All posts tagged: backpacking

Essential Safety Tips for Backpackers

  Backpacking is usually pretty safe but obviously there are times when we are especially vulnerable. Here are some tips for staying safe: Watch your bucket! It is really easy to slip something into the wide mouth of a bucket, sand included. I found taxis to be ultra-scammy in Southeaset Asia and tried to avoid them in Bangkok. Travel with a buddy; the more the merrier. Watch the meters in Vietnam especially. They tend to rise strangely fast… Ensure your door guest house or hotel door is always locked. Check that the windows are locked before leaving (especially if you are ground level) Be aware of your surroundings and any new ‘friends’ If something is too good to be true, it usually is If a tuk-tuk driver offers you an exceptionally cheap fare, he will usually make you stop by his friend’s shop. He will receive cash or a gas voucher in return. Inspect a room before taking it to ensure you’re comfortable with the amenities, fire escapes, hotel ambiance, and the room’s proximity to common areas Plan your schedule …

Thailand Travel 101

  Thailand is the ideal jump off point for backpacking through Southeast Asia.  A travel hotspot, the country has well trodden backpacker trails, perfect for first-time travellers or those new to Asia. So you ask, “If the country is so easy to travel, why read a how-to guide?” Setting expectations and arming yourself with insider travel knowledge will save you both time and baht (money). We won’t bore you with details like the exchange rate or which power adapters you’ll need, we’ll give you the real deal type of advice you’d get from someone who has just been. Read on rookie Canadian traveller for tips to not only survive, but thrive in Thailand. What’s with all the… Tuk-Tuks These zippy little vehicles are ubiquitous in Thailand. They operate much like a cab. If you’re in a Thai city (especially in Bangkok’s notorious backpacker ghetto Khao San Road) you may be offered an obscenely cheap fixed price tour. The reason? The driver will make a few pit stops along the way, typically depositing travelers in boutiques owned by vendors they know. In exchange …

Playing Survivor on Koh Rong Island, Cambodia

GTO was championing Koh Rong as a travel destination and I also had it on good account from another friend who had recently been there. This is how we found ourselves on the small island off the coast of Cambodia. We didn’t have much background knowledge of the island except that it is often erroneously referred to as Monkey Island. This likely originates from Monkey Island, a bungalow beach resort which is only one of three accommodation options on Koh Rong.  We set out and were among a handful of other travellers headed to the island. Boats service Koh Rong twice daily. We reached the wharf and met our first Aboriginal Canadian traveller. She was from Nunavut and thus she was referred to as ‘North of 60’ for the remainder of our trip. She worked at Monkey Island and gave us a pretty good description of what to expect on the island, or rather, what not to expect. A forty of Jack Daniels was being passed about and midway to the island we inquired into what she had …

Playing in the Penh: I Think We Enjoyed Phnom Penh More Than Most People…

…there was a guy on the dance floor and his ‘signature’ move was screaming. Literally. He would (during a song) emit shrill screams. Well I always expected that Phnom Penh (PP) would be a memorable stop on this SEA circuit we have endeavored upon. I had done some homework by reading ahead. Namely, I read the sensational Off the Rails in Phnom Penh: A Story of Girls, Guns and Ganja. Things have certainly calmed down a bit since the author’s stint during the mid 1990s. And thank god for that because shot guns shells are bad for your health (and shit was about to get real at a Cambodian artillery range). Anyway, it was a good read and I’d certainly recommend it to anyone, travelers or sedentary folk alike. Additionally, any trip to PP or Cambodia for that matter requires some insight into its sad, sad past and the politics of civil war which I will not go into here. Between the apparent lawlessness and deeply tragic modern history, I had a very unclear set …

We Visited Tonle Sap Fishing Village Near Siem Reap

Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia. Its significant fluctuation in water levels yields a large flood plain and bountiful biosphere. Wikipedia also informs me that the lake is unique because the water flow changes directions twice annually. We decided to make a day trip to a fishing village on the lake’s edge. Residents live on the water because water levels rise more than 9 metres during the wet season! We hired a car and guide from a tour agency which deposited us at the wharf, twenty or so minutes from down town Siem Reap. The group of us boarded privately boarded a boat and headed down the canal to the floating village. Rain clouds threatened overhead but we were delighted when a smaller boat approached ours and child hopped on board. She promptly produced a cooler of local beer and made an easy sale. As quickly as she appeared she hopped back and disappeared into the boat traffic.  Our first stop was a restaurant-souvenir shop-ecological centre. Before we could step off …

One Week in Siem Reap (I Think We’re Stuck?)

Oops! We loved Siem Reap and so we stayed a week! And it took us five days before we could compose ourselves and get to Angkor Wat. I can’t say enough great things about Siem Reap. Perhaps it was a relative return to civilization (after Laos) but the social atmosphere, availability of commodities, amazing markets, handicrafts, charm, cafes, sense of social sustainability, friendly locals and curb appeal really wowed. Half pipes on roof top bars, buzzing Pub Street, food alleys, $1 tuk-tuk rides, corn on the cob stands, French bakeries, $9.00 bottles of Smirnoff Vodka and of course, Angkor What?! (and Angkor Wat). Riddle me this, what isn’t there to love about Siem Reap? That’s rhetorical.  We had arrived in Siem Reap just before midnight after a 14 or so hour bus ride and we eager to catch some zzz’s. We relocated the next day to an unremarkable hotel, located to the immediate left of the roof top bar entrance. After a few days of waking up to incredibly loud construction within the building we …

VVV: Viva Vang Vieng (Backpacker Ghetto)

Ah, Vang Vieng. Backpacker holy grail. The infamous river float and Friends bars. In comparison to what it really is, these visions are actually quite glamorous. Situated on a river flanked by some very picturesque limestone mountains, VV has a severe infestation of drunk and/or high young adults. Imagine if backpackers were urban planners and could design their very own ghetto. VV would be it. There would be extremely cheap beer and it would be 640ml. It will be named Beerlao and cost 10,000 kip ($1.25). There would be restaurants with tables that you can lay down at (hungover) and watch endless (read: ENDLESS) loops of Friends or Family Guy episodes. There would be bars with multiple platforms in mud pits and these bars would have menus chock full of Opium, K, Special Shakes and weed. Of course our backpacker engineers don’t quite have a grasp on plumbing or sewage management so all bar bathrooms would be absolutely intolerable. Our ghetto would have a lot of free whiskey! Whiskey shots for arriving at a bar, …