A Krabi Birthday Weekend

I've been fortunate to have had very wonderful birthday celebrations in the past, but I have to admit, going to Krabi, Thailand for my 23rd birthday might take the cake.

On Thursday night, I got pretty nervous as the weather reports called for bad weather all weekend, including "torrential rain." I guess this is to be expected as it is apparently rainy season there at the moment (yeah, I hadn't looked that up before booking the trip).

So as Friday rolls around, I'm fully expecting a miserable weather weekend in what's supposed to be a gorgeous place. Luckily, when we got there on Friday, it was cloudy, but not really raining. I was amazed when we got to the hotel. For the amount we paid, there is NO way we could have stayed somewhere like that in the US.

We scampered out of the hotel and into a tuk tuk (motorbike taxis where the passenger seating is next to the bike and driver). To walk to the town is about fifteen minutes, by tuk tuk, it's two minutes and a dollar per person - so, well worth it. The Ao Nang beach town is relatively small, but perfect for what we wanted. Lots of restaurants, easy access to look at the water and plenty of tour companies to help out. After a nice late lunch of pineapple fried rice and spring rolls, we set out to book a trip for the next day.

After talking to our fifth tour company, we picked our Saturday activity - a full day boat trip to the Phi Phi Islands! I had heard how beautiful they were and the tour package made a lot of sense. The only thing to worry about was of course the weather.

Friday night, we had an awesome dinner at this place called Jeanette's. We had a pad thai (have to in Thailand right?) and chicken wrapped in banana leaves. The food was so goooood! Plus, it was white meat chicken-this may not seem like too much of a big deal, but the majority of chicken served in Singapore is all dark meat. So, this was a really pleasant surprise. The whole restaurant was great, beautiful atmosphere, nice staff and it was really inexpensive.

So, we woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to go on our day trip. The clouds were out, but I held out hope. As we start heading out toward the first island (about 40 minutes away), our tour guide tells us 28 passengers that it's high tide and the water would be very choppy. Boy was it! We were bouncing up and down, water splashing into the boat. I thought for sure Miss Amanda wouldn't be able to handle it, but she did really well. As we head further from Krabi, the weather got better and better. By the time we were at Bamboo island, it was all sunshine! The first island was pretty nice, but nothing spectacular, still the water was very nice.

The second stop was more of just something to see - the Viking Cave. I wasn't really paying attention to what the tour guide was saying, but it was still cool to look at.

The third stop was breathtaking and easily my favorite. After passing beautiful rock formations, the boat stops in the middle of a lagoon, surrounded by these gorgeous rocks. The water was as teal as it could possibly be. I took my birthday leap into the lagoon and the water was simply perfect. It was really paradise. The Lagoon was probably the highlight of the trip for me - it's just so beautiful and to be there with Amanda was exactly what I wanted for my birthday.

We tried to make it over to Maya Bay, the site where Leo Dicaprio's "The Beach" was filmed, but the water was waaaaaaaay to choppy. To be very honest, I was a little nervous the boat would tip over. After abandoning that plan, we headed for Phi Phi Don. The main tourist island of the Phi Phi Islands. There the tour group had lunch over looking the water. After, we explored the town a bit. Lots of shops, food stands, etc. After not really knowing what to do, we made it to the main beach. It really was very pretty, but really busy. It's hard to imagine what it would be like in the peak season.

The tour made one more stop to go snorkeling. The water was really clear and pretty. Saw a little bit of coral and some yellow and blue fish. That wrapped up a lovely tour day and then it was back to the hotel.

Saturday night, Amanda and I shared a pizza for dinner. The coolest part was that we were sat at table number 23 - how perfect was that? We didn't even realize it until halfway through the meal. For dessert we got fried banana with ice cream, not quite as good, but still nice.

Sunday was a bit tough to plan for. With a flight at four and not sure what it would be like at the airport, we decided not to do any more tours. We did have a very nice lunch in food heaven though. I mean seriously, all the food was so good, service was great and we never spent more than $15 US for any meal for the both of us.

To close out the trip, we went to this massage place where you put your feet into the water with a bunch of small fish. They bite at your feet to clean them off. It tickled so bad! I just could not stop laughing for about two minutes. After that though, it was kind of like having bubbles around your feet.

So, that's my Krabi weekend in paradise. I had a blast and can't wait to go back to Thailand soon!

Michael

My New Roommate

It's hard to believe Amanda has been here for almost three weeks already! At the risk of sounding completely cliche, it's like a new chapter of my Singapore adventure has opened up.

Seeing Singapore Part 2

With Amanda in town, I feel like it's my job to show her the city. So, in a way, I get to see all of my favorite parts all over again! Its been interesting to see how Amanda reacts to Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street, our neighborhood, etc. I definitely haven't seen all this city has to offer, so for me, it's another chance to explore. She seems to be dealing with the culture shock in her own way. I think it's funny what she notices versus what I had.

I have to admit, she already exceeded my expectations by landing a job in the first week she was here! It's crazy impressive, plus her office is right smack dab in the middle of the Central Business District - think downtown, big city. Unfortunately, our off days wont always match up, but that's the danger of working in tv.

NBA Cares Event

I got my first reporting event here late in June. Five NBA players came to Singapore for a Basketball Without Borders camp, and I loved covering it. As much as I love producing, sometimes I miss getting out of the office and trying to make a story. Well, this event gave me the opportunity. The players visited a children's home and also hosted a skills camp for high school aged kids. With all the talk about LeBron, Dwyane Wade and the other huge free agents and the big money out there, it was nice to see these NBA players taking time out to visit kids and help extend the game across the world.

4th of July

I had no idea what to expect for my first 4th here in the little red dot, but I was pleasantly surprised. On the 3rd, Amanda and I went to a big American Association event. We got there just in time for fireworks, then had dinner (burgers, beer, classic Americana). It was really nice. The next day we celebrated America's independence in classic fashion - visiting the Singapore National History Museum and then eating Mexican food at the taco bar nearby ;)

End of World Cup

So for the last month, I've been completely consumed by the World Cup, and I've loved every second of it. I watched in 2006, but this was very different. I know a lot of the players now, the background stories, the histories, all of that stuff that makes it more enjoyable. Plus, it's great at work considering that without it, we'd just have the dead of summer. The highlight for me has to be watching the USA's last game in group stage against Algeria while at work. With the Americans on the verge of elimination, Landon Donovan scored in extra time in a last gasp effort. I immediately got out of my seat and ran through the office as if I'd scored. I was so happy-it's easily one of the best sports moments of my life. I feel like it's something that will be in my memory bank forever.

To wrap up the WC, I went with two of my co-workers to Singapore's Dutch Club. I mean, it was the perfect place to watch Holland vs Spain. The only issue is that after working a 12 hour shift, staying up for a 2:30 AM kickoff is quite difficult. I ended up almost falling asleep at the end of the first half. So, I rushed home and got in front of my tv. While I hate to admit this, I ended up falling asleep around the 80th minute, only to wake up at the very end as the Spanish were celebrating. Still, I loved the WC and am now sorely disappointed that it will be 4 years till the next one. In 2006, I was in Columbia working at Hillel to try and get in state residency. I wonder how my life will be different in 4 years-we shall see.

Coolest Work Moment

Over the weekend, I had the coolest jaw dropping moment of any tv related thing. Friday night, they asked me to be on SC Week in Review to talk about the LeBron James signing, WC, tennis, etc. Two days later I get this post from a girl I went to elementary school with :

"Hey there old friend! Did I just see you on ESPN sport center talking about world cup awards?!?! I'm in Bangladesh right now and have no idea which country's espn gets broadcasted here, but I'm positive it was you that I saw. I'm glad to see you are doing so well after all these years!"

How crazy is that?!?!?! I really couldn't believe it. You all know how happy I am with this job and this just reaffirmed my appreciation for it. I mean, I didn't even realize the show went out there! Plus, this friend moved away before middle school. I don't think we'd talked for maybe 10 years. Plus, it's surprising she was able to recognize me after all this time. It really put a huge smile on my face.

Well, we're off to Thailand this weekend for my birthday! This will be my second big trip and I've been looking forward to it for quite some time. A full blog will follow.

Y'all come back now ya here!

Michael