Past, Present, and Future

This morning I had every intention of catching a bus to Chiang Mai.
I packed up my things, and then left to find a bite of breakfast before going to the bus station to purchase a ticket.
I remembered reading about BaanChivitMai in the Lonely Planet guidebook, and it happened to cross my path, so I stopped in. Its a local bakery whose proceeds support disadvantaged children, and whose coffee and free wifi fuel the tourist types.

Now, here I am, an hour later, having had a wholly unhealthy breakfast of cafe fare, still typing away on my tablet. I just ordered a fruit smoothie to balance things out, and that will probably keep me going for another hour.

The atmosphere in this cafe/bakery is so calm, and so...familiar. I feel like I'm at home, which at the moment is quite comforting! I also have a lot of emailing/interneting to do, so its a convenient place to hunker down. I think I'll stay one more night in Chiang Rai!

PAST

For the last week or so I have completely neglected the blog and my personal journal. I will try to get back on track!

First of all...I have departed Laos! I spent just over 2 weeks there, and while it was very beautiful and I liked it a lot, I just couldn't seem to connect there. I don't know how to explain this. I struggled to decide whether to spend more time there or head back to Thailand, and as soon as I arrived in Chiang Rai, I knew I had made the right choice. I am LOVING this part of Thailand!

That being said, I would love to go back to Laos one day and explore more of the country, but I would go with someone else. I found it a difficult country to travel solo, in part because:

1. 99%* of tourists are French, and don't want to speak English
2. 90%* of tourists are couples and aren't necessarily interested in meeting other travelers
3. Most accommodation is private rooms, not dorms, so its more difficult to meet people
4. Everything is very expensive (roughly same prices as at home, or more), especially if you can't split costs with anyone.
5. Its a country where there isn't necesarily much to do, but its a cool place to hang out. This means good company is essential.

*Highly scientific numbers

I only saw a handful of what Laos has to offer, so in my reasoning, this makes it an excellent location to return to. I think it would be a wonderful place to cycle/motorbike through. One day :)

PRESENT

Now that I'm back in Thailand, I have been enjoying how cheap everything is...especially the food!!! It's so delicious. And its much warmer and sunnier than Laos. After having spent 2 weeks in Hanoi, and 2 weeks in Northern Laos, I was beginning to feel some serious sun deprivation. In Thailand I can wear shorts and tank tops again! It's glorious. (Yes, I realize you are all in the dead of winter and I shouldn't complain about "chilly" 20 degree weather). Best of all, there are so many cheap hostels to stay in and meet other travelers!

FUTURE

My plan now is to visit a few places in Northern Thailand while waiting for my e-Visa for Myanmar to be processed. Fingers crossed it will be accepted, and then I will be heading off to possibly the most interesting and un-touristed country of my trip! I have met a few people that have been there already, and they all loved it! Apparently tourists can only stay in certain registered accommodations, which makes it expensive ($25-35/night for "cheap" places, compared to $7-8/night in Thailand), but on the plus side that means it will be easy to locate other travelers :)

After Myanmar, I wll fly back to Bangkok to meet up with my dear friend Rishelle who is coming to Thailand for a 2 week vacation! I couldn't be more excited! We will bask in the sun of the Southern Islands, and it will be so great to have some quality time together!

When she flies home, I will continue South to Malaysia to eat away my depression noshing on the delicious street food of Penang...and that's about as far as my plans go! I'm halfway through my 6 month travels, but I think the 2016 half will pass much faster than the 2015 half (which has gone by very quickly!).

Happy New Year, Regis readers!

Double Christmas

So I decided that since it really did not feel like Christmas in the least here in Lao, I will simply not make a big fuss about the holiday this year and just celebrate double Christmas next year! I think it was a good decision.

Needless to say, nothing noteworthy occured in the travel department. I returned from my 2 night stay in Muang Ngoi, and was fortunate enough to find reasonably-priced accommodation with enough wifi to skype the family back home! So that was really nice.

And as it turns out I got to spend a night in a rodent-infested bungalow (the reason for the low price, I guess)! So...that was...exciting...

Some photos from the past week:

Village life along the river...on the boat drive to Muang Ngoi

Tat Kuang Si, famous waterfalls outside Luang Prabang

The easy part of the 100 Waterfalls Trek...

Waterfall #99...and we climbed it! (The hard part)

Goaties!

Laundry day means heading down to the river!

Sunset view from my bungalow in Muang Ngoi...killer.

Being Lazy in Luang Prabang

I did it.
I finally booked a ticket out of Luang Prabang. I am committed to leaving.
I was beginning to think that I might stay forever, or at least until my month-long visa expired of my bank account ran dry (which would be fairly quick...it is FREAKING expensive here).

Luang Prabang has a way of seducing you into forgetting that there might be more to life that sleeping in, nibbling delicious French-inspired goodies, wandering peaceful atmospheric streets, snapping photos of pictueresque sunny vistas, and eyeing interesting handicrafts at the Night Market. That's about all I've been doing in my abundant spare time the past week. Apart from taking my first day "off", and losing a day or two to being sick, I have been enjoying taking it easy and exploring the nooks, crannies, and restaurants in the city.

Going to the trouble of buying a ticket, the thought of trying to pack my overstuffed backpack -and put it on my back!-, going somewhere new and moving my butt from the comfort of the adorable bungalow where I have been staying all sounded like TOO MUCH WORK.

I reminded myself it was all about baby steps. Yesterday, I forced my lethargic legs to take me to the minibus that would drive me to Tat Kuang Si, the amazing local waterfalls. SO MUCH WORK. On the bus I forced myself to start a conversation with the girl next to me. She was about my age, from California, and also traveling solo. It didnt take us long to become fast friends, and we spent the rest of the day exploring together, including hiking up and around the falls, cooing over the hilarious fat-cheeked bears in the Bear Rescue Center, and being astounded by butterfly facts at the Butterfly Park. Once we had returned to the city, we shared dinner, visted the night market, and then sadly, parted ways.

The little excursion roused me from my sleepy (lazy) stupor, and I faced the fact that I really should move on and see more of this beautiful country.

I am headed for Nong Khiaw next...not really sure what there is to do there, but I have heard its nice, so I"ll figure it out when I arrive, I guess!

Sorry I can't seem to upload any photos today...the internet is not cooperating!

A Bad Canadian

I have to keep explaining to people that I don't qualify as a perfect Canadian: I don't speak French, I don't ski or snowboard, and now...my last confession, I have incredibly low tolerance for the cold.

I have thankfully recovered from the hellish flu that struck me down a couple nights ago, and had fully intended to get all the sightseeing done today that I have been missing out on. When I woke up, it was pouring rain, and more importantly...it was cold! Yes, my friends, it can get cold in SE asia!

Ok, granted, perhaps 16 degrees sounds like a balmy temperature to those of you back home, but over here it is freaking FREEZING! I am wearing all my warmest clothes and shivering away...there is no indoor heating, and most buildings follow the ol' Rivendell indoor/outdoor thing, so the cool breeze gets ya every time.

Apparently I am now acclimatized to 30°+ weather. I am looking forward to once again feeling the kiss of the sun on my skin (in moderation, as my easily-burned complexion reminds me). All I want to do is crawl into bed, pull the covers over me, and hibernate until the sun comes out.

Landed in Lao

I am approaching night #4 in Luang Prabang, and I have done shockingly little. I flew in late Sunday night, and went straight to bed, and gave myself permission to do absolutely nothing on Monday in order to recuperate from the nonstop schedule of the past couple weeks. I slept in for the first time in FOREVER, dilly-dallied on the internet, played some chess with the proprietor of the guesthouse (I lost...badly), chatted with some other guests, ate a traditional Lao dinner at the renowned Tamarind restraunt, and basically just chilled out all day long!
Yesterday I felt a little under the weather, but decided to do some sightseeing, so I walked around town, and enjoyed a sunset cruise on the Mekong River. Unfortunately, I was feeling worse and worse all night, and by 7:30pm I was back at the guesthouse and very sick. It was a long, miserable night with frequent dashes to the toilet, and today i have done nothing but lay in bed, sleep a bit, and hope that all will be well by tomorrow. I don't think it is food poisoning...probably a flu, as a few other guests have caught something similar as well.
I have a long to-do list in Luang Prabang that I have hardly touched, and currently I have no energy to accomplish any of them. On the bright side, Luang Prabang is the perfect place to relax...the vibe here is extremely laid back, and the climate is comfortable. I dont think I will have any trouble using my month-long visa to enjoy this beautiful place, even if I do nothing but swing in a hammock.

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.

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!

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... :)