This month I’m traveling for 12 months, like 365 days! I always said, I’ll go and see how long it will be. I didn’t had a goal to stay away for long. I just wanted to travel and do want I want to do.
This was my first big backpacktrip and I can say it isn’t my last one. When I think back about the last year it was crazy. Sometimes I scroll my Facebook or Instagram and see all those memories! Sometimes a bad picture still had awesome memories! I learned a lot about myself, the people around me and the world. Nobody can take that from me.
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
In this blogpost I want to share some moments of the last year. And share some travelquotes that I’ve seen on my travel trip.
I can remember my first day like it was yesterday. Friends said me goodbye in Amsterdam and I flew on Beijing. My first hostel was booked, the rest was open! From that moment I started my Instagram account for Gobackpackgo.
In China I became familiar with backpacking, hostels and other travelers. Went to clubs, nature parks and did sightseeing. The best moment in China was Mt Hua Shan and the Plank Walk!
Next I flew to Thailand were I saw a lot of stuff in Bangkok by walking and get lost. Took my offline map and walked beck to my hostel. It was awesome. So do you see real Bangkok. Eat street food and meet people. After Thailand I traveled bu minibus to Cambodia. At the border I saw the first big scam. The scam of the Poipet border. When I was in Cambodia I visited Angkor Wat and celebrated christmas In Phnom Penh. After Christmas I traveled to Koh Rong were I supposed to stay 3 nights. At day ten, after my birthday, new years evening and the full moon party I left the island. And this is why:
On Koh Rong I met three awesome guys from New Zealand. I told them my plan for Vietnam to buy a motorbike and they would to do that as well. We drove from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) all the way up to Hanoi. An awesome experience to see spots in Vietnam and feel free as a bird!
“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.”
From Hanoi we went to Halong Bay and Sapa. We took a crazy 17 hour local busride from Sapa to Laos. Where we were dropped in a little village. From that village we made it early to get the slowboat to Muang Ngoy and the next day to Nong Khiaw. To get in Luang Prabang we did a race. Me and two german girls against the New Zealand guys. They took the bus, we hitchiked to Luang Prabang in Laos. We lost but had a great day! From Luang Prabang we traveled further to Vang Vieng were we went Tubing. And at the last day together with the guys from New Zealand we took the hot air balloon in Vang Vieng.
In Laos there are a couple of motorbike loops. I did the Thakhek motorbike loop and the Pakse motorbike loop. Both are beautiful and different! But after the Pakse loop I know where unicorns are coming from.
From the loops I traveled down to the 4000 islands. Where I decide to test a scam. The famous Don Det 4000 island laundry scam. After a couple of days of relaxing I took a 34 hour busride with a goal. One week of Muay Thai training in Chiang Mai. It was awesome. It’s hard but in one week I felt that I was getting better faster and stronger.
After the week of Muay Thai I decided to relax a week, enjoy the lovely street food in Chiang Mai before I’d fly to Myanmar. To keep active a bit I did some downhill mountain biking and the bungeejump in Chiang Mai. What a unnatural feeling is that. But face your fears and jump! On my bucketlist is now a 200+ meter jump.
After I arranged my e-visa for Myanmar I took the airplane from Chiang Mai to Mandalay. What a lovely people and beautiful country is Myanmar. WAUW! I think the sunrise with the e-bikes in Bagan was the best experience I had I Myanmar but is is hard to choose. It was so different with Thailand where I was just coming from!
From Yangon in Myanmar I flew to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. A big capital western influenced city. I went out and saw the highlights but I had to come back later and kept something for later. I bought a busticket to Penang. An island on the east coast of Malaysia. I stayed in Georgetown that is famous of the streetart and streetfood.
From Penang I took the boat to another island on the east coast with the name Langkawi. From Langkawi I went to a paradise with the name Perhentian Islands. I found Nemo the and snorkeled with sharks!
From the Perhentian Islands I took the bus back to Kuala Lumpur were I met Bram. A friend from the Netherlands. I decide to hire an Airbnb Apartment in Kuala Lumpur. Just because of one really nice thing. The rooftop infinity pool!
From Kuala Lumpur I flew back to the Netherlands. One of my mates his wedding was and I decide to suprise them. Only three people knew that I was coming home. I suprised first my friends in Amsterdam, after that my mom and sister, the wedding couple and my friends. The ticket costed money but the reaction of all of them was priceless!
After this first wedding I had 5 months left to another wedding that is coming up. I decided to cycle Europe and try to reach Greece via Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. 10.000km in 5 months was the plan. After 3000km of sightseeing, wildcamping and cycling my body told me to see a doctor. The doctor advised to stop. Was is worth it? See the photos on my Instagram. If I bale that my dream stopped? Absolutely! I would say YES every minute of it!
After the doctor told me to rest I made a plan. How can I rest my legs and see Europe? Straight after the flight from Norway I called my friend Peter. One week later we were on a road trip through Scandinavia and road trip through the Baltic States. For me the highlight of the road trip was the Preikestolen in Norway.
After we got back from a month roadtrippen we ended our final weekend in Maastricht to celebrate the bachelor party of Andre. The groom of the upcoming wedding. It was an awesome weekend with all our friends. After the weekend I was looking for a ticket to Greece or Spain but saw a cheap retour ticket to Thailand. So I booked! The life is cheaper, the weather is warmer, why not! I stayed in Chiang Mai to get fit again, did another week of Muay Thai and cycled up the mountain a couple of times to test my legs!
I’m very thankful that I could travel so much this year. When you have a dream in your head and you want to do it. Do it! Get inspired of my stories and photo’s? See and follow my Instagram account here.
“In the end we only regret the changes we didn’t take”
Keep this one in mind!
“Everything is allright in the end, if it is not allright it isn’t the end.”
2 Comments. Leave new
Alright I’m feeling inspired in Paris for my next trip – Vietnam have always wanted to go back and work my way up the east coast and then Cambodia loas and some volunteer work etc. I see you’ve done a bit of the good stuff. Now… I know you don’t know me or what not but I would appreciate some words of confidence from you haha I would be traveling probably solo and thinking a scooter ride …. Hmm but not sure what my options are besides flying and safety wise… Hope this doesn’t annoy you asking!! 🙂
If I hear back amazing if not not a probably.
Safe travels!!!!!
You will be fine, a lot of backpackers are doing the same route. You can make friends easy and travel together. Its also smart to like some communities on Facebook so you can ask questions or find travelbuddies.: Like https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthEastAsiaBackpacking/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThailandCambodiaLaosVietnamBackpacker/
Have fun Emily! 🙂