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How to make the perfect roadtrip with only 7 days in Norway

16/09/2016

Our trip to Norway this summer was amazing. I think this is the first summer ever that we’ve travelled domestically during the whole holiday. We went on a one week road trip, exploring Norway’s beautiful scenery and camping sites (we stayed in our tent pretty much every night). We started in Levanger early in the morning to catch the sight of Trollstigen before it got dark. Unfortunately it was a bit foggy that day and we couldn’t enjoy the view from the top, but the drive was awesome. All the fog made it feel like we were a lot higher up than we were.

Beware of trolls!

Our goal was to reach Geiranger Camping so we could go on a fjord cruise the day after and we made it just before closing time. The road down to the city (Ørneveien) is crazy, so many turns and a crazy view!

Tom finally got to see his Seven sisters waterfalls too which was pretty amazing.

Tom finally got to see his Seven Sisters waterfalls, he’s been on about it for years hehe. It’s funny, for us Norwegians, Seven Sisters would be the mountain range in Bergen, but EVERY tourist relates to the waterfalls.

Camping spots: Geiranger camping, Jostedal camping, Odda camping. All very nice and clean. We stopped by the supermarket and bought a disposable grill and had a bbq pretty much every night. So cosy!

The second day was spent driving to Jostedal camping. It was a bit of a detour as we wanted to join the ice trolls for some Glacier kayaking. They only offer their kayaking tour in Austdalsbreen, which was a bit out of the way we were going but it was totally worth it! It’s so pretty and clear you’re not going to believe it. The best part? Pretty much no tourists.

Crazy scenery during the glacier trekking!

12 km return to get to the glaciers. Pretty tough actually. Check out Icetroll for more adventures, they’re awesome!

Love <3

We drove straight to Bergen after the glacier walking and kayaking. I think we arrived at around 2 am… I was dead after all the driving. I’m also not a fan of driving through tunnels, and especially not during night-time when I’m sleepy. The drive to Bergen is full of tunnels!

The Unesco World Heritage site Bryggen in the background.

We spent most of our time just walking around bryggen, eating seafood and window shopped. Bergen has such a nice summer vibe.

We went on the famous Fløybanen to watch the city from above. You can also walk if you want to.

Our last destination was Odda. We stayed there for two days trying to catch good weather so we could walk up to Trolltunga, but our time never came. We still had an amazing time, and are already planning to do another road trip around Norway.

Made a little pit stop at Borgund Stave church. It looks like something taken out of Lord Of The Rings!

GEIRANGER FJORDEN bridge <3

Four things to bring on a road trip through during summer time:

Student ID will give you discounts while travelling around Norway.

Tent and sleeping gear, you can camp anywhere in Norway, but… I still stop at camping sites and pay the fee, it’s safer and you’ll have access to showers and toilets.

Trekking boots and runners, you’ll need the boots for tougher terrain and glacier walking, but you want something lighter like runners or normal shoes for daytime walks in the city.

Rain clothes and layers, even if you’re going during summer time, this is Norway, so expect to wear lots of clothes.

TIPS: if you are under 26 years, Norwegian offers some great youth deals within Norway. Use the code UNDER26 at checkout and you will find tickets at only 399kr each way. SAS has a similar deal for 499kr. It’s pretty sweet when you’re booking last minute.

xoxo

-A

Bhu Nga Thani and private pool villa fun

10/06/2016

Anita Bye

We had the most amazing stay at Bhu Nga Thani in Krabi. I would give it a 100% overall score. The place is clean and beautiful and the staff super adorable and helpful. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful hotels on Railay beach.

This is the view from the East side of Krabi… No beach, but beautiful nature and Mangrove forests…

The hotel is located right next to Railay princess on Railay East side meaning it will be just at the end of the walkway that connects with the beach. It’s also right where the East side pier to Ao Nang is, so you get to chill at your hotel right until departure.

The view gets even prettier as the sun sets and the restaurant is placed right on the edge, meaning you can stare right into the deep for as long as you need to, hehe! The view is partly covered by longtail boats and mangrove trees which is picture perfect if you ask me.

Loved the private pool and outside area!

The hotel is just stunning!

If you walk even further along the East side of Railay there’s many restaurants and bars all ranged from backpacker style to luxury. They even have a super delicious pizza restaurant and many friendly reggae bars. If you walk even further into the woods there’s also nice night hangouts but keep in mind that you will need to cover yourself completely in mosquito repellent.

Birthday girl!! Someone “forgot” to bring make-up for the trip, hehehe 😀

The view from the bed overlooking the pool area

Cocktails with a view… this was their honeymoon cocktail and came with the room. So tasty!

The overall experience of the hotel will still be the same even if you go for the normal rooms, but if you want to make the most of it- I would recommend you to book the pool villa. We had the best time there! And OMG, the bed was super soft. There’s (obviously) a private pool but also a nicely sized jacuzzi to play around in and not to mention the nice inside and outside area to chill. It’s so worth it.

I’ll definitely stay here again during next visit.

Xxx

Krabi here we come

13/05/2016

Anita Bye

Hotels booked for Krabi. I’m already dying to go back.I think Krabi is of my top 3 places in Thailand. I love the combination of beach time and activities and especially the fact that they have so many climbing spots. Not to talk about all the photo opportunities. I can’t wait to watch the sunsets or the sunrise and I’m not planning to miss any while there. We booked the Sand Sea resort which looks pretty sweet and has great reviews. I love that it’s located right on the beach. For the second night we booked Bhu Nga Thani. It’s also located pretty close to the sea, but looks newer and offers more view than the first one. Can’t wait to share with you guys!

My Krabi crew 2014 <3 at Railay beach

Poda island doens’t have a lot happening, but makes the best photos! Turquoise waters and clear blue skies…

We also booked our trips to Norway in July and are flying with Thai airways. Two and a half week of Europe summer. So excited! We might try to book a couple of small trips around Europe too, depending on the weather back home.

Now I’m off to the gym again. 2 weeks until we go… seriously, I want my old body back ‘till then!
Unfortunately we’re having an after work at the office today. I’m skipping the beers and wine, but I can’t say no to pizza, hehe.

See you guys soon!

Xoxo

-A

The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation

01/05/2016

Anita Bye

The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation is founded by Anantara golden triangle camp and Four seasons tented camps. The camp was primarily set up to help elephants, but after a visit there you can see that they are contributing with so much more. Helping out the locals, and especially mahouts all over Thailand together with their wives and families. I’ve always seen mahouts walking along the streets of Bangkok, trying to get people to buy overpriced bananas off them to feed the elephants. In my mind I’ve always looked at these guys as bad and that they have no right to have an elephant by their side doing things like that. In my mind, I always saw this as people who had acquired elephants as pets trying to earn money…Needless to say, I’m being prejudice and are pulling everyone under one comb… After visiting the elephant camp, I’ve realized that many of these mahouts are just trying to keep themselves and their elephants alive, doing what they know best.

girl playing with elephant in chiang mai

This baby loves sunflower seeds!!

You have to keep in mind that these guys might not even have an education, they grew up with their parents taking care of their elephants, so that’s pretty much all they know. At some point they just couldn’t afford feeding their elephants nor themselves anymore and were forced to seek other options. The Elephant foundation has helped loads of elephant villages around Thailand providing the kids with proper education and the wives with work and income instead of just sitting at home. Most of elephant stuff you see in the Anantara Golden Triangle hotel is made by the wives of the mahouts. They also sell some at their camp. Beautiful jewelry and silk scarf made out of butterfly cocoons. Obviously they also provide work for the mahouts and their elephants making it a great little community.

It makes me so happy when I see a place where the humans and animals seem to be working together and actually care about each other. That’s how the world should be… Elephants should have space in the wild and not in some circus tent or a little field. That goes for a lot of other animals too. It costs over 15.000 USD early to keep an elephant fed and healthy, so if you would like to make a contribution check out helping elephants. Or even if you just want to get more educated about the elephants or see other of their amazing projects. <3

Xoxo

-A

An Imaginative Escape in Hua Hin

15/04/2016

Anita Bye

SO Sofitel just opened a new hotel in Cha-Am and we were super happy to get invited to check it out. There’s no secret that we love the SO brand and the chic, playful and sophisticated elegance they have to offer. It’s perfect for the younger crowd with monthly held pool and beach parties. The location of this SO Sofitel is simply amazing. At first we thought it was a bit far away from Hua Hin, but the private clean beach you get in return makes it worth it.

Got myself a new friend… I swear after the freshly prepared welcome tea, the animals talk!

Loved our Arty room

Is spent a lot of time here…

Their rooms are large with tall ceilings and carefully chosen details from around the world. There’s two different themes to choose from; SO Arty or SO Nature. It’s definitely the imaginative escape they promise you. All the way from check in to check out. We stayed at the Arty room and fell in love at first sight. The bathroom was taken out of my dreams and the bed was just as soft and comfortable as they are in all the So Sofitel hotels. I always know I will get a good night sleep staying there.

The perfect beach bar… just like Greece.

The finger food at the So beach party was delicious. We also ordered a burger and pizza back to our room… I have to say the food there is amazing!!!

After the fun started…

I need to find out what wine they had… it got me drinking for hours 😀

We were so lucky to go there on the first week of the month and got to join the SO beach party. The drinks were delicious and the DJ played the best tunes ever. Not to mention their chef who made some serious finger licking good food. I pretty much never eat french fries, but the large bowl we were served was gone in 5! I’ve been missing a proper beach party since my days back in Spain and SO Sofitel definitely nailed that feeling! It was like we were back at the islands again. Make sure you go there early to get a good seat and have time to eat before the sun set and your legs feel like dancing. I think EVERYONE was up and dancing by 9 o’clock which is very rare in Thailand.

This girl was overly excited for her treatment

The cocoon <3 love!

We’re big fans of the SO Spa so we try making it there once in a while. This one was the most special one we’ve been to. It was so calm and relaxing and the service was amazing. Everything was on point. The details, the comfort… we all know how disappointed you feel when the treatment is over. I mean, obviously you feel fresh and renewed but… there is always this feeling that you wish it could last longer. So at this SO Spa, when the treatment is finished, they have this beautiful cocoon covered with twinkling stars on the inside and beds you can relax on, watching the stars while being served with yummy energy balls and tea. I love the idea, and we’ve actually agreed we’re getting one of these for our bedroom when we get a house!

Safe to say, we’ve found our new favourite beach holiday destination not too far from Bangkok. It takes around 2 hours to drive here. No need to take days off work to go to the islands.

Check out their facebook page for upcoming events and deals!

Are you planning to go?

Xoxoxo

-A

Elephant polo and weekend fun!

11/03/2016

Anita Bye

You have no idea how happy I am about it being friday. Only 5 hours of work today. I’m definitely making myself a fatty lunch today just to celebrate. Did someone say carbonara? I think I’ll swing my the gym after work though, as I’m planning to have fun times this weekend. I’ll be at the King’s Cup Charity Elephant Polo Tournament on Saturday. I’m SO excited. Tom’s been hanging out there with his booth which is Casa Azul merged with Day Of The Dead beers. Meaning mexican drinks and food, and daytime drinking in the sun. And I’m really up for that… I love spiced up slushies. The fact that they are playing elephant polo is also pretty awesome. Elephants and monkeys are my favourite animals. The cup is held by Anantara at the river so if you’re up for some nice weekend chilling by the Chao Phraya river you better come here. I also heard that the elephants are from Surin. So they’re pretty much my brothers and sisters. 😀

//dress-Zalora//shoes-CottonOn//

Sunday will be spent at Jatujak weekend market followed by boat noodles in Victory monument. I’m aiming to get at least five down.

What are you doing this weekend?

xxx

-A

Anita Bye

Thai/Norwegian⁣ Born and raised in Norway⁣ Now living my dream in Bangkok.⁣ Follow my journey here on my blog. ⁣ ⁣___________________________ ⁣ แอนนิต้า บาย (Anita Bye) จากกรุงเทพ ลูกครึ่งไทย นอร์เวย์ เกิดและโตที่นอร์เวย์ ขณะนี้อาศัยอยู่ในประเทศไทยซึ่งเป็นประเทศในฝัน⁣ ติดตามบันทึกเรื่องราวของฉันได้ที่นี่⁣ ⁣ ⁣___________________________ Personal trainer at Cubic Fitness⁣ ⁣ Founding instructor at Knockout Boxing Studio⁣