noods

Asia – getting fat eating with two sticks!🍜

by BangkokBoholCebu CityKoh Phi PhiPhilippinesPhucketSingaporeSiquijor/Dumaguete islandsThailand

I have loved Thai food since visiting Thailand back in 2022 but forgot how much until returning in 2025!

I have since visited many Asian countries and fallen in love with their food. Vietnam Pho/Bahn mi/noodles, Cambodian Amok/Hhmer curry/noodles, all held the title until I was reintroduced to Thai again.

The Thai pad and variations of soup won my heart and my belly over once again. Here are some choices from a food court in Bangkok. You could eat three times a day for 365 days and not try them all in this food court. It was almost impossible to choose:

 

Here were some of my absolute favorites from around Samui—and yes, choosing was a daily struggle:

Mango salad (top left) — fresh, spicy, sweet, and dangerous if you underestimate the chili 🌶️

Tom Yum coconut spicy soup (middle left) — rich, tangy, and soul-cleansing in the best way

Chicken Pad Thai (top right) — the classic that never misses

Tom Yum chicken (extra spicy) (bottom left) — I survived, barely

Ice-cold Chang beer (bottom right) — it was so hot they literally put ice in it… and I fully support that decision 🍺🧊

Thai food doesn’t just win—it laps the competition. My heart, my stomach, and my sweat glands all agree.

hammock6

Bohol, Philippines – What a beauty!

by Bohol

This was my first ferry road trip after spending my first week in Cebu in January 2024—because nothing says “welcome to Southeast Asia” like committing to multi-modal transportation before your body knows what time it is.

I’d taken ferries before while island-hopping in Thailand, so I figured I was prepared. Plus, almost everyone speaks English, which immediately lowers the chaos level by at least 40%. Still, jet lag had other plans. I woke up at 3:00 a.m., wide awake, courtesy of the brutal 13-hour time difference and my brain’s refusal to cooperate.

By then, resistance was pointless. I packed a knapsack, took a shower, and headed out like a responsible adult who definitely wasn’t questioning their life choices. I caught the 3:30 bus, arrived at the terminal at 4:30, and bought a ticket for the 5:10 a.m. ferry to Tagbilaran—the first stop, and hopefully not the last.

After that, they transferred all of us onto a bus for the rest of the trip, which is when it became clear that this was less a ferry ride and more a transportation sampler platter.

Once I got off the bus after the ferry ride, I needed to take a 20-minute tuk-tuk ride.  I had been

Once I got off the bus after the ferry ride, there was only one final hurdle left: a 20-minute tuk-tuk ride. I’d taken plenty of tuk-tuks in Thailand, so the concept wasn’t new—but this was my first one in the Philippines, carrying me toward Alona Beach and whatever level of consciousness I still had left.

By this point, I was running almost entirely on fumes. The lack of sleep had me a little on edge, which you can probably detect in the video. That said, I generally felt safe—just mildly disoriented, under-caffeinated, and questioning whether time was even real anymore.

n many tuk-tuks in the past in Thailand, but this was my first in the Philippines to get to Alona Beach. 

I was a little on edge due to the lack of sleep, as you might be able to tell from the video, but I normally feel safe.  

Mission accomplished! 😎

Once I got settled in my $15-a-night Airbnb, it was time to check out the amazing beach!

The kids thought I was crazy, too, but loved the great TIPs!