Are we there yet????

The Bus: WOW...this day has been quite eventful and without us even trying! It all started this morning at 6am when we got to the bus station to catch an early bus to the Cambodian border. We get on with only a few other passengers and I proceed to lay across the whole back seat seeing as there were plenty of open seats. After 30 minutes we make a stop at a gas station where 20 more Thai passengers get on. No problem, right? Well, 30 minutes after that we stop at another gas station where another 10 passengers get on...now its at capacity with a few in the aisles as well. Then, they decide to start BLARING some awful Thai music on the speakers. Even my Lil' Jon playlist on my ipod couldn't cover this abnoxious noise overhead! We continued to make unnecessary stops along the way, but thankfully I had a good book with me (thanks, Jillian) and was able to zone out. On one stop, a Thai army/police officer boarded the bus to check the Thai passports. By the time he left, our bus was 15 people less crowded. By the time we made it to the border, the bus ride had been about 5 hours (and still more to go)...

The Border:Wikipedia loosely defines corruption as an"impairment of integrity, virtue or moral principle." My definition: "Cambodian officials." As soon as the bus droppped us off, the four of us were immediately hassled by all the tuk-tuk (carriage type taxi) drivers to take us to the border which was just 7km away. You would think that this woudn't be a problem, but apparently these drivers want to make a little commission on the side. The first stop we made was at a shady restaurant that we were told we had to get the visas from. We oblige and went in, but after 10 mintues of talking to them, realized they were jacking up the price and definitely weren't legitimate officials. On to the next stop- the Thai consulate just down the road. Once again, we get inside and realize that they have doubled the official price and will only take the Thai Baht (in Cambodia, mostly US dollars are used). Finally after jetting out of there, we make the tuk-tuk driver take us to the border, as we asked in the first place. The tourist visa station there is just one window with 10 Cambodian officials on the inside watching what looks like a soap opera. We give them our passports along with $20, as the price of the visa is stated on the window. They will not give us the visa for less thatn $25 because apparently the sign is old and they are too busy to take it down (with a boost from Michelle I could have gotten it down myself)! Oh, and Michelle and I also forgot to bring passport pictures to give to them so they said 100 baht would be okay to let it slide (they'd rather the cash under the table than to set up a little booth for foreigners like us to actually pay for a picture). Once we were free and clear to go into the country, we had to find a way to Siem Reap...

The Taxi: After a bit of haggling, we got a taxi from the border to Siem Reap (3 hours away) for $50. Let me just tell you, this was NO normal taxi ride. The roads are full of potholes, ditches, detours, dirt, rocks, and gravel- the whole way! It was like riding a roller coaster because we'd be dodging potholes as if they were landmines and driving on the wrong sides of the road to avoid the motorbikes. We lost our stomach a few times and had quite a laugh about the whole situation, but most importantly we made it to Siem Reap. (Apparenty an 'unknown airline' is bribing an 'unknown political official' to delay this 20 year road project so that people will continue flying with this 'unknown airline' instead of driving- sketchy, I know!)

We are finally here in Siem Reap and plan on visitng Angkor Wat for the next few days. (It may look familiar from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)

It's already been a WEEK!

This past week has felt surreal- I can't beleive everything I've done! I traveled half way across the world, I've eaten foods I'd never have dreamed of, taken overnight trains and buses, visited some of the most beautiful beaches, ridden on elephants, and trekked through the Thai jungle...that is, all within one WEEK!

To the ISLAND(via train, bus, and ferry)

Unfortunately the United States doesn't have a great train system, therefor, I'd never been on one. Michelle and I wanted to lose as little time during the day as possible so we booked an overnight sleeper train to get down south. It worked out wonderfully because we were in a little four person cabin and we both had the top bunk. It was like camp all over again. We had stocked up on snacks (chips, mentos, and bags of fresh fruit) and played a couple rounds of Phase 10 (now addicted, thanks to rachel) in one of our bunks. We finally decided to get some sleep before our 4am arrival to the stop. Originally we had booked a joint bus ticket to Phuket, but after hearing rumors of it being too touristy, we changed last minute and got a ticket to Ko Phi Phi instead. It took a little haggling, but we only managed to lose about 60 baht in the process ($2). The bus took us to a pier where we caught a 2 hour ferry to the island. It was the absolute most relaxing way to travel. We just laid on the top deck soaking up the sun, enjoying the hum of the engine.

The Island of Ko Phi Phi

It was only noon once we arrived so after we found a guesthouse to stay in and drop our stuff off at we quickly changed into our swimsuits and grabbed some food. For my first time in Thailand I got to have Pad Thai- it was SPECTACULAR! My next four meals in a row consisted of this delicious Thai dish...yumm-o! We hit the beach immediately and boy were we amazed. The water was luke warm and crystal clear- picturesque. After a bit of sunbathing we met some fellow backpackers and decided to rent a kayak with them. We hit up Monkey Island-obviously as stated, where there are monkeys littered along the beach ready to be fed. Once the excitement of the monkeys settled we got in some snorkeling and then kayaked around some more of the island.

The evening was filled with more good food, thai boxing, and beach parties. The thai boxing is not only done by Thai professionals, but they try to entice drunken tourists to get in the ring to fight other tourists by offering up free buckets (of alcohol of course). All fun and games until someone gets hurt, right? After enough the boxing we headed to the beach parties where they had loud music, lots of christmas lights and even a fire lit limbo stick (yes, I did represent!).

On day two, we rented a long boat with some other fellow tourists to visit the other islands (Ko Phi Phi Leh specifically, as it was where The Beach was filmed). Once again, gorgeous beaches and crystal blue water. Oh, and the snorkeling was even more amazing than before because you could see down so far. Although I can never get enough time on the beach, we decided that we should move along our journey and try something new. We booked bus and taxi tickets to Khao Sok national park where we were told there'd be trekking to do and animals to see...(they lie).

Khao Sok National Park

Most people have never heard of this spot off the beaten path and not talked about in most tour books. We heard from someone on the beach about the spot and decided to try it out, right? (I like to think we're pretty adventurous!) Once we got there our taxi guy took us to what was called the Treetop Resort (they use the term 'resort' VERY loosely). We got a little jungle bungalow hut for only 250 baht per night which we were very pleased with. That was, until we saw all of the ants. Oh well, right? We just learned to shake them out. Anyways, so our first day was pretty chill because it was too late in the afternoon to take one of the trails, as they take 4 hours or so and it was going to be getting dark soon. Instead we got some food, played some phase 10 and then went to bed by 8 (pathetic, I know). Oh, and we did schedule a morning elephant trekking adventure for the morning!

In the morning, after putting on some ant filled underoos, and jumping quickly out of them...we finally made it to the stop to pick up our bus to the elephants. This little adventure would not have been so exciting if we didn't take complete advantage of the 'unmarked' trail. Apparently you get on the elephants and ride for about 30 minutes then come to a stop where you get off, get some water, and they turn around the elephants for us to get back on. For some reason, us and some other swedish folk thought that we were supposed to continue trekking and we'd come out to hte elephants in the end. After about 40 minutes of climing waterfalls, stepping in leech filled spots of water (yes, Michelle got a few on her legs), and getting beaten up by thorns...we made it to the end and couldn't go any farther. After sitting for 10 minutes contemplating what to do, our tour guides came up with machettes- apparently they'd been looking for us for a while. We made our way back to the elephants through the jungle which was so much easier with the guides cutting away the annoying branches. This little trekking adventure was AWESOME! Besides that, we made it back to the elephants and got back to the camp and played with a baby monkey who acted as if it was on drugs- it was CRAZY and wouldn't sit still.

Overall, we really enjoyed Khao Sok but we didn't see any animals or beautiful waterfalls like we we were promised. Oh well, right??

On Christmas night we took an overnight bus back home to Bangkok where I'm at right now packing up to head out. On our itinerary is Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, then northern Thailand. I'll keep everyon up to date and add some pictures as soon as possible. Take care and I love you all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Updated Christmas Video

Merry Christmas friends and family! I uploaded the correct video this time and I hope ya'll are able to see it. Once again, I'll write about our adventures as soon as I get back to Bangkok tomorrow. Until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Love to you all!!! xoxo

Merry Christmas from Thailand!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Michelle and I have had a great couple days in Khao Sok and I can't wait to write all about it...but I'm going till I get back to Bangkok and do it on her sister's computer (where it's free). Until then, here is a little video from our trekking adventure today...


Actually, I just uploaded the wrong video but I dont' have time to change it. Anyways, I guess you'll get our christmas video greeting later...sorry :(

p.s. This video is actually in Ko Phi Phi island

Michelle made it in safely to Bangkok late Thursday night after a long 28 hour travel. After some zzz's we got up early(7am) for a full day in Bangkok. This is a little synopsis of what we managed to fit in our day...

1. Figure out the public transportation. Thankfully, there are tons of different ways to get around in Bangkok: bus, skytrain (like the metro), car taxis, motorbike taxis, and tuk-tuks (bikes that pull a carriage sort of contraption). Depending on traffic, the best bet is the skytrain. After reading the maps (ya'll might be surprised, but yours truly was dubbed navigator on this trip:) we figured out the stops we needed for the day and proceeded on our journey.

2. Beaches...how fast can we get there??!!! Our first stop was to the train station to get some tickets to the beach- pronto! We'd been in Bangkok less than one day, but quickly realized that we'd like to explore much more of Thailand. Once we arrived at the train station by taking the skytrain (costs about $1 per ride) we had our first encounter with a pushy Thai trying to sell you something you don't need. This lady outside the station started giving us some advice on where to go and what to take (train, bus, ferry). She had a "free travel information" sign on her shirt, so we thought we'd ask her a few questions. She told us she worked for the station, but then she made us come around the station to a back road 'travel agency' where they spiked up the prices to dupe the tourists. We got out of there quickly and were able to take care of everything on the inside of the station...disaster prevented. We ended up scheduling a night train from Bangkok to Surat Thani that would leave at 5pm and arrive at 4am where we'd take a bus (then a ferry...but that's another story).

3. The Grand Palace. So we make it to the grand palace via the skytrain and then a quick, but scary, taxi ride. As soon as we get dropped off we are harrassed by a group of people that tell us the palace is closed but will open in three hours, but still had to walk down a ways to pick up some tickets for later. We gullibly belive them, but along the way meet a kind english couple that tell us its a scam. Apparently once you walk the distance to buy the tickets they try and sell you another attraction/sightseeing ticket for the three hours until the palace 'reopens'. Turns out- palace is definitely OPEN- it was never closed. We are really starting to get irritated about people lying to us. Anyways, this ENORMOUS residence/palace houses the king (supposedly) and was built back in the 16th century (I know, your not here for a history lesson). It's amazing how detailed all the temples withing the palace are. One word to describe it- Goddy! Oh, and I forgot to mention that my capris were too short (mid calf) to go into the palace so they let me 'rent' a wraparound skirt, which is shown in a lot of my pictures. I actually kind of liked it and Michelle is thinking she wants to buy one.

4. A walk around the town. Once we were finished at the palace we decided we would take a stroll around the surrounding areas and see where we find ourselves. Trying to walk along the sidewalks down some of these roads is rediculous because they are lined with vendors on each side trying to sell you something. Goodness knows you can't walk in the street for fear of being run over by one of the crazy taxi drivers though (they dont' have traffic laws, it seems). After walking a bit we made it to a Thai university that we walked through and found ourselves in their open air cafeteria. This was our first meeting with Thai food (well, I had a little something the day before). All we could do was walk up to a vendor and point to someones dish and tell them we wanted that. We started on the safe side and shared a noodle soup and fried rice (okay, we'll get to the crazy foods within a short time...) Lunch was successful! Oh, and strange thing- they don't use napkins...ANYWHERE! If your lucky, you go to a place that has toilet paper on the table:). Oh, and did I mention how much our lunch cost us? Only 30 Baht each, which is equivelent to less than $1 (one dollar=34 baht).

5. Wat Arun. All I can say...LOTS OF STAIRS!



***So we've done a lot more, but I don't have any time to write about it right now, as I'm being charged out the wazoo at an internet cafe. Quick update: we took the train, bus, then ferry to the island of Ko Phi Phi (have you ever seen the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio called The Beach?). It is absolutely marvelous here but we have booked another ticket for tomorrow to go to Khoa Sok which has a national park on it that we plan on trekking for a few days. After that we'll most likely head back to Bangkok and then head out to Cambodia with Rachel's sister. I'll try and keep in touch as much as possible! Take care and God Bless!

Ahh, travel stories!

Greetings, friends and family! I made it in to Thailand about six hours ago after 27 hours of travel, whew. So far, I've only taken a taxi ride from the airport to Rachel's apartment so I can't say I've gotten the Thai experience yet. However, I do have a little story for you that happened during my layover in Japan...

I'm sure ya'll have heard of a bidet, right? Well, apparently in Japan they even have these contraptions in the public restrooms. So, when in Rome, right...? WRONG! After 13 hours on a plane, my bladder was about to explode, so I pick a stall to do my business. I look down and there are 4 buttons to choose from. One was the bidet button to clean yourself (as the picture to the right depicts), so I push it. Within seconds, a shot of water with the pressure of a fire hose came out from the toilet. I quickly jumped off the toilet with surprise. Then it starts shooting all over the bathroom stall wall, so I try and shield it with my hand. After what felt like an eternity I finally found the stop button and thankfully the water ceased fire. There I stood with my pants around my ankles with what looked a water gun fight had taken place in my 2ft x 2ft stall. Let's just say I won't be trying that again anytime soon...

They call me a light packer...

If someone told me a year ago that I would be traveling to Thailand, not to mention taking only this one bag for a month, I would have laughed in their face! Seriously, this trip was completely spontaneous and it's still unreal to believe that I'll be half way across the world in less than two days. My backpack (which has wheels :) is AWESOME! The best part is that it has a smaller detachable backpack on the front for day trips. Sad note-one of the zippers broke today on my final packing of it (sorry KK), but it'll still work just fine.

So most of ya'll have never met the good friend I'm going with, Michelle Ovits. Let me just say- she rocks! This summer, I got to run around with her and three other amazing FSU (go seminoles) girls. (Knowing that they will be there when I go back to Fort Lauderdale has made me feel so much better about the big move) Anyways, her sis is over in Thailand teaching English to some local kiddos-sounds like a perfectly good reason to visit, right? Oh, and both of us did just graduate from school so we are finally FREE! She is second to the left with the blonde hair (aren't my girls beautiful?!).

Well, I'm not sure when I'll have internet access again, but next time I do I'll be able to write first hand what life on the other side of the world is like. Until then, take care!

T-minus 2 days

Just two more days and I will be boarding a 3-stop, 22 hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand for one whole month! Although Dad graciously supplied me with some sleeping meds, I still don't know how I'm going to make it through that flight. I've downloaded tons of games and books on my new ipod touch (thanks, Mom and Jim) I got for my graduation present this weekend. Hopefully it will also assist me in keeping in touch via this blog.

Flight itinerary: (23 hours)
Depart from Houston at 7:25am (Dec 16th)
Make stops in San Francisco and Tokyo
Arrive in Bangkok at 11:45 at night (Dec 17th)

Another problem I've been faced with- what should I take?? Seeing as I am only taking one carry on backpack and a small purse- I must think strategically about this. I've narrowed it down to about 2 pairs of shorts, 2 capris, one pair of cargo pants, 5 tanks, 4 shirts, 2 cover up/dresses, 2 swimsuits, one pair of flip flops, a pair of nice sandals and a pair tennis shoes (not to mention toiletries, electronics, and my underoos). Where do I make the cut?

Well, today was also a day of birthday celebrations- Dad and Rhonda hosted a birthday party for Amy(who turned 26 today) and myself with family and friends. Boy do I love hanging out with my family! So Rhonda bought us both birthday cakes with our pictures on them and I this is the piece I was given...if you look closely, it's me with my graduation cap on :)