Living the Daydream: Month 15
If you’ve been keeping up with the monthly recaps, then you have a little sneak peak into what blog content is coming in the future! Even though we’re still only in Bali when it comes to actual blog posts, we left the last monthly recap with my first few days in Laos, which ended up being one of my favorite countries on my entire 3 month southeast Asia backpacking trip.
This monthly recap - even just now as I’m starting to write it - is going to be one for the books. I know this because October was the month I turned 23, knocked my tooth out (on my birthday, cheers), completed the Ha Giang Loop (my favorite experience in Asia hands down), re-fell in love with Vietnam, and met my favorite group of people that ended up being my companions for the rest of my trip. I LOVED October. Let get intoooo it:
Where I’ve been
Laos
Luang Prabang - 2 days
Vang Vieng - 6 days
Vientiane - 2 days
Vang Vieng - 2 days
Vietnam
Hanoi - 2 days
Ha Giang - 3 days
Hanoi - 1 day
Ninh Binh - 4 days
Hanoi - 1 day
Cambodia
Phnom Penh - 3 days
Koh Rong Samloem - 2 days
Koh Rong - 3 days
Highlights
Learning to ride a motorbike
As you can see later down on this list (in the lowlights section) this highlight was very short lived… LOL. I KNEW that when I came to Southeast Asia, that I wanted to complete the Ha Giang Loop in northern Vietnam - and I wanted to drive myself instead of sitting on the back of a local’s bike. But the traffic in Bali was insane, and the roads in the rural areas were not ideal for learning to ride, northern Thailand was a bit of a whirlwind with not much time to dedicate to learning, and time to learn was running short.
Then I got to Luang Prabang. A small little city in Laos with paved roads and… *drumroll please* … everyone drove on the right side of the road, which is what I’m used to! I figured it was the perfect place to learn, as that was one less thing I had to worry about. I arranged a motorbike rental at the reception of my hostel, set aside the majority of the day, and just drove around.
It was a bit of a learning curve, because to turn you really have to just ~lean~ and not simply turn the handlebars in order to turn, but other than that I did it!! I drove to Kuang Si falls the next day, and I was genuinely so proud of myself for just going for it and teaching myself.
Birthday hot air balloon ride
Vang Vieng is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been - and there are absolutely endless things to do. One of the main draws to this beautiful town in the countryside of Laos is how cheap hot air balloon rides are compared to the rest of the world.
Because it was still pretty pricey, and I was literally on a daily budget of 30 dollars a day, I was on the fence. But I had my birthday in Vang Vieng, and since I wasn’t home for at least another month and a half, I obviously wasn’t getting any gifts. So my parents were nice enough to send me money so that I could do it!
It was 80 USD, and I originally tried to go for sunset on my birthday, which would’ve been epic. The wind was too aggressive, however, and it unfortunately got postponed for SUNRISE. No birthday party for me amiright:/
Safe to say, when I woke up at 5 and hauled myself out of my surprisingly comfy dorm bed, I was LESS than amused. But boy… was it worth it.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. It was the perfect start to what ended up being maybe the worst (most hilarious now that I’m not living it) day of my entire trip. Stay tuned —>
Nam Xay hike
Like I said, Vang Vieng is the most stunning place I’ve ever been - and seeing a photo from the top of Nam Xay on a travel blog when I was 13 or 14 was what initially sparked my interest in backpacking southeast Asia. I was actually on my way to hike to this viewpoint when I was in a mildly horrific accident (keep reading) and I had to leave to go to Vientiane the next day.
In a stroke of what I though was more bad luck (but actually turned out to be the best thing ever) my Vietnamese visa didn’t come through in time, which meant I had to buy a new flight, and I contemplated just staying in Vientiane and exploring. Unsurprisingly, that thought lasted .4 seconds before I suddenly found myself back on a bus to Vang Vieng??? Idk how that happened👀
My TRIBE of incredible friends I met at my hostel there were so excited to have me back, and continued to help patch me up and switch my bandages a few times a day, and they helped me hike to the top of this mountain.
I’ve NEVER seen views like these, and it was one of those moments where you just stare and freak out about nature and how freaking COOL it is sometimes. Like… how tf did it DO that?? I love.
Very full circle moment and it definitely lifted my spirits.
Being back in Hanoi
After a month and a half of everything being new, it was SO nice to be back in a city that I know parts of really well. I LOVED Hanoi when I was there back in August, but the heat was absolutely stifling, which made exploring the city really unbearable. The weather this time around was IMPECCABLE and it was so nice to actually be able to enjoy being outside and exploring Hanoi.
I also met a few Hanoi expats when I was in Laos, so on top of being able to go back to the places I know and love, I got my own personal tour guide who whipped me all around the Expat area of Hanoi, Tay Ho. I also got to go out to bars that weren’t on beer street (thank god) (Jk beer street is lots of fun actually), and meet a whole bunch of English teachers who really did their best to convince me to teach in Hanoi next.
Let me tell you, I really considered it.
Somehow, thanks to my friend who apparently knows all the SUPER local spots, I ended up at a local Vietnamese market at 3 in the morning and it was the most chaotic thing I’ve ever seen. Oh, and I also DROVE in Hanoi with my tour guide on the back of the motorbike. And if you know anything about Hanoi, that is HUGE.
I <3 Hanoi :)
Ha Giang loop
The Ha Giang Loop was an experience that I was the MOST excited for when I started my 3 month backpacking trip - and let me tell you.
It DELIVERED.
I got back on a motorbike despite the accident I had, and completed 3 days through the mountains of Vietnam - crazy roads, drop offs, and learning to drive a semi-automatic bike included. It was redemption for me.
I have NEVER seen landscapes like these. Like… are you joking?
I was also able to go with some amazing friends that I met in Laos, and every night, when we all filed into our communal bedroom where mattresses lined the walls, I had the best time having a little slumber party with them and pulling up our location on google maps, marveling at the fact that we were literally 5 kms from the Chinese border, having one of those “how did we even get here?” moments before pulling our mosquito nets over us and going to bed.
It was the best adventure I’ve ever had, and the entire time I was driving through these insane mountains, I couldn’t help but think, “This won’t be the last time I drive this loop.”
Trying Bun Cha for the first time
This is such a silly thing to have in the highlights section of an entire monthly roundup post, but I can’t write this post without mentioning my Hanoi Love affair. 2 days before I left Hanoi for the last time, I decided to try Bun Cha from the restaurant that Anthony Bourdain brought Obama to. It was kind of out of the way, but I love me a good motorbike taxi ride through the streets of Hanoi, so I ordered one on the Grab app and hopped on.
The atmosphere was so strange: bright white fluorescent lights in a cafeteria setting, and since I was by myself I just got sat at the only free seat at a full table? So Strange. Luckily Taylor Swifts new album had come out that day, and I just popped my airpods in minded my freaking business.
There were like two things on the menu, and I just pointed to one and hoped for the best. When my food came, I snuck some sneaky glances to see how the locals at my table were eating it, and that was the day my life changed.
I’ll wrap up this story by saying: I came back here for every meal leading up to my flight two days later.
Halloween Bioluminescent plankton
You guys will literally never believe this story - it’s like something out of a fairytale. You’re going to die. Here we go.
It’s Halloween, I’m in the Cambodian islands, staying at a hostel called The Nest on Koh Rong. The setting is absolutely stunning - did you know Cambodia had beaches like this?? Because I sure didn’t.
Every Saturday, The Nest has a massive party that they call the Nestival - and it was extra special this month because of Halloween, obviously. I had so many friends there at the time, and we had SO much fun dancing the night away. On the dance floor, I met a BOY. A very cute British boy.
We were apparently the only two people not on ecstasy that night (not my vibe) - it was 4 am and we were quickly fading. There’s only so long sober people can two-step to techno music LOL. He asked if I wanted to go sit on the beach and wait for the sun to rise with him, and I said yes!
We walked away from the lights of the Nestival, and as Koh Rong is pretty rural anyways, the stars were INSANE. I’ve only ever seen stars like that when I was camping in the Sahara Dessert. We marveled at the stars and talked about really deep things?? We clicked instantly and it was so easy to talk to him.
He dared me to get into the water - it was one of those beaches where the sand stretches out super far, so we walked out about 100 meters. We were just sitting in the water talking when IT HAPPENED.
I splashed him with water in response to something snarky he probably said, and the water started to glow. We started swishing our hands back and forth, and realized that we were completely surrounded by… wait for it…bioluminescent plankton. We’re talking BUCKET LIST ITEM PEOPLE. The stars in the sky were absolutely glittering, the milky way was more than visible - it looked tangible. The water itself was sparkling just as much as the sky, and I had a very cute wholesome British boy with me who gave me a cheeky little kiss to top off the most perfect moment I’ve ever experienced.
The plankton and the stars began to fade as the sun came up, and we headed back to the hostel because he needed to pack his bags. His boat left 40 minutes later, and I never even got his instagram.
TBH, I prefer it that way:) that little experience with this sweet stranger will live forever as a perfect moment in my mind.
Lowlights
Knocking my tooth out in Laos
If you followed me on Instagram throughout my travels, you already know this whole story.
Obviously, I was very proud that I had mastered the art of learned how to ride a motorbike all by myself, and I got a littttleeee over confident. I rented a bike in Vang Vieng, and set out by myself to go conquer that hike I mentioned before. Now - the roads in Vang Vieng are TERRIBLE. Potholes, mud, gravel, bumps, you name it - Vang Vieng has it.
It had started to rain, and I didn’t have sunglasses or a visor. I was squinting a little bit, swerved to avoid a pothole, hit another pothole, and flew over the handlebars of my bike - landing mouth-first on ANOTHER pothole. I literallyyyy CURB-stomped myself.
As soon as it happened, my tongue felt my front tooth and it was angled completely back towards my throat. NIGHTMARE MATERIAL. My first thought was, “NO. Not my front tooth, not in LAOS, not in Vang Vieng - a town with NO HOSPITAL.” Like, imagine trying to make friends as a solo traveler when you have one front tooth.
I looked in the one rear-view mirror on my bike that survived the crash, blood, mud, and gravel smeared all over my face and in my hair, panicked, and did the only thing I could think to do: I pushed it forward and up as hard as I could. That tooth was NOT coming out of my mouth.
My shirt was ripped, my left leg was demolished, I had gravel imbedded up and down my body. It’s pouring rain, I’m alone with no Data, so I have no choice but to pick up my bike and get back on. I started driving back towards the hostel, but quickly realized I was going to pass out, so I pulled off, put my kickstand down, and promptly hit the ground for the second time.
After I came-to, I peeled myself out of the mud like the freaking walking dead, got back on AGAIN, and finally made it back to the hostel.
Of course, back at the hostel, it was perfectly sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and I roll up soaking wet, covered in mud blood, and gravel - suffice to say I caused quite the commotion.
Obviously, as all travelers do, everyone jumped to my aid, cleaning me off and patching me up, helping me book bus tickets to the capital and the closest hospital for the next day.
I called my Italian friend Stefano the dentist, who I met on my first trip to Vietnam, and asked him what he would suggest I do. He instructed me to wear my retainer to hold my tooth in place (I did happen to have my retainer with me - and hadn’t worn it once the entire trip, no shocker there), so I popped that baby in, had a successful appointment in Vientiane, and carried on with my life!
It’s fine now, after a root canal in America, but while it was happening, I had to keep repeating my motto to myself, “We keep it freaking moving people.”
And I did!
Food poisoning on a travel day
Food poisoning itself is terrible; food poisoning on a travel day is even worse. I had all the best intentions when eating at this new restaurant, and I ordered a veggie burger. Turns out, according to multiple sources, it was the wrong thing to order, because I was up all night throwing up every little sip of water I took.
In a hilarious twist, the person the next stall over was also having a rough go of it, and through the stall I yelled to him, “how you doing babe” and he was like, “I’ve seen better days. Don’t eat the veggie burger.” After which we had a comical bonding moment through the bathroom walls where we both cursed Gary’s and his poison veggie burger, and as disgusting as it sounds, I was very grateful to not be the only one yakking my guts up in the communal hostel bathroom at 3 in the morning.
I SUFFERED through my bus ride to the capital, had my dear friend Curtis sort out my tuktuk to the airport when I was too delirious to do it myself, dragged myself through security, and made it to my hostel in Hanoi more than a few hours later.
Solo travel is the best - but there are always moments like these where I really wish someone was there to take care of me :’) And then I get over myself and just feel proud that I can get through moments like that by myself (and with a little help of lovely travel friends who always drop everything to help a fellow traveler in need:)
Cold front in Ninh Binh
After months and months of summer - and only having one sweatshirt and one pair of leggings in my backpack - the weather finally dropped down into the 60’s and the skies opened up. And trust me - after nearly 6 months of sweltering heat, it was SHOCKING. It was also pretty disappointing, as I was in a new location in Vietnam that I was reallyyyyy excited for.
It was so rainy and cold that the hostel was passing out wool blankets and added hot chocolate to the menu for the week - and it was such a shame, as Ninh Binh has some absolutely surreal landscapes.
Luckily, I had my dear friend Kelsey with me, and we snuggled up with our dessert and really became incredible friends thanks to the down time and poor cell service we had. Silver linings baby.
Killing fields in Phnom Penh
As incredible as traveling always is, there are some places with horrific histories - and Phnom Penh was one of those places. You can’t go to this city and not visit S-21 and the killing fields; it just gives you perspective on Cambodia and the attitudes of the people there. The Cambodian genocide was so so recent, and as you take a look around and notice the lack of older people, the gravity of it all can really hit you.
It was such a heavy day, and I couldn’t shake the atrocities and the fact that I had walked through the exact place where they all happened. A local family saw me having a hard time as I sat on a bench outside the entrance, and invited me into their shop, where they had a fresh litter of puppies that they let me play with until the rest of my group finished in the museum. A much needed reprieve from how hard the information of the Cambodian genocide was to process.
Not necessarily a lowlight, but definitely a really hard day for me.
Slicing my foot open in Koh Rong
If you haven’t already noticed, I am SEVERELY accident prone. I knocked my tooth out falling off a motorbike, I had a strange incident where my backpack zipper went under my thumb and wreaked havoc on my finger and my nail bed for three weeks, and the next in my little chain of accidents was my first attempt as seeing bioluminescent plankton (clearly the second time around was so much better).
I was on Koh Rong Samloem, in the pitch black, and I walked out into the water with a group of friends. I didn’t even make it up to my waist before I stepped on something SUPER sharp. I shrieked, limped out of the water, and had to be carried back to the hostel.
I was really worried about it, as cuts on your foot are very prone to infection, especially in southeast Asia, but the workers at the hostel patched me up, told me I ~probably~ wouldn’t need stitches (let me tell you - I’m not going to post a picture of my sliced open toe, that would be an overshare even for ME, but it was actually kind of a horrific, gaping injury).
It actually healed pretty quickly, but I was hobbling around for about a week - and I still had all my scabs and scars from my motorbike accident. It got to the point that when I would bid travel friends farewell, they would grab both of my shoulders and shake me a little bit as they said, “EMMA. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY.”
I can’t help it! I’m just clumsy and accident prone.
Not fitting in in Koh Rong Samloem
Cambodia was pretty tough for me honestly. Since I had been to Vietnam before, I skipped ahead of my friends I had made in Laos and stayed with in Vietnam - while they continued through to the South of Vietnam, all of us promising to meet back up with me for the full moon party in Koh Phangan.
While I still knew a few people in Cambodia, and I made 4 AMAZING friends while I was there (S/O Grayson, Koen, Pol, and David:), I was back to square one essentially. A few of the hostels I stayed at had one big group of about 30 people from the UK all traveling together, and it’s really hard to make friends with people who are all friends from home.
Solo traveling is AMAZING. but I definitely had a few moments in Cambodia where I felt really lonely. You’ll always have those moments now and then, and I had mine in Cambodia! It was an amazing country, but the people are what make a destination for me, and so it didn’t end up being my favorite.
But like… can’t be too mad when the ocean in the backyard of my hostel looks like a freaking swimming pool^^
LOLs
Tipsy Tubing in Vang Vieng
Obviously I can’t sing enough of Vang Vieng’s praises - but tipsy tubing there was one of my top 3 favorite experiences. As silly as it sounds, floating down the river in inner tubes with two bottles of soju in each hand with lots of strangers is an incredible way to make friends, and it’s quite literally where all my friends for the rest of the trip originated.
I arrived to Vang Vieng a day after my friends who I had met in Luang Prabang, and as soon as I walked into Nana’s Backpackers hostel, they yelled, “EMMA. CHANGE INTO A BATHING SUIT. WE’RE LEAVING IN 5.”
I simply said, “Aye aye, captain,” dropped my bags at reception, grabbed a bikini and we were off.
We all crammed in the back of a tuk tuk truck, someone’s bluetooth speaker playing Low by Flo Rida, and headed to the river. Once there, we all grabbed an inner tube, plopped ourselves in, and were SWIFTLY carried away by the current.
The beginning was lots of shrieking, paddling, and laughing while we tried to grab hold of each other and not drop our drinks in the river. This continued for a while until we passed a bar where an empty water bottle attached to a rope had been thrown into the water for us to grab onto. The locals reeled us in, and we had arrived at our first bar!
It was a little hut with shoddy mixed drinks, mud, a rickety stage in the middle of a field, and huge speakers. You could request a song and grab a microphone with every drink you brought, and as the only two Americans in our group, my friend Curtis and I took it upon ourselves to turn bring frat party vibes to the riverbank of the Nam Song .
Just when the vibes had reached peak frat basement, we all hopped in the river and drifted our way to the next bar. The little river side “bars” continuously got better and better (or maybe we just drank more and more) until we ended the night at the last bar, Curtis and I standing on the table getting the crowd going, dancing, singing Karaoke, and having the literal best day of our lives.
I went three more times.
Pictured is my rapping All I Do is Win on my birthday. I think I peaked.
And that was October!!
It was one of my favorite months of my life, despite the challenges I faced when it came to taking care of my body while being completely on my own, making big decisions (again, on my own), and dealing with loneliness.
There are so many things that I was able to overcome, and I’m really proud of everything that I accomplished - and forever grateful for the friendships that October brought to me.
