Minglaba from Myanmar or My Burmese Birthday in Hpa-an, May 21-23 2015

Welcome to Myanmar (Burma), where the men proudly wear longyis (basically long skirts), the women paint their face with thanaka (a golden fragrant paste used as sunblock/cream), and the pagodas are sparkling gold and literally everywhere. It is the land of Buddha, of green tea and tea-leaf salad, of straw hats and umbrellas, and the friendliest people you'll meet.  Though tourists have been swarming in since the political situation was somewhat settled around 2010, there are many places that still feel authentic and untouched, compared to other destinations in southeast Asia.

From Bangkok to Hpa-an - Crossing the Southern Thai-Myanmar Border Overland, May 15-20 2015

From the Philippines we returned to our beloved Bangkok for a short 5-day visit filled with food, shopping and some essential errands in preparation for our travels ahead. We decided to upgrade to an AC room this time (the heat and humidity were becoming unbearable) and found the sweetest deal in town in Donna guesthouse (thanks to my little sister who stayed there a year ago) - 380 Baht for a doube room, no windows but still probably the cheapest air-con room in town! It is located very close to Khao San but on a small quiet street (75 Soi Damnern Klang, Rachadamnern Klang Rd., Phra Nakon, Tel: 02-281-9374). 

50 Shades of Blue- Island Hopping in Palawan, Philippines- April 26 - May 13 2015

From the beautiful green hills and cool mountain air of north Philippines we sharply transitioned into the scorching sun and deep blue waters of the island of Palawan, voted best island in the world by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2014. We boarded an Air Asia flight (75$ per person return flight) in Manila landing in Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan and stayed the night in the friendly Dallas inn (600PHP tiny room). We had dinner at the recommended vegetarian  Ima's restaurant but we found the food only average and a bit overpriced.

50 Shades of Green in North Luzon, the Philippines, April 17-25 2015

While planning our month-long trip in the Philippines we decided to limit, the number of our destinations so we can really enjoy the places we visit and not spend our time running around, and also save some money by avoiding too many domestic flights. This proved a difficult task considering the 7000 (!) islands that comprise the Philippines. We eventually decided to first head up north to witness the famous rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995.