On the plane home:

I literally just woke up from sleeping and thought to myself, what the hell am I doing going home? 

There are soo many thoughts and emotions going through my head right now.. I'm really worried about reverse culture shock and all the changes that have taken place at home; friends moving away, going back to school, new girlfriends, boyfriends, different living situations, etc...

But I'm also worried about what is to come of me in the fall. I've just gone around the world, and I'll be damned if I come back and live in Brunswick for another year.  I need to save money though, and pay off my little debt from this wonderful trip.

So I could work in northeast Ohio, live at home a bit, then ideally find a flat with a friend.. in one of the cooler areas of Cleveland or Akron.

I've really been considering working at an international school in Europe, but understand that it may be too late to find one of those positions.

Or if I find no jobs anywhere, not all will be lost, because I'm totally up for going back to Asia and teaching some English.

I really would rather teach science though.

Wants always change, and I think I'll be happiest if I do what I want at the moment I want to. 

So many times we act and do things because it's what you think you're "supposed" to do.. Other people expect you to live your life a certain way, society expects you to live a certain way.  Don't get me wrong though, I think that those who go from high school to college to work to marriage to children to carrier and family can still be happy..  I just think that they may also miss out on some of the best learning experiences you could ever have.  Experiences that test your fear, your comfort zone, charade and language skills (Hah),.experiences that force you to truly depend on yourself, in turn causing you to learn about yourself, change what you don't like, and appreciate what you do. 

Travelling also allows you to be a more all around person, to be more loving and accepting of other people and cultures, and of yourself.

I truly believe in getting to know the world, and I truly plan to keep on doing it.

So, don't be surprised.

<3 M

A bittersweet ending: pros and cons of going home

Things I'm excited about:
Family and friends.
Proper, clean, toilets.
My comfy bed with hopefully no bugs. :) 
Getting my hair healthy again.
Opening my mouth in the shower.
A hair dryer.
Using water to brush my teeth.
Soft toilet paper.
Toilet paper in general lol.
Having a car again.
I'm excited to really start mountain biking, climbing, getting better at yoga and meditation, and just following through with things I say I want to do in general.
Seeing/petting dogs and knowing that more times than not, they have a home and don't have flees.
Learning a new language; German or Spanish.
Making money again.

Things I'm not too excited about:
Reverse culture shock.
American accents.
Missing travelling.
Being a workaholic (to pay off my travelling debt)= not much of a summer.
People being utterly obsessed with being on their phones.
Not having my own flat right away.
Interviews.
Pressures of society.
Pressures from other people.

Things I'm really going to miss:
Asians.
Geckos, and the sound geckos make, and that laugh thing too.
Tuk tuks.
Cheap prices.
Temples.
Monks.
Taking my shoes off at every entrance.
The language barrier, charades is fun!
Meeting new people everyday, and being instant bffs.
Motorbiking around beautiful scenery.
Banana trees, tropical jungles, mountains, & the terrain and fauna in general.
Kids screaming hello everytime you walk by or ride past them on a motorbike.
Cheap drinks; fruit shakes, bubble tea, and beer.
Foreign languages.
Feeling normal with no makeup on.
Accents.
Fresh made.. everything!
Foods without a shit ton of chemicals.
Adding a bracelet to my wrist every few weeks.
Learning different ways of saying: hello, goodbye, how are you, and cheers.

The #1 thing I'm worried about:
A job for the fall.. stay or go: local or international school? Out of state or in state? In the US or outside? English or science?  Or volunteer?

So many things are unknown, but like a travel mate said to me about a month or so ago, I'm excited to see where I end up in a few months..

Cheers

<3 M

#blogprobs

I really really need to catch up..

Back to Bali: Ubud, Indonesia

Well we booked a cheap place called Ubud Hideaway, naturally you'd think that was in Ubud..
NOT!

It was a pretty awesome place though.. it was our own mansion Villa!! I had my own room! Though, there were ants everywhere, the toilet had a messed up flush, and there were stains all over my mosquito net, BUT it did have a pool... Which we never used. And a free shuttle into town, which we did use, and they cooked us breakfast in the morning, which we definitely ate! But we decided to only stay for a night, and then move to a place more in the center of Ubud.

One good thing came of Ubud Hideaway though.. we met Anina! She's from Switzerland, and she was the only other person staying there other than us. So she came into town looking for another place to stay as well. When we started looking around, we found a bungalow for 4 right in the center of town. Sonne, a girl we met in SixDegrees Hostel in Jakarta, Anina, and I shared a room while Christina (friend from the Lounge in Samui) and Karim shared the other. Cody and Sammi found a cheaper one for themselves at a different place nearby. Unfortunately, none of them had a pool.. BUT they both had AMAZING free breakfast!

On our first day in Ubud, we walked all around the market and saw these really beautiful dresses, you can tie up to make shorter, and both Sammi and I LOVED THEM!! Cody asked, and we definitely will not get 2 for 50,000 rupiah! The one lady literally laughed in his face when he asked, and said 1 for 150 rupiah... But! We kept walking... I find that the trick is to go to a seller a bit far away and one that has a lot. We went well past where many tourists would walk, and we found a lady that we talked down from 100 each to 2 for 80,000 rupiah, which is equivalent to $4 per dress!! We were literally half way down the street walking away because she didn't agree to 2 for 80, when she finally called us back! She even grudgingly said we got a good deal after we payed. We felt soo accomplished!! We're awesome.

The next day, we rented motos and took them all over the surrounding area. Anina was driving the bike I was on, and she had an international license, but the other people I was with didn't... and apparently in Bali, they actually check! We headed to the volcano, and as we were driving, we look to our right, and there were tons and tons of beautiful green rice terraces!! It was a seriously beautiful surprise that we weren't expecting. We stopped to take photos and just enjoy the view for a bit, then we were on our way to the volcano. As we were driving, this guy came up next to us on his bike and may or may not have helped us get past the police where they make tourists pay money and check drivers licenses. He just took us a different way from the main road and we got there just fine!! Though.. in the back of our minds, we all thought, how is this guy going to eff us over?

Well, he never made us pay anything.. but he took us to many places. First was his "mother's restaurant," and we thought, oh that'll be a nice way to support him.. little did we know that his mother's restaurant was huge, crawling with tourists, and everything on the menu was insanely expensive.. so we didn't buy anything there.. it was packed. He then led us to a temple that was at the base of the volcano and mountain, and to see the lake down there.. that was nice. Then he took us to his "family garden." It could have been someone related to him.. but I don't think so. He let us try the fruit and a guy there let us sample all of the tea and coffee. Then they wanted us to buy some, but we didn't our little (what ended up being) guide for the day seemed a bit mad, I felt a little bad, but at one point Sonne said, he has to remember it's not always going to work.

As we were heading back, Karim didn't wait for us lol & went ahead, so Anina and I were on our own. It turned out to be one of my favorite moments though, but unfortunately after, it rained on us! Which is not fun when you're on a motorbike with no rain jacket or poncho. Luckily it was only a sprinkle, and it stopped rather quickly. But as we were driving we passed through a little town and decided to stop and get a Popsicle! #BestIdeaEver! As we were walking to the shop, there were these little boys who started talking to us! Just simple talk, but it kind of made our day. Also, as we were having a chat and screwing around with the kids, I looked over to the policeman/security guard, and he was just smiling ear to ear. :) It was really sweet. Then when we got to the shop, we paid local price! That was super exciting. lol. As we were leaving we said bye to the kids and left. It was simple, but it made us really happy. :) Then we were on our way back into Ubud, as we were driving there were these 2 girls on a motorbike, who drove up next to us, and we had a chat for a bit while driving. hah! Oh Asia.. I love you.

I can't forget to mention Monkey forest. There is this forest in Ubud that is just FILLED with monkeys!! We went there one day together, Anina, Karim, Sammi, Cody, Sonne, and me. It was really funny. there are adults, babies, grandma and grandpas... They say to not let the monkeys find out where you are putting food or drinks.. because they will find it... and they do... and they go through any means to get them. Unzipping your bag, grabbing it out of your hands... they are not afraid at all lol. These things will climb all over you! It's fun!! After, we went for a swim in Sonne's pool.

Speaking of pools.. Indonesia was really hot lol.. Cody, Sammi, and I may or may not have snuck into a different bungalow's pool. It was awesome. The workers saw us come in and didn't say anything so we just went with it!~ On the way back, it started storming.. maybe it was karma.

On our last night, we all ate at this cheap local place, that Sammi and Cody found, down an alleyway. It was by far the best place we had eaten in Bali.. AND the cheapest!! A great find.

Then it was goodbyes; back to Singapore, on my way to Cambodia to travel with Ally!

<3 M

Singapore try #2: lets give it another go

Getting to Singapore was much better this time around.. I arrived at the airport and got through customs with no problems and then I met with my friend Anson, who I was to stay with the next few days, under the Meeting Point sign. Very nice and easy, with no customs officer to talk to or extra fees to pay... Was a good day!

Now, if you've been following this blog, you might remember Anson from my post about Berlin. He is the one who got me the Cirque du Soleil tickets for me for my birthday! And he is on his break before they go to Brazil, and back home in Singapore. So we were able to meet up and I'm staying with him and his family! :) Couchsurfing is soo great, how it creates such awesome new friendships..

So basically, my 2nd time in Singapore has been full of AMAZING food, weather, and friends! I tried soo many new things! I WISH I remembered the names of everything!!

Anson took me all around and introduced me to many of his friends. We went to Chinatown, local food courts (which they call coffee shops), a temple, many malls, an Indian food place where I tried Teh Tarik and drank a mango shake out of a plastic bag, we walked down the really rich street full of expensive malls and shops, had dinner at a Japanese restaurant, then went to martini night (2 for 1), then to a Chinese club, by accident, with a band, and finally ended up at a local Thai club (yes in Singapore) with many many different singers singing pop and boy band songs.. they love that shit out here!

The next day I got bubble tea and then we went to Bugis Street Shops (which was amazing and cheap and I want to go back with money so I can get a new wardrobe), then we went to Sim Lim Square, which is this HUGE building with about 7-10 floors of electronics, I also tried this waffle ice cream thing that was pretty good, we also visited Little India, and then later that night we went out to eat for crab (DELICIOUS Crab) with his friends, then to this AMAZING ice cream place. That night we went to a couchsurfing meeting!  It was really great, AND (the main reason I wanted to go) Sammi and Cody were there!!  So I got to see them again.  :)

Then it was a day full of Sentosa island, which is basically an island of amusement parks and fun. We rode Luges, a sky ride (which is basically a ski lift lol), watched some people surf on fake waves, saw an amazing sunset on the water, and went back via a gondola over the water and some of the city. That night, we went to the biggest most crowded club I've ever seen.. Zouk. It was soo great!!  I was the only Westerner there and for 3 hours we couldn't get in because it was at full capacity.

Then it was time for goodbye, I had such an awesome time with Anson, and staying with his family.

Thanks soo much love.

He went with me to the airport, which was really sweet, but we went quite a bit early.. I wasn't sure why, bit he said there were a lot of things to do there.

THE SINGAPORE AIRPORT IS INSANELY AMAZING!

This place is like an amusement park in itself..
Wi-Fi everywhere.
Pool.
Gardens.. inside!
Movie theater.
A mall.
Massage chairs - for FREE!
Has places for kids to color.
Butterfly garden.
Free Xbox games.
Free tours.

And I found out later that it was voted best airport in the world last year! 3 terminals of awesome.

If you ever have a layover at the Singapore Airport.. make it a long one!

<3 M

Now it's off to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to meet up and travel with Ally for the next month or so!

Mueng Ngoi Neua: After the boat

This place is soo secluded, they just got power 10 days ago! So there wasn't much use in asking about the Wi-Fi..

3 days without internet.. I'm not going to lie, I loved it!  How freeing.  :)

I came here with people from the bus, by boat, the American couple (Mara and Rory), the Greek uk guy (Agi), and the Swiss I've been with since Sapa (Nicholas)!

Plan: To stay here one night.
What really happened: We stayed 4.

First day goal: To hike through caves.
What really happened: Breakfast and played cards for 4 hours and swam.
-But we did make a new friend, Anne, Thanks to Agi.
Learned: While travelling, you really need days where you do nothing.

Second day goal: to hike through caves and a local village. 
What really happened: hiked through caves, met some locals who led us to the local village, adopted a dog, named him Pluto, and swam.
Learned: Dark caves are not as fun when your torch is your cell phone flashlight.

Third day goal: Chill and blog.
What really happened: Fell asleep on hammock while blogging, hammock fell out of the ceiling & broke beneath me, finished a blog, and swam.
Learned: If you hear the hammock make noises from where it's connected to the ceiling, it will fall.

Fourth day goal: 9:30 boat to Nong Khiaw & message my worried mum upon arrival that I'm still alive.
What really happened: 9:30 boat to Nong Khiaw & messaged my worried mum upon arrival that I'm still alive.
Learned: Relaxation is wonderful.  So are hammocks.

In Mueng Ngoi Neua, we met a Swedish guy, Gabe, who met a local, married her, and now lives in the village with her, her family, and their 2 children.  They have a breakfast and dinner buffet that we went to every morning and 2 nights. They also make the best shakes ever!! Pluto, the dog that continuously followed us around, ended up being Gabe's! And his name: Pac.  But we still called him Pluto when Gabe wasn't around.  I think for the 3 days we were there he was with us most the time.. miss him.

<3

Fast boat tomorrow to the next village and then Luang Prabang!

Boat downriver to Muang Ngoi Neua: First day in LAOS!

It's awesome when you have no idea where you will be in 24 hours...

Well, we bought tickets for this morning's bus, just after deciding where to go at the ticket booth the night before. Megan wants to go more north, and I want to work my way toward Luang Probang. As we were standing at the ticket place, 2 backpackers had just come from Laos, and told us that if we're headed to Luang Probang, to take the boat down the river from Meung Khua.  So, that's exactly what Nicholas and I did!

Well where we all ended up (Megan, Lynne, Nicholas, & I) was on a really full bus to Laos.. the bus was past filled, over the limit of the seats that were on it. But wait, full?  NONSENSE!  After we got across the border, they fit about 20 more people on!  I made a video and took photos lol.. along with many others.

A way over capacity bus, no aircon, and full of many stops.. Oh yeah!  To help more people fit, all our things were bungied to the top of the bus.. except for the sacs of rice and rocks that were beneath our seats and feet.. Hah!  Such is life in Southeast Asia.. I love it.

When we finally arrived to Muang Khua, Megan and I had to say our final goodbyes  :( 

Then a couple people from the bus, an American couple, Rory and Mara, a Greek guy who lives in the UK, Agi,  another girl who only stayed a night, and the Swiss I've been with since Sapa, Nicholas, and I got a boat ride to the next village, Muang Ngoi Neua. It's really cool when a Riverboat is your means of transportation, rather than a bus. It was soo nice.

It took about 3 hours to get there.. and by the end of it, our butts were hurting a bit because of the wood planks we sat on. But the view was soo with it. It was beautiful.  It's dry season, so there were a few rocks sticking out of the water, and a few times it looked like we were going to hit one, but no such thing happened, the locals know the ins and outs of this river, I'm sure. But the ride was great, there were mountains and big hills surrounding us, and some of the big rock structures really made the view a sight to see.

At one point, we stopped near a really small village so our captain could buy a fish, and there were kids swimming and playing. Agi got out and took a few photos and showed them, and Mara gave them a bunch of snacks we had. It was soo sweet!  Children are soo amazing, and they were soo cute!

As we were leaving, we all waved goodbye and were on our way! About 1 more hour and we arrived.

It was such a nice way to start Laos, on a Riverboat, beautiful scenery, local children, and now a very small local village!

<3 M

Rice terraces and local villages of Sapa, Vietnam

Rich, Megan, and I took a bus to Sapa, an area - a beautiful area - of northern Vietnam, full of rice terraces, mountains, and a gorgeous landscape, that are truly a sight to see.

On the bus from Hanoi, we met Nicholas, a Swiss guy, who grew up in Switzerland, French and Spanish speaking, and speaks english with an American accent, also with a mum from Hudson, Ohio!  ..hence the American accent. We travelled through Sapa together and further into Laos, and I'm currently still with him lol headed to Luang Probang tomorrow.  Anyway.. When we arrived in Sapa, we all stayed together in a Guesthouse, until the next day when we did a homestay.

Sapa:

The first day, we walked around the town and area soaking in the views, the town, and the culture of the tribes in the area. We also met up with a woman, Jan, that was recommended to us by a friend back in Hanoi. We chatted with her and arranged a homestay for the next night.

Jan and a few others were our guides to the village the next day, it was about a 4 hour trek there, full of beautiful views of the terrain and landscape of the area. When we got there they made us lunch and we really just hung out. The village was up the side of a mountain. It looked like what we would consider very poor at home, but it is the way of life here. There weren't ceramic tiles for floors, or dry walls for ceilings and walls, and there also wasn't any running water. But it worked, and it was so good. The floor was just the dirt ground, flattened by footsteps, the walls were vertical wood planks, the ceilings were a metal sheet, and the doors were made out of bamboo. The toilet was a squatter, and was separate from their house, and shared with others in the area.

There wasn't much to do in the town, and it was on the side of a mountain, so if you wanted to go anywhere.. it was a bit of a hike! At one point, these ladies from the village came in and wanted to sell us some handmade things from the village. It was bound to happen.. any chance to make money from a Westerner, they will take it! 

Side note: it's totally normal for women to breast feed in public.
Also: these people are in crazy awesome shape.

When it was time for bed, about 8:30 lol, they wouldn't allow us to sleep on the ground, so we slept on their bamboo mat beds.

The next day we went up the mountain to her father-in-law's house. It was a 2 hour trek up the mountain!  And was probably the hardest hike I've ever been on. Especially the way down!  It's worse to fight gravity, so you kinda have to do a little bit of a run at the same time as avoiding stepping on a rock the wrong way so you don't roll you ankle. It was a really tough hike up, but once I did it I was so proud and Happy with myself.. because a bit of the way through, I was really feeling a bit discouraged, it was so tiring.

When we arrived, we had lunch there. Her father-in-law also made jewelry, so I watched that for a bit after relaxing. It was pretty cool. Afterwards, we headed back down. This time, all the way to the bottom, past her house further up in the village.

At the bottom, we said our goodbyes and headed off on the back of 4 guys' motos to take us to the town again. As we were leaving though, Jan looked at Megan and I, then her wrist, and took off 2 bracelets to give to us. It was very sweet, and definitely a good reminder of the experience. 

The ride back so soo utterly beautiful.  A part of me thought, shit, I could've just rented a motorbike for a day and seen just as many, if not more, beautiful views!  But I loved being there and able to see and get to know a local village, daily life, and people a bit.

That night was my second last night in Vietnam.  :(  And the next morning, we were off to make our journey to Laos, which would take 2-3 days. But Rich was headed back to Hanoi, so it was time for goodbyes.. again. Maybe I'll see him again once he makes in to the US in his 2 year venture around the world. Or when I finally make it to the UK, in probably about 2 years.

But now, it's off to Laos!  Headed to the border town, Dien Bien Phu in for the night, then a bus the next morning to Muang Khua.

<3

Journey to Laos

It started with Megan, Nicholas, and me:

- We took a night bus to the town near the border: met an Aussie, Lynne, on the way and ended up staying in the town with her the next night.

- The bus on the way was a bit ridiculous.. Hands down, the bumpiest bus I've ever been on.
I'm talking whiplash style too.. the roads weren't paved on the way to the border, and a few times we had to stop and wait for the construction to finish. At one point, we waited about an hour at this cafe that was just in front of a road block made out of a bamboo rod.

- That night we, on the spot at the bus station, chose where we were going the next morning. We ended up on the same bus as Megan and Lynne, but ended up getting dropped off before them, at Muang Khiaw because someone recommended taking a boat from there to the next village.

- The next morning I was walking toward the bus.. it looked awfully full, but we bought tickets, so I figured they had enough seats for all of us...  NOPE!  Hah.. But!  They did have rice sacks in the aisles for seats, and who ever said 5 people can't sit in the 4 seats in the back of the bus.. This is Asia!

-They took my bag and chucked it on the top (definitely didn't look like it was gonna make it all the way to Laos) and I got in.. luckily I got my own seat!

- And we were on our way.

- When we finally reached the border.. it took FOREVER!  We were probably there for about 2 hours or so. There was one girl trying to pay less for her visa because she had 2 passports and the visa for her Australian one was less than her Canada one - so she was trying to work the system.. then they put the wrong visa on Nicholas's passport lol, so they had to get that sorted.. and they kept charging us more for the different fees they have (weekend fees as opposed to a weekdays, fees for taking our temperature, a stamp fee, and an unexplained one), but what can ya do?  Can't refuse to pay them.. then they won't let you in the country! 

- After the border we had a 30 minute stop for food, toilet, etc.. then we got back on the bus..

So did about 20 other locals.
...and we thought it was full before. Hah!

- It was insanely full now!  There were 25 seats in that minibus, and about 45-50 people inside. Sitting on rice sacks, hanging out the door, and sharing seats.. it was crazy. An awesome experience though.  :)

- When we finally made it to Muang Khiaw, it was time for goodbyes to Lynne and Megan.  :(  Megan and I ran into each other sooo much in Vietnam, it was tough to say final goodbyes. But.. that's life of travellers.. We come and go and meet many, some may touch us, some may not, but at some point, it's goodbye.. but never forget.

- There were 4 others who got off the bus with us. And all our backpacks made it!  That was a shocker!  We all ended up getting the boat THAT DAY to Muang Ngoi Neau, the next village downriver.. it was about a 3-4 hour ride.

And it was beautiful.

<3

Cat Ba Island back to Hanoi:

Well this whole experience was entirely local;
me being the only Westerner..

It was soo much fun!! 

It was a Sunday night so the bus ferry and next 2 buses (wasn't expecting the plural) were crowded! 
Here's the story:

I started by getting picked up by a bus from a travel agent along the bay in Cat Ba about an hour after saying goodbye to everyone. Mann, I passed out on that thing! It was about 30 minutes to the ferry, and all of a sudden I'm waking up and we're already there.

When it was time to get on the ferry, it was kind of a bit of a free for all.. I wasn't sure what the process was, so I figured I'd just wait a little back and go with the flow.. that's what you've got to do out here.. patience. Well, all of a sudden the people all started going and getting on the boat; motorbikes, individuals, and then me!  The guy didn't even really check my ticket.. I guess I already overpay soo much that after the first bus, it's all trusting I have a ticket when they ask rather than me showing it to them. Lol.

The inside filled up by the time I got on, and I wasn't sure what to do Hah.. there were people inside, motorbikes on the back, and some people standing.. then there was me, the only Westerner, standing the were, in the way with my backpack on, not really knowing what to do lol.  Then a guy handed me a plastic stool.. so I took off my bag and sat right down. 

When the boat arrived, there was only one bus sitting there.. I went up to the girl next to other and said, "Hanoi?" She shook her head yes and then pointed for me to get on.

Well.. I ended up in Haiphong. Hah! But, they were expecting me.. or rather, one girl was expecting me.. I think. The bus driver saw me as he dropped me off..

Note: where they dropped me was on a random street in the middle of this city.. it's soo funny not knowing what the hell is going on, and just having to go with the flow and trust the system and people placed in front of you..

Anyway, when I got off of the bus in Haiphong, there was a girl that asked me if I was going to Hanoi. I said yeah, and she told me the bus would be there in a little bit. Surprisingly she spoke English! Which was quite a bit of a comfort to this all local, no English, transport day. Not that there's anything wrong with locals, but it's always nice when there's someone there who has equally no idea what is going on either, and who you can understand. Fortunately, after being on Cat Ba island, I didn't feel at all uncomfortable with this day, maybe it's because of my new local friends, I'm not sure... Or maybe it's because I'm finally truly used to Asia, to the point where it's normal to me now. 

I got chatting with this girl in Haiphong though, she sells postcards to tourists for a living (hence the reason she was probably there when I got off), I don't think she works for the bus company at all, I just think she knows where the buses might drop off potential buyers. After telling her, and showing her that I had enough postcards, we just chatted, and I got a coffee. I was only a little bit finished with it, when this guy came up on a motorbike and said something to the girl. Then she told me that the bus wasn't coming down this street, so he would take me to it. She got me a to-go cup and I hopped on the back of the bike (mum don't worry, he had the bus company name on his shirt, I wasn't getting on the moto with a random dude some chick told me to get on with - though, I probably would)..

So there I am.. backpack on, coffee in one hand, paintings, and a big water in the other, not holding on at all.. problem?  I think not.. I'm a pro by now. Also, the girl told him to go slow after seeing me and laughing to herself at how I looked lol.  He did well; no big issues, no small issues, no issues at all.

Then we arrived to the street where the bus was driving verrryyyy sloowwly down.. this is how I knew it was another all local bus. What they do is, they drive slowly through an area or city trying to fill it up with people.. so that it's not an empty seated waste. People get off early or on halfway through.. so seats are always opening up for more people to get on. Once the seats fill up, they have wood planks they bring out to put between the seats, in the isle. This is how they get the most money.  By letting people flag them down on the road, charge them based on the distance, and get off when they ask to stop.. as long as it's on the way of course. Though it is a good system for money, it makes for a bit longer of a journey than planned.

On the bus it was me and the Vietnamese. I loved it.. I just had my headphones on, leaned back, and dozed off. All of a sudden, it got really cold, I woke up and the man next to me was trying to get some air, then he said something in English to me! Then he asked me where I was from, and a 2 hour conversation for the rest of the bus ride came of it!  It was sooo incredibly nice yo have someone to chat with, especially a local! & on an all local bus! ..where I figured I'd be in my own little world the whole time.

We finally reached Hanoi around 8pm or so.. I bartered a moto ride down to 30,000 from 70,000, because the man on the bus told me to try for 25,000. Wooh!  Success!

When I arrived back at Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, I saw Ally at the front desk, I hear my name called by Kate, who I've been constantly running into all throughout Vietnam, and as I looked around I saw tons of people I met throughout my time in Nam and Cambodia!  It was so awesome! Then as I was checking in Kate came over and greeted me with a big hug and a beer on the counter right in front of me!  What an entrance.. Between all this and my local travel experience and seeing everyone and just being in a city I knew my way around in, and love, I felt soo high on life!!  Every moment in the past few days have just been soo perfect.

*It was a moment for sure (if you've been following my blog, you'll understand what that means)*

After that I was just soo pumped and excited. And on top of it all, Rich, who I met about 2 months ago in Malaysia, was in Hanoi too!  It was such a great night. Met soo many people, and just had an amazing time. 

It was also perfect timing, because they were all going on tours of Halong Bay the next day. So it was really nice to see everyone, one last time, before we separated for good.  :( 

It was hard saying bye to Ally and Kate, but this is what happens while travelling.  You meet great people, who you get on with well, and at some point it has to be time to say goodbye.  But you don't ever have to say goodbye to the memories and the relationships made.

People come in and out of our lives at times we need them, and many teach us something, though some may not.  Some make lasting impressions, some not so much, some are just people who you may need at the time, but won't be with forever.. None of this is either good or bad though, it's just the way it is. Life. & embracing everyone, no matter who they are, and every moment, no matter what it is, is how you you truly live, and don't miss it.

It's quite beautiful, I think.
How it all works.

<3 M

Motorbike Adventures in Cat Ba

Cat Ba Island...
It looks like Halong Bay, except all the mountains are connected by land. It is probably the most beautiful island I've ever been on.

The night we arrived, we got the free bus from the pier to the town, which was soo nice! The views were beautiful, but it was dusk, so it was getting dark quick. Lucy and I checked into a hotel recommended by Lonely Planet with a great seafront view! There are tons of fishing boats in the bay, which is quite a cool sight to see, especially when it was a lift that took you to the top floor. :) $5 each.
Awesome.

Then we set out for food! Everything's a bit expensive on the island, because it's an island, so we settled on a place that looked local, but was still on the seafront. There was a guy there that had a dancing Psy (like the santas at christmas) singing Gangnam Style. Hah! There were little kids he kept playing it for, and then he brought out another!! Lol It was great. Afterwards, we walked around a bit, then went to GoodBar, which was recommended by Lonely Planet as well! On the way there, we ran into Jake and Mike! We had a few drinks, met a lot of people, and played a lot of pool! We met, Chan (an island local), Son (from Haiphong), Jamie (a Kiwi), and Tatu (Finland). We had a ball! At the end of the night, we bought some kebabs from the lady at the outside stand, and just hung out by the road on a few chairs. It was a great night, and we planned to meet up again the next day.

The next day I got a message from Megan, who Lucy & I met on the way from Saigon to Mui Ne, and have been constantly running into (in fact, we're going to Sapa together today, hah)! Well the message said she said that she was in Cat Ba! It was perfect timing because Lucy left early in the morning.. so Megan and I ended up staying together for a few fun filled adventurous days. Unfortunately, her hotel didn't have a lift to the 5th floor, so we got a little work out! :)

On the first day, we rented motorbikes and cruised around the island. There was a group of us, 2 from Colorado, 1 from Boston, lil Miss Canadian Megan, and me! It was an awesome time, we just rode around the island, literally all day long. We stopped at Hospital Cave, which is a hospital built in a cave from the Vietnam war, and we also trekked in Cat Ba National Park.. The motorbike parking for the National Park was in a local volleyball court! Hah! That cracked us up a bit. We trekked to a peak with a tower at the top. It gave a 360° view of the land around the island, it was utterly beautiful. The tower was incredibly dodgy though.. hahaha.. the railings were rusting, and the platform you stand on once you reach the top, is about 5-7 planks set up kind of like a tic tac toe board.. needless to say, you definitely wanted to hold on. After avoiding falling through the tower platform, we headed back down and met some other hikers at the bottom. We sat and just had a chat for about an hour, it was really nice.

We then set off, continuing to the other part of the island where there is a pier with a beautiful view of the bay. Then Megan got hungry, she's always hungry lol! We talk about it a lot haha.. but we headed back to the town to find a local place to eat, after taking some videos of the view back on the way. They say there is really only one road on the island, which is probably a huge underexageration (just made that word up, hope you like it), but on the way back we ended up separating from the rest, and found another one. Megan and I are pretty similar, and we like to go down the road less travelled, so naturally, we decided to hit that one up. We started going down it, and it was insanely dodgy! There were construction areas where it looked like they were quarrying, and there were tons of rocks on the street/dirt path, and at one point we had to stop and wait for a bunch to fall before we carried on.

BUT we decided to keep going anyway..

Best idea ever! Because the road got better, we ended up going through smaller villages, found a beach BEAUTIFUL view, and ended up driving along the coast of the island for about a half hour. It was soo good.

This is getting long.. so I'm going to write about the rest of my time in Cat Ba in a different post.

<3

Oh yeah.. Megan didn't end up getting any food until after we got back.. It's alright though.
Totally worth it.

Its hard to say goodbye to a place you've fallen in love with... Cat Ba Island, Vietnam

Later that night, I met back up with the people I met yesterday night at Good Bar! I also met 2 Dutch guys, Mees and Felix, and Julian who's German, whilst playing pool. So we all hung out and later on went to a karaoke place. We didn't karaoke at all there, but they kept it open for us, so that was nice. Sun taught us how to play this Vietnamese card game, it was a lot of fun!!  After, we went back to the other place again to hang out with Chan, and play more pool.

They were planning on walking/trekking to a secluded beach the next day and have a picnic; Chan, Sun, Tatu, Mees & Felix, and they asked me to come!  :)  I definitely jumped on that one! After I told Megan about it the next morning she was all about it as well, and we asked another friend that Megan met, Hillary, to join us too! We had quite the group going.. Finland, Holland, US, Canada, & Vietnam locals: aka guarenteed fun!

We met at My Way Restaurant, where we went to many a times while on Cat Ba - Chan's friends and cousins own it, had some brekky. Then we were on our way!  It was soo cool, we had to trek up, then down.. the up was along a road and then we reached a bamboo fence with a little door on the one side of it.. that was the way!  Now it was time to go down.. it got quite a bit steep, and you could really tell that the trail was not used very much.. in fact unless other people went with locals there, I'm not sure any other backpackers/travellers would ever find it.

When we arrived, it was gorgeous! There were lots of big rocks along the beach, views of other islands, and together with all around awesome people, it was amazing! There were also HUGE jellyfish washed up on the beach and in the water. Tatu accidentally stepped right on top of one when we first got there lol. Not sure if they were dead or alive, we guessed the ones washed up were dead :/ But none of that wondering stopped Sun, after setting his things down, he just picked one right up!

It was some serious paradise.

We were all soo happy, relaxed and just having a good time. We set our things down on one side of the beach, and then, first things first: collecting bamboo for fire wood.

After that? Relaxation, cooking, swimming, climbing around, exploring, chatting, and just hanging out with new friends:)

It was an utterly perfect day.
..Probably one of my most favorites of my trip.

I went off and explored some rocks a bit and took some photos, when Sun yelled my name from across the beach to come back. When I got there, Chan was cooking up some oysters we bought!  Sun also gave me this rice/sesame seed chrisp thing to try. It was pretty good!

I was a little iffy about the oysters at first, I don't like clams, which are probably the closest thing I've ever had to them, but being out here has really desensitized me and gotten me used to seafood and other types of food.. so after putting some lime juice and wasabi on the oyster, I gave it a go.. it was delicious!!  Had many more after that lol. They were soo good!! 

After finishing lunch we swam.. it was soo cold!  But Sun, Megan, Tatu, and I toughed it out. We also grabbed Mees or Felix's camera, because it had an underwater feature where we could take photos underwater, so Sun and I were playing around with that for quite awhile.  :) 

After Chan, Tatu, and I took a small nap on a rock, and Mees and Felix climbed around on the other side of the beach, it was time for them to go, they were on the 3:30 boat out. So after packing up our things, we headed back to town and said goodbye.  :(  Hopefully we'll run into each other again, I think they're in Laos right now (and I am too)!

After goodbyes, we went to another beach!  Second beach. This one wasn't secluded or anything, but still nice.. except for the guy who stopped us from going to the really beautiful and quieter part, because it's private now.  :(  On the way, we picked up a beer and some snacks (oreos of course) from a local seller.. that was funny and confusing all at once.. We gave the lady money, all separately and at different times, which caused a bit of confusion, and 10 minutes of standing there, trying to figure out which money went with what and who was owed what change, but there was laughter by the end of it. So that was good.  :)

When we got to the beach, we just hung out and chatted. Megan and Chan threw the Frisbee around a bit, but for the most part, the rest of us just chilled. And Oh!  The Sun came out for a bit!  It was nice to see it after soo many days of overcast skies... The walk back was pretty too.. the Sun was nearly setting as we walked back along the Bay.

That night we met up again after showering, work dinner!  And guess where we had it.. My Way!  Big change..  :)  Then we went back to Good Bar and played pool one last time before leaving.

The next day were met at (drum roll please).. My Way for breakfast and goodbyes.. I was leaving on the 2:00 boat, and the rest were staying one more night.. and let me just mention that it was one hell of a time being there while they tried planning it out.. it was hilarious!! and by the time I left I was regretting a bit that I wasn't staying one more night. 

Then it was goodbyes for good..
:( didn't like that much.

I had such an amazing time with Sun and Chan and the others, I wonder if anything else on this trip will compare. Such great company, moments, and new friends I'll never forget.

Thanks again guys, I had a blast.

<3 M

Hope to see you again.