Indonesia Part 3: The Endless Beaches of Lombok Island and Gili Trawangan

When many people think of Indonesia, luxurious Bali is the first spot that pops into their mind. My geography of SE Asia was completely lacking before I traveled here, and I embarrassingly thought that Bali was a) in India and b) only a city. I decided, however, to pretty much skip over Bali and hop to the next island east: Lombok. I had limited time before I met Darryl in the Philippines, and I guess I wanted to go somewhere a little more remote and less well known.

Catherine had a more open timeline so kindly skipped over Bali as well as she would go there while I was in the Philippines. We took the most HORRIFYING PLANE RIDE ever on a prop plane from Bali to Lombok that consisted of me trying to crack jokes so Catherine didn't know how nervous I was, and Catherine beating me with a pillow to calm herself down.

I am pretty sure that we both thought we were going to die on that plane, but as we are both nervous flyers, who knows how much we were overreacting. (Later I found this airline is EU blacklisted and has a nice recent history of plane crashes that haven't made international news. That explains the $16 pricetag.)

Alive and well in Lombok, we caught a cab to a northern beach called Senggigi and settled into our luxurious accommodation. It was seriously exciting to have the following: a large room with two big comfy beds, CLEAN towels, a shower that was separated from the toilet, and satellite TV with English channels. Oh, and a really nice infinity-esque pool right on the beach across the street. 

The next morning the Seahawks were playing the 49ers so we stayed glued to my phone for updates from Google and more entertainingly, Darryl, who believed he and our group of friends were shaping the game's fate ("Oh my god we all held hands and there was a turnover!!").

Catherine and I agreed that if we won we were going to break all the rules and have a drink before noon, so everyone knows the outcome of that. We were cheering like madwomen; true American spectacles to those dining around us, and spent the rest of the day at the beach/pool and exploring the area.

Then poor Catherine got really, really sick. Like so bad we had to call a doctor to our hotel room. The hotel kept saying it was "very expensive" which turned out to be $40 - definitely affordable by US standards. So the rest of our time in Senggigi was spent recovering, and I couldn't complain because sometimes it's nice to have a vacation from your vacation, catching up on all the trashy TV shows I so love at home. :)

We then had a decision in front of us... which island to hop to next! From Senggigi you can go to one of the three Gili islands northwest, so we settled on the one that sounded like it was the most active, Gili Trawangan, and took a boat there.

We stayed in the most adorable bungalow full of lush gardens, about a 10 minute walk from the beach. They served us breakfast on our patio every morning and we even had our own bungalow cat who would sunbathe in our chairs - you know me and my animal obsession. What the island was lacking in was dogs. It's the first place I've been where I saw ZERO dogs.

Romance flowers on our beds

Gili Trawangan is a pretty small island with slightly coraled beaches (there is minimal garbage), and mostly crystal blue waters. The only things to do really are sunbathe, swim/snorkel/dive, eat, drink and island hop. Which is nothing to complain about.

The only downside to the island, or at least where we stayed, was that there was a mosque nearby that had recently gotten their hands on a powerful sound system. I have heard the call to prayer many times on this trip and think it is beautiful, but it is not so peaceful when it sounds like it is INSIDE of your room at full blast at 5am and then for hours throughout the day/night. The high ceilings in our bungalow only amplified the sound. Oh well, a cultural experience!

It rained for an entire day that we were there, leaving us a little stir crazy. It is wet season in Indonesia which doesn't really bother me, but if you are planning a trip to the area, it's best to plan it when there are less tumultuous showers. :) But I love a heavy rainstorm to cool down the endlessly hot days.

We both were in desperate need of new pedicures (first world problems in a third world place - Catherine's slogan) and wanted massages, and quickly found a place that would do both for about $15. Our first romantic couple's massage! The massage was amazing, but um, with an interesting twist. I don't think it's true for all Balinese massages, but at this place, the woman asked "Are you OK with me massaging your chest and stomach?" before she started. Sure, why not! I discovered this meant they massaged around and in between the special chestal region (scientific term) so that was definitely a first. I could hear Catherine stifling laughter at that point and later we ended up uncontrollably laughing about the whole experience. Because we are mature adults.

We left the little island after about 3 days and went back to Lombok, hiring a driver through our guesthouse to take us around the island before heading south to our next destination. By the way, the guest house owner was a fabulous Danish woman who also designs clothes, so she sweetly took my measurements for a bridesmaid's dress I need for Kim's wedding in June. :)

The tour through Lombok took us to a local market with vibrant fish and produce, but in contrast, also some of the worst smells I have encountered, probably from raw meat being butchered in the same areas for years without a real clean up.

There was a lot of garbage as well -  a big problem in SE Asia. Next we went to a temple that brought together all the religious groups in the area with shrines for all: Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians. We hired a guide to provide us with more background than I could ever possibly hope to recount!

We had two more stops that were really fascinating, starting with a woodshop where locals make everything from small bowls to large furniture.

The best part of this craftsmanship is that they place hand cut seashells in the wood in different triangular patterned designs.

We saw every step of the process and I would imagine that if these were made and sold in the US, they would sell for a tremendous fortune. Note to self: if I'm ever back in Lombok, ship furniture back to the states!

Expert weaving, gurl

Catherine and I were also set on seeing the weaving village where the famous Ikat fabric originates from. We got there and there were women weaving outside, who insisted (of course for a tip :) that we give it a try ourselves! So they strapped us and showed us how it is done.. I was not very adept at this so was glad they were ready to take over after a photo op.

The Ikat fabrics for sale that really caught our eye were very expensive, and none of the pre-made scarfs were what we were looking for, so we left empty handed. At least can now say we are semi-trained Ikat weavers. :)

Our driver took us to the beach we were keen at staying at for a few days called Kuta. There is a Kuta in Bali that is famous for its drunken Australian scene, but this Kuta is its polar opposite. It's apparently a world renown surfing area, but was pretty sparsely populated with no real night life. We didn't have a place to stay reserved, so our driver took us to a few spots before we found another ridiculously nice place with a pool, cable, large beds, etc. It was probably the nicest place in the area and still cost less than $35 a night.

The next few days consisted of catching up on travel planning, eating and suntanning... tough work. Both of us were happy for some continued downtime in the midst of our travels, but started to miss the hustle and bustle of a larger city.

I rented a scooter on our last full day and saw the real beauties of Kuta and southern Lombok. My scooter also had the fun quirk of a surfboard rack attached to it. ;) The view from the tops of the hills were incredible, and each bay I reached as I headed west seemed to be more vibrant than the last. This is definitely a place for romantic escape and removing yourself from the world.

Catherine and I parted ways after one night in Bali and I hopped on a flight to ... yay... the Philippines to see Darryl! That's its whole own chapter. :)

-Erin

The Path Through Java, Indonesia - Borobudur Temple, Mount Bromo/Semeru, and Ijen Crater - Jan 2014

I feel guilty because I haven't blogged in a month, but it's really been out of my control due to slow or non-existent WiFi. Today Darryl and I parted ways AGAIN, ugh :( happy Valentine's Day. I am currently in Singapore for the night and the WiFi at my hostel is the fastest I've encountered in Asia, so carpe diem, time to start catching up!

I lucked out after my last blogging location (Lake Toba), and intersected with another friend who is traveling the world for 8 months on a UW scholarship (how awesome is that!!) - Catherine. In addition to having a new super smart and funny companion, I had someone to help me feel more comfortable/safe with the inquisitive (to the point of aggression) people... mainly men... encountered. It's kind of cute until you have been followed for the 5th time in an hour by a nagging voice "Excuuuse me miss, where are you from?" 

What I did enjoy greatly though is how consistently we heard "AMERICA? Barack Obaaaama!" Indonesians relate to Mr. Obama because he went to school in Jakarta in his youth, and recently visited and addressed the nation in their native tongue. It's pretty funny to try to explain that their beloved Obama, someone they also relate to as looking more like them than any previous President, is quite controversial back at home.

Teeny tiny people climbing up - there are hundreds
of Buddha statues adorning the pyramid

Anyway, Catherine and I met in Jogjakarta (central Java). Neither of us were set on spending too much time there, so chose one major tourist activity: Borobudur Temple. We both expressed a bit of temple fatigue (she has been in Asia the past 3 months)... honestly I wasn't even that motivated to go, but holy cow, I am really glad we did.

Borobudur is a UNESCO World Heritage site, over one THOUSAND years old and the largest Buddhist temple in the world. This means it has had to go through a few restorations, most recently by UNESCO, who pretty much took it apart and put it back together in a painstaking process - at least what still remained.

Poor Buddha's arm!!

Almost all of the Buddhist statues are headless or missing limbs, but it makes it feel all the more genuine and well, old. There is no actual inside to this "temple," which is kind of a loose translation of the Indonesian word "candi," which can mean a structure.

When viewed from above (thanks Wikipedia for bringing these words and concepts back to me), Borobudur "takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind". In the form of a pyramid, you ascend through three levels of Buddhist cosmology until you reach the top (as our guide called it - Heaven, really meaning enlightenment).

Incredible stone carvings, all done by hand

The lower levels are covered in endless stone carvings depicting the story of Buddha and Buddha's previous lives, which in their entiretey stretch 2km. "Heaven" is covered in tons of bell-shaped stupas, some of which contain Buddha statues inside. I definitely felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie, without the action.

It was truly remarkable and as I'm sure I've said a hundred times... photos can't do it justice.

The stupas at the top of Borobudur - enlightenment!

It was time to get out of Jogja, as the locals call it. Catherine helped find a 3 day bus trip that would take us east to both Mt. Bromo and Ijen Crater (after I told her I was dying to see both), and drop us off in Bali. This involved 8-12 hour days packed in a mini-bus with very early wake-up calls to see the mountains, but we masochistically decided it was the best, fastest, and cheapest way to see the area at about $60 a piece.

Day 1 on the road, and I was thankful the van was at least large. The seat I was in must have been right over the engine, however, and I thought I was going to die of heatstroke during the 12+ hour drive. Additionally our driver had a knack for taking a phone call every 5 minutes and SCREAMING his way through the conversation, resulting in a lot of mutual eye rolling by the passengers.

We got to Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park around 9pm, grabbed a quick dinner, and went to bed as we had a 3am wake-up call. We were in a jeep by around 3:30am to head to a lookoutpoint to see the sunrise over the mountain range.

Mt. Bromo isn't the biggest in the range, but is definitely the most well known. We got to the lookout point and there must have been at least 100 people crowding to get a view. About 10 minutes into the sunrise we were tired of trying to peer over people and started to walk back, when I found a mostly unoccupied viewpoint which was much more satisfying to watch from.

Mt. Bromo in the forefront, Semeru to its left

I thought this was all that was in store for us, but once the sun was up our jeep took us to this endless desert area called the "Sea of Sand" at the base of Mt. Bromo, as well as Mt. Semeru, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, which we took stairs to the top of.

Horses were available to ride part of the way up Seremu
(Bromo in the background)

We were staring down into the crater of this beast and I felt a bit lightheaded watching the locals traverse down the steep slope like mountain goats, as if they might leap into the crater at any moment. One man just stood sideways smoking a cigarette nonchalantly. Semeru erupts about every 20 minutes so there is constant steam and smoke belching out making for quite the show.

View of Bromo from Semeru

Then... back in the van, for a substantially shorter 7-ish hours, when we were dropped at a rustic guest house (to be generous with my description). We had another early morning ahead of us and woke up at 4am to hike up to Ijen Crater - surprise, another volcano! Some folks we met opted for a midnight hike to see the famous "blue fire," aka sulfur flames in the dark. At first I was envious, but we passed them on their way down, and they said that the fumes were too thick for anyone to breathe or even see anything, and had also missed seeing the crater in the daylight.

Miner with sulfur baskets

This was my first warning that it was going to be a bit rough at the top. The trail is lined with sulfur miners, who are local men hauling 70-90kgs of sulfur out from the crater at a time, balanced on a wooden beam on their back. It's a steep hike in and out, with most wearing flimsy rain boots - truly back and lung breaking work for $6-12 a day.

As we approached the top viewpoint of the crater my asthma kicked into overdrive as the sulfur fumes seeped into my lungs. Some hikers did a better job of researching and were prepared with masks (or even gas masks). It was painful to be up there let alone walk DOWN into the mining area of the crater, which we opted out of.

I couldn't fathom how the miners were doing their work unprotected. But as the smoke layer that covered the view cleared and showed the aqua blue waters of the crater lake below, and the sulfur source where the miners were working, it was truly an awe inspiring sight.

Catherine hiking through the hazy sulfur fumes

Ijen Crater

All of those black dots are miners

Yet... depressing to know the lifespan of the miners is maybe 40 years of painful work. I am not sure what the correct action is honestly - tourism brings more attention to their plight, and if the tourists weren't there, the mining would still continue.

My mind full of thoughts on this perilous lifestyle, we hopped back in the bus, then were dropped at a local bus (read: cramped with no air conditioning) to take onto the ferry to Bali. Finally we arrived at our fancy hotel... OK, the nicest place I had been at in days so it felt like luxury, even if the towels were dirty.

Looking back, I'm glad we did the grueling 3 day trip... BUT if anyone asked me how I would do it again, with a larger budget, I would hire a private driver for extra comfort and sanity. We're talking about $50 a day for the driver, which is what you can accidentally pay by taking a drunken Uber home from Ballard to Cap Hill at the wrong time of night.

And current news side note... a mountain erupting on Java (one we didn't visit) is causing all sorts of trouble, airport shut downs and flight diversions due to debris. This is the third major eruption I've heard of since I started my trek through Indonesia - remind me to never move there.

Up next... beaches, beaches, beaches. And Darryl! I've pretty much been at the beach since leaving Java. So tough.

Link to full Borobudur photos here, Bromo/Semeru here, and Ijen here.

-Erin

The hike up to Ijen

The World's Largest Volcanic Lake - Lake Toba, N. Sumatra

Before I left on this journey, I was watching a nature special with Darryl on the Sumatran Rhino and found myself entranced with Sumatra. I am the first to admit I have a horrible sense of geography, so when I found out that it was right next to Malaysia, I was sold.

When I landed at the airport in Medan, Sumatra, I realized it was the most "foreign" I had felt since I started this trip. Let's start with the obvious: I was the only white person on my flight, and saw maybe one or two white people throughout the entire airport.

Calls of "LADY!" and "MISS!" would follow me from the airport until now. I don't expect it to stop. Thailand was certainly not like this at all, probably because it is overrun with tourists, and I only got a small taste of this in Malaysia. Here people are very, very curious about me. And unlike the states where someone would gawk but not say anything, many will brazenly walk up and say "Hello Miss! Where you from?"

America, the promised land. They believe in the hype, and I can't blame them, because this is also the most impoverished country I've visited. Which is another reason for the attention - my money. And again, that's OK.

My least favorite question: "You travel alone?" ... because I can't answer honestly. It's just not smart.

The first full day here was a long, confusing day full of non-stop travel to reach my required stop: Lake Toba, the site of a massive supervolcanic eruption (and the largest known explosive eruption on earth in the last 25 million years, THANKS WIKIPEDIA). A resulting collapse from the eruption led to the formation of Lake Toba. My end destination was the island in the middle, and I hoped to take in its beauty and reflect on life. 

The local Batak people are predominantly Christian
and these buildings dot the side of the roads

It was about 9 hours of travel, which started in a rundown minibus with the locals, who again asked probing questions, and even wanted to take pictures with me. I agreed, but only on the condition that I could take a photo of them back.

A hot, smoke filled 5 hours later (you can smoke on these buses and ferries, and the driver chainsmoked the whole way), they dropped me off in Parapat, the town with the ferry to Samosir Island in the middle of Lake Toba. They didn't drop me off with any directions, so when another minibus full of schoolkids (some of them smoking) pulled up and said "Ferry!" I hopped in. I paid about 50 cents and was dropped off at a ferry terminal. 

Definitely the wrong ferry

I suspected it was the wrong terminal, as the "right" ferry came every 30 minutes, but as no one spoke English except to confirm that a ferry stopped there, I waited 2 hours. Once on the island, I hopped on the back of a scooter to my guest house, a 40 minute, very uncomfortable bumpy ride due with my 15kg pack on.

When I showed up at the guest house, I was greeted by a friendly employee, Jelita, who looked shocked at my time and mode of arrival. I had definitely taken the wrong ferry, and she told me that the right ferry would have dropped me off right at the guest house. 

But suddenly everything was OK, because she was so sweet and comforting. Her voice purred with her "r"s gently rolling every time she would say "No problem, my friend." I felt right at home.

I dropped my luggage in my room and sat down for dinner, only to witness the spectacle of an overweight middle aged Russian man arrive in the same way, but this time on the back of tiny Jelita's scooter. He was exclaiming "THIS IS IS JUST CRAZY" in a thick Russian accent, and I knew we had something to bond over. His name was Vladimir and he was a physics teacher. For real. We agreed to rent scooters together the next day and explore the island.

It turned out that Vladimir liked produce. Like really, really liked produce. So when we went to the market the next morning, he must have bought at least 8kg of fruits and vegetables, including tiny chilies that he eats raw. Our small trip proved tiresome to Vladimir, so I continued on my own to the Stone Chairs, which were used by the ancient empire for judgment and execution... and apparently cannibalism.

There are no words to describe the sheer variety and beauty of the island landscapes on Samosir, only pictures. I spent the next day just driving in one direction until I thought I might run out of gas, and was greeted by scenic vista after scenic vista. The photo opportunities were endless. Whenever I would drive by other tourists we would give each other a knowing smile: We were somewhere very special.

Unreal

Working the land

On one hill I was greeted by children who ran after me "HELLO! HELLO!" and then they chanted "Money, money, money, money, money!" - the only English they spoke.

Back to money, which kept running through my mind. On my "meager" budget, I was still wealthy in comparison and these people had so little.

Jelita and I had become fairly well acquainted over the past few days, so I asked her that afternoon (my last day) to take me to her shop, as well as help me find some authentic wood carvings, which the Batak people of the island are known for. She drove me to her store and showed me some woven textiles made on the island. I selected a few items as "maybes" and we headed to the woodshop.

As she drove we chatted, and remembering that earlier she had asked me if my parents were "around," I asked the same of her. She let me know her father had passed, and that her mom was very sick in Medan. As she is a single mother trying to put her son through school (she never finished school) and makes very little money at the guest house, she admitted she couldn't afford to go see her mother. She was able to take the time off, but with the cost of transporting her son to school, it wasn't possible.

I asked how much the trip would cost and she said about 300,00 Indian Rupiah (IDR), or $25 USD. I felt myself tearing up. Yes, it's a lot of money for a local, but I couldn't imagine $25 standing between me and my family if they were sick. And this is a reality for many, many Indonesians, and well, anyone in poverty in the world.

Jelita then took me to her family's carving shop and I bought a few fantastic pieces to send back home with Darryl. When we got back to the guest house she asked if I wanted to buy the textiles we had discussed. I handed her the 300,000 IDR, but knowing she wasn't making much of a profit off what she sold, I told her I didn't want to buy anything. I just wanted her to go see her mom.

I spent the rest of the evening grappling to wrap myself around this reality. We all know poverty exists in the world, have maybe even suffered through it, and I have seen it throughout my travels - especially noticed by me in the form of animals suffering. But you just never know when something is going to hit you hard, and this did. 

The next day I was supposed to take a bus to Bukit Lawang up north, the place that National Geographic dreams are made of, to see orangutans. The guest house had told me it was a 4-5 hour drive, but once I go to the pier they gave me a more realistic 8-10 hours. Knowing I had a busy week ahead of me, I just couldn't fathom that much time in a car. I'm glad I just went back to Medan, because it took 6 hours and I was OVER IT by the end.

So now I have a big reason to come back to Sumatra. Hopefully it will be on a big trekking expedition in a few years with Darryl, when we can spend extra time really getting lost in the jungle, seeking out the elusive and rare Sumatran Rhino.

Next stop.... Java!

-Erin

Pit Stop In Malaysia - Penang Food Paradise and Langkawi Island Escape

"I talk a lot about getting lost in the East. About breaking away from the world you left behind. If only for a week, or a few days, it’s easy to do that here. To take pleasure in the unfamiliar. To be forced, just walking down the street, or ordering breakfast, to learn new things. Let me tell you – that feels good; especially in Penang." 

- Anthony Bourdain 

I have wanted to visit Penang since that famous Bourdain episode. I came and left with mixed feelings, but I also feel like we weren't properly introduced.

There definitely is a cultural shift once you hit Malaysia as a majority of the population practices Islam. It was visually apparent based on the many mosques and more conservative dress, and also something you could hear, with the call to prayer echoing throughout the area wherever we stayed. It is quite beautiful.

Our first day in Penang was a rough one. As we were walking (well off the street) a man on a scooter zoomed up onto the sidewalk past Eric and I, then quickly zoomed back into traffic, almost getting into an accident. I glanced at Eric who looked a bit shocked, and he told me that his gold chains had been ripped off his neck by the guy driving the scooter! What the hell?!

Calling for back-up

We were taken to an officer who must just sit and drink coffee at the same spot every day as a "police hub," who called for back up. A police van showed up and they gestured at us to get in - we definitely looked like American convicts on our ride to the (FIRST) police station. As it all happened so fast there was no way to ID the guy, but Eric filed a report for insurance reasons.

They said we had to go to another police station, and ended up in the "DETEKTIF"s office. They unsuccessfully tried to extract details about the assailant. Eric got his stamped report for insurance and one of the detectives, Azmi (a Corporal) drove us back to our hotel. I have to hand it to the Malaysian police, because they were very nice and easy to talk to and could have easily told us to find our own way back. Anyway... day kind of ruined.

This guy asked up front if we wanted a photo - of course!

We wandered around the town a bit more and I appreciated the colonial style juxtaposed with modern, and especially the abandoned buildings that they had let grow over with foliage.

It was something out of this History Channel special I saw called "Life After People," and while staring at some of the structures pretended it had been 50 years after humanity had been wiped off the earth.

We ate some non-Malaysian food - burgers! - with very unique black bamboo charcoal buns. They tasted pretty much like normal bread and are supposed to be a very healthy alternative.

Char Kaoy Teow

I wanted to head to Langkawi Island the next morning, which is a 4 hour ferry ride away, so while Eric stayed in the room that evening, I went off (a little nervously after the day's earlier events) on my own to track down some of the famed street food.

I first went to the Red Garden which is a well known food court, but as I had no way to save a table while ordering food, I abandoned ship and went to the vendors that were set up nearby our hotel. I excitedly ordered my first famed Malaysian dish - char koay teow and took a seat.

I realized I was definitely the only foreigner in the area and while I sat there taking in the sights, I realized what Bourdain meant. I felt completely removed from the hustle and bustle of tourist Asia, and like I had found my own little food paradise. I devoured my char kaoy teow - imagine a very peppery tick noodled pad thai with the extra goodness of the pan scraped onto it, and went home to prepare for the journey ahead the next day.

The ferry ride was pretty uneventful and at first we weren't too impressed with the beach near where we were staying on Langkawi. I had Phuket flashbacks from all the garbage, ugh.  I knew that if we rented scooters a whole other world would open itself up to us, so we did just that the next day.

View from the Langkawi Pier - huge eagle statue!!!

The island is absolutely gorgeous once you escape the touristy areas, and even felt a bit more untouched than many places I went in Thailand.

At one point we ended up at a police checkpoint, asking if I had a driver's license. Sure I did! and I gestured at my backpack, so they let me pass. They didn't have to know that it was merely my Washington state one and I lacked an international driver's license.

It boggles my mind that we drove past at least 30 checkpoints in northern Thailand (most unmanned) and at no point did anyone even talk to us, but twenty minutes into our first Malaysian scooter adventure and we had to interact with the police.

There were also monkey police, and I mean real monkeys. After the checkpoint I slammed on my breaks as I saw about 7 monkeys just hanging out on the side of the road. Outside of Monkey Island in Thailand, I haven't had much exposure, so it was an exciting moment.

We got off our bikes and started taking pictures when I was reminded about where Curious George got his namesake. I left a plastic bag hanging from my bike, and when I turned I saw a monkey pawing through the bag looking for food. Then he just sat on my seat, staring at me with beady eyes. Honestly I'm a bit terrified of monkeys as I've read enough tourist horror stories, so I snapped a few pictures and just waited for it to jump off because I wasn't about to get rabies.

Back on the road, and after getting lost a bit, we found a much less popular beach at the north of the island, with the kind of waters I was hoping for. I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise considering this island shares the Andaman Sea with Thailand. Paradise found! The lush green countryside was a wonderful accompaniment.

We revisited that beach the next day before I had to get back to Penang. Eric decided to stick around Langkawi for another day before heading back to Seattle to see his family, so we parted ways, and I took the ferry back home solo.

Why they decided playing a (pirated) version of Captain Phillips was a good idea is beyond me, and I'm still pissed off that I wasn't able to watch the last 15 minutes due to the pirated DVD malfunctioning.

For my final night in Penang I HAD to eat more Malaysian food lest consider myself a Penang foodie failure, and sought out the top rated nyonya (a name given to the Penang style of food) restaurant. The owner had a set menu that he kindly let me sample even though I was a party of one.


I loved half of it and the other half not so much. I didn't expect to eat baby stingray but there it was, and I felt obligated to eat it. It reminded me of flavorless fish in a delicious sauce....

Don't know whether to blame the cook or the stingray, but it was still a great experience nonetheless.

As I flew out of Penang and got a bird's eye view of the city that I missed on the way in, I wished I had more time. It was stunning. Honestly the scorching sun and heat (90+ degrees) may have made the visit a bit difficult, but I can always go back.

-Erin

Christmas in Chiang Mai, NYE in Bangkok - I've Always Wanted to Say That

It is a pretty unique opportunity to spend your holidays abroad, but honestly it just doesn't feel right. At least not without Darryl, or the normal family traditions (where are my Norwegian meatballs??). I am thankful I had Eric by my side and we were able to try to be the most AMERICAAAN we could be while in Chiang Mai for Christmas.

Our plan of action at first was thus:

• See Anchorman 2
• Eat Chinese food

In either order.

In reality what happened wasn't what we planned, because (NOOOOO) Anchorman 2 does not exist in Thailand...and there was no breadcrumb trail anywhere on the internet to hint that it was ever going to end up in Thailand. Anchorman is a shared favorite movie of ours, so we came up with a backup plan and decided to see American Hustle, which was listed as "American Bullshit" on the Thai movie websites.

We got to the movie theater and found no American Hustle (such Bullshit!), so our options were slim... very slim. Demonstrating our lack of options, we chose "Walk with Dinosaurs 3D." The next showing wasn't for 2 hours leaving us with empty bellies unwilling to wait the trek to the Chinese restaurant I had in mind.

So we proceeded as Americans should, and found the Pizza Company in the mall. The Pizza Company had been tantalizing us for days with its disgusting cheese stuffed crust with lava cheese dip pizza option, so that happened. And it was delicious.

The movie was really, really bad, even though I did cry at one point (shut up). We spent a few more days in Chiang Mai, ate some non-Westernized Chinese food (it's just not right!!!), and took our scooters for one last trek, up to the top of Doi Suthep, where it was cold, cold, cold and the skies were not clear. Part of the joy of Suthep is the views of the city it provides so that was disappointing, but at least we got to zip around the city before taking our flight the next day to Bangkok.

Bangkok... oh Bangkok. It was pretty much what I expected. So. so. so. seedy. Which isn't really a problem to me, but I didn't realize how it could wear on someone.

Eric found an awesome sounding rooftop NYE party for us to attend, but first I realized I'd sent any NYE-ish clothes home. After accidentally boarding the sky train going in the opposite direction of our intended mall, we decided to just see where it took us, and ended up at the end of the line: the Erawan Museum, identifiable by the gigantic three headed elephant statue on top.

The building below the elephant contains ornate staircases, stretching up to a fantastic stain glass window dome with a map of the world etched into it.

I had read that you could enter the "belly" of the elephant so we continued to climb until we were inside the beast. It was spectacular - the constellation painting on the curved ceiling something I would have died to have in my room as a child (or...now). This all encompassed a breathtaking Buddha shrine.

Inside the elephant's belly

That night for New Year's Eve, we danced the night away on a fancy hotel's helipads (and on stage with the DJs), made friends from around the world and watched fireworks. The city felt alive in the way that New York does and I decided I was in love. It would have been the perfect NYE if Darryl had been there, though dance parties are not really his caliber. :)

Yummy scorpion

The love was shortlived. I was disappointed with our visit to Chinatown (no one would barter with us, I though this was Bangkok?!), so we changed course to Khao San Road. I was told to avoid there, but it was our last chance to grab some souvenirs before exiting the country.

It actually wasn't as bad as I expected and I managed to enjoyed myself. I even ate part of a fried scorpion, with the help of Eric. Besides the VERY crunchy texture, it was delicious because they salted it so much. Who can say no to salt? Erin.

Soi Cowboy

I messaged a friend we had made in our hotel and for our final night, we decided that was time to peer into the world of Soi Cowboy, one of the famed Bangkok red light districts. OK, mom and dad can stop reading if they want to, but these are the areas with "go go" dancers and ping pong shows. It's kind of a requirement to stop by, even if just to gawk.

And I was really there just to gawk and peek into the window of this super gross part of society. The (mostly older white) men hiding in the shadows, or not hiding at all, with girls draped in their laps. We didn't even mean to see a ping pong show, but one just started out of NO WHERE at the bar we were at. I wont go into detail, but if you ever want to hear about it, I'm happy to share. Oy.

Eric was so disgusted he walked out. So good for him! Honestly. I had one last thing I wanted to see with my own eyes - a ladyboy bar - so my other friend and I walked into one and were immediately cornered. They pull you in, and suddenly you're "buying" them sodas at $4 a pop without you even consenting. So while it was worth it to appease my curiosity, we got out of there as quickly as we walked in.

All in all a very strangely entertaining night, but in the end, Bangkok made me feel skeezy (I guess partially my own doing), worn out, and I was ready to get out of there. It's sort of akin to Vegas - 3 nights is more than enough.

Definitely one of my weirdest holidays to date. I prefer Darryl and family holidays, but I think the best of both worlds would be for an international holiday checking out somewhere new in the world, with everyone I love.

-Erin

Me in Bangkok