Thailand: Day 2- Phi Phi Scuba

Our second real day of the trip, we went scuba diving with Super Divers at Phi Phi Island. We did 3 dives and it was a wonderful experience. On the drive up, we went through Patong, Karon, and Chalong. I got to see the Big Buddha from far and it still looked huge! When we got to the pier, we had to take an amusing pink bus down to the boat because the pier was so long. The boat had food and drove out about 2 hours from shore. Our instructor named Allen was awesome and walked us through the details of scuba diving, where we were going, and marine life. It was really impressive how much he knew and loved scuba. He really made the experience for us. Osho had never scuba diver before, but started loving it by dive 2. I can't spell the names of the places we dived, but we saw plenty of coral, anemone, catfish, clownfish, purple-green- rainbow fish, eels, starfish, split fish, and more. Allen took plenty of underwater photos, which he will send us later by email. 

We loved being on the boat!

By the end of the day, we were exhausted. We were out and back to the hotel roughly from 7:15-5:30. It was a long day. I made sure to book sea canoeing at Phang Na (James Bond Island) for the next day since we loved being on the water so much and didn't want to do the typical touristy things. We also walked around the area a bit new, got a very cheap dinner, and I bought some super cheap, designer eye shadow. I found out that a lot of factories are in Bangkok, so we should wait until we are there to buy more stuff for a better price. Regardless, I wanted to buy everything because prices are so good. We also walked on the beach at night. Overall, it was a great day :)

Thailand: Day 1!

Getting here has literally been a journey. We tried really hard to get the best flight over possible by price and time. I think we did a good job, but it was still exhausting. New York to Tokyo to Bangkok to Phuket. We watched 'how to train your dragon 2,' 'gone girl' (I read the book and it matches), half of 'whiplash' (fell asleep). Osho got really into a golf game on the plane. I also finished 'the Rosie effect', which was a good, light read. It was funny and sweet- perfect for the trip. The rest of the time we slept and ate. Japan airlines have us so much food and we got to try so many snacks and drinks like Japanese kiwi drank, plum wine, picked plum, seafood shaped fishy crackers, seaweed rice crackers, and a lot more. Trying the Japanese snacks was really fun, but we needed to eat some real food. Also, briefly having a layover in Tokyo was actually really cool. The stores had so many things I had never seen before- like hello kitty everything and various snacks. I wanted to buy everything, but refrained. It is better if I wait until we come back. That way, we won't be carrying extra weight all over Thailand. Even the Bangkok airport had so many goodies. We tried papaya salad and shrimp coconut soup with rice noodles at the airport and they were surprisingly awesome. Same with iced coffee and dried fish skin. We had the opportunity to pose various places because there were a lot of set ups for Valentine's Day. Overall, it was tiring, but we made it to Phuket.

Airplane food on Japan airlines. Could be worse

Airport food- salted egg papaya salad and shrimp coconut soup with rice noodle

We made it to Japan!

Cutest and most tired couple who might have slept at the airport during their layover?

Our hotel has a ridiculous free breakfast buffet. They have American and Thai food in various forms and a ton of fruit, including these tiny bananas, tiny Chinese clementine, and dragon fruit. 

When we finally arrived in Phuket, we took a mini bus service to our hotel. Is was cheap and very weird- in the sense that they stopped the journey half way through to take us to a tourism station to try to sell us packages for swimming. It felt a little weird, but when we got to our hotel, it was totally worth it. We are staying at the Bursari Phuket and the hotel is absolutely beautiful. It has two pools, a bacony view from our room, great service, and is right outside from Patong Beach. 

Yes, this bird lives at our hotel. 

We immediately booked an epic couples massage at the spa here to get over our jet lag. It was amazing and probably the best massage of my life. We also got a good deal. After eating and massaging, we walked a whole 30 seconds to the beach. We Layed out in the sun and in front of the many blue layers of water. The weather was perfect- warm, but not unbearable. We went swimming for a while, too. The water was nice and warm. Osho saw a baby shark in the water and there were a few little fish swimming around. 

Osho is actually a fish. 

After, we went for a walk around the area, which was mostly markets. There was so much to see. I ended up bargaining hard for a pair of cute fisherman's pants at 300 baht or $9 USD. Then, we got some food (the first meal we have paid for so far, shockingly since everything has been inclusive so far). We ended up getting Indian food, which was awesome. We got veggie samosas, this lamb thing, amazing garlic naan, and two entrees (veggies and lamb).

We returned to the hotel to sleep. Since I woke up in the middle of the night and am still not adjusted to this time zone, I am writing this blog post. In a few hours, I will be off to scuba. So excited!

Friendsgiving

This week has been very busy at work, but now it's holiday time! I am spending thanksgiving with Osho and couldn't be happier. 

Osho is scared of me here, but it's cool. He is just being silly. His mom came over to make food and it was awesome!

We have so much food between Osho and I getting groceries at tj's, him picking up extra at whole foods, his mom bringing more, and me bringing stuff from work. It's pretty great and I'm excited to relax. Definitely going o hit up the hot tub. This is my second thanksgiving without my immediate family- the first being when I was living in Australia. Sammy is coming over osho's tomorrow for dinner and his parents are obvi already here.

I am thankful for my loving family, wonderful friends, and awesome apartment! Might add Osho since he is pretty great, too... Also thankful for my work buying me my new phone, shoes, and book (Chelsea handler, of course!). Actually writing this post on the new phone. 

I could write more, but carpel tunnel isn't a cute look. Might hit up some sales, so you might catch me there!

Xoxo

S

Weekend Recap

Friday
werk
spin
met osho at ippudo
dinner at this new west african/ haitian place called la marecage (?) with dope lamb
chickalicious green tea shake for dessert

Saturday
woke up early and didn't move out of bed
brunch at russ and daughters
walked to gansevoort market
walked across the highline and back
got a pizaa thing at chelsea market
ate half a pita
ordered masala wala
rebel bingo

Sunday
woke up at 6:30 am and coached forevers
met osho at whole foods to buy dinner ingredients
hit the steam room
watched tv
made bloody mary's
helped osho cook green etoutffee with shrimp and scallops, rosemary pureed cauilflower
ate that
chilled
good night

Weekend in Mass

This last weekend, I went away to Boston with Osho and it was great!

We hurriedly left Friday night on the bus to Boston, which was heavily delayed. As a result, we ate a second dinner with his parents at 1 AM. His mom's cooking is always amazing! I brought truffles from Fika as a house gift and we also brought some of the CSA vegetables for his mom to cook- noms!

Saturday, it rained, so we stayed in. It was very nice. Later, we ended up going to Whole Foods (the nicest grocery store I have ever been to in my life), Trader Joe's, and Star Market, before Osho and I split from his parents to hang out in Harvard Square. We went to a bar called Jimmy's or Charley's Kitchen (?) and drank beers in the cold weather. It was very refreshing because we sat in front of a little fire. I had clam chowder and Osho got a lobster roll- really hit the spot. Then, we walked around Harvard Square a bit and chilled in the law school, contemplating the future and business ventures. His dad picked us up and we are more food his mom made- still yum. She makes so much food- every meal is a feast! After dinner, we watched bad cooking shows together and fell asleep.

Sunday, we went to Salem in the morning. It was nice and Osho's parents had never been before. The leaves were changing colors and the festive spirit was catchy. I am really feeling Fall this year- not sure why more than other years. Anyway, they really liked the town and it was very cheesy, fun. By the afternoon, we drove to Lincoln for Sergei and Robin's wedding. We arrived early so his parents could walk around with us in DeCordova Sculpture Park. I had never been before and it was very pretty with the leaves changing and sun setting. Plus, the art all around was cool. Osho and I (hilariously) changed in the gift shop bathroom into wedding attire and his parents left. We attended the short ceremony (it was very cute) and then went into the museum within the park for drinks and apps. Following drinks, we ate lots of food. Osho and I both got the fish. I got to meet some of Osho's high school friends at the wedding, which in the least, was interesting.

Monday, we stayed in town, though I did not feel well most of the day. Osho, his parents, and myself walked across this gorgeous, elaborate park called Mount Auburn Cemetery. If you want to get technical, it is the first landscaped cemetery in America. The walk was long and we walked up a tower in the middle of the park with panoramic views of all of Boston and Cambridge. It was absolutely stunning and filled with colors and wildlife. I saw plenty of chipmunks and even a hawk perched on a grave. Some of the graves were very interesting, shaped like dogs and people. Most of the graves were very old- from the 1800's. We had to use a map to navigate through all of the little paths within the park. Overall, it was a very nice experience and very New England with the leaves changing so many colors (I keep writing this, but it's true!). I wish I was feeling better to enjoy it more, but looking back now, this was probably my favorite part of the trip. We ate plenty more food Monday and then headed over to Boston Amtrak. The train was miles better than taking shitty Peter Pan. It was very frustrating hunting for transportation options because all of them were expensive and terrible. Nonetheless, Osho and I agreed that we would probably stick to Amtrak since it was significantly more comfortable (though much more expensive). When we finally got back to his apartment, we cleaned and watched some Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Overall, it was a lovely weekend. Now, I just need to focus a bit more on promoting the book. We have a small number of sales, but it is definitely a start! Otherwise, Osho and I are considering new book ideas and also attempting at making a meme or imgur story relating to lasers- stay tuned!

xoxo
S

Animal Story Buzzfeed Article!

This: http://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahevak/12-epic-e-books-under-5-to-connect-with-your-in-n05e

Weekends are a Wonderland!

So I have been thinking lately how lazy/ boring I am during the week. Usually, I go to work and the gym. Then, I eat dinner and go to sleep. I have been dropping my goals a little bit and need to get back on the horse (promoting my book, reviewing Spanish on DuoLingo), etc. Nevertheless, my weekends are wonderland. Work is going fairly well (I guess), but I love my free time. I spend most of it with Osho when I am not working. I love coaching- don't get me wrong, but it is nice to just chill.

Friday, I met Osho at Spiff (his salon) and then we went to the Peninsula for the view. Then, we reached MoMA and looked at some art. We hungrily walked through Central Park over to Calle Ocho and had some paella and ceviche. Then, we picked up treats at Magnolia- so many. We got a lemon bar, banana pudding, a cheesecake, and a Snickers Icebox cake. Everything was really good, but not something I would want to eat on a regular basis- don't want to get fat!

Saturday, we stayed in because it was raining and hung out with his brother, Sid. We watched a bit of Peaky Blinders and ordered Cafe Con Leche (so yum)! In the late afternoon, we visited the Hayden Planetarium and watched Dark Universe. The tickets were expensive, but the show was so awesome. Then, we picked up groceries at Trader Joe's and had an awesome, chill dinner. We made bloody mary's, ate smoked oysters with foccacia, and devoured lobster ravioli with tomato sauce. It felt indulgent and fun- plus, the food totally felt restaurant quality. We also watched the molecular gastronomy CD and Osho got especially into all of the foods- lemon mist, yogurt raviolis, chocolate spaghetti.

Sunday, I coached in the morning. However, we still got our morning coffee at Mud. Osho stayed at my apartment to work (Skype, eat at Tompkin's Bagels, and go to Verizon for a new phone). I met him at the cell phone store, but they were slow, so we headed over to Hester Street fair because they had a special gathering of food vendors- sponsored by GrubStreet. We ate:
- Grandma's Pie from Roberta's
- some sort of Brazilian cheese bread (this was all Osho)
- Tartufo Arancini Ball from Arancini Bros
- Corn from Habana Outpost
- Coffee Custard from Claudia's
- Chicken Laksa from Aux Espices (been wanting to try forever)
- Jasmine and Regular Ginger Ale from Bruce Cost
- Cod Fritters with vinegar something salad something from some yum Jamaican place
- A pickle from the Pickle Guys (we got pickled mangoes and jalapenos after at the store since it was across the street)
- Maybe something else I am forgetting?

Basically, the food was awesome. We walked over to Tompkins and looked at the dogs playing. This is one of my favorite things to do- they are always so cute and having so much fun! Later, Osho made apple crisp and I made spaghetti as we watched Sabrina the movie. At the end of the day, we watched dog videos and researched dog breeds, deciding maybe we should get an Italian Greyhound (iGrey) or poodle. All of this is TBD and I want to see what is available for adoption at the time.

Other news is that I am going to India with Osho in February for his friend Sagar's wedding. The wedding is in Mumbai, but we are spending the rest of the time in Delhi. Tickets still need to be bought. I am so excited!

More immediately, this weekend is a long weekend for me- Columbus Day! Osho and I are heading into Cambridge to hang out with his parents. We are going to apple and pumpkin pick, visit Salem, eat his mom's food, and go to another wedding for his friend Sergei in Lincoln, MA. Will provide updates soon!

xoxo
S