Us in Budapest, Hungary 2008
In the little town of Split, Croatia is where we had the revelation of a lifetime thanks to two Aussies, Paul and Ben, who had quit there jobs, picked up and set out on their way from Australia to London, where they were just going to find jobs when they got there. This completely blew my mind..."You mean I dont have to get a job right when I finish college?" As an American it has been drilled into my head that that's what we do...High School...College...Job...thats it! This thought of traveling for a couple years had never crossed my mind! Nor had the thought of traveling through Southeast Asia! "Why would you want to go there?" we asked them? Well it took about 2 mins and a few pictures for Alysha and I to be hooked...we had to go there! So...on the deck of an overnight ferry from Croatia back to Italy, over a couple of bottles of wine, we both made new life plans! Both of which included meeting up and traveling Southeast Asia together in the coming years!
Fast forward 3 1/2 years....We both finished out university, Alysha went into working in Politics while I spent a year teaching English in South Korea. We have actually done a really good job keeping in touch despite the distance, but haven't seen each other since we said goodbye in Rome. A few months ago, I just happened to be nosing around on facebook and noticed that Alysha's status said she had just purchased a ticket to Southeast Asia for a 6 week adventure before starting Law School! I immediately sent her a message since I would heading that way at the end of July, never thinking that it would actually work out for us to be able to see each other. Well call it Fate..Alysha would be in Bangkok, Thailand for the one day that I was flying in and then we were both planning on heading straight to Cambodia, where I was going to spend two weeks volunteering, waiting for Leah to catch up with me. We couldn't believe it...we were actually going to finally see each other again and in the one place we had vowed to travel together!! It was too perfect!
We spent the night in Bangkok and then made the 12 hour journey across the border and to the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia. We were both in love the second we got out of the Tuk Tuk! Dinners for $2, full body massages for $5, and a night market that had every souvenir my heart could desire!! We spent 3 days stuffing our faces, getting rub downs, and exploring the city, spending one day in the massive temple complex of Angkor Wat (separate blog on that to come!) And also, taking in a traditional Apsara Dancer Show!
With the Apsara Dancers
It was then onto the capital city Phnom Phen on a 6 hour bus ride. We were only there for about a day and a half and weren't very impressed, especially coming from Siem Reap, which we were absolutely in love with! We spent our full day there walking through the terrifying footsteps of the Khymer Rouge and all of the torture and sadness they brought to such a beautiful country. (Separate blog on that as well). Phnom Phen would bring an end to our amazing reunion...Alysha was heading to Vietnam, where she would spend the last week of her six week trip with her best friend Jen, and it was back to Siem Reap for me to get on with volunteering.
It was too short of a time together, but we were thankful for the few awesome days we had! We spent our last night together in true fashion...over a bottle of wine discussing the next stages we thought our lives would take us (which most likely we will both be living in Boston by January!), much wiser (and slimmer) girls than the last time we had said goodbye. I was very sad to see her leave, but atleast this time it wasn't goodbye...it was "See you in Boston!"
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