Katie’s Travel Blog

June 06, 2011

I’m going to be honest, I’ve been in a bit of creative rut lately, everyone gets into them once in a while, where you can’t come up with a creative idea to save your life. I find what works best for me is to take a break and not think about being creative for a while.
Lucky for me, living in Australia has opened up the door to a world of traveling opportunities. Places I never, in a million years, thought I would I visit. I recently returned from Vietnam and Cambodia, places I knew very little about and again, thought I would never visit. It was both an eye opening and inspiring adventure.
In Vietnam we toured Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), cycled through the Mekong Delta, rode in wooden boats along the river through floating markets, and sampled the local cuisine. The markets were HUGE, everything you could ever want could be found in one of the many markets in the city. The people were absolutely beautiful, welcoming, and eager to show us the beauty of Vietnam.
Then we went to Siem Reap in Cambodia, a place that is so ancient and full of history, it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around. We toured through the many beautiful ancient temples, climbing up the tiny stairs on my hands and knees to the tallest towers, we had a fish foot massage where fish eat the dead skin off your feet (a bit weird), and then took a boat trip around a floating village in the largest lake in South East Asia.
On the last night we were in Siem Reap, walking around the night markets, I spotted a little shop called Mekong Quilts. I walked in and wanted to cry. Inside were some of the most beautiful handmade quilts I have ever seen in my life, every last stitch is sewn by a needle and thread. Every color, size, and style you could imagine, they even had quilted hammocks, and if we had a hammock stand in Australia I would be laying in it right now. I stayed in the shop for an hour looking at every quilt and breathing in the creative inspiration. Everything about the shop was inspiring! The quilts are handmade by women in the villages and all of the money goes back to the communities, where most people live in poverty. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me (and you weren’t allowed to take pictures), but I was able to bring a small beautiful quilt back with me! It’s become one of my most treasured possessions.
Traveling to these countries was exactly what I needed to get out of my rut. I love to travel to different countries, but it’s not always feasible. Sometimes a quick walk around the block, camping with the family, or sitting out in the beautiful sunshine in your own back yard does the trick. Just get outside and take a break.

–– Katie

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