On my own -- an epilogue

It seems like only yesterday that we started talking about our crazy trip to India and Thailand--and by we, I mean me shoving the idea down Regina's throat and convincing her that it would be a once in a lifetime experience. Based on our previous blog posts, I think you can tell that it really was, and I know that we'll both have memories that will last a lifetime. There are many pics that I'd like to post (especially now that I'm back in a country where Blogger is not blocked..not to mention any names), but before I do, just some quick reflections and also an update on where I've been since our trip ended two weeks ago.

India
Wow. I can't believe I was there. I think it's arguably the most chaotic place I've ever been, and you're talking to someone who's lived in Hong Kong, squeezed on to the cheapest 1 RMB bus during rush hour in Beijing, and attended the Palio in Siena. It still shocks me to think about all the sights that we saw there...everything from the surreal Taj Mahal to the very poorest of the poor living on the side of the road in rural Delhi. India has made me appreciate (even more) all that I have, and the fact that I get to live in North America. We take things like clean water, clean air, food, and even personal space all for granted. I think it's somewhat fitting that I'm doing all this reflecting during this Thanksgiving weekend--my time in India has definitely made me stop to sit down and think more than once to give thanks for everything and everyone who is in my life.

Thailand
I love Thailand. The people, the food, the sights, everything...Phuket was magical and Bangkok was, well, Bangkok. The phad thai (yes, spelled with an "h" in phad), the Chedi lemongrass iced teas, the bird's nest, and the sharkfin--I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! I will definitely go back to this place where they massages are perfect and the people are super nice. Now if only Thai would fly direct from SF so I don't have go to LA first!

China - Beijing & Shanghai
Okay, so this was on my own without Regina but I did join 23 of my incredible colleagues on this week-long adventure through the two biggest cities in China. I'll leave stuff about work off this blog, but I did enjoy China--it's much different through the eyes of a business traveler than a poor foreign exchange student, that's for sure!

Hong Kong
I know some part of me will always think of HK as home. The people may have changed, the landscape may have new buildings every 3 months, but in some way, there's a certain comfort in the change that's the only constant in this city. I sit here now in the Cathay Pacific Lounge and can't help but think how many times this place (both the city and this lounge specifically!) have served as a hub for this entire trip, and also as a hub in my life. I may live in SF and my parents in Vancouver, but there's always going to be a little bit of Hong Kong in my heart. I don't claim to be a "Hong Kong girl" in any way, but I know that no matter how much I have changed, grown, become westernized, I will always feel at home here. Thank you to my parents, family and friends, who have made this stay (like all the others) a fantastic one.

-Vivian

hong kong...and onwards

wow,
so i'm back in hong kong airport in the louge which is amazing...and i actually have to board soon but this trip has been amazing...no regrets but i don't know if i would do it again :) (delhi really scarred me) hahaha, our pics will be up soon hopefully but either way i'll always remember the saris in india, lemongrass ice tea from the chedi and the amazing room in bangkok...also the bird's nest :) well i'm off to watch many movies and crash in san fran for a major layover but if all goes well i'll be home where people drive on the right side of the road wahoo!! (yes even in thailand they drive on the left) thanx viv~

Bangkok and last leg of trip

yes,
so our hotel suite at the pennisula in bangkok was very insane...like we could've hosted a party insane~ anyways yesterday we went shopping in the mkb (typical asian shopping center with tons of trinkets so definitely my type of place) then we were supposed to see some buddhas and temples and stuff but it was pouring so we basically were forced to shop some more (poetic justice viv says)...so we get to the temple and only get to see parts of the buddha through the door (it's a very large buddha) because the place is flooded and there's no way viv or i are going to take of our shoes and trek thru nasty rain water (we talking bout above heel water here, not being pussies) so then we take the ferry back to our hotel...it was pretty cool cause you travel a lot faster by boat and the view is very nice...so we definitely enjoyed bangkok a lot more than delhi...oh and then we got to have afternoon tea at the pennisula which was amazing (viv has informed me that fruit cakes are things you give people you don't like) but i think the highlight of viv's time here is eating bird's nest and shark fin in the shopping mall...oh and then she had some more for dinner when we ordered room service...we were supposed to go out and eat but the whole city was flooded plus i figure our room was so nice we might as well be comfortable while we eat and enjoy the view, which would probably be better than at any hotel...so, i was sharing the bird's nest with viv and i asked her what it was...now i thought it was a cantonese thing to eat these things but according to viv, i'm supposed to know this; but she was smart and told me that she'd tell me after i finished eating...yes i did not know that bird's nest is swallow spit and there are even purer versions and ones with blood that cost more...if i'm grossing anyone out, sorry but it's a very good thing viv told me after i finished it cause i don't think i could have eaten it while thinking bout what it was...oh and finally i finished the book viv got-a million little pieces bout this guy in rehab getting over drug addiction; very very good book if anyone's looking for something to read...ok well now we're back in our hub-bangkok airport and i have to go and spend the remaining few thai dollars i have~ it's been a lovely trip and thank goodness it's ending with bangkok and not delhi :)
regina

Patong, Phuket, Bangkok

So as Regina said, I can't believe that I let her drag me to Patong the last night we were in Phuket. Of course we bought nothing and just marveled at how many sketchy "bar girl" transactions must have gone down in that small strip of tourist craziness. We had this ice cream "teppanyaki" at the Haagen Dazs that included a reakl sizzling hot plate (for the ice cream) and then just hung out at the Starbucks. A long night, but like Regina says, at least we can say we've been there and didn't spend the entire time at the Chedi.

Favourite memories from Phuket: palm trees, amazing beach, lemongrass iced teas all day long, the Chedi massage, and the great staff at the hotel. Khwap khun kha!

And with that, we went back to Bangkok, not for transit but actually to stay this time. We were in for a HUGE surprise when the Peninsula upgraded us not one, but two levels to a suite! We have a dining room, a guest bathroom (yes, in additional to the main one), a separate bedroom and dressing area, and three tv's distributed throughout the suite. Everything (including the curtains) is controlled by electronic panels in the suite, and we have multiple floor-to-ceiling windows that face the Chao Phraya River. And if that's not enough, we also have an entrance foyer with a Thai sculpture. I know...it's ridiculous even for me! More on Bangkok later...gotta get ready for our massages! -Viv

Patong and food

hey people,
seems like it's been a while since i blogged but i've only skipped one day...not much to say cause we've just been chilling-relaxing but the beach and tanning (viv's a different race altogether now) but i have to say the food has been amazing and the service really good here...we got massages, which was nice but just being here relaxes you i think. oh but last night we went to patong, which is like the 'night market' of thailand...it was very interesting cause i think i really saw a bargaining process for prostitutes go down...there were so many thai female and white male couples, it was slightly disturbing and the street vendors and cab drivers are kind of in your face but i don't think anything can faze us after india...i don't think viv enjoyed it cause i dragged her there and we sat in haagen daz and starbucks for a good part of the evening but i felt good that i went...i mean everyone knows viv doesn't enjoy the bargain shopping anymore but it's part of the experience of coming to thailand...we even got to see the transvestites sp?...i mean our hotel, the chedi, is amazing and i love it but if i just wanted to stay in a resort and get served but people who don't speak english, there are a lot closer places for me to go :P but anyways i can't believe my vacation is almost over-only one more day left in bangkok tomorrow...i think it'll be kind of busy cause we have a few things to see and do but it'll be a good end of the trip considering i'll be sleeping (or watching random asian flicks) on the insane 14 hr flight back...ok well that's my update for now; we're off to our base (bangkok airport in just a few hours)
regina

I'm so relaxed right now it's ridiculous

So we've finally arrived in Phuket. The air conditioning is happily blasting away and we just got up from a 6 hour nap but are planning to sleep again. Our cottage has a view of the ocean and palm trees outside the front door. Are you getting annoyed reading this yet? Good, cuz I'm done writing and it's time for more blissful shut-eye.

Paradise

wow...can't believe we're finally here (viv's famous words of the trip)...it is so gorgeous here and we can see the ocean directly from our cottage window...we had amaazing pad thai and lay in the sun for a few hours today before going for our chedi massages...seriously, thailand is great and viv deserves major kudos for finding this place...it's totally ideal for any honeymoons or just a really private getaway...haha, our massage ladies asked us if we were on our honeymoon while we were getting our massages...yup we are definitely not their typical clientele...anyways, we overslept again and missed a barbeque on the beach, which is very disappointing because there was thai dancing involved but i figure it's vacation, we shouldn't be upset for resting :) oh but i do have to mention, this place is gorgeous but totally not handicapped accessible-there are so many steps up and down, even from the lobby to our room (we had to take some breaks walking down to the beach) yup so it's great just chilling here and totally love the part of no one staring at you 24-7...tomorrow we don't have any definite plans but hopefully will go into town or see the island a bit and the rest is just standard vacation relaxing time :) totally feel like my vacation finally got started~
regina

I think she meant "hawkers"

So it's not hokkas or hookers, but hawkers. That's British English for street vendors and otherwise sketchy salespeople that approach you on the street. Good thing I'm here to translate for Regina...she seems to have trouble understanding any English that's not American!

So anyway, as Regina summed up, we were at the Taj Mahal yesterday. I couldn't believe how many people were there trying to rip off tourists, steal, and beg (one lady was even teaching her daughter to beg). It really took away from the overall Taj experience. Nevertheless, the monument really took my breath away. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen!

After that we headed off to the Delhi airport, which must be the most inefficient airport I've ever seen...and I've seen a lot of airports! They had three people doing every job that one person could have done, but instead of being speedier, they were actually even sloooooower! The whole time I was there I just kept saying "slooooooooow".

And with that, our Indian odyssey came to an end and we gladly boarded our Thai air flight to Bangkok en route to Phuket.

Taj

today was insane...just spent over 10 hours in a car...the front desk said that the drive to the taj mahal would be 3 and a half hours but it was more like 5 hours each way...the drive was interesting though cause we saw lots of cows, donkeys, monkeys, camels, etc. a regular zoo fest~ yah and i think i saw this dude that was like over 7 ft tall but my only frame of reference was one of those electric cabbie cars and viv was sleeping so i might have been imagining things. anyways yah, we get to the taj and apparently the cars aren't allowed to drive to the front gate anymore because they're afraid that the pollution is causing the marble to crumble or something...like i really don't think banning cars from the last mile is a great long term solution but it's still interesting that they're trying to do something about it cause that would never happen in china. anyways, there were so many 'hokkas' there...like fake guides, beggars, street vendors and they're so aggressive...i basically hid behind viv while she gave them the 'pinched look'...we were laughing a lot cause it actually worked; anyone who hasn't seen this look seriously needs to ask viv to demonstrate; i wanted a photo but after seeing the slide show at the indian wedding, viv is afraid i'll hold the pic over her head at her wedding (which actually sounds tempting but isn't something i could have thought of by myself)...yup so the price discrimination at the gate was hilarious; like local people pay something like 5 rps and foreigners pay 750 rps...our ticket even said non-indian...it's still less than 20 dollars but still, it's the principle of the matter...anyways we finally got in and the things guys will do when they're in love...i can't believe the taj was built as a monument to a dead wife...i mean, people died because of it...seriously, that's not quite love anymore, it's like obsession...anyways, going into the building was hilarious cause there were signs all over that say 'don't take off shoes here' and yet we still see rows and rows of shoes...so i didn't want to get yelled at so we compromised and got little covers for our shoes like the ones you see in the hospital...but it wasn't necessary...the marble was pretty amazing and apparently the whole koran is engraved in parts of it (disclaimer-all tidbits are quoted from the estimable viv so all credit/blame should be placed accordingly)...anyways we still got stared at; sometimes i just feel like walking around with a paper bag over my head could not have possibly created more sensation or caused more staring...altho viv's pinched look was invaluable in getting rid of multitudes of people (i'm telling you it's priceless~) yup so afterwards we didn't get to stay until the sunset, which is when the taj supposedly turns pink because it took 5 hours to drive there so we were afraid to be late to the airport and miss our flight; then i really would've cried...yup so when we were leaving all the hokkas came again and as we were about to drive away i saw these elephants, i think carved from graphite or marble...but viv said i shouldn't encourage them so we agreed that i would pay a higher price at the airport...the drive back was cool altho it's really weird to drive with no streetlights...oh btw, people in india drive on the left (the darn english empire!!) other than that everything went pretty smoothly after we got to the airport...oh and our driver was going to drive us to this place and freely admitted that we didn't have to buy anything but he gets something for his efforts so viv bribed him to not take us there and we tipped him pretty well, which i felt was worth it cause really, people are agressive in their begging here...like mothers will bring up their babies to your car and keep tapping on the windows to try and get money...oh and i forgot but this old lady tried to put her hand into my bag while we were at the taj...anyways we have to board now (i'm at the bangkok airport waiting for transfer to phuket) so that really sums up the india part of the trip~
regina

An Indian wedding!

Yesterday we attended Rohit and Kaamna's official wedding ceremony. The ceremony was held at the Mata Ki Kinar temple in Delhi. For the most part, the bride, the groom, and their relatives sat around a square firepit under a canopy while the priest uttered prayers and blessings in Sanskrit. The weirdest part was that nobody seemed to be paying attention! Cell phones were ringing, kids were running around, and crowd was chatting about seemingly everything but the ceremony itself! After about two hours, Kaamna and Rohit were declared officially married and he covered the part in her hair with vermiilion to signify that she was married and to offer her protection as his wife. Apparently, most people had no idea what was going on either--hence the chatting and distractions.
We then headed to the reception--early, mind you--at the Panscheel Club, a tennis club literally across the street from Rohit's house. We were starving and saw the buffet tables the minute we walked in...but the sterno tins were unlit! After a long while (and many littlle "shots" of coca-cola later), we learned from Rohit's sister that dinner wouldn't happen "for a long while". Oh the agony! In the end, we stayed through the speeches and toast, watched a video of a 14-year-old Rohit perform sit-ups and pour bottled water over his shirtless body (yes, you read that right), and got our photos with the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Dhawan. And with that, our Indian wedding extravaganza came to a close.

Next up: the ethereal Taj Mahal...

final day in delhi

wow...what a busy bees we have been compared to yesterday...we arranged this morning after breakfast to go to the spa-i got polish and threading while viv got a massage...viv will tell you more about the massage i'm sure but the threading was really cool...so basically what this lady does is takes thread (thicker than floss) and hold it in her teeth and two hands, and she twists it across your face strategically to 'pluck' out the unwanted hair...i mean yes it's all in the name of vanity but it was pretty cool to see her do it...altho my neck got really sore cause there was no head rest...so i had her do my eyebrows; it actually hurt a lot less than i expected...definitely less than waxing...i forgot to ask her how long it lasts tho...anyways yah so afterwards, we went and got a car and driver so we could get all the 'money shots' and went to the red fort and a mosque...the fort was pretty cool but we weren't allowed in since there's been a lot of terroism stuff going on recently...then we waited forever at the front of the mosque (viv was very disturbed that we had to take off all footwear)...oh and we had to pay money to take our cameras inside...this iman took us around and showed us where to take all the pictures but then at the end he wanted money...seriously people here constantly ask you for money and they are pretty blunt about it...yah so hopefully viv got enough shots altho i don't think she got any of the two of us...i had them on my camera but unfortunately deleted all pictures on it while i was on the car riding away from the mosque...i seriously need to get a new camera or get my brother to teach me how to use the one we have...so finally we decided to go buy stuff...first we went to this emporium where it's supposed to be regulated so no bargaining but quality control...but there was seriously nothing there...so then we had the driver take us to the market...still found nothing...but we finally found this teeshirt shop...i was debated whether i should get some for family members but my family members are very picky so i decided to hold off (altho i succumbed and bought one for myself)
afterwards we rushed back and had to get into our saris...seriously what a fiasco; first off, the ladies who helped viv the first time weren't in today so no one came for the longest time...and then, i tried soniya's sari on for the first time (i know, bad idea but hey we are supposed to be the same size) and found out her blouse didn't fit me...as in i would've ripped her blouse or looked indecent if i tried to wear it...so luckily i had a tank top the same color and just had the ladies pin the rest of the getup to the tank...viv looked gorgeous in hers but she said her lady wasn't that great at getting it on...anyways, we were really scared that we missed the whole ceremony but we hauled ass and actually made it to the place 5 minutes before the bride got there...which is perfect timing...so the rituals were cool but seriously - total greek to me...so after like 2 hours, it finished and we had some time to kill before the reception...but had no where to go so we just went with kelly and jon (texan couple we bonded with) and sat there forever...we were all hungry in the beginning but they like refused to serve dinner cause apparently they know once dinner is served everyone leaves...so by the time the appetizers and toasts finished, we were all beat up and i wasn't hungry anymore...we came back to the hotel and viv ordered room service...and here i am, doing my nightly blog... all i can say after these days here in delhi is wow, indian culture is amazing but yes, this is probably my last time here and i'm so glad chinese weddings never take more than a day...
regina

Day 2 (nov 5-late post)

so just got back from day 2 of the festivisties for the wedding...the 'reception' was held at this lebanese restaurant...pretty interesting place...viv and i got our hands painted with henna/mindi? anyways, i think it looks a lot cooler when it's black ink but then it dries and the black falls off and the orange stain is left. anyways, viv has a sun/flowery thing while i have 3 fish and a peacock...it's pretty intense but unfortunately viv lost her camera on the cab back to the hotel so now we don't know if we'll be able to get the pictures with the application altho i took a picture of it after the black ink came off...yah so i felt sort of bad cause we really did nothing today-like we woke up at 10 (well i woke up earlier but then we went back to sleep) and then had breakfast/lunch at the buffet downstairs...seriously, that's like my one big meal of the day so i stuff myself...had pancakes, tea, omelettes...it was great...the juices are really impressive because like it's so fresh you literally see all the seeds and remnants of the fruit still in the jar...afterwards, we went back up and i read while viv tried to sleep; i don't think she managed to sleep that much cause i had my bed light on but seriously, i can only sleep so much...yup so after i finished my book, and it was a pretty long book, i was like ok i'll take a nap...of course next thing i know, viv's like umm, it's 8 pm...yah(only with viv is it possible for me to sleep so much and that's only becuase there's the threat of drugs involved~)...so we were supposed to get there at like 7 pm but we still made it out which was good...the bride and groom looked so amazing in all their finery...they had matching blue outfits...kaamna (bride) seriously looked like an indian princess...anyways, tonight was more informal so i didn't feel as funky in my normal dress altho viv now says my clothes are scandalous...i do admit to not buying conservative dresses these days but really, i have to say her dresses aren't any higher cut or longer than mine...yah besides the beautiful outfits at the party, we were able to dance a little to pussycat dolls and usher but all the other stuff was either indian music, which i have no clue how to dance to, or really really old stuff that we'd never heard of...yup so we chatted with some people and ate some food (the brownies were amazing) but it was really cute to see all the older people dance and i mean like my grandfather's generation...tomorrow we are planning on getting a driver and doing all the touristy things-see the fort, shop a bit and then get back and dress in our saris and go to the official wedding which starts at like 4:30 pm...right now, my inner clock is so messed up...ok so blogger is down so this mite get posted later but that's all for now folks~
regina

Sangeet and Mehendi

Last night (after sleeping for 6 hours during the day and 2 hours late for the party), we went to the Sangeet part at a Lebanese restaurant at the Hotel Ashok. It was basically a night of food, drink, dancing, and mehendi (Indian henna tattoos). It was such a great party and the happy couple were dressed in these cute turquoise matching outfits. Of course, Regina and I got our hands hennaed and they look amazing!
The night ended on a slightly hairy note when we got back and I realized that I was no longer in possession of my camera which had all those pics from the night!!!! I knew I had lost it in the camera and had no way of getting it back. After chatting with the head of security at our hotel, the staff actually tracked down the cab and found the camera!! Does that ever happen?? Thank heavens though...cuz Regina was worried I would kill her if it was never found ;-)

Puja at the Dhawan's

Last night we went to Rohit's place for the "engagement" ceremony and puja, or prayer service. They had converted their rooftop into this Indian wonderland with a sheer fabric thatched-style canopy and lounge cushions on slipcovered mattresses. I was joking that if this setup was in the US, it would be some hip new lounge/club.
The night started with decorating the happy couple with jewelry made of flowers. Then there was an elaborate prayer ceremony with a lot of flowers and fire. An Indian band then went through a reeeeeaaaaaaaally long song/chant/prayer that lasted two hours. (The music was beautiful, btw; I just didn't understand how she didn't even have to take a water break during the entire two hours.) Then food!!!
It was an amazing experience---from getting all decked out in a sari to seeing all the Indian women in their resplendent oufits and jewelry.
Next up, the Sangeet tonight which promises to be one kickass party with singing and dancing and mehndi (henna tattoos) for all!

Insanity and a half

wow...talk about a very long day even though we barely made it to breakfast...so funny, we have actually two places where we can eat-lobby and 8th floor so i was waiting for viv at the lobby but she was at the 8th floor...anyways food was good for us this morning, well especially me, cause i didn't eat anything since hong kong...yup, so after food and another nap (yes this is my version of vacation) we went out...the hotel guy called us a cab but viv feels that the cabbie ripped us off cause he told us this place was closed that wasn't...i still can't really figure everything out yet cause for all that people say indian people can speak english (they can) first off, they don't unless necessary so most of the time they're speaking hindi and secondly, i can't understand foreign english especially with a british accent (this happened in australia too)...ok so i was freaked out of my mind when we were walking around...i mean my parents always say people look at us in the states and think we're foreign cause we look asian but hey no one really stares in nyc...yah so the constant staring totally freaked me out and also this dude totally like groped me (thankfully i was wearing a skirt so he didn't really but he meant to!!) yah so viv was on high alert but she was sort of obsessed in her search for a shawl to match her dress for tomorrow...i was scared more for some reason...like literally everyone we walked past stared at us, women, men, (prob dogs)...
i felt like very raw after the whole thing but we had to rush back to get ready for the first part of the wedding, held at the either the groom or bride's house...seriously this lady sang/prayed for over two hours and didn't even take a sip of her water...hahaha, viv even noticed that the keyboard guy took a break...yah so the decor was really amazing...viv wore her blue/green sari so she fit in a lot better than me but heck it's not like i wouldn't feel like an outsider anyways...yah then there was dinner downstairs, just had bread and rice...finally back to the hotel and it's not even 10 pm yet...tomorrow night's supposed to be more festive so i'll keep you updated...but yah if anyone wants to visit, either be male or come with someone who speaks the language cause i feel very vulnerable here...kind of miss home (could be due to the over 30 hours of travel i had to deal with to get here)...well that's my input on the first official/full day in india...

regina

Now I'm actually shell-shocked!

Just got back from our first foray into Delhi. We got ripped off by our taxi (luckily I had a good sense of direction so I knew he was driving us around the block), experienced the freaky underground pathways at Connaught Place, followed by curious pestering teenage boys, and barely made it back to the safe haven of our hotel via the oh-so-insane autorickshaw. I feel gritty from the dirt, and just generally exhausted from being on high alert for so long. But we survived, and now we have the bragging rights. ;-) -Vivian

"Wow, you look so high right now..."

...That's what Regina said to me first thing this morning when I got up. Ok, so I admit I looked shellshocked due to the jetlag, but hey!

So we just got back from breakfast. It's actually noon here right now, but who's really keeping track, right? I think we're gonna try our darndest to do nothing today, which shouldn't be too hard since our hotel is kickass. Thank heavens for old-school classy service...this place definitely delivers.

India finally...

So we have finally arrived in India. Our hotel is very nice but I don't think any less is expected with viv...anyways, when we got off the flight from bangkok I realized that for the next week and a half I will feel like an outsider...kind of scary
The airport kind of reminded me of my trip to inner mongolia...I was getting a bit scared on the ride over cause even tho the guy had viv's name on the card...if he took us anywhere besides the hotel, I don't know what we could've done...yup so it's early here and I woke viv up cause I had to use the bathroom but I think she is now torturing me by not getting up(we are both hungry)...
regina

Flight and Hong Kong

hey everyone~
so our longest flights are done. i highly recommend taking cathay pacific business class on any asian trips you guys might have planned cause the reclining chairs were awesome. we were on the second level so there were no crying babies or any disturbances. oh and the best part- movies that you can control (pause, fast foward, etc.) as you please. i watched two asian movies-one bout racing and the other bout the asian mafia. neither was spectacular. oh and i saw island. that started out pretty decent but kind of fell apart. but ennough bout movies, the flight was amazing, best 14 hr flight i've ever had. yup next is our hong kong day trip- we dragged poor viv's uncle to the top of the island called 'peak' (very creative huh?) and then made him take us to get milk tea and dim sum. the milk tea was really good although i think bubbles would have made it that much better (but viv says that's not hong kong) and then dim sum was amazing. so we did some window shopping afterwards and i have to say the people in hong kong dress a lot more western than the people in taiwan. plus everyone has dyed hair-old women and men. but of course they are quite outrageous and dye their eyebrows to match, which is interesting (really people when did this become acceptable??) oh and viv had her first 'shopping experience' among many on this trip i'm sure. she went to buy an agenda but the lady was doing the whole asian thing and following us around so viv decided not to get it cause she didn't want the lady to get the commission. now she says when she comes back, if she still wants it she'll get it but i really think she was just peeved at the lady. hahaha~ afterward was our memorable mango drink (very very mango-y) yes but the funniest thing we've seen so far was when we were walking to the gate to bangkok (where i am now) and this lady in front with a push cart-there was this bag that looking like it fell off, like it was still half leaning on the cart. anyways, we watch her get off the flat escalator thing (seriously i'm jet lagged so my brain isn't functioning ppl my language skillls have deterioted) and she literally kicks the bag and walks around it. so viv is like oh i guess it wasn't her bag. but the bag is caught on the thingy so this dude behind us picks it up. and then he's like lady, lady, i think this is yours. and the lady in front (same lady who kicked the bag) was like oh yah, that's my bag...and leaves her push cart to go and pick up her bag...it was like 'are you serious??' you just kicked your own bag, walked around it with a push cart and you didn't realize?? hahaha, i was laughing for like the next 10 gates and people were staring but seriously, now i know why there are people who forget their kids in the car, cause like their brains are just non existant or something...viv says she was on crack but i don't know if she even deserves that excuse. ok anyways, that was the highlight of my day (yes i was very tired and you probably had to be there~) well i should go find viv now cause i think our flight starts boarding soon~

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