Back in the BKK

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Back in Bangkok! I think that even the second time around, Thailand is even better because I feel I know what to expect and I have the experience so I know how much a tuk-tuk ride to the hostel should cost, so when he says 150 Baht, too much! And can bargain the price down. At dinner I stopped at a sidewalk restaurant (These are the cheapest and best food) and played connect-4 with the waiters. I think we were about 50-50 win loss but to hit home we are in Bangkok, there was an elephant that walked by on the sidewalk. Definitely not Canada!

In Bangkok I planned to just buy some things I needed to get, have a haircut, mail a parcel home and find out where to go next. I decided that the beach in Malaysia will be nice, I think it will be just as relaxing as the beaches in Thailand but hopefully less tourists. So I booked a flight ticket to Kuala Lumpur. For less than double the price of a train ticket or bus ticket, it is 1/8 the time! This is a good deal I think. I will spend a couple days in Kuala Lumpur and then head to the beach at Cherating. This I look forward to.

I met a guy from Taiwan who said it the best I think. He was 29, had quit his job and decided to travel around the world! He is a semiconducter engineer so to find work back in Taiwan when he returns he does not think will be a problem. He said that travelling is about two things; the scenery of the places you go, and the people you meet. This is very true. For me the best places I went so far were China and Vietnam.

In China, especially in the southern city of Yangshuo I made some great friend at the hostel there who were very kind to cook us meals and give us great information on the region so I decided to stay extra time there, not to mention the scenery was spectacular with limestone mountains all along the river!

In south Vietnam, I met a girl on the bus who lived in Ho Chi Minh city so she was really nice and could show me to some places and restaurants in HCM city that foreigners do not always go to, and it makes ordering that much easier when someone speaks the language! In North Vietnam I met a girl at the bar who's family I then met and her brother took me around on the motorbike to see some tourist spots in Hanoi and also some non tourist spots since many visitors to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh only stay in the one district with all the hotels. We went to karaoke and had a great time!

But not to shortchange everywhere else I have been, the people are on the most part really friendly, and for someone from Canada, all this scenery is amazing to see, how people live and make do with so little. Every place I have been has been amazing so far, and I am really looking forward to go to India because I have met several other backpackers along the way who have said it is an amazing place. I hear nothing but good things so I am excited to go! My time on the trip seems to be coming down fast but four months is a good time to be gone.

Hopefully I will be able to upload some pictures from Angkor soon as the temples were amazing to see! Until then,

Cheers,
Mike

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Photos

Angkor Wat
Picture of me at Angkor Wat at sunrise. It is very popular to see the sunrise and sunset at Angkor, but the result of this is many many people are there! I thought both were not as stunning as they are made out to be, but still really cool.