Hello.
Welcome back to my slow English podcast.
This podcast is for intermediate English listeners.
Today, I will talk to you about my first solo trip.
My first time traveling alone.
The first time I ever traveled alone was when I was 18 years old.
I booked my ticket to Tulum, Mexico.
And I remember being so nervous and scared.
My family was also nervous for me.
But I took my flight to Tulum and I had a great time.
It was so much fun.
It was a trip I will remember my whole life. because it was the first trip alone that I ever had.
It was the trip that made me feel like I could do anything and go anywhere in the world.
I saw the stunning beaches in Tulum and the breathtaking views of the cenotes.
I saw one of the seven wonders of the world.
And it was the Chichen Itza.
After making lots of friends and having lots of wonderful experiences, I started planning my next trip.
I started planning my trip to Costa Rica.
I went to Costa Rica when I was 19 years old.
I traveled to Tamarindo and I saw the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen till this day.
I also took surfing lessons.
And after that, I traveled to another city.
I went to Manuel Antonio.
And there I volunteered at a hostel for one full month.
I like volunteering at places because you can stay in a place near the beach, near monuments, somewhere beautiful, for free.
I had to clean the bathrooms and clean the kitchen and keep the rooms tidy.
I also worked at reception from time to time.
Have you ever volunteered somewhere?
Maybe at a hostel, a dog shelter, maybe at a farm.
While I was volunteering in Costa Rica, I saw the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.
And I made two very good friends.
They were a French couple.
One of my friends is actually the girl who tattooed me.
She is a very good artist.
A very talented artist.
And my other friend I met in Costa Rica introduced me and showed me scuba diving.
I love scuba diving, so it was a very special moment for me.
They will always be two very special friends for me.
After my trip to Costa Rica, I couldn't wait.
I started planning my next trip.
I had always wanted to travel to Thailand ever since I was a little girl.
I don't know why But I always have loved Thailand.
But I think it's because my name is Tyenna and people call me Ty.
So when I was little and I heard about a country named Thailand, like Tiana, I was determined to visit and see it someday.
I also have always loved elephants.
I have always loved watching videos of elephants and drawing elephants.
And Thailand has elephants.
So, I had two very good reasons or motives to travel to Thailand.
Is there any place you have always wanted to visit?
And is there any specific reason why you want to visit there?
So, I started planning my trip to Thailand.
And I decided to go two days before my birthday.
I wanted to spend my birthday alone.
So I booked my ticket for November 19th, two days before my birthday.
My family was so nervous for me.
Thailand is so far away from Mexico.
But I had made up my mind.
I was going to Thailand, to my land.
So I took one small backpack and my 52 hour flight to Thailand.
I was so nervous.
But the moment I stepped off the plane, I began to feel the nervous excitement.
I ordered a grab A Grab is like Uber, but in Asia.
So I ordered a Grab and I went to my hostel.
It was around 12pm and I was a little bit lost.
So I asked for directions.
I asked, do you know where this hostel is?
And this one very kind man saw I was lost and he gave me a ride to my hostel.
He was a very kind person and that was a very nice gesture.
The next days I met so many nice people and nobody knew it was my birthday.
It felt strange but also really cool.
Would you ever spend your birthday alone?
I spent three months traveling through Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Vietnamese food is incredible.
What country has had the best food you have ever tried?
I loved the Vietnamese people.
They were always singing karaoke and they were always smiling.
Cambodia's beaches were pristine.
They had some very interesting foods.
I will always remember my trip to Asia.
Then, after my trip, I came back to Mexico.
I celebrated birthdays and Father's Day and I head out to travel again.
I went to Portugal.
I volunteered at a hostel in Portugal near Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, in Cascais.
There, I worked with four other people.
Two from Argentina, one from Ecuador, and one from Brazil.
They became some of my closest friends.
They were all so kind and special.
I had the best time in Portugal.
The work though was hard, very difficult.
I had to work long hours and hard shifts.
But the hostel was right next to the beach.
So I could swim every day.
But Portugal has freezing ocean water.
It was the Atlantic Ocean.
So the first time I swam in Portugal, I couldn't feel my hands or toes or face.
I was freezing cold.
But I felt so refreshed.
After that, I decided I would go in every single day.
And so I did.
Even when I was super sick, I had a fever and a cold. and a cough.
I still would go in the freezing ocean every single day.
Do you enjoy swimming in cold water?
Or do you prefer to swim in warm water?
I had some of my favourite memories in Portugal.
Then I went back to Mexico.
I stayed home for a while to spend time with my family.
Then I started planning my next trip.
I took a flight to Cancun in Mexico, specifically to a city or town named Acomal.
It is the city of turtles.
And guess what I was going to do there?
Save the turtles.
So I went to volunteer with the turtles.
At the turtle sanctuary, we looked after and took care of the mama turtles and the baby turtles.
We had to protect the eggs from different predators or even people.
We also made sure nobody had bright lights on because bright lights can confuse the turtles.
The baby turtles can think the lights are the moon.
And that is dangerous.
So we only use red lights.
We also took care of the mama turtles.
We made sure nobody bothered them.
The mama turtles need to feel safe.
They need to feel safe because they need to lay their eggs.
We worked long hours at the turtle sanctuary. from 11pm to 6am.
I was always exhausted.
And I had to teach English to my students.
So I was very tired all the time.
But it was totally worth it.
It was an unforgettable experience to help the turtles and make some really good friends.
But a funny story.
My ex-boyfriend didn't get along with one of the other volunteers.
They would always have problems and fight.
So we were kicked out of the turtle sanctuary.
We had to leave.
But once we left, I went back home.
And I have been home ever since.
I am planning my trip to Brazil next week.
And I am very excited to start traveling again.
Where was your first trip?
What made it special?
Have a lovely day.
Thank you for listening.
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See you.
Bye.
