Bienvenidos!!

So, after our not so glorious flight home, I was imagining Christmas trees and relaxing evenings with the family. While there were Christmas trees, we were hit with more than I thought possible our first week home, making it anything but relaxing!

We arrived home on Monday morning. I spent the day downloading all our pictures to be able to show them to our family that evening since everyone was coming over for dinner. Meanwhile, Jordi spent the afternoon at the doctors office being poked and prodded and prescribed pointless medication.

It was great to see our families that evening, and share with them our pictures and stories. We went to bed absolutely exhausted, and didn't wake up until noon the next day!

When I checked my e-mail, I received a letter from the owner of the surf shop in Australia where we rented my board and wetsuit. He was very sweet, saying he was so sorry that we got the board stolen, and he hoped it didn't ruin our experience of Australia. He also said that he would only charge us $200 instead of $300 for the board.

This was good news since we had also received in the mail a ticket that Jordi had incurred over 3 months ago, before we left. According to the letter, he didn't come to a complete stop before turning right on a red light. The ticket was for over $400! And that's not mentioning the late fees and court orders!

I also had a letter, this one being from the Collections Agency, saying I owed $800 for not paying a ticket. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about!

First we had to make all the wonderful calls to Verizon to re-open our accounts, and then we spent hours on the phone, calling courts and collection agencies, and making sure there was enough left over to pay for the stolen board.

Thursday morning I awoke to an e-mail from the surf store guy in Australia saying our card information didn't go through to pay for the board. I quickly went online to check our bank account, and low and behold there were 3 transactions I didn't recognize adding up to more than $500, and all taking place that morning. I immediately called the bank and told them the situation. Whoever was buying stuff was using Jordi's card number, so they canceled it.

I spent much of the day contacting the FTC to protect our good credit, calling the local police and heading to the offices to fill out an incident report. Not to mention calls to and from collection agencies who told me to call the LA courthouse to fix the problem. (Ends up I paid the ticket over a year ago, but somehow Collections didn't get that memo).

The bank said they would investigate the situation, and we would be fully reimbursed. This was great, but unfortunately we desperately needed the few hundred dollars in our bank account like, now! It was almost Christmas and I needed to get presents, as well as pay for our stolen board! (I found it ironic that we couldn't pay for the stolen board because all our money has been stolen as well. At least we still have our disposable camera!)

I transfered money from our long term savings into our bank account, but that takes 3 days to transfer. In times like these, when you have absolutely no other resort, you borrow cash from your parents. Yup, that's what we did, and that's how everyone got their Christmas presents on time.

So I went to Nordstrom Rack with my mom to do a bit of Christmas shopping, and of course left a bag of clothes at the counter after I paid for it. I got home and realized I didn't have some expensive items. GREAT! More calls, this time to Nordstrom Rack.

Friday morning Jordi woke up in severe pain. He still had a fever and stomach issues, and now his chest was hurting when he breathed. We rushed him to the hospital again, only this time the doctor gave him a super gnarly anti-amoeba medicine, and ordered tests for malaria and parasites. Of course, we couldn't pay for anything since Jord's card had been discontinued. So we had to drive all the way back home, and then drive all the way back again with my card. I kept checking the bank account to see if any transactions had gone through. We spent hours trying to set up skype and put money on our account so we could call Australia to give the surf guy my card number (I didn't want to write it down in an e-mail!) We FINALLY got that taken care of, which was relieving.

Jordi got sicker and sicker before he got better, but he did start getting better (Thank God). We had to wait for over a week to get all our money back in the bank, but we did get it all back. The money we transfered from the other account eventually went through, and we could pay off the surfboard and my parents. Jordi finally talked to the courthouse and made an appearance (not guilty, we're still waiting for the trial). I eventually got my ridiculous $800 ticket canceled. I got my bag of clothes back from Nordstrom Rack. Christmas was very fun and we had a great time seeing all of our family. When it rains, it pours, but I guess the sun comes out eventually :)

Now if only we could get jobs....

Oz Part 2

The next day was Friday - Aaron flew down to Melbourne for business and for a Christmas Party with his work. Melissa went to work, and Jordi and I took the train to Ferndale - a wildlife animal park just out of Sydney. We got to pet and feed kangaroos and wallabees.

We saw Wombats passed out on their backs in their little holes. We saw Echidna's, which were super funny, and tons of crazy birds. We got to pet koala's, and they really are as soft as they look! They were soooo cute!!!

Most of the animals in the park were lazying about, either asleep or drugged up on eucalyptus. But then we went over to the Emu pen, and he might have been drugged up, but not on Eucalyptus, more like speed:

We were surprised that the Emu hasn't taken over Australia, seeing as how hyperactive and crazy it was compared to all the languid koalas and wombats. We fed it some food, and while Wallabies would take 5 minutes to munch the food, the Emu ate everything in 3 very forceful pecks.

We had lunch at the park, and had a great time walking around and seeing all the interesting animals. We got back to Sydney, and since Aaron was gone, we hung out with only Melissa that night. We walked to downtown Leichhardt, and went to a very nice little wine bar on the main street. Then we went to this AMAZING Thai restaurant that was also downtown. It's one of Aaron and Melissa's favorites, and it really is delicious and authentic, and as far as Australia goes, good prices. We had a lot of fun eating our many curries and soups, and then walked back home. Melis and I tried to watch Australia, but totally fell asleep. Oh well, maybe next time....

Saturday morning Jordi went to Manly Beach to meet up with his friend Lyle. Melissa and I went to a little town nearby where they have a huge market every Saturday. It's called Glebe Markets, and the town of Glebe is super cute and earthy. We spent the morning shopping in the markets, and didn't even get through half of them! I was excited to get a new dress, I was getting pretty sick of the clothes in my backpack. After shopping we went to a cafe called Badde Manors and had a really good breakfast, coffee, and chat (and good manners! ;) ) We then drove up towards Manly beach and met Jordi and Lyle at a beach called Curly.

(The waves were not great, but it was beautiful day. Jordi was sick, which is why he's wearing a jacket!)

Melissa and I lounged on the beach while the boys surfed. Then Melis went to the airport to pick Aaron up from Melbourne, and Jordi and I drove back to Manly with Lyle. We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some things for a barbeque. Ingredients for an Australian barbeque include steak, sausage, perhaps one more type of meat, sliced white bread, ketchup and fried onions, and some cheap beer. Probably the most unhealthy meal ever. Lyle bought some kangaroo at the store, and bbq'd that right up also (it's actually pretty good). His other friend came over, and we sat on the porch for a while, which was nice. When I came up with the name for this blog, I didn't realize that Croissants, Curry, and Kangaroos were all food groups!

We left Lyle's house, and took the ferry across back to downtown Sydney. It's an absolutely gorgeous ride, and very fun. I wish I lived in Manly and worked in downtown Sydney and could take the ferry to work every day, that would be glorious. It's like getting a very cheap Harbor cruise.

Anyways, Sydney was verrrrry crowded, and it took us over an hour to get home on the bus (it's only about 10 miles away!!) We said hello to Aaron and Melis and Ewok, and decided to go to downtown Leichhardt again for dinner. We found a really nice Italian restaurant on the main street, and had yet another delicious meal!

The next morning we had a beach day with Aaron and Melis. We packed up the little car and drove back up to Curly. Jordi wasn't feeling well, but Aaron went surfing. We played some paddle ball and enjoyed the summer weather. Then we went further up the coast for some gourmet Pies. Jordi got the spinach and goat cheese pie, Aaron and I got the veggie pie that came with some delicious cream sauce!

We got home, and Jordi and I had to go return my wetsuit to Bondi beach. We took the bus to downtown, and then I took the bus to Bondi, which took way too long, and ended up taking a taxi back to downtown to meet Jordi. We then walked to a restaurant in the Rocks, and old part of town, where we met Aaron, Melissa, and Joe - Melissa's pilot dad who was in Sydney that day. We met at this place called Lord Nelsons, which was really old and thus really cool ;)

We got more amazing food, and Aaron and Melissa opened some Christmas presents that Joe had brought over from family in California. After dinner we walked to Darling Harbor, where Joe's hotel is, and it was so much fun! All the lights were reflecting on the water, and the Christmas trees and decorations were up, and it was a beautiful summer night, our last night in Sydney :(

The next morning we went for a run, and packed up our backpacks one last time. We borrowed a suitcase for all the extra souvenirs and presents, and said goodbye to Melissa in the morning, and then to Ewok, the grey poofball. Aaron wanted to take us to the airport, but his meeting went 4 times longer than usual, so we had to get a taxi instead - which was fine except that we couldn't say goodbye to Rone!! :( We got to the airport, and were pretty hungry, so we got some Subway. We got sodas also, which unfortunately aren't allowed through customs, so we had to sit on little seats next to 5 lines of people putting their stuff on the conveyer belts and eat our sandwiches and sodas in exile.

Of course I spilled on myself, since we had to eat on our laps, and then when we finally went through customs, I forgot that I was wearing my socks with the holes in them. Of course the guy thought he was being funny, and made comments about Santa getting me new socks. We finally made it onto the airplane, and luckily we got 3 seats to ourselves, so Jordi was able to sleep a lot. Qantas is a great airline, I highly recommend it. We got lots of good food, and plenty of drinks, and hundreds of movies and TV shows at your command.

This was the last flight of our trip, the last leg of our journey. As we flew closer and closer to home, all I could think about were my 4 siblings I was leaving on the other side of the International Date Line, and I was sad. (My stained pants and hole-y socks and sick husband didn't help my mood). But we were also relieved to be going home because Jordi was still sick after 2 weeks of fevers and diarrhea and really needed to see a doctor, and we were excited to see the rest of our families and friends in California.

Goodbye Australia, and world traveling.......for now!! :)

Oz

Monday was our first day to explore Sydney. Aaron showed us how to use the bus system, and we took the bus from their street to Circular Quay, about a half hour ride. We walked along the water to the Opera House, and explored that a bit. Both Jord and I have been to Sydney before, but it was fun to see the beautiful sights again, and explore it together this time. After checking out the Opera House, we went to the Sydney Museum, which had all sorts of information on the founding and history of Sydney, which was interesting. Also they had a couple really cool art exhibits going on, which were probably my favorite part! After the museum we wandered over to the Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are situated on rolling hills sitting above the Harbor, and are amazing to walk through. Not only are the plants interesting to look at, but there are some pretty funny animals that have made the Gardens their home. The Flying Foxes, which are huge ugly bats, live in many of the trees, and are quite a sight! Also, huge white cockatoos and brightly colored parrots, and other crazy looking or sounding birds just wander around on the grass or in the trees! We ate our picnic in the Garden, and then went down for a long walk that runs between the Garden and the Harbor wall, with great views of the Opera House and the Bridge.

We then decided we would walk to Darling Harbor, and took the longest and ugliest route possible. We FINALLY got there, and by that time the sun was in full force and we were sweaty and grumpy. We got 50 cent ice cream cones from McDonalds and walked around the pretty harbor, with it's fountains and Christmas trees. By the time we caught the bus and rode it back to Aaron and Melissa's, it was almost dinner time! Melissa was cooking up something, and meanwhile Aaron challenged us to some tennis. We walked to a park near their house that has courts, and Jordi started to feel sick again. Aaron and I had a rowelling game of tennis, in which I barely beat him and we had about 10 deuces. So fun!!! Melissa made another amazing meal, and we watched our nightly movie (Movies in English were still a novelty for us, so we watched at least one a day ;) )

Aaron and Melissa highly recommended a great walk that starts at Coogee Beach and runs along the cliffs and ocean all the way to Bondi Beach. So Tuesday morning we hopped on the bus that took us straight to Coogee. It's a great little beach town, smaller and less touristy than Bondi or Manly, but very pretty and fun. We started the walk, and it took us over an hour to reach Bondi. The entire time we were mesmerized by the views, and all the little beaches and towns we came across on the way. Australians have this amazing ingenious idea where they build walls in the ocean to make a free swimming pool...it's the coolest thing ever, I wish they had them in California!

Some views from the walk...

A very pretty cemetery on the cliff

Lawn Bowling...

Coming into Bondi!

When we got to Bondi, we swam in the ocean and hung out at the beach for awhile. I hunted out the shops and restaurants I went to 4 years ago, and then we caught the bus back home. Jordi was still not feeling well, and we had a mellow night of Melissa's amazing cooking, Tim Tams, and Movies.

Wednesday, Jordi still wasn't feeling well. He didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything, except laying on the couch or taking naps in the bedroom. By the afternoon however, I was done hanging out at home, although Jordi was still not feeling well. I got on the bus by myself and went to Queen Victoria Mall, an old market building that has been renovated into a fancy mall! There is a huge gorgeous Christmas tree in the middle, reaching through the three marble floors to the ceiling above, winding stairways on the ends, high end stores and exquisite coffee shops and bakeries competing for the attention of your senses. It's quite an experience, and so fun to walk around during Christmas season.

I continued walking down George Street, and found to my astonishment that clothes in Sydney are European style expensive! All my thoughts of Christmas shopping flew out the window - a pair of Quicksilver boardshorts cost no less than $80, and there are rarely sales, and no existing Nordstrom Rack! But it was fun to go in all the shops, and make my way back down to Circular Quay. Once there I walked around the Harbor, listening to the crazy guys on their didgeridoos and meandering the shops by the Harbor. It was actually really fun to have a day of shopping and wandering by myself, since I know Jord doesn't thrive on that, and I didn't feel rushed. I ended up getting some good deals on few things, and eventually made my way by bus back to the house. When I got there, Aaron and Melissa had just gotten home. I went for a run (there is a great run from their house to a park on the Harbor water!) and we ordered take out from the most amazing pizza place I've ever experienced (Crust Gourmet Pizza in Annandale). We watched movies and ate pizza and had a great relaxing night!

The next day Jordi was feeling slightly better, so I dragged him out of the house, and we went for a long walk to another town called Newtown. It's a pretty funky town, with Berkley vibes and crazy characters. We went into some of the fun little shops, and by that time Jord was ready to trek back (I wasn't!) We relaxed in the afternoon until I got restless again and decided to go into the city. Jord felt like he was well enough to join me, so that was fun. We stopped at the Queen Victoria mall again, so I could show him how awesome it is. We walked to the Opera House, and went to the classy Opera Bar down on the water. Tons of people were having their Christmas Parties there, so it was very festive and crowded, which I love :)

We took the bus home, and had a nice evening with Aaron and Melissa. Melissa made us dinner again, and we hung out chatting, and laughing at Ewok's crazy antics! Later we watched The Castle, a classic Australian movie, that is absolutely hilarious.

Coledale Campings

We arrived in Australia on Thursday, and spent Friday meandering around the cute little town of Leichhardt, where Aaron and Melissa live. We also took advantage of free internet and phone, and thoroughly enjoyed watching English TV for the first time in weeks.

In the afternoon, we drove to Bondi Beach to rent a board and wetsuit for me to use all week, (Jord was borrowing Aaron's stuff). When Aaron and Melissa got home from work, we packed up their little car with tents, ice chests, blankets, pillows, surboards, and wetsuits. There was no way 4 people could fit in there too, but somehow we squeezed. Aaron called us the Clown Mobile, and it felt like it!

Driving in Sydney is actually very much like driving in the South Bay. There are no freeways, lanes come and go, there is no direct way to get anywhere....but after two hours of manuevering, we finally got out! The difference between Sydney and LA is once you are out of the city, there's nothing there! Immediately you feel like you are on the Central Coast, cruising through forests and meadows, and before long we came to a cliff drive along the ocean. It was so incredibly beautiful driving along the coast, and soon we got to our campsite. It was a big grassy area right in front of the ocean. Jordi and Aaron went surfing while Melissa and I put up our tents (what good wives we are ;) ). Later in the evening more of Aaron and Melissa's friends showed up, and after they set up their tents we hung out for a bit before going to bed.

I woke up early in the morning to a baby crying. More like whining, actually. Where the heck is it's mom, and why does it not stop?? Maybe that's not a baby...? Is it some sort of animal? I learned later that it was a bird whose cry is uncannily human. Australia has all sorts of birds that make the craziest loudest noises!

Saturday we went surfing in the morning, it was fun and beautiful. We had a big Australian breakfast of baked beans, spaghetti, sausage, bacon, and eggs (interesting...). The boys went surfing again, and we played some bocci ball as well. Jord and I went for a really long walk up the coast, and it was seriously sooooo pretty!! Even though it's relatively close to Sydney, it's not even close to being crowded.

That night more friends arrived and set up tent, and some of the guys bbq'd steak. Right after dinner it started raining, so we ducked into tents to hang out until everyone went to bed.

The next morning some guys went surfing, and we all had breakfast together. After breakfast I was going to go surfing also. But I couldn't find my rental board. Yup, it had been stolen in the night! I was incredibly bummed and mad - who steal a surfboard at a campsite?? There is a road behind the campsite, and everyone else around us had things stolen also - camping gear, alcohol, etc.. We think some punks drove up in the night, hopped out and grabbed stuff, and drove away. It was super lame. So, we ended up having to pay for a new surfboard that I had ridden once, on top of renting it for a week. Fabulous.

We loaded up the car again, and went with two of Aaron's friends to another beach in a nature reserve. The drive was awesome, and the beach was really pretty too, but windy! Aaron, his two friends, and Jord surfed while Melissa and I worked on our tans and read gossip magazines :)

We got back home in the afternoon, unpacked, and got cleaned up. Melissa's dad, Joe, is a pilot for United, and flies from San Francisco to Sydney on a regular basis. He happened to be in town on this Sunday, and we met him in downtown Leichhardt for some incredible Italian food.

It was a quite a weekend! We had so much fun camping, aside from the board being stolen, and it was great to see Aaron and Melissa, and a little bit of the Australian coast and nature reserve, and fun to see Joe again! :)

On The Road Again

We stayed for two nights in our hotel in Seminyak, and it was really fun to be right on the beach. Our new system for dealing with street vendors worked out very well, and everyone was right when they said Seminyak had the best food and shopping. Unfortunately, Bali was going through a hot spell, so the days were over 90 degrees and Humid!! It was sooooo hot!!!!

We would try to run or surf before 7 or 8 in the morning, because the heat was already unbearable by then. I would drink tea for breakfast while sweat was pouring down my face. Luckily our hotel room had air condition, and we retreated there a lot, just to cool off!

Our last day in Seminyak we had the whole day to kill since our flight didn't leave until 11 pm. We received both a call at the front desk from our taxi driver, and a note under our door from the management reminding us of our appointment at 7:30 with (whatever his name was). We were like, "OMG he's stalking us!!!!!!" Taxi drivers love taking tourists to the airport also because many times they give the drivers all their extra cash. Anyways, we spent a nice day surfing, walking around the shops, and eating at beachside restaurants before meeting our lovely taxi driver at 7:30. We had to stop in Kuta to return the surfboards that we rented, and while we were walking down the street we saw a German guy that was in our bus on the way to Cambodia!! Sooooo random!! We chatted with him for a bit, and thought it was crazy that we met him the first day we were in asia, and ran into him our last day in Bali!

Anyways, we made it to the airport and I gave the taxi driver the rest of our cash ($5) of which he was profusely grateful and I hoped I never saw him again.

We got in line to go through customs, and oh! what do you know? Indonesia charges $15 a person to leave the country. Cash only. AAAHHHH!!!! We thought they charged $10 a person, and set that much aside, and had perfectly spent the rest of our cash - only to have to go back to the ATM and spend 10 dollars in fees to get 10 more dollars out. It was extremely frustrating.

Our first flight was from Bali to Darwin, and it was 3 hours long. We landed at 3 AM and had to hang out in the airport until 7 AM. The only cafe in our waiting area was ridiculously expensive, as in $6 for a slice of banana bread. So we decided to hold out. Well, our flight was delayed until 8 AM, and we were flying Jetstar, which is like the Ryanair of Asia. Basically zero amenities and tons of hidden fees. So we finally boarded, and it was a 4 hour flight, putting us in Sydney at 2 PM. They didn't give us any meal or snack, and only one cup of water. Jordi splurged on a $3 nescafe to hold him over. I was cold, so I asked for a blanket - oh, that will be 8 dollars. "What??!!" So instead I dug out my travel sleeping bag sheet thing and cocooned up in that, much to the amusement of the guy next to me.

Do you know I read somewhere that they are actually thinking of charging to use the restroom? (or was that Ryanair?) Anyways, the fact that they would even think that gives you the gist of how fabulous it is to fly with them, how taken care of you feel.

By the time we landed in Sydney, we were tired, freezing, thirsty, and starving. Thank you Jetstar. We gobbled up some expensive Subway and got a taxi to take us to Aaron and Melissa's house. It took us over half an hour to get there, so you would think they would be somewhat far from the airport. Imagine my surprise when I went on the porch and I could practically see the people in the little windows of the plane as it roared above me!! Apparently their house is only a few miles from the airport, downtown, beach - everywhere! But since there are NO freeways and horrible traffic, it just takes forever to get anywhere!!

Anyways, Jord and I cleaned up and rested for a bit until Aaron got home around 4. It was soooooo good to see him!! I hadn't seen him in over a year, which is the most I've ever not seen him! He directly took us to the beach where him and Jordi went surfing. When we came home, Melissa was home, and already cooking an incredible steak dinner. It was SO amazing to see her also, and we had a big happy reunion. It felt like normal, which feels great :)

NO THANK YOU!!!!!!

The second day in Sanur, we rented moto's again and drove out to a beach called Karamas. It's a black sand beach, and HOT and reminded me of Guatemala. Surfing was fun (although more fun for Jord) and then we made the hot moto trek back to town. Driving a moto through Indonesian traffic in the middle of the hot day is probably one of the least fun things to do ever. But then we went surfing again at the reef in front of our hotel, which was really fun for me, although kind of small and packed with locals. That night we went out to one of the many cute and delicious restaurants on the sand, which was very fun.
The next day we went to Karamas again, but this time only Jord went surfing. He stayed out for a few hours and got completely fried because our sunscreen is some super cheap concoction we bought in Thailand. That night he got a fever and was stomach sick also. Possibly from so much sun? Anyways, I didn't know what to do with myself that evening, with Jord in bed and the whole night in front of me! I ventured out, but then realized that walking the dark streets by yourself with everyone trying to talk to you or get you to buy something just isn't that fun nor that safe. I've gotten so spoiled having a boy by my side at all times! So since the place we were staying was a homestay (essentially somebody's house), I asked some of the guys if we could rent a DVD player. So one of the guys went into his room and unhooked his DVD player for us to borrow, and the other came back with his personal selection of DVD's. We watched a few surf DVD's and one regular movie called Next, "a fairly competent suspense thriller", according to the rave reviews on the back of the box. But I was glad that we could hang out without me feeling stuck in our room or Jordi having to get out of bed!
The next day Jordi still wasn't feeling well, but we packed up our stuff and took a taxi to Seminyak, another little beach town just north of Kuta, but on the other side of the peninsula from Sanur.
Maybe it was just one too many people knocking on our door at the homestay - "Excuse me, you left this out." "Excuse me, do you want breakfast?" "Excuse me, breakfast is here." "Excuse me, the taxi (that we wanted in an hour) is here now."
Maybe it was just one too many people asking me for something - "Yes, transport?" "You want massage?" "Manicure? Pedicure?" "Come into my shop! Buy something!"
Maybe it's that you can't even look for food without 5 people hovering over you, watching you look at the menu and making suggestions of what to order.
Maybe it was our taxi driver, who followed us all over the hotel until we got our room number, so he could write it down, (all the while making sure we were meeting him Wednesday at 7:30 so he could take us to the airport) and if we didn't keep our end of the deal, he knew where to find us.
Maybe it was a culmination of the past 7 weeks in Asia, where my personal space bubble has been through the ringer.
Maybe it's that during all this I keep a smile on my face and a polite voice.
Whatever the reasons, as soon as the kind hotel man finished showing us how to work the TV and airconditioning and finally shut the door behind him, I started to bawl.
I did not want to talk to anyone and I did not want to buy anything and I did not want anyone knocking on the door. I took a hot shower and cranked up the AC and we watched cable TV until I thought I could face the world again.
So now we have a new system. When walking along the beach, I keep my head down and ignore everyone while Jordi deals with the social aspect:
"No, I don't want a pedicure. No, she doesn't want a pedicure either."
"Hello....I'm Jordi......we're from America.......no I don't want a massage, thank you."
"We're from America....no we don't need any transport today."
"No, she doesn't want any bracelets, thank you."
Over and over and over again, but he seems to not mind talking to people even when all it is is an introduction to selling you something. And as for me, if I'm not going to say something nice, I should just not say anything at all.
ANYWAYS, apart from that whole business, Seminyak is a wonderful place. I like it because it's quieter than Kuta or Sanur, and the beach is gorgeous. There are tons of good restaurants, and supposedly surf out front, although it doesn't look very good.
Jordi is finally feeling better, so we will probably rent a moto again to look for surf elsewhere.
And we are definitely getting excited about seeing Aaron and Melissa in two days!

Uluwatu

We were planning on staying 2 nights in Uluwatu. But then the landlady promised us free breakfast if we would stay for 3 nights. And then we stayed a 4th
night. And a 5th....Life in Uluwatu came very easily, and breakfasts were delicious (Best banana pancakes in the world!)We spent our days surfing, laying by the pool, eating good food, and exploring surf spots further down the coast on our moto.
The second day we were there, we were paddling out and a big wave came and crashed on me, pulling my leash off (which had barely any velcro holding it on). As I swam to rescue it from the rocks, another big wave came, throwing me up and pushing me down. The current was super strong, sweeping me toward the rocks and around the cliff. Thankfully Jordi saw me and took a wave to where I was. We navigated the rocks, found my board - battered but not irrepairable - and got back to the beach. I took my board to get fixed, but it was a pretty frustrating experience. But "Puji Tuhan", another saying from my dad (Indonesian for "Praise the Lord" ), that nothing worse happened than some dings on my board and knee.
A couple days later, we drove to a beach called Nusa Dua to scope out the surf and possibly a place to stay. Although the waves looked fun, the entire stretch of coast was covered in extremely expensive resorts! So we decided not to stay at that beach, but we did surf there the next day. Jordi did an impressive job of navigating us through all the towns and traffic and trucks, driving on the left side of the road, with a surfboard laden moto, keeping us safe the whole time - another reason to say Puji Tuhan.
After surfing in Nusa Dua, Jordi's back began to really hurt. We didn't surf at all the next day because the waves were really small and Jord's back was hurting anyways. Instead we moto'd around the corner from our bungalows to the highroller Blue Point Resort, and played in their infiniti pool on the cliff, got lunch at their fancy restaurant, and luxuriant massages in the spa, celebrating one and half years of being married :)
The day after that, we got a car to take us to the town of Sanur, which we were hoping would have fun waves and less wind. We found some pretty cheap bungalows by the beach, and although there are no waves at the moment, it's a fun town to walk around, with tons of shopping and a pretty beach. Today we rented beach cruisers and rode all up and down the boardwalk, which is actually quite long!
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and we thought of all our friends and family, and we are so thankful to have each of you in our lives. Since pumpkin pie was not readily available, we stuffed ourselves on 30 cent wafers and Nescafe.




This is my poem that somewhat sums up the sights and sounds around us:

Indonesia

Hello, yeees??!
Smoky burning
Always sweeping
Banana leaf offerings
Checkered cloths
On statues bums
Very vocal geckos and
Heavy scented plumerias
Beautiful beaches
Black deisel in your face

Beautiful Bali

After a painless flight from Bangkok to Bali, we shared a taxi with a European backpacker couple to the city of Kuta, the central tourist beach closest to the airport. Jordi told me the first time he came to Indonesia, Kuta seemed crazy and overwhelming. I think after being in Saigon, everything seems tame, and Kuta was great because it was right by the beach! We walked around for a while with our huge backpacks and our new friends until we finally found a place. It was a room with a bathroom for $8 a night, including breakfast. The only bummers were that there were two twin beds instead of a double, the mattresses were way too soft (I think I got used to Thailand's version of mattresses which are made of cardboard), and there was a beetle on my pillow. So I spent the two nights in Kuta sleeping on the tile.
But cheap lodging means more shopping! And Kuta is the place to be for that. The first day we rented boards for the 2 weeks that we will be here, and a moto for the day. We drove out to a surf spot called Uluwatu, and went out. It was soo much fun! Small enough for me to have a lot of fun, and good enough for Jord to have a lot of fun also. We were both so happy to be back in the ocean and surfing! After surfing, we attempted to eat lunch at this place on the cliff overlooking the waves. Although the view was amazing, the lady running the place was nuts, and I waited for over an hour for my pineapple juice!! Oh well... after Uluwatu, we drove to a Hindu temple nearby known as the Monkey Temple. It's located on top of huge cliffs overlooking the ocean - amazing views! And there are TONS of monkeys. They sit on the posts and dangle in the trees, eating, running, giving tourists the evil eye...
As I was walking down the path, I was suddenly aware of a horrible stench. Before I could say, "What's that smell?" I realized my sunglasses were gone! A big stinky monkey had reached right over and grabbed them from off my head! The Indonesian boys tried to get them from him, but he ran away down the cliff! Amazingly, one of the boys did get them back for me, complete with monkey bites! :)
Another time we were standing there getting our picture taken by the cliff when a monkey landed on Jordi's head, and refused to get off of him! They are such little devils - incredibly impertinent, yet so funny you can't help but like them anyways.
After the temple, we returned to Kuta for a beautiful sunset, cheap food, and sweet tile floored dreams.
Oh ya, we also got massages, but the girls were so busy texting on their cell phones, Jord and I both got mostly one handed massages by uninterested adolescent girls, but what can you expect for $5 an hour?
Since we liked Uluwatu so much when we were there, we had found a great little bungalow/ villa place to stay at, and the next morning we packed up our things and got a taxi to take us there. By the time we arrived it was noon, Jord went to go surf for a bit and I got to relax and read and write. That afternoon we got delicious lunch at another restaurant (that was actually functioning) overlooking the waves, hung out by the pool, played ping pong, and then we both went to go surf again. This time it was really low tide, and I didn't bring by booties down to the water, so I surfed in my bare feet, which really hurt on the coral. We got dinner at yet another primo location on the cliff. I could really get used to $5 meals with epic views of famous surf spots. It's pretty amazing!
Anyways, we are still in Uluwatu and loving it. We aren't sure where we'll go next...but that's the way we like it :)
Until next time...

Koh Chang

So, as Jordi mentioned we took a very long, hot bus ride to the beach from Bangkok. The bus was showing the movies, and they were subtitled - I think translated from English, into another language, and back to English. So while the guy on the screen was saying, "Hurry up, we have to go now!" the subtitles read, "Nobody is the vegetarian food and say yes!" It was really pretty hilarious, and I think more entertaining than the movies themselves.
We got to the island, and as Jordi said, got a room at the Luxury Guesthouse, which ended up being the best value on the island! The first full day we were on the island, we got a really janky moto that could barely make it up the hills. Also, nobody informed me that tailpipes are excruciatingly hot, and I totally burned my leg on it! It hurt sooo bad! So I got to spend the rest of the week with a blistering purple wound on my leg, it was beautiful. The island really was beautiful though, and it was fun to explore it a bit.
The next day we hung out by the beach, and that's where Jord left off.
The 3rd day on the island, we had an amazing time pretending we were on a second honeymoon. We figured that although seemingly expensive, it was still cheap and gorgeous, so we enjoyed it for what it was. We got tropical cocktails on the sand and rented a kayak. We went for a small hike along the ocean, and swam in the hot water. The water is not even warm, it's hot - sometimes hotter than the humid air! That night we went out for pizza - Italian food was everywhere, and it was pretty good!
The next day we rented a moto again, only this time we got it from a different place and it was really nice, automatic, and came with 2 new helmets. We went the other way, and explored the other side of the island. We found a waterfall that was gorgeous, and we climbed around and swam for about an hour. Then we kept riding, stopping at gorgeous viewpoints along the road. We found a remote beach called Long Beach, that had a couple little hippie lodgings and restaurants. We got fruit smoothies and lied in the hammocks, and then went down to the sand. The water was incredibly clear and turquoise, and super shallow! You had to walk for like 10 minutes to get up to your neck! Anyways, we were swimming around in the water when all of the sudden Jordi yelled, "OW!! Move, move move!" As he was saying that, I felt a piercing sensation in my back. I had seen these flying swordfish things earlier, and my first thought was that a flying swordfish was dangling from my back. "WHAT'S ON MY BACK??!!!" I screamed. "Nothing! We just got stung by a jellyfish, let's get out of here!" It took a minute for me to realize there was nothing poking my back, and we finally made it out of the ocean. Jordi got stung across his arm and chest, and I got stung across my ribs and back. We must have been tangled up in that thing! Anyways, we were drying off on the beach when a German couple told us to put lime on the stings. So we went to the restaurant right on the beach, but the owner assured us the stings would stop hurting soon. So we ordered spicy red curry and cold Chang beer, and took his advice of not worrying. We sat on the sand overlooking an idylic beach, eating our spicy curry, and letting our stings subside. Life was good :)
We got back on our moto and chugged up the impossibly steep and unpaved jungle roads back to the main road. We continued on, and found another waterfall. It was a 15 minute hike, and another beautiful fall. We swam, and climbed down to the pool below it, which had a rope swing :)
After that waterfall, we drove back to our side of the island. We were just in time for sunset, so we took our towels and Skipbo, and went down to the beach to play cards and watch the sunset. Somewhere along our journey our camera stopped working. We could not figure out what happened, or why. We think it's still taking pictures, but the screen looks totally busted, like it looks blank except for a purple splotch. So that is really discouraging, but other than that, we had a great day. We got Pad Thai from a cart off the street (sorry Mom.. but I think it's so fried we would never get sick!) Luckily his cart wasn't right next to the durian carts. I think durian is in season right now because all the fruit vendors on the side of the street are selling it. Every time we walk down the side of the street, I hold my breath. I had heard of this fruit, and it's really as bad as people say. The smell could make you nauseous. Anyways...today we had to pack up and leave the island. We took a taxi back to the ferry, and then the hot, uncirculated bus back to Bangkok.
My dad used to sing a song that went, "Where do all the hippies meet? South Street! South Street!" Well, I have a new one for you Dad - it goes, "Where do all the hippies go? Khoa San Road! Khoa San Road!" After hours driving through the countryside, and a couple hours more driving through Bangkok, we pulled up to Khoa San Road, and the hippies were teeming the streets. Dreaded hair and flowy pants dominate in this backpacker epicenter of Asia. We joined the masses - eating from a little plastic table restaurant on the side of the street, shopping, and relishing the cheap (room - $6, dinner - $3), funky, exciting scene that is Bangkok.

Goodbye, SEA (mainland)
Tomorrow we are flying to Bali, which technically is still South East Asia, but ends this portion of our trip. I am sooo glad we had the opportunity to see this part of the world. It's amazing how different it is over here. But while the way of life might seem so foreign, these people have families, jobs, friends, drama, routine - same as everybody. I am glad I have gotten to see their way of life, and be more understanding of their culture. We have encountered so many friendly people, and learned a lot about this part of the world. Also, I cannot be thankful enough for the chance to see Scott and Andrea in their element, and all the amazing people they know already.
Anyways, with that I would like to leave you with a memory of each country...

Vietnam:
"Look, 4 people on a moto!"
"No, wait there's 5 - I think that's a record."
"Omg, there's another little head - 6 people on the moto!!"

Cambodia:
Our cooking instructor talking about local pork -
"Pigs in America, they eat corn and msg and things. Pigs in Cambodia, they eat Happy Herb and rice!"
Much fresher.

Thailand:
The best thing about Thailand is the writing. I already mentioned the subtitles. Also everyone walks around with shirts that make absolutely no sense - "U know My hair and Kittens" in glossy, colorful letters.
Signs on the side of the road -
"Laundry - Washed, Roasted"
"Peachfulness, Freshness, Safety - Identity" I have no idea what they were advertising, but I really wish I could find out...!
In a brochure at our hotel -
"Koh Kood - The second largest of the 52 islands that comprise the Koh Chang archipelago and if it wasn't located so damn far away would easily be the most popular..."
Although I have to say - the fact that all these foreign countries can even speak English is impressive, and I realize how spoiled I am. When's the last time we tried to learn Vietnamese or Thai?

And here's one for all the countries:
"HELLOOoooOOO!!"
Jordi responds, "Hi!"
"Where are you frooom?"
Jordi responds, "California!"
"How long you here?"
Jordi responds
"You want massage / taxi / suit / etc etc

Although I find it pretty easy to ignore people, Jord insists on being polite, which leads to many many of these conversations....

See you in Bali!

Asia - by Jordi

Jordi here - Kirsten has granted me the temporary and undeserved privelege of covering a couple days of our existence out here. Not to worry, she'll be back soon to cover any gaps I leave in our narrative with her usual charm and style.
So yes, we left Bangkok on a double-decker tour bus. It was nice by Asian standards, meaning that it was intended to be nice and may once have been nice, but everything was a little frayed and our "air conditioning" was a completely insufficient dribble of air out of a few measly vents. Kirsten was roasting, and I was melting the entire drive. We arrived in Trat 7 hours later, where we were hearded off the bus and onto a large ferry for the 20-minute ride out to Kho Chang. The ferry was infinitely cooler than the bus, and it was really fun to stand up in the second level, look out over the ocean, and feel the ocean breeze dry up our sweat.
We arrived at the port in Ko Chang with absolutely no idea where we were going or how to get there. I had picked up a brochure on the boat advertising some luxury condos. The brochure contained a rough 2-inch map of the island which we were using to try to orient ourselves.
When we got off the boat we followed the crowd onto some waiting truck-taxis (trucks with benches installed in the back to cram people onto), headed down the coast and jumped off at a the second beach we saw, the name of which completely escapes me. (I find it really difficult to remember the names of places here, they all kind of sound the same, like Ko Chang, Chiang Mai, Ko Samet, Ko Samui, Kho San, and they all get totally scrambled in my head)
The beaches here are lined with bungalo-resorts, so we walked down to one of the not-too-assuming looking offices to ask about their rates. They gave us a price, about $20 for a basic room or $40 for one with AC. While reasonable compared to US rates, this sounded astronomical after our $10 per night rooms we had had elsewhere, $15 if we were going big. Unable to stomach this cost on our ever-tightening budget, we walked across the street to the "Luxury Guesthouse" advertised there. The rooms, while still $20 per night were at least clean, quiet, non-moldy, and air conditioned. Not wanting to trek any more in the heat, we took the room with plans to find our perfect beachfront paradise the next day.
As planned, we spent the next day going to several other hotels nearby, and discovered to our horror that the first bungalows we checked out were probably the most reasonable in the city! We decided to spend just one more night in the hotel, and rent a motorcycle the next day to explore the island and see what we could find.
The next day we dropped $4 and got a "moto", Asia's ubiquitous 100cc scooter, and spent the day crawling up and bombing down the steepest jungle roads i've ever seen. We had a great time checking out all the nooks and crannies around the island, turning down dead-ending side streets, and testing the off-road limits of the scooter. We found that the beach we had chosen to stay was in fact the nicest, least crowded, most sandy, gasp- most affordable beach around.
That was two days ago, yesterday we spent the day by the beach bouncing on coconut-tree-suspended swings and swimming in the crazy hot water. Our "temporary" little guesthouse has become our permanent residence, and we spend our days looking for food that's not twice the price of food in Bangkok, lazing at the beach, honing our paddleball skills, bronzing, and of course on the internet. Today we're going to rent a kayak and explore some very small islands right off our beach. While this island is beautiful and it is amazing to be out of big cities and by the beach, it is slightly frustrating to be paying more than we're used to for things (but we've become so spoiled by asian prices!) and it makes me realize how ready I am for some waves! I find myself dreaming about the 4-inch ripples that wash up on the beach here. Can't wait for Bali!

Chiang to Chang

After our trek, we had two nights to spend in Chiang Mai. The first night we got a hotel for $7, but the mattress was just as hard as the mats we had been sleeping on, and the toilet had to be manually flushed, so we decided the next night to upgrade. We got a beautiful big room with a separate bathroom. You know you have a nice room when it comes with sheets and an actual mattress, and the toilet flushes. It is even more luxury when the shower is seperated, and not a shower head hooked up next to the sink. AND it had air conditioning, which is almost a necessity for poor Jordi who is constantly dripping. Anyways, we loved our room, but we seriously killed at least 30 mosquitos by the time we went to bed. I don't know what was going on, but there were TONS of them!! Jordi and I were running around in our pajamas clapping and stomping for such a long time the owners probably thought we were having some sort of Indian dancing session.
We had a great time in town the short time we were there. We rented bikes and rode all around the perimeter of the town, and through all the little alleyways. We ate amazing brown rice curries and soymilk lattes. We ran into almost everyone from our trek, which was really fun. The second night we were there, we went out to dinner with the two English guys. They are a crack up, and it was fun to get to know them a little better. After dinner, we all walked to the night market which is HUGE!!! It goes for blocks and blocks and blocks, and you can buy absolutely anything your heart desires, as long as it's carved wooden elephants, t-shirts, or purses.
The next day we had to get the train back to Bangkok in the afternoon. It was absolutely beautiful scenery chugging out of Chiang Mai. We ordered dinner on the train, and had about as good a night as you could ask for sleeping on a train. We arrived in Bangkok at 6:30 AM, and got a tuk-tuk to Ko Sahn Road, the tourist area. 3rd time's a charm :)
It was blazingly hot, even at 7 in the morning, so we opted for a hotel with a swimming pool. We got cleaned up and did some errands, but mostly spent the day swimming or reading by the pool, which was really nice!
We spent one night in Bangkok, and the next morning at 8 AM, we got on a bus that was to take us the island of Ko Chang - 7 hours south of Bangkok and near the border of Cambodia.

"Non Touristic Areas"

A truck came to pick us up in the morning - one of those pick up trucks with a bench on either side so you sit facing each other. We fit 14 people on our pick up truck, to give you an idea of how squishy our morning was. We all became friends very fast! The truck drove us out of the city, stopping once to register with the tourist police and give them copies of our passports (so the authorities know who is out in the jungle). Once out of town we stopped at a market where our guides picked up supplies for all our meals. We drove and drove, coming to a bumpy dirt road which eventually ended in front of some huts. We piled out, and our guide told us we were going to have lunch here. So we all sat on some benches at a long table, and he proceeded to give us the coolest packed lunch ever - fried rice and vegetables wrapped in banana leaves, with an orange for dessert. All the packaging could be thrown in the compost, it was very eco friendly. (I have found it interesting that at home everybody is so concerned about how to be "green" and eco friendly, whereas here it is just a way of life).
After lunch, we slung on our backpacks and began our trek. We followed our guide, Pan, through the bamboo forests and slippery paths for a few hours before arriving at a waterfall in the late afternoon. We crossed a bridge over a waterfall, and then Pan told us we could go swimming. I was like, "Wait, in this pool right here?" The pool was not very large and quickly led to a semi large waterfall. I was really scared of falling over the edge, and would have much rather swam somewhere that didn't lead to a drop. But everyone changed and we all jumped in. The water was cold, and felt amazing after our sweaty hike. Probably half an hour into swimming, Sophie, a 22 year old British girl whom I had made friends with, was trying to climb out on the rocks, but slipped and was swept to the edge of the falls. While I screamed my head off, Toshi, a Japanese guy in our group, did something actually helpful and jumped after her. He grabbed her and they both fell one level down the falls, but not all the way down. He pushed her onto the rocks where her boyfriend grabbed her and pulled her up. Meanwhile, Toshi's wife Satchi, and I sat on the other side of the falls having heart attacks. All the rest of the group were down in another pool jumping off rocks. I was SO scared, first of all because that's exactly what I was scared would happen to me, and second of all because I had made friends with Sophie and she felt like a little sister, and I don't even want to think about what would have happened if she fell all the way over. I'm just really glad Toshi was there and able to grab her in time.
After that, we all got out and dried off, and hiked the rest of the way to the village where we were going to spend the night. The village consists of 9 families, and they have an agreement with the trekking service to provide a dwelling for trekkers, a toilet, and drinks. In return, the village is paid. Our dwelling was a big bamboo hut on stilts, with mats and a blanket for each person, and a fire where our guides cooked us dinner. The toilets were a hole in the ground, and a squatty potty with a bucket. We all went up into the village and watched the villagers come home with their baskets of firewood or food, and start the evening rituals. We then sat around on our stilted bamboo balcony overlooking the jungle, with a huge bucket of ice cold waters, coca cola's, and chang beers, and waited for our dinner. There were 12 people in our group: a Belgian couple in their 50's, a Japanese couple in their 30's, a British couple in their early 20's, 2 French girls, and 2 British guys, and us, the lone Americans (We've barely met any Americans this entire trip!) Everybody could speak a little bit of English, but not much. However, everyone was incredibly friendly and interesting, and it was really fun to get to meet and talk with them.
Somehow Pan and his friends managed to make a feast for us over one small fire, and since there was no electricity we ate delicious curry and rice with candlelight under the stars.
Some of the villagers came to hang out with us in the evening, and taught us a lot of mind games involving toothpicks and string, it was fun.
But when you've been hiking all afternoon, there is no electricity, the only source of entertainment is string, and nobody speaks the same language, you get tired pretty quickly. We were all in bed by 9 :)

Of course I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. This involved wriggling my way out of my sleeping bag sheet, groping for my flip flops and toilet paper in the pitch dark, and feeling my way with my hands through all the sleeping people over the creaky floor. I finally made it to the door and figured out how to unlock it, stepping out onto the unsteady porch. Luckily there were stars out, so I could see my way down the ladder, and down the hill to the outhouses. A successful experience with the slippery squatty potty, and I made my way back up the hill, up the ladder, across the creaky floor, and into my sleeping bag, where I spent a very cold night trying to cuddle next to Jordi, who would have none of it, on our hard little mats.

The next morning we all woke up, surprised at how cold the night had been and ready to tackle a new day. We sat on our porch for an hour drinking nasty nescafe, and tea that tasted like boiled spinach until our breakfast was ready. Pan cooked us carrots and eggs, and toasted some white bread - once again pretty impressive for the tiny fire he had going.

We finally got trekking by mid morning. It's called trekking, not hiking, because hiking usually involves trails and destinations, whereas trekking involves a lot of machete hacking and wandering through peoples back yards. Our Thai guides have walked these trails so often, they were skipping all over the place in their plastic sandals, waiving their machetes and having a grand ol time, while we trudged wheezing and sweaty behind them. The trails led us through banana tree and bamboo forests, sometimes so narrow and slippery it was scary. Other times we walked through rice fields and ambled through cow pastures. Everything was incredibly gorgeous. The only thing was the constant attack of gnats and bugs, who think eyeballs and ear canals would make great homes. Next time I come to the jungles of Thailand, I will remember to bring goggles and earmuffs.

Our guide took us to see a bat cave (which I obviously did not go into), and my cheap backpack I bought in Bangkok completely ripped, so it was all tied up and Jordi was carrying it like a football. Everybody was ready for lunch by the time we arrived at another village around 1. We waited for an hour while they cooked us fried rice, and then continued on our way. We came to an Elephant Camp and got to watch them and take pictures, but we didn't ride them until the next day. In the evening we made it to our next village where we were going to sleep. This time we had misquito nets and sinks, it was luxury :)

For dinner our guides made fried pumpkin with tofu, green curry soup, and rice. It was sooo good!! We all sat around talking until it was late enough to go to bed!

The next morning we had our standard coffee and tea, with white toast and watermelon for breakfast. Everybody exchanged addresses and info, promising to visit eachother in all our homelands. We walked back to the elephant camp, and got to ride the huge and friendly beasts. Elephants are so funny, I loved it! After our elephant ride, we walked an hour more to a village where we got picked up by a truck which took us to a river. We got out and got to go white water rafting for a bit (don't worry, they were pretty tame rapids!) and then we got to go on a bamboo raft. We were half sinking, but it was really peaceful and beautiful floating down the river. When we got to the end of our run, we all got to eat delicious pad thai before getting back on the truck that would take us back to Chiang Mai.

It was such a fun adventure, and I'm grateful that no one got hurt or sick. Our group was a great mix of people, and our guide was a sweet and knowledgeable guy. We had a great time, and I would highly recommend Trekking - just don't forget the goggles and earmuffs! ;)

Back to Bangkok

After being in Cambodia and Vietnam, arriving in Thailand felt luxurious. We were amazed at the freeways, and the really nice pedestrian backpacker area downtown. Stores looked like stores, instead of the living rooms of tiny houses, there are sidewalks with room to walk on them, and most people drive cars instead of motos. The food is recognizable, and many people speak at least a little bit of English. Thailand is "easy".
We spent our day in Bangkok eating all the delicious treats from the sidewalk carts - fruit bowls with muesli, rice balls filled with coconut custard, roasted corn on the cob, and of course pad thai. There are also a ton of markets and fun shopping to do. Along with the great people watching, it felt like we were at a fair!
The next day we boarded our train that was going to take us to a little city in the mountains called Chiang Mai. The ride is about 16 hours long, so we opted for the sleeper car. Most Thai people pay for the third class seats, which are basically like on a bus, but in our car the seats turned in to beds - I felt very privileged! The train was fun, Jordi and I sat facing each other with a huge open window that you could stick your head out, and see the people next door sticking their heads out as well :) We passed through the beautiful green countryside full of rice fields and distant mountains. When it got dark people started coming up the isle selling various dinner foods. Around 8, a guy came around and changed everybody's seats into beds. Although luxury compared to people in 3rd class, the train is not exactly clean or beautiful. But it was functional, and after dusting the insect wings off our beds we eventually fell asleep. Our train rolled in around 6:30 AM (we left at 2:30 PM), and we found ourselves in Chiang Mai.
We got to our hotel and took cold showers (after 16 hours on a train, hot water would have been nice, but oh well) and went on the search for breakfast. Many hippies and health nuts have paved the way in Chiang Mai, and you can get better food here than in Santa Cruz or Encinitas, it's amazing! Every other store is a bookstore, and every other restaurant offers whole wheat toast, soy milk, vegan curries, or all fruit smoothies. I was in heaven ;)
Our hotel had a pool, so we definitely took advantage of that, which was really nice! After our day exploring Chiang Mai and hanging by the pool, we spent one night at our hotel before going off on our Trekking Adventure through the jungle.....

Hanoi and Halong Bay

We flew from HCMC to Hanoi, and it only took about an hour and a half. But since I had a cold, my ears refused to pop, and it was one of the most painful experiences ever! I thought I was going to die. But I didn't, and we found ourselves in Hanoi. We took a minibus into the city, which took over an hour, traffic in Hanoi is pretty much as crazy as Saigon. We were wandering around the streets looking for somewhere to land, and I was feeling really tired and sick. We walked in some place that looked nice, and the manager was there. He told us there was no availability, but he owns another hotel a few blocks down that we could stay for 50% off. So we hopped on motos and he took us to this other hotel, which was super nice!! We got a huge room with a flat screen TV, our own computer with internet, tea bags and a water heater, so I could have tea whenever I wanted, and a great big bathtub. Everything was clean and really nice! All for $25 a night - I was in heaven! I spent the next three days in that room, mostly sleeping, with intervals of baths, tea, or TV. Jordi was a trooper and spent most of the time with me, or out on the streets hunting for food to bring me. (There were no saltine crackers to be found, unfortunately). I didn't get to see much of the city, but Jordi walked around and took pictures for me ;) After 3 nights in our glorious hotel room, my fever finally left and I was feeling better. So we decided to get out of the city and take a tour to Halong Bay. Halong Bay is located about three hours from Hanoi, in the Gulf of Tonkin. There are thousands of tall, green islands dotting the water, and everyone is proud to let you know it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On the morning after our 3rd night in Hanoi, a bus came to the hotel to pick us up. We got to Halong Bay around noon, and got on our boat. It was an old wooden boat, but it was really nice! They served us lunch, which was a feast of squid, fish, other interesting things, and white rice. We got to hang out on the lounge chairs on the top deck for a few hours as we winded our way through the islands. We came to a famous cave, and everyone got off the boat. Our tour guide took us through this cave, which is absolutely huge. It goes on and on, very spacious and cavernous. When we were through exploring the cave, we got back on our boat and got dropped off at a little place that rents kayaks. Kayaking was included in our tour, so we didn't have to pay seperately which was nice. Jord and I got a tandem, and it was sooo much fun cruising around the islands and finding little caves to paddle through. It was absolutely gorgeous, and felt like we were in a different world. We paddled back and got back on our boat, and everyone went swimming while we waited for dinner to cook. The water was warm and gorgeous, and it was really fun to get in and swim. Dinner was yet another feast of rice, and plates and plates of dishes that go with it. We met a couple fun people on the boat that we ate dinner with, and hung out afterwards as we went "squid fishing" (didn't catch anything).
The next morning they served us breakfast and we puttered over to an island called Cat Ba Island. This island is big enough to have a couple towns and roads. We got off the boat and onto a bus, which took us to a nature reserve in the middle of the island, where we all went for a hike. The hike was beautiful, but there were dozens of people in front of us walking really slow. So Jordi and I scrambled up in front of everyone else, had an awesome view at the top, and then scrambled down again before it got too crowded.
After the hike, the bus took us to our hotel, which was at the little town of Cat Ba. They fed us a feast lunch at the hotel, and then we spent the afternoon on our own. We found a beautiful little beach with white sand and warm water, and a view of dozens of little islands. We hung out there for the afternoon, and even found a cliff walk that was really beautiful. That night everyone had dinner at the hotel again, and after dinner Jordi and I walked all around the town. There is a little night market that we walked through, and a pretty boardwalk.
The next morning, we loaded up on the bus which took us back to the boat. We spent a couple hours on the boat heading back to Ha Long. Once there we were herded to a huge restaurant for lunch and then piled in our little bus for the ride back to Hanoi. We got to Hanoi in the late afternoon, and hunted around for another hotel. We found a good one, and then walked around the town looking for dinner. It was so nice to be able to walk around and not feel sick, and Jordi was glad to not walk around by himself. Hanoi is a crazy little town also. Motos are whipping around every corner, and every little house is a store of some kind. The people sit on itsy bitsy preschool plastic chairs to eat their dinners on the sidewalks, and it feels like everyone is either vying for your attention or about to run you over.
The next day, we walked half an hour to the Temple of Literature, an old University where Confucius once studied. It's an awesome building, and quiet - it was really nice to walk around. Afterwards we took a moto ride back to town, which is so much fun. When you're on a moto you don't have to worry about being run over by one - you just grab on and join the ride. Riding on a moto in asia should be ride at Disneyland. It would certainly be more exciting than Star Tours.
Anyways, we were walking around the lake when we ran into our friends from the boat! So we visited a temple with them and decided to meet up later that afternoon. We met at a place that is a really old house turned into a restaurant, it was really cool. We got fresh juices and hung out until they had to catch their bus.
The next day Jordi and I did errands (such as send packages back home, print out our e-tickets, find and ATM, etc etc) and then we found the taxi bus that goes to the airport. We waited for half an hour as the van filled up, and then bumped our way for an hour and a half to the airport. Goodbye Vietnam. Interesting, beautiful, chaotic country.