Discovery on a Shoe String

Be it Kips, Bahts, Dongs or Dollars we have been pinching pennies along the way. As we travel from country to country we have picked up on a few money saving tips. When backpacking staying in a hostel is a must but all hostels are not created equal. From the charming bungalow on a river in Laos to a dingy warehouse closet in Hong Kong, we have stayed in a wide range of places. Asking to see your room before you commit is worth while, and many places will include brekkie and Internet. As for hot water and fresh towels, that is asking a bit much when you are paying around $3 dollars a night. We have come across some hole in the wall joints, but hey nothing like being neighborly.

Why spend money on a doubledecker bus tour when you can visit just as many places and get a workout at the same time? Early morning jogs are proving to be the best way to get acquainted with a new place. We avoid the overpriced city tours and get to see neighborhoods wake up. In Laos we came across young Buddhist Monks making their first Alms (every morning they ask for breakfast in a hymn like ritual requesting generosity from their community). We have also found ourselves playing impromptu futbol matches and partaking in the never ending water-fights in Thailand. The annual water-festival is underway and the kids really take the holiday seriously; no matter who you are you are going to get wet.

As for transportation, we have jumped on the back of motorcycles in Hanoi, Vietnam, bargained with the tuk tuk drivers in Chiang Mai, Thailand and taken some brake testing night buses; all in pursuit of saving a buck, literally. Boats have also proved to be an interesting mode of transportation. They might be slow but they give you time to watch the village people go about their daily chores. Watching the men catch fish, children playing in the river and mothers washing clothes is much more interesting then flying over the top of all the action. The fancy, air-conditioned, orderly, reliable, sterile and heinously overpriced modes of transportation are the easy way to cross borders. Who wants that when you can feel like a gypsy and ride with the locals and their pets? If all goes well you'll even get a seat! Patience is a virtue, as leaving anywhere on time is unlikely especially when the bus may need a push start.

The friends and fellow travelers we have made along the way have given us tours, advise and even their couches. Having some key insider information or a contact has been a real treat and a money saver. We have fallen prey a few times to the swindlers waiting for us to arrive with our "turtle-shell" packs on that scream "I am not from here." Coming across a couch-surfing network on-line has also proved its worth. The key to this network is good Karma, and when we return we will give a hand to any fellow travelers in need.

Our laces may be getting frayed and our turtle shell packs are taking a beating but they'll make it through till the end as our savvy and thrifty ways have done us well. As for the mothers out there lay your worries to rest; think of all this as character building and training for motherhood.

On the road again like a band of Gypsies we go down the highway.....(in a rickshaw, tuk tuk or boat......next challenge, Europe.