The Travel Tales of Julia Sheldon

I arrived in Bali at 11:30am, having no idea what there is to see and do besides what I had read in Eat, Pray, Love (totally awesome read, btw). A driver from the hotel picked me up and told me all about Bali: the industry is 80% tourism, 10% culture, and 10% other stuff; there is a national language of Indonesian, as well as hundreds of others for all of the bazillion islands; Bali is a relatively safe place, except for Kuta where one must be careful of pick pocketing; the population is 3.2 million .... plus all the tourists, so most people speak English. He was most helpful. The Island Hotel is SOOOOO incredibly nice and amazing. There is a wonderful reception area, with delicious food and drinks. There are 2 huge/airy/lovely air conditioned dorms of 12 beds, as well as individual rooms. There is a pool!! It is ideally located away from all the hustle and bustle but not too far away. The staff are all incredibly friendly and wonderful. There is a bar up on a second level above the

Spent 2 days in Bangkok again - SAW HARRY POTTER 3D on the 15th, with assigned seating ... and the theatre was definitely nowhere near full. I was shocked. Then again, it was 4:40pm on a Friday - though, it was a Buddhist holiday so a lot of stuff was closed. The mall the theatre was in was friggin massive, with a fancy car dealership on the 4th floor and Ocean World aka a massive aquarium on the bottom floor - cah-razy! We picked up Sarah's sister from the airport and decided to go the market on Saturday. This market is so incredibly overwhelming. It is massive. So massive they hand out maps so you can navigate your way through the various sections. That's right - sections: food, clothing, art, animals, etc. Yes, animals. There is a section full of furry little animals for purchase - SO ADORABLE ... though, a lil bit creepy and terrifying. There are so many stray dogs and cats, it doesn't make sense that people would buy them from these little shops. That being said, may

We're going to do this point-form(ish) since a lot has happened in the last week, and no one wants to read a novel on a blog. Night 3 and Day 4 in Chiang Mai After the temple on the mountain, Michelle and I attempted to go to Monk Chats, but realized we actually went to the wrong temple so decided to have dinner instead. It was my first close encounter with a ladyboy, and he clearly hated his job. I've been told that being gay in Thailand is not okay unless one is a ladyboy, which is why there are so many around. I'm not totally sure if this is true or not, but it would make sense. Went out to a couple of rooftop bars with some lovely Scottish ladies, and sample a few fun cocktails known as "Cheers Sexy" and "Sex on the Rooftop." Clever, no? (Rooftop bar, sex on the beach becomes sex on the rooftop). After checking out of the hostel, we went for breakfast/lunch and decided to go for massages. I had a sunburn so couldn't get a Thai massage, whi

Rather than talking to monks yesterday, we went to a beautiful temple on a mountain. The winding roads up were a little nausea-inducing, but eventually it was okay. After climbing a bajillion steps past vendors of all kinds, and beautiful dragons, we reach the temple. Inside the temple, we were blessed by a monk and given a good luck bracelet. Apparently we have to break it after 3 days and it will bring us good luck. I'm not really sure how to break it, since it's a bunch of strings knotted together :s Now, when I say blessed by a monk, I mean, we entered the temple on our knees, shimmied up to the monk, and had water thrown on us with an odd bamboo stick kind of thing, while being blessed. Then, we had to hold out our hands so the bracelet could be dropped into them, since monks cannot touch women. When walking out of the temple, to see the grounds, we see the most beautiful view of Chiang Mai city, which is actually huge. Behind the temple is a lovely garden tended to by the

We switched hostels yesterday to a super great/cheap/slightly gross hostel called A Little Bird Guesthouse. It's rad. But the toilets don't flush, so you have to pour water down the toilet ... it's interesting, to say the least. Oh! Also, the shower is in the same room as the toilet and sink, so while taking a shower, one must try not to cover the toilet in water as well. Flip flops or footwear of some variety must be worn at all times. So, after checking in to the new hostel, meeting the young British babies who share our room, and having breakfast, we decided to rent some bicycles and bike around the Old City checking out a bunch of temples. Now, there are temples EVERYWHERE, and these temples all have monks living in them. I am slightly in awe, and slightly confused as to the sheer number of monks, as well as their age. Most of them are so young. I wonder how they decide which temple to be part of. These temples are all so beautiful, too. I am intrigued by the wildli

There is SO much to tell. So, first, buses here are crazy. Crazy awesome, that is: They lean back so far; there are various cup holders; we were given dinner and breakfast with coffee; movies play; blankets are given out. Some even have individual touch screens with video game controllers. Cah-razy! We arrived in Chiang Mai at 6:30am, and tried finding a hostel in the old city. We went to 4, but no one had space. We then stopped in at a hotel that is actually so incredibly nice. The old city is quaint, and relatively small/easy to get around .... and full of Western tourists. I quite like it, not because of the tourists, but due to the number of markets, temples, and hostels. Today was a great day. We went with Chok Chai tours, who definitely did not disappoint, to an elephant camp. First, went bamboo rafting down a river. We moved way faster than I was expecting, but it wasn't too fast that I was scared. Then, we saw an elephant show - they painted pictures, put balls into ba

Well, these have been a pretty amazing two days. Yesterday we went to the Grand Palace, which is basically right downtown and is such a tourist spot. Here are a few words to describe it: giant. gold. immaculate. outrageous. Exhibit A. It should be noted that to enter these places there is a certain dress code. So, most people borrow or buy skirts/pants and shirts to cover up, as seen in photo below. Today, we weren't able to take any pictures inside. We first went to Vivanmek Mansion, which is where King Rama V lived from 1901-1906. Let me just say, the place is immaculate. Holy moly. There are separate staircases for king, queen, princesses, and servants. Some of the rooms are still used today by the king and queen for "reception" areas and dressing rooms. Sheesh! Fancy! On the same grounds, there is the Throne Hall. I am in absolute awe, and have never seen anything as exquisite, as detailed, as beautiful. Throne Hall begins with a beautiful green chandel