Thailand - Day 10

Day 10
I woke up early this morning, thrilled that we were going to visit Phang Nga Bay, one of the places listed in "1000 Places to See Before You Die." Phang Nga Bay is in the Andaman sea and is dotted with 42 islets made of limestone cliffs and caves. Sounds nice? No. It's actually breathtaking.

After an hour and half in the air-conditioned van, we boarded a boat that would drop us off at James Bond Island. (This island has an original name, but it's advertised as such because it was shown in a James Bond movie.) We don't actually step onto James Bond Island. I don't think you can step on it unless if you're an experienced rock climber.

At some point, we transferred from a longtail boat to a faster boat that held the canoes. We were taken to a handful of uninhabited islands by our canoe guide. He paddled forward through the light aqua water, passing stretches of mangroves and soaring limestone cliffs blanketed with lush vegetation. We paddled to tranquil lagoons, passed by bat infested caves, some cave openings so low that we have to press ourselves down against the canoe to prevent our noses and knees from being scratched by the barnacles. This was just an amazing experience. I cannot find the right words that will match its beauty. Maybe my photos will paint a better picture.

There was actually a traffic jam getting through one of the caves!

Look at how low the cave entrance is!

To be surrounded by one of Mother Natures miracles can even bring peace to a clouded mind.

Yeah yeah. I know this picture is not with my lover, but it is so beautiful, I had to include this. Sorry, lover! =D

We had a wonderful lunch on board after a few people took a quick dip in the open water. After visiting all of these islands, we made one last stop on Koh Panyi, a place to shop and get ripped off! I won't go into that... It was nevertheless very beautiful from afar.

By the time we got back to our hotel, the sun had already set, I think. We washed up (maybe after visiting the pool) and had dinner again at the restaurant across the street. I don't think we did much that night, because our tour guide was to pick us up at 6:15am the following morning. I think this was the night that Eric and I played scrabble, and I kicked his ass... while sleeping. Really! I believe he shed a few tears of shame, but what can you do... =D

So far, this was the BEST day EVER!! I was really excited for the next day. We were going to the much anticipated, well at least for me, Similan Islands!!

Thailand - Day 9

Day 9
Day 9 for Victor and I started earlier than everyone else. We woke up early to get information on day tours we could partake in from Phuket. I had already done quite a bit of research, so had a good idea of where we could visit. After consulting with everyone else, we finally decided to visit Phang Nga Bay the following day (YES!) and Similan Islands the day after that. (YESSSS!)

But before the final decisions were made, Victor, Eric, and I let the rest of the group sleep while we got some breakfast at a great restaurant called Orchids.


With our swimsuits already on, we headed towards Patong Beach. Endless rows of lounge chairs and umbrellas lined the entire length of the beach. We found a good spot and put down our stuff. Took off my flip-flops and wiggled my toes, feeling how fine the sand was. It was like flour! And the water! It was soooo warm. Mexican (gulf) and Hawaiian waters cannot compare! After a very quick dip in the water, I sunbathed for a bit while the boys played... with each other. Hahahah... Okay, not in that way. =D Anyway, the beach scene is very different here than in the states. Most men here wear tight, little speedos while women flaunt their bodies with confidence whether they are fit or not. Some even bared their breasts. I thought this was a wonderful change to our American ways. Everyone is so self-conscious in the US that a high percentage won't even wear a swimsuit in public.

So after about an hour of hanging out, we head back to our beautiful hotel. We showered, got final OKs on the upcoming activities, and headed back to the beach, this time, with the entire group. On our way there, we saw the CUTEST little puppy in a shoe store. I usually don't go googoo-gaga over animals, but this one, oh my, this one was SO FREAKIN' CUTE! I wanted to squeeze it so badly. Okay, so anyway, we all sunbathed and played around and stuff in the wonderful warm water and lie on the super fine sand of Patong Beach. Had some candy and ice cream. It was a really nice, relaxing, and fun time. Found it very enjoyable.

Hmm... I actually cannot remember what we did when we got back from the beach, besides shower again... Oh yeah, we went to the pool on the sixth floor and hung out there for a while. Anyway, we had dinner at a small restaurant across the street from the Mercure. Everything about this place was a big improvement from the previous night at Sivouey(?).

This was the night when all of our nicknames were finalized. From the very beginning, we found names we would call each other. Here's the final list. I won't say which belongs to whom, but here goes... Pitty Woman, Megamouth, Cameltoe, Pussy Foot, (Hot Ass) Snob, and Same Same. Lovely names, aren't they? Okay, I'll just say that mine was Megamouth. So in Chiang Mai, when we met some Koreans during the trek, I was introduced as Megamouth by someone in our group. I corrected this, but I guess she didn't hear my real name. Later that evening, the girl, Sun June, I think, had forgotten my name and asked, "Your name Megamouth?" All of my friends including myself whooped into roars of laughter. I screamed, "NO!! PLEASE do not call me Megamouth! That is NOT my name!! My name is Josephine. Megamouth means I have a big mouth!" And I proceeded to stretching out my mouth as wide as possible. She and her friends finally understood the meaning, and joined us with laughter.

Okay, so back to day 9... =)

After dinner, we walked past a street full of art galleries selling very beautiful paintings and antiques to a theater featuring the Simon Cabaret, a cabaret made up entirely of transexuals. The sets were elaborate, the costumes were beautiful, and some of the performers looked so beautiful! It was hard to believe that they were not originally women! The curvature of their bodies and the details of their faces was incredible! I was entirely engaged, but the boys, they all fell asleep. They don't even remember what happened. Tommy complained the show was too short, but he didn't know he slept through more than an hour of it! This is largely due to the comfortable chairs and our lack of sleep. When the show was over, a line of the performers stood outside for a photo op. Mae, Giselle, and I decided to go take a picture with the transexuals. When would we have another chance to take one? After a couple of snapshots, one of them requested $100baht (= $3)! Ah man. Got suckered AGAIN!! I forgot that you don't get anything for free in Thailand!

In the first pic, these women are doing Dream Girls songs. Aren't they BEAUTIFUL?! But when you see them up close, oh my, it's a little scary. =< The rest of the evening was rather chill, but I can't recall any specifics! (If any of you remember, please remind me!)

Cambodia/Thailand - Day 8

Day 8
We flew to Bangkok from Siem Reap in the morning. At the entrance of the airport, we saw a couple of men sitting there on guard with machine guns or rifles or something... Oh yeah, we passed by a billboard that had two images on it. One half was an illustration of people with guns and masks and a couple people lying face down on the ground, obviously dead. The other half showed a smiling happy family. The billboard read something like "We no longer need guns!" I tried snapping a shot of this, but came out blurry. =(

Our layover in Bangkok was pretty long, so most of us ventured out to the main shopping areas while Tommy and Giselle had to go to our very first Bangkok hotel to pick up her backpack. (Oh yeah! They were able to retrieve the backpack with everything inside!)

We had about five hours to explore plus commute time. We chose to go to Siam Square, a very popular shopping area my friend, Pat, had suggested. Terribly missing the comforts of AC, we escaped the late morning sun and found refuge in an ice cream shop. This was when my boycotting of western franchises for the trip came to an end. Since everyone else was getting ice cream, might as well get a scoop too. Yum. It sure was delicious!

As we savored every lick of the refreshing treat, we walked along the tight walkways casually looking at the clothing, jewelry, shoes, and other merchandise the little shops offered. I bought a bathing suit for less than $10, but that was the only shopping we did. Our tired feed were crying for some relief, so we started a mission. Find a spa! That's something all four of us could enjoy. (I'm sure the boys didn't enjoy watching me shop... Neither did Mae... =P) After passing by several body clinics and breast firming and toning places, we finally spotted the word "spa." Oh, this was a great spa. All four of us opted for the 90 min.(?) foot spa. Oh my gosh! It was soooooo nice and relaxing. I believe all of us fell asleep. They served us bale fruit tea afterwards which was really good. Anyway, we went to the mall and had a great meal there. The food court was really nice! I had fried chicken, rice, and spicy papaya salad. So yummy!

Got back to the airport and boarded our plane to Phuket, southern Thailand. This was my favorite flight of all time. From my window seat, I saw the sun set behind a blanket of fluffy clouds.


The clouds got thicker and we were now flying through them. There were patches of clearings, and I could see little islets sprinkled throughout the sea below. That must have Phang Nga Bay, one of the places I was dying to visit. Soaring through the clouds and seeing the islets by the fading light of the purple sky made it so dreamlike. So beautiful.


You know what else was beautiful? Our hotel. We stayed at the Mercure Hotel in the Patong area. When we arrived, someone was singing in the lobby. What a welcoming sound. The lobby itself wasn't enclosed, but out in the open. There was a beautiful circular bar near the entrance and a gorgeous lit pool just a few meters away. The entire hotel was bathed in warm browns, maroon, and off-white. Our rooms were clean, spacious, and so modern! I LOVE this hotel. We all liked it!


After we settled in, we had dinner at a tourist trap called Sivouey(?). Poor entertainment, bad service, and bad food. Calamari was good and it was right across the street from the beach! (Oh, did I mention that crossing the street anywhere in Thailand is like a suicide mission??? SCARY!!) Wanting to check out what this Patong area had to offer, we strolled down to a street I read about many times. Bangla Road. Here, there is no lack of bars, drunks, people trying to sell you anything, prostitutes, female-like people dancing on bars, and our favorite, lady boys. It was really fun trying to figure who's a guy and who's actually a girl. Sometimes we would all just stand there and debate whether it's a guy or a girl, all the while, trying to not to stare too much.

Unfortunately, I soon had a stomachache, and afraid that it would become worse, I decided to go back to the hotel. Victor accompanied me. What a sweetie. While I was back in my room doing my laundry and taking a hot bath, the others, besides Victor, continued checking out Bangla Road. They went to a couple of sex shows where they saw women do things with their vaginas that we've never seen before. At one of the shows, Tommy and Eric were pulled onto stage and were given a balloon each to put between their legs. The performer shot darts from her vagina and popped the balloons! Amazing! Yeah, I've never tried, but I don't think I can do that... Wish I was there. They hung out at the beach that night as well, and Victor and I missed out on some more fun! Hmph. They came back at 3am and were surprised to see that we were still up. Well, we definitely hoped to be able to see some of those shows when the next opportunity arises.

Cambodia - Day 7

Day 7
It's funny. Let me preface this entry by reiterating the fact that on our very first day in Cambodia, we all agreed to only stick to the touristy areas. Don't go where only locals go. If there were white people around, we'd be safer because they would stand out more than our group of black-haired American copies. We just didn't feel safe there.

Okay, so this is what we did on day 7 in Cambodia...

Before the crack of dawn, Victor and I are already on our way to visit Angkor Wat again. The complex was much less crowded this morning. Where are all the people? I looked around, and saw a couple hundred people sitting in front of a pond facing the pyramids of Angkor Wat. If EVERYONE is gathered there, good photo ops must reside there. When we walked to the edge of the pond, I understood why everyone is waiting here. The temple already looks incredible against the changing hues of the morning sky, but this is reflected into the pond as well. It was just amazing.

Before the huge mass of people left their seats, Victor and I wandered into the main complex for the second day in a row. We practically had the entire place to ourselves. Being the only ones to be walking through their corridors and avenues felt a little eerie. I could feel the eyes of the old watching from above. Rows of headless Buddha statues can be a little creepy. Beautifully detailed relief carvings lined many of the walls of this complex. It's really hard to put into words the beauty and mysticism Angkor Wat (as well as the other temples) hold. You kind of just stand there in awe and completely speechless. My fondness of temples were magnified this morning because we explored in solitude.

Victor and I decided to return to the hotel after an hour or so. We had breakfast with the whole group and met up with Nara again so he could take us to the Killing Fields of Siem Reap. Before the trip, I wasn't interested in seeing the Killing Fields. It was a time of unimaginable pain and suffering. I didn't want our moods to be dampened by a visit to such a place. But this is history. So when Nara suggested coming here, we all thought it was a good idea.

The Killing Fields here wasn't what I had imagined. The main one in Phnom Phenh is much bigger. The size of this one didn't lessen the pain and heartache that was felt here. As we were walking around in a temple, a teacher of this site approached us and shared with us some stories of the Khmer Rouge and the state of education and poverty today. He asked us for a donation, and we all willingly donated some money to the school. He walked us around, showed us a well where some victims of the Khmer Rouge had died. He pointed to a nearby building where scores of Cambodians were tortured and killed. By the time we filed into our van again, my heart was so heavy.

The topic of where to go next brought all of our spirits up. We wanted to have an easy day, and it was pretty easy so far, except for me and Victor who woke up many hours ago. We decided to take a boat tour to a floating village. Thinking we would just be sitting in a boat, that tour sounded quite attractive. We had two options. One was closer but very touristy, dirty, and the natural state of the floating village has not been preserved. Our other option was a little farther, but the beauty of the floating village was as it should have been. Hmm... Dirty, staged, and harassed by merchants? Or something that is "real?" Despite Nara's urges to go to the closer one, we asked him to drive to the farther village.

Off we went. Paved roads became a dirt road. The dirt road became tighter, passing by tiny living communities made of little huts on stilts. We even passed by a wedding banquet! Nara pulled over to the side of the road, and we looked around. No floating village in sight! The village was far away. We had to transfer to a truck with huge tractor tires to go the rest of the way. All of us climbed into the bed of the truck and continued on the very tight road with monstrous potholes and shrubbery whacking us in the faces when we weren't looking. The scenery was lovely at times though. There were acres upon acres of bright green rice fields on both sides. At times, I wondered how deep we are going into this remote area of Cambodia. No one knows that we're here... It was a big relief to see some tourists going the opposite way. Whew!

The truck finally stopped. In front of us was a little trench. How the heck are we going to get past this part of the road? By walking. After a short walk with the sun beating down on us, we finally boarded our (longtail?) boat. With the motor roaring in the back, we slowly snaked down the murky waters of this narrow river.

The village didn't look anything like what I had imagined it to be. Remember I mentioned we wanted something that was easy? Just sitting? Well, to visit this "floating" village, we had to walk there. It was the dry season. The village needs rain to look like it's floating. None of us put the two together. We all got off the boat and walked through the one wide street that made up this very remote village. Walking through felt a little eerie. Where are all the residents? There was nobody walking around. It felt like a ghost town. Since all of the houses stood on stilts, it felt like we were an exhibit. All the villagers' eyes were on us. Trying to push these paranoid thoughts aside, I thought it was cool to see the houses standing on stilts, but it would've been cooler to see the houses sitting right above the water! =D We found that one of their trades is making dried shrimp. Many sheets of these were laid on the ground to dry in the hot air. The smell was sort of potent. Heh heh heh...

We walked to the end of the village and boarded our boat once again. They were going to take us to Tonle Sap Lake. The lake was vast and looked pretty deep. The boat slowed and the engine stopped. Uh. What are we doing? My friend, Mae, got very nervous at this point because Nara started taking off his watch. A little boat was waiting for us just a few meters away. She was nearly convinced that we were going to get mugged or something worse. Nara continued stripping down to his shorts. Swimming trunks underneath! I think he said "Swimming!" and jumped into the water. He surfaced and asked, "Swimming?" All of us shook our heads in relief and shock, and he asked again, "Why?" And went under again. As I was watching him swim and looking at the lake, I wondered, are they ALWAYS ready for a swim? Nara had no idea he was going to be here today... He and a couple other locals swam for about 15 minutes. They quickly dried off, and we were on our way back to our starting point again.

It was sort of a relief to get back onto the bed of the truck. We smelled fumes for about an hour and got whacked again by stray branches. Our truck broke down twice, I think, and we stopped to help a tractor that was stuck in the riverbed. When we got into our air conditioned van, it felt really really nice. Mostly because I didn't have to smell exhaust anymore! Our AC stopped working as were headed back to the city so Nara stopped on the side of the road and bought all of us water! That was really very nice of him and totally unnecessary!

We had a buffet dinner designed for tourists that included traditional dance accompanied with narration. Food was alright. Our original plans for the rest of the evening involved looking for another spa to visit, but we realized how tired Nara must have been, so we let him go early that night. We learned that he was to make a long drive to Thailand very early the next morning, so he must have been very happy to be able to go home earlier tonight.

This is our whole group with Nara.

So what to do while the night was still young? Let's party! We decided to go to the "Beer Garden" for some chill time. The tuk-tuk driver told us he knew where that was. But when we got there, it was like, "Where the heck are we?" This doesn't look like a beer garden... It looked just a like a local outdoor restaurant. We decided to just finish our beers and leave to look for a better spot. Our boys, Victor and Eric, decided to go scout out the area, in search of some other place to go to. How stupid of us to let them go. They were gone for some time. I was really starting to get worried. I don't know about Eric, but Victor is such a friendly trusting person. He probably thinks everyone is a good person. What if he unknowingly flaunts his touristy characteristics? What if they got mugged? Kidnapped? Killed?? Good thing Eric was with him though. He's been mistaken a number of times for being a local. Heehee... We waited eagerly for their return. Gosh... It took forever. I was actually kind of mad at them when they got back. Made us worry so much about them! >=(

Okay, stick to our original plan which is stick to the tourist areas. Where to? Pub street! We took another tuk-tuk and headed to a well-known bar called "Angkor What?" We peered inside, and it looked pretty crowded. Across the street though was another bar pumping out some pretty loud familiar songs. We opted for this place instead. After some more beer and kamikaze, we got on the dance floor. You know those annoying obnoxious Americans who scream and do insane moves on the dance floor because they're too intoxicated to care?? Yeah, those people were us. Oh my gosh. Everyone let loose. Even our ride back to the hotel in the tuk-tuk was crazy. We sure were obnoxious. =\

Okay, here are some photos we took at the bar. These are the presentable ones. =)


We learned a really silly move from a Thai music video and showed off our skills that night. You like?What a way to end our stay in Cambodia. It was absolutely incredible. The next morning, we were to depart to go to Phuket!!

Cambodia - Day 6

Day 6
Our driver, Nara, was to pick us up this morning at 5:30am. All of us finally filed into his van after 5:45. I was starting to get a little nervous that we would miss the sunrise shots at Angkor Wat. On our way there, all of us layered on our mosquito protection. We purchased our 3 day passes for $40 each person. And this money goes to a privately owned company! You would think profits generated from a national attraction like this would end up in the government's hands, but things are a little different here...

By the time we reached the Angkor Wat complex, it was already a little too late to get those sunrise shots. We did, however, have ample opportunities to capture other great shots. (Didn't say that we actually captured them though. Heheh...) When we entered the main courtyard, I was a little surprised to see the huge mass of people milling around. The complex itself was amazing. Here are some pics that were taken...

After a couple hours of checking out Angkor Wat, we decided to get some breakfast. We were driven to a restaurant across the street. Something pretty bad happened there that I don't care to share with the world, but this serves as a reminder for me... =) (If you must know, just ask and I'll tell you.)

Our next stop is the Bayon Temple. There, we were approached by a man wearing a shirt labeled "Police." He asked where we're from, and we said, "U.S." He proceeded to say something like we're "American Copies" and it's rare that "real Americans" visit Cambodia. He didn't mean any harm by his statements, but they just seemed sort of funny. I guess, in many people's eyes, Americans are supposed to be blond-haired and blue-eyed. Well, not this group of Chinese, Filipino, and Mexican American citizens! He started leading us through the temple, sharing very interesting facts and showing us interesting nooks and crannies. When he started doing this, I immediately remembered something I had read in a forum about "police" men who act like a guide through your little romp through the complex. As you are leaving, they ask you for money. I'm sure the sum for his services wouldn't have been outrageous, but I hate it when people try to be sneaky! So as he was trying to show us around, we were to trying to lose him. We would split up and go in different directions. He found us once in a while, but in the end, we managed to lose him. We quickly walked out of the temple, afraid to bump into him again. It was actually kind of funny - like playing a game of cat and mouse.

Here are some pics from the Bayon Temple. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that since it was later in the day, there were hordes of people here!

We stopped by a couple of other temples. A couple more pics...

Our next stop was Ta Prohm Temple. The temples you can imagine from Indiana Jones and Tom Raider are reflected here. As a matter of fact, I think parts of Tomb Raider was actually shot here. These temples are not as grand as Angkor Wat, but much of it have not yet been reconstructed, so walking through paths and corridors made it feel like you've stumbled upon a great discovery. Sort of like that... =)

After all these temples, we were all pretty tired, and requested to be driven back to our hotel for some relaxation. Most of us hung out by the pool, some swam, and we all ate together. That was when we first ordered one of our favorite dishes, egg with minCed pork. =) After the late lunch, we met up once again with Nara, our driver. He was going to bring us to a very popular spot to watch the sunset.

The steps to ascend this temple were extremely steep and narrow.

... so we hung out at the bottom for a bit and took really cheesy pictures.

As more and more people climbed the stairs, we decided to go up as well. We found a great spot to watch the sunset. So did many many other people!

As we were heading back to the city, we saw Angkor Wat lit up at night. Victor and I took a few quick shots before the security shooed us away.

That night was very relaxing. The girls got an aromatherapy massage at the hotel, while the boys ventured out into the city to find their own massage place. Nara took them to an apartment-like complex. From the stories that were told, the boys were really nervous. This didn't seem like a place for tourists. They were given clothes to change into that apparently didn't fit too well... Tommy was given a very small shirt that read "same same" in the front, and "but different" in the back. What the heck does that mean??

All three boys were greeted with giggling women. They said this was a relief. It eased their nervousness and fears that they were going to be mugged. They all received excellent thai massages that night. If there was anything other than that, we weren't told. =)

Thailand/Cambodia - Day 5

Day 5
Hm. I think day 5 was pretty uneventful. In the morning, we left Mali...something...korn for the airport. Flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia. The impression of Cambodia I got from the ride between the airport and our hotel wasn't that great. It really reminded me of the outskirts of Saigon, Vietnam. Worn down buildings littered with trash lined both sides of the main road. Conditions looked just a little better as we approached the tourist areas. In this environment, I automatically became on guard with all that's around me. The poverty and corruption were suffocating.

When we reached our hotel, we were warmly greeted by the staff there. As we checked out each of our rooms, we were then greeted by mosquitoes. It was so bad in one of our friends' rooms that we were seriously thinking about switching hotels. We all later agreed that no matter where we go, facing mosquitoes is inevitable. To prevent himself from getting bit, Tommy tried to seal off a few openings from his clothing and worked out a new fashion trend. You like?

We washed up, had a so-so dinner, wrestled with the Cambodian currency, the riel, when given the dinner bill, purchased drinks and A LOT of mosquito repellent supplies, hung out at the boys' room, washed up again, called it a night pretty early because we had an early start the next morning, spent the night there actually because our room was poisoned from the insane amount of mosquito coils that were burning in ours. We would have burned a lot of brain cells if we had slept in our room. It was fun. Sort of like a slumber party! At this point in our trip, I had already felt a strong bond between the group. Bidding them goodnight each night was a bit sad. Couldn't wait to see everyone the next morning again. That night, we didn't have to leave! It was great!