Bali

I am going to have trouble articulating how much I have loved every moment since we arrived on this island, but I will try.

Perhaps I am surprised at how enthralled I am because I had very little expectation for Bali. In fact, aside from the obvious "ooooh Bali!" thoughts, I was actually feeling a little less excited about what I envisioned here because I thought it might be too luxurious and resort-esque for my taste...and I feared I'd actually NOT be able to relax because of the guilt I'd have for such "gallivanting". Yes, I'm fully aware that I AM gallivanting to an extent as I travel with such freedom (and I thank God every day for this incredible opportunity), but I also want to make sure that I am constantly learning and exploring and not lounging like a lazy American on an extended vacation. Get my drift?

Well, my worries that there would only be resort culture here were totally unwarranted.

There is so much culture, natural beauty, history, and anthropology wrapped and bundled into little packages everywhere you turn on this island. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Bali is magical. I definitely have been put under its spell.

I'll start at the beginning, when we arrived in Bali last Friday night. Things started out a little roughly, as we arrived very late after immigration lines and then struggled a bit to find a decent place for a decent price. Not only was it around midnight but it was still the tail end of the Hari Raya (end of Ramadan) celebration and tons of Balinese people came to the beaches too (like Kuta where we chose to go first)...

However, we DID find a bed, and things only went up from those first hours!

Saturday morning. We woke up and started to explore our new town of Kuta.
It is a pretty touristy area, so there are lots of beach shops and men and women selling everything from sarongs to wooden frogs to pineapples and pendants...not to mention Balinese surfers shouting that they will give you lessons for "good prices" However, there are still locals everywhere, and the amazingly wonderful and evenly spaced surf that goes on for miles of coastline completely makes up for any of the "touristy"-ness. So, after finding a spot to park our stuff, I walked the beach, and eventually caved when 2 of said surfer dudes told me that, in 2 hrs., I'd look like the surfer on their hand painted sign (disregard the fact that surfer was a large, brunette man riding in a barrel wave). So, I took the bait, got some knockoff $2 board shorts, and spent the next few hours with my surf "teacher," Naga (NAH GUH). I even stood up for more than my previously held 0.2 second record and feel like I actually surfed some waves (albeit baby ones)! My success was definitely more due to the perfect waves than to my skill, but it was a blast either way. AND, it only cost about $10, just in case you thought I spent all my food money on surfing...don't worry!

So, clearly, the first day in Bali was awesome. We then relocated to a home stay for the 2nd night (they are very popular here--many families live on compounds and rent out different bungalows or apartments on their property) to cheapen our room tab. We found out that our new place, Diana House, was also home to a plethora of creatures (birds, bunnies in cages, cats, roosters, dogs, you name it). Not the cleanest spot we've stayed, but totally doable. After another half day in Kuta, we boarded a bus North to the town of Ubud.

Ubud was also incredible in a totally different way from Kuta. Envision rice paddies, art galleries and batiks and wooden carvings everywhere, women walking down the streets carrying all sorts of things on their heads while wrapped in gorgeous fabrics, and fabulous mansion-like home stay options around every corner. Plus, there is a big monkey sanctuary there and a huge yoga crowd...an exotic, intoxicating vibe overall. And, did I mention, the food and clothing were also to die for.

The fact that these "corners" of the world exist does not cease to amaze me.

Our home stay in Ubud, Ubud Sensasi, was such a phenomenal experience. The room we were in had rattan ceilings, carved wooden doorways and detailing all over, TWO balconies, and it was VERY clean! And it had a gorgeous view over rice paddies. AND it cost about $10. I told the owner I wanted to move in...she might let me. Don't worry, I was (half) kidding.

In Ubud, I went for some great, exploratory runs around the area, did lots of browsing in and out of the art galleries and shops, took a billion pictures as usual, and talked to as many locals as I could about their artwork, crafts, etc. So many of the Balinese people are so passionate and talented, and they are also so approachable and willing to tell you their stories. Really cool.

THEN, it gets even better.
You will not believe what Arati and I did in Ubud this morning.
We woke up at 1:45 am (yes I'm about to fall over and pass out because I haven't napped since...), and got picked up by a couple of Balinese guys who drove us to our early pre-trek breakfast of coffee and banana pancakes. Then, we drove to meet our guide who led us with his flashlight up the side of Mt. Batur--a dormant volcano! My Science students would be so excited! (Well, let me believe that they would be at least). Also, the stars were amazing and clear in the night sky, i.e. I could actually see constellations that I had always just pretended that I could pick out when other people talked about them. The hike took about an hour and a half, and we were safely seated atop the crater for the sunrise. I will never forget the beauty of that view. The sunrise, clouds BENEATH us, and the crystal clear lake in front of us made for a panorama that was absolutely breathtaking. After attempting to take it all in, we then hiked around the caldera for a while to explore the craters and steam vents before descending...and this was all before 9:30 a.m. - woohoo!

Needless to say, I'm feeling very, very blessed these days.

After our volcano trek, we packed up and said a sad goodbye to Ubud and got onto another bus bound for the coastal town of Padangbai. We are leaving on a morning ferry to go to the island nextdoor, Lombok, tomorrow morning, and we did not even plan to stay the night here. I'm so glad we "had to" because of schedule conflicts.

Padangbai is a really cute fishing and diving town, where the water in the swimming beach, Blue Lagoon, should be used to paint every building on earth. It is intense and gorgeous. Although we don't have much time here, the vibe has penetrated already. To keep it simple, I'll sum it up with the words: bright, laid back, family-oriented, inviting, and cheerful. Also, envision black volcanic rock cliffs, lush green hills, and little beaches with topaz water. And, again, the food is delicious. So far, I'm pretty sure Indonesia is in the lead for my favorite food as a country (even though we haven't left Bali yet) ...it's going to be hard to beat.

On that note, I'm going to get some dinner (or whatever meal I'm up to now since we started with our 2am breakfast). Stay in touch, and let me know if you have any ideas for a job for me here ASAP! Terima Kasi (= Thank You in Bahasa, the language here).

AND, if you haven' t gotten the hint, BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS NOW! I'll meet you at the airport.

Bali. I am in love...

with this place.

Will elaborate more later because I have to catch a bus, but basically this place is absolutely everything you'd imagine and more. Magical.

There is even a beach called "Dream land."

Okay, gotta runnnnn....

The Merlion...

is the official symbol of Singapore.
It is a half lion and half mermaid. And the statue spit water.
Come on, you gotta love that.

Well, before we head to the airport, I have a few minutes to kill, so I thought I'd give a few final thoughts and updates about my Singapore adventures.

Yesterday, after a rainy morning, it turned out to be a glorious day. Less hot, and a little breezy even! Found a really cute cafe, called "Food for Thought" and had a deliciously fresh salad with chicken. Healthy food, yes!

Then, I wandered around tons in the city. I saw the famous Merlion statue, the Esplanade (a theater on the harbor with really awesome, modern architecture-think Epcot Ball meets Sydney Opera House), and lots and lots of Catholic churches of all different shapes, sizes and styles. Then, I stopped in a coffee shop to g chill for a minute and gear up for the highly praised, Singapore Night Safari!

Side note: While in the cafe, I happened upon an article about Aung San Suu Kyi, who I really didn't know very much about at all. She is definitely a really inspiring woman and human rights leader, and it was particularly cool to read about her while being so close to the Myanmar border. Then, the news about the shift in US policy came out today...what timing.

Anyway, around 7:30pm, after finally eating a chicken pau for dinner (these white puff ball things that look like mounds of raw dough, but are cooked...I have NO clue what they are, but I had been debating about trying one since about day 2 of travel in Thailand. Verdict: really tasty!), I got on board a bus to the Singapore Zoo for this highly acclaimed Night Safari.

Upon arrival, I was grabbed by some tribal dancers putting on a drum/dance show for the crowds, and, needless to say, it took a while before I could break free. Oh man. When I did get loose, I boarded the tram that went around the park, and the guide (with a very intense British accent) drew our attention to all the animals around us.

The idea of this Night Safari is that most of the animals that are in zoos are nocturnal, so when we usually observe them they are sleeping and pretty boring to watch. BUT, at night, the nocturnal animals are active and exciting! So, the Singapore Zoo created this huge area with environments to represent all corners of the Earth (South America, Africa, SE Asia, etc.) and a safari ride that is in the dark of night with only a few lights to see the animals. All I can say is the images of these beasts are forever ingrained in my mind. And there were no cages.

Some of my absolute favorites:
- the enormous Asian rhino eating leaves by the tram
- the 8 yr. old baby boy elephant
- the bearded pigs (yes, male, female, and piglets all have beards)
- the hyenas (straight out of the Lion King, I'm telling you)
- the tapir, just chillin' RIGHT next to the tram
- the leopards

So, that was an awesome night for sure. Then today, Arati and I did our last "must see" in Singapore and went to the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). There was some really cool modern art there by artists primarily from SE Asia. Also, one favorite thing: statues of modern Buddhas in all different sizes, positions and locations around the museum grounds. They were made by the artist Li Chen, and they just can't help but make you smile. It's hard to describe what they look like, but think really fat flying babies (or look up pictures online to see what you think they're really like!).

On that note,
we leave for the airport in an hour.
I really liked our little stopover here in Singapore, and I'm sure I'm going to be dreaming about this place...particularly in 2 days when the grime has started to re-accumulate and I want to eat some raw veggies. However, another part of me is ready to get out of the utopic bubble and back to the nitty gritty travel.

Next stop: Indonesia

"Be Socially Responsible" and "No Chewing Gum" in Singapore

Day 2 in Singapore.
This place is crazy! And the signage (notice the title of this post) is pretty much priceless. And yes, there really is a law, albeit not enforced, against chewing gum. Sorry Orbit and Stride, I guess you stay in the backpack.

Before I get into the details and highlights of Melaka and Singapore, the two places we've been since I last wrote, I want to give a little "day in the life" lest you think backpacking/travelling in this way is always a breeze and hassle-free. There are many emotional super highs as well as some lows / roadblocks to power through that make you appreciate the highs SO much more. NOT that I'm complaining for a second. The arrivals, exploration and little joys (like free breakfast or finding an AWESOME guesthouse or local friend) make the hassles totally worth it. But I just didn't want to paint a false, totally stress-free image of our reality out here... Anyway, here goes:

Itinerary portion: Melaka, Malaysia to Singapore to Bali, Indonesia

Mission: Get bus from Melaka to Singapore AND get plane flight out from Singapore ASAP so that we aren't stuck in an expensive country for too many days.

1. Try Internet in Melaka to purchase airline tickets from Singapore to Bali online several times.
2. Fail: credit card won't work over the Internet
3. Go find a travel agent in Malaysia.
4. Fail: he says he can only do exactly what we tried over the Internet, AND charge $40 fee. Um, no thanks.
5. Get on a bus to Singapore at 2pm and hope to get ticket to Bali directly from airport once there.
6. Fail: traffic jam on way to Singapore makes 4 hr ride MUCH longer.
7. Try to find a place to stay in Singapore while walking with big bags on backs. Get a hostel for one night but not two because the Grand Prix is coming to Singapore this weekend...oh, of course it is.
8. Go directly to the MRT (Singapore's metro) around 9pm to ride all the way to the airport to try to get tickets.
9. Fail: Go to every ticket agent and the prices are all 5x higher. (lesson learned: it is not a good option to buy plane tickets at the airport...maybe you all knew this, clearly we did not).
10. Get back to hostel around 11pm and try Internet with credit cards again.
11. Fail: Credit cards still don't work (Note: phones are not an option here...don't ask).
12. Go to bed and hope for the best.
13. AND THENNNNN....SUCCESS: Find an awesome (and PATIENT) travel agent in Singapore the next morning who got us a cheap flight to Bali, AND helped us get our future tickets so we won't have to do this nonsense again. SMILES at last!

So it all worked out.
Reminder: Patience is a virtue.

Anyway, back to some highlights of Melaka and Singapore.

Melaka (or Malacca) was a very historical (it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and relatively quaint town for our last stop in Malaysia, but it was definitely extra chaotic because we got there just in time for Hari Raya, the holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan. So, there were tons of visiting people for the long weekend, but we did find a really cool, bohemian guesthouse to stay at, called Voyage Guesthouse, so we did have a nice refuge for when we got overwhelmed from the crowds and sightseeing.

Highlights of Melaka:
- great little art galleries to wander in and out of
- live music at several cafes and bars
- went to mass (in English) at a Catholic church there with one Chinese priest, one Malaysian priest, and one Indian priest (no, that is not the start of a bad joke...it was really cool!)
- meeting and visiting the studios of Malaysian artist Charles Cham (LOOK HIM UP!) and the Orangutan House - he is somewhat of a revolutionary in his country, going against what his considered "art" there and conveying modern ideas and messages with his paintings and t-shirts. Awesome, laid-back, and totally approachable guy.
- seeing the ruins of Dutch and Portuguese buildings and churches in the town
- running along the canal that makes Melaka referred to as "Little Venice" (though that is quite a stretch in my opinion!) and checking out the houses along the water
- walking down to the actual port on the Straits of Melaka (no pirates in sight though)
- Jonker Street. A must-experience shopping street, but do not go there for long. Basically, it is utter chaos and THRONGS of mostly Chinese people selling everything you can imagine on a stick to eat, on a key chain or magnet, or in some other form...there were even really old, made-up women (or men dressed up?!) singing karaoke on stage to top off the ambiance. Arati and I briefly lost each other in the stifling, sweaty crowds...not somewhere you want to get lost!
- Finally, the decked out trishaws were AWESOME. They are 3-wheeled bicycles that have plastic flowers, knick-knacks, etc. to decorate them to the MAX, and the drivers are cranking out everything from Akon to Nelly Furtado to Michael Jackson on FULL blast as they peddle you around town if you so desire.

AND then, from the bus station in Melaka, through immigration, to the bus station of Singapore. You are now entering another world.

Singapore is really, really clean.
And organized.
And efficient.
Did I mention it's clean?
I even ate an apple without worrying about scrubbing it...and you can drink the tap water. YES!

Impressions and Highlights of Singapore:
- the Singapore River cutting through the City Center with lots of fun nightlife and a running/walking route, and lots of bridges with interesting and unique architecture crossing it
- a HUGE library (yes that was one of our first stops...you know my feelings about libraries!)
- lots of art galleries and great museums
- a super-efficient transit system
- good food of many varieties and real coffee (not Nescafe!) to choose from
- really nice and helpful people with great style

Really, if it weren't such a long flight and sort of isolated, I'd tell pretty much everyone to come experience this city at some point. While it's clearly not the pinnacle of our "third-world" SE Asia cultural immersion, it is a world unto its own, and I'm so glad we came for a few days. There really are signs in town that say "Be Socially Responsible" and signs on the subway platform that read "Respect Life" along with videos about how to react if someone hassles you (i.e. don't push someone onto the tracks or steal things), etc. And there are major fines for jaywalking, eating on the subway, etc. Kind Pleasantville or the Truman Show - esque. But then there is a definite culture and charm as well that contrasts with the sterility and lack of mayhem. It all adds up to a really cool dynamic to say the least.

That's all for now. We are staying here until Friday night when we fly out to Bali.
Hopefully this post wasn't too convoluted and wordy...I'll try to streamline a little better next time!

Cameron Highlands

We are now in the Cameron Highlands, which is the highest part of the Malaysian Peninsula...and it is actually CHILLY here! The cool, FRESH air has been a wonderful contrast to Kuala Lumpur, and I am a little sad that we have to leave tomorrow morning. This is definitely an awesome little place.

Nature, green, and clean fresh mountain air = smiling Chloe.

While I can't really paint an accurate picture for you, I'll try anyway (and you should look up pictures of the region online until I can figure out how to upload my own photos!). Basically, the whole area is full of tiered hills with fresh produce gardens, strawberry, honey, rose, and butterfly farms, and, most famously, tea plantations. In fact, this is the biggest tea-producing region in the country.

Sidenote:
I had never seen how tea grows before, and it is really quite a spectacular thing to see. It's also particularly fun and beautiful to see how the workers collect and harvest it by hand. I will definitely never think of a cup of Lipton tea in quite the same way!

So, back to the picture-painting. We are way up in the hills, as I said (majorly nauseating twisty-turny bus ride to get up here!), and we are staying at a quaint little hostel/guesthouse looking over the town of Tanah Rata. (Okay, so the cheap rooms are actually down the hill with metal roofs and are kind of like summer camp...but the MAIN lodge is really cute!) The hills with the tea plants look like they are blanketed in green corduroy, and you sort of just want to go roll around in the soft hilly carpets! But alas, that wouldn't be a "proper" thing to do...and instead most people get scones and tea to enjoy while they just LOOK at the plushy hills. I tried to find a middle-ground, however, and while I didn't ROLL in the lush green plants, I still went traipsing around in the plantations for a little bit (after I ate a scone)...

Speaking of today,
it was really cool, memorable, and sensory jam-packed.

Woke up a little chilly and went for a run and filled my lungs with mountain air.
Awesome.
Then,
I met my guide for a jungle trek.
Now, I debated about signing up for one of these "tours" for a while, because, I didn't want to waste money on something that was really slow-paced and heavy on talking and light on actually experiencing...AND I'M SO GLAD I WENT.
Mostly because no one else came. Lazy fools!

So, it ended up being just me and the guide--QUITE an eccentric Malaysian man (and plumber by profession) who grew up here and is obsessed with nature and "acting like a kid" in the jungle. He is also especially fond of orchids and finding new species of them...and he insisted that I take many photos of said orchids (So, for those of you who are interested, I will save all seven billion of the photos for you. Well, maybe not ALL of them).

ANYWAY, while I definitely can't do justice to the actual "trek," suffice it to say that he took me all over the jungle, through some very muddy, wet trails, gardens, mountains and valleys while he taught me all about what I was seeing (he was pretty psyched that I was a Science teacher, although I frequently wondered if I should have kept my mouth shut about that fact...since I could hardly identify any of the plants he thought I should know all about!). Overall, I learned so much from this guy (including a firsthand account of the biases that many of the Indians, Chinese, and Muslims in this mixed community share about each other!).

Some (unbiased) highlights/facts for you that my guide shared with me:
- cinnamon comes from a tree
- some ferns are MUCH taller than trees and some don't even use spores to spread
- tigers roam in the jungles here (no, I did not see one)
- the guide, who loves ALL nature, made an exception for the tea plants, and couldn't tell me anything about them...he said he could care less about the tea because it is not native!
- I was the first American (apparently) to see a "confidential waterfall" that my guide discovered a few weeks ago, score!
- pitcher plants are really cool to see up close
- Here's a convoluted one: there are these special wasps who live in holes in the ground and sting tarantulas to paralyze them, then they lay eggs on the immobile tarantulas and then the baby wasps eat the tarantulas when they hatch and this kills the tarantulas (bet ya didn't know THAT did ya?!)

So, after lots of mud and fun, we walked through the Orang Asli village, where lots of cute little local kids were running around and playing with sticks and rocks and dogs (as all kids do on Saturdays), and then we meandered through part of the tea plantations for the rest of the trip.

Then home for food and a hot (ish) shower.

GREAT day. Too bad I can't teleport lots of you here to physically experience this place. Hopefully my descriptions are decent and not totally hard to follow!

Leaving for Melaka (home of the famous Straits) on the bus tomorrow.

Thinking about you all lots and lots!!

Bye Kuala Lumpur...

Note to future visitors to Kuala Lumpur:
If you decide to stay in more affordable Chinatown, the smell of Chinese food will permeate everything you own and all of your pores.

Needless to say, we moved to a hostel down the street after 2 nights at our first place...and I had a very unscented sleep last night, yes!

Today is our last day in Kuala Lumpur. We are taking a 9am bus to the Cameron Highlands for a few days, which I am really excited about. The area is known for its sprawling old tea plantations, strawberry farms, and some cool hikes and jungle walks. It will be nice to escape the city once again. I find myself easily caught up in "trying to see everything" when in "city-mode" and we often feel pretty grimy after traipsing around to try and absorb all that cities offer, which is A LOT to take in!

Yesterday (before the hostel switch), I woke up for a run in Kuala Lumpur to try and shake out the remnants of my crazily-influenced dreams centered around Chinese dragons and lo mein. The run got a me a little turned around...okay a lot turned around...and I ended up by the Petronas Towers, the tallest DOUBLE tower in the world at 452 meters. It worked out, though, because tickets to go up into the buildings are free, but you have to get them early in the day to visit later. So I waited, scored tickets for noon, and then got a very nice cab driver to take me back to Arati at the hostel despite the fact that I had no cash on me...faith in humanity = reinforced. Don't worry, I paid him when I got there, with plenty of ringgit.

After breakfast of lots and lots of peanut butter and honey toast and a cup of Nescafe (free at our new place, the Monkey Inn, which I'd definitely recommend), we took the subway to the Petronas Towers, which were pretty cool to see. They are 88 floors high, and there is a skybridge that tourists can go out on at the 41st floor. One of those "must-see" activities a la the Empire State Building or the Sears (I forget its new name!) Tower. Anyway, I think it's always fun to be up high looking out at things!

We then visited the Masjid Jamek, a historical mosque in the center of the city. When we went here and when we visited the National Mosque yesterday, the staff provides huge robes and scarves for you to cover up with so that you can walk around. However, since it is still Ramadan, there are very special visiting hours, and non-Muslim tourists are not allowed inside all the way. We walked around and took pictures, and then I managed to collect lots of free pamphlets about Islam - why and how Muslims dress, eat, and act - to read along our subsequent city bus ride to the Batu Caves - a large Hindu temple in huge caves with a 272 step staircase and a huge golden statue of Lord Murugan. As I mentioned earlier, a big mix of Chinese, Indian, and Malaysian culture and religion here!

In fact, yesterday we visited the Islamic Art Museum, which was really interesting and I learned a lot more about the religion and its spread. There were tons of replicas of famous mosques around the world, and lots of textiles, jewelry, and manuscripts from all over the world. Arati and I felt a little like we were on a field trip, but we were actually paying attention and learned a lot (You when we were kids on field trips we didn't internalize everything?!).

Now, we are leaving bustling Kuala Lumpur - I'm going to opt out of a morning run today and wait for the Cameron Highlands and some fresh air (and avoid the potential of getting re-"turned around"!).

Until next time...

Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA!

We safely arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today around noon (NOTE: Malaysia Airlines has AWESOME food and the plane seats are all colors of the rainbow!), and we have had quite the culture shocking day.

We left bright and early from Phuket Airport, landed in Malaysia (ahead one hour), got some ringgit out of the ATM, found a hostel in Chinatown in downtown KL (in a really old, cool building with weird knick-knacks all over the place), and then meandered around Petaling Street (which is like Canal Street of NY - think "Tiffanys," "Rolex," and "Lacoste" everywhere...). Then we walked to Little India.

Um, overwhelming.
Just a little!

Anyway, Arati and I are pretty much out of energy to say the least, and our beautiful Phuket beaches are in the past. However, we are really excited to explore the Malaysian culture here in Kuala Lumpur (I keep thinking of the designer in Zoolander...), visit the nearby town of Melaka, and do some jungle, hill tribe? and cave exploring in the Cameron Highlands. Fingers crossed that that all works out.

So far, the biggest standout differences in Malaysia vs. Thailand have been:
- there is a lot more English and the alphabet is the same!
- people AND vehicle traffic is really, really nuts to walk around
- It's Ramadan in a Muslim country
- now we divide money by 3 instead of 33
- there are still 7-11s all over (so that's not a difference, but worth noting?!)

So, clearly, we haven't been here very long yet!
Our next plans are still in the works, but for now, we are just breathing the sights, sounds, and smells of the new city in.

Keep in touch!

Southern Thailand has Beaches!

It's been a while since we've had Internet access...but things are still going great and at top speed on the travel front...but don't worry, not SO fast that we aren't breathing it all in as much as possible!

We are now in Southern Thailand, on the western coast of Phuket, at a place called Surin Beach.

Since I last wrote, here are some highlights:

I survived the sleeper train to get to Southern Thailand (though the "sleeper" portion of the name is a bit of a misnomer in MY opinion - I mean "lights out" would have been awesome...but no such luck. Oh well!)

We then took ferries, buses, minivans, etc. etc. etc. to get ourselves to a gorgeous little island called Koh Phangan, where we got to stay at Bungalow called "Dream Hill." This place has the most amazing view of the ocean when you wake up in the morning...all for 300 baht a night for 2 people (about $9 - crazy!). We were so happy to not be moving once we dropped our heavy backpacks in the room, that we promptly shuffled our grimy selves right to the ocean water and submerged. The ocean does wash everything away, and it instantaneously made the long journey totally worth it. The sea cucumbers and some good food (eaten with feet in the sand) also helped to perk us up and bring some color to our cheeks!

On our second day there, we rented a Jeep. We were being "smart" and not getting the MUCH cheaper motorbikes because many people told us that the roads were tricky and the island is hilly. THANK GOODNESS we didn't get motorbikes. Although it was no smooth ride, Arati ROCKED at driving our very questionable, matchbox car around dirt roads that hardly qualify as actual "roads" so that we could tour and see some more of these incredible beaches. There are some serious slices of paradise out here that I can hardly believe exist. Totally memorable, however, it might be awhile before we decide to rent another vehicle. Just saying.

We reluctantly left Dream Hill on Thursday morning (it rained for us as we left, to make the separation a little easier to handle), and we took the ferry back, followed by a bus, and crazy minivan ride to traverse the peninsula to get to the western side. We decided to make our stop for the night in Phang Nga, where we had read about some sights. The super-hyper Thai minivan driver (we were the only non-Thai on the bus = we bought the CHEAP tickets for once, not the tourist priced ones - victory!) dropped us off in the rain in this little town where a pick-up truck taxi picked us up to take us to the bus station. Mr. Kean was the driver's name, and he was also (coincidence?!) the person who leads longtail boat tours in Phang Nga and the person to tell us where we should stay...oh Thailand.

Anyway, we stayed at the Thawisuk Hotel (and the last 3 letters of its name pretty aptly describe the place) for 150 baht (which is $5 for BOTH of us, i.e. we should have known) for the night, and took Mr. Kean's longtail boat tour the next morning (yes, we took the bait, but it really was the only thing to do in this place!).

The boat tour was awesome. We were the only ones in a longtail boat driven around tons of limestone islands that have emerged in this National Park. We saw the "James Bond Rock" and got to climb around in some caves that were near by. We also got to stop at a Muslim Fishing Village. It was definitely one of my favorite things so far. The entire village is up on stilts, and there are houses, restaurants, markets, a mosque, a school, and we even saw a sign for Internet! The boat then wove through big mangrove forests before taking us back to shore. A really cool trip. After our nice morning, we packed up, said good-bye to Thawisuk, and got onto (yet another) bus to get to Phuket. With a little trouble getting our destination desires across, we eventually got dropped off around where we were hoping for, and then had a really nice Thai woman help us get a local bus to the beaches.

So
The local bus.
It was a school bus.
Full of Muslim schoolchildren.
and BLASTING music.
and it was painted rainbow colors inside.
It turned our angsty travelling moods and exhaustion into laughter pretty instantly.
Awesome.

We got to Surin Beach yesterday, and at first we were really dejected because it's much more pricey than we had been hoping for. BUT, we decided that taking the time/money/energy to get out of here would end up being worse in the long run, and we are both so happy we decided to stay. We bargained a hotel down to a cheaper rate since we are going to stay for 4 nights, and it felt SO GOOD to sleep in real sheets (not our personal sleep sheets), take showers in separate tubs (i.e. that weren't one room with the toilet), and get air conditioning and toilet paper provided for us - woohoo, the little things you take for granted!

Today, after a glorious night's sleep, woke up and went for a run, where I ran on the sand alongside elephant tracks. Yes, there is a baby elephant who gets walked on the beach here. Um, seriously?! Then, Arati and I ate a 7-11 breakfast (hey, we have to make up for the air conditioned room), showered, and headed to the beach. The surf is HUGE here, so we stayed sort of close to shore, but we definitely romped in the water a lot, and then we walked to see some other beaches, ate a delicious lunch from a local woman of chicken, mango salad with peanuts and sticky rice, and headed here when it started to rain. One thing that has definitely been noticeable/moving is seeing the evidence of the destruction from the tsunami that hit here so recently. There are still remnants of the devastation on the shores, making the power of the sea that much more evident and humbling.

Well, tomorrow I'm going to venture into Phuket town in the morning to try and find a church and see the area a little bit...and then we are here until we head to the airport Tuesday morning.

We are in good spirits and health...and soaking up lots of Thai sun, culture, generosity, and yummy food!

Until next time...

Kanchanaburi ("The Golden City")

Just looked at my calendar - Happy Labor Day!

So, we found a VERY fast Internet cafe this morning (and the space bar works on this computer unlike my last one!)...so I am going to try and maximize with some good updates.

We arrived in Kanchanaburi around 10am on Saturday morning after taking a 3hr minibus from Bangkok. I really like it here - it is a nice, more tranquil little town compared to bustling, hectic Bangkok.

Some history:
The town is mostly known for its role in WW2, and it is located on the River Kwai. Many POWs were forced to work here during the war to help build the "Death Railway," which was being made to connect Burma and Thailand for the Japanese forces. The soldiers/POWs (many Australians, Indians, Indonesians) were forced to work 18 hr. days on little food and rest to build the tracks, and the number that died doing so is unimaginable. One of our first stops after getting off our bus was to the WW2 cemetery, where many of these POWs are buried, and it was really moving and sobering - definitley a first-hand history lesson.

In Kanchanaburi, we are staying at a hostel called the Jolly Frog :) It is a little rough around the edges...there are some ants that love to get into every crevice of everything, and there were definitely some rats in the ceiling (but Arati and I decided to pretend they were something else...), but it's a really cheap (only 200 baht = $6 a night) for both of us, and there are great hammocks and chairs outside overlooking the river to sit in and get fresh air. So, we are just not spending much time in the room, and all is great!

Some other highlights of this town:

- went on a few good runs while here which my body really appreciated (you get pretty cramped up with all the traveling and sub par mattresses...), totally got the "I love running!" endorphins flowing, which had been missing for a while - woohoo!

- Saturday I took an open-air/pick up truck taxi and went to visit the Tiger Temple, where monks live and take care of tigers in a sanctuary of sorts. The best part though is, if you go, there are Thai guides who grab your hand, lead you around to pose (and pet!) a whole bunch of tigers of all ages and sizes and they take your picture (it was pretty much complete and absurd hilarity). There were also lots of buffalo, horses, peacocks, and other creatures just wandering around all the people (I was a LITTLE nervous that they were going to suddenly charge). Such a tourist attraction, but also so worth it!

- Yesterday was a wonderfully packed day. Arati and I took a day trip set up from our hostel with some other travellers and a Thai guide, "Eileen" (side note: ladyboys are REALLY prevalent here...) who gave us some history and took us to:

1) ride elephants! in the rain (our guide was definitely a complete clown and loved to sing and take tons of pictures for us of other elephants "underbellies," (i.e. I will be deleting many of his x-rated elephant part photos...)

2) take a peaceful ride on a bamboo raft down a river with an adorable old Thai man as our guide

3) hike around Erawan Falls, which has 7 levels of waterfalls and is completely gorgeous
(If you go...NOTE: there are wild (the warning sign called them "fierce") monkeys all over in the park who take people's food and belongings if you leave them unattended AND there are HUGE fish in the water that nibble at you while you swim!)

4) have lunch at a local restaurant by the falls (when you are famished it's amazing how much better things taste...)

5) go see the Death Railway and ride on the actual train for a short time, and

6) walk over the Bridge on the River Kwai.

A full day to say the least, with several "wow, this is Thailand" moments.

All in all, Kanchanaburi has been characterized by some good, clean air with beautiful views of the water, some big doses of nature and views of limestone cliffs, floating restaurants and rafthouses, longtail boats, cows and tons of stray dogs and cats, and some really somber history lessons.

Health is good, spirits are good, and energy is getting better as the jet lag finally is beginning to wear off. Also, clean laundry is in our future as we pick it up from a little Thai woman today at noon, yes!

We are also starting to calm down a little as the "what is next?" hyper-ness is dissipating and I remind myself that the cheap, long-term travelling/vagabonding (sorry, I bought a book with "Vagabond" as the title, so I can't help but throw it in there...) lifestyle is not the same as the tourist "you must cram in everything" mentality - and I'm trying to remember that we'll burn out if we try to keep up that kind of a pace...BUT, all in all, lots of appreciating, absorbing, and learning is taking place...and the little successes (i.e. catching a local bus on time and saving the taxi fare or finding the laundry lady who has a dryer!) give quite the morale boost. Definitely feeling like a very active participant in life.

NEXT UP:
We are taking a sleeper train overnight to get down south to the town of Surat Thani, where we will arrive around 6am tomorrow (Tuesday). From there, we are going to explore Southern Thailand until we leave the country on the 15th for Malaysia... to be continued.

Wow, a lot happens in a day! It is going to be hard to keep up without a lot of internet access (or time to waste on computers!), but I am going to try my hardest to keep this blogging shinanagan up...it is a great way to reflect on things though, I have to say.

So, Arati and I are leaving Bangkok early tomorrow morning. Yesterday, we got down to business and saw some of the most beautiful architecture as we visited as many wats and Buddahs that we could. After a very hot and long day walking all around the city, we also had an amazing foot massage for about $5, and then wandered around a night bazaar close by to get dinner. Yummy thai food again followed, and we were even treated to some live music as we sat under umbrellas to keep dry from the downpour (sidenote: the rain has been sporadic but about once or twice each day - totally doable).

We also managed to take the cheap! train today to get outside of the city to a town called Autthaya where we rented 50 baht bikes and explored some ancient ruins, wats, and saw people riding elephants! I really liked the elephants...
Another highlight was a delicious roadside snack called roti, which was basically like cotton candy strings wrapped in a crepe...and it was free for us to try - yay!
We successfully navigated the local bus as well today - we are definitely already over spending our precious baht on taxis and tuk-tuks. The bus is a pretty crazy ride, people are jumping on and off, and the driver, at least our evening driver, was a little heavy on the accelerator! It was a great way to speed through downtown Bangkok though and see all the nightlife and hectic markets. ahh my internet is running out, more later!

We're in Bangkok!

After some very lengthy air time (about 24 hours transportation total!), Arati and I both made it safely to Thailand, and we just had our first real day of Bangkok. We're loving it. Smiles abound, and people have been so friendly to us.

Our first night was really yesterday, and, after Arati and I found each other in the HUGE airport, we were lucky enough to be able to stay with Jess' uncle, Owen Lammers, and his wife, Puk, who leave outside of Bangkok (how lucky/crazy that that worked out!). They treated us to a nice big bed, shower, and showed us some great Thai food upon arrival...we felt pretty lucky to say the least.

This morning (after LOTS OF sleeping), we got to our hostel, dropped off our bags, and were promptly directed by a nice Thai man to a tuk-tuk (an open-air 3-wheeled taxi), which took us to several wats (temples) and other sights for a few hours. The architecture, colors, statues, etc. here are truly breathtaking. There will be LOTS of pictures, I can assure you! We really liked the 40 ft Buddha and the reclining Buddha. We also got taken to some tourist centers (TATs) so that our driver could get "coupons" for gas, where several people tried to convince us to sign up for tours and such, but the very polite haggling was a small price to pay for the 50 baht (just over a dollar) fee that we paid our driver for our whole afternoon-long drive.

After the tuk-tuk driver dropped us off near the river, we took a river taxi further south and eventually got out to wander around in some open air markets, sample some street food (I got a barbecued banana and Arati got coconut wrapped in a banana leaf), and finally get some dinner in an open-air restaurant on the water. The view was awesome. Our whole day has been pretty much a sensory overload, but we are having a great time and are pretty excited to see what else is in store. Tomorrow we are planning to go and see some of the more famous wats and maybe go see a Thai boxing match tomorrow night. Then again, if we've learned anything in the last 24 hrs., it's that plans often change at a moment's notice...so we shall see.

Things are off to a great start, and (after a shower and some more sleep) I'm excited to see what's next. Keep in touch!