2012 in Review: A Life Changing Year in Asia

Halfway through the first month of the new year, time has escaped me in India - thus my belated new year reflection.

I thought 2011 was monumental for me, but never did I dream of the things that came in 2012.

Welcome to India - Land of Colors!

Sri Lanka: Impossibly Beautiful

I was under a decade old when I was given my very first globe. I distinctly recall playing my favorite past-time one afternoon, spinning the globe and seeing what remote place my finger would land on, when I was introduced to the small island nation in the Indian Ocean: Sri Lanka. I remember picking my mother's brain for information and learning to pronounce this faraway land with an "sh" emphasis - Shri Lanka.

Having not yet developed my insatiable travel curiosity, Sri Lanka was placed into a filing cabinet in the back of my mind and remained a remote place that only existed in books and movies. Never did I imagine that I'd find myself 15 years later in the very place my little finger touched on the globe.

Goodbye Southeast Asia, Hello South Asia

It's been 14 and a half months since I left Southeast Asia. In my final days in Thailand, I've been trying to figure out how to say goodbye to a place that has changed my life.

Steaming hot Hoi Tod (fried mussels with egg)

Ingesting as many meals as my stomach will fit, I'm trying to savor every last bite of Thai food. I'm especially flaunting my broken Thai, because, who knows when I'll be able to communicate in a language other than English again. I'm smiling at every stranger and giggling at all the cultural quirks I've grown fond of. I am remembering the 10 Things I'll Miss About Living in Thailand that I wrote when I left for traveling two months ago. My departure is rapidly approaching and it's hard to believe I am really leaving this place.

Malaysia on my Mind

Ever since I left a month and a half ago, Malaysia has been on my mind in one way or another. Although I wrote about some of my trip in Life As a Solo Traveler, I've been procrastinating writing about what it was that fascinated me the most: the cultural diversity.

Three major ethnic groups make up the country's population: Indian, Chinese and Malay (though it's difficult to pinpoint what constitutes a native Malay as the country has long been a melting pot for many ethnicities). As an foreigner, I was immediately impressed at how seemingly well the different cultures worked, lived and co-existed with one another - at least as it initially appeared to me as an outsider. While the separate cultures are equally as rich and distinct from one another, it's not uncommon to witness the blending of the three groups in cuisine, religion, language and families & friends.

Indian blessing a Chinese lady at a Hindu temple

Trekking to the Hill Tribes in Laos

Aboard a Bangkok-bound sleeper train, I am smiling -- not only because I'm thrilled to be back in Thailand, but also because of the wonderful memories Laos has left me with.

A highlight of my two weeks too short in Laos was a trek run by the company "White Elephant" based in Luang Prabang. Many tour companies offer a similar wide variety of kayaking, trekking, elephant riding, rock climbing and more outdoor activities accompanied with a visit to a hill tribe village. It was White Elephant that convinced me to join last minute a trip that promised to be an authentic experience to remember.

Corruption Junction, Cambodia

After my last post detailing how I was robbed in Phnom Penh, it's easy to understand how Cambodia was tainted for me from the get-go. Although I tried my best to judge the country unbiasedly, I was itching to get out of Phnom Penh, and ultimately, Cambodia.

Now, let me first explain my one major pet peeve among typical traveler conversations: when another traveler tells you definitively where to go or not go. I have so often been advised to completely avoid a destination because one person hated it, or been told to revise my travel plans to hit their favorite spot. Everyone has an opinion based on their interests, timing and experience. When I am asked for advice on a place, I try to be careful to articulate it in such a way to clariy it's only my opinion and experience.

Angkor Wat after our sunrise bike ride

That being said, I understand people have varying experiences and opinions of Cambodia. In fact, I know people whose opinions I trust that loved Cambodia.

After leaving peices of my heart in Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, I was started to wonder if there'd ever be a place I didn't love in it's own special way.

Cambodia.

Everything is Nothing & Nothing is Everything

I got robbed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Every traveler's worst nightmare.

I've heard stories of other unfortunate travelers. I've witnessed a sobbing woman whose bag was snatched from a motorbike on the streets of Vietnam.

But that stuff isn't supposed to happen to me.