Bangkok, Thailand

I am officially booked for my next weekend trip out of Singapore!  The last weekend in July, I am going to Bangkok, Thailand with my roommate before she heads back to Germany in early August.  Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and one of the top international tourist destinations in the world.  It's only a quick hour and a half plane ride from Singapore.  Bangkok was featured in the latest comedy hit, Hangover 2. :)  It will just be a weekend overnight trip, but I know we're going to have a good time (maybe even too good of a time :-P)!       

Runner's High

Hello my loyal blog readers...I've missed you over the weekend! :)

I have not been happy with my workout habits since I've been in Singapore (or should I say lack thereof).  After my weekend away last weekend, I did not have time to decompress because we got back late Sunday night, just to go right to work early Monday morning.  Now that I was able to relax over this past weekend, it was time to get into some kind of routine.  Originally I was going to join California fitness which has fun classes and lots of equipment.  Gym memberships are quite expensive here in Singapore, so instead I decided to invest in a good pair of running shoes and get back into running.  I would rather use that gym membership money to travel somewhere once a month outside of Singapore :) 

I found a pair of good running shoes in my favorite brand on sale today...Score!! :)  I couldn't delay it any longer, so I knew that no matter what I was going for my first run after work today.  Even if it ended up being a mile, I had to do it.  I have been dreading it because of how humid it can get here.  I get home from work anywhere between 6pm and 7pm, so I figured the humidity wouldn't be as bad since the sun starts going down around 7:30pm. 

Today I got out there around 6pm.  I walked to the streets behind my condo to find a good place to run since I knew the traffic would be less that way.  I found the perfect running spot; there is a loop around a few condos a couple of streets behind my condo.  I estimate it to be somewhere between .5 and .9 mile long.  I know that's a horrible estimate, but I'm not a good judge of distances.  So between running down the streets and around the loop around 5 times, I estimate I ran somewhere between 3 and 3.5 miles??  I did fine in the humidity and had no problems with breathing.  Even though I didn't feel the humidity during the run, it must have been because I was drenched in sweat when I got home (and I do not sweat that much ever).  But It felt absolutely great to run again!  I've ran a half marathon once a year since 2008 and hope to continue that trend this year.  There is a half marathon/marathon in December in Singapore which is huge.  If all is going well by fall, then it will be my goal to run the half here. :)     

What's your favorite workout that gets you going??

Quote

Here is a good quote to supplement my last blog and perhaps my blog in general. :-D




People take different roads seeking fulfillment & happiness.  Just because they're not on your  road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. -Dalai Lama

WEIP?

My dad asked me today on facebook chat why do I hate Cleveland?  I was completely taken aback, I didn't know anyone still thought that.  I absolutely don't hate Cleveland at all.  (In moments of extreme unhappiness, I admit I have probably said these very words.  It is my impulsive and emotional nature :-/)  Cleveland is near and dear to my heart and will always be my home.  When people here make a look, like oh there's nothing in Cleveland, I always defend Cle.  Cleveland is a great place to be and has so much to offer!  There are four seasons for those who enjoy the change in seasons (winter tends to last a little longer that most would like...but then hey all of the sudden it's summer).  Cle has every professional sports team possible.  There are museums and culture to enjoy.  Not to mention the array of fabulous restaurants and clubs downtown.  Plenty of nice parks and trails to enjoy nature.  And you're right by the lake. :)  

It can be hard to explain to one why I am not happy living there at this point in my life, especially when it has so much to offer including my amazing and supportive friends and family who are some of the most fun people to hang out with.  They really are the best anyone could ask for and I am blessed beyond belief to have them all.  Cle right now is very confining and suffocating for me personally.  What thrills me and makes me tick is traveling, meeting new people, and having completely new and unique experiences.  It gives me pure joy.  I feel it is my destiny to be out here exploring what this wonderful world has to offer.  Absolutely for myself and maybe for those who don't have the privilege or desire to. :)  If anything, I hope I have inspired people to not be so afraid of what's out there.  That it's okay to try new things and that absolutely anything in this world is 

possible. :) hdigabtt?

Pulau Tioman, Malaysia part two

Since we were staying on the east side of the island, we decided to get up early and watch the sun rise (I've always wanted to do this!)  We got up quite early and were waiting awhile but when the sun finally came up behind the mountains of the island it was worth it.  Watching the sunset and sunrise are two things everyone must do once in their life, along with star gazing.  It is a beautiful and amazing universe out there and should take a moment in our busy lives to appreciate it every once in awhile. :)  Being among nature can be a very spiritual and peaceful thing.  It's good for the soul :-D

Our resort was a row of little houses where we stayed.  The outside was really cute, the inside had two double beds, a nightstand, and a bathroom.  It wasn't five star but for the price and beautiful beaches, it was definitely livable. :)  The resort also provided us with breakfast and transport to and from the ferry across the island.  It only cost each of us 75 MYR (malaysian ringgit) which is about 25 USD for resort and transport!  Not a bad deal.  

Breakfast was a buffet of eggs, coconut rice w/ hot sauce and cucumbers, fruit plate, banana bread, toast, and coffee.  Again not bad ;-)  After breakfast we all wanted to take naps, two of us headed to the beach for our naps and two stayed in the air con for their naps.  The sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky w/ only us two inhabiting the beach and the occasional beach walker.  I took in the beauty of the island and the sea and said my thanks to the universe for bringing me to this amazing place!  I spent the morning between dozing off in the sun, cooling off in the ocean, and taking in the beauty of the small island.

Our transport was ready to take us to the other side of the island at 12:30 which left us plenty of time for lunch before the ferry took off at 2pm.  The driver dropped us off at little pizza place and bakery less than 5 minutes from the ferry.  I enjoyed a personal crabstick pizza with mango juice.  The rest of the day was a lot of waiting and traveling on the ferry and buses.

Other than the beautiful islands, I don't like Malaysia.  It is a scary place, especially for 4 young white females.  Crime can be really bad in certain areas and stealing/robbery is huge there (I know two girls who visited the capital of Malaysia and got their wallets stolen).  I kept my purse clutched to my side the whole trip including on the island.  I didn't feel comfortable at all when we were off the islands and on the mainland.  Once I got back into Singapore, I could breathe a lot easier and relax.  Going to Malaysia made me appreciate Singapore a thousand times more than before.  It really is one of the safest places I could have moved to.  Stealing and crime is very, very low here.  Once my bank card and a couple other cards fell out of my wallet as I was walking through the MRT station and someone ran after me to give them to me.  My female chiropractic friend left her wallet in a cab once, and someone called her to get it back to her.  My other friend was on the train and had someone let her know that her purse was unzipped.  I'm grateful to be somewhere so safe! :)

Have you ever watched the sunrise or sunset?  Where at? :)                         

Pulua Tioman, Malaysia part one

I went away for my first weekend out of Singapore which was much needed after 2 and a half months of being here!  Singapore is a very small country, and if you want to get away for the weekend you are leaving the country.  We decided to head to an island off of the east coast of Malaysia.  Since none of us could leave till Friday night after work, we chose Tioman since it is not too far to get to.  We left very early Saturday morning for a 3 hour bus ride to Mersing, Malaysia which is along the east coast.  Then took a one and a half hour ferry ride to the island of Tioman, followed by a 20 minute car ride across the island to our resort.  The thing about leaving Singapore is that you are leaving the country and have to go through immigration and customs...I didn't even think about this and was not a big fan of the long lines to go through immigration.  We just wanted to get to our island of paradise since we only had Saturday and Sunday morning!!  Aside from immigration, the bus and ferry ride flew by.  We were at our resort by 2pm which wasn't too bad. :)

We all wanted a nice quiet weekend away from Sing city, so we chose the quietest beach on the island, Juaru Beach.  There really was no one else on the beach both days except a few random travelers walking along the beach.  Once we arrived to our resort, we headed to the cafe right by our little hut for some food.  Everything in Malaysia is SO cheap :)  The food was excellent and the fresh squeezed pineapple juice was delicious.  Then we headed straight for the beach and rented some snorkeling gear.  I have never snorkeled in my life before and was really nervous.  I spent my childhood summers at the local pools so I know how to swim pretty good, but being out in the ocean is a completely different story.  I don't like being far out in the water without a boat or something to grab onto if I get tired.  My friends reassured me I would be just fine with the fins and floating out in the sea water.  We hadn't gotten very far out in the water where we couldn't touch and I started freaking out.  Breathing through the scuba mask was brand new to me and I felt like I couldn't breathe.  I wasn't used to the fins on my feet and felt like they would only weigh me down.  I was wondering how the heck I could tread water and swim out here for a long time.  I was panicking and had to go back and get a life vest or I wasn't going to enjoy this at all.

Once I got a life vest on and got rid of the fins, I swam back out and found my friends.  I made myself calm down and learn how to breathe through the snorkel mask.  Once I did this, I started swimming around with the snorkel mask on and I started to see some fish!  There was beautiful coral reef on the bottom and I started to see different types of fish.  I don't know names of fish but I saw really bright blue, small fish.  I saw yellow and black (or blue?) striped fish.  I also saw leopard spotted fish, sea cucumbers, and many schools of tiny silver fish.  Once I got the hang of snorkeling, it was one of the most calming and coolest things I've ever done.  It was so peaceful floating around looking and the beauty of the sea :)  I can't wait to do some more snorkeling around SE Asia now that I know what works best for me.

Snorkeling was followed by some beach relaxing and shell collecting.  We really worked up an appetite from snorkeling and went back to the cafe for dinner and Tigers (of course....) :)  For dinner, I munched on squid fries which is just another name for calamari.  We found out from the waiter that there was one bar down the beach.  The bar was small but was built really cool; it was two floors with the bar being upstairs, and the whole bar was made up of logs.  There was a very small crowd there, so we just relaxed in the lounge chairs upstairs with some cocktails (did i mention super cheap?!) listening to the ocean and played with the little kittens walking around the bar. :)  Later on some locals were twirling around ropes with fire on the ends (I got some cool pics of this, but you will have to check out facebook for these :-P).  We walked down by the water to go back to our resort and the view of the stars were amazing!!  I have never seen so many stars in my life... We just stood out there for awhile and looked up at the stars.  It was beautiful, heavenly, breathtaking, there-are-no-words-to-describe amazing! :)  PURE BLISS...  It was pure unadulterated joy in that moment.

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in your life that it took your breath away? :)                       

Weekend trip

Everything is booked for my first weekend out of Singapore!  We are going on an overnight trip to a beach in Malaysia called Tioman this Saturday.  http://wikitravel.org/en/Tioman#b  There is a group of four girls going; my German roommate, my German friend, and my American friend from Philly!  We will leave early Saturday morning at 6:30 am via bus for a 3 hour bus ride to the east coast of Malaysia.  Then we will take a speed boat or ferry over to the west side of island.  After that we have a car transport that will take us to our resort on the east side of the island.  If everything is on time, I think we should be at the island by noon! :)  Here is a description of where I will be going:

Juara

The local village is spread back from the little track which follows the line of the sea. People live all over the place normally in simple huts. The tourist huts and accommodation is within 20 m of high water mark.

Juara is a very quiet beach at the east coast especially in the off season, when almost nobody is there. There are three rivers coming from the mountains, delivering cold freshwater to the beach, a chilling alternative to swimming in the sea. A path leads to waterfalls in the jungle, which is nice for a swim and climb over the large rocks. To reach the waterfalls, just follow a marked path for about 30 min. The path starts at the south beach, next to the turtle breeding farm. Opposite of the great rocks, which lie on the beach. The path is marked by the bottoms of cans, nailed to the trees and painted yellow and red. At the beginning of the path there are three such signs at a tree. If you walk along the only concrete road towards south to the turtle breeding farm, you can not miss it.

The place itself is divided into two beaches that are separated by a small hill, which is said to be the "origin" of Tioman. Some locals say: "you have not been on Tioman, if you did not stand on these rocks".

• The beach more towards the north where the jetty has very nice sand but with some dead coral in the shallow water. Swimming is OK, but walking in the water can be painful. At both ends of this beach is the mouth of one of the rivers.

• The beach more towards the south is even quieter. The sand again is very nice and there are no obstacles in the water. At the south end of this beach the last of the three rivers meets the sea.

A basin of the waterfalls near Juara

• At the north beach there is a turtle hatchery.