I decided to spend the last month of my trip in Thailand because I wanted to enjoy the beautiful beaches before I went back to the cold weather in the U.S. My friend Keith from Chicago met me in Bangkok to spend 2 of my 4 remaining wks. This is what we have been up to these past 13 days....
Bangkok - Keith and I enjoyed the city life in Bangkok. Bangkok is like any other major city in the world: great nightlife, delicious food, high energy, tons of shopping, and lots of people. We went to a few bars and a club. When we were at the club we noticed so many older Western men with these young 20 yr old "girlfriends". It was so gross because these men could be my grandfather! Then it hit me that people thought I was Keith's "thai girlfriend". This has been assumed everywhere we go. We spent one night in Bangkok before we flew to Chiang Mai the next morning.
Chiang Mai - Chiang Mai is located north of Bangkok and it is known for its many temples and
and its beautiful natural surroundings. Keith and I are both beach people but our friend Jill told us that Chiang Mai was a MUST SEE in Thailand so we took her advice. Keith and I loved Chiang Mai because it had the great offerings of a city with a quaint small town feel. We spent 2 days in Chiang Mai before we went further north to a small village that was about an hour away.
We decided to do a 2 day hike to this village and stay overnight to really experience this village life. The hike was a lot of fun but definitely challenging because the path was steep and rocky, PLUS it was close to 100 degrees. When we reached the top we landed at our destination: a small village with a bunch of huts and dirt roads. These huts were the size of a typical condo in Chicago or DC. They all had roofs made of straw and the huts didn't have any windows or doors so you can see right through them. Keith and I stayed in one of the huts that was organized through our tour group. Our group consisted of 10 people and we all slept in one room on top of a thin mat. Our shower was just a hose w/cold water. There was no electricty in these huts so they had to cook our food over a fire and use flashlights to walk around. There was obviously no plumbing either so no toilets. Instead, just a hole in the ground. We were definitely roughing it in this village. After dinner, we walked outside and looked up in the sky to see so many bright stars shining since we were so far away from the city lights. It was definitely breathtaking!
We only spent one night here but it was definitely an experience I will never forget. Before we had dinner in our hut, Keith and I walked around to check out the area. As I mentioned earlier, there are no sidewalks or grass. The ground is just plain brown dirt everywhere. There are families that live in these huts with their little children. Keith and I saw several kids and adults kicking a ball around in the dirt. There was no goal to kick the ball into. They were just kicking the ball to each other. I'll never forget the smiles on the faces of these kids and adults. They seem to be having the time of their lives laughing and enjoying this game of kicking the ball. At that moment I wondererd if there was anything in this world that could make them happier than that moment of kicking the ball? I couldn't ask them because they didn't speak English. This scene really opened my eyes because these people only have the clothes on their backs and that's pretty much it. I didn't see any funiture or any appliances/electronics in their see-through huts yet they seem to be extremely happy and fulfilled. This image has been on my mind since we left the village.
After our time in the village, we started our hike down and went to an elephant camp. Once we arrived at the camp, we took an elephant ride through the forest. It was fun for the first 15 mins and then Keith and I got bored since it went on for about an hour! After our hike and time in the village, we spent one more night in Chiang Mai before we went to southern Thailand for BEACH TIME!!!!
We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas in Phuket which is Thailand's largest island. We both heard great things about Phuket so we were excited to spend time here. Phuket is definitely NOT a hidden secret because it felt like everyone in the world was there. Phuket is a beautiful island but it's extremely touristy and very commercialized. You don't feel like you're in a foreign country...instead you feel like you're in L.A. (not that L.A. is a bad thing).
After two days in Phuket, we took the ferry over to Koh Phi Phi island to spend the next 4 days. Once we arrived in Koh Phi Phi, we absolutely loved it! Even though it is a much smaller island, there is plenty to do and everyone on this island seeemed like a bunch of young professionals so you don't run into many riff raff characters. This island is filled with many tourists from Sweden. We quickly learned that this is the #1 Vacation spot for Sweden. Keith and I weren't complaining because the Swedish men and women are gorgeous....all tall, blonde, bright blue eyes, great bodies, etc....now I can see how Tiger Woods' wife fits in to Sweden. The beaches in Koh Phi Phi are very beautiful and more relaxing because it's not as crowded as Phuket. The nightlife in Koh Phi Phi reminds me and Keith of Chicago in the SUMMER! Anyone who has been to Chicago in the summer knows that there is no better place in the world than Chi-town during the months of May through Sept. Koh Phi Phi is this way but all year round....now you can see why we love it so much! Aside from laying out everyday, I went diving again and enjoyed the underwater life. I wish fish could talk because I wonder what they think of us when we hover over them.
Originally, Keith and I were planning on going back to Phuket for New Year's because Steve and Christy were flying into Phuket on Dec 30th. We have now changed our plans and we are all spending New Year's in Koh Phi Phi. I can't think of a better place to ring in 2009! Christy and Steve arrived early this morning and we are having a great time! Today was his birthday....Happy Birthday Steve!!!! Happy New Year everyone!!!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hoi An, Nha Trang, and Saigon
After my time in Hanoi and Halong Bay, I worked my way down to the center of Vietnam and went to Hoi An, Nha Trang, and now I'm in Saigon. The train ride to Hoi An was beautiful because you get to see the coastline of Vietnam. Prior to arriving in Vietnam, I knew that Vietnam was in Asia and that was about it. I had no idea Vietnam was situated on the coast and their coastline is longer than the coast line of California. It was definitely a beautiful sight!
Hoi An is a very quaint town known for having the best tailors in Vietnam. There are close to 500 tailors in Hoi An. Hoi An is the size of Lincoln Park in Chicago so that is a lot of Tailors in one area! Since these tailors mostly cater to tourists, their turnaround time is very quick....24 hours or less. I ended up getting 6 dresses made and they were all done in 8 hours. Amazing! The customer service in Asia is top notch too. The business owners and anyone in the service related industry will go above and beyond for your business. I told the tailor that my flight was leaving at 9 am the next day for Nha Trang so I wasn't sure if that would leave her enough time to make the dresses because I was in her store at 6:30 pm (15 hrs before flight). She told me she would be finished by 11:30 pm and she will bring the dresses to my hotel. Sure enough, 5 hours later she showed up with my dresses and had me try them on. She needed to go back to her shop for final adjusments and left them with the hotel receptionist when she was done. Aside from enjoying the tailors in the area, I really loved the nice small town feel of Hoi An. My time there was very relaxing and a great place to wander around and check out cafes and restaurants.
After 3 days in Hoi An, I made my way further south to Nha Trang. The guide books mentioned that Nha Trang has the best beach town in Vietnam and they were certainly right! It was so great to just lay out at the beach and catch up on books and write in my journal. I experienced a major FIRST when I was in Nha Trang. For the first time in my life, I actually just layed out at the beach ALL DAY LONG for four days. Usually when I'm at a beach or by the pool, I get restless after an hour so I go for walks or go shopping. NOT THIS TIME. During my 4 days in Nha Trang I loved just laying around and enjoyed the down time. WELL, I should be more specific about the down time....the down time consisted of massages, manicures, pedicures, fresh fruit, and reading and writing in my journal. Back to the customer service...it's seriously top notch. I just had to lay there and they would come around and do everything for me. The prices are even more unbelievable. In both Thailand and Vietnam, things are extremely cheap. DIRT CHEAP. Massages are about $10 - $15 for an entire hour. Mani/Pedi is about $12 TOTAL FOR BOTH. I gave my masseuse a $15 tip because she was really good and she insisted on giving me a mani/pedi for free. I told her I didn't need one because I already had a mani/pedi the day before but she wanted to change the color for me because of the tip that I gave her. Once again, this is a perfect example of how generous and kind the Vietnamese and Thai people are. They really don't have much but they are still very giving. I'll never forget what a Thai woman said to me after I went in for a wax (which was $35/for basically everything from head to toe including a 20% tip). I told her how expensive waxing was back in the U.S. and she asked, "WHY SO EXPENSIVE? WAXING YOU HAVE TO DO. NO CHOICE." I love it. Why should necessities cost so much???
I spent my time in Nha Trang with Corrine and Stephane. Corrine and I met at a restaurant by the beach. She was sitting at the table next to me and we just started talking and realized we had a lot in common. Corrine is from Switzerland and she is taking 6 weeks off to travel in Vietnam and Thailand. She is planning to meet up with me, Christy, and Steve in Thailand. She is going to Koh Tao to get her diving license before she meets up with us. I told her to go to Jesper of course. Stephane and I met each other in Bangkok and he and I both went to Koh Tao together to get our diving license. After Koh Tao we went our separate ways...He went to Laos and I came to Vietnam. We finally met up in Nha Trang so it was great to see him again. He may also be meeting up with me, Christy, and Steve for the Full Moon party in Thailand.
Spending this much time in Asia has been very interesting. When I was in Hong Kong people thought I was chinese. When I was inThailand people thought I was Thai. Now I'm in Vietnam and people think I'm Vietnamese. When I say I'm none of these they ask if I'm Mexican or from Spain. I think I get Mexican a lot because I'm dark right now and most Asians don't prefer to be tan. They love the porcelain pale look. I went to buy moisturizer for my face today and everything is "Whitening Formula" or "Best Whitening Moiosturizer". No sunless tanning moisturizers in this neck of the woods.
Aside from being seen as a Mexican, I have unfortunately been viewed as a prostitute in two different occassions. Once in Thailand and once in Vietnam.
Thailand: I was hanging out with this guy Ely (from Canada, traveling to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos) at a bar in Bangkok. He told me he read this book about a prison in Bangkok and I remembered Jason telling me about this book so I told him that I wanted to read it. He said he was finished with it so I could go back to his hotel with him and he would get me the book. I waited for him in the lobby of the hotel when he went to get the book. As I was waiting, I noticed a sign in the lobby that said, "THAI FRIENDS WELCOME. 300 BAHT PLEASE". I read the sign and thought, "Oh how nice. They really want the guests to have a true Thai experience so the hotel is encouraging the natives of Thailand to hang out at the hotel so the guests can really immerse. That's nice the hotel will pay the natives 300 baht to hang out at the hotel." 300 baht is about $9. When Ely came back with the book, the hotel receptionist tells him that he can bring his Thai friend (ME) upstairs for 300 baht. I told the receptionist, "Oh it's okay. I'm korean but thank you." Ely takes me outside and starts cracking up. He says that Thai Friends are prostitutes and the guests that bring one of these friends up to their rooms have to pay 300 baht.
Vietnam: On my first day at Nha Trang Beach, I was talking to this British guy James who was in the lounge chair next to me. We pretty much spent the first half of the day talking together and we had lunch too before he had to leave for the airport. After lunch, I came back to my seat and this guy named Guy comes over and sits in James's chair next to me. Guy is pretty attractive and he is probably in his late 30s. He seems pretty nice and we're having a good time. Guy says he is a recruiter from Denmark so I tell him about me and my job before I came on this trip. Guy asked me to dinner and during dinner he basically comes out and tells me that he is recruiter for entertainers. I still don't get it. I respond with, "WOW, that's great. I'm sure your job must be so fun and interesting. I bet a lot of people envy your job." He tells me more about it and it turns out he is a glorified Pimp and he was trying to get me to work for him and pimp me out. I told him that I wasn't interested obviously and asked him what gave him that idea. He responded with, "You're the only Asian girl hanging out at Nha Trang beach with a bunch of Europeans and Australians. Generally, the Asian girls in this type of setting are prostitutes and I thought you marketed yourself on the Internet when you told me you did Internet advertising." We both got a pretty good laugh out of it and then he had to leave after dinner to go "recruiting".
Both instances were harmless so I can laugh about it now. I arrived in Saigon early this morning and I will be here until Friday. On Friday I will fly back to Thailand and spend the last 4 weeks of my trip there. Keith will be waiting for me when I get to Bangkok on Friday and Christy & Steve will be joining us on Dec. 30. As for my Vietnam bike ride?!?!??! I was originally supposed to get to Vietnam on Dec 2 and my bike ride was suppossed to start on Dec 3. As most of the world knows, the Bangkok Airport was shut down for a week due to protestors so I was unable to leave for Vietnam until Dec 4. I missed the bike ride but I had the option to do a 2 day bike ride in Saigon. I had every intention of doing it but I kept on extending my stay in Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, and Nha Trang by an extra day at each location because I really liked the cities. Now, it just left me with 3 days in Saigon so the bike ride was not possible. I was really looking forward to it but I'm glad that I was able to be flexible with my stay in the other cities. I definitely plan on doing the bike ride in the future. My 2 weeks in Vietnam have been amazing and I definitely plan to come back here again to do the bike ride and explore other parts of Vietnam. For the rest of my time in Saigon, I'm going to enjoy this busy city and also check out an orphanage. Let's hope no one there thinks I'm a "Thai Friend".
Hoi An is a very quaint town known for having the best tailors in Vietnam. There are close to 500 tailors in Hoi An. Hoi An is the size of Lincoln Park in Chicago so that is a lot of Tailors in one area! Since these tailors mostly cater to tourists, their turnaround time is very quick....24 hours or less. I ended up getting 6 dresses made and they were all done in 8 hours. Amazing! The customer service in Asia is top notch too. The business owners and anyone in the service related industry will go above and beyond for your business. I told the tailor that my flight was leaving at 9 am the next day for Nha Trang so I wasn't sure if that would leave her enough time to make the dresses because I was in her store at 6:30 pm (15 hrs before flight). She told me she would be finished by 11:30 pm and she will bring the dresses to my hotel. Sure enough, 5 hours later she showed up with my dresses and had me try them on. She needed to go back to her shop for final adjusments and left them with the hotel receptionist when she was done. Aside from enjoying the tailors in the area, I really loved the nice small town feel of Hoi An. My time there was very relaxing and a great place to wander around and check out cafes and restaurants.
After 3 days in Hoi An, I made my way further south to Nha Trang. The guide books mentioned that Nha Trang has the best beach town in Vietnam and they were certainly right! It was so great to just lay out at the beach and catch up on books and write in my journal. I experienced a major FIRST when I was in Nha Trang. For the first time in my life, I actually just layed out at the beach ALL DAY LONG for four days. Usually when I'm at a beach or by the pool, I get restless after an hour so I go for walks or go shopping. NOT THIS TIME. During my 4 days in Nha Trang I loved just laying around and enjoyed the down time. WELL, I should be more specific about the down time....the down time consisted of massages, manicures, pedicures, fresh fruit, and reading and writing in my journal. Back to the customer service...it's seriously top notch. I just had to lay there and they would come around and do everything for me. The prices are even more unbelievable. In both Thailand and Vietnam, things are extremely cheap. DIRT CHEAP. Massages are about $10 - $15 for an entire hour. Mani/Pedi is about $12 TOTAL FOR BOTH. I gave my masseuse a $15 tip because she was really good and she insisted on giving me a mani/pedi for free. I told her I didn't need one because I already had a mani/pedi the day before but she wanted to change the color for me because of the tip that I gave her. Once again, this is a perfect example of how generous and kind the Vietnamese and Thai people are. They really don't have much but they are still very giving. I'll never forget what a Thai woman said to me after I went in for a wax (which was $35/for basically everything from head to toe including a 20% tip). I told her how expensive waxing was back in the U.S. and she asked, "WHY SO EXPENSIVE? WAXING YOU HAVE TO DO. NO CHOICE." I love it. Why should necessities cost so much???
I spent my time in Nha Trang with Corrine and Stephane. Corrine and I met at a restaurant by the beach. She was sitting at the table next to me and we just started talking and realized we had a lot in common. Corrine is from Switzerland and she is taking 6 weeks off to travel in Vietnam and Thailand. She is planning to meet up with me, Christy, and Steve in Thailand. She is going to Koh Tao to get her diving license before she meets up with us. I told her to go to Jesper of course. Stephane and I met each other in Bangkok and he and I both went to Koh Tao together to get our diving license. After Koh Tao we went our separate ways...He went to Laos and I came to Vietnam. We finally met up in Nha Trang so it was great to see him again. He may also be meeting up with me, Christy, and Steve for the Full Moon party in Thailand.
Spending this much time in Asia has been very interesting. When I was in Hong Kong people thought I was chinese. When I was inThailand people thought I was Thai. Now I'm in Vietnam and people think I'm Vietnamese. When I say I'm none of these they ask if I'm Mexican or from Spain. I think I get Mexican a lot because I'm dark right now and most Asians don't prefer to be tan. They love the porcelain pale look. I went to buy moisturizer for my face today and everything is "Whitening Formula" or "Best Whitening Moiosturizer". No sunless tanning moisturizers in this neck of the woods.
Aside from being seen as a Mexican, I have unfortunately been viewed as a prostitute in two different occassions. Once in Thailand and once in Vietnam.
Thailand: I was hanging out with this guy Ely (from Canada, traveling to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos) at a bar in Bangkok. He told me he read this book about a prison in Bangkok and I remembered Jason telling me about this book so I told him that I wanted to read it. He said he was finished with it so I could go back to his hotel with him and he would get me the book. I waited for him in the lobby of the hotel when he went to get the book. As I was waiting, I noticed a sign in the lobby that said, "THAI FRIENDS WELCOME. 300 BAHT PLEASE". I read the sign and thought, "Oh how nice. They really want the guests to have a true Thai experience so the hotel is encouraging the natives of Thailand to hang out at the hotel so the guests can really immerse. That's nice the hotel will pay the natives 300 baht to hang out at the hotel." 300 baht is about $9. When Ely came back with the book, the hotel receptionist tells him that he can bring his Thai friend (ME) upstairs for 300 baht. I told the receptionist, "Oh it's okay. I'm korean but thank you." Ely takes me outside and starts cracking up. He says that Thai Friends are prostitutes and the guests that bring one of these friends up to their rooms have to pay 300 baht.
Vietnam: On my first day at Nha Trang Beach, I was talking to this British guy James who was in the lounge chair next to me. We pretty much spent the first half of the day talking together and we had lunch too before he had to leave for the airport. After lunch, I came back to my seat and this guy named Guy comes over and sits in James's chair next to me. Guy is pretty attractive and he is probably in his late 30s. He seems pretty nice and we're having a good time. Guy says he is a recruiter from Denmark so I tell him about me and my job before I came on this trip. Guy asked me to dinner and during dinner he basically comes out and tells me that he is recruiter for entertainers. I still don't get it. I respond with, "WOW, that's great. I'm sure your job must be so fun and interesting. I bet a lot of people envy your job." He tells me more about it and it turns out he is a glorified Pimp and he was trying to get me to work for him and pimp me out. I told him that I wasn't interested obviously and asked him what gave him that idea. He responded with, "You're the only Asian girl hanging out at Nha Trang beach with a bunch of Europeans and Australians. Generally, the Asian girls in this type of setting are prostitutes and I thought you marketed yourself on the Internet when you told me you did Internet advertising." We both got a pretty good laugh out of it and then he had to leave after dinner to go "recruiting".
Both instances were harmless so I can laugh about it now. I arrived in Saigon early this morning and I will be here until Friday. On Friday I will fly back to Thailand and spend the last 4 weeks of my trip there. Keith will be waiting for me when I get to Bangkok on Friday and Christy & Steve will be joining us on Dec. 30. As for my Vietnam bike ride?!?!??! I was originally supposed to get to Vietnam on Dec 2 and my bike ride was suppossed to start on Dec 3. As most of the world knows, the Bangkok Airport was shut down for a week due to protestors so I was unable to leave for Vietnam until Dec 4. I missed the bike ride but I had the option to do a 2 day bike ride in Saigon. I had every intention of doing it but I kept on extending my stay in Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, and Nha Trang by an extra day at each location because I really liked the cities. Now, it just left me with 3 days in Saigon so the bike ride was not possible. I was really looking forward to it but I'm glad that I was able to be flexible with my stay in the other cities. I definitely plan on doing the bike ride in the future. My 2 weeks in Vietnam have been amazing and I definitely plan to come back here again to do the bike ride and explore other parts of Vietnam. For the rest of my time in Saigon, I'm going to enjoy this busy city and also check out an orphanage. Let's hope no one there thinks I'm a "Thai Friend".
Friday, December 12, 2008
Hanoi and Halong Bay
I spent my first week of Vietnam in Hanoi and Halong Bay. Prior to arriving in Hanoi, I was advised by Mai (a native of Vietnam who has been living in Japan for the last 10 yrs...we met in Venice) "Beware of the traffic." I thanked Mai for the advice but I started to wonder why I would need to be warned of traffic. After all, every U.S. metro area has REALLY bad traffic. I'm sure I can handle this. Besides, I'm not driving anywhere so traffic won't be an issue for me. When I landed in Hanoi, I quickly realized what type of traffic she was referring to: The Motorbike Traffic aka the Scooters running through town. These scooters are EVERYWHERE. I'm guessing that there are 50 scooters to every 1 car. Once I saw all these scooters zip by everywhere in Hanoi, I began to realize that I did indeed need to BEWARE OF THE TRAFFIC.
Crossing the street in Hanoi is not an easy task since you generally have HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of scooters buzzing by. There are traffic lights at certain intersections but not for the majority of intersections. I made the mistake of running across the street the first time and tried to dodge the the scooters as they were all heading towards me....BIG MISTAKE. I almost caused a few accidents because I was jumping in front of scooters so fast they didn't see me coming out of nowhere. A really nice Vietnamese man on the other side of the street saw this happen and he advised me that the safest way is to walk at a normal pace and just look straight ahead of you. He told me not to look at the scooters heading my way and just walk straight ahead and I will be fine. He also told me if I followed his instructions, I could even walk with a blindfold and I wouldn't have any problems because these motorist know what they are doing. He was right. I didn't do the blindfold test but I got the hang of it and I found it fun crossing the street.
Once I got the street crossing part down, I started to explore Hanoi. I enjoyed Hanoi very much because it is a very quaint and warm city. I loved the nice lakes and parks around the city and I also loved seeing the contrast in areas where you could see the French influence. I also did the toursity things like checking out the Ho Chih Minh museum, the Ho Chih Minh masoleum, and the Presidential Palace. Hanoi has such an interesting history with not just the Vietnam War but their deep past under China and France. Again, another list of things for me to read further when I get back.
After 4 days in Hanoi, I went up north to Halong Bay for 3 days. Halong Bay is one of the most breathtaking places that I've ever seen. It definitely rivals the Greek Islands. Halong Bay is one of the contendors of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World and it was also the setting for James Bonds' film Tomorrow Never Dies. Halong Bay consists of almost 2000 islands all lined up along the northeastern part of Vietnam. Our group took a boat cruise through the area for 3 days so we were able to hike through a few of the islands, visit a remote village, and explore through a cave. (I will post all pics when I get back to the U.S.)
During the time that we were at Halong Bay, we also spent a few hours kayaking. Out of our group of 10, there were 2 kids (brother and sister from Australia). Indy, the 6 yrs old girl, insisted on kayaking with me. I felt like throwing up because I've never kayaked before and now I was responsible for this little girl. If I knew how to kayak, I would have been gung ho about this but I was completely clueless. I told Dee and Andrew (Indy's parents) that I didn't know what I was doing but they were totally fine with it. They said Indy was a good swimmer so it won't be a problem. Indy and I got into the kayak and wait for the others to get in their kayaks. Our guide is in his own kayak and he leads us down the bay. Well, Indy and I have problems because I steered us in the wrong direction and now we are about 200 yards away from everyone else. We are trying our best to turn the kayak around and it's not moving the way we want it to. Instead we keep on moving futher and further away and now we're about 500 yards away and our group looks smaller and smaller in the distance. Indy get feisty and says, "I'm going to jump in the water and turn this kayak around for us." I told her not to. She then gets feistier and says, "NANCY, WE NEED TO TURN THIS AROUND. DON'T WORRY I'LL JUMP IN THE WATER AND TURN IT FOR US." I'm now in disbelief. I'm thinking to myself, "This 6 year old is about to save the day." I couldn't let this happen. I did not want to jump in the water but I had no choice. What would her parents think if a 30 year old just sat in the kayak and let this kid fix the problem? I jumped in the water and started turning the kayak around when our guide showed up minutes later and tied our kayaks together so that we could be rejoined with our group. Once our kayaks were joined together, I realized kayaking was fun...I just had to sit there and enjoy the scenery.
The kayaking story is not over....after kayaking for 2 hours, we were now back at the dock to return our kayaks. Indy gets out of the kayak first and then it was my turn. As I put one foot on the dock, the other foot is in the kayak and the kayak starts drifting away. I tried my best to put pressure on my foot so that the kayak comes back towards the dock but it was not happening. Half my weight is on the dock and the other half is in the kayak. You can guess what happened next....the kayak drifted away and I fell into the water because I couldn't get my other foot the dock. Our guide hurries over to grab the kayak and then he gets me. I seriously felt like Jack Tripper. This is something that would have happened to him if he went camping with Janet and Chrissy.
After two cities in Vietnam, I can honestly say that I really love this place. It is definitely near the top of my list of favorite cities and countires. Not only is this country beautiful, the Vietnamese people are wonderful. They are so warm and genuine. Even though the majority of these people do not have a lot of money, they still manage to be giving and generous. A good example was when I was in Hanoi, I was craving a snack (Big Schocker) and I saw this street vendor selling baguettes (French influence). The sign said 5000 VD which is about 30 cents. I gave him my 5000 VD, grabbed my baguette, and walked away. About 20 feet away, I saw the baguette vendor running towards me with a baguette. I immediately freaked out thinking that I must not have given him enough money and now he is chasing after me. I looked around me and all these people are staring at me so it looks I stole the 30 cent baguette. When the vendor catches up to me he tells me in broken english that the 5000 VD is for two baguettes. I told him it was no big deal and I'll just take one (I know I could eat two but why go there). He insisted on giving me the other one and I told him that he could have it. He smiled and we said goodbye. TWO DAYS LATER I'm walking down the same street and this guy sees me again. He remembers me and insists on giving me the baguette. I told him I would give him 5000 VD again for the baguette but he would not accept. We go back and forth, over and over again, and finally HE WON unfortunately.
Crossing the street in Hanoi is not an easy task since you generally have HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of scooters buzzing by. There are traffic lights at certain intersections but not for the majority of intersections. I made the mistake of running across the street the first time and tried to dodge the the scooters as they were all heading towards me....BIG MISTAKE. I almost caused a few accidents because I was jumping in front of scooters so fast they didn't see me coming out of nowhere. A really nice Vietnamese man on the other side of the street saw this happen and he advised me that the safest way is to walk at a normal pace and just look straight ahead of you. He told me not to look at the scooters heading my way and just walk straight ahead and I will be fine. He also told me if I followed his instructions, I could even walk with a blindfold and I wouldn't have any problems because these motorist know what they are doing. He was right. I didn't do the blindfold test but I got the hang of it and I found it fun crossing the street.
Once I got the street crossing part down, I started to explore Hanoi. I enjoyed Hanoi very much because it is a very quaint and warm city. I loved the nice lakes and parks around the city and I also loved seeing the contrast in areas where you could see the French influence. I also did the toursity things like checking out the Ho Chih Minh museum, the Ho Chih Minh masoleum, and the Presidential Palace. Hanoi has such an interesting history with not just the Vietnam War but their deep past under China and France. Again, another list of things for me to read further when I get back.
After 4 days in Hanoi, I went up north to Halong Bay for 3 days. Halong Bay is one of the most breathtaking places that I've ever seen. It definitely rivals the Greek Islands. Halong Bay is one of the contendors of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World and it was also the setting for James Bonds' film Tomorrow Never Dies. Halong Bay consists of almost 2000 islands all lined up along the northeastern part of Vietnam. Our group took a boat cruise through the area for 3 days so we were able to hike through a few of the islands, visit a remote village, and explore through a cave. (I will post all pics when I get back to the U.S.)
During the time that we were at Halong Bay, we also spent a few hours kayaking. Out of our group of 10, there were 2 kids (brother and sister from Australia). Indy, the 6 yrs old girl, insisted on kayaking with me. I felt like throwing up because I've never kayaked before and now I was responsible for this little girl. If I knew how to kayak, I would have been gung ho about this but I was completely clueless. I told Dee and Andrew (Indy's parents) that I didn't know what I was doing but they were totally fine with it. They said Indy was a good swimmer so it won't be a problem. Indy and I got into the kayak and wait for the others to get in their kayaks. Our guide is in his own kayak and he leads us down the bay. Well, Indy and I have problems because I steered us in the wrong direction and now we are about 200 yards away from everyone else. We are trying our best to turn the kayak around and it's not moving the way we want it to. Instead we keep on moving futher and further away and now we're about 500 yards away and our group looks smaller and smaller in the distance. Indy get feisty and says, "I'm going to jump in the water and turn this kayak around for us." I told her not to. She then gets feistier and says, "NANCY, WE NEED TO TURN THIS AROUND. DON'T WORRY I'LL JUMP IN THE WATER AND TURN IT FOR US." I'm now in disbelief. I'm thinking to myself, "This 6 year old is about to save the day." I couldn't let this happen. I did not want to jump in the water but I had no choice. What would her parents think if a 30 year old just sat in the kayak and let this kid fix the problem? I jumped in the water and started turning the kayak around when our guide showed up minutes later and tied our kayaks together so that we could be rejoined with our group. Once our kayaks were joined together, I realized kayaking was fun...I just had to sit there and enjoy the scenery.
The kayaking story is not over....after kayaking for 2 hours, we were now back at the dock to return our kayaks. Indy gets out of the kayak first and then it was my turn. As I put one foot on the dock, the other foot is in the kayak and the kayak starts drifting away. I tried my best to put pressure on my foot so that the kayak comes back towards the dock but it was not happening. Half my weight is on the dock and the other half is in the kayak. You can guess what happened next....the kayak drifted away and I fell into the water because I couldn't get my other foot the dock. Our guide hurries over to grab the kayak and then he gets me. I seriously felt like Jack Tripper. This is something that would have happened to him if he went camping with Janet and Chrissy.
After two cities in Vietnam, I can honestly say that I really love this place. It is definitely near the top of my list of favorite cities and countires. Not only is this country beautiful, the Vietnamese people are wonderful. They are so warm and genuine. Even though the majority of these people do not have a lot of money, they still manage to be giving and generous. A good example was when I was in Hanoi, I was craving a snack (Big Schocker) and I saw this street vendor selling baguettes (French influence). The sign said 5000 VD which is about 30 cents. I gave him my 5000 VD, grabbed my baguette, and walked away. About 20 feet away, I saw the baguette vendor running towards me with a baguette. I immediately freaked out thinking that I must not have given him enough money and now he is chasing after me. I looked around me and all these people are staring at me so it looks I stole the 30 cent baguette. When the vendor catches up to me he tells me in broken english that the 5000 VD is for two baguettes. I told him it was no big deal and I'll just take one (I know I could eat two but why go there). He insisted on giving me the other one and I told him that he could have it. He smiled and we said goodbye. TWO DAYS LATER I'm walking down the same street and this guy sees me again. He remembers me and insists on giving me the baguette. I told him I would give him 5000 VD again for the baguette but he would not accept. We go back and forth, over and over again, and finally HE WON unfortunately.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
More Incredible People!
I've been in Hanoi and Halong Bay these past 6 days and I cannot say enough great things about Vietnam! I absolutey love this place and it is quickly rising to the top of my favorite places in the world. I plan to write more about Vietnam in my next few blogs but I want to catch up on a few incredible people that I have met in the last 10 days....
After Koh Tao, I went back to Bangkok for 4 days before I left for Vietnam. I met this woman named Gay who was staying in the same place as me. Gay is 82 years old from Minnesota but she has spent the last 60 years of her life in Hawaii. Gay was in Bangkok for a few days and was set to leave for Butan after Bangkok. This woman is amazing. She has traveled around the world for over 60 years. Gay does not look 82 nor does she live the life of a typical 82 year old. She has so much energy and she is ready to take on any adventure. Gay said something to me that struck a chord...."You are never running out of time. Don't ever feel like you are." A perfect example would be the fact that she went to law school when she was in her mid 40s. After she got divorced she decided to go to law school and graduated when she was 45. After a successful career as an attorney, she was apointed to be a judge in Hawaii and that was the last position she held before retiring. Gay was really cute and said that she could officiate wedding ceremonies so I should consider getting married in Hawaii so she could do the ceremony. Then she said, "You better get married in the next 10 years because I may not be around after that." It made me sad to hear her say this : (
After Bangkok, I left for Hanoi and spent a few days there (I will write about Hanoi and the rest of Vietnam in a separate blog.) before leaving for Halong Bay. My Halong Bay trip consisted of me and 9 others: 6 Australians, 1 German, 1 Irish, and 1 English. We all have diverse backgrounds and we are all different age groups. We have really enjoyed experiening Vietnam together as well as getting to know each other. Here are a few more incredible people....
The Willoughbys --- This is a family of 4 from Australia. The parents are Dee and Andrew and they have 2 kids (Indiana 6 yrs old, Levi 5 yrs old). They are all traveling together through Vietnam for five weeks since the kids have a 6 week summer break. They also went to Bali in July for 3 weeks during their winter break. I admire these parents for continuing to live out their passion for traveling after they have had kids. They definitely don't let it slow them down. They are eager to bring their kids to new places so that they can learn more about different cultures and different people. I will write more about their kids in my next blog. They are hilarious and extremely bright! Dee and Andrew definitely love a great adventure....a few years ago, they bought a school bus and remodeled it into a home with state of the art appliances and furniture. This family lived on this bus for a little over a year because they figured they didn't need too much space since the kids were really little then. Now that the kids are bigger, they live in a 4 bedroom house.
Eileen from Ireland --- Eileen was a banker for Morgan Stanely in the London office before she was laid off in June. During this time she was fixated on the U.S. election and wanted to contribute to Obama's campaign. She quickly discovered that you have to a U.S. citizen to donate so she decided to volunteer instead. Eileen flew to Columbus, OH to work at Obama's campaign HQ in Ohio for 7 weeks. I asked her why she chose Columbus and she said because it is a critical swing state and she really wanted to make a difference. After the election she traveled to Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and now Vietnam. She is heading back to London next week. I was blown away by Eileen and her passion for U.S. politics. This is person that can't even vote in our election yet she still decided to spend her own money and time to work towards this election. Eileen also considers Obama a true Irish man because of his name...O'Bama. She plans to celebrate Inauguration Day with Democrats Abroad in London.
Barack Obama --- Obviously I haven't met him on this trip BUT he has been a critical person during my travels. Before I left for this trip I thought that everyone in the world loved the U.S. and loved Americans. WELL, this was certainly not the case. I was definitely in for a surprise when I arrived in Europe and I heard the negative opinions that the majority of people around the world had about the U.S. The main reason for the negative impressions of the U.S. is mainly due to Bush. Everyone I ran into could not stand him and they are just dumbfounded by Americans for electing him twice. I had to remind people that most Americans can't even stand Bush either so we are all in the same boat. It was also really interesting how people did not want to be recognized as an American. Example: The Canadians are great people. Every time I run into a Canadian, they always have the maple leaf emblem somewhere on their body. It may be on their hat, shirt, backpack, etc. It's usually small but it's there for everyone to see. I figured it was really nice to see that the Canadians had a lot of country pride due to this display. I learned eventually that it really doesn't have that much to do with country pride...it's their way of telling everyone that they are not from the U.S. They don't want to be mistaken for Americans. I ran into a few Americans in Italy that told me they go around telling people that they are from Canada because they don't want to deal with any negative backlash.
I have never been mistreated during my trip even though everyone knows I'm an American. HOWEVER, I have been treated like a celebrity ever since Obama was elected. When I was flying out of London to go to Hong Kong, I was reading the Audacity of Hope at Heathrow and EIGHT different people came up to me telling me that they love Obama just by looking at the cover of the book. I only read 4 pages in the airport because I was caught up in conversations with these people. The minute I told them I lived in Chicago, they would seriously let out a little scream for joy. Same thing for me in Thailand....Jesper (my diving instructor who I love) told me that people were crying when they watched the election results. Talin and I were in Croatia during the election and the next morning the hotel staff, the border control officers in Bosnia, and the retail store owners were all congratulating us. When I was in Spain, I was talking to these Spaniards on the train and they said, "Now we definitely want to travel to the U.S. because Obama is President." I met this businessman in the lobby of my hotel in Hanoi and he told me that they have noodle dishes in Japan that they named after Obama. In London, Jacqui and I saw signs for Obama cocktails. I seriously have these type of occurences on a daily basis since the election. A CNN reporter said it best...."It seems like all the negative thoughts about the U.S. have erased the minute Obama was elected." The one thing that I really missed out on during my trip would have to be the Obama victory party at Grant Park....I bet it was incredible! However, it has been VERY interesting to see the different countries react to this next chapter in America's history. I look forward to celebrating Inauguration Day in D.C.!!!
After Koh Tao, I went back to Bangkok for 4 days before I left for Vietnam. I met this woman named Gay who was staying in the same place as me. Gay is 82 years old from Minnesota but she has spent the last 60 years of her life in Hawaii. Gay was in Bangkok for a few days and was set to leave for Butan after Bangkok. This woman is amazing. She has traveled around the world for over 60 years. Gay does not look 82 nor does she live the life of a typical 82 year old. She has so much energy and she is ready to take on any adventure. Gay said something to me that struck a chord...."You are never running out of time. Don't ever feel like you are." A perfect example would be the fact that she went to law school when she was in her mid 40s. After she got divorced she decided to go to law school and graduated when she was 45. After a successful career as an attorney, she was apointed to be a judge in Hawaii and that was the last position she held before retiring. Gay was really cute and said that she could officiate wedding ceremonies so I should consider getting married in Hawaii so she could do the ceremony. Then she said, "You better get married in the next 10 years because I may not be around after that." It made me sad to hear her say this : (
After Bangkok, I left for Hanoi and spent a few days there (I will write about Hanoi and the rest of Vietnam in a separate blog.) before leaving for Halong Bay. My Halong Bay trip consisted of me and 9 others: 6 Australians, 1 German, 1 Irish, and 1 English. We all have diverse backgrounds and we are all different age groups. We have really enjoyed experiening Vietnam together as well as getting to know each other. Here are a few more incredible people....
The Willoughbys --- This is a family of 4 from Australia. The parents are Dee and Andrew and they have 2 kids (Indiana 6 yrs old, Levi 5 yrs old). They are all traveling together through Vietnam for five weeks since the kids have a 6 week summer break. They also went to Bali in July for 3 weeks during their winter break. I admire these parents for continuing to live out their passion for traveling after they have had kids. They definitely don't let it slow them down. They are eager to bring their kids to new places so that they can learn more about different cultures and different people. I will write more about their kids in my next blog. They are hilarious and extremely bright! Dee and Andrew definitely love a great adventure....a few years ago, they bought a school bus and remodeled it into a home with state of the art appliances and furniture. This family lived on this bus for a little over a year because they figured they didn't need too much space since the kids were really little then. Now that the kids are bigger, they live in a 4 bedroom house.
Eileen from Ireland --- Eileen was a banker for Morgan Stanely in the London office before she was laid off in June. During this time she was fixated on the U.S. election and wanted to contribute to Obama's campaign. She quickly discovered that you have to a U.S. citizen to donate so she decided to volunteer instead. Eileen flew to Columbus, OH to work at Obama's campaign HQ in Ohio for 7 weeks. I asked her why she chose Columbus and she said because it is a critical swing state and she really wanted to make a difference. After the election she traveled to Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and now Vietnam. She is heading back to London next week. I was blown away by Eileen and her passion for U.S. politics. This is person that can't even vote in our election yet she still decided to spend her own money and time to work towards this election. Eileen also considers Obama a true Irish man because of his name...O'Bama. She plans to celebrate Inauguration Day with Democrats Abroad in London.
Barack Obama --- Obviously I haven't met him on this trip BUT he has been a critical person during my travels. Before I left for this trip I thought that everyone in the world loved the U.S. and loved Americans. WELL, this was certainly not the case. I was definitely in for a surprise when I arrived in Europe and I heard the negative opinions that the majority of people around the world had about the U.S. The main reason for the negative impressions of the U.S. is mainly due to Bush. Everyone I ran into could not stand him and they are just dumbfounded by Americans for electing him twice. I had to remind people that most Americans can't even stand Bush either so we are all in the same boat. It was also really interesting how people did not want to be recognized as an American. Example: The Canadians are great people. Every time I run into a Canadian, they always have the maple leaf emblem somewhere on their body. It may be on their hat, shirt, backpack, etc. It's usually small but it's there for everyone to see. I figured it was really nice to see that the Canadians had a lot of country pride due to this display. I learned eventually that it really doesn't have that much to do with country pride...it's their way of telling everyone that they are not from the U.S. They don't want to be mistaken for Americans. I ran into a few Americans in Italy that told me they go around telling people that they are from Canada because they don't want to deal with any negative backlash.
I have never been mistreated during my trip even though everyone knows I'm an American. HOWEVER, I have been treated like a celebrity ever since Obama was elected. When I was flying out of London to go to Hong Kong, I was reading the Audacity of Hope at Heathrow and EIGHT different people came up to me telling me that they love Obama just by looking at the cover of the book. I only read 4 pages in the airport because I was caught up in conversations with these people. The minute I told them I lived in Chicago, they would seriously let out a little scream for joy. Same thing for me in Thailand....Jesper (my diving instructor who I love) told me that people were crying when they watched the election results. Talin and I were in Croatia during the election and the next morning the hotel staff, the border control officers in Bosnia, and the retail store owners were all congratulating us. When I was in Spain, I was talking to these Spaniards on the train and they said, "Now we definitely want to travel to the U.S. because Obama is President." I met this businessman in the lobby of my hotel in Hanoi and he told me that they have noodle dishes in Japan that they named after Obama. In London, Jacqui and I saw signs for Obama cocktails. I seriously have these type of occurences on a daily basis since the election. A CNN reporter said it best...."It seems like all the negative thoughts about the U.S. have erased the minute Obama was elected." The one thing that I really missed out on during my trip would have to be the Obama victory party at Grant Park....I bet it was incredible! However, it has been VERY interesting to see the different countries react to this next chapter in America's history. I look forward to celebrating Inauguration Day in D.C.!!!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Koh Tao, Thailand
I have known Jason Cohen for 8 years. Jason was the first out of my friends to go backpacking. He backpacked through Asia in the winter of 2002. Jason was also the first out of my friends to go to Thailand. When Jason returned from his trip, he raved about his time in Asia. FAST FORWARD to 6 years later.... I'm now in Thailand. It's only natural to ask Jason for good tips on Thailand and thanks to him, he got me off to a great start!
My first stop in Thailand: Koh Tao. Prior to coming to Thailand, I knew of a few destinations that I definitely wanted to hit: Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Chiang Mai, Ko Chang, Ko Samet, and Bangkok. I wanted to make sure I covered everything so I asked Jason if there was anything I missed. He replied back with: "Koh Tao --- You have to get your diving license." I was already familiar with Koh Tao because Caroline and Ryan went diving in Koh Tao and they suggested that I go too. I totally disregarded their suggestions because I had no interest in diving. It terrified me. I don't even like to open my eyes in the 10 ft area of the swimming pool because I hate to see how deep the pool is. Therefore, I wrote off the idea of diving and Caroline and Ryan understood. Jason, on the other hand, did not give up. He was adamant that I go diving during our IM conversation last Monday. These were his reasons:
*Thailand is known as one of the best places to go diving
*If you like to swim, you'll love diving
*If you don't go diving, I'll never let you live it down
These reasons were not enough for me to say, "YES". Jason was still persistent and he kept his best cards in his back pocket. He rolled out these two last reasons to close the deal:
*You're probably going to have an Australian instructor
*The place that you will be staying in has the best bbq on the island
DONE DEAL! As soon as he stated these reasons, I started to google Buddha View Diving and signed up to leave for Koh Tao the next night. Once I decided to go diving, four other travelers from Bangkok decided to join me....
Laura (from L.A.), Audrey (from Seattle), Vinnay (from Australia), and I all stayed in the same place in Bangkok so I told them about my trip to Koh Tao and they all decided to go at the last minute. We also picked up one more person for the trip: Stephane (frome Canada). Stephane was actually in the cab heading to the airport when he realized his flight was cancelled and he wasn't sure when his flight would be taking off again. We just found him sitting in the cab as we were trying to get in the cab to go the travel agency where we were getting picked up to go to Koh Tao. We told him about our plans and 20 mins later, all five of us were on our way to Koh Tao! As I mentioned in my previous blogs....I just love the people that I meet along the way!
Koh Tao is an island on the eastern shore of Thailand. Koh Tao is known as the "Diving Island" of Thailand so all their accomodations are catered towards divers. Out of the five of us, only Audrey, Stephane, and I decided to get certified for diving. Vinnay and Laura decided to relax at the beach during the day while we were in class. I had no idea that you had to be certified to go diving. I always thought diving was a simple task once you got past the fear. I figured all you would need was a wetsuit plus an air tank that you put on your back. I also assumed some professional would teach you how to breath using the tank a few mins before you dive into the ocean. I was completely wrong. I learned quickly that you have to be certified to go diving and there is a lot more to it than I thought. My certification curriculum consisted of:
Swimming 200 meters
Floating for 10 mins
6 hours of classroom material
8 hours of underwater skills in the swimming pool
4 dives in the ocean
final exam
Learning the process was definitely eye opening. The first time I sat in the deep end of the pool for over 35 mins was a very cool feeling. I have never done anything like this before and clearly I never intended to until 24 hours before I left for Koh Tao. Our certification required us to:
Use the regulator properly so that you can breathe underwater
Take your mask on and off underwater (this is really interesting bec you learn how to put the mask back on without any water in it!)
Take your breathing piece out of your mouth underwater and put it back in (in the event that your mouth piece falls off)
Share air from another diver underwater (in the event that you run out of air)
Learn how to hover over fish and corral (so you don't just crash into fish and corral underwater)
WELL, after my 4 day course....I PASSED! It was incredible to be underwater and see the bright colored fish that I've only seen in fish tanks before. It was also neat to see a whole other life existing underwater. These past few months have taught me so much about different countries and cultures. The ocean is definitely a separate culture that I'd like to study about (noted in my Hello Kitty pad). One quick little factoid....Did you know that angel fish always travel in pairs? Yes, a male and female are always together. How sweet :)
In case you're wondering about Jason's selling points and how they matched up with the real deal.....
The BBQ was AWESOME! They had a whole medley of food: Thai, Italian, Vegetarian, and the best part was the selection of fish and meat. The fish and meat were so fresh and they would just cook it up for you once you ordered it. Delicious! This was our dinner every night, including Thanksgiving.
As for the instructor.....His name is Jesper. When we first met Jesper I noticed that he had an accent (sounded Australian but I have a hard time distingushing the difference between Australian, English, and Irish). It turns out he is from Denmark and he has been living in Thailand for 8 years. Jesper was a WONDERFUL diving instructor! He was an engaging teacher that made the course so enjoyable. Jesper shared so much knowledge and valuable information to make our diving experience fun and safe. He is passionate about diving and it shows through his teaching. I love people that are passionate so I obviously developed a crush on Jesper! The only problem is that he probably thinks I'm an idiot! Our class was just the three of us: Me, Audrey, and Stephane. Audrey and Stephane were picking up on everything really fast. I was the slowest one. It wasn't clicking for me at first but Jesper was really patient and he would work with me until I got it. However, I still couldn't escape my goofiness....
*When we were underwater doing our skills, he would give us a high five after we performed each skill correctly. For some reason, every time he tried to give me a high five, I would miss his hand and my hand would just swing past his. The underwater factor may have affected my aim but Audrey and Stephane didn't seem to have a problem. This happened AT LEAST 5x.
*We each had to jump in the water the correct way with our gear on. He showed us the proper way of basically gliding into the water so that it's a smooth jump. Audrey and Stephane had no problems with this. Then it was my turn: Belly Flop
*After you put on your wetsuit, you have to put on your vest with the air tubes, plus the air tank on your back. This is very heavy when you're on the boat. Obviously it is light as a feather once you're in the water but until then, it's pretty awkward. Anyways, I'm standing there, getting ready to jump in the water and then suddenly I lose my balance I fall backwards on to my back in the boat. It's a loud thud on the ground!
Anyways, I asked Jesper the day before we went out for our first dive in the ocean, "Do you think I can really do this tomorrow?". He answered, "Of course. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." I LOVE HIM.
My first stop in Thailand: Koh Tao. Prior to coming to Thailand, I knew of a few destinations that I definitely wanted to hit: Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Chiang Mai, Ko Chang, Ko Samet, and Bangkok. I wanted to make sure I covered everything so I asked Jason if there was anything I missed. He replied back with: "Koh Tao --- You have to get your diving license." I was already familiar with Koh Tao because Caroline and Ryan went diving in Koh Tao and they suggested that I go too. I totally disregarded their suggestions because I had no interest in diving. It terrified me. I don't even like to open my eyes in the 10 ft area of the swimming pool because I hate to see how deep the pool is. Therefore, I wrote off the idea of diving and Caroline and Ryan understood. Jason, on the other hand, did not give up. He was adamant that I go diving during our IM conversation last Monday. These were his reasons:
*Thailand is known as one of the best places to go diving
*If you like to swim, you'll love diving
*If you don't go diving, I'll never let you live it down
These reasons were not enough for me to say, "YES". Jason was still persistent and he kept his best cards in his back pocket. He rolled out these two last reasons to close the deal:
*You're probably going to have an Australian instructor
*The place that you will be staying in has the best bbq on the island
DONE DEAL! As soon as he stated these reasons, I started to google Buddha View Diving and signed up to leave for Koh Tao the next night. Once I decided to go diving, four other travelers from Bangkok decided to join me....
Laura (from L.A.), Audrey (from Seattle), Vinnay (from Australia), and I all stayed in the same place in Bangkok so I told them about my trip to Koh Tao and they all decided to go at the last minute. We also picked up one more person for the trip: Stephane (frome Canada). Stephane was actually in the cab heading to the airport when he realized his flight was cancelled and he wasn't sure when his flight would be taking off again. We just found him sitting in the cab as we were trying to get in the cab to go the travel agency where we were getting picked up to go to Koh Tao. We told him about our plans and 20 mins later, all five of us were on our way to Koh Tao! As I mentioned in my previous blogs....I just love the people that I meet along the way!
Koh Tao is an island on the eastern shore of Thailand. Koh Tao is known as the "Diving Island" of Thailand so all their accomodations are catered towards divers. Out of the five of us, only Audrey, Stephane, and I decided to get certified for diving. Vinnay and Laura decided to relax at the beach during the day while we were in class. I had no idea that you had to be certified to go diving. I always thought diving was a simple task once you got past the fear. I figured all you would need was a wetsuit plus an air tank that you put on your back. I also assumed some professional would teach you how to breath using the tank a few mins before you dive into the ocean. I was completely wrong. I learned quickly that you have to be certified to go diving and there is a lot more to it than I thought. My certification curriculum consisted of:
Swimming 200 meters
Floating for 10 mins
6 hours of classroom material
8 hours of underwater skills in the swimming pool
4 dives in the ocean
final exam
Learning the process was definitely eye opening. The first time I sat in the deep end of the pool for over 35 mins was a very cool feeling. I have never done anything like this before and clearly I never intended to until 24 hours before I left for Koh Tao. Our certification required us to:
Use the regulator properly so that you can breathe underwater
Take your mask on and off underwater (this is really interesting bec you learn how to put the mask back on without any water in it!)
Take your breathing piece out of your mouth underwater and put it back in (in the event that your mouth piece falls off)
Share air from another diver underwater (in the event that you run out of air)
Learn how to hover over fish and corral (so you don't just crash into fish and corral underwater)
WELL, after my 4 day course....I PASSED! It was incredible to be underwater and see the bright colored fish that I've only seen in fish tanks before. It was also neat to see a whole other life existing underwater. These past few months have taught me so much about different countries and cultures. The ocean is definitely a separate culture that I'd like to study about (noted in my Hello Kitty pad). One quick little factoid....Did you know that angel fish always travel in pairs? Yes, a male and female are always together. How sweet :)
In case you're wondering about Jason's selling points and how they matched up with the real deal.....
The BBQ was AWESOME! They had a whole medley of food: Thai, Italian, Vegetarian, and the best part was the selection of fish and meat. The fish and meat were so fresh and they would just cook it up for you once you ordered it. Delicious! This was our dinner every night, including Thanksgiving.
As for the instructor.....His name is Jesper. When we first met Jesper I noticed that he had an accent (sounded Australian but I have a hard time distingushing the difference between Australian, English, and Irish). It turns out he is from Denmark and he has been living in Thailand for 8 years. Jesper was a WONDERFUL diving instructor! He was an engaging teacher that made the course so enjoyable. Jesper shared so much knowledge and valuable information to make our diving experience fun and safe. He is passionate about diving and it shows through his teaching. I love people that are passionate so I obviously developed a crush on Jesper! The only problem is that he probably thinks I'm an idiot! Our class was just the three of us: Me, Audrey, and Stephane. Audrey and Stephane were picking up on everything really fast. I was the slowest one. It wasn't clicking for me at first but Jesper was really patient and he would work with me until I got it. However, I still couldn't escape my goofiness....
*When we were underwater doing our skills, he would give us a high five after we performed each skill correctly. For some reason, every time he tried to give me a high five, I would miss his hand and my hand would just swing past his. The underwater factor may have affected my aim but Audrey and Stephane didn't seem to have a problem. This happened AT LEAST 5x.
*We each had to jump in the water the correct way with our gear on. He showed us the proper way of basically gliding into the water so that it's a smooth jump. Audrey and Stephane had no problems with this. Then it was my turn: Belly Flop
*After you put on your wetsuit, you have to put on your vest with the air tubes, plus the air tank on your back. This is very heavy when you're on the boat. Obviously it is light as a feather once you're in the water but until then, it's pretty awkward. Anyways, I'm standing there, getting ready to jump in the water and then suddenly I lose my balance I fall backwards on to my back in the boat. It's a loud thud on the ground!
Anyways, I asked Jesper the day before we went out for our first dive in the ocean, "Do you think I can really do this tomorrow?". He answered, "Of course. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." I LOVE HIM.
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