Krabi, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta

We reached Krabi Thursday evening, and stayed in a guesthouse in Krabi Town. There isn't too much to see or do in Krabi town, which is typically just a stop-over to one of the islands. So we just got some really good food from a night food market close by and passed out early. The next morning we took the first ferry to Ko Phi Phi, about 2 hours away. The island is super developed and very touristy, but is gorgeous. There's a huge number of expats who opened up small shops on the island and basically live on huts on the beach. Ko Phi Phi is famous for diving, so the island is full of dive schools and shops. If we had more time there I would've definitely gotten my diving certificate, but I think that would be my next adventure.

After checking in the hotel and grabbing some lunch we joined a half day boat tour around the islands. We visited Monkey Beach (literally a beach full of monkeys), Maya Bay where we snorkeled and kayaked, Phi Phi Leh (where DiCaprio's The Beach was filmed), and had dinner on the boat while watching the sunset. I've never seen so many beautiful colors in a sunset than I have in Thailand. Words can't even describe how beautiful these islands are, so take a look at the pictures :) It was a perfect day, beautiful, peaceful, and serene, can I just move here? I'm seriously considering moving to an island in Thailand for a couple months. That night we grabbed dinner and bar hopped around around the island. It's basically run by expats, and there are very few locals on the island, but it's definitely very fun and worth seeing.

Romika left to go back to Hong Kong Saturday morning (miss u!), so me, Mable and Tracy took a ferry to Ko Lanta, another nearby island. It's not as developed as Ko Phi Phi, and tourism is just now on its way up, but it was a nice change from Ko Phi Phi. It's a beautiful almost untouched island with mostly locals, and is perfect for couples and honeymooners. We stayed at the Lanta Nice Beach Resort, which was really nice! We found out too late during our trip though that we could've gotten much cheaper rates for places to stay if we didn't book in advance and instead bargained as soon as we landed on the islands. People we met found huts on the beach for $300 Baht/night, or $9 USD. We were worried that places would be full if we didn't book in advance, but there are plenty of accommodations.

Once we reached we took an elephant trekking tour, where we rode on elephants for an hour and then hiked to a really beautiful waterfall. That night we had Indian/Thai fusion at the hotel (which is bomb by the way), and then went to a beach party with an awesome local reggae band. We met some really cool American guys (the most Americans I've met in the past 4 months!), and although we were only planning on staying for a couple hours, we ended up staying for a quite some time ;) There are literally millions of stars visible from Thailand, and I think I saw about 9 shooting stars in that one night.

One thing I've noticed is that not many Americans travel to Asia, and most of the internationals that I've met during these past 4 months have been Europeans or Australians. The Americans that I have met have been really cool and well-traveled, but I wonder why there are so few of them. I am one happy American in Thailand though, and if you happen to pass by a fire dancing/diving school on a Thai island in a couple years, if might just be mine :)

Bangkok, Thailand

I arrived Bangkok Tuesday evening, after sitting next to a very chatty Thai woman on the plane. She's originally from Thailand, and has been living in New York for the past 6 years. She was super nice, and told me all the places we had to visit and all the food we had to try. Talking to her just made me so much more excited! After I landed I headed to our hostel in Sukhumvit 25, which was surprisingly nice and clean. I've stayed in hostels in Europe but this one was 10 times nicer, and for only $15/night it is well worth it. Tracy was already there, and Mable and Romika weren't arriving until a couple hours later, so it was just me trying to maneuver around this non-English speaking country as soon as I arrived. Luckily my cab driver spoke some English, and the man wouldn't stop talking! After getting some amazing Pad See Ew with Tracy, me and Mable headed over to the night market in Lumphini. It's definitely geared to tourists, but had some really good food stalls and small clothing/souvenir shops. We were too tired to spend too much time there, so hopefully we'll be able to make it there again on our last night in Thailand before leaving for Delhi.

Wednesday we woke up and headed for the ferry to the Grand Palace. The Bangkok subway system is pretty convenient, so the subways and the ferries are what we mostly used to get around. We entered the Grand Palace only to find out we had to borrow clothes because our clothes weren't appropriate. Tracy, Romika and Mable just had to borrow wrap skirts which were actually pretty cute, but since I was wearing a sleeveless dress I had to wear my shawl around my waist and a borrow a man's button down shirt. Let's just say I looked absolutely ridiculous, which is why there are very few pictures of me from the Grand Palace, hah. The palace was stunning though, composed of intricate and colorful mosaics and sculptures. Inside the Golden Temple was the Emerald Buddha, which was a tiny little statue, but on top of a huge beautiful stand. We sat there and meditated for some bit, and then headed to Wat Pho, home of the largest reclining Buddha in the world.

Wat Pho is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, and houses the 40 meter long reclining Buddha. The statue was impressive, but is sectioned off so it was hard to see the entire Buddha all at once. Nevertheless, it was an amazing statue. After the Buddha, we hopped on the cross river ferry to Wat Arun, also known as the temple of dawn. It's a Khmer style temple, and very closely resembles Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The only differences are the beautiful mosaics and Thai-esque statues. It was beautiful.

Wednesday night we went to eat at an awesome seafood market restaurant, which was like nothing I've ever seen. Basically it's a supermarket and restaurant in one, so you shop for all the seafood and vegetables you want to eat, and literally put them in bags in a shopping cart. Once you pay for all the raw ingredients you tell the waiters how you want everything cooked and they prepare everything exactly the way you want it, and then you pay again for the preparation fee. It was a little pricey for Thai standards, about $15 USD, but the food was ridiculously fresh and delicious. After dinner we went to the Calypso Caberet in the Asia hotel, which is famous for Ladyboys. These ladyboys were some of the prettiest girls I've ever seen, and could dance their butts off!

After the cabaret me and Mable went to check out Bangkok nightlife, and went to Q-Bar. It was a Tuesday night, so was pretty dead, but there were still old white men with younger Asian women everywhere we turned. The music was pretty good but the crowd sucked, so we ended up leaving before last call, which was only 1am! Bangkok is notorious for prostitution, and our hostel was actually not far from the red light district. People say that men traveling alone in Bangkok are usually there for one reason and one reason only, and I found myself suspicious of every foreign man we encountered! Let's just say that I would NOT be happy with my boyfriend/husband ever traveling to Bangkok alone.

We woke up early the next morning for breakfast and massages right near our hostel. I had an amazing Thai massage, for only 150 baht, or close to $4 USD. I can definitely get used to this! We then headed to airport for our next stop, Krabi.

Top 10 Things I'll Miss about Hong Kong

1. The people and energy
2. The unexpected beauty
3. Dim sum
4. 7-11
5. Mable's off the wall comments, haha
6. Mr. Yung (the security guard who finally smiled at me)
7. The transportation system
8. Haagen Daaz green tea ice-cream
9. Making big parties and spreading juices
10. Neptune 2 (kidding!) The amazing people I've met along the way :)

Hong Kong Tourist

So Angel came last week, and I finally got to see this country I've been living in for the past 3 months. After welcoming her by a night out in LKF with all the exchange students, we left for Shenzhen Sunday afternoon with Mable and Shimpei. As soon as we reached we went straight to an amazing seafood restaurant where you can actually choose which seafood you want and it is basically prepared right in front of you. It was also my last non-veg meal of the week, since I decided to be vegetarian with Angel while she was visiting. And let me tell you, being veg in Hong Kong is rough!

After dinner we met up with a friend of Mable's in a Shenzhen nightclub, which was actually much nicer than a Hong Kong club. It was a huge nightclub with good music, and surprisingly crowded for a Sunday night. Her friend ordered a bottle of Chivas which we had no problem finishing pretty quickly. After a couple hours we finally made it to the 24 hour Queen spa, where we were literally treated like queens. We took showers, sat in the sauna, and then were given pajamas which we slept in after our full body massages. The massage was so nice, and we slept like babies afterwards. All this for approximately $35 USD. Now this is the life!

Monday morning we woke up, ate, and then set out for some serious fake goods shopping in the Lo Wu mall. You can find any type of copycat item in this mall, ANYTHING. Some really good quality items too. It was so shady, especially when the police came through and everyone had to throw their fake goods in a suitcase and wheel it away! But definitely an experience.

The next day we visited the 10,000 Buddha monastery in Shatin, which is definitely worth seeing. We walked up 400 stairs to the monastery with different life size Buddhas lining the path on both sides of us. When we finally reached the top we entered a temple with a beautiful Buddha in the center surrounded by 10,000 tiny Buddhas. What a sight. After Shatin we visited Tai Wu where we got Dim Sum at the famous Maxim. But like I said before, it's hard being veg in Hong Kong, especially when no one at the restaurant speaks English! But we managed to find a couple veg dishes, which actually weren't bad.

Wednesday we were spent quite some time in the ladies market in Mong Kok, which literally has everything there is to offer for ladies. It's really good for clothing, jewelry and souvenirs, and I can't believe I haven't gone there this entire time! We also had High Tea in the Peninsula Hotel, which is a pretty nice thing to do as a one time thing. It's kind of pricey, around $30 USD/person, but the ambiance is awesome and the food wasn't bad.

After a night of partying in LKF we eventually woke up on Thursday to head to the Big Buddha in Lantau island with Mable. The view from the cable car ride to the island was beautiful, surrounded by mountains and water and islands. When we got to the island we ate lunch at a pretty good vegetarian restaurant near the temple, and then headed up the 250 stairs to the Big Buddha. And let me tell you, he is BIG. This statue is the world's largest sitting Buddha statue, and is 34 meters tall. The view from the top was probably the most breathtaking part though, and you instantly feel at peace. I could've easily spent all day there.


The last day Angel was here was pretty nice out, so we spent most of the day in Stanley Beach. We had dinner at a really good restaurant at the Peak, and I broke my vegetarianism to try Escargot for the first time with Angel's friend Vishal. Luckily we were sitting outside in the dark and it was covered in mashed potatoes, but it wasn't bad! Tastes just like chicken, hah. After dinner we set out for another unexpected late late night of partying, and Angel left the next morning. It was an awesome week, and I probably would have never done half the sightseeing we did in that one week if she hadn't visited.

Subway Etiquette

I've had my share of subway experiences. Between New York, DC, Hong Kong, Rome, Beijing, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Taipei, and London, I definitely think Hong Kong's subway system is the cleanest and most efficient. You never have to wait more than 3 minutes at any given time for a train, there are screens at every train platform telling you when they are arriving and where they are going, you can put money on your Octopus card and use it for MTR rides and food, and if you have some extra time to kill, there are restaurants and shops underground on the way to the trains. The thing I love most about the HK MTR system though, is that I've never once been stuck en route because of "train traffic."



Nevertheless, some of the things I still see on the subway amaze me. Whether it's the subway, metro, MTR, MRT, or underground rail, there are just some rules that EVERYONE should follow:

1. Please let people out of the subway car. We hate to bother you while you're standing and doing absolutely nothing, but we have places to get to.

2. Please don't extend your feet out while sitting down. They will get stepped on.

3. If the subway car is pretty empty and there are plenty of seats available, please don't take the seat next to me.

4. Couples- we know you love each other. And we know you want to bask in your love as much as possible. But when holding hands while walking, please don't take up the entire walkway. We don't need to be reminded of your everlasting love every step of the way during our subway journey. Just move a little to the left, and everyone is happy.

5. We all know the subway gets crowded at times, and we may need to be in very close proximity of each other. But please keep your @$*& away from me at all times, or you will get kneed.

6. No, staring will not make me like you more.

7. Please don't stop at the top of the escalators, lady. It's just not very smart for you.

8. Even with the invention of ipods, mp3 players, hell, even the walkman...if you still do need to listen to your boombox, please don't rewind the tape and listen to the same part over and over again.

9. Please don't start yelling on the phone and start pacing up and down the subway car. It can be quite distracting, and a bit worrisome.

10. Lastly, and this is probably the most concerning, please don't urinate on the subway platform. Not a good look.

I'm Flattered that You're Trying to Talk To Me...

Really, I am. But is that a Louis Vuitton man purse currently in your possession??



'nuff said.

Nov 8- Stanley Beach

I haven't really explored Hong Kong that much yet. Between school and traveling, we haven't had much time to do any sightseeing, and other than the Peak I haven't seen much at all besides Lan Kwai Fong (the nightlife district). I'm excited for my friend Angel to visit because that will actually give me a reason to do all the touristy things. It's quite sad, but I never did any sightseeing in New York until two weeks before I moved! Those two weeks after I quit my job and before I moved were amazing though. The weather in early August was perfect, and I dragged all my friends to be complete dorky tourists with me. We went to the MOMA, Brooklyn Museum, Orchid Show in the Bronx, Water Taxi Beach, concerts at the McCarren Park Pool, the Philharmonic in Central Park, walked across the Brooklyn Bride and went to the famous Grimaldi's Pizza, The Bronx Zoo, and so much more. God I miss New York. Can you believe that I lived on Water St. for an entire year, with an awesome view of the BK bridge, and I never walked across it while I lived there?? All these amazing things that I just kept putting off. So what exactly was I even doing? It's sad how we take so many things for granted because we're so sure they are always going to be there. I never visited the Twin Towers because I always thought I had time to visit some day. That some day was actually the day they came crashing down, from Washington Square Park on my way to my first class freshman year. Moral of this story? I should get my ass up and go see Hong Kong.

Apparently there are a number of different beaches in Hong Kong, either on Hong Kong island itself, or just a ferry ride away to a neighboring island. I always imagined Hong Kong beaches to be dirty and crowded, but someone told us that we must go see Stanley Beach, at the very bottom of Hong Kong Island. So this past Sunday, me, Romika, Mable, Celine, and Jean-Luc took an hour long bus ride to Stanley Beach. And let me just say, wow. It didn't even feel like we were in Hong Kong, it was like another world. The bus took us up and then down a beautiful mountain, and the scenery was just spectacular. Everywhere you turned there were mountains, islands, and beach. One of my favorite cities in the world so far is Positano, Italy, and this part of Hong Kong reminded me so much of it. The weather was perfect, sunny and in the 70's, the beach was clean, and the water gorgeous. We chilled on the beach for a while, swam a bit, and then walked around the Stanley Market. It's definitely very touristy, and compared to regular Hong Kong prices, way too overpriced. But the atmosphere is incredibly nice. There are also quite a few other beaches around Hong Kong that are just as nice but not as touristy, such as Big Wave. If the weather stays nice I'll definitely go again, but I can't believe what I've been missing the past couple months!

Oct 27-29- Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)

After a not-so-good night's sleep on the overnight train, Mable and I reached Kuala Lumpur at 6:30am Tuesday morning. We were staying in the Corona Inn Motel, and were looking forward to checking in and sleeping for a couple more hours before getting ready and heading out. Unfortunately, all the rooms were full and we couldn't check in until noon. So we got ready in the bathroom, kept our luggage at the hotel, and left for a day of sightseeing, tired and cranky. We thought the overnight train would be a good idea, since it's a bit cheaper than a flight, and we would save one night's worth of a hotel. But in hindsight, one night of hotel only cost us $15 USD/person, and we also found out that there's actually a faster and cheaper bus from Singapore. So I wouldn't recommend the overnight train, it's expensive, old, and definitely not worth it.

Since we were out and about so early we thought we could go to the Petronas Towers skybridge, since they only give out a limited number of free tickets every morning. Unfortunately, again, they were already gone by the time we reached there at 9am. We decided to go to the KL Tower instead, where, even though it was a little hazy, we were able to get a good view of the entire city. After going back to the hotel and finally sleeping and showering, we set out again, this time refreshed and a little less cranky.

Whereas Singapore is probably the cleanest and most expensive city in Asia, Malaysia definitely reminded us that we were in a third world country. The subway system is very confusing and inefficient, and there are not nearly as many laws as Singapore. Malaysia's make-up is very similar to Singapore, with Malay, Chinese and Indian making up the majority of the population. However, it definitely has much more personality and cultural identity than Singapore. Even though Islam is the national religion, there are numerous Hindu and Buddhist influences, visible in almost everything. Again, most of the Indians in Malaysia are from South India and speak Tamil, so I still couldn't communicate with them. But most people understood Mandarin, so Mable was able to communicate with the locals pretty easily. We visited the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, a beautiful Hindu temple, which was still impressive even though it was under construction (is October construction season?).

Our next stop was the famous Central Market, where we haggled our butts off and got fish foot therapy, which was one of the most interesting sensations I have ever felt. Fish foot therapy is popular in many part of Asia, and you basically put your feet in a pool of fish that come and nibble at the dead skin on your feet, leaving your feet clean and smooth. They don't have teeth so it doesn't hurt, but it tickles like ALL HELL. It probably took me 5 minutes to actually get my feet into the water, after kicking the fish away squeamishly. Even after my feet were finally in the water I had to take deep breaths to keep myself from laughing. And apparently I have a lot of dead skin on my feet because all the fish were on my feet, even though there were 2 other people with their feet in the pool! But yes, my feet are now soft and smooth :)

The food was definitely my favorite part of Malaysia. That night for dinner we had Malaysia's signature dishes, seafood spring rolls, coconut rice and Nyonya chicken (mixture of Chinese and Malay). We then walked around Little India where we stopped at a hawker stall to have a dosa (Mable's first dosa!) It was so good, and I loved the different influences of food in Malaysia.

After dinner we went to check out Kuala Lumpur's nightlife, which is definitely much more lively than Singapore. We started at a couple bars, and then went to Zouk, Malaysia's most popular club. Zouk is famous for its international dj's, and the music was poppin! After watching some really good b-boys from all over the world, we danced our butts off the rest of the night. People don't party that long in KL, most people don't go out until 12ish, and everything closes at 3am. But people do party hard.

The next day we woke up somewhat on time to visit Masjid Jamek, a beautiful mosque. Even though we weren't allowed inside the prayer room, we had to cover our arms, legs and head to walk around the outside of the mosque. After that we walked around Petaling Street (KL's fake market, which I'm pretty sure imports everything from Shenzhen, China), and grabbed lunch in a little restaurant famous for its clay pot noodles. It started raining so we quickly visited Merdeka Square, where Malaysia declared its independence, and then walked around the numerous shopping malls in the Golden Triangle area until the rain stopped. That night we had an amazing dinner at the Jalan Alor street market. Mable had frog congee (I consider myself daring, but frog just doesn't appeal to me!), and we shared fried ginger fish, oyster pancakes, hot and spicy clams, and shrimp paste vegetables. Everything was cheap and delicious.

We didn't stay out too late on our last night since we had to leave early the next morning for our flight, but someone recommended checking out Beach Club, which was supposedly good on Wednesday nights. It probably took us a good 20 minutes to realize that it was actually a hooker bar. At first we were surprised that girls were so dressed up for a Wednesday night. Then we wondered why most of the girls were dressed so skanky. Finally, when we saw a good number of these women approaching old white men, we realized where we were. We left when we realized that we were the only non-working women in the entire bar.

Sleep Talker

I've been talking in my sleep since I was eleven. Sometimes I talk, sometimes I mumble, and sometimes I scream. Everyone (almost) that has ever slept next to me has experienced this one way or another. When I was younger and would talk in my sleep my brother (while awake) would talk back to me and actually have a conversation with me. I'm glad at least some people have found this entertaining. My family and close friends are pretty much used to it by now, so all they have to say is "shut up and go back to sleep" and I'll usually listen. But it could lead to some very embarrassing situations, especially when sleeping in the same room with someone new without informing them first. My old roommate in college (shout out to Ava!) was aware and used to my screaming for some time, but it was immensely embarrassing when her boyfriend (now fiance, congrats!!) slept over. The good thing is that I can never remember what I did or said, so I can't be held accountable, right? So now every time I have a new roommate I have to give them this disclaimer, "I'm clean, I like to cook, I'm considerate, and oh, I occasionally scream bloody murder in my sleep."

I can never remember what I dream about, but it can't be good if I'm screaming. And I never know if I talked or screamed unless someone else hears me. I have a theory that I was abducted for 5-10 minutes when I was younger, and then repressed the memory so that it only comes back when I sleep. Either that or my brother made me watch too many Freddie Kruger movies at 3am. The thing is, I'm generally a happy person during the day, so I'm not quite sure what I would be screaming about or who I would be screaming at during my sleep. My nightmares have no affect on me whatsoever, and unless someone else told me I would never even know I had them. I vaguely remember having a nightmare that someone came into our hotel room in Beijing, and apparently I tried to run away before Romika grabbed me and stopped me.

Anyway, even though I was awake when I screamed on the plane to Singapore, I think it's time to see a sleep therapist about this. I mean, I'm 26 for god's sake, I should not be having nightmares! The only time I don't talk or scream in my sleep is when someone is spooning me, and I think that's because I feel safe and secure. So since I do not yet have a permanent spooning partner, I think it's time to get this thing checked out. I mean, what kind of person am I to make babies cry on airplanes?!

Oct 24-26- Singapore

I read up on all the crazy laws in Singapore before I went, so I was pretty prepared. Possessing or importing gum is illegal, smoking is illegal except in designated areas, and littering, spitting, and j-walking are all illegal. It was interesting to find out when we got there, however, that prostitution is not illegal. We also learned that 2 casinos are being built in order to attract more tourists. What's interesting though is that while foreigners will be able to enter free of charge, there will be an entrance fee of $100 SGD for Singapore residents. This is in order to minimize gambling addictions among residents. But what about sex addictions??

Me, Mable and Celine reached Singapore late Saturday night, after I screamed on the plane due to bad turbulence and scared the hell out of everyone. I even made a baby cry :/ I thought HK was hot, but Singapore was considerably hotter and much more humid. We stayed in the Albert Court Hotel right in Little India, which was nice, cheap and very convenient. Although Singapore is very clean, it definitely wasn't as clean as I thought it would be with so many laws. We still saw trash on the street and people j-walking, so I guess some of the laws aren't super enforced. Nevertheless, we still couldn't find gum anywhere. We woke up early Sunday morning to take the train to the nearby Sentosa Island, a beautiful small island. After taking a luge ride down a mountain, and walking around the island a bit, we relaxed with some Dragon Fruit mojitos and enjoyed the beautiful day. That evening we walked around Little India, and I was so excited to see my people! Singapore is extremely diverse, with Chinese, Malay, and Indian making up the majority. However, my excitement quickly faded when I tried to speak Hindi and no one could understand me. I mean, I know I have a bad accent, but I didn't think it was THAT bad. I soon found out that most of the Indians in Singapore and Malaysia are actually from South India and speak Tamil, which is also one of the national languages.

I usually associate food courts with greasy/unhealthy fast food chains. However, in Singapore and Malaysia food courts or hawker stalls are actually the food of choice for most locals. Hardly anyone goes out to restaurants to eat, and all the food at these hawker stalls is freshly prepared, reasonably priced, and delicious. We went to one hawker food court for some Hainanese Chicken rice, a popular local dish. The chicken was tender and yummy, and I think the rice was the best rice I've ever tasted. It's prepared in chicken stock, and was so flavorful. That night we walked around Clarke Quay, a popular restaurant/bar area right on the Singapore River. Singapore doesn't have a huge party scene, and Clarke Quay seems more like an area for an older/low key crowd. So we just spent our night at the Hooters bar with some Tiger beer.

The next day Celine's friends who are doing their exchange in Singapore, Ace and Sunil, took us sight-seeing around Singapore. We had brunch in Chinatown, walked around Marina Bay, and then went back to Clarke Quay where we took a boat down the Singapore River. One of Singapore's trademark symbol is the Merlion, an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. We took the boat to the Merlion, only to find it was under construction! We were able to see a smaller faux Merlion next to it, but it wasn't the same.


That night we had the best meal of our lives. We went to an outdoor hawker center in city center, and ordered pineapple rice, clams, bbq prawns, hot and spicy oysters, and, Singapore's signature dish, black pepper crab. Everything was amazing, and my mouth is watering just thinking about it! From there me and Mable left to catch our overnight train to Kuala Lumpur.

Home is Where the Heart Is, or Where Your Shoes Are?

When people ask me where I'm from I never really know how to answer. Growing up in New Jersey I just assumed that people meant what my ethnicity was, since it was so diverse and I look pretty ambiguous. But when people asked me where I was from while I was living in New York I always said New Jersey, since you're pretty much either from New Jersey or Long Island if you live in New York City. But when I moved to California it started to get a little dicey. My first intuition was to say I'm from New York, because that's where I lived the previous 7 years. But since my parents are still in New Jersey, and that's what I still use as my permanent address, is that where I'm from? Because I haven't lived in NJ since 2001. If people still look confused then I say my parents are from India, because I guess I need to clarify that I'm not Mexican.

Coming to Hong Kong completely messed me up. Now my first intuition is to say I'm from California, since that's where I'm studying. But I only lived in Cali for a year so far, so is that really where I'm from? I mean, if you really want to dig deep, I'm actually from Waterloo, Iowa, since that's where I was born. But I have no connection to Iowa since I left when I was 2. So I've been switching between New Jersey, New York, and California while in Hong Kong, whatever state I feel closest to that day. One of my professors is convinced that I'm a Buddhist straight from India, since I'm the only Indian in the class. I'm also the only American in the class, but he chooses to look past that since I'm brown.

I recently visited Singapore and Malaysia, and this time when people asked me where I was from I got all flustered. My first response was Hong Kong, because that's where I flew in from. But when they looked confused since I clearly don't have a Hong Kongese accent, I said California. If they still looked confused then I would say my parents are from India, and then the strange look on their face would usually disappear. Singapore and Malaysia are probably the most diverse countries I've ever been to, with Indian, Chinese, Arab, and Malay people making up the majority. And since I look Indian, but could also pass for Malay, or even half Indian and half Chinese, I confused the hell out of people when I said I was from Hong Kong with an American accent.

If you really want to know, I was born in Iowa, grew up in New Jersey, studied and worked in New York City, am doing my MBA in California, and am currently an exchange student in Hong Kong. And my ethnicity is Indian. There. But to simplify things, I'll just say I'm from California. Because that's where most of my shoes are, currently in the trunk of my car.

Oct 8-12- The Amazing Wall, Beijing

Beijing is only a 3 1/2 hour flight from Hong Kong, but is significantly colder. It was in the 80's when we left Hong Kong on Thursday, and we arrived to 50 degree weather in Beijing. Everywhere we went everyone kept looking at our feet, probably thinking we were crazy for wearing flip flops! Sandro, Michael, Mirella, Romika, and myself went out of the exchange students, and we were probably the most diverse group in the entire country. An Italian guy, Belgian guy, Nigerian Canadian girl, Cameroonian French girl, and Indian American, Latin/ Indonesian looking girl definitely stand out in Communist China, and no matter where we went there was someone without fail who wanted to take a picture with us. It was amusing in the beginning, but after a while it got kind of annoying, and we were seriously considering charging people to take pictures with us! I'm almost positive that if we set up shop in Tiananmen Square possibly dawning traditional clothing from our respective countries, we could've easily paid for our entire trip. Pretty positive.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived in Beijing was that hardly anyone speaks English! It was quite surprising, seeing that Beijing is a pretty big city with 13 million people, the Olympics was hosted there last year, and it's a pretty big tourist destination. We would've seriously been lost if Mable didn't write down some common Chinese phrases for us in Chinese, along with names of popular tourist spots. After getting ripped off by the cab driver (you should always make sure the meter is on) we arrived at the Super 8 Motel in Dong Si. It wasn't a super nice hotel, but was cheap and convenient, and we spent very little time there anyway. Our first stop was dinner at a hot pot restaurant, one cuisine Beijing is famous for. It's similar to Korean BBQ, but you cook your food in a huge boiling pot instead of grilling it. We cooked lamb, chicken, shrimp, noodles, and vegetables, and it was super cheap and yummy. After dinner we checked out the nightlife at club Coco Banana, which was pretty insane. It was packed for a Thursday night with mostly locals, and I'm pretty sure it was a gay friendly bar, but the music was really good and the drinks cheap.

After finally waking up at 1pm the next day, we set out for Tiananmen Square. It was only a couple subway stops away from our hotel, but the subway is an experience of its own. It's ridiculously packed at all times of the day and, because people don't move to let you out of the subway, you literally have to push your way through to get off at your stop. Not fun. Tiananmen Square was also packed with tourists, but it was an experience to be in the same spot where hundreds of people were killed during the 1989 protests against Communism. We spent some time walking around, and then went to Silk Street for some shopping (and major haggling). We decided not to party Friday night since we joined a tour for the Great Wall, leaving at 7am the next morning.

Let me just say that the Great Wall is AMAZING. It's 5,500 miles long, and is so impressive that words are not enough. After visiting a Ming tomb and jade market on the way, we finally reached the Great Wall. We took a cable car up to as close as we could to the peak, but still had to climb a significant amount to get to the very top. The view from the top was breathtaking, and you could see hundreds of people trekking up the Great Wall. It looked almost like a pilgrimage. In the words of Mao Zedong, "He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man." And yes, I indeed felt like a true man after that climb, haha.

That night we partied at another spot, Club Banana (not sure what the fascination with bananas is), which was yet another crazy night with the locals. This club was located in a hotel, and was a lot more upscale than Coco Banana. Surprisingly we were able to wake up early enough the next morning for our final day of sight seeing in Beijing. Our first stop was the Lama Temple, the most impressive Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. It consisted of a row of several temples, concluding with a 3 story Buddha. We then spent a couple hours in the Forbidden City, where all the emperors had once lived. It was gigantic, with rows and rows of different halls (bronze hall, art hall, architecture hall). It was literally an entire city built just for the Emperor, and we could have easily spent an entire day there. We walked all the way to end, where we climbed to the peak of the city. At the top there was a Buddhist temple, with a beautiful Buddha statue overlooking the city, directly in the center. It's amazing how the Forbidden City was built, perfectly symmetrical and beautiful.

Our last meal in Beijing was Beijing's most popular dish, Peking Duck, which was absolutely delicious. We had to wait 50 minutes for it to be prepared, but it was so worth it. Once the duck is cooked it's cut up into pieces, and the traditional way to eat it is on top of a mini crepe with cucumber slices, onion, cantaloupe, mint, and bbq sauce. It was scrumptious, and a perfect way to end an awesome weekend.

Beijing is an amazing place to visit, with so much incredible history. But I don't think I could ever live there long term. First of all it's a constant reminder that China is the most populated country in the world, and everything from taking the subway to driving to going to the mall is a hassle. Second of all, China is a communist country, which is apparent in almost everything. No one speaks English, there are no Western tv channels, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube are blocked, and you can't even take pictures in some clubs!

Oct 5- Weekend in Taiwan!

Hong Kong welcomed me with open arms and put on a fireworks show for my birthday! Haha, my birthday was actually on China's Independence day, so after a long night of partying on Wednesday night we just relaxed, got Indian food, and saw fireworks on Thursday. A great way to start 26 :)

The exchange ladies (me, Mirella, Romika, and Mable) left for Taipei early Friday morning. Mable lives in Toronto but was born in China and speaks Mandarin fluently, so we were extremely glad that she was with us because very few people in Taiwan speak English! The first place we visited was Danshui, which was a couple stops off the MRT from our hotel in Taipei. We stayed in the TS Hotel right in the Times Square area of Taipei, which was pretty affordable and convenient. The city has a pretty good train system, and we got around very cheaply on trains and buses. Danshui is basically a Fisherman's Wharf, known for its beautiful bridge and street food. The fishball soup was BOMB.

Friday night we went to Luxy, which is a famous club for internationals and locals in Taipei. And by club, I mean CLUB. I haven't been to a place like that since Exit or Sound Factory in my early clubbing days. After pleading with the bouncer to let us in without our passports, and then paying 600NT$ each ($20 US, but is damn expensive in Taiwan) to get in, we had a really good time. The music was awesome, and the crowd wasn't bad either. By the end of the night all four of us were dancing on the podium, so that should speak for itself :)

Saturday we eventually woke up and took a bus up the Jinguashih mountain to Jioufen, known for its spectacular views, tea houses, and street markets. We walked through the street markets, tasting amazing local food on the way. We ate pineapple cakes, wasabi peanuts, fishball soup, almond tea, taro balls, pork stew, stinky tofu (it does stink, but tastes so good!) and so much more. After walking around for a couple hours trying to work off the millions of calories we ate, we sat in a tea house on the top of the mountain for a while, taking in the gorgeous view and delicious teas. We stopped by the famous Shi-Lin night market on the way back home, famous for its street food and shopping. Let's just say that my stomach and wallet hate me right now :/

It started raining on Sunday, but we still managed to do some more sight seeing. After eating amazing sushi with the biggest pieces of fish I HAVE EVER SEEN, we visited Taipei 101 (the world's tallest inhabited building), but didn't go to the top since it was too cloudy to see anything. We also visited the Chiang Kai-shek memorial, who was China's leader and later became part of the Nationalist government trying to free China from communism. Our last stop before leaving for Yanming mountain was Lung Shan temple, a buddhist temple some say is lucky for lovers ;)

We stayed in the Tien Lai Resort in Yanming mountain on our last night, which is known for its hot springs. Unfortunately it was still raining hard when we got there so we couldn't go in the outdoor hot springs. But we took full advantage of the indoor hot spring and sauna. It's imitated after Japanese bath houses, with a natural hot spring, cold pool, sauna, and steam room. Bathing suits are not allowed, so let's just say us ladies got to know each other very well, hah.

Oct 1- 10 Year Plan Revisited

25 was a pretty good year...I moved to Cali, started business school, traveled a lot, made some great friends, and started my journey abroad! Hopefully 26 will bring even more surprises. I did make a 10 year plan when I turned 20, so let's see how that's going...

Top 10 Things to do Before 30

1. Do my masters and move to Cali- check and check
2. Study abroad somewhere- check (Italy and Hong Kong)
3. Travel somewhere new at least once a year- I think I've been keeping this up so far
4. Go skydiving- who wants to go with me?!
5. Find my dream job- TBD
6. Keep in touch with everyone I love- facebook makes everything so much easier :)
7. Don't wear my heart on my sleeve and stop biting my nails- already a lost cause
8. Learn how to surf- 3 lessons down!
9. Become a yoga instructor and/or dolphin trainer part-time- it WILL happen
10. Fall in love, get married and pop out at least one kid- eh, I think I'll push this one back to 35

Sep 25- Step to the Left Please

Hong Kong locals like to take their time. While running errands, heading towards the subway, on their way to work, at the checkout line, or doing pretty much anything, no one ever seems to be in a rush. Even though California has slowed me down a little, I am and always will be an East Coaster at heart. And I'm sorry, but the slow hand-holding couple that's taking up the entire walkway to the subway needs to move over.

While running some errands today I decided to get a manicure at the nail salon across the street. Everyone was really nice, but my manicurist took her time and was so detailed it seemed like she was performing open heart surgery. I lived in NY for 7 years, so I'm used to quick and efficient 20 minute manicures, in and out! The first hour was fine because I don't have a tv in my apartment and this nail salon does. An hour and 15 minutes later I started to get restless. An hour and a half later they asked me if I was in a hurry. Umm, don't you think you should have asked me that an hour and a half ago?? Of course I'm not in a hurry, I don't really have much to do today at all except some reading for class...but who wants to sit in a nail salon all day?

Finally my manicurist started painting my nails. As she was painting all the other manicurists gathered around and started watching. I wondered what they were staring at...are my hands deformed? Are they too small? Are my fingernails yellow? My manicurist messed up on one nail, and all the other manicurists started yelling at her. She must have had to re-do 4 nails during this painting process. I finally realized that she was a manicurist in training, and it all started to make sense. Sure, give the new girl to the foreigner who doesn't have anything better to do all day.

I picked up some nailpolish on the way home, 2 and a half hours later, and decided to do my own damn nails from now on.

Sep 11- Red Light District

I haven't really partied in Hong Kong until last night. I went out a couple nights ago with Jen, my old manager, to a really cool laid back jazz bar, but that was about it. But last night I went out with some of the exchange students for the first time. First we went to Lan Kwai Fong (LKF), which is basically Hong Kong's party central. It's made up of 2 intersecting streets completely full of restaurants and bars. Some parts of Hong Kong remind me of San Francisco because the roads are so hilly and steep, but it's cool because there are steps or escalators everywhere that take you up the hills to different streets. So after bar hopping a bit we went up some stairs and ended up on Hollywood St, which was a completely different scene. LFK was more frat-bar-ish, with mostly everyone hanging outside in front of the 7-Eleven! No joke, amidst all these bars there was a 7-Eleven which was probably the most popping spot. I guess drinks are pretty pricy everywhere, so everyone gets beer at the 7-Eleven first, including us, hah.

But Hollywood St. was the complete opposite, with more upscale bars and a completely different crowd of expats and locals coming out right after work. We met up with Aty, a local girl that some of the guys before who's originally from Indonesia. She seems pretty cool, and apparently goes out every night and knows almost all the spots in HK. After stopping by an ice bar (it's seriously cold as ice, and is an awesome spot to drop by after dying in the humidity), she took us to an absinthe bar. I've drank absinthe before in the States and hated it, but the couple drinks I had of it last night weren't bad. Well, that's what I thought until I woke up this morning.

The next bar we went to was in Wanchai, which I didn't know was in the red light district. I was wondering why the bouncer told me and Romika that we should find him in case someone grabs our ass..until we walked in and found out. Everywhere we turned there was an older man with an Asian prostitute. Yep.

I really like my classmates so far, everyone seems very very cool. I can tell this is going to be a very interesting semester ;)

Sep 9- The Hairdryer Wars

I usually blow dry my hair straight after I wash it. I used to keep it curly when it was longer, but now that it's short it looks like there's a curly mop on my head. My brother told me I look like an old chinese woman with medusa hair when I wake up in the morning. So, I prefer to straighten it.

I brought my hairdryer from the US, and the first time I tried using it I plugged it into the converter and blew a short circuit in half of the apartment. I figured the setting was on too high so I tried a second time from the other half of the apartment, this time on low. A couple minutes later the hairdryer got so hot that it burnt the back of my neck! After somehow managing to straighten my hair a decent amount I left for class, and the second I stepped outside my hair was curly again because of the humidity. Needless to say I tucked my hairdryer away in my suitcase, never to be seen again until I am safely back in Irvine. I'm going to need a lot of gel.

Sep 8- Buddhist Monks

I'm not typically attracted to Asian men. I really only started to become attracted to Indian men a couple years ago, let alone Chinese or Japanese men. It wasn't until I was in Kyoto, Japan two years ago when I really started to notice Asian men. We were visiting a Buddhist Monastery and I came across the most beautiful man I've ever seen. He was tall, built, bald, and square faced. I really like square faces, there's something so masculine about them, like Batman. Unfortunately for me the most beautiful man I've ever seen was a monk. Go figure. But I still can't figure out why I was so attracted to him. Sure his physique and face was very appealing, but there was something more than that. Was it the robe, or the bald head? Or maybe it's his devotion to God and the fact that he gave up all material desires. Or maybe because he doesn't need women? I mean, who wants a needy man anyway??

People in Cambodia are able to become monks or nuns for 3 months, and then go back to their normal lives. I think that's awesome, and there's something that's just so damn sexy about it. Whatever it is, I'm incredibly attracted to the Buddhist Warrior Monk type, and I guess I'm in the right place to be for that.

Sep 7- Macau, First Day of Class

This past weekend we went to the island of Macau, which is basically the Vegas of Asia. We took an hour ferry ride from Hong Kong and stayed in the Sofitel hotel, which was damn nice! Macau was a Portuguese colony up until about 10 years ago, so it's full of beautiful old Portuguese architecture. The hotels and casinos are pretty nice, and Steve Wynn invested $1 billion into the Wynn hotel which is one of the nicest hotels there, after the Venetian (which is 3 times the size of the Venetian in Vegas!) Not only was there this crazy water/fire show in front of the Wynn hotel, there was a dragon show in the lobby. A huge dragon came out of the floor, and then the ceiling opened up to a ring of fire. That Steve man is creative! Macau is nice for a day trip, but isn't anything special compared to Vegas. There's no real nightlife and unless I'm in the mood to gamble with some real serious old Chinese men, I probably won't need to go again.

Today was my first day of class. It was in the city only 2 MTR stops from my apartment, 15 min, but I had to go to the campus first to register, which is a 45 minute subway ride. After getting lost and following 2 girls with backpacks hoping they would lead me to the right place (they did) I reached CUHK, which is this enormous campus on top of a mountain. It consists of new and modern buildings, and is really spread out with bus stops all around campus. My evening class had around 20 students, and was a mixture of locals and exchange students. I'm the only American so far, but I met some cool people from Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Italy and Belgium.

Our apartment is basically in the times square of NY, but much crazier. Causeway Bay is considered the shopping district of HK, so I walk out of the apartment directly into madness...hundreds and hundreds of people everywhere! I love it though. I have no tv and all my classes are at night, so I'll be getting lost and exploring as much as I can during the day. Some things I've noticed about Hong Kong so far:

-Everyone has fancy footwear and no one wears flipflops. I guess flipflops are considered shoes worn inside the home..but what am I gonna do with my 15 pairs?!

-Hong Kong women are obsessed with breast enhancement. Everywhere you go there are ads for bust serum. The massage lady even told she wished her breasts were like mine. Umm, awkward?

-Everyone is really nice and helpful. I was expecting the complete opposite, but I haven't met one rude person yet. Well, maybe the security guard in my building. I always smile and say hi and he always just gives me the same hard face. What's up with that Mr. Yung!

-The food is bangin, and cheap! I eat breakfast at home, but lunch and dinner combined costs me approximately $10 total. I already found 4 places around my apt that I like, but I really haven't had anything bad yet (I stay away from frog legs and chicken feet). I've also become slightly obsessed with Haagan Daaz green tea ice cream. Why the f don't they have that in the US??

-Tea is a staple with every meal. They don't give you water, they give you tea. I've been drinking so much tea I'm constantly wired, going to the bathroom, and am having a hard time falling asleep. Maybe that's why Hong Kong is so efficient?

-Everyone is ridiculously thin and I haven't seen any gyms so far. Maybe it's the tea?

Sep 2,3- Siem Reap, Cambodia

I love Cambodia. I love the people, the history...the food! We left Saigon yesterday morning and were welcomed to Cambodia by the most polite group of people I have ever met. For a country with such a rough history, Cambodians are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Not to mention it also has some of the best looking men I've ever seen ;) The country relies on tourism, with roughly 2 million tourists every year. Some background on Cambodia. Between 1974-1979, Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, committed genocide on his own people and killed approximately 3 million people. He decided that 1974 was year zero, which implied that Cambodia was starting from a blank slate and all the intellectuals should be murdered. So basically anyone who had a brain and opposed him (teachers, engineers, etc) were taken to killing fields and shot. Because so many parents were killed during that time there is an unbelievable number of orphans in Cambodia, with 70% of the population under the age of 30.

Cambodia has such a vast history, and although the main religion is now Buddhism, it was originally Hinduism. It is home to the world's largest temple, Angkor Wat, which is a Hindu temple built in the 12th century. It's made out of sandstone and took over 400,000 workers 37 years to build, and is incredible.

The first temple we visited was To Prahm, which is where Tomb Raider was filmed with Angelina Jolie. This temple is almost in ruins, not from war or man, but from trees. Trees have grown around and through the temple, with their roots making the temple even more spectacular. We then visited Bayon, a temple composed of 216 faces of Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation. Everywhere you look there is a face staring back at you, and the carvings are so intricate and detailed.

Today we visited Angkor Wat, the largest religious sculpture in the world. It is probably the most breathtaking thing I've ever seen, with three main towers in the center, surrounded by smaller temples. The wall carvings alone are marvelous, depicting epic tales of Rama and Sita, Hanuman's army, etc.

I had a special request (ahem Marie) to talk more about the food, and since I'm pretty sure Cambodian food is the best food I've ever tasted, I think this is a good opportunity. Last night we had an amazing meal consisting of:
Sauteed Eggplant with Ginger and Garlic
Grilled Fish with Raw Mango and Chilli Salsa
Amok Fish in Coconut steamed with Green Leaves, Peanuts, and Coconut Milk
Fried Fish with Ginger
Chicken Soup with Salty Lemon and Onion
All this including drinks for less than $30 altogether for 4 people.

Two days definitely wasn't enough time in Siem Reap, as we only got to see 4 or 5 temples out of hundreds. I would definitely love to come back here, home to one of travel wonders of the world.

Aug 31, Sep 1- Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

We flew to Ho Chi Minh city yesterday morning, which is the complete opposite of Nha Trang. We went from a relaxing beach town back to a bustling city constantly being attacked by scooters. This city holds so much history though, specifically from the Vietnam War and all the hardships the Vietnamese people have had to endure for so long. We started off at the Presidential Palace yesterday, and as I was hobbling around with my knee brace on I met an older Vietnamese man who said he was part of the South Vietnamese airforce during the Vietnam War. The Americans fought with South Vietnam against North Vietnam (or the Viet Cong), in an attempt to stop Communism from spreading from the North. This older Vietnamese war veteran trained in Illinois for 6 months, and apparently fell in love with Jazz music because he started singing to me. He also mentioned his favorite movie is Scarface.

After that we went to the War Remnants Museum, which used to be called the Museum of American Atrocities and in my mind should still be called that. Of course the museum is one sided, but some of the things that went down during the war are just unbelievable. There were countless pictures of victims of Agent Orange, the herbicide used to kill foliage in order to be able to see the Viet Cong more clearly in the jungle. Those who were exposed to Agent Orange suffered minor problems, but their offspring are whom were affected most of all. Some of the pictures we saw are unfathomable, children born with no arms or legs, one side of a woman's face completely disfigured, a little boy born with his foot attached to his backside. The war ended more than 30 years ago, but the aftermath continues today. There were pictures of concentration camps created by the Americans for Vietnamese civilians. Pictures of innocent women and children mistaken for the Viet Cong and being shot down. It was just horrible.

Today was an even harsher reality of the Vietnam War. We took a boat through the Mekong Delta, part of the area where a lot of the fighting was done. We then hiked through the Cu Chi Tunnel, which I think is a must if you visit Vietnam. This was the actual grounds of where the war was fought in the jungle, including a 200km tunnel built by the Viet Cong. We walked (and I hobbled) through the jungle in the pouring rain, and were shown several hidden traps that were so intricately designed to capture enemy soldiers (Americans). I felt like I was part of a war movie and someone was going to jump out of the bush and shoot me down, except this was the real thing and not a set. I walked through muddy water where millions of people (approx. 500,000 Americans and 2 million Vietnamese) had lost their lives. It was simultaneously impressive, unsettling, and incredibly sad.

I need to shower.

Aug 30- The Day in the Life of a Dog who Blogs on the Beach

I love my life. I just sit on the beach and watch the peaceful turquoise South China Sea all day. My favorite pastime is chasing birds and trying to catch fish. I live a happy life here in Nha Trang, I’m surrounded by beauty and I get to meet people from all around the world. Lately a lot of tourists have been visiting my untouched beach, and today I came across an Indian family from America while I was drinking water out of my favorite pot. I overheard them talking about their day, they went snorkeling in Mun Island and they seemed to have loved it. The young Indian lady said the coral was like a jungle under the ocean, and apparently there are 250 different types of coral in the islands surrounding Nha Trang. She was going on and on about the beautiful fish she saw, and it sounded splendid. I wish I could snorkel.

The young lady seemed to be fascinated with me, especially when I started coughing. I was a little surprised when she chased me down the beach, but maybe she was trying to play with me. She seemed so happy, and I kind of felt bad for her when she slipped while getting onto the boat to leave the island. I think she hurt something. Ooh, there’s a bird!

Yes, so I slipped and sprained my knee while getting on the boat. And now I’m sitting in my hotel room sufficiently intoxicated with an ice pack on my knee after popping a couple Advil. It hurts like hell, but I just hope it gets better before Angkor Wat. I also learned tonight that I got my drinking abilities from my dad. He was drinking with me to help ease the pain, and that man can throw down!

Aug 28, 29- Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An

Hue used to be Vietnam's capital, and is extremely rich in history. We spent yesterday sightseeing various pagodas and tombs of the 13 emperors that ruled during feudalism in Vietnam. My favorite site was the tomb of Khai Dinh, which was a mixture of Vietnamese and French architecture and decor. We also took a boat trip down Perfume River, and could see a distinct difference between both sides of the river. One side was full of hotels and tourist attractions, while the other side was visibly much poorer with the extremely poor living in boats on the river.

I love the markets of Vietnam, which have everything imaginable for sale. One of the shop owners loved my sunglasses (actually my mom's from 1974), and wouldn't let me leave without taking a picture of her.

We left this morning for Da Nang, which is a beautiful town surrounding China Beach. We drove up a mountain where the views of untouched beaches and small towns were spectacular. It reminded me a little of Positano. This is one of my favorite cities in Vietnam so far, maybe even the world. The first site we visited was the Cham Museum, which is dedicated to the Cham Dynasty that ruled central Vietnam during the 2nd-10th century. The main religion of this dynasty was actually Hinduism, portrayed by the numerous Hindu gods and goddesses we saw at the museum. The mix between Hindu and Vietnamese culture is amazing, with a statue of Shiva right next to that of a Vietnamese dragon, across from Lady Buddha. Vietnam took over the Cham Dynasty, but there are still a few Cham people living in south Vietnam, and they resemble Indonesians.

After lunch me and Nihal climbed Marble mountain, which was more than a 300 step steep hike. I was tired and drenched after 150 steps, but somehow Nihal and our tour guide Phu tricked me into believing there was a cave somewhere, and another 150 steps later we were at the top of the mountain! But it was worth it, the view from the top was unbelievable. One side was China Beach, and the other side was the city surrounded by mountains. Simply amazing. I've already lost so much weight on this trip that the only thing keeping my shorts up is the fact that I'm always sweating and they are able to stick to me and stay put.

Following Marble Mountain we drove another 30 km to Hoi An, which is known for its ancient city. The ancient city lies alongside the river, and no cars are allowed inside. It kind of reminds me of Venice/Amsterdam meets Asia. Everything is so peaceful, with traditional folk music playing in the background, cute little cafes, shops lining the street, and people just strolling through the streets. It's very touristy, but I thought it was beautiful.

I'm going to stretch and go to sleep, I have a feeling I won't be able to walk tomorrow :/

Aug 27- Floating Villages

We woke up early again today to take a boat around Halong Bay. I heard that if there was one thing you have to do in Vietnam it's to go to Halong Bay, and I couldn't agree more. Basically the bay is made up of hundreds of small limestone islands, and big and small boats are able to sail around them or through some of the bigger caves. We took the boat to Heavenly Palace, which is one of the biggest caves in the bay. We hiked over a hundred steps and it was well over 100 degrees, so by the time we reached the cave we were all sweating profusely. I was sweating in places one should never ever sweat, but it was well worth it. It's amazing how something so beautiful could be created from simply water and sand.

After visiting the caves we took the boat to the floating villages, which are exactly that, floating villages. Here are people living on their boats, fishing for a living. Everything they need is on the water, a floating school, grocery store, etc. We stopped at one village to rent a smaller boat, which was basically a big plank of wood, to row into one of the lagoons. We went through a small waterway that led into a huge open lagoon surrounded by limestone. The water was extremely still, and the sight was absolutely breathtaking. I don't think words can even explain how amazing this was. I wish we could have gone swimming in the bay, but it wasn't the cleanest. At one point my brother asked the tour guide if it was a sea turtle he saw in the bay. Cuong said, "that is what you call, plastic bag?"

I wish we could've stayed another day, but we had to drive back to Hanoi to catch our flight to Hue, which used to be the capital of Vietnam. But I'm determined to make it back to Halong Bay some day.

Aug 26- Hanoi and Halong Bay

I really like Vietnamese people because they don't seem phased at all by tourists. Even though tourism is just now blowing up in Vietnam, everyone just goes about their daily business and won't even take a second glance at you. It's so different than India, where even though I'm Indian people automatically know that I don't live in India, and will stare me down like I have the plague. Vietnamese people, on the other hand, are very polite and modest. I also thought they would hate Americans after the war, but I didn't encounter any hint of disdain towards us. Maybe because we're brown?

We woke up early this morning to walk around the Hoan Kiem lake. We had to get there before 7am if we wanted to see the locals doing their morning exercises before work. It was such an amazing sight, everyone from teenages to senior citizens was at the lake exericising. There were older women practicing Tai Chi in unison, younger women doing yoga, men stretching and jogging, etc. Vietnam is very health conscious, and I don't think I saw one obese person anywhere.

After breakfast we went to Ho Chi Minh's burial site. Ho Chi Minh was basically the Gandhi of Vietnam, and Saigon was actually renamed to Ho Chi Minh City after him. He led the Vietnam independence movement, and even lived in Brooklyn for a couple years. Holla! After that we went to the War Museum which was okay. I think the main one is in Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon), which is supposed to be really sad too. The last thing we saw in Hanoi was the Temple of Literature, which was a university dedicated to Confucius. We then went on a 4 hr drive to Halong Bay.

After reaching Halong Bay we decided to get Vietnamese massages near the hotel. I thought the massage was questionable, but my parents and brother seemed to like it. Maybe I just don't like massages, I'm way too ticklish and I don't like unknown people rubbing my butt. And this woman was all up in it. At one point she was stepping on it too!

Confucius say, good night!