Indonesia: Ubud, Gili Trawangan

The adventures continued as I traveled to Indonesia!

Day 7: 29/12/13

After we spent a night in the Singapore Airport, we flew out in the morning to Denpasar. Once we arrived in Denpasar (in Bali), we had to go through immigration and then come back in to get our connecting flight to Lombok. After we got to Lombok, we drove two hours to the jetty port. Like our arrival in Chiang Mai, our arrival in Gili Trawangan was at night. After a five minute boat ride, we arrived on the island and were met by the staff of our guesthouse. We made it to Martas safe and sound and it was beautiful, even at night! The owner was an absolute sweetheart; she, and the entire staff, made us feel so welcome and at home. We had some delicious food at the night market and had an early night.

Day 8:30/12/13

THE BREAKFAST HERE WAS AMAZING (and included) – we had an omelet, fruit juice, coffee or tea, and fresh fruit. Delicious! After exploring the island a little bit, and looking at some photos of Ubud, Bali, I realised that I needed to see it before I left Indonesia. So my time on Gili T was very short, but great. I booked a boat to Ubud for the next day and then relaxed by the pool. That evening we walked to go see the sunset, but unfortunately it was cloudy.

Day 9: ALMOST 2014! (31/12/13)

I woke up early, and packed up my bag! At 11:30, I was on a boat headed back to Bali. The first thirty-fourtyfive minutes of this two hour boat ride was QUITE rough. I’m not one to get motion sickness, but I was even feeling a bit queazy. Let’s just say there were a few who needed some paper bags.

After arriving at the jetty, I had a 1.5 hour drive to Ubud, but I made it! I met up with a few friends and we stayed at the Swan Inn, a very cute place off of Monkey Forest Rd. in Ubud! That night, we went out for supper, where I ate Mediterranean food (while in Indonesia, I know eh?).

We celebrated New Years at a bar called “rouge” owned by a man from France. We rang in the New Year and had a BLAST!

Day 10: HAPPY NEW YEAR (01/01/14)

We woke up, ordered our breakfast (they bring it to your room), and watched one of the World Juniors hockey games. In the afternoon we went for a walk to check out the monkey forest. This was a very interesting experience. You literally walk down Monkey Forest Rd. and then eventually it turns into this forest where monkeys just chill out. We paid an admission fee and then wandered around taking photos of monkeys and visited the temple inside. The baby monkeys were really cute, but there were some monkeys that just looked like grumpy old men and to me, looked pretty frightening. Still a great thing to see. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around and taking in the sights.

Streets of Ubud

Big leaf!

Day 11: 02/01/14

The day started out with rain. Lots. BUT we still had a fantastic day and it ended up clearing up! We met our driver early in the morning and he took us to so many great places in Ubud and surrounding area. The first thing we saw was a traditional Indonesian dance: the Barong dance. It told stories of good and evil and was really interesting. After that moment, I realised I made the right decision to visit Ubud! We then traveled to several temples: the Elephant Temple, the Rock Temple, and the Holy Springs Temple. All were very beautiful in their own way!

The Holy Spring Temple

Inside the Holy Spring Temple

At the elephant temple!

On our way down to the Rock Temple.

The Rock Temple

Our driver drove us to a really great spot for lunch. We ate at a restaurant and our view was a volcano!There is something about mountains/volcanos that put my mind at ease; I find them so mesmerising, relaxing, and mind boggling. It was a great place to eat lunch!

Our lunchtime view

On our way back into Ubud, we stopped at the rice terraces to take a few photos and take in the sights. They were beautiful and like nothing I’ve seen before.

Rice terraces – so beautiful!

These are the things I really wanted to make sure I saw while in Indonesia and I’m so happy I got to see them!

We came back from our long day of touring and my friend and I were feeling spontaneous so we went and found a tattoo parlour. That’s right, we got a tattoo in Bali! My tattoo is the delta, the symbol for change. I thought it was appropriate. (Not sure if my parents did though …. 😉

That night, I made my way to Kuta where I met up with the friends I was initially traveling with.

It was a long, but truly phenomenal day filllllled to the brim with wonderful sights and Indonesian culture!

Day 12: 03/01/14

This was a short day in Kuta so I spent it relaxing! I was able to read and just chill out. It was much needed after a busy past few days! In the afternoon, we got on a plane and flew to Singapore to begin our journey back to Shenzhen. We arrived in Singapore in the evening and stayed in a Backpacker’s hostel. It was a great spot!

Day 13: The final leg of our journey (04/01/13)

Our morning was spent exploring Singapore. It is a beautiful and clean city filled with architecture and character. We went on a boat cruise in the river and saw some beautiful sights, a large ferris wheel, and much more. While I loved my time spent here, the prices were quite comparable to home, which was quite a switch from what we were used to.

Later on that afternoon, we made our way back to the airport and caught our flight back to Hong Kong. We arrived back in Shenzhen late that night. I unpacked and went right to sleep!

All in all, I had a pretty amazing Christmas vacation! Sure, it was different, but it was still wonderful in its own way! I’m gaining a new appreciation for Asia, one that I definitely would not have if I hadn’t taken the leap in August to come to China for a year to work.

Here’s to a new year filled with challenges, changes, and opportunities that let us gain perspective and see things with new eyes!

WE ARE SO LUCKY! Each and every one of us! Count your blessings!

Lots of love from Shenzhen! xoxo

The Land of Smiles

I think it’s about time I shared my Christmas adventures! 

It’s a Tuesday night, I just finished my last set of report cards, and on Friday I’m back on vacation for another two weeks. I’m feeling SO lucky, yet again, to be able to travel and see the world while teaching. This will be a lengthly post, so brace yourselves!

After the October Holiday, I realised that I really needed to stay on top of journaling while traveling. So here are bits and pieces of my journal and some other added info about my holiday! 

Our first destination on our trip was Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is a city rich in culture, history, and smiles. I’d heard Thailand referred to “The Land of Smiles” on several occasions and let me tell you, it’s not a lie. While I do love living in China, I sometimes am forced to remember that there are certain things that occur in Canada that definitely don’t happen here. There will always be exceptions, but generally speaking, smiles and a friendly hello are not common in China. It was a refreshing shock when I arrived in Chiang Mai to find that people said hello or at least smiled on their way by. 

Day 1: Night Time Arrival

We arrived in Chiang Mai in the evening, and made our way to our hostel, Thai MD House. For $11 a night, it was all we needed with breakfast included, and a pool. That night, we went to the Night Bazaar just outside the Old City walls and had some dinner. It was my first time in a tuktuk, and my first real Thai meal. Both were great experiences (especially the food)!

MD House at night!

First tuktuk ride!

First Thai Meal!

Day 2: Merry Christmas Eve!

I wrote in my journal “Soooo weird not being home but being in Thailand for Christmas is pretty darn sweet!” I can’t really explain the feeling I had over Christmas, except that it was just different. We woke up early and booked some tours/excursions for our time in Chiang Mai. We made plans to go to an elephant camp, Tiger Kingdom, and on a Hill Tribe tour. 

Later that morning/afternoon, we explored a small portion of the city. It seemed like everywhere we turned there was a temple. They are absolutely beautiful and so intricately designed. I literally could have spent the entire day wandering and seeing all of the different temples; it’s so interesting. I do have to admit, I had a culturally insensitive moment, though. I did some research before I left for Thailand and knew that going to temples required respectful dress. For some reason though, I didn’t think when I got dressed and wore shorts and a tank top. Big ol’ oops. Good thing they had robes to wear into the temples. Needless to say, I did feel disappointed in myself that I had forgotten such an important part of the Thai culture. 

We had a late lunch consisting of cashew chicken, pad thai, spring rolls, and curry. I LOVE THAI FOOD. SO GOOD! Later that night, we went back to the Night Bazaar and did a little bit of shopping and I got some pretty great deals, I must say!

Day 3: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Day was a very different Christmas than I was used to. While I missed the traditions at home, I went to an elephant camp! ELEPHANTS ON CHRISTMAS DAY! I still can’t believe it. 

The elephant camp was an hour outside of the city. When we got there, we had to change into typical “Mahaut” (elephant trainer) clothes. We learned the different commands for “driving” an elephant and then got to test out our skills. My first impression of an elephant: scary and HUGE. Once we spent more time around them, they were a little less scary. 

A few memorable moments from my elephant adventure:

• Getting up on an elephant: You have to tell the elephant to lift its front leg, and then you hold on to its ear with your right hand and a flap of its skin behind the shoulder with your left hand and pull yourself up. Terrifying and difficult on the first try. Once you’re up, you are sitting on an elephants bare back and let me tell you, every single elephant should be named “Toothbrush” … talk about bristly. 
• There were three of us on one elephant. One 4 ton, 2.8 meters tall, 35 year old elephant. It was crazy! Once we got to go for a ride, our elephant had a mind of its own. It did not listen to any of the commands we were taught earlier. It walked right into a bunch of trees and proceeded to tear the trees down while we’re ON ITS BACK. Demolition mode took over and I think our “little” friend had selective hearing despite having huge ears. Our elephant also decided it was going to try to go down a steep bank. We started sliding forward and sideways off the elephant. Our elephant’s trainer (called a mahaut) laughed at us, meanwhile we were terrified. Talk about adrenaline rush. Needless to say, we still had a great time!

Christmas day was different, but I was still able to Skype with my family and celebrate with them! I even got to watch them open their gifts. Thank goodness for technology!

Day 4: Boxing Day 

Like Christmas Day, boxing day was filled with great experiences! We slept in, and at 11 o’clock left for Tiger Kingdom. We paid 420 baht (around $14 CAD) to have our pictures taken with a medium size kitty … I mean tiger.  We were given a few rules before we went in: approach the pretty kitty from behind and not straight on (they’ll think you want to play, and I don’t think playing with a tiger would be a great idea), and pet them firmly (otherwise it feels like a tickle and they’ll try to get rid of the tickle – yikes). IT WAS AMAZING! I absolutely loved petting the tigers. After we had our fifteen minutes, we walked around and saw newborns, and smaller tigers than the one we spent time with. 

After Tiger Kingdom, we went back and walked around the city a little bit more and found this cafe called “Funky Dog Cafe.” This was my favourite spot to eat and recommend it to anyone who ever gets the chance to visit Chiang Mai. Of course we got lots of really great food, but we also had a wonderful conversation with the owner who explained how important it was for him to get along with the other business owners on the street. He said “we all help each other out and work together to live in peace.” At the end of our conversation he talked about living simply and then walked away. His attitude and his words resonated with me; there’s something about the way he approached life that is admirable and just makes sense. This reminded me how caught up we can get in things that complicate our life, even when we think they make things easier. Funky Dog Cafe … the place where hippies are welcome, and peacefulness is a plenty. Great. Day.

Day 5: Hill Tribes

We had an early morning, but the day was filled with visits to the villages of various Hill Tribes. The first location was quite touristy, but it was here that I saw the Long Neck Karen tribe, something I had seen on one of my favourite television shows “Departures”. It was so interesting to learn about their way of life and their culture. They are all Burmese women who have moved to Thailand to make money from tourism. They hand weave scarves, which are beautiful and so colourful! The brass apparatus they wear can weigh up to 5kgs – pretty heavy! 

We also visited the Chang Dao Cave. There was a temple within a cave and it was really interesting! 

The last two hill tribes we went two were really interesting. We got to see where people live, where children go to school, and learn a lot about how they live. The women were selling bracelets, bags, hats, and other things that they had made. There was even a little girl, maybe 4 years old, selling bracelets. She looked up at me with a handful of bracelets and said “10 baht” and I couldn’t help it – I had to buy a couple bracelets. It was one of my favourite days of the trip by far!

Day 6: Last Day in Chiang Mai

Our last day in Chiang Mai was spent relaxing. I was able to write up a few postcards in a cute cafe called “The Corner.” We left around noonish or shortly after for the airport and were on our way to our next destination: Indonesia. First, we flew to Singapore. We stayed overnight in the Singapore airport and it has EVERYTHING you would ever need for an overnight layover … movie theatres, gym, lounges, food court, computers, hotels, gaming rooms, stores, babysitting rooms, tv stations, garden, EVERYTHING! It was really interesting to see! I fell asleep in one of the movie theatres and had an okay sleep! 

As each day passed in Thailand, my eyes were opened a little further and for that I am thankful. While I’ve been able to see new places and say that I’ve been to x amount of countries, I think the most important thing about traveling is being able to see things with new eyes. Call me repetitive, but I can’t help it … I’m a lucky gal! The Land of Smiles was nothing but amazing, so amazing that I will be returning to Chiang Mai during my next vacation for a few days and I couldn’t be more excited! I look forward to doing some more exploring and diving into the Thai culture a little bit deeper. 

On to the next adventure! 

(See the next post about Indonesia!)

I Blinked And It Was 2014

Just like that … Another year over and a new year beginning. I can’t believe it! It’s like I blinked and 2014 was here.

I’m pretty fond of new beginnings. I like the idea of a fresh start whether things are going really well or you’re ready for something new/better. A new year can help you clear your mind, set new goals, change your lifestyle, and give you a reason to look back on a year that changed you in some way. I’ve had highs and lows this year like we all have, but looking back everything helped me become a little more self aware and for that I’m thankful.

I thought it’d be nice to look back on some moments from 2013 just for the fun of it … here it goes!

Memorable Moments of 2013:

– I was a part of a student council … This was something that I really missed and was so glad to be back and serving as an active voice and organizer for a great group of people.
– I “graduated” (i.e. received my diploma in the mail) with my Bachelor of Education Degree!
– I pushed myself way out of my comfort zone and signed a 1 year contract to teach in China!
– I admitted my love for all things plaid, deer, and moose.
– I came to understand the power that distance has. It wasn’t easy but was definitely something I needed in order to gain perspective and appreciate someone else’s perspective.
– I was fortunate enough to see the Rockies. It was then that I realized the impact nature has on my soul.
– I learned to drive a standard! Big day!
– I met some new friends, and was able to spend time with the ol faithfuls!
– I fell into a hole behind a graveyard and laughed a long, long time.
– I stayed up late, woke up the neighbours, and practically drained all the water in the hot tub with some pretty great people.
– I gave up wheat because of an intolerance but drank beer anyway. (This still happens.)
– I have been able to visit parts of the world I never imagined I’d get to visit. I’ve gained so much perspective, appreciation, and a sense of adventure because of this.
– I’ve been challenged by people with strong personalities, differences, and experiences. I’ve been challenged by situations. I’ve realized that I need to change my view of conflict, and gain more confidence in expressing my thoughts.
– I’ve learned that being a first year teacher may be one of the hardest years of my life. Lucky for me, this just means there is a lot of room for improvement so there’s no where to go but up!

…. Of course there are so many more but what it all boils down to is this: I AM BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF! I can’t believe 2013 brought with it so many wonderful adventures, tough challenges that rendered tears and difficult decisions, valuable experiences, and wonderful people!

I can’t even begin to guess what 2014 will bring with it, but I have a suspicion that it’ll be great … not easy … great! I do know that in less than six months I’ll be on a plane back to Canada. For those of you in Bagtown, I suggest you begin preparing now.

I hope that everyone can look back on 2013 and not see it as a bad year or a year to forget. Instead, remember the moments when you were happy, the moments that challenged you and your way of thinking, the moments where you felt content, sad, excited, scared, loved, and adventurous. There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy, and I truly hope that 2014, like 2013, will come with all kinds of reasons for us to not only be happy but to feel alive!

Best wishes for 2014! Grab the world and squeeze out of it all that you can, but don’t squeeze too hard!

Lots of love, and hope for the future, from Bali, Indonesia! Xo