PADI'd

Chinese New year 2010

Made a lightning-quick stopover to Singapore, then onward to Thailand for our PADI.

I like this pic of beau

Spent a week getting much needed sunshine, sand, sea and juice shakes on Ko PhiPhi.

Never thought i'd enjoy diving so much. Swallowed alot of sea water at first, then saw myriad schools of fish, turtles (chomping on corals - so cute) , jellyfish (stung), even seahorses. our instructor from phi-phi adventures was fantastic and very experienced with jittery first-timers. My ears aren't very good at equalizing though.

Now that I've gone diving (and experienced this whole new world underwater) and the massive oil-spill has occured, i feel kinda sad, angry and helplessness at the whole situation. Guess it just means lots of marine life poisoned and dead and it'll take ages to recover, if at all.

View from the dive boat (remind me again, wtf am i living in a desert??)

Beach @ Phiphi

Making up for lost time

Didn't get a chance to post pix when i was behind the friggin GFW so here are some of the highlights from 2009, or posterity's sake.

i've been thinking about switching blogs but i'm kinda attached to this one since i started my travelling in 2006 and have had 130+ posts to date. Nyeah. i'll be loyal.

Longmen Grottoes, south of Luoyang city, Henan province. Awe-inspiring collection of statues carved 1500 years ago.

There you go.. i took the plunge.

Sunset in Uluwatu, Bali

Bangkok

After leaving Luang Prabang, i took a 2 day journey on a slow boat to Northern Laos to cross over the Mekong river to Thailand. From Chiang Kong in Thailand, it was another couple of long bus journeys before i arrived in Bangkok yesterday.
So here i am in this noisy, chaotic city and somehow it is not very appealing - i think i'm too used to the idyllic and peaceful countryside of Laos!

Flying home tomorrow evening....

Lazy Sunday in Luang Prabang

I really like the guesthouse concept - its almost like staying in somebody's home. Its small, cosy and family-run. You can watch TV with them, play with their dog or just chill out at the balcony with a book. The kids will be playing in the street, and someone's cockerel will inevitably be crowing! At night, there are always groups gathered in someone's house sharing some food and Lao beer. It really gives you an opportunity to witness normal Luang Prabang life.

The one i've been staying at for the past 4 days is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood Ban Ho Xieng -a pretty lane lined with flowers. Today, it was fun to just watch the family go about their Sunday chores. The ice-cream man also came by so i had my first cone in weeks :-)
















Little kids helping their dad scrub down a pot.















Then they got tasked with cleaning the motorbikes with sponges.















Little boy discovers the water hose!















He lost interest in the cleaning after about 30 seconds and turned the hose onto his parents (out of the camera view)















Little boy got a smacking from his dad for soaking everyone. What happened afterward was he started crying and throwing a tantrum. He threw the water scoop on the floor and flung the sandals over the wall to his neighbour's house in a rage - and started bawling. I stopped taking pictures because i was in hysterics.

Introducing my Laos travelling buddy

I met many nice fellow travellers along my journey and one of them is Xiaodong, from Beijing -whom i had met on a bus in Vietnam. We decided to travel together in Laos.

Not only did we share many long, interesting conversations (ok debates) about politics, philosophy, "the meaning of life" and such, he is also extremely useful to have around - he can hoist heavy backpacks onto the roof of minivans, take GPS readings, is an experienced kayaker (and therefore did more than his share of the paddling in Vang Vieng), and also fixed my bike when the bike chain came loose on our cycling trip in Si phan don. He got his hands all dirty and greasy and didn't complain one bit. Bless! :-)

40-Love

I have arrived at the conclusion that Laos is a far more technologically advanced country than Singapore where insect control is concerned.

Look what the locals are using! While in a shop, i noticed the shop attendants holding on to this while watching TV. I enquired what it was and she explained that it was a mozzie/fly swatter. Press a button at the side and a tiny current passes through the racket - fries all assorted flying insects to death.

As if on cue, a fly flew in and buzzed about in the shop. The shopkeeper happily demonstrated its use for me. With one graceful stroke (not unlike Federer), she burnt the fly into a crisp! The poor fly fell to the floor and struggled for abit before finally giving up. The shop attendant swept it away nonchalantly. I could smell it too.

Its a wonderful little gadget! Not only do you get rid of the pesky little flies, but you can also practice your tennis strokes at the same time. I have a crazy idea to start an import business for this in Singapore.

Any takers?

Kuang Si Waterfalls

It was a bit of a hike through the forest to get up to one of the pools at the upper tiers but the view was worth it.


And so was the swim.. very refreshing!

Kayaking

Spent today tubing through a limestone cave and kayaking/rafting down the NamSong river. Lots of spectacular mountain scenery on the way.





And here's me posing when i should have been paddling hard!

My cambodia ducks picture -again

Improved!
i had duck noodles while in Laos. Reeeally tasty! :-)

Sunset in Vang Vieng

Rice fields and farms nestled among the Nam song river and mountains.

Rainbow after the downpour in the afternoon. I haven't seen one for the longest time. That, and the beautiful sunset was a perfect way to end my day! I love Laos!

Bus to Vang Vieng

price of VIP (clean, comfy, air-conditioned and punctual) tourist bus (3hrs) to Vang Vieng from Vientiane US$5
price of local bus (4hrs) - US$2

Experience of sharing the bus with monks, locals, stacks of Beer Lao, sacks of potatoes, and chickens while listening to Lao rap music.. - Priceless!

And so is the smell actually ;-)

The bus meandered through the villages, picking more people up on the way, so some people actually had to sit on plastic stools in the aisle. The old uncle in front of me had a bad throat and kept spitting out of the window. When he wasn't doing that, he was busy smoking!! As it got closer to Vang Vieng, we passed through some villages on the mountains and they were very pretty, even when it started pouring. It was definitely an interesting and enjoyable ride today!

Wa Laos!

My first photo of Laos. I wanted to take a picture of the Laos immigration control (it was essentially a hut in the middle of a thick jungle!) but i didn't want to annoy the stern border officials. We had to drive for miles on a dirt track to get there and to get out onto the Laos highway.
At Don Khong island, Si Phan Don - (4000 islands), in the far south of Laos.

Spent a lovely afternoon cycling around Don Khong island - it has lots of peaceful, quiet little villages with ricefields. I had to swerve a few times to avoid the chickens and dogs on the roads.

The little kids all shout "Sabaai-dee" in glee when we cycle past. Even the adults are very friendly and welcoming with their smiles!! I like Laos already :-)

Livestock (pigs at the bottom, chickens on the roof) on a "sawnghthaew". These little pickup trucks are the local mode of transportation around southern Laos. The one i sat on this morning to get from Chempasek to Pakse had 31 people crammed into it. Really! And i was told it was a bonus that there weren't any chickens on the same vehicle.

And more..

The kids don't have many toys at the orphanage. No Lego, plush toys, toy soldiers or barbie dolls - I am amazed with their creativity in using whatever they can find in the yard to play and entertain themselves with! Twigs and fruits to play "5 stones", gunny sacks to hop around in - anything!
Reasey, Leak and Ratha
First 2 days i was at the orphanage, i must have drove the kids crazy making them repeat their names constantly - but now i've got them down pat!


No helmets.
Mr Hong - the very nice motor-driver who shuttled me to and from the orphanage every day without fail.

And Gionata - who is currently motor-biking around the world so check out his web page www.partireper.it for his adventures -even better if you can read Italian. He took over the volunteer teaching at CCPCR after i'd left.

More pictures

The kids of CCPCR (Cambodian Centre for the Protection of Children's Rights) all love having their photos taken. Each time i take out my camera, they get pretty hysterical and ham it up straightaway! This is cute little Srey Leak - she is only 6 and spends all her afternoons clambering around the older kids and playing while i'm trying to teach them English!!
Rathanak and Raksa - 2 of the 4 boys at the orphanage.


"Family photo" on my last day with some of the kids (Thank you Gionata - i love this picture!)

Last look at Cambodia .. for now

Haven't been able to get onto the internet until today - I made it to Laos on the 29th of June, and i'm now in the town of Pakse. Just trying to catch up with all my emails and picture-posting!

By my last week in Phnom Penh, I had started to get attached to the city. i had managed to learn enough Khmer to converse with the children at the orphanage. Actually, they don't exactly teach you phrases like "Stop talking & Sit down!" or "Put the books away" in the Lonely Planet Khmer phrasebook but no matter :-)

At the guesthouse where i stayed for 2.5 weeks, the staff, as well as the people who worked at the internet point, and the indian restaurant just round the corner all knew me as the "Tall Singaporean Girl Who Speaks Really Bad Khmer". i've grown a little attached to Phnom Penh now so i might just have to go back again!



Sunset in Stung Trieng - a remote little town in the northeast corner of Cambodia. Its the nearest town to the Laos Voen Kham border.

This is the ferry boat to go across the river from Stung Trieng so we can take a minivan to the Laos Border. There were these 3 motorbikes in the picture, and another 3 behind me. And loads more people! Check out th picture below - that was the front of the boat.

Duckies on a joyride

I caught sight of this while riding on a motorbike so i pulled out my camera to snap this - the ducks are still alive by the way, and probably on the way to the market!




I haven't been posting for awhile because this week has gone by so quickly!! i've spent most afternoons doing some volunteer teaching at the orphanage and it has been great. I really enjoyed interacting with them - what i've found is Cambodian kids can be so shy at first but once they warm up to you, there's no stopping them!! i will try to write/post more next week.

Lost lambs and Lexus

Seen at a street just round the corner from my guesthouse. These big cars are really popular here! i've seen so many of them in the city.

Lost in Translation -me no speak engrish!!

Today was my day off. I went to see a couple of films at the French Cultural Institute - there was a film festival and best of all, it was free! i also went to a bookshop trying to look for handicraft books -but look what i found!


I had a field day reading canned English-Khmer love letters (how very handy!) which seems to be geared towards writing to your husband/ boyfriend for money, or to visit in Chiang Mai - which is in Thailand, strangely enough. Thailand-Cambodia same same?


"My darling husband, how is life over there? i think you'll be surprised as i have never written to you before" (??!!) No matter, perhaps signing off with "Yours passionately"might just convince him wire me some cash?

This one has generous doses of exclamation marks to bring home the point that she reeeeallly loves you. and she reeeallly doesnt want to work again at the same pub in Patpong, which is , again in Thailand.

Ok and this one is by far my favourite -so i've put this as a big photo as a treat. I stood at this aisle for a really long time, giggling to myself the entire time! And because i was trying to photograph these without the staff knowing, i had to crouch down and do it really quietly.

Chau Doc

Chau doc was the last Vietnamese town i visited in the Mekong delta.



At Chau doc, i was woken up from my sleep at 5am in the morning by a strange, loud noise. sounded like someone trying to hack a wall -repeatedly. Looked down from my room and found a woman hacking large chunks of ice on the road with a cudgeon and shovelling them into a bucket! I didn't take any ice drinks for the rest of the day.



View from atop the Sam mountain in Chau Doc. You can supposedly see Cambodia from here but its all the same to me - rice fields and more rice fields! i love that colour of green though.

Mekong Delta

So here are some pictures of the towns i visited in the Mekong delta -the last leg of my Vietnam travels.

At the floating markets in Cai Rang. The farmers put their produce in small boats, and paddle them out to the Mekong to sell to the bigger boats. This is the pineapple aisle by the way, because you can see the pineapples stuck atop the poles!

Someone taking off with alot of durians ...

Most villages/ towns are built along the river. Everyone has a boat in their backyard.

Trying my best to blend in... naturally i succeeded. Actually, i think i can possibly look Cambodian too. While i was at an internet cafe the other day, another customer came up to ask me how much to use the terminals :-)