Travel Journal
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We got vaccinated in Koh Samui by the French Embassy in Thailand
Many of you have been asking us if we’re vaccinated against Covid. When we went through France in May 2021, the vaccine was still only reserved for the elderly and at-risk people. Being young and healthy, we unfortunately weren’t among those eligible. As I explained on Instagram (see my stories), in Asia, vaccines aren’t as widely distributed and as readily available as in Europe. It’s a scarce commodity and only the lucky few have access to the vaccine right now. And even when the vaccine arrives, there aren’t enough nurses and doctors to vaccinate everyone—since there aren’t enough places to store the vaccine properly. For now, in Vietnam and Thailand…
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The most luxurious hotel we’ve stayed at – Vana Belle Koh Samui ***** (Thailand)
If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know about my bling side. I have a soft spot for pretty hotel pools, and every now and then I book the cheapest room in a 5-star hotel just to enjoy its pool. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal I had my eye on Melia Koh Samui (Booking link, Agoda link) after seeing photos of its pool and its double loungers as big as a bed. We were supposed to go right after the quarantine in Bangkok, but it didn’t happen. Since we had to return to Koh Samui to get vaccinated by the French…
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Resting in Haad Rin: Sarikantang Resort & The Cabin – Koh Phangan (Thailand)
Haad Rin is world-famous for its Full Moon Party: a place for parties until dawn, a place of debauchery, with tourists sleeping right on the beach half in a coma, endless buckets of alcohol. But because of (thanks to?) Covid, Haad Rin is turning into a ghost town, and that’s the only reason we’re setting foot there 🙂 Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Sarikantang Resort and Silan Residence (where we’re currently staying) have the same owner. So when we received an offer from Sarikantang Resort, offering all Silan residents a 30-hour stay at the partner hotel for 1,700 baht. With this offer, we get…
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Another Day in Paradise – Chaloklum, Koh Ma, Haad Son in Koh Phangan (Thailand)
After a month in Koh Samui, we decide to head to Koh Phangan. Those living in Koh Samui warn us about the boring side of Koh Phangan “there’s nothing to do,” but we go anyway to check it out. We had passed through briefly a few years ago and had fond memories. We were told there’s a community of digital nomads in Koh Phangan, so the infrastructure has been adapted for this type of expat: fiber optics, offices, and even coworking spaces… Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Koh Samui – Koh Phangan by speedboat For the first time, we take a Grab to the…
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Fisherman Village Koh Samui (Thailand): Travel Journal
Planning a trip to Thailand? – Plan to buy a SIM card to have internet access – Book your activities in advance with Civitatis – Protect yourself with insurance that offers good coverage. For example, with Heymondo (5% discount by using this link) After two weeks in the quiet south of Lamai, we decided to head to a livelier area near Fisherman Village, recommended by a fellow nomad. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Accommodations Not Suited for Digital Nomads There are no hotels with two work desks in Fisherman Village itself, so we chose to stay at the condominium Replay Residence, which is full…
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South of Lamai, Koh Samui (Thailand): Two digital nomads over forty
As you know, after two weeks of quarantine in Bangkok, we took the first flight to get to Koh Samui, one of the paradise islands in the Gulf of Thailand. We visited Koh Tao , and Koh Phangan during our first round-the-world trip, but we carefully avoided Koh Samui (too touristy), until Covid emptied the island of its usual crowds. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal I’m glad I found a moment to write this travel diary. JB and I are swamped with work and are in “pad thai, work, sleep” mode or “need to be taken care of” mode, meaning we’re in such a…
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Quick stopover in Paris (France) to better set off again: May 2021
Our return to Paris is driven by Vietnam plain and simple. I’ve been watching for the moment I can go home to Hanoi since March 2020. Following Thailand’s reopening, I see an opportunity: go to Thailand, while waiting for the borders to open between Thailand and Vietnam. But there are a few issues: my Vietnamese passport expired in November 2020, and the Vietnamese embassy in Italy refused to issue me a new one at that time. I have to go back to France and get my passport in Paris. Passport Getting this passport was no sweat-free feat: 2 hours of queueing in a small, unventilated room, with super stressed-out people,…
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Weekend in Saint-Raphaël (France)
I think I can congratulate myself on the choice of dates and destinations because as soon as I go somewhere, the situation improves at the right time. We didn’t know, when booking the flight to Paris, whether we’d be allowed to exceed the 10km travel limit, but we just had to wait a few days, until we’d isolated a bit, for all of France to open up. Having deliberately chosen a weekday to travel, I’m surprised to see that the TGV from Paris to Saint-Raphaël is full all the way to Marseille. Usually, we wear cloth masks, but we’ve finally upgraded to FFP2 masks for public transport. To avoid a…
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Back to Tirana (Albania) & COVID-19 PCR Test
From Vlorë, we take a bus for 500LEK/person to Tirana. The ride takes 2h30 I think (I fell asleep so I can’t really tell). We get dropped off at the South Terminal and a taxi takes us to our hotel in downtown Tirana. Our other accommodations in Tirana were off the beaten path, so we’re thrilled to have a hotel right in the city center this time, as it lets us reach even more restaurants and enjoy more of the vibe. The cafés are always packed, and Albanians, a bit like Turks, love spending hours at the café. JB is a bit stressed because we need to get a PCR…
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Berat (Albania): the city of a thousand windows listed as a UNESCO heritage site
After Gjirokastra, today we visit another UNESCO-listed city in Albania. We walked through it too quickly last time and didn’t get to enjoy its charm. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal The road between Gjirokastra and Berat is gorgeous, but I just can’t focus on the beauty of the mountains hidden in the mist, the valleys that reveal themselves around a bend, the crystal-clear river winding and disappearing… My mind is in Thailand, and I can’t live in the present moment. Ever since we decided to go to Thailand mid-May, planning the trip has been taking up a lot of our time. Bad news pours…
