Fiji

A long time ago we looked into taking a cruise around the South Pacific. The idea of visiting such exotic-sounding destinations as Fiji and Tahiti was thrilling, and though we ultimately didn't book that cruise, the idea of visiting those places remained in our minds as a sort of ultimate beach trip. When we began planning this trip, we realized we had an opportunity to pick some island destinations in the South Pacific. Bali was the first of those exotic destinations, and the second was Fiji.

Driving around Australia

Bali marked the end of nearly three months in Asia. We were all ready for some cooler weather after those months of heat and humidity, and we were also excited to do something different.

We first flew to Perth in southwestern Australia, which was a lot greener than I had imagined western Australia would be.

Bali, Indonesia

Bali was the third of five beach weeks we're spending during this year. Bali was a place I knew little about before we planned the trip, other than that it was a beach destination popular with Australians, and that there was a terrorist attack there several years ago. When we were choosing the exotic beach locales for the trip, Bali was a place we both mentioned almost immediately (along with Tahiti and Fiji, both of which are coming up soon).

We thought it might be a bit quick to go back to a beach resort so soon after Koh Samui, and in retrospect, I think it was. It was going to be hard to top Koh Samui, and it might have been better to have a few more weeks between the two. But of course, that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy it!

Singapore

Singapore is a city Doug has been to many times on business, but one I've never been to until this trip. It's one of his favorite cities in the world and he was excited to bring Carter and me here. Singapore is an extremely international city. It's sandwiched between Malaysia and Indonesia, almost on the equator, and is an incredible melting pot of cultures. Singapore is a big financial center, and so people from all over the world live and work here. As a result, there are incredible restaurants, world-class shopping and entertainment, and one of the largest and most successful casinos in the world. 

Koh Samui, Thailand

After our visit to Vietnam we headed back to Thailand for the second of five beach weeks during the trip. We'd had a fantastic time in Goa and we hoped our time on the island of Koh Samui would be at least as good as that week was. It exceeded our expectations in so many ways that it's hard to describe the experience. I'll have to let the pictures speak for themselves.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (part 2)

The highlight of our time in Vietnam was the time was spent in the Mekong River delta. We spent two days touring in this area, which was a 90-minute drive from Saigon. Along either side of the freeway was farmland, beautiful countryside dotted with rice fields and farm houses.