Deep Thoughts...

Singapore Zoo Run

2012-02-05T10:51:00.004+08:00

Today, some friends and I participated in the 12km Safari Zoo Run. This was the longest run I have ever signed up for but when you can watch some of the animals while running through the zoo, it certainly takes your mind off of how much more running you have ahead of you.

Sadly, I was only able to catch a little glimpse of the orangutans on the second lap but no chimp sightings. (yes, primates are my favorites). The elephants were out but the adults would crowd around, protecting the little elephant but you still had a good view since they were close to the path.

On the first go around, one of the lions seemed to be mauling on the carcass of something....goat? chicken? child? But on the second time around, the three male lions were sitting on the top of a platform that gave them a great view. In my mind, they were passing time by playing "Eat, Kill, Torment or Pass" in regards to all of the runners passing by.

When jogging past the giraffes, they just looked absolutely dumfounded as they watched us and appeared to be thinking "WHAT THE F@CK ARE THEY RUNNING FROM? THERE IS NOTHING CHASING THEM!"

My goal was to finish the 12km in 1hour 25 minutes but I was just 1 minute over. :-( I am still happy and proud that I achieved this goal and would certainly do it again.

Hot Yoga Extreme

2012-02-04T21:58:00.004+08:00

I often choose odd challenges to entertain myself or just to see if I can actually achieve the random goal I have set for myself. Some examples from the past are 7 day juice fasts, 3 day full fasts, doing the Master Cleanse, not eating a certain food item for 1 month, etc.

As of late, I have been challenging myself in other physical ways such as running and yoga. One day, I decided to challenge (punish) myself and do 2 hot yoga classes...one 75 minute class and then a 90 minute class with only 30 minutes to rest in between. If anyone has done a hot yoga class, they know they are a challenge within themselves so why I decided to give this a try is beyond me. When you do yoga, one of the goals is to calm your mind and focus on breathing and your postures. By the second class, such a task was impossible for me. My thoughts were more of a consistent stream of consciousness that went something like this:

(in no particular order)

I need a vacation

Gross, she has nasty long toenails.

I am hungry

I want to vomit

She needs a pedicure

I need a pedicure

Trying to cross the street in HCMC seems more fun than this.

I am never going to do this again

Why did i decide to do this?

What is proper etiquette if going to vomit? Out the window or leave the classroom?

I hate this teacher

ok good, someone already is in child's pose, if I need a break, I won't be the first

I'm hungry

When did I last eat?

I obviously hate myself for doing this.

oh no, I am getting lightheaded and dizzy

I wish it would start raining in the classroom.

__________ is a douchebag, I don't think I will talk to him anymore.

I AM SO HOT

I am soooo sweaty

WTF? I could do this pose last time, why can't I do it today?

I should not have gone out last night

I think my ears are sweating. Is that really possible?

I really don't like this top

Yea! I couldn't do this pose before.

I wish I had a bathtub at home.

I wish I had a pool at home.

I am going to take a nice cold shower after class.

I need to go shopping.

This teacher is such a nazi...but he has a twisted sense of humor.

I do like this teacher even though I say I don't.

I need to mail mom her Christmas gift...it is almost her birthday.

Thank God there are no cute guys in this class...hot yoga doesn't produce sexy looks.

HOW MUCH LONGER IS THIS CLASS????

I think i stopped sweating...that can't be good

Is this what a heat stroke feels like?

It was like yoga and extreme thought ADD.

Glad I achieved my goal but don't see myself doing it again anytime soon.

Bridges Across Borders

2012-01-10T23:50:00.003+08:00

Well, another task is ticked off the list. My friends Mikey, Amber and I bought our tickets to Cambodia today to participate in the Bridges Across Borders run next month.

If you want to donate or support us in our run, you can make donations in our name here:

DONATE FOR A GOOD CAUSE

In addition to our run, we are going to visit the orphanage that Amber volunteered at last year...we may even stay there for a night or two. Of course since we will be flying in and out of Phnom Penh, we are going to visit the Killing Fields and S21. I have bypassed this stop when in Cambodia in 2008 but several friends who have visited these two places say it's a must. This will certainly be a hardcore trip to make one appreciate all that they have in their life no matter how bad you think it is at times.

For those interested to learn more about that sad and dark time in Cambodia, the movie "The Killing Fields" is certainly a recommendation.

New Year's resolutions

2012-01-09T22:40:00.004+08:00

I really hope that 2012 is the year that I actually keep with my New Year's resolutions.

Be more dedicated to jogging. A way that I am trying to keep myself on track with this goal is by signing up for runs with good causes behind them. On February 5th, I will be doing the 12k Singapore Zoo Run with some friends. A few of us are also looking into doing the Bridges Across Borders 10k run in Cambodia also in February. I just need to keep looking for similar runs to help keep me motivated.

Get more involved with humanitarian work. It is that time again where I want to do a volunteer vacation. I have been considering the following for my next volunteering experience:

Elephant Nature Park in Thailand

Orangutan Foundation International in Borneo

Ya'an BifengZia Panda Rescue Center in China

Sea Turtle rescue center - destination not yet determined but leaning towards Goa or Sri Lanka

Write more. Although blogging takes longer than the quick Facebook post, I do miss writing more in-depth updates...especially after vacations.

Read more.

Try something new or go someplace new in Singapore at least once a week. I have burned out on the celebrity chef restaurants at my workplace so now it is time to get back to basics and enjoy the great things that Singapore has to offer.

Eat healthier....or should I say Eat Smarter? I may do the challenge where I cut out a favorite non-healthy food item for 1 month. Currently doing that with soda and coffee.

What are your 2012 resolutions?

Long time no write

2011-11-12T10:07:00.003+08:00

First I used to blame the fact that I lived in China and that my blog was blocked as the reason I would seldom post. Now I just blame the ease of Facebook and pure laziness. So much has happened since moving to Singapore and yet I have not documented my adventures as much as I should have. In light of the fact that I have another friend visiting this weekend, I will try to highlight the best things about living in a place like Singapore.

My first 6k Race

2011-04-30T22:56:00.006+08:00

Tonight I participated in the first ever Energizer Singapore Night Trail run. I opted for the 6k since I am no where near being ready for a 12k jog. I had tried to get some other friends to join me but either they don't run, would be out of town or it conflicted with their social calendar.

The location was located not far from the Woodlands MRT station which is practically in Malaysia. It was nice to see more trees but think I prefer the downtown area to the heartland. One reason being was that as soon as you entered the park area, you started getting mosquitos pestering you. My favorite part was when just before the countdown to start, the MC warned us to be careful of snakes and monkeys. To be fair, we were in a forest but I was pretty sure that they wouldn't bother us since it was dark, but I did ask the lady next to me if there were big cats that we would have to worry about. She didn't know but all the more inspiration to run faster if need be. What also kept the run interesting was the thunder and lightening making everyone wonder if we were going to have to add rain to the fun. The trail was quite a challenge in a few parts due to hills. One hill was so steep that ropes were needed to assist with hoisting yourself up the steep incline. What was amazing were some of the "ambitious" individuals who would push past people as if there was free gold at the top. That just prompted me to think, "Asshole, you are doubtfully in place to win, what is the rush?" As you have probably gathered by now, the trail wasn't paved...at least most of it. There was an old worn out trail complete with pot holes but most of the trail was dirt with the addition of rocks and the occasional random tree root. Given all of these obstacles: dark, monkeys, snakes, thunder, lightening, rocks, pot holes and tree roots, I wasn't so focused on my timing as I was about not getting hurt. We did have sexy headlights to wear but that could only do so much. I did trip three times but luckily caught myself and didn't fall.

So I finished with no big fanfare, just happy that I completed my goal of doing this... and not slipping in random monkey poo and getting hurt.

Night Runs in Singapore

2011-04-27T23:51:00.003+08:00

Since moving to Singapore I have been trying out new activities to either keep busy, be social or just to explore my new surroundings. Over the past year I have tried earnestly to run/jog more. One night when I got to the gym in my apartment building too late (it closes at 9pm) I decided to *gasp* run outside instead of going back to my apartment. It turned out to be the best decision as far as workouts go. I did a nice jog in my neighborhood to explore what is nearby. I discovered that Chinatown really isn't that far away from me and they have some beautiful shop houses in that area not to mention some great restaurants that look and smell good and stay open late. Since then, I have been doing more and more evening jogs while I learn new shortcuts to frequented locations and what MRT stations are close to particular points of interest. I feel very lucky to live in such a visually appealing and safe city where I can do such things.

Another reason why night jogging is perfect for me is that I get bored easily so finding things to keep me interested during my run is important. It could be something as simple as just seeing how far it is to a certain landmark building or going by popular areas to see what the night scene is like. I will often come back giving one of my roommates the report on where to find places that promote drink specials to pubs where hookers seem to linger around. All in all, it is a different side to singapore that I find amusing.

Granted, early in the day or late at night are the only reasonable times to go jogging in Singapore because of the heat but you need to make do with what you have. I just know that I prefer dealing with the outdoor elements because I spend so much time indoors for work that when I am not at work, I try to spend as much time outside as possible. I have even come to hate shopping for the mere fact that it keeps me indoors.

Since doing these jogs, I have increased my distance and improved my timing. I am up to 5k as a standard jog and hope to work my way up to 8k soon. Another tool that has helped me stay motivated is my beloved iPhone 4 where I use the Nike+GPS app to track all my jogs and help make sure I don't get lost.

Oh how time flies...

2010-06-30T06:39:00.004+08:00

I was just thinking of how two years ago, I went on my crazy journey that has brought me to where I am today.

Starting in July 2008 I

Quit my job and went backpacking in Southeast Asia
I volunteered for three weeks in Thailand
Sold and/or moved my stuff from Cali to my parents garage in Tennessee
Lived in Barcelona for a month while getting my CELTA
Did some travel in Europe while "in the neighborhood"
Lived with parents for two months while job searching
Moved to China to start a new career in teaching
As a default of living in China, I have started to learn some Chinese

So in total, I have traveled to ten different countries in that time, one where I lived there temporarily (Spain) and one where I have been living for one and half years. I have only been in the United States four and a half months since that time and haven't been back to the states since March 2009. During this time, I have also fulfilled a few personal goals: (1) volunteer with animals in another country (2) Live and work in another country (3) Fill up my passport. As a result of where I have been living, I also have tried tons of new foods and learned the art of the squat toilet. (such things will take one far in life) The last two years wasn't always easy but as they say, the most rewarding things in life never are. If I had a chance, I would do it all again. I have met some outstanding people who have made these experiences even more memorable and I would like to thank them for that.

Fresh Fish

2010-05-24T23:31:00.001+08:00

Tonight my friend and I went to dinner at Toshi, a Japanese restaurant in town here. We decided to get the basic sashimi assortment. Not knowing what it included, we asked the waitress. She pointed to a few things like mackerel, tuna, clam and then she didn't know how to communicate the rest. Seemed basic enough so we got that one. When we were first presented the platter, we were a bit turned off by the ugly fish head that was in the mix.

Shortly after we started eating, it then suddenly gasped for air and scared the crap out of us both. After a bit of shock, and a little sake, we reluctantly finished the remaining fish on the platter. I refuse to waste good sushi. It is odd eating fresh fish while you have a semi-live one in front of you (and looking at you) living it's last moments on ice. This won't make me not order sushi again, but I won't order it there, I felt cruel and guilty. I don't know if one is to eat such a thing but they did offer to wrap him up to take home with us to make soup. We politely declined.

Massagie & Baijiu

2010-05-15T09:06:00.005+08:00

Last night I got another massage at the blind massage place I always go to. The main lady who manages and coordinates the place can obviously see and some of the staff also has their sight but about half of the therapists are blind. Those who can't see know when I am there because they either hear a foreigner attempt to speak Mandarin very poorly or else they hear someone singing my name "hǎi dí!" (海迪) They have fun saying my name as well as "massagie" but in all actuality, massage should be said as ànmó 按摩. I think I have had massages from every staff member there and it always turns into some sort of language exchange session where they help me understand a new word or two (usually massage or body related) or I teach them. Normally that sort of thing would annoy me but they are all so sweet and eager to learn, not to mention giving me a massage, how could I refuse? If we get stuck on a translation, sometimes we luck out by having someone on a table next to us that also speaks English.

For those of you who don't know, little massage places like this typically consist of a few rooms with 2-4 massage tables per room. Sometimes you can have a curtain separating the tables but often not. You never remove your clothing but some will strip down to their thermals or sometimes need to change into loose clothing if they are wearing something that they can't get massaged in. Body massages, foot massages and cupping all take place in the same areas.

Anyways, after I was done, I was in the front area watching some horrible local television with the manager lady while I waited for my friend to finish with her massage. We then had the following conversation:

Miss Massagie: Told me in Chinese that I have lost weight.

Me: "wǒ bù hē píjiǔ" translation "I don't drink beer"

(I didn't know how to say, I am not drinking beer for 1 month and I am about 10 days in)

She laughed at that and then asked

Miss Massagie: "nǐ hē báijiǔ ma?" ("You drink baijiu?" Baijiu is a horrid and very strong spirit)

Me: "dui, wǒ hē báijiǔ hé chá." ("yeah, I drink baijiu and tea")

We both got a laugh out of that. The man sitting next to me who was playing solitaire on the computer while waiting for his massage then asked her where I was from. I think I was the woman of his dreams. ha ha

Weekend social boot camp in HK

2010-05-12T21:44:00.016+08:00

After checking in my room around 4am, I crashed very quickly because I was exhausted. I couldn't sleep too well because the fact that I forgot to bring a travel electrical adaptor and I was cut off with communication both wifi and mobile so those issues were lurking on my mind

and got me up bright and early. By around 8am I had already purchased an adaptor from a shop downstairs and exchanged some traveler's cheques to pay off the rest of my hotel bill in HKD. I then went to the internet cafe across the hall to Skype or e-mail my friend to arrange where and when to meet for lunch. We had lunch in the Langham Place Shopping Mall and then when Patrick went back to work, I went shopping. After he was done with work we met up for dinner and then headed to a launch party at the Langham Hotel's Backyard lounge. He had two of his friends meet us there and then we eventually headed

over to HK Island to hit the clubs and meet up with some more of his friends. I got a great nightlife tour that first night as we went to:

All in the LKF/SoHo area. We finally called it the night around 3:30am Notice I didn't mention taking a nap?

That was on the schedule in my mind but just didn't have time.

On Saturday, we took a bus to Stanley Beach and had a wonderful al fresco & sea-side lunch at the Pickled Pel

ican. Patrick ran into some co-workers who were in the area and we ended up joining them for a drink after lunch before heading to Stanley Market and the rest of the nearby area to look around. We then took a bus to the Causeway Bay area and popped into the Times Square shopping center for a

peek. We didn't really look at any shops but did stroll through the amazing City Super market where I marveled with all the options

that were available but only treated myself to a large bottle of Fiji water. After a quick retreat to our places to shower and change for the night, we met again just before 8pm so we could take the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor and catch the nightly symphony of lights show. Once we get to the other side, we head up to the Peak for a nighttime view of all of Hong Kong.

By this time it is past 9pm and we are hungry so we head back down and have some Vietnamese food before meeting up with some of Patrick's friends for some dancing and drinking in the clubs. This night we started at Azure but after it got really crowded, I was wanting to go someplace where I could sit down. (plus I was in heels and I rarely wear heels anymore so running around with our evening sightseeing in heels did a number on me). We took a break at Cafe O to snack on some pizza. The girls went home and then Patrick and I went to Linq and shared a bottle of wine while we used this quality time to do some venting about frustrations in the dating world. At around 3:30/4am Patrick's friend Alex called us and wanted us to meet him at Volar. After dancing till 6:30am, we called it the night (or should I say morning?).

Because I went to bed so late, I didn't wake up until almost 2pm which is the time we were going to do a late dim sum lunch. With my feet still aching from the night before I was elated with the suggestion of getting a foot massage and then grabbing a bite to eat. After our lovely massage we took the double decker trolly to Wan Chai and check out the wet market before we met Patrick's friend Rachel who joined us for dinner. We had some great barbeque pork, roasted goose before Patrick called it the night and Rachel and I stayed out for a drink while we chatted till about midnight before I caught the MTR back to Kowloon.

Planes, Buses, Taxis and delays, Oh my! Getting to Hong Kong

2010-05-09T10:05:00.012+08:00

I finally made it to another new location on my list of places to visit, Hong Kong. Because I recently got back from Xi'an and moved to a new apartment, I really didn't spend much, if any, time to plan what to do when I got there. One thing I did know was that I was going to try to meet up with a friend and former co-worker at least once or twice while in town.

My initial arrival to Hong Kong was quite the adventure in itself. If one flies from mainland to Hong Kong, it is significantly more expensive than if you fly to Shenzhen or Guangzhou and cross the boarder via train or bus. The initial flight I booked had me arriving to Shenzhen mid afternoon which was great because it allowed me a chance to attend a Belvedere party with my friend Patrick that night. As fate would have it, my flight was changed so I now arrive to Shenzhen at 10pm. I was given the option to cancel that flight and rebook for another time. When I

received the call, I was in the middle of doing something and not able to go to a com

puter for a while so I said I would keep it. Another main motivation for keeping my original flight was that I was able to get really good prices on my tickets and round trip it only cost me $234 USD round trip. When I finally looked up flight options if I were to change, either times were the same or the ticket price was much more expensive than I wanted to spend so I sucked it up and decided to keep it knowing that it ruins the chance of me attending the Belvedere party.

Of course when I was at the airport ready to depart, my "fright" was "delayed due to airport delay". For those who haven't lived or traveled within China, this is the given announcement and reason for 90% of flight delay. So instead of leaving at 7:30pm and I finally departed at 9:00 pm which didn't get me into Shenzhen until after 1am. One thing I didn't factor in with the late arrival was bus times to HK. I had text my friend to let him know that I finally arrived to Shenzhen but worried because any postings for busses going to HK stopped at 10 or 11pm. Patrick and I were trying to figure out the logistics of me getting from A to B without doing it via taxi which would cost me a small fortune. After collecting my luggage, I found a bus ticket booth but didn't see any stops listed for the two my friend suggested. Since I was still on the phone with Patrick, I handed it over to the lady in the ticket booth so they can figure out what I need to do. (Patrick obviously speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English) It turns out that I was to take that only bus option (bus 330 for 20 RMB) to the second stop and then take a taxi (another 20 RMB) to Huanggang where I would then take a bu

s to Mongkok (HK). When I arrived to Huanggang, I didn't see the sign directing one

to the Mongkok bus area (or if there was one, it was all in Chinese which is more than likely). I was accosted by many women yelling "taxi? taxi? Guangzhou? Shenzhen?" When I responded with "no, mongkok" they didn't seem to understand. I tried to call my friend who was likely sleeping by now only to find out that I was unable to make any calls due to the fact that I was out of mainland China and I don't have phone service that would allow me to make long distance or roaming calls. great. Trying to think of what to do while I have taxis being offered to me in every direction, I finally said "I want to go to Hong Kong". Ahh...now they understood "Hong Kong" and pointed me in the right direction. I thought I found the bus but she didn't have change and I had no Hong Kong dollars on me and there was no ATM available. I mean really, why would you have things like ATMs in a bus terminal at a boarder crossing? So I went to a man at one of the many cigarette and alcohol stalls to see if he would exchange RMB for some HKD. He kindly did so without any question. I paid the $7 HKD fee and started to head to the bus when I got a gut feeling that was the wrong bus. I then asked someone if that was the bus that went to Mongkok and of course it wasn't, it was on the other end of the bus station. Even though my friend told me how much it would cost, i didn't write that one down so I couldn't remember if the ticket price was $45HKD or if the ride w

as 45 minutes. Once I saw the ticket price of $45 to Mongkok, I knew I was in the right place. Finally on the bus to Mongkok but there will be a pit stop to go through immigration. After about a 5-10 minute ride, we have to get OFF the bus and take our luggage to go through immigration and then get back ON a bus (not necessarily the same bus either) and then eventually reach our final destination. 3:15am, 12 hours after I was to arrive with my initial booking, I am finally here. The bus drops us off and I hav

e no idea where I am except in the general Mongkok area. I catch a cab and have him take me to my hostel, Guangzhou Guest House which is located in Mirador Mansions on Nathan Road. To confirm the location, he called the guest house. The person who answered said told him how to get there but also told him it was too late. They typically leave at 10pm (there are only 6 rooms to this guest house and places in Mirador Mansions deserves it's own separate posting). I make it to Mirador Mansions, find the guesthouse only to have it locked and no one there or answering when I ring the doorbell. Luckily, there was a 24 hour internet cafe across the hallway and the man running that place let me use the phone to call the contact at the guesthouse to let them know I was here. I told them that I was going to be in the internet cafe across the hall. Luckily they were kind enough to let me sit there while I waited. Within 20 minutes a lady collected me and checked me in. I still didn't have HKD let alone enough to pay for my whole stay so she was kind enough to let me pay the first night in RMB and pay the remaining balance tomorrow after I was able to get money.

I got my key and went to my room which is probably the smallest room I have ever stayed in but it was clean and I had my own private bathroom so that is all I cared about. The fact that the lady who checked me in was so kind, makes my small room more welcoming and inviting.

Road Rage

2010-04-19T22:57:00.004+08:00

One doesn't need to be behind the wheel to develop road rage, you could get it by simply being a pedestrian. I will admit that I have kicked a taxi while driving by due to the fact that it almost hit me. Dodging moving vehicles is a daily activity when crossing the street, even at proper crosswalks. I really wonder what drivers are thinking when they are barreling down the street and NOT slowing down for people cross the road in front of them. Does it ever occur to drivers that they may actually hit and injure or kill someone? I think not. Perhaps it is a subconscious way of personally helping with the population control?

The joys of public transport

2010-04-18T12:25:00.000+08:00

I really do love the fact that I no longer own a car and have to deal with the maintenance financial burden that comes with owning one. Public busses, taxis and walking are my average mode of transport.

Busses can get quite busy during certain times of the day. Situating yourself by the door ASAP is essential because many people will refuse to move in order for you to exit in time so this is a particular strategy on its own and that is a completely separate topic. What I am getting at is the topic of people who stand IN the door way when they aren't even getting off at that stop. Many of whom don't move easily while people are exiting the bus. They get knocked around and sometimes almost off the bus but that doesn't seem to phase them.
When in Shanghai, my friend and I were continually faced with the challenge of exiting the metro when people are entering the car in the "exit" zone in such haste like they were trying to escape a burning building. My friend often complained that people would push her, I simply told her to push back. Sometimes I would push back for her for my amusement.
On a few occasions I have literally been physically pushed out of the way so people can enter the bus before me; one of them was even an old lady. At the time, I had called both people names that would make my mother cry but I have now learned to stand your ground and give the "don't even f**king try" look to those who attempt to cut in front of me when getting on the bus.
One thing I don't understand is when taxi drivers will stop and let you enter the cab only to tell you they are off duty or refuse to take you somewhere. (they too get called choice names as exiting the cab) This is wrong and you can report them but my Chinese isn't that good to remind them of that fact so I just catch the next cab.

Such excitement doesn't always happen on public transport, you can often deal with frustrating entrances and exiting via elevators.

Yesterday as I was exiting an elevator, a mother and her young daughter stood in front, blocking my way and then actually tried to maneuver their way into the elevator as I was exiting. Needless to say, they got knocked to the side by both myself and my computer bag.

After reading this I may come across as a horrible, rude person but those who have spent time in China know all too well why one would opt to react in such a manner.

My first published piece!

2010-04-15T14:19:00.002+08:00

Wrote my first article for the local expat magazine, Focus on Dalian. What else would I write about but food?

Back in Action

2010-04-14T14:19:00.002+08:00

I finally broke down and paid for a VPN so I can access important sites like Facebook, YouTube, my blog and such. Take that China!

New and frequent posts are sure to follow soon.

I like...

2009-09-16T13:19:00.004+08:00

Some of my previous posts have been slightly negative when discussing China. I really do like it here, it is just that adjusting to another culture isn't the easiest. This is why I decided to have a post about the things I do like about China and life in general right now. No one should wait till Thanksgiving to show their thanks.

I like...

that I am challenged every day forcing me to grow as a person.
that I now think of 100RMB as if it were $100. Makes one very thrifty and save $$$.
that I am learning something new every day.
that technology (Skype & e-mail) makes me feel like I am not that far away from friends and family.
that I have a job where I feel like I am making a difference in lives of others and life in general.
(actually love) Chinese food. Such a thing has helped me through the worst times of culture adjustment.
that over the year I have lessened my material possessions and I have never been happier or felt freer.
that I have never felt more healthy in years; physically, emotionally and mentally.
living in a place where there is such history with food & culture. (not only China but all of Asia & SE Asia)
that I no longer fear a squat toilet.
how cheap massages are allowing one to get weekly treatments.
that I have a job where I can tap into my creative side.
cheap yet delicious street food.
that I live in a country that makes me thankful of the opportunities I was born with.
beer that is 50 -90 cents a bottle.
that I have developed more patience.
learning more about Chinese cuisine.
learning Chinese even though I get frustrated by the various tones.
that I often get mistaken for being 8 years younger than I really am.
working with children.
meeting new people from a myriad of places and with different backgrounds. Living in China allows me to do so on almost a daily basis.
finding the humor in the cultural differences that baffle me.
RSS feeds. Because of them, I know what is going on the rest of the world.

I DO like China despite all the crazy stuff I may moan and groan about. I honestly haven't been this consistently happy in a long time.

Richard's Rants

2009-09-11T12:54:00.005+08:00

I have had the great honor of working with Richard Ruskell not once but twice in my hospitality career. First was many years ago when I was a hostess at (the now defunct) Mary Elaine's at the Phoenician in Scottsdale. Next was when I was at Montage in Laguna Beach. Richard is one of the most talented Pastry Chefs I have had the pleasure of working with. His passion not only for his art but also his passions in life make him an extraordinary person. He has joined the blog bandwagon and has great entries that give great insight into the world of an Executive Pastry Chef.

Richard's Rants

Along with his blog you can also check out photos of some of his amazing work.

Premiere Fried Rice

2009-09-08T07:53:00.006+08:00

After my cooking class with Andy the other day, I was inspired to finally buy myself a rice cooker so I could experiment with some more Chinese cooking at home. In an overabundance of cookers ranging from 200-800 kuai, I was able to find a Midea cooker for only 89 kuai. With a little help from my CT (Chinese Teacher) and Nciku, I was able to figure out how to operate my new toy.

I made what is probably a hybrid of fried rice and stir fry. Since this was my first dish, that is why I named it "Premiere Fried Rice" and it is well suited because it did kick ass. It was even good the next day as breakfast straight from the fridge.

Premiere Fried Rice

(2 servings)

Start rice in rice cooker. The rest only takes 5-10 minutes to cook so you may want to wait to start the rest once your rice is done or almost done.

***

2 eggs - scramble and cook. Set aside.

***

Stir fry the following in oil over medium heat:

3 garlic cloves (chopped or smashed)

6 strips of pork (thick bacon)- cut into small strips

2 cups of mushrooms (this time I used some kind of mushroom that was a cross between an enoki mushroom and an oyster mushroom)

Lower heat and add in:

1 leek- chopped

1/4-1/3 cup peanuts

Cut egg into strips and add to pan.

Stir in rice and stir together adding just a little bit of soy sauce.

Eat

No salt or MSG was used which is very rare for any chinese cooking but it honestly wasn't needed. The above amounts are general guesses since I don't measure anything when I cook nor do I have the tools to do so. Either way, that is the fun thing about cooking, modifying as needed to taste and preference.

Home made Chai tea

2009-09-06T08:35:00.007+08:00

Ever since I visited a friend in Yantai who would make chai tea at home, I decided to give it a try myself. The first step was getting all the ingredients (amounts listed are for one serving):

Milk (480ml)
Black or mild Tea (2-3 bags)
Ginger (2-3 inches long. Remove outer part and smash into 2-3 pieces)
Cinnamon (can used powdered or sticks; sticks-2 powder-3-6 dashes)
Cloves (2-4)
Black Pepper (1-2 Tbl)
Cardamom (3)
Honey (to taste)

All were easy to find except for the Cardamom; I needed to go to a special shop market to get those since Carrefour and neighborhood markets don't carry Indian spices.

Put the above in a pot over low heat stirring occasionally. As you can see, the amount given is very vague...that is because you can adjust to how spicy or mild you like your tea. Some recipes also call for star anise so you may want to try that too. After letting it simmer for a

bout 5-10 minutes, your kitchen smells delicious and your tea will be ready. Since you do not want any of the spice debris in your mug, one suggestion is to get a small sieve that fits right over your mug and you slowly pour or ladle the tea in filtering the other materials out.

How to give good Skype

2009-08-26T22:09:00.006+08:00

Skype has been a basis of communication between myself and friends and family for almost a year now. It really is an amazing concept and I love it because it is free and/or cost effective. It allows me to either send Instant Messages, call or even video chat to any of my contacts that are logged on. All these calls and messages are free as long as you are calling another account. If you happen to call someone on their landline or mobile, you do get charged but it is quite minimal fees. For example, it only costs me 2 cents per minute for me to call from China back home to the USA. With something so fantastic, what could anyone find possibly wrong? As far as I can see, there are only two things.

(1) Even if you set up your Privacy settings set up properly, I still get the random person trying to add me as their contact and wanting to chat me up. Lately, they are often from Turkey, India, London and China. They seem to feel this is some sort of new version of a chat room to meet people. Depending on my mood, I will immediately block them from contacting me again or else show them the errors of their way making sure they know that Skype is not to be used to meeting people and that they should get a life.

(2) Lack of Skype etiquette. As you can see from the symbols that may be by someone's name, you can see their status. This is VERY important to pay attention to. When doing my job search, I would often do my interviews via Skype. At this time, I would put my status at Do Not Disturb but of course, I would still get an occasional message sent to me and even one time, a call. This prompts me to my next topic, calling. Don't just call someone out of the blue, send them a typed message and make sure that they are available. There are times that I may be logged on but unavailable for a call due to various reasons:

I am at work
I am on another Skype call
I am on a regular telephone call

...and so on.

There could be a myriad of reasons that I would be unable to take your call. Whatever the reason, it is just best to send a typed message asking if it is a good time for a call.

But back to the status. If I am Away or Not Available, why send me messages? I don't get that. I have gotten to the point where half the time I am on Invisible mode. Even then I received a phone call from my mom who let it ring and ring and ring while I was in the shower. Due to the fact that it kept ringing and my status, I thought it was an emergency, it wasn't. She just said, "Oh, you're home!" She apparently spaced out while it was ringing. We have all been there, I love you Mom, but don't do that again. My mom didn't pay attention to my "offline" status (that is what it shows when on Invisible mode). She just logged on and called.

It is however a fantastic way to keep in touch with friends and family while being so far away from home. If I am at home, I am most likely logged on to the computer because it is often difficult to schedule calling times when you have a 6-15 hours time difference and it just increases your chances. With this being said, I also use Skype to communicate with people at work who live about 20 minutes away. It is like an Instant Messenger on steroids because we usually use it for IM but also to exchange documents, photos, etc.

Another note for anyone about to travel. Most internet cafes are prepped (downloaded, headset and camera connected) for Skype, at least most, if not all in Southeast Asia. So if you or anyone you know will be traveling, that is the best way to contact worried friends and family. Facebook was a fairly reliable source but has been blocked in China for the past 2 months now and may make it difficult to keep in touch.

So what about you? Do you Skype? Do you like? Have any gripes?

Alive with Janee

2009-08-13T07:29:00.005+08:00

My friend Janee just launched her new website, ALIVE ONE. She works with people in helping them achieve a healthier lifestyle using methods that aren't quick fixes or fads. Janee truly is an amazing person and an inspiration to anyone she comes in contact with, personally or professionally. If you are interested in doing a cleanse, detox or just how to live a life with health and wellness as a focus, you should check out her site.

Chinese Cultural Conundrum-Ladies Locker Room

2009-08-12T22:19:00.002+08:00

A few months ago, I joined the Powerhouse Gym here in 大连. I am so happy I did because the equipment is great and always clean and working condition. They have a wide variety of classes and numerous times. There is a fantastic pool, which is a piece of heaven on some of these hot summer days. The locker room even has both a steam room and a (very small) sauna that is always a bonus to have at your disposal.

I have however noticed a few gym mannerisms that are different than what I have been used to back in the states. Of course I am not saying that any of the below are wrong, they are just some things that I am having a difficult time getting used to.

Pool time

In order to use the pool, they require that you wear a swim cap because not only are they sexy, but also they help keep hair out of the pool and clogging the filters. That makes sense. I wonder why they don’t encourage a “no spitting” policy in the pool too. Yes, the spitting that you always see and hear on the sidewalks (and sometimes in restaurants) also happens in the pool. At least MOST of the people that I have seen spit into the “run off” part of the pool that is located on the side but I did see one lady spit into the pool right in front of me. Yes, I got out right away after giving her my look of disgust. Maybe I should ask the guy taking a swimming smoke break on the lounge chair what his thoughts are.

The Locker Room

Now most boys fantasize about what goes on in a women’s locker room. I will tell you that it varies on the gym and where of course but here is a peek into what happens in the locker room at my gym.

• There are curtains for each individual shower stall however, no one seems to use them. They tend to lather up while checking up what other people are doing. (not too surprising considering how nosy people are on the street) Some of the ladies take it a step further and socialize while showering together.

• As I mentioned, there are steam rooms and saunas in the locker room. That is fine and dandy but I still have yet to take to people coming into either of those areas to lather up or use their body scrub; particularly the sauna because it is SO small.

• Having clean feet is a semi-obsession here in Asia. That is all fine and dandy, but I would love to see them also have the same obsession about other areas. I would never dare sit on a locker room bench with my bare ass but they do so all the time without a thought. hmmmm

• Shaving – Not a popular past time here. Legs are first to be “maintained”, next the underarms and well, some areas, not at all. I was happy to see one lady using her electric razor to shave her armpits, but I just wasn’t too fond of the fact that she was doing so right next to me as I was drying my hair.

• This brings me to my next topic. Because some areas need a bit more drying time and I guess towels don’t work for most of the ladies, they choose to air-dry around the locker room for as long as possible before getting dressed.

• The peeing in public takes a different form here. There is one “stall” in the locker room for those who need to have a quick wee before or after their shower. It is a squat toilet surrounded by glass. Yes, glass. Because of this stellar privacy, I got to see a woman pee STANDING UP. I had to do a triple take to make sure I was seeing correctly. She seemed pretty proud of herself, and although I was oddly jealous of her skills, I was just amazed at the whole situation and her lack of modesty.

• My friend Lisa mentioned to me that she was often concerned about some of the girls in China and their hygiene. I now have a little insight into the knowledge that her five years in China has given her. Tonight I had one girl put on her pad (feminine napkin) while standing at her locker right next to me. After doing so, she was kind enough to clean up the spots she left on the floor.

All in all, it is just another day in China. I just blame my mormon, mid-west upbringing for my astonishment to the observations I listed above.

A touch too much

2009-08-07T22:05:00.005+08:00

My friend shared with me a funny interview a colleague of hers had a while back. Probably one of the funniest interview stories I have ever heard.

"In one CT (Chinese Teacher) interview we asked how they would teach body parts. One reply was: First I will touch myself and the children can watch, then they can touch themselves and their partner can watch. Finally they can touch their friend."

If I was the interviewer, there is no doubt I would be able to keep my composure.

For reasons other than her possible paedophilia, she did not get the job.

Panic pick up

2009-08-05T07:39:00.006+08:00

I had one of the strangest pick ups last night.

I got on a bus near my house to head to the other side of town around 7pm. Since it was past the "rush hour" and this was the beginning of the bus line, the bus didn't depart for a few minutes. Once about 7 people got on, the bus driver took off. Of course out of all the empty seats and after a little hesitation one man decided to sit RIGHT NEXT TO me. I should have gone with my first instinct and moved right then but didn't want to come across as rude.

And soon after we departed, he then asked me a question in Chinese. In English, I told him that I didn't speak Chinese. He then texted something on his phone and showed it to me. I just shrugged because I had no clue what it said. I then wanted to say "Come on, if I don't understand what you just said, don't you think that there is a possibility of reading Chinese?" but I didn't because, really, what is the point?

This is when I made mistake #2 (#1 being that I didn't move when he sat down next to me). To avoid any further "communication" with this man, I text my friend. Bad move. He now knew I had a mobile phone and had it with me.

After a few minutes and some more hesitation, he then showed me his phone which had a telephone number on it. He then pointed to the number & then himself and then to my phone.

After thinking, "What is the point if you don't speak English and I don't speak Chinese?" I put it in and stored it hoping that would be the end of this awkwardness. He then wanted me to call him so he had my number. I panicked so I did. (mistake #3)

After his goal of getting my number was achieved, we sat there in a weird, awkward silence. I had taken my earphones out since he was trying to chat me up so he then took one and put it up to his ear to listen to what I was listening to (M.I.A.).

Luckily my stop was up soon and would you believe it, it was the same stop as him? He did say "I call tomorrow" Whatever dude. Knock yourself out. See if I answer when a Lu Fan comes up on my caller ID. I scurried to my destination and luckily wasn't followed and have yet to be bothered by him.

What would you have done if this was you? Would you have given your number? He seemed like a decent man. Probably early 40's, nicely dressed, and nice but the whole situation was just weird. Cultural difference on the matter?

I told my friend about it later that night and he told me that I don't need to be so nice to random people. He said that he has told strangers to "fuck off" when they try to chat him up. I can't bring myself to do such a thing. Maybe after a living in China for a few years, I would do that but not now. Another thing that keeps me from being outright rude is the fact that I have been exploited for the school so in case someone puts two and two together from the bus adverts, articles, cable TV spots, etc, I don't want it to come back that I was unpleasant to someone who was going to take their kids to our school and has decided against it based on an interaction with me.

Chinese Cultural Conundrum-Clothing

2009-08-04T07:19:00.003+08:00

Before coming to China, I did what I did before I went to Thailand and Vietnam: read up on culture & etiquette and make sure I pack the appropriate clothing for where I was heading. The last thing I ever want to do is be the American traveler that shows disrespect through the way I dress. In one of my books about China states, "...dress modestly and conventionally."

hmmm

I guess the words modestly and conventionally means wearing clothes that make you look like a cheap $2 hooker. That seems to be the style here in Dalian...at least with most of the women in the summertime. What does a $2 hooker look like? I don't really know but I would imagine they would wear clothing with lots of lace or sequins. She would also wear high heels with SHORT shorts or one of my favorites, the "shirt dress" which is a longer shirt that should be worn with leggings but they just put a belt on and no leggings making me worried I may see a bit more than I would like to.

There then in another problem with multiple patterns at the same time. Leopard print with paisley? Sure! Think of the worst pattern and/or color combos and you are likely to see it frequently.

By no means am I a slave to fashion especially after living out of 1-3 suitcases in the past year; I can either be found in all black or fisherman pants or jeans and flip flops. I could take photos all day long of the horrible fashion violations that make my eyes want to bleed. The thing that gets me is that they do have fashion magazines where the models are dressed smart but I guess it has never crossed many of their minds to replicate that look.

I wonder if fashion is this bad in other parts of China.

One of my favorite outfits that I have seen many people wear are proper pajamas. The two piece pajama set in either cotton or flannel - not some exotic silk piece. This fashion statement is normally sported by the older people but I have seen a few younger people in this look. I first saw this fashion statement in Hanoi and thought, "oh, poor man...going for his daily walk in the park, he must not get out much". That isn't the case, people will go for their evening walks, go to the store or even socialize with their friends on the street corner in this getup. I actually admire this because there is nothing more comfortable than pajamas. If someone were to do this back in the states, people would think it was time for grandma or grandpa to go to 'a home'.

Chinese Cultural Conundrum-PIP

2009-07-31T05:51:00.009+08:00

PIP - Peeing in Public.

Why?

For a country who is big on tradition, "saving face", appearance and personal cleanliness, why oh why do they find public urination acceptable? I don't get it. This question has puzzled me for the last few months since first arriving but I have yet to hear a legitimate justification to this act.

Much emphasis is put upon cleanliness, especially in the home. i.e. Outside shoes are removed in the home and house shoes are worn indoors. However, you will see a man off to the side of the street when nature calls. I have even once seen a man peeing near a tree the main square in mid-day!

Much pressure is put on kids to exceed academic excellence; yet when they are young, being held over a place to pee in a public setting is ok? I have seen it all...held over a bush, over the street gutter, over the ashtray part on a trash bin in a department store right outside the elevators. The father then put his cigarette out in his little boy's pee. Talk about class.

I just don't get it...

F*ck the foreigners

2009-07-20T11:52:00.005+08:00

In the last week, I have experienced blatant discrimination on two occasions. The first one was last week when a group of us met at a new BBQ location before heading to our weekly dinner outing. When it was time to leave, they charged us TWICE the normal amount we usually pay for beers at any of the eateries in the BBQ row. (Normally 3 RMB and we were charged 6 RMB.) This was communicated between one of my friends who speaks Chinese to the guy who owns/worked there. When we asked why, they told us it was because we were foreign. Seriously. We can't really do much about situations like this. Last time we were overcharged and two of the heroes of the group disputed what we were charged and the police ended up getting involved. This time we decided to pay and just never go back there again. We do however, plan on eating and drinking at the BBQ stand NEXT to the one that screwed us over and spending a lot of money there making them regret doing such a thing.

The second occurrence of discrimination was a night it was raining and I just left the store with my new DVD player. I flagged down a taxi but as soon as he saw that I was a foreigner, he drove away. This happened twice to me but I felt a little better when I saw the one cab that passed me up passed up another foreigner.

Ranting in the Rain

2009-07-18T23:12:00.004+08:00

Attention to all of you who drive cars.

Why do some of you feel it necessary to drive by bus stops at full speed when it is pouring rain? Really? You are driving down the road and you can see that the water would hit anything within a 5+ foot distance so why continue when going by a bus stop? Does it make you feel more superior? Granted drivers in China are not the most curteous people when it comes to pedestrians, fellow drivers, bikers and basically anything in their path but come on, don't be such ignorant douchebags.

To be fair, when I lived in Chicago and would take taxis and buses, it would happen on occasion but nothing like I experienced in the 15 minutes I was at the bus stop yesterday. Of course, having a leaky umbrella didn't help with my tolerance of the situation.

China 'shrooms

2009-07-10T12:52:00.005+08:00

You always read about people who come across food items that look like something significant like Jesus or the Virgin Mary, etc. Last week I got some mushrooms from the local market. One of them looked like this...

I call this photo "Oh crap, I dropped the soap"

Game on!

2009-07-10T12:47:00.002+08:00

Finally! I have found a way to access my blog with full posting capabilities. Woo Hoo!

Blocked

2009-06-16T07:42:00.000+08:00

My blog is still blocked here in China therefore I have to use a special website to access it. Using that site is all fine and dandy until it comes to entering blog posts because it now doesn't give me the option of adding hyperlinks or photos. I also learned after writing a long entry that it doesn't automatically save every few minutes nor let you edit without deleting everything you just wrote. Due to this, I have now become quite lazy in keeping friends and family NOT on Facebook updated on my doings in China.

The thing that still gets me is why my site and other blogspot.com sites blocked?

Lego man

2009-06-03T12:43:00.000+08:00

(names changed to protect the not so innocent)
Last night, some friends and I went to one of our favorite BBQ places for dinner. It is near the center of town and outside with plenty of seating at proper tables. (real chairs and not the folding stools). Perfect place for people watching since it is along a main side street/ally that has not only BBQ stalls but also little restaurants, fruit & vegetable stands. After a having our dinner, my friends (four guys) and I were just hanging out and talking. This older Chinese man sat at the table next to us and came with his own bottle of Biujiu ("white spirit" that ranges from strong to deadly). When I told my friend “Mason” to check out the guy, we made eye contact and the Chinese man started talking to me. I had my friend “Mason” interpret for me and apparently the old man asked where I was from and then asked the standard follow up question if I liked Obama or not. (he is the first person I have met outside of the USA that liked Bush over Obama). Knowing that I don’t speak Chinese, he still continued to talk to me. By this time, “Mason” claimed to not understand what he was saying, so I would ask “Jackass” and “Kris” to translate. “Kris” told me that the man was telling me about his Lego collection. At this time I actually believed him…thought it was odd, but I have heard weirder (but will now be referred to as Lego man from this point forward). As the evening progressed, the man told me I was beautiful and asked if I had a boyfriend. “Jackass” told him that “Mason” and I were husband and wife. Dear Lord! So later when “Mason” was sitting at the end of the table with me on one side and the Lego man on the other, I had my hand on “Mason’s” knee to try to make it more believable in hopes that the guy would back off a bit and stop offering me fresh melon or chicken neck to eat. What made it funny was that the man would put his hand on "Mason's" other knee (common for Chinese men to do here). I teased him that if he got excited, it would be a 50% that it was caused by Lego man. I could win an Oscar award for my performance, but “Mason” needs to work on his acting skills a bit more. Lego man even said that he could tell I like “Mason” but he didn’t think that “Mason” could treat me better. He also told “Mason” that if he and I break up, he wants to date me. Wow, my dating prospects just keep getting better. The man then brought out his little book and asked for our numbers. The guys gave theirs and when he asked for mine, I said that “Mason” and I share the same number so he can just call me on that number. He persisted insisting that he had no bad intentions, and I am to think of him like a big brother. This is when “Jackass” gave him my number but he told me he gave a wrong number or two. Lego man told “Jackass” and “Kris” that he wanted to take them to a bathhouse – he couldn’t invite “Mason” because he was with me. But, so “Mason” could go, we staged a little fight so I could finally go home and he could get a “massage” with the guys.

After leaving, I received two calls from the man with him telling me “I love you” and some other stuff, which I didn’t know what he was saying. “Jackass” gave him my real number hence one of the many reasons he is called Jackass in this recap. Apparently the Lego man ditched the guys so they never got their free massages that he promised them. Ha ha. Proper payback.

Chicken?

2009-05-31T09:25:00.001+08:00

Note to self: when invited over to someone's house for a chicken dinner and they are a native of China, politely decline. Chicken dinner in China is: CHICKEN NECK, CHICKEN STOMACH & CHICKEN FEET.

I tried all three and here is my take.
Chicken neck - not much meat but tasty.
Chicken stomach-not bad
Chicken Feet- confused as to what you actually eat. Just seemed to be nails, skin, bone & cartilage. The way people eat them here is to bite off the toes and spit out the nails but I just politely tried to nibble what seemed edible and left the rest.

Over the past few months in China, when someone is placing the order and they ask what you like or want, I have learned it is necessary to say "no heads, internal organs or feet". Now when invited to my bosses house for a chicken dinner, I will politely decline unless they specifically say they got KFC.

Museum mishaps

2009-05-10T18:17:00.005+08:00

I had initially wanted to go to the zoo this weekend but since it decided to drop about 10 degrees and rain, those plans were changed. My friend and I ended up going with Plan B of checking out the Dalian Modern Museum. That was a bit of a disappointment because out of the four floors, only one was open but on a good note, it was free. Why the other floors were not open is unknown but it was still mildly amusing to wander around and see what there was to see. It was more like a promotional museum for the city. After our short visit, we

then decided to check out our other Plan B option of the Dalian Museum of Natural Histor y. That ended up being closed. I think they were renovating and said they won't be open until June, which probably means at least August.

Sleeping at your desk

2009-05-08T15:05:00.001+08:00

5 Best things to say if caught sleeping at your desk.

5) “They told me at the blood bank this might happen.”

4) “This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to.”

3) “Whew! Guess I left the top off the White Out. You probably got here just in time.”

2) “Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?”

1) Raise your head slowly and say “…in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Say what?

2009-05-07T12:02:00.003+08:00

I finally got my interview from this past Sunday’s paper translated. As expected, some of what I was asked and what I said was lost in translation. From English to Chinese (with molding the answer in a way that would best promote the school and appeal to Chinese parents) then again from Chinese back to English. Regardless, this will give a good general idea of what was written.

Me: “I only teach these kids 2-3 days a week. The kids like me and are close to me.”
NP (Newspaper): Heidi has only been in China for two months.

Me: “Chinese kids’ schooldays are longer than schooldays in America.” “In the USA, kids learn math, language, art & focus on comprehensive abilities.”

NP: Heidi has a management degree from NAU and got her teaching certificate from IH Barcelona. Heidi has a total of 14 years working experience.

Me: “Infant education can effect a child’s whole life.” “Other people should have a scientific attitude about kids education. Some arts should be introduced at an early age. When kids are older, it can be too difficult for them to learn some things.”

NP: “How should kids learn & study?” “What is the best way?”
Me: “When kids are young, kids should go to museums, exhibits & learn in a variety of ways.” “When kids are young, they have many experiences and can want to learn.”

NP: Heidi comes to China and wants to give her experience to children, parents & teachers. In addition to that, she wants to learn about Chinese culture.

NP: “Have you had any interesting experiences while in Dalian?”
Me: “When in Labor Park one day, I learned how to write Chinese characters with a sponge pen. I wrote ─ 二三四中山人大囗

NP:” What were your favorite storybooks and Cartoons as a child?”
Me: “I story ‘Heidi’ and the cartoon ‘Tom & Jerry’ cartoons. NP: “Do you like Tom or Jerry better?”
Me: “I like Jerry”
NP: “Are there any cartoons that you still like or watch now?”
Me: “SpongeBob Square Pants”

NP: “What music do you like?”
Me: “When I was young, I took piano lessons for six years. I also learned how to play the flute for one year.”

NP: “What is important to get along well with kids?”
Me: “Patience, encouragement and loving support.”
NP: “How do you make the kids like to study & learn?”
Me: “Smile and let the kids get comfortable with me.”

NP: “Why Dalian?”
Me: I lived near the sea when I lived in California, I liked that Dalian was on the sea.

NP: “Where do you go on your time off?”
Me: “Meet with friends for dinner, or meet up with friends in Hieshijiao and go hiking."
NP: “How do you get to Hieshijiao?”
Me: “Since I live near Navy Square, I take the number 7 bus and transfer to bus number 23 or I take the 201 and 202 trams.”

NP: “Do you have any funny stories about things that have happened to you since arriving to Dalian?”
Me: “While walking through Children’s Park, an older couple asked me to join them in playing Chinese hackey sack. It was fun because I have never played before but always see people playing.”

NP: “What is your favorite kind of Chinese food?
Me: “Dumplings – all kinds”

NP: “If unhappy or sad, what do you do? How do you solve your problems?”
Me: “I call and talk with friends and family.”

NP: Heidi hopes that she can speak Chinese to the next Journalist when interviewed. Heidi was born in the year of the pig.

After finding out “what I said” I was a bit surprised to find out that I believe that ‘I think that people should have a scientific attitude about kids education.’ I was also not too pleased with the fact that she said I was born in the year of the pig when I clearly said Tiger. WTF?? Did she want to make me older or younger? Is being a tiger that bad? Couldn’t she have at least picked a different animal, not too keen on the pig sign, especially with all the swine flu hype. As for my favorite cartoons, I had to explain Spongebob Squarepants. Could you imagine if I told them my other true favorites? (South Park, Family Guy or Happy Tree Friends) Guess I shouldn’t really complain since it could have been much worse.

Fancy that

2009-04-23T20:00:00.005+08:00

When I first got to China, one of the things I noticed was that almost everyone has special car seat covers in their vehicles. I really couldn't understand why and then when I asked a friend, he said that it was because it is so dirty here and people liked to keep their car in pristine condition to protect their big investment. That makes sense but why so ornate?

I have seen some of your basic covers but those seem to be the minority of what is chosen. Some cars look like a hairy animal was skinned and wrapped around the seats. The preferred choice seems to be the fake Gucci seat covers or even worse, frilly lacy covers in either a light pink or cream. With the car seats being covered as well as the gear shifter, extra head pillows and the "oh shit" handles, some cars look like someone threw up an 80's prom dress. I even saw a police car with a Snoopy driver's wheel cover. I have been tempted to take pictures of some of these horrid ocular violations but I am afraid the owner of the car will catch me and get upset.

Park it!

2009-04-12T21:27:00.007+08:00

When was the last time you went to the park? What was the reason? In Dalian, it seems that everyone uses the beautiful parks from morning to night every day. I live 5 minutes walking distance from Navy Square – a great place where people go to skate, fly kites, walk their dogs, meet & socialize.

If I walk about 5 minutes more, I get to Children’s Park, which gives you a feel like you aren’t even in China with the some of the homes line the waterway & pond in the park. This is a popular park to gather for a game of cards, get some exercise whether it be walking, jogging, tai chi or taking part in one of the morning dance classes.

Just about 15-20 minutes more (walking) you come across Laodong (Labor) Park, which is like Dalian’s Central Park. This place is amazing! It has a huge childrens' amusement park, a Ferris wheel, the huge soccer ball structure which is there as a tribute to the city’s success in the Chinese Soccer League plus wonderful gardens, statues in addition to lawns to play in. At this park, you can see just about everything, especially if you go on a busy weekend. I went today at about 1:30pm and you would have thought there was some sort of event going on by all the people. It may have been because this was one of the first nice warm weekends of the year. I wandered into one part of the park and saw something new I had yet to encounter, people writing Chinese characters on the cement with water. They had a device that was basically like a hollow broomstick with a water bottle on one end and a pointed sponge tip on the other end. I personally find Chinese characters beautiful when written or painted certain ways. (When it is the only way information is given, it is frustrating but that is another issue altogether.) After watching for a minute, I was approached by a woman encouraging me to give it a try. I told her I didn’t have any money on me (didn’t know if it cost anything, and still don’t) and I also told her I didn’t know how to write any Chinese. I asked her to write some things for me and after she asked me where I was from, she wrote America. She then started writing 1-10 which I recognized. After a bit, I finally gave in and attempted a few simple characters that I remembered and was so proud of myself when she actually recognized them! By this time I had a few (twenty or more) people watching me, and what I was doing. This is when an older man came over and started writing 1-10 in regular numerical numbers, which then prompted me to write the English alphabet. One person guessed what I was writing by yelling out “ABC! ABC!”

Wandering around the parks on the weekends have brought me such interesting, fun and memorable experiences with some of the local people. I may have to make it a weekly thing to do.

Chinese Stuff

2009-04-05T20:19:00.002+08:00

I found this book at a foreign bookshop yesterday. It has pictures of many of the items I have been seeing and it tells you a little bit about them. Great coffee table book.

Exchange of frustration

2009-04-05T16:31:00.003+08:00

One has to wonder why I can easily get American Traveler's Cheques cashed at an internet shop in Vang Vieng, Laos but gets weird looks when she tries to cash any at the many large banks here in Dalian. Seriously, half the people act as if they have never seen such a thing. Wouldn’t you think that if someone worked in a bank, they would at least know what they are? So when I now wonder when a bank has a sign posted states “Exchange Services” what are they exchanging? So I will have to point out the error in the Lonely Planet – ATMs are the way to go here in China...at least in Dalian.

Dining in Dalian

2009-04-04T22:06:00.003+08:00

Since arriving to Dalian, I have yet to go grocery shopping - well, unless you count that snack run at the convenient store. The main reason is that I have been lucky enough to choose to work at a school who's owner likes to take me and some of the other staff to lunches and dinners all the time. There have also been a few outings with friends & fellow teachers which have been quite fun too. When dining with our owner, it is such a treat because I get a chance to try many new dishes and food items. Since she knows that I am interested in learning about Chinese cuisine, she will usually get a nice variety of some of the more popular and traditional dishes. When needed, she shows me ways things are typically eaten.

Most of the time we dine in private rooms - most restaurants here have many private dining rooms in addition to general seating. The private dining rooms are small enough for the dining table plus a side table - sometimes the room has a window and/or television. Tonight I was invited to join her, her mother, her sister, her niece and her daughter for dinner. We went to a really nice restaurant that was on the 25th floor which gave an amazing view. We had Peking duck - AMAZING!!! Not only was the presentation nicely done but there is just something so good about duck skin that is so good. I don't know how most of the people here are as tiny as they are since the dinners seem to be dish after dish being brought to the table and placed on the huge lazy susan in the center of the table. I love the fact that you have anywhere from seven to twelve dishes to sample from. Usually, I stop eating because I tire of picking and choosing and not because I am full.

Earlier this week we had lunch at Pizza Hut. Pizza Huts in China are much different than in the states. They are quite nice and considered upscale.

At times, I thought I was going to overdose on dumplings but I really can't complain because I love them. I never realized that you essentially could make any food combination into a dumpling. I have had ones that are beef & onion to seafood to scrambled eggs & tomato and can be prepared, steamed, fried or boiled.

So now to recap on some of the foods I have tried:

duck cheek & tongue
jellyfish
Peking duck
dumplings
duck century egg
horse
hotpot

I know there has to be more but I just either can't remember them or else I just don't know the name of it. I haven't taken any photos because I have felt it has been inappropriate to do so at those times but I do hope to have some nice food photos in the next few weeks.

Morning walk

2009-03-29T11:38:00.004+08:00

This morning I went for a walk & jog and towards the end of my exploration, I ended up stopping by the Children's Park to watch the morning tai chi and dancing when an older couple (late 60s, early 70's) invited me to join them in playing some Chinese Hacky Sack. It was quite fun as they taught me - the husband knew a little English and we would try to chat a little and he would be the main translator between his wife and I. They told me that they have activities like this every day from 7:00am - 9:00am and then again in the evening. We played for about 40 minutes and he said that I was a very fast learner and improved very quickly. They told me they are at that park every evening, and invited me to join them anytime I can when I am done with work.
The Children's Park is beautiful and even has a nice large pond next to it with a jogging/walking track that goes around the whole thing. In fact, there are numerous parks in this city and many people do such activies in the parks every morning and every evening. Yesterday afternoon, I saw many children flying kites in the park right near my house. No matter where I end up getting my permanent apartment, I am sure to have a park nearby.

Daily scavenger hunt

2009-03-28T11:21:00.011+08:00

Living in Dalian will be quite interesting for numerous reasons, number one being that 80% of the signs seem to be in Chinese characters only - even the street maps. This may discourage many people but I find this as a way to occupy my time while exploring a city. With my map in hand, I navigate through my new home city and write the Pinyin name for the street. During this time, I have also made note of some of the buses that run in certain areas since I have yet to find a bus map or schedule and every stop is only in Chinese characters.

Last night, I was walking bast the InterContinental Hotel and I thought I would pop in to see if they had a map. That is one plus to having many years of hotel experience, you know that hotels like that would have to not only have front of the house staff (front desk, bellmen, valet, doormen, concierge, etc) that speak English but since they cater to an international market, they would have materials for such travelers, i.e. a map of Dalian in English. They were so nice and helpful. They gave me a magazine, Focus on Dalian which is some sort of Expat magazine which not only had a great map of the ciy (with streets in Pinyin) but articles in English and tips on places to go, things to do...basically a city guide for Expats who live here. Although it is fairly limited considering the size of the city but it is a great help and a good start.

While getting lost in the city both last night and this morning, I have discovered the following locations:

Paulaner Brauhaus - leave it to me to seek out either an Irish or German bar in China. Huge place but quite empty on a Friday night despite the live entertainment which were dressed in short sequence outfits and reminded me of some of the "entertainment" available in Thailand.

Tianjin Jie - a street lined with food stalls and a street market like set up. The place to go when you want to buy your DVDs, fake wallets, sunglasses, watches, etc. As always, be sure to barter with them. Keep in mind that they will likely mark up the price 3x for any westerner.

Health & Beauty Spa- located right next to the Friendship Shopping Centre. They had facials that started at 220 RMB, body scrubs, massages & wraps starting at 280 RMB and spa packages starting at 1200 RMB. You can also buy a card that is 30 treatments at 150 RMB each for a total of 4500 RMB - this means you could use the card and get a service for 150 RMB instead of 220 RMB. I took a tour of the facility and they have 15 treatment rooms- all very nice, clean and very inviting. I can't wait to start working so I can justify spending money for things like this. I terribly miss spa times.

Bally's Total Fitness - Very large and clean. Has loads of equipment, classes and even an indoor pool. Located on the south side of Zhonghan Square. Quite expensive at 5200 RMB/year or 900 RMB/month but the Fitness Trainer who gave me a tour was quite nice. I think I am going to stick to the "walking around Dalian for free" program until further notice.

SPR Coffee - Nice two floor coffee shop. I don't know if they have internet but everyone was quite nice as I peeked around and I am sure to be back.

Right around the corner from where I will be working is the Banana Leaf - a Thai restaurant. In true Thai standards, they had some sort of shop next to the resturant that had something to do with sex. (The sign was all in Chinese characters except for SEX hence the reason I came to my conclusion)..and no, I did not take a tour of their facilities.

After hoofing it around the city in 2C temperatures for 2 hours this morning, I finally took a taxi to a coffee shop I read about in Lonely Planet.

I-55 is a coffee shop that offers free wi-fi and plenty of sitting space both at tables as well as cozy sofas. They have a nice selection of English books. When I arrived this morning, they had their breakfast buffet available and for 85 RMB you have a vast assortment of eggs, bacon, sausage patties, toast, pudding, salads, fruit, juice, coffee, etc. A no brainer for me since your average coffee drinks start at 29 RMB and I needed to have breakfast/lunch.

So, for the time being, I plan on having daily scavenger hunts for various things, i.e. wi-fi spots, places to get dry cleaning done, etc. But one thing I have thankfully done is have my work contact write out my current apartment address and work address down for me in Chinese characters. This way, when I get in a cab, I can just hand that over to them and I don't have to deal with a language barrier.

Temporary Digs

2009-03-27T13:08:00.009+08:00

Since my arrival to Dalian, the school has put me up in a temporary apartment until we find me one that I like. This apartment belongs to the owner's cousin and is very nice, and in a nice area that is only a 15 minute walk from the school I will be working at. When we start looking for an apartment for me, I am sure it will be quite different but I am guaranteed a western toilet, water dispenser and washing machine in addition to my standard furnished apartment so that will be good. They just wan to make sure they get me in an area that isn't too far from the school, that is near a bus line and a grocery store. Here are pictures of my temorary housing, a three bedroom, two bathroom apartment complete with two balconies, guards at the entrance and an indoor pool in the bottom floor. I haven't used the pool becuase I think you have to pay to use but I like to watch the near miss accidents from the balcony. Traffic here is something else, not as bad as Saigon - thank God!

Drinking and Dining in Dalian

2009-03-27T12:52:00.003+08:00

As I am adjusting to my world being turned upside down, I am gradually making my way through the chaos though dining with co-workers. As I had mentioned in my Quack, Quack post, we went to Fisherman's Wharf for my welcome dinner. Last night, I went to dinner with one of the other teachers at CFY which is apparently a restaurant chain that specializes in hot pot cooking. It was really fun because the other teacher I work with introduced me to another girl from America who has been here for three years.

But my favorite little place so far is a coffee shop I discovered yesterday called BLONDE. They offer free internet, it is close to the school, the coffee is good and the staff is nice. Many of my guy friends would like this place because the waitresses have uniforms that look a little like a French maid uniform.

During my first weekend here, I plan on doing much exploration so I can slowly get adjusted to my new surroundings. Hopefully, I will find a neighborhood I want to live in during this time, so far, all the areas I have asked about are the high rent areas (of course).

Quack, Quack

2009-03-26T11:50:00.000+08:00

And so we begin with the culinary experimentation. We ended up having my welcome dinner last night after the school contact and I were done running around with errands (getting me a mobile phone, cashing some travelers cheques, etc.) We had dinner at The Fisherman’s Wharf in a private dining room with the other foreign teacher (from NYC), my main school contact, the school principal and the school owners and their two daughters. When asked if there is anything I don’t like, I said “No, I will try anything”. For those of you who are familiar with China, you know that could open a whole world of interesting foods way beyond chicken feet. They had ordered, many things from tofu and vegetables to jellyfish with sautéed vegetables, some kind of sliced pork served with the stomach lining, seafood dumplings, mushrooms, broccoli and mushrooms and my favorite, duck cheek and tongue. I tried everything except the stomach lining. Yep, I had duck cheek and tongue and it was, interesting. It was actually more difficult to eat if anything and quite amusing to watch others eat because some looks as if they are French kissing the duck beak (or should I say, half duck beak) as they are eating the tongue. The other American teacher declined on eating it, but I figured I would give it a go. It is difficult to explain what it tastes like because it was cooked with a glaze on it (almost like Peking Duck). I wouldn’t seek it out as a dinner item but I would give it another try. The jellyfish was surprisingly crunchy but lacked any great flavor to have me want seconds.

Adapting to China

2009-03-26T11:44:00.003+08:00

Before I left for China, I wanted to make sure I had the correct electrical outlet adapters. This was kind of difficult to figure out what is used since there are many that can be used. Luckily, I brought a nice assortment of the European adapters and two Asian/Chinese adapters I bought at the last minute. Then of course for my beloved computer, I had purchased the World Adapter kit, which has already come in handy for three countries.

En Route to China

2009-03-26T11:40:00.004+08:00

Note to self: do not choose United Airlines as the airline to use when flying international. When doing so, this means that in Economy class, you have to pay for any alcoholic beverages ($6/each) and knowing some of my friends, this would be a major determining factor but seriously? Flying internationally isn’t cheap and the economy is in the crapper but give some of us that don’t use sleep aides a break when doing 14+ hour flights. Another reason I wasn’t thrilled with United was that you don’t get individual monitors to watch movies, TV shows and play games at your leisure. I think it was on my flight home from Bangkok that I discovered a language game that kept me occupied for hours thanks to Malaysia Air. The movies that they did show weren’t the best selection but kept me entertained between reading my book and cat naps despite the staticy connection.

In Flight Movies
Flash of Genius- Never heard of this movie but actually pretty good. It was about a man who sued Ford for stealing his idea on the intermittent windshield wipers. 4/5

Secret Lives of Bees – Good cast, good story and entertaining but nothing I would actively seek out to watch. 4/5

Quantum of Solace – The most recent James Bond film. Typical action packed Bond film that kept me wondering what kind of workout routine he does to be ready for such chase and fight scenes. I was also amazed at how good his love interest’s hair was regardless of the hell she just went through. Seriously, no one can give a good haircut that can still look good when you go from formal event to running from the bad guys, flying in a plane, walking through the desert in Bolivia, hiding out in a sinkhole and then back to safety. Also, if I ever get caught in a fire, I don’t think my hair would look tousled and sexy like hers. 3/5

Enough about the entertainment, on to more important things, the Sky Mall Magazine. It has been years since I have really glanced through this Holy Grail of needed items. This is seriously the place you go shopping for those who have every material thing possible but just may be missing those one or two necessity items. Some of my favourites are:

• Jumpin Jammers
• Ice Cream Maker (Frontgate)
• Margarita Maker (Frontgate)
• Hyprtic Jellyfish Aquarium (Hammacher Schlemmer)
• Finger Drum Mousepad
• Carbon Heated Vest –Perfect for those who get cold easily but don’t like to wear bulky layers.
• Bug Vacuum - I didn’t realize regular vacuums don’t work on bugs
• World’s Largest Crossword Game
• Full Size Arcade Game – I would actually want this one if I wasn’t living a gypsy life
• Inflatable Movie Screen – This is actually cool
• Acculife Therapist Deluxe (Gadget Universe)
• Head Spa Massager
• Nec Pro Traction Device
• Massage Boots
• Nano UV Scanner/wand – a germaphobe’s dream item
• The Big Pitcher – I thought Brita filters got expensive
• BBQ Personalizer – For those obsessed with marking their territory
• Garden Yeti Sculpture
• Floating Bumper Boats –Actually looked fun but would need a huge pool to use, especially if you had more than two.

These are just some of the highlights I found and I just wonder who actually buys these things? Do they buy them for themselves or as gifts for others?

So just in case you were wondering what I have been doing for my first 20 hours of travel, there you have it.

But right now, I have about two hours to kill at the Shanghai airport before I board for my last flight (4 hours) to my final destination. I am pretty amazed at how clean this airport is and how quiet it is. For an international airport in a big city like this, I expected chaos when I arrived this afternoon but it is quite the opposite. I got through customs very quickly and rechecked my bags without a problem. Oh, and in case you are wondering, the airport has western toilets.

Prague (aka Trip from Hell)- finally! (5-7 December 2008)

2009-03-20T00:00:00.003+08:00

Ok, I finally decided to recap my lovely experience with Prague and the Czech Republic. After my first week in Bavaria, Germany my friend Martin and I decided to check out Prague since I thought it may be a city I would want to consider to teach English in. By the time we left his house, it was after 5:00PM, and because of winter roads and a stop for dinner, we didn't get to Prague until 9:00pm. We didn't make any reservations for a room before we got there because Martin assured me that there were plenty of cheap hostels to choose from and it wouldn't be necessary. (Big mistake #1). We ended up driving around for at least an hour looking for a hostel with no such luck so then we decided to park the car in a parking garage (big mistake #2 - the parking was very expensive as it usually is with any city - about 20€ ?? ). We figured that a bartender would be able to lead us in the direction of a hostel or two since we didn't have a book or even a map of Prague (mistake #3 - I am going to stop pointing out the mistakes but you can see where this is headed) but the bartender really didn't know of any places but pointed us in the direction where we may have better luck. We drove around for at least 2 hours trying to find places that were open or had occupancy but weren't having much luck. The bright side of this part of the night was that I was building a nice collection of Prague maps and I was getting a pleasant night tour of the city on a Friday night. We finally ended up at The Travellers' Hostel . This was a bitter sweet achievement due to the fact that it was now 2:00am and I was beyond my tolerance limit of driving around to look for other rooms that were more within our set budget. They had no more dormitory beds left as if that was an option at this moment since I was in full "princess mode". There was a double room with a shower for 25€ per person which was way more than we intended on paying that night (we were hoping to find something around 20€ total). Ugh! We begrudgingly paid and went straight to the room to drop off our bags before we then immediately left to have a much needed cocktail.

Since it was quite late by this time, we figured it would be best to find a bar that was open near the hostel. There was a busy club right next door to the hostel but the cover charge and the drunken bloody girl who was sitting alone on a chair outside about to pass out or worse was a bit discouraging for us. We decided to go to the bar that was across the street and that is when I felt I have seen all I need to see of Prague. Every place we had been so far was just full of people who gave off weird vibes - it was like walking amongst zombies. I didn't know if it was the part of town we were in or the fact that it was 3am on a Friday night, but whatever it was, I was not a fan. It was also at this time that I asked the question, "where is our toilet"? since we had a private room with a shower. The shower and a sink were in the room but the toilet was down the hall. But to make it more interesting, the shower was IN the room - there was no separate changing area or bathroom which made it very interesting for a guy and a girl who are traveling together but weren't "together".

Checkout was at 9:30am and the breakfast that was included ended at 10am - yeah, that sucked but we just stored our bag with the front desk so we could take our time with breakfast and not worry about being 5 minutes late and being charged for another night since we were heading back to Germany ASAP. Before heading out, we decided to get a decent cup of coffee and go for a little walk. The coffee shop we went to was right by the parking garage where we had the car so we decided to pick up the car, get the bag then go. Easier said than done. The parking garage only took Czech Crowns as payment (yes they are part of the EU but still only like to use their currency as much as possible). We eventually had to go to the nearby grocery store twice in order to get the proper amount of change to pay for the parking fee. I swear, I have never been so anxious to get out of a city!

On the way back to Germany, we decided to stop by Plzen to see if that was a nice place to possibly stay the night and check out so our journey into the Czech Republic wasn't a complete disappointment. Unfortunately for Martin, I didn't even want to consider it. We drove around that city for a bit and even took time for pizza and beer at a cute little Italian restaurant but then proceeded straight back "home". It was a bit of a longer drive back but it was nice because it was still light out and we were able to see more of the country side as we drove.

As we were 5 minutes from Martin's house, he turned to me and asked, "Did you get the bag?" I am sure my face went pale as I immediately realized that after the hassle of paying for the parking, we never stopped by the hostel to pick up our bag like we had planned. For the next five minutes I am sure I sounded like an angry sailor since I knew it meant we had to drive back to Prague. So after a short stop, we headed back almost exactly 24 hours from when we left the night before.

S**T!!!

Once we got back to Prague, we immediately picked up the bag (thank GOD it was still there) and we headed to the old town square to check out what was going on. They had beautiful Christmas markets and it was in the high-end shopping district so it definitely had a much different crowd of people from the night before. Lucky for me, I kept all the maps I collected and found a hostel on the other side of the river which we had higher hopes for. We headed to Hostel Sokol which was tucked away in a nice quiet area that offered overnight parking. It didn't take much time to decide that this is where we wanted to stay. We were even able to negotiate the price of what we paid for our dorm room. (sorry! I forget what it was) We also had a 10 person dorm room to ourselves which was weird but nice.

Of course we went out again, it was only fair to give the nightlife a chance since we really didn't get a chance to do or see much the night before. In the middle of our Prague pub crawl, we met a guy from New York. Let's just say that witnessing an inebriated conversation between a Jewish guy from New York and a guy from Germany was quite entertaining; and yes, they were discussing religion, the war and nazis. Lucky for us, the front desk guy gave us a late check out since we didn't go to bed until 6am. After a nice brunch at a Mexican restaurant, we headed back to Germany for good.

Now you may be asking, would you ever go back? Sure I would. I think due to the circumstances of tight budget and poor planning completely put us in this scenario. Prague is a beautiful city and turned out to be a place I wanted to explore a little more. It would also be nice to actually have some Czech food since I didn't have one bit of it unless you count the kielbasa that we snacked on while at the Christmas market.

Aww ship!

2009-03-19T10:10:00.002+08:00

Talk about having baggage...

While planning and packing for China, I figured I would bring my general winter clothes and then have my mom ship some of my warm weather clothes later. Now I am just confused what would be the best economically and most efficient way of getting some of these things from Tennessee to China.

First of all, since I am packing for a year in a place with many seasons and I continually hear the rumors that it is difficult to find clothes over a US size 6 or shoe sizes over 7.5 I need to bring a nice assortment of clothes. I rather be safe than sorry.

Next, the there is a $150 flat fee if any of my checked bags are over the 50lb weight limit. If I choose to bring more than my alloted two bags, there would be a $200 fee for each additional checked bag. That is much better than if I were to ship a box Fed Ex - I checked online and for a 15 pound 24"x12"x12" box, it would cost $257 USD! But I just realized that the last leg of my flight is with a different carrier, therefore any fees I pay for extra baggage with the first airline, wouldn't apply. Now I need to check and see how much that would be. I also need to really research to see what shipping costs would be.

I also want to make sure I have a good range of clothing. By this I mean some for work, some for casual wear, some workout gear and some for lounging wear. When I was in Europe, I didn't have any "casual" or workout clothes and some days just called for that - a day lounging in yoga pants and a t-shirt. I am also so over the many ways to wear black which was the main color for my wardrobe in Europe - it is great for packing but I miss having more variety in colors.

But getting a package a few weeks after I arrive would be nice. I could probably sneak in a few boxes of macaroni & cheese in there which I know I will crave while I am in Asia.

Oh decisions, decisions...

Walking into the abyss of unknown

2009-03-17T10:24:00.004+08:00

People keep asking if I am getting nervous or scared about leaving for China to live and work for the next year. To be honest, I can't say that I am. The main reason being, I have no idea what I would be nervous or scared about. Or perhaps I am just worn out after going through the emotional roller coaster two months ago when I was in the midst of my job searching.

After all my reading and research on China and where I will be living, I know that only gives me a glimpse of what to expect and what I will experience. Since I have essentially been in gypsy mode for the last eight months, I have learned to adapt to various surroundings, circumstances with or without your "normal" comforts that I may have been used to in my daily life.

As for starting a new job and working in China for the following year, well...it is just like any other job; you never know what it will really be like until you start. But what I do know is that I am excited to start teaching and work with kids.

One thing I do know is that my excitement is starting to build-up again after being dormant for the last few months from being stagnant during my job searching and hermit-like life. I am beyond ready to be faced with daily life challenges and continual learning of my new surroundings.

Bad Love

2009-03-12T19:09:00.000+08:00

"A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life, to be thankful for a good one."

-Marjorie Rawlings

Packing for a year

2009-03-03T07:26:00.006+08:00

So, I should be heading out to Dalian, China to start my teaching job in a few weeks. What the heck does one pack when you move to China for one year? I recently found out that I will have the western comforts of not one but TWO WalMarts. If I ever have any problems locating household goods & decor, I will also have the IKEA that just opened as a nice backup.

I am determined to only take the following on the plane:
(1) computer bag / laptop
(1) day bag - with necessary carry on items
(2) Large backpacker backpacks - checked

Yep, that is it. If I have to pay a bit more to check two large bags, then so be it; it will be much cheaper than shipping it to China. For because of all the traveling and moving around the last eight months, I have gotten quite used to limited clothing options because either I only have what I packed in my bag or else it is boxed up and in storage. It is actually quite nice not being overwhelmed with options when getting ready in the morning, but then again when 90% of your clothes you pack are black, you don't have much to play around with besides what scarf to wear to accessorize your ensemble with.

I will be getting a furnished apartment so if there is anything I need, I will just get it there. When checking with others in the same situation, they are just bringing the proper clothes to keep them warm until it starts getting warmer which is around May - it is currently 1C. I did however set aside some clothes that I may want my mom to send to me once it starts getting warmer, but we will see about that. It was also suggested to bring things that remind me of home. Well, I have pictures and videos of friends and family on my computer so that will suffice in lieu of framed photos. As long as I have my nano and my computer, that is all I really want to have or need. Thanks to Skype, I will be able to see my friends, family and even my dogs while I am gone. (yes, I have had Skype sessions that included the pets of my friends and families) And then there is of course my necessary travel books that I have all marked up with my notes.

If you were me, what would you be sure to pack?

Neurotic

2009-02-28T10:24:00.001+08:00

"If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell. I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days."

-Sylvia Plath

China Research - Internet, Podcasts & Books

2009-02-26T03:51:00.009+08:00

Since accepting a teaching position in China, I have continued my country and city research using various resources.

1- The Internet. The best way to get information quickly but due to the countries strict censorship policies, it can be quite limited.

2- Podcasts - Free downloads that offer anything from a travel perspective of China and/or Asia as well as Mandarin Chinese tutorials and general life / business in China.

3- Books! I have tried to find some in my local library but since I live in Mayberry, their book selection is less than acceptable when it comes to books about other countries. For example: One local library only had the option of children's books if you wanted to read about China, India, Japan, etc. They actually weren't too bad to get general information from but I was looking for something with more substance and books that weren't over 10 years old.

The three following books are the ones I have purchased and are using as the basis for my insight to China.

Lonely Planet China Travel Guide

Lonely Planet guides are great to give you the basic no frills version of what a city is like. It is also a great resource for finding the bargin places to shop, eat and sleep. Since these guides seem to be the bible for every backpacker, they usually have it indicated where expats hang out or fellow backpackers can be found.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide- China

I absolutely love these guidebooks. These are fantastic when you plan on doing tours of museums and using the city metro stations. The city and road maps are excellent and have been right on when used in cities like Barcelona and Paris. Because this guide has includes many photos and illustrations, you have an idea of the currency, details of various tourist sites and even what some of the cuisine may look like.

Both of the books above have excellent information on safety, culture, language and etiquitte. Of course, when given the option, I would suggest getting the guide for the city versus the country since it will offer more valuable informaiton that will be more relavant to your trip. Before I left for Barcelona, I receuved a DK Eyewitness Travelguide - Barcelona. I used that book every day I was there - Thank you Jen!!!

Culture Smart! China

This is a great small quick reference guide on customs and etiquette. I read the books for Vietnam and Thailand before visiting those locations. Although the previously mentioned guides do have information on these topics, the size of the book is convienent to keep with you.

Teaching Abroad

2009-02-15T08:29:00.002+08:00

To give you a little insight into what it is like job searching for an English teaching job overseas, I thought I would share with you what my process has been. For those interested in pursuing the same career path, I hope this is helpful. For my friends and family, this will help you understand why I am always on my damn computer.

First off, I went through the suggested ESL (English as a Second Language) websites and bookmarked them so I could easily go to them without having to refer to some paper that would likely get lost in my mobile life. Each day, I would start off by going to each site and checking out the job postings. I soon realized that there were continual postings all day long and would also discover more and more websites that listed ESL teaching jobs. This quickly became quite overwhelming. When I would come across a job that I was qualified for and sounded interesting and was located in a Country I would consider living in, I would then start further research.

If I didn't know where the city was or didn't know much about the city, I would Google it and look up information via maps, pictures, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet, and even the CIA. If the city didn't have anything show up when doing my search, that location would be dismissed. Each site gives a very different perspective which is essential when considering moving, working and living there; quite a different mindset than when you are researching someplace for a holiday.

Next I would look up the company or school website if given. One thing that you must know is that there are MANY, MANY dodgy schools out there posing as legit operations only to scam people out of money and or dabble in some identity theft by the passport information they obtain. Trying to decipher what is a legit school that is located on the other side of the globe is very difficult. Some have websites, some don't. Some that have websites only have it available in their native language and some give the option of both English and their language. This doesn't necessarily mean that it is a bad school if they don't have a website or don't offer an English version of their website, but it does make it challenging on learning more about the school.

As you could imagine, being very new at this, you can become very overwhelmed and very skeptical of every school and company listed. Talk about developing paranoia. I have reached the level of discouragement and despair many times over the last two months because of this daily cycle. Of course, it always helps if you have friends or contacts in the field that could help answer any questions that you may have about working for a particular school, in a particular school or country. I took my CELTA course in Barcelona, Spain therefore the tutor contacts and staff were not too familiar with schools in Asia. I do have one friend who I met while traveling that saved me from making a very big mistake in accepting a job with a school in Taiwan. Apparently that chain has a very bad reputation in the industry. Thank you Anna! I owe you!

It was then suggested that I check on ESL teacher forums. These are great in doing some research but as you can imagine you can come across some less than positive feedback about some schools and locations from disgruntled teachers. I eventually learned that you need to read those forums in moderation and remember that no one seeks out to write rave reviews about working someplace, but a bitter former employee would jump at the chance to bash their previous employer - especially when they are going to leave the country, the industry, etc.

Once you do all of that and you aren't completely discouraged from continuing and it seems like you would still want to apply for a position and or send in your CV (resume) then you move to that step.Of course, much later I realized the beauty of RSS streams which are available on most ESL job websites that send job postings directly to your e-mail account. This helps save much time in your search and I highly suggest using this feature. You can usually find RSS streams on many other things like news, health & safety alerts, etc which come in very handy when researching a country or city. (You can also subscribe to RSS streams of this blog which will notify you of new posts.)

I am sure I have been making this more difficult for myself than I should have but getting a new job is always a bit daunting. Add that scenario to a new career and new country and I am sure you can see why I am being so analytical about each step and each detail. But if you were in my shoes, wouldn't you do the same? Thank goodness I have had very supportive and understanding parents during this whole process.

To squat or not to squat? That is the question.

2009-02-10T03:21:00.004+08:00

When interviewing for teaching jobs in China, it was suggested by a very wise friend who lives in Hong Kong to ask a very important, yet embarrassing question. "How 'western' are the cities in terms of bathroom facilities?" I would get an amused response from the interviewer or recruiter but they would also commend me on asking such a question. I am also glad I did. The one school I interviewed for last night is in a city that has a population of seven million but squat toilets seem to be the norm. I would have a western toilet in my apartment and I would be able to find western toilets in KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut but not in the school itself. Therefore, it was suggested that if I were to enjoy the mutton skewers sold from the street vendor outside the school, I may want to just 'hold it' until I got home.

When I first stated that I wanted to live in an urban setting if going to China, it was more due to the fact that it would have various transportation options easily available, as well as a larger expat community, cultural opportunities, a nice range of dining options, a decent nightlife, etc. Silly me forgot to consider the fact that a larger city, would also ensure a greater possibility of a western toilet. Squat toilets are ok for a limited time, but this girl likes some of the basic western essentials despite the fact that I would get a good leg workout each day. Oh, and my friend Patrick also warned me that often the squat toilet stalls don't have doors. I don't know if that is just in the men's bathrooms or all; either way, that is not my thing.

I-475

2009-02-08T08:13:00.008+08:00

Some of the funny billboards seen on I-475 from Orlando, Florida to Knoxville, Tennessee.

The honesty and directness of the Stripper billboard is just funny. But I do wonder what kind of discount the truckers get at a strip bar. Is it for food, drink or dance? My other question is with the other billboard. Is the advert for wind chimes made out of gator heads or for gator heads AND wind chimes?

My sick & twisted friends

2009-01-29T07:47:00.005+08:00

When sharing a particular funny video with my friend, the BME Pain Olympics were mentioned. He then shared the desire to see the Olympic video that was discussed in the video he just watched. When asked why he would want to watch such a horrible thing, (believe me, the BME Pain Olympics sounds pretty gnarly) here was his reasoning:

"the question is not why would i want to watch it, it's why wouldn't i want to watch it? the next time i'm standing around the water cooler and this subject comes up, i want to be edumacated on the topic. Now how can i talk or comment on it inteligently if i've never seen it? So i ask you, why wouldn't i want to watch it? This really hot chick could bring it up the next time i go to a bar, and now i look like an idiot cause i've never seen it and i don't now how to answer. She then thinks i'm a dork and i've lost my chance to get it on with this really hot chick? So i ask you, why wouldn't i want to watch it? I could be held hostage and the person holding me hostage has a gun to my head asking me about this video. I've never seen it and try to make something up. He knows i'm lying to him, and nobody likes being lied to. I've now lost his trust, and he shoots me cause he doesn't want to deal with me anymore. So i ask you, why wouldn't i want to watch it? I could end up on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and i make it to the final round where i just have to answer one more question to win the million dollars. when you get that for, you go for it, so i do! The question is about the BME Pain Olymipics. Now i can't answer, i lose the million dollars, my girl friend breaks up with me, my family disowns me, my friends no longer want anything to do with me, my dog runs away ashamed to be associated with me, my parakeet finds the strength to flap his wings fast enough to actually fly away from me, i'm so emotionally distraught i end up committing suicide.

So i ask you, wouldn't you want me to watch it? Otherwise my suicide could be on your conscience and haunt you for the rest of your life. i rest my case, thank you."

I then responded with, "You need help and you obviously need a girlfriend, a dog and a parakeet to make this statement legit."

God I love my sick & twisted friends. They always keep me entertained.

To share or not to share?

2009-01-06T09:45:00.005+08:00

While looking into different locations on where to teach English with my new TEFL certificate, I occasionally come across some information that may make a place less desirable to some. In those cases I struggle with the "Do I share this with my parents or don't I?" dilemma. Some of the places I have visited but when you visit some place and when you live there, it is two different things.

For example, here are some facts found in my Lonley Planet book on Cambodia. I absolutely love Cambodia and would love a chance to teach in Siem Reap but when I read the following to my mother, she had a look of horror come across her face:

"Anyone who falls seriously ill or who has a major injury or bad accident in Siem Reap is best to seek treatment in Bangkok. It's best to avoid the provincial hospitals unless you want your condition to worsen."

(Bangkok, Thailand is just a mere 240 miles away from Siem Reap while Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh is just 156 miles.)

This is of course is in the same country that also has the following frequently mentioned in their guidebooks:

"Out at the remote temple sites beyond Angkor, stick to clearly marked trails. There are still land mines at locations such as Phnom Kulen and Kbal Spean."
or
having sections with LAND MINE ALERT! listed as a header.

Of course I shared these little facts after I told them that in certain parts of Cambodia, you can buy any type of drug you want and pay to shoot a cow with an oozie or throw a grenade in a chicken coop.

Yes, certain towns have unique tourist activities. Now you are probably wondering, "Why the hell do you want to go there?" Well, it is simple, the people were amazing, kind and beautiful. They have been though so much and really need people to go there to teach English with the increased tourism.

Germany & Austria - Week 1 (Nov 29 - Dec 5)

2009-01-05T13:02:00.000+08:00

I figure since it has been over a month when first arrived to Germany, I should get going onto my Germany/Austria/Czech Republic posts so here we go...

After taking my CELTA course in Barcelona, my friend Martin (the German from my Southeast Asia trip) made plans for me to visit with him in Bavaria and then we could visit many of the places on my "hit list" together. Fantastic! So after being in planes and airports most of the day, Martin picked me up from the Munich airport and we headed straight to Cafe Mozart where we met up with his friend and his wife and her friends who were celebrating her birthday. Nothing like hitting the ground running, right? Since Martin lives about two hours away from Munich, we stayed the night at his friends house. When we finally left Munich, it was around noon which meant that his mother had a special meal waiting for us when we arrived to the house by 3pm. I was looking forward to meeting Martin's mother in person (I had previously met her via Skype) and having some traditional homemade Bavarian food. I was NOT looking forward to meeting his mother in my current condition: Unshowered and still wearing the clothes I wore the whole day prior and even slept in. I am sure I made a stellar first impression. When he spoke to her on the phone, shortly before we arrived to his house, I requested that he warn her because I was completely embarrassed. Of course there would have to be more people in attendance upon our arrival; his younger brother was at the house for the Sunday dinner too. I too had previously met him via Skype but the poor thing had to meet me in person under such circumstances.

Martin's home is so nice and his mother is just the best. Both she and Martin pampered me like a princess the whole time I visited and stayed with them. Staying with them was not only the best because I did get pampered so, but because the days usually involved some combination of eating, napping and wine and/or beer. Who could ever complain about that? Plus I got to now see Germany from a non-touristy perspective, just like I had been able to with London and in Barcelona.

The first full day in the Ruhstorf area we went to Eruopa Therme Bad Fussing - one of the many thermal spas in the Bavarian Thermal Triangle. After that we went to what must be the smallest Christmas Market in Scharding, Austria.

The next day we did a day trip over to Salzberg, Austria but first stopped at Braunau am Inn (a.k.a. Hitler's Birthplace).
Salzberg is quite beautiful as was the drive over there. The Christmas market was quite large and full of the usual items, Glühwein was good as usual but the sausages we had were amazing. But then again, I didn't meet a sausage on this trip I didn't like.

On Wednesday, we headed up to Nurenberg, which as one of the most famous christmas markets in Germany. After spending the day strolling around town and doing a little shopping, we headed back home. That night we went to one of the few bars in Ruhstorf but we were sad to learn that I wasn't the first American to go there. (However, by the next night, I was the first American to go there twice & two nights in a row...I was determined to hold some sort of record there.)

By Thursday, we just needed a lazy day so we just hung out at the house and watched movies and probably made dinner like Martin or his mother did every night if possible.

Shake & Bake

2008-12-24T09:34:00.001+08:00

I can't help but being continually entertained by the people that surround me. If you really just take a moment and pay attention to those around you, life can be really funny.

While I was grocery shopping at the local Food City, I overheard the following being said by a father to his 3-4 year old son:

'Boy, go git yer buggy. Let's git us some Shake & Bake.'

I thought, "Welcome to Tennessee! Oh, so sad, yet so funny" as I laughed to myself.

The wife & mother was also with them and she looked about 17 years old - maximum! She was also pushing her own "buggy" (also known as a grocery cart to non-hillbillies) with a baby that was less than 6 months old. I did wonder if they were cousins because it IS legal here to marry your first cousin. Gross.

So many options...

2008-12-20T22:45:00.004+08:00

Wow. Job searching for an English Teaching position has become quite overwhelming. This has been my daily routine since coming home.

Check job postings - Each day I discover a new website with more job postings.
Once I look through the lists, I try to figure out which look like good, legit schools to work for.
Then I research the school and see if it looks like a good option to pursue.
Once that is done, I then research the area that the school is located in.
Many jobs are available in China and I have never been and I have heard good and bad things about teaching in China. (The bad all come from bad locations and bad schools.)
Once a place looks good enough, I then send my CV or apply to the job that is posted.
Then after playing e-mail tag, I send any additional documents that they need.
Once that is approved, we then try to coordinate a time for an interview.
In addition to my online research of the various cities and countries, I am also reading books and listening to Expat & travel podcasts about living, working and visiting those specific cities.
The one thing I am having trouble with is trying to get a good understanding on what the average cost of living would be - what salary offer is too skimpy?

Needless to say, I didn't expect to have so many options. This is a very nice problem to have and even if I don't end up going to places I research, at least I improve my knowledge of the culture and geography of these locations.

London's Calling (October 28-Nov 1)

2008-12-20T21:14:00.001+08:00

I have now been in London for three days and I think the weather has gotten worse each day. If it isn't raining, then it is snowing or hailing or sleeting all while the temperature continues to drop. The first two nights I stayed with my friend James and his family. I was treated to a wonderful home cooked dinner of roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetables. It was great staying with a friend because I got to see and experience "real life" in London...at least in the Fulham Broadway area. We didn't do much sightseeing but in addition to meeting James' family, I got to meet and hang out with some of his friends. We went to Porterhouse Pub which is a very nice large pub, went window shopping in Covent Garden and S oHo, had pints at The White Horse as well as go to a little gathering at his friends house.

The next two nights I stayed at 'Bestplace' Waterloo and was able to meet up with other friends I met in Hanoi. First I met up with Simon and we walked around for a bit...actually a lot. So much that my heels bled because of the socks and shoes I was wearing. We ended up on a mission in finding lunch that was £2 or less. With those parameters, we ended up at Subway with their £2 sub of the day special.

The next day I trekked around the city seeing all that I haven't seen yet: Harrods, Harvey Nichols etc. I walked from Waterloo, to Speakers Corner to Buckingham Palace to Regent Street and then finally met up with Simon and Jon/Seth/Jr in Piccadilly. Jr is one of the other guys I met in Hanoi. Jr goes to Uni about two hours away and Simon now lives in London for the next year but this is the first time they have seen each other since Hanoi in July. So to keep with tradition, we went to an O'Neill's Pub in Chinatown for some Guinness....just like we used to do in Hanoi. This time we went there for the symbolic reason and the Guiness, not the A/C like we did then. It was great having our mini reunion that night. We eventually went back to the pub at my hostel and Skyped with one of the other guys in our group. We eventually called it the night as Jon needed to head back to Uni for a Halloween party and Simon had to head over to his mate's house where he was spending the night. All in all, it was a very good time in London.

Spanish Time (November 1 - November 29)

2008-12-04T19:32:00.006+08:00

When IH Barcelona/IH World says that the CELTA course is intense, they weren't lying. It was one of the most difficult classes I have ever taken for many reasons. The first week was probably the toughest emotionally because I arrived to Spain only 1 day prior to starting the course and I didn't have any time to check out my new surroundings which put me in a funk until the next weekend when I was able to do so. As for the course, it was a bit difficult at first to be thown into groups of 6 people out of the total of 12 students where everyone is from different countries (mostly UK), different backgrounds, different ages, etc. as these are the people you were to work closely with for the next month. In situations like this, the best thing to do is go out with your group ASAP for a night out drinking and getting to know eachother. That is what we did that first Friday and it just got better from there. Weeks two, three and four were just filled with papers and lesson plans and some sleepless nights but I mananged to at least slip in a few hours of sightseeing each weekend before or after doing some coursework.

As for the course, since everything we learn is based on UK English I felt like I was learning English all over again since American English is not proper and not the English used as the basis when teaching abroad. Not only that but the way you teach English abroad is much different that how native English speakers learn therefore I was learning the details on how English is formed....something I never really thought much about in detail since elementary school. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who struggled with understanding and remembering all these grammar rules and details. In fact, by week four I had four "CELTA dreams" where a fellow classmate or myself were describing the form of a sentance that was just said. Yes, there is nothing like dreaming about the past perfect continuous.

By the end of the month, I made some great friends, grew as a person both personally and professionally, got to experience a whole month of life in Spain as well as passing my course.
Barcelona is a beautiful city and would suggest anyone to visit it. However, I must state that my biggest gripe as a student it was a frustrating city to live in since libraries seem to never be open and that was a big issue since my desk in my room was less that useful as a study area.

FInally!!

2008-12-04T19:22:00.003+08:00

I have been either very busy or very lazy the past month therefore I have been really bad at keeping my blog updated. I will try to do entries soon that recap my time in London and in Spain but I will also try to do more updated entries about my current visit in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

First 24 hours in Barcelona

2008-11-03T06:22:00.005+08:00

After freezing in the cold & rainy weather of London, I was excited to get to Barcelona which was to have much better weather during this time of year. I guess when I checked my bags in at the airport, I also checked in the rainy weather to take with me as well. With it being past 10pm and rainy, I decided to forgo the usual adventurous route of public transportation to my destination and got a cab. It took the cab driver a while (almost €1 in parked time while he looked up the address I gave to him on the map). Once I arrived I was just praying it was right as the address because we were on a somewhat dark street but at least had a few bars open right next door just in case I needed further assistance. None of the apartment buttons really made sense to me as they didn't match what was given to me - 'Pral 2a'. Ok. The code box looks something like this:

Option #1 1 2
Option #2 1 2
Presidential 1 2
Option #4 1 2

So I buzzed the #2 button for the first name given. no response. Next I buzzed the #2 button for the next name down. again, no response Finally, I thought, maybe Pral is short for Presidential so I buzzed #2 under that listing and bingo! My host came downstairs to greet me. Thank goodness as I was not in the mood to deal with the possibility of being dropped off in the wrong location after spending €27 to get there and spending most my day getting to and in the London's Luton airport. After finally unpacking and getting a proper shower, I went straight to bed and was able to fall fast asleep despite the fact that the one bar downstairs was quite noisy at 1am.

I was amazed when I woke up this morning and it was already 9:30am! Most of that is due to the fact that my bedroom has no windows so I never know what time it is unless I look at my clock. I sat down with my host and we went over the basics - where to go for things, how to use things around the apartment, house rules, etc. There obviously is a guardian angel watching over me becuase she also then informed me that she has Wi Fi in her home and within seconds I had my computer ready to enter her password. I swear, it is worse to go without internet than to go without food, but that is another topic for another day. At this time, I learned that I am in the Gracia area and not much is open on Sundays but on other days, there are some great restaurants, bars and shops right within walking distance. By around 12 or 1pm, I finally decided to get a bite to eat since I haven't eaten since about 5pm the day before and I was starting to get hungry. While finding a place to eat, I decided to walk around a bit and get used to my surroundings. That was until it starting raining hard and since I had no umbrella, I decided to duck into the little pizza cafe I previously passed. I know, I know. "In the land of tapas and sangria, you get pizza?" Yes, and it was damn good plus with the fact that barely anything was open, I had no umbrella and the streets are almost maze-like in Hanoi I wasn't up for an expidition at this moment in time. After lunch, the rain had stopped but I was a bit tired so I went back for an hour long nap.

By about 6:30pm, (or should I say 18:30 as in the UK and EU, the military time clock is most often used) I was ready for my second attempt to not only find my next meal, but to possibly find a pharmacy to pick up some toiletries and see how long it would take to get to the metro station since my first day of class is tomorrow. This time, I had more success as things were finally open and it wasn't raining. Found an open Pharmacy - check. Walked to the Metro and got a 50/30 card for the month and on the walk back found out it only will take me less than 10 minutes to walk to it which is nice. For dinner, I stopped in the Virreina Bar along the Placa de la Virreina and had a nice hot roquefort, chicken and raisin sandwich for dinner.

Simple Questions

2008-11-02T18:44:00.001+08:00

There are standard questions that should be rather simple to answer. In the recent months, I have found some of these questions to be somewhat challenging.

For example:

Q: Where are you from?
A: The States
Q: Where? Which one?
A: Ummm….well, up until a few weeks ago, I have been living in Southern California for the last 5-6 years.
Q: Where do you live now?
A: Well, I currently have my stuff stored and my mail being sent to my parents, so I guess that would make me from Tennessee.

I don’t take any shame in the fact that I am currently living with my parents because I know it is very short term. My real issue is saying that I am from Tennessee because I am not. Besides, can you really blame me for not waning to say that I am from Tennessee? I am tempted to just say that I am from Ohio because that is where I am from however I haven’t lived in that state for over 12 years.

One thing I learned while traveling in Southeast Asia is that the show, “The OC” certainly helped put Orange County & Newport Beach, California on the maps for those all over the world. Back when I could call that my “home”, this is often how the conversation went:

X: Where are you from?
Me: The States
X: Where? Which one?
Me: California
X: Oh really? Where?
Me: uh, Orange County/Newport Beach
X: Oh my God! That is so cool! I love the OC! Is it really like that there?
Me: Pretty much yes, which is why I want to move out of there.

It would then often progress to questions like:
X: Do people have lots of plastic surgery there?
Me: You have no idea.

X: What are the people like there?
Me: Materialistic and shallow but there are a few cool people.

X: Have you ever seen a celebrity?
Me: Yes
X: Really? Where? Who was it?
Me: I have been working in the luxury hotel and resort industry, I’ve seen a lot of people. I can tell you who I didn’t see that I would have been willing to lose my job over.

Then most often, I would be asked:
X: Do you watch Laguna Beach?
Me: I have. That is actually where I worked for 5.5 years.
X: Did you ever see any of them?
Me: Yes

X: What about The Hills?
Me: Yeah, I have watched that. That show is so staged it is ridiculous. I hate Heidi and I hate the fact that she has my name.

The other basic question that I have difficulty answering is: "What do you do for a living?"

Not only is this a common question people ask when meeting other travelers but it would always be on the visa and country entry forms. Since I refused to put “unemployed” I would put: “Manager” or “Hotel Manager” or something of the sort that was somewhat related to my previous career. I always wondered what would happen if I lied on those forms since I was going into countries with such history (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) but I wasn’t game for trying to find out. By the end of my time in Southeast Asia, I just put down Volunteer since that was what I did over there aside from traveling. I have since come up with some new occupation titles that I can put down if needed:

Writer – I think my blog writing can vouch for that as well as the two entries I did for Guidespot.

IT Consultant – Not only do I know regular PC stuff but I have become quite proficient with Macs/Apple computers. Since I have started traveling, I have become self-taught and quite the expert on Skype, Facebook, Mobile Me, iPhoto & iMovie. This title also covers my knowledge of BlackBerrys and all things iTunes, iPod/Nano. As I am a true tech geek and love my electronic gadgets. Because of this, friends and family area always asking for help on how to do things on their computer. In fact, my parents treat me as if I am some Apple/Computer guru….they would ask me tons of questions as they were in the market to buy another computer. I am now happy to say that they now have my dream computer, a 24” iMac.

Movie Editor – Because I am now working on putting together all my videos and pictures from my past and recent travel with iMovie, I think it is safe to say that I am an editor. In fact, the guy who was working at the hostel in London saw me working on my most recent project and he started asking questions about it. I gave him a brief overview on what the program can do and how you put something together – upload photos and videos, crop times, crop photo, add any transitions, add titles, captions and or any necessary text, add music. Again, another hobby like writing that could be considered legit.

Volunteer – Well, I did the three weeks of volunteering while in Thailand but that was already two months ago so I don’t think I can get away with using that title. However, I have yet to charge anyone for the above mentioned IT Consulting, so I may be able to just say that I volunteer my services.

World traveler – That is true but it is too gray for me. It also seems like an obvious alternative way to say “unemployed”.

Student – Besides always being a student of life, I will be a student once again for the month I am in Barcelona, so this is the one I will currently use.

Stresses and Annoyances

2008-10-23T01:37:00.000+08:00

In retrospect, a hell of a lot has taken place since I came home from my 2 month trip in SE Asia. Since Sept. 18th, I have managed to:

Sell or give away my furniture
Rid my closet of at least 4 garbage bags of clothing items I do not wear or need
Get rid of many, many things I do not need or will not need in the foreseeable future
Apply to IH Barcelona
Do interview for IH Barcelona
Make travel arrangements to Spain for course in November
Make travel plans before and after course
Have my mother visit for a week
Having to replace my 4 year old G5 computer that crashed and burned.
Visit with friends I haven't seen at home (CA) since coming back from SE Asia and before I move out of CA.
Pack up all my remaining belongings & ship to my parents house in Tennessee (the movers have now delayed the delivery time and date twice)
Try to sell my car
Ship my car to Tennessee since I couldn't sell it.
Plus all the regular moving tasks, mail forwarding, change of address, etc.

I thought I had everything covered until I went to get temporary insurance coverage on my car until I sell it. When asked, "Do you have a Tennessee Drivers License?" I responded with, "Um, you know, I didn't even think about that until you just said something. " Well, I guess overseeing something like that isn't so bad, but do I really need a Tennessee Driver's Licence? I won't be back in the states until mid December and once I do return, I plan and hope not to be here long before heading off to where I get a job placement in Southeast Asia or Europe (I hope). So what would be the point?

With all of this going on, no wonder my skin looks like some teenager who is going through puberty....damn stress. Or maybe that issue is caused by the fact that I am not in the same place, state or country for longer than 3 weeks at a time since July. But when I think about it, arranging a move and life transformation like this in 4 weeks time is pretty good. I think it would cause a nervous break down with some people with or without the help of a spouse or significant other.

Home Sweet Home

2008-10-17T13:34:00.000+08:00

Today was the day that I left my life as I know it in California. It has to be said that with all the traveling I have done in the past several months, a day of travel consisting of a total travel time of 10 hours and 47 minutes because of 2 layovers totaling 4 hours each seemed like a piece of cake and flew by. When I had a three hour layover in Las Vegas, I killed the time on Facebook, Skyping with a friend overseas and reading magazines. The only thing that annoyed me out of the whole day was that I had to pay $2 for a coke on the plane. Are you kidding me? First we stopped getting real silverware to eat our meals with, next we don't even get meals included with domestic flights, now we have to pay for a soda? I don't know if it is all domestic flights in the US doing this now or just U.S. Airways, but it sucks and just wrong. Because of my displeasure with this matter, I watched Happy Tree Friends on my laptop while on the plane just waiting to get in trouble for offending another passenger. (If you have watched a Happy Tree Friends episode, you will know why I said this.) Yes, I know...I am such the rebel.

For the next 10 days I will be staying with my parents in Tennessee until I head of to Spain. When I got to their house last night, I was greeted with homemade cookies and extra attention of their three dogs. My parents have Nina a German Shepherd, Cole the Great Dane & Ruby Sue an Airedale Terrier but I call her the "special needs dog" as she is not too bright, but very lovable nonetheless.

for the course and Europe for a bit of travel but after I come back home here Dec. 16th, I won't know what is in store for me in the near future besides Christmas, New Years & my birthday.

Cold Feet

2008-10-14T14:13:00.000+08:00

Packing is done and I am ready to leave on Thursday...at least to my temporary home with my parents until I set off to Spain. Packing is always stressful, but can be particularly stressful when trying to figure out what you want to keep, what you want to get rid of, what you need in the next few days, what you need in the next few weeks on top of the fact that I have no clue where I will be living in a few months once I am done with my course. Last week it was particularly difficult to pack as it was so warm here in Southern California and couldn't fathom wearing anything but flip-flops as that is basically what I have been wearing since July. Leave it to me and my luck that once the movers picked up my stuff on Friday, we have had a cold front hit therefore making flip-flops not too sensible to wear, but my only other current option is my running shoes. To add on this minor annoyance, the clothes I have packed for myself don't all go with flip-flops, let alone sneakers. So not only do I hope my stuff arrives at my parents house in time to give me proper time to pack for being gone for another international venture, but soon enough so I don't have cold feet since I am almost positive flip-flops aren't the best footwear in Tennessee during the month of October.

But while I am on the subject of shoes, why is it that you always see one shoe on the side of the road or freeway? Granted, you see other articles of clothing such as the occasional hat or shirt but it seems like there is always a random, abandoned shoe alone on the side of the road with no hope of ever being paired up with its mate again. That has always bothered me and can never seem to come up with a sensible solution.

They do say eyes are windows to the soul...

2008-10-11T02:23:00.000+08:00

The following dialogue took place yesterday between myself and the man selling me some moving supplies.

Man: "So, you're heading back to England?"

Me: "What?"

Man: "You're leaving the country?"

Me: "Uh, well, I am moving my stuff to my mom's in Tennessee then heading to Spain for a bit. Then I hope to teach English abroad somewhere in Southeast Asia."

Man: "Yeah, you have that look in your eye that you're leaving the country."

Weird. Do I really give off that aura?

I don't even have an accent except for my Midwest accent that emerges from time to time.

Flying back into time

2008-10-05T01:14:00.000+08:00

Back in the day, my mom used to be a stewardess for Eastern Air Lines. During her recent visit with me, she was reminiscing about policies and procedures they had to endure.

Rules all Stewardesses (now known as Flight Attendants) all had to follow:

They all had to wear girdles which also included garters for their stockings as pantyhose weren't yet readily available.
They had to wear a full slip under their uniform.
They had a visual inspection prior to every flight to ensure they had on the proper attire.
They would have weigh-ins; if they gained weight, they would be put on probation and not allowed to fly until back to the approved weight.
When they applied for the job, they were measured.
Hair had to be no more than collar length.
Had to wear pill box hats & white gloves even while going through the airport but could only be removed during food service.
If you got married while working, you were put on an immediate 6 month probation to make sure being married didn't interfere with work schedules.
If you became pregnant, you were terminated immediately.
Once you were in your 30's, you were retired.
Revlon sponsored seminars on how to apply makeup and gave free samples.
They had to wear nail polish - it had to be a "mauve or rose" color.

Boy how things have changed since 1965.

Interests

2008-10-04T03:58:00.000+08:00

"If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased."

-Katherine Hepburn

Cà phê sữa đá

2008-09-30T23:56:00.000+08:00

When in Vietnam, I bought a metal Vietnamese coffee filter so I can have Cà phê sữa đá here in the states. So last night when I was at 99 Ranch the local Asian supermarket, I got the additional necessary items: Vietnamese coffee and sweetened condensed milk.

I am in heaven since I have been craving this since I left Vietnam.

Life's a Trip

2008-09-29T23:07:00.000+08:00

Would you rather be the driver or the passenger in the road trip of life?

For me? Driver.

Out with the old

2008-09-25T09:41:00.000+08:00

Since I have arrived home, I have had to go straight into preparing to move out of my apartment by October 15th. Keep in mind that my mom will be visiting next week so any packing, sorting and such will be on hold for those days. The one thing I like about moving is it allows you to go through all of your belongings and get rid of any unnecessary items. Because my family does not live near me, I have the following planned:

Move out Oct 15th. - that is when the lease is up. Why mid month? Who knows.
Put all my stuff in storage here in CA
Spend 1 week with my mom and step dad in Tennessee
Head over to EU.
Take CELTA program in Barcelona the month of November
Visit some friends in the EU and/or the UK
Head back to Tennessee for Christmas
New Years???? (NYE is also my birthday so I will need to plan something good)
January - go to where I can get a job teaching English and start working. I would prefer Southeast Asia but will also consider other parts of Asia (i.e. Japan, China, etc) as well as Europe.

With this being said, I am getting rid of a lot of stuff that I don't need, want, haven't used or can't see taking the time, effort and money to put into storage for who knows how long. I am selling all my furniture, in fact I already sold my headboard within one day after listing it on Craigslist.

Along from selling my furniture, I went through all my clothes and have set aside tons of clothes. Some of the items are my old work clothes like suits, some are just tops and pants that I haven't worn in 1-2 years. I took some of these clothes to Dee Lux and Buffalo Exchange to see if I can get any cash for them. Buffalo Exchange took one item and I got a whopping $6.30 for it. It seems like lots of the places around here only take super funky & trendy or high-end designer stuff, neither of which I wear or own. I have often used Buffalo Exchange since the days I attended ASU simply for the fact that you could get things super cheap and then when you got tired of it, you sold it back...hopefully. It also came it as a monetary resource for when people needed emergency beer money - they would just sell their clothes, or sometimes their roommates clothes. Gotta love college years, huh? Anyways, anytime you take your clothes in, they always ask for it to be cleaned, nicely folded and/or on hangers. If one does this, which I did, why do they ball it up and shove it back in the bag? This is what the girl did at Dee Lux and it just annoyed the piss out of me and wanted to say, "I know I am trying to get rid of these clothes and apparently you don't want them either but at least be courteous enough to fold it back like I had it." In case you are wondering, yes, I am one of those people who tries their darnedest to fold items back to their original form while shopping. That is a result from working retail since I hated when people were so careless and messy with the items they decided not to buy.

I am also going through a storage container that had some collectibles I had when I was younger from Precious Moments Figurines to Boyd's Bears to my Cabbage Patch Kids. Yes, I know. Know what is really weird? (aside from the fact that I have kept all this stuff over the years) One of my CPK was part of the World Traveler series they had back in the day. Mine was from Asia. I just found a t-shirt in her bag that had "I went to Holland" on it. Odd....I went to southeast Asia and met a guy from Holland. To make it even more bizarre, in her passport, one of the stamps was to Spain, where I will be heading; the other stamps were for Russia and Scotland. (yes, I kept all the original clothes and paperwork for the dolls too). I also noticed on her passport that I put down her address as 28 Wong Street; SingaPOUR, China. Shows you how good my spelling and geography was back then. I hope to sell the Precious Moments, but it looks like I will put the Cabbage Patch Kids back into hiding.

Bitter Sweet

2008-09-20T09:54:00.001+08:00

Thank you to everyone who has called, e-mailed and sent Facebook messages welcoming me home. Once I am less jet lagged from the 13 hour time difference, I promise to be better about returning messages. My mind is mush right now and I wouldn't be the best at conversation.

My roommates are the greatest - they cleaned my bathroom (including toilet and shower) before I got home. They apologized that it wasn't the best job but they tried. Are you kidding me? It looks like a bathroom at the Four Seasons compared to what I have been using for the past two months. Plus, it is a way better job than what I would have done since I hate cleaning....especially bathrooms. Laurie & Laura, you are simply the best!

Being home is bitter sweet. It is nice to be in a clean bed with a big fluffy down comforter, sleep in a room with no critters, drink the tap water, use the internet any day or night without having to pay by the minute.....the list goes on. I do however miss many things about where I was. Everything was cheap, I didn't get mail, I didn't have phone access (already back in CrackBerry habit), the food was outstanding, I was constantly meeting new and interesting people from all over...once again, the list goes on.

But this won't be for long since my apartment lease is up mid October and I will finally be moving out of "The OC"! If all goes well and as planned, I will be going to Barcelona in November to take the month long CELTA course to become certified to teach English abroad. Once I get that done, I hope to then move to either Europe or to South East Asia - but that will all depend on what jobs are available. I always have 15 years hospitality experience so that is a fantastic back up in case there is a delay in placement.

Why oh Why?

2008-09-18T10:30:00.000+08:00

Why is it while traveling throughout southeast asia, I had come across many restaurants and cafes that would play non-stop episodes of Friends, Family Guy and The Simpsons if not playing movies but I never saw anyone play South Park?

Planes, Trains, Automobiles and then some...

2008-09-18T10:15:00.000+08:00

During my last two months of travel, I have enjoyed a myriad of modes of transportation.

Tuk Tuk
Zip Line - Although it is not a common way to get from one place to another, it is quite convenient and an eco-friendly way to travel.
Roap Swing - Again, it may not be an official mode of transportation but it did get me from the platform 5-15 meters up in the trees and/or platform to the river.
Tube - The only way to travel when in the river in Vang Vieng, Laos
Kayak -Didn't "travel" via kayak but did tour around Halong Bay for a bit by kayak.
Junk Boat - in the beautiful Halong Bay, Vietnam
Water Taxi - One of the fastest and most scenic ways to get around Bangkok.
Songthaew-One of the other popular ways of transport in Thailand besides the tuk tuk and taxi.
Station Wagon
Pick Up Truck
Sleeper Bus - Much of how I traveled through Vietnam.
Regular Charter Bus
Public City Bus - Once in Hanoi and again in Bangkok. Super cheap but can be confusing if you don't have exact directions via a bus map or given to you by a local.
Minivan
Cyclo
Motorbike / Motor scooter - The best way, and sometimes the only way to get around in Vietnam.
Catamaran - The way to get from island to island in the Gulf of Thailand.
Ferry Boat - Another way to get from island to island in Thailand.
Row Boat - The only way to explore the caves in Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
Sky Train - Another great way to get around the chaotic city of Bangkok.
Taxi - Private or public. Mainly used in Thailand, particularly Bangkok.
Bicycle
Airplane - Makes it much easier to get to Asia from the US. Plus when I was getting to the tail end of my trip and time was money, it made it much easier to see more in less time. (i.e. Vientiane, Laos to Siem Reap, Cambodia / Siem Reap Cambodia to Koh Samui, Thailand)
My own two feet

Island Time - Koh Phangan

2008-09-16T15:25:00.000+08:00

I made it to Koh Phangan on the afternoon of Sept. 13th....one day before the infamous Full Moon Party. Maurits was supposed to arrive that afternoon but the diving group ran into a couple of boat and diving issues that set them back so he had to change his boat ticket to arrive the following day. When I arrived to the island, it took me about 40 minutes of walking to figure out that I was dropped off at a different pier. The hotel where our UK friends were staying at was right by the one pier and I thought the map was just not to scale since I had asked a few people if I was going the right way and they said yes. It wasn't until one woman told me that Rin Beach Resort is still about 13 kilometers from where I currently was. Ugh! So I walked back to get a taxi and ended up meeting a girl who got disconnected with the people she was supposed to meet so we ended up sharing a taxi to Had Rin and also ended up sharing a room for that first night since Maurits wasn't going to show up until the next day. Getting a bungalow for 700 Baht the night before Full Moon is a steal since most places in that area were charging 1500-3000Baht/night. The room wasn't that great and had tons of ants in the bathroom but we were right on the ocean and the resort has a fantastic pool. The next day when Maurits arrived, we were able to get a room with A/C, Ocean View, wrap around porch, hot water and a TV which was paradise for 2000 Baht and well worth it.

Night of Full Moon Party we saw the following things:

Men peeing right into the ocean as if it were one big urinal, however we did see one woman who dropped her pants to take care of business. Really, spend the 10-20 Baht to use a proper toilet.
Children. One little girl had to be about 3 years old..running around naked with body paint on. Is that what you really want your child to do in a crowd of 20,000-40,000+ drunken people in a Foreign country like Thailand? One family actually had a child so small they were being pushed around in a stroller on the beach. Come on!
People vomiting into the ocean.
One girl on the street with I think was a bloody nose...we just saw blood around her and her friend asking a local to get medical assistance.
People passed out on chairs and on the beach by 10pm without any friends by their sides to make sure they didn't get robbed or worse.
Couples getting "familiar" with one another on the beach. It was quite humorous watching many people doing the "walk of shame" home early the next morning.

All these sightings were between 10pm - 2am So basically, it is every parents worst nightmare. It is like Spring Break on crack x 100.

Maurits and I were so over the scene within 2 hours we ended up going back to our hotel, taking showers and sitting in the A/C while watching Animal Planet. The music finally stopped about 4am when we finally could fall asleep. I found it rather difficult to drift off to slumber land with the pumping house music outside your hotel room. We felt like such a old couple but we were happy that we didn't have a wild nite since we had 10 hours of travel ahead of us the next day....half of it being on boat.

To be honest, I would suggest only to go to the party the night before. It was not as crowded and it was just a better vibe and more fun, not ugly like it was on the offical party night. I did need to get away from the crowd for a bit that night but getting a foot massage at 1:30am while watching a bunch of crazy drunk people was beyond entertaining....I highly reccommend doing the same.

Island Time - Koh Tao

2008-09-12T12:37:00.000+08:00

At first I was a little hesitant on coming to Koh Tao as I was a bit disappointed in Koh Samui and didn't want to be faced with the island being "Same Same but different". I couldn't be happier that I decided to meet up with Maurits here while he is taking his diving course. The island is significantly smaller and most people are here to go scuba diving, not to hit up every bucket bar and be entertained by some of the "bar girls" like some of the other beach places in Thailand (Phuket, Hua Hin, Koh Samui......). You of course have your bars and restaurants here, some of which do the traditional backpacker thing of showing some current movies (a la copied DVDs) at night while having dinner. Many of the restaurants here are great; so far we have been to Hippos, Chopper's Bar and Grill and the Corner Cafe....all of which we have had great food and all have free Wi-Fi service which is becoming more popular (and more important) as many people are traveling with their laptops so they can keep in touch with friends and family, check the news, work, etc. The Wi-Fi service has been better here than Koh Samui and Siem Reap...a very pleasant surprise. One other thing I like about Koh Tao is that they are very environmentally conscious...mostly out of necessity, but hopefully other islands and beach areas will catch on and do the same.

As for where we are staying, since Maurits is taking his course from Bans, he gets free accommodation at their resort. Rooms are great and like many of the places here, right near the beach (their restaurant is beachfront). Since it was raining most of the day yesterday, I just had a day of pampering and just hanging out. Today is nice so when Maurits gets done with his course (by 2pm) we are going to rent a motorbike and check out other parts of the island. If all goes well, I hope to go kayaking and/or snorkeling tomorrow.

Island Time - Koh Samui

2008-09-10T11:04:00.001+08:00

I am on the last leg of my trip now, the islands of Thailand. During the flight, I had the pleasure of overhearing the two men behind me discuss their sexual escapades while in southeast asia...how old he/she was, etc. It made me sick and I had to bite my tongue from telling them that I hope they got a horrible disease and their penis falls off. (that was the nicest of the many things I wanted to tell them) Maurits and I flew to Koh Samui on Monday, Sept 8th only to be faced with less than perfect beach weather. I really don't mind though as it has been cool and it is nice being someplace where you don't sweat profusely. We initially thought we would stay at The Wave but they were booked but I was able to find a Jr. Suite at Chomdow (Magic Light) for the negotiated price of 600 Baht. This place was great; location in the middle of town, two beds, separate sitting area, proper shower with good pressure and hot water, a real sink, TV with DVD player, A/C, fridge...it was amazing. The first night on the island we treated ourselves to a nice steak dinner at a BBQ restaurant around the corner. We even splurged and got a bottle of Thai red wine, Monsoon Valley, which actually was pretty good. After dinner, we headed over to Bar Ice which we read about in one of the local guides. This bar has a regular lounge area, both inside and out but then you have the Ice Bar which you pay to enter and the whole room is completely made out of ice - and because of this, they give you a parka, a Russian style fur hat, gloves and wool socks to wear...which you actually need. We were the only ones there since it was rather early (9:30pm) so we took advantage of having the room to ourselves and took many stupid photos. We then decided to check out some of the other "hot spots" in town and headed to the Raggae Pub which is located on what I like to call hooker row since the street is lined with, well, hookers at the various small pubs. The place was huge and the band was pretty good. We were quite entertained by some 60-70 year old man dancing by himself on the dance floor for about 30 minutes. By 11pm, the place was filling up and we were getting tired so we decided to head home. We didn't make it too far as we had to stop by one place called Dutchy....because, Maurits is Dutch. We had a few drinks with the owner who moved here from Holland about 4-6 years ago. During this time, a guy came by carrying a Gibbon that you could hold and take photos with. Of course I just wanted to hold him...he was so cute and it made me miss being at the Wildlife center where I volunteered last month. He was only 2 years old and seemed ok but I couldn't help but feel bad for him since he should be out in the wild and not some tourist toy. I must say that I was quite thankful that this time when holding a gibbon, it didn't defecate on me.

The next day, Maurits took a boat over to Ko Tao to do some diving and I decided to stay here to do a little spa time. There are tons of places to get massages here, from the sketchy to the legit and expensive. I wanted to treat myself to a proper "spa day" at a nice hotel spa so I decided to get the Total Detox package at Is Spa. I spent tons more than if I went to one of the other spas in the area but it was way cheaper than my favorite spa, Spa Montage. (the best spa in the world, hands down). During my 3.5 hours of treatments, I got a body scrub, a mud wrap, hot stone massage and a facial all in my own private room with an outdoor shower. Pretty neat little set up.

Once I was done with being a spa whore, I finally got something to eat at The Three Monkeys where I had some fantastic Thai curry. This place is great because not only is the staff nice and the food good but you get free wi-fi service and since Maurits left his laptop with me to use. Good times.

This morning I got up early and went out to get some coffee. I find it amazing that nothing is open at 8am...even coffee shops. Well, I take that back. McDonalds, Subway and Ninja Crepe are open 24 hours but I refuse to go to any restaurant that I could go to at home plus I wanted to find a place where I could get Wi-Fi service. I was even willing to go to Starbucks but they didn't open until 9am so I ended up just getting some breakfast and coffee at Ninja Crepe (don't you just love the name?). I had a pretty good banana and honey crepe and some great coffee...all for 65 Baht.

In about an hour, I will be taking a boat over to Ko Tao to meet up with Maurits. After a day or two, we may be heading over to Ko Pha Ngan to go to the Full Moon Party on Sept. 14th. If we do head over there, we will then be meeting up with 3 out of the 5 UK guys we hung out with in Vang Vieng, Laos. That would be so much fun....there is also a 50% chance that Martin (zee German) may join us, but I am still working on that.

Tomb Raider

2008-09-07T21:31:00.000+08:00

Today we planned on getting in a full day at Angkor Wat but after finally having a decent night's sleep, we finally got up around 9am. After that, we needed to get coffee and check our e-mail at the glorious The Blue Pumpkin. After that, it was really hot, so what did we do next? Shop at the central market of course because I absolutely needed a $27 Tag Heuer watch since I lost my real one. After that, we finally rented our bikes and headed off to the land of temples but of course needed to have lunch with our friends Spider Boy, Playboy, Crazy Girl and the gang since it was already 1pm. You would think that we were celebrities by the greeting we got from everyone and they all knew who's stall we were going to eat at.....Spider Boy's. While we were having lunch, I told one of the girls what the bracelets she sold me were going for outside (I paid more)...she gave me a "gift" of extra bracelets to make up for the difference. Then the one girl who was really upset and bitter that we didn't buy anything from yesterday tried to sell to us today. While she was showing me some beautiful silk scarves, I told her that if she smiled more, she would sell more. When I asked her the price of the scarf, she told me $5. I offered to give her $6 for two. She then dropped down to $8. I stood firm at $6. She even went to $7 in which I raised my price to $6.10 - or $6 USD and 100 Riel. She thought that was too funny and crazy of an offer she took it but ended up taking the 100 Riel note and folding it into a heart as a gift for me. She then made me an envelope folded out of paper with "To my friend From Ngam" written on it. All the kids were either drawing or making origami gifts for us. As you can imagine, we spent at least an hour there before we decided that we needed to get going since they close at 6pm.

Today, we went to the "Tomb Raider" Wat and a few others but really didn't see as much as we had hoped but that is ok. The experiences we have had there have been fantastic and memorable...plus I know I will be back. The bike ride around was fantastic as we really got to see tons of things we wouldn't have seen otherwise i.e. little snakes falling out of the trees in front of us, weird shapes and forms in some of the tree trunks, etc. I would suggest renting a bike and touring the temples of Angkor that way if time permits. I would also suggest getting a week pass, that way you can take your time each day instead of trying to compact it all in 1, 2 or 3 days....it is just too much. One also must go see the sunrise over Angkor, but when you do that, hiring a tuk tuk driver for the day is your best choice since it is so dark, one needs a torch to walk around when you get there, plus since it is rainy season, you need the light to make sure you don't step in any huge puddles or slippery mud.

Once we got home and showered we headed over to Pub Street to eat at one of the many food stalls. Once we sat down we were approached by two kids selling books. After a little negotiation, Maurits bought a book from one kid. The other little boy had to be about 5 and he kept pointing to his mouth instead of trying to buy books. We bought him some fried rice for dinner and he sat down with us. The other little boy ordered himself dinner and he joined us as well. The little kid ate like he hasn't eaten for days....you should have seen how much he perked up and smiled once he was done eating (he could only eat 2/3 of his plate and they aren't that big). In total, we each had dinner, had a beer each and bought dinner for a kid all for a whopping $5 total. Seeing the expression on the kids face was worth ten times that.

Wat a great day

2008-09-06T19:46:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I met up with Maurits in Siem Reap, Cambodia and I have been blown away (no pun intended) by how much I love this city. It is the most modern and "evolved" city I have been in since Bangkok. It has an overabundance of modern restaurants, cute night market, gorgeous hotels, loads of bookstores, the people here are so nice and everything is so cheap....all the things that appeal to me.

Today Maurits and I got up at 4am so we would be at Angkor Wat in time for sunrise. It was truly magnificent. While watching the sun rise from behind, a man offered to get us coffee from his nearby food stall. YES PLEASE!! Let me just say now that this was a gift from Buddha himself since I had gotten up at 4am the last two days and due to the crappy foam mattresses we had in our guesthouse, I didn't sleep well at all. The man promptly brought us two chairs to sit down in while we waited for our coffee. While enjoying the coffee, we were then approached by several kids trying to sell postcards, books, bracelets, magnets, t-shirts, you name it. Maurits needed to buy a book on Angkor Wat so he ended up getting one from this boy named Doi who had the nickname of Spider Boy. I was shocked at how well he spoke English and when I asked him how long he has been learning English, he said only 2 months. I don't know how an 11 year old boy can pick up perfect English in 2 months just by what he learns in school and from tourists is beyond me. Even if he was fibbing, it was better than most native people I have come across in the four countries I have visited. We asked our new group of friends if we could order breakfast and was immediately presented a menu. While we waited for our cheese & baguette and omelet & baguette breakfasts, we of course ended up buying a few more items. I didn't even bother bartering with them on prices since I was so enamored by their jovial spirit. We finally decided to head off to start seeing what we came to see, the wats.

Words cannot describe the wats and structures around Angkor. We only walked around for 4-5 hours and still only saw Angkor Wat, Bayon, Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Lepor King...and that is just the beginning of what there is to see. We will be going back tomorrow as we got a 3 day pass and plan on getting a fuller day since we will not be going there for sunrise and since we changed guesthouses so we can both sleep on beds with proper mattresses.

But of course in the midst of our sightseeing, we needed to rehydrate so we headed back to food & souvenir stalls by the Angkor Wat pond where our kids were anxiously awaiting for our return as we promised to come back and buy water from them. We ended up spending over an hour hanging out with the kids. In fact, I had Spider Boy write some messages in Khmer on the post cards I was filling out. One of the girls a.k.a. "Crazy Girl" (Lan -14 yrs) drew pictures on some of them for me too. (this will explain some of the post cards some of you may get). One of the other boys told us his name was "Playboy" which was quite amusing. We or I, ended up having about 6-8 kids hanging around us and of course they were interested in selling some things but they had fun writing out messages for me. In fact, Crazy Girl and Spider Boy each drew pictures on their own postcards and gave them to me as a gift. On Crazy Girl's postcard, she wrote "I LOVE YOU" on it. How sweet is that? I completely fell in love with these kids and I could have stayed all day with them. Crazy Girl told us that she was going to bring us some cake that she and her mom made the night before, so we promised to visit tomorrow between 10 & 11am.

With all of this being said, I can completely understand why Angelina Jolie adopted her first son from Cambodia. I just adore all the kids here, I wish I could take them home with me. When they ask me where I am from and I say "America" they start rattling off facts about America:

"Washington D.C. is your capital", "You have 50 states",etc....Sometimes I wonder if the kids back at home knew as much as these little ones did. I have now decided to research Siam Reap as a location to teach English at once I become certified.

Super Heidi

2008-09-06T19:23:00.000+08:00

Super Heidi is a nickname I got from the "Super Sexy, Handsome and Hairy" German Martin. (the name in quotes is what he has given to himself after many of the girls in southeast asia commenting to him that he is so handsome while touching his hairy arm...I remind him that men in asia don't look like hairy beasts, such as himself. ;-)

Anyways, the reason he gave me this nickname was because he said that everywhere I went, people got drunk and there was a lively spirit in the air.

Example #1 - In Hanoi, our little group was always able to keep the party going by keeping the social schedule of:

Meet at Hanoi Backpacker's Hostel at 5pm for Happy Hour
At 6pm, we would then head to Bia Hoi corner for drinks and dinner of street food.
By 10:30/11pm, we would then venture to Hair of the Dog which would stay open as long as there are people there.
Important fact to remember, EVERYTHING closes at 11pm.

Example #2 - Vang Vieng: By once again gathering a fun and social group (the 5 guys from the U.K.) this city in Laos was beyond fun and forever memorable.

Example #3 - I beat Martin in many skill related activites during a day of tubing.

Example #4 - My last night in Luang Prabang, Laos, I ran into James (England) at the night market who I met via Martin in Vang Vieng. Within 2 hours, we had run into 4 other people James had met in Vang Vieng. We all ended up going out and just when we were ready to call it the night at 10:30pm because once again we were in a city where everything closes by 11pm, we run into Martin. After we finished introductions and caught up with eachother, we decided to go bowling. We knew bowling was still a social option since the tuk tuk drivers passed us every 5 minutes on the street offering us to take us there. By this time there was just James (England) Martin and one of Jame's friends from Canada. We were just about to get in a tuk tuk when 2 couples asked if they could join us since the wine bar they were at just closed and made them leave. We ended up bowling until 3am and it was quite fun. Martin won the bowling match, which he needed since his ego at game skills were bruised from me in the previous days. ha ha

Example #5- While playing Guess the Sketch (I in Vientiane, Laos and Martin in Luang Prabang, Laos) I managed to trump his high score and we dominated a few games. It was quite fun playing in the same room as we tormented some of the poor souls also playing against us. When I would get a good score and someone would ask how I knew the answer, Martin would just reply, "She is SuperHeidi".

For those of you who know me personally, you can see how this theroy may hold true. Sometimes it is a blessing, sometimes it is a curse. I just need to learn to embrace this gift and go with the flow.

Obsessions and addictions

2008-09-04T20:00:00.001+08:00

I have realized that while on this trip, I have a few obsessions and addictions that can't be ignored.

Tiger Balm - This stuff helps with muscle soreness & bug bites. It also cures a throbbing headache (just rub a little on your temples) Any ailment that was presented, Tiger Balm was always used as a first solution. I wouldn't be surprised if this stuff could cure cancer.

Prickly Heat Powder - I first tried this stuff when I came to Thailand three years ago and I became instantly hooked. This stuff is amazing for when you are suffering, I mean dealing with heat and humidity. Since deodorant and antiperspirants don't seem to work out here, this is your best bet for at least feeling fresh. This also helps against heat rash.

The internet & internet cafes - it was a problem before, and it still is. What can I say, I like keeping in touch with friends and family. It also gives me a chance to keep up to date on what is going on in the world since I am never around a tv with BBC World or CNN.

Happy Tree Friends - I have a sick & twisted sense of humor AND I like cartoons - this is the best of both worlds.

Guess the Sketch Challenge - a game on Facebook that you can easily waste hours if time permits.

OOPS! I forgot one...

FISHERMAN PANTS - These are cheap pants that can be bought thoughout Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam... What can be better than pants as comfortable as pajamas that are made for daily wear?

Money Trouble

2008-09-04T14:43:00.000+08:00

When I arrived in Vientiane, the cost to take a taxi to the backpacker area is 60,000 kip, I only had 57,000 kip. Luckily the airport taxi booth took Thai Baht, but I only had 140 THB instead of the necessary 330 THB. When I asked if they took Vietnamese Dong, they smiled and gave me a little smile but told me no. (many places in Laos, even restaurants, take Dong). I finally asked how much it was in USD, and it was $6 and luckily I still had $13 USD on me so I was good to go.
The next day, I had a similar situation when at the post office. I wanted to ship back one bag that was filled mostly with souviners and some things I no longer needed. To ship an 8 kg package back to the US via air, it would cost 1,508,000 kip ....roughly $175 USD. I needed to do this since I had absolutely no more space in my bag and I was sick of lugging an extra 18 lbs around on my back - plus on some airlines, you had weight limits for the bags and when I flew AirAsia into Bangkok from Hanoi, I had to pay extra. Anyways, I didn't have enough cash on me and they didn't accept credit card or traveler's cheques. They told me there was an ATM in the shopping center across the street, so as they held on to my package, I went to get more cash. I withdrew 700,000 kip (the maximum allowed) and went back to the post office only to find out that I was still 100,000 short. I then told them I needed to cash a travelers checque and needed to go to the bank. The nearest bank was right across the street but left from the entrance and I took a right, so I ended up walking around a whole block before discovering it. When I returned once again to the Post Office, it was 12:10pm and they were "closed" for lunch until 1:00pm but luckily one kind clerk helped me by letting me pay and her giving me my receipt.

Now let's see if my package gets there in 2 weeks. I wouldn't have had this issue if I sent everything by boat which was only 58,000 kip but I wouldn't get the package for 2-4 months.

Professional BS?

2008-09-04T14:28:00.000+08:00

During my first night in Vientiane as I was walking around looking for a restaurant a friend suggested, I was approached by a man. At first he said hello and then asked if he could walk with me. "Sure" I told him "but I am just looking for an Indian restaurant my friend suggested for dinner." I forget what his name was but he was from South Africa and was a professional Football Player for Laos. Interesting...didn't know they had football here. So to amuse myself, I started with questions, "How long have you been here?" (8 months) "Do you like Laos?" (no), etc. He then retorted with some questions of his own: "Are you married or do you have a boyfriend?" (apparently I have a boyfriend of 9 months) He then asked me where we were going clubing that night. I told him "Nowhere. I didn't go to bed until 6am and I am tired. Plus my (imaginary) friend was due to arrive at 9pm and I was going to meet him at the hotel then." I stopped at a stand that was selling DVDs to check out their selection, which was crap, but my new football friend found one he liked. After he bought it he told me it was a movie about a girl who has sex with her roommates. WTF??? He then asked where I was staying, I laughed and told him that I was not going to tell him that. When he asked why, I said "because I don't know you" when I really wanted to say "why do you need to know where I am staying you weirdo? I am not interested, get a clue". Finally I gave up on trying to find the restaurant my friend told me about and I settled on the Nazim Indian restaurant. I said good by to the football freak and had quite a nice chicken curry dinner.

Hotel Horrors

2008-09-04T13:58:00.000+08:00

I arrived in Vientiane, Lao's capital, on Tuesday, September 2nd. I had asked a few friends & fellow travelers if they suggested any particular guesthouse or hostel in town and all replied with that theirs was not great, so no. In fact, Maurits (the Dutch guy) had checked into the Sabaidy Guesthouse only to find out that it offered "extra services"....he quickly checked out, or so he says. ;-) I decided to first stop at the Mixok Guesthouse since it was on a main road and central to other potential guesthouses in case it wasn't up to par. When I first walked in, it wasn't anything grand but what can you expect when a single room is 35,000 kip/night ($4 USD). I asked to see the room (which you always should do in these parts) and after walking up a staircase that was more like a ladder, I saw what had to be the worst room I have ever seen in my life. It looked like some of the prison cells I saw pictures of from the Killing Fields in Cambodia - in fact, when I told one of my friends that, he agreed that was a good analogy. After checking out 7 different places, I ended up checking into the Douang Deuane Hotel that cost $15USD/night. This is at least 3x what I have been spending the last few places, but when comparing it to some of the "decent guesthouses" it was only $2 more and I got A/C, telephone (not that I would use it), minibar, cable TV, my own private bathroom and I didn't fear getting anything from sleeping on the bed. Not only are the amenities good, the staff there is outstanding and I would suggest this as the only location to stay at in town. As for the others like RD Guesthouse, Mixay Guesthouse, Syri 1 Guesthouse or many of the others listed in the LP Shoestring guide, I would just bypass as they aren't worth your time and money.

Lazy in Luang Prabang

2008-09-01T12:42:00.000+08:00

I was able to find a place to stay that was way better than the previous guest house I stayed in. I moved over to Namsok Guesthouse (3) and negotiated a 60,000kip/night rate with them since it was just me. The ladies working there are so sweet and I couldn't believe it when I actually smelled cleaning solution when checking out the room. This was a first since arriving to southeast Asia. This is really good since it seems like there are so many guest houses here and either they are complete crap (which is the majority) or very expensive. For anyone planning on coming to Luang Prabang, I would suggest making arrangements in advance or talk with others who have recently stayed there. I never remember being in a town with so many guest house options...it could take days before finding the one perfect for you (location, price, amenities, etc).

Since arriving in Luang Prabang, I have no desire to do anything. I finally managed to rent a bike yesterday to explore the town but after 1 hour, there was nothing else to see...well, I could have gone exploring further but without a proper map, and the lack of street signs, I wanted to make sure I made it home without any problems. I then indulged in a 2.5 hour / $15USD spa treatments at Khmu Massage which consisted of: 60 minute massage, 30 minute herbal steam massage then a 60 minute foot massage...pure bliss. Don't get me wrong, there is actually much to do in this city like trekking, exploring the wats, doing a river boat tour but i am just kind of burned out on touristy stuff. after seeing several wats, they all look the same and plus i am going to see the mother of all wats within a week, Angkor Wat. As for the trekking, I don't need to see a waterfall, I don't want to ride an elephant-I have already done in the past and I don't want to support such tourist activities. As for the boat rides & tours, I have spent enough time in the water via boats and tubes in Bangkok and Vang Vieng that I really have no desire.

I have gone to the night market each night I have been here and it is great, however, I am a sucker for the little kids who are selling things on their own or with their mother as they look at me and smile while saying "Sabaai-dii" (hello). you can't help but stop and look at some of the things they are selling. Last night while I was looking at some stuff at one stall, there was a huge cockroach type bug flying around almost hitting me a few times. The girl (12 years old???) saw that it was distracting me from my looking so she walked over and caught the bug in her hands then threw it in her purse. Talk about customer service! After spending my money for the day, I thought I would go to a bar to write a few postcards before I turned in for the night. I ended up meeting this really nice couple from St. Paul, Minnesota who were on their honeymoon. We shared travel stories & suggestions, talked about careers and the common discussion between American travelers: how their friends and family thought they were crazy going traveling through southeast Asia. (this subject will need to be a whole other blog post)

You are probably wondering what the hell I have been doing with my days, especially when I am up and out by 7 or 8am. Today, I have been doing some research on hotels for the next few stops and also doing more research into the CELTA course I want to take...primarily when and where I want to take it. Right now I am looking into taking the course in Berlin in November but we will see. Until then, I have to figure out other basics, where to store my things, getting rid of some things, etc.

Tonight is my last night in Luang Prabang before I head to Vientiane tomorrow for a day or two.

Time to think

2008-08-31T09:33:00.000+08:00

When I left Vang Vieng, Martin (the German) and Maurits (the Dutch) stayed behind so it is back to solo travel which is something I have needed for a few days. When traveling with people, you don't get much time to yourself, especially when you are trying to figure out what you want to do with your living situation and career when one returns home. I had pletnty of time to think during the "5 hour" drive up to Luang Prabang while enjoying the absolutley beautiful scenery and stomach turning winding roads. When I finally got up here 7 hours later, I decided that I will fly to my next destination since there are no trains and I don't think I can handle 10+ hours of windy roads PLUS I have less than 3 weeks and I don't want to lose days by traveling.
Luang Prabang is a nice little village with several wats. I plan on renting a bicycle to explore any of the city that I didn't see on foot yesterday. I also plan on getting a massage because it has been almost a week since my last one. This will all be done after I check out of my current hotel and find another one. Yesterday, I checked into the Phousi Guest House 3 - the other two had been mentioned in Lonley Planet and this one was apparently new. I checked out some of the rooms they had available in each and decided to go with the room that is 80,000 kip ($10 USD) because it had a private bathroom. Big mistake. Last night at about 9pm, I could hear everything in the house behind me which ranged from people singing "Happy Birthday" to someone with a severe sinus problem who was constantly hocking up loogies to what sounded like a bunch of guys playing poker. I didn't have any earplugs so I did the next best thing, iPod. I have already found a room just as nice in a better part of town for only 60,000kip, it just sucks trying to find a place you like when you are carrying a 2 backpacks and have just finished a long, hot drive.

I have been here how many days?

2008-08-29T21:12:00.000+08:00

Vang Vieng is quite an odd town, I didn't know how long I was going to stay but I didn't think I would spend a week here. Everything is at such a slower pace, everyone is so nice and it is really beautiful. Today the Dutch, the German and I went tubing the five UK guys left today so the party vibe at the stops certainly died down with them not there. We had a mellow day and it was great. We stopped at a few new bars that we passed before and found two that we really liked. One had bocce ball, a pool table and an area where you can test your slingshot skills by hitting cans with pebbles. I beat the Lao girl who lives/works there at Bocce Ball 10-1, then I beat the German 5-4. I also beat the German at the slingshot by hitting one can....he tried many times and failed miserably. This was one stop that we never saw people at before but the family and all those who worked there were so nice and kind, I would suggest making this a must. (it is 2 past the waterslide bar). The last bar with the rope swing is really beautiful...you can walk around and see the rocks that go along the Nam Song river up close.
Tomorrow I leave for Luang Prabang so it is my last night with the guys before I set off for a little solo travel.

Second Chance

2008-08-28T10:00:00.000+08:00

Just as I decided to join two of the UK guys in renting motorbikes, it started to rain...hard! I think that was a sign that is something I should not be doing and so I figured that since I was already drenched from the rain, I might as well go tubing again. A few of us took off around 2/2:30pm and we had a very enjoyable day on the river. I avoided the rope swings and the volleyball mud pit at the "mud bar" (4th stop) since I figured those were the two main things that brought me such pain. It is a really beautiful trip down the river so if you are ever in Laos, you should certainly at least kayak down the river here in Vang Vieng.
Martin (the German from Hanoi) finally arrived yesterday. I think Maurits and I convinced him to go tubing today.

Laying low in Laos

2008-08-27T13:47:00.000+08:00

Vang Vieng is truly the most chill location I have visited so far on my trip. This has to be one of my favorite places I have been to so far for a variety of reasons despite the fact that I was out of commission all day yesterday.
1st - It is beautiful here
2nd-It is cheap as hell in Laos
3rd - People are friendly here
4th - All cafes play Friends, Simpsons or Family Guy on the TV (ok, so 90% play Friends...we hang out at what we now call the Simpson Cafe)
5th - Lots of backpackers, therefore, the city has built the necessary things to accomodate these travelers - internet cafes, travel shops, etc.
6th - The tubing experience here is something that needs to be done if passing through.

Tubing in Vang Vieng....how do I describe it without freaking out certain friends and family? You tube down the river on a big inflatable intertube. Along the river are several "stops" which are actually bars that also have rope swings...quite the combo...especially when they give out shots of Thai whiskey to every tuber for FREE. No worries as there were no significant injuries...I just got a little scrape on my knee from getting in and out of the water. Some of the guys I am hanging out with didn't fare to well.....most have some major scrapes, bumps, bruises, and one is even on crutches now. The only major negative side affect I incurred was that I got some kind of stomach illness that kept me in bed for most of the day - I think that was caused from possibly getting some of the lovely river water in my mouth. Plus I could barely move since I was sore (didn't really factor in the possibility that jumping into water at a decent speed and height would cause any pain). But never fear, due to the lovely cheap massages, I am better than ever today, no longer walk around like an old lady and have been able to eat most of my breakfast. I think tomorrow I will just explore the town by bicycle.

Happy Days

2008-08-25T10:43:00.000+08:00

Where do I even start? During my last day in Bangkok, Maurits, Michelle, Simone and I took a city bus to the weekend market. We ended up breaking up and planning on meeting back at the hotel later. I found a few good deals on some pants and a skirt but other than that, I wasn't in the mood to shop since it was so hot and it had been 3 days since I had washed my hair. After about 2 hours at the market, Maurits and I headed back to Khao San and I went to WWW.RED salon to get a trim and some highlights. They didn't do that great of a job with the highlights but the cut was good and it looked WAY better than it had for the past several weeks. In fact, when at the salon, it was the first time my hair has seen a hairdryer in over a month.
That night Maurits and I took a sleeper train to the Thailand-Laos boarder. On the train we met five guys from England who were in the next train car. We played a couple hands of poker with them but then were told that it was getting late and we all needed to go to bed. The next morning, we all decided to share a taxi/shuttle to Vang Vieng for only 300 Baht each ($9USD). Getting our visas and crossing the boarder was such drama and a pain because we each needed to pay and some of us had money, but for the wrong country, the ATM wasn't working and the two money exchange counters wouldn't cash any of our travelers cheques. It ended up all working out. Once we loaded up in the taxi, we actually picked up another guy from Switzerland who needed a ride and decided to head the same place we were heading. The 3+ hour drive itself was quite interesting because of the numerous beer stops on the way, resulted in necessary bathroom stops. This is when being a guy would be good. We ended up just doing the bathroom breaks at the places where we would buy the beer. The bathroom was basically the bathroom in the person's house (the shop was at the front of their home) and the toilet was the beloved squat toilet. The bathroom itself seemed to double as a place to dry out certain foods, underwear, house large wasps and geckos. I am getting better with my aim but I am certainly no pro.
We finally got to Vang Vieng and checked into the Villa Malany guest house ($10USD/night) that Ben (one of the English guys) stayed in when he was here last month. We all just threw our bags down and headed straight for a restaurant for some food, pool and of course, more Beer Lao.
If you notice, there was no mention of showers or getting a change of clothes during the recap...that is because no such thing existed. One of the guys and I were discussing how smelly and dirty we get while traveling and it is ok but you couldn't catch us dead like this when at home but when in Rome....I must say that before I went to bed at the crazy hour of 8:30am, I had one of the best showers in weeks since I actually had HOT water! Quite a rarity out here.
Today, we are all meeting up at noon to go tubing down the river then heading out for a night of pizza. It is going to be a good day.

Bumming around Bangkok

2008-08-23T09:55:00.000+08:00

Finally! Back on travel mode. The last few days at the WFFT centre were good but I was ready to leave. There was 8 of us that all left the same time to head up to Bangkok. We had made arrangements to stay at the New Joe's Guesthouse just off Khao San Road...not too bad of a place for ony $5/person/night. My friend Maurits (the Dutch guy) I met in Hanoi met up with us and we all ended up doing the tourist things in the city: Wat Pho, River Taxi, going to the shops in the Siam Square area, Skytrain, Ping Pong show, food from street vendors, buckets, etc. Actually while we were out on Khao San Road, we ran into more peope who we volunteered with that had left within the last week that were also spending time in Bangkok.
The night before turned out to be a bit too fun. After saying goodbye to Jenny before she left to go home to England, Casey (US), Laura (England), Marnie (US) and Michelle (Australia) all left to catch their bus to Ko Chang.....they ended up missing it. I on the other hand started to feel sick and was wondering why buckets of Thai whiskey with Red Bull and Coke sounded like a good idea after drinking beers. But leave it to some spa time at Pairin Spa to cure me of any and all ailments. After I got a massage, scrub, herbal steam & bubble bath; I felt better than I had in weeks. All of us ended up just doing our own thing during the day and decided to meet up at the hotel at 2pm so we could head to Siam Paragon and see the new Batman movie in the IMAX theatre. Since we got there early, we all had time to split up and shop and do and see the things we wanted to. After getting some nachos at one of the restaurants in the massive food court in the Paragon, Maurits and I headed to the Siam Ocean World where Michelle (England) headed to as well. This was the most amazing aquarium I have been to. I was so tired that I kept dozing off towards the end of the movie. After the movie we all headed home becuase we were all tired from going out the night before and having little sleep since we all got up so early.
So this morning I said goodbye to the four again as they departed for their second time and Maurits, Simone (Switzerland), Michelle (England) and I will be heading to the Weekend Market in a bit. Tonight Maurits and I are taking an overnight train to Laos and should be meeting up with Martin (Germany) and "Frenchie" - two of the guys we met and hung out with in Hanoi.

Kiss Kiss

2008-08-18T14:16:00.000+08:00

Sunday was a rather busy day for me. I wasn't assigned to any animal duties but I was scheduled to do tree planting and painting. Tree planting just wasn't the same without my guys who are currently in KohTao on a diving trip.
While I had some free time, I went to pick up some laundry and drop some off. I asked if I could pet the baby gibbon that is kept there. Jan (the laundry lady) then picked up the little one and let me hold him. I could have sat there all day holding him. Of course as I would have expected, he pooped and peed on me but since he is about 4-5 pounds, it wasn't that much. I mean really, how many people can say they held a 2 1/2 month old gibbon that also pooped and peed on them.
During the midday, a select few were picked to paint the wall inside Ga Ga & Galimier's enclosure. (Ga Ga & Galimier are two of the small bears). As I predicted, Tom went after me with a roll brush and he painted my arm; I then got him back by tagging the front of his shirt. Within 10 minutes, we both were covered in green paint. The Japanese tourists that had walked by after we resumed to our original painting job seemed more interested in us than the animals they came to see at the center.
That night, a group of us went to Hua Hin for dinner and to attend a ladyboy show. First, we went to Great American Rib Company for dinner and boy was that good. As much as I love Thai food, having it every day gets old so it was great to have some good western food. I had the Texas Smoked Prime Rib Beef Bones - I seriously think those were some of the best (and biggest) ribs I have ever had. I just got a 1/2 rack and that was more than enough. At 10pm we headed to the Blue Angel Caberet to see a ladyboy show. This was one of the funniest things I have ever experienced. The seven of us sat in the front row and all the entertainers just loved Eddie (Liverpool). Almost every song, one of the ladyboys was making eyes at him or coming up to him to flirt. In between one of the acts, he had said "I am so confused right now" By the end of the night, he had been kissed on the lips by two of the ladyboys and practically molested by the others. He was quite the good sport about it all and we have the photos to prove it.

Too much sun?

2008-08-16T14:39:00.000+08:00

The last few days have been some of the toughest I have had since arriving at WFFT. But before I go into that detail, I just want to describe my day off. Jenny, Tom, Sam and I went to the nearby resort and spent the day there relaxing and playing by the pool. It was great. They will pick up the volunteers for free as long as we buy lunch and/or get a spa treatment while spending time there. I had initially planned on getting a spa treatment but we were having such a great time playing in the pool that we didn't want to bother (or spend the extra money).
Friday, Pat, Anej and I did some more hole digging for the trees that we will eventually plant. Within a 2 hour time, we dug over 120 holes and filled about 82 of them with elephant dung (fertalizer). It is amazing how fast I can dig holes when you give me two Red Bulls and I have my Nano to listen to.
Later that afternoon, we volunteered to go with the elephant people to go sugarcane picking. (That is what the elephants eat). That was pretty fun and tiring and now know why they suggest long sleves for this work- the sugarcane plant can scratch up your arm when clearing & carrying. Once we were done, we stopped on the bridge by "the river" that many of the volunteers have gone to for swimming. I decided to celebrate the day by finally jumping off the bridge into the water. Of course I landed on my ass so I will not be surprised if I bruise. Next, we took a quick shower, then Pat and I quickly went on a beer run for ourselves and a few other people to only get back in time to play the second half of football (soccer) that some of the volunteers were playing. God I was tired by the end of the day.
You would think with such a long, tiring day like I had on Friday, I would want to have a milder day today but no, that would be too easy. I heard that the elephant people were going pineapple picking and I asked to go. Of course I had to get my boys (Pat & Anej) to come to as this will be the only time I could do this with them since they are leaving for Khao Tao for 4 days and then I leave the day after I get back. Pineapple picking has to be the worst thing I ever have experienced, we basically have to pull pineapple plants out of the ground then load them on the truck. The plants are covered with ants and it is insanely hot. I knew all of this before I went and knew it was the one job everyone hated but it is something I wanted to do before I left just so I can say I did it. Again, this is another job where it would be wise to wear a long sleve shirt but I don't have one so I now look like a cutter...sexy. Even though I would rather swim naked in the one of the bear pools with the bear in the enclosure before I go pineapple picking again, it was worth it becuase I got to feed the elephants. This is usually a task that can only be done by people who signed up (and paid more) to work with the elephants. Seriously, how many times do you get to pet an elephant and feed it. You could tell they were so happy because how fast they were flapping their ears. When we got to the two elephants that are owned by the mahout, they started honking their horns and making sounds because they were so excited ...their excitement for the food truck was like how we act when the ice cream man arrives.
Because of my hardwork the last several days, I have earned the following nicknames.

Wonder Woman (when I broke a hoe from my enthusiastic digging) - Given to me by Pat & Anej
MacGyver (when I fixed the hoe) - Given to me by Pat & Anej
Super Girl from my work in the sugar cane field - given to me by the mahout, Ak
RamboGirl from my work today in the Pineapple field - Given to me by the mahout, Ak