i guess it can't always be sunny now can it? i'm in hoi an, vietnam at the moment... which is near the beach but it's been overcast and cold... so no beach time for me, unfortunately.
one thing i've learned on this trip...is that you most likely will run into the same people again so the whole..."who cares... when are you going to see these people again" theory doesn't apply. for instance... when i was in sihanoukville (i feel like i've told this story already bear with me again) cambodia at the vietnam consulate, a couple came in to also get their vietnam visa. didn't think much of it. was in kampot at a bar when the couple next to me asked..."did everything work out with your visa?". it was that couple. then when i was in saigon... i was taking pics on the rooftop... i turn around and they're waving at me. crazy. and then... was coming back from lunch in dalat and saw the couple standing outside my hostel. small, small world. luckily i like this couple. they're really cool. from the netherlands. :) but yeah, i've been running into the same people. i guess that's what happens.
oh dalat... i loved dalat but mostly i liked it because of the place that i stayed. i got there after a night bus at 7am or so...so tired. and was greeted by anni who was so nice and sweet. she gave me a hug and said that she could switch my bed so that i could have a bed immediately. yay. that's what i did. i so needed a nap. the hostel itself is their home. two girls and their mother live there and run the whole place. yes, it is a bit cramped, but it really did feel like family. each night mama and the girls prepared dinner and everyone staying could join. it was a big spread and only for $2. and not to mention beers were 50 cents each. big ones. it was a great way to get to know the other travelers. and this place seems to attract people who are just great. no douche bags. after dinner we would hang out and exchange stories. one night we went out for karaoke. it was absolutely insane. SO much fun. really just a great group of people from all over. all ages. i THINK i was the oldest but of course...i don't really feel that way. :) i have a young heart.
i was also in the mekong delta before which i enjoyed. i did it on my own and not part of a tour so i decided to stay in a homestay which wasn't so much a homestay. i had a private bungalow across the street but the family prepared breakfast lunch and dinner each day. it was yummy. the family was nice even though the only one who spoke english was the father. the mother of the father was really nice and was always offering me treats... watermelon, mango candy, etc. i liked her. the whole family was helpful and sweet. it's amazing how much you can communicate when you don't know the language.
tomorrow i go to hue... and then to phong nha ke bang national park to see the caves. i am excited about this because i haven't heard anything bad about it. i will be staying at pepperhouse homestay there which i am looking forward to. the reviews on tripadvisor seem to be good... authentic rural vietnam. and i know one girl who stayed there and loved it. suggestions are super critical when traveling. after that, probably up to hanoi and then halong bay then back to hanoi and....fly to.... somewhere. not sure where.
i can't believe it's been four months already.... four and a half months. sometimes it feels like it's been a while and sometimes i feel like i just started. in total i will be away for six months. woah! six months! i can see myself not staying in the states too long. the idea of teaching english somewhere is starting to get really appealing as is volunteering. i just don't think i want to go back to normal life. i've talked to some travelers who miss their homes and their "normal" life... but i don't feel that. at all. is that weird? should i miss boston? i don't really. oh well.
i'm just gonna keep on keeping on.... :)
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Saturday, February 1, 2014
i really wish i could blog while walking...
because i always have ideas as i walk. ALWAYS... and then i get to my kindle or a computer and i forget nearly everything. like now. but here is a perfectly good opportunity to blog while i figure out what i want to do for the day. okay... well i know what i want to do, it's just a matter of when i actually want to do it.
cambodia.... wow... i love that country. it's so special. it really is. yes, i did mainly touristy things and hung out in the guesthouses with mainly westerners, but the interaction with the locals when i did have it was great. and one of my most memorable things was in battambang when i was going to the killing caves (which is mindblowing on its own) and being taken through this village... every child was there waving, smiling and saying hello. they were so happy. all of them. it was just really sweet. the killing caves themselves were pretty humbling... to know that people were bludgeoned to death because they had an education, a decent career, wore glasses, spoke another language, etc... by their own people.. then thrown through a skylight... just.. disgusting. and this happening only back in the 70s... just. unfathomable really. the killing fields in phnom penh were even more intense. to hear how they killed people there was just.. disgusting. children too... killed. i never knew a thing about cambodia growing up and honestly only read up on the khmer rouge this past summer, but it really is just mindblowing. and i was really turned off by the visitors in both of these places who were taking photos. i don't know. to me it just seems inappropriate to take photos of it. it was really weird even just to have a tuk tuk driver bring me there. just a really emotional day both at the killing cave in battambang and the killing fields in phnom penh. cambodia is just special and i hope to get back there sometime and work or volunteer. as you all know i'm not one for children... at all. but those kids in cambodia... oh my goodness, they warm my heart. i would love to work with them. this is a huge thing for me to say... not only for the kid factor but also because i never have a desire to return somewhere i've already been. i saw a couple ads when i was in kampot about volunteering there. cambodia's version of the peace corps.
cambodia is just special.
why does this happen to me? i can never remember what i want to say in a blog.. but when i'm out and about i have all these ideas. i really should start taking notes on my phone or something. there's always so much i want to share... and then i just blurb. i'm a horrible blogger. i apologize.
vietnam, so far, has been great. things are quiet in ho chi minh city right now because it's tet... chinese new year. for all of you who care what animal it is the year of, it's the horse. tet is like thanksgiving, christmas and new years all wrapped into one. i was lucky enough to meet up with my friend huan who i worked with in boston. he moved back to vietnam 2 years ago. he welcomed me into his family's house and out with his friends. i always think it's amazing for someone to welcome you into their home. and for it to be part of the holiday celebration... that's just really sweet. we went to his aunt's house new years eve (jan 30). and basically it's like thanksgiving. lots of food, lots of drinking. his uncles can drink. and they kept filling up our glasses. if the beer was cracked open, we were expected to fill our glass up to the top. i had 3 or 4... and then huan's aunt and cousin were going to the salon to get a head massage and their hair done. they invited me along. who was i to say no? i was buzzed a bit at this point. so i got my hair done... then came back and kept drinking. i didn't understand anything that was going on, except for "yo" which means cheers in vietnamese. easy to remember. one of his uncles loved cheersing me just because that was the only thing i could say. :) that night was new years eve and we went out downtown to a bar called broma. there were a lot of westerns there.. and some locals too. we were at a rooftop bar and there were fireworks at midnight. i thought there was going to be a countdown but i couldn't hear anything. then there was a dj playing random tunes... come on eileen, a-o let's go, other songs that i can't think of. met this cool couple from england and new zealand who teach english here and have been teaching here for 4 years. that night i stayed at vinh's (huan's bf) family's house. i met his parents and sister early in the morning and then we went to huan's coworker's house. there were about 5 or so kids there. on chinese new year they have this lucky tree and there are envelopes with money on them. guests are offered an envelope of their choice. we were also offered grapefruit (or something which looked like grapefruit) as good luck. the children then got in a line in front of the grandmother who had envelopes in her hand. she wished each child luck and handed each an envelope.. and lucky money was inside. then the individual families stood in front of the grandmother and were offered a lucky envelope as well. that reminded me of christmas. it was really cool to witness, actually. i'm sure most westerners have no idea what happens during tet. i had no clue. so it was very special to actually observe it all. :) even if they spoke vietnamese and i didn't completely know what was going on at the time. i just smiled and nodded. afterwards, we went back to huan's aunt's house and had lunch. the same spread was out. lots of food. just plates with food on them every inch of the table. it reminded me so much of thanksgiving. and like thanksgiving, i needed a nap after i ate. we left shortly after that and huan dropped me off at my hostel. which is where i am now.
so.... since i didn't want to rush through cambodia or vietnam, i decided to extend my trip! :) instead of coming back on february 5, i am now coming back march 26! i will be in vietnam until february 25 since that is when my visa runs out. so i have a whole extra month to play with. not sure what to do... was thinking... philippines, indonesia (flores or other islands east of bali), or myanmar. or going back to cambodia to volunteer. what to do? what to do? not a bad problem to have.
okay, this was enough useless information for you to ponder. i'm going to have to figure out a way to make more informative blogs. :)
cambodia.... wow... i love that country. it's so special. it really is. yes, i did mainly touristy things and hung out in the guesthouses with mainly westerners, but the interaction with the locals when i did have it was great. and one of my most memorable things was in battambang when i was going to the killing caves (which is mindblowing on its own) and being taken through this village... every child was there waving, smiling and saying hello. they were so happy. all of them. it was just really sweet. the killing caves themselves were pretty humbling... to know that people were bludgeoned to death because they had an education, a decent career, wore glasses, spoke another language, etc... by their own people.. then thrown through a skylight... just.. disgusting. and this happening only back in the 70s... just. unfathomable really. the killing fields in phnom penh were even more intense. to hear how they killed people there was just.. disgusting. children too... killed. i never knew a thing about cambodia growing up and honestly only read up on the khmer rouge this past summer, but it really is just mindblowing. and i was really turned off by the visitors in both of these places who were taking photos. i don't know. to me it just seems inappropriate to take photos of it. it was really weird even just to have a tuk tuk driver bring me there. just a really emotional day both at the killing cave in battambang and the killing fields in phnom penh. cambodia is just special and i hope to get back there sometime and work or volunteer. as you all know i'm not one for children... at all. but those kids in cambodia... oh my goodness, they warm my heart. i would love to work with them. this is a huge thing for me to say... not only for the kid factor but also because i never have a desire to return somewhere i've already been. i saw a couple ads when i was in kampot about volunteering there. cambodia's version of the peace corps.
cambodia is just special.
why does this happen to me? i can never remember what i want to say in a blog.. but when i'm out and about i have all these ideas. i really should start taking notes on my phone or something. there's always so much i want to share... and then i just blurb. i'm a horrible blogger. i apologize.
vietnam, so far, has been great. things are quiet in ho chi minh city right now because it's tet... chinese new year. for all of you who care what animal it is the year of, it's the horse. tet is like thanksgiving, christmas and new years all wrapped into one. i was lucky enough to meet up with my friend huan who i worked with in boston. he moved back to vietnam 2 years ago. he welcomed me into his family's house and out with his friends. i always think it's amazing for someone to welcome you into their home. and for it to be part of the holiday celebration... that's just really sweet. we went to his aunt's house new years eve (jan 30). and basically it's like thanksgiving. lots of food, lots of drinking. his uncles can drink. and they kept filling up our glasses. if the beer was cracked open, we were expected to fill our glass up to the top. i had 3 or 4... and then huan's aunt and cousin were going to the salon to get a head massage and their hair done. they invited me along. who was i to say no? i was buzzed a bit at this point. so i got my hair done... then came back and kept drinking. i didn't understand anything that was going on, except for "yo" which means cheers in vietnamese. easy to remember. one of his uncles loved cheersing me just because that was the only thing i could say. :) that night was new years eve and we went out downtown to a bar called broma. there were a lot of westerns there.. and some locals too. we were at a rooftop bar and there were fireworks at midnight. i thought there was going to be a countdown but i couldn't hear anything. then there was a dj playing random tunes... come on eileen, a-o let's go, other songs that i can't think of. met this cool couple from england and new zealand who teach english here and have been teaching here for 4 years. that night i stayed at vinh's (huan's bf) family's house. i met his parents and sister early in the morning and then we went to huan's coworker's house. there were about 5 or so kids there. on chinese new year they have this lucky tree and there are envelopes with money on them. guests are offered an envelope of their choice. we were also offered grapefruit (or something which looked like grapefruit) as good luck. the children then got in a line in front of the grandmother who had envelopes in her hand. she wished each child luck and handed each an envelope.. and lucky money was inside. then the individual families stood in front of the grandmother and were offered a lucky envelope as well. that reminded me of christmas. it was really cool to witness, actually. i'm sure most westerners have no idea what happens during tet. i had no clue. so it was very special to actually observe it all. :) even if they spoke vietnamese and i didn't completely know what was going on at the time. i just smiled and nodded. afterwards, we went back to huan's aunt's house and had lunch. the same spread was out. lots of food. just plates with food on them every inch of the table. it reminded me so much of thanksgiving. and like thanksgiving, i needed a nap after i ate. we left shortly after that and huan dropped me off at my hostel. which is where i am now.
so.... since i didn't want to rush through cambodia or vietnam, i decided to extend my trip! :) instead of coming back on february 5, i am now coming back march 26! i will be in vietnam until february 25 since that is when my visa runs out. so i have a whole extra month to play with. not sure what to do... was thinking... philippines, indonesia (flores or other islands east of bali), or myanmar. or going back to cambodia to volunteer. what to do? what to do? not a bad problem to have.
okay, this was enough useless information for you to ponder. i'm going to have to figure out a way to make more informative blogs. :)
Monday, January 6, 2014
made it out of Thailand....
Finally! Although I did have a great time in Thailand. Met many cool people and stayed in some great places. I especially loved pai. I thought I was in love with Chiang mai until I went to Pai. My kindle is annoying and I'm too lazy to worry about capitalization so... you just have to deal with it. Pai was one of those places you plan for three days and end up staying eight.... which is what happened. I stayed until my visa ran out. I loved my bungalow and esp Natalie who managed it. She had such a big bright heart that made the stay so pleasurable. If anyone is going to Pai....stay at Pai nam now. :) bonfire every night. And a group bbq occasionally...
Going into Laos was great too. Took the slow boat to luang prabang and made many friends. We really had quite a social group. Everyone got along and enjoyed our time. Yes it was chilly but ya didn't even realize it so much. Stayed at a guesthouse with other people from the boat and always ended up at a bar called utopia at night (also where I was for Christmas eve). L.P. was a pretty place. Relaxing... a temple, a giant waterfall, cute coffee shops, and even managed to go to a fashion show which also had breakdancing. Laos in general is interesting because things shut at 1130pm. Everywhere. In L.P.there was an after hours bowling alley which I bumped into a friend from chiang mai there and also my friend from pai. Not to mention I met a guy from Lynn. The bowling alley stayed open til 2 I think. There was also a Laos bar which stayed open later. I met some cool people there... Anna and Giorgio....who I ended up traveling with all through Laos. Christmas day we traveled to vang vieng. I originally didn't want to travel on Christmas but I would have been the only person in luang prabang. Vang vieng left much to be desired. I did one of the caves and blue lagoon and the hot air balloon ride. The hot air balloon was nice but it was cloudy. So not the best. I ended up not feeling well so I stayed in vang vieng a bit longer than expected. Headed to don det which is part of 4000 islands. It was a super pimped out sleeper bus with a Winnie the pooh on the side and flashing lights and "king of bus" written on the front. My first time on a sleeper bus in Laos. They were twin beds as seats. Awesome at first as I thought I had one to myself but then I had to share with a girl from Australia. Kinda weird to be sleeping in a twin bed on a bus with a girl I didn't know... But whatever. We managed. Kinda funny to think about. Don det was awesome. So relaxing and cheap cheap.... $3.50 for my own bungalow on the Mekong with two hammocks. Yes, the bathroom was separate but it was fine. I'm getting use to that... And not so warm showers.... And manual flushing as in pour a pail of water down the toilet. I so appreciate a hot shower when I have one. Don det was a lot of chillaxing and hanging at a bar called pai in Laos. All the places are really chill but we made our home there. New year's eve they had a roasted pig. They killed the pig in the morning. I was there for the cleaning out of the insides and putting it on the fire. I guess it's an experience. That day we pretty much played cards and ate. I also did a sunset boat ride to another island... beer included. Came back for pig... then headed to the reggae bar which was ridiculously packed. Then everyone headed to the beach for the bonfire. The whole island was there. Bumped into so many people from the slow boat to luang prabang. It was nice. I guess I'm on the southeast Asia version of the gringo trail. :) I did bike to another island a day or two after but beside that I did a lot of hanging with friends, playing cards, and drinking and eating. I stayed until money ran out.... No one wants kip.
After a horrendous couple of busrides I've made it to siem reap. Left at 8am and got here at 3am. Supposedly we were suppose to be here at 10pm. And I am staying at the same place as a couple of my friends Iet in Laos. Without even planning it. I am going to be heading to Angkor wat tomorrow for sunrise with one of the guys from the slow boat. It is suppose to be really great then so.... being up at 430 should be worth it.
I know I have so much to update but I just can't recall everything. I have kept up with my written journal though. Which I started rereading the other day. I'm glad I started it cause I have forgotten so many things! I've taken a lot less photos on this trip than south America. But I guess all memories are in my mind.
Gotta go for now. Meeting up with friends I took the horrible busses with. They were super cute. When we got in this morning they took a separate tuk tuk then the one I was on with Matt... So they didn't know if I was okay. I came across a coffee shop and one of them sitting there. She was so happy to see me. She was nervous that something happened. Then when her sister got there she said the same thing. So we are meeting up for dinner... And I want a nap beforehand. My life is so tough....
Going into Laos was great too. Took the slow boat to luang prabang and made many friends. We really had quite a social group. Everyone got along and enjoyed our time. Yes it was chilly but ya didn't even realize it so much. Stayed at a guesthouse with other people from the boat and always ended up at a bar called utopia at night (also where I was for Christmas eve). L.P. was a pretty place. Relaxing... a temple, a giant waterfall, cute coffee shops, and even managed to go to a fashion show which also had breakdancing. Laos in general is interesting because things shut at 1130pm. Everywhere. In L.P.there was an after hours bowling alley which I bumped into a friend from chiang mai there and also my friend from pai. Not to mention I met a guy from Lynn. The bowling alley stayed open til 2 I think. There was also a Laos bar which stayed open later. I met some cool people there... Anna and Giorgio....who I ended up traveling with all through Laos. Christmas day we traveled to vang vieng. I originally didn't want to travel on Christmas but I would have been the only person in luang prabang. Vang vieng left much to be desired. I did one of the caves and blue lagoon and the hot air balloon ride. The hot air balloon was nice but it was cloudy. So not the best. I ended up not feeling well so I stayed in vang vieng a bit longer than expected. Headed to don det which is part of 4000 islands. It was a super pimped out sleeper bus with a Winnie the pooh on the side and flashing lights and "king of bus" written on the front. My first time on a sleeper bus in Laos. They were twin beds as seats. Awesome at first as I thought I had one to myself but then I had to share with a girl from Australia. Kinda weird to be sleeping in a twin bed on a bus with a girl I didn't know... But whatever. We managed. Kinda funny to think about. Don det was awesome. So relaxing and cheap cheap.... $3.50 for my own bungalow on the Mekong with two hammocks. Yes, the bathroom was separate but it was fine. I'm getting use to that... And not so warm showers.... And manual flushing as in pour a pail of water down the toilet. I so appreciate a hot shower when I have one. Don det was a lot of chillaxing and hanging at a bar called pai in Laos. All the places are really chill but we made our home there. New year's eve they had a roasted pig. They killed the pig in the morning. I was there for the cleaning out of the insides and putting it on the fire. I guess it's an experience. That day we pretty much played cards and ate. I also did a sunset boat ride to another island... beer included. Came back for pig... then headed to the reggae bar which was ridiculously packed. Then everyone headed to the beach for the bonfire. The whole island was there. Bumped into so many people from the slow boat to luang prabang. It was nice. I guess I'm on the southeast Asia version of the gringo trail. :) I did bike to another island a day or two after but beside that I did a lot of hanging with friends, playing cards, and drinking and eating. I stayed until money ran out.... No one wants kip.
After a horrendous couple of busrides I've made it to siem reap. Left at 8am and got here at 3am. Supposedly we were suppose to be here at 10pm. And I am staying at the same place as a couple of my friends Iet in Laos. Without even planning it. I am going to be heading to Angkor wat tomorrow for sunrise with one of the guys from the slow boat. It is suppose to be really great then so.... being up at 430 should be worth it.
I know I have so much to update but I just can't recall everything. I have kept up with my written journal though. Which I started rereading the other day. I'm glad I started it cause I have forgotten so many things! I've taken a lot less photos on this trip than south America. But I guess all memories are in my mind.
Gotta go for now. Meeting up with friends I took the horrible busses with. They were super cute. When we got in this morning they took a separate tuk tuk then the one I was on with Matt... So they didn't know if I was okay. I came across a coffee shop and one of them sitting there. She was so happy to see me. She was nervous that something happened. Then when her sister got there she said the same thing. So we are meeting up for dinner... And I want a nap beforehand. My life is so tough....
Friday, December 6, 2013
still in thailand
i really can't believe that i have been here for so long... i thought for sure i would be out by now, but that's what happens when you meet fantastic people... and when you decide to get certified in diving. had those two things not happened, then i probably wouldn't still be here.
i can't even remember the last blog i posted... i think from krabi? unlike the past two blogs... it is nice and sunny out. i will be going out shortly. i'm in chiang mai and have been here a couple days. the first place i stayed was not amazing. the beds were SO hard. i've been in hard beds before... but this seriously was like sleeping on a board. i didn't meet anyone the first day there... but i did meet a girl the second day who said she was switching places because of the lack of socializing. so... i'm in a new place... 120baht for a three person dorm and ensuite bathroom. the atmosphere here is good. it feels like a hostel... the kind from south america which i've missed. so far haven't met anyone... and the girl i met is doing a day with elephants so she will be back later.
i spent a lot of time down in southern thailand... the islands were beautiful. i met a couple from australia in krabi... after i went to koh phi phi (which is pronounced... pee pee... and i liked to say... ya down with koh phi phi... yeah you know me... unfortunately a lot of people had no idea what i was saying... i guess i'm hanging with the youngins) i met up with the couple again in koh lanta. it was good to see them again. katie (the girl of the couple) and i decided to go visit some other islands. we went to koh ngai and koh mook. we were suppose to go to koh kradan, but we loved koh mook too much so we just stayed there. it really was a special place. one of those places that if you go back in five or ten years it will be a bit different... more stuff... but right now it was really special. the people in the village were great. we found a great coffee shop - sugar's coffee... wan... the owner was so great. we went there twice. she and her other brother taught us a bunch of thai phrases. we spent a good amount of time there. also while walking in the villages, i got stung by a bee on my wrist... it was outside of this local family store... and the family ran right out and helped me with the sting... they gave me some cream for it which helped. just really sweet. then the next day when we went to sugar's we walked by the family again and they asked us how my sting was. just really sweet people. i miss that island so much. also met some fun travelers... most from poland (random and yay!) and a girl from italy... my background. it was a great time to go there... and i'm glad we didn't bother going to the final island. it was just resort after resort after resort... not so much my scene. great for honeymooners... bad for solo travelers.
on thanksgiving katie and i practiced poi on the beach. it's the fire spinning balls on a string... except we didn't do it with fire... just tennis balls on a wire chain. as easy as it looks, it was ridiculously hard. and katie was super sweet... she bought me a pair of these as a gift... so now i can practice wherever i go. perhaps i join the circus. haha. that could be my new career... and i'm guessing that none of you would put that past me.
btw... i've been into reggae lately... seriously want to find a reggae bar wherever i go... AND... next i'm going to pai. and december 13-15 is a reggae festival. so i hope to go at least one day. pai is suppose to be a really chill, hippy kinda place... sounds pretty cool... and they even have a circus school... i see my new career taking off. :)
okay... there was more i think i wanted to update, but i forget. next update will probably be in laos... which is where i will probably spend christmas. people keep asking where i'm going to be spending it (people from home and other travelers)... and wherever i am is where christmas will be... i'm not planning on making sure i'm in a specific spot or anything.
hope all is good back home... today is santacon back home and i hope that those who are going have an amazing time... :)
i can't even remember the last blog i posted... i think from krabi? unlike the past two blogs... it is nice and sunny out. i will be going out shortly. i'm in chiang mai and have been here a couple days. the first place i stayed was not amazing. the beds were SO hard. i've been in hard beds before... but this seriously was like sleeping on a board. i didn't meet anyone the first day there... but i did meet a girl the second day who said she was switching places because of the lack of socializing. so... i'm in a new place... 120baht for a three person dorm and ensuite bathroom. the atmosphere here is good. it feels like a hostel... the kind from south america which i've missed. so far haven't met anyone... and the girl i met is doing a day with elephants so she will be back later.
i spent a lot of time down in southern thailand... the islands were beautiful. i met a couple from australia in krabi... after i went to koh phi phi (which is pronounced... pee pee... and i liked to say... ya down with koh phi phi... yeah you know me... unfortunately a lot of people had no idea what i was saying... i guess i'm hanging with the youngins) i met up with the couple again in koh lanta. it was good to see them again. katie (the girl of the couple) and i decided to go visit some other islands. we went to koh ngai and koh mook. we were suppose to go to koh kradan, but we loved koh mook too much so we just stayed there. it really was a special place. one of those places that if you go back in five or ten years it will be a bit different... more stuff... but right now it was really special. the people in the village were great. we found a great coffee shop - sugar's coffee... wan... the owner was so great. we went there twice. she and her other brother taught us a bunch of thai phrases. we spent a good amount of time there. also while walking in the villages, i got stung by a bee on my wrist... it was outside of this local family store... and the family ran right out and helped me with the sting... they gave me some cream for it which helped. just really sweet. then the next day when we went to sugar's we walked by the family again and they asked us how my sting was. just really sweet people. i miss that island so much. also met some fun travelers... most from poland (random and yay!) and a girl from italy... my background. it was a great time to go there... and i'm glad we didn't bother going to the final island. it was just resort after resort after resort... not so much my scene. great for honeymooners... bad for solo travelers.
on thanksgiving katie and i practiced poi on the beach. it's the fire spinning balls on a string... except we didn't do it with fire... just tennis balls on a wire chain. as easy as it looks, it was ridiculously hard. and katie was super sweet... she bought me a pair of these as a gift... so now i can practice wherever i go. perhaps i join the circus. haha. that could be my new career... and i'm guessing that none of you would put that past me.
btw... i've been into reggae lately... seriously want to find a reggae bar wherever i go... AND... next i'm going to pai. and december 13-15 is a reggae festival. so i hope to go at least one day. pai is suppose to be a really chill, hippy kinda place... sounds pretty cool... and they even have a circus school... i see my new career taking off. :)
okay... there was more i think i wanted to update, but i forget. next update will probably be in laos... which is where i will probably spend christmas. people keep asking where i'm going to be spending it (people from home and other travelers)... and wherever i am is where christmas will be... i'm not planning on making sure i'm in a specific spot or anything.
hope all is good back home... today is santacon back home and i hope that those who are going have an amazing time... :)
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
i only seem to update when it's raining...
and it's raining! ha. i am in krabi, thailand. which is in the southern part and on the indian ocean. it is a good jump point to the islands... which is where i'm going tomorrow... ko phi phi. looking forward to it... will be meeting up with vanessa, my cs host from singapore, and her friends for at least one night out. will be good to see them again.
just got back from the maldives which was absolutely amazing. i was invited by my friend adaeze, who was planning her mother's 70th bday party there. nice place to celebrate a birthday. not only was the water super clear and the island absolutely beautiful (we stayed on paradise island), but her family and friends were so much fun. most were from nigeria and they know how to have a good time. i think it's about time i tick africa off my list and hang out with these fabulous people again. so much fun just hanging out with them and singing and dancing. i was a little nervous at first (i know... me? nervous?) since i didn't know anyone, but i got along with them all almost instantly. i don't remember everyone's name (younger people yes, older people no) or their relationship to each other an adaeze, but it was fun to get to know them. days were organized with an event or two but there was also some free time. on the full free day i went diving. it was pretty good. expensive, but good. saw two turtles which were nice, a sea cucumber, and giant starfish. they are SO big. like 2 feet long. no lie. no sharks on the dive, but the water was so clear so you can see all the reef sharks from the surface. together we did a sunset dolphin cruise, a tour of the capital city - male (mah-lay), and on the final full day a church service, brunch, and celebration soiree for adaeze's mom. she was so sweet. she went around to each table and personally introduced everyone to everyone else and thanked them. even me! really nice. then followed by dancing. which had some really good nigerian music. great experience.
on the way back, a lot of them were flying through colombo, sri lanka, so adaeze's brother planned a little tour. i was on different flights but also had a long lay over in colombo so i was able to join. we stopped off at a precious gems store, and then a place to have dinner. dinner was delicious. we got back just in time for me to go through security and get on the flight. glad i was able to make it out of the airport this time. :) and more stamps in the passport.
before the maldives i was in koh tao thailand, which is on the gulf coast. pretty much you just go there if you want to dive, or get your certification. that's what i was going for. i was pretty proud of myself for completing considering i freaked out when i tried to do the great barrier reef. now blowing water out of my mask underwater isn't that big of a deal. taking it off, swimming around and putting it back on, however, does take a little bit of patience, but i can do it! yay! my dive group consisted of two other couples - one from canada and the other from the netherland. i was told that the group would only be 4 people, but it was fine. the couples were cool and we're good friends now. and i've also learned that i say "ya know what i'm sayin' " a bazillion times a day. ha. i swore that i never said it... so every time i would say it, they'd respond "yes, we know what you're saying". ha. it was funny. probably one of those, you had to be there type moments. on our third dive we saw TWO whale sharks (or maybe the same one twice?). which... is a bit rare. was talking to dive masters on the boat and they said it took them over 25 dives just to see one! so to see one twice was really cool. and yes, we are spoiled. it's all downhill from here. we saw it from below. we were probably 10 or so meters down and the shark was close to the surface. just really amazingly cool. our instructor was so happy. he forgot to even do the second skills test on that dive. so we just added it to the next dive... no worries. everyone was SO psyched on the boat. i guess getting to the dive site first thing in the morning (no lie... about 630am) has its privileges.
hmmm... what else? oh... i had REAL coffee today. so nice not to have instant coffee. the last time i had real coffee was at anomali coffee in ubud. miss that place. will have to go back. for the coffee, and the people. but today's coffee was nice. i ended up talking with some australians who invited me out to a bar tonight. they were really cool. like the hippie type... really just friendly and chill. and then i played a game called jackpot and chinese checkers with a woman who is friends with the people at the coffee shop. that was fun. no need to plan anything for today when it's raining... so may as well chat with the locals and play games. :) life is good. just when i think things are meh... they turn up. haven't met people super easily as i had in south america. not as many dorm rooms or hostels with cooking areas/common areas... so it take a little more effort to meet people. but... all is still good. i can't complain... i'm in thailand!!!
i always feel like there are things to update.. and then when i sit down to type it all out, i can't remember. one random thing that i've noticed around southeast asia... they barely ever give you a knife for food. you usually get a fork and a big spoon. no knife. even if you get something like a chicken breast. i haven't figured out a proper way to eat it but i usually just take the whole thing on my fork and take bites. not sure how to cut with a spoon. food is good here, and cheap. had dinner for 40baht last night at the night market which is about $1.25. the place i'm staying tonight is basic, but really cheap. 300baht for two nights. it calculates to around $4.50 a night. i have my own room. tiny, but it's enough. a little on the loud side, but i can't complain since it's so cheap.
okay... i think i will go and have lunch. the place i'm staying has delicious food. maybe go for a massage later. went yesterday to get an hour long thai massage. it was wonderful. at first i didn't like it, but i got into it. no oil or cream which is nice. and you keep your clothes on. really great stretches. may go back to the same place or try somewhere new. the australians i met this morning told me about another place to go.
for real. i'm going to have lunch. hope everyone is good!
just got back from the maldives which was absolutely amazing. i was invited by my friend adaeze, who was planning her mother's 70th bday party there. nice place to celebrate a birthday. not only was the water super clear and the island absolutely beautiful (we stayed on paradise island), but her family and friends were so much fun. most were from nigeria and they know how to have a good time. i think it's about time i tick africa off my list and hang out with these fabulous people again. so much fun just hanging out with them and singing and dancing. i was a little nervous at first (i know... me? nervous?) since i didn't know anyone, but i got along with them all almost instantly. i don't remember everyone's name (younger people yes, older people no) or their relationship to each other an adaeze, but it was fun to get to know them. days were organized with an event or two but there was also some free time. on the full free day i went diving. it was pretty good. expensive, but good. saw two turtles which were nice, a sea cucumber, and giant starfish. they are SO big. like 2 feet long. no lie. no sharks on the dive, but the water was so clear so you can see all the reef sharks from the surface. together we did a sunset dolphin cruise, a tour of the capital city - male (mah-lay), and on the final full day a church service, brunch, and celebration soiree for adaeze's mom. she was so sweet. she went around to each table and personally introduced everyone to everyone else and thanked them. even me! really nice. then followed by dancing. which had some really good nigerian music. great experience.
on the way back, a lot of them were flying through colombo, sri lanka, so adaeze's brother planned a little tour. i was on different flights but also had a long lay over in colombo so i was able to join. we stopped off at a precious gems store, and then a place to have dinner. dinner was delicious. we got back just in time for me to go through security and get on the flight. glad i was able to make it out of the airport this time. :) and more stamps in the passport.
before the maldives i was in koh tao thailand, which is on the gulf coast. pretty much you just go there if you want to dive, or get your certification. that's what i was going for. i was pretty proud of myself for completing considering i freaked out when i tried to do the great barrier reef. now blowing water out of my mask underwater isn't that big of a deal. taking it off, swimming around and putting it back on, however, does take a little bit of patience, but i can do it! yay! my dive group consisted of two other couples - one from canada and the other from the netherland. i was told that the group would only be 4 people, but it was fine. the couples were cool and we're good friends now. and i've also learned that i say "ya know what i'm sayin' " a bazillion times a day. ha. i swore that i never said it... so every time i would say it, they'd respond "yes, we know what you're saying". ha. it was funny. probably one of those, you had to be there type moments. on our third dive we saw TWO whale sharks (or maybe the same one twice?). which... is a bit rare. was talking to dive masters on the boat and they said it took them over 25 dives just to see one! so to see one twice was really cool. and yes, we are spoiled. it's all downhill from here. we saw it from below. we were probably 10 or so meters down and the shark was close to the surface. just really amazingly cool. our instructor was so happy. he forgot to even do the second skills test on that dive. so we just added it to the next dive... no worries. everyone was SO psyched on the boat. i guess getting to the dive site first thing in the morning (no lie... about 630am) has its privileges.
hmmm... what else? oh... i had REAL coffee today. so nice not to have instant coffee. the last time i had real coffee was at anomali coffee in ubud. miss that place. will have to go back. for the coffee, and the people. but today's coffee was nice. i ended up talking with some australians who invited me out to a bar tonight. they were really cool. like the hippie type... really just friendly and chill. and then i played a game called jackpot and chinese checkers with a woman who is friends with the people at the coffee shop. that was fun. no need to plan anything for today when it's raining... so may as well chat with the locals and play games. :) life is good. just when i think things are meh... they turn up. haven't met people super easily as i had in south america. not as many dorm rooms or hostels with cooking areas/common areas... so it take a little more effort to meet people. but... all is still good. i can't complain... i'm in thailand!!!
i always feel like there are things to update.. and then when i sit down to type it all out, i can't remember. one random thing that i've noticed around southeast asia... they barely ever give you a knife for food. you usually get a fork and a big spoon. no knife. even if you get something like a chicken breast. i haven't figured out a proper way to eat it but i usually just take the whole thing on my fork and take bites. not sure how to cut with a spoon. food is good here, and cheap. had dinner for 40baht last night at the night market which is about $1.25. the place i'm staying tonight is basic, but really cheap. 300baht for two nights. it calculates to around $4.50 a night. i have my own room. tiny, but it's enough. a little on the loud side, but i can't complain since it's so cheap.
okay... i think i will go and have lunch. the place i'm staying has delicious food. maybe go for a massage later. went yesterday to get an hour long thai massage. it was wonderful. at first i didn't like it, but i got into it. no oil or cream which is nice. and you keep your clothes on. really great stretches. may go back to the same place or try somewhere new. the australians i met this morning told me about another place to go.
for real. i'm going to have lunch. hope everyone is good!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
It's a wash
Seriously.... Kuala Lumpur is just a wash. Right now it is pouring. It's pretty crazy. I guess we are beginning the rainy season.
Ya know how sometimes you visit a new place and the second you touch down you're super into it. Yeah... that didn't happen here. At all. It seems like a big city with nothing to say for itself. If you like malls, then you'd love it here as there are malls on top of malls here. Like five malls connected. About 5 floors each. It's kinda obnoxious. Most of them stores from home. High end stores like Burberry and then the lower end stores like h & m and forever 21. If I ever were to move to Malaysia (or any southeast Asian country I'm sure) I'm going to have to seriously think about getting a breast reduction. My boobs are so not made for the clothes here. I hope that my bras don't go down the shitter when I'm here.
But anyway.... I shouldn't complain. I'm out doing what I love. And so... I ended up in a city that I'm not super fond of.... So.... that means I should leave! So that's what I'm doing. I'm going to go to a southern Malaysian town/city called Malacca (or Melaka). On wikitravel (which is so much better than lonely planet) it was an option in the get out section on the Kuala Lumpur page. So we shall see. I spend a couple days there and then will head to Thailand. I booked a flight for approx $40.
It's weird to be in a big city after Bali. To have to watch my bags as if something is going to happen to it. I mean you always have to worry about it... But there were several times that I would leave my bag sitting on the table. Or leave my phone out. Nothing would happen to it in Bali. Cities you worry more. I do miss the Balinese. Really nice people. At least the ones I've run into.
Malaysia is an interesting mix of people. There is definitely a strong Indian and middle eastern influence here... And not so much "typical Asian". For some reason I wasn't expecting that. Not that it's bad or anything. It's just an observation.
Something I've noticed in southeast Asia as opposed to south America. When someone local asks me where I'm from I always say the United States. And I always get a confused look. So then I say... America. And they almost ALWAYS say... Oh... America... Barack Obama. Indonesia always brought up Obama. So far can't tell about Malaysia. But anyway... I never like to say I'm from America... I like to say the United States because technically all the countries in North and South America are just as much from America as those in the United States. I don't know why that bothers me but it does. I wish we were called United staters or something. But anyway....
This hostel that I'm staying at is pretty dull. No one seems to care to converse. I did end up talking to an older guy from San Francisco who gave me all his maps. Nice guy and has been traveling the world for seven years with no sight of permanently going home. My kinda guy. But he left on an overnight train somewhere. I was hoping to connect with people on couchsurfing but no luck there either. Did talk to an English guy at the reggae bar down the street. He was cool. Southeast Asia loves their reggae bars. They seem to be everywhere here.
Okay... I'm gonna go read... Hope all is well back home! Although I think baseball is ridiculously boring.... I'm glad that the Sox won! Yay Boston!
Ya know how sometimes you visit a new place and the second you touch down you're super into it. Yeah... that didn't happen here. At all. It seems like a big city with nothing to say for itself. If you like malls, then you'd love it here as there are malls on top of malls here. Like five malls connected. About 5 floors each. It's kinda obnoxious. Most of them stores from home. High end stores like Burberry and then the lower end stores like h & m and forever 21. If I ever were to move to Malaysia (or any southeast Asian country I'm sure) I'm going to have to seriously think about getting a breast reduction. My boobs are so not made for the clothes here. I hope that my bras don't go down the shitter when I'm here.
But anyway.... I shouldn't complain. I'm out doing what I love. And so... I ended up in a city that I'm not super fond of.... So.... that means I should leave! So that's what I'm doing. I'm going to go to a southern Malaysian town/city called Malacca (or Melaka). On wikitravel (which is so much better than lonely planet) it was an option in the get out section on the Kuala Lumpur page. So we shall see. I spend a couple days there and then will head to Thailand. I booked a flight for approx $40.
It's weird to be in a big city after Bali. To have to watch my bags as if something is going to happen to it. I mean you always have to worry about it... But there were several times that I would leave my bag sitting on the table. Or leave my phone out. Nothing would happen to it in Bali. Cities you worry more. I do miss the Balinese. Really nice people. At least the ones I've run into.
Malaysia is an interesting mix of people. There is definitely a strong Indian and middle eastern influence here... And not so much "typical Asian". For some reason I wasn't expecting that. Not that it's bad or anything. It's just an observation.
Something I've noticed in southeast Asia as opposed to south America. When someone local asks me where I'm from I always say the United States. And I always get a confused look. So then I say... America. And they almost ALWAYS say... Oh... America... Barack Obama. Indonesia always brought up Obama. So far can't tell about Malaysia. But anyway... I never like to say I'm from America... I like to say the United States because technically all the countries in North and South America are just as much from America as those in the United States. I don't know why that bothers me but it does. I wish we were called United staters or something. But anyway....
This hostel that I'm staying at is pretty dull. No one seems to care to converse. I did end up talking to an older guy from San Francisco who gave me all his maps. Nice guy and has been traveling the world for seven years with no sight of permanently going home. My kinda guy. But he left on an overnight train somewhere. I was hoping to connect with people on couchsurfing but no luck there either. Did talk to an English guy at the reggae bar down the street. He was cool. Southeast Asia loves their reggae bars. They seem to be everywhere here.
Okay... I'm gonna go read... Hope all is well back home! Although I think baseball is ridiculously boring.... I'm glad that the Sox won! Yay Boston!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
in ubud...
Seriously.... this place just gives you a sense that you're home. Yes... It has become a serious tourist trap (sadly there is a Starbucks here) but it is just so comfortable. The people are warm and friendly and the landscape is beautiful. And you never feel in a rush to do anything. Just really peaceful. There is a bit of traffic on the main roads where I stayed the first two nights but since I moved I feel like it's been a lot more tranquil. I am staying at a family compound which is beautiful. On a hill with a garden by the ubud palace. The family is nice and the breakfast is plentiful and delicious. A big fruit salad too. There is a group of children playing music nearby and it's fun.
Today seems a little bit cooler than the past couple days. I guess it is usually a bit cooler than it is now. At least that is what I hear from the locals. I heard it in padang bai and gili trawangan too. Seems I go where the humidity is. Awesome. At night it cools down so an open window and fan are good.
So far southeast Asia has a different feel than south America. Of course I am saying this only based on visiting Bali. It is definitely more relaxing here. And while there are a lot of tourists a lot of time is spent solo. Originally I hated it since so much of my love for south America was the people I met. But now I'm embracing it. It's nice to be in a beautiful place with just you and your thoughts. I have met some people... couchsurfers who have welcomed me into their circle of friends. And that has been nice. It's interesting learning about the difference in cultures. And also to learn how much similarity there is. It's not so much "a whole different world". One of the girls I met at a coffee shop and she said... "I hear that people in the western world just take their coffee to go. Here it is meant to be enjoyed... to sit with your friends and talk." I appreciate that. And I know that some of you reading will say cause we don't have time and that's why we are more developed, etc but there should be emphasis on building relationships, human interaction, etc. People are happy because they have what they need. But anyway, I'm not going to get into any sort of discussion about it. I'm just going to take it and build on that for my own personal growth.
So a first for me so far on this trip... riding on a motorbike. Never been on one before and honestly they scare me. I know three people who've died in motorcycle accidents and they just make me nervous. Luckily no problems. It is a but nerve racking since traffic here is a whatever goes type way. But we made it. I didn't get that rush that some people do after riding one. No desire to go home and get one.
Some mishaps... in Munich I was at a bar where they had that sledgehammer game where you hit the scale and a little marker goes up and rings a bell. I didn't play but someone did and when they put the sledgehammer down it fell into my ankle. Crazy pain. even while drunk. So... It turned into a bruise but I'm all better now. Another mishap... part of my filling came out yesterday during lunch. my vegetable panini all of a sudden got crunchy. TIM I'm sure but it's not so bad. So far it's not too sensitive. I have travel health insurance so I may get it taken care of if it gets worse. Can't think of anything else.
Okay... I'm going to post this.... hopefully it goes through. a completely different blog than the one I had written the other day. But enjoy!
Today seems a little bit cooler than the past couple days. I guess it is usually a bit cooler than it is now. At least that is what I hear from the locals. I heard it in padang bai and gili trawangan too. Seems I go where the humidity is. Awesome. At night it cools down so an open window and fan are good.
So far southeast Asia has a different feel than south America. Of course I am saying this only based on visiting Bali. It is definitely more relaxing here. And while there are a lot of tourists a lot of time is spent solo. Originally I hated it since so much of my love for south America was the people I met. But now I'm embracing it. It's nice to be in a beautiful place with just you and your thoughts. I have met some people... couchsurfers who have welcomed me into their circle of friends. And that has been nice. It's interesting learning about the difference in cultures. And also to learn how much similarity there is. It's not so much "a whole different world". One of the girls I met at a coffee shop and she said... "I hear that people in the western world just take their coffee to go. Here it is meant to be enjoyed... to sit with your friends and talk." I appreciate that. And I know that some of you reading will say cause we don't have time and that's why we are more developed, etc but there should be emphasis on building relationships, human interaction, etc. People are happy because they have what they need. But anyway, I'm not going to get into any sort of discussion about it. I'm just going to take it and build on that for my own personal growth.
So a first for me so far on this trip... riding on a motorbike. Never been on one before and honestly they scare me. I know three people who've died in motorcycle accidents and they just make me nervous. Luckily no problems. It is a but nerve racking since traffic here is a whatever goes type way. But we made it. I didn't get that rush that some people do after riding one. No desire to go home and get one.
Some mishaps... in Munich I was at a bar where they had that sledgehammer game where you hit the scale and a little marker goes up and rings a bell. I didn't play but someone did and when they put the sledgehammer down it fell into my ankle. Crazy pain. even while drunk. So... It turned into a bruise but I'm all better now. Another mishap... part of my filling came out yesterday during lunch. my vegetable panini all of a sudden got crunchy. TIM I'm sure but it's not so bad. So far it's not too sensitive. I have travel health insurance so I may get it taken care of if it gets worse. Can't think of anything else.
Okay... I'm going to post this.... hopefully it goes through. a completely different blog than the one I had written the other day. But enjoy!
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