HELLO THAILAND, HAPPY B-DAY BEASHERS!

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Thursday December 9th

Hello from Thailand! It’s been a while since our last post, our apologies but we’ve been constantly on the move. We’ve left beautiful Indonesia behind, had an overnight stay in Singapore, spent a couple days in Kuala Lumpur and have now touched down in Hat Yai, Thailand. Phew…. We both were looking forward to Thailand as being one of the highlights of our trip so needless to say it feels great to be here. The only bummer is when we went through Immigration, we were given a 15 day tourist visa instead of a 30 day pass as expected. This won’t cause any problems, just an extra “visa run” into Burma (another stamp!) and we’ll be fine….. Lets backtrack a bit.

Singapore is a massive, modern, clean metropolis. I wish we had a little more time there, but with the cost of living along western lines, our traveler budget couldn’t cut it. Upon arrival we found a cool section of the city “Little India” and walked around for a bit taking in the sights and smells of the street markets. It felt great to be back in a clean, structured city environment after Bali. We stumbled across a small restaurant called the Blue Diamond where we had the best traditional Indian meal we’ve ever had, hands down. The vegetable curry, chicken masala and fresh garlic naan were unbelievable. The food immediately raised our spirits after the flight and dealing with jam-packed sky trains. Next we searched for a place to sleep and came across the Prince of Whales, our first and favorite Hostel. A helpful staff, clean rooms and breakfast/lunch were provided, we couldn’t have asked for anything more. We trekked around the city for an hour or so, saw a cool Mosque in Arab town along with some futuristic looking buildings downtown and called it a night. Next thing we knew it was time to check out and get ready to head off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

We were expecting a smaller town if not only for the exotic name, but found the opposite when we arrived. Another thriving big city filled with people out shopping for the holidays. We found a cheap hotel, grabbed a free map and spent the next entire day pounding the pavement sightseeing. We didn’t come across anything too interesting (a couple parks and massive shopping districts) until we saw the twin towers. Like the Space Needle or Golden Gate Bridge, these towers are the architectural trophy of the city. Two massive 110 story+ structures that seem as if they were created completely using chrome and glass dominate the skyline. They were breathtaking space-aged beasts. The next day we hung out at a park nestled behind them and killed time reading and playing cards until it was time to get on the next train……….ohhhh that train.

Of course the sleeper section was completely sold. So Beash and I found ourselves in 2nd premier seats which weren’t bad, but on a 14 hour ride through the night lying down would’ve been nice. Instead we were next to a handful of hyper, insomniac Asian kids who laughed and played until sunrise. Achy knees, cramped backs and two hours of rest (not sleep) later, we finally made it to Hat Yai. It’s a decent sized working class city and we’ve already warmed up to the welcoming smiles/gestures of the people, much like the Balinese. Tomorrow we are off to Krabi, a tropical town four hours north for some much needed beach time (geez, listen to me, sorry.)

Once again, we love and miss you all. We cherish all of the responses so keep it up and send this along to anyone else who would care….. The holiday season always feels like family time so it does feel a bit weird being on the opposite side of the planet. So thanks again and be sure to send a B-Day Blessing to ALICIA!!!

Cheers, Marcus

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Comments

[Mum]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BEASHERS
Love this blog. Sounds like the kind of travel I like. Have a blast. Be wise and stay safe. Happy Birthday my beash baby. we sure miss you on your b-day, but you are getting a great gift in traveling. Keep up the good reports Marcus, love to here lots of details. The pics are great. Love you. Mum

[Auntie Barb]

It blesses me so to see you both so happy and healthy, and to hear of all your amazing adventures~ Thank you Marcus for taking time out of your astounding travels to put fingers to keyboard and keep us all informed it's just awesome! Know that you are thought of, prayed for and loved~ Happy Birthday Sweet Girl XOXO Love to you both, Auntie Barb and Uncle Don

[ZACH]

happy birthday beash
hello beash and marcus food looks great! love seeing your adventures. Everyone at work thinks you both are nuts, i love it ! I will continue to pray for safe and fun trip God Bless you both Dad, have a great birthday beash ... I love you

[Mama Robinson]

Happiest of Happy Birthdays!
Yes, what a gift to give yourself and your sweetie - an international birthday celebration! I know you couldn't have wished for anything more on your 20th, so happy birthdays, Alicia! Well, maybe a little less train time, or at least a sleeper for gosh sakes. You've seen monkeys, and thai food, and skyscrapers, oh my! Nobody can top that. Have a super day, wait, you're already having it right now 12 hours ahead of me ;-) Enjoy. Hugs, Mama Robinson. And Marcus, give that girl a hug for me, big time!

[marcusandbeash]

Love you dad!
Thanks so much daddy! I love you so much and miss you! Hope everything is going well with your classes and work! Send me emails at [e-mail] I want to be able to hear from you more often! Love you!

[Ide Calderon-Morin]

Happy Birhday Gorgeous!
Aw this is so fun to read and follow! Now you know Beash, that since you're done with the teen years you can now celebrate a day for every year. So you still have plenty days to celebrate your birthday!! hee :) Marcus thank you for taking the time out of all the activity of travel to write up a special B-day blog! Know that when you share these events we are like witnesses to a very special time in your lives and are given also a special gift by being able to laugh, wonder, be amazed and glad along with both of you. Dang I want some chicken marsala and fresh garlic naan, NOW!!! loveLove, ide

[Auntie Holly]

Happy Belated Birthday and Merry Christmas
Hi Beash and Marcus, My thoughts were with you on your special day (hard to forget since you and Jonathan have same bday). I think he's jealous that his younger cousin is traveling the world he would love to see. We will just have to experience the world thru your travels. We miss you and can't wait to see you home and safe again. My prayers are with you both and know that you are fine in God's hands. Keep posting so we can be entertained. Love you, Auntie Holly