Travel Diary
Guangzhou – 6 days
The first stop on my travels was Guangzhou in Southern China. The sleeper train from Tianjin took 32 hours. I had no charge on my phone for the whole journey so it wasn’t the best way to start off my travels. On my first full day in Guangzhou I went to the Baiyunshan mountain. Over the next few days I visited Zhuijiang New Town, Chen Clan Academy, got a cruise up the Pearl River and went up the Canton Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world. It was great experiencing the Cantonese culture and seeing how different it is to the China that I’m used to.
Bali, Indonesia – 9 days
Next stop was Bali, Indonesia. The first few days in Bali we stayed in Kuta, the busiest place. It was very touristy but nonetheless I loved it and it was still very beautiful. During our time in Kuta, we went to the beach, went on a few nights out and rented mopeds to go around the coast and to other parts of Bali. One day I had a bit of an incident on the mopeds. I managed to go into the side of a taxi and scraped all down the side of it. I paid the driver 300000 rupiahs (£16) and all was fine. On the 12th of January, Kathleen, a friend of Max and I, came out to visit us and join us on the rest of our travels. The next day we rented motorbikes again and went south to Jimbaran beach. That night we went to Sky Garden to celebrate my 19th birthday. The next day I cut my own hair, I went for the 0-all-over. The only thing I didn’t consider was that I’d have to put sun cream on my head for the next month! We also went to Padang Padang Beach the next day, which was beautiful. We later got a boat to Gili Trawangan, an island just off Bali. I loved Gili, I found it so cool how small it was and the fact that there were no cars and most people walked around barefoot. The hostel we stayed at was very laidback yet lively and the staff were very friendly. The island also had very good nightlife, even a few techno clubs! Gili Trawangan was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to.
Vietnam – 2 weeks
On the 19th of January we went to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. During our time in Ho Chi Minh, we visited the main nightlife district for some late-night street food and a few drinks. We also went to the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels (Vietnam War tunnels). All of us knew about the Vietnam War but we were taken aback by the severity and scale of it. On our last day, we visited the Mekong Delta and sailed down it on a traditional Vietnamese boat. We then moved on to Da Lat. On our first day, we watched the Vietnamese U-23’s play in the semi-final of the Asian Cup. The whole town was out watching it on this large outdoor screen and when they won the game everyone was driving around the town celebrating, beeping their horns, etc. That night, with some people we met at the hostel, we went to the Maze bar. It is literally a maze with several bars in it. It was a crazy experience which made for a very good night. The next day we went on a countryside tour and saw some amazing views and wildlife. That night we got a sleeper bus to Hoi An. There wasn’t much to do in Hoi An as it was a very small town but it was worth going to nonetheless. It is quite an old town so we cycled around the town and were able to see most of it. Vietnam U-23’s were playing in the final against Uzbekistan while we were in Hoi An. We went down to a bar near the river to watch the game and the atmosphere was great. However, they ended up losing 2-1 in extra time. The next day we got the sleeper bus to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. During our time in Hanoi, we visited the Hoa Lo Prison, Huan Xieng Lake, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Ancient Citadel. We also had the chance to meet up with Joe, Sam, Bruce and Jack, which was good.
Laos – 10 days
Our next stop was Vientiane, Laos. The first thing I noticed about Laos was that it was much less developed than Vietnam. Despite Vientiane being the capital, it was a very small city so we were able to visit all the sites within a day. It was mostly temples and monuments. After a few days in Vientiane, we moved onto Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng is a bit of a party town so we went out the first night we got there. It was a good night, however, I was very surprised when everything shut down at midnight. The next day we went for a cycle and climbed a mountain (in flip flops). The views of the mountains and Vang Vieng town were astonishing. We then continued our cycle right into the heart of the jungle. That night, we had dinner on the bank of the Mekong river. The following day we went ‘Tubing’, which consists of sailing down a river on a rubber donut and stopping off at several bars along the way. It was a very cool experience and definitely something I’d recommend to anyone travelling in Laos. On our last day we visited the Blue Lagoon and a large cave filled with Buddhist monuments. That night we went to the Jungle Party. They were playing all my favourite music, which I’ve missed since coming to China so that made for a great night!
Cambodia – 6 days
We then moved on to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. There, we visited the Tuel Slong Prison Museum and the Killing Fields. I can’t possibly put into words how horrific the genocide was and how many innocent people were brutally murdered. It also hit me how recent it was when I visited the Killing Fields and there were still remnants of clothing, teeth, bones, etc. of the people that were killed there. The other place we visited in Cambodia was Siem Reap. There, we visited Angkor Waht, the largest religious building in the world. We went there for sunrise and it was one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen. That day, we also visited the place where the movie ‘Tomb Raider’ was filmed. The next few days we just chilled around the pool and sampled the local nightlife.
Thailand – 2 weeks
Next stop, Bangkok! I was very excited for Bangkok as it is a large city and has some of the best nightlife in the world. There, Kathleen, Max and I met up with Joe, Bruce, Caitlin, Jack and Sam. It was great to see some scholars again. On our first night we headed out to one of the main nightlife streets, ‘Soi Cowboy’. The next few nights we spent visiting all the main nightlife districts of Bangkok. We then headed south to Krabi. We spent most of our time in Krabi on mopeds and driving round the coast to different beaches. My favourite was, by far, Four Islands beach. It was a beach with a tombolo and 4 tiny islands just off shore that you could swim between. We also went out most nights and took part in the Krabi Pub Crawl. We met quite a few Scots and even 2 former St Ninian’s pupils! Our last stop in Thailand was Koh Phi Phi. Koh Phi Phi is a very small island with no cars and tiny streets. It is only accessible by boat. This was also one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. During our time there, we chilled out at pool parties, went to the beach and went out at night, mostly to beach parties. However, one of our favourite bars was the Muay Thai bar. It was a large bar with a ring in the middle of it. There, you could go to watch fights between professional Muay Thai boxers and members of the crowd were also able to go up and fight other members of the crowd. Being interested in sports, I gave it a go. After our stint on this beautiful island, we got the ferry back to Phuket to fly back to Tianjin.
My 2 months traveling was filled with crazy, life-changing experiences. I’m blessed to have been able to experience such a beautiful part of the world and meet so many amazing people along the way. I will, without a doubt, return to some of the places I visited. However, I am now excited to return to China and make the most of the last 4 months!