A new perspective on religion

After a damp few days in southern Vietnam I couldn't have been happier to be reunited with the hot humidity of Malaysia (and the Indian food!)

Whilst I'd visited KL briefly before this was my first chance to properly explore the city. My first evening I set off in search of the Patronus towers, however on my walk I wandered past a Hindu temple with floods of people, smells of incense and strange music. I went to see what the commotion was and stood outside watching hundreds of people lighting candles, gifting coconuts and hanging wreaths around the shrine at the front of the temple, before lining up for food. As I watched curiously, I was ushered inside by a man telling me "come on in, the food is free". Upon entering another kind man came to speak to me, enquiring where I was from and offering to explain the details of their celebration to me. He told me details of the particular God the temple was devoted to, how we pray and how he grants wishes to those who desire something. I was then encouraged to line up for my dinner and sat on the floor to feast upon my Indian treats and sweet tea. As I ate I was joined by another Hindu man. He joined me and was discussing his interpretation of his religion. I have never heard anyone speak so openly before and was fascinated as he told me that the God is not a thing, but that it is the act of praying that focusses you on your goals and wishes, which makes you more likely to achieve them. I couldn't agree more, which made me think of bodybuilding and the goals of competing. Once this particular companion left, a 12 year old girl came over to talk to me. She was asking about whether I was married and was fascinated with how I can be 26 and still single! Ha however then she opened up about her beliefs that many men, particularly in her culture, can be controlling and that she and I should wait for 'good people'. What a wise little lady she was!

I have never been a religious person but this trip to the temple completely changed my perspective of religion. After being a part of this community for merely a few hours I started to understand why people get such purpose from belonging to a religion. I always perceived religious people as a bit misdirected, believing in some ethereal entity. However now I understand that for many people this isn't the case. Their belief in God is merely a way to ensure that they live as good people and try their best to achieve their goals.

I am so glad I never made it to the Patronus towers that evening! It was without doubt one of the best nights I had in Asia and I have never felt more welcomed by a group of strangers.

And i thought I'd missed monsoon season...

Well it's been a damp few days in Hoi An; roads flooded, restaurants shut and power cuts in the hostel. Turns out you really can't judge the weather in Asia. Despite the weather we've still managed to have a fun time (luckily I met the funniest group in Phong Nha).

Whilst Hoi An has beautiful sightseeing and architecture, it's alsp famous for its tailoring so we took to the streets in search or some handmade clothing. The tailors have hundreds of examples on show and can alter, adapt and fit anything to your body shape. They can also design outfits unique to you (which is the route I took). Selecting the best parts from online images and choosing my fabrics I had a bikini and a skirt/ top combo made to measure in my choice of fabric and a dress altered to fit like a glove. All of which set me back £38! Amazing.

During a dry hour we also went on a bicycle tour of the city with our great guide from our hostel. He took us to the oldest house in Hoi An where we met the NICEST man ever to grace the earth, they taught us about their home, showed us his handcrafted silver and fed up biscuits, tea, watermelon and frozen yogurt (all for free). This is what I mean about Vietnamese hospitality!



Due to the floods we thought we were going to miss the old town part of our tour, but oh no! In pure Vietnamese style, the locals had adapted to the situation and were able to take us on a boat tour down the streets. What an absolute experience that was!! Yes the rain spoiled some aspects of our visit, but it also opened up new experiences. Plus let's face it, you can't not have fun in a plastic poncho!

Northern Vietnam

I can't believe I'm in the final country of my mini Asian adventure. All it has reaffirmed is that Asia and I have unfinished business... I will be returning!

Vietnam has so far been the most beautiful place I've visited. The cities are busy but spotless and the people are so so friendly! Despite the initial similarities between Hanoi and the Cambodian cities I have visited, the comparisons stop there. The architecture in Vietnam is more beautiful, the food is much fresher, and the people are infinitely friendlier! Not once did I feel like I was being taken advantage of or overcharged for anything and the only reason people stopped me in the streets was to ask if I needed help with directions or to ask if I wanted to join them for a beer! 

In Hanoi I mostly spent my days visiting the museum and talking to locals by the lake. I also went to watch a water puppet show (that was weird). From Hanoi I booked a trip to the beautiful Halong bay where we cruised through the bay, kayaked at sunset, ate delicious food on board our ship, explored the nearby islands and did tai chi at sunrise. One of the highlights without a doubt!

Next stop was Phong Nha which turned out to be one of my favourite places so far. Dark cave was a highlight, which involved ziplining down to the caves, swimming into the river to reach the entrance, then we arrived at a mud bath inside the pitch black cave, where the density of the mud makes you float above the muddy water. Absolutely incredible! The scenery in Phong Nha was breathtaking! We also had an experience where we decided to visit The Pub With The Cold Beer where you can kill your meal. Kyle took one for the team and we watched on as our meal met his gory end. It was certainly an experience!! But followed by the best roast chicken I have ever eaten it was no doubt worth it. The randomness of Asia will never get old...
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5 things in 5 weeks

Slight different slant on this post. I hate to go down the whole 'finding myself' route but I've certainly met some awesome people and seen some crazy shit in Asia that I'll never forget! It's taught me some pretty cool stuff along the way...

1. "The world is a beautiful place full of kind people". This is something someone I met told me he likes to believe, and I can honestly say that so far my experience has proven this. People are sceptics and when I let go of that I've found that my days are so much better. 

2. People in England need to chill out. In England we work to retire and lead a luxurious lifestyle. In Asia people work to support themselves and live to enjoy their lives. 

3. Eat where the local people eat. Some of the best meals I've had are crouched on the world's smallest plastic chairs outside on a street for £1.50. Some of the worst have been those in pristine restaurants that cost 5x as much. The locals know good food. 

4. You can learn more about a country by talking to the local people than you can visiting every museum. It's been hard to manage my time in Asia but I've accepted now that skipping a tourist attraction to see the 'real' parts of a place is the best thing I can do. 

5. I really like my own company. Turns out a comp prep (or 4) is the perfect thing to set you up for solo travelling! Those hours of lonely cardio mean that now I can explore happily on my own for hours and hours. Yes I've met people I've had fun days and nights out with. But some of my best days and have been spent alone walking, exploring and talking to everyone I meet.

Beaches and bucket showers.

Well the past few days I've been down at the coast and finally had a chance to rest and relax. I'm in full on holiday mode now.

I've been to Sihanoukville, Koh Rong Samloem and Koh Rong. It's incredible that 3 places so close to one another can be quite so different! Whilst they all share the sandy beaches and clear blue skies that is pretty much where the similarities stop.

In Sihanoukville I discovered the seedier part of Cambodia; on my first night I met a group and we found ourselves looking for bars finding only groups of prostitutes and Russian bachelors out for a good time. Despite the negatives, the beaches were awesomr and the beers were cheap!
 

Onto Koh Rong Samloem where I stayed in M'pay bay. I think I underestimated quite how remote this was. A little fishing village with one boat in and one boat out daily, 5 restaurants, a handful of guesthouses and a local primary school. I spent my days lounging in a hammock, eating, chatting to locals and sitting round a campfire drinking (where the smell of grass in the air was potent). It seemed like the most popular form of entertainment on the island was smoking (people lit up openly at breakfast). On the last morning I went for a hike with two French girls, accompanied by two local dogs. Where we had to wade through the sea at high tide and eventually gave up on our adventure when we got stranded in a small cove for an hour. As much as I loved the island, when I wanted to leave it became impossible and myself and 4 other travellers ended up having to bribe a diving boat to take us off the island. After waiting 2 hours in the ocean to complete their dive we finally reached Koh Rong!
 

I stayed in a dorm with the most friendly group of English, American, Irish and Dubai (Arabic?) people and the nights were wild. I found myself hiking home through the sea on more than one occasion as the sun rose. I survived Ibiza but after two nights in Koh Rong I was broken! There are beautiful beaches there too, long beach was a favourite which we hiked too across the mountains on our second day. But after 3 days, hundreds of insect bites and no hot showers for longer than I care to remember I am excited to go to the city in Vietnam.

The darker side of Cambodia

My final day in Siem Reap saw me attending a cooking class. Held at a local restaurant in Dam Watt area of town I spent the morning in a kitchen with an American girl and three Cambodian chefs cooking up a storm. With limited English (mostly pointing and gestures from all) we learnt to make a traditional eggplant dip, chicken curry, fish amok (my new favourite food) and mango sticky rice. Followed by an absolute feast! I can't wait to have a practice when I get to Aus. I do miss cooking.


That afternoon I went to a local village with two friends from my hostel. We ate snake at the roadside and spoke to the local children. These are the days I absolutely love, away from the tourist hype. The evening saw my first experience of a night bus(!). Well I learnt a few lessons there; having booked the most expensive bus I arrived to a basic, sweaty bus where you are laid on a double bed next to a complete stranger in a 5ft long bed. Fair to say they're not made for westerners! Thanks to a few beers I managed to sleep for several hours until we broke down on the road side and had to wait for a replacement. But finally I arrived, tired but unscathed.

After a bit of trouble with hostels I was checked in and in a tuk tuk to the killing fields. In retrospect doing this when already tired and a tad emotional was a terrible idea. But WOW what an eye opening day. Everyone has heard of Auschwitz but I felt genuinely shocked I knew so little about such a mass killing. 1/4 of the population was murdered, with those leading the Khmer rouge regime targeting those who are educated. I listened to tales of murdering babies against a 'killing tree' and saw hundreds of bones displayed to help us remember the dead. Intense! So naturally I decided to follow this with a journey to s21, where I learnt about the torture endured by those who were made to write false confessions in order to survive a day or two longer, and read tales of women and men forced into marriages. Someone made an interesting comment how the majority of the population here are under 30, and nearly half of those will have come from a forced marriage.

I hope this can become more widely taught in English schools as it really did highlight how ignorant we are to this. I have such a respect for the Cambodian people after learning about how they suffered whilst the rest of the world was completely unaware.

Pub street in Siem Reap

Currently sitting having breakfast in a little French cafe I can certainly say the French influence in Siem Reap is one of my favourite aspects. Freshly baked bread available in little bakeries and at the road side sold at the hawker stalls.
When I first arrived in Siem Reap I wondered if I was even still in Asia! Bars, western food and white tourists (something I haven't seen a lot of in Malaysia for sure!) Filled the streets and it's a sure fact that Angkor Watt has brought the tourist trade to Cambodia!

On my first full day I went on a tour to Angkor Watt. Alongside a group of solo travellers we explored just a handful of the impressive temples built hundreds of years ago. It's impressive to think that so long ago the locals were building these giant intricately designed temples with no technology. Our guide told us the stories of the temples and their carvings, alongside frequent clips from tomb raider where many of the films featured. Finished with watching the sunset from the top of the 'mountain'. It was certainly an exhausting day in the sun but I'm so glad I went! When I arrived home I went to the hostel bar to chat to the other guests. I would 100% recommend downtown hostel to anyone. The friendliest staff and an atmosphere where they ensure everyone is included in the night out! With the owner taking us all to a local nightclub before heading into reggae bars down pub street. The evening ended at a bar cart in the streets where they serve drinks and have ports to play your own music. Like a private party in the streets!

Exhausted from the night before (I got up at 1!!!) I spent the following day at a lake with two new friends. There were little floating huts on a jetty where you can rent hammocks for $1 and we swam in the lake in dingies. This place was my highlight of Cambodia so far! Not a tourist or English breakfast in sight! It reminded me of what I loved about Malaysia. That night I went to the Phare circus, to watch an amazing production that told the story of a child affected by the Khmer Rouge. It was so emotional! With the dancing, acrobatics, music and an artist who painted throughout to represent the story.

Fair to say my first impressions of Siem Reap were definitely wrong. I'm just learning that in some places you need to look a little harder for the good parts...

Malaysia on a moped

I have been absolutely useless at updating my blog.  But I suppose it's a good sign I've been too busy living life to write about it. 

It's my third day in Cambodia so figured I'd best write about my time in Malaysia. 

After Penang I headed to a little island called Langkawi. After the bustle (and wild nights) of Penang it took a bit of adapting to the calm peaceful geoforests and empty beaches. Langkawi was like a little island paradise. Monkeys wandered down the streets of their own accord and there was beautiful waterfalls with no tourists around. On my first day on Langkawi I rented a scooter again and set off around the island. I went up the cable car onto the geoforest, then visited seven wells waterfall. On my way home I stumbled upon the most amazing night market! With clothes, gifts, satay chicken, coconut rice deserts, noodles, fried bananas and all manners of street food you can imagine!  It was my find on Langkawi and the sort of night market I'd hoped for when I planned my travels. 

 

On the following day I set off on my little moped again to the jetty and went on an island hopping tour. During our tour we went to 3 different islands. The pregnant mother island (see the shape of the mountains) where I swam in the lake, an island with a beautiful beaches and another island where we fed wild eagles over the sea! After that I set off on search of the hot springs and another waterfall where I watched local children swimming in the pools. At the hot springs I went to watch a show about the story of the hot springs and got dragged up as an extra dancer in the show! Anyone who has seen me dance can imagine how much they regretted that choice of participant!

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My final day in Langkawi was spent at a beautiful beach at the north of the island. I was the only one there! I swam in the sea and watched the fishing boats on the ocean. I had one of those moments where I just laid back and thought just how lucky I am! It feels a bit like emotions are all intensified over here! I was sad to leave Malaysia and when I first arrived in Siem Reap I was wondering why on earth I had. But after seeing the real Cambodia today with new friends I now love it here!

Penang

My first two days in Penang have been pretty amazing. Last night I went into a bar on my own for the first time in my life and it wasn't as terrifying as I first thought. I sat in a great little reggae bar with the generous owner (free drinks all night) an English guy called Justin, an American scuba instructor, a french boy and a Dutch couple and had a really fun (if random) night.

Today I took myself for breakfast to the special famous roti canai hawker stall at the recommendation of my taxi driver, and it was amazing!! Then I ended up wandering into a Chinese market. I've never seen anything like it! Live crabs and chickens in cages, people butchering meat and fish on the streets and street food, fruit, vegetables and gifts being sold on hundreds of stalls!


Late morning I had to change hotels and then rented a moped with my new friend from last night. We set off in search of Batu Ferringhi beach. We ended up driving straight past it!  It instead found this beautiful little cove beach where we swam. Then we drove into the mountains and came across an amazing waterfall which we climbed to the top of and were able to swim in the icy cold pools. It was paradise on a boiling hot day with the view over the island. After that we bought bananas from a local fruit market, fed their monkeys and set off in search of snake temple. Snake temple is an old temple with venomous snakes roaming free! They were even on the tops of picture frames. The day was polished off with an Indian feast for 12 ringits (about £2). The food here will never get old!!

First stop Melaka!

After a wonderful first two days/ nights with my Mum's friends Hansa and Sukhi it's time to move onto Penang today. Melaka has absolutely blown me away with how much new and old are combined and how readily available (and cheap) tasty food is. Safe to say I'm in my element! We've eaten Japanese, south Indian and Chinese and every single meal has been delicious. For a decent hawker street food meal it's 5 ringits (less than £1)- safe to say I won't be coming home thin!! 

Last night we did a river cruise through Melaka which was beautiful. I'm excited to move onto Penang today and see what lays in store there. 

A week of goodbyes

Writing my first post on my way home from a surreal couple of nights in London saying goodbye to friends. 5 nights out in a row and already I'm starting to question my ability to party like I'd planned to on my travels. Maybe a chilled few weeks of sightseeing and exploring may be better suited to me after all. I forget I'm 26 til I'm hungover on a train craving veggies and a night in watching apprentice with the family. I'm still just pretending I'm not going, I'll save all of the tears for Sunday.