Temples and Crickets: Cambodia

Cambodia was beautiful and heartbreaking. The temples of Angkor were best explored on bicycles with friends. Ruins only slightly spoiled by bus loads of tourists, but I suppose we were part it. Parting ways with Keelin and Ian was strange, part of me felt like I should have been on the plane with them back to Seattle, celebrating the holidays in the cold and rain and with family.

Early morning at Angkor Wat

After parting ways I hopped on a bus to Phnom Penh, ate some crickets (tasty snack, as long as you don't look at them for too long before putting them in your mouth), and braved crossing the streets (you just have to commit).  Two days in Phnom Penh was enough - big cities aren't really my thing, so I took a bus to the south coast. Really, though, I wanted to go to the Northeast and cross into Laos from there.  Dodgy border and unreliable transportation made me wish I wasn't traveling alone, so I took the safe route. Sometimes you have to sacrifice.

Cambodia was difficult at times - shoeless children trying to sell you their bracelets, land mine amputees begging everywhere - it's hard to know what to do. The wounds of the Khmer Rouge are still fresh, but even the beggers and amputees, after just smiling and wishing them the best, find it in them to smile, genuinely, back. Except for the five year old who tried to sell me a bracelet that called me a "tight ass white girl" after I (kindly) refused.

Next stop is Northern Thailand. Bangkok for one night was enough, but I'm glad I got to experience Khao San at midnight on a Saturday: eighty cent pad thai, drunk Westerners passed out, literally, on the street, tuk-tuk drivers trying to get you to go to 'ping-pong shows' (don't even want to know), loads of lady-boys, and endless trinkets, clothes, bags, shoes, etc. to be bought.

Same Same but Different: Ton Sai

Life is simple here...

7:45am - Keelin and Ian wake me up by knocking on my bungalow door and we have some breakfast.
9:30am - We climb. Usually getting to the route is half the fun (wading in neck-high water, scrambling through the jungle, etc.) Sometimes we skip the morning climb and just sit on the beach.
1:00pm - Lunch at our favorite "restaurant" called Chicken Lady 2. It's really just a food stall with three bamboo tables. The same guy takes our order every time, which usually includes him laughing at us about something or giving us a mini lesson in Thai.
2:30pm - We climb some more, meaning that Ian climbs up like a pro, Keelin does a good job, and at multiple points on the route I just hang there and wonder how the hell I am supposed to reach my hand into the pocket four feet above me.
6:30pm - Dinner at Chicken Lady 2 and the sunset. The BBQ chicken is bomb. Don't eat too many mangoes and too much curry. I did have a not so pleasant deja-vu moment in the jungle (only those of you who were in Ko Samui eleven years ago know what I'm talking about). We've been forced to take "rest days" consisting of toast, bananas and rice.
8:00pm - We retire to our bungalows. Often I am greeted by giant cockroaches, frogs, and other unknown creatures...there are a few holes giant in the floor (hooray for cheap accommodation!)

Most days also include playing with kittens on my porch, watching baby monkeys, reading on the beach, and complaining about the mosquitoes.

Keelin and I on the sailboat!

Today, however, we spiced things up and went on a sailboat that took us to a sweet deep water soloing locale, then sailed a bit through the islands. It's not very often that you get to dangle from a stalactite then drop twenty feet into the Andaman Sea.

From Pacific to Atlantic: Cordoba, Seville and Portugal

Cordoba turned out to be a city that I meshed with - a slower tempo, not many tourists, and lots of tiny cobblestone streets to explore. Was greeted by a parade for All Saints Day the evening I arrived - lots of priests, Virgin Marys, and kids with instruments.

Stroll through Cordoba's side streets

Met some fellow West-coasters in Seville and spent an evening watching an impromptu flamenco show. I was a little disturbed by THREE Starbucks within two blocks of eachother by the cathedral, and found myself longing for a smaller town and the coast...

Which is a small part of why I ended up in Portugal. An old friend had been camping near the coast, and equipped with only the name of the town he was camping near and a little faith, I made the journey to Sagres, Portugal to track down the most un-trackable person I have ever met. Somehow things fell into place (thanks to the Swiss girl on a bike, the Spanish guy who gave me a ride, an old Portuguese woman who offered me a room, and the British guy I met on the beach who, after I explained my story, told me it sounded like Sleepless in Seattle), and I found my friend.

My lone backpack and the cliffs in Sagres, Portugal 

Too bad I only had a couple days in Portugal, because it is amazing. Huge cliffs, beautiful beaches, and genuine people. Spent Sunday hiking along the coast, deep water soloing, swimming in caves, and picnicing. Monday morning we took a bus to Seville, and then I hopped on a plane to Rome. Almost didnt make it on the bus out of Sagres (for a solid twenty minutes I convinced myself that I could just camp there and stay forever), then almost didnt make it on my plane to Rome (completely different reason - and now I know not to drink a bottle of wine before catching a bus to the airport).

Next post will be from Thailand. Ciao, Europe. You taught me to live in the present and that things always work out in the end.

In Good Company: Màlaga

A huge part of traveling is the people you meet, and often it determines how you will remember a city. My first impression of Màlaga was not positive - after a windy six hour bus ride and arriving in the polluted and hideously modern city center, it took me two and a half hours to find my hostel (a combination of me not writing down the address and getting directions from shopkeepers to where the hostel used to be). Eventually found it, and partially thanks to the people I've met, my impression has been improving.

Went out for a few drinks last night with my roommates which included: a 70-ish year old eccentric gay man from Ottowa who just completed the 1000km Santiago pilgrimage and is about to travel for six months in Africa, a 40 year old from Italy that actually uses the phrase "Mamma Mia!", and an extremely handsome 30 year old British doctor/ice-climber/world traveler (aka my future husband). It's been so amazing to meet and talk with people I typically would never meet (obviously because of location) but also because the nature of solo traveling requires that you break down your wall and open your mind a bit.

My childhood dream came true! Malaga on Halloween turned out to be pretty crazy...

I think I'll head to Cordoba tomorrow, then Seville after a couple days. Then in a little over a week I fly to Rome, and two days later to Bangkok (which includes a five hour layover in Cairo). The evening I arrive in Bangkok, I´ll hop on a 12 hour night bus to Krabi, then a boat to Ton Sai in the morning. Pray for me.

Off the (main) Tourist Track: Garrucha

Time for some relaxation. As fun as it is to sight-see and stay in hostels, it was time to take a break from the big cities. Obviously I can only scratch the surface by spending only a few days in each city, but I started to get the feeling that even the tiny bit of surface I'm scratching is fake. It's so easy to follow the well-worn tourist track.When I had the chance to experience a smaller town, I took it. I was the last person on the bus from Granada, and the bus driver looked at me like "what the hell are you going to do in Garrucha?", but I am so happy I came.

Garrucha is a little town of about 6,000 people on the southern-ish coast of Spain.  So far, I've hung out on the beach, eaten delicious tapas, watched terrible Spanish TV, and that's about it. I also exercised for the first time in six weeks (besides all the walking) and went to a spinning class. It's been awesome staying with Gretchen (a friend from Bellingham) and her roommates - she has an apartment with a view of the ocean (there's kind of a port in the way), and it's only a couple minutes walk to the beach!

Almost Six Weeks: Valencia and Granada

Reading back on my first post and how I was concerned about many months of homelessness, I do find I miss certain things (cooking in my own kitchen, family and friends, jogging, knowing the language) but not as much as I expected.  My shoes are my home. Sounds silly, I know, but I find comfort in my shoes.  The Teva´s I have with me I bought at Stanley Market in Hong Kong when I was 15 and have been with me through thick and thin. From hiking in the North Cascades to exploring Osaka during my exchange program, backpacking through Vietnam and China, roadtrips to California and across the mid-West, and trekking up a river in Mexico. And now, they have been with me as I´ve stepped in nasty dog shit in Berlin to wading in the Medeterranian.

The second I dropped off my bag in Valencia I went to the beach.  After getting lost for an hour (you think it would have been easy to just walk east, but the streets are confusing) I finally made it. There was a scattering of litter, but other than that it was great. Met some hilarious older American women (they are working as nurses in England) and spent most of my time in Valencia with them. Hopped on a train down to Granada and am trying to understand Spanish culture. It´s a lot different here than the rest of Europe - the people are a bit more rough (in a good yet slightly intimidating way - maybe just more honest?) and from what I can tell the general attitude towards working is a lot more relaxed.

View of Granada from the Alhambra 

Now I just have to make some decisions and figure out how the hell I´m getting from here to Italy and where to go next. Malaga? Seville? Smaller coastal towns? Morocco?  By bus or tain or plane? I suppose if these are the types of decisions I have to make, life is good.

Going to the Alhambra tomorrow morning (looks amazing - google it), and maybe after that I´ll figure out where to go next.

Living in Luxury: London

What was I thinking leaving my own queen sized bed with jacuzzi tub ensuite? London was much more than a luxurious place to stay, but good times with Syd and lots of walking. It´s also where I got my dose of culture - Brazilian symphony (it was actually an underpriviliged youth symphony), Billy Elliot the musical (amazing!), National Museum, Natural History Museum (somehow I made it a month in Europe without going to any museums, but they´re free in London)...

The line of definition of time and place (for the whole world!)

I also straddled the longitude meridian in Greenwich and tried to go to platform nine and three quarters at the King Cross station. Unfortunately there was lots of construction and you needed a train ticket to access the platforms. At least I tried.

Train-hopping: Belgium

Antwerp: Finally felt like fall, took a great walk to the 'beach', but the highlight was surely ginger tea at Lombardia’s. Ginger tea the highlight? Yes. The best combination of sweet and spicy with a hint of creaminess. And I enjoyed Antwerp a lot (except for being alone in an ancient hostel - me and nine other empty beds and creaky floors was a bit creepy). Reminded me of home in a way, it is a college town, but unlike Bellingham nobody wears sensible shoes. 

Canal in Bruges

Bruges: Lots of Belgian beer sampling with an international crew from the hostel. Probably shouldn't have started out with the Kasteel Brown Ale and didn't realize it was 11% until too late. Also went to the Chocolate Museum, a great outdoor photo exhibit, and explored lots of cute shops.

Brussels: Note to self - don't whip out your map in the seedy part of town. Nothing bad happened, but it definitely attracts the creepers. Ate a waffle and saw some old buildings. Not my favorite of the three.

Change of Pace: Paris

Taking a break from the hostel world to stay with a real French family for five days was wonderful. I think I could get used to their way of life - baguettes with every meal, true appreciation and respect for free time, drinking wine while cooking, a certain nonchalant attitude...

Some of the more notable dishes made by Katie (mostly) and I (a little) included: zuchinni/leek/blue cheese soup, potato salad (recipe courtesy of the Old World Deli in Bellingham), apple crumble (with apples from the country house), walnut pesto made by mortar and pestle (with walnuts from the country house),  and stacks of eggplant, roasted tomato, mozarella and basil.

Katie picking out produce in the Vincennes farmers market 

Of course I did all the tourist sites (Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomph, Jim Morrison's grave, Notre Dame), but also got to do non-touiristy things (shopping for produce at the market, mushroom exhibit, fire show/outdoor concert, 'clubbing').  Clubbing, by the way, is extremely expensive. 'm not sure if it's worth spending 12 euros on a gin and tonic (that's like 17 USD, I only had one) and wasting the next day by sleeping in until one.

In a Nutshell: Budapest

- Thermal baths
- Corn on the cob and goulash
- Worst stubbed toe of my entire life - left my blood on the streets of Hungary
- Hostel experience was the closest I will ever come to knowing what it's like to be on the Real World (the Australian version)

That's Pest across the river. Photo taken from the Buda side.  

Made it to Paris today and am staying with my friend Katie and her boyfriend Boris at his parents' house. What am I looking forward to the most? Not sharing a room with nine other people. And the food. And hanging out with Katie.

Schnitzel and Reunions: Vienna

Took some time off from sightseeing today - old buildings are just old buildings, right?

Went on a coffee date with a Viennese (one of those guys in the funny coats that sells you classical concert tickets), and as interested as I am in experiencing local cultures, I declined his offer to go back to his apartment for "wiener schnitzel". No thanks, buddy. Later that evening at the hostel I ran into Dan and Nicole from good old Bothell High School. Nicole and I were actually in the same third grade class, and she lived just a few streets away from me. Small world.

Budapest by bus tomorrow. Wunderbar!

Dekuji: Prague

After a couple days in Dresden, it was time to leave the drizzly city and head to Prague. Wandered around lots yesterday with a couple girls I met in the hostel (one is from California and also likes to climb rocks, the other from Germany) and we checked out Prague Castle, Charles Bridge and the Old Town areas.

Castles! Huarrah! 

You think I learned my lesson in Amsterdam, but somehow I ended up doing another pub crawl. The night ended with Petra (the girl from Germany) and I falling asleep on the tram at 3:00am and waking up to the driver kicking us off. Mind you it was 40 degrees outside and raining. Got on another tram, showed our torn up map to a Czech woman and she pointed out where we were - completely off the map. After a solid hour and a half of taking trams, trying to find a taxi (never found one), being completely lost and wandering the freezing cold streets of Prague, we made it back to the hostel. I actually shed a tear I was so happy. All of that and our hostel is only a few miles from town.

Learned about the history today on a little walking tour and ate the best kielbasa. Not sure if kielbasas are a Czech thing, but it was amazing. The hostel I'm at is also amazing - great staff, awesome people, and they have homemade cookies. For anyone planning on visiting Prague, it's called Sir Toby's. And it's only 170 Korunys per night (just under $10). I'm excited to eat some vegetables tonight! I went to the grocery store and broccoli has never looked so good.

Dekuji (thank you) Prague, I'm coming back someday.

I Wish I Could Read German: Dresden

Arrived in Dresden yesterday after FIVE trains from Berlin (the cheapest is not always the most convenient). Walked around a lot today and looked at new buildings that were designed to look like old buildings because somebody thought it was a good idea to firebomb this nice little city.

Also went to the laundromat today and accidentally bought 40 minutes of ironing instead of drying. Bügelbrett or trocknen? How am I supposed to know the difference? Then, I buy some food to make at the hostel kitchen and a bottle of red wine.  Then I taste the red wine and it's really sweet, and I ask someone who speaks German about it, and it turns out it's grape juice. But it had a date on it (2004) and was surrounded by wine (at least I think it was wine) at the store. If only I could read German I would have saved myself at least 6 euros today. 

It's been somewhat difficult to escape this tourist bubble and seems to surround me. I'll admit, it's my choice that I stay in big cities and hostels and take tours, but sometimes I feel like I'm not really experiencing a city. Last night though, I went to this free concert/flea market, and I'm pretty sure I was the only non-local there. The band was a drummer and guitarist (plus electronic beats) and they would randomly shout English phrases. My favorite song was 'Shopping Center', and it went like this 'shopping center, shopping center/put things in the cart/put things in the bag'. And that was the chorus.

Prague tomorrow! Too bad my Czech is worse than my German. 

Graffiti Art and the U-Bahn: Berlin

Arrived in Berlin by bus yesterday morning at 9:00am (we left at 11:30pm) and am happy to be here where the weather is a bit warmer and hostels are half the price. The bus was not a sleeper bus, but luckily there weren't too many people on it so we could stretch out.  We were dropped off on the complete opposite end of the city from my hostel, forcing me to navigate the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn (Berlin's subway system). 

I liked the smiley face

Went on an amazing tour today called the 'Alternative City Tour' and we explored graffiti art, squats (there are a number of quasi-legal self sustaining squats in Berlin), and subcultures. There is graffiti everywhere in the city and most of it is pretty cool. There's this one guy who rides his bike around and paints the number 6 everywhere (walls, construction sites, cans, pieces of garbage, etc.) and apparently he does it for six hours per day...they are everywhere...

Met a nice Australian and might head up to Hamburg for a music festival tomorrow with him. Then probably back to Berlin and Prague after that.

Rainy Afternoon: Amsterdam

What do you do when you have ten hours to kill and it's raining outside? Head to the library with free internet, of course. I'm still in Amsterdam but am catching a sleeper bus to Berlin tonight. Here's a small summary of things I've learned so far:

1. More than one pair of warm socks is necessary. I am currently wearing all possible layers, hence my decision not to travel any further North.
2. Pub crawl = frat party. Luckily I met some fantastic Swedish cheese makers and had an insightful conversation with another American in which we realized we will never escape America. Ever. It's everywhere.
3. People are inherently good.

On another note, I just read a fantastic article in the June 2010 O magazine (one of a few English magazines) while waiting for a computer called Help! about a woman who travels to Japan with no guidebook and no plans and bases her trip solely on suggestions from locals. Quite an inspiration.

Bicycles and Tall People: Amsterdam

Well I made it to Europe, friends! It's quite the city. Everyone rides bikes and dresses super hip - don't think my yoga pants and Merrell's quite fit in here.

Everything is cuter here. Even the coffee.

A friend from the hostel and I just ate some cakes from a coffeeshop (sounds so innocent, right?) and are going on a walking tour in a little bit. Internet time is almost up - will write again from Berlin perhaps? Or maybe I'll be in Brussels. Who knows.

Four Months of Homelessness: Bellingham

As I only have two full days left in this fine city and country, I am just now coming to terms with the fact that I will indeed be homeless for the next four (possibly five) months. Of course, I am excited about this journey and very much appreciate the support and encouragement (and help - monetarily and otherwise) from family and friends, but what have I gotten myself into? Why didn't anyone tell me that I'm crazy?

Next post will be from Amsterdam! Although my to-do list far from checked off, I am off to Boundary Bay for a much needed IPA and good company. Bellingham, I will miss you.