I love the rain. It only took nearly two and a half years away from Scotland to finally admit that. The pleasure that I take from not having to leave the house because it’s so rainy, windy or cold and just allow myself to watch the Crown, read books and get creative, I love it. There are not many days like these on the Cold Coast, but for some reason the whole September and October seem to be like that intermittently. I can’t believe it took me so long to go back to writing this excuse for a blog. Forgetting to renew my domain is one reason, actually being so blissfully happy in my own life, that I forget to talk to the world about it, is another.
Since my trip to Tasmania with my best friends, I have been on a few camping trips, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, I have worked for the Commonwealth Games, saw the Australian Open in Melbourne, went to Western Australia, explored Japan, finished my yoga teacher course, took very long holidays back in the homeland, started to teach yoga and to make a full circle, now I am planning another trip to Tasmania almost exactly a year later.
I don’t think South East Asia is my cup of tea. Of course there’s a lot of beauty in that part of the world, but it doesn’t seem to match the ugly you have to see before you reach it. Some people would say it’s part of the charm, I am just grateful that for my after-uni travels I chose Latin America and not Asia. However to focus on the positives, the food in Thailand is just spectacular, the massages are heaven, our accommodation was really pretty and it was great seeing my family after such a long time. I’ve also enjoyed twice a day uninterrupted yoga flows.
Travel on the bus to Cambodia was absolutely endless and I am so tired of tourist scams after all this time that I don’t know where to begin. I swear to god if someone calls me a friend when trying to take my money for a “must have” service, I will abandon my “do no harm” philosophy and get violent. In the end we did get to a place we needed and found a room to sleep in. The bed did work, unfortunately the toilet didn’t. Angkor Wat at sunrise the next day was spectacular though. And we did have the best tuctuc driver who spent the day with us. I do have a funny story to share from that day. I was wearing a dress that did cover my shoulders and had no cleavage, but did end just above my knees and I have been told that I am not allowed to enter the main temple. For this reason, I brought a jacket (despite the heat) so I could wrap it around. I have been told that’s not appropriate anyway. Luky’s idea was to pull my dress down and put the jacket on. That would have worked perfectly if the dress was at least a little bit elastic and I was wearing a bra. Somewhere behind a temple where nobody (except for a blonde guy who said “Jesus!” and left”) saw me. I did however rip my dress and did look like an idiot. Worth the view from the top though. And the dress was fixed in ten minutes for a dollar by a local seamstress.
The capital of Cambodia Phnom Penh was not as charming and we would have left much sooner if it weren’t for the visa to Vietnam, which I messed up. I cannot say I enjoyed the Genocide Museum, but it was definitely a powerful experience. The place was left with a lot of negative energy and I soon found myself with tears in my eyes. The sunset boat tour on the Mekong river was romantic and we did have a great laugh at watching an Indian guy pose for photos on the top of the boat. He even chased away two Japanese girls with selfie sticks so he could take of his shirt, put his hand and his hair and have his photo taken from all angles. I mean you gotta laugh. When we finally got our visa to Vietnam, we jumped on a bus to Ho Chi Minh city, unfortunately thanks to the time wasted waiting for the visa, we had no time to explore the country and all we saw was from the bus and the capital itself. When walking the streets of Ho Chi Minh, there were rats literally everywhere, once I screamed so hard when one touched my foot and I thought that was the last time, I will pursue the travels to third world countries other than for a specific adventure and my beloved agreed. Finally we have made it to the airport and from there to Singapore. The city was nice and clean, its botanical gardens amazing, but my favourite was a french cake shop and shopping in Jack Wills. I really miss JW, especially watching the Crown now, I realise how much the UK has been a massive part of my life. Needless to say I had McDonalds at the airport. I only eat fast food maybe twice, three times a year and the only occasions being really hungover or tired of asian food.
A day upon our return I started working as a deputy manager in Logistics for the Commonwealth Games for Triathlon, Marathon, Swimming and Diving, but that’s a story for another blog.
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