Six Hearts One Journey
The Unfettered Quest…
The Unfettered Quest…
Six Hearts One Journey is a travel blog created by Deena, a wife and mother of four adult children, sharing her family’s adventures. After a 15-month Round the World Journey starting in 2014, they continue to travel and dive into their personal passions. Ryan is running his College Admissions Consulting business, Summa Factor, while Deena enjoys working with her amazing clients at Global Getaways.
We are loathe to do anything too touristy, as we prefer more authentic experiences, but once in a while we discover why something has become so touristy. Bangkok’s Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is one of those things and we debated long and hard before deciding to make a visit. We’re so glad we made the effort to get there. This floating market is wonderful and it is not to be missed. To enjoy it, however, just a few quick tips first. If you’re going to visit, try to leave your Bangkok hotel… Read More
We got to experience our first Fish Spa in Chiang Mai, Thailand yesterday. We stumbled upon it while exploring the Sunday Night Walking Market, where they close off the streets to traffic, and vendors and customers alike cram in together, searching for the perfect bargains. *Warning, the Sunday Walking Market is busy! It’s almost comical to see elderly local women actually being quite aggressive, pushing aside anyone in their way, even our tall teenage son, who towers over them. But to be fair, we find that to be the case anywhere and in… Read More
A Photoblog… We visited the Uluwatu Temple right at sunset. The view was magnificent and the ocean stretched out forever. This Hindu temple was built right into the edge of the cliff. The setting couldn’t have been any nicer. The ocean sunset in particular was spectacular and we enjoyed watching it descend, despite the crowds. While we could have chosen to pay exorbitant prices for the dance and fire show at sunset, we chose to separate ourselves from the crowd and just enjoy a quiet, gorgeous sunset. We’ve noticed that wherever we… Read More
We had a blast visiting the Sacred Monkey Forest, where tons of Macaques Monkeys reside. Before we even set foot into the forest, we were thrilled to see these playful creatures, running, jumping, swinging, and playing with each other. But…we weren’t fooled. We had done enough research to know they could also be somewhat sneaky (aka “little pickpockets”) as well as dangerous, scratching and biting at will. That said, we warned the children to keep everything in our vehicle and take only what they absolutely needed. We’ve heard of people losing their… Read More
We stayed in Indonesia for nine days. For the first six, we were in Bali. The other three were spent in Jakarta. In Bali, we stayed at the Sofitel hotel and in Jakarta, we were hosted by a friend of ours. While in Bali, we took a private tour for a day. During that day, we visited several main attractions including a jewelry workshop, a wood carving store, two temples, a coffee plantation, a monkey forest, a few shops, and a seafood dinner on the beach. In Jakarta, we spent most of… Read More
Photoblog time. In and around Bali. Ubud, the cultural center of Bali, is most known for it’s arts, crafts, and rice paddy fields. You may also recognize it as the place Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts was filmed. We chose to take a day trip to Ubud, as it was only an hour away from where we stayed in Bali. When we enquired at the hotel about hiring a taxi for a full day, we were told it would cost the equivalent of $100 USD. Not bad for a full day,… Read More
After leaving Australia and before flying to Thailand, we headed to Indonesia. First came Bali for six nights and then Jakarta for three more, to visit a dear friend, Becca, who used to attend our church in IL but now teaches in Jakarta. We had so much fun exploring Indonesia together, that it took me a while to put this post together. Note photo number three! Becca was teaching the kids about the “Shy Princes”, a plant that shrivels up with the slightest touch. Very neat! The next set of shots are of… Read More
Thailand…land of the Long Tail Boat. I’m not sure what it is about Long Tail Boats, but I think they are beautiful! Here is one at sunrise. We took this photo on the Phi Phi Islands (pronounced Pee-Pee) around 6 am. A very early ferry transfer is the only reason we were able to capture this photo! We really enjoyed sailing around the Phi Phi Islands on a Long Tail Boat. On this particular day, we visited Mosquito Island and Bamboo Island, but the most fun the kids had was just hanging out on… Read More
We spent the last few days in Australia tucked away in a cabin in the Blue Mountains for a little rest and relaxation after the holidays and a ton of sightseeing. It was truly refreshing and very needed after much traveling, moving, packing, and exploring! We are thankful to our hosts (the Roberts Family) who dear friends from CA (thank you too, Elliotts) connected us with. Their beautiful, secluded, mountain retreat, set atop a cliff with stunning views of the Jameson Valley below, provided the perfect setting for a little uninterrupted family time…. Read More