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Author Archives: Menno & Janneke

A Tribute to Janneke van Mechelen, 1966/12/28 – 2019/06/13

After a long silence, I have once again decided to try and re-instate this blog. This time without Janneke. I have to close of this chapter of my life. Calling it a “chapter” sounds rather bland. It is not a chapter. It is a “life”. So I’d rather say I am closing off this life … Continue reading »

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Janneke Traveling Thailand with cancer & 81 year old mother.

  Midlifebackpacker’s love for South East Asia Visiting Thailand & South East Asia, as our friends know, is something we have come to love. For the last 4 years, backpacking has become our reason for working. Saving up to visit a strange, foreign country on a shoestring budget. This year, 2018 would be entirely different, … Continue reading »

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Where to go. 2017 Vietnam backpacking trip

When arriving in Ho Chi Min City by flight from Bangkok, Thailand, we had very little idea as to exactly where we were going to be going in Vietnam. We took reassurance in the fact that traveling from South to North in a long, narrow country could not be to difficult. Visas Prior to leaving … Continue reading »

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Thailand and Cambodia Backpacking costs-2016

Standard currency to keep record To keep record of our Thailand and Cambodia backpacking costs, we decided to use the Thai baht since we were starting off in Thailand. When traveling, we tend to “think in South Africa Rands” while spending Thai Baht. Once we crossed the border to Cambodia, we were sometimes spending US … Continue reading »

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Budget luxury accommodation-Midlifebackpackers

Thailand & Cambodia accommodation reviews, 2016 Although we did not want to spend a fortune on the accommodation part of our travel expenses while backpacking Thailand & and Cambodia, we did want a bit of comfort & convenience that we deserve as middle aged, new, and inexperienced backpackers and were most certainly not going to … Continue reading »

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Impressions of Cambodia by MidlifeBackpackers.

Our first trip to, and impressions of Cambodia Visiting Cambodia for the first time, our impressions of Cambodia revolved mainly around the people. It was plain to see that more than anything else, the beauty of Cambodia lies in its people. The Khmer, or Cambodian people, have been through a terrible period in history. We … Continue reading »

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Avoid scams when backpacking.

Avoid scams when backpacking. Advice from the inexperienced for the inexperienced. We midlifebackpackers have sometimes felt insecure during our travels. We do not have the security of a travel plan, or tour arranged by a travel agent. Often we have wondered whether we would be streetwise enough when backpacking. How would we avoid scams when … Continue reading »

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Pattaya. Why we thought this was a wasted detour.

On our way down from Bangkok, to Ko Chang & the Cambodia border, we thought it a good idea to take a slight detour & see Pattaya. What a wasted detour. Why we think this is a wasted detour when traveled from Bangkok en-route to Cambodia?: Looking at the photos, it would seem that Pattaya … Continue reading »

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Bangkok’s Rail transport network.

Don’t be intimidated by Bangkok’s transport network. When we planned our trip to Thailand & Cambodia, our greatest intimidating thought was: ” How will we get from the airport to our hotel?”. We felt we needed to understand the transport network before arriving. We did not want to feel intimidated by Bangkok’s transport network. When … Continue reading »

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Thailand & Cambodia trip , 2016

Thailand & Cambodia trip planning starts. It’s time. Suddenly, from a place of nothingness, our Thailand & Cambodia trip planning starts. Many options for trips have been considered. This may not be the perfect time for the average tourist to visit Thailand or Cambodia but we really don’t care. We have been through a difficult … Continue reading »

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