Okay, so I finally got the Internet again. Charter (the Internet company) took a while getting here (I guess it didn't help that I was only available weekends) but they got everything set up.
The first two weeks at Epic (hello, all my co-workers reading this) have been pretty good. I've been meeting a lot of new people and doing a lot of orientation and training. I did get an opportunity to do some semi-hands-on stuff this past week and I really liked it. I'm really looking forward to finishing up training.
My new apartment is pretty nice. I'll try to clean it up here pretty soon and take some pictures for all to see. It's on the west side of Madison about 2 1/2 miles away from the office I'll be spending most of my time at. It's spacious, the management is nice and it has a pool (which I haven't tried out yet). I still need to put some effort into furnishing, however: while I do have a couch, TV, kitchen table and Xbox, I still need to get a bed (I've been sleeping on a portable mattress), a dresser, chairs and some more living room furniture. Once the money starts coming in it shouldn't be long.
This afternoon I'm probably going to be going to a sweet corn festival in Sun Prairie with some co-workers. I love sweet corn. As for this week, I'll be doing some more training and some more tinkering around with and getting used to things at work. Should be fun!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Back from the dead
Okay, I know I'm done with vacation and everything and I'm back in the States. That doesn't mean my life is boring now, does it?
One of the reasons I called this blog "The Adventures of Ted" and not "Ted Overseas" or something like that was because I planned on keeping up with it after I got done with my voyages. I know I've been neglectful for a good month, but let's just try to make this a step in the right direction.
I got back from Saudi Arabia all fine. Being home is good, but not having anything to do with the lion's share of your time wears on you after a while. I've seen my friends and relatives, got a lot of people caught up on me, and caught up on a lot of goings on.
Good news, though: I have a job lined up. I will be starting work with Epic Systems in Madison, Wisconsin on August 4th. I'll be doing computer setups for hospitals. It's somewhat of a bummer I won't be doing anything with my Chinese right away, but I think I can keep up with it as long as I don't get lazy about it. Madison has quite a few Chinese speakers and I know where I can go to practice.
So in this coming week I'm getting ready for moving down to Madison. I have to arrange temporary housing, get my stuff organized (which I've started!), find an apartment to rent, and get generally situated. I haven't zeroed in on a moving day but it will be sometime within the next seven days. Until then!
One of the reasons I called this blog "The Adventures of Ted" and not "Ted Overseas" or something like that was because I planned on keeping up with it after I got done with my voyages. I know I've been neglectful for a good month, but let's just try to make this a step in the right direction.
I got back from Saudi Arabia all fine. Being home is good, but not having anything to do with the lion's share of your time wears on you after a while. I've seen my friends and relatives, got a lot of people caught up on me, and caught up on a lot of goings on.
Good news, though: I have a job lined up. I will be starting work with Epic Systems in Madison, Wisconsin on August 4th. I'll be doing computer setups for hospitals. It's somewhat of a bummer I won't be doing anything with my Chinese right away, but I think I can keep up with it as long as I don't get lazy about it. Madison has quite a few Chinese speakers and I know where I can go to practice.
So in this coming week I'm getting ready for moving down to Madison. I have to arrange temporary housing, get my stuff organized (which I've started!), find an apartment to rent, and get generally situated. I haven't zeroed in on a moving day but it will be sometime within the next seven days. Until then!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Good times in Saudi Arabia
In three hours I'm taking a cab to Bahrain, where I'll be heading on a plane (via London and Chicago) back to Minnesota. It will have been 10 months and 9 days (or 314 days) since I have been home.
I've been having a fabulous time in Saudi Arabia. Greg and Amy have been fantastic hosts and my cousins have been a load of fun. Their pets are pretty fun too, especially their dog Morrie (who enjoys chasing geckos).
I've been here since Friday, and the week in Saudi Arabia goes from Saturday until Wednesday so most of my time here has been during their week. While they've been at work (my uncle is an HR rep and my aunt is a reading teacher) and school I've been relaxing around the house, going to the beach, and working a little bit on my impending job search. I also got a chance to meet Clements, my aunt and uncle's assistant around the house. He's from India and a very nice guy.
In the evenings I'd do fun stuff with the family. Twice we went into Rahima, the non-gated town about a 5 minute drive away. We got dinner there twice, which was absolutely delicious (I'm a big fan of the Shawarma, which is basically an Arabian burrito). On Sunday night I also got the chance to see Emily and Gus in concert, singing and playing a few select songs.
All in all I've had a fantastic time here. The weather has been quite hot but it's also pretty windy. Because of the wind I've been in a "Shmal" (kinda like a sandstorm), but their idea of horribly sandy air looks a lot like a major city like Bangkok or Taipei to me.
Although I've been able to get on the Internet, I can't seem to access webpages on my personal computer. As a result, I can't post pictures until I'm back home, but I've got quite a few good ones.
Buuuut before I get home I've got a lot of flying to do. Later!
I've been having a fabulous time in Saudi Arabia. Greg and Amy have been fantastic hosts and my cousins have been a load of fun. Their pets are pretty fun too, especially their dog Morrie (who enjoys chasing geckos).
I've been here since Friday, and the week in Saudi Arabia goes from Saturday until Wednesday so most of my time here has been during their week. While they've been at work (my uncle is an HR rep and my aunt is a reading teacher) and school I've been relaxing around the house, going to the beach, and working a little bit on my impending job search. I also got a chance to meet Clements, my aunt and uncle's assistant around the house. He's from India and a very nice guy.
In the evenings I'd do fun stuff with the family. Twice we went into Rahima, the non-gated town about a 5 minute drive away. We got dinner there twice, which was absolutely delicious (I'm a big fan of the Shawarma, which is basically an Arabian burrito). On Sunday night I also got the chance to see Emily and Gus in concert, singing and playing a few select songs.
All in all I've had a fantastic time here. The weather has been quite hot but it's also pretty windy. Because of the wind I've been in a "Shmal" (kinda like a sandstorm), but their idea of horribly sandy air looks a lot like a major city like Bangkok or Taipei to me.
Although I've been able to get on the Internet, I can't seem to access webpages on my personal computer. As a result, I can't post pictures until I'm back home, but I've got quite a few good ones.
Buuuut before I get home I've got a lot of flying to do. Later!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
In Bahrain with family
Between the last time I've posted and now, I went to the beach again in Phuket, flew from Phuket to Bangkok, picked up a suit in Bangkok, flew from Bangkok to Dubai, flew from Dubai to Bahrain, went through customs in Bahrain (which took an hour of waiting in line), got to the hotel in Bahrain, waited, and met up with my uncle Greg and cousins Ben and Gus.
My plane arrived at 8:30 AM and my uncle couldn't make it until 3:30, so I took some pictures around the hotel I'm staying at.
Downtown Bahrain.
The hotel has its own little ocean swimming area.
That's me, Gus, and Ben, giving thumbs up at a the hotel we ate at and that we're going to stay tomorrow night.
Me and my uncle.
We played some pool at Sherlock Holmes, an English pub. Gus wiped the floor with me.
In the cab on the way home.
So yesterday was great. Today we're going to see the Grand Mosque and maybe see a bit of the real Bahrain.
It's good to see some family.
My plane arrived at 8:30 AM and my uncle couldn't make it until 3:30, so I took some pictures around the hotel I'm staying at.
Downtown Bahrain.
The hotel has its own little ocean swimming area.
That's me, Gus, and Ben, giving thumbs up at a the hotel we ate at and that we're going to stay tomorrow night.
Me and my uncle.
We played some pool at Sherlock Holmes, an English pub. Gus wiped the floor with me.
In the cab on the way home.
So yesterday was great. Today we're going to see the Grand Mosque and maybe see a bit of the real Bahrain.
It's good to see some family.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
I may have a new favorite place in the world
Let me tell you something about Phuket: It is WONDERFUL. Today I had an absolutely magnificent day on this island. Let me tell you about it.
Yesterday, I took a plane from Bangkok to Phuket and took the bus then walked to my hostel, the Backpacker's Hostel. It's a really nice place in the largest town in Phuket, aptly named Phuket. After settling in and grabbing some eats around the area, I suggested to some fellow guests at the hostel that we rent scooters and cruise around the island. One guy, John (an Australian carpenter) was willing.
This morning I rented a scooter (200 baht, about $6 US). We decided first to head over to Patong beach, the most popular beach on the island.
The way they do paragliding in Phuket: You run off on the shore and a Thai guy grabs onto the parachute as you're taking off. He sits up with you during your trip. When the time comes, he steers you down on the shore where two other Thai fellows grab on.
After a brief run-in with the law (not me being naughty, John got a ticket for not carrying his Australian license with him), we went to Kamala beach.
We did not heed the "No Swimming" sign and swam. It was magnificent. After that we headed towards a national park.
We saw some elephants on the side of the road. They had elephant rides available but I passed. I had a perfectly fine mode of transportation as it was.
We got to the national park, which (according to our map) has a waterfall. However, there was an admission fee for the park and John had spent all his money on his unexpected ticket, so we decided to head back to our hostel in Phuket. We took a thirty minute break, did a 7-11 run, got some gas, and headed towards the southern half of the island. On the way there, John and I got separated: he was speeding ahead of me and took a turn which I didn't see him take. So I finished my touring of the island by myself.
I forget the name of this beach but it was beautiful.
This is at the Karon Viewpoint, where I buckled down and asked someone to take a picture of me. Now I have proof that I was actually in Phuket (unless you think there's some photoshop conspiracy).
This is Promthep Cape, which is advertised as the best place to see the sunset on the island. I got there about 4:30 and the sun didn't set until 6:41, so I grabbed some eats at nearby foodstands, did some souvenir shopping, took a few pictures, and hopped back on the scooter.
This was taken from the Promthep Cape Alternate Power Station, which is about a 5 minute drive away. They have a couple wind power stations there.
Here's the pic I got of the sunset. Clouds were blocking the horizon, but still got a decent snap.
(I have a few more pictures on my Facebook album, take a look.)
So here I am back at the hostel, a little sunburnt, tired, and satisfied after a full day. I was thinking about going to Phi Phi Island tomorrow, but the weather doesn't look very promising. I might just have a laid back day around here, which would also be pretty fun. (I could put up my other Bangkok photos too!) On Tuesday I'm heading back to Bangkok and then flying to Dubai then Bahrain. I'll keep y'all up to date!
Yesterday, I took a plane from Bangkok to Phuket and took the bus then walked to my hostel, the Backpacker's Hostel. It's a really nice place in the largest town in Phuket, aptly named Phuket. After settling in and grabbing some eats around the area, I suggested to some fellow guests at the hostel that we rent scooters and cruise around the island. One guy, John (an Australian carpenter) was willing.
This morning I rented a scooter (200 baht, about $6 US). We decided first to head over to Patong beach, the most popular beach on the island.
The way they do paragliding in Phuket: You run off on the shore and a Thai guy grabs onto the parachute as you're taking off. He sits up with you during your trip. When the time comes, he steers you down on the shore where two other Thai fellows grab on.
After a brief run-in with the law (not me being naughty, John got a ticket for not carrying his Australian license with him), we went to Kamala beach.
We did not heed the "No Swimming" sign and swam. It was magnificent. After that we headed towards a national park.
We saw some elephants on the side of the road. They had elephant rides available but I passed. I had a perfectly fine mode of transportation as it was.
We got to the national park, which (according to our map) has a waterfall. However, there was an admission fee for the park and John had spent all his money on his unexpected ticket, so we decided to head back to our hostel in Phuket. We took a thirty minute break, did a 7-11 run, got some gas, and headed towards the southern half of the island. On the way there, John and I got separated: he was speeding ahead of me and took a turn which I didn't see him take. So I finished my touring of the island by myself.
I forget the name of this beach but it was beautiful.
This is at the Karon Viewpoint, where I buckled down and asked someone to take a picture of me. Now I have proof that I was actually in Phuket (unless you think there's some photoshop conspiracy).
This is Promthep Cape, which is advertised as the best place to see the sunset on the island. I got there about 4:30 and the sun didn't set until 6:41, so I grabbed some eats at nearby foodstands, did some souvenir shopping, took a few pictures, and hopped back on the scooter.
This was taken from the Promthep Cape Alternate Power Station, which is about a 5 minute drive away. They have a couple wind power stations there.
Here's the pic I got of the sunset. Clouds were blocking the horizon, but still got a decent snap.
(I have a few more pictures on my Facebook album, take a look.)
So here I am back at the hostel, a little sunburnt, tired, and satisfied after a full day. I was thinking about going to Phi Phi Island tomorrow, but the weather doesn't look very promising. I might just have a laid back day around here, which would also be pretty fun. (I could put up my other Bangkok photos too!) On Tuesday I'm heading back to Bangkok and then flying to Dubai then Bahrain. I'll keep y'all up to date!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Seeing Bangkok's fancy things
Good news and bad news. Good news is that last night I found out there was a wireless network I could leech off of so I was able to upload some pictures for yesterday. Bad news is that I couldn't leech off of it today, so I can't put up any pictures of today yet.
Anyways, pretty much all I did today was go on a bus ride to the various sights of Bangkok. I went to three temples that housed Buddha statues and the National Palace, which also housed a Buddha. (They like the guy quite a bit here.) I took 100 or so pictures so I'll go through those soon and post some of the good ones.
Anyways, pretty much all I did today was go on a bus ride to the various sights of Bangkok. I went to three temples that housed Buddha statues and the National Palace, which also housed a Buddha. (They like the guy quite a bit here.) I took 100 or so pictures so I'll go through those soon and post some of the good ones.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
In Thailand! Whoa!
So after last post, I fell asleep for about 2 hours, got woken up by a call from Cynthia, got a ride from her friend, checked in at the airport, said goodbye to Cynthia, waited for my plane (at the Hello Kitty gate, which was ridiculous) and headed to Thailand.
Ridiculous.
The flight went quickly; I was asleep for the first half of it and they had built-in TVs on all the seats so I caught various movies for the remainder of the flight.
After customs and all that jazz, I took a bus to Bangkok. I knew which Skyrail (light rail) stop my hostel was closest to, so I took the bus there and figured I'd be able to ask for directions since I'd written down the address and all. Unfortunately, everyone was pretty clueless to its location. After wandering around fruitlessly for 1/2 hour or so I asked a tuktuk driver (basically a three-wheeled scooter that's a cab) and he seemed to know. So I loaded all my luggage in and went for the ride. The scooter died twice on the way and it took him 5 minutes each time to get it started. The cabbie (tuktukie?) is chatting with me in Thai the entire time. It sucks not knowing the language. After driving for about 20 minutes, we come to a clothing store. They help me with the directions and say I have to come in and look at some suit styles. I do for 5 minutes or so when I realize I left my passport in the tuktuk that was waiting for me, so I made an excuse and went back to the tuktuk. The tuktuk takes me to the aforementioned Skyrail station.
Back where I started.
I try to talk to a guy who looks like a security guard and he tries to call the hostel. No answer. I go into a hotel and luckily there's a clerk who can speak Chinese (I'm having a hard time finding people good with English here). She points me in the right direction and I find the Hostel. I get my room ready, convert some money, and take a nap.
After my nap, I start planning out the rest of my stay in Thailand. They have a bus trip to Phuket, an island area with a lot of beaches, but after signing up for it I find out it's only one way. I decide to search online for a plane trip and I find one that costs about twice as much as the bus but takes about one tenth of the travel time (and I'll end up at the Bangkok airport Tuesday evening which is where I'll need to be anyway to catch my plane to Dubai). I also signed up for an organized tour tomorrow to the various sights around Bangkok.
After the logistics-type stuff I started wandering around the city. I grabbed a meal at a fancy-type looking restaurant. Paad Thai. Delicious. Afterwards I hopped on the Skytrain near my place. The light rail system here is pretty convenient, but when you switch lines (from above ground to underground) you have to pay twice. First I went to Chinatown. They have a lot of sharkfin soup and bird's nest restaurants. Not really piquing my interest.
I leave Taiwan and the first place I think of going in Bangkok is Chinatown.
I then headed over to the Lumphini night bazaar. I looked around, realized I didn't want to buy anything, and a guy offered beer at his little outdoor patio food stand, so I had a beer and some more paad thai. He gave me a big bottle and I wasn't able to finish it before the paad thai, so I also ordered some chicken tom yam soup, which is hot, sour, and delicious. Then it started raining. Hard. Luckily I had a canopy over my head. I finished my beer soon after it started raining, and if that isn't the perfect excuse to have another one, I don't know what is.
The beer they have in Thailand is pretty strong.
I like Paad Thai.
Chicken Tom Yam Soup. Very, very good.
I had some companionship for dinner.
Glad I wasn't out in that.
Quite the feast!
After the rain died down I went and wandered around some more. They had a lot of people offering for massages. I kept refusing, but then I realized that it was about $3 US for 15 minutes, so...why not? It felt goood.
I took a few pictures, but right now I'm at a public computer and I don't think it has a SD card slot, so...you guys can wait. I think I'll go to my room, listen to the song "One Night In Bangkok" by Falco, and fall asleep. Yesss.
Ridiculous.
The flight went quickly; I was asleep for the first half of it and they had built-in TVs on all the seats so I caught various movies for the remainder of the flight.
After customs and all that jazz, I took a bus to Bangkok. I knew which Skyrail (light rail) stop my hostel was closest to, so I took the bus there and figured I'd be able to ask for directions since I'd written down the address and all. Unfortunately, everyone was pretty clueless to its location. After wandering around fruitlessly for 1/2 hour or so I asked a tuktuk driver (basically a three-wheeled scooter that's a cab) and he seemed to know. So I loaded all my luggage in and went for the ride. The scooter died twice on the way and it took him 5 minutes each time to get it started. The cabbie (tuktukie?) is chatting with me in Thai the entire time. It sucks not knowing the language. After driving for about 20 minutes, we come to a clothing store. They help me with the directions and say I have to come in and look at some suit styles. I do for 5 minutes or so when I realize I left my passport in the tuktuk that was waiting for me, so I made an excuse and went back to the tuktuk. The tuktuk takes me to the aforementioned Skyrail station.
Back where I started.
I try to talk to a guy who looks like a security guard and he tries to call the hostel. No answer. I go into a hotel and luckily there's a clerk who can speak Chinese (I'm having a hard time finding people good with English here). She points me in the right direction and I find the Hostel. I get my room ready, convert some money, and take a nap.
After my nap, I start planning out the rest of my stay in Thailand. They have a bus trip to Phuket, an island area with a lot of beaches, but after signing up for it I find out it's only one way. I decide to search online for a plane trip and I find one that costs about twice as much as the bus but takes about one tenth of the travel time (and I'll end up at the Bangkok airport Tuesday evening which is where I'll need to be anyway to catch my plane to Dubai). I also signed up for an organized tour tomorrow to the various sights around Bangkok.
After the logistics-type stuff I started wandering around the city. I grabbed a meal at a fancy-type looking restaurant. Paad Thai. Delicious. Afterwards I hopped on the Skytrain near my place. The light rail system here is pretty convenient, but when you switch lines (from above ground to underground) you have to pay twice. First I went to Chinatown. They have a lot of sharkfin soup and bird's nest restaurants. Not really piquing my interest.
I leave Taiwan and the first place I think of going in Bangkok is Chinatown.
I then headed over to the Lumphini night bazaar. I looked around, realized I didn't want to buy anything, and a guy offered beer at his little outdoor patio food stand, so I had a beer and some more paad thai. He gave me a big bottle and I wasn't able to finish it before the paad thai, so I also ordered some chicken tom yam soup, which is hot, sour, and delicious. Then it started raining. Hard. Luckily I had a canopy over my head. I finished my beer soon after it started raining, and if that isn't the perfect excuse to have another one, I don't know what is.
The beer they have in Thailand is pretty strong.
I like Paad Thai.
Chicken Tom Yam Soup. Very, very good.
I had some companionship for dinner.
Glad I wasn't out in that.
Quite the feast!
After the rain died down I went and wandered around some more. They had a lot of people offering for massages. I kept refusing, but then I realized that it was about $3 US for 15 minutes, so...why not? It felt goood.
I took a few pictures, but right now I'm at a public computer and I don't think it has a SD card slot, so...you guys can wait. I think I'll go to my room, listen to the song "One Night In Bangkok" by Falco, and fall asleep. Yesss.
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