Greetings from Cambodia!
Yes, I’ve finally returned to Southeast Asia and it’s SO good to be back!
At the beginning of the month I had one week left of my sailing trip around the coast of Turkey and I’m pleased to say that the rest of my time on board featured no nausea and very few incidents, which was a miracle! As somebody who frequently gets travel sick in swimming pools and hammocks, I was amazed at how quickly my body grew to adapt to all the rocking around.
Despite growing accustomed to life at sea, I was secretly a little relieved to be back on dry land again at the end of the week. However, I then had a new sensation to deal with.
Landsickness.
For the first time in my life, I preferred movement over stillness.
I spent the next few days recovering from the disorientation of every single thing in sight rocking violently around me in an amazing villa in Kadikalesi, just outside of Bodrum. It was the perfect place to catch up on work after two weeks offline and with views like this, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve been in Turkey.
After a week in luxury, it was time to figure for Dave and I to figure out where to go next. After throwing around ideas that included Rhodes, Santorini and even Cappadocia, we eventually decided to take the low-stress and easy option and head back to our favourite backpacker resort in Selcuk.
Yes, this was the lazy choice but it was definitely the right thing for us to do. After spending two weeks offline on the boat, both Dave and I had a lot of work to catch up on and after our Interrail adventure, we were craving slow travel and to stay put in one place.
However, we couldn’t leave Turkey without paying a final visit to Istanbul and I was so excited that I’d be able to check out some of the things I missed during my first visit.
I finally went inside Hagia Sophia and wondered what had taken me so long. It was incredible!
I wandered around the Grand Bazaar avoiding the fluorescent Adidas tracksuits and taking sneaky photos of the gorgeous lanterns.
I explored the Spice Bazaar and fought the urge to buy 127 different kinds of tea to carry around with me.
And then, sadly, it was time to leave Turkey and head to Southeast Asia and Bali!
Dave and I had friends staying in Nusa Dua so we took the opportunity to hang out at their resort and pretend to be luxury travellers for a few days. We met up with my friend Debby, who lives in Bali, and she spent a day showing us around some of the areas in Bali you don’t usually get to see.
We visited Pandawa Beach, where I got to see a seaweed farm for the first time, and Green Bowl Beach – a completely empty beach with hundreds of steps down a cliff to get to it.
Both beaches were beautiful and we saw no other tourists for the entire day. It was great to see a side of Bali that’s so different to disgusting Kuta.
Today, I left Bali and flew to Cambodia, where I’ll be spending the next few weeks.
Onto the statistics for the month!
Distance travelled: 14,575 km
Countries visited: 3
Turkey, Indonesia, Cambodia
Cities visited: 9
Kas, Kalkan, Fethiye, Kadikalesi, Selcuk, Istanbul, Ubud, Nusa Dua, Phnom Penh.
Number of photos taken: 2643
Number of flights: 5
Number of buses: 5
Number of boats: 1
Money spent:
Turkey: £595.45 over 21 days = £28.33/day
Bali: £155.70 over 7 days = £22.14/day
Cambodia: £30 over 2 days = £15.00/day
Flights: £369.94.
Total amount spent: £1151/$1846
The next month:
The majority of the next month will be spent exploring Cambodia! After spending a few more days in Phnom Penh, I’m heading down to Sihanoukville to get in some much needed beach time on the peaceful Otres Beach. I hope to visit Kampot and Kep at some point before jumping over to Thailand, where I’ll either be spending some time on the islands, exploring Sukhothai and Ayutthaya or heading straight up to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng!
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In July 2011 I left England for what was supposed to be a one year trip around the world. Within a few months of leaving I knew that a year would never be enough. I now work online and travel permanently, seeking misadventures in unique, beautiful and fascinating places. Read more.
I'm here to show you how not to travel. Since I've been on the road I've been "poked" during a massage in Bangkok, punched a scammer in Shanghai, been attacked by monkeys in Bali, sat next to a dead woman on a boat in Laos and so much more. I call these The Incidents and you can see a full list of them here.
Welcome back to Southeast Asia! :D Still hoping you guys pass by the Philippines again :D
Micamyx|Senyorita recently posted..Beyond the Big Sand: A Rich Underwater Life Scanned
Thank you! I’m secretly hoping that too – I miss the Philippines!
What incredible experiences in such a short time! The photos of the spice bazaar are equally impressive.
Elle of Solo Female Nomad recently posted..Top Ten Things To Do In Washington DC
Thanks, Elle! The Spice Bazaar was a highlight of my time in Istanbul. It smelt AMAZING!
Next time you visit Bali, let’s discover other hidden places. By the way, the name is Green Bowl Beach :p
DebbZie recently posted..Singapore: Food Porn
Whoops, I knew I should have checked before posting it! All changed now :)
And yes, I can’t wait to explore more of Bali with you :D
Wow, massively impressed with your daily budget at each place! Are you guys on a starvation quest!!??? Ha!
Hagia Sophia is so beautiful! Love the lantern bazaar photo, too!
Haha, no. :) We usually stay at places that have a free breakfast, and eat at cheap street food stalls :)
Every time I read one of your travel summary posts I’m in awe at how little you spend when you jet around the world! How do you manage to spend so little on flight??! That’s amazing, I’m a Canadian living in Europe and know how cheap flights can be but the amount you spend seems to surpass even that!
Thanks, Angela! It really helps when you have no fixed plans or dates in your future! I knew I wanted to be in Bali at some point in September or October – so I have 2 months worth of dates to check, so there’s always a few cheap flights! I also always fly budget airlines and I’m happy to have a ton of layovers and stops to save money. From Bali to Phnom Penh, I flew Bali -> Singapore -> Siem Reap -> Phnom Penh. It took all day but was only $100!
Congrats on 15 months! Ahh I love Turkey… oh & I don’t know why it took me so long to go inside the Hagia Sophia too. It really is amazing. I’m still a bit sad our paths didn’t cross there. We were so damn close…lol!!! Just means we’ll have to make it happen here in SEAsia. Enjoy the beach… i’m enjoying it here in Boracay.
Jaime recently posted..600 days into my “BREAKAWAY” & I couldn’t be happier!!!
Thanks, Jaime! Yep, we’ll definitely make it happen here, and I’m so glad to hear you’re loving Boracay! :)
Good stats, looks like you’re right on budget, and with 5 flights in there I’m surprised its not higher, well done! :) And Cambodia is great, I spend a week in Siem Reap and I need to go back, I really liked being there… have fun!
Lauren, I just discovered you blog and I have to say I love it! I can’t wait to make my first trip to Southeast Asia!
I also really like how you track everything each month, keep up the good work!
Bob Buskirk recently posted..A Week Vacation – Was it Worth It?
Well done on 15 months – and I’m looking forward to hearing about your Cambodian adventures :D
Laurence recently posted..In photos: from the Facebook page – Edition IV
The Grand Bazaar is so nice in Turkey. I could see those spices, such as chilly, Indian Saffron etc.
I JUST finished a week at Otres beach. It was amazing! Say hi to Chris and Jenna at Moonlight Rock for me if you stay there :)
Ava Apollo recently posted..SCUBA Diving in the Jade-Green Waters of Cambodia
15 months already… wow!
And seriously… how AMAZING is Hagia Sofia?!?
Amanda recently posted..Walking the Walls of Dubrovnik
Great pictures of Istanbul, really shows off how vibrant it is. Have a great time back in SE Asia! :)
PurpleTravelKate recently posted..A Goth’s Guide to Gothenburg
Turkey is one of my favorite countries, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Have fun back in SE Asia! I really want to get back there and explore more, I just didn’t have enough time there.
Ali recently posted..Is a Fear of Getting Sick While Traveling Holding You Back?
Just arrived in Istanbul, despite the weather, having a great time. Looking forward to discovering its delights, great blog. I just hope we don’t have any incidents!
Flashpacker John recently posted..Sri Lanka Backpacking Costs