I never fully understood the power of the English language until I backpacked through South East Asia. It was during this trip where I realized just how many people make a living through the tourism industry. For many, learning English is the way out of poverty and hardship. This was the case for Siphai Thammavong.
Life without any of our five senses wouldn’t feel like life at all. We are constantly bombarded by sensory stimulation. The smell of flowers, the sight of a sunset and the taste of an overcooked meal; Senses are the soldiers that feed our brain information. Though senses are arguably our biggest gift in life, they also can guide us in the wrong direction if we don’t understand how they are processed in our minds.
Getting to meet the Vietnamese people was one of the highlights of my entire life. I quit my job to backpack across South East Asia and getting the time that I did with the local people of Vietnam was life-changing enough to justify this entire experience. These people blew my mind and the more time I spent with them, the more I could feel myself changing. As much as I loved the backpacking social life, I found myself slowly passing on hostel happy hours, bar crawls and social gatherings, in favor of local interactions. I became obsessed with spending as much time with the Vietnamese as possible and learning from their way of life.
Meditating for 6-8 hours a day for 7 straight days while not being able to talk, use my phone, listen to music, read, write or engage in any other distractions, was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.
I had the pleasure of meeting Hartanto Gunawan on my second day backpacking across south east Asia. Getting to talk to him and hear his incredible life story was eye opening. He was one of the more interesting people I have met on any of my travels and had tons of great insights into life and the mind. From CEO to being dropped off on an Island to becoming a monk, Gunawan has an incredible story. Here it is:
For animal lovers who also can handle some fear, another once in a lifetime opportunity was the walking with the lions experience in Zimbabwe.
There is no doubt that tea is the staple drink of India. It is the drink that locals socialize over and the drink that symbolizes hospitality among households across the nation. No matter where you are in India, you will never have an issue finding a nice warm cup of Masala Chai.
The 1600s was a period in India where love marriages were unheard of, but the Shah and his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, began to fall deeply in love. Sadly this rare romantic love story came to a screeching halt in 1631 when Mumtaz suddenly passed away. Mumtaz’s death shattered the Shah and he wondered how he could live without his beloved wife.
Saddened and in love, the Shah decided to commit almost all of the Mughal Empire’s resources to build the world’s greatest Mausoleum for his wife..The Taj Mahal
Throughout my trip across the country, I had my fair share of both excellent vegetarian food and frankly terrible food. Hopefully, this list of the top 10 places I ate on my trip, can help you in your search!
An onsen is a natural spring bath whose water is heated by the molten rock below the earth’s surface. The water is naturally heated and brought back up to the surface, enriched with natural minerals. These famous baths have been around in Japan for centuries and have been known to cure many ailments and conditions. Healing abilities aside, the baths themselves are best known for their ability to relax the body and mind.