Epilogue...Asia, Backpacking on Speed
Trip Start
Jun 06, 2008
1
23
Trip End
Aug 06, 2008
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Monday, August 4, 2008
I remember seeing the first Buddha and the first temple in Bali and being so impressed by it. Then plenty of weeks later I remember seeing my thousandth Buddha and temple and being "templed out". I remember buying the first paintings with Dominique and paying 20 dollars and a t-shirt for it and then realizing the next day that we shouldnąt have paid more than 5 dollars, so from there on all the paintings we bought never exceeded 3 dollars per piece. Oh, I also remember how Dominique and I took out our overpriced paintings from Bali in our cockroach infested bungalow in Boracay, Philippines only to realize that we did not even like those paintings that much but hey, there is a hilarious story of getting screwed behind them.
How could I forget the many palces that will forever stay in my dreams which include Ko Tao and Ko Phangan, Vang Vieng and Luang Probang, Siem Reap )and our tuk tuk driver Am, Singapore which was made so much better by my uncle Bruno, Hong Kong Island (NOT KOWLOON) which wouldn't have been the same without Erin's page of nothes on where to go and what to see. The beaches, or the amazing beaches in Thailand and Philippines that I had only seen in pictures before and barely believed the existed and now have set such a high standard that really I may never enjoy a beach again.
At the same time I will never forget other places for exact the opposite, instead of dreams they will be in my nightmares. This includes the gross Jakarta where we payed the most of all Asia for a bed and it was easily one of the most disgusting beds I have ever slept in (good thing for travel liners) but also where we walked around all day on broken down streets and just dirt everywhere. How about Phnom Penh, another very dirty and this time even very poor city where I hope never to return again.
How could I forget sentences such as "the islands are on two different sides?" or "I heard Laos is the best" (which was oh so true), and "Dumb F*ck give me back my OFF" or "Just read the bold". Hearing "Thai Boxing Best of Best Champs of Champs" while eating seafood pasta in Phuket or the tour operator feeding off Dominique's energy and screaming "No I give you 30 each!" and the oh so famous "Dominique get in the shower!" . (Sorry for anyone that is not Shady or Dominique but the last paragraph was all inside jokes I guess)
Other things I will never forget if how Vietnam really screws you over in every way possible; ranging from paying double than I should have at the markets for my button-downs to paying double than we should have for our Halong Bay Trip to paying double for our flight to Macau thanks to that lady working for Cebu in Hanoi who I wish get a real good dose of Karma sometime soon.
Staying on the unforgettable things how about those bus rides whether it was from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, Vang Vieng to Luang Probang, etc. The most crammed, hot, gross, uncomfortable, bumpy rides I think I will ever experience.
Next I could easily write a good paragraph about the food in Asia. This ranges from the bouncy uncooked chicken in Hong Kong to the rice and mistery meat (chicken heart) had on Jalan Jaksa in Jakarta. It also includes the Indian food served on a banana leaf in Penang that gave me shits and cramps for 2 days and the 3 inch hairy btu fortunately fried spider and smaller cricket I hate in Cambodia which also did not sit well with me. Staying on the food subject, how about the few times I had fast food and really felt lke I was getting a real meal (hypocritical no?) and the many times we ate FRESH mangoes, pineapple, dragon fruit, snake skin (thanks Sam-our driver from Bali) and other sorts of weird fruits I can't remember the names of..
Some other little things that stand out and have made my life more complicated but yet have made my trip that much better are how when you eat they give you a fork and a spoon but really what are you supposed to cut chicken with? The amazing day trips to Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, Cao Dai, Bali Island, Angkor temples, floating markets, tiger temple, waterfalls, S-21, killing fields, all of which ranged to about $7 per trip. The ladyboys which overpopulate the Philippines and other areas of Asia. The tuk tuks we have taken, all different shapes, kinds, colors. The nice local people met in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and the not so nice in Hong Kong and Vientam. Our usual street food meals which ranged from 1 to 2 dollars. The damn fried rice with chicken I am so sick of by now, All kinds of markets with all kinds fo fakes
As for stuff we bought, we did the markets like only professionals can. No one beats the over 50 earrings, necklaces, anklets, bracelets Dominique bought. At the same time I am sure that by now Shady has a closet full of fisherman pants. As for me, I guess a bunch of touristy shits, some wooden statues, too many paintings and some fakes will do the trick.
If we go into the clothes subject next, the sweating I have done in Asia still gives me nightmares. I would be walk around with a sweat-drenched shirt by the time it was mid-day. Not only that but all the clothes we had we would pay to get washed regularly but handwashing clothes in brown rivers in Asia doesn't always get your clothes cleaner. By the end of our trip the white shirts were a brown tint, the shorts I wore everyday had brown stains, blue ink, yellow highlighter ink, and much much more on them. The shoes had holes in them (one per shoe) and all the shirts I bought will undoubtedly not fit me anymore after the first wash.
Finally, I remember the day I left the US, backpack on my shoulders, open mind about anything I was going to see, try, or get myself into but at the same time having no clue about what I was actually going to see, try, or get myself into. Then upon my arrival in Singapore looking for my uncle and after hours of searching and calls, arriving to his place with nowhere to sleep and being taken in by a nice Indian couple who let us stay in their place for the night. Little did we know that was only the beginning of a crazy Asian adventure with no breaks in it at all. Similarly, I remember the just as bitterwseet feeling of boarding the plane from Hong Kong to Europe. This time a short familiar break in Rome was coming up but then another life-changing adventure in Barcelona for the next 16 months or so will follow.
Last, but most importantly, one thing I know after traveling Europe last summer and taveling Asia this summer, is that this lifestyle is priceless but at the same time you can't get lost in it or over do it. Once you get back to your routine and lifestyle, you keep pushing back a possible next trip but as someone in my Europe travels told me last summer: "the 2 most important things are time and money. When you have time you don't have money and viceversa. While money can always be made, time cannot so enjoy time while you can and worry about money later". Because of this, I already know that following my Barcelona exprience, on January 2010 another long trip is in the works either around South America or around Australia/New Zealand. Anyone's welcome to join as long as you can carry your own backpack J
Ps. In case anyone wants to go to Asia, here is my itinerary with the top thing to do in each place.
1 Singapore - live it up in the most non-asian city in Asia
2 Bali - eat by the volcano
3 Jakarta - Stay on Jalan Jaksa
4 Kuala Lumpur - Petronas Towers
5 Penang - Temple of thousand Buddahs
6 Phuket - Patong Beach nightlife
7 Ko Phi Phi - Maya Bay (which we did not get to see)
8 Ko Phangan - Half Moon Party
9 Ko Tao - Scuba Diving (which we did not get to do)
10 Bangkok - Live/Love Khao San Road
11 Vang Vieng - Tubing
12 Luang Probang - The waterfall and bowling
13 Siem Reap - Angkor temples
14 Phnom Penh - S-21 and killing fields
15 Ho Chi Minh City - Walk around in the madness of scooters and try not to get killed
16 Hanoi - Halong Bay (if you really have to)
17 Boracay - Enjoye the most beautiful beach you'll ever see while eating some mangoes
18 Manila - Get lost in the huge malls that have everything you'll ever need
19 Macau - Gamble and feel rich even thought you know you are broke
20 Hong Kong - Live/Love Hong Kong Island and the sitting Buddah
Oh and one more thing, not only have I learned so much form what I have seen and what I have done but I also have become better person thanks to the people I traveled with. Learned things about myself through them but also learned things about them and other people. Traveling with 2 girls is no easy task but I am sure traveling with a guy is not much easier. How could I forget how Dominique's feet swelled up and then at some point she roughed it out so much that she could not even walk anymore. Or how about Shady eating spiders and crickets with me because alone I wouldn't have done it and now we have a story that is hardly believable. So yeah, thanks to my traveling partners in crime...
'till next time,
CIAO
mambo_italiano
