10 Reasons You Were Denied - Ode to a Forward Man

1) I am taller than you, literally I can see the top of your bald little head.

2) You say "pee pee" as in "I need to make pee pee." How old are you?

3) You try to hold my hand while crossing the street or going up stairs. How old do you think I am, sir? I am not a child, do not treat me as such!

4) You prance when you walk, seriously you look like a horse clip, clop, clip, clop

5) Your 'traditional Italian meal' that you hyped up.... its pasta out of a box and sauce out of a can. Pretty sure that is how everyone around the world makes pasta. You are not doing anything to make it Italian.....

6) You have the worlds largest scooter that is like something my grandfather would drive, not what I imagined an Italian man having

7) On said scooter (not motorcycle), you drive like my grandfather. Slower than molasses. 

8) You have been working in your job for as long as I have been alive. While I date older men, that category does not include men old enough to be my father.....

9) You have a bidet in your bathroom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidet). Why? Just... why?

10) Your eyebrows are more maintained than mine are. And maintained into a shape that I just don't understand. Plus you have no less than 5 tweezers. Please tell me how you can possibly use 5 tweezers at the same time. 

Leaving Asia - Starting on a new path

Well, the time has come. It is just hours until I take off in an airplane headed for Uzbekistan and then Rome, Italy. It's been a wild 14 months that I've spent jumping around Asia and I've really enjoyed my time, even with the craziness that it has brought.

I'm actually feeling very nervous but also excited about this next step in my life, becoming a permanent traveler. I can't quite put it into words, how this all feels. Some people say they 'get it' but I'm not sure most people do. It's such an humbling experience, packing everything you own into two backpacks and giving everything that doesn't fit away. Do I really need that 5th pair of shoes? How many pairs of underwear will I really want to have. Which mementos from my time in Asia will I take with me, of the hundred of pictures my students have drawn to random papers that I seem to collect?

These past 2 months I have been traveling solo have been really hard and life changing at the same time. Truly understanding what it means to be on my own, not having anyone or anything to answer to except for me. No work, no significant other, no parents (sorry Mom...), I can get a tattoo (check), I can get smashed on Khao San Street in Bangkok (check), I can buy a one way ticket to another continent (check) and I can just vegetate in my room for 3 days at a time (check). It's all up to me and it is a breath of fresh air that is terrifying to take.

Well, those are my thoughts on the subject as I'm sitting here waiting for a bus to take me to the airport. By the way, Uzbekistan Airlines has really cheap flights from Bangkok to Rome. Hopefully I'll get a good story out of these plane rides.

View of North Phnom Penh from Phnom Oudong, Cambodia

Number 1 Lesson Learned in SE Asia

It is officially my last few days in SE Asia, and my last weekend in Cambodia. This country is one that has stolen my heart. While I'm very excited to head to Italy and explore a new continent, I am somewhat sad to be leaving this special and beautiful part of the world.

 

Downtown Phnom Penh



The Khmer people are some of my favorite people in the world, with their large hearts and very giving spirits. I have had some of the best relaxing times of my life, here in SE Asia. It is a place to relax, rejuvenate and experience the world around you. The pace here is so different from what I had in the United States. Its slower and you learn to live in the details.
I have watched locals sit at their shops all day, not talking to many people, maybe serving one or two customers, just existing. Not struggling, not moving so fast that they miss life, but really just living in the moment that they are in and watching the world around them. It's a very impressive talent they have and the fact that they are content with life as it is, it encourages me to slow down and experience things as they do. Not rush to the next goal.
One of many lessons I have learned, to be sure, but the most important thing, none the less.

Enjoying life, Sen Monorom, Cambodia

 

Life update!

Well, it certainly has been a while since I have posted anything of quality (besides pictures) let alone a blog. I'm going through a huge life change in terms of my direction and where I want to go/not go. I have decided that traveling is the life for me and I'm going make it my full time job. The cool part about that decision is that traveling means all types of places and locations, including the US. Which means I'll hopefully be coming home for longer periods of time and I'll be able to time my trips by my schedule and not by someone elses.

A new addition for a new life direction. A momento of my time in Asia as it is a traditional bamboo tatoo and also a tribute to my mom. 

I'm trying to be smart about this decision, I know it's a hard lifestyle but I can't be more excited about it. This means that I'll be living a minimalist existence for the next few years, taking jobs where I can find them to fund my travels until they can start paying for themselves. Any support is gladly appreciated (an email or response to a blog saying good job or I miss you is what I really want). 

Kanabachuri, Thailand. A beautiful waterfall and hike combo.

This blog, I will be keeping updated for those that want to know what is happening in my personal life. It will be more personalized to me and my current locations. I recently started up a new blog/website that will be my primary focus for the next year or two, building/growing it as much as humanly possible. Adrian's Travel Tales is the name, once it is live, I'll put a link to that site for those that wish to follow there. 

Celebrating with a very large, blue beverage at a local market in Bangkok called On Nut Market. Thank you Caroline and Marcus for the wonderful introduction to Thailand. 

Anyways, that's the update. I'll be posting another personal blog here in the new day or so, giving you a glimpse into Thailand and my month here, wow! Time flies. Love to everyone! 

-Adrian Ann 

The best way to travel in Southeast Asia

Plane, train, sleeper bus, tuk-tuk, motos, bus and cars. There are so many modes of transportation here in Southeast Asia and they are all so special in their own right. Here is a breakdown of the pros and cons of each. 

Plane - Pros: Fast, on time (normally/ish), easily acessible. Cons: Expensive, normally outside of main areas of town and full of barangs (western people).

Train - Pros: Fast, on time, great people watching. Cons: More expensive, limited hours of service, limited locations. 

Sleeper Bus - Pros: Cheap, easily booked, saves money on lodging (overnight buses). Cons: Somewhat uncomfortable, only fits people about 5'10" and shorter, some Lao sleeper buses are doubles so if you're a single rider, you'll be sleeping next to a random person, slower.

Tuk-tuk - Pros: Very easy to find, cheaper (watch getting charged the "Barang Price"), exciting people and traffic watching. Cons: Bigger so they can take longer, overcharging drivers, easy to get belongings stolen. 

Motos - Pros: Fast, cheap, easily found. Cons: Life threatening driving experiences, not for long distances. 

Bus - Pros: Cheap, they will go all over and stop anywhere, easily accessible, full of nice locals. Cons: A million and a half stops for random people getting on and off, longer times, crowded at times. 

Cars (personal or taxi) - Pros: fast, easily booked, can go anywhere and at anytime, direct door to door service. Cons: Expensive, longer times if a lot of traffic (in city), crowded at times if you put 4-5 people plus bags in a car. 

All are amazing experiences though, very entertaining from watching locals and all they can fit into a tuk tuk/moto/car to watching Barangs that don't know how to travel. It's a humbling and growing experience I truly suggest for everyone! 

Cambodia - An outsiders view of the most beautiful place on Earth

At first, it's hard to see the beauty of Cambodia. Landing at Phnom Penh International Airport and getting into a Tuk-Tuk on the way to your house, apartment, hotel or guesthouse. The ride is bumpy, dusty, loud and life threatening at time. Hopefully you end up at your destination with all your belongings still in your possession. The sights along the way are wonderous and almost indescribable. From 6 people fit on one moto, to a moto with a plethora of live chickens hanging upside down to beggars on the side of the road (some selling flowers and others just begging). 

 

Walking around the city, you'll see colonial buildings with beautiful architecture next to shacks that are 10' by 10' and house 10+ people. Markets hustling and bustling with locals buying their daily ration of vegetables, walking around heaps garbage left because the garbage collectors have been on strike for a few weeks. 

 Why, then, you might ask, is it the most beautiful place one Earth? 

Simple, it's the people. The nicest people you've ever met. The strength that they show, rebuilding their nation after the devistating Khmer Rouge regime, and the smiles they have for everyone. A helpful spirit that shows in their everyday actions, from pushing stuck buses off the road to giving alms to the monks, even though they hardly have enough to eat themselves, to stopping traffic to let the elderly pass the road. Old men that invite barangs (western people) to drink with them, even though there's hardly a common language. 

I have struggled when trying to write about Cambodia because it's such a beautiful and heartbreaking place. The beaches and historical sights are unbelievable. 

   

It's all an amazing experience that I just sit and wonder at how I am lucky enough to live here. There are amazing people here, from the local Khmer to the Barangs I call my friends. 

The hardest part about writing this is just getting started so hopefully we'll see more of these posts about my experiences around the country and Southeast Asia in general. :)

Dinosaurs lay eggs out of their butts…What?

I was gracefully informed, by a 7 year old today, that dinosaurs lay eggs out of their butt. Along with this revelation, he stood up and pointed to his rear end to show me exactly where he thought they came from. He said this is almost a questioning fashion and I, frankly, had no response for him. I was trying not to laugh out loud at the amazingness of the question. First of all, we weren't even talking about reproduction of dinosaurs, we were talking about fossils. Somehow, in his tiny Cambodian brain, he leapt to the fact that dinosaurs lay eggs and apparently they come out of dinosaurs butts.

As a new teacher to this class, I strove to keep my calm and politely answer this child without getting into the mechanics where eggs actually come from. Not a conversation that is appropriate for a 2nd grade class, nor should they be learning the facts of life in their second (or in some cases 3rd) language. As I have been thinking about this for the past few hours, I have also decided that I am still way too immature to explain the birds and the bees to anyone, I giggle when someone says "duty" still. 

When answering his question, after a dead silent 30 seconds where everyone, including my 25 year old Khmer Teaching Assistant, was eagerly waiting for my reply, I vaguely nodded and said, "uh-huh." This is the first blatant lie I have told my students and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mean, I'm building up Christmas and the magic of Santa for all its worth (I have to reassure my students Santa is INDEED real and he can see every time they cheat off each other's papers) but I believe that is part of childhood that needs to be lived by all. How do you explain where dinosaur eggs come from? Seriously,…. How? Question for the ages… or in this case, for a seven year old, and a 27 year old teacher out of her depth with that particular question.