Kuzu Zangpo!

Thank you for visiting our registry website. As most of you know, Nick and I have been happily living in sin since September 2011 (we were engaged in January 2012, which must count for something!), and as a result have all the bed sheets, ironing boards, crystal glassware and Le Creuset casseroles that two young lawyers with no kids and even less free time really need (though, let's be real, a girl can never have too much Le Creuset enamelware). Furthermore, a NY Times article exploring the correlation between money, spending and happiness found that scientists who actually study this kind of thing for a living are generally in agreement: spending money on experiences instead of possessions results in more satisfaction. What better way to start our lives together than with a bunch of these good value experiences??

We traveled Southeast Asia as a couple over the summer of 2010: Nick was living in Hong Kong at the time, and we spent several weeks in Laos and Vietnam (and spent a frenetic 18 hours in Bangkok) with a good friend from Oxford, and then explored the Philippines together. This trip is generally accepted as one of the best trips we have ever taken, mosquito bites and questionable train lavatory facilities aside. Whilst we've done some more high-end traveling together, I don't think Nick would disagree with me saying that we're at our happiest when we're backpacking, hand-in-hand, at breakneck speeds: a stint through the Deep South (with some offensively bad fake Southern accents, lots of Gulf shellfish, and a memorable airboat ride) comes to mind. For our honeymoon, there was little discussion as to what we'd be doing: we'd get some sun and some rest, but we'd fit that in around seeing the previously unseen.

Doing Asia this time around, we knew that we wanted the centerpiece of the vacation to be Bhutan, AKA the happiest country on earth, for vague superstitious reasons of starting our married life off cheerful (when in Laos, we went innertubing in Vang Vieng, which has now been forbidden due to the large numbers of Western travelers that drowned doing so; locals fear there are evil spirits in the water which have killed off all the young foreigners. Trying to avoid that kind of vibe). Whilst we're out there, we thought we'd see Nepal and Dareeling too.

Whilst living in the east, Nick had the good fortune to visit Cambodia, but always knew he wanted to bring me the next time he went; I cried like a baby at the end of "In the Mood for Love" and can't wait to see Angkor Wat. Our short time in Bangkok was a painful teaser of what the city - and the rest of the country - held in store, and we hope to spend some more walking the city's wet markets, and sampling the cuisine.

Somewhere in me there is still a frustrated 17 year old diary keeper, so I hope to be able to keep in touch throughout our travels, sending out updates and pictures.

Thanks again for your love and support!

Jo