Parents visit, Hong Kong & Thailand

The past two/three weeks have been a complete whirlwind. My parents arrived April 1st and we spent time in Singapore, Bintan and Hong Kong together. It was great to show them my life here and spent time together. They spent a few nights at the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel in downtown Sing. The MBS has an incredible infinity pool on the 57th floor that has awesome views of the city. We got some great pictures, even with cloudy weather. I took them around my school and favorite local restaurants before heading off to Bintan, Indonesia for two days. In Bintan, we continued eating great food and soaking up the sun before returning back to Singapore. I had school all week and met up with my parents after classes each day. They left for Hong Kong on Thursday and I met up with them on Saturday morning.

They made it!!

Playtime in the Marina Bay Sands pool

Marina Bay Sands hotel

The kiddies enjoying some much needed sunshine

We found heaven, it's in Bintan

Hong Kong was AMAZING! It has the vibrancy and pace of New York but the similarities end there. My first stop was for some dimsum (of course) and we spent the rest of the day visiting markets and shopping. Even my dad had a great time. In fact, he had to buy a new suitcase because he had bought too much stuff! My parents were like giddy teenagers running around the city reminiscing about their old favorite spots. I didn't remember anything from when we lived there fifteen years ago except for a few sites from pictures hanging around the house.

Central

Fa Yuen street shopping

Her favorite, the jade market

Best. Food. Ever.

I was dying to go experience the nightlife in Lan Kwai Fung and my parents were total sports about it. We went bar hopping and I even got my mom to do jello shots out of a syringe with me. Everyone at the bar was cheering on the American "sisters" and we had a great time. The next day we visited Victoria's Peak, Repulse Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. I would say the highlight of my trip was the food. I am obsessed with any and all Asian food and the dimsum in Hong Kong was too delicious.

The American sisters

Lan Kwai Fung, HK party district

View from the Peak

At Dickens bar in the Excelsior hotel, his old fav.

Repulse Bay beach

My parents left HK Monday morning to go back to the US. Before my mom even got on the plane, she was talking about her next trip back. I told her it'll be in two years when I graduate and am living in this time zone full time. So start booking your trips now, people! My flight wasn't until Monday night so I spent the day on Lantau Island. I took a crystal cable car to the top of a mountain in Lantau and met a lovely couple from Chicago who kept me company. I visited the Po Lin Monastery, Tian Tin buddha and Tai O fishing village before my flight at night.

Cable car up the mountain

Walking up the many stairs to Tian Tan buddha... These women stopped after each step to pray.

Tai-O floating village, nicknamed "Venice of the East" haha

On Tuesday, Leah and I were on the internet and found dirt cheap tickets from Thursday - Sunday to Krabi, Thailand. It is "E-learning week" at NTU so all of my classes are held online. The lecture notes are posted online and you write short responses to each lecture. There are no physical classes held. It is really bizarre - and pointless, if you ask me - but it meant that we could book the tickets to Thailand. We did and it was a great decision.

We nearly missed our flight on Thursday morning because the shuttle to our terminal was running late. Luckily, they kept the gate open for us an extra five minutes and we made it. We saw a few exchange students who we'd met earlier in the semester on our flight and made plans to hang out for the day. We spent the rest of the day drinking on the beach and exploring Krabi. We ate amazing Thai food and just had a really fun time.

Thailand crew

"Mrs. Sweet and partner" as the hotel staff called us

Drunkenly babysitting Thai children haha

The next day, Leah and I rented a private longtail boat to visit the surrounding islands. We visited Poda Island and Tub Island. It was absolutely beautiful. The pictures speak for themselves.

Poda Island

Hanging out in our longtail boat at Tub Island

Our driver for the day

After our trip, we got some delicious paid thai and did some shopping. Leah is cross-training for a marathon this summer so she went to the gym and I went to get a thai massage. I was a little nervous because thai massages are very physical and look painful. (Google "thai massage" and you'll see what I mean.) It ended up being an interesting experience because the women spoke no English. She walked on my back and bent me in positions I didn't know were humanly possible. It felt very nice until the next morning when I woke up with a sore neck.

We only have two weeks of classes left before finals begin on May 10th. We have this Friday off and are taking a trip to Malaysia with our friend Rachel. We plan on going to Malacca and Tioman island from the 21st- 25th. We haven't made it to Malaysia yet and I'm excited to check it out! After that is our last week of class. Leah and I are beyond excited because we leave for VIETNAM on the 30th. We are flying into Ho Chi Minh and spending two days there and two days in Mui Ne. I CAN NOT WAIT! Then I've got finals on the 10th, 11th, 18th and 19th. I leave for the US on May 23rd but have a five day layover in Madrid to visit some friends. I am missing Leah's birthday so we are trying to fit in one final trip from the 19th-22nd to celebrate her twentieth birthday.

Am I the luckiest girl in the world, or what? :)

Birthday and Bintan

It's been an exciting 72 hours for the girls of Room 10, Hall 3! I celebrated my 20th birthday on February 11 (but really all week long) and had a great time. Thank you so much to all of my family and friends back home for sending letters and packages - you made my day extra special! Although, I now have a permanent stomach ache from all of the American candy I received. Regardless, I love and miss you all.

I had class all day long on Friday, my actual birthday. Of course I wore a tiara to my classes and told every single stranger I passed that I was the Birthday Princess. Most people just stared and nodded. Things got awkward real fast when I walked into my upper-level lecture ten minutes late wearing a birthday crown. Luckily I made a few new friends who appreciated my "American charisma," as they called it.

Friday night I went out for dessert and drinks to Brewerkz, my favorite American restaurant in Clarke Quay, with my friends. I wore a bright red dress, crown and glitter heels. I had chocolate cake and my friends sang Happy Birthday to me. The waiter gave me many drinks and we all had a great time. After dessert, Leah and I went to the club for another night of endless partying. We made it back to school in the early morning and only slept for about 2 hours. Saturday morning, around 10 am, we were off to Bintan, Indonesia for some more birthday fun!

Meredith, me, Rachel and Leah in Clarke Quay

The Birthday Brat!

We took an hour ferry ride from Singapore to Bintan. When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted with two free drinks. Our Canadian friends, Chrissy and JJ, had called the hotel and told them it was my birthday and treated us to welcome drinks. What a great way to start off!

We actually made it!!

Little jellyfish-like things floating in my cocktail... 

The hotel was absolutely beautiful. We spent the rest of the day at the beach laying out, playing in the ocean and searching for sea shells. It was truly perfect. We had 8 o'clock dinner reservations at the Kelong Restaurant, a romantic seafood place on the water. Leah and I got a few funny stares because all of the other restaurant guests were clearly couples. We had a great meal of chicken, broccoli and rice with our favorite Jasmine Green Tea drinks.

Standing in front of the South China Sea

My sand dollar souvenirs I found

The Kelong Restaurant

At night we checked out La Luna, the club on the beach. The staff was very friendly and we met a nice guy from Paris. We were exhausted from Friday night so we left the club and walked along the beach to our hotel. We slept in late the next morning and headed over to the Resort Centre for our 30 dollar, hour-long massages.

Frolicking in the South China Sea

Things got awkward real fast when the massage therapist told me to undress. I did as she told and lied down with a towel over me. When she came back in, she lifted the towel and shrieked. I guess I wasn't supposed to COMPLETELY undress because she was yelled, "Ah! Where is your underwear?!" I was mortified. She laughed at me and warned  Leah's massage therapist. Of course Leah had made the same mistake as me. We were all laughing although my poor massage therapist is probably scarred for life. Oops!

Pre- massage mishap

After our massage we wandered around the resort Centre for a while. We literally stumbled onto an Elephant Park during our wandering. It was unbelievable! The staff approached us and asked us if we wanted pictures with the elephants. We were so excited! We got to sit on the elephants and I even stuck my arm in the elephant's mouth. We touched their beautiful ivory tusks while the staff members documented the whole experience. It was the highlight of our trip and the best part was it was totally free!

Meeting Emma, a 27 year old Indonesian elephant

Three beautiful ladies

Emma's headshot. She's such a star.

We spent the rest of the day back at the beach and pool. When we were at the beach, a group of local Indonesian young girls approached us and asked to take their picture with us. Right when we were standing up, a security guard came running out and chased them away. Leah and I were really confused. An hour later when we were walking down the beach, the girls approached us again and asked for pictures. Right when they left, an Indonesian family approached us and asked to take a picture too! The woman literally threw her baby at me (who was screaming) and snapped a few shots. It was bizarre and we were taken off guard. We have two theories as to why they wanted our picture: 1) They don't see western people often or 2) They thought we were famous. Either way, it was a really weird moment.

Obligatory cheesy beach photo shoot

Now I am back "home" at NTU in Singapore. It's been a birthday I'll always remember! I have a full week of classes ahead of me and am right in the thick of school work. I am really enjoying all of my classes. I am specifically loving my Integrated Marketing class and Creative Strategies class. We are learning the fundamentals of marketing and advertising. My professors are great and it is so interesting comparing American and Singaporean cultures in a business context.

I apologize for the long blog post, but I have a lot to say! In two weeks, Leah and I are spending four days in Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand. We are staying in bamboo huts right on the beach and can't wait!