Traveling have up and down side to it. This trip is like other, yet it is very different. I am an Asian (Cambodian) American, i am 19 year sold, i’m still quit young. I was born in Cambodia, located between Vietnam and Thailand. I could speak Khmer, but i can’t read or write. I start working when I was younger, with the goal that one day I will backpack to many counties. This winter I got the chance to accomplish my goal, I got to travel to four counties within one month. I will be honest I did not make plan, nor did I research anything. I did meet up with a good friend of mine that had backpack before, she know a lot about Thailand and Hong Kong. I myself on the other hand, had never backpack before but i did have some experiment traveling to Cambodia. I bought the Ticket online on Google Flights with United Airlines. I was very excited about the trip, but at the same time I was terrify. You should not need to be worries, or scary about traveling. I have to take 9 flights for this trip, I was trying to avoided flying as much as possible with all the plans disappear and plans crash. I fly from LAX to SF, and from SF to Taipei (Taiwan). First country I visited is Taiwan. It a beautiful country, and it have many great place to hike, and many night market to try many different foods. From what I had well I was there the foods was alright, even though the Taiwanese are very proud of their foods. One favorite thing about Taiwan is sticky tofu, Sticky tofu is very sticky. I only got the chance to visit Taipei. I love the training system and bus system, it is so easy and so cheap to used. When you travel alone you have more freedom, it your choose if you chose to stay at the hostel and sleep all day or go out anywhere you want to. I meet up with some friends and make some more new friends in Taiwan. They are Taiwanese born in Taiwan. They are good at drinking or probably it me who not good at drinking. I learn that I should never drink too fast. First night in Taipei I black out, I was lucky to have some of those good friend drag me back to my hostel (near Taipei main station). The next day I explore the area around my hostel and I was able to find a visitor center. I got myself a map of Taipei city and I ask around. Taiwanese are very friendly, even if they do not really understand what you trying to ask them. I got some help and I got on a bus to Yehliu Geopark (beach park). It cheap to go around in Taipei. I forgot to tell you, convert your money to their money. I was surprise they do not except USD. I recommend Yehliu Geopark, if you like the view of the ocean, and it also very cold so bring a jacket or something. I got this app from a Brazil guy I met on on the trip, it call (Maps.me). you have no idea how much this app help me. It use GPS and it show you where you are and where you are going, but you need Internet to download the close up road you traveling on. The third night I went to Taipei 101, it got a nice view that for sure. It was the tallest building in the world from what I was told by this lady. I was not a big fan of Taiwanese foods but the foods under Taipei 101 are so good. I try to avoid fast foods because I’m in a different country and I ate fast foods almost everyday at home anyway, plus they don’t have In and Out. I went to the National Museum and think it would be fun, but for me it was very boring. I have no clue about history of Taiwan and what it all about but it really not my thing, if you into history and want to learn more this place is for you. I think this happen only with me or maybe not, but during the time I visit Taiwan the local keep speaking Chinese to me. I do not believe that I look like Chinese or Taiwanese at all because my background is Southeast Asia. It interesting when they speak to me in Chinese, I do not mean it in a bad way. I would love to be able to speak to them in Chinese. If you in Taipei and you want to go to club, I think baby 18 in Taipei is a good club. I fly from Taipei International airport and land in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a very small country. I mean I heard it a small country and I did look at the map but when you land in Hong Kong you will understand. The airplane was flying so low very close to the water before we reach the land. I never get scare or landing or flying but I did freak out on this flight. I flight with Hong Kong airline on my way there. They have a visitor Center on my way out of the airport, it very easy and they speaks pretty understandable English. I take the Bus to the City but there was a little bit of problem when I get off. I can’t find my hotel, I was expecting a big room and a nice view but nope. I would say stay in a hostel when you visit Hong Kong because you probably have a bigger space. It was so crowed when I get there and I was having problem breathing because the air pollution was so bad. I though LA was bad with the air pollution but no not even close to Hong Kong. I went to the night market the main island in Hong Kong, it is the biggest Night market in Hong Kong, it on Kowloon island. Foods in Hong Kong are pretty good, they pretty much got everything, So many people in such a small country. I think you should going to the Peak and the big Buddha Island if you visiting Hong Kong. The Peak got a Beautiful view but you have to pay to go up, locate on Hong Kong Island. Are you there to party? if you are go to Lang Kwai Fong street it on Hong Kong Island, this place is crazy. I miss my flight by 4 minutes from Hong Kong international Airport the next day. I got to Thailand, the first problem is Wifi. what kind of Airport have such a bad Wifi, I did not have Internet and that put me in a bad spot. They have a visitor Center but they were not free, no it not a visit center. it a tour center, they will try to charge you and they want you to do this and that. they want your money. I feel really bad when I land in Thailand the first night. The Thailand old lady at that center was not nice at all, you will have a better chance asking around backpacker, better then ask the Thai tour center. You will find a maps if you ask around in the airport and keep it with you. I didn’t have the App that i mention earlier yet. There a underground Subway you can take to the city, and it cheap. they want you to take the taxi, it cost like 10 time the more then taking the train. Don’t books hostel or hotel a head of time, i have to stay in many terrible hotel in many countries. you pay around the same price so just go there and look first. I stay in a hotel in Bangkok for a night and head to Cambodia, it was very boring cause i stay in a hotel instead of hostel. I have no idea why i did that, do not ask me why. I went to Cambodia the next day, i bought a ticket for 900B, it about 30USD. it take me from Bangkok to Siem Reap, it a sleep bus. Do not take the bus to Cambodia, I requirement you, just please trust me on this one, fly to Cambodia, and fly back to Thailand. I visited Koh Rong an Island in Cambodia, I stayed there a few day. If you are visiting Cambodia, you probably want to go to this beautiful Island, so clean and beautiful. I hike from the hostel i was staying for only 8USD for a night, i hike with a group of people to Long Beach (4K of white sand and the clearest water and cleanest I have ever seen). if you want to party and a cheap place to stay, stay in Utopia (hostel name in Sihanoukville) it only for 2 or 3USD a night, it come with 50cent a beer around 9pm to 10pm, well you at it try some shots that they have. there also a lovely restaurant pretty close by for some really good and cheap foods. My journey continue with a positive thinking you will always find happiness and you will have fun. I went to the jungle in Banlung city locate in Cambodia very close to Vietnam. I sleep in the jungle and bath elephant. I go to Siem Reap after, I went to a lot of old temple well i was there. I would requirement you to go to visit those temple, such as Angkor Wat. I went back to Thailand but I didn’t stay in Bangkok this time and i didn’t stay in a hotel. I ride the bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok from Bangkok i take another bus to Krabi. I stay in Krabi for two night, it is a lovely place and quite. Krabi have two night market, you have got to try this coconut ice cream in there. it only 1USD and it so good. I want to party since I haven’t party for a few day now since the time I was on the island in Cambodia. This Island go by the name Koh Phi Phi, most backpacker know about it because everyone go there to party and stay like a month or more. I stay there for three day only because I can’t take anymore party and I can’t because I don’t have a lot of days left before I have to catch my flight back to Taiwan. When you visit Koh Phi Phi I surest you do a day or half day tour. you will have so much fun, and meet many new people. I met a girl from LA on that trip which is so cool, since there not a lot of American traveling but a lot of European traveling. One side of the Koh Phi Phi island is a party side, there a lot of bar and dance floor for you to party. You probably want to make friends with most of your hostel mate because you will need them when you past out or too drunk to walk. Believe me you will get drunk even if you don’t want to, it just a lot of music, drinking, and smoking. I leave Phi Phi and go to Ao Nang. I though I would have a lovely and quite time but thing did not turn out the way I plan it. I met three guys who live in Long Beach, California about 5 min from me. The second night was half moon party, that was one crazy night. I went and have breakfast the next day with this lovely girl from United kingdom. I realize I was late after that I had to run 40 minutes from the restaurant at the beach to my hostel so that I won’t miss my plan again like I did when I come to Thailand. I catch a flight back home, I made many friend a long time way, over all it interesting and you just have to stay positive. The good thing about being an Asian backpacker is that they don’t charge you as much, but the bad thing is some country don’t like other asian. One month and a backpack, I will do it again probably after I finish my undergrads. I have heard about some volunteer I could do in a different country.
