There and Back Again

Back in November, I left California to begin my backpacking journey. I didn't have much other than my backpack, a few plane tickets, and time. My original plan was thrown out the window before long and I ended up staying abroad for eight months. This was definitely longer than I expected to travel. HA! Buuuuuut, even after all that I couldn't resist doing a road trip along the the West Coast of North America. 

During my time abroad I caught 20 flights, ended up on antibiotics four different times, motorbiked in six countries (crashed in one...), and hit 11 countries before flying back to the states. My flight home gave me the chance to see my 11th country when I had a long layover in Seoul, South Korea. 

I decided to contact a friend from my travels, Rich, who lives in Seoul teaching English. He ended up having the day off and was happy to show me around the city. We were able to see the largest palace in Seoul, get Korean BBQ (IN KOREA!!!), visit a cat cafe, and get a view of the entire city. A big time thank you to Rich for showing me around!

Looking back, I am so glad I made the choice and followed through with traveling to Southeast Asia. The cultures were amazing and unique. The landscape was breath taking and price; very affordable. This trip also introduced me to so many amazing people! I cannot say enough good things about the trip! Now, I'm just looking forward to my next adventure.   

One Month In Cambodia, In One Post...

For my last month in Asia, I really couldn't be bothered to make more than one post. This final chapter began with a trip from Don Det (Southern Laos) to Siem Reap, Cambodia. The trip took some 18 hours with lots of changing transportation vehicles and waiting. It was a nightmare. However, we arrived around 3am to discover that this town not only has cultural temples to see but a bumpin' night life too. 

I arrived to Siem Reap with Richard, a travel buddy from Laos, and Lars, a new travel buddy, which I would eventually travel most of Cambodia with. I also met up with Ellie, my partner in crime from various other places along my journey including my stay in Hong Kong. We did temples and many nights out on the town. On Richard's last night I vowed to stay out all night and then go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Which I did. And if I could go back in time... I wouldn't do it again. 

From Siem Reap, I made it down to, likely, the party capitol of Camboida, Sihanoukville. Free drink tickets are handed out for bars during the day and beers are between $.25-$1 and shots from $1-$2. Stayed there for about four nights before bolting to Kep. Sorry but I don't bring my camera out at night so there aren't many pictures from Sihanoukville, especially since it was raining the whole time! Kep was a sleepy three days just to get away..

From Kep, I spent a day in Kampot and met up with Emma, who I also knew from Vietnam and Hong Kong. The next day, I made my way back to Sihanoukville to meet Thor, travel buddy from Laos, and Lars. We didn't waste much time and made our way out to the island of Koh Rong after a few more nights out. 

After Koh Rong, we spent an evening in Sihanoukville again. Determined not to party we holed up in a movie room we rented and had a chill evening. From there, we made our final journey together. Back to Kampot, well, for me at least. In Kampot, we rented motor bikes and cruised around the area and tried to relax a bit.

My final destination was Phnom Penh, which I did solo. I visited the S-21 Museum and The Killing Fields to learn about the history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge. Without going into too much detail, S-21 was a school turned prison/torture camp in the mid-late 70's and The Killing Fields was a place of mass genocide for all those who were educated or part of the developing world. It is a horrible thing that happened there but it was necessary to see to better understand the culture. Ironically enough, I while at The Killing Fields, I saw two local kids beat a rat to death. They were quite proud!

From here, I head to Seoul, South Korea for an extended layover. I promise to deliver my final thoughts on my time abroad and stop-over in South Korea at a later time. My next agenda item is a three week road trip along the West Coast of the U.S. I'll be sure to recap that adventure too. 

Thanks for following me along this fucking wild journey... I'M OUT!