Malaysia and Singapore

I just returned on Sunday evening from about 10 days of traveling in Malaysia and Singapore. Claire and I flew from Krabi to Kuala Lumpur, where we spent our first 3 days. It was a little strange to be back in a huge city after being only in small towns and islands, but it was nice to be surrounded by all the Western amenities. We hit most of the main KL tourist sites. On our first night, we walked around the Berjaya Times Square mall, where there is a huge indoor theme park. We also spent a lot of time wandering around Chinatown, where you can find any kind of fake designer purse, shoes, sunglasses, etc. We did some shopping in the KLCC mall, which has more high-end shops, and saw the Petronas Twin Towers, once the tallest buildings in the world. Although we did not go up to the sky bridge of the Twin Towers, we did go to the top of the KL Tower, a telecommunications tower that provides an even better view of the whole city. We also visited the Batu Caves, which is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India. We climbed the 272 steps to get to the top, where there are beautiful limestone caves and temples. It was really neat.

After KL, we took a 5 hour bus ride to Singapore. I really enjoyed Singapore. It is a very beautiful city, very clean, and not run down at all like many of the other major Asian cities. On our first night there, we did the Night Safari, which is one of Singapore's most popular attractions. It is the world's first night zoo, and you have the opportunity to see hundreds of nocturnal animals, which was really neat. We also visited the Singapore Zoo (a regular daytime zoo) a few days later, and it was probably the most beautiful and natural zoo I have been to. I took at least a hundred animal pictures. And of course we couldn't skip Universal Studios Singapore, which actually just opened a few months ago. It was really fun, and we almost felt like we were back in the States. We also spent some time just exploring the city and even did a scooter tour of the city led by a local guide. On our last night there, we went to the 70th floor of a well-known hotel, where there is a very swanky bar at the top with wonderful views of the whole city (see picture below), and we ended the night with the infamous Singapore Sling cocktail!

Claire's travels ended in Singapore, and she is now back in the States. After she left, I took a night bus from Singapore to Penang, a Malaysian island just south of Thailand. I stayed on the main tourist beach, Batu Ferringhi, and spent most of my time laying out at the pool at this beautiful resort hotel near my guesthouse. The sunset on the beach was also amazing.

I am back in Krabi now and have only 16 days left here! It's amazing how the time flies!

Koh Samui and Koh Phangan

What an incredible week! Last Tuesday, Claire and I took a bus to the eastern side of the peninsula, then got on a ferry to the island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. Samui is a huge island, and we stayed on Chaweng Beach, which is the most beautiful (and touristy) beach. On Wednesday, we took a day trip to the Ang Thong Marine Park, which is a collection of 42 islands with beautiful limestone cliffs, caves, rain forests, and beaches. Since it is a national park, it is very well preserved and appears mostly untouched by tourism. We were able to go kayaking and explore some of the hiking trails on the islands. We also made the 500 meter trek to the viewpoint at the top of the mountain on one of the islands. It was incredibly difficult - we literally had to climb on the rock-face of cliffs with only a rope to hold onto, but it was definitely worth it once we made it to the top, where you can see almost all of the Ang Thong islands.

On Thursday evening, we took a boat from Samui to the island of Koh Phangan. Since we arrived for the weekend of the infamous Full Moon Party, Phangan was packed with tourists, all in the 20-30 age group. We stayed on Haad Rin, which is the beach where the party is held, at a great resort with a beautiful pool, so that's where we spent most of our time. There were also endless shops and restaurants to appease the flocks of Western tourists. The Full Moon Party was on Saturday night, and it was pretty much as wild as the stories you hear, but it was a lot of fun and definitely an unforgettable night. I painted an American flag on my shirt since the U.S. v Ghana game was that night - a U.S. win was the only thing that could have made the night better!

This week, I am back in Krabi teaching, and then Claire and I fly to Kuala Lumpur on Friday. We will spend a few days there and then go to Singapore for the rest of the week.

Phi Phi Islands, Rafting and Elephant Trekking

It's been an exciting past few days! Claire and I spent the weekend on Phi Phi island, which is about 1 1/2 hours from Krabi by boat. On Friday we went on a snorkeling trip around the islands. We visited Maya Bay (where the movie The Beach was filmed - see 1st picture below), Viking Cave, and several other snorkel sites. Everything was very beautiful, and the water was amazingly blue and clear, so we saw tons of cool fish and coral. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing on Phi Phi. It was much bigger and busier than Railay, with many more shops, restaurants, and guesthouses, but it still wasn't too crowded since it is the low season here. We went on a long trek through a very jungly area of the island to get to Long Beach, which is Phi Phi's most famous and beautiful beach (2nd picture below).

Today, Claire and I went on a white water rafting and elephant trekking day trip. The river where we rafted was about 1 1/2 hours north of Krabi in a national park area. I hadn't been rafting in a long time, and it was fun to have the experience in a different country and new environment. Unfortunately though, we had our first real spell of the rainy season, and it rained for most of the afternoon, so we had to carry umbrellas while elephant trekking. It was still a really neat experience though, and it was something I really wanted to do while in Thailand. We ended the day by getting to watch an elephant show and monkey show!

Tomorrow we will take a bus to the eastern side of the peninsula, where we will spend the rest of the week island-hopping around Koh Samui, Koh Thao, and Koh Phangan!

Railay Beach

I spent the weekend in Railay beach with Claire and several other volunteers. Railay is on a peninsula about 45 minutes away from Krabi town and is accessible only by long-tail boat. It is a really beautiful place, surrounded by huge limestone cliffs, lush gardens, and palm trees. Although Railay is touristy and houses many resorts, it was not very crowded, and at times, it felt like we had the whole beach completely to ourselves. We stayed in a rustic bungalow resort that felt like something out of Swiss Family Robinson. We were very fortunate to have great weather, with no rain, so we enjoyed a lot of swimming and beach time. The sunset on Railay West was one of the most beautiful I have seen.

My favorite part of the weekend was our rock-climbing experience. Railay is famous for its massive limestone cliffs that are perfect for rock-climbing. It was my first time doing outdoor climbing on an actual cliff, and although it was difficult, it was a lot of fun. We spent a half-day climbing several sections of a cliff, and the views from the top were amazing. We were all very sore the next day, but it was definitely worth it!

First Week in Krabi

Claire and I arrived in Krabi on Sunday evening after a short stopover in Phuket. From what I can tell so far, Krabi town is small, but it is nice and not too touristy. The town is very walkable, and it has some small shops, many 7-eleven's, and several good restaurants and bars. I'm really enjoying most of the traditional Thai food, and I'm slowly trying to venture out from the basic fried rice and pad thai.

Claire and I are living in the Openmind volunteer house in Krabi with 2 other volunteers. Although the house is small, it is nicer than I had expected. Claire and I share one large mattress in the one bedroom of the house, and the other volunteers sleep on bamboo beds in the living room. We don't have AC, but we do have several fans, so it hasn't been too bad at night. The worst part about the house is the bugs. There are bugs everywhere, mainly ants, and they are in our food, our beds, even in my computer. It will take some getting used to!

Claire and I teach English at a predominantly Muslim primary school in a small village about 20 minutes outside of Krabi town. We teach kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, and Claire and I are completely on our own in the classroom, without a teacher there to help translate or discipline the kids, which they desperately need. The kids are so sweet and friendly, but they can be hard to control and it's been difficult to try to teach English to students so young. It will be a learning experience for all of us!

This afternoon Claire and I went to Wat Tham Seu (Tiger Cave Temple), which is one of Krabi's most famous and unique attractions. We climbed the 1237 steps up to the top - probably one of the hardest things I've done in my life. At the peak, we were rewarded with great views of the area looking out to the sea and gilded Buddha statues. The walk down was less difficult, although I fell at one of the steepest parts and slid down several steps, but luckily Claire caught me or else I would have continued on down. This should be no surprise to those who know me well!

This weekend, all the volunteers in Krabi are taking a trip to a nearby beach called Railay, which is most famous for its rockclimbing. I haven't had any beach time yet, so I'm looking forward to a relaxing, hopefully sun-filled weekend!

Cross Cultural Training

I just completed 3 days of cross-cultural training at the Openmind volunteer house in Nong Khai, so now I am a certified volunteer (and hopefully ready to teach)! Although it was a very busy and intense 3 days, the training was very helpful and useful, and I feel like I learned a lot. We spent many hours going over basic Thai vocabulary and useful phrases, so now I have at least some ability to speak and communicate. We also visited several of the main cultural sites in Nong Khai. We took a tour of the Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park, a very strange but interesting collection of huge sculptures depicting Buddhist and Hindu images. We also went shopping at the Indo-China market, where you can buy just about anything. I even used some of my newly-acquired Thai to barter with the shopkeepers there, and it worked! My favorite activity was our cooking lesson. We were taught how to prepare several traditional Thai dishes, including fried rice, "som tum" (papaya salad), and chicken curry, and then enjoyed a welcome dinner and ceremony with all of the volunteers, Thai instructors and staff. The most interesting part of that evening was the dance performance by a group of Ladyboys - male transvestites promiscuously dressed as women. Apparently, it is a very well-respected type of dance in Thailand, especially as a greeting to visitors. It was very entertaining.

I have really enjoyed getting to know the other volunteers and Thai staff here. The volunteers are from all over the world- a couple from the U.S., and some from Scotland, Sweden, England, France, and Singapore. The Thai people have also been very interesting to talk with. Most of the language trainers have been Thai university students studying English, and they are extremely kind and helpful. My impression so far is that the Thai's are probably the most considerate culture I have ever been around. They are always smiling!

I leave Nong Khai today to fly down to the south of Thailand, where my placement will be in the town of Krabi. I have heard that northeast Thailand is very different from the south, so I am interested to see how Krabi will compare to Nong Khai. I begin teaching on Monday!

Photos from Nong Khai

Here are some photos from the Mut Mee Guesthouse where we stayed in Nong Khai! Claire and I stayed in the room below - complete with a mosquito net over our bed. We ate breakfast and dinner each day on the garden patio with a view overlooking the Mekong River. It was very peaceful and relaxing, and the sunset was amazing!