So how did our trip turn into a non-stop adventure? Well, here's what happened...
To set the stage, Fu and I decided to fly out of Tianjin instead of Beijing to save $ ($200 US...I KNOW what some of you are saying..."Emmi, it's not worth all that trouble for $200!" Was trying to be good with $$$ ok???). Instead of flying from the Jing, we decided to be cheapskates this time and booked Air Asia (SE Asia's low budget airline) with the intention of flying from Tianjin, a northern port city located only 30 minutes away from the Jing by bullet train. From Tianjin you can get to KL and then transfer from KL to Phuket. What's a little inconvenience when you can save $$?
Now I'm not sure what got into us, but not only did we take the cheaper route, we also decided to travel to Tianjin on Oct. 1, when China celebrated its big 60th bday bash and implemented some of the tightest road and security restrictions. All of the planes were grounded on the morning of Oct. 1 because China needed the air space for its fighter jets. The roads were closed, the subways were closed, and all civilians were ordered to stay inside. Unless you lived in the outer rings of the city, it was a pretty hellish time to travel.
Basically, our trip was filled with adventure after adventure the minute we left our door:
- Day 1: We went to the wrong train station in Beijing (Shh...I know!). Had to fight the crowds (elbows-out style) and wait in line for an hour for a taxi to bring us to the right station! Made it to Tianjin and spent the night there. The city is not bad!
- Day 2: Heavy fog diverted our plane to Beijing, not Tianjin (grrrr). Yeah. Missed our connecting flight in KL. Stayed in KL overnight. Although didn't expect to stay in KL, had a great time there!
- Day 3: Didn't book next morning flight to Phuket in time. Waited until 6:30 pm to board the next flight. Finally got to Phuket that evening but got sick that evening :( Still...a beach is a beach!
- Day 4: As if we weren't done with traveling, we switched hotels and traveled one hour north to stay at a different hotel. NOW...we had very good reason to do this. Fu got us an awesome deal at the Amanpuri for the night, and it had always been my dream to stay at an Amanresort (rooms are normally $1,000 USD!!!). As a result, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and we HAD to move. Boy was it well worth the trip! Private beach, free massage, 24/hour pampering...it was awesome (although I have to admit...not sure if worth 1 grand!)!!!
- Day 5: Enjoyed R&R at the Aman so much, missed direct ferry to Krabi. Typical. Had to book a 5-hour long ferry ride to get to Krabi instead. 5-hour long ferry was a roach infested boat that sailed choppy waters. Yuck. Got sea sick. Double yuck. Made it to Krabi that night, but realized we left our passports at the Aman. Ugh! Good thing Aman was the Aman, and they convinced the Sofitel to let us stay in Krabi! Phew!
- Day 6: Remnants of the big monsoon hit Thailand...heavy rain all day so stayed inside. Watched Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Got a little bored...booooo! But at least the rain stopped in the evening and we got to check out Ao Nang!
- Day 7: Journey home. Enjoyed morning swim in the pool and cooking class in the afternoon. Left at 2:30 pm for Phuket. Picked up passports at Phuket airport. Flight to KL delayed. Made it to KL. Worried about connecting flight again. Had to switch terminals at KL, which was half an hour away! Made it to the right terminal, but flight delayed 2 hours. Didn't leave KL until 3 am!!! Flight packed with locals who were acting like locals (ugh). Elbows out again. Arrived next morning in Tianjin at 9 am in heavy fog. Almost couldn't get on train to get back to Beijing because station was packed with October holiday returnees. Elbows out. Finally made it back to Beijing at 12:30 pm!!!!
Who knew Tianjin was actually a relatively pretty city? A port city, Tianjin was the northern equivalent of Shanghai back in the day, and enjoyed a healthy amount of foreign residents. Today, the leftover European-style architecture still graces this city's landscape.
We visited the Italian Concession in Tianjin. It's like Xintiandi's smaller sister with lots of Italian restaurants! Food was pretty good!
What do you do when you're stuck in KL for less than 24 hours? Visit a hawker stand! We went to Jalan Alor, where you can find lots of yummy Malaysian food!
Fried baramundi fish with Thai chili sauce. YUMMMM
Stinkin' durian heaven
The Petronas Towers!
Evil monkey in KL
Kaya cakes!
A lovely afternoon at the Aman...*joy!*
The private beach
Krabi...which reminded me a lot of Yangshuo
Dinner at Sala Bua, one of the popular Thai restaurants in Ao Nang
The pool at the Sofitel was HUGE...7,000 sq meters!
Tiny crabs lived in the sand and created these pretty patterns
Fu bought himself a pair of men's fisherman pants...trying to look like Bruce Lee?
Falling tree pose
Sawadee kaa! Check out my fisherman pants! Colors overload
Cooking class at the Sofitel. Here's Fu with our teacher.
I don't know what I'm doing...
Holy basil spicy beef
Masaman chicken curry!
YUMMY!!!
3rd dish: fried crab meat and taro
Final dish: Prawn and eggplant salad with spicy Thai chili sauce
Our meal!
Anyway, our trip wasn't relaxing...but we really had a great time! I loved KL during the brief time I spent there - it was comfortable, the streets and the air were clean, and the food was simply fabulous. It almost felt like a larger version of Singapore to me. Phuket was a bit over hyped and too commercial for my taste, but Krabi was beautiful. Sadly, I didn't get to do any of my original activities...scuba diving...rock climbing, but it was gorgeous and I want to go back! Promise I'll bring my noodles with me this time!
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