how to send money internationally using paypal

Before I moved to China, I did a lot of research on how to send money internationally. There's going through the bank, using Western Union, just carrying cash and converting it when you're in the States, and PayPal. (Alas, Google Wallet doesn't work as an option because it is only available in the USA and the UK.) PayPal is a great way to send money internationally: it is cheaper than going through Western Union and you have control of it. Yes, you're sending it through a 3rd party but it isn't like you're trusting the banks to bounce from one to another. 

See, I don't have an account with a bank-bank, if you catch my meaning, and my bank uses Wells Fargo to do its international wiring. I found out that when banks wire money internationally, it can bounce through quite a few different banks before it gets to the destination. Also, the bank I use in China requires you to convert money from RMB into USD before you can use their online system to send it internationally, which means you have to physically go to the bank with your passport and convert your funds anytime you want to send money home. Call me a millennial (which I am) and wanting things to be easier, but yeah, I do. Online banking is the way to go, people, so it's a lot simpler to send money internationally with PayPal. 

To send money internationally using PayPal, you need to do a few things first:

1. Have two email accounts.
2. Set up a PayPal account with your international banking information with one email account. Change the PayPal website to the right country because the PayPal options can be slightly different. (There's a flag in the lower corner in order for you to do it.)
1. If you happen to be in China, you don't need your VPN for it to work. I also recommend that you use a non-Gmail email address: Yahoo and Outlook work fine. 
3. Set up a PayPal account with your home country banking information with your other email account. Again, make sure you're on the right PayPal.
4. Verify your banking information.
1. For example, when you link your bank account to PayPal, PayPal will make 1-2 deposits in your account and you will need to verify the amount that was deposited.
2. For a Chinese banking card, you'll most likely need to install a security control in order to enter the PIN to verify the card. You can uninstall the program after to verify it.
5. Make sure that your information is correct. There's also an option to verify your account even further to remove account limits by verifying your SSN, etc. 

Once you have your two PayPal accounts set up and active, you're ready to send money internationally. The first thing to know is that the fee to send money internationally is about 3.9%. Second, PayPal has 20 currency options for sending money. If you're in a home country that doesn't offer your currency, you'll have to send it another currency, just make sure your bank will accept it. For example, I get paid in RMB. PayPal doesn't have RMB as an option but it doesn't matter because I want to send money in USD. All I have to do is make sure that I know how much money I have in my Chinese bank account in USD (xe.comhttp://www.xe.com/ is the most accurate currency converter out there) and I'm ready to go. 

So, here's how it works:

1. Log on to your international PayPal account.
2. Click "Send Money".
3. Enter your home PayPal account email address. 
4. Enter the amount of money you want to send. 
5. Select the currency you want your money to be sent in. (Remember to know how much you have in another currency if you have to convert it.)
6. Click "OK".
7. Verify that your email address is correct and the amount of money you're sending is correct.
8. If there's a shipping option, select "No Shipping Required".
9. There's a space to write a message that will accompany the email if you want to make any notes.
10. Click "Send Money".
11. Log on to your home PayPal account. 
12. Withdraw the money to your bank account by selecting "Withdraw Money".
13. Write in the amount of money that you want to withdraw from PayPal and click OK.
14. In 3-5 business days, that money will be in your bank.

And that's it. You're basically sending money from yourself to yourself. My only experience has been sending money from China to the USA, so apologies if these instructions don't match your options exactly, but PayPal is easy to figure out. They also have good customer service if something goes wrong, so never fear. 

I've heard a few stories of people have money getting stuck in the ethereal layer of the internet through PayPal, but they have been few and far between. Once or twice I've had my Chinese PayPal be a bit finicky by saying you can only use American Express to send money but all I've had to do was refresh the page and it's worked fine. Just remember, the money that will arrive in your home PayPal account will be 3.9% less than the amount that you sent. 

I hope that this was helpful. I recommend PayPal to get around international wiring through banks and having the freedom to do it yourself. If you have any other good ways to send money internationally, comment below, I would love to hear about it. 

what is privilege?

We often hear talk about privilege: white privilege, having the privilege of education, genetically privileged people. Talk of it is everywhere, from the wage gap to the diversity problem in Hollywood. There is even a Buzzfeed video that features a social experiment about how far ahead you are in life based on what your circumstances were growing up. But what is privilege? Like the word literally that is literally overused, the word privilege is thrown around without a thought given to its meaning, so let’s take a moment and examine the word privilege.

defining privilege

Dictionary.com (the most used dictionary on the internet, I think) offers 7 definitions of the word privilege when used as a noun, with the top definition being a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed by a person beyond the advantages of most. The Oxford Dictionary features 5 definitions of privilege, with the top being a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available to a particular person or group. Notice the difference? The Oxford Dictionary definition uses the adjective special to describe the right that is given, an adjective that is not found in the dictionary.com definition. The verb granted is also used in the latter definition, as opposed to the verb enjoyed. Though small differences, there are slight changes in the resultant meaning. The Oxford Dictionary’s definition insinuates that it isn’t just any right or immunity, but it is unique and set apart from other, more common rights. Furthermore, by using the verb grant, it connotes that it is an allowance and therefore not something that is merely there because of its existence.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers a simple definition of the word, that being a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others. I prefer this definition to the others because it gets rid of all of the hubbub and jumble of extraneous words and goes directly to the heart of the meaning: it is something that you have that others don’t. Done and dusted, but it isn’t always so simple. The word privilege comes from the Latin word privilegium, which is an ordinance or law against or in favor of an individual. It is probably a result of combining the words privus (private) and lex or leg (law). It has been borrowed into the English language and employed in various ways such as law, history, religion, luck, government, and computing. There is an archaic definition from Middle English that states privilege as bringing or putting into a condition of exemption from evil or danger; to deliver.

There are so many uses and definitions of every word in the English language and it is impossible to know all of them, well, unless you’re an etymologist and just love words. For the sake of this post, I’m going to use the simplest definition that the internet has to offer:

            privilege (n): a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others

the conversation

I am not claiming to be up-to-date with all of the information regarding privilege and the research that is being done. This is just me in my little corner of the internet sharing my thoughts and going off of what I see in the news and social media. From my observations, the word privilege is often used in the same conversations and articles that discuss equality. Take the whole issue and fuss that was thrown up about the diversity issue with the latest Oscars. I personally find that Hollywood, as much as I enjoy movies, is one of the most self-serving, self-absorbed, and self-obsessed parts of our society and can do so much more to serve society in positive ways, rather than pitching fits and continually worsening their own problems. Seriously, the problem of diversity in Hollywood doesn’t come from the consumers not wanting equal opportunity for different genders and races, but the producers of the movies! It’s an internal problem, but they make it seem like the world is at fault. No, Hollywood, get over yourself. Though there is a population of consumers that enjoy movies—me being one of them—we’re not all about your lives. Stop sharing the problem and instead initiate the solution. Done. Solved your problem, didn’t I? Now I expect a check that will cover the cost of my grad school tuition because it seems like you think the world owes you something, so it only stands to reason that you owe me something for so elegantly voicing the solution to your problem.

See what I did there? I thought it was rather clever. The word equality, like the word privilege, has an etymology and varied definitions that I won’t get into here (since I probably bored you enough with my discussion of the word privilege). In simplest terms (provided from Merriam-Webster), equality is the state of being equal, which is the same in number, amount, degree, rank or quantity. It also can mean being in a state that is free from extreme, an aspect of equality that is not often discussed. Why do privilege and equality go hand in hand? It is because those who are not “privileged” in certain aspects, such as wealth or education, claim they are not equal to those that have those opportunities or rights. Well, guess what? It’s true. The mere existence of privilege makes it impossible for there to be full equality in this world because there is something that someone else might have access to that you don’t. Take my rant about Hollywood, for example. There was, and still continues to be, a lot of discussion about how a woman will not get cast when she is over the age of 35; therefore, young female actresses are privileged from the mere fact of being young. Is it fair? No. Is it life? Yes.

There is quote from one of the most brilliant movies of our time, The Princess Bride, that demonstrates this issues perfectly. At one part of the film, the grandson is annoyed about the plotline of the story and expresses his frustration and adolescent angst to his grandfather by claiming “that it isn’t fair”! The grandfather looks at the boy and says with a rather sardonic tone, “Who says life is fair? Where is that written?” I love that because it is the truest statement, up there with the comment that anyone who thinks life isn’t pain is selling something. Life isn’t fair, so get over it and move on.

Privilege exists because we have created that society. There are those who are privileged with greater wealth, giving them opportunities to travel and see the world, whereas others will never leave the small town they grew up in. There are those that are privileged to have access to clean water, others don’t have access to that basic human need. There are those that are privileged to be in places that are calm, free from war and political upheaval, while others are not so fortunate and are forced to give up everything to flee those places. As sad as that is, that is reality of life. Privilege comes in all shapes and sizes, from the richest person to the poorest person, we all have our own privileges that others do not by virtue of our circumstances, our hard work, our innovation, our successes, our grit and determination. But may I offer a different perspective of the word?

a different kind of privilege

Our world takes things so negatively. Yes, that’s a generalization of things and a somewhat depressing worldview, but it is true. We take what can be positive, beautiful, and exciting and turn it into ugliness and hate. I think that has happened with the word privilege in a way: we have taken the idea that we have increased opportunities to improve and help others and turned it into a competition that breeds distrust, hate, ignorance, and fear. I am not denying that fact that there are those that are privileged to have more have created issues—Donald Trump, anyone?—but that does not mean we should follow suit and exhibit that same self-serving attitude. We have the opportunity as decent human people to be awesome!

If you read my post about my afternoon going on the river in Cambodia, you would have seen the pictures of the impoverished conditions in which those people live. Their hands bear the scars of manual hard labor, their brows the wrinkles from working all day under the unforgiving sun. Children run around the dirt roads—roads that have to be rebuilt after every rainy season—shirtless and shoeless. There isn’t electricity, no corner markets to run to in a pinch, no foundations for the houses. I wasn’t shocked by this, having seen poverty of this level during my travels in the Middle East, but it tugged my heart strings. As the tuk-tuk bounced at an unforgiving cadence down the road and dust was thrown up into my eyes and coating my skin in a thick layer of grime, I wondered about life here, life without the conveniences that I am privileged to have.

It was a privilege for me to travel to Cambodia and the 6 other countries that I hopped to; it is a privilege for me to live and teach in China, making a decent wage that allows me to travel and see new places; it is a privilege to have this blog and share my thoughts about privilege. I am privileged to be able to go to graduate school this fall, even if I have to take out a loan to cover the costs. Bunny, my tuk-tuk driver, can’t even get an associate’s degree because he can’t afford school and loans aren’t an option in Cambodia. I am privileged to have access to mountains of knowledge to learn and improve, knowledge I can take my life to learn because I don’t have to worry about going into a field every day to sow the seeds of my livelihood.

I am privileged.

Do not mistake the list of my privileges as a “oh, how fantastic is my life” kind of thing, but like this: I am privileged to be able to do my part to change the world. As I looked at those lovely people along the road, my mind was racing with the opportunities that I have to make a difference in their lives. I am privileged not of myself and my own self-serving gain, but privileged to take the opportunities and affordances that are granted me and change the world in any way that I can.

See, we of more privileged mindset have a tendency to be lazy in our privileged-ness because of the mere fact that it is available. Why do everything? I realize that it is impossible to accomplish everything that is open to us, but we have opportunity, why not seize it? As I looked at those tanned-backed people, ribs showing and bent over in the sun, working in the fields for their livelihood, I wondered how many of them just want to have a bit more: go to school, not worry so much about getting food, clean water! I felt like I owed it to those people, and all those less-privileged than me, to live up to those opportunities that are there for me. I owe it to them to chase my dreams as hard as I can, otherwise that privilege is wasted on my apathy.

Be positive. Be happy. Embrace the privileges given you, not in pride or in a holier-than-thou way, but as an opportunity to make something of yourself and contribute to the world. Be an instigator of sunshine and change, not flardness (a word of my own making to mean general jerkiness or stupidity). Take those privileges to be gifts. Do not look down to others that are less privileged, look for ways to lift them up. Life might be pain at times, but it doesn’t mean you have to buy it.

instant storyteller

Have you ever had that moment when you walk into a room and start something you think to be cool and exciting, only to realize that you are way more pumped about it than anyone else in the room? Well, that was my life today. See, I'm in charge of the grades 1 and 2 English drama club this semester and I've been planning out lessons for the first two months. I've been looking up ideas and I've been thrilled about the variety of activities that I have prepared for the kids.

Today was the third official club class that I've had, but the first real drama class that I've been able to do due to the schedule in the last couple of weeks. I, being the werido that I am, entitled my class "instant storyteller". My idea was to have the kids listen to instrumental songs, figure out what kind of movie that song would be in, and then act it out. For practice, I played an song and had the class share ideas. It went well, so I decided, "hey, why not make this more interactive starting right now?" I was thrilled that the kids (most of them anyway) were participating and I asked them to act out their thoughts and ideas the next time that I played the song.

Yeah....the excitement died. It was like someone popped a hole in my happiness balloon. I asked the kids to stand, gave the instructions and started playing the music. Blank stares greeted me as the music began playing. I read an article today about how kids will build confidence if their teacher gets physically involved in activities that are more silly, so I went around the room and tried getting the excitement to boil to the surface.

Nada. Zilch. None.

What was wrong?? They seemed so into it and all the sudden they didn't care. I realize that the kids were tired--my club class is in the late afternoon--and they still had two more class periods after that. (On Wednesday, primary school goes until 4:30pm. Asinine, I know.) Plan averted. New plan...but with the same concept.

Since they didn't seem too into the whole kinesthetic deal, how about a writing activity? Still telling stories and being creative (as much as they can in this stifled environment, but that's another discussion...), but without the pressure of movement. I played the song again and asked the kids to give me their ideas about a movie that they would hear the song in and I wrote them on the board. Then we came up with a 5-sentence story using those words as inspired by the music. The story ended up being about a monster and a strange man fighting, hehe.

I played a new song, Protectors of the Earth by Two Steps from Hell and asked the kids to share their ideas again. We boarded words and then I gave each group a paper and pen to write a story. Here are my favorites:

"Yesterday I see a danger kingdom. There is a dark cave in the kingdom. The king in the kingdom is very angry. There is a big dragon in the kingdom. Then the dragon will eat the kind. And the kind die. The End."

"There is a kingdom. In the kingdom there is a dragon the dragon live in a dark cave. The dragon is strong and angrly. Because he do not have food. So he fly and fly to be a travelling people. The dragon go to danger."

"In a dark night, a travelling man went to a danger kingdom. He saw dragon in the cave. The dragon was angry. The man was strong, but the man was afraid of dragon. So the man be friend with the dragon. They are the best friend ever. The End."

I think we have some playwrights in the making here.

the floating village that's not floating (lone wolf series - 7)

Cambodia was the coolest place that I visited on my country-hopping adventure. I loved it, everything about it. It was calm and exciting, set apart from the rest of the world. It was bustling, but not crowded. The people were so kind, the weather was lovely, and the food was fantastic. It reminded me a lot of Cairo, which I have been missing a lot in the past couple years. 

On the Sunday that I was there, I went to church and then I headed out to see two small temples. As we were heading from the last temple, Bunny asked me if I wanted to go see the lake and take a boat ride on the river. I figured since I had the time and I was loving everything that I saw in Cambodia up to the point, what the heck! Let's go on the adventure. It was the best way to spend the Sunday afternoon. Here are some of the pictures of my afternoon:

This is the church building that I went to in Siem Reap. There was another expat member there and some American missionaries that were able to interpret the meeting from Khmer into English. Lovely people, those Cambodians. There was also a bunch of geckos running all over the place. 

The is what a rice paddy looks like when there's no rice. It is the dry season and the people are getting ready to plant the new fields. 

This is a ton of rice that the people were collecting by the side of the river. The river is really low right now, so Bunny had to drive the tuk-tuk a lot further down the river in order for us to get a boat. There were loads of people working the fields, surrounded by sad-looking emaciated cows.

It was soooooo dusty! There were cars and tuk-tuk coming from the opposite direction and I had forgotten my sunglasses, so Bunny let me his for awhile. Don't I look fabulous?

This is our longboat! I was too tall for it, so I had to scrunch down every time I wanted to stand or move. What is interesting is when we got the boat. I gave Bunny the money because he said that if I went to pay for it, they would charge more because I was a foreigner. I wasn't surprised at that, happens all the time. Bunny is an honest man, so I let him handle that situation. 

The water was rank! It was so dirty and full of trash. The people that live in the floating village on the river drink and use this water for everything. Truly, we get mad when the wi-fi goes out and these people use this water. Definitely puts things in perspective. 

This sweet little boy gave me a massage for a solid 30 minutes. Talented kid, too. I loved it. 

Had to take a selfie (as much as I despise using that word) with Bunny! We laugh that even though I was getting tanner, I look so white next to him. 

I love this picture because it captures so much of what the floating village is like. As you see, it is currently not floating because it is dry season, but when it is the rainy season, the river rises to the bottoms of the houses. During dry season, the people need to repair their boats and replace any of the wood that props up their houses that has become moldy. The work is never ending for these sweet souls that live their entire lives on the river. 

We ate at a small B&B which was more like a living room in a shack. This is the bridge that connects to the house next door that they use when it is the rainy season.

Let me tell you, this is the best food ever!!! It might not look like much but it was delicious. It was rice, pork, and leafy greens with this amazing spice stuff. 

What are these? Shrimp! Tiny shrimp that the people catch in the river and then dry in the sun before they take them to the markets to sell. 

I love this picture. I love that you see the river, the trees, the man fixing his fishing net, the houses. Just perfect for showing what their lives are like there.

This forest gets flooded to the tree tops during the rainy season as well. I guess that they do canoe rides through it, which sounds awesome. It is illegal to chop down these trees because there are medicinal properties in the leaves and bark that the locals use.

This is Tolne Sap Lake. It is the largest lake in Cambodia. In the distance is the floating boat market. 

It was an awesome afternoon. These are fantastic people, people that know the virtue of hard work and sacrifice. They can't just take a break or a day off like we can because they live off the fruits of their labors in a way that someone like me, someone that does not have to worry about planting food or getting clean water has to. If you find yourself in Cambodia, take a moment and visit the river and the lake. Spread a little of your tourist money to these people, they need it. Besides, you won't regret the time spent here, it is time well spent. 

PS - Bring lip balm with sunscreen in it. This is the day that I sunburned my lips something fierce and it was rather unpleasant for the next two weeks. Blistex is a solid choice! 

on the exploitation of tigers (lone wolf series - 6)

What do you see in this picture?

You know what I see? I see an American tourist giving in to the exploitation of wild tigers, tigers that are mistreated, mishandled, overfed with the wrong type of food, dehydrated, and drugged out of their minds, all for the experience of "petting" a tiger and having a picture of it. This was taken at Thailand's Tiger Temple, which is just outside of Bangkok. It boasts the experience of petting wild tigers, playing with cubs, and enjoying time with the Buddhist monks that "save and protect" these tigers. 

I admit, I did enjoy touching real tigers--it was neat and I'm not going to deny that. But the matter of fact is that this was the wrong way to do it. When I sent pictures to my parents, my dad responded that "it was sad" to see these tigers clearly being used only for photo-ops. And it is, it truly is disgusting and disrespectful to these animals. 

The Tiger Temple is a supposed refuge for tigers in Thailand, run by Buddhist monks. Now, I have no problem with monks or Buddhism, but I do take issue with how they treat these animals and the facilities that these tigers are in. When entering the Tiger Temple, you sign a wavier that basically says that you're not going to sue if the tiger bites your arm off. Okay, that's fair. Wild animals are wild animals. They shove a map into your hands with some history of the temple on the back, which tries to tell you that these tigers aren't drugged, but merely "exhausted" in the heat in the afternoon. (Yeah, don't buy into that load of blatant and obvious lying.) 

The first thing you notice when you enter the Tiger Temple is the fact that it is not like a temple at all, In fact, there is one building that serves as the meditation place, the rest is a pathetic-looking zoo. (I didn't really see that many monks either.) You walk in the first gates and the overwhelming smell of cow pies assaults your nose. (The temple has some farm animals as well.) As you walk long a dirt path, you enter the main part of the temple. There are small deer, cows, chickens, and a few hogs roaming around. The place looks decrepit and unkempt. I remember being struck by how poor the facilities were. I knew that the temple took in tens of thousands of dollars each year because of tourists and I was saddened to see that there weren't any proper animal-keeping buildings. Maybe I have high standards because of the zoo I grew up going to in Colorado Springs? A zoo that respects and takes care of animals? Yeah, I don't think it's high standards I have--it's moral decency and respect for animals. 

The photo-ops with tigers are taken down in a small valley...well, more like a large hole. You walk down and see a dirty and rocky cove, filled with about 15 absolutely high tigers that are chained to the ground. Workers drag tourists around to a few of the tigers, take pictures and move you along. There are some foreigners working there, which I found interesting. I wonder how they really feel about it. Maybe they are trying to help the tigers? 

When I got into the cove, a worker grabbed my arm and another took my phone to take pictures. I was pulled from tiger to tiger, barely getting a chance to pet them before being taken to the next one. That picture I have at the beginning of this post? That tiger's head had fallen to the side as it slept and a worker forcibly grabbed its head and propped it up because that looks better for pictures. I was shocked, but I still kept going, caught up in the novelty of touching real tigers. Ugh, what a stereotype I was! 

As I left that area of the temple, I looked back at the tigers. Something that I know about tigers is that tigers need water and there was not a single drop to be found. It was very hot in that unforgiving Thai sun that was beating down and I felt for those tigers, felt pity and sadness. 

I explored the rest of the temple, nothing was of note. For all of the "fun and cool" things the temple has, it was a huge letdown. There was a cage with a tiger roaming in it, looking rather distressed and, well, peeved (I don't blame him):

 

Some wandering farm animals:

And nothing else. Just heat, dust, and a grim atmosphere.

There was a cutting and in-depth exposé written in National Geographic about the exploitation of these tigers to supply the black market. Now don't count me as one of those crazy conspiracy theorists that thinks there are shady deals going on behind every routine civil order or tourist trade, but this investigation is legitimate. Southeast Asia deals heavily in the black market for animals, just as the Middle Eats has been a center for illegal antiquities trading. This article garnered attentions from both the Washington Post and USA Today. In fact, there is a very popular blog post entitled "7 reasons to think twice before visiting the Tiger Temple" that is worth a look.

I echo those reasons from that blog: think before you contribute money to a corrupt organization. In a way, I'm glad that I went in order to be able to write this post and add my voice to the voices of those that are calling for the shut down of the Tiger Temple and the confiscation of the tigers to better environments. Now, I realize that the process of relocating 140 tigers to new homes is not an easy or cheap thing to do, but when we as humans are messing about with the lives of wild animals, animals that could have lived in the wild and thrived there, we have the responsibility to make sure they are taken care of. I do not call for the shutdown of the temple as a sanctuary for the Buddhist monks--I have no issues with that, let that be--but as a place to the tigers to be kept. All living things on this planet deserve respect, animal or human.

Do not be like me. Do not fall into the trap of the tourist, going to a place that exploits and mistreats animals for the picture. (Trust me, those pictures won't bring a smile to your face later.) There are wonderful animal sanctuaries that are located throughout the world, including a wonderful big cat sanctuary in Colorado, that have the proper facilities, staffs with fully trained workers and vets that know how to take care of the animals, and aren't banking on tourist dollars. A true sanctuary does it for the animals, not for the money. It is places like those that deserve your money, not the Tiger Temple. 

the 1-2-3-4-5 joke

I am a speech coach at SSBS and a few months ago, I helped two kids prepare for a speech competition. Both of them went on to win first and second place in the Shanghai city portion. Phoebe, the sweetest third grader of ever, won first and will now be competing in the national competition in Beijing next week. 

Because she has to make sure she's on top of her game, the administration asked me to do training with her in these last few weeks leading up to the competition. Not only does she have to give her speech, but she has to have a talent and be prepared to answer questions for 1 minute. When I asked her last week what her talent was going to be, she said "I'm going to tell a joke." When I asked her what the joke was, she didn't know. Today, we worked on the joke. She told me it was called the 1-2-3-4-5 joke (a joke with a title, so you know it's going to be good). We had to work out some kinks, but I think she is ready to kill it in the talent portion. 

Sorry about the quality, I had to use a compressor to make the video small enough to upload. 

this atm is out of order (lone wolf series - 5)

When travelling solo, there are definite things that you have to be aware of: yourself (obviously), your stuff (even more obvious), and where the heck you are supposed to be going. I wanted to take a little bit of your time today to share some things that I learned whilst travelling in Southeast Asia. Enjoy. 

1. ATMs are not reliable, even the ones in the airport. 
• Make sure that you have cash with you initially (USD is preferable, as it can be taken in many countries and is actually used as the currency in Cambodia since the Riel is so bad). I stopped at several ATMs and many were out of order, out of cash, or just plain gave me back my card and told me to contact my bank. Have no fear, nothing was wrong with my card and I wasn't losing money, but the ATMs are not that great. When you find an ATM that works, it is worth it to pull out a bit more than you think you would need. Why cash in a card-using world? In the words of my pupito: CASH IS KING. A lot of places don't take cards and even if they do, you'll end up paying the international transaction fee. It's worth it to pull out cash in a bundle and spread it among your sundry items.
2. Bring tea tree oil.
• I have mentioned this before. Mosquitoes and other bugs (some quite large) are all over in the humidity and heat that is Southeast Asia. I've been told that if you go in the rainy season that bugs are not as bad, but no matter: BRING TEA TREE OIL! Not oil is it great for bug bites, it's just a wonderful and versatile oil to use on your skin (do NOT ingest it, bt-dubs). Plus, it's a lot lighter and easier to carry than a can of bug spray, especially if you are backpacking.
3. Print all of the addresses of your hostels/hotels ahead of time.
• I printed a sheet that had all of my hostel addresses on them and it was one of the best things I have ever done. I was able to pull the addresses right out and show taxi drivers. It is even better to get the address in the local language as well. For example, my hostel in Bangkok emailed me a map in Thai and directions for a taxi and it was the best thing because my taxi driver couldn't read the romanized Thai address. It is worth having as much of it prepared ahead of time.
4. Overnight layovers = not worth it.
• I did a LLLLLOOOOONNNNNGGGGG overnight layover and guess what? It was lame. I didn't have time to get out of the airport and even though the Singapore airport is posh, getting stuck there all night was just not my best plan. It resulted in my being awake for almost 38 hours by the time I arrived in Taipei and to anyone that knows me, I become Grumpy McGrumperton when I don't sleep. If you're good with sleeping wherever and don't mind uncomfortable couches, then go for it. Personally, I don't recommend it. 
5. Bring modest clothes.
• Just because you're hot doesn't mean that you need to be mostly naked. One of the biggest mistakes Western people make when travelling (and I say this out of living the Middle East as well) is to show up with tinie-tiny shorts, strappy tops, and a lot of chest showing. Not only is it disrespectful, you're opening yourself up to cat-calling and uncomfortable encounters with men (speaking as a woman). A lot of religious sites require the legs and the shoulders to be covered, so just be modest. The loose Aladdin trousers are for sell absolutely everywhere, not to mention baggy shirts that will keep you cool and protect you from the sun and bugs. It's the best option all the way around...just keep it covered. (Not a nun, of course, but most of your legs and your shoulders.)
6. Ask the locals.
• One of my favorite things to do while I was solo travelling was to ask the locals about their favorite things in the city: places to see, food to eat, etc. Hostels are great for it (mostly) and corner shops. I found people in Southeast Asia to be very accommodating and kind about helping me, including other tourists. Don't be afraid to ask, I really do think they're flattered by it. 

Well, I think that's all I have for now. I'm sure that I will come up with more tips another day. For the time being, if you're planning a trip to Southeast Asia, make sure you pack that tea tree oil!!

 

so i made friends with a cat (lone wolf series - 4)

Bangkok, Thailand. I landed in the DMK airport (and I use the abbreviation because I'm not even going to attempt to write out the full Thai name!) and it took quite a long time to get to my hostel. I admit that Bangkok was not my favorite of the places that I visited because the big city and the traffic reminded me a little too much of Shanghai. It is a nice place to travel and it was an enjoyable 5 days that I spent there. My only regret is not travelling to another part of Thailand. I did take a tour to the River Kwai and the Tiger Temple (a post about that another time), but I wish that I did make it to Chiang Mai or Phuket. Whatever, that means I just need to go back and see the other wonderful parts of Thailand!

It was so funny, you think that with 5 days there you wouldn't feel the need to crank out a lot in one day? Well, that's what I did and rather on accident. See, when you travel alone it is all up to you. You don't have to worry about anyone else or anything outside of you doing what you want to do. Now, the downside (and really, it is just another upside) is that it is all on you. When something goes wrong or you are lost, you have no one to rely on. It is just you and your wits and will to get yourself out of the situation. You're the one in charge, you're the one with the plan because it is just your plan.

That plan in Bangkok did not quite go as planned. I had originally intended to take it easier the first day that I was there, but I ended up doing all of the major tourist sites in one day. I left my hostel and got on a motorcycle taxi to the pier. From the pier I took a longboat to the major tourist stop where you can go see the giant Golden Buddha and all those famous temples and the Royal Palace. I took a tuk-tuk around to a few other places (after stopping for ice cream, of course) and then randomly took a canal tour that stopped at another temple. Then I took three ferries and another tuk-tuk to get back to the hostel, where I was just wasted and very tan after that day.

See, when you're alone--well, at least for me--I would go through places faster than I probably would have if I were with someone else. Yes, I stopped and appreciated things, but since you're not talking to anyone or sharing it with anyone, the inner monologue gets a bit dry, so you spice it up by going to a new place. Or making friends with a cat.

These are my two cat friends that I made:

The bottom picture is the kitten and he was a bit more shy, whereas the older kitty wanted some love. It was hilarious because there wasn't anyone around in that part of the complex and I knelt down on the ground to play with the kitties. (Yes, I do that. I love cats and I'm not ashamed to admit that. I'm "that person" you see at these places that makes friends with the animals...I did the same thing in England and the Middle East.) A group of Korean girls passed me and thought it was funny that I was petting a stray cat, so they stopped to take pictures. An older Chinese gentleman stopped and took pictures, but he--like me--is a weirdo and also knelt down to give the kitties some loves. That night when I was WeChatting a friend (WeChat is like the Chinese WhatsApp) about my day and sending her pictures, these cat pictures were some of the first that I sent her with the moniker "so I made friends with a cat". 

Now, I'm not a crazy cat lady or anything. I did meet wonderful people whilst I was travelling, but just not that day. I was alone all day, so I made friends with some cats. It was lovely. Because you bore reading that piece, here are some pictures from my busy first full day of travels in Bangkok (notice the theme of gold):