Thoughts in Transit

SouthEast Asia Backpacking Trip

Check out our Spotify Playlist from this trip:

Super 8 Film from Asia!

Recommendations for Canggu:

  • Airbnb– https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/41704547?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=aae175cf-35eb-42da-855c-3fa7406718cb (we were able to rent a moped at the Airbnb for $5)
  • Zin Cafe– we went here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner needs! The staff was so friendly and the food was incredible!
  • Zycle– If you are looking for a fun workout class for cheap Zycle is the place for you! They offer fun cycle classes for great prices!
  • Canggu Beach– for tanning, swimming, and surfing!
  • SandBar- for cocktails/drinks and most perfect place to watch the sunset
  • Gigi Susu- BEST coffee and pastries and right next to beach 
  • Deus Ex Machina- super cute place and have events almost every night
  • Spring- went here for spa day and it was super affordable
  • Canggu Markets- a little overwhelming but so worth it, lots of local vendors and so much to see
  • BGS- we love this place, it is all over Bali but is a must try
  • Chandra Yoga- BEST yoga studio I have ever been to, yoga by the rice fields and by a stream
Read more: SouthEast Asia Backpacking Trip

Recommendations for Lombok:

Recommendations for Phuket:

Recommendations for Phi Phi Islands:

Recommendations for Tokyo:

  • Airbnb-https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1106854455118005290?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=1c10bfc5-231d-4571-8bd0-3ea0f23ac174 
  • 7-Eleven– this is a must hit when in Tokyo, wherever you see one stop and go in
  • SUSHIRO– conveyor belt sushi so fun and cheap
  • Ichiran Shibuya– ramen traditional experience you sit in stalls and eat 
  • Meiji Jingu– Shinto shrine in Shibuya  
  • Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden– great running trails and super pretty
  • White Glass Coffee- super pretty place to sit down and grab coffee
  • Body & Soul Jazz– in Shibuya, need reservations but is a great jazz bar
  • Takeshita Street– there is so much to see and do down this stripChureito Pagoda- we did a day trip here and there were very pretty views of Mt Fuji, but not alot to do in the town

Our Journey Through SouthEast Asia:

After our first trip to Asia in January 2024, we knew we’d be back. What we didn’t expect was that the return trip would be sparked by a slow shift at Mamaka Bowls. One October afternoon, I found myself zoning out and staring at the wall covered in Surfer’s Journal magazine pages. One photo stood out: a coffee shop and concert inside a Deus Ex Machina store, located in Canggu, Indonesia.

The photo in question:

For some reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every shift, I’d look at that photo again, and eventually, I decided I needed to see it in person. After my shift, I started looking up flights, found some cheap ones for December, and booked it within a few days.

We had already done Indonesia and Australia the previous January, but it just felt right to go back. This time though, we wanted to see a few new places—Thailand had been on our list for a while, so we decided on Phuket. Then we figured Japan was close enough to squeeze in, so we added Tokyo to the list. We ordered backpacks on Amazon and started researching Southeast Asia backpacking routes.

Somehow, everything lined up. A friend offered to host us in Australia, another would be in Thailand at the same time, and someone else was planning to be in Japan while we were there. We also found stays in Indonesia and Thailand for $30 a night, which made planning a lot easier.

On December 7th, we took a final exam at 8 a.m., and by 8 p.m., we were on a flight to Australia. The weather was perfect when we landed—bright, sunny, UV index of 10. Australia has kind of become our reset place. The routine was simple: morning run on Bondi Beach, quiet time, acai bowls, tanning, repeat. We could’ve stayed forever, but after four days it was time to head to Indonesia.

Landing in Canggu felt familiar, like nothing had changed. We went straight to our stay and crashed. The next morning, we rented a moped and drove straight to the Deus store—the place that sparked this whole trip. Standing in front of it felt kind of surreal. Definitely a cool moment after months of thinking about it.

We spent the next few days eating amazing food (usually around $3–5 USD), riding mopeds, and exploring the beach town. Indonesian hospitality is on another level—people were incredibly kind, whether we were chatting at a café or meeting people on the beach, one guy even invited Megan and I to his wedding!

Unfortunately, I decided to have a salad the night before we left for Gili Trawangan. Big mistake. Turns out, raw vegetables in Indonesia are often washed with tap water, which doesn’t always sit well with foreigners. The next morning we woke up early to drive 2 hours to a boat port where we would take a ferry to an island off of Lombok, Indonesia called Gili Tarawgan. I very soon realized during this two hour car ride that I had picked up some sort of contamination from the salad I had eaten the previous day (apparently this is common sense not to eat the fruits or vegetables in Indonesia as they wash them with the water there, I unfortunately learned this the hard way). I sat in the back of the car breaking into sweats trying to not vomit– the worst two hours of my life. 

As soon as we arrived at the port, I ran to the nearest bathroom I could find. For context, we were in a remote part of Indonesia with zero service, infrastructure, or public bathrooms for that matter. When I gave up on finding a bathroom I sat and waited patiently for the boat to come. That is when two Australian boys decided to make themselves comfortable across from Megan and I. They reeked of alcohol and body odor. They tried striking up a conservation with us and you can just imagine two American girls sitting in the middle of a remote jungle, sweating, with 50 pound backpacks on their backs, one trying not to throw up and the other one nervous that her sister was going to be sick, would respond to this. I think they eventually got the hint when they asked “Do you girls want to do shrooms?” and Megan and I blankly looked at each other and back at them with no response. I think that comment is what sent me over the edge, I threw off my backpack and ran to the nearest alleyway where I eventually found a sign that said “Bathroom 15,000 Indonesian Rupiah” I ran to the sign, saw the bathroom door and when I entered I was greeted with a hole in the floor, which was good enough to vomit. 

This is when I heard banging on the door from a man, I walked out and was shouted at by a large Indonesian man asking me to pay him for using his restroom. I ran back to Megan as the large man followed me angrily, I paid him his money, grabbed my backpack and carried on my way to the boat.

The boat ride to Gili T wasn’t ideal while sick, but we made it. I pretty much slept through the first day. From then on, I couldn’t eat much, but we still snorkeled, swam, and met a lot of local kids and families. Everyone was friendly, and the island itself was beautiful.

The day before we were supposed to leave, we found out our boat had been delayed from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.—which was the exact time of our flight from Bali to Thailand. After trying every possible option, we ended up having to buy a new flight for $260 (our original flight was $50).

Thailand was short but worth it. The people seemed a bit more reserved toward tourists than in Indonesia, but we still had a great time. We took a ferry to the Phi Phi Islands and booked a private sunrise boat ride. The views were unreal—crystal blue water, monkeys on the beach, crazy rock formations.

We finished our time in Phuket, rented another moped, and went to an elephant café. We also met up with Claire and Truleigh, two friends from A&M. Their family had planned a vacation to Phuket and it turned out we were staying only 10 minutes away from each other. We got pizza in Phuket, raided the 7/11, and stayed up late catching up and bonding over our travels. The next day we departed for Tokyo.

Our travel day to Tokyo was less than ideal, we took a flight from Phuket to Shanghai at 11pm, almost missed our connecting flight to Japan at 6am, and finally landed in Tokyo at 11am with food poisoning and less than two hours of sleep within the last 48 hours.

Once we got off the plane we stood face to face with our biggest obstacle of the trip; the Tokyo Metro. We were determined to figure out the metro system since it is the cheapest and most efficient way to get around the city. We went up to several of the workers to get advice on which train to board and how to get tickets, but were confronted with blank stares and no answers. So admitting defeat we walked outside, grabbed a taxi and coughed up $200 for a thirty minute ride to our Airbnb. Once we had checked into our Airbnb, we showered, closed the curtains and passed out for 20 hours. 

The next morning we decided to give the metro another try so we called up our friend Austin who had been in Japan for the last couple of weeks. He advised us to add Suica to our Apple Wallet which would allow us to tap every time we needed to ride the subway and follow the designated color and letter for the train we needed to get on. We followed his guidance and in no time we were in Shinjuku. Our first order of business was to go shopping for warmer clothes since it was winter in Japan. We grabbed a sweater and jeans and were set for the trip. The first day we spent in a coffee shop working on our blog, and planning out the remainder of our time in Tokyo. We ended the night by meeting our friend Austin and his family at an arcade and raiding the 7-Eleven for new food and drinks to try. 

The next day we headed towards the bus station to visit Chureito Pagoda. Our friend Stephanie had recommended this place to us as a great view of Mt. Fuji. The bus ride was around two hours and relatively cheap. When we had arrived we ascended to the top of the hill to get to the viewpoint. The view was incredible and well worth the commute. Once we arrived back in Tokyo we met Austin and his family at a Jazz club called Body & Soul Jazz. Lucky for us it was Christmas Eve in Japan, so we were able to sing along with the Christmas songs. After the performance we were able to meet the owner of the Jazz Club whose birthday was actually the next day. This Jazz Club was one of the highlights of our trip to Tokyo! 

Megan and Olivia Kimbell

One response to “SouthEast Asia Backpacking Trip”

  1. Gabby Rodriguez Avatar
    Gabby Rodriguez

    y’all amaze me. the shrooms comment killed me hahahha i wanna go to thailand with y’all next time you go back!!!

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