Anita in Southeast Asia
I am 28 years old from Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaTravelnut697
I've done my fair share of backpacking throughout Central and South America. I've decided to switch it up and head East on my first solo backpacking journey to Southeast Asia. The adventure begins on February 26th.. the count down is on!
Travel Blog Posts
Chiang Mai revisited and a little slice of Pai
Published: April 29th 2011Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Pai
April 25th 2011
I went back to Chiang Mai for the second time this trip after I started my solo travels. There is something about this great northern city that draws me. I spent almost 2 weeks in Chiang Mai with a little 3 day side trip to the tiny hippy town of Pai. During my second time in Chiang Mai I really got a sense of what it's like to live there. I met a few people that had been there for a month and they showed me many amazing little spots that I would have missed on my own. The 'old city' of Chiang Mai is full of walking streets and narrow pathways, and cars are not a regular occurrence on these streets. You can easily get to where you want to go by walking on the ... read more
Had Yuan Beach- South Floods
Published: April 6th 2011Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Pha-Ngan
April 3rd 2011
After my tour ended, a few travel companions and I decided to head to South-East Thailand to find some fun in the sun. Unfortunately, once we arrived to our beach, the weather turned for the worse and we were caught in the middle of a natural disaster. The adventure started when we took a night bus from Bangkok arriving in Surrathani, a port town along the coast. From there we boarded a ferry that stops along a few islands, we got off on the island of Koh Pha-Ngan. The island of Koh Pha-Ngan has the infamous beach of Had Rin where the full moon parties are held. As a group we had decided to check out the half-moon party that was going to be held on March 26th but instead of staying in Had Rin which ... read more
Bangkok and a weekend in Koh Samet
Published: April 19th 2011Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Bangkok
April 1st 2011
After the flood adventure down south, me and my travel friends decided to head back to Bangkok. At this point we were a little sun starved so we decided to risk another island jaunt and head to the island of Koh Samet. It's the nearest island to Bangkok and is only a 3/4 hour bus/ferry ride away. We spent a few days there relaxing in the sun. Koh Samet has beautiful beaches with powder soft sand, but it wasn't the right place for me. All I met were many tourists from Europe flying in for the weekend. As it was explained to me, for someone from England; to come to Koh Samet via Bangkok for 4 days is cheaper then going to Paris for the weekend in Europe. Therefore, the beaches were full of Europeans looking ... read more
March 24th 2011
From Vang Vieng, Laos we spent 2 days travelling to Siem Riep Cambodia. This travel leg included a stop over in Nong Khai, Thailand, the border town along the Mekong River next to Laos. In Nong Khai we stayed the night in a beautiful guesthouse on the Mekong. For a bordertown Nong Khai is very nice. Most of the group actually wished we had a whole day to spend there exploring. There is a nice promenade along the river to walk down, with a huge local market right beside it, and a few beautiful temples. The next morning was a full travel day to Cambodia. Of course, with our drivers running on Thai time they were almost 2 hours late picking us up. So right of the batt we were off schedule with needing to be ... read more
March 18th 2011
The unfortunate thing when doing a group tour with fixed travel days is that you're often stuck on the group tour schedule. The tour I am on has given me about a week in Laos and it hasn't been enough. Luang Prabang was a great start, from there we moved on to Vang Vieng and I'm not sure that the latter is really showing Laos for Laos. I will explain. Vang Vieng is famous throughout Thailand and Laos for it's "tubing experience." Basically you rent a tube, a tuk tuk will take you and a group of about 10 other people up the river to the start of the float. We started our tubing day around 12 noon and went until about 6. In 3km worth of floating there are 30 bars alongside the rivers. When ... read more
March 14th 2011
***!!pictures have now been posted for my two previous blog entries!!*** From Chiang Mai in North Thailand the easiest way to get to the country of Laos is to fly. The infrastructure in Laos isn't the greatest so they do not have direct and paved highways between cities. We took a 30 minute flight from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang, Laos for under $50. If we had decided to go by land we would have taken a 3 day slow boat right up the river, or you can risk your life and take a speed boat (which apparently is hazardous to your health). The flight was fast and we arrived in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon. The city definitely has a small town feel to it. Tiny cobble stone side streets that come off the ... read more
March 6th 2011
For the first 25 days of my Southeast Asia adventure I'm doing a tour with Free and Easy, and adventure travel company that is locally owned and operated in Calgary, Alberta. This tour will take me through North Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. After the tour I'll be on my own... Fortunately, I met a few people that are on my tour on my first connecting flight so we stuck together for the rest of the journey to Bangkok so it made for an easy traveling experience. We arrived in Bangkok at 2am, disoriented, jet lagged and slammed with a wall of heat at +30 in the middle of the night. The next morning we had the day to hang around and explore Bangkok's tourist area. That evening we boarded a 12 hour night train to Chiang ... read more
March 5th 2011
As part of our stay in Chiang Mai, we went on a 3 day jungle trek in North Thailand. I can say it was an amazing experience, but I'm not sure I would do it again... or rather my body would not like me to do it again! Let me explain: we were told that the trekking was ''easy'' on the jungle trek. And yes the hiking isn't that difficult, but when you add trekking in a jungle with +35-40 degree celcius temperatures it becomes extreme trekking (Paul says hi). On Day 1 we woke up early and took a truck to an amazing waterfall in a nearby forest reserve, from there we went to natural hot springs where we lazed by the pool and relaxed. At that point we put on our trekking sandals/shoes and ... read more
November 2nd 2007
I notice that people are still reading my blog, I want to thank everyone for there interest and make an offer to anyone who has any questions to feel free to contact me! I would love to answer any questions or if you are looking for any recommendations. :) Anita... read more
April 11th 2007
So I want to thank everyone who read my blog and came along this adventure with me. Laura and I had to come home 12 days early as I ran out of money and didnt want to borrow anymore from my family. For anyone out there wanting to travel i strongly recommend Guatemala. It is a beautiful and inspiring country. I will one day go back to Panama because I feel that I still need to explore it more. Until my next trip......... love anita... read more
Tot: 0.076s; Tpl: 0.003s; cc: 13; qc: 87; dbt: 0.0496s; 1; s:notus w:www (50.28.61.183); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.7mb
