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

Hue, Hoa's Place, and Hoi An, Vietnam

Hue - After arriving in Hue by sleeper bus, we walked to the Citadel. Although it was heavily bombed by American forces, we enjoyed visiting the former Imperial city, especially the Forbidden Purple City.

We, also, visited the Royal Tomb of Tu Doc set amongst pine trees and a small lake. We enjoyed the pavilion, where the Emperor composed poetry and enjoyed the company of his concubines. We traveled to the Tomb by bicycle taxis. I felt a bit as if I was transported back to colonial times; but neglected to feel too guilty since we had to walk up each hill, while the cyclists bicycled up behind us. At least we got some exercise in!  That evening, after an Indian dinner and a few beers, we bid farewell to Win and Rachel.

Hoa's Place - The next day, after a 2 hour bus ride to Danang, we reached Hoa’s place. Hoa’s Place, a chill beach-side oasis, is located on an unpopulated beach. We spent 2 full days lounging seaside. Each evening at 7, we participated in the family dinner with the other guests, which was a great way to get to know fellow travelers and share travel tips and stories. A friendly older French Woman, traveling with her male childhood friend from England, proclaimed that my face resembles that of the smiling Buddha because I’m always smiling and radiating happiness. She was also entranced by Randi’s “beautifully tanned skin”.

  

Hoi An - When we visited Hoi An, we enjoyed walking around the touristy Old Quarter, near the river. Hoi An was a former trading port and the architecture has Chinese, Japanese, and European influences dating back to the 17th century. Hoi An is also know for being the best place in Vietnam to get custom-made clothing. Randi and I took advantage of this. Randi had a skirt and shorts made, while I had has 2 pairs of shorts made.

~ Stacy

Halong Bay and Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Halong Bay - After taking the night bus from Sapa to Hanoi we  met up with our friends, Win and Rachel, and hopped on another bus to Halong Bay.  Popular for its gigantic limestone rock formations emerging from the Gulf of Tolkin, it is a Unesco World Heritage site.  We booked a popular excursion, a two day, one night stay on the Inception; one of the numerous boats that shuttle tourists around the 300 some islands.  We were joined on our lovely boat by 10 other adventures and a small staff of three Vietnamese.  After boarding our boat we enjoyed the beauty of Halong Bay on a gentle cruise towards our first destination, a local cave.  Obviously doctored for tourists with a stone laid path and florescent purple, blue and green lighting, the cave was still pretty cool and held a smidgen of awe.  We then re-boarded our boat and continued cruising around the bay.  It was a relaxing ride with books, beer and great company.  We were then assigned our rooms and made our way to the cabins located on the first floor of the boat.  Stacy and I were somewhat impressed with our one night accommodations; the beds were extremely comfy!   Dinner was pretty good and though the weather was a little cold we all made our way to the top deck for some drinks and to check out the other boats in the bay.  At 11:30, we were promptly told by our tour guide that ‘we should go to bed because it is good for the health’ though a little less enthused there was also the motivation of having to get up at 7am for breakfast and kayaking so we all made our way downstairs for a great night’s sleep.

The next morning we were awoken by a buzzer to alert us breakfast was ready.  We then docked at a platform where we were issued kayaks and told we had 45 min to explore.  After taking many breaks, I finally instructed Stacy on how to hold her paddle; also that by simply skimming the surface of the water, as opposed to digging down into the water as far as possible, she would exert less energy.  The water was surprisingly warm and it was fun to drift around the limestone rocks.  We all then boarded the boat to make our way back to port.  Though we thought there was still one stop left on our itinerary, we happily grabbed books and enjoyed our slow journey back to the city.  When we arrived we were then told by our tour guide that we would have to wait (on the side of the road) for 45 minutes for our bus, while he “went to have a drink with his friend”.  We were all a little less than thrilled with this and made our distaste known.  We also realized we had paid for a superior cruise, when in fact we had just experienced a standard cruise.  We weren't too pleased and when we tried to explain to our guide our displeasure, he immediately took the defense.  After trying to reason for some time, we gave up and proceeded to wait for our bus.  When it arrived over an hour later we were happy to just have lunch and head home.  This turned out to be very difficult; we drove a total of 5 minutes to “lunch” and then had to wait again for our bus to return.  When we re-boarded the bus there was already another group of tourists who were returning to Hanoi.  This resulted in two separate groups scheduled to take the same bus back. When the second group tried to get on our bus they were promptly told by our guide that they were not allowed on the bus.  Though first they were told that if they paid to get back to Hanoi they would be reimbursed once we arrived, though no one took this offer.   In short a very vocal fight ensued with our tour group telling this other group to just get on the bus and our guide trying to stop them.  Unfortunately, it got very intense; with our guide getting to the point of being physical and threatening to call the police.  After making a few phone calls, he then told us “sorry I made a mistake, everyone get on the bus and lets go”.  The day ended with Win, Rachel, Stacy and I trying to get reimbursed for the difference between the trip we had paid for and the one we went on.  We lucked out and received a little over half our money back, which was about as lucky as we could get!

Ninh Binh - Out next stop was Ninh Binh, about 2.5 hours south of Hanoi.  Though a pretty dull city it does have one amazing Charm – Tam Coc.  It is known as "Halong Bay of the rice paddies" and that is exactly what it is.  We took a small paddle boat powered by a Vietnamese women though the rice paddies and visited the beautiful rock formations.  We all really liked it more than Halong Bay because it was so unique.  Seeing these huge rocks just spring up from the middle of all these rice paddies was really cool to behold.  Though the city was not much we were really glad we made the stop over to visit these amazing natural wonders.

~ Randi

Sapa, Vietnam

Although our journey to Sapa was full of surprises: we started with a 10 hour train ride, a one hour minivan ride with the locals, and a stop over to grab dinner (a live chicken that was put into a plastic grocery bag with its head sticking out and the bag was tied to one of the seats, so the chicken was suspended in the air), it was well worth the journey!!! Out of the mist and foggy sky appeared Sapa. A city located in the north of Vietnam about 30Km from the border of China. Sapa was by far one of the most beautiful cities we have encountered. It is an old hill station that was settled by the French, but the majority of the hill tribes are from China. The city’s buildings are mostly of French architecture and are very skinny and usually four to five stories tall. There were numerous little bistros and cafes though-out the village, along with traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Surrounded by mountains, it is a little oasis in the middle of nowhere, with a cute little lake in the center. Our only distaste with Sapa was the freezing weather. After living is SE Asia for over a year now we were in no way prepared clothing-wise for such cold weather; we could see our breath.  In Asia there is a lack of heating, so even the restaurants and hotel rooms were not much warmer than outside.  Stacy broke down and bought two coats, discarding one to me.  For the rest of our stay she walked around in a fleece and I wore two coats. We also wore our matching shoes from Thailand with socks.  We were, to say the least, quite the fashionable sight. One other cure for the cold weather was the amazing tea (Friendly Tea), we found in Sapa.  We had 3 to 4 cups a day in our attempts to try and stay toasty warm. Our first full day was spent exploring the city and just enjoying the general splendor. We also did a little shopping at one of the night markets, where the hill people trek a good 6km up from their homes in the gorges to the village, to sell handmade jewelry, clothes, purses, etc. The hill people are also constantly walking around the village in traditional clothing (Black Skirts, Long Sleeve Tunics, Lag warmers, and black or red hats) each piece of clothing is edged in that specific tribes embroidery (using red, green, yellow, and blue thread). Most also wear only beige sandals, while those who can afford warmer items do wear boots; some are even lucky enough to have winter jackets. These women are very persistent in tracking down customers and so four to five would huddle outside many of the restaurants just waiting for potential customers. The windows don’t even stop them from trying to sell you things through the glass! They also follow you down the street uttering the same phrase “Buy from me?” over and over.

On our second day, we booked a trek before our night bus back to Hanoi. We ended up in a group of five of us total with a couple from Belgium and a gentleman from South Korea. As we began walking out of the village to our first tribe the Black H’Mong, we were followed by a number of the tribes’ people. Our first thought was that they were going to try and sell us stuff, but it then became apparent that they were going on the trek with us to their village. This was a blessing considering we trekked further and further down the mountains into the rice paddies, there were many tricky spots where without the helpful hands of the lovely Black H’Mong women it would have been very difficult. The scenery was breathtaking!!!! We were surrounded by all these tiered rice paddies peaking out through thick mist and fog. Unfortunately, our cameras could not do the landscape justice. As we trekked on we learned that many of the women travel to Sapa every day to sell things to make money for their families. The men of the tribes go out and work in the rice paddies. This is crucial, unlike many places in Asia where farmers are able to harvest rice two to three times a year, the cold climate in northern Vietnam only allows farmers one chance a year. We also learned that the Black H’Mong make up about 50% of the Sapa population. After a 6km walk we arrived at our lunch destination, where we were pressured into buying something from our personal Black H’Mong assistants. Considering these women held our hands and made sure we didn’t fall off the sides of cliffs, Stacy and I both purchased a souvenir. After lunch, we made our way to the Y Liah Ho village, about 4Km away. Along the way we visited a typical house of the tribes people complete with TV and DVD player. We then made our way back to the main road where a van was waiting to pick us up. After semi-warm showers we proceeded to our sleeper bus for the journey back to Hanoi. We were less than thrilled with our “accommodations” for the 12 hour journey. The “beds” were not very comfortable and with Vietnamese music blaring the whole way it was not the most pleasant night’s sleep. There was also a small collision with our bus and a small car that ended up blocking traffic for a good hour. The curvy roads where not the ideal place to not abide traffic laws and go tearing about at top speed in a bus! Ironically, we made good time and arrived in Hanoi at the appropriate time!

~ Randi