I've spent the last few days outside of Khao Sok National Park, on the baseof a mountain, surrounded by lush greens, and incredible wildlife. Needless to say, it was not a priority to update my blog (nor an easy task to find internet acccess to do so!). Apologies. Tonight I am writing from "Paradise" - Ko Phi Phi, Krab province. For the majority of you, you will know this as the island (next to) where the famous "Beach" movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was filmed. And yes, we - mom and I- will take a day trip the the unihabited island - [View Full Entry]

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Evacuate. Flames. Burning bus. Burned buses. Overnight military patrol. It's been an exciting week in Bangkok, but rest assured that what you saw on television, well... I did see it, too. In person. But despite that peak in protesting violence, Sangkron, the celebration for the Thai New Year, did NOT end. After evacuating Khason Road (aka backpacker village) earlier this week, I only returned once. It sort of feels as though I barely left the hostel the rest of the week... Instead of fighting the humidity, the majority of my hostel-mates and I swapped sunny days for long nights, enjoying [View Full Entry]

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Happy New Year! After exploring nearby Golden Mount, I realized that I was too hot, and my camera battery was too dead; I returned to my hostel, changed, drank water, and headed to KhaoSon Road for day TWO of the new year waterfight festivities. About an hour in, I was enjoying my first beer in Thailand, talking to a group from England. After finishing the beer, I spotted a "3 (bottles of water) for 10 (baht)" and decided to invest in the amazing deal. On my way back to the English group with our waterfun refills, an announcement came on that [View Full Entry]

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Well after more than 15 years of waiting, and seven or so months of planning, I am sitting in an internet cafe in Bangkok, THAILAND. The weather is beyond perfect, the street food is both delicious and rediculously inexpensive; the people are happy, the backpackers are plentiful! The journey from China to Bangkok went a little like this... I woke up Saturday morning, enjoyed a manicure and 1-hour massage for about $9 dollars or less; I nearly cleared a dinner-sized portion of spaghetti and tomato sauce. Then, I went into a white taxi (which was recommended as a safer driver than [View Full Entry]

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This is my last night in China. It's been a fun-filled, long 12-days in the mainland, and I have absolutely been inspired by the Chinese culture. In fact, I have all the decorations I need for a dining room, now I just need the room and table to put them in! Dad and I each got our Chinese names, along with our zodiac sign, written on a beautiful silk paper yesterday - for $15 total. Speaking of great deals, I enjoyed a 1-hour foot massage tonight for a whopping $5.... And am going back in the morning. My "China Spree" group [View Full Entry]

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Quick blog. Today I arrived in Shanghai, which is my final stop in China; I will stay here until Saturday, when I depart for Bangkok. China Spree has had me on-the-go for the last three days, checking in one day and out the next. After Xian, we stayed a night in Hangzhou, and then Suzhou (spelling?), and I loved both of the cities. We took boat rides through parts of both cities, which allowed me to practice (and improve) my photography skills. Last night, dad and I roamed the streets nearby our hotel, which was in a nice area of Suzhou. [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in Beijing after a long, 23 hour trek. In line to get through immigatrion, I noticed several people from my tour group (they were wearing their name tags), so I made friends. And then, as I stood in front of baggage claim 41, I looked to theirs, baggae claim 40, and announced that "my bags didn't come." Let's be honest, I wasn't surprised. I spent the first day of our tour walking through the Tia Na Men Square in the same clothes I had just spent 23 hours in... NICE. Beijing was hospitable, the air was polluted, and the [View Full Entry]

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I leave in just under 36 hours from Louisville. First stop, Beijing, China. From the time I leave the airport in Louisville, fly to Tampa, catch my international flight from JFK in New York City, and eagerly depart my Air China flight in Beijing, I will be about 23 hours into my journey - a long day, to say the least! Truth or dare: Truth. I haven't even thought of what to pack for China. I always plan ahead and prepare myself for all things, but it seems that no matter how "ahead" I am with this trip, I'm never done! [View Full Entry]

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When I was very young, I discovered my desire to travel, my appreciation for natural beauty, for people who both looked and sounded unlike me. These were the years when my family packed up some of our best clothing, including our favorite sandals and swim suits, and jetted down to Florida for 5- and 7-day cruises. We traveled the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and eventually, Hawaii. We stayed in 3- and 4- star hotels, ate what we wanted, and took advantage of local tour operations. Needless to say, I was blessed. Somewhere in between those luxury vacations, however, I took [View Full Entry]

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