Traveling with the MAK

Missing the €... even after the exchange rate

2011-08-26T21:38:00.027-04:00

Hello folks! I have been back from my father-daughter-European cruise since 7/25. Sadly, since my cruising experience, I have return to the real world. Hopefully, my new job provides the big bucks to go on a fabulous trip in the future. In the meantime, enjoy Italy, Greece and Turkey via Royal Caribbean.

Day 1. Rome. We arrived early Saturday morning. After checking into our hotel, we decided to hop on a hop-on-and-off tour bus! First stop, the Colosseum!

Pretty amazing site. The structure is massive and brimming with tourists!

After walking around the Colosseum, it was time to hop back on the bus. Luckily, we found some shade to wait in.

Sitting on the top of the bus proved to be really hot!

Our second stop, Vatican City! Piazza di San Pietro is huge. It can fit 400K people. It was so nice and sunny -- I wanted to jump into this fountain!

After walking around Piazza di San Pietro, the most logical place to go to was Saint Peter's Basilica. All the other tourists had the same game plan, so we stood on the LOOONG line. While on line, we found this Swiss guard hard at work -- protecting the pope.

Even though we waited in line, Saint Peter's Basilica would turn me away... because I wore a sleeveless shirt. Major oops on my part. Unlike the temples in Bangkok where you can borrow a sarong, extra coverings are not provided in the Vatican City.

Well, that concluded our first day in Rome. We didn't take advantage of the hop-on-and-off bus by getting off at every location since we were tired. After a quick bite of okay pasta, we turned in for the night.

Day 2. Rome. Before getting picked up to go to Civitavecchia for our cruise, we walked around again. My dad found these tiny cars highly amusing.

I took a look at the magnets to see if there was one I'd like to add to my magnets from around the world collection.

We were shortly picked up and drove for over a hour to get to Civitavecchia, apparently the heart of Italy.

The boarding process was surprisingly efficient. Bags were taken, passports checked, room keys given and onto the boat we went. Once inside, everyone ventured off to explore the ship's offerings.

Then we set sail! To our next stop, Sicily!

Day 3. Sicily. In the morning, we approached our port of call.

Here is Messina harbor, where on one side you can see Sicily and the other side you can see the tip of the boot aka Italy.

Off the boat we went. So long, Navigator of the Seas! See you in a few hours!

First stop, to see one of Mount Etna's craters. This one was formed in 2001. Btw, recently there was a volcano eruption. Can you see the ash?

But before exploring the craters, we found these cannolis. Yum!

Off to climb crater number 1.

The terrain proved to be nice and sturdy -- perfect for climbing (Did you detect the sarcasm?)

Off I went, in my flip flops! Btw, can you see my dad? He is the white figure climbing below. Soon, I found that I was the only going up the loose gravel path.

I was sure surprised to find something growing on this terrain.

The glorious view from the top.

Happy to have made it up and later back down without falling :)

Crater 2, Crateri Silvestri. Both my dad and I climbed this one. My feet were happy.

Cloud cover changed the colors -- neato!

Lots of tourists were walking along the crater.

Do you like my black socks?

The path I climbed earlier is on the right. Haha.. never again in flip flops :P

Then we were off to Taormina, a beautiful town that sits high on the mountain. Here are the winding roads we drove along to get to town.

In one of the many piazzas.

All the trees were in bloom with these pretty flowers!

In town, there is one long main street that you walk along. See all the shops!

At the end of the street, there is a Greek/Roman theater.

This theater is still used today.

Gift for mom?

On the way back, I had a special Sicilian treat -- Arancino Al Ragu. Fried rice balls with a meat center. It was so good!

Day 4. At Sea. The evening before, we sailed away from the tip of the boot and began our journey to Greece. We would have to be at sea all day. Since I have never been much of a sun bather, I didn't take to sitting on the deck like all the other cruisers. Instead, I played around with my camera and shot manually.

Having fun w/over exposure!

Overexposed yet again!

After a day of walking around, shooting pictures, eating and watching movies, I was ready to see land again!

Day 5. Athens. Bright and early, soon after docking, we were off (soon after 7 am) to explore Greece. We decided to skip the guided tours and venture off the boat on our own. Thank goodness the metro system takes to you all the sites given the taxi strike! Here we are finding our way through narrow streets.

The Acropolis!

Hmm, why are there lego pieces??

The Parthenon.

The Erechtheum.

All the loose stones are numbered.

View of Athens.

Some of the other ruins around the site.

Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus.

Unlike the Greek theater in Sicily, this is clearly not used.

After walking around the sites, we ventured off to the New Acropolis Museum. At the entry way, if you look down, you can see an excavation. Super cool! Btw, if you are going to the Acropolis, a visit to the museum is highly recommended. Not only does it have AC, but you get to learn about the origins of the Acropolis. It's pretty amazing what the Acropolis looked like after centuries of being destroyed, pillaged and now restored.

Coolest entrance to museum ever!

After cooling down, next stop -- literally a few steps away. Hadrian's Arch.

This poor guy/gal most likely need AC.

On our way to the Temple of Zeus, I took note of the note.

Temple of Zeus.

Can you see the Acropolis?

Amazing detail.

View of the Acropolis. Amazing how those massive structures were built on top.

Goodbye, dog. Stay cool!

Then we walked around Plaka, cute area filled with shops for tourists. Here are some of the things we saw.

My lunch. Lamb gyro -- the best ever :P** Yes, I know it's hard to see the lamb under the fries, but I was too hungry to take another picture.

Around the metro stop, we stumbled onto Hadrian's Library.

Once back on the metro, to the port we went. Again, I stopped to take pictures of flowers.

After dinner, I returned to find this guy waiting for me. He stole my shades!

Day 6. Kusadasi. The great thing about cruises, if it's not too far, you can get to your next destination, in this case country, overnight. Once, we docked in Kusadasi (Turkey), we ventured off to Ephesus. One of the best preserved Roman ruins. You can even walk on the marble streets that the Romans walked on.

According to our guide, this statue of the goddess Nike inspired the Nike swoosh.

The street leading to the Library of Celsius.

I spy Medusa!

Ancient marble road.

Along the way, we stopped by the bathroom. That's right. You are looking at ancient toilets, where you sit next to your friend while taking 1, 2 or 3. I hope people observed the rules of the subway... sit in every other seat when toilets are not crowded.

After leaving the bathroom, we walked some more. Can you see the ancient writing?

Finally, the library of Celsius. It used to hold thousands of scrolls.

Amazing up close!

After leaving the library, off to the marketplace.

I wonder what this cat was thinking... perhaps, "Stop taking pictures of me!"

The Great Theatre. It can seat 25,000 people. It's amazingly well preserved.

A touristy show -- why not? It lasted for 10 minutes. I was surprised that no one asked for money afterwards.

Goodbye, Ephesus!

Walking out of the ruins.

We saw this cutie!

A trip to Turkey would not be complete without getting pulled into a rug shop. The Turkish rug is considered superior due to the double knot technique. The Turkish government subsidies the rug industry, so that the art of the rug making is preserved. They are pretty but quite expensive (makes sense since they are handmade).

Some shops around Kusadasi.

Hmm, interesting magnets...

My delicious lunch... I drool just thinking about how good this was. It's so sad that Turkish food in NYC is so sub par compared to this.

After lunch, we walked around some more. The water was so clear!

Soon it was time to board the boat and sail to our next destination!

Day 7. Crete. Back to Greece! We docked in Chania and ventured off to Agioi Apostoloi beach. I can't even tell you how many times I walked back and forth the beach since I didn't know what to do to pass the time. Hence, pictures for you.

Let's see what I can find.. under the sea!

Grass.

Rocks.

Above the water, I saw these funny trees.

In the sand, I found this rock. Good for skipping across the water.

If you dug in the sand, one could find these tiny seashells.

Finally, after a few hours on the beach, back to the boat we went. At the end of the night, I found this odd woman, sporting my sunglasses.

Day 8. At Sea. From Crete, Greece we would sail all night and day to Rome, Italy. Luckily there were lots of activities on the boat. First stop, towel folding demonstration. Cranes, turtles, monkeys -- oh my!

Bulldog.

Elephant.

People.

Bat or bird? You can pick.

Then off to an ice craving demonstration.

Hard at work!

An eagle!

On the sunning/pool deck, there were fruit carvings.

I thought these flowers were amazing.

Day 9. Rome. Early morning, we were back were we started, Roma! Here's round 2 of the Vatican city. I wore the appropriate attire, but when we got to the Piazza, the line to get into Saint Peter's looped around the entire Piazza. If it weren't so hot, I would have waited, but thought -- hey, let's go to the museum instead. But alas, the museum was closed on Sunday :(

So off to the Piazza di Spagna aka Spanish Steps.

After climbing the steps, we arrived at Trinità dei Monti, a church. Taking a look back at the Spanish Steps from the church.

Amazing clear day :)

More sites around Rome. For those going to Rome, Rome is a great walking city :)

We saw these rubber toys being hurled everywhere on the trip. SPLAT!

Roasted Chestnuts.

Statues or people?

Amazing detail.

An interesting coke can.

Street art.

Trevi Fountain. If you throw a coin, you are supposed to come back to Rome. I don't need to throw a coin to come back... :)

I get distracted by things that look like food. Pasta magnets!

I was ready to take a shot of the pigeon drinking water and then a kid scared the pigeon. Here's the pigeon flying away shot.

Pantheon.

Inside.

Piazza Navone.

Can you see the bubbles in the shot? Look very carefully (Click the image, it will get bigger).

Soon after visiting Piazza Navone, we went back to the hotel. We quickly checked into our room and then ventured out again to fill our empty bellies. We ended up back near the Pantheon to eat. We were quite pleased. The pasta was amazing :)

This dinner was an awesome way to end our trip.

Day 10. NYC. At 9 am, we were off to the airport. Given the time difference, we didn't lose a day on the way back home. This concludes the father-daughter cruise.

Ciao, hope you enjoyed following the MAK and her dad in Italy, Greece and Turkey!

16,858 award miles later!

2011-07-06T03:52:00.000-04:00

Hello! It's almost a full week since I have been back from the motherland and Hong Kong. I am now the proud owner of over 16K award miles on United. Anyway, here's what when down in Korea and HK.

Day 1. Seoul. Upon landing in Seoul, fried chicken found its way onto our dinner plates. This fried chicken is actually oven-baked. Soooo delicious!

Although Seoul's nightlife called, the night came to an early end, since an early morning flight to Jejudo awaited. In Jejudo, we'd embark on a 6-day tour of Korea (yes, I was a full-blown tourist) that took us through Jejudo, Busan and up through Seoul.

Day 2. Jejudo. The flight from Seoul to Jejudo was quick -- a nice treat after a long international flight. As soon as we landed the tour guide picked us up and started taking us around the island.

Dragon tiles.

Mermaid statue near Yongduam (Dragon Head Rock).

Do you see the Dragon's head and body?

Around Yongduam, frogs made from basalt (volcanic rock) can be found.

along with a "Beware of the dog" sign and dog.

Possibly our lunch?

Mini Dol Harebangs for sale.

Dol Harebangs are guardians of Jejudo, so they can be found all over the island.

Tree lava mold.

Right before dinner, we drove onto Goblin Road. The bus driver turned off engine and the bus rolled uphill. The guide then instructed us to get off the bus. On the road, the guide poured water downhill, but the water reversed course and rolled uphill. Magic?? Nah, just an optical illusion.

We then headed off to eat and then promptly went to bed.

Day 3. Jejudo. The first stop was Jusangjeolli Cliff along Jungman Daepo Coast.

These hexagon pillars were formed when Mt. Halla erupted into the sea.

In the surrounding area, I pondered, "Does Sally sell a giant seashell by the seashore?"

Our guide then took us to Sokbujak Theme Park. I'm not sure how this place is a theme park, when there are a just a bunch of gardens... or why we would even visit this place (the truth would be revealed later).

We did see this bee, which would meet its demise by getting sat on by a tourist!

The truth revealed... cultivated mountain ginseng, which the park sold as a scam. The park representative claimed this ginseng was more potent than other ginseng. Sadly, the almost the entire group fell for the trap and bought a bottle (We would not find out that we had been duped until our new guide in Busan told us so). Another fact, the guide in Jejudo got a commission on all the sales... she is so evil. :(

Oh Korea, why did you give us a guide that wanted to sell tourists garbage?!

Anyway, after the theme park, we got taken away by boat.

To an underwater vessel.

Under the sea. Under the sea.

Darling, it's better down where it's wetter -- take it from me!

Well, although fish think it's better under the sea, we decided to resurface.

Upon surfacing, I found even more fascinating creatures only found in Korea and perhaps other Asian countries -- a couple in an actual couple outfit!

More views on the boat ride back to land!

Next destination, Sanbang Mountain, the home of Sanbanggul Temple. At the top of the mountain is a cave with a statue of Buddha. Along the trail to the cave, here are some notable images.

Final destination -- temple inside a cave.

Water drips inside. Drinking the water extends life expectancy.

Carvings near the entrance of the temple.

Leaving the cave, some more interesting figurines.

Where's Waldo?

Soon after the temple, we headed off towards Olle Trail.

Along the trail were random exercise machines. I'm still pondering why...

View along Olle trail.

Goats hanging out on the trail.

More wildlife!

At the bottom of the trail.

Black sand on the beach.

After the walk, it was dinner time! To Elston's dismay -- more seafood.

Day 4. Jejudo and Busan. On the last day at Jejudo, we were off to Seongsan IIchulbong Peak. It was so hot...

At the top, we saw this crater.

Then off to a folk village. Do you see the pig?

Surprise, surprise! This village had special wares to sell -- a special panacea. Horse bone marrow pellets. The pellets didn't taste like anything, but should have tasted like another scam. Oh evil tour guide, why? Luckily, most folks did not fall for this one -- whew :)

In the early afternoon, we departed ways with our evil tour guide for our Busan flight! Yay, in Busan, our guide was 100x better. He spoke fluent English, made sure everyone was happy and didn't try to scam us into buying worthless junk :)

First stop in Busan...

Jagalchi Fish Market.

After touring the market, it was time to eat. Most folks went to eat live seafood (Freshly killed and still moving). Elston had gotten tired of fish, so we ate tonkatsu with a few other tourists (mostly kids :P) who could not stomach more seafood.

Day 5. Busan and Gyeonju. Haeundae Beach was right outside our hotel in Busan. Too bad it was raining!

Around our hotel.

At 10 am, we departed Busan and drove towards Yonggungsa Temple. Yonggungsa is a Buddhist temple located by the sea. On our way to the temple, we saw these Zodiac statues. See my zodiac? ... Oink Oink!

The monks

chose a really great location :)

108 steps to get the temple.

Around the temple... more piggies!

Also, some other figurines. Do you see the "deer" caught in the headlights?

Did you know that the monk's brown bag was used to collect food? One of my fellow tourists remembered that when he was a child, the monks would stop by his house asking for food.

Inside the temple.

Onward to Gyeonju to see Cheomsungdae, an ancient observatory. Doesn't seem that high to me to be an observatory... curious indeed.

Royal tombs from the Silla Dynasty.

A parade of blue "raincoats" or high-end garbage bags depart for Bulguksa Temple Complex.

First, we visit Sokgulam Grotto, a man-made structure that houses a large Buddha statue. The structure is buried under massive rocks. No pictures were allowed, so I opted to capture the lanterns around the grotto.

Ooh, pretty colors!

Frog alert!

Deeper into the Bulguksa Temple Complex.

Can you guess which pagoda represents female and male? Hint, the female is more complex. And most obviously, I am standing in front of the female pagoda.

The hidden golden pig.

Another lucky pig!

For dinner, we went to a 8,000 won buffet dinner. Alas, it was not like the Korean buffets found in the States. Oh well, off to bed we went!

Day 6. Andong. First stop, Hahoe Folk Village. This village is enclosed by a river on all sides.

Rice, rice, baby!

Traditional houses.

Grass roof. Replaced every few years.

In the village, is a giant wishing tree.

Tying a wish.

Hopefully, these wishes were granted!

After making a wish, we saw the house where Queen Elizabeth stayed during her visit to Korea.

Hmm... garlic breath.

New house under construction.

The adorable puppy wandering around.

Massive swing.

Kids on massive swing!

My attempt to catch air on massive swing.

After the village, we drove north and reached Dodamsambong, Rocks of Danyang. These rocks sit in the Namhangang (river). The rocks are representative of a husband, wife and mistress. The two rocks from the right are husband and mistress. They sit facing each other. The rock on the left is the wife who has been cast aside. Can you see that the husband has his back turned away from his wife?

The day came to an end with the most delicious dumpling soup and karaoke!

Day 7. Seorak Mountain and Seoul. On the last day of our Korea tour, the sun did not make an appearance. Oh well -- rain or shine, off to Seorak Mountain!

On the mountain, I found a pool of water that was home to some very busy frogs.

Woah, who knew the underside was orange! I let them get back to work. :P

View down the mountain.

Magic faucet on the mountain.

Buddha statue at the bottom.

After lunch, we then headed back to Seoul. After checking into our hotel, Elston and I were off to meet up w/KJ and his gf for dinner in Apgujeongdong. For dinner we had lots of bbq pork. After bbq, I was able to wash dinner down with this hot grapefruit tea at Miel (cafe in Apugu).

As per request, people who dislike pictures online shall worry no more :)

Day 8. DMZ. We booked a tour to the DMZ, which was really awesome. I couldn't bring my camera because my camera's zoom exceeded the permissible amount. Luckily, BlackBerry cameras were okay. Once I get the pictures, DMZ pictures to come!

Day 9. Seoul. Off to Samcheongdong-gil, a really cute area with art galleries, traditional tea places and cafes. Here, I met with my cousins and her daughter for lunch and waffles. Apparently, waffles are popular in Korea.

After lunch and waffles, we explored Hongdae until dinner with Chris. Chris and Elston seem happy after waffle (again) dessert.

Day 10. Hong Kong. Bright and early, we were off to Hong Kong. Since I had been in Hong Kong two years ago, this trip was centered around relaxing, some shopping (Elston's tailored suit) and meeting up w/friends. First friend, Sharon! :)

Day 11. Hong Kong. Day 2 in Hong Kong, we headed towards Jade Garden in Wan Chai for dim sum. It only took us a hour to get there since we got lost and had incomplete directions. Oops xP.

Shopping for toys in Kowloon and Wanchai.

Dinner at Crystal Jade.

Day 12. Hong Kong. On our last full day in Hong Kong, we went to see the peak. There we found my noodles. Har har.

MAK's wonton noodles.

On our way towards the peak, I saw this heart inscribed in moss.

On the top -- here's the cloudy view.

This picture sums up our trip in Asia, especially in Hong Kong. Rain = A Given!

Cable car from the peak.

Actual cables!

After the peak, another round of dim sum and more shopping, we met up with Joon for dinner. I was so hungry and tired that I didn't bother to take any pictures -- but, heh, it was delicious :P**

Day 13 - 14. Hong Kong and Seoul. The last two days in Asia were transit days. First from Hong Kong to Incheon, Korea. Second from Korea to USA. The only thing I did was walk around the duty free shops. I abstained from making any purchases :)

Hope you enjoyed following the MAK in Korea and Hong Kong! Travels shall resume in 2 weeks ;)

Missing meat pies, bungy cords, and coral!

2011-01-21T17:33:00.000-05:00

Howdy folks! I have been back since Monday evening and am glad to not be on a plane, especially since I was stuck in the middle seat from SYD to SFO and SFO to JFK! Here is a fun riddle, how many planes were taken for the trip down under? .... 11. Heh, I am rackin' up on the miles! Here is the rest of the trip!

Day 13. Cairns. The day started bright and early, as we ventured to see the Great Barrier Reef! We went scuba diving, snorkeling and stuffed our face with food. Here is my scuba gear!

Back of boat -- wheee!

Goggles making me look "Oriental" (Apparently, in Sydney, using "Oriental" is the norm).

Changing shades of water!

Ooooh!

Ahhh... glass-bottom boat!

Unfortunately, looking through the glass bottom made me nauseous, so here is another shot of the water. Can you see the reef?

As you can tell, the weather was in our favor. Clear skies allowed for great visibility! The sea turtle and bright blue starfish were my favorite. Some parts of the water were so shallow that one doesn't even need to scuba dive to see the reef up close. Amazing indeed.

Day 14 and 15. Cairns and Sydney. The rest of my time in Australia, in both cities, entailed relaxing. I tend to use transit days to leisurely walk around the town/city until it is time to head for the airport. So no exciting pictures to post. Also, the heat and humidity in Cairns helped me stay mellow. In Sydney, I hung out in Chinatown until it was time to go to the airport -- I was ready to come home!

I hope you enjoyed traveling with the MAK! :)

My time as a Kiwi and Aussie, mate!

2011-01-16T10:12:00.000-05:00

Kia Ora (Kiwi lingo) and G'day, mate (Aussie lingo)! It's day 14, my last day in Cairns. Yesterday, I went to the Great Barrier Reef and saw a white tipped reef shark, sea turtle, blue lagoon sting ray, blue starfish, clown fish and even held a sea cucumber. Anyway, now it's time for a massive update -- starting from day 1 all the way to day 12. Enjoy!

Day 1. Sydney. Arriving at Sydney after 24 plus hours of being in transit, I get to try my first meat pie!

I then went on a walking tour of Sydney and took these shots.

Stopped by the opera house -- can you see it behind the art installation?

Ahh, so this is what the Opera House roof tiles look like!

More Opera house

Folks walking on Harbor Bridge!

Hey, look at the FOB!

Bye bye, Opera house -- until we meet again!

Day 2. Queenstown. As much as I liked Sydney for the wide streets, plazas, and harbours, I fell in love with Queenstown. The scenery was stunning. As your plane starts its descent, you can see the mountains and lakes – simply gorgeous! Queenstown is surrounded by mountains and sits on a lake. Anyway, on our walk to the train station to get to Sydney airport, saw this cool painting.

Upon landing in New Zealand, I discover a new friend.

Or new love?

Hmm, I like Queenstown already!

Do you see the bees?

How many people to you spy?

Botswana butchery for dinner!

Given lambs outnumber people in New Zealand, I had to get some in my stomach. Lamb -- so good, so tender, so delicious!

Finishing off dinner with Patagonia ice cream! Heavenly!

Then we explored the shops. Interesting Kiwi goods made for tourists

I was not happy with the skinning of Kims :( Just kidding, it's sheep!

Trista discovered a little Naijia.

Orlando Bloom, you are in NZ, too?

Sunset, well after 9 or even 10 pm!

Haha, more sheep!

Day 6. Queenstown. After days of bungy jumps and scenic tours, I walked had a down-time day and saw these things on my walk.

Street fair!

Soap -- not food!

The end of Queenstown :*)

Day 7. Taupo. Once the morning hit, we parted ways with South Island. This is Taupo Airport -- tiny indeed.

We then walked around Taupo, where you can find NZ's largest lake.

Rainbow!

Lake!

Pumice stones can be found all around the lake.

After seeing these Black swans (oops, should have used a tripod), we went to bed.

Day 8. Taupo. The day started early at 7:30 am, so we could drive to Waitomo. On the way, we stopped along this tree reserve.

Giant tree!

Fern!

An even bigger giant tree!

Fallen over tree :(

Back on the road!

At last, we arrived in Waitomo. There are 380 caves in this one region -- and nothing else. Here, we gear up for Black Water Rafting!

1, 2, 3 -- oops, I blinked.

Best outfit ever!

Since I couldn't bring a camera inside, here is a narration of caving (Sorry, it's a bit lengthy). After getting suited up, we learned the basics of rappelling and into the hole we went. The entrance was hourglass shaped. At times, I thought I was going to crash into the walls. At the bottom of the cave, we found bones, but more amazingly as the eyes adjusted to the dark – you could see lights. The lights were small, bright green dots ( like stars clustered in masses). These were the glow worms. We walked on a metal walkway that led us to a to a flying fox aka zip line. As we rode the zip line, we saw that the top of the ceiling was covered with more glow worms -- neato! Upon landing on ground, we were given hot chocolate and cookies and were handed inner tubes. Holding onto the tubes, we jumped into the water! And the paddling began through the cave, where the ceiling was covered with glowworms. We soon learned that the glow was not worms, but actually the droppings of carnivorous maggots – otherwords, glowing poop.

We then paddled back the way we came and started walking. Soon, we came upon a slide. After sliding down, the women (all 4) decided to relieve ourselves in the cave (No wonder the wet suits smell gross).

After the bathroom break, onward we went. Soon we were crawling through a crawl space that led to a waterfall. To get past the waterfall, we had to climb it. After climbing up the first, we came upon a second waterfall. We walked some more until we saw sunlight coming through a side opening to emerge into the outside world again. Black water rafting was done!

On our way home, we stopped by this mud pool!

Don't touch -- its hot!

Day 9. Taupo. On our last day in Taupo, we decided to take a long walk to Huka falls and Prawn park. We saw these things along the way.

Hot pools in the park.

Spider eggs are hidden inside!

Manuka flower.

Fallen tree.

Can you figure out who is who.... :P

Answer: Naijia, Trista and me. And now, ferns!

Huka falls -- more like Huka rapids!

Hello, helicopter!

We make it to the prawn park. We hoped that we'd catch many prawns to eat.

Ox heart for bait.

Humans: 0 Prawns: 1. As you can imagine, we went home with empty bellies :(

After admitting defeat, we boarded our plane to Auckland. In Auckland, I found good use for my tripod.

and found this interesting drink.

After our walk around Auckland, we promptly went to bed, since we had to wake up at 4:30 am to make our early morning flight to Sydney!

Day 10. Sydney. We were so happy to come back to OZ after staying in Auckland and Taupo. First stop, Harry's to eat "The best meat pie ever!" -- according to my guide from my first day in Sydney.

Beef and Mushy pies!

Then off to the Opera house again, but this time with a proper Opera house tour. Here is it from the inside.

Outside the Opera house, we walked through Mirazoo, a cool art installation!

Then to Bondi beach. Hmm, this kid has the right idea!

Cool patterns on rocks along the coastal walk.

I <3 Sydney!

After walking, my stomach felt empty. Time to eat!

Crocodile and kangaroo pizza! Crocodile tastes like chicken, but a bit more rubbery, while Kangaroo tastes like a leaner beef with an interesting aftertaste at the end (not sure how to describe it).

Day 11. Sydney. We had quite of bit of time before our flight to Cairns, so off to Taronga Zoo! The Red Kangaroo jumped away from us :(

Tasmanian devil.

Just lying around.

Emu -- you have eluded our dinner plates very successfully!

Koala!

Not a zoo exhibit.

After seeing Kangaroos, I proceeded to eat this Kangaroo burger, from a Turkish kebab place run by a man that can speak Korean fluently. Then to the airport we went!

Day 12. Cairns. After a first night's rest in Cairns, I started my adventure -- exploring Cairns! (Naijia and Trista went rafting for the day).

Rusty's fruit market, where you have fruit grown by locals, as well as cheap street food -- my kind of place indeed!

Then I embarked towards the lagoon -- a swimming pool right by the water.

Which then led me to the esplanade.

At 2 pm, my rain forest tour began. Along the way we came across these kangaroos! The fifth one from the left is a mom and her joey (baby). The joey, quite large, is still drinking its mom's milk!

Up in the trees -- bats!

Then we entered the forest! Quite amazing the amount of trees, vines, and vines that are as thick as tree branches.

The guide said, "The forest is always watching you." We shortly spied the Forest Dragon, who was spying on us! Apologies for the blurry picture -- it is quite dark under the tree canopy and I did not have time to use a tripod. We also saw a wild turkey and skink.

Emerging out of the forest.

Lake Barrine.

Along the way, we ate many types of plants and berries. This is one of our snacks. It's a type of ginger -- the yellow parts are yummy.

Another ginger plant -- more treats for me!

Now, the search for platypus! We were looking hard for air bubbles.

After starring and seeing nothing, the guide calls us over. The elusive platypus! We watched this critter swim around --- cute indeed.

This is the scene outside our restaurant.

On further inspection, we have visitors!

And even further inspection reveals -- bats!

After dinner, we went to three spots to search for animals (using spot lights). It was so amazing to see the difference in the rain forest experience (day to night). The forest becomes alive as all the animals wake up. Here is everything we saw: platypus, green ringtail possum, panda possum, Herbert river ringtail possum, coppery bushtail possum, Lumholtz's tree kangaroo, agile wallaby, micro bat, spectacled flying fox, saw shelled turtle, northern rainforest skink, Boyd's forest dragon, northern barred frog, green tree frog, oranged-thighed tree frog, green-eyed tree frog, stoney creek frog, cane toad, cairns birdwing butterfly, ulysses butterfly, forest leech (2 sucking my blood), fire fly, huntsman spider, common orb weaver and golden orb weaver. I take seeing the animals in their natural habitat over a zoo any day!

Hope you enjoyed the lengthy post. You'll have to wait for the rest of Cairns and the trip! Cheers!

I heart the world's adrenaline capital

2011-01-07T06:13:00.001-05:00

Today was the day that I would finally put down the New Zealand Dollars and post what's been going on in Queenstown, New Zealand. I present day 4 and 5. Once my bungy pictures are available online, I will post day 1 to 3 in detail. Enjoy!

Day 4. Queenstown. After bungy jumping on Wednesday, we hopped on a bus to Fiordland National Park to see Milford Sound. Here's a cool fact, all of the This would require 3 hours of driving. For our bladders' sake, there were several stops on the way. At the first stop, it appeared my lens had cracked --- dum de dum. However, it was only the UV filter that cracked. Whew -- otherwise, this blog would be dead. So onward with the details of the day! Here is Manapouri.

If a dam had been built, this all would have been covered in H2O. Good thing that people protested and the dam never saw the light of day.

At our lunch stop in Te Anau, we discovered the best venison pies in the world!

V is for Venison.

Deer is prancing around in my belly!

After another hour of driving, we arrive at the park! We drive a bit through a valley.

Then we stop by Mirror lake.

More scenic stops.

Looking refreshed after drinking the water behind me :P

After this picture was taken, there was a lot of raucous by the bus because of this little critter. It's a Kea, an alpine parrot that only can be found in South Island!

Kea are very smart and naturally inquisitive. This one is taking a drink of water from the ground.

Back onto the bus we went. Here is an aftermath of a tree avalanche, which is an all-year round event that happens in the park. Given the little topsoil, trees' roots can't grow deep, but grow wide. The roots of trees become intertwined. Hence, when one tree falls, all before it comes crashing down.

Here are some other flora.

Finally, we reached Milford Sound and promptly boarded our boat.

Once on the cruise, we learned more about the Sound. These waterfalls only appear when it rains. Once the rain stops, these waterfalls disappear.

More vanishing waterfalls.

The Sound is also home to seals. Can you see the two seals?

At the end of the cruise, we docked at Harrison Cove. Here, we had the option to speedboat or kayak and swim. Trista and Naijia opted for kayaking and swimming. I opted to kayak, but swim vicariously through them. Heh, the water apparently was cold.

After dinner, we got to see Harrison Cove at dusk. A wonderful end to an amazing day.

Day 5. Milford Sound. This was the last day at the park. Here is the cove in the morning.

After breakfast we visited the sea, then headed back to land.

On our way, we saw more seals!

And more vanishing waterfalls!

Then we arrived at steep towering cliffs that are as high as the empire state building.

The towering cliffs are almost perfectly straight.

Suddenly, a rare sight appeared --- a patch of blue sky!

As the cruise ended, the sky became moody and dark.

We loaded onto the buses and made our way out of the park. Here is the area right outside Homer Tunnel, which was dug out by workers using picks and dynamite.

Upon leaving the park, we encountered a Kiwi traffic jam!

Luckily, the Kiwi traffic jam cleared quickly.

We ended up in Queenstown a bit after 3 pm. Saturday will be our last full day/night in Queenstown before our flight to Taupo via Auckland. Well, I hope you enjoyed the happenings in and around Queenstown. Cheers!

Hanging by a string is fun!

2011-01-05T23:59:00.000-05:00

Good day mates, it's the end of day 3 and here is a glimpse of New Zealand. Sadly, wifi is not free in Australia or New Zealand and days have been so packed that I have not had time to post. Today was bungy jump day so, here are a few pictures!

Day 3. Queenstown. Today Naijia, Trista and I were booked for 3 jumps. We're pumped for our jumps!

Jump 1. Bridge.

Bathroom break.

Jump 2. Nevis

Chained to the gondola so that jumpers can't escape on the way to the jump site.

The cool viewing floor of Nevis.

Nevis platform.

Trista's jump.

Naijia's jump.

Good bye, Nevis highwire!

After 2 jumps, we were hungry.

Afterwards, we spotted a Kiwi.

Jump 3. Freestyle ledge.

After our adrenaline rush faded, we were hungry. We decided on the mutton bird.

Fatty, salty = good dinner. The end.

Will post in more detail about Australia and New Zealand in the days to come. Thanks :)

Bæ, land where sheep outnumber people!

2010-08-19T15:14:00.000-04:00

Today is my last full day in Iceland. I will be bringing back to the states a runny nose and sore throat :P. But I have good news for y'all -- day 3 and today are posted for your enjoyment!

Day 3. Skaftafell National Park. Iceland has bragging rights to having Europe's largest glacier. To reach this glacier in Skaftafell (part of Vatnajökull National Park), one must drive about 4.5 hours, each way, from Reykjavik. The day started at 7 am and would come to a close at 10:50 pm -- almost 16 hours! Anyway, here are the pictures to prove it!

Our guide warned us not to get close to this piece. He thought that it would collapse any day now.

One of the many holes that we saw on the way.

Our guide decided to throw a rock to show how deep the hole was. Can you see the rock?

Rock is circled in red.

Glacier Moss. The rocks covered in the moss are really squishy and moist. According to our guide, if you were to rip the moss of the rock, it would take 50 years for the moss to grow back.

Ascent.

Do you see the top?

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

This is the landscape that the glacier leaves behind as it pushes forward and melts away. Neat!

Now, if you ask for my personal opinion, I think glacier hiking El Perito Moreno in Argentina is better than my experience in Iceland -- especially for the $$ spent here. This easy hike cost twice as much as the hike in Argentina. Also, I was taken much deeper onto El Perito Moreno (where there is no sediment -- pure white) and had more stunning views of the crevices, caves and tops. I did re-learn about how glaciers' retreat and advance shapes the terrain and smooths the rocks, as well as why the older and more compact glacier ice appears blue (Glacier ice is 3x more compact and melts at a slower rate than normal ice). Although the hike was okay, the Lagoon Tour taken right afterwards was well worth it! :)

Ice

baby!

Very old and compact ice!

Did you know there is a mixture of salt and fresh water here?

Salt prevents the entire Lagoon from freezing.

Btw, some James Bond movie was filmed here. In order to film, the salt water was blocked off, so that the fresh water could freeze. Who knew!

Did I mention that it was raining and freezing on the boat?

Ooh, I spy tourists!

Ah-ha! I got you on camera, too!

This is a real glacier. The ice is supposed to be a 1,000 years old. Our guide preceded to break the ice and passed out pieces for consumption. Eating the glacier ice didn't help with the less than ideal weather conditions -- brrrr!

The guide then pointed out that a seal was playing in the water. I did see it, but wasn't quick enough to capture it on camera! Btw, the water now (summer) is 5 degrees. Oops, I forgot if she said Celsius or Fahrenheit! Anyway, we sailed forth!

The tour ended with sweets -- waffle with jam and whip cream!

Soon, we piled onto the bus for a 5-hour ride. I was glad when we pulled into Reykjavik.

Day 4. Blue Lagoon. Today, I didn't do much except settle my hotel bills, book my airport transfer and visit the Blue Lagoon. I got picked up around 10 am and arrived a little before 11 am. Here is the gorgeous milky blue water!

Look at how the minerals in the water turn the rock white.

The pool... and more importantly the pool bar!

It's super neat here. The water is so dense and thick that you can't see your hands once you are submerged. The water is so nice and very hot, but not too hot. I loved it!

Not quite submerged yet.

Silica that is available in wooden boxes for your slathering needs. Lots of people walking around with white faces --- myself included. It leaves your skin very soft :)

Amazingly, I sat in the lagoon from 11:00 am through 1:45 pm. Now, for those of you that know me are shocked. You are thinking, "Michelle, sat still and didn't get bored for hours?!" Yes, it's true :) I got picked up at 2:30 pm and headed back to Reykjavik. I found this plate of of lamb, goose and puffin around 4 pm (very late lunch). Now, can you find the puffin?

Tada ---- smoked puffin!

The smoked puffin was okay. I was not a fan of any of the more adventurous meats. I am a plain fish or cow or pig kind of girl. Well, for the rest of the day/night, I will be resting since I'd rather not bring back a very runny nose and very scratchy throat on my morning flight back home.

Hope you enjoyed traveling with the MAK in Iceland! :)

Revenge of the shark and whale -- JET LAG on tour!

2010-08-17T18:40:00.004-04:00

The punishment I got for eating Jaws' and Moby Dick's family yesterday is jet lag. A 9-hour tour starting at 8:30 am GMT is really 4:30 am EST --- so I am beat. I cannot succumb to sleep until a more appropriate time, so I give you my Monday night dinner and Tuesday excursion.

Day 1. Reykjavik. I had the best fish and chips ever! Dinner was provided by Icelandic Fish & Chips. The spelt and barley batter made the fish (Ling) so crispy and light. The fish inside was so moist. And every time, I bit into the fish or chips, I got a taste of yummy sea salt. Yes, I am raving about seasoning -- it was so good! Yum :P**

After dinner, I walked along the harbour. Can you guess what time it is?

It is a little after 9:30 pm!

By this time, it was definitely time to hit the sack.

Day 2. Reykjavik. The day started bright and early with the Golden Circle tour! We arrived at Þingvellir National Park. What is neat about this park is that the Mid-Atlantic ridge runs through it. For those of you that did not know, one could stand on the Eurasian plate or the North American plate! This is the North American side.

The guide said those white houses are located on the Eurasian side.

While we walked through the park, our guide told us that in a recent poll, 25% of Icelanders said they believed in elves and that elves like to live in the nooks of lava rock formations, just like this one.

Here are some more things we saw in the park. Below is the drowning pool. 17 women were sentenced to drown in the "Good" old days.

This rock formation is where the first parliament met outdoors from 930 AD to 1798.

I spied this formation all the way on top.

Onward, we went. The plates meet here again!

Ooh, pretty!

Something is shimmering...

Coins! You are supposed to make a wish with each toss. Your wish will come true when you can see it land on the bottom!

Other side of the pool!

I can't stop looking :P

Next stop was the Gullfoss waterfall! Look at the rainbow!

Look at all that water!

Jumping in is not advised.

People must have been making a wish!

Next, we visited some geothermal pools. The first group is called Blesi.

Two pools make up Blesi.

Here is the milky, light blue pool that one can touch --- if water from the adjacent pool has not heated it up too much.

This is the hot pool that heats up the milky one. It's scalding hot! Note the shimmering coins on the bottom... lost for good now.

Next, an erupting geyser. Here is Strokkur, the world's 3rd or 4th largest geyser.

Round 1. Strokkur, the geyser that could!

Ahhh!

AHHHHH!

Round 2. Wait for it...

Oooh!

AHHHH--- holy smokes!

Then we found the Little geyser that couldn't.

More thermal areas.

By this time, I was so exhausted. I wanted the tour to end. But we had three more stops to go. First, to see the faxa waterfall -- small compared to Gullfloss.

The ladder on the side of Faxa is a salmon run. My guide has never seen salmon use the ladder on its migration.

At least, this sign gave me a good laugh. The woman is shorter because she is squatting! According to my guide, originally two of these signs stopped tourists and such from relieving themselves, but someone had the nerve to steal one of the signs! The culprit must have had to go... heh :P

Second stop, Kerið, an implosion crater.. aka sink hole. This is the same crater where a rock concert was held years ago.

Third, a geothermal plant at Hellisheiði. It's pretty neat. It can sustainably generate electricity and supply hot water.

Pipes.

Coffee that failed to wake me up at the end of the tour.

I was so glad when the tour bus dropped me off at my hotel. I was even happier knowing that Saegreifinn is a hop, skip and step away (5 minute walk). At Saegreifinn, I had so many choices! Can you find whale?

On the third row (Counting from top), the dark meat equals Moby Dick's kind. And below are the interesting seating options.

Atop these seats, I chowed down on lobster bisque... so creamy and good!

Hmm, scallops. No more Moby Dick for me :)

The end!

The sharks and whales in my stomach say, "Hæ!"

2010-08-16T15:36:00.004-04:00

Day 1. Reykjavik. First order of business for the day -- take a nap! Flight from JFK to KEY was about 5 hours, but landing at 2 am EST time (6 am GMT) was not pleasant. Shortly after my nap, it was time to eat my first meal of the day. I made it a point to try something very Icelandic, having flown across the ocean blue. Drum roll please, the first meal that I had was a hot dog at Baejarins beztu. Apparently, the hot dog with everything (topped with ketchup, mustard, remoulade sauce, fried and raw onions) is very good --- and it was!

But alas, I was still hungry. I tried to get some advice from these men looking into the ocean, but they didn't have much to say.

Luckily, I found some true Icelanders and got some advice. I soon found myself at Islenski Barinn for my second lunch. Here are my mysterious jars with traditional Icelandic food, minke whale and Icelandic fish stew. Looks harmless enough.

First jar on the right had the fish stew. It was pretty good. Now onto the second jar -- first glance, you see some dill

and underneath the dill, are chunks of seared minke whale. I regret eating this -- especially if this species is endangered. I am sorry Mr. Whale :(

Suddenly, a new jar appeared with Hakarl aka putrefied shark. Well, let me tell you that it tastes as it sounds... Putrefied XP. Even with the brennivin chaser, my head was spinning as the smell filled my nasal cavity. I did manage to eat both pieces. For the second piece, I pinched my nose and attempted to chew quickly, but ended up swallowing the chunk whole. That's the last time I eat shark.

After lunch, off I went to find Hallgrimskirkja.

Wait for it.

Bamn, here it is!

Took a look inside.

Then I ascended to the top for this view of the city.

I spy a fellow tourist taking a picture.

Down I went.

Here is a view from behind the clock.

Then onto the streets I went. My eye saw something glimmer.

Here is it in all its glory.

While walking around, I spied these chairs, which reminded me of how tired I was.

So I wandered back to my lovely bed. As soon as I sat down, I thought, "I'm hungry."

So I decided to peruse this brochure of eating options... I am not sure what kind of cuisine this picture is supposed to depict, so I will ponder for a bit before I venture out to find dinner!

Hope you enjoyed my first day!

Off to the land of sleep deprivation!

2010-08-12T10:49:00.000-04:00

Hello folks! This Sunday, I am off to Iceland, where I will see how well my body can handle almost 22 to 24 hours of sunlight! I foresee myself in bed, helplessly trying to fall asleep with the sun shining brightly -- hurray! As a throwback to May 2009, I will be going solo! I also brought a new toy -- 18mm to 135 mm lens :) I hope to bring you adventures of fermented sharks, geysers and much more!

Tchau tchau, Brazil!

2010-03-28T20:47:00.001-04:00

I am two days overdue on my completed update on Brazil. As promised, here are the missing days, day 3 and 8. Enjoy!

Day 3. Rio de Janiero. EMT and I had plans to see J.C. For those of you that didn't know, J.C. equals Jesus Christ. Before heading off to see J.C. aka Cristo Redentor, we went to go pick up EMT's friends who were staying a few steps away from our hotel. Here are some of the neat things we saw along the way.

Flowers at an outdoor market.

More goodies at the market.

Yummy treats at the market!

Once we met up with Jerry and Laura, we embarked on our journey! After struggling to decipher what the cabbie tried to tell us about the commute to Cristo Redentor, we managed to arrive at the train that takes all the tourists to the top. Look -- even the train chairs are excited about the ride!

Once off the train, we saw this view of Rio.

And wait for it, wait for it -- there is Cristo Redentor in all its glory, even under construction!

After Cristo Redentor, we went back to the outdoor market and grabbed a light bite. Here is our frango pastel.

Sugar Cane Juice.

Mystery Coconut dish that we struggled to order...

Mystery solved! And I was happy to have tried this one :)

Kibe!

We then hung out on the beach until it was time for dinner at Porcão. Here is all the meat that I could not consume.

And the only piece of meat that I did not enjoy (chicken heart)

After inducing food coma, which was accompanied by a major stomach ache, we raced back to the hotel to prevent a disaster in the cab. Heh, I am guessing most people are thinking, "TMI, TMI!" :P

Day 8. Salvador. This day did not lead to too much site seeing given our exhaustion and impending flight. Here are some shots of the pousada and town.

Shots from town.

The end. Hope you enjoyed traveling with the MAK in Brazil :)

Find diamonds in Chapada Diamantina - FAIL

2010-03-26T07:33:00.089-04:00

Hello folks, it is day 8, the last day in Brazil. EMT and I just got back this morning from Lencois, an old diamond mining town. Sadly, we returned from the Diamond Highlands without finding a single gem to make us filthy rich. Here is the rest, but not completed update, of Brazil -- Day 4 through 7. The rest of Brazil will come soon. Thanks :)

Day 4. Salvador. After our last breakfast in Rio, we headed out to the airport to catch our flight to Salvador. After arriving, we promptly went out for lunch.

And began walking along the street.

Saw these strange people.

More things we saw on the streets.

Check out his hairdo.

Coconut telephone booths!

Rubies adorn this statue (Although I could not find them).

Yummy mocequa, a traditional seafood dish made with coconut milk!

After dinner, we left for our night bus to Lencois (Referred to as "The Wilderness" in earlier post).

Day 5. Lencois. Arriving in the wee hours of the morning from Salvador, we headed straight to the pousada for a short nap since our first day of touring Chapada Diamantina (Diamond Highlands) began at 8:30 am. The hit list included seeing Fumaca (called "Smoke" because the water evaporates before hitting the ground) and Riachinho Waterfall. After a steep hike, here is a view of Fumaca from across the way.

We then walked around to see Fumaca again, but first I had to take a sip of Coca Cola from the river.

Across the way, I find this ledge and look down.

And here it is -- Fumaca! See, the water never hits the pool.

On our hike down, we said, "Tchau, Fumaca!"

We walked along more Coca Cola to see Riachinho Waterfall.

Here it is!

By the end of the tour, we were exahusted. After dinner, we fell promptly asleep!

Day 6. Lencois. The second day of touring Chapada Diamantina started early again. We first crossed this bridge constructed of 4 narrow logs.

To see Coca Cola Waters aka Mucugezinho River.

Then we jumped in for a swim at Poco Do Diabo Waterfall!

After drying off, we found this wild passon fruit flower.

And headed off to Morro Do Pai Inaci

View from the top.

Catching major air above Morro Do Pai Inacio!

Itamar, our guide, jumping down to our next destination!

After catching air, we stayed low to the ground and snorkled at Pratinha!

Found these eggs on the rocks.

Then we went to see Poco Azul!

Off to see the second cave of the day.

A little friend greets me on the path. Good thing that I did not step on him!

Before entering the second cave, we were reminded of the no pooping policy.

The mouth of Gruta Lapa Doce

This is the last of daylight that we would see.

Guess what body part this stalactite is supposed to be!

Bad things happened by this stalactite....

Where EMT stepped onto a disappearing rock that caused him to sprain his ankle and lose his memory card :(

After overturning rocks to try to recover EMT's memory card, we sought solice from the angel. See the wings and head?

However, the angel could not bring forth a miracle, so we moved onto the next stalactite. This was the only colored stalactite among the bunch. The orange orginated from water that seeped in from the ground. Underneath the huge stalactite, people say there is a nativity scene (Left) and Bob Marley (Right)

Nativity scene

Leaning tower of Pisa

Supposed to be Buddha?

Do you see the lion?

Jellyfish?

After seeing all the stalactites, the guide shut of the propane lantern and had us sitting in the dark. We heard sounds of people's stomach growling or perhaps of people passing gas. Sadly, the world will never know the origins of the strange sounds heard in the dark. The light soon came on again and we crawled out of the cave. After arriving back to civilization, we sought to eat away our feelings of despair after the evil cave ate EMT's memory card. Hence, to Pave e Come (To See and To Eat) we went. Below is our medication.

Yum! I think we are starting to feel better.

The aftermath! :)

Day 7. Lencois. Given the happenings of the day before, we canceled rappelling and relaxed at our pousada. The only time we left was to satisfy my rumbling stomach. Here is my lunch.

Pave e Come lured us again, but we abstained!

We said, "Sup!" to these horses after lunch.

For the rest of the day, we relaxed some more and then headed onto the night bus back to Salvador.

The land of meats and tiny bikinis

2010-03-22T19:03:00.039-04:00

It is day 4 and we are heading off to the wilderness (Lencois) on the 11:30 pm bus after touring Salvador for a day. We shall be one with nature at one of the largest national parks in Brazil. While I hike and such, please bits and pieces of Rio de Janeiro (Days 1 and 2)!

Day 1. Rio de Janiero. Over 12-hours in the air, we arrive in Rio's Copacabana Beach. As you can see, EMT cannot contain his excitement!

We even pay 2 Real to take a picture with this castle.

Then we stopped and watched this poor coconut get hacked with a knife for our benefit. It was so refreshing!

At the end of the beach, we found Forte de Copacabana.

After leaving the fort, we sought the streets for our first Brazilian meal and stumbled into one of the many corner snack bars. This is the pig with lime who nourished my poor body! He was delish :P**

This Pao de Quejio also found its way into my stomach.

Back to the beach we went!

After a short rest, we ventured off for dinner and ate at a falafel place, but still had one Brazilian item on our menu -- Guarana!

Day 2. Rio de Janiero. On this Saturday morning, there would be no such thing as sleeping in because of the 8:40 am pick up time for our city tour. The first stop was to see the stadium where the sport is played. I am guessing ball shown below is supposed to be a soccer ball.

Here is the stadium from the outside!

Then we drove to the Sambadrome, where carnival takes place.

Into the bus we went and arrived here. Can you guess what is in the reflection?

A cathedral!

See the cross?

Finally, we arrive at Pao de Acucar aka Sugar Loaf! Into the cable cars we go!

The first cable car that went to the loaf.

View of Rio

Our hotel is along this beach!

We worked for our stay in Rio by holding up the loaf!

Also available at the loaf are Havaianas!

And monkeys scurrying about!

And I am scurrying away, too! It is time to pack up for my bus! Stay tuned for day 3 and beyond!

The MAK is back!

2010-03-11T16:47:00.002-05:00

After months of confinement in the U.S. of A, this day next week I will finally get to say, "Tchau, US of A!" If you're fluent in Portuguese, you may have guessed that my target destination is Brazil! Here's the 8-day hit list: (1) Rio de Janerio, (2) Salvador, (3) Lencois, (4) Salvador

I was even able to use my womanly charms to lure a travel companion. Hope you enjoy following the MAK and EMT in BRAZIL!

Note: To qualify as a travel companion, one must have 3 initials in one's name :P

MAK returns many shades darker

2009-06-04T02:35:00.022-04:00

So my trip has come to an end, but I don't feel lonesome at all, as I am battling a new foe, his name is jet lag. The first night was quite fine, as I beat him out by not sleeping a wink on the plane (over 15 hours). Tonight is another story. He has nestled beside me since 1 am and refuses to leave. Due to his presence, y'all can see what I did on my final day in Phuket.

Day 31. Phi Phi. The day started early, as I would be in a speed boat all day hopping around Phi Phi Island. The sand is so fine and quite lovely to walk on! This is Maya Beach. The tour guide didn't stress enough how this was where the movie, "The Beach," was filmed.

Clear waters. See the Coral?

Monkey Island!
Pretty, aye?

Khai Island

Amazingly soft sand :)

Day 32. Hong Kong. I said my final farewell to Phuket's street Pad Thai and headed to the airport. Sadly, my stay in Hong Kong was just overnight. I would be flying across the ocean blue the next morning!

Day 33. New York. Good thing, NY is 12 hours behind Hong Kong, enabling me to not only arrive on the same day that I left, but also in time for lunch! At 2 pm Eastern time, I proceeded to inhale kimchi and bim bim bap in my kitchen.

Until time affords me another adventure, I hope you have enjoyed traveling with the MAK!

Operation rid self of short tan - FAIL

2009-05-30T17:45:00.003-04:00

Day 30. Phuket. I journeyed from more quiet Karon to Patpong. Here is the cheap seafood lunch I found for 140 BHT! Yes, I ate it all :)

Luckily, after a little before noon, the sun came out shining and I even tried to get rid of my short tan on Karon beach. I am sad to report no success -- for now!

Day 31. Racha Yai. Today, I was in for a treat -- my introductory diving course with 2 50-minute dives! After getting picked up at 7:40 am, my instructor and I boarded a boat that took us a hour and half away from Phuket to Racha Yai. I must say that there is nothing that compares to being underwater. Regulating your breathing proves very calming. Hovering over the coral and letting the school of fish swim around you are experiences that I will never forget. Shucks, I always forget to plan around the activity, not location. If I had realized how much fun diving would have been I would have nixed my last 2 full days in Cambodia and came to Phuket to get my PADI certification -- the seeds for my next trip have been planted! :P
Getting ready!These waters beckoned!After 2 dives, you get to feel accomplished by receiving a Certificate of Recognition! Panaeng curry that I inhaled after coming back from the dive! I was bloody hungry!

I shall now retreat into my air conditioned room and watch Korean TV. Before coming to SEA, I never watched Korean soaps. Now these soaps are my major form of entertainment after a tiring day! Oh, the wet suit worn for diving is not conducive to tanning. Short tan, when will you leave me?! Anyway, tata~ :)

Second helpings of Pad Thai, please!

2009-05-29T10:30:00.000-04:00

Sawatdika again from Thailand! It's already day 30 of my trip of solitude. I'm happy to have arrived in Phuket yesterday after scrambling on the temples of Cambodia. Sadly, the chance to rid myself of a very noticable short tan seems unlikely given the light drizzle! I offer you some of the temples of Cambodia, while I schedule an introductory diving course :)

Day 23 - 28. Siem Reap. My first 3 full days in Cambodia were devoted to seeing the temples. It's best to go see the temples early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is not so strong. I loved scrambling on top of the temples!

Here's my tourist picture at Angkor Wat!

Bayon - my favorite. Try finding the 216 faces!Ankor Wat at dawn.

My legs got exhausted after holding these towers up :P

On day 28, my last full day in Cambodia, I learned how to make Amok Fish!

Bye, Thailand!

2009-05-22T10:05:00.001-04:00

It's day 23, before I leave for Cambodia today, I present to you Thailand.

Day 20. Chiang Mai. I devoted myself to the art of consumption. Memory does recall learning about the culinary process :P Apparently, this outdoor kitchen is where it happened.

Pad thai

Tongue must taste the creaminess, sweetness, saltiness and spiciness of green curry. Perception must be in that precise order!

Spring rolls

Tom yum soup

Chicken and cashew nuts

Mango with sticky rice

The parade of the fruits of Thailand begins -- here comes durian!

Mangosteen

Rambutan

I have forgotten what this was!

After class, I boarded, fully stuffed, the night train and said farewell to Chiang Mai. The train would have me in Bangkok by the next day.

Day 21. Bangkok. First day of exploration, I was taken for a spin around Bangkok, just as all the guide books warn. Here is what happens: a man approaches you and says a tuk tuk driver can take you to see a few wats. The man even whips out a map to show you. Then a tuk tuk driver appears, he does take you to a few wats, but makes you stop at shops along the way. In the oddest way, I was lucky when the tuk tuk left me behind at a wat, when he saw that I did not make any purchases at the stores (he must get a commission) because I never paid him-- just a mere annoyance. Second scam, a woman approached me about purchasing gems at a cheap rate here then reselling them in the U.S. I just smiled and walked away. On a positive note, here is my hotel. I love it here. Awesome bfast that changes daily, great staff and space :)

Some of the wats I saw on that infamous tuk tuk route.

View from Golden Mount.

For dinner, I walked to Cabbages and Condoms, the closest thing I would get to anything associated with the happenings at red-light district. The proceeds from this restaurant go to fund safe-sex education. The food isn't amazing, but the condom theme was quite amusing.

Condom dress -- will it ever go into style?

Condom Santa and I

Time to get your education on!

Btw, the restaurant is right by Bangkok's K-town.

Day 22. Bangkok. One day wiser about the ways of Bangkok, I avoid tuk tuks and strangers. I enjoy my morning wandering around the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Po. Transportation provided by ferry for only 13 BHT :)

HI, I'm a tourist!

All my meals were provided by the food courts at Bangkok's huge shopping centers. Quite an awesome deal when an entree is around 60 BHT, less than 2 bucks, compared to eating at restaurants that will charge you around 150 BHT for entree then another 40 BHT for rice then tax and VAT! It's better to eat at the courts than any restaurant -- unless you have a local recommendation. Food courts are also great for ppl watching. My lunch of baked rice with Taro.

My dinner of noodles with fish and egg.

My efforts to visit the red-light district were thwarted by monsoon rains. I pondered a bunch if I should risk getting caught in another potential downpour to see lady boys and old men with younger Thais in a concentrated area, but couldn't get myself to complete the journey (I had already seen some anyway). Hence, the end of MAK's journey in Bangkok!

Missing elephant kisses

2009-05-21T07:15:00.004-04:00

Sawatdika! Day 22, before my 2nd day in Bangkok begins, here is Chiang Mai, part 1, for your viewing pleasure.

Day 19. Chiang Mai. After inhaling bfast, I waited to be picked up for my meeting with the elephants! Look at all the red-truck taxis!

Before enjoying the Elephant Nature park, y'all need to listen. Please do not go on a trek if elephants are being used. Most of us have jobs that requires us to sit on our bums all day, so we all could use the exercise! Curious as to why tourists should avoid elephant riding/trekking, well, the elephants have to trained. Training for working elephants do not vary for logging or tourism. Training begins at 4 or 5 years of age (Elephants have similar lifespan to humans, reaching between 65 to 75 years of age). The training tactics include being put into a cage, barely big enough for the elephant. Inside the cage, their legs are tied up and then the poor baby is jabbed all over with a nail on a stick (Even inside the inner ear if not obedient) to learn to comply with human commands. The elephant's spirit is intentionally broken. If you've already been -- no worries, y'all, didn't know the tactics used. Everyone should go to my Elepant Nature Park to visit the rescued elephants and opt for elephant kisses instead :)

We make contact with the one-month old baby!

Baby making contact with me :)

I forgot whose feet these are.

Posing with the adults!

Elephant kiss number 1

Elephant kiss number 2 in progress

Kiss complete!

Elephants like to be fed.

Humans like to be fed.

Into the waters we go!

Elephants also like to be bathed.

All clean!

Cute bum, aye?

Take a wild guess as to what we are?

I had such an amazing time here :) Highly, highly recommended.

Chiang Mai, part 2, to come along with Bangkok. Tata!

Sawatdika :)

2009-05-20T10:36:00.001-04:00

Sawatdika! Apologies for the lack of updates -- Yes, I am aware that it is my 21st day in Asia. However, I just arrived in Bangkok after a 13-hour train from Chiang Mai. The city beckons! Hopefully, this tiny update including the rest of Hanoi and bits of Chiang Mai will hold you over!

Day 16. Hanoi. My last day in Vietnam involved exploring the French Quarter and recuperating at my hotel. Oh, yawn -- many apologies for my laziness!

Day 17 . Chiang Mai. Stepping off the plane, I was in for a shock. The lack of honking and obsoleteness of the game of chicken left me utterly confused when crossing the streets of Chiang Mai. The tranquility of the residential streets in Chiang Mai's Old City was quite surprising. After getting over the initial shock, I headed to the Night Market! The Night Market was a shopper's heaven with cheap cutesy knick knacks, clothes and food!

Hmm, me and banana roti with condensed milk!

It looks good and tastes even better!

Pad Thai!

My one T-shirt purchased from the Night Market!

Day 18. Chiang Mai. My day long adventure in Chiang Mai began! I realized all the Thais don't come out until later in the afternoon -- smart way to avoid the heat. Anyway, bright and early I hop into a sawngthaew (red-truck taxi) to start my day!

Dropped off in front of 300-plus steps at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep!

The lookout point (Chiang Mai is under there somewhere)!

Then I visited more wats in the Old City. Here is Chedi Luang.

After visiting a few more wats, I finally made my way to the 3 Kings Monument, Anusawari Sam Kasat! Thais leave offerings to the ancient kings.

After walking for hours in empty streets under the sun, I take a mango smoothie break. Here is the view from the cafe.

Later in the evening, I headed over to the Sunday market. It was great -- vendors with cheap food and merchandise! Sadly, the waters came from above, ending my night early. Well, I am off now to explore Bangkok. Hope y'all can wait for day 19 and 20 in Chiang Mai (my best days in Thailand)! :)

Check out my junk!

2009-05-14T06:52:00.002-04:00

Day 13. Ha Long Bay. Read on to check out my junk! No, not the junk in my trunk. I mean the junk that I would be sleeping overnight on at Ha Long Bay. After speeding away from the Old Quarter, the bus brought us (myself and a lovely German couple) to a small speed boat that transferred us to our JUNK. Once on our junk, we began to cruise.

Legend says that the amazing limestone karsts formed from the pearls that a mother dragon drew from her mouth.
We cruised until we reached a remote floating village. The people living here have fisheries and live on houses that float on top of emptied oil drums. Amazing, aye? After the village viewing, we then changed into our swim apparel and jumped off our junk! It was really something to see the formations from the water level. The emerald colored water was so freshening! I saw eagles circling overhead, probably waiting for some poor tourist to drown! Swimming towards and reaching the karsts was an amazing experience. Looking closely, you'll find small snails and shells on the base. If you ever get a chance to swim in the bay, you'll never forget the feeling of looking up from the bottom of the karst! After the swim, we watched a glorious sunset. While waiting for the sunset, I even saw a butterfly skimming the water! After sundown, the shoveling of dinner commenced. To conclude our night, the German couple and I got cocktails and enjoyed star gazing on the deck -- that's all folks!

Day 14. Ha Long Bay. In the am, we departed from our junk and transferred into a smaller boat. The upper body strength of my guide, Canh, would ensure that I reach civilization, as kayaking was on today's order! Considering my past exhibition of extreme athleticism, I was very glad to be Queen! The Queen sits in front and just rows as she pleases, while the King sits behind and controls the rudder, breaks and compensates for the Queen's lack of upper body strength -- see, chivalry is not dead! And so off we went kayaking around the bay and along the karsts. The low tide revealed tiny crabs scurrying along the once hidden base.
We even visited a lagoon (before high tide would lock us in). We then took a break for lunch and cruised some more. This is Frog Island. I thought it looked like a parrot.

Then back into the kayak, we went! We later relaxed on this beach. Don't worry, I put them back in the water!At the end, we got back into our boat, and docked at Cat Ba Island. Finally, by body could recover from the nasty sunburn I got, despite all the sunblock slathered on. Somehow, I missed parts of my back and shoulder!

Day 15. Ha Long Bay (Soon to be Hanoi). Btw, I was the most popular girl in Vietnam. I haven't even bothered to count how many times I got bitten.

Well, I will be back in Hanoi this evening and leaving 'Nam on Saturday. Sadly, no fun activities will be partaken because I have managed to get myself sick and will be focusing on my recovery to avoid hiding my symptoms, while airborne. Hope you enjoyed following the MAK in northern Vietnam!