Asia – Page 5 – soloflighted.com

Handmade Postcards Project for a Cause

I met with my friend, Den of TutuOnTheRun.com, the other day in Bangkok. I bought a few postcards from her volunteering project which was one of her assignments in VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas).

VSO is an international development charity that works through experienced volunteers living and working as equals alongside local partners. It is the largest independent (non-governmental) volunteer-sending organization in the world. – VSO | Wikipedia

Volunteer and discover the world.

She applied for the organization back in 2002 but she was denied application since she was told she needed more professional experience. Ten years later and after acquiring experience as a teacher, she’s finally going to make this pending dream into a realization.

Although Bangkok has become her comfort zone for over a year, she’ll move on with her adventures for a greater cause.

Spreading the news at an art fair in Bangkok’s Model Coffee.

I was doing my daily routine of going online to work when it hit me. I’ve been on the road for six months. Six months! I quit my job in January and I’ve travelled to different places ever since.

Transit

Here’s a list of places I’ve been to in the past six months. Some I stayed for a few days, most I stayed longer. Duration of my stay indicated are just rough estimates.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 2 days
Mui Ne, Vietnam – 2 days
Siem Reap, Cambodia – 1 month
Bangkok, Thailand – 2 weeks
Singapore City, Singapore – 6 days
Cebu, Philippines – 2 weeks
Boracay, Philippines – 5 days
Cebu, Philippines – 5 days
Manila, Philippines – 1 week
Cebu, Philippines – 2 weeks
Manila, Philippines – 3 days
Siem Reap, Cambodia – 1 week
Singapore City, Singapore – 4 days
Bangkok, Thailand – 1.5 months
Bali, Indonesia – 1 week
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 2 days
Dungun, Malaysia – running on my 1st month

Looking back, it seems that I’ve been to so many places in the last half of the year. It’s not that I can’t go to these places if I kept my previous job working in a contact center. Heck, I travelled to 4 countries and 8 local destinations within 8 months and still kept my full-time job. I’ve also had six consecutive trips in six weekends while juggling my part-time projects online. It just came to a point that I wanted more than the weekend trips.

I always wondered how it is to ride a huge wave like the ones I see on magazines or on tv. I thought it would be so cool to get wiped out, too. Well, I finally had my chance and I almost drowned when I tried surfing without an instructor at Kuta beach in Bali, … Read more

3 Kids in an Airport in Bali, Indonesia

Heading towards the check-in gates at the airport in Bali, Indonesia, I noticed 3 kids walking together in laughter. They were holding hands, pulling each other close and then pushing each other away.

We were on our way back to Kuala Lumpur after a seven-day vacation in Bali, and witnessing these kids smiling was, for the lack of a better word, cute.

Ngurah Rai International Airport Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia

When I stayed in Bangkok, Thailand for more than a month, aside from coffee shops, one of the places I frequently visited was the Terminal 21 mall.

I was introduced to this shopping and dining center by a fellow travel blogger and this became one of my favorite hangout places. For someone like me who’s constantly on the lookout for good internet connection to work on my online jobs, I always need a conducive place to do my tasks. Bangkok’s Terminal 21 was able to give me what this digital nomad’s lifestyle needs.

Terminal21

To give you some highlights, here are five reasons why I love the Terminal 21 mall in Bangkok, Thailand:

1. Themed Floors

Bangkok’s Terminal 21’s floors have different themes. These themes are patterned to famous terminals around the world. They are inspired by the cities of Tokyo, London, Istanbul, etc. When I first visited the mall, I couldn’t help but admire the way they built the complex to give a unique experience every floor.

Themed floors

I’ve been having problems with my laptop lately. I bought my Lenovo in February of this year and it’s on its 7th month now. The past few weeks have been terrible for me in terms of its performance. It doesn’t respond as fast as my old notebook with lower specifications.

Slow Response

Since I’m travelling most of the time, I have to make sure that there are no issues with my computer when I get the chance to work. And the last weeks have been a pain in the butt because of how slow it was. When I opened my browser or switched to a different application, it took a few seconds for it to respond.

working hard (or hardly working)
photo by Doi

So a new opportunity knocked on the door and this couldn’t have come at a better time. My trip from Singapore to Chiang Mai was cancelled since the airline company (AirAsia) is no longer operating routes between these two cities. I simply had to email them to get a refund for the money spent; quite a convenient way to handle disputes if I might say so.

in transit

Passed by Kuala Lumpur only for a couple of days and had to transfer to another state in Malaysia. It was nice to see the Petronas Towers and see these skyscrapers again. They look better at night but time was not on our side as we were catching different trips bound for other destinations.

Petronas Towers again

It’s funny because even if I stayed in Bangkok, Thailand for more than a month, I didn’t really go to as many places as possible. In fact, I was just stuck in the city, frequenting coffee shops to open my laptop and work. I was focused on doing my online jobs so I could prepare for better things in the future.

However, one thing I looked forward to everyday was the food. I was always happy with the choices that were available to me. According to my friend who now lives there, best local food are found on the streets. Since they’re found on the streets, it’s expected that the costs are also budget-friendly. This is great because I don’t really eat as often as I can but when I do, I have so many options to choose from.

Street Food, Bangkok

Aside from surfing, one of the activities I looked forward to doing was paddle boarding at Paoay Lake, Ilocos Norte. I wanted to try this because I’ve seen the sport in magazines and I wondered how sport was like compared to surfing.

Paddle boarding at Paoay Lake
Paoay, Ilocos Norte

Angel of Lakwatsero.com paddleboarding in Paoay Lake

I knew surfing was a tough one; heck it took me awhile before I learned to stand on the board yet I was only able to ride the wave for a couple of seconds. Then catching another wave would require more energy and a lot more strength to stay afloat. Paddleboarding, after my first attempt, turned out to be an easy one.

Mike teaching the basics

One of the places that left me in awe when I visited Macau two years ago was the Venetian Hotel. This was a great start of our sight-seeing tour since it was a gloomy day and I was feeling down under the weather.

Venetian Macao

ceiling

Just wanted to post this quick update. I’m currently in Bali, Indonesia and I’m enjoying the sun and the waves of Kuta Beach.

Sunset at Kuta Beach
Bali, Indonesia

there’s always time to pause for a sunset

The taxi took us to our hotel in Bali and I got so excited when we passed by this side of the island. It’s been awhile since I last buried my feet in the sand so this was such a welcome treat.

Bali, Indonesia

Two days. I have two more days before I travel to another destination, Indonesia. I haven’t figured what I’m going to do there. For sure, I want to hit the beach and relax!

Bangkok MRT

It’s funny because I never got to explore other areas of Bangkok when I’ve been here for more than a month already. Even the usual places such as the Grand Palace, Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), the Floating Market, etc. I haven’t checked them out. I can run so many excuses like being so busy with work and all my other online commitments but that won’t do me any good. Still, these places haven’t enticed me as much and I’ll visit them some other time.

Terminal 21 – being a mallrat

The other day, my passport visa stamp was going to expire so I needed to go to the Aranyaprathet-Poipet border in order to re-enter Thailand. Only, I was surprised by a policy shared to me at the immigration counter in Cambodia. They asked for 200 Baht since I was going to leave the country (Cambodia) on the same day.

I have a flight next week so the most logical thing to do was have a visa run to refresh the number of days for me to stay in Bangkok.

passport stamps

From Hua Lamphong station, I hopped on the same ordinary train since this was the cheapest option available. I only paid 48 baht to get to the Aranyaprathet border. I didn’t sleep the night before so the 6-hour ride went by quickly. This is usually one of my techniques whenever I hop on long bus or train rides which makes 12 or 18-hour travels a breeze. Of course, just make sure your belongings are secure. I couldn’t tell how many passengers sat beside me cause whenever I’d open my eyes, I had a different seatmate every time. But then, I’d just doze off again because of not having enough rest the previous night.

train ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet – 48 Baht for 6 hours

Handmade Postcards Project for a Cause

Six Months on the Road

Transit

Bali Trip: Surfing Wipeout at Kuta Beach

3 Kids in an Airport in Bali, Indonesia

5 Things I Love About the Terminal 21 Mall in Bangkok

1. Themed Floors

Laptop Issues on the Road

Slow Response

Currently in Dungun, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur Transit

Staying in Urban Bangkok

Paddleboarding at Paoay Lake, Ilocos Norte

Seeing Gold & Blue at the Venetian Hotel in Macau

Sunset at Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia

Leaving Bangkok

Visa Run in Aranyaprathet-Poipet Border, New Policy?