I wanted to add one last post to my "Southeast Asia" journal. Many more adventures were had from the time of my last post in Nha Trang, Vietnam and my return home but my days seemed to be on warp speed with no chance to write. Busing through Vietnam was a dream. I mean it really doesn't get better than public transportation. I even lucked out on the over night but from Nha Trang to Hoi An getting a sleeper bed next to a old Vietnamese women who liked to cuddle (I didn't mind). We crossed the border between the north and south parts of the country known as the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. Northern Vietnam seemed more colonial in architecture and also had amazing food! Including but not limited to White Roses and Pho, the first of which is only made in the city of Hoi An. The capitol of Hanoi was gorgeous. I spent time walking around the Old Quarter with its food stalls, guesthouses, shops, shops and shops. Here I booked a two day one night tour to Halong Bay, and I'm glad I did considering the complete chaos at the docks when we arrived. All the boats on the bay are junks, wooden ships that look like they came from the vikings or something. It was spectacular and, being the odd lone traveler out, I got my own room with a window that opened up right out into this world heritage site. This is getting long so I'll speed up. BUt i simply can't leave out my bus ride from Hanoi to Vientiane, the Laos capitol. I had heard MANY horor stories anout this journey, most people I met flew to Laos. But being that I had no money, and that all the best adventures happen in route, I decided to chance it and bought my $22 ticket. It was worth every penny. From rice bags and boxes stacked on the floor, on the roof, on people, and under our feet, to the interesting music selection, to the hike up a hill because the bus couldn't make it, to the border crossing in Laos, everything was absolute madness. 24 hours, no aircon, and no food. FInally in Laos, only spent about four days here but it was BEAUTIFUL. I will return to explore more of this country. I simply did not have time to back track up to the north and then back to Northern Thailand before heading to BKK. Again got a local bus from Vientiane to Udon Thani and then from Udon Thani to Chang Mai (the capitol of the north). Doing it this way, piecing my own trip together) was soooo much cheaper than getting a tour bus from the Vientiane to Chang Mai. I spent less than $10 on my own and would have spe3nt over $30 to take a VIP bus. Pretty rediculous huh. Everything can be done cheaper if you get off the tourist trail obviously. I was only in Chang Mai for about 8 hours. After I learned about a family emergency I took a night bus back to BKK where I hung out for three days until my flight home. This was perhaps my favorite trip to Bangkok (this was my fourth stay in the city). I began to really enjoy it, to feel like it was my home away from home. I could get around easily on the sky train now knowing where good spots were and the weeked market near Mochit was to die for! I mean ANYTHING you could possibly think of was here. Animals, nurseries, restuarants, clothes, art galleries even a baby elephant. Street performers, school girls singing in uniform, jewelery stores, shoes stalls.
This has been an unimaginable, eye-opening, self assuring, independent, beautiful and unforegttable time in my life. I have found that this is my passion and that travelling alone is one of my ultimate highs. I have begun to think in a new way, not like I had a revelation, but I simply find my self appraoching situations in my head and in the world differently. I have also found that people are the world are very much same same but different. Beautiful.
