Hey all this is Lauren! Sorry that we haven't written in a while, but our site is blocked in China!!! Boo... Anyway, I am writing from Rick's blackberry now to update you.
Our trip started a little rough when Rick was quaranteened for an hour and a half for a high temperature and we missed our bus to school. Luckily, we made it the next morning and Shanghai is awesome! The university is in the center of the city right next to a beautiful park. To me, it seems like the New York of China. The buildings are sky high and there is quite the international crowd here. Apparently Rick says it looks like the city in bladerunner(?)
Most of our time was spent in class and reading for the first week because there was so much to learn. However, we have been taking in Shanghai one day at a time.
Things we love: cheap beer, bardering for fake fendis, Pocky's (candy), architecture that is unique and cutting edge, Mandarin class- "ni hao" is hello, international dance lazer party club, the dutch girls (Jared) and the subway!
Things we miss: diversity, not getting stalked and photographed, cheeseburgers, wine, family and friends, people who speak english, not being accused of having swine flu, the freedom of press and speech and information and religion, and most importantly youtube.
That gives you an idea of week one, we will write more soon!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Phi Phi Islands!
Hello friends and family! This is Sara and I just wanted to take a moment to update you on our progress. We are currently in beautiful Kho Phi Phi, this is a small group of islands near Phuket. We arrived yesterday afternoon after a two hour ferry ride. From the moment we set eyes on this beautiful place we knew that we were in love. It is the most spectacular scenery that I have ever seen. Crystal blue water surrounded by limestone cliffs, this is the kind of stuff that we only see in the movies. In fact, the film "The Beach" was filmed here. Yesterday we took in the sights of the town and went to the beach. Lauren and Rick kayaked around as I opted for a good book under an umbrella. We all watched the sunset together while we were ankle deep and about 50 feet out in the water. After a beautiful sunset we decided that we were all a little hungry for some American food so we ate some wonderful burgers at the Hungry Buffalo. After that we decided to watch a little Thai boxing. Now this is a mixture between kickboxing and the WWE. But it was still very entertaining. Better still was the tourists who were suckered into fighting each other all for the prospect of a bucket of booze at the end! But don't worry parents none of us fell for this trick.
Today we rented a speed boat and headed out to do some snorkeling. It was so nice having the boat all to ourselves. We were able to snorkel all we wanted without interruptions. We first headed to a place called Shark Point. Where we spotted three black tipped reef sharks! After this we headed to a small cove where we were surrounded by limestone cliffs. It was amazing because for some time we were completely alone. It was something straight out of a movie, incredible! Then the adventurous part of our day started when Rick, Lauren and Jared decided to go cliff diving. I stayed on the boat to make sure we had everything on camera. They all jumped from about 15 meters up! We then headed to Maylay beach (i think that is what it is called) to see where "The Beach" was filmed.
After our fun filled morning Lauren and I got massages and the boys ate lunch. It was such a wonderful day, one I will never forget. We seem to have planned the trip perfectly and Phi Phi was a great way to end our backpacking adventure. Tomorrow we head to Karabi for a few hours and then to Bangkok for the night. We are all sad to leave Thailand but are excited to see what China holds for us. Miss you all tons!
Today we rented a speed boat and headed out to do some snorkeling. It was so nice having the boat all to ourselves. We were able to snorkel all we wanted without interruptions. We first headed to a place called Shark Point. Where we spotted three black tipped reef sharks! After this we headed to a small cove where we were surrounded by limestone cliffs. It was amazing because for some time we were completely alone. It was something straight out of a movie, incredible! Then the adventurous part of our day started when Rick, Lauren and Jared decided to go cliff diving. I stayed on the boat to make sure we had everything on camera. They all jumped from about 15 meters up! We then headed to Maylay beach (i think that is what it is called) to see where "The Beach" was filmed.
After our fun filled morning Lauren and I got massages and the boys ate lunch. It was such a wonderful day, one I will never forget. We seem to have planned the trip perfectly and Phi Phi was a great way to end our backpacking adventure. Tomorrow we head to Karabi for a few hours and then to Bangkok for the night. We are all sad to leave Thailand but are excited to see what China holds for us. Miss you all tons!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Beautiful Thailand!
Hi everyone, this is Sara. We are currently staying in a beautiful little hostel about 4 minutes from Kata beach in Phuket Thailand. The weather here has been absolutely amazing, blue skies and hardly any rain considering it is monsoon season. We arrived here after a whirl wind 8 hour tour of Kuala Lumpur where we did the quickest city tour know to man! In Malaysia we saw modern architecture, ate at Hard Rock Cafe and walked through a very busy street market. It was lots of fun but REALLY hot! During our first day in Phuket we were total beach bums! We laid in the sun and played in the waves. (Maybe a little too much because we got a little burnt). The water is so warm here, it is like a comfortable bath. After our fun day in the sun we came back to our hostel and ate some really great Thai food. We decided to hit the town for some drinks and dancing (lucky for us we are down the street from all the nightlife!) Today we woke up and went on an elephant jungle trek (Lauren has decided that she loves elephants and would like to stay here and train them, maybe someday). Then we headed to the "Big Buddah" on a hill in Phuket. Now we are planning on watching the sunset over the water and eating more GREAT Thai food. From there who knows but we will keep you updated on our progress! Hope you enjoy our pics, there are lots more where those came from!
Pictures from the trip!
At the Big Buddah statue at the top of Phuket island.
At Kata beach lounging and playing in the waves.
Elepant rides along the coast of Katon beach, sooooo fun!
Malaysia city tour, with the quickness :)
Hotel in Siem Reap Cambodia.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Cheers from 'Bodia!
Hi!!!
We are writing you now from Siem Reap, Cambodia! We arrived yesterday at around 2pm and checked into a lovely boutique hotel in the French Quarter called Central Boutique. It is scorching hot here in the jungle so we took a swim in the pool the moment we checked in. The two kiwis that we met playing darts in Phenom Penh recommended that we hit up Angkor Wat for sunset at 6:30 (sun sets very early at the equator). We headed to the ancient temples and walked around the main temple "Angkor Wat". Fascinating!!! The sheer size and extravagance is indescribable. The weather was stormy and the lighting and thunder added to the experience. We only had time to take a couple of picutres before we were kicked out. After the temples, we went to a Cambodian version of the luau, which included dinner and traditional dancing. And yes, the guys had a fun time too! We were pretty exhausted after the show so we went for a midnight swim and to bed early so we could get up and explore Angkor again.
The next morning we got up at 6:30am and got to the temples. First we drove to see the Tomb Raider temple and explored through all the trees and broken ruins. So cool!! Sara and I took a couple of Laura Croft shots :) Next we went to the only temple that wasn't used as a residence, but instead a temple for prayer. The stairs were sooooo high and steep to climb! Especially for tall people like us. Never the less, we all made it to the top. Even Sara who is terrified of heights. We went to Bayon which has 4 faces on each side of all 54 towers. Each face stands for a different Buddist principles: Compassion, Kindness, Community and Sympathy. We spent a majority of the day exploring the various temples. I took almost 200 pictures today alone, so we will have many to share.
After the temples we headed into town to the downtown hot spot called Pub Street. Appropriate, huh?! We went to a few happy hours and even wrote our names on the wall of the local bar for memories. Now we are back at the pool having dinner and then we are headed out for one last night before our flight to Malyasia and then Thailand!
Hope all is well in the states, talk to you soon!
Lauren, Sara, Rick and Jared
We are writing you now from Siem Reap, Cambodia! We arrived yesterday at around 2pm and checked into a lovely boutique hotel in the French Quarter called Central Boutique. It is scorching hot here in the jungle so we took a swim in the pool the moment we checked in. The two kiwis that we met playing darts in Phenom Penh recommended that we hit up Angkor Wat for sunset at 6:30 (sun sets very early at the equator). We headed to the ancient temples and walked around the main temple "Angkor Wat". Fascinating!!! The sheer size and extravagance is indescribable. The weather was stormy and the lighting and thunder added to the experience. We only had time to take a couple of picutres before we were kicked out. After the temples, we went to a Cambodian version of the luau, which included dinner and traditional dancing. And yes, the guys had a fun time too! We were pretty exhausted after the show so we went for a midnight swim and to bed early so we could get up and explore Angkor again.
The next morning we got up at 6:30am and got to the temples. First we drove to see the Tomb Raider temple and explored through all the trees and broken ruins. So cool!! Sara and I took a couple of Laura Croft shots :) Next we went to the only temple that wasn't used as a residence, but instead a temple for prayer. The stairs were sooooo high and steep to climb! Especially for tall people like us. Never the less, we all made it to the top. Even Sara who is terrified of heights. We went to Bayon which has 4 faces on each side of all 54 towers. Each face stands for a different Buddist principles: Compassion, Kindness, Community and Sympathy. We spent a majority of the day exploring the various temples. I took almost 200 pictures today alone, so we will have many to share.
After the temples we headed into town to the downtown hot spot called Pub Street. Appropriate, huh?! We went to a few happy hours and even wrote our names on the wall of the local bar for memories. Now we are back at the pool having dinner and then we are headed out for one last night before our flight to Malyasia and then Thailand!
Hope all is well in the states, talk to you soon!
Lauren, Sara, Rick and Jared
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Cambodia....DEFINITELY!
Hi everyone...this is Sara. Last time we left you we got caught in a monsoon in the beach town of Vung Tau. With the weather the way it was we decided to head to Cambodia a day earlier. Little did we know there are monsoons here too! We got on a bus and had a VERY interesting ride. Our bus driver did not understand what speed limits meant and may have almost killed us by swirving in and out of traffic and almost tipping the bus (just kidding...but seriously.) We got into Phnom Phen very late and decided to hit up a little Irish pub for dinner. After that we girls retired back to the hotel but the boys decided to head out for some fun at the Kung Fu Bar.
This morning we got up early and went to the killing fields. Very moving and powerful place. You will have to see the video to totally understand. But it was a tragic moment in history that gave us a lot of perspective. After the fileds we headed to the genocide museum which explained the history behind the Cambodian genocide which began in 1975. That is where we met our second monsoon. We ran through sheets of rain to meet up with our tuk tuk driver. Once the clouds cleared a little we decided to head out and explore the city on foot. We stopped by a pagoda that was crawling with monkeys. Jared was not to excited (he does not like them). We fondly named on of them chubs because 0f his HUGE buddah belly. Lauren almost got acosted for taking a picture in a temple but we made it out okay after paying for the picutres. We have all decided that we love this city! Second vacation home...Phnom Phen! We are currently sitting at a bar borrowing a Cambodian girls computer because we can't find internet anywhere in this city! Tomorrow we head for Siem Reap and Ankor Temples. We are really excited to see them but really wish we had more time here. The adventure continues we will keep you posted on what happens next.
-Sara, Lauren, Jared and Rick
This morning we got up early and went to the killing fields. Very moving and powerful place. You will have to see the video to totally understand. But it was a tragic moment in history that gave us a lot of perspective. After the fileds we headed to the genocide museum which explained the history behind the Cambodian genocide which began in 1975. That is where we met our second monsoon. We ran through sheets of rain to meet up with our tuk tuk driver. Once the clouds cleared a little we decided to head out and explore the city on foot. We stopped by a pagoda that was crawling with monkeys. Jared was not to excited (he does not like them). We fondly named on of them chubs because 0f his HUGE buddah belly. Lauren almost got acosted for taking a picture in a temple but we made it out okay after paying for the picutres. We have all decided that we love this city! Second vacation home...Phnom Phen! We are currently sitting at a bar borrowing a Cambodian girls computer because we can't find internet anywhere in this city! Tomorrow we head for Siem Reap and Ankor Temples. We are really excited to see them but really wish we had more time here. The adventure continues we will keep you posted on what happens next.
-Sara, Lauren, Jared and Rick
Monday, June 1, 2009
Viet Nam!
Hello everyone!
Xin Chao from Vietnam, Lauren here! So far our trip has been amazing! We have spent the last two days in Ho Chi Minh City at the city center. Our first full day in the city we spent getting our bearings straight and making sure to do all the tourist sightseeing we could find. We saw: the Re-unification Palace, the War Museum, a few art galleries by local artists, the Notre Dame Cathedral and a city sculpture park. We walked all day until our feet were killing us! Things we have learned: 1) They have the best coffee in Vietnam! 2) Little children will assault you (aka Jared) to get you to buy postcards... 3) You can't go wrong with anything that you order on the menu (all food has been incredible) 4) The local people here have been extremely friendly and helpful to us 5) The traffic is INSANE! No lanes, no rules, cross quick or die.
On our second day we headed to the cu chi tunnels about an hour outside the city. The tunnels were used during the Vietnam war for the vietcong community to hide from enemy fire. The tunnel system is incredibly intricate and well built! We had the opportunity to crawl through the tunnels which Jared, Rick and I gladly accepted. Jared crawled through all 150meters of tunnels that we were allowed to enter. It was dark, wet, hot, extremely small and kind of scary! But definitely worth the experience. When we got back from the tunnels we took the afternoon off to relax after having a fun lunch entailing habachi esq bbq. Sara and I got our nails done at a local spa that included a 2-hour foot and leg massage for only $30! We spent the afternoon talking with the girls at the spa and drinking tea....the boys spent the afternoon in the hotel worried that we died. When we got back we got ready for dinner and a night out on the town! First we hit up a Kareoke bar (when we meant to find a restaurant...oops) We went to the international dance club called Apocalypse Now (seriously...) and we quickly found out that this was a place for Vietnamiese women to pick up American husbands! Let's just say that Sara and I got some evil stares and the boys had a GREAT time.
Today we headed to the beach on the east coast of Vietnam which is beautiful and relaxing! There are little hotels everywhere and we are now at a casino grabbing a mid-day drink. We are thinking of heading to Cambodia a day early (tomorrow afternoon) so we have more time to explore the ruins and temples. We miss everyone very much! I'll update you when we can..it is very difficult to find free internet and a computer.
Xin Chao from Vietnam, Lauren here! So far our trip has been amazing! We have spent the last two days in Ho Chi Minh City at the city center. Our first full day in the city we spent getting our bearings straight and making sure to do all the tourist sightseeing we could find. We saw: the Re-unification Palace, the War Museum, a few art galleries by local artists, the Notre Dame Cathedral and a city sculpture park. We walked all day until our feet were killing us! Things we have learned: 1) They have the best coffee in Vietnam! 2) Little children will assault you (aka Jared) to get you to buy postcards... 3) You can't go wrong with anything that you order on the menu (all food has been incredible) 4) The local people here have been extremely friendly and helpful to us 5) The traffic is INSANE! No lanes, no rules, cross quick or die.
On our second day we headed to the cu chi tunnels about an hour outside the city. The tunnels were used during the Vietnam war for the vietcong community to hide from enemy fire. The tunnel system is incredibly intricate and well built! We had the opportunity to crawl through the tunnels which Jared, Rick and I gladly accepted. Jared crawled through all 150meters of tunnels that we were allowed to enter. It was dark, wet, hot, extremely small and kind of scary! But definitely worth the experience. When we got back from the tunnels we took the afternoon off to relax after having a fun lunch entailing habachi esq bbq. Sara and I got our nails done at a local spa that included a 2-hour foot and leg massage for only $30! We spent the afternoon talking with the girls at the spa and drinking tea....the boys spent the afternoon in the hotel worried that we died. When we got back we got ready for dinner and a night out on the town! First we hit up a Kareoke bar (when we meant to find a restaurant...oops) We went to the international dance club called Apocalypse Now (seriously...) and we quickly found out that this was a place for Vietnamiese women to pick up American husbands! Let's just say that Sara and I got some evil stares and the boys had a GREAT time.
Today we headed to the beach on the east coast of Vietnam which is beautiful and relaxing! There are little hotels everywhere and we are now at a casino grabbing a mid-day drink. We are thinking of heading to Cambodia a day early (tomorrow afternoon) so we have more time to explore the ruins and temples. We miss everyone very much! I'll update you when we can..it is very difficult to find free internet and a computer.
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