Yet another week is coming to an end on our adventure, leading us into week 7 - HALF WAY!! I am extremely anxious at the thought of ending our travels in only 6 short weeks, but there is also comfort in knowing that I will be home so soon. Currently, I am walking the fine line of my comfort zone and finding out how hard it is to live the nomadic lifestyle. Naturally, I find myself feeling like we do not belong, or that we are trespassing in people's homes, because we don't have a permanent place to stay - not to mention living out of our suitcases. On top of this, not knowing people in the countries that we are traveling has an isolating effect on Lainie and I. Needless to say, I could never do this without her (or another travel companion). I am very proud of us for leaving our lives behind to go on this adventure, and for thriving as we have been despite the conditions.
We (mom, Lainie, and I) stayed in Bangkok for about 5 days at a colorful hotel that was in the heart of the backpacking hub. We were one street over from Khao San Road, Thailand's backpacker street, but ours was just as crowded with stalls of food and clothes, and lots of people every night. Bangkok was HUGE. The city boasts beautiful temples, but unlike the other cities that we visited in Thailand, it is home to many different districts/neighborhoods full of massive shopping malls and other attractions. We tried to do it all, but I wish we were more prepared in our planning. Some of my favorite parts of Bangkok include the floating market, spending time on Khao San, and seeing a train slowly travel through one of the markets - the market stalls and vendors actually move for the train!
After Bangkok, my mom, Lainie, and I flew to Phuket, Thailand - happy birthday to me! Phuket is home to GORGEOUS beaches with incredible views, as well as the Phuket Big Buddha that sits atop the Nakkerd Hills. We had three short days to enjoy the beach in Phuket, and they were glorious. Lainie and I got way too burnt on our first day and had to be careful for the next few, but even so, Phuket was the perfect "vacation from our vacation."
Saying goodbye to mom in the Phuket airport was harder than I thought it would be! All three of us had tears in our eyes as we group-hugged before parting ways. It was so nice to have mom here with us to mediate between Lainie and I - we needed it at this point - and to take care of us! While I am trying to become more mature and independent, I definitely needed some "mommy-time."
From Phuket, Lainie and I traveled overnight to Melbourne, Australia, and mom flew home to O'Hare. Melbourne has been a lot of fun to explore! It took Lainie and I a while to get used to understanding the people around us after we had been tuning out the languages that we couldn't understand. It almost overwhelmed us! In the last couple of days, we took tours to the Great Ocean Road and Philip Island. We got to see the Twelve Apostles, Loc Ard Gorge, plenty of Koalas and Kangaroos - and feed them! - and the penguin parade on Philip Island. The koalas, kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, and penguins are ADORABLE!! It's molting season for the penguins so they are chubby and adorable. The weather here has been quite crappy, but we made do and were rewarded with a beautifully sunny day to walk along the river and explore the festivals that the city had going on today. There is never a shortage of things to do here!
Tomorrow Lainie and I are flying to Sydney! I'm excited to explore more of Australia, as well as visit with a friend from volunteering in Vietnam.
Talk soon,
Lilly
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