From skydiving to kayaking, Arthur Green treated Poppy Salter to all kinds of daring, adrenaline-inducing dates on The Bachelor NZ. But his efforts have nothing on the once-in-a-lifetime adventure the young yoga devotee has been enjoying with her boyfriend in Southeast Asia.
Three months ago, with little more than the clothes they were wearing and whatever bare necessities they could squash into their backpacks, Poppy and her man, Jacob MacDonald, set off on a Stray Asia hop-on, hop-off tour travelling through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
While drinking duck’s blood and having tiny fish nibble at the dead skin on their feet may not sound like the most romantic of holiday activities, the laid-back lovers tell Woman’s Day that going off the grid has done wonders for their relationship.
“What I really love is being completely removed from the show,” says a sun-kissed Poppy, 25, during our steamy photo shoot in humid Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. “Over here, I’m one in a sea of millions. No-one knows me as Poppy from The Bachelor, so Jacob and I have just been able to get on with things.
“It’s been an eye-opening and exciting adventure, which we’ve survived with barely an argument. It’s been so much fun. We check in with our parents every now and then, and they always ask us, ‘Are you still getting on? Are you still enjoying each other’s company?’ Check, check! We couldn’t be happier.”
Jacob met Poppy through mutual friends before she appeared on The Bachelor.
“It’s been an eye-opening and exciting adventure,” Poppy says of their travels.
Soon after the British-born babe exited the TV3 show 11 months ago, the handsome sailor – who works as a first officer and dive instructor on a super-yacht – tracked down her phone number to ask her out.
Within the first three months of their relationship, he had whisked Poppy away on a surprise five-day campervan trip around the South Island, complete with fishing and tramping excursions, plus
a helicopter ride to a glacier.
“I love travelling, especially getting immersed in customs and culture,” says Jacob, 26, who was raised on a small Fijian island. “When I was growing up, to get to the village for bread and milk, we practically had to take a small boat, an aeroplane and a tractor – adventure’s in my blood.
“There’s been a lot of firsts for both of us on this trip. My highlight has to be the lifestyle over here – and the endless sun and surf. And Poppy’s favourite moment was getting up at the crack of dawn and watching the sunrise over the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia. But the best bit is experiencing all these firsts together.”
The couple visit a local market together.
Big in Japan
Having amassed a collection of souvenir singlets and shells, as well as countless memories, the couple have now bid their backpacking days adieu. But the adventure still isn’t over for the pair – almost immediately after our catch-up, Poppy and Jacob jetted to the island of Hokkaido, in Japan, where they’re currently working on the ski slopes of the small mountain town of Niseko.
“My Kiwi visa ran out in September, so Jacob and I decided to continue travelling,” tells Poppy. “We just thought, ‘We’re having fun, so let’s carry this on.’ By the time we’re finished and we are ready to head home to New Zealand, it will be easier to get a visa.
“There are some quite heavy topics to address and we’ve only been together for a little bit, so it’s nice not having to think about it.”
Since landing in Japan, the relaxed couple have had to adapt to the cold, as well as the rude shock of re-joining the workforce, with Poppy training as a masseuse and Jacob landing a job at a local bar.
“It’s a definite change in pace, but after a couple of months on the road, I’m looking forward to unpacking my bag for the last time and getting into a routine,” says Poppy.
“In Southeast Asia, I hadn’t had time to practise my yoga and, with limited food options on the go, I’ve given up on being a vegetarian. You can’t be fussy when there’s only one option.
“The strangest thing will be not being joined at the hip with Jacob any more. I’ve never spent so much time with one person – now I’ll be going to work in one place and he’ll be off somewhere else. He’s not that hard done by, though. He’s the one who I have to practise all my massaging on!”
The travel-mad couple jetted off to Japan after catching up with Woman’s Day.
