Thailand Part 2 - One Night in Bangkok

Friday, March 6th - Morning in Bangkok

Good morning from BKK!

I made it to my bike tour yesterday, but was in a bit of a rush getting there. I wanted to take public transit to avoid traffic. Best way- a canal boat! Just like in Venice. It was great, really really fast and no traffic. Total cost was 23 baht (less than $1). I had to ask a few ppl for help navigating which boat, how much, and when to depart, but ppl were really helpful. One guy saw me looking at the map and just offered to help. I'm one of the only white people around, so ppl assume I need help and just provide it.

I also had to get bottled water yesterday to quench my thirst. That was part of the rush to the bike tour place. So before the canal boat ride I went to 7 Eleven and got 2 big big bottles for 13 baht each. That's less than $1 total. The hotel is selling fancy mineral water in tiny containers for 150 baht ($5). Same price as my breakfast today and more than my cab ride home yesterday. To get home from the bike tour place it was a 20-25 min ride. The cab driver was the most dishonest person I met yet, because he didn't have his meter running when I got in. Fortunately my pre-trip research paid off because I told him to please pull over and I would find a ride with a meter. And just like that he turned it on. I was a bit nervous he would take a long, indirect way, but he drove me right back home. For less than $3! I bet he could have charged somebody else like $30.

The bike tour was about $40 USD, and definitely worth it. We biked about 7 miles around town, from 6-10pm. I saw most of the temples I was planning on going to this morning, but at dark when they are not crowded at all. Plus, it was much cooler temps at dark. We didn't get to go inside any of the famous Buddhas because they were closed, but... I think I'll survive not seeing those in person. The bike tour had 2 guides and 11 tourists. Of the tourists, there were 2 other solo females, one looked like she was in college and the other was from Europe, a bit older than me. I didn't really talk to them much. There was also a couple from Germany that I talked to a bit. They were so nerdy and really nice, also around my age. We tried some fried grasshoppers! It just tasted like fried oil. I was not a fan. But I ate a grasshopper, haha. I also got a watermelon in a bag with hot chilis on it. The watermelon was sooo good. The tour company bought those for me. Everybody got to try some random snacks. I was too afraid to eat any of the meat on a stick though... Today I will get some Pad Thai and egg rolls from a stall, and hopefully some coconut ice cream and sticky rice. The experience last night helped show me buying food stall food is easy and people are nice so i don't need to be nervous. Our bike tour also went to the famous flower market. It's where most all the flowers from Thailand are sold. It was awesome, smelled great. You could buy 50 roses for 50 baht (less than $2). The guide said that goes up to like 500+ baht during valentines day. Biking around the streets/alleys of BKK was nuts though. It's so crowded, and there's motorbikes all around, plus ton of stray dogs and cats and ppl walking. But, I really liked it. I got to see lots of the city. I want to rent a bike in Chiang Mai tomorrow so I can see all the temples I researched on my walking tour. Biking is way faster than walking and doesn't hurt my knee. I think the grand canyon really messed my knee up. But, it would probably help if I rested it instead of walking everywhere. Not really gonna happen!

So today, I have until my train to Chiang Mai departs at 6:10pm to explore Bangkok more. I'm going to take the public transit to the train station and see if I can get a locker for my bag so I don't have to carry it around all day. I want to walk around Chinatown, which is right near the train station. I'm looking forward to the overnight train ride, as hopefully I can meet some other travelers. There probably won't be internet onboard, but my hotel in Chiang Mai should have it, so I'll try and notify you when I arrive tomorrow. Chiang Mai should also be cooler, but even if not, it's a much smaller city, so hopefully not as chaotic. Bangkok is intense, kind of exhausting.

Double checking that all the bikes have lights

just like the cool kids

monks

Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun)

Fried bugs at the Flower Market. I tried the grasshopper.

Folded Lotus Flowers

Watermelon with chilis on it. YUM.

The Grand Palace

Ready to travel from BKK to Chiang Mai

bike share in Bangkok

Bangkok Train Station. Where I spent way too long.

Thailand Part 1 - From Chicago to Bangkok

Although I didn't blog during my trip, I sent a whole lot of emails to my parents. So, this summarizes.

Wednesday, March 4th, 4:45pm in Chicago
Thursday, March 5th, 5:45am in Hong Kong

Howdy! I made it to Hong Kong. I sat next to two of the very few other white people on the plane. They were headed to Bali for only four days. The girl's college friend is getting married in an Indian wedding (4 days long for 1 wedding). The flight from Chicago was about 15 hours. I watched the newest hunger games movie while eating dinner, then started watching Birdman (just the won oscar for best picture) but fell asleep for a few hours. I watched the rest of Whiplash, then slept... Then finished Birdman, then slept a bit more, then watching the kids movie, Big Hero 6, while they served us breakfast. Big Hero 6 was the best of all the movies I watched. For dinner we had 3 choices, chicken, beef, or pasta. I got beef. It came with potato salad with salmon and cheesecake. Sort of a weird combo but not bad. For breakfast we got eggs with bacon, spinach, and tomato. And yogurt, fruit, and a muffin. The breakfast was really good. All in all, really not too bad. It's around 6:30am here and my flight to bangkok departs at 9:10. I'm gonna wander the airport a bit more. Flight from here to Bangkok is about 3 hours. I'm having a great time so far, already excited to shower again though. Sure am glad we did the grand canyon before this, it really set the bar for dirtiness and the amount of stuff I need. I'm so proud of how little I packed! But I think I need a new water bottle. I packed the same one but it smells weird, might be moldy or something.

OK that's all I have to report so far. I'll touch base next time I have internet!

Scene: March 5th, mid-afternoon in Hong Kong
Made it! Free wifi in my room. It's soooo hot. Humid hot. I walked about 10 min from the train stop to my hotel and was drenched. Might be doing a lot of laundry. I'm at the pool now and will head to my bike tour around 4. I'll update you more tonight.

my hotel room in BKK

One word describes my arrival in Bangkok, HOT.

view of Bangkok from my hotel room

Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim

Proof

Our first canyon-sighting. During our lunch break. We'd already hiked for 2-3 hours.

Above the clouds

Colorado River sighting

Day Two- Ribbon Falls

Day Three - 14 mile hike to the North Rim

The toughest day

Day five- halfway up the Bright Angel to Indian Gardens Campground

One of my favorite moments- the view from Plateau Point

Spectacular

Conditioning

This year, I'm doing my NY resolutions as monthly goals. It's working out pretty well so far, giving myself a few things I need to accomplish in January:

1) Study for my Claritas CFA test.

2) Make all my sabbatical travel arrangements. Research what I want to do in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, and Siem Reap.

3) Train for the Grand Canyon. Which basically means, walk around wearing a really heavy backpack for the next three weeks. We're hiking about 7 miles a day, with an estimated 40lbs of gear on our backs. Not to mention the elevation changes. I'm in for a rough time. But it's happening!

sabbatical

I get a six week paid sabbatical after every four years of work. I hit my four-years in July, 2014 and elected to take the sabbatical for Feb & March, 2015.

Today I booked flight 3/3. In less than TWO MONTHS all of this will be happening:

Week 1 - Skiing in Colorado with the Austin framily
Week 2 - A few days in Kansas City to celebrate Katie's 28th birthday and gear up for...
Week 2/3 - Hiking and backpacking the Grand Canyon with my mom. There's still spots available if you want to join in!
Week 3 - Flying across the world to Thailand
Week 4 - Visiting Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia (details still in the works, suggestions appreciated)
Week 5 - Meeting up with Kimber and Jaime in Phuket and adventuring around Thailand
Week 6 - Beaches, massages, and more Thailand until flying back to Chicago. Doing laundry and trying to adjust back to reality.

michigan and me

This past weekend I went to Michigan. Because I had to be in Ann Arbor on Monday for on-campus interviews and because I'd never really been to the state, I figured I'd take myself on a road trip and see the sights. Although I passively tried to find a travel companion, the fact that I'd be taking this trip alone was exciting.  I've got my heart set on going to Thailand in February- for most of which I'll be by myself. Thus, taking a few days to see Michigan solo would be practice.

Fortunately, my dear friend and entrepreneur, Anna Lauri, hails from the great state and oh-so-kindly sent me over a perfect agenda. I would have missed out on all the best stuff if it hadn't been for her.

On Saturday I left Chicago, driving through Gary, Indiana, and up into Michigan.  I took the scenic route a few times, cruising through Michigan City, New Buffalo, and back on i-94. Despite Anna's advice, because I was famished, and needed a break from the road, I stopped in South Haven around 2:45pm.  I totally felt like a pioneer; my pace quickened at the sight of the lake.

wind surfers on the beach in South Haven

lighthouse in South Haven

My next stop was Saugatuck, whose adorable shops and fall beauty completely surpassed my expectations.  Some of the best fall colors I've ever seen.

I dined at The Butler on the lake, where Anna spent many past summer waiting tables.  Although she told me to sit by the window, the Texas game was on the TVs by the bar, and I had to indulge (shoulda sat by the window).  After my burger, I walked around town, catching the annual Halloween parade, and savoring some Kilwins ice cream.

man's best friend

That night, I drove to Holland where I stayed at the Best Western Plus Holland Inn and Suites. An unfortunate implication of planning my trip so last minute was that the two hotels in downtown Holland were sold out for Saturday night.  So I dealt with staying 3-4 miles away from downtown.  But, before retiring to my very affordable room, I swung through downtown Holland for window-shopping and craft beer drinking.  I spent the hour before the Royals game enjoying a New Holland beer flight while plotting out my Sunday. Picked up a $2.50 NH pint glass as a souvenir from the trip, and drove home to watch the Royals crumble to the Giants in game 4.

beers and baseball

kayak on a van in downtown Holland

Sunday morning I woke up leisurely to pack up, stop by the continental breakfast, and embark on day two of the adventure.  Which included:

• Hiking mount Pisgah (a ginormous sand dune)
• Walking along the sand to the Big Red lighthouse at Holland State Park
• Finding the windmills in downtown Holland
• Completing the visitor's bureau art walk through downtown and the Hope College campus
• Having just enough time for lunch and a beer flight at 84 East before hitting the road to Ann Arbor

pics or it didn't happen:

entrance to the Mount Pisgah Hike

hiking in the leaves on a Sunday morning

the stairs I'm about to ascend

view of Lake Macatawa from Mt. Pisgah

view of Big Red from Mt. Pisgah

the last set of stairs up the dune

looks much more like sand from this angle

this pic tries to capture the slippery leaves on the side of this cliff. It was pretty steep, but I managed.

self timer selfie on top of Mt. Pisgah

So many leaves everywhere. Just beautiful.

"Big Red" at Holland State Park

every time I'm at the beach I have this song in my head.

me with Big Red. In my Royal's sweat-shirt

spotted the windmill in downtown Holland

Hope College campus

flute player statue

downtown Holland

my lunchtime beer flight.

In Ann Arbor, Morningstar put me up at the Bell Tower Hotel. It was conveniently located right off campus, a block from State Street. On Sunday night I wandered campus, snap-chatted fall leaves pictures, and drove to Detroit to pick up my colleague from the airport. 

Michigan's Bell Tower

all the colors of the wind

fall everywhere

ants marching in Ann Arbor

I made it back to campus just in time to grab dinner from Mezes and hunker into bed for another night of falling asleep while watching the World Series. On Monday it was back to work, for a full day of interviews with Michigan students. We had a nice lunch break at Red Hawk and a five star airport dinner at TGI Fridays. One of the best parts of this trip was only having to drive one way. My colleague and I flew back to Chicago together on Monday night, summing up a pretty perfect weekend getaway.

Thanks for being beautiful, Michigan!