My love affair with Asia

China...Tibet...Nepal...India...Malaysia...Thailand...Laos.

These are the countries that I have called home for the last ten months. These are the places where I have explored, gotten lost, puked my guts out, loved, and left in the whirlwind amount of time that has lapsed since leaving the comforts of home on December 27 of last year. It was in these foreign places that new relationships blossomed, and my limits were tested.

In less than 24 hours I will be leaving the Asia that I have come to know and love behind, and heading back to America. I will forgo my backpacker ways, learn to adjust to the concept of spending more than five dollars a day on food, and eventually get sucked back into a society that I don't always agree with.

Once I get home, everything will change. My idyllic concept of time will be shattered, the familiarity of my home country will become mundane, and the friends that I left behind abroad will become figures of a past, unrecognizable life. Pictures will replace memories, and memories will fade.

But I refuse to forget the countries I traveled through and the amazing people I met along the way.

This is my last blog in Asia. This is the last of my rambling thoughts about life on the road. This is a last tribute to everything I experienced along the way.

*CHINA*
It is here that my journey began. It is in this country that I gave up the perfect life I had in Portland and dove head first into the uncertainty that moving overseas brings. I arrived alone, fresh, unknowing about what the next six months would bring.

Six months cannot be summarized in a few short sentences, or a photo album of pictures. Six months of adjusting to a new culture, a new way of living, and a new language so unlike my own cannot be described to it's fullest extent in words. The amount of time that I spent living in the industrial city of Shenyang, a city with a population of 7 million people, located in Northeastern China, has forever changed the person that I once was.

I became an English teacher. I learned as much Mandarin as I could absorb, taught by the most gentlest and greatest of teachers. I learned the public bus system, and only shopped at the local market for food. I lived in the best apartment of my life, surrounded by three of the most amazing roommates I could ask for. I lived amongst bugs, and didn't get mad when the bathroom flooded and insects invaded our homemade cookies. I spent my days with the youth of Shenyang, the smartest and most hardworking students that I have encountered anywhere. I had meaningful conversations with countless people from all different walks of life.

I spent my time getting to know my wonderful fellow American teachers, enjoying hilarious dinner parties and movie nights at each others' apartments. I celebrated my 24th birthday in great company, with the most delicious dinner and dessert, and the best present I have received in a long time. I traveled alone through China for one month, encountering numerous different cities with all new histories and ideas. I visited too many temples to count, spent whole days wandering alone and with new friends, and ate food that in my younger years I would have ran from. I spent countless hours on long train rides, and crammed in with the locals everywhere I went.

I could go on forever. China has become like a second home to me. Leaving was one of the hardest things I have done, but I know I will be back. I have a lot more of the massive country to explore, and more of the language to learn. I know I can't stay away for long.

*TIBET*
Although Tibet is not it's own country, it's hard to think of it as a part of China.

It is a place of contradictions. It is a place with such extreme beauty that is changing too fast for it's own good. It's a place full of mystery and tension, and a long line of history.

Arriving by train from Xining is the best way to enter the once forbidden city of Lhasa. This 24-hour train ride has been, by far, one of the best experiences of my life. The landscape is indescribable, the excitement floating in the air contagious, and the people amazing. I spent my time speaking only in my broken Chinese to the locals on board, and acclimating to the highest altitude that a train can reach.

My ten days in Tibet, although short, are full of great memories. The first sight of the Potala Palace (former residence of the Dali Lama), is breathtaking, and the square at night surrounding it is surreal. The German couple I traveled with were great, and our 102km ride on the bumpiest and craziest road to Mt. Everest Base Camp was a truly unforgettable experience. Waking up in the morning, your breath catching in the chilly air, to the overwhelming and cloud-less view of Mt. Everest looming right in front of you is not something that I will ever forget.

*NEPAL*
I arrived at the overland border crossing of Tibet to Nepal alone, the only single white girl not in a tour group. I had no prearranged transportation to Kathmandu, and had no idea where I would be staying once arriving. It is during this part of my travels that I realized that things always work out in Asia.

Kathmandu is a land of chaos. There are no rules of the road, the animals roam with the people, and the "modern" city is dusty and falling apart. The public transportation is hilarious. The "buses" are crammed with people, from the working class to the poorest of the poor, and no one complains when you are packed in so tight that you can't distinguish your arm from your neighbors.

It is amazing. It is surreal. It is like nothing I had experienced before. And I loved every second of it.

Apart from getting terribly sick too many times to count, my experience at Sonrisa Orphanage was amazing. The kids were great, the day trips were memorable, and the goodbye tear-jerking. I will never forget the look on the kids faces as I drove away in a taxi, and I will forever have the cards and letters they made for me on my day of my departure.

The time I spent in the touristy district of Thamel made the ending to my Nepal trip even better. Prabhat, where ever you are out there, THANK YOU. Thank for you everything. Nepal wouldn't have been the same without you. From riding on the back of your motorbike (and even falling off that one time!), to listening to your music, to meeting your friends, I can't wait till I can see you again! Miss you.

*INDIA*
India is literally a world of its own. The bustling humanity that seeps out of its pores is indescribable, and the 3 weeks that I spent there were only a glimpse into a way of life so unlike my own.

From getting ripped off in Varanasi by a conniving Indian man, to getting horribly sick in the shittiest hotel ever, the start of my trip was rough, but the ending was amazing.

The view of the Ganges River at sunrise will forever be in my mind, and the smell of cow shit forever in my nose. The adventures that I had with various travel partners are too complicated and amazing to describe, and the view of the Taj Mahal at sunset absolutely breathtaking. The train rides were interesting, especially as a single white girl traveling alone, and the rickshaw rides were entertaining (besides the one I fell off of in Delhi!) The meditation capital of Rishikesh was the highlight of the trip, and the week I spent there in the great company of Kelly and Edden was the most fun I had in India.

Except for the couple of days in Delhi with Mike.

MIKE: My dear Canadian friend, I can't wait to see you again. Our time was short, but you made an everlasting impression. I hope we will be together again soon. MISS YOU.

*MALAYSIA*
Arriving by plane into Kuala Lumpur was like being instantly transported back into a Westernized country and a modern way of living. So I did what any Asia-fiend would do: found Chinatown and tried to stay away from modernization.

The train from KL to Butterworth was the nicest I have been on yet, and the ferry ride to the island of Penang relaxing. It was in the city of Georgetown that I fell in love with Malaysia and the laid back life that the locals lead. From motorbike riding around the island, to exploring national parks, beaches, and Penang Hill with truly memorable people, Malaysia was a stopover on the way to Thailand that I am truly grateful for taking.

*THAILAND*
When one mentions the city of Bangkok, most travelers immediately think of Khao San Road, the backpackers haven. A place where you can get anything you want, from clothes and crafts, to food and alcohol. From drugs and "ping pong shows." to Thai prostitutes. The countless number of hotels and run down guesthouses attracts a very interesting range of weirdos, and people watching has kept me entertained for many hours. I have been in Bangkok now 3 times, as it is a main hub for getting around SE Asia.

The islands of Koh Tao and Koh Samui were enjoyed with the great company of my sister. Having her there with me was a blessing, and I will be forever grateful (and indebted) to her for her generosity and (mostly!) positive attitude about her first trip abroad!

Traveling in Thailand is easy, and travelers are catered to like kindergartners. Everything you could possibly need is never far out of reach, and getting around the country is easy and convenient. The time I spent in Chiang Mai was amazing, and it is there that I met some colorful characters who made my time there (and in Laos), unforgettable.

Thailand feels like an old friend. A place where you can always go back to, and you know just what to expect. I have seen so many people in Bangkok from other parts of my trip, and it has been great to catch up with old friends from China and new friends from various countries.

It is out of the Bangkok airport that I will be leaving tomorrow morning. It is here that my journey will end.

*LAOS*
Before deciding to head to Laos, I didn't really know much about the country and its inhabitants. But I am so glad I got to experience it, for it is truly a wonderful and laid back country, and so unlike the other areas in Asia that I have been to.

The whole trip from Chiang Mai to the city of Luang Prabang was one of the better overland trips I have done. The two day slow boat ride was great fun, and the company of my fellow travelers kept me entertained for hours (BREE, this is for you!)

The sleepy town of Luang Prabang, with its amazing baguette sandwiches and night market was one of my favorite places, and the tubing in Vang Vieng was out of this world. The kayaking trip down to Vientiene was exciting, and many thanks go out to Aaron for being such a wonderful traveling partner, and for keeping my thoughts positive and emotions in check. (Can't wait to see you again). Leaving Laos on the overnight train, on Halloween, signified the end of my trip.

And now I am back in Bangkok, on the very familiar Khao San Rd, staying in one of the shitty guesthouses that I stayed at last time I was here. The rooms are small, the beds lumpy, and the water cold, but at least its cheap.

And in less than 24 hours I will be taking the bus to the airport. Soon I will be enjoying my half day in Portland with Mollie and Shaun, and Mollie's family (whom I can't wait to finally meet!). Thanks in advance, Mollie, for your hospitality!

Although I have tried to briefly sum up the last 10 months of my life, none of these words are enough to give credit to everywhere I have been, everything I have seen, and everyone I have met along the way. Some things just can't be described in words.

And lastly, a huge thanks goes out to my family and friends back home. If it wasn't for their never-ending support, words of wisdom, and generous ways, this trip would not have been possible.

Mom and Dad, I can't thank you enough, and I can't wait to be back at home with you in Pylesville. I have never been so excited to come home before! Without you, nothing would be the same.

Sari, thanks again for everything. I can't wait to see you and live with you in NYC!

Chris and Katie, my best and longest friends in the world. Sorry I haven't been in touch like I should. You know me. But I'll be home soon, and the phone calls will be poring in.

And one more thanks to everyone I met along the way. Everyone who has helped me, guided me, and taken care of me in one way or another. I will never forget the people who have made this trip truly memorable.

I will be home soon. Love and miss you all.