Emmy in the Rice Paddy

With only two nights and one full day back in Bangkok in between my trips from Borneo to India, I think it's fair to say that I made the most of it. Rest? Errands? What does that mean when you have FRIENDS to see.

On Saturday, December 1st, I was so happy that I made my two separate Air Asia flights: the first one from Kota Kinabalu back to peninsular Malaysia, and the second one from KL to Bangkok. There were no direct flights, so I booked two separate flights and hoped that they wouldn't be delayed! I arrived in Bangkok around 10pm. I headed straight to my friend Gracie's apartment (I am no longer staying at the girl who had my belongings, Nicki's place) and then the two of us headed out to meet my college friend who was in town visiting, as well as my Australian friend from Ubon, Brendan. The bar we chose was very famous: Brown Sugar jazz bar. Although it took Gracie and us forever to find it, Brendan eventually walked out and met us (so great to see him for a bit in BKK). Then I spotted Adam on his phone at the bar. It was so wonderful, and random, to be able to meet up with him in Bangkok the (one day) I'm there in between my travels! I freaking love Bangkok.

It wasn't the latest night, but it was a really good one. I treated everyone to their drinks :) Gracie and I headed back to her place, and the next morning Brendan, our Thai friend from Ubon- Lalita, and I went on a day trip to a floating market. It was really special to do this with them, especially since I still had never been to a floating market in my 14 months here! Lalita hired a driver (she used to be a Bangkok tour guide) and we were off. The floating market itself was very cool. Although it's a bit touristy, I had always wanted to visit a floating market in Bangkok. I was impressed by how pretty the boats were decorated (with beautifully arranged flowers and whatnot) and towards the end of our trip Brendan and I both were shopping (a la Luang Prabang style...we actually have the exact same taste in gifts and art). We both bought some beautifully woven placemats, and I bought a little wooden mangosteen box, as well as a silk tissue box holder (as a gift for Anuj's Indian family), and some floating market (gorgeous!) canvas paintings for my Mom. With Bangkok traffic it took us almost 3 hours to get back to the city, but we made it. I headed back to Gracie's, did some packing, and prepared for a final goodbye dinner.

After walking to a far away, hard to find, restaurant with Gracie, my friends Brendan and Lalita changed the location. However, we ended up going to an amazing restaurant called "Bua" on Convent Road, and the food was excellent! We were there until about midnight, and there were a lot of laughs.

After Gracie and I finally went home, Lalita stopped by Soi Suan Plu around 2am to say goodbye to me and a final chat (so nice of her!) The next morning, I was off to INDIA!

Check out the pics from my hectic one day (and two nights) in Bangkok! Also, get excited for India posts next!!!

From left: Adam, Gracie, Brendan, Me

Isn't my "pink lady" drink pretty?

So happy we were able to meet up!

I dropped my laundry off at 8am to be (hurriedly) done

for India tomorrow. After I dropped it off, I found and

ordered a delicious 35 baht "cow mu deng" (my favorite!)

Anddd we made it to the floating market!

Brendan and Lalita

(We had an old woman paddling our boat. Never

ceases to amaze me how hard people work)

Love these two

I look stupid, but whatever

With the sign in the back haha

First, there were the food boats

Women in hats selling all kinds of deliciousness!

A "banana boat"...get it?!

Pretty flowers decorating it :)

Again, I look stupid.

Who let me wear this hat?

I like hats like this

Fresh tropical Thai fruits

YUM TOWN

This woman had a mini stove on her boat!

It got pretty hot out there on the water!

With delicious light and airy crispy sweet things!

OMG, still look stupid

Bananas and limes

Such a beautiful boat of fruits...and with the flower!

Obviously Brendan copied my picture

Hanging coconut bowls!

I don't know what this is for but it was so thick with ribbons!

Spices!

Fresh honey! If I could bring it on a plane, I would.

I bought two :)

Coconuts growing from...coconut shells!

Stirring some caramel-like goo

Stirring the pot...something I've always done well haha

Yeah Thailand!

Arugula, salmon, and capers pizza

Yum Town.

Except when I laughed and all of the capers on

my pizza fell onto the floor. It was sad.

Our delicious feast!

Brendan and Gracie

Lalita and me!

Kota Kinabalu is a really nice, small, mellow city right on the north coast of Borneo. I took an 8 hour bus ride from Bandar Seri Begawan to Kota Kinabalu, and there were 8 checkpoints. (Yes, I now have 8 more stamps in my passport.) Listen to how silly/ hilarious this is: Based off of the "shape" of Brunei, the bus route from BSB to KK first exits Brunei (1 stamp) and then enters Sarawak, Malaysia (1 stamp). Then it continues on, exiting Sarawak and entering Brunei again...then exiting Brunei and entering Sarawak, again...and then exiting Sarawak and entering Sabah. Phew! My favorite part of the bus ride, though, was when our bus had to drive onto a small ferry to cross a stream. The stream/ dividing river was about 30 feet (hilarious). Once in KK, I was able to walk only about 5 minutes before finding a really great hostel (Sensi Backpacker's Hostel). I had a cozy, homey dorm room...and the best part was that they provided free fruit throughout the day! (And nice bread for breakfast...these are the things that make me happy haha so sad). Upon arriving, I met a really friendly Filipino guy named Don. He waited (aka invited himself, but the more the merrier) to come to dinner with me and my friend Alice (Nicki's friend from the Penang half-marathon). Alice met me at the hostel, and the three of us strolled around a nearby wet market. We had a blast! We also met Alice's Australian's boyfriend's family, and the mother was a bit of a piece of work (without even realizing it, I think). She was going on and on about the importance of English in SE Asian countries (on and on...) She obviously hasn't met my students who are mainly going to be, and want to be, farmers in their small village...and I also always find it hypocritical when an American, English, or Australian person who only speaks one language (as she poked fun of) says this. Ugh! Learn a second language first, and then you can have an opinion on English.

The next morning, after sleeping in, Alice picked me up around 1pm. We went to a really interesting market (all kinds of fruits and roots I'd never seen before) and then we bought some rice wine and went and drank it at a nearby beach. This was my first time drinking rice wine and it was SO SWEET! That evening when I showed up at my hostel, I was walking upstairs and who was there but my Brunei buddy Oscar! I was so excited to see him. (He likes to tag along with my friends, too haha). Alice, her bf Rowan, his English friend Guy, and I were all meeting up later that night to drink some leftover rum and hang out. Oscar came too. We all hung out at Guy's friend's house at the top of a spooky cemetery for hours. With all of the different countries and perspectives represented, the conversation was so interesting! We talked about countries, cultures, and conflicts for almost 4 hours. It's nights like these that make me love travel; it's discussions like this that I live for. After Alice dropped us off at our hostel, Oscar and I went to get a couple of late night coffee and teas, and the conversation continued. Oscar told me he is too selfish to ever want children or to get married, and his main goal in life is to travel to every country in the world. He already is 65 down...

The next day we woke up relatively early after Don's alarm went off repeatedly when he was in the shower haha. We went and chilled in the kitchen of the hostel eating the free food, talking some more, and doing computer things. I never made it to Mount Kinabalu (next time). Then Oscar and I went on a stroll and out for some calamari dinner right on the coast, and a short walk from the hostel (I remember thinking..."This is the life!") When we returned, Don had returned from a one-day trip to Brunei (hilarious in itself because the bus ride there and back is so long) and my Swiss friend from Mulu (Frederic) had stopped by my hostel twice looking for me (aw!) I love the small town feel, and the fact that so many Westerners are all on the same "route" from Mulu to KK. (On my first night I'd run into a French couple that I met at Mulu earlier in the week, as well!)

Finally, today (my 3rd day in KK) Alice picked me up at 730. We gave Oscar a ride to his far-away bus station, said our goodbyes, and then Alice, Don and I all went to a nearby island called "Mukahan" to go snorkeling (sp.?) It was a sunny morning and a beautiful ferry ride. I was the first one in the water, again in all of my clothes (not packing bathing suits was not the smartest idea!) The beach, although beautiful, was really bad for swimming though: rocky, very, shallow, and so many jelly fish. As soon as I put my head in the water I thought I saw a school of fish and I almost reached out to grab it. When I looked closer I saw that it was actually the black stingers of a huge jellyfish.

After the beach, we all went back to Sensi Hostel where I ran into my friend Frederic! The four of us went out to lunch, before Alice kindly dropped me and Don off at the airport. I made both of my flights (from Borneo to KL and then KL to BKK) and then I had a great night out with my friends Gracie, Brendan, and Adam (visiting Thailand from Cornell together!)

I just arrived in INDIA this afternoon and I am with two of my best friends from college: Anuj and Melissa :)