Yangon, Myanmar...Times are Changing

I arrived at the Bangkok DMK airport ready to get on my way to Myanmar. I have done more reading for these next 28 days than any of my travels to date. I was excited to get this journey started. As I sat waiting for the flight, I struck up a conversation with 2 girls from America that were also going for 28 days. They were as excited as I was to travel Myanmar. We laughed that there is only one travel guide and everyone had it...the bible, Lonely Planet. We had all followed the rules and were carrying our USD and concerned how we were going to keep the money clean. What was ahead of us on this journey? Only time will tell. I told the girls to have fun and enjoy their trip if we did not see each other later. I stood in line and saw that the man next to me was wearing a NY Yankees hat. So, I asked if he was a Yankees fan and pointed to the hat. He was! We laughed and I told him I prefer the Angels and we discussed the season. He was Burmese and was returning home. As we talked we realized we were sitting next to one another. His travel partner asked if I would switch seats because he has never flown before and wanted a window seat. Sure, no big deal. I was prepared for that. I smiled as we sat down and continued to talk. He was a pastor and ran an orphanage in Yangon. By the end of the flight, I had been given his contact information in case I had any problems and was invited to dinner at his home. I politely turned down the invitation since it was his anniversary and his wife had been home with the children for a week!

As I walked off the plane, I was hit with the heat and humidity of Yangon. It was hot! I walked through the airport and got into the line for customs. I looked around as I watched people in the (airport. I spotted a man wearing the traditional longji  (a long skirt worn by men and women) and smiled. Yay! I loved it! Getting through customs was simple. Then, I picked up my backpack and noticed the money changer at the airport. It was changing for 947 kyat to the USD. I had looked up the rate on-line and this was the same. So, I changed some money over. I was also surprised to see that they accepted the Euro, Singapore dollar and FEC. Times have changed since the last Lonely Planet guidebook. No black market money changing for me! There are also signs all over the airport that the ATM accepts MasterCard. I will have to try using an ATM at some point....just because I want to see if they work with international debit cards.

I found my guesthouse, Ocean Pearle Inn, with my name on a sign. They had arranged to pick me up at the airport for free! The gentleman was also wearing a longji! He greeted me and had me wait at the airport curb while he went to get his car. I stood smiling and watching everything around me. I loved this country immediately. As we started the long drive from the airport to Yangon I watched out the window taking in everything. The first thing you notice is the drivers wheel is on the right side of the car. Makes sense since this was a British colony. But, in order to separate themselves from the British, they drive on the right side of the road. It was a little weird. This was going to take a little getting use to. As we drove into town, I saw many of the men and woman wearing the longji. It was traditional and looked very nice. Most of the men wear it with a business shirt and tied in the front. They have there wallets and cell phone tucked in to the side. I smiled. I like the cultural differences.

The next thing I saw was packed buses. People were hanging out the sides. They were packed into the pick-up trucks and hanging off the back. Some people would sit on the roof of the trucks as they drove down the highway. As the suns et on the city, I saw a large golden stupa and knew it was my first glimpse of the Shwedagon Pagoda. It was amazing at night. I was in awe of the sight.

I arrived at my hotel, checked in and was ready for dinner. Food is a great way to get acquainted with a country. I asked for a restaurant and was told to go a couple of doors down the street.  A man  welcomed me, asked where I was from and if I was hungry. It was a BBQ restaurant so, I picked out a few kebabs and then he showed me to a table. He brought me a Myanmar beer and told me it was on the house since I was American. I thanked him and he told me how Obama's visit last November had made a positive impact on tourism. He explained that they hope Americans and western countries invest in Myanmar and the tourism will continue to grow. He also gave me his card with his cell phone number in case I had any problems while I was in Myanmar. The food was great and I had made another new friend. As I sat enjoying my meal, I noticed a load humming sound. I was in the middle of a city and it took me a second to register where the noise was coming from. Generators lined the streets and many businesses used them for backup when power was lost. The owner of the BBQ restaurant told me to be prepared for many blackouts in Myanmar.

There is another custom I read about that I was waiting to witness. Luckily, I did not have to wait long. I heard the kissing sounds as I sat waiting for my meal. No, it wasn't amorous teenagers! Ha ha!  In Myanmar, the kissing sound is used to get someone's attention. It is funny when you first hear it and then see it in action. The table behind me used it to get more beer, order food and get the check. Could I do this? How silly will it look and feel?  I decided to jump in and make the kissy sound and order a second beer. I giggled when I saw the look on his face. He smiled and came to my table and with another beer. The young boy, Shelly, said he wasn't expecting it from a tourist and told me he appreciated my willingness to use it to get his attention. This was fantastic! Another boy was sent to my table to fan me while I ate. I kept telling him he didn't need to but, his father insisted. What an experience on my first night in Myanmar! I thanked the man for his hospitality, paid my bill and said goodnight.

Over the next few days I explored many of the sights of Yangon. I started by walking around the city. It is a large city with constant traffic. The traffic jams seemed to be endless. People were packed into the city buses on their way about their daily activities. I thought I would go unnoticed but the people would see me, nudge a friend and point and smile. Obviously not too many tourists at this time of year. I quickly learned to say good morning in Burmese. Several people would walk up and say hello, ask what country I was from (they love American's here!) and then say "bye,bye!" Off they would walk. Some of the women would come up to me and point at my face and say something that I did not understand. I just smiled as I experienced the sites and sounds of this city. Women walk around the city balancing trays of food and produce on their head. Men in the longji's and buses packed full of people. My senses were overwhelmed, but I loved it!

I was intrigued with the beautiful British colonial buildings. There was one abandoned building that was gorgeous. I walked around and took pictures which seemed to attract the people. I finally found someone that spoke English and told me it was the building that General Aung San  was assassinated in 1947. I asked several people and got some mixed stories. I am not really sure but I loved the beautiful architecture and hope that it will be restored and used as a museum as one man told me.

My next stop was the Sule Pagoda. As I walked down the street, I saw the local bus stop and walked over to observe the scene. An old bus would pull up and a man would yell out to the people. I am guessing it was destinations. I was approached and asked where I wanted to go. I told them I was just watching and thanked him for his assistance. I wandered on to the park and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings.

Then, on to the river and past the Strand Hotel. A couple of girls tried to persuade me to go to their island to see how the village people lived. I could see a storm arriving and told them I would be back another day. It was getting late in the day and I was hot and tired. I returned towards the hotel and met with the man from the restaurant the night before. I decided to go in for a Myanmar beer. Shelly greeted me but all the tables were full. An Australian couple invited me to sit with them. I hit it off with Brad and Marilyn immediately. We laughed and shared our adventures from the day. As we were sitting in the restaurant, we noticed Shelly would even light a cigarette for you if you made a kissing sound. The service was fantastic. Shelly became our favorite waiter in town. Brad and Marilyn gave me some tips from their day exploring the city. I decided the next morning I was going to take the Circle train around the city and they insisted that I try Lucky 7 teahouse before we met up for dinner the next night.



Tomorrow I will take the ferry to Dalah Island, have lunch at Lucky 7 and finish the day with the Yangon circle train.

Beach Crawl on Koh Samet, Thailand

Next stop was Koh Samet. It was a short 4 hour bus and ferry trip to the island. Koh Samet is only a few hours from Bangkok so, it is a weekend getaway from the city. I was prepared for higher prices and more tourists. I had made reservations at Jep's Bungalow and was happy with my choice. I got a cute little bungalow on the slope of the hill.

The restaurant and beach were a short 2 minute walk. Ahhh...this is the life! Even the dogs enjoy the afternoon on the beach! I had met an English girl, Gem, on the ferry and we bonded quickly as we were two woman traveling alone. We made plans to explore the island the next day on motorbikes. Yippee! I have missed being on a motorbike. I spent the first afternoon relaxing on the beach. It was easy to get use to this life.

The next morning, Gem and I met up to rent a motorbike. We had decided to share one scooter. She would drive and I was the passenger. Gem looked at me and told me that everyone said the roads are pretty rough. This was going to be an adventure! I was fine as long as we didn't fall and break anything. We decided to start off exploring the north side of the island where the roads were good. As we took off up the hill and hit all the potholes we both were a little leary about how much worse the roads could get. We hit potholes and I accidently grabbed her boob to try to hold on. Talk about embarrassing..but a great way to get to know someone! We laughed as we bounced down the road. I was convinced the Thai people heard us coming before they ever saw us. We had our own way of riding the bike. Since Gem was wearing a bikini and a top her bum was sweating on the hot seat. So, I would get on and lay my skirt out across the seat so she could sit on it. We also decided to have me put my feet down anytime we stopped or needed extra pushes to get out of a pothole or up a hill. Yes, it was just like the Flintstone's..."yabbadabbadoo!"

We saw a beautiful beach and decided to take a dip. We were on a beach crawl to see and swim in the coves of Koh Samet. The water was sparkling clear and felt fantastic. We swam around, took some photos and headed to our next destination. We saw a road behind a nice resort and decided to follow it. We bounced and giggled our way down the road and then saw our destination. No, not a beautiful beach....a garbage dump. (I know my friend Fara is laughing and blaming all of her trips to garbage dumps in other countries on me!) We used our super motorbike skills to turnaround and head to the southern end of the island. As we bounced and laughed back down the island, we decided we would switch the motorbike for an ATV. This was just too dangerous! When we stopped and asked the woman told us the $400 Baht price was for an hour, not the day. We decided to get a second motorbike and we would each drive. It was safer and the roads were going to get worse. Then, we were off to explore more beaches. Each beach was different. Some were secluded beaches where boats would pull up to shuttle passengers to/from the ferry. Others were large with restaurants and hotels.

We met 2 Chinese men (Fish and Shark) and a woman from Hong Kong (Andrea) at one stop. All three of them were all sharing one motorcycle. We laughed as we saw them pass us. Guess they were more comfortable on these then we were! We ended up meeting up with them at our last 2 stops.

Gem and I saw the swing and knew we had to take a break and enjoy it. I laughed as a man said to Gem "Hey, weren't you the girl at the fire show last night? I saw you limbo under the fire! You are enjoying this trip." She laughed and confirmed that she had enjoyed the fire show. As we giggled and played on the swing like we were 5 year olds we wondered how many people thought we were drunk. We were 100% sober and having a fantastic day!

We went out to swim and Gem and Fish (Chinese guy) noticed the raft. Of course we had to go up and jump off. The hardest part was getting up. No ladder. I pushed Gem up. Then Fish got up and helped me onto the raft. I banged up my good knee but who cares. We were enjoying life. The three of us joined hands and jumped off the raft. Then, we had to repeat a second time because Shark and Andrea did not get a photo. It was getting darker and we decided to head back. We made a pit-stop to see the sunset viewpoint. No sunset tonight, too many clouds. Then we bounced back towards our resorts. I came up over a hill and saw a huge lizard walk out onto the road. I stopped. It was at least 3 ft long. Gem tried to get her camera but 2 dogs came running and scared it into the jungle. Mean dogs!

We returned our motorbikes and were contemplating another swim. Gem looked at me and said "good job! We did not fall off our bikes." She took a step and I turned to get my camera from my bag. She screamed and I looked down and she was lying on the ground. She was fine. Just slipped on the rock she was standing on. We giggled and decided that we needed a last swim at this beach. As we walked out to the beach, I see a man raise his arms and wave to us. It was Fish, Shark and Andrea! We ran to them and chatted again. They were leaving the next day so, this was goodbye.

The next morning, Gem and I met up after breakfast and planned to rent a kayak. We stopped to rent a kayak from an old woman. We paid and she pointed to the beach and handed us each an oar. When we got down to the beach there was only one kayak for one person. We looked around and the woman pointed to it. We went back up and she said we would have to take turns in it. We asked for our money back and wandered further down the beach. It was hot and we were dehydrated by the time we found a kayak for 2 people. The woman was ready to rent it to us when we decided we needed a good cold drink. We sat down and relaxed as we drank fruit shakes. Ahhh! Gem was still hot so she asked for a bowl of ice for her sunburn. The guy brought out a bucket of ice.

We laughed and used it to cool ourselves. I was starting to think it was a hot flash hitting me. I could not cool off! The ice felt great! The man told us we could take it with us and return the bucket later. Yippeee! By this time, the kayak was gone and we decided to snorkel and float on a tube around the coves.

Another fantastic day ended at the beach. As we walked back, we passed a woman selling jewelry. I found a great necklace and bracelet set and decided it was my birthday present to myself!  I asked her if she would hold it until dinner when I would pay for it on my way back to the restaurant. The sweet girl, Sai, handed me the jewelry and said take it now and bring back the money when you have time. Seriously!?! I thanked her and promised to bring it right back. She was not worried at all. I was shocked that this had worked so well for her and nobody had stolen from her. I returned 10 minutes later with the money. She was surprised I came back so soon.

When Gem and I returned for dinner with the green bucket. We sat down and the waiter came over laughing and thanked us for returning it. As soon as it left our sight, we wished we had it filled with ice again. Then the fire show started, we were sitting in the front and it was HOT! It was inevitable that we ordered another bucket of ice.

We sat on the beach eating a delicious BBQ seafood dinner and laughing at the events of the day. We ran into some of the tourists from the previous day and they commented that we were still laughing and having fun. Of course! We said our goodbyes at the end of the night. I was heading to Bangkok and Gem was off to Koh Chang. It was a great beach vacation! 

Chilling on Koh Chang

I arrived on the beautiful island of Koh Chang with a smile on my face and happiness in my heart. I was ready to relax on the beach for a few days and this was the perfect location. Crystal clear water, white sand beach and the smell of salt water. I felt like I was at home immediately! It was an extra bonus because I arrived on my birthday! Happy Birthday to me!

The trip was very easy. A bus ride from Bangkok to the ferry, a short ferry ride to Koh Chang and then a taxi ride to White Sand Beach.  I had wanted to be on the beach for the weekend so I booked a room at the Rock Sand Resort. The taxi dropped me off at the local 7-11. I had directions to my hotel. I was told to walk along the path beside the 7-11 that goes to the beach.

I had met 5 Chinese girls that were going to Rock Sand Resort so, we had shared a taxi . I told them I had directions and they could follow me. I waited while the got their luggage. Oh no! They had rolling suitcases! I laughed as they tried to get the taxi to take them to the hotel. You just walk the beach until you get there. I was hungry and decided to get a little street food for the walk (500 m). They started tugging their suitcases towards the beach. I decided to grab a light meal outside the 7-11.

I got my corn and ate as I walked down the beach. Thank goodness for the backpack. The girls were struggling carrying their suitcases in the powdery sand. I passed them and smiled. People on the beach were laughing at the scene. Small girls with huge suitcases! Luckily, it was an easy walk for me and a beautiful view. I was already thinking about a swim!

I was greeted at Rock Sand Resort with a cool iced tea and a quick check in. As I was waiting, a man came up and asked "Where are you from?" As we talked, I found out that he was the owner of the hotel and he even bought me a birthday beer! It was so nice and I appreciated the kind hospitality. I knew I was going to like my stay here on Koh Chang. A nice peaceful birthday weekend. Ahhhh! I went to my room, unpacked (I was staying 3 nights) and put on my swimsuit. I had time for an evening swim before the sunset. I have one goal for this trip to Koh Chang....to get rid of my crazy tan lines!

I swam out in the water and relaxed. It was wonderful. Then, I grabbed my camera to get some sunset photos of the area. 

I spent the next few days relaxing on the beach, reading my Myanmar travel book, watching dogs and crabs and napping on the beach. It was fantastic! I was relaxed and rested.  After 3 days, it was time to book a trip over to Koh Samet. I was ready for a few more people and some activity.

Adventures with the Thai Mafia in Bangkok

My time in Laos was running out. I had some personal business I had to do and needed to call the USA from Bangkok. So, Bangkok here I come! I decided to do an overnight journey by train. This required a 2 hour mini-van to the Thai border, a walk across the border, another 1 hour mini-van to Ubon-Ratchanthani, Thailand and then a 12 hour train to Bangkok. The one thing you find as you travel this distance is that you meet other travelers with suggestions. We all shared our experiences and I got several suggestions from others to only spend 2 days in Bangkok. Everyone said to get in and out. I was warned about the Thai Mafia (tuk-tuk drivers) and to hold my grounds. As everyone talked, my first reaction was they were all overreacting. I stayed optimistic.

As I was sitting in the back of the minivan, the back of the van flew open and two backpacks went flying out onto the highway. We were all thankful nobody was behind us because it would have been a serious accident. The van stopped and backed up down the highway to the bags, loaded them up and we were off again. Who knew you could backup down the middle ot the road. Everyone was cordial and moved over as we went backwards. Luckily the bags were fine. They were placed back in the minivan and we were off to Ubon-Ratchanthani. When we arrived at the train station, we waited and waited for the train. It arrived an hour and a half late. We noticed that there were no sleeper cars. Our car number did not exist. At this point the 4 of us compared tickets. The van driver had randomly handed these out to the 4 of us that were going to Bangkok. As we waited, the girl from Spain asked what our bed numbers we were assigned. I said 21, a guy from New Zealand responded 19 and the guy from England said 17. The Spanish girls eyes got huge and she said she had seat 19 also. We all compared tickets and laughed as we realized Spain and New Zealand were sharing a small bed for 12 hours. The sleeping cars were brought from the train yard and added to the train. We decided to play dumb and get on the train and deal with the seat issues when they came to check the tickets. It ended up that the Spanish girl and the New Zealand guy actually had the same seat but NZ's ticket was booked for two months from now! What?!?! He showed them the paperwork for his ticket with the correct date. The conductor told us he would have to buy a ticket for second class seating as the beds were sold out. He said they do this frequently when tickets are over sold and a tourist wants to go to Bangkok. He could get a refund of his sleeper seat when we get to the station. We all offered to rotate seats with him but he said no. We bought him beer and gave him some sleeping pills to make it easier on him. I felt so bad. We all crawled into our sleepers and went to sleep.

I was rocked to sleep by the train. I was fine until I woke up and had to use the facilities. I looked up and on my curtain was a huge cockroach! UGH! I grabbed a book and swatted it. I was really grossed out. I did not sleep the rest of the night. I swear I could feel bugs crawling on me! It was worse because the next morning I had little bite marks all over my ankles. Ugh! Yuck! The train was really gross and I could not wait to get to the hotel and take a shower.

I arrived at my hotel, Baan Dinso 2, and they let me check-in at 10 am! Yes! The woman was very sweet and insisted I have free breakfast. I asked if I could take a shower first and she said of course. I felt better once I had washed off the grime of the Thai train. After a quick breakfast, I was off to explore Bangkok. I needed to get a little business done so my first stop was Pantib Plaza for an external drive. I had filled up my computer and dropbox was downloading very slowly. Time to  just get a portable external drive to make certain I would not lose all my photos. I was told the easiest way was to take a taxi to the shopping area. I could do that. It was suppose to be about 75 Baht. I walked over to a taxi and asked if I could get a meter. He looked at his tuk-tuk buddies, they all talked in Thai and came back and told me 300 Baht ($10). I looked at them and laughed. I said "no, this is Bangkok not LA!" I offered them 50 Baht and they all laughed. One tuk-tuk driver offered me 60 Baht. I asked him how many stops. He got out his map and told me "No my friend. I take you to Big Buddha, another Buddha and Pantib for 60 Baht ($2). I was tired and just wanted to get my external drive. I countered with "No, just Pantib for 60 Baht." He responded that he wanted me to see the beautiful temples because it was Buddha day. I was tired of negotiating and said fine...against my better judgment. We traveled from temple to temple.

I walked in looked around but really I just wanted to go to the electronic store. I was a girl on a mission. I insisted he takes me to Pantib. He starts driving. He stops. Yes, this has to be my destination! I look around and he points to a travel agency. No, no,  no! I explained I want to go to Pantib. He gets the man out of the store and I am told we will not go anywhere unless I go in and talk to them. I was angry and kicking myself for not insisting on a meter taxi. I felt sorry for the girl. I chatted with her watching my watch. After 10 minutes I thanked her and left the store. Again, I insisted he take me to Pantib. He said "Next stop Pantib." Ok. Off we went, but not to Pantib. It was another tourist agency. I refused to go in. He finally said he would take me to Pantib. When we arriaved I asked "Pantib?"  He said yes and pointed to a large building. I paid him and walked into the store. It was a book store. Ugh! I found a sales clerk that informed me my tuk-tuk driver had taken me to another area. I was a long ways from Pantib. She explained how to get there on the bus. I was angry and mumbling to myself as I started walking. Several tuk-tuk drivers stopped to ask if I wanted a ride.  I said no and that was when they started calling me stupid. For some reason they thought this would stop me from taking the bus?!?! I had sworn off the tuk-tuks (Thai mafia).  I finally arrived at Pantib and got my external drive and a cheap waterproof camera. Then I asked for directions on the bus back to my hotel. The saleswoman was wonderful and helped me get to the right bus. The trip back was easy and relaxing. If you are in Bangkok, figure out the bus system. It is cheap and easy.

The next morning I was off to see the sights in Bangkok. I started off walking and found out it was "Buddha day." A man walked up to me and told me he was a school teacher and off for the day. I thought he was just friendly, like the Laos people, and chatted with him. Then a tuk-tuk driver pulled up and I got told how I need to use the tuk-tuks with yellow license cause they were government sponsored. When I said "no thank you, I prefer to walk" he got angry at me and told me I was a stupid girl. Whatever! I walked off. An hour later I met another teacher off for "Buddha day" and he was insisting that I wanted to go see a Thai boxing match today. I nicely told him no and I was not interested. The man had a complete meltdown. I don't know why or what caused it. At this point, a tuk-tuk driver pulled up and he got in. It was humiliating because he kept yelling that I was a stupid American that did not know anything. I just wanted him to go away. I waved goodbye and smiled then turned and walked away. He circled the block to yell at me. Ugh! Nice hospitality. I walked along to the river, through a park and then back down Koh San road for some street food.

I was full, happy and hot. It was time for a shower. Since it was starting to get dark, I walked a little faster. I stopped to throw an empty water bottle in the trash and turned to walk away when 2 huge rats ran in front of me. I screamed! Ick! Time to get home and off the dirty streets of Bangkok!

The next day, I had to go to the Myanmar Embassy to get a visa. From all of the books, this was relatively easy. I just had to get a taxi and arrive by 9 AM. I had the address and was ready. Now to negotiate a taxi. I waited and waited for a taxi to stop. Everyone was full. All I was getting were the damn Thai mafia tuk-tuks. I did not want to do this. The guy kept telling me he would take me there for 100 Baht with no stops. I finally agreed. Stupid, stupid me! He stops and I look around. I told him no, this is not the Myanmar Embassy. I knew that because I learned my lesson yesterday and looked up a photos of the Embassy. He had taken me to another travel agency. I was angry. I refused to pay him 100 Baht because this was not the address I had given to him and showed him on the map. The manager from the travel agency walked over and asked what was the problem. I explained I was suppose to be at the Myanmar embassy and was not paying him 100 Baht until I was taken there. After some lengthy discussions in Thai, it was agreed I did not need to pay anything, the manager gave him 2 fuel tickets and I could get the visa at the travel agency for the same price as the embassy. I was ok with this. I thanked him and went in. Yes, I know this is another scam. I am just glad I did not have to pay the lying, cheating tuk-tuk driver! The manager was very nice and accommodating. He apologized several times for the issue. I got everything worked out and bought a bus ticket to Koh Chang island for the following day. The next problem was getting back to my hotel. Ugh! The manager arranged a ride for me for 20 Baht and 2 fuel tickets. I thanked him and off we went. When he pulled over I was immediately irritated. This was not my hotel. I just wanted a drink at this point. He had stopped at a tailor shop. No! I finally went in just to get the pain over. The stupid thing I did was I actually looked at the skirts and found a linen skirt I really liked. It would be cool for Myanmar. The guy wanted to make a hard sale. I told him "no, I am leaving in the morning." He insisted he would have it done by the 7 PM. I just had to come back and pick it up. He was going to do it for $30 USD. I told them no, I was not coming back down to the shop. I went for the door. He followed me and promised to have it to the hotel at 8PM and would make any alterations I needed. I finally agreed. What was I going to be out? I waited in the lobby of the hotel from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. No skirt. Damn! I was irritated and finally called the shop. After several calls, I was told that I was not at the hotel and nobody was at the desk so they left it with the woman selling banana pancakes on the corner. Seriously!?!?! I was so stupid! I went out to find this woman. I knew the shop was lying to me. They never came into the hotel lobby. I found her and she had my skirt. After all of this, I decided I needed a banana pancake. Could this woman be in on the scam with the tuk-tuk drivers and the tailor? I don't know but the banana pancake was delicious! One good thing came of this day! Nom, nom, nom!

I returned to the hotel and tried on the skirt. No way! It was too big! Now I was tired and had a couple of options.

1) Throw/donate the skirt and be done with it.
2) Return to the shop to have it altered for free.
3) Return to the shop and demand my money back.
4) Find a new tailor to alter it and pay more money.
5) Throw it in my backpack and decide later.
I chose option 5.  I was tired and would deal with this later. I was going to bed and leaving for Koh Chang in the morning. I am ready for some beach life!  

Ready...Set... Go!

Marina Casino

I set off on this adventure with my best friend, Fara, by my side. I am so excited that she was able to come and kick off the first 2 weeks of this amazing adventure. We met up in Los Angeles and survived an 11 hour flight to Tokyo . When we arrived in Tokyo, we decided to walk and stretch our tired, numb bums. We were about 20 gates away when we heard an announcement that sounded like "Fara Wash and Michelle Heiter please report to gate 46 immediately." We looked at each other. No! The plane is leaving and we will miss our flight. We took off running for the gate. Yes, a full out sprint through the airport just like the Amazing Race. We ran and ran. Finally, we reached the gate and went to the desk. We handed the woman our tickets and passports. She looked at us and said "How may I help you?" We explained she had just called our names and we thought we were late for our flight. "No, I called Ms. Wong and Michelle Fadu Hater." Huh. Well, at least we got our blood pumping and a little exercise before the 7 hour flight to Singapore! We sat and laughed how we could never do the Amazing Race because the sprint through the airport about killed us!

We both decided to take some sleeping medications before the next flight. We had to be rested for the 14 hours in Singapore. We slept a little and were ready to hit the city at 3:30 AM. We had asked several people if there was a good location to watch the sunrise. Everyone said "No." Oh well. We waited for the metro station to open at 6AM and went off to explore the city.  It was clean and very westernized. Simple and easy to get around. We arrived at the city center and started walking and exploring the area. It was dark until 7:30 and there was no real sunrise. It just got lighter and then the sun came out. Guess that was why everyone said not to bother trying to see a sunrise.  We checked out the Marina Casino, St Andrew's Cathedral, the park and harbor front. Then we were off to Chinatown for a food tour.

Chinatown

                                                                       
We had a great walking tour of the Chinatown complex where the guide explained the Chinese influence and the history of the street hawkers in Singapore. He showed us the daily fruit and vegetable market and the wet market. We should have realized that we wanted to skip the wet market when he asked if any of us were animal rights activists and explained that there were live animals in the wet market. I am not sure if it was the lack of sleep our just stupidity that we did not put it together. As we watched the fish mongers clean and prepare the fish, one of the men slipped his hand in and grabbed a frog. He banged it on a stool to kill it. "AHHH!" Fara screamed and looked at me. "That man just beat a frog to death!" Yes, and the guy behind me was beating a fish with a baseball bat. Yes, I would be a 100% vegetarian if I had to butcher an animal myself. It was definitely brutal and we were ready to move on.

     One of these poor little guys didn't survive our visit.

 Next stop was breakfast. We waited. Praying it was not frog. Luckily it was coffee and tea with butterfly pastry, Singapore donut stick and rice cakes with roasted vegetables. But, the best was saved for last. We ended the tour with shaved ice. Everyone wanted mango shaved ice but our tour guide insisted on also getting a toasted sesame and red bean shaved ice also. Both were delicious and a nice break from the heat of the day.

Yummy shaved ice! Mango (left) and Toasted Sesame with Red Beans (right).

Afterwards, we jumped on the metro back to Singapore airport and waited for our flight to Ho Chi Minh City. I was exhausted and needed to get a good stretch. So, I found an open space in the airport and did some yoga. Yes, I looked silly but it felt good and my body loved it! Then, back on a plane for a 2 hour flight to Vietnam. We both collapsed in our seats and slept the entire flight. Yippee! Only minutes away from exploring Ho Chi Minh City! Wrong! We got stuck in Visa on arrivals. We followed all the rules. Turned in our paperwork and waited for our passports to be stamped with the visa. Mine arrived in 15 minutes and then everything came to a halt. Two additional planes arrived and people swarmed the window. We waited and waited for 2 hours before Fara got her visa. We laughed as we realized that my Visa cost $65 and Fara's cost $95. She was too tired to argue at this point. Then, we had another 30 minute wait in passport control. This was killing us! We were tired and exhausted from traveling. We just wanted to get to a hotel and sleep....flat in a bed! By the time we got through passport control, we had to go on a hunt for our bags. We finally found them sitting between customs and the lost and found window. Yippeee! We eventually made it through customs and then had to find our hotel driver. No such luck. He had left so, we grabbed a taxi to the hotel. The traffic was crazy in Ho Chi Minh City. Motorcycles and cars honking and driving. We noticed immediately there were few traffic lights. I was very nervous we were going to hit a motorcycle and send a Vietnamese family flying through the air. Luckily, we arrived safely. When we finally arrived at our hotel, we were told "Just walk down that alley and it will be on your right." Ok. We did it and were happy to find a nice clean room with air conditioning waiting for us! Not bad for $10/night. We were excited we arrived but exhausted from 2 days of travel. A good nights sleep and we will be ready to explore Ho Chi Minh City in the morning.