Exploring Southeast Asia

Phuket sunset

by Scotland Willis

Having returned from Southeast Asia and arriving back in the United States, I can check of yet another adventure from my bucket list.  For those of my readers unfamiliar with a bucket list; it is a list of things you would like to do before the end of one's life.

For a long time a visit to Asia has been on my list; though three weeks is hardly enough time to experience the full greatness of this geographic area, it was a healthy introduction of what to expect upon my return at some point in time.

My activities ranged from visiting 6-8 Temples per day in Siam Reap (Northern Cambodia) to biking down the enormous mountainous region that surrounds much of Southeast Asia.  I manage to witness the devastating damage the record flooding had in Thailand.  My arrival into Siam Reap was preceded by rivers of water passing through nearly every street; in fact, our tuk-tuk was knee high in water the evening of our arrival, but by morning it was virtually impossible to tell. Despite that there was a record storm in Thailand, good fortune seemed to be on my side; I was either behind every major storm or in front of every storm in Southeast Asia.

I traveled alone which was both comforting and lonely at times; what made the journey amazing was the people I met along the way.  I believe this is what traveling is all about; for if I were the only person on Earth and I had the ability to travel the world but no one to speak with, I could fully embrace the exploration of it but would miss the human contact.  What does this add to our journey?

Monks practicing martial arts

First I believe it helps bring the world to us versus going out to see it.  The advantage in this is that it expands our thinking and curiosity about what is still beyond the horizon- it helps our imagination expand itself.  We may not always be able to reach all these magnificent destinations in a given time frame, but the encounters we have along the way can help us prioritize how we add new destinations to our ever expanding list.  The second major advantage of meeting new people along the way is developing an inside scoop on what's up in a region they might have recently visited.  Also people we meet with and have a good vibe/ chemistry with, are more likely to share similar points of interests which can help bypass some of the more mundane processes or less attractive aspects of our travel and destinations.  One example is my journey from Phnom Pehn to Siam Reap via tour bus; all I knew was that I wanted to go to Siam Reap; I had my tour book with me (which I found in a box of books on the street in Boston that someone was throwing out), and looked up a couple of key sights.  After a relative uncomfortable ride (BUT MOST INTERESTING!  More on this momentarily), I disembarked into the darkness in Siam Reap and immediately started seeking out someone who might have a bit more information or even different information than myself.

Great decision!  I bumped into Lou' (who is a fantastic woman from Melbourne Australia) and said simply "Are you headed into town..." and "Do you mind if I ride with you (we were taking a tuk-tuk).  Her response was "Sure!"  And away we went.  We ended up spending the next four days together exploring Siam Reap because of our like mindedness and curiosity about each other.

You have to have a certain amount of courage and trust while traveling; there are some wonderful people out there that can really transform your traveling experience and it just doesn't make sense to travel abroad if you don't at least attempt to break your normal habits.  The world is an enormously curious place and we are gifted with the ability to explore it; hopefully we add to the value to the place we travel as we pass through it, and don't suck the life out of it.  Ask yourself what you are doing to give back in some way as you pass through.

I could not have scripted (planned), a better visit if I had tried- it was absolutely perfect!  I returned to the U.S. feeling like there was a place on top of the world and I was right there.  It was truly the adventure of a life time.