Just a sliver under twenty-four hours it took me. But, I finally made it to Kuala Lumpur. My only solace, my gateways to this city was through three of the top airports - when traveling finding free Wi-Fi is like hitting the jackpot and I certainly did at the airports at Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
My hostel was located near the bustling Pasar Seni (Central market) and Petaling Streets (China Town). But, first things first a shower -and it did not disappoint. I was soon hitting the busy streets of KL and exploring the Independence (Merdeka) Square area. The juxtaposition of the old and the new is seamless here. From the square you see the KL tower and the iconic Petronas Twin towers but the neo-Moorish architecture of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building across the street and the Tudor styled buildings that sit adjacent to the lawns still garner your attention.
After inhaling some food at the Pasar Seni food court- which was, surprisingly, disappointing - I was exploring Petaling Street and its pirated goods. It was here that the 'bull in a China shop' feeling first manifested itself. The alleys increasingly narrowing, yet the traffic steady. Later that night I met up with a long-time friend who lives in KL, Hetty. We went out to a neighborhood bar to catch-up on the latest, it had been fourteen years since we last saw each other!
The drinks were short-lived as I was still bleary-eyed after close to a day of traveling and another flight approaching in a few hours. I had roped Hetty into going to Koh Phi Phi with me early that following morning.
The last time I was in Phi Phi, it was for a short two-day jaunt and I promised myself then, that I would return at some point. This time we had four days to laze and explore on the tiny spit of land in the Andaman Sea.
Getting to Phi Phi is a bit of a trek in itself; an early morning Air Asia flight from KL to Phuket, then a taxi from Phuket Airport to the Rassada Pier and finally a two-hour ferry to Koh Phi Phi. The ferries aren't very frequent as we learned, we missed the first ferry of the day by five minutes and had to wait for two-and-a-half hours for the next ferry. The Pier isn't geared for stranded passengers, having only a few knick-knack shops and some benches haphazardly strewn about.
We arrived at Phi Phi slightly later than anticipated, due to engine trouble we experienced in the middle of the Andaman Sea. Fortunately, we had music and a small speaker to while-away the two-hour journey.
It helped that I was familiar with the island, as finding our hotel was a cinch. We were staying at the Phi Phi Palm Tree Hotel - affordable & very comfortable.
We went for a walk and found the ubiquitous fish spas that you find all over these parts. I was keen in giving it a try, Hetty was slightly more apprehensive - but she was game nonetheless. I can't quite describe the sensation of having hundreds of tiny fish eat away at the dead skin on the soles of your feet. The best way to describe it is as getting tickled. Hetty was a great sport even though the sensation of fish eating her dead skin was freaking her out. After our half hour was up, the only thing that was occupying my mind was: Hit the Pool! And that's exactly what we did... along with some tasty suds; Chang, Singha or Tiger all being viable options. After some pool lounging our appetites had reached mammoth proportions and we sat down at the beach-adjacent Tonsai Seafod Grill. Chicken Satays, Calamari rings and fried fish were accompanied by some "manly drinks" (cocktails).
After a much needed nap, we headed out to grab some food but to no avail, all the restaurants had closed for the evening - it was past ten o'clock. Instead we went to a beach bar and grabbed some food from a street vendor. This was followed by a few Chang's at the bar. After a few bevvies and people watching it was time to call it for our first day in paradise.
The next day, still feeling the jet-lag I was up early and decided to spend the first few hours reading 'Shantaram' by Gregory David Roberts. It turned out to be an excellent read especially when traveling through South East Asia. This day was spent entirely at the beach and the bar, not specifically in that order. We set out after breakfast at the hotel and perched ourselves at Lo Dalum Bay well into the blistering afternoon sun. The beach was almost empty when we first waded into the shallow Andaman. We migrated between the the calm waters and the icy, thirst quenching Chang's in what seemed like a perfectly choreographed routine. Towards lunch time we ordered some fries with our beers at the beach bar. This is one of my favorite childhood memories from living in Sri Lanka; coming back for a tasty reprieve after swimming in the ocean my parents would have fries, fresh off the fryer, waiting for us and the saltiness of your fingers (from the ocean) and the greasiness of the fries was the perfect blend of goodness. It takes me back to circa 1990 every time.
Another afternoon nap beckoned! After all this was relaxation, in its purest and most unadulterated!
We made sure not to repeat the previous nights' mistake and made it to a restaurant before they closed. For dinner, we had crab in chili oil, prawns in a rendang curry and eggplant all accompanied with some fried rice. The afternoon sun, the seafood feast, 'Cantaloupe Island' by Herbie Hancock all proved too much - I gave into the lulling coma that beckoned. That night I dreamt ...of what I can't remember.
Just like the morning before I was up early and continued to make my way through Roberts' 'Shantaram'. "Sometimes you have to surrender before you win." A quote that would resonate with me for the rest of the trip, more on that later.
Today was the day that we had booked our snorkeling trip. Last time I was in Phi Phi, I had no waterproof camera and suffice to say I was cursing that decision. This time though armed with a waterproof camera that took videos as well we embarked on an island hopping snorkeling tour. As we set out from Ton Sai Bay, the clouds looked ominous and sure enough after our first stop at Monkey Beach (so named for the colony of monkey's that congregate at the beach) the heavens opened up. As we made our way to the first snorkeling stop the rain eased for a bit. Snorkeling during a down-pour on the Andaman Sea - cross another off the bucket list. The snorkeling was still great, in spite of the rain. The variety of fish, impressive. The corals, bountiful. The water clarity, at least ten to fifteen feet.
The highlight of the trip though, was seeing a purple and black stripped sea snake. My first instinct was to freak out, but I remembered from watching too many Discovery Channel shows that although being highly venomous that sea snakes are very docile. I kept my distance but followed it for a little while before deciding to head back to the boat after about an hour of exploring. Next stop was Koh Phi Phi Leh, infamous for having 'The Beach' filmed there. We made our way through the rocky banks and walked across the island and arrived at Maya Bay. Even in the rain it was spectacular, the bay was walled in by limestone cliffs which provide a glaring contrast to the perfect and the sugary white sand. The rain eased as we headed back to Ton Sai Bay. The clouds cleared just enough to see the vespertine colors of the sunset, and the entire boat sat in silence and enjoyed the fried rice that was included with the tour. As we approached Ton Sai the rain picked up again.
The last full day on the island inevitably arrived. The rain from the previous day had given rise to the perfect island day, balmy yet with the odd breeze that provided a brief yet welcomed respite. We lazed around in the morning getting in ample beach and pool time, always accompanied by a cold beer. The real treat came at dinner time, Hetty and I had our hearts set on having lobster, and we satisfied this extravagant craving. We ordered prawns in chili oil, black peppered lobster and thai-styled steamed clams, of course accompanied by fried rice. Barring the odd shell, the plates might as well been licked clean. It was more greed than hunger that fueled our appetites, but it was satisfying to see empty dishes line our table.
The next morning we had to catch the morning ferry back to the mainland. Hetty and I sat in silence for the most of the two-hour ferry ride. We played back the four days we spent on Phi Phi and the great memories that we were taking with us. I still had five days left of my trip, but it was with a heavy heart that I was leaving Thailand - few place have ever tugged at my heart's strings as Koh Phi Phi. As we boarded our delayed flight back to KL, one thought resonated in my mind, "Sometimes you have to surrender before you win."
To Be Continued....
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Researching/Planning a trip : SE Asia
Sometimes I enjoy planning for travel as much as I enjoy traveling. That being said, there is a cornucopia of websites that promise to make it seamless and easy. So with so many sites how do you choose which to use? With my trip to SE Asia coming up, I'll cater this post to reflect traveling to this area of the world and how I went about working out the logistics for it.
So first things first, where the heck did I want to go exploring? Head to Laos to explore the fog-shrouded mountains and verdant valleys or make my way through Vietnam and engorge on its fantastic cuisine? Or perhaps, venture through the myriad of Indonesian cultures and islands? This is the beauty of South East Asia- your options are boundless!
Given this, I had trouble ratcheting down my itinerary, so many places I wanted to explore and yet, that eternal conundrum of limited vacation days. I finally settled on making Kuala Lumpur my base. The main reason for this is that Air Asia, a budget airline, has its hub here. Also, I have some childhood friends that live in KL as well - so I'm excited to meet up with them.
I booked my flight to Kuala Lumpur through Singapore Air, not the cheapest but I chose to splurge given the long-haul and I know from past experience, that they are one of the best! Kayak helped narrow down dates, but ultimately brought it directly through the SingaporeAir website.
I perused the State Department website to determine the entry requirements for the various countries in the region. Fortunately, Malaysian entry requirements were kind on the U.S. Passport- no visa required! Winning!
And neither did Thailand. However, both Cambodia and Vietnam required a visa. However, Cambodia offers an online visa process. Score! This, and the fact that Air Asia had a direct flight to Siem Reap pretty much made it a shoe-in. Vietnam, however, was a little more cumbersome. The visa processing wasn't offered online, also given my time limitation I knew I wouldn't be able to dedicate enough time to explore the culinary and cultural wonders of this nation.
For lodging I mostly rely on Hostel World, but given the fact that lodging is nowhere in comparison to exorbitant prices in Europe, you may be able to splurge on a budget. Checkout Trip Advisor for recommended lodgings, and Agoda for specials deals. I found two awesome hostels in Kuala Lumpur through Hostel World (both of which had won the Hoscar awards handed out by Hostel World), both satisfying my criterion of having easy access to KLIA and being nearby the bar/restaurant scene.
I hope this sheds some light onto my thought process, when researching a trip. Don't hesitate to leave a comment on here or follow me on twitter (@SHazDePinto).
The Help:
Flights:
Kayak.com
Skyscanner.net
AirAsia.com
Research:
Wikitravel.org
Travelfish.org
travel.state.gov/travel
Lodging:
hostelworld.com
agoda.com
tripadvisor.com
So first things first, where the heck did I want to go exploring? Head to Laos to explore the fog-shrouded mountains and verdant valleys or make my way through Vietnam and engorge on its fantastic cuisine? Or perhaps, venture through the myriad of Indonesian cultures and islands? This is the beauty of South East Asia- your options are boundless!
Given this, I had trouble ratcheting down my itinerary, so many places I wanted to explore and yet, that eternal conundrum of limited vacation days. I finally settled on making Kuala Lumpur my base. The main reason for this is that Air Asia, a budget airline, has its hub here. Also, I have some childhood friends that live in KL as well - so I'm excited to meet up with them.
I booked my flight to Kuala Lumpur through Singapore Air, not the cheapest but I chose to splurge given the long-haul and I know from past experience, that they are one of the best! Kayak helped narrow down dates, but ultimately brought it directly through the SingaporeAir website.
I perused the State Department website to determine the entry requirements for the various countries in the region. Fortunately, Malaysian entry requirements were kind on the U.S. Passport- no visa required! Winning!
And neither did Thailand. However, both Cambodia and Vietnam required a visa. However, Cambodia offers an online visa process. Score! This, and the fact that Air Asia had a direct flight to Siem Reap pretty much made it a shoe-in. Vietnam, however, was a little more cumbersome. The visa processing wasn't offered online, also given my time limitation I knew I wouldn't be able to dedicate enough time to explore the culinary and cultural wonders of this nation.
For lodging I mostly rely on Hostel World, but given the fact that lodging is nowhere in comparison to exorbitant prices in Europe, you may be able to splurge on a budget. Checkout Trip Advisor for recommended lodgings, and Agoda for specials deals. I found two awesome hostels in Kuala Lumpur through Hostel World (both of which had won the Hoscar awards handed out by Hostel World), both satisfying my criterion of having easy access to KLIA and being nearby the bar/restaurant scene.
I hope this sheds some light onto my thought process, when researching a trip. Don't hesitate to leave a comment on here or follow me on twitter (@SHazDePinto).
The Help:
Flights:
Kayak.com
Skyscanner.net
AirAsia.com
Research:
Wikitravel.org
Travelfish.org
travel.state.gov/travel
Lodging:
hostelworld.com
agoda.com
tripadvisor.com
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Less than 36 hours in LA/Pasadena, CA
Disclaimer: this post is less about LA/Pasedena and more about relishing the companionship you revel in while traveling/eating/drinking.
Southern California, LA, the city of Angels. The mere mention of it causes every inch of my being to let out a sigh, as images of smog-filled valleys and concrete snakes that invade into every direction of by-gone scenes of serenity take over my psyche. Now this may be embellishment, high melodrama, but you know for the most part this is true.
Lately though, I'm discovering a different Los Angeles . It's up and coming downtown area, with the many foodie-enticing restaurants to the always chic shops.
I was in LA this time around to meet-up with my cousin, who was visiting from Melbourne with two of his mates. In fact, one of them I had gone to school with when I lived in Melbourne, Australia. I took a very late flight out of the Bay Area on South West Air, as usual the flight attendants were hilarious! South West really knows how to get folks to pay attention during the in-flight safety walk-through. Sarah, a friend from college picked me up from LAX and we were off to meet up with two of my cousins (one is a LA local). They had found a watering hole (Far Bar) in Japan-town. The wings here are some of the best I've had; they were perfectly crispy, spicy and not drenched in sauce like those other guys'. After copious amount of beverages we decided to call it a some-what early night.
The next morning, we decided to head to the Griffith Observatory while we waited for my cousin's two mates to arrive from Las Vegas. It was a perfect smoggy LA day- downtown LA was barely visible. At least, I could see the Hollywood sign from the Observatory. Besides the smog, it was an otherwise gorgeous day, it was in the seventies and I was enjoying wearing shorts at the beginning of January. Yeah, Southern Californian summers are brutal.
While my cousins went to LAX, Sarah and myself were dropped off in the city of Alhambra. We found a bar and waited till the rest of the group arrived. We were heading to the legendary Boiling Crab for a late lunch. As usual though, in spite of Alhambra having two locations, the wait was immense. Having promised the Aussies this legendary meal, we were hesitant to ditch Boiling Crab. Fortunately, there is another fine establishment that has modeled itself after this concept and is a stones-throw away. BoatHouse had no wait and gave us essentially the same great cajun-styled seafood that Boiling Crab serves.
For those of you who haven't been, Boiling Crab/BoatHouse is the epitome of casual eating. First a paper table 'cloth' gets laid on the table, bibs and rolls of paper towels provided. The menu is mainly seafood with various types of seasonings offered in a varying spice level depending on how much pain you're willing to endure. Being that most of us at the table grew up with spicy/hot food - we ordered the X-Spicy option.
First the pitchers of beer arrived on the table then followed by raw oysters in the half shell. Then the serious stuff started rolling in: First the clams, this was my first time having clams in Cajun seasoning - probably one of my favorite ways to eat clams now! The spice and garlic combo played off well with the salty/gritty-ness of the clams. Next up was the Crawfish (or Crawdads) and 'Shrimp' (or Prawns which, I argue is the correct terminology-but I'll spend more time on this in a later post). Both, a favorite and staple that we always get. The cold beer did a good job at keeping the pain bearable and conversation flowing. The usual talk about the exorbitant cost of living in Australia and how much cheaper goods are in America is a popular topic and is whenever we have guests from that part of the world. Sarah, my cousin from Melbourne and myself were in Sri Lanka a year ago, so we were re-living some of the highlights of that and my trip to Melbourne in March of 2011 was also a talking point. All in all, the perfect recipe to serve up plenty of laughs.
The clams were so good another round is ordered along with another pitcher of beer. All of us had reached that point where we had achieved a comfortably full feeling, but we all chose to ignore it and keep chomping down on the greasy seafood goodness. Besides the seafood the corn and sausages are also excellent as side orders.
Shortly before sunset we left the BoatHouse. A brief respite before the evenings festivities in old-town Pasedena got underway. I was craving a nap after that coma-inducing meal, but sadly to no avail.
Sarah and I, met some of her friends who live in Pasedena for a few drinks before the bars and a couple mates of mine from Santa Monica joined us as well. The first place we went to was more of a club sort of place and was immediately nixed by the majority. Instead we went to Barney's Beanery next door, which offers a diner/sports bar feel. The conversations continued amongst more food and drinks. We ended the night at King Taco- the ubiquitous late night spot for greasy concoctions. It was sometime after two in the morning and I had a flight to catch in six hours, so thinking it to be the wiser choice I decided to part ways with the group. Sarah and I had a bit of a walk too back to her apartment too.
Fortunately, I didn't sleep through my alarm clock and Sarah was gracious enough to drive me to the airport at this god-forsaken hour. The rest of LA/Pasadena agreed and the ride to LAX was done in record time as there was no one on the road.
I was already regretting the King Taco choice last night (but it was so good at two in the morning!), I boarded my South West flight back home with a middle seat that was empty, SCORE! I was hoping to get some sleep but a conversation with the person on the aisle seat ensued. It was probably one of the best conversations I've had on a plane with a stranger. I'm always uncertain whether to engage in this type of conversation. I feel like most people want to either sleep or tune out by watching movies/or listening to music. But, there is also this exotic notion of meeting someone, a stranger, who by chance sat next to you and discovering pleasantly similar takes on life. I know we all have dreamed or imagined this type of scenario; a person whom you hit-it-off with, someone you would've never met if not for this flight. This flight was said scenario for me. We talked mainly about travel, and discovered that we were both ravenous travelers. We traded tips on must-sees around the world. We did The List- this is where you count the number of countries you've visited. I confessed to being hungover, and hope she didn't smell the alcohol from last night, she was returning home from a wedding of a friend. We discussed career goals, something that often gets in the way of traveling and how we side-step and at the same-time seamlessly mesh the two often opposing poles. We discussed cultures and the habits of its people. The short flight, went by even quicker and we continued chatting till we were curbside. Now the moment where it becomes a little awkward -do we exchange contact details, do we let this be a the perfect encounter never to be ruined. Or do we not chance fate and see this through? This, eerily seemed like a Jack Peñate song being played out......
Southern California, LA, the city of Angels. The mere mention of it causes every inch of my being to let out a sigh, as images of smog-filled valleys and concrete snakes that invade into every direction of by-gone scenes of serenity take over my psyche. Now this may be embellishment, high melodrama, but you know for the most part this is true.
Lately though, I'm discovering a different Los Angeles . It's up and coming downtown area, with the many foodie-enticing restaurants to the always chic shops.
I was in LA this time around to meet-up with my cousin, who was visiting from Melbourne with two of his mates. In fact, one of them I had gone to school with when I lived in Melbourne, Australia. I took a very late flight out of the Bay Area on South West Air, as usual the flight attendants were hilarious! South West really knows how to get folks to pay attention during the in-flight safety walk-through. Sarah, a friend from college picked me up from LAX and we were off to meet up with two of my cousins (one is a LA local). They had found a watering hole (Far Bar) in Japan-town. The wings here are some of the best I've had; they were perfectly crispy, spicy and not drenched in sauce like those other guys'. After copious amount of beverages we decided to call it a some-what early night.
The next morning, we decided to head to the Griffith Observatory while we waited for my cousin's two mates to arrive from Las Vegas. It was a perfect smoggy LA day- downtown LA was barely visible. At least, I could see the Hollywood sign from the Observatory. Besides the smog, it was an otherwise gorgeous day, it was in the seventies and I was enjoying wearing shorts at the beginning of January. Yeah, Southern Californian summers are brutal.
While my cousins went to LAX, Sarah and myself were dropped off in the city of Alhambra. We found a bar and waited till the rest of the group arrived. We were heading to the legendary Boiling Crab for a late lunch. As usual though, in spite of Alhambra having two locations, the wait was immense. Having promised the Aussies this legendary meal, we were hesitant to ditch Boiling Crab. Fortunately, there is another fine establishment that has modeled itself after this concept and is a stones-throw away. BoatHouse had no wait and gave us essentially the same great cajun-styled seafood that Boiling Crab serves.
For those of you who haven't been, Boiling Crab/BoatHouse is the epitome of casual eating. First a paper table 'cloth' gets laid on the table, bibs and rolls of paper towels provided. The menu is mainly seafood with various types of seasonings offered in a varying spice level depending on how much pain you're willing to endure. Being that most of us at the table grew up with spicy/hot food - we ordered the X-Spicy option.
First the pitchers of beer arrived on the table then followed by raw oysters in the half shell. Then the serious stuff started rolling in: First the clams, this was my first time having clams in Cajun seasoning - probably one of my favorite ways to eat clams now! The spice and garlic combo played off well with the salty/gritty-ness of the clams. Next up was the Crawfish (or Crawdads) and 'Shrimp' (or Prawns which, I argue is the correct terminology-but I'll spend more time on this in a later post). Both, a favorite and staple that we always get. The cold beer did a good job at keeping the pain bearable and conversation flowing. The usual talk about the exorbitant cost of living in Australia and how much cheaper goods are in America is a popular topic and is whenever we have guests from that part of the world. Sarah, my cousin from Melbourne and myself were in Sri Lanka a year ago, so we were re-living some of the highlights of that and my trip to Melbourne in March of 2011 was also a talking point. All in all, the perfect recipe to serve up plenty of laughs.
The clams were so good another round is ordered along with another pitcher of beer. All of us had reached that point where we had achieved a comfortably full feeling, but we all chose to ignore it and keep chomping down on the greasy seafood goodness. Besides the seafood the corn and sausages are also excellent as side orders.
Shortly before sunset we left the BoatHouse. A brief respite before the evenings festivities in old-town Pasedena got underway. I was craving a nap after that coma-inducing meal, but sadly to no avail.
Sarah and I, met some of her friends who live in Pasedena for a few drinks before the bars and a couple mates of mine from Santa Monica joined us as well. The first place we went to was more of a club sort of place and was immediately nixed by the majority. Instead we went to Barney's Beanery next door, which offers a diner/sports bar feel. The conversations continued amongst more food and drinks. We ended the night at King Taco- the ubiquitous late night spot for greasy concoctions. It was sometime after two in the morning and I had a flight to catch in six hours, so thinking it to be the wiser choice I decided to part ways with the group. Sarah and I had a bit of a walk too back to her apartment too.
Fortunately, I didn't sleep through my alarm clock and Sarah was gracious enough to drive me to the airport at this god-forsaken hour. The rest of LA/Pasadena agreed and the ride to LAX was done in record time as there was no one on the road.
I was already regretting the King Taco choice last night (but it was so good at two in the morning!), I boarded my South West flight back home with a middle seat that was empty, SCORE! I was hoping to get some sleep but a conversation with the person on the aisle seat ensued. It was probably one of the best conversations I've had on a plane with a stranger. I'm always uncertain whether to engage in this type of conversation. I feel like most people want to either sleep or tune out by watching movies/or listening to music. But, there is also this exotic notion of meeting someone, a stranger, who by chance sat next to you and discovering pleasantly similar takes on life. I know we all have dreamed or imagined this type of scenario; a person whom you hit-it-off with, someone you would've never met if not for this flight. This flight was said scenario for me. We talked mainly about travel, and discovered that we were both ravenous travelers. We traded tips on must-sees around the world. We did The List- this is where you count the number of countries you've visited. I confessed to being hungover, and hope she didn't smell the alcohol from last night, she was returning home from a wedding of a friend. We discussed career goals, something that often gets in the way of traveling and how we side-step and at the same-time seamlessly mesh the two often opposing poles. We discussed cultures and the habits of its people. The short flight, went by even quicker and we continued chatting till we were curbside. Now the moment where it becomes a little awkward -do we exchange contact details, do we let this be a the perfect encounter never to be ruined. Or do we not chance fate and see this through? This, eerily seemed like a Jack Peñate song being played out......
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Resolutions of a travel-junkie and potential travel destinations of 2012
Dear Friends (i.e. itchybrownfeet readers),
Happy 2012 to all of you out there in the blogosphere!! I start this new year slightly different to how I've spent in the last three or four years....in my own home, in my own bed! For once, I decided to bring in the New Year with some close friends in the Bay Area.
As many others, I found myself in retrospection of all that was achieved in 2011 and subsequently the goals I had for myself in 2012. In the spirit of this blog here are my travel related resolutions for 2012:
1. Make it to South America - the last frontier (not counting Antarctica) in my jaunts around the globe.
2. Angkor Wat...you heard me.
3. Avoid paying baggage fees on domestic routes (Got myself a Mileage Plus Explorer Card so that should ease up the baggage squeeze on United flights)
4. Coachella...yes please!
5. Bring in 2013 on a beach, a warm one at that! :)
There you have it, those are my top five.
That being said, my first trip is in the works, I'll be heading to South East Asia: Angkor Wat, Bali and Malaysia/Singapore being worked into that itinerary.
I hope to catch up with all of you soon. Stay tuned for more itchybrownfeet in 2012 - please don't forget to follow me. First travel post of 2012 (from 2011) will be uploaded soon.
All the best for 2012 and a toast to all the memories that await us this leap year! I hope that I'm fortunate enough to be part of your year in some way or form.
Yours,
Shaz
Happy 2012 to all of you out there in the blogosphere!! I start this new year slightly different to how I've spent in the last three or four years....in my own home, in my own bed! For once, I decided to bring in the New Year with some close friends in the Bay Area.
As many others, I found myself in retrospection of all that was achieved in 2011 and subsequently the goals I had for myself in 2012. In the spirit of this blog here are my travel related resolutions for 2012:
1. Make it to South America - the last frontier (not counting Antarctica) in my jaunts around the globe.
2. Angkor Wat...you heard me.
3. Avoid paying baggage fees on domestic routes (Got myself a Mileage Plus Explorer Card so that should ease up the baggage squeeze on United flights)
4. Coachella...yes please!
5. Bring in 2013 on a beach, a warm one at that! :)
There you have it, those are my top five.
That being said, my first trip is in the works, I'll be heading to South East Asia: Angkor Wat, Bali and Malaysia/Singapore being worked into that itinerary.
I hope to catch up with all of you soon. Stay tuned for more itchybrownfeet in 2012 - please don't forget to follow me. First travel post of 2012 (from 2011) will be uploaded soon.
All the best for 2012 and a toast to all the memories that await us this leap year! I hope that I'm fortunate enough to be part of your year in some way or form.
Yours,
Shaz
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