Before I jump into the numbers part of this post I want to remind everyone that we’re not budget backpackers. Yes you can do Costa Rica a lot cheaper than we did, but since this isn’t just a vacation for us, it’s a lifestyle, we often make choices that aren’t inline with other travelers priorities.

A comfortable place and a decent internet connection are always first priority on our list of requirements, which often means we stick to more touristy places and don’t venture off the beaten track as much as other travelers. When we arrived in Costa Rica we both had a lot of work lined up and knew we’d be spending the majority of our days online, so it was even more important than usual.

We rented a two bedroom, three bathroom condo similar to any modern condo you’d find in Vancouver (or other large North American City), for $1000/month. We had satellite TV, cable internet, a pool, a dishwasher, in-suite washer/dryer, and even an Xbox. Sure we weren’t getting the ‘authentic Costa Rican experience’, but unless you’re traveling to some of the more remote areas, you’re probably not getting much of it either.

We based ourselves in Tamarindo, or Tama-Gringo as many people call it, which again, for many travelers, may not be the first choice. Some argue that it’s too over developed, and full of tourists but so are a lot of places in Costa Rica. For us it had a lot of the things we were looking for and was a pretty good fit, but after six months we did come to realize that it still wasn’t quite perfect… and thus the search for our little piece of paradise continues.

‘

Read the original article here: Costa Rica Budget

Related posts:

1. Week 56: Costa Rica and our “Casa del Surf”
2. Handmade Souvenir in Costa Rica
3. From Tamarindo, Costa Rica to Roatan, Honduras

Computer Gear

• HP HDX 16 Laptop
• Macbook Pro 15″
• Laptop Cooling Pad
• 2 iPod Touch mp3 players
• Skype headset
• 2 sets of ear-bud headphones
• 6 backup hard-drives
• DVD software backups
• Wireless router
• Various network & USB cables
• Various power cords
• Waterproof laptop bag
• Laptop Backpack

Camera Gear

• Canon D40 Camera
• CompactFlash card reader
• Ikelite underwater camera housing
• 2 underwater lens ports
• 4 camera lenses
• Cleaning kit
• Small tripod
• Speed-light
• Underwater strobe & battery pack
• Various battery chargers

Clothes
Mike:

• 2 pairs of reading glasses
• 2 pairs of sunglasses
• 1 pair of jeans
• 10 shirts
• 5 shorts
• 2 pairs of socks
• 5 boxer-shorts
• 1 pair of flip-flops
• 2 pairs of shoes
• 1 hoodie
• Hat

Kelly:

• 1 pairs of sunglasses
• 1 pair of jeans
• 12 shirts
• 3 sundresses
• 6 shorts
• 2 pairs of socks
• 1 pile of underwear
• 3 bikinis
• 3 pairs of shoes
• 2 pairs of flip-flops
• 1 sweater
• 1 hoodie
• 1 sarong
• various bits of jewelry

Dive Gear

• 2 sets of fins
• 2 sets of booties
• 2 rash guards
• 2 dive masks
• 2 dive computers/watches w/mini compass
• 2 metal ‘pokey’ sticks
• Retractable 40m spool
• Dive buoy
• Fin bag
• Dive charts
• Dive log books
• Dive light (broken) :(
• Dry bag
• Large dive duffel bag

Misc

• Passport Folder w/travel documentation and backups of IDs and cards
• Kelly’s purse and wallet
• Mike’s wallet
• Waterproof wallet
• Multi-tool/Swiss Army Knife
• Small backpack for day trips
• 2 toiletries bags
• Unlocked GSM cellphone and charger
• Portable alarm clock
• 8 books
• Resistance bands for work outs
• Small first aid kit
• Small flashlight
• Baggage locks
• Padlock
• Pacsafe (wire mesh to wrap and lock around bags)
• 2 towels
• Padded neck cushion
• Inflatable neck cushion
• Deck of cards
• A pair of dice
• Bottle opener
• Lighter
• Various shampoo, deodorant, lotions, sunblock, toothpaste, etc
• Hair clippers/shaving kit
• Nail clippers
• Tweezers
• Bug repellent
• Tylenol
• 2 toothbrushes
• 3 months of contact lenses
• Plastic bag of receipts for tax time
• Laundry Bag
• 4 mesh bags
• Notebooks and a few pens
• Electrical tape
• Various electrical plug adapters
• 2 huge rolling bags with shoulder straps to pack it all in

No matter how much stuff we get rid of from our bags, we consistently repurchase the same items in the next country we visit. So we’ve pretty much decided to stop culling the inventory unless it no longer fits into the bags or one of us develops serious lower back issues.

Read the original article here: The Long Term Travel Gear List

Related posts:

1. Malaysia and Canada travel budgets
2. Philippines, Thailand, and Bali travel budgets
3. Friendships and long-term travel

What it cost us to live for 2 months in Malaysia:

And this brings the grand total for our year in Southeast Asia to roughly $51,000. We didn’t travel too cheaply. We always stayed in decent accommodations. We always ate well and partied often. This also includes around 170 scuba dives (approximately $6000) for the two of us combined and about $3000 in computers, parts, and peripherals.

Back in Canada we were prepared for a costly month, running around to see family in various cities and catching up with all our friends. We had a few big nights out, and stocked up on all the clothing and travel essentials we’ll need for the coming year. We only spent 4 nights in hotels, staying with family and mooching off them where we could. ;) Also, a big thanks to Rod who let us stay in his place for a couple weeks while he was away in Amsterdam. It was much appreciated! We probably would have had to spend another $2000 on hotels or an executive apartment otherwise.

What it cost us to live for 1 month in Canada:

I don’t know that our Canada budget is a realistic gauge of an average cost of traveling in Canada. We spent a lot stocking up on supplies for the next 6 months in Costa Rica. We were eating in a lot of nice restaurants when catching up with people or in meetings. A lot of time was spent in coffee shops using the WiFi. A few lattes a day is an extra $10-20 a day we’re not accustomed to anymore. But, it is the cost of doing what we do. Thankfully we were able to curb some of the costs by staying with family and friends.

Read the original article here: Malaysia and Canada travel budgets

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1. Philippines, Thailand, and Bali travel budgets
2. Week 41: From Bali to Malaysia
3. The Long Term Travel Gear List

You’ll notice that we spent significantly less in the Philippines on a per month basis than anywhere else. I primarily attribute this to being settled in a beach house with a full kitchen for a 4 month stretch and being fairly remote which limited restaurant expenses to local options. This illustrates my previous post about how to keep costs down by traveling slowly and minimizing food expenses. There’s also no international flight costs included in the Philippines expenses. I’m not sure if something like that should be averaged over the whole trip, or attributed to the arrival country. In which case, Hong Kong cost us $3400. :)

What it cost us to live for 6 months in the Philippines:

What it cost us to live for 3 months in Thailand:

What it cost us to live for 1 month in Bali:

What it cost us to live for 1 month in Vancouver:

This is no way accounts for every expense in Vancouver because the situational differences between ‘nesting’ back home and the travel lifestyle don’t allow for the same expenditures. There’s no longer any need to be buying new work clothes, a new tv, kitchen gadgets, or other furnishing luxuries. Which is where much of the remainder of our paychecks usually went. There are obvious economies we could have taken advantage of in Vancouver. We could have moved in together and gotten rid of one apartment. We could have gone out less. We could have minimized expenses. But this is a fairly realistic outline of our recurring monthly costs before and during the trip. Also, I suppose diving expenses aren’t a recurring monthly cost, but it’s a major line item on our budget and to exclude it would paint a significantly cheaper and considerably more boring travel option.

So the question would now be, are we making more or less money working abroad? It’s hard to definitively answer this. Kelly (on advice from her accountant) intentionally worked less during the last quarter since selling her apartment. With the economy as it is, we’ve also seen a reduction in new freelance contracts. Still, business is coming in and we’re covering our monthly expenses. Without the excess expenses of nesting our disposable income ends up in our bank accounts instead of furnishings, but varies greatly depending on if we’re on the move or stationary. Short answer? We’re making less money and our disposable income is less, but by removing nesting costs, the money stays in our pockets. Call it ‘forced savings’. All in all, working online while traveling has been a financially and personally rewarding experience.

Read the original article here: Philippines, Thailand, and Bali travel budgets

Related posts:

1. Malaysia and Canada travel budgets
2. Philippines Recap
3. 100th post: Traveling vs Vacationing. 10 ways to keep costs down.

We do have a standard of living that is comparable to our life back home in most facets, staying in rented apartments or hotels. We don’t stay in hostels or crash on peoples couches to save money, but try to maintain a sense of frugality and ‘live like a local’ where possible. We stretch out our resources and take advantage of the lower cost of living in a developing country while working online. Additionally, traveling smarter by comparison shopping for flight and accommodation deals has kept our trip inline with our budget expectations. We typically estimate $1000 per month for accommodation and $1000 per month for food and entertainment expenses for the two of us. We budget flight expenses separately.

10 ways we’ve found to keep costs down over the long haul while traveling:

1. Travel slowly.

• The longer you stay in one area the cheaper the daily rate for accommodation is, or can be negotiated. For example, the daily rate for our current 3 bedroom furnished suite with kitchen is $125/day. The monthly rate works out to about $30/day + electricity expenses. Less than 1/4 the daily rate! Just under our budget of $1000 a month. It’s more space than we need, but the best of the few places we could find in Penang with an internet connection in the room and availability for the whole month. For us, $30 a day is the average cost for accommodation for our trip. Pick a number and negotiate/adjust your expectations accordingly.
• One of the largest expenses of any trip is flights. When travel planning, calculate your flight expenses on a per day basis rather than per trip, especially when visiting multiple locations. For example, our flight to Penang from Kuala Lumpur was about $150 and we’ll be staying there 30 days ($5/day). On a long trip, staying in one area longer might mean less flights overall and could make one location more cost effective than another for an extended period.
• Taking trains, ferries, and buses cuts back substantially on flight costs and lets you see many aspects of the country you would normally miss traveling from airport to airport. We tend to splurge a little and spend the extra few dollars for sleeper cars or air conditioning, which can make a 6-8 hour trip significantly more comfortable.

2. Find bars and restaurants serving local fare to locals.

• We’re foodie people. Our budget allocates almost as much for food as it does for shelter. We order an Australian ribeye for dinner at a more expensive restaurant now and again, but finding where the locals go out to eat and drink is a huge cost saver. Whether it’s street meat from cart vendors, hawker stalls, open air markets, or BBQ restaurants, eating the local fare is usually cheaper, fresher, and often better tasting than tourist alternatives where they charge more for familiar food that is often lacking proper ingredients or using stale imported ones. Get out of your hotel! They may serve local dishes, but likely it’ll be 2 or 3 times more expensive than at a popular local restaurant or from a vendor.
• A pint of Guinness at the Irish pub is also a welcome treat, but usually you’ll find us at a local pub. Import beer prices are on par with bar beers back home, costing $5-7, most of which is import taxes. Local brew usually floats around the $1 to $2 mark. The list of good Asian manufactured beers is endless. Tiger, Singha, Chang, San Miguel, Anker, Bintang… Every country we’ve been through produces at least a couple really good bevvies, along with a bunch of people who’ll be happy to enjoy them with you.

3. Cook for yourself.

• We try to find a rental or hotel with a kitchenette whenever we can. Growing tired of restaurant food everyday happens easily, and it’s great to be able to make comfort food that you’re familiar with and saves a few dollars.
• Try to buy local products. Import products are heavily taxed and are often not as fresh as local alternatives. I’d gladly drop a few extra dollars for some Clamato juice or arborio rice, but many common fruit, canned products, and dried goods are imports in smaller countries that don’t produce them locally. Keep an eye on the prices and compare to generic brands and local varieties.

4. Use fare comparison search engines to book budget and sale priced flights.

• Most major international airlines run domestic routes and short haul trips that budget carriers fly for significantly less. Airlines often have flight sales and last minute deals as well. Using a fare comparison search engine cuts down on the leg work needed to find the best rate to your destination. A few notes of caution: Budget airlines can charge a significant amount for baggage overages and usually have lower baggage allowances than major carriers, so be sure to factor that into the price if you’re traveling heavy. Also, comparison sites can often include commission charges and other hidden fees. Always check the flight cost on the airline’s site as well.
• Expedia
• Travelocity
• Orbitz
• Priceline
• CheapTickets
• Hotwire
• Vayama
• Kayak is great for comparing comparison site results. It queries Hotwire, Expedia, and Travelocity at the same time as well as polling others and the airline sites.
• Air Asia – While not a comparison search engine, we’ve found that Air Asia has consistently offered the best rate for almost every flight we’ve taken in Southeast Asia. We look here first for the price to beat.
• How do budget airlines make flights so cheap? Here’s an interesting chart from 2005 that outlines where the cost savings from flying with budget airlines come from.

5. Use discount hotel reservation sites for short term accommodation.

• Many countries have discount reservation sites where you can find hotel rooms listed for less than half the cost shown on the hotel reservation pages. We’ve used AsiaRooms and Agoda many times during this trip. Especially in Thailand where we were moving from place to place every couple weeks. The only word of warning is to confirm with the hotel that extending your room at the same rate is not a problem. You can always extend through the same discount sites, but the rate may have changed and it can take a couple days for these reservation services to process your reservation with the hotel.

6. Pound the pavement for long term accommodation.

• Before committing to a long term rental sight unseen, its best to arrive and spend a few days in a discounted hotel to check out the place and research rental opportunities that may not be listed online. Most places listed online are through property management companies and will have a commission included in the price. Once you’ve arrived, many places will simply have a sign tacked to a billboard, a telephone pole, or in the window. Plus its great to get eyes, ears, and nose on the scene before committing. We’ve moved a couple of times due to construction, roosters, and endlessly partying neighbours. There have been a few smelly, dirty places we’ve walked away from as well.
• If you are going to search online for a long term place, craigslist is great for countries where it’s an active classifieds board, but many places in Asia don’t tend to use it. Using any major search engine, I’ve found that searching for “weekly rental” or “weekly rate” and the name of the city or country I’ll be in yields most of the longer term options while excluding much of the hotel and sales marketing sites.

7. Research everything.

• We used a guidebook in the Philippines, but haven’t really used one since. We found the information contained is usually pretty dated. Great for an overview or a starting point. Clears up questions about tipping and the cost of taxis. The maps are great for orienting yourself before you arrive.
• Read travel blogs. A first hand account by someone who was also new to the place usually answers many of the same questions you might have. There’s a list of blog directories in the sidebar that you can search to find a relevant travel blog.
• Read reviews. Trip Advisor is great for making sure the hotel you booked isn’t a roach infested dump, and you won’t have your watch stolen while you sleep. Agoda and AsiaRooms also have review sections.

8. Use public transportation.

• Don’t be afraid to rub elbows. Jump on public transportation when you head to the market or the beach. A bus, tuk tuk, or jeepney is usually far more economic than a taxi. Provided you’re not going too far, squishing into a crowded jeepney has been one of the more entertaining rides with a chicken I’ve had so far.

9. Air conditioning vs fan.

• I don’t think you ever really acclimate if you stay in an air conditioned room all the time, and they typically cost more than a fan room. If you rent a place longer term, it’s not unusual that you’ll put down a deposit for electricity. A/C will eat that deposit, consider it gone. You’ll probably even owe another $50-100 at the end of the month if you’re staying in a more remote area where electricity is expensive.

10. Use expat bulletin boards.

• Searching for expatriate bulletin boards specific to the area you’re visiting is a great way to find hidden deals since many expats are living on a budget as well. Join as a member and ask where they recommend to stay for your price range and what to expect. They also can recommend tour operators, secret fishing spots, and all kinds of other gems.

In general, this year abroad has profoundly changed the way we travel. We still have a high standard of living, but live frugally by traveling smarter and investing time in research and comparison shopping. To think of spending $6 on a beer, or $3000 on an all-inclusive resort for 2 or 3 weeks seems almost a crime now. A crime worth committing every so often. ;)

Kelly and I must be doing something right, because in a few short weeks our trip is going on vacation. We’re putting the computers away and heading off for a few weeks in the Perenthians and Borneo for a ton of diving, eating, drinking, and motorcycle riding before our trip comes to a close and we return home to Canada for a visit with the family. I’m looking forward to putting my feet up, higher.

Read the original article here: 100th post: Traveling vs Vacationing. 10 ways to keep costs down.

Related posts:

1. Philippines, Thailand, and Bali travel budgets
2. Malaysia and Canada travel budgets
3. How we moved to a tropical paradise

So what does a nerd do offline in a tropical country? He stays hydrated…

Tiger Beer
My personal favourite. Malty and a touch sweet. Originating from Malaysia, but also brewed in Thailand. More than 3 of these could be considered a meal.

Mekhong Whiskey
I actually had to go online and look at pictures of whiskey on Google to find out what this is. There’s not a word of English on the bottle. Thai whiskey is potent, guaranteed to give you a wicked hangover, and has been rumoured to have some slight hallucinogenic properties. All I know is you put it in a bucket with Coke and Red Bull. Yum.

Phuket Beer
Brewed by the Phuket Brewery, this light lager is… light. Almost flavourless in fact.

Singha Beer
The staple of Thailand. Available everywhere. Light and refreshing, it goes with everything. Like breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Leo Beer
A close runner up to Singha. Also very light and enjoyable. Probably the cheapest, good beer available almost everywhere.

SiamSato Cider
What we thought was a beer, but turned out to be a cloyingly sweet cider. Lesson learned, if it doesn’t say ‘beer’ on the bottle, don’t assume it is one. We ended up pouring this one out.

Archa Beer
Also a good light beer. We haven’t seen this one again since Phuket.

Mai Tai Guy
This little pineapple headed fellow let us drink his fruity brains. Yum. I’m a tropical zombie.

Chang Beer
The other staple beer of Thailand. Stronger than Singha, this is the backpacker’s beer of choice. You buy less liquor but it gets you drunk quicker. Famous for the ‘Changover’ the next day, it was once rumoured to have formalin added to it as a preservative.

Cheers Beer
Norm would be all over this. It’s light and good like so many of the other Thai beers. Really, in a blind taste test I would be hard pressed to tell one beer from another.

We’ve done a bit more than just drinking for the last 3 weeks. It’s currently Songkran, the Thai New Years where a ‘cleansing’ takes place in the form of a country wide water fight. It’s a little more chill here on Koh Tao than when I experienced it 6 years ago on Koh Samui. There I was barely able to get a block out of the house before being soaked from head to toe and surrounded by crowds of belligerently amusing Aussies. Here on Koh Tao, it’s a sleepy little dive town where the festivities don’t really get started till later in the evenings.

We’ve had some really good meals. La Matta is a great little Italian place on the main strip of Mae Haad that serves wood fired oven pizzas and hand made pasta. Local Thai food is spicy, cheap, and everywhere. I had 3 dinners the other night. Seafood beach BBQ is everywhere and very fresh. We’ve become late night regulars at the local pancake stands where they’ll whip you up a chocolate nutella pancake with condensed milk in 30 seconds. Needless to say, I’m packing on the pounds.

There’s been some rioting in Bangkok lately, but looks to have been resolved without closing the airport. There were a few deaths and a multitude of injuries when protesters and the military clashed once again. The issue is the same as when the country closed the airport last December, 2 political factions are fighting for control and one is trying to oust the current PM. Thankfully, we’ve been pretty much unaffected out here on the islands.

The fact that we only have about 3 more months before we head home has started to settle in. We’ve vowed to cut back our baggage size to something a little more manageable and do more traveling in the coming few months, rather than settling into an apartment. I’m stoked about doing a motorcycle tour of Borneo and both Kelly and I are contemplating Bali or eastern Malaysia for some more diving.

We’re looking forward to coming home for a visit. We’ll be spending a week or two in Vancouver, then heading to the Island, Kelowna, etc… to see family. Funnily enough, the most expensive part of our whole trip could be the time we spend in Vancouver. Anyone have a good hookup for hotel deals near the downtown core? Following that, we’re thinking that we’ll be moving on to Central America for a while. Pending economical conditions and homesickness of course. We’re looking forward to seeing you all.

Read the original article here: Back Online and a Buck a Beer

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1. Random Factoid: San Miguel makes good, cheap beer.
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3. Week 21: Making Plans

It’s been an amazing six months. There have been some ups and some downs, and it hasn’t always been exactly what we hoped it would be, but I wouldn’t trade it for a minute. Mike and I are both very excited about the next phase, and are looking forward to arriving in Thailand after a brief week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Before we do, we wanted to give you a little recap of our time in the Philippines.

Top 5 things we’ve done in the Philippines:

5. Renting a motorbike and exploring the island of Siquijor
4. Chilling out with a couple of sundowners on the beautiful White Beach in Boracay.
3. Drinking with the dive boys in a road side shack and experiencing ‘tuba’ (palm wine) for the first time.
2. Mike learning to dive, and getting to share the amazing underwater scenery of Apo Island.
1. Getting up close with the cute little creature known as the tarsier.

5 “Pro’s” to living in the Philippines:

5. The Diving - Diving in the Philippines is known to be some of the best in the world, and we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy it for 6 whole months.

4. Smiley, happy, English speaking people - Unless you’re traveling to remote locations in the Philippines you’ll have no trouble finding someone who speaks English and as a culture, Filipinos are upbeat, cheerful and friendly. They will go out of their way to make you happy, they will invite you into their homes, feed you, and overwhelm you with hospitality.

3. Cheap Rum & Beer - For about $6.50 CAD you can get a really good bottle of rum. For about $3.50 you can get a not too bad bottle of rum… and for about $1.15 you can get a pretty crap bottle… As for beer .70 cents will get you a nice cold frosty one.

2. Easy Tourist Visas - One of the main reasons we chose the Philippines to begin with was their easy Tourist Visa. On arrival you are given 21 days which you can easily extend to 59 at any immigration office (or like us you can apply for 59 days before you even get there). Then every 59 days you simply head to an immigration office, pay a fee and they’ll stamp you for another 59 days (up to a max of 2 years). Unlike many other South East Asian countries, you can do this all without having to leave the country. Although the fees do start to add up, it’s still cheaper than traveling to a neighboring country every couple of months.

1. Our beach house - Although our place wasn’t the norm, and it did take us quite a while to find, we loved it, and will probably have a hard time finding something comparable in other Asian countries. Especially on the beach. There are not a ton of rental options in the Philippines, but they do exist if you ask around.

5 “Con’s” to living in the Philippines:

5. Difference between social classes - No matter how long you stay there, or how little money you make, rural locals assumed that because we were white we were rich. This made it really hard to actually get to know them and form solid friendships. Money was always the elephant in the corner.

4. Lack of infrastructure - Once you get outside of the few major cities things become quite rural. Internet connections get slower and ATMs become few and far between. For people on a short vacation these things aren’t such a big deal, but when trying to spend an extended period of time in one country these things can be a problem, and definitely limited where we were able to travel/live.

3. Transportation - Although getting around in the Philippines isn’t hard, it can take a while, and compared to other South East Asian Countries it can be quite expensive. Domestic flights can be found to most major destinations, however expect to spend a couple hundred dollars. If you prefer to travel like the locals, things are definitely cheaper, but be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting. Also finding out schedules and time tables can be challenging, as there are few online resources, and often schedules published in newspapers are wrong. Be sure to ask someone, in fact ask several people, as most Filipinos would rather tell you the wrong time, then admit they don’t know the answer.

2. Lack of English speaking people our age - During our six months here we met a handful of really great people, but it was definitely a struggle. The majority of foreigners we met in the Philippines tended to be in their late 50s and either German or Swiss. They were usually married, or dating REALLY young Filipinas, and while we know this isn’t specific to the Philippines, it definitely stands out because they are pretty much the only foreigners we saw. (With the exception of Boracay)

1. The food - Sure we had a few really good meals, but as a whole, the food of the Philippines, was a pretty big let down. Most of it was quite bland, and there was definitely a lack of variety and ingredients. No fresh herbs or spices and lots of canned ingredients and packaged seasoning mixes. We had high hopes for fresh sea food given that the country is made up of more than 7000 islands, however we soon found out that pretty much everything is sent to Manila for export, and whatever is leftover is then packaged, frozen and sent back.

What it cost us to live for 6 months in the Philippines:

*Disclaimer - These numbers are on the conservative side, as we haven’t accounted for every single expenditure. We’ve bought a few pieces of dive gear, had a couple of big party nights, and have most definitely missed a few things along the way. However they are a pretty good average of 6 months of living in the Visayas region of the Philippines.

Also please remember what works for us, might not work for you. Mike and I are not budget travelers. We are not 21 years old, backpacking through Asia, staying in $2/night hostels, eating as cheap as we can. We are 30 year old professionals, freelancing for clients back home in Canada, and taking advantage of the cheaper cost of living in South East Asia. Internet is a necessity for us, and as such we’ve chosen to make a few sacrifices in what we would normally look for in a vacation destination in order to live this lifestyle.

All in all it’s been an amazing six months, and I can’t believe how fast it’s gone by. We have so many great memories and have met some fantastic people, some of whom we hope to run into again along the way. The Philippines has definitely treated us well, although ultimately we decided it wasn’t quite right for us. So, we’re continuing the search for our own perfect piece of paradise, but with so many places to explore it might take us a little while to find.

So… for now… goodbye Philippines!

_{(picture number 4 in the “con’s” section was not taken by me, it is from ‘teepeedub’ on flickr)}

Read the original article here: Philippines Recap

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2. Philippines Christmas Recap
3. A post for the ladies: Tampons in the Philippines

#1. Try San Miguel Strong Ice

We’ve never seen anyone drinking it. Is it a cider? Nope, it turns out that it’s yet another pale pilsen. This time its ice filtered and packing a bit more of a punch. 6.3% alcohol, making it a close second to Red Horse Strong Beer.

As usual with San Miguel products, there’s an entertaining slogan on the can:

And there’s cereal in there, so it’s gotta be good for you…

#2. Pay the diving bill

We’re going to post a complete budget in the near future so you can see what the last 6 months here has cost, but doing 40+ dives each, with equipment rentals and sanctuary fees has cost roughly $3200 for the two of us. Not including my dive courses. Not too shabby.

As a result of spending so much time underwater, we’ve become close friends with a number of the dive masters and the team of guys who do the heavy lifting for us. Which leads us to:

#3. Going away party

Cost of getting everyone drunk as skunks? $30. That’s a kind of awesome that’s just not found back home in Canada.

We didn’t actually accomplish that much as far as the checklist goes since we’ve been swamped with work. We were hoping to go to Malapascua to see thresher sharks and Luzon to see whale sharks, as well as visit El Nido and some other areas of Palawan, but with the limited internet access in those parts it looks like that will have to wait till the end of our trip. We have to come back to the Philippines to fly home in August and will probably spend a few more weeks in some of the more remote regions, so the checklist lives on.

Stay tuned for our Philippines 6 month wrap up post.

Read the original article here: Week 25: Things to do before leaving the Philippines

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1. Week 47: Diving Sipadan and Mabul
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3. Learning to Dive in the Philippines

The guide contains information on:

• Visa Requirements
• Transportation
• Internet Access
• Accommodation Recommendations
• Alternative Office Spaces
• and Online Resources

To find out more, or purchase a guide ($7) visit locationindependent.com

Read the original article here: A Guide to living short-term in the Philippines

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3. Random Factoid: The Philippines is the Text Messaging Capitol of the World

We’ll be spending 4 days in Kuala Lumpur, before heading to Thailand. After much research detailing horrible experiences with the Thai Embassy in Manila, we decided to try our luck with the Thai Embassy in KL instead, as most people seemed to have pretty positive reports from there. We’ll be applying for a 60-day tourist visa, with an optional 30-day extension, which will give us 90-days in Thailand. If we decide we want to stay longer, we’ll have to leave the country and come back in. But for now we’re thinking 3 months will be a good start.

While we’re in KL we plan to check out the usual sights, the Petronas Towers, and China Town, as well as hopefully the Elephant Sanctuary. We’re both looking forward to the food, as we’ve heard a lot of good things, especially about the street food. So if anyone has any thoughts on where to go, what to do, or where to eat in KL, definitely fire us an email, or leave a suggestion in the comments section.

On March 1st we fly from KL to Phuket, where we’re thinking we’ll base ourselves for the 3 months. I’m sure a few of you are wondering why Phuket, as usually we’d opt for something a little less touristy, but there are actually a few reasons we’re thinking of basing ourselves there. First, our need for a decent internet connection. Traveling with our laptops and working while we do it has definitely changed the way we travel. It means we need somewhere with a little more infrastructure than we would typically need if we were just on a two week vacation. Phuket has a lot of hotels with free wifi, as well as quite a few monthly rentals with ADSL already installed. Second, we’re thinking that Phuket is a good base from which we can explore the many other great places in Thailand quite easily. We’re hoping to do a lot more traveling in Thailand than we’ve been able to do in the Philippines, due to the lack of internet in a lot places here. Third, we’ve both already been to the Gulf side of Thailand and thought it would be good to check out the other side. And lastly the diving. While I love Koh Tao, and the vibe of the whole island, the diving on the Andaman Sea side is suppose to be much better. Phuket is also the jump off point for live-aboard dive trips to the Similan Islands, which we definitely want to do while we’re there. We still have a bit more research to do but as with most places we wont really know until we get there.

While we were at the travel agent, we also changed the date for our return to Vancouver. The tickets we purchased to come to the Philippines expire if we don’t use them before Aug. 31st, so rather than let them go to waste, we figured we’d come back for a visit, before deciding where to head next. So for those of you in Vancouver mark your calendars, cause we’ll be back August 15th (just in time to celebrate Mike’s birthday on the 19th). So unless you decide to come visit us in Thailand, which we’d love, we’ll see you in August!

Read the original article here: Week 21: Making Plans

Related posts:

1. Making the Decision
2. Week 19: Happy 30th Birthday Kelly!
3. Week 27: Phuket, Thailand