Day 7: Last Day in Bangkok, First Night in Pattaya

Today was a bit more chill than the past few days. This morning we got to sleep in a little bit and ate breakfast at the guest house...biscuits and eggs! Delicious! Around 9:30 we maneuvered our way through Bangkok (with very detailed instructions courtesy of Meleah Nunn) and boarded a water taxi. Water taxis are a pretty common mode of transportation in Bangkok. 

On the taxis we were able to see the city from a different angle, and it was pretty cool! we got off at one stop about half way down the route. We were wanting to look at the Grand Palace, but we just kept walking around this huge white wall and could never find the entrance or a main gate or anything! But we did stumble upon this ENORMOUS temple. Apparently this temple is where the famous Reclining Buddha is, who knew! We walked through the grounds a little bit but we didn't actually go inside or see the Buddha. 

The King and Queen of Thailand, this was outside the Grande Palace. 

After our little walking tour, we got back on another water taxi and went back towards town to meet Meleah. We met her at a mall, and while we were walking from the train station to the mall, Hilary spotted a McDonalds stand that sold "frozen Coke." She was beyond excited! The girl loves her Icees! 

And let me tell you, it was DANG good! 

After we ate at the found court and then we got really adventurous! We got ourselves some fish pedicures! Now this was my second fish pedicure, but it felt VERY different from my last one! For starters these fish were WAY bigger and far more aggressive. It was really hard to keep my feet in at first but eventually I got used to in and it felt alright. 

Halley wasn't a huge fan.

After the pedicures we did a little shopping around the mall and then we had to haul it back to the hotel to meet the taxi that was going to take us to Pattaya. But we made it! Whew! Traffic leaving Bangkok was really bad so it took us longer to get here than we thought, but we made it and weren't too off schedule! 

Monica took us to a traditional Thai restaurant, it was geared towards tourists, but still very neat! They had traditional Thai dancing and a fire thrower person... There was also Thai music, which was cool at times, but the majority of the time it was just loud and kind of annoying. 

After dinner we went and walked around Pattaya some and Monica showed us the area where she works. But we were all pretty exhausted and just wanted to get in the bed! 

 

Day 6: Floating Market, River Kwai, ELEPHANTS

Today has been an EXCELLENT day!! 

Yesterday we booked a tour with Bangkok Day Tours. We had read some good reviews and it looked like it had everything we wanted to do so we gave it a try. And let me tell you it was AWESOME!! We all LOVED every minute of it!

We started bright and early at 7 a.m. the tour bus came and picked us up from the guest house. We met our precious tour guide Na and our driver Joe. 

This is Na, our tour guide. Isn't she just the cutest?

We had a super sweet ride! The tour bus was so tricked out! It came equipped with disco lights, reclining bucket seats, a 24" TV, a cooler full of water, snacks and so much more! 

We got to watch some music videos on our way to the Floating Market including Gangnam Style and Cody Simpson. It was rather amusing. 

Then we made it to the Floating Market! In Thailand they used to, and still do, have homes accessible only by boat, along canals. So vendors would put all their products on boats and go around selling things from house to house. I believe some markets still work like that, but this one, and many others like it, have changed into more of a touristy area. So now they have mostly souvenirs and things like that on the sides, but most fruit and food vendors actually sell out of their boats. And the shoppers (us) ride around in a boat as well! It was pretty cool to experience, a few of us bought things from the floating vendors, but Na had told us to wait for this other shop that was near the market that had low fixed prices. Most of us took her suggestion and were rather pleased with it! 

Oh, the two guys are people that Hilary know, and they are in Bangkok at the same time as we are, so they decided to join us! 

After the market we went to lunch! We went to a really cool restaurant! It was on the River Kwai, (like the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai)! And it was a good sized buffet of all authentic Thai food! I focused mainly on the fruit! 1. Because it looked really interesting 2. Because one of the fruits was on Ugly Betty once 3. Because it was SO HOT and eating a plate of piping hot rice and pork didn't sound that appealing. 

This is the entrance to the restaurant. 

I had to try a Thai Coke! It tasted similar to a Honduran Coke. I think they use real sugar instead of corn syrup. 

Okay so these are all the crazy fruits we tried today! Na helped me pick the best ones and showed me how to eat each one. The little orange ones were pretty good, they had a bit of a sour taste, but it was a good sour. I however do not remember their name. So sorry! The purple ones with the stem are called Mangosteen, and are really good! You break open the inside and there's a thick purple shell and then white fruit pieces inside, sort of like how an orange is divided. And the red one with the green spikes are called Rambutan, and to eat it you sort of peal off the top and there's a big white fruit inside! (I'm pretty sure this one was on Ugly Betty, but they called it a Tico Berry) And the last is a little tiny banana, basically it's just a super sweet banana. 

After lunch we go to take a stroll across the bridge. It was neat. The bridge was built during WWII by POWs captured by the Japanese. The bridge is part of a railway that connects Thailand to Burma. The bridge is pretty well known because of the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai that came out in the late 1950s. But apparently the movie wasn't very accurate...shocking right?

There was a pretty big temple next to it, can you tell?

After the bridge came the ABSOLUTE BEST part of the day...ELEPHANTS! 

I mean honestly, HOW PRECIOUS IS THAT!?!?!

I can't stop staring at her, SHE'S SO CUTE.

Anyway, we went to this elephant camp and everyone got to ride on an elephant! And when I say ride, I don't mean you sit in a basket and walk in a circle. We sat on the neck, right behind her ears and rode around the camp and into the jungle for about 30 minutes! It was incredible!! 

This was my view...that's her trunk. (we can only ride the girl elephants because the boys have the big tusks) Apparently my elephant was having some tummy troubles while we were walking, but I didn't notice so who cares right! 

After the ride we got to take them down to the river and play with them! IT WAS SO FUN!! They would pick you up and let you sit on their trunk, or they would lift you up and throw you off, or you could use their trunk as a nice little water cannon, or they would try and throw you off almost like a mechanical bull. Fret not there was a nice little Thai gentleman on each elephant that told it what to do, and kept all of us safe! 

I unfortunately don't have these pictures yet, but once I get home I will and I'll definitely be posting them! I've even got some videos!! It was just so so cool! Such an incredible and unique experience! I'm so very glad we got to do it! And I would highly recommend this tour if you ever make your way to Bangkok! 

We didn't get back to the guest house until close to 8, so the rest of the night mostly consisted of us trying to find a restaurant that would suit everyone. We failed at that and just ended up at a food court type thing, but that seemed to pleased everyone well enough. 

But now it's off to bed! We need to be well rested for our last day in Bangkok; we go to Pattaya tomorrow afternoon! 

Okay just one more! 

BUT SHE'S SO ADORABLE! 

Day 5: Bangkok

Okay so we made it to Bangkok! Last night we flew from Amman to Cairo and then from Cairo to Bangkok. The flight from Amman to Cairo was a little sketch. And the Cairo airport was even sketchier. But the flight to Bangkok was pretty nice! There weren't many people on the plane so we each got our own row to lay down and spread out on! It was AWESOME! I got to sleep six straight hours! Yippee! That's probably the longest stent I've slept since we left home!

Once we landed in Bangkok we had to go through customs and such, which was a breeze! Praise The Lord! Then we had a little bit of stress trying to find Monica in the airport but we finally found her and all was well!

We all got in a taxi and he took us to where we are staying. It's not a hotel and it's not a hostel, it's a guest house, so it's sort of like the best of both worlds, all the comforts of a hotel with all the conveniences of a hostel, an excellent way to travel. 

After we got here we got ourselves settled and cleaned up a bit. Then we set about the task of figuring out what we want to do the next few days...it proved to be quite a challenge. But after much discussion, prayer and a few rolled eyes, we finally booked a tour! And we're all really excited about it! We're visiting a floating market, the bridge over the river kwai, and we're riding elephants...I think we might even get to bathe them! It should be interesting. I'll keep you guys posted. 

After that we went and ate dinner at this diner called Angel City. It was really weird. But the food was DELICIOUS! It is like a 1950s themed diner, and they have all kinds of American food, but also some good Thai food too! 

After that we went to this mall called Terminal 21...OH MY GOODNESS it was insane! There were probably 7 or 8 floors and each one was a different international city: Rome, Paris, Istanbul, Tokyo, San Francisco. It was crazy! 

Oh also, I bought a really pretty painting from a street vendor. He couldn't hear, and I don't think he could talk either, so we bartered via a calculator, and let me tell you, I LIKED IT! He punched in a number and then I erased it and punched in a much lower number, and then he took it back and put in a number around the middle. So I agreed and got out some money and payed him, and then he gave me change! He gave it to me at my original offer! I don't really know what happened but I liked it! 

Bangkok has been cool so far, but we can definitely tell we are NOT in the Middle East anymore. We've all got a small dose of culture shock! But I'm sure we'll adjust! 

Day 4: Last Day in Amman

Well folks, I can't believe it, but it's our final few hours in Amman, Jordan. 

Geez, this time has FLOWN by!

But on our last day here, we had some great experiences! 

This morning, Halley and I tried to sleep in, but the people in the apartment above us decided to rearrange their furniture at 6 a.m. so that really didn't happen. 

Once we were all up, fed and dressed, we went up to the Citadel, the ancient city of Amman. It was really neat! There were Roman, Greek and early Islamic ruins. And some absolutely STUNNING views of Amman, the city built on seven hills. 

In this picture you can see the Roman amphitheater we went to on the first day we were here! 

That's Mom, Halley and I standing among some of the ruins, we weren't sure if they were Greek or Roman though, but the columns were ENORMOUS. 

In the foreground of this one you can see what looks sort of like a hand and an elbow, these are believed to have been part of a statue of Hercules, it was thought to be over 13 meters (roughly 43 feet) high! 

There was a museum there too, and let me just say, Jordanian museums are a bit different than American museums...

They're not NEARLY as strict! 

After the citadel we did a little shopping and ate some lunch before heading back to the house to get ready to leave. Now we're just packing things up and getting organized before we head to the airport in an hour or so. 

Tonight we fly out from Amman to Cairo around 8:15 p.m. and then fly out from Cairo around midnight and arrive in Bangkok just after lunchtime on Wednesday the 29th. Monica is planning on meeting us at the airport and spending a few days in Bangkok with us until we go to Pattaya on Friday. 

It's going to be a busy week, but I feel like it's going to be well worth it! 

Day 3: Mt. Nebo and The Dead Sea

Today was a GREAT day, probably my favorite so far! 

This morning we got to sleep in a little bit till about 8, which was nice since we've been getting up in the middle of the night recently. 

So once everyone awoke and became coherent, we got ready for the day and then we loaded up the car and were off! 

We had a little trouble figuring out how to get where we wanted to go, but eventually we found our way! Our first stop of the day was Mount Nebo. This is believed to be the mountain where God allowed Moses to look out onto The Promised Land before the Israelites actually entered it. It gave some spectacular views of The Dead Sea,  Israel, Jericho, and Jordan. It was a little hard to imagine Moses being there though, what with the construction crane and about 30 Indian tourists. 

The big green area is a town in Jordan, and the smaller green patch behind and to the left of it is Jericho.

You can't see it very well, but The Dead Sea is on the left side behind the trees. And the Jordan river flows between Jordan and Israel, but it was a little hazy so we couldn't really see it.

Next, we began the 3,000ft descent from Mt. Nebo to The Dead Sea. The drive was a little nerve-racking, it was a rather treacherous road, especially when animals are involved. 

 

Wait, is that a camel crossing the road?

Then we arrived at The Dead Sea! We opted to be divas and go to the private beach instead of the public beach area. And let me tell you, it was such a good decision!

There it is, The Dead Sea. The lowest point on earth, over 1,000 ft below sea level at its surface. 

Mom, Halley and I had ourselves a good float! It was so WEIRD and so COOL! I mean you hear about how you float in there, but I've always been a little skeptical. But ITS TRUE! You float! All you have to do is pick your feet up and you'll just bob there like a booey. It's incredible!

And when you're there you've got to rub yourself with some Dead Sea mud to make your skin shine like diamonds. 

I don't know if it actually made my skin shine like a diamond, but it was still pretty fun! 

After the mud, and a thorough rinsing, we were able to just relax by the pool, swim a little, eat lunch, lay in the sun or take a nap. It was such a nice relaxing afternoon, and was very much needed after yesterday! 

So once our time at the beach ran up we headed back to Amman, cleaned up and went out to dinner. We went and ate with Hilary's roommate and one of her friends. It was a really neat restaurant, very authentic Jordanian food and eating style! But don't ask me what we ate, because I have no idea. 

Now its back to the house for some laundry, rest and maybe a card game or two on our last night in Amman. 

Petra: Day 2

It has been a rather tiring day! 

Last night we were all exhausted, but we pushed ourselves to stay up until at least 9 p.m. which was nice, until we woke up at 3 a.m. ready to go, gotta love jet lag. But it wasn't all that bad because we were planning on getting up around 5 a.m. anyway. 

So we got up early and headed out to Petra. Petra is about a 3 hour drive south from Amman, so we got there around 8 a.m. The early morning wasn't our favorite, but we ended up appreciating it because it was MUCH cooler in the morning! 

So basically Petra is an ancient city carved into the side of a mountain. It's absolutely stunning and incredibly enormous! It stretches on for miles! 

So to get there we had to walk about a mile or two on this rocky, sandy path. 

And then we came to this ENORMOUS trench, al-Siq, that we walked through for about a mile. 

This is the beginning of the trench. 

I mean just look how tiny those people are! 

The trench was actually pretty neat. The walls were HUGE, about 260 feet high! And it was really cool and breezy in there which is always nice when in the desert!

Once we were done with the trench, we came out into an area known as The Treasury. 

This part was in an Indiana Jones movie! 

After a look at The Treasury, we continued our walk for about another mile or so, and came to this open area where there were a few small restaurants and some souvenir type things. But there were also these immaculate tombs that you could climb up and look around in. From there we got GREAT views, and it only cost us about 200 stairs climbed.

This was the ceiling inside of the tomb, we think the black is soot from when they used to have fires inside there, but the red and white are just the natural stone. 

Next, we began our trek up to The Monastery. We started with about a half mile walk on a nice sandy and rocky path. And then the real fun started...the hike up the mountain to The Monastery. It included over 800 stairs and many flat slippery sections. 

That blue dot is an average sized woman!

But I will say that the hike was well worth it! It was beautiful and we all felt so accomplished! 

So once we got up there and rested, had a Gatorade, we started our trip back down. The trip down was much nicer than the trip up, if you can believe that!

Once we were down, we stopped at a little buffet restaurant they had there and ate some lunch. The food was good, but it just wasn't exactly what you wanted after a long hot hike. But the water was cold so that was all I really needed! 

We decided to take a camel back to The Treasury instead of walking the 2+ miles back. And although the camel man wouldn't come down on price as much as we wanted, it was well worth it! 

It was one of the strangest and funnest things I've ever done. 

First of all, Halley and I were terrified of our camels because as soon as we came near them they started grunting and growling, or whatever it is that camels do. But the camel man helped us get on, and I mean, AS SOON AS I was on that thing he was up! And that was one of the scariest parts, camels get up REALLY weird. 

So Halley, Hilary and I were kind of in a pack and mom ended up being a little behind us with another lady. I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but my camel is tethered to Halley's camel. So whatever her camel did, my camel did. So when the camel man would come up and slap Halley's camel to make it run, mine would run too! And let me tell you, those camel men got WAY TOO MUCH enjoyment about watching the white girls wig out on the galloping camels. 

After the camel ride we walked back through the trench and back up the path. I think we probably walked close to 7-10 miles total today! Needless to say, we are all pretty pooped! We had a somewhat eventful drive back into Amman, there was some unexpected traffic and a few moments where we thought we might run out of gas in the middle of the road. Tthat would have been interesting. But thankfully we made it to the gas station and didn't have to have angry commuters screaming at us in Arabic. Praise The Lord! 

So tonight we just ate dinner at the house, went to the 7-Eleven for some ice cream and hung out. But I have a feeling we're all pretty close to passing out. So I'll talk to y'all tomorrow!