Hong Kong: The Land of Efficiency

Goodbye sweat, cheap food, motorbikes and roadside squatters and hello efficiency. After a long layover in Bangkok, we made it to Hong Kong. Upon arrival it was immediately obvious that we were no longer in a developing country. Nope...we were definitely in a SAR. 

Stop 4: Hong Kong 

Highlights:

*SARs. What is a SAR, you ask? Well, it's a Special Administrative Region, of course! I literally knew close to nothing about HK before arriving, but luckily, Megh did her homework and let us know that HK is a SAR of China, having its own set of laws and policies. And not only that, but Macau, one of the islands of HK, is also a SAR. So I am pretty much a SARs pro now. I'm kind of a big deal.

*Efficiency. HK reeks with efficiency. It is impossible to get lost in the city because there are signs pointing you in the right direction wherever you go. There are a surplus of escalators and travelators taking you where you need to be when you want to be there. The subway system was top notch, and the accompanying Octopus Card made our lives so much easier. It's essentially a one tap plastic card that gains you entry onto most forms of transportation (ferries, subways, trams). It was our best friend for the week. 

*Good vibes. Hong Kong was definitely a unique city. It had a NYC/San Francisco vibe while still completely maintaining it's Asian culture. It is a very trendy spot. 

*Victoria's Peak. The view from the peak was absolutely stunning. First you take a tram up an extremely steep mountain, which provided unbelievable views. But the best was obviously yet to come. Once at the top, we walked along a quiet trail, away from the majority of the tourists and took in the gorgeous view of the entire city. We arrived later in the afternoon and stayed until the moon was shining. It was great to experience the view in daylight, sunset and nighttime. We noticed that a lot of photographers were hanging around in anticipation, and when we asked what they were waiting for, one man responded "For the moment" to which we asked "What moment?" and he said "THE moment." Clearly, we had to stick around and wait for THE moment when all of the photographers started snapping away as the night light hit the buildings perfectly and allowed for the ultimate photo to be taken. 

*Kowloon. We spent a bit of time on Kowloon island- shopping, wandering, eating. Kowloon was home to many specialized markets (Goldfish, Bird, Flower, Jade, the Ladies Market and the Temple St Night Market), as well as some delicious restaurants. Every night, there is also a pretty entertaining light show, where many buildings along HK Island participate in a laser/light show in the sky to the accompaniment of music. I was impressed. 

*FOOD. I know...I'm always going on and on about food, but that's one of the best parts of traveling- experiencing the different cuisines. And when it's something as glorious as Dim Sum, how could I not gush about it? We went to two different Dim Sum spots and both left us more than satisfied. I could eat dumplings everyday and be very content. One of the spots, Tim Ho Wan, had quite the reputation and we felt the need to test it out. We went to the restaurant at 10am to wait in line to get a seat number. When we finally got to the front of the line, the woman handed us a menu and said come back in 2 1/2 hrs. So we did. And we still had to wait another hour before we could squeeze into the 30 seat restaurant and then delight ourselves in one of the most insanely delicious meals I've ever had. I wish I could find the proper words to describe the deliciousness that was the BBQ pork bun. I kid you not- I am salivating at the memory of them right now. We seriously spoiled our tastebuds this week because we also had the pleasure of going to Duecento Otto, an Italian restaurant where the executive chef is a friend of a friend. Beyond Vinny (the chef) being one of the nicest people ever, he also delighted us to an amazing meal. We ate an embarrassing amount of food, but only because it was ridiculously good. Mmm.

*Jumping Shots. Put Sarah, Megh and I together and you are going to get a whole lot of jumping pictures. We basically jumped our way through the entire city, but given the backdrop, we couldn't contain ourselves.

*The nightlife. LKF was bumping. It is an isolated area of HK Island, but people fill the streets, overflowing from the many bars. It was very different than the scene I was used to (You mean I can't wear fisherman pants and a layer of sweat and fit in?), but it was a great change of pace. 

Not so highlights:

*Black and White. We arrived in HK fairly late (around 10pm) and after clearing up a little chaos at the hostel, we wanted to celebrate by eating something tasty and drinking a Chinese beer. So we meandered around until we found a small Chinese food joint that had an English menu. We were so proud that we found an authentic restaurant, but we were all horribly disappointed in our meals. We laughed as we slurped up a never-ending pile of salty, shrimpy noodles while trying to chug giant beers as the place closed up around us. Food fail.


*It's expensive!!! Baht does not go very far in this city. 

*Macau. Since we had enough time, we wanted to head out to Macau (the other SAR) for a day. We had been forewarned that Macau was basically the Vegas of Hong Kong, but that it was worth seeing. It wasn't a good start when a girl close by on the ferry was puking up a storm for the entire 50 minutes over there. Once we got there we had to find our way to the southern part of the island which involved multiple local bus rides. We walked through The Venetian, and Megh even took her turn at the slot machines, but lost her money within 30 seconds. Nevertheless, exploring Macau was fine. It was the process of getting in and out that ruined it. Since it is a separate SAR, you have to go through immigration to go in and out, and each time the lines were huge and the process took way too long. From HK alone, we gained another 6 stamps in our passport. Yowza. 

*Saying goodbye to Megh. It had been an amazing, amazing few weeks. Not only did I get to travel to new places and have this incredible experience, but I got to do it with two of my best friends. It meant so much that Megh came out here and that we were able to do this together. Saying goodbye at the airport was really hard and it got a wee bit teary. I'm still in a little bit of denial that she went back to the States. 

After months of anticipation and weeks of planning, our backpacking journey came to an end. Not only did I have a ridiculously awesome time, but I also learned a whole lot about all of the places I visited. I was slightly depressed to go back to Suphanburi, but in reality, I didn't have time to dwell. After 36 hours I would be off to Chiang Mai for one of the greatest celebrations on Earth....SONGKRAN. 

Victoria's Peak in the afternoon

Sunset!

THE Moment

Ferry ride to Kowloon

JUMP

Verrry MJ

Macau

Dim Sum! Yum!

2 Motorbikes, 2 Girlfriends....Vietnam.

Gooooood Morning Vietnam!

Well...it was more like 'Good Afternoon' after a 7 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City. Luckily, our border crossing experience was MUCH more enjoyable and hassle free than our previous one. So far, so good. Having already experienced some of Central Vietnam, I was more than a little excited to see some more of the country. And really, with its culture, its parks, its food and its baller hats, how could it disappoint?

Stop 3: Vietnam. (Ho Chi Minh City)

Highlights:

*Twitter: As we prepared to embark on our journey from Suphan, Sarah was pleasantly surprised by an email declaring she had won a contest on Twitter. She was the lucky recipient of a gift voucher to a hotel booking website. And luckily for us, not being completely organized, had yet to book a place for HCMC. So just like that, we went from nothing to a sweet hotel in the middle of the city. Free breakfast, complimentary towels, soft mattresses and Star World? Thanks James!

*Pho Noodles! We obviously had to have some of the famous Vietnamese dish, so we almost immediately scouted out a good spot. I really hope we didn't creep anyone out while we discreetly observed/hardcore stared and took notes on how to eat the noodles. Despite a few splashes and slurps, I think it was a success!

*Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Mmm. Mmmm. Mmm. 

*The city. I felt a little spoiled walking around HCMC on sidewalks (what are those?), through parks and into museums and little cafes. I almost forgot I was in SE Asia until I stumbled over a tiny Vietnamese woman, rice paddy hat in tact, squatting roadside, selling questionable items out of a basket. That's right...I'm still in Asia.

*Markets. More specifically, the Ben Thanh market, the biggest in the city. It had everything you could possibly think of and it treated us well. Megh even went all out and got some custom clothes made. Our bartering skills were definitely put to use here. Good thing I'm well-trained (Thank you very much, Thailand).

*Rice Paddy Hats. It's unbelievable how many people actually rock these in the middle of the city. And by golly, do they rock 'em.

*The Dong. The Vietnamese dollar is called the dong. I mean...that's awesome. And it inspired the 'Dong Song' (think- Sisqo's 'Thong Song.' Don't judge me). I don't know if it's great or just sad, but 22,000 dong is equal to 1 USD. Yikes.  Needless to say, I did not spend too many USD in Vietnam. 

*Classy dining. As with every city, we ate verrry well. In Vietnam, however, we were able to eat at "classier" places and feel like 'real' people (as if backpackers aren't real). We sat rooftop at The Rex Hotel while sipping on some fancy cocktails. We grabbed a spot at the swanky Windows Cafe for lunch one day, which was overflowing with hip locals on their lunch break, rocking out to a DJ (in the middle of the day?!) and overlooking a beautiful park. By suggestion, we found a hidden cafe, where we indulged in some mighty delicious cupcakes. Each day we delighted our palettes without killing the wallet. I can't complain about that. 

*Cyclos. AKA Vietnam's version of a tuk-tuk, which resembles a wheelchair being pushed by a unicycle. On our day of touring around the city, we took a break from walking and each of us hopped into a cyclo and enjoyed the chaotic streets of HCMC in the "safety" of our wheelchair. Good times had by all. 

*People/Backpackers. I think one of the main reasons I love to travel is because of the people you meet. It's completely likely that you'll like fellow backpackers because you obviously share one major thing in common- the love of travel and the love of exploration. In Vietnam, we happened to meet some really cool people that made the trip that much more enjoyable. So 'Cheers' to those cool cats.

*The Mekong. We decided it would be fun to do a day-long excursion along the Mekong River, so we booked a full day tour and had ourselves a blast. The tour included a long tail boat ride, a trip to a coconut mill "factory" where we enjoyed some coconut candies, a wander through a village where we got to interact with the locals, a canoe ride (with rice paddy hats on!) down a quiet, serene river, and some other stops around some local spots. We snacked on fresh tropical fruit and tea with honey from the beehive while listening to traditional Vietnamese music being played. Along the way, we spotted some water buffalo, completely submerged in the water except for his snout and horns, and also thought it would be adventurous to wrap a GIANT boa constrictor around our shoulders. Let's just say Sarah and I handled that muuuch better than Megh did :) All in all, it was a very enjoyable day, made better by the fellow tourists and our tourguide, Kwang. Kwang let us in on the secret that if you get a motorbike, you'll get a girlfriend. So if you have two motorbikes, you'll have two girlfriends. Such a ladykiller, Kwang!

Not so highlights:

*Traffic. HCMC has the highest number of motorbikes on the road and let me tell you...IT. IS. TERRIFYING. Okay- Im being overdramatic, but only a little bit. There are barely any traffic lights or lanes, and there are really no crosswalks, so the flow of traffic is at a constant and it is just a mess. To get across the street you have to just look straight, walk right into the traffic and assume they will drive around you. I was such a pansy at first, running back to safety before sucking it up, but by the end I was a pro, holding my hand out to signal to the cars/bikes that they better slow down and not hit me. We also perfected the art of getting personal escorts across the street. Find a local and do as they do. Sometimes they could see the fear in our eyes and they would simply grab our arms and bring us to the other side. 

*War Remnants Museum. This was obviously something we had to check out since it is a huge piece of American and Vietnamese history. The museum definitely gave a good insight into the war, but I couldn't help but lower my head in shame. The museum had no mercy in the way they depicted Americans. Seeing it through their eyes was interesting but a little extreme. 

*Backstreet Boys. For those of you who know me...even if its just a wee bit, you know I have a deep, deep love for the Backstreet Boys. Well, about a month prior to our trip, while I stalked out their tour (for no apparent reason) I was a bit excited when I saw that they would be performing in Vietnam during my time there. I would have died if I saw them in a foreign country. But, unluckily for me, they left HCMC two days before we arrived to head up north to Hanoi. DAGGER TO THE HEART.

Vietnam clearly showed us a good time with its sights, its people, its food and its scary motorbikes. It was now time to say a temporary goodbye to SE Asia as we packed up our bags and headed to Hong Kong. Boo-la-ka-shan. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Eek! They're everywhere!

                                        

Rockin' the hat

Water Buffalo 

Canoe Ride!

Cyclo time!

Oops... how did that get in here.......?

Part 3: Cambodia.

Clearly my love for Cambodia was big, but that didn't mean we didn't have our moments when we all just looked at each other and thought "What the....errrr?' Cambodia is a bustling place. It is extraordinarily underdeveloped, lacking paved roads, sidewalks or traffic lights. Being a foreigner makes you a HUGE target for scams, so vendors, "taxi drivers" and tuk-tuks hassled us every step we took. I am fairly used to this from Thailand, so it didn't really bother me, but it still made for some interesting experiences. 


Not so highlights:


*Crossing the border. We made it! But we were immediately swept up by men 'helping' us with the immigration process. They took our passports, sweet talked us and used some really futuristic thermometer that the US has yet to discover (a device that involved pointing a gun looking thing at our heads that somehow read our temperatures...and oddly enough, we all had the exact same temp!). By the time our stamps were in and we had paid the visa fee, the men were all asking us for tips. '100 baht. 100 baht. Tip. Tip." Ohhhhh ok...that's what this was. So within 5 steps of being in Cambodia we had already fallen for scam #1, but we didn't pay the 'tip.
*Getting from the border to our hostel. We got SURROUNDED by handfuls of sketchy looking taxi drivers, wanting to drive us to anywhere and everywhere. It is pretty overwhelming to fight off the swarms and just demand to be taken to your hostel for a reasonable price. But we kind of did it, got into a beat up looking car and made our way to our hostel. Minutes later, it started down-pouring and guess what? My window was broken so it was stuck open. So while we were hoping we made it safely to the hostel without another scam, I was getting rained on. I mean, it was pretty funny, but really Cambodia? Not a good start. 
*Our hostel. Thank goodness we were only there for a night. I don't particularly enjoy sleeping with dead cockroaches, dead mosquitoes and a questionable bathroom. It's never good when you decide that you'll stay cleaner by not showering in the room's bathroom. Yikes.
*Richie's Guesthouse/Commune. We walked to a bordering beach while in Snooky and were once again struck by rain. We scurried over to a restaurant to seek cover and get some shakes. We weren't really prepared for the naked baby being handed to us, stoners and weird family dynamics surrounding us.  
*Street children. Cambodia has a lot of street children. These adorable kids will come over to you and try to sell goods to you. They all have decent English and they bat their beautiful eyes at you, but we've been warned to refuse to support their cause. It's really heartbreaking to see children living their lives like this, but luckily, there are a lot of organizations, like Friends, that take kids off of the street and provide an education and other programs to prevent them from going back. Starfish and Rajana were two other organizations we visited and supported. (Brownies and jewelry for a good cause? Yes, please!)
*Work hours. In Snooky we chatted up a lot of the employees at the hostels. Really, really amazing people, but we learned that their work hours are out of control. One of them told us that everyone only gets 1 Sunday a month off, and another worker pointed to his bed behind the desk because he lives there. To make matters worse, their MONTHLY income was only $90. 
*Thinking we got scammed on our bus to Ho Chi Minh City. We had bought bus tickets to Vietnam the previous night and as we waited for our bus to arrive in the morning, it didn't look good. Even the locals walking by us seemed concerned. We asked one of the neighboring agencies to call the agent we booked with and moments later, she unlocked the door, stood there in her shower cap and robe and assured us the bus was coming....and it did! 

While these experiences were met with a little anxiety, they did not take away from our overall experience. For the most part, we could laugh off the little bumps and just go with it. But, in the bigger picture, Cambodia has a lot of history that leaves you chilled to the bone. The Cambodian Genocide by the Khmer Rouge did not happen long ago and I felt a little ashamed to admit that I did not know much about it. Luckily, Sarah had picked up a memoir on our previous travels, First They Killed My Father, which provided a very detailed account into a woman's personal experience during the Pol Pot regime. We both read the book and I am so happy I did because it made the S21 Museum and the Killing Fields much more real, and brought about a bigger sense of the massive damage that was done to the country. Touring the museum, a former school turned security prison, was completely eery and chilling. There are four buildings, some housing the cells, others filled with torture devices, and the rest filled with pictures and personal accounts. I found myself having to walk out of the buildings a couple of times to reflect and regroup because it is absolutely heartbreaking and definitely not for the weaker of stomachs. We followed up our visit by going to the Killing Fields, where thousands and thousands of Cambodian people were tortured, killed and buried in mass graves. The dug-up graves once contained men, women and babies, tortured and killed. All that remains are their bones and some remnants of their clothes, all of which have been organized and put on display in a 17 floor memorial in the middle of the Fields. The first few rows contain all of the abused skulls of those that died. It was obviously a morbid and utterly tragic place to visit, but such an important piece of history. Millions of people died, and before coming here,  I knew so little about it. The fact that is happened so recently- in the 70s- put a whole new element of tragedy to it. I couldn't help but wonder the stories of anyone over 30. It definitely took a lot to shake off everything we saw that day, but I am happy I got to experience it. 

It was sad to leave Cambodia. I left with a lot of questions unanswered and a huge surge of  eagerness to get back and explore some more. I plan on going back at the end of the next semester to visit Angkor Wat and see some of the Northeast. Cambodia left a big impression on me and I can't wait to get back. But first... it was back on a bus and into a new country. Vietnam here I come. 

S21. Looking out from the balcony.

Some artwork displayed at the Museum.

The Killing Fields.

Part Two: Cambodia.

It was a pretty jam-packed and stuffy mini-van ride, but after a couple of hours, we made it to the border of Cambodia. It was finally time to say goodbye to the familiar language, food, people and land and say hello to the unknown. We grabbed our bags, hopped off the van and wandered up a street until we saw a Thai flag waving in the air and a small immigration building. Welp, here we go...

Stop 2: Cambodia. (Koh Kong ---> Sihanoukville---> Phnom Penh)

Before arriving in Cambodia, I had been warned numerous times about the safety concerns in the country. Between hearing random horror stories and reading about brick throwing and the frequency of theft, I was a little nervous. However, Cambodia was also the country I knew the least about and was therefore the most excited to see. And let me tell you- it did not disappoint. It was rich with beauty, history, character and glorious, glorious food. We only spent five days there, but I am already mapping out my next visit. Cambodia- I dig you. I dig you a lot. 

Highlights: 

* Getting to the border. Usually when you stamp out of one country and into the next, it's a one-two stamp process, but not in this case. We stamped out of Thailand and then were left to a stretch of barren land with no indication of where to walk. We slowly wandered forth, admired the random stretch of land on the water and continued forward until we saw a gate. But still- no sign, no other people, just us. When we saw the building, we were immediately beckoned over by a group of men, but we'll leave the rest of the story to the 'Not so highlights' section. (The suspense is killing you, isn't it?).

*Our first dinner in Cambodia. It had been torrentially down-pouring outside, so we were starving by the time the rain passed and we could find food. We had no idea of our whereabouts (Koh Kong is the border town- a quick stopover to get to the next destination), so we meandered into the first place offering food we could find, which just happened to be a pub next door to us called 'Paddy's Bamboo Pub.' It was a charming place where random backpackers sat while a large group of Cambodian men sat and had a jolly time drinking beers and playing cards. Dinner was AMAZING (Khmer curry...yum) and as we finished up, one of the Cambodian men came over to us and said "We would like to invite you to sit with us. We would like to enjoy with you.' How could we refuse? So we pulled up our chairs, drank some Anchor beer and had a grand ole time with them. Only two of the men knew English, but we've perfected charades, so it was all good. There was A LOT of 'Cheers!-ing' going on and a lot of "Do not forget us!" Obvi not! The highlight though was the man, the myth, the legend- Paddy himself! He was an unbelievable man who shared his story with us and made our time much more enjoyable. He even dropped what he was doing the next morning to drive us to the bus station in his tuk-tuk. He was pretty popular among the locals. Paddy is definitely a big deal. (I advise that you 'Like' him on facebook- Paddy's Bamboo Pub- DO IT!)

*Sihanoukville= Backpacker's paradise. The place is teeming with backpackers from all over the world. It was completely chill and so incredibly fun. And I ate very well there- hummus, olives, toasties, sandwiches! We had some good life moments on the beach, relaxing, chatting, taking jumping shots and enjoying the scenery. 

*Tuk--tukking through no man's land. We had walked a good hour away from our beach in Sihanoukville (also known as Snooky) so we decided to tuk-tuk it back since it was past dark. We hopped in and then took the most epic ride back to our hostel. The only route was a bumpy red dirt road, unlit, and full of potholes and puddles. It was ridiculous, but also amazing because we passed through a small village, where families of 10 gathered into a small hut with mats on the ground and a tiny TV playing football games.  It gave us a quick glimpse into their simple lives. Also- I am still completely impressed that the tuk-tuk even made it back to our hostel. 

*The fact that Sihanoukville is known as Snooky.

*Currency. The Cambodian currency is the riel, but they also use American dollars. It got really confusing when you paid in USD, and then got the change in dollars and riel. Oy. But the money also prompted a continuous outburst of "I've Got Riel" sung to the tune of J.Lo and Ja Rule's winner "I'm Real."

*The bus ride from Snooky to Phnom Penh. I can't bring myself to say that I actually enjoyed the 5 hour ride, but I really loved seeing the countryside and passing through villages, observing people in their everyday lives and taking note of the massive amount of yaks/cows/buffaloes. 

*Phnom Penh day of tuk-tukking. We hired a tuk-tuk for a day to take us to the Russian Market, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, lunch, the Killing Fields and the Central Market. We were lucky enough to have a friend of a friend map out our day for us and give us tips (MUCH appreciative of that). The day consisted of iced coffee (the best in Phnom Penh!) with the locals, some shopping, good eats, a lot of history shocks and a lot of reflection. 

*Friends! And I'm not talking about Megh and Sarah (although they are cool, too). Friends is an NGO-run restaurant, salon and shop that educates and trains former street children. We made a night of it by getting manicures at the salon, buying some souvenirs at the shop and then indulging in an incredibly delicious tapas dinner accompanied by a Pineapple Chili Margarita. Holy moly- deliciousness overload. 

*The digs. One of our friends in Suphan has a friend working in Phnom Penh and organized for us to stay in a serviced apartment for our two nights in the city. It was great and a huge jump from our spot in Koh Kong. 

*Food. I know- I sound like such a fatty, but it was seriously amazing. Just ignore the fried spiders and fried baby birds and focus on everything else Cambodia has to offer. One of my favorite meals of the trip was the Cambodian Crepes. I...died. 

*The Riverfront in Phnom Penh: bumpin' and beautiful! We met up with some friends there both nights to eat and be merry.

*The people. The Cambodian people were so kind, so friendly and very keen to chat. Our encounters involved a lot of "I will never forget you!' and wishing us well in life. I was also blown away with the amount of English everyone knew. In Thailand, I have to rely a lot on whatever Thai I know, but in Cambodia, learning English seems to be top priority because almost everyone knew a fair amount. 

Friends at Paddy's!

    

Puppies at Paddy's. Told ya it was awesome.

Walk along Serendipity Beach in Snooky

Snooky!

Best Iced Coffee in Phnom Penh!

Friends: Pineapple Chili Margis! And showing off the Manis.

Geez- look at me gushing on and on about Cambodia. I could probably go on for a good while about our time there...but I won't. I'll leave the 'Not so Highlights' for Part 3 because  there is a lot to be said about Cambodia and it's history. 

Fist Pumpin' Our Way Through Asia: Part One

After 18 days, 9 cities, 3 countries, 2 SARs, loads of new passport stamps and a whole lot of fun, I have returned to Suphan for a whopping 36 hours before I head back out on a new adventure. So between post-travelers depression and pre-travelers anxiety, I'm a bit of a disorganized mess. Mai Pen Rai- just let it happen. Megh's visit was a complete success and it was really hard to say goodbye at the airport. It was so amazing to have a familiar face (and a redheaded companion) to join the awesomeness that is Asia and to show off our new lifestyles. The past 3 weeks were full of silly antics, lots of characters, new friends, new food, new forms of transport and a little too much fist pumping. 

Stop 1: Thailand. (Suphan---> Bangkok---> Koh Chang)


We were super excited to show off Thailand to Megh since it is so near and dear to our hearts. And although we spent a mere 4 days here, we got a lot accomplished. Megh was able to hit up some of the more touristy spots (JJ Market and the Grand Palace), while also experiencing the more random aspects of Thai traveling. 


Highlights:
*Showing off the Suphan 'hotspots,' which basically consisted of the Dragon and our favorite food vendors. Within a few hours, Megh already had boys wanting to be her boyfriend... Breaking hearts all over the world. 
*Khao San Rd. The most overstimulating street in the world did not fail us. Lots of breakdancing, live music and some interesting attempts at pick-ups. 
*Koh Chang: We stayed in an amazing hostel, with a room overlooking the water. The only way to access the hostel was by a hefty walk along the beach. Any room with a mosquito net and a balcony on the water for $8 a night is a winner in my book. The owner (dubbed Mr. Whiskers) provided endless entertainment with his mumbled English. He was convinced he knew how to speak the language and insisted on telling a lot of jokes, but we literally had NO idea what he was saying and just smiled and nodded. 
*Banana shakes. Obvi. 
*Elephant rides! This was elephant number 4 for me, but the novelty has not wore off. Koh Chang provided a beaaautiful trek through the jungle. And I got to ride my elephant bare-back- Booyeah!

*Fish spa: Megh wanted to get the full Thai experience, so she braved it out and dipped her feet in a tank while little fish nibbled away at her toes. 

Not so highlights (but still completely awesome): 

*Taking an overnight bus to Trat to catch a ferry to Koh Chang. It sounded perfect- Arrive in Trat at 5:30 and get the 6am ferry to the island. Well...things changed when we were awoken by a nice little leg squeeze from a woman on the bus at 3:45am telling us we had arrived. After rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn't still dreaming, I realized that we had been dumped off on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere at a small travel agency with about 5 stools and a desk. About 30 minutes later, we were piled into the back of a songtaew, with our luggage thrown on top of the truck, and driving for a solid 40 minutes to the pier. The 4:45am arrival didn't do much for our 6:50am ferry departure time. After a breakfast of Pringles, Goldfish and Pocky, I took a nice cat nap on a bench before finally getting on a ferry and making it to paradise. 

*Massages. Massages are always an excellent idea after a lazy day on a tropical beach. The 3 of us geared up and picked the most legit sounding masseuse - Cookies Massage II. We requested oil massages and the women promptly told us to take off our clothes. Usually, you're given some sweet flowy shirts and pants, but Cookies wasn't so into that. After some confusion, the three of us were stripped down and getting our oil massages. It would have been all swell and dandy if there wasn't a full-on parade occurring outside. And still, that would have been A-Okay, but the women were so giddy for the festivities going on outside that they decided it was a great idea to open up the curtains to reveal wall to wall windows. So while they smiled and cheered on the parade happening out on the street, the three of us nervously giggled and hoped to God that no one peered into the window to see 3 basically naked farang all oiled up. Good times...good times had by all. 

*Monkey-dog interactions. After our elephant treks we sat and enjoyed some fresh pineapple but were horribly distracted by an aggressive monkey and a submissive dog. I'll leave it at that....and just say that I am forever traumatized. (And Jason- no, I do not have any pictures). 

Our sweet hostel in Koh Chang

Swing on the beach!

Suay Maak

Eek!

Part One of our journey was wild, adventurous, sweaty, relaxing, oily and delicious. We had no idea what to expect from the next leg of our travels, but we packed up, songtaewed it, ferried it, mini-vanned it and eventually made our way to the border of Cambodia. That in itself was an adventure. Ill put up a new post every couple of days to share the rest of our journey with everyone, so be sure to check back in! But for now, I need to unpack, do laundry, re-pack and then I'm headed up north to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Pai to celebrate Songkran. It's gonna be a wet one!

                                    

Life As I Know It

Summer classes are coming to an end and I'm gearing up for Megh's big arrival, so I am just a wee bit excited this week. I am about to take on Southeast Asia for the next two months, so I have to say a temporary goodbye to my "normal" life. After 5 months, I've made some major life adjustments and to commemorate, I'd thought I'd make a list. But then I got inspired to do some 'Highs and Lows', so you're going to get a double whammy- a list of highs and lows. It doesn't get more exciting than that, now does it?

Top Ten Life Adjustments Since Coming to Thailand

10. Walking: Seems silly, right? Well...walking isn't a normal activity here. Back in Boston, I walked everywhere. I love to walk/wander/get lost. Thailand doesn't share that love. 

Highs: I've become very good at dodging tuk-tuks, cars, bikes, motorbikes, restaurants on wheels while walking along the road. 

Lows: Sidewalks are non-existent. Seriously- it's like an obstacle course to walk down the street. Signs, trees, street vendors, stray dogs, cement slabs, poles- they take over the entire sidewalk. So I have no choice but to walk with or against the traffic (hence my Frogger skills). 

9. Beds: More like wooden slabs. 

Highs: My scoliosis is loving the rock solid beds. And it makes for an excellent table. I literally have breakfast in bed every morning.

Lows: There is no such thing as cozying up in your bed here. Between the lack of cushion and fighting off all the critters lurking in the sheets, bedtime is no longer the highlight of the day.

8. Exercise: Yeaaa, about that....

Highs: I think I sweat more walking down the street than I ever did during an intense workout back home. So really, is exercising necessary?

Lows: I haven't stepped foot in a gym since being here because there aren't any. I've attempted a few runs, but I'd rather not worry about hurdling chickens/stray dogs. Also- it's brutally hot here. Walking around the block is physically draining. Hooray for laziness!

7. Farang: White people represent.

Highs: Being a farang gives you automatic celebrity status. It's a real ego-booster to walk down the street while people yell out "Hello!" and "Beauuuutiful!" on any given day. 

Lows: At the same time, being stared at while you walk, eat, talk, sit, breathe can be a little overwhelming. Hearing the word 'farang, farang, farang' as you pass by anyone and everyone is funny...but I'm also kind of over it. 

6. Sweating: I'm so attractive, it's not even funny.

Highs: I maintain a natural glow. And I'm never cold.

Lows: I am a hot mess.... all of the time. As much as I'd like to convince myself that my beauty is causing all those triple takes as I wander the streets of Suphan, I've come to terms with the fact that the sweaty, red-headed farang is quite the spectacle. 

5. Entertainment: Karaoke just isn't my cup of tea.

Highs: Travel is my entertainment. And that defeats all. If that doesn't win you over, then this will. 

Lows: I really miss American TV and music. Suphan isn't the most exciting of places, and sometimes, I just really want to curl up in my wooden slate of a bed, cuddle with the ants and watch some good ole American TV. I can only self-dub Thai soap operas for so long. 

4. Fashion: Fisherman pants are so in right now.

Highs: I wear elastic-waisted clothes everyday. My wardrobe is chock-full of comfy clothes. My rice baby belly really appreciates that. 

Lows: Basically- I am just a frump now. Trying to be culturally appropriate while not over-heating is actually really difficult. And to top it off- we are surrounded by adorable Thai women and their super trendy clothes that are so inexpensive...but made only for tiny, adorable Thai women. Meh. And I knew my life without pretty shoes could only go for so long. Let the withdrawals begin...

3. Showers: Yes, I am still being a pansy about this. 

Highs: With summer here and temperatures reaching 100 degrees, the water in the pipes heats up during the day and allows me to have a bearable shower. 

Lows: Cold showers are just not something you can adjust to. I hate them. 

2. Language: Jing Jing!

Highs: I'm learning. I've made a lot of progress but I still 'Mai Kow Jai' (don't understand) a lot...most...of what is being said. I know most of the key phrases and I can pick up a few words per conversation. And 'Jing jing' has changed my life. It just means 'Really?!' but I use it as much as I possibly can in everyday conversation. Probably too much...

Lows: I'm learning, but I am still so far away from knowing a decent amount.  It's hard stuff to learn a new language, and without it-it is so much more difficult to delve into the culture as much as I would like to. 

1. Food: Just call me Fatty.

Highs: It really doesn't get more delicious than this. Settling in at our favorite "restaurant' (and by restaurant, I mean an area with chairs and tables where I am constantly swatting mosquitoes away and pushing a cat off of the table while a man on a motorcycle skims my leg with his bike), and devouring a dish of freshly made Thai food is heaven on earth. The spices, the flavors, the veggies, the tropical fruit, the banana shakes- MMM!

Lows: Don't get me wrong- Thai food rocks my world- but my diet still has its random American cravings. For instance, right now, all I want to do is destroy a wedge of cheese. But, that is not happening here. Delicious sugary, chocolaty, glorious baked goods do not exist (womp womp)...which is probably a good thing, but it doesn't do anything for those intense cravings.

So there you have it- a little peek into my life changes. And even if the lows were lower and the highs not so high, my life here is awesome. I'm sure I've missed some essentials- but I'm just too giddy because on Saturday, I embark on an epic journey:

Suphan- Bangkok- Koh Chang- Sihanoukville- Phnom Penh- Ho Chi Minh City- Hong Kong- Suphan- Chiang Mai- Chiang Rai- Pai- Suphan - Bali- Langkawi. 

 

5 countries in 2 months.... Let's do this thang.

That being said- my updates will be far and few, but hopefully I return (safely) and with good stories to tell. 

No, really....I'm with them.

So you know those giant Asian tour groups that bus around a city with matching hats and/or t-shirts and flood the touristy locations until every single person in the group takes an adorably, cheesy photo? Welp...I reached a life-time goal by joining one of those groups this past week. And let me tell you - It. Was. Awesome. From the moment I arrived at school and was handed a bucket hat and a pork hair sandwich, I knew it was going to be a good week. 


Let's back up. About 2 months ago our coordinator mentioned that Sa-Nguan Ying would be bussing through Thailand and Laos to go to Vietnam for 5 days and that if there was space, the foreign staff was more than welcome to join. With the trip being paid for (minus the Visas), I couldn't refuse. So I committed, got my Laos and Vietnam Visas, and waited for March 1st to come around. We literally had no idea what to expect. When we asked about an itinerary, all we got was "Snack in Laos at 10am." Oook. Luckily, 4 days before the trip, we were given a rough itinerary with a lot of misspelled words (including the city names). With some killer Google research skills, we were able to figure out that we would be headed to Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An in Vietnam. I had heard so many good things about Vietnam from friends and random backpackers, and so I was super excited to make the (long) trek there.


As per typical Thai bus rides, the adventure was accompanied by Thai entertainment at an abnormally high volume. But, thanks to Tylenol PM and the smooth beats on my Ipod, I was knocked out until early the next morning when we crossed the Thai border into Laos. Unfortunately, we didn't spend much time in Laos besides the 4-5 hour ride across and a lunch stop somewhere along the way. However, I was still able to enjoy its beauty. Laos is a very undeveloped country, and the majority of the ride was spent admiring the greenness of the fields, the hills and the trees. Grass huts were scattered between rice paddies and long stretches of trees. It was just pretty shocking to see that people live in such simplicity. Also- it was impossible to ignore the surplus of plastic bags littering the land, as well as the ridiculous amount of goats everywhere. Seriously...big goats, black goats, baby goats- thousands of goats- everywhere. As the goats faded away, and the hills became mountains, we reached the Vietnam border. 


The ride from the border to Hue was absolutely stunning. As we wound up and around the roads, mountains enveloped the area. Down below, people in traditional Vietnamese hats worked in the rice paddies, while above us, the fog lingered. It was seriously one of the more beautiful places I have ever seen. Vietnam had already made a huge impression on me. We ventured further in and I was immediately shocked at the amount of motorbikes on the street. I have always said Thailand is filled with them, but, Vietnam is reeeaaally filled with them. For every 100 motorbikes, there is maybe one car and a big truck or two.  Scary. And I don't understand why, and I don't personally like it, but they beep all of the time. They never stop. Ever. Maybe that's a rule of the road in Vietnam, but every single vehicle beeps at every person, car, bike, ant in the road. It was unbelievable. 
    

After about 18 hours on the road, we made it to Hue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (due to its involvement with the Vietnam War). Hue apparently suffered a lot of damage during the war since it was located so close to the North/South border, and we were able to see firsthand some of the leftovers from the battles. We walked in and around the Vinh Moc Tunnels, which caused a weird sense of guilt to stir up inside of me. It was really interesting to see the war from their eyes, but it was all very eery. Throughout the week, we were able to explore some other areas of Hue, including the Grand Palace and another temple. Sadly, since the entire tour was in Thai, I had no idea what was going on 90% of the time, so I don't know all the information I should about my whereabouts. 

Our days were spent bussing between the three cities and stopping multiple times to eat and to ...shop! I had no idea that Thai people loved to shop so much. My fellow teachers were so intense about it and knew how to get it done. Their bargaining skills are really something to admire. Their abilities rubbed off on me, and when we wandered around the streets of Old Town in Hoi An, I couldn't help but go a little shopping crazy myself. Speaking of, I really liked Hoi An. The French influence was completely obvious in this area. So, thank you France for that delicious chocolate croissant. Between the cafes and the French architecture, I really felt like I had slipped out of Asia and into Europe. And then I heard the motorbikes beeping and almost got run over by a bike and quickly realized that I was still in good ole Asia. It was a really beautiful area and I wish I could have spent more time (and more dong) in Hoi An. I did, however, get to dip my toes in the South China Sea that night at our beach resort, which is pretty cool. 

Temple in Hoi An

Old Town

Before coming to Vietnam, I expected to see a lot of similarities between Thailand and Vietnam. I had heard that Thailand is just a 'jacked up' version of Vietnam, but I was struck with how different the two countries are. Of course, there are the familiar landscapes and the heaps of motorbikes, but just about everything else was different. Vietnam seemed much calmer to me. Thailand is overflowing with its culture. Street vendors fill the streets and their accompanying smells fill the air. Stray dogs cover every nook and cranny of the streets and 7-11 is at every turn. Temples are placed in the bustling areas and somehow maintain their sparkle in the (mostly) polluted sky. Every building, billboard, and house shows their love to the King. And of course, farang are a big deal. I've gotten really used to being a celebrity here. Vietnam was vastly different. The air was so fresh and I loved being able to take a deep breath while looking around at the rolling mountains surrounding me. No food stalls took over the sidewalk, but rather people wearing their Vietnamese hats riding bicycles occupied the space. The temples were located in more reserved and hidden locations to support the idea of peace and quiet. And no one was shocked at our white skin. Whereas Thai people want to do nothing but help foreigners, the Vietnamese couldn't care less (and they have good reason). The food was still delicious, and the coffee was even more amazing. We were lucky enough to go on a boat cruise down the river while watching a performance of traditional Vietnamese music. The instruments were very different and produced a completely new sound. I think I was more surprised at how different the people were. Even their version of English was different than Thailand. And surprisingly, their selling schemes are so much more aggressive than the Thais. I was very often being pushed and pulled towards many stalls and getting followed down the street with prices being yelled out. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I don't speak a word of Vietnamese, which lent nothing to my bartering skills. At least in Thailand I can get by with whatever Thai I know and understand some of what is being said to me. 

Tuk-tuk- Vietname style!

All in all, my short trip to Vietnam left me wanting more. I want to know more about their culture and experience it outside of a group tour. That's not to say being on the group tour was anything short of incredible. The group of teachers was the happiest bunch of people I have been around. Everyone was constantly in chipper moods and beaming from ear to ear. The bus was constantly in an uproar of laughter (or painfully loud karaoke) and I am so happy I got to be a part of it. Although, no one in Vietnam believed that the 7 farang were part of the group. At every museum, temple, and restaurant, we got stopped because they didn't believe we were with them. Umm hello- do you not see my matching bucket hat? But seriously- we had to convince a lot of people that we were indeed with the Thai group tour. Luckily for me, I will be headed back at the end of the month to explore Ho Chi Minh City down south when our friend, Megh, from BC comes to visit. Yay!

The whole gang

Sarah and Ally at Marble Village in Da Nang

Saturday morning rolled around and we packed up and headed back on the bus for an epic ride back. Goodbye cool temperatures, coffee, goats and mountains and hello mosquitoes. Literally, as we walked across the border (yes, walked), mosquitoes flooded the area. How does that even happen? As much as I loved Vietnam, it felt so great to get back to Thailand. As we drove through and all of those familiar things came back into my life, I realized how much Thailand really feels like home to me now.