Oh man where do I begin...this has been quite the day. I guess I will start off by saying that as soon as I packed my bags and left my hotel this morning or I actually as soon as I woke up and thought about packing my bags I felt a sudden light and airy feeling about my trip. I felt how I have wanted to feel traveling, but have been hindered since staying on koh san road...I have to say (and I can since I stayed there for way too many days) is just a tourist trap full of drunk men and skanky women.
That being said, my crazy day begins. My original plan was to wake up at 4 am and take the 5:55 am train that would take me directly to the Cambodian border. I ended up waking up at 5:15 am, so I quickly had to throw that plan out the window. I knew that I could also take a bus, but didn't want to use the prepared bus service right from kho san road because I knew that it was a scam and they charge way too much. With that in mind and my stubbornness in full swing, I had my complementary toast and coffee and set out for the river boat, which from looking at the map, could take me close to the bus station for next to nothing.
I thought this would be a pretty easy task so I took my two maps, my big backpack on my back, and set out in the 35' C weather. For about 2 1\2 hours I searched for the river boat! Getting out of the touristy part of town, no one spoke English and the signs were only in Thai. I knew I was pretty much screwed, but I had a map and I'm stubborn, so I was determined. I used what little Thai I had learned so far and a bunch of crazy gestures to finally get help and make my way to the dock. All this only to find that the last boat at that dock just passed!! Now even more determined (not to mention dripping with sweat) I continued on. About 30 minutes and 5 wrong turns later, I arrived at the next dock. This one had the boats I wanted. I asked a nice monk next to me if the boat went to my stop, he said yes and I got on only to find it didn't! How could I be mad though...he is a monk, after all. I got off at the last possible stop, which at least brought me closer to where I wanted to be. From here I really wanted to walk (most of you know how much I hate taking taxis) but I was so hot and almost not going to make it to Cambodia that night that, begrudgingly, I got into a cab to the bus station. All the sudden my day got easier. I went straight to the counter, bought an 11:30 ticket to Aranyapathet and got right on the bus.
The bus was air conditioned and pretty spacious and all for only 212 bhat or about 7 american dollars. There I met a nice guy from Sweden, who I ended up traveling with through the border where we met two others who teach English in Taiwan and we all traveled to Angkor Wat and Agkor Thom together. I even ended up rooming with two of them, which worked out well for all of us and made it so we only paid 5$ each a night for a room! I am just so happy that I was able to meet people on this leg of the trip. It all worked out so well and it was really nice to have the company.
There was one other mini scam that Nick, the guy from Sweden, and I ran into. It is pretty hard to know where to get off the bus when the signs aren't always in English and the bus driver doesn't speak English. So, when I asked the bus driver if the bus station at the border town was the right place, he motioned us off the bus right to the tuk tuks that were waiting to take us to the border for 80 bhat. When we got to the border the tuk tuk took us not to the border itself, but to a small office on the side. I had a slightly bad feeling but we went in. They wanted to give us a Cambodian visa before we crossed the border, but I didn't trust them at all. If it was a real visa, I was sure we were getting ripped off and if it wasn't then we would have to pay the whole thing all over again! I kept asking questions and was becoming very distrusting and very upset. We paid to take the pictures and began the paperwork. Nick was ready to do the whole thing, but my instincts told me no. We took our paperwork and our pictures and walked to the border where we had it done officially. Finally, my instincts are improving!!!!! And I guess I do have very funny (very angry...im not even smiling and that is very hard for me!) visa photos to show for the experience!
Crazy day, but in the end I made it. And, hey, what would life be if not for the adventures :)
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Bangkok..the good and the bad...ok mostly bad
Oh man, so many mixed feelings, so many different emotions. Yesterday, I was a complete wreck for the first time since I have arrived in Thailand. Dani, Morgan and I were all in Bangkok and they were leaving the next day. First of all...I now understand why Bangkok is just a place where people pass through. We (well just me now) are staying right near Khaosan Road which is really just a shit show. It is a place where foreigners come to and get completely wasted, do stupid things, and pay off the Thai police to not go to jail...not to mention it is soooo hot here, I am a puddle of sweat everywhere I go. I hate it and can not wait to get out of here and return to another cute smaller city or a nice beach town. However, there are a lot of must see's here so I will stay another day here before leaving for Siem Reap and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
After having a slight anxiety provoked breakdown last night (I almost cried, but instead talked to a very special person back home...i love Skype...and watched some Two and a Half Men) and felt much better. I got up this morning, switched my hostel to a more enjoyable one, and told myself that today was going to be a better day.
And with that, it has been. It is only 7 pm and my day has been chalked full of interesting experiences. I started out my day by trying to head to see the reclining buddha, a must see when visiting Bangkok. I met a friend of Dani's last night and she had given us directions on how to get there by river boat, so I thought that I would give that a try. I was trying to make my way to the river boat and stopped to take a picture of the King Rama 111 monument and a Thai teacher came up to me and told me that today is a buddhist holiday and everything that I wanted to see would be closed, except for a few places. Instead, he informed me, the government tuk tuks, the ones with the yellow license plates would be only 10 baht, which is about 30 cents, for where ever I want to go. This is because there is a promotion going on and the government is giving them coupons for their gas money.
He flagged down and talked to a tuk tuk driver where we all agreed on 10 baht and we went off on our way. The first place that I went was the temple of the blue buddha. This was actually really cool because they were refinishing it with gold. The temple was under construction and they allowed me to see how they put gold flakes on top of the siding to preserve it for a longer time. There was supposed to be a Thai kick boxing and dancing show at the time I was there, but it was so hot that it got postponed to the evening.
Then we went to wat Benchamabophit, which is known as the marble temple. This was amazing. The amount of work and detail that is put into these temples is amazing. It was also a special day at this temple. The bank of Thailand just so happened to be having a celebration full of free food and informative and friendly Thai people.
After this I went to wat Intrawihan, the VERY LARGE golden Buddha. 32 meters high and 10 meters wide, this was definitely a site to see. It is all 10 carrot gold and a very important and iconic statue to the Thai people. It was very interesting and beautiful to see people come and give prayer and offering at his feet.
So here comes the twist in the story...it is Thailand after all! I found out after being carted around all day, that part of the promotion is though seamstress shops. So, in order for my tuk tuk driver to get the gas coupon that he needed, I had to go into the shop and pretend for ten minutes that I wanted to get a dress or suit made for me. I failed the first two times!! The first shop that I went in, I did't realize my mission. From my point of view, at first, I was going to visit a large factory that Bangkok was widely known for. When we pulled up to a small tailor shop, I was a bit confused, but went in with the best intentions of learning the culture. With this false pretense in the back of my mind, I asked lots of questions about the industry and nothing about a possible dress purchase...needless to say...we did not get a gas card. The next time we tried, the man was very pushy and told me that I don't know what color or style I want, I am not going to buy a dress, get out of his store. I began to talk back (I am a stubborn scorpio, after all) but decided to stop while I was ahead. At the last shop I was determined. Not only for my tuk tuk friend, but because I wanted to go home! (Promised I would be home to Skype and gosh darn-it, no gas coupon was going to stand in my way!) In this shop, I pulled out all the stops..looked through all the catalogues, mixed and matched the dress I wanted them to make, and when they only had solid fabric, told them I wanted a pattern. A very nice "you have put in your time and wasted mine" later we had our gas card and I was on my way home!!!
Overall, a pretty good day. I am still having difficulty adjusting at this point, but I think it is where I am and it can only get better from here.
I got told yesterday that traveling is whatever you want to make of it. The first time my friend traveled, she did not try at all to make friends, and therefore she didn't. However, in some places that is how you want it to be. To explore for yourself. Then on her next vacation, she was open and went with the intention of making friends and came out with a family. For me, I think that Khaosan Road is really quite the opposite of what I am looking for and because of this I think I am ok with exploring by myself for the next couple of days. I just really don't understand how people want to come from all over and experience Thailand, yet stay in an area where I look up and all I see are foreigners...lets just say, if I was not traveling alone I would not be staying here!
The plan:
1. One more day in Bangkok to see the reclining buddha, wat prakaeo (the temple of the emerald buddha), and wat arun ratchawararam (temple of dawn)
2. head on the train or bus to the border of cambodia,then take a share bus into siem reap
3. Cambodia: siem reep, ankor wat, floating markets, and phnom penh (a sturring reminder of the genocide of 17,000 Cambodian civilians)
4.back to Thailand to Koa Toa for scuba diving
5. Crabbi to Tonsai beach to do some climbing
6. AUsTRALIA!!! so excited to see you dave and warren!!!!
After having a slight anxiety provoked breakdown last night (I almost cried, but instead talked to a very special person back home...i love Skype...and watched some Two and a Half Men) and felt much better. I got up this morning, switched my hostel to a more enjoyable one, and told myself that today was going to be a better day.
And with that, it has been. It is only 7 pm and my day has been chalked full of interesting experiences. I started out my day by trying to head to see the reclining buddha, a must see when visiting Bangkok. I met a friend of Dani's last night and she had given us directions on how to get there by river boat, so I thought that I would give that a try. I was trying to make my way to the river boat and stopped to take a picture of the King Rama 111 monument and a Thai teacher came up to me and told me that today is a buddhist holiday and everything that I wanted to see would be closed, except for a few places. Instead, he informed me, the government tuk tuks, the ones with the yellow license plates would be only 10 baht, which is about 30 cents, for where ever I want to go. This is because there is a promotion going on and the government is giving them coupons for their gas money.
He flagged down and talked to a tuk tuk driver where we all agreed on 10 baht and we went off on our way. The first place that I went was the temple of the blue buddha. This was actually really cool because they were refinishing it with gold. The temple was under construction and they allowed me to see how they put gold flakes on top of the siding to preserve it for a longer time. There was supposed to be a Thai kick boxing and dancing show at the time I was there, but it was so hot that it got postponed to the evening.
Then we went to wat Benchamabophit, which is known as the marble temple. This was amazing. The amount of work and detail that is put into these temples is amazing. It was also a special day at this temple. The bank of Thailand just so happened to be having a celebration full of free food and informative and friendly Thai people.
After this I went to wat Intrawihan, the VERY LARGE golden Buddha. 32 meters high and 10 meters wide, this was definitely a site to see. It is all 10 carrot gold and a very important and iconic statue to the Thai people. It was very interesting and beautiful to see people come and give prayer and offering at his feet.
So here comes the twist in the story...it is Thailand after all! I found out after being carted around all day, that part of the promotion is though seamstress shops. So, in order for my tuk tuk driver to get the gas coupon that he needed, I had to go into the shop and pretend for ten minutes that I wanted to get a dress or suit made for me. I failed the first two times!! The first shop that I went in, I did't realize my mission. From my point of view, at first, I was going to visit a large factory that Bangkok was widely known for. When we pulled up to a small tailor shop, I was a bit confused, but went in with the best intentions of learning the culture. With this false pretense in the back of my mind, I asked lots of questions about the industry and nothing about a possible dress purchase...needless to say...we did not get a gas card. The next time we tried, the man was very pushy and told me that I don't know what color or style I want, I am not going to buy a dress, get out of his store. I began to talk back (I am a stubborn scorpio, after all) but decided to stop while I was ahead. At the last shop I was determined. Not only for my tuk tuk friend, but because I wanted to go home! (Promised I would be home to Skype and gosh darn-it, no gas coupon was going to stand in my way!) In this shop, I pulled out all the stops..looked through all the catalogues, mixed and matched the dress I wanted them to make, and when they only had solid fabric, told them I wanted a pattern. A very nice "you have put in your time and wasted mine" later we had our gas card and I was on my way home!!!
Overall, a pretty good day. I am still having difficulty adjusting at this point, but I think it is where I am and it can only get better from here.
I got told yesterday that traveling is whatever you want to make of it. The first time my friend traveled, she did not try at all to make friends, and therefore she didn't. However, in some places that is how you want it to be. To explore for yourself. Then on her next vacation, she was open and went with the intention of making friends and came out with a family. For me, I think that Khaosan Road is really quite the opposite of what I am looking for and because of this I think I am ok with exploring by myself for the next couple of days. I just really don't understand how people want to come from all over and experience Thailand, yet stay in an area where I look up and all I see are foreigners...lets just say, if I was not traveling alone I would not be staying here!
The plan:
1. One more day in Bangkok to see the reclining buddha, wat prakaeo (the temple of the emerald buddha), and wat arun ratchawararam (temple of dawn)
2. head on the train or bus to the border of cambodia,then take a share bus into siem reap
3. Cambodia: siem reep, ankor wat, floating markets, and phnom penh (a sturring reminder of the genocide of 17,000 Cambodian civilians)
4.back to Thailand to Koa Toa for scuba diving
5. Crabbi to Tonsai beach to do some climbing
6. AUsTRALIA!!! so excited to see you dave and warren!!!!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Tigers, elephants, and bungee jumping...OH MY!
I am now on the sleeper train leaving Chaing Mai for Bangkok. The train takes 14 hours and cost 650 Bhat, which is roughly 20 dollars. Although it is a very long trip, I am actually pretty excited about it. So far (unless we make any other stops to pick other people up) I have two seats to myself! Taking the train instead of the bus has many perks. There is much more room and each person gets a bed. It is also really nice to get lost in the beautiful scenery as it passes. It's mesmerizing, not to mention a great way to see some more of Thailand I wouldn't be able to see otherwise. Thailand is truly a beautiful country full of lush green jungles and mountainous landscapes.
It am pretty sad to leave Chaing Mai. It was such a cute city and it was filled with really wonderful people. So far I have nothing but great things to say about the Thai people and culture. They are friendly, happy, beautiful, and loving. Everyone I have met (besides the tuk tuk drivers who want to rip off the foreang...what Thai call foreigners) has been extreamely helpful and from what I can tell, very genuine.
Because it is Dani and Morgan's final days of their three month vacation, they are going out with a "bang". I have, in turn, started my trip with one! It is actually a great thing, although I have already spent more than I had planned, to be able to have people that I know to do some of these awesome activities with.
My second day in Chaing Mai, we went to a place called the tiger kingdom. Although I know that the tigers have been sedated and that there are probably a ton of reasons why it is not a good place; being next to, hugging, and petting a tiger was CRAZY! My favorite part by far was playing with the baby tigers. They were not sedated at all and they were like little playful kitties. They sat on my lap, bit my belt and pants and just had a great time. They were sooooo cute, I just wanted to take one home!
The next day, we went ziplining and bungee jumping. The thrill and endorphins that were running through my body were unexplainable. Ziplining high above the ground was incredible, but bungee jumping was breathtaking...literally. I was really going to chicken out and just watch Dani and Morgan do it. I am so so glad I went through with it. I am now going to take it with me the rest of my trip and never miss out on any opportunities as a result of fear. In Thailand they have a saying "why not?" I only live once, why not! As a result of that saying, I faced my fear and had one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
Our last day in Chaing Mai we had elephant day. This was definitely my FAVORITE thing that I have done so far. We went to an elephant sanctuary, which is actually a very good place for the elephaants. In Thailand, the elephants were used for logging, but when the king outlawed that, they had no work and no where to go. There are over 5000 elephants in Thailand and if they were all allowed to be wild, there would be no forrests left. so to prevent this problem, the Thai people set up elephant camps. They allow people to come in and see, bathe, train, and ride the elephants and in turn they have the money to feed the elephants so the forrests are able to stay in tact. It was an amazing experience although at one point the elephant I was riding wanted bananas so bad that I was almost falling off of it and hanging from a thatched roof!
Elephant training words in Thai:
go- bye
stop- how
left or right- chucke, chucke
back- pai
It am pretty sad to leave Chaing Mai. It was such a cute city and it was filled with really wonderful people. So far I have nothing but great things to say about the Thai people and culture. They are friendly, happy, beautiful, and loving. Everyone I have met (besides the tuk tuk drivers who want to rip off the foreang...what Thai call foreigners) has been extreamely helpful and from what I can tell, very genuine.
Because it is Dani and Morgan's final days of their three month vacation, they are going out with a "bang". I have, in turn, started my trip with one! It is actually a great thing, although I have already spent more than I had planned, to be able to have people that I know to do some of these awesome activities with.
My second day in Chaing Mai, we went to a place called the tiger kingdom. Although I know that the tigers have been sedated and that there are probably a ton of reasons why it is not a good place; being next to, hugging, and petting a tiger was CRAZY! My favorite part by far was playing with the baby tigers. They were not sedated at all and they were like little playful kitties. They sat on my lap, bit my belt and pants and just had a great time. They were sooooo cute, I just wanted to take one home!
The next day, we went ziplining and bungee jumping. The thrill and endorphins that were running through my body were unexplainable. Ziplining high above the ground was incredible, but bungee jumping was breathtaking...literally. I was really going to chicken out and just watch Dani and Morgan do it. I am so so glad I went through with it. I am now going to take it with me the rest of my trip and never miss out on any opportunities as a result of fear. In Thailand they have a saying "why not?" I only live once, why not! As a result of that saying, I faced my fear and had one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
Our last day in Chaing Mai we had elephant day. This was definitely my FAVORITE thing that I have done so far. We went to an elephant sanctuary, which is actually a very good place for the elephaants. In Thailand, the elephants were used for logging, but when the king outlawed that, they had no work and no where to go. There are over 5000 elephants in Thailand and if they were all allowed to be wild, there would be no forrests left. so to prevent this problem, the Thai people set up elephant camps. They allow people to come in and see, bathe, train, and ride the elephants and in turn they have the money to feed the elephants so the forrests are able to stay in tact. It was an amazing experience although at one point the elephant I was riding wanted bananas so bad that I was almost falling off of it and hanging from a thatched roof!
Elephant training words in Thai:
go- bye
stop- how
left or right- chucke, chucke
back- pai
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thailand...I can already tell you are going to be good to me!
Oh man, what a crazy first couple of days! Yesterday was a FULL day of flying. In total I flew for 19 hours and had layovers for about 8 hours all together with a long trip through immigration and customs. However, for how long the trip was and how dirty and smelly I was at the end of it all, I have to say that it was my best experience I have had traveling outside of the states. All of the airport staff in all of my stops in Asia were phenomenal. When I looked lost, they asked me how they can help. The immigration workers were nice (quite the opposite of my experience in any other country I have been in so far), and the woman who checked my ticket and ID in Bangkok even said, "beautiful traveler, enjoy your flight"...I almost didn't hear what she said because I couldn't believe it! However my favorite thing that I have experienced on my flights to and through Asia this far has to be the calming music that they play for the landing. Why hasn't anyone else thought of that?? The landing is my LEAST favorite part of the ride and for some reason when the soft, calm music came on...well how can everything not be ok :)
Oh so I do have to interject here and say (in light of changing my blog name to the "clumsy nomad") that I did have a little "Danielle hiccup" when I was at JFK airport in NYC. Not only did I go to the wrong terminal at first, when I tried to fix it, I took the air tram the wrong way and ended up outside of the airport! An easy fix and I had quite a bit of time to spare....but still, what a start!
Anyway, back to Thailand. My first impressions of Chaing Mai are wonderful. It is a cute city with streets full of street venders and parks full of life. Everything, even from the back seat of a cab..which is really the only way I have been able to see so far...seems peaceful. The roads are filled with cars and mopeds, yet everyone shares the road and no one honks!!! This is a VERY new thing to me....usually the scariest thing for me is always getting in a car where ever I am. Another huge difference from here and the places that I have visited in Central America, Mexico, and Africa, is that the cab drivers don't all try to grab your arm and your bags tearing you different directions to make you go with them. My cab experience was so peaceful and easy, I couldn't believe it. I wonder if the rest of Asia will be like this too.
With ease, we found the hostel and I met up with my friends and heard about all about their travels and their crazy experiences so far and it really made me get pumped for all that is in store for my future. We were able to get a room with three beds at this cute hostel for only 4 american dollars a night each! It is actually one of the nicest hostels I have stayed at anywhere and a really great way to begin my travels! There is even a cute hostel dog named Blue :)
(so I have pitures to put here of the hostel, but I can't figure out how to post them. Once I figure it out, I will repost)
I am really excited for today! We are going to go hang out with some baby tigers and tomorrow the plan is to go bathe and ride elephants!!! Lots of pictures to follow!
I feel so blessed and lucky to be able to be here. And so happy that I didn't back out. From where I'm sitting I have to say, life is pretty perfect...there is only one thing that could make it even better..
Thai words of the day:
(spelled phonetically and not actually)
Good morning- swa di don chow
Thank you- Kap Kun Ka
Oh so I do have to interject here and say (in light of changing my blog name to the "clumsy nomad") that I did have a little "Danielle hiccup" when I was at JFK airport in NYC. Not only did I go to the wrong terminal at first, when I tried to fix it, I took the air tram the wrong way and ended up outside of the airport! An easy fix and I had quite a bit of time to spare....but still, what a start!
Anyway, back to Thailand. My first impressions of Chaing Mai are wonderful. It is a cute city with streets full of street venders and parks full of life. Everything, even from the back seat of a cab..which is really the only way I have been able to see so far...seems peaceful. The roads are filled with cars and mopeds, yet everyone shares the road and no one honks!!! This is a VERY new thing to me....usually the scariest thing for me is always getting in a car where ever I am. Another huge difference from here and the places that I have visited in Central America, Mexico, and Africa, is that the cab drivers don't all try to grab your arm and your bags tearing you different directions to make you go with them. My cab experience was so peaceful and easy, I couldn't believe it. I wonder if the rest of Asia will be like this too.
With ease, we found the hostel and I met up with my friends and heard about all about their travels and their crazy experiences so far and it really made me get pumped for all that is in store for my future. We were able to get a room with three beds at this cute hostel for only 4 american dollars a night each! It is actually one of the nicest hostels I have stayed at anywhere and a really great way to begin my travels! There is even a cute hostel dog named Blue :)
(so I have pitures to put here of the hostel, but I can't figure out how to post them. Once I figure it out, I will repost)
I am really excited for today! We are going to go hang out with some baby tigers and tomorrow the plan is to go bathe and ride elephants!!! Lots of pictures to follow!
I feel so blessed and lucky to be able to be here. And so happy that I didn't back out. From where I'm sitting I have to say, life is pretty perfect...there is only one thing that could make it even better..
Thai words of the day:
(spelled phonetically and not actually)
Good morning- swa di don chow
Thank you- Kap Kun Ka
Saturday, January 14, 2012
This is really happening...Thailand here I come!
It is now Sunday morning at 1:08 am, a little less than 24 hours before I board the plane for Bangkok, Thailand. I would normally be out on a Saturday night, but I have procrastinated (a skill I am most amazing at) and have instead been downloading movies, booking my ticket from Bangkok to Chang Mai, and doing laundry all night (oh yea, with a healthy portion of FREAKING THE EFF OUT on the side). I think I am the only one who can go home for ten days and manage not to see ANY of my dads side of the family annnd not get any of the things accomplished that I need for my trip. I have decided that I need the pressure to function.
The plan is that I will leave for Bangkok, Thailand around 12::30 am on Monday morning and arrive in Bangkok around 11:00am (Thai time) on Tuesday morning...yes a WHOLE day of flying! From there I will have time to go through customs and then get on a 3:30 pm flight to Chang Mai, Thailand where I will meet my friend dani at a local hostel. I am very very excited to see dani and her friend and hear all about their trip so far. They will spend about ten days with me then they are going to be heading back home and I will be continuing on by myself for about 20 days before heading to Australia.
There are so many emotions going through my head right now. Much of me is questioning whether or not this whole thing is even a good idea after all. I mean, I could have dealt with my need for adventure by just moving to San Diego right away; a much safer choice. Mostly I think it is my nerves talking. I know deep down that I am going to have an amazing time, but I never realized how VERY scared I was going to be when it came down to me getting on that plane and coming to terms with (or maybe not coming to terms with) the fact that for the next however many months, I will be mostly alone. I will have to figure out routes of travel for myself, eat meals alone, be concerned for my own safety at all times in foreign countries... However, part of me does know, since I have traveled before, the hostel hospitality and that it will be very easy to meet people (maybe even temporary travel partners).
I feel that I have talked so much about being scared, I should talk about how excited I am too. Honestly, behind all this fear my excitement for this trip is phenomenal! I am so excited for how this trip is going to allow me to grow as a person, for the many new experiences that I am going to have, and for the new part of myself that I will bring home with me to the people I love.
My goals for this trip:
1. To learn to love and know myself inside and out so that I can be able to be completely ready and open to love someone else.
2. To learn as much as I can about every person and culture I meet.
3. To be outgoing and break out of my shell.
4. To have fun!!
And of course to be safe :)
SEE YOU IN THAILAND!!!!
The plan is that I will leave for Bangkok, Thailand around 12::30 am on Monday morning and arrive in Bangkok around 11:00am (Thai time) on Tuesday morning...yes a WHOLE day of flying! From there I will have time to go through customs and then get on a 3:30 pm flight to Chang Mai, Thailand where I will meet my friend dani at a local hostel. I am very very excited to see dani and her friend and hear all about their trip so far. They will spend about ten days with me then they are going to be heading back home and I will be continuing on by myself for about 20 days before heading to Australia.
There are so many emotions going through my head right now. Much of me is questioning whether or not this whole thing is even a good idea after all. I mean, I could have dealt with my need for adventure by just moving to San Diego right away; a much safer choice. Mostly I think it is my nerves talking. I know deep down that I am going to have an amazing time, but I never realized how VERY scared I was going to be when it came down to me getting on that plane and coming to terms with (or maybe not coming to terms with) the fact that for the next however many months, I will be mostly alone. I will have to figure out routes of travel for myself, eat meals alone, be concerned for my own safety at all times in foreign countries... However, part of me does know, since I have traveled before, the hostel hospitality and that it will be very easy to meet people (maybe even temporary travel partners).
I feel that I have talked so much about being scared, I should talk about how excited I am too. Honestly, behind all this fear my excitement for this trip is phenomenal! I am so excited for how this trip is going to allow me to grow as a person, for the many new experiences that I am going to have, and for the new part of myself that I will bring home with me to the people I love.
My goals for this trip:
1. To learn to love and know myself inside and out so that I can be able to be completely ready and open to love someone else.
2. To learn as much as I can about every person and culture I meet.
3. To be outgoing and break out of my shell.
4. To have fun!!
And of course to be safe :)
SEE YOU IN THAILAND!!!!
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