Thanks for joining me on my amazing adventure!!

Wow, what a vacation! It is hard to believe that I left about six months ago and I am now back in Houston, Texas!

I have done some of the most adrenaline rushing activities, seen some of the most spectacular sites and animals, met some of the nicest and weirdest people, been out of my comfort zone more than I ever thought possible, been emerged into many new cultures, peed in some of the most disgusting places, had my heartbroken, learned many new words, tasted some nasty food and some of the best food in the World, ate a worm, slept in some strange places, bought way too many souvenirs, lived out of a backpack, mailed things home three different times, learned that we can never stop learning, gain respect for so many new cultures, worn bug spray as my perfume for months, skipped showers, worn the same clothes for days, been diving off some beautiful islands and so much more! God has created one beautiful World and I hope to never stop exploring and learning about it!

I want to thank everyone I met along the journey and invite you all to stay with me when you come visit Texas! I also want to thank all my family and friends for the continued support and love, looking at all my photos and reading my blog! A big thanks to Jordan Jones for always making me smile and being the BEST friend! We have memories that are going to be absolutely hilarious to tell in our nursing home one day! I am truly blessed by God and this adventure has reminded me to count my blessings everyday!

"Faith is not being sure where you're going, but going anyway." - Frederick Buechner

Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria

Jordan sent me off the right way with drinks and live music! It was super fun and we ended up running away from some crazy guys! I sure am going to miss getting to hang out with Ms. Jones everyday but I am excited to keep up with her blog! I am excited about all her future adventures! She was a huge support this entire trip! I flew to Manila on the 8th of March and splurged with a hotel right by the next to the airport.

Here are the details for my last few days in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria with my mom! And I am back in the states for a while! The food has been soooooo good but still adjusting to it! And I love seeing my family and friends! I really am a lucky girl!

3/9 - Seattle, WA

I flew from Manila to Tokyo to Seattle. I had some McDonalds at the airport in Japan but only had about an hour before I was boarding the next flight.

My cousin, Christopher, picked me up from the Seattle Airport around 8:30 am and took me out to breakfast! Yum, American food! We drove thought Pike's Market and headed to the hotel. I was exhausted and took a very long nap. My Mom arrived around 3 pm and woke me up. We headed to the space needle and watched the sunset. We walked around downtown until Christopher was about to die of starvation. He chose to eat and have whiskey at The Whiskey Bar. It was good but not much food so we stopped for tacos on the way home. I have been craving a taco with guacamole and salsa!

3/10 - La Conner, WA

In the morning, we went to Pike's Market where we tired fresh smoked salmon, beef jerky, honey and bought a whole crab to have for lunch! We also got to see the first Starbucks which had a very long line and the gum wall. Christopher forgot the gum so we did not contribute. We did have some wonderful pastries from a little shop outside the market.

We drove north of Seattle to the Boeing Plant. Christopher is being moved to Seattle with Boeing so he saved us $10 on our admission ticket for the Boeing Tour. The tour lasted about 1.5 hours and was very good. We got to see three lines of the planes being built and learn about how they assemble the planes. They make planes so fast! We got to see a dream lifter plane and I believe there are only 4 in the World at this time. It was a really good tour and I recommend it to anyone headed to Seattle.

We continued North to La Conner, WA. We had dinner at Nell Thorn Restaurant. It is suppose to be one of the best restaurants in the northeast region. It was very good and we all had happy plates, wine and dessert. Yum! We tired to go to the local brewery but it closed at 9 pm.

3/11 - Vancouver, BC Canada

Christopher left early in the morning while Mom and I got to sleep in. On the way out of town, we stopped to take pictures of the geese and mallard ducks. We crossed the border with no problems. We arrived and Vancouver and headed to Grouse Mountain which is about 15 minutes outside of the city. The night ski pass was the same price as the ticket to just ride to the top of the mountain on the gondola so why not get a few runs in! We rented ski pants and skis at the top of the mountain and spent a few hours skiing down the mountain. It was beautiful to see all the city lights when going down the slopes. I made it to the top of the mountain and the view was great. There was only one blue down that I did not think Mom would enjoy. We had dinner on the mountain. We drove back through Vancouver along Robson Street to see all the shops. Some were still open! We walked around by our hotel but it was starting to rain.

3/12 - Victoria, BC Canada on Vancouver Island

We sleep in!! We headed to Stanley Park. We drove to the totem poles and got some great pictures of the Lion's Gate Bridge even with all the rain. We headed to the BC ferry to Victoria but got a little turned around and missed the early ferry. We took the 5 pm ferry and it was an 1.5 hour ride. It was very beautiful going through all the islands and reminded me a little of Halong Bay in Vietnam.

We arrived at The Fairmont Empress hotel right by the beautiful parliament building. It was a beautiful hotel and the door man was super sweet. He drove us to a local restaurant because of the rain. We had an amazing fish dinner and headed to a local Irish pub.

3/13 - Victoria, BC Canada on Vancouver Island

In the morning, we went to the Canadian Naval Base for a tour. Unfortunately, we were not able to see the ships as some of the VIPs were in town. We did tour the simulations rooms and got to see some of the officers practicing. We had meet a guy from Uganda in the Canadian Navy at the Irish pub and he offered to show us around. We walked around the super cute town and shopped in the little shops. We had afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel it was very nice and lots of yummy sweets! Then, we drove to the Butchet Gardens. The gardens were beautiful but we were early for the spring season. They did have a spring preview green room so we still got to see some of the upcoming flowers. It was a beautiful place! We headed back to town.

3/14 - Seattle, WA

We took the 10:30 am ferry back to Washington. We drove into Olympic National Park and hiked to one of the waterfalls. It is a beautiful park and I would love to do some more hiking in the summer at this park. I can only imagine the views of the surrounding mountains and ocean. We missed getting to see the salmon jump up the river but I think that is a hard thing to see anyways. Mom let me drive and I think I scared her a bit. I had not driven in a while! We crossed another ferry and meet up with my mom's friend, Sandy, and her family. We stayed the night with them and headed out of dinner. We went to a local brewery and I learned that Seattle has a lot of breweries all around (similar to Portland). It was fun to meet their family. They had a super sweet dog that made me so excited to see Bella.

3/15 - Flight back to Houston, Texas!!

We went to Pikes Market in the morning to bring home some fresh fish for the family. Getting on the flight was a bit crazy but we got on. Dad had made me a hilarious outdoor toilet/hole for me when I got home. And he had sonic drinks for us when he picked us up at the airport. Also, he brought Bella to the airport!! I was waving at them when they pulled up. She jumped out of the car and was crying, wagging her tail and really low to the ground. I think she remembered me!

Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia Pictures!

Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia

From trucks to trains to mini vans and now traveling mostly by plane. Island hopping has been so amazing! The beach is my favorite place to be and what a great way to finish my Southeast Asia trip! It has been a blast and I might have to drive to Galveston just to feel the sand in my toes again when I get home. I wish I could be a sea shell sales women as my profession when I grow up!

Here are the details of the last few days!

2/27 - Manila, Philippines

We sleep in and then headed to the local bus station. You stand on the side of the street until the bus with the correct destination drives by. They don't really stop and you run up and ask if they go to Valcano Taal. They say yes and you jump on. You pay once you are on and going. It was about a 2 hour bus ride due to the crazy Manila traffic. Cars are going every direction on all parts of the road....crazy! We then hopped on a tricycle and headed down the mountain to a lake. We negotiated a boat ride over to the volcano. We lost a little money on the boat ride but I guess that is all part of traveling. We hiked about 45 minutes up to the crater of the volcano. On the way up, you could see the steam coming out of the side of the volcano. The crater looks like a big lake with steam coming up. The volcano is surrounded by a lake all around. It really was awesome and I think my first volcano crater to see. I have been on a volcano but never seen the top! We hiked down, hopped on a tricycle and then a bus back to Manila. With no lunch, I was grumpy and wanted my bed and food! The hostel has AC and I think I could sleep forever....the little things in the western life that I miss!

2/28 - Airport in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

We headed to the mall and I had a great burger. We watched a movie at the theater in the mall. At the hostel, we had meet some guys and headed out for a local dinner. It was yummy and we got halo halo or fruit ice cream. It was interesting. The last layer was black beans...not something I would ever put in ice cream. We headed to the airport around 9:30 pm for an 11 pm flight.

1/1 - Kota Kinabalu (KK), Malaysia

We arrived in Brunei around 1:45 am. Not wanting to pay for a cab and hotel, we stayed In the transit terminal. This was not allowed but the hotel man at the airport told the security to come back in the morning! We left our bags and just prayed they would be taken to lost and found for us to pick up in the morning. We woke up about 8:30 am and had breakfast. Then, we went through immigration, got our bags from lost and found, exited customs and waited in the airport entrance for about two hours until we could check in. We flew from Brunei around 1:45 pm and arrived in KK in the afternoon after a 35 minute flight. We checked into out hostel and I was exhausted. We went for dinner at the outdoor market. The fish, squid, huge shrimps and crabs were all swimming around as it was set up just like a pet store would be back home. We had grouper and noodles. It was okay. I walked to the night market but it was very flashy jewelry and clothes not really crafts. Headed back to the hostel and finally finished a book that I had been carrying around for way to long. It was about an American photographer in Vietnam during the Vietnam War....pretty good. It is fun to read books about places you have been. If history classes could take you to all the places you learn about, it would have such a great influence and be so incredibly interesting!

1/2 - Semporna, Malaysia

We headed to the bus station around 7:30 am to catch the 8:30 am bus to Semporna. It was a 9 hour ride. We got to drive right past the tallest mountain on the island, MT Kinabalu. It is 4,095 meters high. (Kyle Uran - I skipped hiking it as I will just wait to climb a mountain with Mel, Carson and you one day!) Well, dinner and the evening was a little eventful. We were eating at a restaurant about two blocks from our hotel. We were outside on the sidewalk and had just gotten our food when we were asked to come inside. We got our food and sat at a table inside. They closed all the doors meaning the two garage size openings were closed. It was us and the family that owned the restaurant. We asked if everything was okay and they said yes just some fighting. They opened the doors to pick up the tables and we asked if it was okay to walk home. They said to walk straight home. When we got in vision of our hotel, everything was closed up including the rod iron gates in front of the entrance. Luckily once they spotted us, they opened the door and waved us on. We ran the rest of the way. We asked again what was going on. Not knowing how to say it, the worker acted like he was shooting a machine gun. Then, the lady said it is best we just stay in our room for the night.

Jordan googled that a group of Filipinos came to the island of Borneo to claim part of the island as theirs from the Malaysians. I don't know all the correct terms but the Malaysian police have been told to just get rid of the Filipinos on the island. I heard two people died in Semporna the night we stayed and more people were killed north of Semporna. I guess that explains why we had to show our passports three times to military men with machine guns on the bus ride to Semporna.

1/3 - Seaventures Dive Rig, Mabul, Malaysia

Jordan was up early to call Seaventures Dive Rig to see if we could stay a few nights and dive with them since they never returned our email. They did! They picked us at the hotel at 9:30 am and checked in at their shop. We waited for the rest of the divers and then headed to the dock. We took a 45 minute boat ride to an old exploratory rig from Panama and right off the island of Mabul. We checked in and went for our first two dives that afternoon. We got to see huge sea turtles, tons of fish and my first seahorse. The coral was nothing to rave about on the first two dives. The rig is pretty cool and we watch the sunset from the top deck while having a beer! Wonderful! The rig is a little over budget but totally worth it!

1/4 - Seaventures Dive Rig, Mabul, Malaysia

We went on three dives right around the rig for the day! We rented a camera and got some pretty cool pictures. I got a video of a sea turtle trying to eat from Nemo's home (a group of clown fishes home). It was so cool to see the fish running into the turtle so he would leave their home alone. We also went to an island that is now under water during high tide and only a sand bar appears during low tide. All the bungalows are build right over the water. My favorite dive for the day was Lobster Wall.

All meals are included and coffee is free all day on the rig. It is a pretty sweet set up and everyone on the rig is super nice. There are two older guys from Texas which it is always nice to hear your home twang! Also, a group our age from Malaysia and Singapore.

1/5 - Seaventures Dive Rig, Mabul, Malaysia

We extend our stay a night so we could dive Sipadan Island, suppose to be one of the best dive sites in the World. Dive number one included a hammer head shark (which I have to admit I missed), tons of fish, a huge school of barracuda swimming over our head (so many that I was not sure where to look) and white and back tip sharks all around. We got to dive to about 26 meters to see all the sharks (not allowed for an open water diver)....oops! It was a pretty amazing dive! The island was just beautiful with white sand and crystal clear water. I did not have a camera so just a view I hope to remember forever! A little background on the island is that in 2001, 11 white tourist were kidnapped from the island. This is why no one is allowed to stay on the island. There is a military station there with their guns and sand bags. We also had to check in to dive the island as they only allow 120 people a day to dive the island. The second two dives were also very good wall dives. The coral was beautiful and the fish were amazing! Great dive day!

1/6 - Tawau, Malaysia

We woke up and did two morning dives. The were alright dives but nothing compared to the day before. I think I have learned to slow down on my dives because as you watch, things that look like coral start moving around. These last four days of diving have made me fall more in love with diving! If you are not certified, go get certified now!!! I am not joking.

We also jumped off the rig lift today into the water. It was about a 8 to 10 meter jump depending on the tide. It was a rush! We took the 1:30 boat and bus to Tawau where we will fly to Kota Kinabalu from. We have to wait 24 hours before we can fly after our last dive.

We arrived in Tawau and headed to the local food stalls for dinner. It was so much fun. We spent $6 usd on BBQ chicken, noodle stir fry, two cokes and a egg/pancake/veggie thing. It was so good and the locals were cracking up at each other when I was taking pictures of them. I did not understand a word! We even received a tin foil rose from one of the cooks. It really was a blast!

1/7 - Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Fly from Tawau to KK. Just nothing much during the day but catching up on the blog, Facebook and my cousin Chris is picking me up from the airport in Seattle....woooohooo!

1/8 - Manila, Philippines

Fly to Manila for the night!

1/9 - On a plane over the Pacific Ocean

Fly to Tokyo and then to Seattle to hang out with Christopher and my mom!!! So excited!!

Philippines

What a beautiful country! The beaches and islands are out of this World. There are a ton of islands to explore and I have to come back here! God has created one amazing World and I only wish I had time to explore it all! Hope you all enjoy the update! I am doing good and cannot believe only 10 more days in SE Asia....crazy! Pictures to come soon as I figured out the problem but not able to transfer the photos yet.

2/13 - Manila

We arrived around 5 am and got a cab to the hostel. Luckily, they let us check in and get our beds. I slept until noon but Jordan was up early as she was headed to the India Embassy for her future visa. We went out with a group from the hostel to local bar. We got to try the local beer which was really good.

2/14 - Manila

We booked our Donsol trip! And the whale sharks should be there. We also went to a 5 story mall to walk around. Sorry for this one boys but don't want to forget it.....I was at the supermarket (in the mall) and needed to buy some tampons. The male clerk saw me and pointed right at the only tampons along the row. I paid about $3 for 8 tampons! Steep but they are just not common here! We headed to a the park for a free concert with a guy from Mexico and a guy from Jersey Village ( high school class of 2003 - small world!). The concert was no good but the people watching was great. I think a lot of the locals were watching us too! There were a ton of people in the park and everyone was enjoying the valentines holiday. We walked back to the hostel pretty early. The smells and the amount of people selling things on the sides of the streets is just amazing. It is like nothing I have ever seen in the Western World. Manila is one of the largest cities in the World and I only explored a few streets within.

2/15 - Donsol

Kayla arrived around 12:30 am at the hostel. She had to be a big girl and make her way from the airport to the hostel...one day she will stop giving me crap about it! We flew out around lunch time to Legazpi and got a van to Donsol. We checked into our sweet hostel for the next three nights. The pool was right on the beach. It was beautiful and what a wonderful treat for us backpackers. We checked out the ocean and went for a swim in the pool. We also order fresh fruit smoothies and maybe added a shot of local rum to them! We also signed up for whale shark finding the next day. For dinner, we had an amazing piece of fish and watched the sunset from the hotel.

2/16 - Donsol

We left at 7 am for butanding or whale shark finding. We drove around on the boat for three hours and without spotting one. We got to work on our tans but headed back a little sad. We had lunch next to the tourism center. Jordan went back out for three more hours but Kayla and I had sore butts from sitting on the wood boat for so long. We went for a massage right on the beach! Wow, it was awesome! I was not feeling well as the Philippines has been a little tough on my belly so I went to bed early.

2/17 - Donsol

In the morning, we went to the internet cafe to book some additional things for our trip but it was full. So we walked around the little town and got to see them opening the market. We took the tricycle to town which is like a tuk tuk and fun for us all three to fit on. We headed out for butanding around 11 am. As soon as we got on the boat, the guide was like get your snorkel equipment on. There was a baby whale shark in the bay. Yes! We put our snorkel gear on and we jumped off the side of the boat. They yell at you to look down and when you do, there is a 6 meter whale shark swimming under you. Yes, I swam over the top of his head and was terrified his fin was going to hit me. It was the most surreal moment. The coloring and spots are beautiful. Swimming with the whale sharks has always been a huge dream for me and I am happy to say I jumped in seven times to swim along side this amazing fish! We were on the boat for about 2 hours. We had a great dinner at a restaurant right on the beach.

2/18 - Puerto Princesa

This was a travel day. After riding the local bus from Donsol to Legazpi, we flew back to Manila. The ride was a little long and in the back of a GP, local truck. We had lunch in Manila and headed back to the airport for our flight to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan. Both flights were about an hour and we upgraded from the last row of the plane on the first flight to the first row on the second flight!

2/19 - Puerto Princesa

We woke up early to try and go to the longest underground river in the World. We were not able to get a permit until February 25th so we got one for then and planned to stop on the way back to Manila.

We went to Honda Bay. We went to three islands with three locals and one French man on our boat. The first stop was at a floating dock right over the reef. We jumped in to snorkel and got to see a few fish. The colors were not great because the sun was not out. The water was nice and warm. The second stop was on Starfish Island and I am happy to say we got to see so many starfish in the water. We got some amazing photos of them! We also found a ton of whole sand dollars lining the beach. It was so cool! I have never been able to find so many! The third stop was at Isla Pandan. The water was incredibly clear! It was beautiful and the mountains in the background just made it a wonderful place. We had a really great dinner at a local restaurant.

2/20 - El Nido

We took a 5 hour van ride El Nido on the north end of the island of Palawan. It was a long ride but we learned to sit in the front so you have leg room. The vans are not made for tall Americans! It was raining when we arrived so we got the first hostel that Lonely Planet recommended. Well, the people and restaurant were ver nice but the room and bathroom were horrible. I thought Kayla was going to die after her first visit to the toilet. We had booked two nights so we had to make it work. In El Nido, the power goes off from 6:30 am to 2 pm everyday. When your room just has a fan, it makes it a little hard to sleep in with the warmth.

2/21 - El Nido

We headed out on an island hopping tour. The sky was still a bit grey but the sun started to pop thru along the way. The wind was blowing and the water was a bit choppy. We were pretty much getting soaked every time the boat moved! We snorkeled to a small lagoon. It was beautiful and we were the last ones in so pretty much had it to ourselves. There was also a small cave that Jordan swam right into. The second stop was at a beach but the water was to rough to swim. We had a BBQ lunch that included salad, rice, fruit, grilled pork, fish and squid. It was yummy! The third stop was at a big lagoon. It was beautiful. We jumped off this floating dock and took fun photos with the locals that were on our boat. We then crossed the bay to a beautiful beach. It had the softest white sand! We headed back to El Nido and had a girls night out! It was fun!

2/22 - El Nido

We had a chill, relaxing day as the weather was still not very good. We moved to a much nicer hotel and had our own bathroom. We just strolled around town and ate! Town is right on the beach and had lots of restaurants and little shops. We found our favorite place to eat and went back the next day for breakfast.

2/23 - El Nido

We signed up for more island hopping. We snorkeled on the way to snake island. We got to see quite a few fish. There were a ton of blue ones and I got a pretty good photo of them! Snake Island is awesome. It connects two islands by a sand bar that you can walk all the way along. It is a site to see the two oceans meet on the sand bar. The mangroves were all around and the water was crystal clear. Wait till you see these photos! We had lunch on the island and then headed to two different caves and one more island. These places are amazing and some times we were the only ones around while other places we were not. I like the Philippines because you meet so many people traveling who are from the Philippines and they are incredible nice! And they always want to take pictures with you. Even if you don't know them at all!

2/24 - Puerto Princesa

We headed back to Puerto Princesa around 1 pm. It was a long ride back in the back of the van but we made it. I was fun to just chat and catch up with Kayla. It has been so great to have her here! It made me so excited to see my family so soon!

2/25 - Manila

We woke up early to be picked up later by the tour company for the Subterranean River Tour. We were headed to the World's longest underground river (8.2 km). We had a two hour drive to the boat dock and then a short boat ride to the entrance of the river. The national park only allows 900 guest to enter the cave each day so we are lucky to get to have experienced the cave. We were in the cave for about 45 minutes and traveled about 1.5 km into it. It was dark! Kayla and I were the main light holders but it was hard to hear where the guide of our 10 men boat wanted us to shine the light. They had names for all the funny stalagmite and stalagtights. There were bats everywhere and bugs! Not sure I ever thought I would see something like that. We drove back and got our baggage. We headed to the airport for our late flight back to Manila. We arrived late and I packed a few things for Kayla to take home for me.

2/26 - Manila

Kayla left at around 5:30 am.....sad to say goodbye but I hope she had fun. I really enjoyed having her visit and hope to have passed the travel bug onto her a little more! I got to Skype with my mom, Melissa and Kendall today. It was great to talk to so many people who love and support me! Jordan and I headed to Market! Market! for lunch and ended up shopping in this huge complex! It was nice to just walk around and be girls for a little while. Jordan's India visa got approved with a little mess up on the exit date but now she has her passport for the next two countries we will be visiting!

2/27 - Manila

Plan to hike a volcano! More details with the next update!

2/28 - Flight to Brunei late at night!

A quite transfer to the island of Borneo and flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. More details with the next update also!

Singapore

The adventure continues to be amazing! I have enjoyed very much traveling thru SE Asia and everyone needs to make a trip over. I have done things that are so far out of my comfort zone and hope to remember everything perfectly when I am an old lady. Well, maybe I could forget a few of the smells! My ipad will not upload photos anymore so I will try and add some but not sure when. Here is an update from my Singapore trip! Hope you enjoy!

2/9 - We were up early for our flight to Singapore. Although we planned to have a chill evening, things might have gotten a little crazy! After going through customs and getting our bags, we were asked to send our bags through the X-ray machine before leaving. Jordan and I were both asked to take out our pocket knifes. Jordan's larger knife was okay to carry through but my smaller but switch blade knife (knife that opens with a press of the button) was not. I was like no big deal, you can have the knife. The security guard was like no we have to do a police report and you will be questioned. He asked for my passport and I had to follow another security guard. They told Jordan I would be about 30 minutes and she need to wait in the common area. Off I went with the security guard to the police station. They filled out a ton of paper work and finally two police officers came in. One questioned me on all my background/general information and why I was carrying this knife. I was like I used it to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and to maybe cut a rope or something. He just laughed. So I had to sign a paper saying that I understood they would not be pressing charges at this time but if commit another crime, I could be taken to court. I had to sign a few more and then I was released to leave about 45 minutes later. Never a dull moment in my life! We checked into our hostel located pretty close to the train system but it was raining. We walked to the local food market but it was mostly closed. That evening, we ordered pizza to the dorm and went to bed early.

2/10 - My Uncle Anthony's and Aunt Diane's friend, Robert, lives in Singapore and picked us up for lunch. We had great American food and I ate every last bit! He also drove us around town since it was raining. And we spotted the H&M!! The streets are lined with beautiful greenery and everything is so clean.

That evening, Robert, Jordan and I went on the Night Safari at the zoo. We spent about 4 hours looking at all the animals. The zoo is very open concept and the deers could walk right up to you if they wanted. On the way home, Robert stopped at his favorite food court. We got to try some local foods and they were really good! They have 24 hour food courts around town. I have caught a little cold along the way so not feeling 100%.

2/11 - We walked around Little India and had lunch. It was a bit spicy for my taste. Then, we walked around China Town but most things were closed due to the Chinese New Year. They had millions of lanterns lining the streets. It was really cool to see. Then, we headed to Orchard Street with all the shopping malls. I did a little damage at H&M but not much...don't want to carry anything else in my bag! We then headed to Marina Bay Sands Hotel (the hotel with the big boat on top!). It was very impressive. We had a $30 glass of wine on the top and watched the sunset behind the Singapore skyline. On the deck in front of the hotel, we watched a really good light, water and fire show. They did a great job with it. Not a bad way to end the evening!

2/12 - We were total bums as it was raining. We finally went out to the Gardens behind the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. They spent over $1 billion dollars on these gardens. Pretty Crazy! They were very nice. Jordan and I were both in totally goofy moods which is a good thing for the rest of the day was a little crazy. We headed back to the hostel and picked up our bags to head to the airport. We arrived early at the airport thinking we could check in early and hang out in the huge airport. But we could not, so we just had dinner. Around 10 pm, we could check in but we were stopped at the check in counter. You must have a ticket showing you are leaving the Philippines within 21 days of your entrance. Well, we did not have one. We ended up buying to tickets to Brunei (small county in Southeast Asia). I was having all sorts of problems booking my ticket and the counter was going to make me pay like $40 more if I didn't book thru the Internet. Anyways, just a little stressful! We made it thru check in and the ticket agent had saved up two seats at the front of the plane together....so nice! We had McDonalds in the airport and border the plane at about 1 am.

Thailand Part 3 - Bangkok and Islands

It has been a pretty crazy last few days. The beaches have been amazing! The diving was a great escape from this crazy World that we live in. It was nice to just relax and meet some people. Here is some big news, I fly home to Houston from Seattle on March 15th. My mom is meeting me in Seattle on March 9th and we are spending a week exploring. Yes, I really am lucky! I have mixed feelings about coming home and a little nervous that I am going to have culture shock when I get there....no more dinners for $2 and hotels for $4! But I do miss Texas food and big hugs!

Here are the details!

1/31 - Night Train and Ferry from Bangkok to Koh Tao Island

We arrived in Bangkok on the train in the morning. We checked our big bags into the storage room at the train station. We headed out to explore the city a little more. We headed to Khao San Road. I did a little shopping which included a new swimsuit, a leather purse and two new tank tops. We went to watch the movie Zero Dark Thirty. And got a haircut and wash at the salon (both only six bucks)! We got a taxi back to the train station where our night train left around 7:30 pm. The train was a little older than most and lots of locals that stayed up pretty late. Hard to sleep when you just have a piece of cloth blocking you from the rest of the people.

2/1 - Koh Tao

We arrived at the train station around 4:30 am in Chumphon City. We bought ferry tickets and waited until 7 am for the transfer bus to the dock. We watched the sun rise as we got on the ferry. We got to Koh Tao in the morning around 10 am. We had read good things about Big Blue Diving Resort so we got their free transfer. They had one room left in their sister hotel down the road. We signed up for two afternoon dives and a full day diving trip. We walked around Sairee Beach. It was a cute, little area with lots of tourist. The streets are narrow but that does not stop cars and motorbikes from zooming through the tourist. We had drinks on the beach and watch the guys twirl fire on ropes and bars. It was pretty impressive!

2/2 - Koh Tao

We sleep in until like 9 am, wonderful! Our room ended up having AC and the beds were super nice! We headed to the dive shop to prepare our equipment and headed out for the two afternoon dives. The first dive was a place with caves. The dive included a lot of swimming to and from the boat. It was not very fun because the water was so rough that the waves were white capping. The second dive was at White Rock. It was beautiful and the fish were everywhere. At the safety stop, I was just taken away by all the fish. We came up right by the boat which was another good thing. Right before the second dive, I grabbed a cookie out of the cookie jar. When I was eating the cookie, I noticed blood everywhere. Yes, I cut the tips of three of my fingers on the cookie jar. It bleed a lot. Luckily, a dive master (ex nurse) was right there and cleaned it and put band aids all on three of my figures. And luckily, no sharks were around on the second dive. We headed back, had dinner and called it a night!

2/3 - Koh Tao

We were up at 5:30 am for an all day dive trip. The trip included three dives. The first two were at Sail Rock. It is suppose to be the best spot to dive in the Gulf of Thailand and the best chance at seeing whale sharks. Unfortunately, the visibility was no good. We could still see the coral and got to see an eel swimming out of his hole. It was cool to see him swim. I had and still have horrible blisters on the back of my feet from the day before. I wore my smart wool socks in hope to stop the sting. The second dive was at Sail Rock also. We got to see a very large eel but he was in his hole. We also saw some of the largest colorful fish that I have ever seen. Overall, I would not say the best dive spot but I think the visibility was the issue for us. The last dive was at the South West Pinnacle. And it was my favorite. The visibility was great, tons of fish everywhere and the coral was beautiful. I really enjoyed the last dive. For dinner, we got a whole fish and potatoes..yum! We hung out with some of the dive masters at night and we had a really fun night! Everyones life's are so different and people are on these crazy journeys!

2/4 - Night Ferry and bus to Koh Lanta

We checked out of the hotel and headed to the beach. My bag was completely empty and all over the hotel floor. It will be nice to have a closet again! We went to Koh Nangyuan Beach. The two tops of the mountains are connected with a white sand bar (wait until you see the photo). We hung out for about two hours and got our water taxi back to Koh Tao. On the boat ride back, the weather changed and it was pouring. We were soaked by the time we got back. We had lunch at the dive shop and then the sun was back. We laid out on the pillows at the dive shop for a few hours. We paid and had a shower at one of the massage places, dinner and border the night boat. The boat was pretty hilarious. There are not beds, just mats laid right next to each other. I think there were 37 mats on one side. Thank goodness, I am a little person and that the girl next to me was too!

2/5 - Koh Lanta

We arrived at 5 am in Thathong. We loaded on in a van for a 2.5 hour drive . Then, waited 2 hours and had an 1.5 hour drive in another van to Koh Lanta. We are stayed at a resort on the south end of the island away from everything. The tour company we used forgot to call the hotel when we got there and we waited at a 7 Eleven for 40 minutes and then had to pay for a taxi. The hotel reimbursed us for half the cab ride. Made for a long day but we finally made it to a low key, beautiful beach! I laid out for a few hours and watched the crabs and hermit crabs walking around the beach. Our place is alright but the bathroom has a horrible odor to it. Really every bathroom smells here. The septic systems and sewer pipes are poorly designed. Sometimes you are walking and it is just smelly. You have to walk faster and hold your breathe. I am looking forward to clean bathrooms and sewer pipes at are buried under ground!

2/6 - Koh Lanta

Jordan had two blisters on her toes and they were not looking good. Her foot was red and hurting so we headed to the clinic to have them looked at. They ended up being infected and she got an antibiotic and cannot swim until they are better. I think she is allergic to the beach....anyone remember the Nicaragua stitches story. We headed back home and laid on the beach for the afternoon. I have a fresh juice or shake everyday. I am going to have to start making them back home because they are so amazing (Melissa F. - it reminds me of your shakes and how you put spinach in them!). We had dinner right on the beach and watched the sunset. I absolutely love sunsets! And my camera takes amazing sunset photos!

2/7 - Koh Phi Phi

We were up at 6:30 am to take the morning ferry over to Koh Phi Phi. Just google images of this island! We found a room behind a massage place for the night. We dropped off our bag and spent the entire day on the beach! Wow, what an amazing beach! The tide rolled out and rolled in all while we sat in layout chairs! It was a GREAT day! I took an hour nap, listened to some old jams on my iPod and laughed at the old memories that came with the old songs (Lauren - California Here We Come!). Alright, I will stop bragging about my wondering day. We went out to some pretty cool bars on the island for the night!

2/8 - Phuket

We woke up and had to get a ferry ticket to Phuket as we have a flight out the next day. We took the 11:30 ferry and then had a short van ride over to Patong Beach. We are staying at a hostel and headed to the beach. It was very nice but not as great as the surrounding islands. The city has a ton of bars lining on of the streets. It looks pretty crazy! We have a flight that we have to leave for the airport at 7 am so it will be a chill night for us.

Singapore is the next country and next stop on my adventure!