Siem Reap, Cambodia

I've been in Siem Reap for three days now. The bus ride wasn't too bad- it was a typical Asian bus, not a foreigners one. The difference is the local buses stop 100 times from point A to point B, where foreign buses would only stop once. The locals just hop on and off at their leisure which usually makes the trip a bit longer- but it's ok. Siem Reap is a busy city! It's a lot smaller than Phnom Penh but because everything is so condensed it seems just as, maybe ever busier! I got to my hostel and found that I was sharing a dorm with a girl who I had previously met in Laos a month ago! I couldn't believe it! It was normal to run into the same people throughout Thailand and Laos because often tourists do similar routes but I wasn't expecting to see anyone I knew anymore. I also made a friend from Australia who I did all the temples with. I was happy to meet someone to share a tuk tuk with because it majorly cuts down on cost- and he was a lot of fun so it made it a good time. The first day we took a tuk tuk to Bantaey Srei which was one of the farther temples, and on the way home we went to the Landmine Museum, and a collection of other temples (Banteay Samre, Pre Rup, East Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean and Preah Khan. I must say, I'm not much for the temples... they are certainly magnificant but that tour took us 9 hours... and it was HOT, and DUSTY.. and the tuk tuk is veryy bumpy. The landmine museum was my favorite part of the day. I didn't know much history or the current situation of landmines so I was happy to learn. The center also houses 40 at risk kids that they teach, feed and help them find work. The second day my friend and I were feeling energetic so we decided we were going to bike to the rest of the temples. We woke up for sunrise at Angkor Wat (530am), but it was too cloudy/ overcast to see the sunrise which was too bad. Then we spent the rest of the day biking to the rest of the temples. The Bayon (temple of many faces), Takeo (my favorite one, on a mountain with amazing views and no one else up there!), Ta Prohm which was also another cool one because it had MASSIVE trees growing through the bricks. I may have missed some because it really was difficult to keep them straight. I was exhausted after the day, I think the ride was 30 km, and it was HOT! Today I've just been relaxing and making the final plans for my trip. I have a bus back to Bangkok in two days, and I will head straight to the airport from the bus station. Tomorrow I am going to get up for sunrise again, I'm hoping it isn't overcast this time, and then I will bike the route again without stopping at any temples. The scenery is beautiful but I'm tempeled out! I've lucked out in Siem Reap, I met a lot of great people to hang out with for my last few days of traveling. <3

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I arrived yesterday after a quick flight from Bangkok. I know I keep mentioning it, but my sinuses!! They're crazy, with 3 flights in less than 24 hours I was hurting. Especially a quick 1 hour flight, my ears were just settling and then we were starting our descent. I could hardly hear anything when I got off the plane, multiplied by the language issue I was struggling.
First impression of Cambodia... it's a different place. Firstly, they take US dollars more than their currency (riel) which I find bizarre. They'll give your change in US as well, but anything less than 1$ is in riels. Also, if there is even a tiny rip in a bill they won't take it. I've got an old, ripped 20$ bill that I can't get rid of (thanks a lot airport). But worse case I'll bring it home- I actually paid with a bill that was in 2 pieces once, we clearly don't have the same standards.
The hostel I'm staying at is pretty cool, I have air conditioning so it really can't lose! The day I got here I spent the day around town. I saw the pagodas, the palace, Wat Phnom and the central and Russian markets. I have been to a lot of Asian markets but these were for sure the most extensive ones I've ever seen! It had everything; clothes mad shoes for anyone, any size, housewares, jewelry, electronics, beauty products, bags, purses, car parts, tools, cooked food, raw groceries (meat, seafood, veg, fruit), fresh baked buns, clothes tailors, hair dressers, nail shops. It was crazy... and I didn't even buy anything haha. The other stuff was pretty standard, temples and grand places. Theyre nice, but not my favorite.
Today was Cambodian history day. I started at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, also known as S21 jail. It was the largest jail during the Khmer Rouge rule, it was formerly a high school. You can walk through all the buildings and see the cells some of the victims were kept in. There were hundreds of pictures of the people who went through the jail, an estimated 20 000 people, most who were moved to the killing fields to be killed. There were pictures of what they found when the jail was liberated in 1979. They are very graphic, showing dead people all over the rooms. When they arrived there were 7 people remaining, most who had used their skills like painting or small machine repair, to get in good with the soldiers to have their lives spared. It's really hard to imagine this was so recent, and the trial for the leaders of the Khmer Rouge even more recent.
After S 21 I went to Choueng Ek killing fields which is 15 km outside Phnom Penh. It was formerly a Chinese cemetery before Pol Pot turned it into a massacre sight. The buildings from the original sight were torn down shortly after the liberation because the local people needed building supplies. There is an audio guide as you walk around, it was very informative and there were stories from people who had found the mass graves. All through the place there are large depressions where the mass graves were dug up. Even still after a hard rain, bones and clothes will surface from them. It was a very chilling place to know what had gone on there. In 1988 there was a large memorial built in the center of the killing fields. It's 17 levels of all the bones and clothes from the graves. So many skulls and jaw bones- you can see the damage on a lot of the skulls. The Khmer Rouge didnt want to "waste bullets" so most people died from being hit in the head with various tools.The idea of these museums is to preserve that part of history, despite how terrible it was, in hopes that it will prevent something like this again. A day I definitely won't forget.
<3

The Home Stretch

The last few days in Ubud have been great! This has been my favorite place on my trip so far. I somehow still have a sinus infection so I've been keeping my activities pretty low key. I did yoga every day, a bunch of different kinds of classes. I did a power yoga class which is my favorite kind, but after sitting on the beach for the last month and a half it was a lot harder than it should have been- I still loved it though. It was so nice seeing 2 of my friends who I met in India. Violeta and Rolf. Violeta had us to her house one night for dinner which I really appreciated. After traveling for so long itb felt good to be in a home.
Since Violeta lived a little out of town she suggested I get a mototaxi. The plan was to follow Rolf and Karen on their motorbike because I didn't know where to go. Rolf was sure we could just all fit on his bike. I can say now I feel like I've been christened into Asia. 3 grown people crammed onto one little scooter. Similar to 2 adults and 2 kids plusThere wasn't anywhere to put my legs because I was on the back. I just held them up the whole way. It rivaled power yoga for a leg and core workout. To make it even funnier, it started pourrrring! I couldn't see anything I was just holding up and my legs and hoping the plastic bag full of water wouldn't break open or my flip flops fly off. I wouldn't have said anything if it happened because turning around would have been out of the question. We made it though, big smile on my face and soaked!
One of the "main attractions" in central Ubud is the monkey forest. It's a walled in forest with monkeys everywhere. It's not completely enclosed so the monkeys roam even outside the walls. I was torn about whether to go or not- I've heard lots of people say he monkeys are crazy, aggressive, try and rob you, might bite you... and I read a bunch of trip advisor reviews about it. There were all these warnings- don't bring a bag, dont bring food, don't tease the monkeys, don't scare them, and whatever you do- don't reach into your pockets... I decided not to go- the last thing I wanted to deal with was beige accosted by a gang of rabid monkeys tryin to bite and rob me... sounds like a nightmare haha. And I saw my share of monkeys just roaming around town eating garbage and playing with things they probably shouldn't, like aerosol cans. It was actually sad, and I don't support the idea of feeding wild animals. Now these monkeys are all obese, greedy (apparently crazy) and dependent on humans for food. Anyways, I'm sure it would have been an experience to write about but I got a whole blog out of NOT going!
I'm on my way to Cambodia now, there was no direct or easy way of getting from Bali to Phnom Penh so I'm spending a few hours tonight in Bangkok then fly to P.P. early tomorrow morning. I only have 10 more days which, given how long I've been away, feels like nothing. I've got a lot I hope to see in these last few days though.
As usual when I near the end of my trips I start looking forward to being back home, being in Asia always makes me thankful for little things- like free public toilets, hot water and English!
<3

Ubud!

Made it safe and sound to Ubud, Bali. I looooove it here! It's artsy city- there are local crafts and vendors everywhere, lots of shopping and walking, and SO many amazing places to eat! I could probably be here for a month and eat at a new place every meal. Indonesian food is so delcious and a lot of it is vegetarian! I did a lot of browsing today (and a bit of shopping...) and then I went to a yoga class. It was great, the classroom was open air and the teacher was a local- he reminded me of Jackie Chan he just did all these crazy transitions, I don't think his feet ever touched the ground.
I was told I couldn't come here and not see a traditional Balinese dance and music show. I went tonight mad it was pretty cool. It was called a "Legong Dance". The orchestra were about 10 guys playing drums and ,metal instruments with mallets, and the dancers  were girls with beautiful makeup, dresses and head pieces. We got q little outline about the dances, their meanings and stuff but I still didn't really understand. It was still a cool experience, adds to the cultural/ artsy vibe of Ubud.
Happy Valentines Day also!
<3

Laundry service

I'm not sure if it was officially on my bucket list but I'll still check off Surfing in Indonesia! Just had a great day with a local named Deo who took me to some "beginner" waves. Australian and Indonesian beginner seems to be a bit different. Unlike Aus, there wasn't a beach. They drive you out in a longtail boat to the waves and then the boat waits for you. Surfing is already really tiring, it's a full body workout that takes everything out of you. And since we were just in the middle of the ocean I couldn't even rest on a beach. Its like toboggoning- the going down part is amazing, but then you're at the bottom and have to walk up, or with surfing you have to paddle. I got a lot of good waves though! I even caught some green, unbroken ones which I left off trying to do in Australia. Deo helped a lot, giving an extra push into the big ones if I couldn't paddle hard enough. He picked out the good ones for me too. He made me laugh because his English was really good so he could actually joke around. Usually it's hard to joke with someone who's first language isn't English. One of my favorites was when I paddled back after a good wipeout he asked me if I had laundry service. At first I thought it was a weird place to be marketing his laundry business but Asians never miss out on a chance to advertise. But then I realized he was talking about me in the waves. When you get crushed by a wave spins you around- I thought that was pretty clever. Despite my liberal application of sunscreen I still got burnt. It's hard to avoid because you usually sweat it off the minute you apply it, and then add ocean water and you might as well just skip it.
I was trying to decide if I should stay here one more day or head on to Ubud and I've decided to head to Ubud tomorrow morning. I would love to surf again tomorrow but I dont think I can take the sun again. I've been on a beach for almost a month which has been great but now it's time to head inland again. I'm looking forward to Ubud, I plan to do a lot of yoga and relax. Although I've really been relaxing for this entire trip! I've been trying to book my flight but it's frustrating because everytime I get close the internet goes down or some error happens. Maybe they make it hard so you never leave. Which wouldn't be terrible, everyone here is so nice! They'll offer to bring you anywhere on their scooters. been after dinner I saw one of the surf teachers and he offered me a ride.
<3

Rain and 100 degree ferries

Well Asia finally caught up with me. I was supposed to go diving yesterday but woke up feeling really sick. Typical Asia symptoms, stomach feels uneasy, headache, body aches, zero energy. Luckily I didnt have anything to do or anywhere to go so I slept all day. The place I was staying didn't have A.C. but it did have really comfy mattress so it wasn't bad.
Woke up this morning feeling a lot better!! (Woo hoo) Also woke up to RAIN! First time ive seen it in Asia. It didnt last long but it was actually nice. Now its just 100% humidity.
I was up early so I went to the morning market where there is EVERYTHING! I wish canada had markets like this. It's every morning and they have fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken, eggs, spices... and then anything else you can imagine. I got something for lunch that looks amazing but I don't know what it is. Looks like rice, some sort of dumplings, some black stuff some goopy brown stuff and then it's sprinkled with coconut, and brown glaze. YUM!
Currently I'm on a ferry to Kuta, Lombok which is an island beside Bali. I was planning to go to the Gili Islands but Kuta is known for surfing and beautiful beaches and Gilis are just a party- so the beach won. I also hope to do some surfing if I'm feeling up to it.
It is HOT on this ferry... wow! Gotta be 100 degrees. There doesn't seem to be any windows. There are people selling nasi (rice), coffee, lychee, rambutan, chips, sunglasses, sarongs, peanuts, water- it's like a superstore in here. The guy in front of me is chain smoking which just adds to the ambiance. One redeeming factor is that they're playing The Eagles, Hell Freezes Over tour DVD on the speakers haha... so random.  I'm glad it's that and not the usual Asian soap operas.
I think I might move upstairs but it's also outside so sun will be an issue. Only 5 more hours to go! Kuta Lombok here I come!

Indones... uhhh

First of all, I am the new (slightly disgruntled) owner of a Galaxy Tablet. It's really cool but I hate that I had to buy it because my cellphone was stolen. Either way, I'm back online and I've made it to Indonesia- a few snags though. Of course my trip has been pretty much flawless and my first day alone I have allthese issues.
First my plane from Phuket to Jakarta was delayed but that wasn't a big deal it just meant I had less time to sleep in the airport waiting for my flight to Bali which was supposed to be at 6am. Since I didnt have my phone I only had my confirmation number- which turns out is pretty useless when the airline I booked with is now out of business. So I had to pay for another flight this morning! I haven't gotten the strength or motivation to do anything yet but I'll call the credit card company tomorrow.
So I arrived in Bali at 830am and went to Kuta which is the main tourist beach. I didn't want to stay I was just using it for the bus to Padangbai which is a town on the east coast. I was told the bus left at 9pm and got to the coast at 1230. That's when I went and bought my tablet- I figured I had all day. I just happened to look at a pamphlet/ map from the bus company that said the bus left at 130pm.. and it was 135. I went back to he bus station and the guy told me he meant 10am and that I just missed the last bus. I had aleady booked a hostel here and I didn't want to stay in Kuta so I was determined to leave.
There was a public transport bus I was told went to Padangbai as well so I went with it. I was walking downnthe street asking where the bus stop was when some man pointed to a decrepit old blue van and told me that was the bus. It reminded me of the old truck we used to drive at work. Yeah right buddy I'm not that dumb, I'm not getting in your van. Next person I asked said hed drive me on his motorbike- also declined that. The next thing I know the man and his old van drive up behind me and honked- there's other people in the van now. He says he's going where Im going. I figured if other people where in it maybe it was the bus! We had to transfer to another bus and the driver told me the public bus was going to take a long time because the route was very out of the way. Next thing know I'm on the back of a motorbike on my way to padangbai. I told the man I was very special so he should drive carefully- he even gave me a helmet! It was a beautiful ride salon he coast and I'm happy to have arrived. I was planning to head straight to Gili islands tomorrow but I'm going to dive here tomorrow instead. I may go to Lombok instead, I hear it has more to offer. For now I'm here, it's beautiful and quiet- I need a good rest after last night. There are a lot of cool people here, lots of Canadians.
Can't wait to play around with my new tablet.
♡

Flying Solo

I left Ton Sai this morning, I'm at Phuket airport right now, flying to Jakarta, Indonesia tonight and then from Jakarta to Bali in the morning. I'm really looking forward to Indonesia to do some diving, yoga and maybe surfing. I've parted from all of my friends and I'm traveling on my own. I'm excited to be alone, but have also enjoyed the comfort of traveling with other people. It's a lot harder to make decisions with 5 other people, but on a long bus ride or 2 hour delay on the boat having people there is nice. I've been lucky to been traveling with some great people, and I've met a lot of great people as well! Can't wait for the rest of my South East Asia Adventure. Missing everyone from home, especially now because I don't get to communicate as much as I'd like, will keep everyone posted if I get a new phone. <3

Ton Sai

From Krabi we got a boat to Ton Sai beach which is by far the most beautiful place I've been on this trip. It's surrounded by Limestone cliffs and the ocean. The town itself is so tiny- mostly inhabited by rock climbers and hippies. (Just my scene). The first day there we rented sea kayaks and kayaked to near by caves and the next beach over Railay Beach. It was similar to Ton Sai but more expensive and busy. We floated around on the ocean and watched the sunset even though it was a cloudy night so we didn't see much. The next day we went deep water soloing which has been on my bucket list for a while. We got boated out to a cliff along the ocean where we bouldered (rock climbed without ropes)and when you fell, you fell into the ocean. It was SO cool!!! One of the girls there said it right though, you could be really good at climbing but make sure you're equally good at jumping. I think my top height was 30ft- not the highest I've ever jumped from but it's still high enough! I'm pretty rusty because I haven't climbed in a while but I still had a lot of fun. There were some pretty great climbers in the group, some getting as high as 60/70 feet. The next day Louise and I did some top rope climbing (traditional climbing with a rope and someone belaying you). It was a lot of fun, but REALLYYYY hot!! That time out was a good combination of fun and challenge. It made me want to come home and get back into climbing. We were staying in a little rustic bungalow- we had 3 girls in one double bed, our "mattress" felt more like a box spring, it had no cushion.. and we had a little bathroom in a cement room with no sink. The power was only on from 6pm- 3am, which powered our single fan. It was nice having it to fall asleep at least. I really loved Ton Sai, I didn't want to leave- it was so relaxed and easy. <3

Diving in Koh Tao

I am a certified Open Water Diver now- which means I can dive (with a buddy) up to 18m. My week of diving was really great. I thought I'd be scared of breathing underwater, like it might feel claustrophobic but it didn't at all. It's hard to be scared when everything looks so cool! The first day was just theory, watching silly movies and then doing an "exam" which I got 100% on. Then we got 4 dives, each dive was about 45 minutes and they got deeper each time. I saw tons of fish; angel fish, banner fish, groupers, bat fish, clown fish (NEMO!!!), parrot fish, barracudas and a puffer fish. I'm not sure which one was cooler, the barracuda because I played for that hockey team for years, or the puffer fish because he was so big and had a funny looking mouth. Being underwater felt so cool, laying on your back looking up and seeing the sun through the water- it felt like being in a dream. Unfortunately I was just getting over a sinus infection which isn't good for diving and I got the WORST sinus/ pressure headaches. The air in my head compressed as I descended which felt fine but then when I was ascending it was expanding and since my sinuses were still blocked it had nowhere to go. Terrible. The diving itself was so cool it made up for the terrible headaches though. A few days into my stay in Koh Tao I lost my cellphone... I think I put it down for a second and someone picked it up and walked away with it. It makes staying in touch really difficult because now I have to find internet cafes (which on the islands cost a decent amount of $$). On top of the communication factor I'm also now missing my alarm clock, music, flashlight, notepad, one of my cameras... a shame. I'll look into getting a cheap one here so I can at least stay in touch. After Koh Tao we took a night ferry which was pretty cool. It was a big open boat with one big mattress all the way down each side. It was like a huge slumber party (with 200 strangers). Despite all the people, the ocean swaying and the heat I actually had a pretty good sleep. We took the ferry to Surat Thani and then got a bus to Krabi. We had a few epic waits for transfers between the ferry and the bus. "Soon" here means more than an hour. (I'm catching up on blogs now that I've got internet for a bit so see the next one for more adventures) <3