Celebrating Khmer New Year in Cambodia

Students dancing and throwing baby powder to celebrate Khmer New Year

Thanks to my fellow teacher and friend Hannah for sharing this video.    🙂 Check out her Tumblr blog documenting our Cambodian travels: hfnajar 

Danners covered in baby powder after getting a two handed surprise attack from a student at Khmer New Year celebration 🙂

Danners and her students Celebrating Khmer New Year

Danielle with her Cambodian student Siem Reap, Cambodia 🙂

Heavy Rain in Siem Reap as we celebrate Khmer New Year

While the heaviest rain ensued, we ate delicious noodle soup for lunch (USD $1.33 each!) at a nearby restaurant. Although we were only at the party for 3 hours, I was completely exhausted by the time we got back to the guesthouse and my legs barely made it up the stairs!

Danners (far left), Marissa (bottom left), Abby (top left), Esa our tuk tuk driver (middle) Hannah (far right) Maya (bottom right)

Overall, Khmer New Year is  lots and lots of fun! Hope you enjoyed learning about celebrating Khmer New Year. In the comments section, leave any questions or thoughts on this experience or your own experience in Cambodia!

~Danners

Backpacking Montanita Ecuador : A Travel Guide

Montanita Ecuador : How to get there, where to stay, and what to do:

For the past six months I had contested the idea of going to Montanita Ecuador. The sun-soaked beach town is known around the world for its surfing and party scenes. Given its reputation for catering to a rowdy crowd, Montanita didn’t seem to be the ideal location to spend a few weeks relaxing on the beach.

Much of Montanita’s visitors consists of people enjoying the surf during the day and the party all night. When my girlfriend Kate finally coaxed me into stopping by for just two days, we ended up spending ten days in Montanita and the coast of Ecuador!

We found that there is a really beautiful, peaceful area here that goes overlooked by some. We also had incredible fun learning how to surf in Ecuador’s most famous break. All in all, we loved this paradise and recommend it to everyone visiting Ecuador. Montanita and the beautiful beaches around it have turned out to be one of our favorite destinations to date on our South America backpacking trip.

Montanita Ecuador

How to get to Montanita Ecuador :

From Guayaquil: It is very easy to get to the Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) on the Ecuadorian Pacific coast from Guayaquil. The bus ride to Montanita from Guayaquil is 2.5 hours.

The Coop Libertad Peninsular Buses (CLP bus) leave Guayaquil at 5AM, 6AM, 7AM, 1PM, 3PM, and 430 PM. If you’re traveling on a Saturday during the Ecuadorian summer season, make sure to be at the bus station very early! The line to buy tickets to Montanita in the late morning or early afternoon resembles your worst Black Friday nightmares.

From Quito: We have heard to always go directly to Guayaquil and then take a bus from Guayaquil to Montanita. Not that you will likely be in danger, but there have been cases of buses being robbed from Quito on their way down the coast from the North, day or night. We recommend going directly to Guayaquil and taking a short 2.5 hour bus from there.

Departing Montanita: Buses leave for Quito at 4:45AM, 5:45AM, 10AM, 1PM, 3PM, and 5PM.

Map of Guayaquil to Montanita

Best way to get around in Montanita Ecuador :

You will be able to walk everywhere in Montanita Ecuador. The entire town is ~10 square blocks. If you are staying in one of the small neighboring beach towns it is very easy to get a taxi at the taxi stand near the bus station to head back home.

If you are planning for an extended stay in Montanita you may want to rent a bike. It was very nice being able to pop on a bicycle, especially if you are staying in the peaceful, quiet section of Montanita.

Visiting neighboring towns? Jump on the “Green Bus” for a cheap bus ride ($2.50-4.00) to the beautiful neighboring cities of Las Tunas, Ayampe, Puerto Lopez, Olon, and more.

Las Tunas Beach – Great Surfing!!!

Where to stay in Montanita Ecuador :

Hostel Esperanto. We have been raving about our experience at Hostel Esperanto. We have traveled the world and visited beautiful beaches, but there are not many views like the view from the terrace here. Hostel Esperanto is set in the low-key area of Montanita. You can walk for five minutes in one direction and join the wild parties or a enjoy a great meal. We loved having the opportunity to go out and join the party, but when it was time to call it a night, it was very comforting to be able to walk back to the hostel and enjoy a peaceful, quiet sleep. In the other direction, a five minute walk will take you to the best surf areas and surf schools.

Hostel Esperanto is a very clean and well-maintained hostel, which is something that is hard to find in a party locale.

Please introduce yourself to Jorge, the owner, during your stay. Jorge is a native Ecuadorian who is passionate about Montanita, surfing, and traveling. He will be able to give you great advice and history about the city and surrounding areas – where to eat, where to surf, where to party.

Bonus: If you have the time, go visit Jorge’s surf school in Las Tunas, Casa Esperanto. Not many people will have the experience you will have in Montanita if you combine the action of Montanita with Casa Esperanto’s surf school in Las Tunas. We felt blessed to live the real Ecuadorian Montanita experience.

Hostel Esperanto, Montanita

5 Best Things to do in Montanita Ecuador :

1)  Surf.

Montanita was discovered in the 1960’s by surfers who dreamed of living in a tent community and surfing everyday. They had combed the beaches of Ecuador and determined that Montanita, by the point, offered the best break for surfers. Today, Montanita is a destination for international surfers. With its tough waves and famous tubes, Montanita presents waves for beginners while still remaining challenging enough for even the most advanced surfers. Surf lessons cost $20 for two hours with an instructor. Renting a board costs $5 per hour.

Note: We were beginners and had a great time learning in the beginner break. 

Kate after our first surfing lesson

2) Visit the neighboring towns of Las Tunas, Ayampe, and Olon. 

Have you ever dreamed of spending a day on a perfect beach you have all to yourself? We are told that these three cities are what Montanita was 30 years ago, before the parties and tourists. We spent five days in Las Tunas and never wanted to leave. The beaches are long, empty, spotless, and gorgeous. Las Tunas is still so unknown that it will literally be you, the waves, and open cabanas. Ayampe is known as the up-and-coming Montanita. Olon is the closest of the three, being right on the other side of the point in Montanita.

Kate and Brian in Las Tunas

3) Party

We aren’t the biggest of party-goers anymore, but in a place like Montanita it is hard to not go out and see the nightlife. On weekends it will feel like you’re partying on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. We enjoyed drinking “piscolas” at some of the local cart bars that line the streets during the evening and wee hours of the night. Cheap drinks, great people watching, and great memories.

Montanita Party Scene on a weekend

4) Practice Yoga

We recommend bringing your mat to the beach in the early morning. The water and waves are so peaceful. There are formal teacher-led practices at Casa del Sol, a beautiful retreat like setting on the point. Classes cost $8.

5)     Study Spanish

Why not practice Spanish in this international beach town? Montanita features lots of Spanish schools right next to the beach. With cheap hostels around it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to use Ecuador’s coast as a cheap, fun location to further your Spanish.

What to eat in Montanita Ecuador :

Find yourself a seafood restaurant while you are visiting the Ecuadorian coast. There are many options with really affordable prices. We had our best meals in Las Tunas at De Jimmy’s Restaurante. Our favorites included pulpo al ajillo (octopus with garlic sauce), pescado apanado (breaded white fish lightly fried), camarones al ajillo (shrimp with garlic and butter sauce), and paella mixta (Spanish rice mixed with an assortment mussels, clams, squid, and shrimp). The seafood caught in the Pacific and sold the same day will rival any seafood experience around the globe.

Bonus: Make sure to enjoy fried plantains with your meals. We also loved Naranjilla batidos (smoothies). We recommend trying all the tropical fruit you can.

Delicious seafood on the coast of Ecuador

Average Daily Cost of Travel in Montanita Ecuador – $36 Per Day

Hostel: $14

Food: $12

Activities: $10

Transportation: $0

Total: $36

Traveling to Ecuador or Montanita, Ecuador for the first time?

Post a question in the comments section below, we’ll respond with advice!

For the last 17 hours we got to ride in these sweet first class seats

37 Hours by Bus and an Opportunity to Practice Patience

From Ecuador to Lima, Peru

Kate and I decided to take a bus to Lima, Peru on Tuesday night.

From Cuenca, Ecuador to Lima, Peru it should take around 22 hours, driving straight through. Unfortunately, no bus companies have a direct bus connecting these two cities.

First, we decided take the bus from Cuenca, Ecuador to Huaquillas, Ecuador. In Huaquillas, we would cross the border, get our passports stamped, and continue on our course by bus to Piura, Peru, which is about four hours south of the border. We bought bus tickets online to take us the rest of the way to Lima. If all went well, the travel time should have been 25-30 hours.

Why choose to bus for so long?

We had a few different reasons. The first was I wanted to write an in-depth article about the experience of crossing the border in Ecuador when traveling to Lima. I think many travelers take this route and the opportunity to help people by offering a strong guide would be beneficial to those people and to our site. Another reason we chose to take the bus was the opportunity to save about $120, which can now be allocated to another part of our trip. Traveling by bus gave us the opportunity to see the desert of Northern Peru — Rolling sand dunes are not something I get to see everyday. Lastly, after traveling in China, I found that long bus rides help me learn about and practice patience.

I recently read Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. At one point in the poem, Siddhartha was having a conversation with a merchant. He had recently given up all of his worldly possessions and the merchant asks what Siddhartha can give to him. His response, “I can think, I can wait, I can fast. That is all.”

So while we were riding on three different buses on a trip that lasted just over 37 hours, I was thinking about the practice of patience and waiting. I have wanted to see Machu Picchu for years, but have known it would take a bit of patience to get there. I am learning that if I can develop this strong practice of patience, everything I need or want will eventually come. The bus ride proved to be no different. It seemed difficult and long at first, but after a while we were in a groove and it really was just another day.

“Practice and all is coming.”

Backpacking Across Colombia

That’s right. Colombia. I know what you’re thinking, “Hello!? Don’t you think you’re, like, going to get abducted by the drug cartel and… die?” That is, sadly, just about what I said to Brian two months ago when he suggested that we travel across this once-taboo South American country. Had I actually heard any recent information or news that would make me think Colombia was dangerous? Well, no. But rumor is as good as fact, right? Right??

Apparently, no. The common misconception that Colombia is unsafe for Americans is vastly outdated and things are continuing to improve. If we would’ve listened to my original reasoning, I would have missed out on three incredible weeks in a beautiful country. If you are considering a trip to or through Colombia, please, take advice from people who have been there and done it, not from people or articles that only offer old stereotypes!

In this guide, I’ll cover cities and places to visit, how to get there, where to stay, and safety.

The 5 Must-See Cities in Colombia

Where to start:

1. Cartagena.

Here is a great place to begin your Colombian adventure. Cartagena is a beautiful coastal city filled with rich history.

What to do in Cartagena :  Enjoy the old Walled City. During the day there are plenty of museums to check out for $5-10 USD. The Gold Museum is air-conditioned and free — a great way to escape the heat for a little bit. Once the sun starts to set, take a walk along the wall itself. Its too hot for this between 11 AM and 5 PM, but when it starts to cool off, you can really appreciate the size of the wall and the history behind it. There is even a restaurant on the wall (albeit pricey by backpacking standards) where you can grab a drink and watch the sun set over the water.

About 30 minutes (by foot) outside of the city walls lies Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. Admission costs about $10 USD. Exploring the fortress-like castle is a nice way to spend an afternoon, although, sadly, the map and descriptions are only offered  in Spanish.

If you’d like a day-trip outside of the city, take a 30-minute speedboat ride over to the nearby Rosario Islands and have a beach day on Playa Blanca. The ride starts around $20 USD.

Me at Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

Where to Stay in Cartagena : Inside the Walled City.

Staying inside the Walled City is the most relaxing way to spend time in Cartagena. The area is safe, even to walk at night, and there are loads of attractions nearby, although you may face a longer walk if you’re looking for nightlife.

If you’re looking for the hot spot among young backpackers and don’t mind a little after-hours noise (… who am I kidding? Its loud as Hell and the street is packed), pick a hostel on Media Luna. Media Luna is a street about ten to fifteen minutes walking distance outside of the walled city. Hostel Mamallena is popular party hostel and helps arrange trips to sail to Panama City, even if you are not a guest.

Safety in Cartagena : The Walled City is safe to anyone traveling with common sense. Keep an eye out for pickpockets and don’t try to buy drugs. While I felt totally safe in Cartagena, we met someone who left town $1,000 USD poorer after a drug transaction gone wrong.  Once outside of the city walls (i.e. Bocagrande or Getsemani), get around by taxi at night.

Check out our post on Backpacking Cartagena for more info!

Next stop: Take the 14 hour night bus to Medellin. The night bus is safe and surprisingly comfortable. For a more relaxing ride, be sure you are equipped with earplugs! You will want them when the loud music is still going strong at 3:00 AM. Colombian night buses are also notorious for their icy cold air conditioning. You’ll want to wear warm clothes and bring a blanket. The bus costs about $52 USD before negotiation. IMPORTANT: Colombian bus prices are always negotiable! If they ask you for $52, maybe offer them $30 then meet in the middle.

2. Medellin.

A true city on the rise. It has been over 20 years since the death of Pablo Escobar, marking the end of the world-known cocaine trafficking and political corruption era. While Medellin was once the center stage for corruption and violence, the city is now in the midst of a striking comeback. Medellin is Colombia’s second largest city and boasts an incredibly easy-to-navigate Metro system.

What to do in Medellin : There is an unlimited amount of things to do in this beautiful city. One of my favorite activities was visiting the Museo de Antioquia, which features dozens of Colombian-native, Ferdinand Botero’s paintings and much, much more. Other activities include fabulous free walking tours, paragliding, touring Pablo Escobar’s mansion (spoiler alert: it’s been bombed), taking the cable car up the mountain, visiting the city’s Botanical Garden, or taking it easy during the day to get ready for a big night in El Poblado, the city’s center for nightlife.

Enjoying a Botero Sculpture

Spending: The Metro system lets you easily get around without spending much money. A single ride only costs $1,800 COP (less than $1 USD). The local grocery stores are Euro Markets and Exitos. Save money during nights out in El Poblado by bringing your own drinks. Travelers and locals party and drink in the park square located in the middle of the bar/ club area.

Where to stay in Medellin : El Poblado.

This is the section of Medellin where most young travelers flock to and is close to the nightlife. The Tiger Paw is a popular hostel at $10 for a dorm. For a less touristy experience, stay in Laureles. A great hostel in this middle class section of Medellin is the Buddha Hostel at $12 per night.

Safety: As is the case in any big city, you’ll want to be careful here. Try not to flash around passports, cameras, or cell phones. Always have your hostel or restaurant call you a cab after dark.

Next Stop: Take a 2 hour bus to Guatape. The cost is about $6 USD before negotiation.

3. Guatape.

A great area to escape the city for a weekend! Guatape has a lot to offer tourists and is beautifully set on Lake Guatape, a man-made reservoir. The hydro-electric dam supplies power to most of Colombia, as well as some neighboring countries.

Brian overlooking Lake Guatape from “The Rock of Guatape”

What to do in Guatape : Come for the weekend (or longer if you decide you love it, like we did!) and participate in the many activities catered to Colombian and foreign tourists. Take a boat ride on Lake Guatape. Captains will take you past one of Pablo Escobar’s (bombed) mansions and over the sunken village that was flooded to create the reservoir. You can still see the steeple of an underwater church! Be sure to wear your swimsuit and take a dive into one of the lakes warm pools.

Pablo Escobar’s Finca in Guatape

Climb La Piedra del Peñol (“The Rock”). It takes 45 minutes to walk from town and the cost of admission is around $4 USD. The view from the top is worth every step!

The Rock

You can also kayak, explore the small town and its interesting cuisine, or find a quiet place to practice yoga.

Where to stay in Guatape : The Lakeview Hostel. The bus will drop you off right down the road from this $10 USD hostel. The staff here speaks English and are very helpful with arranging activities for their guests. They also offer an option to work for them in exchange for free housing!

Next Stop: Salento. It takes a bit of patience to get this out-of-the-way town in the Coffee Region. I recommend taking the night bus since it is safe — save money on a hostel and sleep during “wasted” travel time! Take the last bus from Guatape (6:30 PM) back to Medellin (2 hours). Once in Medellin, you will have to take a taxi from the North Terminal to the South Terminal (Terminal del Sur). Our taxi cost around $6 USD. Next, board the last bus to Armenia (11:00 PM) which is $20 USD before negotiating. This bus takes around 6-8 hours depending if there are accidents on the road. Prepare yourself for a night of twisting and turning up and down mountain roads! Note: Bring a blanket – the bus gets icy cold! From Armenia there are buses to Salento (45 minutes) throughout the day for only $1.50 USD

4. Salento.

This small town is set in Colombia’s Zona Cafetera (Coffee Zone), which is a vital to Colombia’s economy. Salento is a charming town of less than 8,000 residents and a great spot for backpackers and vacationers to enjoy.

What to do in Salento : Relax! Enjoy the views! Practice yoga on a mountain overlooking a valley of wax palm trees! And once you’ve taken it all in, visit a coffee plantation – I recommend Finca de Ocasa ($4 USD)! Learning about the coffee we consume daily was incredibly interesting to me. From the growth, to the processing, to which well-known distributors select which grade of coffee, I was completely absorbed for the entire tour.

Brian picking coffee beans

If you’re itching for your next trek, hike through the Valle de Cocora (Cocora Valley). This trek can be completed in 6-8 hours and offers views of the rare and beautiful Wax Palm trees. There is no entrance fee, so this is a free activity!

Pausing in our trek of Cocora Valley

Where to stay in Salento : We very happy with our accommodation at La Serrana Eco Farm and Hostel ($11.50). It is set 30 minutes from town (by foot) on top of a hill overlooking beautiful surrounding valleys. La Serrana offers free breakfast, delicious and inexpensive communal dinners, and tons of DVDs for watching (in English!). La Floresta Hostel is another option that is more budget-friendly, starting at $8.75 USD and located right in town. La Floresta is much more dated than La Serrana, but offers mud boot rentals for hiking Valle de Cocora as well as free maps and tourist information.

Next stop: Cali. Take the bus back to Armenia. If you’re traveling during a busy time, keep an eye on your bags here! Several thefts have been reported in the Armenia bus station. From Armenia, board the bus to Cali ($10 USD). This bus takes around 4 hours.

5. Cali.

This exciting city is not to be missed! Known to be the Salsa Capital of Colombia, and possibly the world, Cali can inspire even travelers with two left feet to get up and dance.

What to do in Cali : People love Cali for the culture of their nightlife. Practice your salsa skills during the day and let them loose when the sun goes down at one of Cali’s numerous salsa clubs. Many hostels offer free lessons. Private instruction is also available for a small hourly fee ($6 USD). Take at least one lesson while you are here, whether you are a dancer or not. You won’t regret it!

The Cali Zoo is a fun daytime activity in Cali and there are a few beautiful churches worth a visit, as well.

Zebra at the Zoo!

Where to stay in Cali : Hostel Viajero in the historical neighborhood of San Antonio. I was so impressed with this $12 USD hostel. Free daily salsa classes, free yoga classes, free breakfast, and the list goes on – all on top of a great atmosphere.

Safety: Cali is a big city and requires taking extra safety precautions. Always have your hostel or restaurant call a cab for you, as cab robberies do often happen, and ALWAYS take a cab after dark.

Continuing on to Ecuador? Keep in mind that night buses to the Southern Colombian border are NOT safe right now and are sometimes held up by armed bandits! Instead, spend the night in the border town of Ipiales, Colombia and check out this beautiful church!

Las Lajas Sanctuary in Ipiales, Colombia

If you’re planning a trip to Colombia and have any questions, we would love to help! Leave a question in the comments section below.

Backpacking Boquete, Panama Travel Guide

Boquete, Panama : How to get there and what to do:

Boquete, Panama proved to be the perfect change of pace from the hot sun of Costa Rica.

Boquete is located in the hills of Northwest Panama, and it’s a great spot for all types of travelers. While this mountain town is a hub for backpackers traveling through Panama, tourists and retirees have also found Boquete to be an ideal place to relax and take in some nature. We loved our five day stay here and look forward to coming back.

The heart of this small city is a few streets offering shops, tour centers, markets and restaurants. There is a beautiful bridge that crosses over the Caldera River – a great place to spend a day reading and relaxing.

A view of the small mountain town

How to get to Boquete, Panama :

From Costa Rica: After six hours of traveling we arrived in Boquete, Panama. We started in the Osa Peninsula in Puerto Jiminez, Costa Rica. We took a ferry across the Golfito Bay to a town called Golfito, Costa Rica. From Golfito we jumped on a local bus headed to “Canoas” or Paso Canoas, Costa Rica, the west coast border town between Costa Rica and Panama.

We then had to go through the somewhat challenging process of immigration. Panama expects you to have an outbound departure ticket when you come into their country. We think it’s a bit of a scam; they either make you buy a bus ticket back to San Jose, Costa Rica ($14) or a plane ticket back to your home country. At an internet café in Canoas we decided to buy a flight back to the US – ten minutes after we got our stamp we canceled the reservation.

We crossed the border into Panama, a country that looks like a “sister country” of the United States. The highways are new and beautiful. The buses or “collectivos” are jitney-style and offer air conditioning. It’s a pleasant change from some of the more rural aspects of traveling through Costa Rica.

We jumped on a bus from the border to David, Panama, a transportation hub located in the northwest of Panama. After about five minutes at the station, we boarded a bus for a 1 hour ride to Boquete.

If you are coming from San Jose, Costa Rica, there is a morning bus from the Tracopa terminal that leaves at 7:30AM ($15-20). This bus takes about 9 hours to get to David.

If you are coming from Panama City, Panama, there are daily flights to David which are about $100 each way. There are also both day and night buses from the Albrook Terminal. Look to spend between $15 and $20 on the bus from PC.

Many backpackers come from Bocas Del Toro, Panama. There are shuttles that run direct between Bocas Del Toro and Boquete ($29). We suggest you bus to David and take a bus from David to Bocas ($10). This route adds an extra hour or two to your travel time, but is an easy opportunity to save money.

This is the route we took to get to Boquete from Costa Rica

Where to stay in Boquete, Panama:

The Gaia Hostel. We had an amazing experience at this top rated hostel ($13). Its clean, comfortable, and spacious. Amenities include free wi-fi and inexpensive laundry service — but not much in terms of tours and activities. If you’re looking for help arranging tours or excursions, take a walk to Hostel Mamallena, located in the Central Park square.

Word from the wise: always bring ear plugs and a sleeping mask to any hostel!

A view of Hostal Gaia

Top 5 Things to do in Boquete, Panama:

1)     Hike Volcan Baru.

Kate wrote a great guide about our experience trekking Volcan Baru. Check it out in the above link.

Kate at the top of Volcan Baru!

2)     Visit The Lost Waterfalls

This fantastic hike through a cloud forest that will bring you to three gorgeous waterfalls. It takes 1-3 hours to complete the trek depending on your level of fitness. On the way to the falls it is very common to see monkeys, sloths, and fascinating birds including quetzals.

One of the three waterfalls on the short trek

3)     Boquete Coffee Tour

Many people head to the fincas of Dos Jefes, Kotowa or Café Ruiz. All of these are beautiful coffee plantations with plenty to see.  You will learn a lot during one of these sessions. The process of how your favorite brewer selects the coffee they serve may or may not scare you into switching to tea. We were impressed with the level of English at Dos Jefes. If you are on a short trip, this is not to be missed in Boquete.

4)     Cliff jumping and climbing at the Mini Canyon

A lot of backpackers love this day trip provided by Hostal Mamallena. Boquete features some incredible rock formations that are great for climbing and cliff jumping into the water. Bring sunscreen as the sun is very powerful in this area.

A view of the Mini Canyon in Boquete

5)     Visit the Hot Springs

There are four or more pools at the Caldera Hot Springs and they are all-natural!! Skip the tour guide on this one and take a taxi — be sure to also arrange for a ride home. Entrance to the hot springs costs $5. Tip: Go in the early morning or in the late afternoon as the water gets very hot during midday.

Average Daily Cost of Travel in Boquete, Panama – $18-$23 Per Day

Hostel: $11 USD
Food: $5-$10 USD
Transportation: $2 USD

Traveling to Panama or Boquete, Panama for the first time? Post a question in the comments section below, we’ll respond with advice!

LP Wrap Up: Langkawi, Malaysia – Average Daily Cost $29 Per Day:

We had heard great things about destinations in Malaysia including overwhelming reports about an island located off the northwest of the country called Langkawi.

Langkawi is offically known as “Langkawi Jewel of Kedah.” It is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border.

By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 64,792, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba. Langkawi is also an administrative district with the town of Kuah as largest town.

We originally found Langkawi through our European friends from graduate school, Jan and Sandrine. They called Langkawi a, “Heaven on Earth.” While we were traveling in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we had heard stories from fellow travelers about Langkawi’s seethrough blue waters, large waterfalls, and friendly people. We knew it was a destination we had to get to.

As it turned out the stories were correct. We had a blast chilling for a week in Langkawi.

We recommend getting on a motor bike and really exploring the island. It has a lot to offer!!

Getting to Langkawi from Kuala Lumpur and Mainland Malaysia: 

Take the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Perlis. The bus will cost about about 30-40 Malaysian Ringitt which is $9-12 USD or €7-9.  Next, take the ferry from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi, this costs 18 Ringitt. So that is a total of about 58 Ringitt or $17/€13 – about as cheap as it gets. If you are lucky, you may be able to catch an AirAsia flight for around that price. But you may have to book really early or wait for a promotion to get that kind of price.

We met some awesome people on the ferry ride to the island. It was a lot of Malaysian, Indian, and Thai tourists. It seemed as if the entire boat was going on vacation and awaiting the clean beaches.

Getting to Langkawi, Malaysia from Thailand:

This is a perfect place to visit if your 30-day Thai tourist visa is expiring. There are four daily trips by ferry from Langkawi to Satun, Thailand. The boat ride duration is about an hour and fifteen minutes. A one way adult ticket is about 300 baht 30 Ringitt or $10 USD.

How Long to Stay in Langkawi, Malaysia:

You can explore the whole island in 4-5 days so it depends on what type of experience you’re looking for. We’re always in favor of traveling slow. We were content with reading books on the beach and casually exploring every little nook and cranny the island had to offer. You could easily stay here for a month if you’re also a traveler that likes to take things slowly but we found that one week was perfect.

Where to Stay in Langkawi, Malaysia:

We did not have the best experience in terms of hostels in Langkawi. We stayed at the Gecko Guesthouse. The upside of Gecko Guesthouse is its great location. It’s right near the welcome center, near the Cenang Beach, and near the main street where you can eat at the amazing local markets and restaurants.

Staying around Cenang Beach is highly recommended for a backpacker if you’d like to meet other travelers. It takes a nice motorbike ride to get to the beach but you will discover that it is a large backpacker hub. There is cheap accommodations and good cheap food.

Here are the best rated hostels according to Hostel World:

Top 5 things to do in Langkawi, Malaysia:

1. Visit Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls (pictured above)

2. Stay and party around Cenang Beach (pictured above)

3. Motorbike to the Black Sand Beach (so beautiful that we don’t want to spoil it with a picture!)

4. Visit Smile at the Langkawi Welcome Center (one of the kindest people we met in all our travels, he works at the Langkawi Welcome Center and is happy to help with any questions backpackers have…. plus his name is Smile…. and he’s always smiling)

5. Take a boat ride to see a massive flock of sea eagles flying and feeding in Kilim Geo Forest

What to Eat in Langkawi, Malaysia:

To keep the budget down we recommend buying local fruit (cheap coconuts!) from local vendors. They’re happy to cut the coconut so you drink the “water” and then cut the shell into pieces so you can eat the pulp.

You can get world class food in Langkawi. Penang, Malaysia is known for the best food in Malaysia — Langkawi is heavily influenced by Penang. We recommend the fresh tiger prawns, starfruit, lobsters, and any type of seafood.

Langkawi Tiger Prawns

Average Daily Cost of Travel in Langkawi, Malaysia – $29 Per Day

Hostel: $14 USD
Food: $12 USD
Transportation: $2 USD

Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Malaysia in general are more expensive than other top Southeast Asian backpacking destinations. The Ringitt is a relatively strong currency compared to the Thai Baht or the Cambodian Real (in Cambodia, USD comes out of some of the ATM machines and vendors prefer USD over the Cambodian Real.)

Another difference that travelers will find is that Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country. This impacts the culture. We discovered this during our travels in September (the end of Ramadan) when we were woken up at the crack of dawn every day by roosters and loud Muslim prayer. What an interesting experience!

Overall, Langkawi is a wonderful city with great food and interesting culture.

Traveling to Malaysia for the first time? Post a question in the comments section below, we’ll respond with advice!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Average Daily Cost $32 Per Day

After months of anticipation, this was it. 99% excited, 1% nervous. That was the sentiment I felt at JFK airport in NYC in the Fall as Brian and I had just said goodbye to our loved ones. It was a one way ticket without a defined route — something we highly recommend. We had just finished college and graduate school and we were about to backpack Southeast Asia.

The intention of the trip was to experience other cultures and to learn as much as possible about ourselves and others. To experience something so unique to what we had become accustomed to (life in the Northeast of the USA.)

Our first stop was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We thought it would be a good central southern hub to begin our trip — and that it was.  It worked out well but if we had to do it over again, we might have started further south, in Bali or another Indonesian city.

As backpackers know, you generally want to avoid backtracking during a trip like this so it is wise to pick a southern or northern city to begin with. Then, you begin to work your way north or south depending on the starting point.

After traveling for 20 hours we had reached KL. It was an awesome feeling landing in SE Asia for the first time. Our dreams of seeing the East were starting to become a reality.

We checked into our hostel around 9pm local time (9am New York time) after having hardly slept on the 14 hour flight because of excitement and anticipation. We agreed that it would be prudent to take a half hour nap before walking over to the Rhasta Bar that we had heard such good things about. Well, an hour turned into five hours and by the time we woke up, we decided we were better off sleeping through the night.

We woke up at 7am feeling refreshed and after asking several people in the hostel for recommendations on what to see, we decided to go to the Batu Caves. We hopped on a bus and were greeted by a maniacal driver screaming, “BATU CAVES, BATU CAVES, BATU CAVES, BATU CAVES!” We still laugh about it to this day but looking back we now realize that it was an introduction to the many oddities of Southeast Asia. It was incredible to see the devotion of Hindu faith — multiple people were “walking” up the massive staircase (272 steps) on their knees simultaneously balancing a basket on their heads.

Upon our arrival, we were bewildered by the enormous statue of Lord Muruga. It was at this point that we were introduced to the beautiful Hindu religion. We saw a gigantic statue of the incredible Hanuman for the first time.  Little did we know that our first day in Asia would have such foreshadowing. Three months later as our trip was coming to a close, we were once again introduced to Hanuman, this time in a more intimate setting of a yoga retreat in Koh Phangan, Thailand.

The trip brought about so many memories we hope to share with you. Please follow more of our journey here on Lucid Practice.

Top 5 things to do in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

1. Visit Batu Caves

2. Spend a night at the Rhasta Bar (friendly people, lots of expats and backpackers and Marley music)

3. Take in the scenes at the Kuala Lumpur Central Market

4. Visit the Petronas Towers

5. Watch the shopping scene at Berjaya Times Square

Average Daily Cost of Travel in Kuala Lumpur – $32 Per Day

Hostel: $16 USD
Food: $11 USD
Transportation: $5 USD

Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia in general are much more expensive than other top Southeast Asian backpacking destinations. The Ringitt is a relatively strong currency compared to the Thai Baht or the Cambodian Real (in Cambodia, USD comes out of some of the ATM machines and vendors prefer USD over the Cambodian Real.)

Another difference that travelers will find is that Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country. This impacts the culture. Overall, it is a wonderful city with great food and interesting culture.

Traveling to Malaysia for the first time? Post a question in the comments section below, we’ll respond with advice!

The Pet Otter on Railay Beach, Thailand

Two years ago when we were traveling in Railay Beach, Thailand we met a Rastafarian who had a pet otter. It has to be one of the cooler friendships I have ever seen. During the day the otter would go into the ocean, swim around, and always come back at night. The owner had him trained as if he were a border collie. At night, most people would come congregate in the Rasta bar and everyone who wanted to could pet and hang with his otter.

On a peninsula that features hundreds of exotic bird species and a thriving, accessible community of baby monkeys, this otter was the most fascinating form of wildlife. Anytime the owner wanted to get up and go somewhere, the otter would automatically stop what he was doing and follow him. It was wild.

Railay was an awesome beach destination on our trip to Southeast Asia. It was really, really, really laid back. We spent nearly a week there just reading and enjoying the local people.

Private hotel rooms in the rainy season were no more than $20 US per night. You can find dorm rooms for under $10 US.

The Railay Beach otter chillin’ on my sandals. 

The Rasta and his Otter

A view of the Phra Nang Beach (behind Railay, on the same peninsula) from a fish tail boat

Food stalls on Railay Beach East

Railay Beach is famous for its massive rock formations and world class rock climbing

One of the massive rock formations just off of Phra Nang Beach 

Ever been to Railay Beach, Thailand?  Let us know what your experience was like!