We left Bangkok on a red eye flight destined for Beijing-Chicago-Phoenix. After bidding adieu to 90% humidity we settled in for a super comfortable (not) 24 hour journey 1/2 way across the world.
We arrived in Beijing to a freezing cold airport and antiquated boarding system. When is the last time anyone received hand-written boarding passes! Fast forward 12.5 hours and we uncrumpled our disoriented selves in Chicago. Having been accepted into the USofA after lengthy questioning by a curious border guard ("What do you do again? Who paid for this trip? How many countries did you visit?), we eagerly awaited the arrival of our bags. Twenty minutes later the bag containing our dirty laundry arrived. The bag containing all of our souvenirs and my wedding dress was nowhere to be seen! Darn it Murphy and your ridiculous laws.
The bag eventually surfaced after a brief side trip to Frankfurt. Last time I checked, Frankfurt and Phoenix are not same-same. Hopefully my dress enjoyed it's visit to Germany!
Liz
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Bangkok Round III
It's funny how a place that seemed so strange at first can feel like home after a few months of traveling around. Forget the ubiquitous 7/11s and forget the air conditioned malls: We may still be falangs in Bangkok, but rarely did we have to feel like tourists. After the put-on "g'day mates" and official assignment as a dollar-sign-with-legs in Bali, it was nothing short of a relief to see people with non-tourism related jobs in the big Thai town.
OK. I admit it. Staying at Bill's condo-tel may have upped the comfort level a notch. And not feeling like tourists didn't mean we didn't get to act like tourists. We had a look at Wat Arun and Wat Pho (the gigantic reclining Buddha), checked out the river and the gem trading districts, overnighted in Pattaya, experienced the Thai dental system and spent way too much time at MBK. Where did the time go?
Until next time, Bangkok...
Dave and Liz
OK. I admit it. Staying at Bill's condo-tel may have upped the comfort level a notch. And not feeling like tourists didn't mean we didn't get to act like tourists. We had a look at Wat Arun and Wat Pho (the gigantic reclining Buddha), checked out the river and the gem trading districts, overnighted in Pattaya, experienced the Thai dental system and spent way too much time at MBK. Where did the time go?
Until next time, Bangkok...
Dave and Liz
 |
| Hello Mr. Elephant. |
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| Warriors guarding Wat Arun. |
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| Flashbacks to Angkor at Wat Arun. |
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| Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha. |
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| Finally, a use for those broken down VWs. |
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| Touring the river with Uncle Bill. |
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| Being tourists in Pattaya! |
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| Walking street in Pattaya. |
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| Koh Larn |
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| Packed in like sardines at Koh Larn. |
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| Have you ever seen clearer water? |
Friday, April 19, 2013
Turning Balinese
We left the Malaysian Mould Palace with 5 hours to spare before our flight to Bali. One hour to the airport, 4 hours to check-in. Not bad, Air Asia, not bad. Thankfully, our flight did not meet the same fate as this one, and we arrived in Bali safely. A good nights sleep in a clean villa, and we were ready for our first surfing lesson on Kuta Beach!
Being optimists we signed up for three lessons, figuring we'd knock those off within our first three days on the island. Fast forward two days: unable to lift arms above head, skin missing on thighs, knees and finger tips, pedicure in shambles. Definitely time to incorporate a rest day to get these nightmares about drowning to stop.
The waves on Kuta Beach were easily the largest we have ever played in. They were consistent, reported at 2.4 meters high and provided ample opportunity for nose dives into the sand. Our instructor Padi got us standing and high-fiving each other in no time.
Besides allowing us to enjoy the surf camp, Bali provided us with some serious R&R. After 4 months of exciting travel through the rest of South East Asia, it was nice to accomplish nothing: We parked ourselves on beach chairs, fended off the ever-present hawkers, and sampled Bali's finest lager. After two weeks of such activity, we decided a few things about the Balinese.
They excel at:
1. Hawking
2. Surfing
3. Mee Goreng
They struggle with:
1. Driving
2. Subtraction
3. Environmentalism
We also ran into an unprecedented string of good luck while on Bali, winning not one but two week-long vacations in Phuket!! We soon realized that these "prizes" were being offered by notorious vacation club scammers operating in the area and were forced to pay our own way back to Thailand. Thanks for the free drinks and hotel transfers anyway, leeches!
D&L
Being optimists we signed up for three lessons, figuring we'd knock those off within our first three days on the island. Fast forward two days: unable to lift arms above head, skin missing on thighs, knees and finger tips, pedicure in shambles. Definitely time to incorporate a rest day to get these nightmares about drowning to stop.
The waves on Kuta Beach were easily the largest we have ever played in. They were consistent, reported at 2.4 meters high and provided ample opportunity for nose dives into the sand. Our instructor Padi got us standing and high-fiving each other in no time.
Besides allowing us to enjoy the surf camp, Bali provided us with some serious R&R. After 4 months of exciting travel through the rest of South East Asia, it was nice to accomplish nothing: We parked ourselves on beach chairs, fended off the ever-present hawkers, and sampled Bali's finest lager. After two weeks of such activity, we decided a few things about the Balinese.
They excel at:
1. Hawking
2. Surfing
3. Mee Goreng
They struggle with:
1. Driving
2. Subtraction
3. Environmentalism
We also ran into an unprecedented string of good luck while on Bali, winning not one but two week-long vacations in Phuket!! We soon realized that these "prizes" were being offered by notorious vacation club scammers operating in the area and were forced to pay our own way back to Thailand. Thanks for the free drinks and hotel transfers anyway, leeches!
D&L
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| High Fives! |
 |
| Dave's new whip. |
 |
| Kuta Beach. |
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| Bali has the most beautiful sunsets. |
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| Honu doesn't like it... |
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| Liz doesn't like it! |
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| Uluwatu Temple. |
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| Dream Land Beach. |
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Drinking in Asia
Travelers must come to terms with their budgets to fully
enjoy an extended trip. Seven countries
and five months later, budgeting becomes a nearly unconscious task. Naturally, this budget included some
libations, but fine wines weren’t exactly on the menu. Even without the import tariffs, lack of
availability and questionable storage procedures, a glass of cab sauv just
doesn’t go down when it’s 35°C outside.
Fortunately, we have never run into a shortage of lager on our
travels. The local brews aren’t hoppy or
dark, but they’re usually fresh and always budget friendly.
 |
| 5L Towers on Khoa San Road |
Hawaii
Beer of Choice: Bud Light (4%)
Retail Price: $0.60/355mL
Served Price: $5/355mL
Others: Red Hook, Kona, Coors
Spirit Option: 1.75L of Captain Morgan Rum for $18
Beer of Choice: Chang (6.4%)
Retail Price: $1.50/640mL
Served Price: $3/640mL
Others: Leo, Singha
Spirit Option: 700mL of SangSom Rum for $10
 |
| The strong wine had its charms |
Vietnam
Beer of Choice: Bia Saigon (4.2%)
Retail Price: $0.50/450mL
Served Price: $0.75/450mL
Others: Bia Hanoi, Bia Hoi, Saigon Star
Spirit Option: 650mL of Ruou Rhum Rum (30%) for $1.50
Cambodia
Beer of Choice: Anchor Smooth (5%)
Retail Price: $0.75/330mL
Served Price: $1/330mL
Others: Angkor, Black Panther
Spirit Option: 700mL of Whiskey (20%) for $1
Laos
Beer of Choice: BeerLao (5%)
 |
| Ummmm? |
Retail Price: $1/640mL
Served Price: $1.75/640mL
Others: BeerLao Gold, BeerLao Dark
Spirit Option: 750mL of Super Tiger Whiskey (20%?) for
$2.50
Beer of Choice: Skol (5%)
Retail Price: $1/330mL
Served Price: $1.66/330mL
Others: Tiger, Carlsberg
Spirit Option: 1L of Absolute Vodka for $14
 |
| Extra points for the sunset! |
Beer of Choice: Anchor Smooth (4.2%)
Retail Price: $5/620mL
Served Price: $5/620mL
Others: Skol, Tiger, Carlsberg
Spirit Option: 600mL of Male Silkworm Chiew* for $20
Beer of Choice: Bintang (4.7%)
Retail Price: $2.50/620mL
Served Price: $3.50/620mL
Others: Anker, Bali Hai
Spirit Option: 750mL of Bacardi Rum for $60*
*Not attempted.
The verdict: BeerLao Dark was the best tasting beer overall, although Bintang had a little german import class (skunk) thanks to the green bottles it came in. That's not to say we didn't miss our homebrew and hops - more than a few times we coughed up $6 for an imported ale!
 |
| Thank goodness! |
Dave
Saturday, March 30, 2013
The Future of 90's Music
De La Soul
Naughty by NaturePSY
Fun.
The Prodigy
By selecting three acts that were big in the 1990's and two one-hit-wonders our festival lineup was stacked and possibly lacking relevance. The highlight was definitely PSY ranting about how sick he was of Gangnam Style, and then performing it twice. Back-to-back. The first time was specifically for the crowd to record it on their mobile devices.
The Malaysian weather was surprisingly comfortable for the festival, aided by a brief deluge of rain immediately after being admitted to the grounds. This isn't to say that the whole day was cool. A very hot hour-and-a-half was spent standing around on the racetrack tarmac while we waited to be admitted. Apparently, the organizers felt that letting people through the gates a half-hour after the first act was scheduled to start was as close to on time as was required; I'm not sure if the opening bands even got to play.
At some point while melting at the will-call booth we were ushered forward to stand beside a different tent (also offering no shade) to serve as a photo backdrop for the Minjnster of Tourism's visit to the venue. In exchange for this valuable service we were issued VIP ticket upgrades and confetti cannons, the latter of which were slightly concerning for the Minister's security officers. The Minister did some glad-handing and broke open a pinata filled with temporary tattoos and fake Beats by Dre headphones. Onto the VIP tents!
As expected following the botched entry process, there were a few other hiccups with the event. Headliners Bloc Party and The Prodigy played at the same time, and the concert ended 20 minutes after the public transit was scheduled to stop running. It wasn't really clear if things were running late or if they planned it that way. The prebooked return taxi service ran out of cars with several hundred people left standing in a lineup by the highway. In the end we took a taxi ride back into KL that cost more than our hotel room, ears ringing and very, very stoked.
Dave
 |
| Who is this PeeEssWhy character? |
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Koala Lumps
There were two goals we had to accomplish in Kuala Lumpur: Get Liz's tooth fixed and make it to the Future Music Festival on March 16th. The hotel we had booked was supposedly very close to public transport and a dentist's office, so it seemed like we would accomplish our goals without breaking a proverbial sweat. (Breaking an actual sweat was of course guaranteed.)
The VIP bus from Penang arrived in the middle of an intense afternoon rainstorm. The aforementioned proximity of our hotel to the bus station suddenly became a drawback as the taxi drivers all refused to take us to the hotel, instead offering route advice that maximized time under the cover of awnings. We were completely drenched by the time we got to Petaling Street. Liz's mood, thoroughly fouled by the rain, suddenly improved when she realized that our hotel was in the middle of a street market.
A little more about the hotel. At first glance it was about as well equipped as anywhere we'd stayed, even including a shower curtain! Then the deodorizer that housekeeping sprayed wore off. And then the internet stopped working (naturally). Five days of mold headaches and $4 coffees at Starbucks while using their wifi and we were really happy to be getting out of there. The street market was pretty fun, though.
Public transit in KL seemed very well laid out if underutilized. For about a dollar, we went 15km out of town with 6 other passengers to the Batu Caves. A slightly busier LRT took us to the Petronas Towers and attached shopping complex. Even the long ride to the airport and concert grounds was less than $5. The most difficult part of the whole process was jamming Ringgits into the machines to get our tokens.
Mission #1 accomplished! The dentist was as well priced as the street market's food. A crown was applied to Liz's tooth for $60, while I enjoyed the waiting room's air conditioning and plastic surgery magazines.
Penang and KL really seemed to move at a different pace than other Asian cities, and I don't think the rough sidewalks and the heat fully explained it. The propensity of people stopping in the middle of a sidewalk for no apparent reason was nothing short of boggling. I started referring to these people as ACORNS (Asian Citizens Obstructing Normal Speed). I guess it could be that the good roads and relatively reasonable driving in Malaysia leaves walking as more of a leisure activity than an actual means of conveyance.
More on Mission #2: Future Music Festival to come soon!
Dave
The VIP bus from Penang arrived in the middle of an intense afternoon rainstorm. The aforementioned proximity of our hotel to the bus station suddenly became a drawback as the taxi drivers all refused to take us to the hotel, instead offering route advice that maximized time under the cover of awnings. We were completely drenched by the time we got to Petaling Street. Liz's mood, thoroughly fouled by the rain, suddenly improved when she realized that our hotel was in the middle of a street market.
A little more about the hotel. At first glance it was about as well equipped as anywhere we'd stayed, even including a shower curtain! Then the deodorizer that housekeeping sprayed wore off. And then the internet stopped working (naturally). Five days of mold headaches and $4 coffees at Starbucks while using their wifi and we were really happy to be getting out of there. The street market was pretty fun, though.
Public transit in KL seemed very well laid out if underutilized. For about a dollar, we went 15km out of town with 6 other passengers to the Batu Caves. A slightly busier LRT took us to the Petronas Towers and attached shopping complex. Even the long ride to the airport and concert grounds was less than $5. The most difficult part of the whole process was jamming Ringgits into the machines to get our tokens.
Mission #1 accomplished! The dentist was as well priced as the street market's food. A crown was applied to Liz's tooth for $60, while I enjoyed the waiting room's air conditioning and plastic surgery magazines.
Penang and KL really seemed to move at a different pace than other Asian cities, and I don't think the rough sidewalks and the heat fully explained it. The propensity of people stopping in the middle of a sidewalk for no apparent reason was nothing short of boggling. I started referring to these people as ACORNS (Asian Citizens Obstructing Normal Speed). I guess it could be that the good roads and relatively reasonable driving in Malaysia leaves walking as more of a leisure activity than an actual means of conveyance.
More on Mission #2: Future Music Festival to come soon!
Dave
 |
| I don't see why a taxi wouldn't want to drive down this street... |
 |
| The Dark Cave. |
 |
| World's largest Murugan! (42m) |
 |
| Do they mean heterosexuality? |
 |
| Dental problems created downstairs, are solved upstairs. |
Pulau Penang
Many people along the travel trail have told us about this mythical island in Malaysia. According to backpacking legend, the food on Penang is unbeatable. Naturally, we had to check it out for ourselves!
A quick flight out of Langkawi (we are getting lazy, and it cost a grand total of $40 each) took us to the Island. We stayed in the capital, Georgetown, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Narrow alleys, bright colonial architecture, grand mansions, quirky street art, roti stands, butter chicken stalls and wan tan mee vendors summarize Penang. The atmosphere was vibrant, especially on Sunday night when it seemed the whole town was out getting their fix of street noodles and curries!
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Liz
A quick flight out of Langkawi (we are getting lazy, and it cost a grand total of $40 each) took us to the Island. We stayed in the capital, Georgetown, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Narrow alleys, bright colonial architecture, grand mansions, quirky street art, roti stands, butter chicken stalls and wan tan mee vendors summarize Penang. The atmosphere was vibrant, especially on Sunday night when it seemed the whole town was out getting their fix of street noodles and curries!
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Liz
Monday, March 11, 2013
Paradise...Theoretically
Langkawi is about as close as you can get to Thailand without using up your 15-day overland visa. It's duty-free, so the liquor prices are shockingly cheap; it's an uncrowded island, so the roads are scooter-friendly; and it's equatorial, so you surely won't get cold. Fine-sand beaches, great Indian and Chinese food, and hawkers so unobtrusive, it's like they aren't even there (before 7:00PM).
On the promise of a valid email address we were able to secure accommodation at the Rainbow Guest House, and upon expression of our desire to extend said accommodation, we were told we could have stayed until "the end of the year", if we would have liked. Technically located in a village, the guest house provided us with serene views of grazing cattle, along with regular repetitions of The Call To Prayer. Pentai Cenang, one of the premiere beaches on the island, was a mere 7-minute walk away. It wasn't until we tried this walk in "Feel's Like 41°C" heat that we realized just how long 7-minutes really was.
Excursions on the island were generally limited. We signed up for an Island Hopping tour, which took us to two different islands. Highlights of this included: witnessing a monkey steal a baby's bottle out of a backpack, dumping a bucket of fish-guts in the water for 'eagle'-feeding (pretty sure they were actually shithawks), and laughing at the tacky souvenir plates awaiting us on completion of the afternoon. Naturally, we bought one. Can anyone say "family heirloom?"
Having recovered from our last scooter adventure in Vietnam, we decided to rent a scooter for the day to see parts of the island that were outside of the 7-minute melt-zone. 30 Ringgit ($10 CAD) in rental fees and 50 cents worth of fuel later, we were on the open road! As it turns out, the island of Langkawi is deceptively diminutive. What one expected to take 30 minutes took five. Within an hour and a half, we found ourselves cooling our feet at a waterfall. A little over 45 minutes after that we found ourselves atop Gunung Raya, enjoying the relative coolness of 893m. Our little Honda Ikon didn't get low on gas until almost 100km of sightseeing, and the local (left-hand drive) traffic didn't show us falangs too much malice on the roadways.
The 8 days we spent in Langkawi were relaxing, and likely very bad for our skin. As much as we tried to love the island, it was just not the tropical paradise for us. The ultra conservative sentiments of the locals, the ever abundant jelly fish in the water and the utter lack of nightlife left us craving Hawaii's Aloha, and Thailand's friendliness.
D&L
On the promise of a valid email address we were able to secure accommodation at the Rainbow Guest House, and upon expression of our desire to extend said accommodation, we were told we could have stayed until "the end of the year", if we would have liked. Technically located in a village, the guest house provided us with serene views of grazing cattle, along with regular repetitions of The Call To Prayer. Pentai Cenang, one of the premiere beaches on the island, was a mere 7-minute walk away. It wasn't until we tried this walk in "Feel's Like 41°C" heat that we realized just how long 7-minutes really was.
Excursions on the island were generally limited. We signed up for an Island Hopping tour, which took us to two different islands. Highlights of this included: witnessing a monkey steal a baby's bottle out of a backpack, dumping a bucket of fish-guts in the water for 'eagle'-feeding (pretty sure they were actually shithawks), and laughing at the tacky souvenir plates awaiting us on completion of the afternoon. Naturally, we bought one. Can anyone say "family heirloom?"
Having recovered from our last scooter adventure in Vietnam, we decided to rent a scooter for the day to see parts of the island that were outside of the 7-minute melt-zone. 30 Ringgit ($10 CAD) in rental fees and 50 cents worth of fuel later, we were on the open road! As it turns out, the island of Langkawi is deceptively diminutive. What one expected to take 30 minutes took five. Within an hour and a half, we found ourselves cooling our feet at a waterfall. A little over 45 minutes after that we found ourselves atop Gunung Raya, enjoying the relative coolness of 893m. Our little Honda Ikon didn't get low on gas until almost 100km of sightseeing, and the local (left-hand drive) traffic didn't show us falangs too much malice on the roadways.
The 8 days we spent in Langkawi were relaxing, and likely very bad for our skin. As much as we tried to love the island, it was just not the tropical paradise for us. The ultra conservative sentiments of the locals, the ever abundant jelly fish in the water and the utter lack of nightlife left us craving Hawaii's Aloha, and Thailand's friendliness.
D&L
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| This sums up our beach view! |
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| Ever seen a monkey drinking out of a lake? |
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| Beachin' it |
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| Langkawi Sunset |
 |
| BBQ ray anyone? |
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| The Ikon |
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| Dave's favorite: chicken on a stick |
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