asia trip 2023
In 2023 I visited the following Asian countries: Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia.
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What’s the Banana Pancake Trail, Anyway?
The “Banana Pancake Trail” is a popular backpacking route in Southeast Asia. The trail gets its name from the banana pancake breakfast offered in guesthouses and cafes catering to Western…
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Hanoi’s French Quarter Walking Tour Review
There are tons of tours and walking groups in Hanoi, and sometimes it can be difficult to find one that’s actually GOOD. That’s why it’s so important to read reviews…
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Kuching: Borneo’s City of Cats (2024 Travel Guide)
Kuching is the capital of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo. Its name means “cat” in Malay, and so Kuching is the city of cats! There’s cat statues all over the city,…
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Visiting All the Traveler’s Factory Locations in Japan
Japan’s Traveler’s Company is the group behind the Midori notebook and the Traveler’s Notebook system that swept the journaling world a few years ago. If you’re interested in notebooks, planners,…
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How to use a squat toilet: answers to questions you never wanted to ask
Travel around Asia for any amount of time and eventually you’ll run into the squat toilet. I’ve seen (and used!) squat toilets in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam…
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The Best (and Worst!) Japanese Ice Cream
After spending several months traveling around Japan, I’d gotten into the habit of trying ice cream from convenience stores and supermarkets. It’s nice to have a little treat at the…
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3 days on the Kinabatangan River, Borneo
One of the most-recommended things to do on Borneo is the Kinabatangan River Cruise. The reason for that: it’s one of the best ways to see wild animals! Unlike some…
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Brunei Travel Guide 2024
If you’re visiting Borneo and have a few extra days (and some extra cash), then you might want to visit Brunei! I spent (roughly) two days in Brunei in August…
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10 Fun Things to Do in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is a historic city in Laos that’s a popular stop on the backpacker trail, partly because it’s the ending point for the slow boat trip down the Mekong…
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A month in South Korea | May 2023 Travel Budget Breakdown
In May 2023, I spent a month backpacking through South Korea. I came over to Busan from Fukuoka via the JR Beetle, an international ferry! Then I visited Jeju Island,…
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Up the mountain in Yonago, Japan
Last year, I took a leisurely route from Osaka to Fukuoka and stopped by a few places near and around Hiroshima. At the time there was a discounted bus ticket…
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A month in Vietnam | Travel Budget Breakdown
In November 2023, I spent about one month traveling from the north of Vietnam to the south. I thought it would be interesting to see my budget for that trip,…
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Ninh Binh day tour: what to expect & where to book
Ninh Binh is a small town in northern Vietnam that gets a lot of visitors for a few of its sites, such as Mua Cave and Bai Dinh Pagoda. I…
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A month in Laos | Travel Budget Breakdown
I spent 28 days traveling in Laos from October 4-28, 2023. Because that’s basically a whole month, I thought it’d be interesting to see what I spent while backpacking there.…
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Exploring Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
I spent today wandering around a bit and looking at some of the nicer parts of HCMC. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a very attractive place– one of those cities…
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Day tour to Mekong River Delta
After traveling down the northern part of the Mekong via slow boat in Laos, I wanted to explore the southern part aka the Mekong River Delta. I booked a day…
