Singapore and Home Sweet Home

Singapore - To finish up this amazing past year and 3 months we made our final bus journey to Singapore.  This was a little more than we bargained for, it turned into our most laborious border crossings ever.  They had to scan all our luggage at both the Malaysia and Singapore borders; seeing as Stacy and I both had way too much stuff, it was a process.  We also had to hall everything inside the bus, instead of putting it in the storage compartments underneath.  At least we got in a good workout! 

Once we finally made it to our hotel we were spent and decided we would save the exploring for the morning.  We all proceeded to take showers, this was too much for our little bathroom to handle and a small flood occurred.  My sister Karen flew out for her internship, in Indonesia, the next morning.  After taking her to the airport, Stacy and I made our way to the mall to catch an early movie.  We then headed to Marina Bay; a beautiful area of the city surrounded by tall buildings in various shades of blue that reflect the water.  We spent the day and stayed for the free light show in the evening.  Though we had higher expectations, it was a nice way to wrap up the evening.  We then returned to Little India for a delicious Indian meal.  The next morning we made our way to another part of the city for another movie.  Just a side note, the things to do in Singapore are eat, shop, and then eat again.  We then had our last dinner in SE Asia and reflected on the past year!  It was very bittersweet, as we were both looking forward to seeing our families, but we were also leaving a pseudo family behind!  This had been an amazing journey for the both of us and we were sad to see this chapter of our lives coming to a close.  Thank you to all our friends for making this such an amazing experience!



The Trip Home - Our journey home was interesting in that we had two flights almost back to back.  With a stop over in China to have our passports stamped and power cords inspected we soon were in the air, back to the US.  We then arrived in LAX at around 7pm.  With our flight to Michigan not until 5:45am we had a good amount of time to kill.  After making it though customs and maneuvering all our luggage to another terminal we learned that we would not be able to check our luggage in until 4:30am!  We were forced to return to the international terminal and proceeded to sit with all our stuff until we could check in.  Making the best of the situation we wasted no time in purchasing over priced Mexican food and margaritas!  After only two each we realized how tired we were, we both passed out on benches for 3 hours.  We made our way back to where we had to check in.  After a few persistent conversations on why we would not be paying to check our luggage, we boarded our last plane home.  We arrived home to very dreary weather, but very happy parents!  Stacy's family was ready and waiting at the baggage claim and immediately assisted us in getting all our stuff.  We enjoyed our first American meal at Qdoba!  I was also very lucky to have my dad bring my dog to meet me!  So that's it!  We survived teaching in SE Asia for a year and what a year its been.  We wouldn't change a single thing and both can't wait for our next adventure to begin.  But in the meantime, we are going to relax and enjoy how lucky we both are to spend this summer with our families. 

   To our friends in Thailand and those who have already moved on we miss you and wish you all the best in life :)

~ Randi
 

Borneo, Malaysia

We flew early on the 3rd to Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo. Our taxi from the airport played “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton, the traffic stayed in the lines and obeyed speed laws, and there was no smog blocking the brilliant blue sky. Were we still in Southeast Asia?!? Upon arrival, I could see why Lonely Planet calls it “one of Southeast Asia’s gems”. We all agreed upon Karen’s statement that it resembled an Asian version of the Bahamas. We explored the city, walked the riverfront, and visited Fort Margherita.


Next, we splurged and stayed at a resort on Damai Beach, where we spent 2 days lounging poolside, watching the sunset over the South China Sea, and dressing up for dinner. We, also, took time to visit the Sarawak Cultural Village. The Village depicts 7 houses from different ethnic groups indigenous to Sarawak. We attended the cultural dance performance, where Randi was called on stage to demonstrate a blow gun by hitting a balloon. She did very well!

We returned to Kuching and visited the Matang Wildlife Center, where they rehabilitate Orangutans. We all fell for Peter, an 18 year old with intelligent eyes, who was found in a small cage at an illegal zoo. Unfortunately, he was too old to be rehabilitated into the wild.  At least now he enjoys more comfortable living conditions. We were told to closely follow the guide to the viewing point as they had just released a mother and her 2 infants into the open sanctuary. After peering into the forest, the guide ran towards us! Karen and I declined venturing    further into the forest. Randi braved it and saw some cute bears.

We spent a day at Bako National Park, a nature lover’s must! The rainforest, stone cliffs and rock formations, secluded beaches, and sparkling green water were all stunning. We took a 5.4 km hike through the rainforest, up and down hills, and over massive tree roots. Did I mention that it was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit?! The sun beat down brightly and we all went through our liter water bottles by the first half of the trek. Randi got quite dehydrated on the way back, but was on her feet again after a quick nap.  Karen and I had a frightening encounter with 20 silver-leaf monkeys while on a boardwalk 10 feet above ground. We stood still as they ran past us on each side!

We left Kuching by an express river boat. I enjoyed the 4 hour ride through the rainforest. Then, we took a bus from Sibu to Miri. In Miri, we visited a local beach where Randi got stung by a jellyfish! The local security police encouraged her to get to a hospital, so off we went to a local clinic. After a few pills for swelling and pain, she was much better! So after a stressful morning, we snuck into a hotel pool to relax for the rest of the day.

The people of Sarawak were so friendly. We appreciated the friendly smiles and greetings and were entertained by school children singing “All the Single Ladies” as we walked past. Our 7 days in Borneo exceeded my expectations.

~ Stacy

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

For the next part of the journey, Randi and I were joined by Randi's sister, Karen. We spent our first 2 days in Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. We stayed in Chinatown, where we enjoyed some clay pot chicken rice (yum!). We spent a day doing the "Hop On, Hop Off" bus tour around town. We visited Little India, where we did some shopping and enjoyed some Indian food. We visited the National Mosque, where we had to wear long purple robes with hoods covering our hair. We looked more like witches from Harry Potter than Islamic devotees. Lastly, we visited the Petronas Towers, which was once one of the tallest buildings in the world. Although we only spent a short time in the city, we enjoyed the greenery, the parks, and the pleasant architecture.

~ Stacy

Home In Thailand!

From Cambodia we went straight to Ratchaburi, our home for the past year. We stayed with our Thai Mother, P'Gee, and indulged in her amazing cooking! Some favorites included fried pumpkin, fried mushrooms, fried morning glory, and much more! It was lovely to spend some time with P'Gee and bicycle around Ratchaburi one last time before we left Thailand.

 

After 3 nights, we packed up all our belongings for the past year (way too much stuff!!) and headed to our other home, the city of Bangkok.  We did some last minute shopping, visited our favorite mall and movie theater (MBK), and met up with some friends (Jon, Andy, and Nic) for our last nights out in Bangkok. Those guys have been our guides to the more interesting and entertaining parts of the city, so it was nice to have one last crazy, fun weekend in Bangkok. We'll miss all the friends we've made while in Thailand. It's been the most amazing year, with the most amazing friends. We're sad to leave.

~ Stacy

Kampot and Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Kampot - After leaving Phnom Phen we made our way to the small town of Kampot.  Having done Ankor Wat last time we were in Cambodia we decided to see more of the small laid back towns Cambodia had to offer.  Kampot was a small sleepy town with a cute little river running through it's center.  We mostly just chilled and walked around exploring the city.  Then Stacy decided to have another go at getting a hair cut in SE Asia.  Not wanting to be left out, I joined as well and had a vast amount of my already short hair chopped off!  We then each had our hair washed while still sitting in the chair in front of the mirror.  This may sound strange, but was actually a lot more comfortable than reclining in a sink.  All for only $1.75 each!  We only spent two nights here which was plenty for a little catch up time.


Sihanoukville - Our last stop in Cambodia was on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand in Sihanoukville.  After taking a very packed van from Kampot, with our bags tied to a board sticking out from the back of the van, we made it to the beach.  We immediately ran into our friends Kate and Bri who we had hoped to meet up with - awesome timing.  We were joined by Kate and Bri and we're all there to have a little beach time and celebrate Kate's B-day.  After doing a little running around and actually checking into one guesthouse and then changing our minds for one with a pool, we got settled and began walking around town.  Though the beaches did not compare to Thailand, it was still a cute little town with many chill restaurants and bars.  We pretty much just relaxed by the pool and enjoyed the sunshine.  After three nights there, Stacy and I made our way back to Thailand with an easy boarder crossing and returned to our beloved home for the past year.
~ Randi

Chao Doc and Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Chao Doc - Our last stop in the beautiful country of Vietnam was the city of Chau Doc; located in the scenic Mekong Delta. We got there by bus and ferry, Stacy and I both enjoyed the beautiful landscape. This was just a stopover before heading to Cambodia in the morning; we spent the night relaxing. The next morning we were up bright and early to make our boat at 7am. At the port we were invited to join a tour group and ended up seeing yet another floating village. We then boarded a “fast” boat that ended up breaking down multiple times due to the engine not being able to handle the weight of so many farang (foreigners) and luggage. We eventually made it to the boarder and had our easiest border crossing ever. They collected our passports and everything was taken care of in a fast and efficient manner. Next, we boarded a lager boat and made our way along the Mekong to Phnom Penh. This is by far my favorite way to cross a border, next to planes of course. The scenery was beautiful and we lucked out in having amazing weather.

Phnom Penh - We arrived in Phnom Penh refreshed and ready to experience Cambodia for a second time. Having done the major touristy stuff over a year ago (can’t believe it’s been a year) we embraced the opportunity to see other things the city had to offer. We decided to visit Phnom Tamao Wildlife Sanctuary, though it was 45k outside the city. We had been talking about doing something like this since we arrived in SE Asia, so we were pretty excited. Overall, it was a pretty cool place with many endangered animals. By far, our favorites were the Sun Bears and the elephants. We were both touched by the time and effort the sanctuary has taken to rehabilitate endangered animals. One of the baby elephants even had a cast on its foot! We left feeling good that we had supported such a great cause. We then made a second trip to the famous Russian Market before meeting up with friends, Win and Rachel, for drinks. Being back in Cambodia reminded us of how much we had enjoyed it the first time, though we did forget how hot the weather is here. After Vietnam we are both very happy to be back in this beautiful country.

~ Randi

Mue Ne and Saigon, Vietnam

Mue Ne -  Between Hoi An and Saigon, we stopped over in Mue Ne for a few days. We lounged seaside and went on a jeep tour to a fishing village and the local sand dunes. While Randi was taking it easy, I went sledding down the sand dunes (note: renting the sleds may not have been worth it as it was a very slow ride). We ended the day by watching the sunset over the dunes.

 
Saigon - In Saigon ( known as Hoh Chi Minh City by the North, Saigon by the South), after being swindled by yet another Vietnamese taxi driver, we met up with our friends, Bri and Kate, for dinner. The next day we did a half day tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels. One of our guides fought alongside the Americans and claimed to be friends with his admiral officer, John Kerry. Then, we spent the afternoon at the War Remnants Museum, formerly know as the American War Crimes Museum. It was very anti-American and not always accurate. Thus, the museum was a bit hard to handle. We did find the exhibit on Agent Orange to be very moving and sad.




We traveled through Vietnam much faster than anticipated. Next up one of our favorite countries, Cambodia: the land of the friendly. We won’t miss the aggressiveness of the Vietnamese (especially in the North), trying to be ripped off, the honking horns, the touching and hassling, or the raised voices. We missed our tranquil Thailand! We will miss the spring rolls, the cheap North Face backpacks and jackets (there’s a factory in Saigon), and the beautiful landscape.

~ Stacy