This is the story of how life can change too fast. From Asian beaches to Irish chemo wards, we document it here.
All in Travel
We finally go to Australia together to shiver (Jess) and work (Mike). Welcomed by family and friends we ate our weight in avocado smashes.
While Hannah was visiting, we took a long weekend to go to Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh where we ate Bahn Mi and toured the lovely architecture.
Rebecca has 'le hook up' with Anantara, so we went down to check it out and meet a cousin who was golfing there from Australia.
Jess goes on to Penang to get a work visa. Bad food and street harassment ensue!
Part 2 of the Cambodia trip. Jessica and Rebecca go to Siem Reap and cycle around Angkor Wat. There's even a video!
Our first Asian trip outside Thailand was an adventure! We absolutely loved Cambodia and the sweet Khmer people. Rebecca and I spent 2 nights in Phnom Penh and 2 in Siam reap.
When planning for my move to Thailand, I tried to time it so I would be with Mike by my birthday. We talked about going away somewhere fun and when Alex and Jacky decided to come visit, that sealed it. Blessedly, Rebecca and Mike took on the planning as a surprise and gift for me. Never thought I would get bored of Kayak.com, but it happened.
We initially planned to fly to Bangkok from Copehnagen, but they had flights from Stockholm too so...why not. Also, Victoria invited us to stay with her in Gothenberg. It was the perfect excuse to use the Swedish rail system.
We took the SJ last year to go from Stockholm to Gothenberg and I. Loved.It. First class was affordable. The fast train goes silently through the Swedish countryside, rocking gently around corners.
I heart Scandinavia so much (well, Sweden) so I wanted to see if Denmark was as awesome. We flew into Copenhagen on a quick hop from London and stayed in central Copenhagen. Of course the hotel was chic and minimal and had beautiful multilingual staff.
I like to say I went to London to 'pick Rebecca up', but I really just wanted an excuse to spend more time there. Rebecca has great friends and knows all the great bars. There were a few more stops on my London list. But mostly I ran a lot and tried to get used to the fact that I didn't live in America any more.
When I have visited Ireland in the past, I spent a lot of time visiting family, shopping and visiting old haunts. I hadn't really been a tourist in Ireland so I used this trip as a chance to see some of the country as an adult. I was renting a car for the freedom it afforded, so a road trip made sense. I wanted to see the newly minted 'Wild Atlantic Way', shop for handcrafts and drink Irish craft beer.
The culmination of Mike's road trip was a visit to his old stomping ground:Traverse City, Michigan. I had been there once before, possibly before we were even married. We camped on the lawn of his family cottage and did some swimming, which is all I remember.
Of course we all know how cool that area has become in recent years so I was dying to get back up there. On short notice we booked the last VRBO in a 50 mile radius along with Will and Kristin, friends from High School who live in Indiana.
