I am back home. Everything went well, it took 27 hours start to finish but it wasn’t too bad! I am definitely glad I made it home without any problems, and now I will start my 2 week quarentine at home. I was super lucky and got the whole row of seats to myself on every plane ride! It was wonderful. The airports were very quiet and all the shops and restaurants were closed.
The future. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to travel again but hopefully in the fall. We’ll see how it all goes with coronavirus and how fast or slow the world gets back to normal. For now, since I’m not traveling I wont be updating but I will keep this for the future.
Well… I am coming home. The Philippines are talking about extending the lockdown and Thailand is shutting down flights to the U.S.
As much as I was determined to stay, get to the Philippines and just ride it out, it is just not a possibility anymore. I hate to travel through so many airports right now but I will take all precautions as well as a two week quarentine when I get home. I haven’t abandoned my trip entirely, I will be returning as soon as this has calmed down. This definitely wasn’t my plan but no one is having a good time through this pandemic.
On the positive side, I have money to live off of. Amazing friends and family to support me and a safe place to come home to. The only things I did this week were watch netflix, tan on the roof and find amazingly wierd chip flavors at 7-11.
I hope everyone is staying safe and I’ll let you know when I safely make it home!
Many have seen my updated posts on facebook, but I will post here as well. Thailand declared a state of emergency on March 26th which means they can and will shut down movements within the country at any time. With that in mind I decided to leave Krabi and go back to Bangkok to the hostel I first stayed at when I landed. It is 2 miles from the airport, not in the city, very clean, quiet, and I feel very comfortable here. I will be here until the Philippines re-opens on April 15th or if they stay closed I will come home. I am right next door to a 7-11 and many little shops. There is a breakfast area, Refrigerater, AC, and wifi. I have my own room and today I went to the grocery store to stock up for the week. I will only leave to go to the grocery store once a week, otherwise stay in my room. I am trying my hardest to stay safe and healthy.
I have been extremely worried and stressed the past four days wondering if I would be able to get to Bangkok. Now that I am here I am doing much better. I feel run down but in a couple days of relaxing I’ll be right as rain! I enjoyed my time at the farm and the last couple days I was there I just fed the otters, and hung out. We made sun dried bananas for treats! Two days ago a big party of 8 people who came together from Finland and France rented the big house. They had all been through quarentine and none were sick, but I still stayed distant when talking. They all decided to stay until the coronavirus blew over, many were able to work remotely. Now I have some new friends on Facebook!
Thats all for now! It will be a boring 2 weeks but I will be safe and stress free!
First things first! Nothing has changed since my last post regarding coronavirus. I am just waiting until April 14th so I can fly back to bangkok, then on April 15th back to Bohol, Philippines. As long as Bangkok still allows people to leave, and Manila opens like they said I will be happy and can leave. There are around 200 cases of coronavirus in Thailand with a population of 70 million. I am isolated at the farm.. the chances of me getting it are pretty much zero. Everyone has been keeping me updated about everything happening back home and it sounds like a big mess. I really hope this all calms down in a few weeks, not months.
Onto the fun stuff!! I actually had a great time this week! Me and the girl who was staying here took the kayak and decided to make it all the way to the ocean and back! It was incredibly fun and I can’t wait to do it again. The creek runs through the farm and all you have to do is start paddling, after a mile it opens up to a river. There were alot of local boats and fisherman as well as monkeys throughout the mangroves. We also saw Gobi fish, they can breathe out of the water for short periods of time and scuttle accross the banks. It was super interesting watching them “walk” out of the water and bury themselves. It was 5 miles to the ocean and we made it in 2 hours. The view was breathtaking, there are small islands everywhere. It was surprisingly shallow coming out of the river to meet the ocean, we cruised around a giant sandbar and spotted some caves in the cliffs. We found a small alcove beach and stopped for lunch. Afterward we kayaked the 5 miles home and it was surprisingly easy. It took 5 hours roundtrip but I wasn’t sore or anything!
I worked alot in the garden this week, weeding everything inside and outside. The resident cat here is the absolute sweetest. He is always in the garden and always flops down at your feet demanding belly rubs. I picked chili’s, planted seedlings, and harvested asparagus, salad greens, onions, papayas, and butternut squash. I also learned how to make sun dried bananas, and bread! The bread wasn’t too difficult and actually turned out delicious, hopefully it doesn’t turn rock hard by tomorrow! I’ve been listening to my podcasts and keeping up writing in my journal to occupy my time since there is no TV here. Every night I usually go for a walk or bike ride. The only downside here is the fire ants. They live on anything green, the grass, bushes, trees, anything.. and they bite fast and hard. It leaves horrible red marks that are itchy and swollen. The bite marks go away after a couple weeks but they are annoying and painful, so I will be wearing boots for a while.
The otters are going through a growth spurt! They are always hungry and are getting very bitey. They are excellent climbers and will now climb up the door. Their fur is also getting really thick and dark. We have to seperate them when we feed them now because the others will get impatient and bite your feet or steal your shoes. They are on more solid food and learning how to chew and have been doing great! By next week I think we will be feeding them fish. We also have some new chicken hatchlings! Last but not least, the weather is always sunny and clear here, although very hot. Usually its 95° and 90-100% humidity.. even the shade is hot. Thats all for this week!
So much has happened for my travel plans the last couple days have been extremely stressful, heartbreaking, and confusing. With the world basically shutting down my travel plans have been turned upside down. I had originally planned to go back to the Philippines after my stay at the farm, but then Manila shut down all flight for 30 days, so no go. Then I found a flight that bypassed Manila and landed on the island I was going to! Jackpot! Until 2 days later the island announced it was shutting all travel down as well. So no Philippines. I was so excited to go back and see friends that is was so dissapointing to be shut down twice.
Then I thought, no biggie, I’ll just go to vietnam like I was planning after the farm then come back when the Philippines opens april 15th! Wrong. Vietnam just announced they will have mandatory quarentine for anyone arriving. So that leaves me stuck in Thailand, with a visa that expires in 13 days. So my only option now is go to the immigration office and apply for an extended visa, hopefully I get one. If I dont… I have no idea. Maybe just say fuck it and go to the island and be stuck in a quarentine room for two weeks but then I’ll be free and good to go. Im not sure. Its all unknown for right now which is super stressful. The biggest upset is I will most likely have to cancel my tickets and trip to Greece which I was supposed to leave for april 28th from Vietnam.. again, we will see how it looks in a couple weeks.
On to the better part of my week!! More baby otter feedings at the farm, they are growing so fast!! Worked on getting rid of all the weeds in the garden, and planting some more. Went to the market as usual and I am always surprised at the fish they have as well as sharks. They sell anything they catch. I’ve gotten into a routine of swimming every morning and biking in the evenings. Today me and another girl staying here took the kayaks out and kayaked 6miles down river starting from our small creek to the large river that spills into the ocean. It was incredible! My shoulders are sore and my legs are sunburned but we saw some incredible sights. Plenty of locals fishing the river, mangroves, jumping fish and a whole troop of monkeys! I think we’ll go further tomorrow all the way to the sea.
Thats all for now! Ill update again once I figure out where in the world I can go.. literally.
It has officially been over a month since I left! It feels much longer since I’ve already seen and done so much! On the 6th I flew down south to Krabi, about an hour flight, not too far. I am staying at Ecovilla farm stay with owners David and Nim. This farm is far from rustic it is gorgeous! There are two houses, the main house and a seperate apartment/bungalow 200 yards from the main house. The property is huge with a beautiful creek the runs along the edge. It is super tropical and full of trees. My job here is to help take care of the baby otters and help in the garden. There was a litter of baby otters orphaned on the property so they took them in and we are raising them until they can be released. We feed them twice a day and it never gets boring, I absolutely love it! They make the cutest little chirping noises.
The usual day here is pretty relaxing. Wake up around 7:30am, eat breakfast, feed the otters, feed the farm animals and plant in the garden or some other small projects. We are done by 10:30 because it gets so hot during the middle if the day. After work we jump in the creek and go swimming or kayaking to keep cool, then lunch! After lunch is siesta and we relax until 3 or 4pm then off to town for errands, the market or the beach. Then dinner and bed. Its wonderful, the food is great, a lot more spicy food and curry’s here than the Philippines but still delicious. Rinse and repeat!
The animals!! Oh man. Besides the otters they have a large amount of chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, pheasants, roosters, fish, eels, two dogs, a cat and a peacock. Last but not least they have a Gibbon, ape. He was left here by the previous owners 15 years ago and David and Nim built him a large enclosure since he was unable to be released. We stay away from him since he has a habit of pulling hair and arms. Everyone gets fed in the morning and taken out of their enclosures to roam the land freely. There are multiple ponds for large catfish and eels. We go to the fresh market twice a week, they sell every type of fish and creature from the ocean as well as fruit and veggies. I learned some great haggling skills and walked away with a bunch of amazing local food.
The best part so far!! Today was my day off and I decided I wanted to go to the beach.. which meant learning how to use the motorbike, as well as driving on the opposite side of the road! In Thailand they drive on the left side of the road. Scary and challenging but I figured I had to learn sometime and the roads here are quiet. So after some training around the farm I took off and surprised myself! It wasn’t that hard! It was great! I didn’t crash, but I also didn’t go above 40mph 😂 driving the bike was the easy part, I was more nervous I’d forget what side of the road to stay on. Lukcily, no issues and I am so happy I faced my fear and went for it! The beach was deserted and I was able to read, swim and enjoy fresh fruit from the trees. I’m here for another week and a half, my next post might be a little boring if all we do is hang out at the farm but I will still update!
I landed in Thailand a couple days ago and I wasn’t sure how I would like the city but I love Bangkok! There is so much history everywhere you go. My hostel is right by the airport, and it is the best one I have stayed at so far. Its brand new, modern and has a ton of free perks!
First obstacle to downtown was getting on the right train, turns out it’s easier than I thought, same system we use back home. Google maps is my best friend and the best invention of all time. The first day I went to a temple close by called Wat Benchamabophit. It was beautiful and so serene even in the middle of the city. Afterwards I just wandered around, bought some fresh fruit and food from a market and headed back to the hostel. Grab is the asian version of Uber or Lyft and again, its been my best friend. They have a motorbike option and I decided to give it a shot since it was half the price of a car and everyone here drives them… never again. The traffic is crazy, there isn’t a ton of rules and they weave in and out of traffic going 60mph.. plus no helmet. So I can say I did it, and will never again.
Today was a big sightseeing day! I took the train again, and was going to take a bus to the Grand Palace but bus stops here are more suggestions than actual stops. So while waiting to flag one down a girl who looked fresh off the plane asked if I knew how to get somewhere. Turns out we were going the same direction so we decided to split a tuk tuk instead of the bus. She was taking a break from university in the UK and was in Bangkok for the day before moving on to meet friends. We decided to go sightseeing together and it was amazing! I had so much fun, and we wanted to do all the same things!
First stop was the Grand Palace where the king and queen used to live. We walked to the river and grabbed a water taxi to the palace. Super fun way to get around! The palace is breathtaking. Everything is so ornate; gold, jewels, murals, glass and paintings. The grounds were massive and just incredible. The detail everywhere just made you stop and stare, wondering how the hell they made it. They let you into a couple buildings but no cameras allowed. After the palace we took a water taxi again to Wat Arun Ratchavararam another famous temple. It is all white, with flower decorations over the entire temple. There was of course a giant golden Buddha in the main temple. Another incredible work of art.
After the temples we walked a ways down to a famous flower market. It’s an entire city block of nothing but flowers and fruit. It smelled so incredible, nothing but fresh flowers everywhere. We decided to get some street food in Chinatown and ended up finding the best steamed pork dumplings. I’m ruined for life because no other place will ever taste as good as those dumplings. By this time it was already late afternoon so we went out seperate ways but I am so happy we met and I had someone to go sightsee with me!
Tomorrow morning I leave to go work on a farm in Krabi. The couple who own the farm e-mailed me yesterday saying my job on the farm will be to help raise baby otters!! They have a litter of baby otters that need feeding and caring so that is my job! I am so thrilled I can’t wait! Ill update as soon as I can!
Alot of spontaneity has happened the past week! Last time I updated I was in Paseo del mar enjoying another 3 wonderful days. Alot of relaxing fun, and great company with my friends at Paseo. On Friday the 28th I took the ferry to Siquijor island. Known for its beautiful white beaches. I stayed at a backpackers paradise right on the water.
The views!!! As soon as I arrived I grabbed my swimsuit, book and just laid in the sand. I met a couple people from Germany and they invited me out to dinner with them for lechon and we had a great time talking politics and food. The second day I woke up early and took a trycicle to the far side of the island to Cambugahay waterfalls. There were three tiers of waterfalls and pools. It was heaven! They had huge ropes you could swing off and jump in, big rafts to float on and it was a blast. I spent half the day there just having fun. When I got back to the hostel I just walked the sandbar and watched the sun set.
I was supposed to stay a 3rd night but Jesse invited me to a friends surprise birthday party and I decided why not! I went back to bohol yesterday, up to the party at another dive resort. We had a blast, amazing food and alot of laughter. That brings us to today, slept in, had breakfast by the pool and then went back to the city for Korean bbq.
Tomorrow I leave for Thailand. I cant believe my time in the Philippines is over. It feels like I just got here but at the same time its been forever. I love the islands and will be back one day!! Hopefully Thailand is just as magical. Ill update as soon as I can!
Alot has happened since last week! Last I wrote I was in Manila and on the 19th I took a short flight down south to Cebu city. I only stayed one night, 12 hrs. The fun part was I stayed at a capsule hotel so my room was the size of a twin bed and I had to climb a ladder to get to it! Honestly it was very cozy, not claustrophobic at all! The following morning I went down to the Pier and took the ferry to the island of Bohol. Luckily enough for me, the owner of the dive resort I was staying at was in the city so he gave me a ride back to the place.
As soon as I arrived I went snorkeling, there is a reef right off shore at the resort. It was breathtaking. Hundreds of ocean fish, bright blue starfish, coral, and everything under the sun. The following morning Jesse, the resort owner took me on a hike to some peaks overlooking the town and out to the ocean. It was breathtaking!! After 2 wonderful nights at Paseo del mar it was time to head to the town of Loboc, with the famous chocolate hills. I stayed 2 nights at Nuts Huts right next to the river and in the middle of the forest. Zero cell reception and 100 steps to get down to my cottage but absolutely gorgeous. I mastered the busses and went to the chocolate hills and they were beautiful! Even more stairs 😂
I was supposed to head down to Panglao for the next three days but its more of a nightlife town, which just isn’t my thing. So as of today I ended back up in Jagna at the dive resort. I love it here! There are 5 dogs, 6 cats and new friends so I have found my happy place. Now I get to just sit by the ocean, read and enjoy my hard earned vacation. In 3 days I take a ferry to another smaller island called Siquijor. Ill update again soon!
Hello again, alot has happened in the past week! I finished my week at Lucciole farm learning so much and laughing alot! I learned how to grate coconuts and make virgin coconut oil, gained some machete skills chopping banana tree trunks for compost and making traditional brooms with the leaves of the tree. We fed the pigs and spent one morning making kimche for their food. Henry and ched brought us to their friend JJ’s restaurant, The Fatted Calf. He makes amazing phillipino food, again.. the food is always spectacular!!
Our last night on the farm we invited chef JJ, his wife and the neighbors to a dinner us girls made for them. Carol made some traditional polish dishes, Irene made goulash with jackfruit and I made eggplant fries and a Mediterranean veggie salad. It was a night filled with amazing company and laughter. We had a ball. The last day came and we all packed into the van to head back to Manila, we made a stop at yet another friends restaurant, this time traditional indian food. I’ve never really been into indian food but this was so good! Im going to gain so much weight and I could care less.
After some sad goodbyes I settled into my Hostel in Makati yesterday. It was definitely a sinking feeling knowing I was now on my own officially. No friends, no clue where to get food, how to get around. Just alone. After my 10 minute pity party I joined the rest of the people in the common room and everyone was super nice and inclusive. I ended up making a friend and we went out to domino’s for dinner, and let me just say domino’s is 10x better here than at home! After we got back there was an impromptu karaoke session and it was hillarious. There’s instruments everywhere and someone is always playing something.
That brings it to today! A much better day, I went out to explore the area and I didn’t even get lost. Tomorrow I leave for Cebu for one night, then onto Bohol island for a week, Siquijor island for three days and then on to Thailand! Im hoping to do some snorkeling, see the chocolate hills, the Tarsier monkey, hike and lay on the beach! Im not sure on the wifi situation and my 4g is slow but hopefully ill be able to post next week!
Kristine's Travels 