Farewell Asia: Top 5 Things I Don't Miss

Hello wonderful people!

As my time in Asia came to a close I began to think about all the things I would miss about my time travelling through these amazing countries. Like the true Brit I am, I obviously thought I'd miss the weather the most. While it was super hot ALL the time, I'd finally got used to the humidity and the endless sunny days were amazing! I also didn't want to lose my beautiful tan that I'd acquired over the 6 weeks, I'm not even joking I could have been mistaken for a local I was that amazingly tanned. *Sobs at the thought of how pale I now am.* So, yes, I was going to miss the weather A LOT. Going from a super laid back lifestyle, back to the hectic western regime was also going to be a toughie. I'd started to get used to Asia time and the thought of getting a train on time, or eating a meal at the same time in a restaurant really started to freak me out. I was also definitely going to miss the stunning scenery and the wonderfully colourful cities of South East Asia. Oh, and paying $2 a night for accommodation or 25c for a beer is devastatingly hard to get over. However, while I could ramble all day and get super depressed about all the things I miss about South East Asia, there are definitely a number (5 to be precise) of things I don't miss about backpacking through this area!

 

Forbidden tap water

Oh what a beautiful invention the tap is, especially when it produces water you can actually drink without the fear of pooing yourself all day. It's safe to say that not being able to drink the water in SE Asia was a tad annoying, especially when you're sweating out all your fluids at the speed of light. Even brushing my teeth became a dance with death. About half way through my trip I started to get cocky and fearlessly started using tap water to brush my teeth with, rebellious I know! However this could explain why I randomly got the poopers every so often! Having to constantly buy bottled water was a slight pain in my a hole, but if I didn't I would have had a literal pain in my a hole (har har) so it was a necessary evil. Praise the Lordy for freeeeee water in England, it's amazing what you take for granted innit!

Cold showers

While cold showers were often quite nice to cool off after a sweaty day being a sweaty person, the novelty soon wore off. I'm not saying I wanted boiling hot showers all the time, but it would have been nice to have the option. I think I might be being a tad picky with this one, because the majority of the time a hot shower would have been hideous and probably cause me to faint. But I distinctly remember a number of times when I was desperately trying to avoid brain freeze while showering. Not cool, not cool at all. 

Having 'Tuk Tuk' shouted every 3.6 seconds

Ahhhh the good old Tuk Tuk. I am a huge fan of these crazy contraptions, however just because I like them does not mean I want to ride in one 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I can not even describe how angry some of the Tuk Tuk drivers made me. Walking down the street became an almighty hassle and fiasco because every single Tuk Tuk driver would shout 'Tuk Tuk?' Or 'hey laaaddddy, Tuk Tuk?' I would politely refuse the first driver, but by the end of the street I would be ready to shove a Tuk Tuk down all of their throats. Surely if I'd said no to one driver, it's pretty clear that I DONT NEED AN EFFING TUK TUK. Eugh, even thinking about it is making me angry. Seriously, use your eyes people and take a hint! I'm not going to get half way down the street and think 'you know what, I could really do with a ride in a Tuk Tuk now, thanks for asking as I don't know where I would have found one?!' JOKES, of course I don't need a bloody Tuk Tuk. Rant over.

Insect bites and the possibility of malaria 
Eugh I hate insects. Especially ones that bite and cause me to itch like a flea ridden dog. Not attractive. I'm allergic to mosquito bites, so I was dreading being covered in huge swollen bites for the entire 6 weeks. However, I was pretty lucky and only got bitten by Mosquitos a handful of times. Of course, throughout my whole time in SE Asia I had to take malaria tablets just in case a cheeky infected mozzy bit me. This was a complete pain, as I forgot a couple of times to take them and spent the rest of the time convinced I had malaria. Turns out I didn't, surprise surprise. However, while on Kho Rong I got eaten alive by sand flies, which I had a horrendous allergic reaction to and spent the next week covered in hives. It was so gross. Bed bugs were another pain in the a hole, and the thought of them totally freaks me out and makes me feels sick. I am supper happy that we live in a crappy cold country, as all these pesky (bar bed bugs) insects love hot countries, and praise The Lord cos I hate them!  

Playing Russian Roulette every time I ate 

Being a veggie I'm always wary about what I eat, and I'm pretty sure I ate some dodgy things without knowing it in SE Asia! Not only was I trying to avoid gross meaty products, I also didn't want to end up with food poisoning, which was a huge common occurrence amongst the backpacking community. While the majority of the food I ate was amazing, there were a few dody meals followed by some sicky, poopy days! While the Asian food was brill, it's nice to feel reassured in England that we (in most cases) have super strict hygiene laws, so you're very unlikely to get ill after visiting a restaurant.

Despite these teeny tiny set backs durning my SE Asia travels, I thoroughly enjoyed my time travelling here and get super depressed when I think back to it. I want to travel foreverrrrr!!

Ta ta, bye bye!