Today's writer: Shaniqua
Ok so we know it's been way too long, but now that we're back in Aussie, the carnival has taken over our life! But before we blog about Australia, here's our last (way overdue) blog about Asia to sum up the best, quickest 3 months ever :)
Some things we''ll never forget:
Always carry toilet paper in ur purse, look down when ur walking in case of huge holes in the ground not blocked off by anything, dont drink the water or ice, know the exact exchange rate or you WILL get ripped off, always have enough money with you- but not 2 much, smile when bargaining, try new foods, take off ur shoes when entering a guesthouse, free breakbast in the guesthouses, no change rooms in the stores so learning to be ok with stripping for everyone, Thailand beaches, walking around discovering new cities, Full Moon Parties-where jumping fire ropes is normal, visiting so many temples u can now call me buddha, finding out that eating bugs is apparently a delicacy, realizing that swimming with an elephant in a river isnt as glamorous as it sounds, learning there is a difference btwn the local price and foreigner price, spent more money on toilets and toilet paper than we had budgeted for, walking around for over an hour in 90 degree weather with r bags on trying to find a place to sleep, the multiple "fresh" meat sellers-and by "fresh" we mean no refrigeration included, having about 4 currencies in ur wallet at a time and not knowing which is which, showers and toilets in the same room making us want to vomit everytime, trying to order food when u dont know the language, finding out that training for a half marathon in asia is not easy, having to lie about leaving a guesthouse if u didn't like it or else the owners would feel terrible, communicating w/o talking, laundry service, food at restaurants always coming out a different times, crazy pollution like u wouldnt believe, pollution masks on almost everyone, motorbikes galore, horns honking every second of every second, seeing the locals work 15+ hours/day 7 days a week, trying to decide what's worse...not having tp in the bathrooms OR having tp but not being able to flush it, food stalls on motorbikes, monks giving alms, learning hello and thank u for every country, bus rides that never leave on time and then stop for EVERYTHING along the way, eating frog, seeing everything from pigs, chickens and tvs being carried on motorbikes, smelling cooked dog in Vietnam, watching the waitress open ur beer and then chucking the bottle cap over her shoulder into the street, stray dogs everywhere, stray dogs chasing us on runs, seeing fireworks being lit in the middle of the street, rats in malaysia, Taxi spelled Teksi, squat toilets, getting high fives from an elderly vietnamese man on a run, and the best.....friendliest people ever :)
The most amazing nights of sleep we had:
...with squirrels, cockroaches, ants in the beds, on busses, in airports, bungalows, in 90 degree rooms with no ac, waking up and falling asleep to mosque ceremonies at 4am and many more we can't even remember..prolly because we think it's normal now
Same Same...but Different:
Asia still has... gas stations, restaurants, bars, roads, stop lights, cars, banks, atms, stores, hotels, smiles, high fives, exercise, cops, families, green fields with amazing sunsets, family dinners.....and everything is pretty much the same as back home...but DIFFERENT.
You know you've been in Asia too long when:
you dont want a $5 massage, r sick of hearing "tuk tuk ride", u actually start to crave everything and nething besides rice and noodles, cry in a bathroom, shit on the road, will actually pay extra to avoid bargaining, ur sick of wearing pants in 100 degree weather, and when see one of the most disgusting toilets but still fall in LOVE with it because it's western.
Our Journey:
Fly Darwin to Bali, Indonesia, fly Bali to Singapore, Bus to Melaka, Malaysia, Bus to Kuala Lumpur, Bus to Kota Bharu, Bus to Kuala Besut, Ferry to Perhentian Islands and back, Bus back to K. Besut, Bus back to K. Bharu, Bus to Kuala Perlis, Ferry to Langkawi, Ferry to Penang, Fly to Phuket, Thailand, Fly to KoSamui, Ferry to Ko Phangan, Ferry Surat Thani, Bus to Krabi, Longtail boat to Rai leh, Ferry to Ko Phi Phi, Ferry to Phuket, Fly to Chiang Mai, Bus to Pai, Bus back to Chiang Mai, Bus to Udon Thani, Bus to Nong Khai, tuk tuk to Lao-Thailand Friendship Bridge, taxi to Vientiene, Laos, Bus to Vang Vieng, Bus to Luang Prabang, Bus to Hanoi, Vietnam, Fly to Hue, Bus to Hoi An, Fly to Saigon (HoChiMinh), Bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Bus to Siem Reap, Fly to Kuala Lumpur, Fly to Melbourne, Australia....
SE Asia on Shoestring. :)
Ok so we know it's been way too long, but now that we're back in Aussie, the carnival has taken over our life! But before we blog about Australia, here's our last (way overdue) blog about Asia to sum up the best, quickest 3 months ever :)
Some things we''ll never forget:
Always carry toilet paper in ur purse, look down when ur walking in case of huge holes in the ground not blocked off by anything, dont drink the water or ice, know the exact exchange rate or you WILL get ripped off, always have enough money with you- but not 2 much, smile when bargaining, try new foods, take off ur shoes when entering a guesthouse, free breakbast in the guesthouses, no change rooms in the stores so learning to be ok with stripping for everyone, Thailand beaches, walking around discovering new cities, Full Moon Parties-where jumping fire ropes is normal, visiting so many temples u can now call me buddha, finding out that eating bugs is apparently a delicacy, realizing that swimming with an elephant in a river isnt as glamorous as it sounds, learning there is a difference btwn the local price and foreigner price, spent more money on toilets and toilet paper than we had budgeted for, walking around for over an hour in 90 degree weather with r bags on trying to find a place to sleep, the multiple "fresh" meat sellers-and by "fresh" we mean no refrigeration included, having about 4 currencies in ur wallet at a time and not knowing which is which, showers and toilets in the same room making us want to vomit everytime, trying to order food when u dont know the language, finding out that training for a half marathon in asia is not easy, having to lie about leaving a guesthouse if u didn't like it or else the owners would feel terrible, communicating w/o talking, laundry service, food at restaurants always coming out a different times, crazy pollution like u wouldnt believe, pollution masks on almost everyone, motorbikes galore, horns honking every second of every second, seeing the locals work 15+ hours/day 7 days a week, trying to decide what's worse...not having tp in the bathrooms OR having tp but not being able to flush it, food stalls on motorbikes, monks giving alms, learning hello and thank u for every country, bus rides that never leave on time and then stop for EVERYTHING along the way, eating frog, seeing everything from pigs, chickens and tvs being carried on motorbikes, smelling cooked dog in Vietnam, watching the waitress open ur beer and then chucking the bottle cap over her shoulder into the street, stray dogs everywhere, stray dogs chasing us on runs, seeing fireworks being lit in the middle of the street, rats in malaysia, Taxi spelled Teksi, squat toilets, getting high fives from an elderly vietnamese man on a run, and the best.....friendliest people ever :)
The most amazing nights of sleep we had:
...with squirrels, cockroaches, ants in the beds, on busses, in airports, bungalows, in 90 degree rooms with no ac, waking up and falling asleep to mosque ceremonies at 4am and many more we can't even remember..prolly because we think it's normal now
Same Same...but Different:
Asia still has... gas stations, restaurants, bars, roads, stop lights, cars, banks, atms, stores, hotels, smiles, high fives, exercise, cops, families, green fields with amazing sunsets, family dinners.....and everything is pretty much the same as back home...but DIFFERENT.
You know you've been in Asia too long when:
you dont want a $5 massage, r sick of hearing "tuk tuk ride", u actually start to crave everything and nething besides rice and noodles, cry in a bathroom, shit on the road, will actually pay extra to avoid bargaining, ur sick of wearing pants in 100 degree weather, and when see one of the most disgusting toilets but still fall in LOVE with it because it's western.
Our Journey:
Fly Darwin to Bali, Indonesia, fly Bali to Singapore, Bus to Melaka, Malaysia, Bus to Kuala Lumpur, Bus to Kota Bharu, Bus to Kuala Besut, Ferry to Perhentian Islands and back, Bus back to K. Besut, Bus back to K. Bharu, Bus to Kuala Perlis, Ferry to Langkawi, Ferry to Penang, Fly to Phuket, Thailand, Fly to KoSamui, Ferry to Ko Phangan, Ferry Surat Thani, Bus to Krabi, Longtail boat to Rai leh, Ferry to Ko Phi Phi, Ferry to Phuket, Fly to Chiang Mai, Bus to Pai, Bus back to Chiang Mai, Bus to Udon Thani, Bus to Nong Khai, tuk tuk to Lao-Thailand Friendship Bridge, taxi to Vientiene, Laos, Bus to Vang Vieng, Bus to Luang Prabang, Bus to Hanoi, Vietnam, Fly to Hue, Bus to Hoi An, Fly to Saigon (HoChiMinh), Bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Bus to Siem Reap, Fly to Kuala Lumpur, Fly to Melbourne, Australia....
SE Asia on Shoestring. :)
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