Same same but different

Here's an attempt to writing a post from my phone, since I can't seem to find the time otherwise :) Currently en route to Krabi from Koh Phangan via bus after catching the ferry this afternoon. This so far has been the least stressful day of travel compared to others. Whoever started managing "joint tickets" combining ferry, bus, and trains in Thailand... Bless them.

Ok. So since last time a lot has happened. Let's start with Cambodia!

Jan 15- 25 Phnom Penh (and Kep)

Our first week Kyle and I stayed with Craig, who I had met in Cincy once. Blast of a time. Ate a lot of good food and learned a lot about the Cambodian culture (including about bar girls which the title of this post is a movie of). The prior king had died in October, yet they were still mourning until February and had his picture posted everywhere.

Cambodia. To be completely honest, I knew little to nothing about it or their history. "Khmer Rouge" was just a faint memory from high school history, but after our 2 weeks there, I can assure you I'm now more knowledgeable (Mr. Powell would be so proud). Despite their horrific and bloody (and pretty recent) past, they are the friendliest folk. Maybe because tourism is still relatively "new" to their country, but they treated us with honesty everywhere and not once did we get scammed. Tuk tuk drivers became friends and moto taxis were safe modes of transportation (especially compared to India ;)).

Went to Cambodia because I wanted to meet up with Kelly who is doing this cool project where she's painting murals for non profits. I was supposed to go to Zimbabwe with her in November, but the timing hadn't worked out then :( What we thought would take 2+ weeks of painting, we ended up finishing in 3 days ;) That's what we call amazing teamwork, people! Had a lot of fun painting with her.

The weekend before we took a quick trip to Kep and Rabbit Island (a 20 min boat ride). While this is the "holiday getaway" from the city, it was the most peaceful laid back town with little tourists. Granted, a lot more French people, but overall tourism hadn't chirped this beachside town yet. Spent a day at Rabbit Island trekking around in the jungle and laying on the beach, then eating delicious blue crab at night. I even had another successful bike ride there! ;)

Jan 25-28 Siem Reap

A seven hour bus ride to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh but totally worth it. Cambodia's landscape its hiked with these beautiful gates that mark each of the provinces. On the bus ride (and the one from Kep), I started capturing some of them when I could. Each is so intricately detailed and different from the other, even for what looks like the poorest of towns. I think I'll make a collage out if them. Other things noticed on the bus rides: all cows are white (or off white) and houses are built on stilts for the rainy season in the summer. Apparently then the water levels can get so high, villages look like they're floating on water (some are). Our bus also made a couple of pit stops where you can get your fresh array of fried tarantulas, crickets, and beetles. Yum.

Siem Reap is where Angkor Wat is located. Actually, Angkor Wat is just one of the many amazing temples. There's a whole hoard of them! We spent a whole day climbing them (in the western world this would never be allowed)... Temples over 800 years old, some covered with overgrown trees. Awesome. Note, if you decide to climb all the temples, you will be utterly pooped by the end of the day.

The next day we got a blind massage (mom, if you're reading this, my masseuse wasn't as good as yours), went to the Old Market, and took in an Apsara dance with dinner.

Alright, we're supposedly close to our destination, so the Thailand post will have to wait. P.s. I'm still loving my life :)

I is for Istanbul and India

So blog updates aren't happening as frequently as I initially had planned... because overall, I'm staying too busy vacationing ;) But! I have a few minutes on UD's laptop, so here goes a quick recap of the past 3 weeks or so

Oh, before Istanbul... the rest of my time in the Netherlands was fantastic. Spent New Year's at my aunt's place in the center of Amsterdam with great friends and family (my cousin and her fiance came to visit from Germany!), then flew off the next day.

24 Hours in Istanbul
I had the option of having a 6 hour or 24 hour layover for my flight to New Delhi... so I chose to see the much dreamed of city in a day. I had once met up with a couchsurfer from Istanbul in Cincinnati, and while he wasn't there to show me around, he arranged his good friend to give me the best snapshot of the city I could have asked for in 24 hours.

Great Kurdish dinner -- real Turkish coffee -- seeing that one-important-street-whose-name-he-told-me-to-remember -- attempting to play the Kanun -- the most amazing Kanun music he played -- drinking Raki (Rika?...sorry, awful memory) and some kind of root juice and eating Turkish cheese -- going to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia (ohmyyyyygawwwwddd), and the Palace all in one afternoon -- taking a ferry to the Asian side ("Hi Asia! I'll be back tomorrow!") -- taking a stroll through the Spice Bazaar -- then off to the airport with minutes to spare (I ended up having a 6 hour layover, so it was all good :)).

Thank you thank you thank you, Saner.

10.5 Days in India
Not sure how much detail I can go into here because we did A LOT and I only have a few minutes to spare...

UD is awesome. He took off 11 days from work to show Kyle and me around A LOT of India. We were constantly moving. His parents were awesome too. We were constantly fed (speaking of which, eating hasn't stopped at any point in time on this trip so far...).

First few days we spent around Delhi and Rajasthan (sp? again, sorry) -- saw the fort in Amber, went past Jaipur, spent a night in Rathumbar (sp....again...sorry... I can spell check when I get back to the US), and did a safari! Last night in Delhi, UD drove us around to a lot of the highlights there :) We drove through a loooot of villages. India is so colorful... in the dress, trucks, houses, everything.

Then off on a flight to Goa. The famed hippie party beach Goa. Definitely saw some more tourists around here. And understandingly why they accumulate at some of these really nice beaches for months. UD (illegally? hah) rented a car and we drove around to the beaches in South and North Goa for a couple of days and our last night we danced our butts off at Tito's in Arunja. Interesting. Men LOVE to dance here. In fact, you'll hardly see any ladies (hence why entrance is free for us, yet 1500 Rupees for men). And they won't approach you. They might stare, but they wouldn't dare touching you. Ah, nice. But yes, back to the dancing. Men loving to dance. Fantastic.

Then flight to Kochi in Kerala. Layover in Bangalore where our flight had been an hour delayed, but because I'm the luckiest person in the world, the other flight had waited for us and we were escorted on. Kerala is definitely more laid back (beach towns in general?). People are friendly and generally more approachable. It's called God's Own Country. No wonder. It's beautifully lush and has stretches of nice sands and peaceful backwaters -- "the Venice of India". Took a trip out to Cherai beach and spent a night there at a CSer. Next day we went to Allillepey (sp...) where we took a houseboat trip for 21 hours. Best. thing. ever. HIGHLY recommended. You float through the gorgeous backwaters, step inside some of the waterside small villages, choose which fresh fish you want cooked for dinner, (get fed constantly again,) and enjoy the serene scenery. So. Relaxing. Next day, Supi (our driver for 3 days and fantastic drummer) took us to...(frick...another name I don't remember...) Aliithhgrhgjgfd waterfalls. Another breathtaking view (pics to be uploaded later some time!)

Kyle and I got spoiled on this part of the trip. Drivers, people that carry our luggage, free time shares, servants making our food... Hope we didn't get used to this because I have a feeling the rest of this trip won't be like this :) (Thank you, UD!!!)

My Guinness, what a lovely place!

...too corny? pshh.

Howdy dear friends! So I've been enjoying the last few days in total relax-chill-let-my-mom-feed-me mode, being back in Holland for the Holidays. Now to recount my first part of my trip in Ireland before the food lethargy sets in...

Aaron and I met up at O'Hare airport where he forewarned me of all the Irish accents at our terminal. So excited. I had found a mini Bailey's bottle in my fridge (no idea how long it's been there), so it was only appropriate to start our journey off with it.

We land in Dublin Thursday morning and take the bus into the city. Yay doubledecker front seats. After checking into our hostel (Aaron had found this place... best hostel I've ever stayed in -- Barnacles in Temple Bar), first things first: we need our first Guinness. 

Dublin... the rumors are true. People are so freakin' nice and helpful. They do not, however, all look like Colin Farrell. And when they go out, girls all wear 7" heels, skirts (IN THE WINTER!), and 7 layers of makeup #didnotfitin. But seriously though, people are awesome. Always wanting to help.

We made our way to Phoenix Park, more beer, and the Guinness Brewery. This is where jet lag hit. hard. 7 floors of information and history of Guinness. We could barely make it up the stairs. So we might not have absorbed all the knowledge there was, but we surely absorbed Guinness at the top of the Gravity Bar looking out onto Dublin.


Back to our hostel... night out? Why of course. Pub crawl with about 10 other peeps from all over the world, starting dance parties, ...and somehow spending a lot of money. (Note: Americans have a habit of buying rounds. A lot of other countries don't.) That night Aaron lost his jacket, I lost a glove, but we kept our dignity. Good job.

The next day we head to Galway (bus naps are the best). Galwayyyy. My favorite town in Ireland. You still have the friendliness we had encountered in Dublin (if not moreso), aaand you get the town quaintness. Cobble stone streets, local farmer's market (where I met up with Helen's brother), and making friends with locals at the pubs.

We spent less than 24 hours in Galway because the next morning we caught the tour to Cliffs of Moher and some other surrounding seeings. GO TO CLIFFS OF MOHER! So breathtakingly beautiful. And our driver/tourguide was hilarious... would.not.stop.talking. Dunno how he can multitask like that. Some highlights of that tour: The Cliffs (don't jump, it's high), a 5,800 year old tomb, a celtic cemetery, and an iconic sunset. 

Headed back to Dublin that night for Aaron's last night in the Ire. We wanted to take it easy, but somehow found our way back to our favorite pub from the pub crawl (Peader Kearney's) where we danced to some Irish jigs for the rest of the night.

Sunday Aaron desserted me ;) After he left in the morning, I wandered around and discovered some things on my own, such as: Trinity Dublin College, the Book of Kells exhibit, and Stephen's Green. At TDC, I saw a double rainbow(!!), the Book of Kells' artistry inspired me, and Stephen's Green astounded me in the middle of the city. Hello inner tourist.

Met up with my CS host for the night, who took me out for a few pints with his friends. Later met up with his roommate, played an excellent wing-woman role (so good at that), and ended up at a hipster bar singing karaoke and dancing away (there might be blackmail material out there).

The next day was the first chill day. Might have been lazy pants, until we eventually ventured out for food, and Simon took me to St Patrick's Cathedral. More being a tourist then went on my way. Met up with CS host #2 who is ridiculously too nice and had a good evening with some more pints.

A girl I had met in the hostel and some other person had told me to go to Belfast, so that convinced me. The next morning I went off to Northern Ireland and checked out Belfast city. Got there around noon, adjusted to the British unit system (it's part of the UK), learned about its history and current political situation by taking a tour of City Hall, got misled twice (Castle Court is not a castle, but a mall; and Victoria Square is not a park, but another mall) and finally met up with my CS host and the other girl he was hosting for the night. Goooood night in, we made a Mexican dinner with some mean guacamole and fajitas to show our appreciation, drank good wine, and had long conversation into the middle of the night. 

Next morning I met up with a tour at Carrickfergus Castle down the road, headed to Carrick-a-rede Ropebridge, checked out the oldest whiskey distillery at Bushmills, and made a friend at Giant's Causeway while checking out the ridiculousness of the rocks. 

One of the many benefits of travel is the friends you make along the way. They both make the experiences and make them last. People are awesome.

Since the 20th I've been back in Holland with my momz. It's good to be back with family and nice to have this "break" before I start my Asia travels. Love spending this time with her and old good friends to remind me where I am grounded and what home means. These days are filled with laughter, reminiscing, LOTS of Indonesian food, and reconnecting. On the 27th, my favorite cousin from Germany and her recent-fiance will be coming to visit so I can't wait to see them, as well as the other friends I still need to meet up with. Here's to a happy new year. The next morning I'll be heading off to Turkey.

Oh, on the bus ride to Dublin airport, I also found out I got accepted to INSEAD :) Looks like I'll be living in Fontainebleau as of next August... then heading to Singapore for the second part of the program. Suuuuper excited. My cousin's wedding in Munich is in June, so I'm thinking of just sticking around in Europe and doing some more travels before starting schools. Yay more travels!

Take care, friends all over the word, and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a fantastic Happy New Year wherever you are! I appreciate you all :)    

Packing for 2.5 months...

In 4 days I will be going on my "retirement" trip ;) I quit P&G at the end of October, stuck around until now because of some grad school interviews and taking care of some business for when I'm gone, and now my trip is finally sinking in...

From Dec 12-20, I will be in Ireland for the first time! I somehow convinced Aaron to come with (tickets were ridiculously cheap at the time -- $650 RT!) so he'll be there til the 17th. 
Dec 20-Jan 1, I'll be back in Holland for the Holidays. Mom's there right now, my favorite cousin is meeting me there, and one of my best friends will be bringing in the new year with me :D
Jan 1 -- I have a 24 hour layover in Istanbul... Never been before, and am expecting to completely fall in love with it in a day.
Jan 2-14, I'm heading to India and meeting up with UD who just moved back! ALSO, Kyle will be meeting up with us there too and she'll be spending the rest of the trip in Asia with me!!! Yay travel buddy!
Jan 15-end Jan, we'll be in Cambodia joining Kelly at Transitions with her mural project :) Hopefully get to do some sightseeing on our time off, too.
end Jan-mid Feb -- checking out Vietnam and hopefully squeezing in Thailand in there, too.
mid Feb-Feb 25, want to spend a couple weeks in Indonesia. Haven't been back since mid-90's and wanna get back in touch with my roots ;)
Feb 26-28, flying back to Dublin for a couple of days to catch my flight back to Cincinnati on the 28th!

Needless to say, I'm ECSTATIC about this trip! Now... because I wanted to keep the travel to "carry on" size only, I have the challenge of packing for cold and warm weather and keep it under 15 lbs. Impossible you say? Negative! With the help of some forums and tips from friends on Facebook, I've got it down.

 Here's what I've got it down to:

• 1 pair of Jeans (will be wearing these), 1 yoga pants (will double as pj's), 1 leggings (will be wearing these under the Jeans), 1 pair of shorts
• 2 dresses - 1 sundress, 1 casual but can be nice
• 2 long sleeve shirts (will be wearing 1 of them)
• 1 sweater & 1 cardigan (will be wearing 1 of them)
• 4 t-shirts 
• 3 tank tops
• 1 skinny towel
• 3 pairs of socks
• 7 pairs of underwear (wearing one of them...)
• 3 bras (wearing one of them... is this tmi? ha)
• 2 bikinis
• 1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of flips flops, 1 pair of boots (will be wearing them)
• 1 belt
• 1 scarf (wearing it!)
• 1 coat (will be wearing this too... and most likely leaving it in Turkey)
• 1 sarong (can also be used as a scarf)
• toiletries
• sleeping bag (for 55F, only weight 1.5 lbs!)
• phone/charger (+whatever adapters I may have)
• passport (doy)

This is it :) Did I forget something...?

Will be back Feb 28 with NOM starting the next day! In the meantime, expect updates here :)

ADVENTURE TIME!
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