Travel Plans for 2014
Asia, 2014-01-01 12:00 by Laerke

January
We’ll be starting the new year doing something very new to us – we’ll be going on a yoga and meditation retreat at a place called Hariharalaya near Siem Reap in Cambodia. We’ve booked in for a 10 day stay and we are very excited – and maybe a little bit nervous about it. The daily schedule starts already at 6.30, and my biggest concern is that breakfast isn’t served until 9.00! I do not function without breakfast… I guess I’ll have to figure out how to function without for 2,5 hours every morning.


Photo credit: all four photos from Hariharlaya’s website: http://www.hariharalaya.com/
In mid-January we’ll head back to Bangkok to welcome Martin’s parents to Thailand for their first visit to the Kingdom. We’ll be spending a few days in Bangkok before heading up to Pai to chill for a week – and maybe get some more yoga in! Martin’s mom is a big yoga fan. We have booked ourselves into a place with bungalows right in the rice fields and with a swimming pool overlooking said rice fields – I can’t wait to see it!


Photo credit: from Phu Pai Art Resort’s website: http://www.phupai.com/
After breathing in the fresh mountain air in Pai for a week, we’re going down south to the Trang Islands to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze. Here we’ll have the last week with Martin’s parents on Koh Ngai, we’ve got big plans including snoozing on deck chairs, swimming, snorkeling and maybe a spot of kayaking as well. After we wave goodbye to the parents, we’ll continue island hopping a little longer. We’re thinking of going to Koh Kradan, Koh Bulon Leh, Ko Lipe and Koh Rawi. This will be our first time to these islands and we’re so excited!


Photo credit: top left and top right: http://www.flickr.com/photos/miek37/, bottom right: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dazjohnson/, bottom left: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephane_schild/
February
From Ko Lipe we plan on jumping on a ferry to Langkawi and from there flying to Kuala Lumpur to catch a flight to Kathmandu! I’ve always dreamed of going to Nepal! In Nepal we’re planning on seeing Kathmandu and some of the sight in Kathmandu valley, Pokhara, and maybe Chitwan – and the highlight I’m sure will be a trek into the gorgeous mountains! As my knees are no good we’re hoping to be able to rent some ponies and do a pony trek.


Photo credit: top photo and bottom right: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheese_unit/, bottom left: http://www.flickr.com/photos/prakaz/
March
A lengthy and somewhat complicated trip will hopefully take us from Nepal back to Southeast Asia – more specifically Pulau Derawan an island off the coast of Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Here we plan on kicking back and snorkel.


Photo credit: all four photos are from Sophie and Dave’s amazing blog: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Kalimantan/Derawan/blog-441983-105.html
Mid March we’re planning on catching a flight from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia to Puerto Princessa, the Philippines. We are having a very hard time deciding on where to go in the Philippines but since we land on the island of Palawan we’ll probably go to El Nido to check out the gorgeous scenery there – it seems to be a must do, although I’m a bit worried it is gonna be very touristy. After Palawan we’ll probably head to The Visayas where we are considering Moalboal for snorkeling and diving, Siqujior and Apo Island. We’ll see what happens – plans do have a tendency to change :)


Photo credit: Top right: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Palawan/El-Nido/blog-739376.html, the rest: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Palawan/El-Nido/blog-462047.html
April
Before going back to Denmark we’ll have a reunion with a country we promised to return to when we left it last time in 2009 – Taiwan! We can’t wait to go back to explore Taiwan’s beautiful nature and gorgeous mountains, it friendly people and it’s many great rivers and waterfalls! Also we have a great friend in Taiwan that we are very much looking forward to seeing again :)



The in late April we’ll be flying back to Denmark, it will be so lovely to return for the Danish spring and summer and to see all our friends and family again.



June and July
For a couple of years we’ve spent a week in different locations in Sweden with my family, it has become a lovely family traditions. This year however we decided to shake things up a little – we’re going for two weeks instead of one AND we’re going south instead of north! We’re going to drive all the way down to the island of Krk in Croatia for a week and then hop over the border to Slovenia for a week! I’m so excited for this trip!


The town of Krk on Krk island, Croatia. Photo credit: http://croatia.hr/en-GB/Destinations/Islands


Slovenian highlights! Photo credit: I don’t know!
After the summer we do not have any more plans for 2014, we might do some shorter trips or we might stay put in Denmark and try to save up for our next big dream trip - we’re dreaming about driving a small campervan through Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and maybe some of Brazil. That trip will require some serious saving up first though!

What are your plans for 2014?