by Ben Thomas | May 2, 2015 | BenThere, Destinations
By now everyone is (or should be) familiar with the tragedy in Nepal. At around mid-day on April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the middle of the country, leading to massive destruction in the Kathmandu Valley and beyond. Jenna, my sister Kristin,...
by Jenna Thomas | Apr 13, 2015 | Asia, Destinations, Round the World Travel
As we bumped along in a hot minibus between Battambang and Phnom Penh, I had to wonder: did we take a wrong turn? Surely this rutted dirt road cannot be the highway connecting the country’s second biggest city to its capital. This country was once home to the...
by Jenna Thomas | Apr 3, 2015 | Asia, Destinations, Round the World Travel
Ben and I recently spent a week in Thailand, our second visit to the “Land of Smiles” after a 36-hour layover in January. It was hot, but wonderful. We ate all the mango sticky rice we could, stood in awe of the elephants at Elephant Nature Park, and found...
by Jenna Thomas | Mar 31, 2015 | Destinations
Camping seems to be one of New Zealand’s national pastimes. You can barely drive ten kilometers without passing a DOC campground (government-run) or a “Holiday Park” similar to KOA back home. And during the summer, they’re so busy that you often need to book a spot in...
by Ben Thomas | Mar 20, 2015 | BenThere, Destinations, New Zealand
Near every time I arrive at some secluded cove or beachside town and look out, I am immediately drawn to those playing in the water. Not true; first, I am enamored by the spectacular color of the water. Again. I do this everytime. I see actual, blue ocean water and I...
by Jenna Thomas | Mar 17, 2015 | Destinations, New Zealand
I wanted to love Karamea. At the end of a twisty road, on a beachy corner of New Zealand’s South Island, it sounded right up my alley. The town refers to itself as the West Coast’s “best kept secret” and Lonely Planet described it as “a...
by Ben Thomas | Mar 4, 2015 | BenThere, Destinations
Staring at the trail leading directly to the base of a four foot wall, I couldn’t help exclaim, “Freaking Kiwis!” I then crashed my ankle bone directly into a root. Or, rather, the root reached out and punched me. I laughed to myself and clarified,...
by Jenna Thomas | Mar 2, 2015 | Destinations, New Zealand, Round the World Travel
I was twelve years old when I decided that I was going to New Zealand someday. I saw the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and fell irrevocably in love with Middle Earth (I know there’s nothing unique about this; hundreds of thousands of NZ visitors...
by Jenna Thomas | Feb 24, 2015 | Destinations, New Zealand
After a month on the beaches of the North Island, Ben and I were ready for mountains. So after crossing Cook Strait and stopping for a leisurely wine tasting in Marlborough, we set our sights on Nelson Lakes National Park. It was conveniently halfway between wine...
by Jenna Thomas | Feb 19, 2015 | Destinations, New Zealand
I’ll be honest, when I read that the ferry across Cook Strait was often a white-knuckle experience, I was more than a little excited. The thrill-seeker in me was hoping for a big swell; I wanted the adventure of cresting a big wave and plunging nose first down the...
