8 Life-Changing Things Asia Taught Me

Bali: How to Drive an Automatic Scooter

After having the poop scared out of me from being doubled on the back of my boyfriends motorbike in high school, I vowed that those devil-machines just weren’t for me and was never going on one again. Then in Bali reason caught up with me and I decided to get over it. Holy shamoley, it’s amazing! The freedom you feel zooming along the road, bugs in your hair, is unmatched by any other form of transport.

Cambodia: Meditation

I discovered Meditation when I dragged my sad, hungover butt to a Retreat for a week. That shit is awesome. You get all calm in your mind and feel like you’re totally at peace with the Earth and yourself and everyone and you feel all powerful and shit. It’s great. I’m going to meditate all over the place now!

Cambodia: Yoga

Discovered in the same retreat as above. I’ve come to realise that yoga not only keeps a girl skinny while travelling but it also helps with any aches and pains, makes you all bendy (sexy time?) and STRONGER. Seriously. Go do Yoga. It’s life changing.

Thailand: Social Smoking

I didn’t say all the ‘life-changing’ things were going to be GOOD. Cigarettes are so damn cheap there and I really love the buzz a cigarette gives you when you’re having a couple of drinks. It’s so hard to say no when people offer them to you left right and centre, plus I really like them. Damn.

Editors note: I “gave up” smoking (not that I ever really started) a year later in Mexico after I found out a close family member had lung cancer. Don’t do drugs, eeek!

Everywhere: Playing Charades with Strangers

Though I’ve done this before on a smaller scale in South America, I usually had enough Spanish to get by without ‘the game’ most of the time. In Asia every single country uses a different language and I’m lucky if I learn much more than “hello” and “thankyou”. So I’ve developed a strong affliction for a game of charades at any time of day, for any situation (including telling boys I like them). 

Vietnam & Laos: The Sheer Delights of Street Food

I honestly can’t express my love for street food enough. Why do we not have these delightful, cheap, amazing, movable food places in Australia? Whyyyy? It’s saved me so much money, had me meet cool locals, and been so god-damn delicious and all I had to pay for it was a few weeks of food poisoning… Jokes!

Cambodia: How to Drive a Manual Motorbike

Just four months after learning to ride a scooter I was in a position where I had to learn how to drive a fricken HUGE and powerful dirt bike. But there was no one around to teach me! So I did what anybody would do in the same situation and I searched on Youtube: “how to drive a manual motorbike.” Sure enough I was trained and biking around Siem Reap in no time. Didn’t even crash it either.

Borneo: Amazing Caving

I’ve done Caving once before, but after spending time in Heritage Cave Capital of the World: Mulu National Park, my cave obsessions ran rampant! I penetrated every cave in the area spending more money there in a week than I usually do in a month. I’m shit scared of heights too so balancing along tiny cliff edges with drop offs next to you that you’ll never know the height of is my type of extreme sporting!

This post was made with extra love, affection and a cheeky bit of humour by me, just For You! If you liked it, please share it X

What new things have you learnt while travelling?