I’m going through an array of emotions as I write this..After:

122 Days.

58 Cities. 

27 Flights.

20 Transit Systems.

17 Countries. 

14 Languages. 

Many amazing people and more memories then I’ll ever be able to count, my 4 month trip has come to an end.

I’ve made pizza in Florence. 

Walked the streets of San Gimignano and Siena around the Palio. 

Ate ALL the gelato in the villages of Cinque Terre. 

“Held up” the leaning tower of Pisa.

Rode in a hot air balloon and ate Paella in Barcelona. 

Ate Currywurst, spent time with family and visited the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.

Traveled on a train from Hamburg that boarded a ferry, then continued on the track to Copenhagen. 

Spent time and took a road trip with amazing family in Sweden. 

Visited the Schoenbrunn Palace, rode a Ferris wheel and ate schnitzel in Vienna.

Walked the Red Light District and ate magic brownies in Amsterdam with my amazing boyfriend and one of my very best friends.

Visited Pena Palace in Sintra and Berlengas Island off the coast of Portugal (and got sea sick 3 times on the boat ride there).

Went on a pub crawl, ate tapas and saw a Flamenco show in Madrid. 

Met some great girls, drank Guinness and Cider and saw the Cliffs of Moher in Dublin. 

Saw the Giant’s Causeway and learned about the tragic history of Belfast in Northern Ireland. 

Visited the church where Captain & Maria VonTrapp were married in the Sound of Music in Salzburg. 

Rode down a mountain on the Keltenblitz in Hallien. 

Navigated the narrow, backcountry roads in the Austrian Alps, with my Mama, while driving a manual and laughing the entire time. 

Watched the Astronomical Clock on the hour and visited the John Lennon Wall in Prague. 

Ate typical Hungarian Goulash, saw the Shoes on the Danube and gawked at the Parliament Building in Budapest. 

Ate a delicious Raclette dinner, wandered the streets of Thun and caught up with a friend in Switzerland. 

Bought perfume in Grasse. 

Stared in awe at the massive yachts in Cannes. 

And again in St. Tropez.

Walked through the little village of Èze. 

Lost 5€ at the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. 

Layed on the rocky beach, walked the Promenade des Anglais and climbed the many stairs to the spectacular viewpoint in Nice. 

Walked the Old City Walls and went cliff jumping in Dubrovnik.

Went to the 125th Floor of the tallest building in the world in Dubai.

Had a typical UAE brunch, went on a Desert Safari, dune bashing, visited a fish market and spend time with my incredible cousins in Abu Dhabi.

Rode a Tuk Tuk, saw the Reclining Buddha, and bartered the shit out of everything in Bangkok.

Went on a Longtail Boat Tour, swam in a beautiful secluded lagoon where one of my best friends swam for the first time, visited the famous “Maya Beach” and got a bamboo tattoo in Koh Phi Phi.

Saw the Big Buddha and partied on the infamous Bengla Road in Phuket.

Had one of my dreams come true and spent an entire day with elephants, did a full day cooking class learning about how to make traditional Thai cuisine, ATV’d up a mountain, white water rafted through the jungle, watched a Muay Thai fight and walked up the Sticky Waterfalls in Chiang Mai.

Got dive certified with 2 crazy Scouses, a hilarious Dutchie, an awesome Spanish dive instructor and a beaut of an American girl, experienced an entirely different world underwater, and rode a motorcycle through insane roads to a secluded beach (without crashing) in Koh Tao. 

And finally..spent the last few days reflecting on the beach. 

I have learned a lot about myself on this journey. 

1. If I put my mind to it there’s nothing I can’t do. I am capable of much more than I ever thought. It takes a lot of guts and faith in yourself to get on a plane alone, and go to a country where not many people speak the same language. But I did it. Many times. I am resourceful, and I love the thrill and satisfaction of getting to a destination all on my own. 

2. There is no problem in asking for help. I promise, not everyone is out to get you. Be smart and sensible and go with your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. So get out. 

3. Stop giving a shit about what other people think. It’s your trip. You are the one paying the money, so do what YOU want. If you want to sleep until noon and barely go anywhere, then do it. It you want to nap for a few hours in the afternoon, go for it. If you want to be up at the crack of dawn to watch a sunset, but the person you’re with doesn’t want to go…then go alone. You decide what to do and when to do it, that’s the joy of solo traveling. 

4. Travel isn’t always pretty and things don’t always go as planned. Sometimes you’re up at 4 in the morning to catch a flight or a bus, and it’s +37 degrees with the humidity and you’re sweating your ass off from carrying your luggage and you miss your transfer. It’s okay. There is always another way. Just embrace the hiccups. You will get through it. 

5. You will meet some amazing people, and make friendships that last a lifetime. Travel is a beautiful thing that brings people together, and you will meet people from all over the world who share the same passion for travel that you do. It’s so easy to talk to these people, and you’re guaranteed to meet people that make saying goodbye super hard. 

6. Be open minded. The world, this world, OUR world…is incredibly amazing. There is SO much out there. So many beautiful cultures and so many beautiful people. Embrace everything.

As the saying goes, travel is the only thing you pay for that makes you richer, and I definitely feel richer after my experience. I still, and always will love traveling. Forever a wanderer. But I have a deeper appreciation and love for Canada, my beautiful home. 

To my Mom & Dad: thank you for supporting me and teaching me the values and common sense that got me through some difficult situations. And Mama, thank you for an amazing 10 days! I am SO happy you came to travel with me!

Caylie, Claire & Lloyd: Thank you for meeting up with me on my journey and being a part of my adventure! I will cherish every single memory! 

Cay, I still laugh every time I think about you in your cupboard. 

Claire, I feel I got to know you all over again during the week that we spent together, and not to mention the laughs. #goodafternooncolleen 

And Lloyd, being with you when you got in the water for the first time was a memory I’ll never forget. My first 2 weeks in Thailand were incredible cause I shared them with you. 

To my beloved German family: Kristian, Jenny, Kristina, & Greta..thank you for showing us an amazing time and once again, being a home away from home for Paul and I. 

To Paul’s family in Sweden, and my new Swedish family: Meeting all of you was incredible, and I can’t thank you enough for welcoming me and making my introduction to Sweden so amazing! Can’t wait to see you all again! Hopefully very soon!

Sommer, Dean, Tasha, Aymeric & Safya: Thank you for the visit and awesome dinner and company in Italy. Paul was so happy he got to meet you, and so am I.

And I knew my trip wouldn’t be complete without a stop to visit you in the UAE. Thank you for being my little piece of home 3/4 of the way through, and helping me get to Thailand and home. I love you all so so much. 

Salome and Benji: Thank you for your hospitality and showing me around Olten & Basel! 

To all my friends & family who followed my journey from home: you were with me everyday and I appreciate all your positive thoughts and comments! 

To all the friends I met along the way: 

The OK Madrid pub crawlers;

My Dublin girls, Christine & Kass;

Kelsey, the Aussie I met in Prague;

My UK Girls: Meg, Chooch & Zoe: Bengla Road was insane. 

And Meg & Chooch: I’m still laughing about our crop dusting conversation, and thanks for teaching Lloyd & I the true meaning of “proper”.😂

My Crystal Dive Open Water Buddies: Madeline, Tülin, Wim, Robin & Alex;

Our dive instructors: Manu, Tina & Iggy

And finally, this crazy lot: Jessica, Lars, Ben & Jon, thanks for the dives, the endless amount of laughs, the terrifying bike ride, the game of Cheers Governor, and of course, the drunken shenanigans. 

Each of you added a little something to my journey and I’m looking forward to the time our paths cross again! 

And finally, to my amazing boyfriend, my rock, my level head, my cheerleader, my travel partner, my partner in crime…my love: I could not have done this without your constant support. Thank you for being a part of my adventure and for loving me and understanding how important this was to me. I know the last 2.5 months being apart have been difficult, but I can’t even begin to explain how much your love and encouragement means to me. Not once did you make me feel guilty for wanting to travel for 10 weeks without you. Not once did you make me feel selfish for wanting to live out my dream. Quite the opposite, you told me not to give up. During the times I was ready to come home early, it was you who was telling me not to. To stick it out. That there was only a few weeks left and that you knew I could do this. I love you even more for your encouragement, despite how lonely you were and how much you missed me. Now, I’m finally coming home babe! I can’t wait to see what the next chapter has in store for us. 

This journey might be over..but my adventure will continue. There is still so much world to see (above and below the water), so many people to meet, drinks and laughs to be had, and plenty of time for me to, once again, get wanderfully lost.  

So, my fellow TJs…

‘Till later…

Ciao! 

-A

Before traveling to Thailand, I tried to talk to as many people as I could who had already been there. I wanted tips, recommendations of where to stay, what to do, where not to stay etc. My cousin Taffin traveled to South East Asia and stopped in Thailand last summer, so I messaged her and got some recommendations. One of her ABOSLUTE must-do’s in Chiang Mai was to visit the Buatong Waterfalls, a.k.a. The Sticky Waterfalls.

It was about an hour drive outside of Chiang Mai in the jungle and there are these gorgeous waterfalls that you actually WALK UP! You walk UP the falls! The rocks are very porous and when the water rushes over them, you don’t slip, therefore making them “sticky.”

These falls were AMAZING! It was so surreal. Your brain is telling you that you should be slipping, but you don’t. It really messes with you, but it was so worth it!

First we went down to the second level and climbed all the way to the top. The second time we climbed all the way down to the bottom and back up to the top again. We had such an amazing time, we decided to go back on our last day in Chiang Mai.

If you find yourself in Chiang Mai, DO NOT MISS THE BUATONG WATERFALLS! Seriously can’t stress this enough. 

Just Go!

‘Till later…

Ciao!

-A<3 

Chiang Mai has easily been one of my favorite places in Thailand. It’s still the second largest city in Thailand, but feels SO much more relaxed than Bangkok. Bangkok is crazy. Like, legitimately..CRAZY. Traffic is always bad. There are so many people, and it just feels much MUCH more crowded. Chiang Mai, is still busy, but substantially more laid back than Bangkok. That to me, was the biggest charm. Not to mention, there is so much to do there. 

After our day with the elephants, and then our day exploring Chiang Rai, we needed a recoup day. A day to just sleep, and barely leave the hostel..and we did just that. It was fabulous. You may be thinking..”Alysha, what the eff, why would you waste a day sitting at the hostel?” Let me tell you, recoup days are important, and entirely necessary. Besides, I wasn’t entirely unproductive, I went for a spa treatment and the next day we were off to cook, so I had no issues just relaxing.

Thai Cooking Class

If you know Lloyd and I at all, you know that we love to eat. I know, I’ve just made us sound like gluttons (which we aren’t), but seriously…who doesn’t love food? And Thai food, is probably one of my top, if not my #1 favorite kind of food. I love me my cashew chicken stir fry. What better way to learn how to cook stir fry, and curry and pad thai than the place it originated?! 

I left the research and decision to Lloyd as he’s the real chef out of the two of us, and he found one with the Thai Farm Cooking School. We were picked up early in the morning and taken to a local market to check out the produce, rice, meats  and pretty much every other type of food you could think of…even fried insects. From there we went to the school which is located on an organic farm. There, we wandered through the garden identifying lot of the ingredients we would be cooking with during the day. 

Our first dish was a soup. We got a choice between Tom Yum (Seafood) or Tom Kha (Coconut Chicken) Soup. I opted for the Tom Kha, whereas Lloyd went for the Tom Yum.

Next up…Pad Thai. One word..delicious!

Our third dish was the Curry. I decided to make a yellow curry because I can’t handle spice and the yellow curry tends to be milder than green and red. Lloyd went for the red. 

Fourth up..Chicken & Basil Stir Fry. This was probably my least favorite dish out of the 5 we made. It still wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t make it for myself at home.

Lastly, dessert. We made bananas in coconut milk…which was surprisingly sooooo good. I’m not sure what I expected, but it was quite tasty.

Needless to say, by the end of the day..I was stuffed and ready for a nap. But it was so worth it. If you’re in Chiang Mai and wanting to check out a cooking class…I would definitely recommend the Thai Farm Cooking School. You won’t be disappointed.

‘Till later…

Ciao!

-A<3

Thailand has been a destination on my Travel Bucket List for years. I actually can’t even remember the exact moment I decided I wanted to go to Thailand, I’ve just always known I needed to visit this place. 

So, when I was planning my 4 month trip..Thailand was a guaranteed MUST stop. 

Lloyd is a very good friend of mine who I met while working at Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse a few years back. I was STOKED when he decided to book a flight and meet me in Thailand for my first 2 weeks there (I know my mom was also relieved as well).

Our plan was to meet in Bangkok and stay for a couple nights, then head to one of the islands for a bit and then up to Chiang Mai for a week before Lloyd had to go home. All we had booked were our first 2 nights in Bangkok and 4 nights in Chiang Mai. The rest was all up in the air, which for me, was terrifying! I’m a planner, this is totally out of my comfort zone..but when in Thailand right?

Bangkok

Bangkok really is something else and I truly believe that everyone should experience it at least once in their life. Something about the hustle and bustle of the city really makes you appreciate home. 

Our first and only full day in Bangkok was spent exploring the many temples the city is home to. We hired a tuk tuk who drove us around for 2 hours and took us to 3 temples. Then we hired a taxi who drove us around for the rest of the day, took us to the Golden Mountain Temple, Wat Pho & Wat Arun. He also took us to this restaurant on the pier for lunch. There were NO tourists and it was delicious! 

Koh Phi Phi 

The next day, we decided to fly to Krabi and then take a ferry to Koh Phi Phi for a few days to get our taste of the island life. Besides a bed bug experience the first night and a little rain on and off the entire time we were there, Phi Phi is beautiful. We did a private Longtail boat tour with Mr. Chet (came recommended on Trip Advisor) which was definitely the highlight of our time on the island. 

Our boat trip started at 7:30 am, where we headed straight to a lagoon to swim and relax for an hour before heading to Maya Beach. This had to be the highlight of the day. We were completely alone, the water was like glass and you could see to the bottom. It was stunning. Lloyd, who doesn’t swim, even got in the water for the first time EVER! It was so perfect. 

Following the lagoon, we went to Maya Beach. For those who don’t know, Maya Beach is the famous beach where the Hollywood film “The Beach” was filmed, with Leonardo DiCaprio. Had the beach not been littered with garbage due to the wind and the throngs of tourists, it would have been a lot nicer. But it was one of those things you have to see. 

Following Maya Beach, we headed for lunch. Mr. Chet took us back to the lagoon, but this time, to the secluded beach that was nearby. No one was there but the two of us, and we enjoyed our fried rice and freshly cut pineapple (all provided by Mr. Chet) and watched boat after boat sail in and out of the lagoon. We were so grateful that Mr. Chet took us to the lagoon first thing in the morning so we could have it all to ourselves.

Next up: snorkelling! It has been quite awhile since I’ve been snorkelling, so I was a little nervous at first. Once I got over the initial panic when I saw hundreds of fish swimming around me, it was amazing! It also made me realize how badly I wanted to get dive certified!

Finally, we visited Monkey Beach for a couple photos with the cute little guys before heading back to the main island. It was an incredible day!

I also got a bamboo tattoo on Phi Phi Island! I mean when in Thailand right?

Phuket

Origially, we had planned to stay in Phi Phi for the whole week, but we really didn’t want or need to stick around for that long. On a whim we decided to take the ferry to Phuket instead, and we’re so glad we did! 

We visited the Big Buddha. Then I got a massage while Lloyd hung out at the beach and then we headed to Bengla Rd with Chooch, Meg and Zoe, some girls we met at our hostel. Bengla Road was INSANE! I don’t even know where to begin…think of Vegas on steroids, and you have Bengla Road. It was crazy!

The next day we had to catch an early flight to Bangkok so we could catch another flight to Chiang Mai for the remainder of Lloyd’s time in Thailand. 

I’ll post again about our time there…so stay tuned!

‘Till later…

Ciao!

-A<3  

My cousins have been living in the UAE for the last 4 years and working for Etihad Airlines. Many times over the years they’ve told me to come visit them, and they would arrange my flights and show me around. I knew when I booked this trip that Abu Dhabi was a guaranteed stop on my adventure. 

I was apprehensive before arriving in Abu Dhabi, considering it is a primarily Muslim country. I say this because I didn’t know how I would be viewed by the clothes I wore, etc. Needless to say, I was worried for no reason. Besides the drastically different landscape and the CRAZY heat, it didn’t seen as far away from home as it actually is. Everyone speaks English, many of the brands and shops we have at home they have here, and I felt very very safe. 

One thing you need to understand about Abu Dhabi is that in the summer, it’s hot. Unbearably hot. Like I’m talking, +55 degrees hot. It wasn’t that hot while I was there (thank god) but it did get up to 40 degrees on certain days. So, what does one do when it’s too hot to go outside? According to my cousin Tasha..you go for brunch. This is not like brunch in Canada where you go have some waffles or eggs at a restaurant. No no, this was some next level brunch. 
Basically, it’s all you can eat and drink for one price and 4 hours. Not to mention…there is every type of cuisine you could possibly imagine. Chinese, American, French, Indian, Japanese, Italian. You name it, it was there. Oh! And don’t even get me started on the desserts! 
Tasha, Aymeric had a awesome afternoon of drinks, great food and fabulous conversation. 

Day 2 was a day spent relaxing in the AC while watching a movie and then a quick visit Dubai in the evening to see the Atlantis Hotel, the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world), and to watch the fountains. 

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Most of the remainder of my time in Abu Dhabi was spent relaxing. Having been on the go for pretty much 3 months, I was ready to be lazy. To sleep in, watch movies, relax by the pool and just be for a bit. It was great! I did however, bike the Formula 1 Track, 3 times in 1 hour! My ass hurt after, but it was a lot of fun!

Mid-way through my stay I went on a Desert Safari. I was picked up at 4 pm by a man dressed in traditional Emirati clothing driving a Toyota 4-Runner. It was me and 5 other people on the tour. We drove for about an hour before we stopped and our driver (I believe his name was Sameer) got out to “let out the air in the tires.” Following this, he got back in the car, instructed us to fasten our seatbelts and asked one more time “Are you ready?” When it was a unanimous “Yes” from the group, he hit the gas! We were doing 140+ km/hr on gravel/sand roads and swerving left and right. I for sure thought these would be my last moments, but luckily, I was wrong, because what came next was incredible.

After driving for about 5 mins down the road (at +140 km/hr) we turned and started driving on the sand. It was dune bashing time! WHAT A THRILL! I swear there were times I thought for sure we would tip, but we didn’t. I wish I could accurately explain what it was like, but words just don’t do it justice, but it was SO much fun!

After a quick stop for some pictures and then another stop at a Camel farm for some pictures, we headed to camp. Here we got to ride camels, get a mendhi tattoo, have dinner, smoke shisha, watch a belly dancer, and just chat with the other people on the tour. In the end, it was a night I’ll always remember! Such awesome fun!

On my last day, my cousin Sommer, Aymeric & Sommer’s daughter Safya took me on a tour of Abu Dhabi itself. We saw the fish market, drove down the Corniche, had some Lebanese food, wandered through Emirates Palace and Sommer and I visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the evening. Visiting the Mosque was an amazing experience. I had to wear an abaya, and the inside was stunningly beautiful and entirely worth it. 

There is no wonder why my cousins have fallen in love with Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Something about it draws you in, and I can’t wait to visit again.

Tasha, Aymeric, Sommer, & Safya – Thank you for making my stay truly amazing. I can’t thank you enough for all your hospitality and helping my my trip just that much better. I’m so happy I got to experience Abu Dhabi with you! I love you all so much.

Now it’s off to Thailand for the remainder of my trip! Land of Smiles, here I COME!

‘Till later…

Ciao!

-A