Bankok, Bali, Kuching, and Singapore: Hospital, Waterfall, Volcano, Wetland, Caves, and Orangutans

 Faye and I enjoyed a lovely trip during the Mid-Autumn festival and Golden Week. 

Our first stop was Bankok.  We stayed in Dusit Suites Hotel.  I am honestly a bit disappointed we only stayed there for one night.  Unfortunately, the first night of our vacation was spoiled by a medical issue that had me in hospital.  While the doctor claims that the weed which I had smoked was the cause, weed has never sent me to the hospital before.  I know for certain that it was a combination of factors including dehydration, not having a substantial meal for over 10 hours, exhaustion, travel fatigue, and over-heating that had me feeling faint.  My heart rate slowed down to 70bpm, my extremities went numb, and I could not stand up without feeling like I was going to pass out.  As someone with a medical marijuana card, who regularly used to smoke some of the strongest weed and weed extracts, I know for a fact that the weed alone was not responsible for me going to the hospital.  What verified this was when after I left the hospital I smoked some more of the same herbs and then ate right afterwards and I was totally fine.  I smoked some more the next morning before breakfast and felt fine.  I won't deny that the weed played a small role but it was not the only contributing factor. Going forward I will make an effort to seriously consider set and setting before toking up, even in places where it is fully legal.  

Faye would not let me live it down and continues to tease me over the drama that happened that night.  We both had a good laugh about it when I realized that the doctor, after I had gone to the hospital thinking the worst, had given me medicine for gas. We both look back on it and laugh now but it sure did give me, and her, a scare. 

They gave me IV fluids, a few doses of diazepam, and ran some tests.  I was fine.  Just a bit dehydrated and exhausted. Nothing a proper nap couldn't fix but I was running all over Bankok for several hours trying to keep up with Faye. When I left the hospital they gave me some meds for gas/hypermotility, electrolyte packets, and some anti-vertigo medicine.  I paid the bill and we went back to the hotel.  Since it was so late and we still had not eaten I ordered food with an app called grab.  It was my first time using it and it really saved the night. 

We went to bed and got a few hours of sleep before we had to check out the next morning.  

Our flight to Bali landed at about 7pm but we had a multi-step two hour process to get out of the airport.  We each obtained a visa on arrival, then went through immigration, then claimed our bags, then went through customs before finally getting into the car to our hotel.  The ride took a little over an hour and we did not arrive at our hotel until after the front desk had closed.  Fortunately, the security guard was ready for us and let us into our room.  We ended up changing rooms the next day because we were not happy with the first room but the hotel. Villa Casablanca Surf Keramas, was very nice.  Although I would not recommend it for couples I would recommend it for families.  We both agreed we would take it easy the next day (October 1st).  We could not find any open restaurants at that hour so we ordered food on grab, ate it in the hotel restaurant, and went to bed. 

We stuck to our word on our first day in Bali and did our best to sleep in.  It was not easy because there were noisy children staying at the hotel.  After we woke up I got us both breakfast.  I ate it at the restaurant and brought it back for Faye.  I did this for her the entire trip because she never wanted to physically go to breakfast. 

After we ate we had a massage at the hotel. Then we went for a swim in the pool and then walked on the beach.  Keramas is cool because it has black sand beaches.  Although the coast line is too rocky to really swim we did enjoy walking along the beach and checking out the tide pools.

We got lunch at the Swan Hotel Restaurant.

We walked pretty far up the beach and then went back the hotel a different way.  On the way back we stopped at the Swan Spa to inquire about their treatments and got some info. We also discussed several options with the front desk for tours.  Although we originally planned to go to Ubut we decided against it and opted for something more natural.

On our second day in Bali went to Tegenungan Water Fall and the Omma Day Club which looks out over it.  Then we went to the Kemenu Butterfly Garden. Both destinations were very beautiful.  We swam in the waterfall atTegenungan.  At Omma we got a bite to eat beside the waterfall and swam in the pool with a drink.  At Kemenu it was like walking in a room full of fairies.  The place had some animals in small cages that I was upset about about but they were likely only kept in the small cages for display and transfered into a larger space once the park closed. 

We finished our day with a spa treatment including a massage, scrub, facial, and flower bath at Swan Spa near our hotel. 

Our next, and last full day in Bali, would bring some intense adventure in the form of a sunrise hike up Mount Batur. We left the hotel at 2am, took an hour and 45 minute ride, and then hiked up the steep slope to watch the sun come up.  The view was stupendous and the experience was well worth the lost sleep.

Our guide provided us a breakfast of hot cocoa, boiled eggs, and banana sandwiches.  After the sun rose we went to the summit and took selfies and photos of the scenery.  Our guide was a pretty good photographer.  When we were done we descended  the mountain and went to hot spring called Toya Devasya. 

Then we went back to the hotel.  I took a nap and Faye did her facial care routine and took a rest.  We got dinner at a beach side restaurant and both got another traditional Balinese massage to finish off the night before bed.

Our next day we back our things and headed off to Kuching with a layover in Kuala Lumpur.  We landed in Kuching and our driver took us to our hotel.  We stayed in Cove 55 which is a luxury resort beside the Kuching Wetlands.  We arrived a bit late but had eaten on the plane so did not need to get dinner.  We went to bed with high hopes for the next day.

For our first full day in Kuching we slept in.  I got breakfast for us both at the hotel restaurant.  Then I went to the hotel gym and pool while Faye did her routine.  It was her birthday so I did my best to make it all about her. 

We got lunch at the hotel and then later in the afternoon we took an evening wetland boat tour. 

For our next day we did a cave and wildlife reserve tour.  Our tour included a stop at Fairy Cave, Wind Cave, and Semenggoh Nature Reserve.  

We were supposed to leave Kuching the next day but our flight got changed and we ended up having to change our plans.  While we had originally planned to stay in Singapore for one night from the 7th-8th.  Our new plans required us to stay in Kuching for an extra night. While this was initially a huge hassle with lots of bitching and moaning on my part we ended up having a decent night in Kuching.  We stayed at the Hilton and walked around town checking out the sites.  

We returned to Hong Kong through Singapore.  It was a shame we did not get to visit Singapore for longer but at least Faye had a chance to use her Singapore visa when we had to change planes there. 

When we got back to HK we had to take a bus back because the ferries were not operating due to the weather.  It was my first time using this method.  It was about the same price but instead of arriving in Shekou port we arrived in Shenzhen Bay Port.  

The week that followed was a bit of a drag.  I got sick toward the end our trip and it hit me hard during the first couple days of school.  I went to work on Monday but had to use a sick day for Tuesday.  Then I rode our the rest of the week in a semi-fugue state while my body fought off the flu.

This Saturday (yesterday) I went with the hash on the red dress run.  I don't have any photos but it was fun.  It was the most activity I had gotten all week and afterward I ate the biggest meal I had eaten in a week.  I skipped the circle and went home for some rest as I am still recovering from the flu.  I really look forward to getting back in the gym next week as I haven't had a lot of activity since returning from our trip.

Our next trip will be a short trip to Chiang Mai in November.