Day 35 Sun 9/30
We woke up ready for the Full Moon Party, which is one of the biggest backpacker attractions in Asia. It takes place at the end of each month, when there is a full moon, in a little beach in the south of Koh Phangan Island (Thailand). We wore clothes to throw away and bought Full Moon shirts when we got to Haad Rin. The partying didn't start quite as early as we thought, so we watched The Change Up in a restaurant for the early afternoon. Afterwards, the Australians invited us to come to the Best Western bar, where their favorite bar tender, Ducky, made us buckets of strawberry daiquiris and piña coladas, which were delicious. Ducky was hilarious. We finished our buckets and walked on the beach back down to Haad Rin, where there were more people starting to show up. We walked along the beach taking in the ridiculous amounts of people crowded into the small beach and all the carnival like activities being set up, like the people baton twirling fire. As we were walking, Maggie's friends from Korea, Danica and Nick, ran up. They were here with some of their other friends from school/ work from Canada, and we ended up hanging out wight them for the rest of the night. By the end of the night, there were supposedly around 20,000 people at the party, but the locals were well prepared for it. They do it every month. There were lasers reflecting off the rocks on the opposite side of the beach, bucket stands set up all over the place, water slides (Maggie went down it), painting people everywhere, loud music, and lots of food stands. It was surprising how many kids were there late with blaring music. It was great to experience the Full Moon Party.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Thailand-day 34
Day 34 Sat 9/29
Our first full day in Koh phanang. We relaxed all day on the beach and by the pool reading and listening to our iPods. The place we are staying has a pool, lounge chairs, and a restaurant, so we are set with all we need. Hannah and Russ came to the beach by our resort for dinner and Gus ate with us and we all sat around the table for a while swapping stories about how the different countries do things differently. Around 10:30, Maggie went to the jungle party with Gus and his friends and I called it a night.
Our first full day in Koh phanang. We relaxed all day on the beach and by the pool reading and listening to our iPods. The place we are staying has a pool, lounge chairs, and a restaurant, so we are set with all we need. Hannah and Russ came to the beach by our resort for dinner and Gus ate with us and we all sat around the table for a while swapping stories about how the different countries do things differently. Around 10:30, Maggie went to the jungle party with Gus and his friends and I called it a night.
Thailand- day 33
Day 33 Fri 9/28
We traveled for the entire day. Hannah and Russ were on our train and we went together for the many hours on the bus and boat. When we finally made it to the overly crowded island of Koh Phangan, without reservation, we were greeted by a lady named Penn, who found us an accommodation at the Phangan Great Bay Resort. We get into our room and within two minutes, an Australian named Angus is rushing us out to get a taxi to Haad Rin to go to Mushroom Mountain. There are tons of Australians and Israelites traveling and we spent the rest of the night hanging out with the crowd of people on Haad Rin beach.
We traveled for the entire day. Hannah and Russ were on our train and we went together for the many hours on the bus and boat. When we finally made it to the overly crowded island of Koh Phangan, without reservation, we were greeted by a lady named Penn, who found us an accommodation at the Phangan Great Bay Resort. We get into our room and within two minutes, an Australian named Angus is rushing us out to get a taxi to Haad Rin to go to Mushroom Mountain. There are tons of Australians and Israelites traveling and we spent the rest of the night hanging out with the crowd of people on Haad Rin beach.
Thailand-day 32
Day 32 Thurs 9/27
We arrived late to Bangkok, as usual, because the trains have no sense of time. We hung around Bangkok for the day and went back through Chinatown. In Chinatown we were able to go into a school a get a glimpse of school life in Thailand, which was neat to see, but would have never been legal in the states. There was a cute hostel next to the train station that offered wifi and served delicious food. When we got back to the train station, we ran into Hannah and Russ from our three day trek, and were on the same train as them down to Surat Thani. The sleeper train was set up a little differently and Maggie and I were surprised when we got on. The beds were not in individual rooms, but instead they had fold out chairs. I think we might just enjoy the other sleeper trains better.
We arrived late to Bangkok, as usual, because the trains have no sense of time. We hung around Bangkok for the day and went back through Chinatown. In Chinatown we were able to go into a school a get a glimpse of school life in Thailand, which was neat to see, but would have never been legal in the states. There was a cute hostel next to the train station that offered wifi and served delicious food. When we got back to the train station, we ran into Hannah and Russ from our three day trek, and were on the same train as them down to Surat Thani. The sleeper train was set up a little differently and Maggie and I were surprised when we got on. The beds were not in individual rooms, but instead they had fold out chairs. I think we might just enjoy the other sleeper trains better.
Thailand-day 31
Day 31 Wed 9/26
Travel day. We hung out around Chang Mai during the day, before grabbing a tuktuk to the train station. We got on the train to Bangkok at 4pm and slept on the train through till the next morning.
Travel day. We hung out around Chang Mai during the day, before grabbing a tuktuk to the train station. We got on the train to Bangkok at 4pm and slept on the train through till the next morning.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Thailand- day 30
Day 30 Tues 9/25
Day three was the most adventurous of the three. We woke up in the morning to elephants at the camp and almost immediately found ourselves hopping on their backs. Elephant skin was a little different than I expected, dry with rougher skin. We rode them down by the river and were able to get out of our seats and ride on the neck of the elephant for a while,which I thought was just terrifying. You could feel the muscles of the neck move side to side. We finished the elephants, got pictures of all of them, and ate breakfast. The helmets and life jackets came out for the white water rafting and we got some good group shots before bringing our rafts to the water. Maggie and I ended up on different rafts. Luckily, a few people in our group had waterproof cameras, which were really nice for shots rafting. We went through rapids and were able to swim in the muddy water in the stiller areas of the river. There was a spot in the river where the bamboo rafts were parked and we paddled over and jumped on them. The bamboo rafts were much longer than I expected, and we're long pieces of bamboo tied together. The rafting was exciting. The three day trek ended with lunch and an hour drive back. When we got back I immediately went to drop off my laundry and we took a dip in the pool, because we got a free night stay at the hostel we booked the excursion through. We said goodbye to Bente and her and William quickly got on a bus to their next destination. We spent the afternoon playing Unsako with Ronen and Shahar. We took a break to go to the night market, that was humongous with shopping, food, ladyboys, etc. everywhere. When we got back we continued our cards and Ido and Shir joined in as well. We had a fun late night down in the lobby of the hostel. The four of them started their twenty five hour fast for Yom Kippur at 5:30 and it was cool hearing about the reasoning behind fasting and experiencing them celebrating the holiday.
Day three was the most adventurous of the three. We woke up in the morning to elephants at the camp and almost immediately found ourselves hopping on their backs. Elephant skin was a little different than I expected, dry with rougher skin. We rode them down by the river and were able to get out of our seats and ride on the neck of the elephant for a while,which I thought was just terrifying. You could feel the muscles of the neck move side to side. We finished the elephants, got pictures of all of them, and ate breakfast. The helmets and life jackets came out for the white water rafting and we got some good group shots before bringing our rafts to the water. Maggie and I ended up on different rafts. Luckily, a few people in our group had waterproof cameras, which were really nice for shots rafting. We went through rapids and were able to swim in the muddy water in the stiller areas of the river. There was a spot in the river where the bamboo rafts were parked and we paddled over and jumped on them. The bamboo rafts were much longer than I expected, and we're long pieces of bamboo tied together. The rafting was exciting. The three day trek ended with lunch and an hour drive back. When we got back I immediately went to drop off my laundry and we took a dip in the pool, because we got a free night stay at the hostel we booked the excursion through. We said goodbye to Bente and her and William quickly got on a bus to their next destination. We spent the afternoon playing Unsako with Ronen and Shahar. We took a break to go to the night market, that was humongous with shopping, food, ladyboys, etc. everywhere. When we got back we continued our cards and Ido and Shir joined in as well. We had a fun late night down in the lobby of the hostel. The four of them started their twenty five hour fast for Yom Kippur at 5:30 and it was cool hearing about the reasoning behind fasting and experiencing them celebrating the holiday.
Thailand- day 29
Day 29 Mon 9/24
We woke up early and had breakfast, and hung out for a little while before we started our trek. We hiked to three waterfalls, small, big, and bigger, and we're able to swim in all of them. We were lucky to get such a great group of people to trek with and really had fun getting to know them. It's interesting to hear about the different English words there are in use, like lady bugs and lady birds, flashlights and torches, sleep in and lay in, and so many more. It's also cool to hear about how countries differ, like how people feel about having a king and queen, like here in Thailand, and learning about how in Israel, everyone must go to the military when they graduate high school, boys for three years, and girls for two years. As we hiked, our guide, Good, cut down pieces of bamboo and, with his knife,made the whole group bamboo bowls and chopsticks (we were going pretty quick too). It was cool and I finally got down how to use chopsticks. We finished our hiking and waterfalls around 4:30 and finished at the elephant camp, where we were sleeping for the night. At night, Ronen and Shahar taught us a new card game called Unsako, that we loved and will definitely bring home to the US.
We woke up early and had breakfast, and hung out for a little while before we started our trek. We hiked to three waterfalls, small, big, and bigger, and we're able to swim in all of them. We were lucky to get such a great group of people to trek with and really had fun getting to know them. It's interesting to hear about the different English words there are in use, like lady bugs and lady birds, flashlights and torches, sleep in and lay in, and so many more. It's also cool to hear about how countries differ, like how people feel about having a king and queen, like here in Thailand, and learning about how in Israel, everyone must go to the military when they graduate high school, boys for three years, and girls for two years. As we hiked, our guide, Good, cut down pieces of bamboo and, with his knife,made the whole group bamboo bowls and chopsticks (we were going pretty quick too). It was cool and I finally got down how to use chopsticks. We finished our hiking and waterfalls around 4:30 and finished at the elephant camp, where we were sleeping for the night. At night, Ronen and Shahar taught us a new card game called Unsako, that we loved and will definitely bring home to the US.
Thailand- day 28
Day 28 Sun 9/23
As we watched Bente pack her bag, Maggie and I realized how ill prepared we were for our three day trek. She packed band aids, flashlights, a multi purpose scarf, medicine, hiking shoes, a head lamp, and a whole travel bag. I didn't even have a pair of long sleeves or pants for the jungle. The truck picked us up at 9 am and we drove around picking up the rest of our group. Our group was made up of a good variety of people: 2 couples from Israel (Ido, Chir, Ronen, and Shahar), William from Scotland, Eugenia from Chicago, Russ and Hannah from England, Takka from Japan, Elmar from Italy, Bente, Maggie, and me. We started the day with the orchids and snake farm, which were just alright. Then we went to Karen Long Neck camp, which was something I thought was really only seen on TV. You walk in to a street lined with shops, like a normal tourist area, and then the booths are run by the "long neck" women, who have gold chains around there necks. It used to be said that the longer the neck, the more beautiful the woman, but now it is based on tourism. The older women usually have more gold rings, but even the little children had rings around them. Our guide, Good, said that the chains were religious because there was a belief that a tiger bit the women's necks, so they wore it for protection. The bangle wraps around and is burned together at the end. The girls necks never actually get longer, but the heavy gold bangle pushes down their rib cages and allows for more room for another loop of the bangle. We hiked straight up, two and a half hours, to the little village in the mountains where we were sleeping, Lahu village. The mountain view was gorgeous, and it was really cool to experience the life of the people in the village, especially the children. I got a Lahu massage and had two people working on me, one of the girls was ten, named Da. The guys in our group played soccer with the local boys and Maggie and I even joined in for a point, and then got our hair braided by two of the village girls, who must've been about four. We gave them the bracelets we were wearing and they loved them. I went to bed kind of early that night because I felt light headed, while Maggie stayed up and got good use out of the cards she brought. The toilet at the village was a squat toilet and I feel like I've been getting a lot of practice with them.
As we watched Bente pack her bag, Maggie and I realized how ill prepared we were for our three day trek. She packed band aids, flashlights, a multi purpose scarf, medicine, hiking shoes, a head lamp, and a whole travel bag. I didn't even have a pair of long sleeves or pants for the jungle. The truck picked us up at 9 am and we drove around picking up the rest of our group. Our group was made up of a good variety of people: 2 couples from Israel (Ido, Chir, Ronen, and Shahar), William from Scotland, Eugenia from Chicago, Russ and Hannah from England, Takka from Japan, Elmar from Italy, Bente, Maggie, and me. We started the day with the orchids and snake farm, which were just alright. Then we went to Karen Long Neck camp, which was something I thought was really only seen on TV. You walk in to a street lined with shops, like a normal tourist area, and then the booths are run by the "long neck" women, who have gold chains around there necks. It used to be said that the longer the neck, the more beautiful the woman, but now it is based on tourism. The older women usually have more gold rings, but even the little children had rings around them. Our guide, Good, said that the chains were religious because there was a belief that a tiger bit the women's necks, so they wore it for protection. The bangle wraps around and is burned together at the end. The girls necks never actually get longer, but the heavy gold bangle pushes down their rib cages and allows for more room for another loop of the bangle. We hiked straight up, two and a half hours, to the little village in the mountains where we were sleeping, Lahu village. The mountain view was gorgeous, and it was really cool to experience the life of the people in the village, especially the children. I got a Lahu massage and had two people working on me, one of the girls was ten, named Da. The guys in our group played soccer with the local boys and Maggie and I even joined in for a point, and then got our hair braided by two of the village girls, who must've been about four. We gave them the bracelets we were wearing and they loved them. I went to bed kind of early that night because I felt light headed, while Maggie stayed up and got good use out of the cards she brought. The toilet at the village was a squat toilet and I feel like I've been getting a lot of practice with them.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Thailand- day 27
Day 27 Sat 9/22
Maggie, Bente, and I woke up fairly early, got some breakfast, and went to Tiger Kingdom. Bente and I did smallest, small, and big cats and Maggie did the big cats only. The smallest and the big cats were pretty lazy and perfect for good pictures, but the small ones we restless. It was a little nerve racking going into the cages, but was totally fine once you got inside. We walked around the town a little in the afternoon, got a Starbucks, and went for a jog around the river that surrounds the main part of Chiang Mai. Ended the night with kabobs at an Indian restaurant and packing for our trek we start tomorrow.
Maggie, Bente, and I woke up fairly early, got some breakfast, and went to Tiger Kingdom. Bente and I did smallest, small, and big cats and Maggie did the big cats only. The smallest and the big cats were pretty lazy and perfect for good pictures, but the small ones we restless. It was a little nerve racking going into the cages, but was totally fine once you got inside. We walked around the town a little in the afternoon, got a Starbucks, and went for a jog around the river that surrounds the main part of Chiang Mai. Ended the night with kabobs at an Indian restaurant and packing for our trek we start tomorrow.
Thailand- day 26
Day 26 Fri 9/21
When we woke up on the sleeper train we find out the engine has been stalling, hit a couple obstacles, and finally arrive around 4:00, about six hours late. When we get off the train, we meet a girl backpacking from Holland, named Bente, who knows a hostel from lonely planet, and we join her to the tourist part of town. We start our time in Chiang Mai with food and a nice oil massage, and walk around a little to get a good feel of the streets. Ended the day with dinner.
When we woke up on the sleeper train we find out the engine has been stalling, hit a couple obstacles, and finally arrive around 4:00, about six hours late. When we get off the train, we meet a girl backpacking from Holland, named Bente, who knows a hostel from lonely planet, and we join her to the tourist part of town. We start our time in Chiang Mai with food and a nice oil massage, and walk around a little to get a good feel of the streets. Ended the day with dinner.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thailand- day 25
Day 25 Thurs 9/21
Thursday morning pretty clearly depicts tourism in Bangkok. We got a tuktuk to do some sightseeing, and ended up getting taken around to jewelry and textile factories, sent inside to look so the driver could fill up with free gasoline. We checked out of the room around 1, got our bags, and went to Starbucks to read and kill time to wait for the train. The train station is right by China town, so we got a glimpse of the streets full of hello kitty and rainbow stores packed in as many as there could be on a narrow street. It was down pouring, so we upgraded out train to an AC room to catch the earlier train to Chiang Mai at 7:30. Our train mates are two girls from China. The one on the upper bunk with me speaks hardly any English, but does give me some of her food, which is a small fruit a bit larger than a grape, that you have to peel down to a slimy thing with a nut in the middle. I try to ask if it's a fruit or veggie, but the language barrier is too prevalent. She says "I know no English name". I am reading the book "the Help" right now, and get through a large portion of it on the long ride.
Thursday morning pretty clearly depicts tourism in Bangkok. We got a tuktuk to do some sightseeing, and ended up getting taken around to jewelry and textile factories, sent inside to look so the driver could fill up with free gasoline. We checked out of the room around 1, got our bags, and went to Starbucks to read and kill time to wait for the train. The train station is right by China town, so we got a glimpse of the streets full of hello kitty and rainbow stores packed in as many as there could be on a narrow street. It was down pouring, so we upgraded out train to an AC room to catch the earlier train to Chiang Mai at 7:30. Our train mates are two girls from China. The one on the upper bunk with me speaks hardly any English, but does give me some of her food, which is a small fruit a bit larger than a grape, that you have to peel down to a slimy thing with a nut in the middle. I try to ask if it's a fruit or veggie, but the language barrier is too prevalent. She says "I know no English name". I am reading the book "the Help" right now, and get through a large portion of it on the long ride.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Thailand- day 24
Day 24 Wed 9/20
For the first time, Maggie woke up earlier than me. When I got up, we walked out to get breakfast and ran into a girl named Katie, who Maggie had talked to the day before about sharing a can from the airport. We ate with her and then got a tuktuk (the motorized carriage talked about earlier), named Maxwell. Our driver took us around Bangkok to temples, a mountain temple, a jewelry and textile factory (where he got free gas), and finally to the palace. Maggie and I hung out at AuBonPain while Katie toured the palace, then we all took a boat ride back. Maggie and I bought some tanks in the afternoon and went to a cafe for a bit. At night we met up with Katie and some guys from Scotland we met at a cafe earlier, Cambell, Andrew, and Neil, and had a few drinks and ate some street food. I had beef and pork satays and Maggie ate some pad thai. We added to more English girls to our group, Emma and Emily, and went to see one of Thailands famous ping pong shows. Of course you have to do some hard bargaining to get a good deal, and when you get in the tuktuk you're unsure exactly of the final decision, but uncertainty makes for a fun cab ride with a bit of screaming. Thailand ping pong shows don't consist of any typical game of ping pong. We witnessed girls do things with their yayas that I had never fathomed seeing in my entire lifetime. Filling up coke bottles, bouncing ping pong balls into cups, pulling out magic tricks, writing welcome, and blowing out birthday candles were just a few of the many marvels. By the time we made it home, the music from the bar below us had already ended, but we did get to see some street dancing from Thai boys, which made for a good video.
For the first time, Maggie woke up earlier than me. When I got up, we walked out to get breakfast and ran into a girl named Katie, who Maggie had talked to the day before about sharing a can from the airport. We ate with her and then got a tuktuk (the motorized carriage talked about earlier), named Maxwell. Our driver took us around Bangkok to temples, a mountain temple, a jewelry and textile factory (where he got free gas), and finally to the palace. Maggie and I hung out at AuBonPain while Katie toured the palace, then we all took a boat ride back. Maggie and I bought some tanks in the afternoon and went to a cafe for a bit. At night we met up with Katie and some guys from Scotland we met at a cafe earlier, Cambell, Andrew, and Neil, and had a few drinks and ate some street food. I had beef and pork satays and Maggie ate some pad thai. We added to more English girls to our group, Emma and Emily, and went to see one of Thailands famous ping pong shows. Of course you have to do some hard bargaining to get a good deal, and when you get in the tuktuk you're unsure exactly of the final decision, but uncertainty makes for a fun cab ride with a bit of screaming. Thailand ping pong shows don't consist of any typical game of ping pong. We witnessed girls do things with their yayas that I had never fathomed seeing in my entire lifetime. Filling up coke bottles, bouncing ping pong balls into cups, pulling out magic tricks, writing welcome, and blowing out birthday candles were just a few of the many marvels. By the time we made it home, the music from the bar below us had already ended, but we did get to see some street dancing from Thai boys, which made for a good video.
Thailand- day 23
Day 23 Tues 9/19
Finished with our travels in Indonesia, we moved on to Thailand. Our travels consisted of a ton of traffic in Bali, a five hour flight, arrival, and hours of traffic in Bangkok. In Bangkok, we were stuck in a bridge for a while why the king passed by. The queen died August 12th so there are big pictures of her everywhere. Bangkok is a huge city and much different than Bali. The streets are constantly crowded with people selling things. A lot of the cabs here are the colors of the rainbow, and there are tuktuks for tourism that are like motorized carriage cabs. We got to Kao San Rd. and found a room for 500 baht. It's really tricky switching up currency and figuring out conversions to the amount of US dollars your using, from won in Korea to rupiah in Indonesia and now baht in Thailand. After walking through the streets, we got dinner at a place where there was a guy singing the music we love. We got Thai massages, which taught me to stick with regular massages for the rest of the trip. The man stretched my body in ways that I can't imagine would be delightful for anyone. At the end of the night, we found out our room was right above a night bar and fell asleep to the blaring music.
Finished with our travels in Indonesia, we moved on to Thailand. Our travels consisted of a ton of traffic in Bali, a five hour flight, arrival, and hours of traffic in Bangkok. In Bangkok, we were stuck in a bridge for a while why the king passed by. The queen died August 12th so there are big pictures of her everywhere. Bangkok is a huge city and much different than Bali. The streets are constantly crowded with people selling things. A lot of the cabs here are the colors of the rainbow, and there are tuktuks for tourism that are like motorized carriage cabs. We got to Kao San Rd. and found a room for 500 baht. It's really tricky switching up currency and figuring out conversions to the amount of US dollars your using, from won in Korea to rupiah in Indonesia and now baht in Thailand. After walking through the streets, we got dinner at a place where there was a guy singing the music we love. We got Thai massages, which taught me to stick with regular massages for the rest of the trip. The man stretched my body in ways that I can't imagine would be delightful for anyone. At the end of the night, we found out our room was right above a night bar and fell asleep to the blaring music.
Indonesia- day 22
Day 22 Mon 9/18
It was our last day of surfing. We went out around 7:30 and the waves were much much smaller than last week. It was harder to find a wave, but still got a few pictures out of it. Laid out a little. We traded in our last session in the afternoon for a relaxing full body massage.
It was our last day of surfing. We went out around 7:30 and the waves were much much smaller than last week. It was harder to find a wave, but still got a few pictures out of it. Laid out a little. We traded in our last session in the afternoon for a relaxing full body massage.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Indonesia- day 21
Day 21 Sun 9/17
No surfing on Sunday. We got to sleep in, which I'm really bad at, but Maggie can sleep right through the day. We got breakfast/ lunch around 11:30 and hung out around the table for a while meeting some of the new guests who were just arriving for the week. We talked to Ula, from Poland, and her boyfriend, from Austria, for a while and I also had dinner with them. Mqggie ate at a differnt table because they were later getting home from watching the sunset. During the day, Maggie layed out, and I went to the Canggu club and got to run on the treadmill, which was nice, even in kilometers, because it's been super hard finding runnable roads in Indonesia. I decided the best means of transportation would be the push bikes again, that took twenty minutes each way and my brakes didn't work today, so I found myself walking my bike downhill a few times. The car and moto riders thought it was hilarious. Right at the end of the bike ride home, I passed Maggie on a moped with Martin and Sarah, who were going to Echo beach with a few others to watch the sunset, so I turned around and push biked down there. It was gorgeous and much more crowded than we had seen it before. We hung out at dinner for a while and headed to bed for an early surf day Monday.
No surfing on Sunday. We got to sleep in, which I'm really bad at, but Maggie can sleep right through the day. We got breakfast/ lunch around 11:30 and hung out around the table for a while meeting some of the new guests who were just arriving for the week. We talked to Ula, from Poland, and her boyfriend, from Austria, for a while and I also had dinner with them. Mqggie ate at a differnt table because they were later getting home from watching the sunset. During the day, Maggie layed out, and I went to the Canggu club and got to run on the treadmill, which was nice, even in kilometers, because it's been super hard finding runnable roads in Indonesia. I decided the best means of transportation would be the push bikes again, that took twenty minutes each way and my brakes didn't work today, so I found myself walking my bike downhill a few times. The car and moto riders thought it was hilarious. Right at the end of the bike ride home, I passed Maggie on a moped with Martin and Sarah, who were going to Echo beach with a few others to watch the sunset, so I turned around and push biked down there. It was gorgeous and much more crowded than we had seen it before. We hung out at dinner for a while and headed to bed for an early surf day Monday.
Indonesia- day 20
Day 20 Sat 9/16
Day three of surfing went well. We graduated from the soft boards to the real boards and waxed them before we got in the water. We had to go out really early, at 6:30, because that's when the tide was right. We both did well, but a little over an hour in, Maggie got washed ashore and couldn't make it back out. She met a French friend named Diana. We got back early and had our lunch twice before the kitchen closed at 1:00. We rode our bikes to the beach and had to really search to find an ATM, which rejected my card, but it led us to the Canggu club, that we have membership with through the surf place. It was nice laying out and watching the cute children play, just like a club at home. As we biked back, I thought about some things to remember about Bali, like the dogs, the people who work in the fields, the hats made of straw that look a lot like lamp shades, and the friendly people. For dinner, they served the best ribs I've ever had in my entire life. Taking advantage of no surf instruction on Sunday, we headed to Kuta, Bali for the Saturday night life. Kuta was pretty much the Panama city of Bali, but even larger. There were bars, clubs, food, and shops lining the streets. A group of us went including Maggie and I, herman, erg, Martin, alex, and Sarah. We started at Espresso bar, that was fun and had good music playing. I've never seen a crowd go so crazy to th song "jump around". Around 1:00 we headed over to Sky Garden, the club that is the most well known in Kuta and is HUGE, even bigger than any I saw in Spain last year. When you walk in, there are about five direction choices, up, to the side, down, etc., and when you walk in each choice has five more room choices, stages left and right, and it goes for multiple floors, every room just as packed as the one before it. Afterwards, we got some food and found a cab back to Canggu.
Day three of surfing went well. We graduated from the soft boards to the real boards and waxed them before we got in the water. We had to go out really early, at 6:30, because that's when the tide was right. We both did well, but a little over an hour in, Maggie got washed ashore and couldn't make it back out. She met a French friend named Diana. We got back early and had our lunch twice before the kitchen closed at 1:00. We rode our bikes to the beach and had to really search to find an ATM, which rejected my card, but it led us to the Canggu club, that we have membership with through the surf place. It was nice laying out and watching the cute children play, just like a club at home. As we biked back, I thought about some things to remember about Bali, like the dogs, the people who work in the fields, the hats made of straw that look a lot like lamp shades, and the friendly people. For dinner, they served the best ribs I've ever had in my entire life. Taking advantage of no surf instruction on Sunday, we headed to Kuta, Bali for the Saturday night life. Kuta was pretty much the Panama city of Bali, but even larger. There were bars, clubs, food, and shops lining the streets. A group of us went including Maggie and I, herman, erg, Martin, alex, and Sarah. We started at Espresso bar, that was fun and had good music playing. I've never seen a crowd go so crazy to th song "jump around". Around 1:00 we headed over to Sky Garden, the club that is the most well known in Kuta and is HUGE, even bigger than any I saw in Spain last year. When you walk in, there are about five direction choices, up, to the side, down, etc., and when you walk in each choice has five more room choices, stages left and right, and it goes for multiple floors, every room just as packed as the one before it. Afterwards, we got some food and found a cab back to Canggu.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Indonesia- day 19
Day 19 Fri 9/15
Day two of surfing was a little more difficult than the first day, because the waves and tide were much stronger. I caught some good waves when we first got out there, but as the day went on I started to get tired. Maggie did better towards the end of the day. One of my strengths with surfing is the paddling that is like swimming the Tarzan drill. We got a video and photos taken, which turned out pretty good, but we are going to wait till the end of the week to choose which ones we want. Through the video coaching, I saw that I was leaning over forward too much and need to work on bending my knees and staying upright. The rest of the day we hung out with the others staying here, at the Chillhouse, around the pools. There was BBQ for dinner that was delicious and then everyone hung out after. For a lot of people it was their last night because they did Saturday to Saturday, so a whole new crowd of people should be coming tomorrow.
Day two of surfing was a little more difficult than the first day, because the waves and tide were much stronger. I caught some good waves when we first got out there, but as the day went on I started to get tired. Maggie did better towards the end of the day. One of my strengths with surfing is the paddling that is like swimming the Tarzan drill. We got a video and photos taken, which turned out pretty good, but we are going to wait till the end of the week to choose which ones we want. Through the video coaching, I saw that I was leaning over forward too much and need to work on bending my knees and staying upright. The rest of the day we hung out with the others staying here, at the Chillhouse, around the pools. There was BBQ for dinner that was delicious and then everyone hung out after. For a lot of people it was their last night because they did Saturday to Saturday, so a whole new crowd of people should be coming tomorrow.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Indonesia- day 18
Day 18 Thurs 9/13
Woke up, grabbed breakfast, and took the shuttle down to Canggu beach for the first day of surfing. We shared the shuttle with our group, who all spoke German, two girls and a couple. When we got to the beach, we each got our own coach, who taught us the basics on the sand before we got into the water. We used the soft boards because they are stickier in the water and better for first timers. He showed us how to paddle towards the back of the board, but stay in the center to keep it stable, to turn around, to sit on the board, and eventually we were practicing standing. We were able to stand a little bit and catch a few small waves. My biggest struggle is not moving my feet forward enough when I go from laying down to standing and keeping low. Afterwards we took the shuttle back, already hungry for lunch. We spent the afternoon by the pool, then push biked down to Echo beach to get a juice. Dee, from Ireland joined us there. Dinner was at 7 and we were plenty hungry by then. We had some bintangs and went to a bar after dinner with Dee, three guys from Austria, and Neil from England. It was fun. We took the mopeds there and I think Maggie was a little more scared then me on that one. They were a little more scary than I was expecting, especially with no helmets
Woke up, grabbed breakfast, and took the shuttle down to Canggu beach for the first day of surfing. We shared the shuttle with our group, who all spoke German, two girls and a couple. When we got to the beach, we each got our own coach, who taught us the basics on the sand before we got into the water. We used the soft boards because they are stickier in the water and better for first timers. He showed us how to paddle towards the back of the board, but stay in the center to keep it stable, to turn around, to sit on the board, and eventually we were practicing standing. We were able to stand a little bit and catch a few small waves. My biggest struggle is not moving my feet forward enough when I go from laying down to standing and keeping low. Afterwards we took the shuttle back, already hungry for lunch. We spent the afternoon by the pool, then push biked down to Echo beach to get a juice. Dee, from Ireland joined us there. Dinner was at 7 and we were plenty hungry by then. We had some bintangs and went to a bar after dinner with Dee, three guys from Austria, and Neil from England. It was fun. We took the mopeds there and I think Maggie was a little more scared then me on that one. They were a little more scary than I was expecting, especially with no helmets
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Indonesia- day 17
Day 17 Wed 9/12
We woke up so sore we could hardly walk. We took a shuttle to the boat to pick us up and take us back to Bali for a week of surf camp at the Chillhouse in Canggu, Indonesia. We had some miscommunications with the man who sold us our boat ticket (him promising us things he was not capable of giving us) about how much and the exact destination and the boat time, so we ended up getting there late and paying more for a cab once we got back to Bali. The boat ride was really rough, sometimes feeling more like the mine bender than a boat. By the time we got to the Chillhouse, Maggie was dying of hunger and we were both still aching with soreness. We got our room, a bite to eat by the pool, and met some of the other guests. The place is a great place to travel alone because it has a community feel to it, like all meals are eaten together. We talked with a girl from Ireland for a while, and had dinner with an Australian and some people from England. The camp offers push bikes to use for the guests to get to the beach, so before dinner, Maggie and I biked down there. It's a great idea, but to get to the beach you have to ride on a main road with motorcycles and cars flying by while going with the flow of traffic and driving down the left side of the road. And of course, the idea of a helmet for a push bike is unheard of in Indonesia. We made it and walked on the beach that had large rocks scattered throughout. Our main purpose was to find surf clothes, but ended up with nothing but the plans to go in a two piece. Through the 10/15 minute push bike ride back, I got caught in the sand one time and almost saw my life flash before my eyes. We can't wait for the first day of surf tomorrow and are praying that our muscles heal a little before we wake up.
We woke up so sore we could hardly walk. We took a shuttle to the boat to pick us up and take us back to Bali for a week of surf camp at the Chillhouse in Canggu, Indonesia. We had some miscommunications with the man who sold us our boat ticket (him promising us things he was not capable of giving us) about how much and the exact destination and the boat time, so we ended up getting there late and paying more for a cab once we got back to Bali. The boat ride was really rough, sometimes feeling more like the mine bender than a boat. By the time we got to the Chillhouse, Maggie was dying of hunger and we were both still aching with soreness. We got our room, a bite to eat by the pool, and met some of the other guests. The place is a great place to travel alone because it has a community feel to it, like all meals are eaten together. We talked with a girl from Ireland for a while, and had dinner with an Australian and some people from England. The camp offers push bikes to use for the guests to get to the beach, so before dinner, Maggie and I biked down there. It's a great idea, but to get to the beach you have to ride on a main road with motorcycles and cars flying by while going with the flow of traffic and driving down the left side of the road. And of course, the idea of a helmet for a push bike is unheard of in Indonesia. We made it and walked on the beach that had large rocks scattered throughout. Our main purpose was to find surf clothes, but ended up with nothing but the plans to go in a two piece. Through the 10/15 minute push bike ride back, I got caught in the sand one time and almost saw my life flash before my eyes. We can't wait for the first day of surf tomorrow and are praying that our muscles heal a little before we wake up.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Indonesia- day 16
Day 16 Tues 9/11
In the tent, by the morning, we were frozen. Maggie dragged me out of my sleeping bag for breakfast and to watch the sunrise that brought a bit of heat with it. By the time we were finished watching the sunrise, the rest of our group had already started their hike for the Day 2. One of our porters guided us down the mountain, the same way we went up, which was ten times easier than we thought it would be, and a hundred times easier than the climb up. On the way down, we met three people from Portugal and learned about their midnight climb they had done the night before. I was so thankful we did the two days, because my legs were quivering both days and I don't think I would have survived straight up for eight hours than an immediate turnaround. We also ran into Weibke, one of the people we had dinner with the night before, who was on her journey up. The climb was totally worth everything we put into it and we don't regret one bit of it. It was the most legitimate hiking I'll be doing in my entire life. We were more than thrilled to finish the trek down, but had to get in a terrible cab ride for two hours back to Senggigi. When we returned, we were both car sick and immediately got in the shower to wash off the built up layers of dirt. We got lunch and cafe hopped for the rest of the day.We had dinner with, Steven, a guy we had pulled tables together with the other night, from Tennessee. We ate at his favorite place in town, Young Cafe.
In the tent, by the morning, we were frozen. Maggie dragged me out of my sleeping bag for breakfast and to watch the sunrise that brought a bit of heat with it. By the time we were finished watching the sunrise, the rest of our group had already started their hike for the Day 2. One of our porters guided us down the mountain, the same way we went up, which was ten times easier than we thought it would be, and a hundred times easier than the climb up. On the way down, we met three people from Portugal and learned about their midnight climb they had done the night before. I was so thankful we did the two days, because my legs were quivering both days and I don't think I would have survived straight up for eight hours than an immediate turnaround. We also ran into Weibke, one of the people we had dinner with the night before, who was on her journey up. The climb was totally worth everything we put into it and we don't regret one bit of it. It was the most legitimate hiking I'll be doing in my entire life. We were more than thrilled to finish the trek down, but had to get in a terrible cab ride for two hours back to Senggigi. When we returned, we were both car sick and immediately got in the shower to wash off the built up layers of dirt. We got lunch and cafe hopped for the rest of the day.We had dinner with, Steven, a guy we had pulled tables together with the other night, from Tennessee. We ate at his favorite place in town, Young Cafe.
Indonesia- day 15
Day 15 Mon 9/10
Our alarm luckily went off at 4:30 to wake us up for the 5:00 bus. In the bus, we met the first two members of our hiking group, Charlotte and Peter from Belgium. After our rough two hour drive, we were dropped off for breakfast, and yes, Maggie was sick. Interestingly, Charlotte and Peter taught us that in Belgium, they roll up their pancakes like burritos to eat them. Also at breakfast, I used a squat toilet for the first time, where there is a hole and some feet area, you squat, and its pretty much like you're peeing on the ground, but there is a hole there. We continued to the start of Mount Rinjani where we met the last four members of our groups, from Germany, two brothers and their wives, Erica, Nikko, Kati, and Josh. We really lucked out to get such a great group. On the hike, everyone brought backpacks, but Maggie and I, being unprepared, brought our Kavus stuffed to the brim. Everyone else in the group was doing three days/two nights. Every group had a guide and maybe 4 or 5 porters to carry all the camping gear across their back in a carrier that consisted of a large stick to balance across their back and two big baskets full of supplies. I know that the porter's were getting paid, but in some ways it almost felt like slavery to me. The hike was 8 hours straight up hill climbing. It was hard to say the least, but at the top, the view was well worth it. We got up there in time to see the sunset and the gorgeous view of the top of the volcano and a large peaceful lake with mountains surrounding it on all sides. During the hike, we stopped for lunch and at the top we had dinner, delicious soup and fried rice, served to us from our guide and porters. One of Maggie's favorite parts was the night spent in the tent.
Our alarm luckily went off at 4:30 to wake us up for the 5:00 bus. In the bus, we met the first two members of our hiking group, Charlotte and Peter from Belgium. After our rough two hour drive, we were dropped off for breakfast, and yes, Maggie was sick. Interestingly, Charlotte and Peter taught us that in Belgium, they roll up their pancakes like burritos to eat them. Also at breakfast, I used a squat toilet for the first time, where there is a hole and some feet area, you squat, and its pretty much like you're peeing on the ground, but there is a hole there. We continued to the start of Mount Rinjani where we met the last four members of our groups, from Germany, two brothers and their wives, Erica, Nikko, Kati, and Josh. We really lucked out to get such a great group. On the hike, everyone brought backpacks, but Maggie and I, being unprepared, brought our Kavus stuffed to the brim. Everyone else in the group was doing three days/two nights. Every group had a guide and maybe 4 or 5 porters to carry all the camping gear across their back in a carrier that consisted of a large stick to balance across their back and two big baskets full of supplies. I know that the porter's were getting paid, but in some ways it almost felt like slavery to me. The hike was 8 hours straight up hill climbing. It was hard to say the least, but at the top, the view was well worth it. We got up there in time to see the sunset and the gorgeous view of the top of the volcano and a large peaceful lake with mountains surrounding it on all sides. During the hike, we stopped for lunch and at the top we had dinner, delicious soup and fried rice, served to us from our guide and porters. One of Maggie's favorite parts was the night spent in the tent.
Indonesia- day 14
Day 14 Sun 9/9
Our last banana pancake breakfast was delicious. We got a boat to Lombok Island and went the town of Senggigi, where we found a room for $10 a night. The toilet was not built to flush, but there is a pale of water and they say to pour about half a bucket into the toilet to wash it down. I try to hold it. The bathroom has a lingering stench that's not going anywhere, no matter how much water is poured down. Senggigi looks like it was built for tourists and their are still locals selling stuff on the street and tourist restaurants, but hardly any tourists in the town at all. We went to the local's beach and watched all the kids play in the ocean fully clothed. Most of the beach is gorgeous like Gili, but some of it looks a dumpster, with a thick trash lining. I hate littering. We spent the afternoon in the spa and got a whole five hour spa package for about $17 that included a massage, body scrub, facial, manicure, and pedicure. It was delightful. For dinner we went to Young Cafe and pulled our table together with some other backpackers from Germany, Tennessee, Canada, Oregon, Switzerland, and France. It was a lot of fun and interesting hearing everyone else's travel stories. Everyone was raving about climbing Mount Rinjani, apparently the thing to do in Lombok. At 9:00 pm, and after a Bintang or two, we decide we are doing it and Maggie runs out of the restaurant to book it. We were pushed for time before we had to leave to go back to Bali, so our only option is leaving Monday morning at 5 am for the two day/one night trek. Clearly it was about as last minute as it gets, so bargaining the price of the excursion was not much of an option. We were doing it.
Our last banana pancake breakfast was delicious. We got a boat to Lombok Island and went the town of Senggigi, where we found a room for $10 a night. The toilet was not built to flush, but there is a pale of water and they say to pour about half a bucket into the toilet to wash it down. I try to hold it. The bathroom has a lingering stench that's not going anywhere, no matter how much water is poured down. Senggigi looks like it was built for tourists and their are still locals selling stuff on the street and tourist restaurants, but hardly any tourists in the town at all. We went to the local's beach and watched all the kids play in the ocean fully clothed. Most of the beach is gorgeous like Gili, but some of it looks a dumpster, with a thick trash lining. I hate littering. We spent the afternoon in the spa and got a whole five hour spa package for about $17 that included a massage, body scrub, facial, manicure, and pedicure. It was delightful. For dinner we went to Young Cafe and pulled our table together with some other backpackers from Germany, Tennessee, Canada, Oregon, Switzerland, and France. It was a lot of fun and interesting hearing everyone else's travel stories. Everyone was raving about climbing Mount Rinjani, apparently the thing to do in Lombok. At 9:00 pm, and after a Bintang or two, we decide we are doing it and Maggie runs out of the restaurant to book it. We were pushed for time before we had to leave to go back to Bali, so our only option is leaving Monday morning at 5 am for the two day/one night trek. Clearly it was about as last minute as it gets, so bargaining the price of the excursion was not much of an option. We were doing it.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Indonesia- day 13
Day 13 Sat 8/8
Another relaxing beach day. We woke up, went straight to the beach, and lounged all day long. Throughout the day, the electricity went out a few times, but the locals acted like it was the norm and all pulled out their candles. For dinner we went to the market again, but tried out a different stand. We got satays, like kabobs, and I tried one of each meat, chicken, steak, and shrimp. With the meat, we also got three sides and rice, all for only about $2.50! We went back out to the reggae bar, but the bar was having a party, so the music wasn't as much of our style as the night before. Things I'll remember about Gili Trawangan are the gorgeous breaches, the cats all over the island, no cars in sight, the horse carriages, and the local night market.
Another relaxing beach day. We woke up, went straight to the beach, and lounged all day long. Throughout the day, the electricity went out a few times, but the locals acted like it was the norm and all pulled out their candles. For dinner we went to the market again, but tried out a different stand. We got satays, like kabobs, and I tried one of each meat, chicken, steak, and shrimp. With the meat, we also got three sides and rice, all for only about $2.50! We went back out to the reggae bar, but the bar was having a party, so the music wasn't as much of our style as the night before. Things I'll remember about Gili Trawangan are the gorgeous breaches, the cats all over the island, no cars in sight, the horse carriages, and the local night market.
Indonesia- day 12
Day 12 Fri 8/7
Beach day. The room we are staying in served us breakfast in the morning and I had some delicious banana pancakes. Since Gili Trawangan island has a bunch of scuba places, I thought it would be a good idea to try it out while we were here. I signed up for discover scuba, which included instruction, pool scuba practice, and one dive. I liked the six people in my group: Rajj, a girl from Canada who we had lunch with, two guys from England, and a blonde couple. I went through the instruction and got in the pool. I really didn't like it at all. The whole time we were doing practice skills in the pool, I felt like I was gasping for air through my air tank, my googles kept filling with water, and my ears were suffering in the two meter deep pool. I decided today wasn't a good day to scuba dive and didn't force myself any further. I was only charged half price, and if I feel like I should've gone through with it later on, there will be plenty of more places I can try again. Maggie and I spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach, finding the comfiest open chairs we could on the sand until comfier ones opened up and we'd grab them. We did happy hour with three guys from Holland and Whales. They gave us the tip to avoid malaria, drink gin and tonics. Funny. When we returned to our room we met two Americans from New York, Sarah and Andrew. It was really weird that there were more Americans here. We went to dinner with them to Blue Marlins, a restaurant they recommended on the beach, and afterwards headed to a Reggae bar. The bar played really good songs, some nonreggae songs that they just added a guitar to and called it reggae. We danced and one local who was there was dancing with a full cup on her head, while drunk and smoking. Afterwards, Maggie and I went to Rudy's, the party place on the island, and found out it was just like a club, packed all the way from the bar to the beach. They only have one kind of beer on the island, Bintang, in two sizes, small and large. Maggie is trying to get me into it, but it hasn't worked thus far. Good day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!
Beach day. The room we are staying in served us breakfast in the morning and I had some delicious banana pancakes. Since Gili Trawangan island has a bunch of scuba places, I thought it would be a good idea to try it out while we were here. I signed up for discover scuba, which included instruction, pool scuba practice, and one dive. I liked the six people in my group: Rajj, a girl from Canada who we had lunch with, two guys from England, and a blonde couple. I went through the instruction and got in the pool. I really didn't like it at all. The whole time we were doing practice skills in the pool, I felt like I was gasping for air through my air tank, my googles kept filling with water, and my ears were suffering in the two meter deep pool. I decided today wasn't a good day to scuba dive and didn't force myself any further. I was only charged half price, and if I feel like I should've gone through with it later on, there will be plenty of more places I can try again. Maggie and I spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach, finding the comfiest open chairs we could on the sand until comfier ones opened up and we'd grab them. We did happy hour with three guys from Holland and Whales. They gave us the tip to avoid malaria, drink gin and tonics. Funny. When we returned to our room we met two Americans from New York, Sarah and Andrew. It was really weird that there were more Americans here. We went to dinner with them to Blue Marlins, a restaurant they recommended on the beach, and afterwards headed to a Reggae bar. The bar played really good songs, some nonreggae songs that they just added a guitar to and called it reggae. We danced and one local who was there was dancing with a full cup on her head, while drunk and smoking. Afterwards, Maggie and I went to Rudy's, the party place on the island, and found out it was just like a club, packed all the way from the bar to the beach. They only have one kind of beer on the island, Bintang, in two sizes, small and large. Maggie is trying to get me into it, but it hasn't worked thus far. Good day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Indonesia- day 11
Day 11 Thurs 8/6
Our second stop in Bali began. We made it to Gili Trawangan Island on the fast boat. It was a tough decision between slow or fast boat, but we chose the fast because it took only four hours, opposed to a whole day, and cost $15 more dollars than the slow boat. We walked around and found a room for $15 a night with two beds, so we took it. It's not the fanciest, lots of ants, no fresh water, and a bit of wood rot on the door knobs, but it will do. The island is gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen a beach where you can see mountains on the next island over. We got there around 3 and got lunch and laid out for the rest of the day. Trawangan is supposed to be the party island, and it is pretty crowded, but I wouldn't say there were partiers everywhere. For dinner we walked down the beach trip to the local's set of a couple booths and ate there. We have zero idea what we ate, but it was good. It was some sort of noodles, veggies, chicken, and spices. Asian food is spicy! Afterwards we enjoyed some piña coladas on the beach and called it a night. The beach is lined with a street and all through the street there are shops, restaurants, dive places, and more. We've liked the restaurants on the beach that have the comfy chairs on the sand. The island feels like vacation.
Our second stop in Bali began. We made it to Gili Trawangan Island on the fast boat. It was a tough decision between slow or fast boat, but we chose the fast because it took only four hours, opposed to a whole day, and cost $15 more dollars than the slow boat. We walked around and found a room for $15 a night with two beds, so we took it. It's not the fanciest, lots of ants, no fresh water, and a bit of wood rot on the door knobs, but it will do. The island is gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen a beach where you can see mountains on the next island over. We got there around 3 and got lunch and laid out for the rest of the day. Trawangan is supposed to be the party island, and it is pretty crowded, but I wouldn't say there were partiers everywhere. For dinner we walked down the beach trip to the local's set of a couple booths and ate there. We have zero idea what we ate, but it was good. It was some sort of noodles, veggies, chicken, and spices. Asian food is spicy! Afterwards we enjoyed some piña coladas on the beach and called it a night. The beach is lined with a street and all through the street there are shops, restaurants, dive places, and more. We've liked the restaurants on the beach that have the comfy chairs on the sand. The island feels like vacation.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Indonesia- day 10
Day 10 Wed 8/5
On Tuesday, we talked to our yoga instructor, Carlos, about a private lesson Wednesday morning for flying yoga, because it was only offered on the weekends and we were leaving Thursday. He emailed back late Tuesday night and in the end, the meeting place was unclear. We got up and tried to meet him at the monkey forest, then at the birth center, but in the end our meeting Carlos turned into an hour power walk around Ubud and eventually, giving up on yoga for the day. Maggie wants to try to buy a piece of jewelry from every place we journey. Her first piece was a brown one, and I got one that was brown and green. We found our way to a cafe, where Maggie read and I blogged a little. I'm really shocked at how many of the cafe's here have wifi. The day was a lazy day and most of it was spent cafe hopping. We were worn out from Monday and Tuesday. We also took advantage of the ridiculously low prices here, and made a trip to the spa, where I got a facial and Maggie had some waxing done. I feel like in the three days we were in Ubud, we really got a good feel of Ubud living. The only thing I would probably do different would have been to take advantage of the yoga here, because many of the travelers solely come here for it.
On Tuesday, we talked to our yoga instructor, Carlos, about a private lesson Wednesday morning for flying yoga, because it was only offered on the weekends and we were leaving Thursday. He emailed back late Tuesday night and in the end, the meeting place was unclear. We got up and tried to meet him at the monkey forest, then at the birth center, but in the end our meeting Carlos turned into an hour power walk around Ubud and eventually, giving up on yoga for the day. Maggie wants to try to buy a piece of jewelry from every place we journey. Her first piece was a brown one, and I got one that was brown and green. We found our way to a cafe, where Maggie read and I blogged a little. I'm really shocked at how many of the cafe's here have wifi. The day was a lazy day and most of it was spent cafe hopping. We were worn out from Monday and Tuesday. We also took advantage of the ridiculously low prices here, and made a trip to the spa, where I got a facial and Maggie had some waxing done. I feel like in the three days we were in Ubud, we really got a good feel of Ubud living. The only thing I would probably do different would have been to take advantage of the yoga here, because many of the travelers solely come here for it.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Indonesia- day 9
Day 9 Tues 8/4
A lot of the travelers in Ubud come here to further their yoga knowledge. I tried out yoga a couple times in high school and never loved it, but since Ubud is known for their yoga and they have a ton of yoga places, we had to do it before leaving. We went to an intro to yoga class at the Yoga Barn that overlooked a scenic pond and greenery. For the first twenty minutes, Carlos, our teacher, talked to the class and taught us a soothing meditation song that went along with his guitar. The class lasted for an hour and forty five minutes and when it was over my muscles felt stretched and relaxed. For lunch we went to Kafe and I had a fruit plate with a smoothie. My travel doctor would not have been too happy. In Bali, I have really enjoyed trying out all the different fruit juices and smoothies they have. I like papaya juice a lot and had a great omega 3 smoothie at lunch. We took a long walk to find the rice paddies today, that are also really popular in Ubud. Ill admit, I'm glad Maggie dragged me out there. The rice fields stretched for miles and miles and walking paths weaved through the fields. Before walking through, I experienced my first coconut drinking experience. The man that sold us the coconut chopped it off the limb, cut the top and bottom, and handed us a coconut with a straw in it to drink the coconut water. Typically, about two steps into our walk through the rice paddies, I fell into some mud and ended up with a muddy sock and shoe the rest of the day. Some parts of the rice fields had building construction in process, and the materials were brought to the construction site from the women carrying them on their heads. Its crazy to think that people still have daily routines that involve transporting things over their heads. Some of the really talented women could do it with no hands. Afterwards, I went running around the soccer field in the middle of the village. In one corner of the field, all the local kids were playing and another traveler that was standing on the street looking in, was taking pictures of me as I ran through the kids. I felt like I was one of the local people that we've been taking pictures of all week. At the field, there was a European boy, about 10, on his bike, that I raced around the field and a local old man who talked to me every time he passed going the opposite direction. The people of Bali are really kind.
A lot of the travelers in Ubud come here to further their yoga knowledge. I tried out yoga a couple times in high school and never loved it, but since Ubud is known for their yoga and they have a ton of yoga places, we had to do it before leaving. We went to an intro to yoga class at the Yoga Barn that overlooked a scenic pond and greenery. For the first twenty minutes, Carlos, our teacher, talked to the class and taught us a soothing meditation song that went along with his guitar. The class lasted for an hour and forty five minutes and when it was over my muscles felt stretched and relaxed. For lunch we went to Kafe and I had a fruit plate with a smoothie. My travel doctor would not have been too happy. In Bali, I have really enjoyed trying out all the different fruit juices and smoothies they have. I like papaya juice a lot and had a great omega 3 smoothie at lunch. We took a long walk to find the rice paddies today, that are also really popular in Ubud. Ill admit, I'm glad Maggie dragged me out there. The rice fields stretched for miles and miles and walking paths weaved through the fields. Before walking through, I experienced my first coconut drinking experience. The man that sold us the coconut chopped it off the limb, cut the top and bottom, and handed us a coconut with a straw in it to drink the coconut water. Typically, about two steps into our walk through the rice paddies, I fell into some mud and ended up with a muddy sock and shoe the rest of the day. Some parts of the rice fields had building construction in process, and the materials were brought to the construction site from the women carrying them on their heads. Its crazy to think that people still have daily routines that involve transporting things over their heads. Some of the really talented women could do it with no hands. Afterwards, I went running around the soccer field in the middle of the village. In one corner of the field, all the local kids were playing and another traveler that was standing on the street looking in, was taking pictures of me as I ran through the kids. I felt like I was one of the local people that we've been taking pictures of all week. At the field, there was a European boy, about 10, on his bike, that I raced around the field and a local old man who talked to me every time he passed going the opposite direction. The people of Bali are really kind.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Indonesia- day 8
Day 8 Mon 8/3
First full day in Bali. We explored the village. I woke up to the roosters crowing. .. There are a million roosters that continually crow all day long. Nyoman served us a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast, and fruit, that was perfectly mixed with seasonings. Every morning, the women of the families in Ubud make palms into little square-like boxes with plants in them and scatter the palm boxes around as a spiritual tradition. They burn them outside the doors of the rooms and lay a lot around the grounds elsewhere. We ate with three other travelers, from France. Two of them left for their next destination at noon, but Dominique showed us around the village. Dominique is 32 and has been living around the world for several years. He moved out of France in 2005 and has lived in places including China, India, and Australia. In other countries, it's more of a norm to travel before settling down. The streets were full of tourists, most from France and a lot from Australia as well. The streets of Ubud are packed with stores selling stuff, it reminds me a lot of the Bahamas. On the roads, there are just as many motor bikes as there are cars and no real road lines, which leads to many crazy drivers. For lunch and dinner, we ate on rooftops of restaurants and the food was delicious. I really like gado-gado, that is served In a delicious peanut oil, that tastes a lot like a Reese's peanut butter cup. Maggie and I went on a walk through the less touristy part of town in the afternoon, and were able to get a feel of the more local life, everyone rides their motor bikes to work, and there are stray roosters, chickens, and dogs everywhere. The animals could tell that we were foreigners and many of the dogs barked at us, once getting chased down the street. Maggie was determined to find the rice fields. My Balinese name is Cadec, second child. The village gets dark around 6:00, which leads to very short days.
First full day in Bali. We explored the village. I woke up to the roosters crowing. .. There are a million roosters that continually crow all day long. Nyoman served us a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast, and fruit, that was perfectly mixed with seasonings. Every morning, the women of the families in Ubud make palms into little square-like boxes with plants in them and scatter the palm boxes around as a spiritual tradition. They burn them outside the doors of the rooms and lay a lot around the grounds elsewhere. We ate with three other travelers, from France. Two of them left for their next destination at noon, but Dominique showed us around the village. Dominique is 32 and has been living around the world for several years. He moved out of France in 2005 and has lived in places including China, India, and Australia. In other countries, it's more of a norm to travel before settling down. The streets were full of tourists, most from France and a lot from Australia as well. The streets of Ubud are packed with stores selling stuff, it reminds me a lot of the Bahamas. On the roads, there are just as many motor bikes as there are cars and no real road lines, which leads to many crazy drivers. For lunch and dinner, we ate on rooftops of restaurants and the food was delicious. I really like gado-gado, that is served In a delicious peanut oil, that tastes a lot like a Reese's peanut butter cup. Maggie and I went on a walk through the less touristy part of town in the afternoon, and were able to get a feel of the more local life, everyone rides their motor bikes to work, and there are stray roosters, chickens, and dogs everywhere. The animals could tell that we were foreigners and many of the dogs barked at us, once getting chased down the street. Maggie was determined to find the rice fields. My Balinese name is Cadec, second child. The village gets dark around 6:00, which leads to very short days.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
South korea- day 6
Day 6 Sat 8/1
We had a good last day in South Korea. I got up and ran in the morning. I got a lot of stares. Koreans don't run. They have a lot of hills here and I ran the streets, so got a lot of stoplights too, but I love to run in new places. When I got home, we packed all of our stuff into our backpacks and have officially started the life of a backpacker: carrying everything you have with you, with no real destination, and no where to "go back" to until the journey is complete. We had lunch with one of Maggie's friends, Courtney, from Canada. She was really fun and we went to an American restaurant and de stressed over lunch from a stressful packing morning. We took a cab to lunch with all of our stuff, and when we got to our restaurant, located on a overly busy, six lane street, and as we unloaded, my backpack and I face-planted into the curb. The trip had begun. In the afternoon, we headed down to Incheon, by the airport, to visit Maggie's nice friends, Emily and Brian, who were from California and have lived here for a few years. Maggie had to give her key back today, and Emily and Brian live closer to the airport and in a much nicer part of town. In the afternoon, we had wine and snacks on their roof with a beautiful view and strolled around beer fest. Beer fest was a big outside fair type event with a great band. After the fair, we made our way to the bar, liquor burger, for dinner and to hang out. The bar was full of foreigners and Maggie, Emily, and Brian knew every single person there. Around 11, a group of about ten of us rushed back to Maggie's so some of her friends could complete their fantasy football drafts.
We had a good last day in South Korea. I got up and ran in the morning. I got a lot of stares. Koreans don't run. They have a lot of hills here and I ran the streets, so got a lot of stoplights too, but I love to run in new places. When I got home, we packed all of our stuff into our backpacks and have officially started the life of a backpacker: carrying everything you have with you, with no real destination, and no where to "go back" to until the journey is complete. We had lunch with one of Maggie's friends, Courtney, from Canada. She was really fun and we went to an American restaurant and de stressed over lunch from a stressful packing morning. We took a cab to lunch with all of our stuff, and when we got to our restaurant, located on a overly busy, six lane street, and as we unloaded, my backpack and I face-planted into the curb. The trip had begun. In the afternoon, we headed down to Incheon, by the airport, to visit Maggie's nice friends, Emily and Brian, who were from California and have lived here for a few years. Maggie had to give her key back today, and Emily and Brian live closer to the airport and in a much nicer part of town. In the afternoon, we had wine and snacks on their roof with a beautiful view and strolled around beer fest. Beer fest was a big outside fair type event with a great band. After the fair, we made our way to the bar, liquor burger, for dinner and to hang out. The bar was full of foreigners and Maggie, Emily, and Brian knew every single person there. Around 11, a group of about ten of us rushed back to Maggie's so some of her friends could complete their fantasy football drafts.
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