Three things from the last two weeks to write about:
1. Camp with Students Care Services
This was definitely a learning experience. I helped organize a two-day camp for seven 13-year olds that involved games, activities, reflection, spending the night at a chalet, and hiking around Pulau Ubin. It was quite the time. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but at the time, it was very difficult. There were teens there that were supposed to help with managing the kids and leading activities but expectations were not set for them and they ended up being more trouble than the kids who were supposed to be participating. It was exhausting trying to get them to set a good example while also leading activities and managing the younger kids. Especially during the value session I led (it went relatively well, all things considered - meaning, rowdy teenage boys who didn't listen to any of the rules and the fact that Singaporeans, in general, don't like to share/talk about feelings).
One thing that I found very different from the states was the issue of liability. In the US, everyone is afraid that everyone else is going to sue them so lots of precautions are taken into consideration. This did not seem to be true in Singapore. For example, I was put in charge of the First Aid (something that I'm really not that qualified for even with my First Aid certification) and found numerous pills in the box that only doctors should be giving out. This was after I found two girls rifling through it while a staff member let them without watching what they were doing. At the end of the camp, the kids were allowed to leave the center on their own and find their way home. In the states, at the end of a camp session, parents have to come claim their kids (sometimes, people even check ID to see if the person is who they say they are) because the camp is considered liable for the child until responsibility is handed off to someone else (preferably a parent).
All in all, though, the camp was a good, fun experience. I especially enjoyed working with the two young women at SCS that invited me to help them plan the camp (I still can't believe they did!). I really missed working with kids and it was especially challenging but interesting to spend time with young teens who could speak English with me but then Chinese to each other when they didn't want me to know what they were saying. Tricky tricky.
2. Broseph in Singapore!
The night after the camp, Joe arrived at 2am and was surprised at how hot and humid it was, even so early in the morning (this surprised turned to displeasure and continued the week he was here). He stayed eight days and we did a lot of different things. I'll list some (or most):
-Wakeboarding (twice, actually. There's a man-made lake specifically for it but you hold onto a cable connected to another cable - not a boat. Joe learned quickly and was attempting jumps by the end and I actually made it a fair distance for my first try!)
-Walking tour of Singapore (saw the Merlion, of course)
-Rock climbing (at one of the gyms with my friend, Liz. Dad bought me a new harness and sent it with Joe and I love it!)
-Lunch with our kind-of uncle and his family (really nice for Joe to meet them)
-out late and long with my friends
-hiking in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (saw monkeys, one of which stole my apple from my hands while I was looking the other way - the highlight of Joe's week and incredibly unexpected considering she jumped really far to grab it and had a baby hanging under her)
-ate prata and kopi
-class (he came to one - his first college class!)
I'm sure there's more that we did, but that's what comes to mind. It was really fun having him here. He's incredibly social - I can take him anywhere and he fits right in. He got along great with my friends, which made life with him here so much easier. It was weird sending him back to Portland because it'll be another five months before I see him again and in that time he'll have graduated from high school, figured out his plans for next year, had an entire summer, and turned nineteen. And who knows what I'll have done by then. Whew.
3. Weekend on Penang, Malaysia
On the plane to Singapore I met this woman, Gloria, who lives part time with her daughter in Portland and most of the time on Penang, an island off the west coast of Malaysia, and she invited me to come visit her there. Karlijn (my best girlfriend here) and I left early Saturday morning (after I slept an hour Friday night since I had to take Joe to the airport at 4am). It was a crazy day of traveling. We took a public bus across the border to Johor Bahru in hopes of getting a cheaper bus to Penang than we would from Singapore. The trip into Malaysia took about an hour and a half longer than we were told it would and then we were herded onto a last minute bus to Penang that was supposed to be direct but ended up stopping KL where we switched buses. Eventually, we made it to the ferry terminal on mainland Malaysia that was supposed to get us to Penang but it was pouring rain and 10pm, which was two hours later than we told Gloria we'd be. Plus, we hadn't eaten anything except grapes, granola bars, and pringles. After calling Gloria from a pay phone, a quick dinner, 15 minute ferry ride, and hour long bus ride, we made it to her condo and collapsed into bed at 1am, very wet from all the rain. It's a good thing Karlijn was there with me because it ended up being a fun adventure instead of a ridiculously frustrating experience.
We got up early the next day and took two buses to Penang Hill where we met two Americans and spent the day riding the very, very, very steep cable car that looks a hundred years old up the hill and then walking around on the top and taking pictures of Georgetown (the really nice town on Penang). It was a long but very nice day. For dinner, we went back to Gloria's and met some of her Dutch friends who ended up living just down the road from Karlijn's house in Holland. They know many of the same people - what a small world.
Monday we spent the morning at the pool at Gloria's condo, ate lunch with her, and then took the bus to Georgetown and spent the afternoon/evening walking around. We both loved Georgetown. All the people were really friendly, there aren't very many tall buildings and most of the architecture is interesting and old. It's easy to walk around, the traffic isn't too bad, and the pace of pedestrians is easygoing. We found this little outdoor cafe in an alley and it turned out to be a highly acclaimed local coffee and toast place. We also got full body massages, which was a lovely way to spend the end of our little holiday.
The night bus left at 10:30pm and we arrived in Singapore at 7:30 this morning. Today and tomorrow will be work days (gah, presentations and group projects!) and then I'm off to Indonesia this weekend with Karlijn and our other really good friend, Gerrit. I'm excited for the three of us to travel together, I think we'll have a wonderful time.
That's all, folks! For those of you in the Pacific Northwest, give it some love for me! Having Joe here sure made me miss the Oregon climate. Not like I didn't before or anything...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Home Sweet Singapore
Hello hello!
Although I don't have any epic adventure stories to catch up, the past two weeks have really been very nice because I've just stayed in Singapore and spent time with friends. Here are some of the things I've been up to:
-Two days after getting back to Singapore, I had dinner with Andrew and Kendra who worked at Westwind when I was a camper. They'd been traveling in SE Asia and were spending one night in Singapore before heading back to the US. It was so wonderful to be able to talk to camp people. I really felt like I got a bit of home that week since I spent time with Nathan from college and then Andrew and Kendra from camp. It's going to be interesting not being there this summer and it was nice to talk to people who have been through that transition.
-I went shopping by myself, something I NEVER do. My experiences here have really been a test of my independence.
-I went climbing a couple of times, which was wonderful, of course (although, now that I've gotten a taste of outdoor climbing I just want more). I usually climb with Liz from the states who is living and working here but last week I also climbed with (another American and exchange student) Scott and it was fun to hear about his climbing experiences, etc.
-Last week, I had dinner with my Singaporean friend, Xintian (she went to Oregon last semester and has been a great help here by showing me around and being very supportive, etc.) and Simeon, the only other student here from Oregon. We went to a delicious Indian food place and exchanged adventure stories and the things we miss from the Northwest.
-I saw two movies in theaters (The Watchmen and He's Just Not That Into You), which is more than I've seen since I've been here and probably longer. It was actually a very nice change of pace and way of spending the evening with friends. Plus, the movies have Chinese subtitles, which is kind of cool.
-Group projects are due soon so I had several meetings for those for different classes and I'm also going to have to start to actually work. Ugh. At least my Black Pacific class is really interesting and the students I'm working with in my other classes are all very nice and fun.
-I'm planning a two day camp with Students Care Services which is like a social work organization that helps at-risk youth in Singapore. The camp is this Tuesday-Wednesday and is for twelve-thirteen year-olds who are transitioning from primary to secondary school. It's just me and these two young women from SCS that are running it. I don't even know how many kids. We're doing a hike on Pulau Ubin (an island for biking and hiking that belongs to Singapore - I went there before with friends, if you recall) so I went there last week to help figure out an appropriate route. I also wrote a value session (holla back, Westwind) and I'm excited to see how it goes!
-Friday night, I went to a Chinese Opera teahouse with three friends where we had a homemade Chinese dinner and then an opera performer came out and explained the meanings of the costumes, make-up, gestures, etc. of Chinese Opera. Then she and another woman performed a short piece for us (there was a group of French people there, too) with slides that explained (in English) what was going on. It was a really cool cultural experience and much more enjoyable than if I'd just gone to a really long Chinese opera because I would have had no idea what was going on.
After that, we met up with other friends and went about exploring the city until the wee hours of the morning.
-Saturday evening started with three of us playing frisbee outside our apartment buildings and we eventually accumulated 9-10 people for dinner. We made (that's right, we actually COOKED) macaroni with lots of cooked vegetables and cheese. We also had juice, watermelon, and ice cream. Back home, this would be a mediocre meal, but here is was INCREDIBLE. Just eating vegetables that weren't cooked with lots of oil and MSG was unbelievable. Plus the cheese. Man oh man. I usually don't even like most of the vegetables that I was so eagerly consuming. This was just heavenly, though. (If you're confused at all by this, please see the food section of a previous post entitled Life In Singapore)
-Today I went to an introduction bellydancing class with Liz (my climbing buddy) and a few other girlfriends. It was so awesome! I'm really a very slow learner and so I'm planning to practice more until I'm able to actually do what we were taught today, but it was fun to just learn a few moves and how to isolate your hips and everything. Basically, it was just an hour of lots of giggling and the really sweet teacher running around and saying things like, "Cute now, girls! Not dirty!","We're so sensual!" and "If you're not jiggling, you're not doing it right - this is not for really skinny girls!" Considering my friends and I were the tallest and "least skinny" (in comparison with the tiny Asian girls), this was quite encouraging. She gave a demonstration at the end and it was phenomenal - made me want to learn more!
-I made a calendar of the rest of my time in Singapore and time is quickly running out! I have a lot of logistics to figure out about the traveling I want to do and what's going on this summer. I've gotten an informal confirmation that I will be interning in KL this summer but I don't have any more information than that yet. Still, it's exciting!
AND JOE GETS HERE FRIDAY! (That's my brother, if you don't know)
All I have to do before then is group projects, prepare a presentation, the kids camp and figure out when/how I'm going to show him everything in Singapore in seven days. Sweet.
Also, Dear Oregon: send me some of your cold and I'll send you some of this never-ending, humid heat. That is all. PS I love you.
Someday soon, I will figure out how to post pictures - for now, find someone with facebook! (which now includes my mother...)
Although I don't have any epic adventure stories to catch up, the past two weeks have really been very nice because I've just stayed in Singapore and spent time with friends. Here are some of the things I've been up to:
-Two days after getting back to Singapore, I had dinner with Andrew and Kendra who worked at Westwind when I was a camper. They'd been traveling in SE Asia and were spending one night in Singapore before heading back to the US. It was so wonderful to be able to talk to camp people. I really felt like I got a bit of home that week since I spent time with Nathan from college and then Andrew and Kendra from camp. It's going to be interesting not being there this summer and it was nice to talk to people who have been through that transition.
-I went shopping by myself, something I NEVER do. My experiences here have really been a test of my independence.
-I went climbing a couple of times, which was wonderful, of course (although, now that I've gotten a taste of outdoor climbing I just want more). I usually climb with Liz from the states who is living and working here but last week I also climbed with (another American and exchange student) Scott and it was fun to hear about his climbing experiences, etc.
-Last week, I had dinner with my Singaporean friend, Xintian (she went to Oregon last semester and has been a great help here by showing me around and being very supportive, etc.) and Simeon, the only other student here from Oregon. We went to a delicious Indian food place and exchanged adventure stories and the things we miss from the Northwest.
-I saw two movies in theaters (The Watchmen and He's Just Not That Into You), which is more than I've seen since I've been here and probably longer. It was actually a very nice change of pace and way of spending the evening with friends. Plus, the movies have Chinese subtitles, which is kind of cool.
-Group projects are due soon so I had several meetings for those for different classes and I'm also going to have to start to actually work. Ugh. At least my Black Pacific class is really interesting and the students I'm working with in my other classes are all very nice and fun.
-I'm planning a two day camp with Students Care Services which is like a social work organization that helps at-risk youth in Singapore. The camp is this Tuesday-Wednesday and is for twelve-thirteen year-olds who are transitioning from primary to secondary school. It's just me and these two young women from SCS that are running it. I don't even know how many kids. We're doing a hike on Pulau Ubin (an island for biking and hiking that belongs to Singapore - I went there before with friends, if you recall) so I went there last week to help figure out an appropriate route. I also wrote a value session (holla back, Westwind) and I'm excited to see how it goes!
-Friday night, I went to a Chinese Opera teahouse with three friends where we had a homemade Chinese dinner and then an opera performer came out and explained the meanings of the costumes, make-up, gestures, etc. of Chinese Opera. Then she and another woman performed a short piece for us (there was a group of French people there, too) with slides that explained (in English) what was going on. It was a really cool cultural experience and much more enjoyable than if I'd just gone to a really long Chinese opera because I would have had no idea what was going on.
After that, we met up with other friends and went about exploring the city until the wee hours of the morning.
-Saturday evening started with three of us playing frisbee outside our apartment buildings and we eventually accumulated 9-10 people for dinner. We made (that's right, we actually COOKED) macaroni with lots of cooked vegetables and cheese. We also had juice, watermelon, and ice cream. Back home, this would be a mediocre meal, but here is was INCREDIBLE. Just eating vegetables that weren't cooked with lots of oil and MSG was unbelievable. Plus the cheese. Man oh man. I usually don't even like most of the vegetables that I was so eagerly consuming. This was just heavenly, though. (If you're confused at all by this, please see the food section of a previous post entitled Life In Singapore)
-Today I went to an introduction bellydancing class with Liz (my climbing buddy) and a few other girlfriends. It was so awesome! I'm really a very slow learner and so I'm planning to practice more until I'm able to actually do what we were taught today, but it was fun to just learn a few moves and how to isolate your hips and everything. Basically, it was just an hour of lots of giggling and the really sweet teacher running around and saying things like, "Cute now, girls! Not dirty!","We're so sensual!" and "If you're not jiggling, you're not doing it right - this is not for really skinny girls!" Considering my friends and I were the tallest and "least skinny" (in comparison with the tiny Asian girls), this was quite encouraging. She gave a demonstration at the end and it was phenomenal - made me want to learn more!
-I made a calendar of the rest of my time in Singapore and time is quickly running out! I have a lot of logistics to figure out about the traveling I want to do and what's going on this summer. I've gotten an informal confirmation that I will be interning in KL this summer but I don't have any more information than that yet. Still, it's exciting!
AND JOE GETS HERE FRIDAY! (That's my brother, if you don't know)
All I have to do before then is group projects, prepare a presentation, the kids camp and figure out when/how I'm going to show him everything in Singapore in seven days. Sweet.
Also, Dear Oregon: send me some of your cold and I'll send you some of this never-ending, humid heat. That is all. PS I love you.
Someday soon, I will figure out how to post pictures - for now, find someone with facebook! (which now includes my mother...)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Thailand
So! To complete my spring break update, I must write about my time in Thailand.
I flew from Phnom Penh to Bangkok on Friday afternoon and then took a bus from the airport to the area of town my hostel was in. The bus ride ended up being an hour and a half, which was longer than my flight there! Finding the hostel was really easy and inside, waiting for me, was my friend Nathan from home (he's studying in Tokyo for the year and we're the only two of our college friends abroad right now). After checking in, we had a delicious reunion dinner at a Thai restaurant (who would've thought, being in Thailand and all) and then basically went to bed.
A few of my friends from Singapore were staying at the same hostel as us so we spent the next day with them (after I did laundry, of course). We managed to cram all five of us into a tiny tuk-tuk and then took a crowded ferry down the river to the Royal Palace where we saw the Emerald Buddha (among other statues and incredible architecture). After that, we went to Wat Pho which houses the reclining Buddha. It was SO COOL. Basically, it's this MASSIVE Buddha that you can't even see all of at once because it's SO BIG. It's shiny and gold and in this building with pillars so you get pockets of space to see it through as you walk around the whole thing. The soles of its feet are black with these intricate designs made of mother of pearl. Way cool. And from it's feet, you can kind of see down it's whole body. That's the most complete view you can get. Fun fact of the day: did you know that it's beyond rude (basically, it's just against the rules) to use any Buddha as a background for a picture with people? You can take pictures of Buddha by itself, but not with you standing in front of it. In Wat Pho, there were many people breaking this rule.
Next, we took a little ferry across the river and went to Wat Arun. You don't go into this one, but it's kind of a tall tower that is intricately decorated with mosaics made from what looks like pieces of broken pottery or china dishes and it has very, very, VERY steep stairs the lead 3/4 of the way up. There's a great view of the river and Bangkok from up there, we were glad we went.
We had dinner in this little hole in the wall Indian restaurant that Lonely Planet recommended that was down a super sketchy alley but was so delicious. After a difficult time negotiating with multiple tuk-tuk drivers, we managed to find one to take us back to the hostel where Nathan and I spent the evening planning for what we were going to do the rest of the week. I had originally planned on going North for some elephant-riding and trekking, but Nathan really wanted to go South to the beautiful beaches. I relented and the next morning we went and bought cheap round-trip (both our flights back home left from Bangkok) night bus tickets, walked around Chinatown for a while, and then took the skytrain (basically equivalent to Singapore's MRT) to this outdoor market place that another American at the hostel had recommended we go to. It was a pretty cool market (although it was very hot) and we had fun walking around and checking stuff out. Nathan hadn't had longans (a fruit kind of like lychees that are little brown balls and then clear and sweet with a seed inside once you peel off the outside shell) so we bought some and ate them in the park and then made our way back to the hostel to grab our stuff and then the bus station where we ate dinner and then boarded our night bus!
The seats were not as big and comfy as the ones on the bus that I'd taken to the Cameron Highlands, but they gave us tons of snacks and a little juice box and played this really bizarre Thai movie that we alternatively enjoyed and were weirded out by. No one on the bus really spoke English, though, so it makes me wonder what we would've done if something had happened/gone wrong. Traveling is tricky! I slept a little, but Nate didn't really sleep at all, so we were tired when we finally arrived in Krabi at 6:45am after 11 hours. The hostel in Krabi town (we wanted to avoid the expensive tourist trap of staying on an actual beach) didn't have our reservation so we just walked up a block and found an even cheaper place that turned out to work really well. They had these pick-up trucks with benches in the back that kind of act like buses that we rode to the beach (about 20 minutes away) and we spent the day on Ao Nang. We took turns swimming (didn't want to abandon our stuff) and got Thai massages in the afternoon (6USD for an hour!). We finished the day by drinking Mai Thai's on the beach (Nathan's treat - it was the deal if I agreed to go South) and then made our way back to Krabi town.
The next day was the BEST. We got up early, got picked up by our guide, and then took a boat to a peninsula where we spent the morning OUTDOOR ROCK CLIMBING. Basically, the best thing ever. We were on the beach (the water was like four yards away from the cliff we were climbing) and although it was really busy (there were seven us in our group and then another couple of groups), it was so much fun. I managed to finish all three of the climbs I tried (one was at least 65+ feet high - I got up to the top and could see everything) and it was ridiculously awesome. AND I ran into the New Zealander that I'd met in the Cameron Highlands! He was also there to climb. Nathan and I decided to spend the rest of the day on the peninsula with this guy, Ben, from Switzerland and we hiked to two other beaches and saw some unbelievably amazing climbers. Awesome. Eventually, we found a very steep "trail" up a cliff to a viewpoint. The trail was all rocks and roots covered in red soil so we were totally soaked with sweat and caked with red powder when we were done, but the view was totally worth it and it was all so much fun. We ate a huge dinner that night, needless to say.
Nate and I spent the next day lounging on another beach and I got royally burned. Now I'm royally tan, which is awesome, but at the time, it was very painful. And I was only in the sun for ten minutes each side and I wore sunscreen AND I was soooooo not as bad as the old tourists on the beach who are basically purple and are all going to die of skin cancer. Gross. That's the thing about these Thai beaches. They are naturally very, very beautiful and I'm really glad I got to see them. However, they are chalk full of white Westerners spending tons of money and baking themselves and they ruin the view. The only locals you run into are ones who are trying to sell you something and they just look so hot and tired. It's hard - I wish the beaches would kick us all off and be their natural, beautiful selves again so that the people wouldn't be forced to succumb to touristic demands all the time, but at the same time, at this point, the locals are dependent on the tourists and would be in a very bad situation if we left. Ultimately, I really enjoyed my time there, but I do not feel the need to go back (unless, of course, it's for some sweet climbing trip or something).
The next day we were too burned and tired and it was very hot, so we basically lounged around all day before taking our night bus except for about an hour and a half where we took a walk on a boardwalk through a mangrove forest, which was very peaceful and a relief from the sun. Our bus left Krabi at 5:30pm Thursday and dropped us in Bangkok at 4:30am Friday (they gave us free dinner! And this time the movie was American - Transporter 3 - but dubbed in Thai) and we immediately went back to the hostel we stayed at before (Nate had a reservation there for Friday night because he wasn't leaving until Saturday morning) and they were nice enough to let us crash on the cushions in the TV room. The next day we didn't feel like braving the city except to eat, so we watched Burn After Reading and Quantum of Solace with some British girls who were also trying to kill time before their flight. I had to get the bus to the airport at four, so said goodbye to Nate that afternoon before flying back here.
The only thing that was really disappointing was that we weren't really able to find really good Pad Thai in Thailand. Weird, right? We had it at least four separate times in a variety of places (nice restaurant, food stall, lunch place, another restaurant) but twice it didn't even have peanuts and it was just less than satisfactory all four times. This breaks my heart. I love pad thai in the US and can't really believe that I like it better than pad thai in Thailand. Oh well. If I go back, I'll keep trying.
Unfortunately, upon arrival in Singapore, I've had to deal with a bout of traveler's diarrhea, but it happens, I knew it would on one of these trips, and I'm just very glad that it wasn't until I got home. And that I have antibiotics.
The last two weeks were really a whole lot of fun and I'm so excited about everything I got to experience. It was also really nice to get back to Singapore. It felt like coming home and that is definitely a good feeling. It's a relief to be able to drink the tap water again and to not have to wear a money belt. And to catch up with my friends here, of course.
The world is wide open!
LOVE,
M-"I just want to climb EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME"-addy
I flew from Phnom Penh to Bangkok on Friday afternoon and then took a bus from the airport to the area of town my hostel was in. The bus ride ended up being an hour and a half, which was longer than my flight there! Finding the hostel was really easy and inside, waiting for me, was my friend Nathan from home (he's studying in Tokyo for the year and we're the only two of our college friends abroad right now). After checking in, we had a delicious reunion dinner at a Thai restaurant (who would've thought, being in Thailand and all) and then basically went to bed.
A few of my friends from Singapore were staying at the same hostel as us so we spent the next day with them (after I did laundry, of course). We managed to cram all five of us into a tiny tuk-tuk and then took a crowded ferry down the river to the Royal Palace where we saw the Emerald Buddha (among other statues and incredible architecture). After that, we went to Wat Pho which houses the reclining Buddha. It was SO COOL. Basically, it's this MASSIVE Buddha that you can't even see all of at once because it's SO BIG. It's shiny and gold and in this building with pillars so you get pockets of space to see it through as you walk around the whole thing. The soles of its feet are black with these intricate designs made of mother of pearl. Way cool. And from it's feet, you can kind of see down it's whole body. That's the most complete view you can get. Fun fact of the day: did you know that it's beyond rude (basically, it's just against the rules) to use any Buddha as a background for a picture with people? You can take pictures of Buddha by itself, but not with you standing in front of it. In Wat Pho, there were many people breaking this rule.
Next, we took a little ferry across the river and went to Wat Arun. You don't go into this one, but it's kind of a tall tower that is intricately decorated with mosaics made from what looks like pieces of broken pottery or china dishes and it has very, very, VERY steep stairs the lead 3/4 of the way up. There's a great view of the river and Bangkok from up there, we were glad we went.
We had dinner in this little hole in the wall Indian restaurant that Lonely Planet recommended that was down a super sketchy alley but was so delicious. After a difficult time negotiating with multiple tuk-tuk drivers, we managed to find one to take us back to the hostel where Nathan and I spent the evening planning for what we were going to do the rest of the week. I had originally planned on going North for some elephant-riding and trekking, but Nathan really wanted to go South to the beautiful beaches. I relented and the next morning we went and bought cheap round-trip (both our flights back home left from Bangkok) night bus tickets, walked around Chinatown for a while, and then took the skytrain (basically equivalent to Singapore's MRT) to this outdoor market place that another American at the hostel had recommended we go to. It was a pretty cool market (although it was very hot) and we had fun walking around and checking stuff out. Nathan hadn't had longans (a fruit kind of like lychees that are little brown balls and then clear and sweet with a seed inside once you peel off the outside shell) so we bought some and ate them in the park and then made our way back to the hostel to grab our stuff and then the bus station where we ate dinner and then boarded our night bus!
The seats were not as big and comfy as the ones on the bus that I'd taken to the Cameron Highlands, but they gave us tons of snacks and a little juice box and played this really bizarre Thai movie that we alternatively enjoyed and were weirded out by. No one on the bus really spoke English, though, so it makes me wonder what we would've done if something had happened/gone wrong. Traveling is tricky! I slept a little, but Nate didn't really sleep at all, so we were tired when we finally arrived in Krabi at 6:45am after 11 hours. The hostel in Krabi town (we wanted to avoid the expensive tourist trap of staying on an actual beach) didn't have our reservation so we just walked up a block and found an even cheaper place that turned out to work really well. They had these pick-up trucks with benches in the back that kind of act like buses that we rode to the beach (about 20 minutes away) and we spent the day on Ao Nang. We took turns swimming (didn't want to abandon our stuff) and got Thai massages in the afternoon (6USD for an hour!). We finished the day by drinking Mai Thai's on the beach (Nathan's treat - it was the deal if I agreed to go South) and then made our way back to Krabi town.
The next day was the BEST. We got up early, got picked up by our guide, and then took a boat to a peninsula where we spent the morning OUTDOOR ROCK CLIMBING. Basically, the best thing ever. We were on the beach (the water was like four yards away from the cliff we were climbing) and although it was really busy (there were seven us in our group and then another couple of groups), it was so much fun. I managed to finish all three of the climbs I tried (one was at least 65+ feet high - I got up to the top and could see everything) and it was ridiculously awesome. AND I ran into the New Zealander that I'd met in the Cameron Highlands! He was also there to climb. Nathan and I decided to spend the rest of the day on the peninsula with this guy, Ben, from Switzerland and we hiked to two other beaches and saw some unbelievably amazing climbers. Awesome. Eventually, we found a very steep "trail" up a cliff to a viewpoint. The trail was all rocks and roots covered in red soil so we were totally soaked with sweat and caked with red powder when we were done, but the view was totally worth it and it was all so much fun. We ate a huge dinner that night, needless to say.
Nate and I spent the next day lounging on another beach and I got royally burned. Now I'm royally tan, which is awesome, but at the time, it was very painful. And I was only in the sun for ten minutes each side and I wore sunscreen AND I was soooooo not as bad as the old tourists on the beach who are basically purple and are all going to die of skin cancer. Gross. That's the thing about these Thai beaches. They are naturally very, very beautiful and I'm really glad I got to see them. However, they are chalk full of white Westerners spending tons of money and baking themselves and they ruin the view. The only locals you run into are ones who are trying to sell you something and they just look so hot and tired. It's hard - I wish the beaches would kick us all off and be their natural, beautiful selves again so that the people wouldn't be forced to succumb to touristic demands all the time, but at the same time, at this point, the locals are dependent on the tourists and would be in a very bad situation if we left. Ultimately, I really enjoyed my time there, but I do not feel the need to go back (unless, of course, it's for some sweet climbing trip or something).
The next day we were too burned and tired and it was very hot, so we basically lounged around all day before taking our night bus except for about an hour and a half where we took a walk on a boardwalk through a mangrove forest, which was very peaceful and a relief from the sun. Our bus left Krabi at 5:30pm Thursday and dropped us in Bangkok at 4:30am Friday (they gave us free dinner! And this time the movie was American - Transporter 3 - but dubbed in Thai) and we immediately went back to the hostel we stayed at before (Nate had a reservation there for Friday night because he wasn't leaving until Saturday morning) and they were nice enough to let us crash on the cushions in the TV room. The next day we didn't feel like braving the city except to eat, so we watched Burn After Reading and Quantum of Solace with some British girls who were also trying to kill time before their flight. I had to get the bus to the airport at four, so said goodbye to Nate that afternoon before flying back here.
The only thing that was really disappointing was that we weren't really able to find really good Pad Thai in Thailand. Weird, right? We had it at least four separate times in a variety of places (nice restaurant, food stall, lunch place, another restaurant) but twice it didn't even have peanuts and it was just less than satisfactory all four times. This breaks my heart. I love pad thai in the US and can't really believe that I like it better than pad thai in Thailand. Oh well. If I go back, I'll keep trying.
Unfortunately, upon arrival in Singapore, I've had to deal with a bout of traveler's diarrhea, but it happens, I knew it would on one of these trips, and I'm just very glad that it wasn't until I got home. And that I have antibiotics.
The last two weeks were really a whole lot of fun and I'm so excited about everything I got to experience. It was also really nice to get back to Singapore. It felt like coming home and that is definitely a good feeling. It's a relief to be able to drink the tap water again and to not have to wear a money belt. And to catch up with my friends here, of course.
The world is wide open!
LOVE,
M-"I just want to climb EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME"-addy
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