Get Ready, Get Set, Go Greek!
I'm flying to Greece on Friday. I got a job at Marmari Beach Hotel on Kos Island. It's part of Greece, even though it is 4 km from Turkey. Go figure. I'm sad I'm not flying to England... Hopefully, I can save money, and go back! We shall see.
"New" Seven Wonders of the World?! I so don't think so...
I just heard about the so-called "New" Seven Wonders of the World results. Apparently there was a grassroots, online voting thing, for new seven wonders; as if people were tired of the already proven seven wonders. Meanwhile, Angkor Wat didn't make the cut. It's a fantastic site of a dozen or more temples built long ago. It's amazing really. It's so old and full of historical facts and beautiful architecture. It's definitely worth the title of Seven Wonder of the World. But that's not what I need to vent about. It's the fact that there was a call to vote online for new wonders. I can understand if it was a vote for new wonders, with the operative word being new. However, most of the delegates were from olden times like the Great Wall of China. There were only a few new architectural designs. While other countries were voting two and three times for their delegate, Cambodia didn't stand a chance. For the most part, Cambodians don't have access to a computer let alone the internet! How can there be a world vote for new wonders of the world, if the world isn't allowed to have a say. Although, that brings me to another tirade. There should be no "vote" for wonders of the world! They just are! Angkor Wat is all the Cambodians have! I mean, it’s their entire flag for pete’s sake. Take the beauty and sanctity of Angkor Wat away and what do they have? Phnom Penh. (And we don’t want to go there…)
Sadly, Stonehenge didn't make the cut either. Hello, it took over 1,000 years to construct! I think that's pretty wondrous. People think Stonehenge is only what you see, however, it’s so much more than that! We only see two thirds of the stones. Another one third is stuck in the ground! Another interesting fact is where the stones came from to form the hanging structure. The stones weren't cut from around Amsbury, England. They were actually hauled in from Wales, several hundred miles away! To think of the absolute power and mystery surrounding Stonehenge makes the mind boggle. Stonehenge embodies endurance and intrigue. My only consolation is the fact it is still among the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World. Although, that spot might be taken away, if another group decides to have another vote.
As for the wonders they picked, I have no idea why Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue, Italy's Colosseum or India's Taj Mahal made the list. The Great Wall of China totally deserves a spot. It is quite remarkable, and I don’t contest that decision at all. And I am not contesting the other ancient remnants of civilizations that made the list, as they are quite remarkable. However, what’s with the Colosseum? It’s half gone! What kind of wonder doesn't last the ages? I ask you. And why did Christ the Redeemer make the list and not The Eiffel Tower or The Statue of Liberty as well? They are pretty much all the same. They are just huge statues. Every country seems to have one these days. And I probably just seemed totally blasphemous with that last statement, but I’m not saying Christ the Redeemer is lame, I’m just saying it isn’t unique enough to be called a wonder. True, I have yet to see these three in person. With that said, I will probably eat my words when I experience them up close, but for now I'm incredulous. Whatever anyone, or any list says, Stonehenge and Angkor Wat will always be Seven Wonders of the World, ancient or otherwise.
I don’t really know why I have such strong feelings on this subject. I mean, who cares what people are voting about, especially since I didn’t even know this vote happened? Who cares what they picked? I guess it’s the fact that I've only ever seen two wonders of the world in my entire life. They both happened to be this year. The exact year this insipid vote took place. I wonder if maybe I may have tainted the two awe inspiring structures with my presence. I think I’m just sad that the only two wonders I’ve ever seen have been demoted. So what am I left with?
Now I’ve heard the results, I do remember seeing a sign while driving up to Angkor Wat asking people to vote for it in the election. But at the time, it was in passing and I remember wondering why there would be new seven wonders. There have been Seven Wonders of the World, for so long, how can that list be changed? And if it were to be changed, why would people vote? Wonders just are. A vote doesn't need to happen. With these thoughts, I forgot about it.
Sadly, Stonehenge didn't make the cut either. Hello, it took over 1,000 years to construct! I think that's pretty wondrous. People think Stonehenge is only what you see, however, it’s so much more than that! We only see two thirds of the stones. Another one third is stuck in the ground! Another interesting fact is where the stones came from to form the hanging structure. The stones weren't cut from around Amsbury, England. They were actually hauled in from Wales, several hundred miles away! To think of the absolute power and mystery surrounding Stonehenge makes the mind boggle. Stonehenge embodies endurance and intrigue. My only consolation is the fact it is still among the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World. Although, that spot might be taken away, if another group decides to have another vote.
As for the wonders they picked, I have no idea why Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue, Italy's Colosseum or India's Taj Mahal made the list. The Great Wall of China totally deserves a spot. It is quite remarkable, and I don’t contest that decision at all. And I am not contesting the other ancient remnants of civilizations that made the list, as they are quite remarkable. However, what’s with the Colosseum? It’s half gone! What kind of wonder doesn't last the ages? I ask you. And why did Christ the Redeemer make the list and not The Eiffel Tower or The Statue of Liberty as well? They are pretty much all the same. They are just huge statues. Every country seems to have one these days. And I probably just seemed totally blasphemous with that last statement, but I’m not saying Christ the Redeemer is lame, I’m just saying it isn’t unique enough to be called a wonder. True, I have yet to see these three in person. With that said, I will probably eat my words when I experience them up close, but for now I'm incredulous. Whatever anyone, or any list says, Stonehenge and Angkor Wat will always be Seven Wonders of the World, ancient or otherwise.
I don’t really know why I have such strong feelings on this subject. I mean, who cares what people are voting about, especially since I didn’t even know this vote happened? Who cares what they picked? I guess it’s the fact that I've only ever seen two wonders of the world in my entire life. They both happened to be this year. The exact year this insipid vote took place. I wonder if maybe I may have tainted the two awe inspiring structures with my presence. I think I’m just sad that the only two wonders I’ve ever seen have been demoted. So what am I left with?
Now I’ve heard the results, I do remember seeing a sign while driving up to Angkor Wat asking people to vote for it in the election. But at the time, it was in passing and I remember wondering why there would be new seven wonders. There have been Seven Wonders of the World, for so long, how can that list be changed? And if it were to be changed, why would people vote? Wonders just are. A vote doesn't need to happen. With these thoughts, I forgot about it.
Stonehenge
Yes, I saw Stonehenge! It is absolutely amazing! What they don't tell you in school is one third of the rocks are in the ground! So actually the stones are even bigger than they look! I couldn't believe what an absolutely gorgeous day it was. We had just come off of Bank Holiday weekend, which means rainy days, so we were scared. However, the sky was blue and as the day went on all the clouds in the sky left. I got some great pictures!
Stonehenge: with and without me.
After our walk in the past, we went to Longleat an estate near Stonehenge. It's a cool safari/attraction park. There are animals at every turn. They have a butterfly garden, a boat ride to see hippos and sea lions and a safari park with lions, tigers and... buffalo. It's a beautiful estate and the animals give it an extra something.
This is a picture at the bat mines. It was so cool having the bats soar around you in the dark! I took a ton of pictures, but it was too dark to see the bats in the actual picture. (Photography with flash is prohibited.) Sadness.
Friendly? An interesting choice of adjectives... Haha!
Stonehenge: with and without me.
After our walk in the past, we went to Longleat an estate near Stonehenge. It's a cool safari/attraction park. There are animals at every turn. They have a butterfly garden, a boat ride to see hippos and sea lions and a safari park with lions, tigers and... buffalo. It's a beautiful estate and the animals give it an extra something.
This is a picture at the bat mines. It was so cool having the bats soar around you in the dark! I took a ton of pictures, but it was too dark to see the bats in the actual picture. (Photography with flash is prohibited.) Sadness.
Friendly? An interesting choice of adjectives... Haha!
Where's Mr. Darcy?
I visited Pemberley, the home of Mr. Darcy! In real life it's called Lyme Park. Sadly, I didn't see Mr. Darcy, though I kept watch for him the entire time I roamed the grounds. I kept thinking he would emerge from the lake in front of the house, and then I would get flustered and demand to leave the property at once. Meanwhile, he would help me into my carriage and ask my Uncle to fish with him. Unfortunately, he never showed up, so I wasn't able to recite that scene. However, I couldn't help saying lines from other scenes as I walked around, "And to think, of all this, I could have been Mistress." I think they used a different estate for the inside shots though. The inside didn't look anything like the movie.
British to American Dictionary
I thought I should put a few of the words that translate differently. Most of these I already knew thanks to Vikki and Mark, but to some it might seem like another language!
Aerial - Antennae
Bangers and Mash - Sausages and Mashed Potatoes
Bin - Trash Can
Biscuits - Cookies
Bonnet - Hood
Boot - Trunk
Carriageway - Road
Chips - French Fries
Choc - Chocolate
Cloakroom - Restroom
Crazy Golf - Miniature Golf
Crisps - Chips
Crumpet - English Muffinish
Draughts - Checkers
Dual Carriageway - Road
Dustbin - Trash Can
Ensuite - Master Bath
Fizzy Drink - Soda
Football - Soccer
Footpath - Sidewalk
Hash sign - Pound sign
Kip - Nap
Lemonade - Sprite, 7-UP
Lift - Elevator
Loo - Restroom
Lorry - Semi (truck)
Mind the gap - Watch your step
Motorway - Highway
Nappies - Diapers
Pants - Underwear
Pear-shaped - To go wrong
Petrol - Gas (used in Taiwan too)
Pie - Meat Pastry
Pram/Push chair - Stroller
Queue - Line
Roasties - Roasted Potatoes
Rubbish - Garbage
Tea - Dinner
Trousers - Pants
Uni - University
"What you doing, nice?" - Hello
Windscreen - Windshield
Zed - Z
I know there are many more, but I can't think of them at this time. I'll post more when I remember.
Aerial - Antennae
Bangers and Mash - Sausages and Mashed Potatoes
Bin - Trash Can
Biscuits - Cookies
Bonnet - Hood
Boot - Trunk
Carriageway - Road
Chips - French Fries
Choc - Chocolate
Cloakroom - Restroom
Crazy Golf - Miniature Golf
Crisps - Chips
Crumpet - English Muffinish
Draughts - Checkers
Dual Carriageway - Road
Dustbin - Trash Can
Ensuite - Master Bath
Fizzy Drink - Soda
Football - Soccer
Footpath - Sidewalk
Hash sign - Pound sign
Kip - Nap
Lemonade - Sprite, 7-UP
Lift - Elevator
Loo - Restroom
Lorry - Semi (truck)
Mind the gap - Watch your step
Motorway - Highway
Nappies - Diapers
Pants - Underwear
Pear-shaped - To go wrong
Petrol - Gas (used in Taiwan too)
Pie - Meat Pastry
Pram/Push chair - Stroller
Queue - Line
Roasties - Roasted Potatoes
Rubbish - Garbage
Tea - Dinner
Trousers - Pants
Uni - University
"What you doing, nice?" - Hello
Windscreen - Windshield
Zed - Z
I know there are many more, but I can't think of them at this time. I'll post more when I remember.
Exchange rates suck!
Oh my goodness England is expensive! It's crazy enough with our dollar equaling two of theirs without me having the background I have. I've just come from Asia where one USD goes up to 16,000 of their money! It's like dirt cheap there, and of all places I go to England next. Sigh.
So far it is $7.50 per gallon of gas! Yikes! Although, California isn't too far behind! They add their tax into all the prices. Their tax is about 17%! And I thought an 8% tax was bad in Monterey!
So far it is $7.50 per gallon of gas! Yikes! Although, California isn't too far behind! They add their tax into all the prices. Their tax is about 17%! And I thought an 8% tax was bad in Monterey!
Alton Towers
I lost my voice today at Alton Towers! It's a great theme park with thrills and chills! Air is the Six Flags version of Tatsu and rocks just as well! Nemisis' claim to fame is flying over several red waterfalls! It was a fun day full of awesome roller coasters. Rita is the fastest one by far using magnets to automatically start the speed with no warning! Well, technically they give warning. A light turns green to let you know when the ride starts . However, the magnets hurl you so fast that the green light is already a blur the second the light changes to green! It's crazy fun!
This ride is called Submission.
Vikki and I on the swings. A classic.
Meet Rita, the Queen of Speed. She goes from 0 to 100 mph in 2.5 seconds!
This ride is called Submission.
Vikki and I on the swings. A classic.
Meet Rita, the Queen of Speed. She goes from 0 to 100 mph in 2.5 seconds!
My first double decker ride!
Vikki took me around Birmingham New Street and Northridge. It's a fabulous part of town! It's always so green with tons of trees around. And there are plenty of parks and grassy areas as well.
I had my first double decker bus ride today! It was awesome! Although I'm not sure the other passengers enjoyed my camera-happy outlook. We went up top to the front of the bus. You haven't properly seen Birmingham, until you've seen it from the top of a double decker. I wiped out my camera and took a video. I didn't mind looking like a fool, however, I wasn't in backpacker land, so no one else was anxious to make memories on their trip and consequently thought I was silly.
I had my first double decker bus ride today! It was awesome! Although I'm not sure the other passengers enjoyed my camera-happy outlook. We went up top to the front of the bus. You haven't properly seen Birmingham, until you've seen it from the top of a double decker. I wiped out my camera and took a video. I didn't mind looking like a fool, however, I wasn't in backpacker land, so no one else was anxious to make memories on their trip and consequently thought I was silly.
Next stop: England!
I'm leaving next Tuesday for Birmingham, UK. I'll be there for a month to visit Vikki and Mark! Hopefully I can make it permenant by finding a job. I have some interviews lined up, so we shall see how they go. I'll be in Birmingham and London for most of my time there. I'm excited to be in another country which speaks my language. This will be a first for me! I'm looking forward to communication wih words and not hand motions. Although, I think I might miss the eternal game of charades.
Getting into Cambodia
Ah, Cambodia. If it weren't for the guy from D.C., I'd still be at the border town trying to get in. You may think I'm kidding. But I'm not.
Our bus ride over there was amazing. It was this huge, double-decker, spacious tour bus. I slept the whole way, which could be seen as not taking advantage of the fact that for once we had actual tables built into the floor, but really, it was the first really nice plushy bus that I could sleep in and be comfortable, so I condone what I did as taking advantage, and not under using it.
We arrived at a restaurant near Poipet, the Thailand/Cambodia border town to wait, for what, I still don't know. They said we would need to give them our passports, 1,200 baht (about $36) and they would take care of our Cambodian visas. Most everyone did just that, but when we said we would pay at the border so we didn't need their service, they got angry. Apparently we weren't going to pad their wallet, and they were expecting it. Everyone was done eating for at least two hours before the bus came back. Yes, that's right, the bus left us there. It was quite frightening for those who gave their passports away! There were a couple of scared moments as some of the passengers realized that this might be a scam to get passports and cash. Thankfully the bus came back and took us to the border, with the understanding that those with their Cambodian visas would be able to continue on the tour, and those who didn't take their service wouldn't (that would be me...). We were quite through with being taken advantage of, so we made our case why they should wait for us as we got our visas. We'd had to get visas in Indonesia and it took all of 10 minutes. We were worried, but not enough to take any scams! We got to the border and breezed through the Thailand side. When we got to the Cambodian side, things weren't so easy. A guy from the tour decided to go with us, since we almost rioted. He led us to the visa line. We asked for our visas, handed him our passports and our crisp $20 bill (all money must be new and crisp, or it won't be honored) and Kari gave him her picture, and I my 100 baht, since I forgot my pictures back in Taiwan. The guard said it would be 1000 baht ($30) plus 100 baht without a picture. We looked at him. We looked at the sign above the window. (Cambodian passports - 20 USD) We said it was $20, and if he would be so kind as to take our money and passports. Again, he said 1000 baht. We said no, $20. He looked at us, and shut the window. We laughed a little, knocked on the window and started the process all over again. By now another guy had joined us to get his passport. He asked us what was going on, so we pointed to the sign and said, visas are $20 and the guy wants 1000 baht. Each time, I took our documents to the window and each time I was rejected. I am sick of scams. I am sick of it! We tried several times, and I noticed he never touched anything I had in my hand. None of the guys in the office even tried to help, or look through our documents. I realized why, and told the guy to take our stuff and tell them what's what. They opened the window, took our documents and printed out our visas. I asked where I needed to go to get my picture taken, and a helper said to wait. After all that, our tour guide asked us how much we paid. I had quite forgotten he was there. When we said $20, for that is how much it costs, he said “Good” as if he was glad we didn’t get scammed, as if he cared! I thought it pretty shoddy he didn't help us at all. He knew it was $20 and yet he never said we could pay it. The guard gave our documents back to the guy from D.C. and I realized I was taken again. I never thought the money for the picture would be a scam as well. Sigh, I guess you can't win everything.
Our bus ride over there was amazing. It was this huge, double-decker, spacious tour bus. I slept the whole way, which could be seen as not taking advantage of the fact that for once we had actual tables built into the floor, but really, it was the first really nice plushy bus that I could sleep in and be comfortable, so I condone what I did as taking advantage, and not under using it.
We arrived at a restaurant near Poipet, the Thailand/Cambodia border town to wait, for what, I still don't know. They said we would need to give them our passports, 1,200 baht (about $36) and they would take care of our Cambodian visas. Most everyone did just that, but when we said we would pay at the border so we didn't need their service, they got angry. Apparently we weren't going to pad their wallet, and they were expecting it. Everyone was done eating for at least two hours before the bus came back. Yes, that's right, the bus left us there. It was quite frightening for those who gave their passports away! There were a couple of scared moments as some of the passengers realized that this might be a scam to get passports and cash. Thankfully the bus came back and took us to the border, with the understanding that those with their Cambodian visas would be able to continue on the tour, and those who didn't take their service wouldn't (that would be me...). We were quite through with being taken advantage of, so we made our case why they should wait for us as we got our visas. We'd had to get visas in Indonesia and it took all of 10 minutes. We were worried, but not enough to take any scams! We got to the border and breezed through the Thailand side. When we got to the Cambodian side, things weren't so easy. A guy from the tour decided to go with us, since we almost rioted. He led us to the visa line. We asked for our visas, handed him our passports and our crisp $20 bill (all money must be new and crisp, or it won't be honored) and Kari gave him her picture, and I my 100 baht, since I forgot my pictures back in Taiwan. The guard said it would be 1000 baht ($30) plus 100 baht without a picture. We looked at him. We looked at the sign above the window. (Cambodian passports - 20 USD) We said it was $20, and if he would be so kind as to take our money and passports. Again, he said 1000 baht. We said no, $20. He looked at us, and shut the window. We laughed a little, knocked on the window and started the process all over again. By now another guy had joined us to get his passport. He asked us what was going on, so we pointed to the sign and said, visas are $20 and the guy wants 1000 baht. Each time, I took our documents to the window and each time I was rejected. I am sick of scams. I am sick of it! We tried several times, and I noticed he never touched anything I had in my hand. None of the guys in the office even tried to help, or look through our documents. I realized why, and told the guy to take our stuff and tell them what's what. They opened the window, took our documents and printed out our visas. I asked where I needed to go to get my picture taken, and a helper said to wait. After all that, our tour guide asked us how much we paid. I had quite forgotten he was there. When we said $20, for that is how much it costs, he said “Good” as if he was glad we didn’t get scammed, as if he cared! I thought it pretty shoddy he didn't help us at all. He knew it was $20 and yet he never said we could pay it. The guard gave our documents back to the guy from D.C. and I realized I was taken again. I never thought the money for the picture would be a scam as well. Sigh, I guess you can't win everything.
The first thing you see as you leave the Thailand debarkation line!
We then we went to the line to enter the country. It was quite long and we could see our fellow tour groupies at the front of the line. After all our hassle, they were only about 10 people ahead. When they all finished up, we got a little antsy that our group would leave us. We tried to hurry up the line by singing the Cambodian national anthem. However, we didn't actually know the national anthem, so we interchanged words with anthems we knew the theme too. (O Cambodia, how much we love this place... and so on) We finally got through the line and found our group around the corner standing around waiting for who knows what. Our D.C. friend told us of the money exchanging scam, so we luckily dodged that one, although, I bet we wouldn't have fallen into it, even if we hadn't known about it, especially after all we'd been through, and read online.
So here's the scam, just for kicks and giggles. A guy in a motorbike drives up and asks if you have Riel (the Cambodian money). You of course don't have it, and he says, the only money honored in Cambodia is the Riel, so you'll have to come along with him on his motorbike to buy the Riel, where they give it to you at half the price you would get at a bank.
We met another guy from Spain who we wanted to be our new Fab, and it all seemed like it was to happen. However, we had to part with our D.C. and Spanish friend as they were in another bus. After another hour of waiting (who said we wouldn't make the tour bus?) we finally got onto a bus and what a bus it was! Everyone told us about the horrible road to Siem Reap and the sad bus standards, but our bus was quite nice! We were amazed. We drove down the street for about two seconds, and then got to the bus station. We had to get off and into another bus. We fondly named it: The Pink Nightmare. It was small, with no A/C and the entire inside was done over in Pepto-Bismol Pink. The chairs, ceiling, walls and all were pink. It was weird. The road to Siem Reap wasn't really that bad. The road wasn't paved at all and consequently was bumpy, but nothing will ever come close to the train ride to Bangkok. I don’t' know why everyone talks about the bus to Siem Reap, but it probably has to do with the fact no one has ever had lows like Kari and I have. But it wasn't a bad ride at all. The only bad part was the dirt... There was no A/C on our bus, so the entire time all of the windows (except the ones next to Kari and me) were open letting in all the dirt stirred up into the air by the bus. Sadly, we were caked with dirt an inch thick when we arrived at our lodge... I really wish I bought a facemask in Taiwan. There aren't any towns from the border to Siem Reap except one, about two hours from Siem Reap. The ride was about six hours long, and yet there were some bathroom breaks. You might wonder how there were bathroom breaks, when I just said there were no stops or towns between the two points. Well, the bus just pulled to the side of the road, and all the guys got out. Yup, they made their own bathroom on the side of the road with the women in the bus a little confused as to why we stopped. It was an interesting ride to say the least.
Here's a video of the Pink Nightmare:
And here's a video of the "bathroom (and I use that term, very loosely) breaks"
The Cambodian countryside.
At the end of the day, we learned of another scam. We stopped at a restaurant at the town before Siem Reap and met up with our Spanish and D.C. guy. They told us they take as much time to get to Siem Reap as possible, so that we get in late. They don't stop at the bus center, or city center. They stop at an expensive hostel and offer discounts, to the weary travelers, knowing it is too late to get around. It almost worked; however, with Kari and I around, we were sure to keep everyone else honest! We rioted and got half the bus to refuse to get off until they dropped us off where they promised to drop us off. Ah, it's good to be mutinous. It worked and we got dropped off at the city center, where we walked to Jasmine Lodge. We asked for the cheapest room. Started to unpack, couldn't hack it in the community bathroom with no light and had to move. Yes, we couldn't hack it in the cheap rooms, and had to ask for a room with a bathroom!
I was so gross from our open window drive that I decided to shower and then moist towelette myself as well as my luggage! I swear, the water from my shower was so brown, even after standing in the shower for some time, it was just sick.
This is actually the sign on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, consequently it was taken leaving Cambodia, but whatever.
Bangkok, Thailand
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster! Temples, temples and more temples. We got templed out after two... Hehe. Greatfully, we had enough diversions to hold our attention. I got my first suit tailored at a cool shop named Oscars near Khao San Road! The tailor shops line the street one after another. It's rather odd. I had no idea they would be so numerous. Who would think to go to Thailand to get measured and fitted? I didn't that's for sure, but I fell for its spell. I never had a tailor before, but love the whole experience, and got used to someone doing everything for me! I got a way cute three piece suit in black cashmere with a black pinstripe variation.
Since we couldn't stand to do the temple thing for longer than three hours, we had a salon day instead. It was relaxing and oh so cheap! And yet again, I was subject to ridicule from the backpacker society. I was a backpacker getting a manicure and pedicure! I backpacked through Asia with a french manicure. That's bad!
This is us in front of the longest reclining buddha in the world at Wat Pho. It is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. The next picture is us outside of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo about to create a riot. Heeheehee, after us, this tour group all had to take pictures in the pose.
This is the first falafel pita I've ever had. It was dang good! Actually it was the first falafel I've seen. I've heard about them before, but really had no idea what it was. We met some guys who told us what falafels are, but I still don't know, so don't ask. This is us doing the "wai" with Ronal McDonald on Khao San Road! Ah, the memories.
The A Place, Thailand
We took a tour to The A Place for a day. I still don't know where I was, or what it's called! We had a great time, and it's not really because of the temples and ruins we saw. It's because that's where we met our first hammock! Hammocks were everywhere from then on, and we got into the craze. As we rejoined our group, they all asked what weird things we were carrying. When we said we bought hammocks, oh the funny looks we got. But I don't care. Oh, and we had a fun interview with the local school girls! We got bored after the the first 15 minutes after the first stop of the day... Instead of spending our time walking around and taking in the sites, we sat down in a gazebo and answered questions for groups of school girls needing to practice their English.
Oh, and I finally saw buddha's head in the tree roots! And we got some sacreligious pictures behind headless and armless buddhas. I drank my first soda in a bag.
Yes, that's my head. And my arms.
We had a guy from Israel on the tour with us. We wanted him to be our next Fab, but he wouldn't have anything to do with us. It could be the fact that during the tour guide's monologues, we hung back and talked loudly through the entire thing, or the fact that we were scared of his dredlock sportin' friend. Either way, there was no Fab to guide us through the A place, which could be one reason after the second stop and all subsequent stops, we sat down on a curb the second we got out of the car and waited until it was time to go without getting up to see the ruins or sites...
Tiger Temple (Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua)
The thing about Thailand that hooks people in and keeps them coming back is all of the many different tours available. All inclusive packages that span the entire tourist attraction world make it so easy for weary travelers tired of planning out everything from where to stay, what to see, where to eat and so on. The Thai people have turned tours into an art. We started Monday out with a Tiger Temple trip. Our tour company at the guesthouse also works with the Jolly Frog and a couple of the other guesthouses along the backpacker strip. We were lucky, because the VN is the hub, so we were always the first in the tour. Safari taxis are the thing in Kanchanaburi, so we rode another one around with a French family. We picked up two Australians, an English couple and Alex at the Jolly Frog and another English couple at another guesthouse. We had a pretty good group and got acquainted on the trip there and back. Here is a video of our tour group. We actually took it after our tour, but since I just introduced everyone in the beginning of this post, I thought I'd put it here.
The Tiger Temple is in a ravine near Kanchanaburi where Monks and volunteers take care of animals of all sorts. There are tigers, deer, peacocks, pigs and various other animals. It’s such a cool place and really the only place you can pet and hold tigers! Although, before you go in, you have to sign your life away or they won't let you inside!
We walked into these huge gates (all the better to hold the animals in) and down a dusty dirt road towards the tigers. The tigers are led to a little valley, surrounded by cliffs and a man made waterfall, in the middle of the day. Tigers sleep through the hottest part of the day, so it's the only time to visit. Once you arrive, it is made clear that you are to use whispers at all times, so as not to disturb the tigers. They keep them on a leash for tourist safety. I was never scared, or thought I had to be. It was more cool than anything else, and I was a little confused when others around me hesitated to get in the "meet and greet" line. There were a ton of volunteers there, so we chatted to one from Germany while we waited to take pictures. She was very nice and our efforts would turn out to be quite fruitful at the end of the day. When you get up to the front of the line, you give your camera to a volunteer who takes your arm into theirs and leads you to different tigers lounging about. Then they take pictures for you as you pet them! It's all very organized. Once you've seen them all, they take you back to the front to approach the next person in line. It was so fun! We stayed for quite awhile and got some good pictures and movies.
At about 4:30ish, they lead the tigers back into their dens. This is where chatting it up with the volunteers help. My German volunteer friend found me and led me to the front of the procession, where I was the second person to hold the tiger's leash and lead him! It was awesome!
After that we walked up to where they feed the other animals. They drive a truck down the road and throw out food, consequently all the animals run up to the road to eat. I should mention, this is the same road we walked up and were still walking on. We were all walking along, with no warning that random bulls would come running up from everywhere to eat! It was quite exciting. We never did figure out what the food was they feed the animals. It was quite big and light green. Craziness reigned for a few minutes as pigs and all manner of animals went charging about for food.
We went over to where they kept the tigers and were surprised to find two tiger cubs! They were in a cage for a long time, and we all took pictures. Then the volunteers took them out so we could get closer. Then, as if the day couldn't get any better, a volunteer asked me if I wanted to hold one! So then she gives me the cub, and I'm like dude, I'm holding a tiger! However, the cub didn't seem to take to me. As it squirmed, roared and tried to eat me, I quickly gave it back to the volunteer.
The Tiger Temple is in a ravine near Kanchanaburi where Monks and volunteers take care of animals of all sorts. There are tigers, deer, peacocks, pigs and various other animals. It’s such a cool place and really the only place you can pet and hold tigers! Although, before you go in, you have to sign your life away or they won't let you inside!
We walked into these huge gates (all the better to hold the animals in) and down a dusty dirt road towards the tigers. The tigers are led to a little valley, surrounded by cliffs and a man made waterfall, in the middle of the day. Tigers sleep through the hottest part of the day, so it's the only time to visit. Once you arrive, it is made clear that you are to use whispers at all times, so as not to disturb the tigers. They keep them on a leash for tourist safety. I was never scared, or thought I had to be. It was more cool than anything else, and I was a little confused when others around me hesitated to get in the "meet and greet" line. There were a ton of volunteers there, so we chatted to one from Germany while we waited to take pictures. She was very nice and our efforts would turn out to be quite fruitful at the end of the day. When you get up to the front of the line, you give your camera to a volunteer who takes your arm into theirs and leads you to different tigers lounging about. Then they take pictures for you as you pet them! It's all very organized. Once you've seen them all, they take you back to the front to approach the next person in line. It was so fun! We stayed for quite awhile and got some good pictures and movies.
At about 4:30ish, they lead the tigers back into their dens. This is where chatting it up with the volunteers help. My German volunteer friend found me and led me to the front of the procession, where I was the second person to hold the tiger's leash and lead him! It was awesome!
After that we walked up to where they feed the other animals. They drive a truck down the road and throw out food, consequently all the animals run up to the road to eat. I should mention, this is the same road we walked up and were still walking on. We were all walking along, with no warning that random bulls would come running up from everywhere to eat! It was quite exciting. We never did figure out what the food was they feed the animals. It was quite big and light green. Craziness reigned for a few minutes as pigs and all manner of animals went charging about for food.
We went over to where they kept the tigers and were surprised to find two tiger cubs! They were in a cage for a long time, and we all took pictures. Then the volunteers took them out so we could get closer. Then, as if the day couldn't get any better, a volunteer asked me if I wanted to hold one! So then she gives me the cub, and I'm like dude, I'm holding a tiger! However, the cub didn't seem to take to me. As it squirmed, roared and tried to eat me, I quickly gave it back to the volunteer.
Sadly, I got the evil one. Kari on the other hand got the sweet cub who just laid in her arms happily.
I got a pic with the nice baby tiger once Kari finished holding it.We realized that we were the only ones left in the park (it pays to stay behind from the group, as we were the only ones to get to hold the baby tiger cubs, everyone in our group was so jealous!), so we rushed out, got lost and finally found the exit. It turns out our tour group had been waiting for 10 minutes for us. Oddly enough, making our tours wait for us turns into a trip theme, as we did it quite often.
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Oh Kanchanaburi, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: riding and washing elephants, bamboo rafting, Tiger Temple, Erawan Falls, River Kwai Bridge, raft rooms, "flushable" toilets, banana and pineapple pancakes, beautiful sunsets on the river, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Alex (the new Fab). Yes, Kanchanaburi is awesome! Very worth a visit. It's so beautiful and chill and there are so many things to do!
Here are our berths on the train! It was really fun to sleep on the top bunk in a moving train! The next picture is Russ (the new Fab from Malaysia to Chumphon) showing us Fame (the premier backpackers joint in Chumphon).
Ah, here I am with the proprieters of the VN Guesthouse, and the magnificent chef who created the most amazing banana and pineapple pancakes ever. The next picture shows my contentedness as I eat a banana pancake at the VN guesthouse.
This is a "Thai-style" toilet. Notice it has no back. And yet, it has a strange bucket filled with water next to it. To flush a Thai-style toilet, one has to ladle buckets of water into the toilet until the toilet is clear. The second picture is our raft on the Kanchanaburi River (or the River Kwai, I'm actually not sure). We are the second room after the ramp.
We arrived at the train station in Bangkok at 5ish on Sunday. We then needed to find a taxi to the bus station to Kanchanaburi. After rejecting a taxi who wouldn't use the meter, these two guys gave up their taxi for us! We insisted on the meter, so he drove round in circles until he arrived at the bus station after an hour. It was a glorious bus terminal though. It looked like a stadium on the outside, with various bus company checkpoints on the inside. It turned out we went to the wrong station. No company had any more buses that night. After arguing with the information people, an English guy from Kanchanaburi overheard our plight and told us of the south bus station, how to say it in Thai for taxi drivers, gave us some pointers on a bus company to use and good places to stay. So we had to catch another taxi to the "south" bus station. After saying the Thai for "south bus station" fifteen times in different tones, we headed out.
We arrived at what looked like a tourist flea market! I never would have taken it for a bus station were I on my own. The contrast of the huge, orderly station we left was enormous. There were buses, to be sure, but it didn't look like a proper station, per say. It was this small building with hordes of people every which way you looked and buses parked wherever they could. We finally got a bus to Kanchanaburi! And true to all buses, it was a freezer. Our blankets saved us again! It was a nice, relaxing two hour ride to Kanchanaburi. After an hour, the bus kept stopping to let people off. We were unaware there would be more stops than the central Kanchanaburi city stop, so we got a little confused for a while, but after discussing with several other confused tourists, we decided to sleep until they kicked us off! Not a perfect plan, but what can you do?
When we arrived in Kanchanaburi at 10 p.m. We got a driver who knew the VN Guesthouse. As the guy pointed us in the direction of his taxi, I had a slight trip down memory lane. There in front of me were the well known safari taxis of the Virgin Islands! I never thought I'd see one again! I didn't realize how much I loved those taxis, until I caught sight of it in the dark. We arrived at the VN Guesthouse and were happy to get a river raft room! It has a personality all its own and therefore deserves its own post.
Here are our berths on the train! It was really fun to sleep on the top bunk in a moving train! The next picture is Russ (the new Fab from Malaysia to Chumphon) showing us Fame (the premier backpackers joint in Chumphon).
Ah, here I am with the proprieters of the VN Guesthouse, and the magnificent chef who created the most amazing banana and pineapple pancakes ever. The next picture shows my contentedness as I eat a banana pancake at the VN guesthouse.
This is a "Thai-style" toilet. Notice it has no back. And yet, it has a strange bucket filled with water next to it. To flush a Thai-style toilet, one has to ladle buckets of water into the toilet until the toilet is clear. The second picture is our raft on the Kanchanaburi River (or the River Kwai, I'm actually not sure). We are the second room after the ramp.
We arrived at the train station in Bangkok at 5ish on Sunday. We then needed to find a taxi to the bus station to Kanchanaburi. After rejecting a taxi who wouldn't use the meter, these two guys gave up their taxi for us! We insisted on the meter, so he drove round in circles until he arrived at the bus station after an hour. It was a glorious bus terminal though. It looked like a stadium on the outside, with various bus company checkpoints on the inside. It turned out we went to the wrong station. No company had any more buses that night. After arguing with the information people, an English guy from Kanchanaburi overheard our plight and told us of the south bus station, how to say it in Thai for taxi drivers, gave us some pointers on a bus company to use and good places to stay. So we had to catch another taxi to the "south" bus station. After saying the Thai for "south bus station" fifteen times in different tones, we headed out.
We arrived at what looked like a tourist flea market! I never would have taken it for a bus station were I on my own. The contrast of the huge, orderly station we left was enormous. There were buses, to be sure, but it didn't look like a proper station, per say. It was this small building with hordes of people every which way you looked and buses parked wherever they could. We finally got a bus to Kanchanaburi! And true to all buses, it was a freezer. Our blankets saved us again! It was a nice, relaxing two hour ride to Kanchanaburi. After an hour, the bus kept stopping to let people off. We were unaware there would be more stops than the central Kanchanaburi city stop, so we got a little confused for a while, but after discussing with several other confused tourists, we decided to sleep until they kicked us off! Not a perfect plan, but what can you do?
When we arrived in Kanchanaburi at 10 p.m. We got a driver who knew the VN Guesthouse. As the guy pointed us in the direction of his taxi, I had a slight trip down memory lane. There in front of me were the well known safari taxis of the Virgin Islands! I never thought I'd see one again! I didn't realize how much I loved those taxis, until I caught sight of it in the dark. We arrived at the VN Guesthouse and were happy to get a river raft room! It has a personality all its own and therefore deserves its own post.
Malaysia
Totally expensive and not asian at all. That's right. There are no Chinese people in Malaysia. I don't know how it happened, I mean they have that "sia" thing going with the end of their name. Was that just me? Was I the only one who though Malaysia would be like, well, Asia? With Asian people, and Chinese (or other asian languages) everywhere, scooters hogging the roads and four story buildings the only sight for miles. Malaysia was another India. It was weird. But we did go to a Snake Temple and see the Petronas Towers.
These are pictures from the Batu Caves. It's pretty awesome. It is in the mountains near KL (Kuala Lumpur). A massive statue of a Hindu goddess stands at the front. Can you see me at the bottom of the picture? And then there are 272 steps to get into the caves. That's me after nearly fainting upon arrival.
This is one of the evil monkeys we met on our trip up the stairs. I tried to take a movie close up of the monkeys, and it turned into a movie of one of them trying to eat me! Luckily a nice man saved me and Kari and told us to video them from afar.
Ah, the Petronas Towers. The are the second tallest buildings in the world (second only to Taipei 101). I got to go up to the skybridge and look out across KL. The second picture is of the funny looking contraption I had to rig up in order to use the outlets. First I need a wall socket adapter that looks like a face, then a voltage converter, then my recharger for my camera or iPod.
These are pictures from the Batu Caves. It's pretty awesome. It is in the mountains near KL (Kuala Lumpur). A massive statue of a Hindu goddess stands at the front. Can you see me at the bottom of the picture? And then there are 272 steps to get into the caves. That's me after nearly fainting upon arrival.
This is one of the evil monkeys we met on our trip up the stairs. I tried to take a movie close up of the monkeys, and it turned into a movie of one of them trying to eat me! Luckily a nice man saved me and Kari and told us to video them from afar.
Ah, the Petronas Towers. The are the second tallest buildings in the world (second only to Taipei 101). I got to go up to the skybridge and look out across KL. The second picture is of the funny looking contraption I had to rig up in order to use the outlets. First I need a wall socket adapter that looks like a face, then a voltage converter, then my recharger for my camera or iPod.
Midnight Train of Horrors
This train ride was our new all time low. It was horrible in its afflictions. I laugh now, but I wasn’t laughing then. Well, I was, but that was out of exhaustion, not humor. We got on the train at 8:45 p.m. It all started with a family. When that new family walked onto our car and settled down in the seats directly behind us, I knew it would be a long night. Little did I know, it was just one of the many hardships we would have to tolerate. Before the train started to move, I decided to walk up to the bathroom. I got one glimpse of the bathroom and had to walk right back to my seat. It was just too scary to use. As we settled in, and the little kids started screaming, I really didn’t think it could get worse. When the train started going, I thought the lights would turn off. They didn’t. Those fluorescent lights bored into my soul the entire length of the journey. When the movie started to play, I thought I was just imagining it. Who turns on a movie on a night train? I looked for the button to turn down the speaker, and realized there was none. Of all the places surround sound is appreciated, it is not on a train in the middle of the night. The speakers were on the roof the entire length of the car. We asked a train engineer to turn the speakers down, but the speakers didn’t go quieter. I thought, maybe it will be a good movie I’ve wanted to watch for a while. It wasn’t. It was some National Geographic movie about animals mating. Of all the rotten luck, I would be stuck on the one train showing the movie of the mating rituals of rabbits. The train was frigid, but at least we were ready for that. I had the bright idea to keep the blankets from the airlines we rode to the Philippines and S’pore since buses are always so cold to me. We could alleviate only that one horrible thing. Meanwhile, the kids behind us kept pulling Kari’s hair the entire night. Luckily, they left my hair alone, but they kept jerking my arm, all the while laughing and screaming loudly. Meanwhile, I still had to use the restroom... That was possibly the worst night I have ever had.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
We arrived in what looked like the scary part of KL at 5 a.m. Although, I think any part of town would look like the scary part of town at 5 in the morning. We had no idea where we were, where our hostel was, or even if we were in KL! We researched a hostel in each city in which we were to stay, so we knew the cheapest and centrally located places, before we got there. That was the best idea, because there’s not much you can do at 5 in the morning in a country used to ripping off tourists. We knew we picked a place close to the train and bus drop offs, so we didn’t want to pay extraordinary prices to take us a block. We found the general direction we needed to go and found the Backpackers Traveler’s Inn with no problem. The real problem started when we tried to check in. We woke up with guy at the desk to get a room. He told us to leave and come back at 9 when the guests would be awake. He didn’t want to check us in, as it would wake up his precious guests. So we left and sat down in front of another hotel. It took three trips up the steps, two hours and finally me using my PR skills to get us in at 7:30 a.m. As we walk into the room and the guy flips on the light we see two huge cockroaches that were so accustomed to their home, they didn’t even run at the turn of the light switch. You know you’ve gotten yourself into sad circumstances when the cockroaches who share the room with you don’t even care enough to run at human movement and light. This was too much for me, smug cockroaches?! I don’t think so. Kari killed one of them and I quickly got the guy to kill the other. After that, I had a new respect for Kari. Even with living in Disney World, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Taiwan, all hot, humid places, I’d only seen one or two cockroaches, and each time they reared their ugly head, our apartment complexes would spray again. I knew then that I was on my own devices and not on my company’s tab!
We crashed until 1 p.m. We found a water park on the roof of a mall on the net, so we wanted to go there first. What seemed like an easy and fun thing to do, turned out to ruin our entire Malaysia experience! It took us forever to get to the park. We took the LRT and then a taxi. It cost a fortune and as luck would have it, the park was closed for the school year. We were so ticked; we sat outside of the park for an hour taking pictures and videos of our hopelessness! We tried to call a taxi to come get us, yet the phones didn’t like us. We ended up going to the Petronas Towers and taking pictures of it at night. It was beautiful and amazing!
We stood in line for tickets to the Petronas Towers at 9 a.m. the next day. They only issue so many tickets for one day and since this was our last day in KL, we had to get tickets. We got tickets without a hitch, but others weren’t so lucky. We waited around until it was our turn (at 1:10 p.m.) to go up to the sky bridge. It was like out of a dream walking between the towers I had seen on Zoolander!
We went to the Batu Caves later on that day. The outside was cooler than the inside, but still cool to see. I would recommend seeing them if there is a festival going on. The cave is a limestone hill. There is a massive statue of Lord Murugan at the gate. To enter the cave, one has to scale the 272 steps, which are home to evil monkeys of doom. As Kari and I climbed up, we were scared of them, and ran every time they came close. Since they didn’t harm us, we had a different approach as we came down, much to my downfall. I really don’t like monkeys. They’re like cats, nasty and evil, yet I wanted a movie of them because they were there. So I went as close as I dared (which was still rather far away) to take a video of them, and one of them tried to eat me! Thankfully, a nice man shooed the demon away, so my stuff and I were saved. When we left, we looked and looked for the bus stop, only to have someone point out the faint bus stop written hastily in a small corner of a store’s façade! It was random, so for future Batu Caves travelers, the bus stop is real, just look for people congregated on the corner, and then look up at the small lettering on the building!
We left that night on the train for Penang, Malaysia. That train ride deserves its own post.
We crashed until 1 p.m. We found a water park on the roof of a mall on the net, so we wanted to go there first. What seemed like an easy and fun thing to do, turned out to ruin our entire Malaysia experience! It took us forever to get to the park. We took the LRT and then a taxi. It cost a fortune and as luck would have it, the park was closed for the school year. We were so ticked; we sat outside of the park for an hour taking pictures and videos of our hopelessness! We tried to call a taxi to come get us, yet the phones didn’t like us. We ended up going to the Petronas Towers and taking pictures of it at night. It was beautiful and amazing!
We stood in line for tickets to the Petronas Towers at 9 a.m. the next day. They only issue so many tickets for one day and since this was our last day in KL, we had to get tickets. We got tickets without a hitch, but others weren’t so lucky. We waited around until it was our turn (at 1:10 p.m.) to go up to the sky bridge. It was like out of a dream walking between the towers I had seen on Zoolander!
We went to the Batu Caves later on that day. The outside was cooler than the inside, but still cool to see. I would recommend seeing them if there is a festival going on. The cave is a limestone hill. There is a massive statue of Lord Murugan at the gate. To enter the cave, one has to scale the 272 steps, which are home to evil monkeys of doom. As Kari and I climbed up, we were scared of them, and ran every time they came close. Since they didn’t harm us, we had a different approach as we came down, much to my downfall. I really don’t like monkeys. They’re like cats, nasty and evil, yet I wanted a movie of them because they were there. So I went as close as I dared (which was still rather far away) to take a video of them, and one of them tried to eat me! Thankfully, a nice man shooed the demon away, so my stuff and I were saved. When we left, we looked and looked for the bus stop, only to have someone point out the faint bus stop written hastily in a small corner of a store’s façade! It was random, so for future Batu Caves travelers, the bus stop is real, just look for people congregated on the corner, and then look up at the small lettering on the building!
We left that night on the train for Penang, Malaysia. That train ride deserves its own post.
Singapore
It's Fab! Merlion. Durian shaped theaters. Little India. A fabulous Fab tour guide. It's as clean as Walt Disney World. It is home to the world's largest water fountain. Singapore is awesome! I loved it! I was very impressed with this little country-state. It's an island, and yet we never saw any water as we walked over the border to Malaysia. But really, the topper is the airport!
Free Internet.
Free XBOX.
Free movie theater.
Free swimming pool.
I'm in love with the Sinapore Airport! It's amazingly fabulous! Meanwhile, we weren't staying in Singapore, so we had our junk with us all during the morning and afternoon. This was the worst idea ever, and we were actually laughed at as we stayed on the bus yet again, because we had too much stuff to get off the bus in the limited time used for a stop. Did I mention we had a backpack and a wheelie? Yes, I rolled my way through Southeast Asia. In the backpacker society, this isn't done. In fact, we were the laughing stock of the backpacker nation.
This is me kicking Kari's butt on the free XBox in the S'pore Airport! (Actually, she was kicking my butt, but this is my blog, so I'll tell it like I want, OK?!)
These are pictures of S'pore at night. So pretty. The first picture is dedicated to the country's weird obsession to Durians (spikey fruit found in Southeast Asia, looks cool, smells nasty when opened). They actually modeled a building after one! The second picture is of the Merlion (you'll get it, give it time).
The first picture is of me after I fell into the S'pore river trying to get "up close and personal" pictures of the Merlion. That's the guard who kept pressing me to see if I was ok, if I would sue, etc. He was so worried for his job, because he was the one on duty. Good times. The second is us in the middle of Skyscraper City.
We had a great dinner and then watched the laser light show at the fountain. We met a group of students from the Philippines. Since we just left the Philippines and missed it, we had a good conversation with them. It was time to say goodbye to S'pore and Fab.
Free Internet.
Free XBOX.
Free movie theater.
Free swimming pool.
I'm in love with the Sinapore Airport! It's amazingly fabulous! Meanwhile, we weren't staying in Singapore, so we had our junk with us all during the morning and afternoon. This was the worst idea ever, and we were actually laughed at as we stayed on the bus yet again, because we had too much stuff to get off the bus in the limited time used for a stop. Did I mention we had a backpack and a wheelie? Yes, I rolled my way through Southeast Asia. In the backpacker society, this isn't done. In fact, we were the laughing stock of the backpacker nation.
This is me kicking Kari's butt on the free XBox in the S'pore Airport! (Actually, she was kicking my butt, but this is my blog, so I'll tell it like I want, OK?!)
These are pictures of S'pore at night. So pretty. The first picture is dedicated to the country's weird obsession to Durians (spikey fruit found in Southeast Asia, looks cool, smells nasty when opened). They actually modeled a building after one! The second picture is of the Merlion (you'll get it, give it time).
The first picture is of me after I fell into the S'pore river trying to get "up close and personal" pictures of the Merlion. That's the guard who kept pressing me to see if I was ok, if I would sue, etc. He was so worried for his job, because he was the one on duty. Good times. The second is us in the middle of Skyscraper City.
We flew to S'pore from the Philippines on New Year's Day. We flew in and got onto (as directly as we could) a ferry to Batam Island, Indonesia. We stayed the night in Indonesia and then came back to S'pore on the 7 a.m. ferry. We decided not to stay in Singapore, but to take a train at night, so we were stuck with all of our stuff since we didn't have a hostel to check into. (Big mistake...) Our train didn't leave until 11:25 p.m. so we had a day to play in S'pore. We got on the SIA Hop on Buss (Singapore Airlines) to see the sights. Our first stop was the Esplanade. That's where we saw the Merlion and the Durian theatre on the bay. We each took turns walking down the steps to show how big the Merlion was in a picture. Kari did quite well, and took a nice picture with no glitch. However, leave it to me to turn the smallest moment into a two hour fiasco... I walked down the steps towards the river, wanting to have my picture with me wading into the water. The last step was green – covered over in moss and algae. I saw the algae and moss, and stepped anyway. I don't know what I was thinking, but I ended up falling into the S'pore river backside first! It happened in less than a second. I don't even remember falling. Kari and the security guard rushed to my aid and kept asking me if I was ok. The only thing hurt was my pride, but he was absolutely terrified I would be hurt and sue. He stayed to help me for about 15 minutes! Alas, my entire backside was wet and all mossy, so I had to change. Random story of S'pore number one.
We got back on the bus with intentions to get off at Chinatown and the Sri Mariamman Temple. Keep in mind we had our backpacks on our laps and wheelies beside us on the bench in the crowded bus. We stood to get up, grab our backpacks and steer our obstinate wheelies to the aisle and rear door of the bus, since people were getting on in the front. As we approached the back door, it closed on us. We tried to yell to the front of the bus to have the guy open the door again, but we weren't heard. As we tried to call again, the driver moved away from the stop to merge in with traffic. We were still pretty close to the stop so we tried to call again, but our plight became to comical and all we could do was laugh. The stop came and went, and yet we remained, weighed down by our blasted luggage. That was our all time low, not able to get off the tour bus, because our wheelies weren't quick enough. That was random S'pore story number two. We decided to get off at the Singapore Botanic Gardens stop. It was a few stops away, but we didn't leave our stop next to the rear door for fear of another pathetic failure. When we got off this French guy got off with us. His name is Fab. He stayed with us the rest of the day acting as our tour guide. We're still not sure why. Was it because we were fun? Or was he scared we wouldn't make it without someone looking out for us. Either way we had no idea, but he started a tradition of tour guides staying with us for the length of our backpacking trip. The Botanic Gardens were so pretty. I saw swans and lovely flowers and foliage. The Ginger garden was lovely as well.
Our next stop was Little India. We saw the Sri Krishnan Temple, which looked just lie the other temple we missed, so we were happy. Fab was kind enough to let us leave our stuff at his hotel, so we finally got rid of our junk for a little while. Kari and I realized immediately, never to walk around a city again without leaving our stuff at a hostel. (And we never did.) We went to Suntec City where the World's Largest Water Fountain is located. It's pretty awesome. And actually, Suntec City is made up of buildings located around a square to look like a hand. The water fountain is in the palm, and the five buildings rise out of the ground in varied heights to represent the thumb and fingers.
We got back on the bus with intentions to get off at Chinatown and the Sri Mariamman Temple. Keep in mind we had our backpacks on our laps and wheelies beside us on the bench in the crowded bus. We stood to get up, grab our backpacks and steer our obstinate wheelies to the aisle and rear door of the bus, since people were getting on in the front. As we approached the back door, it closed on us. We tried to yell to the front of the bus to have the guy open the door again, but we weren't heard. As we tried to call again, the driver moved away from the stop to merge in with traffic. We were still pretty close to the stop so we tried to call again, but our plight became to comical and all we could do was laugh. The stop came and went, and yet we remained, weighed down by our blasted luggage. That was our all time low, not able to get off the tour bus, because our wheelies weren't quick enough. That was random S'pore story number two. We decided to get off at the Singapore Botanic Gardens stop. It was a few stops away, but we didn't leave our stop next to the rear door for fear of another pathetic failure. When we got off this French guy got off with us. His name is Fab. He stayed with us the rest of the day acting as our tour guide. We're still not sure why. Was it because we were fun? Or was he scared we wouldn't make it without someone looking out for us. Either way we had no idea, but he started a tradition of tour guides staying with us for the length of our backpacking trip. The Botanic Gardens were so pretty. I saw swans and lovely flowers and foliage. The Ginger garden was lovely as well.
Our next stop was Little India. We saw the Sri Krishnan Temple, which looked just lie the other temple we missed, so we were happy. Fab was kind enough to let us leave our stuff at his hotel, so we finally got rid of our junk for a little while. Kari and I realized immediately, never to walk around a city again without leaving our stuff at a hostel. (And we never did.) We went to Suntec City where the World's Largest Water Fountain is located. It's pretty awesome. And actually, Suntec City is made up of buildings located around a square to look like a hand. The water fountain is in the palm, and the five buildings rise out of the ground in varied heights to represent the thumb and fingers.
We had a great dinner and then watched the laser light show at the fountain. We met a group of students from the Philippines. Since we just left the Philippines and missed it, we had a good conversation with them. It was time to say goodbye to S'pore and Fab.
A train leaves S'pore for KL (Kuala Lumpur), but it's cheaper if you catch the train in Malaysia, so we decided to walk across the border to save money. We asked how to get to the border of S'pore and Malaysia to catch the train in Johor Bahru (Malaysia) to KL. We got on the MRT and bus to the border. As an evil end to our lack of planning, we got on the wrong bus to the border and missed our train to KL. In fact, we were still on the MRT in the middle of S'pore when the train in Malaysia left! We finally got to the border between S’pore and Malaysia and it looked like we were trying to escape prison. Barbed wire, search lights and electrocuted fences lined the land as far we could see. It was at 12:18 a.m. we finally got to the border. It was the first time I’ve ever seen a border between two countries before. I’m not sure if the lengths they took was because of the bad blood between S’pore and Malaysia, or if that’s how all borders look at night. Either way, when we saw the scariness we wondered if we accidentally stepped into something we weren’t supposed to! We ended up getting an empty luxury bus to take us the 5 miles to Johor Bahru for 5 ringgits and then another nice bus to KL for 30 ringgits. One dollar is about 3.5 ringgits. Sadly, that was twice the price of the train. We were taken for a ride, and we about had it. When we got on the bus to Johor Bahru, we thought it was going to take us to KL. We even bargained for the 30 ringgits price, the price quoted was 40 ringgits.
Indonesia
Scary port on Batam Island. Scary hotel. Scary nights. Scary motorcycle guys. But totally awesome hair shampoo and condition in the supermarket by three really fun ladies! And one chic actually pocketed some of my hair... She had never seen curly hair before, and wanted to show her friends. One might say a little freaky, but she was quite funny.
This is the chic who pocketed my hair. She also thought I looked like Angelina Jolie.
These are the ladies who washed our hair! They are so sweet! The best part about Indonesia!
That's my motorcycle guy. He was scarier than Kari's guy. Notice that neither of us have a helmet on, and yet I'm smiling. And this is the ferry we went to Indonesia on!
This is my breakfast. So wrong. However, the hot chocolate had sweetened condensed milk in it, simply ingenius.
We got on the wrong ferry, both literally and figuratively. At first, we stood in the Penguin ferries line full of white people and other tourists. By the time we finally got to the ferry terminal from the airport it was 3 p.m. We were worried about the maximum time in Indonesia (a non-existent threat now that we’ve been there…), so we went into another ferry line with no people. We should have considered why no one was in this line, but on with the story. We finally got to Batam Island at 5:30ish. We ended up at a port on the locals side of the island. We took a taxi to Windsor Square Hotel that should have cost us 30,000 rupiahs, but neither of us had change, so he took my 50,000 bill and didn’t give change. We didn’t know if one is supposed to tip drivers, so we left it at that.
We arrived at this hole in the wall hotel and felt right away we needed to lock up anything we had. We checked in and wondered what to do. We read that there was a small bike road connecting other small islands and atolls, so we enquired about bikes and the location. A He/She took us under her wing and told us never to go out at night by ourselves and never to do the bike tour. She was a muscular woman, and she told us she is extremely careful at this port. We asked what there was to do, and she told us about some shopping centers. We went off to go, and she said we should only take hotel appointed taxis. When there was none available, she said it should be ok to go with these two motorcycle guys.
They took us to some obscure malls that were half-closed. We ended up at a Wal-Mart type store, but still no where near a mall where we could get touristy stuff. We were a little confused as to why there weren’t any tourist malls and shops, when these three hair care ladies for Sunsilk (an Asian brand of hair products) told us they would shampoo, condition and massage our hair and head for free if we bought their samples. An awesome time was about to be had! We bought some Sunsilk shampoo and conditioner and got ready for our wash and massage! It was awesome! They had this little bathroom set up near the front of the store. It was so random! For a little while, there was a group of people watching the only tourists get their hair washed. Those ladies were so sweet! Only two of them knew English, so we had good conversations with them. But the other one just smiled. She was cute, she would just laugh when we did! One of the ladies thought I looked like Angelina Jolie, so she kept taking pictures with her cell phone. She’s the one who took my hair and put it into her pocket when I asked where the trash was. She said it was the first time she saw and touched curly hair. When it came time to blow dry my hair, I wanted to make sure she didn’t treat the blow-dryer like a weapon, else I would have a huge fro on my hands. I kept trying to get her to understand that she needed to be careful with the blow-dryer and to only blow dry pointing down, but she totally got scared and hardly wanted to touch the dryer and kept pointing it away from my hair. It was a funny little end to the night. Next time, I’ll just not say anything, and deal with the consequences later. Those ladies really made Indonesia awesome. Our other experiences sucked, so I’m glad I met them, or else I wouldn’t ever want to go back to Indonesia. Now I know to go to the places where other tourists go…
The motorcycle guys stayed with us throughout the three hour wash and massage. They took us back to our hotel and demanded a ton of rupiahs. We didn’t quite understand though, because of the language barrier. They kept saying, too many zeros (what they meant was not enough zeros, as we came to understand). As we were standing in front of the hotel with our purses open, the He/She helped us again to get inside the hotel as fast as possible, and to never just let our purses open and out. Another lady from S’pore also ushered us into the hotel to get away from all the people staring at us. We sure learned the most in Indonesia probably because it was the scariest. And that’s the point when we decided not to let anyone else take advantage of us. We got on the first ferry out of Indonesia, which ironically wasn’t even with the same company with which we bought our round trip tickets!
We arrived at this hole in the wall hotel and felt right away we needed to lock up anything we had. We checked in and wondered what to do. We read that there was a small bike road connecting other small islands and atolls, so we enquired about bikes and the location. A He/She took us under her wing and told us never to go out at night by ourselves and never to do the bike tour. She was a muscular woman, and she told us she is extremely careful at this port. We asked what there was to do, and she told us about some shopping centers. We went off to go, and she said we should only take hotel appointed taxis. When there was none available, she said it should be ok to go with these two motorcycle guys.
They took us to some obscure malls that were half-closed. We ended up at a Wal-Mart type store, but still no where near a mall where we could get touristy stuff. We were a little confused as to why there weren’t any tourist malls and shops, when these three hair care ladies for Sunsilk (an Asian brand of hair products) told us they would shampoo, condition and massage our hair and head for free if we bought their samples. An awesome time was about to be had! We bought some Sunsilk shampoo and conditioner and got ready for our wash and massage! It was awesome! They had this little bathroom set up near the front of the store. It was so random! For a little while, there was a group of people watching the only tourists get their hair washed. Those ladies were so sweet! Only two of them knew English, so we had good conversations with them. But the other one just smiled. She was cute, she would just laugh when we did! One of the ladies thought I looked like Angelina Jolie, so she kept taking pictures with her cell phone. She’s the one who took my hair and put it into her pocket when I asked where the trash was. She said it was the first time she saw and touched curly hair. When it came time to blow dry my hair, I wanted to make sure she didn’t treat the blow-dryer like a weapon, else I would have a huge fro on my hands. I kept trying to get her to understand that she needed to be careful with the blow-dryer and to only blow dry pointing down, but she totally got scared and hardly wanted to touch the dryer and kept pointing it away from my hair. It was a funny little end to the night. Next time, I’ll just not say anything, and deal with the consequences later. Those ladies really made Indonesia awesome. Our other experiences sucked, so I’m glad I met them, or else I wouldn’t ever want to go back to Indonesia. Now I know to go to the places where other tourists go…
The motorcycle guys stayed with us throughout the three hour wash and massage. They took us back to our hotel and demanded a ton of rupiahs. We didn’t quite understand though, because of the language barrier. They kept saying, too many zeros (what they meant was not enough zeros, as we came to understand). As we were standing in front of the hotel with our purses open, the He/She helped us again to get inside the hotel as fast as possible, and to never just let our purses open and out. Another lady from S’pore also ushered us into the hotel to get away from all the people staring at us. We sure learned the most in Indonesia probably because it was the scariest. And that’s the point when we decided not to let anyone else take advantage of us. We got on the first ferry out of Indonesia, which ironically wasn’t even with the same company with which we bought our round trip tickets!
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