Howell
Kristin Howell Joined: June 3rd 2008
Logged in: November 6th 2011
Logged in: November 6th 2011
Travel Blog Posts
Beautiful
I have been home from Africa for six weeks. Each day I have sat down to write this blog and I literally sit and stare at a blank page. The longer I sat home the more difficult it became. My intention, of course, was to write a blog like my previous one from Cambodia and Thailand, while traveling. But Africa was such a different kind of trip. First, we had little to no electricity from day to day, with not a computer or any sort of electrical appliance in site. Second, our day started with gongs, chants and drums each morning at 5:45AM with a full tiring day arriving home around 7PM, just in time for dinner and packing supplies for the next day, quiet hours beginning at 10PM. The showers were trickles of cold water, ... read more
Once upon a time, in a land far, far, far away, four travelers set out on a journey. Each traveler had their own personal reasons for joining the group. Some wanted to find direction. Others wanted to face their fears and doubts. When the journey started they had no idea of the obstacles and triumphs that would stand before them. The beginning of their trip was filled with high spirits and innocence of those who feel the world is so vast. They soon discovered that the word poverty in how they once knew it would forever be altered. As would the meaning of hard work and simple living. They would meet people who, with little effort, would leave an imprint on each of them. Stories of sadness, desperation, hope and pride would remain equally as powerful ... read more
Puppies
I don't remember everything. I clearly remember leaving the island in the back of a pickup truck with 13 other people and their belongings. I remember arriving back in Bangkok after a 7 hour bus ride. I remember making fun of Paci and New York for hanging bug nets because there were ants in our room. I remember Eric leaving us this morning to head back to Indonesia, where he'll arrive back home in a few days. It's everything after this where my mind and thoughts fog and only snippets remain. Bangkok has a weekend market. Anything you can buy in Southeast Asia can be bought in one of the 12,000 stalls. We had not purchased ANYTHING, jackets not included, until this point. We went down the first 3 rows of the market, each row being ... read more
The Island
The Kayak A short play written by Kristin Howell Act 1 Scene 1 Setting: The early morning hours in a resort on a Thai island Christina: What do you wanna do today? Kristin: I think it's raining. Eric: Go back to bed. I don't even get up this early on a school day. That's not rain. It's buckets of water falling from the sky. Scene 2 Christina: It stopped raining! It's so nice out, blue sky, sun shinning. Lets go to the beach. Kristin: Beach again? We've been at the beach for three days. Oh, I hate islands. Eric: Go back to bed. Christina: Well, I'm going to the beach. See you two there. Act 2 Scene 1 Setting: The beach on a sunny, 105 degree day Courtney: I was a life guard. If there is ... read more
Author's note: If there is going to be one blog you skip, this would be it. I've done nothing but eat dinner since my last blog. There are no pictures. There are no grand adventures. These are just some of my thoughts as I sit here trying to fall asleep. 1) Today is the Queen's birthday and therefore considered Mother's Day. When there is a new queen, there will be a new day to celebrate Mother's Day. Today you were not allowed to publicly drink beer. When we were eating dinner the waiter had Eric keep his beer on the ground because the police could technically give us a hard time because of it. Interesting! 2) Silk shops- they are every where, never gave them a second glance. That is, until Eric showed up in his ... read more
Bathroom Graffiti
After four days of riding buses (4 hrs to Pai, 4 back from Pai, 11 to Bangkok, 7 to Trat), we arrived on Ko Chang, an island off the eastern coast of Thailand, close to Cambodia. We have been in search of a crystal clear blue beach, but have found none. June through October is the wet season, so although the water is slightly more clear than that of back home, it's still not the picturesque beach we were hoping for before arriving. On our first day of arriving we just wanted to eat and rest. Before traveling this summer I thought the bus rides would be something to look forward to, a time to turn on my iPoa (fake iPod name), reflect and relax. Now we cringe and gently rub our bellies at the thought ... read more
Umbrella Factory
Well, I certainly did not mean to frighten anyone with my last blog. My spirit was caught in a barbed wire, but not punctured. I just wanted you all to see the other side of things, the untold story of travel that's forgotten when your destination is reached. Yes, I am homesick, I think we all are, but we aren't crying at night in our bug nets. But, for all the years I lived away from home, this is the first time I've been homesick. Four years in NJ, a study abroad, and never once missed home, but now it's different. I take it as I'm exactly where I'm meant to be, doing exactly what I am meant to be doing, that's why I miss it. And I didn't want to mention this before, and I ... read more
The Rest Stop
It wouldn't be right to fill you in on all the exciting stuff and shelter you from the nitty gritty day to day things. So, let this serve as your warning for what you are about to read. I'm completely prepared to keep it clean, but I'm only on paragraph one. I vaguely remember writing in the last blog how we were taking a short three hour bus ride to a northwest village of Pai. The bus picked us up, packed with people in a Mercedes minivan, we started out like any other ride: well fed, water in hand, iPods ready. It was approximately one hour later I found myself laying on the side of the road, begging Christina to just walk the mountain and NOT get back into the van. Vomiting, tears, pleas of help, ... read more
I know, two blogs in one day, but as I went to pay the rain started falling so fast that I could barely see the street I am supposed to cross, let alone all the critters the rain will surely bring to it's surface. I want to tell you all about the man on the bike. It's been well over a week we left Cambodia, but still our experiences there are talked about daily. I think mostly because Cambodia was unexpected and took us by storm. Not because there was a tremendous amount to do there, because other than Angkor Wat, there is nothing but poverty and rice paddies. The people won us over and everything else has really not been close to it's expectations. Picture it, Kampot, Cambodia, about two weeks ago. We were on ... read more
Thai Boxing
I have to admit, over the last few days I've sat down to write and have come up with nothing. I wrote over and over again, but something was missing. I was ready to tell you all about how we went ziplining in the jungle high above in the canopy. I was excited to tell you that I rode on the back of an elephant and fed it with my own mouth. Or even how thrilling it was to go ATVing in the mountains of Chiang Mai. Even trying on the neck rings of a Hill Tribe woman seemed to be lacking the joy I thought would accompany it. All of it was fantastic, but when it comes down to it, nothing compares to the events of today. We've been in a bit of a funk. ... read more
