I made it home safe and sound. :) I had a long layover in Incheon (S. Korea) so the airline put me up in a hotel for the 11 hr. layover - it wasn't half bad!
I've been slowly building my work schedule to what it was before I left, so it has been nice to ease back into things. It's crazy how the trip already feels like it was a few months ago!
I put together a short slide show of the highlights on Picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/gcruver/SEAsiaHighlights#
Hope you enjoy them! If you want more stories or pictures, feel free to call or email gcruver@hotmail.com
love
gina
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Singapore
I actually flew into JB, a Malaysian airport right next to Singapore. I met up with two girls, one from Singapore and one from Spain and we made it though the border crossing together - good thing the Singaporean girl knew what she was doing! So far, that has been my hardest transfer - getting on a bus, off to go through Malay customs, back on a different bus, off again to go through Singapore's immigration, back on a different bus that dropped me off somewhere downtown. Then a taxi to where I'm staying. It might not sound that complicated, but add in a ton of people pushing their way through each place...did I mention I was glad the girl from Singapore was with us?! We made it just fine. :)
The guys I ended up coming down the mountain with actually live in Singapore, so even though they weren't going to be there, they let me stay at their place! It was so nice to walk into a "home" after the trip from KK to Singapore! The place is about 5 minutes from the beach, and 15 from the airport - perfect. I head down to the beach, walk along the promenade complete with everything from restaurants to a large man made lake with ropes going around so you can water ski, wake board or knee board! (there was even a jumping course set up!)
I sat for awhile looking out to the city on the water - the hundreds of barges/ships/crates sitting out in the harbor waiting to come into the port or leave - before I headed to bed.
I met up with one of their friends in the morning, and she drives me to Orchard road. This is apparently THE place to shop in Singapore. Too bad I am not a shopper! I actually wish I knew what was good to buy...it seems like a ton of name brands (not the rip-off kind) are here for pretty cheap! oh well. Sorry if you wanted something fancy from Singapore! :)
Now, I am waiting for my midnight flight to Seoul, then finally home to Seattle on Saturday morning! I can't believe my trip is over - it sure flew by! thanks for all your emails/support!
see you soon
love
g
The guys I ended up coming down the mountain with actually live in Singapore, so even though they weren't going to be there, they let me stay at their place! It was so nice to walk into a "home" after the trip from KK to Singapore! The place is about 5 minutes from the beach, and 15 from the airport - perfect. I head down to the beach, walk along the promenade complete with everything from restaurants to a large man made lake with ropes going around so you can water ski, wake board or knee board! (there was even a jumping course set up!)
I sat for awhile looking out to the city on the water - the hundreds of barges/ships/crates sitting out in the harbor waiting to come into the port or leave - before I headed to bed.
I met up with one of their friends in the morning, and she drives me to Orchard road. This is apparently THE place to shop in Singapore. Too bad I am not a shopper! I actually wish I knew what was good to buy...it seems like a ton of name brands (not the rip-off kind) are here for pretty cheap! oh well. Sorry if you wanted something fancy from Singapore! :)
Now, I am waiting for my midnight flight to Seoul, then finally home to Seattle on Saturday morning! I can't believe my trip is over - it sure flew by! thanks for all your emails/support!
see you soon
love
g
KK part 2
Back in KK, the weather is beautiful - all I need now is to get on one of those islands....so I go to the marina and it turns out I have to wait until the next morning. Oh well, I will spend the afternoon looking around at the shops...oh wait, it is almost the end of Ramadan and most places are closed early. Good thing there are lots of good restaurants on the water!
The next day, I meet my guide and boat at 8am to head out for a three island tour: Mamutik, Sulug and Manukan islands. Each island is beautiful - Sulug is by far the smallest and I get it in my head that it would be fun to go around the rocky shores of the island, so the boat driver drops me (the guide too) off the shore of one of the rocky parts because he can't get close...bright idea Gina. After getting caught in a set of waves near the rocks (they were not small - the waves or the rocks) I figured out it wasn't the most brilliant idea. oops. Good thing the guide was with me!
When we got back to the beautiful, small, sandy, rockless beach, the rest of the group was ready to go (it hadn't really been that long), they had already discovered the snorkeling wasn't very good. So we headed off to the last of the three islands: Manukan. This island was much bigger, with several restaurants, places to stay and much longer, beautiful sandy beaches. (no rocks here!). Ahhh, now I can relax and lay in the sun. I get reports the snorkeling isn't great and there are definitely no turtles... I had enough water already, so I enjoy staying dry. :)
All the shops are definitely closed when we get back to the dock by 5, so I head out for dinner with my new hostel roommate. I think by now all this foreign food is starting to catch up to me, or maybe it was one meal...but I head in early and stay in bed until 11 or 12 the next day. At least my room has AC! Ahhh, yes, and it is the end of Ramadan, which means EVERYTHING is closed, including all pharmacies. fantastic. Good thing I am going to Singapore to stay at a friends house tomorrow. :)
The next day, I meet my guide and boat at 8am to head out for a three island tour: Mamutik, Sulug and Manukan islands. Each island is beautiful - Sulug is by far the smallest and I get it in my head that it would be fun to go around the rocky shores of the island, so the boat driver drops me (the guide too) off the shore of one of the rocky parts because he can't get close...bright idea Gina. After getting caught in a set of waves near the rocks (they were not small - the waves or the rocks) I figured out it wasn't the most brilliant idea. oops. Good thing the guide was with me!
When we got back to the beautiful, small, sandy, rockless beach, the rest of the group was ready to go (it hadn't really been that long), they had already discovered the snorkeling wasn't very good. So we headed off to the last of the three islands: Manukan. This island was much bigger, with several restaurants, places to stay and much longer, beautiful sandy beaches. (no rocks here!). Ahhh, now I can relax and lay in the sun. I get reports the snorkeling isn't great and there are definitely no turtles... I had enough water already, so I enjoy staying dry. :)
All the shops are definitely closed when we get back to the dock by 5, so I head out for dinner with my new hostel roommate. I think by now all this foreign food is starting to catch up to me, or maybe it was one meal...but I head in early and stay in bed until 11 or 12 the next day. At least my room has AC! Ahhh, yes, and it is the end of Ramadan, which means EVERYTHING is closed, including all pharmacies. fantastic. Good thing I am going to Singapore to stay at a friends house tomorrow. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
