3 wonderful months. 6 beautiful countries. An experience I will never forget.
As sad as I was for it to be over so quickly, I was also very excited to be going home. I'm heading back to the States right now for the first time in 15 months. Seeing my parents for the first time in just as long. It feels strange but it will be great to me home.
I'm going to sleep in MY bed.
Shower in MY shower.
Drive MY car.
Go to the grocery store and be able to find the things I want.
Walk into a store and communicate with the clerk without using hand gestures.
Eat delicious food.
Relax in the comfort of a beautiful home.
These are the things people miss while living abroad and the things I cannot wait to do when I get home.
I left Bali, which I have not yet written about but was amazing, and headed back to Seoul for a few days to tie up some loose ends. Bali was where Jason and I parted, he flew to Tokyo then Dallas and I came back to Seoul. I had a great two days here staying with my friend Kelly and seeing other friends for dinner. I made the dreaded last visit to my school and somehow the owner pulled it off and we were paid all of the money we were owed. Everything just worked.
And now for the long trip home. On my way to the airport right now where I will fly Seoul-> Tokyo-> LA-> Denver and drive back to Glenwood. It's along journey but a great one nonetheless.
May 20, 2009
Malaysia Wrapup
What a beautiful country filled with wonderful people! After we left the amazing Perhentian Islands we headed up into the mountains to the Cameron Highlands. This area is an old British hill station, dotted with small towns, the rolling hills covered in farms and rain forests. We stayed in a very unique guest house composed of bunker like buildings leftover from around 100 years ago.
Our first full day in the Cameron Highlands we hooked up with 3 other people staying at our guest house and decided to go check out the "Boh Sungai Palas" tea plantation. We took a bus out of town and then walked a few more kilometers to the plantation. The bright green tea fields on the rolling hills were a sight to be seen. We watched as farmers harvested the tea leaves and admired the beauty around us while enjoying a cup of tea at the plantation. After finishing our visit there we decided to continue our trek and head up to the top of a nearby mountain. The book said it was only a 2 hour walk up... we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. The road all the way up was a steady and steep climb with around a 1000 meter elevation gain (the peak is exactly 6666 ft high... Hmmm...). We eventually made it to the top of the mountain after some confusion since none of the roads and trails are marked. We arrived at the top just in time for the clouds to roll in and cover us in fog which was really beautiful in the middle of the forest.
From there there was a "jungle walk" that we were supposed to be able to take back down the mountain. Well I have done a few different jungle treks by now but nothing like this one. We climbed straight down the mountain through thick mud and over/under/around trees and roots. It was such slow going we only went about half a kilometer in 45 minutes. By the time we made it down we were covered in mud and exhausted. We figured that we had done a 9+ mile hike, and that was after weeks of inactivity at the beach to make it worse. I was sore for days to come after that one.
After another day of easier hiking and touring around the Cameron Highlands we headed south to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. What I love about KL is the international and multi-cultural feel it has to it. You walk down the street and see a woman covered from head to toe in a veil,, Buddhist monks in their red robes and Indian women wearing saris and bindis. And the great thing about it was that there didn't seem to be any tension between the cultures- to an outsider on a quick visit at least. Everone we met no matter their background was very helpful and friendly. It was probably the first city in Asia that I felt like I could even blend into the culture there.
We wandered around the city taking it all in. Visited the Petronas Twin Towers, the ex-tallest buildings in the world before Taipei and Dubai out did them. Got a free tour (on condition that you watch a 15 minute advertisement for Petronas) and went up the towers, to the sky bridge at least. Visited the National Mosque as well as the oldest mosque in Malaysia. Did some shopping and exploring and just enjoyed being in a nice city.
I think many times when people plan their South East Asia trips they don't even consider visiting Malaysia, we met very few people who had been there while we were in other countries. But Malaysia ended up being one of my favorite destinations of the whole trip.
Our first full day in the Cameron Highlands we hooked up with 3 other people staying at our guest house and decided to go check out the "Boh Sungai Palas" tea plantation. We took a bus out of town and then walked a few more kilometers to the plantation. The bright green tea fields on the rolling hills were a sight to be seen. We watched as farmers harvested the tea leaves and admired the beauty around us while enjoying a cup of tea at the plantation. After finishing our visit there we decided to continue our trek and head up to the top of a nearby mountain. The book said it was only a 2 hour walk up... we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. The road all the way up was a steady and steep climb with around a 1000 meter elevation gain (the peak is exactly 6666 ft high... Hmmm...). We eventually made it to the top of the mountain after some confusion since none of the roads and trails are marked. We arrived at the top just in time for the clouds to roll in and cover us in fog which was really beautiful in the middle of the forest.
From there there was a "jungle walk" that we were supposed to be able to take back down the mountain. Well I have done a few different jungle treks by now but nothing like this one. We climbed straight down the mountain through thick mud and over/under/around trees and roots. It was such slow going we only went about half a kilometer in 45 minutes. By the time we made it down we were covered in mud and exhausted. We figured that we had done a 9+ mile hike, and that was after weeks of inactivity at the beach to make it worse. I was sore for days to come after that one.
After another day of easier hiking and touring around the Cameron Highlands we headed south to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. What I love about KL is the international and multi-cultural feel it has to it. You walk down the street and see a woman covered from head to toe in a veil,, Buddhist monks in their red robes and Indian women wearing saris and bindis. And the great thing about it was that there didn't seem to be any tension between the cultures- to an outsider on a quick visit at least. Everone we met no matter their background was very helpful and friendly. It was probably the first city in Asia that I felt like I could even blend into the culture there.
We wandered around the city taking it all in. Visited the Petronas Twin Towers, the ex-tallest buildings in the world before Taipei and Dubai out did them. Got a free tour (on condition that you watch a 15 minute advertisement for Petronas) and went up the towers, to the sky bridge at least. Visited the National Mosque as well as the oldest mosque in Malaysia. Did some shopping and exploring and just enjoyed being in a nice city.
I think many times when people plan their South East Asia trips they don't even consider visiting Malaysia, we met very few people who had been there while we were in other countries. But Malaysia ended up being one of my favorite destinations of the whole trip.
May 6, 2009
Monster Island!
We just spent a week on what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Close your eyes and imagine an island paradise: soft white sand, clear blue warm water as smooth as glass and palm trees swaying in the light breeze. That place you're imagining is the Perhentian Islands off the coast of Malaysia. It is barely inhabited with just a handful of hotels on the beach and a small fishing village on another part of the island. There isn't even regular electricity: none in the day and generators power the lights and fans for a few hours at night.
As soon as we set foot on the beach all we could say was "Wow." The only way to describe this beach was perfect. So far Koh Pha Ngan was our favorite hang out beach and Koh Phi Phi was the most beautiful island with its limestone cliffs, but Palau Perhentian had by far the most beautiful beach.
However one flaw quickly became apparent in this beautiful place. This was no ordinary island, it was MONSTER Island! While Jason wandered around the beach looking for a place to stay and I waited with the bags I spotted 3 giant spiders. Now if you know me at all you know that I am absolutely terrified of spiders no matter the size. But anyone who saw these things would agree that they were monster sized. The only thing I've seen bigger are some tarantulas. These spiders ranged in size from "small" ones the size of a toddlers hand all the way to that of a hand of a big man with his fingers spread all the way out. And the thing with these spiders was that they were everywhere (except the beach, thank God). We ended up staying at a hotel set back a few hundred meters from the beach where we had to walk along a dirt trail through trees and long grass to get there. Around 15 visible spiders dotted the trail. And at night there were no lights along this path. Our first night walking home I was so scared I actually cried. I eventually got better about dealing with them because what choice do you have? Deal with the thing that terrifies you most or go home. And I wasn't leaving. The only thing that made me feel better was that they NEVER moved from the center of their webs. And the man at our hotel promised me that they were not poisonous and that people even touch them with no problems.
The other reasons I called this Monster Island was because of the 5 foot long Monitor Lizards that inhabited the place and the Mosquitoes the size of a silver dollar. The creatures were so big i was half expecting to find King Kong lurking in the bushes But despite all of the monsters it was an amazing place and we had a great time wasting our days away on the beach.
The Perhentian Islands are also renowned for their incredible diving and snorkeling. Yesterday, our last day on the island, we went out for a snorkeling trip to 3 different sites. We got to swim with -and touch- a giant sea turtle, were surrounded by dozens of fish swimming up to our masks and through our arms and legs (they kept biting me!), see beautiful coral gardens, saw sting rays and even a shark!! When they said we might see a reef shark I imagined a tiny tiger stripped shark maybe a foot and a half long. But this was a big grey shark with black tipped fin, over a meter long! Very cool to see in the wild and somehow I wasn't even scared. Even though I've been doing a lot of snorkeling and boating lately and been fine with it, this time my stomach decided I should share ALL of my breakfast with the hungry fish. Always a fun experience.
Now we are moving along to our next destination. We are currently in the middle of a 5 hour mini bus ride to the Cameron Highlands- an old British hill station filled with tea plantations, strawberry fields, butterfly farms and hiking trails. After a couple days there we'll head to the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and then fly to Bali where we'll spend the last week of our trip. I can't believe the 3 months are coming to an end so soon.
And if you're wondering when I'm going to post photos from all of these wonderful places, its going to have to wait until I get home. Internet connections are too slow, and the last time I tried to plug a camera into a computer in Thailand it put a virus on my memory card...
As soon as we set foot on the beach all we could say was "Wow." The only way to describe this beach was perfect. So far Koh Pha Ngan was our favorite hang out beach and Koh Phi Phi was the most beautiful island with its limestone cliffs, but Palau Perhentian had by far the most beautiful beach.
However one flaw quickly became apparent in this beautiful place. This was no ordinary island, it was MONSTER Island! While Jason wandered around the beach looking for a place to stay and I waited with the bags I spotted 3 giant spiders. Now if you know me at all you know that I am absolutely terrified of spiders no matter the size. But anyone who saw these things would agree that they were monster sized. The only thing I've seen bigger are some tarantulas. These spiders ranged in size from "small" ones the size of a toddlers hand all the way to that of a hand of a big man with his fingers spread all the way out. And the thing with these spiders was that they were everywhere (except the beach, thank God). We ended up staying at a hotel set back a few hundred meters from the beach where we had to walk along a dirt trail through trees and long grass to get there. Around 15 visible spiders dotted the trail. And at night there were no lights along this path. Our first night walking home I was so scared I actually cried. I eventually got better about dealing with them because what choice do you have? Deal with the thing that terrifies you most or go home. And I wasn't leaving. The only thing that made me feel better was that they NEVER moved from the center of their webs. And the man at our hotel promised me that they were not poisonous and that people even touch them with no problems.
The other reasons I called this Monster Island was because of the 5 foot long Monitor Lizards that inhabited the place and the Mosquitoes the size of a silver dollar. The creatures were so big i was half expecting to find King Kong lurking in the bushes But despite all of the monsters it was an amazing place and we had a great time wasting our days away on the beach.
The Perhentian Islands are also renowned for their incredible diving and snorkeling. Yesterday, our last day on the island, we went out for a snorkeling trip to 3 different sites. We got to swim with -and touch- a giant sea turtle, were surrounded by dozens of fish swimming up to our masks and through our arms and legs (they kept biting me!), see beautiful coral gardens, saw sting rays and even a shark!! When they said we might see a reef shark I imagined a tiny tiger stripped shark maybe a foot and a half long. But this was a big grey shark with black tipped fin, over a meter long! Very cool to see in the wild and somehow I wasn't even scared. Even though I've been doing a lot of snorkeling and boating lately and been fine with it, this time my stomach decided I should share ALL of my breakfast with the hungry fish. Always a fun experience.
Now we are moving along to our next destination. We are currently in the middle of a 5 hour mini bus ride to the Cameron Highlands- an old British hill station filled with tea plantations, strawberry fields, butterfly farms and hiking trails. After a couple days there we'll head to the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and then fly to Bali where we'll spend the last week of our trip. I can't believe the 3 months are coming to an end so soon.
And if you're wondering when I'm going to post photos from all of these wonderful places, its going to have to wait until I get home. Internet connections are too slow, and the last time I tried to plug a camera into a computer in Thailand it put a virus on my memory card...
May 1, 2009
A Night on the Beach
We just spent a whole week in Koh Phi Phi. That's the longest we've stayed in one place since Luang Prabang. Phi Phi is a very touristy island with a small town and tons of stuff to do. And its beautiful. Like really, really beautiful. Limestone cliffs. Jungle. White sand beaches. Even with all of this stuff I still prefer the little beach we stayed at on Koh Pha Ngan. There wasn't near as much to do there, but it wasn't so touristy and I liked our lifestyle there. But all that aside, I still liked Koh Phi Phi and we did some great things there.
By far my favorite thing we did at PP- and one of my favorite things from the entire trip so far- was spend a night on "The Beach" beach. You know, that movie with Leonardo DiCaprio where he goes to Thailand and finds this backpackers paradise on an amazingly beautiful island? Well we slept on that beach.
Its on an island right next to PP (called Koh Phi Phi Ley, the one the town is called Koh Phi Phi Don). In the late afternoon we took a boat out to the island and parked in a small bay opposite from "The Beach" side. There we were able to kayak and snorkel around. It was the best snorkeling we've done so far. The water was so clear and we saw fish every color of the rainbow (including one that was rainbow colored), giant starfish, sea annenemies urchins and cucumbers and amazing coral reefs. Angel fish. Long scary fish that changed colors. Bright yellow flat fish. Curious fish that would come right up to your mask before swimming away. It was truly incredible and there's no way I could describe just how great it was here.
After about an hour playing in the water we hiked through the rocks and the trees to the other side of the island. The trees opened up to snow white sands and emerald green waters in the unbelievable Maya Bay- "The Beach". It was even more perfect and beautiful than in the movie. I was really glad we decided to do an overnight tour rather than just going during the day. We talked to people who went in the day and said it was so packed with people that it wasn't even enjoyable. But by the time we arrived in the bay all of the day tourists and boats were gone. There is only one overnight tour there, so for the whole night there were only about 20 of us on the whole island.
We walked all around the beach and in the water and took photos. That night were served two delicious dinners (apparently the tour guides really like to eat) and relaxed on the white sands and admired the sky filled with a million stars.
Then when we looked into the ocean the beautiful night sky seemed to be reflected in the water. Plankton filled the bay and would glow when washed up on shore or when agitated. They flowed on to the sand mirroring the stars above. We wandered down the short pier and jumped in to swim in the glowing water in the middle of the dark night. It was such a unique experience that I'll remember forever.
Late at night we finally fell asleep just in sleeping bags under the stars. We woke up early and watched the tide come in and the sun light up the water. The light was perfect and I don't think Maya Bay could ever be more beautiful than it was that morning. After breakfast and a morning swim we headed back to PP before the crowds came into the bay.
By far my favorite thing we did at PP- and one of my favorite things from the entire trip so far- was spend a night on "The Beach" beach. You know, that movie with Leonardo DiCaprio where he goes to Thailand and finds this backpackers paradise on an amazingly beautiful island? Well we slept on that beach.
Its on an island right next to PP (called Koh Phi Phi Ley, the one the town is called Koh Phi Phi Don). In the late afternoon we took a boat out to the island and parked in a small bay opposite from "The Beach" side. There we were able to kayak and snorkel around. It was the best snorkeling we've done so far. The water was so clear and we saw fish every color of the rainbow (including one that was rainbow colored), giant starfish, sea annenemies urchins and cucumbers and amazing coral reefs. Angel fish. Long scary fish that changed colors. Bright yellow flat fish. Curious fish that would come right up to your mask before swimming away. It was truly incredible and there's no way I could describe just how great it was here.
After about an hour playing in the water we hiked through the rocks and the trees to the other side of the island. The trees opened up to snow white sands and emerald green waters in the unbelievable Maya Bay- "The Beach". It was even more perfect and beautiful than in the movie. I was really glad we decided to do an overnight tour rather than just going during the day. We talked to people who went in the day and said it was so packed with people that it wasn't even enjoyable. But by the time we arrived in the bay all of the day tourists and boats were gone. There is only one overnight tour there, so for the whole night there were only about 20 of us on the whole island.
We walked all around the beach and in the water and took photos. That night were served two delicious dinners (apparently the tour guides really like to eat) and relaxed on the white sands and admired the sky filled with a million stars.
Then when we looked into the ocean the beautiful night sky seemed to be reflected in the water. Plankton filled the bay and would glow when washed up on shore or when agitated. They flowed on to the sand mirroring the stars above. We wandered down the short pier and jumped in to swim in the glowing water in the middle of the dark night. It was such a unique experience that I'll remember forever.
Late at night we finally fell asleep just in sleeping bags under the stars. We woke up early and watched the tide come in and the sun light up the water. The light was perfect and I don't think Maya Bay could ever be more beautiful than it was that morning. After breakfast and a morning swim we headed back to PP before the crowds came into the bay.
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