I'll take you in my backpack

9/20/15 One of the (many) great things about living in Japan is your ability to hop a train and plane and in very little time be somewhere completely different.  My full time job (yes I have one despite what many of you may think!) was a complete shit show this week, so I was determined to just get away and enjoy myself, not letting their ridiculous bs get to me or impact my weekend (when they don't pay me thus very clearly have no right to cramp my style!) More than the change of scenery, I just needed to be surrounded by some of my people. People I can be myself around. People who don't judge if I want to wear Jammie's and lay around doing absolutely nothing because they will do it with me. These are some great people I tell you! I may or may not have questioned the greatness of one said friend when she made me go for a 5 mile run in broad daylight (hot as hell)...just kidding I still love her, but I do not do daylight runs. That sun kills me, zero dark th...

9/6/15 Magda and Steve (awesome married couple on their 6 month honeymoon that I met in Thailand) were heading to Nagasaki so it only seemed logical to meet up! I found the train station and the train schedules and off to Nagasaki it was. Now this might seem odd to be taking a trip to explore a new city when I still haven't explored the one I live in, but eh whatever! Plus, it's not every day that friends are so close when you live in the boonies of Japan! The train that takes me from Sasebo to Nagasaki is called the Seaside Liner or the Sea Liner or something of that nature. While the train is probably the oldest most outdated I've been on, the scenery is priceless. The name is accurate. The entire ride I had the sea on one side and it was gorgeous. Often times the other side had rice fields. I had intended on napping for the nearly 2 hour ride but found myself constantly looking out the windows at the gorgeous views! I met Magda and Steve at the train stati...

You've followed me on my journey through parts of Thailand and a quick jump over to Cambodia, now how would you like to help me plan my trip for next summer?! Like a choose your own adventure, except, choose Laura's adventure :) Unless you want to come too then come on, let's be vagabonds together! I'd like to take a month (ish) next summer, rather than the 18-20 ish days I had this summer...so there you have it. No real parameters (please don't get me locked up abroad or infested with disease)...one minor stipulation is that I would like to spend more time in Thailand seeing more of the islands (perhaps Pattong, Koh Tao, etc) I'd also like to see Vietnam. Post suggestions in the comments and I'll start making a list. As the time gets closer I'll have a final listed posted here where people can help me choose :) This is going to be fun!

8/20/15 I woke up very early this morning, 3 something. I just couldn't get back to sleep. I think my body just new that my vacation was coming to an end and my mind was beginning anxious as a result. I haven't been this happy in a long time and I dread that vacation hangover, coming down from the excitement, settling back into the reality of things (at least until my next trip), and moving to a new place where I am completely unfamiliar. I can look at all of that as "not being on holiday" and "not Thailand" or I can embark on it as another adventure...so I will do exactly that! That's not to say that I wasn't completely morose when I woke up this morning knowing my flight would be taking me out of Thailand.  I am rather excited and hopeful though, I found a super neat opportunity that I'm hoping to take advantage of tomorrow morning. I overnight in Taipei (I did not get a hotel so I will be airport camping) and the tourism board offers free tou...

8/19/15 Woke up rather early today and headed down to breakfast. I had lofty plans for my partial day in Cambodia, so there was no time to waste...but I was so freaking tired! Slow moving is an understatement. Breakfast had fresh cut mango today. I think I died. I filled a bowl and sat happily at my table devouring it. I may possibly turn into a mango in another life, I think that would be ok! Despite having a very organized suitcase upon arriving here, it now appears as though a tornado has ripped through the damn thing leaving havoc all over the hotel room. This resulted in unpacking and repacking to try to restore some order as the next two days are basically travel days in various countries, one of which I will have my luggage, the other I will not, thus needing clothing in the carry on to be able to not be so foul! I went to the pool for a bit and relaxed before realizing I really should be packing, so I headed back to the room and organized my clutter. I really do ...

8/18/15 After breakfast I found a tuk tuk and started my adventure. Adventure would definitely be the accurate way to describe things. We took some back roads which lacked serious infrastructure while my tuk tuk seemed to lack shocks. Then my tuk tuk driver got lost trying to find the location I was going to which was actually just a few km from the hotel. And of course he had to stop for gas which is an interesting experience in itself. It's not exactly a gas station! Yes that's gasoline in those...water bottles? liquor bottles? what happens is she uses that rusty old funnel and just fills you up. It was the same in Thailand. I'm not sure of the price here, but it was 40baht in Thailand! I made it to the Handicraft Association (which in itself is an amazing organization...non-profit, they sell goods from local villages and give the money back to them, they had some great items, weaving, pottery, you name it, all kinds of crafty things). I was there to make som...

8/9/15 This morning started out with breakfast at the hotel then a pick up at my hotel to head out on an all day adventure to the northern part of Thailand (to include Myanmar/Burma and Laos).  On the ride to the first stop (a hot spring), Natty, the tour guide was super informative about Thailand, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and all of the sites we would see. I learned something interesting about Buddhism that I didn't know, there are 5 rules: 1. No lying 2. No stealing 3. No cheating (one husband one wife, she didn't say anything about same sex marriage and I do wonder the Buddhist stance on this, I mean I would like to think they would be in support as long as no one is cheating (same as man/woman relationships) 4. No alcohol and 5. No killing (this one seemed obvious to me until she clarified that it meant no killing ANYTHING! No mosquito.). Committing just one of those things just one time will send you to hell. So, with that (and the thirty thousand Mosquitos I kille...

8/6/15 I must have been exhausted, I slept in. To most people that's like 10 or 11, to me that's 5:45am! I was able to catch up on some of my online teaching stuff (which has normally been keeping me up super late at night!) and take it easy (rather than rush) to make it to breakfast, which again was delicious! Breakfast buffets can be hit or miss, usually they offer the same exact thing day in and day out. This one switches it up daily! I love that! After a nice relaxing breakfast it was time to pack up, check out, and head to the airport for my flight to Chiang Mai. To say that I was looking forward to this part of my trip was a huge understatement. I'm staying at an Elephant Reserve, where literally I can walk onto my balcony, enjoy a morning cup of coffee, and have elephants walking along, or bathing in the water. I may never leave. It's an eco hotel (that part may make me a little nervous...I'm an AC 4-5 star kind of gal, when I read about the rooms having ...

8/4/15 I was a bit morose leaving Taipei this morning. Something I didn't anticipate. What I have realized with each trip here is that this magnificent city has more and more to explore! I would love to come back with the intent of doing some hiking and seeing the more mountainous sides (there are a lot)! Here is a shot I took from my cab ride to the airport, just as the sun was coming up... I practice the (at least) 2 hours early rule for flights. It cuts down on the anxiety and leaves a lot of wiggle room when it comes to potential mishaps with checking in, immigration, and potentially having to get miles across an airport to a gate. Of course that means I'm always left with plenty of time, but I'd rather sit in an airport with no stress than be freaking out about being late or missing my flight. That's what they made my elite status and airport lounges for right?! The EVA Star Lounge in Taipei doesn't disappoint. Lots of food choices, beverages of...