Friday, October 15, 2010
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster - Bangkok, Thailand
Getting to Thailand was quite the experience. I drove from Rexburg to Salt Lake City, then Sara Collins and I flew from Salt Lake to Oakland, Matt Hom picked us up and we drove from Oakland to San Francisco, flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong, and flew Hong Kong to Bangkok. Oh, and don't worry, I had to sit in the middle seat on the 14 hour flight to Hong Kong. Needless to say, We were ready for a good nights sleep when we arrived at our hotel at 1am. Thank goodness our experience in Thailand has been amazing and well worth the hassle of getting here.
Our first item of business was to go to lunch with a fellow American friend, Mary Jones Ungrangsee and her daughter Anna. Mary has been living in Thailand with her husband and three cute girls for over five years. We ate some amazing food and got the inside scoop on Thailand. It was a great way to kick off the trip.
After lunch we hailed a taxi and headed over to Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. We were in the taxi for almost 45 minutes and it only cost us $4. I think I'm going to retire here! As we were walking in the entrance people stopped us and said that the place was closed from 2-4 for a religious ceremony. They suggested we go and see the Lucky Buddha and Thai Center in the meantime. They even arranged for a Tuk Tuk to take us around to these places for only $1. Hmm, does something sound wrong with this picture? Yes, it was a scam. The Lucky Buddha was real but the Thai Center was a shop where they wanted you to buy over priced Thai goods. Don't worry, we didn't but anything. We walked in and saw what it was all about and immediately left. Thank goodness we were only out an hour or so of sight seeing and $1!
We finally made it inside Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. The temple and palace were GORGEOUS! The grounds were so well kept and peaceful. Sometimes I felt like I was on a movie set. We hired an amazing tour guide who took us through the temple and palace, on a long tail boat ride down the river, on a food tasting tour, and a walk through the flower market. She was adorable and so funny. We definitely suggest hiring a guide your first day there. You avoid being scammed and you learn a lot about the history, food, and culture. Plus, it's so cheap that you won't even think twice!
Our long tail boat ride was amazing. We went up the river and turned off on one side canal. We observed kids swimming and taking baths in the river, watched people hanging their laundry, and watched the fisherman try to catch something for dinner. Along the way we purchased some snacks from a man on a boat. Our guide bought a loaf of bread for us to feed the fishes with. A little ways down the canal we stopped and our guide gave us each a piece of bread and then said, "put your had in the water and feed the fish". We were not prepared for what happened next. Hundreds of huge catfish came swimming and jumping to the bread. It was incredible and of course a little gross. You can bet there was a lot of shrieking and laughing coming from our boat.
After the boat ride we headed to the food market. There we sampled many traditional Thai dishes from street carts. We had yummy fresh pineapple, corn fritters, some kind of caramelized nut mixture, and dragon fruit. Eventually we found a little food stand where we ordered pad Thai. It was so fun watching the little old lady make our yummy food. It was the best pad Thai I have ever had (minus the rat that ran across Matt's feet). After we stuffed our faces we wandered through the flower market. We saw beautiful orchids, marigolds, roses, etc. If I ever live in Thailand I will be having fresh flowers all through my house. Most bunches of flowers cost about $1.
By the time we got back to our hotel it was pouring rain. Our street was flooded and it was flowing like a river. We ran inside and put our rain boots on so we could go out and explore the neighborhood. We ended the night with massages. Both of the Saras had an hour long foot massage and Matt had an hour long Thai massage. Each massage cost less than $10. Thailand is truly a dream!
Our first item of business was to go to lunch with a fellow American friend, Mary Jones Ungrangsee and her daughter Anna. Mary has been living in Thailand with her husband and three cute girls for over five years. We ate some amazing food and got the inside scoop on Thailand. It was a great way to kick off the trip.
After lunch we hailed a taxi and headed over to Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. We were in the taxi for almost 45 minutes and it only cost us $4. I think I'm going to retire here! As we were walking in the entrance people stopped us and said that the place was closed from 2-4 for a religious ceremony. They suggested we go and see the Lucky Buddha and Thai Center in the meantime. They even arranged for a Tuk Tuk to take us around to these places for only $1. Hmm, does something sound wrong with this picture? Yes, it was a scam. The Lucky Buddha was real but the Thai Center was a shop where they wanted you to buy over priced Thai goods. Don't worry, we didn't but anything. We walked in and saw what it was all about and immediately left. Thank goodness we were only out an hour or so of sight seeing and $1!
We finally made it inside Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. The temple and palace were GORGEOUS! The grounds were so well kept and peaceful. Sometimes I felt like I was on a movie set. We hired an amazing tour guide who took us through the temple and palace, on a long tail boat ride down the river, on a food tasting tour, and a walk through the flower market. She was adorable and so funny. We definitely suggest hiring a guide your first day there. You avoid being scammed and you learn a lot about the history, food, and culture. Plus, it's so cheap that you won't even think twice!
Our long tail boat ride was amazing. We went up the river and turned off on one side canal. We observed kids swimming and taking baths in the river, watched people hanging their laundry, and watched the fisherman try to catch something for dinner. Along the way we purchased some snacks from a man on a boat. Our guide bought a loaf of bread for us to feed the fishes with. A little ways down the canal we stopped and our guide gave us each a piece of bread and then said, "put your had in the water and feed the fish". We were not prepared for what happened next. Hundreds of huge catfish came swimming and jumping to the bread. It was incredible and of course a little gross. You can bet there was a lot of shrieking and laughing coming from our boat.
After the boat ride we headed to the food market. There we sampled many traditional Thai dishes from street carts. We had yummy fresh pineapple, corn fritters, some kind of caramelized nut mixture, and dragon fruit. Eventually we found a little food stand where we ordered pad Thai. It was so fun watching the little old lady make our yummy food. It was the best pad Thai I have ever had (minus the rat that ran across Matt's feet). After we stuffed our faces we wandered through the flower market. We saw beautiful orchids, marigolds, roses, etc. If I ever live in Thailand I will be having fresh flowers all through my house. Most bunches of flowers cost about $1.
By the time we got back to our hotel it was pouring rain. Our street was flooded and it was flowing like a river. We ran inside and put our rain boots on so we could go out and explore the neighborhood. We ended the night with massages. Both of the Saras had an hour long foot massage and Matt had an hour long Thai massage. Each massage cost less than $10. Thailand is truly a dream!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Another Sparhawk gets hitched - Rexburg, ID
Yes, it's true. Another Sparhawk finally got married. Slowly but surely we might get everyone married off! I flew home a few days before Andrew and Rachael's wedding to help with all of the preparations. One night my mom gathered me, my dad, and my sister together for a meeting and handed us a five page itinerary with details for the next day and a half. (Yes, my mother might be the most organized person in the world.). We were all exhausted by the day of the wedding but everything went of without a hitch. The wedding was held inside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Rexburg Idaho Temple. The temple ceremony was very special and there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Afterwards we headed down to the BYU-Idaho Special Events room for a delicious dinner (spinach salad, rolls, chicken cordon bleu, baked potato, fresh green beans, apple cake with caramel sauce, and Florence's chocolates). After the dinner we cleared out the room and set it up for their wedding reception later that night. It was an amazing day! Congrats Andrew and Rachael! Good luck with married life!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Aruba, Jamaica, ohh I wanna take ya - Aruba
I spent 12 hours in NYC...just enough time to go to a Guggenheim happy hour, make a 9pm run to the post office (Yes, the post office stays open until 10pm), and sleep a tad. I barely made it out of NYC before the crazy rain storm shut down the airports.
There are a few reasons I love flying Jetblue, but this experience might take the cake. We had just landed and were waiting to exit the plane when I heard the classic Beach Boys song "Aruba, Jamaica, ohh I wanna take ya". I started laughing and maybe just maybe started singing along. At first I thought it was just a passenger playing it on their iPod but no, Jetblue was playing it over the loud speaker. Who doesn't want to fly an airline that has a special playlist for their destinations? Thanks Jetblue for making my day!
Sara Collins (Lizzy) had arrived a day earlier so I met up with her at the hotel. We were staying at the Westin resort (courtesy of Lizzy's Starwood points). It was a great resort with amazing beach front property and a divine pool. It was a perfect place to spend four days lounging on the beach and soaking up some sun (with sunscreen of course). Jenn Wheeler met up with us a day later. The rain in NYC delayed her flight several hours so she when she arrived she was in desperate need of some major R&R. Nothing that Aruba couldn't fix!
For the next few days we slept in every morning, went to the gym, lounged on the beach or by the pool, and attempted to find yummy food to eat. The resort had a lot of fun activities to keep you busy. Everyday we were determined to play Bingo but somehow we always forgot about it until we heard a voice in the distance yelling "E6". At that point we had no energy to get up from our beach chairs. One day we happened to be swimming in the pool when they announced a watermelon eating contest. What, a watermelon eating contest? How could we not participate? The two Sara's stepped up to the challenge and put forth a mighty effort. Neither of us won but we definitely gave the winner a run for his money.
One day we rented a car and explored the island. We ran into a heavy rain storm as we started our journey to the California Lighthouse. Don't worry, we weren't going to let a storm get in our way of taking a picture. We got out of the car in the downpour and were soaking wet in a matter of seconds. It didn't matter because we got our picture and we were happy. After that we drove to a cute church in the middle of nowhere. It was fun driving through the tiny towns scattered around the island. We went off-roading in our compact Chevy to see the natural bridge (or what was left of it). Lizzy did an amazing job handling the rough terrain. After that we drove through the national park that makes up 25 percent of Aruba. It was gorgeous! Our last stop of the day was to eat dinner at B55, a restaurant the New York Times recommended. We all had the catch of the day - fresh grilled wahoo. The food was delicious but the bugs flying around us were annoying. Our view was interesting too. In one direction you looked at lush, green landscape and the other direction you were looking at a drive-in movie theater and an oil refinery in the distance. All in all we had a great day exploring Aruba.
Our last few hours in Aruba were rudely interrupted by heavy rain storms. There were even some rumors at the airport that there had been a tornado. Rain wasn't going to stop us from enjoying ourselves. Instead of laying out on the beach we had breakfast at our favorite restaurant, Salt & Pepper (another NY Times recommendation). We had a great time in Aruba but it sounded like we left at the right time. The forecast for the next week is rain, rain, rain!
PS - if you own a metal detector, you might want to vacation here. Each day we witnessed a different tourist, yes they were tourists and not hotel staff, scour the beach and even in the water to find hidden treasure. To each their own!
There are a few reasons I love flying Jetblue, but this experience might take the cake. We had just landed and were waiting to exit the plane when I heard the classic Beach Boys song "Aruba, Jamaica, ohh I wanna take ya". I started laughing and maybe just maybe started singing along. At first I thought it was just a passenger playing it on their iPod but no, Jetblue was playing it over the loud speaker. Who doesn't want to fly an airline that has a special playlist for their destinations? Thanks Jetblue for making my day!
Sara Collins (Lizzy) had arrived a day earlier so I met up with her at the hotel. We were staying at the Westin resort (courtesy of Lizzy's Starwood points). It was a great resort with amazing beach front property and a divine pool. It was a perfect place to spend four days lounging on the beach and soaking up some sun (with sunscreen of course). Jenn Wheeler met up with us a day later. The rain in NYC delayed her flight several hours so she when she arrived she was in desperate need of some major R&R. Nothing that Aruba couldn't fix!
For the next few days we slept in every morning, went to the gym, lounged on the beach or by the pool, and attempted to find yummy food to eat. The resort had a lot of fun activities to keep you busy. Everyday we were determined to play Bingo but somehow we always forgot about it until we heard a voice in the distance yelling "E6". At that point we had no energy to get up from our beach chairs. One day we happened to be swimming in the pool when they announced a watermelon eating contest. What, a watermelon eating contest? How could we not participate? The two Sara's stepped up to the challenge and put forth a mighty effort. Neither of us won but we definitely gave the winner a run for his money.
One day we rented a car and explored the island. We ran into a heavy rain storm as we started our journey to the California Lighthouse. Don't worry, we weren't going to let a storm get in our way of taking a picture. We got out of the car in the downpour and were soaking wet in a matter of seconds. It didn't matter because we got our picture and we were happy. After that we drove to a cute church in the middle of nowhere. It was fun driving through the tiny towns scattered around the island. We went off-roading in our compact Chevy to see the natural bridge (or what was left of it). Lizzy did an amazing job handling the rough terrain. After that we drove through the national park that makes up 25 percent of Aruba. It was gorgeous! Our last stop of the day was to eat dinner at B55, a restaurant the New York Times recommended. We all had the catch of the day - fresh grilled wahoo. The food was delicious but the bugs flying around us were annoying. Our view was interesting too. In one direction you looked at lush, green landscape and the other direction you were looking at a drive-in movie theater and an oil refinery in the distance. All in all we had a great day exploring Aruba.
Our last few hours in Aruba were rudely interrupted by heavy rain storms. There were even some rumors at the airport that there had been a tornado. Rain wasn't going to stop us from enjoying ourselves. Instead of laying out on the beach we had breakfast at our favorite restaurant, Salt & Pepper (another NY Times recommendation). We had a great time in Aruba but it sounded like we left at the right time. The forecast for the next week is rain, rain, rain!
PS - if you own a metal detector, you might want to vacation here. Each day we witnessed a different tourist, yes they were tourists and not hotel staff, scour the beach and even in the water to find hidden treasure. To each their own!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Beantown - Boston, MA
I flew up to Boston for a quick visit with Jaclyn, Cameron, and Oliver Jones. The weather wasn't amazing but we still had a great time hanging out at their apartment. Little Ollie was as adorable as ever and Jac and Cam were great hosts. One morning we took a drive out to Walden Pond. The water levels were so high that the main trails were flooded. So instead of going for a walk around the pond we just hung out at the main entrance and watched Ollie try to catch chipmunks. In the evenings we ate yummy food, talked about our world traveling dreams, and tried to think of future jobs for me. How am I going to return to reality? Well, it was a great couple of days. Thanks for letting me stop by and visit!
Sorry, my photos are on my laptop and I left it in NYC. I'll post some later.
Sorry, my photos are on my laptop and I left it in NYC. I'll post some later.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Most devoted fans of all time - Pittsburgh, PA
So, it doesn't take long to figure out that Pittsburgh is full of devoted Steeler's fans. No matter if you are at the airport, grocery store, restaurant, or church, you can almost guarantee you will see someone sporting some type of Steeler paraphernalia. It really makes for great people watching. I'm going to try to find an amazing outfit to wear when I visit again over Thanksgiving! Hopefully it will be bedazzled.
Sunday was great. I went to church with Adam and Liesel and was able to meet a lot of their friends. Don't worry, they didn't have a pianist for primary, so I stepped up and filled in. (Are we seeing a trend here? Maybe I should just travel the world and become the substitute church pianist wherever I go!) Also, this is the first church I have gone to where they have had a "thank you for not smoking" sign in the bathroom. Love it!
After church we went back to the apartment and made yummy Cobb salads. Our after dinner entertainment was blowing plastic bubbles. I LOVE plastic bubbles. Brings me back to my childhood! Later that evening we when to a birthday party for one of their friend's little boy. It was fun but we were exhausted after being there a couple of hours. Kids are exhausting!
PS - Monday morning was crazy and Adam didn't make it to his first class on time (due to rain, forgetting keys, traffic, etc). Since this particular professor won't let you come in late, Adam and I headed to Pamela's for round 2. Mmmm, delicious!
Sunday was great. I went to church with Adam and Liesel and was able to meet a lot of their friends. Don't worry, they didn't have a pianist for primary, so I stepped up and filled in. (Are we seeing a trend here? Maybe I should just travel the world and become the substitute church pianist wherever I go!) Also, this is the first church I have gone to where they have had a "thank you for not smoking" sign in the bathroom. Love it!
After church we went back to the apartment and made yummy Cobb salads. Our after dinner entertainment was blowing plastic bubbles. I LOVE plastic bubbles. Brings me back to my childhood! Later that evening we when to a birthday party for one of their friend's little boy. It was fun but we were exhausted after being there a couple of hours. Kids are exhausting!
PS - Monday morning was crazy and Adam didn't make it to his first class on time (due to rain, forgetting keys, traffic, etc). Since this particular professor won't let you come in late, Adam and I headed to Pamela's for round 2. Mmmm, delicious!
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