Friday, March 13, 2015

So, it's official.  We're leaving Taiwan. :(  From the beginning of the school year, we thought that this might be our last.  (Our families didn't believe us, but we new this was the first year where we were really considering it.)  Earlier in the school year, I created a to-do list.  I just hadn't gotten around to posting it on our blog.  Well, I still have a few things to check off.  So, here it is.
Things to do before I leave Taiwan

  1. Go camping in a non-camping area again.  - Moon Festival 
  2. Explore a new part of Yangmingshan
  3. Go to Hehua Shan/aka the Switzerland of Taiwan  - 10/10 Weekend
  4. Take a train ride up Alishan  Feb. 15 with Marcy and Melissa.
  5.  Brave the crowds at Pingxi once more...if only to get a good video/pics.    Wasn't paying attention, and lantern festival passed before I realized it.  
  6. Pick Calla Lilies again  Tina's visit to Taiwan. Feb. 27
  7. Eat at the vegetarian hot pot place Tina's visit to Taiwan. Feb. 27
  8. Go to Kenting - Teacher Retreat  Feb. 15-18
  9. Video daily life in Taipei 
  10. Go up 101 again. - Google Field Trip, March 10
  11. Participate in a dragon boat race
  12. Get a hair cut
  13. Cherry blossom season up on Yangmingshan - Maybe it was because I new it was my last year or also because Tina came at a good time, I feel like I have never seen so many cherry blossoms around Taiwan before.  
  14. Visit Jiu Fen
  15. Find a new vantage point to watch the planes land...possibly in Neihu
  16. Along those lines, go back to the street right by the airport and FEEL the planes land over us.  
  17. Climb Elephant Mountain and take a picture of 101. - Field Trip, March 10
  18. Spend an afternoon in a zen-ish park watching people. 
  19. Video Shilin Night Market 
  20. Go to the Forbidden Hot Springs - Well, that was quite the story.  Wish I had a picture of our encounter with the Po-Po.  If Tina had her way, she would have gotten one. 
  21. U-bike in a new area. 
  22. Jog alongside the river for a ways. 
  23. Eat at KGB once more. 
  24. Overindulge at Mia Cucina one final time. 
  25. Buy some cute stationery/gift bags at thee stationery store in Shilin.  Fill them with gifts for friends.  - Technically, I've done this, but I want more cute gift bags.  I'll really miss ALL the cute stationery items that abound in Asia. 
  26. Celebrate the end of my TES class.  - This one is just next week!
  27. Video a Costco trip during Chinese New Year.  - Since Chinese New Year is already over, I guess I'll just have to do it on a Sunday...same-same. 
  28. Before it gets hot, invite friends on a picnic to the beach. 
  29. Get all the health tests done, NOW!   - I've been doing a pretty good job with this one lately.  
  30. Go to the dentist once more for $5 USD. 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Accident.


"Today is going to be a productive day," I said to myself as I awoke.  "I'm tired of piddling away my Sundays."  Getting up a little before 8:00 am felt good.  The sunlight dancing on my bed encouraged me to wake up.  I was ready to start my day.  I love those days when, even though it is a weekend, you choose to wake up at the same time you normally do on the weekdays, because you want to.  Waking up early on the weekend is ok, because I choose to get up at that time.  When I'm forced to get up early on weekdays, it's a less enjoyable, because it isn't my choice.

"Let's finally go to Wufenpu," I said.  Wufenpu is a wholesale clothing market that we had thought about going to for the last 5 years.  Since I haven't started my next masters class, I felt like getting out and doing stuff again.  Now, the only question was, scooter or MRT.   Feeling particularly lazy at that moment, I persuaded Zach to go by scooter.

Well, wufenpu was exactly what it sounded like.  ;)  We found nothing and after an hour or two of wandering around, we were ready to head home and relax while eating supper.  But, first, a quick stop at the grocery to get a bottle of almond extract.  It's amazing how God seems to give us hints sometimes about what's about to happen.  I've heard people say that they had an odd feeling shortly before they got in their accident.  Well, in retrospect, I realize that if I had paid attention, I might have realized something was going to happen.

On Friday afternoon, I was reading articles online, and I came across the story our previous pastor wrote about his scooter accident in Taipei.  I had heard the story multiple times, but I felt like reading it that day.  Then, on Sunday, I began praying as we were driving to town.  Now, I always try to pray while on the back of the scooter.  I find that it's a perfect time to talk to God.  On Sunday, I felt a need to ask God for protection multiple times. After praying, I started to daydream/reminisce about a church gathering our first year in Taiwan.  The sound system wasn't working for a bit, and the speaker decided to have everyone share their scooter accident stories.  I remember thinking on the back of the bike, "So thankful that we still don't have one of those to share."   Lastly, as I was about the jump on the bike to head for home after stopping at the grocery store, I remember thinking, "Hmmm... I'll just keep this bottle of almond extract in my purse to keep it safe in case we get in an accident."   Why was I thinking about an accident?  It seemed kinda strange at the time.

Anyways, hindsight is 20/20.  Despite my prayers, we still got into an accident, but God was clearly there.   In one moment, I was daydreaming on the back of the scooter, and the next moment, after seeing the scooter in front of us suddenly stop, I was thrown to the ground with no time to brace or even think about falling.  I'm so thankful it happened quickly.  I hate having time to think about something bad that's happening.  I'd rather just have it happen.  Silly enough, my first thought after being thrown to the ground, was that I'm wearing a skirt, and one leg is pinned under the scooter while my other leg is in the air.  Ahh... I'm looking indecent.  That being my first thought, I realized that I must not be seriously injured.  I think back and laugh about how that was the most important thing at the moment, but I do recall hearing the scooters behind us screech as they tried to stop/go around us.  I was unable to move, but I felt safe lying on the pavement, like God's angels were surrounding/protecting me.

Thankfully, a Taiwanese family who were traveling on their scooter behind us, stopped, and assisted us.  They helped carry me to the side of the road, buying bandages and iodine for our wounds, not willing to leave until they knew we were ok.  Even though I was shook up from the accident, I was able to understand/communicate a few words in Chinese to this incredible family.

How did we fare in the end?  Scooter still runs great, but why shouldn't it?  It had two soft bodies to land on.  ;)  Zach got stitches above his eyebrow, but a week and a half later, he's already had them removed, and it seems to be healing just fine.  Our scrapes are at that itching stage, which means they must be healing.  Unfortunately, my calf is still really sore where the scooter landed on it, and I fear I'll be hobbling around school for a few more weeks, spending my evenings on my couch with my foot in the air.  I feel that the saddest part about the accident was having my Keens break.  I'm not a shoe girl, but those are the most expensive shoes I've ever bought, and I wear them everywhere!  It's a sad day to see them die.  Since, I was mostly sad about my shoes the evening of the accident, it just goes to show how blessed we are/were.  If losing my shoes is the saddest thing about that accident, then God truly did protect me as I had asked Him to do while on the back of that scooter.  


2 days later it was picture day at school. I'm trying to look my best here. 
 


Monday, April 8, 2013

China: Hong Kong, Beijing, and Xian

We got in!  After being rejected 2 years ago, I was prepared for having to plan a new trip, but thankfully, we   all got our visas.  And so began the quick planning of a trip to China.  Since I had planned out our trip 2 years ago, I just assumed we'd be able to follow the same plan.  However, I had forgotten that Tomb Sweeping Day (a Chinese holiday) would be celebrated later in the week than what we had planned 2 years ago.  Therefore, the end of our trip had a few issues, but let's begin with the very beginning.

Sunday: We left for Hong Kong early in the morning.  The last few days before we left were crazy.  I was trying to get all of my grad. class work done before we left, finish planning the trip (which as I stated above, became more difficult due to the holiday), and going to different events: banquet, b-day party, etc...   It was a relief to get away from all the work from home, but I had an uneasy feeling about where we were staying in Hong Kong.  The ladies we were traveling with weren't used to staying in low-class hotels.  We don't usually like to stay in dumpy hotels, but we are always looking for a good price.  Honestly, the only way we're able to travel the world is because we travel cheaply.  Hong Kong is not a cheap place, and so the lowest prices were not even that cheap.  We booked a hotel in Chungking Mansion.  Sounds like a nice place, doesn't it?  Well, when you look up reviews for this place they say: fascinating unsanitary fire-trap; a centre of drugs, as well as a refuge for petty criminals, scammers, and illegal immigrants; a rat-infested hole with a good chance of diarrhea thrown in for free; the location is rather creepy- the hallway is old, decrepit; If you are lucky, you get a room with a few men sleeping in the hallway...  Well, I think you get the idea.  Of course, I noticed most of these reviews after we booked the "hotel."  So, I was nervous, not because I was scared, but I was worried that these girls would be terrified staying there.  They haven't really traveled cheap like us, and I wanted to show them that it can be a good experience.  Well, I've had the suspense going long enough....It turned out to be a good experience.  Yeah, the hallway was gross, but the rooms were nice, albeit the smallest room yet.  I keep taking pics of the smallest room we've stayed in, and it keeps getting smaller.



This was the bathroom and shower. 

OK.  So, the hotel was good.  We were ready to hit the town.  First place, the Star Ferry.  This ferry took us across Victoria Harbor for $0.25 USD.  Once we were on the other side, we really didn't know what to do.  Melissa's and Marcy's friend told us to go to Stanley.  What's special about Stanley?  We really didn't know, but we heard it was a nice place.  Since it started raining when we were trying to decide, Zach and I hopped on the bus along with the girls.

Stanley turned out to be a fun, little town.  The drive showcased a beautiful scenery along the coast.  Once we got there, we found a market.  I love markets!  I like shopping for little knick-knacks and bargains.  This was my type of place.  The promenade along the seaside even had a veggie burger.  Amazing!  HK was turning out to be little America.

The evening ended by watching the light show at Victoria Harbor.  Since it was rainy and windy, we found a closed shop to hide behind and escape the wind.   However, we naively left our spot to take a group picture.  Some unsuspecting Aussies quickly stole our spot just so they could light up their cigarettes.  Ughh... On to finding a new spot.  The light show was hai hao.  Fun to see once.

The day turned out to be a fun, relaxing day.  We rarely go someplace that we know nothing about.  I enjoyed it.  Plus, English was everywhere!  Not only was it fun being spontaneous, but we also were able to communicate with bus drivers and people on the street that allowed us to be more spontaneous.



Monday: Our travelmates (Is that a word?  If not, I just coined it) took the funicular up Victoria Peak while Zach and I spent a relaxing morning in our hotel.  Next stop...Beijing.  Our flight was delayed, which was the beginning of some of our traveling troubles.  Sera claims that disasters follow her, and as the trip progressed, when things would come up, I'd clench my fist in the air and silently whisper, "Sera."

 Zach ended up going through customs effortlessly by himself, but all of us girls got pulled over in line and had our bags searched.  Sera...

Upon arrival in Beijing, I got to begin using my Chinese, and even though I can't speak fluently, I was able to throw some words in there every once in awhile to help get my point across.  After checking into our hostel, we were on the prowl for Central Perk- the replica of Friends cafe.  Unfortunately, they were closing early for a party, so we had to quickly get our pics in and our experience.  Still, it was awesome!  I love finding silly things like this in Asia.




Tuesday: Great Wall Day.  We started our day bright and early.  With the heavy Beijing smog, it felt like dawn all morning as the sun was trying to peak through the smog.  Each of us packed tons of clothes for this trip, but as we started hiking, layer after layer started coming off.

We decided to climb the Huang Hua section of the Great Wall, a partially restored and unrestored section.  We hiked for about 10 km.  At the beginning of the hike, my asthma was ridiculous.  I couldn't catch my breath.  I was afraid I wouldn't make it, but after praying, my lungs cleared up, and I was able to breathe normally.

Even though the unrestored part was a little difficult to hike, I would have rather walked on that section than the restored part.  The restored section was ridiculously steep.

 This was, by far, the best day of the trip for everyone.  During the entire walk, we only met 3 other people, which happened to pass us up.  Octogenarians.  It was such a peaceful day.  Our guide brought bing (Chinese pancakes) up the mountain, and we got to have a picnic on the Great Wall.   How cool!  Honestly, I don't have much to say about our hike.  I think the pictures speak for themselves.





After arriving back in Beijing, we grabbed some food and headed out for the markets.  We saw centipedes, starfish, geckos, live scorpions, bug larvae- all on sticks.  Gross.  But to cancel it out, we did find a Dairy Queen.  Unfortunately, it was closed.  We also found another market, where each one of us enjoyed haggling for some Chinese goods.


Wednesday: Off to the Forbidden City...  I always knew that I wanted to see the Forbidden City, as it sounds so foreboding.  However, I realized quickly that ancient fortified cities all seem kinda the same.  This city didn't seem much different than what we had seen in Korea or Japan.  It was impressive, but after a long hike the day before, my legs didn't really feel like exploring much.

Upon entering the Forbidden City, you walk through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, which displays the portrait of Chairman Mao.  After reading multiple books about the suffering many Christians endured during the Cultural Revolution, all I wanted to do was throw a rotten tomato at this picture.  Even though China is open to Western ideas, it still is a communist country, which is evident to see while you're there.




The day ended with guzzling down our food in order to catch our high speed train to Xian.

Thursday: We started this morning with another early start, but as we discovered, it wasn't early enough.  After wondering around the train station and standing in line for awhile, we finally got our tickets to Hua Shan.  The teller told us "蒯典 Kuai Dian (Quickly)," as he handed us our tickets.  We ran to security, ran to our gate, and discovered no one was in line for the train.  Ahh... 蒯典..  蒯典.. After having our tickets checked, I turned the corner to discover an unending corridor.  Run.. Run...Run... I followed the man who was frantically running in front of us onto the last platform, only to discover our train was the platform right next to it.  My stomach sank as I saw the train sitting there.  I just had this feeling that it was going to pull away any minute.  As we ran back up and down the stairs to the other track, our train was still sitting there.  "Ahh... yes.. Wait. What?  We can't get on!"  The train was just sitting there, but they wouldn't let us on.  "Sera..." :)  We discovered that the trains in China like to leave early, and even though you're there a couple minutes before it should depart, they are jerks and will leave with you standing there, mouth wide open and ticket in your hand.

Luckily, there were a few Chinese ladies who also had "missed" the train, and they helped us get new tickets.  But after waiting in line for new tickets, we discovered the tickets would be leaving too late.  Why is this day going so poorly?  Off to try to find a taxi for 5 people that would take us all the way there.

We got a taxi, that smelled a little musty, but we were now on our way.  BUMP.  The car behind us rear-ended us. Really?  Why is this all happening today?  It was at this time that we realized we neglected praying that morning.  After a quick prayer and some quick money exchanged between our taxi driver and the rear-ender guy, we were now on our way to Hua Shan.

Due to our limited time on the mountain, we took the cable car up to the north peak (However, even if we had had more time, I still would have opted for the cable car.)


It was at the North Peak where we had watched the Amazing Race search for one lock amidst thousands of locks.  It was here where we added our lock, "Zach and Sarah, April 4, 2013 Do You Remember When..." It was really beautiful atop this mountain.  These were the mountains that I think of when I think of China.


During this entire trip, I kept reminding myself, "We're in China!"  Crazy.  Our day at Hua Shan was just as epic as our day on the wall.  Hiking these mountains weren't really that bad, either.  I thought I'd be constantly out of breath, but surprisingly, I was able to pass most of the hikers around me.  Of course singing the song, "Let's Get Down to Business, To Defeat the Huns..." in my head helped cheer me on, too.


 You can barely see the trail along the ridge in this picture, but we hiked it.  






Golden Lock Pass, Hua Shan 

After getting back from Hua Shan, Zach and I headed straight to Walmart.  Yeah, we heard it wasn't the same as the States, in fact I probably could have only found a handful of things the same as the States, but it was worth a trip there.  We saw unrecognizable meat, mounds of rice, durian, but no alligators as I had seen from pictures online.  Maybe they've changed their image a bit.  


 Bell Tower, Xian 


Friday: We had the same taxi driver take us to the Terracotta soldiers.  We kept listening to the same CD in the taxi, and once we got out, lo and behold, the same song was playing in the parking lot. Crazy!  "Yi ge ren de ji mo liang ge ren de cuo" and "Bu yao shuo ni cuo ..."
One thing I've learned while living in Taiwan- Never be a tourist during a national holiday. Unfortunately, we had no choice while in China, and we were going to have to suffer through the crowds. Unfortunately, the Terracotta Soldiers was super crowded, as it was a Chinese holiday.  Nobody likes crowds, but I've learned to give and take. However, what I can't tolerate is the Chinese mentality of "me first."  There were plenty of times when the crowds seemed to disperse a bit, but I still was being pushed and shoved.  "Why can't they just walk around me like any normal person?!"  Well, my experience of living in Taiwan had prepared me for situations like this, and I started to box out - stick butt out, elbows out, and push back.  At times I also exclaimed loudly, "Pai Dui 排隊 (line up)!"  This was one of the best Chinese phrases to learn, because I found that people quickly responded to what I said.  I think they were mostly surprised that I spoke Chinese.
\

The terracotta soldiers were impressive. There were approximately 8,000 soldiers built around the year 200 BC to protect Emperor Qin in the afterlife.  Every soldier's face is unique.  This massive army was discovered 38 years ago.  What other historic artifacts are be hidden below ground that we are unaware of?

I'm a quick tourist.  I often don't need a lot of time to see things, and I often get ahead of Zach.  One of my favorite things of the day was waving to Zach at the exit of every museum and seeing him get this huge grin on his face as he was stuck in a pushing/shoving crowd.




This was an epic trip.  We saw things we'd only heard about in history books, but I was ready for it to come to and end and go home by Friday.  I was getting tired of the crowds.  Unfortunately, hopping on an airplane was not as easy as I originally thought.  Our first flight was delayed an hour, making us miss our connecting flight.  The second flight was delayed another hour as we were waiting for a late flight.  Why couldn't they have waiting 25 min. for us to catch our original flight?   Ugh...

After arriving in Taipei 2 hours later, we discovered that our luggage did not follow us home.  :(  However, this turned out to be a blessing.  Taxis believe that you can't fit 5 people and their luggage in one cab- I know how physics works, and I know it can be done.  Well, since we didn't have any luggage, they were willing to fit us all in, and Zach and I experienced our first taxi ride home from the airport.  Even after we arrived home, we weren't able to get into our house since our keys were in our "lost" luggage.  With the help of our neighbor, we searched the school and our principal's house for spare keys.  At 1:30 am we finally made it home.  So good to be back!


Firsts: missing a train, getting rear-ended while in a taxi, taking a taxi home from the TPE airport, seeing Terracotta Soldiers, riding a high speed train in China, visiting Walmart in Asia, seeing the Great Wall, etc...

Tuesday, March 12, 2013


Burma and Thailand Trip 2012

December 19- Day 1:
Leaving day. Only a half day of school for me.  Jan and I spent most of the afternoon watching Downton Abbey.  We happened to get a little bit of packing in there too.  Frantically trying to finish grading all of his exams, Zach did not have a peaceful afternoon.  But luck was on our side.  Just as we were getting ready to go out the door, the Robinsons came over to carol.  Zach and I both discretely mentioned that we were leaving for the airport real soon, hoping they would give us a ride to the bus stop.  We had considered getting a taxi, but neither of us knew a phone number for one. As usual, the Robinsons were more than eager to offer their help.  They took us all the way to the MRT, saving us time and money.  After that, all things went smoothly.

December 20- Day 2:
Transit day.  We spent more than 24 hours in transit.  It didn’t turn out to be as bad as I thought it might be.  We had plenty of food with us, and surprisingly weren’t terribly tired.  After spending the night in the airport, we took a free shuttle from one airport to the next. 

On to Mandalay.  Mandalay was nothing special.  In fact, it was quite ugly.  Cars honking, exhaust flowing out of buses, bumpy roads… Even though we were all really tired and hungry, I was ready to move on from Mandalay to Bagan.  We found a nice little place for lunch, and then decided to explore a little.  The combination of the heat and our packs made our little exploration exhausting.  We saw a donut shop and eagerly entered it.  After a quick glance, all 3 of us realized the donuts looked like Taiwanese donuts.  Even if they were free, I wouldn’t have eaten them.  Even though it was hours until our bus left, by this point we were all ready to go to the “bus station.”  In the back of my head, I warned myself that there may not actually be a bus station.  However, the fatigue and exhaustion made me forget this warning.  As our taxi-truck was pulling up, it dawned on all 3 of us that we would not be getting much of a reprieve here.  After wondering around a bit, we found our bus company and were able to squeeze into the back of this tiny garage.  Trying to find some way to pass the time, we decided to play “Ticket to Ride” between the 3 of us.  However, as soon as my turn was done, I started to drift asleep.  I noticed Zach and Jan doing the same.  I already felt completely out of place being a foreigner, but having an ipad was like shouting a declaration of “I am rich. Stare at me please!”  We eventually decided to put the ipad away and wait it out.  Realizing that our bus had finally pulled up was a little bit of a headache, with very little English being understood.  Thankfully, everything had gone well so far, and now we were off on our final leg to Bagan.  Only a super loud movie and frigid AC temperatures stood in our way from having a decently comfortable ride.  Yeah, it was bumpy, but nothing terrible.  The worst part was the toilet situation.  At a pit stop, Jan decided to go to the bathroom.  It only took 8 seconds for her to realize she’d have to hold it.  I think the worst part about the bathroom (outdoor squatties) was that women weren’t even using them.  They were squatting down right in front of the stall door, as if they just couldn’t hold it, when in fact, there were 5 more stalls open.  Ugh.  It sucks to realize that the liquid your shoes are standing in isn’t rainwater.  The rest of the ride went well, and we got to our hotel an hour early. 

Unhighlights: Jan seeing a hand under the toilet when she was trying to go to the bathroom.  Being tired all day long.

December 21- Day 3:
Temple day.  Despite our lack of sleep from the day before, we all woke up bright and early to the sound of chanting next door.  Why do monks have to be early risers?  After enjoying a lovely breakfast at our hotel, we were off to see the temples.  Our mode of transportation?  A horse-drawn carriage. I felt like royalty.  Surprisingly, in the shade, it was a little chilly.  We got our first taste of touts at our first stop, the Shwezigon Pagoda.  I didn’t want to be too rude, since it was just the beginning of our trip, but looking back on it, I now realize, one can never be too rude to a tout.  By the end of the ordeal, I had a woman yelling at me and staring me down as our carriage drove off. 


One of the most annoying things about getting up early to explore Burma is the lucky money. A hawker’s first sale of the morning is considered to be lucky.  They bend over backwards to get you to be their first sale.  Of course, if they’d already had a sale, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind not telling you that.  All day we were confronted by different hawkers with varying goods.  Jan did buy a painting, and Zach bought a wooden carving of a man fishing for a moon.  Honestly, I liked a lot of the things I saw, but I was hesitant to glance longer than a second or two.  They’d immediately see your hesitancy and jump all over you. 

The day was a simple day.  Temple, carriage ride, temple, temple, temple, carriage ride, etc… The biggest annoyance of the day was having to constantly take off our shoes.  I also hate having dirty fingers, and I realized that day that I also hate to have dusty, dirty feet. 
The temples were amazing, though.  Many of them were from the 12th century.  At the first temple, we were able to climb to the top.  In one direction, I tried to count all the stupas (tops of the temples) I saw.  After getting to 50 or 60, I stopped counting.  They were everywhere!  I can’t even remember how many temples we visited either.  After awhile, I just wanted to continue on with the carriage ride.  Forget seeing temples, let’s just keep riding. 
The day ended on a beautiful note- watching the sun set from atop a temple.  It reminded me so much of Angkor Wat, yet with a completely different feel.   What a great way to experience the “end of the world”- according to what the Mayans said. 

Highlight: Getting a ton of tamarind candy at the restaurant during lunch. 
 
"Cocking time" 


December 22- Day 4:



Biking day.  After renting bikes at our hotel, we were off to explore Bagan, biking style.  I am so thankful we were there during the dry season.  Once we got off the paved roads, it wasn’t easy riding along the dirt roads.  The dirt wasn’t packed down, and it felt, at times, like you were riding on ice.  All of a sudden, your bike would fish tail, and you’d either have to muster your way through it, or jump off and push the bike.  I opted for the second option most of the time.  I can’t even imagine how dirty you’d get riding around during the rainy season.  Since we traveled to less famous temples, we weren’t being hounded by hawkers as much today.  This was especially nice since it was Sabbath.   

As we were riding from temple to temple, it felt like we were actual discoverers of these temples.  At some temples, we couldn’t see anyone in sight, a welcome to all of us.  I even wore my shoes up on the top of one of the temples, and I wasn’t even wearing a skirt.  Gasp.  After biking through tons of loose dirt, ox-drawn wagons, a herd of cattle, and past tourists, we found a dirty slew to have our lunch beside.  It looked nicer from afar, but upon arriving at it, I realized it was just a water hole for the cattle. 


Zach was determined to find the Aztec looking temple.  Jan rode her bike like she was in the Tour de France, and I brought up the rear.  This was by far one of our best days on the trip.  There are over 2,200 temples and pagodas.  We probably only visited 40 or 50 of them.  The evening ended with a bus ride to Yangon. 



Unhighlight: The banana cookies we brought with us were getting kinda old by now.

December 23- Day 4:
Sleepless day.  We arrived in Yangon an hour ahead of schedule at 3:30 A.M.  Even though the bus was the coldest bus I had ever ridden on (seriously, I was wearing as many layers of clothes as possible), I really didn’t want to arrive so early in Yangon.  What were we gonna do until our hotel opened?   It was pitch dark out.  Luckily, our hotel was open, and we were able to crash on a few benches in the lobby.  None of us slept, but it was better than crashing on the street.  After getting into our room, we were ready to head out.  First Stop- Bogyoke Aung San Market.  After almost 2 hours later, we finally arrived at our destination.  Navigating the streets of Yangon weren’t as easy as we first thought.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t too hard to find the shop that Uncle Keith and Aunt Yvonne bought precious stone ‘paintings’ from.  Now to find food.  I never would have thought it would have been that difficult to find something to eat in Yangon.  There’s plenty of street food, but I did not want to get sick, let alone eat some unknown meat.  While on our quest for food, we walked down a street that looked like it came straight out of the Amazing Race.  Shop after shop had old typewriters, printers, and computers.   It looked like an Amazing Race detour just waiting to happen. We even saw a small office that said, “Astronomical Research Office” amidst the random Amazing Race detour shops.  Weird.

Zach and Jan finally found a place to eat.  Even though they got some weird mystery meat, it was at least something to eat.  I ended up giving up on the hunt for food.  Since we were all incredibly tired, hot, and still hungry, we ended up walking all the way back to our hotel.  While at the hotel, we started to watch The Lady, and for once, I stayed awake in the movie.  Not only did I stay awake, but I was the only one who stayed awake.  Zach and Jan fell asleep and stayed asleep for a couple hours.  So ha, I don’t always fall asleep in movies.  It was kinda surreal to be watching this movie in the very country that it was depicting, and to know that the conflict is not resolved yet.  It almost was an eerie foreboding feeling.
Unhighlight: Needing absolutely perfect dollar bills.  I was about to lose my mind over this.

December 24- Day 5:
Surprising day.  We began this day at a much slower pace.  Knowing that we most likely wouldn’t find much food out on the streets, we bought some groceries to take along with us.  Little did we know that we were creating the massacre of 2012.  After walking a significant distance, Zach quickly discovered oozing banana all over the contents of our backpack. 





We eventually made it to Shwedagon Paya.  Shwedagon Paya is home to a plethora of pagodas that shimmer in the heat of the day.  In the evening, the pagodas are lit up, and the lights can be seen throughout the city.  We enjoyed the coolness we found around and inside the Shwedagon Paya.  It was here where I went on a monk hunt.  I wanted a typical Burmese picture of a monk, and I didn’t want to buy a postcard of it.  Monks abounded everywhere at the Shwedagon Paya.  Little monks, old monks, female monks, monks on cell phones!  It was a photographer’s dream location.  Even while sitting in the shade, I was able to chat it up a bit with a monk.  He was there to practice his English but was so quiet that I was barely able to make out what he was saying.  There was a lot of nodding and agreeing on my side of the conversation. 

Zach, Jan, and I were having a difficult time deciding what to do for the rest of the day.  Jan and I were exhausted.  Even though I thought it’d be cool to see the pagodas lit up at night, my body was opting for a more comfortable location, my hotel bed.  Finally, we decided to head back, and Zach would go back in the evening to take some pictures.  While on our walk back to the hotel on a different street than what we had originally walked down, we stumbled upon the Myanmar Union Mission, and they were having a Christmas Eve party.  Even though all 3 of us were a little shy, we walked in and greeted the people there.  They promptly invited us to join them.  We had some lovely but a bit too spicy soup.  We met people who knew Uncle Keith, the Munseys, and Sam Ngala.  How fun!  We stayed for the performances, which ended up lasting all night.  At one point, I realized that this was just like performances on the island, they never end.  We ended up leaving before there was even a hint of a conclusion. It was such a nice surprise finding.  We were able to meet a foreigner working in Burma and Burmese teachers.  The Burmese people sure were friendly.  We all headed home with handfuls of soap and possibly other treats if we had stayed long enough.

Highlights: Discovering “Happy World” (The sad looking imitation of Disney World) and stumbling across the Myanmar Union Mission. 



December 25- Day 6:
Christmas Day.  As an avid traveler, you soon begin to forget and not even care about holidays.  Getting up super early on Christmas day to wait around at the airport for a few hours is not a big deal. This was our Christmas Day.   We didn’t get to our hotel in Bangkok until later in the afternoon.  All day long, I had been waiting for one thing: Eating dinner at Ethos.   Ethos has quickly become our favorite place to eat in Bangkok.  They have a wide variety of dishes: western and local.  The prices are quite nice, and everything is vegetarian with plenty of vegan options.  They even had mango sticky rice! You get to sit on the floor and enjoy a cozy environment in which to completely engorge yourself. 




We spent the rest of the evening wondering around Khao San Road playing the game: American, European, or Other?  Really, it’s quite simple.  Based on people’s clothes and style, we guessed what they were.  We didn’t get any points until we heard them speak to verify if our answers were correct.  Zach and I also went up to the roof and stared at the raucous crowds below celebrating Christmas. 

Unhighlight: While waiting at the Yangon Airport, there were tons of people trying to get one last conversation/touch in before flying, which happened to be right where I was sitting. 

Highlight: Not being on the tourist plane that crashed in Burma around the same time that we were leaving. 


December 26- Day 7:
Krispy Kreme day.  We had been so busy traveling from one place to the next that we completely took our time getting ready in the morning on this day.  Not sure what we should do before we needed to board our bus for Phuket, we ended up going to MBK mall, in hopes of finding some yummy treats.  And treats were found: Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut, and Krispy Kreme.  The donuts kinda did us all in, though, and none of us were too eager to do much else. 

Highlights: Being able to fall asleep on a bus with a perfect temperature.    

December 27- Day 8:
Hot Hot Hot day. 
Arriving in Phuket was a bit of a shock.  We had been progressively been moving to warmer weather.  Bagan’s chilly evenings were a thing of the past.  Phuket was sweltering.  Even though this was the best bus trip yet, overnight bus trips were starting to get old.  Jan decided to hibernate while Zach and I went scouting for activities to do while in Phuket.  Along the way we even found more Dairy Queen.  No way!  However, just the little bit of walking we did started to give me a bit of a sunburn.  Eek. 
 
We spent the rest of the day planning the remaining days out and scouring for cheap food.  Phuket was not what I expected.  Where were the cheap meals, the mango sticky rice, the vegetarian food?   I imagined Phuket to be more like Koh Chang, but I was sorely disappointed.  After a disappointing meal, we eventually decided that the best place to eat was probably our hotel’s restaurant. 

Highlight: Getting a foot message with Jan. 

December 28- Day 9:
Beach day: “Tonight…Bangla Boxing Stadium.”  That pretty much sums up our audio for the day.  This pickup truck would go all round town blaring this.  Ugh.  We all enjoyed a relaxing morning, and around noon headed to the beach.  After probably 1.5 hours, we were exhausted with the beach.  We could play cards just as easily in our hotel room.  However, we rented an umbrella, and we were going to get our money’s worth.  We took turns having people go on food runs.  Eventually, the heat and headaches from the sun just wasn’t worth it.  We headed inside. 

Highlight: Zach getting rice in a pineapple, and me finding some yummy mushroom pasta. 

December 29- Day 10:
Scuba day: Zach and I decided to go scuba diving while Jan hung out and had a relaxing day.  I hate being nervous, and most of this day was filled with nervousness.  At the beginning of the morning, we were introduced to our dive instructors.  We had a blonde lady, and as she waved hello at us, I thought, “Oh good, someone who will be able to speak English to us and hopefully help me out while under the water.”  As it turns out, we were the only ones to get a Russian dive instructor who just so happened to not speak ANY English.  “Don’t worry,” said the program director, “Once you’re under the water, languages don’t matter.”  Hogwash.  I wanted to be able to communicate both in and out of the water. Luckily, Robert, the man we met outside the dive shop and who encouraged us to go with this dive company, was also on the boat with us.  Robert was extremely helpful.  He explained the basics of diving and reminded us of simple things that we had already forgotten. I really don’t know what I would have done without him. 

Once in the water, I quickly got the hang of it and enjoyed it.  Compared to our diving in Bali, this experience was SO much better, simply for the fact that I wasn’t sick.  I could equalize much better, didn’t have to remove water from my mask.   Ahh….so much better.  Unfortunately, I think the water pressure will always annoy Zach’s ears.  3 dives was a little too much for him.  We were able to see moray eels, I saw a turtle quickly swimming away in the murky water, lionfish, barracuda, parrotfish, clownfish, tangs, Moorish idols, etc…

Highlight: The day ended with a delicious Italian meal and a yummy ice-cream bar!  

December 30- Day 11:
Canoeing day: Today, we took Jan on a canoeing trip through Phang Nga.  Unfortunately, it started to rain in the morning.  Besides Bali, we had never been anywhere in Southeast Asia for Christmas where it rained.  I forgot that that was even a possibility. What a bummer this day was turning out to be. 







We jumped aboard our boat, and Jan refused to try rambutan.  At our first stop, a local canoed us around a cave.  The cave was hot, stuffy, and stinky.  Even though it was a cool experience, I was ready to get out.  It was a little too claustrophobic for me.  At some parts, we had to lean back in our canoe to pass.  After a little while, we moved on to another stop, where again, the same man canoed us around.  It was only lightly sprinkling, so we were still able to enjoy the scenery.  Our 3rd stop was James Bond Island.  Even though I’ve never really seen James Bond, this island was pretty cool (amidst the half-naked tourists).   Locating scantily clad tourists became a new game for us.  The men were the worse ones to discover.  Ick.  We stopped at one final island where we were able to canoe ourselves around a bit.  The rain had stopped, and it was an enjoyable experience. 

Unhighlight: The amount of time it took to get back to our hotel from the excursion. 

Highlight: Eating tons of onion rings on the boat.  :)

December 31- Day 12:
What Did We Do Day?  Thinking back on this day, I had to ask myself, “What did we do?”  Usually, I have a good memory about each day of the trip, even a few months later.  But this day is still kind of an enigma for me.  Here are the things I remember: Eating lunch at our hotel, ordering yummy deep-fried bananas and pineapples, getting room service at our hotel, relaxing, watching TV, playing games, getting more ice-cream, getting a massage, seeing tons of boy girls, being alarmed by a tarsier, wondering through the crazy streets of Patong on New Year’s Eve looking at all the freaks, and learning who Tom Jones was.  Since we were catching a taxi to the airport at 5:00, we tried to go to sleep a little before midnight.  How silly we were trying to sleep on New Year’s Eve in Patong, Phuket.  While lying in bed, I hear Gangnam Style more than 10 times.  I’m surprised I didn’t have a chubby South Korean dancing in my dreams. 

January 1- Day 13
Departure day.  It’s ridiculous how early you have to get up sometimes to get a morning flight.  This day was no exception.  The New Year’s Eve festivities were just winding down when we hopped into our cab. 
Once arriving in Malaysia, we quickly got a bus to the metro.  Shortly after the bus started pulling away, people started shouting on the bus.  I guess they had left the hatch open.  This sounded silly to me.  I thought about double checking that our backpacks were still there, but obviously, we had gone such a short distance that anyone would have seen a backpack fall out and put it back on.  Obviously.  However, I guess that idea isn’t so obvious for Malaysians as Jan’s pack did fall out, and it wasn’t put back on the bus.  We didn’t have time to wait for the next bus to bring her backpack, so, with faith, we headed into the city to do a little exploring and to get some food. 
We found a lovely food court within the Petronas Towers. There was a juice stand, too.  We got our pictures of us in front of the towers, and then headed back.  If I had thought Phuket was hot, KL was even hotter, especially with our packs on us.  It really turned into a blessing that Jan’s bag had fallen out.  Her back was sore, and it would have been really tiring for her to carry it around.  Thankfully, her pack was at the metro waiting for us to pick it up.  It was like a free baggage storage for us.  How nice.  :)
Now, on to our final destination, Taipei- where delicious desserts and Downton Abbey abounded.