While staying in Krabi, we caught a taxi to Phuket. It was about a 2 hour ride and was approximately $80. We spent the day in Phuket and bought tickets to catch a one way ferry to Phi Phi then back to Krabi the following day. The vendor we bought the ferry tickets from offered hotel pickup and we were first. Our driver was slow and we were late to the ferry but they waited for us. The ferry was completely full at the back where we boarded and even the inside section. We had no choice but to go to the front of the ferry. Well that ended up being great because we got epic pictures in the front of the boat. The ferry ride was about 90 minutes and during the ride people realized that great pictures were being taken out side and many people tried to come to the front of the boat. I got sunburned on my shoulders because of that sun though so be sure to use sunblock. Upon arriving to Phi Phi Don ( pronounced Pee Pee Dawn) we had about 4 hours to enjoy the island before catching our ferry back to Krabi. Bag storage was available at the dock which was necessary for us because we had spent the night in Phuket and had bags. My best friend wanted to see (take pictures) at the Viewpoint that was created by the Tsunami in 2004 (I think?). This was just about the most ridiculous undertaking I had ever done. The viewpoint is to the right of the Ferry dock and all the shops around the dock. It is also ALL up hill. I was wearing flip flops. The distance is approximately 1 mile and 173 feet up in elevation. A bout half way into this walk I was ready to throw in the towel. We had tried to wave down passing cars for a ride up the mountain. Finally someone stopped. We offered him a good chunk of change to take us to the viewpoint, wait and drive us back down. Thank God we did. We got there, paid the entrance fee of 30 baht and got beautiful pictures with the land strip in the background. Upon getting back to the dock we secured a long tail boat to take us to Maya Bay where "The Beach" was filmed. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I definitely would like to return. Pictures here were epic. Walking through a path led you to another side of the island where it wasn't a beach but there was an area to take pictures in front of the gorgeous water. Due to the prolonged hike to the Viewpoint, we did not make it to Monkey Beach. That'll be on the next trip too. Due to the increased popularity of Maya Bay the area was scheduled to close for the summer months, upon further research they have decided to close the beach indefinitely. Hopefully the are will rejuvenate and I can visit one day again.

During a multi-week stay in Asia, Siem Reap was a destination. One thing I wish I had known was that Cambodians use USD. I transferred about $100 USD to Cambodian currency in the airport and everywhere I went Cambodians asked if I had American money. We found a really nice resort with beautiful pictures and great reviews. They provided personal airport pick-up service and had Tuk Tuks available to take you where you would like. Our plans involved the Angkor Temples: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Phrom (from Tomb Raider.) In late March, the temperatures were near a 100 degrees. When our Tuk Tuk driver stopped to allow us to buy the Angkor day pass, I bought a shirt to cover my tank top as they are not allowed in the temples. I also had a rice hat (like Raiden from Mortal Kombat) and had that as sun protection. The temples were utterly breathtaking and considering their age were in remarkable condition. They are perfect for epic, remarkable pictures. In the temples , there were monks of all ages performing blessings on tourists. While going through the temples I was getting strange looks from natives and I didn't know why. Eventually some one asked me in broken English and gestured to take off my (rice) hat. I was confused because there were 100s of different kinds of hats that weren't be told to take them off. I initially thought it because I was black. The next person that asked me to take it off in broken English and I gestured to everyone else wearing hats. His response was "No Vietnam hats here, its disrespectful in temple." So I took it off. When we got back to our driver who spoke English I asked him about it. Evidently that style of hat is not sold in Cambodia and is considered Vietnamese. I'm not sure why Cambodians and Vietnamese are at odds but I experienced it. Aside from that, the Cambodians that I actually interacted were the nicest in the world. On my resort I got a 3 hour treatment, body scrub, and massage for $20. So Amazing! I will definitely visit again. When we arrive back to the airport there was two tour buses of Chinese tourists unloading. We knew we had to get in front of them or we would miss our flight. The airport is small and immigration was backed up with the Chinese but we got in front of them. As a result, I didn't get the chance to change back to my American Money or Thai Baht before I left Cambodia. I wasn't worried about it but I should have been because once I left Cambodia, no one would accept Cambodian currency so I will have it until my next trip back.