Lifestyles of the rich and the famous

I go to bed early and I get up early. It's too hot to sleep in once the sun starts peaking through the window. Our hostel right now is clean and spacious, despite the giant cockroach that crawled on my foot during breakfast yesterday. It doesn't have air conditioning, but it does have free wi-fi. Because our mount kinabalu climb cost us quite a bit, we're just laying low for the next few days, which is fine by me. Although it is so hot during the day, it feels like my rubber flip flops are going to melt right off of my feet, I love walking around a new city.
Many times, there is nothing significant about the city as a whole, but if you walk past the markets, the little shops, the family owned restaurants, you realize that the people and their lives that are behind this city, in this third world country, are significantly different. Yes, there are some who have the means to and choose to live a western lifestyle, but it's rare. Sometimes I feel guilty about my travels. There are beggars and certain individuals who are in need of desperate help and they think that because I am white, that I have all the money in the world, when the truth is when i get back I will probably be begging on the side of the street myself. Some would say, "why don't they just get a job." To those who say that... if the solution were really that easy, that cut and dry, we would have no problems. The problems that take place in these countries, even our own country are not caused by all individuals choosing to be lazy. They're caused by governments, by religion, by governments not allowing people to be properly educated. And, who has the authority to say what is proper education anyway.
Everyday that I am here I enjoy myself beyond belief, yet at the same time it absolutely kills me. I want to help, I want to do something. I plan on doing a volunteer program for a few weeks while here, but it still drives me crazy that I can't save everyone. I don't want people to think that I am trying to be the next mother theresa, nor do I want people to even think I am a hippy/save the world/peace lover, because I am not. Not in a long shot. I know I can't save the world, but I want myself to never forget what I am seeing and experiencing.
When I get home, i am afraid of getting caught in the same old rutt. I am not even talking about the rutt of the same routine everyday, I am talking about getting caught up in my looks, the things I have, the things I want, etc. I have finally realized for the first time in my life that I am ridiculous! I always think I am fat, I am constantly comparing myself to others, I cry because I think some of my friends have better jobs than I do. When I actually write these things down that I think about and worry about 24 hours a day, it is absurd. I am beautiful, I am healthy, I don't have a possy of friends, but I have a few close friends and a family that loves me, and they who mean the world to me.
I'll leave you with this ironic fact: Throughout southeast asia/india, indiviuals walk with umbrellas, sheilding themselves from the sun. They use whitening creams to lighten their skin, some even bleach their skin. Those who have money eat, trying to make themselves fat. In their world, being fat and white equals beauty and wealth. In our world, the western world, if you will... everyone strives to be thin and tan... the look of the rich and famous.

Lists

Because I am somewhat of a neat freak/I like order in my life, I have decided to make a list blog which I will continually update. It makes me feel better... you don't have to read it.
Books I have read thus far on my journey:
1. "The Big Sur" by Jack Kerouac (jack makes me look like susie homemaker compared to his life on the road and in the big sur)
2. " The Woods" by Harlan Coben (good murder mystery. Lot's of stuff going on. good for someone with a short attention span such as myself)
3. " Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert (i love it. i love it. i love it. she makes me want to go to italy just to eat and look at gorgeous men. she's hilarious and has some of the greatest quotes)

Things I want to Eat/drink:
1. veggie corn dogs
2. unsweetened ice tea
3. brocach's fish fry
4. quesadilla
5. shamrock shake from Mcdonalds

What I want to accomplish while on my journey:
1. Go snorkling
2. Eat something I've never had before (which I think has already been done, unavoidable)
3. do a yoga retreat
4. climb mt. kinabalu
5. possibly decide what I want to do when I get back to the U.S.
6. come home with a better understanding of myself
7. make friends with someone from another country whom I can go visit
8. have my back healed by an ancient remedy
9. Come back more grounded

Things that are Steve's buddy:
1. dogs
2. cats
3. crabs
4. monkeys
5. pizza
6. garlic
7. chapstick
8. spiders
9. ice cream
10. waves
11. jelly fish
12. lizards

Things that I am good at:
1. losing clothes
2. leaving what ever i am carrying on the counter where i purchase something
3. falling
4. getting asked if i "have baby" or am pregnant (perhaps someone should sign me up for "what not to wear")
5. getting stomach aches
6. driving steve crazy

Things I like that you can only get in se asia:
1. fizzy bubbly
2.delicious street food (no hot dogs)
3. a japanese slipper
4. awesome clothes for $2
5. wicker rings
6. 7/11 on every single street corner

caves, karaoke, cuisine

Do to lack of Internet connections over the last week and the abundance of things to do, blogging was at the bottom of the list of things to do. However, I observed many interesting people, did some semi-adventurous things, day dreamed about a lot of food, and pondered many other random thoughts.
Of course traveling is not complete without a plethora of trains, plains, and automobiles. I guess for Steve and I it's more city buses. As much as it can be a pain in the ass to get to your destination by this mode of transportation, it's worth it due to the exotic people who are continually getting on and off the bus. Now that we are in Malaysia it's so hard to tell who is what nationality. The country primarily consists of; Malays, Chinese, Indians, and a mix of all of the above. I've been trying to differentiate all week, but I've only got as far as I can tell who is Indian. Beyond that, you got me.
My favorite people to watch on the bus are the children and adolescents. They don't have school buses so all kids take the city bus to and from school. I love looking at the different uniforms, the things they bring home with him, their posture, the friends they sit with and giggle with. I try to imagine what they do when they get home from school, knowing that they don''t get home and turn on nickelodeon like most American children. It's funny to think of a school bus of American children coming home from school, all wild and loud, and then to watch how maturely these kids get on the bus, pay their dues, and sit quietly with a friend until their stop. I want to teach these kids.
Where our bus rides took us this week were mainly to airports and different hostels, but we did actually fit in some gnarly activities as well. While in Miri, which is located on the island part of Malaysia, we went to some national parks and did some hiking through the jungle. Our first day there, due to us sleeping in and the lengthy bus ride, we only had time to do a short trail in Lambir national park to a waterfall where you could swim, my kind of hike. It was beautiful and wonderful because we were the only people there. So, we ate some nuts and grapes and swam our little hearts out. The bus ride was longer than the actual time we spent in the park.
Day two in Miri, we went to the Niah caves with two Australian sisters that were staying at the same hostel as us. They were an absolute blast and made the 9km hike seem like nothing. We talked so much, I forgot what we were even doing until we got to the caves. The caves were, as the girls would say, brilliant. It was literally like you were on another planet. I'm hoping the pictures do them justice. A good 15-20 minutes of our hike through the caves were in total darkness. The only thing I could think of while walking through that part was the movie, "the descent." Google it, if you've never heard of or seen it. I was a little frightened.
Our day of hiking was followed by of course a shower as well as the influence of alcohol and two sisters. With these wild sisters, we found every ladies night in town (free drinks), we danced on a stage, we sang karaoke, and ate at a Malaysian KFC at 3am. It was quite an eventful day day.
Although my KFC mashed potatoes were semi-normal, they were yet again another carb. everyday i day dream about motz. cheese and my morningstar corn dogs. I have not been having much luck with food here. Within the last 2 weeks, I have only once gotten what I actually ordered. I have been so protein deprived that I actually wanted to eat meat the other day, which in my 6 or so years of being a vegetarian I have never once craved meat. I order veggies and rice and what i get is either covered in fish oil or some how still has chunks of meat or fat in it. Therefore, i eat only rice. I found an egg sandwich at the airport yesterday, so i am hoping that protein sticks with me for a while till I can find my next fix. (I am a protein addict)
As for other day dreams, thoughts, concerns;
Steve always looks normal and I look like like an adolescent Larry king going through puberty with a tan. I am jealous, I want to be the pretty one.
We are in Kota Kinabalu now, I am still debating whether I should climb the mountain or not. I want to, but I'm scared I will hurt my grandma back.
I still really want a veggie corn dog.
I miss my Lucy girl... I want to squiggle her.
I need to buy a pair of pants.
I need to buy a razor.
I think I want to extend my trip and go to India and do some yoga.
I like traveling.
I am reading the book "eat, pray, love" yes it was on Oprah, but it is an amazing book. I am in love with it and want to marry it.

Lady Man

I should have known after stepping in dog shit immediately after exiting my hostel in Georgetown that it was going to be a rough day. What should have been a simple 5 hour bus ride to the hippest city in Malaysia, Kula Lumpur, turned into about 8 or so hours of bumpy roads with a bladder full of 100 plus (a delicious Malaysian viatamin type drink).
It all began with the bus being late to pick us up. It continued to keep behind schedule when it decided to sit at another bus stop for about and hour or so to wait for more people. I attempted to get off here to use the toliet, the bus driver wouldn't let me off. I could have cried. The bus finally began it's journey, but after a half an hour, the bus again pulled off to the side, not so anyone could get out and use the restroom, but because we were lost. After back tracking and finally getting on the right course, the bus driver should have stopped half way through to allow people to get food and use the restroom. He never stopped, he continued to pass up one rest station after another. We finally stopped at a rest station that was a half an hour outside the city. It was like a stampede of people running off the bus toward the restrooms.
When we finally arrived in Kula Lumpur, the bus driver took everyones bags out of the bus except for ours. When I pulled ours out, they were soaking wet. I was quite upset, but the wet bag on my back was actually quite refreshing for the hour of walking we did with it looking for a hostel.
The first hostel we checked out had the walls coming up the stair painted bright green with little colorful flower pots on each step on the way up, Christina Aguleria's "Come on Over" was bumping from the top. I was into it until I got to the top. The lobby if you will, looked like a horrible lab for science experiments. There were different birds locked up in little cages and fish tanks everwhere filled with jurrasic looking fish that were the exact same size as their tank. It broke my heart. However, nothing could top the Indian lady man who sat at the receptionist desk. He/she looked as though he/she was part of the display, locked behind his/her desk. I think he or she was attempting a sexy appearance with the pink lip stick and the well done hair, but the face, the face couldn't be helped. We politely checked out one of the rooms, but said no thank you and moved onto the next, which is where we are now. It is impecibly clean, very welcoming, and it has air conditioning (oh yeah!) Also, attached to it is a raggae bar that has ladies night every night. I took advantage of that with dinner last night. By far our most expensive dinner yet, 80 ringits for 7 drinks and 2 meals. In US dollars about $20.

And I would walk 1,237 steps... (Krabi, Tailand)

On the island of Ko Chang I had my fair share of spiders, in Krabi I recieved my fair share of spider monkey's. While in Krabi, I took a full day tour packed with exercise, animals, sunshine, and food- just a few of my favorite things.\

The tour began with 3 hours kayaking through limestone caves, some areas covered in lush green jungle, and mangroves. While going through the mangroves dozens of monkeys swung from the trees and watched us go by, a few even decided to join us on our kayaks. When I saw them start dropping onto kayaks, I said to Steve, "paddle, paddle, paddle!!!!!!!!" I was scared. All I could think of was rabise. However, the guides said they were nice and even cut up some pineapple for us to feed them, so I gave them a chance. These monkeys also quickly became Steve's buddies.
After our little kayaking adventure, we were taken to have some delicious lunch; rice and vegetables for me, the same thing that I have now been eating for the last 12 days, and then to the jungle to ride some elephants, which are also became steve's buddies. When I climbed onto that giant animals back, it felt surreal. I couldn't believe I was about to go for a trek through the jungle on an elephant. A Tai man drove the elephant, if you will, while steve and I sat behind him. At first I thought this would be one of the coolest things i will ever do, but I soon disregarded that thought. In order to make the elphant do what he wanted and go where he wanted, the Tai man would beat the elephant with a bamboo stick with a metal hook coming out one end. Everytime the man would hit the elephant, I would flinch. I felt so guilty for being on that animals back for my own amusement. As neat of an experience it was, I don't think I would do it again.
Because we had a full day with our tour on saturday, i decided to take today as a day to just bum around the city and plan our next destination. However, my day of regrouping and planning turned into the day I climbed 1,237 steps up a mountain to a temple. It was a bit tiring, but actually not so bad and I hate incline of any sort. It felt good to make it to the top and the view was more than worth it. It makes me sad that the pictures don't do it justice. After climbing back down, I recieved a hand made bracelet from a monk which is supposed to bring me good luck. I am really hoping it works.

dogs, jellyfish, spiders, oh my....

The markets in Bangkok could satisfy any girl's shopping desires. The heat and air pollution in Bangkok could ruin hair and make-up for any girl in 2 minutes flat- not the hair. Even Steve couldn't stand his hair. I ended up shaving it for him with his beard clippers and a ratty pair of sissors; however, I left a little on top for him for a trendy yet managable look, a mohawk. My few days in Bangkok were fabulous, but I didn't mind leaving the sweltering city for a few more days of r and r on the remote island of Ko Chang.
Getting to Ko Chang wasn't easy, but it of course was worth it. We started off by taking a night bus 8 hours to Ranong, from there we threw our bags and ourselves in a little cart built off the side of a motor bike, this bike took us to the pier where we took and hour and a half boat ride to the island. Upon getting there, there was no pier to unload ourselves on. We climbed down a ladder into the ocean and the crew threw our bags to us, really it's not as bad as it sounds, it was actually quite fun and refreshing considering it has been at least 95 degrees and sunny every day (don't be jealous, haters.) Our voyage was long, but our 4 days upon the island were stupendous.
Our bungalow on the island was literally woven out of palm leaves, our roof was tin with holes in it, our bed was a slab of wood with a palm leaf stuffed mattress. Every night we had visitors, 2 spiders. The little one slept on the toliet, the big one and I mean thick and big slept on the wall under the sink. Steve called them our buddies. Without a doubt, they were there every night when we headed in. At first I was scared, I went to bed almost everynight having to pee because I was afraid they would attack me. But, they grew on me, I knew they were protecting us from the mosquitos.
Beside talking to spiders while on the island, our daily activities consisted of: wake boarding in the ocean next to jelly fish that looked like breast implants, playing frisbee, napping, reading, drinking coconut shakes (best thing ever!), and dog watching. The resort we stayed at had 3 dogs, a momma, a daddy, and a baby. The baby was a rolly polly who's activities consisted of hanging out with us, digging big wholes in the sand, chasing sand crabs, and some how walking on the roof of the common area. Her name is Gnoa and I wanted to bring her home to play with Lucy.
The island and all it's gloriousness sucked us in, it was hard to leave. We were really starting to get the beach bum life style down, but all good things must come to an end. I believe if we stayed any longer we would have easily become fat, black, and wrinkly.

bloody blisters in bangkok

well... I finally made it to the crazy world of bangkok. the flight took 20 hours, not including the layover in korea. i watched 3 1/2 movies and one show on the flight; madagasgar 2, changeling, nick and norah's infinite play list, happy-go-lucky, and documentary on the galapago's islands. we left oak creek for the the bus station which would take us to chicago at 7:15am. we arrived in bangkok at 9:30 pm. I honestly still don't know what day it is or what time it is. i have yet to sit down to determine if bangkok in 13 hours ahead of us or behind us.
when i first got in, i went to the hostel and crashed. however, i woke up about 4am and sat in our sweltering hot room waiting for it to get light out. literally at the crack of dawn i got up to shower and be on my way to see the largest reclining buddah. i was all rested ulp and very excited to be on my way, but soon was ready to punch chaco in the face. chaco is my sandle. i spent $95 on a new pair of walking sandles before i left because i knew i would be wearing them a lot. bad idea... after 20 minutes of walking i had 3 different bloody blisters on each of my feet. the first person i saw selling sandles, i purchased a pair. they are one of the greatest ugliest things i ever put on my feet for 90 baht or $2.
after visiting buddah and releaving my feet, steve and i continued to walk and walk and walk. we walked through many markets selling the same shit, but awesome shit. i bought a tank top and a pair of glasses... yes, a pair of glasses. i bought a pair of glass for $4 and i can see!!!! my glasses at home suck, they don't fit on my head and i feel as though they don't even make a difference when i put them on, these bad boys do. this may be the greatest purchase i make while on this trip.
the rest of our day was spent trying to stay hydrated and find our way back to the hostel. i crashed at 7pm, steve got mad. "you're not going to get used to the time difference... you have to just suck it up and stay a wake or you'll be up at 4am again." so i was, whatever. i'll try to stay up till 9pm tonight.