Airplane Views

I usually keep the window closed when I fly; it helps keep my irrational flyers anxiety to a minimum. However, every now and then I’ll open it for a while and ogle over the beauty of the sky before me. Whether it be a sea of clouds or a sleepy city lit up by hundreds of lights, the views never cease to amaze me.

Last night on my flight from NY to LA we experienced some pretty severe turbulence. I was on the edge of panic when the shaking finally subsided and I decided to open the window to see if I could identify what had caused my near heart attack. When I did, I was face to face with an enormous thunderstorm. I was in shock. I had never seen anything like that before!

With each pulse of electricity the night sky lit up like someone set off an array of fireworks. I could literally see individual bolts flickering amongst the clouds and striking down toward the Earth with remarkable power. Perfect lightning bolts, like something you see in National Geographic, lit up the dark and cloudy night sky right before my eyes. And just above the storm, completely undisturbed by the chaos below, I saw an assortment of stars glimmering exquisitely in the night. It was breathtaking and flawless, and so perfectly natural.

Watching a thunderstorm from the sky is probably the most incredible natural occurrence I’ve ever seen in my life. Mother Nature is so magnificent that she leaves me speechless time and time again.

Mulling In Montclair

I’ve been extremely busy since I’ve been home, so much that I feel like I haven’t had time to sit down and reaaallyy think about my trip. I just spent six unforgettable weeks submerged in a mysterious and wonderful culture. I swam in the Andaman Sea, got lost on hikes in the jungle, gypped by taxi drivers in the city and helped by strangers everywhere I went. I washed an elephant, was attacked by mosquitos and ate more fried rice than I will ever admit. I danced on the beach in paradise for goodness sake! Sometimes I get so caught up in my everyday routine that I forget that I was just traveling. It isn’t until I meet up with Sarah or someone asks about my trip, that I get a chance to think about it again. It’s made me realize that the experiences that create the most profound memories are all you really have in life. Experience is, well, everything.

After I travel I like to mull over what the trip meant outside of the cultural experience. What did I learn about myself? Do I feel changed by this experience? Have I grown as a person? I can honestly say South East Asia taught me to simply appreciate. Appreciate the big things, appreciate the little things, appreciate the drinkable tap water and the toilet paper. It was humbling in so many unusual ways that it’s kind of hard to explain.

I’ve always heard things about third world countries but experiencing it first hand was completely different than reading about it in a book. The people have so little yet they are so utterly content with their simplicity that I’m almost envious. There was one particular event that was a perfect example of this innocent simplicity. It happened in Pai. I had been leaving toys behind each time we left a city, and by the time I reached Pai, I was down to one bag with about eight hot wheels, a rainbow ribbon wand, two frisbees and one My Little Pony puzzle. We were moving from Haun Saran Guesthouse in the city to a bungalow just outside of town that had a pool, which was the selling point for me lol. When we arrived I noticed a little boy in a bright yellow shirt sitting in a wheelbarrow surrounded by garden tools. My friend saw him too and immediately said, “I wanna give him the rest of the toys.” He brought the bag over and rather excitedly (it was cute) gave it to the little boy. Later when we were at the pool we saw him, in his bright yellow shirt, frolicking around the parking lot with the rainbow ribbon wand. I looked over at my friend and we both smiled. Pure, innocent, simplicity.

It was little things like that boy’s simple happiness that made me understand how important it is to appreciate not only what I have but who I am. More importantly, this trip put my rather privileged life (compared to many) into perspective. The trivial things I used to find myself caring about are just that, trivial, and it’s much easier for me to understand this now. South East Asia was a remarkable experience, it has and still is molding the person I am today.

Perfectly Peaceful Pai

 

Nestled in the mountains of Northern Thailand, surrounded by deep lush jungle, is the city of Pai. From Chiang Mai to Pai, we took a mini van three and a half hours up the windiest road in the world (I’m sure of it). If you get car sick easily I highly recommend taking something to settle your stomach because that ride is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. For over an hour you are driving straight into the mountain. The road is twisting and turning in every direction imaginable, the lanes are hardly big enough for cars to pass each other, there’s construction being done around every bend and every once in a while you find yourself stopped in the middle of the road waiting for a heard of cattle to pass. It was horrifying and beautiful all at the same time.

Sarah & I with the Buddha

Pai is easily the most tranquil and serene city I’ve ever been to. We originally planned to visit for two days, but ended up staying about two weeks. It was just so incredibly peaceful that I didn’t want to go anywhere else. The people were kind and fortunately, it lacked the hustle and bustle of city life. No smoke, no smog, no commotion. It was a simple, spiritual little town that had the most charming lackadaisical aura, and I melted right in. No one was in a hurry to do much of anything and they were so secluded that it almost felt like they were in their own little world. I loved it.

There are various waterfalls and viewpoints, a canyon, a giant Buddha, and tons of natural life to be explored. If you don’t do anything else, rent a motorbike! If I wasn’t wading in the pool with a beer in hand (sorry mom) or eating fried rice at a local restaurant, I was scooting around the city. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, and tea houses to keep you busy, and enough temples and statues along the way to add to the cultural experience. My friend and I stumbled upon this little temple in the mountains with absolutely no one there. It was kind of eerie; there wasn’t a single person. Most things are relatively inexpensive and you can bargain with the vendors at the night market, a skill I now mastered. Check out Sunset Bar (it’s about a 5 min. scoot outside of town) for their very silly vibes.

At the top of Mor Pang Waterfall

Pai was the most blissful place I think I’ve ever traveled to. It was just so incredibly refreshing. I felt like I could breathe. Like really, really breathe. It was all so alluring and wondrous. I can say with certainty that I will go back someday. I’ll go back and be absorbed into that mesmerizing culture all over again.

Crazy about Chiang Mai

Tiger beers with Luis & Sarah

After a necessary extended stay in Koh Samui, which consisted of not much but lounging around the hotel (I was tired of hostels), floating in the ocean and eating fried rice everyday, we flew to Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is the largest city in Northern Thailand. We stayed off Tha Phae Rd right outside of the old city in a super cool hostel called D-Well, in a 6 bed mixed dorm for about $10 a night. The staff at D-Well were great. They were really friendly and exceptionally helpful, they even taught us Thai! (s̄wạs̄dī kạ means hello). Beam, one of the hostel staff, was one of the sweetest people I met the entire trip. He would stay up with us in the evening chatting about anything and everything. It was really cool listening to his story. He was a 20 year old working six days a week and going to school, he had the most genuine heart and made our stay in Chiang Mai feel very much like home.

Cool street art

The city itself had a super hipster vibe. The old town and surrounding areas are filled with coffee shops, temples, cool little bars and restaurants, river cafes, book stores, secret tea shops and thought invoking street art. I loved it there. The people were especially friendly and things were much less expensive than anywhere else we had traveled. We spent most of our time walking around the old city and perfecting our bargaining skills at the Night Bazaar. The first night in the market, we stumbled upon this outdoor “food court” type area. There were about 15 or so restaurants in a semi circle with a stage for a live band at the open end. The food was delicious, I ate at the only Mexican restaurant there. I can’t remember the name (sorry) but they were the only place that had both a vegetarian and vegan option which I thought was awesome so I ate there. Anyway, the music was excellent, one of the bars sold our favorite beer, which was getting increasingly difficult to find the further north we went, and the vibes were very cool.

Words of wisdom

My favorite thing about Chiang Mai, and probably the trip in general, was the day we spent at the Thai Elephant Care Center (http://thaielephantcarecenter.com at about $50 a person for half a day). It was easily the most magical, rewarding, marvelous, experience of my life. We were having a difficult time finding somewhere to interact with elephants that didn’t offer any type of elephant riding or trekking, both of which we didn’t want to do, and somehow, we found this place. We were walking down the street and just sort of came upon it. We went in, spoke with the ladies at the front desk about the center and the programs they offered, and booked a trip for the next day. This particular care center is dedicated to elderly and sick elephants (no riding involved thank goodness), so due to their unpopularity, we were lucky enough to be the only people signed up for the following day.

Sarah & I jazzed at the care center

Our day started with an hour drive to the center where we were introduced our Mahout for the day, Cheet, and were ushered into a locker room to change into traditional Mahout garbs. Then we met the elephants.

Happy elephant!

There were about nine of them each in their own spacious stall not chained to any post (thank goodness). I’ve never seen an elephant before let alone up close, so I was taken aback by their tremendous size. I mean I knew they were big but I didn’t know they were THAT big! It was incredible. We spent the day feeding them, preparing their food, making medicine balls (that part was cool), walking them and bathing them. We got to see the elephant cemetery on the premises and our Mahout, Cheet, made the day even more special. He had worked at that particular center for over 10 years and knew everything you could possibly know about elephants. You could tell that he really loved the elephants like they were his own. He was just as genuine as Beam (from the hostel) and made our day extremely special.

I absolutely loved the time I spent in Chiang Mai. I would go back without a second thought and with a smile on my face. The people we met and the experiences we had are things I will never forget. It was all so wonderful. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Sarah & I washing the elephant!

Dos and Don’ts of the Full Moon Party

The full moon party was probably the most outrageous event I’ve ever been to. There were hundreds of people lining the beach jammin to all kinds of different music while drinking bucket after bucket after bucket…after bucket of every kind of alcohol imaginable. It was a great party and I definitely recommend checking it out if you are near Koh Pha Ngan during a full moon. After my ridiculously wild experience, I complied a list of things I wish I knew and am now here to inform you.

DOS

DO stay on Koh Pha Ngan. The party is located on that island but my friends and I stayed on Koh Samui and took a 25 min boat over for the evenings events. I would recommend however, staying on island. It’s just easier to get around (obviously) and everyone else on the island spends the days leading up to the party, and even a few days after, pre-partyting and post partying. Overall, I would have preferred to stay on Pha Ngan as opposed to Samui.

Before the paint fight

DO get festive! Wear colors that will pop under a black light and definitely get painted! Either buy your own paint from the market or pay 100 plus Bhat for a street artist to hook you up.

DO go with a group of friends or people you know relatively well (staying at your hostel, etc.), especially if you’re a girl. Common sense tells us there is safety in numbers and an event like this is no exception. Plus you’ll have way more fun (and be much safer) if you party with people you’re familiar with.

DO wear shoes! I saw tons of people without shoes on and yes I know the party is on the beach but there are all kinds of sharp pieces of who knows what ready to impale your bare heels and toes. So unless you want a tetanus shot, keep your feet covered.

DO have a freakin good time! Drink tons of buckets (responsibly of course), dance until you can no longer and make lots of friends. It’s the perfect environment for the silliest of all shenanigans, so get silly!!

I was groooovin!

DON’TS

DON’T swim in the ocean! I made the mistake of doing so and as soon as I realized that everyone around me was using it as their personal toilet, I wanted to die. People are literally peeing everrryyyyywhere! It’s seriously gross.

DON’T over do it. I know it’s easy to get caught up in the vibe of the party (trust, I was doin the most) but try, for your own sake, dignity and safety, to keep it together a little bit.

DON’T forget ladies, most places charge around 10 to 20 Bhat to use the bathroom, and while the ocean is readily available for your peeing pleasure, it’d be a tad more ladylike to find a toilet. And bring your own toilet tissue!!

Painfully Permiscous Patong

Patong is on the west coast of Phuket. We were there for a brief two days and that was more than enough for me. Basically Patong is like Soi Cowboy, the lady boy street in Bangkok or Las Vegas, on steroids. Every night Bangla Road comes alive with promoters competing for your presence (for lack of a better word) at their bar or club. These establishments range anywhere from lady boy bars (or boi as the Thai say) to ping pong shows to strip clubs and girly bars, or to a very limited number of regular bars that offer no type of promiscuous service. Granite all the bars on this street have an air of promiscuity simply because of their location. To be completely honest, it was all really overwhelming for me. The promoters are extremely pushy and can be very rude if you refuse their services.

Friends at Lupta

What I did like about Patong however, was the people we met. We stayed at Lupta Hostel ($12 a night) which was less than a three minute walk to Bangla Road and very conveniently located across the street from the beach. The hostel itself was relatively new, super clean and had free coffee and toast every morning.

We visited the Tiger Sanctuary while we were there and it was a very interesting experience to say the least. I actually didn’t even want to go on that outing, but somehow my travel partners convinced me that I should. However, the experience was really frightening, sad, frustrating and immoral. I didn’t like it at all and I don’t recommend it. The main reasons I was uninterested in visiting the Tiger Sanctuary are as follows:

1. I’m afraid of wild animals!!! These are freakin tigers!! If they wanted to eat my skinny little 113 pound body they definitely could and with ease! Like in one gulp I’d be gone!
2. I don’t know how these tigers are treated. They are born in captivity and raised in conditions that are unnatural for a tiger. They’re meant to run free and eat when they want and fight if they want and breed when they want and do anything they want, when they want. It just seemed so unnatural for them to be caged and interacting with people the way they were.
3. Although the brochure says the tigers aren’t drugged and naturally sleep 18 hours a day (what?!) they definitely ARE under some sort of sedative. I could see it in their eyes, and the ones that clearly weren’t drugged were in cages not interacting with visitors. After the visit I did some research on that establishment and others like it throughout Thailand, and found that there have been multiple attacks on visitors. Obviously this makes perfect sense considering tigers are WILD ANIMALS that aren’t meant to be caged and cuddled by hundreds of people on a daily basis! Wild animals are unpredictable! They have a wild instinct that can only be tamed (seemingly) with drugs, so to eliminate that unpredictability these establishments sedate them and it’s painfully obvious. Half of the tigers we saw were sleeping the entire time we were there and at one point one of the workers basically punched a sleeping tiger in the face (he said he was getting a fly off) and it didn’t even flinch. It was horrifying! And realistically, what healthy tiger sleeps 18 hours?!?!?!

Not havin it at the Tiger Sanctuary

Drug free tiger

On a less frustrating note (I’m getting flustered writing about this), the beaches in Patong were really nice. Although it was overcast the water was still extremely warm, clear and simply beautiful. At night they have vendors that sell fireworks, those floating lanterns and of course, beer.

Making wishes on the beach

Overall Patong was a really interesting place. I don’t know that I would go back again but I do appreciate the experiences and the people I met while I was there.

Sarah & I built our first sand castle in Patong

A bit overwhelmed by Bangkok

Bangkok, where do I even begin. The city is gigantic. It reminded me of LA, but like super duper sized. Three friends and I stayed in an apartment (rented through Airbnb.com) in Sukhumvit very near the metro. I would recommend staying within walking distance to a metro stop so that you can get around the city easily.

Soi Cowboy

Overall, Sukhumvit was a really nice area. It has a ton of street food options, restaurants, bars, clubs, shops and just about anything else you could think of (including lady boys and ping pong shows off Soi Cowboy, if you’re into that sort of thing). We stumbled upon an excellent food truck, Daniel Thaiger, that serves simple but delicious hamburgers. They’re parked outside of Whisgar & Craft at Sukhumvit 23 everyday from 5pm until about midnight, so if you’re in the neighborhood definitely check them out.

Bar games

We ventured out to Khao San Road for some very touristy shopping accompanied by beers and old school bar games. Route 66 was a super cool club that we went to two nights in a row. It’s located near RCA (Royal City Ave) and cost 300 bhat a person. I know that seems expensive but they give you redeemable drink tickets worth the amount you pay to get in, so it’s not that bad. The club offers three different rooms with a variety of music, so there’s something for everyone.

View from 84th floor

Of course we made it our mission to go to the highest rooftop bar in Bangkok (The Rooftop Bar at Baiyoke Sky Hotel). The bar itself wasn’t much to be desired but the rotating deck on the 83rd floor is something to see. You get a 360° view of the city, it’s pretty badass.

Entrance to the Golden Mount

As far as sightseeing is concerned, definitely go to the Grand Palace! It’s probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. Each building is so intricately designed and detailed, it’s breathtaking. We also went to the Golden Mount which has hundreds of bells that can be heard ringing throughout the grounds all day long. There’s a cafe run by monks that serves an excellent cup of coffee and the scenery surrounding the mount will not disappoint either.

Statue at the Grand Palace

Some important things to note: Tuk tuks are always more expensive than taxis, despite what people may say. Always ask beforehand if they use a meter, and if they don’t, find another taxi. Beware of especially friendly locals offering cheap tuk tuk rides, temple/sightseeing tours, or anything that isn’t through a legit company. Unfortunately there are a lot ton scammers in Bangkok so it’s important to be smart about who you trust. Also, the tap water in Bangkok is very dirty! I was sick for a little over a week because I used it to brush my teeth and trust me when I say, it wasn’t pretty.

Koo Koo for Koh Phi Phi

The Viewpoint

After Singapore, I flew to Phuket where I then took an hour bus ride to Rassada Pier where I waited for two hours for a ferry which took another two hours to get me to Phi Phi (totally worth the multiple modes of transportation). I spent just about every day lounging on the beach, walking through the streets and thoroughly enjoying the tiny island. This is a relatively small place so there is only so much you can do while visiting.

First time I hiked to Viewpoint. My eyes are closed lol 

Brought my glasses the second time I hiked Viewpoint, it was a better view. (My very good friend Sarah on the left)

The Viewpoint is an absolute must. No where else on the island can you get a better view. The hike to the top is a bit strenuous but, as always, the view is totally worth it. There’s also a sweet little cafe where you can buy water and refreshments and they have the most adorable garden furniture which I loved.

I went on two different boat tours. The first consisted of 20 or so people crammed on a long-boat braving the open sea, literally. It was pretty horrifying at times but the sights were well worth the four or five mini heart attacks I had throughout the day.

My favorite part about the long-boat tour was definitely Bamboo Island. It’s a remote little island off the coast of Phi Phi that has tons and tons of, you guessed it, bamboo trees. It’s off-season right now in SEA (due to unpredictable heavy wind and rain storms aka rainy season) so the number of tourists flooding these islands is substantially lower than during high season. I was able to roll around on a sandbar for an hour without seeing a single person. It was amazing.

Bamboo Island

The tour takes you to monkey beach where there are 50 or so monkeys roaming around trying to steal water, juice and anything else they can from people and boats. Not my forte but at least I can say I went.

Maya Bay

We also went to Maya Bay, where they filmed parts of the movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio (I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it). The bay itself was absolutely beautiful, even on an overcast and wind/sand stormy day. Getting to the bay however, was a bit of a challenge for me. We had to swim about 100 yards from our boat (through rock filled water) to this rope net that lead you to a stair case that eventually brought you to the beach. I’m not a particularly strong swimmer but I had a life vest so it wasn’t too bad.

Me snorkeling (available on both tours)

The other boat tour I took was very similar to the long-boat aside from the fact that it included unlimited beers and water sports. You don’t actually get to go to the beach on Maya Bay (or Bamboo Island) but you do get to see it. I would recommend the booze cruise if you are trying to make friends and have a nice (relatively drunken) day out at sea. If however, you would actually like to visit certain places then I would say go for the long-boat tour. They were both very cool and very different experiences.

Cove where you are able to lounge in the water and soak up the sun

Aside from boat tours, snorkeling, Thai massages and getting a tattoo (literally every other establishment is a tattoo parlor) there isn’t much else to do on Phi Phi except party. Every night you can catch a fire show on the beach followed by massive paint parties at the bars or you can head into town where there are a few bars that offer excellent live music and beer pong. The infamous bucket stands can be found at every corner and the prices aren’t too steep this time of year. Be warned though, those buckets pack a punch.

  

I think my favorite thing about the island was the sense of community that I felt (even as an “outsider”). People remembered my face and my name. I made friends with locals and became a regular at various restaurants and bars (sorry mom). If you make it out there, be sure to say hi to Tobi and Adam at Stockholm. It’s a super cool bar right in the middle of town where they party all hours of the day. Their prices are low and their company is priceless (sorry for the cliche). They’ll willingly lose to you in beer pong at night and have breakfast, or lunch considering most people and places don’t start functioning until about noon, the next day. Overall, Phi Phi is a beautiful island with the most unique and welcoming culture I’ve ever experienced.

Sweet sweet Singapore

My stay in Singapore was brief (only two days) but it was just enough. To begin with, it was easily the cleanest city I’ve ever seen. No trash, no graffiti, no smoking in public, no funky smells, no nothing. It was however, the most expensive city I’ve been to, which would make sense considering they have one of the most open economic markets in the world (thanks Google). Nonetheless my two days there were worth every penny.                

I stayed at Pillow and Toast, a cool and relatively cheap ($21 a night) little hostel right near China town. The beds were comfy, the bathrooms were clean and the staff was friendly, all checks on my list. Day one started with breakfast at Two Men Bagel House and like all the meals on this trip so far, it was delicious! Cheese, egg, lettuce and avocado on a bagel, yes please! I wandered around the city and ended up at the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands; a super posh mall that has an escalator to the Gardens by the Bay.

Gardens by the Bay is an exceptionally beautiful self sustaining garden, which is awesome for me because I loveee nature! The garden itself was wonderful, there’s tree, plants, flowers, and sculptures everywhere in the garden. The views from the OCBC Skyway are something to see. However, I was definitely a little freaked out considering I was 72 feet above the floor on a rickety little walk way. The Cloud Forest was probably my favorite part about the gardens. There was a waterfall and flowers and all kinds of plants. It was simply beautiful.

  

After the gardens, I went to Clark Quey (pronounced key) where there are bars, clubs and restaurants. Across the street there’s Fort Canning Park where they have all kinds of cool historical facts about Singapore on plaques around the park and cool monuments as well. Both places are worth seeing, if you like food and history. I ended my day excursion at the oldest Armenian church in Singapore. It was simple but so beautiful.

 

Bali Basics

So it’s been a few weeks since my last post and quite a bit has taken place since then, so for now I’ll start with my last days in Bali. It began with breakfast at an organic vegetarian restaurant, Earth Cafe, where the food was literally to die for. If you are into the healthy hippy vibe (people were walking around the place with no shoes on and the background music was similar to that of Yoga Radio on Pandora) then this place is perfect for you. I had a yogurt and granola bowl with fresh fruit and two different fresh pressed juices. Simple, yet perfectly delicious.

           

After, I ventured to Tanah Lot Temple, which is nestled among the cliffs on its own little island. This was the first temple I visited on this trip and I can honestly say it was absolutely breathtaking. The sand surrounding the temple was a fine and black and the water came up just enough that the temple was still accessible. The views from the temple were just as amazing as the temple itself. For a small donation, I was able to be blessed by the holy spring water which was a very enriching spiritual experience. The entire visit was so peaceful and simply beautiful, that I stayed well over two hours (most people only stay for about an hour as there is only so much to see and do).

Banjar Hot Water Springs

I also took a tour of Northern Bali (booked through baligoldentours.com at $55 a person). This was probably my favorite part about my stay in Bali. Our tour guide, Dudy (who I highly recommend) was an absolute delight. He took us to Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, Gitgit Waterfall, and Banjar Hot Water Springs.

Dinner at Dudy’s compound

The highlight of the trip however, was when he took us to his village deep in the mountains of the north. It was incredible to see how simply he and the other villagers lived. He even invited us to his home, which is in a compound that consists of 5 or 6 different “houses” that he and his family share with two other families. The sense of community and family was so prevalent that it was hard not to feel welcomed. His wife prepared a small meal and coffee for us (which was delicious) and we sat and talked for about an hour before he took us back to the city. It was awesome to be able to see what life is like for those who live outside of the touristy areas.