Mai Khao, Phuket, Thailand (6th to 17th of May)

After we landed in Phuket we looked for a taxi to reach our apartment in Mai Khao, 15 min north from Phuket airport.
Taking a taxi can be a challenge in Thailand...it is known that taxi drivers never use the taximeter and ask foreigners a much higher price compared to local people. The price must be dealt in advance or you must insist on using the taximeter and make sure they really use it. Even at taximeter stands they usually make you an offer which is much higher than the actual price written on the price list, so you always have to pay attention.
Our little apartment was not far from the beach and close to different little restaurants and food stands. It was not high season and it was the beginning of the rainy season, so the beach was mostly empty and we had it to ourselves. Rain showers were very frequent and the sky often covered in clouds. 

Empty beach all to ourselves

Despite the weather we enjoyed our 12 days in Mai Khao a lot! The goal of this stay was to relax a bit after our 2 months trip and it worked well! We spent the days walking a lot along the beach, exploring the area with our bikes, eating local food and fruits and drinking smoothies. We discovered that we like the dragon fruit and mangosteen a lot :) for the durian, the king of fruits, we couldn't find much enthusiasm. 

Sunset in Mai Khao

We were a bit impressed by the trash on the roads and on the beach...especially the beach was covered with plastic, probably brought by the ocean.
The houses in this little town are very simple, mostly half open due to the warm temperatures. The same for the restaurants, which in some cases were difficult to distinguish from private houses.
We were very close to the famous airplane beach, a piece of beach very close to the airport and to the planes taking off. The spot was always full of people trying to get the best picture of the beach with the plane in the background. 

Jung coconut

Another typical trait of Thai culture are the little shrines in front of every house. The shrines are meant to host the spirits from the past and people use to put food and drinks in front of it for the spirits.
We also got a whole body oil massage once, which contributed to get relaxed to the fullest.
The 12 days past very fast and in no time we already had to pack again for our last flight before going home. We flew to Bangkok on Friday 17th and would spend 4 days there.

Hong Kong (2nd to 6th of Mai)

We landed in Hong Kong on Thursday 2nd Mai in the afternoon and took the bus (double decker bus like in London :)) to Hong Kong Island, where our couch surfing host Rebecca came pick us up at the bus station. We deposited our bags in her apartment and went for dinner in a famous noodle restaurant. 

Double decker tram

On Friday we explored the surrounding area a little bit, passing by the wet market, a market where meat and fish is sold. Also fresh hens can be bought, and slaughtered on the spot...We took the old tram (also double decker) and rode until the end of the line to the Western Market. From there we walked to the IFC mall for lunch and some window shopping before we moved to the pier to take the star ferry towards Kowloon. From the other side of the river we took another bus and went to the lady's market. The big open air market sells all kinds of souvenirs and the sellers are always ready to sell you stuff at good prizes, which however are always open for bargain. 

At the Ladies Market

On Saturday morning we went for breakfast at a local restaurant, where we had a half English breakfast (eggs and toasts) and a half Chinese breakfast (macaroni soup with ham). All was accompanied by a milk tea, a kind of black tea with milk but much more flavored and spiced.
After breakfast we went for a hike with Rebecca and 3 of her friends. The name of the trail was called dragon's back, a nice trail on the rim of a hill, with a nice view of the sea. Our final destination was the big wave beach, were we stopped for a snack and a look at the beach. After the hike we directly drove to Kowloon again  to see the daily 10 min laser show. The view of the skyline by night with all the lights was very nice, even if it was raining.

Hike on the Dragon's Back

On Sunday, after breakfast with Rebecca at a nearby coffee shop, we headed to the  Hong Kong Museum of History. The museum had different sections which explain different aspects of the culture of Hong Kong, nicely made and instructive. After the museum and a late lunch break, we did some more shopping before going back to Rebecca's place.
On Monday very early we had to leave for the airport and our next destination: Phuket, Thailand.

Hong Kong skyline

Seoul, South Korea (25th April to 2nd of Mai)

When we landed in Seoul, our friend Stella was waiting for us! She works at the airport and her office is close to the arrival area, so she came to greet us, which was so nice! We haven't seen each other for 9 years! We would go to Stella's and Hyunyoung's (her husband) place the following day and stay for the weekend.
On Thursday however we met with a couch surfing host in Incheon, Min. She welcomed us in her family's home and they were all so nice and kind! We talked a lot about Korean culture with Min and about her travels around the world. On Friday she brought us to the city and to the farmer's market and introduced us to all the typical Korean Foods. We had Korean noodles, tteokbokki (rice cake and fish cake in a red sauce) and sweet pan cakes made of rice filled with honey and seeds. The market itself was an interesting experience, with a lot of fish stands, vegetables and fruits never seen before. We also found big chunks of cinnamon, very different from the one we find back home! Also they were selling chrysalids....very special for us. They are usually boiled and eaten along with rice and meat. 

Eating tteokbokki at the market with Min.

On Friday evening we took the bus and moved to Stella's place. They took us to a Korean barbecue, which was delicious. The meat is grilled on the table directly by the waiter. Every table had an integrated grill plate with the hood for the smoke. This is typical for all the Korean barbecue restaurants. Together with the meat a lot of side dishes  were served, kimchi (fermented cabbage), soya sprouts, tofu soup, green salad leaves (used as wraps), onion salad...The funny thing about the barbecue is that the waiter grills the piece of meat for you and then cuts it with the scissors in pieces so that it is possible to eat it with chopsticks. After dinner we went on with our chats at home, where we were also served some red wine and some snacks. We had a very pleasant evening! 

Korean barbecue with Stella and Hyunyoung.

On Saturday we drove to Nami island, a half-moon shaped island located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. It was formed by the rising water of the North Han River as the result of the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam in 1944. The island is now a very nice park with a lot of nice restaurants, snack stands, little shops and a lot of sculptures. Everywhere cute sculptures of snow men, the symbol of Nami Island, can be seen. After the 2 hours drive back to Incheon, where Stella lives, we ate dinner at a local restaurant and had pajun , a kind of omelette with wheat and other ingredients. Also we tasted rice wine, which is sweetish and slightly sparkling and alcoholic, very tasty.

At Nami Island with the snowmen mascot.

On Sunday our 2 friends brought us to the city of Seoul. We first stopped at Gyeongbokgung, the royal palace used as main residence until it was destroyed by the Japanese invasion in 1592. What can be seen today are all reconstructions of the original palace. The contrast between the old, traditional history and the modern skyscrapers all around is very special. After the visit of the palace we had bulgogi for lunch, another traditional meal and then headed to Jogye-as, a Buddhist temple. The temple was all decorated with lanterns for the Lotus Lantern  festival, the celebration of Buddah's birthday, coming up on 12th of May.
After the temple we walked around the Insa-Dong neighborhood full of nice shops and bars. We stopped for a tea in a traditional tea house, were we had to take our shoes off and were we seated on the floor.

Tea time in a traditional tea house.

After the tea break we strolled along Cheong-gye-cheon, an old raised highway which was torn down to leave the place to the once covered water stream. It was transformed to a very nice recreation area, perfect to relax from the urban stress. After the relaxing walk we quickly checked out a little Hanok village (typical Korean houses) now transformed in lots of nice shops and places to eat. Very nice, but since the street are very narrow it gets crowded very fast.
For dinner we stopped at the market. We had very good dumplings and also assisted Stella and her husband while they were eating raw octopus. This dish is very popular in Korea and consists only of the tentacles of the octopus, directly cut onto the plate. The tentacles still move when served! For us definitely a bit strange to see, but interesting.
We had a really great time with Stella and her husband! They showed so many things and made us taste so many delicious foods!
On Monday morning we prepared our bags and moved with the bus to our hostel, located in the Hongdae area, a very young area with universities and a lot of shops and nightlife. We walked around to explore the area until we reached the Han river and were able to take some nice shots of the skyline of Seoul by night.
On Tuesday we visited the Korean war Memorial and the attached museum. Very sad, but interesting, to read what happened only 70 years ago!
Our friend Sangjin from San Diego joined us at the museum and then took us to a very delicious restaurant were they served us a tasting menu, with typical Korean foods. After lunch we returned once again to the Insa-Dong neighborhood, we looked for some souvenirs and stopped for tea. Next Sangjin drove us to a park along the Han river. There were a lot of people, all enjoying the nice weather! We ordered some chicken and ate it in this relaxed atmosphere. Sangjin told us that coming here and order food is very popular. There also was a precise spot in the park dedicated to the motorbikes bringing the ordered food! :)

At the park along the Han river with Sangjin.

The program that Sangjin prepared for us was very packed, so after the park we drove to a nearby  uphill from where we could see the whole city. For dinner we went for bibimbap, another traditional Korean food, based on rice and vegetables and then he drove us home.
We really had a very nice day with Sangjin! We were very much spoilt!
On Wednesday in the morning we walked up Namsan mountain, a little hill from where the view of the city is amazing! On the way up, sections of the original Seoul city wall characterize the landscape. 

On top of Namsan.

For lunch we meet with another friend from San Diego, Bonnie. We met at Namdaemun market and grabbed some fresh dumplings. After a stroll through the market and Sungnyemun, the Great South Gate of the old city wall, we walked toward the city hall. On the way there we stepped in the middle of a pacific demonstration of workers who demonstrated against the low salaries and the inappropriate working hours. From the city hall we walked to another market and looked for cinnamon  chunks to buy and bring back home. 

In front of Sungnyemun gate with Bonnie.

For dinner, Bonnie took as to a very good restaurant where we had grilled meat and Korean style fried rice. Very delicious and the meat was super tender! Also this day was very nice! It was so cool that we meet again all our friends from San Diego, after 9 years!!
Our flight to the next county was on the 2nd of May, destination Hong Kong.

Oahu, Hawai'i (13th to 18th April)

We landed in Honolulu in the night of the 12th of April. Our couch surfing host Iskander came pick us up at the airport. The day after we mostly hung out together and had nice chats about culture, politics, travels and golf.
On Sunday we took the bus to the Pearl Harbor memorial. The memorial itself consists of a white walking bridge-tunnel suspended over the sunken USS Arizona battle ship, one of the 4 vessels that were irreparably damaged during the attack. Since some renovation works were being done on the memorial it was not possible to go visit it, but the boat still brought us pretty close to it.

USS Arizona Memorial

Other than the memorial there is a museum explaining all the events of this tragic attack, its backgrounds and consequences. Pretty well done and instructive. After the visit we returned to Honolulu downtown and walked around the historical and political buildings. A picture with the old court house with the bronze statue of king Kamehameha, used as the headquarter of Hawai'i 5-O, was a must for us :).
On Monday we hiked up Diamond Head, the volcano crater right next to Waikiki Beach. The view from the crater of the whole bay, beaches and the city is just  amazing and the water has such nice shades of blue!

View of Waikiki Beach from Diamond Head

On the following day we took the bus and drove towards the inner side of the island. We first stopped at the Dole pineapple plantation and then we visited the town of  Haleiwa with its nice shops. For our way back to Honolulu we erroneously took the wrong bus. The direction was the right one but the route was not the one we wanted. We drove all along the coast instead, which was actually very nice but way longer than planned. Due to this we didn't arrive in time to Waikiki Beach for the hula dance show that we planned to watch.

Visit of the pineapple plantation

On our last day we relaxed at the beach and walked along the long coast of Waikiki Beach looking for places used for the filming of the Hawai'i 5-O episodes.
On Thursday 18th we left the Hawaiian island and flew to Tokyo, Japan.
We spent 3 great weeks on Hawai'i! We experienced so many nice adventures and met very nice people!

Sunset at Waikiki Beach

Tokyo, Japan (19th to 25th of April)

We took off from Honolulu at 15:00 of the 18th of April. The flight took about 9 hours, but since we passed the international date line we landed in Tokyo on 19:00 of the 19th of April, so gained 5 hours, but we lost 1 day!

From the airport we took the bus to Chofu station. We met our friend Claudio there and took the train together to reach his apartment. Claudio is a kindergarten friend of Lorenzo and they grew up in the same town. Claudio is living in Japan since 8 years and it is our first time to visit him here.

On Saturday after breakfast we took off to explore Tokyo all together. We walked mainly in the Roppongi district. It is our first time in an asian country, so all the signs in Japanese, the language and the crowd were all so new to us!

After our first Japanese lunch we proceeded our walk along the walls of the imperial palace towards the financial district and the central station from where we took the train back home. However before going home we stopped for a stroll in the park and dinner. 

Cherry blossom

On Sunday Claudio took us for a very nice hike up the Jinba Mountain (Jinba San). The first part of the hike was all uphill until we reached the first hill, where we stopped and ate our pic-nic. After lunch we continued towards Jinba.

On the peaks and rest areas different little stands offered soups, tea or tempura of alpine herbs to refuel energy. On the top of Jinba we tried a home made ice cream made from yuzu, an asian citrus fruit. Very delicious and refreshing!

On our descent from Jinba we also stopped at a traditional Japanese spa, the onsen (traditional public baths).

Mountain herbs tempura on our way to Jinba

On Monday in the morning we went to the university of Tokyo with Claudio and he showed us his office and some of his projects and we had lunch together at the cafeteria, which was very good!

In the afternoon we explored the Shibuya district, with the famous Shibuya crossing. Towards the evening we moved to Akihabara, the electronic district, famous for all the electronic shops, for the comic figures and video games.

Shibuya crossing

The following day we walked around the Shinjuku district and visited the Tokyo city hall in the afternoon. We went up to the 24 floor of one of the 2 towers and appreciated the view of the skyline. It was  pretty clear but a bit dim in the distance, so we could not see mount Fuji...

Tokyo City Hall

On Wednesday, our last day in Tokyo, it was rainy. We visited the National Museum, an art, archaeology and history museum of Tokyo. After the museum we moved to the Ginza district for some shopping. First stop was the Hello Kitty store :) and then we went on the search of mochi, pastries made of rice flour, that we wanted to bring to our Korean friends. In the evening we shared one last meal in a nice sushi bar. The order could be placed on a tablet and the ordered sushis were brought to our table via a little train. Very cool!

Sushi restaurant with the little train :)

On Thursday 25th of April in the morning we took our last train  ride to the airport, which also was an experience! We had to take the train  in full rush hour time! The train was just squeezed full with people and with our big backpacks it was not the nicest of trips we had...

Our next stop will be Seoul, South Korea, where we also will meet some friends that we met in San Diego almost 10 years ago.

Hawai'i, Hawai'i (9th to 12th of April)

We landed in Hilo in the morning and our first stop was the macadamia nut plantation. There is a shop with all the different macadamia nut products and free tastings. There is also a little self guided tour with big windows overlooking the production process of the nuts.
The macadamia nut tree is not originally from Hawai'i but was brought here from Australia.

Macadamia nut plantation

After the visit we headed to the black sand beach of Kalapana. The beach is accessible after a short hike over edgy and spiky volcanic rocks and is really black like carbon, very cool!
From one second to the other it started to rain heavily, but we found protection under some rocks and trees on the beach. We quickly learned that heavy rain showers are routine in the eastern part of the island.

Black sand beach

Driving to our air bnb we also learned about the reality of the island and what it means to live on an active volcano. When we almost reached our destination a street sign informed us that the road was closed ahead...in fact a few meters in front of us a massive lava flow from the eruptions of 2018 blocked our way! It was truly impressive to see! We would learn some more about it on the following days...
We reached our air bnb a bit later than expected, but despite the darkness we recognized that we had chosen a really cool place to stay. The house we stayed in was in the middle of the jungle, very isolated and surrounded by a green forest . The road accessing the house was an adventure on its own.

Entrance to our Air bnb

On the following day we visited the Volcano National Park. The Park is home of the Kilauea crater and before the eruptions of 2018 the caldera was filled with lava. Also within the whole park lava flows would be visible and even lava pouring into the ocean. Unfortunately at this time no lava can be seen anywhere in the park. All is gone since last year's dramatic eruptions. But the park is still very impressive and worth seeing even without lava. It is characterized by steam vents all along the crater, old and new lava flows hardened in the most spectacular shapes and originating the most fascinating panoramas. The top of the park is surrounded by the forest and the bottom is surrounded by the infinite view of the ocean! Very impressive!

Volcano National Park, sitting on hardened lava from the 60ies

On the next morning we were awakened by the sound of heavy rain. We had a long breakfast on the patio of the house and then went to Pahoa, the nearest town for some grocery and laundry, always in the pouring rain.
The rain lessened in the afternoon, which gave us the possibility to see the lava trees. Those trees have been surrounded by a lava flow, the lava hardened around the tree trunks leaving big chunks of lava trunks. Very cool to watch!

Lava tree

We also drove by the Leilani Estates (not far away from our air bnb) the neighborhood which was mostly touched by the eruptions of 2018. Different streets were blocked by tall lava walls! On on of the eruption sites, a crater can be seen and there is still steam coming out if the ground. The houses close to the eruptions  are abandoned and empty...Very impressive and touchy.
On our last day we drove north to Hilo to the Akaka falls, one of the tallest falls in the US. A short walk into the jungle brought us to the falls and its impressive scenario.
We also stopped at the rainbow falls on our way back to Hilo and back to the airport, where we took our flight in the evening, direction Honolulu, O'ahu, our last Hawaiian Island.

Akaka Falls

We didn't at all visit the west cost of the Big Island, but this will give us an excuse to come back one day!

Maui, Hawai'i (2nd to 9th of April)

We landed in Maui on the 2nd of April, in the morning. We took our rental car and we drove south to Wailea Beach and Makena Beach. The sea was just amazing, with different shades of blue. The waves and the currents were pretty strong. I was "knocked over" by a wave and my head filled with sand....it took me different days to get rid of it :)

Makena Beach.

In the evening we drove up north again, close to Paia, and met our couch surfing host Jonathan. We cooked dinner and talked about Maui and the other Hawaiian Islands.
The following morning we drove to Hana, in the East of the island, of course we took the famous "Route to Hana". The narrow and curvy route mostly follows the ocean but it is also in the jungle. The East of the island is the wetter side and therefore there are a lot of water falls and scenic views all along the road. Our destinations was not Hana itself but the road to it. 

Waterfall on the road to Hana.

Another beach-relaxing day and laundry day followed. We first stopped in Kahului, together with Wailuku, one of the biggest cities and airport city. Doing laundry isn't usually exciting, but this was the first time we used a laundromat, so it still was a kind of event! For the beach part of the day we chose the sugar-beach in Kihei, close to one of the best shave-ice, the Hawaiian ice cream (ice shaved very thin with addition of different syrups of your choice), places in Maui.
On Friday 5th we drove to the Haleakala National Park, an inactive volcano. The crater is located at about 4000 m above sea level and is characterized by its mars-like landscape of volcanic rock and ash cones. It is also a natural habitat of different endangered local bird and insect species, that only live in Hawaii, for example the nēnē goose. The meaning of Haleakala is "house of the sun" and is still an important place for Hawaiians, who come here to for some ceremonies and celebrations.
The volcano and his landscapes are really amazing and we learned different things about volcanic rocks and lava flows in the  visitor center.

Haleakala National Park.

After the park we drove to Wailuku to our hostel, where we stayed until the end of our stay in Maui.
On Saturday we explored a bit the city of Wailuku, did some shopping and ate local food and on Saturday we drove to Lahaina on the West coast, the old whalers city and now the more touristy part of the island, with lots of hotels and shops. On the way to Lahaina we stopped at a great scenic lookout and we could spot some humpbackwhales from the distance. In Lahaina we first stopped at the Whalers Village, an open air shopping mall, and then went on a semi-submarine tour. From the bottom of the semi-submarine we could see different fishes, corals and other sea creatures. The coral has unfortunately lost a lot of it's life and colour in the past years. Apparently this is due to the tons of sun screen  that gets into the ocean...

Sunset in Lahaina.

On our last full day in Maui we decided for another beach day and spent the day near Makena Beach, where we also had been on our first day.
On Tuesday 9th of April in the morning we flew to the island of Hawaii, also called the "Big Island".

Kaua'i, Hawai'i (28th of March to 2nd of April 2019)

We landed in Honolulu on the 28th at 2 pm. We only spent 1 night in Honolulu because we would come back at the end of the Hawaii trip. We spent the night walking around the center of Honolulu and Waikiki beach. On early morning of 29th March we took our flight to Kaua'i, the garden island. As soon as we picked up our rental car we drove up north and stopped for a nice breakfast in Hanalei, a little charming town with about 400 inhabitants. Our goal was to reach the north-west part of the island and drive until the end of the road before the cliffs of the Nā Pali coast would stop us. However, shortly after Hanalei the road was closed, due to the floodings of last year. So we returned to Hanalei, went to the beach and explored the shops of this little town. After lunch we drove back South in the direction of Kapa'a and stopped different times exploring the surroundings. We stopped  at the farmer's market and bought apple bananas, a smaller type of banana which is supposed to have a slight apple taste (I didn't really feel it though).
In the evening we met our couch surfing hosts Phil and Julia. Phil is a real Polynesian, born and raised in Kaua'i. Julia is from Austria and living on the island since 1.5 years. They welcomed us warmingly and offered us the first traditional Hawaiian meal: Kalua pig, a whole pig prepared in an underground oven, the imu.
On the following day we drove to Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon  of the Pacific. This canyon has been eroded over the years by wind and water and displays the most beautiful colors of red rock and green forests. From one point of the park, there is a nice view of the Nā Pali coast, caractherized by sharp cliffs that drop straight into the ocean. The Nā Pali coast is not accessible by car, but can only be visited by boat or look at from above the sky.
Sunday was a more relaxing day. We explored the south-east of the island, Poipu Beach and surroundings. First we admired the spouting horn, a hole in the cliffs where water is regularly expelled by high pressure, which creates a nice water blow. Then we went to the beach, but first we needed to buy a beach towel. We didn't pack one deliberately, so that we could buy one from Hawai'i as a souvenir.
In the late afternoon we returned to our hosts and attended to a drum and fire dance class (organized by Phil). He taught us different ritms and sounds typical from his culture and showed us how to dance with fire. The sounds of the drums were just awesome! We cooked dinner for our hosts and some of their friends and room mates and had a very nice evening together.
On the following day we took a tour organized by Phil. He brought us to the jungle and showed us different plants, flowers ans trees used for food, medicine or crafts in the Polynesian culture. We cut some bamboo and later on crafted a nose flute with dry bamboo previously harvested. Nose flutes are played with the nose because the air coming from the nose is considered more pure than the one passing through the mouth. And the sound of it is just beautiful (if you can play it). For lunch we returned to Phil's house. Julia had prepared a very good lunch with some typical hawaiian foods, like Kalua pig, cooked taro roots with chese, pineapple hummus and coconut candies. Also, Phil showed us were how to open a coconut, nose flutes and bracelets made of raffia. It was a great experience and we learned a lot about Hawaiian culture!
We spent the rest of the afternoon in Kapa'a, toured the shops a little bit.
We had our last dinner with Phil and Julia and had our last chats. On the following morning, the 2nd of April, we flew to our second Hawaiian island: Maui.
Our experience in Kaua'i was great and we are very thankful that we had the chance to meet and interact with all the nice people we met!