Photos of our trip to Rawa are now posted under the photos tab. Hover over the tab and select Malaysia to see them.

As a side note, Joe was excited to see the bags pictured below on the pier of Rawa. He works for BASF and it was very random to see the company's products all the way out in the middle of the ocean!
 
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The other side of Rawa
We started day two in Rawa with a jungle trek up to the top of the island. The trail was nicely laid out for us with concrete steps that led the way (and provided an exhausting gluteal workout as well!). 

The view from the top of Rawa was spectacular as you can see in the photo to the left. The island is really narrow, so we could see the different landscapes of the opposite sides from one vantage point. The side we stayed on has the island's only beach, and the water is fairly calm. The side opposite the beach is very rocky and the current is extremely strong (as we later found out in the day... more to come on this later in the story).

After taking in the view from the top, we made our way back down the hill and took a different path that goes around the base of the island. We discovered that Rawa Safaris is quite expansive, with villas along the hillside. 

While exploring this part of the island, we ran into the manager of the resort (his name is Tom). I asked him about the prices of the villas (because they looked really modern and nice), and surprisingly, he asked, "Do you want to try one out?" At first, I thought Tom was joking because he has a dry, almost sarcastic attitude. However, he wasn't. We later discovered this was a blessing.

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View of our beach from above
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The trail around the island
Before moving into our new digs, Joe and I decided to have an adventure and went kayaking in the ocean. At first, the experience was great. We took off from our side of the island into the calm water, enjoying the scenery. We joked about who could paddle faster (of course, this was Joe's forte) and set a goal of going around the entire island. This was a bad idea.

When we made it to the opposite side of the island, we discovered the water was extremely choppy and it was difficult to control the kayak. It was eerie being away from the civilized side of the island and it felt almost as if we were lost at sea. And to top things off, poor Joe got seasick from being thrown around, leaving (poor) me with the responsibility of getting us back to the other side. My muscles ached and the skin on my hands was rubbed raw from the paddles, but I pushed through. And, Joe avoided hurling into the ocean (we were afraid it might attract sharks!). It was both a triumph and a relief when we finally reached home base! 
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Our villa on the hill
After this adventure, all I wanted was a nice air conditioned room to relax in... and luckily, the villa we moved into provided this! The villas are a newer addition to the resort, and are very nice. Our new room was a stark difference from our bungalow on the beach! We celebrated as we cranked the air down to 18 degrees celcius. If you plan to visit Rawa, I recommend booking a villa. Thank goodness I asked about it!

To end the active day, we relaxed on the pier and enjoyed the ocean and the stars. It was a serene and romantic way to end our trip!

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Our new room
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View from our room
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Waiting on the pier for our boat to take us back to the mainland... bye Rawa!
 
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The view of Rawa's beach from our balcony
Rawa Island is a remote little paradise off the west coast of Malaysia. We first heard about this gem while vacationing in Jamaica this past July. An executive from Exxon Mobil raved about the beach on Rawa and said it was his favorite place to vacation when he lived in Singapore. So, Joe and I decided to give it a whirl.

Our journey to Rawa began with an early morning taxi ride that took us three hours north of Singapore to the port of Mersing in Malaysia. The border crossing between Singapore and Malaysia is very impressive and efficient. Once we got to Malaysia, we switched cars. For some reason, taxi companies don't drive Singapore-registered cars through Malaysia, so we had to switch to a Malaysian car. The difference between the two cars was comical. In Singapore, we were picked up by a really nice, clean car with tinted windows. Our Malaysian car was a taxi that must have been built before 1980... it looked like it was falling apart and didn't have seat belts. I panicked a little bit because I was worried about getting stranded in the middle of nowhere, but I didn't let this fear get in the way of our adventure.

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Palm plantations along the highway in Malaysia
Our drive through the Malaysian countryside was both beautiful and gut-wrenching. On the positive side, lush, green palm tree plantations lined the highway and gave us a breathtaking view. I kept thinking how different the sight was compared to the cornfields and soybean fields of the midwest. On the negative side, our driver had no fear and drove like a bat out of hell. He weaved in and out of traffic as he passed cars on the two-lane road, gunning the poor engine that sounded like it would blow up. To make things worse, the road was very windy, and every time our driver took a turn he drifted over into the opposite lane. Joe managed to fall asleep on our drive, but I was too nervous to shut my eyes.

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Boarding our speedboat in Mersing
Despite the dangerous ride, we made it safely to Mersing Port where we boarded a speedboat that took us to Rawa Island. Rawa is about 30 minutes away from Mersing. While the ride was a little choppy, the view along the way was spectacular. 

As we approached Rawa, I could see why the executive from Exxon had fallen in love with the island. The island is very small with a tiny stretch of beach. The beach has bright white sand that is as soft as powder and clear aqua water. 

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Rawa's pier and waterslide
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Our private bungalow on the beach
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Our bedroom
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Our tropical setting
The best thing about Rawa is that it is extremely undeveloped and the island's wildlife has been largely undisturbed. It was neat to visit a so-called raw island where civilization hasn't totally commercialized every inch. Rawa doesn't have a town with stores... there are only two very basic hotels. Alang's Rawa is sort of a beach bum hangout where people can camp on the beach or stay in a bungalow that doesn't have air conditioning or hot water. Rawa Safaris is the island's resort, with slightly better accommodations.

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Sweaty, but happy!
We stayed at Rawa Safaris... and I say slightly better accommodations because the resort is old and some of the rooms need some major renovations. Joe and I rented a private bungalow on the beach (see photo above) that had an amazing view. However, it needed some work. The air conditioning in our room did not work well and provided no relief from the hot, humid weather. This made for a very uncomfortable night of sleep (yes, we are spoiled and admit it!). The floorboards were not sealed well, so we could see the beach through the cracks. And the bathroom needs a major overhaul. 

However, given that the point of a beach vacation is to actually spend it on the beach, we took the bad with the good and enjoyed our time on the resort. We gave in to the fact that we would be a sweaty, sticky messes throughout our vacation. And, after experiencing this, I have to admit it was kind of fun being disconnected from society and grubby like children. It's a liberating feeling to enjoy yourself without worrying about your appearance (I'm sure everyone else on the resort felt this way!).

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Daisy the resort's dog
And a Lopez vacation wouldn't be complete without befriending the local creatures. In this case, Daisy the resort's beagle (and no, I didn't name her... this was her real name!) took a liking to us. In fact, the first day we had lunch on the resort, she followed us back to our bungalow. It was really cute because we couldn't tell if she was going to walk the entire way with us, but ended up running up to our porch before we even got there! Perhaps she could smell our stuff in the room.

Our first day on Rawa ended with a relaxing mix of frolicking in the ocean, relaxing on our porch, and enjoying the view of the ocean. It was a needed getaway from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road!

 
Joe has a three day weekend, so we're heading to Rawa Island in Malaysia for the weekend. It's a pretty remote island with only two hotels (and no inter, so we might be roughing it a bit. However, the trip was highly recommended to us, so we're going to try it out. I'll be back next week with an update!
 
I was sick earlier this week with a bad cold, so the staff at 8 on Claymore surprised me with a sweet treat to help me feel better. Snickers and an adorable card. The staff continues to impress me with their hospitality! 
 
We took 710 photos while Diane, Raul, and Rick were visiting! I think that's a new record for myself. I've posted some of them on the photos section of this blog. Hover over the tab to select which country's photos you'd like to see. Enjoy!
 
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Deconstructed s'mores dessert
Joe was surprised that I didn't blog about the chocolate extravaganza we experienced with Diane, Raul, and Rick. The only reason I didn't write about it was because we had our chocolate feast at Max Brenner, a restaurant you can find in the US. In fact, Joe and I first visited the restaurant in New York City. However, since this was a great experience, I changed my mind. 

Following a delicious dinner at Brotzeit, which included sausages, sauerkraut, and potato salad, we managed to find room in our bellies for some dessert. And oh what a dessert feast it was!

We shared some delicious concoctions, including deconstructed s'mores, a chocolate cake and shake, and a "werks" chocolate pizza which included hazelnuts, chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas. Rick also got a delightful chocolate milkshake while the rest of us enjoyed coffee. The thing I love about Max Brenner, besides the desserts of course, is the presentation of the desserts. The restaurant has cute ways of plating their masterpieces.

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Raul's mini shake (part of the chocolate cake dessert)
Talk about calories... I don't even want to think about how many we consumed! I will say, though, that the desserts were worth the calories because they were delicious! And, I guess I can't feel too guilty because we only indulge like this every once in a while. 

If there is a Max Brenner near you, I highly recommend trying it out. Just make sure you can handle the sugar high!

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The "werks" pizza
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Chocolate cake and shake
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Rick's awesome milkshake mug... drink me!
 
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Enjoying the greenery
Back in Singapore, we spent our final day with DRR (Diane, Raul, and Rick) exploring Singapore's Botanic Gardens. The Gardens consist of 183 acres of beautiful greenery. It is a spectacular green space to get lost in. I told Joe we should visit the gardens more often!

The highlight of our visit was seeing the National Orchid Garden. There are more than 1,000 orchid species in the garden. The flowers are beautiful and I was amazed by all of the different vibrant colors. I didn't realize there were so many types of orchids! Of course, I had to snap a million photos of the flowers. :)

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A German dinner at Brotzeit
We ended the day with a delicious dinner at Brotzeit and got to enjoy the Oktoberfest celebration that was taking place at the restaurant. 

Thank you DRR for visiting us in Singapore! It was great spending time with you and showing you our lives in Southeast Asia. We miss you!

 
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A spectacular sunset on our last day in Phuket
Our last day in Phuket was relaxing and there isn't really much to tell about the day. So, I've designated this posting as a photo showcase of the Thai food we got to experience in Phuket. Well, I guess I should say the Thai food that Rick experienced. Joe and I were a little homesick for American food and took the opportunity to eat American dishes at Le Meridien (it's part of the American Starwood hotel chain, so it had good American food along with Asian cuisine). I know, it's not my typical style to avoid the local dishes, so I'll have to make up for this the next time we're in Thailand!
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Tom Yam soup - a spicy soup with prawns and mushrooms
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Pad Thai wrapped in egg
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Thai fried rice
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Green curry with beef - very spicy!
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Green curry pizza
 
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Joe catches a crab on our room key
After our exciting adventure exploring Koh Phi Phi, we spent the next day relaxing on the beach and at the pool. We got an early start to the day to take advantage of our little paradise.

As Joe, Rick, and I explored the beach, we noticed some quick scurrying on the sand. Taking a closer look, we discovered many cute little sand crabs. They blend into the sand and run really, really fast! I managed to corner one in a footprint and I must have scared it, because it decided to play dead. Squealing with excitement, I asked Joe to catch the crab for me. We weren't sure if the crab would pinch, so Joe scooped him up on our room key. Crablington (I named the crab) sat still and didn't try to leap to freedom.

As this was happening, Raul was making his way down to the beach. Being from Puerto Rico and having caught many crabs before, Raul showed us how to properly hold Crablington (in other words, Raul isn't a wuss like the rest of us!). Then, Joe took a turn while I declined. Creepy crawly critters aren't my thing.

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Raul shows us how to hold a crab
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Joey's turn with Crablington
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Crablington playing dead
After playing with Crablington, we set him free (see video below) and decided to scour the rocks along the beach for larger crabs. We found a whole bunch of them clinging to the rocks. As we did this the tide got stronger and stronger and stirred up the sand where we were standing... to the point where we couldn't see what we were stepping on. This made me nervous because I didn't want to step on any crabs... and I was especially creeped out when a crab scurried across Joe's foot! While the crab didn't pinch, Joe said it felt really sharp. And so, that was the end of the crab adventure for us!
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Area where we went looking for crabs
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Crab on the rock