Beaches, Boats and Beer: Thailand (part 2)

Koh Phi Phi: We sleep the entire way to the island (what better way to get from point A to point B?!) 

With minor difficulty we found our hotel, and then after booking our booze cruise (with this amazing Irish guy that we met while wandering around the island) for the following day, we headed to the beach!

After some drinks on the beach...

We decided it was time for another massage: BAD IDEA. We were so sunburnt that it just ended up being more and more pain. You live and you learn, right??

After a most delicious dinner, we headed to the beach for the coolest beach parties that I have ever experienced (fire, tight-rope walks and dancing)!

The next morning, after a much needed beach relaxation, we headed to what may very well be the highlight of my trip: SHIPWRECKED. 

What is Shipwrecked you may be wondering? It is everything that I could possibly use to describe my perfect day - only it's actually affordable in Thailand: full day on a boat, with unlimited alcohol, playing with monkeys, most beautiful beach EVER, snorkeling, dinner + sunset... IT WAS UNREAL.

I'd say these pictures do the day justice :)

We headed back to the beach that night for some more beach party fun. Glenn may (or may not) have been ready to have a bit of break from me, so we split up: he headed out, becoming best buds with a random British guy at a tattoo parlor. I too ended up hanging out with a British guy - who had the week before met a guy from New Zealand that I became friends with in Rio!! What a small freakin world we live in.

The next morning, we wandered around our tiny island for one last time and then headed to our ferry for what we thought would be an uneventful ride back to Phuket. We ended up meeting these guys from Pakistan (because Glenn thought the one guy smelled bad and was rather vocal about it). This chance meeting turned into a two hour ferry ride full of discussing religion, movies, ISIS, American politics... and just about anything else that you would assume Americans and Pakistanis would discuss.

The rest of the trip we did 100% Glenn's way (which was a terrifying experience for me). We showed up in Phuket with no idea of where we would be staying that night. We hopped in a random shuttle, told them to drop us off at this street that we recognized, walked into a random hotel, let them recommend another random hotel to us, wandered into that hotel, were blown away (by how beautiful and cheap it was), and then booked it!

I will say... traveling on the fly in Thailand isn't SO bad. 

After dinner with a diplomat that we met, we decided it might possibly be a good night for a tattoo. The very first shop that we walked into just FELT RIGHT... So 5 hours later (maybe more?) we both walked out with new tattoos! 

After some pool (I beat Glenn) and wondering through our beloved Phuket, we headed back for a much needed great night of sleep in our randomly amazing hotel.

The next morning we wandered around for our last leg of shopping. Shopping there is so relaxing. I wish all shopping could be like that!!! We found absolutely everything we needed, honing our bartering skills along the way. (Oh, and we did the fish eating your feet thing and both absolutely HATED it.)

We then ran into the Pakistani guys AGAIN. These guys ended up getting Glenn's phone for him when they went to Bangkok! (Apparently it's illegal to send things to the States from Pakistan BUT at least the Pakistanis now have his phone...)

We then boarded our flight back to Hong Kong where Glenn had the privilege of sitting with two unsupervised children. I guess the mother trusted Glenn to watch her kids for her? They ended up hitting and screaming at each other during our entire decent into Thailand as Glenn tried to reason with them in English (a language which they did not speak). SO FUN.

Upon arrival, we quickly booked a hostel (since we were doing things Glenn's way at this point, we did not plan ahead where we were going to stay). The hostel we ended up at was AWESOME.

We ended up meeting a bunch of super fun people with whom we decided we should stay up the whole night with hanging out on the roof. Glenn left at about 6am to catch his flight. I, on the other hand, stayed on the roof until about 8am. I collapsed into bed, not bothering to set an alarm.

I woke up at 2:30pm, thinking that my flight had left without me. I stumbled and fell all over the place until I finally found my boarding pass which said 7pm - a mixture of relief and sadness washed over me as I realized I really was going to have to leave this beloved city.

After spending what little bit of the day was left wandering around, I headed to the airport, got a massage (had to take advantage of the cheap massages one last time), boarded the flight, sat next to an American that I was able to discuss the wonders of Asia with, and then MADE IT BACK TO AMERICA.

Craziest. Trip. EVER.

Beaches, boats and beers: Thailand (part 1)

Bangkok: We went into Thailand blind. For Hong Kong I had my trusty guide book that guided a decent amount of our decisions. Thailand on the other hand... we just wanted to see cool temples and be by water. 

So for our one day in Bangkok we took a ferry up and down the river and got off at stops along the way to see cool temples. SUCCESS :)

We wandered around several different stops, shopping, gaping, eating - it was as perfect and relaxing as it can get for two people that have another plane to catch less than 24 hours after they arrived.

We went to see another big Buddha at one of the stops. Apparently my clothing was disrespectful so I had to wear this lovely green robe... Great look, right?

After what may have been our most relaxing day to date, we hopped in the taxi back to the hotel with plenty of time to spare before our flight was scheduled to take off. GO US.

But wait. Before you begin to be impressed by our travel skills... wait till you read what happens next. 

Glenn left his phone in the taxi. Yep. The illustrious iPhone 5 gone forever.

After grabbing our stuff from the hotel, we spent the entire taxi ride to the airport trying to figure out how to contact the driver: no luck.

The next few hours consisted of me making dumb jokes and smiling stupidly at Glenn because I NEVER know what to do when things like that happen. 

Phuket: We flew to Phuket and made it to our resort with ZERO issues. And before you knew it, I had a drink in Glenn's hand because that is how I respond to misfortune. Healthy, right? :)

We settled into the hotel only to spend the night trying to track down Glenn's phone. And guess what... WE DID. 

After searching and searching (ask us for the long version if you dare) we were able to contact the driver and after possibly over a hundred "Where are you???" questions from the driver (most likely the only English he knew), he successfully drove 45 minutes to drop the phone off at the hotel we had stayed at in Bangkok. Faith in humanity: restored.

Also: props to Find My iPhone :)

We woke up super early the next morning (not sure if we ever got over jet lag?!) and after an attempt to book the ferry to the island that we were to stay at that night, we were informed the ferry was full. Soooo Phuket it was! 

(coincidentally I had booked our hotel on the island for the wrong days, so with the ferry being full, the days I had booked ended up being right - yay me and my date dyslexia)

After pool bar drinks, we headed to the beach for the first time on the trip - well deserved, I'd say.

Forget this guy's name but he was a great bartender

Want to know about another issue I have? I don't remember pain. Sunburn for example. I've been burnt countless times in a multitude of climates and YET when I'm on an island in ASIA I still think I may get tan if I just wait an hour or so before I put on sunscreen... WRONG. 

(I got very burnt.)

After a very relaxing and needed day at the beach, we decided to take an infamous tuk tuk back to our hotel. Don't know what a tuk tuk is? Take a look...

What's one of the things that Thailand is most known for? Lady Boys you say? Well, you're right! Glenn booked us a Lady Boy show for that night and it was... an experience!!! The thing that caught us off guard is how it truly is a part of the culture there - they have booster seats for all of the kids that came with their parents for the show - literally a family outing.

We then wandered Bangla Road to experience the infamous nightlife of Thailand - a venture we will never forget!

Then we took the tuk tuk back (obviously).

A couple of hours later we woke up and VERY QUICKLY packed up the room so that we could catch the first ferry to Koh Phi Phi!!

Koh Phi Phi... COMING SOON!

On Falling in Love with Asian New York (aka: Hong Kong)

I should have learned my lesson in Rio. When Scott waited for me for six hours at the airport in Brazil. I should have realized that you should always travel WITH your travel buddy ON THE SAME FLIGHT. I didn't learn. For some reason passengers standing on their seats and screaming at the cowering crew did not convince me that it is much easier to endure the madness of the skies knowing that your friend is alive and well. 

In case my dramatic intro did not give it away, the journey to the destination was once again quite eventful, but this time, I was on the waiting end.

Have you ever thought your best friend was rotting away in a Chinese jail? No? Well look at this and tell me if you would also jump to that conclusion: 

These are the texts that welcomed me to Hong Kong. I arrived with a smile on my face thinking that Glenn would be waiting for me, ready to show me around the magnificent city. WRONG. As far as I was concerned, he had either been arrested or given up on Hong Kong and headed to Bangkok. 

Long story short, after about 10 hours of radio silence, I received the text: "landed in HK." As much as I had enjoyed wandering around Hong Kong (drawing in pictures of Glenn in all my photos in case he never got to see the city), it was quite a relief to run (through crowds upon crowds of confused Chinese people) back to our hostel.

Where had Glenn been this whole time? Stuck in Beijing (after a late takeoff made him miss his connection) because everyone from the beloved city was flying to Hong Kong to celebrate China's birthday. Guess we never did our research on that one...  

After some dinner and a quick wander through the streets and parks before the sun went down, we headed back to the hostel to watch the fireworks. Best fireworks show EVER. We sat on the roof of our building in awe. Happy Birthday, CHINA!

We grabbed food from a local hole in the wall. I'm now obsessed with Thai Curry. Glenn insisted that we eat the food while we walked because "it's all part of the experience." Did I mention that we were also using chopsticks? And that NO ONE else was eating while they were walking?

After hitting up the famous Aqua Bar that our Australian friends had insisted we go to, we headed to the waterfront to stare at the skyline of the beautiful city. First day: WELL SPENT.

DAY TWO: Since Sunday was in reality our only full day in Hong Kong, we headed to what we both wanted to do most: see the view from The Peak. Most people stand in line for well over an hour to take a tram to see the view of Hong Kong. BUT Glenn found this awesome trail that only took 45 minutes. I think you can guess how we got to the top... Not only was hiking more rewarding - it was way faster (and you know how I feel about waiting in lines).

                 

After a well-earned drink at The Peak (and five minutes of waiting in line for the tram to take us down) we decided to run down the mountain. Why? It's easier and faster than walking AND obviously faster than waiting for trams. We wandered through the streets of Hong Kong, stumbling upon fish markets, flea markets and Buddha temples. (by "stumbling upon" I mean that I held my guidebook a few inches from my face while Glenn wandered embarrassed ahead. He later admitted that he was glad I bought the guidebook :))

Strangely enough, that night we were craving American food (Glenn was still a bit against anything Chinese after the whole Beijing fiasco). We headed back to our favorite spot sitting on the rocks, looking at Hong Kong island's exquisite skyline.

DAY THREE: And just like that, our final day in Hong Kong was upon us. We headed to McDonald's for iced coffee (I swear we went to a lot of local restaurants too...). The plan was to go to the Big Buddha. As I looked at my book for the best way to get there, a feeling of dread washed over me. I hadn't exactly done my homework on this particular destination, and it so happened to be two ferries and a bus ride up a mountain away. 

Oh, and we had a plane to catch that evening. As I began to lose all hope faced with the prospect of such an extensive pilgrimage, Glenn was overcome with resolve and insisted that it was more than feasible and that he just realized that he didn't want to leave Hong Kong without seeing Buddha. So off we went.

After what ended up being an extremely relaxing ride, we arrived and were certainly NOT disappointed. It was not only so much bigger than we could have imagined - the view was also breath-taking (seeing as Buddha sits on top of a mountain). 

                           

The long journey to and from Buddha ended up being half the fun - to take the ferry through the surrounding islands and then wind through the towns once we got to Lantau Island. Props to Glenn for being decisive.

We then headed to Bangkok that night, and after a full day of travel, welcomed a relaxing night in! 

Stay tuned for THAILAND. 

On experiencing the two sides of Rio

Monday, our final day in Rio, was the day we set out to conquer Rio's infamous icon: Cristo Redentor. I had read up on the best way to experience the statue and get to (etc.), but frankly had come away from my book very confused. Enter Scott: "Let's just ask the front desk."

Ah, good idea. After an extensive talk with them, we were off to the train station. We left the desk with clarity (at least I think Scott did... I was still confused). Upon our arrival at the train station, there was no sign of trains, or even train tracks. A man came up to us, pointed to the statue far off in the distance and then pointed to his van. Scott shrugged and started following him. I lagged behind in horror, trying to tell Scott this is how gringos die in movies, but he was ever the trusting tourist.

At this point, I was remembering something from my book about vans, and I just couldn't remember if we were supposed to get into the vans or avoid them. We got into the van. And then so did a few other people. I breathed a sigh of relief, realizing Scott had been right after all.

Three minutes later, we pulled up to a building and the doors of the van were opened. We got out and were pointed to a ticket counter. We bought tickets and then were hustled back into the van. My anxiety began to return as I realized that no one in the van knew what was going on. I could go on with a detailed account of my confusion throughout the whole process of reaching the statue, but I will attempt to just hit the highlights.

Our next stop was a beautiful lookout of the city of Rio...

From Sugarloaf Mountain (that we had been on two days before) to the beaches and bays to the slums to Christ the Redeemer... we didn't miss a single thing. As we walked back to where the van was, we realized that there were five other vans there as well - through Scott's Spanish (it proved more helpful than English and hand waving at least) we found ourselves in yet another van, steadily climbing toward the statue.

And then another ticket... and another van. And then an elevator, then an escalator... and then the most rewarding view EVER:

After several vans down the mountain (I counted seven in total from start to finish of this excursion), we found ourselves back at the hostel. Andrew and Ben, two of the New Zealanders (otherwise known as "Kiwis" for whatever reason...), mentioned that they were off to take a tour of a favela.

What is a "Favela" you may ask... It is quite literally: the slums. Favelas are run by drug lords and gangs.

It had been on Scott and I's "To Do" list (granted we had been thinking more of a guided tour, but same difference). Our friend Andrew decided he could do just as good of a job at guiding us, so he immediately took the lead. I learned quite a lot. Take a look:

In order to get to the favela, you have to take an elevator because the slums are literally on the side of the mountain. Once you get to the top, there is a lookout enclosed in glass where you can safely look at the favela. 

There was a girl, Suellen, standing in there (we later figured out her name after Ben and I called her "Smelly" several times... close enough, right?). After a thirty second conversation (with Andrew speaking English and Suellen speaking in Portugese), Andrew somehow convinced her to go to the favela with us.

So we trustily followed our guide, and let me tell you, IT WAS TERRIFYING. It was like something out of a movie. People just sitting on stoops and staring at us. After a few minutes, people started to follow us, then shouts of "gringo!" ensued. We just looked at each other with apprehensive expressions as Andrew happily continued to lead us through the winding stairs. It was almost impossible to not step on all of the crap (quite literally: poop) that was all over the stairs.

After about ten minutes my heart began to pound. I looked at Scott, and was like "we're definitely lost." Ben was giving me frantic looks. And just when I thought we might die in the slums, we somehow came back out at the entrance. 

Andrew gave us a grin and ordered beer for all of us at the little shack. As we stood there, the crowd surrounding us began to grow. We grabbed our beer and RAN.

Scott, Ben and I ran and ran until we were at the bottom of the mountain. As soon as we made it out, we realized Andrew and Suellen weren't with us. Ben said he would be fine, soooo we left. He got out of there eventually...

Why was he not there, you ask? Because he had to check-in on Facebook.

Once we were reunited, we headed to the beach to spend the last of our money on coco locos. Scott mentioned that we should leave a couple of times, but I just laughed him off.

At about the time that we should have been getting into a car for the airport, we left the beach and headed back to the hostel to shower and pack.

We grabbed another round of coco locos for the car ride. And by that I mean, we went to the grocery store and somehow convinced them to open coconuts for us. Bought a bottle of vodka, and made our own coco locos.

After a stressful ride to the airport in unforeseen traffic, we arrived. After they tried to tell Scott he was too late, he convinced them otherwise, and then attempted to walk through security with his coconut.

It was a valid attempt.

Oh, and in case you're wondering what ever became of Andrew...

On realizing Rio is perfect in every way

This trip was Scott’s first time staying at a hostel… EVER.

I remember my first time at a hostel… Julia and I avoided everyone we came across, had locks for our lockers and declined requests to go out. Let’s just say I’ve come a long way since then.

Anyway, Scott loved the hostel, and so did I - of course. They were super friendly and helpful, plus we had an awesome pool accompanied by awesome people. Our first evening consisted of a sunset walk on the beach with the discovery of super cheap coco locos (coconut + vodka = genius).

We then headed back to the hostel and immediately made lots of friends to go out with that night. The night life in Rio is something that needs to be experienced by everyone. To put it simply: we didn’t get back until 5:30am.

DAY 2:

Four hours later we were up and at em, off to find some breakfast (we had just missed the free hostel breakfast). What did we decide on? Bob’s Burgers of course!!!

Terrible idea. For the rest of the day, Scott was smelling his hands, declaring, “I still smell like Bob’s!” We never went back there…

After the “meal,” we were off to Sugar Loaf. Now, this had been listed in my guidebook in the “top ten views ‘without any particular order.’” Thank god Scott knew that this was actually in the top two… Take a look for yourself:

We took a cable car up to the first mountain and were completely taken aback by the views. Then came the second mountain. It was here that I learned what it actually feels like to have your breath taken away. When you have absolutely no idea what to expect and then you see mountains upon mountains engulfed by the ocean… I wish I was more poetic, but all I have is awe… and pictures:

We traversed down the mountains (AKA took the cable cars), and then headed for the beach. Because WHY NOT. It was time for coco locos. Again we watched the sunset, vowing to come back to this magical place.

Now, I know you may be thinking, “Rio? Magical? Aren’t they the murder and rape capital of the world???” And hey, maybe they are, and maybe you have every reason to think that. BUT from my experience: Rio de Janeiro was the home of the cleanest and some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been on. No trash, no crowds = Paradise.

At this point it was time for some real food. I had gotten some unknown chicken thing at the top of the mountain, but was ready for some real sustenance. So, off to unlimited steak! We headed there with our Israeli friend that we had met the night before. Wonderful service, salad bar and ALL YOU CAN EAT steak for $25. Just think about that for a second. I never wanted to leave.

But alas, the time came to leave. We met up with some of our French friends from the night before, and headed to a bar. This is when Scott realized that he would no longer be ordering the “Caipirinha” that is so famous in Brazil… After trying it at four different places, he was still not impressed (I, being a bit smarter, had given up after the first one I tried.)

We were able to have a relaxing night with our French and Israeli friends, exchanging entertaining and inspiring stories of our travels.

DAY 3:

We made it to breakfast on time!!! First thing on the agenda: BIKES!

I think the first time that I rented bikes in a city was Barcelona, and ever since then I have tried to do it as much as possible. Not only is it good exercise after all of the eating and drinking, BUT it is also a very efficient way to see a city. Rio de Janeiro was no different. 

We biked along Ipanema beach and the Copacabana beach. Not only was the weather exquisite, but the beaches were perfect in every way.

Scott and I couldn’t help noticing the Brazilian people along the way as well… kind of a miracle we didn’t crash. And by “didn’t crash,” I mean I didn’t end up seriously injured. I may have hit a curb or two and nearly spun out of control, but was able to keep it together without Scott realizing I was following him like a maniac.

After biking? Paddle boarding, of course! I have always wanted to paddle board, but have somehow never had the chance to. Of course the first time I paddle board would be the choppy Atlantic ocean, but hey, I’LL TAKE IT. Turns out, I’m kind of a pro… at least that’s what my kind, Brazilian instructor told me :)

Next stop? The market!! We stopped by the our trusty friends at the front desk to see where this outdoor market was that we had heard of. We headed in the direction that they pointed us.

Yeah... it was the supermarket. Some sort of miscommunication had taken place. Sooo back to the hostel. New directions. Off to market again.

Souvenirs? CHECK. This place was great, and we found absolutely everything that we needed! 

We grabbed some coco locos from the beach and then back to the hostel (it was seriously in the best location, in case you hadn’t gathered that already). We chilled at the pool with some guys from New Zealand that we had met the night before - hilarious guys. And they invited us to dinner with them… guess where? The Brazilian steakhouse!!! No further encouragement needed.

The food was exquisite once more. At some point during the dinner, Scott and one of our new friends had disappeared. Where you may ask? The bar upstairs, of course! (and by “of course” I mean we had absolutely no idea where they had gone and were frantically searching for them, when the thought occurred to us… they’re at the bar). 

We joined them, and had a grand time shooting darts and drinking on the balcony. It was then back to the hostel for a night of what can only be referred to as “shenanigans.” Kiwi guys are funny.

A lesson in Brazilian geography and efficiency (or lack thereof)

I don't know about you, but when I travel, I try to think about the worst possible thing that could happen to me. That way when something doesn't go according to plan, it's nowhere near as bad as what could've happened. Even with these precautions, nothing could have prepared me for this.

Let me tell you a little story...

About the most confusing fifteen hours of my entire life.

It started out like any other trip... A beer at the bar with Scott, discussing our trip to beautiful Rio de Janeiro. We were on different flights because, long story short, I had reserved the wrong dates originally, realized this too late, and had to go with a different airline in order to arrive at the same time in Rio.

So, after bidding Scott farewell, I excitedly boarded my flight. The time for our departure came and went, but I was unfazed, happily listening to my audiobook. Then the power in the plane went out, just for a second or two, but enough to get people concerned. And then it happened about five more times. Still no announcement. 

At this point it's been an hour.

I'm still not too concerned as I sit there because Scott's flight hasn't even taken off yet.

Then they make an announcement. In Portuguese. And I just keep hearing the word "problema." Then they make an announcement in English, but all the Brazilians were talking about it, so I got nothing. After that, all the announcements were only in Portuguese. So all I could do was guess at what was going on based on the reactions around me. 

Perk? At least Brazilians are expressive.

It was a unique combination of stressful and entertaining. As you can see from my texts...

From eavesdropping on Portuguese and English conversations, I was able to piece this information together: people had gotten scared that there was a mechanical problem, so they left the plane, which meant that their luggage had to be retrieved, which meant that we had to wait much longer. 

Consequently, due to TSA regulations, our current crew could not bring us to Rio de Janeiro. So we were gonna go somewhere else, and I had no idea where.

Three hours behind schedule, we took off. Breathing a sigh of relief (even though the destination was unknown), I settled in for a movie. Any qualms I had about the situation disappeared as I watched Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis fall in love on the set of Friends With Benefits. Besides the fact that the power of the TVs kept going out so that I had to keep restarting the movie, it was a very relaxing experience.

I actually ended up sleeping a lot, and was overjoyed to arrive in Brazil, but then there was an announcement and the whole airplane groaned... So I went back to sleep. 

Woke up an hour later: everyone was walking around the cabin… Sooo I went back to sleep... What else was I supposed to do?!

Then I picked up the fact that we had just gotten a new crew, and then I saw them all walk on - YAY! 

After several announcements (that I haven't even the slightest clue about), there came the most ominous announcement of all. I still don't know what the announcement was, but the response from the passengers was all I needed to hear. 

Shouts of anger took over the announcement. Chants were started. People were standing on seats, screaming at the top of their lungs. I thought the poor flight attendants weren't even going to make it out alive. As the Brazilians cried out for a good fifteen minutes, it was easy to pick out the other foreigners.

We were wide eyed, frantically trying to find someone who wasn't involved in the mutinous chant to tell us what the hell was going on.

I finally found a flight attendant... He didn't speak English. Then I found an American guy who said we had to disembark, go through customs and board another flight. I would've thought that this was a joke, but one look at the lady standing atop the chair behind me was all I needed to realize this was indeed the truth. 

It wasn’t until I got to the ticket counter that I found out where I was. Brasilia. 

To be 100% honest, when I first heard this, I thought it was Portuguese for “Brazil.” I know, I really need to study up on my South American geography. Turns out, we still had an hour and a half flight to Rio. 

Meanwhile Scott was in the Rio airport waiting at my gate with two coffees. Why? Because Rio had announced that we had arrived and landed at gate 2. 

This has been a long post, I KNOW. I’ll just cut to the chase: I made it to Rio (albeit 8 hours behind schedule), and have never, EVER been so happy to have reached my destination and to run into my dear friend’s arms.