Ina

Our Year 2015: Traveling Around The World

First of all, we wish you a happy and healthy new year 2016!

The last 365 days were full of travels and adventures for us.

Jeremy moved to Germany in January and in February we decided to start a travel blog. Our goal is to inspire people and make them travel the world, experience other cultures, try foreign dishes and be open minded.

Our first small trips together lead us to Prague in the Czech Republic and to Porto to celebrate Jeremy's birthday in February in Portugal. To travel to new citys is always exciting and fun for us.

John Lennon Wall in Prague, Czech Republic

Porto, Portugal

We are so passionate about traveling and we always want to see more.

In May we went on a road trip with my convertible car from Germany to Croatia for 2 weeks and had a really great time. A couple from a little beach town near Dubrovnik invited us to a barbecue and he grilled great sausages for us. We will never forget that amazing evening.  

Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

The vacation days at work are always limited and 5 weeks of vacation is not much, when your goal is to see every country in the would :)

So we decided to do more trips like your Croatia road trip and I quit my online marketing job with one crying and one smiling eye. (find my Blog Post "Why I Quit My Job To Travel The World" here)

At the end of July I finished work and since then we are full time traveler and digital nomads.

We left our flat and started a 5 week road trip to visit Holland, Belgium, France and Spain, but realized that we need a van next time, because it was not that easy to find wifi and affordable hotels in the high season.

Cathedral in Burgos, Spain

In September we stayed a few weeks with my family in Germany, before we were heading out to South East Asia.

100 days of traveling started in Kopenhagen, where we meet Jeremy's friend and stayed with him for a few days. Kopenhagen was amazing and riding a bike there was so much fun.

Bike Tour through Copenhagen, Denmark

The next destination was Bangkok, which was the door to South East Asia, from where we went to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, back to Thailand and home to Germany for Christmas.

Skybar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Riding our bikes to the beach in Hoi An, Vietnam

Amazing Tempel Tour in Angkor Wat, Cambodia

It was the most exciting year of our life so far:

We have been to 17 countries together (Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia). We found new delicious dishes, tryed things we never ate before, like jelly fish salat, snails and krokodile.

What are your future travel plans? Let us know in the comments below!

DO WHAT YOU LOVE, DO IT OFTEN

AND ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH AN OPEN MIND!

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by Ina

Best Spa in Siem Reap: Kaya Spa

Our second destination in Cambodia was the amazing Siem Reap. We spend 4 nights there and had a great time.

One highlight was our 5 days in Siem Reap was the half day Spa Package at the Kaya Spa.

I really loved this place from the beginning. The staff is so friendly and nice. The lobby looks so lovely. Everything was decorated so perfect and made us feel good.

Perfect Day at Kaya Spa

The half day package includes a visit at the very interesting Senteurs d'Angkor Workshop, a 60 minute massage and to make the day perfect a super delicious degustation of khmer desserts at Kaya Café, which is right next door.

For the 60 minute massage, we could choose one of three massages: foot reflexology or ancient khmer massage or aromatherapy massage.

Kaya Spa Lounge

At first, we got a very nice welcome drink, which was a lemon juice with mint. It was so refreshing on this hot day. Then we could decide which massage we would like to have and smell the different aroma oils.

delicious welcome drink and essential oils in the background

I read at the Kaya Spa, that the Ancient Khmer Massage follows the energy lines of the body and releases pain. I have had a headache for 3 days, so I thought, this is the perfect massage for me.

Jeremy picked the Aromatherapy Massage, which combines several methods to relieve tension and reduces stress. He picked a very good essential oil for that. We could choose parts of our body, which we want them to focus, which was perfect. 

The therapy rooms were very nice and quiet. At first we were offered to take a shower and we could use their amazing natural shower gels.

beautiful therapy room: it's time to relax

Then the therapist came for the massage. I enjoyed every single minute and I didn’t want the massage to end. It felt so good, from the toe to the head and I loved the head massage a lot.

After the 60 minutes my headache was gone, I was so happy and relaxed.

Jeremy loved his massage as well and both of us said “This was the best massage ever”. We wanted to go there again the next day, but unfortunately we had not enough time. But we will definitely come back next time, when we are visiting Siem Reap.

After the perfect massage we got a coupon for a lovely dessert and drink at the Kaya Café next door.
We could choose one delicious dessert and a fresh pressed juice.

variety of desserts at Kaya Café

The Kaya Café is also a very lovely place with beautiful decoration. Jeremy got a fried dessert and an Orange Juice and I picked the pudding with banana and a passion fruit juice. Everything tasted sooo good, we loved it!

delicious desserts and juice at the Kaya Café

The Senteurs d’Angkor Workshop was great too! A lovely young lady guided us there and explained us everything. They produce natural cosmetics, soaps, scented candles, and incense there. We enjoyed to smell everything and getting the opportunity to look behind the “scenes”, how products were made. I love natural cosmetic and we would try body lotion and other cosmetics there. It is so important to treat your skin and body right.

Soap production at Senteurs D'Angkor Workshop

They offer a huge variety of traditional khmer spices, mixed seasonings like the famous "amok" or "Lok lak" and coffee and tea as well. Most of it comes from local resources. It was very nice, that we could try cinnamon coffee and the different teas! 

Different coffee powders and Curry, which is made out of 9 spices

We were lucky to get a 10 % off Coupon, which came with our half day Spa package. There are so many great things in the shop, to take home for ourselfs or as presents for family and friends.

We had an unforgettable day at the Kaya Spa, the Kaya Café and the Senteurs d'Angkor Workshop and we can highly recommend that to everybody!
Enjoy a Spa Day and you feel good and relaxed!

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by Ina

Best Hotel in Phnom Penh: The Green Palace Hotel

Our first destination in Cambodia was the capital Phnom Penh:

We stayed at the Green Palace Hotel in the heart of the city and spend 3 good nights there. We can highly recommend this Hotel if you are planning to visit Phnom Penh! 

The staff of the Hotel is so friendly and nice and treat their customers very well. We really loved how walm they welcomed us and we felt right at home.

Our beautiful room was on the 10th floor with an amazing view of Phnom Penh. 

Our nice balcony on the 10th floor

We were very happy to have a lovely balcony, where we could sit and relax with a great view. 

Sunrise in Phnom Penh

The rooms in the Green Palace Hotel are big and furnished with a comfortable bed, a wardrobe, chairs and a table, a coffee and tea station, a desk and a TV. I liked the modern style combined with cambodian elements a lot. Everything was very clean. 

our room in the Green Palace Hotel

very comfortable bed

The Hotel provides house shoes, a bath robe, shampoo, shower gel and complimentary water, which is very nice. We had everything we could wish for our stay in the room. The WIFI worked excellent too. 

We enjoyed such a delicious breakfast in the restaurant of the Hotel. They offer a great variety of fresh fruits, cereals, bread and croissants, warm dishes and soup.

breakfast buffet: fruits and cereals

This lovely lady makes the best soups ever

They make fresh soup for their guests for breakfast. We could choose which kind of noodles, vegatables, meat, etc. we want and they cooked such a delicious soup for us. This was the best noodle soup with shrimps I have ever had! We felt always very good after eating a soup for breakfast. This was the perfect start in the day!

best noodle soup with shrimps

nice restaurant in the Green Palace Hotel

The Green Palace Hotel is a 4 Star Hotel with a very nice gmy, a Spa with Sauna and Steam bath and a roof top skybar on the 17th floor. We enjoyed the Steam Bath in the Spa area. This was very relaxing after a long sight seeing day in Phnom Penh. After the steam bath and a nice shower, the staff of the Spa served us a delicious tea. 

At the outside of the Hotel TukTuks are waiting for you and offer you a ride. Because they belong to the Hotel, they make really fair prices and you can trust them.

We booked a Green Palace Tuktuk driver for one day. He drove us to the sight seeing spots, which we wanted to see, showed us a great place for lunch and we had really good conversations with him. It was really nice to spend a little time with a local. 

We can't wait to come back to this beautiful hotel! Find more information and book here: Green Palace Hotel

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by Ina

Food in Vietnam

The Vietnamese Food is a little different to the Thai food, but similar to the food in Cambodia. They have a great variety of delicious food as well. 

Probably the most known Vietnamese dish is the Pho Soup. Locals eat soup in the morning as well. It is very delicious and we always felt good after eating this soup. 

Soup for breakfast

They serve the Pho Soup with your choise of meat and noodles. I prefer beef Pho. In some places you can pick your favourite noodles as well. 

I love the beef salad, which is served with water spinach, carrots and onions. But I always order without the onions. Unfortunate I forgot to take a photo of this delicious appetizer.

My absolute favorite dish of the Vietnamese Cuisine is the beef Lok Lak, which is often served with French fries. I guess most of the time for tourists, not for the locals ;-) The beef comes with a very delicious gravy and if the restaurant makes a good beek Lok Lak, the beef is very soft and sooo yummy!!!
I hope I will find the Lok Lak seasonings here, so that I can cook this delicious meal at home too.

Beef Lok Lak with French Fries on Phu Quoc

A very good snack is a sandwich called Banh Mi. Because Vietnam was a French colony once, they have really good bread! The Banh Mi is filled with salat, carrots, meat, mint and good sauces. When you are going to Hoi An, visit my friend Phi, who makes the best Banh Mi in Vietnam! It tasts so good!

Banh Mi made by Phi in Hoi An!

Phi from Hoi An showed us and a nice couple from London a hidden restaurant with great food. It was a fantastic experience to eat with the locals: Phi ordered his favourite things and we shared everything. We tried Jelly Fish Salad, snailes, water spinach salad, crispy rice wraps, fish cakes and much more. It was such a delicious meal and one of my favourite nights on our whole trip.

Dinner with local Vietnamese people

There is one special dish, which you can only eat in Hoi An. It is called Cao Lao and it is noodles with pork and some crisps on top. It is very tasty and so cheap. We went to a small restaurant, where we saw only locals and the Cao Lao was 20.000 Dong, which is about 0,85 Euro.

traditional Cao Lao in Hoi An

Another southern style dish is Banh Xeo. That is a fried pancake made of rice flour filled with shrimps, onions and bean sprouts.

Try the green orange Juice, this is unbelievable delicious. The green oranges are calles Cam Sanh or King Oranges and grow in Vietnam. We got the Juice in the amazing Hoa Sung Spa in Ho Chi Minh City and haven't heard about these delicious oranged before. This juice is sweet and refreshing. Don't miss out on that. You can find fruit stands, where you can get that as well.

Green Orange Juice at Hoa Sung Spa in Ho Chi Minh City

That is probaby not typical of Vietnam, but we loved the Japanese BBQ in Saigon and the Korean BBQ in Hanoi as well. We just love meat :D
They have good lunch specials and it is fun to grill your favourite meat on your own little BBQ on your table.

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by Ina

Delicious Food in Thailand

Dear Travelers,

we are still on our 100 Day Tour through South East Asia till the 24th of December. Time is going by so fast, today is day 87, but we are happy to be home for Christmas.

In the following days I want to take you to a food journey through South East Asia and show you our favorite dishes in the countries we have visited.

Today I will start with Thai Food

Delicious Food in Thailand

The Food in Thailand is amazing! The Thai Cuisine offers a lot of different dishes, most of them in combination with rice or nudels. We stayed in Thailand for 1 month and we didn't get bored there.

Rice Dishes

They have a huge variety of (fried) rice dishes. I really like rice with garlic chicken and chicken with cashew nuts and rice.

This was my breakfast in Koh Tao: Chicken with Cashew Nuts and Rice.

Fried Rice with Seafood

Thailand is as well known for it good Currys, which you can eat like a soup or with rice.

The red, yellow and green Currys are a little spicy. But how spicy it is depends from the region or city you are visiting.

My favorite Currys are Massaman Curry and green curry with chicken.

This is the delicious Massaman Curry with Rice in a little Restaurant in Pai.
Massaman curry is a medium spicy dish with chicken, potatoes and peanuts in it.

Green Curry with Jasmin Rice

What I love about the green curry is the special seasons and the delicious Thai aubergines.

Streetfood in Thailand

What you can get on the street food stands, for example on night markets, are chicken, pork or beef skewers. These are incredible cheap and a easy little snack for your way.

Don't miss out on the amazing fruit shakes, which are fresh made and refreshing. Pick your favourite fruits and enjoy your vitamin drink! My favourite mix is Mango with Passion Fruit, that is soooo delicious. In Pai it was only 0,75 Euro, what is less than one single passion fruit costs in a Supermarket in Germany.

Mango-Shake: I could drink that every day!

On the streets in Thailand you can find Pancake stands as well. These pancakes are so delicious, but very different from the pancakes we know or make. They are made in front of you in their little food stand out of a not fluent Doug. 

I love the Thai Pancakes with banana and Nutella.

Western Food

Of course in the touristy places you get a lot of western food as well. Pasta, pizza, Burger, Schnitzel, tacos and burritos and everything what you can wish for.

And some places make fantastic western food. One of the best pizzas I have ever eaten is made in a little trattoria on the Island Koh Tao or Pita Bread filled with meat and vegetables in Pai.

Delicious Pita bread with chicken and salad.

 

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by Ina

Castaways Resort, Phu Quoc

The Castaways Resort in the beautiful Island of Phu Quoc is an amazing and calm place to spend a vacation.

There are a lot of options to make this holiday unforgettable. Located in the middle of the Island, in Duong Dong town, you can walk to the best beach or to good restaurants bars or the night market.
Everything else on the island can be reached by taxi or scooter within less than 1 hour: the beautiful waterfalls, the national park, green pepper farms, the famous fish sauce factorys, the water park or the Coconut Tree Prison.

This Resort has several comfortable Bungalows in a nice garden with lovely flowers and butterflys. It is a great atmosphere to spend your vacation.

The Bungalows are very nice, the rooms have a good size, a comfortable beds and a new bathroom with a great shower. Every bungalow has air condition. The whole resort is very clean and the staff incredible friendly. Our Bungalow had nice relax chairs on our terrace.

We loved relaxing at the pool and enjoying the good weather in December. The pool is open till 10pm and it was great to go swimming again after the sun was down.

The Castaways Resort is close to the famous Long Beach, where you can relax, take a sunbath and enjoy swimming in the Ocean. The Sunsets there are amazing!

The staff serves breaktfast in the Restaurant with a good view of the Pool and the Garden.
For breakfast you can choose beween a delicious soup or eggs in any styles. We loved the scrambled eggs with Ketchup, served with a very delicious bread and Butter. The bread in the Castaways Resort was the best bread we have had in 4 weeks traveling through Vietnam. It was very very good.

They cut fresh fruits for you for every breakfast as well, which was really nice. I loved the fresh watermelon.

It is easy to get to the Castaways Resort. No matter if you come to the Island by Ferry or by plane, it is just a few minutes way by taxi and about 5$.

Phu Quoc is ranked in the top destinations by several news and Travel companys and Websites.
So enjoy your next holidays at the Castaways Resort in Phu Quoc.

Find more information on the Website of the Castaways Resort and book your next vacation in this paradise!

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by Ina

Spa Day in Ho Chi Minh - Temple Leaf Spa

In the busy City Ho Chi Minh you should treat yourself to a good massage and relax for a few hours to renew your energy. One of the best and famous spas in Saigon is the Temple Leaf Spa & Sauna. It is located in the City Center in Ho Chi Minh / Saigon, about 1 km from Ben Thanh Market.

Best massage & best spa in Saigon: Temple Leaf Spa & Sauna

We went there to enjoy a great spa package for 2 hours. Our spa package included an amazing aroma oil massage with hot stones for 60 minutes, and a steam bath, sauna and pools with different temperatures as well. 

When we arrived we got a Lotus tea with ginger in a very good and calm atmosphere. After walking 30 minutes through the busy city this was the perfect start of our spa treatment.

Before the massage the staff asked us to fill out a piece of paper with a few questions and we could pick two parts of our body, which they would focus on. I think that was a great idea and i picked my neck and back for special treatment.

The massage was one of the best I ever got, not to strong, not to soft, just perfect. I enjoyed the hot stones sliding over my body a lot. The heat calmed me down and the massage let my forgot everything else, which was in my mind before. They played very relaxing music in the background, which made it even better.

The lady, who gave me the massage brought me after to the sauna, steam bath and the pools.

I was completely alone, men and ladies are divided. I enjoyed the sauna and the steam bath, a really cold shower after and the pools, which had different water temperatures. 

After the relaxing 2 hours at the Temple Leaf Spa & Sauna I took a great shower. They provided good shower gels, shampoos and conditioner for me. Furthermore they organised the fitting room with special attention for detail. There was everything you could wish for:

Makeup Remover, a comb, hair dryer, hair styling mouse, toothbrushes and toothpaste, q-tips and a lot more. 

Temple Leaf Spa & Sauna - good for body & soul

After the unbelievable 2 hours full of recreation, we got another beauty tea. The delicious Lotus Tea grows here in Vietnam and it is very good for your skin and body. Finally one day after the Spa Day we bought 30 Lotus flowers to take it home :)

As a result we want to say thank you so much Temple Leaf Spa & Sauna for the great time, we enjoyed it a lot and we can't wait to come back one day!

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by Ina