The one where mom and the girls visit: Thailand: Part 3

Landing in Bangkok was a bit nerve wrecking. First of all I freaked out mid-flight after I realized I was in a metal cylinder about 7-10 miles in the air going at 500 mph. Not sure why that hit me then after all the travelling I've done. It was also a bit of a bumpy flight. Turbulence and I go together like oil and water.
Obviously we landed safe and sound, got through Customs without any issues, except for a crazy woman who ran away from her handler/babysitter/warden and tried to grab a bag away from a guy in line next to us. He looked as terrified as we felt. It was probably the most exciting thing that happened on our trip. Well, aside from my sighting of a Haagen Daaz and subsequent purchase of a Dulce de Leche ice cream cup. More on that in a minute. Or thirty.
I changed money, bought a sim card, broke the sim card within the first 10 mins, fixed the sim card, patted myself on the shoulder for being able to fix my mistakes and then found a taxi service. We were tempted to use the subway system but it was also late at night and we were tired so we gave in and took a cab. I shouldn't be allowed to talk to people when I'm tired, as my family can attest to. I yelled at the cabbie in Bangkok who took us to our hotel because he refused to turn on his meter. He set the price at 400 baht and insisted on that. I insisted on getting out right there and then because I'd read and heard too much about cab drivers setting a price and swindling you. The woman at the front desk it shouldn't cost more than 300 baht to our hotel from the airport and she was part of the taxi service. He yelled and I yelled some more and finally he turned the meter on. The total fare, including airport/highway tolls, was 260 baht. That is a big ole' 'I told you so'. This is meant as advice to all readers and not as a big spotlight on my bad behavior. Stick up for what you believe in. If you feel that you're right, especially in a foreign country where the consequences mean you get ripped off or outright robbed, listen to your gut. Always. It's not a matter of being a foreigner and thinking you know better than the locals. It's a matter of staying safe. I can't emphasis that enough. I can't tell you how many times I've regretted not listening to my gut feeling about a situation.
Anyways, enough preaching. We decided to stay at the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong. It was without a doubt the most amazing hotel I've ever stayed in and I've stayed in some pretty nice ones. What made the experience so special was the treatment we received. We showed up with no reservations and at first they weren't the warmest. I mean they were definitely nice but once they realized we were Marriott Rewards members their attitudes completely changed. It's nice to be a member. I felt like they went out of their way to be helpful. Okay, I'm sure they do for everyone: they found us places to eat, mapped out a way for us to get around town using the rail system, they offered us a special tea, (which I could drink all day every day), etc. That. Bed. It was ah.mah.zing. I can't even begin to explain how amazing it really was. Note: Stay there if you can! (Marriott, if you read this and want to reimburse me for advertising I would appreciate a free stay. Just a thought.)
We spent our first and only full day in Bangkok doing the touristy thing. Mom and the girls ate breakfast at McDonald's. We took a picture with Ronald McDonald in front of the restaurant. We found the subway/metro/train stop we were told to find. The Bangkok Mass Transit System known as BTS or the Skytrain is amazing. I know I really over use that word. I apologise. It's efficient, easy to use, clean. In a sense it's everything that Western train systems aren't. Especially New York City. I've heard that Singapore's is even better. We took the train from the Ratchadamri Station to the Saphan Taksin Station. Caught a river taxi up to the river from Central Pier to Tha Tien, where the King's Palace and a huge Wat, that I cannot remember the name of. Note to shopping addicts: The pier where you get off to see the Palace is rife with places to shop. Really, really cool places to shop. That's where mom bought her awesome (not amazing) slingshot...that she no longer has...because it was confiscated...because she could have used it as a weapon. ::sigh:: Long story.  So basically we skipped all the cultural stuff because I think we were kind of all cultured out from Cambodia and we shopped until we dropped. Or at least until we thought "we'll sink the boat if we buy anymore."
We headed back to the hotel after eating amazing Thai food. The girls used the really cool swimming pool while mom and I chilled in our awesome room. We passed out super early in preparation for our early departure for to Koh Lanta.

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More to come when it's not 3:15am.

The one where mom and the girls visit: Cambodia: Part 2

Our second day in Siem Reap was spent touring the temples of Angkor Thom. Many of you may have heard of Angkor Wat or even remember it from Lara Croft, the first movie I think. Angkor Wat is probably the most famous of all the temples there and rightfully so. It's amazing! Our day started off with another free breakfast at the hotel. Mom and the girls were in heaven. Rice for breakfast! Okay, mostly mom.
Unfortunately Chrissy fell ill that day and had to stay at the hotel but I think mom, Selina, and I took enough pictures to make up for it. Try approximately 1200 pictures between mom and I alone. Ridiculous!
Included in the price of our trip was a tour guide at all of the places we visited and our tour guide for the temples was exceptional. An exceptional talker that is. Fortunately I didn't have to sit in the tuktuk with him. Mom and Selina sat with him while I sat by myself, like a queen, with my feet propped up on the other half of the tuktuk. It was pretty sweet. He knew what he was talking about but I know for a fact that mom knew more than he did and the only reason she kept asking him questions was so that he didn't feel like he had nothing to do. In fact when she asked him a question and he said the wrong answer I just wanted to yell out. (I should really learn to be patient.)
That day we saw Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm (the tree temple), the Elephant Terrace and my former favorite, Bayon. It's place as my favorite has since been usurped by Beng Mealea.
After our morning at the temples we went back to our hotel to find Chrissy all jolly from having made new friends. We fell napped, packed and then fell asleep. We woke up the next day for an early morning bus ride back to Pnomh Penh to catch our flight to Bangkok. It was a bit of a dodgy ride due to the fact that we were stopping as often as we were on our way to Siem Reap and I was terrified that we wouldn't get to the airport in time for our flight. I got so worked up I yelled at a few people who I'm pretty sure understood English but chose not to because I was so...well I'm not sure what word I should use that wouldn't display me in a terrible light, but would still let people realize that I was in the right. In any case, we got the Pnomh Penh in time. Naren picked us up and dropped us at the airport. The Pnomh Penh airport is pretty cute from the outside. Better than I expected it to be. The best part of the whole PP airport experience was that it had honest to God, real Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate. Yeah, they're all 'real' chocolate, but I now know better. The chocolate made in Birmingham, England is 'da best!'
The flight from Pnomh Penh to Bankok was only about an hour long. Read more about it in the next blog post. Why? Because I can be annoying like that. ;)

Google map with tentative travel plans for Fall 2012

View Travel plans 2012 in a larger map

The one where we realize you actually can fit in a suitcase.

Let me preface this video by saying that we were bored. And no one was drinking. I don't know if that's more reassuring or not, actually. It all started off with me saying "I don't know what I should pack for India."

The one where mom and the girls visit: Cambodia: Part 1

My mom and sisters came to visit a couple of weeks ago. We went to Cambodia, the second time for me, and Thailand. It was a pretty amazing trip. First of all, I definitely teared up when I picked them up at the airport. It was a great reunion because it felt like it had been years since I'd seen them instead of months. It also felt like no time had passed at all, if that makes any sense.

We spent their first day in a complete whirlwind. We had pho for breakfast, went shopping on Bui Vien for souvenirs, paid for our trip that we booked through my favorite travel agents, had massages and pedicures and had the entire salon working on us, did some more shopping, they watched me teach class with amusement and wonderment (they were amused and full of wonder), were finally convinced that moving out here wasn't the dumbest thing ever and we ended the night with another bowl of pho and some last minute photo-shopped visa photos. Long story about the photos but they're amazing!

We left very early the next morning for Phnom Penh. As I'm wont to do on buses I slept the entire way. Mom and the girls (sans Belle) were amazed by the Cambodian countryside. Why you may ask? Well let's, for a second, imagine that you're passing through the countryside and all you see are rundown houses, skinny cows, and rice fields. Surely these are things that you've seen many times before having grown up in South America and the Caribbean. But wait...what's that? It's a 1000 year old Wat dedicated to Lord Shiva in the middle of nowhere. Why? Because Cambodia is a very religious country and as a religious person it's intriguing and it makes you feel comfortable to be surrounded by something that seems so familiar in a highly unfamiliar place. Well I'm not sure if that's how mom and Selina felt but it's how I felt in Cambodia my first time and it's why I really, really loved it. Chris on the other hand was addicted to Khmer music videos. Not sure why because they're quite possibly the most depressing things I've ever seen. I swear someone commits suicide in at least every other one. Not sure what it says about Cambodia as a nation and their outlook on love and life, but I don't think it bodes well. 

When we finally arrived in Phnom Penh we were picked up by Naren, who was my guide during my first trip. He's such a sweetheart and mom and the girls loved him immediately. He took such good care of us. [By the by, if any of my readers is planning a trip to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap please let me know because I can set you up with some really good tour guides. Definitely trustworthy and overall really good company.] Naren picked us up and we did the obligatory tour of the King's Palace, Silver Pagoda, and Wat Phnom. I mean, they're all amazing places, but having already done them I wasn't super excited about seeing them again. On the other hand it was definitely better than seeing the Killing Fields again. I personally would have preferred to spend more time shopping but that is because I'm addicted to their materials and want all my clothes to be made out of Khmer prints.

We spent a wonderful day and a half in Phnom Penh. We went walking around the area around the hotel and found a post office (which we probably wouldn't have been able to find if we had actually been looking for it.) Chris did a bit of interpretation for a deaf girl that she met. I got hit on by a reeeeeeally old Professor of Fine Arts from Spain who's travelling the world while he's on sabbatical. Yep, he even gave me his card in case I wanted to call him if I were ever in Spain. Chris on the other hand got to talk to reeeeeally cute Korean guy who was sitting next to her. I don't know how she does that. 

The next day we left for Siem Reap and that was quite possibly my downfall. It took us nine hours instead of the targeted six hours. Somehow we were booked on a local bus and while it was interesting I don't ever want to do that again. Okay it wasn't really interesting, but I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude about what happened otherwise my blood still boils if I think about it.

We finally arrived in Siem Reap and were picked up by Teo, the son-in-law of Mr. Liem who is Mr. Boss Man of all our tour guides, including Naren in PP, even though they haven't met. Mr. Liem is the one who invited the group of us to his house for a Lunar New Year party when we visited in January. He was so welcoming and hospitable and didn't at all try to kill us like I thought he would. Sorry, I'm a bit paranoid sometimes. 

Due to our late arrival we didn't check in and get settled in our hotel until about midnight and so I postponed our early start to the Angkor Thom temples until the following day. Instead we visited Beng Mealea, one of the temples that's about 2 hours away by tuktuk. It was everything we could have dreamed of. Mom wanted to travel the countryside by tuktuk and I think she definitely got her fill with the to and fro' trip. I got to be Lara Croft because Beng Mealea is in such a state of dilapidation and it was amazing to climb over piles of rocks, through crevices, and under the lush overgrowth. I was in the good kind of hysterics the entire time. Chris was pleased because she was super woman during this trip. She rushed through the temple at top speed in an attempt to show off how much stronger she is than any of us, and braver I suppose, and then didn't have to waste time listening to the guide who kept showing us the moat over and over and over again. We get it! There was water in there at some point in time. Selina probably loved it the most because she didn't die. End of story.
Sidenote: I saved the day! After we left the hotel in the morning I realized that we should have brought scarves to cover our faces and hair. Granted the tuktuks don't go very fast, but they go fast enough to mess up your hair to the point where you'd rather shave it off than deal with it. Also, can you imagine what effect all that dust in your face and nostrils has? Let us just say that it isn't pretty. I saved the day by suggesting we all buy scarves for the trip. At first mom was skeptical because I'm sure she thought I just wanted to buy things, but I convinced her and once my mom decides to do something it's not long before either I or the girls follow along. So we all bought scarves, wore them during our ride and didn't have to breathe in red dirt.
We spent the rest of the day recovering because gosh dangit that's a tough trip. Sam, our favorite guide during the first trip booked a table for us at a hotel for a buffet dinner and Apsara dance show. It was amazing and I know that mom and the girls enjoyed it because they wanted to soak up as much culture as possible and weren't too concerned with things like shopping or massages (even though they enjoyed those a lot too) and you can't get much more cultural than a traditional Khmer dance. 

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I'm publishing this as a two part post because I'm tired and want to go to bed because I've been working for 14 days in a row without a day off, but if I don't post this now God only knows when I'll finish the rest. If it's public and visible to those judging (read: wanting) eyes I'll be much more inclined to finish writing asap.

India

I'm going to India!!!!!!!!!!!! Home of Shahrukh Khan. I need to start honing my stalking skills. :D

FAQs

Dear family and friends,

I apologise about the lack of communication lately. There are lots of mitigating factors but the biggest one is that I'm generally lazy and I also have a touch of ADD and I find it hard to sit at my computer and type the same email over and over again. It's not meant as an offense because I care about you and I'm glad you care enough about me to ask how I'm doing. I'm glad that I have so many of you asking that I can't even keep up with it. Unfortunately the route I'm going to take is so highly impersonal I'm sure lots of people will get mad. Then you'll get over it because that means you don't have to write me back either. :D See how that works out for everyone.

FAQs about my life in Vietnam:

How do you find teaching?
Like everything else in life it has its pros and cons.
Cons:
I teach 4-6 year olds (Jumpstarts) who occasionally sneeze directly into my mouth and as a result I'm sick every 1-2 months like clockwork. I also have a cough that hasn't disappeared in almost 7 months.
I teach teenagers (Juniors and Seniors) who are often sullen and rude, like teenagers in the rest of the world, and make class hell for me. They also often talk about violence and when they get started on that it takes an act of God to get them to stop. Especially since I hate yelling in the classroom. It solves nothing.
Pros:
I teach 4-6 year olds who are so adorable and so loving and I have to stop myself from smushing their tiny faces or kissing them, because I'm sure that's highly inappropriate.
I teach teenagers who are often a delight to teach because I can talk to them without sounding like an idiot, like when I talk to my jumpies, and we can make jokes, have a laugh and whenever I have something interesting to say they listen because I'm their favorite teacher. :D (I'm more popular than their Viet teachers.)

How's life in Vietnam?

In my little world, it's amazing. In actuality, it's nothing special. I do the same things I do back home but its all a little better because I'm able to afford nicer things here. When you get to treat yourself and not feel guilty about it it does a lot for the soul.

Pros: I get to travel more often, ride motorbikes, eat pho ga whenever I want (except for right now  since I'm on this stupid diet), go to the pool every week, educate young minds and mold them into what I want (muahahahaha), and live in a country where Michelle Bachmann doesn't live. What could be better than that?

Cons: There's no Krav Maga here. And no mommy hugs. :(

What's the food really like? 

Let's just say, if you're drooling over my photos can you imagine what it's like for me?

When are you coming back?

I might stay longer if you keep asking me that!

Okay, kidding. Sorta. My contract is up on October 11th and the lease on my fabulous apartment is up on November 11th. I plan to have everything shipped back home before the 11th and then travel for 6 weeks or so and be home in time for Christmas. I better have a grand reception waiting for me at the airport with the way you guys have been missing me. :)

Are you going to get a motorbike?

When I decide that I want to freak my mother out I'll get a motorbike. Until then I don't mind being a slave to xeom drivers.

If you've got any more questions please post them in the comments section because this is kinda fun. :D