Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Why I’m Moving to Sweden, Trust, and the Importance of Practicing What You Preach

2012-02-21T19:02:57Z

I poke. I push. I prod. I try to get people out of their cubicles and traveling the world. That’s what I do. That’s my thing. I show others that traveling doesn’t have to be expensive, that anyone can do it, and that your fears are unfounded. I try to be a living example for that. Judging by the emails I get from people, I think I’m successful at getting people onto airplanes and out into the world.

But last month I faced a fork in the road about what to do when my trip ends – do I move to New York City right away or do I move to Sweden for 6 months? Once you go down a path, there is no turning back and I was very torn on what to choose.

But I decided to choose Sweden.

The guiding principle in my life is no regrets. I don’t want to be on my deathbed saying “I wish I did….” and I think that if I didn’t move to Sweden, I’d always regret it. I’d always wonder what might have been. What would life have been like if just for a moment I finally got to live in Europe? What possibilities and opportunities did I pass up?

So in July, I’ll be getting on a plane to Stockholm where I’ll stay until January when my book is released. I’d leave sooner but I have some conferences and plans in the United States that I need to attend in the meantime.

I realized one night as I laid awake that if I didn’t move to Sweden not only would I regret it but I’d also be a hypocrite. After all, instead of facing my fears and reservations, I’d be taking the easy road. New York is easy. I know it, I’ve lived there, I have friends there. I don’t need to worry about visas, languages, or anything else. New York would be the easy, comfortable choice.

Instead of breaking out of my comfort zone, I’d be staying firmly in it. And if I did that, how could I ever again tell people to break out of their own comfort zones?

All you have to judge me by are the blogs I write and the information I share. Based on what I present, you decide if I’m trustworthy enough to listen to. I trust Trey Radcliff when it comes to photography because of his amazing photos, the fact that he only promotes the products he would actually use, and the people and news sources that vouch for him. I trust he knows what he is talking about.

And trust is the currency of the internet.

I can’t tell people to conquer their fears, live their dreams, and travel the world if I won’t even do that for myself. With so many sketchy websites on the internet these days, trust is in short supply. All you have online is your credibility.

So late at night I thought about all the e-mails I get from the people who have told me I ‘ve inspired them to take a trip. I thought about all the messages from the people whose fears I’ve helped vanquish. I thought of all the people who told me a blog post was exactly what they needed.

And then I thought about how deep down I knew I wanted to move to Sweden. There was nothing I wanted more. I want to learn the language, eat the food, meet the people, and explore the countryside. New York can wait six months. I’ll miss it — but it will always be there. Yet if there was no doubt in my mind, how come there was doubt in my mind?

Because I was too scared to make the leap and commit. It was easier to stay in my comfort zone – it always is. But I realized that I’ve helped so many people take a deep breath, close their eyes, and just go for it, that not doing it when it came for my own turn would make me a hypocrite.

And that realization removed my doubt and made me commit.

And so in July, I’ll move to Sweden. It may be great. It may be awful. I may come home early or I may stay forever. But at the very least I’ll have practiced what I preached. I can wake up everyday knowing that I did what I tell others to do – I seized the day, conquered my fears, and leaped into the unknown.

Because if I didn’t do that, I’d be a hypocrite.

And I’d never be able to look at myself the same way again.

The Weekly Photo: Salisbury Cathedral

2012-02-19T12:26:48Z

Salisbury Cathedral on a sunny day in England

The Most Stressful Time of the Year

2012-02-16T14:25:16Z

Anyone who says Christmas is the most stressful time of the year has never had a book deadline. My book on world travel is due in less than 2 weeks and, to be quiet honest, I’m not close to being done. At least, I don’t feel like I am. Other writers are telling me this stress is normal and everyone feels this way at one point but I’m not sleeping well, my eyes hurt from staring at my computer, and the book is taking up all my time. I wonder if this is what Bill Bryson goes through? I bet he is more organized than me.

I’ll make my deadline in time but it’s going to be a lot of work. I’m throwing everything and the kitchen sink into this book – probably more than I need to but I want to leave no travel tip unturned. This book is why you haven’t heard from me much the last few weeks and won’t until it’s finished.

This book has meant I haven’t been able to do the sightseeing in Cambodia I’ve wanted either. I skipped out on 3 days on a deserted island because I need to verify some prices on the Internet and there’s no Internet there. Or power. Depressing – there’s nothing I love more than an undeveloped island.

So there will be a trickle of posts and guest posts for a while but once the book is done, I have some great stuff coming. I have articles planned on Thai food, Cambodian daily life, an article on sex tourism in Thailand, Angkor Wat, my fears about going back home next month, and new ways to save money on the road. Expect a prolific March.

Lastly, I’d like to ask again that If you have used any of the companies I’ve recommended or any of my tips and they’ve helped you travel better and cheaper, I would like to hear from you.

There will be a section in the book quoting readers who have used my advice to improve their travels and I hope one of those readers is you! If you send me your thoughts, you’ll get a credit in the book for contributing. If you have a website, I will list your website too.

If you are interested in providing me a quote, e-mail me at:

nomadicmatt@nomadicmatt.com

Please title your e-mail “Nomadic Matt Book Quote”

So that’s my life right now – holed up in a hotel on coast here in Cambodia writing away. I hope yours is considerably less stressful.

A belated Valentine’s Day!

- Matt

The Complete Guide To Diving in Koh Tao

2012-02-14T02:10:53Z

This is a guest post by Alexandra Baackes.

Travelers in Thailand like to label their destinations neatly. Intricate island paradises are boiled down to one or two simple words or associations. Koh Phi Phi? The Beach. Koh Phangan? The Full Moon Party. Koh Tao? Diving.

Some of them are fairly well deserved. After all, Koh Tao (Turtle island) is second only to Cairns, Australia when it comes to number of annual dive certifications. Travelers flock from all over Southeast Asia to take their first breaths underwater in the coral reefs fringing Turtle Island. And it’s easy to see why: the courses are cheap, the dive sites are abundant, the island is beautiful and the lifestyle is easy.

Prospective divers heading to the island are spoilt for choice when it comes to dive schools, dive instructors, and dive sites. But competition for business is fierce (there are over 50 dive shops on this small island!), so it definitely helps to have a few things in mind when making such a big investment of your time and travel budget.

PADI or SSI?

There are over 50 Scuba Diving training systems, but in Koh Tao the choice will almost always come down to two: PADI vs. SSI. Each organization develops their own teaching materials, sets their own standards, and awards their own certifications. However, differences are minimal and no matter what certification card you walk away with you will use the same equipment, see the same fish, and be able to dive at any resort. Certifications are interchangeable and recognized worldwide. No matter which organization you choose to certify with, the most important factors in the quality of your course will be your dive school and your dive instructor. However, there are minor differences you may want to take into consideration:

PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) – PADI is the world’s leading scuba diving training organization with more than 6,000 dive shops and resorts worldwide. If you find comfort in numbers than the agency with nearly one million certifications per year might just be for you! The major benefit to diving with PADI comes at the professional level. For instructors and divemasters, PADI provides far more employment opportunities, and PADI instructors can work independently (while an SSI instructor must teach through an SSI-registered shop.) So if you have dreams of staying in Thailand for good to teach the backpacker masses and you want to be loyal to one agency, PADI is your best bet.

SSI (Scuba Schools International) – This group has over 2,500 authorized dealers around the world. For divers on Koh Tao, the benefit of doing an SSI certification comes down to best bang for your baht. An SSI course will typically cost you nearly 10% less than a PADI course. For those who come to Koh Tao specifically for it’s status as one of the world’s cheapest places to get certified, those extra baht can make a big difference.

What Is The Course Like?

The typical diving course is completed in three days. There are videos to watch, book chapters to read, tests to take, and of course, dives to do! It might sound intimidating, but the course is designed for students as young as twelve. The academics shouldn’t intimidate you.

A rough outline of what your course will look like this:

Day 1: Classroom work in the morning learning about basics skills, equipment, and the effects of diving on the body. Afternoon is spent in the pool or at shallow dive sites doing skills.

Day 2: Morning is spent in classroom finishing knowledge reviews and taking some quizzes. In the afternoon are Open Water Dives 1 and 2. Some skills will be practiced during the dives.

Day 3: You will go out on a morning boat and complete Open Water Dives 3 and 4. In the afternoon the final exam is taken. Congratulations! You are now an Open Water diver.

After three days of hard work and fun, you will receive a certification card that allows you to dive anywhere in the world with a buddy, independent of a professional, to a depth of 18 meters.

How Much Will It Cost?
A PADI course will typically run you 9,800 baht including 3 night’s accommodation, though at smaller schools you can often negotiate down to 9,000 baht. An SSI course will not go above 9,000 baht with accommodation. If you are arranging your own accommodation, you can wrangle a PADI course for 8,500 or an SSI for 7,500.

Many schools will have a videographer come along on dives 3 and 4 and make a 10-20 minute music-video style film of your day. At night ,the class will gather to watch it and depending on how many copies are sold you can take one home for anywhere from 1,500-2,500 baht. If you’d rather be behind the lens, most dive shops rent underwater still cameras for around 1,500 baht.

For divers who have already completed their Open Water course, fun dives cost around 700-1,000 baht each, depending on how many dives you will do and if you have your own equipment. Those on time and money constraints will want to make it a priority to visit at least one of Koh Tao’s premier dive sites.

What School Should I Choose?

Koh Tao ain’t called a mecca for diving for nothing: there are nearly 50 dive schools on this 13 square mile rock! This decision is the biggest when it comes to determining the quality of your diving course. For the most part they can be broken down into a few categories:

Big Schools: Bans, Big Blue, Buddha View, Crystal
These schools are ideal for someone who is confident about going under water (ie, doesn’t need extra individual attention) and wants to make friends and meet people in a big group setting. These schools have instructors for almost every language imaginable. However, groups can be a bit too large for comfort and Bans in particular does not take Open Water students to any of the premier dive sites around the island.

Medium Schools: New Way, Scuba Junction, Simple Life
Medium dive schools generally have the best of both worlds. They have a range of instructors and groups large enough to make friends in, but aren’t as prone to overcrowding or rushing through the course.

Small Schools: Sairee Hut, Roctopus
These schools are great at accommodating special needs and arranging great deals. For example, you might be able to negotiate discounted fun dives post-course. The extra attention with the instructors that small schools and groups allow is key for those who are feeling uncertain about heading underwater, or simply want to be spoiled with attention.

When picking a school and an instructor, there are a few things to consider.

Do they have an instructor that speaks your language?
How many students will be in the group?
What time do they leave in the morning? Those eager beavers that want to be the first on the dive site might not mind being up in time for New Way’s 6am departure, while night owl’s might prefer Roctopus’s more relaxed dive times.
Will my course include a visit to one of Koh Tao’s top dive sites? (see list below) Some of the Big School unfortunately do not sent Open Water divers there.
Is the equipment up to date and in my size? Schools in Koh Tao have a good record for equipment range and maintenance, but it never hurts to ask.
How qualified is the instructor? Some students may appreciate the enthusiasm and up-to-date training of a new instructor, while others may find comfort in a teacher with tons of qualifications and years of experience.
Do you like the instructor?

What Are The Can’t Miss Dive Sites?

Chumphon

Chumphon is typically visited for Dive 3 of the Open Water course. The pinnacle are covered in colorful sea anemones and surrounded by large schools of trevally, batfish, and baraccuda. Lucky divers will spot giant barracuda, scorpionfish, and even whale sharks. For those hoping to fun dive, Chumphon is almost always visited on the morning boats.

Southwest

Southwest is an alternative site for Dive 3 of the Open Water course. This is another dive site carpeted in anemones and the clown fish that accompany them. This is another site where barracuda and giant groupers are found. For those hoping to fun dive, Southwest is almost always visited on the morning boats.

The Wreck of the Sattakut

This former US Navy ship was sunk in June, making it Koh Tao’s newest dive site. Already sea life such as stingrays and a pufferfish have started to make a home here. Most schools will require you to be an Advanced Open Water Diver to dive here, or to do it as part of that course.

Shark Island

Fortunately for those with a shark phobia, this dive site is named for its resemblance to a dorsal fin. This dive site is often less congested than the others listed above due to its location on the West side of Koh Tao. Highlights include a myriad of different corals home to nudibranchs, stingrays, and moray eels. On the downside, Shark Island can have a killer current and very aggressive triggerfish.

Sail Rock

Sail Rock is an ocean pinnacle located between Koh Tao and Koh Pha Ngan. The dive site takes about two hours to reach from Koh Tao. Occasionally you can get lucky and complete dives 3 and 4 of your Open Water here for an extra fee, though generally this is a specialty trip costing anywhere from 2,500-3,500 baht. There are a handful of schools that take trips to Sail Rock but most only go once a week, so if you are interested start investigating the day you arrive

The Twins
This is a common training dive site used for Dives 1 or 2 of the Open Water course. It is just off the coast of Koh Nang Yuan, a tiny island north west of Koh Tao. This site is great for new divers thanks to its shallow depth and simple layout. One standout is the family of rare saddleback clownfish that live in an anemone that’s been clearly marked by divers with a ring of rocks.

White Rock

White Rock is one of the most commonly visited dive sites on Koh Tao, frequently for Dive 4 of the Open Water course. It boasts one of the largest areas of any dive site on the island and a range of sea life, from butterflyfish to angelfish to blue spotted stingrays. Lucky divers may spot a sea turtle passing through.

Green Rock

Green Rock is located north of Koh Nang Yuan. The standout feature of this dive site is it’s many “swim throughs,” which are caves or cut-throughs that divers can pass through. They are great for practicing buoyancy and finding shy marine life. This is also a popular breeding ground for the aggressive Trigger fish, so take care not to lose a chunk of fin!

Learning to dive in Koh Tao should be approached with caution, as it can lead to a very serious addiction to the diving hobby and lifestyle! Many a dive virgin has arrived by ferry with plans to stay a few days and get certified, only to find themselves months later calling the island home and working towards becoming a scuba diving instructor.

Diving is a lifetime skill that you can take with you around the globe. From the Great Barrier Reef of Australia to the Blue Holes of the Bahamas, from the shipwrecks of Micronesia to the Whale Sharks of Mexico, diving will allow you to explore more of the world than most people could think possible. Enjoy it!

Alexandra Baackes is an enthusiastic diver and underwater videographer, as well as an on-land writer and designer. She blogs about travel, diving, and living in South East Asia at Alex in Wanderland. You can find her on Twitter talking about fast food cravings and wanderlust at @WanderlandAlex.

The Weekly Photo: Sunset in Cambodia

2012-02-12T14:25:12Z

Sunset in Sihanoukville, Cambodia

8 Great Alternative Budget Vacation Ideas

2012-02-09T16:12:26Z

While many of us dream of world travel, or, at least taking a few months off from work in pursuit of adventure, for many it’s not always feasible. While I frequently talk about long-term travel and round the world trips, I know that realistically, not everyone can travel that way. I don’t think traveling the world is hard, but I also know that what I do isn’t for everyone. For a number of reasons, people just aren’t able to do it.

But there are many other ways to travel the world and even if I won’t find you backpacking Cambodia, I still want to see you travel. The two most common reasons that stop people from traveling are time and money. But you don’t need to be rich or have three months off a year to take a vacation. There are many ways to get on the road and see the world if you are cash-strapped and time-poor. Here are eight ways to travel and explore the world when you don’t have a lot of time and are on a tight budget:

Be a Local Tourist – How often do you visit the tourist sites in your own city? Hardly ever, right? I know New Yorkers who have never seen the Statue of Liberty and Bostonians who have never walked the Freedom Trail. I once took a friend on a tour of Amsterdam because, despite growing up there, she had never seen the local attractions that lure millions of visitors per year to the city. I am also guilty of doing this. It took me 5 years to see the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok and I’ve still never been to Bunker Hill in Boston despite spending the first 24 years of my life there. We always put it off until tomorrow because when we live in the city, there is always a tomorrow.

So make your vacation that tomorrow. If you’re short on time and money there’s no better way to take a vacation than to take one in your own city. No matter what the size, your city has a number of wonders just waiting to be explored.

One important point for becoming a “local tourist” is to check out of your house and into a hotel/hostel/guesthouse. It’s important to get out of your familiar environment because, if you stay home, you’ll find something to do around the house and create excuses on why you can’t sightsee. Moving to a different location can help give you that feeling of adventure, excitement, and unfamiliarity.

Travel Regionally – Travel brings to mind far-away and exotic destinations. It invokes images of all the places we’ve dreamed of and seen in movies. Because of that, few people look in their own backyard for adventure — but your backyard offers many places to travel. I grew up in Boston and from there, I could visit New Hampshire, the woods of Maine, the bed and breakfasts of the Berkshire Mountains, or the farms of Vermont. New York was a 4 hour car ride from home. You don’t have to fly across an ocean to explore the world. Head to the bookstore and buy a regional guidebook and see what there is to see in your neighborhood. Your backyard holds as many possible travel destinations as does a country half a world away.

Go Camping – The great outdoors presents a great chance to go somewhere on the cheap. Camping, after all, costs very little money. Park fees in National Parks in America are $15 dollars. Additionally, you come stocked with all your own supplies and accommodation (i.e. a tent) so you won’t have to worry about spending money at expensive restaurants. Your food bill is whatever you spend on groceries and nothing more.

You don’t need to love camping to go spend time in the national parks either. I hate camping. I need toilets, beds, and especially hot water. I’m not the camp-in-a-tent kind of guy. Luckily, many parks provide cabins that you can use. While hiking the Grand Canyon, I stayed at a national park lodge at the bottom. I had a room in a dormitory but for a few nights, it was the cheap accommodation I needed.

Book a Last-Minute Cruise – Cruises are normally very expensive, with a 5 day Caribbean cruise costing over $600 USD. But if you’re the last passenger running onto that ship, you can get a sweet bargain. Cruise lines always offer incredible last-minute deals. A quick look at http://cruise.expedia.com/ shows last-minute cruising going for around half that at $348 USD. Plus, cruise operators always throw in some on-board amenities, free upgrades, and cash vouchers to sweeten the deal.

And now, because of the Costa Concordia cruise disaster, travelers are beginning to rethink their trips and cancel so cruise lines want to make sure people keep booking. There will be a lot of good deals right now.

Think Outside The Box – Forget Mexico and go to Guatemala. Skip Paris and head to Budapest. Forget Italy and see Greece (it’s really cheap!). Ditch Brazil and see Bolivia. The list goes on and on. Travel counter to the prevailing trend. Zig when everyone zags. If people are going in the summer, you go in the spring or winter. Skip the popular destinations and head off the beaten path a bit.

Contrarian travel will save you a bundle of money. It’s like reverse commuting. Whenever one heads into the city in the morning for work and is stuck in traffic, you breeze the opposite way hassle free. The same is true for travel. Flights to Europe in the summer can cost over $1,000 dollars. In the winter? Half that. It might not be the most ideal time to go or your favorite destination, but thinking of places off the beaten path and visiting in the off season is going to save you a lot money.

Book a Last-Minute Tour – Just like cruises, tours are best booked last-minute. Tour companies need to fill the seats just like cruise companies because once that trip departs, they still have the same costs. Last-minute tour bookings work the same way as cruise bookings. My favorite company, G Adventures (I’ve been using them since my first trip abroad), often has 15-30% discounts on last-minute tours. That’s a pretty good savings.

Why are tours and cruises so cheap last-minute? Well, think about how people plan vacations. People are predisposed to planning. You get the time off work, you book your vacation, you buy your flight, and you go. Since people pre-book, prices are higher in advance because these companies understand booking patterns and then price accordingly. Hardly anyone wakes up and says “Today, I’m going on a cruise.” So as departure time nears, companies know people aren’t likely to turn up and book on departure day so they sweeten the point to increase bookings. So take the time off work, wait until the week before, see what’s cheap, and then go.

Volunteer – If you’ve been thinking about doing something positive or giving back for a while, voluntourism might just be the way to do it. The really good volunteer agencies like All Hands Volunteers will cover your room and board once you’re there so you just need to cover the cost of a plane ticket. Moreover, you aren’t going to have many chances to spend extra money either on your trip. You’ll be “working” and waking up early and, while there may be beers after work, you’re probably not going to get drunk when you have to wake up for “work” in the morning. Volunteering gives you a chance to give back to communities around the world without spending a lot of money.

House Sit – Accommodation can eat into the cost of a trip big time. You might get a good flight deal but then accommodation, even if you can find it cheaply, might push the cost of your trip into unaffordable territory. A way around that is to stay somewhere for free. While I like Couchsurfing, it’s hard to do that for two weeks without annoying your host. A unique way to overcome this is to house sit for someone while that someone else is on vacation. You get free accommodation, a kitchen to cook in, and the chance to explore one destination in depth. It’s a pretty unique way to travel and one that I know a lot of world travelers do.

Not everyone can jump overseas at the drop of a hat or wants to spend six months backpacking around Asia. Luckily, there’s more than one way to see the world. You might not have a lot of time or money, but there are plenty of ways for you to get out and see the world. Travel doesn’t always mean some fancy vacation to Mexico or some six month trip around Europe.

Travel is simply the art of going somewhere new and different and exploring everything the place has to offer. It doesn’t matter if you have two days, two weeks, or two months.

The Weekly Photo: Bath, England

2012-02-05T12:19:02Z

Looking out from the Roman baths in Bath, England

Phnom Penh, I Love You!

2012-02-06T11:41:43Z

It was 2007 and I was only meant to be in Phnom Penh for three days. I had less than a month in Cambodia before I moved to Thailand and I wanted to explore as much as possible and get off the tourist trail a bit. But three days became four, and four became seven, and seven became ten. Every day, I woke up and thought to myself “I’ll get the bus tomorrow” and rolled over and went back to bed.

I’d walk out of my room into the common area overlooking the lake and slink down next to my friends. “What movie are we watching today?” I would ask. Later, we’d go out for lunch, relax during the afternoon, and head out around town at night.

Phnom Penh was a city you just became stuck in. It sucked you in. It was laid back, cheap, filled with friendly locals, and an easy-going atmosphere. The locals were friendly, they were polite, and they were helpful. The pace of life here seemed adept at trapping other travelers and our group got bigger by the day as more people fell into the black hole that was Phnom Penh.

However, as the days ticked down on my visa, I knew I’d have to leave and when I finally did, I left in love with Phnom Penh.

I especially loved the gritty, Wild West feel the city had. Here the streets were still made of dirt, and cars and motorbikes raced around you in all directions as you gained upon an ox cart. People swarmed the streets. The buildings were a bit run down from years of neglect. Yet this was a city of contrasts with ritzy hotels standing next to abandoned buildings. Hell, they were still celebrating the arrival of ATM machines when I visited. The city was changing rapidly and there was such contrast that the feeling of possibility was tangible.

Now returning pretty much to the week 5 years later, so much of the city has changed and developed yet so much of it has stayed the same. Where before I had to walk miles for an ATM, there is now one on every corner.

Things are more expensive now, by which I mean meals now cost $1.50 to $2 USD instead of $1. Hotels that were once two dollars are now nine. Buses costs $5 USD instead of 4.

The most noticeable change is the lakeside district, once home to all the backpacker guesthouses, is now gone. It’s a tragedy that corruption and greed pushed over 4,000 people out of their homes and ruined one of the best areas of the city. (You can read my last post on the lake’s tragic destruction.)

There are more cars here and every shop now seems to be a mechanic’s garage. The roads of the city are now (mostly) paved; there are few overpasses now. Traffic is even worse than before.

It’s a city that has changed a lot since I was last here. There is a lot more money here, many nicer buildings, some shopping malls, and a lot more upscale restaurants. I’ve found some good sushi and Korean BBQ restaurants, which given the influx of Korean and Japanese money doesn’t surprise me much. Yes, Phnom Penh is developing.

But while the face of Phnom Penh might have changed, its heart has still remained the same.

It’s still gritty, polluted, and there is dust everywhere. Buildings are still run down, lots remain empty, the streets are still filled with chaos. People line the bars for hours on end on hot afternoons. Cars zoom past rickshaw drivers. The people still laugh on the corner like they used to and the old men play their domino games. Everyone is a hurry to get nowhere. Underneath the façade, it is still the crazy city it was those years ago.

Phnom Penh might not look like the city I fell in love with. Its exterior face has changed so much that I barely recognized it. It’s a new city. But that happens a lot in Asia. The pace of development is so rapid that years seem like decades of change here.

All those years ago, I came to Phnom Penh not really expecting much. I didn’t know a lot about the city. I simply imagined it to be a rundown city with not much worth staying for. Yet Phnom Penh became and still remains one of my favorite cities in the world. I loved Phnom Penh.

I was nervous coming back. When you walk away from a place with such fabulous memories, you can be scared to go back — because what if you only liked the place for the people and you return to find nothing but ghosts? What if the place you remember is now only a dream? I worry about that a lot when I travel but then I bite the bullet, fight the fear, and return to find that places can still be as wonderful as they were that first time around.

The Tragic Death of Phnom Penh’s Lake

2012-02-01T18:43:59Z

In my close to six years travel the world, my days on the lake in Phnom Penh, Cambodia still remain some of my favorite. I had come for a few days and stayed for a few weeks. I spent my days in the famous Number 9 Guesthouse on the lake, watching movies, having a few cold beers, meeting fellow travelers from around the world, and watching the sun set over the lake. We had a perfect view as the bank of the lake faced due west. At night, my friends (all of whom also got “stuck” in the city) and I would eat cheap Indian food, play poker, and head to our local haunt – The Drunken Frog. It was our “Cheers”. Everyone knew your name and I could put it all on my tab.

My experience was probably shared by thousands of other travelers who got stuck in Phnom Penh’s lake district. Sure, it was a bit seedy – a backpacker ghetto if there ever was one. There were the pushers, the touts, the dreads, bootleg movies, and cheap beer. But it was fun, relaxing, and a place that brought people together.

And it is no more.

Beoung Kak Lake has been completely filled in and destroyed. When I was here in 2007, there was talk about closing the area and pushing the residents out so developers could fill in the lake and build on the land. Well, the talk turned into action after I left and for the price of 88 million USD, Shukaku Inc, a firm run by the influential senator Lao Meng Khin (corruption anyone?) obtained a 99 year lease on the lake and the surrounding area.

And with that, the area’s fate was sealed.

I’ve heard of its decline in recent years. The encroaching sand and the departure of its residents. Now, that I’m back in Phnom Penh, I made sure to head over to see what was left of it first hand.

And, for the first time in my travels, I became deeply sad and angry over development. Development can bring a lot of benefits to a community, but here the flagrant disregard for people and the environment was too much and as I saw the area today, my heart sank — and is still sunk. It was heart wrenching to be there.

Gone is the lake, completely filled in except for a small strip of polluted sewage water. What once looked like this:

And this:

Now looks like this:

And from another angle:

And another:

Gone are the docks that stretch over the river where you could watch the sunset and bond with new friends while being attacked by mosquitoes.

The two dollar all-you-can-eat Indian place has been demolished:

And my favorite bar, The Drunken Frog? Boarded and locked up.

All that remains of this once vibrant area is a bunch of torn down buildings, empty lots, and shacks. Buildings that once held vibrant businesses are now tenements. A few businesses have held on and I saw three guesthouses still open. But there was less than a handful of people around. The lack of touts and tuk tuk drivers spoke to the fact that crowds had long disappeared.

“That place used to have a great breakfast,” I pointed out to my friend. “That’s where we played poker.” “That pile of rubble used to be a great seafood place.” “I used to stay here,” I said pointing to another place.

I wandered through the ruins of my memory and, as I stood on the pile of sand that was once the lake, I was deeply disturbed. There is a hole in my heart where the lake once was.

I don’t mind development. Places change, towns grow, societies develop. For the most part, I think development can be a very good thing, especially when it is done right. But looking around here I saw nothing but destruction and greed. The lake area was home to thousands of people who eeked out a life in a none too glamorous part of the city. They ran businesses here. Raised families here and lived lives that have been destroyed.

But as so often happens around the world, the locals were pushed aside for big money. Residents had very little legal recourse. The legal battle over eminent domain and just compensation was a farce. They were just told to leave, given a little compensation, and if they didn’t like it, too bad. The same thing happened in Ko Phi Phi after the tsunami, when locals were pushed out to make way for rebuilt resorts. Over the years Cambodia has become rife with corrupt land deals. Residents are kicked out in blatantly illegal moves that have even some people wishing for the Khmer Rouge, because “at least they had a place to live.” The residents are left with little compensation and a lot of unemployment and debt.

I’m sad that the lake district isn’t there anymore. I wish future travelers could have experienced the great memories that so many other people have before them.

But mostly, I’m sad and disappointed in the shortsighted nature that would fill in a lake, ruin a community, and destroy a section of town in the name of money. There was no real need to fill in this lake. The only “real” need was greed.

While a few families were allowed to stay and only after the prime minister intervened, thousands more weren’t so lucky. The lake could have been developed with the families in mind and the area saved. But that was not the case.

And so as officials enrich themselves in a clearly dubious and corrupt land deal, all that everyone else is left with is a pile of sand and a lot of resentment.

Editor’s Note: Save Boeung Kak has the latest on the ongoing battle between the residents who are trying to keep what is left of their homes and the government.

How Much a Holiday in Thailand Costs

2012-01-31T09:19:43Z

Thailand can be as expensive or inexpensive a country to visit as you want it to be. This is a country where you can stay in $3 USD per night rooms or $1000 USD per night resorts. Twenty cent street food or 300 dollar gourmet dinners. Thailand really runs the gamut. When my friends came to visit last December, they budgeted $1,700 USD for their 3 week trip. “No problem,” I said, “that’s more than enough for Thailand. This country is cheap.” But what I realized as I traveled with people on a limited time frame, is that there is big difference in budgeting for a backpacking trip versus budgeting for a holiday.

It requires a whole different mentality. It’s a lot easier to do that when you can average out your expenses over a few months instead of a few weeks. On a vacation, you tend to race around trying to see as much as you can, which can drive up your costs a lot.

Thailand is a very cheap country to live and travel around. I hardly spend much money here. But that changed when my friends came and why that changed is important for anyone planning to come to Thailand. While my friends were here, I spent a lot of money. For the 24 days we traveled, I spent $1,596.27 USD or $66.51 dollars per day. Here’s the numbers breakdown (all prices are in in Thai Baht):

Accommodation (cheap guesthouses, nice beach bungalows, luxury jungle huts) – 13,565
Flights around Thailand – 4,200
Transportation (public buses, trains, taxis) – 1470
Ferry to, around, and from the islands – 1875
Diving in Ko Tao – 800
Hiking in Khao Sok – 1200
Movie and Popcorn (Sherlock Holmes 2 – don’t see it!) – 320
Misc (bug spray, toothbrush, etc) – 363
Drinks (it was the holidays!) – 10,115
Jim Thompson House (museum in Bangkok) – 100
Medicine (I popped my ear drum scuba diving!) – 1,890
Food (street food, seafood dinners, international meals in Bangkok) – 11,000
Web stuff – 890
Water – 100

Total Spent: 47,888 Baht or $1,596.27 USD

Note: $1 USD = 30 Baht.

For Thailand, I think that is a lot of money. I tell people that backpacking around Thailand costs $30-35 USD per day depending on how much alcohol you consume and how many days you spend on the islands, where costs are higher. Most of the time, I spend less than that. I just stayed a week in the northern city of Chiang Mai and I only spent about $25 USD per day. That included accommodation (private room with bathroom), local food, Starbucks, the occasional Western meal, and a few drinks.

So Why Did I Spend Double?

Though my intention was to do “Thailand on a budget”, as I traveled with my friends, I realized something I forgot long ago. When time is limited and this is might be one of two big trips all year, you don’t want to scrape every penny. Vacations don’t need to cost a fortune but if you aren’t traveling all the time, then staying in the cheapest place to make your money last becomes less of an issue. You want nice things.

You travel faster. You take planes, not 12 hour trains. You cram more activities into your day. You pamper yourself more. You eat nicer meals.

And my friends definitely wanted all the above.

How Much Do You Need?

That’s not to say I don’t think a vacation in Thailand can’t be done cheaper. It can. I think a budget of around $50 USD per day would be perfect for a short vacation to Thailand. You don’t need to spend as much as I spent. I spent a lot of money going out, using the internet for work, and seeing a doctor. If I cut out those expenses, my average drops to 1,421.16 Baht or $47.31 USD per day. That’s more expensive than a backpacker budget but really good for a trip to Thailand.

Throw in some extra money for shopping, and a maximum of $55 USD per day would give you a very, very nice budget vacation in Thailand. For that price, you would get:

Flights so you don’t have to spend time on long bus rides.
Meals that include local restaurants and cheap street food as well as delicious seafood dinners and some delicious international food in Bangkok.
Budget guesthouses with a few “splurge” nights thrown in.
Some tours and activities.
A few drinks.
And a little extra wiggle room just in case.

Pretty much the essentials of any good, relaxing holiday.

While all the money-saving tips mentioned on my website can be applied to any style of trip you decide to take (saving money is universal), the speed in which you travel on a vacation changes the dynamic of how you spend money. We could have saved a lot if we skipped the flights and took the train but my friends didn’t have the time to spend 12 hours on a train. We flew, which during peak season, is expensive.

This experience brought reminded me how accelerated travel requires us to be more vigilant in our efforts to save money. In the rush to see everything, you can spend a lot of money before you even realize it. I’ll admit that the budget traveler I normally am went out the door on this trip. I would normally never fly around Thailand, would skip the expensive resorts, and wouldn’t eat as much international food as I did with my friends.

A three-week vacation in Thailand might not be as cheap as a three-month backpacking trip but it can still be inexpensive so long as you watch where your money goes and don’t forget about budgeting in your quest to see everything.