That was easy

Every book I read before I set off around the world perpetuated the American belief that travelling is difficult, trying and sometimes even scary. If someone had told me that travelling was so easy, I would have done it a long time ago. The books told me to pack light, but you rarely actually have to carry your pack, so I think a little bigger would have been better. The books told me to bring durable shirts and pants, but clothing is so cheap here in Asia I have bought and thrown out more items than I brought. They worried me about visas (how long they take, how much they cost), but same day visas for any country can be bought for less than $50 at any travel agency. Long story short, travelling is easy. Almost everywhere there are Internet cafes to book travel and correspond, people are always willing to help you, there are other travellers all around to meet up with, amazing guest houses for $5-$20 a night, and pretty much everyone speaks English (or tries to.) Although some people I know have had some misfortunes, (knock on wood) I haven't had anything stolen, haven't gotten sick, haven't had any botched travel plans, and overall have been pretty lucky. It is nice to know that today there is NO place I am scared to go. I told my mother that when I head to South America I am going to visit Columbia, to which of course she replied "OVER MY DEAD BODY" as I might get kidnapped with all the drug wars going on, but then again she also told me I was going to be sold into sex trafficking if I came to Asia (which I obviously wasn't, not yet anyway.) Travelling is not what I thought it was going to be, it's easier.


After a relaxing night in Hanoi I caught an early morning flight to Bali, with a layover in Kuala Lampur. On the plane ride to Bali I met Craig, an Englishman who I would end up travelling with for the next week. He was the only lone traveller I saw so I asked him if he wanted to share a cab and later a hotel room (it is that easy!) Off the plane we headed to an area called Kuta, AKA. Australian Party Central, where it is high season for thousands of Australian tourists. The street blocks are small, lined with shops selling clothing, knock-offs and other souvenirs, massage parlors, restaurants, guest houses and surf shops. Since the streets are so small (usually there is only room for one car) the traffic is horrible which leads to tons of beeping, motorbikes driving on the sidewalk, and cars blocking every turn. There are at least 50 bars and clubs blaring music, and begging you to come in for a free drink. The beach is gorgeous, but had so many tourists and people selling you things (massages, bracelets, bow and arrows (!), that it didn't make for a relaxing afternoon. We rented boogie boards and tried to brave the massive waves, and peeped in on a beach wedding that was going on at a local resort.



Over the next couple of days we rented a motorbike and drove outside of the city. Since I unfortunately left my Southeast Asia Lonely Planet on the plane, I can't tell you specifically where we went, but I'll do my best. We drove to a town called Ubud, and to the coastal town of Nusa , all the time admiring the beautiful pagodas and statues which are everywhere, and the idyllic scenery - inland jungles and rice paddies with massive volcanoes rising in the distance and amazing ocean views from the coast (and of course don't forget the occasional Dunkin Donuts and KFC.) We stopped off at couple of beaches to lounge, eat, and take pictures, but spent most of the day cruising. At night we went to dinner, walked the chaotic streets of Bali and even danced one night away at the popular local night club "Sky Bar."


After spending 3 days in Bali, I wanted to head to the Gili Islands to do some scuba diving, so Craig and I caught an early morning shuttle bus to the dock (where it seemed each of the drivers was racing to get us there, weaving in and out of traffic, etc., only to tell us "30 minute breakfast break" upon arrival), then a 2 hour boat ride on "Gili's Island's fastest transport", to the largest of the three Gili Islands, Trawangan. I thought I had seen some beautiful beaches until I got here - white sand, light blue water, and in the distance those same beautiful volcanoes.

The island itself is quite small (it takes about 1 hour to walk around), with one dirt road that doesn't allow cars or motorbikes (horse-drawn carriages only) lined with shops, guesthouses and restaurants. We did some scuba diving, lying on the beach and lots of eating. Although still touristy I thought it was an amazing get-away. After 4 days Craig and I parted ways, me back to Kuta to catch a VERY early morning flight to Manado, while he stayed in Paradise heading to another Gili Island (there are 3) called Gili Air.




I arrived here in Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre near Manado on Sulawesi Island two days ago, where I plan to spend 2 weeks volunteering before I head back to Australia to live for a couple of months. All I have to say is, "my vacation is over" - with lots of animal poop, sweat and bugs I am no longer living in paradise!

What came first, the tourist or the change?

During the third week of August, every year, "out-of-towners" would swarm into my hometown of Bridgewater possibly the smallest town in the state of Connecticut, for the annual County fair, stopping in front of my house to ask stupid questions like "where is the Bridgewater Fair?" and "are we in Bridgewater?", while the lights, sounds and smells of the event were clearly just steps away. These types of questions would send me into fits of giggles, thinking "how could these people be so dumb", and of course, left me appreciative that this tourist attraction was only for 3 days a year. As I invade small towns all over Southeast Asia, yelling questions to people, like "where is food" (as I make fast hand to mouth gestures) and "is that the border to China?" (pointing rapidly with my finger) I realize I am far worse than any Bridgewater Fair tourist - I don't even speak the right language. Being in Asia for the past 4 months and seeing what a wonderful place it is, I want to tell people from all over the world to come visit, plan your next vacation here but wonder, does Asia really need more tourists? I spent the last 3 days in Sapa, a little city perched in between the mountains of northwest Vietnam, surrounded by small minority villages. Every morning van loads of tourists pour into the town, where the villagers flock from miles around to sell their crafts and trekking trips, asking you over and over again "you buy from me?", waiting outside restaurants looking longingly at you, until finally after sheer frustration and hours of them following you, you buy an ugly scarf they hand made (and subsequently another scarf because the lady next to her says "why you no buy from me, you buy from her?") Although the villagers say they like tourists because we bring money, I have to assume that Sapa and the surrounding villages were fine before we arrived. As a tourist I never intend to change the places I visit, but over time places change to suit traveller like me, sometimes drastically. As much as I want the rest of the world to see Asia, with every tourist a piece of Asian culture, history and beauty is taken away, which are the reasons we visit in the first place. It seems to be an endless cycle of "what came first, the tourist or the change?", to which I do not have an answer, or a solution for the future. All I can say is that I am happy I got to see Asia the way it is today, before it changes any further.


After spending $150 on custom-made clothing in Hoi Ann, I needed to get out of there (before I bought more) so I headed to the city of Hue, a 5 hour bus ride north along the coast. Another bustling Asian city set on the Song Huong River, which served as the political capital from 1802 - 1945, is described as "the intellectual, spiritual and cultural capital of Vietnam."

All over the city, and on the outskirts, are crumbling citadels and opulent tombs of the previous emperors. I only had one day to explore so my new friend Tom and I took a motorbike to see some of the tombs, ruins and pagodas, a Japenese covered bridge and a demonstration from a local on how to harvest rice. That night I remembered why I don't stay in dorms anymore when one of my fellow 14 dorm-mates threw up all over herself and the wall - great!



That night I caught a sleeper bus (to those who aren't familiar, this bus seats about 40 people but all the seats recline to a comfortable snoozing position) to Hanoi. Much to my dismay I stayed at another hostel, and while there met some girls I would end up travelling with for the next 6 days.

We spent that day wandering around the chaotic city of Hanoi, and that night watching a traditional Water Puppet show (on the stage is a large square pool of water where puppets perform), which may have been fairly interesting had I known what they were saying, but turned out to be not interesting at all. Even the traditional Vietnamese music wasn't appealing, since ALL the sleeper bus blare this high-pitched singing all night long.



The following day a bunch of us headed to Halong Bay on a 2 day tour hosted by Hanoi Backpackers. Halong bay, unlike any beauty I have ever seen, lies in the Gulf of Tolkin, and as you look out over the water you see 3,000+ oddly shaped rocks jutting into the sky , some even with holes and tunnels in them from the rain and wind. Unfortunately the Hanoi Backpackers trip is pretty much a "booze cruise" and despite the sombreros we had to wear, the forced drinking games and late night antics, I still was able to thoroughly enjoy myself and the scenery.


After a tiring bus ride back to Hanoi, we caught the overnight train to Sapa. I can only describe Sapa and it's surrounding villages as a combination of The Lord of the Ring's Shire and a super-advanced golf course.

Rice patties in layered tiers line every lush, green mountain, while white clouds perch at the top. As you wind through the mountains, you look down into the valley at the small villages that line the river. We had an all-female motorcycle gang for two days as we toured through the mountains and spent our third day trekking to a local village, all while being closely followed by the locals and their crafts.

Although the town of Sapa was quite picturesque, the street we stayed on was so narrow that ALL morning and night drivers would beep (that is what they do here in Asia, beep, a lot) and the street sellers would wait outside for you, accosting you the second you stepped outside. Overall the trip was amazing and fun, but not exactly relaxing.


After the night bus dropped us off back in Hanoi at 3:30 in the morning (thanks for that), I splurged and checked into a nice guesthouse with air conditioning and a TV for a whopping $16 a night. I spent the first day relaxing and watching TV and today my Australian friend Mick and I rented a motorbike and while he braved driving through the city traffic, I sat entertained on the back. We attempted to go to see Ho Chi Min's body, but it was closed. We went to the Ho Chi Min Museum but were told 15 minutes after arriving that they were closing (right in the middle of the day), and lastly when our 2 hour drive to the perfume pagoda turned into a 4 1/2 hour EPIC adventure (which included a lot of karaoke to Willie Nelson's "on the road again" "and we're back on the road again" "and we're back on the right road again") we finally arrived to everything being closed. Overall though, it was a great last day in Vietnam. Oh did I mention the Australian restaurant we wanted to go to was closed as well?

I am currently in the Hanoi Airport on my way to Bali, where I will stay for 10 days!