With Janet | Travel Blog

When we traveled across Peru, we used Peru Hop  to travel from Lima through all the iconic cities of Peru. One city we passed through was Arequipa, which was one of the most enchanting cities in South America I've ever visited by far.  There's a 1-day, 2-day, or 3-day hiking trek you can sign-up for to explore the nearby Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world. It is quite an experience, especially if you're able to walk downhill and uphill for 3-5 hours non-stop ( pro-tip: you can get a taxi mule for the hiking up the last part).  Local mentioned, some Incans used to use the routes from Colca Canyon to travel 6-7 days to Machu Pichu. Pretty impressive. Importance of acclimating to the altitude To prep for the Colca Canyon hike, it is recommended that you first acclimatize to the altitude in Arequipa (2-3 days might do it for you?). Arequipa sits at a 2400 m elevation, while Colca Canyon's elevation ranges between 1000 - 4000 m depending on where you are....

Some might say, Old Town in Phuket feels like Chinatown - and you wouldn’t be completely wrong. As you walk through the alleys and peer into the shops, you’ll get this 1920s Old Shanghai atmosphere. When you glance at the architecture, you’ll wonder, was Thailand ever colonized by the European countries? A Quick History of Old Town Phuket and the Tin Industry Phuket prospered during the 16th century, thanks to the tin mining industry. Unlike other Asian countries, Thailand was never colonized. They were really good at adapting to the Western Powers’ way of doing trade and handling politics. One after the other, different western powers were given rights to mine and trade tin in Phuket. They were eventually replaced and expelled overtime from the 1500s-1800s, starting with the Portuguese, Dutch, Britain and French. Throughout the centuries, Phuket became a melting pot of Siamese, Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians and ‘Sea Gypsies’ (aboriginal Malay people that found there way along th...

In most metropolitans around the world, seafood is a true delicacy. In Phuket, it’s almost a commodity. If you’re a seafood feign, that loves to gorge on shrimp of all sizes, scallops, lobsters, clams, razor clams, fish, squid, crab, horseshoe crab… you name it, there’s probably something for you. Getting to Rawai Seafood Market Simply put in  Rawai Seafood Market  in Google maps, Grab app or Bolt app. For those riding their scooter over, there’s free parking right at the pier. Once you get to Rawai Beach, if you’re facing the pier, to your left will be a row of seafood mongers, restaurants and some shops selling swimwear and fruits. Everyone will try to hustle you, but don’t waiver just yet. I recommend you to walk all the way down the aisle and checkout which stall has the freshest looking seafood. Buying Seafood at Rawai Seafood Market As a quick tip, ordering 250 grams of seafood per person is a very normal portion of food to eat. On one occasion, our eyes were bigger than...

If you’re like me, from the East Coast of North America, it is pretty hard to come by a surfboard, let alone a beach with strong waves. I’ve always been curious about my West Coast friends who were able to pick up a board and ride the San Diego waves, or even friends in Milwaukee riding the waves of the Great Lakes! So, when my Thai friend visited us in Phuket, we decided to hit up Kata Beach. Beforehand, we ate a hardy seafood lunch at the Rawai Seafood Market nearby.  I wish we discovered how fun this would be way sooner because it was so fun! We spent most of our time in Phuket  training martial arts at Sinbi Muay Thai , which is about a 15 min ride away from this beautiful coast. Finding a Surf School on Kata Beach, Phuket The simple way would be to walk along the 2.5 km coast of Kata Beach and ask different surf schools about their price and availabilities.  Personally, we were too lazy to visit the beach, so we searched online and via Instagram . Many leave their ...

I used to live in New York City. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a great time exploring Muay Thai at Coban (He was a legend. He had more than 200 fights in his career and only lost 10 fights). Unfortunately, they had to close down.  It has been my partner’s dream to travel to Thailand and train Muay Thai with the very best. We weren’t just trying to find any Muay Tai gym, we wanted to learn from great trainers in a fun and foreigner-friendly environment.  Let’s be real, we weren’t planning to fight in the ring. Coming out of COVID and traveling across Europe earlier that month, we were pretty out of shape! Since it was also his first time visiting Thailand, we decided to explore a city a week, starting with Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and finishing with Koh Phangan.  Before I share which Muay Thai gyms we visited, I’ll just put it out there... if you want to improve your skills, it’s best to stay put at one gym. I soon realized each gym had its own style, from preferr...