Why I enjoy TravelBlog
As expressed in part 1 of this story- blogging is a perfect way to express myself and inspire each other. A good blog should have interesting articles filled with personal anecdotes and images that let the reader feel like they are right there with you. My blog isn’t exactly a conventional blog, unlike many adventure travel bloggers who quit their jobs to travel the world. There are no entry-barriers to the world of Travel Blogging.
For all Your Land Travels
Traveling to Southeast Asia is an adventure, getting around once you're there is another adventure entirely. EasyBook: Largest land sea travel and tours booking.
I’ve never really thought of turning to blog as a career path. I just love traveling and exploring. I am not even good at it, have never done more than a few blogging before quitting, all I know is I am on a quest to visit every country in the world and I am going to share my experiences.
Let's get down to business
Blogging for me should be honest and open, you never know who would try out what you blogged about. Under no circumstances should a blogger omit certain details especially, in the areas of health and safety, if you are blogging about a certain trip and you got mugged or had food poisoning, by all means do not lie or omit that detail as your loyal readers whom you failed to warn about the awful incidences might just decided to go to the same location and try out the food you blogged about which eventually landed you in the hospital.
Why I blog
1)- to share my experience with you
2)- to read about your various opinions and especially those opinions that are out of this world he hehe hehe
3)-to help inspire my readers.
I realized that if I had read more blogs about everything I planned to do or think of doing I would not have gotten myself to where I am today. During one of my trips, I met an old man from Austria of about 73 years old thereabouts, while I was enjoying my stay in Phnom Penh Cambodia-(Southeast Asia). We met when I came out of my room for dinner one cool evening as I was trying to find the best sitting spot, I noticed him and he beckoned me to join him with a smile. I hesitated, but what the heck! I joined his table, he was seated with no more than a cup of tea and on the table, I couldn't make out his face very well the light wasn't that bright. No sooner we got talking and I didn't hesitate to share my displeasure with the noise wafting uninviting into my room at night.
If you are a light sleeper, this hotel is not for you. The WiFi sucks, you will pay extra to stay in the room with a balcony, as the hotel is next to a busy road the noise was terrible. You will probably be kept awake by the noise coming from the karaoke in the bar. The toilet is a bit dirty to me. This is not the awesome place that I thought it would be. The location is fabulous and there is some interesting history but I think it has had its heyday. I must compliment the staff on their service which was very good. Anyways, I ordered for Beer Lok Lak, to my amazement it turned out to be good and the price was $10. Beef Lok Lak- is a local Cambodia dish, marinated beef that is stir-fried in the good company of lettuce, raw onion, tomato, cucumber, and a delicious chili mix of lime dipping sauce
The FCC Foreign Correspondent, the restaurant wasn't that bad, on the bank of the Tonlé Sap River, this upscale hotel is 4 minutes’ walk from the National Museum of Cambodia and 12 minutes’ walk from Phnom Penh ferry terminal. Other food was great and I would highlight the mashed potato. It gave my taste buds some excitements and surprises, you should try it!.
Review
Great location, looks over the riverside promenade from the 1st-floor bar but lots of leaves obscuring the view. Better on top floor bar but that doesn’t open until 4 pm.
The entrance is dark and oppressive. Dark brown paint and frankly looks a bit grimy.
The bar area was lively with expats and some locals. Breakfast is ok, An airy, relaxed restaurant with a bar serves local and international fare. There’s also a terrace offering river views.
Back to the Topic
He talked about adventures and several places he had traveled to including Africa. Boy, the guy could talk!. several occasion, he paused as asked I could try other Khmer food, I told him that I still haven’t quite warmed to Khmer food. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, food hygiene isn’t fantastic in Cambodia, and after being used to eating delicious, fresh and clean food, curbside dining in Phnom Penh is a bit confronting. Almost every expat I know has a story featuring amoebas, food-borne bacteria or some kind of chronic stomach illness, so this is not something, I am willing to risk. I've had my fair share of mild food poisoning at least twice. I will rather stick to just Beef Lok Lak if every day if I could, am not really keen in branching out. And no; I am not brave enough to try the tarantula, frog legs and tree ants.
My first Blogging Lesson
During the course of our conversation, I recalled I told him I started blogging about my life and everything else, but what he told me then scared the shit out of me and when I got back to my room I gave up blogging entirely. Well, he asked me some hi-tech questions, about meta tags, keywords, and SEO, analytics, HTML, plugins, proofread etc.
Dude! all I wanna do is just blog!
When he finished talking, he noticed embarrassment written all over my face, because my blog was written without any of those tech-savvy shit he mentioned, by now all I wanted was the meeting over so I could go away in peace, but what he said shocked me. He asked me if I wouldn't mind keeping an old man company.
Got my first Free Hotel Accommodation, Food & Sightseeing Tour!
He asked me to move into the hotel he is lodging, all bills are on him including site tour guide, "what"?! I gasped, "why, are you serious"? I asked in a high pitched tone, he said: "my favorite hotel is located at N 128F Sothearos Blvd area, good rate, and good food".
This place is good for its location and convenient to access to food, entertainment, and shopping too. Staff is just OK and the wifi can be quite unreliable at times. If you are staying for a quick stopover, then it is OK. But there are certainly much better quality hotels in that mold in the Phnom Penh region. Clearly, the old man was not bothered with the look of utter shock and dismay all over my face," the hotel in question is located at Sotheros Blvd? I asked in response “ to my amazement he said yes; why not. Not the best but much better than FCC.
The all too familiar ladies protective instinct popped , with a controlled tone, I said: " are you asking me to sleep with you"? I bluntly asked with a frown on my face, and he exclaimed "oh no, I am not asking for any such thing!, I just needed an innocent company that's all" he said. "I will pay your own room, besides FCC is horrible and the food here is crap to me".
Wow, I retorted "you sure do have a way with words". Before he could change his mind, I gave it a quick thought, mental check, shoved aside any warning bells, what the heck! and nodded in agreement. The next morning as early as 7.00am I checked out of my hotel in a flash, flagged down a Tuk Tuk gave him the direction I was going, no sooner we arrived the hotel, I picked up my backpack, paid the driver and walked into the hotel. As soon as they saw me, they welcomed me with a smile and ushered me upstairs to my own room, gave me the key to my room, smiled and, asked me to joined the rest of the guest for breakfast downstairs.
Tour Mood Engaged
oh! was all I said in response. At that moment I gave my room a brief tour, hmmm.. the bathroom was pristine clean my kinda bathroom, you see, my kinda bathroom, does not have to be the all classy and expensive looking it has to have certain futures in place and must be sparkling clean. Here's what in my opinion a bathroom should not fail to have if I am paying for a service I deserve to be appreciated and get everything I paid for.
A Good Sink
Some hotels sink sits way too high, some have a blocked sink which you would never know unless you run a check on your room before agreeing to take the room. It’s bad enough that the sink sits up high, why make guest miserable with a blocked sink filled with mucus as soon as you turn the tap. Eww!
Hot/Cold Faucet
Everyone knows that hot water is to the left and cold is to the right. That’s how it works when the faucet is behind the sink. Be wary of hotels whose faucets do not have Hot or Cold sign on it, and if you think that all hotels have the L-Cold and R-Hot written on their bathroom faucets you assumed wrong. Ask first, you might end up getting severe burns!. Also, beware of inconsistent water temperature, this is not funny if you have a kid/kids with you.
No Toilet Paper | Out of Reach
You don’t really get a sense of the depth in this photo, but that roll of toilet paper is way back against the wall sitting sideways against the tank, completely out of reach to anyone not named Plastic-man. To get there, you have to turn your body, rotate your neck like an owl, and contort your arm into a position that it wasn’t meant to form. I strained muscles I didn’t even know I had, just reaching for some the darn Toilet Paper sitting way out of my reach an experience I do not wish to repeat!.
The Bed Sheets
The room sheets were as white as snow, soft and delicate, and well made, but I was not buying it, with a face like the grinch's smile, I yanked at the sheets, to give the bed a quick screen for bed bugs, none was found, satisfied, I managed to make the bed as much as I could but I couldn't get it right, I abandoned it and headed to the balcony it overlooked the street teeming with traffic, splendid! I rubbed my hands together like a kid who just got a chocolate treat! I smile and spread out my hands, with joy, with a small voice freedom! I whispered from the noise. Just then I remembered the hotel porter is still waiting for me to either say yes to the room or ask for a change, so I abandoned the balcony and returned to the room, and saw a bewildered looking porter unsure of what to do. He quickly enjoined if I would not mind joining the other guest for a breakfast downstairs before I could utter a word he was already at the door, he'd had enough of my crazy excitement. I joined suit making my way to the restaurant, and, finding my way using my nostril he hehe, the aroma of the food was unmistakable. In no time I loaded my plate with all sort of food, fruit, vegetable, chips and the last croissant I found on the empty tray and made my way to an empty table, but then I saw the old man tucked at the corner of the room over facing a gigantic Buddha statue surrounded by pink lotus and Jasmin flowers. The old man is already done with his breakfast, I stopped mid tracks.
My second Blog Lesson felt like was sitting right next to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791
You write with such honesty and passion straight from your heart and waved me with a beckoning smile. I joined him and carefully placed my large platoon-plate on the table, He took one look at my king-size plate exclaimed: "that's a huge one, enjoy your breakfast" he said!
As soon as I began to eat he spoke again this time and it feels like I was sitting right next to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the composer because all he said sounded more like I was being asked to take a composing lesson, a crash course that is supposed to last a few minutes.!
I wish I had taken that lesson!!.
His Lessons
The words we write or speak are an expression of our inner thoughts and personalities, and beyond the meaningful content of language, is a wealth of unique insights into an author’s mind which are hidden in the style of a text—in such elements as how often certain words and word categories are used, regardless of context. It is how an author expresses his or her thoughts that reveals character because when people try to present themselves a certain way, they tend to select what they think are appropriate nouns and verbs, but they are unlikely to control their use of articles and pronouns.
Wait, what!!
He ignored me and continued- " You will need to sign up for webinars and tutorial videos etc", Oh! he also added that I would need to upgrade and add the plugins, to improve your SEO ranking on Google, learn more about HTML and tags.
Dude are we still talking about the damm blog!
After what seemed like an eternity he stopped talking. I hurriedly changed the topic, finished my platoon-breakfast, and gave him a wrong impression that I suddenly don't feel so good, of course, he blamed it on my huge breakfast and asked if I could go back to my room for a few minutes rest. Yes; that will be a great idea I enjoined and bolted upstairs. while I sat on the bed, I told myself nah! blogging ain't for me, and mulled over what he said, I wasn't going to let anyone talk me into tieing myself to a system. I am not having that, I want to see, feel and breath the world, traveling was and will always be my passion I added " who would like my shabby blog anyway" to further convince myself. But it wasn't easy several times I caught myself trying to make a mental note of things I would like to blog about.
Wait, did he just employ a TravelBlogger?
The follow 5 days he stayed in Phnom Penh, we visited the Tour Sleng and Choeung Ek Genocide meseum, Visited Silver Pagoda, Royal Palace. On the 5th day he told me he would like to visit Siem Reap then proceed to Lao, Thailand and Possibly proceed to the Philippines. I bade him farewell and never saw him again. In the mean time I stay a few days and left for Siem Reap.
Eventually I did It!
One day I decided enough is enough, and I started blogging again, at first for a humanitarian organization I founded. I decided to keep on blogging, the only thing that could stop me this time are two things 1)- I am away. 2)- I am out of internet connection. In any case, I am glad I did, after all, I don't have to be a professional to blog, I am going to blog anyhow, My only regret was not taking many photos of my self and trips. I didn't much about taking photos, I didn't know I was gonna be blogging anytime soon. Well, I learned my lesson. If you are a professional bloggers reading this post you will have to bear with me. I am trying to get hang of it all.
Why I like to read TravelBlogs and other Personal Blogs
Funny enough, I didn't have time to write my own blog, but I have time to read blogs from other bloggers. Although, I read blogs primarily for one of two reasons: 1- I'm planning a trip or checking out potential spots, safety, and other ideas. Most of the time I try searching for blogs with a bit of comedy which is always a bonus for me whenever I feel low. Not sure what I would do with myself if I didn't have the blogs to read.
Vague Blog are not My Thing
I dislike reading blogs that are exceptionally vague, nothing is more annoying when reading a blog for pleasure, inspiration or planning purposes and you get statements like:
1-"The cabman was so sweet he offered to maybe pick me up for dinner for a lower fee, I may/or may not go out for dinner after all, but it was nice of him to ask/or not?”
Ok, what am I to make of this as a reader?
2- I wouldn't use their hotel ever again even if they offered me for free / it seems I got bed bugs from their room”
Girl; did you or did you not get a bed bug? and if you did what the name the hotel, country, location, address so other unsuspecting tourists will know and steer clear!
3- The beach is beautiful and worth every penny, but locals informed us that there are very recent sharks sighting here and it has claimed lives several tourists lives. Oh so horrible.
Where is the beach located at, whats the name of the beach and did you check the credibility of the story, is there an atom of truth in their claim?
This is the reason why I don’t read useless blogs, sorry folks, I can’t help it. I didn't bother writing a blog all these years because I didn’t think it would be fair and anyone's worthwhile.
All Things Perfect
Most of you by now will surely notice from my other blogs posts that I talk more about safety than bad days at the beach. Like me, I am pretty sure that most readers don't want to read that everything is perfect and, they would like to know that the beach and sand I described was actually a filthy mess on the other end of downtown.
Waste & Pollution
Well, I am sorry, you see; you won't catch me talking down on nature in as much as I would love to share the horrible details to you, I would usually tell you the beauty in that horrible beach. Please don't get it twisted of course I will describe the horrible mess at the same time I will not fail to share the good beautiful side of the beach.
Everything you see has its own unique beauty, we might not see it in the same perspective. But I've learned to appreciate nature and things around me. I sure you are aware that billions of filth are generated by humans. yes; we humans are all guilty!
Oil Leaks
The sea/coral reefs are being overwhelmed with the oil leak and thrash being dumped into it, there are billions of shopping bags, plastic, water bottles and lots of Non-biodegradable waste that make their way into the seas, river, and lakes.
Non-Biodegradable
A substance or chemical that is non-biodegradable cannot be changed to a harmless natural state by the action of bacteria, and may, therefore, damage the environment opposite biodegradable See related entries: Waste and pollution.
List of non-biodegradable wastes include:
Plastic products like grocery bags, plastic bags, water bottles, etc.
Metals, metal cans, tins, metal scraps, etc.
Construction waste, rubber tires, man-made fibers like nylon etc.
Computer hardware like glass, CDs, DVDs, cellophane, processed woods, cable wires, Styrofoam etc.
Non-Bio-degradable will NOT break down or at least NOT break down for many years.
Bio-degradable
Biodegradation is the disintegration of materials by bacteria, fungi, or other biological means. The term is often used in relation to biomedicine, waste management, ecology, and the bioremediation of the natural environment.
This is a bit tricky OK let's go back to school! (Links included for your more research.)
Biodegradation
Is the disintegration of materials by bacteria, fungi, or other biological means. The term is often used in relation to biomedicine, waste management, ecology, and the bioremediation of the natural environment. It is now commonly associated with environmentally-friendly products, capable of decomposing back into natural elements.
Although often conflated, biodegradable is distinct in meaning from compostable. While biodegradable simply means can be consumed by microorganisms, compostable makes the further specific demand that the object breaks down under composting conditions.
Organic material can be degraded aerobically (with oxygen) or anaerobically (without oxygen). Decomposition of biodegradable substances may include both biological and abiotic steps. Biodegradable matter is generally an organic material that provides a nutrient for microorganisms. These are so numerous and diverse that a huge range of compounds can be biodegraded, including hydrocarbons (oils), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pharmaceutical substances. Microorganisms secrete biosurfactant, an extracellular surfactant, to enhance this process.
Help Keep our Planet Clean
The world population is living, working, vacationing, increasingly conglomerating along the coasts, and standing on the front row of the greatest, most unprecedented, plastic waste tide ever faced. Washed out on our coasts in obvious and clearly visible form, the plastic pollution spectacle blatantly unveiling on our beaches is only the prelude of the greater story that unfolded further away in the world’s oceans, yet mostly originating from where we stand: the land.
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