The Whirlwind Tour of Southeast Asia

Here are pictures of our tour around Southeast Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Macau. Enjoy!

The Suk 11, our backpacker's hostel in Bangkok, Thailand. It was like the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse in Disneyland. We stayed here for our 4 nights in Thailand. It was all made of wood, and full of foreign backpackers from all over the world.



Our contribution to the graffiti-ed walls of the Suk 11 Hostel in Bangkok



Our luggage for the two-week excursion, which we carried on our backs through five countries. My backpack is the one on the right, holding the purple plastic bag which contains my cute ornamental umbrella I bought in Thailand. I carried it throughout the entire trip, on planes, trains, and boats, and didn't even lose it. UNTIL the night we arrived in our last destination, Hong Kong, where of course I left it on the bus. BUT...through a long and arduous process we reclaimed it.



At the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, a giant compound of temples.



Me in a tuk-tuk, my preferred method of transportation. They sound just like their name. They're pretty cheap to ride, and the open-air seating cools you off from the sticky Thai air. Careful, though, the drivers are evil. We got dragged through Bangkok by our driver who didn't tell us that he got his gas paid if he took us to all these stores. So we spent a lot of time shopping in these random stores. After like two hours, he FINALLY took us to the Golden Mount, which was where we were headed in the first place.



I didn't know you could buy those in stores. Sign me up.



Jay and the Monks. He fits in well with his hair.

We travelled through the back canals of Bangkok in one of these dragon-tailed boats. We saw all the houses on stilts above the river. And what boat trip would be complete without a little souvenir lady paddling up next to our boat to offer us plastic elephants and photo albums?



Standing at the feet of the great lounging Buddha. I was asked to wear the shawl around my shoulders because I was wearing a tank top that wasn't "appropriate" for this Buddha, apparently. The bottom of this guy's feet are inlaid with Mother of Pearl.



The face of the reclining Buddha, the largest reclining Buddha in the world, at that.



One of the coolest Thai fruits- rambutan.

We signed up for a day tour while we were in Bangkok, and one thing that was included was an ox cart ride. Yes, they made us wear the hats.



Me...just chillin...driving the ox cart. When the hungry one on the right would stop to eat the bushes, I got to swat him with my trusty switch.



At a waterfall in Khao Yai National Park where we saw a spider the size of a small child.



Yes, this is Jay and I riding on an elephant. After the ox cart ride, we got to jump aboard this baby and trek through the jungle and a river. Our elephant trainer/driver, as we affectionately called #3, jumped off the elephant near the beginning of the ride and let us ride on the elephant's neck. He just walked in front of us and snapped pictures of us, yelling "Ma! Ma ma ma!" and "Hoo-ah!" to get the elephant to move. Quite the experience, definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done. I'll give anyone 10 baht if they can pick out something "wrong" with this picture.



A collage of our elephant ride



Jay and I on our four-legged friend



After we rode the elephant, we got to feed her. She ate green bananas like it was going out of style.



If you look carefully, you can see a black dotted line---that's the route we took on our elephants through the jungle and the river.

Jay in front of a Muslim mosque we got to tour while in Penang, Malaysia. We had some time to kill during a train layover in Butterworth, Malaysia, so we took the ferry over to Penang to check it out. P.S. Don't ever go there. 



Jay and his Kickapoo Joy Juice in front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Petronas Towers were the tallest towers until the Taipei 101 came along...but they're still the tallest twin towers.



Jay and I posing for a Kodak moment during our trek through KL 



Me kissing the Menara in Kuala Lumpur. It was basically a space needle, and we got to go up to the top and see across the whole city of KL. 



On our last day in Kuala Lumpur, Jay and I took a half-day tour with this man, Mr. Nic. Here he is showing us how to "tap" a rubber tree.  



Me on the 200-something steps up to the Batu Caves in Malaysia. The Batu Caves are made of limestone and house Hindu shrine/temples. We were taken to this place by our good friend, the tour guide, Mr. Nic.  



Candles and Hindus at the Hindu Shrine inside the Batu Caves.