Welcome to Kristy and Zach's MoonBatz!
Part honeymoon part sabbatical adventure
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Hidden Treasures of Tokyo, Japan
Similar to Australia, Japan was not originally on our list of places to visit. Zach found an awesome business class flight on points back to SF from Narita Airport so we figured, why not stop in Tokyo for a week. We visited Kyoto and Tokyo 5 years ago in 2018 when I was on a work trip to learn all about mitochondria. We absolutely fell in love with Japan and felt like this was the perfect time to pay it another visit. We stayed in 3 different parts of Tokyo which all had a unique vibe. Enjoy reading about the last leg of our international journey!
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Doooo you want to go to Australia? Perth, Melbourne and Sydney
Australia was not originally in our travel plans when we flew out to Thailand. As we meandered across SE Asia we figured we were so close so, why not? We had a glorious time exploring 3 different Australian cities. Although the cities felt completely different, the Australian attitude towards life and work was consistent across the continent. You could tell that people in Australia really work to live rather than live to work. Everyone in Australia from the airport security guards to the staff at the beautiful vineyards we visited were soooo laid back and we absolutely loved it. An added bonus about this segment of our trip was that Zach’s friend from business school, Jeanette joined us for our cross continent exploration and I got to reconnect with a friend from grad school who lives in Melbourne. We did so many activities in Australia that it was hard to keep track of everything! We hope you enjoy reading about some of our most memorable moments.
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Kuala Lumpur: A Hidden Gem
We had a short but glorious stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I don't know anyone who has traveled to Kuala Lumpur (KL) so I didn’t really know what to expect. This was a city that I was pleasantly surprised by. KL is rapidly growing and is home to the second tallest building in the world. There are great places to eat/drink and everyone is super friendly. Plus, the accommodations and food/coffee are super affordable compared to other large cities. KL is definitely on the top of my list of places to visit again. This post might convince you to travel there too!
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Laos Explorations: Tuk Tuk?…Waterfall?…Boat Tour?
Sabaidee! After spending a few weeks in Vietnam we were excited to head to the next country on our journey, Laos. We stopped in the capital, Vientiane for a few days and then hopped on a short 45 min flight north to Luang Prabang. Laos had some of the best food and coffee that we have tasted so far on our trip. Our visit also included learning a bit more about Buddist culture as well as experiencing some of the natural beauty that Laos has to offer.
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Dragons plus More Motorbikes and Cats in Danang, Vietnam
After a few relaxing days on the beach we were ready to head back to city life in Danang. Tet celebrations were winding down so we got to experience the city in its fully on mode which meant a lot more motorbikes (beep beep) plus tasty food.
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Vietnam Coast: Life can sometimes be a beach
With any extended international travel there are going to be a few unpleasant experiences along the way. Hoi An, a small coastal city in Vietnam definitely had a few low points for us including rain, cold weather, and food poisoning. In contrast, we had an absolutely amazing time on the sunny beach in Danang with beautiful beach views, swimming and live music. It is definitely true that sometimes you need the downsides to appreciate the upsides. Enjoy reading about our highs and lows on the Vietnam Coast along with some random flashbacks to my time as a postdoc in Beaverton, Oregon ?.
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Top 5 Memories in Chiang Mai, Thailand
This was our last week of 4 weeks spent in Chiang Mai and it was so sad to say goodbye. If I am going to be completely honest, I didn’t totally love Chiang Mai when we first arrived. I wondered why so many people raved about the city including Zach who visited during business school. To me, the city felt overly crowded, traffic was chaotic and I was in constant fear of being hit by a motorbike and to top it all off our Airbnb had a funny smell to it. Eventually, I found my groove and the city started to feel like home. We ended up meeting amazing people (locals and tourists), had fun adventures, worked out an exercise routine (I took group fitness classes in Thai!) and got to taste delicious food and coffee. We wanted to share the top highlights (in no particular order) so that maybe a few of you will come with us on our next trip ?.
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Elephants and New Friends
Zach and I had an incredible experience at the Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in Northern Thailand. We spent the day watching and interacting with elephants, chilling in a cat kingdom and the added bonus was that we made new (people) friends! Our trip to the ENP was one of our most memorable adventures and we are excited to share it with you!
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Coffee Special: Organic Coffee Farm Tour and Best Coffee Shops in Chiang Mai
Most of you who know me know that I love coffee. My coffee addiction developed out of necessity while I was a PhD student. Like many overworked and underpaid grad students, I drank coffee to study for exams and to help me get through long hours in the lab. I never really had the time to appreciate or money to afford good quality coffee. When I moved out to the West Coast and started earning a living wage I was exposed to a whole new world of coffee. I became curious about what goes into making a great cup of coffee and I love exploring new coffee shops while I travel. Zach previously was not a big coffee drinker but during the pandemic, I started brewing coffee at home and quickly passed on my coffee obsession. Chiang Mai has been a dream for exploring our coffee curiosity and we are excited to share a few of our coffee adventures with you.
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