LOOKING BACK: 15,500 miles in South East Asia 2012

It's nice to reflect on where I've been, how far I've come, where I am now, remembering all the people I've met along the way that I've experienced such a different way of life with.  I've been moving for a long time now and I need some rest... but only for a little bit.  I'm often asked by new or curious travelers, what my favorite country/city is.  I tell them, "different places for different reasons".  Some places I would love to live in, others only to visit for a holiday, some just to relax and enjoy watching languid river life float by, others to party in, some to ride a bicycle around, many to just let yourself get lost in, a few places to pamper yourself, a few to have amazing meals in, and a couple to just lay on the beach and swim in warm, crystal-clear, blue waters.

While I'm thinking of it. I may as well share my favorite places for my various reasons.  Sure, the list could be longer and more specific, but I'd really have to sit down and think about it and fumble through all of my files - however, I'm just too lazy for that.

FAVORITES LIST

To live in: If I could have chosen anywhere in Asia to live, it would have been in Laos, maybe more specifically Luang Prabang or Nong Kiew.  Luang Prabang can be quite touristy, but I love the small town feel, but so many places to explore around it.  It's a gorgeous town (UNESCO Heritage site!) and they have some really good food and especially really good French pastries - which is enormously difficult to find in Asia.  

Nong Kiew because my soul connected with it instantly and I cried when I left.  I didn't want to go.  It's a sleepy little village north of Luang Prabang tucked away in the mountains that I traveled 7 hours by boat to get to.  I'll do a post on it one day, but it was I place I gave some serious thought to moving and working there - however, it's nearly impossible for Westerners to get a job in Laos, let alone a tiny little village.  

Hoi An, Vietnam was also another thought of living there - beautiful town, good food, decent expat scene, really nice Vietnamese locals, and it's near mountains but is on the ocean.  Siem Reap, Cambodia was also another consideration, but frankly, it's way too touristy.  With Angkor Wat located there, there wasn't any way to avoid tourists year-round.  Hanoi, Vietnam is another as I love it's busy energy, but after some thought, I just wanted something more chill.  

I decided Chiang Mai because it's a combination of all those things I stated before (sans ocean), but it's also a small city with character and soul.  If I was going to live somewhere for a year, I needed to have at least one movie theater, all those other locations did not have a theater.  Yep, it's the L.A. gal in me that can't deny herself the latest release films.

Visit for a holiday: Everywhere.  Though technically for me, any beach is a holiday.  I prefer to live surrounded by green mountains.

Just relax and enjoy watching river life: Nong Kiew, Laos though Don Det, Laos is a close second.

Places to party in: Hanoi, Vietnam; Bangkok, Thailand; the old Vang Vieng, Laos; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Halong Bay, Vietnam; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Boracay, Philippines.  I realize there are a ton of places to get drunk and party in like the Full Moon Parties, but the cities I listed are some of my faves.

Best place to ride a bicycle around: Bagan, Myanmar and Hoi An, Vietnam.

Places to get lost in either on foot, bicycle, bus, or whatever tickles your fancy: Everywhere, but also Chiang Mai, Thailand; Hanoi, Vietnam; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pampering:  My idea of pampering varies, but it mostly involves massage.  Best massages: Laos!  Yep, I love Thai massages but traditional Laos massages take it up a notch and slightly less painful.  My favorite is still in Vientiane well outside of the tourist area tucked behind some temple in the woods/jungle and it's one of my favorites partly because it's an herbal sauna place lit by a fire underneath the room and it's all outdoors.  Best for everything else: Bangkok, Thailand.  Anything and everything you've ever wanted done to you, can be done there for a fraction of what you would spend in the western world and the quality is just as good.  

Amazing meal towns: Hoi An, Vietnam; Luang Prabang, Laos; Bangkok, Thailand; Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Lay on the beach and swim:  Well, I hate to admit I still have yet to go to any Thai beach and yes, I know they will have the best beaches but I just haven't gotten around to going down there.  So for the rest of Asia that I've been to: Bamboo Island (Koh Ru), Cambodia and Boracay, Philippines.

Should any one be considering coming to Asia, you can certainly take this list into consideration or just go out and discover it on your own, which I personally recommend but sometimes, one just doesn't have the time to do what I've done.  

More looking back on individual countries soon...

LOOKING BACK: 16 months of travel

 

So I've been thinking back on the last year and half as it's just FLOWN by!  It's hard to describe to someone what an extended travel experience is like, except that it's subtly life changing.  But as I've done this blog to share with you some of my experiences along the way, I wanted to somehow track where I'd been on a map just to see where on this Earth I've been to.  After inputting the majority of the locations online, what at first seemed like I'd been everywhere is now "Geez!  I've hardly been any where! I've got so many more places to experience!".  So here's a glimpse of where all I've been to and some random facts about my travels - but I gotta say, I've traveled enough miles to go around the Earth three times?!  That's CRAZY!!!!  Hopefully one day I actually will complete a full loop around the world! 

And then there's the whole number of miles I've sat on my ass - around 74,000 miles?!  This is definitely a WTF moment.  My intellect does not fail me in noticing that this could have something to do with my posterior getting a tad more "voluptuous" while I've traveled.  But oh, it was so worth it!!  And 15,000 miles by bus, ugh!  I can't begin to tell you all I've seen, heard, witnessed, experienced, and even smelled from the seat of a bus (though not always seated per say), but traveling by bus has been 15,000 miles of all of my journeys amongst locals and friends... and of course some good, loooooong books!

Looking at this map above, it makes me realize I just haven't even scratched the surface of the world.  I look forward to continue filling in the rest of the map in all of my days to come.  

Coming soon - post cards and map details of each trip...

FLASH TRAVEL IN KUALA LUMPUR

I decided to take on another form of travel that would allow me to visit a country for just a short period of time – I would get long layovers!  I like to think of it as flash travel.  Why sleep in an airport when you can get out and see the city?!  So when I left Australia, my next stop was Kuala Lumpur.  The thing is with my flash travel (and cheap ticket), I had only 6 hours to check out the city from 11pm-5am, and I would have to be on foot for the majority of the time since most public transportation was not open.  Of course I didn’t do any homework as to where I should go and with those constraints, I decided to just wander around the city taking in whatever adventure had in store for me.   

As I stood in line at immigration, I looked around and noticed that most of the people there were wearing Islamic attire. I honestly did not know that nearly half of Malaysia was Muslim (see, I really didn’t do any homework), so I suddenly felt very inappropriately dressed in my shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops – not the way to travel inconspicuously and especially where perceptions of women are a bit… different.    Had I done my homework, I would have dressed a tad more appropriately (i.e. more clothing) for a single gal to be wandering the streets in the middle of the night in a city I had never been to. 

After getting through immigration, I grabbed a free map then headed to the last train out of the airport to the city.  I got to the KL Central Station to take another train another part of town, but unfortunately for me, they were all closed.  So one sketchy taxi ride to the Bukit Batang area where supposedly there was some form of nightlife.  The taxi drops me off and I just start walking around with no idea of where to really go.  Safe to say, Bukit Batang is a whole lot of (closed) expensive shopping malls - definitely not what I was looking for!  I decided to walk to the Petronas Towers knowing full well my visit would be incomplete if I did not go there. 

The towers are gorgeous!  And the best part, I was there as some clouds were rolling in creating this ethereal setting around the towers.  It was such a beautiful experience to be there and watch the clouds come in, drizzle a little rain and mist, lie below looking up at the towers from a bench, and just listen to the sounds of the city.  As much as I would have liked to have seen the towers in the day and even go inside and up to the top floors, I wouldn’t have traded that moment.   It was truly unique and special to me.

I continued to walk around the city, absorbing what little I could see, observing life at night, admire the gorgeous styles of architecture reflecting the Muslim, Chinese, and Colonial influences, made it to some mosques, government buildings, a food market area, Chinatown, and even the old railway station.  The very little time I was there, I covered a lot of ground and would definitely like to go back, perhaps during the day next time.  And maybe figure out where to go or at least put a few days aside to travel by subway and foot all over the city wandering yet again.

In regards to my flash travel, I enjoyed the few hours I had to check out the city and would definitely do it again.  I took advantage of the little time I had and I loved it no matter how tired I was for my flight!  It was such a different experience to walk around and see a city for the first time under the cover of night all damp and misty with not many people around, no tourists, no idea of what was where, and allow myself to be immersed in Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures – it was simply other-worldly. 

P.S. Sorry for the not-so-great photos.  Night photography is not my strong suit.

VALLEY OF THE GIANTS

(Photo courtesy of Owen)

(Photo courtesy of Owen)

There are the little things that I notice while traveling that markedly make each and every place unique – generally it’s the obvious aesthetics like the people themselves, the architecture, and of course there’s food, language and accents that help define the culture as well.  On occasion it’s the various modes of transportation, fashion, attitude and lifestyles of the people, and even the various smells of the city/town (believe me, you know when you're in Bangkok just by the smell!).  For me, Australia was most defined by aussie-isms, vast amounts of land, and it's flora and fauna. 

Nowhere in the world are many of the animals and plants that are all over Australia found anywhere else.  Besides being home to the top 10 most dangerous/poisonous, flat out scary animals/creatures in the world, it’s also home to some of the most gorgeous vegetation and landscapes, the most incredible creatures that are both terrifying and stunning at the same time.  And the sounds, the most interesting, unique, and beautiful sounds I have ever heard have come out of the birds that seem to procreate by the millions there.  Birds that in America, we can only find in an exotic pet store or at the zoo, but here, these rainbow-colored birds are sitting by the dozens if not hundreds in one tree – and then multiply that by 20 trees on a street corner.  I once heard a bird doing beat-box for about 5 minutes – I kid you not, beat box!  And yes, it was a wild bird, not one trained by a human.  I’ve heard birds doing trills and sing multiple notes simultaneously that I’m convinced no bird in America has the vocal box or capability of achieving.  It’s pretty magical to be walking alone through the woods or along the beach and to hear something that stops me in my tracks just to listen to them put on a little concert for me.  

Another thing I love about Australia are the vast amounts of raw land that lends itself to such serene moments with very little to no distractions of people, buildings, or noise pollution.  There’s so much space there – it’s like a new frontier!  Owen and I were outside of Walpole at the Valley of the Giants where these massive, old-growth Karri, Tingle, and red Tingle trees towered over us.  Walking along a 40-meter high suspension bridge we mingled with the trees and had a great birds-eye perspective of the forest below.  Luckily, not many tourists were there so we walked at our own pace, slowly taking in the sheer height at which we were walking (this walk is not for the faint of heart) but also to just feel a bit closer to the trees and really get a good look at them.  I loved being up there, on these bridges, with the ocean breeze coming through, smelling the freshly rained upon earth, and just listen to the wind blowing through the trees and birds chirping away.  Moments like those are truly breath taking and now transport me back to such fond memories communing with nature and having someone special there to experience it with.

KANGAROO TIME! Finally!!!

Kangaroos and emus all living together harmoniously

This is where we camped - such a gorgeous campground!!!  Perfect for sitting along the pond drinking wine at sunset.

What is a trip to Australia without seeing a kangaroo in its natural habitat?  So for the entirety of my time in Australia, traveling along the entire east coast, it wasn't until I got to WA that I finally saw my first kangaroo out in the wild.  To me, it was a pretty incredible experience.  We drove into this small town (that I honestly can't remember the name of), where upon entering into the center of this town is a small park and that was where I saw them first.  My first kangaroo, hopping along the sidewalk.  We get out of the car, grab some food, and walk up to them.  Owen's the first to go and feed them because let's face it, I've heard that they can be wild, hit/kick people, I don't know if they bite, have rabies, or what.  So I hang back to see how they act.  Owen goes right up, starts feeding them and petting them - no biting, no rabies, no kicking - they seemed nearly domesticated.  So I approach them timidly (of course I think "they may not bite him, but they'll bite me!") put my hand out like I'm feeding a horse, and the little kangaroo initially grabs the food but then eats our of my hand.  What an incredible feeling to be interacting a wild animal like this and of course it can only be done in Australia.  We went around feeding the kangaroos branches of leaves that we found in the area, pet them, and of course took tons of photos of them.  This particular breed of kangaroo are a bit smaller than what I thought they would be but they also had a lot of little joeys running around too, some still hanging out of their mother's pouch.  It really was a cool experience to see them up close.

Also running around this town were a bunch of emus as well as their little babies!  I was a bit more unsure about the emus as I didn't know if they were dangerous or not since cassowaries that are also in Australia can (and will) kill people.  So I steered clear of them, but it's such a cool thing to see these massive birds walking around the town, many hanging out in people's front yards, and some just sitting in a driveway.  Going to this little town was such a fun experience, like having our own personal petting and feeding zoo.

'MARGS' // a.k.a. Margaret River

My favorite place in WA was Margaret River – hands down, no contest!  It’s the perfect combination of beaches, wineries, big, rolling, green hills, surf, wineries, great restaurants, breweries, more Aussie charm, cool temperatures, and did I mention the wineries?  Yes, this is WA’s wine country!  And after all my travels through SE Asia and NOT drinking wine, I was in absolute heaven in Margaret River.  We went to several wineries over the course of four or so days along with a few breweries and completely overloaded on drinking wine from lunch until sleep. 

As much as Aussies like their (subpar) beer (Corona and Heineken are considered premium beer, clearly the standard for beer is a tad low), but they also redeem themselves with a good selection of micro-breweries in the area such as Cowaramup and Duckstein.  They’re situated amongst the wineries in gorgeous settings typically along a pond where you can also have some really good food too.  I love wine, but sometimes, beer is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Obviously that region has their own style but I gotta admit that there were some gems in there including a few places that had some Chardonnays done in a California-style and let me tell you, it felt like home, even if it was at the bottom of a wine bottle.   Nothing beats a beautiful bottle of cool, buttery, oaky Chardonnay on a warm spring day with some lovely cheeses, crackers, charcuterie, and fruit set out amongst the vineyards with great conversation.  That my friends, is my own personal heaven.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA - The Real Wild West

Meet Owen...

(l) Owen prepping for omelets, (r) just some of the random flora WA has to offer

So remember Owen, that guy I met in Queenstown where we couldn’t stop talking and having fun together?  Well, I went to meet him in Perth!  He promised to show me around Western Australia and I thought it’d be great to hang out with him some more and see a bit more of Australia that many tourists don’t make the trip out to see.  Now, he kept some of our travel plans a surprise so I really had no idea where we were going and how but I did know that camping of some sort would be involved – my favorite form of travel!

Upon arrival, he tells me we’re going to caravan up north the following day to Kalbarri.  I had never heard of it, but he assured me that it was a pretty spectacular place and with it being spring, it’d be a good time for wildflowers to be blooming along the way, plus the temperatures ideal (i.e., not hot as hell).  The following day after we loaded the caravan (!!) with food, supplies, and our stuff, and we hit the road!  Now this was my first official road-trip (the other stuff doesn’t count as it was public transportation, I couldn’t exactly stop and smell the roses along the way) since leaving America.  Road trips are the BEST way to see a country, stopping along the way at mom and pop shops, buy some fruit at stands on the side of the road, stop and look at the scenery, and also, just to take my time and move at my own pace.  So imagine my surprise when Owen told me that we were caravanning around!

Western  Australia was everything I thought Australia would be!!  The east coast seemed a lot like many parts of America (with the exception of Whitsundays). all every city-like Americanized, and developed.  But Western Australia, these were the visions I had of Australia – untouched land beyond what the eye could see, desert-like settings, big ocean roads, endless miles of beach, the wild outback, kangaroos, completely foreign flora, and an endless supply of Aussie humor and hospitality.  With my own personal tour guide we stopped along the way at various beaches, bakeries, shops, wandered through national parks, and really did stop to look at all the wildflowers.  And this was just the beginning of our adventures through WA!