Looking back at 2019…
We started 2019 off in a place that's very close to our hearts - Langebaan, along the West Coast of South Africa. It marked the middle of our 6-month long stay here and the bittersweet feelings were already present. While we were absolutely enjoying our time in Langebaan, and spending time with friends and family before heading off on our big adventure, we were also starting to get excited for what 2019 had in store for us.
Those first 3 months of the year were both relaxing and rather busy! There were quite a few firsts for Lisa: climbing up Table Mountain, having a scooter accident, getting a motorbike license, a personal best of 26m26s at the 5km park run; Andre mostly spend every spare moment on the water kite surfing! However, the highlight of our first three months of the year was definitely the time we got to spend with the special people around us - after being away in Europe for much of the year before.
Before we knew it, the weather had started cooling down and that meant only one thing, it was time for us to pack our bags and head off on our adventure. We left Cape Town on 1 April and went to Dubai for a week to visit our good friend there. After a busy and fun-filled week, we headed to Taiwan, our first new destination for the year.
Taiwan was an overload on the senses but in a good way! We thoroughly enjoyed the 5 weeks we spent here and if the weather wasn’t quite as rainy, we would definitely have stayed longer. Our highlights from Taiwan have to be the food and the stunning scenery of the Hualien area.
Our search for better weather and cheap flights led us straight to Busan, South Korea. And what an incredible and pleasant surprise South Korea was to us!
We travelled North from Busan all the way to Seoul and then ended our time with a week on the island of Jeju, back in the South.
After 6 weeks in South Korea, we headed to the more familiar territory of Malaysia, where we could at long last speak English to people again and be understood!
We spent 2 weeks in Kuala Lumpur, a month in Penang and a month in Langkawi. It was a great change of pace to stay in a place for a bit longer, establish routines and just take it easy. During this time we put a lot of effort into restructuring our website and working on our content. Both Penang and Langkawi were very enjoyable long term destinations to which we will happily return.
The highlight of this time would have to be when our good friend Jason came to join us in Langkawi and we set off for a month-long holiday together.
We maximised our 30 days allowed stay in Indonesia and when our flight out of Lombok was cancelled, we had a moment of concern with regards to overstaying our visa! But thanks to being able to travel with carry-on luggage only, we made the connecting flight and all was well.
We spent most of our time in Indonesia in Lombok, revisiting our favourite Gili Trawangan Island and also finding many new absolute gems. It was great to do some scuba diving and snorkelling with turtles. This month really did feel like a holiday!
We then made our way to the northernmost tip of Borneo where we spent 3 weeks volunteering at the Tampat-Do-Aman Jungle Camp. This was our first accommodation without air-conditioning and the heat took its toll on us! Living in such simplistic jungle style accommodation with only outside open-air showers and composting toilets a jungle walk away was quite an adjustment. Overall, we enjoyed the experience, we got to meet some fantastic people and we are grateful for the opportunity to have been able to discover such an incredibly beautiful spot in Borneo. That beach and the sunsets there are hard to forget. We also took some time to explore a little more of Borneo before heading to the very nearby Philippines.
The Philippines was the one destination that we had really hoped to visit in 2019, so we were rather excited about eventually making our way there in the middle of October. This turned out to feel like the middle of December as the Philippines start their Christmas celebrations as early as September! We had a great 2 months island hopping, scuba diving and scooter exploring just a few of the many stunning islands of the Philippines.
Our last country for the year (and a new one for us) was Cambodia. We flew into the South of Cambodia and are taking a month to make our way north to fly out of Siem Reap. So far the country is treating us very well and we are enjoying our time here, travelling slowly and getting to experience a variety of what Cambodia has to offer. It’s as good a place as any to look back, reflect on the year that has past, be grateful for so many wonderful opportunities and experiences and smile!
Our 2019 in Numbers:
8 Countries (4 New)
South Africa
UAE
Taiwan
South Korea
Malaysia
Indonesia
Philippines
Cambodia
50 Different Accommodations / Beds
South Africa (4)
UAE (1)
Taiwan (8)
South Korea (6)
Malaysia (3 + 5)
Indonesia (7)
Philippines (13)
Cambodia (3)
9 International Flights
Cape Town - Dubai
Dubai - Taipei
Taipei - Busan
Jeju - Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur - Bali
Bali - Kuala Lumpur
Kota Kinabalu - Manila
Manila - Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur - Sihanoukville
11 Local Flights
Seoul - Jeju
Kuala Lumpur - Penang
Penang - Langkawi
Langkawi - Kuala Lumpur
Lombok - Bali
Kuala Lumpur - Kota Kinabalu
Kudat - Sandakan
Sandakan - Kota Kinabalu
Manila - Coron
Puerto Princesca - Cebu
Cebu - Manila
6 Long-Distance Trains
Taipei - Hualien
Hualien - Yilan
Yilan - Rufang
Rufang - Keelung City
Keelung City - Taipei
Busan - Andong
Andong - Sokcho (bus combo)
11 Long-Distance Busses
Andong - Sokcho (train combo)
Sokcho - Seoul
Kota Kinabalu - Kudat
El Nido - San Vicente
San Vicente - Sabang
Sabang - Puerto Princesca
Tagbilaran - Anda
Anda - Panglao
Cebu Liloan - Moalboal
Moalboal - Cebu City
Kep - Phnom Penh
8 Island Transfer Ferries
Bali - Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida - Gili Trawangan
Gili Trawangan - Lombok
Coron - El Nido
Cebu City - Bohol
Bohol - Siquijor
Siquijor - Dumagette
Dumagette - Cebu
$50 Average daily spending (excluding international flights) of which 50% of that was on accommodation.
Looking forward to 2020…
We currently have a flight booked to Cape Town middle January and plan to stay in Langebaan for a couple of months to enjoy the summer, kite surfing and catching up with friends and family. We plan to fly to Kuala Lumpur on 1 April but as of yet have no idea what our plans are from there. We’re thinking about all sorts of options, from Asia to Europe to New Zealand - only time will tell! Thank you for following our journey. ❤️
