Millions of people do incredible things every day, change peoples lives, make people's days, or simply put a smile on someone's face but receive no recognition.
Because of this, I wanted to take the time to thank some of the individuals I owe at least a beer to:
For the first time on my trip, I found myself alone. I was in Bali, LOVING LIFE, when I decided to take my travel book and plan my trip on the beach in Kuta. It wasn't long until a young guy, Nicholas, approached me asking whether I'd like a surf lesson. I declined but he didn't mind, instead he sat with me for two hours and helped plan where I should go, in which order and for how long. With no incentive to help, this gentleman ended up being my friend throughout Bali; taking me to my next destination on his bike (with my massive backpack at his feet the whole way), giving me and my friends tours of the new places including hot spots off the beaten track and arranging further transport for us :)
During my first solo bus journey in Sri Lanka, from Sigiriya to Kandy, I was sat next to a middle-aged man who spoke little English. We exchanged hand signals, smiles and the odd sentence, as well as some sweets. A drunk man then got on the bus, to the annoyance of the driver and his assistant, and sat on the right-hand side of me. He was wobbling around, saying the odd thing but I wasn't particularly bothered, (I've definitely seen worse in my time as a bar maid). My Sri Lankan friend to my left however, was concerned and invited me to swap seats with him so he could protect me. Needless to say I smiled for the rest of the 4 hour journey :)
Well, what can I say about Channy, our CEO of the Cambodia and Vietnam tour? Quite simply he is one of the kindest, and most genuine human beings I've ever met. No problem was too big, nor to much of an issue for him. No matter what you wanted, whether it was an urgent visa, a nightclub, to learn about Buddism or a shoulder to cry on, Channy was there with positivity, kindness and a solution. Chaney 100% made our tour ten times better just from being there and embracing us all like family. People are most definitely his passion, I really hope karma has something wonderful lined up for him :)
Elsewhere in the Philippines (ow Philippines), Laura and I were finding ourselves in one pickle after the next but thanks to a lovely hotel owner by the name of Tomas, we managed to still have a good time and not kill each other! This man did his best to ensure we still had the best time possible, even in a sh**ty situation, organising trips, advising us on the protocol when your money has been stolen from a cashpoint ensuring we got our money back, taking us to reliable ATM's, lent us his phone when wifi was down in order to ring banks, hotels and home, and hailed jimney buses for us whilst translating where we need to go. In general this man looked after us as if we were his daughters, some would say he was a life saver :)
And if they aren't enough to make you smile, just take a look at this beautiful Sri Lankan girl who sat next to me on a bus to practise her English :)
There some hideous and dispicable people in the world, it's true, but there are also some truly wonderful, kind-souled, game changers out there. It gives me the emotional shivers, and tears to my chubby cheeks, thinking about how incredible some people are. Let's hope what goes around really does come around, keep up the good work you legends.
This blog is dedicated to all of those wonderful people, so to you Nicholas, protective Sri Lankan bus passenger friend, Channy, Tomas, and Mr Jimney driver, thank you. It's not much, but I wish you all the love, luck and happiness in the world, you really shaped my trip to be the eye-opening, heart-warming, life-affirming experience I so desperately wanted it to be <3
#LiveLaughLearnTravel
