Get To Know Samuel & Audrey | Interview

Samuel and Audrey being their usual goofy selves.

Moment when you thought, “Daaang, I like this one!”

Get To Know Samuel & Audrey in this silly interview.

Samuel:  When I first met Audrey I had this clever idea of trying to impress her with a late afternoon lunch at my favourite Indian buffet in Itaewon.  I hadn’t been to this area in years and when I took her to where the restaurant used to be located it had been converted into a sauna.  Fail.  She then asked me about a second hand book store she wanted to visit.  Of course I knew where that was.  I didn’t.  It had moved somewhere else.  Fail.  I owned the special distinction of being the world’s worst tour guide that afternoon but she seemed to enjoy getting lost with me and we’ve been having plenty of misadventures together ever since.

Audrey: Sam decided we should eat at an authentic Nigerian restaurant. The place was in some obscure building up a flight of stairs, we were the only foreigners there, and the table had greasy finger streaks on it. Sam ordered several dishes which we proceeded to dig into with our hands; I remember looking up at him from across the table and seeing him gnawing on a piece of bone that had more fat and cartilage attached to it than it did meat. I knew that instant I could travel with this guy.

A large Buddha near the Golden Triangle area of Northern Thailand.

Name one place you think the other needs to experience.

Samuel:  South East Asia!  My favourite region to backpack in the entire world is somewhere she’s never been.  I can’t wait for us to wander around ancient Buddhist temples, devour delicious street food, snack on exotic fruit snacks and slurp spicy noodles.  I have a feeling she’ll be just as addicted as I am in no time flat.

Audrey: Rio de Janeiro! This Brazilian city is the most charming of them all. The crumbling colonial architecture adorned with bold graffiti, late night samba music which flows out of the bars, bohemian neighbourhoods and gritty back streets, cold caipirinhas best enjoyed by the beach, some of the biggest football fans in the world – that he has to experience!

Most annoying bus ride you’ve ever been on?

Samuel:  Kolkata to Dhaka.  Sometimes you hear stories from others about how they thought they were going to die.  Well, on this particular bus trip I had a very strong sense that this could be my very last.  I’ve never seen a bus play chicken with so many other vehicles, animals and inanimate objects in such a short period of time.

Audrey: Pune to Goa. Not because the roads were so curvy that I was trying to hold my curry down, and not because the AC was blowing so strong that I felt the need to cocoon myself in my sleeping bag, but because they were blasting Bollywood films at 3 in the morning and I didn’t want to be the annoying foreigner who told the driver to turn it down.

The Orangutan House where Samuel purchased all of his t-shirts in Melaka, Malaysia

What’s something you’re embarrassed to admit you carry in your backpack?

Samuel:  On my most recent trip around South East Asia I got tired of deciding what shirt I’d like to wear each day.  To streamline the process I bought a series of Orang-utan shirts from a local artist in Melaka, Malaysia while discarding the others I had been carrying for quite some time.  I now only had to ask myself ‘What colour of Orang-utan’ I wanted to be each morning 😛

Audrey: Rolls upon rolls of toilet paper. Seriously, I stuff them into every pocket and small compartment.

What’s one meal your partner is always ordering?

Happy Herb Pizza sign in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Samuel:  For someone with such an attractive figure you’d be surprised at how often Audrey is ordering food.  I didn’t think I’d ever meet somebody as obsessed with eating as I am.  Sometimes we’ll plan an entire day around our meal plans and snacking sessions.

Audrey: Pizza! Even more impressive is watching him devour an entire large pizza…okay, fine, he gives me ONE slice!

Audrey getting ready to devour two massive ice cream cones in front of Samuel

Join the Conversation

30 Comments

  1. says: Cole @ Four Jandals

    Love the new addition to the portfolio of travel blogs! Keep it up 🙂

    1. says: Audrey

      I’ve never been to Chicago, but Sam is a HUGE Blackhawks fan, so that will probably happen at some point in the future. 🙂

    2. says: Nomadic Samuel

      We can’t wait to meet up with you Ted in Chicago! Deep dish pizza and beers are a must 🙂

  2. says: Edna

    Wait, you’re telling me there are people out there who DON’T plan their days around meals and snacking sessions?

    1. says: Audrey

      I know, what is wrong with them?! 😉 Haha, we pig out on the weekends – no food stand is left untouched.

    1. says: Audrey

      Thanks Gerard! The ice cream was SOOOO good! Definitely a Myeongdong staple. 😉

  3. Aww I heart this post! When are you guys jetting off and out of Korea??

    By the way, the orangutan t-shirt idea? GENIUS. I want to do the same, but with penguins. Or puppies.

    1. says: Audrey

      Penguins! I hear that look is all the rage this season, that and unicorns. 😉 We’re jetting off as soon as my contract ends early next year. Now I just have to survive a brutal Korean winter, which I’m told is ten times worse than anything I have ever experienced in Canada!

  4. Aaawww you guys are sooo cute! Okay, that pic with the giant ice cream cone is insane!!! I’d order it for the picture but gladly give it to some kid who probably won’t suffer lactose-intolerance.
    And planning a day around meals? It’s a must! – hands down!

    1. says: Nomadic Samuel

      Thanks Antoinette!

      That ice cream was insane! Fortunately it was mostly refreshing more than creamy 🙂

  5. says: Tom

    Haha you guys are fun 🙂 Will be cool to read about more of your adventures together!

  6. I had one of those ice creams in dalian/China. There are nice to take a picture with but taste horrible. I had one bit e and threw it away.

    1. says: Nomadic Samuel

      Yeah, I have to agree with you – not the best quality but a great photo op 🙂

    1. says: Nomadic Samuel

      Hahaha, it’s worth buying it just for the photo 😛

  7. I love the The Orangutan House – and it’s the first time I’ve seen it featured in a blog so I have to comment hah! My father’s old house is on Heeren Street, located just two minutes away so any association makes me feel nostalgic !

    Thank you for reminding of Melacca, it’s such a beautiful place with so many different facets.

    (A note to Samuel – a woman who can equal your appetite for food and travel is a very beautiful woman indeed!)

    1. says: Nomadic Samuel

      Thanks! Melacca is one of my favourite destinations in all of SE Asia. I’m lucky to have found somebody who shares my same appetite 🙂

  8. says: lexy

    when traveling do you learn part of the language before or after you get to the place.
    i plan on traveling a RTW trip after high school. im looking for so tips
    and love the blog i follow all three

    1. says: Audrey

      I like to learn a few useful phrases before hand, and if I’m going to be spending a decent chunk of time in a place I usually invest in a little phrasebook. 😉

  9. says: Bill Annandono

    You stated while in Dublin, a certain pub was the oldest (1100) in Ireland. What about Seans bar in Athlone, Ireland, 900. Check it out!!

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