Adventures in Thailand!

Hello all!

I am currently in Singapore for the 3^rd time (and loving it!) and I am VERY excited because I am going to get to spend the next two weeks with my parents on the cruise ship!  I am excited for them to see what I do on a daily basis and share a bit of my life with them for the next two weeks!  But, first I must update you on my time in Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, and Ko Samui!

I spent my day in Ho Chi Minh with Slava and we didn’t do anything too exciting.  It was Chinese New Year so there weren’t a lot of shops open and there were lots of beautiful decorations everywhere.  Even if you’re not in China, the Lunar New Year is a big deal.  So, we walked around for a bit and did some shopping and then ended up getting a foot/body massage that was ah-mahzing.  It was only $9 for an hour!! CRAZY.  Since there wasn’t much else to do in the city, I didn’t feel guilty about having some pampering time.

Our next stop was Bangkok!  I was VERY excited for Bangkok because I was planning on meeting up with good friends of mine from Montana.  Growing up, I went to choir camp at FLBC and then, of course worked there as a counselor.  Anthony Giles has been a choir director there since I was little and I have seen his kids grow up as I saw them once a summer and always treasured that special week!  Now, Anthony, his wife (Jackie), two sons (Zach and Cruz), and daughter (Amanda) are living in Bangkok while Anthony teaches choir at the International School of Bangkok (ISB).  His eldest daughter, McKenzie is currently studying abroad in Scotland so I didn’t get the chance to see her which was too bad!  However, I was very excited to see the Giles family as I hadn’t seen them in 3 years!

When I first arrived in Bangkok, I hired a taxi to take me to the International School.  It was about an hour and a half drive, so it cost me $40.  I thought that was reasonable until I found out that the ride should’ve cost me about $7...Anyway, I was happy to arrive safe and sound at ISB and found Anthony during a recital the students were having.  I sat in on the concert and listened to lovely pianists, violinists, singers etc. which was such a treat for me!  Unfortunately I had an awful cough and had to keep leaving to let it out.  Have you ever tried holding a cough in?? IT IS THE WORST.  I tried to keep it in and I began convulsing/crying because it was the most uncomfortable feeling ever.  Anyway, after the concert, Anthony took me to his house which is just a few minutes walk away.

Anthony and his family live in a gated community that houses many ISB students/teachers.  Families come from all over the world to attend this school and it was such an INCREDIBLE institution!  People travel around on scooters and golf carts and I enjoyed getting to see how this little community lived.  I had already spent some time in downtown Bangkok and this place was VERY different!  I met Cruz (who is now 3 years old) and used some free internet (yay!) while Anthony went back to work.  It wasn’t long until Amanda got home from school and we had a chance to catch up.  Then, we headed on her scooter to get a foot massage (how can you NOT when it’s only $6??)

It was so nice eating dinner with a family again.  I miss that so much and I felt so blessed to sit down in a foreign country with familiar faces and share great food.  It was also nice because the youngest kids went to bed pretty early so I got to have a nice looong sleep in a double bed which was a change for me!

Amanda, Myself, and Zach

The next day I had the opportunity to perform for the students/some teachers which was awesome!  It has been awhile since I have performed for enthusiastic audience members! A lot of the time on the cruise ship I am playing background music or playing for people who are playing cards, drinking, etc.  But these students were so attentive and so interested in what I was doing!  I haven’t heard so many hoots and hollers in a long time.  It was such an encouraging experience!  I even did a few of my own songs which they really liked which, again, was encouraging for me.

Anthony and I

I wish I had more time at the school (I hope I can go back someday!) but I had to work that evening, so I took a taxi home (and DIDN’T get ripped off) and said goodbye to my friends.  I am SO thankful that I was able to meet up with this family and see a bit of their very busy and full lives! 

That night, a bunch of us went out in Bangkok.  The night started off well.  I wore polka dot shorts so obviously I was happy.  However, we landed in the equivalent of the Thai “red light district” which I was unaware of for the first little while and then started to clue and become extremely uncomfortable.  A lot of “what is happening in my life right now?” was said both in my head as well as aloud.  Anyway, some people wanted to go see a “ping pong” show which is basically a place where naked girls perform tricks with ping pong balls.  What?  Why does this exist?  I opted out and went off with another group but we ended up at a club that was expensive, smokey, and didn’t have a dance floor.  They also had a live band who tried to sing Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” (who do you think you are?) so it wasn’t my ideal situation.

We ended up riding in a vehicle that is similar to a taxi called a...tuk tuk, I think? Can’t remember, but we were going VERY fast and I was scared out of my mind but had high hopes that we would make it to a great club alive.  Well, we DID make it alive but the club was awful so we just went home.  It was kind of a disappointing night for me, but  maybe we will get to a better place when we come back.

Finally, we made our last stop in Ko Samui.  I had a fantastic day with the boys: Slava, Simon (new personal trainer), P.J (sound guy), and Marcio (DJ).  We rode in the back of a truck to an elephant park where we rode on the elephants and fed them. 

On our way to the elephants!

I have the prettiest toes out of everyone.  YES.

Our mode of transportation for the day...

PJ

Feeding Jumbo!

Elephants are so cool!  We then headed to a temple on the way to a beautiful beach.  We had some smoothies at a resort and enjoyed a few hours there.  It was a beautiful sunny day until I wanted to go swimming and then of COURSE when I step on the beach it starts pouring rain.  I was not happy.  Thankfully, the sun came back and I spent a lovely two hours swimming (even having races with Slava which was entertaining) and enjoying the sand and sun!

Thai Temple

And...it's pouring rain.

Beach! 

Yesterday, I was in Singapore and met my Mum for a few hours!  Dad, of course decided to do something different and so I haven’t seen him yet.  I guess he figured he would be seeing me for the next two weeks so there was no sense waiting around for me...Classic.  Anyway, Mum and I went shopping in one of the most famous markets in Singapore.  We bought about 15 headbands (obviously) and, really, anything for your hair that looked sparkly or had “bling” on it (Mum loves her bling).  Plus, I love bows so Asia is the worst when it comes to saving money.  Basically I spent the whole time talking and she listened intently (when she wasn’t distracted by bling) and we had a quick coffee before I had to get back to the ship.

I am very excited for the next two weeks-they should be full of adventure and good times!  I can’t believe I am already more than halfway through my contract!  CRAZY.  I am REALLY enjoying this contract and thankful for the places I’ve seen and the people I’ve met.  And now I get to share it all with my parents!  Stay posted for more updates!  Hope you all are well!

A

P.S Here are a few random photos reflecting life onboard:

I am definitely part of the boys club!

There's always an excuse to eat chicken at 11:00 PM on a ship.

This is how Slava and I pass the time. We play American and Russian children's games.  His are difficult and I hate it.

China and Vietnam!

Hello all!! Sorry it has taken me so long to write-I have REALLY been enjoying my time here and trying to make use of the time I have in all of the ports which is why I haven't written a blog in so long.  But I think that's a good thing, right?  Nevertheless, I want to update everyone on what I've been doing!

Card Heaven!

So, where we last left off I was in Singapore about to start on the second voyage of the cruise ship.  Indonesia was great, but I was ready for something new.  I had an AWESOME day in Singapore!  Sadly, I spent most of the day at the mall (and that was why the day was AWESOME) but it was the first time I had been in a real city for 10 days so I felt justified in spending the whole day indoors.  The first store that I went in was my favourite because it had the most amazing selection of greeting cards!  However, Singapore is relatively expensive and apparently, greeting cards are a luxury item because they were around $5.00 each!  I DIDN'T BUY A SINGLE ONE!! I was so proud of myself.  We'll see if I can resist next time though...I also bought a few dresses and picked up a few souvenirs so that was great!  I also had amazing FREE wifi so that was a treat. :)

Our first stop in Vietnam was Ho Chi Min City.  It was crazy!! I thought I was going to get killed every time I tried to cross the street.  I tried to get pictures of the craziness but of course it is hard to capture it all on the camera!  I just walked around for a few hours, went to the market, people watched (my fave) but I had to be back on the ship relatively early so I didn't do much.  It was a big city which can be a little intimidating to try and figure things out.  I knew we would be coming back two more times so I wasn't too worried about it.

Typical driving attire in Vietnam

Not very much fun trying to cross the street...

Then, we were in Halong Bay, Vietnam.  I had the best day ever here because the market was SO GREAT!  I bought so much stuff and had the best time just walking around looking at everything.  I hate bartering with the storekeepers but I think I am getting pretty good at it.  I hung out with Julian who plays the trumpet in the orchestra.  He only bought one t-shirt but he was patient with me and waited for me to do all of my shopping before we went out for lunch (we ate Vietnamese food, of course!).  It was a very relaxing day of shopping, internet, and good company.  The funniest thing was that before I went out everyone was telling me "Annika it is really cold outside, you need to put on more clothes!" (I was wearing shorts and a tank top).  So, I changed into pants and a t-shirt and brought my rain jacket along just in case.   Julian and I stepped outside and it was REALLY HOT!  Well, "really hot" for us Canadians.  Everyone else was walking around in big puffy winter jackets, toques, and nobody was in bare legs that's for sure!  It was so funny though because we thought it was still really warm.  Anyway, it was a good day.

Julian and I ready to go

Gloves that I bought in the market

In terms of life on the ship, this cruise was great because I had the opportunity to do my own show with the orchestra!  I was so nervous about it, but it went fantastically well and was very well received by the audience!  A lot of the crew came to see it which I really appreciated and they really liked it so it was a really uplifting and encouraging experience for me.  I have been behind the piano doing cocktail sets for so long that I think I forgot what it felt like to be on stage in front of an audience again and, I must say, it was AH-MAHZING. I just had this euphoric feeling the whole time and was so grateful to be there.  I can't really describe it in words, but I was very very happy!  Below are a few pictures from the event...! This cruise was short, so before I knew it, we were disembarking and getting new guests on in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has now become my favourite port because I had the best two days there.  The first day I hung out with Katrina, Julian, and Elissa (friends from the orchestra) and we went on a ferry, off the mainland to a different, smaller island.  We first saw the symbol of Hong Kong (equivalent to NYC's Statue of Liberty, I guess) and then we took the tube to a mall to eat somewhere and explore the central area of the island.  Our lunch was very enjoyable even though it was quite an experience trying to order.  We didn't get what we ordered, but it was definitely authentic Chinese food that I didn't understand.  Awesome.  The mall was pretty ritzy so we didn't stay there long and we had to get back early for boat drill, entertainment meeting etc. so it was a quick day, but a great day!  That  night, however, was the best night I have had in a LONNGG time!

Symbol of Hong Kong

Shopping Mall 

Ready to explore!

Hong Kong Light Show

Vending machine devoted to kleenex.  Very necessary.

Little snapshots of Hong Kong!

First, at the "welcome aboard show" I sang "Let's Get It On" at the piano which was really fun.  Of course, I was backstage at first dancing by myself (obviously) when this guy, Slava, who is one of the two ballroom dancers onboard starts dancing with me saying "You are so crazy!".  He is from Belarus,  has a thick Russian accent and. is. hilarious.  I met him at boat drill the day before and he has a crazy amount of energy.  Anyway, we became friends because apparently "we are both crazy".  He told me that a bunch of people were going out dancing that night and I should come.  So, after my last set of the night, I got changed into some comfortable dancing clothes.  Of course, everyone told me I would be way too cold.  I told them I would be fine and lo and behold, it was hot outside so I was happy I didn't change.

Now, when I say Slava and I ripped up the dance floor, it is an understatement.  We tore that club apart!  At first, nobody was dancing (this is usually discouraging to most people, but I always see it as a good thing because it means I have more room to dance).  Anyway, Slava is doing his ballroom/hip hop dancing (which is great) and I am going crazy as per usual.  Locals are recording us on their phone because they probably didn't understand what was happening.  Then, these two Asians came and danced with us for an entire hour.  They were just so fascinated by our dancing (and my hair) and would just imitate anything I would do.  I would put my hands up, they would do the same.  I would shake my head, they would do the same.  It was so great.  They also LOVED giving me high fives.  It was awesome.  We took some photos outside (it was a challenge because a homeless man kept trying to get in the picture and hug me) and kept dancing outside and singing all the way home.  It was such an amazing night!  Not only because I got to dance, but because I knew I had made a new friend.

Austin and I

Night out!

Dancing Partners (and homeless man who was coming a LITTLE too close...!)

Trying to do a diva pose as Slava tells the homeless guy (in Russian) to get out of the picture)

SUCCESS!

Dancing in the street.  Literally.

Slava, "Gerry" (I don't think that's his real name), and Austin

On the way home...

Slava and I hung out the next day in Hong Kong just walking around, doing some shopping, eating, and taking the city in!  I think you will be hearing about Slava quite often as he has quickly become my best friend on the ship, and I am so grateful for his presence here!

SO NICE TO FIND A FAMILIAR STORE!

Panda Exhibit in the mall!

Crew Dance Party (all I say to the bartender is..."I will be dancing.  So...water please?" and I walk around the whole night with a giant bottle of water in my hand.  haha)

After Hong Kong, we were in Halong Bay again.  Slava and I just went to the market/did some internet with our friend, Wade.  We didn't have much time there, though, and it takes 3 hours to get into the city so we just enjoyed the day.

Slava and I

Then, we were in Hue Danang.  I was on port manning one day so I could only get off once.  I went on a shore excursion to a beach resort and it was absolutely fantastic!  I walked along the beach for 2 hours (and by "walked" I mean I danced in the waves and pretended to make a music video.  NBD) and enjoyed the pool, sun, and the wonderful fresh fruit I got to enjoy.

Doesn't Get Much Better Than This!

Loving Life

The downside was I got SO SUNBURNT!!  I guess I didn't realize how much sun I got until I had a shower and my face felt like it was on fire.  For the past two days, I have been applying Aloe Vera like crazy and finally today it has become less red.  I no longer look like a lobster which I am thankful for.  Tonight, I am doing my show with the orchestra for this new group of passengers.  My voice isn't at 100% but I am praying that everything will go well and the show will be a success again!  

View from the piano...Not bad at all!

I am having a wonderful time on this  contract.  I have finally found a community which has made the days go by much quicker and made things much more enjoyable.  Every night I am so thankful that this is my life.  Tonight is going to be another night of dancing because it's the Valentine's Day party.  I am loving life and hoping you are all doing well at home!

All my love to you from Vietnam!

Love,

A