Itinerary – To Asia and Beyond

Our Indian Adventure was slightly modified due to some unforeseen circumstances and the need for tranquillity. We decided to cut our Rajasthan trip short and spend a few days in the foothills of Himalayas at 2455 m (8000 feet) above sea level. It was a good decision and we are really enjoying our time here. It’s giving us a chance to get caught up with work, schooling and trip planning. Here’s a quick recap and further down what’s coming up for the next couple of months.

 

India

The first week remained as we had planned. Delhi was an assault on all our senses and the 2 days couldn’t have passed faster! Udaipur was wonderful and I would say that’s where our Indian adventure really began.

New Delhi – 2 Days

Read about our two days in Delhi here.

Udaipur – 7 Days

We really enjoyed Udaipur. We were made to feel at home at Chandra Niwas and had a great time exploring this city.

Jodhpur – 3 Days

Initially, we were supposed to spend 9 days here. This changed to three, which was plenty of time for us to enjoy it. Jodhpur was magical and we’ll get a post up about it soon.

Jaipur – 3 Days

After Jodhpur, we had planned to spend a week in Jaisalmer in the desert, but due to the sudden demonetization of 1000 & 500 rupee notes we had to cancel those plans. It was very difficult to get cash and the only way for us to get there was by (paid by cash) car service. We took the train to Jaipur instead. Unfortunately, we didn’t spend much time exploring here other than walking around the pink city. We did get to eat at some amazing restaurants 🙂

Shimla – 10 Days

After two weeks of playing tourists around Rajasthan, we really needed an escape to somewhere quiet and peaceful. We would have liked to get to McLeod Ganj but the trip would have required a long taxi service and plenty of cash which is still not easy to get! Most ATMs are still not stocked with cash and if you do get lucky and find one that works, the maximum you can withdraw is $50 CAD (and it involves at least a half hour queue). We headed to Shimla instead and it’s been great so far. We’ll tell you all about it in a later post 🙂

Where to next? 

New Delhi – 2 Days

We’ll be taking the train back to Delhi. We have 2 nights here before taking a flight to Bangkok. We are all curious to see if Delhi will feel different after spending a month in India.

Thailand

After India, we head over to Thailand for the month of December. We arrive in Bangkok but only spending a night near the airport as we’ll be flying to Chiang Mai the next morning.

Chiang Mai – 19 Days

We are getting to Thailand during high season and it didn’t seem wise not book anything ahead of time. We found an apartment in the Nimman neighbourhood and booked it for the duration of our stay. Our loose plans are to just enjoy the city with two or three day-trips.

Pattaya – 4 Days

We are meeting my parents in Pattaya as they will be coming in for a conference. I’m really excited for some family time and Kasm is just thrilled to hang out with his grandparents. We’ll be here only four days. Pattaya doesn’t have the best reputation as a family destination but I hear it’s been cleaning up its image over the last few years.

Ko Chang – 7 Days

After Pattaya, we’ll be heading to Ko Chang along with my parents for some island time. Finding an island that’s not “touristy” yet has an infrastructure in place for a digital nomad isn’t easy. Ko Chang isn’t as overrun by tourists as Phuket or Ko Samui, and it offers places with wifi which is always a must for us. I also didn’t want just a “beach” destination. Ko Chang will give us an opportunity to get some hiking done and visit waterfalls.

Taiwan

Taipei – 11 Days

Making a decision on where to go after Thailand wasn’t easy. We considered Siem Reap, Singapore, Kuala Lampor and finally settled on Taipei! We are looking forward to a little taste of the Orient.

Indonesia – 23 Days

We haven’t finalized where exactly we’ll be spending our time here. It will most likely consist of Bali and Gili islands. I’ll organize this part of the trip in Thailand.

Australia

Cairns – 5 Days

Kasm REALLY wanted to go to the Great Barrier Reef and this is going to be a surprise for him! He knows we’ll be heading to Australia but has to no idea that we are planning a snorkelling trip from Cairns.

Sydney – 9 Days

This might include a one or two days in Surfer’s Paradise.

New Zealand

South Islands – 2 Weeks

We are REALLY looking forward to this part of the trip. We’ll be splurging a little here and renting a campervan for the duration of our stay.

And that brings us to early March. I have a lot of research and planning to do but at least all the flights are booked 🙂