The Best and Worst Moments of South East Asia

It's difficult to summarise my travelling in one post as so much happened and I experienced a lot of incredible things. However, travelling isn't just one big happy holiday, there are times where all you want to do is go home. I think it takes a particular type of person to withstand the challenges of long term travel, and I can 100% say that I am not the type. Since returning, I can honestly say that not once have I wanted to return at this moment in time. I certainly miss my adventures and am so happy I went but in all honesty, my life and home is here. I have my future career here, which isn't available abroad, so I'm grateful to have travelled but thankful that it only lasted 4 months.

So, as I experienced many highs but equally many lows, here are my best and worst travel moments!

BEST: Going to a Cat Cafe in Bangkok

This is an experience I have always wanted to do, and I finally ticked it off my bucket list in Bangkok. Just down the road from the MBK shopping centre is a really cool cat cafe! You can go in a have food and drink, whilst playing with the cats. We were lucky to have our own sat on our table which we could brush!

WORST: Turning up to our Koh Tao hostel

After enduring an 8-hour overnight bus and boat journey, the only thing on our minds was a nice shower and a clean room. Our hostel turned out to have anything but these things. The shower was absolutely disgusting and full of spiders (my biggest fear), and the rooms were so tiny that you could hardly move. The mattresses were like A&E plastic mats, and there were only two showers between the whole hostel. TWO!! Not only that, but because we had arrived at 9am, we had to wait until 2pm to check in after being up pretty much the entire night. Not about that travel life.

Around 5am in the morning, catching the boat to Koh Tao

BEST: Winning bowling whilst drunk in Laos

In Luang Prabang, there is not much nightlife. The main bar that every backpacker goes to closes at 11.15pm, so instead of going to bed, everyone goes... bowling! Yep, the bowling alley is open to 2am and serves alcohol, which means you can get drunk and bowl at the same time. Who knew that I was so good at bowling whilst being intoxicated?

WORST: Contracting a nasty virus in Bali

On our last day in Bali, I caught a horrible virus that left me feeling sick, faint, and incredibly tired. Not only that, but I also had to get up at 5am the next morning for what was the longest ferry journey to Lombok (which also doesn't have a proper hospital). I have never felt as ill as I have, and luckily it only lingered for about a week. My other side effects included puffy eyes, loss of appetite, swollen tonsils and my lymph nodes in my groin were tender and painful for about a week after. I thought I had contracted malaria! Thank god it didn't get any worse.

BEST: Tubing on the Mekong River

Whether you like it or not, everyone mainly visits Vang Vieng in Laos to go tubing, which is basically drinking in a rubber ring whilst floating down a river. You can stop off at bars along the way to grab some drinks. It might sound dangerous, but it is actually a lot of fun! At one point, I was very tipsy and the current was so strong that I was clinging on for dear life to a wooden pole whilst trying to hold on to my friends. The water wasn't deep so your chances of drowning are pretty slim, and as long as you are a sensible drinker, it can be a very fun experience!

WORST: Taking a hungover flight to Hue

Somehow we decided it would be a good idea to get way too drunk in Hanoi the night before our flight to Hue. This resulted in us meeting a friendly Vietnamese/American in a bar where he proceeded to buy us a lot of drinks, then dancing with some Americans in a club and trying the local delicacy of fried chicken feet, kindly offered to us by a lovely Vietnamese couple. It's safe to say that I woke up feeling pretty rough (and still drunk) the next morning. Throw a flight into the mix and you have the world's worst hangover. That's a day I never want to relive ever again.

My new Vietnamese friend

BEST: Watching Beauty and the Beast and eating Domino's in Hanoi

By this point, I was over half way into my travels and it had been a long time since I had tried any western food or visited a western style mall. I was also desperate to see Beauty and the Beast, so we hopped in a cab to take us to the nearest mall. Oh boy, this mall was so clean and shiny, which is exactly what I needed. We had Domino's pizza which is expensive for Vietnamese standards, but cheap for the UK. After, we went to the nicest cinema so I could finally get my Disney fix. I wouldn't have changed that day for anything.

WORST: Being on a bus that hit a motorcyclist in Ho Chi Minh

Whilst on our way to the Cu Chi tunnels, our crazy bus driver hit a motorcyclist off his bike whilst turning. My friend Charlotte was sitting by the window and saw the whole thing, and when I looked, all I could see was the man lying in a pool of blood on the floor with one leg at a right angle. Luckily there were two doctors on our bus who immediately went to help him. Another lucky scenario was the fact that we were close to a hospital. The paramedics turned up in what I can only describe as a trailer type ambulance, and the man was treated. It was scary stuff, and I'm confident that he had only broken his leg and cut his head. Vietnam is notorious for dangerous moped drivers, but when you are personally involved in a crash, that's when you realise just how much of an issue it is. The worst part? Our poor tour guide who had been flung into the windscreen during the collision then had to carry on leading our tour. Poor him!

BEST: Our day tour of Lombok from the locals

Lombok is a very quiet yet beautiful island. The best way to see it is to hire a guide for the day to take you to the main sites like the Tiu Kelep waterfall.  Our guide drove us around and let us experience the true Lombok. We were accompanied by his trainee (Apenkz) who was only 17 and really interested in improving his English. They drove us everywhere and our tour lasted the entire day. At the end, they took us to a secluded beach so we could watch the sunset, and it was here that I truly experienced the peace and tranquillity of Lombok. They also bought us some Ramadan local street food that most tourists don't get to try. It was delicious and is only available during Ramadan, so we really experienced the local way of life. It was one of my favourite days and the best thing is that I still have Apenkz on facebook, so can keep in contact with him!

Lombok Sunset

WORST: Bus journey to Pai

If you get motion sickness, you may want to prepare yourself for the bus journey from Chiang Mai to Pai. It has 762 turns, which resulted in the windiest bus journey of my entire life. Couple that with the fact that we were crammed into the back with very little leg room, and you have the journey from hell. The couple in front of us unfortunately couldn't handle the turns and suffered from motion sickness, which led to the rest of our journey smelling like vomit. Oh, there's also no way back other than the way you came, so you have to endure the same journey again. This time, I was sitting near the front and literally got flung from me seat whilst wearing a seat belt. Not for the faint hearted!

2016 in pictures: One of the best years of my life

Can you believe another year has passed?!

2016 went by so fast, and I can't believe that 2017 is here already! Last year, I wrote a blog post which summed up 2015 in pictures instead of words. I love looking back at the memories made, so I thought I would do the same for 2016 using pictures I have taken on my phone.

It's a long one, but without further ado, here is my 2016 in pictures...

Raising £250 for Breast Cancer Now by hosting my own charity coffee morning!

Geeky I know but who knew how much self-satisfaction you can get from growing the correct bacteria needed for your dissertation?!

Feeling like a scientist by creating and presenting my project at university

Making it through the cold winter to see sunnier, spring days like this

And witnessing an evening sky like this

Finally handing in my 8000 word research project, yet still having 3 exams to go before the end. So close, yet so far...

Having a cute revision buddy to keep me going... almost there!

Moving back home after 3 years at university

Spending my 21st birthday eating Hummingbird Bakery cupcakes in Portobello Road

And partying in Soho!

More baking!

Cycling through the Kent countryside in preparation for my charity cycle ride

Waking up on Friday 24th June to this news headline

Stopping in a random French village for the best tasting coffee whilst cycling to Paris

Arriving in a drizzly Paris with the view of this statue's bum after cycling over 400 km!

Graduating from university with a BSc in Biomedical Science!

Watching Glastonbury on the big screen and in the sun (and secretly wishing I was there)

Spending many summer evenings with walks along the beach

Returning to a country I love despite the horrific events Turkey has suffered in 2016

Taking a mud bath in Turkey

Seeing a natural wonder of the world at Pamukkale

Taking this photo (my favourite photo and memory in the world)

Dancing the night away to live country music in Nashville

Watching the sun set over the Memphis skyline

Wandering through the city that was one of the homes of Rock n Roll

Staying in this hostel (yes it really is a hostel!)

Waking up somewhere in Utah/Arizona to this view!

Coming close to a tarantula (my biggest fear)

Walking through our Vegas hotel hungover and in our robes

Wandering around the Las Vegas hotels in awe

Fulfilling a lifelong dream of going to LA

Taking a spontaneous trip to San Fran

Escaping reality at the happiest place on earth

Flying (literally) over the Grand Canyon

Getting festive!

Drinking copious amounts of mulled wine

Seeing this view of Oxford Street from a rooftop bar

Couldn't resist adding a picture of a London skyline

Seeing in person the famous stairs in the Spice Girls 'Wannabe' music video

2016 was actually a really good year for me, despite what everyone thinks of the year! I think life is what you make it (Hannah Montana quote right there), and you can choose to look back on 2016 as the worst year of your life, but what are you taking away from that outlook?

Take the negatives, embrace them and learn for the future. Even though terrible things may have happened, to the world or personally, remember you are never alone in this world which can make such a huge difference when coping with difficult periods of your life.
If you have an optimistic view on life, you will always see the good things which in my opinion, is what makes life so god damn special. If you can appreciate what you've got then life becomes amazing and worth living! So to end, stop comparing yourself to others, recognise the important people in your life and most importantly, make sure you enjoy the life you are living!

I wish you a happy and healthy new year!

Love, Charlotte x

A Taste of Turkey

I recently returned from my summer holiday in Turkey and thought I would write a travel post about the country.

I stayed in Fethiye, which is your average tourist resort, with plenty of bars, restaurants and excursions. If you visit this area, you are sure to have a relaxing and enjoyable holiday where you don't have to plan too much to use up your time.

If however, you are like me and love exploring 'off the beaten track', then this post will feature places where you won't find many tourists and can really embrace the Turkish culture

Let me start by saying that Turkey is a beautiful country that has sadly been bombarded with many tragic events, putting tourists off of visiting there.

When I went, there was no sign of any conflicts or unrest, and I felt as safe as I feel at home, so please do not let the media and the actions of a few organisations put you off.

The first place I would recommend is the Yaka Gizlivadi restaurant. There is a farm/restaurant by a similar name close by, but I'm talking only about this restaurant. It is situated near the Saklikent Gorge (well worth a visit too), and if you are looking for a tranquil place to eat and refresh, this is the place to visit.

You can sit (or rather lie down) in the traditional treetop huts whilst taking in the breathtakingly beautiful surroundings. Fresh water runs through the restaurant from the mountains and creates a calming atmosphere as you relax to the background noise of trickling water.

I was the only person in the restaurant when I went, so you will not bump into many tourists here.
Combine this with a visit to the Saklikent Gorge and it makes a perfect day out.

The second place to visit is the Olive Garden restaurant in Kabak, near Olu Deniz. This restaurant boasts stunning clifftop views and an infinity pool. It takes a while to reach by car, where you will wind around some nerve-wracking mountain roads, but the drive is worth it. The food is delicious, and combined with a swim in the pool, makes for a unique day out. Words cannot do this place any justice, so I'll let the pictures convey the charm of this place.

Only the natural sounds of the sea and nature can be heard, and you really feel like you are in a luxury hotel here. This is one place that is not to be missed if you really want to take in the beauty of this country.

If you want something fun and different, take a visit to the Sultaniye Thermals and Mud Baths near Koycegiz. This is the one where the locals go so there will be no tourists flocking here on excursions. 

For only 4 TL (about £1), you can use the natural spring baths before bathing in a pool of mud. After drying in the sun, you can wash it off by jumping in the crystal clear lake. Not only will your skin feel amazing, but you will also be crying with laughter when you start to look like an alien as the mud hardens in the sun.

Wash off the mud by jumping into the crystal clear waters of the lake

The views on the roads into the mud baths

My final must-do experience in Turkey is a visit to Pamukkale.

I've been lucky enough to go here twice, and each time it has taken my breath away.

The natural limestone/calcium pools, nicknamed "Cotton Castle', make it seem like you are walking on ice, but the water is warm enough to bathe in them as you ascend up. The ice blue pools make for magnificent photos and they make infinity pools look boring!

At the top, you can take a walk around the ancient ruins of Hierapolis. Do not forget to take a moment to absorb the view from the top. My recommendation is to go at sunset, when it starts to get cooler and less busy. There is nothing in the world that can beat watching the sun disappear behind the mountains, and it is a moment I will never forget. No amount of pictures can convey the peacefulness of this moment.

Cue the Pamukkale photo montage...

If you really wanted to treat yourself, you can book yourself into a nearby 5* hotel, like the Spa Hotel Colossae Thermal, and stay overnight to recover from the lengthy drive there and back. That way you can relax in the hotel pool before climbing Pamukkale, and enjoy a breakfast buffet (included) in the morning before driving back to your resort.

I hope this gives you a taste of what Turkey offers, and that wherever you go, you can always explore the real beauty by taking a step off the usual tourist hotspots.

Love Charlotte x