Project Wanderlust Awards Ceremony

Alrighty....here, as promised, is the Project Wanderlust Awards Ceremony. This is where the accolades and the condemnations are dished out in full glorious abundance, the praise sidelined with the critiques, the good, the bad, and the ugly mixed and mussed up, and the pats on the back coupled with bitch slaps to the face. Wanna know all the best - and the worst - that Asia has to offer? Find out here. Right now. Read on, and enjoy. :-)

Best City For Shopping:

Bangkok

In need of a whole new wardrobe for less than a hundred dollars? Bangkok is your place. Looking for fantastic imitation knock-offs that will fool all your friends back home into believing that you can afford to have eight Gucci purses? Head on down to Bangkok. How about a suit tailored to your every inch? Get your butt to Bangkok. Souvenirs, cultural artifacts, and tacky knick-knacks from every corner of the Kingdom? Bangkok's got 'em. Designer labels...at real designer label prices. Yep - in Bangkok. Want to replenish your aging CD tower with a new music colleciton for real real cheap? Bangkok's the place to be. Basically, if you're in the mood for shopping for, well, anything, you can find it in Bangkok. And for the best prices this side of the Pacific too! Bangkok truly is a shopper's paradise. Bangkok also wins the prize for Best Nightlife in Asia as well.

(Honourable Mentions for Shopping: Kuala Lumpur, Singapore)

Cleanest City In Asia:

Singapore

Yes, all the rumours you've heard are true. Singapore is really, really damn clean. Steep penalties for littering and advanced recycling programs coupled with plenty of greenery and flowers and hard-working street-cleaners makes for one lean, mean, clean urban oasis. After months of treading through the rubbish and raw sewage of Asian megacities, Singapore will seem like a mirage in the distance. Too good to be true? Impossible to reach? Not at all. Come check out this city-state just north of the equator and check up on its unofficial city motto: "Singapore: So Clean We Dare You To Eat Off Our Streets!"

Asian City Most On The Move:

Beijing

With the 2008 Summer Olympics quickly barrelling down on them, Beijing is a city truly undergoing the makeover of all urban makeovers. Construction cranes are the new skyline, and with them the promises of a brand new Chinese capital to welcome the world. Five new subway lines are being built as we speak, along with dozens of new shiny sports stadiums, thousands of new hotel rooms, and millions upon millions of new trees to grace the previously barren hillslopes. Blink and you'll miss something, turn your head 360 and by the time you've turned back your view will have changed completely. While the city's 14 million residents certainly appreciate the new greenery and the government's supposed commitment to relocating the majority of the city's polluting heavy industry to outside of the city limits, all of this fast-forward construction comes at a price. The thousands of remaining hutong courtyard homes are being bulldozed and replaced with bland apartment complexes, entirel neighbourhoods are being erased or sanitized to the point of losing all of their traditional feel, and housing rates are escalating into the stratosphere. The world may be able to enjoy a cleaner, greener Beijing three years from now, but not without a heavy burden to those who actually call the capital home.

City Most Dangerous To Cross the Street In:

Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City

These two urban giants of Vietnam are gonna have to share this award, cause really it is hard to tell which city is more life-threatening for the proverbial chicken to cross that road. The danger here comes not from cars, but from the milions upon millions of motorbikes that race the streets as if every day's goal is to fulfill one's own desperate suicidal death wish. The key to survival here is not to listen to your instinct and run like mad (don't every try that, you'll never make it) but to walk across very, very slowly so that each and every individual bike can speed around you. Or, atleast you're praying that they're gonna steer by. No promises here, folks. Good luck, and godspeed!

Most Disgusting City In Asia:

Medan

This city in Sumatra is an urban hellhole if there ever was one. Perpetual gridlock chokes the dark and dingy streets, thick air pollution suffocates what little greenery has not been stripped already, big trucks and stinking busses mix company with maniacal tuk-tuks and frustrated citizens. The buildings here cry out to be whitewashed, but know in their hearts that demolition is their best hope. If there was ever a city to drop a nuke on out of sheer pity, or at least one to avoid visiting at all costs, Medan is the one. But, if you must pass through, as my sister and I were forced to twice, hold your breath, close your eyes and ears, and hope for the best. It ain't a pretty place baby.

Asia's Belle Of The Ball:

Luang Prabang

Pretty much the exact opposite of Medan in every single way, this little city in Laos is truly the prime gem in Asia's crown of urban jewels. Situated on the banks of the mighty Mekong River and surrounded by the lushest, greenest hills you could ever imagine, this entire town has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides the surrounding awe-inspiring scenery, Luang Prabang is home to nearly forty Buddhist temples, each of them beautifully decorated with bright gold and colourful jewels. Luang Prabang is the kind of place where you could easily relax-away more days than you had planned for, and once that will surely leave its mark as a most memorable stop in your backpacking odyssey.

Asia's Most Futuristic City:

Shanghai

If you want a glimpse of what the future holds, come and take a look at Shanghai and you'll get a pretty good idea. It's here where weird and wacky, taller-than-tall skyscrapers compete for airspace, and ginormous spear-and-bauble towers pierce the neon skies. In Shanghai magnetic-powered trains zip across the city at over 400 km/hr and every corner brings about another view of some zany museum or art gallery. China is determined to put Shanghai on the map as the planet's most modern, most incredibly futuristic World City, and they've only just begun. I can't even begin to imagine what this place is going to look like in five yeras, never mind twenty or thirty! You really do have to see it to believe it.

Asia's Most Over-rated City:

Chiang Mai

Along the backpacker's circuit you'll be hearing everyone talking up Chiang Mai, Thailand's northern capital and gateway to trekking, rafting, and lots of other outdoorsy fun. Maybe it was because I had unrealistic expectations, or simply just cause everyone else had talked it up so much, but upon arrival in Chiang Mai I never did see what all the fuss was about. The city is rather boring, not all that pretty, and really is completely over-run with tourists. Especially the package/I'm-deadset-on-seeing-every-bit-of-Thailand-in-my-short-8-day-holiday sort of tourists. Eww. And unless you're on a tour/trek that is going way, way out of the city, you'll have to compete with the hordes for a piece of that jungle recreation. Unless your idea of fun is trekking through empty fields along well-trodden paths and running into another tour group every 37 minutes, skip out on Chiang Mai and choose somewhere a little more remote to get your jungle fix (like Chiang Rai or Pai.)

Best Architecture In Asia:

Hoi An

Long unknown by the outside world, this little town in central Vietnam managed to survive the war relatively untouched. Today it's home to an incredible legacy of a kaleidoscope of architectural styles. Thanks to UN funding, the town centre has been saved from modernization and restored to its former glory. Stroll along the waterfront and imagine all the European tall ships that used to dock at is wharves, or meander through the quiet streets admiring the pastels of colonial grandeur. A truly beautiful place.

City With The Saddest History:

Phnom Penh

Paying respect to local customs and history is an important aspect of being a 'responsible tourist', and nowhere in Asia is it more fitting to take a day or two out of touring temples and markets than here in the Cambodian capital. The evil tentacles of mass genocide may have touched every corner of this small nation, but it is here in Phmon Penh where the most emotional legacies of Pol Pot's regime remain. The Tuong Sleng Genocide Museum, and infamous Killing Fields just outside of town, may not seem like conventional tourist attractions, but are places that every backpacker who's passing through Cambodia should visit. If there was ever any doubt left in your mind, these two absolutely chilling sites solidify forever one's belief that war is never, ever the answer, and affirm the dangers of what happens when a country cries out but the world turns away.

Best Gateway For Outdoor Recreation:

a two-way tie between Yangshuo, China, and Vang Vieng, Laos

If you're at all interested in hiking through spectacular scenery, biking through placid rice paddies, whitewater rafting or kayaking along raging rivers, rock-climbing up soaring limestone peaks, spelunking in caves or plunging into pools of underground mud, these two places are a must-visit on your trip. Opportunities for outdoor recreation abound here aplenty, and all of the above can be done for a fraction of the price of what you'd pay back home.

Coolest, Most-Livable City In Asia:

Hong Kong

I've been to a long of cool places in Asia, and many of them will always have special places in my heart, but if there was one city that I could move to in a heartbeat, Hong Kong would be the one. Blessed with a unique historical blend of Eastern & Western fusion, this former British colony is a true star. Fantastic nightlife, incredible food, world-famous shopping, efficient transit, an abundance of museums and galleries, beautiful scenery, and a heart-stopping jaw-dropping mind-blowing skyline to boot. Hong Kong may be crowded and smoggy like many of it's Asian counterparts, and be plagued with housing prices that would numb Donald Trump, but few cities in Asia can offer you the best of all worlds, all in the same day. Sample some dim sum for breakfast, and then enjoy a delicious French dinner. Banter over bargains in the markets, and then after shop up a storm in a glitzy shopping mall. Wander through traditional Chinese alleyways, and then get a neck cramp staring up at the unbelievably tall skyscrapers. Get caught up in the daily hustle and bustle of a major world city, and then escape to a green mountainscape or quiet beach just over the hill. Hong Kong's got it all baby, and an electric pulse and infectious energy to keep you going all day, and all night. Once you get a taste of this place, you'll guaranteed be wanting to come back for more!

And here's a few other noteworthy recipients:

Most Boring City In Asia:

Ventiane, Laos

Most Polluted City In Asia:

Xian, China

Most European City In Asia:

Macau

Most Over-Commercialized Asian City:

Kuta, Bali

City With The Scariest Monkeys:

Lopburi, Thailand

City That Lives & Breathes Its Existence For One Single Attraction:

Siem Reap, Cambodia

City Not Nearly As Scary As Everyone Tells You It Is:

Jakarta, Indonesia

Best City To Hook Up With A Motorcycle Man In:

Dalat, Vietnam

Definitely Not Feeling Crabby In Krabi

Ahhhh here we are...our last destination....the final pit stop on Project Wanderlust. 5 months, 8 countries, and a billion stamps in the passport later, and we end up here. And where is here, exactly? Here is Krabi, Thailand. Krabi is a province on the mainland, and world-famous for it's gorgeous white sand beaches and spectacular limestone cliffs. We're staying in a place called Railay Beach, which technically is on the mainland, but it definitely has an 'island feel' to it. You can only get here by boat as it's completely walled in by the limestone pinnacles, there's no cars or motorbikes, and everything is close enough that you can walk to wherever you want to go.

Railay truly is paradise on Earth. Some of the best beaches in the world are to be found here, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a white sand beach with scenery more spectacular than Railay's. Bordered in, and split up, by towering pinnacles of sheer limestone cliffs soaring out of calm emerald green waters, it's more than enough to take your breath away. Think 'Lord Of The Rings' meets 'The Beach', and you can start to imagine how gorgeous it is here. (Only minus the invading barbarian orcs, and cranky drug lords!) Because of all the cliffs, Railay is known to be the fourth best place on the planet for rock climbing. Being afraid of heights myself, I'll pass on that particular activity, but that doesn't mean that I can't still take in all the scenery! Honestly, do a google search on Krabi and sit and stare in awe at your computer screen at what pictures come up. I dare you! ;-)

Railay's on a small peninsula, but home to four different beaches, each with a very different and unique atmosphere. There's Railay West, where all the fancy resorts are, and home to a very beautiful beach with a wide shallow bay perfect for swimming. And to balance that out there's Railay East, home of all the budget accomodation. The beach is all mud at low tide and disappears during high tide, but is definitely the place where the good eats - and the partying - are at. Connected to Railay West during low tide is Hat Ton Sai, a small rocky beach full of cheap digs and an abundance of rock climbers. And then there's Phranang Beach, quite possibly the most beautiful beach in the entire world. I've been to a lot of beaches on this trip, but really nothing can compare to this one.

First of all, to get to this beach, you have to walk about ten minutes or so along the edges of some massive cliffs, whose base is riddled with small caves and dangling stalactites - and monkeys! Finally you make it to the beach, but not until you pass until a humoungous wall of rock which leans precariously towards the sea, as if the water is so beautiful and clear that even granite and limestone can't resist its draw. Underneath this rock wall is Phranang Cave, and it is here where the beach begins. It's a long, narrow, curving swath of clean white sand, nestled all the way of its length by straggly trees and bounded in at either end by walls of rock towering hundreds of feet into the air. And about half way along the beach, just off in the waters, is a massive chunk of rock rising out of the liquid turquoise, like a giant's discarded toy tossed into the sea. It really doesn't get any more amazing than this. You feel like you've discovered something so exotic and secret and heavenly that no mortal man could ever be worthy of its beautiful solitude. Or, you would feel this way, were it not for the few hundred other people also on the beach. Ahhh well...looks like I'll have to share this piece of paradise!

Janelle and I spent a full week here on Railay, and although the weather sucked most days (rain, rain, go away!) we made the most of it. Whenever there was a patch of sun, we'd throw off our clothes and run like madmen down to the sand to soak in whatever rays we could, desperate to maintain our golden tans. Even under cloudy skies, however, it was never cold, and we swam nearly every day in those beautiful waters. Ahhh man...I really don't wanna go home now!

And, if scenery weren't enough for us, we had the whole entire gang together here. Lucie and Baz had arrived the day before we did, and we ended up staying at the same hotel together, Viewpoint Resort, complete with bungalows and swimming pool. One night in the bar Janelle and I looked up and saw...Dave and Anthony...strolling in! What the hell! Yes, those English brothers that we had partied with in Ko Lanta had now made their way to Railay, with two of their own friends in tow, Andy and Carmen. And then I got an email from two old travelling buddies, Bobbi and Michael, who I had spent time with back in Mui Ne and Saigon, Vietnam. (Remember 'The Seashells' pop band?) ;-) Holy shit! The gang's all here!

Put together, we had a group of ten, and we certainly were a backpacker tour de force - and a party machine to be reckoned with! Nearly every night was spent at a place called The Last Bar where we consumed copious amounts of alcohol and stayed up far too late. What a blast and a half! Despite the fact that the bar played literally the exact same songs every single night, we had a good four consecutive nights of partying and everyone had a really great time. The beach is a good place to nurse a hang over, but luckily for me I fared quite well in that department with a minimal of suffering. We never let the rain or gray get to us cause when you've got great company you're having fun no matter what you're doing.

It really was a perfect way to end our trip. How fitting is it that our last stop is the one that is the most beautiful, and the one with the most amount of friends? Spectacular scenery, eight funtastic buds, delicious Thai food, a nice room to stay in, and a few pockets of gorgeous sun, all blended together into seven days of holiday bliss. Looks like Belinda Carlisle had it right after all - heaven is a place on Earth! ;-)

After our last day Janelle and I flew back to spend one more night in Bangkok. It was fun to wander thru Khao San Road again, and we stayed in the same hotel as we did two months ago - D&D Inn. After grabbing a quick bite from the street and taking in the circus for one last time, it was time to head to bed. We've got an early morning tomorrow! The next morning we headed to the airport to get on seperate planes heading to two different corners of the globe. She's travelling to Vancouver to spend a few days there with some friends, and I'm heading back to Korea for five final days in the Land Of The Morning Calm before flying back to Canada.

The 'Adventures In Asia' chapter of The S2H World Tour is almost finished, but not quite yet. Stay tuned to read about my final days in Korea, as well as two special bonus entries, summarizing Project Wanderlust with an Awards Ceremony, and giving you a run-down of Beaches: The Best Of The Best. Definitely a must-read for anyone who wants the inside scoop on travelling in Southeast Asia, and some more insights into PW. So don't touch that dial! There's more yet buddy, I promise you, I'm not saying goodbye to my fan base yet...

And, of course, there's always future chapters of The S2H World Tour, which are already in the works for the near future. You didn't think I was gonna stop travelling now, did you? Just cause I've been going for two years already doesn't mean I wanna stop - or even slow down for that matter! And you thought I was going to "settle down!?!?" Good heavens, no my child!

I've only just begun... :-)