Renting plastic sheets from small children, trooping through desert-like conditions and sledding down white sand dunes = yes, yes and yes.
Yesterday, we went on our final motorbike tour to see the surrounding area of Mui Ne. Infamous for its sand dunes, I pictured Long Beach Island and other classy spots along the Jersey shore. I was not expecting gigantic stretches of never-ending sand dunes. Like I said, picture the desert.
The entire ride from our hotel to the sand dunes was positively picturesque, but as we reached our destination, I was blown away by the immense heat radiating off the dunes and the amount of sweat pouring down. We were immediately approached by a small child offering to rent us random sheets of blue plastic and their services as tour guide.
We accepted the sheets. Declined the tour guide. Hindsight is always 20/20 because we realized we probably could have used some help figuring out how to sled down the dunes. Not as easy as it sounds.
We trekked about 15 minutes and came upon a small slope we thought would be good practice. We sat down on our plastic sheets, attempted to push off, and quickly realized we were not moving. Apparently sand dune sledding is not so easy as snow sledding.
So off we trooped to an even steeper dune. It looked like a fool proof way to sled down at top speed. Then we realized how hard it would be to climb to the top. You couldn't just climb up like a steep hill but had to run up it in order to avoid falling backwards. With the wind whipping and trying to hold onto our blue plastic sheets, we found this so hilarious we had to stop numerous times to laugh hysterically (or maybe catch our breath).
We finally made it to the top and strategized the best way to hit top speed down the dune. Note: this was not the first time we wished we had allowed one of the kids to be our guide. Our first guess was to put our weight towards the middle. Jordan went first using this technique and inched her way down the sand dune. When she got to the bottom, she had to climb back up as I laughed. Then it was my turn to make my way slowly done the sand dune.
Since neither one of us could speed down and both laughed at each other making the trek back up the dune, we figured this time it was better to put the weight towards the front of the plastic sheet. It actually worked quite well but we ended up with loads of sand in our faces. I would have loved to try it again and reach a faster speed, but the thought of climbing the sand dune again was sickening.
So we returned back to our guides -- covered with sand and sweat but enormously happy with our experience. After all, there is nothing better than being the only two people for miles around trying to sled down some ginormous sand dunes.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Don't Forget Your Sunscreen
Since we decided to head back to Vietnam and spend a few extra days (I mean weeks) at the beach, it was also imperative to invest in some new sunscreen. I tend to go through bottles of sunscreen lotion at an intense rate but the fanny pack tramp and I decided to buy two and share. Neither one of us wanted to chance getting a burn and peeling as we both intend to look fabulous upon arriving home in the United States of America (next week can you believe it?).
Anywho, we set off to the beach in Hoi An and tried to find some sunscreen on the way. Everywhere we stopped had teeny tiny bottles of lotion for intense prices so we decided to bicycle the entire way to the beach and then buy some. Once we found a man selling an assortment of sunscreen, it was my turn to bargain him down. Note: I will miss bargaining terribly.
The man originally wanted 300,000 dong for one bottle ($15) but since we wanted two I tried extra hard and finally got him to give us two bottles for 350,000 dong ($17). This seemed a little expensive but we wanted to be on the safe side. I also figured it was good enough bargaining that I could be proud.
Sadly, it was a bittersweet moment because upon arriving at the beach and opening container #1, we realized it was filled with random orange specks that I enjoy calling "tiddlebits."
Tiddlebits have a loose definition as I am not sure what the tiddlebits were actually made of but a few different hypotheses include some type of bronzer or just old expired lotion. They are basically large orange, concealer-like clumps. We attempted to spread the tiddlebits across our limbs but had trouble rubbing it in.
Double the sadness, we returned home that afternoon a bit burned. I immediately wanted to blame the tiddlebits but then we realized part of the burn marks were from our shirts. Apparently the sun had been so strong, we managed to get a wee bit too much color on the bike ride there.
So onto the next day and heading back to the beach. We decided to forgo using the tiddlebit sunscreen and moved onto the second bottle. This one was Nivea and 30 SPF. Triple the sadness, it had been packaged up into plastic wrap so we did not realize upon purchasing that it had been used before and most likely filled with random sunscreen after used up and then sold again. Are you confused? I tend to get confused when swindled with this method as well...
We could also tell the Nivea was not so much Nivea due to the smell. Previous Nivea bottles had nice smelling lotion, but this one was almost as difficult to apply as the tiddlebit sunscreen and it had no smell. So I decided to go back to tiddlebit sunscreen and Jordan used the Nivea.
Luckily, we did not burn at all on the second and third day so although we were sold shoddy sunscreen, it was in fact sunscreen. The only real downfall is the fact that the hard, orange, tiddlebits tend to get clogged coming out of the bottle.
So, here we are at a new destination (and our last beach) -- Mui Ne. We had skipped it on the first go of Vietnam and figured couldn't skip it again. What are we doing here besides working on our tan? Well it would have to be the second most obvious answer -- motorbike tour tomorrow!! Mui Ne has infamous sand dunes and tomorrow I intend on applying some more tiddlebit sunscreen and sledding down one.
Until next time -- hasta la vista.
Anywho, we set off to the beach in Hoi An and tried to find some sunscreen on the way. Everywhere we stopped had teeny tiny bottles of lotion for intense prices so we decided to bicycle the entire way to the beach and then buy some. Once we found a man selling an assortment of sunscreen, it was my turn to bargain him down. Note: I will miss bargaining terribly.
The man originally wanted 300,000 dong for one bottle ($15) but since we wanted two I tried extra hard and finally got him to give us two bottles for 350,000 dong ($17). This seemed a little expensive but we wanted to be on the safe side. I also figured it was good enough bargaining that I could be proud.
Sadly, it was a bittersweet moment because upon arriving at the beach and opening container #1, we realized it was filled with random orange specks that I enjoy calling "tiddlebits."
Tiddlebits have a loose definition as I am not sure what the tiddlebits were actually made of but a few different hypotheses include some type of bronzer or just old expired lotion. They are basically large orange, concealer-like clumps. We attempted to spread the tiddlebits across our limbs but had trouble rubbing it in.
Double the sadness, we returned home that afternoon a bit burned. I immediately wanted to blame the tiddlebits but then we realized part of the burn marks were from our shirts. Apparently the sun had been so strong, we managed to get a wee bit too much color on the bike ride there.
So onto the next day and heading back to the beach. We decided to forgo using the tiddlebit sunscreen and moved onto the second bottle. This one was Nivea and 30 SPF. Triple the sadness, it had been packaged up into plastic wrap so we did not realize upon purchasing that it had been used before and most likely filled with random sunscreen after used up and then sold again. Are you confused? I tend to get confused when swindled with this method as well...
We could also tell the Nivea was not so much Nivea due to the smell. Previous Nivea bottles had nice smelling lotion, but this one was almost as difficult to apply as the tiddlebit sunscreen and it had no smell. So I decided to go back to tiddlebit sunscreen and Jordan used the Nivea.
Luckily, we did not burn at all on the second and third day so although we were sold shoddy sunscreen, it was in fact sunscreen. The only real downfall is the fact that the hard, orange, tiddlebits tend to get clogged coming out of the bottle.
So, here we are at a new destination (and our last beach) -- Mui Ne. We had skipped it on the first go of Vietnam and figured couldn't skip it again. What are we doing here besides working on our tan? Well it would have to be the second most obvious answer -- motorbike tour tomorrow!! Mui Ne has infamous sand dunes and tomorrow I intend on applying some more tiddlebit sunscreen and sledding down one.
Until next time -- hasta la vista.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Tubing, Tubing, Down the River Vang
Vang Vieng, Laos seems like a cross between spring break and Champagne on the Steps (old Colby tradition of getting drunk on last day of classes). This is a town that has been placed on the map due to its ability to cater to extremely thirsty tourists. It has quite the scenic setting, a small town perched at the base of some hills and in close proximity to a gorgeous river. Bars are dotted along the river as tourists float down on inner tubes.
Note: To be exact, the mere reason this town exists is so tourists can float downriver on inner tubes and visit wooden bars blasting techno music. If you are extremely adventurous, you can swing off ropes and trapeze like contraptions into the river.
Although this hasn’t been our scene for the trip (late nights, heavy drinking aka much the opposite of previous Internation Steph appearances), we thought it was worth checking out as people have been talking about it since Indonesia, and as you get closer to Laos, everyone has a “Tubing in Vang Vieng” t-shirt. Second note: did not buy t-shirt but did buy super pretty flip flops (and pair of fake designer sunglasses which were subsequently lost due to tubing). As a result, flip flops will make it back to U.S… sunglasses will not.
Anywho, we set off early morning for breakfast. I initially was hoping for a bloody mary but the place we went to did not have any tomato juice. I had to settle for healthy breakfast followed by can of beer purchased on the street. We then made our way to the official tubing office of Vang Vieng. This basically consisted of one man collecting your money and another man making you sign a waiver that says something like “You are currently in Laos and if you die, do not expect us to care. PS Have tube returned by 6 PM.” After that, we were given tubes and asked to hop on a tuk-tuk with 9 other thirsty tourists.
The tuk-tuk took us through the spectacular countryside and it was unfortunate that I had left my camera in my hotel room because I would have loved to document the beauty. The mountains were spiky, tall and narrow. The river was not the color of mud. Third note: nice camera left in hotel room as safety precaution. Waterproof camera purchased instead. Those pictures should be very interesting.
So I finished my can of beer and off the tuk-tuk we hopped. I was a little wary as most tourists come back from tubing with heavily bandaged arms and legs (sorry Dad, I’m probably making you nervous here… good news is I am still alive). I decided to play it safe, not drink so many buckets of booze, and watch out for rocks. Sadly, at the very first bar we stopped at, I fell on a giant submerged tree. Oops.
You might be wondering how we manage to navigate from bar to bar on inner tubes given the current of the river? Well, luckily, there are people employed at the bar who continuously toss out old plastic bottles tied onto rope to pull you in. It was great fun.
So we hopped from bar to bar, in awe of the people jumping off of ropes (but never actually summoned the courage to attempt it ourselves). The one thing I was definitely planning on joining in on was mud volleyball however. One of the bars had created a giant mudpit to play volleyball in. The funny thing was the first side was relatively easy, but the second side was impossible to stand up in. Jordan was the first to go over there and began laughing so hard (due to buckets of booze or ginormous mudpit I am not sure). It was physically impossible for her to move without sliding farther into the pit. I decided to go check it out and was also reduced to fits of laughter. The mudpit was basically a two-foot high puddle of slippery gooey-ness. Fabulous.
We emerged a mess and managed to hose off in time to hear Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface.” This commenced the dance party portion of the adventure and continued on until we found a gigantic waterslide at one of the last bars. I figured they would only build a permanent structure if it was safe to land at the bottom of it so decided to check it out. Turned out to be such a winner that I went three times.
Fourth note: you can only imagine the people we met while on this adventure. My favorite was a Korean woman with a cut-out one piece and wool sweater. There are really no words to describe her so I won’t spend time detailing her or the other interesting folk we met.
After the waterslide, we realized five hours had magically passed and it was time to head back to town. We made it back in one piece (though somehow my tube managed to pop at the very last second before getting out of the river) and headed for a dinner of mashed potatoes. All in all, it was an interesting experience, but probably not something I would ever try again. I am not sure if this means I am getting older or what… but that’s okay. I am glad not to have any lasting reminders of the tubing adventure but am quite excited to get the pictures developed from our waterproof camera…
Note: To be exact, the mere reason this town exists is so tourists can float downriver on inner tubes and visit wooden bars blasting techno music. If you are extremely adventurous, you can swing off ropes and trapeze like contraptions into the river.
Although this hasn’t been our scene for the trip (late nights, heavy drinking aka much the opposite of previous Internation Steph appearances), we thought it was worth checking out as people have been talking about it since Indonesia, and as you get closer to Laos, everyone has a “Tubing in Vang Vieng” t-shirt. Second note: did not buy t-shirt but did buy super pretty flip flops (and pair of fake designer sunglasses which were subsequently lost due to tubing). As a result, flip flops will make it back to U.S… sunglasses will not.
Anywho, we set off early morning for breakfast. I initially was hoping for a bloody mary but the place we went to did not have any tomato juice. I had to settle for healthy breakfast followed by can of beer purchased on the street. We then made our way to the official tubing office of Vang Vieng. This basically consisted of one man collecting your money and another man making you sign a waiver that says something like “You are currently in Laos and if you die, do not expect us to care. PS Have tube returned by 6 PM.” After that, we were given tubes and asked to hop on a tuk-tuk with 9 other thirsty tourists.
The tuk-tuk took us through the spectacular countryside and it was unfortunate that I had left my camera in my hotel room because I would have loved to document the beauty. The mountains were spiky, tall and narrow. The river was not the color of mud. Third note: nice camera left in hotel room as safety precaution. Waterproof camera purchased instead. Those pictures should be very interesting.
So I finished my can of beer and off the tuk-tuk we hopped. I was a little wary as most tourists come back from tubing with heavily bandaged arms and legs (sorry Dad, I’m probably making you nervous here… good news is I am still alive). I decided to play it safe, not drink so many buckets of booze, and watch out for rocks. Sadly, at the very first bar we stopped at, I fell on a giant submerged tree. Oops.
You might be wondering how we manage to navigate from bar to bar on inner tubes given the current of the river? Well, luckily, there are people employed at the bar who continuously toss out old plastic bottles tied onto rope to pull you in. It was great fun.
So we hopped from bar to bar, in awe of the people jumping off of ropes (but never actually summoned the courage to attempt it ourselves). The one thing I was definitely planning on joining in on was mud volleyball however. One of the bars had created a giant mudpit to play volleyball in. The funny thing was the first side was relatively easy, but the second side was impossible to stand up in. Jordan was the first to go over there and began laughing so hard (due to buckets of booze or ginormous mudpit I am not sure). It was physically impossible for her to move without sliding farther into the pit. I decided to go check it out and was also reduced to fits of laughter. The mudpit was basically a two-foot high puddle of slippery gooey-ness. Fabulous.
We emerged a mess and managed to hose off in time to hear Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface.” This commenced the dance party portion of the adventure and continued on until we found a gigantic waterslide at one of the last bars. I figured they would only build a permanent structure if it was safe to land at the bottom of it so decided to check it out. Turned out to be such a winner that I went three times.
Fourth note: you can only imagine the people we met while on this adventure. My favorite was a Korean woman with a cut-out one piece and wool sweater. There are really no words to describe her so I won’t spend time detailing her or the other interesting folk we met.
After the waterslide, we realized five hours had magically passed and it was time to head back to town. We made it back in one piece (though somehow my tube managed to pop at the very last second before getting out of the river) and headed for a dinner of mashed potatoes. All in all, it was an interesting experience, but probably not something I would ever try again. I am not sure if this means I am getting older or what… but that’s okay. I am glad not to have any lasting reminders of the tubing adventure but am quite excited to get the pictures developed from our waterproof camera…
Sunday, May 2, 2010
La La La Laos
I’d like to say I sit here in Laos’ sleepy capital, Vientiane, contemplating the meaning of life while enjoying the refreshingly air conditioned, overpriced coffee shop I find myself currently in, but the fact of the matter is that I am feeling incredibly lazy. We have yet to see much of Laos and that is most likely due to the unpleasant journey we endured getting here, which left us exhausted and in need of massages.
In addition, I think I feel lazy as a result of being overwhelmed. We have three weeks left to our trip but the two we allotted for Northern Thailand is in serious jeopardy due to political unrest in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We can’t seem to make a decision on what to do, but at the same time, we must decide what to do before leaving Vientiane in order to make arrangements. The current plan now seems to go back to Vietnam and buy more tailor-made outfits. BOOM.
But back to our journey from Vietnam to Laos…
I had prepared myself for the 24 hour bus journey it would take to get from Vietnam to Laos, but I did not expect to be scammed by my supposedly trustworthy travel agent. We had been very lucky in our travels through Vietnam even though each journey started out relatively sketchy. Leaving Hanoi, however, took a terrible turn for the worse. I like to think I can trust my instinct which is why I realize now I had such a bad feeling as we met the guy who was supposed to be taking us to the bus.
Normally, a van picks us up at our hotel and then takes us to the bus. This time, we went to the travel agency and were picked up by a guy who asked us to follow him. He then led us a few blocks away and asked us to wait at another travel agency. Then he came back and had us follow him and wait on a street corner. Finally, he came back and put us in a van. Talking to the other passengers, it seemed most of us had similar experiences. It was easy to laugh off until another one of the guides turned around and told us there would not be enough beds on the sleeper bus and some of us would have to go on a coach bus with seats.
Everyone decided to band together and insist we get seats, but the story took a surprising twist when it turned out that the travel agency did not even have a bus for us. We were taken to the bus station where we were told that only four sleeper beds would actually be available. Everyone started yelling at our guides but then some of us decided to accept coach seats just to get out of the country. To my horror, just as things started to calm down, one British girl tore two tickets out of the guides hand and told everyone to f**k off, she and her friend were getting two beds and didn’t care about anyone else.
In the confusion, our guides scattered and so Jordan and I were left trying to get on a coach bus with four other foreigners. There were no seats left so we found ourselves putting our packs on the floor and lying on top of them. Everyone was completely confused and couldn’t believe the situation. As the Vietnamese inquired as to why we were sitting on the floor, they were equally appalled at our story.
Although at that moment I thought I wanted to cry, it was also one of those moments where I was able to look around and say, well it could be worse. Everyone on the bus was extremely nice to us and one woman even shared her sticky rice with us. We had also been given plenty of snacks by Mom Lee that we could pass around to share. Most of the night was spent curled up in different positions and trying out new ones, but it actually managed to go by quickly. Even the border crossing was relatively uneventful even though at one point our bus drivers asked us to walk through the fog for about 10 minutes between the two different border posts.
So I have just finished my overpriced caramel frappe, told you about my border crossing, and now it is time to go book tickets to Vang Vieng. Tomorrow we head to Laos' tubing capital. As in inflatable tubes and going down the river. What makes this especially spectacular is the fact that every 10 meters down the river there are bars. Yes and yes.
PS Check out some pictures of the border crossing:
In addition, I think I feel lazy as a result of being overwhelmed. We have three weeks left to our trip but the two we allotted for Northern Thailand is in serious jeopardy due to political unrest in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We can’t seem to make a decision on what to do, but at the same time, we must decide what to do before leaving Vientiane in order to make arrangements. The current plan now seems to go back to Vietnam and buy more tailor-made outfits. BOOM.
But back to our journey from Vietnam to Laos…
I had prepared myself for the 24 hour bus journey it would take to get from Vietnam to Laos, but I did not expect to be scammed by my supposedly trustworthy travel agent. We had been very lucky in our travels through Vietnam even though each journey started out relatively sketchy. Leaving Hanoi, however, took a terrible turn for the worse. I like to think I can trust my instinct which is why I realize now I had such a bad feeling as we met the guy who was supposed to be taking us to the bus.
Normally, a van picks us up at our hotel and then takes us to the bus. This time, we went to the travel agency and were picked up by a guy who asked us to follow him. He then led us a few blocks away and asked us to wait at another travel agency. Then he came back and had us follow him and wait on a street corner. Finally, he came back and put us in a van. Talking to the other passengers, it seemed most of us had similar experiences. It was easy to laugh off until another one of the guides turned around and told us there would not be enough beds on the sleeper bus and some of us would have to go on a coach bus with seats.
Everyone decided to band together and insist we get seats, but the story took a surprising twist when it turned out that the travel agency did not even have a bus for us. We were taken to the bus station where we were told that only four sleeper beds would actually be available. Everyone started yelling at our guides but then some of us decided to accept coach seats just to get out of the country. To my horror, just as things started to calm down, one British girl tore two tickets out of the guides hand and told everyone to f**k off, she and her friend were getting two beds and didn’t care about anyone else.
In the confusion, our guides scattered and so Jordan and I were left trying to get on a coach bus with four other foreigners. There were no seats left so we found ourselves putting our packs on the floor and lying on top of them. Everyone was completely confused and couldn’t believe the situation. As the Vietnamese inquired as to why we were sitting on the floor, they were equally appalled at our story.
Although at that moment I thought I wanted to cry, it was also one of those moments where I was able to look around and say, well it could be worse. Everyone on the bus was extremely nice to us and one woman even shared her sticky rice with us. We had also been given plenty of snacks by Mom Lee that we could pass around to share. Most of the night was spent curled up in different positions and trying out new ones, but it actually managed to go by quickly. Even the border crossing was relatively uneventful even though at one point our bus drivers asked us to walk through the fog for about 10 minutes between the two different border posts.
So I have just finished my overpriced caramel frappe, told you about my border crossing, and now it is time to go book tickets to Vang Vieng. Tomorrow we head to Laos' tubing capital. As in inflatable tubes and going down the river. What makes this especially spectacular is the fact that every 10 meters down the river there are bars. Yes and yes.
PS Check out some pictures of the border crossing:
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A Bientot Vietnam
Later today, I will board a bus and ride it 24 hours to Vientiane, Laos. My time in Vietnam has flown by, with Jordan and I deciding last night that if given an award, we would name Vietnam "Best Overall Performance."
After Hue, we moved onto Hanoi (the capital) and Halong Bay. We were also lucky enough to be staying with the Lee family in their beautiful home.
Who is the Lee family you might ask? Well, per Deb's usual antics, she managed to meet a Vietnamese Colby student who offered to introduce us to her family. One thing led to another and we have been staying with them for the past few days. It has been an incredible experience and just goes to show how small the world really is and how wonderful people can be.
From the moment we walked in the door, we have had one adventure after another. Starting with a traditional photo shoot -- Mom Lee was inspired after seeing our Khmer glamour shots -- and ending with a buffet feast/farewell party.
It is funny because I feel like expanding on the buffet and not Halong Bay, but I find it very important to say that the items included raw oysters, sushi, steak, loads of fresh salads, avocado, AND as a finale, a chocolate fountain and eclairs in the shape of swans.
Anywho, I feel incredibly lucky to have these new friends and (as I have said before) if it weren't for things like silly visa requirements, I might stay forever.
Moral to the story: If you haven't started planning a trip to Vietnam, I strongly suggest you start immediately!
After Hue, we moved onto Hanoi (the capital) and Halong Bay. We were also lucky enough to be staying with the Lee family in their beautiful home.
Who is the Lee family you might ask? Well, per Deb's usual antics, she managed to meet a Vietnamese Colby student who offered to introduce us to her family. One thing led to another and we have been staying with them for the past few days. It has been an incredible experience and just goes to show how small the world really is and how wonderful people can be.
From the moment we walked in the door, we have had one adventure after another. Starting with a traditional photo shoot -- Mom Lee was inspired after seeing our Khmer glamour shots -- and ending with a buffet feast/farewell party.
It is funny because I feel like expanding on the buffet and not Halong Bay, but I find it very important to say that the items included raw oysters, sushi, steak, loads of fresh salads, avocado, AND as a finale, a chocolate fountain and eclairs in the shape of swans.
Anywho, I feel incredibly lucky to have these new friends and (as I have said before) if it weren't for things like silly visa requirements, I might stay forever.
Moral to the story: If you haven't started planning a trip to Vietnam, I strongly suggest you start immediately!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
I'm a Barbie Girl
Posting two days in a row = quite the achievement. The truth is I could not hop on tonight's overnight bus without sharing the latest photos. Today we went on another motorbike adventure because 1) there is nothing like flying on a motorbike and 2) it is really the only way to get around Vietnam as the majority of the "roads" are not large enough for cars.
Today's adventure was extra special as we sped along narrow concrete slabs through village alleys and the Hue countryside. It was a cross between a roller coaster and feeling like I was in a high speed chase with Jason Bourne. However, both our drivers took great care in buckling in our helmets pre-departure (which you can see an example in the pictures).
Although everything was glorious, a major highlight came at the last stop when an old woman showed us how to work the various contraptions used by Vietnamese farmers. My favorite was when she showed us a crib-like apparatus complete with plastic baby. After demonstrating how it could be used, she press the plastic baby's stomach and oh-my-word. Imagine the surprise when the baby started playing "I'm a Barbie Girl" by Aqua. Then to my great amusement, the old (perhaps 97 years) woman began to dance and jiggle around. You can also see pictures of her (sadly I did not capture her dancing on video but I sure wish I had).
More or less the pictures speak for themselves so please take a peek and enjoy!
PS I have been getting a few emails about the situation in Bangkok (and throughout Thailand), please don't worry -- the fanny pack tramp and I are keeping close tabs on the situation. Even though I am looking forward to purchasing fake designer goods and visiting the red light district, if things stay this way... we might just have to find an alternative place for a farewell adventure...
Today's adventure was extra special as we sped along narrow concrete slabs through village alleys and the Hue countryside. It was a cross between a roller coaster and feeling like I was in a high speed chase with Jason Bourne. However, both our drivers took great care in buckling in our helmets pre-departure (which you can see an example in the pictures).
Although everything was glorious, a major highlight came at the last stop when an old woman showed us how to work the various contraptions used by Vietnamese farmers. My favorite was when she showed us a crib-like apparatus complete with plastic baby. After demonstrating how it could be used, she press the plastic baby's stomach and oh-my-word. Imagine the surprise when the baby started playing "I'm a Barbie Girl" by Aqua. Then to my great amusement, the old (perhaps 97 years) woman began to dance and jiggle around. You can also see pictures of her (sadly I did not capture her dancing on video but I sure wish I had).
More or less the pictures speak for themselves so please take a peek and enjoy!
PS I have been getting a few emails about the situation in Bangkok (and throughout Thailand), please don't worry -- the fanny pack tramp and I are keeping close tabs on the situation. Even though I am looking forward to purchasing fake designer goods and visiting the red light district, if things stay this way... we might just have to find an alternative place for a farewell adventure...
Friday, April 23, 2010
Double Thumbs Up
Saddened to leave Hoi An, home of fabulous dresses and beaches, it was an early start this morning to catch our bus to Hue, old imperial capital of Vietnam. I was a little worried as our "taxi" to the bus stop turned out to be one man and one motorcycle who took us in shifts and then the bus driver thought we were going to Hanoi (even farther north) and I was convinced we would end up in the wrong place.
What was also relatively dubious was the fact we found ourselves on an overnight style bus. Not your typical double decker -- they consist of reclining chairs built on two levels (no floor in between said levels, think bunk beds). They are also fairly nerve wracking in Vietnam because if you find yourself on the top level, you fear you will simply fall off (which is where we found ourselves).
Luckily, it turned out to be the right bus as we drove north and passed more spectacular countryside -- shorelines, rivers, rice paddies, forests, and mountains. Sometimes I feel sad when our bus rides are over because I love driving through the country so much. Makes me miss my mountaineer.
When we got to Hue, it was bigger than I expected which actual tall buildings and wider streets. Without knowing quite what to expect, we dropped our luggage off and headed to explore the old imperial city. Although many of the buildings encompassing the old city are ruined, there is a current plan to rebuild and the existing palace structures are gorgeous. The colors and architecture are understated but you can clearly imagine what they must have been like in their glory day.
After satisfying our desire to see the imperial city, it was time to satisfy our thirst. Afternoon beers. We headed back and decided to check out the "DMZ" Bar. DMZ stands for demilitarized zone and the site of the 17th parallel. Since we wouldn't have time to actually check the real thing out, we figured a bar named after it was the next best thing.
Turns out, it was a fabulous idea as it felt like home. It was a real bar and not just lawn chairs facing the street. There were actual stools, pumping music, and draught beers. Note: the draught beers were too expensive for the backpacking budget but the local beer quenched our thirst just fine. The tables in the bar were also decorated with lovely Asian pop singers. Fab-u-lous.
We also managed to find a yummy place for dinner later where we were also convinced to go on a motorcycle tour tomorrow. Thumbs up to getting back on bikes and exploring the countryside. Only a week left in Vietnam and we will definitely be making the most of our time!
What was also relatively dubious was the fact we found ourselves on an overnight style bus. Not your typical double decker -- they consist of reclining chairs built on two levels (no floor in between said levels, think bunk beds). They are also fairly nerve wracking in Vietnam because if you find yourself on the top level, you fear you will simply fall off (which is where we found ourselves).
Luckily, it turned out to be the right bus as we drove north and passed more spectacular countryside -- shorelines, rivers, rice paddies, forests, and mountains. Sometimes I feel sad when our bus rides are over because I love driving through the country so much. Makes me miss my mountaineer.
When we got to Hue, it was bigger than I expected which actual tall buildings and wider streets. Without knowing quite what to expect, we dropped our luggage off and headed to explore the old imperial city. Although many of the buildings encompassing the old city are ruined, there is a current plan to rebuild and the existing palace structures are gorgeous. The colors and architecture are understated but you can clearly imagine what they must have been like in their glory day.
After satisfying our desire to see the imperial city, it was time to satisfy our thirst. Afternoon beers. We headed back and decided to check out the "DMZ" Bar. DMZ stands for demilitarized zone and the site of the 17th parallel. Since we wouldn't have time to actually check the real thing out, we figured a bar named after it was the next best thing.
Turns out, it was a fabulous idea as it felt like home. It was a real bar and not just lawn chairs facing the street. There were actual stools, pumping music, and draught beers. Note: the draught beers were too expensive for the backpacking budget but the local beer quenched our thirst just fine. The tables in the bar were also decorated with lovely Asian pop singers. Fab-u-lous.
We also managed to find a yummy place for dinner later where we were also convinced to go on a motorcycle tour tomorrow. Thumbs up to getting back on bikes and exploring the countryside. Only a week left in Vietnam and we will definitely be making the most of our time!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Good Morning, Vietnam!
There aren’t enough words to describe the jubilation I am currently feeling. After another lovely day at the beach, we made it back to town to go for a dress fitting at one of the three tailors we have currently employed to make us garments here in Hoi An, Vietnam. This is a place infamous for its tailors and ability to custom make anything you wish at absurd (cheap) prices. However, even if it did not have this as a draw, I am sure it would be on the map with its picturesque streets, French colonial architecture, leafy rivers, and beautiful beach.
Before we got here, Jordan had been saying she wanted to restrain herself from going crazy on dresses and I thought I would have no problem. I figured I had matured and would not blow my money on dresses and shirts and anything else that crossed my path. Famous last words (though probably not surprising) as I have truly gone crazy. I will leave Hoi An with double the wardrobe I had when I arrived. Four dresses and three shirts later, I am arranging my schedule around my three tailors and the different fittings to ensure each and every article of clothing lives up to its fabulous potential.
Spinning this positive into a negative, I am ready to justify my actions. First off, the cost of this splurge is perhaps 1/5 of what it would be in America. Second off, I am completely exhausted by the thought of wearing my current clothes a second longer. I thought it would be completely natural to wear the same thing day in and day out for five months as my family and friends often point out I lack complete fashion sense and tend to look like a bag lady.
The truth of the matter is that I was aching to wear a pretty dress. I still am even though I am wearing one of my creations. I will hold back on wearing my new clothes too often as I want them to still be fabulous when I touch back down in America, but I think a new chapter in my life has been created. I no longer want to dress in the same old dirty white t-shirts of my youth. It is time to dress as a naturally fabulous lady should (and yes, I am referring to myself as that naturally fabulous lady).
You might be wondering how I got here as the last post I made was taking place in Cambodia and the shared taxi. Perhaps you are even more perplexed as the last picture you saw of me I was dressed as an Asian pageant queen (note: those pictures were a goof and we did not wear them on the streets).
The mini computer and blogspot.com are not exactly the best of friends as every single time I attempt to post a blog it gets deleted and I become discouraged. I am not quite sure why this happens and my apologies for not being a more reliant blogger.
As it happens, we made it to Vietnam uneventfully and spent a few days rowing along the Mekong Delta. Vietnam is a gorgeous country and if it weren’t for silly things like visa requirements I could stay here forever. We also made it back to the beach at Nha Trang to enjoy monstrous waves and delicious smoothies. In fact, we spent an extra day at the beach and I am not sure if it was due to the landscape or the guy running the smoothie bar near our beach chairs. He was an incredibly flamboyant man who was very insistent we try his uber-healthy drinks.
When it was finally time to move on to Hoi An, we boarded another overnight bus and prepared for an adventure. Most people told us to go for the bottom level seats as they were more comfortable and one had less of a chance of falling out. I was imagining overnight sleeper cars in India with bunks, so when we got on the bus and realized it would be multiple levels of reclining chairs I was surprised (which I should stop being at this point in my Asian adventure).
The woman in charge gave us plastic baggies to put our shoes in and pointed us towards the back of the bus. She pointed towards a section of seating at the way back that looked more like one large mattress vs. the five individual chairs it was supposed to be. We attempted to steal two seats that looked more comfortable, but she quickly thwarted that plan and pointed us to the loft-like area that was more like a two-feet high alcove. We were about to complain when we realized the light bulb above one more “comfortable seat” was leaking water or some unknown substance. While we thought the experience would be rough, it turned out to be fairly comfortable. Good thing we were off to luxuries like tailor made clothing and could have happy dreams on the overnight bus until we got there…
Before we got here, Jordan had been saying she wanted to restrain herself from going crazy on dresses and I thought I would have no problem. I figured I had matured and would not blow my money on dresses and shirts and anything else that crossed my path. Famous last words (though probably not surprising) as I have truly gone crazy. I will leave Hoi An with double the wardrobe I had when I arrived. Four dresses and three shirts later, I am arranging my schedule around my three tailors and the different fittings to ensure each and every article of clothing lives up to its fabulous potential.
Spinning this positive into a negative, I am ready to justify my actions. First off, the cost of this splurge is perhaps 1/5 of what it would be in America. Second off, I am completely exhausted by the thought of wearing my current clothes a second longer. I thought it would be completely natural to wear the same thing day in and day out for five months as my family and friends often point out I lack complete fashion sense and tend to look like a bag lady.
The truth of the matter is that I was aching to wear a pretty dress. I still am even though I am wearing one of my creations. I will hold back on wearing my new clothes too often as I want them to still be fabulous when I touch back down in America, but I think a new chapter in my life has been created. I no longer want to dress in the same old dirty white t-shirts of my youth. It is time to dress as a naturally fabulous lady should (and yes, I am referring to myself as that naturally fabulous lady).
You might be wondering how I got here as the last post I made was taking place in Cambodia and the shared taxi. Perhaps you are even more perplexed as the last picture you saw of me I was dressed as an Asian pageant queen (note: those pictures were a goof and we did not wear them on the streets).
The mini computer and blogspot.com are not exactly the best of friends as every single time I attempt to post a blog it gets deleted and I become discouraged. I am not quite sure why this happens and my apologies for not being a more reliant blogger.
As it happens, we made it to Vietnam uneventfully and spent a few days rowing along the Mekong Delta. Vietnam is a gorgeous country and if it weren’t for silly things like visa requirements I could stay here forever. We also made it back to the beach at Nha Trang to enjoy monstrous waves and delicious smoothies. In fact, we spent an extra day at the beach and I am not sure if it was due to the landscape or the guy running the smoothie bar near our beach chairs. He was an incredibly flamboyant man who was very insistent we try his uber-healthy drinks.
When it was finally time to move on to Hoi An, we boarded another overnight bus and prepared for an adventure. Most people told us to go for the bottom level seats as they were more comfortable and one had less of a chance of falling out. I was imagining overnight sleeper cars in India with bunks, so when we got on the bus and realized it would be multiple levels of reclining chairs I was surprised (which I should stop being at this point in my Asian adventure).
The woman in charge gave us plastic baggies to put our shoes in and pointed us towards the back of the bus. She pointed towards a section of seating at the way back that looked more like one large mattress vs. the five individual chairs it was supposed to be. We attempted to steal two seats that looked more comfortable, but she quickly thwarted that plan and pointed us to the loft-like area that was more like a two-feet high alcove. We were about to complain when we realized the light bulb above one more “comfortable seat” was leaking water or some unknown substance. While we thought the experience would be rough, it turned out to be fairly comfortable. Good thing we were off to luxuries like tailor made clothing and could have happy dreams on the overnight bus until we got there…
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Shared Taxis
In case you haven't noticed, I love to talk about the different modes of transportation available in Asia. The other day we decided to head to Phnom Penh from Kampot (site of Bokor Mountain death hike). The fastest option would be to take the infamous Cambodian share taxi. This includes three people sitting across the front bench seats and four people crammed into the back. Beside the space issue, it is supposed to be relatively pleasant as you get air conditioning and the driver goes so fast the time is cut in half compared to the bus.
So when the 1982 Toyota Camry rolled up, it brought back fond memories as a couple of my friends had similar cars. I also figured it wouldn't be so crowded as there was no middle seat -- Imagine my surprise when I realized that the 7th passenger would share the driver's seat. Yes, my taxi driver sat on top of someone for two and a half hours while driving to Phnom Penh. If you don't believe me, check out Jordan's blog for photo confirmation.
Now, my mom always warned me about the dangers of driving while wearing flip flops as the prospect of one falling off and getting stuck under the pedals is quite risky -- but what about an actual foot accidently getting wedged underneath the pedal? The two guys were so squished together that Jordan had to ask me which one was actually driving.
Either way, the major downfall of this seating arrangement turned out to be the fact that the additional passenger in the front completely blocked the air conditioning. The ride itself was rather pleasant until the very end when the heat finally got to me and the sweat began.
Good thing there was plenty to look forward to in Phnom Penh. We would be meeting up with a friend of Jordan's from college. She showed us a wonderful side of the city (the expat side) which included sangria at the Foreign Correspondent's Club, synchronized Asian dancing/aerobics in the park, Cambodian barbecue, and slow line dancing (ask me for a demonstration when I return).
We also managed to educate ourselves by visiting some of the infamous prison and killing sites of the Khmer Rouge. All in all it was a very unique experience and the thought of leaving Cambodia a little sad. I think this is definitely a place I want to return to. I am addicted to their food, dancing, markets, and landscape.
So when the 1982 Toyota Camry rolled up, it brought back fond memories as a couple of my friends had similar cars. I also figured it wouldn't be so crowded as there was no middle seat -- Imagine my surprise when I realized that the 7th passenger would share the driver's seat. Yes, my taxi driver sat on top of someone for two and a half hours while driving to Phnom Penh. If you don't believe me, check out Jordan's blog for photo confirmation.
Now, my mom always warned me about the dangers of driving while wearing flip flops as the prospect of one falling off and getting stuck under the pedals is quite risky -- but what about an actual foot accidently getting wedged underneath the pedal? The two guys were so squished together that Jordan had to ask me which one was actually driving.
Either way, the major downfall of this seating arrangement turned out to be the fact that the additional passenger in the front completely blocked the air conditioning. The ride itself was rather pleasant until the very end when the heat finally got to me and the sweat began.
Good thing there was plenty to look forward to in Phnom Penh. We would be meeting up with a friend of Jordan's from college. She showed us a wonderful side of the city (the expat side) which included sangria at the Foreign Correspondent's Club, synchronized Asian dancing/aerobics in the park, Cambodian barbecue, and slow line dancing (ask me for a demonstration when I return).
We also managed to educate ourselves by visiting some of the infamous prison and killing sites of the Khmer Rouge. All in all it was a very unique experience and the thought of leaving Cambodia a little sad. I think this is definitely a place I want to return to. I am addicted to their food, dancing, markets, and landscape.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Perspiration and Dump Trucks
My teeth are still chattering from my first experience riding in the back of a truck. It was not even your normal pick-up truck, but today I went on a trek and tour to see on old French resort on Bokor Mountain, and my favorite part included piling into a utility/construction-like/dump truck and riding in the back.
There were four different times we were asked to pile on the truck so my story will tell you about my day and each glorious ride on the truck.
We started off the day relatively tired as we had stayed up later than usual playing cards and hydrating with our fellow hostelers. However, after a fresh smoothie with granola, we felt ready to rumble and hopped in a van with about 10 other people. We were under the impression there would be a walk through the woods to the resort and then the car would drop us off someplace else for a walk back. So imagine my surprise (but not too surprised after all this is Asia…) when we were asked to hop out of the Mercedes Benz van and instead hop into a dump truck.
I had a half moment where I thought maybe this was unsafe, but I have seen people riding in pick up trucks and also the road seemed pretty nice. So I shrugged my shoulders, looked around, and hopped up. After the first bend in the road, it turned into pebbles instead of pavement. Still, not so worried, this is Asia. However, leaning against the truck on one side was not very comfortable so I made a note to myself to change up my position on the way back.
We were then left off on the side of the road and asked to follow a park ranger (who happened to be trekking through the hills with us and carrying a bayonet). At the beginning of the hike, I thought to myself, hey this seems easier than the last trek, but of course… famous last words.
The vertical trek took us straight up rock embankments and hanging onto bamboo trees trying to hurtle up the steep and dusty climb. Given the humidity and the high temperature, it was no surprise to look around and see every Westerner bathing in sweat. I don’t think I have ever seen so much sweat in my entire life. At one point, we climbed a set of wooden ladders to reach an overlook and at the top, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and someone asked if it was over. One guide told us we were not even halfway. So off we set again.
By the time we finished the morning trek, I was so excited to sit down that it didn’t quite matter sitting down actually meant climbing onto the large dumpster truck again. I hopped in, carefully made the decision to sit in the back corner, and smiled when one guide, Danny, told me to hold on. After the first bump, I was glad that I was in the corner and could grip two sides of the truck as we bopped along. There were a couple of times were my bum bounced about 5 inches off the ground which made me grip even harder. We drove up the rest of the mountain in the back of the truck, which took about 30 minutes and was a magnificently harrowing experience. You can see my delight in this experience with this picture:
So once we got up to the hill station/French resort, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. Although there was a “danger, no entry” sign, this didn’t stop our guide from leading us through the front gate. We were able to explore most of the buildings by ourselves as our guide told us, “No worries - no landmines here” and left us to wander around. The area more or less consisted of old, run-down buildings, but it is easy to imagine the way things used to be. The main resort building was perched on the side of the cliff with multiple terraces and balconies. When you looked out over the cliff, you could see the jungle down below stretching out until the shoreline. Glorious.
As we wandered around, everyone kept asking each other -- “Do you really think they will have us walk back the way we came?” and “Oh my word, that is so steep, how are we going to get down?” Even my guide told me he wasn’t looking forward to the way down. I questioned him whether or not we could take the truck down, but he told me it was too unsafe because rocks might fall down on top of us. Well, let me tell you, I was not expecting that answer but at least he was honest with me.
So off we went for the third truck ride! Once again, I ended up sitting in the back corner as I felt most comfortable being able to hold on for dear life on two sides. I could also tell I would be sore later on -- more due to the truck than the trek.
I will be honest though, going down the trail was a lot easier than I expected. After all, it is much easier to slide down a mountain than it is to climb up. When I doubted my ability to climb down without falling head first, I just sat and slid down. There was still an exorbitant amount of sweat but other than that, the downhill ride was uneventful. When we reached the bottom again and saw the truck, I was so happy that I decided to be among the people standing behind the cab of the truck. It was quite lovely with the wind blowing in my hair. The perfect ending to a perfect trek.
Disclaimer: I do not endorse dangerous activities and please do not attempt to ride in the back of a dumpster truck (unless you are in rural Cambodia).
There were four different times we were asked to pile on the truck so my story will tell you about my day and each glorious ride on the truck.
We started off the day relatively tired as we had stayed up later than usual playing cards and hydrating with our fellow hostelers. However, after a fresh smoothie with granola, we felt ready to rumble and hopped in a van with about 10 other people. We were under the impression there would be a walk through the woods to the resort and then the car would drop us off someplace else for a walk back. So imagine my surprise (but not too surprised after all this is Asia…) when we were asked to hop out of the Mercedes Benz van and instead hop into a dump truck.
I had a half moment where I thought maybe this was unsafe, but I have seen people riding in pick up trucks and also the road seemed pretty nice. So I shrugged my shoulders, looked around, and hopped up. After the first bend in the road, it turned into pebbles instead of pavement. Still, not so worried, this is Asia. However, leaning against the truck on one side was not very comfortable so I made a note to myself to change up my position on the way back.
We were then left off on the side of the road and asked to follow a park ranger (who happened to be trekking through the hills with us and carrying a bayonet). At the beginning of the hike, I thought to myself, hey this seems easier than the last trek, but of course… famous last words.
The vertical trek took us straight up rock embankments and hanging onto bamboo trees trying to hurtle up the steep and dusty climb. Given the humidity and the high temperature, it was no surprise to look around and see every Westerner bathing in sweat. I don’t think I have ever seen so much sweat in my entire life. At one point, we climbed a set of wooden ladders to reach an overlook and at the top, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and someone asked if it was over. One guide told us we were not even halfway. So off we set again.
By the time we finished the morning trek, I was so excited to sit down that it didn’t quite matter sitting down actually meant climbing onto the large dumpster truck again. I hopped in, carefully made the decision to sit in the back corner, and smiled when one guide, Danny, told me to hold on. After the first bump, I was glad that I was in the corner and could grip two sides of the truck as we bopped along. There were a couple of times were my bum bounced about 5 inches off the ground which made me grip even harder. We drove up the rest of the mountain in the back of the truck, which took about 30 minutes and was a magnificently harrowing experience. You can see my delight in this experience with this picture:
So once we got up to the hill station/French resort, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. Although there was a “danger, no entry” sign, this didn’t stop our guide from leading us through the front gate. We were able to explore most of the buildings by ourselves as our guide told us, “No worries - no landmines here” and left us to wander around. The area more or less consisted of old, run-down buildings, but it is easy to imagine the way things used to be. The main resort building was perched on the side of the cliff with multiple terraces and balconies. When you looked out over the cliff, you could see the jungle down below stretching out until the shoreline. Glorious.
As we wandered around, everyone kept asking each other -- “Do you really think they will have us walk back the way we came?” and “Oh my word, that is so steep, how are we going to get down?” Even my guide told me he wasn’t looking forward to the way down. I questioned him whether or not we could take the truck down, but he told me it was too unsafe because rocks might fall down on top of us. Well, let me tell you, I was not expecting that answer but at least he was honest with me.
So off we went for the third truck ride! Once again, I ended up sitting in the back corner as I felt most comfortable being able to hold on for dear life on two sides. I could also tell I would be sore later on -- more due to the truck than the trek.
I will be honest though, going down the trail was a lot easier than I expected. After all, it is much easier to slide down a mountain than it is to climb up. When I doubted my ability to climb down without falling head first, I just sat and slid down. There was still an exorbitant amount of sweat but other than that, the downhill ride was uneventful. When we reached the bottom again and saw the truck, I was so happy that I decided to be among the people standing behind the cab of the truck. It was quite lovely with the wind blowing in my hair. The perfect ending to a perfect trek.
Disclaimer: I do not endorse dangerous activities and please do not attempt to ride in the back of a dumpster truck (unless you are in rural Cambodia).
Monday, March 29, 2010
Musings of a Blog Writer
Well, I thought I had been a fairly consistent blogger but I have had quite the number of disgruntled comments from followers who think I am slacking on the job. My apologies to you, but also let me express my gratitude. I have high aspirations of travel writing especially after seeing an article on CNN: "Honeymoon Tester is Latest Dream Job." And it is imperative I get back into top blogging shape.
Jordan and I think after our Balinese experience we could be the perfect candidates. We are highly adaptable and have no qualms with a romantic couples massage. And we even have our own travel blogs! It might not be as informative as some other blogs, but hopefully, it is more amusing.
In honor of my travel writing dreams, I thought I would include some random travel musings:
-- In India, it was easier to ignore the masses shouting at me from across the road. However, here in Southeast Asia, that is a touch more difficult. More because the names they call out are so hilarious, I can't help but stop in my tracks and laugh out loud. We are called "sir," "mister," "lady," and "darling" among other things. I find it especially amusing when Jordan is called "mister." I am not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that when we met at Chimney Corners Camp all her campers called her "daddy."
--International Drivers Licenses. Apparently these are necessary for renting motorbikes. If caught without one, expect to pay a hefty bribe (yes, bribe -- not fine). Thank you, Mr. Moped Rental Man for telling us this in advance of Bali road trip 2010. Good thing the angels are on our side because we didn't have any issues. This however has deterred us from future rentals (probably much to the delight of our parents). We now stick to bicycles. Even though the last one I rented near Angkor Wat was half broken and way to tall for me.
By the way, just because driving occurs on the right side of the road in Cambodia doesn't mean it is easier to navigate the streets on a bicycle.
--Pajama sets. This is apparently the latest trend for Cambodian women. You see everyone wearing them from the Disney character to fluorescent florals. I often think of what I would like to invest in (if I wasn't currently blowing my savings on curry and beer) and I think a shop specializing in pajamas would be quite successful. Think of all the marketing slogans for an outfit you can wear day and night, on the beach or on a bike!
Well, I had more musings, but sadly this site closed down on me and I lost most of them. Double the sadness, I was planning on posting this a few days ago but then after the crash we had to leave our hotel in Siem Reap (think Angkor Wat) and head to.. you guessed it... MORE BEACHES!
So as an Easter gift, I will post this and then post another tomorrow.
Disclaimer: As of this moment, I do not in fact think I will seriously pursue the travel writer career, if someone offers me a book deal to detail my fabulous life... well that is another story.
Recent milestone: Officially filled up my passport. I no longer have free spaces for visas. Hopefully, I won't get deported. Worst case scenario, bribery might work.
Jordan and I think after our Balinese experience we could be the perfect candidates. We are highly adaptable and have no qualms with a romantic couples massage. And we even have our own travel blogs! It might not be as informative as some other blogs, but hopefully, it is more amusing.
In honor of my travel writing dreams, I thought I would include some random travel musings:
-- In India, it was easier to ignore the masses shouting at me from across the road. However, here in Southeast Asia, that is a touch more difficult. More because the names they call out are so hilarious, I can't help but stop in my tracks and laugh out loud. We are called "sir," "mister," "lady," and "darling" among other things. I find it especially amusing when Jordan is called "mister." I am not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that when we met at Chimney Corners Camp all her campers called her "daddy."
--International Drivers Licenses. Apparently these are necessary for renting motorbikes. If caught without one, expect to pay a hefty bribe (yes, bribe -- not fine). Thank you, Mr. Moped Rental Man for telling us this in advance of Bali road trip 2010. Good thing the angels are on our side because we didn't have any issues. This however has deterred us from future rentals (probably much to the delight of our parents). We now stick to bicycles. Even though the last one I rented near Angkor Wat was half broken and way to tall for me.
By the way, just because driving occurs on the right side of the road in Cambodia doesn't mean it is easier to navigate the streets on a bicycle.
--Pajama sets. This is apparently the latest trend for Cambodian women. You see everyone wearing them from the Disney character to fluorescent florals. I often think of what I would like to invest in (if I wasn't currently blowing my savings on curry and beer) and I think a shop specializing in pajamas would be quite successful. Think of all the marketing slogans for an outfit you can wear day and night, on the beach or on a bike!
Well, I had more musings, but sadly this site closed down on me and I lost most of them. Double the sadness, I was planning on posting this a few days ago but then after the crash we had to leave our hotel in Siem Reap (think Angkor Wat) and head to.. you guessed it... MORE BEACHES!
So as an Easter gift, I will post this and then post another tomorrow.
Disclaimer: As of this moment, I do not in fact think I will seriously pursue the travel writer career, if someone offers me a book deal to detail my fabulous life... well that is another story.
Recent milestone: Officially filled up my passport. I no longer have free spaces for visas. Hopefully, I won't get deported. Worst case scenario, bribery might work.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Our Balinese Honeymoon
And now for the first guest blog writer ever featured on International Steph... Jordan Swaim. Jordan did such a beautiful job capturing our romantic getaway that I can't help by share it with you. Here is what she has to say:
Shelli and Papa Jimbo receive a gold star this week haven given me the best 25th birthday present I could have asked for, the chance to indulge in Bali’s resort scene. And oh how we’ve indulged! Steph and I have been gallivanting across this beautiful island on a moped, hopping from one beach town to the next and enjoying what I’ve come to refer to as our Balinese Honeymoon. I’ve perfected my skills as a passenger and Sherpa (as holder of our bags) leaving Stephanie free to drive like the wind.
We arrived in Kuta around 11:00 PM and it felt very, ‘bright lights, big city.‘ An enormous McDonalds sign read, “Welcome Home“ and I quickly realized that we were in the tourist capital of all of Indonesia. We hunted down backpacker accommodations (saving our indulgence for later in the week) and grabbed a quick bite before checking email and getting to bed. The next day we rented lounge chairs on Kuta’s main beach and enjoyed a lovely day of sun and surf. We ate at a beach-side stall for lunch and had the best Gado-Gado (boiled vegetables, tempe, and sticky rice in a peanut sauce) that we’ve had to date. The vendor prepared the peanut sauce right in front of us with a mortar and pestle and apparently, brown sugar, chilies, water, and peanuts= perfection.
That night we attempted to go out but fatigue from the sun made for a sad state of affairs. We were in bed by 9:45. Steph and I are worried that we might not be any fun anymore so we’ve vowed to party it up and maybe even go clubbing when we return to Kuta at the end of the week.
On to our honeymoon! Steph skillfully navigated our way out of Kuta and onto the main road that would bring us across the mountainous innards of Bali. The roads twisted and turned up into the hills as it got increasingly misty. We saw chubby roadside monkeys and enjoyed the greenery and Hindu temples along the way. We stopped to take photos at Danau Bayan (a pretty lake covered in mist) and were sold some delicious fresh strawberries. I was so excited to see the fresh fruit that I shoved them into my mouth with barely a rinse. They were bright red and simply scrumptious…and I didn’t get dysentery!
Our first stop was Lovina, a destination known for its black sandy beaches, snorkeling and dolphin spotting. We found a very nice resort with gorgeous landscaping, arbors of flowers over the stone pathways ,and outdoor showers. Our honeymoon suite came with air conditioning and though we slept in twin beds, I still felt like a newlywed!
The next morning we went on a sunrise dolphin watch. It was very romantic but we didn’t see a single dolphin 
Still, the sunrise was worth it and I enjoyed riding in the traditional Balinese boat with the arms that dramatically stretched over the water and gave the scarily narrow boat some balance.
From Lovina we drove to Amed and had a bungalow on the water. We were tormented by roosters but had a nice time. I’ve always had a love for animals but I had some violent thoughts involving BB guns and the demise of some vocal roosters. Riding into Lovina we had a minor incident involving our moped and met a nice man who had pulled over to offer his assistance. He invited us back to the restaurant he owned and we had dinner and we befriended his wife. She offered to cook us a traditional Balinese lunch off-menu the following day. We gleefully returned the next day to quite the spread, my favorite being a decadent black rice pudding. It was warm and sweet and topped with coconut milk. Yummmmm!
That evening we had a couples massage on the beach. Our beds were lying next to one another, so close that we could have held hands. I wasn’t really interested though because I had to focus on not drooling too much in my state of extreme relaxation. I got a bit self-conscious and downright annoyed when another tourist started taking photos of our intimate moment. We were lying, half nude and covered with oil and I didn’t really appreciate the audience. But I couldn’t stay mad long because I was so relaxed.
Now we’ve moved along to Candidasa. We’re at the fanciest hotel yet and we have a stunning infinite pool overlooking the water. I hope our honeymoon continues in our final days of island bliss.
You can check out more from this fabulous travel writer at http://fpdiaries.wordpress.com/
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The Halfway Point
It is hard to believe that my nearly five month adventure has found its halfway point. Two months and however many days in, I find myself taking inventory of the things I have done and the things I still want to do. I have traveled solo around the craziest country I have ever been, taken countless overnight travel adventures, tried new cuisines (though have yet to eat any of the fried bugs that are supposedly infamous in this region). I have met some fabulous people I would love to see again and seen some incredible landscapes I might never again have the chance to return to. I feel I have seen so much but still have goals I wish to accomplish including riding an elephant, more volunteering, clubbing in Bali, and get more pages for my passport. I also have yet to send a single postcard, even though I have written a few… start checking your mailbox in a month or maybe I will just hand it to you when I get home…
I have managed to take over 500 pictures and stay relatively within budget. And except for a minor blip in India, I have stayed relatively healthy and definitely malaria free. For a classy Jersey lady with a clear memory of being twelve years old and never thinking she would leave the country (maybe Mexico), I am impressed. Only two more continents left -- Antarctica and Australia -- though I have managed to get about 2 hours away from each. Interestingly enough, this does not make me want to live abroad as I previously thought but am more convinced then ever on where I want to end up… within the continental U.S.
So enjoy the new round of pictures. The next half of my trip will see visits to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Northern Thailand. Expect more elephants, more jungle treks, less motorbike “incidents” and whatever else we happen to find.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Dolphins are Stupid, but Road Trips are Quite Nice
Waking up for a sunrise cruise around Bali to see the dolphins sounds like a fabulous idea unless in fact at the end of the two hours you end up with no dolphin sightings (but you have seen someone catch a really big fish and then found a dead dog on the beach).
Okay, in reality -- the “dolphin” trip was not that bad -- the sky was positively gorgeous as the sun came up over the hills and spread across the ocean. I always send out a quick whisper to the angels and thank them for inspiring me to get a camera that can try and capture the beauty at moments like that. The purples and pinks in the sky were unlike anything I had ever seen before. And, even though two hours were spent speeding back and forth in a semi-safe boat, the final hour culminated in a snorkeling trip where I saw some incredible fishies and blue starfish. I never even knew starfish could be blue!
Luckily, there are (supposedly) no sharks in Bali so I relaxed, ignored the fact I might resemble a baby seal (and entice a shark to eat me), and enjoyed the wonders of the sea.
So now that I have explained why dolphins are stupid, perhaps you are wondering about the road trip aspect of my title? Maybe you are thinking… but Stephanie -- you are a backpacker! That’s not the same as a road trip… Well, my friend, for the time being -- Jordan and I have consolidated our precious belongings into one pack, rented a motorbike, and bought a map. Note: the rest of our stuff is safely tucked away at our hotel in Kuta, where we must return to fly out to Cambodia next week.
We decided to cross the interior of the Bali island on the first leg of the trip and then make our way across the eastern side of the island. We had met some Germans who completed a similar trip, warning us of rainy season in the hills in the center so we figured we would get the “unpleasant” part out of the way. I use quotes because clearly biking through Bali could not be unpleasant but nasty weather is not my friend.
Anyway, it ended up being a glorious ride through the hills, passing rice paddies, volcanoes, and crater lakes. We also passed a colony of incredibly fat monkeys that we wanted to stop and take pictures of but then thought they might jump on us. There were a few times we passed other bikers wearing ponchos and we got semi-worried, but fortunately, the rain managed to hold off until we were almost at the end of the downhill portion. Then we started going super slow, causing Asian bikers to ask us if we were okay. “Of course we were okay!” we answered, “we just like to go slow!” The Asians normally shrugged and sped off, leaving us alone on our slow descent while we sang songs about being in the rain.
Finally, we made it out of the hill/mountains, and onto the beach! Our first stop was be Lovina, home of the dolphins and black sand. It is a pretty nifty beach except for the lack of dolphins and the dead dog lying on the beach in front of my hotel.
Disclaimer: Each morning you have a good chance of seeing the dolphins, we happened to go on a morning with 0. That is okay. I do actually like dolphins.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Heaven is a Place on Earth
We have reached Yogyakarta (Y pronounced as J). It is considered the center of Javanese culture with gamelan (music) and wayang (puppets) galore. The overnight train ride itself was a terrible experience of too much light and stiff limbs; however, the kindness of one innkeeper upon our arrival saved us from near death as we were able to crash on the couches for a few hours to find out if a room would come available (note: we had arrived at 5 AM and did not sleep a wink on the train).
Waking up a few hours later to free instant coffee, we decided to hang out and see if we could stay. The place seemed pretty nice and social with quite the lovely artistic ambience. The first person to join us near the free coffee was an older Irish man. He told us he was hung over and needed coffee. Then he explained that he and his girlfriend came to Java but upon reaching the hotel she dumped him. He finished his coffee, went to the hotel’s fridge, and got a beer.
Time check? 7:45 AM. I thought of my college friends celebrating our beloved Doghead (St. Patricks day celebration, wake up at the crack of dawn, wear green, drink) and realized if I had had more than 2 hours of sleep I might have joined in on the morning pick-me-up.
We were quickly joined by his Swedish friend, ending up swapping stories and watching the Irish man have a second beer. Then we found out no rooms would free up that day. It was time to be on our merry way.
We stopped at a few hotels but they were also all full. The combination of the early hour and holiday weekend was starting to worry me, but in reality, I was okay because we were hopeful one specific one with a pool would open up. After testing out the deliciously refreshing pool, we decided to try our luck and left our names at the hotel so we could go in search of food and markets.
Luckily, the angels were on our side, and when we got back to check if we had a room, one was available! It was even the cheap one we wanted. Feeling good again. We couldn’t get into our room right away but no worries -- we changed into our swim suits and jumped in the pool. Feeling super-good again.
Heaven. On. Earth.
This hotel feels like it should be tucked away in Greece (not that I have ever been) but I would imagine this whitewash with balconies and terraces could fit in perfectly. Our pool even lights up at night. Fabulous.
P.S. Did I mention that in our sleep-deprived delirium we ended up booking loads of tours? Monday will be spent at Borobudur, a fantastic temple reflecting Buddha’s life and his travel to enlightenment. Tuesday begins a two-day tour, ending in Bali (beaches!!!) and stopping at Gunung Bromo (volcano!!!) along the way.
Fingers crossed the ferry from Java to Bali won’t be overloaded. In the words of trusted world traveler, all ferries in Indonesia look sketchy. Don’t get on the ones that look too sketchy.
P.P.S If you haven’t heard from me in a bit after this post, don’t worry. Just assume I am safely traveling from beach to beach on a motorbike. We met some people who said they rented one for five days and took a road trip around Bali. Yes and yes, please!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
My 10,000 Rupiah Splurge
Time to admit it. I'm not exactly the best of the best when it comes to backpacking (though you might have already guessed that...). I don't mind wearing the same clothes over and over and I can wait an extra day or two to take a shower, but I like to shave my legs and after two months in Asia I was desperate for an eyebrow waxing.
I had been holding off since images of of being left with half a brow or burnt skin from wax were dancing in my head, but I figured Jakarta was a safe enough place to take a gamble with my precious (and oh-so-tan) face. Surprisingly enough, there was an official looking salon approximately 200 meters from my hotel in the "backpacker's ghetto" and it even had a poster out front showcasing a lady with some fabulous looking locks. I decided to go in and give it a shot.
Walking in, the little parlour consisted of a massage table, a swivel chair, a mirror, and a chair to sit on by the door. There were two customers and two beauticians as I had walked in on a facial and a woman having her hair curled. After a few hand gestures, it was confirmed they could do something about my eyebrows and that it would cost 10,000 rupiah.
Note: This is equivalent to $1. This experiment had the potential to leave me with one eyebrow, but at least it was cheap.
I settled into the chair by the door and awaited my turn. Things seemed pretty legitimate. Both hairdressers seemed pretty trendy and the curling action going on for one of the customers was so appealing I momentarily contemplated having the same done. Then I came back to reality and remembered my impending overnight train ride. I continued to survey the scene when I noticed some movement in a little travel crate. I saw two eyes and did a double take.
"Dog." One of the hairdressers had seen me looking at it and answered my unspoken question. I told her I thought it might have been a kitty. I am not quite sure she understood my response but either way, the facial was over and it became my turn.
Gesturing began again as I understood I was supposed to stay in my chair. My new eyebrow stylist came towards me with some tweezers and so I took to opportunity to say "wax" and add in some charades.
At that point, the "woman" getting her hair curled turned around (and I say "woman" because, yes, it turns out this was a lady boy), repeated wax, said something in Indonesian, and all three women rolled their eyes (or something like that).
Since waxing was apparently not going to happen at this point, I figured that as long as I wasn't doing the plucking I could withstand the tweezers. I leaned back and prepared myself for the pain. I felt a quick pluck and then it stopped. I opened one eye and saw my new stylist reach into a bag and pull out a razor. Then she pulled out something that looked like an exacto knife... then she stuck the razor into the exacto knife holder... and started to walk towards me again.
Still not quite sure what I had gotten into, I kept repeating over and over in my head: "at least it is only 10,000 rupiah" and "well this woman's eyebrows are nice so maybe mine will be too."
When the procedure was finished, I checked out the final product and couldn't help but smile. Let's be honest, the exacto knife method of trimming the eyebrows worked out pretty well and I was looking fabulous as usual. I'm not sure if it is something I will want to experience again but I did receive approval from the lady boy so who knows? Personally I think it would be safer to risk burn by wax than eye gouge by razor blade (and I am sure there are more than a few out there who would agree with me).
P.S My next spa treatment might have to be a massage in Bali next week. After all, you know my motto, sometimes a girl has got to treat herself (and once again, I am definitely not in the best of the best backpacker category so I say that often in regards to sunset beers -- and in tonight's case, fingers crossed, a hotel with a gorgeous pool).
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I Should Have Written a Food Blog.
Last night = first night in Jakarta (Java... capital of Indonesia) = Hungry.
The past few days have passed in a bit of a blur, and an expensive blur at that. We arrived in Padang, Sumatra in search of a plane ticket to Java and found pricey accommodation and not-so-cheap flight tickets. However, with our pricey hotel we were given air conditioning, a television, and breakfast. We went to bed exhausted after watching a terrible movie yet refreshed by the cool air blowing from our AC.
Waking up on Thursday (the day of food and the night ending in hunger), I was looking forward to our breakfast. I figured since it was included, I would attempt to stock up on food, maybe even shoving some in my pocket. I joked with Jordan that it would be the traditional Indonesian breakfast of fried rice as we headed downstairs to check it out.
"Coffee or tea?" we were asked by the man working. I replied coffee, Jordan said tea. The man walked away saying, "tea, tea" and left us wondering if I would get my coffee.
Alas! He came back with two whole pots -- one coffee, one tea. Life was pretty nifty as he slid a plate with four slices of folded up bread across the table. We then realized there was something inside the folded toast! Could it be jam?
I opened one up and upon inspection identified chocolate sprinkles inside! A jimmy sandwich!! Who would have thought? Who could possibly have been the person to make such a thing for breakfast? Positively mind boggling aka absolutely hysterical (and surprisingly yummy).
After our breakfast, we reclined for a little bit longer and then headed off to the airport. Not even 1 hour after eating the jimmy sandwiches, and I felt hungry again. After all, sprinkles and white bread isn't exactly the equivalent of an energizing breakfast. I began to dream of all the different foods that might be given to us on our airplane. Asian airlines are much more likely to pass out full meals at every opportunity so I was relatively optimistic there would be another meal included in the price of our ticket.
Once in the air, I noticed the stewardess coming around and handing out a snack. I couldn't quite tell what it was but was not expecting a plain roll. Though actually, it wasn't quite plain. There was some sort of unidentified green substance on top. It was too strategically placed to be mold and I was too hungry so I dug in. The green stuff didn't quite taste like anything but it was semi-sweet. Maybe it was melted sprinkles? Who knows. Two "free" meals down and I was excited to land in Jakarta in search of even more food.
After making some friends and finding a hotel, we decided it was time to check some internet and then head off to dinner. Outside the internet place, I asked someone for a restaurant recommendation. He gave us the name to an Indonesian restaurant, said it was really good and they had music.
When we got there, we took a quick look at the menu to establish it was in our price range. I asked a waitress if there was music and she said "yes, yes." Life seemed pretty nifty again. We sat down and asked for more menus. The waiter seemed a little confused and brought over a woman. She asked us what country we were from. We replied USA and Germany. Both of them walked away.
Not even 30 seconds later, the man was back and placed about 12 small plates in front of us of random Indonesian food. The woman came back and placed two small flags on our table. One American, one German. They walked away leaving us contemplating the next step.
I knew this was a fairly common system. The staff gives you a bunch of plates, you pick what you want to eat, and then they charge you only for what you have eaten. We decided to give it a shot and stick with the chicken options (cold fish that has been sitting around seemed like an Infectious Disease 101 No-no).
The food was nothing spectacular and we decided to only have a little bit and then splurge on ice cream. After all, we figured the meal couldn't possibly have been expensive. We were wrong. The three teeny plates we ate were probably the most expensive things we had eaten (and this was split three ways).
We still splurged on the ice cream but lesson learned. No more eating food without knowing the price. C'est la vie. The burden of the budget traveller. P.S We didn't even get live music
Disclaimer: most of the other food we have eaten here has been fabulous. Just the other night we had fresh calamari curry and steamed fish. Although my Indonesian dictionary does provide translations for "dog" and "rat," so we will stay on our toes in terms of what we order...
Sumatran Buses...
...They only have two speeds: stopped on the side of a winding road so massive trucks can get by or hurtling themselves at top speed along those same winding roads. This observation comes after my first overnight bus ride in Sumatra (the second one in Asia).
In India, I was accustomed to the overnight travel and had actually started looking forward to it. Although I would wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of snores, whistles, and loud crackling announcements at stations, it was all somewhat soothing to think of waking up in a new place. Here in Sumatra things are a bit different -- the looking forward to new place in morning feeling still exists -- but snoring is the least of your issues in the middle of the night.
The bus itself was quite pleasant as the seats reclined almost to a horizontal position and there was even a toilet on it just in case. However, waking up in the middle of the night to the bus swinging like a pendulum as the driver attempts a muddy path (note my lack of the use of the word road) up a steep grade, was semi-terrifying. I am pretty happy I consider myself an optimist because at that point, I think it was necessary to chuckle at the situation and attempt to close my eyes again. (note again, it took a while to fall back asleep as I couldn't seem to stop swaying and rolling)
As the bus rolled into an early morning rest stop and I went to find the ladies room (I don't think this is too much information?), the positive attitude continued as I realized the ladies room did not include individual stalls but actually a couple of different pit/squat toilets with nothing dividing one from the other. I had a moment of thinking maybe the bathroom on the bus would be a better option but decided to go for the communal toilet in the spirit of adventure.
After all, how many people can say they went to the bathroom standing next to a Sumatran woman washing her clothes (yes, literally next to it)?
Sometimes I attempt to compare these travels to something I have experienced before but I consistently cannot come up with anything. Then, yesterday, I had a thought. Maybe all of these crazy bus rides, lack of rules and regulations... can it be compared to what my parents generation did when they were my age? Traveling either across the US or Europe? My mom said she used to hitchhike... Anyways. These are all thoughts of an Asian traveler. Who is currently in Java. and staying very safe.
In India, I was accustomed to the overnight travel and had actually started looking forward to it. Although I would wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of snores, whistles, and loud crackling announcements at stations, it was all somewhat soothing to think of waking up in a new place. Here in Sumatra things are a bit different -- the looking forward to new place in morning feeling still exists -- but snoring is the least of your issues in the middle of the night.
The bus itself was quite pleasant as the seats reclined almost to a horizontal position and there was even a toilet on it just in case. However, waking up in the middle of the night to the bus swinging like a pendulum as the driver attempts a muddy path (note my lack of the use of the word road) up a steep grade, was semi-terrifying. I am pretty happy I consider myself an optimist because at that point, I think it was necessary to chuckle at the situation and attempt to close my eyes again. (note again, it took a while to fall back asleep as I couldn't seem to stop swaying and rolling)
As the bus rolled into an early morning rest stop and I went to find the ladies room (I don't think this is too much information?), the positive attitude continued as I realized the ladies room did not include individual stalls but actually a couple of different pit/squat toilets with nothing dividing one from the other. I had a moment of thinking maybe the bathroom on the bus would be a better option but decided to go for the communal toilet in the spirit of adventure.
After all, how many people can say they went to the bathroom standing next to a Sumatran woman washing her clothes (yes, literally next to it)?
Sometimes I attempt to compare these travels to something I have experienced before but I consistently cannot come up with anything. Then, yesterday, I had a thought. Maybe all of these crazy bus rides, lack of rules and regulations... can it be compared to what my parents generation did when they were my age? Traveling either across the US or Europe? My mom said she used to hitchhike... Anyways. These are all thoughts of an Asian traveler. Who is currently in Java. and staying very safe.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Speed Demon
So to follow in the tradition (it is a brand new one) of renting a motorbike on someone's birthday, today we simultaneously celebrated Jordan's 25th and went for a journey across the Danua Toba island of Samosir on a moped.
I could tell it was going to be a glorious day because of this little feline living outside the place we rented the moped from:
I do not think I have ever seen a kitty so small. Note: It was so small that it couldn't even meow! Just a tiny squeak!
Anyways, getting back on track (honestly I just wanted to share a picture of me and a kitty)... the destination today was a hot spring located approximately 40 kilometers away. Given the fact we expected to go around 15 kilometers per hour, it was going to take some time to reach it. I was very much looking forward to the hot springs as my only previous encounter was in Montana this summer at a resort that filled a pool with hot water (pumped in from a spring). It was rather disappointing so I was excited about a real, live Sumatran hot spring. I imagined it to be hidden away in nature, among jungle vines and swinging monkeys.
As we set off on the windy road, over wooden bridges (with boards spaced just a bit far apart), I once again fell in love with the wind in my hair and the speed of the moped. I never expected to enjoy it as much. Since the speedometer was broken (along with the mileage counter), I could only guess but I would imagine we traveled at about 45 km per hour. I think the broken speedometer actually gave me the extra courage to go a little faster.
Disclaimer: when I say fast, this is not synonymous with reckless. After all, how could one look reckless on a Barbie pink moped?
This is a shot of me and the bike having safely returned. Although the helmet is not in this picture, I did wear a massive one that made me look like a Power Ranger.
Along the way to our destination, we passed some fabulous houses, farms, and oxen. We sloped along a road along the edge of the river, and when we finally found the hot spring, we discovered it was in fact a "piddle" not even a puddle of hot water. The natural hot water was being pumped into... you guessed it... swimming pools. We dipped our toes, had a coca cola, and then headed back.
I guess I will continue on my quest to find the au naturale hot spring. Good thing we still have Java, fertile with all of its volcanoes.
And okay, yes, my description makes the destination sound not so pleasant but it is the journey in life and not the destination that matters? The journey was fabulous and I am glad Sumatra traffic was calm enough that we could be adventurous on a moped once again. Although driving on the left side of the road... I hope I don't forget and attempt to drive the mountaineer on the wrong side of the road once I get back...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Pictures and Big News!
Check out the pictures of Indonesia. And make sure you see below for latest blog!
Alas, I do have news to share! I just found out that International Steph's adventure will continue this summer to Sweden and Russia. I already knew I was leading another service trip through my lovely YMCA camp, but the one to Sweden and Russia was my absolute first choice. I cannot even believe my unbelievable luck this year of seeing the world. This is truly a fabulous year!
Jungle Trek, Jungle Trek... in Bukit Lawang
(sing this to the tune of jingle bells and you are halfway to memorizing the anthem of Bukit Lawang)
Landing in Indonesia, I quickly realized how spoiled I had become in Thailand. Nightly blackouts, no internet, minimal fans, holes in the streets. This is all part of the glory that is Sumatra, our first stop in Indonesia. Luckily, we only had to spend one night in Medan before quickly whisking away to Bukit Lawang.
Bukit Lawang is famously home to an orangutan rehabilitation center but it is also the doorway to many jungle treks (hikes) to see the wild orangutans, lizards, monkeys, and if you go far enough, rhinos and tigers. We decided on a one day trek after meeting "Ali G," a local tourist guide, as our minibus pulled into the village. Although it is one of the major tourist destinations, we quickly realized we were 1 of maybe 15 tourists there at the moment (high season is in June, July, August). It is already a relatively small village of 800 so we felt among the only ones there.
However, that did not stop us from having one of the best stops of our trip thus far.
We woke up early for our first full day ready to trek through the jungle with Ali G. He had followed us around town the previous day to show us the sights and we recognized his great humor and were excited for more jokes. At breakfast however, Ali G introduced us to Quinooo (Don't know how to spell it but pronounced KEY NUUUUU). I have to admit -- I was a little bummed but it became apparent shortly into our trek how hilarious Quinoo was.
When we asked if it was possible to climb a giant, two-hundred year old tree, he kicked off his shoes and scrambled up; when we thought a rooster was crowing in the middle of the jungle, he answered his phone and laughed at how perplexed his ringtone made us; most importantly, he led us to see many orangutans and a hidden waterfall for lunch. At the end of the trek, we went swimming in some "slight" rapids on the river and he even seemed amused as we made fools of ourselves trying to climb up rocks and wear jungle crowns. He also insisted we celebrate at the end of our trek... and celebrate we did.
As we left our hotel room in search of dinner, we realized there was a bit of a party going on so we went down to investigate. It seemed all the trek guides had convened at our hotel (someones goodbye party) for a barbecue, some beer, and "jungle juice." The jungle trek day was taken to a whole new level of amazing.
First off, we ate barbecue fish with our hands, dipping it in chili sauce as we pulled it from the bone. Second, I am not a whiskey fan, but whiskey, coke, and fresh fruit mixed together is actually quite wonderful. And third, never would I expect to find myself at a karaoke bar in the middle of the jungle belting out "Everything I do, I do it for you."
Maybe I should elaborate on the karaoke. We walked across a rope bridge from our hotel to a place with our guide Quinoo and his friend Jungle Eddie to sing some tunes. Karaoke in Sumatra consists of one keyboard, no lyrics, and many off key singers. The English pickings were slim and we had to look up most lyrics on Jordan's blackberry; however, we sang most of the songs available from Bryan Adams to Ricky Martin. Then we taught everyone how to dance pretending they were holding a ball in their hand. The whole crowd was quite imaginative, at times pretending it was a soccer ball to pass back and forth. Finally, Jordan and I decided it would be a good idea to leave and ran back over the rope bridge to our hotel.
All in all it was a wonderful day. We had to wake up early the next day for some long bus rides but the whole adventure was quite worth it. I love Sumatra.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
March Madness
March 1st. This normally signals the beginning of the end to winter. The first day of spring is at the end of the month which brings hope to all. This March 1st was like none other I have experienced before. I have spent the last week and half sampling Thai beaches and asking myself, "oh wait, am I backpacking or at a beach resort?" I also continuously forget the day of the week so when I realized it was March, I was quite astonished.
Please note: this lifestyle is not as easy as it seems. First comes the fact that I sweat so much here I feel like a walking sauna. I take a shower, feel good for approximately 7 seconds, and then start sweating profusely again. Second, sunscreen is honestly quite expensive and it takes a lot of it on a daily basis to ensure I tan properly instead of looking like Larry the Lobster. And third, my day involves a lot of math and attempting to understand the metric system. No matter how many times I experience it, I still get confused.
The other day (we are currently at Railey beach, an island off the coast of Krabi, Thailand) we decided to walk to a different beach for a sunset beer. "800 meters!" I exclaim, "Good, that's not too far."
Jordan suggests I might be wrong.
I quickly thought of the distance equal to 32 swimming pools and said, "hmmm -- yes, you may be correct."
Our 800 meter stroll turned into a vertical hike as we climbed our way through a jungle. We were relieved to reach the downhill portion until the thought hit us that the downhill part was in fact a lot steeper than the uphill part. Oy vey for the climb back!
We came out of the jungle to make our way to the beach and treated ourselves to not one but two (!!) sunset beers. We kept commenting that there must be an easier way back from this particularly secluded beach, and then we finally realized that with low tide there was a different way back! A path had emerged at the end of the beach and we noticed plenty of travelers frolicking across the rocks.
As the sun was almost completely out of the sky, we began hopping over rocks to make our return. Turns out it was a good thing we left when we did, because slowly the path along the shore ceased to exist and we found ourselves climbing through caves and up rock scrambles. As sunlight faded and the tide rose, we couldn't help but laugh at our "easier way."
Needless to say, every day is an adventure and even though Jordan's flip flop broke twice and I received a bit of a cut on my hand from the jagged rocks, we made it safe and sound to the next beach. We have since moved sunset beers to beaches accessible by clear paths and solid ground.
To continue our frolick through southeast Asia, tomorrow we fly out to Sumatra. This will make life even more difficult as we decide things like "Which volcano should I hike today?" or "Should we take 1 or 2 million rupiahs out of the ATM?" Because yes, Indonesia's currency is approximately 9,000 rupiah to 1 dollar. I look forward to saving receipts for meals that cost hundreds of thousands of rupiah.
Thailand was a wonderful break from the craziness that is India, and I have to admit -- I am positively loving my tan. I feel like a lady of leisure again (yes, okay, maybe I qualified for that in India but it didn't quite feel like it). I am very glad we have the northern part of Thailand to look forward to at the end of our trip and cannot believe that by the time we get back we will have been to at least 4 different countries.
In order to add to the adventure element, we have also started to reach out to different connections about volunteer opportunities. Sumatra, Java, Bali, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Northern Thailand -- if you have any ideas for us, the more the merrier. During the planning stages of this journey, Jordan and I discussed seeking out service endeavors, and as we near the end of our "Thai-cation" we are officially in planning mode. So once again, reach out if you have any ideas or even just people you think we should meet.
Cheers to another country, volcanoes, new food, new languages, new people and more adventures!
Please note: this lifestyle is not as easy as it seems. First comes the fact that I sweat so much here I feel like a walking sauna. I take a shower, feel good for approximately 7 seconds, and then start sweating profusely again. Second, sunscreen is honestly quite expensive and it takes a lot of it on a daily basis to ensure I tan properly instead of looking like Larry the Lobster. And third, my day involves a lot of math and attempting to understand the metric system. No matter how many times I experience it, I still get confused.
The other day (we are currently at Railey beach, an island off the coast of Krabi, Thailand) we decided to walk to a different beach for a sunset beer. "800 meters!" I exclaim, "Good, that's not too far."
Jordan suggests I might be wrong.
I quickly thought of the distance equal to 32 swimming pools and said, "hmmm -- yes, you may be correct."
Our 800 meter stroll turned into a vertical hike as we climbed our way through a jungle. We were relieved to reach the downhill portion until the thought hit us that the downhill part was in fact a lot steeper than the uphill part. Oy vey for the climb back!
We came out of the jungle to make our way to the beach and treated ourselves to not one but two (!!) sunset beers. We kept commenting that there must be an easier way back from this particularly secluded beach, and then we finally realized that with low tide there was a different way back! A path had emerged at the end of the beach and we noticed plenty of travelers frolicking across the rocks.
As the sun was almost completely out of the sky, we began hopping over rocks to make our return. Turns out it was a good thing we left when we did, because slowly the path along the shore ceased to exist and we found ourselves climbing through caves and up rock scrambles. As sunlight faded and the tide rose, we couldn't help but laugh at our "easier way."
Needless to say, every day is an adventure and even though Jordan's flip flop broke twice and I received a bit of a cut on my hand from the jagged rocks, we made it safe and sound to the next beach. We have since moved sunset beers to beaches accessible by clear paths and solid ground.
To continue our frolick through southeast Asia, tomorrow we fly out to Sumatra. This will make life even more difficult as we decide things like "Which volcano should I hike today?" or "Should we take 1 or 2 million rupiahs out of the ATM?" Because yes, Indonesia's currency is approximately 9,000 rupiah to 1 dollar. I look forward to saving receipts for meals that cost hundreds of thousands of rupiah.
Thailand was a wonderful break from the craziness that is India, and I have to admit -- I am positively loving my tan. I feel like a lady of leisure again (yes, okay, maybe I qualified for that in India but it didn't quite feel like it). I am very glad we have the northern part of Thailand to look forward to at the end of our trip and cannot believe that by the time we get back we will have been to at least 4 different countries.
In order to add to the adventure element, we have also started to reach out to different connections about volunteer opportunities. Sumatra, Java, Bali, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Northern Thailand -- if you have any ideas for us, the more the merrier. During the planning stages of this journey, Jordan and I discussed seeking out service endeavors, and as we near the end of our "Thai-cation" we are officially in planning mode. So once again, reach out if you have any ideas or even just people you think we should meet.
Cheers to another country, volcanoes, new food, new languages, new people and more adventures!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
FINALLY!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words... well, here you have some more images to go along with the blog. I am also working on updating the captions so you have some context!
You can also search for me on Picasa Web Albums.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Motorcycle Diaries
Well, the day has finally arrived. I guess you could say in honor of Tom Finn's birthday (I hope you wished him well), I decided it was time to bite the bullet and do something I had been too afraid to do before: rent a moped.
I was especially nervous this morning as I headed to the front desk of my hotel to inquire about officially renting a moped. The woman who runs the desk and I have had previous encounters which mainly leave us more confused than anything else. So after surrendering my passport and her informing me that there is no insurance but "if you crash, you pay," we headed out to check out my new ride. Luckily, a British man was having breakfast and overheard me asking her for a lesson and getting no response. He offered to show me the ropes so he joined us over to the mopeds.
I was especially nervous this morning as I headed to the front desk of my hotel to inquire about officially renting a moped. The woman who runs the desk and I have had previous encounters which mainly leave us more confused than anything else. So after surrendering my passport and her informing me that there is no insurance but "if you crash, you pay," we headed out to check out my new ride. Luckily, a British man was having breakfast and overheard me asking her for a lesson and getting no response. He offered to show me the ropes so he joined us over to the mopeds.
The British man showed me the brake and the gas and told me "that's all!" So I hopped on, clipped on my helmet, closed my eyes, and thanked the powers that be that I was wearing my St. Christopher medal. I slowly turned the gas and felt myself surprised out how easy it was to drive in a straight line up the driveway! It took me a moment (or maybe two) to turn around and come back, but as I made my way back towards the spectators, I shouted out, "Look! I'm riding a moped!" This was apparently loud enough that Jordan could hear my rejoicing from our bungalow.
So I retrieved a bright pink helmet for Jordan and we planned a little outing to explore Koh Lanta, a small island off the southwestern coast of Thailand. Needless to say, as we rambled slowly down the road on the moped, there were numerous times I couldn't stop laughing. I wish I could have seen the sight of the two of us. Other mopeds whizzed by with babies, moms and dads, teenage boys and women in burkas, but we meandered at a reasonable 20 km per hour speed to make our way around the island.
It ended up being one of my most favorite days as I conquered my fears of riding (and driving!) a moped... not that I will be planning on trying out a motorcycle anytime soon... but if you ever want to purchase me a gift, I would not turn down the gift of a moped. The adventure was quite the success and culminated in sunset beers then dinner overlooking the ocean. It was a lovely ending to our days at Koh Lanta as we head to Krabi (on the mainland) and then back out to a smaller beach.
News update: We have also purchased some plane tickets. March 3rd we fly to Sumatra to begin the Indonesia chapter of this fabulous lifestyle.
Hope everyone is managing to stay warm and toasty in the midst of all the snow I have been hearing about! If it gets too much, you can come meet us in Bali towards the end of March.
Monday, February 22, 2010
In the Words of Rachel Zoe... I Die.
Forgive me for being politically incorrect but Asians on beaches are positively my most favorite thing. It takes people watching to a whole new level. At first, I thought maybe it was just the Eastern Europeans who loved to pose like models in front of Thai waterfalls, but I realized it is a whole phenomenon that has eclipsed the United States of America.
I find myself on the island of Koh Phi Phi. You might recognize it from The Beach (which I have never seen) or when it made headlines after the tsunami. It is absolute paradise (especially within the context of having been in India for a month). Either way, today Jordan and I took a boat tour to explore the smaller, neighboring island of Phi Phi Leh. We applied copious amounts of sunscreen as we were a little red from the previous day but braved the open water to explore the underwater world. We snorkeled as Jordan pointed out glorious fishies and sea pickles. Our new friend Ali (our boat driver) took us to see many incredible sights, which ended at a large beach on Phi Phi Leh.
Disclaimer 1: Never have I seen such clear water. Disclaimer 2 (bringing it back to Asians and model poses): Never would I expect to take more pictures of strangers than the clearest water of my life. Here is where you can have a glimpse...
These people have now found themselves a prominent place in my future photo album of this trip. I can't wait to take even more pictures as we continue our adventure. Tomorrow, we will head to a new island (Koh Lanta) before making our way to the eastern side of Thailand for you guess it... The Full Moon Party.
In the meantime, maybe we can all hop on the bandwagon and strike a pose next time you are getting your picture taken. Who knows how many people around the world might appreciate it.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Be Careful What You Wish For
In the past 24 hours, Jordan and I have discussed the lack of crazy Thai-translated-into-English, lack of monkeys, and lack of rain. As luck would have it, we found ourselves experiencing all of the above.
Yesterday we arrived in Kanchanaburi. Well off the beaten track and in search of waterfalls, we headed there from Bangkok. Our first order of business was to rent some bicycles (we have yet to graduate to mopeds). After sketchily pushing them across train tracks, we managed to cycle past farms, large houses, mini villages, cows and some goats. We ended up at an old World War II cemetary and then a monkey school. Pictures to follow, but the monkey school was a highlight as we fed them papaya and bananas. One baby monkey in particular enjoyed climbing on Jordan and leaving traces of fruit on Jordans shirt. Please note: this does not count as a lack of monkey.
As we biked back to Kanchanaburi, we thought it would be a good idea to check out a restaurant from Lonely Planet. Unfortunately, we were unable to find it and settled upon a random Thai place. Below you can see pictures of the menu. Jordan had just mentioned the fact that all English was apparently properly translated when we fell upon this goldmine:
I'm not quite sure how we ordered while simultaneously laughing hysterically. We left wondering what on earth was going on and how we would manage to decipher menus in the future. The Thai phrasebook Santa gave me did not quite help in this situation... although under the social category you can learn how to ask for clean needles.
Back to wishful thinking, this morning we woke up ready of a full day of touring. I commented on the humidity of the lovely Thailand morning and said something along the lines of, "good thing we don't have to worry about rain."
As our minibus sped off in the direction of the Erawan Falls, a national park here in the central plains, we thought of the monkeys we might see. As we hiked through and swam in the different pools surrounding the falls, we stopped thinking about wildlife and focused on hiking the treacherous trails. At the final and seventh level, we began the descent only to stumble upon some Eastern Europeans focused on the trees. Looking up, we realized that the man we had previously spotted wearing a man thong was taunting some monkeys in the trees. We waited for it to attack him but it did not. We continued on with our trek and the rest of our day's tour. We had seen some monkeys, swam in the waterfall, seen some crazy train lines built into the mountain, walked across flimsy wooden bridges and had a sunset beer at a classy floating restaurant.
As we got back to the hotel, I noticed some flashes of light in the distance and asked Jordan if it could be lightning. We decided, yes it was lightning and figured it was heat related. At dinner, however, it started to pour and we realized everything we talked about was coming true: crazy english translations, monkeys, and rain. This might not seem like a big deal but rain in the dry season might in fact be big. In fact, saying three things out loud we wanted and having them come true within 24 hours... coincidence? I think not.
This trip might just be absolutely blessed by the angels and you don't even know the other things we have wished for... Things we have to look forward to are Thai islands and full moon parties. May all our dreams come true (even the unspoken ones).
Bangkok!?
Arrived in Bangkok and excited for new unexpected turn of events: Sarah Strull. I met her this past summer and a wonderful friend connected the dots that we would be in Thailand at the same time. She works at the camp I will return to this summer but unlike us "seasonal employees" she managed to enter a foreign country under "paid vacation." This phrase is relatively unknown to me but I was envious. That didn't really stand in the way of a seriously good time, however.
I met Sarah at the Starbucks in the Bangkok airport. After flying out of Kolkata (the airport looks like it has been bombed 7 times in the past 2 years), the smells and sights of Bangkok were overwhlemingly welcoming. So we met up and hopped a cheapo bargain bus to meet up with (you guess it!) my travel buddy. Upon reaching the hotel, which was not as fabulous as the pictures lead you to believe but still fell under fabulous category given the roof top pool, we met up with Jordan and headed out for Thai beers and curry. To make the night even more memorable, we ended up meeting a friend I had made at the Taj Mahal, having more refreshments, spying on "cautionary tales" aka men who looked like they had been in Thailand for way too long, and then going dancing at a club called "The Club."
Things were really looking up in Thailand. We woke up for our first full day and decided to spend the first half of it at the pool. For the second half, we decided to take in some touristy sights so took a tuk-tuk (think Indian auto rickshaw but a touch fancier) to the Grand Palace. From far away, I had never seen anything so grand but as we got closer it became apparent we were inappropriately dressed. Far from the Indian men, I had shed my long pants and long sleeves in favor of shorts and tank tops. In anticipation of the temple, I had carried along a shawl but alas, that was not enough.
Before we even realized it, a woman was shrouding us in random hawaiian print tropical shirts and wrap around skirts. We left her a deposit and frolicked towards jewel-encrusted palaces and emerald-clad buddhas. We were not disappointed, even though we felt we would pass out from the heat given our new wardrobe. After seeing plenty of history and cats hiding in temples, Sarah, Jordan and I hopped onto a water taxi which led us to discover the cheap-o Thai back massage. This ended up leading to more than one miracle as it taught us a shortcut back to our hotel.
Later that evening, we decided to go back to the area we had gotten massages. As we sketchily attempted to pass through a restaurant/travel agency/Jewish hangout, we ran into my Israeli friends from Varanasi. We made plans to meet up later that night but sadly that did not work out. We were tired and leaving Bangkok in the morning. However, the randomness was absolutely crazy and hope that is only the beginning on this trip.
Thailand kicked itself off to a great start and I plan on fully enjoying it until our final day as we celebrate the full moon before heading onto Indonesia. Spring Break Thailand 2010. Hollla back.
I met Sarah at the Starbucks in the Bangkok airport. After flying out of Kolkata (the airport looks like it has been bombed 7 times in the past 2 years), the smells and sights of Bangkok were overwhlemingly welcoming. So we met up and hopped a cheapo bargain bus to meet up with (you guess it!) my travel buddy. Upon reaching the hotel, which was not as fabulous as the pictures lead you to believe but still fell under fabulous category given the roof top pool, we met up with Jordan and headed out for Thai beers and curry. To make the night even more memorable, we ended up meeting a friend I had made at the Taj Mahal, having more refreshments, spying on "cautionary tales" aka men who looked like they had been in Thailand for way too long, and then going dancing at a club called "The Club."
Things were really looking up in Thailand. We woke up for our first full day and decided to spend the first half of it at the pool. For the second half, we decided to take in some touristy sights so took a tuk-tuk (think Indian auto rickshaw but a touch fancier) to the Grand Palace. From far away, I had never seen anything so grand but as we got closer it became apparent we were inappropriately dressed. Far from the Indian men, I had shed my long pants and long sleeves in favor of shorts and tank tops. In anticipation of the temple, I had carried along a shawl but alas, that was not enough.
Before we even realized it, a woman was shrouding us in random hawaiian print tropical shirts and wrap around skirts. We left her a deposit and frolicked towards jewel-encrusted palaces and emerald-clad buddhas. We were not disappointed, even though we felt we would pass out from the heat given our new wardrobe. After seeing plenty of history and cats hiding in temples, Sarah, Jordan and I hopped onto a water taxi which led us to discover the cheap-o Thai back massage. This ended up leading to more than one miracle as it taught us a shortcut back to our hotel.
Later that evening, we decided to go back to the area we had gotten massages. As we sketchily attempted to pass through a restaurant/travel agency/Jewish hangout, we ran into my Israeli friends from Varanasi. We made plans to meet up later that night but sadly that did not work out. We were tired and leaving Bangkok in the morning. However, the randomness was absolutely crazy and hope that is only the beginning on this trip.
Thailand kicked itself off to a great start and I plan on fully enjoying it until our final day as we celebrate the full moon before heading onto Indonesia. Spring Break Thailand 2010. Hollla back.
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