I'm perhaps the worst travel blogger in the entire world. But that's okay, we'll move past that. Today I need to rant about life. About dreams. About religion... Anyone else get the picture that I read "Eat Pray Love" recently?
This trip for me was all about exploring somewhere new. I'd hoped to find some kind of clarity. Maybe I'd get to know myself a little better. I'd hoped to find whatever was missing from my life. I wanted to be really happy.
I've learned a lot. Happiness isn't something that happens by chance: it has nothing to do with luck. It's not something that you stumble across. Happiness is pure, and it's raw and it's made with your own two hands. I've learned that there are really two types of events in the world:
1) Those you can't control
2) Those that you can control
It's easy in life to be frustrated by both of those type of events when they don't go how you planned: how you dreamed they might. There's no point being upset about things you can't control, that's a given. But I've learned there's no point being upset about those things that you can control, because you could invest that energy into positive change. Happiness is made with our own two hands, but it also starts in our minds. You can craft your thoughts to be positive, genuine, hopeful and inspiring. I've learned that being letting yourself be unhappy (it is a choice) is very taxing on your soul, and the souls of those who are close to you. Not only are you doing yourself a huge disservice by being unhappy, but you are negatively impacting the world too.
I'm choosing to be the kind of girl who impacts the world in a positive way. I want to be the girl who can make the person she's speaking with feel like they are the most important person in the world. That's one of my new year's resolutions.
When I was at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai I felt overwhelmed to pray. I'm not sure why, I'm not a hugely religious person. I don't really have a God I was praying to. I think maybe I was just sending out a little message to the universe. I lit an incense stick and stuck it in the offering to Buddha and I kneeled before it. I cleared my head of all thoughts, and asked myself what I wanted most to learn... "I want to find happiness in silly places" - I didn't mean happiness in the usual sense. I want to be able to laugh at my own misfortunes, I want to stop and smell the roses, I want to study the stars from as many places on earth as I can and feel so overwhelmed by it all. I want to take deep breaths and really breathe in life. I want to find beauty in the places you sometimes forget to look.
I think I am doing all of that now and it feels amazing :)
I've also decided that the relationships that don't work out, are there to take you closer to where you need to be in life. My most recent relationship made a passion for photography resonate within me. I've learned so much from him and I can't wait to take it further. I don't believe everything happens for a reason, but I think maybe there is a path that I'm supposed to be on. At the moment I feel like I'm exactly where I should be.
Two weeks until I have to be out of Vietnam!
I have a few more resolutions, but I'll post them as they come to heart. xx
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Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
three days of transit
We had to leave Chiang Mai, though if we could I'm sure we would have stayed longer. Our next destination was Luang Prabang, a quant little french town in Laos. We took a 5 hour bus to Chiang Kong, stopping off in Chiang Rai to see the most beautiful temple I've ever seen. It was all white, and some of the decorations were creepy.
Chiang Kong was not much of a looker, the most redeeming feature was a 7-11. We crossed over the Laos border which involved taking a little old school boat across the river. Laos immigration was slow, in line with most asian operations and it took around 4 hours for us to be able to board the slow boat. I wasn't very excited about the prospect of being on a slow boat for eight hours a day, for two days in a row, but looking back it was a really amazing experience. The Mekong river is absolutely stunning and along the journey you get a peak at daily Lao life. We had the four of us, plus Rich (*2), Chris and Laura along for the journey which made it a little more interesting.
Luang Prabang was a really lovely little town. The main street was lined with french style bakeries selling baguettes, donuts, cakes, croissants and donuts. We just chilled out here. One day we hired bikes and went for a little picnic mission, it was very sweet. We did a little day trip to Tad Sae waterfall, which took about an hour to get there by tuk tuk - unfortunately my camera was left at the hostel, but the boys got some sweet pictures.
On my last full day in Laung Prabang I volunteered at Big Brother Mouse. Essentially I went along and just chilled out with some local Laos teenagers, helping them practice their English and learning a little more about their daily life. It's hard meeting local people, because obviously travel is of such an interest to me, and usually for them too. But often it's an unrealistic dream for them. It's humbling and a good reminder of how lucky I am to be on this adventure.
Chiang Kong was not much of a looker, the most redeeming feature was a 7-11. We crossed over the Laos border which involved taking a little old school boat across the river. Laos immigration was slow, in line with most asian operations and it took around 4 hours for us to be able to board the slow boat. I wasn't very excited about the prospect of being on a slow boat for eight hours a day, for two days in a row, but looking back it was a really amazing experience. The Mekong river is absolutely stunning and along the journey you get a peak at daily Lao life. We had the four of us, plus Rich (*2), Chris and Laura along for the journey which made it a little more interesting.
Luang Prabang was a really lovely little town. The main street was lined with french style bakeries selling baguettes, donuts, cakes, croissants and donuts. We just chilled out here. One day we hired bikes and went for a little picnic mission, it was very sweet. We did a little day trip to Tad Sae waterfall, which took about an hour to get there by tuk tuk - unfortunately my camera was left at the hostel, but the boys got some sweet pictures.
On my last full day in Laung Prabang I volunteered at Big Brother Mouse. Essentially I went along and just chilled out with some local Laos teenagers, helping them practice their English and learning a little more about their daily life. It's hard meeting local people, because obviously travel is of such an interest to me, and usually for them too. But often it's an unrealistic dream for them. It's humbling and a good reminder of how lucky I am to be on this adventure.
Monday, January 3, 2011
two thousand and eleven
I had every intention of keeping this blog well maintained. I wanted it to be a record of all that I did and saw while away. I've learned that my happiness is inversely proportionate to how much time I spend on facebook (and blogging) and as such I am not sad that I've been so infrequent in my updates. It's because I've been living my travels instead of documenting them. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm almost thankful I've been slack. Almost.
Bangkok was a gem. I didn't expect to like it. There was so much going on and every corner had something worth exploring. After Nicole left, I met up with Rich, Mark and Jade. We decided to travel to Chiang Mai together. The Thai are very fond of Chiang Mai. Frequently I was asked when I was going there, and for how long. It was a fairly long sleeper bus from Bangkok (10 hours?) and before we'd properly left Bangkok Jade had to get off the bus because he wasn't feeling very well, Mark escorted him to the hospital. Rich and I continued to Chiang Mai, feeling pretty disorientated especially being down two. We recharged in Chiang Mai. I got three massages, two pedicures, two manicures and two facials. It probably cost less than one of any of those back home. A little spoiled.
My favourite part of my time in Chiang Mai was either the Thai cooking course we did (I learned to cook a curry- from scratch! Pad Thai, Tom Yum, Basil Chicken and Mango sticky rice) or the Trek. Our Trek was a three day affair. The first day was a light trek to Jumbo elephant camp. We rode the elephants - which I am still undecided on whether I actually enjoyed it or not; the elephants had to carry us up pretty steep hills, which I can't imagine was too fun for them. And the seats on their back were very uncomfortable. There was a little pond and hammocks which we chilled out by, it was very relaxing. After some drinking, Black Pancake and some camp fire songs, Rich and I went and fed the elephants at midnight. I'm not sure whether we were actually allowed to, but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Elephants are big. I was literally cuddling one of them, Samantha, around the trunk. She could have done some serious damage to me if she wanted, but I think she was quite happy with the midnight snacks. After exhausting their food supply we sat under the stars (which was so different to in NZ) and counted shooting stars. It was all kinds of amazing.
The second day we had a substantial trek to the top of a hill. A big hill. A massive hill. My red bull concentrate didn't carry me as well as I'd hoped. It was exhausting, but once we'd finally made it we were all pretty proud of ourselves. We were "staying with a hill top tribe" but really it meant we were staying in tourist accommodation on top of a hill near a tribe. Unfortunately we weren't introduced to the tribe and it made things a little awkward. I originally went out with my camera and a group of 6 boys, but found that it was too intimidating to really capture anything worth while. I split from the group and played with the kids. I met this little girl who started jumping when she saw me; so I jumped too. Then whenever we saw each other, we'd both start jumping and giggling. It made no sense, but it was absolutely lovely. It a little heart breaking to see little children playing with fire, in clothes that were painted with dirt. I just wanted to steal them and take them back to NZ.
The third day of the trek was a bit more adventurous. We went on a big walk to a water fall. I excelled in the white water rafting - not so much so in the floating in the river - or the bamboo rafting. It was a bunch of fun but by the end of it we were ready to go back to the hostel and recharge.
Bangkok was a gem. I didn't expect to like it. There was so much going on and every corner had something worth exploring. After Nicole left, I met up with Rich, Mark and Jade. We decided to travel to Chiang Mai together. The Thai are very fond of Chiang Mai. Frequently I was asked when I was going there, and for how long. It was a fairly long sleeper bus from Bangkok (10 hours?) and before we'd properly left Bangkok Jade had to get off the bus because he wasn't feeling very well, Mark escorted him to the hospital. Rich and I continued to Chiang Mai, feeling pretty disorientated especially being down two. We recharged in Chiang Mai. I got three massages, two pedicures, two manicures and two facials. It probably cost less than one of any of those back home. A little spoiled.
My favourite part of my time in Chiang Mai was either the Thai cooking course we did (I learned to cook a curry- from scratch! Pad Thai, Tom Yum, Basil Chicken and Mango sticky rice) or the Trek. Our Trek was a three day affair. The first day was a light trek to Jumbo elephant camp. We rode the elephants - which I am still undecided on whether I actually enjoyed it or not; the elephants had to carry us up pretty steep hills, which I can't imagine was too fun for them. And the seats on their back were very uncomfortable. There was a little pond and hammocks which we chilled out by, it was very relaxing. After some drinking, Black Pancake and some camp fire songs, Rich and I went and fed the elephants at midnight. I'm not sure whether we were actually allowed to, but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Elephants are big. I was literally cuddling one of them, Samantha, around the trunk. She could have done some serious damage to me if she wanted, but I think she was quite happy with the midnight snacks. After exhausting their food supply we sat under the stars (which was so different to in NZ) and counted shooting stars. It was all kinds of amazing.
The second day we had a substantial trek to the top of a hill. A big hill. A massive hill. My red bull concentrate didn't carry me as well as I'd hoped. It was exhausting, but once we'd finally made it we were all pretty proud of ourselves. We were "staying with a hill top tribe" but really it meant we were staying in tourist accommodation on top of a hill near a tribe. Unfortunately we weren't introduced to the tribe and it made things a little awkward. I originally went out with my camera and a group of 6 boys, but found that it was too intimidating to really capture anything worth while. I split from the group and played with the kids. I met this little girl who started jumping when she saw me; so I jumped too. Then whenever we saw each other, we'd both start jumping and giggling. It made no sense, but it was absolutely lovely. It a little heart breaking to see little children playing with fire, in clothes that were painted with dirt. I just wanted to steal them and take them back to NZ.
The third day of the trek was a bit more adventurous. We went on a big walk to a water fall. I excelled in the white water rafting - not so much so in the floating in the river - or the bamboo rafting. It was a bunch of fun but by the end of it we were ready to go back to the hostel and recharge.
Monday, December 6, 2010
eleven days
I've been here eleven days. Eleven magical days.
Thailand is so different to New Zealand. I was greeted at Phuket airport by hundreds of Thai trying to offer me Minibuses, limos, private taxis to various destinations. I made my way to a mini bus counter and handed over 150 baht to get to Patong. I'd only planned to go to Patong because two Germans I loved from the hostel in Sydney were staying there; I'd hoped to meet up with them.
The mini bus took over an hour to be ready, not without a few attempts to make me pay more for it to leave sooner. I made friends with a couple from Brisbane who shared much wisdom regarding Bangkok. We hadn't even driven for five minutes before the mini van pulled into some tourist shop and we were forced to get out. After ten hours of transit, this is the last thing you want. I told them I was staying with a friend and I didn't need any products.
Arriving in Patong was a shock. I have never traveled to a third world country before and while it is a pretty developed place, the contrast is really hard to deal with. You see people making homes on the side walk, an entire family on a scooter, and so many poor, homeless animals. The hostel I stayed at in Patong was lovely. I stayed longer just because the hosts were so nice. They'd walk around and give you back rubs, prop pillows up behind you when you were laying down and melt you with their smiles.
I asked the ladies working at reception where was good to eat. A girl around my age, named "Apple" (not sure how it's spelled in Thai) grabbed me by the hand and ushered me through the crowds of people. She took me to her favourite food stall. She ordered my meal in Thai for me, and refused to let me pay. We sat at the diner table eating, while fireworks exploded along the beach. It was a beautiful way to say Hello to Thailand.
Patong was all about adjustment. I spent a bit of time on the beach. I went for a lot of walks. I smiled a lot. I found my own favourite restaurant and returned there so many times, but always alone. Eventually they asked if I had any friends. I responded by dragging someone from the hostel down there for some Pad Thai. I mistakenly told a man who had a stall that I was from New Zealand. Every time I walked down that stretch of road I'd heard him yell out "VEGEMITE, VEGEMITE!!!". I had marriage proposals. I communicated with so many people through a serious of nods and smiles. I went out drinking a few times with some lads from my hostel.
I caught a ferry to Phi Phi on a whim. The guy I'd hung out with a bit from Patong had gone there. It was the most beautiful boat ride I've ever been on. Stayed at the cheapest and worst hostel I've ever seen. It's called "the rock" and that might just be because the mattresses are actually made of wood. The toilets didn't flush; you had to use a bucket. The showers weren't hot; I showered with bottle water. It was pretty horrific, but thankfully I met some awesome people there. I went out for dinner and drinks with a few of my room mates and ended up tango dancing on a table top. Smearing UV paint over a friend, and then deciding it would be the BEST idea to run into the ocean and push each other around. Completely oblivious to the fact this friend had a camera, which was obviously destroyed. Whooops.
I spent a lot of time lounging around on the beach on Phi Phi. I decided I probably should go a bit further North. I had to find somewhere nice to sit my interview for University. Phi Phi accommodation was too expensive, so I headed for Koh Phangan. I caught the 10am ferry alone, and would up on the final leg of my trip bumping into my English friends. We met a lovely Canadian girl as we were exiting and decided to share a Tuk Tuk to a hotel. Nicole and I booked in a room together, as she'd kindly offered to vacate for an hour while I Skyke'd. Our time in Koh Phangan wasn't really productive. We spent a little too much time eating at the resort's restaurant, which honestly was quite average. It had a pool though and I even had a little swim.
My interview went really well and so we decided to celebrate. After a round of "ring of fire" we played a few incriminating drinking games. We headed to the beach and I wound up far too boozed. The crowd of people there wasn't particularly nice. Eventually I found my self lost, extremely disorientated and all alone in the thick of the forest. After a few hours of epic concentration I found my way home. Nicole was star fished on her bed, and there was puddles of water all over the floor. I decided not to ask too many questions.
After that epic fail of an evening I decided it was time to leave and booked a trip to Bangkok. 14 hour of transit and a bit of neck cramp later, Nicole and I arrived in Bangkok at 6am. We couldn't check into our room until 2pm, so wandered around Siam sqaure. We checked out the cultural museum, which honestly has to be a highlight of my trip so far. The cultural museum is sort of a Ponsonby-ish area, with flashy cafes and boutique stores. I bought myself a cute little elephant wallet, and perhaps the most delicious ice cream of my life. Our evening was spent getting completely lost in China town and sampling as many foods as we could. We'd half a little serving from a street store and then find a make shift table and chairs right in the hustle and bustle of it all. It was a lot of fun.
Our last day together was spent mostly at the Weekend markets, which are honestly insane. 15,000 stores. So many awesome stores. I'm going to have to go back there again before I leave to buy gifts. We had the most amazing timing for being in Bangkok, yesterday was the King's birthday so we enjoyed a nice lantern-lit dinner together and heading off towards the park/bridge to watch thousands of lanterns be set off into the distance. The fireworks were stunning and it was absolutely heart warming seeing the Thai people are their pride for their King. Banana pancakes were our chosen dessert. We decided to say goodbye with a token manicure together. I think that's one of the hardest things about traveling, is having to say good bye and knowing it's very unlikely you'll see them again soon. I'm just so thankful I met her. She was such a generous soul and a ton of fun!
I made my way back to my hostel and caught up on some sleep. I'm meeting up with the English boys for dinner tonight which will be nice. I think I'll go a photo mission soon.
I'm absolutely in love with the Thai smile. I feel so absolutely at peace right now. I am happy, and carefree. I keep pausing to myself, breathing deeply (not too deeply in BKK's pollution) and feeling very very fortunate.
xx
Thailand is so different to New Zealand. I was greeted at Phuket airport by hundreds of Thai trying to offer me Minibuses, limos, private taxis to various destinations. I made my way to a mini bus counter and handed over 150 baht to get to Patong. I'd only planned to go to Patong because two Germans I loved from the hostel in Sydney were staying there; I'd hoped to meet up with them.
The mini bus took over an hour to be ready, not without a few attempts to make me pay more for it to leave sooner. I made friends with a couple from Brisbane who shared much wisdom regarding Bangkok. We hadn't even driven for five minutes before the mini van pulled into some tourist shop and we were forced to get out. After ten hours of transit, this is the last thing you want. I told them I was staying with a friend and I didn't need any products.
Arriving in Patong was a shock. I have never traveled to a third world country before and while it is a pretty developed place, the contrast is really hard to deal with. You see people making homes on the side walk, an entire family on a scooter, and so many poor, homeless animals. The hostel I stayed at in Patong was lovely. I stayed longer just because the hosts were so nice. They'd walk around and give you back rubs, prop pillows up behind you when you were laying down and melt you with their smiles.
I asked the ladies working at reception where was good to eat. A girl around my age, named "Apple" (not sure how it's spelled in Thai) grabbed me by the hand and ushered me through the crowds of people. She took me to her favourite food stall. She ordered my meal in Thai for me, and refused to let me pay. We sat at the diner table eating, while fireworks exploded along the beach. It was a beautiful way to say Hello to Thailand.
Patong was all about adjustment. I spent a bit of time on the beach. I went for a lot of walks. I smiled a lot. I found my own favourite restaurant and returned there so many times, but always alone. Eventually they asked if I had any friends. I responded by dragging someone from the hostel down there for some Pad Thai. I mistakenly told a man who had a stall that I was from New Zealand. Every time I walked down that stretch of road I'd heard him yell out "VEGEMITE, VEGEMITE!!!". I had marriage proposals. I communicated with so many people through a serious of nods and smiles. I went out drinking a few times with some lads from my hostel.
I caught a ferry to Phi Phi on a whim. The guy I'd hung out with a bit from Patong had gone there. It was the most beautiful boat ride I've ever been on. Stayed at the cheapest and worst hostel I've ever seen. It's called "the rock" and that might just be because the mattresses are actually made of wood. The toilets didn't flush; you had to use a bucket. The showers weren't hot; I showered with bottle water. It was pretty horrific, but thankfully I met some awesome people there. I went out for dinner and drinks with a few of my room mates and ended up tango dancing on a table top. Smearing UV paint over a friend, and then deciding it would be the BEST idea to run into the ocean and push each other around. Completely oblivious to the fact this friend had a camera, which was obviously destroyed. Whooops.
I spent a lot of time lounging around on the beach on Phi Phi. I decided I probably should go a bit further North. I had to find somewhere nice to sit my interview for University. Phi Phi accommodation was too expensive, so I headed for Koh Phangan. I caught the 10am ferry alone, and would up on the final leg of my trip bumping into my English friends. We met a lovely Canadian girl as we were exiting and decided to share a Tuk Tuk to a hotel. Nicole and I booked in a room together, as she'd kindly offered to vacate for an hour while I Skyke'd. Our time in Koh Phangan wasn't really productive. We spent a little too much time eating at the resort's restaurant, which honestly was quite average. It had a pool though and I even had a little swim.
My interview went really well and so we decided to celebrate. After a round of "ring of fire" we played a few incriminating drinking games. We headed to the beach and I wound up far too boozed. The crowd of people there wasn't particularly nice. Eventually I found my self lost, extremely disorientated and all alone in the thick of the forest. After a few hours of epic concentration I found my way home. Nicole was star fished on her bed, and there was puddles of water all over the floor. I decided not to ask too many questions.
After that epic fail of an evening I decided it was time to leave and booked a trip to Bangkok. 14 hour of transit and a bit of neck cramp later, Nicole and I arrived in Bangkok at 6am. We couldn't check into our room until 2pm, so wandered around Siam sqaure. We checked out the cultural museum, which honestly has to be a highlight of my trip so far. The cultural museum is sort of a Ponsonby-ish area, with flashy cafes and boutique stores. I bought myself a cute little elephant wallet, and perhaps the most delicious ice cream of my life. Our evening was spent getting completely lost in China town and sampling as many foods as we could. We'd half a little serving from a street store and then find a make shift table and chairs right in the hustle and bustle of it all. It was a lot of fun.
Our last day together was spent mostly at the Weekend markets, which are honestly insane. 15,000 stores. So many awesome stores. I'm going to have to go back there again before I leave to buy gifts. We had the most amazing timing for being in Bangkok, yesterday was the King's birthday so we enjoyed a nice lantern-lit dinner together and heading off towards the park/bridge to watch thousands of lanterns be set off into the distance. The fireworks were stunning and it was absolutely heart warming seeing the Thai people are their pride for their King. Banana pancakes were our chosen dessert. We decided to say goodbye with a token manicure together. I think that's one of the hardest things about traveling, is having to say good bye and knowing it's very unlikely you'll see them again soon. I'm just so thankful I met her. She was such a generous soul and a ton of fun!
I made my way back to my hostel and caught up on some sleep. I'm meeting up with the English boys for dinner tonight which will be nice. I think I'll go a photo mission soon.
I'm absolutely in love with the Thai smile. I feel so absolutely at peace right now. I am happy, and carefree. I keep pausing to myself, breathing deeply (not too deeply in BKK's pollution) and feeling very very fortunate.
xx
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