Another year has come and gone. Can you believe it? We spent the entirety of 2018 away from home (well, almost). It's so wild to look back on our year and we almost can't fathom how we squeezed all of this into 365 days. Writing this blog post had us reminiscing on some hilarious times, some of our most adventurous days, and some of those sick days that weren't so pleasant. Enjoy looking back on our most venturesome year yet.
our ten most memorable moments of 2018:
1. feeding and bathing elephants in Chiang Mai with our good friends from Colorado, Annie and Marshall
2. wandering the colorful streets of Cartagena, Colombia
3. brewery and beach hopping in Gold Coast, Australia
4. laughing with the Guna children in the San Blas islands
5. eating endless amounts of fresh fruit while cruising down the streets of Sri Lanka in our own tuk tuk
6. riding bicycles through the Colca Canyon in Peru
7. that time we had a change of heart and bailed on our teaching contracts in Vietnam
8. celebrating our wedding anniversary at the mystical Machu Picchu
9. rolling down sand dunes at sunset in Cafayate, Argentina
10. showing up on our family's doorstep in Colorado and surprising them for the holidays
months on the road: 11 1/2
countries visited: 19
Indonesia
January 01 - January 24
towns/cities visited: Ubud, Nusa Penida, Senginni, Gili Air, Kuta, Jimbaran
number of buses: 1
number of flights: 2
number of beds slept in: 8
Thailand
January 25 - February 1
towns/cities visited: Chiang Mai
number of buses: 0
number of flights: 4
number of beds slept in: 1
Vietnam
February 1 - March 29
towns/cities visited: Da Nang, Hoi An, Hanoi, Sapa
number of buses: 3
number of flights: 2
number of beds slept in: 6
Cambodia
March 29 - April 13
towns/cities visited: Siem Reap
number of buses: 0
number of flights: 1
number of beds slept in: 6
Malaysia
April 13 - April 14
towns/cities visited: Kuala Lumpur
number of beds: 1
India
April 14 - May 3
towns/cities visited: Jaipur, Jodhpur
number of buses: 1
number of flights: 3
number of beds slept in: 6
Sri Lanka
May 3 - May 31
towns/cities visited: Mount Lavinia, Sigiriya, Trincomalee, Wasgamuwa, Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Koslanda, Mirissa, Colombo, Kandy
number of tuk tuks: too many to count
number of flights: 1
number of beds slept in: 13
Singapore
May 31 - June 4
number of buses: 2
number of flights: 1
number of beds slept in: 2
The Philippines
June 4 - July 2
towns/cities visited: Cebu, Alona Beach
number of buses: 0
number of flights: 1
number of beds slept in: 3
Australia
July 2 - July 10
towns/cities visited: The Gold Coast - Coolangatta, Byron Bay, Burleigh Heads
number of buses: 2
number of flights: 1
number of beds slept in: 1
New Zealand
July 10 - July 11
towns/cities visited: Auckland
number of beds slept in: 1
Argentina
July 11 - July 16 & July 28 - August 10
towns/cities visited: Buenos Aires, Salta, Cafayate
number of buses: 1
number of flights: 2
number of beds slept in: 5
Uruguay
July 16 - July 28
towns/cities visited: Colonia del Sacramento, Montevideo, Cuchilla Alta
number of buses: 6
number of flights: 0
number of beds slept in: 3
Chile
August 10 - August 14
towns/cities visited: San Pedro de Atacama, Arica
number of buses: 3
number of flights: 0
number of beds slept in: 3
Peru
August 17 - September 16
towns/cities visited: Arequipa, Pincholla, Puno, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, Lima, Paracas, Huacachina
number of buses: 3
number of flights: 2
number of beds slept in: 14
Colombia
September 16 - October 22
towns/cities visited: Bogota, Salento, Jardin, Medellin, Guatape, Santa Marta, Costeno, Tayrona, Cartagena, Necocli, Capurgana, Sapzurro
number of buses: 14
number of flights: 1
number of beds slept in: 14
Panama
October 22 - November 24 & December 12 - December 14
towns/cities visited: San Blas Islands, Panama City, Boquete, Bocas del Toro
number of buses: 3
number of flights: 2
number of beds slept in: 11
Costa Rica
November 24 - December 12
towns/cities visited: Puerto Viejo, San Jose
number of buses: 2
number of flights: 1
number of beds slept in: 4
The United States
December 14 - December 31
towns/cities visited: Denver, Grand Junction
number of beds slept in: 2
Happy New Year to each and every one of you! Thank you for your continued love and support. Stay tuned for more travel stories and photos in 2019!
In love & adventure,
d & b