Top 10 List

Guest writer Roland is a Realtravel blogger recently spent 6 months traveling around Southeast Asia. He shares highlights of his trip below.

Asia is done for this trip and coming back on another trip some day in the future. There are so many things I haven’t seen yet. However, in the following I collected my best experiences during this half a year:

Bako National Park (Borneo, Malaysia)

Walking through the Mangroove forest it was amazing to see all the little live going on there and I was amazed with every step I took. And all this in a very spooky surrounding.

Sapa (North Vietnam)

Although advertised as a trekking area - which it probably was had it not rained all day - the other fascinating experience is the experience of buying something from the street vendors there. As soon as you seem to be interested in something suddenly 10 women gather around you all telling “buy from me”. In contrast to other places in Vietnam this happens in a very inoffensive way.

Hanoi traffic (Hanoi, Vietnam)

I already wrote in my blog about my fascination of watching the traffic in Hanoi. One step up is experiencing it yourself on a bicycle or a motorbike.

Yangshou (Yunnan, China)

What they called “the light show” was really a masterpiece of a visually attractive show with hundreds of people walking, singing, fishing - doing all sorts of stuff on and off the water . One hour of starring on the water and not a second of loosing fascination.

Manila (Manila, Philippines)

The capital of the Philippines is crazy a place as I have never seen before. Not that I liked it in particular, but walking the streets there becomes a surreal task.

Vang Vieng Organic Mulberry Farm (Vang Vieng, Laos)

I just had a great time there doing some volunteering and hanging out with a mulberry shake - or a Mojito sometimes.

Hong Kong

Many times have I crossed rivers, some small ones and some were wider, but none compares to the athmosphere traveling from one side of Hong Kong to the other on a ferry.

Mabul

Just jump into the water and have a look around. It’s just amazing what you can (still) see here below the water level.

Halsema Road (Northern Philippines)

A road from Baguio going into the mountains. Perfect views, change with insights into local life and punctures due to the bad condition of the roads. An experience.

Haw Par Villa (Singapore)

Basically a park showing stories from the Chinese mythology that one brother built for the other. The statues and figurines stretch from “normal” to fascinating and bizarre. The Hell is a must see.

Mount Kinabalu Park (Borneo, Malaysia)

I couldn’t get a permit to get to the top so I trekked around in the park at its foot with my roommates - until it was pitch dark except for the glowing things in the forest around us (a type of fungi).

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The Hallgrens are married travel bloggers who decided to quit their jobs, sell their house in the suburbs, and spend time exploring the world. During their extensive travels, they visited the continents of Europe, Oceania, South America, Africa, and more.

Top 10 Places to Visit as a Couple

We have chased our dream to conclusion, and have traveled to more than 30 countries located on six continents. Several years in the making, and 1.5 years to complete, our round-the-world trip has been the most rewarding, educational, humbling, enlightening, liberating, and fulfilling things that we have ever experienced.

We’ve come full circle. Before we sign off, we’ve compiled a Top 10 list of our favorite spots around the world that begin with the letter “S”. I hope you enjoy.

10. Sistine Chapel (Rome, Italy): Michelangelo’s masterpiece with vivid colors depicting good and evil, and even a self-portrait if you look closely. This is a fine painting and would have received a higher spot on out Top 10 had there not been so many tourists.

9. Sequoia National Park (California): It was the only place in the whole world where we saw a wild bear. And it attacked our car. Oh, and by the way, the trees are fantastic.

8. Stockholm, Sweden: Two S’s in that one earn Stockholm our number 8 spot. This city has tons of charm and was one of our European highlights. It will definitely be a place to return and explore further. And yes, I’m still proud to be a Swede.

7. Siem Reap: Cambodia’s city that is the gateway to the temples of Angkor Wat. Combine this with the most genuine people that we have met on the planet, and you have an enjoyable-ruin paradox.

6. San Pedro, Belize: Even Madonna likes this place. We have visited San Pedro many times over, and still enjoy its beachy laid back lifestyle. Wear what you want, sleep when you want, and be who you want. What else could you ask for?

5. Safari in the Serengeti: Okay, it was only near the Serengeti, but we still think that everyone should do a Safari before they die. There is no substitute for seeing wild animals in their natural habitat. My favorite, the male lion. Anne’s favorite….you should already know if you’ve read any of our blogs.

4. San Francisco: So much to do and so much to see. I love it. The good food and wine don’t hurt either. San Francisco is our favorite American city, boasting things such as Golden Gate, Alcatraz, the bay, and so much more. Visit this city if you can.

3. Similan Islands, Thailand: The best scuba diving that we have found is right here. Keep in mind that we have done Belize’s barrier reef, Great Barrier Reef, The Red Sea, Hawaii, New Zealand’s Poor Knights, several spots in the Caribbean, and many more. Interaction with manta rays remains my top travel experience.

2. Sydney, Australia: An iconic bridge located on the bay; sounds like San Francisco. But wait, there’s Opera House, Botanic Gardens, and friendly people with funny accents in the land down under. There is no close second, Sydney is our favorite city across the globe. Sorry Melbourne, you got nothin’ on Sydney.

And, the number 1 is……….

1. Swiss Alps, Switzerland: The most beautiful place on earth. Check out our Swiss Alps blog and photos. I rest my case.

More Resources:

Stockholm Hotels
Sydney Hotels

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