No Fooling

Day 385
I slept in and the headed out to do some writing and blogging. Today I think I will write about each of the countries I've been to in Asia.

Singapore - This was too western and I was only there for 3 days. I think that I will skip it.

Malaysia - Also very western. Despite the high level of diversity I was stared at constantly and followed once. Not very nice. I wasn't there for even two weeks though so my opinion could be wrong.

Indonesia - This was my favorite country in Asia. I was starred at constantly but people were friendly about it. When I chatted with the locals they were seemed to be very curious about me and would ask all sorts of questions about the States ranging from Obama to elementary school. They were also willing to answer any questions I may have had. I was a bit nervous when I started but the only problem I had (besides hurting myself trekking) was when my trekking guide tried to sleep with me, but after getting a no for the second time he stopped bothering me.

Thailand - There is a reason this is called the land of smiles. Thailand is large and diverse and I only just scratched the surface. I've felt safe and welcome everywhere I went here. The only real drawback is the huge amount of travelers.

Lao - I loved it here. It was so laid back it was hard not to become laid back myself.

Vietnam - I spent a lot of time here and it was quite different from the other countries. Perhaps it is more Chinese, I will have to decide that later. People are more business here and less friendly. Compared to the rest of SE Asia people seem down right rude here.

Cambodia - I wasn't here very long. However, the people seemed very friendly and happy go lucky. I would like to spend more time here and am interested in seeing what the future holds for the country.

That night I met Julie and Amy from Redding. I had been really dehydrated for the past few days and even though I wanted to be out I stuck mainly to water. Julie and Amy were jet lagged from having just arrived as well as several buckets in when I met them. At the last bar Amy handed me her camera to take a picture, I did so and then handed it back to her and forgot about it. A few minutes later we went to get drinks and a local guy, Matt, bought the round for us. Julie and I then realized that Amy had dissapeared. We eventually found her outside accusing Matt of stealing her camera. Matt was offended by trying to be nice and offered to go to the police station with her. He had his friends help us look around the bar for the camera as well. Eventually Julie and Amy gave up and left. I spent a few more minutes chatting with Matt before the bar closed and I headed home.

The next day I ran into Amy and Julie and asked about the camera. Amy had fallen asleep in her clothes and then found it in her bra the next morning. No joke!