LIFE: Solitude - Hello and good bye homesickness!

Hello homesickness and good bye again! Traveling alone is one of the most exciting things you can do. You make such amazing experiences and there's always something or someone new to discover. It can either be a new travel buddy, a friend, locals but mostly it's yourself who you discover from a new side each and everyday.
Something you're definitely going to discover is traveling's biggest enemy - homesickness. Thinking of how much better you would feel like being back home with your family and friends and feeling comfortable in your trustful home with all the familiar surroundings will just ruin your travel experiences. When you're homesick it feels like your discovering the world through a pair of glasses of negativity. Everyone and everything seems uninteresting and you're not feeling like you want to go out and discover the world. You will mostly like to crawl away into a hole just spending the whole day in bed reading a book or siting in the most western cafés which looks like at home to use their WiFi so you can connect to the digital world of back home and feel like you're there. Your diary entries start to sound pessimistic and your backpack starts to get more chaotic than in the beginning. Everyone in your dorm who tries to make friends with you is just bothering your privacy and you wish you would be in your own room back home instead of staying in a 6 to 12-bed dorm for months sharing a bathroom with several strangers. You start taking lesser pictures than in the beginning of your traveling and you spend more time sending long messages to people back home hoping to receive a long massage back. And you just feel like you're out of place and you're missing out all the great stuff happening back home while there's actually nothing exciting going on back home that you would miss out.
Don't let homesickness ruin your days while traveling because these days should be unforgettable and you know that one day you will return back home. Just remember that it was your own decision to travel alone so stop complaining and destroying your amazing experience. Treat yourself with a nice breakfast and start the day with wanderlust, motivation and positive energy. Look forward to all the amazing countries you're still going to visit, all the strange food you're going to taste and all the interesting people from all over the world you're going to meet. Traveling alone is like riding a roller coaster of  emotions. You just have to deal with it.

Good ways of curing homesickness:

- write down your emotions in your travel journal
- write a blog post about homesickness (hahaha)
- look for a café or a restaurant where you get the same food as back home (it is expensive though but once in a while you should treat yourself)
- send pictures to friends and family so they can take part of your experience. This will let you feel less alone
- ask people in your hostel to join you having breakfast, lunch, dinner etc.
- talk to other travelers about your homesickness - everyone had, has or will have the same problem so don't think you're the only traveler who misses home

Always be curious!

Love,
- AJ -

LIFE: Sporty Cambodians & aerobic session - Phnom Pehn, Cambodia

Just by looking at these active mid-age Cambodians make you want to put on your sneakers and get moving to the loud boom-box music at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. Waking up at 4.30 pm it totally worth it to see this wonderful morning scene of elders getting their joints loosen and their muscles active starting their daily aerobic session at 5 am (YES! At 5 am). All you couch potatoes out their should take a look at these Cambodians and get your body moved.

Foreigners are more than welcome to join their aerobic sessions, you just have to pay the more than motivated trainer 1000 riel at the end of the session. It makes you so happy to see these elder Cambodians moving their hips and enjoying the sun rise to really 90s-like trance music. Also watch Cambodian tennis players at the Olympic Stadium hitting the balls on the courts in front of the beautiful city view or watch groups of Cambodians practicing their tai chi skills.

- AJ -

LIFE: How to enjoy Vang Vieng without becoming a Zombie.

If you've never heard of the village Vang Vieng in Laos before then just google it and what you see on google pictures is excactly what you can expect here - A village full of young western backpackers who come here to party, get drunk and do drugs. It's a village where backpackers turn into "Zombies" (drunk, stoned, desoriented foreigner).

But don't neglect the beauty off this place. There are also other things to do here which won't influence your mental psyche through chemical reactions in your body.

- Leave the village centre by motorbike and go climbing at the amazing limestone rocks. Enjoy the nature and work out your physical and mental skills.

- Hang out at one of the riverside restaurants on your lazy day and spend your time watching "Friends". The perfect time killer when I'm homesick and wish I would sit on my couch with my flat mate watching "Friends" with him.

- If you're tired of the non-glamourous backpacker life go to a luxurious resort and ask if you can spend one day at their pool. They will charge 50000 kip (4,5€) for non-guests but you should treat yourself once in a while.

xx

- AJ - 

LIFE: How to behave in South East Asia

 
1. Dress up decent! It can get really hot here but why should you walk around in your bikini or in hot pants and in belly top? If it looks cheap back home it will aswell in Asia.

2. Beerlao, Chang Beer, Tiger Beer... yes, a cold beer can be refreshing. But there's no need to get drunk and then behave disrespectful towards tourists and especially locals.

3. Take off your shoes before you enter somebody's home. This might also be a rule in private guest houses, shops or super markets.

4. Learn patience! There is no need to rush in Asia and don't ever put others under pressure. Just add min. 4 hours time on top of whatever you plan and you've got the right time.

5. Don't touch a monk if you're female. 

6. If you want to take a picture of monks or other locals always ask for their permission.

7. Try to bargain on street markets when you go shopping. It can get hard sometimes bur try to get down to the half price.

8. But don't bargain on food, in shops, travel agencies, hotels etc. !

9. Illegal drugs are cheap and you get them anywhere in the bigger cities without any problems. But keep your HANDS OFF drugs! Why should you eat a "Bob Marley Pizza" or drink a "Mushroom shake"? - It's expensive, it's unreliable, it makes you crazy, IT'S STUPID!

10. Be aware that you're a foreigner. You're a guest in a foreign country so try to integrate yourself and show your interest in the local culture.

11. If you don't want to adjust to living standards in developing countries and you are not interested in their culture or you are only here to party and get drunk then why the hell do you travel?  Better stay at home in your spoiled, rich country!

12. Greet people in your hostel, in the shops, at a restaurant. There's nothing worse than making other peopel you meet think you're a narrow-minded arrogant traveler.

Behave.

- AJ -

LIFE: Slow Boat - Laos

If you want to take the Slow Boat in Laos between Huay Xai and Luang Prabang then you shouldn't have that high expectations of an incredible and unforgetable experience. It's defenitely not what it used to be before the masstourism in Laos conquered all the beauty of traveling through the Mekong river. But no matter what other people say it's important that you make your own experience.

The first day on the slow boat can be a real nerve breaking experience where you might regret that you didn't spend your money on the bus trip instead and you wonder why you ran yourself into this situation. - The boat is a true on-the-water-floating party location under imature young (mostly English speaking) backpackers who behave disrespectful to the Lao culture, drinking beer all day and turning the boat into a drunk party area with music tuning out of their fake Made-In-Thailand portable speakers which sound quality is awefull. Don't expect this party to end during the boat ride. No, it will first end after 8 hours when the boat arrives at the first stop which is Pakbeng. This is a small village full of guest houses for all the slow boat travelers who continue the next day to Luang Prabang which economy is only based on tourism. So everything here is adjusted to typical slow boat travelers: there are restaurants, guest houses and bars everywhere!

The next morning it's time to get on the boat again. But be wise and choose the one that comes first. On the second day the travelers are divided onto two boats. People who are hung over from partying on the boat would take the later one. It's defenitly worth it to get up a bit earlier and to hop on the more quiet slow boat. Sit in front where the engine at the back can't be heard that much and where all the friendly locals get on during the boat trip. The second day was defenitely more like what I was expecting and the view is amazing! Don't forget to bring your own lunch because the boat only offers crackers or instant soup within the 8 hours. You can also buy drinks (water, beer, tea, coffee, soft drinks) on the boat and there's also a small rest room which always runs out of toilet paper so bring your own toilet paper with you. 

Have a nice boat trip!

- AJ -

LIFE: Back from blogging pause - Lack of privacy while traveling

Le Book d'Art is back from the blogging pause.
I didn't mean to neglect blogging but traveling alone can be more exhausting than I expected. I don't want to use Le Book d'Art as a self presentation. This is a blogazine for those who need personal information about traveling rather than information from commercial travel magazines. But 10 days have now passed by since my last entry and these 10 days have been the most intensive period in SEA so far. I thought Myanmar would be mentally tough. But since I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand I haven't had a single hour of privacy except for the minutes I spent in the rest room, under the shower or in bed sleeping. And now I've already crossed the border to Laos and the privacy-problem didn't change due to spending two days on a boat full of travelers and sharing rooms with minimum 5 others. As soon as I wake up there has always been someone beside you who want to talk, explore or eat with you. Of course the best of traveling alone is that you get to meet so many different people and you gain many good friendships and experiences. You even get to know yourself better. But once in a while it's normal to crave for a bit privacy. It can be difficult though while budget-traveling because you want to get the cheapest bed which is mostly in a dorm of minimum 6 other beds where you automatically start chatting with your room mates. You want to discover as much as possible and meet as many travelers as possible but when neglecting your privacy for a long time you notice your mood turns negative and that's the time when your mind quits but your body want to go on having action. So once in a while you should spend some time on your own. Because even back home you're not always surrounded by people 24/7. Everyday I had to adjust to new personalities and once I got used to be surrounded by nice travelers it's already time to say good bye. It's a mix of emotions and impressions everyday and that can really exhaust your mind.
But Le Book d'Art is now back again, reloaded with privacy and ready to explore again!!

Keep cool.

- AJ -

LIFE: 10 things you should know before going to Myanmar

taken by the Inle Lake

1. They only accept new, clean and unfolded US dollar bills or Burmese kyat.

2. You can't exchange other currencies in Myanmar except for brand new US dollar bills. So bring enough of those before your arrival.

3. Tourism is new so hostels or dorms aren't common yet. Expect to pay at least 20 US $ for a room if you travel alone.

4. Learn at least these two words - ming-guh-la-ba (hello) and - chay-zu-ting-ba-deh (thank you).

5. You should know how to ride a bicycle if you want to save on transportation.

6. The driver sits on the right and drives on the right. Yes, it makes no sence - but true story.

7. Don't think they spit blood (as I thought they do) when you see red stains on the streets. They chew beetle nuts and spit them out afterwards. I guess it's like Swedish snus but it's supposed to be good for the teeth - well it doesn't seem like.

8. Don't be shy having conversations with locals due to their couriosity since touism and foreigners aren't that common yet.

9. Don't be too distrustful when strangers approach you. Either they just want to talk to foreigners or they want to help you.

10. When drivers hoop at you, you shouldn't feel bothered. This is actually a polite gesture they do to let you be aware of them overtaking you. I know this is weird. But even people on bicycles would do so even if there's massive space between you. 

- AJ -

LIFE: Myanmar - The night bus experience

I didn't even know that Bagan exists one week before my arrival so while roaming around Yangon I read about Bagan once in a while and decided to go there.

Well, it wasn't that kind of excitement I had when going there like the feeling I had on my way to Kuala Lumpur or other areas. Probably because hardly anyone knows where Bagan is. When I read that this area is known for it's amazing temple sites, pagodas and beautiful sun rises I just thought "man I'm tired of temples and pagodas!". So actually the main reason why I came here was just because I was fed up with big cities and just wanted to calm down in a peaceful village. After an 8 hour ride with the night bus from Yangon to Nyaung U you arrive at the main bus station and can go by horse cart... yes, a pretty old-fashioned horse cart to your hotel. Horse carts are really a normal way of transportation over here. It can be a bit bumpy and awkward but it's definitely a must-to-do in Myanmar!

There are only night busses from Yangon to Bagan but I would rather call them "night" busses or probably even Burmese party busses. The departure time is at around 7 pm and once everyone is on the bus and you slowly head to the high way (do not imagine their "high way" to be like at home) they would play a couple of really strange Burmese kind of pop/ rap songs (while colored disco lights are blinking on the ceiling) and then there's a short introduction in Burmese and English (definitely the funniest version of both) and then when you think you can finally get the sleep you've been craving for since hourse they start playing a Burmese sit-com or stand-up comedy show on the flat screen until late at night with its volume so hight that even the speakers sound like they're gonna give up any moment. Don't expect others sleeping. No you'll probably be sitting in the bus as the only foreigner not understanding a single word and everyone else around you would be laughing probably even louder than the actual show. 

When sleeping time comes and they've actually turned of all noises and lights (at about 11.30 pm) you finally get some rest. You've almost fallen a sleep and then OF COURSE you'll be waken up because it's time for a break at about 1 am and everyone has to get out of the bus for 30 min. After the break you think "Yes, NOW I'll get my sleep" - No, you won't cause you will be riding the bus for only 2 more hours and then you've already reached Nyaung U and they'll let you out at the bus station at around 3 am. YES, 3 am!! I mean what the hell do you do in an old, really cold village at 3 am when check-in time starts at 12 pm?? When I arrived at my hotel (by horse cart. Haha I still think this is hilarious) the guy told me "Check-in is at 12 but you can leave your backpack here" What??! I can leave my backpack at the hotel? And what about me?! So I asked if I could just wait inside and then he even offered me a matress on the floor to have some sleep until it got bright. And THEN I finally got my sleep (well only three hours on a thin matress on the floor).

So if ever you plan to take the "night" bus in Myanmar you should either learn Burmese to understand the obviously hilarious tv-shows or you should have a nap before you leave.

-AJ-

LIFE: Kuala Lumpur - Cocktails on a helipad

Why do you have to go to a regular bar to have a drink if you can have a drink on a helipad above Kuala Lumpur's busy town? Go to the 34th floor of the Menara KH in the late afternoon early evening, order a drink for 25 MYR and then go up the stairs to the helipad and enjoy the view feeling like a metropolitan princess spoiled with cocktails. But don't forget to dress up chic or else you might feel totally under dressed compares to the others.

-AJ-

PS. This is a secret tip I got from a friend, so don't tell everyone or else the helipad will be over-crowded

LIFE: 10 rules on Full Moon Party

1. Don't get so drunk that you can't remember the awesome party the next morning.

2. Don't go alone. At least in a group of two. Specially if you're a girl!

3. Eat proper dinner before you hit the bar.

4. Try to bring at least stuff with you. You will notice why when you start dancing.

5. Always dance to "YMCA".

6. Cover your body with neon colored body paint.

7. When you buy a drink in a bucket don't dance with it if you're drunk. You'll spill most of it on others anyway.

8. Always smile.

9. Think of your friends and family back home who are probably at work or at the uni. Hahaha.

10. Remember that life is amazing! 

-AJ-

RANDOM: Oh hell, yeah!

LIFE: Daily motivation

LIFE: Oh how I wish I could do so!

LIFE: Spend wisely

...don't waist. Go for second hand.

LIFE: Saturday is pyjama day - Time to have a rest

My internship at the emergency room is now over. I'm glad to have finished the practical part of my apprenticeship but I'm also sad to have to leave the great working atmosphere and the lovely team in the ER. Now it's time to study, part-time jobbing and ......travelling!! Next week I'm off to Barcelona and then in one month I'm off to Bangkok! Hell yeah, I'm happy. You get what you want as long as you work hard for it!
Today I'm free from work, so it's time to have a rest, calm down, drink tea and to wear my pyjamas aaaaaall day long. Ouh yeah, that sounds great, huh?!

Have a PJ-Day!

RANDOM: Stationary - current desk situation

When you feel like your desk needs a clean-up, then it looks like this or worse.

RANDOM: Sweet happy X-mas start.

Yep, just got my certificate as medical emergency assistant today. Wooohoo! And had an enormous craving for Christman sweets. Ouuuh, can't wait to come home for Christmas!

LIFE: Know yourself.

It is a gift when you know what to do with your life, when you have had the same dream since youth or childhood. And you know exactly how you want your life to be for the next 30, 40 or 50 years. You have the feeling that there is nothing else on earth that you are supposed to do in your future. You have the feeling that because you are meant to do this or to make your life become like in your dream you have all the control over your life and you want to do everything perfectly. I do agree that this feeling is true which sounds great of course but it has consequences and hints as well. And that is what I figured out again today when I did not fulfill my own aim during an exam.
My biggest dream was, is and will always be to become a good doctor. And there is no one or nothing that can prevent me from making this dream come true, except myself of course. But that luckily has not happened and will for sure never happen since I have had the same picture of how my life should be since my childhood. It is of course great when you have always known what you want to become and how you want your life to be like when you are older, especially if you have always stick to the same goal and you really know THIS IS IT! Figuring this out at an early age (I am now 22) is rare, yes. But it happens. And people envy you but sometimes you wish to be more open and to leave more things to chance like others.
The will to achieve a certain profession or position needs a lot of ambition, hard work and patience. But that definitely is not all. If you put your goals very high then you must accept that while climbing the way to your goal you will also fall very deep. It is dangerous when you will not get enough strength to get up by yourself and climb again getting closer to your goal. It is normal and it will happen more than once. It can be a small step which leads you closer to what you want to achieve which you just cannot get up on. Or it can be a lack of effort getting to the next step. There can be several reasons for this to happen but you should always do the best and as much as you can to achieve step by step. But it is important, too to know yourself very well. If you put your goals to high, you will have a hardship life if you cannot even climb the tiny steps leading to where you want to be. You must know yourself. You must know what you can, how much pressure you can bear and if you can push yourself enough to really get to your goal. And you must be able to do this by yourself and for yourself. There will be family and friends supporting you. But if you do not support yourself then you cannot get to where and who you want to be. Do not struggle and do not force yourself. If you think your life is hard, then do not continue with what you are doing. Cause if you really want to do it, you would not think it is difficult. You would just accept the fact that it requires a lot of work and effort but you would not find it difficult and you would not struggle. You would just DO IT. You would just do it without thinking too much about it and if you cannot make it, you would try again and again until you have reached the next step without losing your ambition. Actually your will and ambition getting to your goal will grow with each step you climb. If this is not the case, well then I am sorry to say that you do not know yourself enough to know what you actually want, what you are doing and for whom or for what sake you are doing it. If it is so then take a break and think over everything again, reflect yourself and ask yourself: Am I doing this for me? Or for someone else? Am I just trying to prove something to others? Do I really want to do all this work to achieve this goal?
I know it is not easy to know exactly what you want and to be sure what is the right thing to do. But I just want to say that you should know yourself and be honest. Do not fool yourself, do not persuade yourself of something you do not really want because you want to prove something. Just be yourself and do what is the best for you. Do never feel forced, struggle or lie to yourself. Do not compare with others. Compare yourself with who you are know and who you want to be. Know your own mistakes, you strength and especially your deficits. Accept that you can't do everything perfectly and that you do mistakes from which you can learn from. Listen to your heart. You are the only one who can control you life.

Be yourself and accept who you are.

LIFE: Learn from mistakes.

.... well, sometimes it's not that easy.

There are things which we love doing. But sometimes not all of these things are fun but still we do it again and again. And instead of listening to our rationality we just think of having fun which leads us to disappointment and anger. And at the end we regret what we've done which is wrong for my opinion. We shouldn't regret things we've done which didn't lead to the result we were expecting but instead we should learn from our mistakes and improve what we do later on. But there are moments in which we don't think in this way. Of course it's not possible to act upon sanity all the time. We make decisions out of our heart. Which is good cause that's what makes us emotional humans.
We always hope of something to happen and do certain actions for these to occur. Even if one bad sign appears and we loose hope for a while we don't give up and continue as if everything will just be o.k. again. Everyone has done things which they wish they would have done differently or wouldn't have done at all. Some of my mistakes were repeated several times until I got hurt enough to finally understand that it's not always wise to listen to my heart  (or better say someone else's heart). Some situations can hurt you so bad that you lose your emotions when making a decision concerning a particular person and you can't do anything else than being aware of your own secure even though you probably would have thought differently just a few days ago. There are many aggravating surprises turning up in life which we just have to deal with. But most of all we have to learn out of these. Being hurt by someone e.g. should teach you how to think more about yourself and your feelings. It makes you realize that you've deserved better and it makes you think more about the other persons character in detail which negative sides for sure didn't strike you because you were probably in an emotional ingenuousness. But thinking about the mistake doesn't help at all. Why even call it a mistake? Cause you haven't done something wrong or else you would feel the guilt which you don't cause that's what the person should feel who hurt you. It's not a mistake. It's a lesson. It's an experience which you have to go through to make things easier in future. It's a part of growing up, becoming mature and more confident. So thank you, particular someone, for making me stronger and more confident. Just imagine what this person has lost by doing a stupid thing which can definitely be called a mistake. There are some many other great things to happen out there if you just take more care of yourself and do never let others hurt you before you hurt them.

Be nice to yourself,

RANDOM: I thought it couldn't get worse.

Ok, so waking at 5.30 am on Saturdays is NO FUN and I thought it couldn't get worse. But this is how it feels like getting up at 4.30 am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays AND Fridays. Oh and I probably should mention that I spend my free time studying like stupid. I love paramedic/ hospital life. And yes, I DO need a break and I can't wait to travel on my own learning how to enjoy the dissolute lifestyle.
But always look into the future and never forget your goals. Work hard and travel hard. Haha.