Budget Update | Expenses in Bangkok, Thailand

Manali — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:14:42 +0000

Thailand is considered one of the more inexpensive countries in South East Asia. So far, we have been tracking expenses each day and have broken them down into categories. This, not only helps us track our overall spending, but helps us in planning the next country and ensures that we have enough to get by in the next 10 months.

We’ve taken a sample of our first 7 days in Bangkok, Thailand (including our airfare to the country, which will be spread over 30 days). The figures presented here are for 2 people for a week, living lavishly in Bangkok! On average, we are running (all inclusively) about $50 per day here, inexpensive compared to the $160 in Tokyo, Japan!

Keep in mind, our costs may be higher than some of the traditional, youthful backpackers since:

(1) We’ve been pigging out each and everyday, sometimes eating 5 meals and plenty of snacks. I also have a killer sweet tooth and need an ice cream at all times…

(2) We have to buy lots of water since we’re not drinking the local tap water

(3) In terms of accommodation, we have opted for private rooms with AC rather than the dormitory style and usually get one with a private bathroom with hot water as well (Terry’s snoring wakes up the other people down the hall, so we wouldn’t be popular if we shared a room)

(4) We have also been attending plenty of excursions such as temple tours, swimming in waterfalls, visiting tigers etc. so this may also run up our expenses – but are usually well worth it. When else will you be able to bathe with elephants or feed a baby tiger?!

(5) We prefer to take flights or overnight trains between cities. These are usually more expensive than the buses or minivans that may take double the time and may re-route you a few times before you reach your destination. Terry’s long legs appreciate the shorter train rides!

So what are you waiting for? Pinch a few pennies, stop drinking daily $4 lattes, save some money and get over here!

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World Cup Denial, Let’s Try Again

Terry — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:20:42 +0000

We just received notice, “Further to your application for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Tickets. We regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful”. Per their website, we did receive the acknowledgement in approximately 10 business days. In the face of such a rude denial, we still have only exhausted 1 of our 7 available requests. Perhaps it is all for the better, as our initial ticket request was for a match at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.

Manali and I have come to learn from several sources since then, that South Africa in general can be somewhat dangerous, but Johannesburg in particular seems to witness criminal behavior with a higher frequency. Considering our parents read this blog, it would be best not to articulate some of the more distasteful things I have read, but you should research for yourself.

In light of this continued refinement of knowledge, we have placed a request for three matches in Capetown, South Africa. Capetown seems to be one of the more popular destinations in South Africa. Travel Independent has a concise write-up here, that will be interesting for most travelers but probably backpackers in particular. The tricky thing about these World Cup tickets is that once you apply, you must buy. You must also specify at the time of application who your guests will be, yourself being the applicant. The applicant must also be present in South Africa to pick-up the tickets with the exact credit card used for purchase. Oh Capetown, won’t you let us visit?

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New Friends: Aaron & Georgie

Terry — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:22:25 +0000

One of the drawbacks for taking off for a year or more is leaving behind friends and family. Depending on the type of person you are, and how you grew up, this may or may not be distressing for oneself.

Fear not though my friends, for on any given travel path there lies a multitide of opportunities to meet unique and interesting people. I came across a travel blog of some English folks, Aaron & Georgie, who are currently in the middle of the SE Asia portion of their trip. I’m very jealous, because they recently visited Borobudur, the largest Hindu structure in the world. You can read more about their visit here.

Something else they do that I think is pretty kick ass is their video blogs. We plan to take a video camera and would love to be able to post to the extent that Aaron & Georgie seem to be able. I’ll most certainly be inquiring about their methods for keeping such a great video based log.

We hope to keep in touch with Aaron & Georgie, appealing to their benevolent nature, seeking advice and travel tips where appropriate.

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Its Bath Time: Songkran

Terry — Sat, 16 May 2009 21:13:43 +0000

Songrkan (Thai New Year) is celebrated every year from April 13 to April 15. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia. The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. People roam the streets with containers of water or water guns, or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends and neighbors.

Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year.

In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city’s important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually ‘bathing’ the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags.

WHEN: Annually, April 13 – 15

WHERE: Thailand (throughout, but in Chiang Mai it is particularly enthusiastic)

This article is part of an ongoing series of posts highlighting significant festivals throughout the world, typically held during limited periods of time during the year. The series will identify and profile a select number of world festivals for nomination, ultimately selecting 15 worthy of the title “Top 15 Greatest World Festival”.

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Using Google Maps For Travel Planning

Terry — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:00:13 +0000

Manali just called me from the Airport to come pick her up, after dropping her off about two and a half hours ago. Apparently they overbooked her flight. Although disappointed by her delayed departure, she is as merry as can be expected with a $7 meal voucher in hand, and a $400 airline credit. Heck, Manali and I turn happy as clams if we get a free Cinnabon sample at the mall…so this is like winning the lottery in freebie world.

During all of our planning for this Round The World (or for the cool people RTW) trip, we might actually learn a thing or two we would be not blessed with otherwise. Apart from all of the perfectly indescribable and surreal leanings we will soak up, and have cast into our collective data banks of experiences and emotions, there are some very tangible and practical things as well. One of the best parts of our research and planning is coming across such practical tips and advice, nuggets of truth laid out along the golden path to ultimate enlightenment. With that in mind I will do my part, to try and convey some of our leanings a long the way in hopes that others may benefit in the future. I’m sure in the beginning, imperfect they will be, but fret not as I vow any writings will improve over time. Hell, I think it was my freshman year in college, save our annual Christmas letters, since I have done any creative writing. We may be a little rusty in the beginning, but once we start trucking down the pathway that will be our adventure, the rust will begin to fall off…and hopefully reveal something worth looking at…like a 68′ Mustang.

I’m a very visual person, and I have really been heavily reliant on Google Maps as we plan our trip. I learned a couple of neat things that may not be so obvious at first look that I wanted to share. If you weren’t aware of the following, it most certainly will benefit you. If you did know, then please add us to the memo list next time.

Whenever you perform a search for a specific locale, Bali for example, you are typically presented with an “Explore this area” link in the left hand navigation column. Click “Explore this area”, as shown above.

You are then presented with an array of options that relate to this specific locale. This includes location specific pictures, video and user-created google map content (one of the neatest possibilities). Only a few are shown by default, so you will have to click on “More Photos” link, as shown above.

Now we are presented with a litany of photos, specific to an even more localized geography. At this point, try moving the map around, or zooming in and out. You will notice the presented media (pictures) will change based on what you are viewing in the map window, relative to zoom and latitude/longitude. One could use this just for daydreaming, but it can also be very useful. For example, you are trying to identify the best areas to see beautiful rice farms, you could browse the pictures at your leisure until you find a “proven” area. Click on the picture thumbnails, as shown above, to get a fuller viewing size.

They have video too! Works the same way as the pictures.

One of the coolest things is the “User-Created” content within Google Maps. Often people make their maps public, as we did ours under our Destination Map page. I think this is very dependent on the location in which you are searching, but you can find some very useful information. This is especially helpful if you have not been to these places. They could cover everything from logistics (as in the above screenshot) or highlight the best spots for backpackers within the city (e.g. where can you get something to eat after 1am).

I hope this was insightful to those who were not aware, and the possibilities I see are as apparent. I’m sure there is more beyond this, so please leave comments to the benefit of Manali and I, as well as others. Thanks!

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Travel Insurance

Manali — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:28:29 +0000

“If you are wildlife-watching in the extremes of Alaska and are attacked by a polar bear, are you covered by travel insurance? It depends. You see, if the bear attacks you while you were watching them as a part of a wildlife safari or trekking, then YES we would cover you (assuming the bear didn’t catch you of course), but if you were chasing the bear having had a beer too many the night before and you thought it would be a laugh, er, then NO we wouldn’t.”

Any suggestions or thoughts on travel insurance? We hope we won’t have to ever file a claim, but we definitely want to be covered for medical expenses and personal belongings. Anyone used World Nomads before?

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Preliminary Travel Path
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Preliminary Travel Path

Manali — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:01:53 +0000

We sat down and made an preliminary travel path of the countries we will be visiting by season, which will probably change as we get on the road:

July / August: USA Road Trip – Atlanta, GA to Seattle, WA
September: Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam
October:   Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia
November:   Indonesia, Singapore, Philipines
December/January:   Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand
February:   Sri Lanka, India
March:   Egypt, Cyprus, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece
April / May: Italy, Switzerland, France, England, Spain, Portugal
June:   Morocco, South Africa World Cup 2010

Wow, that’s a lot of countries and travelling for a year!

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Classic Road Trip Eats!

Manali — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:32:00 +0000

During our cross country Road Trip, we want to check out some “Diners, Drive Ins & Dives” action and visit our country’s finest classic “greasy spoon” spots, from roadside shacks in Texas to pizzerias in Oregon! Some cities we will be visiting include: New Orleans, Austin, Houston, El Paso, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Napa and Portland – any suggestions of dives along the way?

Here is Guy Fieri’s list…

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Our Preliminary Around The World Packing List

Manali — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:53:00 +0000

We expect this to probably change a little as we get closer to June, but here is our first attempt at our packing list. I can carry about 20lbs and Terry can pack in about 40lbs – it’s going to be tough to narrow down our item list!

1. Backpacks: Manali’s Pack - Gregory Deva 60 Terry’s Pack – Gregory Z65 (4lbs 3oz)
2. Documents: Passport Photos, Passports, Visas, Airline Tickets
3. Eyewear: Glasses, Contacts, Sunglasses
4. Footwear: Manali’s Shoes – Merrell Siren Sport Cross-Training Shoes (20oz), Socks, Flip Flops
5. Toiletries / First Aid: Duct Tape, Zip Lock Bags, Anti-Biotics, Pepto, Purell, Bug Repellant, Sunscreen
6. Outerwear: Manali’s Rain Jacket – Marmot Precip (12oz), Terry’s Rain Jacket – Marmot Precip (12oz), Lightweight Fleece
7. Misc: Pen, Small Notebook, Deck of Cards, Reading Book, Puzzle Book
8. Swimwear / Bathwear: Swimsuits, Ultra Light Pack Towels
9. Clothes: I think the key is to “layer” – so 2 zip off pants, few tanks/tees, a long sleeve shirt and 5 pairs of undies/socks… we still have to think this through.

Terry’s Underwear: ExOfficio Men’s Give-N-Go Boxer (4oz) (4 pairs)

10. Tent: REI Half Dome 2 Tent (5lbs 11oz)
11. Electronics: Nikon D60 (16.1oz) w/ 18-55MM (9.3oz) and 55-200MM Len (11.8oz), Canon HV20 HD Camcorder (1.2lbs), Laptop and Accessories

Does it go in the Backpack?! That’s our money saving motto! We really don’t need to buy any material items other than what goes into our backpacks, everything else has can wait until we get back…

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The World Awaits…

Manali — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:48:00 +0000

We have been reading “The World Awaits” by Paul Otteson, it’s been extremely insprirational and is really getting us excited for our trip!

“Travel teaches. It both empowers and chastens as if forces your hand, revealing the lessons of the miles. By hitting the long road through the wide world, you remove the blinders you don’t even know you’re wearing. There’s no subsititute for being there; there never has been. The only way to bring stories of the world into your life is to live them.”

Manali & Terry’s Travel Goals

We want to see amazing things: castles, undiscovered islands, oceans, mountains…

We want to meet interesting people, share laughs and beer, exchange adventure stories and tips.

We want to challenge ourselves, stretch our limits and comfort zones.

We want to discover our palates and taste the delicacies the world has to offer.

We want to embrace our blessings, feel appreciation and revere that which is greater than us.

We want to learn and immerse ourselves in culture.

We want to be spontaneous, practical, flexible, to follow inspiration, change plans, stay longer.

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