Penang, Malaysia- Round 2

This weekend was the second time Jason and I have been to Penang. This time was better than our first. Not only did I not get attacked by monkeys (go me!), the weather was great and I had great company (as always).

Thursday, Jason and I laid out at the pool for a couple of hours after we arrived. That is until he had to get back to work. Good thing we bought sunscreen when we got there because we would have fried otherwise, even though we were only out there for less than two hours. Then Friday night we stayed in our hotel and watched a great band and danced the night away. It was super fun! P.S. We stayed at The Hard Rock Hotel in Penang. Here is where I spent most of our stay:

Friday, I laid out at the pool until noon, when it began to rain. Of course, I go in and shower, get ready, and head out of the hotel and am greeted by the beautiful sunshine. I took that as a sign that I needed to go in and get ready to get a massage. So I walked down the road to a massage place and got a full body massage and an ear candling. I love how everything is so cheap in Malaysia! For those that don't know, ear candling is when they take a hollow candle and put one end in your ear and light the other end to clean out the ear wax. I've heard that it isn't really affective but I swear it worked on me. The guy even pulled it apart to show me. Sorry if that grosses you out. I was super nervous that he would burn my hair. All I kept thinking is "I hope he doesn't burn my hair and ruin it for our wedding." I swear I'm not a bridezilla. Not sure if I'll do it again, I think I'll stick to cleaning my own ears.

Saturday, Jason, Mike (Jason's co-worker), and I went on an excursion to Turtle Beach and Monkey Beach. We went to the turtle hatchery and saw the cutest little baby turtles. Afterwards, we went to Monkey Beach where we got to feed the monkeys. After my last encounter with monkeys, I was quite hesitant about being near them. It didn't last long though and I couldn't stop feeding them. I've decided that they only like me when I am feeding them. I am ok with this.

When I am not feeding them, this is the face they give me...

Sunday, Jason and I slept in and checked out of our hotel. We rode to the airport and ate lunch before we went our separate ways for this week. I flew back to Singapore (where I am now) and Jason flew to Kuala Lumpur for a business trip. It was the first flight I have flown by myself while we've been over here. This Tuesday I leave Singapore to come home to the U.S. and will fly by myself yet again and Jason will follow a couple days later. I'm really not looking forward to this trip, as it is a 24-hour trip and I will have no phone and a layover in Tokyo and Minneapolis. Hopefully I won't miss my connecting flight in Tokyo like we did on our first trip to Singapore. Well, I am up wayyy past my bedtime. Good night (Good day for you Americans)! See you this week! :)

Bed Time Story

"I have to sell these before I can go to bed." That is what the little boy carrying the roses into the bar walked up to us and said last weekend when we were out in Bangkok. It truly broke my heart. It was nearly 2am and two little boys and their older sister were out in the streets, trying to make money for their family by selling small roses. Jason quickly bought three roses for me. Boy were they such cute kids and quite the little sales people!

Jason and I started talking to them and asked them to hang out with us for a little while. While I was talking to them, Jason ran down the street and bought some big stuffed animals for them. When he came back, their eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. I began to cry. I'm sure no one has done anything like that for these children and they could not stop thanking us.

The youngest of the kids was talking to me the most. He told me that he was sorry but they had to leave because he couldn't go to bed until he sold his flowers. I decided to leave with him to help him sell his flowers so he could stop working for the night. I was holding his hand, walking with him down the street. I'm not sure if I've ever seen such a happy kid. When I went back to meet Jason, I could not stop myself from crying. I told Jason that I wanted to take them all home with us. Boy, I sure wish I could have.

Being in Asia has really made me realize how lucky I was to grow up into such a blessed and loving family. In a free country, where I, a woman, have rights and a voice. It has also shown me that I have taken so much for granted and has truly softened my heart. So tonight, please be thankful for all that you have, I know I sure am.

You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it. -Bill Cosby

Surf's Up

Munich is super chilly right now. Which is why I thought this was crazy...

Yes, those are surfers surfing in the Isar River in downtown Munich. Talk about hardcore! If you notice in the background, everyone is wearing sweaters and jackets since it was in the 60s. To find out more about it, click here.

We also found this spot while walking in the same park my last post referenced. Apparently there are many activities for all different personalities. Looks like I'll just stick to people watching. ;)

Sun Your Buns

If you dare to bare!

While Jason and I were taking a lovely stroll in the park in Munich, we stumbled upon this section of the park. I have never been so shocked in my life. Tons of naked people! Thank God we weren't  close enough to see anything. If this is what we should expect when we move to Europe, it sure does seem like life will be interesting!

Wedding Dress Drama

Ok, so I am unbelievably pissed off right now. Lucky you, you get to hear my rant about it.

While we were in Thailand in August, I decided to go to a professional taylor and have my wedding dress made. I knew exactly what I wanted and I thought it would be a great way to save some money and truly cherish my dress, because looking back at the pictures will always remind me of our adventures abroad (and where it was made of course).

Five weeks ago, we were back in Bangkok and I had my first fitting. It was not of my actual dress, but of the underneath slip that they wanted to make sure fit my body. The taylor told me that once the slip was fit perfect, they would work on the details and beadwork. He told me that when we come back, he would have the dress made for me to try on and if it fit just right, I could bring it home.

So, I called the guy two days ago (from Singapore) and told him that we will be there in two days for me to try on the dress. He told me that it was not a problem and to call him from our hotel when we wanted to be picked up. So, here we are in Bangkok and I called him yesterday and told him to pick me up at 10am this morning. I was super excited to finally see my dress. But there was one MAJOR problem. The guy sends his driver to pick me up this morning, drives me all the way to his store, and there is no dress. He proceeds to tell me that the dress is more detailed than he thought and it is currently in pieces right now, still being made by his dressmaker. He told me that he did not want to tell me over the phone because he knew I would be upset. YA THINK?? So, not only am I going to have to make ANOTHER trip back to Bangkok, I also won't have the dress to take home with me at the end of this month and now I am worried that it won't turn out right. My original plan was that if I didn't like it, I would go dress shopping when I was back in Altanta and sell the dress that was made for me on ebay or something. Now, I am running out of time. Needless to say, I am completely stressed out. Boy did that guy get an ear full from me. Why the heck wouldn't he have told me before I left is beyond me. Arrrgghhhhh!!

Ok, I feel a little better now... :)

Jet Lag

It is the devil himself, I swear it! When we were in Europe, it took us a whole weekend in Munich to adjust to the 6 hour time difference. It didn't seem half bad. I've never really had sleeping problems while traveling, as I can pretty much sleep whenever I would like, to try to catch up (since I didn't work). On our way back to Singapore yesterday was a whole other story. Not only was I sick on the plane, I was super sleepy as my biological clock was way out of whack. The flight attendant gave me some stomach medicine and I slept the whole rest of the way. I think the pill she gave me was a PM pill because when I woke up, I was super cranky. I looked right at Jason and told him that he probably wouldn't want to talk to me because I might snap at him for no reason, plus I could barely keep my eyes open. I was in the worst mood ever. Seriously. Ever. When we got home Jason went to the gym and I stayed home, trying to rest and not wanting to be around anyone. We ate dinner and Jason went to sleep. I, of course, couldn't go to sleep because of that darn pill that made me sleep for 10 hours. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired today. Although I am so looking forward to coming home at the end of the month, I am dreading the jet lag devil.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

As Jason and I were leaving dinner last night, I told him that we needed to discuss some wedding plans. His response was, "Honey, I have no problem with that at all but when you say home do you mean the hotel here in Austria, Singapore, or back in Atlanta?" Although it was funny at the time (and when I said that, I meant the hotel), it just goes to show how unsettled we truly are.

Although we both love traveling and seeing new places, there is always something nice about going home and sleeping in your own bed. Our only problem is, ours is in storage. Thank goodness that no matter where we go, we always will have each other. Home truly is where the heart is. For us, this can be taken literally or figuratively.

On a side note, it is looking like we will be moving to Salzburg, Austria sometime this January or February. We will be in Salzburg for 2 years and we are excited to have a place we can settle into for a while and lead semi-normal lives (I don't think I'll ever be normal with anything).

In case you were wondering, here are our upcoming travel plans:
1. Munich: Sept. 10-13
2. Singapore: Sept. 13-14
3. Bangkok: Sept. 15-19
4. Kuala Lumpur : Sept. 19-23
5. Penang: Sept. 23-26
6. Singapore: Sept. 26-27
7. ATLANTA: Sept. 28- Oct. 11

Can you tell I'm excited to come home home? LOL!

P.S. I took the posted picture here in Salzburg. Isn't it pretty?

Faistenau Harvest Festival

Yesterday, Jason and I were invited to the Faistenau Harvest Festival here in Austria. We went with one of Jason's co-workers that is an expat in Salzburg and his wife and daughter. There is no way to accurately describe what it was like because it was nothing like anything I have ever seen or experienced. I told Jason that I felt like we were on the set of a movie. Everyone around us were dressed in lederhosen and dirndl, speaking German. We seemed to be the only tourists there. There was plenty of dancing, beer flowing, brats, and Indian leg wrestling. We had a great time. When we move here next year, it looks like I will be getting a nice dirndl for all the festivals they have here. They are so much fun!

So Funny You'll Pee Your Pants

Not really... but it's still kinda funny. This post will show you just how honest I really am. Sorry if this grosses you out.

So, Jason and I are in Salzburg this weekend. We decided to go for a little walk yesterday. About 3 hours later, we were at the top of a "hill", which I am still convinced is a mountain. Mind you, I thought we would be walking around Old Town, shopping, so I was hardly prepared for a hike.

By the time we made it to the top, we both had sore butts and were craving a good beer and some food. We stopped at a little restaurant on top of the mountain and shared a brat and each got a beer. We took our time before leaving.

As we were about halfway down the hill, Jason said he had to go to the bathroom. Being a dude, he just walked off the trail to relieve himself. I had his camera and was making fun of him and decided to snap a pic (he wasn't happy about this).

After he came back and we walked for a little while longer, I told him that I had to go too. Jason told me that he had taken tissues from the restaurant since we both had the sniffles and said that I should just go on the path since we hadn't seen anyone else on the trail in a couple of hours. We weren't in a spot where I could walk off the trail but I figured why not, it's raining and we are the only dumbies walking down this trail, no one will see me. Plus, Jason said he would be my "look out" and let me know if anyone was coming (we were at a spot where he would see someone coming and I would still have time to pull my pants up). I bet you can guess what happened next. No sooner had I dropped trou and started to go when a taxi turned the corner and was heading straight towards us- full speed. Jason didn't even have to tell me it was coming. Shocked, I immediately pulled my pants up as fast as possible. No harm, no foul, right? Wrong. I was so stunned and laughing so hard at this point, I peed my pants with what little left I had. Thank God I was wearing a long jacket that covered my bottom. The taxi drove by while we got out of its way and was full of people. I don't think they saw anything but I was still beet red, as I always get when I am embarrassed.

As I shamefully walked down the rest of the mountain, I couldn't help but laugh. We hadn't seen any people, let alone a car, the whole way down. Talk about bad timing! At least I can look back at it now and laugh, without peeing my pants.

P.S. This blog is for certain people (more than one) who have experienced their own pants-peeing experiences either with me or those who I have made fun of. You know who you are. Karma's a bitch.

This is the only post-pee pic I would let Jason take ;)

Bier, Bretzels and Lederhosen

This past weekend was the first time I've really spent time in Munich, Germany (I don't really think my past visits to the train station really counts). When Jason told me that we were going to spend the weekend in Munich before we went to Salzburg, I was neither excited nor upset. I just went with the flow. I was definitely surprised with how much I liked it. It is amazing how different cities are even though they are so close in distance. It kind of reminded me of Italy, minus all the people speaking German.

On Thursday, after traveling, we decided to visit Marienplatz. We walked around, went shopping, and made it just in time to see the Glockenspiel chime at 5pm in the square. It was by far the best clock-watching experience I have ever had. I determined that if ever I was an inanimate object, I would want to be one of the happy, life-sized dancing figures that spins to the tune. Then we grabbed a beer in Merienplatz. Let me tell you, having a beer in Marienplatz was one of the best people-watching experiences I have ever had. Ever.

On Friday, we got up early and decided we would walk around and see where the day would take us. We visited the Viktualienmarkt even though it was raining. The Viktualienmarkt is a bustling, colorful outdoor food market at the end of the pedestrian zone off the Marienplatz. It is one of the city's major attractions and has existed on the site since 1807. Here they sell all sorts of food (mmm... pretzels everywhere!), flowers, and knick knacks. Since it was crappy out, we decided that we would visit the Hofbräuhaus. It is the oldest and most well known beer hall/brewery. It was opened in 1605 and Hitler supposedly held meetings there. It is one of the top tourist attractions but also has food, bands, etc. This was quite an experience and is now one of my favorite places to visit. I mean, who wouldn't want to drink great beer, each amazing pretzels, and watch drunk guys in lederhosen sing and dance on tables at 2pm?! Afterwards, it was beautiful outside and we walked around the city all the way back to our hotel through the prettiest gardens and parks. We went home to take a nap and fell asleep by 6pm. Whoops! No dinner for us!

On Saturday, we woke up early and decided to visit the BMW Museum. Although neither of us are car people, we thought it would be something interesting to do on a rainy day. The technology and appearance of the museum were very interesting. I probably enjoyed that aspect more than the actual cars. I think I would have been more interested if I could have picked out a car for myself ;). Sorry, all the good pictures were taken on Jason's camera! Afterwards, we decided to walk around and grab a couple of beers at a pub. After a couple of beers, we went to a Mexican Restaurant so Jason could get a shot of his favorite- tequila! This was our first mistake of the trip. While we were there, we decided to have a couple of adult beverages along with the shot (after we had been drinking some of the 5% beers and not really eating anything all day). I will not go into details but let's just say I was in bed sleeping by 5pm and didn't wake up until 4am the next morning. This was my first real hangover and let me tell you, getting older stinks! What happened to my college tolerance? Oh, and no dinner for us- 2nd night in a row!

The next day, Sunday, I was a mess. I was not happy that we had to get ready, catch a cab and go on a 2 hour train ride to Salzburg. I could have stayed in bed all day. I even remember joking with Jason saying that if we go out Saturday night, we better not drink too much since we have to travel on Sunday. Go figure, I drink during the day and it still happens to me. Serves me right, I suppose. After finally lunch, I felt much better. The train ride wasn't so bad after all. After we arrived to the hotel, we walked around for a bit and grabbed dinner. It must have been like a 5 day hangover because I finally had my first beer after that incident last night... and trust me, I was a lot more careful. Cheers!