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We have been abroad for over five months now. Each country continues to amaze and impress us with new experiences. No two countries are the same. No two cultures are the same. However, there is a common curiosity that unites them all: President Trump.
It seems we cannot escape the political conversation. As soon as people find out we are American we prep ourselves for the next series of questions surrounding our controversial new President. Most people already have their opinions, but some people ask what we think. It is hard not to engage and I usually make my opinion known. With the exception of one person (he also favored Brexit and the abolishment of all government which made for an interesting night at the bar!) none of the people we met were in favor of trump. They used words like "crazy", "racist", or worse. However, the most common criticism is that he isn't qualified to hold such an important position. An Australian, who lives in London, asked, "Why don't Americans understand that he isn't qualified to head the world's most important economy?" He went on to explain how the success of America dictates the success of the rest of the world. I had no answer for him. A woman from Scotland remarked how the world looks to America to be a global leader and we elected a President who wants to run an isolationist regime that won't work in a global economy. She also commented that America is the land of opportunity founded by immigrants, yet we want to build a wall and ban "muslims". I couldn't respond well enough. A man from Fiji with limited English asked why so many people voted for him when he says crazy, mean things. My attempt to explain the electoral college didn't go well. So again, I had no answer for him. Another Australian simply said he no longer respects Americans. He wasn't the nicest guy so we just walked away from that conversation. At dinner in Indonesia our waiter brought up he election. He said in broken-English, "Trump, he has no heart". He then told us to tell Barrack Obama hello for him when we get back to America. If we run into him, we certainly will. One of the most interesting conversations was with a young man from Germany who was about to start his masters degree is political policy. He was incredibly informed and made some valid points. He started by commenting that Hillary and Trump were both trying to accomplish the same thing: grow the economy, create jobs, and prevent terrorist attacks. The difference, he noted, was that Trump want to do this by isolating America and Hillary wanted a global strategy. He felt that isolating the country from the rest of the world would prove to be more detrimental to the economy and the safety of America. He also said he studied the constitutions of the top ten countries according to GDP in the world and ours is outdated and not that relevant anymore. It is just his opinion, and I am not saying I agree with it, but it made me think considering the constitution originally counted black people as 3/5 of a person. Honestly, I think he knew more about our constitution than 90% of Americans, myself included. It was a conversation I won't easily forget. Most everyone we spoke with (there are dozens and dozens of conversations) came from a place of concern and were very respectful. We have made some friends through these conversations and hope to stay in touch as we continue our travels and end up settling again in the States. We hope many of them to visit us. We have also encouraged people to visit America. Many of them had plans to and we did our best to provide recommendations. We spoke with pride of the amazing things to see and do in the States. We even went as far as offering up a place to stay or a meal with friends and family as they make their way across the states. Sorry folks, you have been appointed as Ambassadors of American good will. There were many misconceptions about American cities, American health care and American people. Hopefully we cleared them up and they will enjoy their visit. We do not expect the conversations to stop but, likely, increase. The travel ban is now a hot topic. I've learned to embrace the conversations. What I realized is that while many Americans are angry right now, most foreigners are disappointed. They feel let down by their Global Leader. I empathize with them. I guess what I learned from this is that the world is watching and they have high expectations for us. As Americans we often talk about our country as the "greatest in the world". If that is the case then we must act like it. We must embrace our diversity and treat everyone as equals. We must welcome with open arms those seeking a better life. When other countries are in crisis and their citizens are fleeing for their lives we must allow them to find safety and hope in America. We must live up to the great expectations other nations have of us. If we choose not to then we lose the right to call ourselves the greatest country in the world.
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Where We Went: Komodo National Park/Lubuan Bajo (Flores) + Ubud (Bali) First Moment Here: Let’s just say the landing was terrifying. After 90 minutes flying over water in a propeller plane we landed between a few mountains just off the beach and the wind and clouds were at their best. Slick runway meant the plane was all over the place, “comin’ in hot” but we are fine. Funniest Thing We Did: After an “adrenaline filled landing” Chelsea had to use the airport bathroom. The airport is so small that by the time I came out, we were the LAST passengers left in baggage claim and all the other drivers had already picked up their arriving passengers and left the airport. Embarrassing. Craziest Thing We Did: Hike on Rinca island, a small island with over 1,500 komodo dragons. Komodos kill buffalo, deer and other large prey with their toxic bite. Humans die in a day if bitten. Very cool to learn about this animal unique to this area and their nesting, etc.  Best Thing We Did: SCUBA here was out of this world. We did three dives and the highlights were getting to play with an octopus, observing a 10’ reef manta at a cleaning station, and our third dive with so many fish and so much beautiful coral you can’t describe it with words. We also saw turtles, sharks, huge eels, unicorn and trigger fish, a broad cuttlefish, lion fish, and so many more. Here I am doing the underwater sign language for "manta ray" with our dive master. The video of us with the ray is like 4 minutes long so once we get it edited we'll post it!  Tastiest Thing We Did: We sampled 12 Indonesian dishes as tapas and it was really fun to try all the different flavors, textures and SPICES! All delicious. Also, on Valentine’s Day we went to this beautiful restaurant called Bridges which overlooked the lush greenery along the river and we had a CHEESE plate and wine. I hadn’t realized how much I missed cheese until I tasted it after SIX months. Blue cheese, camembert, and two others (couldn’t understand the waiter). Oh. My. God. Yum! Coolest thing we Learned: Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world (250m) and the largest Muslim population in the world. It was really cool hearing the prayers (not at 4:30am but all the other times) and seeing all the little girls at school with their heads covered. We also learned that Indonesia, along with Cambodia, has some of the smallest humans. We noticed it first, then looked it up and confirmed it. Lots of ducking for Adam and all the men are shorter than Chelsea (average 5’ 2”). Having children is also super important in their culture. Everyone has kids, and it’s the son’s responsibility to take care of the parents in their old age (since insurance doesn’t exist and medical care is paid for in cash) and the daughter’s responsibility is to care for her husband. Biggest Surprise: We went to grab lunch and ended up witnessing a royal cremation ceremony here in Ubud. Not only had we never heard of this before, we had no idea what it entailed. No better way to learn than a front seat. It was a really cool moment since we didn’t plan any of it. A good reminder that just being on this trip, being “in the world” is how you have the most incredible experiences.  Other Updates:
Singapore + Kuta (see below)First up, Singapore! First Moment Here: After a 10 hour overnight flight, we took an uber pool ride to the Yale-NUS (National University of Singapore) campus to meet our host, a guy Adam went to high school with who is now married with kids. We settled in then headed to Little India via public transportation (one bus, two trains) to walk around and get a taste of India. We had the spiciest food we’ve had on this trip thus far, Chelsea got henna, and we went to the really cool temple. This day just went to show how far we’ve come in our travels! Funniest Thing We Did: We went out for dinner and drinks in Holland Village with our hosts, Corinne and Chris, and after Lebanese food went for margaritas. Corinne photobombed four asian girls taking a selfie, peace signs and all.  Craziest Thing We Did: Try chicken feet. We went to a really cool outdoor mall/grouping of hawker stands and got to sample a bunch of local foods…including chicken feet. Best Thing We Did: So hard to choose from all the amazing things we did in Singapore, between little India, Chinatown, the Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay and the light show on Marina Bay Sands Hotel. All in all, we loved every second in Singapore and it was all made possible by our awesome hosts! If I did have to choose, I’d go for the 12+ story cloud forest, encapsulated in glass looking out onto the city. So many beautiful plants and flowers, a towering waterfall and two skywalks. Such a cool experience. Tastiest Thing We Did: Again, hard to choose between the India, Afghani, and Chinese food but because it’s cool - we ate at a Michelin Star restaurant called Hawker Chan which had meals for $4.50 S$. Amazing food at the right price.  Coolest thing we Learned: Riding Singapore trains was amazing. They are super clean ($500 fine for eating/drinking on the train) and people are very courteous. There are tons of PSAs to make sure people offer their seats to the elderly, put their extra bags on the ground (so they don’t take up seats) and even speak in an appropriate volume. The train routes reach everywhere you need to be and when mobs of people are headed into or out of the train station everyone politely “queues” up to ride JUST the left side of the escalator so that if someone walking (not standing) wants to pass on the right there is room. Crazy to witness! Biggest Surprise: The amount of opulence for a tiny country of only 5 million people. The downtown area is spectacular. The hotels and shopping are over the top. The gardens are amazing, better than our best. And it leaves you wondering, who is it all for? Mystery Solved: We finally had to ask about the gum situation. Turns out there is NO GUM in Singapore, it’s even on their list of things you cannot bring into the country. This is one example of how they keep their country clean and in check. Craziest thing ever! Other Updates:
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Funniest Thing We Did: Hang out with two awesome women from Scotland that kept us laughing. #laughteryoga
Best Thing We Did: Two days on Bounty Island, a tiny island with white sand beaches, crystal clear water and “Fiji Time”. We went paddle boarding and the water was so clear you could see tons of blue star fish on the bottom of the ocean.
Best Thing We Did: Two days on Bounty Island, a tiny island with white sand beaches, crystal clear water and “Fiji Time”. We went paddle boarding and the water was so clear you could see tons of blue star fish on the bottom of the ocean.
Tastiest Thing We Did: We went to a Fijian restaurant in Denaru Island called Nandina and had all sorts of amazing Fijian cuisine, from their version of ceviche to prawns. Yum!
Coolest thing we Learned: “Bula” means hello, welcome and is used as s general greeting, sort of like “aloha” or “pura vida”.
Biggest Surprise: That people can drink Kava. There was a nightly kava ceremony we thought we’d check out and after one sip of the stuff, we are surprised people willingly drink it. After seeing how they make it, we were even more surprised.
Biggest Surprise: That people can drink Kava. There was a nightly kava ceremony we thought we’d check out and after one sip of the stuff, we are surprised people willingly drink it. After seeing how they make it, we were even more surprised.
Mystery Solved: We kept wondering what this thing on the horizon was, trying to zoom in on it with the camera and figure it out. Turns out it was Bounty Island, the place we went and spent a few nights. Lol.
Other Updates:
Other Updates:
- We watched the Falcons become the NFC champs and most importantly, beat the Packers!
- We met SO many people. An awesome couple from LA/Brazil, Scottish, South African, Australian and the list goes on.
Week 21
Where We Went: Christchurch/Sumner Beach, Picton/Marlborough, Napier/Hawke’s Bay, Mt. Cook, Lake Taupo, Rotorua, Waitomo, and Hamilton
Funniest Thing We Did: Adam saw a sign that read ‘exit’ so he decided it would be awesome to drive through mounds of gravel in our hatchback corolla through the vineyard to a gate that was closed. Then I had to get out to open the gate, let the car through and close the gate behind the car. So embarrassing.
Craziest Thing We Did: We went in the limestone caves in Waitomo then boarded a boat in pitch black and were taken through glowworm caves lit up by millions of glowworms on the ceiling. It was crazy because it was like nothing we’d ever seen before and everyone has to be completely silent.
Best Thing We Did: Wine tasting in Hawke’s Bay. We went to five wineries, all the tastings were free and we met some very cool people along the way. The wine region is especially gorgeous because of the surrounding bay. Adam was the awesome “DD”. Thanks, babe!
Tastiest Thing We Did: My favorite meal was “Green Tipped” mussels harvested in the Marlborough sound served just minutes away at Le Cafe in Picton. We also drank lots of good wine in the Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay regions. Then, in Napier I had the best scallops I’ve ever tasted…paired with amazing wine, once again.
Where We Went: Christchurch/Sumner Beach, Picton/Marlborough, Napier/Hawke’s Bay, Mt. Cook, Lake Taupo, Rotorua, Waitomo, and Hamilton
Funniest Thing We Did: Adam saw a sign that read ‘exit’ so he decided it would be awesome to drive through mounds of gravel in our hatchback corolla through the vineyard to a gate that was closed. Then I had to get out to open the gate, let the car through and close the gate behind the car. So embarrassing.
Craziest Thing We Did: We went in the limestone caves in Waitomo then boarded a boat in pitch black and were taken through glowworm caves lit up by millions of glowworms on the ceiling. It was crazy because it was like nothing we’d ever seen before and everyone has to be completely silent.
Best Thing We Did: Wine tasting in Hawke’s Bay. We went to five wineries, all the tastings were free and we met some very cool people along the way. The wine region is especially gorgeous because of the surrounding bay. Adam was the awesome “DD”. Thanks, babe!
Tastiest Thing We Did: My favorite meal was “Green Tipped” mussels harvested in the Marlborough sound served just minutes away at Le Cafe in Picton. We also drank lots of good wine in the Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay regions. Then, in Napier I had the best scallops I’ve ever tasted…paired with amazing wine, once again.
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Dumbest Thing We Did: Go 13k over the 100k speed limit. Got an $80 NZD speeding ticket. Turns out we got another speeding ticket via mail from a camera, plus, we got a parking ticket! Such an industry there!!
Coolest thing we Learned: We went to the Quake City museum in Christchurch and learned about the devastating earthquake and how the city has been rebuilding since. 185 people died and much of the city has not been rebuilt.
Biggest Surprise: For a small country it was kind of a shock that we drove 2,919 miles!!
Mystery Solved: When we saw “A Bowl of Cheerios with T-Sauce” on the menu we had to inquire. Turns out they are mini hot dogs and ketchup.
Mystery Solved: When we saw “A Bowl of Cheerios with T-Sauce” on the menu we had to inquire. Turns out they are mini hot dogs and ketchup.
Other Updates:
- We took the ferry back across the Cook Strait to the North Island. The weather the night before we were supposed to go was 160kph winds and crazy rain so we weren’t sure the ferry would go but it all cleared up just in time.
- We met a really nice guy pouring wine at Saint Clair who was from Mendoza, Argentina. He gave us winery recommendations and helped plan the South American portion of our trip.
- Our private rooms in airbnbs have been awesome. Really nice people, really comfy rooms and really reasonable prices (plus they include continental breakfast!)
- It’s true, there really are more sheep than people here!
- While in Christchurch we watched six hours of football (playoffs!) and met some cool Americans doing the same.
Check out more photos by clicking on the photo links below!
Week 20
Where We Went: Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Cromwell, Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo, and Fairlie
Funniest Thing We Did: Eat about 20 PB&Js per person.
Craziest Thing We Did: Adam took the 43 meter plunge off a bridge via bungy! Dipped into the water and came out of it all alive. Watch the video here:
Where We Went: Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Cromwell, Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo, and Fairlie
Funniest Thing We Did: Eat about 20 PB&Js per person.
Craziest Thing We Did: Adam took the 43 meter plunge off a bridge via bungy! Dipped into the water and came out of it all alive. Watch the video here:
Best Thing We Did: Milford Sound cruise. We drove from Te Anau, boarded the two hour cruise and a few highlights were driving the boat under a huge waterfall and seeing a bunch of fur seals.
Tastiest Thing We Did: Fergburger! It’s a must eat spot in Queenstown where they have amazing variety. I had the lamb burger with mint jelly and Adam got the NZ beef burger. They also had deer and other great options. Fun experience, well worth the wait.
Dumbest Thing We Did: We thought we had a confirmed airbnb one night but it turned out it has been declined. Luckily, or maybe not so much, the owner of the restaurant we were sitting in owned a hotel and booked a night for us. When we got there it was really dirty and didn’t have an ensuite. Adam was a trooper, Chelsea was glad she travels with a pillow case.
Coolest thing we Learned: Milford Sound isn’t actually a sound, it’s a Fiord. It rains there almost every day of the year which means there are tons of waterfalls emptying fresh water into the fiord, amounting to 12 feet of fresh water covering the salt water from the Tasman sea below. There is a unique algae in the water dramatically affecting how cold the water gets so sea life usually found at 100m can be found at 15m. The whole “sound” area was created by a glacier 2,000m deep that melted, leaving crazy tall sea cliffs and allowing the Tasman Sea to fill it.
Biggest Surprise: We continue to be amazed by how gorgeous it is. Post card perfect around every corner. We’ve even stopped taking pictures and stopping off at lookout points because there is just too much to see and too many photos to take.
Mystery Solved: We were so in awe of the color of the water and couldn’t figure it out until we read a sign that told about the rock particles suspended throughout the water (some have settled on the bottom) from glacial melt. So cool!
Other Updates:
-If you live in a place where you think your weather changes quickly, think again. The weather here changes as you cross the street. It feels like it changes about 20* at a time, back and forth, mixing in rain and wind with scorching sunshine.
-There are hydrangeas of all colors growing by the thousands, queen anne’s lace and lavender growing like weeds and so many other gorgeous wild flowers in pinks and purples growing roadside.
-Took a quick detour from Queenstown to Moke Lake as well as driving up to 118 Lensman Rd. for a very - great tips from our airbnb hosts!
Dumbest Thing We Did: We thought we had a confirmed airbnb one night but it turned out it has been declined. Luckily, or maybe not so much, the owner of the restaurant we were sitting in owned a hotel and booked a night for us. When we got there it was really dirty and didn’t have an ensuite. Adam was a trooper, Chelsea was glad she travels with a pillow case.
Coolest thing we Learned: Milford Sound isn’t actually a sound, it’s a Fiord. It rains there almost every day of the year which means there are tons of waterfalls emptying fresh water into the fiord, amounting to 12 feet of fresh water covering the salt water from the Tasman sea below. There is a unique algae in the water dramatically affecting how cold the water gets so sea life usually found at 100m can be found at 15m. The whole “sound” area was created by a glacier 2,000m deep that melted, leaving crazy tall sea cliffs and allowing the Tasman Sea to fill it.
Biggest Surprise: We continue to be amazed by how gorgeous it is. Post card perfect around every corner. We’ve even stopped taking pictures and stopping off at lookout points because there is just too much to see and too many photos to take.
Mystery Solved: We were so in awe of the color of the water and couldn’t figure it out until we read a sign that told about the rock particles suspended throughout the water (some have settled on the bottom) from glacial melt. So cool!
Other Updates:
-If you live in a place where you think your weather changes quickly, think again. The weather here changes as you cross the street. It feels like it changes about 20* at a time, back and forth, mixing in rain and wind with scorching sunshine.
-There are hydrangeas of all colors growing by the thousands, queen anne’s lace and lavender growing like weeds and so many other gorgeous wild flowers in pinks and purples growing roadside.
-Took a quick detour from Queenstown to Moke Lake as well as driving up to 118 Lensman Rd. for a very - great tips from our airbnb hosts!
Check out more photos by clicking on the photo links below!
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Husband and wife travel the world for a year.
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