Belated Merry Christmas due to too much holiday cheer...

"If a promise is made and no one is functional to remember it, did it really make sound?"

-Mister Maddog

Sorry Steve...

Hibernation

Welp, I've somehow made it a week in Canada. It has only gotten colder since I've been here. I've been jetlegged as f*ck and all I want to do is hibernate. I've been out quite a bit with my Mom doing Christmas type shopping- the people of Kingston have been a major disappointment. They seem hollow and beaten. Was it always like this? and am I only noticing this now because I'm an outsider? Or is this some new recession added perk? Or is this just what a real winter does to people? We took some stuff to donate at Value Village and I didn't want to wait for this big SUV that was full of bags to unload so I just took our small box up to the door. The employee snapped at me: "Okay, next time you're gonna have to wait!" Next time I won't give my donations to Value Village, asshole. Then in Costco I was sampling a desk chair and when I got up my behind was wet! Someone probably sat and peed in that chair before me. Great.
Luckily the brother and sister return late tonight so that should wake this place up a bit. Friends return to the mothertown for the holidays this coming week as well. Oh and I'm making my Mom buy me a case of Strongbow at The Beer Store today.
My Mom and I put up all the Santas the other day. We couldn't find one of the cookie jar ones and can't remember if it broke in a previous year or not.
Also on a more positive note, we're probably going skiiing in January! I haven't been in like 13 years! YAY!

Canadian Soil!

My flight from LAX to YYZ felt short and I slept for most of it. It arrived early (!) and customs etc was impressively fast for Toronto; it seems that they finally have their shit together.
Mom and Dad arrived and we reunited for the first time in like 13.5 months. Then we went back to John and Cathie's for a shower, some food (bagels and cream cheese, what a North American treat!) and a nap.

Later that day we headed down to Stratford for Julia's "dinner lab" aka dinner at a fancy restaurant. We checked into a hotet, watched the snow fall, and had a few drinks before heading to the restaurant. There was an LCBO across from the hotel and a guy busking with his guitar out front! He was there atleast 2 hours in what I thought was a blizaard!

At the dinner the students had to produce a menu by Thomas Keller, a 3 Michelin star rated chef. This was the menu:

Carpaccio of Yellowfin Tuna Nicoise

Peas and Carrots Lobster Pancakes with Pea Shoot Salad

"Tongue and Cheek:" Braised Beef Cheeks and Veal Tongue with Leeks and Horseradish

Tete De Moine with Sauerkraut and Toasted Caraway Seed Vinaigrette

Oven Roasted Pineapple with Fried Pastry Cream and Creme Fraiche

It was all incredible save the cheese course (the sauerkraut was way too vinegary and overpowered the cheese all together... it was a weird combination). Julia was the Sommelier and made sure we got to really taste the 3 wines that accompanied the meal. Afterwards there was coffee and petit fours (mini donuts, almond macaroons to die for! and vanilla crisps) and the student head chef came around to introduce himself and answer questions. Cathie, of course, asked him about the weird cheese course: Did it make sense to you? Because it didn't make sense to me. He replied that the cheese course often comes before dessert (duh) and that the dish didn't really make sense, no. His answer was alittle unsatisfactory, we wanted more info on what Thomas Keller had in mind- perhaps Mr Student Head Chef hadn't done much additional research.

After dinner we went back to our hotel and drank some more and then Greg and I went out with Julia. We met all her chef school friends and had a good time.
In the morning Mom called us (we stayed at Julia's apartment) and we met her and Dad for a greasy breakfast. We were all incredbily hungover. Then we drove Greg back to London and then drove home to Amherstview. I slept most of the way.
That night I got to see Zac briefly before he flew off to BC for the holidays.

It's a little weird to be home after so long away. I don't like the cold. I'm still quite jetlagged and have slept 20 of the last 32 hours. I had a huge stack of mail to go through, all of which was from the University of Texas (still proud to be a Longhorn!). I'm overwhelmed by the clothes I have in my closet; what choice I suddenly have! How am I going to decide what to pack this time?! Julia and Greg don't get home until this weekend so the house is quiet with just my Mom and I around during the week. I get to help her do her Christmas shopping (I'm all done mine) this week.
But most of all I miss Andy.

Longest Day Ever!

My longest day ever was this year's December 10th.

It started in Kuala Lumpur airport. We flew from there to Melbourne at 1:20am.

In Melbourne we arrived at noon, still on the 10th, and got through customs and quanrantine nearly unscathed (they took my baskets!... there were little bugs them, oops) and then checked into our next flight. Then we had some lunch and waited.

Our next flight was to Sydney at 3:35pm. It landed on time at 5pm. At this point we said goodbye to the Italians and Andy and I scammed free passes to the International Terminal (usually $5 each).

I now sit and type this in LAX. American customs was fast and easy even through the haze of the sleeping pill I'd taken on the long flight from Sydney. I was able to check-in for my Air Canada flight to Toronto immediately despite it not leaving for another 6 hours. Thinking I would just type up all the blogs I hadn't done yet and post them later I turned on my laptop and discovered I could get a signal from the Air France Lounge for FREE. YAY.

So again, here I sit. It's still December 10th. And it's fucking cold! Only like 10C or something. Brrrrrrr!

My flight is in 2.5 hours!

Kuala Lumpur Revisted

Under the Petronas Towers

From Krabi we flew back to KL, Air Asia's hub. We took the same shuttle bus to Sentral station and found our hotel. The hotel was a new one and we really should have thought about this more, but were more in the line of thought that it was new and would be clean, rather than it was new and therefore the staff would be retards. We had booked the rooms separately and paid for them online in advance using a website we'd already used at least four times during the trip and had never had a problem with: latestays.com. (Even after this one negative experience I still highly recommend it). The hotel didn't have our reservation at all. We told them we'd made it through latestays.com and they said that they'd have to call latestays to make sure. I showed the guy the email confirmation I'd gotten, highlighting the "Full Payment Received" section, and was really not happy with this place so far. To begin with Kuala Lumpur is dirty and humid and hot. Then add on the fact that there was burning plastic in a construction site that flooded the area we had to walk through to get to the hotel. Now add in the hotel being difficult. All I wanted was a shower! We finally got our rooms and got the hotel staff to NOT charge our credit cards AGAIN. After relaxing for a few hours Andy and I headed off for some food. We came across an Indian curry house, which happened to have an entire police force dining in it, and went in. We didn't really know how it worked but the waiter/owner/some guy sort of helped us out. We ordered a naan bread each, a big bottle of water, and a few curries- one chicken, one lamb, one each of chickpea, and one each of mint sauce type stuff. Even though we didn't really know what we had it was delicious and only cost 15 Ringget! ($5AUD).

In the morning it was time to go see about the Petronas Towers. We left the hotel at 8am and arrived at the towers by 9am. The line was already very long and tickets were going fast for the earlier time slots. How it works is that there are 40 tickets issued for each time slot that occurs at 15 minute intervals. Also the tickets are FREE but there are only 1400 tickets issued daily and it is first come, first serve, AND it is one ticket per person- so you couldn't go in the morning and pick up 5 tickets for yourself and 4 friends, you have to be there to get a ticket. We ended up getting tickets for 1:30pm. This gave us plenty of time to go back to the hotel for a nap and to check out at noon before heading back (somehow the hotel had contacted latestays.com and figured our shit out). We didn't mind going back and forth either since the public transit system was so cheap (1.60 RM one way, about 50cents AUD).

Waiting in line for tickets

Back at the towers we arrived early and perused the gift shop until it was time to go for our alloted time. First we were given a VIP lanyard and 3-D glasses and were ushered into a small theater. Here we watched a 7 minute video on the towers and then were ushered out and told to wait in line to go through security. THEN it was finally our turn to go up the towers. And when I say go up I mean to the measely 41st floor skybridge that connects the 2 towers. That's the highest they'll let any tourist go. It was a little disappointing as most of us had been higher in other scructures around the world.

Looking down

Stilts holding up the Skybridge

Skybridge

After the towers we headed to Little India for some lunch and shopping. We found ourselves in the Bizaar surrounded by cheap goods and then eventually found a restaurant. The food was pretty good but the night before still stole the show for me anyway.

Mr. Andrew Birmingham very happy about his purchases in Little India

Strolling through the Bizaar in my new hat

After that we were going to try to find Chinatown but someone told us it was too far to walk so we said forget it and went back to the hotel and sat around for an hour or so and then headed off to the airport.

We arrived at the airport with about 6 hours to kill before our flight. Luckily the time went quickly and we were Melbourne bound and on the first leg of my 4 leg journey home.

Ao Nang, Krabi

Relaxing on Poda Island

We decided to stay in Ao Nang in Krabi (a province) because it had a plethora of restaurants and shops, was a good place to get a tour of the islands in the Andaman Sea, and had a decent nightlife option. The first day Andy and I got up late and then just lay on the beach for a few hours and relaxed.

Leaving Ao Nang behind

The next day we took a speedboat tour of the Phi Phi Islands, which are basically the places you think of when you think of Thailand and were once probably paradise. I say they're no longer quite a paradise these days because they're crowded. EVERYONE goes to them. They're still beautiful, don't get me wrong, but ever since The Beach was made into that dumb movie and flimed on location there, it's become somewhat of a Grand Canyon, or Disneyland, or insert other must-see tourist attraction here. Our tour was supposed to consist of 8 different stops but we only had about 6 and even then those were quick stops, about 40 minutes each. Our first stop was Bamboo Island.

Bamboo Island

Pileh Bay

Then we went by the Viking Caves where they collect the birds nests for birds nest soup. Then we went into Pileh Bay, a lagoon, and then stopped in Maya Bay for some snorkeling. There were tons of fish, the bottom was all reef (it was deep) and the water was so clear. Of course we were snorkeling between a bunch of boats who were also there for a tour. Some people on another boat were throwing bread into the water to feed the fish and I kept getting hit in the head by it, not cool, although being amongst the swarm of fish going after the food was pretty awesome.
Next stop was Maya Beach itself. We had 45 minutes to wonder inland, lay on the beach, or go for a swim. We wondered inland a bit, bought a can of Chang for 100baht! and then took a bunch of corny photos.

Maya Beach

Back on the boat and we were told we wouldn't be stopping at Monkey Beach because there were no monkeys there today. How our guide knew this, I don't know, but I do know we think we got a ripped off by not going there. We stopped at a seemingly random spot next to a cliff face on Phi Phi Don and got to go snorkeling again. Same same pretty much except a few more different types of fish and some giant clams!
Then it was time for lunch and 90 minutes on Phi Phi Don- the biggest island of the Phi Phis and the most inhabited as well. They even have a 7-11. We had thai buffet for lunch (included in the price of the tour) and then wandered around town a little bit.

The main street of Phi Phi Don

We got back on the boat once more and headed back to Ao Nang. A little Chinese(?) boy fell asleep next to me and sort of on me, hahaha.

The next day was our last full day in Thailand. My plan was to get as much sun as possible. Since Ao Nang beach wasn't looking to sunny we (only Andy, Tommy, and I were going, everyone else stayed in bed watching movies all day) decided to get a longtail boat out to Ko Poda, an island with a sunny, white sand beach that you can see from Ao Nang. We got tickets for a boat and had to wait around for like 20 minutes for a 6th person to "fill" the boat. The ride was about 15 minutes and not too rough. Upon arrival we agreed on a time to go back and then made our way to find the perfect spot on the beach. It was a hot day so we were in and out of the water regularly. I'd brought a few pairs of goggles and we could see a few reef with and sea eurchines not far off the beach. I also had a field day with the shell collecting... it was far past an obsession.

On the way to Ko Poda

Sand Dollar

The day spent on Poda was one of my favorites. It was quiet, sunny, the beach and sea were beautiful, and we got to take a long tail boat! By the end of the day we were saying we wished we had a few more days to have on these little islands.
At 4pm we got the boat back and showered and then went for traditional Thai massages. I ended up getting an After Sun Thai massage because I was a little burnt and it would probably be good for me.... and oh was it ever good! Even though the thai massuse was tiny, she was still strong as! And the milk and aloe vera did wonders for my skin.
We grabbed some average food afterwards and did a little shopping before calling it a night.
The next day it was time to leave Thailand :( We got up early and had street crepes for breakfast and then tried to spend our remaining baht... I still have over 1000.

Last picture taken in Thailand

At around 11:30am we were off to the airport and a few hours later flying back to KL.

Ko Phangan to Krabi

Boarding the boat to the mainland

Fishing boats in Thong Sala

After a day of sleeping we got up and checked out of Mai Pen Rai and took a pickup trunk taxi to Thong Sala, where the pier is, and got a boat and bus combination deal to Krabi. The boat wasn't as crowded as the one to Phangan from Samui but it was longer.
When we got to the mainland we boarded a 'chicken bus' aka a bus with no A/C that is usually used for the transportation of Thais. This bus took us to the bus station where we had to wait for a big coach style bus to take us to Krabi. We got sweet front seats on the big bus.
We finally got to BF nowhere Krabi at around 8pm. They told us they could take us to our hotel via for another 100baht... the taxi ended up being another of those big tuktuk things and the driver couldn't find our hotel for a long time.
But we finally found it- Aloha Inn- owned by a Calfornian. I told him I was born in Thousand Oaks and he was like "ooooh, Ventura County!" Um, okay. He showed us to our rooms and went through everything with us, like how to work the DVD player and TV etc. Then he started going on about the Thai mofia and if we ever get in a jam here's his card, just get a hold of him.
Since the next day was the King's Birthday we asked him if there was a big party or what was the deal? He told us it wasn't a big party and that most places wouldn't even be serving alcohol... that was lie, but we prepared by buying some Chang and Mekong whiskey just in case.
After finally getting settled we went to dinner at an Italian place and I had a pizza margarita that was just as good as the one's I'd had in Italy! It was pricey though- 200B! ($6)

Full Moon Party

All done up on Haad Rin

So the next day at we had nothing to do and were hoping it'd be sunny and spend the day on the beach... but it wasn't; it was overcast and windy. We wondered around a little and tried to do some snorkling- no success there, the water was too rough and you couldn't see a thing- and just hung around the rest of the day on the hammock.

Plaa's Bungalows and some of Mai Pen Rai's too from the other side of the bay


Our hammock at Plaa's, part of the best room ever


When we woke up on the morning we had to leave the best room ever our new pet dog had decided the shower was the coolest place for a nap

Then is was December 2nd. In the morning we had to check out of Plaa's and move into Mai Pen Rai Bungalows. It was tough to move out of the best room ever but we'd pre-paid for the other place online months ago. The new room was not as nice. You could see through the floor boards and there was no hammock and the lighting was bad. The only positives were that we got electricity all day (it was only on 6pm until Midnight at Plaa's) and the bed was kind of cool- a four poster canopy bed complete with mosquito netting (with holes). The weather was shit once again and even a little rainy, so we spent the day in bed napping and watching the South Park Season 12 DVDs Andy had bought in Phuket.

At around 9pm we headed down to the Mai Pen Rai restaurant and had a Chang and waited for our taxi. You never know what you're going to get when you order a taxi is Thailand and this time was no different: it was a pick-up truck with benches in the back. Somehow we squeezed 14 people, not including the driver, into it. We stopped along the way because these Manc chicks had to pee and Gianluca needed to have a poop. I found a place with 50 baht big Changs and Andy and I shared it.

When we finally got to Haad Rin we headed straight to a bucket merchant and each got a bucket. Buckets vary but the cheapest ones that we were getting consisted off: ice, a mickey of Sam Suang whiskey, a bottle of Lipo, and a can of soft drink, AND 4-6 straws. They are dangerous and an essential part of the Full Moon Party. Next we bought neon body paint and painted ourselves and then finally joined the beach party.

The next few hours are a blur. At some point we got glowing glasses. We tried to get the 2:30am taxi back but couldn't find the spot where it picked us up. I started drinking water after a while and started to soberup a little bit. Then watched the sun rise and just waited for the 7:30am taxi. It was probably a mistake to have pre-booked a taxi home since we could've all happily left at about 4am. Oh well, you live, you learn.

Should have gone back shortly after this point...

The rest of the day was spent in bed with more South Park.

Krabi Quickie

Just a quick update...

We're in Ao Nang, Krabi Province right now. It's a beach town on the Andaman Sea. Today we went to the Phi Phi Islands on a boat tour, it was sweet. Before leaving Ko Phangan we did the Full Moon Party; I'll do a big post with pics from it in a while... We only have 2 more nights in Thailand and then another night in Kuala Lumpur and then my marathon day of travel starts. So since little time remains and lots of airport time is coming you'll have to wait until then for proper blogs.

Here's a little something to keep you at bay until then:

Full Moon Party 2nd December 2009

Ko Samui to Ko Phangan

Our Room at Plaa's Bungalows... the best room EVER

We had an interesting start to trying to get to Ko Phangan. It consisted of Andy and Tommy staying out all night and then Andy trying not to sleep at all. This didn’t last long and he was out cold pretty fast around 9am. At noon, when we had to check out and get a taxi to the boat to Ko Phangan he refused to get out of bed. It wasn’t pretty but we got him up. He then slept on the lounge chairs as we waited for the taxi and on the boat. Now the boat was over crowded, like there were probably 50 people on there that shouldn’t have been. We had to sit/stand on the lower deck in the aisle between the rows of seats.

Not happy on the boat

When we arrived in Ko Phangan we were all pretty hungry and went straight to Same-Same Burger. Pretty good for a thai burger. Then Andy and I took off to find the 7-11 with no success, but we did find a stupid lady driving a tuktuk who agreed to drive us to the other side of the island to our bungalows.
The drive was interesting- the roads were a combination of paved and dirt, with the dirt roads having the worst water damage EVER. Like giant groves criss-crossed the road where the rain water had run down it. It was amazing that the tuktuk didn’t break an axle and that none of us or our bags fell out.

Rough Ride

When we arrived we marched along the beach, through the cave in the rocks, and up a thousand steps to the reception and restaurant of Plaa’s Than Sadet. The view from up there was spectacular.

View from Plaa's back towards the island

Plaa himself showed us to our rooms; Andy picked the first room but I quickly no we want that one, to the one that was a little in front of the first and had a hammock. We quickly decided it was the best room in the world. The bed was even complete with a classic mosquito net hanging from the ceiling! I already didn’t want to leave before we’d even spent the first night there.
To be continued…