Malaysia...And other random things

I'll start with the random things:
- I have eaten pad thai almost everyday since we have been back in Thailand.
- When I get into a new hotel room, my backpack looks like it threw up all over the place, while Romi and Denise's stay very neat and packed in one spot. It happens EVERY time.
- My ass has a chronic numb spot from sitting. On buses, ferries, in general.

We're in Kuala Lampur for a few days. Romi and I are really impressed with it, and say it feels like Toronto or Vancouver with its modernity and diverse ethnic community. Its a predominantly Muslim country so there are lots of women covering their heads. There are also lots of women covering their entire bodies, with just their eyes showing through the slit of scarves covering their head and face. The people have been unbelievably kind. For example, we went to the Patronas Towers and they let us go up to the sky walk even though it was technically closed. I feel very safe here too. Denise is here also, but is visiting a family friend so we won't see her. I'll be in the Philippines with her in on December 12 however.

We went to the national museum. One kid there asked me for my autograph. Yep, MY autograph. Not sure why, but hey, I'll give my autograph to anyone who asks. There is ridiculous shopping here too. Its really REALLY high end, like Louis Vuitton and Prada, all those ones. We just went to La Senza and bought new underwear, hung out in the Apple Store and used the free internet, things that most backpackers probably do. We also ate at Nando's Chicken 3 times in 2 days. That's embarrassing.

We visited the Patronas Towers both nights. Walking back from the towers the second night, this local teenage boy reached out and grabbed my boob as I walked by. Wow, was I PISSED! We chased after him, I was yelling and swearing at him and his friends as loudly as I could. I was hoping they were going to cut through the lobby of a nice hotel, so I could cause a big scene. We lost them and turned back. It felt horrible to have that happen, but also horrible that I couldn't give him a piece of my mind. I just live with the fact that he has some very bad karma coming at him one day.

Good-bye Phi Phi

Its time to leave Phi Phi and I am sad. Denise left a day before us however, so now it is Romi and I only. But then there is also Mike and Beth, Matt, and these Canadian guys, Mike and Bobby that we met in Laos.

Although this place is bad for my liver, it has been so much fun. Our last night there, had a nice dinner and then danced on the beach. Matt and Mike had the great idea of trying fire-jump and singed hair on their legs. There was also a fire limbo contest.

In talking to many many people on this trip, it is amazing the stupid and very dangerous injuries people get. We heard of one guy breaking his arm, and not doing anything about, he was just going to wait until he got back to Australia, which was still a few months away. People get serious burns from the tailpipe on scooters, people cut their feet or hands on god knows what and have to go to the hospital. Mostly there is so much partying everywhere and no rules to govern anything, like rope swings into rocky rivers. KNOCK ON WOOD, my friends and I have been fine. The only thing that has happened to me is me slipping on a boardwalk and scraping my shin. And I trip on everything. Denise does not know how I have made it through my whole life without breaking a bone.

The highlight of the night, for Romi and I anyway, was seeing a puppy named Tommy. We saw him at his home, which was a clothing store an Irish woman owned. We sat down to play with the puppy and talk to her. We asked her lots of questions about her life there and about the tsunami. She was scuba diving off the island of Phi Phi when the tsunami hit and was carried about 300 feet off course. They didn't really know what had happened but when they got back to the island it was completely ruined. She spent lots of time, weeks, helping to clean up the rubble in places on the island. She said it was incredible the damage that was done. Romi and I sat on the floor of her shop with our mouths gaping open at her crazy story.

We left Phi Phi the morning after. Mike and Beth stayed on, so it was Matt, Romi and I. Matt almost missed the ferry and would have entirely if I hadn't gone into his dorm hotel and wake him up.

We'll be in Krabi for one night then off to Malaysia.

Koh Phi Phi Lei

On Sunday, we hired a boat to take us to a small island close to Koh Phi Phi, called Phi Phi Lei. The island is uninhabited and the movie "The Beach" was filmed there. Its beautiful and deserted, the kind of place that you would HOPE to be deserted if you were deserted on an island somewhere.

The guy we hired took us around the island first. There were caves and massive cliffs shooting out of the water. Around the southern tip, Matt went cliff jumping off a 40 foot drop. I could never do that. Ever. Matt did it twice. But the water was so blue and clear. I could see all the way to the bottom. There were other boats with people that were scuba diving.

Then we went around to the main part of the island, a huge lagoon called Maya Bay. The sand was white and the water was completely clear. Its was very surreal being in such a perfect place. I snorkeled and then explored the island with Romi. We all lay in the sun on the perfect sand.

We were there for a couple of hours and then had to leave, because our driver was probably bored and we were hungry. Sunday was also Romi's birthday.

Back on the main island, Phi Phi, we went for dinner and out for drinks to remind Romi that she is 28. The night was a great time and we ended up meeting up with tons of people that we met in Laos and other places in Thailand.

On Monday, we didn't have much brain power or energy to do anything, so we went to a restaurant that showed movies. It was also raining so staying indoors was a guilt-free experience. We spent a couple of hours in there, watched "Napolean Dynamite" and "Superbad", both of which I've seen several times but never get old. The whole place is dedicated to tourists, I can't believe it. They just serve food and play movies ALL THE TIME. Being on the road for this long now, 3 months, its really nice to have that familiar feeling of watching a movie on a sofa and doing nothing, in Thailand to beat.

Its a tiny world

When I was in Japan in July, I was in a hostel in Hiroshima using a computer in the lounge. I remembered seeing a British girl there and I remembered her tattoo, a cluster of snowflakes behind her ear. I didn't talk to her at all, I just remembered what she looked like.

In Vang Vieng, Laos, tubing on the river, 3 months and 7 countries later, I saw the same girl again. I recognized her tattoos so I went up and talked to her, asked her if she has been in Japan in July. She didn't remember me, but remembered that hostel. It was the same person. She has been traveling all over Asia this whole time.

Koh Phi Phi

Ok,THIS is my new favourite place. Its beautiful. And its where the 2004 tsunami hit particularly hard. Actually it wiped out almost the whole island. There is a lot of construction everywhere still, but the people that live there are very kind and very patient with all the drunken and crazy backpackers that visit.

This is how to travel...

Today Matt and I snuck into the pool at the Hilton. We walked in like we owned the place. No one questioned us. There was a slide and a waterfall and a canal that I swam around. I'm going to try and do this everywhere I go now.

Like in Phuket

After the 12 hours in Bangkok, we caught the 12 hour bus to the island of Kho Pangnan. This is where the full moon party is. Its a massive party with about 8000 people, on the beach, all night long. We booked a bungalow resort for 4 nights. Everyone on the ferry was going for the party, so it was packed with young backpackers.

We got to our bungalow, which was a dive. It had cold showers and a non-flushing toilet, which we quickly clogged. Normally I don't mind cold showers, but on the ferry ride over, it rained and I was sitting on the deck. Then it proceeded to rain for the first 2 days we were there. The beach was very murky and the prices were way too high for what we were getting. But whatever, we were there for the full moon party.

The party was amazing. There were so many people, drinking and dancing. There were fire-throwing-twirling dancer people which were awesome to watch. I lost all my friends within the first 5 minutes, but found others shortly. I wandered all the way down the beach and back. Then I found my friends and we danced for several hours. Then I lost them again. I needed a nap, but lord knows why I didn't just go back to the hotel. I wanted to make it to sunrise. After my nap, I wandered down the beach a little longer. It was morning now so I got in a tuk-tuk and went back to the hotel. I went to sleep for the whole day. I didn't drink very much, but every drink has Red Bull in it and it has so much sugar, which made me feel gross. So the day was wasted by sleeping. I found Leesa, Denise and Romi at the hotel and we spent a few hours later that night recounting our stories.

On the last day on the island, we rented scooters and went exploring on the island. Romi doesn't like riding a scooter so she rented an ATV and looked really cute on it. She is shorter than me, so picture her driving a giant machine like that.

The island was beautiful. We found some nice beaches and a beautiful bar that overlooks the entire side of the island, and watched the sunset. We hung out with 2 guys we met, Ryan from the UK and Matt from the US. We had a great day, but were ready to leave the island and all its touristy things.

We left the island early in the morning, on Saturday, on a ferry. It took us to the mainland, where we caught a bus to Phuket. The bus was supposed to be 5 hours, but it broke down three times. The last time it broke down, the driver told us to get off, and onto another bus that was heading to Phuket. However this bus was already full. I had to stand in the aisle of the bus for 2.5 hours. It sounds bad, but I practiced my yoga stances and it made the time more pleasant. The whole experience was a complete shit show which got us in Phuket about 4 hours late.

We stayed on Patong Beach for 3 nights. Our room had no windows, so we called it the Bomb Shelter. But it had air conditioning and a hot shower, so we were happy. I didn't care for Patong too much, with the lady boys everywhere and party girls looking for a rich white man to "hang out" with for a week or so. I think its gross. Every older man was with a very yound Thai woman/girl. And if there were any solo men, those men were learing at all the young Thai women in the bars and restaurants. It is what it is. Patong was also hot very hard by the Tsunami in 2004. While walking around the town, I couldn't imagine how scary that would have been to be there for it. There were lots of vendors selling cds of photos of the tsunami and its destruction.

We spent two days laying on the beach and swimming. When it was too hot, I went swimming. When I got too chilly in the water, I went back to lie in the sun. And on and on for 2 days.

Today, we got in a cab for 15 minutes to head to the next beach down the coast, Karon Beach. I also spent today alternating between lying in the sun reading and swimming in the ocean. The water is the clearest I have ever seen in my entire life. Bright turquoise and the whitest sand.

But the sad thing is that Leesa left us today. She bought a plane ticket to Singapore, to see visit her sister who lives there. She's sick of beaches and that's what we're going to be doing for the bext 2 weeks. I miss her tons already, although we only had another 2 weeks with her anyway. Leesa lives in Tsawassen so I will see her when I get home. Now it is Romi, Denise and I, then Ryan and Matt, whom we met in Kho Pangnan. Its a good crew, but not the same without Leesa Leroy.

Bye bye Laos, hello again Thailand

No more Laos, me sad. We left on the slow boat from Luang Prabang. And is it ever slow. Its a two day ride west on the Mekong River, but a few more hours each day than we expected. The second day, we arrived in whatever the name of the town is about an hour too late to catch another ferry into Thailand and then to cross the border. We had to stay in this town overnight and get the boat and then another bus the next day. I was hella cranky at first, but we met a really cool couple from Holland and had dinner with them.

We spent 2 days in Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand. We did a one day Thai cooking course, a definite highlight of my trip. We learned how to make 8 different dishes and got a market tour. It is so easy. Its really all about having the right ingredients. We had the class to ourselves and our teachers were so funny. There was also a litter of puppies at the house nearby so I couldn't have been happier. One of the puppies was a wooly little Golden Retriever named Fat Boy (just a nickname). Romi and I really lose our minds when we see puppies. Leesa and Denise lose their minds more when they see babies. Babies, no thanks. Get me a puppy.

Chiang Mai was a cool city, a lot bigger than I expected. And there are a lot more lady-boys than I thought too. Its seems to be a huge part of the culture. And it seems to very accepted, just from talking to people. I gather that it is something that is accepted as a person grows up. Its just interesting.

After the cooking class, we got dropped off at a tattoo parlour cause Denise was thinking of getting one. I got one instead. Oops! Its really cute and I wanted it for over a year, 3 little stars on my wrist. We also explored the night bazaar. The next day Denise and Leesa went to the long-neck hilltribes for the day and Romi and I got massages and ate middle eastern food. Last night we took a 12 hour bus ride back to Bangkok, where we are now.

We've been here since 5.30 this morning, just loitering anywhere we can. Romi is coming down with a flu and Leesa has had stomach problems for the last 3 days. All the moving around is taking a toll on us. So tonight we are heading south to the islands. I can't believe we are already at that part of our trip! The first stop is Kho Pang Nan for the full moon party. Then I want to visit about 5 other islands, do some scuba diving and kayaking.

Over and out.

Luang Prabang

Detox lasted about 48 hours. Its impossible not to drink while on vacation with your best friends.

Luang Prabang is defnitely my favourite city so far. It has beautiful french architecture. The people all over Laos are so kind genuine. Its a nice change to not have "Lady you want to buy something?" or "Madame, you like t-shirt? You like bracelet?" No, I don't like any of the crap you are selling so please leave me alone. In Laos, A tuk tuk driver MIGHT ask if we want a ride, but that's only if he's awake and looking out of his hammock.

Another example, when we were arriving here 2 days ago, I realized I had left my camera on the minibus. I hopped onto the back of a scooter and rode to the bus station. The bus had already left, but another driver was there and called a bunch of other drivers to see if they had found the camera. None of them had. I was almost about to cry when a bus pulled into the station and low and behold my camera was on the front seat. Do I have horseshoes up my ass or what? If that had happened in Cambodia or Vietnam, I never would have seen my camera again.

Today we went to an amazing waterfall and swam underneath it. Tomorrow we are taking a boat along the river into Thailand. It takes 2 days. I am really going to miss this country.

Detox

Whoever said that the best cure for a hangover is more alcohol, is a liar. It just makes the next day's hangover even worse.

We arrived in Vang Vieng 2 days ago and as soon as we got off the bus we were at an irish bar getting free lao lao (Lao whiskey) shots poured down our throats. It smells and tastes a little like rubbing alcohol. We checked out the town and then went back to the irish bar for dinner, where we got a free bucket of whiskey and sprite, and more free lao lao shots. After dinner we went to a bucket bar, called the Bucket Bar and just kept on drinking, all night. I also fell out of a hamock.

Yesterday, I woke up, ate some breakfast and then went back to sleep for a while. I was very hungover. At noon we rented tubes to float down the river. And this is when it started to get ugly. Picture hundreds of foreigners, tubing down the river, getting out of the river every 10 meters to hang out at a bar. There are rope swings and zip lines. And lots of free lao lao. The first bar we had a beer, then just got buckets of whiskey, red bull and sprite, for the rest of the day. There were mud pits at some of the bars, and a slide at another. This is how we spent the rest of the day. Some bars you can get mushroom shakes, and some offer free joints. Needless to say, it was a shit show. Leesa fell out of her tube through some rapids and got pretty beat up. I went of a roap swing, but let go too soon and landed on my stomach. I have many strange bruises today.

We got out of the river just after it got dark, went home, showered and then went back to the Bucket Bar. And today, I am in detox. I've said that many times but today I'm serious. The only reason I left my bed today was to eat. This town is bad for my health, so tomorrow we are leaving.