Hello friends and family! Although I returned from my trip to Asia almost three weeks ago, I am just now getting around to posting a blog (what's new I know ;)). What to say about my trip... hmmm....To start with, it was truly one GIANT adventure. Never have I been so far out of my comfort zone, trying new things, meeting new people, being the only white woman in sight, etc. (the list goes on and on). I learned to trust my intuition, put myself "out there" in perhaps uncomfortable situations, and always keep a positive attitude. I am so incredibly thankful for this experience, it was amazing to say the least. Although I was traveling alone, I was never alone, constantly meeting locals and other travelers.
Summary of where I went:
Singapore
Bali, Indonesia
Ubud, Indonesia (where the movie Eat, Pray, Love was filmed)
Indonesian islands: Lombok, Komodo, Rinca, Satonda, Gili Trawangan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Let the pictures tell you a bit of the story... Enjoy :)
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| Botanic Gardens in Singapore |
Singapore is quite the modern, futuristic city! For example: It is illegal to throw your gum on the street or to not flush the toilet. I definitely enjoyed the city, wandering the streets, taking the rail, seeing Little India, China Town, etc. Two days seemed to be enough though for me :)
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| I had to catch a picture of these men. So many men gathered in this area playing checkers and chess...I thought it was adorable! |
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| Sentosa Island in Singapore |
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| Muslim mosque: Throughout much of my journey I was surrounded my mosques in which they "chant" 5 times a day, projecting out into the city through a speaker. |
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| Singapore towers: Quite the site at night |
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| My first night in Bali, Indonesia. $15 a night hotel with my own room and bathroom...I felt like royalty. |
I spent four nights in Bali, Indonesia couch surfing. For those who are unfamiliar: couch surfing is an online site where people from around the world offer to host people traveling. In other words: people volunteer to have travelers stay at their home with no cost, often showing them around. A friend of mine in Australia stayed with an Indonesian woman named Zhee and recommended her to me. Zhee let me stay with her for four nights, driving me around on her motorbike, seeing beaches, partying Indo style, and just learning about each other's cultures. It was amazing! She introduced me to all of her friends and within minutes I realized I was surrounded by Indonesians with no comprehension of what they were saying most of the time ;) BUT it was really interesting and FUN!
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| Zhee's home (a lot of Indonesians have simply one room with a bathroom) |
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| Of course I had to try the "local stuff". Avocado juice :) |
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| Zhee and her friend Bagoos |
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| Beach with Zhee. I felt quite spoiled with Zhee and her friends taking me around on the motorbikes and in their cars. |
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| Beautiful sunset |
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| Monkey's emerging from the cliffside |
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| Yoyo and his tiny cookie and cappuccino ;) |
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| Monkey forest in Ubud, Indonesia |
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| Raymond took me to Ubud for the day seeing the monkey forest, eating yummy local food, exploring rice fields, etc. |
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| Raymond and I wandered through the rice fields in the rain. One of my favorite memories of my trip! |
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| Suckling pig with other highly spiced things ;) Actually was quite good....although not something I could eat everyday that's for sure ;) |
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| Another beach day with Raymond and company |
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| Raymond and friends |
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| Saying goodbye to Zhee (she dropped me off at airport-what a gem!). Now for the next adventure.... |
From Bali i then flew to Labuan Bajo, Flores Island. From here I went on a boat tour for four days and three nights, boating throughout the islands, seeing amazing fish, sea turtles, giant Manta rays, dolphins, etc. There were only four "tourists" on the boat: One man from Russia, one Australian couple and I. This was great because it gave me the opportunity to get to know all of the Indonesian boats men. Even though many did not speak much English, we were able to joke around and I really enjoyed their company!
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| The reefs around the islands were INSANELY BEAUTIFUL! Perhaps even better snorkeling than the Great Barrier Reef ;) |
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| Captain Roni always smiling :) |
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| Komodo island: One of the only islands with Komodo dragons |
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| Wild buffalo |
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| Hiking throughout the island searching for Komodos |
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| Gravitating toward the sunshine (aka beach) |
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| Ranger and I |
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| Illiham: He became one of my favorites on the boat |
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| So much snorkeling |
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| I saw about 15 dolphins swimming next to the boat (not a very clear picture). They came so close to the boat that I could even hear them! |
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| Our boat |
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| Satonda lake on Satonda island |
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| The islands got greener and greener as we went further in our journey |
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| Fresh water |
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| Most of the crew :) |
I ended the boat tour on an island called Lombok where I then made my way (not an easy process I might add: being hassled constantly: taking local transportation, taxi and another boat to the next island) to Gili Trawangan island. Gili T was GORGEOUS (highly touristy unfortunately, but beautiful nonetheless), with reggae vibes, great food, music, and beaches of course. It is a very small island with no roads. People get around by bike and horse carriage.
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| Pure bliss |
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| The island is filled with "wild" cats. Because the island is primarily Muslim they do not have any dogs, only cats. |
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| Rayomd (Zhee's friend) met me on the island! It was nice to see a familiar face and a traveling buddy. |
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| Sunset on the island |
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| Biking the island with Raymond |
After my travels through Indonesia I then headed to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This place was quite the contrast from the Indonesian islands. The city was big, a little dirty (I saw several rats), with lots of commotion. Although, I met a lot of awesome travels, checked out the city and enjoyed my last days of the trip. There are not many pictures because my camera broke before this....
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| Jason: Friend from Ireland |
Unfortunately my camera broke on Gili T island and in general I did not get too many pictures of the people I met even though I made some great connections with lots of other travelers and locals! That being said...memories last a lifetime and I will treasure all the ones I have gained from SE Asia!!
