Perfect Simplicity

The Complex Love of Lone Travel

goingsolo — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 09:25:00 GMT

I love lone traveling because you can be anyone and no one at the same time. Anonymity is a beautiful but lonely state of being. Your past is irrelevant, your future is tenuous. You live on the edge, not knowing what the future holds, feeling anxious and exhilarated at the same time. Because there are days when you feel absolute joy at the place you are at - it is new, exotic and beautiful and everything is a new discovery, you are an anthropological wanderer propelled from the bounds of the cozy monotony of your comfort zone. And then there are days when you feel so isolated and lonely you would hug the nearest person just for some human contact. You stare at lovers and friends with spiteful envy. There are days when everything goes to plan - as if it was destined and you’re on a serendipitous journey, you’re exactly where you’re meant to be at that point in time in your complicated life. Then there are days when nothing goes to plan. Absolutely nothing. And your chest feels tight and you try not to break down and scare everyone by screaming at the top of your lungs that it’s not fair, this shouldn’t be happening to you. Stress invades every point in your body like a virus. It takes all your willpower to gather any delicate shred of sanity that you have and maintain a demeanour that doesn’t show exactly how broken you feel and how shamefully disintegrated your hopes are.

It is this roller coaster of emotions and experiences that I live for.

Because why be human if you can’t experience the plethora of emotions that make you feel alive.

Ancient Athens

goingsolo — Sun, 8 Jun 2014 12:05:00 GMT

The touristy-part of Athens is scattered with ancient ruins and restaurants with all the mouth-watering foods that beg me to be a fatty: moussaka, stuffed vine leaves, stuffed tomatoes, gyros, baklava - and that’s only to name a few. It is truly my foodie-heaven. Moussaka is probably one of the richest savoury foods I have tasted. Wine is also stupidly cheap compared to Australia - at the supermarket you can buy a decent bottle for under 10 euros. This is definitely my kind of country.

The ancient ruins took half a day to explore, but were well worth it - I can’t fathom how old some of the ruins are - I can’t even believe they still exist today. There is so much history and culture embedded in the architecture. When I reached the Acropolis up at the very top, there was a panoramic view of Athens. I could see the hills, the houses, glimpses of the ocean far off. The view is so different to anything I would see in Australia. I took well over 100 pictures of the ruins.

The Greeks are some of the friendliest, charismatic and passionate people I have ever met. They were willing to explain things to me and have a good laugh. The taxi driver from the airport to Athens took the time to explain useful Greek phrases to me. He even taught me how to ask a Greek boy to coffee - because he insisted I should marry a nice Greek boy. The taxi driver was so thrilled I was trying to speak Greek that he kept heartily laughing and cupping my hands in his. After a long red-eye and dehydrating flight, it was a welcome change to laugh so hard.

The Good Vibes of Shanghai

goingsolo — Fri, 6 Jun 2014 11:59:00 GMT

Shanghai was bustling and busy but had a beautifully frenetic vibe about it - the city was alive with people. A lot of people. The expat culture was also youthful and vibrant. I could tell this was a place of abundant opportunity - people came from all corners of the globe to carve out a piece of Shanghai for themselves. My friends had friends living in Shanghai that were of so many different nationalities, I almost felt like I was traveling around again.

The restaurant and bar scene catered to the foodie and alcohol lovers - my kind of place. There were so many different foods on offer - I only ate Chinese food once in my ten days there! What I loved was my anonymity. Unlike South-East Asia, Shanghai was less tourist-focussed and so attuned to ex pats that I simply melded in while walking alone throughout the bustling city streets. I wasn’t hassled or berated and I definitely didn’t fear for my safety when walking alone at night. It was a welcome type of security.

What I couldn’t handle was the air pollution. I love discovering a city by meandering throughout its streets, often for hours, often getting hopelessly but happily lost. But on certain days, the pollution index was so high that this wasn’t an option. Even if I didn’t want to, I had to find an indoor activity to keep myself occupied. I became slightly obsessed with the air pollution app on my iPhone, constantly checking it throughout the day.

The architecture of Shanghai is an interesting sight. There were buildings which were clearly European-influenced - they looked beautiful and old and colonial. If you had simply just seen those buildings with no background context you might assume you are in a European city. However, turn around and you have futuristic sky scraping spaceship-like buildings of seemingly architectural-impossibility in odd shapes framed in glass. One building looked like a bottle opener and is even called the ‘bottle opener’ building.

My impression of Shanghai remains overwhelmingly positive - it is a city of good vibes that has a lot of opportunity pulsing throughout it.

The Impossibility of Halong Bay

goingsolo — Fri, 30 May 2014 15:57:00 GMT

Sky scraping mountains erupted from the calm bay and were scattered about as far as my eyes could see. I couldn’t fathom how far Halong Bay stretched on for as we cruised throughout its vastness. The sheer size put me in awe and made me realise how beautifully insignificant I am in the scheme of things. It is spectacular, it is beautiful, it is magical, all the stories other tourists told me were true - it is a breathtaking place. Kayaking through Halong Bay also made me feel like an ant amongst the monolithic mountains: we yelled high pitched “cooees” and like little kids waited for the numerous echoes of our voices seconds later. We parked our kayak and perched ourselves on the rocks. Although the mountains appear beautiful, their rocks are deceptively sharp and climbing around barefoot was not the smartest choice. Staying overnight on the boat which anchored itself in the middle of Halong Bay was definitely the highlight for me. Waking up to the spectacular view of the misty mountains floating on the water is definitely not something you see everyday. I may not see a sight like that again for the rest of my life.

We went to a national park and trekked up a mountain. Trekking is a delicate way to put it - some of the time we actually had to climb our way up. The unforgiving humidity is what made it most challenging. We were all coated in a thick, heavy sweat, there was no point in wiping the sweat off my face with my hands because my entire body was saturated. On the way we spotted a crab - its claws were gripped around a snail and it was slowly prying the poor bastard out of its shell for lunch. What a way to die. Finally, we reached the summit and the view was worth the gruelling hike. We could see out over the mountains and beyond - I really did feel on top of the world, as cliched as that may be. But the worst part for me was knowing we had to descend back down the way we came. Slipping and breaking my ankles was always a thought playing at the back of my mind. As we trekked down, there was a viper on the middle of the track and he wasn’t alone - he was in the middle of consuming a baby squirrel. The squirrel’s head was down the viper’s throat - and from looking at their size difference you wouldn’t think the viper could eat the squirrel whole - but he could - and he was.

There were simple villages floating on the water of Halong Bay. I remember reading that the village people had been born there, had lived their whole lives there, and would die there - never having seen mainland Vietnam in their lives. It is a life I could never imagine having.

The Ghostly Citadel of Hue

goingsolo — Sat, 17 May 2014 23:13:00 GMT

The Citadel in Hue is one of the most beautiful places I have had the opportunity to explore. It has been ravaged by war, but there has been some effort to restore it to its former glory. I can't help but observe the contradiction between old and new - there are crumbling ancient stone walls metres from glowing red and golden arches. The Citadel was once the palace of the royalty of Hue - it would have been a magical place in the 1800s. Now it is somewhat a delapidated ghost-town.

The Citadel is surrounded by imposing walls and deep moats. I cannot fathom how expansive it is, I enjoy getting lost in the richness of it. Ancient trees with heavy webbed roots have made the Citadel their home and probably bore witness to the prosperity and destruction of the walled-in palace. It makes me feel sad that Vietnam has such a rich and interesting royal culture that has been lost through subsequent occupations.

I truly love Hue and the culture that is embedded in this city - it is much less touristy than Hoi-An and speaks volumes to my soul.

Latern Lined Hoi An

goingsolo — Fri, 16 May 2014 22:56:00 GMT

Hoi An is everything I remember it to be: wistful, relaxed and latern lined. It is a bit more touristy than it was years ago, but I think that is inevitable. I only spent a day in Hoi An, since I had been there before and was keen to keep moving along. I also got food poisoning and I think when ill - those are the moments when you feel the most alone. No one is around to look after you. Other backpackers can offer fleeting sympathy but you feel like they're more relieved it's you rather than them. A hug wouldn't have gone astray. But affection is a luxury you leave behind when you decide to travel the globe alone. Hydration salts also taste like the devil's anus and swallowing them made me want to be sick all over again.

I resisted the temptation to get a dress made. Since last time I was in Hoi An I had five dresses and a coat made. But resisting the temptation was easier this time due to the fact I was so ill I felt like I would pass out. I also didn't want to fall into the same trap I did last time - getting dresses tailored when I am skinnier from food poisoning. Because unfortunately that weight loss is oh so temporary and I am left with dresses that feel more like a form of corset-torture.

Hoi An was so chilled out and I again enjoyed the simple pleasure of parking up at a cafe for a mango smoothie and watching the world go by.

The hostel was buzzing with youth, but I got the sense most of the backpackers were there to experience the drinking scene (there were stories of a bar that gave unlimited alcohol for about $5) rather than the cultural scene....

50 things I've learnt as a solo backpacker in Asia (in no particular order)

goingsolo — Fri, 16 May 2014 14:47:00 GMT

1. All Asian countries have their "own time" when doing things. A bus meant to leave at 8am will most probably not leave at 8am. It might leave at 8.30am. It might leave at 9am. Accept that lateness is their way of life, and who cares anyway - you're on holiday!

2. Accept that you'll probably get food poisoning, no matter how careful you are - could have been that dodgy looking squid salad or could have been that perfect curry from that nice restaurant. You'll never know, so just let your body get rid of the bug, eat hydration salts that taste like the devil's anus and get on with it.

3. From what I hear, the percentage of alcohol in beer is not regulated in some Asian countries. You may feel nothing from six beers, or you may feel stupidly smashed from two. It's a game of Russian roulette. Enjoy.

4. Sleeper buses are not made for people over five foot to sleep in. If you're tall like me, be prepared to get no sleep scrunched up like fetus. If you suffer from motion sickness, a sleeper bus is like riding the world's bumpiest, windiest roller coaster without the adrenaline pay off. Also, some of the sleeper buses stop in the dead of the night and pick up locals who sleep in the corridors. So if you're on the bottom bunk don't scream when you wake up to a local's face inches from yours. If you have the money, fork out for a soft sleeper train ticket or fly.

5. Paying a small amount for "all you can drink" at a bar is a great way to save money. It's also a great way to wake up with the worst hangover you've had in your life. Think of a small man punching your brain and your gag reflux all day the next day. There's a reason it's cheap.

6. Even if you have a "no scooter" policy, somehow, somewhere you'll end up on the back of a scooter with your backpack and other bags, with an Asian man driving like he's being chased by the cops. Prayer is useful in these situations, after all, the driver has a helmet, and you don't.

7. Try not to get black-out drunk. Try.

8. When stupidly drunk, don't let liquid confidence convince you you can jump through a flaming hoop, play flaming jump rope or have gymnast like qualities that allow you to bend backwards like gumbi during flaming limbo. And definitely don't attempt to jump over the flaming limbo pole. You'll end up burning your nether regions, or other random parts of your body - and you'll only realise this, and the pain, when sober the next day.

9. People have sex in dorms when drunk, or when sober for that matter. The best you can do is wear ear plugs, listen to music, or moan along with them to make things awkward.

10. As a girl, try not to walk home alone at night. Especially if you're smashed. Everyone hates the word "rape" and it sucks that girls have to worry about it. But I've heard stories, it happens, be aware of your own safety.

11. Don't do too many laughing-gas balloons. They're not that cheap and you'll mourn the death of the millions of brain cells the next day, all for 10 seconds of fun.

12. If you feel like being lazy and not sight seeing, then don't. Give yourself permission to have a day being lazy at the beach, at a cafe or even in bed. If you force yourself to sight see when you really don't want to, you won't appreciate it as much.

13. Go with your gut. Listen to your intuition. That person seems a little off? They probably are. Make an excuse and high tail it out of there.

14. Stand up for yourself. You're being ripped off? Say something. Just don't lose your cool and go ape-shit crazy, it often makes things worse.

15. You may not get to shower, wash your hair or shave yourself at regular intervals. Embrace the hobo bush woman/man in you.

16. If it is 200+ humidity - as a girl, just don't bother with make-up full stop. Embrace your natural backpacker beauty. Otherwise, guaranteed you'll look like a Picasso painting in less than an hour.

17. If the hostel makes you leave your thongs/flip flops outside - some scheming bastard may decide they like the look of yours. Try to take the high road and avoid the domino effect by stealing some one else's.

18. If you want to hire a scooter most places will make you leave your passport with them. Try to find a legitimate looking place or one affiliated with a hotel or hostel. Otherwise when returning the scooter, the dodgy owner may claim you "damaged" the scooter even when you didn't. And what can you do? The dude has your passport. So just grit your teeth and get out your wallet.

19. Everything is negotiable. Barter barter barter like mad. Walk away if you don't get the price you want. If you're exhausted and don't want to barter, then don't. But just don't feel annoyed when you see someone else with the same thing who paid a fraction of the cost.

20. Don't buy bus/train/plane tickets from the hostel/hotel. It may be convenient, but for the most part they rip you off hard. Take the extra five minutes to find a travel agent.

21. Word of mouth is good. But take what other backpackers say with a grain of salt, or sometimes a salt shaker for that matter. It may not be what you expected. And usually, your expectations have been elevated. That's ok, better luck next time.

22. If you do a border crossing and are trying to find the visa check point, don't trust the locals sitting around on plastic chairs who tell you to "buy" the visa from them. It's a scam. Ignore them and walk further up until you find the legitimate visa office.

23. Walk s-l-o-w-l-y across busy roads. Maintain eye contact with drivers. Ignore your instinct that tells you to dart across the road as fast as you can, it's a sure fire way to get run over.

24. If you do a tour or get on a bus they will take you to random places for half an hour to an hour simply in the hopes you'll buy something, even when you're not hungry or in the shopping mood. Don't feel pressured to buy anything if you don't want to.

25. A good book is a must. Kindles are particularly handy because of their compact size.

26. Have a healthy respect for mosquitos and the diseases they carry. Mosquito repellent is your friend. Yeah it stinks, get over it. You'll eventually find the smell alluring.

27. If it has a cap, it will come undone. And you will end up with a backpack full of shampoo, deet (which eats through everything like acid by the way), melted paw paw ointment or toothpaste. Screw caps on tightly every time and keep bottles in closed plastic bags so the damage is limited.

28. Buy beaded bracelets. You know you want to. Yeah, yeah it's a cliche and everyone wears them, but so what.

29. Try to get over the psychological block of using a squat toilet. Or if you can't (like me) then hold it in. Hold it in like you've never held it in before! But be prepared to have a freaking sore tummy.

30. You're going to make great friends or even great lovers (hey hey!) along the way. But for the most part, it's transient. Accept you'll all have to go separate ways at some point. Get Facebook details. Get email details. Feel momentarily sad and nostalgic but understand that what is meant to be, will be. You may see them again, you may not. C'est la vie.

31. At some places you may not make friends at all. This may be because people have established cliquey groups, or because you're inadvertently being a cold unapproachable a-hole. Who cares. You have yourself. Read a book. Go on the net. Go for a walk. Tomorrow is a new day.

32. You'll meet some weird people with some weird ideals. Try to be open minded. Or if you can't, zip your lip and then Facebook your friends back home to laugh about it.

33. If you're over 25, don't play the age game. Don't ask, or avoid the question. Some of the narrow minded teenagers will be ageist and think you're a fossil.

34. If you feel exhausted and want to go to bed at 8pm while everyone else is going partying, then just go to bed. Don't feel bad. Don't feel peer pressured. Don't have FOMO stresses. You'll just be that annoying person who feels like a million dollars the next day while everyone else is clutching their heads and wearing dark sunglasses.

35. On the flip side, if you don't feel like going out, but then get your second wind and do it, it could be one of the best nights of your life. The unplanned nights out often are.

36. Be empathetic. Be helpful. Practice kindness to others. This will somehow come back 10 fold when you need it yourself.

37. Trust others, but not too much. People are nice but you don't truly know who they are underneath. They show you what they want to show you when traveling.

38. In a dorm - bottom bunk. Always.

39. Appreciate the unknown. No past, no future, only present. Go with the flow and live day to day. You'll be surprised how happy this can make you. Especially if you're normally a control freak.

40. It's ok and natural to feel mildly jealous when you meet people traveling in pairs or groups. But when it comes to making decisions, guaranteed they have to compromise, you don't.

41. Sex tourism exists. It doesn't make it right. You think they want you? They want a better life. Don't abuse your economic situation.

42. You think those tigers aren't drugged? Really? Because I'm pretty sure in nature they would rip your throat out. Same goes for riding elephants - you won't feel good when you watch the dude violently stabbing the elephant with a metal prong just so you can get your kodak moment. If you're against animal cruelty, then do your research and find legitimate places.

43. Drugs in Asia. If you want to spend a good chunk of your life losing your mind in an Asian prison, then go for it. The legal system is not the same as western countries. The high is not worth the risk.

44. Check the airport. Check the airline. Check the terminal. Then recheck it all again. You don't want to be cutting taxi cues in unbreathable heat, running with a backpack, for that cheap flight you may miss because you rocked up to the wrong terminal.

45. Don't be scared. Eat the street food. Just be smart about it. That pork looks a little too shiny? Tastes a little too funny? Give it a miss. You probably only wasted less than a dollar anyway.

46. Accept that some dorms may be squalor and you may feel like you have to make a nest of toilet paper on the toilet seat before you feel comfortable sitting on it, even then....

47. If you have to get up super early in the morning but your dorm buddies have been inconsiderately loud when coming back from partying, revenge by banging your stuff around or switching on the lights in the morning is acceptable.

48. You will get scammed. No matter how smart you think you are, one day you will be off guard, or tired, or sick or all three and you will get scammed. Don't worry it happens to us all. And always makes a good story.

49. Thailand's 7-11 toasties. They cost less than a dollar. When you're traveling these can be a cheesy godsend. Living the dream people.

50. Last of all, try not to compare too much to your home country. You're in a different country, a developing country, you're experiencing different things and a completely different way of life, so try not to get on your high horse. If home is so much better, then travel in your home country.

Transient Nha Trang

goingsolo — Wed, 14 May 2014 17:22:00 GMT

I savour the taste of the Vietnamese coffee. It is nutty and sweet and strong but not bitter at all. I sip it slowly because every mouthful gives me brief moments of bountiful happiness. The dry iced coffee is also a welcome contradiction to the sticky heat of Vietnam. I never realised something so simple could bring me so much joy.

Every time I cross the road, whether it be in Saigon or in Nha Trang, I have to ignore my natural instinct to run full pelt across the road. The trick is to walk step by step, as if in slow motion, and stare at the manic scooter drivers so you acknowledge each other and they can dart around you, often at the very last minute and whilst beeping their horn wildly of course. But my body hates this slow dance because I have to ignore my natural instinct that screams "RUN! DEAR GOD RUN TO THE OTHER SIDE!!!" It's even worse when I'm tired, I forget which way to look and then I get confused, because let's face it - Vietnamese drivers drive on all sides of the road. Staying on one side is more of a guideline than a rule.

Nha Trang has been relaxing to say the least, I have enjoyed the luxury of not feeling pressured to sight-see and just spending time lying on the beach and swimming in the turquoise water that is actually coldish and refreshing. Of course I went to Vin Pearl, the giant water park on an island that I had to travel to via cable car - the longest cable car over water in the world. But Nha Trang is different to how I remembered it six years ago. It is a lot more touristy, a lot more developed and a lot more Russian. Did all the restaurants have Russian menus and Russian signs? Was I just not very perceptive six years ago? I don't think so. Surely I would have remembered the countless Russians who have come up to me thinking I am Russian and speaking only Russian to me. It doesn't bother me that it has changed, it's just different to how my memory recalls it. Maybe it was better to have left it as a glorious memory rather than relive it and have to accept it is so different. It also makes me realise I am different, I've changed so much since I last set foot here.

I have added to my extensive collection of beaded bracelets - mostly being pressured by forlorn women carrying them in their baskets and telling me how much effort they have put into making them. Almost everyone I meet - male or female - bears the mark of Asia - the beaded bracelets. I can't help but feel happy to be part of this community but also sad to be part of such a cliche.

A glimpse into another world

goingsolo — Sun, 11 May 2014 15:14:55 GMT

Sweat poured down my face and coated my entire body. It was the type of air that you are cocooned in: no matter how many deep breaths you take, you feel like you are slowly suffocating. We cruised along the Mekong Delta, I watched the people who lived in the stilted corrugated iron huts which lined the river. They washed their clothes in the river. They washed themselves in the river. They dried their clothes by the river. They lay wistfully in hammocks by the river. At sunrise, the river became a mecca of floating markets, boats overflowing with dragon fruit, ripe mangoes, onions… even boats offering aromatic coffee hooked onto our boat like pirates.

Whole pineapples meticulously cut like giant golden lollipops on sticks were waved in front of our boat. I exchanged my money for the fruit and the young limber boy smiled back with his crooked teeth. I bit into my lollipop: ripe juice trickled down the sides of my mouth and I felt like I had not experienced pineapple before that moment. Golden happiness.

The Mekong Delta wasn’t just a river: it was life. The locals attached themselves to the river and were intrinsically linked to it, the symbiosis was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. They would grow and die with the river. Their lives seemed encased in the perfect simplicity that I yearned for. It contrasted starkly with the life I had run away from: a life of expectation and secret dreams that had become as clouded as the water of the Mekong Delta. I wished deep down that I could share my life with the river too.

Vanilla Manilla

goingsolo — Mon, 5 May 2014 13:41:00 GMT

Manilla is a strange place. Admittedly, I only ventured outside the city once to a place called Tagatay, which had amazing views and an even more amazing zip-line you could ride to take full advantage of the views. What a rush. Perhaps if I had ventured out I would have got a better feel for the Philippines, but my time and energy were limited.

But back to Manilla.

It. is. so. American.

I felt like I was in an Asian city that had fused Amercan culture into its spinal cord, but still retained some of its Asian features. Asian, but not. American, but not. American accents but not quite. The Spanish influence was evident in the use of the peso. It was also really Christian, which surprised me, the city was littered with churches. I would come back to Manilla purely to shop and wine and dine because it seemed like the shopping and dining capital of Asia. The shopping centres were connecting labyrinths that you could easily get lost in if you became disoriented, which I did, I felt like I needed a compass just to navigate my way through.

The Old City in Manilla was interesting, we walked along an old stone wall that had canons poking out of it, the canons were pointed towards a golf course, it would have been great to get a glimpse back in time to see what it had looked like before it was completely modernised. The church of San Agustin was also beautiful, decorated in paintings of Mary, Jesus and the Saints, old stone, old arches, and beautifully simple.

But I still left Manilla a bit confused and unable to put my thumb down on exactly what kind of city it was, it was a tad dare I say... vanilla...

Koh Tao Time Stretching

goingsolo — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:11:00 GMT

How do you know when you're a traveller? You lose track of time. Time, date, day, year, it all becomes irrelevant - you just live each day as it comes. Each day is a new day, or a new adventure, or just time ticking by. Time stretches and becomes its own being - but that's what you're doing - just existing and I feel that's what humans should do - experience new things and have pleasure in simply just exisiting.

Koh Tao was stunning. I feel like it was a happy medium between Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. Today I went on a snorkelling tour and had a great time just being. Just watching the fish of a myriad of colours leisurely swim around and eat the coral. It was so strange, when I first started snorkelling that day there was this loud sound I thought was some sort of static, it sounded like a metal spoon scraping a rock, but then I realised it was the sounds of the fish feasting on the coral. I even saw a fish burp up coral, and then greedily eat it again.

The fish were amazing colours - some of them so fluorescent and bright to the eye that you couldn't believe that was their natural colour - they looked like they had been dyed. Some of the fish were rainbow coloured and shimmered beneath the surface of clear Koh Tao water. The water was so clear - unbelieveably clear - you could see the fish without the use of goggles just by looking down. You could see your entire body underwater. The water also changed colour depending on where we were boating- from a turquoise to a brilliant blue to a softer blue. The water was so salty that I floated easily, as if I was wearing an imaginary life jacket. When you imagine paradise, this surely must be it.

Foreign Smells

goingsolo — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 16:04:00 GMT

The smells are what get me traveling around Thailand. They are so foreign to my nostrils and I can't work out whether they are offensive or not. The smells hit you like a brick wall when you're walking down the small streets. Then will dissapear without warning as quickly as they hit you. One thing is for sure - or actually two - I need a lot more money to enjoy the islands and I am slowly but surely becoming beached out. I mean, it really is just beaches and partying and that is life in the Thai Islands. Although I'm glad I'm getting to experience it all I can't help but feel quite a large part of me is getting over drinking night after night after night. Been there and done that, many times over already. I'm also blowing my budget. Accomodation is a bit more expensive than I realised and then I have basically been eating and drinking the rest of my budget away and I need to make my money stretch for another four months or more. I don't want to get to Canada with nothing but desperation in my pockets.

Koh Phi Phi - Koh Lanta - Koh Phangan

goingsolo — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 18:30:00 GMT

The last few days have been a blur. We spent two nights on Koh Phi Phi, which is probably the biggest party island of all the Thai Islands. But strangely enough, we found it weirdly anti-social. I made an English friend, Nia, in Phuket and we decided to do the islands together. Everyone on Koh Phi Phi were already in their small established groups, and it felt a little bit cliquey.

We met up with other friends we had made in Phuket and hired a long boat to see all the islands. The water was a crystal turquoise green you only see in movies or on advertisements at travel agents. We saw Maya Bay - the beach that the movie "The Beach" was filmed at, and it was stunning, but over crowded by tourists. You also had to pay for the priviledge of 30 minutes on the beach, so instead of forking out the money, we got a touristy group photo and jumped back in our long boat. One thing is for sure - if they can make money off tourists, they will.

Later that night, we did the obligatory party night until the early hours of the morning. My favourite part was the fire shows - Thai men throwing fire batons around, tourists jumping through flaming hoops, tourists doing fire limbo. Tourists getting ridiculously burnt as they misjudged the fire in their drunken stooper and brought down the flaming hoop or limbo pole onto themselves. I tried not to laugh because it must have hurt like hell. The night was lit up like a carnival with the myriad of fire shows dotted all over the beach front.

We traveled from Koh Lanta to Koh Phangan and that took about eight hours. It was a long journey by car and by ferry, so thank god I had my travel buddies with me to keep me company or it would have been a lonely trek. It's amazing how you can just make friends so easily and before you know it - you've formed a tight little group to travel with.

Koh Lanta was beautiful and serene but I felt like it was more geared towards couples or families, it was very low-key. It would have been better if we could have ridden scooters around the island, I think we would have gotten a much better feel for it. But I have a no-scooter policy. Due to the fear of doing damage to myself too early in my trip. I don't know how I would make it around traveling solo on crutches with a backpack.

So we made it to Koh Phangan in time for the half-moon festival. To be honest I found it a little underwhelming. My favourite part was the pre-partying at the hostel and everyone madly painting each other in fluro paint. People I had just met were taking to my face with a paint brush, which was a hilarious way to make friends. The actual half moon party was in a rainforest, but they charged 600 baht to get in and the que was so long that by time you got in, the alcohol-induced buzz you had before had all but dissipated.

But the rainforest was a glowing labyrinth of colours. There were spherical and cubed objects made of fluro string hanging through the sky scraper trees, glowing and alive. It looked like an alien world. Everyone looked like aliens too, glowing with their proud fluro designs and darting around the rainforest, vibrating with an excess of energy. But my favourite part were the hammocks hanging in between the trees. I just liked to lie in a hammock, listen to the music and watch the stars and the pulsating fluro world. It was a pretty amazing sight.

So tomorrow we travel to Koh Tao - and we have added to more solo travelers to our growing group - a Dutch and an Argentinian.

Arrival in Phuket

goingsolo — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 15:08:00 GMT

I arrived in Phuket in the bleary-eyed early hours of the day, I wasn't excited, I was nervous. I hadn't really slept on the midnight flight - there was a man next to me snoring like a freight train. His snore was so loud it blocked out the sound of the plane engine, even my ear plugs couldn't block out the reverberating sound of his snore. At one point I just sat there and stared at him, willing him to breathe through his goddamn mouth.

I began to feel excited in the taxi on the way to the Bodega Hostel. But straight away when I landed I had to barter for my taxi. They were trying to make me pay more than triple the cost to get to the hostel. But I stuck to my guns and refused until a taxi driver came along that would take me there for the reasonable price. Since I arrived at the hostel early, I went to Patong Beach and lapped up the sun and the unrefreshing lukewarm sea water. My nervousness melted away as quickly as my sunscreen.

Later that night I made friends at the hostel, I was surprised at how easy it was. We ended up playing drinking games and going out later that night. Despite my lack of sleep I had an overtired excitement that wouldn't allow me to have an afternoon nap. By nightfall, Bangala Road had transformed into a clubbing mecca. I couldn't believe that it was the same road I had walked down earlier that day - seemingly relaxed and lined with chilled bars. At night, it took on a new life. The street was blocked off to accomodate the swathes of tourists out to lose their minds, their money or their morality - probabaly all three. Lady boys lined the bars and you could smell the sex-tourism from a mile away.

Today we spent the day at Surin Beach, chilling out and chatting, it feels fantastic just to be - no past, no future, just to be.