Sunday, March 30, 2008
Last set of pictures: Bankok Today
I didn't take too many pictures today... here's what I have... (all taken in Chinatown)
Tap Into Thailand Intrepid Tour Pictures
Here are a few pictures from my intrepid tour... more are on my picasa picture site...
First night in Bangkok:
Reclining Buddha
On the train to Chiang Mai (Kara and Sarah):
At the Monkey farm
Somewhere in Chiang Mai
This was right near the waterfall we went to... He got about 20 feet up and then came back down (these are the porters and the guide for our tour). I gave it a try too (my fingers were peeling from the lack of climbing in the last couple of weeks so it felt good to work off a little excess skin) I didn't get very far though.
Almost at the first village:
Our camp's kitchen:
Our room:
Feeding the elephant:
View from up top:
This is in the second village. The kids were very camera shy but giving them little gifts like temporary tattoos brought them out of their shells a little.
opium and pigs
watching an intense soccer game
mmmm... dessert is served!
Sunrise over the village
Back in Chiang Mai (Anna, Kara, Sarah, Scott and Garrett)
First night in Bangkok:
Reclining Buddha
On the train to Chiang Mai (Kara and Sarah):
At the Monkey farm
Somewhere in Chiang Mai
This was right near the waterfall we went to... He got about 20 feet up and then came back down (these are the porters and the guide for our tour). I gave it a try too (my fingers were peeling from the lack of climbing in the last couple of weeks so it felt good to work off a little excess skin) I didn't get very far though.
Almost at the first village:
Our camp's kitchen:
Our room:
Feeding the elephant:
View from up top:
This is in the second village. The kids were very camera shy but giving them little gifts like temporary tattoos brought them out of their shells a little.
opium and pigs
watching an intense soccer game
mmmm... dessert is served!
Sunrise over the village
Back in Chiang Mai (Anna, Kara, Sarah, Scott and Garrett)
Hong Kong Pictures...
I finally spent some time today getting pictures onto the intarweb for you guys.
I've been feeling sick for the last two days... it started with digestive issues which now have me on high alert when it comes to street foods (there's a lot of street food here and it's pretty good)... and then it turned into a runny nose and headache.
I took the overnight train back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai last night and didn't sleep well at all. At one point I actually thought I had a fever because it got so hot (I then realized that in an attempt to keep out the train's lights, I'd essentially boxed myself in and was running out of fresh air - hence the unbearable heat). I ended up finally giving up at 3:30am and listening to the Eckhart Tolle book that Peter gave me. Thanks Peter - I've been enjoying it quite a bit. It's funny and kind of cool because I'd been reading a book of his lately (I left it at home though).
After walking around this afternoon and shopping a bit with Anna (a girl I met on the tour) I opted to go back to the hotel and sleep for a bit... I woke up a few hours later and here I am! I've also taken some meds to help clear up my sinuses... I think they're kind of helping. The headache seems to be gone. I'm thinking maybe this is pollution related... hopefully it'll be gone when I get to Phuket tomorrow.
I'm starting to think that I don't really like Bangkok... people here (locals) seem much more high strung than the other places I've visited in Thailand. It seems like you constantly have to be on guard for scams here... they're everywhere and it really is starting to wear on me.
Okay... enough talk... pictures... (thanks again Jeremy for your help on this one... I've got it down to a science now and also found a better internet cafe (cheaper, faster and right near my hotel) and where I can upload the pics to picasa using the picasa app.)
The Hong Kong MTR at 7am:
Victoria Peak at 7:15am on a hazy day:
Cool buildings:
Graham Street:
Eating at the nightmarket:
Star Ferry on the way back to Hong Kong Island:
It was really humid in Hong Kong so my hair was all over the place when I first got there:
Definitely alive:
This is both a picture of my room and of my hair after I've managed to tame it (notice, there's a full length mirror if you lay down on the bed? also, the bathroom has a window to the bed in it... very interesting...)
Sunday in Hong Kong:
I have more Hong Kong pictures (better ones) which I will post some other time... My Hong Kong memory card is pretty full so creating copies of the pictures on the card requires me to work on them in batches...
I've been feeling sick for the last two days... it started with digestive issues which now have me on high alert when it comes to street foods (there's a lot of street food here and it's pretty good)... and then it turned into a runny nose and headache.
I took the overnight train back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai last night and didn't sleep well at all. At one point I actually thought I had a fever because it got so hot (I then realized that in an attempt to keep out the train's lights, I'd essentially boxed myself in and was running out of fresh air - hence the unbearable heat). I ended up finally giving up at 3:30am and listening to the Eckhart Tolle book that Peter gave me. Thanks Peter - I've been enjoying it quite a bit. It's funny and kind of cool because I'd been reading a book of his lately (I left it at home though).
After walking around this afternoon and shopping a bit with Anna (a girl I met on the tour) I opted to go back to the hotel and sleep for a bit... I woke up a few hours later and here I am! I've also taken some meds to help clear up my sinuses... I think they're kind of helping. The headache seems to be gone. I'm thinking maybe this is pollution related... hopefully it'll be gone when I get to Phuket tomorrow.
I'm starting to think that I don't really like Bangkok... people here (locals) seem much more high strung than the other places I've visited in Thailand. It seems like you constantly have to be on guard for scams here... they're everywhere and it really is starting to wear on me.
Okay... enough talk... pictures... (thanks again Jeremy for your help on this one... I've got it down to a science now and also found a better internet cafe (cheaper, faster and right near my hotel) and where I can upload the pics to picasa using the picasa app.)
The Hong Kong MTR at 7am:
Victoria Peak at 7:15am on a hazy day:
Cool buildings:
Graham Street:
Eating at the nightmarket:
Star Ferry on the way back to Hong Kong Island:
It was really humid in Hong Kong so my hair was all over the place when I first got there:
Definitely alive:
This is both a picture of my room and of my hair after I've managed to tame it (notice, there's a full length mirror if you lay down on the bed? also, the bathroom has a window to the bed in it... very interesting...)
Sunday in Hong Kong:
I have more Hong Kong pictures (better ones) which I will post some other time... My Hong Kong memory card is pretty full so creating copies of the pictures on the card requires me to work on them in batches...
Saturday, March 29, 2008
observations on Thailand
Here are some of the observations I've made so far from my trip to Thailand:
1. The food is amazing. I haven't had a bad meal yet.
2. Squat toilets are really nothing to worry about... in fact I can see why people would say that they're more sanitary than western toilets. I mastered it quickly once I got over the fear of slipping into the hole. That being said, I wouldn't want to be sick and have to use one.
3. It's hot but not unbearable (at least not in Chiang Mai). It's a dry kind of heat.
4. The people are really nice.
5. Everything is very inexpensive - I've been living large for the last few days and have bought a lot of small little things for what is pennies. I can't fit much in my bag anymore... so I have to slow the buying down.
6. Internal flights are very cheap too. It's very easy to get from point A to point B no matter where you are.
7. You can bargain people down... and then you just start to feel bad because you realize that a hundred Baht are really just worth about $3 each... $3 isn't that much back home, it's a lot more here.
8. Did I say that people are really nice?
I'm having a great time. I've booked the next part of my trip - Phuket Island! I gotta go now though - the internet's run out!
1. The food is amazing. I haven't had a bad meal yet.
2. Squat toilets are really nothing to worry about... in fact I can see why people would say that they're more sanitary than western toilets. I mastered it quickly once I got over the fear of slipping into the hole. That being said, I wouldn't want to be sick and have to use one.
3. It's hot but not unbearable (at least not in Chiang Mai). It's a dry kind of heat.
4. The people are really nice.
5. Everything is very inexpensive - I've been living large for the last few days and have bought a lot of small little things for what is pennies. I can't fit much in my bag anymore... so I have to slow the buying down.
6. Internal flights are very cheap too. It's very easy to get from point A to point B no matter where you are.
7. You can bargain people down... and then you just start to feel bad because you realize that a hundred Baht are really just worth about $3 each... $3 isn't that much back home, it's a lot more here.
8. Did I say that people are really nice?
I'm having a great time. I've booked the next part of my trip - Phuket Island! I gotta go now though - the internet's run out!
Friday, March 28, 2008
back from the jungle
I'm back.
I don't even know where to start...
The last three days have been amazing. I never expected so much from this little tour that I booked.
Two days ago we set off on a journey into the hills north of Chiang Mai. We started our trip at a waterfall and then hiked 2 hours into the jungle. The walk was pretty intense and started to worry some of the people in the tour. It was essentially really bad single track. Very much off-camber, dry and uneven. It reminded me of some of the mountain biking I've done... but worse. We arrived into the town at dusk.
The town (I don't remember the name off the top of my head) has a population of about 270 people. We walked around a bit but it got dark quickly and with very very limited electricity we couldn't do much more than feel our way back to our camp. We spent the evening with some local people who talked to us (as much as they could) and played games with them.
Day 2 started with an early morning after what must've been the worst sleep I've had all trip long. I was terribly uncomfortable (my sleeping bag was much too small, my pillow was hard, I was on the floor, and I was cold)... And surprisingly, this town was VERY noisy at night. Farm animals roam around freely and make noise all night long. I completely forgot that I had my earplugs... We got woken up at 7am by our leader and left on our trek up to the next village at 8:30am. We walked for 4 hours straight. It was very hilly terrain but amazing. Our first stop was an elephant camp. We played with the elephants and fed them for about an hour and then jumped on and they brought us through the hills to our next village. The elephant ride was insane. I was totally freaked out going down hills, white knuckling anything I could grab onto at first. I tried to remember what the guide had told us "trust the elephant - it knows exactly where to step and won't fall down the hill" and that really helped... But still... it was pretty freaky but again totally amazing.
By far the highest point of our jungle journey for myself was arriving into the small town yesterday, jumping into the river, watching the boys play with the village children in the water and then going out to meet the children and give them little gifts we had brought them (I brought them these funky pencils that I used to love when I was a kid.) The kids were really happy and followed us around the town all evening. The guys got to play soccer with the men from the town in a 16 against 16 game of soccer (it was hard to follow and there was only one goal the entire game).
We played some games yesterday night again and drank some of the town's moonshine (rice whiskey which wasn't bad but got us all really really drunk). We got really rowdy too - the poor little town mustn't like us very much after last night. I also tried my first cicada... It wasn't bad actually.
Today was a little more low-key. We took a bamboo raft down the river most of the way back to Chiang Mai (4 hours of sitting / standing in water). I'm glad to be back at the hotel in dry clothes. Driving back into the city made me realize just how polluted it is here - there was a definite change in air quality as we drove in. The hill tribes definitely have cleaner air than in the cities here.
I think it's pretty obvious that I had an amazing time.
The walking gave me a lot of time to think. Watching the way these people live has really left an impression on me. I can't put into words most of what I've experienced in the last three days and my describing the events really doesn't do any of the trek justice.
Now... one thing I want to talk about is the people I've been doing this tour with. Most of them are really great and we get along pretty well. There is this one guy though that just rubs me the wrong way. I mean to the point where I was hoping he'd fall out of the back of the truck today. He was one of the first people I met from the tour and even the first night we went out drinking together I knew he'd be a problem - I had to tell him to stop touching me three times the first night I met him because he would do these things that were just really irritating (like poke my ribs or something along those lines). Last night I almost whacked him really hard when he touched my leg (as part of a game we were playing) in this really annoying way (I again had to tell him to not do that.) I've noticed he does this with all the girls and I think a few of them are equally irritated. Luckily the group is large enough that it's easy to get away from him but still... sometimes you just end up having to sit next to him and good lord it's painful.
Anyway, I need to shower (i know, I know I should've showered before writing but my roommate's in the shower right now).
Tomorrow I visit Chiang Mai some more and then back to Bangkok! I still don't know what I'm doing next week... eek! I need to decide that soon!
I don't even know where to start...
The last three days have been amazing. I never expected so much from this little tour that I booked.
Two days ago we set off on a journey into the hills north of Chiang Mai. We started our trip at a waterfall and then hiked 2 hours into the jungle. The walk was pretty intense and started to worry some of the people in the tour. It was essentially really bad single track. Very much off-camber, dry and uneven. It reminded me of some of the mountain biking I've done... but worse. We arrived into the town at dusk.
The town (I don't remember the name off the top of my head) has a population of about 270 people. We walked around a bit but it got dark quickly and with very very limited electricity we couldn't do much more than feel our way back to our camp. We spent the evening with some local people who talked to us (as much as they could) and played games with them.
Day 2 started with an early morning after what must've been the worst sleep I've had all trip long. I was terribly uncomfortable (my sleeping bag was much too small, my pillow was hard, I was on the floor, and I was cold)... And surprisingly, this town was VERY noisy at night. Farm animals roam around freely and make noise all night long. I completely forgot that I had my earplugs... We got woken up at 7am by our leader and left on our trek up to the next village at 8:30am. We walked for 4 hours straight. It was very hilly terrain but amazing. Our first stop was an elephant camp. We played with the elephants and fed them for about an hour and then jumped on and they brought us through the hills to our next village. The elephant ride was insane. I was totally freaked out going down hills, white knuckling anything I could grab onto at first. I tried to remember what the guide had told us "trust the elephant - it knows exactly where to step and won't fall down the hill" and that really helped... But still... it was pretty freaky but again totally amazing.
By far the highest point of our jungle journey for myself was arriving into the small town yesterday, jumping into the river, watching the boys play with the village children in the water and then going out to meet the children and give them little gifts we had brought them (I brought them these funky pencils that I used to love when I was a kid.) The kids were really happy and followed us around the town all evening. The guys got to play soccer with the men from the town in a 16 against 16 game of soccer (it was hard to follow and there was only one goal the entire game).
We played some games yesterday night again and drank some of the town's moonshine (rice whiskey which wasn't bad but got us all really really drunk). We got really rowdy too - the poor little town mustn't like us very much after last night. I also tried my first cicada... It wasn't bad actually.
Today was a little more low-key. We took a bamboo raft down the river most of the way back to Chiang Mai (4 hours of sitting / standing in water). I'm glad to be back at the hotel in dry clothes. Driving back into the city made me realize just how polluted it is here - there was a definite change in air quality as we drove in. The hill tribes definitely have cleaner air than in the cities here.
I think it's pretty obvious that I had an amazing time.
The walking gave me a lot of time to think. Watching the way these people live has really left an impression on me. I can't put into words most of what I've experienced in the last three days and my describing the events really doesn't do any of the trek justice.
Now... one thing I want to talk about is the people I've been doing this tour with. Most of them are really great and we get along pretty well. There is this one guy though that just rubs me the wrong way. I mean to the point where I was hoping he'd fall out of the back of the truck today. He was one of the first people I met from the tour and even the first night we went out drinking together I knew he'd be a problem - I had to tell him to stop touching me three times the first night I met him because he would do these things that were just really irritating (like poke my ribs or something along those lines). Last night I almost whacked him really hard when he touched my leg (as part of a game we were playing) in this really annoying way (I again had to tell him to not do that.) I've noticed he does this with all the girls and I think a few of them are equally irritated. Luckily the group is large enough that it's easy to get away from him but still... sometimes you just end up having to sit next to him and good lord it's painful.
Anyway, I need to shower (i know, I know I should've showered before writing but my roommate's in the shower right now).
Tomorrow I visit Chiang Mai some more and then back to Bangkok! I still don't know what I'm doing next week... eek! I need to decide that soon!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Chiang Mai (again)
I just noticed that I didn't actually talk about Chiang Mai very much in my last post... It's probably because I really haven't spent much time in the city.
Last night we went out for dinner at the night market and I had something amazing to eat (some form of basil chicken) - very spicy but not so spicy that I had trouble eating it (my mouth was on fire by the end of the meal though). I find it funny that some people in my group really cannot eat any spicy food. Also, there's this whole 'macho' thing happening with the guys (there are 4 guys who are about 24 years old who keep trying to show each other up) where they force each other to eat things that they think are hot. It's pretty funny to watch them do this as they look like complete fools doing it (I think only one of them can eat spicy food - the others are just wimps trying to act tough and who in some cases end up crying after eating a hot pepper). For some reason the girls are excluded from this competition (I have a feeling I could out-spice the 3 of them, maybe even the fourth!)
Anyway, my food was really good... Actually, in general the food here has been really good. After dinner, we (the girls from the tour) walked through the night market and found ourselves some sarongs for the hike (we were told that we needed these in the villages - I don't even know how to put it on but whatever, I can use it as a sheet if need be!)
I'm looking forward to coming back here. Chiang Mai looks much more interesting than Bangkok did to me. I want to go back to Bangkok and see a few things that I didn't get the chance to visit. I still don't know what I'll be doing between the end of the tour and when Ryan meets up with me. I'm thinking of maybe flying down to Singapore... but at the same time I wouldn't mind spending a little more time just discovering what there is in Thailand. I think it'll all depend on how well the tour goes and how I'm feeling once it's done. So far I've really been enjoying the pace of this trip - I haven't been feeling too rushed to do or see anything.
That's it for the next little while. I'll be back in a few days.
Last night we went out for dinner at the night market and I had something amazing to eat (some form of basil chicken) - very spicy but not so spicy that I had trouble eating it (my mouth was on fire by the end of the meal though). I find it funny that some people in my group really cannot eat any spicy food. Also, there's this whole 'macho' thing happening with the guys (there are 4 guys who are about 24 years old who keep trying to show each other up) where they force each other to eat things that they think are hot. It's pretty funny to watch them do this as they look like complete fools doing it (I think only one of them can eat spicy food - the others are just wimps trying to act tough and who in some cases end up crying after eating a hot pepper). For some reason the girls are excluded from this competition (I have a feeling I could out-spice the 3 of them, maybe even the fourth!)
Anyway, my food was really good... Actually, in general the food here has been really good. After dinner, we (the girls from the tour) walked through the night market and found ourselves some sarongs for the hike (we were told that we needed these in the villages - I don't even know how to put it on but whatever, I can use it as a sheet if need be!)
I'm looking forward to coming back here. Chiang Mai looks much more interesting than Bangkok did to me. I want to go back to Bangkok and see a few things that I didn't get the chance to visit. I still don't know what I'll be doing between the end of the tour and when Ryan meets up with me. I'm thinking of maybe flying down to Singapore... but at the same time I wouldn't mind spending a little more time just discovering what there is in Thailand. I think it'll all depend on how well the tour goes and how I'm feeling once it's done. So far I've really been enjoying the pace of this trip - I haven't been feeling too rushed to do or see anything.
That's it for the next little while. I'll be back in a few days.
Chiang Mai
My tour has begun. I haven't been able to get near a computer since a quick e-mail check yesterday morning before heading off for a day of sight-seeing in Bangkok.
I'm not quite sure what I think of Bangkok yet. I'm going back once my tour is over and will do some more sightseeing before I decide on what to do next. We spent the first night (my roommate and two guys from the tour) on Kao San road and then went to a bar where there was some 'live' music. The band(s) all played covers of all of your classic American rock songs. And apparently Zombie by the Cranberries is quite popular (we heard it more than once at the same place.) Maybe we just stayed at that one place too long?
As I said yesterday we spent sightseeing in Bangkok. I really enjoyed the temples (saw the reclining buddha and the emerald buddha). Then we hopped on an overnight train to Chiang Mai. The train was fun at first... That could've been a result of the 'Whiskey' (rum) the girls were sharing. By the time it was 'lights out' (let me tell you the lights don't go out in the train) the guys were pretty drunk roaming up and down the train looking for a 'party'. Unfortunately our group was 'the party'. I was in the top bunk and the fear of falling down was pretty bad... especially when one of the guys in our tour fell off of his (again, they were drunk). The train ride was bumpy and stopped repeatedly throughout the night. The lights never went off so I slept next to a fluorescent bulb all night clutching onto my backpack (this was recommended by the guide). It was all good but let me tell you I was happy to get off that train!
The tour has been lots of fun so far. Everyone's about the same age (one guy is a little older and then there are 4 girls and 4 guys in their 20s) and wants to do the same activities so it's working out nicely. I'm really getting along well with my roommate which makes things easier too. Our guide reminds me so much of a friend I went to University with (he's also from Thailand)... Their expressions and maneurisms are just so similar it's kind of strange.
Today we went and did a Thai cooking class and I have to say that for once I cooked something that 1) wasn't grey, 2) was easy to prepare, and 3) tasted awesome (if I may say so myself). We made green curry, tom yum soup (oh my god, this was amazing!), deep fried bananas and pad thai. I'm not really into the cooking thing but this was really quite fun.
We also went to a monkey farm which was more depressing than anything. All the monkeys were tied up or in cages... I found myself sitting next to a cage with a monkey holding onto my hand, all sad-looking as he tried to get as close to me as possible (as soon as he grabbed hold of my hand he calmed right down and huddled into the corner nearest to me.) It was kind of disturbing.
I'm about to leave on my jungle trek and won't be near a computer for the next 3 days... I hope everyone's doing well and I'll write again as soon as I have a few minutes to spare.
I'm not quite sure what I think of Bangkok yet. I'm going back once my tour is over and will do some more sightseeing before I decide on what to do next. We spent the first night (my roommate and two guys from the tour) on Kao San road and then went to a bar where there was some 'live' music. The band(s) all played covers of all of your classic American rock songs. And apparently Zombie by the Cranberries is quite popular (we heard it more than once at the same place.) Maybe we just stayed at that one place too long?
As I said yesterday we spent sightseeing in Bangkok. I really enjoyed the temples (saw the reclining buddha and the emerald buddha). Then we hopped on an overnight train to Chiang Mai. The train was fun at first... That could've been a result of the 'Whiskey' (rum) the girls were sharing. By the time it was 'lights out' (let me tell you the lights don't go out in the train) the guys were pretty drunk roaming up and down the train looking for a 'party'. Unfortunately our group was 'the party'. I was in the top bunk and the fear of falling down was pretty bad... especially when one of the guys in our tour fell off of his (again, they were drunk). The train ride was bumpy and stopped repeatedly throughout the night. The lights never went off so I slept next to a fluorescent bulb all night clutching onto my backpack (this was recommended by the guide). It was all good but let me tell you I was happy to get off that train!
The tour has been lots of fun so far. Everyone's about the same age (one guy is a little older and then there are 4 girls and 4 guys in their 20s) and wants to do the same activities so it's working out nicely. I'm really getting along well with my roommate which makes things easier too. Our guide reminds me so much of a friend I went to University with (he's also from Thailand)... Their expressions and maneurisms are just so similar it's kind of strange.
Today we went and did a Thai cooking class and I have to say that for once I cooked something that 1) wasn't grey, 2) was easy to prepare, and 3) tasted awesome (if I may say so myself). We made green curry, tom yum soup (oh my god, this was amazing!), deep fried bananas and pad thai. I'm not really into the cooking thing but this was really quite fun.
We also went to a monkey farm which was more depressing than anything. All the monkeys were tied up or in cages... I found myself sitting next to a cage with a monkey holding onto my hand, all sad-looking as he tried to get as close to me as possible (as soon as he grabbed hold of my hand he calmed right down and huddled into the corner nearest to me.) It was kind of disturbing.
I'm about to leave on my jungle trek and won't be near a computer for the next 3 days... I hope everyone's doing well and I'll write again as soon as I have a few minutes to spare.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
an amazing day
Wow. I've had an amazing morning / early afternoon.
I'm not sure what made it so amazing but it was amazing.
Walked over to Central then decided to take the Star Ferry across to Kowloon (it's cheap and my 3-day MTR pass has run out. I put on some Monolake (ironically - maybe not ironic, more cheesy - i put on the Hong Kong EP (Index is amazing!)) and listened to it as I crosses across...
This was followed by random walking near Nathan Road (but not on Nathan Road) and stumbling on small street markets everywhere with tons of people doing their shopping. Amazing. I saw some crazy stuff today. I tried to take pictures (I'm slowly getting a little more daring with the camera but I'm still pretty shy with it). I stumbled upong the Jade market (I had very little interest in going to it but it was kind of starting to rain so I walked around in it a bit...)
At this point I was listening to James Holden's At the Controls which I find is really growing on me - I wasn't sure about this CD until I started listening to it again recently and it seems to make so much more sense to me now than ever. I'm kind of strange with music I guess - a good song at the perfect moment can make my day. Today was all about good songs for me I guess. And I really found that it helped me take in the city a little more without getting distracted by the endless people trying to sell me things.
I ended up finding what i'm going to call the 'perfect' pair of shoes. THEY BETTER BE PERFECT! They're Merrells (surprise surprise! I can almost hear both Ryans sighing...) They were reasonably priced, very light and airy and should be perfect for the heat in Thailand and what seems to be my love for walking. This was followed by me buying an 8GB SD card for my camera (yay for cheap memory!) All the while Do Make Say Think was playing in my ears.
I'm so happy right now. I wish I could post pictures. :( i have so many right now... I want to share them... but there's no way for me to do it from here...
It's pouring outside... there are no internet cafes anywhere nearby... what's a girl to do? maybe go shopping some more?
I'm not sure what made it so amazing but it was amazing.
Walked over to Central then decided to take the Star Ferry across to Kowloon (it's cheap and my 3-day MTR pass has run out. I put on some Monolake (ironically - maybe not ironic, more cheesy - i put on the Hong Kong EP (Index is amazing!)) and listened to it as I crosses across...
This was followed by random walking near Nathan Road (but not on Nathan Road) and stumbling on small street markets everywhere with tons of people doing their shopping. Amazing. I saw some crazy stuff today. I tried to take pictures (I'm slowly getting a little more daring with the camera but I'm still pretty shy with it). I stumbled upong the Jade market (I had very little interest in going to it but it was kind of starting to rain so I walked around in it a bit...)
At this point I was listening to James Holden's At the Controls which I find is really growing on me - I wasn't sure about this CD until I started listening to it again recently and it seems to make so much more sense to me now than ever. I'm kind of strange with music I guess - a good song at the perfect moment can make my day. Today was all about good songs for me I guess. And I really found that it helped me take in the city a little more without getting distracted by the endless people trying to sell me things.
I ended up finding what i'm going to call the 'perfect' pair of shoes. THEY BETTER BE PERFECT! They're Merrells (surprise surprise! I can almost hear both Ryans sighing...) They were reasonably priced, very light and airy and should be perfect for the heat in Thailand and what seems to be my love for walking. This was followed by me buying an 8GB SD card for my camera (yay for cheap memory!) All the while Do Make Say Think was playing in my ears.
I'm so happy right now. I wish I could post pictures. :( i have so many right now... I want to share them... but there's no way for me to do it from here...
It's pouring outside... there are no internet cafes anywhere nearby... what's a girl to do? maybe go shopping some more?
Friday, March 21, 2008
a day in the world of my feet
my poor poor feet.
Yesterday started out slow... my feet and legs were killing me so I decided to 'take it easy'. I walked up Graham Street (what can I say, I like that street!) and then found some breakfast somewhere (nothing memorable really). The streets were quiet... eerily so.
And then I clued into it being Easter! Goodness, I'm not up on my religious holidays apparently! Anyway, the streets were pretty quiet. I ended up walking around looking in small stores and doing some window shopping. My feet were so sore though... So I decided to look for shoes... and where else to look for shoes than near Mong Kok... so off I went. My search was pretty short lived (I walked around for about an hour at a snail's pace trying not to make the blisters on my feet any worse.) Most places were closed and it was very quiet. I then came back to Hong Kong Island finished up some shopping (got a new jacket, a shirt, a purse-type thing, and some gel to keep the hair somewhat under control - all for under $50).
At this point my feet were screaming and I had to stop because I was going out at night. So I went back to the hotel room and just laid down with my feet up for 3 hours, reading, sleeping and listening to some tunes. This really helped get my feet back into shape and I felt so much better after doing this - it was also kind of nice to just relax for a bit.
I met up with my friend who happened to be here on business. She is staying at one of the nicer hotels here - the Island Shangri-la. The hotel is amazing, she's on the 42nd floor and has jaw-dropping views of the city. And her room is bigger than a shoebox! In fact, I think my room could fit in her bathroom!
I brought her to a place that supposedly serves Dim Sum but we quickly found out that they only serve dim sum at lunch (BOOO HISSS!) We stayed and realized that the restaurant was quite good (very good actually!) and definitely worth staying for. We then went out to Yumla for some drinks. The music was pretty good (the DJ couldn't mix for the life of him though!) Kind of a mix of all kinds of stuff - hip hop, breaks, electro and some techno but it worked well. We stayed a little late and I missed the last train... luckily enough i'm about a 10 minute walk from Yumla so it was all good!
Today - not sure what's in the plans yet... I really should get some shoes before I do my 'hilltribe trek'. There is no way my feet are going to survive in these shitty shoes. Also... I want some memory for my camera. Other than that, I don't know... we'll see what the day has in store for me.
I really like hong kong. It's got this weird feel to it. In some ways it really reminds me of New York (I love new york!) - fast paced, busy yet organized, with many neighbourhoods to discover. At the same time though, there are little pockets of disorganized, dirty and more seedy stuff. It's really pretty cool. The best way I've been able to describe it is New York meets Chinatown which to me seems like an obvious description. I feel like I'm getting comfortable here - that I've seen most of the sights (not all - I'll do some more when Ryan is here - I really want to do Lantau island when we come back) - and that now I'm at a point where I feel comfortable enough that I'm not running around trying to see and do everything anymore. I could spend so much more time here just exploring little things... alas, I leave tomorrow for Bangkok (gulp!) and won't be back here for another two months.
Yesterday started out slow... my feet and legs were killing me so I decided to 'take it easy'. I walked up Graham Street (what can I say, I like that street!) and then found some breakfast somewhere (nothing memorable really). The streets were quiet... eerily so.
And then I clued into it being Easter! Goodness, I'm not up on my religious holidays apparently! Anyway, the streets were pretty quiet. I ended up walking around looking in small stores and doing some window shopping. My feet were so sore though... So I decided to look for shoes... and where else to look for shoes than near Mong Kok... so off I went. My search was pretty short lived (I walked around for about an hour at a snail's pace trying not to make the blisters on my feet any worse.) Most places were closed and it was very quiet. I then came back to Hong Kong Island finished up some shopping (got a new jacket, a shirt, a purse-type thing, and some gel to keep the hair somewhat under control - all for under $50).
At this point my feet were screaming and I had to stop because I was going out at night. So I went back to the hotel room and just laid down with my feet up for 3 hours, reading, sleeping and listening to some tunes. This really helped get my feet back into shape and I felt so much better after doing this - it was also kind of nice to just relax for a bit.
I met up with my friend who happened to be here on business. She is staying at one of the nicer hotels here - the Island Shangri-la. The hotel is amazing, she's on the 42nd floor and has jaw-dropping views of the city. And her room is bigger than a shoebox! In fact, I think my room could fit in her bathroom!
I brought her to a place that supposedly serves Dim Sum but we quickly found out that they only serve dim sum at lunch (BOOO HISSS!) We stayed and realized that the restaurant was quite good (very good actually!) and definitely worth staying for. We then went out to Yumla for some drinks. The music was pretty good (the DJ couldn't mix for the life of him though!) Kind of a mix of all kinds of stuff - hip hop, breaks, electro and some techno but it worked well. We stayed a little late and I missed the last train... luckily enough i'm about a 10 minute walk from Yumla so it was all good!
Today - not sure what's in the plans yet... I really should get some shoes before I do my 'hilltribe trek'. There is no way my feet are going to survive in these shitty shoes. Also... I want some memory for my camera. Other than that, I don't know... we'll see what the day has in store for me.
I really like hong kong. It's got this weird feel to it. In some ways it really reminds me of New York (I love new york!) - fast paced, busy yet organized, with many neighbourhoods to discover. At the same time though, there are little pockets of disorganized, dirty and more seedy stuff. It's really pretty cool. The best way I've been able to describe it is New York meets Chinatown which to me seems like an obvious description. I feel like I'm getting comfortable here - that I've seen most of the sights (not all - I'll do some more when Ryan is here - I really want to do Lantau island when we come back) - and that now I'm at a point where I feel comfortable enough that I'm not running around trying to see and do everything anymore. I could spend so much more time here just exploring little things... alas, I leave tomorrow for Bangkok (gulp!) and won't be back here for another two months.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
i'm up!
I woke up this morning, my feet were still throbbing and now the blisters are visible. Either I'm not wearing the right shoes or I'm walking too much. Regardless my feet are hating me right now. My calves are sore from the up and down of walking down the hill / mountain yesterday and the endless flights of stairs in the MTR stations and it seems like everywhere else - it seems like there are stairs or escalators everywhere in this city!
I'm not sure what to do with my day today. I meet up with a friend I went to High School with this evening and we're going out for dinner and drinks. I still have to pick out a place to eat... drinks are already figured out. I'm thinking maybe some proper dim sum would be good for tonight.
I was thinking of maybe going to an art gallery or something of the sort today but the details of what's happening at the contemporary art gallery are kind of confusing me. Also, the thought of standing up on my feet is tiring me out already. Maybe they have wheelchairs I could just wheel myself around in?
Or I could finish up doing my shopping thing - I don't remember whether or not I posted anything about this yesterday but I'd been looking at very cheap laptops and then started looking at camera lenses. Things seem cheap at first glance but then when thought things through, I'd be better off just buying the stuff when I get home. Memory is cheap here though so I may grab a memory card or two for my camera. Also, maybe i should buy some decent running shoes - maybe that'll help ease the pain in my feet? or maybe i shouldn't be buying anything because I really don't need any of it!
It looks like it's going to be yet another hazy day in Hong Kong. This doesn't bother me too much - in fact it's probably better off that way, I can walk around without worrying too much about the sun. Also, this makes wearing a jacket or sweater much more bearable. As long as it isn't raining this works for me!
Alright, enough stalling. Time to get on with my day. I promise myself not to run around like I did yesterday.
I'm not sure what to do with my day today. I meet up with a friend I went to High School with this evening and we're going out for dinner and drinks. I still have to pick out a place to eat... drinks are already figured out. I'm thinking maybe some proper dim sum would be good for tonight.
I was thinking of maybe going to an art gallery or something of the sort today but the details of what's happening at the contemporary art gallery are kind of confusing me. Also, the thought of standing up on my feet is tiring me out already. Maybe they have wheelchairs I could just wheel myself around in?
Or I could finish up doing my shopping thing - I don't remember whether or not I posted anything about this yesterday but I'd been looking at very cheap laptops and then started looking at camera lenses. Things seem cheap at first glance but then when thought things through, I'd be better off just buying the stuff when I get home. Memory is cheap here though so I may grab a memory card or two for my camera. Also, maybe i should buy some decent running shoes - maybe that'll help ease the pain in my feet? or maybe i shouldn't be buying anything because I really don't need any of it!
It looks like it's going to be yet another hazy day in Hong Kong. This doesn't bother me too much - in fact it's probably better off that way, I can walk around without worrying too much about the sun. Also, this makes wearing a jacket or sweater much more bearable. As long as it isn't raining this works for me!
Alright, enough stalling. Time to get on with my day. I promise myself not to run around like I did yesterday.
Hong Kong - Day 2
I'm exhausted. My feet are throbbing. I'm tired. I just want to go to my room and eat my pocky while reading a book, listening to some of my music and sipping on my orange Fanta.
Yep. That's about as social as I'm feeling right now.
Today was insane. I didn't realize exactly what I had done until I started writing it down on a piece of paper.
It all started at about 5am when I woke up after sleeping 10 hours straight. When's the last time that happened?! Anyway, it was 5am and there was no way I was going back to sleep. I looked out the window and there was no sign of light so I just started reading my guidebook trying to decide on what I'd do today. (I fell asleep at about 7pm last night reading it and slept through the night so didn't have much of a chance to plan anything.)
I decided to hit up Victoria Peak first thing this morning - they open the tram at 7am. I made my way over, the streets were eerily quiet and the MTR was deserted (I have a picture of the empty train I was in - unfortunately I can't quite deal with pictures yet - I need to find an internet cafe and have only seen two so far - both in Kowloon). The Peak tram was pretty ... um... lame to be honest but the views would be quite impressive if it were clear - it's been pretty hazy since I first got here. I walked around up top for a bit and then decided to walk back down. There's a really nice path down the side of the mountain so off I went. At this point it was just before 8am, there were still very few people out - mostly just women walking their dogs and doing their morning exercises.
Honestly, I started writing this thinking I would write about everything I did but it's going to take me forever! I don't have the energy for it right now! So let's go for point form:
- took the mid-level escalator down part of the hill
- stumbled upon Graham Street which was very interesting
- Went to Man Mo temple
- Took the MTR over to Victoria Park to see people doing their morning Tai Chi (this is still before 9am!)
- Visited Tin Hau Temple (near Victoria park - not to be confused with the one in Kowloon)
- Went up to the observation deck in the Bank of China Tower - again, it was hazy so the view wasn't very impressive but at least it was interesting and gave me an idea of what Kowloon looks like from Hong Kong Island.
- Made my way to SOHO for lunch and ate at this little organic place called Life (it made me think of Fresh in Toronto).
- I was so intrigued by Graham street that I just had to go back! So I went back before heading to the hotel to drop off some stuff.
- Took the Star Ferry over to Kowloon and walked up Nathan Road to Mong Kok for some shopping.
- Came back to the hotel to change and sit back and relax for an hour or so and then went out to dinner.
- Had dumplings at this weird little place where the owner served me and was really excited about having me try this dish of his. It was pretty good but now I have severe garlic breath and can't help but think that I ate a whole lot of some sort of oil... so much for eating a healthy lunch! The dumplings were good though. And it was nice to get personal attention from the owner.
- Came back to my hotel room unsure of what to do next... do I go out or do I stay in or do I go somewhere else? I started thinking about the next 2 days and decided that tonight would be the best night to hit the Temple Night market.
- The temple night market wasn't what I expected so I walked back down Nathan road to the Star Ferry and though it's more hazy than ever took it back across (it's super cheap and more interesting than the MTR.)
*deep breath* wow. I'm glad I didn't go into the details of it all...
I'm back at the hotel now.
So far... I've realized that 1) if you speak English you're set! 2) People are really friendly here 3) My concerns about the clothing thing (coats / jackets / sweaters / etc in hot muggy weather) is starting to seem normal to me and when someone isn't wearing something 'appropriate' I notice it... (it's strange to explain this). 4) I've figured out my hair dilemmas can be temporarily solved by a hair dryer and lots of water. 5) when it's busy it's busy. This afternoon was pretty intense and by about 4:30, after fighting my way through street markets and people shopping in Mong Kok I was done - and I still had to deal with the MTR.
Anyway... It seemed like I had so much more to tell when I was thinking about posting this earlier... I'm going to have to start writing things down as I go because I can remember things quite clearly in terms of where I went and what I saw but there's just so much more happening that I've been experiencing but I just can't seem to put it all into words right now. I'm also realizing that there's no point in running all over the place like I am right now. It's very tiring... and now I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. I still want to go out to the New Territories and have been thinking about going over to Macau... We'll see.
I've been shopping around for some deals and haven't bought anything yet. I'm actually starting to think that I won't buy anything here other than maybe memory for my camera. Which is good. I shouldn't be spending money on things I don't really need.
The box of Pocky upstairs is calling my name. I'm going to sign off for now and hope that my next post is less of a play-by-play of my day and something a little more... meaningful...
Yep. That's about as social as I'm feeling right now.
Today was insane. I didn't realize exactly what I had done until I started writing it down on a piece of paper.
It all started at about 5am when I woke up after sleeping 10 hours straight. When's the last time that happened?! Anyway, it was 5am and there was no way I was going back to sleep. I looked out the window and there was no sign of light so I just started reading my guidebook trying to decide on what I'd do today. (I fell asleep at about 7pm last night reading it and slept through the night so didn't have much of a chance to plan anything.)
I decided to hit up Victoria Peak first thing this morning - they open the tram at 7am. I made my way over, the streets were eerily quiet and the MTR was deserted (I have a picture of the empty train I was in - unfortunately I can't quite deal with pictures yet - I need to find an internet cafe and have only seen two so far - both in Kowloon). The Peak tram was pretty ... um... lame to be honest but the views would be quite impressive if it were clear - it's been pretty hazy since I first got here. I walked around up top for a bit and then decided to walk back down. There's a really nice path down the side of the mountain so off I went. At this point it was just before 8am, there were still very few people out - mostly just women walking their dogs and doing their morning exercises.
Honestly, I started writing this thinking I would write about everything I did but it's going to take me forever! I don't have the energy for it right now! So let's go for point form:
- took the mid-level escalator down part of the hill
- stumbled upon Graham Street which was very interesting
- Went to Man Mo temple
- Took the MTR over to Victoria Park to see people doing their morning Tai Chi (this is still before 9am!)
- Visited Tin Hau Temple (near Victoria park - not to be confused with the one in Kowloon)
- Went up to the observation deck in the Bank of China Tower - again, it was hazy so the view wasn't very impressive but at least it was interesting and gave me an idea of what Kowloon looks like from Hong Kong Island.
- Made my way to SOHO for lunch and ate at this little organic place called Life (it made me think of Fresh in Toronto).
- I was so intrigued by Graham street that I just had to go back! So I went back before heading to the hotel to drop off some stuff.
- Took the Star Ferry over to Kowloon and walked up Nathan Road to Mong Kok for some shopping.
- Came back to the hotel to change and sit back and relax for an hour or so and then went out to dinner.
- Had dumplings at this weird little place where the owner served me and was really excited about having me try this dish of his. It was pretty good but now I have severe garlic breath and can't help but think that I ate a whole lot of some sort of oil... so much for eating a healthy lunch! The dumplings were good though. And it was nice to get personal attention from the owner.
- Came back to my hotel room unsure of what to do next... do I go out or do I stay in or do I go somewhere else? I started thinking about the next 2 days and decided that tonight would be the best night to hit the Temple Night market.
- The temple night market wasn't what I expected so I walked back down Nathan road to the Star Ferry and though it's more hazy than ever took it back across (it's super cheap and more interesting than the MTR.)
*deep breath* wow. I'm glad I didn't go into the details of it all...
I'm back at the hotel now.
So far... I've realized that 1) if you speak English you're set! 2) People are really friendly here 3) My concerns about the clothing thing (coats / jackets / sweaters / etc in hot muggy weather) is starting to seem normal to me and when someone isn't wearing something 'appropriate' I notice it... (it's strange to explain this). 4) I've figured out my hair dilemmas can be temporarily solved by a hair dryer and lots of water. 5) when it's busy it's busy. This afternoon was pretty intense and by about 4:30, after fighting my way through street markets and people shopping in Mong Kok I was done - and I still had to deal with the MTR.
Anyway... It seemed like I had so much more to tell when I was thinking about posting this earlier... I'm going to have to start writing things down as I go because I can remember things quite clearly in terms of where I went and what I saw but there's just so much more happening that I've been experiencing but I just can't seem to put it all into words right now. I'm also realizing that there's no point in running all over the place like I am right now. It's very tiring... and now I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. I still want to go out to the New Territories and have been thinking about going over to Macau... We'll see.
I've been shopping around for some deals and haven't bought anything yet. I'm actually starting to think that I won't buy anything here other than maybe memory for my camera. Which is good. I shouldn't be spending money on things I don't really need.
The box of Pocky upstairs is calling my name. I'm going to sign off for now and hope that my next post is less of a play-by-play of my day and something a little more... meaningful...
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Safe and sound in Hong Kong
I made it to Hong Kong in one piece.
I've spent my afternoon going around the city getting lost. My original plan was to look for a cheap laptop but my sense of direction is completely backwards (I just realized this and now I'm going the opposite of what my gut is telling me and it's working quite nicely!)
The flight was uneventful - it was actually quite peaceful. There were a few babies in the plane, luckily none of them were near me. I dozed in and out of sleep for the 15 hours and got here feeling pretty groggy. As soon as I got on the MTR I got pretty excited and made my way with no problem to my hotel. The hotel I booked is on Hong Kong Island, about a 10 minute walk from Central MTR station and just a minute walk from the next MTR station over. It's tiny but very clean and nice for its size.
As I already said I spent the afternoon getting lost in the city. It's quite warm here (26 degrees and very humid). Everyone's wearing coats and sweaters - which to me seems just absurd (I probably look out of place with my frizzy hair from all the humidity). I'll get used to it I hope.
I'm tired (It's about 6am in Toronto right now) - other than the flight I haven't slept much. I have a feeling tonight will be an early night for me. I'll plan out tomorrow tonight so that it's a little more organized and hopefully I won't get lost as much.
OH! I found this awesome mall that sells just computer gear. It reminds me of grafitti alley Ryan - except with PCs in it instead of... junk. WOW. I was having way too much fun in there... I think I may pick up an Asus EEE PC after all! We'll see what I can talk them down to.
So far I'm REALLY enjoying Hong Kong. It's fantastic! I don't think 4 days will be enough. I'm glad I have another 2 days here at the end of my trip.
I've spent my afternoon going around the city getting lost. My original plan was to look for a cheap laptop but my sense of direction is completely backwards (I just realized this and now I'm going the opposite of what my gut is telling me and it's working quite nicely!)
The flight was uneventful - it was actually quite peaceful. There were a few babies in the plane, luckily none of them were near me. I dozed in and out of sleep for the 15 hours and got here feeling pretty groggy. As soon as I got on the MTR I got pretty excited and made my way with no problem to my hotel. The hotel I booked is on Hong Kong Island, about a 10 minute walk from Central MTR station and just a minute walk from the next MTR station over. It's tiny but very clean and nice for its size.
As I already said I spent the afternoon getting lost in the city. It's quite warm here (26 degrees and very humid). Everyone's wearing coats and sweaters - which to me seems just absurd (I probably look out of place with my frizzy hair from all the humidity). I'll get used to it I hope.
I'm tired (It's about 6am in Toronto right now) - other than the flight I haven't slept much. I have a feeling tonight will be an early night for me. I'll plan out tomorrow tonight so that it's a little more organized and hopefully I won't get lost as much.
OH! I found this awesome mall that sells just computer gear. It reminds me of grafitti alley Ryan - except with PCs in it instead of... junk. WOW. I was having way too much fun in there... I think I may pick up an Asus EEE PC after all! We'll see what I can talk them down to.
So far I'm REALLY enjoying Hong Kong. It's fantastic! I don't think 4 days will be enough. I'm glad I have another 2 days here at the end of my trip.
Friday, March 14, 2008
the end of an era
I had been at my company almost 7 years (it would've been 7 years May 28th).
It was hard to leave this afternoon - I actually stayed to the end of the day so that I wouldn't have to go and say goodbye to everyone all at once. I also got to take the bus home with my friend and co-worker Marie which made it a little better (until she got off).
I'm sad to be leaving the company... I've seen some of these people almost every day for 7 years now... pretty crazy when I think of it.
Anyway, I was pretty overwhelmed by the 'party' they put together for me. It was a complete surprise. I brought my camera to take some pictures. Here are a few...
Spouses cutting the cake
The best work-spouse a girl could ever ask for
The replacement work-spouse for Marie as voted through the Bachelorette process
It was hard to leave this afternoon - I actually stayed to the end of the day so that I wouldn't have to go and say goodbye to everyone all at once. I also got to take the bus home with my friend and co-worker Marie which made it a little better (until she got off).
I'm sad to be leaving the company... I've seen some of these people almost every day for 7 years now... pretty crazy when I think of it.
Anyway, I was pretty overwhelmed by the 'party' they put together for me. It was a complete surprise. I brought my camera to take some pictures. Here are a few...
Spouses cutting the cake
The best work-spouse a girl could ever ask for
The replacement work-spouse for Marie as voted through the Bachelorette process
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The longest week
It just doesn't seem to want to end. I thought that given the amount of work I have to do this week that it would fly by but it just seems to keep on dragging. I woke up this morning thinking it was Thursday. From there, it just seemed like the day got worse. Finally, four o'clock rolled around, my head was pounding and no matter how much I tried to coax things into working the way they should, nothing seemed to be working. It's possibly because I'm starting to panic a little. So much to cover, so little time...
I still haven't booked a place to stay in Hong Kong. I will do that tonight. I need to know that I have somewhere (safe) to go to when I get to Hong Kong after my 20 hour flight. I've pretty much decided the things I want to see and do when I'm there so I'm feeling good about that. I just need to know that I have a place to sleep and leave my pack!
I'm hoping that come Friday afternoon, things will hopefully start making more sense and I will finally be able to start thinking a little more clearly again.
I need to go work off some of today's frustration... I'm tired and don't feel like going to the gym but I'm still going to force myself to go bouldering tonight... hopefully that'll help ground me again.
I still haven't booked a place to stay in Hong Kong. I will do that tonight. I need to know that I have somewhere (safe) to go to when I get to Hong Kong after my 20 hour flight. I've pretty much decided the things I want to see and do when I'm there so I'm feeling good about that. I just need to know that I have a place to sleep and leave my pack!
I'm hoping that come Friday afternoon, things will hopefully start making more sense and I will finally be able to start thinking a little more clearly again.
I need to go work off some of today's frustration... I'm tired and don't feel like going to the gym but I'm still going to force myself to go bouldering tonight... hopefully that'll help ground me again.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Less than 10 days!
There are less than 10 days left before I leave.
I have a list of things I need to get together and do before I leave... Unfortunately I've been putting off doing anything on the list so now I'm starting to feel a little rushed and I'm afraid I'm not going to get to them all. I've decided to buy very little before leaving - I figure I can probably find whatever I need out there and if not, chances are I don't need it (or I can ask Ryan to bring it when he comes to meet me). That being said, I still need some basic things - mosquito repellent, a lock for my backpack (I forgot to pick one up while I was at MEC yesterday) and supplies for my first aid kit. I have to get my work RRSPs and pension sorted out before I leave and finish doing my taxes.
I'm on the fence as to the hostel situation in Hong Kong... Do I book a shared room? Or do I just go for my own room? Both have their advantages. I think a shared room may be the way to go so that I am forced to meet some other people. At the same time though I wouldn't mind having my own space when I first arrive. The difference in price between the two types of rooms is negligible (maybe $5-10 a night). Decisions, decisions.
Yesterday I started booking short flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap and Chiang Mai. I still have a few more flights to book today and then I can start booking more hotels or hostels. I still have about 9 days that haven't been planned out while I'm alone in Thailand. I've been reading my travel guides and there are quite a few things that sound interesting - I'm having problems picking exactly what I want to do! I've also been looking at some random 'courses' I could take while I'm there. We'll see. I seriously need to start making some decision this week!
And finally... For the first time in a very long time I woke up this morning without having that sinking feeling that the weekend was almost over and that tomorrow's Monday. Five more work days left. I have a feeling this week will fly by but won't be without headaches. It'll be strange to be without a job come Friday.
I have a list of things I need to get together and do before I leave... Unfortunately I've been putting off doing anything on the list so now I'm starting to feel a little rushed and I'm afraid I'm not going to get to them all. I've decided to buy very little before leaving - I figure I can probably find whatever I need out there and if not, chances are I don't need it (or I can ask Ryan to bring it when he comes to meet me). That being said, I still need some basic things - mosquito repellent, a lock for my backpack (I forgot to pick one up while I was at MEC yesterday) and supplies for my first aid kit. I have to get my work RRSPs and pension sorted out before I leave and finish doing my taxes.
I'm on the fence as to the hostel situation in Hong Kong... Do I book a shared room? Or do I just go for my own room? Both have their advantages. I think a shared room may be the way to go so that I am forced to meet some other people. At the same time though I wouldn't mind having my own space when I first arrive. The difference in price between the two types of rooms is negligible (maybe $5-10 a night). Decisions, decisions.
Yesterday I started booking short flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap and Chiang Mai. I still have a few more flights to book today and then I can start booking more hotels or hostels. I still have about 9 days that haven't been planned out while I'm alone in Thailand. I've been reading my travel guides and there are quite a few things that sound interesting - I'm having problems picking exactly what I want to do! I've also been looking at some random 'courses' I could take while I'm there. We'll see. I seriously need to start making some decision this week!
And finally... For the first time in a very long time I woke up this morning without having that sinking feeling that the weekend was almost over and that tomorrow's Monday. Five more work days left. I have a feeling this week will fly by but won't be without headaches. It'll be strange to be without a job come Friday.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
new blog space...
I'm leaving in two weeks... going on a trip that I should've taken years ago. I'm excited and a bit nervous. I've handed in my letter of resignation and now there are 8 days of work left before I am free!
The trip will start in Hong Kong and bring me to Thailand, Cambodia and finally Japan. I've never been to any of these places, I don't speak the language and I'm not quite sure exactly where I'm going to go yet. My major flights have been booked - I will be gone for just over two months - but otherwise I'm not absolutely sure where I will end up while I am there.
I'll try to keep this space up to date as I prepare for my adventures and while I am travelling.
The trip will start in Hong Kong and bring me to Thailand, Cambodia and finally Japan. I've never been to any of these places, I don't speak the language and I'm not quite sure exactly where I'm going to go yet. My major flights have been booked - I will be gone for just over two months - but otherwise I'm not absolutely sure where I will end up while I am there.
I'll try to keep this space up to date as I prepare for my adventures and while I am travelling.
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