For a while there I wasn't sure I'd ever be writing this blog. Not because I thought anything tragic would happen to us, but because I thought we might actually never leave South East Asia! Compared to our time in South America, we took it suuuuuper slow along the old "Banana Pancake trail" weaving our way across borders and meandering down the Mekong. 

We lost whole weeks chilling on islands and exploring hill tribe villages, and we ate enough delicious food to sustain a small nation! We witnessed wild elephants grazing in Thailand and trekked for hours to find the largest flower in the world, which actually turns out to be a stinky fungus.... booooo! We watched the sun set over hundreds of ancient temples in Bagan, Myanmar and  woke to the sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

So, as we depart this incredible region of the world for our next destination, here are a few facts, figures and statistics from our travels through South East Asia. I hope you enjoy it and if you have any suggestions for stats we should be keeping as we head towards Africa, please let us know in the comments!

Also, for anyone who missed our "Stats, Facts and Figures from 6 months in South America" blog, you can find it here!

• Number of days spent in South East Asia = 278

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• Countries visited = 6 (Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam)

• Favourite Ale = Beer Lao/draught beer in Myanmar

• Cheapest Ale = 40 cent mugs of draught beer in Myanmar

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• Tried and tested local spirits = Rice Wine…. Everywhere!

• Scuba Dives by Wade = 13

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• Cooking Classes = 3  (Click here for our review of Pickles and Spices Cooking Class in Penang, Malaysia)

• Longest trek = Kalaw to Inle Lake 75km (Read all about it here!)

• Major Illnesses = 1. Sarah caught Dengue Fever in Thailand and had to return to Australia

• Robberies = 2 (against us, not by us just in case anyone was wondering!)

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• Months/Years of travel still to come = Only time will tell!!

​Well there you have it! We could rattle off statistics and numbers all day but we're trying to keep it interesting so like I said, if you have any you think would be a bit of fun or interesting during our time in Africa, let us know in the comments below!

In the meantime, if you missed our last stats blog, don't forget to check out our "Stats, Facts and Figures from 6 months travelling South America"!

​Hanoi is a bustling city with a beautiful blend of old and new throughout everyday life. The narrow streets of the Old Quarter are filled with food stands and street vendors to satisfy every notion you’ve ever had about the “real Vietnam”. 

​The quality, flavour and price of the food is up there with the best in Vietnam and the people are friendly and welcoming to travellers. Hanoi has all the culture, cuisine, nightlife and atmosphere that you would expect from a centuries-old capital city.

​Flipside Hostel is a modern, new and innovative accommodation choice set in the heart of the Old Quarter. This place is awesome on so many levels. Everything is a step above what you would expect from a typical backpackers hostel. Where else do you find spacious and inviting double beds in a dorm? Or how about an enormous bathtub on the private balcony of your double room? At Flipside Hostel, THAT’S where!​

To date, Wade and I have been side-by-side on this crazy adventure for over 500 days. Yep, you heard that right, more than 500 days! That's more than 720,000 minutes of incredible, life changing experiences together. Together..... ALL... THE... TIME!

We have laughed and argued about things I never thought possible! We've laughed while we were surrounded by a minibus full of vomitting Laotians and argued over who sprayed water on the toilet paper while showering. We've laughed because we didn't know whether we were eating beef or dog for dinner and yet argued for hours over who left the window open and let mosquitos into the room!

Life is full of all the same ups and downs as any other couple, but being able to travel with the ridiculously good looking man I love is something I have never and will never take for granted. For me, spending almost every waking moment together is something that few couples are ever lucky enough to experience. Sometimes it tests your relationship and other times it makes it stronger than ever, but at the end of the day I wouldn't have it any other way!

Now that single paragraph has probably lost the interest of around 50% of travellers because the truth is that no two travellers are the same. Some people love that they're single during their travels. It gives them unlimited freedom, endless opportunities to meet people and a sense of independence. Others are, in my humble opinion, lucky enough to have a best friend or sibling either of the same or opposite gender with whom they share a common love of travel and can comfortably spend long periods of time living out of each other's pockets. 

Now don't get me wrong, life isn't always peachy. Let's start with the obvious.

1. We spend EVERY WAKING MOMENT TOGETHER
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Any personal boundaries you once had, no matter how small, are gone once you travel. If sharing meals, tiny beds, warm toilet seats, deodorant, bath towels and on one occasion even a toothbrush (it was a mistake and I gag at the thought!) wasn't enough to break down every boundary between you, then a good case of explosive diarrhea usually takes care of that. Goodbye personal space. Hello plenty of arguments but even more laughs about the fact that the word “mine” has been swiftly replaced by “ours”.

2. While on that note.... Explosive diarrhea isn't sexy

I know, go figure! Neither are dirty backpacker clothes, sweaty bus trips or bruised and mosquito ravaged bodies. It took us a while to figure this one out but we now make an effort once every few weeks to put on our only unripped clothes, Wade might even shave and sometimes I'll whack on some makeup but the point is that we go out like a real – semi-normal - married couple. It might only be to watch the sunset somewhere different or to a restaurant that has real furniture instead of plastic but we make the effort to do it anyway. In fact in Thailand it was as basic yet bizarre as going to dinner and a movie as soon as we had the chance! It doesn't even matter than the night ended in an argument over who ate more popcorn, the fact is that it’s easy to fall into a routine and we realised that these little moments are actually really important and remind us just how lucky we are to be sharing this experience with one another.

3. Arguments happen and there is no escape

Sometimes you need to get an argument out of your system, but at the end of the day you need to learn to let things go. If we decide to rehash our argument about how to pronounce Jericoacoara (it's Jeri-kwa-kwa-ra for those wondering) there is no third party to take sides.

Yes Wade likes to remind me of the time I almost missed our flight to Colombia thanks to some super strong Caprinha’s and yes I like to remind Wade of the time he thought a Buddhist shrine was a shop display and started spilling offerings all over the place (awkward!) but at the end of the day, we need to laugh at these experiences and let go of the little things. 

It doesn’t matter which one of us left our good hiking boots on the bus in Malaysia never to be seen again, and it doesn’t really matter that we have a daily argument because Wade takes great pleasure in withholding Wi-Fi passwords from me! *cough* Asshole *cough*.... It doesn't even matter that I want to kill my husband every time I see him biting his finger nails. These things just don’t matter. 

At the end of the day, we spend a whole lot of time laughing and a few small moments angry, but learning that it’s ok to be angry is a big part of this journey. We’ve chosen to share this journey with each other and that means that we each bare the brunt of a full range of emotions, and most of the time, they are the most wonderfully, awesome emotions imaginable.

4. Love it or hate it, you have to put up with listening to your partners interests and pretending to care

I thought I'd perfected my "Really? How fascinating! Do go on..." face for when Wade starts talking about the stock market, housing crises or the average cost of living around the world. Apparently I haven't but he takes great pleasure in making me listen to hours of the crap anyway. 

The same could be said for every time I analyze my dinner and proceed to rattle off a monologue of my personal opinions about the culture, history and available resources that created such an interesting cuisine. I can't understand why, but Wade generally doesn't find any of this fascinating or educational. 

Wade also has a limited tolerance for photos. He loves taking them, hates posing for them and don't even mention the word "selfie"! This a common source of arguments. We will be watching the most incredible sunset and Wade will blatantly refuse to pose for a photo. In fact his refusal to pose for photos only causes me to take more as I find it incredibly funny to capture these great moments - see below. Enough said!

The bottom line is that we do have different interests and that’s great! But we also share each others main passions – travel, our love for each other and puppies. Cause you MUST love puppies!

But for all of the trivial crap, there is only one person in the world who will understand and laugh uncontrollably with me when I hint at the Cambodian “Cheers” ritual. There is only one person in the world who knows how much it meant to me to witness a wild Asian elephant grazing in Khao Yai National Park or how special it was to be the only two people in a paddock for an Easter Island sunset. And there is only one person in the world that I want to share every minute of this life changing experience with. 

ABOUT:

Koh Rong is roughly 25km off the south coast of Cambodia and is a 45 minute boat trip from the popular holiday town of Sihanoukville.

Koh Rong is not a luxury island. Until recently the island did not even have 24 hour power and even now, power cuts are still relatively common. The variety of accommodations on offer on Koh Rong, range from beds in dormitory style rooms to private rooms in guesthouses and finally our favourite, bungalows on the beach. You will struggle to find anywhere with air conditioning on the island and hot water is also very much a luxury that shouldn’t be expected, but these little sacrifices are well worth the reward!

If you visit the island expecting a rugged, diamond-in-the-rough style, paradise, then I guarantee you’ll find it on Koh Rong!

ACCOMMODATION:

Upon arriving at Koh Rong, all travellers are met with a decision. Where to stay? Staying on the main beach where dorm beds can be as cheap as $3 and private rooms go for around $10, is easily the best value option. There are plenty of places to choose from and many budget backpackers are quite happy to deal with the loud parties and music from the centre of town.

The next option is to stay within walking distance of the main beach, which basically means walking north or south along the main beach until you find a bungalow that suits your needs and budget. 


The final option is to jump into a long tail boat and negotiate a price with the driver to take you to any one of the resorts dotted around private beaches on this stunning island.



Again, remember that this place is rustic. Many of the bungalows will cost much more here than they would on the mainland, and you won't be getting any of the fancy stuff like air-con, TV or minibars. But in their place, you'll be met by unrivalled sea views, white sand beaches and a natural playground to explore!


Just a quick note..... BRING THE MOSQUITO SPRAY! They're the size of dragons!

FOOD:

There is a wide variety of food available on Koh Rong and considering its remote location, the prices at many of the restaurants are relatively fair. Most guesthouses in town as well as the more isolated resorts out of town, all have their own restaurants so you are never too far away from a good meal!

Everything from fresh fruit shakes to local Khmer specialties to Western favourites like pizza, salads and burgers are all available throughout town. Food prices range from $1 baguettes and fruit shakes up to the pricier $8-10 for Western style meals at the top of the scale. Most guesthouses and restaurants serve basic stir-fry and rice dishes for around $3-$4.

NIGHTLIFE:

Koh Rong has a sleepy, laid back beach atmosphere by day, however by night there are plenty of opportunities for a few sunset drinks to turn into a big night out! Most bars on the island have Happy Hour on beers and cocktails and there are also weekly events and parties organized by a few of the bars in the centre of town.

For the best view on the island, head straight up to Sky Bar. This incredible, wooden chill-out area and bar is set high above the main Touch Beach and by the time you've climbed the 100 odd steps to the top you'll be well and truly ready for an ice cold beer or one of the cocktails on offer. 

Later into the evening, the colourful Vagabond restaurant and guesthouse comes alive with loud music and extra tables and chairs set up on the sand to cater for the growing crowd. Along this same stretch are other backpacker type bars such as Bunna's, Bongs and Bamboo all offering Happy Hour beers and a relaxed drinking vibe. 

THINGS TO DO:

Koh Rong offers as much or as little as you want during your stay. For those who just want to lap up the island lifestyle, the white sands and turquoise waters of the main beach will quickly become a second home! For those wanting to do a bit of exploring, the island is there for the taking! From walking tracks across the island to kayaking, snorkelling and scuba diving, Koh Rong has a wide variety of activities to please every possible visitor.

OVERALL:

Koh Rong is one of our personal favourite islands so far in South East Asia. Now obviously we haven’t been to every island throughout the continent, however it has that laid back, undeveloped vibe that has been long lost on so many of Thailand and Vietnam’s most beautiful islands.

Koh Rong is definitely more expensive than mainland Cambodia however we felt that the quality of both food and accommodation was often higher also. The nightlife is certainly no match for nearby Sihanoukville or Thailand’s Phi Phi island however that is also part of Koh Rong’s charm. Koh Rong is ideal for those who like to relax on the beach by day and enjoy a few drinks or a bonfire on the beach by night. From our experience you won't have crazy parties til sunrise here, but there are plenty of places to enjoy a few beers, cheap cocktails and ...who knows how big your night might end up!

Overall, I think Koh Rong is best suited to a mid twenties and older backpacking crowd or couples just wanting to escape and explore for a few days.

My biggest hope is that the mass development currently underway on the island, manages to preserve the beauty, the atmosphere and the rugged natural interior of this unspoilt island.