Our flight was 2 hours late leaving Honolulu, so we had to hurry to catch our connection in Tokyo. No time to walk around and enjoy being on the ground. I was also sad to miss out on my last chance to have edamame and McDonald’s. But I was glad that we didn’t get stuck in Tokyo for the night. Which would have messed up our whole travel schedule and caused even greater distress than what I was already experiencing in trying to reconcile myself to our vacation ending.
We had an 11 hour layover in Bangkok. For once I was prepared and reserved a room at a hostel near the airport weeks before our trip. Once we arrived in Thailand, however, Kat didn’t want to leave the airport and run any risks of missing our flights, getting things confused in immigration, etc. After being in transit for over 20 hours with nothing more than 20 minutes of dozing, I didn’t care. I was delirious. And I was angry that the “transit lounge” had only 25 reclining chairs for about 100 people desperate to sleep. I was in a foul mood, muttering to myself, and the only thing that calmed me down was a chicken sandwich meal from Burger King. Then we opted to spend 6 hours in the airport hotel for an exorbitant price. Doesn’t matter—it was nice to lay down for at least 5 hours.
Kat and I spent a few months trying to find a vet to "fix" Vincent. The veterinarians here deal more with cows and goats--domesticated cats are not common. Over break, however, our coworkers--with the assistance of their household helper, Anjoli--succeeded in getting their cat, King Julius, fixed at the local veterinarian college. (Kat and I had considered this; however, another pet owner here took their male cat and he was mistaken for being pregnant. Hence, we were hesitant to allow the students to operate on Vincent). We were thankful King Julius survived the ordeal, as this meant we could address Mr. Vince's issue.
Kat went with Anjoli on Thursday to get a tetanus shot--a pre-castration procedure. According to Kat, this went smoother than expected.
Upon arriving for the operation on Sunday, Kat, Vince, and Anjoli met with the Head Veterinarian. While Anjoli was running around getting medicine, the Vet told Kat that AUW should accept married women. While this might have been an interesting discussion otherwise, at this point, Kat and Vince were not amused.
Finally things got underway, with Katrina acting as a nurse. She held Vincent while the Vet and students checked his heart rate, gave him anesthesia (enough for a goat), and shaved his nibbly bits (which took a good 10 minutes). They stuck a plastic syringe cover in his mouth to keep it open. Vince was asleep, but not amused. Kat said that in addition to the vet students hovering over the Head Vet, there were other folks in the room doing electrical work.
The operating crew
Vince's new mouthpiece
Once fully asleep, the surgery crew picked up Vince by two legs and took him into the operating room. Sitting in the waiting room, Katrina witnessed a rabbit having an allergic reaction and a dog being harassed. After the 20 minute operation, the Vet asked Katrina and Anjoli to come get Vince. He proceeded to hand a very limp Vince, with his tongue sticking out, to Kat. Kat said "let me get the cat carrier." He said, "No, you hold him. Come sit in my office for 10 minutes." After this post-op procedure, Kat and Anjoli were sent home with Dead Weight Cat, being told "he should be fine in an hour."
Well, over 4 hours hours later, Vince is up and about, but still out of it. This must be what it's like to have a drunk cat. "No, Vince, don't try to jump off the bed. No really, you can't do that. No, you should really rest and not walk where. Oh gosh, you're puking again..."
Four hours post-op...
Overall, we would count this as a very successful--and quite possibly one of our most interesting--endeavors in Bangladesh. We are thankful that the Vet and crew removed the correct apparatus and that Vince won't be responsible for producing little kittens. We are also hopeful that this will quell Vincent's desire to chomp on people's legs and arms, howl by the front door (which echos throughout the apartment stairwell), and to get upset and pee on stuff.
We have exit row seats! Happy long legs! How’d we get these precious commodities on a 9 hour flight, you ask? Kat and I checked into our flight last night (we were at the airport helping Mom get on her flight). However, we are located next to the bathrooms. But they don’t smell too bad—yet. At least not worse than dinner. Which was either “chicken” or “beef.” You don’t ask how these 2 meats are prepared—because, does it really matter? We’re on an airplane for goodness sake. Perhaps my inclination to avoid beef at all costs always leads me to now say “chicken” when flying. No, I know I’m not back in Bangladesh yet. And 2 weeks of a burger almost every day would almost predict my cow-oriented response. Alas, my habit of avoiding tasteless Bangladeshi beef has resumed on this flight.
The chicken had some goopy stuff on it. It didn’t really taste like chicken at all. So why don’t they just serve tofu? I mean, really—it’s healthier, tastier, and possibly cheaper. Certainly less likely to cause e-coli. But I think we know why tofu isn’t an option—imagine all the Americans rioting at 30,000 feet!
Kat, Mom and I took a 7 night cruise around the Hawaiian Islands on Norweigian Cruise Line. It was just us and 950 crew members and 2,997 other tourists in Hawaiian shirts.
Highlights of the Hawaii cruise:
Sleeping, eating, drinking, reading whenever I wanted. In the sun, next to the pool. On the beach, lying on a towel. In bed, way past my bed time.
Successfully sneaking our bottle of Tanqueray onto the ship, and subsequent pleasures thereby derived.
Mozzarella sticks at the diner on board whenever I wanted. I ate a lot of them. Warm, gooey, absolutely American.
Burgers! With cheese! “Can you please toast my bun?” (Seriously—it improves the flavor immensely.)
Passing the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii at night—fiery lava on land with tons of stars in the sky.
Jasper, one of the crew (job = make people have fun on board): “You look like that lady in ‘Pretty in Pink’—you ever been told that? Girl, you are gorgeous!”
Malls. Sad, right? Yes, for me, Ms. Anti-Consumerism. I was shocked at how quickly I wanted to try on black dresses. Why?
Hammock in Kaua’i (at the Marriott Botanical Gardens). Hammocks make everything better.
Silly things to complain about on the cruise:
The boat rocking. First night I thought I’d lose my dinner. I somehow made it though. I quickly got my sea legs, praise be to the goddess of the seas.
Mom’s snoring. Luckily I brought ear plugs!
While it was fun at first, after a few days the brightly colored Hawaiian shirts, visors, fake leis, and big hair started to get to me.
“Aloooooooooha.” If I want to say “aloha,” I’ll say “aloha.” Being forced to repeat this multiple times in unison with other folks on board caused me to feel the urge to commit a heinous act with coconuts.
The anti-germ hand spraying. Before and after eating, while getting on and off the boat, and at other random times we were asked to hold out our hands for anti-bacterial hand spray. Yes, I appreciate the effort to discourage an epidemic while at sea, and I think it’s a great idea to deal with men who forget or refuse to wash their hands after using the bathroom. However, after a while I started wondering, “Have they put something else in that liquid they are spraying on your hands? A subtle scent that whispers to you: “Buy a drink, they’re only $10. Go to the gift shop and purchase useless crap that you’ll never really want when you get home. Go ahead, sign up for that $350 helicopter excursion…”
All in all, it was a great trip. Eat, sleep, drink when you want. Nothing to plan--and no way to get lost! I never thought I'd enjoy a cruise before the age of 30. Watch out--I may take another one!
Some notes on food and fitness from the first few days of my trip to Hawaii:
Jan 11, 2010 6:00PM in Tokyo Eating my way through our trip: Breakfast at Burger King in Singapore Lunch at McDonald’s in Tokyo Snack of edamame and Haribo gummi bears before boarding our flight to Honolulu.
It’s a good thing I brought my running shoes to Hawaii! Yes, I am actually looking forward to exercising DURING vacation. This is because, for the first time in 7 months, I can run outside. In capri pants. With a tank top on. And I will not run the risk of causing a traffic accident or being mobbed by Bangladeshi teenage boys. This is why running on vacation is a particular delight for me. I just gotta find time to run in the midst of all my eating and relaxing.
Jan 11 in Honolulu DQ blizzard! Avocado, olive oil, & French bread for dinner
Sitting in the Chittagong Airport. Our 3:20 flight has been delayed until 4:20. The 4:20 flight was the next flight, so that’s probably delayed until 5:20. Or they just merged the 3:20 with the 4:20 flight. I think that last conjecture is the most accurate.
I have two lovely sandwiches in my bag made with smelly French cheese Alex brought me. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat them now. Our drive here involved the driver hitting the brakes—a lot. And his brakes were pretty touchy. At one point I swear my stomach almost flew out of my mouth. Or should I say, the contents of my stomach…
7:00 PM
After finally arriving in Dhaka, we were ushered off the plane and left to stand on the tarmac for 45 minutes while being eaten alive by black swarms of mosquitoes. Why all the fuss? The prime minister was flying to India. So that meant stopping any other movement but the very slow departure of her Biman Airbus flight. Yes, the prime minister flies on a Biman (Bangladesh's infamous national air carrier) flight with other random passengers loaded on board. This is truly "Air Force One For All."
Cherie Blair--as in, Tony Blair's wife--is visiting AUW today.
As part of the Visit Planning Committee, I helped pick out flower arrangements with Tinne (Super Angel Faculty Coordinator Lady). I learned while picking out the flowers that it is common practice to spray paint flowers here. This is so the flowers take on hideous shades of unnaturalness--to match saris. Crammed into the little flower shop with chemical smells enveloping me, I began to wonder if a lot of brides faint in Bangladesh.
Luckily Tinne and I decided on some very natural shades of roses, gardenias, and carnations. I hope Cherie is amused. Photos of the visit
Cox’s Bazar Mermaid Eco-Resort
This place is GREAT! It's located 18 km from Cox's Bazar, allowing you to get away from the tacky, noisy, and crazy city. The bungalows are comfy and clean. You can take a boat to a gorgeous private beach. There is also a spa where you can get a massage. The Eco-Resort can provide transportation (for a fee).
Food is good--although it takes FOREVER to get and there aren't many vegetarian options. Seafood is good. There is no alcohol for purchase (there is at the Mermaid Cafe in Cox's Bazar).
This place is new, so there are a lot of kinks being worked out. But I totally recommend it!
Mermaid Tour to St. Martin’s Island Katrina and I paid 5,000 taka each for a one-night tour package to St. Martin's. This included transportation and lodging. We don't recommend it. Here's why:
It wasn't clear to staff at the Eco-Resort that we needed to go into town to the Mermaid Cafe. This was quickly sorted out and someone drove us in. He was stopped at the Mermaid Cafe between the Eco-Resort and Cox's Bazar Cafe by some men. They said they were Mermaid employees, that their CNG had broke down, and that they needed to go back to the Eco-Resort. They asked us to turn around and take them back to the Eco-Resort. The driver didn't say anything--my sister and I said "No, we need to go to the Cox's Bazar Mermaid Cafe now." With time changes, we didn't want to risk missing our Teknaf transport. Also, as 2 foreign women, we did not feel comfortable letting 5 men into the van in the dark in a deserted area.
We did get picked up at the Mermaid Cafe in Cox's Bazar by a Mermaid employee and the Teknaf transport. The ride was harrowing--the driver drove at a breakneck speed to Teknaf. My sister and I could handle this; however, I think this would be a very hard ride for an older adult or someone prone to car sickness. The Mermaid employee got us our tickets at Teknaf on a different boat, since the Keari was full. Upon arriving in St. Martin's, the Mermaid employee took us to Hotel Probal by rickshaw. He told us we would be responsible for our transportation back to Cox's Bazar and we said "no, we paid to have everything arranged." We said the same thing when he asked us to pay for the rickshaw. I realize that perhaps there was a miscommunication--but being told that we would be responsible for our transportation back to Cox's Bazar was really upsetting.
We had been told on the phone that Hotel Probal was not as nice as Blue Marine and Prasad--the preferred accommodations that were full. The room at Probal was noisy, smelly, and very uncomfortable. I told the Mermaid employee and he explained that Blue Marine and Prasad were full. We understood that there was nothing to be done about the nicer accommodations being full.
My sister and I moved to a different lodging to get out of Hotel Probal. We stayed at Sheemana Pereye Resort. We paid for this out of pocket. While it was dirty, it was quiet and close to the beach.
From June 2009 to May 2010 I served as the Concierge (dealing with guest and employee relations) for the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Credit for the majority of photos on these pages goes to my "sari sister," Katrina Lewis.
