Goodbye 2012: My Year in Travel

I've been reading a lot of really great year-in-review travel posts over the past few weeks so I've been inspired to write one of my own. While I haven't logged even a fraction of the distance traveled, hours on trains and buses, time in airports and in the air, or number of cities and countries visited by others, I'm still pretty excited about that fact I got to travel this year and about all of the great things I got to see and experience, so I felt like it would be fun to take a look back. Here we go!

By the numbers

4000 Islands, Laos

• Number of countries visited: 5
• Number of airports involved: 11
• Hostel, hotel or guesthouse beds slept in: 20
• Longest flight: 16 hours, Toronto to Tokyo
• Shortest flight: 45 minutes, Phuket to Bangkok
• Longest train ride: 7 and half hours, Ayutthaya to Khon Kaen
• Worst travel moment: Going from Kratie to Phnom Penh in a bursting-at-the-seams mini bus with a travel partner who had food poisoning.
• Best travel moment: There are two. Lounging by the Mekong in lazy but lovely 4000 Islands, Laos and deciding on a whim to make Cambodia part of our travels.
• Travel regret: Not getting to the north of either Laos or Thailand, which meant missing Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang.
• Place I would absolutely go back to: Cambodia
• Weirdest travel moment: Being on a hike in Laos and having locals want to get their picture taken with us.

The route

Bayon temple, Angkor Thom

Bangkok -- Ayutthaya -- Khon Kaen -- Nong Khai -- Vientiane -- Tha Kek -- Pakse -- 4000 Islands-- Kratie -- Phnom Penh -- Siem Reap -- Bangkok -- Phuket -- Ko Phi Phi -- Ko Lanta -- Khao Lak -- Khao Sok National Park -- Bangkok -- Toronto

We left for Bangkok February 3rd and after a few layover in Tokyo arrived in Bangkok around 10 p.m. and started our two month adventure. We stayed in Bangkok for five days, the first three of which involved a lot of mental breakdown due to jet lag. There were tears, there were fights and then once the jet lag wore off, we were normal people again. We moved every three to five days and packed a ton of travel into two months but every bus, train, plane or ferry ride was worth it. 

A few other 2012 travels

I also had the chance to get some sun this fall and spend four days on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos in early October and then another four days on Curacao in early November. One of my travel goals to is to visit as many islands in the Caribbean as possible and so far I'm up to seven.

2013 travel
We are planning another two month trip this winter, to Singapore and Malaysia, with a potential visit to Indonesia. No flights are booked yet, but we're aiming to leave the first week of February! I'll keep you posted on the plans.

What was your year in travel like? Where are you going next?

Notes on Travel Regret

No trip taken is ever something to regret. Even if you didn't love (or even like) where you went, you still likely learned something about yourself along the way. But, I think you can still lament over paths not taken and locations overlooked. Case in point: when we were in Thailand we didn't go to Chiang Mai. Yes, you read that right; we were in Thailand and skipped over everyone's favourite spot. Sigh.

Choices (or, you can't see everything)

Nong Khai, Thailand

Originally, we were going to head north after Bangkok, spend a chunk of time in Chiang Mai and then go into Laos. On our second day in Ayutthaya, my boyfriend and I decided to switch up the plan and instead head northeast, towards Nong Khai and then into Laos, with every intention of still going to Chiang Mai, just not right then.

A (bigger) change of plans
After five days in Nong Khai (a nice little chilled out town I really liked) we again started talking about our travel plans. Do we do the Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang route and then back into the north of Thailand? That was the original idea, but I wasn't really keen on Vang Vieng. I'm sure it has its merits, but being 32 I wasn't into the idea of drunken tubing or partying with 19-year olds (no offense to 19-year olds). The boyfriend felt similarly and had yet to get really "excited" about going to Laos at all. We then met another couple  who told us their favourite spot in Laos was the 4000 Islands. This was the straw that shifted the camel's plans (er, you get the idea).

The new plan

The next day (after poached eggs at a cute British cafe I can't remember the name of), we walked along the waterfront, gazing at Laos in the distance and drafted a new plan. We would not go north, but instead head south after Vientiane, into Tha Khaek (dusty town with lots of stray dogs you need to watch out for), Pakse (go to hike the gorgeous Bolivan Plateau. So beautiful) and then to the 4000 Islands (SO amazing). And then... into CAMBODIA, which was never part of the travel plan at all. So in essence, we sacrificed Chiang Mai for a chance to see Cambodia.

Vientiane, Laos

Going with your gut
Plans are great -- to a point. They can also trip you up and lead you away from the path you are better off being on. My gut said, "let's do this; let's head south instead and squeeze in Cambodia." My brain said, "but, but, but..." and then my boyfriend sealed the deal with the deciding vote to head south. I fell madly in love with the 4000 Islands and with Cambodia. Cambodia is a special place that really swept me off my feet and I wouldn't have got to have that experience if we had stuck with "the plan".

Feelings now
Well. now that we're back I do get random pangs of wishing we'd made it to Chaing Mai. I regret not seeing the north of Thailand while we were there and that kind of smarts now that we're back from the trip. As much as I love the trip we ended up taking (which I know is the point), I still think of the "what ifs" and the "should haves". I've read so many great things about Chiang Mai -- it's cheap, it's easy to get around, there are so many temples, it's a haven for vegetarians....and on and an. I hate to think I was so close, but never quite got there. Next time!

How do you deal with travel regret?

An Ode to 7-Eleven

Before I went to Thailand I figured all 7-Eleven stores were the same. The ones where I live, in Toronto, stock junk food, soda, magazines and cigarettes and that's about it, so when I got to Bangkok I wondered why there would possibly be any need for one of these stores every block (or more). Boy, was I in for a surprise.

7-Eleven in Bangkok, from above

The "everything" store

While not every 7-Eleven in Thailand is created equal, most of them allow you to purchase anything from coffee, beer and junk food, to breakfast, lunch, dinner and makeup. Yes, makeup (not to mention shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper and underwear). So basically, if you decided to take a trip to Thailand, but lost your luggage en route, you could just stop at a 7-Eleven and you'd be fine for at least a few days, if not longer.

What I bought

My boyfriend and I mostly used 7-Eleven stores as a place to stock up on water and beer. We often stayed in places that had a fridge, so we could ensure multiple bottles of each, which was convenient. However, I also bought a notebook (which I still use), face cleanser that cost me 90 bhat (about $3) for two -- one exfoliating wash, one foaming, which I ended up loving and obviously can't find here (they're called Berri Pops if you happen to come across them), snacks and a BB cream that was also about 90 bhat but something I couldn't/wouldn't use because it contained whitening ingredients. Most beauty products in Thailand claim to whiten, but I didn't notice this on first read-through of the products' claims (silly me). Full disclosure: I'm pretty pale and definitely not in need of skin whitening.

The bottom line

In Toronto you can't just go to the corner store or grocery store to buy beer (which you can in some provinces in Canada). There are special stores dedicated to booze and beer here, which is fine, but once you have access to beer anywhere you go (as in, every block), it's hard to be OK with making a separate trip just to get a 6-pack or bottle of wine. Plus, the snacks at the Thai 7-Elevens kick ass -- fun flavours of chips, dehydrated strawberries (pretty yummy) and a much more varied selection of treats than what gets stocked at the stores where I live.

I understand that the prevalence of the 7-Eleven brand means the decline of local culture and a dearth of anything "authentic" but I also get the fact that having access to what you need quickly and whenever you want is important to everyone, Thais and tourists alike.

What are your thoughts on the 7-Eleven stores every block in Thailand? Do you use them?

Cooking Class in Thailand

One of the things I really wanted to do while in Thailand was take a cooking class. My boyfriend and I love Thai food (or what we thought was Thai food before we actually went to Thailand), so we figured learning how to make the dishes we enjoyed would be a good idea. And it was.

Cooking in Krabi Town

Spring rolls and papaya salad!

We decided to make a stop in Krabi Town on the way to Khao Sok National Park, but our one night stay turned into three (what can I say, we liked the town). I happened to notice a brochure at our guesthouse for a cooking school and figured we could put our extra couple of days to good use. The school was Smart Cook Thai Cookery School and they offered a great afternoon of cooking (and lots of eating). 

To market

After getting picked up from our guesthouse (included in the price of the class) we hit a local market to buy supplies and learn about some of the major flavours in Thai cooking. We were taken around the market by our teacher, Bunnie (who was as adorable as her name), where she showed us all of the ingredients we would be using. We were then given an hour to wander before meeting back up to head to the school. Other than the "meat" room, which was not the best spot for a vegetarian, the market was colourful, lively and a great start to an afternoon of cooking.

Cooking

Hot and sour soup, sweet and sour veg

We chose the Daily Course + Market Tour (1500 bhat), which meant choosing seven dishes. I chose spring rolls, coconut milk soup, papaya salad, red curry paste, tofu with curry and sticky rice with mango. My boyfriend went with the same, other than hot and sour soup and sweet and sour veggies. Anything with meat can be made with tofu, which was a bonus for us. 

There was only three of us in the class so Bunnie could easily make the rounds and help, and we all had a great view of when she was showing us something. We started with soup and salad, then onto spring rolls, curry paste, curry tofu and then dessert. I was insanely full afterwards, as you can imagine. The food was easier to make than I thought, but since Thai cooking is done so quickly at such high heat, as long as you have all of your ingredients on hand and prepared, getting it right is doable for most cooking levels.

We were given a cookbook at the end of class, which I can honestly say I've used a lot since being back. My favourite things to make are spring rolls, papaya salad and coconut soup. I have yet to attempt curry paste, but it's on the list!

Have you ever done a cooking class while traveling? What did you think?

Khao Sok National Park

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Thailand was the three days we spent in Khao Sok National Park. I had done  a lot of reading about it before deciding to add the park to our itinerary, and the experience exceeded expectation.

Our Jungle House

We stayed at the lovely Our Jungle House, where I had made a reservation online about a week prior to arriving. I can't recommend this resort enough -- it offers several types of accommodation including riverside bungalows and tree houses. I tried to book one of the tree houses (with no luck), but I loved our room all the same. It was just rustic enough (open air bathroom, complete with frogs, snails and other park critters), but clean, charming and full of character.  Great food, friendly, attentive staff and myriad tours that allow you to explore all areas of the park make it an ideal option if Khao Sok is on your list of must-sees (which it should be).

Lake trip

We opted for a full day tour of Cheow Lake, an awe-inspiring spot I didn't want to leave. It's touted as a must-do trip and although I try to make my own calls on where to spend my travel time and money, it really did live up to the hype. We started with a scenic long tail boat ride across the lake to a perfect swimming spot (think emerald water surrounded by limestone karsts) where you could take a dip or kayak. We were served a delicious lunch including lots of vegetarian options (perfect for us) and then came the hike to and through Namtaloo Cave. 

Caving

Getting to the cave involved a short boat ride an easy hike, but the trip through the cave itself was the fun part. First of all, it's dark (headlamps on, please) and it's full of water. So full of water that at times we were swimming through the cave (the water is also mighty cold). Oh, and there are lots of spiders and some slippery parts so athletic shoes are a must. But back to the spiders. If you hate them, you will not want to do the cave part of this tour. They're huge and they're everywhere. Luckily you can't really see them if you're not directing your headlamp on them, but knowing they're there is enough. Then it was back for fruit and more swimming before the return boat ride.

We also did a canoe trip and an afternoon at the nearby hot springs, which, in retrospect, might not have been the smartest call for such a hot country, but still relaxing.

Getting there

You can easily get to Khao Sok National Park from Khao Lak, which is a nice spot in itself for a few days. There are many tour operators that offer the two hour trip daily. While in Khao Lak we stayed at Jerung Guesthouse, a clean, friendly option right on the main road and only about a 6-7 minute walk to the beach. Khao Lak is great for avid divers (which I am not), but I still found if a nice three day stop.

Subletting My Apartment To Travel

When my boyfriend and I decided to take a two-month trip this winter, one of our criteria was finding someone to rent our apartment while we were gone. The idea was to avoid paying for a trip and paying for a space we weren't going to be living in at the same time.

The skinny

Khao Sok National Park

Once we said a mutual, 'OK, let's do it,' I put an ad on Craigslist for our large, sunny one-bedroom in Toronto's west end. I actually got more responses than I thought I would (I was worried we wouldn't find anyone to take the place) and had tentatively chosen someone barring her somehow hating the space upon sight. But then I got another email from someone who was interested (I didn't want to take the ad down until I had a rock-solid confirmation). This other interested party turned out to be someone I had worked with about five years ago (so random). He came to see it  and said he'd take it and I was glad to give it to someone I knew.

What happened
After a few lapses in communication (and me stressing the deal would fall through), we got our two months of rent paid up-front and handed over a set of keys. We left on February 3rd and didn't hear from the people renting our place the whole time (other than once to tell us they were having trouble getting online), which I managed to rectify from a loner laptop in an eco-lodge on the outskirts of Khao Sok National Park. I was concerned they would have issues or be unhappy (because I'm a worrier like that), but all was well

Upon our return
The couple staying at our place (one, my former colleague) left the place looking fine, but definitely 'lived in.' They did put clean sheets on the bed, which was great and leave a nice thank-you note. However (and this one is kind of my fault) let their dog chew our coffee table. I say this is my fault because I said they could bring their dog, which they were originally going to leave with someone else. 

Would I do it again?
Yup. It's a great way to travel without worrying about the empty space sitting back home (eating up your hard earned money). This time I would say no pets and even try to see if I could find someone who wouldn't mind also feeding my cat, Arthur. This past trip my sister took the cat, but she will likely be heading to Korea to teach English this winter (when I want to be away). So we'll see what happens, but I would love to sublet again as a way to offset some of the cost of the trip.

My First Airbnb Experience

I could spend hours browsing rooms and apartments on Airbnb. I can choose a location and just start searching, clicking on place after place (creating dream trips as I click). I finally got to use the site for real (and not just imaginary purposes in February when I was planning my Southest Asia trip.

Background

Our place in Bangkok

Since we were flying into Bangkok pretty late (our plane landed around 10 p.m. local time) I wanted to make sure we had accommodation booked and I liked the idea of finding something more homey on Airbnb. So I started searching places in Bangkok and I ended up finding a gem.

What I found
For $20 a night I found a great room off of a main house with air conditioning (much needed), free Wi-Fi, a separate entrance, private bathroom with hot water and a great location close to the BTS Skytrain (Chong Nonsi, if you're curious). The host Micha was great and offered tons of tips and suggestions for what to do. The room was large and clean, plus there was a little sitting area out front great for sipping beers or having coffee in the morning. There was coffee and tea provided, along with a kettle, small fridge, microwave and toaster. There was also a great grocery store nearby and lots of street food stalls during the week.

My experience
Micha got back to me right away (within 12 hours) with confirmation that my dates of choice were available and sent a detailed map of how to get there, including directions written in Thai for the taxi driver. We liked the place so much that we booked it again for our last three nights in Bangkok at the tail end of the trip. Would I use Airbnb again? Absolutely. 

What have your Airbnb experiences been like?