2023 The Adventure Continues - A Jellie Travel Recap
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2023, what a year!
Where do we even begin with our recap of 2023. As a travel year, we're not sure if this year can ever be beaten!
2023 has been a year of spectacular memories as we’ve continued our backpacking adventure travelling around Asia. We’ve seen everything from crowded megacities to deep jungle. We’ve been from the coral filled waters of the Andaman sea to the craters of some of Indonesia’s volcanoes. We’ve experienced countless sunrises, sunsets and late nights. Slept under canvas on the side of a volcano, and woken up to snow capped peaks high up on the Indo-Tibeten border in the Himalayas of India. It's been a whirlwind of memories, food and adventure!
2023 started watching fireworks from an overnight bus as we travelled from Krabi in southern Thailand to the bustling metropolis of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. We arrived in one of our favourite cities in the world, just as the sun started to rise on the first morning of the new year. Leaving our bags at our hotel, we headed out on to the busy streets of Dusit to seek out breakfast. Dining on one of our favourite breakfasts of chicken and rice, whilst market traders set up for the day and late night revellers continued to sing out on the busy street, it was the perfect way to start the new year.
Our favourite street in Bangkok!
After a week exploring the bustling Thai capital, we took a flight to the colourful and tranquil UNESCO World Heritage city of Luang Prabang in Laos. We watched the sun set over the Mekong river and stood under the mighty Kuang Si Waterfalls. After a week visiting the many beautiful temples, eating breakfasts at the local morning market and having many bottles of Beer Laos at sunset, it was time to move on.
We headed north up the Mekong, on the famous slow boats of Laos. Passing by water buffalo wallowing and fishermen knee deep in the Mekong’s mighty waters, we made it to the halfway point of the slow boat journey, the small river town of Pakbeng. After spending an extra night in Pakbeng it was time for another early start to catch the slow boat to Huay Xai, the border town between Laos and Thailand. We arrived at the busy riverside pier and took our seats amongst the other backpackers and locals on the boat and watched as the morning mists rolled by. It was another magical boat ride full of orange clad monks, waving children and even a minor breakdown! We eventually reached Huay Xai, just as the sun was starting to set. After Huay Xai, we took a small mini bus through the winding mountain roads of Laos to the northern Laotian town of Luang Namtha. We had originally planned to do lots of hiking in Luang Namtha, but a stomach bug and Chinese New Year halted us, so we had a couple of days rest before catching a very full mini bus to Nong Khiaw.
Nong Khiaw was one of those places that, as cheesy as it sounds, will forever be in our hearts. This sleepy backpacker haven had everything we could ever want, with incredible hikes to spectacular viewpoints, great bars, cheap tasty restaurants and lots of fellow backpackers. We spent our days hiking, visiting local villages, scootering around the beautiful valley, playing pool and drinking beer with our new found traveller friends. One of our favourite memories of Nong Khiaw, is when we hired kayaks and watched the sun dip behind the mountains from the middle of the Nam Ou river. We’ve been lucky enough to see some amazing sunsets, but this is one we’ll always remember.
After a fun filled fortnight in Nong Khiaw, it was finally time to drag ourselves away back to Luang Prabang to spend the last few days of our visa.
After Laos we flew back to Bangkok in February to celebrate John’s birthday. Back in our favourite city, we made the most of it eating lots of street food, visiting temples and enjoying some riverside beers. We visited the arty district of Talad Noi during the Bangkok Design Week and spent a Saturday afternoon drinking craft beer on the island of Koh Kret.
We had just over a week in the busy Thai capital, before we took an overnight bus south to meet some of our friends who had flown over from the UK. We spent a week in the sun in Phuket, spending lazy days on the beach and sampling some southern delicacies before catching a boat over to the much quieter island of Khao Yao Noi. We spent the last few days with our friends biking around the island, watching the sunrise, swimming in the sea and eating a massive seafood feast!
Sometimes it’s worth getting up before the sun rises!
After saying goodbye to our friends on Noi, we were back on our own and headed to the small town of Phang-Nga. This small town is surrounded by limestone cliffs and is beautiful. We took a scooter out to the National Park to visit its waterfalls and ate our dinner in the local night market.
After Phang-Nga we travelled to Krabi town to visit the weekend market, before heading to the paradise island of Koh Jum. The island of Koh Jum was somewhere we had never heard of, but as with almost everywhere we’ve been in Thailand, it was a great decision to go there. This tiny island boasted white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and almost no other tourists.
After Koh Jum we took the speedboat to Koh Lanta and had a few days enjoying the incredible beachside sunsets, exploring the Old Town and visiting the Lanta Animal Welfare centre.
After Lanta, we took the boat back to one of our all time favourite Thai islands, Koh Mook. We spent a few days swimming in the sea, hiking the island and watching the sun set on Charlie Beach. After Mook we took a small boat to the island of Koh Libong. Pulling up to the island, we jumped from our longtail into the warm sea and found ourselves on what may be the most idyllic island we’ve ever visited. Crystal clear waters, miles of white sanded beach and barely another soul to share it with, Koh Libong was truly the perfect island getaway.
The water was so clear off of Koh Libong!
After a few too many weeks enjoying some of the best islands Thailand has to offer, it was time for us to head back to the mainland. Our first stop was Trang. This small southern city is renowned for its food, especially its Chinese sweet pork and dumplings. We spent four wonderful days here in the city visiting temples, eating lots of delicious food and spending our evening in the night markets. From Trang, we took a local mini bus to the small town of Phatthalung.
We had no idea what to expect from this small Thai town, but it quickly became one of our favourite stops we’ve had in Thailand. Surrounded by limestone cliffs that rose from the greenery, like tree-covered icebergs, this small town was full of charm, delicious food and wonderful people. It also gave us one of our favourite peaks in Thailand. To get there we not only had to climb up 100s of steps, but also had to have an unexpected rock climbing session to allow us to reach the summit. As we pulled ourselves out onto the smooth plateau, we could see for miles. The flat green paddy fields stretched away as far as the eye could see. It was well worth the climb!
From Phatthalung we took the train back to Hat Yai for a night of eating in one of our favourite late night markets before crossing the border to Malaysia.
Back in Malaysia, we had a few weeks to head south to Kuala Lumpur. We first visited Georgetown and enjoyed more of its tasty street food and visited the beautiful Kek Lok Si Temple. After Georgetown, we took the train to Taiping.
Taiping was a fantastic new destination for us in Malaysia. Staying at the only hostel in town, we dined every night with the locals in the large food market that dominated the town square. During the day, we took the long hike up Kaki Bukit Larut. This hiking trail snakes its way up the mountainside through thick forest and past waterfalls. As you near the peak, the trees thin out giving you a small glimpse over the city of Taiping.
After Taiping we headed back to one of our favourite cities in the whole of Malaysia, Ipoh. This city is a foodie paradise, and we spent our days eating in its many hawker centres, food courts and stalls. Alongside eating, we explored the picturesque Old Town spotting more street art, visited many of its cave temples and even went to a museum replicating life in the past. Despite this being our second visit to the city, we still had plenty to do.
Our time in Ipoh soon came to an end and we spent Ellie’s birthday in Kuala Lumpur. We decided to treat ourselves to a stay in an AirBnB. High up on the 35th floor, we cooked a massive pasta bake and watched the city come alive as darkness fell. We visited the aquarium and the Islamic Art museum as well as updating our backpacker wardrobe.
Our time in Kuala Lumpur quickly came to an end and it was time for us to head to the airport. It was time for a new country, India.
Landing in Delhi was a complete assault on the senses. From leaving the relatively calm and order of Kuala Lumpur, we were immediately thrown into a maelstrom of colour, noise and people! It was a complete sensory overload, but we loved it.
We stayed in the south of the city in a small district called Mohammadpur. This small village-like district was the perfect introduction to India, with a daily night market and only a short walk to the beautiful Deer Park and trendy Hauz Khas village.
Whilst in Delhi we visited the Red Fort, the Qutab Minar and the peaceful Lodhi Gardens.
We also took an amazing food tour in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi. This narrow labyrinth of historic alleyways is full to the brim with people crowding round market stalls selling everything from food to clothes and ornate wedding supplies.
After Delhi, we took the train to Agra. As soon as we arrived, we checked into our hostel, and immediately headed up to the rooftop cafe where as the sun began to set, we watched the city come alive. With a backdrop of the Taj Mahal and the orange glow of the setting sun, the roofs filled with children and the sky filled with kites. It was magical!
The next morning we were up before the sun rose to visit the Taj Mahal. Despite seeing a million photos of this incredible white domed building, nothing could have prepared us for seeing it in real life. We were lucky enough to be there so early, that it felt like we almost had the mausoleum all to ourselves. It was amazing. To this day, we’ll never forget the white marble reflecting the orange rays from the morning sun.
After a day taking in another view of the Taj Mahal from the city's nature park we were back on a train headed back to Delhi. We spent another few days in Delhi exploring the tranquil oasis of the Sunder Nursery, the ornate Safdarjung’s Tomb and the architectural wonder that is Humayan’s Tomb before taking a bus to Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world.
Rishikesh completely blew us away. Rising up on both sides of the Ganges, this peaceful, spiritual enclave felt a world away from the Delhi we had left. We spent our days walking to waterfalls high up in the mountains, exploring the ruins of the old Beatles Ashram and cafe hopping. Each evening, we would join the masses on the banks of the Ganges and watch the peaceful Ganga Aarti ceremony. Rishikesh was the spiritual retreat we didn’t know we needed!
Our time in Rishikesh flew by and before too long we were back on the train again and heading to Chandigarh. A clean, modern, grid city, Chandigarh was the polar opposite to everything we had seen in India so far. With the temperatures above 40 degrees celsius, we headed out to the famous Chandigarh Rock Garden. This bizarre sculpture park was full of water features, stone carvings and caves to explore. It was full of surprises around every corner. In the evening, we took the train to Kalka where the next day we were to board the Himalayan Queen, a small “Toy Train” that would wind its way up the steep mountains to the hill station of Shimla.
The old English summer capital of Shimla was a town of total contrasts. Vibrant Indian markets, selling saris and scarves opened up to the “Mall Road”, a bizarre, quintessentially English looking street complete with mock Tudor buildings, a church and even an amateur dramatic society. It made us feel that we had arrived in Surrey. It was only when you looked to the horizon and saw the snow covered Himalayan mountains that we were forcibly reminded that we were in the north of India.
The next day we were up early to begin what quite possibly may be the most amazing trip we’ve ever been on. It was time for Jellie to explore the Spiti Valley. Travelling on a mini bus we rattled our way from the busy streets of Shimla, up through deep river valleys, past landslides, gorges and goat herds before, late in the night, arriving at the last village of India, Chitkul.
When the sun rose the next morning we got our first glimpse of where we were. Sipping on a cup of steaming chai, with blue skies overhead and towering snow capped Himalayan peaks all around, we knew we were a long way from the busy streets of Delhi, it was time to begin our Spiti Valley adventure.
Over the next seven days we travelled deeper in the Spiti Valley itself, going higher and higher into the India Himalayas. We visited the highest post office in the world, crossed the highest bridge in Asia and had a cup of tea in the world's highest motorable village. From the market town of Kaza in the heart of the valley, we visited the ancient Buddhist monasteries of Tabo, Dhankar and Key.
The Key Monastery was a special treat. Rising up out of the desolate valley floor, it looked as though we had stumbled upon Minas Tirith from Lord of the Rings.
The Buddhist monasteries in the Spiti Valley were unlike any temples we have ever seen. Built from thick wood and laced with a heavy scent of burning incense, they were magical places.
On our last night in the valley, we wrapped up and spent the night stargazing with our fellow travellers. Stood together on the roof of our hostel, taking photos of the stars whilst being shadowed all around by the magnificent peaks will be a night we’ll always remember. After a week of surreal landscapes, high peaks and snow, it was time for us to move on. Spiti really was a world away from anything we had ever seen!
After Spiti we took an overnight bus to the mountain town of Old Manali. We spent a fortnight in this small backpacker town spending our days hiking to the alpine meadows high above the town, exploring the beautiful wooden temples and cafe hopping. We also had our biggest physical challenge to date. A three day hike, through deep snow to the Bhrigu Lake peak at an elevation of 4300m.
After Manali we joined the locals on a local bus and rattled our way down the valley to Naggar. This small hillside town surprised us with its many cafes, ancient castle and even a museum dedicated to the Russian artist Nicholas Roerich. From Naggar, we headed to Kasol. We spent a few days in Kasol, a bizarre little backpacker town nestled within the beautiful Parvati Valley. Full of techno raves, music festivals and falafel it was not what we expected but provided a perfect base to explore the valley around.
We left Kasol and had what may be the longest and most chaotic travel day we’ve had yet. We boarded the local bus first thing in the morning and drove along the Parvati Valley to the nearest town. One bus change later, and a couple more hours drive and we stumbled upon miles and miles of stationary cars. After a week of heavy rain, five landslides were between us and the next city.
We weren’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future. After a couple hours' wait, the bus driver came back and let us know that we wouldn’t be getting through the landslide today, and therefore he’d be locking the bus for the night and would return the next day. We asked him where we should stay and he just pointed to the two shops next to us and said we could sleep on the floor there. Not fancying a night on the floor with a thousand others, we decided we’d walk through the landslides. What came next was a mad dash through landslides, mud and large rocks.
Reaching the end of the landslides, we were given a bunch of bananas by friendly locals, had a million selfies and were picked up by a bus full of friendly Sikhs from Amritsar. We eventually made it to the city of Mandi, swapped to another bus and headed off. After the bus driver had his two dinner stops, we finally made it, late at night to our next destination, Bir.
Bir was a complete contrast to the busy Kasol we had left. Surrounded by Himalayan Peaks, green forests and incredible Buddhist monasteries, it was like we had flown to a different country. Bir is the paragliding capital of India, and despite not flying ourselves, we would go every night to the landing site and watch the gliders come in as the sun set. After a few weeks of extensive travelling, Bir was the perfect spot for us to reset.
From Bir we headed to Dharamshala. We stayed first in McLeod Gang, just down the road from the Dalai Lama’s residence where we were lucky enough to stumble upon his birthday celebrations. From McLeod Gang,we moved higher up the mountainside to Bhagsu Nag and spent a week sheltering from the rain whilst making jewellery and wandering the (if a little soggy) mountain paths.
From Dharamshala, we had another day of long bus rides (two buses, one tuk tuk and an uber taxi) to get to our next hostel in Amritsar. Home to the magnificent Golden Temple, we had breakfast in the world's largest kitchen, and had an evening at the border ceremony. This bizarre dance off between India and Pakistan is a daily ritual with both countries aggressively dancing against each other whilst closing the border.
After Amritsar we headed to Bikaner for the day to check out the fort and the famous rat temple, before taking our first overnight train to Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer was somewhere we had always wanted to visit, and it did not disappoint. This hilltop fortress town is full of intricately carved Jain and Hindu temples and feels as though you’ve stepped into an Arabian Nights fairy tale.
From Jaisalmer, it was time for our final stop in India, this time the lake side city of Udaipur. We spent our days exploring the palaces, museums, cafes and restaurants that line the waters edge, before being treated to the unexpected Muharram celebrations that took over the streets one night. After Udaipur it was back to Delhi and onto a plane. Next destination, Vietnam.
We spent a fortnight in Ho Chi Minh city, eating and drinking like the locals and feasting on as much delicious Vietnamese food as we could lay our greedy hands on. Ho Chi Minh was the perfect place to reset from four months travelling in India.
From Vietnam it was time to explore a brand new country, Indonesia. We would be flying into Jakarta in the west of Java and heading east. Jakarta was a city that was a complete surprise. Full of street food, interesting markets and friendly locals, it was the perfect introduction to a country. From Jakarta we travelled south to the city of Bogor. In Bogor we had our first introduction to a volcano and enjoyed a morning exploring the extensive Botanical Gardens that sit right in the heart of the city. After Bogor, we headed East to the capital of West Java, Bandung.
In Bandung we enjoyed many a cup of Java and ate in the excellent night markets. During the day, we took day trips to Gunung Padang, Indonesia’s controversial ancient pyramid and took an amazing bike trip to the volcanoes, hot springs and tea fields to the south of the city. Our final night in Bandung was spent camping on the edge of the volcano, Tangkuban Perahu.
After Bandung, it was time to get our surf on as we headed to the coast to spend a week in the small surfing paradise at Batukaras. We are no surfers, but we enjoyed our lessons here and loved the laid back vibes, beautiful scenery and great coffee. We even squeezed in an amazing crab feast!
After Batukaras we headed to Yogyakarta. This historic city is full of palaces, temples and street food. We visited the ruins of the grand Prambanan temple complex, and took a jeep tour to the volcanic slopes of Mount Merapi. It was during this jeep tour where we had to ask our tour leader to pull over for a phone call, as it was where we had the best news of the year, we were newly minted Auntie and Uncle to a beautiful new niece!
After Yogyakarta, we decided we needed a bit more beach time, and took an overnight bus and early morning ferry to the island of Karimunjawa. Set to the north of Java, this small slice of paradise was full of amazing empty beaches and beautiful natural landscapes. We took a snorkelling trip and saw the most crazily colourful coral and fish as well as having delicious grilled fish barbecue on an island in the middle of the turquoise sea. On our last night we were treated to one of the most dramatic sunsets we’ve ever seen.
After three blissful days on the island, we took the ferry back to the mainland and had a night in Semerang, to explore its heritage buildings and night market, before heading to the street art filled Solo.
In Solo we enjoyed wandering around its art district and ate an incredible seafood feast.
On one of our days in the city, we hired a driver who took us to a skybridge built high above some tea plantations, visited a waterfall and walked up to a mountainside temple.
The temple looked similar to those that you see in Bali, but opposed to those found on the paradise island, we had the temple all to ourselves.
After Solo we headed to the colourful city of Malang. A very early start (just after midnight) saw us pile in the back of a jeep and drive up the steep volcanic slopes to watch the sun rise over Mount Bromo. We’ve seen a few sunrises on our adventure so far, but this sunrise was unlike anything we had ever seen before. We arrived in the middle of the night with Bromo only a small silhouette against the sky. As the sky started to change from blue to purple, to pink, Mount Bromo became more and more visible. Stood like a smoking island within a sea of mist, it was breathtaking. It was a morning we’ll always remember! After the sun had risen, we climbed to the crater in Bromo and peered into its vast, sulphurous crater.
The next day we took another day trip to visit the magnificent Tumpak Sewu waterfalls and explored the colourful painted villages in Malang.
From Malang we headed to our final stop on Java, Banjuwangi. We had a couple of days in the East Javan coastal city and had another early start to visit Mount Ijen. Getting up at the crack of dawn, we had a two hour hike to reach the summit and crater of the volcano. Decked out in gas masks, we headed into the crater to see the famous blue flames from Ijen’s sulphur. As the sun started to rise, it revealed the sheer majesty, power and scale of Mount Ijen.
Seven volcanoes later and countless memories, it was time to catch the ferry for a week of relaxation in Lovina in north Bali.
From Bali, we took a flight back to Thailand for another two months of exploration. From Don Mueng airport we took the train straight to the historic city of Ayutthaya. Spending three days in the town, we explored the vast historic park, extended our visas and ate in the night market.
After Ayutthaya, we took the train to Lopburi. Famous for its temples, ruins and monkeys, we loved our time here. We then continued north by train, visiting the confluence of the Chao Phraya river in Nakhon Sawan, explored more ruins and the night market in Phitsanulok and spent the day at the stunning Sukhothai Historic Park.
We then travelled to Chiang Mai and spent a week wandering around the temples in the Old Town, eating some delicious northern delicacies and watching the sunset from the top of Doi Suthep.
After Chiang Mai, we took a mini bus through a biblical storm and arrived in the small town of Mae Hong Son. We stayed for three days in this beautiful mountain town, and enjoyed a daily walk to the temple that stood overlooking the town. We hired a driver and visited a beautiful waterfall, the Chinese village of Ban Rak Thai and walked around the stunning lake at Pang Ung.
After Mae Hong Son, we took the bus back to the popular backpacking town of Pai. Here we indulged in posh brunches, fancy coffees and even some cheese and wine. We hired a scooter and visited the large white Buddha statue that overlooks the town, went for a dip in the hot springs and climbed the Pai canyon.
From Pai, we moved onto Chaing Rai to check out its famous White and Blue temples then moved back to Chaing Mai for a few days before we headed south to the town of Kanchanaburi. Here we explored the beautiful tiger temple, cliffside Chinese temple and the enormous monkey tree, as well as the incredible Erawan Falls and sombre Death Railway museum.
From here we headed north to a town called Sangkhla Buri. This small town on the border with Myanmar, is a mixture of Thai / Mon cultures. With a long wooden bridge spanning the lake, and linking the two sides of town together, we spent our days here visiting the temples, taking a boat trip out on the lake to see some sunken ruins, and watched both the sun rise and set over the lake. Each night, we’d head into the town and dine with the locals in the daily night market.
After the quiet town of Sangkhlaburi we headed straight to the bustling Thai capital and spent a fortnight in Bangkok. Here we sampled some delicious street food in the neon-lit back streets of Chinatown and took a canal ferry to a lesser known district in the heart of the city. We also visited the modern art museum, went shopping in Chatuchak market, the largest weekend market in the world and drank more craft beer on the island of Koh Kret. We’ve been lucky enough to visit Bangkok eight times now, and every time we find more to do.
We flew back to the UK in the middle of December, and spent the festive period having a much needed catch up with family and friends in both London and Wales. We saw the New Year in with cuddles and cwtches from our new niece. It was the perfect way for 2024 to begin.
The UK was a bit chillier than the usual temperatures we’ve been accustomed too!
We’d like to say the biggest thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read our blog, followed us on social media, reached out to us and watched our YouTube videos, your support means so much to us. We’d like to wish you all a fantastic, healthy and Happy New Year!
Cheers 2023, you were a blast!
As for what 2024 holds, so far it holds a plane ticket to…. Delhi! It’s time for India part 2.
Thanks for reading and for all your support,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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