urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:littlemisspentA Little MisspentA Little MisspentA Little Misspent2038-01-19T03:14:07Zurn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:littlemisspent:23911Deeper and Further2038-01-19T03:14:07Z2038-01-19T03:14:07ZFrom Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand and now, I am sitting in an internet shop at Vientiane, Laos. A trip of many firsts. Going to Cambodia has always felt like a trip to a second home, even more so than going to Malaysia but this time round, it was a quiet one. I started the trip alone and will soon, end it alone though admittedly, there were friends met and friends made along the journey. One more country to go before I am heading back to Phnom Penh and flying back home. <br /><br />Bangkok was great. Unfortunately, shopping was never my main objective and so I did not do any at all. Temptations were aplenty though but I guess the variety of choices at Platinum (sadly, chatuchak market only opens during weekends) got to me and I could not decide. Things that excited me at Bangkok was really the street food. I love pad thai and love that prata/pancake thing that they sell. We had slightly less than a day to explore the city and tried to cover as much as we could in terms of places to see and also, transport to take. Speaking of transport, the most exciting thing about Bangkok for me were the buses at the Mo Chit Bus terminal. Backpacking journey that it is, long bus rides are the norm but the Thais really bring this to a whole new level! Each bus came with their own "air stewardesses" and there was even a cockpit-like barrier to separate the driver from the passengers. Cool or what? Yes, yes I tried to maintain my excitement and not expose myself as the kiasu, simple Singaporean that I am. <br /><br />Vientiane has been a simple, laidback city so far, very much unlike the bustling cities that I was previously in. There has been no lack of halal food here surprisingly and I have been walking around, trying to find evidence that this IS the capital of Laos. A few more days here in Laos and I shall be a proud ecotourist by the end of it! :)<br /><br />Nevertheless, it has only been four days into the trip and there has been ups and downs. I feel so ill-prepared at times and just stare blankly when a string of foreign words come shooting towards. I bang my head for not being able to go beyond "Je ne parle pas Francais". I worry over my cold feet in the bus and I am simply the worst when I am tired AND lost. Oh and let's not even talk about the various currencies that I have to differentiate and orientate myself with. It has been crazy and yet, it feels like a journey of soul-searching for myself personally. Reminding one's self to make the best of a situation and to remain optimistic can be difficult. <br /><br />I wonder if in the end, it is me that has changed and drifted further than I thought I had.