Hey Melbourne!

Well, here I am, I made it! All the way over to the other side of the world in one 9 hour overnight flight from Bangkok. We boarded the plane in the humid sticky Bangkok heat and arrived in Melbourne early Wednesday morning, greeted with sunshine and much cooler temperatures, which gradually became colder as the day went on. I had to go out and buy a coat! I'm literally starting from scratch coming from South East Asia with nothing in my bag but flip flops, bikinis, crop tops and vibrant patterned pants. Not an ideal wardrobe for a city in the beginnings of Spring.

The first few days were very full on sorting out Australian phone numbers, bank accounts and tax file numbers. You can't do anything without an Australian phone number, not even open an bank account, so this should be the first thing on your list when you arrive. Since then I've been applying for jobs constantly. At the moment I'm staying in a hostel but I really need to get a flat soon as it works out to be pretty much the same price per week to rent a room in a flat anyway (madness!) It's a little overwhelming thinking of this on top of searching for a job and trying to re-organise all of my stuff right now. One step at a time, I'll get there. I just need to keep telling myself that and not expect everything to come at once. 

Life admin aside, Melbourne is such a cool place. The first day here was such a breath of fresh air, everybody is so friendly and wants to have a chat with you. Obviously there's no language barrier here which helps, of course, but even strangers will want to have a chat and give you tips on where to go. The first evening here we walked around the central business district and I felt so excited and ready, it's a feeling I get when something big is about to happen. The city seemed so alive and welcoming and it is an amazing feeling knowing I have so many new places to explore and more time to do so. On Saturday we checked out Hosier Lane which is full of graffiti, tags and street art. As soon as you turn into it BAM! it's like entering a whole new vibrant world. It's also an instagram lovers dream for good shots! The art changes constantly which I love, there will always be something new to see like a real outdoor public gallery. Art is for everybody to enjoy. Then we ate at a place called Movida Next Door which did very tasty reasonably priced Spanish tapas. The oysters were great and I also tried a dish called Pulpo which is grilled octopus. Melbourne is a foodies dream with so many great places to eat. 

I know it will take a good few weeks to get everything sort sorted and get myself fully settled but I can't wait to make a home here. Melbourne has been voted the most livable city in the world for a past few years and so many aspects of it remind me of my home town Manchester ❤ All I need now is for the weather to warm up. Bring on Summer! 

The beauty and mystery of Cambodia

I'm so aware that I am behind on blog posts and other than the meditation course and one short post about being sick I realise I haven't posted anything on Cambodia! My month in Cambodia was pivotal in my travels, largely because of the meditation course but also because of what I saw and experienced throughout the country.

After two days in Phnom Penh we went straight down south to Kampot. Kampot is a really chill town that doesn't have much of a nightlife, which turned out to be for the best because John was sick the day we arrived, and I got sick two days after. In between bouts of inevitable illness from weeks of backpacking we rented scooters and explored Bokor National Park. 

The ride up to the park alone was an incredible experience and for me was more scenic and enjoyable than the Hai Van pass. The drive is along one, long, winding continuous road which inclines steadily and I could feel the temperature dropping, so if I were to give only one piece of advice for visiting this park it would be - take a jumper. What a mistake. Despite being freezing I didn't let it detract from the incredible views. We mainly visited the park to see the abandoned church and casino which are both really cool to explore. They were built by the French as a retreat from the heat (something I wish I would have read before my visit, don't forget that jumper!) The casino is huge and really eerie, with nothing much to indicate the glamour of gambling, and the church is still full of Christian religious statues which really surprised me as I thought it would be totally empty.

After Kampot we headed to Sihanoukville and caught a boat to the island of Koh Rong. The community of this island really touched me, it's a pretty small island and all of the locals know each other and look out for eachother. The kids are so independent (although this is pretty common for South East Asia) and the younger ones seem to know their way around pretty well. The electricity is pretty erratic, we witnessed two short power cuts whilst sat in a bar one night in the space of fifteen minutes. There's also no hot water and the wifi doesn't work that well so it really is a little out of civilisation but this really adds to the experience, so if you want a more authetic taste of island life then go.
We took a boat trip out one day and went fishing with hooks and bait on wire, visited a private beach and went swimming in the ocean at night with bioluminescent plankton. WOW. Every movement created a starry underwater universe that drips shining from your body once you emerge. There's some scientific reason behind why the plankton glows, but I don't know it and I don't plan on finding out. This was magical for me.

Cambodia is popular with backpackers and tourists for Angkor Wat, an ancient civilisation of temples and ruins. All of the temples (especially Ta Prohm or "Tomb Raider" temple) are shrouded in such a powerful mystery that no temple will ever feel the same again after a visit here. I visited Ayuttaya in Thailand which was cool and very worthwhile, but it was nothing compared to how compelling Angkor Wat was for me. Some of the temples are set back in the Cambodian jungle and we passed through local villages to get there. We hired scooters which is the easiest way to get around most places in South East, but you can hire a tuk tuk for the day and barter them down to a cheap rate. The temples left me hungry for more knowledge. Who lived here? How did they build it? What did the people look like? Imagine being the guy who discovered all of this!

I got the impression from most backpackers I spoke to that Cambodia didn't seem to be a country many stay in that long, some stopping only for a few days in Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat. There really is so much more to explore here, and places have a less "touristy" feel (Angkor Wat aside). On a more personal level, Cambodia is definitely the country I learnt the most in so far. I got sick there, my biggest fear, but I got over it. With sickness came another kind of sickness, for a few days I craved home and home comforts, but I got over that too. Being able to meditate in a country with such a painful recent history was also a huge privilege, one which I am only fully realising now, and a powerful way to end my stay in Cambodia. 

Pai

Pai is a small town a few hours drive away from Chaing Mai. We got a bus which we arranged with our hostel in Chaing Mai, which cost 250 Thai Baht. Some people do hire scooters and tackle the drive that way. The drive is a good 4 hours and the road is a myriad of twists and turns so I'd take this into consideration beforehand. 

As soon as you arrive in Pai you immediatly get a sense of how chill and relaxed it is. It's surrounded by beautiful lush green hills and the streets are lively and active but not crazy busy like Bangkok. The main streets are full of cafes, taxi ranks and tour guide stands and at night they comes alive with restaurants and bars. There are a lot of live music sets in most of the bars which I loved (Yellow Sun and Boom seem to be the most popular). There are also lots of stalls selling jewellery, clothes, art work and street food.

WHERE WE STAYED 

We stayed at a hostel for one night called Circus (or The Circus Hostel Pai) which we heard a lot of mixed reviews about. They do free yoga most days and they also offer circus lessons. The idea is you go and take the opportunity to practise Circus tricks and there are people around to teach you, but when we got there there was a lot of equipment like hula hoops and juggling batons as well as a tight rope strap but there were no scheduled lessons, it was basically pick what you want to try and give it a good go.

Most people are just hanging out with each other or alone reading, chilling and doing thier own thing. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. There is also an amazing infinity pool with beautiful views of the hills. 

We had a great time in the day just hanging out and trying new things, but night time was where I struggled. The dorms are all basic huts, which is fine, but you have to walk to the bathroom and showers which are in separate huts and the amount of insects that are around made this unbearable for me. They were everywhere!! On the floor, in the toilet, in the sink! Argh!

I would describe my stay at Circus as an experience. It's ideal if you want to try something new and different. (And if you can put up with the amount of insects that are around. And toads. I saw two toads.)

For our final two nights we stayed in a hostel called Common Grounds, which was brilliant! A few people we met in Chaing Mai were staying there but we found everybody so friendly including the staff. They also have different activities on every night like quizzes, pool and beer pong and they made everybody feel involved and welcome. I was really sad to leave! 

WHAT WE DID 

Like most places in Thailand one the of best ways of getting around is by scooter. We rented one for just a day and visited two waterfalls and the big white Buddha. The drives were beautiful and it's one of the best ways of seeing Pai. Most places are easy to find. If you don't feel confident on a scooter, you can ask the place you hire from for a quick lesson, but these can be very hit and miss so it would be better to try and find somebody you meet in a hostel to teach you (if they can drive well!)

We also did an organised day tour which covers Lod cave, a popular Pai viewpoint, some natural hot springs and a place called Canyon which also gives amazing views. It was a full day so if you only have one or two days in Pai then I'd give this a miss and rent a scooter instead to explore at your own will but if you have a bit longer then definitely do this tour. The Cave was amazing, full of natural wonders and going inside was both eerie and exciting. Canyon gives brilliant views of Pai so ending the day there was perfect but you have to be prepared to navigate some narrow paths and do a little bit of clamoring and climbing. It's well worth it. 

WHAT WE ATE 

Pai is pretty much one of the only places in Thailand where it's acceptable to get Western food because they do it so well. There's plenty of burger places but the best one by far is called Burger Queen. They do a good few vegetarian options and you can also order it as takeout, which we did at our hostel Common Grounds.

There was a bit of hype around Lasagne from one of the street stalls. The best is called something like "The best world famous Pai lasagne", I never got around to trying it but if you love Italian food then hunt this stall down. 

They also do amazing crepes in big banana leaves ❤

If you are travelling Thailand and find yourself in Chaing Mai or even just in the North try to set aside a few days to visit Pai. It's been my favourite place so far, I loved everything about it, especially the beautiful surroundings and relaxed atmosphere. Travelling can get pretty hectic so if you want a few days of chill downtime then Pai is the place to go. 

Grace xo