How we get around Bangkok

One of the ways to avoid traffic....getting around on a small motorcycle. FUN! Here is Grant, Carmen and I riding back to the condo after exploring the city.

Bangkok......part 1

Since we have additional time on our hands we are taking full advantage! With some low priced airfares, we booked flights to visit Grant and Caroline in Bangkok! Sadly, Caroline is away for the weekend but Grant stayed in the city to be our private tour guide!

Day 1, we arrived on Saturday morning and got settled at their house, and what a beautiful home it is! After refreshing, we grabbed lunch literally at their door step for the best garlic chicken ever! After lunch we headed out for some shopping and sightseeing.

My first thoughts on Bangkok: amazing food, friendly people, awesome massages and so many beautiful women (well, women and as the boys say "ladyboyz").

"reunited and it feels so good!"

View on one side of Grant and Caroline's balcony



View from the other side

The original coca-cola

The BEST fried garlic chicken ever! (my brother's would LOVE this!!) I could eat this everyday!



The Booth's old home in Bangkok! That's their home (2nd building behind) top floor with the plants.

The Singapore Zoo

Last week Jamie and I took a day to enjoy the Singapore Zoo! It was a perfect day to go, there was an overcast so not as hot. Jamie may have enjoyed more than I did, he was like a 12 year old boy excited to see all (and I mean ALL, every single) animal at the zoo. We ended up spending 6 hours walking around. Next round....the world famous Night Safari!

This might be the only monkey I do like.....love the nose buddy!

The White Tiger. No longer exists in the wild!

Smart monkeys, the mother is stealing fruit from the locked box by using a stick to "fish" for the food.

Oldest animal at the zoo....the giant Turtle

little Guapo

Well, after our eventful day on the Long Ranger, which then lead to drinks on Sentosa Island......Jamie Booth is feeling the affects on Sunday! Here is Jamie and Jon and Anya's baby Guapo......sleeping....ALL AFTERNOON!

I'm not a cat person but this kitty is so freaking cute!

Jamie and Guapo (6 months old)

1st hour of the nap

2nd hour of the nap

2 1/2 hours into the nap

ahhhh, 3rd hour....time to WAKE UP!

The Long Ranger.....part 2

So last Saturday we were invited by Jon and Anya's good friends Joao and Nadia on their going away celebration on the Long Ranger. It was a large catamaran...fit for up to 60 people. It was a great to see Singapore from the coast line and to meetmore of their good friends. Fun day...especially for Jamie, at the end of the night he had a few too many and proceeded to try to speak Chinese to our cab driver "BING BOY! LING LOW!!" Uh, just can't keep up with him sometimes!

Our cab had a TV screen in the back!

The boat interior...Living room

Carmen, Jamie and Anya on deck

Jamie and Kyle on the net thingy..."BOOM NET"

Again...BOOM NET and the boys

Singapore skyline, that's not smog....it's storm clouds coming in.

Singapore Yacht Club Condo's...fancy eh?

Jamie not wanting to get off the boat

AND....the drinks hit him! Waddel, Waddel, Waddel

Anya, Kim, Rosin, Jamie and Carmen

The Long Ranger

We have just returned from a long day out on the Long Ranger! We were invited by Jon and Anya's good friends Joao and Nadia on their going away party. It was a great way to meet their group and it was fun to boat around the Singaporean coast line. Pictures to follow later....

http://www.yachtlongranger.com/index.html

Tioman Island

First site onto Tioman Island

So off we went to Tioman. We caught a bus in Singapore and it took us into Malaysia and up the coast to Mersing, where we were to catch our ferry. The bus ride was maybe 3 hours and we were really kicking ourselves for choosing the back seats of the bus, we had serious air time on a couple of the bumps. Carmen was close to losing her breakfast, but luckely for all passengers aboard the bus she held on. The ferry ride to Tioman was 1 hour and a bit, plus time to stop at all the Villages along the way to our destination which was second to last. The only transportation options from village to village is via boat, there are no cars on the island.

Our first night's accommodations at Bamboo Hill. We are the chalet in the far back.

Our first impressions was of excitment, the water was blue and clear and the island has some neat topography. We stayed out first night in a really sleepy village called Ayer Batang and we found our spot at the end of the beach. It was a little more basic then we had anticipate but i think after spending a little time on the island we got used to the accomodation. It was honeslty a really charming place and it certainly had beautiful views. Cold bucket showers are an unusual experience and not what you expect, but for $20 a night I guess you can't really complain. We enjoyed the rest of the day with some book time and then sunset beers, 10 ringgit for 3 was the special (about a $3).

Malaysian Sunset

Beach view from Bamboo Hill Chalets

Hiking to Panuba Resort (10 min away)

At the Panuba Resort dock

We awoke the next day with our plan to head to our next reservation which was in another village called Salang. Salang is known for its beach and busy, bustling environment. We hiked as far as we could along the coast and in the jungle until we reached a small resort. We were told not to try to continue on by foot to Salang as it was a difficult trek and a hard to follow trail. We hung out for a while on the resorts pier waiting for a boat willing to hop us to Salang. It took some time as there were apparently a lot of local weddings on the island, and the boats were busy transferring people and supplies to the different wedding sites.

Resort view from Salang....this resort never opened! We heard 3 different stories about this place, all in all it either lost it's funding and or the original builder sold the resort halfway through construction to another company..only to later find out the that the proper permits were not approved (landslides, plumbing, etc). We hiked up to this area one afternoon and the hotel was near complete, with the furniture still there in the rooms wrapped, as though it was ready to open in 2 weeks! It was beautiful, really nice woodwork, great views and a nice breeze. Although, it was a bit erie being up there as it is about 13 years old and the spiders and nature have started to take over the buildings.....

big big big lizard!

Jamie, enjoying the sunset from our shack in Salang

Diving!

Stupid monkey that Carmen hates though I think this monkey hates Carmen more!

View from the lost resort that never opened....

Salang had a great beach and a nice bay of clear blue. Minus the sand flies, black flies near any food vendor and the really basic accommodation, it was a beautiful place. We soaked up the sun, scuba dived (Jamie) and snorkeled. We both spent a lot of time reading, napping, and playing cards together. It was relaxing. After 4 days in Pulau Tioman, we were both excited to get back to Singapore to check our emails from friends, family and job opportunities. Until Next time...

off to Malaysia....

Okay, okay, we moved to Singapore to find work and enjoy the perks of living abroad. Yes, we know we are here to find work first....but nothing wrong with exploring what Singapore and Asia has to offer as well while we have the time....right!??!?!??! I promise we are not on vacation, but nothing wrong with a little R&R! You can only apply for jobs online and make calls for so long a day before you start to drive yourself crazy!

We are off to Tioman Island for a long weekend.


http://www.tioman.com.my/


We are hopping onto the 6am bus tomorrow morning, up the South-East portion of Malaysia...stoping in Mersing for a few hours and then taking a ferry to the island. We are looking forward to sharing all about this trip upon our return. So for emails......we will be "out of the office" for the next few days :) Jamie is so awesome!!! I mean... can a wife ask for anything more then jamie!!! ofcourse not! (Will carmen see this before we leave...???)