PHI PHI ISLANDS & PHUKET, THAILAND

The Phi Phi Islands were fun! After Bangkok we flew into Phuket, caught a taxi, and then a ferry and then finally a taxi boat all the way to our resort on the Phi Phi Island beach! It was quite the travel adventure but it was fun along the way and we enjoyed the journey.

Gotta admit I am so proud of myself for getting on that ferry because my last ferry experience in Fiji left me vomiting up half of my body weight - you can read all about that here.

BAGAN, MYANMAR

We flew into Bagan from Yangon. Bagan was the main place I was looking forward to in Myanmar. When you Google Myanmar, the Bagan temples are the photos that show up and the place is insane!

We were picked up by our guide and headed out on our way to climb Mount Popa. On our way we stopped by a family owned peanut farm to see how they grow and use peanuts. Apparently a majority of the peanuts and peanut oil sold in the United States comes from Myanmar. We were able to try a traditional Myanmarese peanut, garlic and tea leaf dish and it was surprisingly good. We were also able to put on traditional Myanmarese make-up that doubles as a sunscreen! Thats the white stuff you see on our faces in the photos below, the woman even drew a leaf design!

YANGON, MYANMAR

Yangon! We flew into Yangon and caught a taxi to our hotel. We drove past the famous Shwedagon pagoda temple before reaching our hotel. Rachael and I had already seen the Shwendagon pagoda from our night here prior to leaving for Bagan. So we decided to take this day to rest up and recover. I've been feeling sick for a bit now with a cold that isn't getting any better. All of this flying and recycled air is hard on my body and hard on my lungs. I can't seem to shake this cough and stuffy nose!

Once we reached our hotel we just laid down and relaxed for a bit. Now that the rest of the trip is just the two of us (Rachael's aunt and cousin continued onto Inle Lake from Bagan instead) we took some time to review our itinerary and make sure everything was set in stone for out trip ahead.

BANGKOK, THAILAND

Rachael and I weren't too sure about Bangkok. Everyone always says they hate it and that it is one worth skipping over. We totally considered skipping Bangkok all together and just bagging our flight there, but we had a nice hotel booked so we figured we might as well stick to the original plan and spend one night in Bangkok before heading to Phuket. Honestly, we are both glad that we did!

We headed in from the airport, checked in to the Hilton right on the river (holla to the Afflecks for being diamond members) and were upgraded to the executive suite. We checked out the beautiful view from the rooftop and then decided on a place to get a massage and dinner for the night.

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

After a delayed flight in Bangkok and running through the airport with a 32 lb. backpack and a congested body from having the cold, we finally made it into Chiang Mai. We were greeted by our tour guide who is literally the reincarnation of Russel from UP! in female form. She was the cutest, happiest woman I have ever seen in my life. She was so so sweet and had the best smile and softest voice. All of us instantly loved her and we couldn't have asked for a better guide.

Our first stop in Chiang Mai was to a few of the popular temples. We visited the Suthep Temple where we learned a lot about the different buddhas. I guess my destined buddha is the meditation buddha and Rachaels is the reclining buddha (aka the sleeping buddha). We got a good laugh out of that one especially since Rachael can sleep anywhere. Seriously 5 minutes into any flight she is OUT. It is actually quite a talent.

AGRA, INDIA

Ahh the Taj Mahal!!! This is India's only redeeming glory (read the New Delhi post for more) haha. The Taj Mahal is stunning and I loved loved loved being able to see it!

While in Agra we woke up early to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. It was the most perfect experience - saw the beautiful sunrise, had perfect weather and a lot less tourists there. I would recommend to anyone to go see the Taj Mahal at sunrise even if that means waking up at 5AM.

NEW DELHI, INDIA

Oh India, not my favorite to be honest. I really wanted to like this country. Emphasis on really. I've studied India culture for years now through all of my yoga certification and personal reading. Going there I thought for sure I would love it! I mean how could I not, its practically the birthplace of yoga?

But the city was filthy and the people weren't the kindest. I never felt unsafe, even though that was what I was most warned against by others prior to coming here. But there is a bit of harshness in the culture of India that you feel. Honestly, yes I am glad I was able to come here but I would never recommend it as a destination point to others. It is a country you can skip over in my book.