So I had two days in Vietnam and I thought it wasn't too bad. It was extremly hot and some people were very rude but I met a lot of nice people as well, so I thought it was a pretty good place. I didn't do a whole lot.
I went to the Mekong Delta independently and our guide was very nice, he kept calling us his beautiful ladies or his tourists. We sailed the river and sampled food. I even bought some honey because it was very good. Then we had the best coconut carmael and peanuts and I don't even like coconut. It was a lot of fun.
Then today I did some serious DVD shopping. I bought alot and all under 5o dollars. I got a cartoon pack of disney movies that had around 100 movies on 12 disks for 17 dollars. Then I got Dexter, The Tudors, 30 Rock, Supernatural, Torchwood, and Weeds . Then I got 12 different movies so I am very excited to watch them all. I need to get a new DVD case now. But it was very nice and I had a good time.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Cambodia
While I was in Vietnam I took a trip to Cambodia and it was a lot of fun although it was very intense. First all I was there for three days and everyday we had a flight. I saw the national museum and we played soccer with the local kids. Then we checked into our very nice hotel that had excellent food.
Then the next day I went to the genocide museum which was a highschool that the Kmer Rouge used to torture the intellectuals. It was very sad you could see the graves of the last 13 victims in the front and then there were rooms with a bed, then they would show a huge graphic photograph of the aftermatho of the victims in the beds. Then we went to the killing fields were the majority of the victims died. There was a shrine that had a ton of skulls and it wasn't even a fraction of the victims, then near the back were the mass graves were you could still fragments of bones on the surface of the ground we even found a tooth. It was very intense and then they showed the tree where children were beaten. Since it was their mission to eradicate the intellectuals they killed all of the children as well and they would throw babies in the air and spear them on their bayonets. Our tour guide was 4 years old when this was happening and his father was a professor, so they had to migrate to the country and his little sister died of fever as well as his grandparents and aunt and uncle. Then he was forced to live in camp of only children and he said they were treated like animals. I am glad that I went to the Killing Fields even if it was hard we have to learn how to face our past.
Then we went to the royal palace which was pretty it was just like the Grand Palace in Bangkok. But it was soooooooooo hot in Cambodia it was dreadfull. Then we flew to Angkor Wat and watched the sunset. It was very cool, we had to have a temple pass which they regularly checked. But the temple was so intricate and it must have been crazy when it was first made. Then we went back and I made sure I went to bed early cause we had to leave by 5 to go the sunrise at Angkor Wat. But first we went to a very good dinner where we watched Cambodian Dancing and it was very cute we even took pictures with dancers, after the Japanese tourists swarmed the dancers.
I managed to drag myself out of bed and we went over there. It was dark when we got there and there was a suprising number of tourists but the sunrise was very nice and relaxing we even saw the water lillies open as well. Then for the rest of the day we went to see the rest of the temples. But let me tell you it was over a 100 degrees and humid and I have never sweated so much in my life. I drank a ton of water but never went to the bathroom. We saw all of the buddah face statues and all of the temples with the tree roots wrapped around them. It was very neat and it was fun to pretend that you discovered them and we kept singing the Indiana Jones theme song. Overall I really liked Cambodia and I thought it was a lot of fun and I hope that they will be able to recover again.
Then the next day I went to the genocide museum which was a highschool that the Kmer Rouge used to torture the intellectuals. It was very sad you could see the graves of the last 13 victims in the front and then there were rooms with a bed, then they would show a huge graphic photograph of the aftermatho of the victims in the beds. Then we went to the killing fields were the majority of the victims died. There was a shrine that had a ton of skulls and it wasn't even a fraction of the victims, then near the back were the mass graves were you could still fragments of bones on the surface of the ground we even found a tooth. It was very intense and then they showed the tree where children were beaten. Since it was their mission to eradicate the intellectuals they killed all of the children as well and they would throw babies in the air and spear them on their bayonets. Our tour guide was 4 years old when this was happening and his father was a professor, so they had to migrate to the country and his little sister died of fever as well as his grandparents and aunt and uncle. Then he was forced to live in camp of only children and he said they were treated like animals. I am glad that I went to the Killing Fields even if it was hard we have to learn how to face our past.
Then we went to the royal palace which was pretty it was just like the Grand Palace in Bangkok. But it was soooooooooo hot in Cambodia it was dreadfull. Then we flew to Angkor Wat and watched the sunset. It was very cool, we had to have a temple pass which they regularly checked. But the temple was so intricate and it must have been crazy when it was first made. Then we went back and I made sure I went to bed early cause we had to leave by 5 to go the sunrise at Angkor Wat. But first we went to a very good dinner where we watched Cambodian Dancing and it was very cute we even took pictures with dancers, after the Japanese tourists swarmed the dancers.
I managed to drag myself out of bed and we went over there. It was dark when we got there and there was a suprising number of tourists but the sunrise was very nice and relaxing we even saw the water lillies open as well. Then for the rest of the day we went to see the rest of the temples. But let me tell you it was over a 100 degrees and humid and I have never sweated so much in my life. I drank a ton of water but never went to the bathroom. We saw all of the buddah face statues and all of the temples with the tree roots wrapped around them. It was very neat and it was fun to pretend that you discovered them and we kept singing the Indiana Jones theme song. Overall I really liked Cambodia and I thought it was a lot of fun and I hope that they will be able to recover again.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
THAILAND
I was going to do a post earlier but I accidentally switched the computer so it wrote everything in Chinese so I decided to do it later. So far Thailand has been a lot of fun and it is a very cool place. On my first day I went to a Elephant village where retired elephant workers go to. I got to ride them twice once by myself with the elephant master bareback! I was afraid that I was going to slide off! Then I rode it again on a seat with my friend Kirsten and our elephant master made us grass grasshoppers. It was a lot of fun, but very warm.
Then the next day I went to the Tiger zoo which was more depressing. They were not very nice to their animals and used a lot of uneccesary force. The tigers were afraid of their trainers and were forced to jump through rings of fire and the crocodiles were sedated and were dragged by their tales and their eyes were poked. The only highlight was that I got to hold a baby tiger and to feed him milk! It was very sweet and the cub was very soft, I didn't want to let go of it, and the time holding them was way too short.
Then the rest of the time I have been in Bangkok, I went to my first hostel and I think that it is very nice. There is a very pretty courtyard with a koi pond and is surrouned by plumeria trees. And it is only 300 bot a night so it less than 10 dollars and it is very cool and the showers have only cold water but it is very refreshing. Also it is right next to Khoi San Road which is the backbackers place in Bangkok, so it is very international and very trendy. It has been extremly hot in Bangkok and I am pretty sure that I have never sweated so much in my entire life, it is 97 degrees plus humidity, I had to buy tank tops.
Besides hanging out at Khoi San I have been doing some culturual things. I went to Grand Palace which was very interesting. It was 350 bot for non thais and I thought it was pretty over priced for 5o more I could have gotten a guide but me and Kirsten were trying to save money. The buildings were extremly beautiful and ornate, the details were crazy, but I didn't really know anything about the buildings. But it was good even though I think it was overpriced. What I thought was way cooler was the reclining buddha and it was only 50 bot. It was the biggest statue of Buddah or anything that I have ever seen. To do a decent comparasion for everyone to picture the scale of the statue is the Statue of Liberty reclining on the ground in a temple. That is what it was like, it was crazy.
But besides those things all Kirsten and I have been shopping the streets because there are a lot of cool things to see, but we have been eating a ton of street food! It is all so good and its very cheap and knock on wood I have not gotten sick yet. But it is all deliscious I have gotten pad tai, fried noodles, bbq sticks, corn on the cob, mango and sticky rice, and these very good pancake things that I get with sugar and condensed milk. I have been resiting the DVDs because I am trying to hold out for Vietnam. Those are the highlights so far and I will try to update soon!
Then the next day I went to the Tiger zoo which was more depressing. They were not very nice to their animals and used a lot of uneccesary force. The tigers were afraid of their trainers and were forced to jump through rings of fire and the crocodiles were sedated and were dragged by their tales and their eyes were poked. The only highlight was that I got to hold a baby tiger and to feed him milk! It was very sweet and the cub was very soft, I didn't want to let go of it, and the time holding them was way too short.
Then the rest of the time I have been in Bangkok, I went to my first hostel and I think that it is very nice. There is a very pretty courtyard with a koi pond and is surrouned by plumeria trees. And it is only 300 bot a night so it less than 10 dollars and it is very cool and the showers have only cold water but it is very refreshing. Also it is right next to Khoi San Road which is the backbackers place in Bangkok, so it is very international and very trendy. It has been extremly hot in Bangkok and I am pretty sure that I have never sweated so much in my entire life, it is 97 degrees plus humidity, I had to buy tank tops.
Besides hanging out at Khoi San I have been doing some culturual things. I went to Grand Palace which was very interesting. It was 350 bot for non thais and I thought it was pretty over priced for 5o more I could have gotten a guide but me and Kirsten were trying to save money. The buildings were extremly beautiful and ornate, the details were crazy, but I didn't really know anything about the buildings. But it was good even though I think it was overpriced. What I thought was way cooler was the reclining buddha and it was only 50 bot. It was the biggest statue of Buddah or anything that I have ever seen. To do a decent comparasion for everyone to picture the scale of the statue is the Statue of Liberty reclining on the ground in a temple. That is what it was like, it was crazy.
But besides those things all Kirsten and I have been shopping the streets because there are a lot of cool things to see, but we have been eating a ton of street food! It is all so good and its very cheap and knock on wood I have not gotten sick yet. But it is all deliscious I have gotten pad tai, fried noodles, bbq sticks, corn on the cob, mango and sticky rice, and these very good pancake things that I get with sugar and condensed milk. I have been resiting the DVDs because I am trying to hold out for Vietnam. Those are the highlights so far and I will try to update soon!
Monday, March 16, 2009
INDIA
India was a very interesting experience in both a bad and good way. It was very in your face and dirty but it was not as bad as I was led to believe. I took a SAS trip to the Taj Mahal. The Taj was spectacular and I am very glad that I got to see it because it was amazing. But the trip was so frustrating because the tour company kept trying to rip us off all of the time. They would rush us through the forts, try to tell us that there would be long lines or that it was closed and try to take us to over priced stores, it was very aggravating. Then they skimped on the transportation so we had a layover instead of a direct flight and the train was not express so it took over 5 hours to get to Agra when it could have taken 2 and half hours. Also some people sat in cars where there were cockroaches thankfully that didn't happen to me.
There were a ton of begger and people trying to sell you stuff and were highly aggressive. It was much worse than it was in Morocco because they would follow you and refused to give up. It was just anoying how everyone was trying to constantly rip you off. But not everything about India was bad, they have the most beautiful trucks ever with detailed paintings. Also the saris and the colors everywhere were extremly beautiful. Their culture in general was just fascenating to look at and observe, it was very good for people watching.
But I think I bought far too much in India but everything was so neat looking and cheap! I got a super cool comforter with pillows and a zipper, I am excited to put it in my room. Then I got a cool garnet necklace that I nearly got mobbed over when I didn't have enough but I made a quick escape. The funniest thing I noticed in India was how people wanted to take our pictures! We were the second biggest attraction beside the Taj, people were taking family portraits with us in the background. So I am not sure how many people have my picture in India...
Overall I don't think India was that bad, but the Tour company almost ruined everything but I am refusing to let them influence my opinion of India.
There were a ton of begger and people trying to sell you stuff and were highly aggressive. It was much worse than it was in Morocco because they would follow you and refused to give up. It was just anoying how everyone was trying to constantly rip you off. But not everything about India was bad, they have the most beautiful trucks ever with detailed paintings. Also the saris and the colors everywhere were extremly beautiful. Their culture in general was just fascenating to look at and observe, it was very good for people watching.
But I think I bought far too much in India but everything was so neat looking and cheap! I got a super cool comforter with pillows and a zipper, I am excited to put it in my room. Then I got a cool garnet necklace that I nearly got mobbed over when I didn't have enough but I made a quick escape. The funniest thing I noticed in India was how people wanted to take our pictures! We were the second biggest attraction beside the Taj, people were taking family portraits with us in the background. So I am not sure how many people have my picture in India...
Overall I don't think India was that bad, but the Tour company almost ruined everything but I am refusing to let them influence my opinion of India.
MAURITIUS
After several days of sailing it was very nice to stop at Mauritius. I went to a little island resort and the water was spectacular, it was crystal clear and was like bath water it was perfect. I went snorkling and the coral was very old and intricate but it seemed like it was dying and there were a lot of fish. It was a lot of fun. They also had the best tuna ever.
Then it was the beginning of the sea olympics and it was very fun, everyone was extra spirited because they had rather a lot to drink...But overall the olympics were super fun. I judged the paper boat competition and I particpated in the mashed potatoe sculpture contest. Overall my sea placed in a three way tie, so it was exciting because we were not expecting to place anything. Also you didn't get anything if you didn't get first. The first place winners the Adriatic sea get to get off first from the ship in Florida and rest is lottery.
Then it was the beginning of the sea olympics and it was very fun, everyone was extra spirited because they had rather a lot to drink...But overall the olympics were super fun. I judged the paper boat competition and I particpated in the mashed potatoe sculpture contest. Overall my sea placed in a three way tie, so it was exciting because we were not expecting to place anything. Also you didn't get anything if you didn't get first. The first place winners the Adriatic sea get to get off first from the ship in Florida and rest is lottery.
SOUTH AFRICA
Sorry everyone for taking so long to update!!! But I have been trying my best to find free wi-fi but I have been very busy and unable to do it, so I caved and I am now in an Internet Cafe in Thailand next to my hostel.
So South Africa was amazing. I didn't really have any expectations because I know nothing about it, but I am glad that I got to see it so there is a silver lining for me not going to Egypt (beside the bombing in the Egypt mosque that would have happened on our last day there) So the main highlights of South Africa for me besides how beatiful it was was the FOOD! It was amazing everywhere and I am still missing it now and become hungry whenever I think about it.
But I only got to stay in Cape Town for the first day and the last day because I went to Kagga Kama Lodge which is a eco resort. It was very cool, it was in the middle of no where surrounded by cool rock structures and the rooms were built into the rocks so I stayed in a cave room. There were very nice bush art on the rocks, we went hiking and a guy fell off a 20 foot cliff but he is alright, he just got a couple of stiches. Then we watched the stars and we could see different galaxies and it was the most stars that I have ever seen, it was beautiful.
Overall South Africa was awesome, and I would not mind living there since it had a nice vibe, wonderful food, and was very cool.
So South Africa was amazing. I didn't really have any expectations because I know nothing about it, but I am glad that I got to see it so there is a silver lining for me not going to Egypt (beside the bombing in the Egypt mosque that would have happened on our last day there) So the main highlights of South Africa for me besides how beatiful it was was the FOOD! It was amazing everywhere and I am still missing it now and become hungry whenever I think about it.
But I only got to stay in Cape Town for the first day and the last day because I went to Kagga Kama Lodge which is a eco resort. It was very cool, it was in the middle of no where surrounded by cool rock structures and the rooms were built into the rocks so I stayed in a cave room. There were very nice bush art on the rocks, we went hiking and a guy fell off a 20 foot cliff but he is alright, he just got a couple of stiches. Then we watched the stars and we could see different galaxies and it was the most stars that I have ever seen, it was beautiful.
Overall South Africa was awesome, and I would not mind living there since it had a nice vibe, wonderful food, and was very cool.
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