My return to Asia

Journey: August 24^th – Sept. 11^th Toronto – Vancouver (4 hrs), Vancouver – Taipei Taiwan (13 hrs), Taipei – Chunan (4 hrs), Chunan – Hualien (5 hrs), Hualien – Chunan (5 hrs), Chunan – Taipei (3 hrs), Taipei – Bangkok Thailand (4 hrs), Bangkok – Nong Kai (13 hrs), Nong Kai – Vang Vieng Laos (5 hrs) Total duration of travel 56 hrs (over the course of 18 days.)

I’m back at the organic farm in Laos. It’s been an unbelievable year and a half since I was last here and it seems as though so much has happened since then. Guess life’s like that, close your eyes, suddenly you wake up and you’re so much older than the last time you looked in the mirror. The farm has changed quite a bit since my last visit but I also feel different. Ah the realities of life and change, as the Thai’s would say, “same, same but different.”

I left Canada on August 24^th. It was difficult to leave, but I felt that it was time. Rae and dad came to the airport with me to see me off and thus I began my journey.

I arrived in Taiwan, this time without a new school to pick me up from the airport, no scooter for transportation and no home base, but I still felt like I was coming home in a way. Being back, I knew that Taiwan and I had learned all that we could from one another. Taiwan being an old friend that I know I can call upon anytime I need her and I shall always be loyal to my friend in a time of need. I stayed with my chinese family for a week and went to visit my friends in Hualien for the following week. I spent most of my time packing up boxes upon boxes of things that I couldn’t somehow manage to get rid of. Look out Canada, here comes my stuff!

I said another tearful goodbye to Taiwan and flew back to noisy, stinky but dependable Bangkok. A productive day was had, searching for a flight to Nepal and a train out of Bangkok the next night. I took the overnight train where I met Sanda, a Buddhist nun, about my age from England. We had a great conversation that night and I felt we gave each other so much just in those few hours. Upon arrival to Nong kai, I met two English guys who hadn’t learned the tricks of the trade and were severely ripped off at the border. I discovered later though that I have become incredibly stubborn my bargaining skills, while the English guys were riding in a nice air conditioned mini van, I saved $1.50 US to ride with the locals for double the amount of time, on a hot local bus with a chicken as my only companion. I did however get to witness a rather strange local treat of cockroach/beetle like creatures. I questioned the woman beside me with communication in the style of charades, she made a gesture of breaking the bug apart, then raised her hand to her mouth and made a slurping noise, finishing with a smile and a thumbs-up. She pointed at me then the bowl of treats as if to inquire would you like to try some? I said, “No sorry, I’m a vegetarian.”

After the shoulder injuries I sustained from my last trip, I had wildly imaginative day dreams of carrying a bag as light as a feather. People would say to me, “you’re travelling for a year and that’s all you brought?” My fantasies were shattered with the reality of being Tiffany, as in actuality, I’m lugging around two huge backpacks and a box on a small trolley. People now look at me and say “how long you travelling for, a year!!! And what on earth is that helmet strapped on the outside of your bag for…?” Don’t ask… I told the English guys “It’s for the tubing you came here to do, you mean you didn’t bring one? Good luck!”

So here I am, back at the Organic farm for a month to write and live in the mud hut that I have been dreaming about since I left last time. A small, hand built hut made entirely of mud, straw, wood and bamboo. Even the couch is made of mud and it’s surprisingly comfortable! I’ve met most of my roommates, the geckos, ants, two bats and a family of mice. I’ve given a written notice to the landlord that the snakes and scorpions may not return until my departure in one month. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, as my balcony overlooks the mulberry bushes, river and mountains, no shortage of inspiration here. Now I’ve just got to find myself a Fred Flintstone and my life is complete J

Lessons I’ve learned thus far; One should NEVER under any circumstances thoroughly tape a box before going to the post office, Even half a kilo can ruin your day, Taiwanese rarely share their name with someone else, it is completely unique to them, they can however, change their names if they find out that someone else has the same name, and the most valuable lesson, wheels, no matter how appealing they may seem, are never a good idea when lugging your stuff through third world countries!

Check out my pics at
http://picasaweb.google.com/KusumaTiffany/BackToAsia#
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