Meet Colleen Choi!
She’s a 001 Country Per Year challenge taker and photographer currently staying in San Francisco, California. Today she’s posting her favorite photos from traveling to 21 countries!
2011 DESTINATIONS: Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos,Malaysian Borneo, Indonesia, Spain
TRAVEL TIPS FOR ASIA: I’ll pass along the best advice given to me before my trip to Asia: toilet paper. Carry a roll of toilet paper with you like it’s your security blanket and you’ll come out ok!
This past year, I spent 5 months backpacking through southeast Asia. Of the many countries I visited, Laos stole my heart. My advice is to explore beyond the popular backpacker’s route and travel the way the locals do: slow and steady, with great patience and a light hearted spirit. Take a boat through the Nam Ou river to gaze at layers of mountains, watch the playful butterflies dance around, fall asleep in a hammock in Meung Ngoi (my favorite village) where time stands still, flag down a local bus even if the only seat left is a bag of rice, laugh when yet another buffalo or goat crosses the road, play games with the smiling kids, motorbike the loop to Khong Lor cave, zip line through the jungles in the north, swim (or shower) in the Mekong river, and above all, take a moment in your travels to feel the love and warmth the country offers. Oh yeah, don’t forget to ask the locals for their Lao-Lao (home made whiskey).
The #1 question people ask me is if it was dangerous being a solo female traveler. I never felt in danger. I believe that in this world, you are never alone. If you trust yourself, the world finds a way of taking care of you. Unless of course you do something stupid. (just kidding)
TRAVEL GOALS: To live life as one big vacation! I want to find a way of integrating travel with work and my art (or visa versa). I let my creative process in designing jewelry guide me to my next destination. By the looks of it, my next destinations might be South America and Russia. Let’s get lost!
COUNTRIES VISITED: United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, England, France,Italy, Croatia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia,Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Malaysian Borneo, Indonesia
Are you a world traveler and want to be featured on 001 Country Per Year? Email us at 1cpy@flight001.com!
