Friday 7 July 2017

My Solo Backpacking Stories : Part 2 [The Countries]



In no particular order (otherwise I would love to document this in partisanship-order but that would be bloody difficult ), the places I've visited on my #solobackpacking journey.

Of course, many of the trips are not documented here before, [during my temporary hiatus] so I could not remember all the specific details.

PS : All the photos are my own. Taken with iPhone. 

The Netherlands (Amsterdam)


I've blogged about this trip (thank God) back in 2013. You can see it here.

I was pick-pocketed. Left with NO money whatsoever. 
Alhamdulillah, there was a kind soul; a Malaysian I just met who lent me some money so I could get back to Mainz safely. 

I would say Amsterdam is different from other places I've visited whereby it was so calming and soul soothing. Ya get what I mean?

May be the effect of the canals flowing in and out of the city? Who knows. It's my personal opinion anyway. 

Whenever I think of Amsterdam, I think of the cold breeze, freshly made stroopwafel and fresh air. 


Indonesia (Bali and Yogyakarta)

Bali
So yep, I went to the 'honeymoon hot spot' alone. It was quite difficult to navigate around Indonesia on foot / public transport. 


So I opted for the service of  'supir'. Not as challenging though as I had a guy to chauffeur me around. But still, the thrill of travelling alone is there. It was a pretty short trip however. 


Shall return with Nazli, insyaAllah to properly soak in its beauty. Next time, I'll opt to stay in Ubud and just chill.

Yogyakarta
I went here just before the AADC2 hype. I scored a return flight ticket of RM60+ for this trip. Win!
Also, hired a 'supir'.


Love Indonesia for the cheap spa treatments!


Kalibiru

Candi Borubudur

Martabak Markobar. Please try it!

Cambodia (Seam Reap)

As soon as I saw the promotion on AirAsiaGo, I immediately bought the package. Haha

The package for return flights and hostel only cost me RM250. Say whatttt.

I've gotten in touch with a 'tour guide', a Muslim and he chauffeured me around with his tuk-tuk. 

Here's the contact information if you are interested;

Contact no (+855) 98 571 840  (Salim)
Email : angkorlim@gmail.com atau threebrothers41@gmail.com


Of course, I went to a cooking school. Surprisingly, the food tasted great!!

Angkor Wat


Had this at a vegetarian shop. Really-really good!



Italy (Rome) & Vatican City


I've recorded my experience here.


South Korea (Busan and Seoul)

I remembered this clearly. I went during Ramadhan (crazy, I know but the flight ticket was reasonably cheap).

I spent money on food the most. Because it was quite difficult to find ala carte menu here. Instead, the set came for 2 two (at least). So I had to pay a fair bit for food that I can't even finish. 

In Korea, I did walk.. a LOT!

At the time I was obsesses with 2 Days 1 Night (still am), so I visited a lot of the places featured in the program. For the first couple of days I stayed in Seoul, then I took the KTX to Busan. 


Nami Island 💗

I am obsessed with this!! Strawberry Daifuku.
Kept coming back to Myeongdong for this heaven sent!!
Would fly there again just for this. 

At Busan Gamcheon Culture Village. Selfie stick is a solo traveler's best friend

How can this be a portion for one? And how does the Koreans keep their slim figures? I can't comprehend this. 
By the way, shaved ice in Korea is nothing like I've tasted before. It's almost creamy. Can you imagine ice being creamy? 

Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Bangkok, Krabi)

The longest backpacking trip I've had; 2 weeks. So this was right after my graduation ceremony (in 2014) and just before I joined Sime. So I took a flight to Chiang Mai, stayed for nearly a week. Then took an overnight bus to Bangkok where I met my aunt (the solo backpacking ends there for a while). She brought me to Damnoen Saduak (the Floating Market) and Ayutthaya. 

Then I proceed to Krabi by plane (alone again). Went to Suratthani to hop on the train back to Bangkok before finally coming back to KL.


White Temple, Chiang Rai
Pictures taken using iPhone. And a little bit of editing, I must confess. But I swear to God, it's majestic!!

I went to Thai Orchid Cooking School and it was awesome!! I would highly recommend this particular establishment. They would pick you up at your hotel and we had a trip to the market too. So much fun, this one. 

I could cry looking at this. Not because of the elephant in the picture. But the elephant I am now. Hahahaha. I've gained berbelas kilo after this photo. 😂

In the name of experience. Sanggup berpeluh-peluh panas matahari terpacak, pakai baju tebal, headpiece berat just for this shot. Hahaha




The picture that brought me and Nazli closer together 💖

New found friend. We stayed at the same hostel 😁

The worst thing was when you felt the muscle of the python moving. Urgghhhh



My trusted partner, Nancy Chandler's map. I bought this and it has been very very useful!

Thailand's version of mini lemang.  This is sweet glutinous rice. 

Other than halal restaurant, (which could be a little bit pricey), I also opted for vegetarian food in Thailand. They had one of the best vegetarian cafes and restaurants!

I had my first ever bungee jump experience on this trip. You could read all about it here.

This is not an illusion! The whole temple is made of silver. Found this through Nancy's map, a hidden gem, not many tourists here. *cry again seeing how thin I was*

Favorite Thai dessert - Rotee Saimai. 5 stars for this suckers 💕


Is there any possibilities for me to add more country to this list?
Would have to ask Nazli for that.

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