By the time Cindy and I left the Pehrentian Islands, the group of 25 we had been hanging out with had dwindled down to 4 Danish guys (Stephan, Kasper, Daniel and Silas, who taught us a Danish song I can't get out of my head), and 2 Australians (Jules and Nick). One of the dive shops held a giant birthday party on our last night, and we ended up dancing in a torrential downpour before lightning came and moved the party indoors. The next afternoon, we were sad to leave our friends behind on the island.
We took an overnight bus from Kuala Besut to Kuala Lumpur the night of the 30th, and met some more Canadians (Liz and Sean), who we talked with pretty extensively. They've both been teaching in Korea for a few years, and had had some interesting experiences in India, so we picked up some great advice and the Lonely Planet, India, book from them. The book is giant, and since we'll only be in the north and we won't be there for almost 2 months we're going to tear out the pages we don't need to minimize space and weight in our backpacks. The good news is that I traded 2 books for it, so I'm not adding too much weight to my pack by carrying it around. I'm still trying to minimize though . . .
We flew from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan, a town in the East Malaysia (Borneo) province of Sabah, the afternoon of the 31st. We weren't in KL long enough to even see the towers - which we've heard are over-rated - but we're hoping to take them in when we go back on the 15th. After another full 24 hours of traveling we arrived at the Sandakan Harbour Square B&B, where we secured a room with air conditioning - the first on this trip since we left Scott & Cynthia's in Bangkok.
The owner of the B&B, Polly, helped us set up multiple trips around the area. Tomorrow we'll visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, which is just outside Sandakan. We'll be there for the afternoon feeding after a short stop in the Sandakan Memorial Park, which is where the Japanese started the Malaysian people on a death march during WWII.
On the 3rd we'll leave Sandakan for a river safari out of Sukau. We'll travel by boat through the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, which is in the floodplain of the Kinabatangan River. We should be able to see wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, and birds. If we're lucky we might get to see rhinos and leopards, as well. It's a 3 day excursion, so we're hoping to see a lot of wildlife - probably mostly birds - in 2 full days and one early morning. Hopefully we won't be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
At 9am on June 5th we're meeting a bus in Sukau that will take us to Sempurna, where we'll stay for a few days before starting our dive course at Sipidan, one of the world's best dive spots. Our table course is set for June 7th, and we'll dive the 8th, 9th, and 10th. Both of us are looking so forward to it that it's hard to believe we're stuck in a city for a few days before our explorations begin, but we have a lot of things to accomplish before we leave for the river cruise (like uploading pictures and buying more bug spray . . .) so we'll stay busy until then.
We got a late start today since we didn't wake up too hot - I think we slept for a full 12 hours, the longest night's sleep yet. We woke up with 5 minutes left before they finished serving breakfast and ate peanut butter toast and drank 3 cups of coffee. They sell these Nescafe packets here that are amazing - coffee, cream, and sugar all in one. It's not as good as traditional Malaysian coffee, which is super strong and served with condensed milk, but it's probably much healthier. :)
I hope everyone back home is doing well. Happy birthday to Colin on June 3rd!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Scratch Bali
Cindy and I tried to book what we thought were some pretty amazing deals on Air Asia that would've gotten us into Bali for an amazingly low price ($5 US), but . . . with fuel surcharges, convenience surcharges, etc. the tickets came out to more than we were willing to spend, so we've decided to leave for Kuala Lumpur on the 30th and head from there to Borneo, where we're planning to get certified to scuba dive. We could've done it on the beach we're on, but we waited too long to start and now that we're leaving we don't have enough days left to get our certification before we have to catch our bus to KL.
We've heard wonderful things about Borneo, and we're really looking forward to making the trip there. I'm sure we'll spend some time laying in the sun, but with a 3-day certification class and maybe an extra day for the deep diving certification, plus all the jungle treks we've heard about, we'll actually be getting some exercise other than volleyball and swimming soon. Yay!!!
For now, we're content to soak up as many rays as possible, but we're running out of sunscreen so we have to be careful about how many hours we spend in the sun. Other than that, we're just eating great food and meeting new people - two of my favorite things.
We've heard wonderful things about Borneo, and we're really looking forward to making the trip there. I'm sure we'll spend some time laying in the sun, but with a 3-day certification class and maybe an extra day for the deep diving certification, plus all the jungle treks we've heard about, we'll actually be getting some exercise other than volleyball and swimming soon. Yay!!!
For now, we're content to soak up as many rays as possible, but we're running out of sunscreen so we have to be careful about how many hours we spend in the sun. Other than that, we're just eating great food and meeting new people - two of my favorite things.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Malaysia
We're still at Perhentian Kecil, where we'll probably be for a few more days. Today was a shade day since we went out for our friends from Vancouver's last night on the island and everyone had a few too many drinks. (Goodbye to Joey, Hafeez, and Alistair. You are already missed, but we'll have a reunion in Seattle or Vancouver when we get back - or maybe even in my "hometown" of Kelowna!)
Cindy and I have been researching our plan for the next few weeks and ran across a Web special through Asia Air that will get us from Kuala Lumpur to Bali for about $15, so we may be headed south instead of north since the weather will be nicer there. Whoever's idea it was to travel to SE Asia during monsoon season wasn't thinking! :) That won't be for a few more weeks, since we're planning to go through Taman Negara, "the world's oldest rainforest" before going over to Borneo to hike around and witness the deforestation there. In the meantime, we're spending our time playing volleyball, sitting on the beach, and trying to avoid the giant monitor lizard that we've seen hiding under our (and others') bungalow!!! It's about 5 feet long and looks REALLY mean, so we're doing our best to avoid it.
I hope everyone is enjoying Memorial Day weekend. We'll toast to you tomorrow. Have fund at the BBQs I hope you're all going to!
Congratulations to Heather and Roger, proud parents of Maile, born May 21st!
Cindy and I have been researching our plan for the next few weeks and ran across a Web special through Asia Air that will get us from Kuala Lumpur to Bali for about $15, so we may be headed south instead of north since the weather will be nicer there. Whoever's idea it was to travel to SE Asia during monsoon season wasn't thinking! :) That won't be for a few more weeks, since we're planning to go through Taman Negara, "the world's oldest rainforest" before going over to Borneo to hike around and witness the deforestation there. In the meantime, we're spending our time playing volleyball, sitting on the beach, and trying to avoid the giant monitor lizard that we've seen hiding under our (and others') bungalow!!! It's about 5 feet long and looks REALLY mean, so we're doing our best to avoid it.
I hope everyone is enjoying Memorial Day weekend. We'll toast to you tomorrow. Have fund at the BBQs I hope you're all going to!
Congratulations to Heather and Roger, proud parents of Maile, born May 21st!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Finding Nemo
Hello from Perhentian Kecil. We arrived here at about 8am yesterday after taking an overnight bus from Penang to Kuala Besut, then a short ferry ride over to the island just as the sun was coming up. Our "bungalow", or shack, is definitely lacking, but we made friends with some Canadians and Norwegians and haven't spent much time inside, anyway, so it really isn't a big deal. I can't wait to post pictures, though. Maybe soon if I'm lucky I'll be able to find a computer that will let me upload them.
We haven't found our favorite restaurant here yet, but I'm sure we will soon. The banana pancakes are on par with our liking, or at least that's the way it looks right now, so we'll probably be happy anywhere we eat. :) As for the coffee here . . . Malaysian coffee is supposed to be really strong, but what we've found on this beach is that the "local coffee" is a scoop of instant coffee, a tea bag, hot water, condensed milk, and possibly some chocolate. It's good, but interesting and probably horribly fattening. I'm going to try to get the recipe before we leave so I can make it when I get home.
Today we did an all-day snorkeling adventure at Perhentian Besar, which is less than 5 minutes away by boat. For those of you who have snorkeled with me, you know I'm not too keen on having fish swim all around me, but this was truly a new experience for me. We saw at least 5 reef sharks at the first beach - a first for me. We also saw a roper, I think it was called, which basically blended in with the brown color of some of the coral, but was probably about the size of a 35 inch TV or so. The coral was absolutely stunning, and we saw all kinds of little fish that I probably saw in Hawaii, but don't remember. They were every color imaginable and they're so used to having people around that they don't scare easily, which is nice. The second beach we went to was more of the same, minus the sharks. Coral and more fish. I wish I knew the names of them so I could be more descriptive.
Third, we went to a beach where we were able to swim with giant turtles. Our group spotted one pretty far off shore, and we swam with it for 150 yards or so before we gave up chasing it. What an amazing experience. We swam with another for a bit, but there were a bunch of people who showed up at the same time that we spotted the second one, so it wasn't as good of an experience because there's a huge difference between 5 people and 25 people trying to get a look - all under water, kicking each other and pushing to get a good view. All in all, a great experience.
The fourth reef we went to was once again full of little fish, and we had to be aware because there are "trigger fish" around, but we were lucky, I guess, not to see them. I'm not sure what happens when they bite you but apparently they're dangerous. It was, once again, gorgeous. The different coral and fish we saw were absolutely brilliant!
Finally, we landed on a small beach where we played catch with a flat football and swam a bit before coming back "home" and savoring some time in the shade. I'm a little pink today, but hopefully won't be burned by tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed.
We're planning to stay on this beach (Long Beach) for a few more days, then head down the coast to a wildlife refuge, or at least I think we're thinking about that right now. Time will tell.
I hope everyone is doing well back home. Happy birthday to Bob Russell (a day late, I think)!
We haven't found our favorite restaurant here yet, but I'm sure we will soon. The banana pancakes are on par with our liking, or at least that's the way it looks right now, so we'll probably be happy anywhere we eat. :) As for the coffee here . . . Malaysian coffee is supposed to be really strong, but what we've found on this beach is that the "local coffee" is a scoop of instant coffee, a tea bag, hot water, condensed milk, and possibly some chocolate. It's good, but interesting and probably horribly fattening. I'm going to try to get the recipe before we leave so I can make it when I get home.
Today we did an all-day snorkeling adventure at Perhentian Besar, which is less than 5 minutes away by boat. For those of you who have snorkeled with me, you know I'm not too keen on having fish swim all around me, but this was truly a new experience for me. We saw at least 5 reef sharks at the first beach - a first for me. We also saw a roper, I think it was called, which basically blended in with the brown color of some of the coral, but was probably about the size of a 35 inch TV or so. The coral was absolutely stunning, and we saw all kinds of little fish that I probably saw in Hawaii, but don't remember. They were every color imaginable and they're so used to having people around that they don't scare easily, which is nice. The second beach we went to was more of the same, minus the sharks. Coral and more fish. I wish I knew the names of them so I could be more descriptive.
Third, we went to a beach where we were able to swim with giant turtles. Our group spotted one pretty far off shore, and we swam with it for 150 yards or so before we gave up chasing it. What an amazing experience. We swam with another for a bit, but there were a bunch of people who showed up at the same time that we spotted the second one, so it wasn't as good of an experience because there's a huge difference between 5 people and 25 people trying to get a look - all under water, kicking each other and pushing to get a good view. All in all, a great experience.
The fourth reef we went to was once again full of little fish, and we had to be aware because there are "trigger fish" around, but we were lucky, I guess, not to see them. I'm not sure what happens when they bite you but apparently they're dangerous. It was, once again, gorgeous. The different coral and fish we saw were absolutely brilliant!
Finally, we landed on a small beach where we played catch with a flat football and swam a bit before coming back "home" and savoring some time in the shade. I'm a little pink today, but hopefully won't be burned by tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed.
We're planning to stay on this beach (Long Beach) for a few more days, then head down the coast to a wildlife refuge, or at least I think we're thinking about that right now. Time will tell.
I hope everyone is doing well back home. Happy birthday to Bob Russell (a day late, I think)!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Penang, Malaysia
We're leaving Penang today on an overnight bus to get to the Perhentian Islands. Penang's Georgetown district is an amazing place with a lot of history. There's a huge Chinatown here, and the town itself has a lot of Indian residents. Before Malaysia gained its independence, Georgetown was under British rule, and the three cultures somehow complement each other, which is pretty interesting to see. There's a mixture of Chinese, Indian, and British architecture everywhere you look.
We're going to the botanical gardens today. It's quite a walk from Georgetown, but we decided we needed the exercise and wore our tennis shoes (so hot, but my feet are loving my orthotics again!) for the hike out there. We'll see how the walk goes.
We're on a strict budget now that Brian is gone, and Cindy and I went to the grocery store to stock up on snack food and breakfast food so we can eat on the cheap while we're on the islands. We probably spent an hour trying to determine whether it was worth it to buy water at half the price we've been paying for it (Cindy sent her purifier home with Brian after she got sick the day she drank tap water she purified) and looking for the cheapest bottle of wine available ($10). Then we spent a couple of hours wandering around town, lost, since we're not the best map readers (Jason - you know all about my map reading skills), carrying 3 bottles of water each, plus a bottle of wine and food. Not the best plan, but we didn't want to spend the money we'd just saved on a tuk-tuk. Most of you would've seen us struggling and died laughing or told us we were insane, but it was really pretty fun.
We found a "favorite restaurant" here, too. The funny thing is . . . it's Italian. We ate pizza and pesto pasta last night with our bottle of wine, and loved it. We had breakfast there yesterday and will probably go back for dinner tonight. We haven't even seen Malaysian food on a menu - just Thai, Indian, and Chinese, and we'll be eating enough Indian food when we get to India that we didn't think it was necessary to eat that. I still can't stomach Thai food yet - at least not anything with coconut or etamame in it - and Chinese food is all fried, so Italian it is until we get to the islands and see what they're serving there.
I hope everyone enjoyed what sounded like a glorious weekend in the Pacific Northwest!
We're going to the botanical gardens today. It's quite a walk from Georgetown, but we decided we needed the exercise and wore our tennis shoes (so hot, but my feet are loving my orthotics again!) for the hike out there. We'll see how the walk goes.
We're on a strict budget now that Brian is gone, and Cindy and I went to the grocery store to stock up on snack food and breakfast food so we can eat on the cheap while we're on the islands. We probably spent an hour trying to determine whether it was worth it to buy water at half the price we've been paying for it (Cindy sent her purifier home with Brian after she got sick the day she drank tap water she purified) and looking for the cheapest bottle of wine available ($10). Then we spent a couple of hours wandering around town, lost, since we're not the best map readers (Jason - you know all about my map reading skills), carrying 3 bottles of water each, plus a bottle of wine and food. Not the best plan, but we didn't want to spend the money we'd just saved on a tuk-tuk. Most of you would've seen us struggling and died laughing or told us we were insane, but it was really pretty fun.
We found a "favorite restaurant" here, too. The funny thing is . . . it's Italian. We ate pizza and pesto pasta last night with our bottle of wine, and loved it. We had breakfast there yesterday and will probably go back for dinner tonight. We haven't even seen Malaysian food on a menu - just Thai, Indian, and Chinese, and we'll be eating enough Indian food when we get to India that we didn't think it was necessary to eat that. I still can't stomach Thai food yet - at least not anything with coconut or etamame in it - and Chinese food is all fried, so Italian it is until we get to the islands and see what they're serving there.
I hope everyone enjoyed what sounded like a glorious weekend in the Pacific Northwest!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
On our way to Malaysia
Cindy and I are both feeling much, much better now and were able to get out and explore Patong, Phuket a little bit yesterday. We were both still worried about dehydration, so we didn't spend any time in the sun, but both have our appetites back, so we ate giant ice cream sundaes to gain back some of the calories we lost in the last week. :) We're going to get what could be our last Thai massage today, then will head to the beach before we leave for Penang, Malaysia tonight at 5:00.
In Malaysia, our destination is the Perhentian Islands. I'll post more from Penang or one of the islands.
Happy birthday to Drew! And Alyssa - stay safe in Uganda. I can't wait to get the updates on your blog.
In Malaysia, our destination is the Perhentian Islands. I'll post more from Penang or one of the islands.
Happy birthday to Drew! And Alyssa - stay safe in Uganda. I can't wait to get the updates on your blog.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Phuket
We arrived in Phuket safely today, but that wasn't much help to Cindy, who has also come down with a foodborne illness. We've been splitting most of our meals, so maybe that's where both of us got it from. We're all hoping she'll be better by tomorrow morning since it's Brian's last day in Thailand tomorrow.
Phuket is pretty much like a mini Bangkok, and all of us are wishing we were back on Koh Phangan. There's lots of shopping, but the city is pretty dirty and the beach looked crowded when Brian and I wandered down there this afternoon. We'll see what it's like tomorrow - hopefully we'll be able to soak up some more rays before taking the cooking class we signed up for at 6pm. Our goal was to learn how to make really good Pad Thai, but I don't think that's on the menu, so we may be out of luck. We'll see . . . as long as it's not coconut curry I think I'll be happy.
After Cindy gets better we're going to figure out whether to stay in Thailand and go to Koh Phi Phi or just to leave Phuket straight for Malaysia. While I was sick the other day Cindy met a guy who had just come from Malaysia and he helped her map out our entire trip so we're excited to get going. We might even sneak in a week at Borneo, which would be pretty powerful if we could see all the deforestation there first-hand. We'll see . . . it all depends on our stomachs at this point.
I hope everyone is doing well back home. I heard it's supposed to be in the 80s in Seattle this week. Hopefully the good weather will hold out until Memorial Day!!!
Phuket is pretty much like a mini Bangkok, and all of us are wishing we were back on Koh Phangan. There's lots of shopping, but the city is pretty dirty and the beach looked crowded when Brian and I wandered down there this afternoon. We'll see what it's like tomorrow - hopefully we'll be able to soak up some more rays before taking the cooking class we signed up for at 6pm. Our goal was to learn how to make really good Pad Thai, but I don't think that's on the menu, so we may be out of luck. We'll see . . . as long as it's not coconut curry I think I'll be happy.
After Cindy gets better we're going to figure out whether to stay in Thailand and go to Koh Phi Phi or just to leave Phuket straight for Malaysia. While I was sick the other day Cindy met a guy who had just come from Malaysia and he helped her map out our entire trip so we're excited to get going. We might even sneak in a week at Borneo, which would be pretty powerful if we could see all the deforestation there first-hand. We'll see . . . it all depends on our stomachs at this point.
I hope everyone is doing well back home. I heard it's supposed to be in the 80s in Seattle this week. Hopefully the good weather will hold out until Memorial Day!!!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Leaving the land of the rock climbers
We arrived in Railei 4 days ago, after a night in Ao Nang, which is near Krabi. The boat ride out here was a bit scary since the waves were really big and we got drenched. In a way, I was hoping I'd lose my backpack overboard so I wouldn't have to worry about carrying as much stuff with me as I originally brought. My bag, which started out at 37 pounds when I left Aberdeen, is slowly losing weight - I've gone through enough sunscreen, shampoo, etc. that my bag is getting lighter by the day. Since I've been showering about 4 times a day, that really helps. At least I'm not a stinky tourist. :) I'm going to go down to travel-sized everything except sunscreen when I run out, which will save room and weight in my bag.
Railei is an amazing place, with several beaches very close together that are surrounded by giant rocks. It's what some people would call a rock-climber's paradise, and we've seen a ton of people taking their turn climbing. We're staying on the West beach, which is full of resorts and honeymooners. Little did we know that East beach is only a 5 minute walk away and is more laid-back and cheaper. Oops - I guess we should've explored more before we decided to stay where we did. Although . . . I'm very happy to be staying in the bungalow we are since yesterday I got food poisoning (I'm thinking maybe cyclospora - Patti, I'll have to give you the details of my illness later and have you diagnose me) and I'm super happy to have the bathroom we have since I was "bowing to the porcelain god" ALL NIGHT last night. We were supposed to leave for Phuket this morning, but canceled our boat out this morning because I just couldn't be that far away from a bathroom.
We originally planned to stay in Railei for only 2 days and then head out to Koh Phi Phi for a few days before heading to Phuket, but boats from here to Koh Phi Phi were canceled until the 15th due to bad weather from the cyclone. We've talked to a few people who were already in Phi Phi and they encouraged us to go straight to Phuket since the weather isn't that great. Cindy and I are bummed because we wanted to see the Island that The Beach was filmed out, but that will have to happen another time.
This post was supposed to be all about the wonderful goodness of all the Thai food I've eaten since I've been here (I'm the only one who hasn't branched out and eaten any Western food yet), but since I'm not feeling the love right now I'll have to write about it another time. I will say that my best meal here so far was red curry with duck and fruit - tomatoes, grapes, pineapple - it was absolutely to die for. And, of course, I've tried the banana pancakes everywhere I've gone. They're always different and almost always good.
Brian just came in to tell me I have to go to dinner now with our friend Caio from Brazil, who we made friends with on a hike yesterday. I'll write more from Phuket.
Here's to everyone's health! :)
Railei is an amazing place, with several beaches very close together that are surrounded by giant rocks. It's what some people would call a rock-climber's paradise, and we've seen a ton of people taking their turn climbing. We're staying on the West beach, which is full of resorts and honeymooners. Little did we know that East beach is only a 5 minute walk away and is more laid-back and cheaper. Oops - I guess we should've explored more before we decided to stay where we did. Although . . . I'm very happy to be staying in the bungalow we are since yesterday I got food poisoning (I'm thinking maybe cyclospora - Patti, I'll have to give you the details of my illness later and have you diagnose me) and I'm super happy to have the bathroom we have since I was "bowing to the porcelain god" ALL NIGHT last night. We were supposed to leave for Phuket this morning, but canceled our boat out this morning because I just couldn't be that far away from a bathroom.
We originally planned to stay in Railei for only 2 days and then head out to Koh Phi Phi for a few days before heading to Phuket, but boats from here to Koh Phi Phi were canceled until the 15th due to bad weather from the cyclone. We've talked to a few people who were already in Phi Phi and they encouraged us to go straight to Phuket since the weather isn't that great. Cindy and I are bummed because we wanted to see the Island that The Beach was filmed out, but that will have to happen another time.
This post was supposed to be all about the wonderful goodness of all the Thai food I've eaten since I've been here (I'm the only one who hasn't branched out and eaten any Western food yet), but since I'm not feeling the love right now I'll have to write about it another time. I will say that my best meal here so far was red curry with duck and fruit - tomatoes, grapes, pineapple - it was absolutely to die for. And, of course, I've tried the banana pancakes everywhere I've gone. They're always different and almost always good.
Brian just came in to tell me I have to go to dinner now with our friend Caio from Brazil, who we made friends with on a hike yesterday. I'll write more from Phuket.
Here's to everyone's health! :)
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Leaving Koh Phangan Tomorrow
We've been at Hat Yuan for probably longer than we should have been, but it's been amazing. Our schedule goes something like this: Wake up, put on sunscreen, head to the beach (about 50 yards from our bungalow), do three 10-minute rotations in the sun, swim and get bitten by sea lice - they're everywhere, and they sting for a long time but don't leave lasting marks, rinse the salt water off, lube up again, tan, eat, tan, eat, tan . . . so much for losing weight on this trip. And the beach is too busy for us to do our core workouts without getting embarrassed, so we've discontinued them in favor of kayaking.
We came to Hat Yuan, on the southeast side of Koh Phangan, because we heard that it was more secluded than Hat Rin, which is the area where the famous half-moon parties are held. It was pretty amazing how busy we thought it was at first since Haad Kohm was so secluded, but we quickly adjusted and made friends. The two who were our most frequent dining/drinking parters were the Kiwi Reece and the German Alex. We met some British people one night - Ben and Rosie - and last night met 2 Germans (someone and Chris), an Italian (don't remember his name), and an American (John from LA). Everyone we've met has been great. They're all very friendly and have given us some awesome advice about places to go.
One day we hiked up to Hat Thian, which we thought was going to take over an hour but was really only a 10 minute walk, so we were relieved not to have to expend too much energy. :) Yesterday we kayaked back there and up further to Hat Wai Nam, another beach. The rock formations around here are absolutely incredible and I'm hoping the pictures we took turned out. We'll do more kayaking today and hopefully will get more pictures taken. I can't upload them yet since we heard that someone's camera got a virus (is that even possible?) from one of the computers at our hotel and I don't want to risk ruining my camera.
Last night we had the most incredible ligntning storm, which I think could have been some of the left-over weather from the cyclone that hit Burma. So far I know the death toll is up to 20,000 but I don't know what the update is today. After we heard about the cyclone we've paid a little bit more attention to what's going on in the world, but not much. Yesterday when we woke up the water was extremely low compared to how it had been, and it's still that way today. I haven't heard whether this has anything to do with the cyclone or not, but Brian's and my first instinct was that there was a tsunami, so we've been a bit paranoid. Hopefully we won't have to worry about anything like that while we're here.
Tomorrow we're planning to take a boat to Hat Rin, where I'm still hoping to pick up some more cotton clothes and a sun hat. From there we'll catch a ferry to Surat Thani, which is on the mainland. From Surat Thani we'll probably take a bus to Krabi, also on the mainland, and then we'll take another boat to Railay, which is a rock climber's dream, apparently. There are tons of rock formations and caves to check out, and the kayaking is supposed to be great. All our travel plans, of course, are going to be determined by the weather so if we're lucky our plan will work out. I've been tasked with checking the weather in the west - in Railay, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket - to make sure we're not heading into rainy weather or the cyclone's aftermath.
That's all for now. I need to get back out in the sun - I've missed out on an hour of tanning already. :)
Happy birthday to Jason on May 8th!
We came to Hat Yuan, on the southeast side of Koh Phangan, because we heard that it was more secluded than Hat Rin, which is the area where the famous half-moon parties are held. It was pretty amazing how busy we thought it was at first since Haad Kohm was so secluded, but we quickly adjusted and made friends. The two who were our most frequent dining/drinking parters were the Kiwi Reece and the German Alex. We met some British people one night - Ben and Rosie - and last night met 2 Germans (someone and Chris), an Italian (don't remember his name), and an American (John from LA). Everyone we've met has been great. They're all very friendly and have given us some awesome advice about places to go.
One day we hiked up to Hat Thian, which we thought was going to take over an hour but was really only a 10 minute walk, so we were relieved not to have to expend too much energy. :) Yesterday we kayaked back there and up further to Hat Wai Nam, another beach. The rock formations around here are absolutely incredible and I'm hoping the pictures we took turned out. We'll do more kayaking today and hopefully will get more pictures taken. I can't upload them yet since we heard that someone's camera got a virus (is that even possible?) from one of the computers at our hotel and I don't want to risk ruining my camera.
Last night we had the most incredible ligntning storm, which I think could have been some of the left-over weather from the cyclone that hit Burma. So far I know the death toll is up to 20,000 but I don't know what the update is today. After we heard about the cyclone we've paid a little bit more attention to what's going on in the world, but not much. Yesterday when we woke up the water was extremely low compared to how it had been, and it's still that way today. I haven't heard whether this has anything to do with the cyclone or not, but Brian's and my first instinct was that there was a tsunami, so we've been a bit paranoid. Hopefully we won't have to worry about anything like that while we're here.
Tomorrow we're planning to take a boat to Hat Rin, where I'm still hoping to pick up some more cotton clothes and a sun hat. From there we'll catch a ferry to Surat Thani, which is on the mainland. From Surat Thani we'll probably take a bus to Krabi, also on the mainland, and then we'll take another boat to Railay, which is a rock climber's dream, apparently. There are tons of rock formations and caves to check out, and the kayaking is supposed to be great. All our travel plans, of course, are going to be determined by the weather so if we're lucky our plan will work out. I've been tasked with checking the weather in the west - in Railay, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket - to make sure we're not heading into rainy weather or the cyclone's aftermath.
That's all for now. I need to get back out in the sun - I've missed out on an hour of tanning already. :)
Happy birthday to Jason on May 8th!
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Sawadee Kah from Koh Phangan
Hello, or sawadee ka, from the island of Phangan, Thailand. Cindy, Brian, and I arrived here on May 1, after taking an overnight bus (not comfortable at all) and a 4-hour ferry ride from the mainland, then a 20 minute taxi ride from Thongsala pier to Chaloklum, which is in the northern part of the island, where we were picked up in another boat and taken to the Coconut Beach resort at Haad Khom. We rented a bungalow (complete with gecko) just up from the beach, and have been staying there for the last 3 days, mostly tanning on the beach during the day, with intermittent showers since everything gets sticky and sandy really fast. Cindy is our personal core workout instructor, and we're trying to get in 5 sets of some kind of sit-ups every day. It's mid-day and we've only done one so far since we've been walking around and haven't had time for round 2, so we might not make our goal today but that's OK because we're on vacation. :)
One of the restaurants at Haad Khom is pretty amazing, and one of the workers there drove us into town (Chaloklum) this morning since we've become frequent patrons. The banana pancakes are to die for . . . well, so is everything they make there. Their coffee, smoothies, salads (and yes, they use boiled or bottled water to clean all their fruits and veggies so we shouldn't have to worry about getting sick) . . . everything is amazing.
Just outside Chaloklum is Paradise Waterfall, which we were assured was going to be beautiful today since it rained yesterday. Either we didn't walk far enough or it didn't rain hard enough, but that waterfall was definitely not what I was expecting. :( On the positive side, though, we got to see a baby elephant do tricks while we were walking back to town, so that was pretty cool.
Now we're off to get massages and will do some snorkeling since the coral reef on our beach is supposed to have some of the best snorkeling in the area. Then we'll do a couple-hour trek over to Haad Khuat, or Bottle Beach, to check out the beach over there and eat dinner. I guess that means we need to get a move on if we're actually going to make it there and back, plus a massage and snorkeling!
Tomorrow we'll take a long boat from Haad Khom to Haad Yuan, in the southeastern part of Koh Phangan. We've heard nothing but great things about that area, and we're hoping to get in some hikes from beach to beach while we're down there. Some of the resorts we were thinking about visiting are closed now, since the busy season ends in April, but the ones that are still open we're hoping to be able to barter for less expensive, better rooms. Our friend from the restaurant told us to try the Bamboo Hut resort, and to eat dinner at certain restaurants, so we have some good local advice to go off of.
For all of you who ever asked what I was packing, one of the things I've realized is that although I purposely didn't pack any cotton, I do need to buy some cotton clothes. That will be one of my missions when we get to a more commercial place like Koh Samui.
That's all for now. I hope everyone is having a good day - and at least that you're not sweaty and covered in bug bites and itching like crazy like I am.
And Mom, I'm glad to know you got some flowers on your doorstep for May Day. :)
Oh - and one of these days I'll start posting pictures.
One of the restaurants at Haad Khom is pretty amazing, and one of the workers there drove us into town (Chaloklum) this morning since we've become frequent patrons. The banana pancakes are to die for . . . well, so is everything they make there. Their coffee, smoothies, salads (and yes, they use boiled or bottled water to clean all their fruits and veggies so we shouldn't have to worry about getting sick) . . . everything is amazing.
Just outside Chaloklum is Paradise Waterfall, which we were assured was going to be beautiful today since it rained yesterday. Either we didn't walk far enough or it didn't rain hard enough, but that waterfall was definitely not what I was expecting. :( On the positive side, though, we got to see a baby elephant do tricks while we were walking back to town, so that was pretty cool.
Now we're off to get massages and will do some snorkeling since the coral reef on our beach is supposed to have some of the best snorkeling in the area. Then we'll do a couple-hour trek over to Haad Khuat, or Bottle Beach, to check out the beach over there and eat dinner. I guess that means we need to get a move on if we're actually going to make it there and back, plus a massage and snorkeling!
Tomorrow we'll take a long boat from Haad Khom to Haad Yuan, in the southeastern part of Koh Phangan. We've heard nothing but great things about that area, and we're hoping to get in some hikes from beach to beach while we're down there. Some of the resorts we were thinking about visiting are closed now, since the busy season ends in April, but the ones that are still open we're hoping to be able to barter for less expensive, better rooms. Our friend from the restaurant told us to try the Bamboo Hut resort, and to eat dinner at certain restaurants, so we have some good local advice to go off of.
For all of you who ever asked what I was packing, one of the things I've realized is that although I purposely didn't pack any cotton, I do need to buy some cotton clothes. That will be one of my missions when we get to a more commercial place like Koh Samui.
That's all for now. I hope everyone is having a good day - and at least that you're not sweaty and covered in bug bites and itching like crazy like I am.
And Mom, I'm glad to know you got some flowers on your doorstep for May Day. :)
Oh - and one of these days I'll start posting pictures.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Leaving Bangkok
Happy May Day to everyone back home! Please put flowers on a doorstep, knock on the door, and hide before the person whose door you knocked on sees the flowers and think of me while you're doing it. :)
Cindy's friend Brian and I arrived in Bangkok after over 24 hours of traveling from Seattle on April 28th. Both of us were very sore, but the good news is that the "no jet lag" pills I bought at the travel store in Wallingford (World Wide Books & Travel, I think) seemingly worked its magic and although I was tired after traveling I haven't felt the normal sluggishness over the last few days that I normally feel even if I just fly to the East Coast. I should become that product's spokesperson! :)
AJ, Cindy's friend's cousin, met us at the Bangkok airport and took us to his aunt and uncle's house, where we stayed for the last few days. (Thank you Cynthia, Scott, Abbie, and Austin for letting us invade your house and Wassina for cooking for us!!!) They live in an ex-pat community outside of Bangkok known as Nichita, which was a really nice place to start our trip. They even let us borrow their driver, Noppadon, for a day and he brought us into Bangkok where we did some bartering and scored some deals on souvenirs and things we didn't pack but needed. In Bangkok we shopped on Koh San Road, in Sukumvit, and missed NBK and another local market, but Cindy and I have to come back here to catch our flight to India in August, so we're planning to take a few days and hit up the things we missed this time around.
I'm not exactly a city person, so I'm looking forward to getting out of here in a few minutes when we hop on a bus for southern Thailand. Bangkok is full of feral dogs, so I'm really glad I got my rabies shots since every time we saw one on the first day Cindy would push me out in front of it. Today we went outside the city for a tour of a WWII cemetery, waterfalls (which reminded me of Yerx saving Bess' life in Mexico), an elephant ride, and a float down a river. It was a great day, but we're exhausted and are about to board a bus southward so we can catch a ferry to Ko Phanang and Ko Samui for the next week or so. We're missing Ko Tao, which I'm bummed about because I've heard great things about it, but maybe Cindy and I can make it over there when we're on our way north from Malaysia. That is, if we don't decide to fly. We shall see . . .
All in all we're having a great time and we're excited to get to the beaches. We have to go pick up our backpacks from the hotel now, so I'll do more updating in a few days but in case I don't make it to an Internet cafe for a while . . . Andy and Janie, have a GREAT time in Arizona! Give Doug and Bonnie huge hugs for me and know that I'll be thinking of the Booth family on Jake's birthday. And happy 30th birthday to Marty on May 4.
Know that I think of you all often.
Cindy's friend Brian and I arrived in Bangkok after over 24 hours of traveling from Seattle on April 28th. Both of us were very sore, but the good news is that the "no jet lag" pills I bought at the travel store in Wallingford (World Wide Books & Travel, I think) seemingly worked its magic and although I was tired after traveling I haven't felt the normal sluggishness over the last few days that I normally feel even if I just fly to the East Coast. I should become that product's spokesperson! :)
AJ, Cindy's friend's cousin, met us at the Bangkok airport and took us to his aunt and uncle's house, where we stayed for the last few days. (Thank you Cynthia, Scott, Abbie, and Austin for letting us invade your house and Wassina for cooking for us!!!) They live in an ex-pat community outside of Bangkok known as Nichita, which was a really nice place to start our trip. They even let us borrow their driver, Noppadon, for a day and he brought us into Bangkok where we did some bartering and scored some deals on souvenirs and things we didn't pack but needed. In Bangkok we shopped on Koh San Road, in Sukumvit, and missed NBK and another local market, but Cindy and I have to come back here to catch our flight to India in August, so we're planning to take a few days and hit up the things we missed this time around.
I'm not exactly a city person, so I'm looking forward to getting out of here in a few minutes when we hop on a bus for southern Thailand. Bangkok is full of feral dogs, so I'm really glad I got my rabies shots since every time we saw one on the first day Cindy would push me out in front of it. Today we went outside the city for a tour of a WWII cemetery, waterfalls (which reminded me of Yerx saving Bess' life in Mexico), an elephant ride, and a float down a river. It was a great day, but we're exhausted and are about to board a bus southward so we can catch a ferry to Ko Phanang and Ko Samui for the next week or so. We're missing Ko Tao, which I'm bummed about because I've heard great things about it, but maybe Cindy and I can make it over there when we're on our way north from Malaysia. That is, if we don't decide to fly. We shall see . . .
All in all we're having a great time and we're excited to get to the beaches. We have to go pick up our backpacks from the hotel now, so I'll do more updating in a few days but in case I don't make it to an Internet cafe for a while . . . Andy and Janie, have a GREAT time in Arizona! Give Doug and Bonnie huge hugs for me and know that I'll be thinking of the Booth family on Jake's birthday. And happy 30th birthday to Marty on May 4.
Know that I think of you all often.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)