One of our Couchsurfing hosts, owner of The Table and Bellingham Pasta Co., Katie shared on our Facebook page: “Bellingham is a better place today because of these two.” Being stranded, almost homeless; and definitely sleepless in Seattle in June this summer – we were this close to packing up and moving on from the…
We set off from Guatemala City towards El Salvador by bus, and arrived in San Salvador at around 8.30PM. We had planned to cycle from the bus terminal to our host hotel, Villa del Angel upon arrival because, “It’s 5 kilometres on our bikes, we should be able to get there within half an hour”,…
Our last stop in Guatemala – the city. We met our host, Manuel, the owner of hostel Quetzalroo during our second week in Guatemala, at our retreat in Isla Verde. Manuel and his partner were putting up flyers all over Lake Atitlan to promote hostel Quetzalroo. We walked past each other 3 times and Manuel…
Once in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, our host, Angelina said to the couple who were giving us a ride to Palenque, “It’s from my hands to yours. Please take good care of them.” And when we reached the house of our host in Palenque, the couple said to her, “It’s from our hands to yours. Please…
We first met Arlaine through Niños del Lago, an NGO we “stumbled upon” at Chinitas’. Some weeks later, after we returned to Pana from the lake and Xela, Arlaine invited us to her cottage for lunch, “I will buy, and you will cook.” We love connecting and exchanging stories with people over home-cooked meals, so…
This is us. We had just spent 60Q (~USD8) on ferry tickets to and fro Santa Cruz, thinking we got ourselves a much needed house-sitting job, only to find out that they were asking for USD800/month of rent. We should be disappointed, deluded, despaired…and maybe even a little desperate at that moment. But you if…
This is a story of how two Couchsurfers met, fell in love, and became family… The Meeting – A Fiasco Beetroot Dinner When we wrote to Helga our couchsurfng request, we told her that “We love sharing stories over home-cooked meals; and certainly would love sharing our grandmother’s recipes with you and the family! On…
We received a warm reply for our email to Casa San Bartolomé to ask for a sponsorship stay for 5 nights. When we met Anabella, the owner, she said, “This is a nice project. And my husband and I want to be a part of it; even it’s just supporting you through hosting you. We…
We found out about Abuelo Rigoberto during one of our internet research sessions. We call him Abuelo, which means “Grandfather”, because it is a term of respect, a way for us to show reverence… for the “wise men” of every culture. After connecting with Abuelo via several emails, we finally confirmed arrangements to visit him,…
During one of our online research sessions, we stumbled upon an elder who runs a Mayan school to teach young Mayan children – Mayan math, astrology, medicine and spirituality. The school is his dream; and part of his continuing efforts to pass on the Mayan culture and teachings from his abuelos (grandfathers) to his grandchildren.…
“肚子餓嗎?我買你們吃飯!(literally meaning: Are you hungry? I’ll buy you lunch!)” Lisa asked in Mandarin (she’d spent a couple of years in China before this) after we returned to Pana from our sharing session in Santiago. And so we headed to one of Lisa’s favorite eateries for lunch together: There were many-a-times We frustrate ourselves at the…
We met Sarah, a midwife cum doula from New York, en route her dream in Guatemala, at our IslaVerde sharing session. When we asked the people who came to the sharing to share their dreams with us on their hands, Sarah wrote: A school for midwives that will inspire a local and global shift in…
We left IslaVerde, restored and ready for to continue on our journey. Waiting for us on San Pedro de la Laguna, was our hostess, Laurence from Mikaso Hotel. At the beginning of this journey, we found it difficult for us to reach out and ask for help – be it in sponsorship for our gear,…
Cyanobacteria. The blue-green algae choking up Lake Atitlan due to pollution from the people living around the lake. This was the sight that greeted us throughout our 15 minute boat-ride across the lake from Panajachel to Santa Cruz de la Laguna, where our new host, IslaVerde awaits. And it perfectly reflected our state of being…
Perhaps it was the “Free Wi-Fi” sign that drew us into the Chinitas. For 12Q a pot of tea that was shared between us, we plonked ourselves in Chinitas to work on our laptops for our first couple of days in Guatemala – Tay working on the videos and Val working on emails to build…
When we were making decisions to travel through Latin America, we decided that we’d take shuttles/buses whenever we have to cross borders. Having to transport our equipment, bicycles and ourselves safely across immigration was simply not worth the risk. And so, we got into Lake Atitlan, Guatemala from San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico;…
We did some research about living expenses in Japan. And whilst on Skype with our friend Yuki one night, we decided that McDonald’s was our cheapest option for food. True enough, our first meal in Japan, at Ueno Train Station was – 3 McDonald’s meals! The next morning… It was more than anything we could…
During the last week in Taipei, whilst preparing for Japan, we realised how foreign the country is to us, how little we know about it, and how handicapped we will be not knowing the language. Taiwan had been a very encouraging first stop, and one of the main reasons was that we were fluent in…
We left Pine Home with the lesson and reminder, that “There is an Invisible Force out there”. Little did we know that as we left Puli County, that very Invisible Force was already working…and it led us to meet Helen. Helen was a Couchsufer in Taichung. She runs an English learning center, “Talk Show” to…
Moving on from Taiwan: It has been some time since we posted a video post; the last one being our experience of Sharing in Puli’s Neighbourhood (see post here). YY, our friend from Polar told us, “Posting and videos are also one of the best token of appreciation you girls can bring back home. You…
“I cannot think of anything better to do with my life.” – David Wood We needed to make a stop between Taichung and Puli; and our Couchsurfing attempt landed ourselves in Cao Tun, at David’s house. David’s couch was the only couch available at Cao Tun, a really really tiny township. What piqued us more…
Jonathan’s sharing with us stirred something within, yet we didn’t really know or understood the lesson fully at that time. And just before he went to bed that night, he passed us Vicky’s number and suggested that we give her a call. “She might have some interesting stories to share with you.” Laying in bed,…
Many people recommended “Couchsurfing” when they heard about our trip. It is basically an online community, where travellers offer their spare couches to fellow travellers. We grew up with our parents telling us, “Do not talk to strangers. Do not let strangers into the house.” Free accommodation simply because we are fellow travellers? Simply on…
We have reached Luo Papa’s homestay in Taiwan safe and sound! It took us quite a while to get internet connection, so bear with us as we catch up with our posts, videos and updates! Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been busy with the past week here: Cleaning up the train restaurant in the…