Reflection...a Summary
Trip Start
Aug 31, 2008
1
27
Trip End
??? ??, 2009
Vancouver,
British Columbia,
Canada
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
My trip to Asia was the absolute best time of my life. I treasured every day, even the bad ones (which were few and far between). All in all the continent exceeded my expectations. The people were amazing, the food was great, stunning scenery (which is a major compliment coming from a British Columbian!), and many, many adventures. I think the best thing about my entire trip was the people we met. We made so many new friends (see my facebook profile for proof!) and were so lucky to get insight, not only to Asian culture, but to the cultures of all the other travelers along the way. Just basic bus rides, or hanging out in a cafe, quickly became my favourite times, as we exchanged so much with our fellow backpackers. I know I now have places to stay around the world, as they have a place to stay here in BC. Anyways now onto a quick summary of our great trip....
Some of my most treasured highlights
- trekking amoung the mountainous rice paddies in Sapa
- cruising on our junk boat shadowed by the limestone cliffs of Halong Bay
- Beach days in Hoi An
- Tunnelling as the Viet Cong did at Cu Chi by Saigon
- Sunrise to sunset exploration of the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat
- Nights at our favourite bucket bar, with our Thai family on Khao San
- Snorkelling in the crystal clear waters of beautiful Ko Phi Phi
- Scuba diving with the love-able instructors of Bans on Ko Tao
- Experiencing crazy Full Moon, not once, but twice
- Elephant riding and trekking in Pai
- Two day slow boat ride down the Mekong into Laos
- Four days of mayhem tubing in Vang Vieng
- Living the island life on Gili T
Everyone has been asking me where my favourite place was. It is really hard to choose one, so here are the things I liked and disliked about each place.
Hong Kong
Likes
- easy transportation
- Stanley and Repulse Bay
- All the buildings
- People (very helpful)
- Food (Dim Sum baby!)
- Shopping (great malls and markets)
Dislikes
- Disneyland was a bit of a let down (very small, although they are expanding)
- Tailors on the street
Vietnam
Likes
- history
- transportation (so easy and cheap to go everywhere)
- beaches (not crowded, hardly any garbage)
- people (little stand-off-ish at first, but so friendly once you chat them up)
- food (very fresh and healthy. Street Pho was Tasty tasty tasy!)
- drinking (cheapest in Asia)
Dislikes
- constant honking
- animal treatment (Sapa incident)
- Russian pimps in Nha Trang
Cambodia
Likes
- Friendly locals, especially considering recent genocide
- Food (Kmer traditional food was amazing)
- Interesting history
- Architecture
- Angkor!
Dislikes
- Begging...worst we saw in all of Asia
- Disparity between rich and poor
- Seedy underbelly (watch your drinks in PP)
- Being hassled at Angkor
- Transportation (avoid bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok!!)
Thailand
Likes
- endless variety of things to do
- beautiful scenery
- great beaches
- awesome diving
- Fruit shake stands!
- Shopping (weekend market in Bangkok takes the cake)
- Bangkok! (who knew!)
Dislikes
- very touristy
- hard to trust overly friendly locals
- theft
- garbage
- political tension
- transport (watch your bags on overnight buses)
Laos
Likes
- the people are the friendliest and most helpful we met on the entire trip
- scenery. For being landlocked, they had some of the most beautiful landscapes
- Luang Prabang, such a neat place
- The kids....I want them all! So adorable
- Tubing...of course
Dislikes
- food was not the greatest
- more expensive drinks (minus tubing...where free whiskey is abundant)
- transportation (never know what you are going to get)
Indonesia
Likes
- Very friendly people
- Food
- GILI T!!
- Shopping
- Nightlife
Dislikes
- Hawkers were very annoying
- VERY touristy (Kuta mind as well be part of Australia)
- Garbage on the beach in Kuta
I can still name some of my favourite places that I think everyone should visit on their S.E Asia trip.
Vietnam as a whole, especially Hoi An, Sapa and Hanoi
Laos, so laid back and beautiful
Gili T, probably my favourite. Had all the components...friendly people, beautiful clean beaches, good weather, laid back, good nightlife, good diving, and just an overall vibe of relaxation.
Ko Tao in Thailand was great as well, more relaxed and great diving (Bans!, Bans! Bans!)
I would like to thank everyone for keeping up with my travels! Sorry I got behind a few times. Life just caught up to me over there and I spent more time enjoying and living it, than sitting in an internet cafe. I really hope everyone gets a chance to go to Asia one day, especially before it gets too built up. Even though I am now home, and planning my next trip elsewhere, a piece of my heart will always remain in Asia. I would also like to send a huge thank you out to my partner in crime, Nadia. You are the sister I never had, and I love you so much for accompanying me on this crazy trip of a lifetime. Only we know all the real stories of our trip and that is something we'll share for the rest of our lives. Love you Turkey!
Until next time (Europe? Japan? South America? Halifax? ha) you can continue to follow my brother's Asian adventures by looking him up Wally09.
L-I-V-I-N, This is Livin......... Peace, Love and Happiness
xoxo Melissa
