Free As a Bird

I was having lunch with Danielle, a co-intern from Holland, when she started sharing her experiences on backpacking. It's an activity that is not often practiced in the Philippines or even generally around Asia. Maybe the majority of us aren't built for these kinds of adventure - where you withdraw yourself from "civilization" and jump out of your comfort zone, into the wild. Or maybe because we have different priorities, like getting a job at once after graduating.

After finishing her degree in college, Danielle started her backpacking trip in Quatar then went to Nepal before staying here in Vietnam. She told me how she barely knew anyone in the countries that she visited, and how fun it was to meet new people on the way. She even crossed paths with some backpackers more than once, all of them surprisingly taking the same route and hostels. 

This is a great feat for a very beautiful, Victoria's Secret level girl. I thought she was very sheltered, but through her stories, I was inspired to backpack on my own. But I guess the first thing I need to learn is how to pack light. Goodbye 20 kg maximum luggage limit!

Free as a bird. You can go anywhere you want without the extra weight of itineraries or tour groups. You leave when you like, eat what you want and set which direction you want to take.

On Saturday, I'll be on a 12 hour long bus ride to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. Well you can say that it'll be my first backpacking trip since I'll only carry one backpack while the rest of my stuff will stay first in Vietnam.

I'm also going there cause I want to celebrate my birthday in a place where no one knows that I just turned a year older, when no one knows me at all. Commemorating your birth goes to back to its roots when you were just a clean slate. I think it's more natural and liberating that way. Just for a change.