Bali, Indonesia

Rice paddies, palm trees and lush green was can be seen throughout every inch of Ubud, Bali.

In September 2012, my roommate Christina and I set off to experience what Bali had to offer!

Our longhouse that we stayed in during our time in Ubud.

We stayed twenty minutes outside of Ubud, Bali in a longhouse style lodge. It was surrounded by jungle terrain, as well as green, rolling rice paddies. During our entire stay there, I enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the open wooden doors and windows giving way to the wind that lightly blew the beautiful, white sheer mosquito net that surrounded my bed. For the five days we were there, we shared a house with a couple from Argentina. Every morning we would wake up and enjoy toast and jam with the couple. We chatted about the couple’s trip around the world. They had been on the go for over two years and still had about three years to go. Whenever they ran out of money, they would pick up little jobs and save up enough to set out to their next destination. It was fascinating to hear the story of how they were managing their trip and budgeting. In addition to their trip, they were blogging and in the process of writing a book.

This corridor gave way to a gorgeous view of Bali.

At this point, Christina and I had only about eight weeks left of our stint in Malaysia. Ubud, Bali was a good place to journal while reflecting on our year. In a sense, Bali reminds me of Rome. Instead of trying to hide and erase age and ‘fix’ ruin, it embraces it. It builds upon and around what remains from the past. There is such beauty and wonder to be seen from the ‘age’ in Ubud, Bali. As I stood along a stone wall, looking out at the scenery all around, I felt as though the ruin could tell stories of what was, and what will be.

The weathered facades of Ubud are unlike any other!

The Ubud, Bali Starbucks! (Yes, they had Starbucks!

In Ubud, there are worn, weathered facades of buildings and huge palm branches that hang over the tight, narrow roads. The rough roads are filled with scooters and cars, as well as many automobiles from the 50’s-70’s. Unlike other places I have traveled to, Bali feels and exudes a peaceful, calm and quiet demeanor that makes one want to simply write, read, take pictures and sip Indonesian coffee all day- which is precisely what I did.

My heart will forever adore Bali, because it is a city that fully embraces its roots, culture and especially, it’s age- an age that gives way to tremendous architecture, art and ruin. No doubt, I will return to Bali. I’m not finished with it yet. 

A small door I found during my walk through Ubud.

The garden entrance to an ancient temple.

Ubud, Bali has multiple layers and elevations. 

The vehicles in Bali made me feel as though I was in an adventure film,
or I had stepped back in time.

The peaceful scenery makes Ubud an easy place for a tourist to relax.

My nice, cozy bed that had large, open windows.
Since we were nestled within the rolling hills, it actually got
chilly at night.

An image that can be seen during a walk through Ubud.

A temple outlined by lilly pads.

We found tortilla chips in Bali, and boy oh boy, did we take advantage of that!

Rice paddies outlined by jungle terrain make Bali a unique place to visit.

A Balinese village outside of Ubud, Bali.

Philippines

The beautiful, signature rock of Boracay.
It houses a statue of the Virgin Mary.

I decided to go to the Philippines on a whim. In fact, it was never a place I imagined myself traveling to, but I am so glad I did. It all started when my friend and fellow Fulbrighter said, “My Korean friend is in the Philippines studying right now. Would you want to go there?” “Sure,” I replied, although I knew nothing about the Philippines.

In late August, my friend Julie and I set off to the Philippines. Although we started our journey in Malaysia, it was no easy trip to get there. In fact, it ended up being a 24-hour travel time to get from our villages in Malaysia to the island of Boracay, Philippines. But, it was so worth it!

One of the fire dancers swirling fire around his body, as well
as around people's faces.

In a nutshell, our trip to Boracay was filled with relaxing days, the bright sun and great people. In fact, I spent a great deal of time simply sitting in cafes with iced coffee beverages writing. I was perfectly content. During the day, Julie and I would often do our own things. In the evening, we would meet for dinner with her Korean friends. One afternoon, Julie and I went scuba diving. The colors made me feel as though I was swimming through some sort of stain glass window or collage! I could have sworn that I jumped into a perfect aquarium or the movie Finding Nemo. Every night, we enjoyed eating delicious food along the beach and listening to live music under the moonlight. One night, we even had fire dancers swing fire around our faces. I was horrified, but I made it out without burns or scratches- thank goodness. During our seven days on Boracay Island, we started getting to know the people there. In fact, by day three, we had made all sorts of new friends, such as Pamela and her family who ran the lodge we stayed at.

 

Boracay is an absolutely breathtaking place filled with a magical sunlight that literally makes everything shine brighter. While simply walking along the shore, I could see people in the distance parasailing, kite surfing, surfing and swimming. The water of Boracay is “azzurro” (sky blue), and the endless mountains in the background make it look like my idea of heaven. All along the sandy shore, there is an ocean walkway that is filled with kind people and adorable, quaint coffee shops. Most of all, the sunset of Boracay literally engulfs you with its arrangement of orange, pink and purple colors that nestles itself over the low-tide water. The atmosphere of Boracay literally motivated me to experience “il bel far niente” (the beauty of doing nothing).

Some of the children of Boracay Island! 

One late afternoon, I sat alone playing in the sand with my toes. Soon enough, a group of children came up to me that was selling bracelets. They begged me to buy one, and I sat and chatted with them for a while. I was so surprised that they could speak English so well. As the waves came rolling up onto the shore, we started playing hand games such as “rock, paper, scissors” and “guess how many fingers I am holding up.” It was so fun to simply hang out with the kids. I told them that I would be back the next day. So I was not surprised to find them searching for me on the shore the next day. One of the little girls, her English name was Princess, had a smile that could make anyone’s day brighter.

Fellow skim boarders! 

On another afternoon, I sat and watched a group of people who seemed to be surfing. However, instead of surfing on the water, they appeared to be surfing on the shore. It intrigued me, and I sat contently just watching and giggling when they wiped out. Soon enough, a young boy as well as a boy around my age asked me if I wanted to try. The technique was called ‘skim boarding.’ I was hesitant at first, but I went for it. The next four days, I met the group of skim boarders when the tide became low around 3:30pm. They would spend a couple hours teaching me skim boarding, until the sunset. When the wipeouts and bruises became too painful I would swim in the perfect water and let the waves roll over my head and back again. After skim boarding, we would sit and watch the sunset. On my last day, I brought the little kids, as well as my skim board instructors, Cheetos, Oreos and Sprite that I found in the store nearby. We had a picnic to celebrate a great week, a new hobby and most of all, new connections.

The Philippines was my favorite trip in Southeast Asia, hands-down. The Filipino people were so warm and welcoming. After a week exploring the island, as well as the local village, I felt as though I did not want to leave. Ever since that trip, when I see little kids playing and laughing, I think of the Filipino children of Boracay.

The boat ride from the mainland to Boracay Island.

The ride through Boracay island to White Beach, Boracay.

The streets into White Beach were really unique, and
the people never hesitated to smile at us!

My friends Julie and Owen hanging out with me and one of the little boys of Boracay, Island!
He taught us how to do some awesome sand art, and he loved Cheetos!

The sun of Boracay added a special kind of glow to everything!

One of my skim board instructors and his son! After practicing, we enjoyed snacks
on the shore during sunset with people!

Jhey, a skimboard creator, thought I would enjoy seeing this
"Happy Home!" It sat right on the beach, and it could bring a smile to
anyone's face!

Our cute and quant room at Trafalgar, White Beach.

Us girls enjoying the perfect sunset that could be seen on any given night!

Goats hung around our lodge at all hours of the day!
They were friendly goats!

Boracay had plenty of coffee to go
 around! After months without iced
espresso beverages, I was ecstatic to sip on one
in the Filipino sun!

Skim boarding is a very popular hobby in Boracay.
A new friend, Jhey, made the skim boards that are for sale at this store!

Discovering a turtle on the shore
with the locals!

The sunset of Boracay, Island.
The perfect blend of orange, pink and purple.

Julie and I were on a tight budget, but
we bought a bottle of the famous
Boracay Rum. Julie tried to bring an
empty bottle home as a souvenir. Sadly,
it was confiscated at customs!

While there, I got temporary henna on my foot.
It said 'attraversiamo.' It's the word
featured in the book Eat, Pray, Love. It means
'let's cross over together.'

Cambodia

A Khmer woman selling fruits in Angkor Wat.

In March 2012, I had the opportunity to visit my friend Frannie in Cambodia. During our years together at Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame, we explored Rome and London together and we were also roommates. Upon graduation, Frannie accepted a teaching position at an international school outside of Siem Reap for Cambodian children.

Frannie and I exploring the wonders of Angkor Wat!

While in Siem Reap visiting Frannie, I enjoyed the wonders of Angkhor Wat and floating villages, as well as relaxing strolls through the quant and seemingly familiar city center.

The remains of an old temple corridor.

Frannie and I sat in the back of a tuk tuk, as we explored the wonders of Angkhor Wat on a beautiful, sunny day. A tuk tuk is a taxi of sorts with a riding cart attached to the back of a motorbike. Bump, bump, bump we went in the cart as we were maneuvered through the rocky road. The wonders of Angkor Wat, as well as the tuk tuk, kept my attention for the entire day. In fact, Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. Frannie and I climbed up the rocky temple ruins. We glided our hands along the ancient texture of the structures, and I was amazed. The carvings, the layout, architecture – it blew my mind. As my curiosity led me through the corridors of the ancient temples, the sun would shine down upon me and then hide again as I climbed into another opening or crevasse in the stone wall. I appreciated the historical significance of the ruins, as well as the art. However, I could not get Indiana Jones nor Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider out of my mind either. With sweat dripping down our faces after hours of exploration, Frannie and I bought coconuts and let the cool, refreshing milk rejuvenate our energy while we laughed and chatted.

Although Frannie is a vegetarian, she did not hesitate to take me to breakfast cafes around Siem Reap with pork delicacies like bacon and sausage. Oh, how I had missed pork! Frannie also took me to a nice hotel that was home to ‘her pool.’ We laid in lawn chairs in a beautiful, landscaped pool area as we read books and drank ice cold Heineken.

Store fronts of Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Spending five days with Frannie in Siem Reap gave me a tiny taste of her life in Cambodia. She was so generous to introduce me to her friends and the places that she had come to call ‘home.’ While Frannie was at school, I spent the days strolling in and out of the little stalls and shops along the streets of Siem Reap. I also enjoyed café mochas at the European cafes that could be found in the city center. Doing some exploration on your own can be really neat, because it allows you the opportunity to meet people. For example, I met a guy named Sam from Gold Coast Australia who was doing some film projects in Southeast Asia, and I met Ly Hour an ambitious tuk tuk driver who aspires to start his own business.

I also met a Khmer woman and her daughter who owned a shop with bags and wallets. The nice lady spoke English very well, so I asked her about her shop. She explained that people from America (Peace Corps & NGOs) go into the rural villages of Cambodia and teach the people there how to make goods from resources they do have and/or skills that the people in the village possess. After the villages produce the products, representatives come into Siem Reap and sell quantities to the shops. This kind lady explained that her products came from a particular village that specialized in hand stitching and embroidery. In addition, she had bags that were made from the same material used for making baskets in the local villages. The village used the same material to produce bags that could generate a profit. After spending an hour chatting with her and looking at the different products in the shop, I treated myself to a gray cloth bag with hand embroidery, as well as a brightly threaded and stitched wallet. The vibrant colors and textures of that little shop in Siem Reap will forever remain in mind.

A Khmer man fishing. Fishing is the
way the floating villages of Cambodia
support themselves.

Homes along the river and children playing in the water.

A typical floating village in Cambodia. 

One day, I decided to explore the floating villages outside of Siem Reap. Floating villages are literally villages built on water and the houses float on the water, similarly to a boat or deck. In addition, the school floats, as well as the little shops. Families own little rowboats to get from one area of the village to another. It is absolutely fascinating. Embarking on this adventure alone was really exciting, because I was left alone with my own eyes and mind to process everything I encountered. As I boated through the thick, muddy water of the village, I watched as children swam in the water and collected water from the river source. Everywhere I looked, people were walking and going about their day’s work. Men waded and fished in the water, and women walked with baskets on their head as the children played.

A woman with her baby, as well as her son who had a snake
around his body.

As our boat neared a floating shop, I climbed up onto the dock into the shop. As I looked down, I saw a canoe with a Khmer woman, a baby and her young son. The woman wore layers of fabric as clothing, and she had a large, round hat to shield her dark facial skin from the sun. Meanwhile, the son, who could not have been older than 3, had a python snake wrapped around his body as he held the snake’s head. I am still unsure about whether or not this was a trained “family pet” of sorts or what… All I can say is that it was incredibly alarming and I took a jump back as soon as I saw it. As I jumped back, I looked down below the other side of the dock and saw a large group of crocodiles with their eyes glaring at me above the water. My nerves were a little shaken to say the least. The floating villages still intrigue me, in terms of how the people thesupport themselves and go about their day-to-day lives.

After 5 days in Siem Reap, I said farewell to Frannie, and I headed 5 hours south by a van to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Looking back, I cannot believe I took that trip by van all by myself. I was meeting up with my four Fulbrighter friends in Phnom Penh, and I was also assured that there would be other tourists in this van. However, to my surprise, I turned out to be the only tourist in the van. It was a long ride, and on more than one occasion, I thought, “What did I get myself into?” – particularly, when we stopped at a restaurant for a break in a chaotic little Cambodian town. As we traveled down the undeveloped roads, I marveled at the endless, bright green rice paddies that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Every so often, we would reach a small village where I saw small, thatched roof homes without running water or electricity. And, every so often we would stop in villages for the driver’s cigarette breaks. I would sit in the van and try to soak in everything I saw. I had seen commercials and shows on television about the undeveloped world. But to see it, is something incredibly different. To be honest, the poverty I saw along my ride to Phnom Penh made my host community in Malaysia look drastically developed.

Sarah, Chen and I enjoyed food at the Phnom Penh stalls!

Phnom Penh was quite different than Siem Reap, and most of my time spent in Phnom Penh was learning about the tragic Khmer Rouge of the 1970’s. The Khmer Rouge was an organization that instituted ‘social engineering,’ which resulted in widespread famine and genocide in Cambodia. When I was not going to see sites relating to the Khmer Rouge, I was at my hostel getting to know fellow backpackers such as Sarah from the UK and Chen from China. Meeting new people on trips is perhaps one of the most rewarding aspect of travel. Eventually, I also did manage to meet up with fellow Fulbrighters Jordan, Nick, Adeel and Jacob. We enjoyed delicious street food (although it later gave me food poisoning), and we also celebrated Jordan’s half- birthday! It was great to have them with me for the final stretch of my trip!

Cambodia was my first trip to an undeveloped country. Consequently, I learned a lot and absorbed a lot of information in a short amount of time. I would love to return to Siem Reap someday to once again explore the wonders of Angkor Wat, as well as engage in more meaningful conversations with the people there!

Ancient temple of Angkor Wat!

The remains of Angkor Wat are home to brilliant art and a
plethora of history.

Every view in Angkor Wat provides new scenery and angles!

The scenery is breathtaking, almost as though it was a painting.

A small village along the river in Cambodia.

A store front in the fishing village.

A Khmer man fishing with a system of nets.