Posted by The SoleSisters on -
Some girls want cake. Others want tutus and ballet slippers. Some want ice cream and candy floss, too. But does a girl really need to be reminded that she is ONE YEAR older? We certainly don't.
So let's keep this real simple, shall we? Just follow a few simple instructions and we'll be alright.
1. Press PLAY. Believe us, this would be more fun if you're moving like Jagger to the next few hundred words.
2. When you see an orange link, just open a new tab alright? We don't want you to lose that groove!
3. Take off that silly party hat. And that tutu.
4. Ready? Let's move!
We've been so busy with the Sole Sister Travel Photo Exhibit + Travel talk ( session 1, session 2, session 3 and the videos ) and the Great Travelers' Garage Sale (Let's go shopping this Saturday!) that we almost forgot that the we TURNED 1 year older!
Whoa! Did we blink and miss everything? Humor us as we figure out how the heck this happened. We'll not bore you with words. (Yeah yeah, we know you noticed that we love to talk) Instead, we'll give you something close to a photo brain freeze!
The Sole Sister Scrapbook: Year 1
Page 1 (top left): Enchanting Calaguas, 30 before 30 list, Chichi's 7k Palawan Challenge, Lois' 8k Challenge in Thailand and the Blue Lagoon of Ilocos
Page 2 (top right): No tarsiers in Bohol, our Facebook launch, escaping Christmas
Page 3 (top left): Survivor Galera, the Secret's OUT, how to survive Sinulog, Telling our parents about our decision to travel, Chichi's Every Dress Counts campaign
Page 4 (top right): Things Chichi did in Sagada that you shouldn't tell her Papa Bear, it's time for a change, what's inside our backpacks. Off we go on a trip of a lifetime!
Page 5 (top right): Spending Valentine's at the Taj Mahal, the deserts of Jaisalmer, chillin' in Goa, stories from Pushkar
Page 6 (top right): Halong Bay (part 1 and part 2), Death by biking in Dalat, pretty Hoi An, go Pho it!
Page 7 (top left): Lovely Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng (with tubes and without), yucky insects they call food, the town that trapped us, the magic of the Four Thousand Islands
Page 8 (top left): Misadventures in Angkor Wat (part 1 and part 2), 5 things the guidebook didn't tell you about Angkor, the Killing Fields and S-21 Prison
The next pages are unwritten as of the mo. But we're itching to write about our adventures already! We had a lot of fun in Thailand: a motorbike trip in Northern Thailand, the cutiepie that is Pai, crazy couchsurfers in Chiang Mai and what happens when Lois gives Chichi the ultimate challenge!
Although we spent less than a month in Malaysia and Indonesia combined, we weren't shortchanged with our experiences there. Couchsurfing again in KL, a trip to Perhentin Islands, surfing in Bali and Lombok, Chichi's solo stint in the Gilis islands and eat pray lovin' in Ubud.
It's been crazy ever since we came back home. Yet, we wouldn't have it any other way. It was a small idea that started in Myanmar, 3 months later the Sole Sister Travel Photo Exhibit + Travel Talk became a reality. This was the icing to the cake that was our 6-month trip. Our goal for this event has always been to encourage everyone to start your own journey. If we have at least made you feel a little of the itch on our soles that we are constantly plagued with, we have done more than we could hope for.
But wait, there's more! I know, I know. The beat has stopped by now. So, press play and read on. Boom badoom boom badoom boom Bass!
We know it's weird interviewing each other. It's right up there with Chichi wanting to marry an axe murderer. Shush it! We're answering Chicky Bus' Would You Rather travel questions because it's fun. And hey, it's our birthday! Oh, don't stop shaking that booty!
Chichi: Dirty bathroom. I will probably win an award for taking the quickest showers. I'd only be in that stink hole about 10 minutes max.
1) Would you rather stay in a room that has…
A. a dirty bed?
B. a dirty bathroom?
Lois: I'm sure I would stay on that bed much longer than the bathroom. So I choose the latter.
2) Would you rather stay in a town/city/country…Chichi: B again. I don’t like overstaying my welcome. And as a good friend once said, a wise woman leaves before she’s left behind. Nyek, that’s a different case altogether!
A. a bit too long–to the point where you feel a tiny bit bored (even though you initially loved it)?
B. not quite long enough–ie, leave when you still love the place and feel a bit sad walking away?
Lois: A. I always end up doing this anyway. I stay at a place long enough to act like a local.
3) Would you rather travel on…Lois: What's life without a crappy bus, winding roads and a bunch of chicken and goats thrown in? I live for these moments!
A. a really crappy chicken bus on super treacherous roads…driven by a maniacal driver…for 6 hours?
B. a pretty good quality bus (comfortable seats, at least) for 16 hours on less treacherous and somewhat decent roads?
Chichi: B is for bingo. Time doesn’t matter when you’re backpacking. Except that time when Lois and I got left behind by our plane to Myanmar. Time sure mattered then.
4) Would you rather…Chichi: B, do you see a pattern here? Do i get double points for answering B all the time? Lois does the eating of icky bugs between the two of us. I’d take the Scylla to the Charybdis (Greek mythology reference anyone?) in this case.
A. eat disgusting live insects (not grasshoppers, but something like beetle larvae)?
B. sleep with insects in your bed (ie, bedbugs) and be aware of them the entire night?
Lois: A - Better to eat than to be eaten, I always say!
5) Would you rather be bitten…Lois: A - There's always some repellent for mosquitoes. But the other stuff?
A. by mosquitos all over your body (even on your face and on your ears)?
B. just a few times by an unusual/unnamed insect that leaves an unusual and mysterious mark on your skin and makes you itch worse than nightmarish poison ivy?
Chichi: You guessed it, B for me! I swear this is not like those multiple choice questions wherein when you don’t know the answer, you pick all of the above.
6) Would you rather, if stranded somewhere remote for an entire day, be…Lois: B - I guess I'd have a better chance at surviving with some H20!
A. without food?
B. without water?
Chichi: They say man can live 8 weeks without food as long as he has water. Although my answer could change if by food you mean chocolates. If that’s the case, I'd take that bite of yummy Belgian chocolate-y goodness before I succumb to the after life.
7) Would you rather...Chichi: Sleeping in a good place. My nightly rituals, e.g. drinks and dancing with good friends, would need to be sacrificed for safety.
A. sleep in a good place (comfy + clean bed and great bathroom) in a bad area (unattractive, but safe/convenient neighborhood by day but dodgy neighborhood by night)?
B. sleep in a bad place (soft bed w/springs popping out and skuzzy shared shower with cold water) in great area (excellent location and safe 24/7)?
Lois: It's always better to have a bad back rather than be stabbed in the...
8. Would you rather travel…Chichi: Travel with an awesome person and that sucky friend. I can be good at selective companionship.
A. with one really awesome person you met at a hostel (and are possibly even attracted to) and their friend, whom you don’t like at all?
B. or totally alone–in a place where most people are in couples and groups. Note: Where you’re going, there’s no hostel or place to meet others. In fact, it’s sort of couple-oriented.
Lois: B - Really awesome person vs. no one? That wasn't too tough was it?
9. Would you rather…Chichi: B, I take the fun route over self-finding mumbo-jumbo quest anyday.
A. Do a vision quest in which you fast (food and water) for a few days while totally alone in nature?
B. Take a hallucinogenic drug under shamanic supervision in the jungle for a ‘journey’ that will likely last all night?
Lois: Would I rather starve myself rather than go on a journey of enlightenment with a shaman? NEXT!
10) Would you rather visit a museum…Lois: I would say the latter is much more interesting, no?
A. that everyone tends to see that’s lovely and historical and ‘important’ but ever so slightly overrated?
B. recently set up by people involved with a radical cause that you happen to believe in (however, some of those in charge have served time for violent crimes, including murder, and the location is in a dodgy area)?
Chichi: B, as long as it’s for a cause I sincerely believen in - Then, I can sacrifice personal safety. I'm sure there are other radicals like me. I won’t be alone right? Right?
What's that cliche about time flying fast? Well, we've certainly had more than our share of fun. Here's to life-changing adventures, following your dreams and having a heck load of laughs along the way.
Cheers! Prost! Salud! Chia! Tos! Tagay!
The Sole Sisters
Cheers! Prost! Salud! Chia! Tos! Tagay!
The Sole Sisters