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Ashley Meek's Jauntaroo Video

Some Footage

A little video thrown together of some of the rough footage of my RTW trip with a cheesy Macklemore song slapped on top. Here you go...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVg4CNXkH5c

Galapagos!

I spent several days in Guayaquil, Ecuador staying with my friend, Cristi. I got to eat a lot of delicious ceviche and enjoyed breakfast in bed every morning which typically consisted of fresh mango juice and Bolon (a plantain dumpling). We visited the beach town of Montanita and stayed a night at her apartment in Salinas. Payed $2 to ride one of those banana tube things behind a boat, and since the guy tied us only a few feet behind the rickety speedboat we flipped off again and again. It was great! I spent Christmas Eve with her family in Guayaquil which included going to a Spanish mass. I was the only blonde girl once again. Christmas Day I was off to the Galapagos!

I stayed at the Galapagos Best Homestay where I quickly met some friends who would become my Galapagos family while I was there. The hostel owner, Kevin, gave us an eccentric tour of the town in Puerto Ayora and that night I shared a Christmas drink with the other hostel guests.

On Puerto Ayora is the Darwin Research Center where you can view the rare Galapagos species that are being studied including different varieties of aquatic iguanas and the giant tortoises.

We did a trip to San Cristobal one day which was amazing! A two hour bumpy boat ride took us to the island. We were able to snorkel with sea turtles, sea lions, stingrays, and many fish. On this trip we went snorkeling at Kicker Rock. Kicker Rock is two large rocks out in the middle of the sea where a deep current runs between the deep rocks causing lots of sharks to come feed there. We snorkeled in this chilly strong current as black tip reef sharks circled around us! I counted up to 18 sharks at one time. Really Incredible!

Another day I hiked up the Sierra Negra volcano on the Island of Isabela. It's the second largest volcanic crater in the world. It was a tough 12 mile hike in the blistering sun up to the peak of the massive volcano but worth it for the amazing scenery and blistered feet.

A couple more days in the Galapagos were filled with exploring the peculiar islands with lots of snorkeling and an exciting/interesting night on the island of Isabela at a crazy old man, Beto's, beach bar. Beto showed us his full moon as he ran into the ocean shouting about it being the last full moon of 2012!

The Galapagos were a perfect way to end my trip with adventure and exploration! 

So....I made it all the way around the world on my own!
153 days. 14 countries. 1 backpack.
It was an absolutely amazing trip and I loved every moment of it!! I met so many incredible people, saw some beautiful places, ate delicious food, and had some awesome experiences! 

Made it to New York City just in time for New Years celebrations! Now onto the next adventure...life in the city.

Livin Large in Buenos Aires

After an awesome time in SE Asia I was headed back to the other side of the world!

After a ferry ride, an endless motorbike ride (since power was out on the island and I couldn't find an ATM), and four long flights later I made it to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

It was great getting to stay with my friend Flor. We stayed at her house in a suburban area near the city of Moreno part of the time and the rest of the time we stayed her mom's baller apartment in a very nice area in the city of Buenos Aires. It was fun getting to know the city and going out with Flor and her friends at night.

I was able to try lots of local food. They drink Yerba Mate for every meal and inbetween. Dulce de leche was also a delicious sweet that tastes good on just about everything. One afternoon we went to Flor's dad's to enjoy Asada and champagne by the pool. Asada is the Argentine version of BBQ but with intestines, liver, and every other bit of meat. I also had to try the local drink, a Fernando, which is coke and Fernets (a bitter smoky alcohol). And on sunny days the girls would all come over to make Caipirinhas (a Brazilian drink with lime, sugar, rum, and occasionally passion fruit seeds) and sit by the pool.

(Paula with yerba mate, dulce de leche, and fernets)

(Empanadas..yum!)

One day we did a bus tour through the city getting to see the soccer stadium, tango dancers, and a giant beautiful cemetery filled with creepy cats

One weekend we drove to Las Pampas. It's a beach town but with log style cabins and pine trees. The town was very pretty and they believe in gnomes so little garden gnomes are outside every store and restaurant.

Buenos Aires was really great! I especially loved all the wonderful people I got to meet. I would love to return someday to visit more of the country of Argentina.

The Land of Smiles: Thai Islands

Another bus Siam Reap to Bangkok. Flight Bangkok to Phuket. A night in Phuket. Bus Phuket to Suritthani. Ferry Suritthani to Koh Phangan.

Arrived at the island of Koh Phangan for the week of the Full Moon gathering just in time for the rain. It rained everyday but was still a lot of fun. I stayed at the Dancing Elephant Hostel and would go with hostel friends to the beach bars, pool and waterfall parties, and wander around the island finding new beaches and cool spots. The night of Full Moon was so much fun! People covered themselves in neon paint, bucket vendors all claimed to have to best prices, some attempted the fire jumpropes and fire poi, and music was pouring out of every bar and restaurant as everyone flooded to the beach to dance. Even though it rained people danced all night long to see the sun rise. It was amazing to see so many people on a beach dancing all night!

After the full moon gathering I headed to the island of Koh Tao. I stayed at the Big Blue Diving Resort to get my open water diving certification. The only time I got sick throughout my entire trip even after eating the fruits, vegetables, street food, and brushing my teeth with the water was at the dive resort hostel. Apparently the island was having a water shortage along with the daily power outage and the water was so toxic you were not supposed to brush your teeth with it or even open your mouth while showering. However, I was not aware of this and I was really sick throwing up every half hour or so from around 7pm to 5am the next day. By the next day after downing gatorade after gatorade I felt fine to continue my dive course.

After a day of lecture tapes, a full day in the pool, and passing my written exam I finally was able to start diving. It was great getting up each morning, loading my gear on the boat by 6am, and heading out to a dive.  After the first two dives and having to take off your mask and oxygen at the bottom of the sea we were able to enjoy the dives more. I got to do four dives and by the end my team was doing flips under the water and building human pyramids. At night we would hang out at the dive restaurant on the water enjoying barracuda grilled on the beach.  

Thailand was one of my favorite places I traveled to. Not only is it ridiculously cheap but everyone is so friendly and laid back and the landscapes are incredible.

Cambodia

After Vietnam I decided to take five days to hop over to Cambodia. I took a bus across the border and after hours of handing off my passport, waiting, switching buses, more waiting, and more handing off my passport I eventually arrived into Cambodia.

I visited Phnom Penh to see the killing fields. In the 1960s and 70s the Khmer Rouge, a communist party, ruled Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge saw themselves as a superior race and held onto commuist ideas to diminish a bourgeois class. This lead to a mass genocide in the late 70s of Chinese, Vietnamese, and anyone who "wore glasses" including doctors, lawyers, professors, etc. The genocide grew to a mass killing of around 2 million people including women and children. The killing fields site is a memorial to this tragedy.

(Spirit House)

After only a day in Phnom Penh I head to Siam Reap to see another historical site of Cambodia, the spectacular Angkor Wat "City of Temples."

Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious sites in the world and can take several days to visit all the different ruins and temples. The site was built in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman and is a sanctuary for both Hindus and Buddhists.

I spent an entire day starting at sunrise to visit as many temples as I could including where tomb raider was filmed. I hired a tuk tuk driver to take me around to the different sites. I explored many of the temples and ruins under the hot sun and enjoyed a lunch consisting of rice and stuffed toad with my tuk tuk driver by lake. The temples were incredible and massive.

That night I was able to hang out in a village with some local Cambodians. They cooked fish while occasionally scooping out a cup of whiskey from a giant bucket. Later that night they joined a bunch of us backpackers for some dancing.

(Sunrise at Angkor Wat main temple)

(Monks chillin)

(The tourists flock in the main site gate)

(bandaged up at the temples)

(tuk tuk for the day)

(Tomb Raider Tomb)