My Happy Ending

Happy endings are big in Thailand and I certainly got mine, but in a different sense. I made it back to the United States just about a week ago, so I think it's time I close out this blog.

I left off in Ko Phi Phi, the day before we were to head back to Phuket. So, here's the final chapter:

Saturday morning, we enjoyed one last breakfast in paradise before packing our bags and heading to Phuket. Around noon, a golf cart came to fetch us from our villa and soon after, we were sitting on a long boat, headed for a bigger ferry that would deliver us to the main pier on Phi Phi Don. From there, we were to transfer to yet another ferry that would take us to Phuket. And somehow, through all these transfers, the ferry staff would manage all our luggage -- it's just like checking a bag at the airport!

Once we arrived at the main pier to meet the boat to Phuket, we had 30 minutes to spare between ferries so Tim, Luke, and I ran to a bar for a quick drink, and Kim made some phone calls. We also managed to grab some pineapple juice to mix drinks on board the boat... I had no idea how key this was, given the next chain of events.

As we stepped on board the final ferry, the attendants were loading backpacks galore from another boat, so I stopped to take inventory. Kim's bag: check. Luke and Tim's: check. Luke and Tim's suits: check. Heather's: hmmm. I looked and looked again, but didn't see anything. When the other boat containing all the bags pulled away from the dock, I started to panic. I was 99.99% sure the ferry company didn't have a lost bag policy, and even if they did, how the hell was that going to work? So, I went up to an attendant and asked him what I should do since my bag wasn't onboard. He looked at me, very puzzled, and pulled out his cell phone. After a few minutes, and a whole collection of unconvincing facial expressions, he told me my bag was on the other ferry headed to Phuket and that we'd get it once we arrived at the next pier. This was the first time during my entire sabbatical that I was actually frustrated (pissed as hell) about something out of my control. I kept thinking of Brokedown Palace, and prayed the whole boat ride that, if I did in fact get my bag back, that no one had put heroine in it.

I sat down inside the boat, and Luke quickly poured me a pineapple juice with vodka. Two drinks later, the attendant I spoke with as we were leaving Ko Phi Phi tapped my shoulder and asked me to follow him off the boat. We walked towards another ferry docked in Phuket, and then he stopped and said, "You waiting here. I looking for bag." I stood for a long while (at least, it seemed long to me) and he finally reappeared, with my bag! I'm telling you, things seem to work out in Thailand even without printed documents, processes, or real schedules. It's baffling. Somehow they manage to figure it out, or make it work. Anyway, I was happy to have my bag back, for two main reasons: first, losing everything two days before departing would have just been the "perfect" twist to the unfolding saga; and second, Luke and I had agreed onboard that, if my bag was truly missing, he'd pay for all new replacement clothes for me, as long as he could choose what I'd wear the rest of the time we were in Thailand. It would have made for some good pictures, but...

We spent the next two nights and three days back in Phuket, mainly just relaxing. We laid on the beach, shopped a little, laughed a lot -- things could have been a lot worse, considering we were "stranded." We did stay on top of the news, and heard a lot about grenades going off at BKK. A couple of people were actually killed during the protests, but the escalating political situation in the North didn't really seem to have much of an impact in the South.

For our final full night in Thailand, we dressed up (suits and all) and had dinner at a wonderful restaurant on the beach in Phuket. That night, we lit a "good luck" lantern some guy sold us for 300 baht, in celebration of our planned escape. Monday morning, we had a late breakfast and then packed our suitcases for the last time. Since our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 2AM, we had a lot of time to burn before our taxi would pick us up at 8PM. Kim and I walked around Surin Beach for a bit, and then laid by the pool until dinner. After dinner, we gave away the last bit of our dignity and used the showers by the pool at the Marriott to clean off before heading to the airport. I wish I had a picture of me standing under the shower head, in my bathing suit, with shampoo suds in my hair. It was priceless, but I'll never shower like that again. I hope.

Once we arrived at the airport and saw our flight on the departures screen, I started to get excited. Time to go home! We had arrived at the airport hours ahead of time, anticipating a huge crowd of people trying to get the hell out of Dodge, but we weren't able to check in until 11PM. With a couple hours to spare, we sat and played Connect Four and smiled at the fact that we had tickets home.

Around 10:45PM, people started to line up in front of the Asiana Airlines ticket counters, so we quickly followed. After nearly an hour in line, it was finally our turn. I excitedly placed my passport on the counter, along with my friends, and breathed a pre-mature sigh of relief. The woman behind the ticket counter let us know that we did not, in fact, have a reservation on the flight to Seoul that night, and that the flight was completely full. We presented our confirmation numbers which United's customer service rep had given us over the phone, and the woman asked us to step to the right so another agent could help us. Still calm, we spoke to the next agent who told us that we could try and fly standby, but he wouldn't know if there was room onboard until 1AM, one hour before flight time. At that point, I looked at the clock on the wall to see that it had just struck midnight, and it was now December 2. Happy 28th birthday to me.

Unsatisfied with standby, we asked that the agent call United to straighten out the situation. He told us that he would not be able to call from the phone behind the desk, but we could go upstairs with Mr. Park to use the office phone. Kim, Luke, and Tim went up, and I held our place at the ticket counter. During this time, I grilled (mostly in a polite manner) the man behind the counter. "Let's just say I walked into this airport tonight, and told you I'd pay any amount of money for a ticket on the 2AM flight to Seoul. How much would that cost?" He looked at me for a minute and said, "No seat. You no pay." So I asked, "OK, what if I want to buy a business class ticket? Is that full too? I will pay anything." He said, "Sorry miss. No seat. You no pay." At this point, I took out my iPhone and pulled up expedia.com to see how much a new ticket home would cost me, on any airline... I was fascinated (and livid) to find that seats were available on our scheduled flight, for $700.

Soon after I discovered available seats, Luke came to let me know that it looked like we were getting on the plane and I should go upstairs to pay. When I got up to the office, I learned that we had, in fact, reserved seats on the flight but our reservations had expired since we hadn't shown up at the airport within 24 hours to pay for the tickets. Even if the United agent HAD mentioned this minor detail to us, we wouldn't have been able to make it back from Ko Phi Phi in time to do so. Regardless, we got our tickets and headed for security. Why they told us there weren't any seats available, I will never know.

Once we cleared security, we headed for customs. I was pretty excited to receive an exit stamp in my passport dated December 2, 2008. I've told everyone, including the guy who gave it to me, that this was the best birthday present I ever received. For my 28th, I was going home.

We waited for a bit by the gate before we were able to board the plane, and listened to horror stories from everyone around us. Two couples from the UK told us they'd been stuck in Bangkok for 5 nights, and they just arrived at HKT only after the Australian ambassador invited them to join his police-escorted motorcade from Bangkok 12 hours south to the airport. Apparently the Australian government sent their ambassador and a plane to round up all their people, and Spain and a few other countries did the same thing. Where the hell was the US when we needed them? Cheering for Obama.

The flight to Seoul was pretty uneventful, but I was astonished to find that the plane was nowhere near full. Kim and I shared a row of 5 seats, and there were plenty of other empties around, too. I am convinced that there were 300,000 tourists stuck in Thailand because the people working for the airlines just don't know how to use the computer systems. Once we arrived in Seoul, I had a few birthday screwdrivers to get my through the four-hour layover, and then we boarded our flight headed for SFO. Here comes my happy ending!

I've never experienced the type of relief I did as soon as our plane touched down in San Francisco at 8AM. I immediately turned on my iPhone and sent a text message to my brother so he would know that it was no longer necessary to send the forces into Thailand to get me out. Then I fetched my bags, gave the others a parting hug, and headed for the curb to meet my mom. As soon as I saw her pull around the corner, I started jumping -- I was too excited not to! It never felt so good to be home.

Now that I'm back, I'm slowly getting acclimated to "normal," everyday life after two straight months of playtime. The most interesting thing to me is, nothing's really changed. The economy is a little weaker, I'm a little stronger, but all in all, Northern California is just as I left it. It did take me a while to re-learn how to drive -- if I could hire a tuk tuk to take me to work everyday, I might just do it. The bottom line is, I'm pretty glad to be back. In fact, I can't really remember a happier time in my life... I'm proud of where I've been, I'm happy with where I am, and I'm content with not knowing where I'll go next. Por ahora, estoy en San Francisco. Y estoy alegre.

Check out my pictures from Thailand, and my pictures from Japan!

(Fant)asia

fan⋅ta⋅sia:
1. a composition in fanciful or irregular form or style.
2. a potpourri of well-known airs arranged with interludes and florid embellishments.
3. something considered to be unreal, weird, exotic.

Some combination of numbers 1 and 3 pretty much describes the last 16 days I've spent in Asia and I'm going to try my best to explain why -- I wanted to write sooner to make sure I didn't leave out a single detail (this stuff is good), but this is the first time I've found an Internet cafe that doesn't look like it doubles as an opium den. And I'm currently in the middle of the Andaman Sea. Go figure.

Last I wrote, I was headed into the hills north of Chiang Mai, but I hadn't yet written about Japan so let me start there. I left San Francisco the 12th of November, and flew to Tokyo. By the time we got to our hotel, I hardly knew my name since I'd flown 11,000+ miles (collectively) in the past 60 hours. I did know, though, that I liked my surroundings -- everyone was smiling, and bowing, and then smiling and bowing again. We quickly dropped off our bags in our room and then walked around the Shibiya area of Tokyo. Of all the times I've traveled to foreign countries, I think this is when I experienced my first real taste of culture shock. I'd never been anywhere like Tokyo before, and I couldn't read a damn thing around me. It was great.

The next morning, I ran into someone from Google in the hotel gym. I did stay in the hotel recommended internally, but I still thought it was kind of random -- maybe because I haven't been to work in so long, or maybe because the same guy is usually sitting next to me every morning on the stationary bikes in the gym at work. So there I was, thousands of miles away from home, biking next to the same guy I always do. Talk about a small world.

After a quick Starbuck's breakfast (God bless America) that same morning, we boarded a train to Kamakura. I'd wanted to visit the Great Buddha since I was in kindergarten, when my parents came home from Japan with a great photo of my dad "holding" the Buddha in the palm of his hand. Hopefully the ones I took in the exact same pose will turn out ;o) The Buddha is incredibly impressive as are the temples in Kamakura. I really enjoyed it there -- everything was so clean and the people were equally as friendly as those we'd encountered in Tokyo. I also enjoyed all of the school children in Kamakura -- each one we passed would say "Hello! Good morning!," and then they'd giggle for speaking English. It was very sweet.

Saturday night we went to the Harajuku area for dinner and to look around, and then Sunday morning, we got up around 6.30AM to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market. I'd heard from some people at work that it was an experience, but I had no idea what I was in for. The Tsukiji Fish Market is the largest in the world, so it's no wonder that you can smell the fish even from the subway station. We walked up and down aisle after aisle of gigantic tunas and freshly caught things I'd never even heard of before. I kept thinking that there couldn't possibly be anything left in the ocean surrounding Japan because there are piles and piles of fish for as far as you can see. That morning, I ate sushi for breakfast at the fish market, and I had to stand in a long line to do it!

Sunday evening we flew from Tokyo to Bangkok and, when we arrived at the Narita airport, we found that our flight had been delayed 4 hours. Thank goodness for the Red Carpet Club! When we finally left Narita it was about 10PM, so we arrived in Bangkok early Monday morning. From the airport, we took a taxi to our hotel -- all taxis in Bangkok seem to be Toyota Corollas or something similar, so we had to take two cars between the four of us just to have enough room for our luggage (and we packed light)! Tim and I rode with a guy who was falling asleep at the wheel -- I thought I was going to die that morning on the Rama IV, but we kept him awake by talking about... American politics. Surprisingly, our driver was a big fan of McCain's.

My time in Bangkok all kind of blurs together, and not because I was indulging in what everyone says is such great nightlife (I think they're lying). Bangkok, to me, is so dirty and so crowded, and I feel like I spent all of my energy trying to get from point A to point B, safely, and with as much hand sanitizer as possible. During the two days before we left for Chiang Mai, we shopped for gems, we shopped for tailored suits, we shopped for whatever was being sold -- Bangkok is one big, dirty bazaar. We also rode around in tuk tuks, but after a couple of trips we were done with nasty fumes and risking our lives for 100 baht. There were things that I did enjoy about Bangkok... we had a nice dinner on Koh Sahn Road, where The Beach was filmed (I was pissed when I couldn't find Leo), we had foot massages, we went to the zoo, where I encountered my first Eastern-style toilet, and on the tail-end of our trip, we saw some fascinating sights in the city, but I'll talk more about those later to keep true to the chronology of this.

Tuesday evening started our 8-day guided tour -- the group with whom we traveled consisted of 15 people: a couple from LA, a couple from Denver, a mother and daughter from Wisco, a father and son from Australia, two brothers from Canada, another guy from Canada, and the four of us. We also had three guides: one main guide named Ken, and two other guides for the hill tribe trek section. Our first group activity was to get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, aboard an overnight train. Ken kept saying that Thai trains are "just like your trains -- from 20 years ago," so I was a little skeptical, but they actually weren't too bad, as long as you ignore the speed at which they (don't) move, and the bathrooms. We arrived in Chiang Mai around 7AM and by the time we got to our hotel and dropped off our bags, we were ready for a massage! We found the nicest spa in town and, for $40 USD, I was massaged, bathed, and steamed for two full hours. I thought about round 2 at the end of it all, but we had temples to see, bazaars to shop, and chili peppers to eat.

The Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai is the mother of all bazaars (a Wal-Bazaar, if you will), so we went there the evening before heading out on our trek. After dark, a section of town is lined with stall after stall selling... wait for it... the same crap sold all over Bangkok. It is fun to walk up and down the streets, though, and take it all in. Some of the shop keepers (stall keepers?) drive a hard bargain, and they're all sure they've got whatever you like. I also love the universal use of the calculator to negotiate. There is no reasoning or making concessions, just a lot of number-punching. Luke tried to buy one street vendor's calculator when we were in Bangkok, and the street vendor's friend was ready to sell it to us.

Thursday morning we got up early to head for the hills -- north of Chiang Mai live a number of hill tribes, and we were going to visit and stay with two of the groups. Ken told us to pack a few shirts, some pants, some hiking shoes, a towel, and some soap, so we did. I also brought with me a sleep sheet and a shitload of anti-bacterial wipes. On the way out of town, each tourist "bus" (a pick-up truck with two benches along each side of the truck bed, covered by some type of canopy) must stop at the tourist police office and leave photocopies of every one's passports... I'm still not 100% sure of the reason why this is necessary, but when we were there, I felt like I was co-starring in a bad horror movie about some American backpackers that get butchered in the jungle or something. Luckily that didn't happen. Once we were done with the tourist office, we drove another 90 minutes up a steep and winding (sometimes dirt) road to begin our hike into the jungle.

The first day, we hiked about two hours to the Lisu people's village. The hike was very enjoyable although it was heinously humid and every bug this side of Burma sampled my sweet western blood. I did think it was cool that Nong, our main trekking guide, used a machete to clear a path for us to hike on -- he grew up in one of the hill tribes and was able to navigate the area with such ease, even when it looked like there hadn't been anyone back there for years. I didn't love it when he picked up dead birds to show us, though.

When we arrived in the Lisu village, we walked first to the house in which we would stay -- each person was given a pillow and a mat to sleep on, and a mosquito net to share with their neighbor. The toilet (yes, singular) was across from the room in which we slept, and the shower consisted of a big bucket of cold water with a hose attached to it. I didn't take advantage of the facilities, clearly. After we looked around our "camp" of sorts, Ken showed us around the rest of the village.

Chickens and children run wild around the Lisu village, and people with stained-black teeth smile at you as you walk by... they're very fond of chewing betelnuts, which cause black teeth and a mild buzz. From what I've seen, betelnuts can be more than mild -- when we went back to our house, an older woman came by with a bag full to share. She sat down on the ground in front of me and offered her stash. I think she'd already chomped on half of the betelnuts in the bag but I wasn't going to try even if they were fresh. She and I went back and forth for quite some time, and I tried saying "Bettlejuice" three times, but she wouldn't leave us alone. We finally recruited one of the Australian guys to eat one. Gross.

That evening, we made spring rolls for dinner, and ate by candlelight at a bamboo table. The food was actually very good, but I didn't eat any chicken mostly since I'd seen them running around earlier in the day and splashing in the water/mud puddles in the village. I know those aren't the chickens that were served to us, but I was just kind of disgusted with the whole idea of it. Haven't eaten any meat since ;o)

Friday morning, we got up early and ate breakfast, and headed out for what would be our longest day of hiking. The terrain through the hills is tough, and it was very humid again on Friday, but I really enjoyed seeing the backside of Thailand. We passed rice paddies, and little huts that looked to be forgotten until someone would peek out a window. About 90 minutes into our hike, we approached a stream of water that was maybe calf-deep... all I could think of was my mom saying, "Don't get in any fresh water -- you'll get dysentery." Obviously I had to walk through it, and wasn't pleased, but it felt pretty good since I was so warm. When everyone reached the other side of the river/creek, our tour guide told us that we'd have to cross one more river about a kilometer away. Shit. I couldn't believe my eyes when we walked up to the bank of the next river. It was flowing quickly, it was a long way across, and it looked to be about waste-deep. Lucky for me, I couldn't see what was swimming in the water -- if I had seen it, I'd probably still be standing on the other side. (More on this later.) So, with no other option, I put my first foot into the river, and was soon up to my waste in "dysentery." After a few minutes, I was on the other side, happy that we weren't going back the same way we came.

Later that day, after hiking roughly 4 hours, we arrived at a camp to eat lunch and board our next mode of transport -- ELEPHANTS! Kim and I shared a metal seat on the back of one, and for an hour, went up and down some of the steepest hills we'd encountered in the jungle. I was fascinated by how such enormous elephants could move with so much agility on extremely tiny trails. The ride was definitely one of the highlights of our tour, even though I got a huge bruise in the "tramp stamp" area of my back from bouncing around the metal seat.

After the elephant ride, we arrived in the Karen village, which is much larger than the Lisu tribe. 55 families live in the particular Karen village we visited, while about 55 people live in the Lisu village. The Karen village also has a boarding school for elementary-aged tribes children and, from what I've been told, it's much more "civilized" than some of the other tribes in Thailand. In the morning, we were able to visit the school and take pencils and gifts we had purchased for the children -- this was another highlight for me. We arrived in time to watch the students sing the national anthem on the front lawn, and then they were all served milk in their tin cups before heading to their classrooms. We passed out candy to the youngest kids (4-6 years old), and each bowed their heads to say "thank you."

We returned to our camp after visiting the school, and packed up our things for the last day of trekking. For the next three hours, we'd head down the same river we crossed the day before, but this time we'd do it on a bamboo raft tied together with palm leaves. Think Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer-style. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous but, at this point, I hadn't showered for three days (other than the anti-bacterial wipes I was constantly slathering all over my skin) and I was tired of sleeping on the ground, so I sucked it up and hopped on. About 2 minutes into our trip down the river, my guide pulled out a fishing rod he'd made of a tree branch and fishing line. Between paddling and splashing us, he was also fishing the waters -- he kept turning to me to say, "No fish, no lunch for you." Then he'd laugh hysterically and say, "Oh, my Buddha."

The river trip was actually fun, minus the near-capsizing of the rafts through the rapids and the snakes we sawing swimming across. Like I said before, I'd still be standing by the river had I known they were in the water! There was one snake in particular that had his head up out of the water as he crossed to the other side -- when "Oh, my Buddha" saw the snake, he started paddling faster and faster to try and catch it. I begged that he leave the snake in the water -- this was my first and only complaint to the guides the whole trip, so I felt like he owed it to me. We never caught up to the snake, but for the rest of the trip, the guide would tickle my leg when I wasn't looking, and I'd jump every time.

We arrived back in Chiang Mai around 5PM at which point I took one of the best showers of my life, even though it was in the Bates Motel. We sent all of our clothes to be washed, and then went out to eat along the river in Chiang Mai. Cheap red wine has never tasted so good. The next morning, we got up early to visit Doi Suthep, a temple on the hill in Chiang Mai. There is an incredible staircase that leads to the entrance -- Tim and Luke raced to the top of it, and everyone stopped to watch. We walked around the temple for quite some time, looking at all the various statues of Buddha -- while the temples are beautiful to me, I wish I knew a little more about the significance of the things within them. World Religions will have to be my next read.

Later that night, we boarded another night train back to Bangkok. I wasn't thrilled to be heading back but it did mean we were one step closer to being on a beach! We arrived in Bangkok early Sunday morning and, before anything, went in search of accommodations in the islands. Kim found a travel agent that we negotiated with for quite some time -- by the time we walked out of her office, she had charged each of our credit cards for a portion of our accommodation fees in Ko Phi Phi and sent us on our way with handwritten confirmation slips for airport and water transfers, and 4 nights in a hillside villa, supposedly with its own pool. I was happy I paid with American Express, because I was pretty sure we'd been scammed.

That afternoon, we visited the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Just recently, a Thai princess passed away so the Grand Palace was closed the first time we were there. When we arrived, the place was packed with Thai people paying homage to her and her life -- I've never seen lines like the ones winding around the palace that day, even at Disneyland. We then visited the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, which is one of the most impressive things I've seen. The Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and it's covered in gold plating. Because of the way the temple is constructed, and the size of the Buddha, there isn't one point to view the entire statue but if you stand by his big mother-of-pearl feet, you can get a pretty good look at him.

What we did next I would usually be embarrassed to admit, but by this point in our trip we were so tired, and especially tired of Thai food, that we went... to the Hard Rock Cafe! The four of us were so excited to eat something other than noodles and chillies and whatever else we'd been eating -- it was great. After dinner we went to the Banyan Tree Hotel in Bangkok because they've got a great open-air rooftop bar, with views of the entire city. At night, and from that far up, it looks very pretty ;o)

In the morning we flew to Phuket, where we stayed one night before heading to Ko Phi Phi. Phuket is, to me, like Bangkok on a beach... lots of street vendors, lots of filth, lots of $2 massages. I did enjoy the beach in Phuket, and we had a great dinner on the water, but Thailand, at that point, seemed to be "same same" (Thai people use this phrase to explain everything).

When I woke up Tuesday morning, I was curious to see how (and if) the arrangements we made for the last bit of our trip would work out -- by noontime that day, so far was so good. A van picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the pier, where we boarded a ferry to Phi Phi. The water was choppy, and it poured rain for 30 minutes of the ride, but it was beautiful. Finally, paradise! Two hours later, the ferry stopped in the middle of the water, where we were met by another boat sent by our hotel. There, in the middle of the ocean, we passed our luggage onto a little speed boat and sat down for a quick ride -- since we arrived at low tide, we had to make one more transfer before we'd be ashore. From the speed boat, we got on a water tractor that drove us through knee deep water and then up onto the beach. The funny thing is, the whole transfer process was like clockwork.

What happened next is still unbelievable to me, so I've taken pictures as proof for myself. We checked into our "room" -- we are, in fact, staying in a villa on the hill of a private section of Phi Phi Don, and we do, in fact, have our own pool. Yes, our own pool. We also have a perfect view of the ocean and some surrounding islands, and we have drivers that will pick us up with their golf carts whenever we want to go somewhere (there aren't any true roads on this island, though, so it's just around the resort). Each night, we fill out a breakfast menu and place it in the coconut box outside our door, and in the morning, again like clockwork, we're served breakfast by the pool. It's incredible. Our travel agent in Bangkok really did us right.

Tuesday morning, Kim and Luke went to scuba dive so Tim and I went to the beach... I took the morning newspaper with me, and was a little concerned to read of the escalating political situation in Bangkok. In a nutshell, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) wants the prime minister of Thailand to step down, but he refuses (summary article). As of yesterday, the Thai government has declared a state of emergency at the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in Bangkok, and all air traffic to and from the city has been grounded. In a bit of a panic, we took a 30-minute water taxi ride to the main port in Ko Phi Phi yesterday since there are no international phones on our side of the island. From there, we were able to call United Airlines and re-route our flights to leave from Phuket, but we can't get out of Thailand before December 2. I don't know about my friends, but I'm pretty excited because that means I get 48 hours of birthday this year!

So, tomorrow we'll leave paradise as originally planned, and we'll head back to Phuket to stay for a few extra nights. I'd love to continue the plush, poolside villa lifestyle, but if I stay here any longer, I may never leave. And not for reasons I can control!

This trip has been eye-opening for so many reasons -- from the cleanliness of Tokyo, to the poverty and filth in Thailand, to the splendor of the islands in the south, to the political situation, and on, and on, and on... even though I'm in a little bit of a sticky situation at present, I wouldn't take this trip back for anything. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for the most basic of things, like clean toilets and showers, my job and education, and my dear family and friends.

Most likely, I won't be able to post again until I get back to the US, but I'll update as I can. And I'll post all of my photos when I get home... you've got to see some of the things I did. Until then, wish me luck in (Fant)asia!

Sawatdee Kaa from Thailand!

Hello from Bangkok! Last Wednesday, I left San Francisco for Tokyo, and then headed on to Thailand. I have lots to say about Asia, but I'm on limited time at the Internet cafe so, for now, a quick hello...

Tomorrow evening, my friends and I will board an overnight train to Chaing Mai -- our guide tells us it will be about a 13-hour trip. After a day and a night in Chaing Mai, we'll head into the hills north of the city to visit a number of hilltribes. We'll also ride elephants and raft down a river on bamboo (no, I'm not kidding). Wish me luck... this is definitely going to be an adventure!

I'll be back in Bangkok around 11/23 or 11/24 -- I can't remember exactly when -- so I'll write more about Tokyo and Thailand then. I will say that I'm really enjoying Asia so far, and the people here are ridiculously nice. We're having a great time! Over and out, for now.

Round Two: Japan and Thailand

Another day, another international flight... I am getting ready to head to Tokyo today, and then Bangkok on Saturday afternoon. I was home long enough to do laundry, re-pack, and pick up some malaria pills, bug spray, and toilet paper. I really am going on vacation, I swear.

Really quick, before I go, I wanted to share my final night in Madrid. We were lucky enough to get VIP tickets to the Real Madrid futbol game, so we sat front and center, and were invited to the VIP lounge before the game and during half-time to eat, drink, and be merry. The game itself was incredible -- Madrid beat Malaga 4-3, and there was never more than a 1-point lead during the entire match. Back and forth, back and forth -- it made for a very "dramatic" game. The fans are incredibly wild and filed with passion about their teams, and the sport in general... we arrived an hour or more early to buy some paraphernalia and already the streets around the stadium were packed with singing fans from both Madrid and Malaga (and there were a number of police horses, too). Once the game started, the stadium shook from the noise of the fans -- gives you goosebumps to witness!

Sunday morning, about four hours afters after we stopped celebrating Madrid's victory, I was off to the airport to fly home. While I was glad to know there would be two loving parents and a state-of-the-art washing machine at the end of my journey, I was terribly sorry to leave Spain. I will cherish my time there always. I've posted the last of my photos from Spain -- there are three new galleries here.

I'm not sure what the Internet situation will be like in Thailand, but I expect I'll write from Tokyo. Until then, happy trails to me, and Happy Birthday to my dad!

El Norte, and ¡Hasta la Vista, España!

Long time, no blog. Last Thursday, I left the precioso sur de España and headed for Madrid. I don't know why it is, but internet connections have been much harder to come by since I arrived... maybe the people in the north of Spain don't like to share the way they do in the south because everyone's wireless networks are locked. Anyway, I traveled from Malaga to Madrid via high-speed rail, which took about 2 hours and 30 minutes. I loved every minute of the AVE experience -- from the lounge beforehand with the best machine-made cafe con leches, to the gourmet lunch and free-flowing wine they served on board, to the Spanish subtitles on the movie played during my trip -- it was so much fun. Too bad we don't have such dignified modes of public transportation in America.

I arrived in Madrid around 3PM, and met HB in the train station. As we walked from Atocha to the Westin, he told me that Starwood hotels in Spain are still nice like they are in the US, but the rooms are really small... I smiled and said, "whatever, it's just a place to sleep." So, you can imagine my amazement (and excitement) when we walked into what may as well have been the presidential suite at the Westin Palace Hotel -- there were two bathrooms! And a full dining table! And multiple flat-panel TVs! Just when I thought the room couldn't get any better, I looked out the window only to find a full view of the Neptune Fountain. I liked Madrid already.

After getting settled at the hotel, we walked around the Puerta del Sol area of Madrid, and saw Kilometro Cero. Kilometro Cero is the point from which all distances in Spain are measured and, in 2002, the plaque was actually rotated 180 degrees because the map on it was upside-down in relation to reality. Then, Thursday night, we went to dinner with one of HB's old Spanish teachers, Rosa, and her boyfriend Jesus. Both Rosa and Jesus speak incredibly fast, so I was at a little bit of a loss during dinner -- I was able to gather, though, that they wanted to order pulpo, which is octopus. I didn't say anything because I couldn't come up with the words fast enough to politely express that I don't eat tentacles. Luckily, the restaurant was fresh out of pulpo, so we ate crab and some other fish instead.

Friday morning we had a lovely breakfast of tostadas con tomate and cafe con leche, and then headed for the Retiro Park. The Retiro reminds me a bit of Central Park in New York, not because they look anything alike, but because they're both in the city center and, when you stand in the park, you have no idea that you are in the midst of big-city chaos. Unfortunately, it rained almost all of Friday, but it was still fun to walk around the city -- we also went to the Royal Palace, which I really enjoyed. I was disappointed when the security guard told me to put away my camera, but the palace is incredibly beautiful and not a single detail was missed. I think my favorite room was the formal dining room, which has one long table with no less than 150 chairs seated around it. Truly fit for a king. Friday night, we went to dinner with two more friends: Tete, and his sister Ata. For some reason, my Spanish was much better Friday night than it had been Thursday night, so I really enjoyed getting to know them.

After dinner Friday, HB and I went for drinks in celebration of Halloween -- to my surprise, the Spanish do celebrate Halloween. I think almost everyone dresses up as a witch, though. I do appreciate that they have left out the "slut factor" that so many Americans add to their Halloween costumes... there were no"sexy witches" or "sexy nurses," just witches and nurses. Lots of fun.

Saturday morning, I headed to Toledo. HB walked me to the train station and, as we were headed toward the main entrance of Atocha, we noticed two gypsy girls following us. I quickly moved my bag in front of me, at which point the two girls stopped dead in their tracks, and turned around. I am almost 100% certain they were ready to get into my purse... one was holding a large magazine that I think she might have tried to use to distract us, or to cover the other one's hands as she went for my wallet. Either way, I managed to avoid what could have been a disaster!

After a quick, 30-minute train ride, I arrived in Toledo. Toledo is a very small, old town built on a hill, and it was once the capital of Visgothic Spain. While I was there, I visited a number of synagogues and also the cathedral -- as with many other old Spanish towns, Toledo was a place where Jews, Moors, and Christians all lived together so it's interesting to walk around the town and see the different religious influences on the various neighborhoods. I was disappointed again in Toledo to learn that I wasn't allowed to take photos inside any of the buildings, so you'll have to take my word that they were beautiful. The cathedral is full of paintings by El Greco, and there's also one by Titian... I couldn't help but think of that Saturday Night Live skit with Dan Akroyd.

When I returned to Madrid Saturday night, we went to dinner with four more friends. We ate at a restaurant in a small park, behind locked gates -- I really wish I knew the name of it because I would recommend it to anyone that comes to Madrid. It was seriously something out of a storybook, and I loved it. Lots of big trees, a fountain in front of the restaurant, low lighting -- it was very enchanting. The food was fantastic, but the ambiance was what I really enjoyed.

Sunday morning, we went to the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid, which was amazing -- when you visit, you are able to see workers making carpets and tapestries, all by hand. Most designs are based on Goya's paintings, and each piece of yarn or cotton or silk is placed on a loom by hand. It's an incredible process that would have been better described with photos, but again, not allowed ;o) We spent Sunday afternoon relaxing and shopping around, and packing up our things in preparation for our Spanish Road Trip in the morning.

After picking up our little VW Polo, we headed for a small town outside of Segovia, called Santiuste de Pedraza. One of HB's best friends from Madrid, Pablo, lives in Santiuste de Pedraza with his wife, Meli, where they run a boutique soap store called Los Jabones de Mi Mujer. The town is incredibly small, with a full-time population of 12. Apparently they have a few more neighbors over the summer, but the year-round residents are scarce. Pablo and Meli live in a tiny little house built of cobblestone, just up the street from their soap store -- I think the town must be from the 18th century, but I'm not positive. Either way, it's darling. I couldn't live there for more than a day, but I really enjoyed visiting and having dinner in their home. Meli made a salad and lasagne, all with vegetables she grew in her garden.

That night, we stayed at a hotel in a neighboring "city" -- we were the only people there, and it seemed like we were the first guests the hotel had had in a long time. The building itself was once used to house farm animals, but over the past twenty years or so, it was converted into a hotel that, much to my surprise, is recommened in the Michelen Guide. We truly were out in the middle of nowhere... I enjoyed it.

Tuesday we visited Segovia, which seemed to be closed for the winter. The town was very sleepy with hardly anyone in the streets. There were a few people around the Aqueduct (which, by the way, is very impressive and large), but otherwise, it was quiet. I did enjoy Segovia, though -- it's a lot like the other small towns I visited in Spain in that the streets are narrow, there's a lot of cobblestone and sandstone, and there's a huge cathedral in the middle of the town.

After a few hours in Segovia, we headed for Salamanca and arrived Tuesday evening. One of the first things we saw in Salamanca was the Plaza Mayor, which I believe to be one of the most beautiful plazas in Spain. At night, they light all of the surrounding buildings, and the entire square seems to glow. I also enjoyed the cathedral in Salamanca, the Casa de las Conchas, and the University. Many of the buildings in Spain are covered with intricate carvings, and they like to play with them in Salamanca -- on the cathedral, they've added a little marble astronaut to one of the large, Gothic columns, and on the front of the University is a hidden rana (frog) which, if you can find without direction from anyone, will lead you to the person you'll marry (the first person you look at after finding the frog). I stood there looking for that damn frog for 10 minutes, but I couldn't find it without help!

Salamanca reminds me a bit of Sevilla since it's a huge university town and there are lots of young (and foreign) people. Everyone I encountered was incredibly nice, and I enjoyed just being in the street watching the lifestyle. Thursday night, we met a group of teachers in Salamanca who were nice enough to let us tag along on their night out -- it was fun to see the bars and discos that the locals visit, rather than those catered to tourists, with menus in English (or cartoons). I hadn't planned on staying out until 4AM, but it was a lot of fun!

Yesterday we drove back to Madrid, where I am now. We ate dinner last night in the oldest restaurant in the world, right near the Plaza de España. They even have their plaque from the Guinness Book of World Records displayed in the window. Anyway, I can't believe today is my last day in Spain -- how quickly the past 5 weeks have gone! Tonight we're going to a Real Madrid soccer match, which seems very appropriate to close out my Spanish adventures. I've really enjoyed being in Spain, and learning the language, and getting to know the people. This is a beautiful country -- both the people and the land -- and I can't wait to come back.

Tomorrow I fly home for just a couple days, and then it's konichiwa to Asia...

* Since I've had so much trouble with internet connections over the past week, I haven't been able to upload photos from the last part of my trip. I'll add them once I'm back home.

Costa del So(u)l

I left Sevilla last Saturday around 1PM, and headed for Malaga on the Costa del Sol. Like I said before, I'd been looking forward to seeing other parts of Spain so it wasn't too hard to leave. My last day in class was a little bittersweet, though, just because everyone I met was so nice and I really enjoyed studying at Enforex. In only three weeks, I went from being so unsure of my Spanish that I could barely ask for a coffee, to having confidence enough to argue for a price adjustment in El Corte Ingles. Clearly I've learned the skills essential for survival :o)

Now, to Malaga. My friend Kate, who also went to Granada and Cordoba with me, came down for the weekend. We arrived together around 4PM on Saturday and, after dropping our bags at the hotel, went straight out for a glass of wine. I'm convinced that one of the best ways to see a Spanish city is from a cafe table, with some vino tinto. The people-watching is incredible, and Malaga didn't fail us... Malaguenos have definitely got soul, and they're even louder than Sevillanos. Apparently the two cities are arch rivals in everything from futbol, to who has a better semana santa, to who's more passionate in general. Of course, I'm partial to Sevilla!

Saturday night, around 11PM, we went to a tapas bar I read about online -- all locals, all the time (I don't know if I'll ever get used to eating this late). The food was fantastic, but the service was better. Our waiter was probably between 50 and 60, and before we even spoke, he asked us where in the United States we're from. It's funny to me that people can immediately recognize Americans -- why don't we look Canadian? Or British? My friend Alyson had the same experience in Madrid, so I know it's not just me! Anyway, Kate loves to drink Jack Daniel's and diet Coke (the waiter had already called us Americans before this -- Jack wasn't the giveaway), so the real conversation with our waiter started immediately when she ordered. He applauded me for drinking red wine and not huiss-keeeey.

Sunday morning, we got up and walked to the main square in Malaga, where we met our guide for a bike tour of the city! I was so excited to get on a bike, even if it was a beach cruiser. Kate and I got our own private tour since we were the only two people who signed up for Sunday -- our guide, Kay, is just getting started giving these tours, and she said she really doesn't have much business yet (don't worry, I'm getting her set up with Google AdWords). Kay took us by all of the main sights in Malaga and told us about the history of each -- the city is notorious because Picasso was born here and, like every other town in Spain, it has a beautiful Catholic cathedral or three. The thing I like best about Malaga is the coast line. We rode our bikes along the Costa del Sol for quite a while (on the Mediterranean), and when we got to some Roman ruins that have been converted to a beachfront bar we -- you guessed it -- stopped for a glass of wine. A friend of Kay's from her cycling club, Teresa, happened to be at the same place with her 9-year-old son Marcello, so they joined us. This was the best part of the bike tour, and one of the best parts of my trip to Malaga. Teresa, like almost every other Andalusian, does not speak a lick of English. She sat with us for about an hour, though, and there was never a lull in the conversation. She was very curious about where we come from, and what it's really like in the US, and she was also interested in us understanding Malaga. And her son made me eat one of his fried anchovies. It was gross, but the afternoon with them was lots of fun. After our hydration break, we headed back up the coast to see the bullring in Malaga, and then we rode back to Kay's "office."

Kate was supposed to take the 8PM train back to Sevilla Sunday, but when I started talking about the trip to Gibraltar I had planned for the next day, she decided she had to stay and see Gibraltar, too. I was definitely happy to have the company -- Gib, as they call it, is a three-hour bus ride from Malaga, and then a 20-30 minute walk across the border into town... no small feat. Monday morning, we got on the bus at 7AM, and by 10:45AM, we were in the midst of fish, chips, English, and Cadbury chocolate. It was incredible -- Gibraltar, at the very south of Spain, and so close to Africa, is just like being somewhere in the UK. I was fascinated. After we had an English breakfast, we took a gondola/cable car up the side of the rock of Gibraltar. From the bus station, the rock didn't look like much, but it's quite huge when you get up next to it. As you ride the cable car up to the summit, you can see the Strait of Gibraltar, and Spain, and on a clear day, Africa. It's amazing.

We stepped off the cable car at the very top of the rock, where there's a terrace/viewpoint, and a gift shop. And a bunch of wild apes. For the 48 hours before our arrival in Gibraltar, I'd been carrying on and on about the monkeys, telling Kate how I couldn't wait to see them. So, I was surprised at myself when I turned around and walked the other way when I saw the first monkey. I imagined that these wild animals would be some distance from me, in a cage or something, but they literally roam around free, sans muzzles. And they love to grab at women's bags, just to make sure no one has any spare bananas. It's insane. I witnessed a couple of near-bag-snatchings -- the monkeys are shameless, and they don't let go of your bag once they've grabbed on. We saw one monkey stand around the corner and plot his attack... if only I had been quicker with the video camera! Further down the hill, towards the caves, the monkeys hang out in the street and jump on the cabs that come by. They also jump on the people -- a few tourists stood in the road with monkeys around their necks and on their heads. I may have died on the Rock of Gibraltar had one thought I looked good enough to climb.

All in all, Gibraltar was one of the most unique places I've visited, given it's history and culture. There's an interesting Spanish influence on the British people living there -- you notice it in the way they speak, and also in their disregard for time, which people I encountered while traveling in the UK did not have. The people speak a strange combination of Spanish and English, and you can barely find a tapa in Gib to save your life. When you do find something you want to buy, you've got to pay for it in GBP. God bless the Brits for holding their ground. Literally.

Kate left early Tuesday morning, to make it back to Sevilla in time for class. I also left Malaga early, but I went to Ronda for the day. Ronda is about 2.5 hours from Malaga, in the Spanish sierras. Going up a steep and winding hill in a Spanish bus was a whole new experience for me -- there was a point I thought I might be sick, and I don't get motion sickness. Anyway, Ronda is a pueblo blanco, or whitewashed town, of which there are many in Andalusia. All the little houses are white and, as they run down the hill, they look as if they are each stacked directly on top of the next. Ronda is also famous because bullfighting originated there -- the town is pretty small and there's not a lot to do even today, but I still don't think I'd be so bored as to kill a bunch of bulls just for the hell of it. Oh, I know, I know, it's art, and a tradition, and a sport! The arena in Ronda is actually quite beautiful although it is very small. Obviously it's the first to have been built in Spain, and you can walk out in the middle of it -- it's an interesting perspective from the middle of a bullring. I wonder what goes through a matador's mind as he's standing there amongst a ton of cheering Spaniards and a bull who's mad as hell... I also was able to walk around the stables there, and into the equestrian school where I saw a man training to become a picador.

Beyond the bullring in Ronda is the Puente Nuevo, a magnificently old and intricate bridge that connects the old and new towns. Ronda is a city built into the side of the mountains, and a huge gorge separates the old section from the new. I've never seen anything quite like the bridge in Ronda. As you walk from the bullring to the bridge, the town around you is incredibly small, and you certainly don't realize you're on top of a cliff. But as soon as you reach the Puente Nuevo and look down, you suddenly feel like you are on top of the world. It's amazing -- the bridge is probably 100 feet from side to side, if that, but the gorge it crosses is incredibly deep. I tried and tried to get a picture of the entire thing, but there was no vantage point that would allow me to capture the entire height of the bridge. The original designer is said to have fallen to his death right after the bridge was completed -- he was there checking his work, and lost his footing. I think a bull from the nearby arena pushed him.

Of all the cities I've been to so far, Ronda is one of my favorites. Something about it is very serene, and it's incredibly beautiful being built into the cliffs and all. The day I visited Ronda was very quiet (and cold), and somehow I think it was a typical day. I will definitely go back, next time for longer. I have to find a spot that allows a full bridge shot!

Today I've been shopping and relaxing -- it's nice to have some downtime, without cathedrals and museums. I was actually supposed to do an interview with the BBC today, but that didn't happen... Kay, my bike tour guide, had set me up with them because they're looking to speak with people who have taken her tour and are traveling through Spain. I spoke briefly with the reporter yesterday while I was in Ronda, and he asked that I get in touch when I returned to Malaga. I did, but it seems he lost interest after finding out it'd just be me... he said it's better to have a group so you can bounce things off of one another during the discussion. It's actually probably better that I don't go on the BBC to talk about traveling around Spain -- I'm pretty sure they'd make me look like a dumb American ;o)

Tomorrow I am taking the high-speed train to Madrid... I'm excited. On a tip from a friend, I splurged and went for a first-class ticket. You better believe I'll be in the station way in advance so I can take advantage of the lounge, too. I'm meeting HB in Madrid, where we'll be for four days. During that time, I'll take a day trip or two -- I really want to see Toledo and Cuenca. We're then headed to Salamanca and Segovia, and another S-town where his old friend lives, and then back to Madrid to fly home. I can't believe I've only got a little less than two weeks here. Time flies...

Malaga photos are here, Gibraltar photos are here, and Ronda photos are here!

Sevillanas

Appropriately, we learned about Sevillanas today, during my final culture class. Sevillanas is a type of flamenco that originated in Sevilla, as the name implies. Two of my favorite teachers, Moises and Rocio, demonstrated the dance for us, so I just had to post this video!