Garlic Bread or German Girl?

During our view point trek in Railay, Julissa and I met an Italian traveler named...I forget his name at the moment, but he's the funny part of this story.

Julissa and I had heard about a hidden beach and we were on a mission to find it. The Italian knew how to find the beach and told us how to get there. We thanked him for the information and as we said our good-byes he decided to join us. Mind you, he didn't ask, he just kinda came along. He was nice. His accent was hilarious and it was very entertaining listening to him speak English. He was tall and lanky with a big head, but not too bad looking. When we found the beach, we all swam together and then laid out on the sand. While we were sitting on the beach, I asked him to share a crazy story from his travel adventures. He had been traveling for nearly four years and I figured there had to be a good story for him to share. He proceeds to tell us about a time when he was hitch hiking through Australia and was picked up by a German girl. The German girl lived and worked on a farm and offered him a place to stay in the barn where they stored the farm equipment. The Italian boy found the barn to be very uncomfortable and he thought to himself, "I can go and sleep with the German girl." He found his way into the house through the kitchen. Once there he realized that he was also very hungry. He had no money and having been busy hitch hiking, he hadn't eaten all day. He decided that he would see what there was to eat and then pay a visit to the German girl. In the refrigerator, he found a large loaf of garlic bread and thought to himself, "Garlic bread or German girl?" That's what the Italian boy said to us with a big smile and chuckle as if to say "get it?" It took a minute for us to react. We were waiting for the exciting part of the story. In fact, Julie and I still wonder what he meant exactly when he said, "Garlic bread or German girl?" Did he mean that eating was more important to him? Maybe because he is Italian, he loves bread? Did he mean that he couldn't possibly pay a visit to the German girl's bed because he ate garlic? We couldn't figure it out, but that was his most exciting story after traveling the globe for nearly four years. So boring. After eating the garlic bread, he said he knocked out and fell asleep on the kitchen floor. He never did find out who the garlic bread belonged to, and in the morning, he ate two pineapples with the German girl. It wasn't until the end that he shared he was on a pineapple farm. Any way, this guy's story became the running joke for the rest of our trip. In an attempt to imitate his very Italian accent, we repeated his story to everyone we met. If you, the reader, and I ever meet in person, ask me to tell you this story because it's humor is lost without mimicking his accent.

I dedicate this entry to Julissa Cruz, "Garlic bread or German girl?" and to the many adventures we have yet to fulfill together (on pineapple farms)! Cheers!

Back in the Cold

Just two days ago I woke up in a hut on the beach. Today, it is snowing outside, and I can't wear enough clothes to stay warm. In Bangkok, I wore SPF 50+ EVERY DAY and I still got a tan. Here, my hands are starting to itch from the dry weather. I am so ready to move to a warmer climate.

I made it back safely to the states, and alas, my adventures in Southeast Asia are complete...for now. I decided I am going back soon. I am not sure when, but it will happen within the next few years. First, I have to go back to Railay and complete the climb that I was too afraid to conquer. Second, I have to dive. I may save that for Australia, but I have to dive. Third, Koh Lanta was the most amazing beach ever, and until I find a better beach, I want to back there.

I am not sad that I am back in the states. The trip really isn't over for me because I can go back whenever I want. At least in my head I can. It was absolutely amazing. And that's all for now. Bye-bye.

Chicago Bound - Good Bye BKK

It's time. I am heading back the states, but I am not sad. I am grateful for the wonderful opportunity to travel and live out one of my dreams. I am in Carla's apartment in Bangkok and packing up my stuff. I arrived with one suitcase and I am leaving with three. HA! I'm going to miss Bangkok shopping. Funny enough, I am in BKK alone. Liza and Carla are back in Chicago for the holidays and Julie is still prancing around in Koh Lanta. But it feels great. I have gotten to know the city well enough that I am running around like a mad women with t-minus 10 hours until take-off. I'm not sleeping tonight. Once I'm done packing, it's off to Cheap Charlie's for one last beer, some night market shopping, street food and a train ride to see my pals, Nida, Lu and their brand new baby, Cat.

Thank you Bangkok for a wonderful adventure. I am so lucky because I found a wonderful family in Bangkok. Thanks Liza, Fede, Ron, Shirley, Krystal, Nida, Lu and Cat for being my BKK familia. Most of all, thank you Carli for your unconditional friendship. I love you.

See you later Bangkok. Chicago, here I come!

Boat Hopping Adventure

Julissa and I had done a fairly good job at communicating throughout our trip, but for me, the day after our rock climbing adventure was the day we were finally in sync. We got up fairly early that morning, but it turned out that it wasn't early enough. Koh Jum was the next island on our itinerary, but by the time we went to book our boat ride, we learned that we had missed the boat by an hour. The travel agent we were talking to was very unhelpful, and even rude. And the travel tours she was offering were extremely expensive. Julissa and I walked away thinking since we missed all the boats leaving Railay, then we should at least get breakfast and then decide what to do. On our way to getting our banana shakes, we ran into Chris O'Donnell. Not the famous Chris O'Donnell, but the Australian we had met at a bar two nights before. He was one of our dancing partners that night and also happened to be climbing at the same rock the day before. I think Chris was our lucky charm, because he was talking to another travel agent, who not only gave us a discount on our boat tickets, but also set us straight on the different boat schedules on Railay. We had fifteen minutes to get to the bay where the boat was waiting and we ran with our bags like there was no tomorrow. We ended up buying a boat ride to Koh Lanta and skipped on Koh Jum because Lanta was cheaper, closer and easier to get to.

On our way to the boat, Julissa made a detour to find an ATM. When I arrived at the boats I began to ask for the Lanta longtail. Almost simultaneously, about ten people said, "Oh, Lanta left. No more boats to Lanta." A bit shocked, I asked "What do you mean Lanta left. How could it have left. We have tickets and we were told it left at 10:45 not at 10:40!" The woman in charge of loading passengers on the longtail boats was furious and yelling at me as if it was my fault that we bought our tickets at 10:30am and were told the boat left at 10:45am. Well, obviously, we DID just by the tickets. The poor travel agent by Chris O'Donnell probably didn't inform them we were coming so they took off early. The ten or so tourists that informed the longtail to Lanta had just left were getting on to a boat headed for Phuket. The lady proceeded to shove me on to the Phuket longtail with an even angrier boat captain on board. Julissa was no where in sight, and all the Phuket tourists were on board, not so patiently waiting for Julie and me. I was almost laughing inside, but mostly freaking out because there was no Julie, the ticket lady is yelling at me, and the boat captain's eyes were searing into me. Seconds later, I see Julissa strolling down the beach. I cupped my hands to my mouth and yelled as loud as I could, "Julissa, hurry up, the boat is leaving!" I wanted to yell much more because I feeling pretty tense inside, but what I shouted out loud was enough because Julissa's long half-marathon legs sprang into action and she sprinted to the boat faster and funnier than I could have imagined. I told her to throw me her bag, which she did mid sprint. I threw her stuff and mine into the boat, told her to take off her shoes, and pulled her on to the longtail so fast and hard she nearly jumped over me. I had no idea where we were going, but we were on a boat and that was good enough. All of this happened in span of four minutes, but it felt so very long.

Again, we didn't know where we were headed, but about ten minutes later, we joined up with another longtail. It turned out that the ticket lady had arranged for us to jump from the Phuket longtail to the Lanta longtail. Pretty clever for the angry ticket lady, but I am sure this wasn't the first time some crazy chicas showed up late for their boat ride. At this point, we still weren't sure of what was going on, but all we knew is that we were on a boat going somewhere, and that was good enough. I began to film our departure from Railay and as I did so, it seemed like we were about to crash into a huge ferry boat. One of the ferry boat guys jumped on to our longtail and began to remove our bags. Julissa's was on top and she freaked out, began to yell, "Don't take my bag!" What we didn't realize was that we were shifting from the longtail to the ferry. This was not clear to us until every one of the longtail passengers had joined the ferry and we were left alone with our bags on the boat. It was quite funny. We joined the ferry and found a nice cozy spot on the ledge of the boat. The four hour ferry ride was very relaxing and we topped it off with yummy spicy ramen noodle soup from a cup. We still hadn't had breakfast at this point and we were very hungry. Julissa and I were elated when we found out there was food in the passenger cabin below. Spicy ramen, Baked Lays and Oreos made for the perfect brunch in the middle of the ocean on our boat hopping adventure.

As I re-read this entry, I can't help but laugh out loud and smile at the mess we got ourselves into. We had a blast traveling from Railay to Lanta. Today, as I sit cozily indoors, avoiding the snow blizzard outside, I ache to sit on the ferry with my feet dangling from ledge, feeling the salt water spray my legs, face and hair. Thank you Railay. Thank you Lanta. Thank you angry ticket lady. And of course, the company made the entire experience memorable...

View Point Climb and Tonsai

Our rock climbing day was the most active day of our trip. In my last entry I wrote quite a bit about that experience, but the day was jammed packed with other fun adventures, including a vertical climb to one of the most scenic and highest parts of Railay.

After climbing we settled into a hearty lunch beach side and enjoyed a yummy fruit shake to celebrate a great morning climb. Julissa and I kept it hard core and continued our trekking adventures after lunch. The View Point was next on our list. We were not sure what the view point was, but we overheard a few travelers talking about it and we decided to explore for ourselves. In order to get to the view point we were told we would need proper walking shoes and should expect a 30 minute hike. On our way to the view point, we ran into one of the party goers from the night before and he requested that Julissa and I give him proper dancing lessons. Apparently, he enjoyed our performance from the night before, but I digress.

We expected to hike and possibly do some a bit of climbing, but we did not expect to do a vertical climb without a harness or rope. When we arrived at the foot of the mountain, Julissa and I looked up at the steep trail leading up to the view point, took a deep breath, and started to climb. The climb was steep. Had it not been for our climb earlier that morning, I do not think I would have had the courage to make the trek. It was literally straight up, muddy, and seemed nearly impossible to me. It was also bad for Julissa because of her fear of heights. Lots of people were climbing, so we weren't the only crazy tourists. The whole point of the climb was to have a view of Railay from up top. Julissa and I had not realized that we were climbing the other side of the mountain that we scaled earlier that morning, which ended up being pretty neat. The view was breathtaking. The sky was blue, we could see the white beaches and crystal clear water from above, and different, vibrant shades of green covered the rest of Railay. When we made it to the view point, Julissa commented aloud, "I wonder how many babies were conceived up here." The views are quite spectacular and I am sure they have inspired the making of many Railay babies.

On the way down from the view point, if you head deeper into the mountain, you come across a lagoon that is also part of the view point excursion. The trek is deeper into the mountain and is a vertical climb down. We did completed about half the climb when we stopped. A couple of travelers told us the lagoon was muddy and not worth the trek. Julissa and still had yet to find the hidden beach and make the trek to Tonsai beach, so we opted to end our view point adventure early.

On our descend, I spotted a nice rock to sit on and I asked Julissa if she would go ahead with out me while I took a moment to meditate. It was magical. I sat on the rock with my toes digging into the ground for nearly 30 minutes and I offered my gratitude to the universe for the most wonderful three months of my life. It was as if all the experiences came together in that moment and filled me with light and love. I felt so much love and gratitude for the people I met during my travels, for the old friends with whom I was able to share new memories and for the teaching moments and lessons that I will carry with me always.

When hiking, I have no problem climbing up, but coming down has always been a challenge. The descend from the view point was terrifying. When I looked down, it was as if I was just staring straight down into the ground from several hundreds of feet up in the air. The easiest way to climb down was sitting on my bum, sliding down one step at a time. I just washed the shorts I wore that day and it took lots of scrubbing to remove the red clay dirt stains. I have never been afraid of heights, but this was scary. It took twice as long for me to come down from the view point. When I finally reached the bottom, I felt a huge sense of relief and accomplishment. I also found Julissa chatting it up with some Italian traveler named, but you will have to read about him on the entry "Garlic Bread or German Girl." The traveler led us to the hidden beach we had been searching for and it was worth the wait. The scenes from the movie "The Beach" do not compare to seeing it in real life. We laid out for about an hours and then hiked back to our huts to get ready for the evening adventures.

The Italian was staying on Tonsai Beach, which happened to be where Julissa and I had planned on going for the evening. You can get to Tonsai either by walking across the pointy rocks that connect Railay and Tonsai when the tide is low, or by longtail boat. We made the trek with the Italian as the sun was setting. It was spectacular. The rays were vibrant shades of purple, pink, orange and red. The trek over the rocks was slightly painful, challenging and potentially dangerous. It became dark very fast and it was difficult to see where we were stepping. Once we arrived to Tonsai, however, it was like landing in a completely different world. The distance between Railay and Tonsai on the beach side can not be more than a few kilometers, but there is a big difference between the two beaches. Tonsai was totally chilled out. It looked like a village of hippie travelers. We stayed for dinner and hung out with the Italian and his other Italian Rasta friend, but they were boring. Julissa and I fell asleep at a bar in two separate hammocks, while they tried to show off to the other girls that were actually paying attention to their shenanigans. Once we came to, and realized that we were bored, we let the Rasta Italian know we were leaving for the night. Although Julissa found him to be very strange, he was nice enough to walk us to the beach to find a longtail. It was high tide and with no flash light, there was no way Julie and I were walking back to our huts through the jungle.

When we got to the beach, the longtail guys were charging us 500 Thai baht to cross over to Railay. Usually, a ride is 100 baht, but since we were only two passengers and it was late at night, the price went up. I could sense Julissa's freak out sensors begin to activate as I tried my best to negotiate the price. Ten minutes passed and we spotted a boat coming in to the opposite side of the bay. Julissa and I ran to the longtail and asked them to take us to Railay. After negotiating the price to 200 baht, we jumped on the longtail and enjoyed a delightful boat ride under the stars and moon. We laughed at how boring the guys were...especially since they put us to sleep at a bar of all places! And we laughed at the prospect of getting stuck on Tonsai for the night.

Once we docked in Railay, we could not resist a late night snack and enjoyed a very delicious naan with nutella and banana. I really want to learn how to make naan...it's so yummy!

So this was a brief summary of our longest day in Railay. It began with rock climbing, trekking up to the view point, a scary descend, hidden beach, sunset trek, two silly Italian boys and a very good job at hustling our way home on the longtail. Thanks Railay and Tonsai for the great memories!

Climbing Rocks, Conquering Fears

I did not anticipate being afraid of climbing rocks. I jumped out of a plane in September to celebrate Julissa's birthday, and even though I was not super hyped up about rock climbing, I figured it would not be as scary - it was much more terrifying. On Friday, December 18, 2009, I conquered one of my biggest fears and learned a very valuable lesson.

The night before our climb, Julissa and I enjoyed a fun night of dancing to and performing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Beyonce's "Single Ladies" at a little island bar. You can read more about that night in the previous entry. Considering that we spotted signs of daylight as we made it back to our little hut in the jungle, Julissa and I woke up just in time for our 9am climb. We even had time for a super delish banana shake for breakfast. We did not have time for a more hearty breakfast, but later we were thankful that our stomachs were not full because I think we would have chucked our entire meal during the climb.

Our guide, Ram, hooked us up with all the necessary climbing gear, including shoes, harness and chalk bag. Did you know that climbing shoes should be considerably snug, even a whole size smaller than your regular shoe size? Once we had been suited up, we made the trek to our first rock. I am almost certain that one of our climbs was on the Muai Thai/123 wall on Tonsai beach. We didn't exactly get the details of the rocks, such as the names. Later I learned from my rock climbing friends, Nida and Lu, that you should know the names of the rocks you climb. Lu says that that's what climbers do - talk about the rocks and other climber "stuff." What I do know is that the 123 wall was packed with first time climbers. It was quite exciting seeing so many people going up and down vertical rocks. I felt quite outdoorsy with my harness and snug shoes while surrounded by climbers.

Never before I had thought of rock climbing as something I would do. Five years ago I worked at a gym with an indoor wall, but I never made it to the beginners class. And yet, I made it to Railay, a climbers nirvana according to Nida and Lu. As we walked to the wall, I told Julie, "You know, I'm not really excited about climbing, but I figure since we are in Railay, I might as well do it." I am glad I did.

Our first wall was a baby wall. Julissa went up first. It looked tough, but from ground level I could see the various nooks where I she could place her feet and hands. Based on what I saw, I tried to remember the nooks and mentally planned my climb. Once I was on the rock, I realized how tough it really was to see the nooks. Everything in front of me looked flat, no nooks, nowhere to go. Fear set in. It was the baby rock, and I was scared. I was thinking, "These people must be crazy trying to climb some rocks. I don't climb rocks. What am I doing!" But I kept at it. We were with a nine year old boy that completed the climb in five minutes. I tried to keep that in mind. I made it to the top of the baby rock and came down. My legs, arms and hands were shaking. My heart was pounding. All I wanted was a cigarette. Note, I did not have one, so please, no lectures. But I was definitely shaken. From there, we were off to climb #2.

This climb was a bit difficult. Ram, our guide, had to hoist us up a bit because this side of rock protruded out, maybe six feet or so and the climb began about five feet off the ground. Julie went first again. As she went up, fear began to set its nasty little claws deeper into my psyche. I could see her struggle. When Julie is nervous or a bit scared, she laughs. She laughed quite a bit during her climb. I do not laugh. When it was my turn to climb the wall, I panicked. I walked to wall, looked up and thought, "How am I going to do this?" My mind went blank, but not in a good way, in a paralyzing way. I am good in high stress situations and react in very a appropriate, direct and safe way. I have been in situations before where my mind goes blank, but it does so in order to clear out the white noise so I can see exactly what I am supposed to do. In this case, I could not see or think anything. I could not see any nooks to place my hands and I could not find where to put my feet. I just saw a flat vertical rock and fear painted my mind red. That was all I saw, heard, smelled and touched. Ram hoisted me up to the rock by pushing my bottom with his two hands, and as he did so, all I could think was, "NO." I placed my hands and feet into the nooks that he instructed, but I could not move. If he let me go, I would not fall or hurt myself because I was only five feet off the ground, but my awareness was tainted and I could not move. I did not trust Ram. I did not trust myself and I did not trust the equipment. It was as if nothing else existed except the fear I felt at that moment. Ram thought I was joking and kept instructing me on how to make the climb. I tried. I tried my hardest, but I could not do it. I could not see anything but fear. I panicked and I came down.

Julissa, Ram, the nine year old boy and his mom seemed startled and a bit sad for me. My determination to get down was stronger than my determination to climb. Although they did not seem convinced, I said to them, "Really, I am OK." For me, the problem with that climb was that it was painful. The rocks were cutting into my hands. I was bumping my knees into the rocks trying to get a grip. It was painful and I do not like pain. As I was struggling to climb, I had a brief thought that helped me decide - I do not like pain and I will not inflict pain on myself. Once I knew I was not going to climb and knew that my only task was to convince Ram of my decision, the red started to clear away. I came down and felt good. I hadn't yet decided that I would never climb again, although I was headed in that direction. I was slightly embarrassed, but my sense of relief was greater. Everyone was quiet and did not know what to say. Strangely enough, I was in higher spirits than before we started the first climb.

Slowly, as we walked to our third climb, I began to see how this experience was very much like an example of how I have lived some moments of my life. Although I think through things and plan to some extent, I usually thrust myself into new experiences. I have become OK with jumping into new things because I have learned that no matter how much I plan, I really have no idea what something is like until I do it. I am able to make the first leap because I trust myself, but sometimes, fear takes over. It has done so in different situations throughout my life, and although I do not consider myself a quitter and I am good at finishing what I have started, fear has undoubtedly been an obstacle. I have known this for some time, but this climb cemented what I have slowly been learning - I need to trust myself more and trust that all situations will always work out as they should. I realized that all I had to do was trust Ram, trust the equipment, see the rock before me and trust my ability to climb. I felt good about being able to say "no" and coming down when I knew it did not feel right, but I could not leave Railay with out completing a proper climb.

As we approached the third climb, I took all the energy I had within to clear my mind of that red, panicky fear. I began to gently coax myself into a climb. I knew I wasn't going to die during the climb, or fall to the ground, and the third worst thing that could happen already had...I had stopped mid-climb. So on this third climb, I went first and I made it to the top. It was tough. It took all I had. I could feel my body making the climb on its own. I had a great cheering section below that guided me all the way up. It was awesome. I looked down at one point, and THAT was scary. I had no idea I had gone so far up. After that, I only looked up, straight ahead or to the side. Before I came down, I forced myself to look at the scenery. It was nearly terrifying, but worth every anxiety ridden second. My goodness, the view took my breath away. All I could see was crystal clear blue and green water surrounded by a white sandy beach, vibrantly green trees and huge, magnificent rocks. I was on one of those rocks and I could not believe it. I made the climb. I conquered my fear and I did it intentionally. I did it with determination. I did it by trusting myself, trusting Ram and trusting the experience.

We completed the fourth and final climb, which was more challenging than the third. I was happy our half day climbing trek was over, but as we left the rocks I realized that rock climbing is definitely something I will continue doing. It is an amazing experience that teaches you how to trust yourself and trust the experience. It's only you and that rock. That's it. The climb was also the best climax to my Southeast Asia adventures. I had conquered my fear and I knew that it took that second wall to really understand the lesson that life has been trying to teach me for some time now. I know I can walk away when necessary, and I have learned how to say "no", but now I am ready to say "yes" to life and I trust myself more today than ever before. Life is good my friends, and I am so happy I get to live mine.

Rainy Island Days

In my last entry I was very excited to announce that we were going to enjoy a beach bumming afternoon. Well, that last for about two hours, which was not nearly enough sun time. After settling in the sand and swimming a bit, it began to sprinkle rain. Julissa was not ready to pack up, so we stayed a little longer. After all, I love swimming in the rain, so I was OK with the drizzle. Not five minutes later, it began to pour. The rain came down so hard that it was raining up from the ocean. There was no place to take cover. Julissa and I began to laugh uncontrollably. She thought it was going to lightly drizzle, but she had not taken a look at the dark cloud looming behind her. When the rain started we began to run for cover, but we were about a fifteen minute run away from any covering. I suggested we just enjoy the water and take a swim. Julissa stopped suddenly, looked at me and with wide eyes and big smile said, "Sure, why not!" Twenty minutes later the rain had passed and we decided to trek back to our bungalow before we got caught in another storm. After we showered and dressed, I suggested a nap. Julissa said she was not tired and we compromised on a twenty minute nap. Five hours later, we awoke refreshed, energized and hungry. During our nap, it began to rain once again and we slept through the most wonderful rainfall I have ever lived through. Because our hut is in the jungle, the setting was perfect for a rainy afternoon nap. One of my favorite things to do is sleep. Sleeping in the rain is even better. Sleeping in a hut, in a jungle during an island getaway in Thailand AND during a rainstorm takes the cake. It was, by far, one of my favorite naps and memory of my island adventure.

The story continues....

After our five hour nap, we had dinner at this cute Thai and Mediterranean restaurant. Julissa ordered seafood fried rice, which was served in a carved out pineapple. Although the portion seemed small, it was like eating never ending rice because it took forever to finish. For the first time during my stay in Thailand, I had a chicken sandwich with french fries. I was served on a baguette with the works, and best of all, it was fried chicken. That was a yummy surprise.

The bar next to our eatery was playing live music, which we enjoyed for free during dinner. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to stay at the bar for the rest of the night. The live music was a solo guitarist playing acoustic guitar. The guitarist was Filipino and played everything from Morrissey, Santana, Marley, The Beatles and Cold Play. He was really good. We sang along to every song, even if we did not know all the words. Once he was done playing, the DJ began to play top 40 tunes. One of the last songs of the evening was Michael Jackson's Thriller. Out of the blue, Julissa and I managed to coordinate a quick choreography and the entire bar stopped to watch us dance. I guess they really enjoyed the performance because at the end of our "show" they erupted in applause. "They" consisted of fifteen or so patrons, but nonetheless, they were clapping and we were falling on the floor laughing. It was a great night and the perfect way to spend our second day in Railay. The perfect nap, and the best darn Thriller improv Railay has ever seen. At least we think so.

Beach Paradise

I am writing you from Railay. I am in a small internet outpost right across a jungle shrub, and just past the shrub is the ocean. The magnificence of this and the surrounding islands is beyond words. We arrived in Railay yesterday, which is an island just off of Krabi Province. Julissa and I flew into Krabi Province on Tuesday and stayed on the mainland our first night. The digs in Krabi were so-so, but our digs in Railay are so fun. We are staying in a small bamboo bungalow that sits on stilts in a mini jungle-ish set up. The island is pretty developed. It is beautiful and the views are stunning, but everything here is set up for tourists. After speaking to a few other travelers, we learned that Railay is one of the less populated islands, which is good because I am not in favor of the super touristy holiday. Julissa and I were looking forward to staying at Koh Phi Phi, which is were the movie "The Beach" was filmed, but we also heard it has become quite expensive and dirty. We have decided to visit the island for a day, but stay in our fun bungalow. After a couple nights in Railay, we will make our way to Koh Jum and meet up with our friend Kevin from Washington, D.C. And then, sadly enough, I make my way back to Bangkok, pick up my luggage and head back to Chicago.

Before I share how sad I am about returning to the cold and leaving paradise, I want to paint in words, as best as I can, our snorkeling adventure . After lunch, Julissa and I booked a snorkeling tour for a very reasonable price that included water (very important), fruit and dinner on the beach. We left at 2pm and returned by 9pm. We swam with the fishies for about 3.5 hours of the six hour tour. The fishies were everywhere! I even saw nemo! My goodness, as I write I can not think of the words to describe the experience. It was beautiful, relaxing, challenging and amazing all in one. We rode out to different rock formations, caves and islands. The tour guide, Joe, who was a skinny little Irish man, would drop us off and we were free to swim around at our leisure. Joe gave us a path to follow to make sure we did not get lost, but it was very relaxed and not structured at all, like other snorkeling tours.

During our swim in the caves, the waves were quite strong and it was a bit scary trying to swim with the current and not being swept into the rocks. Many of the fish swam right along with us. I hope they were not disturbed by our presence, but they seemed unaffected. I saw neon multi-colored fish whose colors were brighter and more sticking than any color produced by American Apparel. I also a sword fish and I could have sworn I saw a shark, but it may have been my imagination. The fish loved pineapple. They came in droves for little bits of the pineapple. Julissa took a picture of the fishies surrounding me as I fed them. I will be sure to post it later. After swimming around for a while, Joe took us to a beautiful sandy beach in the middle of nowhere to watch the sunset and prepare dinner. We lit torches, indulged in a yummy coconut curry dinner and chilled out for an hour or so. Once dinner was done, we rode out to one more island and swam with phosphorescent fish and plankton. You could litterally see the fish and plankton glowing in the water. Julissa and I put on goggles and from under the surface, it looked like we were swimming in a 3-D movie, or in the stars or in the ocean with glowing fish!!! The experience was very exciting for me. The entire tour was tons of fun, and best of all, at a great price.

Today we will be beach bums for at least half of the day and later we will explore the Diamond Cave that apparently looks like its walls are surrounded by diamonds. I will report back soon. Hugs from paradise...see you soon family and friends...

Living the Holiday

Tomorrow marks the end of my holiday...well, sort of. Julissa, my BFF and old roommate from Washington, DC arrives in Bangkok and the party will undoubtedly begin. I cannot see it happening any other way because when Julissa is around, you are guaranteed to have a good time. But her arrival means that I have come to the last leg of my Southeast Asia adventure. We will be partaking in some fun, touristy Bangkok mischief and after three or four days of that, we will begin our island hopping adventure. This, to me, is the best way to end my holiday - on the beach, looking at the beautiful ocean, under the warm sun, and neglecting the fact that I will soon have to return to freezing, unkind Chicago weather. I am excited about seeing my family and celebrating the holidays at home, but I am very frightened of the cold that awaits me.

This last leg of my trip also guarantees that madness will ensue because we will have to squeeze in many memorable moments in a short period of time. As much as I want to go hard on the last leg of my trip, I have changed quite a bit in the last three months and I function at a different pace. Thankfully, Julie is all about taking it easy. Everything here is so easy. I have nothing to worry about. My reactions to stress, drama and negative energy have shifted to a very calm plane. I truly hope I can translate my new outlook into the rest of my life. I have a feeling that it cannot be any other way, but I am human, and doubt sometimes shows its little head.

Today was a tad bit sentimental for me. Carla and I spent the afternoon shopping for fabric in Chinatown. When Carla and I were in high school, we lived her budding obsession with fashion by spending our afternoons at Jo-Ann Fabrics on the north side of Chicago looking through the discounted rolls of fabric. It is magical to see Carla in a fabric store because you can literally see her creative juices begin to bubble. Carla's eyes open wide when she spots the perfect roll of fabric and immediately beings to describe the garments that she envisions with the fabric in hand. Carla is truly a genius when it comes to putting together different patters, color pallets and textures. Today, in Chinatown, my heart was filled with immense joy and happiness because, fifteen years later, I still get excited fabric shopping with Carla. Fifteen years later, I still witness the same ingenious reaction as we find the perfect roll of fabric. In fact, today we found six perfect rolls and two happened to be on sale! I carefully instructed Carla that she is to save the material until she comes up with the best design for me. It is pretty neat to know that you have a future super cool, super trendy, super sexy outfit waiting for you within the depths of Carla's imagination. Our shopping trip was also the last afternoon that Carla and I would spend together in Bangkok. Carla flies back to the U.S. on the day that Julie and I embark on our island adventure. We had a fantastic time weaving through the fabric shops looking for the perfect material for the dress she designed special for yours truly. It was absolutely the best afternoon I have spent in Bangkok so far.

I was expressing to my friend Ron that I feel like I have not written as much as I could have on my blog. Ron suggested that I decide whether I want to live my holiday or write about my holiday. I think I can do both, but I think I shall write more about the trip and the fun lessons and adventures once I return to the states. I just came across a ton of pictures from Cambodia, India, Koh Samed and Petchaburi that I have not posted, so stay tuned. Once I am back in the cold and do not have the sun and pool to keep me company during the day, I will plunge into the task of recounting my days in Bangkok and beyond. I figure it will be like a writer who composes their memoirs after the fact, but obviously it will be my Southeast Asia memoirs. "Memoirs"...that sounds kinda funny...

P.S. In the picture above, Carla and I had just finished purchasing 6 meters of beautiful black stretchy organza fabric and ivory cotton lace....it was taken today by the shop keepers...

Chinatown Shopping

National Gandhi Museum and Indira Gandhi

My first tourist destination in New Delhi was the National Gandhi Museum. I enjoyed the visit so much, that I returned for a brief visit on my last day in Delhi. I recorded the video below to share some final thoughts on my trip to India.

I also need to make a few corrections from the video. On my first day in Delhi, I also visited the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum. Before entering the museum, my driver told me that it was a memorial to Gandhi's daughter. I believed him, but I did not understand why none of the exhibitions focused on her relationship with Gandhi. There was only one picture of Indira and Gandhi, so I kinda trusted that the driver was right. Well, she was not his daughter. Indira was, however, the first and only woman Prime Minister in India. Indira served as Prime Minister for three consecutive terms, and was assassinated during her fourth term in 1984. I really enjoyed learning about Indira. It turns out her real father, Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. I also learned that she was a tough and incredibly intelligent woman. Indira was able to command respect from strong, male dominated political system and was a very effective political leader. Her policies were innovative and focused on improving agriculture in India in order to reduce famine. I had never heard of Indira Gandhi Nehru, but I am so pleased to have learned about yet another fascinating woman leader. It was very empowering witnessing her life through photos, old personal files and books, news headlines and the many awards she received throughout her life. If you ever have a chance to look her up, do so. Her story is inspirational.

Indira's museum also included a memorial to her son, Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv was selected to take his mothers place after her death, and become the 7th Prime Minister of India. He was later killed during a bomb attack by a separatist organization. I mention both Indira and Rajiv in my video, but was not aware at the time that there was no relation to Mahatma Gandhi. The picture included in this entry is of Indira and Gandhi sometime in the 1930s.

I hope you enjoy the clips. I also mention a radio address by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the video and I have added an audio link to that address. In addition to my video, I have included a brief video of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum that I found online. Lots of love to you.

Martin Luther Kind, Jr. Radio Address after Mahatma Gandhi's death

http://stream.state.gov/streamvol/libmedia/india/13974/mlkradioaudio/mlkonair1959.mp3

Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum

The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle circuit in India includes Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. It usually takes about seven to eight days to complete the trip. I had only four days. To see nearly everything, I was on the road by 6am. The cities are about four to six hours apart from each other. I have posted quick summaries, pictures and videos below that will give you a better glimpse into my golden triangle adventures.

Delhi

The first stop was New Delhi where I was able to visit the National Gandhi Museum. This place was peaceful and serene. The site of the museum is where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life before being assassinated. A small monument is built on the spot where he was shot and killed. I really enjoyed visiting the museum and learning more about Gandhi.

I also saw the India Gate, but to be honest, I did not know what the big deal was. Later I learned that it is the largest war memorial in India and the national monument of India. Considering how hard India fought for its independence from the British, its size is very appropriate.

Delhi: Gandhi Museum

Jaipur “The Pink City”

The second stop on my tour was Jaipur where I got to see the Jaigarh Fort and the City Palace. The Jaigarh Fort was built between the 15^th and 18^th centuries. The main highlight of the fort is the Jaivan Cannon. According to one of the guards that I spoke to at the fort, the cannon is supposedly the largest cannon in the world. Frankly, I didn’t care too much for the cannon. All I could think was, “Great, another massive weapon to kill people.” The guard, however, seemed very proud of the cannon. I took pictures for my father. He likes that kind of stuff. Personally, I preferred the scenic views from the fort.

The fort as a structure is beautiful. The colors of the walls are a rustic red and orange that look absolutely stunning from afar. I had a lot of fun taking pictures at this fort. There were little nooks around the walls. It took a few shots to realize that the cute nooks were used by soldiers to shoot their rifles. See the pictures for yourself and let me know what you think.

The City Palace is a major tourist attraction in Jaipur. There are many buildings within the palace and not all of them are open to the public. The palace was beautiful. My driver, Mr. Singh, had a great time taking pictures for me and of me. I was very amused as he stopped and decided where I should pose for a picture. There really isn’t much more to say about the fort or the palace. I think the pictures will do the talking. Also, you can see me talking in brief clip below of the drive into Jaipur.

To learn more about Jaipur, click here http://www.jaipur.org.uk/index.html

Jaipur: Jaigarh Fort

Jaipur: City Palace

Agra

The third stop was Agra. The main attraction here was the Taj Mahal. This beautiful tomb is located in one of India’s northern states, Uttar Pradash. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Do you know why she was his favorite wife? The rumor is that she was the only one that gave him children. But the crazy part is that the Taj is her tomb. It also holds the remains of the emperor. No one ever lived there. It serves no purpose other than to bring in tourists and hold the remains of the emperors favorite dead wife. I realize that I may sound a bit callous, but still. It took 22 years to build the Taj Mahal and it is a tomb. That said, the Taj is beautiful and the craftsmanship is incomparable to anything else I have ever seen. Well almost. Nearly one hundred years before, Agra Fort was built and the palace and mosque withing the fort also had very similar craftsmanship. The most amazing part is the skill and patience it took to cut and lay the jewels into the white marble that makes up the Taj Mahal. The architecture is quite remarkable. I tried to take lots pictures with details so that you can see that it is not all just white marble.

I was happy that I made it to the Taj. It was a dream come true. Although I was not completely blown away by what I saw, the journey to the Taj made it a memorable and unique experience. See the clip below and meet my tour guide, Raj.

Diana at the Taj Mahal

Despedida de Soltera

I first traveled alone when I was twelve years old. My parents sent me to Guatemala for a month to visit my family. I remember my mom being very nervous and both of us having to drum up the courage to make it look like what I was doing was very normal. My family and everyone I met in Guatemala keep saying how brave and adventurous I was for travelling alone. Ever since that trip, I have had to drum up the same courage every time I embark on a new journey: leaving to Wisconsin for college, moving to Washington, D.C. and then New York, my trips to Europe and now my adventures in Southeast Asia. In some ways, despite the bumps in the road, it has always been easy leaving, but I have always felt like I was keeping a secret. One side of me has always felt very confident and secure about my travels and my decisions, but until recently I did not realize that some of that drummed up courage was forced and that I had kept this as a secret even from myself. It was as if I needed to keep a strong face so that no one would question my decisions and so that no one would worry about me. I started to realize this in New York, but it did not hit me until I arrived in New Delhi. I booked my trip to India while I was still in the states and purposely booked it for a longer stay than Bridget because I could not see myself visiting India without seeing the Taj Mahal. After spending two weeks cuddled and cradled in Bangalore, I left to northern India to visit the golden triangle, which includes Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. I was not excited about traveling alone, particularly in India, but my trip was booked and I either flew back to Thailand without seeing the Taj, or I drummed up the courage to accomplish what I had set out to do months before.

I arrived in New Delhi on a Thursday morning without a hotel reservation, or any idea of how I would get around. I simply placed my bets on figuring it out when I got to the airport. I had done some research online and read a bit from my Lonely Planet book, but for some reason, it was not making sense. In Cambodia, Carla and I simply winged it, and it worked. This time, however, flying solo seemed to throw me out of whack. In my head, no matter how much I read, Delhi seemed like this massive mush that I could not get my head around.

It was only a four day solo trip, and although I have travelled alone for weeks at a time, I was not prepared for my emotional breakdown in Delhi. There were a few mishaps that propelled the break down which included a canceled credit card due to fraud, an expired debit card that contained my emergency funds, a bank that did not know where the new debit card was, and dwindling cash flow. All I could think was, “how the heck am I going to pay for my hotel tomorrow morning?” I have been in more pressing situations in the past, and everything except that hotel night was paid for, but I think this situation represented something bigger for me. I realized that I was done traveling alone and I was done trying to be courageous.

By morning, mom and dad came to the rescue. I had called my dad the night before and I literally could not get the words out “I need $30 to pay for my hotel.” All the credit and debit card mishaps did not matter. The bottom line was that I was asking my dad for $30 and it hurt more than anything I can remember. It was then, and now as I write, that I realize how tough and strong I have been trying to be for so long. This toughness has served me well in my thirty years of life. I am grateful and honor my efforts, but the universe could not have sent a clearer message. No matter how successful, all my tiring efforts at trying to do it alone, with no help, may no longer be the best option anymore.

Having arrived at the decision that this was my last trip alone, I decided to really enjoy the four days to the fullest. It took some work to sit with my new outlook on life. The new outlook is, “It doesn’t need to be so hard, you don’t have to be so tough, and it’s OK to ask for help.” With this realization, I dubbed my trip “mi despedida de soltera.” In Spanish, this phrase refers to a farewell to the single life for women that are going to be married, which is also known as the bachelorette party in English. Now, I am not announcing that I am getting married, but I am announcing that I am done with the old and ready for the new. My “despedida de soltera,” or my good-bye to going at it alone, seemed to be the most appropriate phrase to capture my four day trip in northern India.

Pyramid Valley

Friends! I have just returned to Bangkok from a spectacular three week adventure in India. As I mentioned before, Bridget and I embarked on our India adventure together and enjoyed our stay with Anita. Anita is retired, and nearly two yeas ago, left her super powerful business life behind in San Diego and ventured into a 24/7 spiritual journey that includes daily meditation. For these reasons, Bridget and I were excited about coming to India and learning more about meditation through Anita.

We wasted no time diving into meditation. On our first day Anita took us to Pyramid Valley just two hours south of Bangalore. The main attraction at the Pyramid Valley campus is the Maitreya-Buddha Pyramid which stands 104 feet tall and can hold up to 5,000 persons inside. The main purpose of visiting the pyramid is to meditate. During different times of the year, communal meditation sessions and retreats take place. According to the Pyramid Valley website, an enourmous amount of energy is stored within pyramid structures, which makes it a much more powerful meditation experience. Two-thirds up from the base of the pyramid is a platform where anyone can sit and meditate. Meditating at this level is said to increase healing energy and alter one's state of consciousness.

Before learning about this and not really knowing the purpose and effects of pyramid meditation, Bridget and I willingly and happily went for the two hour drive to Pyramid Valley simply because Anita suggested it. We learned that our blind faith in Anita paid off as we all had quite an interesting experience during the pyramid meditation. I have been meditating for nearly four years now and enjoy it very much, but my meditation at Pyramid Valley was different than other experience. During my meditation, I literally felt like I was being cradled in two enormous arms. I knew that I was in the pyramid physically, but during the meditation I was very far away. I experienced a number of other things, but being cradled was by far the most unique effect. Because I was aware of my physical body lying on the pyramid platform, and because I felt like I was floating, I decided to come back just in case something was wrong and make sure that the platform wasn't about to collapse. I started to come back by feeling the cement ground with my hands, then the metal railing. I opened my eyes and confirmed that the platform was definitely NOT moving. I was relieved but more excited about going back into the meditation and floating once again.

Anita and Bridget also felt a unique sensation during their meditation. Anita felt like she was floating and Bridget felt like she was experiencing a mini earth-quake. Bridget wasn't convinced, and Anita had to show Bridget that the platform was made of cement and not suspended by cables. As we left the pyramid, Anita spoke to one of the staffers and was informed that the floating sensation was the soul rejoicing and speaking to us. How happy I was to learn that my soul simply wanted to cuddle.

I recorded a clip right after the experience and I have included it below. I am also sharing pictures of the pyramid and the road trip to the pyramid campus. If you are interested in learning more about Pyramid Valley and the positive effects of meditation, please visit http://pyramidvalley.org/home.htm

Pyramid Valley

Curry in a Hurry

Friends! It's been too long. India has been wonderfully amazing. I travelled from Bangkok to Bangalore with my friend Bridget. We first met in Washington, DC. nearly four years ago. Bridget and I have not seen each other in about two years and during that time we did not keep a tight phone or email connection, but each communication was solid and meaningful enough to bring us together in India. During one of our phone conversations, Bridget shared that she was meant to come to India and I could not help but ask if I could join her. Sharing this time with Bridget has been a gift in itself. We are staying with her very good friend Anita. They are powerful women and it has been a true blessing sharing the last nine days with them. Although Anita and I have just met for the first time, the three of us built a tight circle almost immediately. They are both warm, loving, accpeting, strong, intelligent women, and I feel so very lucky to be surrounded with so much positive love, light and energy every day.

Through Anita, Bridget and I have met many wonderful friends, all on a spiritual path and part of Anita's spiritual family in Bangalore. Thanks to Anita, we have indulged in delicious home cooked Indian meals everyday. For those of you who know me well, I am not big on spicey foods, but I feel like I am eating like a Queen in India and loving every bite. I am realizing that maybe I should have just written a food blog instead of a travel blog. Many of the highlights of Thailand, Cambodia and India have been the food! But I would not think twice about changing the food for the company and my lovely friends that I cherish.

I have many stories to share, but will write in more detail when I return to Bangkok. I leave for Delhi on Thursday. That should be fun. I will continue to post pictures. Love you all!

Loi Kathrong & My Bangkok Familia

The last two weeks have been a mish mosh of events. It has been a combination of cultural experiences, while trying to live in some sort of normalcy in Bangkok. After Cambodia, I decided that it would be good to start working out again. After I hurt my knee in New York, I kinda used it as an excuse to put off the work out routine. Well, it's four months later, and after submerging myself into many delicious food adventures from New York, Chicago, Thailand, to Cambodia, I decided it is time to take it easy and work on the waistline. Although, I must confess that I am addicted to mango sticky rice. I dream about it everyday. I have also indulged in the fried chicken with sticky rice and papaya salad that is sold every 50 feet on the side walk; this is also something that I should probably cut from the diet, but it is so. so good. And finally, the fried spring rolls...for only 6 baht each, how can you not want to eat four a day? Well, I am exaggerating...I've had them once a week, but even that is a lot of fried food when you mix in the fried chicken. After indulging in yummy, super delicious food, and seeing that the result is an expanding waist line, I decided to hit the gym. For the last two weeks, I have worked out for a couple hours a day, but aside from the gym, the Bangkok adventure has been about what happens after the workout.

On Monday, November 2^nd, we floated our worries away on a little banana leaf boat decorated with flowers, candles and incense. The Thai people celebrate Loi Kathrong, or the Festival of Lights on the night of the 12th full moon, which means that the dates changes from year to year, but is typically celebrated in November. It was originally a Buddhist ceremony, but is now celebrated throughout Thailand. The candles are a way to honor the Lord Buddha and the "floating away" of the banana boat leaf symbolizes the release of all the anger and worries of the previous year. It is a way of starting anew, which is always nice.

We began our Loi Kathrong celebration with dinner. Carla, Lisa, her husband, Federico, and I had a traditional Thai dinner at the local bar, Winks, and then headed to the festival. We each had our own offering and took a moment to cast off our negative energies and bad luck down the river. The most interesting part of the experience was the homeless individuals that took to the river and collected the money that was placed in the offerings. They were shivering, and yet they were turning over offerings to collect the change. It is quite striking when a traditional Thai holiday is treated so lightly by the less fortunate – it puts things into perspective.

Later that week we attended a Tango concert in the city. TANGO…dios mio. We were invited to the live show at the Siam Cultural Center by the embassy of Argentina. The concert was absolutely amazing. It was alive! I sat next to our friend Shirley, from Queens, NY, and after each song we turned to each other and simultaneously released a breathless “wow.” The most memorable part of the concert for me was the moment when I realized that I was in Bangkok listening to the most beautiful tango I have ever listened to in my life. In that instant I realized that it did not matter what country I was in and that what mattered was the moment and the experience. I have been very lucky to experience Thailand through my friends: through Carla that has been here for nearly five years and building her fashion career, for Lisa and her husband that are simply taking a chance in life and seeing what Bangkok has to offer, or for Shirley and Krystal who have come to teach and purposefully take themselves out of their comfort zone to try something different. Taking this time off has allowed me to strip the layers of stress and worry and really look at how I hope to life my life. I feel lucky and happy to have my Bangkok familia with me throughout my Southeast Asia trip. Thank goodness for them and this experience...and so it's back to working off all the yummy food adventures.

Diana's Playlist

I put together the following playlist, entitled BANG, in Bangkok, but I didn't listen to it until our bike ride to Angkor Wat. It was quite an experience listening to sounds from home while riding through the town, the temples and with school kids to my right and left. Later, BANG served as our beach playlist in Koh Samed, which blared from our portable speakers and blended with the ocean waves as we chilled on the sand and enjoyed the sun. And now, I share the sounds with you...enjoy.

BANG

1. Campina -- Afro-Cuban Jazz Project
2. Ahora No Pare -- Rene Grand Y Su Combo New York
3. Tu Amor Me Hace Bien-- Marc Anthony
4. Corazon Partido -- Mickey Taveras
5. Tu Recuerdo -- Ricky Martin
6. Laura No Esta -- Nek
7. Cachete A Cachete -- Los Amigos Invisibles
8. Coconut Rock -- Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada
9. Maria Moita -- Rosalia De Souza
10. Linda Canção -- Barrio Jazz Gang
11. Algo Contigo -- Rosario
12. Eres -- Café Tacvba
13. Vampires -- Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada
14. Nuestros Sueños -- Gondwana
15. One Day -- Quinto Sol
16. Waiting in Vain -- Bob Marley
17. No One -- Alicia Keys
18. Crash -- Dave Mathews
19. Until the End of Time -- Justin Timberlake
20. Take me Away -- John Legend
21. Underneath it All -- Gwen Stefani
22. You'll Loose a Good Thing -- Aretha Franklin
23. Never Too Much -- Luther Vandros
24. Let's Stay Together -- Al Green
25. More than A Woman -- Bee Gees
26. Sweet Caroline -- Neil Diamond
27. Mr. Jones -- Counting Crows
28. Californication -- Red Hot Chili Pepers
29. With or Without You -- U2
30. Money -- Pink Floyd
31. Baby -- Bebel Gilberto

P.S. Can you spot me in the picture? Where's Diana?