Lessons from Southeast Asia

When Ally, my Korean friend, and I went to Yunnan, we returned with so many incredible experiences and stories that we wanted to take another trip, and soon. Thus the plans for our Chinese New Year trip to Southeast Asia were born.

We did a lot of talking and planning, and decided that we both really wanted to see Cambodia, Ally wanted to see more of Thailand, and I wanted to see Laos. Our planning began there, and somehow, even with the problem of Chinese New Year (which meant, as the Chinese would say, ren shan ren hai, which means mountains and seas of people) and limited flights between cities, we managed to create a plan. We began in Phnom Penh, mostly because we had a friend from our university living in Phnom Penh; we then moved to Siem Riep. We then flew to Laos, and from Laos to Northern Thailand. We ended the trip in Bangkok. It was originally just going to be me and Ally, but our friend Angela from the United Kingdom joined us along the way.

I knew that traveling could bring unforeseeable and indescribeable learning experiences, but (as I say after every trip) I didn't realize I would learn what I did, and feel what I felt. I fell in love with the people of Cambodia, the landscapes of Laos, and the energy of Bangkok. Never before had I realized how much of the world there is to see. But I won't give too much away here, because there are too many experiences to generalize in an introduction. So read on, and join me in Southeast Asia.