As I write this, I'm staring out our front window watching snowflakes fall on budding trees and green grass sprinkled with bright yellow dandelions. My eyes and mind are playing tricks on me though. It can't be winter anymore. I'm in denial that in one day it will be May 1st. It feels like just yesterday, on a random December evening, that we were eagerly waiting for Chip to come home from work.
Read MoreOut of hundreds of cayes, Ambergris Caye is Belize's largest island and located off the northeast coast of the country. This caye (pronounced key) is known for its proximity to the barrier reef. The world's second largest barrier reef, might I add. Our first impressions of this island were of a mixed bag. The water surrounding the island was the most beautiful azure I've laid eyes on. But after exiting the plane we were thrown into a frenzied, dusty town overrun by golf carts and loud trucks.
Read MoreI love the tingle of anticipation that builds just before departing for a new locale. I can never wait to see what it looks like, what it smells like, how it makes me feel, and what memories will be created there. Today was that point in our trip to Belize. The long day when we relocate from one section of the country to another. If you recall, we had just left San Ignacio (aka the Jungle portion of Belize). And the day started out a bit like the roads around here though. Bumpy.
Read MoreWhy Belize, you might ask? The beaches, right? I know. I saw those pictures too, before we booked our trip. The ones that depict silky white sand gently rolling about, pushed by the turquoise ocean that calmly ebbs and flows. The bright sun shining down on a handsome couple that romantically sips cocktails with a backdrop of a few dozen swaying palm trees. Yep, I totally wanted that. I'll admit. But I knew Belize had a wild card. Something up its sleeve to offer us, a couple that likes to adventure and explore, but also laze on the beach and sip tropical drinks.
Read MoreThe word Switzerland conjures up some of the most beautiful images in my mind: snow-capped mountain peaks piercing crisp blue skies and fields of flowers with happy cows grazing, the sound of their bells floating softly in the air. And maybe, if you're lucky, a mountain man in lederhosen tooting on his alpine horn…think Ricola commercial. But, honestly, nothing could prepare us for what our eyes were about to see on our 8 day visit in Switzerland. This place is hands down one of the most beautiful countries we've ever been to. It reminded us a bit of Colorado but with more dramatic peaks and towns with hundreds of year more history. Not to mention the foreign language which makes any place feel a bit more glamorous.
Read MoreTurkey has been on the top of my must-see list for quite a while. The idea began when I met a group of internationals while working at Six Flags in Chicago who were from Turkey. They told me a few tidbits of information on their fascinating country and I was hooked. Fast forward seven years later and there we sat on a ferry from Rhodes, Greece to Fethiye, Turkey. It's possible I will say this numerous times throughout the blog but Turkey is SO incredibly beautiful, I honestly didn’t realize it was going to affect me the way that it did. In addition to being extremely excited about the country itself, I was also overjoyed that Michael and Taylor were still traveling with us for the next 11 days! Some pieces of information on Turkey before reading forward: Turkey is surrounded by 8 different countries, is slightly larger than the state of Texas, and is a predominantly Muslim country. Now let's get to it!
Read MoreGreetings from Holland!
We sadly had to say goodbye to our eight month long chapter in New Zealand, but we’ve happily begun our month and a half long journey through Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Greece and Turkey. In under 4 days we've already had the most amazing time with friends and family on this side of the world.
Hello, from the comforts of our own homes! Where we can drink water from the tap, throw our toilet paper in the toilet (as opposed to the wastebasket), and sleep in a bed that doesn't put gaping holes in our back from the spring coils. It feels great to be back but we're not done blogging yet, people! Teedo and I still have three days in Hanoi, the capital city and one day in Mai Chau, a sleepy village surrounded by mountains to tell you about.
Read MoreI think we're still in awe with what we just witnessed. Halong Bay has been on my bucket list for a few years and I was so nervous pulling up in our shuttle at the bay with hopes that it would live up to my expectations and dreams. But little did I know, it was one million times better than what I had imagined. My eyes were not prepared for what I was about to see (yep, I had my holy-crap-I'm-here-and-I'm-crying moment within the first 10 minutes of being on the boat)! Don't go skipping ahead to the photos just yet...I only took 200 so no need to worry.
Read MoreWe’re back already to bother you with another post? Time flies when you're having fun! Actually, I'm used to writing a blog post every few weeks instead of every few days so to make it more fun (for me!) I'm going to switch it up and have you follow us along in picture-book style instead. So grab yourself a warm drink (or cold one...), sit back, relax and come along with us on our amazing journey through Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, what are you waiting for...click on the first picture to get started and we'll give you more information next to the photo...
Read MoreGood Morning, Vietnam! I had to say it - But this time we've spoken these words in the actual country while soaking up the culture, eating the food, almost getting run over by the insane motorbikes that congest the streets, and sweating our butts off in 100 degree (humid) heat. Teedo and I are in Vietnam, people (Yes, I call my mom Teedo. Long story, ask me about it sometime) and we are loving it! We're both ready to embark on a 16 day journey I'd like to call Lindsay and Teedo's Epic Vietnam Adventure. Original, I know :)
Read MoreXin Chao! Thanks for joining us again as we travel south to Can Tho (pronounced 'Tau'), the epicenter of the Mekong Delta and "rice bowl" of the world. Here life slows down quite a bit (which we craved after 2 days in Ho Chi Minh City) and it's flat and hot. Living along countless rivers and canals that populate this region, locals generally get around by boat (some villages are only accessible by water), visiting restaurants and floating markets to buy their produce and other items. Families live in small shacks built up along the river and are backed by an abundance of greenery. It has been a fascinating area to visit, especially with the contrast to Ho Chi Minh City.
Read MoreIronically, within the first month of living in New Zealand we began planning an island getaway for sometime in March. People thought we were nuts saying 'why are you planning a trip when you're on a trip?!' But we knew it was unlikely we would ever be this close to the South Pacific Islands so we began researching destinations. Our ideal island must haves: beaches for snorkeling and relaxing, mountains for hiking, hot weather and cool beverages. When I read the following description for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands I said SIGN US UP: "If you've ever fantasized about escaping to a remote island, far from the hustle and hum of the modern world, then look no further than the Cook Islands, where you'll find a thousand years of Polynesian culture sitting side by side with some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the South Pacific. The jewel in the crown is Rarotonga, the largest island - a bewitching blend of craggy mountains, dense jungle and glorious bone-white beaches." Sounds perfect to me, am I right?!
Read MoreWhen we last wrote, we had officially traveled 186 miles from Whistler to Kamloops and landed in Nick and Erika's place in the late afternoon. It was definitely one of the bigger cities we've seen while being in Canada so we figured a night on the town would be great. For dinner, we located the main drag and asked a local where she recommended we eat. Her three choices... 1) "This sushi place" - she pointed to an empty restaurant behind her, 2) Denny's (really? Denny's), 3) She couldn't think of a third so I think she defaulted to the Mexican place across the street. So we ate at Qdoba. When in doubt, eat a burrito.
Read MoreWe got our first taste of road tripping on our hour and a half long drive from Vancouver to Whistler. It was clear we were all very excited (to be traveling by mini-van, of course) and to explore a new area of Canada because we were singing, laughing, and screaming almost the whole way. I think Chauffeur Chip was a little worried for our upcoming (5 hour long) trip we would be taking in 4 days. We joked on our drive, saying wouldn't it be funny if by the end of the trip we were all sick of each other and the car was conversationless. Don't worry...it doesn't happen. It's hard not to mention the drive from Vancouver to Whistler. Stunning, really. We followed the ocean much of the way, going up and over mountain passes.
Read MoreChip and I were overcome with joy to be heading to Canada...and for many reasons! First, we've always wanted to explore Canada. We thought it was a little odd to be saying we were from the US but had never actually step foot into Canada (driving across the border when you're 19 to get booze doesn't count. And neither does seeing Niagara Falls from the Canadian side). Second, we wanted to run the half marathon in Vancouver. Third, and most exciting, we were reuniting with our awesome friends that we met a year earlier in New Zealand. There is Nick and Erika, our Canadian roommates that lived with us in Queenstown, and the Kennedy's, our favorite family of 5 who welcomed us while living in their home country. The plan for the trip was to all meet up in Vancouver, run either the half or full marathon (Jeff was the only one who had the guts to run the full), and then take off via mini-van with the Kennedy's for a week-long road trip from Vancouver to Whistler then Kamloops to Banff.
Read MoreWe write to you from the soils of Germany where we've just spent an eventful time exploring the southern countryside. As I mentioned in the last blog, we decided to rent a car from Holland and make our way down to the southern edge of Germany with the preferred mode of transportation being the German autobahn. If you haven't heard of the autobahn, it's Germany's network of highways with the biggest differences from the American highway system being the quantity of BMWs and lack of a speed limit. Driving on the autobahn has been on Chip's bucket list since he visited 10 years ago (and who wouldn't want to cruise at 180 kph (that's 111 mph) legally)? So we belted up in our rental Ford Fiesta and took to the open road at times clocking 180 kph...which is about what it will go, flat out. If that didn't feel fast enough, we'd actually have people in Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis flying past us at that speed like we were standing still. It was awesome!
Read MoreWelcome back to our Costa Rican honeymoon!
While our drive from Arenal to Samara was a scenic one, it definitely required patience from us and high-clearance maneuvering from our car. Google maps assured us that we would arrive in 3 1/2 hours however we ended up rolling in roughly 5 hours later because the roads were so bumpy and curvy. But we made it in one piece and were as happy as clams that we decided to stay in the quaint town of Samara over one of the other popular touristy beach towns along the coastline. The town itself consisted of a 3 km long crescent-shaped beach scattered with a few beach-side restaurants, one main surf school, and backed by palm trees and thick green foliage. We could tell at this point Samara hadn't hit the tourist map but we were afraid it was on the verge of it. Only one concrete structure loomed amongst the lush tropical town, sticking out like a sore thumb. Who would build that? And why would you ruin this paradise with that eye-sore?
Our honeymoon officially began when we flew over Costa Rica at 6 in the morning and admired the beautiful sunrise with lush green rainforests below. Once we landed in San Jose and grabbed our rental car, we immediately hit the (extremely) bumpy roads to Arenal Volcano National Park where we would be spending the following three nights. We were still an hour away but as we crested the hills, we spotted glimpses of the prominent Volcano ahead. The perfect start to our Costa Rican honeymoon!
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