Asia Archives • The Bliss Movement

5 Things You Have To See in Nusa Lembongan

After spending nearly a year in Australia - living, working, exploring - Bali was the final destination in what turned out to be a year and a half in four continents. I had quickly acclimatized to Australian seasons, putting a sweater on when the temperatures dropped below 24C and after having "endured" a Cairns winter (which still involved going to the beach, so can that really be called winter?), the prospect of Bali was like a vacation from my extended vacation.Most of my time in Bali was spent exploring the jungle atmosphere of Ubud, eating my wa[...]

Asia, Bali, Guides + Itineraries, Indonesia, Travel

How To Spend One Week in Ubud, Bali

A relaxed village surrounded by the Balinese jungle - a place where time slows down and life adopts an easygoing vibe. After spending one week in Ubud, the town I had dreamed up was not quite the same as the Ubud I experienced. While you can still walk all of Ubud, it is not actually that small. While people are laid back and going with the flow, it is still chaotic. Walking anywhere during the daytime in the center of Ubud means fighting for space among other foreigners on the sidewalk. The dense traffic in and around the center of town turns a fiv[...]

Asia, Thailand

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai: Temple on the Hill.

If there is one temple everyone tells you to go to in Chiang Mai it is the one located on Doi Suthep, the mountain just on the edge of the city. After a winding, uphill ride to the base of the temple, you're still not quite there yet. Pass the many stalls offering you an assortment of trinkets to purchase and make your way to the 309 stairs (or take the tram for a small fee). This temple attracts foreign tourists, local Thais, as well as monks and other Thai nationals from other cities. One of the pieces that you will see once you enter the pagoda is a statue of[...]

Asia, Thailand

How To Spend 24 Hours in Chiang Mai

So you’ve found yourself in Chiang Mai, a large city in Northern Thailand. Maybe you were told by friends how great it is or maybe it’s just a random stopover before moving on. Whatever your reason for being here, you might be wondering how best to spend your day. If you’re looking for cheap accommodation filled with young, lively folks like yourself, Little Bird Guesthouse and MD House might be two possibilities. Both located within walking distance from each other in the Old City, these two hostels are right where the action is happening but tucked away[...]

Asia, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel, Vietnam

Traveller’s Diarrhea 101: What Is It, How To Prevent It, What To Do When You Get It

You’re walking through a crowded market that lines either side of a narrow street. It’s 40 degrees, hotter than the hottest day back home and vehicles, motorbikes, and humans all weave in and out of one another. And then it hits you. You start sweating, more than you already are, your stomach begins to flip and make the most animalistic noises, and you find yourself clenching your butt cheeks together. You need a bathroom, and you need it NOW. Traveler’s diarrhea (TD); a backpacker’s worst nightmare. My second time back to Southeast Asia, I was hesitant[...]

Asia, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

What Type of Transportation Should You Take?

Buses, planes, trains, oh my! These days there is every possible form of transportation available to the world traveler. Planes tend to be a popular (and necessary) choice for long, overseas flights. But once you've landed on your desired continent or country you have a few other choices jumping into the mix. Two of the most popular methods of transportation are buses and trains. Other options are boat, car, hitch-hiking, motorcycle, or simply trekking long distances, just to name a few. Now in my perfect world people would still ride horses everywhere... but si[...]

Asia, Vietnam

Photo Journey, Driving from Hoi An to Hue.

I am fascinated by the countryside. It doesn't matter what country I'm in, I always feel a pull to be in the country. Open space, fresh air, sky that isn't blocked by tall buildings. So when my friend and I got to Hue, Vietnam, we quickly jumped on the chance to do a tour of the countryside. While it was a tour open to all, it was just the two of us and our guides on our own private tour. We cruised on the back of motorcycles past fields, temples used by small communities, and saw all that the Hue countryside had to offer. Our guides even showed us to their childh[...]

Asia, Mood and Mindset, Self-Care, Thailand, Travel

Life Lessons from a Monk.

I went to a psychic for the first time when I was sixteen. At the end of the session she gave me her Mary Kay Cosmetics card and I couldn’t believe I had fallen for such a stupid idea. However, that didn’t stop me from going to another and another and to this day I still like going to talk to psychics. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the idea of psychics. Are they real? Are they frauds? I believe some of them know what they’re talking about and I believe others are total scams. My dad thinks it's all a load of B.S and a waste of money. I think it's[...]

Asia, Thailand, Travel

The Fire Performers of Thailand

When I am in Thailand, one of my favorite things to do is to sit back on a soft cushion on the beach with a cold Chang in my hand and watch the fire performers. Fire performers show off their talents all over the islands of Thailand, performing for the tourists in front of beach bars as the sun goes down. According to a Chiang Mai tattoo artist and fire performer, it takes a very long time to excel at the art of fire performing. Two summers ago I had the opportunity to attempt to learn a few of the movements involved in working with the fire balls, minus the fire[...]

Asia, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel, Vietnam

10 Tips For Surviving An Overnight Bus in Asia

By the time our cab driver has arrived at the bus station, we are one of the last stragglers to board our overnight bus. We are given plastic bags and told to remove our shoes before getting on. I’m maneuvering myself through the narrow spaces between seats, passing foreigners and locals alike doing their best to get into a comfortable position in their designated bed. Instead of seats all perfectly aligned like a regular bus you would imagine, the seats are narrow and fully reclined, two layers of three rows. All I can think is that it looks like The Knight B[...]

Asia, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

10 Things You Will Learn After Traveling in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia has a special place in my heart and I think it always will. When I first decided to try out traveling, I told myself I wouldn't return to a place I had visited before until I had gone to all seven continents. Well, this summer I went back to Thailand for a second time. And during that trip I started to try to plan how I could get myself back there next summer. There is just something about that area that draws you back again and again. It could make you stay forever. Southeast Asia has also taught me many things. About myself, life, other cultures.[...]

Asia, Thailand, Travel

Thailand Misadventure: Losing My Passport and Flying First Class

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey," - John Hope Franklin I was supposed to fly home on a Tuesday. Three days later and I was still wandering the streets of Bangkok, not by choice. I guess you should be careful what you wish for. Only days before leaving Koh Tao I was saying how desperately I wished I had more time in Thailand, how I really did not want to go home. I got what I wished for, just not under the circumstances that I was drea[...]