Southeast Asia

And we have the highlight...

2006-06-01T03:39:00.000-07:00

To catch you up over the past couple days:

We have been having meeting the past couple of morning with PR professionals and students. That takes up most of the morning hours and we definitely have found ways to fill our afternoons and evenings. On Wednesday, we actually went to see Thai boxing. To be perfectly honest, I have never seen US boxing, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard it was a lot more violent than it actually was. At some points they even looked like they were hugging each other, but apparently that is some defensive move to keep your opponent from being able to hit you. Who knew....

Yesterday was full of sightseeing in a boat and a tuk-tuk which is basically a three-wheeler with a little wagon thing attached to it. We went by boat to the reclining Buddha ( it was HUGE!!!!!!!!)( and then went by tuk tuk to several other tourist attractions in the area before making our way back home via sky train to prepare for the nights festivities which brings me to...........

..........ok...last night was DEFINITELY the best night of the ENTIRE trip. Katy and I got dressed up and went to this restaurant called "Eat Me Restaurant." It had been the editor's choice in our guide book. It was this little out of the way restaurant that you absolutely had to know about to find. It was very small, but VERY nice. Very artsy. In fact, it houses rotating Thai art. They originally seated us on the balcony, but we had to move inside once it started to rain. There is NO WAY I can begin to describe the meal that we had. The food was out of this world. The wine and cocktails were perfect. It was worth absolutely every cent we paid. Katy and I each had the cherry duck with cranberry mashed potatoes for our entree. Amazing is the only way to put it. AMAZING. However, as good as it was, it still didn't compare to the starters and desert. After desert, Katy was ready to stay in Bangkok to marry the chef. I thought she was insane until I too found true love on the way out the door.

As we were leaving, the owner of the restaurant made desert shots out of melted mars bar and an unbelievably smooth liquor and wanted us to join him. I know I have used this word again and again, but....AMAZING. It was the perfect end to the perfect night and now I too am planning on staying in Bangkok to marry the owner of the restaurant.

Ok...so I am kidding about the marriage part, but OMG....it was truly a wonderful night. HOWEVER, I have every intention of boarding a plane in approximately 12 hours and heading towards Japan en route to the United States of America. Soooo....by 9 PM tomorrow....I will be in Virginia.

Visiting Southeast Asia has truly been an experience I will never forget. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed sharing my experiences with you.

Until we chat again....

Now I know how Britney feels...kinda..

2006-05-30T02:49:00.000-07:00

Soo..yesterday we went to Pataya beach. It was ummm...Interesting. I will explain in more detail for anyone that is interested when I get home. However, while we were there we went on an elephant trek through the country side. It was actually very awesome. However, the entire time we were in the countryside, this man with a video camera kept popping up by the side of the trails recording us. It was seriously like being stalked by the paparazzi (luckily I had on my Hollywood sunglasses haha). You never knew where he was going to turn up.

At the end of the trek, we found out that the footage he had been taking would be sold to us at a "VERY" reasonable price. I, being the sucker that I am, agreed to buy the master tape. Soo...as long as I can walk it through customs, there is video of me on an elephant in Thailand. ;)

We were so exhausted from yesterday that we slept in today until almost lunchtime. We are now waiting to go to another part of Bangkok to watch Thai boxing. I am not really sure what this is, but I understand it is much more gruesome than what we have back home. We were told that if you sit ringside you have the opportunity to have blood spewed on you. I will be sitting in the rafters.

Well...that's about it for now. We leave here for the USA at 6:00 am Friday our time and 5:00 pm Thursday your time.

I am anxious to see everyone!

Until then...

None...

2006-05-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Uncle Dickie, in response to your question...it had zero. After you experience a squatter, you learn to plan accordingly. ;)

Now...to update...

We are still in Bangkok, but are planning a day trip to the coast tomorrow. You can ride elephants on the beach there.

Katy, Amy and I spent the whole day shopping and I am pretty much exhausted. We have to leave in the a.m. by 7:30, so I think I am off to bed. I will update when we return.

Until then......

Ok...Since we last talked

2006-05-27T01:21:00.000-07:00

As you know, we are now in Bangkok. However, I think it's important to recap how we got here.

On Thursday, we left Temen Negara by boat and headed for the "jungle train" that would take us to Kota Bahru where we would then catch another train to Bangkok.

As soon as we pulled into the the jungle train station, it was quite apparent that we would not be on the Orient Express. We knew there would be no air con, but nothing quite prepared me for what I would actually be enduring for the next 9 hours. They were right about no air con. However, they also failed to mention to us that only 1/10th of the windows actually opened. To say it was hot on the train would be a DRASTIC understatement. It was approximately 10 degrees hotter than hell on this train. The humidity was also around 110%. We all looked like drowned sewer rats when we got off this train. Speaking of sewers....about 15 minutes into the train ride, water, originating in the toilet I am pretty sure, started flowing into our car. We had to ride with our legs tucked underneath us to keep from getting wet. THEN...about 30 minutes after this, everyone that was sitting in the back of the car starts rushing to the front crying something about cockroaches. True to their word, cockroaches were crawling out of the walls of the train and all over everyone. In fact, I woke up from a nap to find one of the little creatures crawling up my body. I tried to surround myself with a circle of deet to keep them off. However, since cockroaches can survive a nuclear holocaust, bug spray didn't so much deter them. Katy easily killed 40 all by herself on the way here. Oh...I forgot one important detail of this dream ride.....the essence de diesel fuel that filled the car like a lovely perfume for the duration of the ride. Had I been able to fit through the tiny slit known as a window, it is very probable that I would have thrown myself in front of another on-coming jungle train.

We finally arrived in Kota Bahru. The upside of this story is that we stayed in the Renaissance hotel which was FABULOUS. NO complaints whatsoever about our accommodations and the food at the hotel. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of the coast to catch the overnight train to Bangkok, which I actually thought would be kind of neat with the sleeper and dining cars, so we had to fly here. However, that too had an upside since we arrived in 1 hour as opposed to the 23 hours that we were told it would take us to go by train.

Anywho...here we are and we are actually getting ready to head out to the weekend market that has over 8000 stalls. I will update again as soon as I can.

Stay well!

Bangkok...and it's still all about the expierence

2006-05-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

We finally arrived in Bangkok. The story of how we got here is actually quite interesting. It involves 90 degree heat, water, and cockroaches, the Renissance, and an airplane. I will write about it in more detail as soon as I can. It's our first day here, so we are going to go out exploring. I will update soon.

Hope all is well in the USA. :)

WOAH!!

2006-05-24T04:27:00.000-07:00

Can't type long. Still in the jungle in a place that smells like feet and curry. However, to give you a VERY brief description of what I have done in my time in the jungle:

Things I have done in the past two days:

1) Gone on a midnight jungle walk
2) Seen a porcupine (sp?) up close and personal in the wild.
3) Did a 50 meter high swinging bridge jungle canopy walk
4) Climbed to one of the highest points in Teman Negara
5) Went white water "boating"
6) Used a blow-dart gun

All of the above was awesome. I will write with more detail when I get a chance!

Hope all is well!

Huh...that was weird

2006-05-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Soo...I just have two things to add about today.

1) We went to this place called Lecha Lecha. They sell homemade Italian ice-cream and it was AMAZING.

2) On our way back to the hostel, we went through a night market where a man followed me around trying to hug me. It is by far the weirdest thing that has happened to me so far. Well...at least for today.

We leave at 7:45 in the morning for Temen Negara. A little nervous to say the least.

It's all about the experience....

2006-05-22T01:48:00.000-07:00

Cheese and Rice! Today has been a day I won't ever forget. Mainly because I thought my life was going to end on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We found out this morning around 9 that we had a meeting at 10:30. Everyone else was ready first, so we were the last cab to leave the hostel. It was just Katy, Amy, and me. The first cab we had didn't have a meter and wanted 15 RN to take us to the place we were meeting. We said absolutely not bc here in K.L. they HAVE to turn on the meter and it should have only been about a 4 RN ride. The cab drivers here will absolutely rob you blind if you don't watch out. They charged my professor 39 RN to to go approximately 10 blocks. It's nuts! Anywho...the next cab had a meter and while he said he didn't know the exact building location, he could definitely get us into the general area, so we hopped in. He was basically the meanest most unpleasant man I have ever met. When he dropped us off about 5 minutes later, he basically threw us out of the cab. As soon as we started looking around, it was painfully obvious that we were not where we were supposed to be. We started walking and found a security guard to ask for directions. Unfortunately, God bless him, he was the only security guard in the country with a stuttering problem only when he spoke English. Very nice man though. He couldn't help us, so he asked another man who also couldn't help us. So, he asked another man who said he knew where we needed to go and gave us directions. Which we started to follow. It wasn't long before we found ourselves walking towards the freeway. It was then that we decided that we probably were not going in the right direction. It also then that we noticed that we were officially very late and should probably call the company and let them and Dr. Kennan know what the deal was. We found a phone which I am pretty sure I got tetanus from and which also did not work, so we kept walking. We finally saw a building that housed Ernst and Young and figured someone in there would be able to speak English. Luckily we were right and the security guards let us use their phone. We were able to get much better directions from the lady we called, hailed another taxi and managed to find our way to TQPR, a public relations agency here in K.L. We were ONLY approximately 30 minutes late!!!

After the meeting ended, Amy, Brandi, Katy, and I went to Planet Hollywood for lunch and then headed over to the national mosque. All women are required to robe before they enter and we were no exception. For as much fun as I thought it would be to wear the full robe and head-wrap, it was actually kind of eye opening. The men are pretty much allowed to wear whatever they choose as long as it is not shorts. It didn't take long for me to feel almost like a second class individual while completely covered from head to toe. It was definitely a humbling experience and it definitely made me very aware of the differences in religious beliefs. The mosque, however, was beautiful and were fortunate enough to actually witness some men praying.

We are now back at the hostel waiting to go see the Da Vinci Code. Movies come out a little earlier here in order to help prevent some of the illegal reproductions that are sold on DVD's in the markets.

We are leaving in the morning for Temen Negara and will be there until Thursday. I am not sure what the email situation will be like, but I will update as soon as I can.

Take Care!!!

P.S. To my dear LeNasty: CONGRATULATIONS on your "pseudo-graduation." I LOVE YOU!!!

K.L. Day Two

2006-05-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a very busy day for us in Kuala Lumpar.

Katy, Amy, and I all went to Batu Caves this morning. These caves are a Hindu shrine that tourists are allowed to visit. In order to reach the caves, you have to climb 273 steps to the entrance and then climb even more steps once you are inside. To say we were exhausted by the time we got to the top would be a SLIGHT understatment. It was really insteresting inside. I was terrified there would be bats, but there were only monkies.

After this, we went to Kahl Tower. It takes you 240 some kilometers in the air to give you an unbelievable view of the city.

There may be a slight change in plans for us during our time in Malaysia. We were orginially supposed to go to Temen Negara. However, apparently there are 500 students already there and they don't know if they can find us accomidations. Soo..we may instead be going to a resort island off the coast of Malayisa. They have everything from snorkeling to go-carting. (Ryan Moorefield, I wish you were here, so I could kick your but Malay style :P ) I think we all know what my personal preference would be. I am really pushing for the island, but as long as we have reasonable accomidations in the jungle, that will be fine too.

A few observations about Southeast Asia...there are TONS of American fastfood restaurants, but no drive-thru windows. Absolutely NO buildings are handicap accessible, but we have also only seen one person in a wheel-chair. There are a lot more women in burkahs (sp?) in Malaysia then there were in Singapore. We are a tourist attraction all by ourselves over here. Today at the cave, a man stopped me on like step 106, took my picture with his camera phone, shook my hand and kept going. It was odd. It also happened to a group of us in the gardens in Singapore.

Oh...and if you thought the taxis in NYC were bad....cheese and rice....they are tame compared to over here. You think your life is in peril everytime you are in a cab. Plus, they are all 5-speed which makes for a very bumpy ride.

I also forgot to mention that we went to the symphony last night. It was wonderful. We all finally got to get dressed up and go out. With the exchange rate over here, my dress, shoes, jewlrey, tickets to the symphony, dinner, and drinks only cost about 80 US dollars. Pretty amazing. However, the exchange rate in Bangkok is even better, so I anticpate lots of shopping! :)

I am not sure what all is going on for tomorrow. If we aren't going to Temen Negara, we may be headed out to the island. However, if we are here, some of us are planning on going to the National Mosque (sp?) They make the women dress in full robe before they go in. I am actually pretty excited about it.

Ok...I am off, but I hope you are all doing well!! Talk to you soon!

Malaysia

2006-05-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

We are now in K.L. Malaysia. Things got off to a bit of a rocky start with our first hostel. It was disgusting to say to the least. However, we were able to find a much nicer one, so everything is fine now. We are getting ready to go out and explore the city, so I will update you all on what we find.

As a side note...I need to correct my spelling in the last blog. It should have been "hopping" instead of "hooping". Thank you Uncle Dickie. :)

2006-05-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

Let's see....what all has happened since the last blog. Well...last night Brandi, Katy, Amy and I went to Clark Quay to this nice restaurant called Jumbo Seafood. It was by far the best meal I have ever had in my entire life. I can't even begin to describe it. Words do no justice for the chili crab. ;)

After that, we went to some of the bars around the area. The first one we went in, Amy took us in through the "toilet door", so needless to say...we got some VERY strange looks. We didn't stay there very at all. We instead met up with some other people at this club called Insomnia. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! The music was hysterical. It ranged from "Dancing Queen" to "Shot Through the Heart." Everyone had a REALLY REALLY good time. However, we are all dragging today since we were out so late.

Today was our last day in Singapore and it was a busy one. This morning we met with the International Society of Public Relations of Singapore. After the meeting, we divided up and went our separate ways. My group went to the island of Sentosa. We took the MRT (Singapore's version of a subway) and then a cable car to get to the island. The view from the cable car was awesome. The island is actually the southern most tip of Asia, so needless to say...it was hot! However, the beaches are very pretty. They also have pink dolphins on the island which we were able to see. Brandi (Kibbles and Bits) even got chosen to be an audience volunteer and was able to go in the water with the dolphins. Very cute photo opportunity. They also have monkeys roaming free on the island. As we were walking today, one just randomly fell down in front of us. When we looked up in the trees, they were full of them. While they were cute and all...after my incident with the bird pooing (sorry, Edward) in my hair, I am a little leary of being underneath anything that large with a gastrointestinal system, so I peaced out of there. Oh...I also almost forgot what else we did on the island. Amy (Travels-with-snacks), Katy (pantylines), Brandi and I all got tattoos. Amy, Katy, and I all got Chinese symbols and Brandi got a butterfly. Mine is on my left ankle. It is supposed to mean love. However, my luck it probably means something offensive like "your mother is a goat" and I will get caned when we get to Malaysia.

After we got back from the island, we had dinner at this place called Bread Talk and then decided that we should go to Little India. BAD IDEA!!!! We were there for approximately 3 minutes. I don't mean to be completely American here, but OMG the smell in the open food market was gagging. I have never smelled anything like it in my life. We literally sprinted through the market to escape the smell. In addition, we were seriously like the only women on the streets. It didn't take long for us to run back to the MRT and head towards Burgis Station. We are now in the library catching up on emails and blogs. After this, we are hitting up the grocery store for our 7 hour bus ride to Malaysia tomorrow and then it's back to Sleepy Sams to pack.

The next time I write will be in KL in Malaysia. I hope all is well with each of you!!

P.S. HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO CARLEY FRANCES!!!!!!!!!!!

P.P.S. In case there were any doubts, the tattoo isn't real. It's just the temporary kind that stays on you for quite some time. No worries. ;)

Forgot one thing...

2006-05-17T04:19:00.000-07:00

Haha...I forgot to throw this in.
Kendra Paisley, you will appreciate this...

The music in Singapore is awesome!!! haha. When we got in the cab at the airport, Toto's Roseanna was playing. And then...yesterday "Believe it or not I'm Walking on Air" came on while we were in the taxi. I thought it was hysterical. Hahaha.

P.S. LFO and 98 degrees was playing in the Chinese market. This country loves some cheesy pop music. It's my kind of country! Oh..that and everywhere you go you have to pass through a mall!! I am considering moving here. Haha...jk. Kinda.

"Believe It or Not I'm Walking on Air"...

2006-05-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Hello Hello!!

Ok. So it's been a little while since I have blogged. We have been quite busy since we have been here. We have spent our mornings visiting with various business and schools in the area and then our afternoons have been free to explore.

Monday we met Pan Pacific. Pac Pacific is a VERY nice hotel. It has a few properties in the US, but most are located in this part of the world. It definitely put our hostel to shame. Ha-ha. That afternoon, we went to Chinatown. They have a beautiful Hindu temple there and we were able to go in and visit. Observing others devotion to beliefs that differ from what I am used to is amazing and beautiful.

We also went to the Long Bar--the home of the original Singapore Sling. AMAZING!!!!!!! Definitely the best Sling I have ever had! :)

Tuesday was a VERY busy day. We met with three different organizations including: Bloomberg, Singapore Media Holding, and we also went to National University of Singapore. Everyone that we have met has been very gracious and extremely welcoming.

Last night we went on a night safari which was umm...Interesting. Haha had I seen the bats flying overhead, they probably would have needed a hearse instead of a taxi when we were done.

Our meeting this morning has been postponed until this afternoon, so I'm not sure what we are going to get into afterwards. We have been throwing around the idea of going to Little India. Tonight is also ladies night at the bars in Singapore. We just have to pay a small cover charge and the drinks are free. Soo...we'll see what happens. ;)

I'll write more when I can, but I swear there is approximately 2.3 computers for the entire nation of Singapore.

TTYL!!!

No Downside....

2006-05-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

Soo....we were a little late arriving in Singapore. Actually, we were about 24 hours late. Why you might ask? We were late because our engine 3 conked out over Canada on Thursday and we had to return to Chicago and stay the night. It's a very good thing I was asleep when all that happened or you may have seen a story on CNN about a girl jumping without parachute from a moving place somewhere over Illinois. I heard the engine go out, felt the engine go out, and saw the attendants running frantically down the aisles. However, I was dozing in and out of sleep, so I just chalked it up to turbulence and someone desperately wanting their mimosa. It wasn't until Nikki was standing over me that I realized something was wrong.

Nikki: "Christy, are you ok?"

Me:"Yeah, why?"

Nikkie (looking shocked): "Um...because our third engine just went out"

Me: "Huh...well...that can't be good."

Contrary to what many of you are probably thinking based on my tendency to freak out...I actually was fine until we started to approach O'Hare again and I saw the flashing lights. There were fire and rescues vehicles everywhere and they taxied with us all the way to the gate. That was when I decided that perhaps our situation was perhaps a little more serious than I thought and that's when my mini-freak out commenced. :)

They grounded us until the next morning and paid for our hotel room at the Hyatt in Chicago. Soo..instead of sipping Singapore Slings in Asia we were sipping Bud Lights at Knuckles Sports Bar. However, we were alive, so I saw no downside. We flew out again yesterday morning at 10 am EST Friday and arrived here around 7:30 am EST on Saturday. The flight was perfect. The plane was not at all crowded and the food was actually really good.

It's not 10 AM Sunday morning here in Singapore, so HAPPY MOTHERS DAY Mama!! I love you!!

Anyways....we are getting ready to go explore, so I had better go, but I will write more later.

Oh wait...I almost forgot...the 7-11 here has a mashed potato machine!!! I doubt I will eat it, but we are definitely going to try it out!! Highlight of the trip so far!!!!

Glass Half Full

2006-05-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

We have arrived in Singapore. However, it is an awesome story about how we managed to get here after facing down death. I will update tomorrow after I have slept. TALK TO YOU ALL SOON!

2006-05-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for checking out my blog. I promise there will be more after I get to Singapore on Friday.