Good morning, Vietnam

Well, we'll be saying that tomorrow at least.

It's our last full day in Laos and I've loved spending time in this country. We are currently in Vientienne, the capital, though we only have a short time before we fly to Ha Noi tomorrow.

We had a great time in Luang Prabang, and other than Bangkok it's been my favorite city so far. The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site- it really was beautiful. On our last day, we woke up around 4:45 for an Alm's Giving, which is a food offering to several Buddhist monks. Truthfully, I don't know much about it, but I'll do research when I have the time. We woke up early to go to the street they walked down and bought rice to offer them, although you could also give bananas or cookies. The entire street is lined with people offering food as well, and when the monks walk past you give each a small offering of rice. I'm not sure if the monks eat the food or they offer it to the poor, but I did notice quite a few of them giving food to two small boys asking for some sitting next to us. But like I said, I don't know much about it.

After that, we made our way to the bus station for a "VIP" bus ride to Veng Vienne. Although the bus wasn't bad, we thought it would be fun to sit in the very front. We could certainly see everything from the driver's point of view, but it was also frightening since it looked like we would dive off the cliffs at every turn. There has also been a huge amount of rain, much more than usual, which also means an increased number of mudslides. Because of this, our ride took about 3 hours longer than expected, but better safe than sorry. We were fortunate it didn't rain during our bus ride, but it was a little surreal to see all the slides and the bulldozers clearing them.

Once we arrived in Veng Vienne, we knew we were in for a completely different experience.It certainly wasn't as clean or developed, but still very accommodating to foreigners. VV is famous for its tubing- where you basically sit in a tube all day, float down a river and drink along the way. We heard some unsettling things about tubing, including people getting hurt and the river having really strong currents, so we decided not to take our chances. Instead, we visited a lagoon to swim in fresh water and a swimming pool, which was without a doubt more relaxing and infinitely safer than tubing. Although I'm sure we would have been fine to go, we really didn't want to risk it.

We woke up this morning and took a mini van to the capital. It was way more comfortable and way less scary for about the same price.

My general overall advice for Laos: Definitely visit, but know what you want to do before you come. If you'd like a laidback vacation, stay in Luang Prabang. If you want a little more excitement and partying, stay in Veng Vienne. I haven't been in Vientienne long enough to recommend anything, but I like what I've seen so far.

Overall, I enjoyed Laos. There was a moment driving on the bus from Luang Prabang when a group of small boys playing in the river were dashing in front of the bus and running away... it really made me fall in love with this country and its people. Life is just so simple here. It makes me kind of sad to see how Westernized it has become, because in some ways these cities have no culture of their own (although this was only really evident in Veng Vienne). It would be interesting to see how these cities looked and felt 20 or 30 years ago. I didn't really get a true sense of Laos, but I appreciate the time I spent here and everyone's hospitality.

I'm looking forward to spending time in Vietnam! We don't have any concrete plans, but we're going to spend about 3 weeks traveling up and down the country before going to Cambodia.

Laos

We have arrived in Laos! I apologize for all spelling errors in advance. Writing this from an iPod is more difficult than I thought.

After a long two days on a slow boat from Thailand, we finally made it to Luang Prabang. The boat actually wasn't that bad... We had about 6 or 7 hours each day, and although it wasn't always comfortable, it was the safer option compared to the dangerous speed boats.

I have wonderful impressions of Laos and its people so far. As with Thailand, everyone is so nice. The atmosphere is very laid back, different than what I expected, but I absolutely love it.

We spent our first full day in LP walking around. We found a delicious cafe we'll return to several times during our stay. We also rented some bikes and rode them all around the city, ending at a beautiful temple overlooking it all. We had some trouble when returning our bikes since it started to downpour half way through our ride. Two things I have learned about southeast Asia so far: it doesn't rain all the time, but when it does it's sudden and it's a lot. We didn't mind though. We also ate Laos barbecue for dinner and made friends with some new people, coming from all parts of the world. We really are so lucky to speak English, as it's used so commonly in travel. You can have a conversation with someone from Japan or Belgium or Brazil because of it. It's really kind of amazing.

We're hoping to explore some waterfalls here, maybe check out the night market as well. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us. After a few days we will go to Vang Vienne then we fly to Vietnam.

Thailand so far

It's a rainy day in Chaing Mai so what better time to update everyone at home about what's been going on here in Thailand.

I can't say enough good things about the people, the food and the overall atmosphere of this country. We spent a few days in Bangkok and had a wonderful time then took an overnight train to where we are currently staying, in Chaing Mai. It was supposed to be about a 14 hour ride, but we got delayed and ended up being on the train for 16+ hours. It sounds terrible, which it kind of was, but overall not bad.

We were taken to our hostel and met up with our group that we would be trekking with. And I'll start off by saying that I had no idea I would be so brave in the jungle.

We started the day off by hiking and hiking and hiking some more. We stopped to cool off in a waterfall then hiked some more to the village we would be staying at. No electricity, no running water, nothing. But it really was nice to disconnect from all the modern conveniences we have which, in some ways make life easier, but in some ways make them more complicated. We were with about 8 other people so we talked together, ate together and drank together. The food on this trip has been wonderful thus far, but the food we ate that night was the best by far.

We woke up the next morning from the sound of a rooster and washed in the river. Then we set out to hike some more, this time wa a bit more challenging than the last. After a while, we finally found the village where we would bamboo raft and ride elephants. I honestly never thought I would be doing either of those things, but I'm so happy to be able to say I did.

Now we're back in our hostel and wishing the rain would stop. We spent the day walking around the city and exploring a bit. We signed up for a cooking class tomorrow and we're hoping to do a few more things before we go to our next destination, Chaing Rai, and then ultimately Laos.

I thought this vacation would be comparable to last summer's tour of Europe. We had to get up and pack every few days to leave for a new city, lots of travel time between destinations, etc. But it's a far cry from (what now seems a luxurious) getaway. But I like it. It's nice to travel and live like this for a short time. Where I'm thankful to get a hot shower and I don't even care when a spider crosses my path. They may be small things, but I appreciate them a lot more.

Bangkok!

We have safely arrived in Bangkok! And it's been an interesting 24 hours in the city.

Melissa and I got to the airport early for our flight and made it to Shanghai with no problem, only to find out our flight was delayed two hours (on top of our 3+ hour layover). We got some free cookies and water, wandered around Pu Dong and napped. But we finally arrived in Bangkok around 5 am. After a ridiculously frightening cab ride, we found our hostel and fell asleep. We found Liana and Kavita and we've been exploring all day.

We took our first tuk-tuk ride and browsed through some markets. We also went to the tourist center to make plans for the next few days. We're visiting a beautiful water market tomorrow that's outside the city. Then we have a few days time to explore Bangkok and all it has to offer. We're taking a night train to Chaing Mai and will wake up in another beautiful destination. We'll be taking a trek to a small village with no electricity or modern conveniences. We'll ride elephants and shower in waterfalls. Amazing.

I'm already so excited for the next two months, I can't really put it into words. Thank you all for following along on this incredible adventure!

Where am I going?

Hello and goodbye, I suppose, to everyone reading.

I have less than two weeks left as a temporary Korean citizen and it's an overwhelming mix of emotion. I've started to check items off my list and I have very little to do before I leave. I can't begin to describe how great the last year was so I don't even think I'll attempt.

Flights and hostels are now booked. As of now, I have 6 flights that I will be taking to and from various locations... cities, countries, continents. I can't believe I'm really doing this.

If you'd like to follow along on my journey, I will do my absolute best to keep this blog updated. If you want direct communication, you can always e-mail me at jenasprau@gmail.com

If you don't want to do either of those things but would like to know where I'm going, here's a very rough, in no way absolute, timeline of our trip.

Melissa and I fly from Busan to Bangkok during the first week of September. We arrive early in the morning and will do our best to find our hostel in the midst of what I'm sure will be a chaotic city. Once we settle in, we'll meet our other travel companions, Liana and Kavita.

We're going to parade around northern Thailand for about two weeks and then make our way into Laos. We'll be in Laos for approximately a week before we fly into Vietnam. We're spending a good amount of time in Vietnam, though I don't know exactly how long. At some point, we're making our way into Cambodia before we ultimately travel back to Southern Thailand.

Kavita is leaving us after the first three or four weeks to return to Busan. I'm leaving Liana and Melissa the first week of November to meet my mother for the vacation of a lifetime in Italy! As I'm sure many would guess, we'll take the train to Florence for a few days before coming back to Rome to fly home.

As always, I send my love and thanks to everyone who sent me the same in return.

Tokyo

What an incredible, whirlwind vacation Alix and I had in Tokyo. I don't even know where to begin, but I'll do my best...

Luckily, we once again had an easy trip to and from Japan. We had no trouble with our layovers or getting to Tokyo, but once we arrived it was a different story. I will say that coming off the plane and trying to navigate our way around the subway (which wasn't entirely English friendly) was extremely intimidating. A nice man helped us buy our ticket and we had a short ride to our hostel, The Samurai, which was amazing. It's located in Asakusa near an incredible shrine and market. A few different subway lines are easily accessible and the staff was so friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend it to anyone staying in Tokyo. Plus, we got to see the "Golden Turd" every time we came off the subway. Can't beat it.

We spent the first night strolling around our neighborhood, people watching and taking in the sights. We also stumbled upon a Denny's which was hilarious and completely unexpected.

Since we had a long vacation, we had a lot of time to play with and didn't try to do too much on any given day. We were able to take our time which was nice and made the rushed atmosphere of Tokyo seem somewhat less chaotic. It was also supposed to rain every day, but we got lucky once again and only experienced a few spurts of rain on our last day (though we were awaken by a 6.4 earthquake on our first night).

We wanted to check out Harajuku on Sunday to see all the elaborate costumes and makeup, but unfortunately the overcast skies didn't attract many girls. Instead, we went to Shibuya to see the famous intersection. We sat and watched people cross a few times then went to Starbucks for a free view of it all. I can't believe that many people crossed every time the light changed. I couldn't imagine having to deal with that everyday.

We also went to Yoyogi Park (near Harajuku) to see the Elvis impersonators (who, I believe, only show up on Sundays). Though I can't really call them that because they weren't singing Elvis songs, but numerous 50's rock songs (in Japanese, of course). There were greasers and squares, all dressed up and dancing. I don't think they asked for money, they were there because they genuinely enjoyed doing it. I could have sat and watched them for hours. It looked like they were having so much fun.

There's a fish market, Tsukiji, that is a popular tourist destination. It's free to check out, but best to go really early so you can see everyone and everything in action, including the buying and selling of the fish. I'm not much of an early bird so I would be hard pressed to get up at 4 am to make my way there, but we did visit later in the day. It wasn't nearly as exciting as the morning, I'm sure, and everyone seemed like they were on the way home. But still nice to see. We went to Ginza afterward and paid a visit to the Sony Showroom to check out all the latest gadgets, which was also free for everyone. After playing with 3D computers, we went on a hunt for the Godzilla statue and found it after a surprisingly short search.

We made our way to Roppongi Hills that same day to find Tokyo Tower (which has to be an homage to Paris. Right?)

We decided to go up Mori Tower for a view of the skyline. This was a little pricey (about $25) and I was reluctant to shell out that much cash, but was happy I did. We saw the skyline during the day transition to the bustling Tokyo nightlife; something I'll never forget. It was incredible to see the change and the view was breathtaking. Well worth the money spent, in my opinion.

The next day, we went to a conveyor-style sushi restaurant near our hostel. The prices range from about $4-10 dollars a plate. I ordered some California rolls (yes, in Japan) and it was delicious.

We wanted to go inside the Imperial Palace, but unfortunately it isn't open to tourists, so we only got a view from the outside. A few weeks before coming to Tokyo, Alix and I made a request for a free tour guide from Tokyo Free Guide, but got no response. For anyone going in the future, I would recommend this service, but just make sure you book very well in advance.

Instead, we strolled around a neighborhood (the name of which I've forgotten) and got lost for a while. We wanted to visit a maid cafe, which is exactly what it sounds like. Girls dressed as maids serve you drinks. Weird, yes, but it would have been interesting to see. I think we found one but I also think we were a little sketched to go inside.

On our last full day, we made our way to the Telecom Center (located on a new subway line which was expensive compared to the rest). We visited a science museum (the name of which I have also forgotten) to play with robots. We missed a robot demonstration by 10 minutes, but it was still fun to walk around and play with all the trinkets.

I'm fairly certain the museum is located on one of the artificial, manmade islands. We were definitely in a newer part of Tokyo; everything looked modern. We stumbled upon a building that I know I've seen before (from an article on cracked.com, I believe). I don't remember exactly what it is or what function it has. So if you know, fill me in.

We finally made our way to Shinjuku, another well-known area of the city. We walked around some gardens, went up the government building (free!) and found the red light district. I believe Shinjuku station is the busiest train station in the world. Alix and I did our best to avoid the subway during rush hour, but we did walk around the station when everyone was getting off work. I've never seen so many white collared shirts and black pants.

Tokyo was awesome. There was so much to do and so much to see. I wasn't bored once in this city, and that's a bold statement coming from me. But all the rumors are true: it's terribly expensive. Alix and I saved money by sharing meals, avoiding cabs and doing things that are free (which, surprisingly, almost every attraction we visited was free of cost). The subway system was a nightmare at first, but after a while it was manageable. Certainly not the easiest system to navigate, but the subway is quick, efficient and will take you to any given point in Tokyo. It's just a little confusing since some of the lines are private owned, some are owned by the government, some cost you a fortune while others don't. I had a copy of the subway map on my iPod which helped tremendously, but if you're feeling overwhelmed, ask for help! Almost everyone working speaks English (nearly everyone in the entire city speaks it) and people are always willing to lend a hand.

I'm so happy I chose to go to Tokyo; I would have regretted my decision if I hadn't. I had an incredible time seeing the city and watching the people. Though I couldn't imagine living there (based on the cost of living alone) I would certainly recommend visiting the city (or country) to anyone who is interested.

Thank you, Korea

‎"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place." -Miriam Adeney

I don't know why I'm so emotional as I write this. I think it's because I've just celebrated my 11 month anniversary here in Korea, meaning my time in this incredible country is slowly but surely coming to an end. But I don't know if it was more celebratory or mournful.

I have fallen absolutely, unequivocally, head over heels in love with this country. I have met some of the most amazing people imaginable and they have taught me more about myself than I could have ever dreamt possible.

This experience has taught me that I can be independent. I can live on my own, for the first time, in a completely foreign country. I can live away from friends and family. I can come to the realization that they mean the world to me. I can say to myself every day, it's okay.

I love travel, there's no denying that. But as the quote above states, it's difficult in a strange, inexplicable kind of way. Until you experience the lifestyle, make the friends and leave them behind, it's hard to understand the paradox.

I moved to Italy and met people that changed my life forever. I traveled through Europe and made friends that I will never lose touch with. I lived in Korea and had the most remarkable year of my life.

It's so hard to leave Korea behind. As ready as I am to travel and explore new places and ultimately return home, I'm not ready to say goodbye to Korea forever. I realize I could easily come back but I don't think that's in the cards for me. I don't want this as a career and I can't imagine leaving home for another year.

I don't want to blemish this memory. I don't want to try to recreate it or duplicate it. Because I don't think I could ever top it, nor do I want to attempt. My friends are irreplaceable, my memories are pristine and leaving seems damn near impossible. That's how I always want to remember this.

Most importantly, Korea taught me about myself. Not only what I'm capable of independently, but as a human being. I've learned that not only can I make friends from around the country but around the world. I've called people "friend" from all walks of life and that's the true beauty of travel. I have loved and cared for people on a human level, based only on their heart; not their race, skin color, background or heritage. I will never discriminate against someone and I will encourage others to do the same.

Throughout my travels I have become more open minded, but Korea has truly taught me the meaning of acceptance. Because this country has accepted me and it has made me feel at home. I'm going to have a very difficult time saying goodbye to friends that will remain here. They looked past my exterior just as I did with them and to me, that's the greatest gift I could ask for.

I will continue to travel. Truthfully, I don't think I'll ever stop. Had I not experienced this year and had the pleasure of meeting these extraordinary people, I would be nothing like I am today. I can never thank any one person, culture or collective society enough for the knowledge I have been granted. All I can do is continue to see the world and share that love with everyone I meet along the way.