Eat, Play, LOVE

The three trips that made my year.
Eat. Bangkok Thailand. March 2011
Play. Singapore. May 2011
LOVE. Vietnam-Cambodia. October 2011

2011. What a very significant year. Crazy stuff. Crazier weekends. I am, first and foremost, a traveler. However, this has taken a backseat for the past 25 years. I do love to do new things. And experience new culture. But there were several key factors limiting the love for travel. Money, as always, have been scarce. Up until last year, that is. I have just enough right now to feed my need to go to places, and see new sights.

Eat. A trip to Bangkok alone. I was never fond of trying out new cuisine. But Bangkok taught me otherwise. And I was overwhelmed at how I was left incredibly in-love with the local delicacies. The sweet, tangy, and just the right hint of spice in their food, left my mouth watering and craving for more. I loved how the sourness of the Tom Yang Soup and the sweetness of the mango and sticky rice ravishes the tastebuds which are ignorant for the most part of my life. Haha. How utterly sensible that I should try this now. When I'm mid 20's. Sharing with myself.

Vertigo

Play. Another solo trip abroad. I was never scared, nor a teeny wee bit concerned, what with friends who were scheduled to pick me up at the Budget Terminal airport. My crazy habit of never asking anyone to travel with me, and just saying yes to invitations, have left me with a severe disability - I could never write an itinerary. Aside from touring the local sites and destinations in Singapore from the trusty handbook of 4-hour itineraries I found in my friends' home, there was the intoxicated evening. When we were in recluse, inebriated without heed. And holding a hand of someone I barely recognize. Haha. Good old days, thinking we were back in college. Nada a care in the world.

The Cast
(c) Princess

Love. Now this trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, I shared with my trusty travel buddy, Isabel, who we fondly call Chabs or Biik or Boi. And the most important part was the bus ride. Haha. We have not even set foot in Vietnam for a day. So I relish the moments we were traveling, in style, bus-style. I had to reiterate to myself, that worthiness of oneself is all about outlook. I am worthy to be loved. Especially by me. So lowered self-esteem should have never been an issue. Albeit, I should've looked at it as if it was rejuvenation and a healing. This love for oneself is powerful enough to carry on. And I ended up loving me.

Angkor Wat Gate