Thailand - Our Route & Numbers

Alex & Madie’s travel route in Thailand.

Numbers from Thailand

• Days in Thailand: 19 days
• Our daily average cost for lodging and food per person: 925฿ ≈ $26.50
• Cost of a 1L water: 10฿ ≈ $0.28
• Cost of a medium latte: 30฿ ≈ $0.85
• Cost of a young coconut: 40฿ ≈ $1.15
• Cost of a Thai iced tea with grass jelly: 40฿ ≈ $1.15
• Cost of a sticky rice with mango dessert: 100฿ ≈ $2.85
   
• Total time on an airplane: 5 hours and 25 minutes
• Total time on a boat: 5 hours (from Krabi to the Phi Phi Islands)
   

How We Got Around

Alex & Madie’s mode of transportation in Thailand.

Indonesia - Our Route & Numbers

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Alex & Madie’s travel route in Indonesia.

Some Final Thoughts

Indonesia was a dream to travel through. A new country for us both, and one we were exploring on our own, this was essentially the real start of our trip. The towns we visited were largely undeveloped (less Ubud), leaving a very raw and unspoiled beauty for us to discover. The landscapes were incredible, the wildlife even more so, and the people... the people were some of the warmest we had met, all eager to share their cultural and religious histories, and their own struggles, passions, and fears. For me, this is why we were traveling; to enrich, enlighten, and to exchange stories with one another. Simply, to connect. And we did that there. 

We were also met with many challenges, slowly overcoming them as we journeyed east to west, learning daily how to cope with being Westerners from San Francisco. My only regret is fabricating a story that I was in fact from the Philippines and that we lived in France, for fear that our American identities would inflate the prices we would pay for even a bottle of water. And this was a huge peeve of mine - being taken advantage of - something we did not have to deal with in the Philippines. (There’s a reason the first question you are asked is, “Where are you from?” Even when you look like a local!)

It was a timely coincidence that I stumbled across this quote by psychologist William James in an article about becoming a better traveler:

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”

In effort to not let this be the crux of our trip, we started playing the game. After two weeks we had found our rhythm and strengths, and once our bargaining voices became second nature, Indonesia revealed even more of it’s beauty. Twenty-seven days is not nearly enough to see even a fraction of what the vast island nation has to offer. As Alex noted, we skipped a few popular destinations, with the idea in mind that we will be back soon.
 

Numbers from Indonesia

• Days in Indonesia: 27 days
• Our daily average cost for lodging and food per person: Rp 400.000 ≈ $15.00
• Cost of a 1.5L water: Rp 6.000 ≈ $0.50
• Cost of a medium latte: Rp 20.000 ≈ $1.50
• Cost of scuba diving: Rp 1.500.000 ≈ $115.00 for a three tank dive
• Cost of renting a scooter: Rp 70.000 ≈ $5.25 for 24 hours
   
• Total time on an airplane: 9 hours and 5 minutes
• Total time on a bus: 11 hours
• Total time on a train: 12 hours
• Total time on a boat: 16 hours
   

How we got around

Alex & Madie’s mode of transportation in Indonesia.

The Philippines - Our Route & Numbers

Alex & Madie’s travel route in the Philippines.

Some Final Thoughts

A few years ago in San Francisco two film students working on a video project stopped and asked me: “What is it like being a Filipino-American today?” I stood silent, not knowing how to answer. I was confused, only knowing what it’s like being “American,” and only using “Filipino” when describing my ethnicity and the food my family ate. I felt guilty for not having the words to reply pridefully. Today, I understand my puzzlement. It only took a third trip, an intense month, and an outsider’s perspective to get there (thank you Alex.) So, I would be remiss not to offer some final thoughts, along with graphics and numbers (for you Mui!). It is my motherland, after all.

The United States has been idealized by the Philippines for a very long time, and continues to be so today. Because the Western influence is so strong and the colonial mentality still exists (it’s the only Asian country that was colonized by the US), even the young generation does not have a full grasp of their own Filipino history and identity. As an American-born Filipino, where does that leave me? I had been immediately assimilated into American culture. I only knew José Rizal by name until a few months ago, and he is the brilliant national hero! Our identity crisis is a real thing! We are an invisible minority. I can write more about this, but E. J. R. David does it better. 

Anyway, after our time in the Philippines, I realized, for me, that being Filipino-American simply means to be from “a nation of giving, tolerance, hospitality” and resilience. I identify with the way of life I know, taught to me by my parents — to be kind and respectful, to care for each other, to give back, to make sure there is more than enough to eat, and most importantly, that everyone is an uncle, auntie, or cousin. Because that’s not confusing at all.

And now, for some fun numbers...
 

Numbers from the Philippines

• Days in the Philippines: 25 days
• Our daily average cost for lodging and food per person: 900 PHP ≈ $19.50
• Cost of a 4L water: 75 PHP ≈ $1.50
• Cost of a medium latte: 100 PHP ≈ $2.25
• Cost of scuba diving: 3,500 PHP ≈ $75.00 for a three tank dive
• Cost of island hopping: 1,050 PHP ≈ $23.00 for a full day
• Cost of renting a scooter: 500 PHP ≈ $10.75 for 24 hours
   
• Total time on an airplane: 17 hours and 45 minutes
• Total time on a bus: 34 hours
• Total time on a boat: 16 hours
   

How we got around

Alex & Madie’s mode of transportation in the Philippines.