Southeast Asia Takeaways

In the grand tradition of Top Ten lists, here's what we think you should know about Southeast Asia, and maybe a little bit about life in general:

10. Just eat it. Many fruits in Asia are very unfamiliar to what you may be used to. Don't bother to ask what it is...just try it. More than likely it's delicious. And besides, why do you need to know the name of what you won't find at home? It'll only be disappointing.

9. There is a system - you just can't see it. Our many interactions with airport employees, hotel staff, restaurant servers, tour guides, etc. taught us to just trust in their competence (something we're not used to doing at home). Even when it appears that no one knows what's going on, you'll find that it all works out...in the end. Don't freak out and pull the andon cord.

8. You can try, but you'll never understand the Japanese. God bless em, but we encountered Japanese tourists everywhere we went, and they never failed to baffle us. From the incessant photo-taking, mask-wearing, inefficient health screening, peace-sign posing, sun-avoiding, to the readily apparent repression, we're still just very confused.

7. Have a "vacation strategy." Wisam did an amazing job of segmenting our journey into sufficient amounts of what Arianne calls "active time" and "ass time." Play and rest, then play and rest some more. You don't want to be burned out, do you?

6. Thermal scanners are worthless. Truly. Look at Japan, and see #8.

5. Don't take it personally. Besides the US, it is perfectly acceptable everywhere else in the world to stare. Unabashedly. Join in - it's pretty fun.

4. Don't judge a person by their size. Small people can be a lot stronger than they look. Cases in point: the small Thai women that kicked our asses on the massage table, and Daht, our Sa Pa tour guide who basically ran up a mountain.

3. Take a culinary tour. Sampling the regional and national food (and drink!) is just as important, if not more than, the sightseeing part of the trip. Don't worry about the after effects...it's nothing a little Cipro can't handle :)

2. Listen to your instincts. The most rewarding adventures often have objectors at the outset. Both of our families questioned our ambitious trek, but we went ahead anyway and had an amazing time.

1. A friend you can travel with (and not want to kill by the end) is a rare treasure indeed. These are relationships worth tending and nurturing.


If you're headed to Southeast Asia, let us know! We have lots of opinions and recommendations!

Day 21....Homecoming

Unlike our journey into Asia, the flights were fairly uneventful. We made all of our connections and even got on an earlier flight from Atlanta to Boston, arriving safely (albeit in the 45-degree weather...that's Fahrenheit) around 8:30pm on 27 May.

Days 17-20: Ballin in Bali

After a few hours layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we boarded another Air Asia flight for Bali, Indonesia. We arrived late at Nikko Bali Resort and Spa. In the morning we met up with our sectionmates (BD, Mel, Lauren, Emily, and Tzveta), who had been on their own Asia trek. We enjoyed frolicking in the sun and surf. That night we visited Uluwatu temple to watch the sunset and enjoy a cultural dance show. We finished up with a traditional family-style Balinese dinner.

The next day was more of the same: sun, surf, drink, ass-time. You get the idea. In the evening we went to Ku De Ta, an uber-hip outdoor restaurant and lounge right on the beach in Seminyak. As we approached the road barricades and security, I couldn't help but think this was the kind of place filled with Westerners that a terrorist might like to blow up. I tried not to think about it and had a great time with Wisam, drinking watermelon crushes and muching on quesadillas, gyoza, and edamame.

We departed for Singapore the next afternoon, in preparation for the 20 hours inflight back to Boston.

Click here: Complete Bali pics

Day 16: Angkor Wat and a Cruise Down "Shit River"

Shortly before sunrise, we met up with our personal tour guide for the day (I can't remember his name exactly, so I'll call him "Exquisite," the term he used to describe all of the temples and artwork, which is about right). Despite the cloud cover, the view was a magnificent sight to see, especially the reflection of the Angkor Wat entrance in the moat.



Exquisite suggested we also check out a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater area in all of Southeast Asia. Once on our tour boat, we learned that the citizens of the lake use it for everything: cooking, cleaning, fishing, travel...pee-pee and poo-poo. At that point, even us open-minded world travelers flinched. If there was any chance of catching malaria or some other rare disease in those shitty brown waters, this was it. Which basically took most of the fun and beauty out of the tour. Anyway, we also saw an unusual aquarium floating near the village.

After the tour we insisted on returning to the hotel to bathe and then promptly booked appointments at the nearby spa. Wisam received a massage and facial, while Arianne opted for some reflexology and a body scrub. Ahhhh...every day should be Cambodia spa day.

That night we met up with some HBS friends for a dinner at Hotel Le Paik and a Cambodian tasting menu. In the morning we would depart for our last port of call: BALI!!!

Day 15: Angkor Thom and Siem Reap Or "Tomb Raider Restaurant"

We caught an early flight to Siem Reap Cambodia, the town closest to famed Buddhist ruins at Angkor. As the small puddlejumper touched down in the humid morning air, I noted the lack of major paved roads. Nonetheless, Mr. Sin, our "handler,"as Wisam has taken to calling the hotel staff that meet us at each airport, greeted us warmly and quickly ushered us to the hotel Pavillon DÓrient. We were welcomed with cool lemongrass tea and our own private tuk tuk (a motorbike towing a 2-seater rickshaw) and driver, Mr. Sai.



Mr. Sai gave us a pleasant tour of Angkor Thom and its many ruins and then carted us into town for lunch at the Red Piano, a second home for the cast and crew of Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie. There is even a cocktail named for the actress. Arianne enjoyed a red curry while Wisam took down samosas and a banana fruit shake (her favorite so far). We then retreated to our hotel to escape the afternoon heat.


Later that evening, Mr. Sai drove us to the Foreign Correspondents Club for dinner. We wanted to get some rest in preparation for the early wakeup call to view Angkor Wat at sunrise.

Click here for Complete Cambodia pics

Day 14: Ho Chi Minh City Sightseeing or "Some Serious A$$ time"

Over breakfast we decided that the luxurious amenities of the Legend Hotel were just too good to pass up for another visit to a museum or a pagoda, and we had earned some rest prior to traveling on to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Wisam declared May 20th "National Chillaxin Day," and Arianne happily agreed.

After a much-needed workout and some pool time, we headed to nearby Sushi Bar for lunch and then a siesta. Had sunset drinks at Saigon Saigon, a rooftop bar at the famed Caravelle Hotel, which apparently plays host to some aggressive sex tourism. Legend Hotel, where we stayed, does not allow "visitors"after 9pm, and we saw that policy strictly enforced. Later we took in a late dinner and some in-depth girl talk at China Temple before calling it a night.



Click here for Complete Saigon pics

Day 13: "Just-in-time delivery" Or HBS Douchebag strikes again

Had Wisam and I been a couple, our luxurious room and the surroundings at Ha An hotel would have provided a tempting backdrop for a very romantic stay. As it turned out, our drunken revelry the night before just made for a very restful sleep.

In the morning, we indulged in another delectable breakfast buffet, followed by what can only be described as a capitalist consumption feeding frenzy. Between scarves for ourselves and souvenirs for loved ones, we singlehandedly stimulated the Vietnamese economy. It was kind of disgusting actually, but really really fun.

We ran into our friend from the Hoi An flight, Sam, sitting alone in a cafe, drowning his sorrows in a Coca-Cola. When we asked how his night had turned out, he grimaced and revealed that his far-fetched plans with the beautiful Emma were foiled by some open-shirted, fake-n-baked, cocky Rico Suave...none other than HBS Douchebag (see Day 12 post). He lamented, "I just don't understand. We spent the whole day together. I helped her pick out a suit, we got massages and had a great dinner together, then we went to the bar where we saw you...then that guy swoops in and steals my girl." Sam looked confused when Wisam and I looked at each other and erupted into laughter. "We go to school with him," we responded. Sam searched our faces for some sort of confirmation that this dude had violated some international code of 'bro-hood. "Yup," we confirmed. "You were the victim of an international cock-block." He still looked sad, so we tried to give him a game plan for that evening, recommending that he book a room at our hotel, Ha An, which would be a very romantic locale to take a lady friend. I added, "Yea, if Wisam and I were a couple, there would have been a lot of sweet sweet lovemaking going on last night." It suddenly dawned on him that we were not, in fact, the lesbians he had suspected us to be and looked even more disappointed. But there was no time to console him. We wished Sam safe travels and went on our way.

The afternoon was jam-packed. We picked up Wisam's suit, I had a cute set of custom sandals made, and we did a second fitting for our dresses, while they promised to have the finished product ready by 4pm to deliver to our hotel. At almost 4:30pm, a woman on a motorbike delivered our package, and we headed to Danang to catch a 6pm flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

After nearly half an hour in a Saigon cab in rush hour, we arrived at the super-luxe Legend Hotel (motto: "Not a myth, but a legend." Baller!) in District 1. Really only pics can describe this place, which we will post. The hotel was a significant upgrade after some moderate "roughing it" in Hanoi and Sa Pa. The staff obviously thought we were homeless when we checked in wearing our sweaty Western tourist streetwear.

We freshened up and put on some decent clothes before grabbing dinner at steakhouse Amigos, where we dined on Argentinean filet mignon and some beef carpaccio. Another highlight: local Vietnamese beer 333. Shortly thereafter we snuggled into our comfy beds at Legend, in a room overlooking the busy Saigon River, illuminated with commercial watercraft by night.

Day 12: Hoi An Or "Buy-Everything-in-sight" Day

We finally bid adieu to Hanoi and flew to Danang airport. During the flight, we sat next to a friendly American man, Sam, from L.A. In between jobs, he was traveling around Vietnam and regaled us with some of his tales. When Arianne tried to shock him with her tale of the 80% male flight to Bangkok and her strong suspicion that they were traveling for sex tourism, Sam just responded, "Well, maybe I should find a girlfriend so when I go there I won't be harassed by prostitutes." We just nodded. The flirt bait was out, but we weren't biting. Sam didn't press any further, probably suspecting that the two American women traveling together were indeed a couple.

A car from our hotel, Ha An, met us to drive the 39km to Hoi An, a beautiful seaside town largely untouched by the successive wars. Our hotel itself was set in a lush private garden just a few steps from the Old City, home to more than 500 custom tailor shops.

After a quick lunch of fish, fried spinach, and rice, we proceeded to walk about town admiring the many shops and farmers market. After scoffing about how we would not succumb to the tourist traps, we found ourselves in a random store looking at beautiful fabrics with Vietnamese women eagerly taking our measurements. $70 later, Arianne had ordered two beautiful dresses suitable for the upcoming summer wedding season.

That night we dined at Mango Rooms, a Mick Jagger favorite, according to Lonely Planet. It did not disappoint. At this open-air tiny restaurant (that allows you to walk through the kitchen, just in case you had any concerns about the hygiene), we feasted on fresh seared tuna, fresh spring rolls, a mango citrus salad, and two cocktails, Pinky (with passion and dragon fruits) and the Mango Daiquiri.

Afterward, we followed the loud music and voices to Before & Now, a pseudo-hipster Euro Pop- style bar. Just as we prepared to settle down with our Tiger Beer for some people watching, a trio of men about our age descended the steep staircase. They looked starkly out of place...and yet oddly familiar. Where had we seen these dudes before? I hadn't believed the stories to be true, but my classmates swore up and down that you could not go anywhere in the world without running into your fellow HBS-mates. Arianne groaned, having been happy to avoid the sense of familiarity for more than a week. She quickly glanced down, hoping not to be noticed, and warned Wisam of incoming trouble. Lucky for us, the threesome could not be bothered to have noticed anything more than their own hubris and did not engage us in an awkward convo. The trifecta was led by an open-shirted, fake-n-baked Rico Suave who shall not be named...for the purposes of this entry we will call him HBS Douchebag. Suddenly mesmerized, we watched as he strode up to a young (possibly American) woman who looked to be no older than eighteen. He charmed her and her less attractive friend and promptly guided them to a more private table in the back of the bar, minions in tow. Arianne rolled her eyes predictably, and glanced the other direction just in time to see our friend from the Hoi An flight, Sam, enter the bar with a beautiful Dutch woman named Emma. He was clearly smitten, greeting us and introducing her. After catching up, we went back to our private conversation while Sam put the moves on Emma.

Downing a few more drinks, we made our way back to Ha An for bedtime. By comparison, this proved one of the latest nights we spent out and about.

Click here for Complete Hoi An Pics

Day 11: Halong Bay Cruise Or Good Vacation Karma

After a 4am arrival, we headed back to homebase, Hanoi Elegance 2, for a shower and breakfast prior to our boat tour of Halong Bay, a designated World Heritage site.

Our tour guide, Zoom (probably not how it's spelled in Vietnamese, but he did say "like your camera"), kindly showed us to our private car and driver...clue #1 that this would be a ballerific day. During the 3 hour drive, Zoom told us lots about the local area and Vietnamese culture:
1. Major exports (coffee beans, cashews, textiles)
2. Motorbike-related accidents per day (in Vietnam): 100. Motorbike-related deaths per day: 36!
3. Major annual rice harvests (1 in the north, 2 in Hanoi and central Vietnam, 3 in the South)
4. Vietnamese funeral rituals (in the countryside the dead are not cremated but buried - with a spoonful of rice and three coins in the mouth - in a temporary plot. After 3 years, the family visits a shaman and asks if it is a good time to gather the dead's bones. If yes, the family digs up the temporary plot, at night, and if the body is sufficiently decayed, this means that the deceased is happy in their next life/new home. If not, then that is very bad luck, and the family must return to collect the bones later. The remaining bones are cleaned, gathered into a clay coffin, and reburied in the permanent family plot. The anniversary of the deceased is celebrated each year by the family with a large party with lots of food).

Upon arrival at Halong Bay Harbor, Zoom escorted us to our private junk, where the chef, captain, and crew waited to take us on a "3 hour tour," very Gilligan's Island. We first docked at a nearby beach to visit two caves: The cave of "Heavenly Palace" and the cave of "Wooden Stakes," where a famous Viet general hid the weapons that defended the country against Mongol invasion centuries ago. The Heavenly Palace cave was filled with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites (yup, we remembered the difference!), illuminated by colored lights and fountains.



After the cave visit, our chef served a much-too-large lunch of seafood spring rolls, squid, fresh fish, stir-fried beef, ginger chicken, water spinach, french fries, and rice. Of course we couldn't possibly finish it all, despite our best efforts. Following lunch, we headed up to the deck to sunbathe and to observe the many islets and even a functioning floating fishing village. It was all very beautiful. Bottom line: Halong Bay is HIGHLY recommended.

In the evening, we were driven back to Hanoi and delivered to our hotel. It's been a long day, and Wisam already fell asleep, so I guess I probably will go to bed, too.

Click here for complete Halong Bay Pics

Day 10: More Rain in Sa Pa or "How to Entertain Yourself in a Small Town"

By breakfast it was apparent to us that trekking would be wet and miserable. We opted to meet Daht, pose for a pic, give him his tip and hang out in town until our train back to Hanoi departed in the evening...hence me writing this post from the Internet cafe.

We retired to Highlands Coffee for some more Vietnamese deliciousness and played some UNO with a couple backpacking kids for a few hours. Suddenly we were both glad we weren't touring the international hostel circuit any longer...definitely too old for that stuff.


The rain stopped (shocking!) just before our scenic drive back to Lao Cai rail station. We met up with our Spaniards again and began possibly THE most uncomfortable train journey in the history of Vietnam.

Click here for complete Sa Pa pics

Day 9: Trekking in Sa Pa or "The Rains in Vietnam fall mainly on my vacation"

Around 5:30am, the train stopped in Lao Cai in northwest Vietnam. The rail station is actually only 2.5km from the China border...not that there's a lot to do in a border town. According to Lonely Planet, it's not worth visiting unless you really have a thing for border towns. We were met by guides that loaded us onto a bus with a bunch of other Western tourists, and we settled in for the hourlong drive to Sa Pa town, way up in the mountains. We climbed higher and higher into the mists, enjoying the lush vegetation.

It had already begun to rain, and little did we know, it would not stop for the duration of our trip. We had breakfast and checked into the "high-end" (according to Lonely Planet) Chau Long hotel, which resembles a castle. The owner bought out competing hotels and expanded so as not to obstruct the beautiful valley views.

That afternoon we met our personal tour guide, Daht, a native of a neighboring town. He led us on a 5km trek to Cat Cat, a local Hmong village. We saw an amazing waterfall, rice paddies being planted, and the traditional life of ethnic Vietnamese. It was awesome...and wet.

After a nice hike, we rewarded ourselves with some MORE Vietnamese coffee and pastries, followed by much-needed showers and a siesta. Daht had promised us another tour if the weather let up, but it did not. So we enjoyed a nice dinner, some CNN, and quiet time, hoping that tomorrow's weather would prove better.

Click here for complete Sa Pa pics

Day 8: More Hanoi Or "Hail to the Ho"

After a late start (everything in Vietnam closes for lunch), we visited Ho Lao prison aka the "Hanoi Hilton." Once known as the largest prison in Indochina, this facility housed Vietnamese political prisoners that resisted the French occupation up until the 1950s. The site witnessed unscrupulous acts of torture and abuse against Vietnamese revolutionaries. To be honest, I was too freaked out to walk down the narrow aisle of death row cells.

Thereafter, it was used to detain captured US pilots during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. The most famous prisoner was, of course, US Senator (and not president...holla!) John McCain. On display are his flight suit, parachute and personal effects he had at the time of capture. He couldn't have been happy about that. As far as the pictures revealed, the pilots apparently didn't have it too bad. Lots of pics of them playing basketball, attending Mass, eating Christmas dinner at a set table. I don't get it.

Afterwards, we stopped at Quan An Ngon for a delicious pho lunch and some meat dumplings. Yum!



Next stop: Ho Chi Minh complex. Or as we renamed him, "H to the Izzo." We caught the 3pm changing of the guard, by accident, and were discouraged from photographing the act. Nearby was the One-Pillared Pagoda (underwhelming) and the Ho Chi Minh museum (there are 3!), which is basically a bunch of propoganda about how the Ho inspired worldwide movements toward independence...by virtue of his bringing communism to Vietnam. We intend to go to another "Ho" museum in the city named for him to see if this theme persists.

After a hot and humid afternoon, we retired again to Le Pub for some cold beers and Kindle time (why am I still reading Twilight?). This time we discovered the lemon and mint smoothie was a refreshing hit.

Our hotel sent a bellboy to accompany us to the Hanoi Rail station, where we would take an overnight train to Sa Pa in the northwest for some trekking and visits to local ethnic villages. Each sleeper car had about eight compartments with two sets of bunk beds each; we shared ours with two Spaniards named Israel and Natalia, who were lovely enough to offer us Oreos in order to bridge the language barrier. Arianne made some small talk with her limited Spanish, but sooner rather than later we all settled in for sleep and the bumpy ride to Lao Cai.

Click here for complete Hanoi pics

Day 7: Walking Tour of Hanoi or Death by Motorbike

I know we keep talking about food, but it really is so much better than the crap we put in our bodies back home! The day started with fresh fruit and french toast while we watched some music videos in the hotel restaurant. Apparently Ne-Yo is a BFD here...who knew? We keep seeing his face everywhere.

Apparently all tourists here bought the Lonely Planet Vietnam guide, so we saw many "others" taking the same walking tour suggested by the book. On Hoan Kiem Lake, we visited the Ngoc Son Temple, where there is the remains of a giant (magic? good luck?) tortoise, which is 160 kilos and 2m long! No one is sure if there are other tortoises in this urban lake, and if so, how they survive in such an urban setting. But if you see one, good luck should come to you!



After a lukewarm beer at Cafe Les Arts, we hit up the famous little spot for some Cha ca, or fish grilled with veggies and served with rice noodles and a sweet sauce. Not to be missed!



There we waited out the afternoon rain showers before heading to our hotel to arrange for tickets to an evening performance of the water puppet show. This tradition is over 1,000 years old and uses a live Vietnamese musical ensemble, call-and-response, and marionettes floating on waist-deep water to tell pastoral legends and fables about the land. It was really entertaining.

For dinner, I had the BEST.FRIED.RICE.EVER and Wisam decimated her bun cha. After a mere 3 Heinekens, this jetlagged chica passed out in the middle of flossing, woke up long enough to finsh Twilight Book 3 (still awful writing) and drift off to sleep.

Click here for complete Hanoi pics

Day 6: Monsoon or Thailand gets two thumbs way up

Slept in and enjoyed a late breakfast on the beach at our hotel, Waterfront Bhoput. Then the rain started. No matter, we had an afternoon flight to Bangkok, and then on to Hanoi. Just when we thought we were home free, T.M.I. Michael insisted on giving us aride to the airport.

The following is why Bangkok Airways, a low cost carrier, kicks Delta/NWA/Continental's ass with its hands tied behind its back. We arrive at Koh Samui airport an check in. Unfortunately, our flight is delayed, says the agent. But there is an earlier flight boarding now for Bangkok. Would you like to be rebooked? How much, we ask skeptically. For free. SOLD. She then apologizes that there might not be enough food for us...on this 45 minute flight. Not a problem.

We touch down in Bangkok and set about killing a few hours before our connection to Hanoi. May I say, the BKK airport is just beautiful. Lots of cool statues and very ornate decor. After an attempt at some really awful dim sum, we found some delicious fruit smoothies and checked out the duty-free shopping. Wisam educated Arianne regarding the "vacation fallacy": whatever shiny bauble you think you must buy immediately, be assured that you will see it again before the end of your trip.

Apparently it takes at least two Harvard MBAs (almost) to find Terminal F. Maybe it was lingering jetlag; maybe we're just retarded. You take your pick. But find it we did, and once I distracted Wisam with some CNBC at the gate, everything seemed to fall into place.

The flight to Hanoi was uneventful (just the way we like it), but upon arriving at immigration, we noted the health screening area (!). Silly us, we thought Vietnam wouldn't bother with such trivialities. Au contraire. The communists keep it mad real. Arianne's heart was racing because she still had the sniffles and they sat her down to take her temperature. Amazingly, we once again narrowly escaped quarantine. There's not enough Kindle time in the world to make that palatable in Vietnam.

A car was waiting for us to take us to Hanoi Elegance 2 (don't ask me where 1 is) in the Old Quarter. Again it had been a long day and we passed out promptly.

Click here for complete Thailand pics

Day 5: Feeling pukey

Not much to report. Caught something (not swine flu!) on the flight and just wanted to chill by the pool with my Kindle. Oh yea, and I'm reading Twilight. Terrible writing. Compelling enough to want to finish the series, though.

For dinner Wisam ate the most amazing stirfried vegetables on the planet, pausing only to say, "This is so damn GOOD."

Day 4: Chaweng Beach or Little Thai Woman Kicks Arianne's A$$

After a delicious breakfast (Michael complained that a customer said on TripAdvisor that the cook didn't know how to cook eggs, but I thought they were fine), we made our way to the white sands of Chaweng beach, apparently one of the top-rated in the world. We settled in for some Kindle reading and sunbathing with our mango fruitshakes. Yum! Arianne loved the crystal clear, warm waters. Very reminiscent of Destin, but without the rednecks.



After lunch, we decided to hit up one of the country's many many many spas for a massage. Wisam got the hot coconut oil massage, while Arianne insisted on the "Deep Thai," whatever that was. Apparently Arianne had at least a year's worth of built-up stress knots in her back, because a woman half her size took it upon herself to beat the crap out of them while she silently burst into quiet sobs, covering her mouth so Wisam couldn't hear her pain and think she was a wuss. All in all, totally worth the 800 baht ($20 USD).


We had dinner at 56, one of Bhoput's town restaurants, sampling pad thai and fresh vietnamese spring rolls. Arianne made the mistake of downing two "56 Cocktail"s, probably the equivalent of a seco limonada in Panama (rum, sugar cane and lime). Luckily she made it back to the Waterfront in time to pass out.

Click here for complete Thailand pics

Day 3: Dim Sum = Dim Joy! Or "Am I speaking too quickly for you?"

Wisam dragged Arianne's lazy ass out of bed bright and early to hit up the hotel gym. Probably a good idea.

After finding our first choice restaurant closed - indefinitely, we wandered around until we found a lovely little dim sum place called Dim Joy, on Keong Seik Road in Chinatown. DELICIOUS. Especially the pork buns, pancake, and the custard buns.

We mastered the Singapore subway and visited the Thian Hock Keng "Temple of Heavenly Bliss," the oldest Buddhist temple in Singapore, built by sailors to pray to Ma Po Cho, goddess of the Heavenly sages. It was rebuilt in 1841 and is on Telok Ayer Road.

The Singapore National Museum was a favorite. In addition to the air con, we enjoyed a very cool Christian LaCroix exhibit of stage costumes, including Carmen and Othello. The Singapore historical exhibit was interesting and included a fun audio tour guide.



That evening, we took a flight to Koh Samui, Thailand. While waiting to board, Arianne checked the online news and noticed that Tokyo had just confirmed its first three cases of swine flu. The passengers on the flight with the infected Canadians would be detained in quarantine for the NEXT TEN DAYS. We would have likely suffered the same fate...BULLET. DODGED.

After some really disturbing turbulence over Malaysia, we landed safely at Koh Samui's beautiful open air airport, where we endured yet another health screening. This was becoming a pattern! The son of the owner of our hotel, The Waterfront at Bhoput, met us there and drove the 4km to our sweet little B&B. Arianne was glad Wisam could understand him, because between the cockney British accent and a slight stammer, she only got about 40% of the message. Michael, our overeager driver, proceeded to share with us on arrival, every meticulous detail of the room, including the new photograph on the wall and how the makeup mirror worked. We were tired and cranky but smiled politely. A favorite moment: when he paused and asked: "Am I speaking too quickly for you?" Arianne had to hide her chuckling. When he finally left, we settled in for a good night's sleep.

Complete Thailand Pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/Arianne.Graham/Thailand#

Day 2: Aporkalypse Now or "I had a thought..."

The ANA flight to Singapore had a very cool cockpit cam, about which Arianne got extremely geeked out. She tried to entertain Wisam with random thoughts, musing every other minute: "So, I had a thought..." We decided that the much nicer plane, food, and fewer people with masks was a sign of our impending good travel karma, considering the adversity we had experienced thus far. Also, we were pretty impressed that we hadn't killed each other in the midst of our freakout. We even passed the thermal scan screening at the Singapore airport. So much more civilized.

Upon arrival, we finally located Arianne's suitcase (yay for clean clothes!) and headed to the swanky Swissotel Merchant Court in the Chinatown district.

We feasted upon curried vegetables, beef rendang, and chicken at the very chic Blue Ginger restaurant. We also enjoyed sectionmate Mogan's favorite, Tiger Beer.

After dinner, we hit up LongBar, a so-called hotspot at the ultra-luxe Raffles Hotel. DO NOT GO HERE. We were overcharged for pints of Tiger and were subjected the most hideous cover band I've ever heard, along with Americans doing some crazy, seizure-like dance...(ever seen Elaine on Seinfeld?)

Click here for complete Singapore Pics

Day 1: Or the Southeast Asia Extravaganza Kickoff

Bags packed, immunizations received, and parents calmed, A&W left cold-ass Boston for Singapore, via Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) and Tokyo-Narita...all in all, uneventful.

We passed our five-plus hours in MSP chillin at Rock Bottom Brewery, stealing Sweet'n'Low from Starbucks for Wisam's insatiable coffee fit, witnessing victims of the recession try to relentlessly upsell everything at Brookstone (Wisam bought a highly enviable travel pillow and blankie. I recommend the slim travel speaker. We decided our Kindles are way more fab than the Sony e-reader!), making fun of Midwesterners (Man at newsstand taking my bottled water money: "Would you like a giant bag of peanuts today?" wtf?)

We also spent a ridiculous amount of time making off-color jokes about swine flu...this would prove fortuitous. Arianne (who, thinking ahead, stole some from the student health center) thought it would be funny to put on medical masks and take pictures in the airport. Indeed, many folks on our flight had them on all the way to Tokyo.

Upon arrival at Narita, the announcement is made that government authorities would board the plane with thermal scanners as a swine-flu precaution...even the flight attendants seemed surprised at this. Suddenly our jokes became less palatable. Japanese in hazmat suits walked by, scanning us and dismissing individual sections (which makes no sense, given the recycled air). A man two rows ahead of us was escorted off the plane in a hurry (!) by authorities, and those surrounding him, us included, were given red dot stickers (!) and masks and told to sit tight. Needless to say, we became quite unnerved! Still, jokes persisted - including many about the Toyota Production System and finding a way to pull the g@dd@#n andon cord!

All of a sudden, we were informed that we were free to go, after no further inspection and no added explanation. We realized we had missed our connection to Singapore, but this turned out to OK. NWA agents assured us that we were rebooked on the next day's flight and would be put up in a Tokyo hotel for the evening. After standing outside in the freezing rain, minus Arianne's bag (sad face), we defected from the group and took a rogue cab to the Radisson, where we dined with our new friend, Tim Allen (not THAT Tim Allen), a software consultant from our flight that insisted on buying us champagne to celebrate our upcoming graduation. Apparently not only HBS kids pop bottles...I've been in the bubble too long. We also met a "Main Street" woman that proceeded to tell us how Wall Street bankers and "poor people who couldn't afford the houses they were living in" had decimated her retirement fund. Ah, global financial crisis explained...

On the upside, we got to shower and get a little less frazzled before boarding another long-haul flight on ANA to Singapore the next day.

Click here for complete MSP/Tokyo Pics