Thailand / Malaysia 2008
Date: April 28 - June 5, 2008
This trip was the longest time I have been away from home, a total of 39 days! In one way, it was grueling with the ridiculous 21 consecutive 14-hour-working days. On the other hand, it was refreshing in the second part of my trip to wake up whenever I want, and to go and eat wherever and whatever I want. It was also eye-opening in a sense to see people's way of lives on the other side of the world. It definitely made me appreciate where I am a lot more.
 It was a plesant 14-hour ride from Honolulu to Bangkok since I upgraded to business class. Thank you United Mileage Plus! We landed at 12:00am and took a limo down to Pattaya. It was my first experience with the city famed for the sex industry. However, this was a business trip. When I say business, I am talking about crazy work hours and lots of sweats. But we were able to squeeze out some fun with our group of guys. One morning, Brandon and Larry showed up with these cheap-looking shirts at breakfast. That night, Mike, Ray and I found this store above Top's Supermarket and they were selling the shirts that Brandon and Larry were wearing. Guess what, the three of us showed up to breakfast the next day with the very same shirts.
 It was also nice to see Mike again after he had left our department. Mike, Ray, and I definitely spent the most time together during the 3 weeks and we really got closer together. With 14-hour work days, there was very little private time. Our day went like this: Wake up at 4:45am, eats breakfast downstairs at 5:05am, gets on the bus at 5:30am, turnover at 6:15am, work till 11:30am, eat outside at the stand till whenever we get called to go back inside, work till 6:15pm, turnover at 6:30pm, arrive back at hotel at 7:30pm, meet downstairs to go to dinner at 8:00pm, get back to hotel by 10:00pm, take shower and watch TV. This went on for about 20 days. Pretty crazy huh?
 After the business part of the trip, I got to relax for the next two weeks in Thailand and Malaysia. The best part about Bangkok was that I got to meet up with Dennis and Ryan. We had hell of a time there even though Ryan had to leave the night (or morning - 2am) I got to Bangkok. Dennis, Raymond, his girlfriend, and I were lucky to visit Ayutthaya - the city of the ruins. Thanks to my professor, I met her colleague Aree in Bangkok and she served as a guide and took the 8 of us to Ayutthaya for some sightseeing actions. We hit the climax when we saw the ruins like the ones you see here on the right.
 When I got to Malaysia, it was almost night and day. It was strange to see 2 neighboring countries so different in their culture. One is a Buddhist country with a vibrant nightlife, the other is a Muslim country with a very conservative lifestyle. One thing in common though - knock-off Rolex. I couldn't believe how many times I was asked to buy a Rolex at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Out of all the trips that I have taken by myself, this trip had to be the best. There were days when I woke up at 10am, walked downstairs to Chinatown in KL and had a bowl of porridge for breakfast. Went back upstairs and took a shower, and finally rode the light rail to visit a site. To sum up my trip, it was a 6-week experience that I will never forget. It began with me not really sure how whether I could adjust to the culture. It ended with me being immersed in their way of life.
Top 3 hightlights:
- Seeing the ruins in Ayutthaya
- Taking all the pictures of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur
- Seeing a sign in KL that says "It's the small things that make life meaningful"
Bottom 3 lowlights:
- Working 14-hour days for 20 straight days
- Breathing the foul air in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur
- Ordering lunch at the stand outside of work and never getting the food that you order
- Getting your food attacked by flies within seconds of getting your order
Check out the slideshow on the right or visit my photo gallery.
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