Giving Thanks

It is Thanksgiving Day and I am sitting on a Beach in Bali, hanging out with amazing friends and soaking up the sun. Is it possible to even try and explain all the things I am thankful for in my life? Don't think so...but I can try.

I am thankful for my family.
Even though they all might not understand my insatiable need to travel, they are supportive. Even though they may be jealous of the experiences I am having, they are excited. My mother is the most amazing, loving, intelligent, understanding, supportive, thoughtful, caring and courageous person I know. She is my ultimate role model in life and probably the major reason I am who I am today and like who that person is. My father is the best life lesson teacher I know. He is amazing at pushing me to me better, encouraging me when I fail, understanding how I work and knowing that I have to go through the wall sometimes, even if there is a helping hand over. He taught me about work ethic and success, and that understanding a person is the greatest gift you can give your self and them. My siblings are all inspirational in here own way. Each one a remind of different ways to walk through this journey of life. They are all intelligent, thoughtful, special people that at times I wish I knew better as friends, rather than as siblings. They have each impacted my life enormously, and taught me that although we may not always agree or get along, we will always love each other and be there for each other. My stepmother and stepsister have only been in my life for a short time, but they have greatly enriched it with their kindness, generosity, outlooks on life and personal successes. I am lucky beyond words for the family I have.

I am thankful for my friends back home.
Even if I don't get to see some as much as I would like, I know I have a strong bond with each and every one. My friends are the richness in my life, the smile on my face that changes an ok day into something special. They are how I measure my wealth, and let me tell you...I am one of the richest people on the planet! I cherish the many conversations over a glass (or bottle) of wine, listening to incredible music together, dancing the night away until we collapse from exhaustion, sharing food, memories, stories, and everything else around a campfire or dinner table or while driving in the car. I am thankful for knowing there is a large number of people who would do whatever is needed if I am ever in trouble or in need. I love being able to share my current traveling experiences with them and know that even though I may travel alone most times, I am not ever far from someones thoughts. I am thankful that I may come back a changed person, but they will still love me. I love knowing that I am loved by the most incredible people I have ever met, and that they chose me to be counted amongst there friends.

I am thankful for the friends I have met while traveling the past 71 days.
Even if I never see them again, I count them as close personal friends. Even if they live on the other side of the planet and speak a different language, I have bonded with some amazing folks. Sitting around campfires sharing life stories, getting lost in the jungle, climbing volcanoes, skinny dipping in the ocean, sunbathing on the beach, trying crazy fruits in a night market, zooming around on motorbikes, dancing the night away at clubs, watching the sun set and then rise again, counting stars in an unfamiliar sky, swimming in waterfalls and sharing 24 hour bus rides from hell are only a few of the amazing moments I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am thankful for the random moments where I desperately need help, or someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on...and this amazing person walks into my life with just the fix. Being picked up from the train station at 4 in the morning my the random guy I met before getting on the train in the previous city, just so I have somewhere to go for the few hours before the bus station opens for my next ride. Having a traveling partner for the first time I am desperately ill while traveling, who brings me noodle soup and makes sure I don't have to go to the hospital. Meting a group of folks when I first hit Malaysia, after traveling alone for almost a month, and instantly adopting me into their pack and making me feel loved.

I am thankful for all the "bright light" moments that put a smile on my face throughout the day.
Sitting in a bus in Thailand and smiling at the woman and child that sat down next to me, who then shared their snacks and we taught each other words in our native language. The random Chinese family at Borobudur, Indonesia that wanted to take pictures with me and each one (including the 80 year old grandma) that hugged me like a long lost child. Walking through the night market in Mersing, Malaysia and seeing a bunch of catfish flop around on the table (don't ask me why but it made me grin in a dirty, boring town). Campfires in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia and discussions about god, religion and life views. Amazing sunsets on deserted beaches. Roti Bom and Martabak in KL, Malaysia. Ten cent McDonalds ice cream cones. Funny looks driving a motorbike in Lankawi, Malaysia with Joonas on the back. Watching 5th graders in Cianjur, Indonesia perform a Pencake Silat demonstration for us while volunteering at their school to help teach English. Feeding monkeys by hand in Railay, Thailand. And so many, many more.

I am thankful for my life and hope everyone that is a part of it knows how much I love them and wish them the best on this day. Thanksgiving - 2009.

The dolldrums of monsoon season and hopping around SE Asia

I am now in Indonesia =] How did that happen you ask? Well it is an interesting story of woes and hardship (not really). I spent way too much time in Melaka, trying to decide what my next move would be and where I wanted to go. Option 1: Fly to Bali to met up with The Wolf Pack (Sheryl, Nick, Jeniffer and Nicole). The problem was, if I were to met them I would need to spend another 4 days in Melaka before flying to Bali, and the flight would be expensive since I would be flying on a Saturday. Option 2: Catch a ferry to Sumatra and travel south/east through Indonesia. Option 3: Catch a flight to Jakarta and skip Sumatra and travel through Java and south/east through Indonesia. Option 4: Give South Malaysia one last chance to impress me and head to the east coast to Tioman Island for a bit of beach time during the start of the monsoon season.

In the end I was so tired of stressing about timing and money and planning, that I decided to just head to Tioman Island and de-stress for a bit. Wrong Move Heather! After a hellish 8am bus ride out of Melaka to Mersing (so I could catch the ferry to the island) I get there and find out I missed the last ferry of the day by 10 mins.=[ So me and Taylor (another American I met on the bus) had to spend the night in dirty, filthy, boring Mersing. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, redeemable about Mersing. Crappy food, crappy rooms, crappy sights...very few redeeming features. The night market was fun...and that was about it. Bright and early the next morning we headed to the dock to catch the ferry and headed out to Tioman Island. When we got there...we were the only folks to get off on the beach we chose, and upon checking into the hostel I saw in the registry no one new had checked in for over 2 weeks! After a cursory exploration of the beach we soon realized most places were closed because of monsoon season and even finding an ATM would require a 45 min walk to a different beach.

I ended up getting horrible blisters on my feet because I was walking around in plastic flipflops. Wwe went swimming in the ocean and only afterward realized where we chose to swim was right next to a water runoff point, which basically meant all the random water runoff from houses (i.e. toilets, sinks, showers), restaurants and basic drainage from the buildings were mixing in the ocean water we were swimming in. 30 minuts later my blisters started to turn red and hurt and I started freaking out about infected feet! Two antibiotic pills later and finally finding the one place on the beach that everyone goes to eat at we settled down for some really good pizza. The owner of the bar/grill told us that the next day they were closing up shop for the season and we decided it was time to get the hell off the island least we get stuck. Apparently, once the actual monsoons start the ferry is hit or miss for weeks on end.

The next morning we packed up and headed out to the dock to catch the 7:30 am ferry. It was pouring down rain. The kind that after 30 seconds you are soaked to the bone and your shoes have been turned a soggy mess with more water inside than out. The ferry was late....and hour late! and once we finally board, the A/C is running at high and I am freezing. I ended up having to sit outside at the back, in the rain, because it was warmer. Finally got back to Mersing and hopped on the first bus to JB (the Malaysian town bordering Singapore). I end up staying the night in JB because it is a bit cheaper than Singapore, book a flight to Jakarta just to I could get the hell out of Malaysia, and catch a few hours sleep. The next day I spent on a bus ride to Singapore, dealing with immigration, trying to find the right transportation to the airport, and eventually spending 5 hours sitting at the airport waiting for my flight at 6pm. I arrive in Indonesia, have the immigration lady try and hussle me out of money by saying I could not get a visa without proof on a flight leaving the country...but for only $25 US dollars she could look the other way. I played ignorant and eventually got my visa approved. 2 hours later I was checked into my hostel and sitting down for a wonderful meal of dim sum. I was already in love with Indonesia.