The fact that I've lived in Asia still sounds completely surreal to me. Never did I grow up thinking, I really want to go fall in love with this part of the world, but something pulled me to it. I went, and now I can't ever imagine not going there because some of my most favorite places in the world are there.
Asia is the coolest place! I can't even describe it to you because you really need to be living in Asia to understand how much of an adventure it is. It's really a world all its own, completely unique and foreign and love-able. I spent two semesters volunteering in Asia and would love to go back for a few more if I'm being honest!
Want to spend a semester living abroad in Asia? Or another part of the world? Come fill out an application to volunteer with ILP
I traveled around there quite a bit during what adds up to almost a year of my life and definitely found some pretty incredible places. Here's a list of just a few places I wish I could go back to —
Yangshuo is this AMAZING place and might be my favorite place ever. I think I love it so much because there's oh so much to do. If you love the outdoors, you could spend a week, no problem. There's mud caves, bamboo rafting, hiking, going for rides, rice fields, souvenir shopping, river drifting, and the list goes on and on.
It's just the most fun in the most beautiful place.
There's no wonder Angkor Wat is world wonder. It's incredible. These ancient temples are huge and intricate. I mean, they sell multiple day passes because truly you could walk around for days and not see everything. There's even monkeys and monks walking around. The whole experience was surreal.
Elephant sanctuaries, the best shopping markets in Thailand, temples in the mountains, hiking to villages, zip lining through the jungle, and don't even get me started on the food. If you want adventure in Thailand, go to Chiang Mai. If you're visiting Thailand, you're probably either going to the islands to lay on the beach or you're coming here where the action is to be had! I actually visited this city 3 different times and never ran out of things to do, so that tells you everything you need to know.
You really can't go wrong with choosing an island in Thailand because they're all so good, but Koh Lanta was a top for me.
It doesn't have the best beaches or those incredible green tall island things that you see in every photo when you Google Thailand. But, the great thing about the islands in Thailand though is that they're all really close so you can go visit those from Koh Lanta. The best thing bout Koh Lanta is that it's not the touristy/party island. It's mellow and laid back without the crowds of tourists. It has insanely beautiful sunsets (like you can see below). It's just the best sort of island life that you could want.
I seriously love Bali, but I love this island a lot. It's just a 30 minute boat ride away from southern Bali. Again, it's another laid back island (I guess I love that?). The people are hard working and so kind and they basically all speak English which is pretty convenient.
The coral reefs are beautiful and it's well known for diving and snorkeling so if you're into that, you're gonna love it. There are lots of really beautiful places to stay here so if you want to splurge a little bit on a gorgeous place to stay instead of those cheapo hostels, this is the place to do it.
If you get an opportunity to go visit Asia, do it!
And hopefully you can see some of these places. Want to live there for a semester (or two) like I did? Consider volunteering as an English teacher with International Language Programs (ILP)!
You get to help cute little kids learn English, immerse yourself in the culture, and travel all over while you're there. It's really the best way see a country. Get your application started today by clicking below.