Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat

Well it has been a busy week as we arrived in our fifth country of the trip: Vietnam. We started in Ho Chi Minh city/Saigon, where we had one full day to explore. Due to our limited time we found ourselves roped into a big tour group to go see a Cao Dai Temple and the Cuchi tunnels. Cao Dai is a religion made up of values from Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism and is known for it's colorful temples. The tour was definitely not our style, as we found ourselves herded and rushed along in a giant group and and I felt uncomfortable as we stood at the back of the temple as the service went on, in a sea of loud and pushy tourists just wanting to snap a picture. The tunnels- 250km of underground tunnels created before and during the Vietnam war for protection with places to eat, sleep, fight and strategize-were much of the same, although interesting to hear a different perspective about the war. 

Thankfully, our second stop
in Vietnam left a much happier impression. Our main reason for choosing Da Lat, a pretty and cool-weathered town, was to see Pongour/ Pongua Falls. Since we were only staying a night, this trip had to be done pretty soon after arriving and we found ourselves being pushed on a tour to "the falls." After the day before's tour we were a bit resistant and hesitant to the overly helpful man at the hostel and cheerful guide rushing us along, and we got in the car only to realize we were actually going to a totally different waterfall! After a few terse conversations and phone calls and the agreement to pay a few extra dollars they agreed to turn the car around and take us where we wanted to go. We ended up being super happy they did because not only did we get to see the gorgeous tiered falls, we lucked out and our guide's friend also took us to climb up the waterfall and through the spray. This was absolutely one of my favorite parts of Vietnam and a very cool experience! We continue our travels now to Hanoi and Halong Bay!

At the Cao Dai temple 

Pongua falls 

At the hostel in Da lat 

And Then There Were Six...

My friends from America are here! It has been so great to add some new blood to the group, especially when the new blood is two of my good friends... 

After a very long and dissappointing bus ride that was supposed to be a limousine bus with 80% percent recliner chairs, wifi, free food and most importantly aircon... Instead, the bus was hot and loud with Cambodian ballroom music bursting over the speakers! 

Luckily the rest of our time in Phnom Pehn was much more enjoyable. Our new group of 6 roamed around the city during the day and stayed in our first very lively youth hostel. So rambunctious was this hostel that on our first night a random girl tried to sneak into Katy's bed and when she was unsuccessful at convincing Katy to let her sleep at the bottom of her bed she moved on to Rowan's bed! 

Our time in Phnom Pehn was spent pacing ourselves through the city's genocide museums. We got to do some more upbeat things as well like roaming,single file through an incredibly expansive indoor market. We also rented atv's and drove around the countryside and we even got to discover a bit of the  expat life when we discovered a pub quiz outside the central area of the city. Even though we lost the quiz, I was really happy our team included my friends. It has been great to share a bit of my pre-Peace Corps life with the group. I am so stoked for Vietnam but I have admit that Cambodia is the first country I am sad to be leaving.

Ahmed, Rowan and I in front of the royal palace

Rowan and Katy atving through an outer village

Siem Reap: Tuktuks and Templing

We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia on November 21 by plane from Malaysia. It was definitely the country I had been most looking forward to visiting on our trip, and it has been an amazing week so far! We hastily booked a hostel the night before we arrived so we didn't have high hopes that things were going to go smoothly at the airport, especially after some of our hostel mishaps thus far. However, it seemed that our luck had changed the minute we touched down in beautiful Cambodia because not only did we get picked up (for free!) but the sweetest man ever was waiting for us in the airport lobby holding a sign with Joey's name. It was by far our smoothest and cheapest airport transfer of the trip. We also got to ride in our first tuk-tuks - a motor bike that pulls a small 4 seater cart - to our hostel. My spirits were so high that I kept shouting to Joey, "this is my favorite place so far! I could live here!". Once we got to our hostel, we were greeted by more helpful staff members who helped to plan out our 2 day visit to the temples and joyfully discovered that the rooms were large, clean and with towels provided! Michael was feeling a bit  under the weather and decided to rest at the hostel while Chiara, Joey and I went out for a late lunch. We stopped at a roadside restaurant and had our first taste of Khmer food and Angkor beer - both great! Afterwards, Joey and I  sped-toured the Angkor National Museum before it closed and ended up getting lots of helpful background knowledge about the temples and Hindu and Buddhist carvings and statues we would be seeing the following day. We then headed down to the Old Market area where there is a night market and pub street. This bustling area is right on the river and had a great energy. We walked around the market, bought a fresh dragon fruit/ pineapple drink and the stopped for a happy hour drink at a cool bar called Angkor What? Happy hours tended to start early and continue well into the evening and many included 50 cent draft beers! It was a really fun evening of exploring with Joey and over pizza, our waiter taught us to say a few words in Khmer and showed us how the Khmer script is written. All we could remember was how to say thank you, which we used a lot. We ended our first epic night in Cambodia at YOLO bar where I don't think I've ever danced more wildly.

We only had 3 nights in Siem Reap so we didn't have much time to relax if we wanted to see as many of the temples as we could. There are hundreds of temples in and around Siem Reap and it would have been impossible to see them all in 2 days but we had a list of big ones we didn't want to miss. Templing is definitely not for the faint of heart; on each day we visited more than six temples in the blazing hot sun. We soon discovered that when you're inside the temples it is at least 1000 degrees hotter than on the outside and the sun will always somehow be directly overhead. So usually by the 5th or 6th temple we were pretty beat and ready to call it a day. Our first day began around 7am when we headed out in our tuktuk to buy our 3 day passes which allows you to access all the temples. We began with the one the furthest away, Banteay Srey which had very intricate and well preserved carvings and is said to have been made by women. From there we visited the Landmine Museum which was both sobering and awe-inspiring. The museum was started by a former Khmer Rouge child soldier named Aki Ra and serves to educate people on the horrors of landlines and the aftermath of the war in Cambodia. You can read more about the museum at www.cambodialandminemuseum.org. It was very educational for all of us and we each got choked up at different points throughout our visit. Anyone who would argue that 1 person cannot make a difference in the world has definitely not heard of Aki Ra and his story. After 6 more temples, we ended our second night with a Mexican food dinner.

On our second day of templing we had big plans to visit the famous Angkor Wat at sunrise. As it turned out, so did hundreds of other people and tour groups and while we waited for the sun to come up we were all a bit grouchy about having gotten up so early to be waiting in a huge crowd. However, even with huge crowds, Angkor Wat was still simply stunning at sunrise and Michael was able to get a few awesome shots with his camera. Luckily, we beat the crowds into the temple and we were able to tour the huge inside complex without the masses. After Ankgor Wat, we headed to the Bayon temple inside of the Angkor Thom complex. This was Joey's favorite temple, with it's many smiling faces and crazily enough we ran into his friend  Alicia from college who spotted Joey from across the temple - small world! One of our last stops was Ta Prohm temple which is what I had been most excited to see. Ta Prohm had a very jungly feel to it and is the temple where huge, rope-like tree trunks have begun to push their way through the temple walls. I was a little disappointed that because we visited it so late in the day, it was already overrun by several pushy tour groups and we weren't able to explore it as much as I would have liked. After a speed tour of 2 more temples we called it quits but felt satisfied about all we had seen. All of the temples are quite dusty and by the end of the day our feet and legs we very dirty. When Joey and I stopped for an ice cream at this cute cafe with comfy white couches we were embarrassed to discover that when we got up we had stained the whole couch with our templing legs. After a glorious shower, we were able to meet Alicia and her boyfriend for dinner and drinks which was a great end to our time in Siem Reap. We bused out the following morning to Phnom Penh which was 7 hours south of Siem Reap. 

Katy

We love Cambodia!!

Some words in Khmer

Sweaty night out

Dancing up a storm 

Banteay Srey

At Angkor Wat!

Sunrise behind Angkor Wat

Joey and Alicia at Bayon

About to eat a tarantula (Michael was the first brave soul, who also tried the snake)

Yum!

Taman Negara-Malaysia's National Park

Finally getting ourselves out of the bustling city of KL, we decided to visit Malaysia's beautiful national park-Taman Negara. It was a long trip to get there, first we took a three hour mini-bus ride with a speedy driver, who, when asked to slow down, replied "ten years, no one die! I driver, you calm down!" We then arrived in Kuala Tembeling where we took a small canoe-like motor boat for a three hour ride before reaching Kuala Tahan, the village across from the national park  where we stayed that night.

Unlike many tourists who were staying a few days at the park, we had only a quick  10 hours to try to fit in as much as we could. Despite the speed, Taman Negara was one of my favorite parts of Malaysia. We took a 2 hour night tour to see some of the jungle animals- snakes, huge spiders and ants and then the next morning we went by ourselves on a hike up to the top of a hill overlooking the river. What could have been a difficult and slippery hike was made much easier by a boardwalk and steps all the way to the summit-but my legs were definitely tired of stairs by the end of the day. We also managed to be the first visitors of the day to the world's longest canopy walk- 45m high and eleven bridges long. It was fun and scary to swing among the high branches. We made a quick stop to a secluded river near the entrance of the park and then were back to shower quickly before a mini-bus, bus, monorail and mrt took us back to our hostel in Kuala Lumpur. 

We spent our last night in kl exploring a new neighborhood called Bukit Bintang, their sprawling hawker food street, and the famous Petronas Towers. The towers were very cool to see lit up and to look up at the buildings that once were the tallest in the world.

After a challenging travel morning-who would have guessed that the Malaysia airport would be divided into two terminals (one for budget airlines and one for not) a 15 minute drive away from each other? - we have made it to our flight and are off to our fourth country of the trip- Cambodia!

-Chiara

The ferry from Kuala Tembeling to Kuala Tahan 

At the summit at Taman Negara 

At the Petronas Towers 

The towers

A Bit of that Western Life

Ever since Singapore, the idea of going to the movies has high jacked Katy's mind. It sort sounded like a good idea to the rest if us, but with the limited time we had in Singapore we decided to spend our time exploring the unique city rather than the inside of a movie theater. Here in Kuala Lumpur however, we have had a bit of spare time and the idea of going to the cinema and eating a large, buttery popcorn had regained control of our dear friend's consciousness (I have to admit the idea was pretty appealing to me as well)...

At the never ceasing request of Katy, we asked around and we found there was a movie theater a few monorail stops from our hostle. On our way back from visiting the Batu Caves, Katy and I (the only ones looking to indulge in a little cinematic adventure) said see ya later to our friends and headed for the ultimate viewer experience.

When we got to the mall with the theater we came to find that the next showing was not until 8:30, leaving us with a little more than 2 hours to kill. It turned out, killing two hours in the Time Square Mall in Kuala Lumpur was quite easy! We enjoyed flavored coffees and walked around the ten floors of Christmas decorated shops. This particular mall even had a roller coaster running through it! Unfortunately for us, you had to buy a ticket for the whole theme park in order to ride the coaster, so after about 20 minutes we convinced ourselves that it would just not be worth it to spend more than we were spending on our hostel for 2 days on riding a ride in a mall... It was a tough choice though! 

Before our film, we got a bite to eat at the food court but were outraged at the fact that they made us purchase a food court card in order to buy our food.  Our discontent was short lived and quickly wore off after buying two large popcorns and a drink for the showing of Intersteller.

After the movie we didn't have anytime to ponder its interesting plot because we had to literally run across the closing mall in order to catch the last monerail of the night! As we navigated the confusing structure of the mall hope of not having to pay for an expensive taxi began to die away. We got to the station with just enough time to catch the last monorail. This only got us halfway though, so as we exited the monorail we had to start running again, this time to catch the last subway train. We sprinted across streets and climbed over guardrails into another closing mall. Our luck was still with us and we caught the last train! As we exited the station with one more last sprint under the closing gate of the terminal, we were finally able to breath easy and be happy at our successful evening escape back to western life.

Joey

Season's Greetings from Malaysia

Western mall with an Asian touch

Wouldn't you also want to pay an exorbitant amount of money to ride this too?

Kuala Lumpur and Batu Caves

November 18, 2014

So the past couple days have been pretty uneventful.  We bussed from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday and arrived at our first hostel: The Eclipse Carnival.  We unanimously agreed that this has been the WORST hostel we have stayed at to date.  Our rooms were essentially dirty closets with bunk beds thrown in.  Our beds had hair and dirt on them.  All of the amenities that they boasted online turned out to be false advertising.  They did have a computer with internet and plasma television; however, they forgot to mention that monitor and tv were both broken.  Moreover, the complimentary breakfast turned out to be bread.  Slightly disappointing.  Throughout the duration, Katy and Joey came up with different taglines for the hostel: “ The Eco-friendly Eclipse Carnival conserves energy; we don’t wash your sheets or stock toilet paper!”

We ended up moving after the second night to a different hostel which is 5 kajillion times better for only a dollar more a night.  It has hot water, air conditioning, fan, and better beds; not a bad deal at all!

On Monday, we explored the city and checked out a few mosques, an orchid garden, and a few other random spots.  Since we were all wearing shorts, Joey and I were given sarongs to cover up our knees and Katy and Chiara were given full body robes, complete with hoods, so that we could enter one of the mosques.  It was definitely an interesting experience for sure. 

On Tuesday, we went to the Batu Caves, which is a pretty iconic place where Hindu temples were constructed inside massive caves.   At the entrance of the most famous cave, there is a 140 ft tall golden statue of Lord Murugan which is quite impressive.  To get to the cave, you have to climb a steep 264 step-staircase with monkeys strewn about trying to snatch your water bottles or spare food that you may have.  A precarious environment indeed. 

The statue and stairwell were really cool and the caves themselves were really beautiful too; however, all in all we felt that the Batu Caves were a bit of a disappointment.  As soon as you conquer the stairs and monkeys, you are greeted with souvenir shops selling an assortment of random stuff: some of it Buddist and some of it Hindu; there were beer openers and beer cozies; anything that would sell.  It really cheapened the experience.  Moreover, there was really cheesy music playing over loudspeakers in the background. 

I guess when I started this trip, I had the expectation that I would be going to all of these awesome places that weren’t tourist traps, where no one else would be around.  I have learned that this was an unreasonable expectation.  haha.  However, I really want to experience authentic culture and go to cool places that aren’t surrounded by 5,000 souvenir shops.  I don’t know if this is unreasonable as well; I sure hope not.  I guess my time in Tonga has spoiled me.   

After Batu Caves, Chiara and I ended up heading back to town while Joey and Katy went to the movies.  (I am sure there will be a blog post about that as well).  We all met this super cool guy, Tristan, who is from Quebec and Chiara and I had a few drinks with him.   This one bar has a drink called An Around the World which is made up of a shot of whiskey, gin, tequila, vodka, rum, and beer.  Tristan and I went around the world a few times and we three had a blast. 

All in all, things are going well.  We are all safe, healthy, and happy! 

Michael

Katy at Eclipse Carnaval

The entrance to the main caves with the statue

All of us with our new buddy Triston

Inside the main cave

Inside the main cave

Meandering in Melaka

We were all a little taken aback when we got to Melaka; we didn't know why but the UNESCO world heritage city was not what we expected. The small urban city was an interesting mix of traditional with a dash of hipster. The most happening part of town, China Town, was bubbling over with neat cafés, trendy shops, and boutique hotels. This city also has quite the obsession with the putrid smelling durian fruit.... 

When we first arrived, we all explored the city, walking along a river that runs through the central part of downtown. We all agreed that it was time to taste the forbidden fruit. We stopped at a roadside ice cream stand and dared to durian. Michael, Chiara and I considered it pretty repulsive off the bat but it took Katy the entire ice cream before she reached the conclusion that it tasted like feet... As we were wandering, Katy tripped and her sandals broke. We happened  to be in Little India at the time and funny enough it is the one place in Melaka that doesn't sell sandles. We searched for a place to purchase some new footwear for Katy but we weren't having much luck. Finally as if placed there by the heavens, we dicovered Bata. Bata is perhaps the most fashionable name in the shoe industry so of course we were all just thrilled with their options of affordable sandles for Miss Stohlman. She ended up finding these dazzling blue and neon green slips that not only looked great but are made with texturazied feet so they massage you as you walk! 

Later, with Katy believing in her batas, we all ventured once again into Little India for a great dinner. After dinner we went to check out the night market. Every night, Melaka's  coolest street, Jonker, gets blocked off and a whole market is set up in the street. We perused the unique shops and then indulged in one of the regions famous delecacies- the cendol. The cendol is similar to shaved ice but with a sweet honey-like sauce and some red beans poured over the top.

The following day we decided to get dimsum for breakfast and then get in our history lesson at Melaka's Maritime museum, which is shaped like an old ship. Although it took us a long time to get there ( because we kept taking a chance on a river crossing which did not exist) we got to the museums and learned a bit about Melaka's colorful past. Feeling educated, we stopped at a super cool cafe that served different coffees from all over Malaysia. 

Our main outing for the day was renting bikes from our hostel and trying to bike to all the sites around the area. We kept getting side tracked by eating so it was quite some time before we actually set out so we decided to skip the closer sites and set out to find the old Chinese cemetery and a floating mosque. As we got to the cemetery Michael and Chiara decided to stop and wait for the lightening to clear up. Katy and I decided to take our chances and we continued on. Unfortunately, our ride was not as straight forward as we assumed when marking out the path on the map earlier that morning. We ended up circling the cemetery and turning into a couple residential areas. We thought we were on the right track until we realized we had some how made our way back to where we had initially started the ride in the city center. After asking more then a couple people and further eliminating sites to see we got set on the right path toward the mosque. Because we were back in the center of town Katy and I thought we should reward ourselves by purchasing another local delight- pineapple tarts, which Katy reviewed as "tarty, farty!" Eventually we made it and who do we see there, none other than Michael and Chiara. They had gotten there before us and were already heading back. In the end, we made it and got to see the sun setting in the background of this huge mosque built on stilts off the beach.

Back at the hostel we prepared for dinner by drinking some beers our hostel offered. These beers were 16% each so by the time we left to eat we were all a bit toasty...

After dinner, Michael and Chiara headed back to the hostel and Katy and I went for a drink at one of the bars. Before deciding whether or not we wanted to get the beers however, we thought it would be a good idea to get some custard filled fish shaped dough balls. 

We ended up getting drinks and as we were trying to pay the bill it started to rain so we took the money off the table and went inside. By the time we finished our pitcher we had forgotten to pay the bill and just walked out, we were almost back to our hostel when one of the bar tenders came running after us sweating profusely and asking us to pay. 

This morning, after a short stroll around town and a stop for mcdonalds fries, we are on the bus heading up to Malaysia's Capital, Kuala Lumpur.  

Us walking along the river and Katy sporting her new purchase

One of the many different ways you can consume durian in the town of Melaka

Happily experiencing Melakan cuisine 

Katy and I at our goal- the floating mosque

All of us enjoying a drunken dinner