A Journey Through South East Asia - Thailand

This year has been interesting for me.  It's definitely a year dedicated to myself and what I want to do with my life.  It started out rocky. I had some personal stuff going on compounded with the loathing I had for my job. It took a lot of courage and some split decisions to decide to leave my job in May.  I had the support of my friends and family...and another job lined up.  The stars just weren't aligning with the job in another state, and so I decided to stay in Southern California, decline the job and am currently a free spirit.  I also decided that I needed to go on a trip.  I think that was the best decision, aside from quitting my job, I've made this year.

I arbitrarily decided on South East Asia.  I had family in Bangkok and I've heard amazing things about Thailand.  I started researching and tend to like the places less traveled and decided on a trip that was centered around Cambodia.

My journey started on a Monday.  I flew Korean Air.  It was a great airline, good food and excellent service. I had a stop over in Japan and then a layover in Korea. I seriously don't understand the deal with going through security after getting off the plane again and again.  I got into Bangkok around 12am.  My Auntie and Uncle so kindly picked me up and fed me once again. :)  So much food!  Then I took a shower and headed to bed.

Buddha Worship on the Corner - you could even buy and release sparrows for 400 baht!

I don't feel like the jet lag really hit me.  I was out and about the next day, admiring the places of worship and heading to one of the many many malls.  There are so many malls in Bangkok.  My Auntie said that people from Hong Kong come down to just go shopping.  After Uncle came home, we went to see the Reclining Buddha.  The Buddha was crazy big.  The entire compound was amazing! The golds, the blues and the reds were all spectacular.

I'm in love with color!

 

Gorgeous! 

Hello! Reclining Buddah!

After the Reclining Buddha, we were stuck in Bangkok traffic for 4 hours! Yes, 4 hours!! It was crazy.  We only had time for dinner at that point.  Uncle and Auntie ordered everything under the sun and I enjoyed it all.  There was this great chicken in banana leaves. It was my favorite thing in Thailand. Mmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Mmm and all the lovely fruit! 

I tried Durian! It was durian from an ancient tree. It was smelly and the flesh was musky.  It was a sweet musky taste.  It wasn't what I was expecting.  I felt like a monkey when I was eating it.  I probably would have started acting like a monkey if my family didn't think I was weird.  Apparently, you are supposed to eat Durian followed by a "cool" fruit like the mangosteen.

Durian

Purple Mangosteen

So far, so good. Tomorrow - ELEPHANTS!!  And Curry Crab!

Ragnar Relays SoCal 2012 - There's Something Strange in the Ragnar Hood

It started April 20th at 5:30am. I woke up, got dressed, and was out the door by 5:50am. I arrived at our meeting point, loaded the cars and we were off. It was 6am on a Friday morning.  The day before, the team got together for dinner and to decorate the vans, and today, it was judgement day.  Our 12 member team was dressed in our costumes and ready to wow the judges and begin our 2 day journey for the Ragnar Relays.

You may be asking yourself, what is this thing you call the Ragnar Relays?!?!  Let me explain.  Ragnar Relays SoCal is a running relay race from Huntington Beach (woo Surf City) to Coronado (woo San Diego).  Each team consists of 12 members and 2 vans. Each van has 6 people in it. Each runner is essentially numbered 1 through 12.  There are 36 legs to the race, so each runner is responsible for completing 3 legs.  There is also another, more entertaining component to the race - costumes! Each team is themed.  Our team: The GHOSTBUSTERS!

The costume crew (Jo and Jemie!) did a great job with everything! We had proton packs, slimers, stay pufts...and silly string!! We were asked for so many pictures, it was like being a celebrity. There is a costume contest and the winner gets free entry into next years race.  The way to win is for people to vote and they can do that through text message.  Unfortunately, we didn't win :(  It was kind of a kick in the face because we thought everyone loved the costumes.  Groups of people would stop what they were doing and walk us walk into the waiting areas and whatnot.  We just didn't capture enough votes! Bummer.

My journey didn't start until about 2pm on Friday.  SoCal is hot but man it was a doozy on Friday afternoon.  The race goes from HB and heads inland and then heads back out to the coast.  This is so that we get the 203 miles.  My run was through Corona and it must have been over 100F.  It was so hot.  People had stopped running and started walking.  If someone gave me ice, I'd shove it down my sports bra to cool myself off.  I had to walk a good mile of the course because my heart rate was sky high.  I ended up really pushing myself the last mile to do a continuous run.  The key to that Friday afternoon was hydrating. We saw plenty of ambulances putting IVs in runners arms. After our 6 legs, we headed to the next major check point.  Here we could catch some ZZzzs on a golf course. It was only about 7pm at that point.  I wasn't really tired but really tired to rest.

Our next legs were to begin in the early morning. I think our first leg got started a little after midnight. My leg was about 4 miles and started around 2am.  It was fantastic. I loved it. It was the best leg of the race. It was a good 50F cooler than earlier in the day and I was flying. It was 2am so no one was out except for the awesome volunteers! I particularly appreciated the guy dresses as a T-bone steak.  At around 4am, I got to sleep again.  This time I slept in the van. By that time the van was not super pleasant and everything was damp. Gross.  Our legs started again around 730am. I didn't have to run until the early afternoon.  It was heating up and I wasn't looking forward to it. Jo got the majority of the heat and it started to turn overcast.  My last leg, oh my last leg! I got lost. I wasn't the only one, but I got lost.  I ran about 4 miles off course. Luckily, we were able to catch a ride back to the course. Man, it sucked though. 

For the finish, our team has to run across the finish line together.  Our last leg was slimer.  We had him, the other slimer and the 2 stay pufts run ahead of us.  The ghostbusters were chasing them across the line and right when we get to the line the "bad guys" turn around and silly string us.  It was a blast! We were supposed to have the theme song play but there were technical difficulties.  I'm really looking forward to our official team picture at the end, although, I'm sure I look like crap.  

The medals we got were awesome. The shirts were awesome (I've already worn mine 3 times). I ran a total of about 16 miles. It doesn't sound like a lot but after the start and stop, start and stop, it takes its toll on the body. I'd love to do another Ragnar, probably in a different location.  I loved the people I met and the friends I made along the way.  It was an amazing experience.  A special thanks to the volunteers! Especially the ones that were along the course in the wee morning hours. 

Also, a special shout out to van #2 aka Spicy Vanilla with a Splash of Soy Sauce!

Journey to Escazu and then Journey to the OC

The next morning I have some more "world famous pancakes"!  And start talking to some Americans.  These guys are from New York.  We haven't met any New Yorkers on the trip, which we both thought was odd but just figured they like their urban jungle more than the actual jungle. One of the guys looked like he was a cartoon character - for real! His hair was so gelled that is was ridic.

Our ride picked us up and we were off.  I knew it was the last time I'd get to see the parts of Costa Rica that were interesting and beautiful.  I could only imagine San Jose to be dirty and city-like.  I haven't heard good things about San Jose but oh well.  We had to get there somehow to get to the airport the day after. The ride was uneventful except for this amazing full double rainbow. I love rainbows. I love color.  I got a double dose with this perfect double rainbow.

Our final destination was this wonderful little bed and breakfast in Escazu.  The owner used to live in the United States and work in real estate before the market went sour.  She has an adorable 2 year old daughter that can speak Spanish and English.  The day we arrived, we walked around Escazu.  Escazu is made up of 70% ex-Pats and Europeans.  It had a lot of resorts and country clubs, not unlike Orange County.

We headed down to San Jose later that night.  It was pretty uneventful.  There were a lot of illegal vendors on the streets who all seemed to be extremely interested in selling Smurf memorabilia.  The Smurfs were everywhere.  We needed into a church in the middle of the city.  Neither of us are religious but decided to walk in and marvel at the beautiful details.  I also took a moment to reflect on my dear friend Neil Saigal.  He was a really great friend.  He was my first friend at UC, Irvine.  The world lost a magical person (Jan 1985 - September 2011) and I will always miss him.  His birthday was the day before and he would have been 27 years old.  I miss him.

 Outside of Church                           Inside of Church

The night progressed.  It had to end pretty early because it's not safe to be in downtown San Jose as only 2 females. We caught a taxi after dinner.  The cab driver didn't know where we were going...the kicker...the cab driver was listening to Spanish radio porn.  It was ridiculous. We had an early evening and there was a blackout.  It was pretty tame.

The next day, it was time to travel home.  After a lovely breakfast, we went for a walk.  We saw this awesome tree that seemed to peel from orange to green.

We got to the airport early - don't forget to pay the tax at the airport - and headed home.  I had to go to Panama City first.  I was frisked a number of  times but everything went well.  It was a little tricky at the airport because I broke my phone - yay! and I was sick yet again.  I've been sick so many times in the last 4 months, I can't even count.  One sickness rolls into the next.  I'm still fighting to kick it.

Overall, it was a great great trip! I think everyone is jealous. :)

XOXO Rachel

Wooooosh! Zip Line!

Rebecca and I woke up bright and early to eat! And trek back to the bank at the top of the hill.  We had zip line today.  I knew I'd be a little nervous since this particular zip line company had the Tarzan swing at the end.  I don't like roller coasters so the feeling of my stomach in my throat is never my favorite.

We headed to the company headquarters (Adventura). I got all strapped in and looked really good all outfitted in my new gear.  There were quite a few people from Seattle on this particular part of the adventure (probably 6).  I befriended two - Mark and Derek.  Derek seemed high the entire time and Mark was cool.  They ended up taking video off the superman zipline.  The superman is where they attach the zipline to your back and let you fly through the air like superman!

Before I'm off

SUPERMAN!

I really loved zip lining.  It was really easy and fast.  I think I could have gone faster.  There was one zip line segment that Rebecca couldn't stop and actually ran into part of the tree - eeek! I watched it all from behind.  Don't worry, she's OK.

After about 12 runs, we go to the Tarzan swing.  The swing is a 147ft drop and then you swing.  I was all hooked up and ready to go.  Mark was going to go before me.  Except! He chickened out!  And I walked to the end of the swaying platform to feel out the height and drop.  The guys at the company immediately hook me.  I tell them I'm scared and they just laugh at me and continue to hook me.  I protested one last time.  I wish they had just pushed me over but the whole thing got the better of me.  Unfortunately, I have to say that I didn't do it.  Do I regret it? Maybe a little.  I mean, in the grand scheme of things, it's so short I should have just done it. Oh well...and then the day went on!

Me and the Seattlites

We had the best casada of the trip at the place right next to the hostel!  We even took a picture with the owner.  Loved it!

The rest of the day was left to finding the climbing tree!  Yesss a climbing tree.  I didn't know what to expect from the climbing tree but it was way better than I ever could have expected!  It's like tiny trees growing together, creating a ladder to the top of the tree.  It was completely hollow inside. Each branch was intertwined, almost like each branch was a step.  The tree was huge.  It was probably over 100m tall.  I could only go to where the two tree converged, since my track record with accidents is shaky. Rebecca and I decided it was best to stop at about 75ft up.

The Climbing Tree

On the walk back we were greeted with another beautiful view, with the sun illuminating the wet pavement with a now blue sky.  We saw a rainbow.  I just love rainbows.  Rainbows make me smile and smiling makes me happy!  Oh yeah! And I saw WONG RESTAURANT!! LOVE IT!! All-in-all, it was cold and great.  I was soaking from the whole day, so we changed and headed to dinner.  The rest of the night was pretty uneventful and we were heading to the city the next day.  I wasn't without my headlight again and we just explored the small town, running into people from the day!

Great end to the day!

On the Move to the Windy town of Monteverde

We are on the move the next day and take the taxi (van) - boat - taxi (van).  It's a bumpy road after crossing the lake, so it took forever.  We got in around 12pm and noticed right away that it was super windy.  I mean, the wind was going to push me over windy.  It was also cold. I was just thinking - thank goodness I brought layers.

Tina's Casita

Right away we were greeted by Andres.  He was super happy and proceeded to sign us up for tours. Our first tour was to the Monteverde coffee farm.  It's a free trade coop of sorts.  Our tour guide was Joyce.  She was half Costa Rican and half American.  She looked very fair and we went to her father's farm.  We met some more Seattlites on the tour (I swear, they were everywhere). The tour was great.  I learned all about the new and old ways of preparing the coffee beans before roasting.  I also learned about how the farmers plant other trees and plants, like bananas to introduce different nutrients into the soil.  We got to taste the fruits of the farm as well as the roasted coffee -- IT WAS SOO GOOD!

Dried coffee beans

Brewed coffee and really really good pancake-type bread!

I definitely bought coffee and some sweet coffee candles.  The candles smells so good.  If computers were scratch and sniff then I'd include a sample here. The rest of the day was ours and we walked around the town.  The town is tiny so it didn't take long.  We also needed to find a bank with American dollars and dinner.  Along the way, we ran into a Canadian and an American.  I also found out a sloth reserve in Costa Rica.  I'll have to go there next time!

We found a cute place covered in butterflies! I also discovered my favorite dish of Costa Rica - casada vegetariano!  It had rice and beans, a plantain, avocado, cheese, salad.  It was perfect. I finished it off with some hot mint tea, since it was windy and rainy.  Hot mint tea is delicious.  It's definitely one of my favorite teas.  I think I had 5 cups that night since it was so chilly. We headed back to the hotel.  It was really dark, so I'm glad I brought my headlight - yes my headlight! (The new running joke is my wedding registry will be at REI - soooo true, although, I'll take REI gifts any time of year ;) )

Casada! and Headlight love (the headlight wasn't on, so I'm sad the picture is so bright)!

The wind was so intense that it drove us inside.  We met some people from North Carolina and San Diego.  We talked for a good 1-2 hours before we retired to the room.  The room had a queen bed and a bunk bed.  Rebecca really wanted the bunk bed and I love a big bed so it all worked out.  The wind was so intense that it made it hard to sleep but eventually I dozed off! I had to be ready for zip lining the next day!

Day 1 of 2012

I start the day with breakfast...and breaking my phone.  What is the deal with me and phones and the 1st of the year?  The glass is cracked and the screen doesn't work. Yay! Luckily, no one really calls me.  I do receive lots of text messages but alas I'm in another country so who really cares.  I actually really like being disconnected.

We headed to La Fortuna Waterfall.  It costs $10USD to enter.  You can swim under the waterfall, although, it's not advised because you can be sucked under from the forces of the waterfall.  It was about 90m and the water was so blue.  If you walk down the stream a couple meters, there is a pool that the water drains into and it was full of fish and people.  I met some people from Texas who were on break and taking in the tourism and business aspects of Costa Rica.  I can't believe that they got class credit for that!

Beautiful waterfall! and Beautiful blue water!

It was great!

Rebecca proposed to me at the waterfall.  It was magical!

The Proposal!  Top that future husband! Oh and PS. Look at my calves. Nice. 

A taxi dropped us off at the top of the waterfall and we decided to walk to the town instead of taking another taxi.  On the way down, we stopped at Neptune's House of Hammocks. There were so many hammocks.  Rebecca was obsessed with the hammocks and I can't blame her.  Hammocks are so comfy!  Rebecca sat in a hammock and proceeded to fall out.  It was funny :)

House of Hammocks

We kept walking and found more coconuts and coconut water.  This 12 year old girl was good with a machete. We walked some more AND THEN!!! found another sloth!! Apparently this particular sloth likes to cross the street and climb this particular tree. It was a monster of a sloth.  I enjoyed watching it for almost 10 minutes.  It climbed one tree and then managed to make it to another tree through the canopy.

Costa Rica at its Best.  Pura Vida!

From here, we headed to Baldi resort for a day of relaxation in the many hot spring pools.  I wanted a good tan and some hot water.  I love hot springs.  The place was huge!  There was even a water slide and waterfall. I had a great time, although, I thought the place was a little expensive ($31USD).  We stayed for a couple hours and then headed to town for fooooood and walking around.

I love sitting in the hot springs, enjoying the waterfall and the sunshine. Paradise. 

We went to LAVA LOUNGE!  The drink of the trip was Sangria and they delivered.  In fact, I had mine and Rebeccas and some appetizers.  I liked the Sangria.  I found a sloth stuffed animal, which really made my night.  I didn't buy it but maybe I should have.  I have so many stuffed animals that I thought it might be wise to stop collecting them since I'm 26 and not 10... but then again, maybe next time!

Delicious!

Cute!

We walked around the town and happened to see Mr. Michael from the club the night before.  Then some other Ticos proceeded to shout something obscene at us...so we decided to leave and head back to the hotel to get ready for the adventure tomorrow...although, not before I decided to mimic the toucan painting on a random wall.

I like acting like a goober! 

On the move to Arenal for New Years!

We woke up at 5:30am to go kayaking through the canals.  Rebecca and I shared a kayak.  We were out for about 2 hours...and I paddled a good 2 hours by myself :) haha It was a good workout.  I love a good workout.  I considered it weight training. We paddled through some back canals where we saw a spider monkey with its baby chillin' in a tree.  It was a rainy day.  We were caught in a downpour.  I didn't mind so much but the howler monkeys were up in arms!  Apparently they don't like the rain and they were letting everyone know it!

We headed back to the bungalow for breakfast.  I think I had the best coffee at the bungalow.  It was so good - strong! We then headed back to the dock (about 1.5 hours by boat).  On the way, everyone kept their eyes peeled for a sloth.  Our guide, Ivan, has an amazing eye. He spotted a sloth (I named him Jose after el capitan) in the bushes.  We pulled up next to him and hope he'd poke his head out.  Ivan made some eagles noises because usually the sloth will move to see if it can see the eagle (predator).  Instead, the sloth, slowly pushes the leaves and branches out of the way to take a look at us and then slowly released the branches to cover himself.  I can replay the 10 seconds in my head like I was just there - loved that moment!

Jose the Sloth

We reached the dock and headed back to home base where we were greeted with some bomb food.  We had been craving tortillas and they delivered! A group of us then headed to Arenal (the active volcano!).  Ramone was our driver again.  I think everyone feared for their lives as he tailed every car and then preceded to pass on one lane highways with a questionable amount of space.

With Ivan, our heroic guide!

I love food!

We settled into our hotel (Hotel San Bosco).  The staff was extremely helpful and directed us to the biggest party in the city for New Years Eve! But before the party! Dinner and pre-New Years drinks :) We went to Don Rolfinos.  It was full of tourists and some good food.  I had a very colorful drink and watched some American football.  We passed through the town park and waited for the appropriate time to head to the discotheque! Volcan Look is supposed to be the 2nd biggest club outside of San Jose. We arrived and were greeted by drunken Americans, already sloppy on the dance floor (literally falling down). The place was packed! The stage had 4 dancers - 2 guys and 2 girls.  The guys had amazing abs and did some crazy dance moves. The girls danced slow - like porn stars.  It was comical. At New Years! there were pyrotechnics and everyone shook their beers and alcohol rained down on the crowd!

Happy New Years Eve from La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Rebecca and I couldn't escape the Ticos. There was one in particular that would not leave us alone. We left the dance floor (which took about 10 minutes) and moved to the other side...he still managed to find us! haha at least he was impressed by my awesome dance moves :)  The guy to girl ratio was about 7 to 1. I was asked to dance several times and one guy asked me if I wanted to smoke my first joint of 2012.  I turned him down but I was thoroughly impressed by his English.

The poster of the hottest party to bring in the New Year!

Tico party (Link to part of the party I caught on video: http://youtu.be/3V5Fu_DKyaY )

The Ticos love their fireworks.  There were pyrotechnics inside and lots of fireworks outside. We had a cab drive us back with fireworks in the background...and with that, it was 2012!  Hello 2012! You will be awesome!

The Ticos know how to party!