So yeah, Asia. 7 weeks was by far easier than 5. Probably because we had been there already so I knew the drill, could handle the weather, got used to being bored with what I was wearing, was okay with buying souvenirs, and felt generally more comfortable this time. Also, having friends with us was nice. I really enjoyed having them with us. Our traveling styles are quite different and we had a few struggles along the way, since we follow a "rush and then relax" pattern going through the cities to get to the beaches, but, overall, I liked having other friends with us. If only we could find more people who were serious about traveling. They were the first to show genuine interest in going with us and then, even more surprising, they actually made plans and saved money to really go with us.
Back to the story...our itinerary was: Maui, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, and Taiwan. Since this post will be the post of the century in length, I'll just post each country separately so it makes it easier on me and on my audience's eyes when reading. So...for starters...
Hawaii + Flights
Well, this one actually starts with a layover and not part of Asia (even though a bunch of Asians live and visit there)...but it was overnight on our way over the Pacific, so I thought I should mention it. We flew in and spent a little time with a friend from when I went to boarding school at Kamehameha. She met us at the airport and we went to eat lunch together at BaLe (a banh mi place that we still crave even though we're on the mainland near a bunch of places we could get more sandwiches like it). It was so nice to chat with her for a while and get back in touch with what was going on with her and her life. Afterwards, my brother-in-law picked us up and brought us back to his house since my sister was going to let us crash on her couch for the night. After making a couple stops on the way to their house, I was so car sick that I needed a nap...a long one. So Jordan went off for a walk around Makawao. He went to my old elementary school:
After his walk and after my nap, it was dinner time. We ate as a family with my sister, brother-in-law, and one of my nephews and had a nice time. Dinner, a movie on the couch ("The One" with Jet Li and Jason Statham...mmm...what a man), and then sleep...since our flight was the next morning. Morning came with birds of my boarding school days ringing it in. Soft coos from the doves and a couple other birds I could never name. On our way to the airport we picked up our much-needed Cook Kwees. Because we were so early for our flight, we had time to wander around a shop in the airport and I was in complete disgust about the prices of treats and trinkets. cook Kwees were triple the price per package and anything from Mauna Loa was just plain robbery. Needless to say, we moved along fairly quickly because my loud and verbal abhorrence of their prices were embarrassing Jordan immensely. There were quite a few things I noticed around the gates that hadn't been there when I was flying back and forth between home and Kamehameha. Vending machines were one of them. A "deal" if you compared a $3 coke from the machine to the $4 one from the kiosk just outside the inter-island terminal.
Soon enough we were in the Honolulu airport and I wished that our 2hr layover was 4 days longer so we could eat City Cafe's shave ice and see our many friends that are there. But our wish remains unfulfilled...for now. We met up with Greg and Kara and got some Chinese buffet food before heading over to our gate. The customs officers were very nice and Kara and I left the gate a couple of times for the bathroom, a water break, and to get change. By the time we were leaving for the second time, the guards teased, "Again?"
We boarded 45mins before our flight and I wondered why, but was soon enlightened when we saw that very few of the Filipinos on our flight actually listen to directions and they try to smash bags that are too large and too heavy into the over-head compartments. And they were stubborn too. Throughout the course of the flight the movies started late, the food was so-so, and I thought I was going to go crazy. The 10.5hrs to Manila felt longer than the 13hrs to Taiwan from Seattle last year. maybe it was because there was no free, personal movie screen where you could watch movie after movie until you arrived at your destination...perhaps I'm the only one who felt that way.
Traffic in the Philippines...oh goodness. I've been in some crazy traffic before but this one tops all so far. Like Bali, lines don't really matter and neither do turn signals--but that's why you have a horn! Whether you tap or lean on it, people get the idea and there were no accidents on our way to Terminal 3 in Manila. More on the Philippines when I get to when we actually stopped there for visiting. Until then, a minor mention of their mind-boggling traffic "rules" should suffice.
Terminal 3 is probably the nicest terminal in the airport and it was so empty! Granted, it was night time and we were flying internationally, but still...it was surprising to us. While wandering, we ran into another American named Petra. She was in the Peace Corps stationed in the Philippines but had a break so she was on her way to Taiwan for about a week. Well, consider the floodgates opened since Jordan lived there for two years and I am in love with the place. We started sharing all of our favorite places with her so she'd have a better idea of what to do once she got there and met up with her friend from high school. She found out that we were Mormons and asked questions about the organization and functions of being on a mission. I could gather that she either had a negative new of Mormons or not very much exposure to us because she'd occasionally look uncomfortable any time we'd mention something a little "churchy." Well, she is from Georgia and a lot of people in the South don't like us, so it's not unexpected, but at least she knows the four of us are normal people. We weren't getting all preachy, just clearing up some misconceptions that go along with explaining how our church is organized. She was a bit surprised to find out that Jordan and I were married since we are pretty young.
And back to the flight stuff... After being delayed an hour and moved two gates away, we finally boarded the Cebu Pacific plane to Singapore. It was past midnight in Asia and I was beyond exhausted...to the point of finding it difficult to be nice or act un-drunk. I slept the whole way. Deplaning was pretty quick because they opened both the front and rear doors for us to get down to the tarmac. As we left the plane and walked along the tarmac, I wanted to take a picture of the plane from so close, which we were told to refrain from doing, and as I was about to pull out my camera, I saw a guy getting scolded about the same thing--thus ended that little wish of rebellion.
...on to Singapore...
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