Oleeeee Ole Ole Ole.. Gauchos!: Phi Phi and Bangkok!

I consider myself very lucky.. I've been in SE Asia for 12 months and have seen a good amount of faces from home! I never would have guessed I would have seen so many gauchos here in Thailand within the past year, and on this trip I got to add a few more to the list! I'm not sure if I just have a ton of super cool friends who travel or if a lot of people who went to UCSB go international, or maybe its a little combo of both.  Before this trip, I've been able to connect with seven gauchos, now my count is at eleven! With plans to see a few more at New Years!  :)

Fiona and I had plans to meet up with our friend Evan in Thailand! Evan lived across the street from me while I was living the life on oceanside DP and we had many mutual friends.  He's been living in Spain the past few months and when I saw on facebook that he was making a trip to Thailand, I was excited to meeting up!  The three of us headed to Phi Phi, my favorite island.. third times a charm.

Gauchos in Phi Phi

 

Fiona, Evan, and I were able to meet up with two other Gaucho friends in Bangkok, Rhett and Tasha!  They've been living in Indonesia working at a surf camp and are traveling more of SE Asia before they head back to the US.  

Five Gauchos on Khao San!

 

Gauchos at one of the worlds largest markets.. Chatuchak!

Gauchos in the rain in BKK

Gauchos on the roof

It was amazing to be reunited, I had a great time with my friends and was sad to say goodbye.  My wallet however was happy that my traveling time was over, I stuck to my budget very well in Malaysia and Singapore then I let it fly out the window once we all met up in Thailand.  Seeing other gauchos and reminiscing about IV life has made me start looking forward to going to alumni weekend in April! Oleeee Ole Ole Ole, GAUCHOS!

Last stop: Penang!

Final stop in Malaysia.. Penang!

Penang definitely isn't Malaysia's most beautiful island, but it is arguably one of the most fascinating islands in Asia.  An intriguing fusion of the East and West, Penang embraces modernity while retaining its traditions and old world charm.  Penang's has a rich multicultural history full of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European influences.. and is also well known for being the "food paradise" of Malaysia!

On our ferry and bus journey from Langkawi to Penang, we reconnected with our UK friends as they were doing the same journey! The four of us all stayed in the Reggae House together, its the sister hostel to our favorite Reggae Mansion in Kuala Lumpur! It wasn't as elaborate as the one in KL, but still very nice and very clean, just no cinema and jacuzzi.  It was located on Love Lane in Georgetown, the capital of Penang; a favorite spot for tourists as it has many attractive pre-Second World War houses and shophouses, as well as 19th century churches, temples, mosques, and colonial buildings. 

Kek Lok Si Temple: Katie, Dan, Fiona and I woke up early the morning after our arrival to go explore Kek Lok Si Temple or the "Temple of Supreme Bliss", the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia.  This temple is very unique in that blends Mahayana Buddhism and traditional Chinese rituals to create a harmonious whole, both in the temple architecture and artwork as well as in the daily activities of worshipers.  The four of us hopped on the public bus to get there as its the cheapest way of transportation, ended up wondering the residential streets and getting a bit lost.. we could see the temple on the hill but couldn't find the path to walk up to it.  After some guidance from the locals, we walked up many stairs lined with shops and souvineer vendors and found ourselves at the heart of the temple complex with a seven tier, 30m high tower with a design that is said to be Burmese at the top, Chinese at the bottom, and Thai in the middle.  After taking the cable car higher up the mountain, we reached the 36.5m bronze statue of the Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy.  A support roof over the statue was under construction when we went with six carved dragon pillars carrying the top of a three concentric octagonal roof.  With that, the garden, and the fish and turtle ponds, it was a very impressive temple!

Mee Goreng:  In 2009, Penang was voted by New York Times readers one of 44 must-see destinations and the bulk of public opinion seemed to focus on the states cuisine.  Lonely Planet states that "coming to Penang and not sampling the local food is like going to a Thai island without ever setting foot on the sand or in the sea." I was ECSTATIC to find that our hostel had pamphlets called "Penang Food Trail" which included pictures and descriptions of famous and tasty Malay dishes and where to find them!  Often I'm hesitant to try new food because I don't know what the heck it is or what the heck is in it, but this pamphlet made my life easy.  I could just point to the picture and BAM, thats what I'd get!  After Lok Si Temple, Katie, Dan, Fiona and I grabbed some lunch in Little India and it didnt disappoint.  This time, I tried a new dish, murtabak (a vegetable stuffed pancake/bread with curry) and thosai (or dosa, similar to a crepe or pancake).. This is also where I tried masala tea (aka Chai tea) for the first time.. what a surprise, I loved it!  Later that night, the four of us headed to the nightmarket where we picked up a few souvenirs and grabbed some dinner, Fiona and I split a traditional Malay noodle dish Mee Goreng similar to Chinese chowmain. DELICIOUS! The street market was really cool and I was able to bargain down all my purchases to nearly a third of the original asking price.. they can't fool me!  Besides having a sketchy cab ride home with our drunk driver ranting and raving about Malay mafia and going through two police checkpoints while us three girls sat in the backseat squeezing our eyes shut and grabbing each others hands while Dan sat in the front and kindly kept an eye on the road as well as gave the driver an ear to talk to, it was a great day.

Chaaaarlie: When we first arrived to Reggae Hostel, we were greeted by a 50-something toothless Malay man who immediately gave us advice on what to do that night.  He asked us our names and introduced himself as "Charlie".  He gave us directions to an awesome food court/hawker stand garden with great food and music with lots of locals and tourists and when he noticed we were lost after only walking two blocks, he hopped on his motorbike to gave us the directions again.  He kept telling us that he wanted to take us to his friends "Lady Gaga" show (which we politely declined the offer) and gave us good tips on what sights to see.  I'm not exactly sure what his position was at the hostel, but he was always there and loved chatting us up.  Unfortunately since he was missing a whole row of teeth along with having an Asian accent with his English, it wasn't always clear what he was saying.. actually, I didn't understand most of what he was saying.  The day we left, he personally walked us to his friends Indian clothing shop to do some shopping and pointed out a good banana stand where I could buy a few bananas before the flight.  He insisted that his cousins wife personally drive us to the airport (which again we refused), and we insisted that we wanted to take the one hour public bus ride instead.  He was very disappointed because that meant he couldn't show us a cool temple with snakes, so he personally walked us to the bus stop to be sure we got on the correct bus.  To our surprise when the bus came, not only did Charlie pay our dollar fare, but he got on the bus with us!  We had to switch buses at a station and he wanted to be sure that we got there safely.  After asking if we needed snacks and exchanging emails, he insisted that we email him once we got to BKK so he knew we arrived safe and we said our goodbyes.  Although Charlie was being a bit TOO helpful, he was very kind and generous and meant very well.

Malaysia was AMAZING and I was a little sad to leave because that meant our trip was coming to an end. I didn't expect to enjoy Malaysia as much as I did, and I definitely didn't expect to love the food and be as adventurous with food as I was (it helped that Fiona knew what to order when it came to Indian food and she was adventurous with the local cuisine so I took her lead)!  I have seen PLENTY of Buddhist temples and ancient ruins but I had never been to a Muslim country before, so seeing some new types of sights like Hindu temples and mosques was a special treat.  I feel like our trip was very well-rounded with city, country, nightlife, beaches, islands, and culture, and it was probably my most stress-free trip yet. Malaysia was very easy to navigate and get around and everything was fairly cheap with the exception of drinks.  Traveling with Fiona was SO much fun and I hope we plan another trip together in the future after Fiona's done with nursing school! :)

Lok Si

Yep, more food pics! Indian curry rice!

Yummy noodles

Lok Si Temple

Georgetown!

Adios, Malaysia!

Malaysia's "Party" Island: Langkawi!

After talking to a few other travelers in Kuala Lumpur, we decided to adjust our travel plans and spend a few days on Langkawi!!

Lonely Planet's description of Langkawi being a "tropical paradise: swaying palms, a cool colour contrast of jungle green and ocean blue (of set by the brilliant blood red, rich purple, and golden mellow come sunset)" sealed the deal, we headed north to the Malaysia/Thai border to check this place out!   Lonely Planet also went on to say that Langkawi is the party island of Malaysia.  To be honest, that made our decision to go easier.  However, LP failed to mention that its only a "party island" when its not low season, which happens to be... right... now.

UKers:  Personal observation.. I have noticed that often the most fun/cool people I've met while traveling have been from the UK, and my theory didn't fail on Langkawi! We shared a cab to the backpacker beach with an amazing couple from England, they worked, saved money, and sold their cars in order to take a 10 month backpacking trip around Asia together!  Hearing about where they've been and where they are going truly inspires me to keep on traveling.  We met up for dinner later that night and swapped stories and travel tips.  We met another UKer and answered all his questions about American lingo and culture.. "What exactly is a frat party?!"

Island Hopping: Fiona and I decided to sign up for an island hopping afternoon tour.  Langkawi was a little more dead than we expected so not only were we hoping to spice up our day, but we were looking to meet more travelers and thought this tour was our break.  We showed up and quickly realized that we were the only westerners on the tour, as well as probably the only non-romantic couple! We still had a blast and visited three different spots: Lake of the Pregnant Maiden, an eagle feeding spot, and some beautiful beach.

  

See the pregnant woman??

At the lake

Legend of Pulau Dayang Bunting (Island of the Pregnant Lady):  The story of this island began when a beautiful fairy princess – Mambang Sari and Mat Teja, a man who fell in love with the princess from the moment he saw her. Mat Teja met Mambang Sari at the lake and he was attracted by her beauty. Getting advices from a wise old man, Mat Teja finally managed to win the heart of Mambang Sari.  Living happily on earth, Mambang Sari bore Mat Teja a son. However, their happy moment did not last any longer as their baby died seven days after birth. Undergoing such a traumatic and tremendous pain, Mambang Sari decided to lay her child to rest in peace in the lake. At the same time, she blessed all the childless and infertile women to be conceivable after bathing themselves in the lake.  This legendary and idyllic lake lies embedded between jungle-covered mountains. In one place it is separated only by a few meters high rock from the sea.  Some people believe the water in the lake possesses mystical power of helping barren women to bear children.  As if to confirm the legend, the shape of one side of the island resembles a reclining pregnant woman.

 

Eagle Feeding: This experience was a little interesting.  Our boat basically stopped short of an island shore and our driver threw handfuls of chicken bits into the water near our boat.  Still air for about seven seconds then we watched as dozens of wild eagles swooshed down from the sky and snatched the chicken out of the water. In my opinion, this definitely teaches these wild eagles to be dependent on humans for food as well as gives them the opportunity to be more comfortable around people which could get dangerous.  Although it was cool to see, I'm not sure I 100% agree with what the "eagle feeding" concept.

Pulau Beras Basah: Our last stop was to a beautiful beach island! We had an hour just to relax and enjoy the sun and water.  And of course snap a few pics.. and swing on a rope swing.

Fiona and I went from wanting to leave Langkawi a day early to staying as long as we originally planned.  Not quite as crazy as the Thai islands (I would like to see what Langkawi is like in high season! However, we did manage to stay out until sunrise!), but I approve, Malaysia.  It probably has better food than the Thai islands!  Langkawi, you win on the food front. And it was pretty beautiful!

Cameron Highlands: Tea, Strawberries, and a FREEZING Breeze

On to the Cameron Highlands!

Our stay in the Cameron Highlands was short and sweet. We wanted to get away from the big city and experience a little of Malaysia's countryside and get a breathe of fresh air.  We came to the right place!

Number 8:  We arrived in the Cameron Highlands from Kuala Lumpur and were able to find a hostel recruiting guests at the bus stop.  After being welcomed with a cool air breeze, we took Lonely Planets advice and hopped in a van to take us to a guesthouse only to find that it was full.  The driver said he'd take us to their "other" new guesthouse to see if it had rooms available, we were a little hesitant because often drivers receive a payment for bringing guests to the guesthouses so they tend to only have their best interest in mind rather than being a nice, friendly, helpful guy.  We showed up at "Number 8 Guesthouse" which seemed to be all under construction during the day and threw our stuff into a dorm room.  The price was right but we quickly realized it was a bit of a shady situation.. our hostel was down a dark dirt road, no locks on our room door, no key, no safety box for our passport, and we seemed to be the only guests there.  We were in such a time crunch because we were trying to make a countryside tour that leaves in five minutes, so we left our big bags, brought our valuables, and ran down the street to the travel agency to make the tour.  Since we hadn't paid any money yet, our plan was to check out a few hostels down the road on the way back from the tour and sneak out of "Number 8", but all were full so we settled on what we had.  Turns out, we weren't the only people staying there, just the only western ones! **Nothing got stolen and we were fine and I don't think this place was as shady as we originally thought.. it was VERY clean!  Reggae Mansion in KL spoiled us**

Butterflies, strawberries, and tea.. oh my!: Our country side tour was a good and quick way to see the main sights around the Cameron Highlands.  We had a guide and were loaded us into a janky van with three other couples.  Very couple-y tour.. actually, we came across many couples while traveling Malaysia, we were one of the few only girl duos that we saw!  Go us!  On the tour, we were taken to a butterfly farm (which included a section of other huge rain forest bugs), tea plantation, strawberry farm, Buddhist Temple, street market, honey bee farm, and flower garden.  We had time to admire the rolling hills, sip tea, dig in on chocolate covered strawberries (as well as strawberry shakes), taste honey, and see the most vibrant colored flowers I've ever seen.  

Aloo Gooooobi: Its not a post about somewhere in Malaysia unless I mention what we ate!  Well, at dinner time Fiona and I ventured out to the one main road to find something tasty for dinner.  As the sun went down, the temperature dropped only a few degrees, probably into the mid 60s, and I was CHILLY!  Keep in mind, I have been living in Thailand, probably the heat and humidity capital of the world!  This was the coldest weather I have felt in the past year! I had on my leggings under my jeans and my sweatshirt (which luckily I threw in my bag as I was running out the door in Khon Kaen) with my hood up.  At that moment, I wished I had mittens, UGG boots, and a snow hat to warm me up! To others, the coolness was probably a refreshing change from the heat but I was barely functional.. shivering and shaking our entire walk to dinner.  We found an Indian place to get food and I think this was our best Indian of the trip! Fiona taught me that I LOVE Aloo Gobi, a dish made of potatoes, cauliflower, and Indian spices,  and Chana Masala, a chickpea dish, so thats what I ordered every time we got Indian.  I think Indian may be the Mexican food of Asia for me!

Although it was very touristy, the Cameron Highlands was a nice break from the city!  If it were a little warmer, I probably could have stayed longer.

Nummy chocolate covered strawberries!

Looks like a leaf.. its a bug!

Kuala Lumpur!

Next stop.. Kuala Lumpur!

I was a little nervous for the Malaysia part of the trip, I didn't know much about Malaysia and before I bought my Lonely Planet I didn't even know that they were a Muslim country.  Me being my picky-eater self, I also had NO idea what they ate in Malaysia and couldn't help but be wary as we crossed the border, which by the way Singapore into Malaysia by bus was the smoothest/easiest/friendliest border crossing I've ever experienced!  We decided to head to Kuala Lumpur, the capital, as our first stop in Malaysia.  

Reggae Mansion: We scoped out hostelworld.com before our arrival and narrowed our hostel options down to two and decided we'd make home base at whichever one was easier to find.  Luckily after taking the metro and walking the streets of Chinatown, we came across the amazing Reggae Mansion!  I think staying here was one of the decisions we made on the trip.  Reggae Mansion is a brand spanking new hostel in the heart of Chinatown, its only two months old and is unlike any hostel I've ever laid eyes on.  Fiona and I stayed in a 24 person room but the beds were built into the wall and each one had its own under-storage and privacy curtain.  The rooms were ACed, clean, and very comfortable.  The hostel even has a restaurant, cinema, and rooftop bar! They are in the process of building a large rooftop jacuzzi and I may need to go back to KL in the future just to check out.  The thing I liked the most about the hostel was they held activities every evening to get guests mingling with one another.  Tequila Thursdays as well as a club crawl!  On Wednesday night, they loaded everyone in the hostel van and took us down to experience the Malay club scene in another part of town. Sure was fun!

Food: I have to say, Kuala Lumpur opened my eyes to a new world of food!  I had tried Indian food in Singapore, and Fiona and I made it our mission to get to Little India in KL to get more legit Indian food.  After walking the streets in the pouring rain, ducking cover under old building ledges and gazebos in front of mosques to avoid being completely drenched, and getting lost and being redirected by the Mormon Missionaries, we found a little hole in the wall place to grab a bite.  The food was delicious but the atmosphere was interesting.  Fiona was strategic about the table we sat at to be sure we didn't over step our female boundaries (not picking the center of the room table) and we weren't too sure if other customers gave us unwelcoming looks because of our western-ness or if we were doing something wrong.  Either way, the food was good and we left with happy tummies.  That night, I tried SUSHI for the first time! And I enjoyed most of it! Okay, I tended to stay away from the super fishy ones, but I did try and like fish balls.  After, we knew we had to try a traditional Malay dessert so I chose to order the "ABC", a cup of shaved ice with flavoring as well as numerous other toppings, like red beans, creamy sweet corn, peanuts, jellys, and pine nuts.  Interesting combination and I probably wouldn't order it again. Who ever thought I'd be so adventurous.. Indian, sushi, and mystery dessert all in one day!

 Sights: Along with becoming familiar with the surrounding food stalls, shopping streets, bars/clubs,  we did visit a few sights around Kuala Lumpur! One day, Fiona and I did our very own walking tour of historical KL, hiding from the rain in the historical museum and racing past city hall.  We visited the Petronas Towers one night, the huge landmark of KL and the tallest twin buildings in the world.  We went to a mosque and were instructed to put on the body robe and head veil provided.  We went to a ten story shopping mall that was fully equiped with a Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Baskin Robbins, Bowling Alley, and Theme Park!  Lastly, we went to the Batu Caves and climbed up 200 steps to see a temple that was built inside a cave as well as the huge Hindu shrine out front.

We enjoyed KL so much (probably the Reggae Mansion even more) and extended our stay, making our time in KL four days.  I was pleasantly surprised by what KL had to offer and wouldn't mind going back again!

Batu Caves

Reggae Mansion Rooftop Bar

Singapore!

I'm back from my trip and I had an AMAZING time! I made it to seven cities, three islands (four if you count Singapore), and three countries! 

First stop... SINGAPORE!

My overnight bus from Khon Kaen to Bangkok went very smoothly and I made it to BKK bright and early and had more than enough time to make it to the airport as well as Subway to grab a sandwich to hold me over for breakfast and lunch.  My JetStar flight went very well, I slept for the entire two hours of the flight, and landed in Singapore late afternoon.  Fiona's flight from Australia was delayed a few hours so I waited in our meeting spot in baggage claim until she arrived. A bit jet lagged but still excited for her first trip in Asia, Fiona arrived safely and I was SO happy to see her I was nearly brought to tears.  After we got Fiona's backpack, we grabbed a cab and headed to our hostel "Pillows and Toast" in Chinatown.  We grabbed some cheap noodles for dinner and had an early night since we were both exhausted from our full days of traveling.

Fiona and I had planned to only spend one full day and two nights in Singapore because its a very expensive city.  Fiona coming from using the Australian dollars for a month was more use to high prices, but I on the other hand have lived on Thai baht for a year and found the prices for food, accommodation, and transportation outrageous.  So we made sure that our one day in Singapore was jam-packed!  We had free breakfast at our hostel, toast, and even made some sandwiches to have on-the-go later in the day. Armed with our maps and Lonely Planet, we quickly learned how to maneuver our way around town using the MRT.  We spent the day running around Little India exploring temples, Chinatown checking out the market, and went on an expedition to find the Henderson Wave Bridge.  We made a special stop at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple which not only had an entire floor dedicated to teaching visitors about the history and life of Buddha, but it also houses what is believed to be the sacred tooth of the Buddha.  **Sidenote: Did you know Buddha was conceived by a white elephant holding a lotus flower in its trunk entering his mothers womb? And that at birth, Buddha took seven steps in each of the four directions (East, South, West and North) and that lotus flowers appeared with every step? Learning something new every day..**  

That evening, we found ourselves being the only westerns exploring a Chinese food court where all eyes were on us, and ultimately decided on getting some Indian food from a different street.. the first time I've EVER had Indian food and I loved it!  I didn't know what any of the dishes were but I told the man I just wanted veggie dishes and not spicy and he handed me a plate.  After, we took a good look at the night life around Clarke Quay right on the Singapore River.  So turned off by the high price for drinks (around 15 US dollars which is nearly 500 Thai baht!), we decided to slightly splurge for ice cream instead.. chocolate ice cream with cookie dough, the first time I've had cookie dough in a year! Back home, cookie dough is probably one of my five basic food groups!  We had our bus tickets booked to head to Kuala Lumpur early the next morning and after scoping out the various restaurants, bars, light up fountains, the reverse bungee ride, and city lights that the area has to offer, we walked back to Pillows and Toast so we were rested up for Malaysia! 

Singapore was never too high on my list of places to go while I was in Thailand, but when I began brainstorming on ideas of where to go for this break, I figured since Singapore doesn't require a visa fee and it was convenient to fly to, I may as well make the stop!  After I bought my Singapore and Malaysia Lonely Planet and began looking into things to do, I was SO excited to visit Singapore!  Its an extremely unique place; one degree above the equator, Singapore is a country and city all on one island! Singapore's first language is English but is a place where so many different cultures come together. What I was most excited for though was that Singapore is a first world country! That means clean, no stray dogs, clean drinking water from faucets, trash in trashcans instead of in the streets.. everything I miss about living in a first world country!  Singapore even goes as far as to fine those who bring chewing gum into the country as well as those who jaywalk.  Good food, beautiful city, lots to do (including Sentosa Island which has a Wave House and Universal Studios, if we were ballers we would have gone there), (minus its SO expensive), I loved Singapore!

Henderson Wave Bridge

Little India