Emily and I leave Austin on September 13 and arrive in Beijing on September 14. Our general plans are below...but we are open to changing plans at anytime depending on the wind!
September - We start with 2 days in Beijing and then rest of the month on Koh Mak in the Gulf of Thailand. Here are some links that show where we are staying. http://www.kohmakguide.com/ http://www.bananasunset.com/ http://www.monkeyislandkohmak.com/monkeyisland/index.html
October - We start the month in Kuala Lumpur for 5 days to see the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Malaysia, and then we have four weeks in Western Thailand - Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Ranong, Koh Chang Noi.
https://www.travelfish.org/location/thailand/southern_thailand/ranong/ko_chang_noi
November - Leave Thailand and travel to Cambodia. A few days in Siem Reap visting Angkor Wat then down to Sihanoukville to catch a ferry to Koh Rong and Koh Ta Kiev http://www.ten103-cambodia.com/ for about 2 weeks. Then onto HoChi Min City and Hoi An to finish out the month.
December - Bangkok for a few days and then onto Koh Phangan to meet Gabby and Eric Steele for the Full Moon Party. http://www.fullmoonparty-thailand.com/. We also plan to meet up with Drew and Heather during the month of December in Thailand. The last couple weeks will be back to Koh Mak for Christmas. My birthday and New Years Eve in Bangkok.
January - A few days in Kuala Lumpur before heading back to Beijing to end our trip. We have three days to see the Forbidden City, The Great Wall and whatever else we fall into!
What Did We Pack?!
We can only take one large backpack and two small backpacks for a 4-month trip. This really made us think about what is important. The list.....let's see if we have everything we need!
Emily and Kirk
2 convertable laptops
1 Samsung tablet loaded with e-books
2 iphones - loaded with offline translators for China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand
2 extra chargers - we learned on our last trip that these are not easy to find on remote islands!
1 backup battery power pack
2 flashlights
2 sets of snorkel gear
Electric Toothbrush (This is the one luxury that we allowed ourselves. I cannot live without an electric toothbrush.)
Toiletries - sanitizer lotion, first aid kit with antibiotics and basic meds
lightweight rain jackets
Kirk
2 swimsuits
2 shorts
8 shirts
2 linen pants
1 long travel pant with removable legs (they convert into shorts!)
1 pair flip flops
1 pair Toms
1 pair running shoes (is this really going to happen?)
10 underwears
1 hat
Emily
4 pair shorts
2 short skirts
3 t-shirts
8 tank tops
3 swim suits
4 beach dresses
2 pair flip flops
1 pair Toms
1 pair running shoes (this may be a little ambitious of me to think we're running on the beach.)
1 long skirt and head scarf (to wear to Temples, where your head, shoulders, and knees must be covered.)
3 boxes tampons (the good ones are not easy to find and this is not something you want to skimp on)
2 pairs of jammies
1 bottle of nail polish (cause I'm fancy!)
We will purchase bug spray and sunscreen when we arrive.
Today was bittersweet as we said good-bye to family, friends and pets, and we walked out of our beloved downtown apartment for the last time. We are looking forward to an amazing journey, but we know we will miss everyone terribly. Thank goodness for texting, facebook, and facetime! We will be unable to communication with anyone after 11:00 am tomorrow, because we will be on a flight to China. Once we arrive there, we will not be able to use any texting, facebook or email to contact anyone. We will be back in touch on Friday, when we arrive in Thailand. See you on the flip side!
