Into the Wild

Just testing!

2010-03-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

Just testing to see if this works =D

Just testing

2009-12-26T03:37:00.001-08:00

Froze in Antarctica

2009-07-28T02:15:00.001-07:00

As I said in my previous post, we visited Antarctica for a bit from Christchurch, NZ. While we were there, we experienced snow storm. Rode one of those snowmobiles. Saw lots of penguins. and had lots of fun!

By the time we finished our time there, we were beyond exhausted and ready to move on to the next part of our trip. but before that..here are some pictures. Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed our time there. Oh..did I mention the Antarctic that we visited….it was the Antarctic Museum located right next to the Christchurch International Airport. =D (Did I get you??). Anways, Did you know that the Christchurch International Airport serves as a base for the Italian & US antarctic programs? Well, now you do! =) Christchurch basically is the gateway to the Antarctic.

Of course, when someone mentions Antarctic, you think of penguins! Well, at the museum, they have lots and lots of them! Live ones too! I was rather disappointed though..I thought they were going to have the Emperor Penguin. Anyways, what they had was the species called the Little Penguin, Fairy Penguin, or Blue Penguin (a.k.a Eudyptula minor). They are the smallest penguin in the world (about 43 cm tall, and 1 kg in weight).

When we were there, it was feeding time for them penguins, which was fun to watch. These penguins knew their names, and reacted very well when called. The lady who was feeding them also showed us that these penguins were tagged with different colors tag for identification, and other details like their illness, diet, etc.

Oh…and there were some that were feeling so well, and they had to wear socks! HAHA!! This one’s wearing blue socks, and he wouldn’t jump in to the water. Spoiled one!!

Scared the heck out of me! Seriously!

and of course, there was a display of how the life of the researchers are. I didn’t realize they live in such extreme conditions..well, I did…I just never realized how extreme.

Here’s Debs experiencing snow storm in a simulator room…the temperature went down to minus 25 (I think! Can’t remember what it was), and complete with sound plus 40 km/h winds.

Igloo..it was pretty cozy inside, actually!

and obviously we just had to try this fake snow mobile. How we wished it was real!

Hagglund ride to experience the kind of transport the researchers in the Antarctic use.

The seat was NOT comfortable. well..duh! and make sure you hang on for dear life coz it gets really bumpy!

We got stuck a couple of times, and almost tipped over too. Oh well..such is life in the Antarctic! =)

Debs..spent and ready for the next part of the trip. A night in a vineyard!

to be continued….

Kiwi Roadtrip

2009-07-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

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Last year, I had one of the best road trips I've ever had in my life doing and seeing things I had always dreamt of in a land so breathtakingly beautiful and magical - New Zealand, land of the hobbits! We started off from the country's capital - wellington, flying all the way to Christchurch which was on the South Island. Debora - a French speaking girl from Switzerland, and Martha - one of my bestfriends from college joined me on this adventure. Martha, sadly, could only stay during the weekend in Christchurch, so Debs and I traveled the South Island together after Martha left. It was nonetheless a fun weekend getaway for Martha and I as we hadn't seen each other for more than 5 years!!! Martha was one of those rare-find friends who stuck by my side as I fought cancer, and the spirit breaking treatments. I could always count on her for encouragements, and a shoulder to cry on. So, this trip was double special for both of us as it was a trip that none of us would have imagined possible at all! =)

Martha had to fly all the way from Auckland to meet up with us at the airport in Wellington, and together we flew to Christchurch. Of course considering that Debs and I were penniless missionaries, we had arranged to stay in backpackers! I wouldn't change it for anything else! It was worth every single penny, fun, and we made a lot of new fun fearless people! Oh..and the backpackers we stayed in were clean, the staff in every single backpacker were friendly and helpful, it was truly well worth it! Anyways, in Christchurch we stayed at Base backpackers which was very centrally located - right by the Cathedral square! We checked in pretty late so we went straight to bed. We were awoken in the middle of the night when a few people came in the room (I think they were pretty wasted!), and went on whispering very loudly for about half an hour before they finally retired to bed. We did have a good sleep after that though. =)

Next morning, we woke up very early - before Mr. Sun rose! We had booked a trip on a bus to Mt. Hutt - a snow capped mountain (it was winter!Both Martha and I were excited about the possibility of seeing our very first snow(!!), and of hanging out for a few hours, while Debbie was excited about skiing again (she'd been skiing since she was 4 years old!).

So..here goes..pictures from the weekend in Christchurch.

Base Backpackers - where we stayed

There was only one very old lift in the building. I was very amused!

Waiting in the wee hours of the morning for the bus that would take us up to Mt. Hutt

The bus =)

Of course it wouldn't be New Zealand without sheep!

Getting there...

Getting closer..Can't you feel the excitement!

Here we go!

The three chicks =)

On the way up..

Top of the world! We actually walked all the way up here from the lift stop. It was majestic. No one else was here but us, so we did some pretty silly stuff.

After a thousand takes..haha!

Martha covered in snow...

Of course we had to make snow angel! Several of them actually!!

Oh and Debs taught us how to ski!

Of course in the end, she ended up dragging me around..hahahha

The next morning, Martha flew back Auckland, while Debs and I lingered for a bit in Christchurch. This is the famous Christchurch cathedral right across where we stayed.

From Christchurch, we traveled to Antartica..Stay tuned for pictures!

to be continued....

A crazy day in an Indonesian bus

2009-07-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

I found this story of my travel back to Indonesia from Malaysia back in 2006 in my older blog. Looking back it was very funny (didn't seem funny at all then..hehe). So..here goes. Enjoy!

So..Im now back at home in Nanga Pinoh, West Kal. Been here for a couple of days and well..its been fun hanging out and catching up with family and friends. My friend just had a baby!!! I feel so old! I used to be Che che (big sister in Chinese) to the younger kids, now Im an aunt! Another very good friend is getting married right on the day when Im supposed to leave for Thailand . *sigh*

Now for the trip. It was lonnnnnnggggggggggg!!! I was on the bus from Kuching to Pontianak for 8 hours. Thankfully, 3 of my friends were there too. So we just sat there, talked and got bored. The day after that I went to Serukam from Pontianak , which was quite an adventure! It was a very hot day and I was sitting in this bus full of people. And the bus had to wait in line for fuel. Man..the line was longg!!!! Yeah, we are running out of fuel and gas here in Indonesia , or at least in West Kal . Anyways..we were waiting in line and believe it or not..the driver lit his cigarette!!!! I was like oh great! we’ll just blow up together here under this really hot sun at a gas station! Cool.

Thankfully, we got out of that gas station in one piece. So..the bus was back on the road, and I was trying to get myself comfortable..the seat was too small with leg-room enough only for people who are 4 ft tall!! I was like the tallest person in that bus even though it was full of men! (well..short men! Hehehe). And whenever the bus went through a bumpy road (which happened quite often, I might say), you could hear this bang thud sound as my head hit the top of the bus and I fell back down on my seat. (oh yeah..the bus was made to accommodate dwarves! I mean..seriously..Indonesians arent that short, really! What’s with all these miniature busses?!).

Anyways, I was an entertainment for the other passengers! Here in West Kal …everyone smiles and laughs at and with everything. Literally EVERYTHING! When they are embarrassed, they laugh. When somebody makes mistake on stage, they laugh. So..well..they laugh at me..or maybe, supposedly with me to make me feel comfortable. Truth is I felt ridiculous. And they kept saying tinggi mati (which literally means, dead tall). Im 5′4, by the way. Yeah..not all that tall really! So..anyways..people were giggling, my head kept hitting the ceiling of the bus, and I was trying real hard to make myself comfortable and chill eventhough it was like 1040. After a while, I finally was able to enjoy the ride, thanks to the beautiful scenery! But..there was this thing under my seat that kept bumping my feet. At first, I thought it was just somebody’s bag. So I ignored it. At one point, that thing rested comfortably on my feet and I started having goosebumps!! uh oh…so, I looked down and gave out this really loud yelp that sounded more like I was choking. I jumped on my seat, looking really pale, I believe. The bus was still for a while..then everyone was like "what? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?" and I looked at them and said "there’s a CHICKEN under my seat!!!!". More silence….I was looking at them with the most innocent face as if it was normal to scream that loud just because there was a chicken under my seat, and they were staring blankly at me trying to grasp what I had just said. Then…more laughs and giggles. Yup..its now official that I’m such an entertainer! The bus went on, and there I was squatting on my seat with a stupid chicken under it, people dying of laughter and my head banging the bus even harder. It was ok for a while, but after what looked like forever, I told the driver to stop, made my way out of the bus, and moved in front to sit next to the driver, which was yet another adventure coz the bus was totally fast and there was no seatbelt! The driver must have been an F1 racer! He was smoking and making jokes, and I kept thinking If something happened to this bus, Id be the first person to have a broken neck or leg, all because of that stupid chicken!!!. And because it was a holiday that day, the bus I was on was like the only bus that ran to Bengkayang. So, the driver took as many passengers as the bus could take, which was A LOT!!! I believe there were triple the numbers allowed in the bus (oh..that happens everyday, dont worry! Ha!). At one point,there were 3 of us sitting in front with the driver!!..and there were even more on the bus, as in ON it..on the roof!!! Once, we even stopped for a whole female soccer team who was going to another village for a match and guess where the sit? On the roof!!!! Yeah..wasnt it an adventure? I swear I could feel the bus tilting to one side! Oh my…(FYI, It wasnt my first public bus ride, but it was the greatest so far..ha!)

Thankfully, I arrived in Serukam just fine..no broken leg or broken thumb..no melted brain coming out of my earsno feathers stuck on my feet..so, I was doing great! Spent 24 hours in Serukam before heading back to Pontianak with some of the doctors, and then on to Nanga Pinoh. The bus trip to Nanga Pinoh wasn’t as great coz it was a night bus, although the road was even bumpier. Thankfully, this bus was made for normal size people, and there were no feather-balls resting on my toes this time.

Anyways, I had great fun in that bus even though it sure didn’t feel like it. :p Well, better run now.

p.s if you are wondering why I freaked out because of that chicken under my seat. Well..thats because I have this feather phobia thingy going on in my head!

Tokyo Drift

2009-06-17T13:14:00.001-07:00

When we were in Japan, my friends and I decided that it’d be stupid for us not to go to Tokyo Disneyland. So, while on a low budget in one of the most expensive countries in the world, we set on an adventure to the metropolis Tokyo. =) We figured if we left early in the evening from Niigata, we’d arrive just after midnight and would still have time to tour around the city before camp for the night by the entrance of Disneyland. =D My friend somehow met a man who had a friend who owned a car rental business, and we were able to rent a car for a very good deal. It was one of those high-tech Japanese cars with GPS and doors that open and close whenever you pull the handle. We were very impressed! So, off we went, all 5 of us – Lezaun (South Africa), Belinda (Malaysia), Ben (Canada), and Daniel (Switzerland) - packed with sleeping bags, snacks, water and enough money for the trip. Disneyland here we come!!

We had quite a fun time in the car just enjoying the scenes and everything. It was only a 4 hour ride to Tokyo, and traffic was good. It was when we got to Tokyo that things got a bit confusing. Tokyo was big, and we had language problem…we didn’t understand any sign at all!!! uh oh..but no worries..we had a GPS, and a car in front of us was helping us. Yay!

We stopped in a 7 eleven for a quick dinner (you can always count on 7 eleven in a foreign country to provide something that your bud taste is used to!). I grabbed a ham and egg sandwich..real good!, but then decided that I wasn’t too hungry and maybe I should just save it for breakfast (my finance brain was counting how much it’d cost to grab breakfast in Disneyland!!).

The journey continued…we decided to go straight to Disneyland and set camp and rest for the night. When we got there (it was right before midnight), at least 20 cars were already in line! and here we thought we were the crazy ones! I guess we weren’t the only ones! So that night, the boys went to sleep outside in their sleeping bags while we girls stayed inside tucked underneath our comfortable duvets! (only girls would think of taking duvets for a night of ‘camping outside Disneyland’!!).

The next morning, 5 a.m. I think it was..we got up (or rather..the boys woke us up), and we got ready for a day of serious fun in Disneyland! Oh yeah! The line by now was already really long!! At 6 the gate opened, and we lined in. Fun fun fun..I was excited. I’d been to Hongkong Disneyland before, and had so much fun. Tokyo Disney is a lot bigger than HK Disney, and I was expecting a day of FUN!

Our first ride..we decided had to be something really fun for everyone, so…SPACE MOUNTAIN!!! So..we lined up, and got really excited. I, on the other hand, started feeling a bit weird…but I thought maybe it was the excitement. 5 more people and we’d be off on our ride! but…uh oh…BIG TIME!! I gotta go!! and I ran out..frantically searching for a toilet. Found it just at the right moment! A lady in front of me probably saw that something was really wrong, and kindly offered me to go first. Thank goodness she did because as soon as I was in, I puked like I had never puked before!!! Gone were all my excitement and a day of fun. I ended up staying in the car being really really sick. Rats! I figured it was the sandwich that I had saved for breakfast. Should have known! DUH!!!!

But in the end, I gathered just enough strength to go back in to Disney and walked alone. Didn’t go on any rides though, but I had fun just walking alone and enjoying myself. Even had the chance to see the 3 o’clock parade =) (oh and I bought a mini basketball for my brother that he thought was the normal size when I sent the picture to him, but it was actually half the normal size. Imagine how disappointed he was! ha!).

At the end of the day I was feeling much better, and was able to enjoy more of Tokyo. We went to Tokyo tower, and of course Shinjuku where you can find all sorts of people – from brown hair to bright green and purple hair! If you’ve seen The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, you’ll be able to imagine how Shinjuku looks like. =)

We went back to Niigata that evening, and although I got sick I was glad I tagged along. Hey..if I didn’t get sick, it would be just another Disney fun for me! =P Be thankful in every circumstance, right?

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The last city subjected to nuclear warfare

2009-06-16T04:54:00.000-07:00

Know which city it is? Yes? No? It's Nagasaki in Japan. On August 9th, 1945, an atomic bomb nicknamed 'Fat Man' destroyed and killed about 40,000 people of Nagasaki. In total some 73,000 people died during and after the bombing, while a few hundred thousands were affected by radiation.

I visited Nagasaki on a one day trip to Nagasaki (it'd been my life long dream to visit one of the two atomic bomb museums in Japan). It was a long day but well worth it.

First we visited Peace Park located near the hypocentre of the explosion, it was built to commemorate the bombing of the city. A statue called the Peace Statue was erected at the north end of the park. The statue's right hand points upward to the threat of the atomic bomb, and the other hand points to the left symbolizing peace.

Every 9th August, a peace ceremony is held in this park while peace declaration is read by the mayor of the city.

Still at the peace park, this writing on this glass wall says 'The hypocenter of the atomic bombing is approximately 250 metres from this point'. (Picture by Ralf Riemann)

The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum was originally built in 1955. The present museum was opened in 1996 on the 50th anniversary of the bombing. Cameras weren't allowed inside the museum, so there's no picture! =( One thing I remember well about the museum was a lunch box! A little girl's lunch box. She was walking to school that fateful morning when the bomb struck the city. She was killed, and all that was left of her was the lunchbox and the rice inside that was totally burnt.

A plague at the Site of Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan

On February 5 1597, 26 Christians (mostly foreign missionaries) were crucified in Nagasaki (This is a monument built for the 26 martyrs). In 1587, a ban on Christianity was decreed which was soon followed by persecutions of the Christians. The most well known event was the execution of the 26 missionaries and converts rounded up from Osaka, Kyoto, and Sakai, marched through the snow to Nagasaki to be crucified. 300 years later, however, a community of descendants of the original Japanese Christians were found living in a district called Urakami.

Museum of the martyrs of Japan. Sadly, it was closed when we were there. =(

Built in 1865, Oura Church is the oldest church in Japan. A French priest established this church to dedicate prayers to the 26 martyrs of Japan. In 1933, the church was designated National Treasure. It was seriously damaged during the atomic bombing but had since been restored.

This white marble statue of the virgin Mary (at the entrance of Oura Church) was built to commemorate the discover of the 'hidden Christians' - the descendant of the original Japanese Christians who were persecuted back in 1800s.

One of my favorite spots in Nagasaki. A shopping district! Oh yeah! I can't remember what the name of the place is - it leads up to where Oura Church is. Kind of European in style and is full of shops selling Japanese souvenirs! If you are ever in Nagasaki, go there! =D (The last 3 pictures were taken by Ralf Riemann).

Sepia-toned I ♥ Faces

2009-06-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

We decided to enter this picture for the sepia tone theme photography contest over at I ♥ Faces.

When we were in Cambodia, we went to the killing fields where communist Pol Pot and his cruel men killed tens of thousands (if not million) of their own countrymen. I had a mixed feeling being there - it was a sad eery place, especially when you realized that children - hundreds and thousands of innocent children were being brutally tortured and murdered - all to satisfy the Khmer Rouge's blood-thirsty ambition. Just as we were leaving the place, I spotted this child standing under a tree - shirtless, barefooted, face dirty with mud and dust. But most of all it was his eyes that caught my attention. His eyes were haunting, any innocent childhood light has left only God knows how long ago. He wore an expression of one who had seen too much pain and suffering - an expression no child should wear! I tried to talk to him, but he didn't understand any English. We ended up giving him a piece of bread we happened to have in our backpack - probably satisfied his hunger only for a mere 5 minutes! =( We were told later that it was not uncommon for these street children to wander off to the killing fields to look for tourists who might take pity on them..giving them a few pennies and/or food to satisfy the otherwise unbearable hunger.

Cambodia in my heart

2009-06-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

My mind has been on Cambodia lately - partly because I've been watching TV shows about Cambodia, and partly because I've often found myself thinking about Cambodia since my last visit more than 2 years ago. It's a beautiful country, with a horrible past and an uncertain future. I spent only 10 days in Cambodia, and yet what I saw and experienced left a mark on my heart that will last a lifetime.

The Kingdom of Cambodia is located in South East Asia that borders with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Its largest city that is also its capital is called Pnom Penh . I spent about 5 days in Pnom Penh, working and serving with some a few local churches and an orphanage run by a Japanese missionary. It was an awesome awesome experience! The rest of my stay there was spent in a small town called Sihanoukville - named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk. Sihanoukville is one of the newest town in Cambodia, and is growing fast. One of the things that captivated me the most is the beach, and just how blue the water is!

Sunset on Serendipity Beach (or was it Occheuteal Beach? Hmm...I can't remember)

See how blue the water is?

We took a bus from Sihanoukville to Pnom Penh. As soon as we stepped off the bus, these Tuk tuks drivers greeted us. One need to know how to bargain with these tuk tuk drivers!

A corner of the city..

Just something you see everyday in Cambodia..Nothing out of the ordinary! HA!

My friend, David, showing off. In case you are wondering what he is biting, that's fried tarantula! It's a delicacy in cambodia, apparently. They eat a lot of fried bugs!

And I mean A LOT of bugs!!!! (picture taken from Kusou Gallery)

Tuk tuk..our transport in Pnom Penh. It's a motorcycle with a cabin that is attached to the rear..Pretty fun! Although, you kinda need to make sure you don't eat too much because once it hits dirt road..hmmm!!

Wat Phnom. It's the tallest religious structure in the city, also one of the most important pagoda in Cambodia. More than 90% of Cambodians are Buddhist, and this is shown in a lot of the architectural style of the country's buildings and sites.

While we were in Wat Phnom, there was a show going on. You can't see it from here, but I think it was a singing contest of some sort...

We walked from Wat Phnom around the bay area, and met a lot of people along the way, including these two women who were selling mangos by the road side. Many Cambodians are like these women, their lives have been devastated by Pol Pot's communist regime, leaving them with nothing but what nature provides. Every single Cambodian has been affected by the cruelty of Pol Pot and his men. Not one person I met in Cambodia hadn't lost a loved one during Khmer Rouge's savage killing of 1.5 million Cambodians - plus some foreigners. Khmer Rouge's most infamous motto is 'to keep you is no benefit, to destroy you is no loss'.

A mom and a child resting under a tree. I suspect that this is their 'home'. Notice the checked cloth the lady wear on her head (and also the two ladies in previous picture)? That's Krama - worn by almost everyone in Cambodia. The Cambodians use it to protect their heads and faces from the sun and dust, but it can also be used as a towel, decoration around the neck or waist, pillow cover, baby sling..anything you can think of really!

From the bay area, we walked all the way to the Palace, hoping that we'd be able to go in and check it out..but nope, it was closed due to some national holiday. Oh sucks!

Independence Monument - built in 1958 following the country's independence from France. The monument is in the form of lotus-shaped stupa..another Buddhist architectural.

The Independence monument is located on the intersection of Norodom Boulevard and Sihanouk Boulevard - behind us.

Built in 1970, the Cambodia - Vietnam monument commemorates the former alliance between Vietnam and Cambodia. This memorial is neglected now, but from time to time it though it became a focal point for political demonstrations.

Aww..and also a focal point for public bath, I guess!

I thought they were really pretty =)

This river became a source of fun and entertainment for these street kids.

2 of the 5 days that we were in Pnom Penh, we worked with an orphanage. This is one of the few classrooms in the orphanage. Most of these kids weren't orphans. Their parents just simply couldn't afford to raise them anymore...An aftermaths (out of many more!) of Pol Pot's disastrous regime..

This is the kid's bedroom, and their closets. The kids slept on the floor - no beds, no sleeping bags..just a piece of thin blanket to cover their small bodies.

It's a Christian orphanage..so we taught the kids to pray, and some Christian English songs (which they learned impressively fast!)

The two ladies are locals who helped the Japanese missionary to care for these kids. The lady in pink had lost both her parents during Pol Pot's 3 years of brutally torturing and killing the Cambodians.

to be continued.....

Vacation planned in Heaven

2009-06-08T05:06:00.000-07:00

I just just just joined I ♥ faces, and decided to enter a few photos for the vacation edition. YAY!

A bit over a year ago, we visited Papua New Guinea and went to a paradise island called Kavieng on the province of New Ireland. By we here I mean the Doulos crew (Doulos is the mission ship I was with from 2006 - 2008). My girlfriends and I'd realized earlier that we needed a break from the ship routine really badly. There was however a slight problem. We were, you see, a bunch of poor missionaries with no income, let alone a few pennies to spare for a much needed vacation. So, we decided to just pray about it and see what God would plan for us.

A couple of days later, as I was walking back to the ship after a full day of ministry in a local hospital, a jeep stopped by me. The driver was a middle aged caucasian man (something you barely ever see in PNG!) who introduced himself as Lou, and asked if I'd like to have a ride back to the ship - it was some 0.5 km away, and though it was late in the afternoon, the sun was still shining mercilessly. I gladly climbed into his car, and started chatting with him. He apparently managed his brother-in-law's small island called Nusa Island Retreat - which sounded really amazing! I didn't tell him anything about our plan to go for a break though, at that point I just wanted to talk to my girls first before making any decisions. That same evening, Lou called and told me that they had a couple of bungalows free, and if we'd want to book it for the weekend. The cost: USD 25 per bungalow! Woohoo!! I said yes, obviously!

So..that weekend, we packed and waited for Lou to come pick us up on his small boat. Off we went to a vacation in paradise.

A Papuan hut spotted off a beaten track

Looking cheerful amidst the hard life!

Lou - the evening we started this weekend vacation

Our bungalows..right by the beach!

That evening, Lou treated us to a seafood all-you-can-eat dinner at the island's only restaurant cum bar

Morning activites - kids going to school and moms coming back from the market

Sarah (Germany) and her favorite (oh..did I mention I am terrified of birds!)

The next day, Lou took us to a beautiful spot where we could snorkel, while he and his buddies surf

My first time snorkeling!!

Me and Shalane (South Africa) stopping for a picture

See the guy behind her surfing?

Girls will be girls!

Gameeda (South Africa) showing off a starfish she found. The beach is full of them!

Relaxing after a day of 'hardwork'

and got really sunburnt (my first time ever. I don't get sunburnt as a rule!)

We obviously had a great time, and went back to our ministry fully recharged and refreshed. Oh..did I mention that we found out later that Nusa Island retreat was one of the more expensive place to stay at in Kavieng, and the bungalow we were in? The normal price was way beyond what we paid! AND...we didn't have to pay for any of the facilities we used including snorkelling, kayaking, lunches and dinners! A vacation planned in Heaven, indeed!

Giveaways at Christy's blog!

2009-06-05T04:03:00.000-07:00

Organic cleaning products from EcoStore USA

Super fab personalized, monogrammed necklace from real style, real people

Wall decoration from Dali Decals

Want these fab items?? Check them out here. Christy is having a 'giveaway party' in her blog..so, go visit!! =)

Siam

2009-05-30T02:08:00.000-07:00

The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions 'Thailand' is its nation-wide chain restaurant - MK. It is a suki style restaurant where you order meat and vegetables that are then cooked in an electric pan in the middle of the table. The food is then shared with everyone in the same table. See, just writing about this makes me drool! I personally think that the hot sauce is what makes the whole thing extra special and YUM! Surprisingly enough, with such good food, the price is pretty low! Then again, maybe it isn't so surprising considering that the cost of living in Thailand is pretty low (80 cc of milk costs about 42 baht = USD 1.2).

With that in mind, one needs to know good places to spend money at. One thing I really like about Thailand is the range of shopping centres they have - upmarket for 5-star-hotels class people to large cheap market for backpackers. =P Oh..and don't forget the floating markets! My parents and I went to one just outside of Bangkok - Damnuen Saduak. It took a bit more than an hour to get there, I guess it depends on the traffic in Bangkok. Keep in mind that the traffic in Bankok equals to that in Jakarta (if you know what I'm talking about!). Snails move faster! Anyways, my parents went absolutely ecstatic at the floating market because they sell freshly picked fruits and my oh my...they are tasty, juicy, and CHEAP!

At another occasion in Bangkok, I got a chance to go to the grand palace. It used to be the official resident of the kings of Thailand, but is still very much in use nowadays. To go inside the area, one must not wear shorts and sleeveless. My friend who happened to be wearing shorts had to rent a pair of Thai wrap-around-trousers. She looked kinda comical, but fit in very well. hehe..

One thing we didn't want to miss at the grand palace was the Wat Phra Kaew (a.k.a the temple of Emerald Buddha). Ignorant as I was, I expected to see something as large as the Buddhas of Bamyan. Well, just imagined my dissapointment when I saw that the statue was only about half a metre high, and we saw it from outside the ubosoth - some metres away from where it was sitting.

A lot of worshippers were there, but we somehow got to talk to a lady who was very interested in Christianity. So I guess her being there at the same time as us was really God's timing. Funny how God works!

Other parts of the palace was stunning. The walls were carved with delicate work of arts suitable only for kings (of course..duh!). At one point, after too much walking under the afternoon sun, we rested in a small open air hall and realized that it was the same place that was shown in one of scenes of the movie 'Anna & the king' - although the movie was shot in Malaysia, not Thailand. =)

MK! YUM! (Pic taken from here)

The hot sauce that makes it special (pic taken from here)

Floating market

A not-allowed-to-sell-here sign inside the granplace ground

The cat town

2009-05-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

The very first country I visited was Malaysia when I was 17 years old. My family and I visited a small town on the north-western part of the island of Borneo (The island is also shared by Indonesia and the rich Islamic kingdom of Brunei Darussalam) that was nicknamed Kuching, which is Malay for cat. I went to college in Kuching, and learned English for the first time. Well, I did learn English in high school, but I can't say I learned anything significant. Ha!

One of the many things I like about Kuching is its size. It's just the right size - not too small, and not too big. People who are used to big city life will probably think that Kuching is such a boring sleepy little town, but considering that it offers quite a variety of entertainment - museums (yes, I'm a nerd), cinemas with the newest movies showing, bowling alley, and lots and lots of restaurants offering a wide range of cuisines, and for those who enjoy night life - bars and lounges.

Most of the population of Kuching is Chinese, followed by Malays, Ibans (a branch of Dayak tribe), and Indians. Majority of the people speak Chinese and English (which is the first reason why my parents decided to send me there. Thank God!).

I particularly enjoyed sitting by the riverbank, when the sun set, just watching people going back to their homes across the river in small boats. Somehow it made me happy just knowing that they had families to go home to (I was in Kuching after Jakarta, where my high-school was, was devastated by a big political riot in 1998. Houses were burnt down. Families scattered and destroyed). So, yes..I had many fond memories of Kuching, made a lot of friends, and benefited from a good education that would last a lifetime.

All pictures courtesy of Dr. Yi-An Neoh

This is home

2009-05-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

There is no better place to start one's travel than home. Home for me, of course, is Indonesia. Tried as I might though, no words can describe home. Pictures, however, worth a thousand words. So here are some pictures of home. (all pics courtesy of Irvan Tjhin).