So Day 3 we decided to go on a 1 night 2 day tour of Halong (Descending Dragon) Bay which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was in the running for being voted one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halong_bay It for sure got my vote!
Getting there was absolutely beautiful and seeing the Vietnamese country side on the drive for the first time was amazing. Everywhere you looked there were beautiful rice fields with famers working away with their cone hats on (such a picturesque (sp) image that NEVER gets old), lots of motorbikes with random things on the back (cages of kittens - that i am sure are pets Dawn - live chickens just strapped on - no cage needed for them & every piece of furniture you could think of....i even saw a guy carrying a full size mirror on a motorbike...that is talent if you ask me!), and random men wearing army looking helmets that one would picture in vietnam (they weren't on duty or anything...or even potentially in the army at all)!
As we arrived to the harbour the guide told us that it was one of the nicest days Halong Bay has had in a long time so we definitley lucked out! It was gorgeous! We took a small boat to our ship, which was an older looking wooden boat that looked like it was straight from a pirate movie. I was just waiting for a ship to go by with a skull flag and Jack Sparrow on board. No such luck though. Anyway, the style of ships that dotted the Bay made a really cool feel to it which could have easily been ruined with a shiny white speed boat which I hope they never let happen by the way...it was so cool to experience the Bay this way.
As we got on board and had our welcome drink (apple juice...dont get too excited) they had prepared for us, we relaxed on deck in the sun & that was when everyone was informed of my love for the shade...and my nickname for the boat tour: Grama. haha. Just cause a girl doesn't like to burn. (and it maybe had to do with the 2 sarongs i had covering my entire body and big hat that was shading my precious pale face. haha) Anyway, we had a great lunch on board with a great view, listened to some music and got to know some of the others from our tour. All afternoon, there were ladies on small boats selling an array of food, snacks & drinks floating up saying "lady lady, you want ice cold beer?"
Next was our amazing kayaking adventure. Pam & I went together and it was shockingly DIFFICULT to do! My arms were so sore afterwards. I have to give so much credit to those floating ladies that sell things. They could probably knock me out with their arm muscles FOR SURE! We went around to some beautiful spots though, saw some crazy big jellyfish, and went under some cave type openings that led to a place with unreal views.
After finally getting back to the dock, which Pam & I thought we would NEVER reach, we were brought back to our ship and some people went for a swim off the side deck. I opted for being the picture taker of the beautufl sunset as the dare devils lept from a pretty high top deck. Brave souls.
After the swim and kayaks, everyone got ready for dinner and had a lovely meal followed by a night of drinks for happy hour. We mingled with the people on board and met 3 lovely Irish ladies that were pretty funny. I roomed on board with one named Emily who was very sweet.
Halong Bay was gorgeous and we wished we could have stayed longer, but we did enjoy our one starry night in the Bay!
The next morning was a bit cloudy but Sara still managed to burn herself pretty good! I even got a bit of a burn. Darn clouds. We dropped off the people who were doing the 3 day tour (they got to stay at an island for the second night) and picked up the people who were finished the 3 days and head back to the main dock. It is quite a big area though so it took some time, and we managed to get 2 meals in there. We then had a 3 hour bus ride ahead of us to bring us back to our hostel in Hanoi, then a 16 hour train ride to Hoi An!
Embarassing but true, we went to Lotteria for dinner (Korea's version of McD's - it was the ONLY thing close to the train station) & got on board yet another mode of transportation for the day. The 4th to be exact. Ship, Bus, Taxi & Train! WOW!
Our overnight train wasn't all that bad actually. We had a descent cabin that had 2 bunks (shared with a French guy) & aside from the disgusting bathroom on board that didn't flush and the broken airconditioner from midnight to 5am, not too much to complain about. Actually the security guards were weird but they gave us some laughs thats for sure. The girls and I played fortune cards, kill-marry-do & would you rather to make some time pass and it seemed to work pretty well!
In the morning we were all a little hungry though (we couldnt find the shop on board - i swear there wasnt one) and were ready to get off the darn train. The views were absolutely amazing though as we went along the coast. The small ocean side villages on one side & ricefields and mountains on the other were unreal. I got some great shots!
More to come on Hoi An soon and my last day in Ho Chi Minh City!
I am off to the airport in a couple of hours so I should get some rest and pack.
I am SOOO looking forward to tomato town!
xox
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
HANOI -Vietnam Day 1 & 2
*HANOI* Vietnam's Capital City (northern Vietnam)
Because our flight was delayed a bit it gave us some time to just relax but a bit too much relaxing for us could be dangerous. We literally almost missed our flight - in one of the smallest airports in the world - cute but small!. We were just chatting with a guy who had been working in Taiwan for 20 years (Sara & I immediately made a promise to eachother that we would NEVER let the other stay in Korea for that long) and totally missed our boarding call, and since it wasn't on the screen, we thought we were fine! After boarding and getting a few glares from the people who had been waiting, we were off.
We also met a cute aussie couple who were backpacking for 4 weeks that were probably in their 60's. SO CUTE! It was so nice to see because it gave me hope that it IS possible to travel at any age. So much to look forward to in life :)
When we arrived in Vietnam, there was a man waiting for a Ms. Pham Gaeleinger but we got the point (similar to my Cary Butter) and were off to our hostel. While we were driving, it honetsly felt like we were driving on the 401 heading to Toronto, which got me a little excited for home I must admit. Anyway, traveling with Sara is like living life with a soundtrack because whenever we are in a car & she's in shotgun, she always asks the driver if we can crank the music. Let's just say it definitley adds to seeing things for the first time in a foreign country! Its like watching a movie! Our driver had one of his tapes playing & sure gave Hanoi a cool twist while coming into the city.
When we arrived to the hostel, we realized that there was a bit of a mix-up & we were put into a dorm style room with 12 girls. We weren't too happy about this but there wasnt much we could do. We put our things away into our little lockers under our bunkbeds and went for a quick walk around to orient ourselves but didn't last long and went to bed soon after in our "worse than 1st year university" type accomodations - the shower was cold. (ps...at this point my bug bites on my legs were still really bad, but they are MUCH better now)
The next day was spent exploring town & witnessing the craziest driving i've ever seen & some of the everyday life here. People wearing those traditional vietnamese cone hats, while selling things on bamboo with food or merchandise of whatever you can think of on each end. Went to the Temple of Literature which was pretty & had a great vietnamese noodle soup lunch. Walked around the lake & saw the temple and pagoda in the middle of it. Just as we were heading back to the hostel, it looked like it was going to rain, so we jumped into a taxi and as per usual...Sara put on the tunes and had a ride around town to some of the tourist destination spots with a soundtrack & all (Heart & Boy George)! We saw the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Heroes Memorial, Hanoi Flag Tower & the Army Museum.
The next part of the day was a little crazy! We came back & decided to go on a Snake Wine Tour. When we arrived, the aussie tour guide (that just started the day before) grabbed a snake & started passing it around. For some reason I was a little scared because a professional wasnt helping us (I did it in Malaysia though...so I didn't feel like too much of a chicken) so I only put it over one shoulder. We then watched a guy handle a corba which was insane! The snake was so angry it spit venom in the guys eyes (this was a professional at this point). He then squeezed the snakes mouth & all the venom came out so it couldnt do it again. Crazy to see! We then walked passed a big bag of snakes and went into an area that had little bamboo tiki huts over a pond that had bridges everywhere to have a meal and some drinks. Little did we know it was ALL snake meat and snake wine. First was a small demonstration/preperation of the snake heart shots of alcohol mixed with blood and the BEATING heart of the snake! I couldnt do it, but Sara and Pam were troopers. I just couldnt deal with the moving part of it....the was still BEATING! eww...The rice wine disinfected it though, so it was all okay to have, but it was still quite nasty to watch. After that we tried the snake bile in strong rice wine - it was green (I actually tried this) & then snake springrolls, snake meat, skin & ribs and LOTS of snake wine! Let's just say it got a little messy.
The night ended with my visit to the pharmacy (for my legs) & a nice dinner and stroll (with two crazies - love you girls) around the lake. Our dinner was actually in a restaurant with a great view of the lake and city above a random clothing store and let's just say we had lots of "wataaaa" for Pam! haha. I got some great photos of the Notre Dame looking Cathedral and went to the temple in the lake. Made a quick stop at the rooftop bar (the buildings are all really tall & narrow here) at our hostel before hitting the hay!
Hanoi in a day was good to us!
:)
Because our flight was delayed a bit it gave us some time to just relax but a bit too much relaxing for us could be dangerous. We literally almost missed our flight - in one of the smallest airports in the world - cute but small!. We were just chatting with a guy who had been working in Taiwan for 20 years (Sara & I immediately made a promise to eachother that we would NEVER let the other stay in Korea for that long) and totally missed our boarding call, and since it wasn't on the screen, we thought we were fine! After boarding and getting a few glares from the people who had been waiting, we were off.
We also met a cute aussie couple who were backpacking for 4 weeks that were probably in their 60's. SO CUTE! It was so nice to see because it gave me hope that it IS possible to travel at any age. So much to look forward to in life :)
When we arrived in Vietnam, there was a man waiting for a Ms. Pham Gaeleinger but we got the point (similar to my Cary Butter) and were off to our hostel. While we were driving, it honetsly felt like we were driving on the 401 heading to Toronto, which got me a little excited for home I must admit. Anyway, traveling with Sara is like living life with a soundtrack because whenever we are in a car & she's in shotgun, she always asks the driver if we can crank the music. Let's just say it definitley adds to seeing things for the first time in a foreign country! Its like watching a movie! Our driver had one of his tapes playing & sure gave Hanoi a cool twist while coming into the city.
When we arrived to the hostel, we realized that there was a bit of a mix-up & we were put into a dorm style room with 12 girls. We weren't too happy about this but there wasnt much we could do. We put our things away into our little lockers under our bunkbeds and went for a quick walk around to orient ourselves but didn't last long and went to bed soon after in our "worse than 1st year university" type accomodations - the shower was cold. (ps...at this point my bug bites on my legs were still really bad, but they are MUCH better now)
The next day was spent exploring town & witnessing the craziest driving i've ever seen & some of the everyday life here. People wearing those traditional vietnamese cone hats, while selling things on bamboo with food or merchandise of whatever you can think of on each end. Went to the Temple of Literature which was pretty & had a great vietnamese noodle soup lunch. Walked around the lake & saw the temple and pagoda in the middle of it. Just as we were heading back to the hostel, it looked like it was going to rain, so we jumped into a taxi and as per usual...Sara put on the tunes and had a ride around town to some of the tourist destination spots with a soundtrack & all (Heart & Boy George)! We saw the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Heroes Memorial, Hanoi Flag Tower & the Army Museum.
The next part of the day was a little crazy! We came back & decided to go on a Snake Wine Tour. When we arrived, the aussie tour guide (that just started the day before) grabbed a snake & started passing it around. For some reason I was a little scared because a professional wasnt helping us (I did it in Malaysia though...so I didn't feel like too much of a chicken) so I only put it over one shoulder. We then watched a guy handle a corba which was insane! The snake was so angry it spit venom in the guys eyes (this was a professional at this point). He then squeezed the snakes mouth & all the venom came out so it couldnt do it again. Crazy to see! We then walked passed a big bag of snakes and went into an area that had little bamboo tiki huts over a pond that had bridges everywhere to have a meal and some drinks. Little did we know it was ALL snake meat and snake wine. First was a small demonstration/preperation of the snake heart shots of alcohol mixed with blood and the BEATING heart of the snake! I couldnt do it, but Sara and Pam were troopers. I just couldnt deal with the moving part of it....the was still BEATING! eww...The rice wine disinfected it though, so it was all okay to have, but it was still quite nasty to watch. After that we tried the snake bile in strong rice wine - it was green (I actually tried this) & then snake springrolls, snake meat, skin & ribs and LOTS of snake wine! Let's just say it got a little messy.
The night ended with my visit to the pharmacy (for my legs) & a nice dinner and stroll (with two crazies - love you girls) around the lake. Our dinner was actually in a restaurant with a great view of the lake and city above a random clothing store and let's just say we had lots of "wataaaa" for Pam! haha. I got some great photos of the Notre Dame looking Cathedral and went to the temple in the lake. Made a quick stop at the rooftop bar (the buildings are all really tall & narrow here) at our hostel before hitting the hay!
Hanoi in a day was good to us!
:)
Happy Birthday Ho Chi Minh - Vietnam Day 8
So I have to go backwards with the updating cause this may get confusing...
Let's start with today in Ho Chi Minh City a.k.a. Saigon - the largest city in Vietnam.
I just officially said goodbye to my travel buddies Sara and Pam. Their flight leaves in a few hours so I was able to say bye - no tears :) yay!
We had an absolute blast though and I will remember this trip FOREVER!
Today we woke up bright and early to go on a tour out to see the Cu Chi tunnels http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu_Chi_Tunnels from during the Vietnam War. We were told this was a must see & it definitely was. Man were we happy to be Canadian though. It was very anti-american, so much that they were honouring this lady for being the person who killed the most americans. A little bizzare if you ask me. But either way, it was interesting to see the tunnels and we actually went through some of them. They of course had been made 2x bigger than the original size for tourists but we were still almost crawling down there. Anyway our tour guide was super cute and made jokes that made Sara laugh pretty hard. Kinda like Duncan in China eh Sar?
After our tour we found a great place to have lunch which was absolutely amazing! And we actually found it on a whim. We were walking and just looked down an alley cause we were SUPER hungry and looking for anything that resembled a restaurant and ended up going to this GREAT fine dining resaturant that had very reasonable prices. We had 3 vietnamese noodle dishes and fresh spring rolls along with a daquaire(sp) for me and beers for the girls! YUM!
Anyway, from there we made our way to the Vietnam War Remnants Museum. This again was pretty anti-American which was a bit overwhelming, but I did learn a lot about what happened during the Vietnam War that I didn't know before. It was really sad to hear some of the stories & the photos in the museum were pretty graphic. Either way it was quite educating and eye-opening. They have suffered so much in some of these countries and were at war for quite a long time. Makes you realize how lucky we are.
We then got into a taxi for what we though would be a quick ride, but the driver lucked out as it was RUSH HOUR in Vietnam! Absolutely INSANE! Probably one of the craziest things I've ever seen. I can't even begin to think about how many bikes there were driving around. Thousands! All weaving around us going every which way. It was crazy! We took pics and tried to get some videos but when you are in the middle of that, it is UNREAL!
We then got all checked into my hostel that I will be staying at for the next night and a half on my own (half because I leave at 3am for my flight home on the 21st) and then went for some city wandering. Its a pretty big city and is actually really beautiful because of all of the parks & areas they have set up for relaxing. They even had hacky sack groups, aerobics & dance lessons in the park for citizens. Very cool. We wanted to join in! haha! And because it was former president Ho Chi Minh's birthday, it was a holiday so there were even more people out and about.
We hit up the outdoor market that set up after the indoor one closed for the day (we just missed that one) but it ended up having everything and more to offer! We did some bartering for some last minute gifts (which is a bit exhausting at this point...its very frustrating knowing they are trying to rip you off royally....and things usually are always a scam - my only complaint about s.e. asia....along with the constant sweat I have going) and things for ourselves and then went for our last meal together. Wasn't anything too exciting, as we were still really full from our noodle dishes this afternoon, but we all cheersed (is that a word?- made a toast) to a great holiday!
Now I am sitting at the computer, sweating, and contemplating going to bed because I am super tired and have a big day tomorrow of site seeing. I am going on a tour to the Mekong Delta on my own which should be exciting! One thing we love about traveling over here is the people you meet so we shall see if I can make some friends tomorrow. If not, the IPOD will come in handy. :)
Anyway, that is only one day of Vietnam! I have so many more to talk about. We'll see how the sleeping idea goes, if not I will come update more or do it tomorrow night before I fly out.
xox
Let's start with today in Ho Chi Minh City a.k.a. Saigon - the largest city in Vietnam.
I just officially said goodbye to my travel buddies Sara and Pam. Their flight leaves in a few hours so I was able to say bye - no tears :) yay!
We had an absolute blast though and I will remember this trip FOREVER!
Today we woke up bright and early to go on a tour out to see the Cu Chi tunnels http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu_Chi_Tunnels from during the Vietnam War. We were told this was a must see & it definitely was. Man were we happy to be Canadian though. It was very anti-american, so much that they were honouring this lady for being the person who killed the most americans. A little bizzare if you ask me. But either way, it was interesting to see the tunnels and we actually went through some of them. They of course had been made 2x bigger than the original size for tourists but we were still almost crawling down there. Anyway our tour guide was super cute and made jokes that made Sara laugh pretty hard. Kinda like Duncan in China eh Sar?
After our tour we found a great place to have lunch which was absolutely amazing! And we actually found it on a whim. We were walking and just looked down an alley cause we were SUPER hungry and looking for anything that resembled a restaurant and ended up going to this GREAT fine dining resaturant that had very reasonable prices. We had 3 vietnamese noodle dishes and fresh spring rolls along with a daquaire(sp) for me and beers for the girls! YUM!
Anyway, from there we made our way to the Vietnam War Remnants Museum. This again was pretty anti-American which was a bit overwhelming, but I did learn a lot about what happened during the Vietnam War that I didn't know before. It was really sad to hear some of the stories & the photos in the museum were pretty graphic. Either way it was quite educating and eye-opening. They have suffered so much in some of these countries and were at war for quite a long time. Makes you realize how lucky we are.
We then got into a taxi for what we though would be a quick ride, but the driver lucked out as it was RUSH HOUR in Vietnam! Absolutely INSANE! Probably one of the craziest things I've ever seen. I can't even begin to think about how many bikes there were driving around. Thousands! All weaving around us going every which way. It was crazy! We took pics and tried to get some videos but when you are in the middle of that, it is UNREAL!
We then got all checked into my hostel that I will be staying at for the next night and a half on my own (half because I leave at 3am for my flight home on the 21st) and then went for some city wandering. Its a pretty big city and is actually really beautiful because of all of the parks & areas they have set up for relaxing. They even had hacky sack groups, aerobics & dance lessons in the park for citizens. Very cool. We wanted to join in! haha! And because it was former president Ho Chi Minh's birthday, it was a holiday so there were even more people out and about.
We hit up the outdoor market that set up after the indoor one closed for the day (we just missed that one) but it ended up having everything and more to offer! We did some bartering for some last minute gifts (which is a bit exhausting at this point...its very frustrating knowing they are trying to rip you off royally....and things usually are always a scam - my only complaint about s.e. asia....along with the constant sweat I have going) and things for ourselves and then went for our last meal together. Wasn't anything too exciting, as we were still really full from our noodle dishes this afternoon, but we all cheersed (is that a word?- made a toast) to a great holiday!
Now I am sitting at the computer, sweating, and contemplating going to bed because I am super tired and have a big day tomorrow of site seeing. I am going on a tour to the Mekong Delta on my own which should be exciting! One thing we love about traveling over here is the people you meet so we shall see if I can make some friends tomorrow. If not, the IPOD will come in handy. :)
Anyway, that is only one day of Vietnam! I have so many more to talk about. We'll see how the sleeping idea goes, if not I will come update more or do it tomorrow night before I fly out.
xox
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Loving Vietnam...& so behind on updating!
So Vietnam has been quite the place! Let me tell you!
Wow I don't even know where to begin....
Our first night was in Hanoi & spent one day there....the next day we went to a place called Halong Bay for 2 days, 1 night....then took the overnight 16 hour sleeper train to Hoi An, spent 2 nights 3 days here...and now we are off to Ho Chi Min City in the south for our last stop before I head home and the girls back to Korea.
I am going to try to update while we wait at the airport but just wanted to write a quick message for those of you who check to see that we are alive and doing well.... :)
Hoi An (the place we are now) is "THE" place to get custom clothes made, so we have to go quickly pick up our beautiful clothes & then head to the airport!
You'll hear from us again soon!
Miss you all!
xox
Wow I don't even know where to begin....
Our first night was in Hanoi & spent one day there....the next day we went to a place called Halong Bay for 2 days, 1 night....then took the overnight 16 hour sleeper train to Hoi An, spent 2 nights 3 days here...and now we are off to Ho Chi Min City in the south for our last stop before I head home and the girls back to Korea.
I am going to try to update while we wait at the airport but just wanted to write a quick message for those of you who check to see that we are alive and doing well.... :)
Hoi An (the place we are now) is "THE" place to get custom clothes made, so we have to go quickly pick up our beautiful clothes & then head to the airport!
You'll hear from us again soon!
Miss you all!
xox
Monday, May 11, 2009
Rainy Forest Treks & Floating Villages
So yesterday was yet another eventful day.
In the a.m. we went for a hike through a forest in a national park in the pouring rain to see some beautiful waterfalls and remains of a temple from back when Ankor Wat was built. The waterfall actually was flowing over sections of the remains which you would think the water would have eroded by now, but you could still see the carvings in the stone which was very cool.
While we were taking pictures at the waterfall, another tourist warned us to be careful because it was really slippery and along with our tour guide (Mr. Phao - who has been our driver for our time in S.R and is a great time) I had a bit of a slip RIGHT on my bum! In white shorts to boot :( Sara was sure to capture the moment (i guess my karma from laughing at sheri over the fence is coming back to me) & we all had a good laugh. Sara went under the waterfall on her own, so I didnt feel so bad that I had to walk around soaking wet all day...and since it was raining anyways, we were pretty soaked as it was.
A strange thing about the temple amoungst the waterfall was that it represented male "parts"and lady "bits". It was a symbol of thanks to their god for life & rebirth which was pretty interesting!
We then stopped at the creamation temple which was very beautiful & since the sun was finally coming back out, we were starting to dry off slowly but surely.
We then went for another long drive to see a really cool floating village...it really is simply that...but not really explainable in words. It's definatley a 'must see' to really believe it kinda thing. These people (which we were told were vietnamese refugees, but have to do some reading to make sure) have a whole village out there...restarants, schools, gas stations, shops, houses, barns (with pigs and all) & even caged in sports fields for kids to play on...i mean its pretty rustic dont get me wrong but a whole floating world...i'll have to post some pics for you to really understand what it was like. I just am so amazed at what everyday life must be like for them. Imagine being born there and knowing only that? Apparently some of them never leave because they have everything they need right there. So amazing to see!
While we were there we caugh the sunset on the roof of a floating restuarant while eating fresh shrimp (that I hope was from further out in the water cause i must say...the water was quite dirty...mystery things floating around and a greenish tint to it didn't make it too appitizing) either way though, it was a gorgeous sunset!
After our boatride back, we got dropped off at our hostel and went for dinner in a great restaurant alley and did a bit more shopping and Dr. Fish in the night market.
Now we are at the airport waiting for our flight to Vietnam!
This morning we just stayed around our hostel area, said goodbye to Simon (who got food poisioning from dinner the night before...poor guy) and did a bit more shopping & picture taking in the local markets, around the river and at a beautiful Buddhist temple that was just steps away from our hostel.
Cambodia was an amazing country to visit and I recommend it to EVERYONE!
I'll update as soon as we get to Vietnam! We have our hostel already arranged (that was recommended by Simon) & should have someone waiting for us when we arrive to drive us there! We are getting the hang of this backpacking thing pretty well! I am pretty proud of us! :)
(oh and i have a crazy case of bug bites going on on my legs. you should see it! I look at bit diseased! Pam & Sara won't even look in my direction without cringing...but I went to the pharmacy and got some stuff to put on them! oh the adventures!)
xox
In the a.m. we went for a hike through a forest in a national park in the pouring rain to see some beautiful waterfalls and remains of a temple from back when Ankor Wat was built. The waterfall actually was flowing over sections of the remains which you would think the water would have eroded by now, but you could still see the carvings in the stone which was very cool.
While we were taking pictures at the waterfall, another tourist warned us to be careful because it was really slippery and along with our tour guide (Mr. Phao - who has been our driver for our time in S.R and is a great time) I had a bit of a slip RIGHT on my bum! In white shorts to boot :( Sara was sure to capture the moment (i guess my karma from laughing at sheri over the fence is coming back to me) & we all had a good laugh. Sara went under the waterfall on her own, so I didnt feel so bad that I had to walk around soaking wet all day...and since it was raining anyways, we were pretty soaked as it was.
A strange thing about the temple amoungst the waterfall was that it represented male "parts"and lady "bits". It was a symbol of thanks to their god for life & rebirth which was pretty interesting!
We then stopped at the creamation temple which was very beautiful & since the sun was finally coming back out, we were starting to dry off slowly but surely.
We then went for another long drive to see a really cool floating village...it really is simply that...but not really explainable in words. It's definatley a 'must see' to really believe it kinda thing. These people (which we were told were vietnamese refugees, but have to do some reading to make sure) have a whole village out there...restarants, schools, gas stations, shops, houses, barns (with pigs and all) & even caged in sports fields for kids to play on...i mean its pretty rustic dont get me wrong but a whole floating world...i'll have to post some pics for you to really understand what it was like. I just am so amazed at what everyday life must be like for them. Imagine being born there and knowing only that? Apparently some of them never leave because they have everything they need right there. So amazing to see!
While we were there we caugh the sunset on the roof of a floating restuarant while eating fresh shrimp (that I hope was from further out in the water cause i must say...the water was quite dirty...mystery things floating around and a greenish tint to it didn't make it too appitizing) either way though, it was a gorgeous sunset!
After our boatride back, we got dropped off at our hostel and went for dinner in a great restaurant alley and did a bit more shopping and Dr. Fish in the night market.
Now we are at the airport waiting for our flight to Vietnam!
This morning we just stayed around our hostel area, said goodbye to Simon (who got food poisioning from dinner the night before...poor guy) and did a bit more shopping & picture taking in the local markets, around the river and at a beautiful Buddhist temple that was just steps away from our hostel.
Cambodia was an amazing country to visit and I recommend it to EVERYONE!
I'll update as soon as we get to Vietnam! We have our hostel already arranged (that was recommended by Simon) & should have someone waiting for us when we arrive to drive us there! We are getting the hang of this backpacking thing pretty well! I am pretty proud of us! :)
(oh and i have a crazy case of bug bites going on on my legs. you should see it! I look at bit diseased! Pam & Sara won't even look in my direction without cringing...but I went to the pharmacy and got some stuff to put on them! oh the adventures!)
xox
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Ankor Wat Sunrise
So Day 3 consisted of getting up really early (4:30am) to head to Ankor Wat to see the sunrise. Ankor Wat is a "world heritage site" group of temples that were built in the 12th century that are said to be absolutely breathtaking at sunrise & sunset - also I think to avoid the heat - and are THE main tourist attractions in Cambodia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankor_Wat
Because we had arranged a ride the night before, our driver - who we thought was bringing 2 tuk tuk's - brought his car and lets just say it was quite the ride. When we got in, mind you this is 5am, he turned on his disco lights, tv screens that were on the back of the seats and hip hop tunes that were blasting so loud! Sara, without a doubt, embraced it and was taking videos in no time! It was quite the morning!
Its such a huge area that its usually common for people to get 2 or 3 day passes, which cost the same amount, so we ended up getting a 3 day pass that has your picture and everything! We walked in and sat in a spot that seemed to be a popular place that you could get some good shots...you should have seen all of the nice cameras people had there! Lens envy! haha....I ended up getting some good shots though, even though soon after the intial sunrise, it hid behind some clouds. We may try sunrise again on our last morning here. We shall see though.
After the main temples, he also showed us some other popular ones including the one that was part of the Tomb Raider: Laura Croft Movie. The one with all of the trees actually growing out of, around or on top of the temple walls themselves. And these tree roots are no twig! They are really old, massive trees. Gives it a bit of perspective & amazement at how old these structures actually are!
We were pretty exhausted come 10:30 so we got dropped off at the hostel and got freshened up and went out into town to grab a quick lunch. We went walking around the markets for a bit, but realized we were kind of zombie-like so we came back & took a glorious nap!
Our driver from this morning (who was actually a friend of Simons driver from Phnom Phen) invited us (including Simon) for dinner at his place & it was quite the experience. We got to ride on scooters for the first time (for me anyways) and when we showed up he told us that his friends got 2 ducks, which we later saw him carrying freshly killed - feathers & all....and lots of beer. It was really cool just hanging out with locals and learning about their upbringing & way of life. The families all live on the same land so we got to meet a lot of the family - including an adorable 3 week old newborn. The houses were no more than a nice barn would be back home but they never have winter here so that's not a problem, but the rain from the thunderstorm made things quite muddy and seeing there hammock beds, rainwater collecting system & cooking areas were quite an eye opener. But either way, we had an amazing time, ate delicious 'as local as you get' food with some great people. They then wanted to go singing - which was just like Korea's noraebangs (singing rooms) so how could that NOT be fun!
What an entertaining day!
xoxo
Because we had arranged a ride the night before, our driver - who we thought was bringing 2 tuk tuk's - brought his car and lets just say it was quite the ride. When we got in, mind you this is 5am, he turned on his disco lights, tv screens that were on the back of the seats and hip hop tunes that were blasting so loud! Sara, without a doubt, embraced it and was taking videos in no time! It was quite the morning!
Its such a huge area that its usually common for people to get 2 or 3 day passes, which cost the same amount, so we ended up getting a 3 day pass that has your picture and everything! We walked in and sat in a spot that seemed to be a popular place that you could get some good shots...you should have seen all of the nice cameras people had there! Lens envy! haha....I ended up getting some good shots though, even though soon after the intial sunrise, it hid behind some clouds. We may try sunrise again on our last morning here. We shall see though.
After the main temples, he also showed us some other popular ones including the one that was part of the Tomb Raider: Laura Croft Movie. The one with all of the trees actually growing out of, around or on top of the temple walls themselves. And these tree roots are no twig! They are really old, massive trees. Gives it a bit of perspective & amazement at how old these structures actually are!
We were pretty exhausted come 10:30 so we got dropped off at the hostel and got freshened up and went out into town to grab a quick lunch. We went walking around the markets for a bit, but realized we were kind of zombie-like so we came back & took a glorious nap!
Our driver from this morning (who was actually a friend of Simons driver from Phnom Phen) invited us (including Simon) for dinner at his place & it was quite the experience. We got to ride on scooters for the first time (for me anyways) and when we showed up he told us that his friends got 2 ducks, which we later saw him carrying freshly killed - feathers & all....and lots of beer. It was really cool just hanging out with locals and learning about their upbringing & way of life. The families all live on the same land so we got to meet a lot of the family - including an adorable 3 week old newborn. The houses were no more than a nice barn would be back home but they never have winter here so that's not a problem, but the rain from the thunderstorm made things quite muddy and seeing there hammock beds, rainwater collecting system & cooking areas were quite an eye opener. But either way, we had an amazing time, ate delicious 'as local as you get' food with some great people. They then wanted to go singing - which was just like Korea's noraebangs (singing rooms) so how could that NOT be fun!
What an entertaining day!
xoxo
p.s. Happy MOTHER'S Day MOMS!!!
Judy B, Judy M & Pam B!!!
Happy Mothers DAY!
We LOVE YOU ALL and miss you dearly!
love
carly, pam and sara!
xoxo
Happy Mothers DAY!
We LOVE YOU ALL and miss you dearly!
love
carly, pam and sara!
xoxo
Cambodia Adventures thus far....
So let's just say Pam, Sara & I are having an absolute BLAST over here in Cambo. We have seen so many crazy things and our last 3 days have been jam packed with adventure!
We are having a nice thunderstorm at the moment and we are sitting out under a balcony listening to the rain & thunder relaxing and loving life so I thought it would be a good opportunity to update the blog since its free in our hostel (very slow...but free), and its steps away from the balcony! So I'm still enjoying the view!
Day 1
-the night they arrived I met up with Sara and Pam at the airport with everything arranged! I was like their welcome wagon and they were so happy (it was my first time meeting Pam and she's very sweet! We are going to have so much fun together)!
-the next morning we decided to get in as much of Phenom Phen (the capital city) as we could so we went to see:
-the Genocide Museum - used to be an old school turned into a prison in 1975 -1979 during Pal Pot's power. Here thousands of people were brutally tortured and killed and today it remains a symbol of this tragic period- where our tour guide actually told us of stories of how her family was affected by the tragidy
-Killing Fields - was the site of mass extermination of 1/3rd of cambodias population- this was the largest of many and sadly enough, we saw bones on the footpaths around the area. Although people told us to spread these out between two days, we decided to just do 'them both and just doing something light hearted afterwards
-went for some Ankor Beer (which was much better than Cass or Hite -Korea Beer - which may have had to do with the HEAT...FYI its SOOOOOOOO hot here! I thought I sweat a lot last summer in Korea.....I cannot begin to describe how hot it is! Let's just say we've got a PERMA glow to us!
-we then went down by the riverfront and walked around to see the independence monument, Royal Palace, National museum & infamous Silver Pagoda
-the architecture here is so unique compared to anything I've seen in Asia so far...its absolutely gorgeous!
-wandered aimlessly back to our hostel to get lost and experience some of the way of life here...saw some pretty crazy stuff....monkeys on the back of motorbikes...along with families of 6, 2 story towers of pillows, big bundles of balloons or mangos, people moving pieces of household furniture or a lady dressed in her finest to go to some fancy dinner....we saw it all!
-we also followed around a lady with a plate of sausages and other mystery meat on her head that she would offer to people for a small sum and set up in front of you if you were interested as if she were a moving restaurant! There were even different types of these that the ladies carried if you picture someone with a huge piece of bamboo with 2 baskets on each end...one with the food, and one with the bowls and utensials for eating! brilliant if you ask me! they would approach people in the park and they coudl have a lovely picnic without having to prepare a thing!
-after getting freshened up at our hostel (i splurged on A/C and sara & pam were very happy with my decision), we went back out for a Tuk Tuk ride after a small rainfall and went to Wat Phnom, which was a big area in the middle of the city that had a beautiful temple and statues scattering the area....there was beatiful live music coming from the temple on wooden xylophone type instruments as well as tin drums that sounded like symbols that rang beautifully... the only downfall to it were the beggers that seemed to all come to the area that was a little hard for us to take in but definatley something we have to get used to seeing sadly enough
-we then were brought to the lakefront to watch the sunset (which again was said in the Lonely Planet guide) that was the best decision yet!
-when we first arrived we had a quick beer at a random place...but we didnt see a lake...so we just went wandering & following our noses to the water...although it was a little hard to find, we finally found what we were looking for (even though this is after we wound up in someone home over a scary bamboo bridge on a dock that didn't seem to be able to hold the weight of a bird- a little scary but quite the experience)!
-we ended up going to eat at the Happy Guesthouse which was definately HAPPY!
-lets see if I can sum this up: hammocks, sunset, tiki huts, great curries, my first Gin & Tonic with a REAL lime in over a year (they don't have limes in Korea - "are you new???"), great music and the most relaxing chairs of life!
-we got some great photos so hopefully it will get a better picture for you!
-after about 4 hours of bliss and a norae (singing) tuk tuk back - initiated by sara of course - our tuk tuk driver earned himself a photoshoot because of his amazing voice and saras need to NEVER forget him....and was lucky enough to be sarinated(sp) by us to the best rendition of Backstreet Boys EVER!
-after being all smiles and laughs...we went in to confirm our travel plans (flight & bus) that we had arranged with our hostel owners & turns out they all were absolutely WRONG! it was unfortunate but simply a miscommunication and we couldn't do that much about it when it was all said and done...so we changed our plan from going to a beach town the next day, to just going straight to Siem Reap - since our flight destinations that they booked for us were the wrong cities all together, we had to wait around in the morning till the travel agent opened so we missed our bus to the beach....we couldnt deal with it at the time, so we just went to bed ...since were were also SUPER exhausted because of the heat...
-all in all it was an amazing day and we expected things like this to happen on our holiday so we are just going with it and taking it as a lesson (to always write things out multiple times when there are language barriers) and figure its a sign that we are meant to go to S.R. early....thats what makes it an adventure...making last minute decisions and just going with it
Day 2
-woke up early and got things sorted....everything with our flight was changed and we were off on a 1030 bus to Siem Reap ...
-well how can I sum that bus ride up...hmmmm: HONKING, being stopped on a dirt road for 15 minutes not moving at all, HONKING, random cows crossing the road, HONKING, stopping at a roadside stop where we were swarmed with children selling fruit (and saying they will cry if you dont buy from them) or anything else you can think of: rings, bracelets, postcards, books etc - one actually had a terrantula(sp) spider on her shoulder (it was alive but they also had crazy food for sale too...small deep fried birds with the heads still on them, insects, spiders, etc)! so scary...and side note..thank goodness for my experience in Korea with squatter bathrooms...they were a little more rustic here if you could imagine, HONKING - we counted at one point and it was at least 34 honks a minute...on a 6 hour ride...that 12,240 honks on our bus ride...approx... we were going crazy...i've never had my ipod so loud in my ears before to try and tune it out, made a friend Simon from the UK that we are still hanging out with now...he's been traveling for a while now & has a lot of advice to offer us...so hes helping us out and hes a lot of fun (& i think he finds us amusing too), HONKING - okay i'll stop now...you get the point
-anyway the rest of the trip was great...the scenery was so cool seeing the rural villages that still have wooden, bamboo rooved homes up on stilts with hammocks underneath to provide shade in the heat. just seeing the way of life was amazing....cows walking around, temples that scattered the country side, people lounging in the heat by the palm trees, the greenest rice fields i've ever seen, wild lotus growing in the fields, people selling things & children playing barefoot and swimming in not the cleanest of water, but kids just being kids and having the time of their lives...definitely a different way of life but seeing this made me REALLY want to come back here and do some volunteering here maybe at a school in the country side or at a microfinance organzation here (actually saw one while driving by a small village)
-after a fun-filled ride we finally made it to Siem Reap and it was even more rural than Phnem Phen....we stuck together when we got off the bus and although we were being harrassed a little for tuk tuk rides, we finally decided on a place and went with the drivers that "worked for the bus company". not sure if you can believe it but we now had a guy with us so we felt okay with it. we went to the first stop & it was called Shadows of Ankor 2...but we wanted Shadows of Ankor 1. this is a common scam...they bring you to one that is close to the name (that their friends own most likely) and if you notice that its not the one you want...they say the first one is full...anyway simon knew about this and told them to take us here....and the did and turns out it wasnt full! and much cheaper...needless to say we are so happy we met Simon!
-anyway got all checked in and then went wandering for some food...went to a great restaurant for some cambodian curries and they were delicious!
-the area that we are in is really nice. a friendly and lively area with restaurants everywhere, little bars that are SO relaxing where we had some G&T's and a great night market that we are going back to tonight to purchase some cambodian goods
okay...day 3 is going to have to come later because our driver is here to pick us up to go for dinner....the power just went out because of the storm and i thought i lost everything but good old blogspot saves every minute!!! yay!
we are having a blast and love you and miss you all!
xoxoxx
We are having a nice thunderstorm at the moment and we are sitting out under a balcony listening to the rain & thunder relaxing and loving life so I thought it would be a good opportunity to update the blog since its free in our hostel (very slow...but free), and its steps away from the balcony! So I'm still enjoying the view!
Day 1
-the night they arrived I met up with Sara and Pam at the airport with everything arranged! I was like their welcome wagon and they were so happy (it was my first time meeting Pam and she's very sweet! We are going to have so much fun together)!
-the next morning we decided to get in as much of Phenom Phen (the capital city) as we could so we went to see:
-the Genocide Museum - used to be an old school turned into a prison in 1975 -1979 during Pal Pot's power. Here thousands of people were brutally tortured and killed and today it remains a symbol of this tragic period- where our tour guide actually told us of stories of how her family was affected by the tragidy
-Killing Fields - was the site of mass extermination of 1/3rd of cambodias population- this was the largest of many and sadly enough, we saw bones on the footpaths around the area. Although people told us to spread these out between two days, we decided to just do 'them both and just doing something light hearted afterwards
-went for some Ankor Beer (which was much better than Cass or Hite -Korea Beer - which may have had to do with the HEAT...FYI its SOOOOOOOO hot here! I thought I sweat a lot last summer in Korea.....I cannot begin to describe how hot it is! Let's just say we've got a PERMA glow to us!
-we then went down by the riverfront and walked around to see the independence monument, Royal Palace, National museum & infamous Silver Pagoda
-the architecture here is so unique compared to anything I've seen in Asia so far...its absolutely gorgeous!
-wandered aimlessly back to our hostel to get lost and experience some of the way of life here...saw some pretty crazy stuff....monkeys on the back of motorbikes...along with families of 6, 2 story towers of pillows, big bundles of balloons or mangos, people moving pieces of household furniture or a lady dressed in her finest to go to some fancy dinner....we saw it all!
-we also followed around a lady with a plate of sausages and other mystery meat on her head that she would offer to people for a small sum and set up in front of you if you were interested as if she were a moving restaurant! There were even different types of these that the ladies carried if you picture someone with a huge piece of bamboo with 2 baskets on each end...one with the food, and one with the bowls and utensials for eating! brilliant if you ask me! they would approach people in the park and they coudl have a lovely picnic without having to prepare a thing!
-after getting freshened up at our hostel (i splurged on A/C and sara & pam were very happy with my decision), we went back out for a Tuk Tuk ride after a small rainfall and went to Wat Phnom, which was a big area in the middle of the city that had a beautiful temple and statues scattering the area....there was beatiful live music coming from the temple on wooden xylophone type instruments as well as tin drums that sounded like symbols that rang beautifully... the only downfall to it were the beggers that seemed to all come to the area that was a little hard for us to take in but definatley something we have to get used to seeing sadly enough
-we then were brought to the lakefront to watch the sunset (which again was said in the Lonely Planet guide) that was the best decision yet!
-when we first arrived we had a quick beer at a random place...but we didnt see a lake...so we just went wandering & following our noses to the water...although it was a little hard to find, we finally found what we were looking for (even though this is after we wound up in someone home over a scary bamboo bridge on a dock that didn't seem to be able to hold the weight of a bird- a little scary but quite the experience)!
-we ended up going to eat at the Happy Guesthouse which was definately HAPPY!
-lets see if I can sum this up: hammocks, sunset, tiki huts, great curries, my first Gin & Tonic with a REAL lime in over a year (they don't have limes in Korea - "are you new???"), great music and the most relaxing chairs of life!
-we got some great photos so hopefully it will get a better picture for you!
-after about 4 hours of bliss and a norae (singing) tuk tuk back - initiated by sara of course - our tuk tuk driver earned himself a photoshoot because of his amazing voice and saras need to NEVER forget him....and was lucky enough to be sarinated(sp) by us to the best rendition of Backstreet Boys EVER!
-after being all smiles and laughs...we went in to confirm our travel plans (flight & bus) that we had arranged with our hostel owners & turns out they all were absolutely WRONG! it was unfortunate but simply a miscommunication and we couldn't do that much about it when it was all said and done...so we changed our plan from going to a beach town the next day, to just going straight to Siem Reap - since our flight destinations that they booked for us were the wrong cities all together, we had to wait around in the morning till the travel agent opened so we missed our bus to the beach....we couldnt deal with it at the time, so we just went to bed ...since were were also SUPER exhausted because of the heat...
-all in all it was an amazing day and we expected things like this to happen on our holiday so we are just going with it and taking it as a lesson (to always write things out multiple times when there are language barriers) and figure its a sign that we are meant to go to S.R. early....thats what makes it an adventure...making last minute decisions and just going with it
Day 2
-woke up early and got things sorted....everything with our flight was changed and we were off on a 1030 bus to Siem Reap ...
-well how can I sum that bus ride up...hmmmm: HONKING, being stopped on a dirt road for 15 minutes not moving at all, HONKING, random cows crossing the road, HONKING, stopping at a roadside stop where we were swarmed with children selling fruit (and saying they will cry if you dont buy from them) or anything else you can think of: rings, bracelets, postcards, books etc - one actually had a terrantula(sp) spider on her shoulder (it was alive but they also had crazy food for sale too...small deep fried birds with the heads still on them, insects, spiders, etc)! so scary...and side note..thank goodness for my experience in Korea with squatter bathrooms...they were a little more rustic here if you could imagine, HONKING - we counted at one point and it was at least 34 honks a minute...on a 6 hour ride...that 12,240 honks on our bus ride...approx... we were going crazy...i've never had my ipod so loud in my ears before to try and tune it out, made a friend Simon from the UK that we are still hanging out with now...he's been traveling for a while now & has a lot of advice to offer us...so hes helping us out and hes a lot of fun (& i think he finds us amusing too), HONKING - okay i'll stop now...you get the point
-anyway the rest of the trip was great...the scenery was so cool seeing the rural villages that still have wooden, bamboo rooved homes up on stilts with hammocks underneath to provide shade in the heat. just seeing the way of life was amazing....cows walking around, temples that scattered the country side, people lounging in the heat by the palm trees, the greenest rice fields i've ever seen, wild lotus growing in the fields, people selling things & children playing barefoot and swimming in not the cleanest of water, but kids just being kids and having the time of their lives...definitely a different way of life but seeing this made me REALLY want to come back here and do some volunteering here maybe at a school in the country side or at a microfinance organzation here (actually saw one while driving by a small village)
-after a fun-filled ride we finally made it to Siem Reap and it was even more rural than Phnem Phen....we stuck together when we got off the bus and although we were being harrassed a little for tuk tuk rides, we finally decided on a place and went with the drivers that "worked for the bus company". not sure if you can believe it but we now had a guy with us so we felt okay with it. we went to the first stop & it was called Shadows of Ankor 2...but we wanted Shadows of Ankor 1. this is a common scam...they bring you to one that is close to the name (that their friends own most likely) and if you notice that its not the one you want...they say the first one is full...anyway simon knew about this and told them to take us here....and the did and turns out it wasnt full! and much cheaper...needless to say we are so happy we met Simon!
-anyway got all checked in and then went wandering for some food...went to a great restaurant for some cambodian curries and they were delicious!
-the area that we are in is really nice. a friendly and lively area with restaurants everywhere, little bars that are SO relaxing where we had some G&T's and a great night market that we are going back to tonight to purchase some cambodian goods
okay...day 3 is going to have to come later because our driver is here to pick us up to go for dinner....the power just went out because of the storm and i thought i lost everything but good old blogspot saves every minute!!! yay!
we are having a blast and love you and miss you all!
xoxoxx
Saturday, May 9, 2009
met up with sara & pam
& now we are in Siem Reip and safe
i dont have time on here cause we are getting up at 4am to catch the sunrise at Ankor Wat tomorrow morning so I will update soon!
just thought Judy x2 (my mom is judy and pams mom is judy) and Pam (saras mom) would want to know we are safe and having a blast!
you'll hear from us soon!
xoxox
i dont have time on here cause we are getting up at 4am to catch the sunrise at Ankor Wat tomorrow morning so I will update soon!
just thought Judy x2 (my mom is judy and pams mom is judy) and Pam (saras mom) would want to know we are safe and having a blast!
you'll hear from us soon!
xoxox
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Faced a huge fear..but am so proud of myself!
So I made it to Phnom Penh, Cambodia after a rather long day at the airport. I had a great morning and got to KL Central Station with time to spare because of my check in I could do even before getting to the airport (at the train station) and said my goodbyes to Sheri. She will stay on for another night in KL and heads back to Seoul tomorrow. The goodbye was actually a little hard. I couldn't even get the "say hi to everyone when you get back to Korea for me" words out without getting teary. I wasn't too emotional when I left Korea because of the mixed feelings I was having about traveling (happy, scared, excited, nervous, sad etc.) but I am quite sad that its over and as the days pass and I realize I am not going back (for now), it does get me sad....but I am also very excited to go home to see everyone, get some home cooking and spend time with my girls *and momsicle & popsicle & brother bear and grams & gramps and ok...i am really excited to go home....anyway this blog isn't about my emotions or feelings so I will stop...haha...even though we all know how much I love to talk about feelings ;)
Anways....after my flight was delayed 2 hours due to technical difficulties we finally re-boarded the plane and were in the air! As we started to decend though, I realized we were flying into a different city in Cambodia....(Siem Reap) which my travel agent, and ladies at the check in counter did not inform me of. So I was quite scared that I got onto the wrong plane. Turns out it was just a stopover so after another 2 hour wait, I was in the city I needed to be in!
When I got off the plane and felt the 35 degree weather, I got my pack and decided to take on a HUGE fear and just go for it! Get on a tuk tuk and point to the hostel on the map that Sara and I had prearranged to meet at (as they don't get in until 10 tonight). I was scared shitless (sorry grams) but they took me to the right place and let me tell you: Cambo is a little bit different from anything I have ever experienced before. Sheri and I thought we experienced a lot of j-walking in KL, but they j-"everything under the sun" here! J-walk, J-tuk tuk, J-run, J-scooter, J- van, J-going the totally wrong way on the road with any mode of transportation, J-cycle....holy hannah!
Anyway, I snapped some pics while on the back of my mystery ride and got some good ones....as I clenched to my belongings for dear life. Turns out they are nice to tourists because they want to have a good repuation and he brought me to where I needed to be, I got us a room for 3 for $5 each (& thats steppin it up a few knotches by going with an air con! - hope sara and pam are okay with that....i just have to take baby steps here..from going from a 4 star hotel with Sheri to this...not that I am complaining by all means....this is the most exciting thing I have EVER done!)
-there i got again with using brackets improperly...oh well...
This is quite the adventure though. The last 30 minutes of my life were probably the most intense that I can recall - and I know I have a crap memory and all, but this is pretty high up there. Just looking around and taking it all in! Also there seems to be a lot more poverty & underdeveloped areas that I have learned about but am not quite used to seeing (aside from being in El-Salvador) so its good for me for what I want to do someday! Either way...this is going to be quite the adventure!
So I arranged for the same tuk tuk guy to pick me up again to bring me back to the airport to meet sara and pam! they will be surprised to see me there knowing what i'm doing! :) look at me...
And Mom (and Grams). DON'T WORRY! Today was my only day alone and I survived. The girls fly in in a few hours so I won't let them leave my sight for the rest of the time!
Love you all and miss you lots
Car
xoxox
Anways....after my flight was delayed 2 hours due to technical difficulties we finally re-boarded the plane and were in the air! As we started to decend though, I realized we were flying into a different city in Cambodia....(Siem Reap) which my travel agent, and ladies at the check in counter did not inform me of. So I was quite scared that I got onto the wrong plane. Turns out it was just a stopover so after another 2 hour wait, I was in the city I needed to be in!
When I got off the plane and felt the 35 degree weather, I got my pack and decided to take on a HUGE fear and just go for it! Get on a tuk tuk and point to the hostel on the map that Sara and I had prearranged to meet at (as they don't get in until 10 tonight). I was scared shitless (sorry grams) but they took me to the right place and let me tell you: Cambo is a little bit different from anything I have ever experienced before. Sheri and I thought we experienced a lot of j-walking in KL, but they j-"everything under the sun" here! J-walk, J-tuk tuk, J-run, J-scooter, J- van, J-going the totally wrong way on the road with any mode of transportation, J-cycle....holy hannah!
Anyway, I snapped some pics while on the back of my mystery ride and got some good ones....as I clenched to my belongings for dear life. Turns out they are nice to tourists because they want to have a good repuation and he brought me to where I needed to be, I got us a room for 3 for $5 each (& thats steppin it up a few knotches by going with an air con! - hope sara and pam are okay with that....i just have to take baby steps here..from going from a 4 star hotel with Sheri to this...not that I am complaining by all means....this is the most exciting thing I have EVER done!)
-there i got again with using brackets improperly...oh well...
This is quite the adventure though. The last 30 minutes of my life were probably the most intense that I can recall - and I know I have a crap memory and all, but this is pretty high up there. Just looking around and taking it all in! Also there seems to be a lot more poverty & underdeveloped areas that I have learned about but am not quite used to seeing (aside from being in El-Salvador) so its good for me for what I want to do someday! Either way...this is going to be quite the adventure!
So I arranged for the same tuk tuk guy to pick me up again to bring me back to the airport to meet sara and pam! they will be surprised to see me there knowing what i'm doing! :) look at me...
And Mom (and Grams). DON'T WORRY! Today was my only day alone and I survived. The girls fly in in a few hours so I won't let them leave my sight for the rest of the time!
Love you all and miss you lots
Car
xoxox
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
3 days of paradise..& back to Chinatown for 1 more night
So we are back to Chinatown tonight and tomorrow morning I am off to Cambodia to meet up with Sara & Pam! More fellow Canadians! (Sara's taking 2 weeks vaca from teaching in S.K. and Pam is on holiday)
Our last 3 days have been fun filled that included beach time, jungles drives & temples galore!
We took a 45 minute flight from KL to Penang *the Pearl of the Orient*!
Our tour guide from the day before drove us to the airport in the morning, and because some of the taxi drivers here are scammers, he hooked us up with someone in Penang to meet us and bring us to our resort.
So there he was, holding up a sign for CARY BUTTER!
It got the point across and we were good to go! When we arrived to the resort (which by the way...we booked the night before at a scary hostel internet cafe back in Chinatown on a lastminute deal for the equivalent to less that $60 a night and we show up to find out its normally over $300 a night! There we are again with that luck! - I am knocking on the wooden table as I type this)
okay whoa...i don't even know how to finish this sentence now...i am getting confused with my use of brackets....so i am just gonna stop using them...(i'm a little tired - oh there I got again using the damn brackets)
anywaaay!
The resort was REALLY nice and and we walked around, has some drinks and lunch and decided since it was a little cloudy, to get all of the things we wanted to do on the island out of the way so our last bit of time we could just lounge in the sun (well for me in the shade..let's be serious)!
It actually worked out really well because as we were on the bus going around, it rained a LOT and by the time we got back, it was nice weather!
Our first stop was Kek Lok Si - which is Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist temple in the hills....it was HUGE and beautiful and had a 30 meter high Pagoda and also the "Pond of Longevity" that was filled with fresh water tortoises which were set free by devotees.
Our second stop was Penang Hill which is 720 meters above sea level that we had to take a railway to the top! It had amazing views from the top and there was a beautiful Hindu temple as well that I took some pictures of (of course).
After our fun filled day, we literally RAN off the bus to get our swimsuits on the make "happy hour" at the hotel swim up bar! it was LOVELY!
After some cocktails, we went down for some dinner & walked along some roadside markets that were rather exciting!
Yesterday we woke up and got more sight seeing in.
We went through the beautiful forests of the island through windy roads *which by the way don't mix well with babies who just drank milk in the heat...ya! it was quite interesting* but anyway its was beautiful seeing all of the fruit trees, spices and rubber trees...they showed us how they tap the rubber which who knew...was white when it was tapped from the tree!? strangEE?! I miss Korea!
We then stopped at a typical Malaysian village in the countryside and our last stop was Snake Temple, where pitvipers are EVERYWHERE! But the good news is...they sleep during the day, so were safe! They apparently can only see at night...so they sleep during the day. Again...Strangee!
We were then dropped off at a unique Buddhist temple that is home to one of the longest reclining Buddha's in the world. It had Thai, Myanmarese and Chinese architecture, so it was absolutely STUNNING!
After our trek here, we decided we would try some typical malaysian food since Penang is supposed to be the food capital of Malaysia...and we all know how much I love trying new food..(and Sheri as well)!
We then took a $0.40 city bus ride back to our hotel and made it back for Happy Hour *yet again* (i am now using stars instead of brackets...oh goodness...i need bed), played cards, lounged and caught a magnificent sunset.
A highlight for Sheri & I both was after the sunset at a beachbar sitting in probably the most comfortable chairs EVER and drinking wine & watching the locals fish with a net!
Magical if you ask me!
Unfortunately for Sheri (fortunatley for me ...because I died of laughter)...our hotel gates closed at 7:30 and we had to hop the fence to get back in....guess you had to be there...but it was pretty darn funny since Sheri claims to have never hopped a fence in her childhood! And I was a pretty mean friend and just concentrated on capturing the Kodak Moment rather than helping her over! haha!
Anyway today we just lounged ALL day long! Ahhhh! And got our flight back to KL! Off to bed now and to Cambo tomorrow!
xox
Our last 3 days have been fun filled that included beach time, jungles drives & temples galore!
We took a 45 minute flight from KL to Penang *the Pearl of the Orient*!
Our tour guide from the day before drove us to the airport in the morning, and because some of the taxi drivers here are scammers, he hooked us up with someone in Penang to meet us and bring us to our resort.
So there he was, holding up a sign for CARY BUTTER!
It got the point across and we were good to go! When we arrived to the resort (which by the way...we booked the night before at a scary hostel internet cafe back in Chinatown on a lastminute deal for the equivalent to less that $60 a night and we show up to find out its normally over $300 a night! There we are again with that luck! - I am knocking on the wooden table as I type this)
okay whoa...i don't even know how to finish this sentence now...i am getting confused with my use of brackets....so i am just gonna stop using them...(i'm a little tired - oh there I got again using the damn brackets)
anywaaay!
The resort was REALLY nice and and we walked around, has some drinks and lunch and decided since it was a little cloudy, to get all of the things we wanted to do on the island out of the way so our last bit of time we could just lounge in the sun (well for me in the shade..let's be serious)!
It actually worked out really well because as we were on the bus going around, it rained a LOT and by the time we got back, it was nice weather!
Our first stop was Kek Lok Si - which is Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist temple in the hills....it was HUGE and beautiful and had a 30 meter high Pagoda and also the "Pond of Longevity" that was filled with fresh water tortoises which were set free by devotees.
Our second stop was Penang Hill which is 720 meters above sea level that we had to take a railway to the top! It had amazing views from the top and there was a beautiful Hindu temple as well that I took some pictures of (of course).
After our fun filled day, we literally RAN off the bus to get our swimsuits on the make "happy hour" at the hotel swim up bar! it was LOVELY!
After some cocktails, we went down for some dinner & walked along some roadside markets that were rather exciting!
Yesterday we woke up and got more sight seeing in.
We went through the beautiful forests of the island through windy roads *which by the way don't mix well with babies who just drank milk in the heat...ya! it was quite interesting* but anyway its was beautiful seeing all of the fruit trees, spices and rubber trees...they showed us how they tap the rubber which who knew...was white when it was tapped from the tree!? strangEE?! I miss Korea!
We then stopped at a typical Malaysian village in the countryside and our last stop was Snake Temple, where pitvipers are EVERYWHERE! But the good news is...they sleep during the day, so were safe! They apparently can only see at night...so they sleep during the day. Again...Strangee!
We were then dropped off at a unique Buddhist temple that is home to one of the longest reclining Buddha's in the world. It had Thai, Myanmarese and Chinese architecture, so it was absolutely STUNNING!
After our trek here, we decided we would try some typical malaysian food since Penang is supposed to be the food capital of Malaysia...and we all know how much I love trying new food..(and Sheri as well)!
We then took a $0.40 city bus ride back to our hotel and made it back for Happy Hour *yet again* (i am now using stars instead of brackets...oh goodness...i need bed), played cards, lounged and caught a magnificent sunset.
A highlight for Sheri & I both was after the sunset at a beachbar sitting in probably the most comfortable chairs EVER and drinking wine & watching the locals fish with a net!
Magical if you ask me!
Unfortunately for Sheri (fortunatley for me ...because I died of laughter)...our hotel gates closed at 7:30 and we had to hop the fence to get back in....guess you had to be there...but it was pretty darn funny since Sheri claims to have never hopped a fence in her childhood! And I was a pretty mean friend and just concentrated on capturing the Kodak Moment rather than helping her over! haha!
Anyway today we just lounged ALL day long! Ahhhh! And got our flight back to KL! Off to bed now and to Cambo tomorrow!
xox
Monday, May 4, 2009
Horse Kisses & Snake Hugs
So the last few days have been pretty darn busy.
We did a private day city tour on monday of KL as well as visiting the Batu Caves which were really interesting! The tour included (some things we only drove by)
-traditional Malaysian homes
-lots of temples (both Buddhist & Hindu)
-Twin Towers
-a crazy expensive building that had 94 apartments and 95 pools...a pool for every apartment
-a Batik factory (the famous malay handpainted clothing) - and this stop and the next 3 were much like our China tour...where we stopped at every sort of factory under the sun - TOURIST TRAP! haha
-leather factory
-chocolate factory
-watch & jewlery factory (LIKE COME ON!)
-anyway the rest of the stops were good.....
-Kings Palace - there are 9 royal families in Malaysia but are mainly just ceremonial...there is a prime minister that makes all the decisions
*oh and at the Kings palace Sheri got attacked by a horse....haha...our tour guide (who was awesome!) kept telling her to get closer to the horse so he could take a pictures for us and well let's just say she got MUCH too close...haha...the pics are really funny...he definitely captured the moment...
-went through Little India (FYI - being here is really really making me want to go to India even more than I already did before....)
-National Monument for WWI and WWII
-the National Mosque
-and oh goodness...i forgot about yet another factory...the Pewter factory! ..this one was actually cool though cause we got a pic with the Largest Pewter Beer Mug in the Guiness Book of World Records..
-from here we then went to the Batu (which means rock) Caves which is a place where all Hindu devotees go to celebrate during a festival and throughout the year their beliefs ...there was a HUGE golden statue of their god and we had to climb 272 steps to reach the caves which were really beautiful...inside our tour guide taught us a lot about Hindu beliefs and told us about the time he came to pray and had fruit attached to his skin with hooks as a ritual to bring good fortune to his family...pretty interesting stuff (even though the thought of food on hooks attached to my back doesnt sound too appealing to me) ...he was really informative though and brought us to the temple to ask for good husbands...(sheri & i just kinda went with it...haha..even though we were confused and werent really sure what we were to do ...we ended up with some sort of powder or flour or something on our foreheads so to me i think thats good luck alone)
anyway...on our way out we got to feed some monkeys that were wandering around...(*oh malaysia really is TRULY ASIA!) ....and then i got a pictures with a snake on my shoulders....
-all in all it was a day with lots of animals to say the least...horses, snakes, monkeys..oh and i can't forget about the birds....
apparently they believe that one of their gods doesnt eat unless he is extremely hungry and when that happens..he turns in to a bird and could potentially be the bird that randomly flies or lands near you so feeding the birds are a sign of feeding their god...so our tour guide got us to feed the birds...and mom..you would have DIED! it was just like the movie birds and jess..it was quite like venice..with all of the pigeons....I was FREAKING out!
-so yes...lots of animals yesterday
-after the climb and hindu lesson, our tour guide (being Indian himself - his grandparents moved to malaysia when they were young to work) brought us for some amazing Indian food! it was excellent!
-so it was an amazing day and a great way to see SO much in so little time..
-after we went back to the hotel, we had some great malaysian traditional food for dinner back in Chinatown and went to a great Reggae Bar
As for today....
I am too tired to write .... BUT
we are in Penang now...an Island that we took a 45 minute flight to and its paradise....i'll update again soon!
xox
We did a private day city tour on monday of KL as well as visiting the Batu Caves which were really interesting! The tour included (some things we only drove by)
-traditional Malaysian homes
-lots of temples (both Buddhist & Hindu)
-Twin Towers
-a crazy expensive building that had 94 apartments and 95 pools...a pool for every apartment
-a Batik factory (the famous malay handpainted clothing) - and this stop and the next 3 were much like our China tour...where we stopped at every sort of factory under the sun - TOURIST TRAP! haha
-leather factory
-chocolate factory
-watch & jewlery factory (LIKE COME ON!)
-anyway the rest of the stops were good.....
-Kings Palace - there are 9 royal families in Malaysia but are mainly just ceremonial...there is a prime minister that makes all the decisions
*oh and at the Kings palace Sheri got attacked by a horse....haha...our tour guide (who was awesome!) kept telling her to get closer to the horse so he could take a pictures for us and well let's just say she got MUCH too close...haha...the pics are really funny...he definitely captured the moment...
-went through Little India (FYI - being here is really really making me want to go to India even more than I already did before....)
-National Monument for WWI and WWII
-the National Mosque
-and oh goodness...i forgot about yet another factory...the Pewter factory! ..this one was actually cool though cause we got a pic with the Largest Pewter Beer Mug in the Guiness Book of World Records..
-from here we then went to the Batu (which means rock) Caves which is a place where all Hindu devotees go to celebrate during a festival and throughout the year their beliefs ...there was a HUGE golden statue of their god and we had to climb 272 steps to reach the caves which were really beautiful...inside our tour guide taught us a lot about Hindu beliefs and told us about the time he came to pray and had fruit attached to his skin with hooks as a ritual to bring good fortune to his family...pretty interesting stuff (even though the thought of food on hooks attached to my back doesnt sound too appealing to me) ...he was really informative though and brought us to the temple to ask for good husbands...(sheri & i just kinda went with it...haha..even though we were confused and werent really sure what we were to do ...we ended up with some sort of powder or flour or something on our foreheads so to me i think thats good luck alone)
anyway...on our way out we got to feed some monkeys that were wandering around...(*oh malaysia really is TRULY ASIA!) ....and then i got a pictures with a snake on my shoulders....
-all in all it was a day with lots of animals to say the least...horses, snakes, monkeys..oh and i can't forget about the birds....
apparently they believe that one of their gods doesnt eat unless he is extremely hungry and when that happens..he turns in to a bird and could potentially be the bird that randomly flies or lands near you so feeding the birds are a sign of feeding their god...so our tour guide got us to feed the birds...and mom..you would have DIED! it was just like the movie birds and jess..it was quite like venice..with all of the pigeons....I was FREAKING out!
-so yes...lots of animals yesterday
-after the climb and hindu lesson, our tour guide (being Indian himself - his grandparents moved to malaysia when they were young to work) brought us for some amazing Indian food! it was excellent!
-so it was an amazing day and a great way to see SO much in so little time..
-after we went back to the hotel, we had some great malaysian traditional food for dinner back in Chinatown and went to a great Reggae Bar
As for today....
I am too tired to write .... BUT
we are in Penang now...an Island that we took a 45 minute flight to and its paradise....i'll update again soon!
xox
Saturday, May 2, 2009
JUST in time seems to be the theme of our trip!
So after making the flight JUST in time it seems as though our trip is going to be themed that way! We've been pretty lucky so far with things and we're hoping it will stick!
The morning of Day 2 was excellent! We woke up after a MUCH needed sleep and had a lovely breakfast that was included with our stay at the hotel. We then decided to extend our stay for another 2 nights because the area is nice and we head out early monday morning for Penang Island anyway so we thought we should just stay put. Although our hotel was already full, we didn't sweat it (well we did actually because it was pretty darn hot today) and just went to another hotel around the corner before lugging our heavy packs and got 2 nights at an even nicer hotel. And by nicer I mean a bathroom that you don't have to step in the shower in order to close the door in because its so small, and a view that is a little better than a back alley market that sells every type of brand name you could EVER want - stored in a plastic bag and probably smells like baby poo (like sheri's purse from china). Anyway, its a lot better than some people do when they come here. There are some pretty sketchy hostels around here that Sheri and I just weren't up for...I mean you could pay $9 a night but we decided to go a step above and pay around $20 each a night. Oh wait it was a bit more than that because the window was optional and that raised the price another $5.
Anyway after our hotel swap, we went to the bank to get some money out (sheri forgot her bank card so that was where the "JUST in time" comes in...we honestly JUST made it into the bank before they closed at 12:15 - wierd time i know - to do a cash advance) anyway luck was on our side so we were out of there in no time and we were off to explore the area. We went to the central market that had handmade malaysian goods and traditional items where we ate a beautiful lunch.
Okay we want to go to bed now so I am just gonna short form the rest of this post...
-went to Merdeka Square - built by the British - now the site of their independence celebration and home to the LARGEST flagpole in the world
-went to a beautiful Mosque and had to dress in robes and headscarves to walk around - SOOOO hot!
-went to a temple that made us feel like we were in China again (that we made it "JUST in time to")
-went for a private city night tour (of KL tower and the famous Petronas Twin Towers) and dinner show with traditional malaysian dancing
Now off to bed....
Malaysia is TRULY asia (in a singing voice)!!!!
Its actually really cool with the mixtures of cultures here. There's Indian, Chinese & Malay and the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu influences make things really interesting. Such a change from being in Korea.
And I've already taken around 200 photos! I might be in trouble if I keep going at this rate! 100 a day is gonna mean 2100 photos! This might be a problem! I think I have a problem! But admitting it is the first step right!?
NIGHT EVERYONE!
xoxox
The morning of Day 2 was excellent! We woke up after a MUCH needed sleep and had a lovely breakfast that was included with our stay at the hotel. We then decided to extend our stay for another 2 nights because the area is nice and we head out early monday morning for Penang Island anyway so we thought we should just stay put. Although our hotel was already full, we didn't sweat it (well we did actually because it was pretty darn hot today) and just went to another hotel around the corner before lugging our heavy packs and got 2 nights at an even nicer hotel. And by nicer I mean a bathroom that you don't have to step in the shower in order to close the door in because its so small, and a view that is a little better than a back alley market that sells every type of brand name you could EVER want - stored in a plastic bag and probably smells like baby poo (like sheri's purse from china). Anyway, its a lot better than some people do when they come here. There are some pretty sketchy hostels around here that Sheri and I just weren't up for...I mean you could pay $9 a night but we decided to go a step above and pay around $20 each a night. Oh wait it was a bit more than that because the window was optional and that raised the price another $5.
Anyway after our hotel swap, we went to the bank to get some money out (sheri forgot her bank card so that was where the "JUST in time" comes in...we honestly JUST made it into the bank before they closed at 12:15 - wierd time i know - to do a cash advance) anyway luck was on our side so we were out of there in no time and we were off to explore the area. We went to the central market that had handmade malaysian goods and traditional items where we ate a beautiful lunch.
Okay we want to go to bed now so I am just gonna short form the rest of this post...
-went to Merdeka Square - built by the British - now the site of their independence celebration and home to the LARGEST flagpole in the world
-went to a beautiful Mosque and had to dress in robes and headscarves to walk around - SOOOO hot!
-went to a temple that made us feel like we were in China again (that we made it "JUST in time to")
-went for a private city night tour (of KL tower and the famous Petronas Twin Towers) and dinner show with traditional malaysian dancing
Now off to bed....
Malaysia is TRULY asia (in a singing voice)!!!!
Its actually really cool with the mixtures of cultures here. There's Indian, Chinese & Malay and the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu influences make things really interesting. Such a change from being in Korea.
And I've already taken around 200 photos! I might be in trouble if I keep going at this rate! 100 a day is gonna mean 2100 photos! This might be a problem! I think I have a problem! But admitting it is the first step right!?
NIGHT EVERYONE!
xoxox
Friday, May 1, 2009
Don't be an illegal immigrant...even for 10 hours!
So it begins! This morning was quite an adventure.
After a long night of packing my life up after an amazing year in Korea, Sheri and I (a fellow Canadian) were off to Malaayyysia -*like said in the lovely commercials for paradise*.
Everything went swimmingly until we step up to customs and just as I am walking away she says "chunchimanyon" or however you say "one moment please" in Korean, to ask me why I am a day late leaving the country. I knew we were in for a treat after this!
The next thing I know I am being taken into the immigration office and they kept saying "this is a big problem. A very big problem" while I'm looking out at Sheri through the glass window with horror in my eyes as I also glance at the clock that is ticking away and only 20 minutes away from boarding time.
After waiting patiently and finally after 10 minutes being told that I don't need to panic and I will make my flight (no need to tell me this at the beginning...jerks ...haha) I was brought to another immmigration office to fill in some papers. Mind you this was after the guy, who was way TOO calm about the matter, told Sheri she has to just meet me at the gate. So poor Sheri is FREAKING out. They started boarding and everything and I wasn't even there yet!
When all was said and done, I ran like a crazy woman onto the monorail thing and found my terminal and Sheri, who was shaking (ps..her nickname is Shaky so it was quite entertaining).
Needless to say, we made it on in time and had a lovely flight with Malaysian Air.
Great food, vibrant colours and friendly staff...that gave lots of beer and wine! So we were happy!
As our flight came into Malaysia, the fields of palm trees got us REALLY excited for what was in store for us! It absolutely gorgeous here! Its so green and beautiful and as some of you know, I have a thing for fluffy clouds and they were honestly the FLUFFIEST clouds I have ever seen.
Once we got into the airport, we experienced a bit of the swine flu fiasco but nothing to extreme...we just had to fill in some papers and I think it was actually easier for us coming from S.Korea than it would have been coming from Canada, so that was a bonus!
After booking some flights to an island for later in the week, we got a 20 minute express train from the airport into the capital city Kuala Lumpur and found our way to our hotel in the middle of Chinatown. This was also after experiencing my first bit of backpacking in the hot hot heat with a big heavy pack, purse, camera and (stupid me) a pillow. Which I have sadly learned with NOT work and i'll be leaving at our hotel. The hotel was recommended by a friend and it is a GREAT location! We got all settled into our hotel and went exploring and had a great meal in the midst of the Chinatown craziness. We were actually called into the restaurant my a toothless, sweaty man who could honestly turn anyway OFF a resturant without trying...but we ended up being SO happy we went there. And he surprisingly got a lot of people to come into his restaurant. He had a bit of charm...haha. Would NEVER go over in Canada.
But it was perfect for people watching, drinking some beer and trying some amazing food!
We're both a little tired now so we are gonna head to bed (actually some of you will find this amusing....Sheri is actually asleep on the chair beside me in the internet cafe as i write this...for those of you who don't know Sheri, she could honestly fall asleep ANYWHERE!)
So I should get us to bed.
But Day 1 and we are already having a blast. We both feel very comfortable and are doing surprisingly well for not having planned anything aside from our destination and 1st night hotel!
We miss you all and we'll keep you updated!
Love ya lots,
Car
xoxo
After a long night of packing my life up after an amazing year in Korea, Sheri and I (a fellow Canadian) were off to Malaayyysia -*like said in the lovely commercials for paradise*.
Everything went swimmingly until we step up to customs and just as I am walking away she says "chunchimanyon" or however you say "one moment please" in Korean, to ask me why I am a day late leaving the country. I knew we were in for a treat after this!
The next thing I know I am being taken into the immigration office and they kept saying "this is a big problem. A very big problem" while I'm looking out at Sheri through the glass window with horror in my eyes as I also glance at the clock that is ticking away and only 20 minutes away from boarding time.
After waiting patiently and finally after 10 minutes being told that I don't need to panic and I will make my flight (no need to tell me this at the beginning...jerks ...haha) I was brought to another immmigration office to fill in some papers. Mind you this was after the guy, who was way TOO calm about the matter, told Sheri she has to just meet me at the gate. So poor Sheri is FREAKING out. They started boarding and everything and I wasn't even there yet!
When all was said and done, I ran like a crazy woman onto the monorail thing and found my terminal and Sheri, who was shaking (ps..her nickname is Shaky so it was quite entertaining).
Needless to say, we made it on in time and had a lovely flight with Malaysian Air.
Great food, vibrant colours and friendly staff...that gave lots of beer and wine! So we were happy!
As our flight came into Malaysia, the fields of palm trees got us REALLY excited for what was in store for us! It absolutely gorgeous here! Its so green and beautiful and as some of you know, I have a thing for fluffy clouds and they were honestly the FLUFFIEST clouds I have ever seen.
Once we got into the airport, we experienced a bit of the swine flu fiasco but nothing to extreme...we just had to fill in some papers and I think it was actually easier for us coming from S.Korea than it would have been coming from Canada, so that was a bonus!
After booking some flights to an island for later in the week, we got a 20 minute express train from the airport into the capital city Kuala Lumpur and found our way to our hotel in the middle of Chinatown. This was also after experiencing my first bit of backpacking in the hot hot heat with a big heavy pack, purse, camera and (stupid me) a pillow. Which I have sadly learned with NOT work and i'll be leaving at our hotel. The hotel was recommended by a friend and it is a GREAT location! We got all settled into our hotel and went exploring and had a great meal in the midst of the Chinatown craziness. We were actually called into the restaurant my a toothless, sweaty man who could honestly turn anyway OFF a resturant without trying...but we ended up being SO happy we went there. And he surprisingly got a lot of people to come into his restaurant. He had a bit of charm...haha. Would NEVER go over in Canada.
But it was perfect for people watching, drinking some beer and trying some amazing food!
We're both a little tired now so we are gonna head to bed (actually some of you will find this amusing....Sheri is actually asleep on the chair beside me in the internet cafe as i write this...for those of you who don't know Sheri, she could honestly fall asleep ANYWHERE!)
So I should get us to bed.
But Day 1 and we are already having a blast. We both feel very comfortable and are doing surprisingly well for not having planned anything aside from our destination and 1st night hotel!
We miss you all and we'll keep you updated!
Love ya lots,
Car
xoxo
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