The Many Adventures of Ashley Rae: Late is Better Than Never, Right?

Okay, so it has been what, one, two months...approximately, since I've written on my blog. You can chastise me all you want, but I have nothing to apologize for. I have been out and about living my life and making the most of this precious life. Now that I'm back in China and starting school, things are actually starting to slow down and I can reflect back on what exactly happened in the last two months. Will you get to hear every single story? No. But maybe now that I've done it all and seen it all and thought about it all....I don't know, maybe it will enhance my story telling capabilities.

So my last post was about Cambodia, specifically Phnom Pehn. I'm pretty sure I never wrote about Siem Reap because that's where my laptop charger exploded and I was suddenly slightly less connected with the world than before. What can I say about Siem Reap other than Angkor Wat is the most amazing place I have ever been. To have the opportunity to walk through hallways and passages and on walls that were built so long ago with such beauty was just an unbelievable experience. You get this feeling of pure awe at the intricate detail put into every single inch of the place. And yes I know the actual temple complex that is Angkor Wat is supposed to be the biggest and best, but I by far had a better time strolling around and through some of the older more obscure temples. I found that those were even more amazing to look at because most of them haven't been restored in any way (unlike Angkor Wat which has been restored/remodeled in some places). It was all amazing and cool and yeah. I don't know. I guess you can talk about it all you want but I don't think anyone can truly appreciate the epicness of Angkor Wat without going themselves.

Next stop on the whirlwind adventure of 5 Southeast Asia countries in 26 days was Thailand!!! Now I have wanted to go to Thailand forever; out of all the countries I visited this summer, Thailand is the only one that I thought I would ever actually go to. Bangkok, in my honest opinion, is overrated and not what its cracked up to be. But I absolutely fell in love with the people of Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. Especially the two owners of our hostel, they were just so warm and welcoming. They made a point to make sure they introduced new comers to the hostel to whoever was around; they took us out to a free cabaret show; they went above and beyond to help when we needed it.

But talking about Chiang Mai would not be complete without a quick elephant blurb. Yes I rode an elephant like everyone who goes to Chiang Mai does. Yes, I tried to make sure it was a camp that treated their animals well. Yes, in typical Ashley fashion...I fell off my elephant. I maintain to this day that it wasn't my fault, it was the elephant's. I swear, he had it out for me. He was all like "eh uh. get off me girl" Of course right after the elephant blatantly embarrasses me in front of everyone, I have to hop right back on for a ride to the bathing hole where I precede to get in the mud pool with the elephant and bathe it. Best experience of my life? I'm not sure, but it is definitely in the top ten.

Moving down south, I mean, who doesn't love even just the idea of the beaches of Thailand?! Yes it was beautiful and amazing and relaxing and blah blah blah. Do I want to go back? Of course I do! Will I go to Krabi again? Maybe not. I do think it is highly underrated as a good place to go. Maybe the party scene isn't as good as it could be (especially compared to Koh Tai or Koh Lanta or any of the other millions of islands that are famous for their parties. But, anyone who knows me knows that crazy party scenes aren't really my scene. So I enjoyed myself and still got to see some of the coolest places (like Railay Beach!)

I feel for the most part I could skip Kuala Lumpur. I had been so excited to go there and see things. But in the end, it was more of a letdown. A lot of the city was under construction which made navigating the streets incredibly difficult. I often felt like I was forced to use a taxi because of the street confusion and then most of the taxi drivers were a rip off. The only cool thin was that I faced my fear of birds and went to the KL bird park. As much as I really dislike birds and they freak me out, it was pretty cool to be right up and in it all with the birds and so many of them were just so beautiful.

Finally I get to talk back the Philippines. My oh my was Boracay awesome. I mean, it was truly paradise. White sand beaches, palms trees, and a cool tropical breeze blowing. Sipping on cocktails while lounging in the low surf. I mean, I don't think I can paint the picture well with my words. All I really have to say is close your eyes and think of one word: Paradise. Everyone has their own idea of what that is. Mine is Boracay. I'm sure many people picture a similar tropical paradise. I think it was the best possible place to spend my birthday. I think I'm a pretty lucky girl.

I never thought I'd get to do the things I've done and see the places I've seen. Many people would call me lucky (heck, I just called myself lucky). But I constantly have to remind myself that I'm not lucky at all. I worked hard and carefully budgeted my money for a long time to be able to afford a trip like this. And when you aren't too picky, a trip like this doesn't have to be some huge expensive ordeal. You can stay in budget accommodations, eat like the locals do instead of eating Western food every night. Walk or discover the metro systems instead of taking taxis. I mean honestly, anyone can do it. I mean, come on. If you really want something that badly, you can practice the self reserve and not go shopping every single day or eat out every other day or whatever it is you waste your money on. Just stop doing that and make a travel piggy bank. You won't regret it.