Tuesday, September 29, 2009
brown people get sunburn too!
despite copious amounts of sunblock, my back, arms, and chest, are in a terrible state:
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
the kindness of strangers
a wonderful thing about being a solo traveller is that you must depend on the kindness of strangers.
and it is beautiful thing when you find this kindness and experience it.
and it is beautiful thing when you find this kindness and experience it.
going solo
so this is my last night at patong beach, phuket. while i am not ready (or wanting) to head back to work, i think i am ready to leave this place. don't get me wrong, i had an amazing time, but i would like to leave before things get boring. you know when a concert ends with the best song of the evening? well i sort of want to leave on that high.
i never thought i'd travel alone and not be nostalgic and terrified the entire time. but here i am, one week later, in a country where people barely know any english, and i did things i've never done before. i went snorkeling, white water rafting, elephant trekking and atv-ing. i haggled like crazy and made sure things that were selling for 2000 baht, i bought for 100 baht. that's right, 100! i went canoeing and as i thought, i was terrible at it!
i never thought i'd travel alone, but here i am and 7 days later, i've seen things and places i never knew existed. i visited the 'james bond island'; i saw fish that were magenta, some turquoise and some rainbow coloured! i saw maya bay (where The Beach was shot), and i stepped on sand that was almost as white as snow. i swam in water which was very deep, but so clear you could see the ocean floor.
i have travelled with strangers, and befriended a few. i took a ride on a stranger's motor-bike, because i trusted my street skills (thank you karachi). i learnt that even people who travel can be ignorant and rude and unaware of any culture other than their own. i have discovered that people across the world can be lecherous and vile, and that when you travel as a single woman, either people will be very kind to you, or they will flirt with you and try and take advantage of your being alone.
and i know now that i am equipped to handle this situation, and most situations.
i am independant in a whole other way.
i am different in an entirely new way.
but now, it is time to head back to a reality that i hope will not be mine for too long.
since i know i can be somewhere new with no one familiar around me, it is time i plan my sweet escape.
i never thought i'd travel alone and not be nostalgic and terrified the entire time. but here i am, one week later, in a country where people barely know any english, and i did things i've never done before. i went snorkeling, white water rafting, elephant trekking and atv-ing. i haggled like crazy and made sure things that were selling for 2000 baht, i bought for 100 baht. that's right, 100! i went canoeing and as i thought, i was terrible at it!
i never thought i'd travel alone, but here i am and 7 days later, i've seen things and places i never knew existed. i visited the 'james bond island'; i saw fish that were magenta, some turquoise and some rainbow coloured! i saw maya bay (where The Beach was shot), and i stepped on sand that was almost as white as snow. i swam in water which was very deep, but so clear you could see the ocean floor.
i have travelled with strangers, and befriended a few. i took a ride on a stranger's motor-bike, because i trusted my street skills (thank you karachi). i learnt that even people who travel can be ignorant and rude and unaware of any culture other than their own. i have discovered that people across the world can be lecherous and vile, and that when you travel as a single woman, either people will be very kind to you, or they will flirt with you and try and take advantage of your being alone.
and i know now that i am equipped to handle this situation, and most situations.
i am independant in a whole other way.
i am different in an entirely new way.
but now, it is time to head back to a reality that i hope will not be mine for too long.
since i know i can be somewhere new with no one familiar around me, it is time i plan my sweet escape.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
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