Arianne Survived the Banana Pancake Trail

06 Jul Arianne Survived the Banana Pancake Trail

Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

How many times have you heard the phrase “you should go travel”? Not the type of traveling you would do with your parents or an all inclusive vacation at a 5 star resort. I’m referring to the type of travelling where you pack your bags, hop on a plane, and just go.

What exactly is traveling? After observing many backpackers for 5 weeks during my trip in SE Asia, I believe it is travelling through a country in the most authentic way (aka the most cost efficient way). This means you are living with local families such as home-stay or staying at a hostel, taking public transportation, eating street food, etc. You are basically doing what the locals would do by immersing yourself in their culture.

Prior to my trip, I read dozens of articles ranging from bloggers to CEO’s explaining why traveling is good for you. They pull you in with all the interesting people you will meet, things you will learn along the way, and of course, the magnificent self discovery journey.

Now I was wondering why I only knew less than a handful of people who have traveled alone. If it was so magnificent, why did so little people travel? You then hear stories about how traveling alone is unsafe for females, how you can get robbed or kidnapped, or how the world is so dangerous.

Before I left, I felt dull and unmotivated to do too much. I wish I could say I was excited about leaving but I wasn’t. I wanted to pull myself out of my chaos but I wasn’t ready to jump into another world. Especially on the other side of my world where I couldn’t speak the language. So it took a little pushing from a girlfriend who’s traveled alone in SE Asia for me to do it. I initially planned to travel with a classmate who was also accepted into my study abroad program. Except, I was having a hard time planning the trip with him. So she really encouraged me to go alone. I was trying to stay within my comfort zone. After several reassuring conversations, she promised me that I would not be disappointed as long as I was open to everything and made smart safety choices.

So I finally took the plunge. I didn’t give much choice to anyone else about my decision. I decided I was going alone. My whole early twenties was so focused on getting on track with school and ahead with my business that I didn’t make much time to work on feeding my soul. This was a chance to do something solely for me. On the last day of exams, a month before I left, I booked my one way ticket for  January 17th, 2016 to Bangkok, Thailand.

How I really felt when I left? I was shitting my pants. I was like omfg…I am getting on a plane by myself to the other side of the world for 6 months. It was a lot to take in and that scared me.

Can you imagine? The idea of traveling ALONE through a foreign country. I was worried someone would kidnap me and all the worse case scenarios. Even if I was asian, it didn’t really make it better in my mind. But there was no going back for me. I got on that plane, dropped off social media/phone, and never looked back since.

I booked two nights in a hostel and… that was it. I had 5 weeks of unplanned travel till my semester started. This was a huge step for me. Leaving things unplanned. I just had this new attitude about going with the flow. I was someone who had most days planned out. Now I was like oh dear…what do I do with all this time!! I was a little confused for the first two days figuring out how to talk to people and getting around. When I landed, I was carrying around a 14kl backpack and it was so hot. So I was really frustrated about getting lost. Then you just stop caring because their is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

I was traveling on an unspoken backpacker trailed called the “Banana Pancake Trail” in Southeast Asia. It was a road for beginner travelers as cost of living is inexpensive compared to South America and Europe. I started 2 days in Thailand, 1 week in Cambodia, and finished with 1 month in Vietnam. There were so many other solo and group travelers from all over the world. I also met a few other solo female travelers. We bonded about how we all overcame the same obstacles to traveling alone.

When I was crossing the overland border between Thailand and Cambodia, I saw poverty I’ve never seen before. Your problems at home suddenly didn’t matter. You appreciated what you had. I did what I loved where I visited museums, learned the history, and chatted with locals. I took buses and trains between countries to see the countryside (and to save money). I biked through the rice fields and did a cooking class in Vietnam. I had random conversations and found cost efficient ways to travel.

Rice Fields ,Hội An, Việt Nam

6 Stand Out Life Experiences

Being remarkably “present” during my traveling.
When you are disconnected from the digital world you allow yourself to be completely present. You really feel like you are experiencing what life has to offer. As each day passes and you meet new people, your soul naturally calms down. Your self awareness is heightened as you have to be extra vigilant taking care of yourself. I said yes to go swing dancing in Bangkok even though I had a 4am train to catch the next morning. Thanks Mon! You take more chances and allow yourself to be vulnerable.  When you are fully present, you feel every minute that passes. So one day feels like one weeks time in our busy world.

Creating connections with strangers.
The friendships you make along the way will last a lifetime. People are so nice and the world is not as scary as it seems. Our little group in Cambodia came to send me off as I got on the bus to my next destination. I had a nice gentleman look over me when I took my first overnight bus in Cambodia. Dung in Vietnam, took care of me when I was sick. You will also meet the odd few that you don’t click with along the way. You’ll naturally attract or be drawn to people who share similar values and outlooks in life. It reminded me that time does not measure the level of depth you create with someone, but what you do in that time that measures the depth.

Having No Expectations.
I didn’t expect anyone to do anything for me. You really prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Patience will be your best friend in Asia. People here are not time oriented and most often, things don’t go as planned. Although, I’m still a little impatient. I learned to love my own company. I struggled with this at home. I let my insecurities or negative thoughts sit in my head rather than letting them going through me. When you spend so much time with yourself, you slowly flush away what doesn’t matter or you’ll go crazy. I started rebuilding my self-worth by allowing my actions through a few challenges with people along the way that I only needed validation from myself.

Going With The Flow.
I am someone who loves having a plan. Most of my previous trips have been planned so when I just winged the whole trip. It was such an exhilarating feeling to wake up and be like yes I want to do this at some point but how I do it. I’ll figure it out later. Who will I meet today? What will I eat? You can pick who you want to compromise your time with or just be selfish and have it all to yourself. The most adventurous things happened this way. I ended up traveling to Phong Nha, a part of Vietnam I never considered till I met Steve. I trusted my new friend and he made it safe for me to be vulnerable. We listened and shared our stories with each other. He was patient with me. You learn to say yes to yourself and no to others.

Reading “The Gift of Imperfections” by Brene Brown.
One of my other girlfriends recommended this book to me. It was perfect for my solo journey. I read it on my flight to Asia, on the trains, and on the bus when I didn’t feel like throwing up. It guided me through my reflections, understanding me, and where I began my healing process to a wholehearted life. I learned to be vulnerable, that it’s okay to cry, and to love myself. I also started composing my article on depression. I spent Valentine’s Day with nature by trekking Sapa, Vietnam.

Who Matters.
When you are away, you’ll have time to to see outside in about who really matters in your life. On my first week of traveling, I either got an allergic reaction or was bitten by an insect in Cambodia. I woke up in the middle of the night and I couldn’t open my left eye because it was so swollen. I was really scared because for the first time, I had to deal with it by myself. All I could think about was how I was in a developing country with no health-care system. It sounded so negative but at the time it felt like a realistic and practical thought. I thought I could go blind and I couldn’t speak the language to save myself. By the way, don’t google symptoms. It makes things 10x worst. This didn’t help with staying calm or positive. No one was awake except the front desk who barely spoke English. My instinct was to message my mom and Manson. I was so thankful they were awake to see my message. They both took the time to calm me down and advised me on how to take care of my eye. My sister gave me Benadryl to take with me and it saved my life!! I took the Benadryl the next day and passed out in the common area. My circle of friends I met checked up on me. We laughed about that after it passed. I will never forget the kind hearts who were their for me, Manson, and my mom. This was the beginning of my mother daughter relationship.

6 Stand Out Lessons

Backpacker Situations.
Your backpack always feels damn heavy. I thought I was a minimalist, clearly not. You start having the same travelers conversations like “where are you from and where are you going”. I got sick of it because all the conversations start to sound the same. So I started my conversations with “what’s your favourite place and why, best memory, and best lesson”. I wanted more depth and variety because it was getting boring for me. I learned to change it up. I once stayed in a 20 people dorm and it was horrible. You also get sick of seeing so many temples. The backpackers call it getting “templed out”.

Take Care Of Yourself.
I was sick for 2 weeks in Vietnam and 1 additional week when I got to China. Sometimes we get caught up in the moment and forget to take care of ourselves. Listen to your body when you need rest and stay hydrated. It sounds so simple but so easy to forget. It takes away from being present when you fell terrible.

Trust Your Gut.
Sometimes I did the opposite of my gut. Whether it’s the people you choose to go out with or getting on a truck with strangers. I met some people who seemed nice. They did some odd things but I looked past it then their real colours came out. It was a good lesson but learn to trust your instincts. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Most of the time you are usually right. The most defining moment for me was how people talked about other people.

Safety First.
I knew better. You see, most buses in Vietnam you either end up to the next place in the middle of the night or early morning. Despite being sick, I went trekking in Sapa because who knew when I would come back. On my way back into the city, I had a really bad cough and runny nose. When we arrived in the middle of the night, rather than examining the taxi. I got in and directed the driver where to take me. Halfway through, I realized we weren’t going in the direction as I’ve been in the city prior to the trek.  I had a tiny panick. I looked at the meter and it was spinning. It was then that I realized I was in a fake taxi. We got to my destination and he took all my money I had left ($75 USD). I didn’t want to give it to him. I was so pissed. However, I didn’t want anything further to happen so I just gave it to him. I was very lucky he didn’t force me to withdraw all money at an ATM, sexually harass me, or kidnap me. The stories you hear on the trail are pretty scary. We have to be extra careful especially traveling alone as a female. Make better choices. Safety always comes first.

Be Ready To Shit Your Pants.
No matter how cautious you are, most times the new bacteria will get you and you will be down.

Letting Go Really Sucks.
The hardest lesson of all was learning to let go. I’ve always a hard time processing this. I understand it’s part of life but its always so hard. One of my friends I met along the way reminded me that good connections never break. People will always make time for the right people to catch up.

Angkok Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia 

I’ve met travelers along the way who felt like they didn’t learn anything, make fun of people who “think” they are on this amazing journey of changing themselves or that they are above people.  Everyone’s journey is different and if you aren’t opening your attitude, mind and heart, you won’t get the most out of your experience. I’ve learned time over time that you must be willing to push yourself to say yes and not to do what you would do back home. To fill that other half of yourself to be whole. I did the opposite of what I would usually do. I’m happy with the choices I made. Of course those actions need to be aligned with your values. Whatever they are. Traveling gives you a chance to apply everything you know, learn how to deal with something new, to put yourself together, test your values, and discover what you really want in life. In order to recognize those things, you must practice daily self-awareness, reflections, and gratitude.

What’s amazing is here I am sitting in my dorm in China talking to you about how I traveled alone when I didn’t think I could do it. I always have doubts but I always find a way to fight my fears and overcome them. How the most fulfilling things happen when you just believe. This year has been full of self discoveries to help re-shape my character to be the most authentic version of myself. Showing me what really matters. It was an experience that I will always cherish.

My gratitude goes out to my mother. This experience would have been much harder to acquire had she not helped me. I truly appreciate my support system to make this happen.

Hạ Long Bay, Việt Nam

Three words of advice: Go Travel Alone.
Have you travelled through this trail? How was your experience?
Until next time,
AL