travel
Will Faught
January 2012
Beach day! Slept in until 9:30 AM. Showered and got ready. The hostel bathrooms were disgusting, so it took me about an hour to finish. Called Tess. Got lunch. Headed to the beach with a used copy of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson that I had picked up the night before. Swam in the surf and baked in the sand and read about buried treasure all afternoon until the light fell and it felt time to leave.
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Arrived at the bus station in Surat Thani feeling greasy and exhausted. Found my pack and turned around to approach the ticket office, then, feeling somewhat dazed, tottered into the waiting area. Found a seat and set my packs down. Saw the Vietnamese English guy board another bus soon afterward, and was sorry I hadn’t said goodbye to him. Wish I could remember his name. Another bus took me to the ferry pier on the coast, and I dozed on the way.
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Spent the whole day killing time at my hostel, waiting for my sleeper bus to depart from the train station at 7 PM for Ko Samui. Chatted in the common room with a Canadian who had been in Thailand for three months. He recommended seeing Ko Chang, a small island to the east, and skipping Pattaya, in his words a place where old white men go to get native girls. Got some insight from his stories into the way Thai family members support each other, and why so little money is saved per paycheck.
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Rode the BTS and MRT to Hua Lamphong station to arrange transportation to Ko Samui. Bought a sleeper bus ticket to Surat Thani that would depart at 7 PM on Sunday and a ferry ticket from Surat Thani to Ko Samui. The bus company would get me from the bus station to the ferry pier. Then I rode the MRT and BTS to Mo Chit station and explored the JJ weekend market for several hours.
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Rode a minibus to Ayuthaya and rented a bicycle to see the ruins. Returned to Bangkok by minibus and then rode a taxi and the BTS to the Patpong night market to buy a couple t-shirts. Returned to my hostel to plan my trip to Ko Samui.
ayuthaya bangkok thailand travel
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Sunday, January 8, 2012 Arrived in Bangkok around 10:45 PM. Checked into my hostel just after midnight. No problems finding the place, thankfully. Monday, January 9, 2012 Let myself sleep in. Rode the BTS to Saphan Taksin station and then rode the Chao Phraya Express boat to Chang station to see Wat Pho. Backtracked to the BTS and rode it to Udom Suk station to meet the Thai girls that I had met in Dalat, Vietnam.
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December 2011
For six days, I rode on the back of Hien’s motorcycle as we wound our way through the back country from Dalat to Hoi An. My pack was wrapped in a plastic bag and tied to the back of the bike, Hien sat in front with his pack, and I was sandwiched between them. The weather was nice and warm for several days, but then grew cool and rainy toward the end.
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I’ve found the holy grail of Dropbox upload speeds, and it’s at Flip Flop Hostel in Taipei! Yes!
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I rode an open tour bus from Saigon to Dalat. It took about six or seven hours, and we arrived in the evening. I passed the time listening to podcasts, watching My Cousin Vinnie on my laptop, and chatting with a Thai girl, Pla, sitting next to me. She was going to Dalat for a weekend vacation with her two friends. She was really friendly and invited me to join her and her friends in their taxi after we arrived at the bus station.
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I’ve accumulated 26.19 GB of pictures and videos on my travels so far. Soon their size will exceed the capacity of the 32 GB flash drive that I use to back them up. When that happens, all of my picture and video eggs will be in my laptop basket. Dropbox upload speeds are too slow to keep pace. At that point, I don’t know what I can do, other than find a wifi connection with a fast upload speed.
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My notes of Japan: Japanese wear masks if they’re sick to prevent spreading disease in public. There are sometimes different slippers for around the house and inside the bathroom. Koreans in Seoul tend to dress sharper. The Tokyo subway is similar to that in Seoul, although more complicated and extensive. Most people are silent on the subway. It’s taboo to talk, eat, or drink. Lots of people ride bicycles on the sidewalks.
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I headed south from Saigon to the Mekong Delta to see some floating markets and river life. I met some volunteers from England and Australia on the bus from the Ben Thanh market to the bus terminal and decided to follow them to My Tho. I took a taxi with them to their hotel, got a room, and joined them for dinner. Afterward, I arranged for a four-hour private boat tour of the nearby river the next day.
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Here are my pictures from South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore: South Korea Japan Hong Kong Singapore I tried using Flickr and Facebook to share them, but both failed me. Uploading to Flickr was too slow in Vietnam. Uploading to Facebook with iPhoto produced duplicates and limited albums to 200 pictures. Dropbox came to my rescue. I exported 1,232 pictures from iPhoto to the Dropbox Photos directory with medium size and quality, weighing in at 83.
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I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon for the lazy…or stubborn) and took a taxi to my hostel, Long Guesthouse, in the Phạm Ngũ Lão backpacker area of District 1. The staff were very friendly and helpful, but there wasn’t a common room, so it was difficult to meet people, which I didn’t like. After a couple days, I chose to switch to another hostel, Saigon Backpackers, that was nicer and had a more social atmosphere.
ho chi minh city travel vietnam
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I got laid over in Singapore on my way from Hong Kong to Vietnam. The passengers were delayed boarding the plane because there was a problem with a smoke detector. The delay caused me to miss my connecting flight in Singapore. The airline, Jetstar, put me up in a decent hotel (Riverview) for the night and paid for the taxis and meals. As you might guess, the hotel was on the shore of a small river, alongside several other large hotels.
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November 2011
Hong Kong: Long Day Of Traveling
For Monday, November 7, 2011 Narita Yama, the hostel owner, gave me a free ride to the Narita airport in the morning. I flew from there to the Shanghai Pudong airport. The architecture of the terminal was lofty and impressive. The airport had wifi, but Facebook, Twitter, and Dropbox were blocked by the Great Firewall. I then flew to Hong Kong and arrived in the evening. It was much warmer than South Korea or Japan had been, to the point where you would sweat just by standing there.
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For Sunday, November 6, 2011 Hiroshima Chris (from Australia) and I rode the Shinkansen train to Tokyo. It took five hours altogether. We had to sit apart, so I mostly listened to podcasts to pass the time. It was pleasant just to sit there and watch the landscape slide past. Tokyo At the JR station, Chris and I parted ways. He was returning home, having spent two weeks in Japan for vacation.
hiroshima japan narita tokyo travel
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Japan: Aftermath Of A Cataclysm
For Saturday, November 5, 2011 Kyoto The sky was gray and dreary. Chris (from Australia) and I took the Shinkansen train to Hiroshima. Hiroshima It was raining when we arrived two hours later. We walked a few blocks to our hostel, K’s House. After checking in, we rode the street tram to the A-Bomb Dome. We strolled around the perimeter, taking photos here and there, and reading the plaques of a few art installations commemorating the event of the bombing and the people and children affected by it.
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For Friday, November 4, 2011 Nara It was warm and sunny. I rode the train for an hour to Nara, a small city near Kyoto that’s well known for several temples and about 1,200 wild deer that roam freely in the parks, streets, and walkways of the city. They’re accustomed to humans, so they’re not shy about coming up to you to see if you have food for them. If they smell it on you, they’ll follow you around and nip at your shirt until you give them what they want.
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For Thursday, November 3, 2011 Kyoto I met Chris (from Australia) and Marion (from France) in the morning in the bar adjacent to the hostel. We biked to the Imperial Palace to see a cultural performance. We arrived late and saw only the last few minutes. Afterward, we walked around the palace grounds. There were large crowds because it was a special week in which they opened up the palace to the general public.
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Japan: A Thousand Reasons To Go Out
For Wednesday, November 2, 2011 Kyoto I upgraded my iPhone 4 to iOS version 5 in the morning using my new laptop. Then I rode a rented bicycle with Chris (from Australia), Mike (from the U.S.), and Marion (from France) to an eclectic Japanese store called Don Quixote. It sells virtually anything you can think of, from clothing to food to kitchenware to seat cushions to memory cards to shoes. It’s all packed tightly together along narrow aisles that twist and turn haphazardly.
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For Tuesday, November 1, 2011 Tokyo I did laundry in the morning, then rode the Shinkansen train with Chris (from Australia) to Kyoto. Kyoto Chris and I checked into our hostel, Backpackers Hostel K’s House Kyoto, then headed to the adjacent bar for a couple beers. I went back to my room to get something and met Mike (from the U.S.) and asked him to join Chris and I in the bar.
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Japan: Japanese Pancakes — Sort Of
For Monday, October 31, 2011 Tokyo Still being sick, I let myself sleep in again. The weather was still gray and dreary, so again I decided to stay inside and take it easy. I called Tess at 2 PM and caught up with her. In the evening, I went out to eat okonomiyaki — kind of like a Japanese pancake — delicious! — for dinner with Chris and Billy (both from Australia), Damian and Aliena (both from Canada), and Angelica and Felix (both from Sweden).
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October 2011
It feels (and is) very safe. I’ve been wearing my money belt only for practice for Southeast Asia. The subway system is the best I’ve ever seen (but I haven’t seen many). It’s incredibly easy to use: to know where you are, which direction you’re going, what the next stops are, which exit to take, and which side of the tracks to be on. English is on almost all signs, and most trains have announcements in English.
observations south korea travel
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For Sunday, October 30, 2011 Tokyo I woke up feeling sicker than ever: sore throat, dehydrated, and exhausted. I tried to sleep in as much as I could, but the sounds of roommates and cleaners eventually forced me awake. I contemplated going with Chris (from Australia) and Stephen (from New Zealand/Canada) to the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, but I didn’t feel up to it. I tried to call Tess at 2 PM, but couldn’t reach her, then realized I was calling a day early because it was Sunday here, but Saturday there.
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For Saturday, October 29, 2011 Tokyo My throat still felt sore, so I let myself sleep in. Then I checked out of the Anne hostel and checked into Backpackers Hostel Ks House Tokyo. Using their wifi, I researched more into Japanese culture I might want to experience. I was still feeling under the weather, so I didn’t want to do a lot of strenuous walking, so I decide to check out one of the many gardens in Tokyo.
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For Friday, October 28, 2011 Tokyo I went to Harajuku, the young fashion center of Tokyo, to see the bizarre outfits and explore the clothing shops. I ate udon for the first time for lunch. I went to the Apple store in Shibuya and bought a 128 GB 11" MacBook Air. I couldn’t stand not having my own computer environment anymore. I had been having trouble finding the time or opportunity to blog about my experiences.
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For Thursday, October 27, 2011 Tokyo I went with Karlee (from Canada) to the Tsukiji fish market late in the morning. Unfortunately, the real action begins at 5 or 6 AM, so the show was mostly over when we got there. We perused the aisles of the market anyway and saw some cool things, then exited and ordered relatively cheap, super fresh sushi bowls at a nearby restaurant. Karlee was going to meet a friend at Ginza, and I had already been there, so we parted ways.
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For Wednesday, October 26, 2011 Tokyo The drinking from the night before had overwhelmed me, so I spent most of the morning waking up, cleaning up, and getting stabilized. I needed more cash (a common problem in Tokyo, I was to learn) and something to put in my stomach, so I walked to the nearest 7-11 (all 7-11s have ATMs that accept foreign cards and are open 24 hours per day), withdrew some cash, and bought a sandwich for the road.
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Japan: Royal Rockstar Ambassador
For Tuesday, October 25, 2011 Incheon Liz gave me a ride to the Incheon airport in the morning. She waived the ride fee because I donated my Going Abroad book to her hostel library. We chatted about the landscape under construction that we were passing through. The South Korean government had planned for a lot of development around Incheon, but there wasn’t enough demand for housing there, so there was a lot of suspended construction dotting the landscape.
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ch3n asked me which camera I used to take pictures in South Korea. The camera that I’ve used for the last half year is the Canon PowerShot S95. It’s a remarkable camera that takes stellar pictures. I’ve been complimented on how great my pictures look, but my secret is this magical device. I highly recommend it. I’ve met two other people on my journey that had one and they loved theirs just as much.
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I decided to post my camera pictures to Facebook instead of Flickr. You can view them here: Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Of course, if you’re friend or family, you can friend me on Facebook and be up to date on all my pictures.
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South Korea: Seeing The Countryside
For Monday, October 24, 2011 Busan I packed my things and chatted for a few minutes with the beautiful Mina, the Korean girl who worked the front desk. Her English was really good. She had taken the job there to practice speaking English because she was engaged to a Welsh man who was teaching English in Busan. I was flying to Japan the next day, so I had bought a train ticket the day before from Busan to Seoul, and had booked a hostel in Incheon, since I was flying out of the airport there.
busan incheon seoul south korea travel
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For Sunday, October 23, 2011 Busan I walked to Haeundae Beach, the most renowned beach in South Korea, with Jin to watch the Gumi Bears practice their frisbee throws and say goodbye. We got a spare frisbee and Aaron, Fenton, Jin, and I tossed it around on the beach for twenty minutes. Jin and I took the metro to the Jagalchi Market, where we perused the various kinds of fresh (and live!
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For Saturday, October 22, 2011 Busan I rode the bus to see the Haedong Yonggung Temple. Of course, I didn’t hear the stop name clearly when it was announced on the bus, so I overshot by a kilometer or two, so I had to backtrack on foot. On the way, I saw a shrine on a rock in the sea by the shore, so I diverted down a side road to check it out.
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South Korea: So Close, Yet So Far
For Friday, October 21, 2011 Busan I rode the bus to the Jeju airport and flew to Busan. During take off, the cockpit door swung open, and the flight attendant tried several times to prop it closed. Finally, she had to hold it closed by hand until we leveled off. Terrorists: Here’s your chance! I rode the bus from the Busan airport to the neighborhood of my hostel and spent the next hour walking around completely lost in a heavy rain.
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South Korea: Lost And Found In Pyeoson
For Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Jeju City I rode the bus to Pyeoson in the southeast corner of Jeju island to visit the Jeju Folk Village Museum. I wasn’t sure if I had gotten off on the right stop, and after walking around for a half hour, I gave up and took a taxi straight there, which had been in the direction opposite that I had been walking. I spent a couple hours walking around the outdoor museum with a headset that spoke English descriptions.
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South Korea: Hawaii, Eat Your Heart Out
For Tuesday, October 18, 2011 Jeju City I rode a bus from the bus station in downtown Seogwipo to Joseph Tree Guesthouse in the northeastern part of the island, I think technically part of Jeju City. I met Joseph, a Korean, and check in, then talked with him about my plans and he helped me figure out how to get there and back. I rode a bus to Seongsan Ilchulbong on the east coast and hiked the short distance to the top of the crater.
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South Korea: All About The Love(in)
For Monday, October 17, 2011 Seogwipo I walked to Cheonjiyeon falls, near my hostel, about a ten minute walk. I learned you can just look for bunches of tour buses to locate the good tourist attractions. The falls were beautiful. The water looked nice and cool, a deep greenish-blue color. Signs said that a freshwater eel could only be found in those waters, but I couldn’t see any from the paths.
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For Sunday, October 16, 2011 Seoul This day I had a flight to Jeju, a subtropical island off the southern coast of South Korea. I woke up at 9:30 AM, packed up my things, and was out the door by 10:30 AM, although I almost forgot my drying clothes and my toiletries. I just need a few more times to practice packing before it comes naturally. Keren (from Australia) was heading to Jeju as well, so we traveled to the airport together (we ended up on the same flight as well).
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For Friday, October 14, 2011 Seoul I had heard good things about Jeju, an island off the southern shore, and Busan, a port city on the southern shore, so I decided to spend some time there. I had about ten days left, which would be enough time to do both, so I decided to spend part of the day planning those trips. I bought flights from Seoul to Jeju on Sunday, October 16, and Jeju to Busan on Friday, October 21.
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A short video of the highlights from the Korean cultural event that I went to. There are shots of the crowd, but I didn’t see myself. Maybe you can spot me? I was sitting center stage. The signs the people make with their thumb and forefinger or forefinger and middle finger are the letter ‘V’ for victory (I presume from the Korean War). It’s a common pose for pictures.
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South Korea: Glimpse Of Korean Culture
For Saturday, October 15, 2011 Seoul For several days prior, I had been approached by various people my age on the street and told about a cultural event for foreigners to learn about Korean culture. Mia (the hostel owner) had told all her guests about it as well, so I had decided to go. This day was the day, so I did some laundry and blogged until it was time to leave for the cultural event.
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South Korea: Reunification With North Korea Is Imminent!
For Thursday, October 13, 2011 Seoul They told me so on the DMZ tour. I had asked Mia (the hostel owner) to book me a Korean DMZ tour. Keren (from Australia) was going as well, so we both left at about 8 AM and were picked up by the tour company. We met another couple along the way, Lexi (from New York) and Graeme (from England), whom we chatted with along the way.
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South Korea: Schoolchild Celebrity
For Wednesday, October 12, 2011 Seoul The night before I had planned to go to Gyeongbokgung palace the next day, since my last attempt hadn’t worked out. As I was preparing for my day out, I met Henry from Australia, who was departing Seoul that afternoon and also wanted to see Gyeongbokgung. I asked him if he wanted to join me, and he did, so off we went. Gyeongbokgung is the most impressive palace that I’ve seen.
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South Korea: Thighs Of Steel (to Come)
For Tuesday, October 11, 2011 Seoul I ran into Charles (from Singapore) in the morning at the hostel and he invited me to join him hiking the Bukhansan mountain that borders Seoul. Not having a plan of my own yet, and since it sounded like something I wouldn’t otherwise consider, I agreed, and we set out. Charles had researched the directions, so I was just tagging along mostly. We took the subway to the right station, exited at the right exit, but the bus we needed to take to Bukhansan wasn’t listed at the nearby bus stop.
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For Monday, October 10, 2011 Seoul Having stayed up until 5 AM the night before, I got a late start in the morning. Mia was pretty hung over and stayed inside all day to recover. I left the hostel at 4:30 PM and headed for Gyeongbokgung Palace. I emerged from the subway station and couldn’t see the palace. It could have been two blocks in any direction. For the second time since arriving in Seoul, I realized that my map wasn’t up to the task of orienting me based on street names.
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I forgot to say what my planned travel itinerary is: South Korea Japan Taiwan Hong Kong Vietnam Laos Cambodia Thailand Malaysia Singapore Indonesia Philippines India Basically, most of East, Southeast, and South Asia. I haven’t done any research for any of these countries (except South Korea, where I am now), so I don’t know which particular cities I’ll go to, although I assume I’ll at least visit the capital cities. I plan to buy a guidebook or read WikiTravel for each country just before or when I arrive there.
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South Korea: Venturing Out And Night Life
For Sunday, October 9, 2011 Seoul At the start of my first full day in Seoul, I got some lunch at a restaurant down the street with another hostel guest, Charles. I ordered a very tasty kimchi and pork meal. Afterward, we split up, and I looked for a world ATM in the neighborhood and withdrew some more cash, since I had had to pay for my entire stay at the hostel up front in cash.
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