April 2017

It's easier to get to Bangkok than it is to get to Singapore! This is going to be our next easy get away for some western style fun. I don't know what I was expecting in Bangkok, but it's a modern city with lots to do and see. Clean, easy to get around, great food and a feeling of being home...almost.

Me on the river

We left Johor Bahru after work and headed to Senai Airport about 20 minutes away from the apartment. With a quick 2 hour flight we were in Bangkok. Getting through immigration was a snap. So quick. Then it was a taxi drive to our hotel. We stayed at the Chatrium Hotel Riverside. I'd highly recommend this hotel and will stay there the next time I come to Bangkok. http://www.chatrium.com/chatrium_hotel/default-en.html This hotel was fabulous! It was right on the river, and had a boat that would take you to the next dock to catch the train or other boats. And the breakfast buffet was outstanding. Everything you could want. Omelets, bacon and sausage (Pork) Waffles, french toast, fresh fruit of every kind, Asian breakfast like noodles, rice and meat, smoothies! Oh how I miss smoothies!

After a night of rest we were off to visit some famous sights. First up a boat ride down the river to Wat Pho, a Buddhist Temple. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Pho
We took a boat ride from the hotel down to the next dock, and then caught another boat farther down the river and a short walk to the Temple. I thought maybe we would be cooler here but it's as hot as Malaysia. LOL There was a festival going on in Thailand called Songkran, or called the Water Festival. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran_(Thailand)
Everywhere we went there were huge water fights as people celebrated Spring and New Years. In the Temple there was plenty of water activities. A lot of water was poured over buddhas and the monk was blessing people with water. I watched for a while and noticed that as he used a wooden whisk type of thing he would get some people wetter than others. I went for a blessing and caught the eye of the monk on my way up....should have known something was up. I must have needed a bigger washing for my sins, cause he really got me. And the water was full of ice, so it was really cold...but refreshing.

It was pretty awesome seeing the huge reclining Buddha and all the beautiful sights around the temple. So many unique statues and buildings.

Sunday I made the trek to church. Caught an Uber. It was not easy to find the place and the driver wanted to just drop me off, but I told him I didn't want to be stranded so he stopped and asked someone for help and was able to get directions. And there it was! My wonderful church that I've been abel to find all over the world! The meeting was wonderful, being Easter that had some extra special music and talks. Loved the spirit I felt there. Before the meeting started I met a couple from California, and then I met a man from Eagle River, Alaska. I didn't know him, but I started naming people I knew from there and he knew everyone. He even pulled out photos of hunting with Jason Rampton. What a totally small world.

We spent some of our time visiting markets, including the largest market in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatuchak_Weekend_Market
The Chatuchak Market was incredible. One interesting thing I noticed was there was very little bargaining. The prices were fixed. And fairly cheap. I picked up some cute clothing items for about $6 each. And the coconut ice-cream is fabulous! We only had a few hours as we had a plane to catch. We are thinking another trip for Christmas presents will be coming up.
Want a job? They were advertising. 15$.....for the whole day! Tough life for people.

I am grateful I'm able to travel and see new places. It opens my eyes to the very difficult lives that some people have. I don't know why I am so blessed, but I hope that I, in some small way, can give something back and help out where I can.

On the way back from Bali I was able to stay a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur, better known to locals as KL. Don't know why but they shorten some places. Johor Bahru is known as JB. Anyway....

One of the places I loved to visit was the KL Tower. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur_Tower
It was close enough from the hotel I could just walk there. Incredible views and lots of fun. And of course, wherever you go, there are things to buy......found some yummy chocolate covered almonds. LOL
Next to the tower was an upside house. Everything, including the house was upside down. For a couple of dollars it was a lot of fun.

This city is a vibrant and busy place. The traffic is incredible. Glad that I could just use Uber and not have to deal with driving here. The airport is about an hour outside of the city. I didn't know that, and it makes for a more expensive place to visit when you have to travel that far.

There is a lot to do in this city. Most well known are the Twin Towers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Towers
It's amazing and I suggest a tour. While there I observed window washers on the opposite tower of where I was washing windows. I can only imagine how long it would take to make it around the whole place. A never-ending job. But what a view you would have everyday!

Batu Caves is another interesting place to visit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Caves
There was a Hindu wedding going on and I loved seeing the beautiful and colorful clothing. Climbing the 272 steps was worth it. And watching the monkeys at the top was fun. I loved seeing all the different cultures in KL.

The National Mosque and Islamic Museum was also interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Mosque_of_Malaysia
In order to enter the mosque we had to wear head covering and robes.

There were so many food options in KL. Street market shopping, Hop on Hop of busses and so many more things to see that I must plan another trip to this city.

It's our school Spring Break and what better way than to spend it in Bali. It took most of a day to get here from Johor Bahru! But in total the flight was around 300$.

Our first stop was Ubud. We had chosen an airbnb place. It was called The Healing House, and indeed it was healing for the soul. We stayed on the edge of a rice field. Every morning the farmer would be up at dawn working in the fields. Every morning the owner, Putu would come with his helper and fix us an amazing breakfast. A big bowl of fresh tropical fruit. Eggs, or Satay. Fresh squeezed juice or a coconut. Not a coconut like I used to buy the kids in the store that had a few drops of milk, but one containing at least 2 cups of juice.

Putu, the owner and his wife and housekeeper

Airbnb stay in Ubud walk to get there

Airbnb stay in Ubud

Airbnb stay in Ubud

Airbnb view from deck

Airbnb

Breakfast

Morning drink

Breakfast of Satay

Breakfast in Ubud

We were able to walk to restaurants near the home, and downtown wasn't too far away.

We hired a driver for the first day and spent the first day traveling to an Elephant Reserve where we watched an elephant show, rode on an elephant for about 30 minutes and walked around a beautiful area. We also drove into a rural community among the rice fields and farms containing fruits and veggies. At one point we stopped at a beautiful roadside stand and purchased mandarins just picked from the trees. 75% of the land here is used for farming. It's amazingly beautiful and there is a peace here. The people were so warm and friendly. We had lunch overlooking a valley and lake and had a view of the volcano that is still active today. We also visited a temple where we had to wear sarongs.
Beautiful first day!

The next day we decided to be super active....and ended up so sore the next day. I would recommend biking one day and rafting another, but we did them both on the same day! Crazy us!
The tour bus picked us up and delivered us up to the top of the mountain where we had been the day before viewing the volcano. We were outfitted with bikes and helmets and rode for 27 km through beautiful plantations and rice fields. Oh my rear end! We stopped at a local Balinese home and took a tour. Usually several families live in the compound that has several small homes inside. This family had a business where they took pieces of wood and carved them into owls. I later saw the finished products at the market all painted up. This home had no running water, and just recently got electricity, and TV. There was a small building that served as a kitchen with a wood stove. We played a little song on the musical instrument on the porch.

We also had a chance to hold an enormous spider. They were all over! Super scary looking, but I held one. My friend Kelly was freaked out!

Following the bike tour we were driven to the Elephant Reserve where we watched the Elephant show...again...and had a buffet lunch. Then it was off to the next activity. Rafting. One of the difficult parts was the 633 steps down to the river and over 300 back up. But the rafting was fun. The rapids were pretty calm, only a few really exciting places. Mostly a nice smooth ride. Monkeys on the way, and some beautiful carvings that were on the rocks.

We were totally exhausted and it was back to the house to relax for the evening.

Sunday we really wanted to go to church, but we were more than an hour away so we listened to Women's Conference while it poured rain. Nice day to rest and relax. We found a little restaurant and enjoyed some Balinese food. We did a little shopping at the market and did some bargaining.

The next day we toured the Monkey Forest. Monkeys everywhere. We fed some bananas, and enjoyed the beautiful forest. Then it was off to Sanur for our next BnB.

We got to experience The Day of Silence or Nyepi in Bali. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyepi
When we planned the trip we didn't know that this was happening. Everything is closed, even the airports and you are confined to your house. Many people leave the county to get away from it, but we enjoyed the experience. There was a huge parade the night before to scare away the evil spirits, and then at midnight there was silence. And darkness. Luckily the sky was clear and the starts were amazing! They want it silent so the evil spirits leave the island.

Our housekeeper kept us fed with her amazing dishes and we just relaxed and swam in the pool, read books and played games. I was worried that I would be totally bored....but it turned out ok.

Our last day we walked to the beach and had a little swim in the Badung Straight. The water was lovely and warm! We met up with friends from work for lunch right on the edge of the ocean. Yummy fish and chips. Then we caught an Uber to the airport and it was off to Kuala Lumpur.

I highly recommend Bali as a dream vacation. I will go back again and spend more time, if I have the time before checking off all the other places I need to get to! Next time I would like to try the snorkeling and beach activities.