Travel Blog Posts
January 21st 2011
Hello all. I'll bet you're wondering "Now what? She's home, what else could she have to say?" I thought I'd impart some of my final thoughts on these past four months. While traveling I've had such great opportunities to meet up with some wonderful people, some travelers, some locals that live in the country I was in. In conversations with the other travelers, you inevitably ask each other the usual questions, 'how long are here', 'where have you been', 'where to next'. When I told people that I'd quit my job to travel and listed the countries I was planning, many asked if I was doing an 'Eat Pray Love' type trip. I'd never thought about it that way but I suppose this was sort of an EPL trip but with some differences, allow me to ... read more
January 12th 2011
Hello all. As I said above, this will be my last entry since I'm coming to the end of this whirlwind exploration of SE Asia. The Philippines is a lovely country but will definitely have to come back to do it properly, nine days was just not enough. Okay, the internet cafe I'm in continues to lose connectivity so I'll just post the few pics I've uploaded and get back to update in a bit. Take care everyone. Thank you for being interested in my journey and traveling with me :) Love Cheryl... read more
January 2nd 2011
Hello all and happy new year! Seems strange to think it's 2011, time flies. And speaking of time flying, I leave Bali tomorrow morning for my last stop, the Philipines. I will try and cram in as much as I can for the nine days I'm there but I am thinking I will have to come back to do it right. But I'm getting ahead of myself, I should fill you in on Bali. What a beautiful island, green and lush beyond imagination. I didn't get around to doing a whole lot, I thought I was due for a break from seeing everything. I spent five days in Ubud and what an interesting piece of paradise. If you can have patience for the taxi drivers desperate for a fare ('taxi, where you go, taxi'), they're just ... read more
December 21st 2010
Hi all and happy holidays! I'm currently in Singapore and, wow, what a great place. I spent about a week in Malaysia, few days in KL, few days in Penang, few days in Langkawi and found myself to be a bit bored. I've been to Malaysia before so there wasn't much that I was dying to see again so I thought I was due for some beach time. Loved it, don't get me wrong, but I really just needed a bit more stimulation thus my early move to Singapore. I did have a friend who happened to be here the same time, Allan, so boredom coupled with a desire to see my good friend, I decided to move on. Singapore is a wonderful country, I almost feel civilised again. Strange mixture here, definitely Asian in feel ... read more
December 8th 2010
Hello all, still in Asia -- have you enjoyed the rest from my posts? Spent the last three weeks in Myanmar and what a spectacular country, well spectacular minus the dictatorship blocking my email and travel blog sites. In spite of the frustrations of blocked access, Myanmar is an amazing country and worthwhile to visit. I'll try to keep my blog short and be mindful of the pictures as I know you all have busy lives, especially at this holiday time of year. I arrived in Yangon on November 17th via the airport with zero issues, even with the required declaration of my electronics (camera and netbook), the officials didn't even look at my declaration card. Had a few rough days after that, ended up getting very sick so not a lot of time in Yangon ... read more
November 16th 2010
Currently in Bangkok right now but spent a few days in Phitsanulok, mainly for a day trip to this great little place called Sukothai. Prepare yourself, there are ruins and Buddhas to come... shocker, I know... ;) Bit of background, this site was built and during the 13th century and was the main city for about 150 years. What is left from nearly 100 sites ranged from a few stones on the ground to some fairly spectacular sites. Much of what is visible and what are the premier sites have had some restoration but only to what it would have been at that time. Some of the sites are within what was the city wall, easily navigatable on foot, but there are roughly 70 sites outside the walls in a 5km radius, so I rented a ... read more
Travels in Thailand
Published: November 16th 2010Asia » Thailand » North-East Thailand » Nakhon Ratchasima
November 12th 2010
Greetings from Thailand! Am in Thailand to visit some sites I missed four years ago and to wait for the fighting to ease off in Myanmar. First off, I forgot how utterly charming Thailand and the people are! I spent the day in a little town called Phimai about an hour and a half outside the city I'm in. It has this incredible ruin site that resembles the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. Building began in the late 10th century by King Jayavarman and considering that, it is still in decent shape. It was built a century before Angkor Wat and it took me back to the time I saw the temples in Cambodia. I didn't have a blog back then and be thankful, I would have likely posted many, many pictures of the temples. It ... read more
November 11th 2010
As I pack my things to venture onto Thailand, I thought I'd post a few of my last photos and some thoughts on this wonderful country. I highly recommend a visit, incredibly easy to travel and navigate. Language can occasionally provide some difficulties however in comparison to China, this has been a breeze. If you do include Laos in your travels, be prepared to stay in Luang Prabang for a while. It is such an amazing little place where the spirituality hangs thickly in the air. That city will remain in my thoughts and memories for life. One thing it took a while to realize is that no one honks their horns here. Not sure why it's taken me weeks to realize that having come from China where horn-blaring is the norm and very unnerving. Just ... read more
November 8th 2010
Hi all. Moved on from the lovely Luang Prabang to the capital city of Vientiane. Not as calm as Luang Prabang, more city-like and spread out but still worth a visit. I had to make my way here to acquire my Myanmar visa which, after they did a background check on me and my father, is being processed and will be available for pick up on Wednesday. I think after I pick it up, I will move onto to Thailand for a few days before arranging a flight to Yangon, Myanmar. So what have I done and seen here? After arriving on the overnight bus from Luang Prabang to Vientiane at 5:00 am, I was privilaged to see morning alms again, just as moving as in Luang Prabang. One woman had her house 'blessed' by one ... read more
November 1st 2010
Hello all. Right now I'm back in Luang Prabang but did make the small excursion to Phonsavan to see the Plain of Jars. Odd little town, Phonsavan, loads of Russian influence (sorry, didn't take any photos, can you believe it?!) I found out that during the Secret War, many of the buildings were destroyed so not much thought was put into architecture while bombs were going off all around. The province this town resides in was one of the worst hit with US bombs over a nine year period. The saddest part is many of those bombs dropped, about 30% didn't explode thus the country-side is riddled with UXO (unexploded ordnance). Sad thing is it seems there is only one organization from Britian that is trying to clean things up but at the current rate, it ... read more
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