I truly love Cambodia. Without a doubt it's my favorite place we have visited and maybe even one of my favorite places on earth. Admittedly our expectations were super low so it's been a pleasant suprise from the moment we landed in Phnom Phen.
It's an amazing country that seems to be slowly but succesfully recovering from a terrible genocide just over thirty years ago. The poverty is more evident here than anywhere else we've visited in south east asia and you see a lot more of the problems that landmines and a lack of good health care system have had on this country. It's heart breaking to think that there are no social services (besides aid agencies) to help these people.
The Khmer are beautiful, have a fierce integrity and seem extremely intelligent. They have a certain something about them that totally draws you in. The children are smart, well spoken and charismatic. Everyone is really easy to make a joke, they have a brilliant sense of humour. Every shop or restaurant seems to be involved in some sort of aid program, whether it be selling handicrafts that were made by those who are handicapped (because of landmines or they have polio) or simply run by street kids in order to keep them off the streets and teach them useful skills. There seems to be a lot going on to move forward here and I know the government is still completely corrupt but I would like to think that the majority of these organizations are valid and actually working to make a difference. A lot of the street vendors will have signs up saying that they used to beg but now they have learned to work for their money instead (through the help and education / training skills from aid organizations).
We went to Angkor Wat this morning (up at 5:00am!!) and spent half of the day wandering around taking pictures of temples and sweating profusely (by 9am it was so hot it was unreal). We stumbled across a hair cutting ceremony in the main temple (just after sunrise so the majority of the tourist brigade had moved along) and we sat and watched for about 45 minutes while this boy went through this incredible ceremony. That made our experience right there. Otherwise.. would I have liked Angkor? Probably not. It is filled to the brim with people and in my mind it had a really hard time beating out Tikal in Guatemala where there are virtually no tourists and you can sit peacefully at the top of the temple and listen to Howler Monkeys while you watch the toucans and parrots fly around the top of the jungle canopy.
It's heard to believe we head back to Bangkok tomorrow. We have to apply for our India visa and then are going to spend a few days in the islands while we wait. I don't know how the weeks have passed so quickly and so far everything has been perfect. We spend our spare time making up games (like zoolander or sing that word now) or debating on what object you would choose to bring to life and have as your friend, just for a day. So far we have not come to anything conclusive but we gots lots of time:)
2.22.2007
Salty Meatballs and Leeches
I don't know when it is exactly that you cross the line from a girl who likes to look pretty and then suddenly fall into the dirty grubby backpacker category, but I know we have jumped in head first and have successfully arrived.
Our finger nails are dirty, our feet are disgusting all the time (I'll get back to them in a minute), Denise has stopped brushing her hair (she is aiming to brush it again when we get back home). I only brush mine after I wash it, which is three times a week or so. We try to shower everyday but if there is no time we just use double deodorant and change our undies. As a rule we still shave our legs, paint our toenails (it helps to cover the dirt) and sometimes we put on mascara when we go out at night. You will also be glad to know that brushing our teeth is also still in effect.
I'm sort of scared of my new look (besides the dirt) because I'm suddenly wearing thai pants and a head band and I think I'm a few days away from dreads (kidding!). I think. I would more likely just shave the damn hair off.. because of the heat.
Anyway, back to being grubby. The thing is that it isn't exactly hygiene that makes you 'grubby'. It's your entire new lifestyle. Things don't bother you anymore. Stuff like bugs, hair in your food and dirty washrooms become normal. Bad smells, black feet, hairs on the pillow, dead mozzies on the sheets. It is next to impossible to keep your feet clean. You are always in flips, the roads are dusty, you are sweaty all the time..my feet stay clean for a duration of approximately sixty seconds and when I shower the water is black and sand coloured. It's sick...
So this is the routine.. we arrive in a dusty city hot and tired from a death defying bus ride and are immediately surrounded by ladies and children selling fruit and tuk tuk drivers offering to take us to a guest house. We try (unsuccessfully) to keep some sort of personal space between us and them and figure out the plan, toss our bags into the Tuk Tuk and drive to guesthouse #1. One of us stays and watches the bags and the other checks out the room. We look for one thing and one thing only. Foot boards. Denise can't sleep in a bed with foot boards because she has giant long legs (lucky her). We will walk into any guesthouse and the walls are super grubby (usually water stains and dirt), there are wire things hanging from the walls that look scary, the sheets are clean-ish and there are buggies in the washroom. Sometimes there is toilet paper and sometimes (ha hem all the time) the washroom smells like mould.
"It's really nice! and only $2 each..". Denise wisely wondered yesterday when in our normal lives that would that be considered "nice'. She has a good point. We have transitioned.
Our finger nails are dirty, our feet are disgusting all the time (I'll get back to them in a minute), Denise has stopped brushing her hair (she is aiming to brush it again when we get back home). I only brush mine after I wash it, which is three times a week or so. We try to shower everyday but if there is no time we just use double deodorant and change our undies. As a rule we still shave our legs, paint our toenails (it helps to cover the dirt) and sometimes we put on mascara when we go out at night. You will also be glad to know that brushing our teeth is also still in effect.
I'm sort of scared of my new look (besides the dirt) because I'm suddenly wearing thai pants and a head band and I think I'm a few days away from dreads (kidding!). I think. I would more likely just shave the damn hair off.. because of the heat.
Anyway, back to being grubby. The thing is that it isn't exactly hygiene that makes you 'grubby'. It's your entire new lifestyle. Things don't bother you anymore. Stuff like bugs, hair in your food and dirty washrooms become normal. Bad smells, black feet, hairs on the pillow, dead mozzies on the sheets. It is next to impossible to keep your feet clean. You are always in flips, the roads are dusty, you are sweaty all the time..my feet stay clean for a duration of approximately sixty seconds and when I shower the water is black and sand coloured. It's sick...
So this is the routine.. we arrive in a dusty city hot and tired from a death defying bus ride and are immediately surrounded by ladies and children selling fruit and tuk tuk drivers offering to take us to a guest house. We try (unsuccessfully) to keep some sort of personal space between us and them and figure out the plan, toss our bags into the Tuk Tuk and drive to guesthouse #1. One of us stays and watches the bags and the other checks out the room. We look for one thing and one thing only. Foot boards. Denise can't sleep in a bed with foot boards because she has giant long legs (lucky her). We will walk into any guesthouse and the walls are super grubby (usually water stains and dirt), there are wire things hanging from the walls that look scary, the sheets are clean-ish and there are buggies in the washroom. Sometimes there is toilet paper and sometimes (ha hem all the time) the washroom smells like mould.
"It's really nice! and only $2 each..". Denise wisely wondered yesterday when in our normal lives that would that be considered "nice'. She has a good point. We have transitioned.
2.18.2007
Cambodia
Apparently there are two paved roads in the entire country, only 10% of the population has access to electricity, the brand spanking shiny new SUV's you see everywhere are thanks to the Japanese foreign aid donation of $50 million *meant to pave the road from Phnom Phen to the Thai Border (who can blame them really, buying SUV's are much smancier and self serving and the potholes are a killer on the bum)*, the Thai airline industry is secretly paying the government to avoid paving the road to the borders so more people fly (potholes..ouch), nobody has anything bad to say about Pol Pot, the best chef's in New York pay top dollar for fresh pepper from Kam Pot, the King is gay, the beaches are better than Thailand and the countries biggest export is cockroaches (which are shipped to France and used to make perfume).
Um, so whom ever can prove or deny the above statements wins a prize.. well not really. Maybe a nice glossy 8x10? Of me. Come on.. it'll be fun! I know you're bored silly at your job. Think of this as a learning experience people.
Moving along.. I am completely in love with Cambodia! It's more what I pictured India and East Africa to be like.. the people are incredible and so friendly (even the really corrupt shady ones, and there are a lot of 'em trying to scam us). It's dirty, it's super dusty, it smells questionable, more people fit in cars and vans than I ever thought possible, things look like they might fall apart at any second.. you get the idea. It also has the most amazingly stunning white sandy beaches lined with.. fir trees (??), the ocean is hot.. almost too warm, and the food has been fantastic (best shrimp and crab ever in life). Yes, if we know one thing it's food. I don't really know how to spell (for example I originally inserted a "p" where the "b" in crab goes.. that would have been strange if I didn't edit), suck at sentence construction and don't give two hoots about museums. But I know food... so take my word on it, despite what you've heard. The Cambodians (ha hem, the Khmer's..) can certainly cook.
Moving backwards, we have been staying with our friend Manit's family in Shihanoukville for the past few nights. Her stepfather, who is British (and I note that he hates Farang and Lonely Planet) and his Cambodian wife (we will call her Mum and him Peter). She is five months pregnant and they are the owners of the two cute boys running around playing with balloons which you will see one day if I can ever upload pictures. One is named Anthony and I can't remember the other one. For the duration of the story she is Mum, despite her being my age, only because we didn't get any other introduction. He is Peter because.. well that's his name. Mums Dad is Dad and Mums Mum is Grandmum. There is also a pig. I'm not sure if pigs have names, but I assure you he is a lucky pig. There is also a Mr. X who is a random Cambodian dude I never was introduced to and finally there were a few of Mum's brothers and sisters. Or at least I think they were related.)
Getting to the point, Grandmum made a deal with Mr. X's boss to buy her pig for $100 dollars. Mr. X's boss agreed to bring the money in three days. The three days went by and who shows up but Mr. X but with the pig and not the money. His boss no longer wants the pig because one of its toes (there is a proper name but I don't know it) is too short. Grandmum will not accept this and demands the payment per the original agreement. Mr. X refuses, Dad and the brothers steal Mr. X's motorbike and lock the gate forcing him off of the property. Mr. X then runs (on foot) to his boss who then returns with his wife, their six children and four neighbours about an hour later. Dad (who is an x Khmer Rouge and spent time in jail for war crimes and is super buff and is 60) stood defiantly in front of the stolen motorbike and Grandmum invited the entire clan to discuss their predicament. After a thirty minute round table (calm, no yelling, minimal hand gestures and sadly all conducted in Khmer so I couldn't really eavestrop) they decide that nobody wants the pig and to save face for both families it must go free (I think it was lost at this point anyway running around the town gleefully, having just narrowly escaped certain death). Grandmum accepts $70 from Mr. X's boss and the entire group leaves happy. And that my friends, is how they do business in Cambodia.
This morning we woke up, Dad drove us to the market and put us in a car with eight other people for a two hour drive to Kam Pot (four in the front and four in the back including one small girl to the left of the driver) and we made our way. Maybe she worked the breaks? No idea but this was one of the paved roads, lucky us :) Somebody (we think he was actually Mums cousin) located us at the taxi rank in Kam Pot and took us to a guest house *he got us a good deal and I'm sure it included his cut and mums cut cause that's the way it works here*. He then drove us around to buy food, check the bank (not open, it's New Years Day) and took us 40 minutes by motorbike to the beach and even taught me how to drive the damn thing. I suck at changing gears. We haven't seen another tourist in days.. and come to think of it.. I can't believe how expensive pigs are.
*The picture I blogged from has nothing to do with Cambodia it's just I can only access my blog via my Flickr account. Huh? Anyway, it's actually an alley in Hanoi, Vietnam. It happens to be my favorite picture so far and it involves an eloborate fabrication about a run in with an action movie star. My friend Peter (not the British one, the Calgary one) did an amazing edit which I will post one day when I am out of a country that denies my blog access).
Um, so whom ever can prove or deny the above statements wins a prize.. well not really. Maybe a nice glossy 8x10? Of me. Come on.. it'll be fun! I know you're bored silly at your job. Think of this as a learning experience people.
Moving along.. I am completely in love with Cambodia! It's more what I pictured India and East Africa to be like.. the people are incredible and so friendly (even the really corrupt shady ones, and there are a lot of 'em trying to scam us). It's dirty, it's super dusty, it smells questionable, more people fit in cars and vans than I ever thought possible, things look like they might fall apart at any second.. you get the idea. It also has the most amazingly stunning white sandy beaches lined with.. fir trees (??), the ocean is hot.. almost too warm, and the food has been fantastic (best shrimp and crab ever in life). Yes, if we know one thing it's food. I don't really know how to spell (for example I originally inserted a "p" where the "b" in crab goes.. that would have been strange if I didn't edit), suck at sentence construction and don't give two hoots about museums. But I know food... so take my word on it, despite what you've heard. The Cambodians (ha hem, the Khmer's..) can certainly cook.
Moving backwards, we have been staying with our friend Manit's family in Shihanoukville for the past few nights. Her stepfather, who is British (and I note that he hates Farang and Lonely Planet) and his Cambodian wife (we will call her Mum and him Peter). She is five months pregnant and they are the owners of the two cute boys running around playing with balloons which you will see one day if I can ever upload pictures. One is named Anthony and I can't remember the other one. For the duration of the story she is Mum, despite her being my age, only because we didn't get any other introduction. He is Peter because.. well that's his name. Mums Dad is Dad and Mums Mum is Grandmum. There is also a pig. I'm not sure if pigs have names, but I assure you he is a lucky pig. There is also a Mr. X who is a random Cambodian dude I never was introduced to and finally there were a few of Mum's brothers and sisters. Or at least I think they were related.)
Getting to the point, Grandmum made a deal with Mr. X's boss to buy her pig for $100 dollars. Mr. X's boss agreed to bring the money in three days. The three days went by and who shows up but Mr. X but with the pig and not the money. His boss no longer wants the pig because one of its toes (there is a proper name but I don't know it) is too short. Grandmum will not accept this and demands the payment per the original agreement. Mr. X refuses, Dad and the brothers steal Mr. X's motorbike and lock the gate forcing him off of the property. Mr. X then runs (on foot) to his boss who then returns with his wife, their six children and four neighbours about an hour later. Dad (who is an x Khmer Rouge and spent time in jail for war crimes and is super buff and is 60) stood defiantly in front of the stolen motorbike and Grandmum invited the entire clan to discuss their predicament. After a thirty minute round table (calm, no yelling, minimal hand gestures and sadly all conducted in Khmer so I couldn't really eavestrop) they decide that nobody wants the pig and to save face for both families it must go free (I think it was lost at this point anyway running around the town gleefully, having just narrowly escaped certain death). Grandmum accepts $70 from Mr. X's boss and the entire group leaves happy. And that my friends, is how they do business in Cambodia.
This morning we woke up, Dad drove us to the market and put us in a car with eight other people for a two hour drive to Kam Pot (four in the front and four in the back including one small girl to the left of the driver) and we made our way. Maybe she worked the breaks? No idea but this was one of the paved roads, lucky us :) Somebody (we think he was actually Mums cousin) located us at the taxi rank in Kam Pot and took us to a guest house *he got us a good deal and I'm sure it included his cut and mums cut cause that's the way it works here*. He then drove us around to buy food, check the bank (not open, it's New Years Day) and took us 40 minutes by motorbike to the beach and even taught me how to drive the damn thing. I suck at changing gears. We haven't seen another tourist in days.. and come to think of it.. I can't believe how expensive pigs are.
*The picture I blogged from has nothing to do with Cambodia it's just I can only access my blog via my Flickr account. Huh? Anyway, it's actually an alley in Hanoi, Vietnam. It happens to be my favorite picture so far and it involves an eloborate fabrication about a run in with an action movie star. My friend Peter (not the British one, the Calgary one) did an amazing edit which I will post one day when I am out of a country that denies my blog access).
2.15.2007
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
We love food (..Denise and I..um duh). Much of our trip enjoyment is centered around food and in fact much of our pre-trip obsessing was over what we would eat while away.
There are certain foods from places I will eternally crave (which is part of what I love about travelling).. dried biltong from South Africa, almond cookies in Marrakesh, white rose from Hoi An (White Rose is a Vietnamese version of a Chinese dumpling with pork inside and crispy garlic sprinkled on top). I could really talk a lot about favorite food but those three might be my top fav food memories.. today anyway. And my memory tends to suck so.. don't quote me on anything ever. In general.
Um..babbling..k.. we normally have two meals a day.. breakfast consists of either granola (meuslit) and yogurt with fresh fruit OR eggs and bacon with a crusty roll and fresh fruit lassies. Always a latte for me, a cappuchino for Denise. Lunch is a snack of fresh fruit (mango, lychee's or pineapple) and then dinner. Mmmm. Dinner. The one meal we really look forward to. Obsessively.
It's hard to say what country has the best food so far. Our worst meal was in Thailand but it was also the most consistent in terms of amazingly delicious meals. My favorite in Thailand was a spicy noodle chicken and an unidentifiable green vegetable stirfry at a street vendor in Chiang Mai (devoured while sitting at a table on the road and drinking a beer). The whole meal and the beer cost less than $2 :)
Our best meals were in Hoi An (hands down - three amazing dinners in a row and likely the best food I've ever tasted) but prior to that we had been really disappointed in the Vietnamese food. Laos food is more like Thai food. We generally ate in outdoor markets but nothing to crazy, just really cheap.
**As an aside there used to be a pharagraph here about soup. Specifically Vietnamese Pho but it was grammatically terrible and since it was just about soup I took it out. Who really cares about soup anyway...*
In general we eat so healthy. The food is really fresh and always loaded up with fresh veggies, herbs and spices. Sometimes hygiene is questionable but you try not to think about that stuff or else you miss out on the experience. The only time we eat junk is long bus rides. We grab peanut butter, fresh rolls and oreo cookies. Everywhere you can find Mentos, Pringles and Oreo cookies. Nothing else familiar from home really but finding Peanut Butter in a grocery store is like finding gold.
*WARNING: Please skip this next paragraph if you are a dog owner and/or animal lover and have a weak stomach*
Dog is eaten in Vietnam (more typically in the north than the south). We did see fresh dog meat at a market in Hanoi - whole bodies and heads that had been BBQ'd, the skin and hair burnt off.. (I try to respect it.. you sort of have to try even though it repulsive. It's a different culture and that's just what they do and have done for centuries so it's not morally wrong in their world.. BUT the thing that gets me is they still have dogs as pets. How can you have them for a pet and eat them? I don't get that??).
mmmmmmmmmmm. Time for dinner. Vietnamese pancakes tonight..our last night in Vietnam!
There are certain foods from places I will eternally crave (which is part of what I love about travelling).. dried biltong from South Africa, almond cookies in Marrakesh, white rose from Hoi An (White Rose is a Vietnamese version of a Chinese dumpling with pork inside and crispy garlic sprinkled on top). I could really talk a lot about favorite food but those three might be my top fav food memories.. today anyway. And my memory tends to suck so.. don't quote me on anything ever. In general.
Um..babbling..k.. we normally have two meals a day.. breakfast consists of either granola (meuslit) and yogurt with fresh fruit OR eggs and bacon with a crusty roll and fresh fruit lassies. Always a latte for me, a cappuchino for Denise. Lunch is a snack of fresh fruit (mango, lychee's or pineapple) and then dinner. Mmmm. Dinner. The one meal we really look forward to. Obsessively.
It's hard to say what country has the best food so far. Our worst meal was in Thailand but it was also the most consistent in terms of amazingly delicious meals. My favorite in Thailand was a spicy noodle chicken and an unidentifiable green vegetable stirfry at a street vendor in Chiang Mai (devoured while sitting at a table on the road and drinking a beer). The whole meal and the beer cost less than $2 :)
Our best meals were in Hoi An (hands down - three amazing dinners in a row and likely the best food I've ever tasted) but prior to that we had been really disappointed in the Vietnamese food. Laos food is more like Thai food. We generally ate in outdoor markets but nothing to crazy, just really cheap.
**As an aside there used to be a pharagraph here about soup. Specifically Vietnamese Pho but it was grammatically terrible and since it was just about soup I took it out. Who really cares about soup anyway...*
In general we eat so healthy. The food is really fresh and always loaded up with fresh veggies, herbs and spices. Sometimes hygiene is questionable but you try not to think about that stuff or else you miss out on the experience. The only time we eat junk is long bus rides. We grab peanut butter, fresh rolls and oreo cookies. Everywhere you can find Mentos, Pringles and Oreo cookies. Nothing else familiar from home really but finding Peanut Butter in a grocery store is like finding gold.
*WARNING: Please skip this next paragraph if you are a dog owner and/or animal lover and have a weak stomach*
Dog is eaten in Vietnam (more typically in the north than the south). We did see fresh dog meat at a market in Hanoi - whole bodies and heads that had been BBQ'd, the skin and hair burnt off.. (I try to respect it.. you sort of have to try even though it repulsive. It's a different culture and that's just what they do and have done for centuries so it's not morally wrong in their world.. BUT the thing that gets me is they still have dogs as pets. How can you have them for a pet and eat them? I don't get that??).
mmmmmmmmmmm. Time for dinner. Vietnamese pancakes tonight..our last night in Vietnam!
2.11.2007
Crash Landing - we win!
It's like being a passenger in a video game but you don't get to control what happens (keep in mind you only get one life in this kind of video game and the crashing part really hurts).
You haven't lived until you've played chicken at 100 kms per hour with a mac truck or challenged another bus (on their side of the road) while going around a curve only to smash on the brakes and swerve at the last possible second just avoiding a head on collision. I'm absolutely convinced you have to be a complete mad man to drive a bus here! Yes I know, I talk about the bus rides here alot. And yes I do notice other things, like the food and the scenery and the people and cultural differences and stuff but I will get to that part later.
**Thought: perhaps this is why my blog access is denied in Vietnam.. they hate my scary bus stories**
We just did a 12 hour overnight from Hoi An to Nha Trang and made the mistake of choosing the very back seats. In part we were trying to be selfish in hopes the bus wouldn't fill and the three of us could stretch out and get comfy.. our last few overnights have been great, we've had our own double seat and you manage to get comfy, pop a few gravol and you are in a comma for 7 hours, snuggled up in our sleeping bags, munching on peanut butter sammies. It's do-able for sure, much cheaper than the train and you save $$ on a nights accommodation.
Ah. K where was I. The back seat of the bus here is over the engine so the seats are above everyone else (you are about 2 feet from the ceiling and your knees are at the top of the seat infront). You have a clear view of the road ahead of you and every bump means you get air between your bum and the seat. I guess thats fun if your not tall. (The guy I was sitting beside realized there was a giant hole above his head. Presumably where someone had been launched upwards and crashed their head with the ceiling. Youch.. So anyway, we pictured ourselve being launched head first down the aisle for a few minutes, realized seatbelts weren't an option and tried to sleep and not stare at the oncoming traffic. I was trying to decide if I would actually fly head first over the rows of seats infront of me (kind of like bus body surfing) or if my head would crash into the overhead compartment and my neck would snap in half). So morbid. Anyway, I ended up cramming myself in between the seat infront of me, on the floor with my head on my seat. It kinda worked despite my foot falling asleep but atleast I couldn't see the oncoming headlights, I could just feel the screeching and swerving so it was less scary.. Oh, and sitting on the engine is bloody hot. I survived though.
Beach and massage time! Maybe even some snorkeling.
You haven't lived until you've played chicken at 100 kms per hour with a mac truck or challenged another bus (on their side of the road) while going around a curve only to smash on the brakes and swerve at the last possible second just avoiding a head on collision. I'm absolutely convinced you have to be a complete mad man to drive a bus here! Yes I know, I talk about the bus rides here alot. And yes I do notice other things, like the food and the scenery and the people and cultural differences and stuff but I will get to that part later.
**Thought: perhaps this is why my blog access is denied in Vietnam.. they hate my scary bus stories**
We just did a 12 hour overnight from Hoi An to Nha Trang and made the mistake of choosing the very back seats. In part we were trying to be selfish in hopes the bus wouldn't fill and the three of us could stretch out and get comfy.. our last few overnights have been great, we've had our own double seat and you manage to get comfy, pop a few gravol and you are in a comma for 7 hours, snuggled up in our sleeping bags, munching on peanut butter sammies. It's do-able for sure, much cheaper than the train and you save $$ on a nights accommodation.
Ah. K where was I. The back seat of the bus here is over the engine so the seats are above everyone else (you are about 2 feet from the ceiling and your knees are at the top of the seat infront). You have a clear view of the road ahead of you and every bump means you get air between your bum and the seat. I guess thats fun if your not tall. (The guy I was sitting beside realized there was a giant hole above his head. Presumably where someone had been launched upwards and crashed their head with the ceiling. Youch.. So anyway, we pictured ourselve being launched head first down the aisle for a few minutes, realized seatbelts weren't an option and tried to sleep and not stare at the oncoming traffic. I was trying to decide if I would actually fly head first over the rows of seats infront of me (kind of like bus body surfing) or if my head would crash into the overhead compartment and my neck would snap in half). So morbid. Anyway, I ended up cramming myself in between the seat infront of me, on the floor with my head on my seat. It kinda worked despite my foot falling asleep but atleast I couldn't see the oncoming headlights, I could just feel the screeching and swerving so it was less scary.. Oh, and sitting on the engine is bloody hot. I survived though.
Beach and massage time! Maybe even some snorkeling.
2.07.2007
My Life As I Currently Know It
**TECHNICAL BLOG ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY AMY HARRISON, FORMER ROOMMATE & JEALOUS FRIEND**
1. Wake up in the morning whenever I feel like it and roll out of my hotel bed (Hotel: sparkling clean, own bathroom with a tub and a flush toilet, a TV with the movie channel, a pool, nice central location and aircon - $3 per night).
a) Wake up time could be just before noon or maybe right at 4:45am to go see the ruins at sunrise. This really depends on the days activities and what I feel like doing.
2. Treat myself to a latte (x2) and muesli with fresh fruit (banana and pineapple) and fresh yogurt for breakfast while chilling at an outdoor cafe with the girls ($3). We discuss nothing and everything. (Lots of times we discuss 'bathroom stuff'. It's a hot topic when you are backpacking in strange foreign lands).
3. Wander casually back to the hotel and along the way maybe I will get measured for a new custom made pair of linen shorts or a new sundress (*So far I have bought 1 sundress, 1 pair of dressy shorts, 1 skirt, 2 tops, 1 scarf and 1 pair of linen pants..$30). I suck at haggling because I'd rather get to the beach than argue over 0.50cents and I'm semi concerned I am contributing to slave labour so I may have actually over paid. I really don't care about that part (over paying I mean, not slave labour).
4. Rent a bike for the day ($1) and lazily peddle 20 minutes to the beach.
5. Lie on the beach. Turn. Slather on suncreen. Turn. Zone out to iPod. Read my book. Turn. Slather more sunscreen on my burnt bum. Swim. $2 massage. More sunscreen. Shake off towel. Buy water and a fresh mango from the lady on the beach ($0.75). Swim to wash off mango. Play frisbee with Denise and try to pretend I look like I am from Baywatch. Swim. Slather.
6. Bike back from the beach during rush hour. **This is the most terrifying part of the day because there are lots of giant buses and motorbikes that whiz past and honk at me (read: Asia Road Rules and picture yourself on a bike).
7. Go to the shops where I ordered clothes and do a final fitting.
8. Shower, put on new nice clothes and do hair. Lipgloss and mascara so I feel like a girl. Go to our cooking class at my favorite restaurant ($5 for the class and dinner - private for the three of us). The food is the best I've ever tasted.
9. Wander back home, fall into my cozy bed and fall asleep listening to Amos.
10. Wake up and do it all over again :)
**Blog Assistance Rate is $750/word. Andrea, please pay ASAP**
1. Wake up in the morning whenever I feel like it and roll out of my hotel bed (Hotel: sparkling clean, own bathroom with a tub and a flush toilet, a TV with the movie channel, a pool, nice central location and aircon - $3 per night).
a) Wake up time could be just before noon or maybe right at 4:45am to go see the ruins at sunrise. This really depends on the days activities and what I feel like doing.
2. Treat myself to a latte (x2) and muesli with fresh fruit (banana and pineapple) and fresh yogurt for breakfast while chilling at an outdoor cafe with the girls ($3). We discuss nothing and everything. (Lots of times we discuss 'bathroom stuff'. It's a hot topic when you are backpacking in strange foreign lands).
3. Wander casually back to the hotel and along the way maybe I will get measured for a new custom made pair of linen shorts or a new sundress (*So far I have bought 1 sundress, 1 pair of dressy shorts, 1 skirt, 2 tops, 1 scarf and 1 pair of linen pants..$30). I suck at haggling because I'd rather get to the beach than argue over 0.50cents and I'm semi concerned I am contributing to slave labour so I may have actually over paid. I really don't care about that part (over paying I mean, not slave labour).
4. Rent a bike for the day ($1) and lazily peddle 20 minutes to the beach.
5. Lie on the beach. Turn. Slather on suncreen. Turn. Zone out to iPod. Read my book. Turn. Slather more sunscreen on my burnt bum. Swim. $2 massage. More sunscreen. Shake off towel. Buy water and a fresh mango from the lady on the beach ($0.75). Swim to wash off mango. Play frisbee with Denise and try to pretend I look like I am from Baywatch. Swim. Slather.
6. Bike back from the beach during rush hour. **This is the most terrifying part of the day because there are lots of giant buses and motorbikes that whiz past and honk at me (read: Asia Road Rules and picture yourself on a bike).
7. Go to the shops where I ordered clothes and do a final fitting.
8. Shower, put on new nice clothes and do hair. Lipgloss and mascara so I feel like a girl. Go to our cooking class at my favorite restaurant ($5 for the class and dinner - private for the three of us). The food is the best I've ever tasted.
9. Wander back home, fall into my cozy bed and fall asleep listening to Amos.
10. Wake up and do it all over again :)
**Blog Assistance Rate is $750/word. Andrea, please pay ASAP**
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