That morning I woke up excited about the day ahead. I had all day before the official tour started. I remember waking up right before the end of breakfast so I had to make my way downstairs quickly. I looked in the mirror- my eyes puffy, no makeup, imagine what it will look like when I am dead.. this was me. Well I had to make a choice- freshen up or get breakfast. Breakfast always wins.. or at least it should. So while I knew there were some other people from the tour, including Siri who I met the night before, already down at breakfast, I chose to go downstairs looking like death! Luckily for me- they did not seem to mind and comments were made that they too felt pretty rough :) As a woman its nice when you can just be you and not feel like you need to put the mask on (even if its a natural mask that is just supposed to highlight your features).
We ate some noodles, some rice, and some other carbs and decided to meet back up in a short bit to explore the city. It was SO much colder than I anticipated that I had to keep my plane-pants/trousers on and bring a jacket. Luckily, I warmed up walking around a bit that I didn't need to keep the scarf on all day. You don't leave Scotland in December to South East Asia to be cold!
I met my roommate this day as well!, Nic. Amazing woman, who I felt an instant bond with. First she laughed at my jokes.. a big plus when someone laughs at your jokes (it is the first sign that they get you)! I have added several pictures from the day time below. I hope you enjoy!
This night was when I also realised just how poverty stricken some of these areas are. Families living upstairs of the eateries- one room/beds on the floor. The happy rooms (bathrooms) that we used also had the "showers" in them.. a bucket with a hose right next to the toilet. Its hard to not walk into a place like this and not think of what you have, where you sleep, where you do your business and not compare while also try not to pity. I wouldn't want someone who lives in a 3 bedroom flat or a castle to pity me, so why would they want my pity? They don't. With that said..travel opens your eyes and makes you reflect on the experiences of the people of the world.
After the tour we made it back to the hotel, landed in the pub across the street for some more drinks and then to bed.. as we had an early start the next day (which became a theme.. every day on this tour seemed to be a very early start!!)
Below are some pictures of the night time tour. I hope it gives you a glimpse of the yummy food and amazing things I saw. Until next time.