The Luka in Southeast Asia Blog #6 Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand (Bangkok)

WELCOME

to the Luka in Southeast Asia blog! The Singapore saga has ended, but the adventures continue. I know this post is long overdue, but better late than never, right! This blog follows my journey through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand (again). I hope you enjoy!

Hạ Long Bay

Part 1 - Vietnam: Hanoi, Hạ Long, Da Nang, Hội An, and Ho Chi Minh City

Hanoi, Vietnam

The day after our crazy casino night mentioned in Blog #5, Jan and I set off on our next journey, starting with a goodbye to Singapore Changi airport. We rode the slide in the airport which turned out to be quite underwhelming and clearly targeted toward kids. Then, I had one last Chicken Rice for lunch (my favorite Singaporean dish) that was absolutely delicious, and we hopped on our VietJet plane to Hanoi. Upon landing, we got dinner at the airport and watched the second half of Australia's win vs Tunisia in the World Cup. My stay in Vietnam was off to a great start.

We took a Grab to Hanoi's Old Quarter, the historic downtown district with ancient streets, stalls, street food, and French colonial influence.  Everything seemed great as we walked to our hotel, until, at the check-in desk, we were told our booking had been canceled three days ago. They had no available rooms that night, so we were on our own for accommodation. Jan and I had been through some crazy stuff, so we weren't too worried, but it was still a bit daunting heading back onto the streets at night, packs on back, without knowing where'd we sleep that night. We tried a few nearby hotels and hostels but they were all full, and the only places online were far too pricey. Eventually, we got to one hotel where a young Vietnamese man told us they were full but his Mum might have something elsewhere. He called her, and a few minutes later she pulled up outside on her motorbike with a set of keys jingling in her hand and an energetic eagerness.

She said she had a place that could work but that we should see it first to decide if it was okay. So we followed her through the streets and alleys and arrived at a dark hotel a bit off the beaten track. She unlocked the door to a dusty lobby with an enormous pile of dirt and debris right in front of the staircase.

The entrance to our hotel

Jan and I were obviously a little startled by this, but she motioned us to follow her so we just climbed over the pile. We carefully tread up the tiny staircase that was crumbling away at the sides which overlooked the pit where a lift was supposed to be. We survived the ascent, and Jan and I exchanged looks of disbelief and entertainment. The room turned out to be fine besides some construction dust on the floors and a light that wouldn't turn off all night. We paid $10 each which, given the circumstances, was a bit of a ripoff, but she knew we needed something. It was a cracker of a start to the trip and well worth staying there for the story.

This staircase was treacherous

Our next stop was Hỏa Lò Prison which was built by French colonists to house communist Vietnamese revolutionaries, then was later used by North Vietnam to house captured American pilots and soldiers during the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, they call it “the American War.” That seems reasonable to me! The first part of the tour showed the horrific torture methods used on Vietnamese prisoners. One thing that stuck with me was how they bolted prisoners’ feet to the floor at the top of an inclined floor such that they couldn’t stand, and if they tried to lie down, the blood would rush to their heads, so they had no way of sleeping or resting for days on end.

A torture method at Hỏa Lò Prison

The portrayal of the woeful conditions for Vietnamese prisoners was in stark contrast to the portrayal of the pleasant living conditions for American prisoners of war. They showed pictures of the Americans playing sports and card games with smiles on their faces. One caption read: “American pilots kept chickens in the prison to improve their meals.” The prison became known as the “Hanoi Hilton” among the Americans, which the Vietnamese were proud of but many Americans claim to be sarcasm. There was definitely propaganda at play, but the improvement of conditions did seem accurate to an extent. It was a fascinating place.

All smiles from the American prisoners

We spent the rest of the day exploring the streets of Hanoi. There’s a famous train street that cuts right through houses and buildings, and there are tons of cafes that front onto the tracks. You just have to be careful to watch your toes when the train comes through twice a day!

Hanoi's Train Street

We walked through vibrant public parks filled with kids playing soccer and skateboarding, parents and adults chatting and playing sports, motorbikes flying past us, and just a generally happy mood in the air. There was big statue of Vladimir Lenin at the center of the park. 

A Lenin statue in the public square

People playing sport

We watched the sunset then hopped in an old man’s bicycle rickshaw for a ride home. People whizzed by us with motorbikes and this old guy powered on slow and steady, cycling his heart out. It was one of the craziest rides I’ve been on because he cycled head-on through hectic, high-speed traffic coming in the opposite direction, and he never stopped once for a red light or stop sign. The only thing keeping me sane was his calmness in the face of chaos. That’s the beauty of the crowded motorcycle traffic in Vietnam and Southeast Asia: if you move predictably, people just drive around you - no traffic rules necessary.

A gorgeous sunset and temple. Pop quiz: what's the flag on the right?

Our view during our crazy rickshaw ride

Back near the hotel, we did some street shopping for knockoff clothes and Vietnamese soccer jerseys and had some good fun bargaining over what ended up amounting to small change for us (but thousands of Dong sounds like a lot!)

Jan trying on some fake yeezys

Most of the restaurants in Hanoi have outdoor seating spilling onto the streets with tiny plastic chairs that remind me of a toy kitchen set for kids. It was bizarre how ubiquitous this crappy plastic furniture was all over the city. We squeezed into our seats and ate a delicious dinner while watching the World Cup.

Dinner on the tiny chairs

To round off the night, we went to one of the most bizarre things of the trip: the Thang Long Theater Water Puppet show. The stage was a pool of water and the puppets were on poles that were operated from underwater behind the curtain. While this was going on, there was live traditional Vietnamese music and a narrator telling the story in Vietnamese. It was totally eccentric and fun.

The water puppet show

As I write this, I’m amazed by how much we did in just one day. Traveling is so special in that way. I’ll condense my storytelling a bit more going forward because there is SO much left in the following weeks.

We spent the next couple of days in Hanoi exploring the streets, temples, and monuments; watching the World Cup while eating street food; and visiting war sites like a bunker that Ho Chi Minh strategized in during the war. Pretty cool stuff. One day, we took the public bus to an observation deck and the bus driver was on FaceTime while driving!

Our bus driver on FaceTime while driving!

Yummy buns

Strategizing in the war bunker

Hanoi from above

The streets of Hanoi

More World Cup and plastic furniture

Fell into a tourist trap and paid for this photo

Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam

We said goodbye to Hanoi and hopped on a morning bus to Hạ Long. We stopped at an oyster farm on the way and learned the fascinating process they use to produce perfect pearls which involves planting a tiny ball in the oyster with a disinfected membrane and letting the pearl grow around it before extracting it a few years later. We then visited the very overpriced jewelry store.

Extracting pearls from oysters

We arrived and jumped on our boat with a few other families which took us out to the picturesque cliffs jutting up through the water like mini islands. The natural beauty here made me feel like we were in a movie. Jan and I went out kayaking which was beautiful. We also went underground and explored the vast and impressive cave network. We stopped at the tallest island and hiked to the top for a great view before watching the sunset on a peaceful boat ride back. 

On the boat in Hạ Long Bay

Kayaking in the bay

The caves of Hạ Long Bay

Pretty amazing

Rather than taking the bus back to Hanoi, we decided to spend the night in Hạ Long city before our flight, and it turned out to be an absolute ghost town. There were countless hotels lining the streets, all empty and abandoned, and there was evidence of abandoned construction throughout the town. We walked for twenty minutes before finding a single open restaurant for dinner. The owner turned out to be a friendly German fellow who Jan chatted away with as we ate German/Western fare. We learned from him that tourism in Hạ Long is extremely seasonal: we were there on a weekday in the offseason, while the peak season over the summer is supposedly packed "shoulder-to-shoulder." 

The ghost town of Hạ Long

Da Nang, Vietnam

Next, we linked up with our friend Thiago and flew to Da Nang on the coast of central Vietnam. It was so sunny and beachy, it felt a bit like California. We rented out motorbikes for only $6 a day and had so much fun driving down the coast with the beach breeze on our faces. My wrist was still badly broken, so I rode on the back of Jan's bike. That was honestly a relief because I probably would have crashed and hurt myself even more if I was fit enough to drive. 

On the back of the motorbike with Jan driving

Vietnam and the hammer and sickle in the streets of Da Nang

We biked to the Marble Mountains and hiked up to see big Buddha statues and the pretty bonsai garden.

A very pretty temple

Big Buddha and bonsai trees

Basket boats lining the beach

For dinner, we stumbled upon a local street place where the menus had no translations and none of the staff spoke English. The whole restaurant was so happy to see us foreigners and they searched for the one guy eating there who had somewhat passing English. He still couldn't translate the whole menu, so a friendly man at the table next to us let me try his dishes to decide what I wanted. We chatted to the locals through broken Vietnamese and English on Google Translate and enjoyed the authentic experience we were getting.

Yummy dinner

A funny exchange with our Grab driver

Hội An, Vietnam

After our one night in Da Nang, we put our packs on our backs and motorbiked down the highway to Hội An, a quaint, historic trading-port town known for its Banh Mi, tailoring, and its French, Japanese, and Chinese influences. Our hostel was hosted by a lovely couple, a Vietnamese woman and an Australian man, who made the hostel feel like a community. Hội An was absolutely adorable and one of my favorite places in Vietnam. We biked around over the next few days enjoying endless Banh Mi, egg coffee, yummy noodles, art galleries, Buddhist temples, and rainy weather. We hung out at the beach, biked through the rice paddies among the water buffalo, and bargained for tasty snacks and knock-off goods at the night markets.

The streets of Hội An

Playing on the beach

A big and yummy meal

One of many delicious Banh Mi

The rice paddies

Exploring temples

Lantern boats docked by the night market

We decided to take advantage of the countless tailors throughout the town and get proper suits tailored at a store our friend Bayne had been to a few weeks earlier. It was so much fun being fitted for fancy suits while we splurged on the best-quality (but still amazing value) fabric. We went back several times over a few days for measurements, fitting, and bargaining until saying goodbye to the staff felt like saying goodbye to old friends. We had our suits shipped home by the Vietnam Post and we prayed that they'd actually get delivered (they did).

Feeling classy in my new suit

One morning, we went out on the river in bowl-shaped basket boats made from bamboo which the locals use when they go out crab fishing. It was pretty touristy but still loads of fun. The woman paddling our boat was lovely and kept shouting what sounded like "yolo," so we shouted it with her and all laughed together. I got in a boat with one guy who told me to hang on tight while he spun me in circles.

On a basket boat ride

Thiago and I getting soaked on the basket boat

That concluded our stay in Hội An, so we packed up again and biked back to Da Nang through the chaotic pouring rain to return our motorbikes and head to the airport.

These bikes were so much fun. 
Here's us after a blinding rainstorm on the ride back to Da Nang

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

We landed in Ho Chi Minh City for our last stop in Vietnam. Our hotel was in the middle of the craziest party street in the city, so we went to bed to the rhythmic beat of dance music every night. We almost had another canceled reservation situation when we were told they had no rooms available (despite us having a confirmed booking!) but with enough complaining, they revealed that there was in fact an available room.

We stayed on this street, not sure how we were able to fall asleep

This was also on our street. Thiago was not amused

We met up with B and our Singaporean friend Binrui who were in town and spent the next few days hanging with them. Our first stop was the War Remnants Museum, formerly known as the "Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes." It was a very confronting experience. Much of the museum focused on Agent Orange - the chemical herbicide that the Americans sprayed over vast portions of Vietnam during the war which caused horrific health conditions for the people exposed and their offspring. The most moving aspect was seeing the drawings that Vietnamese children did of how they perceived Agent Orange. It broke my heart how pure they were yet how evidently it haunted their lives.

The US air force planes outside the War Remnants Museum

One of the many drawings by Vietnamese children whose communities were impacted by Agent Orange

On a lighter note, we had fun exploring the streets of Saigon (another name for Ho Chi Minh City - formerly the official name before North Vietnamese victory). We visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, the old post office, a cute "book street," and a vibrant night market by the river.

The streets of Ho Chi Minh City

Book street

One of the craziest parts of Vietnam was crossing the street. The traffic was a relentless flow of motorbikes and cars weaving around and honking. As B would say, the key to crossing is being "slow and predictable." Despite bikes whizzing past on a 3-lane road, we had to step into the moving traffic and walk right across it without stopping, and the motorists just adapted to our movement. It was terrifying at first, but you mostly get the hang of it (I say mostly because I don't think I'd ever fully be comfortable doing it!). Once night fell, the traffic came to a standstill and I saw the most traffic I've ever seen in my life. The sheer volume of motorbikes was astounding.

Absolutely absurd traffic

There was a skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City that looked just like the Avengers Tower from the Marvel movies. We admired it for a couple of days before deciding we might as well go up it! We rode the lift up and saw the city and its sparkling lights from their observation deck. We also went to a nearby rooftop sky bar and had drinks overlooking the city while watching the World Cup on the jumbo screen. We ate some yummy pho for dinner.

Avengers tower

The squad enjoying drinks above the city

Yummy pho

My last stop in Vietnam was a very special one. Mum had been to Saigon a few weeks earlier to find the location of a photo of her mum—my grandmother—before she moved to Australia. I never knew her; she died the day I was born. But Mum sent me the photo, so I found the special spot at the botanic gardens and recreated it just as Mum did. It was beautiful and allowed me to connect with my family history in a way I hadn't before.

My grandmother as a kid (on the right) with her siblings

Me in the same spot!

Jan, Thiago, and I said our goodbyes to B and Binrui after a workout and pool session in B's fancy hotel then prepped for the next portion of our adventure: Cambodia! (but not before one last Banh Mi)

Last minute Banh Mi before our bus ride - only 15k dong (0.64 USD!)

Part 2 - Cambodia: Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

We jumped on our early morning bus and rode six hours to Phnom Penh. It was a pretty route, and I spent the whole time either looking out or working on the previous iteration of this blog! Along the way, we noticed countless ads for a random German beer called Ganzberg which Jan had never even heard of. Must be some weird deal they have but the signs were on literally every building, it was absurd.

We also noticed the language on signs change from Vietnamese to Khmer, which is the national language and primary ethnicity of Cambodia. Upon arrival, we jumped in a Tuk Tuk and got to our hotel where Bernardo and Johannes were waiting for us, reuniting the gang for the last two legs of our journey!

The gang reunited in Phnom Penh

We satisfied our hunger with Chicken Amok, a delicious Cambodian curry. We paid and got our change back in a mix of Cambodian Riel and US dollars. Turns out that in Cambodia you can pay in either currency, and they typically have a printed piece of paper with rough exchange rates. They don't use coins there, just USD for big bills and Riel for smaller bills. I thought that was fascinating. After researching why, I learned that public confidence in the Riel eroded following the destruction by the Khmer Rouge (more on them later) and they began dollarizing in the 80s.

Getting change in two different currencies

We waltzed around the city's public parks and monuments until the sky opened up and rain came pouring down. We found refuge in an art gallery by a French artist named Stan Loubieres who married a Cambodian woman and who we had the opportunity of meeting and chatting to about his art. Traveling is full of those spontaneous and special moments.

We met this French artist at his gallery

Dinner was down the street at a vibrant night market with cheap clothes and trinkets and probably the best noodles I've ever eaten. I ate very well in my time in Southeast Asia.

They may look simple, but these are the best noodles I've ever had

The main tourist attractions in Phnom Penh are the Killing Fields of the Cambodian genocide and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This was probably the most shocking history I've ever learned, compounded by the fact that I knew next to nothing about it before visiting. I was at a loss for why this wasn't taught in high school. This source does a great job succinctly explaining the history, and I highly recommend reading it: The Khmer Rouge. Trigger warning: the topics and photos in the next few paragraphs may be disturbing to some of you.

Essentially, an oppressive dictator named Pol Pot came to power with a vision of communal living and a master race, and he massacred nearly half of Cambodia's population—over 2 million people—in only 4 years. His regime, known as the Khmer Rouge, tortured, overworked, and brutally killed children, adults, and anyone seen as intellectuals or enemies of the state in unimaginably horrific ways.

The audio-guided tour through the Killing Fields was a totally sobering experience. The shock-induced silence made it feel wrong to speak to the people around you. We saw the sites of mass burials, piles of human bones, trees and tools that were used to slaughter babies, and more. Even if only one person was seen as "guilty," the entire family was murdered to prevent children from growing up to seek revenge. In the middle of the killing fields was a shrine for the dead: a tower of human skulls stacked one above the other, each labeled with a color-coded sticker indicating how they were killed based on the fracture evidence in the skull.

Walking through the mass graves

A tower of real human skulls - victims of the Cambodian genocide

We then went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum which was formerly a torture and internment camp (and was a high school before that). This is where people were held before being sent to the killing fields and forced into false confessions to justify their murders.

In the square at Tuol Sleng

Only seven people who were sent there survived, and only two of them are still living today. We were lucky enough to meet one of the living survivors. He wrote a book about his experience and how he used his mechanic skills to be indispensable to the regime. It was amazing meeting him, but at the same time, it felt like our tour guide was commodifying his experience which rubbed me the wrong way.

Meeting one of the two remaining survivors of Tuol Sleng

One thing that shocked me the most about all of this was how recent it was and how little the rest of the world stepped in to help. The Khmer Rouge was only overthrown by the Vietnamese Army after their victory in the Vietnam War. Pol Pot was exiled but lived comfortably under house arrest until his death of old age, and the United Nations continued to recognize the Khmer Rouge with their UN seat as leaders of Cambodia. The US and the Soviets treated this like a proxy war in which the US and the West sided against the communist Vietnamese who liberated Cambodia.

It took some time for us to absorb what we had seen that day, but we enjoyed a lighter experience that evening with a ridiculously cheap boat ride through the Mekong River that included a round of Angkor beers. There was a group of old ladies dancing in the streets so we joined in and danced with them before going back for another round of those incredible fried beef noodles.

Enjoying the boat ride on the Mekong River

Joining in with the street dancers

Siem Reap, Cambodia

The next day started with yet another early morning bus ride, this time headed northwest to Siem Reap. I bought a cheap belt on the side of the road at one of our stops that I'm still using today. Great purchase. Our hostel in Siem Reap was probably the coolest accommodation I've ever stayed in - they had a great retro paint design, flags decorating the common areas, a big pool in the center, ping pong tables, a bar, funky music, spacious rooms, and communal swinging chairs and tables.

Our awesome hostel in Siem Reap

We checked out an active outdoor temple where some interesting prayers and rituals were taking place. Then, we visited the Angkor museum which was packed with thousands-year-old history from the Angkorian period and countless Buddha statues in various postures. Pretty cool stuff. 

Visiting a temple. I love the smell of incense

For dinner, we sought familiarity (at least for me and Thiago) at a Mexican restaurant. That's one cuisine I really missed during my time in Singapore and Southeast Asia. It was fire.

We spent the evening calming down with some massages, finally from what seemed like a decently reputable place (especially compared to some of the Bali and Thailand establishments we'd been to in the past).

One of my favorite parts of this entire trip was visiting Angkor Wat: an enormous temple complex (the largest religious structure in the world) that was built 1000 years ago originally as a Hindu temple and later converted to a Buddhist temple. We woke up at 3:30 am for the sunrise tour, and it was already packed when we arrived in the darkness. The crowd gathered at the edge of a pond in front of the temple, a perfect viewing point to watch the sunrise behind the temple which reflected off the water at our feet. It was incredible.

Stunning view. iPhone's long exposure is definitely warping the true portrayal though 

Since Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the region, their tourism rules were very laid back and allowed us to touch and walk among these amazing structures, a privilege I suspect our children won't have as the country develops. It was unbelievable that they built such magnificent buildings with the technology they had at the time. I can't describe with words how stunning it was, so I'll share some photos that will try to communicate it. But if you can in your lifetime, you have to go experience it for yourself.

Sitting and reflecting in the awe-inspiring Angkor Wat

Beautiful ruins

Felt a bit like a real-life game of Temple Run

Enjoying my surroundings

The lads

Such intricate carving

As we walked and drove between temples, our tour guide taught us the fascinating history and brought us to other temple ruins while we hung out with the other travelers on our tour, in particular an Austrian girl we (especially Bernardo) befriended. At one point, our tour guide picked some red ants off a tree and ate them, so we did too! One of them bit my tongue when I put it in my mouth which stung a little. It's so funny that we did crazy things like that so casually. Sometimes these ants are an ingredient in Cambodian soups.

We picked red ants from the tree and ate them

The great thing about waking up at 3:30 in the morning is that after you do a day's worth of activities, you still have half of the day left. So we headed back into the city and grabbed some great noodles for lunch then decided a foot massage was in order after all that walking. After the massage, Thiago and I got haircuts for $3 each! I couldn't believe the price but I realized that maybe price isn't everything after the job was finished. We ate more noodles for dinner then headed to pub street to watch the World Cup and do some more cheap shopping. 

Siem Reap's popping pub street

Luka and Johannes with their recent street purchases - a ring and a coconut

We were exhausted but the game went to penalties, so we had to stay up until 2 am to watch Croatia knock out Brazil, concluding an amazing 22-hour day.

Just when I thought this trip couldn't get any better, the next day came! First, we slept in so long that we got a knock on the door to kick us out of our hostel. We packed up and found ourselves a friendly Tuk Tuk driver on the street named Barang who agreed to take all 5 of us wherever we wanted, all day long, for only $15. He was a lovely guy. His English was great, and we learned that he volunteers to teach English to poor children in his village for free. What a legend. He also loves soccer so we chatted about the World Cup.

We squeezed into the Tuk Tuk and Barang drove us an hour outside of the city to the floating village. The ride there was beautiful: a glorious sunny day, vibrant red soil, and workers chatting away in the lush rice fields.

Passersby on the ride to the floating village

Once we arrived, we jumped on a small boat and headed out to the Kampong Phluk floating village. The houses were built on stilts in the river to accommodate the changing sea levels during the wet season. It was fascinating to witness such a different lifestyle. The natural habitat there is the water, and everyone travels around by rowboat or motorboat. The village survives off fishing (mostly prawns) and more recently tourism. It was beautiful, and I loved waving back at the smiling kids as we glided by.

The floating village

Next, we each jumped on a canoe and were taken on a ride through the flooded mangrove forest. We were enveloped into the canopy of leaves overhead as the sun set through the branches. It was stunning.

Paddling through the flooded mangrove forest

This was simply gorgeous

We transferred to yet another boat and headed out to the lake to watch the red and rich sunset on the horizon. This was such a peaceful and beautiful evening. These moments remind me why life is so precious, and I remember tearing up at how lucky I was to be living this amazing moment surrounded by these amazing friends.

Watching the sunset on the lake

We joked and laughed on the boat ride back in the darkness, then met up with Barang, and the six of us peed off the edge of the hill together. Barang was one of the boys at this point. On the drive home, he asked if we wanted to go play soccer with his friends, which of course we did, so we made a detour to a turf field under the lights and joined the local pickup soccer game! We had so much fun meeting and playing with our new Cambodian friends. Soccer truly is the world's game and has such a unifying power to it.

Pickup soccer with Barang (our Tuk Tuk driver) and his friends

We headed back to the hostel and played games in the pool, ate dinner, and watched more World Cup - this time was Bernardo's turn to be devastated when Portugal was beaten by Morocco. We jumped our night bus to Bangkok, concluding an absolutely incredible stay in Cambodia.

Part 3 - Thailand: Bangkok and Ayutthaya

Bangkok, Thailand

The overnight bus ride was pretty brutal. The driver had the AC on full-blast and we were all wearing shorts and t-shirts because it was stinking hot outside. We also woke up at 2 am to watch more World Cup which certainly didn't help with our restfulness. We got settled and found a Tuk Tuk driver for an insanely cheap price of 10 Baht each (about 29 cents) as part of some special government deal where fuel is subsidized if drivers bring tourists to certain sites. Our driver took us around the city to see countless different Buddha statues and temples. We saw standing Buddha, reclining Buddha, big Buddha, lucky Buddha, and more.

Thiago sleeping soundly (and safely) on the bus

One of the many Buddhas we saw in Bangkok

At one of the stops, we lost our Tuk Tuk driver (who may or may not have buggered off after he got the fuel refill), which would have been fine if we hadn't left all our recently purchased waters in there. Bummer. We said goodbye to Thiago who was off to Borneo to meet a friend. It was so much fun traveling with him.

There was pretty golden temple atop a big hill so we climbed up to watch the sunset over the city. Little did we know, we were there for a rare ceremony worshipping Buddha where we wrap the Golden Mount with a large red cloth. We were up there enjoying the view when a monk started unraveling the cloth and other people picked it up and held it above their heads. We had no idea what was going on, but we just went with it and joined in. Soon enough, dozens of us were carrying this huge red cloth above our heads and walking in a circle around the monument.

The Golden Mount pre-summit

Carrying the red cloth

After a few minutes encircling the monument, we stopped and the monk began leading a Thai prayer. This experience was so extraordinary and we were so fortunate to be a part of it. After the prayer, all the women stepped back and the monk invited us and the other men to remove our shoes, step onto the monument's platform, and begin wrapping it with the red cloth.

Listening to the monk's prayer during a beautiful sunset

Helping wrap the cloth

The lads enjoying yet another awesome day

I continue to be astounded by the incredible things that happened to us while traveling. We then met up with some other NUS exchangers who were visiting Bangkok and ate some very dodgy street food that made us all a bit queasy. After dinner, I found myself back at Khao San road, the famed backpackers' road, with its intense stimulation of all the senses from blaring music and flashing lights to crazy smells and barkers shoving signs in your face with the great alcohol deals they're offering. 

Khao San Road - the backpackers' hub

I touched the eyeball of this alligator and it was gross

Fried scorpions, spiders, and snakes (yes I saw the no photo sign but I had to) 

We had drinks and chilled and caught up with the other exchangers before bed.

Ayutthaya, Thailand

My last day in Southeast Asia! We headed north from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, a city of ruins from what was once the prosperous capital of the Siamese Kingdom then destroyed by the Burmese army in 1767 and never rebuilt. Gerber, a dutch friend from the night before joined us. Again, we were blown away by the astounding beauty in the architecture and history.

Exploring the ruins of Ayutthaya

Jan and I look tiny next to Gerben the 6'10" dutchman

After a few hours, we grew pretty tired and the different temples and Buddhas began to blend together, so we headed back to Bangkok for a final dinner and an emotional goodbye. We did one last round of pushups together (a tradition we had started early in the semester) and said our goodbyes. I am so lucky to have met these amazing friends. I took a Grab to the airport and jumped on a plane to Sydney!

Saying goodbye to the best gang ever

Part 4 - Conclusion

Looking Ahead

Don't worry, Australia will be covered in the next blog! I spent three weeks there hanging out with my big awesome family and celebrating Christmas and New Year's. Right now, I'm back in Michigan finishing up the final semester of my bachelor's. Graduation is right around the corner! For the summer, I'm planning a big Europe trip with some of my high school besties and planning reunions with my Singapore besties in Germany and Portugal. In September, I officially become a working man when I start my job and embark on what should be a fun and illustrious career.

Conclusion

Thank you for joining me once again. See you next time!

See ya!