(no subject)
Up until now, I've refrained from ever actually using this thing mainly because I didn't think there was much particularly interesting about my life right now. Granted, I'm in China teaching English for a year, but after you've been here for a while (I've been here since August), you get settled in and the newness wears off.
Well, the good news is that I have a three-week break coming up where I'll be travelling to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. So I think I'll sort of copy and paste with some editing my emails that I send home. That way, I'll have some record of my trip online and I'll be able to put a little bit of "me" on this Livejournal thing instead of just lurking in the shadows.
So with that in mind, here's my pre-trip email. We'll see if I'm feeling adventurous enough to put in links and pictures.
By the way, the part at the bottom of the post still applies and comments count.
Well, well, well…it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?
Hope everyone had some great holidays. Belated Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukkah, and Kwanzaa (that one’s for Phillip), and New Years greetings to you all!
Chinese New Year is fast approaching over here. (About 13 hours faster than most of you thanks to the time difference) The actual date is Jan 29, but I see no need in waiting for the actual holiday to get busy celebrating, right? The school gives us about three weeks of paid vacation to set out to wherever we see fit…so yours truly has decided he’s headed for Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
I’m leaving Zhuhai via the Special Administrative Region of Macau for Singapore on Friday, January 20 at 6:30pm. It’s about a three hour flight down there. Singapore is located just a mere 100km (60 miles) from the equator. If I hadn’t already been to Australia, I’d fine that horribly unsatisfying. But luckily, I’ve already checked off the “below the equator” requirement last Christmas/New Years in Australia. I’m going to be in Singapore from Jan 20-23 (Fri-Mon). That gives us about two and a half days to see an area the size of Washington, DC (before Virginia got all huffy around the time of the Civil War and took back it’s half of the previously perfectly rhombus-shaped capital of America) My “partner in crime” for this portion of the trip will be a Ms. Michelle Zittlau. Michelle’s a first-generation American whose parents came over from Germany during the sixties. Amazingly, I think Michelle is the only person I’ve met that can talk as fast if not faster than I can. That should mean that we sqeeze in a years worth of conversation in the space of a week of traveling together. Some quick information on Singapore…it’s a lot like Hong Kong. Strong British colonial past and a clean, modern, and bustling metropolis. But to be honest, I’m not interested in any of that. What I’m most excited about is that Singapore has *multiple* Mexican restaurants. One of which has a happy hour that goes until 9pm. That means half-priced margaritas and a very inebriated couple of English teachers! I guess there are cultural sights too in Singapore, but we’ll worry about that after I’m stuffed full of tacos, chips, salsa, lime juice, and tequila! Viva Singapore!
After Singapore, we’ll leave for the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (KL). Up until recently, KL had the worlds highest towers in the form of the Petronas Towers. A couple of years ago, they were surpassed by Taipei 101 in (you guessed it!) Taipei. (Editor’s note: I’ve been there too) But they still retain the title of “worlds tallest twin towers” (they were also taller than NY’s World Trade Towers). So that’s enough of a hook to draw me in. I don’t have much else planned in Kuala Lumpur. It’s mainly just a quick stop on the way to Thailand.
And now on to the likely highlight of the trip...
In Thailand, I’m going to Phuket Island, or Patong Beach in particular. This should be a pretty interesting part of my trip as this is the exact area that was *devastated* by the tsunami just over a year ago. Apparently, they’ve done a good job of rebuilding and they really want people to go visit as tourism is pretty much the only economic activity in town. So I’m going to do my duty as a “citizen of the world” and stay in a hotel with a private room, private balcony, air conditioning, satellite TV, and a pool for the hefty price tag of (drumroll please…) $12 per person per night. This is way easier than giving blood or something. Part of me wonders if there will be some sense hanging over the beach that so many people died here, but hopefully, the recovery will be in full swing and I won’t have to worry my pretty little head about it. Phuket’s climate is about as tropical as it comes. We’re talking 88 degree sunny days with 84 degree crystal clear turquoise water. Apparently, a popular beverage is a frozen or chilled coconut with a straw! I think chilled coconut + gorgeous beach + duty free Bacardi rum bought at border crossing = LOTS OF FUN. I’m going to be in Phuket for five nights. Jan 26-31.
In Phuket, I’ll be meeting Tammy who will have been with Christian a great German guy we met here in Zhuhai. After we meet up, we’ll be departing for Bangkok via an overnight “VIP” bus. Apparently, this is the closest we’ll come to touring like rockstars in a motorcoach for the price of $20. We’ll be in Bangkok for a few days to enjoy some cheap shopping and seedy bars. My friend Taylor has advised us that there’s one bar we can’t miss. Since my mother is reading this…I’ll just say think Thai women and ping pong balls! ;o)
After Bangkok, we head further north into the mountain region to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is supposed to be kind of a hippy expat area. The big things here will be temples, elephants, and taking a Thai cooking class. I’m pretty excited about all three. We’ll be in Chiang Mai for 3-4 days.
After Chiang Mai, we head back to Bangkok to catch our flight home to Macau and Zhuhai on February 9th. So if you notice that I’m not online much at all in the next three weeks…now you know why!
So now that you’ve made it this far reading (or had the good sense to scroll down and be done with it)…the first 10 replies that I get to this email with a full mailing address get postcards from the country of their choice (Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand are your options). See, we should always read to the bottom of emails, kids!
Because I'm nice (and a geography nerd, I've included a helpful map for those following along at home)...
