Home!

I'm now home and settling back into America--almost a reverse culture shock. I definitely missed good beer, but I have to say I am going to miss how good the food was. Good thing I have a cookbook from our cooking class in Bangkok! I love that I can actually change clothes whenever I want now!

It's quite the luxury after only having 4 outfits for 6 1/2 weeks. I brought everything in a school backpack and daypack--and I definitely got some surprised faces at the airport when I told them how long I'd been gone. "And you're not missing ANY luggage?" It gave me a good laugh.

Like I said before, when I have a bit more time I plan on doing some reflection pieces and maybe adding more to previous posts (like location information or background). For now I need to do laundry and sort out gifts and pictures. Soooo many pictures.

Thanks for reading so far, and if you are on your way to Asia happy travels! If you have any questions feel free to ask in comments and I'll help as much as I can.

Back in Bali, about to head home!

I had a great time dive bumming in the Gili's, but unfortunately due to rolling power outages had a hard time getting Internet to post updates. I got into Seminyak, Bali last night pretty late and treated myself to a nicer hotel room so I could get one good sleep before the 30+ hour travel marathon to begin. I also went to Seminyak beach today, and was in awe of the "everyday" swells that surfers come to conquer.

I will probably post more when I get home as reflection pieces on my time, but for now I have to pack for the flight! I have fallen in love with Southeast Asia and, though there is much of the world left to explore, I can say for certain I want to come back here some day. Until then: Goodbye, beautiful Bali and wonderful Southeast Asia. And thank you for the experience of a lifetime.

Gili T--fun in the sun and water

I'm safely arrived in Gili Trawangan and did a first dive an hour after getting off the boat. I did another this morning. The island is beautiful and I have already seen so much just from the first two dives! We've seen a couple octopus, a couple sharks, a sea snake, lionfish, a cuddlefish, and a giant clam, just to name a few.

The second dive I was able to see my first wild clownfish and another white tipped reef shark. On our wall dive this morning we went to 40 meters (130 feet), which is the deepest dive I've done. They gave us bigger tanks so we were still able to get in a 65 minute dive. "going deep" is a big deal here, as the owner of our dive shop at one point had the world record for deepest dive with a rebreather and discovered his own WWII wreck off the island (which we will be diving tomorrow morning) at 45 meters deep.

I also love the island at night. Because we are on a small island next to a slightly bigger one and neither has a high population density, there is almost zero light pollution. Last night the moon wasn't even up either, and I was able to clearly see the Milky Way for the first time in my life. It looks like a thin, light cloud stretched across he sky. How appropriate that when you are on a remote island, miles from "real civilization", you're also reminded of how small you are in the great expanse of our galaxy. And, because I'm in the southern Hemisphere, I was also able to see the Southern Cross for the first time. Closer to home, there is also a good amount of phosphorescent plankton the glows blue whenever disturbed--so you see little blue lights flashing as waves break and the waves will leave them twinkling on the shore as they recede back out to the ocean. I feel like I could have stayed out there for hours, but since I had a morning dive I called it a pretty early night.

I'll be in Gili T today through Wednesday morning. On Wednesday afternoon I'll get some shopping done in Bali and then head home on Thurs! So if anybody has specific gift requests let me know before Tuesday night your time!

What I'm glad I brought--a six week traveling perspective

I haven't talked about trip practicals in a while, but as I've gone through this journey I think it's a good idea to share some information as my vacation wraps up. I'll compile a list on this post (possibly to be added to later) with some of the things that were essential to making this trip easy. Lonely Planet and other guides have similar lists and, who knows, they may be essentially the same. That's for you to find out, because I have no reason to look back at them again :)

• Torch/flashlight/headlamp
• Earplugs and Eye mask (especially for sleeping on night trains/buses and hostel dorm beds)
• A small towel or sarong (in case your hostel doesn't have one or other unexpected times you need to dry off)
• A plug adapter
• Two of EACH: credit cards and debit cards (I will explain why in another post--but basically just have your bases covered)
• Some cash in US$ (sorry, people from other countries, but USD is almost universal)
• Lots and lots of ziplock bags and a couple trash bags
• Quick drying clothes
• Liquid detergent for doing your laundry in the sink in a pinch
• Laundry line that can be put up anywhere (lots of places have drying contraptions, but not everywhere)
• Lots of DEET lotion for bugs--it really is miraculous
• A medical kit--used it the second day all the way up to yesterday for myself and other people
• Good sunscreen that will stay on with water, time, and sweat--don't cheap out on this
• Shoes or sandals with arch support--you will be walking a lot! I have Chaco's (below) and they were fantastic. I mixed them up with flip flops every few days--it's nice to give your feet variety, and avoids weird tan lines :)

         

• A backup camera (mine was my iPhone)
• iPhone or similar (Skype is cheap, FaceTime is free, backup camera, watch and alarm, computer for when your hotel has wifi but no desktops--which happens frequently, it has pictures of home and family to show curious locals... Should I keep going?) 
• If you do bring your iPhone or iPod touch, back it up on iCloud and make sure you can find it with the "find my iPhone" app. That way, if it does get stolen, you still have your pictures and you can lock it and wipe it remotely (and locate it if you're lucky) so none of your information is in a thief's hands.
• Clothes that are temple worthy (pants and sleeves for men, skirt covering knees or pants and sleeves for women)
• Long pants, though they sound impractical for the heat, are helpful because they keep bugs and sun at bay, help you blend in more (people here don't wear shorts) and are generally better accepted at nice restaurants with dress codes. And I don't even think there's that much of a temperature difference anyway.

And for the random things:

It's a good idea to memorize your passport # and expiration date. You'll need to recall it so much that saving the hassle of taking it out will be a huge relief.

Knowing hello, goodbye, and thank you in every language you encounter is really probably all you need--and it works wonders

Monkeying around

Just visited the monkey forest sanctuary and had a great time communing with the cute, albeit aggressive, monkeys. Luckily, once they realize you don't have food they leave you alone.

Dorothy, we're not in backpacker land anymore

Ubud has been very lovely so far. Unlike the rest of Indonesia which is predominantly Muslim, Bali is Hindu, and a very unique breed of Hindu at that. They mix it a lot with animism and it is very prevalent on a day to day basis. So, on top of the fact that the island is beautiful and blooming, as you walk by every shop they have carved chairs, statues, etc. with small fruit and flower offerings set aside that are changed multiple times per day. The doorways and walls of most dwelling reflect a style much more ornate than you should expect for such a small plot of land. Beauty isn't some goal of the Balinese--it's a given and essential to their way of life.

Because of this and its close proximity to Australia, Bali has been on the forefront of the backpacker scene for quite a while now. And what follows when backpackers call a place paradise too long is an expected conversion to more touristy travelers that have more money and more needs. They won't settle for third rate accommodation or food, so nicer places crop up and prices rise everywhere. Even the museum price has doubled since my guidebook was written. I have seen families with children for the first time in my trip, and they are everywhere! Bali seems to be the Quintana Roo of Australia. Luckily, that means they have good diving close by.

I went to the art museum yesterday, and fell in love with the rich, cramped style of Balinese art. I saw a few temples and then did a three hour traditional wood carving class, which was fun but definitely not easy! Today I'm headed to the monkey forest, complete with temples, and some traditional dancing tonight.

Tomorrow I head off to the much anticipated Gili islands for some world class diving. I may do a wreck dive on Sunday and will see what other sites they have for Monday and Tuesday. Then I have one day to relax and enjoy the main island before heading home! Crazy how the time flies.

In Ubud, Bali

I am in Ubud, Bali, which is beautiful and has absolutely mouthwatering food. I'll update more later but for now, bed!

In Kuala Lumpur after a relaxing couple days in Lake Toba

I had a lovely time in Lake Toba in northern Sumatra. It got as cool as the 60's at night and was a great break after the jungle trekking--which was fun but a little tiring!

Now I am getting ready to board my connecting flight in Kuala Lumpur, a fantastic airport. They have a jungle walk that is open air inside of the international terminal, with trees labelled and explained. There are even birds and butterflies flying around in the little rainforest. And, like Changi airport in Singapore, plenty of duty free shopping: be it alcohol or perfume or Versace. It's such an interesting contrast to see women walking around in burkas past Starbucks and duty free alcohol retailers. Truly a diverse airport if I've ever seen one.

Should be in Bali in about six hours, where I will go to the reportedly serene and beautiful town of Ubud for a couple days before heading to the Gili islands for some beach bumming and diving. Then, if I feel up to it, I'll head down to Ulu Watu, the Bali everyone wants to experience but can't find in the cities closest to the airport. I'll post more soon!

A little about Sumatra

I've been in Indonesia long enough to get a decent impression of the culture, and so far I really love it and find it more tourist friendly than anywhere I've traveled so far. And, as opposed to the other places that have plenty of tourist traffic in down season, this is high season and one would expect a lot of people to be competing for tourist dollars. For example, when I got out of the airport I didn't get hassled at all by drivers asking to take me somewhere. I was politely approached by only one person, ad got a good price for a ride to my hostel without trying to convince me to go anywhere else. He was very talkative and pleasant and seemed genuinely interested in learning about my travels and America. The one thing an American will hear absolutely everywhere in Indonesia the second they tell someone where they are from is "Barack Obama", because he went to primary school here for a few years and his sister from his stepfather is from here. Therefore, Indonesia basically claims him as their own and is very, very proud of their ties to the president of such a prestigious nation.

The guides at Bukit Lawang were very nice as well, buying big amounts of food and giving some of it to us and helping us out in ways you wouldn't expect as part of just a "trek". One of the guides even brought me to his friend's wedding, which was very fun. He said that there is no real "normal" age for marriage in Indonesia, as some girls get married at 15 because of unexpected pregnancies and others wait until their twenties (the latter was the group our wedding belonged to, thank goodness). About half the women were in head scarves and half weren't--so far it seems like religions, though pervasive here, don't really come into much heated conflict. One of my guides was Protestant (they only have Protestant/Catholic, not further denominations) and said he feels safe and welcome in the community and never has had problems. Good to hear.

 

 The language also hasn't been as much of a problem here, as the phonemes and cadence of Bahasa Indonesia are a lot closer to English than other languages in Asia. The guides could all speak a decent amount of multiple languages, like French, Dutch, Danish, etc. And even though Sumatra is primarily Muslim, I fell like there is less of a culture shock here than in the rest of Asia. Maybe it's because the guides I work with  are always in contact with westerners, or maybe the cities in Sumatra are just more relaxed. Maybe it's because they all listen to American music (most of Asia listens to some, but mostly they listen to music from their own country). Either way, I don't feel like as much of a foreigner here, even with the light skin.

The saddest thing I've encountered in Indonesia is the strong memory of the tsunami of 2004. Everyone was affected by it in many ways, and there hasn't been one person I've talked to who didn't know someone who died during it. The most poignant story was a guide's friend whose child was 3 at the time. The eucalyptus trees grow here very infrequently, but they float really well. One happened to get uprooted during the tsunami and his child, who was about to drown, clung onto it and they didn't find her until the next day, 20 kilometers downstream of her house. She doesn't remember the event anymore, but her parents make her retell the story every few months to she will always know why she is alive now.

Bukit Lawang Bliss

I had an incredible time in Bukit Lawang trekking in Gunung Leuser National Park. I got into my hostel later because of a delayed flight, but luckily was able to book a trek right at the hostel. We left the morning of the 5th for Bukit Lawang, a city right on the border of the park that is about 3 hours away from Medan. They drive on the left side of the road, just like Thailand and Singapore, but significantly more crazy. Even our driver seemed surprised by some of the maneuvers people in other "lanes" tried to pull. Luckily, he was safe and defensive and I felt as safe as I could on those roads.

We got into Bukit Lawang at about 1 pm and met all of the guides that work through our company along with a few from other companies. The guest house we stayed at has a bar that he locals love to come to. Their favorite thing to do (and something I've noticed all around Indonesia, including on TV) is sing. An ideal night is to have a few beers, break out the guitar an bongo drums, and belt out the favorite times everybody knows until late into the night. They love American songs, including John Denver, and old songs that they gave their own lyrics to (instead of Jingle Bells they sing about Bukit Lawang). The rest of the afternoon it rained (their "dry season" is relative) so we played cards with the guides. The other girls in my group were from Holland and Denmark. Apparently a lot of Danish and Ditch come there, because the guides spoke their respective languages very well and even knew a few songs in each language. And, of course, they also spoke excellent English. I also met an American man traveling around for a few months who had befriended one of the guides and had been in Bukit Lawan for a week already. He showed me some great videos of the jungle critters and through him I got to know the guides better.

The next morning we woke up bright and early to start our trek. We got to the National Park by passing some rubber plantations and palm oil plantations. Few people were out that day because it was market day for the town, so we had the plantations to ourselves.

After entering the park, we almost immediately got our first glimpse of orangutan: a semi wild female and her little one. The baby was about a year old and was having a good time swinging on its own a few trees away from mom. The orangutans in the park are separated into two groups: the wild and the semi wild. In the 1970's, some orangutans were kept away from the wild and were raised around people. The government outlawed the practice, but since some orangutans had never grown up wild they couldn't be counted on to find all their own food. To help, a feeding center was established as a sort of orangutan safety net to aid their transition into the wild. These are the semi wild, and since these distant relatives of ours live to be about 50 years old in the wild they still comprise a significant portion of the population in the park. The wild orangutan, on the other hand, were never in contact with humans and don't know or care about the feeding center because they can get their own food and don't trust people. When you go into the park, your likelihood of meeting a semi wild orangutan (like our first two) is highest, followed by the offspring of a semi wild (though thy never come as close), with the fully wild being the least common to see.

Along with the mom and baby orangutan, we also got to see some Thomas's leaf monkeys, which are beautiful monkeys that have a striped grey, black, and white patterns on their face and aren't found in many other places in the world.

Our campsite was beautiful and felt totally isolated--I felt like Tarzan in the wild, amidst giant trees with massive vines and hearing the loudest bugs of my life.  The morning after our trek we were even greeted by some monkey friends that like to visit to try to get some of the food scraps left at the camp site.

A little about Singapore

I really enjoyed my time in Singapore. It is amazing to think of how much they did with their country in only a few decades, and that the man who made modern Singapore is still alive. Singapore built its economic strength by maintaining its base (which started mostly in the 19th century) as a massive port city. Even today, many of the commodities we use have passed through Singapore at least once. Two days ago I went to the top of the Marina Bay Sands, and aside from the beautiful view of the island and ocean what is truly remarkable are the vast number of ships that crowd the coastline. They are all either leaving the harbor or waiting to dock and relieve their loads. The shipyards are massive, with giant crates piled on top of each other taking up what appear to be acres of land. Looking from the ships back to the gleaming buildings on land is the clearest explanation I've ever seen to how a nation acquires wealth. You can trace cause and effect in a mere glance across the horizon.

That day I also went to the Asian Civilizations Museum, which has excellent exhibits on all Asian cultures: south, west, straits, etc. They had an array of artifacts, from giant drums to wedding garments to illuminated copies of the Quran. Every exhibit has multiple multimedia stations that you can stop at that play videos and display more information on any topic you could possibly think of. One thing people in Singapore do right is give you ALL the facts.

I also went to the Peranakan museum, which celebrates the rich history of the Peranakan people. Peranakan is like mestizo, it means someone who has mixed native ancestry with some other county--in this case India and China. Men who traded with the native people in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia interacted a good deal with the women and sometimes decided to stay put and marry to make a family there. Many people in this region identify as Peranakan, and have unique foods and traditions that set them apart from their fully Indian or Chinese counterparts.

I also had a good deal of Singapore food. They absolutely love toast, so there are toast-themed restaurants to be found everywhere. It's served with kopi (coffee) or teh (tea). The accent and phonetic spelling confused me at first, but you get used to it once you hear them talking long enough.

One of the last things I did was very fun but not very cultural: visit the Harry Potter exhibition, where they have on display many of the real props and costumes used in the lining of the eight Harry Potter movies. This is the first time the show has hit Asia, and I was offered a discount ticket when I went to enter the Marina Bay Sands viewing area. Of course I couldn't say no! And it was a very fun time indeed: I got to see wands, gowns, even the creatures they used in the films. The best part was I wasn't the only adult woman there--I meet a teacher from the Philippines who was traveling, like me, and just couldn't say no to the opportunity.

I'd like to tell more about Singpore, but unfortunately I am leaving on a trek to see some wild orangutans! Wish me luck! I should be back on the 7th. Take care until then!

Safe and Sound in Sumatra!

Got into Sumatra tonight after a short flight. The people here are very nice and luckily it's relatively cool for SE Asia. Tomorrow I leave for a three day guided trek in Bukit Lawang to see orangutans, as Sumatra and Borneo are the only two places that still have wild orangutans. Can't wait!

About to leave Singapore for Medan, Sumatra!

Hello, all! I'll be writing more when I get into Sumatra but just wanted to update you that I'm leaving for the airport now--can't wait for my next adventure. Until we meet again, Singapore!

Singapore--the city/country

I landed in Singapore last night, and as I was expecting it is much different and more first world than the rest of SE Asia. I actually planned it in the middle of my trip for that exact reason--if I needed a break I could have it, and then continue on my journey refreshed from the A/C in every building and coffee shops on every corner. So far I've explored Little India (where my hostel is), and found out they are having a food festival, so I couldn't be happier.

I also went to the National Museum of Singapore and, after only getting 1/4 of the way through one of the exhibits in an hour, will be going back after my lunch break here to continue learning about Singapore's interesting history. I'll be here until the 4th, and plan on seeing the Night Zoo along with some other historical landmarks. I'll go to Orchard Road, the shopping capital, but will do more looking than buying. Overall I just have enjoyed walking around and taking in the different flavors and languages of this bustling city. I can say for sure that if I had to move anywhere in SE Asia, this wouldn't be a difficult adjustment to make.

Good day exploring Vietnamese history

Since I took it pretty easy yesterday (not that it mattered--it rained a lot yesterday and would have slowed me down even if I had intended to do a lot of sight seeing) I was refreshed and ready to take on the day this morning. I had a full breakfast at my hostel since it is included in the room rate and headed toward my first stop: the war remnants museum. The Vietnamese have been in the middle of too many colonization attempts (real, perceived, or ambiguous) for their liking, the most recent and/or despised being the Chinese, French, and Americans. Because of this, the museum apparently used to be called the museum of Chinese and American war atrocities--and it's not hard to imagine why that name didn't stick. I was told from the start, and assumed from the other museums I have seen, that the museum would be very one-sided. And, to a good degree, it was. However, it really wasn't as biased as I could have imagined (that could be indicative of the Vietnamese government actually doing a better job or just of how low my expectations were--I don't know yet).

The outside lawn of the museum has helicopters, tanks, planes, and long range missile launchers parked outside to show the sheer quality and quantity of brilliantly destructive equipment the US government had at their disposal. The ground floor showed an exhibition of the people that "supported a free Vietnam", a euphemism for the people that spoke out against the US aiding in the South's war effort (the distinction, of course, being that disagreeing with an outside country's involvement with a civil war does not necessarily mean they support the side that ended up winning it). I was impressed that they spent so much time documenting the protests in the US, including Kent State. It surprised me only because it seemed to really attempt to paint some Americans in a positive light--not all Americans were the "colonial aggressors" (a term wrongfully adopted by the North) the VC fought against; many were against the war and extremely vocal about it. In another floor, I was sad to see that they kept a really good explanation of the typical American soldier's psyche during the war in English without translating it for the Vietnamese. I think it would have been very moving for the Vietnamese. After all, the college-age boys that too often were the ones on the from line weren't the politicians escalating the war. They were victims too, even if they are painted as killers. Seeing this side is essential and something most Americans have access to, especially through amazing writers like Tim O'brien. The other exhibits were dedicated the the massacres, like My Lai, amid quotes of European intellectuals condemning the actions, along with pictures of victims on Agent Orange, which was terribly sad. As we know too well, civilians and soldiers from both sides were affected because chemicals don't care whether you have a gun in your hand or what color your uniform is.

After that, I went to the museum of Ho Chi Minh City, which was extremely interesting because it covered everything from previous invasions and uprisings to the crafts that were native to the city and where they came from, art, traditional ceremonies, and an economic history detailing changes in imports/explores and GDP. At the time, There were also two Vietnamese brides that came to the beautiful museum building to get their wedding photos taken. It was fun to watch them, one in white and one in red, pose with their new husbands.

After the museum I headed over to the Reunification Palace, which used to be the President's palace before the end of the war.

For dinner, I went to a coffee shop that reminds me very much of Starbucks to escape the chaos. However, I won't just be drinking a mocha and eating banana bread. When in Saigon, do as the Saigonese do--and Saigonese love their noodle soup, or pho. So I had a cup of strong Vietnamese coffee, sweetened with condensed milk the way they like it, and some delicious beef pho. The one thing I don't think I'll try here is the weasel coffee. It is normal coffee beans fed to a weasel and collected after it's made the trip through their digestive system--noooo thanks!

Tonight I will meet up with a French Canadian I met in Hanoi who finished her bus trip from there to Saigon a few days ago--it's great that you can keep running into the same people here. After that I'll be off to bed and then wake up early for a tour of the Mekong Delta south of here, which is supposed to be stunning. Hope you are all well and, if you can believe it, I'll already be heading home in three weeks! How the time flies.

Saigon explorations

I've very much enjoyed Saigon so far--overall I really think I've enjoyed Vietnam the most of all the countries. Yesterday we explored the Cu Chi tunnels that the VC used during the Vietnam War when taking Saigon. The propaganda surrounding the war is very interesting (though I'm not sure how effective it is) and I may talk about it some time later. Later that night we had some drinks at the Rex hotel with a couple young men we met on the tour who were working in architecture and oil and gas.

Today my companion left me--so sad! But I was able to meet up with a future classmate in the afternoon and visit the city's jade pagoda before getting some good pho bò (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) near the night market. Tomorrow I will hit up the museums and the next day do a day tour of the Mekong Delta before leaving on the 30th for Singapore.

Got into Saigon!

Just a quick update that we got into Saigon. I'll write more soon but for now we are off to the Cu Chi tunnels!

Still taking in Angkor--but first to catch up on sleep

Angkor was absolutely beautiful. The first day we explored Angkor Thom and went to the Elephant Temple for sunset.

This morning we got up at 4:30 to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, which was stunning. All of the Angkor temples are truly remarkable and span so much distance, but I can see what Angkor Wat gets so much glory.

After that we went to the beautifully dilapidated ruins at Ta Phrom, which has been taken over by the massive bodhi trees that dominate the forest.

After we were wat-ed out, we went to the Angkor museum to see some of the relics they removed from the wats for preservation.

Now we are in Phnom Penh, the capital, after a six hour bus ride. Tomorrow we will see the killing fields and some other less gruesome city sites.

Got into Cambodia--safe but a bit scammed

Ah, Cambodia, Thailand's much poorer neighbor. Our bus ride to the border was already an ill omen. My companion put his leg up to stretch it on the bus while we were both listening to headphones and his iPhone slipped out without either of us noticing. What he did notice was a man and his friend getting off the bus quickly and then, once off, turning to look where we were sitting as the bus started to pull away. He felt uneasy about that and immediately checked for his phone, which we ended finding out was gone. Luckily for him it was a company phone that he was going to be switching off of soon anyway, so there is really no financial setback--just the inconvenience of not having a phone number for a while.

When we got to the border, our tuk-tuk driver dropped us off at a building that was trying to look like a tourist information building. In typical fashion, it was just a shop trying to make a couple bucks off of tourists and they tried to hurry us into the building. By now we are so used to it we just walked away without a problem, passing all of the signs saying you had to get your visas for Cambodia before you depart Thailand and you should get your visa with them for "bery cheap". Of course, just another silly scam that at this point we are too smart to fall for. Once we crossed the border and were going to get our visas in Cambodia from the officials, there was a section for a passport photo. We paid our visa fee and were told that the fee for not having a photo (we didn't have one) was 100 baht, or $3. However, the man never actually charged us for the photo fee. Then a different official took us aside to tell us to pay the fee, which felt very sketchy. However, I didn't think that officials in a government building would scam us so we paid him. It wasn't until later that we found out that he was in fact scamming us and the passport photo "fee" was a total farce--how frustrating! Obviously it's not the money; it's just the idea that even in official institutions you can't trust them to treat you right.

After we got through to Cambodia we were shuttled to a place that overcharged us about $4 for a taxi ride, which was better than I was expecting. Normally a two hour ride into town is about $10 a person, and we each paid about $14, so really it was an amazing deal compared to America. The tuk-tuk driver that was supposed to take us from the taxi stop to our hostel was obviously ordered to take us to some hotel he makes a commission for, so I told him we already had reservations at our hostel of choice so he would actually take us where we wanted to go instead of insisting we stay somewhere else. Then he tried to get us to buy a tour for today, which I refused.

Long story short, I'm looking forward to a day in Angkor Wat not just for the temples, but to get away from the massive amount of people trying to get in on some of my USD by any means necessary. So far we have been very smart travelers, if I do say so myself. But you always get caught off guard sometimes--and you live and you learn! The Cambodians I've met that work in the restaurants are absolutely lovely, so it's not all of them either. You just have to use your head and adapt as you go.

Leaving for Angkor

Had a great day seeing Phanom Rung historical park--it is supposed to be a preview for Angkor Wat and if that is the case I am prepared to be very impressed by what we find in Cambodia--can't wait!

Ready for some Khmer temples!

We just arrived in Khorat, northeastern Thailand, after a twelve hour bus ride. We will see some Khmer temples tomorrow as our preview for Angkor Wat, and take in some of the beauty of Thailand's Isan province. It is much cooler here and actually has a very suburban feel, not something I was expecting coming so far up north and out of the tourist sphere. So far I have very much enjoyed Thailand and have been happily surprised by how well developed it is, especially considering what I've been learning about their government structure. Talk soon!

Bangkok to Ayutthaya, and now in Chiang Mai!

We left for Ayutthaya, Thailand's old capital, yesterday morning and spent the day there bicycling around and looking at temple ruins. We then gorges ourselves on delicious Thai food before taking the night train to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, where we will spend today and tomorrow. It is a bit cooler than Southern Thsilsnd and has a much quieter feel. And it's still very cheap--a private room with A/C costs $30 total and our guest house has free wi fi and a pool, hard to go wrong! Today we will shower and head to the Sunday market, which should be very fun. Tomorrow we make take an elephant care class and go to the temple on top of the hill and inside a protected park, which I am very much looking forward to. And of course, try to avoid getting eaten by mosquitoes! So far with the DEET it's been great, but if I don't wear it I become a tasty mozzie snack.

Stuffed!

Today I stuffed myself with delicious Thai food during a cooking class in the afternoon after visiting the Jim Thompson house in the morning. What a good day! Tonight we are heading to the Moon Bar at Vertigo for some great city views. And tomorrow we head to Thailand's old capital, Ayutthaya, for a quieter feel.

Loving Bangkok

So far I've loved what we've seen of Bangkok. I met up with my travel companion two nights ago and we got up early to see some beautiful temples. We took the river boat to Ko Ratanakosin and, as I've heard many a time, had many scams tried on us just after disembarking. An apparently nice man stopped us and looked at my map, telling us that Ko Ratanakosin was closed until 1 pm that day and that we should see a different Wat instead. He also told us that my companion, wearing shorts, wouldn't be allowed in. He was about to get a tuk-tuk to take us somehere better before I hurried us away. More people stopped us to tell us it was closed, he wouldn't be allowed in, only Thai people could visit today, etc. Even if there weren't tuk-tuk's around, they tried to con us. However, we didn't listen and were rewarded: the complex was open til 4 and if clothes weren't appropriate (like shorts) they provided pants free of charge. We explored for about three hours, and it was stunning!

We ate lunch at the least dodgy street market we could find, and I thoroughly enjoyed my food. We headed to Wat Pho in the afternoon, and after getting Buddha'd out we headed back to our hostel in Bangkok for a quiet night so my companion could get acclimated to his jet lag.

Landed in Bangkok. My, how western!

I got into Bangkok about 7 hours ago. The airport was immaculate, and had much better A/C than the Vietnamese one. It's very obvious from the start which one is the wealthier country. I took the sleek new airport train to the city center and the BTS (city train) to get to the street near my hostel. Everywhere we stopped there were TV's playing Thai and English ads for different cosmetic products, Canon cameras, and even KFC. Like with everyone here, I'm amazed at how bilingual this country it. Not only do they need to know another language, but also an entirely different alphabet. I don't know how good they all are, but it seems like they are better at speaking English than the average Vietnamese person and since their ads are in English I can guarantee they are better at understanding it.

After I got off the train, I was surrounded my McDonalds, Burger King, and Starbucks. I hadn't eaten lunch and had a weak will after no American food the past week, so I caved and got a giant Starbucks drink, which was delicious (and served to me in very good English) but it cost about twice what a meal + drink in Vietnam would cost. First world luxury comes with a price! I then found my hostel, which is very nice, and took a long shower. Now I think I'll do laundry (we have a hanger in the room) before I get caught up on this blog so my clothes have time to dry. It's not like any of you are awake anyway!

It seems like since Bangkok is more western, it may be easier to use my Visa card here. In Vietnam, it was pretty much all cash--you could never rely on someone having a credit card machine. We'll see how it goes though. I would recommend for anyone travelling to get at least $100 of the native currency before they get out of the airport. I wouldn't have been able to take the train without it or get on my Hanoi shuttle either. Don't rely on them taking US dollars (though that's your best plan B, for sure).

Leaving for Bangkok!

My flight for Bangkok leaves in 3 hours, so I need to finish packing and take a taxi to the airport. I can't believe a week has gone by already! I'm so looking forward to my next adventure.

Water Puppets

I went to the water puppet theater last night, and it was so fun! And it had A/C, so I was doubly happy.

Ho Chi Minh

Saw the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, museum, and homes today. It was a very interesting experience and made me think a lot.

I want to write about my thoughts on Hanoi, Sapa, the mausoleum and the Vietnam War, but I'm completely wiped out right now because of the heat. Look at that--and it's already afternoon!


 I'm off to the water puppet show for now!

Saps Trek Success!

I just finished my trek through Sapa, a town in northern Vietnam that is home to many minority villages. It was absolutely stunning. I'll be taking a sleeper train tonight to get back to Hanoi and I'll write more then, when I can use a computer rather than my iPhone. Talk soon!

Bugs, bugs, and more bugs

Just an update on practical travel problems. So far, I've been using my Deet lotion pretty regularly and only really got bug bites (2 or 3) when I didn't put it on. So that has been a great success. I think the permethrin treatment of the clothes has worked well so far too, because I haven't gotten any bites through my clothing either. However, I either got bitten by fire ants or some other bug when I was on my Halong Bay tour and may have gotten bitten by bed bugs in a couple places already. They don't itch, but they are clearly a rash and look like small bites on my arms. No fun at all! The hostel we are staying at is very clean, but it's really hard to tell when you have bed bugs or where you might get them from. Hopefully the rash/bites will start to go down, or I'll start looking pretty ridiculous soon.

Back from Halong--sunburnt but happy!

I got back yesterday from my tour of Halong Bay, and it was fantastic! I went on a tour with my hostel and we were gone for three days and two nights. I did the Rock Long Rock Hard tour with Ma May Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, and I can give a very positive review with only one real annoyance. The first day we bussed for 4 hours to the shore and then went onto our junker, the Jolly Roger, for an hour and a half to get to our spot for the night. We cruised past the hundreds of islets that dot the bay. There are supposed to be almost 2000 of them, the biggest being Cat Ba Island. It's a sight like nothing you will ever see anywhere else--almost otherworldly. There are also fishing villages that nestle themselves in the karst landscape and, unless for school, childbirth, or selling their wares, they never step foot on land. They all give birth in the same place, a building set atop one of the islets. It's quite odd--the women are sent to the house to give birth but are not allowed to have any help along the way. They are left for an entire month on their own, and if they or their infant die during the time no will know or be able to help. How I would hate to be a woman in that village!

I was the only American except for our tour guide's girlfriend in a group of 40+ people. There were a group of Dutch, French Canadians, and Australians, but most people were Brits. I guess Americans just don't do SE Asia as often. Once we got to the Jolly Roger we got ready to swim--it's always ridiculously hot and humid here and you pretty much just surrender yourself to the sweat. We jumped off the boat and swam around. It being a group of young backpackers and our guide being a partying alcoholic, there were offers of free beer for people that jumped off the boat naked. I can't say I regret not participating, but it was still funny to watch. After that we went kayaking through the bay for a bit. We wanted to under and through a cave with our kayaks, but since it was high tide we couldn't fit. Instead, we moved to a different cave that we could enter and went spelunking for about an hour. The cave was pretty nasty because of all the bats and bat droppings, but it was fun to explore and we saw some good stalactites and stalactmites. Also, the limestone glistens in a pretty way when you shine light over it--it was a lovely effect.

After kayaking, we came back to the boat and had a delicious fresh seafood meal, followed by a good amount of drinking (beer never gets more expensive thatn $1.25) until I, tired as hell from traveling and jet lag, went to bed at 10. I woke up at 6:30 but couldn't really see sunrise because an islet was covering the horizon, but it was beautiful and very peaceful the sit on the deck of the ship, rocking in the bay and listening to the island bugs buzz with lfe. With our Jolly Roger cruise out of the way, it was time to go to our private island for the day, Castaway, to indulge in some great sprorting fun.

We cruised another two hours deeper into the bay, which only got more beautiful as we continued. We saw significantly more fishing villages here as well. Our private island was beatiful, and since it was now low the beach was huge. We went swimming for a while and then I learned to wakeboard, which was fun but difficult with only 8 tries! They also had climbing set up, one medium course and one difficult one, and I was able to do both without falling and/or slipping. Both climbing guides were Americans, so it was fun to talk to them and hear their story. They really wanted me to try solo climbing, which is when you get a boat and ride up to the rock face in the islets and climb without any gear. Once you get high enough you just jump back into the water, and repeat until you're too tired. It sounded really fun but I didn't have the time. Maybe next time I find myslef here.

The whole day I spent a lot of time meeting all the different groups of people--the one nice thing about traveling solo is it forces you to meet people and to be social. They all had interesting stories and had traveled quite a bit already, so I also got some helpful tips for my other destinations along the way. Everyone is so nice, and so pleased to find an American that really wants to learn about their culture. It's crazy that it was not unusual for the Dutch group that they knew 5 languages proficiently, and here I am with more language knowledge than the average American and I only know 2!

Later that night I got to know them better as we played some more drinking games and went swimming. I guess this trip is known for being a party one, but our group had a good balance and never got out of control. However, our guide wasn't so happy about that, so when he realized no one was going to be getting naked again without an incentive for free drinks he pouted and went to bed--I think him being pushy about drinking was really my only complaint about the trip. After the party was over, we went swimming again for a bit and admired the bioluminescence in the water and went to bed. We slept in huts on the beach, and about 6 people fit in each one. There were padded mats on the ground and mosquito nets, and though it was very simple I had no problem sleeping. The next morning we go up bright and early and started our cruise back to land. We boarded our minibus and after four hours of cramped driving got back to our hostel at around 5 pm. I was really tired but knew if I napped it would continue my jet lag and make it harder to go to sleep again, so I just relaxed in the hostel and got some dinner. After a good night's sleep, I got up and took my time with breakfast before going on a walking tour of Old Town Hanoi, which I'll talk about in a separate post.

Ready for Halong Bay after a long night

I got into Hanoi safe and sound--though I'll admit it was quite the adventure. Luckily I made a couple friends and that allowed me to get to the hostel faster and with little worry for my safety. The Halong Bay tour is due to start in about an hour. My iPhone is running low on battery and I doubt there will be any computers on our boat, so it may be a day or two before I update this or email anyone. If you're concerned just shoot my local phone a text--I should still have service most of the time. Onward I go!

Made it to Tokyo!

Already an interesting trip and I am not even in Vietnam yet! My first evening flight out of Denver was cancelled,  so the airline put me up for a night and I left first thing the next morning with a revised schedule. All in all, besides less sleep, I lost little time. Because my layovers were so long initially I only lost 6 hours on arrival time even though I left 12 hours later. I should arrive in Hanoi around 9:40 pm, so I should get to my hostel at 11 ish with plenty of time to sleep before my excursion leaves for Halong Bay that next morning. It is crazy to think that it is 1 am my time and I still will not see another sunset for another 5 hours or so. My new layover is in Tokyo, where I am now. The people here are so nice; I cannot wait for when I come to travel here sometime. Everything is immaculate as well. And the lounge I was given access to has free food and beer, definitely something I am going to take them up on! I will update more once I get into Hanoi; until then, sleep well all of my Western hemisphere dwellers!

Why I'm bringing my iPhone 4

I already posted about bringing a global phone with me in case of emergency or lack of available internet. But I also decided to bring my Verizon iPhone 4. Even though it seems mostly pointless (Verizon gets no international service) there are a couple benefits to bringing a smart phone, and they all have to do with its wifi capability. The iPhone 4 will be able to connect to the internet when there is wifi around (for example, when I'm in a coffee shop in Singapore) so I don't always have to find an internet cafe to shoot a quick text, email, or Facebook post. But the best part is that I can still use FaceTime, as long as I can get wifi. This is an amazing piece of technology because it enables me to see the faces of friends and family for free, without a computer, any time I can get wifi. No laptop, no ethernet, no roaming. All I have to do (to ensure I don't pay roaming) is go into airplane mode in Asia and turn wifi on to connect to whatever hotspot I have access to. For more info, see here. I feel like I am really going to enjoy using FaceTime--finally, the Apple commercials are living up to the hype!

Vaccines and Health Abroad

Introduction

I recently had my appointment at a travel clinic to discuss vaccines and other medical issues, and learned a lot that I can impart to future travelers. Obviously, don't use this information as a substitute for actual medical advice--it is only a guide for what to expect when you do your own research.

First and foremost, make sure you get travel insurance any time you are going out of the country for a few weeks or travelling far enough away that an emergency wouldn't be covered by your insurance. There are many places to purchase travel insurance, but I was really satisfied with STA Travel's international traveler's insurance. It can be found here. The benefits include covering trip cancellation/interruption, travel delay, lost/damaged baggage and personal effects, baggage delay, medical and dental expenses, emergency medical transportation (for adventure traveler types med-evac is super important), air flight death and dismemberment (ew), and travel accident death and dismemberment. You also can work through them to consult a doctor when you are abroad and they take care of most out-of-pocket medical expenses when you need acute care.

With all the big stuff out of the way, now there is the question of vaccines. Get into a clinic with at least a month to go--you need to give your body time to build up immunity to these diseases before you leave. Make sure that you have your vaccines on record if you go to a travel consult. You'll need all of your regular vaccines (MMR, DTP, Tdap, Hep A and B, varicella or proof of chickenpox, etc.) and those should be covered by your insurance if you haven't had them all already. The other ones that are not required are generally paid out of pocket. A consult should cost between $50 to $75, so make sure you plan on shelling out some cash even before you get your vaccines.

In SE Asia, the "common" ailments you will run into are:

1. Traveler's diarrhea (more info)
2. Typhoid (more info)
3. Malaria (more info)
4. Dengue Fever (more info)
5. Rabies (more info)
6. Japanese Encephalitis (more info)
7. Sexually Transmitted Infections (I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but if it does apply to you it is absolutely important you keep it in mind) There's a good list here.

Transmission and Prevention Straegies

Malaria, Dengue, and Japanese Encephalitis are all transmitted by mosquitoes. For all three diseases, then, effective prevention is key. Yes, DEET is not fun--but that stuff works wonders. The most recommended product is a sort of DEET lotion that is 34% DEET and lasts 12 hours. It comes in 2 oz. tubes so it can be carried on planes. You can (and probably should) also treat your clothing with permethrin, which lasts for about 6 washes or one month. There's also a possibility that mosquito nets will be beneficial, especially if you plan on spending a lot of time outdoors or in malaria-rampant countries.

Luckily, the specific locations I am going in my countries have a pretty low incidence of malaria, so my recommended strategy is prevention only. If your risk is higher, you may be prescribed anti-malarials. Beware--they can cause hallucinations. Also, keep in mind that some areas in the world have malaria strains that are resistant to major treatments. You'll need to consult an expert to get information specific to where you are travelling.

Dengue has no specific treatment or vaccine. Prevention is key, because it's all you have.

Japanese encephalitis does have a vaccine, but it costs about $600 (depending on location) with both doses. My Nurse Practitioner said that only 11 Americans have gotten J.E. since 1981. So, even though the symptoms can be very bad and there is a medical prevention strategy, the odds against getting it and the sorry state of my wallet voted in favor of general mosquito protection.

image from: http://www.hdmicablescheap.net/malaria/ 

How do I stay in contact with friends and family?

Emergencies, gossip, check-ins: there are a plethora of reasons to want to stay in contact with friends and family members while you travel abroad. A good rule of thumb is that the more immediate and direct the contact, the more it will ultimately cost. Can you wait to update your travel blog until you are at a hostel with included internet, or do you need to send an email right away? Do you need to call and talk to someone, or will a text message do? These are good things to consider and they'll all have a financial impact while you travel abroad.

Although I like to be an unfettered traveler, I do recognize the need to keep in contact with friends and family. I want them to see what  my travels are like, and I tend to favor typing to hand-writing anyway. So for me, a blog is a great way to keep in touch while also recording my travels. But what if it is more immediate? I don't know where I'll be every night, so it would be hard for my parents or friends to call a hotel that I'm staying at if there were an urgent matter to discuss. If it's not completely urgent, they can email. But if it is in fact a real emergency, it's comforting to know that I could be reached more immediately. That's why I am going with an international phone that is cheap on the front-end and more expensive after. I don't plan on using my phone often, if at all. But, if an emergency did indeed crop up, it's good to know that my friends and family can contact me almost instantaneously.

Source

The phone that I chose cost me only $40 and has no monthly fees. I just get charged what I use while I travel. There are certain countries you can't call out of (the US being an obvious one, and then some other countries including ones in Central America), but all countries I plan to visit are included. What I like is that receiving texts is completely free (so my dad texting to say "Brooke--haven't heard from you in a while. Please send an email update by tomorrow so we know you're OK" doesn't cost me anything to read and is cheap to answer if I just use internet). Sending a text costs $0.80 per message, which really isn't that bad. A call costs anywhere from $1.50 to $3.95 per minute depending on which country I'm in. Yes, it's pricey--but I honestly don't plan on using the calling feature of the phone except in true emergency situations. So, if you're like me and just need a phone for emergencies, check out Mobal's website. However, if you are closer to friends and family than I am or are just chatty person, you should read a blog post about the "true" costs of Mobal vs.other users. Hopefully, once I'm done with my trip, I'll remember to write a review and let readers know what I think of the service after actually using it.

Bought my ticket!

I am officially going, people! I purchased my ticket. I depart for Hanoi, Vietnam on June 3rd and leave from Bali, Indonesia on July 19th. That's about 7 weeks away from the US. The flight cost a whopping $1800--yikes! I've narrowed down the places I definitely want to go, but still need to flesh out some of the details-- like will I rely on buses, planes, or ferries to get to all the countries?

I plan on spending about a week in Hanoi, before I fly to Bangkok to meet up with my wonderful and adventurous companion. We'll explore and then head through Thailand to Cambodia, where we will experience Angkor Wat. After that we will bus or boat to HCMC, or Saigon. He'll probably leave before there's time to explore the Mekong Delta, so I'll stay there a few more days before I fly to Singapore. Singapore is small and I still have a lot to accomplish, so I'll probably only be there a couple of days. After that, I'll fly to Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia. There I definitely want to go to Bukit Lawang to make friends with some orangutans. I also want to get to Lake Toba and Pulau Weh, but I'm not sure I will have time for both. Once I've completed my Medan excursions, I'm off on a plane to Bali where I plan to explore ruins, beaches, and dive some great sites. I also want to explore a volcano on Lambok, the neighboring island, and lounge/dive a few days on the Gili Islands. Needless to say, it's looking to be a packed trip even with the generous amount of time I gave myself.

But it will all be worth it when I'm here:


I also just got a Capitol One Venture Rewards credit card for the trip, which can be found here. Why? The only cards I have now charge foreign transaction fees (which would definitely add up), none of them give me airline miles, and none of them have the perks I can get with Visa Signature. More perks on the card can be found at Nerd Wallet, along with information about other good cards to use when you're travelling abroad. I wish I had known about the travel accident insurance before I bought the ticket with another card. However, with Visa Signature I can still use other resources, like translation services or emergency message delivery. I can also get a replacement card/cash advance right away anywhere, any time if my card is lost or stolen. That is definitely comforting. The catch? You need excellent credit, so make sure you check your credit score before you apply.

My next adventure will be to get all needed vaccinations. I'll post more updates on the preparation as I go.

Welcome!

Hello there! My name is Brooke, and I love to travel. I am about to embark on an epic adventure across Southeast Asia the summer before I start graduate school. Within the countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, and Indonesia, I am bound to encounter a wide array of languages, cultures, foods, and weather. I want to put it all down so I can keep my friends and family informed, educate future travellers, and brag about my time spent halfway around the world.

My trip will last from around June 1 through mid July. More details to come!