The Liebster Award

This post was written by Silvia Lawrence, who can be found blogging at Heart My Backpack.

 

It has been an exciting week for these two coconuts. We had our first guest post on Caravanistan, which was always our first stop when looking up information on Central Asia. We were so honored that they contacted us! We also just had an interview featured on Those Who Wander’s glipho site, which is always full of travel inspiration. Again, we were so excited to be part of such an incredible project. And as if we weren’t busy enough emailing our parents things to stick up on the fridge (lame I know, but long gone are our proud proud days of aced math tests–our parents have to take what they can get at this point) Emily from over at I Should Tend to My Sunburn nominated us for a Liebster Award! Definitely check out her blog if you haven’t already; Emily’s excellent sense of humor and impressive travel history makes for a great read.

liebsterIt’s more of a blogging chain letter of love and appreciation than an actual award, but we love the idea! A blogger chooses five of their favorite baby blogs (as in blogs that have recently started or don’t have too many followers yet) and poses ten questions for them to answer. The nominated blogs then answer their ten questions, and ask ten different questions to five other blogs. It’s a great way to learn more about blogs you love and give them a special shout out, as well as to discover new blogs to follow. What’s not to love?

Here are our answers to Emily’s questions:

1.  If you could speak any other language, would would it be and why?

Well, English is the only language that we share.  Unfortunately we also share it with almost all travelers, so we can’t have any private conversations and always have to watch what we say.  Therefore, I should probably learn one of the five foreign languages that Silvia speaks.  Norwegian would be the closest to a secret language, though I don’t see that happening any time soon.  If Silvia had to add a sixth, it would be Spanish.

2.  What’s your favourite travel experience so far?

I’m definitely a mountain girl, while Danielle prefers beaches, so we are not going to agree on this one. My favorite experience from this past trip was hanging out in beautiful Khorog, part of the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan.  Danielle would choose the boat trip we took in Indonesia from Lombok to Flores. It was pretty rustic–one toilet and no shower with twenty people for three nights– but we visited some of the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen.

3.  What’s your worst travel experience so far?

This is an easy one: we got bed bugs in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.  And it was at one of the more expensive places we stayed during our entire trip.  Check your mattresses, folks!

4.  Where are you going next?

The Roaming Coconuts are splitting up for the first time ever, as Silvia is returning to Chiang Mai and I’m going on to Cambodia.  But don’t worry, we’ll be reuniting in a few months to take on the Middle East and Africa.

5.  What’s your best/favourite travel tip?

Do as the locals do!

6.  If you could pick one famous person (dead or alive) to travel with, who would it be and where would you go?

Each other, of course!  We’re famous, right?  RIGHT? If we didn’t have to worry about money, we’d go to Antarctica (hopefully we will someday!).

7.  What do you never travel without?

A good book.  Some of our favorites we have read recently are: Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts), Pulphead (John Jeremiah Sullivan) and Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Cheryl Strayed).

8.  Do you think guidebooks are a help or a hindrance?

Mostly a hindrance (say the girls who didn’t buy any guidebooks for this past trip). Every time we eat at a restaurant that’s listed in Lonely Planet it has been overpriced and disappointing. However, if we want to meet other travelers, a guidebook-recommended hostel is definitely the place to stay.

9.  Are there any countries you would never go to?

Nope, although I think there are certain countries that might not want us with our American passports.

10.  Name your top three favourite blogs

Well of course we’re huge fans of I Should Tend To My Sunburn, but if forced to choose three others we would go with Adventurous Kate, Alex in Wanderland and Laura and Katie’s Big Adventure.

And we nominate:

Laura and Katie’s Big Adventure

Derek’s Bike Trip

Adventures of a Nerdy Nomad

Lost in Spice

Cat Mac Waffles

And here are our questions for you:

1. What has been your scariest experience while traveling?

2. What is the grossest/most interesting thing you have eaten abroad?

3. Yes or no to romance on the road?

4. Which country has the best food and why?

5. If you were to have grown up in a different country, which would you have liked it to be?

6. Country with the friendliest/least friendly locals?

7. Yes or no to organized tours?

8. What’s your current dream destination?

9. What’s your #1 travel essential?

10. What’s the most difficult thing about blogging while traveling?

 

We look forward to reading your responses!