Ko Tao knows how

My first day on the island was completely uneventful. After disembarking, we took a highly expensive taxi to check out lodging in Sai Ree, but quickly realized that we would not be able to afford a bungalow there. Our taxi driver charged us even more to drive 3 km to the southern part of the island. We found a resort there that was ten times what we had been paying, but it was also the cheapest that was available. I really shouldn't complain about the prices. For a beautiful bungalow with an ocean view, I paid about $20/night. It was a little hard to swallow after our extremely cheap lodging in Chiang Mai, but we were now on the islands and had to adjust. The day was spent alternating between sleep and sun. I know, I lead an incredibly stress-filled life. Such a strenuous day! The one event of the day happened while eating lunch. The main restaurant was above and had a spectacular view of the ocean and another small island. Matthias, Uli, and I were eating when a shout came up from above. We looked over the rail and found ourselves looking into the water. Imagine our surprise when we saw a shark swimming 5 feet from shore. I watched with a horrified fascination as I considered that I was going to swim in the same waters. Uli reminded me that it was a reef shark, thereby squelching the visions of being eaten by a great white while snorkeling. It was still crazy to see a shark and such a great that I was in a national park with rules and restrictions. We were in the worst spot in the world to watch sunset, but the colors managed to come south. We ate dinner in the bar/restaurant right on the water. Our resort was the only one on the shore, so it was quiet and extremely peaceful. I could have sat there for hours listening to the waves crash on the shore.

The next morning, I got up early to stake my claim for a beach-front chair with an umbrella. I loved being able to sit and read while basking in the sun. We rented snorkels and masks, so in the afternoon, I took a dip. The corral started about 2 feet into the water, so I had lots of space to explore. Schools of fish swam around me while I tried my hardest to stay still. I think I could have stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, but then I remembered the shark and got a little scared. I couldn't help my reaction, since the thought of being in the water with a shark is never calming. We had decided to go into Sairee Beach for dinner and a black moon party. The moon parties on Ko Phangan are the big celebrations, but we had heard that the smaller parties were still fun. We ate dinner at a hole in the wall Thai place with great food. After dinner, we walked down to the beach and took in some live music and a couple of fire shows. The feeling of the islands was laid back to the extreme. People sat around talking about the snorkeling/diving/water sports they had tried earlier in the day. We went to a cabaret show featuring some amazing Thai Ladyboys. It was great fun and highly entertaining. After the cabaret, we continued our night of adventures and found The Cave and the black moon party. The tables were set up on the beach and the entertainment involved fire limbo, fire tossing, and fire shows. I opted to watch and not try my luck at the limbo. I figured I am terrible at the limbo without the bar being on fire, so I better not press my luck with a burning bar. The rest of the night was spent hanging out with people we met...all of whom happened to be Canadians from Vancouver. We also learned a valuable lesson. A taxi at 5:30 in the morning will cost you three times as much as a taxi during normal hours. Instead, we walked part of the way and found a reasonable taxi around 7 am. Gotta love those sleepless nights. Needless to say, the next day was spent lounging/sleeping on the beach. We had opted to stay another night before heading to the Western coast.
We caught the afternoon ferry back to Chumporn to begin our travels West. We ended up spending the night in Chumporn and found a lovely guesthouse with a highly friendly owner. He pointed us in the direction of good, cheap food. The "restaurant" was on the sidewalk, but it was a quarter of what we had paid on the island. It was a little refresher for the wallet. Our bus to Ao Nang left at 6:00am, so the shuttle picked us up at 5:30 and we were off. The bus ride was uneventful and we quickly arrived in the bustling, tourist-filled city of Ao Nang. We made our way to the Laughing Gecko to spend a couple of days. I spent the rest of the day lounging in a hammock and trying to finish my book...unsuccessfully. We ate dinner at a place called the Hippie Bar and watched yet another fire show. I'm not sure who told the Thai that foreigners love fire, but everywhere I go there is a fire show for tourists. Our lodging was a family-style bamboo structure with lots of bugs and frogs thrown in for free.
The next morning, we went to the beach and walked into town. The best part was watching the tide go out. By the time the sun set, the tide was out almost as far as we could see. I loved wandering and seeing the creatures left behind by the tide. The sunsets were spectacular in Ao Nang and my favorite part of the day. I also found a little massage parlor that had cheap Thai massages, so I definitely had a couple during my stay. We did opt to do something semi-productive while there, so we went on a tour of 4 islands for an entire day. The islands were beautiful with crystal-clear water. I got in a little snorkeling and a little sunburn. The sun and water wiped us out, so the original plan was to relax and not do much of anything. Instead, I made friends with a bunch of other people staying at the Gecko and we opted to explore the town. It was an awesome group of people from all over the world. I think meeting other people may be on of the best perks of travel. I now have even more people to visit.
The morning came too quickly and with it, our departure to Phuket. The day in Phuket was meant to be quiet and laid back, since Uli and Matthias left the next morning. I couldn't believe that it was already time for them to go home. For the night, our only requirement was that the lodging was cheap and the On On Hotel did not disappoint. The On On was once a regal place, but now looks decrepit and run-down. Fun fact: It was the hotel that was used in The Beach when Leonardo DiCaprio's character stayed in Bangkok. The movie does a great job portraying the dinginess. We scoped out a nearby movie theater and saw the new Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp in 3-D. We needed a little break from the heat of the Phuket afternoon. I was positively melting. We had decided to have a "nice" dinner instead of going for the cheapest thing for our last night together. Uli had scoped out an Indian restaurant earlier in the day, so that was our destination. Dinner was lovely and delicious and a wonderful end to a great 4 weeks of traveling together.
Uli and Matthias left so very early the next morning and I slept late. I decided to check out the colonial city of Phuket instead of going to the beaches. I didn't really have a ton of time before my flight, but I did manage to scope out the old post office and the market. I ate noodle soup for breakfast and Thai for lunch. My dinner was Mango and Sticky Rice, so I ended my month in Thailand right. I got out of the country without problem and arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Now, I have 3 days in the capital before returning to Hanoi. Countdown to home: 7 days.

Adventures in Ayutthaya

Our goal for the day was to get into Burma and get out again with new Thai visas intact. We wanted to get an early start, so we were up with the roosters and off to find a tuk-tuk that would take us to the border. After some negotiation, the driver agreed to a somewhat decent price and we were off. The border was crowded and we were approached by a gentleman immediately. He ended up being our guide through the border process and walked with us across the bridge to Burma. His grandfather had been a translator for the British during WWII, so he was very proud to use his English skills to help foreigners. We were ushered into a small room where our passports were taken, photographed, and examined by a burly looking Myanmar official. After 15 minutes, the passports were returned and we walked back across the bridge. Myanmar allows tourists to enter 1 km into the country and see the town. We opted to skip the propaganda and get back on the road. On the Thai end of things, we skipped the long line of Burmese waiting to get into the country and got our new passports without incident.
The tuk-tuk drove us to the bus station and without much delay, we were on our way to Ayutthaya. The ancient city was a 7 hour bus ride from Mae Sot, and I spent most of the ride staring at the countryside listening to a book on my i-pod. The bus was spacious and uncrowded, and the abundance of leg room greatly appreciated. The bus dropped us at the bus "station". The station was nothing more than a wooden structure with motorcycle taxis and one truck waiting. We were forced to pay whatever price the taxi driver wanted and were once again off to find lodging. The final winner was a lovely guesthouse right on the river and near the old city. The owner was an absolutely lovely woman who truly invited us into her home. The room was clean, cheap, and much better than the lodging in Mae Sot. The riverside restaurant provided a great ambience to sit and pass the time. We tried a number of different dishes in her restaurant and loved it. That evening, we paid 5 baht or about 15 cents to go across the river and see the temple ruins at night. We drove past the temples and took in their glory with the flood lights making the entire place spooky, yet holy. We made it back to the guesthouse before the ferry stopped running and crawled into bed.
The next morning, we got up and ate breakfast at our little home before crossing the river once again. We rented bikes for a very steep price of $1 for the day. After navigating slightly dangerous traffic, we were off to see the temple ruins in the daylight. The ruins were beautiful and majestic, but I couldn't help comparing them to Angkor. Nothing is quite as stunning as the complex in Cambodia, but Ayutthaya was impressive. As the day wore on, the heat got to me and I needed to rest in a cool, shady place. Uli and Matthias rode on while I pedaled through the city to the ferry. I slept beneath the fan and was rejuvenated enough for our late afternoon boat tour. We popped into 3 different temples and searched out the Buddhas in the various poses. We made it to the final stop just in time for sunset. I love watching the sun set over temple ruins. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. I love the constant of the sun setting mixed with the ancient holiness of the temple ruins. Now if only we had more temple ruins in the US.
We had met a French woman on the boat, so we had a lovely dinner with her. I now have someone to visit in Northern France when I get over there next. I've been so fortunate to meet awesome people while traveling. I will have to plan a trip around visiting everyone. We had decided to take an early morning train to Bangkok, so I attempted to repack everything. I'm not quite sure how I manage to empty my pack within the first 10 minutes in the room and then have to spend an hour repacking. I may be getting ready to not live out of a backpack. I woke late and rushed to get everything ready. We were lucky to be staying super close to the train station and made it with 5 minutes to spare. The train to Bangkok was 50 cents and took about 2 hours. Vendors wandered through the aisles selling food and drinks. We arrived without incident and headed towards Khao San Road and the inexpensive rooms.
The original plan was to spend a couple of days in Bangkok and check out a national park just outside the city. Unfortunately, the political environment of the city and country had other ideas. We arrived on Friday and the weekend welcomed thousands upon thousands of protestors. We adjusted the plan and got out of the city on Saturday night. I took in my last sights of Bangkok, ate some more street food, and bartered for the best deal. We did take the water ferry and the train to get our stuff back from the storage unit, so I saw new parts of the city. I received some terrible news on Friday. A friend from my week with First Descents last summer passed away. Rockie was a spitfire who had more spunk than I've ever seen. I was so completely crushed that I sat in the internet cafe crying unable to do anything. I was instantly angry that she had been taken so young. A part of my heart was gone and it was hard for me to get back into the traveler mode right away. I took the afternoon to wander and reflect. I realized that the best thing to do was to continue seeing the world and absorbing as much as I can. Rockie is now joining my parents and coming with me in all that I do.
Saturday night, we boarded the night bus to Ko Tao to begin the week of relaxation beachside. The bus was like every other bus we've taken, however we were put into groups based on where we were going. I fell asleep only to be jolted awake at 3:20 AM. Those of us going to Ko Tao were escorted off the bus and not so pleasantly left at the side of the road. The driver told us the next bus would be coming in 15 minutes. Our waiting area was a dirt patch in the middle of nowhere with nothing except dark buildings around us. We would have been easy targets for robbers. I'll be the first to admit I was a little uneasy about the whole situation. Two hours and many grumbles later, a bus arrived to take us to the ferry. We waited for another 2 hours before getting on the boat to the Island. I was past tired, so I alternated between reading and scoping out the incredible color of the water. I knew I was going to love it!

A slice of Pai

We left Chiang Mai yesterday around noon to head towards the little town of Pai in Northern Thailand. Pai is about 150 km from Chiang Mai, but we had to cross over the mountains, so the trip took around 3 hours. The roads were narrow, the curves sharp, and the motion sickness never far away. I spent the majority of the trip with my eyes closed praying that I would not vomit all over the other people in the minibus. The country became even greener and the hils rose higher. We arrived in Pai and were dumped on a street with little more than a point towards the direction of the river. We had decided earlier that our plan was to cross the river via bamboo bridges and scope out the bungalows running along the river. After crossing 3 rickety bridges and inquiring about prices at 5 resorts, we settled on a nameless little place run by a lovely woman. She squeezed another mattress onto the floor of the bungalow and we were set. The price for the rustic, riverside accomodation? 200 Baht or just under $7. Yet another night of paying less than $3/person. I'm loving the prices of rooms. Sharing with Uli and Matthias has allowed me to save sooo much money. We dropped our bags and crossed the bridge once again. I realized that I would quickly have to get over my fear of the bridges, so I put on my brave face and never looked down. After my falls during the trek, I'm having trouble trusting my feet. I managed to cross without incident and we explored Pai...in about 4.2 seconds. The town is smaller than Amery but has a ton of character. We ate at a little Western/Thai place "owned" by a Thai woman married to a white man. In Thailand, foreigners are not allowed to own property, therefore many wives own the business and the foreign spouse manages it.
We wandered for the next couple of hours and ran into a couple of the people we rode up to Pai with. One in particular was an American who was loving the hippie vibe of the city. We checked out a couple of bars before heading back to our bungalow. The next day we woke to the sound of the rooster crowing. We had a late breakfast and rented motorbikes. We ran into the American again and his new friend from Norway. The five of us formed a biker gang and were determined to conquer the areas surrounding Pai. Our first stop was a waterfall about 15km outside of the city. I had never driven a motorbike before, but the rental was less than $6 for 24 hours. The automatic bike was easy to learn and way too fun to drive. On the way to the waterfall, I had a minor mishap and my bike fell over. In the process of falling, the bike took me with it and I got up with a burn on my arm. Most backpackers get burns on their legs from the exhaust pipe, but that would have been no good for me. I apparently feel the need to take it one step further and get a burn in a more random and illogical spot. Hence, the burn just below my wrist. I win.
The waterfall was gorgeous and consisted of a number of pools connected by small gushes of water. The local kids were sliding down, so Uli got the 411 and slid down. After accidentally going off a natural jump, she landed and quickly informed us not to do it. I climbed to a higher slide and had a go. There were a ton of others sliding and I managed to be the only one to pinball my way down. I had a blast, but have now developed a nasty bruise on my thigh. Thailand is beating my body much worse than I had planned.
We joureyed via our motorbikes to the hot springs even though it was hot outside. The springs are in a national park that cost three times more to get in than one night in our little bungalow. We paid the fee and didn't regret it for a minute. No one else was in the park and the area was magical. Vines wrapped around tree trunks, water bubbled down a stream into the pools, and I expected wood nymphs to pop out at any moment. We stripped down to our bathing suits and got into the coldest pool we could find. Despite the pool being the coldest, it took me 10 minutes to ease myself into the hot water. We soaked for a while absorbing as much of the good as we could. Further up the path, we found the source and a sign that informed us that the water was 80 degrees celsius. A group of Thai kids were boiling eggs in the sulfur infused water and enjoying a late afternoon picnic.
Uli, Matthias, and I left our friends and raced to the Pai Canyon to watch sunset. The sunset over the canyon was quiet and relaxing. We watched the orange turn red before hustling back to the bikes. We did not want to be driving on the curvy highway after dark. Upon returning to Pai, Uli picked a restaurant for dinner. We expected menus and got bowls of sticky rice instead. The restaurant had a set menu that consisted of 6 indecipherable dishes ranging from spicy to incredibly spicy. The worst part was that the price was 150 baht making it one of our most expensive meals. Needless to say, we found a place for a second dinner.
Back at the bungalow, I found a hammock with my name on it and read in the peace of the night for a while. The next morning, we woke early to eat breakfast and go out for one last ride before going back to Chiang Mai. We went in search of another waterfall. Instead of gushing water, we found a small stream ending in a pool with a trickle of water from above. We can only imagine how impressive the waterfall would have been during the rainy season. We returned the bikes with time to spare before catching our minibus back to Chiang Mai.
The minibus spit and sputtered as we climbed out of the valley that houses Pai. At one point, the bus pulled over to the side of the road and the driver informed us in broken English that the bus was overheating. A mysterious green ooze dripped from the engine. Twenty minutes and 5 liters of water later, we were on our way once again. We arrived in Chiang Mai at 5:30 and began the enternally joyful experience of wandering from guesthouse to guesthouse asking about rooms, prices, and availability. We eventually came across a room that would squeeze another mattress on the floor. During our search, we ran into Jen, an American we had met in Cambodia. She was in Chiang Mai for a couple of days, so we planned to grab dinner. Khao Soi was on the menu with mango and sticky rice for dessert. I love me some Northern Thai food! We took Jen down Hooker Street and to the night market. We went to bed earlyish, but made plans to grab breakfast with Jen before leaving for Mae Sot.
This morning, we ate at our favorite coffee shop in Chiang Mai and hopped aboard a tuk-tuk for the 40 minute ride to the bus station. We had tickets for the 11:45am bus to Mae Sot. The bus ride was 6 hours, but passed quickly with my activities ranging from reading to sleeping to listening to music. Our main goal for traveling to this western border city is to cross into Burma and get another free 14 visa into Thailand. New visa regulations have been put in place making it much more difficult for those of us wanting to spend more than 14 days in the country. We ate dinner at a street vendor and ate some more mango with sticky rice. I am loving the variety and cheapness of the street food. We've had a lazy night in and plan on getting up early to get to the border. Tomorrow brings another bus to the ancient city of Ayutthaya. I cannot believe I only have 3 weeks left!

Banging around in Bangkok

The bus arrived at 7:45am to take us to the border. There were way too many people crammed on the bus, but we survived the ride. I slept badly, but nothing of significance happened on the way to Poipet. Just when I thought we had escaped Patrick, I noticed him on another bus headed to the border. It seems my luck hadn't quite been so good. It turned out that I didn't see him again, so I can only wish him safe travels and a new perspective on other foreigners. We arrived at the border hot, sweaty, and ready to be in Thailand. We were shuffled off the transfer bus and into a long line of foreigners. After getting our exit stamp from Cambodia, we walked across the border to Thailand where another line awaited. I waited patiently, stepped in front of the customs agent, and was finally admitted into Thailand. Woohoo! A minibus was waiting, and after a quick transfer to the tourist agency, we were off to Bangkok. The 2 hour ride took 4, but we had a great conversation with a bunch of Europeans about the state of the EU and how the US factors into the global community. I loved it! After only minor car sickness, we were dropped off at Khao San Road. I wasn't quite prepared for the immediate assault on my senses. Bangkok was bustling and I felt as if I had slipped into a reality I wasn't sure of. There were brands I recognized and modern luxuries. The first order of business was to find a guesthouse. We stopped at multiple places, but they were all full. We finally found a place that had a triple, so I bunked with the Germans. We dropped our bags and left to find food. Vendors were everywhere selling everything you could think of. I wanted Thai food, so another street restaurant was in our future. We got Pad Thai for $1 and I devoured it. We walked to Khao San Road and joined the throngs of backpackers checking out the items for sale, the men offering ping pong shows, and the bumping music.
The next morning, Uli and I got up early and went for a breakfast. We found a vegtarian restaurant and I had some delicious tomato soup with a freshly made orange shake. Our next stop of the day was a spa for some treatments. I got an awesome facial and spent an hour relaxing while someone massaged the tension away. We ran into Matthias and took a stroll around the neighborhood. The evening was relaxed and we avoided any of the bars or clubs that night. The next morning, we got up early to find a storage place to leave a pack and some stuff for a couple of weeks while we travel around Thailand. We stopped at the palace on the way back to the guesthouse. The Wat was gold-filled and incredible. While walking to the palace, we fell victim to two scams. The first happened near where we had lunch. A woman walked up to us and stuck a package of nuts in our hands. While we were fending her off, she slipped her hand up and stole Matthias's sunglasses. He realized it almost immediately after she left, but it was too late. Not 5 feet further, a smartly dressed tour guide walked up to us and informed us the the palace and wat were closed for a buddhist holiday. Lonely Planet had warned us, so we kept walking and saw the entrance. As we walked in, I looked down and noticed that my zipped purse was open. Within nanoseconds, I was hysterically riffling through my purse taking note of evertything. Whoever had opened my purse hadn't gotten anything, but I was on high alert the rest of the time in Bangkok.
We walked back to the guesthouse and spent a couple of hours lounding before catching the night bus to Chiang Mai. The bus left at 6 and was supposed to arrive at 6:00am. The bus was full and incredibly uncomfortable. I was uber crabby by the time we got to Chiang Mai. A tour company took us to their guesthouse, but I was hellbent to find another place. We were approached by a woman offering a ride to her family's guesthouse. We checked it out and negotiated a triple room down to 200 baht/night. It works out to around $2.50/night for each of us. So ridiculously cheap! Matthias and I convinced Uli to take a little nap before beginning our exploration of Chiang Mai. We left the hotel around noon and crossed the moat to get to the Old City. We knew we wanted to do a trek and a little research was required. We stopped at a travel agency and found a 2 day/1 nigh trek that we signed up for. Lunch consisted of my new favorite dish in the world: Khao Soy. It's a northern specialty made with egg noodles and curry. So delicious! After lunch, we stopped by one of the many Wats in Chiang Mai. We also got Thai Massages to help recover from the stressfilled bus ride. :) Uli wasn't feeling so great, so Matthias and I headed to the market to pick up a few supplies for the trek before going to bed early.
We packed quickly in the morning and were set for the trek. The guide picked us up and we joined the other 8 people for the 2 days in the jungle. The trek was good, but not the best I've ever been on. The hills were intense and proper hiking trails are unheard of. I've been in mudslides with better traction and steps. Needless to say, I fell 3 times by the time we stopped for dinner. I had a ridiculously bloody knee and the start of a nasty infection. Gotta love being in the middle of nowhere without proper first aid materials. We spent the evening with a hilltribe and got the opportunity to play music around the campfire with them. The women of the tribe put rings around their necks to elongate them, so some of the older women had as many as 30 rings. It was incredible to see another culture's view of what was beautiful.
The next morning, we woke early to hike a bit more. I am proud to say I made it to the elephant camp without falling. I was the slowest person, but no more scrapes or scratches. We went for a bamboo raft ride down the river before hopping on elephants and riding through the countryside and river. Such a cool experience! By this time, I was beyond dirty and so excited for a swim in the waterfall. The brochure advertised a waterfall, but what awaited us was a man-made collection of pools with water flowing in between. Not quite the waterfall I imagined, but still incredibly welcome after feeling so dirty. After the waterfall, we went white-water rafting. Our guide was inexperienced, so we spent lots of time going down rapids backwards and getting stuck on every rock in the river. We still enjoyed ourselves and laughed quite a bit. Matthias and Uli are such a blast to travel with and we are now starting to feel a bit like a little family.
We were dropped off at the guesthouse and we showered before heading to the night market. On our way, we checked out Hooker street and the bars filled with Thai women waiting for their Johns. There was no subtlety about what was happening. I took in the sight of so many white foreigners with so many beautiful Thai prostitutes. I can't help but be sad at the situation. The market was expansive and time consuming. We spent too much time and money looking at the goods, but it was cool to see the local artwork and goods.
The next morning, we slept late and headed towards a little cafe to grab breakfast. The place specialized in shakes made with chocolate, banana, nutella, and milk. So delicious! We stopped to check email and met up again to head towards the mountain. There was a Wat in the mountain that we wanted to check out. After fierce negotiations with a tuk-tuk driver, we drove the 15km and climbed the hill to see the Pagoda. I'm continuously amazed by the gold that is everywhere and the immediate peace I feel in the Wats. I could spend days in these places. We ate some fresh strawberries on our way back down the mountain. We headed to the guesthouse for showers before dinner, where Uli and I watched the sun set from our balcony and soaked in the colors. Last night was our second night of Khao Soy and every place we eat it is different. So much fun! We went to finish the night market and called it another early night. We haven't experienced the night life of Chiang Mai, but I don't feel like we're missing too much. I would much rather explore during the day and sleep well.
Today was a day filled with cooking. We took a Thai cooking course and spent the day learning how to prepare typical Thai dishes. It was so much fun, but I am incredibly full now. I don't think I can eat anything for a week! Uli, Matthias, and I made different dishes, so we could try them all. Let me know if you want to come over to sample some of my cooking when I get home. I have a certificate to prove that I'm now a master...ok, master may be pushing it, but I think I can make curry without a problem now. Tomorrow, we're heading to peaceful Pai for an even more relaxed couple of days in the northern countryside.

Hanging in Angkor

Showers after the bus were soooo welcome and necessary. I wouldn't call what I did on the bus sleep...it was more like toss, turn, shiver, repeat. I was tired but not enough to go to bed. I needed to explore and see some of Siem Reap. Uli, Matthias, and I wanted to get 3 day passes for Angkor. Patrick decided to just do one day, so the group was down to 3. There are a couple of ways to tour the temples. Bicycles can be rented for cheap and you can explore at your own pace or you can hire a tuk-tuk for the day to drive you around. We opted for the tuk-tuk and were off. Uli had done some reading on the temples and suggested we start with a group of temples that were a bit further out of Siem Reap. The temples were the oldest and would be a good starting point to appreciate the architectural differences. The sun was out and the breeze was great as we rode along to the temples. After purchasing our expensive entrance tickets ($40), we drove 15 minutes to the first cluster. Impressive doesn't begin to encompass the first temple. The structure was crumbling giving it the sense of being ancient. I immediately felt a sense that the place was holy. The only interruption to my awe was the sound of multiple little kids running up offering to sell me things. I would slowly become immune to the begging, but it was a shock at first. We spent the rest of the day exploring the various temples and climbing up and down. Each was more impressive than the last. Our tuk-tuk driver was a great guide and very patient at each stop. We sat and watched sunset from the lesser crowded of the two spots. I'm not sure what the other place was like, but it was plenty crowded at our temple. We met another couple from Germany and two travelers from the US. I'm hoping to be able to travel with one of the American girls during my last couple of weeks in Asia.
We journeyed back to our guest house with just enough time to shower before dinner. During our wanderings, we had met a french girl traveling alone and made dinner plans to meet up. Gwen was lovely and a totally gentle spirit, but we were slightly late finding her hostel. In the meantime, we had run into Patrick and his new friend, Jane. Let's just say that by this time I was done with Patrick, his upity attitude, and the constant comments against the US and everything American. I was hoping we could avoid him until after dinner, but it was a no go. He is the type of person who thoroughly enjoys being right but is always looking for validation for his ideas. His passive aggressiveness was wearing, and I was ready for a little break. So, Jane, Patrick, Uli, Matthias, and I went in search of Gwen's hostel. After ten minutes of Patrick's grumbling, I left them at a restaurant and hopped on a tuk-tuk to get Gwen. We got back to the restaurant and joined the group. I use the term restaurant loosely; in reality, it was plastic chairs and tables set up on the sidewalk. The first comment from lovely Patrick was that he wanted to eat right away, but Uli and Matthias made him wait for us. He then proceeded to make fun of the US dollar, the new passport pages, and Gwen's accent. I was heated by the time the food came and ate in almost silence. I willed him to eat fast so he could leave, and the gods were on my side. We split up and Uli, Gwen, and I stuck together. We checked out the night market, but headed back to the guesthouse early. We had arranged for a 4:45am pick up, so we could see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Sleep came easy and was peaceful.
I wanted to throw something when my alarm went off at 4:25am. I am NOT a morning person, so I struggled against the urge to go back to sleep and got dressed. In my tiredness, I did such a great job of dressing that I put my pants on inside out. Yes, I was THAT person. I met Uli and Matthias downstairs and we were off. It was pitch black out as we drove along. Siem Reap was still sleeping except for the backpackers still awake from their night out. Our driver dropped us off and we groped our way along the path to the temple. A vendor took pity on us in the dark and took us to the best place to watch the sunrise. We waited for almost two hours, laughing about the hoards of tired people arriving and the terrible coffee. Slowly, we were able to get a sense of our surroundings. The sight in front of me was incredible. As the sky lightened, the outline of the temple appeared. The sun rose slowly and majestically through the towers. It sounds totally corny, I know. We opted for some sightseeing before our lack of sleep caught up to us. We waited until 8:00am and climbed up to the top area of Angkor Wat. We had to be properly covered, since the Wat is still used by Buddhists and Monks live in the top area.
We took in the temples of the small loop, but I was losing energy fast. Uli was like the Energizer Bunny and just kept going, but Matthias and I were done by 2. I was sweaty, tired, and ready for a shower. Our last temple was intense. The stairs were almost a straight climb up and did not feel safe at all. I blindly followed Uli before getting about half way and realizing how high it was. After pausing in the middle and weighing the chances of falling to my death, I finished the climb. The fear was worth it, since the view was great and the carvings were some of the best. The tuk-tuk driver dropped us off at a travel agent and we were able to make our arrangements for getting to Thailand. I came on this trip with the goal of being more flexible and allowing the trip to take me where it may. I loved traveling with Uli and Matthias, so I opted to skip Laos for now and head to Thailand with them. We were finally escaping Patrick! We spent the afternoon lounging around Siem Reap and grabbed dinner at another street restaurant. My favorite dish in Cambodia was Lok Lak, but we decided to get grilled meat instead.
Uli and I had lobbied for another go at the night market and a foot massage. All over Cambodia there are stands for Dr. Fish. There is a type of fish that nibbles at your feet and removes the dead skin. For $2, I got 20 minutes of fish nibbling and a glass of wine. For the first 10 minutes, I couldn't relax. The fish tickled my feet soooo badly! Eventually, I got to love it. I want a tank of these little fish at home. We did some shopping and I picked up some more gifts from Cambodia. We called it an early night again, since we were going to be getting up early for the bus to Bangkok. Siem Reap was definitely a great stop! I can't wait to go back!

The Mighty Mekong

After a bleary eyed good-bye with Jenny at 7:00 am, I was off for my adventure in the Mekong. I waited for my bus for almost an hour and was worried the entire time about missing it. I climbed aboard and saw friendly backpacker faces, so I knew I'd find friends in no time. We started the trip with a bus ride to the river and the floating market. The market consisted of boats with produce for sale. The seller would stick their product on a pole to advertise for the customer. We didn't buy anything, but it was quite interesting to see the wares for sale. After a quick ride through the market, we stopped at a honey farm and sampled the product. While it was quite yummy, I was not tempted to try to pack a jar of honey for 6 weeks through the tropics. We also saw rice-paper production, coconut candy production, and popped rice sweets production. The samples were delicious at each spot, but once again I held strong and bought nothing. We had a sample of snake wine, and I think I'm becoming quite the aficionado. I still haven't bought any for a souvenir, but don't be surprised if that's what I bring home. We hopped another boat and started our exploration of the Mighty Mekong. The land was lush and picturesque. I wanted to capture the warmth and the fertility of the land, but my camera was insufficient. We stopped in the afternoon at a Cham village and toured the Mosque. It was the first Mosque I'd ever been in where I didn't need to cover my head or shoulders. It felt bizarre. We saw lush rice paddies and interacted with small children who liked to follow us. One little girl was in love with my polarized sunglasses since she could see her reflection.
We ate lunch in a little village where we could rent bikes and tour around. Unfortunately, we weren't given enough time to explore properly, but we did get a bike ride to the boat. The bikes were rusted, without gears, and all one size. It was awesome. The boat took us to a larger boat, where we met up with a couple of other groups. The afternoon boat ride took about 4 hours. A couple of us found a spot on the roof and soaked up the sun and countryside. The Mekong was busy with ships and fishing boats. The crafts on the water were a mix of giant shipping boats, small fishing boats, and row boats manned by women. The clash of the agrarian culture with the industrializing nation was no more hidden here than on the streets of Hanoi. We ate dinner on the boat and started getting to know one another. The travel stories were shared, and I kept taking mental notes of things I wanted to see and do. After a minor confusion over rooms, we arrived in Chau Doc and got settled. I had paid for a single, yet when we got close, the guide informed me that the only rooms left were a triple or a double. The people left to fill those rooms were one German couple and 2 guys and me. I was NOT interested in spending the night with two guys, so my lovely new friend, Uli, offered to share the room with me and her boyfriend, Mattias would share with the other guys. I was saved! The hotel was bug-filled and not quite as beautiful as it sounded. I fell asleep super early and slept well. Our wake-up call came in the form of pounding on our door and window and yelling at us to get up. It was 5:55am. I slowly emerged from my mosquito net and got ready. We were back on the boat by 7:00am and off to see the fish farm. The farm has multiple kinds of fish and exports to all over the world. We got to see the feeding, before getting back on the boat for our journey to Cambodia. I had opted for the "slow" boat. I was unsure of what this really meant and no guide could tell me what it really meant. We arrived at the border without incident and began our wait. On the way, I discovered that I had never received a departure card in Vietnam. Apparently, this is a big deal. The guide was almost hysterical when he found out I didn't have it. After 15 minutes, he returned with a new departure card, told me to fill it out, and slip $1 in the card. I was buying my way out of Vietnam for a $1. The guide collected our passports and was off to get our Cambodian visas. Unfortunately, he was back shortly and not so kindly informed me that I was out of passport pages. I wasn't really out of pages, but there wasn't one completely clear one for a full page stamp. I had two options. 1. Go back to Saigon and visit the consulate for more pages...or...2. Slip $10 in my passport and write a note saying I would immediately go to the embassy in Phnom Penh and get more pages added. Ten minutes later and $10 poorer, the guide was off again to get the visas. He returned after an hour and we escaped the holding tank long enough to scarf down some food. The slow boat arrived and was the same model as the fast boat. The only difference was the wait time. We hopped aboard, arrived at the Cambodian border and cleared passport control. The boat ride to Phnom Penh was 3 hours and not quiet. The countryside was prettier than Vietnam with much less industry. There were more farms, and I spent the afternoon watching the daily life. I saw farmers washing cattle in the river and rice being planted in the fields. It was peaceful and welcome after the chaos of the city.
We arrived at the port and climbed off the boat with packs in-tow. A mini-bus awaited and our hour journey to Phnom Penh began. The difference between Vietnam and Cambodia was immediately visible. There were no old people and the infrastructure was majorly lacking. I spent the hour watching out the window and wondering what the next couple of days would have in store. The mini-bus dropped us off in the center, and I wanted to head towards the lake to find a place to crash. Uli and Matthias opted for the lakeside lodging as well, so we shared a tuk-tuk to the Number 10 guesthouse. An Austrian was along for the ride, so our group totaled 4. We looked at a couple of guesthouses before settling for a cheap, yet barely tolerable place. Our first order of business was showers and then dinner. We wandered away from the backpacker area and negotiated dinner for $1 per person. Gotta love those street restaurants! Dinner was Lok Lak and delicious! We took an after dinner stroll to get a sense of the area and check out the river. Uli and I were suckers for street kids, so we bought them some food before heading back to the guesthouse. I got into a minor scuffle with the vendor, since he tried to overcharge me. In the end, I was victorious and the kids were fed. I know that the food thing is usually a scam, but who am I to say the little ones didn't need food. They were so incredibly cute. By the time we left Cambodia, I would come to realize that begging children do a number to my heart and my wallet.
The next morning, I awoke early to start the sight-seeing. The first stop was the torture museum at the S-21 Prison. We had an hour there, before I had to head to the embassy for my page run. It's hard to escape the recent history of Cambodia and no where is the history more alive than at the prison. Our guide's father, sister, and brother were killed by the Khmer Rouge. She was emotionless as she shared the horror-filled history of the building and showed us photos of not only the victims, but also the torturers. She kept repeating that the torturers are now walking the streets free. I was struck by how young the Khmer Rouge were and how quickly those doing the torture became the tortured. It was humanity at its absolute worst. Considering the very recent history, I'm amazed Cambodia is as developed as it is. The Khmer Rouge meant to destroy everything that made Cambodia. Phnom Penh was harsh and depressing after the museum.
I had to leave before completing the museum, but a part of me was glad to get away. I hopped on the back of a motorcycle and zoomed off to the US Embassy. I had made an appointment and was welcomed in. After two security checks and relinquishing all of my electronic devices, I was in. I joined the 25 Cambodians waiting to hear about their visas in a room very similar to the waiting area of the DMV. I sat down to wait my turn, but the security guard followed me in and told me to go to window 7. As a US citizen, I jumped the line and was helped immediately. I handed over my passport after filling out the form and waited. I felt terrible for the people waiting as I listened to the embassy worker explain again and again that the application was being processed. In one instance, an entire family had to submit new documentation before the application could proceed. So many people wanting to get into the US, yet so few visas available. In less than 15 minutes I had my passport back and was on my way.
I met Uli, Matthias, and Patrick at the National Museum. I checked out the artwork and almost got suckered into buying another book from a small child. While I was at the museum and the embassy, they went out to the killing fields. I'm glad I didn't go. I'm not sure my spirit could have taken so much violence. We grabbed lunch before heading towards the Silver Pagoda and the Russian Market. The Russian Market has nothing to do with Russia and everything to do with clothes produced by big name brands in Cambodia. Lots of cheap clothes and textiles. I bought a krama, which is a traditional Cambodian scarf. It's now my favorite accessory. We wandered around the market for a long while. As a group, we had decided to go towards Siem Reap on the midnight bus, so we had an evening to kill. We grabbed dinner and sat by the lake until it was time to head to the bus station. After waiting for 2 hours, the bus arrived and we hopped aboard. I have never been so cold instantly in my life. For six hours, I shivered and shifted trying to find a comfortable place to sleep. We arrived in Siem Reap at 6:00am and headed straight for the guesthouse. We negotiated down to $5 a night for a single and showered immediately. The plan for the day centered around Angkor, which deserves it's own post. I'm hoping to fully catch up on my posts soon! I slightly miss Wisconsin, totally miss family and friends, but love traveling and my new friends! Much love!

Mui Ne? Mui YAY!

After Tet, we were ready for the beach! On Monday afternoon, Jenny, Khanh, Matt, and I hopped on a bus for Mui Ne in the Eastern part of Vietnam. Bus seats were assigned with zero room for negotiation. When a woman asked to sit in front because she gets sick, he started yelling and informed us that we could sit in our assigned seats or stay in Saigon. The 4 hour bus ride turned into almost 6 and we arrived hot, tired, and ready for a shower. We had originally paid for bungalows on the beach...instead, we got a room with a small window overlooking the green, algae-filled pool. We negotiated hard for a better location and ended up slipping the security guard money for an extra room. Jenny and I snagged a bungalow overlooking the pool with bugs thrown in at no extra cost. We showered and left with the boys to go in search of dinner. We walked along the deserted highway with only motorbikes and taxis passing us. Most restaurants were closed, since it was almost 10:00pm. We wanted seafood and lucked out when we came across a seafood place full of plastic chairs and plastic tablecloths. The dinner was family style without much shellfish. Jenny has a wicked allergy to the tasty creatures. The boys and I shared crab with tamarind, which was spectacular. Feeling full, we hopped in a taxi and went back to the hotel to sleep. Jenny and I have been in the habit of sleeping late, and our first morning in Mui Ne was no exception. We slept late and got only to wander down the beach for a day of sun and sea. The South China Sea was beyond pretty. We drank iced coffees in the shade of palm trees, before beginning the ultra stressful task of basking in the sun. That evening, we met the boys for dinner after massages. Beauty treatments are so ridiculously cheap, so I am partaking as often as possible. The massage was heaven and a perfect completion of a day of rest and leisure. Since I had been in the sun all day, I opted for the aloe vera massage. As we were waiting for the appointments, we watched fresh aloe arrive. I love Southeast Asia! Everything is fresh! Seafood was on the menu once again for dinner, however, our choice was an epic fail. After 2.5 hours, we were served a plate of raw fish and a kettle of broth to cook the fish in. Apparently, it takes 2 hours to plate fish for a hotpot. We were lucky that the company was good and the conversation effortless. The boys had found a sweet restaurant earlier in the day, so that was our destination for after dinner drinks. We walked into Sankara, which was like a scene from a Puff Daddy video. The bar was filled with cabanas, white curtains, and an open bar. In short, the place was fabulous. In Vietnam, alcohol is not served past 11 without a major bribe for the officials. In Mui Ne, most things are open late, so we took in as much of the night life as possible. The following day, we slept late again and awoke in time for facials. The dragon fruit mask used fresh fruit and my skin soaked it up. I met up with the boys and sat by the beach watching kite surfers. We ate dinner in a little place that looked dingy but had great food. I've decided that the dirtier the place, the better the food will probably be in Vietnam. We left Mui Ne the next day, but not before checking out Joe's Restaurant for breakfast. It's run by an American from Vermont and has a super chill atmosphere. It is the only restaurant opened 24 hours a day in Vietnam. Gotta love that tradition of being able to get food anytime you want. The bus back to Saigon was roomy, and I slept well. We did see a terrible motorbike accident while stuck in traffic outside the city. The body had already been moved, but the image of the blood on the street has stuck with me. I'm amazed I haven't seen more accidents. Khanh, Jenny , and I walked in search of the best deal for a guesthouse and ended up at Hotel 96 in the heart of the backpacker district. Rooms have been super cheap, so Jenny and I got a double room for $15. Gotta love those rooms for under $10/person. Friday brought a beautiful day in the city and a plan for seeing the sights. We went to the Presidential Palace. The palace was totally uninspiring, especially since it was historically the locale of the fall of Saigon. We also went to see the War Remnants museum. While at the museum, I stood in front of the display about Agent Orange and cried. It's hard to be an American in Vietnam and not feel horribly about the war. There were pictures of babies born in 1997 that suffered from deformities due to Agent Orange poisoning. It was so tragic, and I had to get out of there. I understand that most of the museum was propaganda in support of the communist government, but the people suffered regardless. Jenny and I went for a lovely dinner of tapas and sangria. On Saturday, we meant to get up early and go see the Cu Chi tunnels, but we both ended up sick. We had gone to bed early, yet spent the night with stomach cramps. Instead of seeing the tunnels, we laid in bed nursing our painful stomachs. We did roll out of bed and ate a little something around 1. Food helped a bit, so we were off to the market and the Notre Dame Cathedral. The post office was beautiful and designed by Eiffel, so the building contained tons of French architectural flairs. Since we still weren't 100%, we went back to the guesthouse to pack and get ready for the next day. I left super early for my 2 day adventure through the delta and entrance into Cambodia. It was sad to leave Jenny, and I was nervous about traveling by myself. The Mekong and more adventures awaited.

Tet is not just an offensive

Jenny and I spent Thursday and Friday hanging out in Hanoi, but things were definitely calming down in anticipation of the Tet, the Lunar New Year. By Friday night, most shops and places were closed. For dinner, we ate a Tet cake, which is essentially the Vietnamese version of fruit cake. It's sticky rice shaped into a square with a pork and corn filling. It was absolutely delicious and filling for our very quiet night in. We had a very early morning flight from Hanoi to Saigon, so we went to bed early. The next morning, the taxi picked us up at 5:30 am. The city had cleared out since a large chunk of people went back to the villages to be with family for Tet. The flight was uneventful and quick. We were checked into our hotel and settled by ten. A walk was in order, so we wandered down the street. We passed a stand selling egg breads. I was skeptical, but Jenny said they were wonderful. The egg breads are essentially scrambled eggs in a roll with fresh herbs and vegetables. It was very yummy and we found a pretty bench in the midst of the flower market to eat. Tet preparations were in full force. There were flowers everywhere and people buying everything they might need. We wandered and found cheap sunglasses. I figure I need at least two pairs, since I tend to lose and break any that I buy. Khanh, Jenny's friend from Hanoi, met us around eleven. We grabbed a quick snack at a food stand before heading back to the hotel. The early morning had caught up to us, and we needed a nap. We met back up with Khanh after our rests and went to dinner. Matt, another ex-pat working in Saigon, met us for dinner. It was a delicious Vietnamese place. Before dinner, we checked out a pedestrian only street in district one. The street was full of families and flower displays. Saigon was beautifully decorated for Tet. I loved seeing Tigers everywhere, since this year is the year of the tiger. My birth year was the year of the tiger, which means that this is a very auspicious year for me. I feel a job coming my way. :) I loved watching the people and see all of the adorable kids excited for Tet. After dinner, we got a tour of the area and grabbed a drink at a swanky bar. Midnight rolled around and we found ourselves outside with thousands of motorbikes and their riders watching the sky. Fireworks began and the show went on for at least 30 minutes. I was expecting cheers, hugs, and kisses like our New Year's celebrations. The Vietnamese are much more reserved. They watched the fireworks and then went home to drink with their families. The evening ended late, but very well. We slept late and went to Khanh's family's house. It is tradition to spend the day with family eating. Holidays around the world seem to involve copious amounts of food consumed in the name of family time. His family was absolutely lovely, so I spent much of the afternoon listening. His cousin's husband decided to share a special drink with us. Earlier in the day, I had noticed a jar with a stack of snakes in it. The snakes were coiled and stacked on one another with a liquid covering them. It turns out this liquid is drinkable. A small cup of the snake wine was collected and we took shots of it. After drinking it, we were told to smell the glass. I definitely could smell the snake. Apparently, the wine is good for virility and back ache. I was just glad to not throw up. Dinner was an absolutely delicious lamb hot pot. We left absolutely stuffed and ready for bed. I had survived and loved my first Tet celebrations. This year will definitely bring wonderful adventures, experiences, and growth. What a fabulous way to start the year of the tiger. I hope your Tet was as wonderful as mine.

Melting in Vietnam

Updating has been much more complicated than I thought it would be. There doesn't seem to be enough time to see and experience all the sites and write everyday. My last four days in Hanoi passed peacefully. I finally got the feeling that I knew where I was in the city. I spent the mornings lounging and reading and the afternoons exploring. On Wednesday, Jenny and I went with a friend of hers, Trang, to the Perfume Pagoda. Contrary to the name, there is no perfume anywhere near the pagoda. We began the journey early in the morning and spent two hours on a mini bus with other tourists. The only way to the pagoda was via small rows boats. The hour long boat ride was serene and beautiful. We were on a quiet river with lush vegetation on both sides. All along the river we saw graves. Traditionally, Buddhists are buried in above ground graves and left for three years. After three years, someone goes and collects the bones. The bones are given to the family for the altar at home. Trang told us that the there are certain people who have the job of collecting the bones. It's a terrible job, but a decent way of earning a living. Our boat docked and we began the ascent to the pagoda. By this time, it was ridiculously hot. Jenny and Trang were fine, but I was melting. My body was waaayyy too used to the cold and was in shock. I had to rest often, but I finally made it to the top. We climbed the stairs down into a cavern that opened into a pagoda. It was absolutely breathtaking. The cave was cool and dark, yet the altars were filled with candles and offerings. We spent some time in peace before hiking back down. The climb down was much easier, and lunch was ready for us at the bottom. We were on the boat at sunset, so our entire boat ride back was during sunset. There were very few other boats around. The peace of the countryside was engulfing and so needed after the commotion and chaos of Hanoi. The entire day was lovely, but we were so sweaty and dirty by the time we got back to the city. We only had the energy for a milkshake and then showers before bed. Sleep came easy after the long day.

Good-bye Seoul, Hello Hanoi

Thursday, February 4th
Last night was the first night that the hostel wasn’t full. It ended up being only one other girl and three guys sharing a room. I, of course, was exhausted by the time I returned home. I had made plans to meet Steph in the morning and see a few last sights in Seoul before heading to the airport. I slept well, but was once again awake very early. I’m trying my hardest to get my body on Asian time, but I’m having some difficulty. This morning, I forced myself to sleep until 7:30. I quietly packed and got things in order. Mary does not like to get up before 9, so I waited until 8:45 to knock on her door for coffee and toast. Steph met me closer to 9:30 and we were off! The first stop was the Namdaemun Market. I had some things I forgot at home to pick up, and the market is a great way to observe the culture and feel of the city. We had made plans to head towards one of the palaces for an 11:30 tour. Today was much, much nicer than yesterday, so we were feeling up to being outside a bit. The palace is a UNESCO heritage site, so it’s beautifully preserved. The highlight of the tour was the Secret Garden towards the back of the grounds. I can only imagine how magnificent it would have been during the spring and summer. After the palace, we went to Insadong for a vegetarian meal. The dish was noodles with spices and vegetables and was so spicy it hurt. I absolutely loved it! The spices and flavor was superb. I’m surprised Steph doesn’t eat there every day! I hadn’t found exactly what I was looking for at Namdaemun the first time around, so we headed back. I bought everything I needed in record time, so we had some free time to wander through the streets and take in the sights. I made it back to the hostel with plenty of time to finish packing and catch my shuttle to the airport. While grabbing my pack, the other girl in the hostel struck up a conversation. Lin was absolutely wonderful and from China. I regrettably told her that I wouldn’t make it to China on this trip. Her response was to give me a red ornament in celebration of Chinese New Year. I hope she’ll be able to come visit or we’ll meet up somewhere in the world. I love meeting people in the hostels! It’s such a great group of people who choose to travel and stay in hostels.
I caught my shuttle without a problem and entered the airport amid the apparently thousands of others flying today. I made my way to Asiana Air and stood in line for a ridiculous amount of time. I have never seen so many people carrying three or more bags per person. I wandered through the Seoul airport and made my way to the gate to read. I was getting incredibly tired, so I opted to veg out while waiting to board. The flight to Hanoi was uneventful, and I quickly fell asleep. I was lucky enough to be in the front row of coach, so I had lots of leg room and could stretch out. There was a little girl sitting next to me who had rarely seen white people and spent the entire flight staring at me. She was absolutely adorable, and I was tempted to bring her home with me. I need to get over feeling self-conscious, especially since I am just starting my trek through Asia. I arrived in Hanoi and was giddy with anticipation. I was totally unsure of what to expect for the customs experience in Vietnam. Instead of meeting a Communist blockade and having to navigate the murky waters of describing why I should be allowed to enter the country, I passed through security and customs without pause. I ordered a taxi from the information desk and paid an exorbitant fee for a car into the city. I paid the fee for the very simple reason that it was late and I was in a completely foreign city.
The trek through the countryside to Hanoi was beautiful, even though it was completely dark outside. I arrived at the alley of Jenny’s house and walked down. Had her house not been next to the house of the US ambassador, I would have been much more nervous about walking down a dark alley. I rang the bell and was so excited to see Jenny descend the stairs! I got the grand tour of the house and immediately fell in love with it! The house is tall and narrow, and Jenny’s room is on the fourth level. Each level has one room that opens to the beautiful staircase. The top floor is the laundry room with a balcony for drying. I met Jenny’s roommate and the two Americans who were visiting. Jenny and I stayed up late chatting and catching up. I am so excited to spend the next two weeks exploring and spending time with her.
Friday, February 5th
Jenny had to work today, so I slept in and unpacked. YJ, Jenny’s roommate, took me to find a money exchange and grab lunch. During the motorcycle ride, I encountered the chaos that is traffic in Hanoi. There is no rhyme or reason to the flow of traffic and it appears that everyone is going to crash at any moment. I cannot imagine crossing the street, let alone driving through it. My first experience with Vietnamese food was a hot pot with seafood. The servers brought an open flame grill with a pot filled with broth. The entire plate of raw seafood was dropped into the boiling broth. The plate had shrimp, fish, frog legs, squid, and oysters. I tried the frog legs, which honestly taste like chicken. I spent the afternoon with Michael and Jo going to the Hanoi Hilton. It didn’t take much time to go through the museum, which was heavy on the communist propaganda. The entire museum focused on the history of the prison under French control and the torture of the Vietnamese that occurred. There was a small room of artifacts from the American pilots who had been held at the prison. Basically, the message of the prison was that the French were terrible to the Vietnamese, but the American prisoners were treated wonderfully while under communist Vietnamese control. After the museum, we attempted to see the water puppet show, but the only tickets available were at 9:15pm. I opted to go home and meet up with Jenny. When she got home from work, a nap was on the agenda. The next thing I knew, it was almost 10pm. We woke up and headed towards the 17 Saloon to meet some of Jenny’s friends. The bar was a fabulous collision of Texan stereotypes and Vietnamese hipsters. After the saloon, the group went to Solace. It is a night club on a boat on the river. There is no longer a river, but the boat sits in the muck and is filled with the movers and shakers of Hanoi. We saw a ton of ex-pats and had an all-around grand time. It was a late night finished with fried rice and spring rolls.
Saturday, February 6th
We slept quite late today and didn’t have anything incredibly pressing on our agenda. YJ, Jenny, and I went for a late lunch at a Western place. I had hash browns with cheese and peppers. So great after a late night! After lunch, Jenny took me to her favorite massage place. The massages were cheap and so great! By the time we were done, it was almost 5 and we headed back to the house for another nap. Jenny woke me up and we left around 10 to grab dinner and check out an artsy Japanese place. Today was super relaxing and an almost perfect experience. I love the feel of Hanoi.
Sunday, February 7th
Yet another morning of sleeping in! I am getting used to this lovely schedule we have. Today was destined to be a day of wandering and eating. Our first stop was the hidden café near the Hoan Kiem Lake. I tried coffee with yogurt, which may sound disgusting, but is quite delicious. It was hot today, so anything cool was a treat. The café overlooked the lake, but was found only after walking down a hall between two small shops. We chatted while watching the traffic below. Jenny and I walked to the café, so I slowly was becoming acclimated to crossing the street. However, I still feel as if every time I cross, I may die. I think it will get better, but I’m not totally sure how more people aren’t hit crossing the street. We stopped by the tailor and dropped off my pants to be altered and I ordered another pair to be made out of linen. I love the idea of having a tailor…maybe I’ll have more stuff made before I leave. After the tailor’s, Jenny and I went to get Avocado Milkshakes. I was apprehensive, but it turns out that they are delicious. At first, I assumed that the milkshake would be similar to an American milkshake, but instead of milk, ice cream, and chocolate, I found myself drinking a concoction of coconut milk, condensed milk, and avocados. I could eat them every day! We ate our milkshakes while sitting on miniature plastic stools outside a tiny shop surrounded by tons of Vietnamese. Each of the streets in the Old Quarter specializes in the goods sold. There is Silk Street, Lock Street, Milkshake Street, Plastic Street, and Sim Card Street. The idea of specialized streets is slightly confusing, but does make shopping quite easy. After milkshakes, Jenny took me on a tour of the Old Quarter, so I could get a better sense of the area. On one street, we found a woman selling omelets with herbs. After sitting down, Jenny ordered an omelet for us. Instead of an omelet, the vendor took two eggs and cracked them into small bowls. Instead of a hardboiled egg, I found myself staring at a veiny, fertilized duck egg. I watched Jenny to see if she would eat it. I knew that if she ate it, I would have to try it. I was growing more and more nauseous as I sat. I knew I could not swallow any of it, but I was nervous about offending the vendor. Luck was on my side, so I was saved from having to eat the fertilized duck egg. Jenny finally communicated that we wanted an omelet. A fresh herb omelet was made, and it was absolutely delicious! Gotta love those street vendors! After the horror of fertilized eggs, we found a small spa and got manicures and pedicures. They were cheap and the place was tranquil. The city is always bustling and the traffic seems never-ending. Jenny wanted me to experience the lemon tea, so she took me to a café near the cathedral. Since it was Sunday, I got to see the people gathered for mass. People were on bleachers outside the church and some even sat on their motorbikes to participate. It is still a danger for people to attend mass, since it is not governmentally authorized. The tea was deliciously sweet. We sat on the plastic stools again, only this time the crowd surrounding us was very young and hip. Apparently, the cafes around the church are the place to meet and gossip. We met a young, Vietnamese officer and his friend, who is a local TV personality. We ended the day at the Museum Café near Jenny’s house. Since we had been grazing and sipping all day, we opted for a light dinner. We had spring rolls filled with duck and fried greens. Dessert was a fruit cup with condensed milk and ice. I adore the desserts and fresh fruit that is everywhere. Such a nice change from the cold of winter in Wisconsin!
Monday, February 8th
Jenny worked all day today, so I was left on my own. I started the day on a xe om, traveling fast through the city towards Ho Chi Minh. I wanted to spend the morning at the mausoleum complex. I arrived and found that Uncle Ho needed extra rest, so the mausoleum was closed for the day. I entered the grounds of the old French Palace and wandered through the beautiful gardens. I checked out Uncle Ho’s old house and his house on stilts. I found it a bit surprising that the man of the people had beautiful cars in his garage. There continue to be amazing contradictions in Vietnam. I walked towards Jenny’s work and checked out the art museum on my way. It was such a great museum housing collections spanning the history of Vietnam. My favorite paintings were the lacquer paintings. I absolutely adored the museum, even though it was ridiculously hot outside. Jenny had texted me that she had a work meeting, so I headed towards KOTO for lunch. It’s a restaurant that trains street kids for work in the restaurant industry. The food was superb and it was dining for a cause at its finest. I had a lovely, quiet lunch complete with fresh fruit. I cannot get over being able to eat tropical fruit every day. It is one of many perks to being in Southeast Asia. After lunch, I went to the Temple of Literature. The temple was built as a university ages ago and was a quiet place amidst the chaos of the city. I spent a couple of hours there before meeting Jenny for a coffee. I found the UNESCO headquarters and we trekked to a nearby German restaurant for a mango milkshake. I took a taxi home and spent the afternoon resting and relaxing. In the evening, we went to a Chilean movie at the Cinemateque. I loved the movie and the theater had a little café in the courtyard. Our dinner consisted of macaroons from the French bakery near Jenny’s house. I love Jenny for many reasons, but the fact that the size of her sweet tooth rivals mine is great. The movie traced two families and the drama that surrounds a modern family in the aftermath of the military regime. Yet another beautiful and adventure filled day in Hanoi!

Drama at the DMZ

I believe I am now on Korean time and quickly recovering from the effects of jet lag. I got up this morning at 7:15 and was ready to hop aboard the shuttle to the DMZ by 8:10. Steph met me at the hostel and we were off. We were unsure of what to expect, but the drive was quick and pretty. At one point, we passed under a bridge that held dynamite in the event that the North invaded the South. The bridge would explode and collapse, thereby slowing the attack on Seoul. During my time in Seoul, it's been easy to forget that the country is still technically in a state of war with the North. Today, there was no forgetting or avoiding that fact. We drove along barbed wire fences and saw the Han river that is divided at different points between the North and the South. We arrived at the first stop and transferred shuttles. At this point, we wandered out to the Freedom Bridge where prisoners of war were traded during the Korean War. The bridge is closed, but we took pictures and could see the bridge from a look-out point.
We boarded the shuttle to the DMZ and went through the checkpoint. After going through checkpoints in Israel, the process here was a piece of cake. We wrote our names and passport numbers on a sheet of paper and never showed the guards our papers. Steph and I had opted for just the morning tour, which consisted of the DMZ and the Third Tunnel. After the armistice agreement, North Korea dug multiple tunnels under the DMZ to allow for covert military access into South Korea. The South Korean military has discovered 4 tunnels thus far, but a North Korean defector claims that there were 20 tunnels included in the original plan. We trekked down into the tunnel and walked a little ways in. We couldn't go all the way to the North Korean side, but it was still trippy to think about how close we were to North Korea.
Our tour guide was amazing and super bubbly. It didn't seem to fit perfectly since we were witnessing some very serious landscape and thinking about the horrible things happening on the other side of the DMZ. She was very informative and answered any questions we had. Our final stop of the tour was at a train station. The station was the last one north, but is also a symbol of the hopeful future involving a reunification of the Korean peninsula. It was shiny and beautiful, but eerie since it was empty.
Steph and I made it back to the city around 1 and headed straight towards the bank. I needed to exchange some money, which involved signing a form that included my passport number. It was a little bit of a process and a new experience. We ate lunch in Insadong at a traditional restaurant. The meal was bibimbap that is a popular Korean dish with lots of veggies, an egg, and rice. I was not a huge fan of the seaweed involved, but it was still good to experience it. Bulgogi is still my favorite Korean dish, but I'm always willing to try new things.
After lunch, Steph and I were cold and tired, so we opted for a Korean movie to pass the time this afternoon. The weather had been nice, but today was bitterly cold. We had toyed with the idea of visiting a palace, but the thought of being outside for an extended period of time was not appealing. We found a movie that looked like it involved dancing of some sort. When we asked the salesman what it was about, we were informed that it was action/comedy. We forgot to ask about English subtitles, but decided to just go for it. The movie involved lots of physical comedy and was entertaining. I was immersing myself in the language and culture, while staying out of the cold. It was a win/win situation.
We met Nick at home after the movie and discussed dinner options. Last night, Stephanie and Nick took me to an AMAZING Nepalese restaurant. I got the Everest Special Curry Chicken that was so yummy. I have to say that I may enjoy Thai and Indian food more than Korean. For dinner tonight, we opted for Bulgogi at the neighborhood restaurant again. I know it may be silly to eat the same thing twice in 4 days, but it is so good and a fitting meal for my last night in Korea. We had more great conversation and food. Steph and Nick have been SO hospitable and wonderful. I'm blessed to have friends like them! Since Steph has had off work, she's been able to be a tourist with me and be my guide to the city. I know my adventures and experience has been better because of her!
After dinner, we were super tired, so I headed back to the hostel. I took the metro all by myself and didn't get lost once. It's a good sign of how the rest of the trip will go. :) Tomorrow entails a visit to a palace, the Namdaemun Gate, and an art museum before flying out to Hanoi. I can't believe I already move on to Vietnam tomorrow. I have a sneaking suspicion this trip is going to fly by!

Annyong Haseyo

"Auntie sleeping. Auntie sleeping." My morning of January 30th started with my beautiful nephew informing my sister that I was sleeping. She attempted to shush him, but I was now awake and decided to enjoy the last few hours with him before jet setting off to Asia. The day was spent prepping for my trip. I, of course, had not packed nor had I truly decided what I was going to take with me. I think I put it off because packing everything I would need for 2 months in one backpack was a daunting task. Katie was a phenomenal source of packing advice and helped me narrow down my clothing options. I've packed only black shirts to make my dirtiness much less noticeable. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm going to super dirty throughout this trip. Shirts will be worn 3-4 days before washing. I hope I don't become the smelly kid that no one wants to be friends with. :)

I arrived at the airport around 5:15. My first flight to Chicago left at 7:23, so two hours was plenty of time to make the domestic flight. I approached the United counter with my excitement growing with each step. There was no line, so I headed to begin the self check-in. The woman behind the counter approached me and asked where I was headed. She then informed me that United had no more flights on the 30th out of Minneapolis. I panicked and told her that my flight left at 7:23. She looked up my itinerary and told me my flight to Chicago left at 5:10 instead of 7:23 and that I should have received an updated itinerary in November. I received no such update, so I internally began freaking out. I quickly calculated in my head how fast I could drive to Chicago and realized that I would never make it in time for my 1:00 am departure to Seoul. The Gods were with me and they found a spot on a Delta flight leaving for Chicago at 7:10. I would make my flight!

I arrived at O'Hare and checked in with Asiana Air. I attempted to finagle my way into First or Business class, but opted to save my $3000 and took my coach seat instead. I had a window seat in the very last row. Instead of this being a bad thing, I ended up having tons of room to stand and stretch in the space behind the seats. I slept immediately after take-off and awoke to dinner being served. I was informed that I would be having beefsteak. Horrendous pictures of a nasty "meat" patty popped into my head. Instead, I enjoyed a small steak cooked medium. It was delicious, but I only stayed awake long enough to swallow my last bite. Aside from the short time I was awake to eat, I slept for the first 7 hours of the flight. The last 6.5 hours was spent watching movies and CSI:Miami. Before I could become truly sick of the plane, we began our descent to Incheon.

I deplaned and wandered trying to figure out how to get to my hostel. I checked my email and found that the hostel gave very specific directions from the airport. I purchased my bus ticket and was on my way. I got off at the right stop and exited into a very busy city. It was 8:15 am and I had completely lost the day of January 31st. My jet lag wasn't terrible, and I was excited to meet Steph and begin the day's adventures. The directions from the bus stop to the hostel did not make sense, so I wandered for a bit. I was nervous and slightly panicked as I moved from building to building trying to make out shops and find the hostel.

The Hongdae Guesthouse is located in a hi-rise buildings resembling a giant office building. I wasn't sure how or where the rooms would be housed in the building. I took the elevator up and found the reception area. The white board informed me that Mary was resting and would be back at 9. At this point, I wanted to dump my bag in my room and be off exploring. I stood in the hallway deciding what to do. A gentleman came to the door and let me in. I sat on the couch waiting for Mary to check me in. She was clearly not a morning person, so I played with the adorable puppies. After a bit, another hosteler came in and we enjoyed coffee and conversation. Mary didn't want me going to the room, because I could have awoken the others in the room. Steph arrived just as Mary gave me permission to drop my stuff off. We exited the building and were off exploring Hongdae. The neighborhood is fun, young and filled with bars and restaurants. We saw some sweet street art and headed to the metro.

The metro in Seoul is accessible and clean. We took the metro to Steph and Nick's neighborhood, Bulwang, and wandered through an outdoor market. I took in the sights of fish and grains being sold. For lunch, Steph took me for bulgogi. It is a type of Korean BBQ. Each table had a little grill where you grilled the meat. I added garlic, onions, and kimchee to my creation. To eat the grilled yumminess, I took a piece of lettuce with rice and added the grilled contents to the top. In theory, you would form a lettuce wrap. In reality, I shoved my attempt at a lettuce wrap into my mouth and tried not to drop the contents all over the table. Bulgogi is not the food for a first date...it was messy and absolutely amazing.

After lunch, we headed to Gyeongbuk Palace. Steph and I had the place almost entirely to ourselves and spent a couple hours wandering and taking in the beautiful sites. The temples were painted with vibrant blues, greens, and reds. I felt completely at peace and loved seeing the grounds. There was a frozen pond with a small pagoda on an island in the middle. The area was serene.

Next up was Insadong and a yummy kiwi smoothie in a quiet tea house. The area is very traditional and was never bombed during the Korean war. Because of this, the houses and buildings are very traditional. We sat in the tea shop planning the next couple of days. Before meeting Nick for dinner, Steph and I headed towards the statue of King Sejong, who invented the Korean alphabet. There was a little park area with greeters encouraging visitors to try on Hanboks, the traditional Korean dress. We tried on the costumes and quickly realized that we were the only ones over the age of 11 in the area trying them on. We embraced the situation and loved it. Further up the mall area was an ice skating rink and the hip place to be if you were in high school in Seoul. Teenage angst was in the air and couples were seen holding hands as they skated around. It was great!

I was trying to push through my jet lag, but it began catching up to me as Steph and I traveled to meet Nick. We went to Itaewon for Thai food, which is the neighborhood full of foreigners and has a spot nicknamed Hooker Hill. We avoided Hooker Hill, but checked out some of the shops around the area. It was great to see Nick again and tell him all about out adventurous day around Seoul. We ate at Nick and Stephanie's favorite Thai restaurant and I enjoyed the curry dish that Nick suggested. During dinner, I totally began feeling the time difference. By the end of the meal, I wasn't speaking in comprehensive sentences. Steph and Nick realized I needed to get back to my hostel and to sleep.

We took the metro to the Hongik stop and I said goodnight quickly. Once in my hostel room, I realized my bed was without covers, so I journeyed down to Mary. She was "making a party" and wanted me to join. I was dead on my feet, so I tried as politely as I could to turn her down. I escaped to the room and barely made it into pajamas before falling asleep. I slept well and was awake at 6:15 am. Nothing like an early start to my day.

Instead of waking the others in the room, I traveled downstairs to the Dunkin' Donuts for some coffee and to journal a bit. I met Steph at 9 to begin day 2 of Seoul Adventures. We traveled via the metro to Bukhansan and the location of our trek for the day. Steph and I decided to take a day and hike, so that I could enjoy a very Korean pastime. We got on the bus and spotted fellow hikers. The Koreans were decked out to enjoy a hike. I had my fleece and hiking boots, but these people had the packs, shoes, pants, walking sticks, and countless other accessories. I felt totally underdressed and insufficient. We opted to get off the bus when the group of hikers did and followed them. Steph didn't recognize the entrance, but we carpe diemed and continued to follow. The hike was very reminiscent of Wisconsin for a while. Then began the intense ascent. At some points, we were literally crawling up rocks and trying to find a path. It was beyond beautiful, quiet, and perfect. The higher we climbed, the more beautiful it became. We lost our group eventually, but found a gate and overlook instead. There was a sign pointing different directions giving suggestions for where to hike. We could see a temple in the distance, but were unsure how to get there. We headed towards the summit and looked down to see a giant statue in the midst of the temple.

The statue made the decision for us and we were determined to make it down to the temple area. We headed back to the sign and attempted to figure out how to get down. A path lay before us, so we took it. The beginning was steep but manageable. We thought it would get easier, but it was not meant to be easy. At one point, Steph and I were on our butts sliding down a gravel hill towards what we thought was the path. I am so lucky to be here with Stephanie and her joyful attitude. We could laugh at our situation and enjoy the absolute adventure of the hike. But determination paid off and the woods cleared to the giant statue. We had survived our slide down the hill and the reward was so amazing. The temple grounds were quiet and so so peaceful. It felt as if we were trespassing, and I kept waiting for someone to come out and tell us to leave. We walked up a few stairs to check out the rest of the area. We came upon what we thought may have been a food area and a woman emerged. She invited us in and we entered a plain room with tables on the ground. A group of women fed us and were so gracious. We were not allowed to pay for lunch, and it was delicious. Steph told me it was very traditional and once again so yummy. After lunch, we walked into one of the buildings and found an absolutely stunning alter with 3 golden statues.

We journeyed around and were deciding whether to attempt the journey back up the path of death or find another path. At this time in the day, we were running out of daylight. We were unsure of how long another path would take us, so we asked a passing hiker. He looked at the path we had taken and vehemently shook his head no. Instead, we followed his group back down and found the path much easier. We exited the park and caught a bus back to Steph's apartment. Now, we're waiting for Nick to finish work and will be going out to dinner shortly. The hike was so amazing and peaceful. Today being in nature was a complete reminder of how beautiful life is and how lucky we are to live on this beautiful planet. I was in awe of the majestic surroundings. I am so blessed with amazing friends and experiences. I'm loving Seoul. Tomorrow, we head to the DMZ. I hope a trip to a North Korean prison isn't included. :)

One Wadi to Another

The days have run away from me! I better catch them, eh? Two days ago, I was in Jordan. We awoke to a bright, sunny day and knew that the adventure for the day was going to be great! Gretchen and I ate breakfast in the hotel and were off with the group to Petra. Our guide, Samer, led the way as we disembarked. We walked down a path and arrived at a very large gully. In Jordan, it is the Siq and was to be our entrance into Petra. Before the trip, I had not been up to date on my Middle Eastern history and had only heard of Petra from my parents’ stories.

The walk down the Siq was long but totally paid off! The first view of the treasury of Petra took my breath away. I was walking along and turned a corner. No longer was the view in front of me rough sandstone; I glimpsed the beautifully carved pillars and entrance. After looking around the entryway for a bit, a few of us headed towards the monastery. The journey would take us a ways past the Treasury and up 900 steps. It was a quiet hike, especially since we were all huffing and puffing our way up. The monastery is tucked among the hills on a plateau. I’ve decided that I love hiking. I get super tired walking up a ton of steps, but I thoroughly enjoy the climb and concentrating on where my next step will be.

At the top, there was a carved entrance similar to the Treasury, but the view was worth the climb. One outlook was called “The End of the World”. On a clear day from that spot one could see Egypt, the Dead Sea, and Israel. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, but the view was still spectacular. We hiked around on the plateau for a while before heading down to meet up with the rest of the group. My feet and legs were tired by the time we climbed back to the bus. I was ready for a little rest, but instead, we headed to Little Petra.

Little Petra is home to a chapel carved up and into the sandstone about 15 minutes from Petra. The dome of the chapel has a mosaic, so we climbed up to look at it. Most of the mosaic had been damaged because of smoke from Bedouin fires. The Bedouin lived in the caves and all aspects of life took place within the natural shelter of the caves, including cooking and heat production. There were families out for picnics at Little Petra, since Friday was a holiday. It was fun to see the kids running around these beautiful sites, although seeing toddlers really just made me miss Adam. I’m excited to get home and hang out with the little guy.

Luckily, it was a short ride back to our hotel. By this time, my feet were ready to kill me. They wanted out of my hiking boots and were incredibly close to waging a mutiny. Thankfully, I was able to coerce them into movement and made it back to the room. I stripped off my dirty shoes and socks and changed into pjs. I was fully aware of it only being 4:30 in the afternoon, but after a long, hard day of hiking, my body wanted a nap. Gretchen went for a Turkish Bath, but I opted for the cozy comfort of the bed. Instead of sleeping for a brief moment, I slept for 2.5 hours. Maybe a waste of time? Regardless, I was fully revived in time for dinner.

After dinner, Sue came to use the internet, and Gretchen and I convinced her of the incredibly void in her life. She was without a facebook profile. We quickly rectified the problem and she is now able to be friends with her daughter. Sue is totally like a mom to us and such a blessing to have on this trip.

Yesterday, we said good-bye to Wadi Musa and began the trip to Amman. Along the way, we had a few stops to make. The first being a stop to check out the stone that Moses touched to get water for the Israelites. There is a stone with a pool, but it is pretty hard to know for certain that this is the stone of Moses. It was neat to look at and touch the water and to share in the history of the pilgrimage to the now holy site.

We drove out of Wadi Musa towards a Crusader castle that is now in ruins. No longer can groups go into the castle and look around. The only option is to take pictures from the road. The stop happened to be next to a Bedouin shop, so of course we popped our heads in. The shop was one of the coolest we’ve been to. It was in a cave that also was part of the home. The minute we walked in, the proprietor started making tea for us. It was the hands-down best tea I’ve ever had. It was a hot sweet tea, but so much more delicious that I can properly describe. The young son was off of school until the end of January, so he was helping out in the shop. This kid had style and wore some super sweet kicks. I liked him immediately, so we bonded while haggling over a pair of earrings. There have been so many kids on this trip that I want to bring home. They’ve been so cute!

We reluctantly left the shop and drove to Madaba. Jordan seems to be the location of lots of places that are really important, yet I am lacking the basic knowledge of their significance. Madaba is an ancient city that is home to a beautiful mosaic in the floor of an orthodox church. It is a map of the Holy Land tracing Moses exodus out of Egypt. The map isn’t complete anymore, but it was still sweet to see. We ate yummy Shwarma for lunch and were off once again.

We had one more stop before Amman. Mt. Nebo is the location of Moses death. In the Bible, Moses and Aaron broke God’s rule, therefore they were never to enter the Promised Land. At Mt. Nebo, God showed Moses the Promised Land and then Moses died. He was buried and the Israelites mourned before entering the land of Israel. The view from the monastery was great. We could see into Israel and the West Bank. It was hazy yet again, so we missed the phenomenal view. We could still see pretty far and could pick out the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Forrest, one of our leaders, read the passage from the Bible as our meditation for the day. We were the only group at the outlook, so we could soak it all in without interruption.

There was a small museum on our walk back to the bus, so I perused Greco-Roman pottery and architecture. I’m pretty sure if I could go back in time, I’d go back and check out the height of Roman influence and power. It’d be sweet to see the streets and buildings complete.

Our day ended in Amman. We arrived in the city early enough to have a little bus tour. We drove past the Roman Theater, the Royal Palace, and the Citadel. The streets were busy and packed with merchants and shoppers. Many of the shops had salesmen sitting outside waiting for customers. The Western influence is very apparent throughout the city. Lots of Popeye’s, Starbucks, and Hardee’s. We drove through the very rich neighborhood and saw the giant, beautiful homes situated between embassies and homes of the diplomats. Just in case we needed the information, we drove by the US embassy. Of course, no pictures were taken.

The hotel we were at was the nicest one yet. It was in the city, but not right at the city center. We had full beds instead of twins and a spacious bathroom with a stand-up shower. Dinner was served for just the 11 of us and was quite the spread. Different proteins and FRESH, steamed vegetables. Soooo yummy!

Today’s update will be posted as soon as I get to the airport. I’m packing to travel back to the US now…pretty crazy that my time in the Holy End is already over. See you soon!