I Slept on Air...
Ahhh.....sigh! Those two expressions sum up my stay on Gili Air! I spent my days getting dark...okay dark-er, eating barracuda, sipping pineapple margaritas and SNORKELING (from the girl who's been afraid of the water since she almost drowned as a child)!!! I swam with the fishes!! Thanks Jason for teaching me how to snorkel! Absolutely unfrigginbelievable...anyone who's not gone is missing out! I can't believe my first snorkel happened at the age of 30?!! I really don't have many more words to explain my time spent on Gili Air...just take a look at the pics and you'll see for yourself! Indonesian sunsets...the best I've seen so far!!
The Ritz...it ain't just a cracker to me anymore...
Singapore to Bali...not just Bali, but The Ritz-Carlton Bali!! Yeah it was amazing as the brand claims! In Singapore, my small bladder was calling, so I stopped off at the bathroom and Jason spotted a Marriott Asian Vacations stand. So we looked at the prices and couldn't believe the unbelievable deal we would be soon experiencing for a 5-star hotel!! Holy Crap!!! We orignally booked for two nights (instead of 3, why??) and then realized we needed that extra night...and we got it!! So 3 luxourious nights spent at the all inclusive Ritz-Carlton!! We splurged on the food offered to Club members only (that's us!!!) and ate out on the balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds and the Indian Ocean!! We ate delicious fresh out the water sushi, fresh-hand-squeezed papaya, guava and pineapple juices and scrumptious desserts!! Jason claims the lemon-merengue pie was comparable to his mom's!!! A++++ for both!!! Before and after purging my self on the food I laid by the pool, in the pool, on pool lounge chairs, on the beach...well you get the point. I soaked up the serenity that the Ritz promised. (Oh yeah I jumped up and down on the bed too!! When it's that comfy you tend to jump for joy!!) Leaving The Ritz was sad...but my next island of Indonesia turned me into a snorkeller and a beach lover!! Yeah the brown girl loves the beach!
Singapore
I write this blog 10 days after arriving in Singapore and just finishing Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The book captures my heart, my present time traveling and my future ventures. "Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works. It not only offered an escape from society but also was an ideal stage for the Romantic individual to exercise the cult he frequently made of his own soul. The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exultation."-Roderick Nash, Wilderness and the American Mind. So for me to replace "wilderness" with "travel" this quote fits my present state of mind. But "wilderness" also is the appropriate term, for after reading this book my heart/mind desires to be closer to nature everyday and enjoying solitude to reflect on my 30 years of life.
My days spent in Singapore involved the hustle and bustle of traveling via the metro and managing hoards of people through shopping malls and city streets (which I know appears ironic after the opening paragraph of this entry). I spent time shopping and sight-seeing and taking in a multitude of cultures. For anyone interested in Western accommodations with Asian culture, Singapore is where it's at! I've stayed in Little India for the duration of my stay and ate in Chinatown and Golden Mile (Thai). Little India has the sights and smells I am most familiar with and Chinatown has the best hawker stands I've ever eaten at! (Bachman, you've got to get here and get some dumplings!!) I've sat in coffee shops along Orchard Road sipping lattes and enjoying a book and journaling as well. I've also spent days sight-seeing, taking photos and visiting museums. This entry is not like my others where I boast about the sights I've seen, but this entry is filled with more emotion that cannot be expressed via words. This culture has taken a hold me and I a hold of it...
My days spent in Singapore involved the hustle and bustle of traveling via the metro and managing hoards of people through shopping malls and city streets (which I know appears ironic after the opening paragraph of this entry). I spent time shopping and sight-seeing and taking in a multitude of cultures. For anyone interested in Western accommodations with Asian culture, Singapore is where it's at! I've stayed in Little India for the duration of my stay and ate in Chinatown and Golden Mile (Thai). Little India has the sights and smells I am most familiar with and Chinatown has the best hawker stands I've ever eaten at! (Bachman, you've got to get here and get some dumplings!!) I've sat in coffee shops along Orchard Road sipping lattes and enjoying a book and journaling as well. I've also spent days sight-seeing, taking photos and visiting museums. This entry is not like my others where I boast about the sights I've seen, but this entry is filled with more emotion that cannot be expressed via words. This culture has taken a hold me and I a hold of it...
KL: Petronas, KL Tower and New Friends!!!
KL is great!! I had a fantastic time there! As you see my favorite building were the Petronas Towers!! Amazingly beautiful day and night!! Traveling to the skybridge was ridiculous!! I couldn't believe I was actually there!! The Petronas are a must see!!! I also went to the observatory deck of the KL tower and that was just as beautiful as well! The Islamic influence of the architecture of the tower is just beautiful!
Other sights I viewed were, Merdeka Square which held the world's second tallest flagpole in the world and the Royal Selangor Club. On August 31 1957 Malaysia gained their independence from the British...so Malaysia is just a baby! From the square I went on to see the Orchid Garden which was soooo pretty!!! Many, many arrangements and colors!! Hmmm...one day I'll have my very own Orchid garden! ;)
The highlight of my trip to KL was the people I met! I met Wilson Wong on my flight from Bangkok to KL. He and his wife (June) and their two girls live in KL. Wilson befriended me and gave me his number so we could hang out while I was in town. And so we did exactly that!! Another traveller and I met up with Wilson, June and two other friends (Nami and Hiro)! They took me to a local place for chai and then another place for chicken curry and dosai! Oh my goodness the food was so delicious and the company even better!!! From there we moved onto a bar called 7atenine! The six of us took advantage of my camera and shot a ridiculous amount of pictures!! Wilson decided to entertain us with magic card tricks and then we played some games!! We had a blast!! Wilson is a good magician...not great, but good;) The girls and I laughed and joked around and were just plain silly all night!! These people are my new found friends from Malaysia and I WILL return to see them!! Thank you!!!
Other sights I viewed were, Merdeka Square which held the world's second tallest flagpole in the world and the Royal Selangor Club. On August 31 1957 Malaysia gained their independence from the British...so Malaysia is just a baby! From the square I went on to see the Orchid Garden which was soooo pretty!!! Many, many arrangements and colors!! Hmmm...one day I'll have my very own Orchid garden! ;)
The highlight of my trip to KL was the people I met! I met Wilson Wong on my flight from Bangkok to KL. He and his wife (June) and their two girls live in KL. Wilson befriended me and gave me his number so we could hang out while I was in town. And so we did exactly that!! Another traveller and I met up with Wilson, June and two other friends (Nami and Hiro)! They took me to a local place for chai and then another place for chicken curry and dosai! Oh my goodness the food was so delicious and the company even better!!! From there we moved onto a bar called 7atenine! The six of us took advantage of my camera and shot a ridiculous amount of pictures!! Wilson decided to entertain us with magic card tricks and then we played some games!! We had a blast!! Wilson is a good magician...not great, but good;) The girls and I laughed and joked around and were just plain silly all night!! These people are my new found friends from Malaysia and I WILL return to see them!! Thank you!!!
The Day I Cried...
So I didn't think much more would happen since my last blog, which was about 3 days before I left, I was wrong...
My last day I went to Bah's house, as usual but this time there was a sadness about the air. After our therapy session, Bah said she wished I didn't have to leave and that someday I return to her and her family. I held back the tears and smiled and said "I will return to my second home." I thought it was over when I said my goodbyes, but no...Bah's brother presents me with a hand-sketched picture of an Ayutthaya wat that he created himself! I couldn't believe it!! I tried not to accept it, but he wasn't tryin' to have that. Again, I held back the tears. So I left with smiles and a promise to return. Next, Noina and I were off to lunch with the nurses at the health center. There was an air of happiness and playfulness...as you'll notice in the pictures. At the end, Noi said she hopes that I return to them again in the near future. I promised to return and keep in touch! Again no tears, but all smiles!!! At the clinic, Jim, met up with me and drove me to my apartment to retrieve my bags and give me a lift to the bus stop. Before we left, the hardest part was to say farewell to Noina! She rode me around on the back of her motorbike for 3 weeks. We developed a friendship. She gave me lifts to the bus station on my weekend trips and showed me around some of the local wats. At night when I would go for a walk and run into her we would start up conversation (a little Thai and a little English) and smile and laugh! So saying my farewell to Noina was quite difficult. I looked at her and saw tears well-up in her eyes and then I began to cry as well...and could not stop. I didn't realize the depth of my emotion until I was crying. We hugged a bunch of times and didn't want to let each other go. I promised to keep in touch with her and finally we let each other go and I cried all the way to the bus station.
Jim and I rode in the mini-bus to Bangkok together and talked about her daughter and my travels. She carried one of my bags all the way to the hotel once we arrived at Victory Monument. I pleaded with her to just let me carry it, but it was the Thai way or the highway for me!!! She stayed with me in the hotel and oriented me to the sights and then I walked her downstairs and said my goodbyes. Jim's daughter and I now keep in touch (thanks to facebook!) and hopefully we will meet each other one day!
My last day I went to Bah's house, as usual but this time there was a sadness about the air. After our therapy session, Bah said she wished I didn't have to leave and that someday I return to her and her family. I held back the tears and smiled and said "I will return to my second home." I thought it was over when I said my goodbyes, but no...Bah's brother presents me with a hand-sketched picture of an Ayutthaya wat that he created himself! I couldn't believe it!! I tried not to accept it, but he wasn't tryin' to have that. Again, I held back the tears. So I left with smiles and a promise to return. Next, Noina and I were off to lunch with the nurses at the health center. There was an air of happiness and playfulness...as you'll notice in the pictures. At the end, Noi said she hopes that I return to them again in the near future. I promised to return and keep in touch! Again no tears, but all smiles!!! At the clinic, Jim, met up with me and drove me to my apartment to retrieve my bags and give me a lift to the bus stop. Before we left, the hardest part was to say farewell to Noina! She rode me around on the back of her motorbike for 3 weeks. We developed a friendship. She gave me lifts to the bus station on my weekend trips and showed me around some of the local wats. At night when I would go for a walk and run into her we would start up conversation (a little Thai and a little English) and smile and laugh! So saying my farewell to Noina was quite difficult. I looked at her and saw tears well-up in her eyes and then I began to cry as well...and could not stop. I didn't realize the depth of my emotion until I was crying. We hugged a bunch of times and didn't want to let each other go. I promised to keep in touch with her and finally we let each other go and I cried all the way to the bus station.
Jim and I rode in the mini-bus to Bangkok together and talked about her daughter and my travels. She carried one of my bags all the way to the hotel once we arrived at Victory Monument. I pleaded with her to just let me carry it, but it was the Thai way or the highway for me!!! She stayed with me in the hotel and oriented me to the sights and then I walked her downstairs and said my goodbyes. Jim's daughter and I now keep in touch (thanks to facebook!) and hopefully we will meet each other one day!
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