Sawadee/Sabaidee/Sua s’dei/HELLO!!!
It has been quite some time since my last entry, but I am writing to you from the Kingdom of Cambodia. Almost 3 weeks ago I set sail from Sydney to begin my southeast Asian adventure. It is quite an overwhelming task to summarize the last 3 weeks and 3 countries but I'll give it a shot.
Thailand: I arrived in Bangkok in the middle of the night and the next day I took an overnight bus up to Chiang Mai, located in northern Thailand. After a few days of meandering and motorbiking around the city and the surrounding temples and sights, I bussed over to Pai with a new British friend I had made along the way. Pai is a small town 4 hours north of Chiang Mai with gorgeous mountains surrounding it. I almost lost my lunch on the ride over due to all the twists and turns and I think it isn't necessary to report that public buses in Thailand are a bit outdated!
7 kilometres outside of Pai my friend and I volunteered and slept at an organic farm called Tacomepai. It is a great community of hilltribe villagers and foreigners alike all gathered for the sake of sustainable farming/living. I learned quite a bit about permaculture and all the many uses of bamboo! It was definitely a great way to see the region without being clumped with all the hustling of the backpacker crowds. That was my main gripe about Thailand. It felt like the country was created for tourists, whereas Laos is an amazing country that exists and just happens to have tourists passing through. ON TO LAOS!
Laos: Called Lao in its own language, I was super impressed by what I was able to experience. My journey through the landlocked country began by crossing the border overland through Houay Xai in northern Lao. It was a pretty drama-free experience. Lots of Thai tourists which are always fun to just watch and observe. 4 hours later I "landed" in the rural almost cowboy town of Luang Nam Tha. The town has one main drag of restaurants, guest houses, and trekking companies. I really wanted to bike and kayak around the Nam Ha protected area and the Nam Tha river but since it was the low season I couldnt find enough people for a group discount. Instead, I befriended a Venezuelan guy who volunteered for one of the trekking companies and he showed me where to go on my own which was just as great (and almost free!)
After a few days of peace and quiet in Luang Nam Tha, I headed south to Luang Prabang, Lao's cultural capital situated on the Mekong River. So far that has been my highlight of the trip!
-Kuang Si waterfalls. 30 kms outside of Luang Prabang, these turquoise waters are PARADISAICAL! I met 3 German friends and we spent hours just swimming, rope swinging, and hiking around the reserve.
-River Festival. Marking the end of Buddhist Lent, the whole country goes crazy for "color war" games on the Mekong. Lots of boat races, fire works, dances, karaoke, and barbecues.
-Volunteering with Big Brother Mouse. This is a great organization that promotes literacy throughout Lao. I was able to donate money and do book drop offs in various villages and schools in every city I visited. Very rewarding to see such cute kids excited about receiving books!
-Teaching kids English in Vang Vieng. We were able to create our own curriculum (we taught 10 year olds about clothing and food) and they ate it up! (pun intended)
All in all I loved Lao (can you tell?) But alas it is time to move south to Cambodia. I am meeting up with my friend from college and we will move quickly through Phnom Penh (capital city) to Angkor Wat. From there we will hit eastern Malaysia for 10 days before saying goodbye. From there I will meet up with Mara for Bangkok and some island hopping in the south!
Whew! So far I have loved traveling alone but ready for some companionship. Looking forward to what is in store.
Lah gone, goodbye,
Aviva
