Basically, I had two exams with ten days in between them to study (HA) and so I said "PEACE" to Singapore and my friends and took off for a solo adventure to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. This is was the one place that I decided before I left the states that I had to go to and the one thing I had to do was ride an elephant. Plus (I didn't realize this until I was on the plane), it's on my list of things to do in life to go on a trip by myself (moving somewhere like Singapore doesn't count - "trip" on that list = destination/hostel/traveling/blah blah blah all on my lonesome). So CHECK CHECK CHECK to all three of those things!
I stayed at this super sweet hostel called Julie's Guesthouse (the dorm room bed I got cost about 2USD a night) that was funky and fun and had excellent muesli and a wonderful rooftop hangout area with big bed/couch things and pillows. I met a girl from England that was very friendly and we became sort of travel buddies, wandering around some of the temples with a group of people we met at the hostel and then going on a two-day trek. The trek was very touristy but most travelers that go to Chiang Mai do it and it involved the elephants, so I had to.
Two-day Trek: first to a market, then the elephant ride, a four-hour trek through the jungle, staying overnight in a village, trek back down the next day, river rafting, then river-cruising on a sinking bamboo raft and then back to your hostel. It was fun and I had good people with me, so I enjoyed myself (one guy was from Russia but had done his Masters at UO! Crazy small world again, eh? - Ger, I'm beginning to sound like you with all my "eh"s).
Notes of interest: Elephant ride! It was cool, I'm glad I did it, but the elephants didn't seem to happy (although I was assured they are not over-worked) and they're getting fed way too many bananas by overeager tourists. Plus, there's a guide sitting on it's head and directing it and stuff, so you really don't get to connect with the animal like I feel like I do/can with a horse. Most of the time I was trying not to fall out of the chair thing on the elephant's back, but at one point I got to sit on it's neck and elephant hair is very stiff and scratchy.
The moment of most distinction for me was staying overnight at the village. The trek uphill had been really hard and after rinsing off with cold water from a bucket, I went to go watch the locals make us curry for dinner (it was SO GOOD). Point is, I was sitting there in my sweater, my legs feeling lose from a day of hiking, watching people cook over a fire and listening to a guy play guitar. I swear, northern Thailand smells just like Oregon sometimes. It felt like camp. Just like camp. And, call me sappy, but that line from Bluest came into my head in Heather's voice, "no matter where you go, there's no such place as far away," and it just all felt like home. Because the Blue follows me everywhere.
Now on to my absolute FAVORITE part of my trip to northern Thailand: I learned to LEAD CLIMB. Rock climbing is probably one of my favorite things to do and I've gotten more and more into over the last year. Nathan and I climbed outdoors together (my first time!) in Krabi in southern Thailand and so I knew I'd have to do it again. And then I was like, you know what? I'll just learn to set up my own ropes! So this Thai guy (he's on the national climbing team and took THIRD in this huge competition in Krabi) took me out to some sweet rocks and taught me how to hook the rope in (it changes depending on which way the quickdraw - carabiner - is facing and which hand you're using), belay a lead climber, set up a top-rope and clean up my route. IT WAS SO AWESOME. Plus, while learning, I met this nice couple from England who have all their own ropes and are planning on being in KL in June or July so hopefully I'll get to climb outdoors with them!
The hard part of my trip was getting back to Singapore because my flight was from Chiang Mai to KL and then I had to grab a bus to the bus station an hour from the airport and then a bus from there back to Singapore that should've only been about three or four hours but ended up being five or six. Luckily, my good friends were still awake at 1:30am when I showed up at their door and we had a nice, midnight-snack reunion.
I learned that I don't mind traveling alone, turns out I didn't even get as much alone-time as I may have wanted/enjoyed, but I think that if I was doing a longer trip, I'd probably want someone there with me. It just gets tiring telling everyone you meet the same story and little facts about yourself and what you're doing out on the road. I think I'd need someone who actually knew me to be a relief from all that, at least every once and a while.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Under The Sea
Alrighty, then! Here I am, back in Singapore after epic adventures avec ma mere in Borneo and preparing to move to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and I have to stretch my mind all the way back to over a MONTH ago to tell the story of how I learned to scuba dive. Silly me, I should really learn to do the things on my "To Do" list in a more sensible fashion.
So, here goes:
My friend, Jo, and I decided to get our Open Water PADI certifications (meaning, we can go 18 meters - although now I've gone deeper, whoops! - with a buddy) on a little island off the east coast of Malaysia called Tioman (about a four hour bus from Singapore + an hour ferry + a whole lot of waiting time because it's never on schedule). Our other friends who were already certified spent a few days there as well and the group of us had a grand time sitting on the beach, chatting with the locals and looking for sea shells. It was great.
Jo and I spent three full days learning how to dive, which involved watching movies, reading the textbook, taking quizzes, spending time in the pool with all our gear on and learning how to do skills, as well as learning how to manage and take care of the gear. It was all a little intimidating but totally awesome and worth it in the long-run. Our instructor was good with us, too, and really knew what he was doing, so that also helped. (PS one of the instructors had been on the island for seven years but was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon and was a UO duck like me! Small world, eh?)
The first time we went into the ocean was pretty bizarre feeling. We just put everything on, the BCD (jacket thing), air tank, weights, suit, etc., and then just walked right out into the water. Once we got out to a certain point, we put in our regulators (what you breathe through), let all the air out of our BCDs and literally sank into the water. Here's the catch: you're underwater, but YOU CAN STILL BREATHE. "Duh, Maddy, that's what scuba diving is," you say? Well, let me tell you that the first time (and the second, third, fourth...) you do it, it's just way cool and such a weird sensation that I had to keep reminding myself it was the real deal. For some people, it's just too much, but Jo and I found that if you just focus on your breathing and let yourself into this kind of zen mode, it's all just fine and dandy.
Tioman was a great island for diving. Everyone was super relaxed - I didn't wear shoes for four days. The beach we were on just had a little pathway along it and the huts people stayed in, no road or anything like that (although there are beaches with roads on Tioman - mainly just the one with the little airport). And the marine life was so fantastic. Karlijn and I went snorkeling one day and saw so much stuff just off shore! The problem with trying to tell you all about what I saw is that I have no idea what it's all called. So, basically, over the course of the weekend, I saw fish of many colors, sizes, shapes, and patterns, plus two big puffer fish, an eel, two turtles, some black-tipped reef sharks and a cleaner wrasse (small fish with a white stripe) that tried to eat my anklet. What an epic adventure.
This is a concise version of the blog I would have written years ago when it actually happened, but I have a whole long list of other things to share with you and I'm sure you don't want to read a novel about it all! Be prepared - more to come!
So, here goes:
My friend, Jo, and I decided to get our Open Water PADI certifications (meaning, we can go 18 meters - although now I've gone deeper, whoops! - with a buddy) on a little island off the east coast of Malaysia called Tioman (about a four hour bus from Singapore + an hour ferry + a whole lot of waiting time because it's never on schedule). Our other friends who were already certified spent a few days there as well and the group of us had a grand time sitting on the beach, chatting with the locals and looking for sea shells. It was great.
Jo and I spent three full days learning how to dive, which involved watching movies, reading the textbook, taking quizzes, spending time in the pool with all our gear on and learning how to do skills, as well as learning how to manage and take care of the gear. It was all a little intimidating but totally awesome and worth it in the long-run. Our instructor was good with us, too, and really knew what he was doing, so that also helped. (PS one of the instructors had been on the island for seven years but was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon and was a UO duck like me! Small world, eh?)
The first time we went into the ocean was pretty bizarre feeling. We just put everything on, the BCD (jacket thing), air tank, weights, suit, etc., and then just walked right out into the water. Once we got out to a certain point, we put in our regulators (what you breathe through), let all the air out of our BCDs and literally sank into the water. Here's the catch: you're underwater, but YOU CAN STILL BREATHE. "Duh, Maddy, that's what scuba diving is," you say? Well, let me tell you that the first time (and the second, third, fourth...) you do it, it's just way cool and such a weird sensation that I had to keep reminding myself it was the real deal. For some people, it's just too much, but Jo and I found that if you just focus on your breathing and let yourself into this kind of zen mode, it's all just fine and dandy.
Tioman was a great island for diving. Everyone was super relaxed - I didn't wear shoes for four days. The beach we were on just had a little pathway along it and the huts people stayed in, no road or anything like that (although there are beaches with roads on Tioman - mainly just the one with the little airport). And the marine life was so fantastic. Karlijn and I went snorkeling one day and saw so much stuff just off shore! The problem with trying to tell you all about what I saw is that I have no idea what it's all called. So, basically, over the course of the weekend, I saw fish of many colors, sizes, shapes, and patterns, plus two big puffer fish, an eel, two turtles, some black-tipped reef sharks and a cleaner wrasse (small fish with a white stripe) that tried to eat my anklet. What an epic adventure.
This is a concise version of the blog I would have written years ago when it actually happened, but I have a whole long list of other things to share with you and I'm sure you don't want to read a novel about it all! Be prepared - more to come!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I AM ALIVE
Hello all!
I know I am crazily behind on this blog but the last month has been all madness and heatness in SE Asia and I haven't been able to keep up. Fortunately, I have a whole long list of things to write about at a later date (I know I know, I'm still unable to catch up! Sorry!), which I PROMISE, I will do.
BUT tomorrow I head off to Borneo with my mom (she made it!) and we'll be there just over two weeks. My hope is that I'll get to crash in front of a computer at some hotel/hostel along the way and tell you all about scuba diving, Thailand by myself and then again for the Full Moon Party (no need to worry, NC Grandma! I didn't go anywhere near Bangkok), exams, saying goodbye to friends, moving out of Singapore, and other minor things that were supposed to be a blog a few weeks ago when I didn't have much to say and then just didn't say anything at all.
ANYWAY, love to you all and I just wanted to stay I'm still out here, sweating my way through SE Asia and I promise an update sometime soon(ish).
Ik mis je! ("I miss you" in Dutch, courtesy of my bestie, Karlijn)
I know I am crazily behind on this blog but the last month has been all madness and heatness in SE Asia and I haven't been able to keep up. Fortunately, I have a whole long list of things to write about at a later date (I know I know, I'm still unable to catch up! Sorry!), which I PROMISE, I will do.
BUT tomorrow I head off to Borneo with my mom (she made it!) and we'll be there just over two weeks. My hope is that I'll get to crash in front of a computer at some hotel/hostel along the way and tell you all about scuba diving, Thailand by myself and then again for the Full Moon Party (no need to worry, NC Grandma! I didn't go anywhere near Bangkok), exams, saying goodbye to friends, moving out of Singapore, and other minor things that were supposed to be a blog a few weeks ago when I didn't have much to say and then just didn't say anything at all.
ANYWAY, love to you all and I just wanted to stay I'm still out here, sweating my way through SE Asia and I promise an update sometime soon(ish).
Ik mis je! ("I miss you" in Dutch, courtesy of my bestie, Karlijn)
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