More Bali Photos

Bali was so beautiful that I feel like it deserved some more photo credit....

Ubud

Tegalalang Rice Paddy Terrace

Ubud

Along the Bike Tour

Lunch after Biking!  Fried soybeans in the middle...

Lanterns outside Ku De Ta

Hidden beach in south east Bali

South east Bali

Found an American flag in Bali!

South east Bali

Quintessential Bali

Homecoming

The word 'homecoming' has meant a few different things to me over the course of my 27 years.

In high school, 'homecoming' meant stressing about whether I was going to get asked to the homecoming dance or not... and in the unlikely chance that I would be going, what dress I could afford that would be the best combination of swingy (for better dancing, obviously) yet still tight (but not too tight so that my mom would stop me on the way out the door).

In college, 'homecoming' meant one of the few guaranteed wins for the Virginia football team along with a guaranteed hangover the next day from too many free tailgates.

Today, all I can think about when I think about 'homecoming' is stepping onto sweet American soil at the Dulles airport.

I know that I am so lucky and so blessed.  After I graduated college without ever studying abroad, I thought my chance to explore a new part of the world for three straight months was lost.  But, grad school brought new opportunities.  I have learned so much compared to what I knew before about culture and business in Thailand. But, I'd be lying if I said I am not starting to dream of March 9th - the day I land in America again!

In anticipation, Jeff sent me a menu to chose from for a 'homecoming' dinner!

Appetizer:
- Chips & homemade guacamole
- Spinach & artichoke dip
- Bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers

Side Dish:
- Arugula salad with strawberries
- Grilled asparagus (yep, the grill is open)
- Sweet potato fries (these are a given and non-negotiable)
- Grown up mac & cheese w/bacon

Main course:
- Chicken breast stuffed w/jalapenos (which are stuffed w/cream cheese) and then all wrapped in bacon
- Grilled salmon with strawberry salsa
- Bison burger
- Spaghetti & meatballs
- Buffalo chicken breast

Dessert:
- Mint oreo cheesecake
- Peanut butter balls (http://dessert.food.com/recipe/peanut-butter-balls-293491)
- Ice cream sundae bar

After-dinner drinks:
- Gin & soda w/grapefruit
- Old fashioned

Cannot wait to be back home!

Make It the Best

On Monday night, we drove from Ubud down closer to the beach / touristy area of Bali - the town of Seminyak.

On the drive down, we caught a glimpse of what looked like part of an incredible sunset, something Bali has come to be known for.  I also spotted a giant rainbow out the window of our taxi (the picture doesn't do it justice, I had to attempt to take the photo with my iPad while we were still driving). We checked into the apartment that Jen found for us - a two bedroom, two bathroom condo with our own personal chef and private pool. I feel like that has got to be one of the official signs that you have 'made it' - a personal chef and pool?  Though, I guess that's not exactly the case in our instance - Jen found it as a last minute deal (since we didn't really start looking for hotels until less than a week out).

Sunset, rainbow, private chef and pool..... All this to say, I decided that when I woke up the next day, it was going to be one of the best days of my life.

Though, I actually believe that most other days can also be one of the best days of your life. No need to narrow it down to just a few, or even just a few hundred "best days."  I know that not every day can be awesome, but roughly 75% may be a good goal to shoot for.

Plus, isn't it just a decision?  You decide to have one of the best days... And then it kind of will be (or maybe it has to be, since you already decided it?)

Anyway, here's the recap of one of the best days of my life:

• I woke up early and did a few yoga poses in our yard. No one else was awake, and it seemed like a good way to start. Though, I overheard some German boys that were staying in the villa next door... And it kind of sounded like they were making fun of me. Can't really blame them - anytime I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror doing a yoga class (really any workout class), I also have to make fun of myself 
• Our chef had the BIGGEST smile, and we had papaya smoothies, croissants, toast, fruit, coffee, and scrambled eggs.  He even found some ketchup for me somehow for the eggs 
• I even went in the ocean at the beach. The waves were awesome, and a shark can't attack you on one of the best days of your life, right?
• For lunch, I had a ham and cheese sandwich - one of the only sandwiches I've had while abroad!  I still love Thai food, but it was a nice change 
• Obviously had to also get watermelon juice at lunch. They literally just blend up watermelon slices for you - it doesn't even need sugar 
• Watched the sunset at Tanah Lot. The pictures say it all for this one
• Had Hawaiian pizza at dinner, where they had a surprise fire dancer show outside the restaurant.  It was definitely a little cooler than the Balinese opera / fire dance we saw in Ubud. Maybe being one of the best days had something to do with it?
• Went to a bar called Ku De Ta (the next town over is Kuta - just a guess here, but likely where the name came from).  We sat on the big recliners they have by the ocean and I got a watermelon, mint, honey, and cinnamon drink

Definitely the making of a great day.

Yes, it's fairly easy to have one of the best days of your life when you're in Bali, don't have a ton of life responsibilities yet, and are with friends.  I really can't deny that.  But, I also think I need to just decide to wear rose colored glasses more often.  They can add a really nice tint to life..... 

If you look really closely, you can see a waterfall in the distance... 

Sunset at Tanah Lot

Bali, Baby

The alarm went off at 3:30 in the morning.

Three hours of sleep and a really early wake up call are not usually the way someone wants to start his/her day.  But Sunday was different.  We had just wrapped up our classes the day before by finishing a three hour investments final, and we were headed on our way to vacation. (Though, as Matt Kristek points out, it's kind of our vacation from our vacation - we've been really lucky with the amount we have been able to travel while over here).

Although I was looking forward to sleeping on the four hour flight down south, that plan was thwarted from:

• The lack of legroom on Air Asia flights (if the guy in front of you puts his seat down, any person with legs the length of mine will have to scrunch) 
• The French ex-pat living in Bali who wanted to tell me everything about his recent trips and what to do on his island 
• The six year old that just wanted to scream like a baby 
• The grande Starbucks coffee I drank before getting on the flight 
• My excitement about our vacation - after all, we're headed to Bali, baby!
• Or any combination of the above

Coffee beans

I have to say though, looking back, it felt like a short four hours before seeing turquoise blue water that rivals the Caribbean.  When flying into Denpasar, the capital of Bali island, the ocean just keep getting closer and closer, until it seems like the rear wheel of the airplane is going to skim the surface.  The airport has got some of the greatest views of all!

Coffee

We headed straight for the hills after landing. Ubud is a town about 2 hours north of the airport and is everything that comes to my mind at least when I hear the word "zen." You don't see a ton of tourists. The hotels are all set back in what feels like the jungle. The town shuts down around 9 or 10pm.  Besides the few touristy things you can do -mainly just purchase post cards, go to a monkey zoo, and watch Balinese opera (which we ended up going to) - the town is really known for yoga and massage.  Life is slow and the living is easy. 

We went to a coffee "plantation" and tried the most expensive Balinese coffee.  Why so different?  The raw coffee beans are fed to a mongoose, someone then waits around and collects the mongoose droppings,washes the excreted beans, and makes coffee. You may be into pooped coffee beans, but they have less caffeine, and I think they actually don't even taste as good! 

After being hyped up on mongoose coffee, ginseng coffee,vanilla, and ginger coffee, we hit the open road on a mountain bike tour.  We did have to break off from a slower group of Australians. It's not like Americans like to win, or anything....(let's just attribute it to all the coffee we had....)

Rice paddy

By the end of our trip to Bali, I think I may have seen well over 50 different rice paddies, but the bike ride through the paddies is most memorable. Like I said, Ubud is like a living connotation of the word"zen".... so next time I'm trying to either de-stress or do yoga, I guess I just need to meditate on rice paddies.... Wonder how many people that has actually worked for?

Scarecrow in the rice paddy

Bike tour!

Biggest Party in the World

I know I'm not the center of every social network, and I don't stay out until the sun comes up, but I do like to think I can figure my way around the Chapel Hill bar scene when needed.

However, until about three weeks ago, I had no idea that I had been missing the invite to THE biggest party in the world.

I'm not talking keg stands or tequila shots, here. I'm talking 30,000 people on the beach, dressed in neon, holding buckets of alcohol, and jumping rope with a 30 foot jump rope that is doused in gasoline and lit on fire.

A few weeks ago, the UNC crew and I met up with the guys studying in Hong Kong. We flew into Koh Samui and took a ferry over to the island of Koh Phangan - the island that hosts the Full Moon Parties.

According to my limited knowledge of world history, particularly as it relates to Koh Phangan, someone in 1985 went to the island on the night of a full moon. He found a large, relatively empty beach and decided that he wanted to party. And he wanted to do it on that island, on that particular beach, and repeat every full moon. Hence the birth of the Full Moon Party.

Fast forward to today, and you've got six fairly naive kids looking to see what all the neon "FMP" tank tops are all about.

If you don't feel like reading the rest, I can be summed up as this: it was THE WILDEST party I have ever been to (and actually hope to ever go to).

Before giving you all the dirty details, let me ease you into it. We arrived on the island on Friday night, and even though the night of the full moon was Saturday, we figured we should get the lay of the land early. We headed to the infamous beach around 10:30. Stands that stretched for a quarter mile sold little cute sand pails (the "buckets") full of ice. You then pick a bottle of liquor and the mixer of your choice. There were disco lights and great dance music blaring from stages set up outside of beach side bars. We walked down the beach, sipped our buckets, and found the jump rope. It actually was a really long rope, doused in lighter fluid, then set on fire. And yes, people were actually waiting in line to jump. Honestly, though, that was probably the wildest thing we saw all night. I did have my first street food experience - I got REALLY hungry for some corn on the cob.

When I didn't get sick from the street corn the next day, we figured we'd head back to the actual Full Moon Party on Saturday.

Maybe it was because it was the actual night of the full moon, maybe because it was a Saturday (more expats coming from Thailand and neighboring countries?), or maybe this is the way it is every full moon, but we absolutely got the real deal.

It's hard to even begin to describe the wildest party in the world, but here's the start of a list to help:

- 30,000 people (according to Bangkok Post http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/332769/full-moon-party-still-draws-tourists)

- So. Much. Neon. (Although I had to pledge my allegiance by wearing a USA crop top instead)

- The first person I noticed when I stepped onto the beach? A girl lying alone on the beach in the fetal position

- Twice as many vendors selling buckets as Friday. It was almost next to impossible to find someone selling liquor bottles that were still sealed (though, it was so nuts that I couldn't even drink)

- A slide coming off the second story of a bar and landing about 4 feet above the beach

- Magic Mountain. Didn't make it up there, but was told all the drinks are made with mushrooms?? (Even though the penalty for drugs in Thailand is anywhere between 20 years in prison and the death penalty)

- Fireworks. The first couple were really cool. Fireworks are one of the many reasons the 4th of July is my favorite holiday. But, the third round was accidentally shot into the crowd - directly towards where we were standing. Based on how my life flashed before my eyes, I know I could never be in the military in combat.... (A guy at our hotel breakfast the next morning said he was even closer to the fireworks, and saw a guys hand get completely blown off. I told you this was absolutely crazy)

- People easily in their 60s, but also a woman wearing a leather vest and holding a baby

- Two guys floating face down in the ocean. Fortunately, I also saw two other guys pull them out.

- Not only so much neon, but so much neon body paint! Marsh spent all of his money getting the American flag painted on his shoulder


It was NUTS. If I ever have children, they will be banned from the Full Moon Party :)

I do have to say, though, our next day in Koh Phangan, we went to one of the most beautiful, relaxing beaches I have ever been to. Although many sad stories come out of Full Moon Party weekends, it is also amazing how tourism has affected the area in a positive way (I know it's not always a great thing, but we got a really positive vibe in the instance of Koh Phangan). We met incredible people! Worth a trip, even if you're not there during a full moon.....

It Tasted Like....

Five weeks?!  I've really only learned a few Bangkok basics in five weeks - the order of 4 BTS stops (4 out of about 25 stops... (have I mentioned it is difficult to navigate this city), some Thai phrases (learning "I am allergic to nuts" took about 3 weeks of practice with a Thai classmate), the quickest routes to the airports, a great grocery store, and which mosquito bug spray is best (and essential) for keeping those guys away - to name a few.

After hitting the five week mark - another big thing happened.  I ran out of toothpaste.  You wouldn't think that this is significant... until you make some wrong purchases at Boots - the drugstore here.

The toothpaste aisle wasn't hard to find.  Because of hefty import taxes here, all the Crest toothpastes were about 3x the price of local brands.  So... my frugal roots came out.  I went for one of the many brands that were written in a foreign language.

Check this picture out below.  Look normal?

Looks just like Colgate brand!  And only 30 bht... (~$1 USD).

So, I pick it up and go about my day.  Days get busy here, so I didn't think anything about the toothpaste I was using later that night.... until a few seconds after scrubbing these pearly whites.  Something funky was going on....

It tasted...like....SALT?!?

A few weeks ago, I thought I had purchased wasabi peas from the 7-11 outside of our school building.  Learned the hard way that Thailand makes flavored wasabi peas in addition to plain.  Flavored, as in, flavored like cuttlefish.

Apparently after five weeks here, I haven't picked up the local taste buds for things like cuttlefish and salty toothpaste.

I took a closer look at the box (well, I guess it wasn't really a closer look - I just completely overlooked the other side of the box, which was written in English.  I swear, they stocked the shelves with the non-English side facing out....)

Clear, bold letters (at least I was right about it looking like Colgate brand?)

After another trip to Boots, the salty toothpaste has since been replaced.....

27 years young...

Birthdays are silly things.  Isn't it my mother that had to do all the work the day I was born?   Another birthday mystery - when did we start saying "XX years old"?  I mean, was saying "XX years young" ever in the running?  Who makes important decisions like these?

But, if you're going to force pina coladas (thanks, Kristina!) and pineapple-chili margaritas on me... I guess let's celebrate!!

You clearly haven't asked for them, but here are my thoughts on being in Cambodia for a birthday:

• The food in Cambodia is some of the best I've had in the world.  (I'm being honest here and not over-exaggerating like I know I tend to do).  I won't deny that eating something different than Thai food might play into this statement, but I'm still holding my ground - the food in Cambodia was amazing

• Marsh and Matt picked the restaurants for my pre-birthday dinner on Feb 2nd and the birthday dinner on Feb 3rd.  Ah. Maze. Ing.  Amazing.  We had pineapple-chili margaritas and tapas at Marum - a restaurant that takes teenagers from orphanages, teaches them how to be waiters or cooks, and helps place them in jobs (this is also the place I ate ant fritters... the rest of the menu was fab though, I promise).  The next night, I had a veggie burger that is a force to be reckoned with a Tangram Gardens.  In fact, Carlyn / Matt / Jen / and I secretly snuck back on Monday night right before heading to the airport to get a second veggie burger....  

• Mr. Chaya Kim - our Angkor Wat tour guide - picked us up on my birthday to take us to the floating villages (described in blog post here: http://lifeofathaiheel.blogspot.com/2013/02/angkor-what.html).  We liked him so much at the temples on Saturday, that we knew no other tour guide would measure up.  Well - we were right.  He pulled up to our hotel on my birthday, ready to take us to the villages, with a gift in hand!  I now have a pretty sweet print of the mysterious (and kind of risque) Aspera carvings at Angkor Wat - which I obviously had Chaya sign for me (read about the asperas here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Cambodia#Apsara_and_devata).  I mean, what a guy.  I almost forgot it was my birthday since we've been traveling so much - and the tour guide remembered?! It was a very kind gesture - the only funny part was that the day before when we were walking around Angkor Wat, he told us the mythological asperas were topless in all the carvings, because all the single ladies did not wear shirts until they got married... in an attempt to attract a mate.  Hmm.... not sure that a print of a topless carving will fit with my apartment decor....

• Carlyn will get you an American-flag-inspired notebook and a sweet chocolate mousse cake.  And get the entire restaurant staff out there to clap and sing to you.  That girl was just bringing pieces of America right with her to Cambodia (I get the feeling that it's kind of an American thing to have all the waiters clap in a line and sing "happy, happy birthday..")

• Tuk Tuks drive slowly and the living is easy.  Things just move more slowly here than Bangkok.  There's a lazy river that flows through the town, everything is cheaper than in Bangkok, and you can't walk away from a local without them giving you a big smile. 

Floating Village (photo credit to Jen!)

UNC @ Floating Village Sunset... great end to a birthday!

Great tour guide

Cake from Kener!

Cake from the hotel!

Pineapple-chili margaritas

Veggie burger in Cambodia?
Yes, sir.. and it was awesome.  

Absolutely needed a bib... 

Angkor What?!

This past weekend, then UNC and Kellogg crews headed to Cambodia. I know I'm only halfway through my trip, but it has absolutely been my favorite place so far (I also know I may have already proclaimed the Flower Market in Bangkok as a favorite place)....

I flew in Friday night with Matt, Carlyn, and Jen.  Although it was only a one hour flight up to Siem Reap from Bangkok, Bangkok Airways (their slogan is 'Fly Boutique, Feel Unique') gave us a FULL meal and coffee.  America, I love you, but i would also love it if our airlines fed us like that!  Even though we arrived at night, after the coffee on that flight, we were ready to go!  We grabbed a tuk tuk and headed towards Pub Street.

Pub Street seems to be the one 'happening' place at night in Siem Reap.  The street - and the entire city - has a very laid back atmosphere, though.  In Bangkok, stepping into a tuk tuk is basically put your fate in the hands of wild drivers and risking your life. In Siem Reap, Cambodia, however - the living is easy and the tuk tuks drive slowly.... So, we tuk tuk'ed everywhere.  Even though Pub Street and other parts of the city are known for nightlife, there was a ban on playing music the entire time we were in Cambodia.  The king died in October, and his cremation and funeral were this past weekend.  Due to the sadness, the entire country was issued a state of mourning.... Meaning no music was to be played out of respect.

Angkor Wat

So, while we may not have seen Pub Street at its liveliest, it was great none the less.  You can get a 30 min foot massage for $1 USD, a back and neck massage for $3 USD (and that includes a free Angkor beer!). Fish pedicures were all over the place, and the vendors loved to barter at the night market... I picked up some paintings and a gift for Bean :)  The people are so friendly, the prices are amazing, and you even get US dollars out of the ATM!

After I snagged some ice cream in a cone (truly the best way to eat it... it really does just taste more fun), the Kellogg folks and I stopped into Temple Bar for a pitcher of beers and pizza.  Pizza was on the menu!!!  You don't know what a girl has to do to get cheese in this part of the world.... Also - they had wine on the menu that was reasonably priced!  Wine is one of the few things that is a little hard to come by in Bangkok (and the last time I had it was from one of the cases that Mr. Freeberg mailed before last semester ended!  Thanks again!!!)

The next day we headed out early for a full day of temple ruins. Our tour guide, Chaya Kim, could have written a history book on Angkor Wat and likely even Cambodia.  Over the day, we saw three temples - Angkor Wat, the temple ruins where Tomb Raider was filmed, and one last destination that I just can't remember the name of.

We attempted to take some Tomb Raider-esq pictures, but just couldn't remember much about the movie....

Attempting a Tomb Raider pose?

Kristina's good luck bracelet and blessing

I also got a prayer bracelet and monk blessing.... Kristina Freeberg got one as well, but in the same day jammed her finger pretty badly and nearly broke her toe... So we'll see what the future and these bracelets hold for us....

I look much more skeptical than Kristina

Matt Kristek and Marsh picked out an AMAZING dinner spot.  It is a training school that takes kids from orphanages and teaches them language and service / cooking skills.  It's really awesome to see people care so much for other people and take action to help them out.  The pineapple chili margaritas they served were also quite the icing on the cake.  It was also my first time eating ants. Granted, I didn't just pick them up off the ground and start chomping.... The were inside a hushpuppie type concoction.  Doesn't the rule 'when in Cambodia' apply?  Plus, I figured if it looks like a hushpuppie, it may taste like a hushpuppie....

Although they didn't taste half bad, my one mistake was biting into half of it, and looking inside. What was staring right back at me was half an ant body with the thorax and little legs dangling out!

On Sunday, we requested Chaya again from the tour company - we heard that the floating villages just outside if town can be pretty cool.  Marsh did the dirty work on digging up reviews, and we opted to head a bit further out of town and go to a floating village that was "off the beaten path".... aka, not very popular for tourists.

The floating village was on a small river that lead to the largest lake in Southeast Asia. The river was brown from mud and pollution. We passed people using it as a  bathtub, a bathroom, and even drinking water. The houses were built on stilts that seemed to be two stories high so that they stayed put during monsoon season.

It was peaceful and beautiful.

Traveling sets me through a wide range of emotions. I love seeing natural beauty, eating new foods (even ants), meeting new people, actually hearing different languages for the first time, and getting a glimpse at different cultures.

Regardless how many 'cultures' I've seen or projects and poverty I have witnessed, it is always still eye opening for me.   I know that I cannot get enough reminders of how blessed I am; how incredibly fortunate and rare it is to be surrounded with what we have and the people that love us.

The best reminder for me is seeing how people live - how the people in the floating villages bathe in dirty water, wear hardly any clothes, live off the land they occupy, and own little material belongings - but yet how their smiles convey incredible happiness. 

(still need to upload floating village pictures!)

The temple ruins where Tomb Raider was filmed

Kristina peer pressured me into looking like a flamingo....Look familiar, Jeff?

The temples, especially temple ruins are incredible in Cambodia.
I think it had just been a long day.... which is likely why I look like a little kid...

Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

I know I've said it once before, but it needs to be stated again.  Pimpan is amazing.

Although my Investments class has about 50 Thai students, Pimpan is the only Thai student in my HR class.  She gives all of us advice on where to shop, where to eat, and.... where to get into Muay Thai.

A few weeks ago, we all headed to the other side of town to check out a Muay Thai fight (Thailand style martial arts..... Read more about it here, if interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muay_Thai).

The weight classes of the fighters ranged from 86 pounds to 130 pounds.  I'm talking US system of measurement, and I'm not kidding.  Their "heavyweight" class was just a bit bigger than me!!  Talk about a self confidence booster when you can almost qualify to fight the largest guys of the night....

The fights got more intense as the night went on and as the fights increased in weight class.  Just because I could classify within some of their weight classes, I figured I should give it a go someday (don't know what my logic was behind that, actually).  Or at least learn some of their moves.  Doesn't every girl need to at least know how to manage personal finances, drive stick, shoot a gun, and be able to conduct self-defense Muay Thai style?  (kidding, kidding....)

Well, when in Thailand, I figured we could work on at least one of the above.

Which is where Pimpan comes in....

Kristina and Pimpan organized a Muay Thai fight class for us!  We took the BTS train to the general area of the Muay Thai gym, followed some very vague directions (the lack of iPhone GPS is really a game changer when trying to get anywhere over here), and we finally made it - just a few minutes late.

Once we walked up, I kept looking around for the door to the gym, until I realized I was standing in it... the Muay Thai gym was a boxing ring about 8 ft by 8 ft, 5 or so punching bags, and some mats on the ground.  It was all outside... in almost 90 degree heat.

I've always known that I can work up a good sweat when working out at home.  And that's when I'm inside the nice air-conditioned SRC gym... this 'sweatiness' at Muay Thai did not even hold a candle to me at the SRC...

Two full hours later, I was beat.

A few lessons learned from the Muay Thai class:

1. Even the guys in the 86 pound weight class could have easily kicked my butt
2. Billy Blanks Tae Bo videos - while helpful - did NOT fully prepare me for this.  I wonder if you can still get a refund on those VHS tapes?
3. A round-house kick to a really hard punching bag leaves a big 'ole bruise when you don't use proper round-house kick form
4. When the instructor tells you to shout "huuuah yah!" as loud as you can every time you jab and kick because it makes you better.... he's probably doing it to make fun of you.  Note to self - not everyone else is going to start screaming "huah yah."  You'll likely be the only one shouting "huuuah yah!!" at the top of your lungs (so loudly you can't hear anyone else), and you'll look pretty dang ridiculous when no one else is shouting and you don't know it.... Not that I know first hand....
5. The Muay Thai definition of 'warm up' is my definition of 'full workout'
6. Respect is ingrained in nearly every part of the Thai culture.  Whether you are fighting someone else, or just a punching bag, you fold your hands and bow (to the other person or punching bag) at the start and end of each fight / workout.  It is out of respect - respect for the other person, respect for your body, and respect for the ability to fight

Hand-wraps before boxing gloves... the ring in the background

Our group (though note the REAL Muay Thai fighter in the background)
I'm sure he thought we were really tough...

The outdoor gym... it. was. hot.