Window Seats Only

In my Junior Year of college, I studied abroad in Thailand. Although it may be cheesy as Study Abroad is notorious for “changing your life,” I had an incredible time and it is truly one of the best decisions I have made to this day. As my time studying abroad was officially coming to an end, it was hard for me to accept. I knew I wanted to continue traveling for the remaining time I had before I came home for the December holidays. About a week before my flight home, I decided to extend my trip for two more weeks. Thankfully, I became great at planning last-minute trips from my time studying abroad so I quickly put together an itinerary and set out for my solo travel adventure for two weeks in Southeast Asia.

This itinerary highlights two weeks of travel to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Islands of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan in Thailand. My home base for this trip was Bangkok, Thailand.

Today marks the day I start my thirteen-day journey as a solo traveler to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan, departing from Bangkok, Thailand. It started a little rocky as I missed my flight which was at 9:15 am. When I woke up at 8:40 am, I had a quick look of terror, I could feel my heart pumping through my chest, and then thought “Everything always works out.” If I have learned one thing during my study abroad experience in Thailand, it is that you never know how things are going to work out, unexpected things always occur, but you somehow find a way to get through it. So, knowing this I ask for the advice of my friends. Jenna comes to my door and we both have a look of shock that this has happened. However, she contacts “Jess” on the JetStar Airline page, and finds out that I will just need to go ahead and book another flight. We then find the next flight out at 1:30 p.m. Just a slight bump in the road but nothing I can’t handle! Still trying to grasp what just happened, I say my final goodbyes to my friends still lingering from our study abroad trip.

As I am riding in the taxi, I am once again excited for this upcoming trip. However, a thought crosses my mind. “Was there a reason I missed my flight this morning? Is this a sign?” Whatever the answer is I do not care because I am doing it. I finally arrived at the airport and it was smooth sailing from there. 

Singapore

Singapore. I am in love. I truly could see myself living here. The night I arrived, I checked into my hostel (Beary Best! Chinatown by a beary good hostel). Then, I walked around the city by myself and admired the alluring buildings and business environment. I ate at Saladstop! Capital Tower. That night, I was in the lobby of the hostel and met some great people (Alice and Josie). We planned to walk around the next day together. 

The next day, Alice, Josie, and I started on our adventure. Walking around was truly amazing, and exploring a new place on foot allows me to stumble upon places I would not have otherwise. Additionally, the transportation was very easy to use, which helped to jump from place to place when needed. We explored Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street where we saw many religious buildings and ate traditional Indian food in Little India. Some of the places we saw in these areas included the below.

Chinatown

• Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum
• Smith Street (Chinatown Food Street)
• Chinatown Heritage Center
• Sri Mariamman Temple
• Jamae Mosque
• Thian Hock Keng Temple
• Fuk Tak Chi Museum

Little India

• Bugis Street Market
• Sultan Mosque
• Haji Lane
• Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple
• Sri Krishnan Temple
• Arab Street
• Malay Heritage Centre
• CHIJMES
• Albert Hawker Centre

Bugis

• Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
• Indian Heritage Centre
• Tan Teng Niah House
• Serangoon Road
• Abdul Gafoor Mosque
• Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple
• Mustafa Centre
• Tekka Centre

We also went to the Botanical Gardens which were very pretty, especially the Orchid Park. We then headed more towards the shopping street near Orchard Road and again I was in awe. The architecture is so modern and unique and everywhere is so clean.

In the early evening, we headed to the Gardens by the Bay, where the Christmas light show was going to occur. We were short on time and rushed to make it, but we did. The big tree structures lit up and changed colors and patterns based on the Christmas music. The light show happens five times a day and the amount of people there amazed me. After the first light show, we went and bought tickets to go on the skywalk. This allows you to be up near the top of the tree structures and walk on a swinging bridge-type connector between each structure. We timed it perfectly so that by the time we got to go on the skywalk, the second show was starting. So, we got to see both shows from different points of view and both were spectacular. Looking into the skyline at night with everything lit up made me so happy. With Marina Bay Sands looking so pretty in front of us, we knew we wanted to try to get up there. But first, we walked around the garden a bit more.

Then we headed towards Marina Bay to see the Water Light Show. This show was just as amazing, with intense music aiding the water and lights. It was spectacular, and again there were so many people even though it occurs every night.

After this, we decided to go up to the top floor of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. We were slightly embarrassed by what we were wearing as this hotel was quite fancy, but with confidence, we walked in. We could see the infinity pool which looked beautiful and then we went into Ce La Vi, a rooftop bar, and stared at the view. The view was spectacular and I was truly so happy in those moments.

Afterwards, we made our way back to our Hostel and I fell asleep with a smile still on my face from the amazing time I just had in Singapore. I knew I would miss this place very much, but I was excited to continue on my solo travel.

 I left early the next morning to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

As I was sad to leave Singapore, I was excited to explore another large city. I arrived at the Kuala Lumpur airport and called an Uber. When I arrived at the building of my Hostel (Tuxedo KL – No. 1 Rooftop Pool w Skyscraper Views), I was feeling a little nervous and it started to rain. There were very specific instructions on how to reach the hostel, and I could not check in until a couple of hours later. I walked around the very nice building complex and then sat down to eat. After a while of waiting, I was finally able to check-in. I followed the instructions and was feeling very uneasy. I got to the door and waited in the common area of the hostel. This hostel was very different than I was used to. After waiting, someone finally came in with two other members. Once I checked in and saw the beautiful bathroom, wonderful beds, and of course the view, I felt great and immediately decided to go to the infinity pool located in the building. It was cloudy, but the view was still impressive.

That night I sat in the common room and met someone from New York. He was headed to the food Night Market, and I excitedly joined as Night Markets have been one of my favorite activities while exploring Southeast Asia. We went to a seafood restaurant and I had calamari. After walking around, we headed back to the hotel and a girl had checked in and was in my shared dorm room (Katerina). She was from Scotland and was doing a couple-day layover during her work trip. We chatted and planned our next few days together. 

The next day we walked the entire city (at least it sure felt like it!). It was great to explore the Mosques, Chinatown, Petronas Twin Towers, and the shopping district of the city. We both tried Durian (a fruit that has a VERY strong smell) for the first time, and it was the worst thing we had ever tasted. The taste lingered in our mouths, but we were happy we tried it. We ended up at a restaurant and we both had Malaysian Wonton Noodles which were very good. We then made our way back to the hostel and were exhausted from the walking, and decided to go night swimming in the rooftop pool. 

The next day, another person had checked into our room from England and we invited him to come to the Batu Caves with us in the morning. Alice, whom I met in Singapore, met us there too as we were communicating through WhatsApp. There were a lot of steps to get into the caves. They had a service option where you could carry buckets of building material for the construction they were doing at the top, so we participated in that. The cave was very beautiful and had many monkeys around it. We then went to get food and shopped around. After, we headed back to the hostel as Katerina had her flight later that afternoon. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. That night, Alvin, the hostel owner, took about six of us out to a local place for dinner. We shared dishes and the food was all very good and it was incredibly nice he did that for us. Afterward, we drank a glass of wine in the common room and admired the view some more. 

The next morning, I was off to the airport to head back to Thailand. Again, I felt the sadness of leaving Malaysia. I have met incredible people so far and have seen spectacular things that I don’t want to let go of. But, my solo travel experience is not over yet!

Koh Tao, Thailand 

I arrived at the Surat Thani airport and took a bus to the ferry. I was going to Koh Tao first. I arrived at the pier and walked to the hostel (The Dearly Koh Tao). I was already very excited about this island. I saw plenty of scuba diving places along the way and knew that would be one of my activities.

That night I ate dinner at the hostel and met some people in my shared dorm room. This hostel was one of the best I have stayed at! The beds, the location, the people, the staff, it all made my experience so wonderful. The next morning I asked the helpful staff (Rose and JJ) about some places I should go to. I was introduced to three people from Denmark (Benjamin, Christian, and Emil). After wandering around the city looking for dive places, I ended up at Freedom Beach, and they arrived later. We talked, swam, and after a while I hopped on one of their scooters they had and we headed to a different beach called Shark Bay. After this, we headed back to the hostel. I went to dinner with some others later that night. After dinner, we came back and hung out in the common area until very late, talking and meeting so many great people. There were two Canadians (Liam and Mike) who were hilarious and made all of us laugh a lot. 

The next day, I got up early to go scuba diving. Many people come to Koh Tao to get scuba diving certified because it is very cheap. As I am already certified, but haven’t done it in a while, I decided to do a refresher course and then an actual dive the day after. I went with French Kiss Diving, and indeed everyone there was French. Luckily, this nice guy from my hostel helped me out until my guide could take over. Emily was my guide and she was so sweet. We went over all of the diving certification tests again, and I instantly knew I had missed diving. After this, we went for an actual dive and saw incredible fish in the crystal blue water. When I returned, I met up with people in the common area and once again got dinner with them. After that, we hung out in the hostel again until late.

The next day I had the morning free before I had to dive, so I went to the pool and then walked with Incan, from Germany, in the city. I decided to dive with Golden Divers this time as I had met them the first night while walking through town. This time, everyone was from Germany. I basically had my own private guide, and we saw beautiful fish, coral, blue-spotted stingrays, and a barracuda. I then went back to the hostel, grabbed burgers with people, and then we went to the Naturally High Bar. Even the staff came and it was really fun. I then went back to the hostel intending to go to bed but ran into the Denmark guys and talked with them for a while. I was extremely sad to leave Koh Tao, and it was really hard for me but I knew I wanted to go to Koh Phangan. Many people were headed there next, but we were just a couple of days off because of their dive certifications. 

Koh Phangan, Thailand 

I took a ferry to Koh Phangan and then walked to the hostel I was staying at from the pier (Jungle Vibes Hostel). I heard about this hostel through others who have been here and knew of a couple of girls headed there the day before I came. It was very hidden since it was up a dirt road and I was slightly skeptical but it turned out to be such a fun hostel. When I arrived, I saw the girls I knew and felt comfortable. It was a strange time as many people were still sleeping as there was a big night out the night before (Eden party). Many people checked out that day, and it was going to be pretty quiet until after I left because then the full moon parties start for Christmas and New Year’s. There were only about six people in the hostel during my time, but this turned out to be great. Johnny and Dero, the owners, were very kind. Every day they head out on adventures with the guests on scooters to explore. That first night I got food with the girls I knew and then came back to the hostel and talked with the others. We were all very tired so I went to bed pretty early. 

The next morning I got breakfast at Dero’s Mom and sister’s breakfast place which was very good. We then gathered a couple of us (Celine and Andrew) and went to Phang Waterfall, which had a great viewpoint, a nice spot to swim, and a bar with a beautiful view and an infinity pool called Secret Mountain. The island is stunning and it is still undeveloped so there are many trees surrounding the island. That night we gathered the rest of the people (Tero and Myles) and we went out to eat at a great Indian Restaurant called Om Ganash. Then, later that night we all went to bed very early as well. 

The next day, I again got breakfast at the same place and then we all headed to another waterfall and some more bars with beautiful views, such as Hide on High Bar. I am still amazed by the stunning scenery and viewpoints this place has. After exploring, we went back to the hostel to pick up a new arrival, Kate from Seattle and went to eat burgers. We then came back to the hostel, talked more, and then decided to go out since it was my last day in Thailand. We played fun games at the hostel, then finally ventured to Had Rin. It was pretty empty as there was a waterfall party happening that we did not want to attend. However, it still was so much fun! We first were on the beach, playing limbo with fire and then went into a bar, but still danced on the beach. We finally went upstairs to a sky bar where there were more people. It was a really great time and such a great way to end my last night!

The next morning I got up and stayed at the hostel for as long as possible, then finally I took a ferry back to Koh Samui to catch my flight to Bangkok. The ferry was late and I thought I might miss my flight, but everything worked out.

During my journey back, the sadness truly hit me and tears started to fall as I realized my trip was coming to an end. The poor people who sat next to me on the flight back to Bangkok… as I cried the whole way. It is hard for me to express the joy I felt during the last couple of months in Thailand, and especially these last two weeks of my own solo travel experience. I had a lot of experiences that many people won’t understand and the people I met will forever hold space in my heart. Even years later, I still think of this experience as one of the happiest times of my life and one I will truly never forget. I am incredibly lucky I got to travel around Southeast Asia during my time studying abroad and I am forever grateful.

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