What was the Best Part?

 We have been asked by almost everyone some form of the below question;

What was the best part? or What was your favorite place?

I would imagine that would be like asking someone with children who their favorite child is. Pending the situation each child has their high and low moments just as each country had its pros and cons or highs and lows.

How do I go about recappig the greatest 3 months of my life, well maybe I did it right there by saying it was the Greatest 3 Months of my Life??? I couldn't say a negative thing about the Summer of Travel, we obviously ran into our issues but all those issues turn into learning lessons and laughter later on in life. We made it home safe with great memories, great friends, and smiles we will always have. 

We took over 15,000 photos/videos and I wouldn't delete a single one. Each one has a story, memory, and a feeling that only we will be able to know the full experience. This is one of the challenges in telling people about our trip. There is a saying that says "a picture is worth a thousand words" but its worth more then just words, it has feelings, smells, experience, its the whole package that is nearly impossible to replicate.

Some asked what was the hardest part, well the hardest parts about traveling this long, isn’t the language barriers, or money exchange rate calculations,  it’s being with someone else 24/7 and having no personal space. Although we have been married 3 years, we have not spent this much time together because of our seperate jobs, different hobbies, and friend groups. When all you got is each other, are half way across the world and no cell service, you are together every second of the day (except bathroom breaks) and although it was a challenge, it brought the best out in both of us and we learned how to love each other even more then we ever thought possible. 

Our complete travel went as follows; Rapid City, Denver, San Fransisco, Singapore, Kata, Phuket Town, Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, Railay Beach, Bangkok, Auyutaya, Chang Mai, Pai, Chang Rai, Bangkok, Hanoi, Ha Giang, Du Gia, Dong Van, Yen Minh, Ha Giang, Sapa, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Dalat, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Singapore, Doha,  Zagreb, Rastoke,  Plitvice Lakes National Park, Split, Krka National Park, Trogir, Split, Medugorje, Dubrovnik, Kotor,Dubrovnik, Madrid, Lima, Cuzco, Ollantaytambo, Aquas Calientes, Cuzco, Lima, San Jose, Tamarindo, San Jose, Panama, Tampa, Minneapolis, Rapid City, and I'm sure I missed something.

Singapore; was a treat and great lead into Southeast Asia. We got to experience the culinary prowess of Asia while still having the comforts of a first world country. It was short, sweet and a great first stop. 

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $71.43

Thailand; our favorite food that made you hold onto your seat during each bite, and easily the least amount of tourists. Most of our hostels didn't have any other guests, we were the lone tourists in most spots. We enjoyed the north much more then the south which included lots of great roads for motorbiking. The locals were so friendly and loved pointing us out in a crowd. 

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $62.87

Vietnam; where we met the most people and partied the most. This country was vibrant, and had the most direct history with the USA (Good and Bad). The north's mountains were steep and plentiful, which led to narrow, teeth clenching roads. The south was hot and beachy but continued to provide above expectations. The food caught us off guard and we continued to find local specialties that knocked our socks off. 

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $65.89

Cambodia; one of the shortest stints we had in a country, but plenty to see none the less. This history rich country is doing everything in its power to get out of poverty and out of its troubled past. The stark difference between rich and poor is extremely prevelent, but the culture is strong. 

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $54.31

Croatia; just as exceptional as everyone has been saying, but the tourists and costs put us in our seat. The bakerys could be the best in the world, and their national parks are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The rocky beaches and stunning old towns should never be overlooked. 

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $149.32

Bosnia and Montenegro; our shortest country visits that left us wanting more. Similar to Croatia in food and architecture but far less people and much cheaper. We will be back someday to pick up the pieces we left behind. 

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $100.64 

Peru; although we didnt stray far from Cuzco, we experienced one of the oldest surviving cultures in the world. The locals were never short of smiles and truly seemed happy we were there. The mountains made us feel like infants and the hike to Machu Picchu will forever be a highlight reel in our minds. 

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $145.76

Costa Rica; meant to be our last effort to avoid going home was as relaxing as we could have gotten. The town of Tamarindo, nickname TamaGRINGO, because of all the tourists. It had amazing food, great surf, and painted beach sunsets. Although these were all positive there was minimal culture and local flair in a town trying to cater to the tourists.

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $108.24

Tampa and Minneapolis; back to America and all things we knew and expected. Good catching up with family and friends, and enjoying the American food, like a thick juicy hamburger. The breweries are always excellent and dancing away the night as your two best friends get married capped the 3month journey perfectly. 

    Total Cost per Day/Person; $93.29 (did not include housing because we stayed with friends)

*Costs shown above do not include flights

Highlights of finally returning back home to the USA. 

After leaving Costa Rica we stopped in Tampa Florida to visit my younger sister Kaci as she just moved down there for a new job. We enjoyed brewery hopping, sitting by her pool, and of course eating come of the staple American foods we were craving. 

Off to Minneapolis to catch up with old friends and celebrate the wedding of our two besties MG and Chloe. We went to some of our favorite restaurants and breweries. We got to wear our Vietnamese Suit and dress that we had made in Hoi An for their wedding and they were an absolute hit. They still fit (which we were suprised by) and worked perfect on the dance floor. 

We finally made it home back to Rapid City, where we had to unpack all of our personal's (since we were Airbnbing our house all summer) and get back in the groove of being home. However, before we got too confortable we went to Spearfish for the Dakota 5-0 which is a 50 mile mountain bike race that i had signed up for back in April. I had multiple friends come to town and stay at my parents where we all caught up from not seeing eachother all summer, and prepped for the bike race that none of us trained for. I did end up finishing but it was a rough one being 101degF (40C), but we all survived and laughed it off like it wasnt that hard........

I cannot say enough good things about every country and every experience. IF you have questions regarding where to go and what to visit, Nic and I will only agree that every place was the best ever. 

Relaxation Station

Just when you think there couldn’t be anymore travel drama is when it really makes you think twice. 

Since we are now enroute back home with a bit of a stop over in Costa Rica we figured we were “coast is clear”. We did our research to ensure their wasn’t any requirements to get into Costa Rica as a US citizen and we were free and clear. At least that’s what we thought. We were at Cuzco airport plenty early and with a short layover in Lima we figured we would try and get on the earlier flight. With a little luck and some puppy dog eyes we were able to get to Lima 2 hours early. We had to exit the airport again, go back through customs, and everything seemed peachy. We even celebrated our getting closer to home with TGIFridays in the Airport(it was the only restaurant, if you know me, you know I despise chain restaurants). As we were going through the gate to board the plane the guy asked for our yellow fever vaccination cards, like “hmmmm no why do we need those” gate agent “per Costa Rican government you need to show proof of yellow fever to get into their country”. In my head, (Let me tell you we did extensive research to ensure we did not need anything which is why we decided on Costa Rica, as Americans we do not need to show proof of anything, and I confirmed again on the website.) Nicolette has yellow fever, I do not. We were holding up the gate checkin line so they moved us out of the way and another agent came over and said we could change flights at no charge once we figured out the yellow fever debacle. Again we said “there are no requirements for US citizens” and we started recognizing multiple other passengers get pulled off to the side for the same reason. With nearly all the passengers boarded on the plane, all the gate agents yelling back and forth in Spanish (really wishing now I paid attention more in Mrs. Ewing’s 8th grade Spanish class). Again I looked at the Costa Rican website, and read thoroughly the entire entrance page…… at the bottom in small print it says, “if flying from the below countries (Peru listed), a yellow fever shot is required to enter the country” How did I miss this. I looked at Nicolette and said “we better make another plan” and showed her the phone. As she finishes and looks up from the phone in disbelief and horror the gate agents grabs us, scans our tickets and pushes us on the plane. Stunned, baffled, shocked, you name it were didn’t have words, we buckled up and the flight took off minutes later to San Jose Costa Rica. Nic and I didn’t talk about it until about an hour from landing and she said “what should we do if they don’t let us in” I said “let’s not make a plan and jinx it, let’s just go with the flow, we should be ok”. Everything was ok, until we were going in for landing and they called us off and we circled over San Jose for more then an hour. Flight attendants and everyone speaking Spanish we had no idea what was going on, we both started thinking we might have to land in another airport, and finally the plane dipped through the clouds into a torrential downpour of rain (which I’m assuming why we circled) and landed with a screeching Halt. Nics anxiety now was spiking again about going through customs and the whole yellow fever thing, but we de-boarded went through customs and the only thing customs security asked was “how long are you here, and where are you staying” and we entered Costa Rica. Wow wow wow wow wow wow what happened how are we here. 

It is well known that taxi drivers in other countries (especially 3rd world) take advantage of tourists, so we did our best to get an Uber. After waiting and searching for an Uber it never connected, So we had to resort to a taxi. Didn’t take long to find one, but we ended up being crammed in a little Toyota with 2 other elderly folks and the trunk was too full so we had to put our luggage on our laps. The traffic was horrific due to the pouring rain and the drivers defrost wasn’t working so we had to constantly be cleaning the windshield with a rag to defuse the never ending fog. We came close to rear ending multiple vehicles but the driver at the last second crammed his brakes and left us squished even further like a can of sardines. Good thing this only lasted like 1.5hrs and I didn’t have any money because the atm at the airport wasn’t working so he stopped by an atm so I could get money. Finally at the hostel glad to be on stable ground, we settled in for the night. 

I asked the hostel front desk where a decent spot to eat was close and she pulled out a map, circled everything to the left of the hostel and everything to the right of the hostel and said, “these areas aren’t so nice try to avoid them” then circled a place just a few blocks south of the hostel and said “this place might be open, it’s ok” and then said “we also serve pizza here if you want to just eat here”. So we shared a small pizza. 

The following morning we were meant to get a bus to Tamarindo but I couldn’t get a solid answer on where the pick up point was from the hostel reception so I walked to the nearby bus station in hopes to get a better answer. Again, no one at the bus station could give me a overwhelming yes, but I was assuming this had to be it. Back at the hostel we ate breakfast and packed our bags then walked back down to bud station. At 1130 when the bus was meant to leave someone grabbed our bags and pushed us on the bus, without checking our tickets or asking where we were going so we took a seat and hoped in 6 hours we would be to Tamarindo. The drive was slow, so slow that at hour 6 (which is how long the trip was supposed to take) we weren’t even close to tamarindo, but finally 8.5hrs from when we left San Jose we arrived into Tamarindo. Tons of surf shops lined the streets and people in swimsuits and bare feet walking everywhere on the unpaved streets. We located our hostel and jumped in the pool to relax after the multi hours of sitting on the bus. 

The week of planned relaxation was mostly just that; we walked the beaches, took surf lessons, and surfed everyday 2 times a day, read books (nicolette finished 2 Harry Potter books), ate incredible food, yoga classes, massages on the beach, met lots of other travelers at the hostel, and sat at the hostel pool. 

We did get stuck in a torrential thunderstorm while raining cats and dogs on the beach trying to surf. Drenched we walked back in the rain and had to catch a boat across the river because of the crocodiles in the water. The boat that picked us up was filling with water and made Nicolette’s anxiety spike thinking we were going to sink and have to battle the crocs to shore. 

We also took a river boat tour and saw the crocs in their natural habitat as well as monkeys, birds, iguanas, and termites (no snakes thank goodness). 

While watching the sunset one night we saw a croc in the ocean close to where we were surfing earlier that day. Not only do you gotta worry about sharks here you also have to battle with the large reptiles of crocodiles. Luckily we had no run-ins with either. 

The amazing food included one of my favorite deserts, churro ice cream. We also discovered the best hot sauce I’ve ever had Algo Picante (which you can buy on-line) and is made locally in Tamarindo. We bought some online and can’t wait to have it in our fridge. Most of our favorite food came from the local food trucks and off the beaten path local shops, absolutely not the beach side resort restaurants that littered the coast. 

Being close to the jungle we got to experience multiple bugs/animals in our room:

Small Scorpion

Crab

Massive Toad

Multiple Centipedes 

Cockroaches regularly

Which I always ended up being on pest control. 

The week was incredible but for me a bit too much relaxation. Could have been shortened a few days but Nic said she enjoyed every second which you know what they say “happy wife, happy life” so if she enjoyed it that’s all that matters. One thing that caught us by surprise was how expensive it was. Most prices were as much or more then what you would see around South Dakota. Costa Rica became the second most expensive part of our trip after Croatia, could be contributed to us being in a coastal tourist town but still caught us by surprise. 

Enjoy the minimal pics we took due to rarely carrying our phones to the beach.