Welcome to Part 2 of our 7-month backpacking trip! If you haven’t checked out Part 1 yet, head over there to learn more about our general route, transportation, accommodations and our Top 5 Favorite Destinations of the trip.
Top 5 Trip Experiences
TAKING THE IRON WAY
CHASING WATERFALLS
BAGGING PEAKS
DIVING THE TROPICS
BORNEO SAFARI
Taking the Iron Way
Via Ferrata’s were routes built throughout the Alps by soldiers during WWI and WWII to transport troops in a safer & more efficient manner. “Via Ferrata” translates to “Iron Way”. The routes typically consist of a mix of iron pegs, stairs, and ladders to make traversing steep mountain passages easier and provide fall protection via cables and harnesses. Nowadays, this cross between hiking and rock climbing has become a popular way to experience the beauty of the mountains.
Chasing Waterfalls
Whenever there’s a body of water, we find our way to it! Whether via hiking, canyoneering, canoeing, or boat, it was all part of the adventure. We tried our best to get in the water every time we had access to it, resulting in a few VERY refreshing swims.
Bagging Peaks
If you know us, (or if you’ve been reading this page) you know we love to take off to the mountains to trek our way up to some epic panorama views. This trip was no exception. Many destinations were selected specifically for hiking, and we were not disappointed. Madeira, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, New Zealand, Japan, and the Philippines all provided memorable hiking that ranged in distance, elevation, climate, and weather and left us eager for more.
Diving the Tropics
We had always planned to get our Scuba Certification in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, but we had so much fun on our three-day liveaboard that we just kept diving. We continued on to receive our Advanced Certification diving shipwrecks in the Philippines, enjoyed fun dives in Borneo and Okinawa, and learned to Free Dive in Bali. Night dives were our favorite! There are so many rare and sleeping fish, and it’s surprisingly peaceful down there in the dark.
Borneo Safari
One of the most unique parts of our trip was a five-day, four-night exploration through Borneo’s rainforest in search of rare animals. The adventure included navigating the Kinabatangan River by flat-bottomed boat and traversing the dense jungle of the Dermakot Forest by 4×4 truck and on foot. We were lucky enough to spot Borneo’s Big 5: Saltwater Crocodile, Pygmy Elephant, Orangutan, Rhinoceros Hornbill, and Proboscis Monkey, among many other creatures. Sadly, we did not have a proper camera to capture pictures of all these animals from a distance.
Bonus: Eating!
We wouldn’t be doing the trip justice without highlighting the excellent cuisine and sharing “tasteful” food pics!
Travel Companions
We feel incredibly lucky and thankful to have experienced so much of our trip with friends and family! There was a time when we spent six consecutive weeks bouncing between countries and meeting up with friends.
A special thanks to our hosts in Germany (A&C) and in Italy and Okinawa (K&G) for sharing their new homes and countries with us.
Shoutout to A&C for navigating the hills and goats of Berat, K&G for exploring seafloors, mountaintops, and everywhere in-between, T&V for finding the three blue roofs and every church in Santorini, M&E for sharing part of their belated honeymoon in Vietnam, A for braving the rain and crowds of Japan for a handful of cherry blossoms, M&J for finding Germany’s unpronounceable gem, and R&R for the mandatory tourist Pink St lunch & photo op.
Misadventures of SOS
Despite how glamorous travel may seem from the limited view of a camera lens; it can often be filled with confusion and frustration. Our trip was no exception. We strived to keep things in perspective and maintain our patience, and when all else failed, find some humor in the situation. Hopefully, this section will give you some laughs and an appreciation for some of the less glamorous aspects of travel.
Is it even a trip to Bali if you don’t get stitches?
Like many tourists in Bali, we ended up in the hospital. Unlike many of those tourists, alcohol and motor vehicles were not involved. An unexpected fainting spell required some stitches and a CT scan. On the plus side, this prompted our visit home for Christmas and ensured we got our money’s worth out of our travel insurance.
Cheers to getting robbed!
Here we were enjoying a drink at our hostel’s rooftop bar as our bags were looted a few floors below. A Bluetooth pairing notification from the headphones in our locker alerted us to the incident. Sadly, the headphones and Olivia’s missing clothes were not recovered, though a police search of the suspect’s bag turned up 7 other pairs of air pods. We’re thankful nothing important was stolen!
Staying Alive (& Healthy)
We found ourselves in the pharmacy a few times to deal with various ailments – flu, hives, digestive issues. Though navigating the language barrier in some of these cases was tricky, we found the healthcare to be significantly cheaper and more accessible, and the health care professionals to be very kind and helpful. We actually saved thousands by getting some of our vaccinations in the EU!
No leg room, no back support, no problem
In order to stretch our money, we usually chose the cheapest way to do things. Sometimes, you score a great value. Other times, you board a bus at sunrise to find that both your seat and the seat in front of it are broken and you are in for an uncomfortable ride.
New Skill Acquired
Riding a moped is an essential SE Asia backpacking experience. Too intimidated to brave Bali’s congested streets, we figured the Philippines’ rural roads would be an ideal spot to learn to ride. Excluding the stray dogs, steep and unfinished sections of roads, and flash storms, this proved to be true. Once you get the hang of it though, the feeling of freedom is hard to top.
Thanks For Reading!
We are thrilled to share some of the pictures and memories from our trip with you and hope you enjoyed a glimpse at what we were up to!!
