The Rebecca Project

Latest Posts

…And Then You Turn a Corner

Published by Rebecca Raspberry // The Rebecca Project

… and then you turn a corner and look up.

After dinner the other night, we were on a rather mundane errand to pick up our laundry when the American spotted something. We stood on the darkened lane and watched the brightened lanterns drift up, and up, and up into the inky sky. We stared as 100 or so illuminated orbs twirled and rose and dipped a little and rose higher, until they started to fade out. It was silent, peaceful, and beautiful. A moment that made me feel a little bad about declaring that Thailand was trying to kill us…

What the sky looked like.

[Source]

These were the same kind of lanterns released in the famous Yee Peng/Loi Krathong (the Festival of Light) each November. Sadly, we missed the main festival by a matter of weeks but were lucky enough to catch the remnants of it. I could only imagine the joy of witnessing the thousands of lanterns rise and be carried by the wind.

Yee Peng is a week-long celebration here in Chiang Mai, some believe in honor of Buddha, and others in respect for their ancestors. Whatever the reason, the festival is famous for the release of thousands of rice paper lanterns into the night sky. These lanterns, called khome, are lit and released to symbolically carry away all your troubles. Some also say if you make a wish as you release the khome, your wish will come true. The whole event looks magical, peaceful and romantic.

What the Yee Peng festival looks like in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

[Source]

On the back of such beauty and such an encouraging turn of events, we returned home and heard about an “unconfirmed” shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, CT. If you follow me on Twitter, you will have heard enough from me about the tragic events. My stance on guns and the lack of mental health resources in the United States has only been reaffirmed. Words can’t express the devastation of something like this, and there have been great articles (here, here and here) about various aspects of the case. What else could possibly be said? It’s a sad time for my adopted home of America.

On Dealing with Things when They Don’t Work Out

Published by Rebecca Raspberry // The Rebecca Project

I had spent months staring at a photo I took on the Thai island of Koh Phag Ngan many (full) moons ago. I had tacked it to the wall of my cubicle and had been letting my mind wander to the soft, sandy beaches of the island paradise and the feel of the warm sun on my skin as I sat on the porch of my beach-side bungalow, eating pad thai and drinking fruit shakes.

In the photo, it was late afternoon on Haad Rin. The American and I were young and happy. Smiles, unblemished skin, absence of wrinkles. A memory of happier, simple, carefree times. I wanted that freedom back of having no strings, no commitments, no pressing cares. And this time around we had a plan to improve ourselves, to eat better and learn new skills. This was our time to get back out on the Banana Pancake trail and live the impromptu lives of ‘world travellers’ once again. Sounds like heaven, right?

Koh Samui, Heaven to some, but certainly not to me anymore.

Koh Samui. Heaven to some, but not me.

But a picture of an exotic land away from the harsh fluorescent lights and the demands of regular life is one thing. In reality, it turned out to be everything I didn’t want. The American was as crook as Rookwood. I was being eaten alive by gigantic mosquitoes and dealing with bogans. And then, without warning, we were living without both power and running water in a hot and humid climate with no wind. This was not the ‘paradise’ I had imagined when daydreaming in my cubicle in Oakland.

Since we arrived in Singapore a few weeks ago, things had been going downhill. No matter where I found myself, I just couldn’t get comfortable. We tried different spots on the island, but it didn’t alter the situation. Nothing felt right. Within me, there was a melancholy and a voice telling me that this wasn’t going to work. I’d had my heart set on these bloody islands, but it was just not working for us. We had to get off the island!

The only illumination we had. For days.

We made our way from the islands on the bus-ferry-bus-bus-and then overnight bus to Bangkok, and everything was still going wrong for us. In Bangkok, same same. I was getting more down about the situation and the American was withdrawing entirely from conversation. So essentially it was just me, trying to make myself feel okay and make it sound like everything is rainbows and unicorns. Because it totally wasn’t.

“Ugh! Here I am, on extended holiday, doing what others would kill to do, and I am miserable and unhappy and completely hating my life right now!”.

I felt the shame of being such an ungrateful suburban twat, and was really questioning if I have ever really been happy anywhere. In fact, I felt as though the whole trip was just one big, fat flop and I was the world’s biggest idiot. I wallowed in self-pity for a while, and then we enacted Plan C: All we needed to do to (hopefully!) save this trip was to reach Chiang Mai. If things were not working out for us in Chiang Mai, then we’re on the next plane out of here. Deep down, I was not ready to give up on the adventure. I am obviously a sadist, because then we almost died in a bus fire on the dreadful overnight bus to Chiang Mai. True story. Grab some popcorn and settle in to read more about that here.

So with a little down time here in Chiang Mai (and fewer things trying to kill us), we’re already liking life much better up here in the mountains. The American and I have recommenced communication, our clothes have been washed and we’re staying in a cute little guesthouse run by a spunky woman in her 40s. Still being eaten by mozzies, but that’s par for the course. They love the European blood. So we’ll see how much we like Chiang Mai, but already, it’s another world up here. I think we’ll unpack and stick around, and see if we can rekindle our love of Thailand.

Back on the Khao San Road

Published by Rebecca Raspberry // The Rebecca Project

There’s a part of Bangkok loaded with backpacking farangs, cheap street food carts, and plenty of opportunities to unload you of the burden of your hard-earned Baht. It’s the famous (and infamous) Khao San Road. And this place is the centre of the backpacking universe in South East Asia.

I knew I’d return. Soi Rambuttri is better than the KSR.

It’s my fourth visit back to the Khao San area, the American’s eighth or so. It’s the type of place you always find yourself returning to, whether out of necessity or out of boredom. The neon signs welcome you when you first arrive to the Khao San, but they glare at you when you’ve overstayed your welcome. This is a place that is best experienced for only a few days before you move on to your next destination.

The Khao San has a reputation as a backpacker hub for good reason — everything you need is right here. There’s plenty of travel options to sort out your next move. There’s cheap massages to treat your aching body. There’s 7-Elevens next to 7-Elevens. There’s cheap pad thai, fruit shakes and banana pancakes from roadside stalls for 30 Baht (about US$1). After hours, bars pop up out of nowhere. If you’re in Bangkok and on a budget, this is your world for a few days.

Tasty, cheap street food. This Pad Thai cost 30 Baht (about US$1).

There’s always something happening around here. People are just arriving into town, weighed down by their packs. People are moving out, their packs stuffed with cheap gifts for their mates back home. There are people just hanging out, having set up camp on a vacant gutter to people-watch and eat their treats from the many food carts. There’s faces I’ve never seen on the road before, yet I’ve seen them a thousand times. At once, familiar and unfamiliar. I love imagining where they’re all from.

Pop-up bars get more inventive with each return visit.

As someone who is no longer 23 and constantly looking to party every available second of the day or night, I prefer the more mellow street of Soi Rambuttri. It’s very central, just around the corner from the main drag of the Khao San Road, but it feels as though someone just turned down the volume on just about everything: from the pushy tuk-tuk drivers seeking passengers to the local vendors hawking Thai fisherman pants. It’s more my speed.

The Khao San experience is also peppered with some of the familiar multinationals, like Starbucks and Burger King. Here, they don’t appear out-of-place. They serve a purpose, reminding you of the reassuring ways of ‘home’, with Thai twist. It’s little things like this that can make the world of different when you’re on the road.

Fruit shakes and pancakes.

I have found that whilst so much of the South East Asia I saw when I was here four years ago has changed. But the Khao San Road has stayed almost exactly the same. The hordes of English-speaking farangs keep on coming, and the area (especially Soi Rambuttri) has lost none of its kitschy charm. It’s kind of nice to know that the Khao San Road and surrounds still exists as it does in my memory. There’s something about the Khao San Road that keeps me returning. But not for long.

Help! I’m stuck on Koh Samui without Power!

Published by Rebecca Raspberry // The Rebecca Project

Koh Samui, Thailand.

[Source]

Hello dear readers,

I am currently stuck on Koh Samui without power. We’re in our fourth day of it, and I am using what is remaining of our bonus 2 hour generator time. It’s 5:41 am.

It feels as though we’re on an episode of Survivor: there’s no water for showers or the toilets because the pumps are run on electricity. The meat and dairy are rotting away in the restaurants and convenience stores without sufficient refrigeration. But Koh Samui is an island paradise, and I could be in a far worse place to spend time away from my gadgets and whatnot.

We hope to be leaving here soon and heading up to Bangkok. It’s a trek, and one that will get us into the capital at about 5am on Sunday morning.

I have plenty planned for you, but hope you can hold on just a few more days until we can get somewhere with power (and AC!). I promise you that it’ll be worth it.

You never quite know what life will throw at you!

Heart,

Greetings from Penang

Published by Rebecca Raspberry // The Rebecca Project

Wish you were here!

Following a few miserable days in KL, we packed our bags and headed for the northern Malaysian state of Penang. And life has been much better since setting down our packs in this place. We’re staying in a functional, but tired guesthouse in George Town, the capital. From our room’s balcony, we have a great view of the KOMTAR building, and from our rooftop, almost a complete 360 degree view of the city.

We have undertaken some spectacularly long walks in the heat and humidity, ones that have rendered wearing thongs impossible because of the blisters between my toes. But instead of focusing on the pain, I choose to see them as badges of honour.

Beautiful windows in our Guesthouse.

Colourful homes. I love having a peek at where and how other people live.

We encountered this feathered pair a few times, always pecking around the same spots.

The old…

Interesting architecture, particularly in the new high rises that are springing up.

…And the new.

Some amazing clouds over the Bay.

And we finally made it to Tesco!

And there have been some beautiful sunsets in Penang… it’s something I’ve really appreciated.

Beautiful sunsets, as seen from our balcony.

I’m really glad we came up here.

Next stop, Thailand. Closer to my original goal of making it to The Island…

Greetings from Singapore

Published by Rebecca Raspberry // The Rebecca Project

Wish you were here!

As expected, it’s hot and humid in Singapore. It’s my second visit to the small island nation (well, third if you count three hours spent in Changi waiting for a connecting flight to London). But I am glad to be back. I’d forgotten what this place feels like: sweat, heat, the fragrance of tropical flowers, hot exhausts of the buses, bread with surprises in the middle, ice-cold water from 7-eleven, the British English spoken in announcements on the MTR train system.

The first few days in South East Asia are always the toughest as your body acclimatises, and today’s been no exception. After spending a five or so hours wandering around downtown to capture shots for the forthcoming Skyscrapers of Singapore video, we’re totally fried. The American just asked me, “What time is it acceptable to go eat dinner then come back and go to sleep?”. It’s just that kind of day, folks.

So here’s a few photos from today’s adventures in Singapore. You can find me on Instagram as The Rebecca Project.

http://instagram.com/p/SO2R24RfOc/ http://instagram.com/p/SSILpgRfAc/

http://instagram.com/p/SSIrQrRfAq/

http://instagram.com/p/SSJO9ixfA5/

http://instagram.com/p/SSJyg6xfBK/

http://instagram.com/p/SSKgc2xfBY/

http://instagram.com/p/SSLDSaRfBo/

http://instagram.com/p/SSLP0GRfBw/

http://instagram.com/p/SSLmufxfB8/

http://instagram.com/p/SSL1R0xfB-/

http://instagram.com/p/SSL_DNRfCD/

http://instagram.com/p/SSMI8TxfCI/