Ok, so I was falling in love the moment we got to Thailand and now it's solidified. If I could find some sort of work there I would love to live there!
Pattaya is so much fun! The beach was wonderful and the Gulf of Thailand was amazingly warm - needless to say I spent a great deal of time soaking up the sun and swimming in the Gulf.
Chris' friend Jeff from the Consulate joined us on Saturday and we had a blast, it was probably my favorite night of the vacation. We hung out on the beach all day (which really, your day can't go wrong if you lay on a beach for 7 hours!) and then had an amazing dinner (Indian food, which I've eaten a lot of this trip - YUM!) and after went to a "walking street" filled with bars and clubs and restaurants, and all kinds of touristy stuff.
We had a couple drinks in different bars and then proceeded to find the greatest thing ever...parked in the middle of the street with music blaring and drinks flowing out of it was a Pink Bus...
We grabbed drinks from the Pink Bus and continued to walk for awhile but ultimately came back to the bus and sat there drinking and people watching for 3 crazy hours.
The location of the bus was special because we were in the middle of a busy street which made it great for people watching - and man did we get a show.
There was first a guy who was completely drunk and passed out at the next table, drooling. I kept my eye on him to make sure that he was still breathing...but he was and after awhile he did wake up and stumble off, only to return to the Bus several times looking rather confused. There were offers to help him find his way back to his hotel but those efforts were turned down. I'm still hoping that he made it somewhere ok.
Then, I hate to say this, there was the next Natalie Hollaway who provided us with more than enough drama. She was a pretty little blonde girl walking around with a sketchy guy (who we coined as her gay best friend after watching them for awhile). They stopped at the Pink Bus and did shots for a really long time and then she tried to hook up with another guy and the her friend got mad and was crying and mostly it was really funny but I'm still hoping that she made it somewhere ok and isn't dead in the canal.
I know that mullets were ok in the 80's - it was trendy and lots of people seemed to have one - but seriously, I don't think that the rest of the world knows how awful they really are! We started off with Mullet Watch '08 with the greatest mullet of the night. Super long and curly in the back - it was thick and needed a brush badly, and spiky up top - and bleach blonde...with cut off jean shorts (this was a guy by the way!). It didn't end there though because for the next 3 hours I saw more mullets that I ever did in the 80's - we ranked them and muttered our own words of advice on how to make them better (like that's possible!).
Anyway - the bus was rather special to us and provided endless entertainment - well until 3 am when we were finally tired and headed back to the hotel.
We headed back to Bangkok the next day, but not after another couple hours of laying by the beach.
Chris wanted to buy the bus, and I'm a huge supporter of that...if he does, that can be my job in Thailand - I can serve drinks out of a Pink Bus - I'm a fan of that idea!!!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Falling in Love with Thailand
On Tuesday I did spend some time in Ho chi Minh City's City Center and it is actually quite lovely - - I had just spent a lot of time in the not so great areas on Monday.
Tuesday night we left for Bangkok. We checked into our hotel and walked around a bit and I was quite excited to see an elephant walking around in the street - with it's owners.
We spent the day yesterday looking at all things royal and it was AMAZING. The Temples and Mansions were wonderful. I'll be sure to upload pictures as soon as I get home, although they do no justice to what we saw. In a lot of the areas (one of the previous King's mansion for example) you couldn't take pictures, which is ok sometimes as it allows you to take it all in a little more!
We went to a "Sky Bar" last night an saw amazing views of the city - it reminds me a little of LA which makes it fabulous and then ate at an amazing Thai food place and had more drinks at a funky little jazz club that was tons of fun!
We just arrived in Pattaya (about 2 hours south of Bangkok) and our room has a balcony with an ocean view!! It's really beautiful here - - I'm out the door for some shopping and then on to happy hour!!
Tuesday night we left for Bangkok. We checked into our hotel and walked around a bit and I was quite excited to see an elephant walking around in the street - with it's owners.
We spent the day yesterday looking at all things royal and it was AMAZING. The Temples and Mansions were wonderful. I'll be sure to upload pictures as soon as I get home, although they do no justice to what we saw. In a lot of the areas (one of the previous King's mansion for example) you couldn't take pictures, which is ok sometimes as it allows you to take it all in a little more!
We went to a "Sky Bar" last night an saw amazing views of the city - it reminds me a little of LA which makes it fabulous and then ate at an amazing Thai food place and had more drinks at a funky little jazz club that was tons of fun!
We just arrived in Pattaya (about 2 hours south of Bangkok) and our room has a balcony with an ocean view!! It's really beautiful here - - I'm out the door for some shopping and then on to happy hour!!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Figuring It Out
There's really nothing better than throwing your map aside and getting yourself lost in an unknown city. Yesterday I spent the day doing just that and trying not to get killed crossing the street and there will be more of the same today.
I spent the day walking yesterday, with no particular destination. I find that in order to really acclimate myself with a place I need to just figure it out until I find my way home.
Ho Chi Minh City is not a beautiful one by any means, there are great spots but those come few and far between. It is a fascinating place though - there is constant movement and craziness with people on the streets just chatting in groups, eating, and trying to get you to go on a motorbike with them. I did read that a lot of the older men that are trying to talk you into a guided motrobike tour with them were chastized from this country during the war. Before the war some were doctors and teachers and when they sided with the Americans they were never again allowed to have jobs in the professions that they had...so now most are living here in Vietnam illegally on the streets and trying to show tourists the city.
One of my favorite moments of the day was seeing my first pet monkey. What a dumb thing in a city with all kinds of history!! It was really entertaining though. This cute little monkey was fully clothed and riding on a motorbike with a guy...I totally wanted him (the monkey, not the guy!).
Chris and I went to a rooftop bar last night, and I will say that the city is WAY prettier at night. It's also New Years for them and one of the main streets is lined with flowers and is really quite beautiful. The bar we went to was Siagon Siagon which is on the roof top of the Caravelle Hotel which is where foreign correspondents used to sit and watch the war.
We then went to an amazing Tapas restaurant and of course ate way too much! And then decidd to get a foot massage. It was more of a full body massage but they did do a lot to your feet...It was a little too rough for my liking but my body does feel pretty good today and for a guy to rub your feet for 75 min. for $7 I'm all about it! :)
I'm off for a run and then to again hit the streets to explore! We're leaving for Thailand tonight and I'm looking forward to it (more beach time ahead too!!).
I spent the day walking yesterday, with no particular destination. I find that in order to really acclimate myself with a place I need to just figure it out until I find my way home.
Ho Chi Minh City is not a beautiful one by any means, there are great spots but those come few and far between. It is a fascinating place though - there is constant movement and craziness with people on the streets just chatting in groups, eating, and trying to get you to go on a motorbike with them. I did read that a lot of the older men that are trying to talk you into a guided motrobike tour with them were chastized from this country during the war. Before the war some were doctors and teachers and when they sided with the Americans they were never again allowed to have jobs in the professions that they had...so now most are living here in Vietnam illegally on the streets and trying to show tourists the city.
One of my favorite moments of the day was seeing my first pet monkey. What a dumb thing in a city with all kinds of history!! It was really entertaining though. This cute little monkey was fully clothed and riding on a motorbike with a guy...I totally wanted him (the monkey, not the guy!).
Chris and I went to a rooftop bar last night, and I will say that the city is WAY prettier at night. It's also New Years for them and one of the main streets is lined with flowers and is really quite beautiful. The bar we went to was Siagon Siagon which is on the roof top of the Caravelle Hotel which is where foreign correspondents used to sit and watch the war.
We then went to an amazing Tapas restaurant and of course ate way too much! And then decidd to get a foot massage. It was more of a full body massage but they did do a lot to your feet...It was a little too rough for my liking but my body does feel pretty good today and for a guy to rub your feet for 75 min. for $7 I'm all about it! :)
I'm off for a run and then to again hit the streets to explore! We're leaving for Thailand tonight and I'm looking forward to it (more beach time ahead too!!).
Sunday, February 3, 2008
No more complaints about MY driving!!
For all of you who have had the pleasure of driving with me and are frequently scared, you should try riding in a car in Vietnam. I seriously thought I was going to die on so many occasions I quit counting!
Chris and I left for the beach in Mui Ne (a fab. little resort town like 200 km away from Ho Chi Minh City) on Friday afternoon around 4:30 pm - - and I can't even begin to describe the AWFUL driving that goes on here.
There are motorbikes ALL over the place - add crazy cars and rotten semi drivers with no traffic rules and you get a ginormous mess! People passing on the shoulder of the road, driving down the wrong side of the road, crossing the street haphazardly...At first it was a little fun, but then as we continued on and almost died a million times it was quite stressful!!
However, Chris is to be comended for paying attenting and getting us there and back safely!
We arrived at the beautiful Sailing Club resort and met a woman that Chris works with and her husband. They had been there for a while and had a prime spot for us on the patio overlooking the South China Sea. We drank some wine, ate a fantastic dinner and then headed out to a fun bar down the street where we consumed WAY too much alcohol, and met some new Vietnamese friends and one super sketchy German (seriously, what's with me and sketchy German guys?!?) who followed his true love (I mean is stalking her) from Germany to Vietnam (can you say crazy??!?!) - - anyway, he told us his tale and we proceeded to humor him and tell him how nice that was (only because we were wierded out and afraid, very afraid)...after we shut down that bar, Chris and I headed out with our two new Vietnamese friends to another club, but that was closing so we went back and reopened the bar where we had started.
I crashed around 2:30 and woke up at 7:30 (I had drunkenly scheduled a massage for 9 am) I went for a really crappy run on the beach and had breakfast and a lovely massage and when I returned to our room I crashed and realized that I really was still a little intoxicated. Chris had stayed out later than me and was in rough shape too - - we ended up getting down to the beach around 2 pm and ate lunch and layed in beach chairs for the remainder of day light.
Dinner was AMAZING Indian food - - the four of us ate so much, we ordered like 10 different dishes and drinks and our total bill was like $35 - - I'm still blown away by this...
We called it an early night on Saturday and this morning (Sunday) I got up at the crack of dawn (well way before dawn) - - my internal clock still is not on vacation time and while I'm not jet lagged at all, I was up at 4:15 am which is when I get up at home! So, around 5 am when I really just couldn't lay around any more I went down to the beach and sat there in total tranquility listening to the sea and being so content - - everything is so right in the world when I'm by a large body of water. I watched an amazing sun rise and when it was fully up I went for a fantastic run on the beach and had another massage.
We sat on the patio for a good chunk of the afternoon and none of us wanted to leave - this place is seriously amazing and the weather was perfect all weekend long - it was warm but really breezy and the water was unbelievable. We finally headed out and made it back to Chris' place alive, although neither of us wants to drive anywhere ever again...
Chris and I left for the beach in Mui Ne (a fab. little resort town like 200 km away from Ho Chi Minh City) on Friday afternoon around 4:30 pm - - and I can't even begin to describe the AWFUL driving that goes on here.
There are motorbikes ALL over the place - add crazy cars and rotten semi drivers with no traffic rules and you get a ginormous mess! People passing on the shoulder of the road, driving down the wrong side of the road, crossing the street haphazardly...At first it was a little fun, but then as we continued on and almost died a million times it was quite stressful!!
However, Chris is to be comended for paying attenting and getting us there and back safely!
We arrived at the beautiful Sailing Club resort and met a woman that Chris works with and her husband. They had been there for a while and had a prime spot for us on the patio overlooking the South China Sea. We drank some wine, ate a fantastic dinner and then headed out to a fun bar down the street where we consumed WAY too much alcohol, and met some new Vietnamese friends and one super sketchy German (seriously, what's with me and sketchy German guys?!?) who followed his true love (I mean is stalking her) from Germany to Vietnam (can you say crazy??!?!) - - anyway, he told us his tale and we proceeded to humor him and tell him how nice that was (only because we were wierded out and afraid, very afraid)...after we shut down that bar, Chris and I headed out with our two new Vietnamese friends to another club, but that was closing so we went back and reopened the bar where we had started.
I crashed around 2:30 and woke up at 7:30 (I had drunkenly scheduled a massage for 9 am) I went for a really crappy run on the beach and had breakfast and a lovely massage and when I returned to our room I crashed and realized that I really was still a little intoxicated. Chris had stayed out later than me and was in rough shape too - - we ended up getting down to the beach around 2 pm and ate lunch and layed in beach chairs for the remainder of day light.
Dinner was AMAZING Indian food - - the four of us ate so much, we ordered like 10 different dishes and drinks and our total bill was like $35 - - I'm still blown away by this...
We called it an early night on Saturday and this morning (Sunday) I got up at the crack of dawn (well way before dawn) - - my internal clock still is not on vacation time and while I'm not jet lagged at all, I was up at 4:15 am which is when I get up at home! So, around 5 am when I really just couldn't lay around any more I went down to the beach and sat there in total tranquility listening to the sea and being so content - - everything is so right in the world when I'm by a large body of water. I watched an amazing sun rise and when it was fully up I went for a fantastic run on the beach and had another massage.
We sat on the patio for a good chunk of the afternoon and none of us wanted to leave - this place is seriously amazing and the weather was perfect all weekend long - it was warm but really breezy and the water was unbelievable. We finally headed out and made it back to Chris' place alive, although neither of us wants to drive anywhere ever again...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Ho Chi Minh City
My mom always says, and I agree, that things happen for a reason - we don't often know why but when sucky things come up, better things tend to follow.
After the wierdest weather day ever in Wisconsin on Tuesday, my 7 am flight Wednesday to start my trip was canceled. After several attempts at trying to work things out with the airport, I ended up with a 12:20 pm flight directly to Hong Kong from O'Hare - - this worked out MUCH better than to have to leave at 7 am and transfer in San Fran.
The plane ride to Hong Kong was good - well, as good as spending 15 + hours on a plane can be I suppose! I was able to sleep right away after taking off and be up towards the end of the flight which is really helping my jet lag. I sat next to a lovely older Vietnamese couple who spoke some english but lost me when I tried to get them to talk about their trip to the states. The did tell me how lovely Ho Chi Minh was though.
My flight from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh was delayed by an hour or so which was fine by me - I enjoyed taking an extra long walk around the airport to stretch out my legs.
After getting my luggage and going through customs, I headed outside to look for Chris, it was such an interesting arrival procedure. I walked outside to massive crowds standing behind gard rails, it looked like something you'd see at an award show in LA - the fans smashed up as far to the front as they can to catch a look at their favorite celebs - - I was really waiting for people to start taking pictures, but I had to remember I wasn't on the red carpet :)
Amen that Chris is tall and so am I - we found each other really quickly in the sea of people and headed to his place. We did a mini driving tour just around his apartment so that I could get my barrings and then headed to his place which is really lovely. It's called Norfolk Mansion and with all the amenities, I really am going to be spoiled here - - beautiful outdoor pool, gym, amazing view, and someone to clean it - what more can a girl ask for??
I'm getting ready to start my day - I'm heading to the gym for a quick work out, hoping that my legs still know how to function and then I'm off to explore a little before Chris gets home from work and we head to the beach - it was 80 degrees when I arrived last night and let me tell you how good it felt to have some warm air for a change!!
After the wierdest weather day ever in Wisconsin on Tuesday, my 7 am flight Wednesday to start my trip was canceled. After several attempts at trying to work things out with the airport, I ended up with a 12:20 pm flight directly to Hong Kong from O'Hare - - this worked out MUCH better than to have to leave at 7 am and transfer in San Fran.
The plane ride to Hong Kong was good - well, as good as spending 15 + hours on a plane can be I suppose! I was able to sleep right away after taking off and be up towards the end of the flight which is really helping my jet lag. I sat next to a lovely older Vietnamese couple who spoke some english but lost me when I tried to get them to talk about their trip to the states. The did tell me how lovely Ho Chi Minh was though.
My flight from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh was delayed by an hour or so which was fine by me - I enjoyed taking an extra long walk around the airport to stretch out my legs.
After getting my luggage and going through customs, I headed outside to look for Chris, it was such an interesting arrival procedure. I walked outside to massive crowds standing behind gard rails, it looked like something you'd see at an award show in LA - the fans smashed up as far to the front as they can to catch a look at their favorite celebs - - I was really waiting for people to start taking pictures, but I had to remember I wasn't on the red carpet :)
Amen that Chris is tall and so am I - we found each other really quickly in the sea of people and headed to his place. We did a mini driving tour just around his apartment so that I could get my barrings and then headed to his place which is really lovely. It's called Norfolk Mansion and with all the amenities, I really am going to be spoiled here - - beautiful outdoor pool, gym, amazing view, and someone to clean it - what more can a girl ask for??
I'm getting ready to start my day - I'm heading to the gym for a quick work out, hoping that my legs still know how to function and then I'm off to explore a little before Chris gets home from work and we head to the beach - it was 80 degrees when I arrived last night and let me tell you how good it felt to have some warm air for a change!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Yet another milestone
As of this morning at 6 am I have officially lost 70 pounds according to the scale in the fitness center at the Y and I'm pretty darn proud of myself.
Over the last 7 months, I have been asked what my "diet" is, or if I'm sick...the truth is I'm not on a diet, I've made a lifestyle change, one that certainly does not involve being sick in any way, shape, or form...it's been a lot of hard work, and surprisingly, a lot of fun.
Since my mom and dad are crusing somewhere fabulous (I really am not even sure where they are!) I left a voice mail for my mom and I was surprised at how emotional I was.
When I hit 50 I was pretty overcome with emotion - this is a huge undertaking and I was begining to become this whole new person, taking charge of my body and my emotions. And this morning, being 70 down, I was amazed that this continues to be such an emotional process.
I have to remind myself everyday that I am in charge of my body - how hard I push it and what I put in it are up to me - and there are days that I mess up and I have to remind myself that it's ok to make mistakes - because I'll get through it and forge ahead.
I also need to remind myself to love my body and what it is able to do now that would have NEVER happened 7 months ago. I'm so much stronger than I have ever been - I actually have biceps - who knew! My legs are stronger and I'm getting faster during my runs and am able to add miles.
I still focus on the flaws that I have - and I have serveral, but I'm continuing to plug away and work on them. I still have some to lose and I'll get there...But, I've realized in the world of instant gratification that we are all looking for I've realized that it's ok to take the slow and steady route.
Over the last 7 months, I have been asked what my "diet" is, or if I'm sick...the truth is I'm not on a diet, I've made a lifestyle change, one that certainly does not involve being sick in any way, shape, or form...it's been a lot of hard work, and surprisingly, a lot of fun.
Since my mom and dad are crusing somewhere fabulous (I really am not even sure where they are!) I left a voice mail for my mom and I was surprised at how emotional I was.
When I hit 50 I was pretty overcome with emotion - this is a huge undertaking and I was begining to become this whole new person, taking charge of my body and my emotions. And this morning, being 70 down, I was amazed that this continues to be such an emotional process.
I have to remind myself everyday that I am in charge of my body - how hard I push it and what I put in it are up to me - and there are days that I mess up and I have to remind myself that it's ok to make mistakes - because I'll get through it and forge ahead.
I also need to remind myself to love my body and what it is able to do now that would have NEVER happened 7 months ago. I'm so much stronger than I have ever been - I actually have biceps - who knew! My legs are stronger and I'm getting faster during my runs and am able to add miles.
I still focus on the flaws that I have - and I have serveral, but I'm continuing to plug away and work on them. I still have some to lose and I'll get there...But, I've realized in the world of instant gratification that we are all looking for I've realized that it's ok to take the slow and steady route.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy New Year!
I can't believe that it's 2008 already! This summer, I will have my 10 year high school class reunion and it kind of snuck up on me!
I never make a big deal out of New Years eve, I tend to think it's an evening for the amateur drinkers to go out and cause chaos and I typically like to stay away from that.
This year however, my friend Rachel and I decided to do something big - we ended up at the Intercontinental Hotel, rocking short little cocktail dresses and partying with the beautiful people of Milwaukee.
We kind of spaced out calling for a cab early in the evening, so when we were told it could be up to 2 hours to get a cab when we did call around 8 pm we were a tad bit nervous we'd even make it out for the night. However, fate stepped in and amazingly enough there was a cab in Rachel's neighborhood and we were out the door and on the road within 8 min. of calling. As Karma would have it though, we ended up waiting for almost 2 hours at the end of the night.
The party at the Intercontinental took a while to get started, but once it did it was a blast! Rachel and I scrounged up appetizers whenever we could catch a waiter and they were wonderful. Chicken fingers breaded in this yummy coconut breading, these deep fried artichoke hearts with cheese, mini egg rolls, mini burgers, seared tuna, etc...it was all really wonderful and since neither of us had eaten much throughout the day we were happy to have some sustenance while drinking!
Our first encounter with men that evening was a tad bit frightening - Gill came over and introduced himself and his friend soon followed and soon after we started chatting with them we made a bee line for the bathroom, getting stuck with guys like that all evening was not what we were looking for.
We soon found our way back to the bar and met some fun guys - two of whom co-host a morning radio show in Milwaukee and who were there to introduce The Guffs when they went on late in the evening.
Lots of gin and tonic later we headed up to the bands and since Rachel and I didn't really know The Guffs (we knew a few songs but aren't major followers) we rocked out to what we thought was them for awhile.
Our champagne toast at midnight was followed by kissing random men to start the new year - always a fun thing to do and a great start to the year!
We ended up at another bar towards 1:30 am and called for a cab shortly after getting there and when we finally made it into a cab with two rather odd people who although scary were nice enough to share it was after3. Apparently these people had won tickets to the Intercontinental from the dj's that we had been hanging with all night and they shared a cab to the bar and were left there when the dj's got out. They were nice enough and we complimented the guy's pink rat tail to be nice.
It was a fun fun evening and a great way to start 2008, I can only hope that the rest of my year is as fun as my New Years eve!!
I never make a big deal out of New Years eve, I tend to think it's an evening for the amateur drinkers to go out and cause chaos and I typically like to stay away from that.
This year however, my friend Rachel and I decided to do something big - we ended up at the Intercontinental Hotel, rocking short little cocktail dresses and partying with the beautiful people of Milwaukee.
We kind of spaced out calling for a cab early in the evening, so when we were told it could be up to 2 hours to get a cab when we did call around 8 pm we were a tad bit nervous we'd even make it out for the night. However, fate stepped in and amazingly enough there was a cab in Rachel's neighborhood and we were out the door and on the road within 8 min. of calling. As Karma would have it though, we ended up waiting for almost 2 hours at the end of the night.
The party at the Intercontinental took a while to get started, but once it did it was a blast! Rachel and I scrounged up appetizers whenever we could catch a waiter and they were wonderful. Chicken fingers breaded in this yummy coconut breading, these deep fried artichoke hearts with cheese, mini egg rolls, mini burgers, seared tuna, etc...it was all really wonderful and since neither of us had eaten much throughout the day we were happy to have some sustenance while drinking!
Our first encounter with men that evening was a tad bit frightening - Gill came over and introduced himself and his friend soon followed and soon after we started chatting with them we made a bee line for the bathroom, getting stuck with guys like that all evening was not what we were looking for.
We soon found our way back to the bar and met some fun guys - two of whom co-host a morning radio show in Milwaukee and who were there to introduce The Guffs when they went on late in the evening.
Lots of gin and tonic later we headed up to the bands and since Rachel and I didn't really know The Guffs (we knew a few songs but aren't major followers) we rocked out to what we thought was them for awhile.
Our champagne toast at midnight was followed by kissing random men to start the new year - always a fun thing to do and a great start to the year!
We ended up at another bar towards 1:30 am and called for a cab shortly after getting there and when we finally made it into a cab with two rather odd people who although scary were nice enough to share it was after3. Apparently these people had won tickets to the Intercontinental from the dj's that we had been hanging with all night and they shared a cab to the bar and were left there when the dj's got out. They were nice enough and we complimented the guy's pink rat tail to be nice.
It was a fun fun evening and a great way to start 2008, I can only hope that the rest of my year is as fun as my New Years eve!!
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