Fun fact: traveling to Singapore was my first experience being outside of the United States!
...Even More Fun Fact : My first time flying in an airplane was this past April.
...THE MOST FUN FACT: (drumroll please....) Since living in Singapore, I have been painting the sky and traveling to various different countries on weekend trips!
Living in Southeast Asia has allowed me the opportunity to travel and it is much more exciting than I could have imagined. So far, I have checked off Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia and I have plans for another trip soon.
My first trip was to Bangkok, Thailand. I went on the trip
with other American and European students that are also on exchange. We lived
in a hostel for the entire weekend and met people from all around the world.
During the time in Thailand, I felt like I did not want to leave. There was so
much cultural history there, the people were nice and genuine and the food was
amazing. We visited temples, saxophone clubs, street markets, got Thai massages,
and spa treatments. On our last night in Thailand, we were invited out to
dinner with a local American who moved to Thailand and he taught us a great
deal about his life, the culture, and why he chose to live in Thailand.
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| Awesome temples in Bangkok, Thailand |
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| Mango Sticky Rice, my favorite snack from Bangkok |
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| Chicken Coconut Lime Soup |
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| We found someone all the way in Thailand with a Central shirt #FireUpChips |
My second trip was to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A few exchange
students and I took a four-hour bus trip there for a weekend. We also stayed in
a hostel during this time. Hostel accommodation is a very cheap alternative to
hotels; I believe our rooms were about $11 a night. I was not familiar with
hostels at all until I went to Bangkok. Hostels are very friendly, clean,
simple, and full of learning. I slept in a 6 bed mixed room with strangers from
all over the world. Each person gets their own space with a bed, a locker to
lock your suitcase and things in, pillows, blankets, and breakfast. It was much
safer than I expected because the first night I was a bit frightened by the
whole idea. In Malaysia, we viewed temples, mosques, saw a real cave, met a few
monkeys, shopped, partook in a fish spa, and once again, tried a lot of food. I
tried a baby octopus, it was decent, I probably would not eat it a second time
though. Food in Southeast Asia is much cheaper than what I have experienced in
the states. You can expect to get a full meal with about $5.
Tomorrow, I will be heading to Bali, Indonesia. Bali is one
of the top tourist places to visit in Southeast Asia because it is like
paradise, lots of beaches, spas, sights, and food. We will be flying there and
living in hotels instead of hostels. Since Bali is a big place, we will live in
two different cities while we’re there: Kuta and Seminyak. I’m very excited
about this upcoming trip, a break from school is much needed!
Fun fact: $1 United States is worth 10,000 Indonesian rupiah
so I’m going to be a millionaire tomorrow.
