Koh Phangan, Random Moment #1 (and #2!), and Nine Stitches!

I finally left Bangkok after numerous late nights with Jeroen on Khao Sarn Road in order to start my trip to the islands in southern Thailand. Since Jeroen had already left and our nights (and days) on Khao San Road had done numbers on our sleep, diets, and livers, I was in desperate need for some relaxing time on the beach to swim in the ocean, sunbathe, and sleeeeeep. Despite my plans to recoup from Bangkok on the beaches and islands in southern Thailand, I had every intention to attend one of the world's biggest parties: The Full Moon Party at Haad Rin Beach on the island of Koh Phangan.

As I packed up my stuff yet again and walked to the bus stop, I immediately felt a sense of rejuvenation because I knew that I would soon be experiencing a drastic change in scenery and atmosphere. I also looked forward to the opportunity to be completely on my own, in a foreign place I had not yet experienced, and to be moving through Thailand--making new friends at every step of the way.

I left Bangkok late that night and boarded another sleeper bus for the incredibly long ride south to the coastal town of Surat Thani (primarily a place of transit for those looking to travel to the eastern islands of Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, and Koh Tao--"Koh" being the Thai word for "island").

On the bus ride south, I made a new friend with a girl named Augustina who was shy but very pleasant--and from Argentina! I told her of my friends I had made in Vietnam from Argentina and how I expected to see one of them (Andres) again soon. Honestly, I am not sure what it is about meeting/making friends with so many travelers from Argentina, but it has provided numerous advantages when trying to brush up on my Spanish, talk about potential places to visit when I go to South America, and to make more friends since two friendly people can make more friends than just one friendly guy like me--although it hasn't been hard on my own thus far!

After arriving in Surat Thani, we only had to wait a few hours for a ferry to pick up the hundreds of tourists looking to make their way to either Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, or Koh Tao. While waiting under some much needed shade on a very hot day in Thailand, I looked around among the numerous groups of backpackers and tourists to see if I might recognize anyone from my time in Vietnam or in Bangkok, but I really had my eyes focused and ears perked up to find Andres after his time in Cambodia. Andres and I had made tentative plans to meet on Koh Phangan before the Full Moon Party, but the last I had heard from him was that his time with his friends from England in Cambodia was going better than expected, so I might see him soon. The communication with him after leaving him in Vietnam had been quite sporadic, so I didn't know when or where I might see him again--just that I would . . .

As I scanned the groups, I did recognize someone--Amanda, from England, who I met during my last night in Bangkok. She had recently made friends with three others from England, so Augustina and I joined their group, got the introductions out of the way, and started talking about what we could expect at Koh Phangan and at the Full Moon Party since one of the girls (Alice) had attended the party four times in the past. What was even more comforting was that she and her friend had attended May 2010's Full Moon Party, and they were well-versed on the island, where to stay, and where to spend your time. It ended up working out really well for Augustina, Amber, and myself to have such friends.

Moments later, we started to see the other groups stand up to strap on their backpacks, so we figured it was finally time to make our way to the ferry bound for Koh Phangan! It was a rather biblical experience (read: Noah's Ark) boarding the ferry since everyone had huge backpacks and were walking very slowly in a single file line across a very narrow plank onto the boat. Once aboard, we dumped our bags on an ENORMOUS pile and immediately made our way to the front of the boat to lay on the open deck in order to get an early start on our tans under the sun for the three hour ride through the calm waters in the Gulf of Thailand.

Once we arrived to Koh Phangan after spending every moment of that boat ride under the sun--some of us getting wicked tans and very peculiar tan lines--we patiently waited for our backpacks to make their way onto the heaping pile of bags that was being formed by the staff who were throwing bags from the boat to make way for the passengers awaiting their depature ferry from Koh Phangan. In the days leading up to the Full Moon Party, ferries are filled with tourists and backpackers who are eager to attend the party. Honestly, the days leading up to the party were supposedly the most enjoyable because it was a bit more relaxed on the beaches and in the clubs, but I don't have much to say about them because of a little accident (a story soon to follow . . . ).

Random Moment #1:

As we waited for our bags in the swarm of people and disarray of unloading the boat, I stood waiting and picked up on another backpacker with an American accent. He first commented on the ridiculousness of trying to find your backpack--let alone having enough room to grab it once you see it unloaded from the boat--and so I couldn't help but ask him where he was from since an American accent has been a rarity during my travels. Below is literally how our conversation unfolded . . .

Me: Hey man, I overheard you talking and recognized your accent. Where are you from?

Him: From the States.

Me: Oh really? Me too. Which state?

Him: Indiana. What about you?

Me: I also grew up in Indiana! I lived in the Indianapolis area, but I also lived close to South Bend during high school.

Him: Really? I grew up in Elkhart (a smaller city just east of South Bend)!

Me: Crazy! I went to Northridge High School in Middlebury (an even SMALLER city east of Elkhart).

Him: Wait, what's your last name?

Me: Sparks . . .

Him: Trevor??? I'm Sam Bullard--Morgan's younger brother (I knew his sister when I first started high school there in Middlebury). I graduated from Northridge a year behind you!

Me: Holy sh*t! SAM! Ha ha!! Now I recognize you! What a small world, etc, etc, etc . . .

Needless to say, we talked for a bit about our travels, what we had been up to in the past eight years since high school, and what our plans were for Koh Phangan and Southeast Asia. Sam was traveling alone on a long break from his job teaching English in South Korea, so he was going to various places in Southeast Asia for a month--visiting Thailand, Vietnam, and others. It was absolutely needle-in-the-haystack-random to run into him--especially since it was one of three ferries that leave from Surat Thani, and with it being that day, on that ferry, and on that chance occasion that I would overhear his accent a few feet away! It still blows me away that I would meet someone from Northridge High School in Middlebury, Indiana--a school of just barely 900 students in a town of maybe 2,500 people. Whooooooa.

After I introduced Sam to the group I was traveling with to Koh Phangan (Augustina, Amber, Alice, and Laura), we all decided to find a hotel and split the costs of our rooms by dividing two to a room. Once we got settled in, we left our things behind to explore some of the island around where we were staying, check out the beach (Haad Rin) where the Full Moon Party was going to be held, and eat a hearty dinner. Although we were very excited for our first night on the island, we needed some time to rest after dinner in order to recoup from our time on the boat under the blazing sun (many of us resting with aloe vera spread all over our legs, shoulders, and/or faces!).

After a long nap late into the evening, we awoke in time to enjoy our first night there. It was almost overwhelming because hundreds--maybe thousands--of tourists had already flocked to the island for an early start on their tans, relaxation, and dancing. As well, the first round of FIFA World Cup games were still in full effect, and with nearly 95% of the tourists on that island coming from England, there was a LOT of anticipation for the following night's games (USA v. Algeria and England v. Slovenia). Koh Phangan turned out to be an excellent place to watch the World Cup matches every night we were there because they had set up HUGE screens at different places along the beach and projected the games with the English commentaries, and each night, hundreds of tourists would gather under the screens and sit on the beach to watch the entire match.

Unfortunately, the following night--after a long day on the beach, in the water, and sunbathing--Sam and I were hard pressed to find a place airing the USA v. Algeria game. After walking through every road in the little beach town of Haad Rin, we slowly started collecting others from USA who were also in search for a TV--any TV--that was broadcasting the USA game. We eventually found a small restaurant where a crowd of maybe 15 others (probably close to the entire population of Americans on the island) were gathered around a big screen LCD TV for the game. Sam and I found a table, introduced ourselves to the other Americans, and got situated for the match.

(Sam is far right in white long-sleeve shirt.)

It was a great game with numerous close calls for both teams, but in the final minutes of the game (during the extended time, actually), USA scored a single goal to capture a win and put themselves in first place for the group! It was a great game, and Sam and I were excited to celebrate the win, so we made our way back to the beach to find the others in our group who--quite understandably--stayed on the beach under one of big screens to watch England's match.

Sam and I brought a few of our new American friends with us to celebrate the recent win over a round of drinks at one of the numerous places for music and dancing. The night before, Sam and I had had too much fun--taking part in some of the fire games (jump rope, a fire circle to jump through, and limbo), so we decided to take it easy, dance a little bit, and spend our night chatting up our new friends from San Diego (Hannah and Jackie). Over a late dinner before going out to the beach, Sam shared with us an interesting fact about himself and his time in South Korea.

Random Moment #2:

During Sam's previous year teaching English in South Korea, he developed a blog that he later turned into a website about something quite peculiar in South Korea . . . At dinner, there was another American (Simonds) with us who was also an English teacher in South Korea but had just met Sam for the first time that night. Once Sam shared the news about his website, Simonds immediately knew about it and told Sam how big it is among his friends and where he lives/teaches. Sam then shared with us how, in a course of two months, his sight had 40,000-50,000 hits and was blowing up right under his fingertips! Sam also said how his idea, website, and its pictures come with much controversy but that it is--unfortunately--very common in South Korea. I guess you'll just have to check it out and decide for yourself . . .

Anyway, he was flattered our new friends were so excited to hear about his website and its notoriety from Simonds that they couldn't resist taking a chance to be part of it, so quite fittingly, there was an opportunity for them to get in a picture with a nearby patron. When/If you visit the site, you'll see Simonds in one by himself and our friends from San Diego in a picture a few down from there.

Once we finished our Thai food, we made our way to the beach for a bucket and dancing, and here's where my time on Koh Phangan took a turn for the worst . . . As we made our way to a small piece of open sand next to the dancing, we started busting the moves, laughing, and singing along to some of the over-played songs. As a rule of thumb (a rule commonly posted on signs, the Full Moon Party website [see tip #6], and in the travelers' books), party attendees should not go barefoot on the beach where the Full Moon Party is held--not the day of the party or in the days/nights leading up to the party.

Of course, I follow tips and rules, but I needed to get my feet wet that night for some reason, and upon returning from the water a few feet from where our group was dancing, I found everyone jumping and dancing to one of the great (yet wildly over-played) songs. As I danced with them, I jumped around, jumped around, and without really taking close notice to what was nearby, I accidentally jumped and then landed on a trash bag full of empty beer bottles. CRUNCH! Next thing I knew, pain was shooting from my left foot to my brain, and I immediately realized I had just cut the bottom of my foot and needed to sit down for a look at the damage from breaking an entire bottle of beer while dancing barefoot.

Once I was able to sit down and examine it, I realized it was pretty bad (and quite deep), so I alerted Sam and the others that I needed to go into the water to rinse it off and get some of the sand out of the cut for a better look. After getting ankle deep into the water, blood from my foot started pouring like a stream into the ocean with the under current.

I have to admit, I am not a wimp when it comes to pain or injuries, but with the amount of blood that was escaping my body that night, I started to get light-headed and decided it was an injury worthy of a visit to a nearby clinic on the beach.

As I wobbled on Sam's shoulder across the beach to the first clinic in sight, the nurses immediately guided us to an open bed and and started preparing my foot for the doctor. Sam was rather ecstatic to see it the cut up close and clean, and I told him to take a few good pictures, so when I was in a better mindset, I would also be able to see the severity of the cut.

Now, please brace yourselves because below is the picture he captured of my foot about 15 minutes after it happened. It was taken while it was getting rinsed and cleaned at the clinic:

A gruesome sight, huh? Well I have to say, there wasn't much pain, but the first shock came when the doctor inspected it and informed me that it required stitches but there wasn't a specialist able to stitch a cut that deep on the island and that I needed to go to Koh Samui (a different island about an hour away)!!! What had been an accident was turning into a completely crappy situation altogether. Here I was, in the first few nights on the island, and now I had a cut in my FOOT that was too deep to be stitched on the island where all of my things and friends were. As well, I now needed to figure out a form of payment for transportation to Koh Samui and make arrangements for a night at a hospital on a completely different island. Crappy is an understatement; I think sh*tty is more fitting!

I hate to say this, but I seriously contemplated not going to the hospital--leaving my friends and quite possibly missing out on the Full Moon Party--but after much discussion and some serious venting of my frustrations with the sh*tty circumstances, I took the doctors orders and kindly asked Sam to go back to our room, grab my messenger bag with my laptop, passport, travel documents, wallet, and bring them back to the clinic so I could pay for transportation to the hospital. Fifteen minutes and 10,000 Baht ($300 USD) later, I was in an ambulance by myself accompanied by a nurse to the pier, then on the speedboat (a REALLY fast boat I might add), and finally to the Koh Samui hospital for the night.

Once I arrived to the hospital, the nurses immediately re-cleaned and reinspected the cut. They also informed me that they had called the specialist and that he would be in within an hour. Only 35 minutes passed, and I was greeted by a very nice doctor who told me that he was ready to inject me with numbing shots and then stitch up my cut.

The most painful part of the night then commenced as he injected me six different times around and inside the cut, but as he did, he moved the needle all around while it was inside my foot. The pain from this made me cringe and contort my body in ways that exorcists would be amazed by. I wish I had a biting stick for that experience.

After the shots, my foot and ankle went completely numb, and the stitching commenced quite smoothly. As for the final shock, I was then informed that I needed to keep the stitches in for at least two weeks, that I could not get it wet or go into the ocean, and that I would be required to stay in the hospital for a "few" nights so they could monitor the cut and foot for possible infection. At this point in the whole ordeal, I was not in a place to complain or argue, so I obliged and was then taken to a very nice room with A/C, free Wi-Fi, a mini-fridge, great food from the hospital's restaurant for every meal, strong pain meds, and constant check-ups from nurses and doctors.

All in all, the THREE nights I stayed in that hospital ended up being the much needed break from the late nights, drinking, and malnutrition that my body desperately needed--something I doubt I would have gotten had I stayed on Koh Phangan. Also, I got incredible sleep each night, watched every World Cup match, and wrote a lot of emails to family and friends as well as frequented FB chat to send hellos and catch up with friends back home.

As Saturday soon approached, I was eager to leave the hospital, return to my friends (and clothes), but most importantly, I was eager to make it back in time for the Full Moon Party that began later that night. I was finally released from the Koh Samui hospital around 4pm on Saturday and had successfully arranged for my travel insurance ($60 insurance I had purchased with my round-trip ticket to Thailand) to pay for my entire hotel stay and expenses (160,000 Baht or roughly $5,000 USD!!!). Needless to say, I got a pair of crutches and some great antibiotics/pain meds out of the deal and was sent in good spirits to attend Full Moon Party--sans hospital gown . . . !

Next up on The Dandygram: The Full Moon Party (albeit on crutches), Body Painting, and Impromptu Limbo on Haad Rin Beach!

Back to Bangkok, Sending the Boys Off, and On My Own in Khao Sarn . . .

My posts since Singapore are WAY overdue, and I am so sorry to all the Dandygram readers for the long delay . . .

After Singapore, Ruben, Elliott, and I made it back to Bangkok safe and sound. The following day, I saw them off since they were headed back to San Francisco to start summer classes at UC Berkeley. We had a fun last night in Bangkok together--watching more FIFA World Cup games, eating CHEAP street food, and staying out late with two nice gals from Denmark.

The following day, Ruben and Elliott left (June 17), and I went to the airport with them to get online for a few hours while I waited to greet Chivi--Andres' sister who was to arrive later that night from Saigon!! I was able to also see Nate (my cousin Rachie's husband) who arrived to Bangkok Airport from Chiang Rai and had a short layover before his flight back home to Los Angeles to finish his degree.

After the numerous hellos and goodbyes throughout that entire day at Bangkok International Airport, Chivi and I left for Khao Sarn Road (the backpacker mecca in Bangkok) to find a hotel, drop our bags, and get some food. Being out with Ruben and Elliott the night before, I met a friendly guy traveling by himself (Jeroen Ott from Amsterdam, Holland), but he was at the tail end of his travels in Thailand.

Jeroen had given me a traveling tip the night before about the nice place where he was staying right off Khao Sarn Road--both affordable and pleasant--so I convinced Chivi to go with me. Within minutes in the hotel, we ran into Jeroen who was headed back to his room for the night in order to recover from our previous night out. As a traveler, it's always a good idea to have one of those nights every few days or so!

After some cheeeeeeeeeap street food with Chivi and a few beers at a nice place with live music, we thought it also a good idea to call it an early night because the following night was the USA v. Slovenia game. Since it gets a bit crazy watching those games on Khao Sarn Road and because they are played in Thailand at 1:30am, you must be well-rested to stay awake into the wee hours of the night (remember the EIGHT hours at the pub in Saigon with Ruben).

The following day, Jeroen, Chivi, and I hailed a Tuk Tuk and made our way down the river and into the heart of Bangkok to do some exploring and sightseeing. We managed to get lost for a bit, but eventually, we ran into a nice Thai guy whose English was superb. He gave us the scoop on where we could go with the time we had left in our day (after wandering through numerous markets). So after another quick Tuk Tuk ride, we arrived at the oldest temple in all of Thailand. It was simply o-mazing because up to this point, I hadn't been in or seen many temples during my time in Thailand, Vietnam, or in Singapore, so it was quite an experience.

After a very relaxing time inside the temple, observing the many paintings covering the walls and admiring the beautiful shrine, we started getting anxious to get back to Khao Sarn Road, shower, and get settled into a bar with a nice view of a television for the USA match.

It is absolutely great to be on Khao Sarn Road for any World Cup games because it is essentially a hub for travelers arriving, leaving, or in transit within the greater Southeast Asian region. So at a nice pub with numerous TVs and a few projectors, I managed to find a few others from the States who were wearing patriotic gear: reds, white, blue, or USA soccer jerseys).

After the game, we took our big group up to my favorite place on Khao Sarn Road--the Roof View Bar. It was the place Chivi and I had been the night before and where I had met Jeroen with Ruben and Elliott the night before that. I know, I know--so original, but often, you can run into some of the same people or see familiar faces among the staff who laugh and smile about the nights before. PLUS, there is really, REALLY good live music every night, so it became a favorite spot after the second night of familiar songs, great sing-a-longs, and great people.

With a large group of girls and guys from all over (Denmark, Holland, Sweden, Austria, Argentina, England, and USA), I invented a fun game using the roses that are sold up and down Khao Sarn Road. Personally, I think it's a great game to break the ice and with so many good looking people, you have think to yourself . . . why NOT play? Here are the logistics:

You start with a rose that has been shortened and trimmed of its leaves. Then, in the group of friends (best with a mix of guys and girls for the soon to be told obvious reason), you pass the rose to each person, and the rules are that each person removes a single pedal on their turn. When the last pedal is finally removed, the person who removes it must kiss a member of the opposite sex, and VOILA . . . The Flower Game!

Incorporating this game with the people in our big group--people who were from all over and beautiful inside and out--made for an eventful night at the Roof View Bar to the point where we could barely contain ourselves . . .

(Jeroen and I about to play The Flower Game.)

(Our big group that night.)

There was another final highlight to that evening on Khao Sarn Road: I met two amazing ladies from the U.S. (Danielle and Nina) who had recently moved to Bangkok for a year and were just starting to teach English at a nearby school. We had a great conversation and shared similar stories about the happenings back in the States. To my surprise, Nina had mentioned how she attended Boulder State, so we had much to say about Pearl Street and its happenings.

With time growing short in Bangkok for both Jeroen and I, we made the most of it--leaving our cameras in our rooms to go swimming on our friends roof top pool at their hotel and just enjoy our final nights of World Cup matches, Roof View Bar music, and a little dancing at The Club. Jeroen left the day after Holland won their final group match, and I left the following day for Koh Phangan to attend the infamous Full Moon Party that takes place every month--attracting thousands of backpackers to the small island.

Lastly, I hope you won't be disappointed when I write to you that the majority of my sightseeing and the visiting of local attractions will slowly come to an end in the future Dandygrams. This isn't to say I didn't go to amazing places, but I really was getting more used to meeting people and enjoying their company throughout each day. It really started once I was on my own, and being with people (for this extrovert) is a much better time than going to some place by myself. Therefore, what is to come in the next few weeks is story upon story of what happens when amazingly fun and truly great people come together over great food, beautiful beaches, and fun nightlife. Just you wait--but not too long, I promise!

Next up on The Dandygram: Koh Phangan, Random Moment #1, and Nine Stitches!

Three Unforgettable Nights in Singapore, Part 2!

Our final day in Singapore was easily one of the best days I've had on my trip so far. With friends like Elliott and Ruben, it's not hard to have fun just sitting around playing cards, but we knew that wasn't an option for our last full day in Singapore--especially since Christa and Eric were going to join us later that day. We decided, therefore, to get an early start to the day and venture off to some of the amazing parts of downtown Singapore.

At this point in our three day/three night trip to Singapore, we had easily gone over our budgets because we did not factor in the expenses to everything that is Singapore. Regardless, we were content on getting some exercise (free), sightseeing (also free), and finding an inexpensive lunch as well as a few beers after our few hours walking in the sun.

Surprisingly, the rain that had been forecasted throughout the day was quite mild, and it actually wound up being a bit hot. As we walked out of the MRT in the heart of downtown, we made tentative plans to get a ride in the ferris wheel at sunset in order to capture pictures of Singapore from above. We later changed our minds when we thought about how much further the $30 per person/ride would take us into the night, so instead, we just wandered around, taking random pictures, and enjoying the skyscrapers that filled the sky from below:

You might recognize this weird creature; it is known as a Merlion--something very unique to Singapore's culture and history. There are only a few Merlions on the island, but this one is by far the coolest one--not just because it's spewing water but because it's placed right in the Esplanade area on a river with amazing buildings surrounding it. As well, you can't help but get a picture of one of your friends posing for an hysterical photo . . .

What really captivated our attention in downtown Singapore that day was the new hotel getting its finishing touches. Since it was incredibly hot during our walking around, this gave us 104 reasons to wander inside the lobby, cool off in the cold air conditioning, and see what their hotel was all about; from the outside, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel was a magnificent sight:

Once inside the lobby of the hotel, we were blown away: first by the Air Conditioning and then by the attention to detail. There was something there for everyone (shops, casino, restaurants, bars, lounges, jazz, spas), but this place will truly cater to the rich and wealthy--especially after looking up their room prices.

We inquired about going up to the boat-looking feature sitting on top of the three hotel buildings, but a lady at reception said that it was not finished and how it was probably not going to be accessible for visitors wanting to take in the view or get pictures. What a bummer! It wasn't surprising though; I could only imagine what they would have on their plate if an accident happened up there--and without the proper safety mechanisms yet in place. I just really wanted to see Singapore from up there!

Well, at this point, we were getting a bit thirsty and very hungry, so we stopped for a Happy Hour special--buy one and get one free--and enjoyed two ICE COLD Stella Artois drafts. Then, already on a tight budget and spending more than necessary on beer, we settled on a hearty McDonalds meal for dinner. I got the Big Mac meal--the first time in at least 8 years.

At this point in our day, we were dog tired from all the walking and sight-seeing, but it was only 5pm. We wanted to get back to our hostel in order to meet up with Christa and Eric for some libations at the Pump Room and do a little dancing with the band that played the other night.

To get this post up and to get one with things, I leave you with a few pictures and a video send-off from Singapore of me, Eric, Ruben, Elliott, and Christa singing and dancing to "It's Raining Men!" Enjoy.

(The boys--all together at last!)

(Christa and Eric)

(IPAs and Kamikazes!)

(Christa playing "knock your bottle" on the dance floor . . . )

(It's Raining Men!!!)

Next up on The Dandygram: Back to Bangkok, Sending the Boys Off, and On My Own in Khao Sarn . . .

Three Unforgettable Nights in Singapore!

Our trip to Viet Nam had come to and end, and we had enjoyed 13 days moving along the coastline--from Hanoi to Halong Bay/Cat Ba Island, then South to Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, and finally to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). It was an incredible trip. Looking back now (almost 10 days later), I would definitely liked to have had an extra week, but as we originally planned when booking our tickets back in April, we knew we could only afford to do two weeks in Viet Nam since our classes in Bangkok were to begin on June 16th. This also gave us enough time for our last destination during our month of travel: Singapore!

A brief side note . . . about a week into my trip to Southeast Asia, Ruben, Elliott, and I were informed that our six week summer abroad program had been canceled due to the political conflicts, riots, and sit-ins that had been occurring in Bangkok, Thailand--not far from our prospective school (Thammasat University). Following that notification, Ruben and Elliott got in touch with me while I was in Chiang Rai about changing their flights after our trip to Singapore in order to get back to Berkeley and enroll into summer school. I, on the other hand, was determined to stay and just live off my savings and continue traveling through the rest of Thailand (going to the islands in the south of Thailand--both the east and west coasts--and the make my way back to Chiang Rai for another short visit, and finally ending my remaining time in Laos and Cambodia).

Plan B is in now full effect, and I hope this Dandygram will conclude my time with Ruben, Elliott, and Christa so that I can move on to the second half of my altered plan. It might take two more posts!

Now, back to our time in Singapore . . .

Coming to from the night of little-to-no sleep in Saigon, Ruben and I caught a short nap on our one and a half hour flight to Singapore International Airport. Once we deplaned, we immediately got the impression that things in Singapore were much like we had been told back home: tidy, clean, new, fresh, etc., so I'll be sharing numerous pictures in this Dandygram to hopefully show you exactly what I mean.

After collecting our bags and figuring out how to get to Elliott, we boarded a bus and immediately began to see Singapore on our way to the Drop Inn Hotel (what a catchy name!). The date was June 13th, and I believe the last time we had seen Elliott was in Hue nearly a week before, so it was damn good to see our friend. He was equally excited to see some familiar faces once we arrived.

We sat in his hostel for a bit to catch up with him, but after he explained the area and where the happening things were, we decided to find a place in a better location. We settled on a hostel (for nearly $30 USD a night--SO expensive) in an area of Singapore called Clarke Quay (pronounced "Q"). Here's a picture of the nearby sights--about a five minute walk away:

We dropped our bags at our new (and expensive) hostel, but at this point in the day, I was feeling groggy as all get up from the lack of sleep in who knows how long because you can't really count the numerous sleeper buses I had been on in the days and nights leading up to our arrival in Singapore. Regardless, I continued to push through and walked around Clarke Quay with Elliott and Ruben for a while. To no surprise, we ate at a wonderful family restaurant--the first in all of Southeast Asia! We were so tempted in buying matching shirts, but saved our money for the other attractions that awaited us in the days to come. Let me tell you, the wings, curly fries, and celery sticks were absolutely splendid and tasted just like all the ones I've visited back home!

That night, we found ourselves back in Clarke Quay and in a great little club (The Pump Room Brewery) with a live band and IPAs!!!

After a few hours of dancing and singing along to numerous songs, we called it a night and headed back to our hostel to prepare for a big day at the beach the following day. I slept harder than a rock that night, as it was my first good sleep in at least three days!

. . .

Waking up (June 14th) with a fresh start to a beautiful day, we decided it was a perfect day to visit Sentosa Island and lay out on Siloso Beach. It couldn't have been a better choice since the following day was incredibly rainy. Here are some highlights from our time on the island and at the beach!

We watched a few good matches from the World Cup that evening right on the beach, but we had to get back to the MRT (subway) in order to catch the last train back to our hostel at Clarke Quay. Once we arrived, we called it a night since Christa and her boyfriend (Eric) were set to arrive from Thailand the following day; plus, we wanted to make our last full day in Singapore worthwhile!

Next up on The Dandygram: Three Unforgettable Nights in Singapore, Part 2!

Our Final Days in Vietnam: Staying In Nha Trang, Sleeper Buses Galore, and Saigon for the USA vs. England Match!

It was difficult leaving Hoi An and our nice hotel, the beautiful beach, and the enjoyable night life--what we had extended our stay for--but it really was time for Ruben and I to head south if we were going to see more of Viet Nam before our flight on June 13th for Singapore. Elliott (who had been patiently waiting for us in Nha Trang--our next city during our trip south) had already moved on to Ho Chi Minh City (a.k.a. Saigon to the Vietnamese) since he was going to leave for Singapore a day before Ruben and I due to accidental booking when we were all back in Berkeley.

Ruben and I--along with Chivi and Andres--spent part of our last day at the Cua Dai Beach and enjoyed cool weather and even some painful rainfall on our motorbike ride back to the hotel. Once there, we got our things packed up, our electronics charged, and ourselves showered for the sleeper bus to Nha Trang that night. We were all pretty excited to get to Nha Trang (despite that being another hellacious ride on a sleeper bus) because the following night--our only one in Nha Trang--was the opening night of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

I have to say, it's been great traveling in Southeast Asia, but it's been especially fun because of all the people from around the world that are here as well and who are very into the World Cup. Needless to say, every night we've been out watching the games (airing at 6:30pm, 9:00pm, and 1:30am), there has been an incredible turnout along with numerous people from the countries playing during each match.

As you can imagine, it was a fun night with Ruben and Andres in Nha Trang watching the opening match between South Africa and France.

After our time watching the soccer matches with Andres, we made our way to the infamous Sailing Club in Nha Trang. What. A. PLACE! I did so much dancing that night that I could barely stand up.

To my credit, I had an amazing dancing partner named Rachel from England who kept up and kept me moving, so it was worth the near exhaustion after a few hours on the dance floor with her.

The next morning, Ruben and I were booked on our last sleeper bus from Nha Trang to Saigon but were picked up in the morning for a rather long day trip. As we departed Nha Trang, we knew there was one thing we wanted to see during our only night in Saigon: USA v. England in the 2010 FIFA World Cup! Despite riding that sleeper bus the whole day, we managed to make a few friends on the bus, and surprisingly, I have since reconnected with one of them while in Bangkok (Nadeane--a beautiful R.N. from Canada who's moving to Beverly Hills in September to work at the Beverly Hills Hospital . . . whoa!).

After a LONG ride that took the entire day with our seats directly in the sun, we arrived around 8pm very tired, but we had enough time, however, to get a hotel, drop our bags, and make it to a cozy bar--finding great seats for the USA v. England game that was to start at 1:30am. Yes, we spent nearly 8 hours in that pub that night, but that's just what you do when USA plays England in the World Cup and you are surrounded by English blokes.

I could try and explain how outnumbered the 15 or less Americans were inside the little pub right in the middle of the backpacker area of Saigon that night, but I made a 4-part video that does the job much better . . . plus, it's really funny!

I'm sorry for using the f-bomb, but I do not apologize for the name calling of David Beckham because of what Ruben and I endured all night from every English bloke at the pub until USA finally tied the game at 1-1 (about 60 minutes into the game).

So, enjoy the videos! (Celia and Jessica: the "Skype" shout-out at the end of Part 4 is for you.)

USA v. England in Saigon, Pt. 1

USA v. England in Saigon, Pt. 2

USA v. England in Saigon, Pt. 3

USA v. England in Saigon, Pt. 4

Well, there you have it; needless to say for those of you who watched the game, we scored somewhat of a lucky goal, but USA tied the game. (Now in present day--nearly two weeks later--we have placed first in our group and will continue into the World Cup's top 16 countries along with England.)

As for our claim in the final video about getting three hours of sleep, Skype and updating past Dandygrams kept me up through the night, and I think Ruben got 45 minutes. We did, however, manage to catch our flight for Singapore (and to meet up with Elliott once again) right on time!

Next up on The Dandygram: Three Unforgettable Nights in Singapore!

Extending Our Stay in Hoi An, and It Wasn't for Suits!

After our night at the festival in Hue (unfortunately, we ALL forgot our cameras that night--big bummer), we slept in as long as we possibly could the next morning before we had to be down in the lobby and board yet another bus for a four hour ride to Hoi An. By the time we got up and showered, Elliott was already half way through his tour in the Demilitarized Zone.

The night before, we hadn't planned out our next few days very well but were certain that Ruben and I were going to be in Hoi An for two nights in order to get custom-made clothes. What we did not figure out before parting ways with Elliott in Hue was where we were going to see him again--or when . . .

A day trip on the bus heading south through central Viet Nam was a nice change from the last ride. First of all, the scenery during the drive was incredible--ocean to the left and rice paddies at the base of mountains to the right!

Second, it was also a productive trip since I was able to get a few more Dandygrams logged with good sunlight and a shorter trip . . .

Once we finally arrived in Hoi An, we took a short nap and then Ruben and I made our way into the city for dinner. It was a great feeling to know that we were going to spend (at least) two nights in Hoi An because from what we could tell, the place was amazing and we hadn't even been to the beach yet. Also, I think it was a good place to be because as soon as we started our way into the city for dinner, we saw the most beautiful colors in the sky during the sunset from the ride in via motorbike taxis.

Ruben and I made our first night in Hoi An a very low key one; as well, we searched but could not find the right place to get suits made despite visiting a few of the numerous shops selling them. We did look, however, but our problem was that we couldn't figure out what was a good deal or if it was a bargain, so we decided to go home and research the prices from previous shoppers. To no avail, we went back to our hotel and just crashed.

. . .

Waking up the next morning in Hoi An from a great night's sleep, we found Chivi and Andres in the lobby anxious to go to the beach. Andres shared with us the stories from his night before, and from the sound of it, we were soon to be knees deep in the same fun he just had.

At this point in my trip, I hadn't been to any real beaches other than a few small ones in Halong Bay, which after arriving to Cua Dai Beach, I knew we were at one of the best beaches in Viet Nam.

Although we arrived to the beach a bit late, we thoroughly enjoyed our few hours in the sun, on the sand, and swimming in the ocean. While out in the ocean (getting cooled down from the blistering heat in the Gulf of the Tonkin), we met Katharina--a beautiful and soft-spoken girl from Austria who was traveling by herself. I invited her to join our table and play the card game Andres was teaching us. Quite gracefully, she stayed with our group for our next few (extended) days in Hoi An, and surprisingly, I would see her again in Bangkok before she left for Bali.

Our remaining nights in Hoi An are still fresh in my memory, but the pictures I captured DEFINITELY help me with remembering more . . .

(Hotel in Hoi An--a super nice room with an oddly shaped, tied up mosquito netting . . . )

(Our group in Hoi An. L-R: Katharina, Ruben, Andres, Chivi, and me!)

(Serious rain clouds rolling in on our second day at Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An.)

(Two wonderful American gals I met in Hoi An--finally!)

(A great painting at our favorite bar in Hoi An.)

(The club in Hoi An for dancing and a late night swim--right on Cua Dai Beach!)

. . . for the sake of time and catching up The Dandygram to present day (today being Friday, June 25th), I am going to breeze through the rest of Viet Nam in the next Dandygram since we didn't do much but bum around the beach in Hoi An while enjoying the nightlife there, rode another sleeper bus to Nha Trang--and only staying there one night (wishing we had more time)--and then rode yet another sleeper bus to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) for our final night in Viet Nam before beginning our three day trip in Singapore where Ruben and I FINALLY caught back up with Elliott!

Next up on The Dandygram: Our Final Days in Vietnam--Staying In Nha Trang, Sleeper Buses Galore, and SAIGON for the USA vs. England World Cup Game!

Barely a Day in Hue, Leaving Elliott Behind, and New Friends from Argentina!

Let me first tell you, it was quite a trip on that freaking sleeper bus to Hue . . .

. . . on a more positive note, we made friends with two backpackers at the first stop just outside of Hanoi. While waiting at the stop smoking a cigarette (sorry Mom), we overheard two younger backpackers speaking Spanish--probably the first time we heard Spanish thus far in our travels--so we asked them the common introductory questions while backpacking: Where you from? What's your name? Where have you been so far? (and) How long are you traveling for? They kindly introduced themselves as Andres and Chivi from Argentina--brother and sister in their mid-20's traveling through Southeast Asia. It was awesome to meet other backpackers going in the same direction as us and with similar plans for Viet Nam! Ruben and I quickly told them we are planning a graduation trip to South America after finishing our undergrad work at UC Berkeley and that Argentina was definitely a planned destination during our time there. After the short introduction over a shared cigarette, it was all downhill from there and we became traveling friends.

After making the rough ride on the sleeper bus, we were now ready to find a hotel and lay COMPLETELY horizontal for a few hours. Back in Hanoi, we made arrangements for a hotel--a recommended spot from the travel agents where we had booked our bus ride. We talked Chivi and Andres into joining Ruben, Elliott, and I--staying at our hotel and exploring Hue together. It was difficult, however, convincing Andres into leaving the group of French students (sitting behind me on the bus) with nothing but hope that they might possibly find a hotel nearby (since their group had some VERY pretty ladies with beautiful accents and broken English). A quick side note: Andres and I are the only single guys in our group of five, so I shared his frustration in leaving the Frenchies behind, but it really is quite common to gain new opportunities with new groups of people while traveling, so it wasn't a big deal whatsoever. Regardless, we found our hotel, cheap rates, and nice accommodations, but we had to wait nearly four hours for the people to vacate their rooms from the night before since it was only 8am when we arrived to Hue.

While waiting in the lobby, Elliott booked his ideal day trip that Ruben and I (unfortunately) skipped in order make it to Hoi An for two days because of the custom-made clothing--an opportunity to load up on suites, shirts, and ties for our semester in Washington, D.C. Regretfully, we skipped out on the tour Elliott booked (the DMZ tour of the demilitarized zone from the Viet Nam War and numerous Vietnam memorial sights), but Elliott was not going to pass it up since his dad served in the Viet Nam War and was stationed in that exact area. While waiting for our rooms, Elliott booked his all-day tour for the next day (with a 6am pick-up at our hotel--also another reason Ruben and I wanted to pass it up), so this required him to stay another night in Hue. Still, we had a chance to explore the city for a while that day once we finally were settled into our rooms, had showered off the nasty filth from the sleeper bus, and took a siesta (afternoon nap).

Since Ruben and I knew we weren't going to join Elliott on the DMZ tour and had booked our bus tickets with Chivi and Andres to Hoi An for the following day, we needed to make the most of our short stay in Hue. Honestly, it was a bit of a wash if you ask me. After we caught back up with Elliott days later, he spoke highly of his tour, but while in Hue, we had two things on our agenda: a hair cut (along with a good trimming of my crazy BEARD!) and going to the Hue Festival (a once-every-two-years-festival celebrating the cultural aspects of Hue and the relationship between France and Viet Nam).

Well, the first stop was the salon for a haircut. I do believe that I got more than I had originally bargained for because not only did I get my beard trimmed and a haircut, but for the first time in my life, I had an in-depth ear cleaning.

It still gives me goosebumps because I was incredibly nervous during the whole process, but after watching Andres get his done, I wanted to try it.

Then, Chivi followed our lead and got hers cleaned out as well!

With fresh haircuts, beards trimmed, and ears cleaned (with the honking now amplified!), we were ready for a night at the Hue Festival and the beaches of Hoi An!

Next up on The Dandygram: Extending Our Stay in Hoi An, and It Wasn't for Suits!