11/29/2014 - Wrapping it up in the land down under

After returning from Dubai we had a few weeks to tie up some loose ends in Singapore.  1) Get the condo ready to move out (first looked like a tornado hit it, then a warehouse with all the boxes).  2) Hand in my work computer (an all day process, but worth the measure of freedom it provided). 3) Hit up a few of our favorite restaurants and food (Chili Crab, La Petite Cuisine and plenty of Hawker Food and sugar cane juice).  4) Check into the Marriott for a few nights since almost everything we owned in the world was back on a boat (this may have been the oddest experience - being treated like visitors in the country we had spent the past 2 years living in).  Finally though, everything was settled and we were headed south of the equator for the land down under.  Yes, you know exactly what song Sarah was singing this time.

Our red-eye flight landed in Perth right when the sun was coming up so the customs agent was a little bleary eyed and surprised that 2 Americans were only staying for 4 days on the West Coast of Australia.  We got the feeling not a lot of Americans made it that way period as just about every other major city is on the east coast. We all had a good laugh when she realized we had been living in Singapore and hadn't flown halfway around the world to only see the area surrounding Perth.  Our room wasn't ready, but we dropped off our bags and set out to explore the city via foot and find some breakfast.  Down to the Swan River we went and filled up on bacon, eggs, toast and some tiny cups of coffee.  The sun was just beginning to peak out above the buildings, so we strolled down the river path to warm up and see who else was out and about at this hour.  Quite a bit of noise was coming from the trees along the path and imagine our surprise when we looked up and saw row after row of colorful red and green parrots.  It was only about 60 degrees so it was hard to remember we were still in a sub-tropical region.  

Up and down the river we went, but our energy was waning and we needed more caffeine.  First though, a stop at Target! Apparently eons ago, the Minnesota company had allowed this Australian retailer to use the name, never imagining the US Company would grow so large.  It was kind of like walking into Bizarro World, the store was smaller, but the racks looked the same, the lighting was the same, terminology was similar, etc.  We sat down at local Australian coffee chain afterwards to refuel and shake off the weird feeling of being at home, but not really.

Next up - Australian game park.  It would simply be improper to venture this far south and not hang out with some kangaroos, koala's and wallabies.  Was it touristy and contrived, kind of, but neither one of us really cared as you walked around and got up close and personal with all the animals you had only seen on TV.  We finished off our day by having an early dinner at a local brew pub. This was going to become the theme for the next few days of the trip.  The weather was pleasant enough, but mid 60's was proving a little chilly for these tropical kids.  Ironically we now had access to local microbrews and cozy pubs, just as we were about to head back to the States.  Even more fitting, the microbrewery was named after one of the historical settlers/convicts, ticking off another of our stereotypical thoughts of Australia.  Full, warm and happy, we crashed before 10.... we had a bus to catch prior to 7 AM the next day to take us into wine country.


 

11/16/2014 - Arabian Nights - Bab al Shams

Its been 4+ months since that fateful night I wrote my last post and we flew back home to resume life in the U.S.  As Sarah is back in Asia for work and there is 4+ inches of snow outside, this seemed like as good of a time as any to try and warm up and test my memory of those last few weeks we spent travelling around Asia.  It is fitting I left off in Dubai as that was hands down the hottest locale we visited during our 2 years.  In fact, I don't even think there was a runner up.  Its like Dubai won the hottest temperature award and all the other South-East Asian countries (not exactly known for their mild temperatures) were trying to come in third place.  We were never happier for air conditioning and a never ending supply of bottled water.

An air conditioned car was waiting outside the hotel to whisk us off into the desert.  We didn't know much about where we were going, only that it was akin to an oasis out in the sands. After an hour in the car, we were not disappointed as we pulled into a re-creation of an old Arabian fortress.  Thick adobe/concrete walls, woven rugs, copper fixtures - fantastic attention to detail.  After checking in, we explored the grounds while doing our best not to melt, it was easily hotter than 110 degrees.  Luckily there were 3 pools, all of differing temperatures that were "chilled" between 85 and 90 degrees. Even at this temperature, the water felt good, you could sit in shade with some bubble jets hitting you or stare out into the vast desert, happy you were at the oasis and not out there, your mind playing tricks on you seeing mirages in the distance like some old Looney Toons Cartoon.

We only had two nights, but we planned on making the most of them.  The first event involved checking another item off the bucket list - camel rides in the desert!  The ride itself was relatively smooth, but the mount and dismount were another story.  It turns out that camels are 1) really tall and 2) when they stand up sit down, you are suddenly at a near 90 degree angle, threatening to fall face first onto his neck and/or the sand.  Good thing for my terrified grip of steel to hang on tight.  The heat and 10 minute camel journey had left us hungry and parched so we retired to a tavern similar to Rick's Cafe in Casablanca to wait for the sun to set.  Happy hour and a light dinner of hummus, tabouli, cheese and olives helped the time fly by and we headed back to the roof deck to watch the US play Germany in a World Cup soccer match.  The host was nice enough to give us a front and center seat (we may have been the only American fans there).  The US ultimately lost, but advanced to the next round, so we celebrated local style with an apple flavored hookah. 

Day 2 was mostly about beating the heat in the pool again, but the hotel was offering desert safari rides that we couldn't pass up.  Especially considering we had just spent time the prior week bouncing around the dusty trails of Sri Lanka looking for leopards and elephants.  This open air jeep tour did not turn up as much wildlife, but more than expected and was a pretty crazy roller coaster ride to boot.  At one point our jeep crested a large hill with a valley spread out below us. Not sure where we were going to go next, we were suddenly off roading, spinning and sliding our way down the sand, leaving what little evidence of civilization there was, far far behind us.  We passed multiple herds of racing camels - each worth more than a Ferrari apparently - as well as deer, birds and a smattering of vegetation.  We hopped out for a few photo ops, but the blowing sand felt like a million little pin pricks hitting your skin so we did not linger long.  As the engine roared to life I was trying to determine which way we had come from and how we were even going to get back. Again, we slipped and slid our way up a hill and upon cresting it, suddenly there was asphalt ahead of us.  Easy to see how you could get lost wandering in the wilderness.

It took about half an hour afterwards to remove the sand from my hair - it was like going to the beach x10.  With the sun dipping below the horizon again, we settled in for another light dinner on top of the ramparts of our desert fortress.  The city and the desert could not have been more different, but we were extremely happy with our 4 day trip to this tiny country. Tomorrow we would head back to Singapore to begin packing up for the move back to the States.  The good news - one final trip before the 20 hour journey home - Australia for some more wildlife and wine tasting with a final stop in Bali to see just how much we could mellow out.  More to come on that when I find the time again.

7/22/2014 - On Top of the World in Dubai

Laziness, inertia, travel and flat out lack of time have conspired to cause another break in our updates.  So much so that I am writing this post from our hotel room in Singapore, only 4 and 1/2 hours away from the flight that will take us back to new lives in the U.S.  Looks like the full documentation of our life on the far side of the world will wrap up in what previously was and will be again familiar territory.  Such is life.

After our Sri Lankan adventures we regrouped in Singapore for a few days, did some laundry, repacked, woke up early to watch the US mens soccer team nearly beat Portugal and then took another red-eye flight, this time to Dubai.  We thought the past 2 years had prepared us for any kind of heat that could be thrown at us, but the 95 degree temp at 6 AM, before the sun was even up, threw all that training right out the window.  Nevertheless, we were quickly whisked into a taxi for our first stop, the JW Marriott Marquis (thanks Marriott Rewards Points) the tallest hotel in the world.  They even have the Guinness World Records plaque to prove it.   Of course the tallest hotel in the world couldn't even hold up to the Burj Khalifa that we could see out the window, but that was a stop for later in the day.

Shower, coffee, the first of waaaaaaaay too much hummus, pita and olives and then off to the Sheik Mohammed Centre for Cultural Learning and Understanding.  Pretty intense name.  We had signed up for a traditional, cultural lunch with a Q&A lead by a local Emirati.  Since we knew next to nothing about the country, it seemed fitting.  Over a meal of Arab coffee, dates, rice and different meat dishes we learned about traditional dress, family customs and that only 15% of the UAE was actually Emirati.  And we thought Singapore had a lot of expats.  Maybe we would be welcomed here next?

Feeling sufficiently enlightened we took a taxi to the other side of the city.  We had watched too many 'Amazing Race' episodes back home and if a city in the desert that reminded me of Phoenix with a skyline (temperature 115 degrees by now) had an indoor ski mountain in a mall, well we better at least check it out.  The Mall of the Emirates was just another mall, but Ski Dubai did not disappoint.  No, we did not pay $100 to play in snow that we will be seeing only too soon, but the irony and discrepancy between indoor and outdoor temperatures were crazy.  Curiosity sated, we were off to the top of the world.

The Burj Khalifa is huuuuuuuuge.  It dominates everything in the city skyline.  I mean, its over 2700 feet tall, over half a mile!  What I'm saying is superlatives mean nothing and you essentially just know that it is massive.  The elevator itself is practically an attraction, its like a rocket ship to the top.  Unfortunately, it was a hazy, muggy, summer day so the views from the observation deck were limited, but it was cooler and still provided great views of the city.  Exhausted and wiped, we retired to our worlds tallest structure..... at about half the size of the Burj.

Our last day in the city was spent shopping in the old quarter.  We hopped from the gold souk to the spice souk to the general, seems to have everything under the sun, souk (open air markets) for a few hours.  No gold was procured, but after having multiple spice salesmen ask us "whats up? upon learning we were American (I think the Budweiser commercials got here late) we popped in for an introductory spice lesson.  20 minutes later we were walking out with coffee, pepper and saffron!  We may not have gotten actual gold, but at least we can now make delicious, gold rice.  That was enough heat for 2 days and knowing we were heading out into the true desert next, we conceded the day to the sun and holed up in the air con until the following morning.

7/8/2014 - Tea time in Sri Lanka

It was quite comforting, albeit a little sad, to exit the open air jeep for the last time and climb into a nice, cool, air conditioned van.  We were full of grit and dirt, but happy about everything we had seen.  I caught a glimpse of myself in the rear view mirror and grinned at my hair that looked like I had been standing in a wind tunnel for the past few days.  Soon, we would be back in relative civilization and were on our way down the road.  Quickly the vegetation turned from drought stricken to tropical jungle again and a few hours later we were winding our way up a steep, tea plant laden hillside to the Niyagama House, our final Sri Lanka stop.

We only had about 30 hours before it was back to Colombo to fly home, but we intended to make the most of them.  First things first, clean up a bit and then hit the pool!  The small, boutique hotel had an incredible infinity pool overlooking the tea plantation and the surrounding jungle hillsides.  The effect was even more dramatic given the brown scenery we had been staring at the past few days.  Once we were sufficiently refreshed, we enjoyed another pot of tea with a side of bananas foster.  We may have been glamping before, but we had somehow unintentionally found ourselves in the true lap of luxury.  An early curry sampler dinner was followed by an early bed time. Our new comfy bed had an even bigger safety net around it than at the campsite, and after sleeping on cots the past few nights, we were asleep before our heads hit the pillows. Good thing too, busy day ahead of us tomorrow.

After a filling Sri Lankan breakfast we began the day with a leisurely stroll around the tea plantation, learning that the workers could pick 20-25kg of tea leaves each day.  They had to have had mountain goat ancestors at some point with how steep the hillsides were.  Next, we decided to work up a sweat, going on a guided, white knuckle bicycle ride around the area.  It had rained in the morning, so the rocky dirt path was even more slippery than usual.  Our bicycles, although comfortable, looked more like something out of the Wizard of Oz vs. the mountain bikes that would have been put to better use.  After traversing up and down hillsides, seeing local houses and cruising through rice paddies we were dripping with perspiration.  Of course our guide, wearing pants and a button up shirt looked like he was just out for a Sunday stroll.  2 years we've been here and apparently still not fully acclimated.



The following to do on the agenda was a tuk-tuk ride around the area, how could a trip to Sri Lanka be complete without one?  First up was a centuries old Buddhist temple carved into a towering rock formation.  The local monk practically looked as old as the temple itself.  We gave a donation, which must have been enough as he smiled and waved at us as we walked out, hopefully spreading happy thoughts our way.  The second stop on the tour was the Virgin White Tea plantation.  This place was famous for its namesake tea in which they only picked the top leaf of the plant while using white gloves.  Apparently the oil from your fingers can impact the flavor. Since its pretty labor intensive and the tea leaves are tiny it costs $1500 per kg.  Needless to say, we were hoping for a free sample, but that was about it.  After a quick stroll through the grounds and a few cups of tea we got to see the 150 year old tea processing equipment and then the game was on for tea tasting.  Over 30 different types of teas, all laid out in 2 rows.  The virgin tea was good, others were better, but after about 10 they kind of blended together. All in all, a highly caffeinated, enjoyable experience.

Our last stop was Galle fort, super imposing on the water and now filled with shops and restaurants. We spent a few hours walking the walls of the fort, watching the crashing surf and even taking in an impromptu cricket match on part of the fort's grounds.  It also seemed like every school group in the area was on an evening tour as masses upon masses of uniformed students were walking around, saying hello and pointing at the tall foreigner.  As the sun went down, we hopped back in our tuk-tuk and made our way up the hill for a final dinner overlooking the tea leaves before our red-eye flight back to Singapore.  Another country off the checklist, another location that we would love to return to at some point.  Spread the word, Sri Lanka should be on everyone's bucket list.

6/29/2014 - Sri Lankan Safari - Part 2

Upon arrival back at the camp we were given the best present ever - cold towels to wipe our faces off.   What was truly scary was how dirty the towels were after about 30 seconds.  We must have looked like we had been playing in a dust bin for the past 3 hours.  Since we were somehow the only people staying at the camp they asked when we wanted dinner and 30 minute later we were being led to our own private bench next to a roaring fire.  Speciality drinks were prepared and we cooled off while staring up at the stars we hadn't seen in months.  Luckily the temperature had dropped with the sun and although fairly breezy, it was quite comfortable.  After drinks we moved over to the table that had been set up for another great meal.  Local starters of dried coconut and sausage followed by salads and capped off with barbecued chicken and pork, smothered in 'Mahoora Sauce' which we later learned from the chef was ginger, garlic, lemon grass and tomato sauce.  That will be repeated at home for sure.  Finally, we retired to our breezy tent, a well earned shower and the comfort of the safety net.  It was an early bed time - wake-up call was at 5 AM for safari # 2.

Sleep was good - we were briefly awakened by some small creature that made a meal out of our soap of all items, but it was time to get dressed and on our way.  Today would be a morning and evening ride.  After again declaring the game was on we immediately spotted a leopard cub in the bush.  He wasn't as confident as his mother though, and 30 seconds later he slipped away.  We thought this was a good sign, but would ultimately prove to be the highlight of the day.  We drove over 80 kilometres in the morning and although the views were incredible, for awhile we were down by the pounding ocean where the Boxing Day Tsunami washed ashore, the scenery and some colourful birds were all we had to show for our efforts.  The afternoon trip out was the same, with a very brief spotting of elephants this time, but not much else.

We had considered sleeping in and skipping our last ride, but after the somewhat fruitless second day,  our minds were made up to give it a go.  Almost immediately, we were rewarded for our persistence.  Leopard tracks were spotted on the road, they like walking on the soft dirt as it is easier on their paws.  They must have been fresh as the jeep roared into high gear..... and then came to a screeching, skidding halt.  Ahead on the path, sprawled in the dust as if none of us mattered, was another leopard.   We would have been happy to have been done at that point, 5 minutes in and we had reached the top rung again.

The only animal we had really not seen, although plenty of smelly evidence of their existence abounded, were elephants.  As luck would have it, on our way out of the park for the final time, a huge bull elephant appeared on the edge of the path.  Our driver started shifting the vehicle back and forth which sometimes would make the elephant curious and want to follow the jeep.  This seemed to be ridiculous until sure enough, we had a multi-ton beast stomping his way down the path after us.  At one point I'm almost positive he could have snagged me with his trunk.  Given I had just read in the local paper that 2 people had died from elephant attacks over the weekend, this was about as nervous as we got during the trip.  Never mind the leopards with the razor sharp teeth and claws, watch out for the big guy!  It turns out a jeep is faster than an elephant, even a really big one, and after about 15 minutes he was gone.

4 drives in the bush and too many photos and animal memories to count.  The glamping was fun and the food was fantastic, but it was time to leave our own private campground behind.  We packed up our gear and traded in our 4 wheel drive jeep for an air conditioned van.  On to Galle and the tea plantations!

6/25/2014 - Sri Lankan Safari - Part 1

One of our favorite parts about living in Singapore has been sitting on our balcony and watching nature drift by.  The different birds we have seen, parakeets, cockatoos, even a hornbill, the occasional monitor lizard and the squirrels that seem to have a death wish as they leap from branch to branch, have provided endless hours of entertainment.  This past week we traded in the comforts of our porch for some 'relative comforts' at Yala National Park in southern Sri Lanka to get up close and personal with a few larger creatures in the wild.

Our red-eye flight from Singapore to Colombo was thankfully uneventful. The fact that we had traded in miles to fly on Singapore Airlines resulted in us being able to pass the time beforehand in the lounge and then even be treated like an actual human being on the plane.  The budget airlines are great people movers, but sometimes, its just nice to get a hot towel after being seated.  We crossed another item off the bucket list next, stay at an airport Ramada, sadly the lounge singer was done for the night.  Pretty close to the airport at least, all we needed as a quick nap, shower and then we were out the door in the van for the 4 1/2 journey to the southern part of the island.

The drive down was a cross between two worlds.  When driving in Sri Lanka on the highways, especially at night, you could easily assume you were in the U.S.  Once you are off of them on more local roads and start weaving your way between tuk-tuks, multicoloured buses and seeing coconut vendors everywhere, you quickly realise you are still in Asia.  We tried our first king coconut mid way through the ride, smaller and yellow in color, quite good.  Eventually we were at the drop off point and a huge off-road vehicle with 6 open air seats in the back was waiting for us.  10 minutes later, we were turning down a rutted dirt road and into the Mahoora camp for the next 3 days.

In the drive from Colombo we had gone from a tropical island to a dusty, scrubby savanna.  Hard to believe we were even on the same island.  Still with trees, but not tropical in feel at all.  They dryness would ultimately work to our advantage as the watering holes in the park were shrinking so it would provide better animal congregating and viewing opportunities.  After 'checking in' to the Palu tent (dangerously close to the Pulau), our glamping (glamorous camping) experience officially began.  Our tent had two comfortable cots, toilet, shower and most importantly, what became known as the net of safety around the bed.  In theory, it should keep intrusive species at bay, mostly bugs but hopefully anything else that was interested in the new guests.  We then had a variety of Sri Lanka curries for lunch, our first experience with the local Lion beer and it was off for our first of four safaris.

Camera in tow, we climbed into the jeep and 10 minutes later we were going through the gates of Yala.  Once we had picked up a local spotter our naturalist turned back towards us and gave us my favourite line of the trip "the game is on."  The prize was leopards and this was the best place in the world to spot them.  Unfortunately, there was no guarantee we were going to see anything other than water buffalo and peacocks.  Tour groups had come and gone and never seen the tawny, spotted felines that blend so well into the bush.  Our first hit after driving around for half an hour was a sloth bear.  Our naturalist got more excited than we did right away, apparently they were nocturnal and the rarest animal to see in the park.  In this case, his favourite berries were in season so he was out for a mid-day snack, kind of like me waking up early on a Saturday to procure lychees and rambutans from the market.

Further down the trail, after sighting multiple water buffaloes, crocodiles, spotted deer and few mongooses (mongeese?) we rounded a corner and came to a screeching halt.  Across a small pond a crocodile was sitting with its mouth open..... and 20 meters to the left our first leopard was sprawled out in the sun.  Success!  After about 15 minutes she wandered off, bored with her daily photo shoot, and we continued on our way as well.

All we needed to see was an elephant and our checklist would practically be complete.  It was starting to get dark though and time to head back to camp.  As we began to make the break for home we rounded corner #2 and she was back!  We had just gotten done asking how close we might get and now, not more than 3 meters away, the dominant predator in the park was lying on the ground posing for us. again  Wow!  Thoroughly impressed, thoroughly exhausted and thoroughly dirty, we headed for home, ready for some food, drinks and relaxation.

6/22/2014 - An Ode to Penang

The previous week on Friday I boarded what appears to be my last flight from Penang to Singapore.  In the past two years, I can't even count the number of times I have sat in the Singapore or Penang airport, either half asleep because its too early on a Monday morning or half asleep because it had been a long week and I was ready for my Friday afternoon/evening nap on the plane. Regardless, I knew that at some point a flight attendant would wake me up asking if I wanted something to eat, even though I only made that mistake once, never again to be repeated.

The last week was a good one.  It started being jokingly called Dan's Farewell Tour since every evening turned into another night out.  One night we were eating street food and overlooking the water, the following night our favorite Italian restaurant and the next night was back to a local seafood place I had somehow missed out on in the past two years.  We even managed to stop in for some late night curry and naan at the local 24 jam establishment. Each night at some point someone asked me what I would miss about Penang and in true on the spot fashion I stammered out something about the food or the people.  Now that I've had a week to more properly reflect, here's a better list for what I will (and will not) miss about the Pearl of the Orient.

Miss
- The view at home - when else am I going to have ocean front property in my life?
- The view at work - jungle covered hillsides with spectacular sunsets most evenings.  Soon I'll be back to glaring at the snow and wondering why its getting dark out at 4 PM.
- Friends in Malaysia - expats and local
- Italian dinners at the Campbell House - where you could always count on something tasty and familiar when you needed it.  Sometimes, you just need some melted cheese.
- Claypot chicken, stingray, dumplings, whatever Indian food from Kapitan that I was brave enough to try
- Morning chats with my friendly taxi driver on the way to work

Not so much
- The varying types of smells I would encounter on my late night runs, including my own, wow its humid here
- Having to rely on taxis or your friends to take you anywhere - independence is a good thing
- Traffic - I may never again complain about rush hour the rest of my life.  45 minutes to go 3 miles is not the best way to start or end a day.
- TGIFridays - never ever ever ever again, the rest of my life
- The cafeteria - see the first
comment above for reasoning

So all in all, more to miss than not.  I actually managed to stay awake on the flight out on Friday for one last glimpse of the Pulau.  As everyone reminded me though, it never seems to be goodbye, only until we meet again.  For now, on to Sri Lanka and Dubai and the unpleasant process of beginning to pack.

6/8/2014 - Pool Villas and Martial Law in Thailand

There really isn't much more we can say about Thailand that hasn't already been written throughout the various posts in this blog.  Other than Singapore or Malaysia, its the country in Asia we have spent the most days in over the past 2 years.  After the post audit celebration in March we assumed our Thailand days had come to a close.  Low season prices, an unplanned weekend on the social calendar and a military coup combined forces to draw us back to Phuket for one last hurrah.  Ultimately, one channel on television was blacked out, but that was the extent we saw of a change over in political control.  Everything else seemed to be business as usual.

The propeller flight from Penang to Phuket on Firefly is always an enjoyable experience.  You walk out onto the tarmac, steer clear of the sometimes slightly moving propellers and duck your head while entering the tiny plane.  There are only about 20 rows of 2 seats on either side of the aisle, so before you know it you are gently lifting off and heading North. The flight probably takes an extra 20 minutes because you aren't going as fast, but before you can finish a B.S. Report podcast you are touching down on one of our favorite tropical islands.

Since it was only for a weekend we stayed up on the north side of the island again, on Mai Khao beach.  Its only a 15 minute taxi from the airport and before you knew it we were driving past the Turtle Village, the various Marriott properties and then pulling into the Renaissance.  We had rolled the dice on an upgrade via my gold status and we were not disappointed.  Instead of checking in at the open air lobby we were whisked away on a golf cart to our own private pool villa.  You could walk straight out of the bedroom into the pool if you so desired and when you stood on the pool deck, you could see the crashing waves off in the distance.

Even during high season, the water on this side of the island is pretty rough, so our own private pool changed the equation for Saturday.  Back to the Turtle Village to load up on snacks and drinks for the day.  The last bottles of Singha were procured, some of our favorite snack mix (sure will miss that Tong Garden) and since it was the finale, a bottle of Proseco.  For what was probably the first time in our vacationing lifestyle, after eating way too much at the awesome breakfast buffet (best we've had in Asia) we didn't leave the villa for the next 10 hours.  Lounging, reading, listening to music, cooling off in the pool, sometimes it just feels good to be lazy.

Eventually we needed more to eat than fruit, snack mix and the cake that had been unexpectedly delivered around 3 PM, so off we went to the open air bar overlooking the property.  A mix of Thai dishes showed up and we had hopes for some live music, but it was not on the menu that evening.  No matter, the food was excellent, the drinks were cold, there was a breeze in our face, it was the perfect way to say good-bye to Thailand.

5/30/2014 - Boracay - 90% of the Maldives, 1/3 the Price

OK, so we've made it.  We're in paradise, there's crystal blue waters lapping up against the powder white sand stretching in all directions, but what next?  It turns out there was an easy answer to that question - day trip to Ariel's Point.  After a breakfast of fruit, eggs, toast and BACON, on our patio looking out at the water we were squeezing 6 of us into a vehicle that was probably meant for 3.  We were staying in Station 3 of White Beach in Boracay.  A little quieter, more chill, more relaxing, but now we were motoring towards the clubs, pubs and action of Station 1 on the opposite end of the beach.  After checking in next door to, no joke, Obama's grill, (election slogan and everything) we sat down to mango smoothies to wait for our departure.  The time was spent joking around about how the restaurant likely changed its name every 4-8 years, Bush's BBQ, Clinton's Cantina, etc.  It should have gotten old, but didn't.

30 minutes later we were walking through the sand getting ready to board one of three traditional water bug boats for the 45 minute cruise out to Ariel's point.  This involved wading out into the water with your gear held over your head, castaway style.  With the wind in your face, a San Miguel Lite in hand and all the scenery to take in, the trip went pretty quick and was surprisingly smooth.  Once we disembarked, it was as if we had arrived at Adult Swiss Family Robinson land.  Stairs wound their way up to multiple levels
of the cliffs, scattered with tables, chairs, hammocks and foliage.  After claiming a prime spot at the top, we scampered back down to the main attraction, cliff jumping!  They had diving platforms of 5 meters, 8 meters and 15 meters.  You had to do at least the 8 meter board before they would let you jump in from 15 meters, i.e. close to 50 feet.  Jumping from 8 meters felt like you were endlessly falling with a reward of salt water up your nose for about 15 minutes.  Still, it was enough to consider the 15 meter main attraction until I saw the big red welt on someone's arm from jumping a little while ago.  I'll stick to food and beer.

The food!  Fried noodles, grilled fish, pork, vegetables and the best sausage I had had since Germany a few years back.  Like round, spicy/sweet balls of grilled flavor.  Yep, I went back for thirds and was told it was a true Wisconsin meal.  I took that as a compliment.  After some uneventful snorkeling, lots of sea urchins, a few starfish, but not many other fish, it was time to head back. The followings days were not nearly as eventful, but super relaxing capped off by some great meals.  One night we found ourselves at a Spanish restaurant, Dos Mestizos, being serenaded by some wandering minstrels.  We requested a Spanish song first, but upon finishing and learning we were American, they launched into Country Roads by John Denver. That was rather unexpected, but what was even more unexpected was the entire restaurant singing along with the chorus.  Only in Asia.

Sun, beach, water, evening drinks in the Tree House bar with acoustic guitars.  Soon, sadly, it was time to catch the next water bug ferry and propeller plane home.  The beach vacations seem to blend into each other, but the journey to get to Boracay and the ever present music in the air should help this one stand out for awhile.

5/25/2014 - Going to the extra mile for Boracay

Sometimes you have to want it a little bit more to have a different experience.  In Singapore, we kind of forget how spoiled we are from a beach travel convenience standpoint.  Hail a taxi from your condo and 3-4 hours later you can be sitting on a beach somewhere in Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia.  If you're really lazy, you can just wander down to Sentosa Island and lounge around in the best beach man can make.  This past weekend, however, we went the extra mile.  Sarah and cohort had already made it to Boracay in the Philippines as they had flown on straight from Hong Kong.  After putting in my week in the Pulau, I began to make the journey on my own.

At 8:30 in the morning I got in my taxi heading for Changi Airport, my home away from home.  Needless to say, the excitement levels are a little higher when you are getting ready to relax instead of head out on a work trip.  After a stale Starbucks blueberry muffin (why are they so bad in Singapore?) a slightly delayed flight, followed by a multiple hour nap, I woke up to see a lush, mountainous landscape spread out below.  Off in the distance I could see what looked like a glorified, small town single runway airport and sure enough, we banked up a dry riverbed and came in for a smooth landing in Kalibo "International" airport.  The immigration process was two people sitting behind little more than card tables and then I found what turned out to be the first of the smiling "My Boracay" guides waiting for me.  I was escorted to the thankfully air conditioned bus and we began the winding two hour journey through small towns, more jungle and occasional seaside views to arrive at Caticlan jetty.

A new guide grabbed my arm and whisked me through the mass of people waiting to catch some of the last ferries from Caticlan to Boracay as the sun started to dip below the horizon.  Off to the left was a giant boat that had multiple semi trucks slowly crawling out of its belly.  Thinking this is where I was headed I started to tip toe in that direction when I was stopped and my attention was directed towards what appeared like an over-sized water bug.  It turned out that all the boats we would see had bamboo out-riggers on either side of them.  10 minutes later we had crossed the narrow stretch between Caticlan and Boracay and I was in a golf cart, yet again bouncing my way towards the hotel and friends.  After exiting the golf cart I started following my new guide down a dark, narrow sand alley towards what I hoped was the beach.  Off to my right, I could hear an acoustic guitar drifting down from the tree house bar that was going to be our new home away from home the next few nights. I was quickly reminded that every good cover band seems to be from the Philippines and this was probably the source of all that music.

Finally, I arrived at the Boracay Beach House and the staff called me by name saying everyone was waiting for me.  Not sure how this could be, I poked my head around the corner and it all became clear.  I had left at 8:30 in the morning and it was now pushing 7 PM in the evening, but everyone was scattered around a table on the stone patio right outside our rooms.  We had the bottom 2 rooms of a 4 room beach house, the sliding glass doors opened up right onto the beach and we had it practically all to ourselves!  San Miguel Lite and Golden Eagles (courtesy of San Miguel) raised, everyone caught me up on what I had missed out on the past few days (lots of NBA talk with the locals) and what the plan for the next day was.  Clearly, it was worth going to the extra distance this time.

5/15/2014 - 24 Hours (Awake) in Hong Kong - Sightseeing

Oh boy - those 4 hours went by pretty quickly.  What are the odds our friends are going to meet us as planned, we both thought to each other with just a glance?  They were only an hour late, which we were OK with - gave us more time to drink coffee in the lounge and wake up.  Seemed reasonable after we had somehow only arrived in the city a few hours before and were now getting ready to head out and explore.

The best part so far about the trip - we had tour guides! Friends of our visiting sister, but after the trip, friends of ours now as well.  So much so, we'll all be reconvening in the Philippines for some fun in the sun soon. We have always enjoyed showing people around Singapore, but being on the flip side sure was possibly even better. First stop, the Star Ferry to head out into Victoria harbor and get a better view of the city.  Well that was the plan at least, but the rain and mist kept our heads tucked onboard and seated in our folding wooden chairs that were bolted to the deck.  Regardless, we exited, no longer on Hong Kong Island but on Kowloon instead.  The rain had let up so it was shopping time.  Two spots on the list - the ladies market and the jade market.  The ladies market had the normal variety of trinkets we have become accustomed with in our travels and nothing directly caught our eyes.  At the jade market, however, we were in search of an elusive little jade elephant.  Alas, even after multiple people went digging through their bins no one could unearth the appropriate color.  Some pearls were negotiated and procured though and with that success, it was lunch time.



Of course it was dim sum lunch, what else would you have in Hong Kong?  As the carts made their way around the room I'm sure they wondered who these fools were that kept ordering plate upon plate of dumplings, rice balls, pork buns, more tea and whatever else caught our fancy.  Sadly, they ran out of food before we ran out of an appetite, but its probably better they did.  With the drizzle beginning again, it was just a few subway stops to Lan Kwai Fung to pop in for a few drinks to wait it out.  A few pints and waaaaay too many peanuts, I guess we were still hungry, we were on the move again, back to Kowloon to settle in for the light show.  While looking past the statue of Bruce Lee I finally realized the magnitude that was Hong Kong.  Singapore is essentially Boston to Hong Kong's New York (my opinion after the trip). The light show certainly put our humble city state's show in its place.


With the Fitbit telling us we had taken 20k+ steps for the day, we closed down the night in a hawker centre that certainly made us feel at home.  A menu was placed in front of me and we started rolling down the list - deep fried squid, fried noodles, prawns, green leafy vegetables.  Its kind of odd that this type of food almost seems more familiar than the Western fare we have left behind.  Needless to say, when we all woke up the next morning we skipped breakfast as we were still full from the night before.

Before heading back to the airport, not sure how it was almost time already, Victoria Peak and the tram were the only must do's left on the list.  It was yet again a misty, rainy day.  Kind of amazing that we have only had bad weather on a few of our trips these past two years, but not enough to deter us this time.  After the tram climbed to the top of the hill, kind of like a roller coaster going to the top and then not having the big release at the end, we arrived to spectacular views, even with the fog.  Incredible that some people lived up here, talk about a view and certainly a relief from the heat in the summer. After soaking it all up and suddenly having a cloud come rolling in, totally obliterating the view, it was time to take the tram back down and ultimately the express train back to the airport.  I'm not sure if we we even were awake for 24 hours in HK, but we certainly saw enough to claim we were.