As I've been spending a bit of time reflecting on my time in Cambodia, I feel like I only told half the story in my last post. The highlights were many, but Cambodia is a country far from perfection.
The poverty and pain for much of the population is starkly evident immediately upon crossing the border. Only main roads are paved, and even those are rough and pot-holed. The rest is just red dirt and mud, with garbage scattered everywhere, and built up on the sides. The cars are old and run down, passengers riding anywhere they can keep hold. Entire families cluster in the back of pickup trucks, and young men ride atop huge commercial vehicles barrelling down the roads at full speed. Motorbikes and scooters hum and weave through the traffic like a swarm of wasps, honking at everything that might cross its path, or even come close.
Phnom Penh was by far the most shocking of the cities and towns I visited.
The sidewalks are cobbled together with broken tiles, garbage, and mud puddles. Gathered at various corners are worn and weathered moto-taxi drivers, who call out and raise an arm each time you pass by, "hellooo lady! Where you going? Tuk tuk?".
Hammocks are strung up between scraggly trees planted optimistically along the rideside, their residents swinging listlessy throughout the day. Others sprawl out on public benches, halfdressed in rags, an arm over their faces, obviously suffering the after-effects of too much cheap alcohol. Most heart-breaking of all are the mothers squatting on dirty bamboo mats on the side of busy roads, watching over their toddlers and babies sleeping naked beside them.
There are also many Cambodians who are disfigured and disabled due to landmines, torture during the Khmer Rouge, and sometimes the toxic Agent Orange chemical which was used by the USA during the Vietnam War. Many are missing arms and legs, or thier limbs are twisted and virtually useless. Its very hard not to feel like a total POS when they literally crawl up to you, begging for money. Its extremely sad, and there are so many...it feels like there is nothing you can do.
I visited Tuol Sleng Museum, also known as Security Prison 21 (S-21) during the Khmer Rouge regime during the 70's. If you ever wish to be depressed, a visit to this place is a good way to go about it. This brief, yet bloody, period of Cambodian history leaves most of us asking how people can do something so horrific to each other, and most of all- why?
I declined the follow-up visit to the famous Killing Fields, one of the many sites with mass graves. Thousands of bodies have been found there, and the evidence is still visible. To be honest, I couldn't stomach it, and I didn't feel like the point needed to be driven home any further.
The Khmer Rouge killed over 1.7 million Cambodia people (a significant portion of the population) from 1975-1979, systematically murdering the wealthiest, and most educated first, in order to suppress any kind of rebellion that might arise. This has seriously impaired any sort of rebuilding of the culture and country. The younger generation must literally start from scratch, but they have been raised by an entire nation dealing with severe trauma. Its a dismal and desperate situation.
Bearing these difficulties in mind, its not hard to understand why many Cambodians may be unsmiling and come across as unfriendly or even aggressive in their pursuit of your tourist cash, though it doesn't make the experience more pleasant.
However, I have encountered a few individuals who really gave me perspective; one was the teacher I mentioned that I met on the bus to Kampong Cham. He stepped in to help me with a confusing transit situation, and then we chatted about the challenges facing Cambodia, and his optimism and pride for his country was quite inspiring.
My guide during my jungle trek in Sen Monorom was a young man from a local Indigenous village; cheerful, industrious, and ambitious. Only a couple years ago, he lived and worked on his family's farm. When he was given the opportunity to work as a driver for a local guesthouse, he began to pick up both the Cambodian and English languages. Soon he was invited to work at the guesthouse restraurant as a server, where his language skills improved. By the time he was guiding our tour, he had only been speaking English for a year, and guiding for only a month! I was so impressed by how much English he knew, and how he has so quickly begun to start a life for himself. He told me he wants to work for a year to save money and then go to the local English school to learn more, and eventually go to Phnom Penh to see the big city. He has never left the Mondulkiri province in his entire life, and he dreams of seeing Siem Reap and Angkor Wat for himself one day.
Another was a random chat with a girl working in a cafe I stopped in. She seemed anxious to talk, and her story was a sad one. I listened to her summarized life story, and answered her questions about my own life- we are about the same age, but our worlds seem so different. Despite her trials, she is working hard and hopes to improve her life. She told me in her simple English that our conversation made her feel happier and more optimistic...at first I had been a bit cautious, wondering if this was some kind of scam in which I would be asked for money or something, cynic that I am, but when it went no further I felt humbled. Maybe in a country where everyone has huge problems, people just need someone to listen to them.
These conversations with ordinary, everyday Cambodians stand out to me as bright spots in what might otherwise seem like a depressing and discouraging situation.
From what I have heard, Cambodia is a country that is changing fast- I sincerely hope that it goes the direction that these 3 would take it.
Showing posts with label Cambodia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cambodia. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 November 2015
Friday, 13 November 2015
Farewell, Cambodia!
I've been wandering through the land of all things Khmer for 2 weeks now! Starting in Siem Reap for a sunrise at Angkor Wat (of course), I had some adventures taking a "direct" bus to Kampong Cham for one night as a pit stop on my way to the riverside town of Kratie to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins, and then moved on to the mountains and jungles of the Eastern border in Sen Monorom. After some time there enjoying the cooler climate and green space, I finished up my last couple days here in the hustling, bustling capital city of Phnom Pehn.
I'm sure other travelers will chastise me for passing up the entire South coast, but in my defense the next 2 week's weather forecast is rain, rain, rain...and I will get plenty of beach time elsewhere, I'm sure.
Some highlights from Cambodia include:
-Angkor Wat & Ta Prohm temples: so beautiful and a dream come true.
-Accidentally missing a turn on our way back from Angkor Wat, and ending up cycling madly though the insane trafffic on Siem Reap's main street. Adrenaline rush!
-Meeting a very kind and helpful Cambodian teacher on the bus to Kampong Cham, and chatting with him about all things Cambodia.
-Trying all sorts of delicious foods, like Amok, Banana Flower Salad, spicy stir-fried frog, random street foods, fruit shakes, curries, and a traditional stew made inside a bamboo stalk over a fire!
-Riding on the back of a motorbike taxi through tiny villages- beautiful scenery, and so much fun! Now I want a motorbike :)
-Meeting some elephants at a wildlife sanctuary in Sen Monorom! They were amazing, and I feel so lucky to have been able to get up close and personal with them!
-Visiting the Daughters of Cambodia Visitor Center in Phnom Pehn, a really awesome NGO which enables girls to leave the sex trade and regain control and dignity in their lives! It was really cool, and I spent a long time there, getting my feet pampered in their spa, eating and drinking delicious things in their cafe, and making a few purchases of their handmade goods in the shop!
-And of course, my very favorite thing about traveling (ok, maybe tied with the food...): I have met some seriously wonderful people and made friends from all over the world. Its crazy that you can just spend a few hours or days with someone and connect so well, because you have a common interest and love of traveling. But this is the thing I look forward to most, and that really makes traveling the best ever. And I just realized I need to start taking more photos of these people! haha :)
On that note, I'm looking into "couchsurfing: round 2" for my stay in Ho Chi Minh City...hoping somethings works out!
So ya...onward to Vietnam tomorrow morning! Wahoo!
I'm sure other travelers will chastise me for passing up the entire South coast, but in my defense the next 2 week's weather forecast is rain, rain, rain...and I will get plenty of beach time elsewhere, I'm sure.
Some highlights from Cambodia include:
-Angkor Wat & Ta Prohm temples: so beautiful and a dream come true.
-Accidentally missing a turn on our way back from Angkor Wat, and ending up cycling madly though the insane trafffic on Siem Reap's main street. Adrenaline rush!
-Meeting a very kind and helpful Cambodian teacher on the bus to Kampong Cham, and chatting with him about all things Cambodia.
-Trying all sorts of delicious foods, like Amok, Banana Flower Salad, spicy stir-fried frog, random street foods, fruit shakes, curries, and a traditional stew made inside a bamboo stalk over a fire!
-Riding on the back of a motorbike taxi through tiny villages- beautiful scenery, and so much fun! Now I want a motorbike :)
-Meeting some elephants at a wildlife sanctuary in Sen Monorom! They were amazing, and I feel so lucky to have been able to get up close and personal with them!
-Visiting the Daughters of Cambodia Visitor Center in Phnom Pehn, a really awesome NGO which enables girls to leave the sex trade and regain control and dignity in their lives! It was really cool, and I spent a long time there, getting my feet pampered in their spa, eating and drinking delicious things in their cafe, and making a few purchases of their handmade goods in the shop!
-And of course, my very favorite thing about traveling (ok, maybe tied with the food...): I have met some seriously wonderful people and made friends from all over the world. Its crazy that you can just spend a few hours or days with someone and connect so well, because you have a common interest and love of traveling. But this is the thing I look forward to most, and that really makes traveling the best ever. And I just realized I need to start taking more photos of these people! haha :)
On that note, I'm looking into "couchsurfing: round 2" for my stay in Ho Chi Minh City...hoping somethings works out!
So ya...onward to Vietnam tomorrow morning! Wahoo!
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Siem Reap!
Sorry for the long hiatus on blogging! Its been a busy week!
Last Friday I said goodbye to all my new friends at the Fatima Center. It was bittersweet, since I felt like I was beginning to find my place there and could have done more to contribute if I'd planned to stay longer, but I was also excited to say goodbye to Bangkok and begin my travels across the rest of SE Asia!
Satrday morning I left bright and early and boarded my bus for Siem Reap Cambodia. I was fortunate in my seating partner- a Californian girl the same age as I am, of Cambodian heritage. She has also been doing a fair bit of traveling this year, and we talked for a really long time and really connected. We were booked into different hostels, however, so we parted ways upon arrival.
Backing up a bit...despite being warned of scams at the border, a bunch of us definitely fell for the trickers that lay in wait. Our bus was no help. The driver likely has some kind of deal with the scammers, so he dropped us off at their office which is right outside passport control. We were told this is where we got our visas, so we paid the money, waited 20 minutes, and were given our visas, and then they started to fill out our entry forms for an additional 200 B. (approx $7). Once we realized what theye were doing, we told them we would fill out the forms on our own, and headed for passport control. After completeing that, we stepped out of the office and saw a very official looking sign that said "Visa On Arrival" for about $15 US less than we had paid. Oooooh well. Live and learn.
I stayed at the European Guesthouse in Siem Reap on the advice of my trusty Lonely Planet travel guide. While it doesn't win any awards for cleanliness, it has a nice small pool, a decent bar/restaurant, and it comes at the low, low price of $5 US/night. Having lived in treeplanting camps probably helps me get over a bit of bathroom grime!
My first morning I met (read: nosily wormed my way into a conversation and introduced myself) a Colombian girl who was also traveling by herself. We hit it off, and decided to take a Khmer cooking class and wander around the city together, and then rent bikes to ride to Angkor Wat the next morning. I am so glad I met her, as we had a great time hanging out over the next few days, and sharing my Siem Reap experience with someone made it so enjoyable!
We got up at 4am on Monday and cycled to the temple, joined by throngs of tourists in tuk-tuks and taxis. I was a bit dismayed by the crowds of selfie-sticks, but we moved to a less-popular and populaced location to watch the sun rise and snap a few photos. It was really beautiful, though I remain a bit jealous of those who had the opportunity to see the magical area before it became such a tourist hotspot.
The rest of the day was spent wandering through the main temples, riding our bikes in the hot sun, and snacking on dried mango and salted cashews we had bought cheaply at the market the day before.
On the way home, we missed a turn and ended up way off track, out towards the airport! It made for a VERY interesting ride back to the hostel as we were obliged to cycle along one of the busiest main roads in the city! It was quite an experience, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for how calm I remained, especially as I have never been much of a bike-riding expert, and helmets literally do not exist here. Traffic patterns in Cambodia are different from anything I have seen before- they seem even more chaotic than what I saw in Cusco, Peru! So there we were, pedalling hard on a mix of pot-holed dirt roads and random brick sidewalks, while cars, motorbikes, and tuk tuks are zooming by, occasioinally honking at us to get our of their way (which I would have gladly done, had there been anywhere to go!), and then out of nowhere some random will cut directly across traffic, or just go right against the flow. Literally everyone is just going everywhere and hoping they dont get hit. I just kept my eyes wide open, and kept on pedaling!!! It was actually kind of hilarious. My friend and I were just like...what is even happening right now....
Needless to say, we survived, and it is something I will never forget!
Yesterday we took it easy, swam in the pool, did some skyping and facebooking, went to the market, ate some spicy frog stirfy and then delicious ginger and black sesame ice cream, stuck our feet in a tank of fish that ate our feet, and visited the night market with some new aquaintances! It was a fun, relaxing day, and a nice finale to my Siem Reap visit.
This morning I hopped on another bus for my next destination, but that's another story for another day!
Last Friday I said goodbye to all my new friends at the Fatima Center. It was bittersweet, since I felt like I was beginning to find my place there and could have done more to contribute if I'd planned to stay longer, but I was also excited to say goodbye to Bangkok and begin my travels across the rest of SE Asia!
 |
| Angkor Wat at Sunrise |
Satrday morning I left bright and early and boarded my bus for Siem Reap Cambodia. I was fortunate in my seating partner- a Californian girl the same age as I am, of Cambodian heritage. She has also been doing a fair bit of traveling this year, and we talked for a really long time and really connected. We were booked into different hostels, however, so we parted ways upon arrival.
Backing up a bit...despite being warned of scams at the border, a bunch of us definitely fell for the trickers that lay in wait. Our bus was no help. The driver likely has some kind of deal with the scammers, so he dropped us off at their office which is right outside passport control. We were told this is where we got our visas, so we paid the money, waited 20 minutes, and were given our visas, and then they started to fill out our entry forms for an additional 200 B. (approx $7). Once we realized what theye were doing, we told them we would fill out the forms on our own, and headed for passport control. After completeing that, we stepped out of the office and saw a very official looking sign that said "Visa On Arrival" for about $15 US less than we had paid. Oooooh well. Live and learn.
I stayed at the European Guesthouse in Siem Reap on the advice of my trusty Lonely Planet travel guide. While it doesn't win any awards for cleanliness, it has a nice small pool, a decent bar/restaurant, and it comes at the low, low price of $5 US/night. Having lived in treeplanting camps probably helps me get over a bit of bathroom grime!
My first morning I met (read: nosily wormed my way into a conversation and introduced myself) a Colombian girl who was also traveling by herself. We hit it off, and decided to take a Khmer cooking class and wander around the city together, and then rent bikes to ride to Angkor Wat the next morning. I am so glad I met her, as we had a great time hanging out over the next few days, and sharing my Siem Reap experience with someone made it so enjoyable!
We got up at 4am on Monday and cycled to the temple, joined by throngs of tourists in tuk-tuks and taxis. I was a bit dismayed by the crowds of selfie-sticks, but we moved to a less-popular and populaced location to watch the sun rise and snap a few photos. It was really beautiful, though I remain a bit jealous of those who had the opportunity to see the magical area before it became such a tourist hotspot.
The rest of the day was spent wandering through the main temples, riding our bikes in the hot sun, and snacking on dried mango and salted cashews we had bought cheaply at the market the day before.
On the way home, we missed a turn and ended up way off track, out towards the airport! It made for a VERY interesting ride back to the hostel as we were obliged to cycle along one of the busiest main roads in the city! It was quite an experience, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for how calm I remained, especially as I have never been much of a bike-riding expert, and helmets literally do not exist here. Traffic patterns in Cambodia are different from anything I have seen before- they seem even more chaotic than what I saw in Cusco, Peru! So there we were, pedalling hard on a mix of pot-holed dirt roads and random brick sidewalks, while cars, motorbikes, and tuk tuks are zooming by, occasioinally honking at us to get our of their way (which I would have gladly done, had there been anywhere to go!), and then out of nowhere some random will cut directly across traffic, or just go right against the flow. Literally everyone is just going everywhere and hoping they dont get hit. I just kept my eyes wide open, and kept on pedaling!!! It was actually kind of hilarious. My friend and I were just like...what is even happening right now....
Needless to say, we survived, and it is something I will never forget!
Yesterday we took it easy, swam in the pool, did some skyping and facebooking, went to the market, ate some spicy frog stirfy and then delicious ginger and black sesame ice cream, stuck our feet in a tank of fish that ate our feet, and visited the night market with some new aquaintances! It was a fun, relaxing day, and a nice finale to my Siem Reap visit.
 |
| Evidently my feet have more to offer.... |
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
Weekend Wonders
Where has the time gone??
I'm on my last week of volunteering/staying in Bangkok, and preparing to strike out on my own come Saturday. I can't believe how fast the last 3 weeks have flown by!
I've been much busier since the two other volunteers arrived, which has been nice. We have gone out exploring on a few nights, and spent our long weekend (last Friday was a holiday here...what the occason was is still a mystery) about an hours drive outside Bangkok (read: 2 hours for the whole trip, because it takes an hour to get anywhere in the city) at the historic UNESCO World Heritage sites of Ayutthaya. This was a good warm-up to starting the backpacking portion of my trip :)
I stayed in the cheapest room I could find, which was about 200 Thai Baht ($7.45 CAD). It was a private room, with a shared bathroom. Creaky floorboards, opaque plastic windows, and a small fan sitting on a plastic chair serving as the A/C lent it a rustic charm. The bed was big, fairly comfortable, and clean, so I was satisfied. The bathroom was sketchy as heck, and I spent very limited time there! haha!
I ate the street food served piping hot from the little pushcarts on the corner- delicious! - and drank SO much water, iced drinks, and coke...anything cold. It was ridiculously hot outside. As soon as I took a drink out of the cooler, it began to sweat almost as much as I was, and in a matter of minutes it's lukewarm, and then just plain warm and gross. So I guzzle while its chilly.
And heaven knows I needed hydration. Most people rent bikes or hire tuk tuks to get around Ayutthaya, but one of our party was nervous about riding a bike and tuk tuks get expensive fast, so we decided to walk! And since I was detirmined to get to a certain temple at the far reaches of the town, I continued walking long after the other girls turned back. It was an adventure, as my free tourist map was fairly useless, and I had to stop to ask for directions several times. But it was good. And a nice Thai lady on a motorbike saw me tootling along sweating up a storm, and stopped to offer me a free ride to the temple! I took her up on it, and got my first motorbike ride- what a thrill! I loved it! Once I'm out of Bangkok I think this will become a more regular occurance :)
I visited 3 temples in total, and they were all very beautiful. Wat Phra Mahathat was of special interest to me because it is the location of the intriguing Buddha head that is tangled up in tree roots. Its an image I've seen a few times, and its always appealed to me, so I wanted to see it for myself.
I guess I had never seen a picture with it next to a real person, to get the scale of it. For some reason I imagined it was this massive boulder of a sculture, locked in roots the thickness of a giant's arm. I was slightly taken aback to discover that in fact, the Buddha head is about the same size as mine, if not smaller, and could easily be missed if not for the crowd of tourists snapping selfies with it.
I was a little disappointed, but then realized how ridiculous my expectations were, and snapped my photo. I like it.
Next we visited Wat Pha Si Sanphet, which was cool, but very crowded with tourists, and also caters to the Elephant-riding crowd, which made me sad and a little peeved. I get that its cool and exciting to ride an elephant, but that doesn't make it ok. Especially when you can clearly see that they are being mistreated, ie: scars and marks on their bodies from the hooks the handlers use to control them.
After that point, my friends and I parted ways for the afternoon and I carried on to Wat Chai Wattanaram, which was my favorite! It was a bit further out = less crowded, and very well preserved. While not very large, I spent a fair amount of time wandering and taking photos, cuz that's how I roll. I even took a selfie! Gasp!
I finished the day with a quick trip to the local floating market, which I'm sure lacked authenticity, but was fun nonetheless. Again, not what I expected, but it was interesting to look around.
On Sunday, back in Bangkok, I visited the Jim Thompson House (pretty, if not really as interesting as I'd hoped), and took a Thai cooking class! We learned about some of the key ingredients while shopping at a local market, prepared each dish separately, cooked, and ate! It was fantastic and we had a lovely chef to guide us. I walked out with a small recipe book I am very excited to use!
Now, I am back to work at the Fatima Center for the rest of the week, and then I carry on to Siem Reap, Cambodia on Saturday! Wish me luck at the hectic Poiphet border crossing!
As always, more photos & anecdotes can be found on my instagram, jllkc79, or #jillgoesbackpacking.
I'm on my last week of volunteering/staying in Bangkok, and preparing to strike out on my own come Saturday. I can't believe how fast the last 3 weeks have flown by!
I've been much busier since the two other volunteers arrived, which has been nice. We have gone out exploring on a few nights, and spent our long weekend (last Friday was a holiday here...what the occason was is still a mystery) about an hours drive outside Bangkok (read: 2 hours for the whole trip, because it takes an hour to get anywhere in the city) at the historic UNESCO World Heritage sites of Ayutthaya. This was a good warm-up to starting the backpacking portion of my trip :)
 |
| Checking out some ruins at sunset on my first night in Ayutthaya |
I stayed in the cheapest room I could find, which was about 200 Thai Baht ($7.45 CAD). It was a private room, with a shared bathroom. Creaky floorboards, opaque plastic windows, and a small fan sitting on a plastic chair serving as the A/C lent it a rustic charm. The bed was big, fairly comfortable, and clean, so I was satisfied. The bathroom was sketchy as heck, and I spent very limited time there! haha!
I ate the street food served piping hot from the little pushcarts on the corner- delicious! - and drank SO much water, iced drinks, and coke...anything cold. It was ridiculously hot outside. As soon as I took a drink out of the cooler, it began to sweat almost as much as I was, and in a matter of minutes it's lukewarm, and then just plain warm and gross. So I guzzle while its chilly.
And heaven knows I needed hydration. Most people rent bikes or hire tuk tuks to get around Ayutthaya, but one of our party was nervous about riding a bike and tuk tuks get expensive fast, so we decided to walk! And since I was detirmined to get to a certain temple at the far reaches of the town, I continued walking long after the other girls turned back. It was an adventure, as my free tourist map was fairly useless, and I had to stop to ask for directions several times. But it was good. And a nice Thai lady on a motorbike saw me tootling along sweating up a storm, and stopped to offer me a free ride to the temple! I took her up on it, and got my first motorbike ride- what a thrill! I loved it! Once I'm out of Bangkok I think this will become a more regular occurance :)
I visited 3 temples in total, and they were all very beautiful. Wat Phra Mahathat was of special interest to me because it is the location of the intriguing Buddha head that is tangled up in tree roots. Its an image I've seen a few times, and its always appealed to me, so I wanted to see it for myself.
I guess I had never seen a picture with it next to a real person, to get the scale of it. For some reason I imagined it was this massive boulder of a sculture, locked in roots the thickness of a giant's arm. I was slightly taken aback to discover that in fact, the Buddha head is about the same size as mine, if not smaller, and could easily be missed if not for the crowd of tourists snapping selfies with it.
I was a little disappointed, but then realized how ridiculous my expectations were, and snapped my photo. I like it.
Next we visited Wat Pha Si Sanphet, which was cool, but very crowded with tourists, and also caters to the Elephant-riding crowd, which made me sad and a little peeved. I get that its cool and exciting to ride an elephant, but that doesn't make it ok. Especially when you can clearly see that they are being mistreated, ie: scars and marks on their bodies from the hooks the handlers use to control them.
 |
| Despite sunscreen usage, I burnt to a crisp. Thanks to frequent application of Burt's Bees After Sun lotion, it turned to a tan. Hooray! |
I finished the day with a quick trip to the local floating market, which I'm sure lacked authenticity, but was fun nonetheless. Again, not what I expected, but it was interesting to look around.
On Sunday, back in Bangkok, I visited the Jim Thompson House (pretty, if not really as interesting as I'd hoped), and took a Thai cooking class! We learned about some of the key ingredients while shopping at a local market, prepared each dish separately, cooked, and ate! It was fantastic and we had a lovely chef to guide us. I walked out with a small recipe book I am very excited to use!
Now, I am back to work at the Fatima Center for the rest of the week, and then I carry on to Siem Reap, Cambodia on Saturday! Wish me luck at the hectic Poiphet border crossing!
As always, more photos & anecdotes can be found on my instagram, jllkc79, or #jillgoesbackpacking.
Wednesday, 16 September 2015
A Last Ditch Attempt to Get the Travel Bug Out of My System
When I planned my South America trip last year, I intended for it to be a productive hiatus from studying, which would also scratch the travel itch that had been worsening. I was supposed to hit the books again come September.
But...you know how it is. When you scratch it, the itch gets worse! By the time I fly back into Canada in April, I was pretty sure my semester-long break was going to be extended.
While I'm not making any promises, I am hoping that I will maintain the blog a little better than last time seeing as I've purchased a new Samsung tablet which, unlike the last device, is compatible with Blogger (and Skype!!!). I have also ordered a keyboard for it, which will make typing up a blog post much faster and less of a nuisance than tapping away on a touchscreen. I should also be able to upload photos to it, so it will be awesome to share some visual updates on the road!
Now to figure out which vaccinations to get, how to vote when I'm away, purchase travel equipment without blowing the budget, and all that fun stuff... :)
But...you know how it is. When you scratch it, the itch gets worse! By the time I fly back into Canada in April, I was pretty sure my semester-long break was going to be extended.
I worked my usual cooking gig in the treeplanting camp for the spring and summer, visited lots of relatives and roadtripped down to the Oregon Coast in August, and now its September!
What have I been doing? Researching, planning, making lists, and shopping for new gear. What for? Well...
As of today, its official- in just over 2 weeks I'm heading out on another backpacking adventure!
I will fly into Bangkok, the capital of Thailand on October 2, and begin my travels through Southeast Asia that may last as long as 6 months!
Like my trip to South America, I am traveling solo and hoping to do some volunteering, treks, and tasting of the delicious local dishes!
What have I been doing? Researching, planning, making lists, and shopping for new gear. What for? Well...
As of today, its official- in just over 2 weeks I'm heading out on another backpacking adventure!
I will fly into Bangkok, the capital of Thailand on October 2, and begin my travels through Southeast Asia that may last as long as 6 months!
Like my trip to South America, I am traveling solo and hoping to do some volunteering, treks, and tasting of the delicious local dishes!
So far my intinerary includes a month of volunteering in Bangkok, hopefully meeting up with some contacts for a local's-eye look at Vietnam, chilling out in Laos, popping over to Myanmar/Burma for a glimpse of the country that has only relatively recently become tourist-friendly, another couple weeks exploring the rest of Thailand, visiting Angkor Watt in Cambodia, tasting the wild variety of street food and outdoor adventures in Malaysia, and flying to the Phillipines for some sweet, sweet beach time! I don't know all the details yet, but I am pretty excited about everything, and I know it will be a crazy and awesome adventure!
While I'm not making any promises, I am hoping that I will maintain the blog a little better than last time seeing as I've purchased a new Samsung tablet which, unlike the last device, is compatible with Blogger (and Skype!!!). I have also ordered a keyboard for it, which will make typing up a blog post much faster and less of a nuisance than tapping away on a touchscreen. I should also be able to upload photos to it, so it will be awesome to share some visual updates on the road!
Now to figure out which vaccinations to get, how to vote when I'm away, purchase travel equipment without blowing the budget, and all that fun stuff... :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)