I’ve decided that I’m actually quite a horrible traveler. Here’s why. I get really really sick of tourists and tourist things. Sure, there’s some like Angkor Wat that everyone needs to see. But to be honest, I get burnt out REALLY fast of tourist stuff. It’s all the same. I mean, it’s not. But at the same time it is.

To me, there’s 2 main reasons I love to travel.

1. Experience plus people. I do go quite a few places by myself. But, that gets old really fast. Some people are great at traveling the world by themselves. For me, at least half of my enjoyment comes from being able to enjoy it with someone else. The closer the friend that I get to travel with, the more I enjoy it. There’s something REALLY bonding about traveling around, not speaking the language, never really being sure of whether your bus will show up. And I love that.

In Taiwan, I met this incredible couple when I was teaching. 2 americans. Maybe a few years older than me. But they decided they wanted to see the world. So, they found a job teaching in Korea for a year. It wasn’t the perfect job. They didn’t make a lot of money. But they made enough. And saving money was their focus. Though it wasn’t perfect, it was more of a means to an end, so they enjoyed it while they were there. Now, with more money saved, they moved onto Taiwan, to teach there for the summer. To see Taiwanese culture. To make a little more money for whereever they went next. When we left Taiwan, they were on to Indonesia for a while, and eventually Vietnam, where they would consider finding work for the next year. So fun. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little jealous. Can my eventual husband and I travel the world someday perhaps?

But anyway, the point is that, for me, traveling loses a lot of it’s flavor after a while, if I’m just having all these great, cool experiences… by myself. Having no one to share the memories with when I get back home.

2. Real life. I LOVE seeing other cultures. How people do life. Sometimes, I’m ok just sitting in a local sidewalk observing people. Watching their interactions. My Singapore friends told me I was boring 😛 because I didn’t really do much while they were working. But I don’t feel like I missed anything. Who cares what the tourists come to see and where they come to spend all their money. I want to see life. Real life. I want to be a part of real life. Show me what you do after work. Show me what you eat for a snack every day. Show me where you go when you’re bored. Or when you hang out with friends. How do you get to work? Or school? Take me there. What do you think about things? About life and it’s purpose. What’s your family like? Do you live with your parents? Will you stay with your husband’s parents after yall get married? Do you work in the fields all day? Or do you pick coconuts? Or do you work in an office? There are the things I’m interested in. I could care less about the tourist traps that all locals avoid like the plague.

That’s really hard being a tourist. It’s been awesome in the countries where I have friends. Japan. Singapore. Taiwan even – because I had some awesome students who showed me their culture and life. Thailand was awesome the day we met up with my friend there.

But other places, it’s really difficult. Because it’s a bit awkward, as a white person who stands out, to walk into a completely local area wanting to truly know the people. You’re not gonna get anywhere. I have nothing to offer. I’m just an annoying tourist who has managed to wander outside of the tourist box. So, basically, traveling just isn’t the same if you don’t know someone from there. Which makes me so completely thankful to my incredible incredible friends who have gone out of their way to show me life here.

So, now, a quick overview of all the places i’ve been… I would put up pictures, but internet is bad, so just look on facebook for pictures.

Japan. I loved Japan. But that’s about all I remember. It was so long ago.

Okinawa. Really cool. But wayyyyy too many americans.

Taiwan. Beautiful country. Unique incredible people. The only place I’ve ever been where people will consistently come up to you offering help, asking if you are lost, asking if they can help you with a translation. Wow.

Singapore. Awesome – because I got to spend time with my long lost friends. I definitely didn’t have enough time to spend with them. The city itself – eh. Too… western. Though, it was a refreshment between Taiwan and the rest of Asia. Almost a taste of the west. Good, fast internet. High-pressure, hot showers.

Malaysia. I wasn’t there long enough to really understand anything. But it felt a lot like Egypt meets China and moves to the rainforest, because of the crazy mix of culture from Islam, China, and indigenous peoples.

Indonesia. Beautiful beaches. Great people. I wanted to stay there and live in a village.

Thailand. Well, I HATED Bangkok. I don’t know that I have ever hated a city so much. (No offense to any of my Bangkok friends – if any of you had been here, I KNOW You would have shown me a wonderful wonderful time :P). For one, there are wayyyyyyyyyyy too many Westerners. And I didn’t know where to go to get away from them all. Scams are everywhere. We got scammed a few times – just a little bit, but still. I’ve never felt like I can’t trust anyone. And I felt like that in Bangkok. But you really can’t. Like, there were people on street corners who tell you certain museums are closed that actually aren’t. Just for the heck of it. They’re not even trying to sell you anything. What in the world? I will say, I think that if I had had the chance to travel to other parts of Thailand (perhaps the north) I would have had a different experirence. The Thai people we met by our local bus were incredible and helpful.

Cambodia. I fell in love with Cambodia the moment I entered. Both by the beauty of it’s landscape and it’s people. A land torn by war, but holding a certain peace. There are very few places I’ve been to that simply brought me to tears, and Cambodia was one of them. Some of the kindest, sweetest, most humble, hard working people I’ve ever met. Though I hated the city of Siem Reap. Filled with annoying westerners come to party and drink a lot of beers. SEveral streets felt like the West moved into Cambodian wood buildings on a dusty street with lots of mosquitos. There’s a lot of tragedy in Cambodia. Many affected by the Khmer Rouge in the past. Some with missing limbs from landmines. A lot of street kids. But there are so many cool things happening there. So many groups and organizations set up to make things better. Building english schools. Taking care of orphans. Getting kids off the street. There’s even several restaurants, geered toward Westerners, that give a hefty portion of their money for whichever of the many causes they support. That was cool to see. It was also cool to pass by villages and see flags from other countries that are supporting the well-being of that particular village. Korea, Japan, Netherlands… Really cool.

Laos. I loved Laos. Read the previous post. Perhaps my favorite.

So, in summary, I have loved every minute of being here. Teaching for sure had it’s hardships, and it’s shadiness, but I wouldn’t take it back. I met so many great people and learned so much. In my travels, I have seen more of the world (well, at least of Asia) than I could have asked, great things and horrible things. To come here, was one of my dreams come true.

I fly to Hong Kong tomorrow morning, and will be back in Texas on Tuesday night!!! Can’t wait to see you all!! I have a thousand stories to tell!