The shopaholics go backpacking

You must  have read about my SEA backpacking trip on January with my Attorney/Captain cousin Calai, and I've been cracking my knuckles excited about it!!!! What's not to be excited about? Biking under stiffling heat, temple hopping, ass numbing bus rides, a wide variety of scrumptious local food (Tarantula included), and awesome new people you meet along the way. (=

Yesss, that's my bigatin cousin! Eh ako, dork slash.... chubby lang. haha

Backpacking in asia, just like any other egg in the basket eh? 

Nope. Not really.

Basically, our plan is to sleep in hostels, and guesthouses, eat street food with a thin possibility of an upset stomach on an 11 hour border crossing bus ride, and spend the rest of our budget to fill our mountaineer bags shopping in Chatuchak, Bangkok . Our two loves, shopping, and traveling goes together, compromise just isn't an option. 

We may be taking the backpackers  trail, on a backpackers budget, but I'm pretty sure we'll opt for the chic look. Hence, I have high regards for women who can do without make up, in basic tees with cargo shorts and combat boots. I salute! But that just isn't my cup of tea.

Traveling in style, while on a budget.

In the middle of a grueling research about each country we're visiting, I realized that packing for a SEA trip can be a bit daunting considering the weather and cultural restrictions. Unlike here in the Phi where foreigners can pretty much wear as they like. It isn't likely the case in some temples in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. A tanktop can and will deprive you of entering temples of Angkor Wat or claim your shame of glares from conservative locals. This can only mean longer packing, and punishing preparation. 

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Do away with sheer tops, short shorts, not even short skirts under the scorching heat filling only less than half of my backpack.

God bless me with the patience with packing with impeccable fighting temptation to shop for maxi dresses!!! Don't judge me, I haven't started packing since I still have 2 months to prepare. (Honest!) I haven't even started saving for this trip. Now that's the kind of dilemma I should work on. Don't you think?

I'll probably opt for these look by other wanderlust-ers. Well, minus the short shorts of course.

I do not own any of the pictures obviously. Copyright to its rightful owners.

For now I'll start worrying about my pocket money, and finalize our itinerary. Eeeehhk. Shopping, stay away from meeeeeeeee!

More of our misadventures, soon!

An excerpt from EAT PRAY LOVE.

"[My guru] says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you are fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it..." -EAT, PRAY, LOVE.