Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I'm sitting in the Kuala Lumpur airport as I'm writing this, which is very different from the Ko Samui airport. The Ko Samui airport was more of a tropical resort spa than airport, a series of open air bungalows complete with tropical fish tanks in the restrooms and complimentary fruit juice bars. I miss Ko Samui, I miss Thailand, I miss buckets :(
Ko Samui proved to be even more fun than Ko Phangan. We stayed at this place right on the beach, known for its beach lounge and Wednesday night pool parties. I won't do a play-by-play due to time, shame, my future employer, and the wrath of Chloe. But as I've told my parents, I've learned a lot on this trip, and I'm going to share with you some of the things I have learned.
1. Whatever happens in Thailand, does not necessarily stay in Thailand. We are halfway around the world on this random tropic island thinking the world is our oyster. We can do anything we want and nothing will get back to the states. We find out our neighbors are Wall Street bound Harvard lax players. They were very, very friendly. One of them is training with me in two weeks for BofA. FML.
2. Lifelong soulmate connections can be made in a matter of seconds. Chloe and I had maybe a 10 minute conversation with two Army boys at a bar. They tell us they really felt a real connection with Chloe and I and would like to get to know us (wedding bellllllls). One guy offered to talk to Chloe's mother on the phone. They proceed to stalk us for the next couple of days.
3. Kayaks are not made for the deep, deep ocean. I decided to test it out thinking the water wasn't that deep. All of a sudden the rocks at the bottom drop off and I'm stuck in the middle of the fucking ocean. I no longer like waves, paddles, or "I'm on a Boat".
4. I now know what a "Leggo" is. Ask me about that one.
So there you go, a PG rundown of life lessons from Anna. This trip was started as a way to build character and personal growth. While I can't say I've grown all that much, I definitely had a blast :)
Monday, June 22, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
All the inhabitable continents are now done.
Mommy and Daddy, if you're reading this: Thailand has been really fun. I especially enjoyed learning about the traditional Thai culture and the teachings of Buddhism. Please stop reading now.
For those of you waiting for a post filled with crazy Thailand stories, this is it.
We arrived in Koh Phangan for the Half Moon Party yesterday (the 15th) only to realize the entire island is covered with signs that say "Half Moon Party: June 14th". They changed the date last minute b/c apparently Buddhist holiday and drinking do not mix. WTF. Chloe and I were close to tears until we saw more signs that say "All-night Pool Party" and decided to check it out (Bryant, like any normal person, decided it was sketchy and sat out).
At 10PM after riding on the back of a pickup truck down this dark bumpy road, Chloe and I get dropped off in seemingly the middle of nowhere. The driver motioned us to walk into the darkness down this path that leads to the ocean. At this point I'm wondering how long it'll take before they find our bodies. After what seemed like forever of walking, we turned a corner and suddenly the whole place is filled with Eurotrash techno and people. There were fire dancers on the beach, a dance floor floating in the ocean, a huge pool, and endless Bucket drinks. The downfall of Chloe and Anna begins.
We were first approached by a group of British men (and I say men b/c one of them is 33, and eventually becomes Chloe's boy-du-jour). In Chloe's defense, he said hes been working at Goldman for 10 years starting from when he was 16. Me being the perfect wing-woman sat through his friend's tale of how he came to Thailand to Thai-box for the summer before genuinely losing interest (what blonde dude Thai boxes anyways?) I see out of the corner of my eye this really cute boy is staring, and I do my best Anna-looks-glances away-looks again-smile routine. He comes over and I find out he's from Australia: the Last Continent.
The night becomes a blur and after losing my 10th straight game of chicken in the pool and my shoes I decided to call it a night before I lose my dinner. The sun is about to rise and I look around: Chloe and the 33 yr old is no where to be found (again in her defense, she said she was watching the sunrise). Ok, no worries, I'll just go post game with a bunch of British and Australian boys back in their beach bungalow at 6am-- it seemed like the safe thing to do at the time. After sitting through countless bad Eurotrash songs, I find out the Australians (different ones than before) worked as chip-n-dales in Australia. I even got their business card b/c I know you guys won't believe me unless I have evidence.
After finally conqueoring the last continent, drinking way to many buckets in the pool with British, Australian, Dutch, and South African boys, and postgaming at 7am with Australian chip-n-dales, I knew it was bedtime for Anna. Chloe and I dragged our drunk and soaked bodies onto these motorcycle taxis of death and somehow made our way back to our beach bungalow before seeing Bryant off (he's getting his scuba license in Koh Tao).
In other news, Cambodia was def a learning experience. It was really sad seeing the effects of the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people. The bugs there were really scary. And I still can't believe I survived a true third world country! Actually, I basically divided my time there between Angkor Wat and the pool at our hostel.
Chloe and I are now on the beautiful island of Samui. We just had an amazing seafood dinner and the techno music coming from the beach bars outside is tempting us. Tomorrow, there is another all night beach party at the guesthouse we're staying. uh oh...
For those of you waiting for a post filled with crazy Thailand stories, this is it.
We arrived in Koh Phangan for the Half Moon Party yesterday (the 15th) only to realize the entire island is covered with signs that say "Half Moon Party: June 14th". They changed the date last minute b/c apparently Buddhist holiday and drinking do not mix. WTF. Chloe and I were close to tears until we saw more signs that say "All-night Pool Party" and decided to check it out (Bryant, like any normal person, decided it was sketchy and sat out).
At 10PM after riding on the back of a pickup truck down this dark bumpy road, Chloe and I get dropped off in seemingly the middle of nowhere. The driver motioned us to walk into the darkness down this path that leads to the ocean. At this point I'm wondering how long it'll take before they find our bodies. After what seemed like forever of walking, we turned a corner and suddenly the whole place is filled with Eurotrash techno and people. There were fire dancers on the beach, a dance floor floating in the ocean, a huge pool, and endless Bucket drinks. The downfall of Chloe and Anna begins.
We were first approached by a group of British men (and I say men b/c one of them is 33, and eventually becomes Chloe's boy-du-jour). In Chloe's defense, he said hes been working at Goldman for 10 years starting from when he was 16. Me being the perfect wing-woman sat through his friend's tale of how he came to Thailand to Thai-box for the summer before genuinely losing interest (what blonde dude Thai boxes anyways?) I see out of the corner of my eye this really cute boy is staring, and I do my best Anna-looks-glances away-looks again-smile routine. He comes over and I find out he's from Australia: the Last Continent.
The night becomes a blur and after losing my 10th straight game of chicken in the pool and my shoes I decided to call it a night before I lose my dinner. The sun is about to rise and I look around: Chloe and the 33 yr old is no where to be found (again in her defense, she said she was watching the sunrise). Ok, no worries, I'll just go post game with a bunch of British and Australian boys back in their beach bungalow at 6am-- it seemed like the safe thing to do at the time. After sitting through countless bad Eurotrash songs, I find out the Australians (different ones than before) worked as chip-n-dales in Australia. I even got their business card b/c I know you guys won't believe me unless I have evidence.
After finally conqueoring the last continent, drinking way to many buckets in the pool with British, Australian, Dutch, and South African boys, and postgaming at 7am with Australian chip-n-dales, I knew it was bedtime for Anna. Chloe and I dragged our drunk and soaked bodies onto these motorcycle taxis of death and somehow made our way back to our beach bungalow before seeing Bryant off (he's getting his scuba license in Koh Tao).
In other news, Cambodia was def a learning experience. It was really sad seeing the effects of the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people. The bugs there were really scary. And I still can't believe I survived a true third world country! Actually, I basically divided my time there between Angkor Wat and the pool at our hostel.
Chloe and I are now on the beautiful island of Samui. We just had an amazing seafood dinner and the techno music coming from the beach bars outside is tempting us. Tomorrow, there is another all night beach party at the guesthouse we're staying. uh oh...
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
"Never have I ever" does not translate.
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
I realized how bad I am at this whole travel blog thing. I guess moving every other day doesn't make for ample blogging time. Anyways, we didn't end up climbing the Tiger Leaping Gorge because it was raining, and mudslides on a 2 ft wide path at 10,000 ft really isn't my cup of tea. Instead, we stayed in this amazing little ancient town called Lijiang and drank in full Anna glory. We stayed in this hostel called Mama Naxi's which reminded me more of my grandma's house than a hostel. Mama Naxi made sure we were fed every meal and was the sweetest lady ever. Chloe and I also found this amazing Mexican restaurant with the best margaritas in the middle of Lijiang (I know, so typical.)
Day-drinking seems to be the theme of this trip for Chloe and I (Bryant is a bit more civilized). It seems like our best acquaintances are met when we drink haha. I finally figured out why people backpack -- you meet so many interesting and friendly people from all walks of life during your travels. We had mojitos with a Marxist and an ex-banker in Lijiang, shared margaritas with a soldier who "ran away" from the Israeli army in Yangshuo, and learned the "Brazilian hip thrust" from two Brazilian boys in Guilin (don't worry, it's a dance).
We've definitely also had our share of trekking too. We went up thousands of stairs on Leshan Mountain and Mt. Emei, climbed the alien looking stone forest in Kunming, biked through rice paddies in Yangshuo, and hulled our giant backpacks through the busy streets of Khao San in Bangkok looking for a place to spend the night while avoiding the notorious "lady boys".
Last night was our first night in Thailand and Anna's discovery of this local drink called "The Bucket." It's basically a bucket. filled with vodka. and Thai Red Bull that is illegal in the States. We somehow got from there to a rooftop swimming pool at 2am, then gawking at the "ladyboys" while eating the best pad thai I have ever had for 20 baht on the street, then being served beer by this 6 ft tall woman with a 5 0' clock shadow.
Last night was hazy, I don't really know, and now I need to go cure this hangover with some more pad thai and Thai beer. Going for a trip to this little place called Cambodia tomorrow, wish us luck and hope that we don't die! Cheers!
On top of the Stone Forest - potentially a dead drop, but gorgeous as hell.
I realized how bad I am at this whole travel blog thing. I guess moving every other day doesn't make for ample blogging time. Anyways, we didn't end up climbing the Tiger Leaping Gorge because it was raining, and mudslides on a 2 ft wide path at 10,000 ft really isn't my cup of tea. Instead, we stayed in this amazing little ancient town called Lijiang and drank in full Anna glory. We stayed in this hostel called Mama Naxi's which reminded me more of my grandma's house than a hostel. Mama Naxi made sure we were fed every meal and was the sweetest lady ever. Chloe and I also found this amazing Mexican restaurant with the best margaritas in the middle of Lijiang (I know, so typical.)
Day-drinking seems to be the theme of this trip for Chloe and I (Bryant is a bit more civilized). It seems like our best acquaintances are met when we drink haha. I finally figured out why people backpack -- you meet so many interesting and friendly people from all walks of life during your travels. We had mojitos with a Marxist and an ex-banker in Lijiang, shared margaritas with a soldier who "ran away" from the Israeli army in Yangshuo, and learned the "Brazilian hip thrust" from two Brazilian boys in Guilin (don't worry, it's a dance).
We've definitely also had our share of trekking too. We went up thousands of stairs on Leshan Mountain and Mt. Emei, climbed the alien looking stone forest in Kunming, biked through rice paddies in Yangshuo, and hulled our giant backpacks through the busy streets of Khao San in Bangkok looking for a place to spend the night while avoiding the notorious "lady boys".
Last night was our first night in Thailand and Anna's discovery of this local drink called "The Bucket." It's basically a bucket. filled with vodka. and Thai Red Bull that is illegal in the States. We somehow got from there to a rooftop swimming pool at 2am, then gawking at the "ladyboys" while eating the best pad thai I have ever had for 20 baht on the street, then being served beer by this 6 ft tall woman with a 5 0' clock shadow.
Last night was hazy, I don't really know, and now I need to go cure this hangover with some more pad thai and Thai beer. Going for a trip to this little place called Cambodia tomorrow, wish us luck and hope that we don't die! Cheers!
On top of the Stone Forest - potentially a dead drop, but gorgeous as hell.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
I Climbed a Fucking Mountain.
Location: Chengdu, China
I'm aliveeeee! After two glorious days of fuck-I-can't-breathe's and am-I-supposed-to-pee -down-the-hole-I-can-see-everything's, we climbed roughly 30 kilometers up Mount Emei in our smelly, sweaty bodies. Repulsive bathrooms aside, the hardest part of Emei was definitely the altitude. After months of body tone (pulse...pulse...) and elliptical training, I thought I was ready for Emei. After climbing two flights of stairs at over 10,000 ft , I realized I was not. With Bryant's Richard-Simmons-esque coaxing, Chloe and I managed to climb our way to the summit. It was both rewarding and ballsack-freezing, I-can-see-my-own-breath cold. Bryant and I got up early to watch the sunrise at the Golden Summit. Out of nowhere, a Chinese dude yells "I can see the sun over there!" and points to our general direction. BAD IDEA. Imagine you're wearing red and a whole horde of angry bulls are charging at you. Except in this case, the whole horde of bulls are approximately one million freezing, impatient, and pushy Chinese people all trying to get a glimpse of the non-existent sunrise (give or take one million).
The next day we took the cable car down (I know we cheated a little but who gives a crap about the descent anyways?) and explored the mid to lower parts of the mountain. We had lunch at a monastery, and I attempted to change out of my shorts in a monastery courtyard. With my pants unbuttoned and realizing I never wanted to drink to "never have I ever exposed myself in front of buddhist monks at a sacred monastery", I decided to go change in the bathroom.
The hike up was actually quite pleasant, even though it was steep at times, we had altitude on our side. But of course 2/3 of the way down, I run down the mountain in my five-yr-old ways and come across a pavillion. I excitedly turn back to tell Chloe and Bryant the good news and proceed to miss a step and twist my ankle (Caitlin and Janko: if you're reading this, this was in my full in-front-of-alpine-bagels-sophomore-year glory). So now my ankle is swollen, and I'm faced with a 14 mile trek through the Tiger Leaping Gorge in 2 days.
Lesson learned here: do not strip in front of Buddha, he will punish you.
All in all, I'm glad I climbed Mt. Emei. I didn't know I had it in me, and I am definitely open to hiking up a mountain again :) Be proud, Christine.
I'm aliveeeee! After two glorious days of fuck-I-can't-breathe's and am-I-supposed-to-pee -down-the-hole-I-can-see-everything's, we climbed roughly 30 kilometers up Mount Emei in our smelly, sweaty bodies. Repulsive bathrooms aside, the hardest part of Emei was definitely the altitude. After months of body tone (pulse...pulse...) and elliptical training, I thought I was ready for Emei. After climbing two flights of stairs at over 10,000 ft , I realized I was not. With Bryant's Richard-Simmons-esque coaxing, Chloe and I managed to climb our way to the summit. It was both rewarding and ballsack-freezing, I-can-see-my-own-breath cold. Bryant and I got up early to watch the sunrise at the Golden Summit. Out of nowhere, a Chinese dude yells "I can see the sun over there!" and points to our general direction. BAD IDEA. Imagine you're wearing red and a whole horde of angry bulls are charging at you. Except in this case, the whole horde of bulls are approximately one million freezing, impatient, and pushy Chinese people all trying to get a glimpse of the non-existent sunrise (give or take one million).
The next day we took the cable car down (I know we cheated a little but who gives a crap about the descent anyways?) and explored the mid to lower parts of the mountain. We had lunch at a monastery, and I attempted to change out of my shorts in a monastery courtyard. With my pants unbuttoned and realizing I never wanted to drink to "never have I ever exposed myself in front of buddhist monks at a sacred monastery", I decided to go change in the bathroom.
The hike up was actually quite pleasant, even though it was steep at times, we had altitude on our side. But of course 2/3 of the way down, I run down the mountain in my five-yr-old ways and come across a pavillion. I excitedly turn back to tell Chloe and Bryant the good news and proceed to miss a step and twist my ankle (Caitlin and Janko: if you're reading this, this was in my full in-front-of-alpine-bagels-sophomore-year glory). So now my ankle is swollen, and I'm faced with a 14 mile trek through the Tiger Leaping Gorge in 2 days.
Lesson learned here: do not strip in front of Buddha, he will punish you.
All in all, I'm glad I climbed Mt. Emei. I didn't know I had it in me, and I am definitely open to hiking up a mountain again :) Be proud, Christine.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Perils of a Backpacker
Location: Hong Kong
So far I've been really humbled by my backpacking experience. I feel like I've learned a lot by enduring the many hardships backpackers face such as choosing between Salsa Red and Elephantastic Pink for my pedicure at Newark Airport, whether to call the concierge for a corkscrew or just order a bottle via room service at the InterContinental Hong Kong (the hotel, btw, is in "1001 Places To See Before You Die"), and deciding between sleeping in under 1000 thread count sheets or going to the hotel's fitness center private-attendant included (this one was especially truamatizing).
Before you bury your face in your hands and be ashamed of actually knowing me, let me assure you I will be doing the "real backpacking thing" soon. Chloe's dad booked us a room at the InterContinental for the first night so we could recover from our jetlags but we have since moved into a surprisingly nice hostel in HK. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the HK weather. It's been raining ever since we got here. We did manage to walk around and see the city, explore the nightlife (Typhoon YiCheng def made an appearance last night in the bars at Lan Kwai Fong), and gorge on the amaaaazzing food HK has to offer.
For the Glory-ers and SunCruzers, we're going to Macau (known as the Vegas of the East) in a couple minutes. Evan, I still have the blackjack odds chart you gave me and I will def be using that. My goal is to make back my expenses for the entire backpacking trip. I think its a pretty good plan.
Crap the computer is telling me "time is running out" in a really creepy lady voice at the internet cafe. I miss you all and will keep you updated!
So far I've been really humbled by my backpacking experience. I feel like I've learned a lot by enduring the many hardships backpackers face such as choosing between Salsa Red and Elephantastic Pink for my pedicure at Newark Airport, whether to call the concierge for a corkscrew or just order a bottle via room service at the InterContinental Hong Kong (the hotel, btw, is in "1001 Places To See Before You Die"), and deciding between sleeping in under 1000 thread count sheets or going to the hotel's fitness center private-attendant included (this one was especially truamatizing).
Before you bury your face in your hands and be ashamed of actually knowing me, let me assure you I will be doing the "real backpacking thing" soon. Chloe's dad booked us a room at the InterContinental for the first night so we could recover from our jetlags but we have since moved into a surprisingly nice hostel in HK. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the HK weather. It's been raining ever since we got here. We did manage to walk around and see the city, explore the nightlife (Typhoon YiCheng def made an appearance last night in the bars at Lan Kwai Fong), and gorge on the amaaaazzing food HK has to offer.
For the Glory-ers and SunCruzers, we're going to Macau (known as the Vegas of the East) in a couple minutes. Evan, I still have the blackjack odds chart you gave me and I will def be using that. My goal is to make back my expenses for the entire backpacking trip. I think its a pretty good plan.
Crap the computer is telling me "time is running out" in a really creepy lady voice at the internet cafe. I miss you all and will keep you updated!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wait, there's no Whole Foods in Cambodia?
First of all, thanks for taking time out of your busy summer schedules to click on the link in the email I sent out. I know you could be bronzing, Craigslisting furniture, Craigslisting personals, or making life-changing moves across the country instead (not as important but I'll include it anyways), so you being here makes me feel extra special.
As many of you may know, I'm backpacking through Asia this summer. Cliche travel blog opener aside, I would really like to keep in touch and share my travels with all of you. This blog will also come in handy when I want to rip my hair out as I'm sitting at my desk in my pinstripe suit, reminiscing about the good ole corporate-free days. I'm leaving Orlando in two days, below is a list of places I plan on visiting, let me know if you have any insider tips on any of those places!
5/20 Chicago (the most exotic locale on the list)
5/23 Hong Kong
5/26 Macau
5/27 Shenzhen, China
5/28 Guilin, China
5/31 Kunming, China
6/2 Yunnan, China
6/5 Szechuan, China (no, not the chicken dish)
6/9 Bangkok, Thailand (hehe...I am so immature)
6/12 Siem Reap, Cambodia
6/14 Koh Samui & Koh Phangan, Thailand
6/19 Malaysia
6/21 Singapore
6/23 Shenzhen
6/29 Chicago
so if you can't wait to read about Anna's misadventures when she trades in her Gucci Envy Me perfume, jersey dresses, and Whole Foods mock chik'n nuggets for a single hiking backpack - be sure to stay tuned and come along for the ride!
As many of you may know, I'm backpacking through Asia this summer. Cliche travel blog opener aside, I would really like to keep in touch and share my travels with all of you. This blog will also come in handy when I want to rip my hair out as I'm sitting at my desk in my pinstripe suit, reminiscing about the good ole corporate-free days. I'm leaving Orlando in two days, below is a list of places I plan on visiting, let me know if you have any insider tips on any of those places!
5/20 Chicago (the most exotic locale on the list)
5/23 Hong Kong
5/26 Macau
5/27 Shenzhen, China
5/28 Guilin, China
5/31 Kunming, China
6/2 Yunnan, China
6/5 Szechuan, China (no, not the chicken dish)
6/9 Bangkok, Thailand (hehe...I am so immature)
6/12 Siem Reap, Cambodia
6/14 Koh Samui & Koh Phangan, Thailand
6/19 Malaysia
6/21 Singapore
6/23 Shenzhen
6/29 Chicago
so if you can't wait to read about Anna's misadventures when she trades in her Gucci Envy Me perfume, jersey dresses, and Whole Foods mock chik'n nuggets for a single hiking backpack - be sure to stay tuned and come along for the ride!
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