Operation: Convince 6 Awesome Friends to Move to Asia Part 1

I started counting down their arrival 62 days before they landed. To say I was anxious to see these 6 amazing friends and get a few hugs from back home would be the biggest understatement of the year, possibly the millennium. The anticipation of their visit and our 14 day trip around Asia (my biggest vacation since I started work at 14 years old) has served as my beacon of light on many lonely days in Singapore. Those first 61 days went by surprisingly fast. Before I knew it, the week we had all been waiting, planning and fantasizing about was finally here. But that last day was pure hell. And when a member of the traveling sextets (just a sexy word for 6 people) texted me early that morning and said an over-eager air conditioner had sent them back to Chicago, delaying their arrival by one whole day, I nearly lost it.

Thankfully, I have an awesome friend in Singapore that kept me distracted with a full day of dinosaurs, 3-D Transformers and roller coasters.

Thank you Briyah. You rock more than Jurassic Park.

Finally, my M’rican friends made it and it was now my responsibility to show them a good time in Singapore. Oh, the pressure. But, thankfully I have really laid back friends who are happy as long as they have food. So, the first night I took them to the Newton Hawker center. An outdoor food market with a array of Asian food options which just so happens to share the name of one of my favorite places on earth. Newton, IL. Otherwise known as home.

On the way there the cab driver fueled my insecurities when he said “why are you taking them there?” But, apparently I know my friends more than that grumpy dumbass because we all had a ton of fun and at the end of the trip that night’s meal was still listed as one of their favorites. Maybe it was the food, but more likely it was the excitement of old friends catching up after 8 months and the 18 giant Tiger beers. Here’s a picture of our group’s first fish eyeball consumed on the trip by the brave Tay.

The next morning I thought it would be a great idea to wake up early and take my 6 hungover and jet-lagged friends to Pulau Ubin for a bike ride in the jungle heat. In hindsight, something less physically draining might of been a better idea, but they asked me what my favorite thing to do in Singapore was and this is it.

After the ride we went to the Tanjong Beach Club on Sentosa Island. I had never been and had heard great reviews from friends about the view and the atmosphere. Unfortunately, our timing was shit. It was the day after a full moon party so the pool was closed and the beach was blocked off by plastic construction netting. Not the atmosphere I was hoping for, but still in great company. After that, we hit up China Town for another pretty good meal where we all realized American’s addictions to paper towel.

And since I apparently don’t like having awesome friends visit me, after a very busy day of bike riding and beach clubbing, I decided to torture my sleep deprived friends even more with a trip to Garden’s by the Bay. I think the lights and the alien trees were way too much. Sorry, guys.

They next morning we said goodbye to Singapore with a failed attempt at peanut pancakes and headed to our next destination, Chiang Mai, where we met up with 3 more awesome Americans.

I went to this part of northern Thailand about 6 years ago but I was excited to see how it would live up to my memories. And honestly, the parts that I saw last time were so much different that it was like seeing it for the first time. The most amazing thing we did was a trek to Lahu, an old village on the top of a mountain where the tribe leader made us lunch. Amazing because of everything we saw, and because we all survived this 8 hour trek in 106 degree heat. I’m pretty sure at the end of life, this will always be one of my favorite memories. Complete with elephants, an amazing meal in a traditional thai village, a dip in a spring fed waterfall and topped off by a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures from this part of the trip because I left my phone at the villa. But here’s one pic one from my more visually savy travel companions . This makes it look way too easy. I’ll update the post with more pics once I get my hands on them.

On the days we weren’t climbing mountains, we were eating local food and exploring temples. At night, we bought out the entire town’s supply of fake Ray Bans at the night market and fed our feet to the fish. Here are some pics from Chiang Mai.