Our flight to Singapore was early in the morning, but in able to receive the discount on AirAsia, Alexis and I were on a separate flight than Skye and Ethan. We arrived in Singapore at about 9:45 AM and waited in the airport until Skye and Ethan arrived around 11:30 AM. Immediately upon arrival we could sense that Singapore was going to be a high-tech city- the airport had free wifi!! We waited for Skye and Ethan to arrive while we relaxed at Starbucks and then the 4 of us grabbed a bus to the center of the city.
I loved Singapore right away. Everything outside the airport was very green and well-groomed and the traffic was minimal. The architecture in the city was beautiful and due to the laws against spitting and chewing gum it was SO clean! We hopped off of the bus and found our way to Little India- an area in the city where we could actually afford the hospitality.
After settling into a dorm-style hostel, we grabbed some Indian food for lunch at the restaurant down stairs. For the rest of the day we explored the mall across from our hostel- a mall filled with arcades, video-game studios, and western food! We were all pretty wiped from the confusing night's sleep and the flight so after Alexis and I went on a wild goose chase to print out our Universal Studios tickets, we all headed to bed early. We had a long day at the theme park to look forward to! Skye and Ethan decided to join us at the park so we knew it was going to be a fun day !
We woke up bright and early to have a full day at Universal- it closed at 7 pm so we had to get in as much as we could during the day. Universal Studios Singapore (USS) was located on Sentosa Island- a vacation and tourist paradise with a casino, aquarium, and multiple resorts, restaurants, and shops. The island itself cost 1 SD (singapore dollar) to enter and was a very fun spot. The walk to Sentosa Island was pretty cool, with views of the harbor that cruise ships docked at and also a view of a gondola over the harbor.
Luckily the park wasn't very crowded and we were able to get on all of the fun rides multiple times. USS was similar to the park in Florida, it had dueling dragons, Shrek 4D, the Mummy roller coaster and the Jurassic Park rafting ride. The best part of the park was the 4D Transformers ride that a motion simulator car chase and fight against the transformer characters. The 4 of us went on nearly every ride in the park, including the children's rides like Sesame Street's Spaghetti Space Chase and the Madagascar carousel. I love theme parks so I had a smile on my face the whole day. We saw some characters walking around including Frankenstein, Betty Boop, and the cast of Madagascar! We were able to get the front row of every roller coaster and the longest wait was about 45 minutes- 90% of the time we walked right on ! Overall it was one of the most successful days I have had at a theme park and it was one of the happiest days we had had on our trip !
The next day was sadly our last full day in Singapore. Our time there was brief, as we had anticipated it being a very expensive city. We decided to explore the harbor area of the city, so we headed to Marina Bay. The harbor was beautiful, with an amazingly modern bridge overlooking the skyline of the city. There was a soccer field floating on the water and the Singapore Flyer (similar to the London Eye) was in clear view. We continued to explore the area and visited the Gardens by the Bay, which was a modern garden of super tall, fake trees. Skye and Ethan wanted to return to Sentosa Island to visit the Aquarium, but Alexis and I couldn't afford such activities! Alexis and I discovered that the science and art museum had a free exhibit on the top floor so we decided to check that out and then explore the high end mall on the harbor. The mall had some of the nicest stores I had ever seen, and even had an indoor skating rink!! You could also go for a gondola ride on the river on the bottom floor. I felt very out of place in my t-shirt and flip flops while everyone was shopping at Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Prada !
For our last night on our back pack adventure, Alexis and I wanted to celebrate all that we had seen and done in the past 5 weeks. We put on the only decent clothes we had- 6 dollar dresses we had purchased on Khao Son Road in Bangkok, and headed back to Marina Bay. Inside the mall we asked the concierge what type of restaurant would allow us in in flip flops and we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered the sky lounge in the hotel wasn't that strict. So up we went- to the 58th floor where we were greeted with amazing views. We ordered a berry champagne deliciousness and enjoyed the scenery. Next to us was a rooftop pool and we were surrounded by amazing buildings and skyscrapers. It was pretty crowded up there so after one drink we headed back into the mall to find an alternate location for dinner. We chose a pizza place overlooking the harbor where we were able to watch a pretty cool laser/water show. Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" began playing and Alexis and I teared up a little bit thinking that our amazing journey was coming to an end.
The next day our flight back to Bangkok was later in the afternoon so we had the morning to spend with Skye and Ethan. They were continuing on to Malaysia and the south of Thailand, so it was time to say goodbye to our new best buds. We visited the popular tourist spot, the merlion, but due to anxiety, heat, and dehydration I didn't last long in the park. We said goodbye to our friends and headed for the airport. I really wish we had more time in Singapore- there were so many cool places to see and the city was very welcoming and easy to adjust to. I was sad to say goodbye to Singapore but I was mostly sad to say goodbye to Skye and Ethan, after 5 weeks we had become really close and Michigan is pretty far away- so the next reunion is pretty up in the air - but is definitely going to happen someway somehow!
Alexis and I headed back to Salaya for 3 days where we spent the day with Araya, got our haircuts, and packed up our stuff. We watched a lot of our new movies and stayed in the air conditioned apartment because it was nearly 105 degrees in our town! Way too hot to function!!
Monday night at 3 AM we headed into Bangkok to begin our journey back to America. We had a brief layover in Tokyo- a full day in San Fran and then it was homeward bound to the east coast.
These six months have taught me so much about the world and myself. I am incredibly grateful to have had such an amazing experience and thankful to everyone I met along the way who made the memories so special. I hope to return to SE Asia one day- it is such an incredible and beautiful part of the world. Now its time to start the next chapter of my life: finding a full time job and settling into the Boston scene. Sawadee-kha Thailand and khob khun kha for everything <3
Friday, May 3, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Backpack Adventure: Bali Baby!
Alexis, Ethan, Skye and I were continuing our adventures to Bali and Singapore thanks to some discount flights that we discovered on Air Asia's website. Our flight to Bali was early Wednesday morning and we were lucky to catch a beautiful sunrise through the clouds on the plane.
Our first stop in Bali was to the relaxing village of Ubud. We took a taxi (that was a total rip-off) from the airport to the village and found a guest house pretty quickly. The room was really clean with an awesome balcony and a beautiful view. Bali was extremely tropical and green and the air was very fresh and clean. After about 10 minutes in Ubud I knew I was going to absolutely love it there! After dropping our stuff off at our guest house, we decided to explore the village and of course our first stop was food. We stumbled upon a cheap restaurant with traditional Balinese food like peanut and coconut sauce over veggies and rice. Alexis wanted to find a yoga studio and Ethan and Skye wanted to meet up with their friend Josie so the day was spent walking around the village and getting acquainted with our surroundings. For dinner we went to a small local place suggested to us by Josie, the dish she recommended was sold out but we all enjoyed what we ordered... until Alexis got sick later that night.
We had to go to bed early that night because we had a 2 AM wake-up call to hike a volcano and watch the sunrise. When we woke up at 2, Alexis didn't feel good from her dinner so she decided to stay home and rest. Ethan, Skye and I met up with Josie and her friends to climb the volcano, and we all fell asleep on the van ride to the hike. It was SO cold and dark when we started the hike, easily the coldest I had been in six months. Our Balinese guides gave us flashlights to light the trails, but hiking on loose volcanic ash, rock, and sand was a tricky business in total darkness. It became increasingly difficult when we had to start climbing our way up! I was in the middle of the group so I followed the footsteps of the girls in front of me, but we all slipped a few times on the way up. I do have to give a special shout out to the 9 year old boy who was part of our trekking group. He was a good sport about this adventure and didn't complain once- I definitely wouldn't have had his stamina at 9 years old! Once we reached the top of the volcano, we took a seat along a natural ledge and waited for the sun to come up. The views were BEAUTIFUL. We were overlooking a lake and opposite us was another mountain peak. The area around the volcano was extremely green and the setting reminded me a lot like the setting of LOST. The craters of the volcano we had hiked were steaming which added to the natural beauty of our surroundings. When the sun started rising the colors of the sky were truly breathtaking. Neon pinks and deep oranges covered the sky and the reflections in the lake were gorgeous. It was 100% worth the 2 AM wake-up call, if you ask me. After the sun rose, our guides had breakfast prepared for us and we got to explore the craters a little bit. Skye and I were too cold to explore the craters so we stood over the area where the steam was coming out and enjoyed a "natural sauna."
After the hike, we headed back to our hostel where Alexis was feeling much better. Alexis and Ethan decided to explore our local area and figure out the rest of our day while Skye and I passed out for a much needed nap. It was only 9:45 AM and we had already hiked up and down a volcano- I was exhausted!
When we woke up, we decided to rent motorbikes and explore some of the temples and rice fields outside of the downtown village. Again, Skye was an excellent chauffeur and we had a lot of laughs on our motor bike ride. We saw some interesting sights from our bike, including groups of ducks crossing the road, naked people, and even a woman peeing on the side of the road. Other than those bizarre scenes, the ride to each temple was gorgeous. The rice paddies were amazing - so green and natural looking. Even the temples we visited were built in the jungle so we were able to see waterfalls, tropical trees, and really beautiful moss covering ancient parts of the temples.
We had had a very busy day but there was still one more activity we wanted to squeeze in. Ethan had read about a coffee plantation called "Bali Purina" that gives you a tour of the plantation and free samples of the coffee... the catch? The coffee beans are filtered through the digestive system of a Balinese Fischer Cat! Yes, that means we tried cat dung coffee. It was actually a very interesting process. Not all of their coffee is made this way, and we could definitely taste a difference of bitterness/strength in the Cat coffee than the other types we sampled. I am more of a sweet coffee drinker so the cat dung coffee wasn't my fav... but I was definitely missing Emily during this activity because she was my coffee buddy throughout Cambodia and 'Nam !
The next day was our last day in Ubud- we were moving on to a beach town later that day. Alexis did a yoga class in the morning and then we all regrouped to visit the popular tourist spot "Monkey Forest." It was absolutely terrifying. I love monkeys, but because this has turned into such a tourist trap these monkeys have associated people with food and have no shame jumping on you and taking your possessions. They were a very aggressive group of monkeys and I saw them steal people's water bottles, candy bars, and even a pair of earrings off of a woman's ear! Our guest house had given us a bag of bananas to bring to the forest, and Ethan had made some cute monkey friends as he was giving them away. It was all fun and games until this HUGE monkey came bounding at Ethan and snatched our entire bag of bananas!! Ethan was nervous he would choke on the plastic bag so when he tried to take the garbage, the monkey growled and barred his teeth so we quickly moved along. The rest of the visit was brief, I was really freaked out by the monkeys and their aggression was very nerve-wracking. After the forest, we visited some souvenir shops and got a good deal on wood carvings and bracelets.
On our way to the taxi stand in Ubud, we had a very interesting encounter with a fellow American at an art gallery. Alexis was walking behind Ethan, Skye, and I and was taking a while to catch up. I assumed she was sampling dried fruit or something until she came running to us saying "Did anyone else notice that was Tyra Banks back there?!?" So Ethan, Skye, and I followed Alexis quickly down the street and there she was!! Tyra Banks just casually buying art in Ubud, Bali. She was wearing a long orange maxi dress with gold strappy sandals and her hair was in a cool braided up-do. Alexis walked right up to and said "We thought that was you!" and proceeded to tell her about our teachings in Thailand. The only words I could muster was to tell her I was from Massachusetts and I maybe squeaked out a "bye!" at the end. I was totally star struck! We all left Ubud in total shock that we had just met Tyra Banks! She was nice enough, and we didn't want to bother her for a photo, but I swear it happened!
Our next stop in Bali was Padang Bai, which at first glance is a total dump. It is used as a ferry port to visit the smaller islands off of Bali, and the main harbor is filled with boats and no beach to sit and relax. I wasn't super impressed with the location until we did some research and learned that the beaches are a walk away from the main harbor. We also learned that its an awesome spot for scuba diving, which Skye and Ethan were really interested in, so we decided to visit the local companies and inquire about a diving package. The first place we visited didn't seem interested in our business so we went back to the cafe we first sat down in when we arrived in Padang Bai to use their wifi. The woman Elaina was really nice and had a very relaxed mind set about diving. I never thought I would be interested in an activity that puts me so close to the creatures I fear in the ocean, but something about her friendliness and the way she wanted to help Skye and I with our hesitations had me hooked. There was also a chance of seeing sea turtles!! The next thing I know, I was signed up for 2 dives the next day!
The diving experience was awesome! We started off in a pool, just the 4 of us with Elaina and 2 teachers in training. I felt really safe the whole time because we were able to have a one on one relationship with our instructors. In the pool, we learned the basic techniques of diving, how to put the equipment on and off, where everything was located on our vests, how to inflate and deflate our vests, and most importantly: how to breathe. It was definitely a weird feeling breathing under water, and I felt like I was breathing really rapidly and using up a lot of my air to quickly, but it was all in my head and I just had to get used to it. The next stop was the ocean!! We were headed to Blue Lagoon first for our 10 meter dive. We jumped right into it and did backflips into the water from the boat. I was nervous about equalizing my ears, but it turned out to not be as difficult as I expected. I got a dizzy one or two times but using the techniques that Elaina taught us, I was able to overcome it on my own. We were under water for almost 40 minutes for the first dive and we got to see a TON of fish! There was a pretty strong wave current that day so we had to continuously change our air pressure in our vests so we weren't taken by the waves. Another thing that was tricky to get used to was not using your arms. Because of the vest and the flippers, you really don't need to use your arms to swim that deep under water- so I was wasting a lot of my energy by using my arms.
In between dives we were given cookies and tea and had some laughs with the other teachers on our boat. The second dive was a little bit longer, just over 50 minutes and we saw even more cool fish! No turtles which was kind of a bummer, but we saw a school of barracudas, a lion fish, some trumpet fish, calamari, and tons of others that I can't remember their names. I found scuba diving to be oddly relaxing and if I lived in a warmer climate with better dive spots, I definitely would have considered becoming certified. Skye and Ethan decided to stay in Padang Bai and extra day and become certified which was really cool to hear about. Alexis and I decided to opt out of the certification primarily because of its cost, so while Skye and Ethan dove, we relaxed on the White Sand Beach. It was a beautiful area with huge waves and cool rock formations on either side of the sand.
It was a pretty small spot so for our last day in Bali, Alexis and I decided to take a bus to Kuta, the extremely popular tourist spot located right near the airport. It was definitely a completely different atmosphere than Ubud or Padang Bai but Alexis and I had fun admiring the resorts, western restaurants, and outdoor shopping plazas. We spent the day on surfer's paradise beach and waited for Skye and Ethan to arrive after their dive. Alexis wasn't feeling too great so instead of our original plan, which was sleeping in the airport, the four of us split a really cheap and really disgusting room at a guesthouse and slept for 5 hours before heading to the airport. If Alexis wasn't sick, I would NOT have stayed in that guesthouse. The ceiling was moldy and I woke up to the largest cockroach I have ever seen hanging out in our bathroom, but it was the cheapest place we could find and it was better than sleeping on a bench at the airport!
We sleepily found a cab at 3:30 AM to take us to the airport as we prepared for the last leg of our journey: SINGAPORE! This adventure was going by way too fast and I was very sad to say goodbye to the peaceful beauty that we experienced in Bali. I was however, extremely excited to visit Universal Studios in Singapore!!
Our first stop in Bali was to the relaxing village of Ubud. We took a taxi (that was a total rip-off) from the airport to the village and found a guest house pretty quickly. The room was really clean with an awesome balcony and a beautiful view. Bali was extremely tropical and green and the air was very fresh and clean. After about 10 minutes in Ubud I knew I was going to absolutely love it there! After dropping our stuff off at our guest house, we decided to explore the village and of course our first stop was food. We stumbled upon a cheap restaurant with traditional Balinese food like peanut and coconut sauce over veggies and rice. Alexis wanted to find a yoga studio and Ethan and Skye wanted to meet up with their friend Josie so the day was spent walking around the village and getting acquainted with our surroundings. For dinner we went to a small local place suggested to us by Josie, the dish she recommended was sold out but we all enjoyed what we ordered... until Alexis got sick later that night.
We had to go to bed early that night because we had a 2 AM wake-up call to hike a volcano and watch the sunrise. When we woke up at 2, Alexis didn't feel good from her dinner so she decided to stay home and rest. Ethan, Skye and I met up with Josie and her friends to climb the volcano, and we all fell asleep on the van ride to the hike. It was SO cold and dark when we started the hike, easily the coldest I had been in six months. Our Balinese guides gave us flashlights to light the trails, but hiking on loose volcanic ash, rock, and sand was a tricky business in total darkness. It became increasingly difficult when we had to start climbing our way up! I was in the middle of the group so I followed the footsteps of the girls in front of me, but we all slipped a few times on the way up. I do have to give a special shout out to the 9 year old boy who was part of our trekking group. He was a good sport about this adventure and didn't complain once- I definitely wouldn't have had his stamina at 9 years old! Once we reached the top of the volcano, we took a seat along a natural ledge and waited for the sun to come up. The views were BEAUTIFUL. We were overlooking a lake and opposite us was another mountain peak. The area around the volcano was extremely green and the setting reminded me a lot like the setting of LOST. The craters of the volcano we had hiked were steaming which added to the natural beauty of our surroundings. When the sun started rising the colors of the sky were truly breathtaking. Neon pinks and deep oranges covered the sky and the reflections in the lake were gorgeous. It was 100% worth the 2 AM wake-up call, if you ask me. After the sun rose, our guides had breakfast prepared for us and we got to explore the craters a little bit. Skye and I were too cold to explore the craters so we stood over the area where the steam was coming out and enjoyed a "natural sauna."
After the hike, we headed back to our hostel where Alexis was feeling much better. Alexis and Ethan decided to explore our local area and figure out the rest of our day while Skye and I passed out for a much needed nap. It was only 9:45 AM and we had already hiked up and down a volcano- I was exhausted!
When we woke up, we decided to rent motorbikes and explore some of the temples and rice fields outside of the downtown village. Again, Skye was an excellent chauffeur and we had a lot of laughs on our motor bike ride. We saw some interesting sights from our bike, including groups of ducks crossing the road, naked people, and even a woman peeing on the side of the road. Other than those bizarre scenes, the ride to each temple was gorgeous. The rice paddies were amazing - so green and natural looking. Even the temples we visited were built in the jungle so we were able to see waterfalls, tropical trees, and really beautiful moss covering ancient parts of the temples.
We had had a very busy day but there was still one more activity we wanted to squeeze in. Ethan had read about a coffee plantation called "Bali Purina" that gives you a tour of the plantation and free samples of the coffee... the catch? The coffee beans are filtered through the digestive system of a Balinese Fischer Cat! Yes, that means we tried cat dung coffee. It was actually a very interesting process. Not all of their coffee is made this way, and we could definitely taste a difference of bitterness/strength in the Cat coffee than the other types we sampled. I am more of a sweet coffee drinker so the cat dung coffee wasn't my fav... but I was definitely missing Emily during this activity because she was my coffee buddy throughout Cambodia and 'Nam !
The next day was our last day in Ubud- we were moving on to a beach town later that day. Alexis did a yoga class in the morning and then we all regrouped to visit the popular tourist spot "Monkey Forest." It was absolutely terrifying. I love monkeys, but because this has turned into such a tourist trap these monkeys have associated people with food and have no shame jumping on you and taking your possessions. They were a very aggressive group of monkeys and I saw them steal people's water bottles, candy bars, and even a pair of earrings off of a woman's ear! Our guest house had given us a bag of bananas to bring to the forest, and Ethan had made some cute monkey friends as he was giving them away. It was all fun and games until this HUGE monkey came bounding at Ethan and snatched our entire bag of bananas!! Ethan was nervous he would choke on the plastic bag so when he tried to take the garbage, the monkey growled and barred his teeth so we quickly moved along. The rest of the visit was brief, I was really freaked out by the monkeys and their aggression was very nerve-wracking. After the forest, we visited some souvenir shops and got a good deal on wood carvings and bracelets.
On our way to the taxi stand in Ubud, we had a very interesting encounter with a fellow American at an art gallery. Alexis was walking behind Ethan, Skye, and I and was taking a while to catch up. I assumed she was sampling dried fruit or something until she came running to us saying "Did anyone else notice that was Tyra Banks back there?!?" So Ethan, Skye, and I followed Alexis quickly down the street and there she was!! Tyra Banks just casually buying art in Ubud, Bali. She was wearing a long orange maxi dress with gold strappy sandals and her hair was in a cool braided up-do. Alexis walked right up to and said "We thought that was you!" and proceeded to tell her about our teachings in Thailand. The only words I could muster was to tell her I was from Massachusetts and I maybe squeaked out a "bye!" at the end. I was totally star struck! We all left Ubud in total shock that we had just met Tyra Banks! She was nice enough, and we didn't want to bother her for a photo, but I swear it happened!
Our next stop in Bali was Padang Bai, which at first glance is a total dump. It is used as a ferry port to visit the smaller islands off of Bali, and the main harbor is filled with boats and no beach to sit and relax. I wasn't super impressed with the location until we did some research and learned that the beaches are a walk away from the main harbor. We also learned that its an awesome spot for scuba diving, which Skye and Ethan were really interested in, so we decided to visit the local companies and inquire about a diving package. The first place we visited didn't seem interested in our business so we went back to the cafe we first sat down in when we arrived in Padang Bai to use their wifi. The woman Elaina was really nice and had a very relaxed mind set about diving. I never thought I would be interested in an activity that puts me so close to the creatures I fear in the ocean, but something about her friendliness and the way she wanted to help Skye and I with our hesitations had me hooked. There was also a chance of seeing sea turtles!! The next thing I know, I was signed up for 2 dives the next day!
The diving experience was awesome! We started off in a pool, just the 4 of us with Elaina and 2 teachers in training. I felt really safe the whole time because we were able to have a one on one relationship with our instructors. In the pool, we learned the basic techniques of diving, how to put the equipment on and off, where everything was located on our vests, how to inflate and deflate our vests, and most importantly: how to breathe. It was definitely a weird feeling breathing under water, and I felt like I was breathing really rapidly and using up a lot of my air to quickly, but it was all in my head and I just had to get used to it. The next stop was the ocean!! We were headed to Blue Lagoon first for our 10 meter dive. We jumped right into it and did backflips into the water from the boat. I was nervous about equalizing my ears, but it turned out to not be as difficult as I expected. I got a dizzy one or two times but using the techniques that Elaina taught us, I was able to overcome it on my own. We were under water for almost 40 minutes for the first dive and we got to see a TON of fish! There was a pretty strong wave current that day so we had to continuously change our air pressure in our vests so we weren't taken by the waves. Another thing that was tricky to get used to was not using your arms. Because of the vest and the flippers, you really don't need to use your arms to swim that deep under water- so I was wasting a lot of my energy by using my arms.
In between dives we were given cookies and tea and had some laughs with the other teachers on our boat. The second dive was a little bit longer, just over 50 minutes and we saw even more cool fish! No turtles which was kind of a bummer, but we saw a school of barracudas, a lion fish, some trumpet fish, calamari, and tons of others that I can't remember their names. I found scuba diving to be oddly relaxing and if I lived in a warmer climate with better dive spots, I definitely would have considered becoming certified. Skye and Ethan decided to stay in Padang Bai and extra day and become certified which was really cool to hear about. Alexis and I decided to opt out of the certification primarily because of its cost, so while Skye and Ethan dove, we relaxed on the White Sand Beach. It was a beautiful area with huge waves and cool rock formations on either side of the sand.
It was a pretty small spot so for our last day in Bali, Alexis and I decided to take a bus to Kuta, the extremely popular tourist spot located right near the airport. It was definitely a completely different atmosphere than Ubud or Padang Bai but Alexis and I had fun admiring the resorts, western restaurants, and outdoor shopping plazas. We spent the day on surfer's paradise beach and waited for Skye and Ethan to arrive after their dive. Alexis wasn't feeling too great so instead of our original plan, which was sleeping in the airport, the four of us split a really cheap and really disgusting room at a guesthouse and slept for 5 hours before heading to the airport. If Alexis wasn't sick, I would NOT have stayed in that guesthouse. The ceiling was moldy and I woke up to the largest cockroach I have ever seen hanging out in our bathroom, but it was the cheapest place we could find and it was better than sleeping on a bench at the airport!
We sleepily found a cab at 3:30 AM to take us to the airport as we prepared for the last leg of our journey: SINGAPORE! This adventure was going by way too fast and I was very sad to say goodbye to the peaceful beauty that we experienced in Bali. I was however, extremely excited to visit Universal Studios in Singapore!!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Backpack Adventure: Cambodia: Siam Reap
After our intense visit in Pnomh Penh, we were all anxious to get to Siam Reap and visit the one and only Angkor Wat. The bus ride to Siam Reap had its fair share of odd events, like traveling next to a cargo truck filled with pigs on a ferry. Our bus driver was "horn happy" and beeped at EVERYTHING so napping was out of the question. When we arrived in Siam Reap we were greeted by our hostel's tuk tuk driver in the strangest bus station I have ever seen. It was hidden from the road and barricaded by a large wooden fence. Supposedly they try to separate the bus from the rest of the road so that people will be forced to take the over priced tuk tuks. Luckily we had arranged our ride in advance, but he turned out to be just another scam artist and we decided to find another drive for our tour of Angkor Wat.
Our first night in Siam Reap we were able to visit Angkor War for the sunset. Angkor Wat is an incredible building. Its massive size and impressive details makes it pretty fascinating to think that humans built it so many years ago. Our time in the actual temple was brief because we wanted to find a good spot for the sunset, but we had enough time to see monks roaming the grounds, monkeys, and small Cambodian children selling souvenirs. The sunset was beautiful, but I was more excited to see the sunrise the next morning. The sun comes up right behind the pillars of the temple and it is supposed to be absolutely beautiful.
After the sunset we had dinner in our hostel then headed to the night market and walking street. The market was much better than the ones in Vietnam and the street was lined with bars, clubs, and massage parlors. Alexis and I bought some dresses to wear in Bali and then everyone decided to get neck and back massages. I opted out of the massage gang - it was way too hot for a stranger to be touching me- so I bought a beer and chatted with some of the workers while the others relaxed. After the massages we headed back to the hostel- we had a 4 am wake up call to make the sunrise at Angkor Wat!
As we sleepily arrived to the grounds of Angkor Wat, we were greeted by a small Cambodian child who went by the name of "Justin Bieber." His family owned a cafe on the grounds and he struck a deal with us- if he showed us the best spot to see the sunrise we had to eat at his cafe. He was a very smart little boy and made a lot of clever jokes. His english was very impressive and we later learned he could also count in Thai, Chinese, German, French, and many other languages. He stayed in character the entire morning, telling us he was "20 years old and originally from Canada." when we told him he didn't look 20, he said "Cambodian people, very small." He sang a few versus of "Baby" for us and served as a great tour guide. We had spots directly in front of where the sun rose, sitting on the edge of a pond filled with lily pads that projected beautiful reflections of the sun and the temple. I am not a morning person, but the view was worth it. It was a very beautiful sunrise and I feel very lucky that I was able to see something so beautiful at such a historic monument. After the sunrise, we kept our promise and visited Bieber's cafe.
The rest of the day we explored Angkor Wat and the other temples on the grounds. In total we visited 7 temples. One of the temples was used for the movie "Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie and had beautiful ruins and lots of nooks and crannies to explore. One of my favorite temples was a temple (not sure if it was the same as the tomb raider temple or a separate building) that was covered in large tree roots. I mean HUGE tree roots. The trees wove around the stone buildings so beautifully and naturally- it was truly amazing to see. Another favorite temple that we visited had hundred of Buddha faces carved into its pillars. The detail that went into the structures that we saw was truly mind blowing and I fully understand why it is considered one of the 7 man made wonders of the world.
Towards the end of our time at Angkor Wat (which was in total just about 12 hours) I couldn't walk around anymore. I actually took a nap in the tuk tuk while Ethan and Emily explored one of the sites. The early wake up call and the Cambodian heat had completely wiped me out, but I am very content with the beautiful sites that I saw and I hope to one day return to Cambodia and explore the sites in even more detail.
Our time in Cambodia was extremely brief but it left an enormous impact on me. Its a truly amazing country and I am fascinated by its history.
Our next stop was Bangkok- Emily was heading back to the US in a few days and wanted the Bangkok tourist experiences of Khao San Road. Our flight to Bali was also approaching and we had to get ready for the next leg of our journey!
The bus ride from Siam Reap to Bangkok wasn't that bad....until we got to the Thai border. What should have taken 45 minutes took almost 3 hours- and we had to wait in line outside in the heat. It was brutal. That was probably the hottest I have ever been in my entire life. From now on, if I am in a warm environment I am going to compare it to my time in Cambodia. "Its hot, but its not Cambodia hot!" Just a fair warning.
Arriving in Bangkok was definitely a strange feeling. Salaya is so close to Bangkok that the city has kindof become an icon of "home" to us for the past 6 months. After seeing so much in Vietnam and Cambodia it felt weird to return to familiar territory. We even stayed in the same guesthouse we stayed in before Pattaya- which brought back mixed emotions. Our time in Bangkok was brief- we had to get our laundry sorted out and buy last minute souvenirs. It was very sad saying goodbye to Emily- funny to think that only 3 weeks before we were complete strangers! The trip brought us all together and I am so thankful I got to share this amazing experience with such an amazing group of people. We were all very, very different from one another but the group dynamic was always fun and I am going to miss them very much. Cheers to the next reunion !!!!!
NEXT STOP: BALI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our first night in Siam Reap we were able to visit Angkor War for the sunset. Angkor Wat is an incredible building. Its massive size and impressive details makes it pretty fascinating to think that humans built it so many years ago. Our time in the actual temple was brief because we wanted to find a good spot for the sunset, but we had enough time to see monks roaming the grounds, monkeys, and small Cambodian children selling souvenirs. The sunset was beautiful, but I was more excited to see the sunrise the next morning. The sun comes up right behind the pillars of the temple and it is supposed to be absolutely beautiful.
After the sunset we had dinner in our hostel then headed to the night market and walking street. The market was much better than the ones in Vietnam and the street was lined with bars, clubs, and massage parlors. Alexis and I bought some dresses to wear in Bali and then everyone decided to get neck and back massages. I opted out of the massage gang - it was way too hot for a stranger to be touching me- so I bought a beer and chatted with some of the workers while the others relaxed. After the massages we headed back to the hostel- we had a 4 am wake up call to make the sunrise at Angkor Wat!
As we sleepily arrived to the grounds of Angkor Wat, we were greeted by a small Cambodian child who went by the name of "Justin Bieber." His family owned a cafe on the grounds and he struck a deal with us- if he showed us the best spot to see the sunrise we had to eat at his cafe. He was a very smart little boy and made a lot of clever jokes. His english was very impressive and we later learned he could also count in Thai, Chinese, German, French, and many other languages. He stayed in character the entire morning, telling us he was "20 years old and originally from Canada." when we told him he didn't look 20, he said "Cambodian people, very small." He sang a few versus of "Baby" for us and served as a great tour guide. We had spots directly in front of where the sun rose, sitting on the edge of a pond filled with lily pads that projected beautiful reflections of the sun and the temple. I am not a morning person, but the view was worth it. It was a very beautiful sunrise and I feel very lucky that I was able to see something so beautiful at such a historic monument. After the sunrise, we kept our promise and visited Bieber's cafe.
The rest of the day we explored Angkor Wat and the other temples on the grounds. In total we visited 7 temples. One of the temples was used for the movie "Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie and had beautiful ruins and lots of nooks and crannies to explore. One of my favorite temples was a temple (not sure if it was the same as the tomb raider temple or a separate building) that was covered in large tree roots. I mean HUGE tree roots. The trees wove around the stone buildings so beautifully and naturally- it was truly amazing to see. Another favorite temple that we visited had hundred of Buddha faces carved into its pillars. The detail that went into the structures that we saw was truly mind blowing and I fully understand why it is considered one of the 7 man made wonders of the world.
Towards the end of our time at Angkor Wat (which was in total just about 12 hours) I couldn't walk around anymore. I actually took a nap in the tuk tuk while Ethan and Emily explored one of the sites. The early wake up call and the Cambodian heat had completely wiped me out, but I am very content with the beautiful sites that I saw and I hope to one day return to Cambodia and explore the sites in even more detail.
Our time in Cambodia was extremely brief but it left an enormous impact on me. Its a truly amazing country and I am fascinated by its history.
Our next stop was Bangkok- Emily was heading back to the US in a few days and wanted the Bangkok tourist experiences of Khao San Road. Our flight to Bali was also approaching and we had to get ready for the next leg of our journey!
The bus ride from Siam Reap to Bangkok wasn't that bad....until we got to the Thai border. What should have taken 45 minutes took almost 3 hours- and we had to wait in line outside in the heat. It was brutal. That was probably the hottest I have ever been in my entire life. From now on, if I am in a warm environment I am going to compare it to my time in Cambodia. "Its hot, but its not Cambodia hot!" Just a fair warning.
Arriving in Bangkok was definitely a strange feeling. Salaya is so close to Bangkok that the city has kindof become an icon of "home" to us for the past 6 months. After seeing so much in Vietnam and Cambodia it felt weird to return to familiar territory. We even stayed in the same guesthouse we stayed in before Pattaya- which brought back mixed emotions. Our time in Bangkok was brief- we had to get our laundry sorted out and buy last minute souvenirs. It was very sad saying goodbye to Emily- funny to think that only 3 weeks before we were complete strangers! The trip brought us all together and I am so thankful I got to share this amazing experience with such an amazing group of people. We were all very, very different from one another but the group dynamic was always fun and I am going to miss them very much. Cheers to the next reunion !!!!!
NEXT STOP: BALI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Backpacking Adventure: Cambodia: Pnomh Penh
The bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Pnomh Penh was pretty rough. It was a local bus and made frequent stops to pick up random passengers on the side of the road. One passenger in particular was carrying a bag of fish and smelt so awful I nearly vomited in my seat. The border crossing was relatively easy, but the actual bus ride seemed to drag on forever. I was very happy to finally reach our destination, but was shocked to step off the bus into sweltering heat. It was ten times hotter in Pnomh Penh than in Vietnam !! The heat was worse than Bangkok and I actually couldn't believe the amount I was instantly sweating. Our time in Pnomh Penh was by far the most interesting and educational part of our journey. It was also the saddest part of our trip.
Pnomh Penh is the capital city of Cambodia and is also the home to the largest genocide memorial and museum in the country. In the 1970s the rebel group, the Khmer Rouge, lead by Pol Pot, conducted a "social cleansing" of Cambodia. They evacuated Pnomh Penh and wanted to strip the country of any Western Influence. They wanted to restore the country to its original rural farm state and stopped at nothing to achieve their goal. They brutally murdered anyone who lived in cities, had an education or posed any sort of threat to their "ideal" society. Many of the soldiers recruited by the Khmer Rouge were average citizens who were forced to torture and kill innocent people because they were too scared to resist the rebel leaders. Over 2 million Cambodians were killed during this genocide and I am embarrassed to say that I had never even heard of these devastating events until my time in Vietnam. To think that something so awful happened so recently, and I had absolutely no idea is mind boggling. I guess that's what happens when you make it through 4 years of college with no history credits...
Our first visit in Pnomh Penh was to the genocide museum that was originally a school house, turned into a prison and torture center by the Khmer Rouge. The prison has been preserved to show tourists the horrible conditions that prisoners were forced to live in. The cells were tiny and barbed wire lined every single window. The gallows still remain in the school yard where prisoners were hung upside down, beaten until they blacked out, then forced into buckets of dirty water to regain consciousness. The museum is filled with photographs of the victims - Cambodians ranging from children to elderly citizens. The Khmer Rouge had no restrictions on their victims. From the prison, the victims were transported to what they were told were "work camps" but were actually mass killing fields. They were transported in trucks and usually transported in the middle of the night. At the end of our prison tour, we were blessed with the opportunity to meet a survivor of the prison. He had the kindest eyes I have ever seen, and even though he couldn't speak English I could tell he was a very caring individual. I was able to purchase his book and I am looking forward to learning more about his story. I cannot imagine living through such a traumatic experience, and I have an enormous amount of respect for him. He is much stronger than I ever will be.
The next day we visited one of the many killing field sites in Cambodia. The site we visited was one of the largest, where over 20,000 people were killed. We toured the fields with an audio guide and some of the quotes that the Khmer Rouge used to defend their actions really haunted me:
"To keep you is no gain, to lose you is no loss."
"Better to kill an innocent by mistake than spare an enemy by mistake."
"To dig up the grass one must remove even the roots."
Throughout the tour of the fields, we saw tooth, bone, and clothing remains of the victims. One site was particularly disturbing, known as the "killing tree" where soldiers would beat babies and small children against the tree until they died. The Khmer Rouge did not use guns, for they were expensive and the noise could give them away. Instead they used common farming tools to beat the victims to death. Another very haunting experience was the alarm that went off at night. The audio tour played loud music with loud horns blaring in the background, this was the sound played at night to mask the screams of the victims. This tour was incredibly eye opening and the images that I saw, and heard described to me, will last with me forever. I cannot believe I was so unaware of such a horrible event. I have been doing alot of research on these events since my visit to Pnomh Penh and feel so terrible for the innocent Cambodian victims. I would highly recommend the book "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung, which is the story of a survivor told through the eyes of a child. The history of Cambodia is devastating and I am happy to learn that leaders of the Khmer Rouge have been sentenced to life in prison, Pol Pot died in captivity, and others are still on pending trial. Their acts are unforgivable and I hope that not only in Cambodia, but throughout the rest of the world, something like this never ever repeats itself. Pnomh Penh continues to suffer from the repercussions of the Khmer Rouge's actions and it angers me to think that human beings are capable of such cruelty.
While the overall vibe of our trip to Pnomh Penh was disturbing and sad, I was happy to be submerged in a first hand history lesson. RIP to the victims of the Khmer Rouge and I hope the future of Cambodia is brighter than their past. <3
Pnomh Penh is the capital city of Cambodia and is also the home to the largest genocide memorial and museum in the country. In the 1970s the rebel group, the Khmer Rouge, lead by Pol Pot, conducted a "social cleansing" of Cambodia. They evacuated Pnomh Penh and wanted to strip the country of any Western Influence. They wanted to restore the country to its original rural farm state and stopped at nothing to achieve their goal. They brutally murdered anyone who lived in cities, had an education or posed any sort of threat to their "ideal" society. Many of the soldiers recruited by the Khmer Rouge were average citizens who were forced to torture and kill innocent people because they were too scared to resist the rebel leaders. Over 2 million Cambodians were killed during this genocide and I am embarrassed to say that I had never even heard of these devastating events until my time in Vietnam. To think that something so awful happened so recently, and I had absolutely no idea is mind boggling. I guess that's what happens when you make it through 4 years of college with no history credits...
Our first visit in Pnomh Penh was to the genocide museum that was originally a school house, turned into a prison and torture center by the Khmer Rouge. The prison has been preserved to show tourists the horrible conditions that prisoners were forced to live in. The cells were tiny and barbed wire lined every single window. The gallows still remain in the school yard where prisoners were hung upside down, beaten until they blacked out, then forced into buckets of dirty water to regain consciousness. The museum is filled with photographs of the victims - Cambodians ranging from children to elderly citizens. The Khmer Rouge had no restrictions on their victims. From the prison, the victims were transported to what they were told were "work camps" but were actually mass killing fields. They were transported in trucks and usually transported in the middle of the night. At the end of our prison tour, we were blessed with the opportunity to meet a survivor of the prison. He had the kindest eyes I have ever seen, and even though he couldn't speak English I could tell he was a very caring individual. I was able to purchase his book and I am looking forward to learning more about his story. I cannot imagine living through such a traumatic experience, and I have an enormous amount of respect for him. He is much stronger than I ever will be.
The next day we visited one of the many killing field sites in Cambodia. The site we visited was one of the largest, where over 20,000 people were killed. We toured the fields with an audio guide and some of the quotes that the Khmer Rouge used to defend their actions really haunted me:
"To keep you is no gain, to lose you is no loss."
"Better to kill an innocent by mistake than spare an enemy by mistake."
"To dig up the grass one must remove even the roots."
Throughout the tour of the fields, we saw tooth, bone, and clothing remains of the victims. One site was particularly disturbing, known as the "killing tree" where soldiers would beat babies and small children against the tree until they died. The Khmer Rouge did not use guns, for they were expensive and the noise could give them away. Instead they used common farming tools to beat the victims to death. Another very haunting experience was the alarm that went off at night. The audio tour played loud music with loud horns blaring in the background, this was the sound played at night to mask the screams of the victims. This tour was incredibly eye opening and the images that I saw, and heard described to me, will last with me forever. I cannot believe I was so unaware of such a horrible event. I have been doing alot of research on these events since my visit to Pnomh Penh and feel so terrible for the innocent Cambodian victims. I would highly recommend the book "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung, which is the story of a survivor told through the eyes of a child. The history of Cambodia is devastating and I am happy to learn that leaders of the Khmer Rouge have been sentenced to life in prison, Pol Pot died in captivity, and others are still on pending trial. Their acts are unforgivable and I hope that not only in Cambodia, but throughout the rest of the world, something like this never ever repeats itself. Pnomh Penh continues to suffer from the repercussions of the Khmer Rouge's actions and it angers me to think that human beings are capable of such cruelty.
While the overall vibe of our trip to Pnomh Penh was disturbing and sad, I was happy to be submerged in a first hand history lesson. RIP to the victims of the Khmer Rouge and I hope the future of Cambodia is brighter than their past. <3
Backpacking Adventure: Vietnam Part II: Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City
So clearly I was horrible at keeping up with updates along the way... we were very busy on our adventure! I am back in Salaya now, packing up and getting ready to embark on the journey home. I cannot believe how fast the past 5 weeks flew by!!! We have seen and done SO much I feel like the daily routine of teaching in Thailand was a lifetime ago.
Our journey from Hoi An to Nha Trang was not quite as enjoyable as our last overnight bus experience. This time around the bus was much older and Skye and I had seats "upstairs" in the back row which were very shaky and narrow. There was also no toilet on this overnight bus, so we had to stop in the middle night for a "dinner" stop and for everyone to use the restroom. I didn't sleep well at all and was looking forward to a nap upon our arrival in Nha Trang. We settled into a hostel recommended by Lonely Planet but since we were only staying for one night, we weren't too picky about the accommodations (although I could have done without the giant cockroaches and other questionable species that were hiding in our bureau). After a well needed nap, Ethan and Emily knocked on our door saying they found a snorkeling trip that was willing to take us that day (we thought we would have needed to book in advance so we had assumed that our day would be relaxing on the beach) I snapped into my "go" mode, threw on a bathing suit, and was ready for the day. The best part about backpacking is there are little to no expectations of appearance so getting ready was always an extremely quick process.
We grabbed breakfast from the street, a delicious egg sandwich with laughing cow cheese and veggies. Vietnamese street food is very different from Thai street food and not nearly as abundant. I was looking forward to our snorkeling trip- we were visiting 3 different snorkel locations with lunch included. The boat was relatively small but it had a roof for sun bathing, and what later became our group diving board. The coral we saw on the first snorkel spot was gorgeous- huge pieces of red and pink and very well preserved. The second spot was kind of cloudy so we decided to stay on the roof-deck and relax. The third spot we were all sweating to death so we decided to swim, but skipped out on the snorkeling. We took ridiculous group photos of us jumping from the boat but we soon realized there were tiny jellyfish everywhere nibbling at our skin so we didn't last very long in the water. Overall our snorkeling experience was really fun and it was interesting to snorkel somewhere other than Thailand to see the variety of fish and coral.
We only had one night in Nha Trang so we decided to explore the restaurant and bar scene. There were a good amount of backpackers in the area and everywhere had deals for "happy hour." Skye and Alexis were pretty tired from the bus ride and long day in the sun, so Ethan Emily and I found a dive bar with free pool and 2 for 1 drink specials. We also discovered a fun beach bar, but with a 10 dollar cover charge it was way out of our budget.
The next day was St. Patrick's Day, although if it hadn't been for the drunk backpackers we saw at 9 am it could have been just another Sunday... We were scheduled to take the overnight bus that night to Ho Chi Minh city so no Irish celebrations for us! We headed to the beach which was actually used by Americans during the war for vacation time. The beach was very nice with views of mountains in the distance. There were fun waves to play in and Ethan, Alexis and I enjoyed a St. Patty's Day beer on the beach. We bought some souvenirs from some beach vendors and sat chatting in the sun for hours. It was a really fun beach day and definitely the most relaxed St. Patrick's Day I've had in a while...
For our last overnight bus experience the 5 of us decided to take the back row of seats and snuggle up! We charged Skye's computer so we could watch "Wedding Crashers" and all had optimistic thoughts that the ride would be enjoyable. Being the shortest of the group, I was placed in the middle of the row which was rather difficult because I move around a lot to find that perfect sleepy position. Being in the back of the bus was a little nauseating and the 5 of us together made for a pretty warm sleep... Again there was no toilet on this bus so the ride wasn't nearly as enjoyable as we had hoped. Oh well, we survived and there were no more overnight bus rides to dampen our spirits! I was not sad to say goodbye to those experiences...
We arrived in Ho Chi Minh city a little cranky from the journey and a little overwhelmed by the city. Thank god for Ethan because he is very good at reading maps and orienting himself in a new city, every time we arrived in a new city after the overnight bus ride I followed him around like a zombie, but always trusted his judgement on directions and accommodations. When we arrived we passed through a park where all the local Vietnamese were getting their early morning workout routines in. Hilarious is an understatement- mass groups of Vietnamese people doing aerobics was one of the funniest things I have seen in my life. I was skeptical about the hostel we chose because the directions were leading us down a very random alleyway- but they had a room that accommodated our group of 5 and the owner seemed nice enough.
Doing our research ahead of time, Alexis, Emily, and I knew there was a Starbucks in Ho Chi Minh so we planned on beasting through the day with a caffeine boost. After nearly 2 weeks of disgusting Vietnamese coffee I was very much looking forward to a good cup of Starbucks. We had a lot to cram into our time in Ho Chi Minh City- we only had 2 full days in the city and there was lots to do!
Our first stop was the War Museum. It was very interesting to go to the museum as an American and read all of the stories and perspectives from the Vietnamese. Some of the exhibits were really difficult to walk through- particularly the Agent Orange exhibit with photos of victims of all ages. The chemical affected up to 3 generations from the bomb sites and there were even preserved fetuses to show the damaging effects. Many of the propaganda posters were interesting to read and the aggressive adjectives used against the Americans left me blushing in embarrassment. It was definitely an eye opening experience and I enjoyed learning about history from an alternate perspective.
Our next stop, the most important stop of the day, was a lunch stop. We enjoyed Pho and Spring Rolls, the only food we really discovered in Vietnam. Vietnamese food definitely lacked the flavor and spices that Thai food is so well known for and meals were often a difficult decision for the 5 of us to agree upon in Vietnam.
After lunch we briefly visited the market and then headed to the palace. It was the weirdest palace I have ever visited and was used as more of a conference center than a home of royalty. The exhibits inside were very strange and we didn't spend much time there. The heat and the history lessons were starting to take a toll on us so we headed back to the hostel for an afternoon nap. We were resting up for the night market which was supposed to be the biggest market in Vietnam. When we got there we were certainly surprised to see the market only lasted for 3 short streets. After a very strange noodle dish from a street vendor, we explored some of the market stalls but they were not comparable to the souvenirs in Thailand. We headed back to the hostel where I anxiously awaited the arrival of midnight- which would be Tuesday- was the best day ever- MY BIRTHDAY! Ethan had snuck off at the market to buy me a hand made Disney card and I was very happy to be surrounded by friends for my birthday. I was feeling weird about turning 23 but to be able to celebrate any birthday in Ho Chi Minh city is a pretty cool experience so I remained optimistic about the day. We headed to bed- we had an early wake up call for the Cu Chi Tunnels the next day!
The Cu Chi Tunnels were the tunnels created by the Vietcong in the Vietnamese War. It was a pretty touristy experience, but our hilarious tour guide, John Wayne, made the day interesting. As part of the tour we got to see some of the trap doors and booby traps that the Vietcong placed around the tunnels to prevent enemies from discovery their hideaway. The tunnels primary use was for the soldiers to seek shelter during a bombing. They could spend up 2 hours in the tunnels at a time. There are 3 sets of tunnels, the first level is 3 meters below the ground, the second level is 6 meters below the ground, and the third level is 12 meters below the ground. Overall the tunnels stretch over 75 miles long- insane to think that they were hand made !! Only the first level of the tunnels is open to tourists, and you can crawl through 200 meters of the tunnels, with different exit points along the way. The 5 of us started out the journey, but it was dark, narrow, and very hot underground so Skye and Emily left about halfway through. Alexis, Ethan, and I crawled the full 200 meters, and some parts were scarier than others. I couldn't imagine being under there for an extended period of time but I am really glad I got to see a glimpse of what it was like. Another part of the tour was eating the root of a Tapeoka plant, which was the primary food source for the Vietcong. It was actually pretty delicious and tasted like a baked potato.
The tunnels were a very fascinating experience and it was interesting to have such a cultural experience on my birthday. It is definitely an unforgettable memory! After the tour, we headed back to Ho Chi Minh city for our last night in Vietnam. We had an early wake up call for the bus to Pnomh Penh, Cambodia the next day but that didn't halt the birthday celebrations! We started the night at a Mexican restaurant where I enjoyed quesadillas and margaritas. From there we found a bar/night club with good drink deals, an empty dance floor, and free pool. The 5 of us had the place to ourselves and had a blast dancing to random songs, playing pool, and some make shift karaoke sessions. It was a great birthday and a great way to end our trip in Vietnam.
Overall Vietnam was a very interesting place. I loved the mix of history and natural beauty that we experienced on our trip. We had a lot of very memorable moments during our 2 week stay in Vietnam and I am very happy I got to learn more about their history and culture. I never thought Vietnam would be a location I would visit in my lifetime but I am very happy with our trip and would definitely return to learn more. Vietnam is a very beautiful country and there is a wide variety of things to learn, see, and do.
Our journey from Hoi An to Nha Trang was not quite as enjoyable as our last overnight bus experience. This time around the bus was much older and Skye and I had seats "upstairs" in the back row which were very shaky and narrow. There was also no toilet on this overnight bus, so we had to stop in the middle night for a "dinner" stop and for everyone to use the restroom. I didn't sleep well at all and was looking forward to a nap upon our arrival in Nha Trang. We settled into a hostel recommended by Lonely Planet but since we were only staying for one night, we weren't too picky about the accommodations (although I could have done without the giant cockroaches and other questionable species that were hiding in our bureau). After a well needed nap, Ethan and Emily knocked on our door saying they found a snorkeling trip that was willing to take us that day (we thought we would have needed to book in advance so we had assumed that our day would be relaxing on the beach) I snapped into my "go" mode, threw on a bathing suit, and was ready for the day. The best part about backpacking is there are little to no expectations of appearance so getting ready was always an extremely quick process.
We grabbed breakfast from the street, a delicious egg sandwich with laughing cow cheese and veggies. Vietnamese street food is very different from Thai street food and not nearly as abundant. I was looking forward to our snorkeling trip- we were visiting 3 different snorkel locations with lunch included. The boat was relatively small but it had a roof for sun bathing, and what later became our group diving board. The coral we saw on the first snorkel spot was gorgeous- huge pieces of red and pink and very well preserved. The second spot was kind of cloudy so we decided to stay on the roof-deck and relax. The third spot we were all sweating to death so we decided to swim, but skipped out on the snorkeling. We took ridiculous group photos of us jumping from the boat but we soon realized there were tiny jellyfish everywhere nibbling at our skin so we didn't last very long in the water. Overall our snorkeling experience was really fun and it was interesting to snorkel somewhere other than Thailand to see the variety of fish and coral.
We only had one night in Nha Trang so we decided to explore the restaurant and bar scene. There were a good amount of backpackers in the area and everywhere had deals for "happy hour." Skye and Alexis were pretty tired from the bus ride and long day in the sun, so Ethan Emily and I found a dive bar with free pool and 2 for 1 drink specials. We also discovered a fun beach bar, but with a 10 dollar cover charge it was way out of our budget.
The next day was St. Patrick's Day, although if it hadn't been for the drunk backpackers we saw at 9 am it could have been just another Sunday... We were scheduled to take the overnight bus that night to Ho Chi Minh city so no Irish celebrations for us! We headed to the beach which was actually used by Americans during the war for vacation time. The beach was very nice with views of mountains in the distance. There were fun waves to play in and Ethan, Alexis and I enjoyed a St. Patty's Day beer on the beach. We bought some souvenirs from some beach vendors and sat chatting in the sun for hours. It was a really fun beach day and definitely the most relaxed St. Patrick's Day I've had in a while...
For our last overnight bus experience the 5 of us decided to take the back row of seats and snuggle up! We charged Skye's computer so we could watch "Wedding Crashers" and all had optimistic thoughts that the ride would be enjoyable. Being the shortest of the group, I was placed in the middle of the row which was rather difficult because I move around a lot to find that perfect sleepy position. Being in the back of the bus was a little nauseating and the 5 of us together made for a pretty warm sleep... Again there was no toilet on this bus so the ride wasn't nearly as enjoyable as we had hoped. Oh well, we survived and there were no more overnight bus rides to dampen our spirits! I was not sad to say goodbye to those experiences...
We arrived in Ho Chi Minh city a little cranky from the journey and a little overwhelmed by the city. Thank god for Ethan because he is very good at reading maps and orienting himself in a new city, every time we arrived in a new city after the overnight bus ride I followed him around like a zombie, but always trusted his judgement on directions and accommodations. When we arrived we passed through a park where all the local Vietnamese were getting their early morning workout routines in. Hilarious is an understatement- mass groups of Vietnamese people doing aerobics was one of the funniest things I have seen in my life. I was skeptical about the hostel we chose because the directions were leading us down a very random alleyway- but they had a room that accommodated our group of 5 and the owner seemed nice enough.
Doing our research ahead of time, Alexis, Emily, and I knew there was a Starbucks in Ho Chi Minh so we planned on beasting through the day with a caffeine boost. After nearly 2 weeks of disgusting Vietnamese coffee I was very much looking forward to a good cup of Starbucks. We had a lot to cram into our time in Ho Chi Minh City- we only had 2 full days in the city and there was lots to do!
Our first stop was the War Museum. It was very interesting to go to the museum as an American and read all of the stories and perspectives from the Vietnamese. Some of the exhibits were really difficult to walk through- particularly the Agent Orange exhibit with photos of victims of all ages. The chemical affected up to 3 generations from the bomb sites and there were even preserved fetuses to show the damaging effects. Many of the propaganda posters were interesting to read and the aggressive adjectives used against the Americans left me blushing in embarrassment. It was definitely an eye opening experience and I enjoyed learning about history from an alternate perspective.
Our next stop, the most important stop of the day, was a lunch stop. We enjoyed Pho and Spring Rolls, the only food we really discovered in Vietnam. Vietnamese food definitely lacked the flavor and spices that Thai food is so well known for and meals were often a difficult decision for the 5 of us to agree upon in Vietnam.
After lunch we briefly visited the market and then headed to the palace. It was the weirdest palace I have ever visited and was used as more of a conference center than a home of royalty. The exhibits inside were very strange and we didn't spend much time there. The heat and the history lessons were starting to take a toll on us so we headed back to the hostel for an afternoon nap. We were resting up for the night market which was supposed to be the biggest market in Vietnam. When we got there we were certainly surprised to see the market only lasted for 3 short streets. After a very strange noodle dish from a street vendor, we explored some of the market stalls but they were not comparable to the souvenirs in Thailand. We headed back to the hostel where I anxiously awaited the arrival of midnight- which would be Tuesday- was the best day ever- MY BIRTHDAY! Ethan had snuck off at the market to buy me a hand made Disney card and I was very happy to be surrounded by friends for my birthday. I was feeling weird about turning 23 but to be able to celebrate any birthday in Ho Chi Minh city is a pretty cool experience so I remained optimistic about the day. We headed to bed- we had an early wake up call for the Cu Chi Tunnels the next day!
The Cu Chi Tunnels were the tunnels created by the Vietcong in the Vietnamese War. It was a pretty touristy experience, but our hilarious tour guide, John Wayne, made the day interesting. As part of the tour we got to see some of the trap doors and booby traps that the Vietcong placed around the tunnels to prevent enemies from discovery their hideaway. The tunnels primary use was for the soldiers to seek shelter during a bombing. They could spend up 2 hours in the tunnels at a time. There are 3 sets of tunnels, the first level is 3 meters below the ground, the second level is 6 meters below the ground, and the third level is 12 meters below the ground. Overall the tunnels stretch over 75 miles long- insane to think that they were hand made !! Only the first level of the tunnels is open to tourists, and you can crawl through 200 meters of the tunnels, with different exit points along the way. The 5 of us started out the journey, but it was dark, narrow, and very hot underground so Skye and Emily left about halfway through. Alexis, Ethan, and I crawled the full 200 meters, and some parts were scarier than others. I couldn't imagine being under there for an extended period of time but I am really glad I got to see a glimpse of what it was like. Another part of the tour was eating the root of a Tapeoka plant, which was the primary food source for the Vietcong. It was actually pretty delicious and tasted like a baked potato.
The tunnels were a very fascinating experience and it was interesting to have such a cultural experience on my birthday. It is definitely an unforgettable memory! After the tour, we headed back to Ho Chi Minh city for our last night in Vietnam. We had an early wake up call for the bus to Pnomh Penh, Cambodia the next day but that didn't halt the birthday celebrations! We started the night at a Mexican restaurant where I enjoyed quesadillas and margaritas. From there we found a bar/night club with good drink deals, an empty dance floor, and free pool. The 5 of us had the place to ourselves and had a blast dancing to random songs, playing pool, and some make shift karaoke sessions. It was a great birthday and a great way to end our trip in Vietnam.
Overall Vietnam was a very interesting place. I loved the mix of history and natural beauty that we experienced on our trip. We had a lot of very memorable moments during our 2 week stay in Vietnam and I am very happy I got to learn more about their history and culture. I never thought Vietnam would be a location I would visit in my lifetime but I am very happy with our trip and would definitely return to learn more. Vietnam is a very beautiful country and there is a wide variety of things to learn, see, and do.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Backpack Adventure: Vietnam Part I: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, and Hoi An
So I can't believe I am writing this post in Hoi An, Vietnam! Our backpack adventure has finally begun and we are on our third city in Vietnam. We are traveling throughout the country on their open bus system, 40 US dollars for a 6 city bus pass- pretty sweet deal! Most of the buses are overnight buses.. Our first experience was pretty decent. Although I woke up in the middle of the night with someone sleeping in the aisle next to me - completely boxed in to my seat ! My seat was surprisingly comfortable, but I am lucky that I am short because the seats are not designed for tall people with long legs (aka Ethan). We are departing Hoi An tonight on another over night bus - really hoping its new and clean like the last one ! We are moving on to Nha Trang.. A popular tourist spot that is known for its beaches and snorkeling.
So rewind to last Wednesday, when Alexis and I arrived in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Skye, Ethan, and Emily were scheduled to arrive Wednesday night, but our friends Faith and Emily were already in the city so we met up with them after settling into the hostel. Hanoi is a very overwhelming city- there are absolutely no traffic laws and the motorbike drivers DO NOT STOP! The city is much more condensed and way smaller than Bangkok so it is much more crowded and chaotic. We walked with Faith and Emily to the old quarter of the city and explored the area around the famous lake. The architecture in Vietnam is very european influenced and the city of Hanoi seems much more historic than cities in Thailand. Faith and Emily were catching the overnight bus that night so Alexis and I grabbed some dinner and waited for the rest of our group to arrive. Unfortunately they had a bus mishap- what was supposed to be a 22 hour bus ride turned into 31 hours so we didn't meet up until the next morning. We explored more of Hanoi that day but oddly, all of their tourist attractions are closed on Fridays. We saw where Ho Chi Minh's body is preserved but didn't get to see the actual body. We wanted to visit a military museum but that was closed as well... So we walked around the larger lake and then visited Maison Centrale prison which was used throughout Vietnamese history. One of its most famous uses was for American airforce pilots during the war. John Mccain was wounded and kept in the prison and their was a special exhibit with his army gear and suit. That night we visited the walking street but weren't impressed with the souvenirs. We were impressed with the local dish, Pho, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup. The next day we were heading out of the hectic city of Hanoi to visit Halong Bay on an overnight boat tour.
So far our trip to Halong Bay has been my favorite part of the trip. There are over 2,000 islands in the bay and they are all gorgeous! On our tour, we were sleeping and eating on a small tour boat with 10 cabin rooms and a nice rooftop deck. We stopped at 3 islands on our tour, one to visit a cave, one to do some kayakingC and one to climb 500 steps to a pagoda with amazing views of the bay. The food was surprisingly delicious and it was a very relaxed tour. I wasn't super excited to head back to the horns, whistles, and traffic of Hanoi.
Our next journey was on the overnight bus to Hue, a city that we had heard mixed reviews of. We decided not to stay long and after the overnight bus arrived at 9 am, we grabbed some breakfast, walked around the ancient citadel and then waited for the next bus to Hoi An. I was happy with our decision because Hue didn't seem too exciting and I don't think we missed out on anything by only staying for 6 hours.
After a 3 hour bus trip to Hoi An, we settled into a guesthouse with a very strange vibe. There were notes in our room from previous guests that the staff had stolen from them so we decided to change hotels the next day. The city of Hoi An is much more relaxing than Hanoi or Hue and the chill beach atmosphere makes it easy to settle in. The first night we headed to the walking street which is a historic area of town along the river. There are no motorbikes or cars allowed in the area after 8 pm and the historic architecture is really neat. So far Hoi An is my favorite city - but the journey is just beginning!! Our first full day in Hoi An we rented bicycles and rode 6 kilometers to the beach. The beach is super relaxing and not too crowded. The second day in Hoi An we rented motorbikes and drove about 45 minutes outside the city to visit My Son historic park. These are ruins from the ancient Indochine holy land. The ruins themselves weren't that interesting but the motorbike ride was beautiful (especially because I was on the back of Skye's bike) and the mountains surrounding the park were gorgeous. Yesterday, we hit the beach in the morning and then took the motorbikes to Danang to visit Marble Mountain, about 25 minutes away. Marble Mountain was really cool with caves, buddhas, and temples to explore throughout the mountain. There were some pretty cool views from the top and overall it was a pleasant surprise considering how touristy the local area was.
Today is our last day in Hoi An and I am going to miss the peaceful atmosphere and our dinners along the river. In general I really like Vietnam so far, although some of the vendors are more aggressive than Thai vendors, but the local people seem to speak better english than Thai people. At first I wasn't loving Vietnamese food but after being here for just over a week I have discovered that they make delicious spring rolls, pho soup is tasty, and cau lao is a Hoi An special dish with pork, noodles, and sweet and sour soup.
These blog updates are coming from my iphone so I will have to add photos from the journey at a later date! We are moving on to Nah Trang then Ho Chi Minh city then on to Cambodia. So far so good and I am looking forward to the adventures to come !
So rewind to last Wednesday, when Alexis and I arrived in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Skye, Ethan, and Emily were scheduled to arrive Wednesday night, but our friends Faith and Emily were already in the city so we met up with them after settling into the hostel. Hanoi is a very overwhelming city- there are absolutely no traffic laws and the motorbike drivers DO NOT STOP! The city is much more condensed and way smaller than Bangkok so it is much more crowded and chaotic. We walked with Faith and Emily to the old quarter of the city and explored the area around the famous lake. The architecture in Vietnam is very european influenced and the city of Hanoi seems much more historic than cities in Thailand. Faith and Emily were catching the overnight bus that night so Alexis and I grabbed some dinner and waited for the rest of our group to arrive. Unfortunately they had a bus mishap- what was supposed to be a 22 hour bus ride turned into 31 hours so we didn't meet up until the next morning. We explored more of Hanoi that day but oddly, all of their tourist attractions are closed on Fridays. We saw where Ho Chi Minh's body is preserved but didn't get to see the actual body. We wanted to visit a military museum but that was closed as well... So we walked around the larger lake and then visited Maison Centrale prison which was used throughout Vietnamese history. One of its most famous uses was for American airforce pilots during the war. John Mccain was wounded and kept in the prison and their was a special exhibit with his army gear and suit. That night we visited the walking street but weren't impressed with the souvenirs. We were impressed with the local dish, Pho, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup. The next day we were heading out of the hectic city of Hanoi to visit Halong Bay on an overnight boat tour.
So far our trip to Halong Bay has been my favorite part of the trip. There are over 2,000 islands in the bay and they are all gorgeous! On our tour, we were sleeping and eating on a small tour boat with 10 cabin rooms and a nice rooftop deck. We stopped at 3 islands on our tour, one to visit a cave, one to do some kayakingC and one to climb 500 steps to a pagoda with amazing views of the bay. The food was surprisingly delicious and it was a very relaxed tour. I wasn't super excited to head back to the horns, whistles, and traffic of Hanoi.
Our next journey was on the overnight bus to Hue, a city that we had heard mixed reviews of. We decided not to stay long and after the overnight bus arrived at 9 am, we grabbed some breakfast, walked around the ancient citadel and then waited for the next bus to Hoi An. I was happy with our decision because Hue didn't seem too exciting and I don't think we missed out on anything by only staying for 6 hours.
After a 3 hour bus trip to Hoi An, we settled into a guesthouse with a very strange vibe. There were notes in our room from previous guests that the staff had stolen from them so we decided to change hotels the next day. The city of Hoi An is much more relaxing than Hanoi or Hue and the chill beach atmosphere makes it easy to settle in. The first night we headed to the walking street which is a historic area of town along the river. There are no motorbikes or cars allowed in the area after 8 pm and the historic architecture is really neat. So far Hoi An is my favorite city - but the journey is just beginning!! Our first full day in Hoi An we rented bicycles and rode 6 kilometers to the beach. The beach is super relaxing and not too crowded. The second day in Hoi An we rented motorbikes and drove about 45 minutes outside the city to visit My Son historic park. These are ruins from the ancient Indochine holy land. The ruins themselves weren't that interesting but the motorbike ride was beautiful (especially because I was on the back of Skye's bike) and the mountains surrounding the park were gorgeous. Yesterday, we hit the beach in the morning and then took the motorbikes to Danang to visit Marble Mountain, about 25 minutes away. Marble Mountain was really cool with caves, buddhas, and temples to explore throughout the mountain. There were some pretty cool views from the top and overall it was a pleasant surprise considering how touristy the local area was.
Today is our last day in Hoi An and I am going to miss the peaceful atmosphere and our dinners along the river. In general I really like Vietnam so far, although some of the vendors are more aggressive than Thai vendors, but the local people seem to speak better english than Thai people. At first I wasn't loving Vietnamese food but after being here for just over a week I have discovered that they make delicious spring rolls, pho soup is tasty, and cau lao is a Hoi An special dish with pork, noodles, and sweet and sour soup.
These blog updates are coming from my iphone so I will have to add photos from the journey at a later date! We are moving on to Nah Trang then Ho Chi Minh city then on to Cambodia. So far so good and I am looking forward to the adventures to come !
Sunday, March 3, 2013
"Thank You Teachaa"
I cannot believe how fast the past 5 months have gone by! I am officially done teaching and it definitely has not hit me yet. I still feel like I will walk into class next week and have the students welcome me with the traditional "Good Morning Teachaa" greeting. Thursday of last week was officially our last day and the teachers threw us a going away party with lots of traditional Thai food and pizza! It was really said saying good bye to some of our co-workers- they were the only friends Alexis and I had in Salaya! Even with the language barrier and communication struggles, I knew that the fellow teachers in our office would have been there for Alexis or I if we had a problem and they were all very friendly and welcoming towards us. At the farewell party, Alexis and I were presented with certificates and small gifts. Some of the goodbyes were tearful and I will miss them all very much.
Earlier in the week, Alexis and I had to make a farewell speech to the entire school at the morning ceremony. It was so bizarre because it felt like only yesterday we were giving our introductory speeches!! The Director presented us with fancy mugs that displayed the school Logo and then we had a special goodbye meeting in his office where he told us we were forever welcome at Kanchanapisek and if we were ever in Thailand we could stay with him and his family. That's the thing about Thai people - they are so kind and welcoming!
Now on to the students. Oh man am I going to miss some of the little cuties that I taught! The last few weeks of teaching were by far my favorite because I was giving conversation quizzes where I got to work with students one on one. Lecturing in front of the classroom I had very little patience with the large group of chaotic children but working with them one on one made me realize that they are all very sweet individuals. Thai Valentine's Day really made me realize how much of an influence I have had on these students and I am very happy to have positive feedback from the students. I will miss playing the games that I played with them, like Hangman, The Hot Seat, Jeopardy, and Scategories. Some of their answers were so creative! Their level of excitement for any mention of Justin Bieber or One Direction will stay in my memory forever and anything Stitch or Winnie the Pooh themed will forever remind me of my students.
One class in particular really warmed my heart on the last day of class. I teach them on Mondays so last week when I walked into class, instead of saying "Good morning Teachaa" like they have to, they had prepared a speech for me. The entire class stood up and read off a speech in English saying "Teacher Shannon is beautiful and an amazing teacher. We will remember you always. Thank you Teacher." I was so thrown off, usually I have to respond with "thank you, you can sit down" but I was truly speechless! Tears sprung to my eyes and I couldn't believe they had planned that out together. I was touched by their adorable effort and I wanted to hug every single one of them!
Although the Thai school system can be extremely aggravating, and there is little to no structure in the classroom, I am going to miss Kanchanapisek very much. I have always loved working with kids, and this experience has brought my love for kids to a whole new level. Between artwork, games, and conversations- I have seen a lot of creativity in these students and I hope each one of them lives a life full of happiness. Even though my time with them was short, this experience will stay with me forever and whenever I am having a bad day I am going to think back on my teaching experiences- young Thai children "wai-ing" me, the laughs that resulted from a poor english translation, and the smiles a simple game of hangman brought to their faces. While teaching was a very tiring experience, the good definitely out weighed the bad and I hope that my basic teaching skills will help these students in some way! Thank you Kanchanapisek for all of the amazing memories and I will never forget this experience <3
M. 1/4
M. 1/5
Hanging with some of the scouts
M. 1/10
M. 1/7
M. 1/1
M. 1/2
M. 5/4
M. 1/6
M. 1/8
M. 1/3
M. 1/9
English Club
M. 5/1
Saying Goodbye to the Director
My farewell speech
Accepting my farewell gift from the Director
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