Summer Adventures: Arrived in Thai Paradise

En route from Surat Thani airport to the ferry [bus ride]

View from the top deck of the ferry

It was an exhausting journey to get there, that’s for sure. A combination of taxis, boats, plane, and a full 14 hours finally landed us in Haad Rinn, Koh Phang-an island. We stepped off the ferry (which I did NOT yack on, thank goodness) and immediately were surrounded by 90 Thai locals shoving hotel flyers and taxi offerings in our face. We found one headed for Haad Rin beach and hopped in the back of a pick-up truck. 8 other tourists crammed in, they shoved our packs on the roof. Then we took a 20 minute death ride through streets that make San Francisco look like mild molehills. Minions, They. Were. INTENSE. I dreaded the moment that my precious red and white backpack would go tumbling down the vertical feat we were racing up. And the down part? Literally felt like a roller coaster. All of us clutched to the bars of the cab with white knuckles and a half-laugh/half-horrified expression.

I was positive this would be the last time I saw my backpack.

 Finally, it ended. No one’s backpack had been lost to Mount Everst (be warned, there are many “Mt. Everests” on this trip). But we were kicked out of the taxi in the middle of town, our hotel not for miles. Finding a hidden hotel up a mountain IN THE DARK was no easy task, especially for two girls who are not so fond of the dark. We nervously laughed our way through the trek, discussing FRIENDS, and the day-long excursion it took to get to this point. We were rewarded with a working fan and a room that would become our home for the next week. 

 Starved, exhausted, and bathed in my own sweat, we threw on the first pair of fresh clothes we could find and headed in for town (dinner! Dinner! DINNER! My stomach screamed). Without a 30 pound pack weighing me down, it was much easier to appreciate the fine, white sand and the lulling noise of gentle waves lapping the beach. The shore was littered with tables lit by candle light and soft reggae music serenading in the background. I was in heaven.

            We got to town and found our pick of restaurants. All I wanted was Pad Thai (not hard to find in THAILAND) so we plopped down at the first restaurant we saw that was showing the Olympics. Double win. Dinner was $3.00. And I didn’t even finish it. Ok, maybe I did, but I was STUFFED after.

First dinner in Thailand! Curry for Emma

Legit Pad Thai.

              Day 2: CHECK! Landed ourselves in Paradise. Nice call, Emma Jackson.

Summer Adventures: Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur was our first stop on the journey. We would only be there for a day, but we had ambitious plans. Since we had taken the red eye from Tokyo, we found ourselves walking through immigration before the sun came up. The plan was to head over to the Petronus Towers to score some free tickets before 8:30. After, we would drop our packs at the hotel and use the rest of the day to explore the Golden Triangle. Get in early for our flight to Surat Thani, Thailand the next day. 

NOPE. What happened instead: Frappucinos at 6am paired with groggy research in our guide book to figure out how to get to the city center of Kuala Lumpur. $3 and an uncomfortable bus ride later (we sat next to one of the stewardesses from our flight. Should tell you how well Air Asia pays), we arrived at the city center. We unsuccessfully tried to get into a cab (a very official looking man screamed “helloooo” to us. I murmured back “hi” while trying to wedge open a locked taxi door. Evidently “hellooo” really meant “You need to buy a voucher from the taxi stand inside the station before getting into a cab. Please and thank you… and also your hair looks very nice”). 

We decided to take our packs to the hotel (seemed like the logical thing to do instead of hauling all our stuff up the Petronus towers)… and then it spiraled from there. They allowed us to do an early check-in (after waiting at an impeccably clean swimming pool). The call of a soft, horizontal bed was too much. Combine that with the fact that the Olympics were on IN ENGLISH and we were useless. Cue: epic nap.

Six hours later, it was time to buck up and explore. I put on my  I’m-on-vacation highlighter pink shorts and headed out. Some facts…

•  Malaysia= Muslim country. Bright pink shorts? NOT MY BEST IDEA 
• Malaysia is divided into three separate cultures: Malay, Chinese, and Indian. We were clearly in the Indian section 
• Mosquitos will eat you aliveeeee 
• PINK SHORTS WERE A BAD IDEA!!!!! (cannot be said enough)

After being in Japan for four months, I grew used to gathering some lingering looks and awkward glances. But man, Malaysians know how to STARE and GLARE and in general make you feel really really awkward. I looked around frantically for other tourists. It felt like we were the only foreigners around, and the locals certainly treated us like we were the only foreigners around. 

The aforementioned "Golden Triangle"

 I pictured the Golden Circle to be a tourist spot (since, well, that’s what all the websites and travel books claimed). Instead, we ran into school children, taxi drivers, businessmen, street vendors, city locals… but no tourists. The city was dirty, unkempt, full of people who shamelessly stared us down and yelled things at us (some in English, some not). We walked around, trying to be optimistic and getting a cultural feel for the place. We sweated and walked and sweated and walked. 

Showing my shoulders and knees in 95 degree weather?!? ATROCIOUS.

 Finally, we found… air conditioning. [I know I should feel embarrassed about this next part, but I’m not. I was tired, hungry, sick of being stared at like the world’s first creature from Neptune, and I was a whole lot of culture shocked] We found a mall. A glorious, pristine, clean, air-conditioned mall with minimal amounts of staring. We might have seen a movie. Maybe it was Batman. Before you judge me completely, let me say that the movies there costs less than $3 USD. Large popcorn and drink? $1.50. Japan’s going rate for a movie? Around $23 USD. 

And THAT was our first day of the trip. More comfy bed, more Olympics, and less KL. For now.

I may or may not have packed things in Ziploc bags... Monica Bing style

Miss me?

Sigh. That’s a happy sigh, in case you’re wondering.

I’m back. We’re all back, actually. The apartment is overflowing with life and full of noise. Constant beeps from the microwave or the fridge. The background noise of tv. Laughter, playful bickering has been restored. And I can breathe easy.

You guys, this summer was amazing. It was breathtaking and exciting and all around memorable. When we booked a trip that spanned over three countries in four weeks, Robert immediately told us we were crazy. My fellow teachers told me we were crazy. I started to think it was crazy… Four weeks without my funny dog and shopping bear bed spread? INSANE. What it ended up being was insanely genius. The four weeks allowed us to take our time, take a day for reading in bed with air conditioning and the TV blasting if we needed it (which we sometimes did). We didn’t feel guilty for sleeping in or scheduling an impromptu day dedicated to shopping or shuffling things around at the last minute.

But let’s start at the beginning. Back when I barely knew Emma and she barely knew me. To me, she was the cute British girl that my boyfriend had taken an interest in (“She works in Iruma! She’s normal! She has an accent! She’s really nice! She’s sweet! I’m going to help her order a chair! She’s really nice!”). And to her, I was some random California girl living with two boys. To see what all the fuss was about, we met up over donuts one fateful day. We ended up spending three hours discussing the glory of deep fried food and the fact that corn IS a vegetable (and the BEST vegetable at that). We bonded over a deep seeded FRIENDS obsession (which was and continues to be a vehicle for hour long discussions), and ended on our love for travel and the need to go somewhere, anywhere this summer. That was all I needed to hear before forcing her to commit to being my travel partner. She really had no choice. “You want to travel? I want to travel! Sweet, let’s travel together!! And now just sign your name on the dotted line…”  Me: queen of awkward moments.

Much like living together, I think traveling is something that either makes or breaks friendships. A lot of unexpected things happen when you travel, and how you handle those situations will tell you a lot about a person. Needless to say, traveling with Emma MADE our friendship. She took a 20 minute train the other day so we could hang out because apparently, we don’t know how to function without each other after spending four weeks together.

I don’t know if all this rambling has a point except for the fact that Emma and I? We rock at traveling through Southeast Asia. On the second day of our trip, I turned to her and said “Uh my stomach is really sore… I have no idea why.” It wasn’t until I was rolling on the floor with laughter that I also yelped in pain. We laughed. All the freaking time. Things that made my blood boil and brewed a crazy hyped up rage-storm, Emma simply threw up her shoulders like “Well, what are you gonna do?” She would say something British and sarcastic and make me laugh…Hurricane Jaquielyn avoided.

It will take a while to blog the past four weeks, but it is definitely something I feel the need to do. If not for my six readers, than for me. To remember forever (unless I eventually delete and destroy this blog, like I did with my last blog. Yes, I regret it).

So I leave you with a sneak peek of our awesome times… and a video. Of Eunice.

We had good times.

The 30 List: Passions

8. What are 5 passions you have?

I feel like most of these will be quite obvious, especially for those who know me well/have been reading for quite sometime. Alas, here goes...

1. reading

Reading by the Charles Bridge, Prague [Sept. 2007]

I'm not quite sure when I started to genuinely enjoy reading. Libraries became my happy place and I could literally spend hours upon hours in a bookstore (Just my opinion, Barnes & Noble is wayyy better than Borders). Growing up, my mom always encouraged me to check books out of the library instead of buying brand new books. Until this day, receiving brand new books (and then loving them so much that the pages crinkle and weather the only way a well-written book does) is like receiving golddd. I invest way too much in the characters... I laugh out loud and sometimes cry (if the book is really really good).

2. writing

Some people will say this is directly correlated to my love for books and makes me a better writer. I'm not quite sure I agree because I'm not exactly reading Shakespeare and Descartes. Plus, then my work (and heart) wouldn't have been ripped to shreds in all the writing classes I took in college. After my first piece was thoroughly dissected by my classmates, I learned to bring a full bag of chocolates to the critique classes. Anddd officially buried whatever secret hopes I had of becoming a published writer. But I still love to write for fun... and on a medium where no one (or most people) don't make me feel like eating 10 pounds of chocolate for a single word choice... YAYYY blog! 

3. rock climbing

90 foot wall in Lake Tahoe

 Shocker. This is something I am actually pretty proud of. I'm not a pro and not nearly at the level to brag about it, buttt I truly love this sport. While it requires height that my tippy toes don't exactly allow me to reach holds, my flexibility seems to more than make up for it. Rock climbing makes me feel strong and powerful, but also forces a certain amount of grace and agility. Plus, it has turned into a really awesome bonding thing for me and John. Regardless of whatever is going on between us, but I never stop trusting him to catch me when I fall.

4. love

Elephant's Back, January 2011

I love love. Again, big surprise. Sappy chick flicks and videos of outrageous proposals are my Achilles Heel. And of course... I love writing sappy, vomit-inducing things about my own love life. Honestly, if they still had a "Commitments" columnist position for newspapers (like Kevin in 27 Dresses), I would be a perfect fit. Well not perfect. But I would make a decent candidate... minus the fact that I have absolutely NO experience writing for a newspaper.

What the past couple years have taught me is that the movie type, head-over-heels, butterflies-for-years, in-love-with-your-best-friend kind of love really does exist. So many people over the years told me that I would never find love, that my standards are too high, and the man I'm looking for only exists on the silver screen. I can tell those people they are wrong. And I'm so glad I never gave up hope.

5. eating

Always a happy face when there's chocolate

 Does this one really need an explanation?  Food has an actual factor in my happiness. I'm easy to please that way... or I'm just a 12-year old trapped in a 25 year old body. You know I'm in a bad state if someone offers me ice cream and I turn it down.

Sick of hearing about me yet? Thanks for reading everyone!
Until next time...

Case of the Mondays: From Malaysia!

Hello blog readers!!!! If you're reading this, that means I found someplace with INTERNET. Even though I am writing this ahead of time, I can assure you that I am having a great time and that Malaysia is AMAZING!!!

My 22 pound backpack, beautiful new beach bag (which will never again be as white as it ts pictured here), and of course my snack pack... because I need my food to stay happy

Until I can write more later, here are some things to make you smile. Have a great week everyone! I know I sure am! Summer vacay has FINALLY begun!!!!

Told you poop humor still cracks me up.

The title of my biography

HONESTLY now. Don't you think they would have at least TRIED?

One time a kid shoved a pencil up my nose. It bled for hours.

This is honestly my train of thought. Insane? Or optimism?

The most tragic love story there ever was.

Is it sad that I kind of really want this?

I do both of these. At the same time.

Sometimes the hamster has a seizure and it foams at the mouth.

Another reason why I don't understand video games.

The 30 List: Things for 16-year-old Me

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

Oy. Here goes…

1.       CALM YOURSELF. I know it feels like your drowning in an endless sea of things-that-must-be-done-NOW but it won’t be the end of the world if you take two seconds for yourself. Go grab a cherry slurpee and breathe.

2.       STUDY FOR THE SAT’s. Yeah, yeah, you’re busy. MAKE TIME FOR IT, IT’S IMPORTANTT!!!

3.       You're not stick skinnny. And honestly, your boobs are not going to get that much bigger. And being told you are officially "obese" at the doctor's office might make you cry (uh YES, this actually happened). But someday, you are going to discover that your flexibility+muscle will make you a kick @$$ rock climber. Hardcore? HECK YEAH. Love your body and start to be proud. Like, now.

4.       Get better at lying. You’re going to need it to survive. Otherwise, you’ll be 24, waiting half an hour on your boyfriend because you couldn’t lie to him about his shirt being wrinkled (I'M A TERRIBLE LIAR).

5.       College rocks. The people who told you that high school is the best time in your life are liars. It’s fun, but definitely not the best time in your life. That is yet to come.

6.        Don't worry about not driving a BMW or wearing designer jeans. Your disdain for the OC and all the materialistic BS will eventually serve as your drive to escape the bubble and go have incredible adventures... even without the designer jeans and Jimmy Choo shoes.

7.       Don’t be embarrassed about your dream career to be a dolphin trainer. Enjoy the awkward things people say to you, because one day you can tell share stories with the other dolphin trainers and learn that they all have those stories too.

8.       When the bad stuff happens- don’t hang onto it for too long. The people who hurt you simply aren’t worth it. When you hang onto the anger, you’re only hurting yourself. Letting go of it and moving on doesn’t mean that it wasn’t significant; it just means that you value yourself more than the people who hurt you.

9.       Be nicer to Josh. He’s not such a bad kid and one day you’ll think of him as a friend.

10.   You’re going to get hurt a lot. That’s what happens when you’re a teenager. But, you’re going to meet a truly great man someday. A guy who will tell you how beautiful you are without any make up on, a guy who will hold you when you cry, make you laugh when you’re mad, who will hold your hand just because. Don’t let the bad stuff get you down because so many good things are coming for you. 

First Movie Experience in Japan

I'm not going to lie... it feels really good to have friends. And not just the TV show I'm obsessed with.

If you couldn't tell, I've been a bit of a wet towel without my roommates. But both Ai-chan and Emma [who I'm sure will be sick of me by next month and will be kicking herself for volunteering to spend all this time with me :) ] have really stepped up and been keeping me busy and laughing. Last night, I had my first movie experience in Japan. I love movies, and it has been at least four months since I have been in a theater.

We decided on Man on a Ledge.

I thought it was excellent... but I have incredibly low standards for movies. Plus, I was so excited just to be in the theater, they could have shown four hours of Jersey Shore and I would have been just as happy.

There is a DISTINCT difference between American movie theaters and Japanese movie theaters. For one... Japanese movie theaters are quiet as a tomb BEFORE THE PREVIEWS EVEN START. I felt uncomfortable just eating popcorn. Emma and I would wait until a big action scene to chomp down on our popcorn. If you know me and my love of popcorn, this required a tremendous amount of self-control.

To give you a taste, here is a commercial they showed to us before the previews. For some reason, I found it so entertaining, I started snort-laughing. In the Japanese tomb movie theater. Which only made me snort laugh even harder.

And because I'm awkward like that, I took pictures. To commemorate my first movie experience in Japan.

To buy our tickets, we awkwardly stumbled through Japanese and pointed

They have ticket attendants in front of every theater.

Soda+popcorn+movie theater= ridiculously excited

 The signs for the bathroom are even cute in Japan...

Handicapped people wear baseball caps and boys are cowboys.

And girls have tiaras!!

And the extra cherry ontop of this awesome outing? It was ladies night so we got 800 yen off our ticket price!!
Wednesday night might be the new movie night!