Surprise, English is My First Language…

I’ve realized that when I speak to someone who doesn’t speak very much English…I begin acting and talking like an idiot.

Instead of, “my friend and I would like two margaritas and an order of vegetable pad thai,” I say,

“two margaritas,

point back and forth from myself and Scelena…

and one pad thai,

put up my pointer finger to indicate the number 1…

no meat…vegetable.

signal a big “X” with my arms when I say the word “meat”…

just share…uhhh, together.”

jester with finger back and forth from myself to Scelena…

What the hell is wrong with me?

Here Comes the Sun, Lil Darling…Oh Wait, Here Comes the Rain Again…

Thailand. Land of monsoon-y weather…that is, whenever we travel.

For the first week in Thailand, it pretty much rained all day, everyday. We braved the weather, kept the positivity, and saw some amazing things. But things kinda went to a dark place while at Railay Beach. And I’m not just using the word dark figuratively, I also am using the word literally.

When arriving at Railay Beach, it would off and on again rain. There were enough breaks in the rain to wander around, and check out the scene.

View from our accommodations:

At the Caves:

Gorgeous views from the beach:

Walking Street, the main strip of bars and shops that connects East and West Railay:

Overnight, a storm blew in. We awoke to pouring rain, and no power. The entire island was out. What the hell?! You can safely say that our spirits were low. We were considering bailing out of Railay to find a place that at least had electricity!

But eventually, the rain ceased and the generators kicked in. And our spirits returned to their normal, positive, happy selves. And our last night in Railay consisted of one or two short downpours, many cocktails, and fire dancers.

Yes, this is me with a fire dancer:

Traveling to Koh Phi Phi from Railay Beach was yet another rainy scene. We boarded a ferry boat, luckily in the sun. The boat smelled of garbage, which is one of the last things I want entering my nostrils, especially with a slight hangover. The sea was rough, it down poured on us a few times. But we eventually made it to Koh Phi Phi. And shockingly enough, it was sunny! Hello Koh Phi Phi Don!

Koh Phi Phi giving us some sunshine:

On Koh Phi Phi, one of our saddest misses on the trip happened. We made plans to go out and see Koh Phi Phi Leh, including Maya Bay (where The Beach was filmed). The boats cancelled the trip to Leh due to weather. We were heartbroken. Yet, later on our ferry ride out of Koh Phi Phi, we chatted with a young girl who went to Leh and said it was a frightening experience. The waves were too big, the wind was intense, and the whole trip was flat out not worth going on a blustery day. So, I guess it’s a good thing we missed out. After all, we didn’t want to end up like this boat:

Leaving Koh Phi Phi to head towards Koh Phangan was a long stretch. We sat at the pier on Koh Phi Phi for about an hour before getting on the boat. And of course, right when we were about to board…it poured on us. Luckily, that was one of the two times we got drenched on our way up to Koh Phangan. The second time wasn’t even rain. It was when the boat turned and seawater sprayed multiple times on us.

The rest of the time, it was very much like this:

After a long travel day by boat, minibus, bus, boat again, and by motorcycle…we made it to our new digs on Koh Phangan. And I must say, it’s not too shabby.

Pool at our hotel:

PS — it hasn’t rained on us yet on Koh Phangan. *knock on wood*

Leonardo DiCaprio…

If you don’t know this about me…then we obviously haven’t hung out more than once. I love Leo Dicaprio. And yes, I am very aware he’s icky (currently dating a 20 year old at the age of 38…yuck), but he makes me all nervous in the tummy when I see him on screen. I can’t help myself.

So, when the chance to see Maya Bay (where The Beach was filmed) came up, I must admit…I was kinda one of those tourists for a moment. “Leo was there like…13 years ago, swooooon!”

But in all seriousness, it’s one if the most gorgeous places to visit…and that’s the true reason to go (I MEAN CHECK THIS OUT!)

Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh:

So, we were talked into doing the afternoon boat tour. Because the water is less cloudy for snorkeling, and you get to see the sunset. Damnit, why did we listen?! We woke up to a beautiful morning, had a lovely breakfast, and eventually made our way to the check-in area in the afternoon, only to find out that we will not be going to Koh Phi Phi Leh anymore. The waves are too big. Damnit, no Leo! I think I need to get a new celebrity crush. He hurts me way too often.

Well, you can’t see everything when you travel. And now the sun has reappeared. Time for beers on the beach at Koh Phi Phi Don.

Phuket to Railay…

After a semi-frightening flight out of Singapore (pretty bumpy for a bit), we arrived in soaking wet Phuket, Thailand.

Our hotel arranged transport from the airport via Mr. Lek. A lovely, overpriced private driver. But it was 11pm, pouring rain, and this was oh so convenient. Once at our hotel, we met one of the most brilliant women alive…Bobbi. She quickly told us that we brought the rain, because apparently it had been gorgeously sunny the entire week prior to our arrival. Awesome. That sounds about right.

Our bungalow by the pool:

Since we woke up to pouring rain, we decided to make most of the day a trip planning / budget day. And later that evening, we went to the Siam Niramit Show…

Our cheesy photo:

Our buffet dinner before the show:

Unfortunately, due to the rain…many of the activities before the show were cancelled. No Thai boxing that night for us. 😦 But we still found some great photo opportunities before the show began.

Watch out! A dragon!:

I’m on a boat!:

AND we saw elephants! You could feed them for 300 baht…we did not:

Overall, the performance was a lovely expression of Thai tradition, history, and religious views. (And the safest buffet on our trip yet.)

On our next adventure, we were reunited with Mr. Lek. But before we left, we walked into our hotel’s bar/breakfast area, and encountered one of the other guests. She began the conversation with a complaint about her shoes disappearing off her patio during the night. She had only brought two pairs of shoes, and 3 shoes were missing. She sat there pitifully barefoot. So we offered her my pair of flip flops and asked her to come ride along with us on our tour of Phuket. She jumped at the chance, and we were off! (Don’t fret friends, her shoes later appeared. Our best guess is that a local monkey decided to play a trick on her.)

Wat Chalong:

Buddha Warning:

Buddha:

Buddha & Elephants:

Eagle!:

The street dogs here are so much cuter than Bali:

Thailand is gorgeous:

Big Buddha:

The following day, we awoke to rain…just the usual situation. And of course, we were going on a boating tour. We were picked up at 8:45AM, and began the rounds of picking up other passengers. Finally…about 1 1/2 hours later, we got to the dock. Only to wait at a mini mart for another hour before we got on the boat. So, about 12:30PM, we boarded. After a very long safety speech by Usa, our Captain, we were able to relax. We began to drink some previously purchased beer and chat with the other travelers.

Scelena & Usa (he loved her):

Enjoying our boat ride:

Our first stop on the trip (I guess it’s okay to drop us at a beach in pouring rain. As long as there is beer!):

Hong Island (we kayaked around):

James Bond Island:

After an incredibly long day on the boat, we were about 20 minutes from the dock…and this happened! Nothing like a good drag show to finish the evening:

On our last full day in Phuket, we took it easy. We decided to chill during the day, and go to a drag show at night.

After the show, we returned to our hotel and partied the night away! Seriously…we didn’t get to bed until 3:30AM. The bar was poppin’ with karaoke! We could not refuse.

A fellow traveler decided to steal my phone to snap a photo:

Phew! Oh Phuket, we had a blast. We adored our accommodations, had many activities planned, and met some great people. All in all, I can’t complain about the place (even if the weather was less than ideal).

We woke up with minor hangovers and headed to Karabi. But not before we had a mini heart attack. Our hotel only takes cash, so as we were leaving for the ATM…Scelena could not find her debit card. We tore the room up, we checked the bar area, we even had Bobbi (our hotel owner pal) call all the places we had been. Nothing. We decided the best thing to do, was for me to pay the entire bill for now. I ended up over drafting my account, but we got our cash! And we were on our way to Karabi via minibus.

Our awesome view on our ride to Karabi:

After a short snooze on the bus, Scelena jolts up and grabs my arm. “OMG Stefie!” What?! Instant panic attack. I was thinking, “God what did we leave behind?!” “My debit card is in my raincoat pocket. We put it in there on the James Bond boat because I was afraid to lose it!”

Thank GOODNESS! We both gave out a sigh of relief and hugged each other. I’m not lying when I tell you that I nearly teared up. Such great news. Now we can continue on our journey, and not worry about replacements of cards or cash advances. PHEW!

Eventually, we arrived in Karabi. And guess what?! The rain was falling hard (obviously). As we reached our hotel room, and began getting ready for dinner…the lights started flickering. Eek! Yet, we headed out anyway. We sat down, began looking over the menu, and poof…the lights were out. No cooking. Okay…upon returning to our hotel, they offered us a lovely candlelit dinner of vegetable pad thai and a much needed glass of wine. Bless our Thai friends.

We only stayed the night in Karabi. Although, it’s very charming in the low season. We wouldn’t mind a return to check the scene out, if we have time. But now it’s time for Railay Beach.

We hopped on a long boat in some pretty high swells. Scelena and I were separated on the boat, and as I turned back to check how she was, I saw a very unsure look in her eyes. It cracked me up! So I snapped a photo.

“Are we gonna capsize?!”

Long boat (the water looks calm in this photo, but it wasn’t!):

Now, we sit in our rustic jungle hunt…with an ocean view! Check it out, can you see the ocean?! Ha!

This place is pretty gorgeous…even if it’s monsoon-ing!

Caning for Chewing Gum…

Yup. You read my Subject Line correctly. Gum is illegal in Singapore. But you don’t really get caned. It’s a weird rule to keep people from tossing it on the ground, or stick it in the obvious places: under tables, chairs, handrails…keyholes. (Yes, some jackass who put their gum in a keyhole ruined it for everyone!) If you get caught at the airport, they make you toss your pack. Luckily for me, they did not find my 5 packs in my back pack. (I’m kind of a gum addict, if you didn’t already know.)

So, after successfully smuggling gum into the country, I got to see Singapore!

I’ve always wanted to check this city out. It’s said to be a great introduction to Asia. I’d have to agree with that assessment. The city is incredibly modern, clean, safe, and English is the first language. Oh and the food is apparently outstanding.

Our breakfast on the first day:

We stayed in a hostel called, “The Little Red Dot.” We were given a blanket, and a pod in the wall.

My pod:

I loved my pod! It was a good size, about the size of a twin bed. Inside it had two lights, a plug, and a privacy curtain. I was very happy with the hostel. Although, I doubt we will be staying in one again. Scelena didn’t seem so keen on it. And I’m completely okay with continuing to book our romantic honeymoon rooms.

The structures, the building, the public transport systems OH MY! They all get a glowing review from me. I knew about the stunning architecture, but to see them in person is jaw dropping.

Marina Bay Sands:

The Flyer, the largest ferris wheel in the world:

The Flyer goes the speed of a snail. It takes 30 minutes to go around. We nearly skipped it, but glad we didn’t. The views were amazing up at the top.

The Garden by the Bay had these amazing tree structures, with the tallest having a restaurant on top. There was a canopy walk, but it was short and looked cheesy…so we snapped a few photos and called it good.

Quite impressive works of art:

We found our way to the Botanical Garden. We figured that if the buildings were shockingly amazing, so should the local fauna. Yes. We were right. This park was insanely full of plant life.

Myself at the botanical garden doing the only pose I do, upside down handstand:

We decided to check out Little India since the area was within walking distance to our hostel. It was incredibly busy…and apparently it always is. We had some Indian for dinner (that decided to show its face again later that evening. Ugh!) But still delicious going down.

This photo does not really show the craziness, so you’ll just have to trust me:

We loved Singapore! I can see how many travelers poke in for a visit. It’s a great city to recharge before heading back out on their South East Asia tour.

Scelena and I touring Singapore:

Thanks Singapore for the fun times. We love your friendly city folk, clean streets, and stunning architecture.

Locks of Love in Singapore:

PS, I chewed gum the entire time I was there, and not a single caning took place. 😉

Riding in Cars with Boys (and Girls)…

Perth Western Australia. We arrived here about two weeks ago, and I’ve mostly seen the area from the backseat of a car. We stayed all of one day in Perth before hopping into Aaron’s car to see the coastline…

Aaron’s backyard patio:

Dean & I enjoying the sunset:

Sunsets in Perth are gorgeous:

Dean in the car…here we go!:

We started out by taking the short 3 hour trek to Margaret River for a little wine tasting.

The gang enjoying our wine tasting tour:

Beautiful winery grounds in Margaret River:

After only a night in Margaret River, we began our trek to Coral Bay; a 15 hour car ride North. But not before we had some brunch (or how Aussie’s cutely call it, “brekkie”) and a beach walk.

During brekkie is where I discovered that lattes are served in water glasses:

Me burning my fingers:

Beach in Margaret River:

Dean found an Ice Storm Falcon at the beach:

After a few hours of being in the car, Dean and I started to go a little bonkers. We began by eating junk food, but quickly turned to alcohol.

I quack you, I quack you too:

We asked Aaron if this was legal…he didn’t know. I’m pretty sure it isn’t. But we were in the backseat and buckled…so, shhh:

After a quick overnight stop at a hostel, we were back on the road. Only to discover that 5th gear was no longer working. Oh the joys of traveling. We stopped in at a little town to find out that no auto shop could take us until the following week. Luckily, we found a Nissan dealership…and they told us that 5th gear dropping out is common and to just drive the rest of the way in 4th. Uh, alright…looks like we aren’t going over 100 kids!

Eventually, we got to Coral Bay. And talk about gorgeous! The reason we came to Coral Bay was to swim with Whale Sharks. Yes, I said sharks. But don’t worry friends! They are less harmful than the vegetarian sharks on Finding Nemo. They do not fall off the wagon, and start hunting you. Whale Sharks are giant, plankton consumers.

Our Snorkel Trip with Whale Sharks:

It was an amazing tour. We saw 3 different whale sharks, humpback whales, the biggest sea turtle I’ve ever seen, white tipped sharks, sting rays, and tons of different types of fish and coral. Fantastic.

At the end of our lovely boat tour, where nearly everyone got a little green due to the bumpy ride…they surprised us with sparkling wine. Nothing like a little bubbly at sunset to end our lovely day at sea!

Well, that’s over…so back in the car we go! On our way back to Perth, we stopped to check out AND FEED some kangaroos. It was more than adorable.

I stole a lil kiss:

Once back in Perth we said goodbye to Dean. But not until he had a Tomahawk to celebrate turning 29.

Dean enjoying the bone:

And what do you think we did after bidding Dean a proper farewell?! Well, being just the three amigos again…of course we decided to hop back into the car and drive down to Denmark. Only a 4 hour ride South. No bigs.

Scelena trying out this whole driving on the opposite side of the road thing:

Denmark, gorgeous wine country:

Scelena posing…our hostel room in Denmark:

In Denmark, they have these trees called Tingle Trees. It’s common for them to get tree rot, and the trunk inside becomes hollow.

So…I decided to take a photo of me and such tree:

The view on the scary as hell canopy tree walk bridge at the Tingle Tree park:

Denmark coastline is gorgeous:

Finally, we got back in the car and returned to Perth. Scelena and I had a few days to poke around and see what Perth had to offer (besides crazy prices). And we had fun doing it.

I of course enjoyed the cute phrases and signs:

They don’t approve of our undies! Heehee:

Yield:

But mostly, I enjoyed my company:

Thank you Aaron, for showing us how lovely Western Australia is! We had a blast on our road trip. Riding in the car along Australia’s coast will forever be engraved in our minds as a happy and fun adventure (even if there were a few groans here and there)!

Loving Perth (get used to this pose…it’s my trademark):

My Little Pony…

There are no cars or motorbikes on the Gili Islands. There are bikes to rent, legs for walking, or pony drawn carriages (also called cidomos) to ride in. The cidomos are only found on Gili Trawangan and Lombok. When I first arrived, I thought it was sort of a charming way to get around…that thought quickly faded for me.

Obviously, since there are no motorcars on the island of Gili Trawangan, the locals need them as their main mode of transportation. I saw them being used to carry supplies from the main land such as: drinking water, building supplies, and food. And if they are well fed, watered, rested, groomed, have plenty of roaming space, and decent medical attention…I certainly have no problem with such a transport. In fact, I would applaud it for the environmental reasons. But what I saw, made me feel uneasy.

Firstly, most of these carriages seem to be waiting around for tourist use. “Need transport? $100,000 IR ($10 USD) for a ride to your hotel.” Um, no…I do not require a horse drawn carriage…and certainly not for that much. A cab costs less. It’s cheaper and easier to just walk.

They seem over heated. Who knows, they were brought up in the heat…they might be used to it. I’m sure not acclimated, so I grew concerned. I did not see any water breaks, and many were foaming at the mouth…I’m not a horse expert, so I’m unsure if that’s normal. Some looked to be a healthy weight, but I saw too many ribs to feel truly comforted. I hope the owners of these carriages have multiple ponies, and are switching them throughout the day for rest and water breaks. Because the days on Gili Trawangan are long — from dawn ’til well into the night.

I understand that horses have been a mode of transport for many, many years. They are durable…but seeing them in that heat, working as hard as they were, without ample drinking water; I was bothered by the whole situation.

Riding in Vans to Hardy’s…

One of the first travel lesson I’ve learned so far, is that tourists can get swindled like no other. Our lack of knowing the local language or knowing what anything should costs, leaves us handicapped into spending a bit more than we really should.

We took our very first bemo ride (public transportation) in Lovina. You literally stand on the side of the main road, and wait. Wait for a blue or red van to stop and offer you a ride. Okay…right. We just wait on the side of the road. With no bus sign. Well, when in Bali do what the locals do.

Enjoying my first bemo ride:

Not too long of a wait, a blue van came from behind us. He honked his horn and yelled out the passengers side window, “you need transport?!” Now, it just so happens that I learned at a very young age to never get in a van with a stranger. So, obviously my internal warning signals were flashing brightly and quickly. But this is the way of life here, I’ll be fine. GULP! We hopped on a bemo for $30,000 IR ($3 USD).

Scelena experiencing the bemo:

An older traveling couple were already inside. The woman immediately turned to me and asked if this was my first bemo ride. I smiled and admitted I was a bemo virgin. She then went on to inform me that we shouldn’t spend more than $3,000. Ouch, really? To soften the blow of such a swindle, she told me her first experience took $30,000 out of her pocket as well.

After a 10-15 minute bemo ride, full of interesting questions from the driver who spoke little to no english, we hopped out at Hardy’s. An Australian traveler gave us a tip that we’d most likely find a bathing suit there. And Scelena desperately needed one. (Her black bottoms are so worn in, that they are basically see through.)

Hardy’s was hilarious. The first floor consisted of a full on grocery store, not what we were looking for. We wondered aloud why the Australian women pointed us in the direction of Hardy’s. We don’t need ingredients to make a cake, we need a bathing suit! Then we noticed escalators leading to higher floors. Ah, the fashion section! And what a section is was. As we walked through the Hardy’s fashion section, we were confused as to where the women’s section actually was. Everything looked very childish. But at least we got a good laugh at the attire on sale…

You look smashing darling:

Unfortunately, a tad too small:

We eventually returned safely to our hotel, minus a new bathing suit. But at the very least, we returned with a few giggles and a new experience in our memory pocket. Swindle or not, it was fun.

The Fake Trek, A Swim, & Flipper

Pemuteran swindled us! Here we were, waking up early to take a day hike in a National Park. We were thinking waterfalls…beautiful vistas of the ocean…and far longer than one hour.

Our guide Tattoo began saying that it’s more of a nature walk. And yes…yes it was. We hopped out of our car, and began the walk right off the road. We didn’t come across any ocean vistas…and definitely no waterfalls. Just much discussion on the vines in the jungle (which was interesting for a solid 5 minutes) during our short walk.

At least there was a creek:

Ready, get set, climb:

Myself on our nature walk:

All smiles even though we were swindled:

As we returned to our accommodations, we looked at each other in shock. That was $30 a piece?! Insane! We doubted to take the snorkel trip for the whooping $35…and decided not to book.

We woke up naturally the next day, and saw that is was sunny. A shocking sight since the day prior was such a monsoon-y day. We decided it would be in our best interest to go snorkeling right outside our hotel on this glorious sunny day. We thought this was a much better investment then possibly getting swindled by the hotel again.

After breakfast we wanted to get some beach towels from the front desk. And found a group of guests about to set off for the snorkeling trip we decided against. We jumped at the chance to go. The sun is shining, why not. The universe was telling us to go. And so we went, and it was a decision we do not regret. It was some of the best snorkeling I’ve ever experienced.

On the snorkel boat:

The snorkel boats in harbor:

I have zero photos of our actual snorkeling trip. I’ve been using my phone for most of my pictures, and it’s definitely not waterproof. So, you’ll just have to trust me…it was amazing.

Soon after, we left Pemuteran and traveled to Lovina Bali. Lovina is known for dolphin spotting. We went with our good friend King Kobra for this adventure. He met us at our hotel at 5:45AM, and took us to his boat by motorbike.

Remember my motorbike fear? Well, I guess you can say I conquered my fear. I hopped on that ride and enjoyed it thoroughly. Once we arrived at the launch site, our dear friend Kobra put us on his kayak/catermeran boat. And as we left the harbor the sun was rising. Such a beautiful experience.

Scelena & I on Kobra’s boat:

Boating adventure:

Boating adventure continued:

We found dolphins:

Going on the dolphin search adventure turned out to be quite sad. There doesn’t seem to be any regulations set for the dolphins. There were about 30 boats chasing the dolphins, and getting far too close. We ended up appreciating the boat ride more than seeing the dolphins. Poor Flipper!

We are now out on the Gili Islands. I’m currently laying on the beach, watching the waves roll in. I’m very happy today.

Gili Islands:

Afternoon Tea & King Kobra…

Currently, we are sitting in the Global Village Kafe in Lovina Bali. We are sipping gloriously delicious ginger tea, sharing a large Bintang, and taking full advantage of the cafe’s free wifi services.

So far, I’m a fan of Lovina. Our hotel is stunning at a shockingly low price of $12.50 per night. The grounds are lush, friendly faces everywhere, an amazing pool, and our very own King Kobra.

When we were having lunch at the hotel, an Aussie couple began to chat us up. We found out that they are not only regular visitors of Bali, but of that hotel as well. They had quite a bit of knowledge of what to do and see while in Lovina, and loved to share. During our conversation, they introduced us to a man who was just walking by.

As he shook our hands, he introduced himself as King Kobra. My name seems so pathetic next to such a name! Mr. Kobra went on to offer us with a dolphin tour for 6 bucks. We immediately said yes to this adventure. That price definitely beats our forest nature walk at 30 bucks which left us feeling swindled. And far less than our snorkeling day at 35 bucks. Yes, we would love to take a boat out to see the dolphins for 6 bucks at dawn. Let’s do this!

Thank you King Kobra!

Scelena & I enjoying our complimentary welcome drink:

Our digs for only 12.50 bucks a night per person (two beds, a desk, awesome bathroom, and a patio):

Poolside at Suma Hotel in Lovina: