existential dilemmas

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. – Kierkegaard

one night in bangkok (well, one night and one day)

Posted on June 3, 2013 by chloe elizabeth

Rough life, I know, but you can’t fly within 24 hours of diving, so I was forced to lie on the beach for the morning. And while lying on the beach all by itself would have been enough, it got even better as I watched this guy take photos of his girlfriend. There were even wardrobe changes. It was amazing. And so entertaining.

And then it was time to head to Bangkok…and on the way I bought what I thought was a bag of Pretzel M&Ms. But no…it was Crispy M&Ms! Such a happy surprise. It was like the universe was smiling down on me.

Bangkok from the air. Pretty amazing.

A nice welcome during my cab ride into the city.

Maria flew in the from the U.S. the same night I flew in from Phuket, just a bit later. It was so fun to have her join me for the rest of the trip!

And now, here’s what I have to say about Bangkok. If you are a twenty-something looking for spring break all year long with no ID checks and all the booze you could possibly want, Bangkok is a good start. But, there are other awesome things about it, too. That said, 24-hours plus a little was enough time in the summer heat. I got to enjoy the markets, hang out in the pool, float on the river, checkout the a museum, a Buddha, and some palaces, witness a lot of stupid behavior and debauchery, and have a Thai massage (or what I have now come to refer to as the Thai Tranny Torture Treatment).

In any case, it was lots of fun and left us with some awesome/crazy/funny memories, which is about as much as one could ask for.

Happily sunkissed and so excited to be getting in yet another pool Someday, I will have my very own pool. For now, I’ll just be grateful for the fact that my skin isn’t getting nearly as damaged as it would be if I currently had access to one all the time.

Everything about this is wrong. And stupid. And I guarantee you this kid will live to regret his drunken decision.

The view from the pool on the roof of our hotel.

Maybe the weirdest history museum I’ve ever been to. But this hanging mobile thing was cool.

The Reclining Buddha.

We left Bangkok the following evening on a night train bound for Chiang Mai. As you can see the train station was basically the Thai version of Grand Central. Or something like that. And the train ride was…interesting. I’ll just go ahead and tell you that the train ride back, for which tickets had already been purchased, ended up being viewed as a sunk cost. More to come.

the time i should have read my email more closely

Posted on May 20, 2013 by chloe elizabeth

My trip to Thailand and Cambodia was amazing…and possibly the least planned out trip I’ve ever been on that involved anyone other than myself. When I’m alone, I don’t care a bit about plans. When there’s someone else around and I feel like I’m in charge, then I care a lot. That said, the first part of my trip was pretty well set because I knew I wanted to go diving and I got there the very last weekend the Similan Islands (a national park) would be open for divers. Or at least I thought it was well planned out.

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Welcome to Thailand…at the Bangkok airport

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My ghetto fabulous room at the dive by the Bangkok airport. Totally worth the $20 it cost which included free airport transfer.

I left Tokyo Thursday evening and spent Thursday night at this crazy/random/cheap h–otel (motel?) near the airport in Bangkok so I could get on my 8am flight to Phuket the following morning. With no ideal flight schedules, this was the best option, and it meant that Friday was spent lying on the beach and getting a massage at the lovely resort where I’d booked myself. This was the most expensive portion of my trip, by far, but it was totally worth it.

QFeEaDZvPMJXdqcgyLdqL4RW7N4xlNvbcXP-UXmdWBA Saturday, I was set to be picked up between 5:50 and 6:00 am to be transported to Khao Lak (where the movie The Impossible took place, I discovered later) where I would board a speed boat out to a live-aboard in the Similan Islands. I was so excited. I have always wanted to do the live-aboard thing and could not wait to be diving again.

Well, I woke up Saturday morning, checked my big bag with the bellhop (I was going to be staying at the same hotel when I returned from my night at sea…this was good planning on my part). So, 5:50 passes, then 6:00, then 6:10. At this point, I’m starting to get a little panicked. I got to my email to find the guys number from the dive operator and, as I read the email, I saw that his confirmation email was, in fact, confirming the wrong date. I had say the 27th and 28th, he had confirmed for pickup on the 28th. This was not good. So, I call the 24 hour number (bless this diver operator and their 24-hour service) and I’m informed, very nicely, that it’s too late for me to get picked up, but if I can get a ride to Khao Lak, he would call to see if there was room on the boat for me that night.

So, I’m waiting for him to make a couple of phone calls and asking the front desk about a taxi to Khoa Lak. I am told it will be $120. I realize that sounds crazy, but considering how much I’ve already invested and that I have to be on a flight Monday evening to meet my friend in Bangkok and you can’t fly within 24-hours of diving, I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t do it. The kicker, though, was that I needed to be there in 90 minutes and the drive, if traffic and all of the elements combined cooperated, would be at least 90 minutes.

Here’s where I do well in a crisis (realizing that this is hardly a crisis in the grand scheme of things, but felt that way at the time). I am a pragmatist. I think through the situation, find the best possible solution, and move forward with it. I may have a moment of emotion, but then my rational brain kicks in and reminds me that emotions are pointless in such situations as they cannot do anything to help.

At this point, the desk clerk is calling the dive shop guy to confirm that I can get on the boat (I could) and where I need to be dropped off so he could explain it to the taxi driver. I confirm that I will pay cash for the ride. The taxi driver shows up and we’re off.

Where I don’t do well in a crisis is when there is driving involved and I’m not the one doing it. But, amazingly, in a world where you can never count on a taxi driver, I got one that drove just as I would drive. And I could see the determination in his eyes to get me there in time. Not because he really cared about me getting there, but because he wanted to prove he could do it. And that was just the determination I was looking for. And 90 LONG minutes later, I made it. I was on the speed boat, awaiting the arrival of the others who were to come as well. Seriously, I wish I had caught the name of the desk clerk and taxi driver (I asked for them, but me and foreign names don’t always understand one another so well…) because they were both champs.

And that covers my first 36 hours of a 10 day trip. More to come…

christmas eve in hkg

Posted on January 17, 2013 by chloe elizabeth

On Monday, we headed out to Lantau Island to take the Ngong Ping 360 to see the Tian Tan Buddha. It was quite a trek out there and we got a late start, but it was totally worth it. The views from the gondola alone were worth it, but the buddha was pretty cool, too.

After we got back to the bottom of the gondola, I made Tanya go into the outlets with me where I found this gem on super sale.

And then we had a late lunch at what was by far the nicest Pizza Hut I’d ever been to. I know. Pizza Hut? But really, it was awesome.

Before heading back to Hong Kong Island, we “needed” to go to the jade market (we’d missed it the night before) in Kowloon, so that’s what we did. It was quite an experience. I got some awesome jade jewelry for super cheap (no idea why I don’t have photos of it) but I also got harassed and pulled, literally, by a few of the merchants. It was not my favorite thing ever, but it was totally worth it.

On our way back to the subway, we walked through another market. I did get photos of that.

And we finished the evening off with a little more high-end window shopping. I was tempted to actually shop, but then I did the math comparing the price of a purse with a plane ticket and realized it wasn’t worth it to me…right now. Even if it was Christmas Eve.

It was really fun to wander around the mall and feel like I was having a true Christmas Eve experience (at least in the style of my family). I even got a little dose of the Nutcracker during a mall performance.

We finished it off with a Christmas Eve meal (no Chinese food, though). One of my favorite moments of the evening was when the restaurant wouldn’t seat us at a table because we didn’t have reservations so we had to sit at the bar. I’m used to Asia and the necessity of reservations, but for Tanya, this was new and she truly believed we were on the receiving end of a xenophobic’s discrimination. I assured her several times that such was not the case, but we still joke about it. Such a perfect end to a great long weekend!

sunday in hkg

Posted on January 13, 2013 by chloe elizabeth

Central

We spent Sunday morning exploring and doing a little shopping (mostly of the window variety).

As previously mentioned, Asia apparently LOVES Christmas. It was quite interesting to see just how serious they are about their decorations.

I did buy some new shoes. They’re no Louboutin’s, but I loved them and I needed them…poor planning on my part for walking up Victoria Peak left me a little blistered.

One of the most interesting parts of Sunday morning was a brief stop in Statue Square (I didn’t get any photos, apparently.) The guidebook I had (yes, I do use guidebooks) mentioned that on Sundays, Filipino women gather here to meet with each other. And it was totally accurate! So interesting to see other places and how foreigners live in them. And I have an entirely new empathy for such cultural cohesiveness.

During lunch, I pulled out the map and book to plan the rest of our day and Monday. Tanya was feeling too much pressure to make decisions because we didn’t have a plan. 😉

Kowloon

Tanya had done some great pre-trip planning and found a couple of restaurants for us to go to. So, I made reservations at one of them for Sunday evening. Because it was across the bay, we boarded a ferry and headed over a little early to want around and experience the area.

Well, Kowloon is a totally different experience from Central. I haven’t been to mainland China, but I imagine this is like China-light. Super crowded, but maybe a little nicer? Seriously, after the lovely streets of Central and the enjoyable strolls and window shopping, this was like enter a shark tank. It was INSANE.

Can you feel how crowded and claustrophobic it was?

That said, it was still super fun and interesting and we saw some fascinating things as we wandered around and did a little shopping.

Like this pink and purple camouflage sweat suit.

And this window display. Sorry if this offends anyone, but seriously, Tanya and I joked about this for the rest of her trip here. I wonder how many times we do things like this in America because we don’t understand. Although, I suppose we’re pretty multicultural, so maybe we don’t? (Wishful thinking?)

We like to refer to him as green, beatnik Jesus.

Wall of bears, anyone?

It turns out this means something in Japanese (and it has nothing to do with clothes, but neither do lots of American store names). It’s an extinct freshwater killifish.

So, after we wandered and window shopped and people watched for a bit, it was time for dinner. As mentioned, Tanya found this restaurant. It’s called Hutong (be warned, the site plays music upon opening) and was a recommendation in a NY Times article, both for the food and the view. It did not disappoint on either count.

Beautiful Hong Kong Island as seen from Kowloon. The photos do not do it justice!

I felt like I had to order the crispy duck. We were almost in China, after all. And it was amazing!

After dinner we wandered around a bit more and hit up Temple Street Night Market. I didn’t get any photos, because I was too busy haggling (and still being swindled) over the price of some souvenirs. I did get some great bowls, but…I payed about $5 more than I should have. Which wouldn’t be so bad if what I had paid hadn’t been $10. Painful. But a fun story.

And then we head back to our island, enjoying some incredible views of the city as we went.

The buildings are always lit up, I understand, but this time of year they were lit up for Christmas. And while I know it’s mainly a commercial thing here, it still made me feel a little more Christmasy!

Loved the reflections in the water (even if the photo is a bit blurry).

And thus ends day two in HKG. So much more to come of my cute cousin’s first trip to Asia!

hong kong – day one

Posted on January 6, 2013 by chloe elizabeth

Having gone home in November for my birthday, I knew going home for Christmas wasn’t going to be an option, so I decided to go to Hong Kong for a long weekend because, well, why not? And then my cousin decided she’d like to come over to my neck of the woods and join me for the trip and then come play in Tokyo for a while afterwards. Nine days in all. And we had so much fun.

View from our hotel room – it wasn’t super clear that first day, but you can see the other side of the bay if you look carefully.

Hong Kong is an amazing city. As this assignment in Japan is the first time I’ve been to Asia, all of it is new to me. I had heard good things about Hong Kong and with it being a short four hour flight from Tokyo, it’s an easy long-weekend destination.

Loved these super cute little trams going along the bay.

We had lunch at a restaurant on Victoria Peak that was all decked out for Christmas and had an amazing view!

After lunch we went for a walk/hike up to the very top of the peak and wandered through the gardens. It was so pretty…but I was not wearing the best shoes for it. Totally rookie mistake.

And then we took in the views. Such a beautiful city!

Thankfully, one of my former bosses gave me some great recommendations about where to stay. Of course, her top picks for hotels were a little outside of my budget, but I was able to get in the same neighborhood and I’m so glad I did. We were staying in a great location, as I would discover.

There’s something about peaks and hearts in Asia. Here, Seoul…

With as busy as I’d been at work leading up to the trip, I hadn’t had a lot of time to plan out what we were going to do, so other than a hotel and a couple of restaurant reservations, we were just going with the flow.

The Christmas theme was going on everywhere – including inside the tower on Victoria Peak where we got to listen to a high school band/orchestra play Christmas songs.

So, we spent our first day up on Victoria Peak and wandering through the city checking things out. For those of you who may go to Hong Kong in the future, I got some great advice from one of my friends before going…to take the bus up to the peak and the tram back down (most people just take the tram both ways); the reason being that you get to see so much more from the bus and it is SO CHEAP! It takes a little longer but it’s totally worth it.

I wish you could tell how steep it was on the way down from this photo because it was steep.

The Governor’s Mansion

Hong Kong is super hilly–like San Francisco hilly–and one of the things they’ve done to help people in terms of transportation is to install these escalators that take its riders up or down the side of the mountain (depending on the time of day, they change directions). Seriously, they are pretty incredible. Which is why I took a bunch of photos.