... One week changed it all?

Travel is spontaneous by nature but it's crazy to think that a week ago, my plan was to work for a month in Koh Rong and visit Northern Thailand before heading home for the holidays. One week later, I have a flight booked to Burma with a new friend who feels like an old one, and plan on spending time in Burma, Northern Thailand and ending the trip in Australia... This means missing the holidays (sorry mom!) but there's just so much I want to see and do. 

Rachel, Julia and I had an amazing week in Koh Rong with some solid beach time and nights out at Frank's and Bunna's. While I loved being back, I realized a week was enough and started to feel the travel itch of wanting to move on and see some new places. Rachel and I started talking about Burma pretty early on in the week and since Julia had already been she was helpful with giving us some good recommendations. We have our flights booked but still have to work out the visa at the embassy in Bangkok. Hoping that goes smoothly (which of course it probably won't) but as long as we make our flight I'll deal with the curveballs! 

Sad to say bye to Julia today - she's such a sweet, fun girl and an easy laugher which is my favorite type of person. I feel so lucky to have met her and know we'll be staying friends. Excited to start a new adventure with Rachel and a girl she'd met earlier in her trip named Shasta. Still can't get over how easy it is to bond with people here... I swear a few days of traveling gets you as close as months of friendship in the real world. I kind of wish this was more of the norm and that people had less guards up and just let it all out in the open. Super refreshing.

Anyway, after two nights in Siem Reap (weird being back) Rachel and I are taking a bus to Bangkok and fly to Burma tomorrow! I've heard so many amazing things about the country since they just recently re-opened to tourism and are virtually untouched by tourists and backpackers. This means the lodging and food is going to be more expensive and travel may be a bit trickier, but I'm ready for the challenge and am excited to see a more authentic side of Southeast Asia off the beaten path. Should be a lot of temples, monks, beautiful scenery, and relaxation! Then again if there is a party scene I'm sure we'll find it... All for now.

Ill miss you Koh Rong!

See that man peeking down?? It's Bunna!

... Things fell into place?

So I'm on the ferry heading from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong chatting with this 50-some year old super hyper/bizarre woman (who happened to be named Evelyn) when I hear a girl go "are you American?" We immediately started chatting (thankfully saving me from more time with crazy Evelyn) and we just clicked. After a few minutes her friend looked at me and said "Is that underwear hanging on your back?" I reached around and pulled off a blue thong that had somehow gotten attached to the back of my dress. We all just lost it laughing and 20 minutes later were sharing personal stories and details of past relationships and traveling love affairs. Rachel from New York and Julia from DC - my new favorite girls who appreciate a good thong on the back. I still can't believe I walked around all day like that and no one told me...

Our ferry pulled up to Koh Rong and my local friend Boner and another American who I'd met last time I was there were waiting for me with a beer in hand - it immediately felt like home once again. Rachel, Julia and I grabbed a room together and headed straight to Monkey Island for some food and time on the beach. The island is just as amazing as I remember but it's crazy that in only a month a few new restaurants have popped up. I'm just so happy to be here when it's in this infancy state - no roads, no motorbikes or vehicles of any kind, no ATM, no stores... Just a beautiful beach with a few restaurants, bars, and bungalows. We had a fun night out followed by a hungover beach day and gnocchi at La Mami and re cooperated last night. This morning we hiked the 45 minute (slightly treacherous) trail to the even more deserted long beach on the other side of the island. We had a run-in with a water buffalo that was blocking the path but managed to tip toe past it safely. A day in the sun and some good local Khmer food tonight... What more could a girl ask for?

Rethinking the next month of travel to include Burma with Rachel and some solo travel around Chiang Mai and Pai but more on that later... 

Instant friends - love Koh Rong!

Dogs like to swim too

Water buffalo blocking our path...

Steep trek across the island

Longbeach!

Sunset from Longbeach 

... You went at it alone?

Anna and I had an amazing time these last 4 months or so - but as soon as I returned from the states, we started talking about the idea of ending the trip with some solo travel. She really enjoyed the experience of being on her own and I thought it sounded like an exciting (and yes scary) challenge. So here we are a few days into it and I'm feeling extremely independent and happy. We went our separate ways in Indonesia and I left with some friends we made on the boat and hung out with them for a night in Bali before hopping on a plane at 4am to go back to Cambodia.

Traveling alone so far has been exhilarating. It makes you hyper aware of your surroundings and you feel more present and open because you kind of have to be. I found myself chatting with so many strangers at the airport and making friends with some unlikely characters. After 15 hours of travel (2 plane rides and a "I stick out like a sore thumb as the only foreigner on this local bus" trip), I made it to Sihanoukville and checked into an amazingly cheap $1.50/night hostel. Yes I'm sleeping on a pad crammed in a closet with 15 other people but I can't complain, that's the cheapest night sleep I've found so far. I quickly met a girl named Lisa from Denmark and some Argentinian and German guys, and we headed to the beach for drinks and watched the sunset followed by a bunch of fireworks. Not sure what they were for but it was pretty cool to watch. 

Today I'm catching the ferry to Koh Rong and I hope I'm not over-hyping it for myself. I came back here specifically because I connected so much with this island so I'm hoping this experience is just as wonderful if not better. Not sure yet if I'll just hang out for a week or try to bartend for a few... Having a tough time deciding how I want to spend this last month and feeling a bit sad that its all gone by so quickly but happy that I have this opportunity. I just want to get the most I can out of it! All for now...

Fun little surfer group I met through Eva and Ena in Bali - they made my last night in Indonesia a blast! Hung out with them listening to music on the deck before I took a 1am cab to the airport. 

We were supposed to be making some kind of face...

Old photo from the boat trip in Indonesia - ended up being a beautiful last day after all the rain.

Can't wait to get back to this beach in Koh Rong!

... Roughing it was a good reminder?

After a week on Gili T, Anna and I booked a last minute four day boat trip after realizing we hadn't left much time left for any excursions. Gili was so wonderful - we got a bit caught up with our scuba diver friends at Manta Dive Shop and hitting the local bars on the island for live music, lots of dancing, and vodka joss shots - this horrible but wonderful idea someone came up with that involves pouring a packet of ginseng/sugar/energy powder into your mouth before taking a shot of vodka, then shaking your head violently to mix it before downing it. The result is a nice energy buzz that was probably the reason I stayed on the dance floor jumping around with a crew of tiny local Lombak men until 4 in the morning. A few people made fun of me as I'm sure the scene looked a bit weird - this giant white girl moshing to a live band cover of Nirvana's "Smells like teen spirit" with these tiny local guys half my size and height. It was fantastic and I had a blast. 

Another highlight of Gili T (besides the unbelievably white beaches, blue sea, and mountainous backdrop) was a boat trip Anna and I took with some new friends we'd made on the island. For some reason I decided it was a great idea to put down a deposit for this party yacht at 5am that left the next day at 1 pm. Cruising around the islands on top of this giant yacht with a DJ from New York playing and 30 some other young people from all over the world dancing and enjoying the view was so surreal. I keep having these moments (pretty much constantly) where I remind myself how lucky I am and while its important to live in the present, I never want to lose touch with the awareness of how special this time in my life is and how unique these experiences are. It feels like we're living our youth fully and truly having an adventure. And I'm grateful every day that I'm here to experience it all.

So after a fantastic time on Gili T, we boarded a tiny boat prepared for a fun four day trip around some of the smaller islands including Komodo. We were in for a tough wake up call when we realized this tiny, old, dirty boat was crammed with 20 people and we were in for some serious thunderstorms. I've never been on a boat that rocky and was honestly worried the thing was going to tip over considering how much water was coming on board and how violently we were rocking back and forth. Even getting up to move was nearly impossible and trying to use the tiny bathroom was even harder and resulted in getting slammed against every wall including the ceiling. We spent each night sleeping on moldy, wet mats on the deck while getting rained on... That combined with seasickness and the inability to shower for 4 days led to a pretty unhappy crew. I tried to just endure and not complain, but by the 2nd day I had already had it. Thankfully we were able to get off on land for a few adventures and I felt revived after getting to climb a waterfall, and doing some hiking and snorkeling. We were able to bond with the eclectic mix of people on board over the conditions of the whole experience and I felt connected and grateful for the good conversations with the exception of a really aggressive anti-American 6 foot 8 German who felt the need to bring up American gun laws and our military failures constantly... He kept saying "you can't take me seriously I'm German we're just direct!" But everything that came out of his mouth felt like a personal attack based on stereotypes. Thankfully we haven't experienced too much of that so Anna and I tried our best to laugh it off. Although one more day on that boat and who knows what would've happened.

Once we landed on our last island "Flores" we had the option to stay on the boat or land that night - not sure if anyone even debated it and we were all off looking for a place to stay immediately. Anna and I roomed with a German and Austrian girl and gathered our whole crew together that night to celebrate one of the girls' birthdays over dinner. I feel like we ended the trip on a high note and made the best out of it, but it was a good reminder to appreciate the little things - especially a nice shower, even if its cold.

Anna and I separated today - she's staying in Indonesia and I'm on my way back to Koh Rong Cambodia, the little island I fell in love with. My plans are a bit up in the air as I keep having change of hearts about what I want to do next. Being on my own is exhilarating and I'm trying not to plan too much and let things happen as they may. Anna and I realized we regretted basically every advanced booking or planning we did so we had very much taken on the attitude of letting things happen as they come. Travel is all about spontaneity right? So one month left on my own... Let the next adventure begin.

Gili T - one of the prettiest islands we've seen so far

Our boat at its cleanest - that deck crammed 20 people on it to eat, sleep & live. Never wanna go back.

The best part of the boat - enjoying the view after a break from storms

Waterfall climb - our first (much needed) break from the boat

Love a good sunset

Hike to see Komodo dragons (we saw about 13) - super muddy from all the rain but pretty

The Komodos were cool! Apparently they eat their young... And can smell if women are menstruating (our guide made sure to ask all of us if we were repeatedly. So awkward). 

Some trekking with our boat crew

A good little group overall!

... Fast friends?

There's nothing better than realizing that two hours into meeting someone you've discussed religion, the afterlife, family deaths, and Brazilian waxing and immediately decided to share a room. This is travel. Anna and I met JeRae on the bus and boat ride from Ubud to the Gili Islands and immediately connected on multiple levels. This openness of travel and ability to meet and befriend people so quickly is something I will never take for granted again and hope to carry into my future life. We should all be open and eager to expand our web of friends.. And not for networking's sake or some potential future gain, but for the mere joy of getting to know someone new and hopefully learning something about them, you, and maybe even life along the way.

So the Gili Islands are amazing so far (after about 4 hours here). The ferry ride was beautiful, sunny and fun - about 10 minutes from reaching Gili T we got caught in some intense waves and hopped off the boat completely drenched and dying laughing. We found a place to stay with JeRae and met up with a friend of hers who is a dive instructor here and immediately grabbed beers and went to a local soccer game whose competing teams consisted of the yellow team (the people who run the horses on the island) and the green team (the scuba people). We approached the fields and in the process of being introduced to a big group, Anna tripped on a rope and took a hard fall and (once again) cut up her knee. I'm a bad friend and died laughing at the timing of the fall... She took it like a champ though. 

Off to get some beer and pizzas with the divers. Loving the feel of this little island so far! Lots of horse drawn carriages, Muslims, and drinking. Should make for an interesting week or so...

... Buffaloes got thrown into craters?

Adjusting from an up-all-night partying til sunrise schedule to one of early morning yoga classes and 2am hikes up volcanos has been tricky (tricky meaning I haven't made it to a single early morning yoga class). For some reason I think Anna and I expected our bodies to just adjust - "you'll sleep when I tell you to sleep" - type thing. Unfortunately I don't think it works that way so we've had a lot of restless nights followed by tired, moody days (on my end at least). That being said, the recent hike we did up Mt. Batur was well worth all the tiredness and soreness that followed... Seeing the sunrise from the top was absolutely breathtaking.

We woke up at 1:45am and set out with a small group including couples from New Zealand, Singapore, and China. Somehow we were able to form sentences and chat during the one hour drive to the volcano and began our hike in the pitch black with the most incredible stars I've ever seen. I would've hiked the whole thing with my eyes plastered to the sky but every time I looked up I tripped or ran into someone so I pretty much focused on the ground for the whole two hours. As we reached the top the sun was just starting to rise over another mountain creating a sky filled with vibrant colors and streaming sunlight. 

The temperature shifted pretty quickly and we all threw on our jackets and ordered hot chocolate at this little shack which I later found out was inhabited by... monkeys. I swear they follow me or something. Anyway, we walked around the top a bit and saw a bat-infested cave along with a pretty incredible crater. Our guide told us they often do ceremonies up there with animal sacrifices. I asked if they killed the animals before or if they just threw them off the edge of the crater alive and he responded that it depended on the type of animal. Chickens were usually killed before, pigs were usually tossed right on off but the buffaloes were too big for that so they had to be led/shoved off. I had a horrible image of a squealing pig flying down and hitting all the rocks and squirming at the bottom. I had to remind myself that it's another culture and if I lived on a small island with multiple active volcanos, I would probably sacrifice a few animals to try and protect my people too.

So the hike was a success overall and I'm hoping to make the 4pm yoga class with Anna today which seems much more reasonable. Still loving Ubud and enjoying this healthier break!

A few pics:

Sunrise from Mt. Batur

Our tour group

The crater 

Monkeys!!!

... You started trusting strangers?

Relying on the kindness of strangers has been key in the way this whole trip has unfolded. While we didn't have much of an agenda at the beginning (more of a rough outline), that flexibility has lent itself to seeing new places and opening new doors we may have missed had we gone by the guidebooks. As helpful as they can be, the key is that they are guides. Starting points for other adventures to unfold.

Anna and I landed in Denpasar, Bali thinking we would probably head straight to Ubud and just book something when we arrived. A few hours before I got a message from an old friend Antoine - a French guy I had met on a family trip to Jamaica four years ago. Antoine and his friend Bruno were couch surfing and we ended up hosting them for a few days and all became good friends. Oddly enough, Antoine had just gotten to Bali and was going to be there for two days. So we switched our plans and headed south to Kuta to meet up with them. The world really does seem a lot smaller on this trip and I love when these weird coincidences happen. Side note: thank god for Facebook.

After catching up with Antoine and his friend Arnaud and spending a few days partying and laying on the beach in Kuta, we headed north to Ubud which feels way more like the Bali I was expecting. First impressions are: super friendly people, much less touristy/partying (Kuta was basically a spring break for Australians), amazing healthy/organic food, lots of yoga/meditating/healing classes, and beautiful scenery. We met a lovey Balinese man named Widia when we arrived who smiled from the inside out and told us all about his paintings and all the nearby attractions. We followed him to his guesthouse and lucked out with this adorable bungalow tucked away in a little stone alley - a beautiful spot we never would have found on our own. I'm feeling so happy to have met happy little Widia and get to explore this awesome city!

Anna and I spent the day riding bikes and sightseeing around Ubud. We went to Monkey Kingdom (of course) and got up close and personal with the chimps... I got a little too close and got snarled out/almost attacked a few times but I made it out alive. Anna keeps reminding me that monkeys are mean and unpredictable but I swear they must sense a kindred spirit in me because I usually have good luck with them. Anyway, after the monkeys we rode on and saw some beautiful ride terraces and more of Ubud. So far I love this place and it may be vying for the #2 spot... Next to Koh Rong of course. More to come!

Annnnd a few pics:

Reunion with Antoine (left) and his friend Arnaud at Kuta's biggest/scariest 5 level bar "Sky Garden"

Widia! Wish you could see all the sparkle in his eyes...

Our lovely home in Ubud for the next few days - "Widia's"

Biking around on our first day

God I love monkeys

Holy shit he caught a lizard...

Oh my god he's eating a live lizard

Straight chillin

Little monkey's face is really terrifying...

I'm worried about what's going on here

Hard to spot the real monkeys from the stone ones...

Rice terraces 

Bye!