Final thoughts on Asia 2006...

It's been so long since I've been on a vacation for longer than a week that it initially felt weird to be away from work for so long. But 'initially' only lasted a couple of days, and after that I was enjoying our vacation to the fullest. It was neat having everyone from Vancouver traveling with us halfway across the world. Thanks to all the planning of the logistics by Lisa, and a bulk of the research done by Darren… the majority of us were able to sit back, relax, and just enjoy our travels. Lisa and I spent a lot of time in airports traveling from place to place and that definitely took up a lot of our time, but with that said, I think at the end of the day, I’m glad we did it that way. We were able to experience so many places, and literally taste the best of all the places. Our intention on this trip was to enjoy the food at all our destinations, and I can honestly say that we did that to our best ability. We experimented, and experimented some more… and most of the time we weren’t disappointed. In addition, we were able to do this by the cheap, and we didn’t get sick! Which of course, I like! Hehe. Asia was amazing. I had the best time, and I know Lisa did too. Thanks to all of you that followed this blog, and traveled vicariously with us (As Jen put it). We really didn’t think that many of you would read and follow us through our trip, so we’re glad that our writings didn’t go all to waste! So to summarize, I’ve listed the most memorable moments of our trip below… just something to look back on =)

So where did our travels take us to? Lets see…

There was Osaka where we learned how to utilize the airport as a gigantic hotel room.

Then off to Shanghai where Lisa and I pretended to be models, tasted our first street food of our trip, saw and ate siao long bao everywhere, observed crazy drivers, noticed Christina speak Shanghainese everywhere we went, and experienced insane cab drivers.

We veered on down to Manila where we just ate and ate and ate. Who can forget Jolly Bee, all the great Filipino food, the excellent Chinese food at Gloria Maris, and finally the scrumptious (sarcasm) Balut… Manila was definitely where I gained the most weight! We were pampered by sincere and generous relatives, chauffeured around by drivers, and toured around by Cheryl and Aileen (Lisa’s cousins). We witnessed the contrast in the city in terms of the rich, and the poor. The gap is so incredibly large here; it’s hard to fathom how the local economy even keeps on rolling.

Where to next? Oh yes, my favourite part of the trip… Boracay. There is only word that can describe it… Beautiful. There was the incredibly blue water, the soft white sand, the great snorkeling, the fantastic food, the yummy fruit shakes, the seafood picnic, the cheap oil massages, and of course the awesome weather. Oh, and I can’t forget our scary experience on “Ghetto Air”, Darren Doo, and the foot spa!

Back to Manila we go where I must describe to you the excellent shopping that was available to us here. Vast malls of fake clothing, over runs, etc. If you wanted it, you could have it. Manila was very good to us, thanks for showing us a good time Manila!

Hello Hong Kong! What I remember most about HK is of course the excellent transportation system… it couldn’t have been easier to get around this city. What about other memories from Hong Kong? A small hotel room, chicken wings at McDonalds, relatives, expensive clubs, girls drinking lots and lots of beer, great fruit desserts, dinner at Fo Tan, Ladies Market, searching for leather samples, the HK skyline, seeing Kelly, and finally last but not least, Dom and Lieny’s beautiful wedding! Congrats guys!

Off to Ko Samui we go. Ko Samui was full of thai massages, and a lot of thai food. I must also mention our magnificent resort, and the buffet breakfasts. Who can forget Lisa jumping on Anthony’s bed, and Anthony sitting on Lisa, spas, and 4 hour pampering sessions, tan lines and swimming pools, and more beer! 7-11’s everywhere you walk, sunshine, and sweating. Herny being heckled by prostitutes and transvestites, Ron getting 30 mosquito bites on his left leg (or was it his right)… It was great having all 14 of us in one place, even though there were times where there was chaos but it was mostly calm. Dining beach side at Ark Bar, and countless stray dogs walking around, no, check that, countless stray dogs lying around.

Our next destination was Bangkok… Sofitel Hotel was 1st class, 5 star! There was happy hour with bottomless drinks, and excellent service. It’s amazing how a great hotel can make your stay so much more enjoyable. Our foray into Bangkok and it’s native street food, and Darren’s venture with worms! Hehe. Cab drivers that were incredibly untrustworthy, cab drivers that love Darren! “I love you” hahahaha. Some other things we won’t forget: More Thai food… the hugely gigantic enormous Chaktuchak weekend market, the Grand Palace, the relaxing Buddha, the polite Thai people with their two handed bow, being on top of the city at night, Tammy cheating at blackjack, Somboon seafood restaurant, MBK mall, transvestite beauty pageants, and Jimmy T and ‘IHT’.

Bonjour Cambodia (was briefly under French Rule). Hmmm… what are some things to reminisce about? The temples of course, Cambodian history, our smelly tour guide with the thickest accent you’ve ever heard, bugs, Cambodian food (which was basically more thai food but not spicy), hanging beds for tables, our cool boutique hotel, sweating, my stinky jeans, cash grab Cambodian visas, negotiating the steep stairs at the temple, cheap food, and cheap beers.

Singapore, you sure are clean! What will we remember most about Singapore? Well, I’ll remember that we wanted to stay there for a longer stay, that’s for sure. The food here was yummmmmmmmmy! With the influence of Chinese, East Indian, Malaysian, Western tastes, it definitely makes the food here original, appealing, and exciting to say the least.

It’s time to turn the page on this month long journey. We are sad to say it’s over, but reality has finally checked in.

‘Flip’ (yes, that's the page)