Vagabonding Diaries

Paros, Greece

2008-12-06T21:07:00.001-08:00

So... we didn't get to Santorini afterall (boo). But we still did make it to the Greek Islands (Yay!!!)

Randy and I escaped the smoggy streets of Athens, and made it to Paros after being air-born for 30 minutes. We landed. And it took my breath away...

(Mind you, these were views from our hotel room. Awesome.)

We enjoyed a Greek Anatolian lunch - Mmm... We couldn't believe how yummy and cheap it was.

We rented a scooter and ventured on the island, using a simple map as a guide and deciphering the road signs in Greek alphabet. The weather was pleasant, and the sun felt warm on my cheeks as we vr-r-r-ooooomed away.

Greek orthodox churches have a unique architecture of domes and ivory white walls.

Agean sunset

Greek windmills - an icon of the Cyclades Islands.

Spring flowers were in bloom. The photos do not do justice to all the colors that we saw throughout the journey.

We took the ferry over to Antiparos (just across the way) to go see the cave, but unfortunately it was closed (a cave? closed? yeah, the thought crossed our minds too). And it started pouring as we drove away from the top of the hill. We took shelter at a cafe to dry ourselves and drank our tea with Metaxa brandy (which we were starting to have a peculiar liking to).

The streets of Paros are distinctly painted in white and blue. A Mediterranean charm that makes you simultaneously smile and wince from the bright reflection of the sun. We saw some people painting the walls white, preparing for the rush of tourists as the weather gets warmer.

After consulting our Lonely Planet book, we decided to satiate our grumbling for seafood at a restaurant called Porphyra. Being only one of the few couples there, the owner poured his generous hospitality - appetizers and desserts on the house and even a little extra of the local wine to take back to the hotel.

On the last evening, we stopped by a traditional Greek restaurant. The owner of this restaurant is also an artist. (He drew his daughter when she was a baby. And the other woman? Well, that's a secret, he says ;)

Parikia at night. The ferries slowly arrived and departed from the pier.

More pictures here.

This was definitely the vacation island I wanted to be on. Beautiful blue sky, the jewel-like Agean Sea, and getting to know a little bit more of the island culture. Paros was quiet, liberating, and truly romantic.

Athens, Greece

2008-12-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

I was going to title this something kitchy like "My Big Fat Greek Vacation," but I thought better of it and let it be more hideous and banal. That being said, I think I really did learn something on this trip. For instance, it pays off to learn the Greek alphabet system, other than to know which frat party to go to.

It's peculiar to be reading street signs where the letter "H" is pronounced as "i," and what looks like a "p" is actually an "r". It confused me and I had to squint my (already little Asian) eyes even smaller.

We didn't really get off to a great start, as Randy was slightly sick and we took a red-eye that dropped us off at the Athens Airport at 4am. But the bus was running, and we disembarked at an eerily quiet Syntagma Square (when we visited the next day, it was packed with people). The taxi dropped us off at our hotel in Omonia... I thought I took a flight to Athens and landed in Delhi/Kowloon. There were Hindi and Chinese on the shop windows all around us. We weaved through the 6-feet high pile of trash and looked warily into the dark hotel door. Eyes were glistening in the corner - late-shift workers trying to catch a bus home (as the hotel was right in front of a bus stop).

Due to miscommunication, the hotel didn't have a room for us. The hotel check-in doesn't start until noon, so we waited/fell asleep on wooden chairs in the hotel bar. The receptionist didn't know what to do with these odd tourists and kept on telling us that the cleaning lady will come at 7am to give us a room. The cleaning lady came late that day. The elevator broke down. We were exhausted.

But we took a big long nap and got psyched for our first sight of Athens. Indeed, we actually had our first Greek meal, saw the changing of the guards, and climbed up to Lykavittos to see the sunset and the Acropolis light up!

What is traveling to another country without gastronomical indulgence? We tried different Greek cuisines - tzatziki, dolmades, saganaki, greek salad, kebabs, lamb stew, chicken souvlaki, kalamari and as many mousakka as possible! (Yeah, diet begins... right after vacation).

Kebab at Thanasis in Monastiraki (the best in town, according to my friend). I realized in the middle of eating it that I should maybe take a picture of it for evidence. It was yummy! :)
We had these coconut sticks - and boy they were good! Vanilla or chocolate covered. Mmm...

Not to be eaten, but there was an interesting window display at a jewelry store. It made me crave fruit cakes.

And now, for something completely educational...

Yup - been there, done that. Here's the Parthenon & me. We're like chums. I really liked this view of the Ancient Agora. Imagining how the philosophers, politicians, and merchants gathered here (starting around 6 B.C.) is quite intriguing. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of ancient graffiti somewhere that said "Socrates was here" (or something to that effect).

There's a lot of dogs in Athens and most of them are not strays (I guess?), since they have collars on them. But they are just everywhere. This one was taking a snooze inside the Acropolis. Free admissions to the dogs, I guess. Most people leave them alone ("Let sleeping dogs lie," as Robert Walpole says!). The other photo has a stone with an inscription that says "Civic Office." This one's for Drake. Yeah, stop yo' whining, you could have been working here.

Looking down on the city streets of Athens from the Acropolis.

Did I mention there were lots of dogs in Athens? This pooch didn't even flinch when we crossed the bridge. They own Athens, I swear.

The museums in Athens are great. There's either a fascinating myth or an incredibly pragmatic use for the artifacts. Here is a Gorgon (or all that could be gathered of it) and a teracotta doll and pot that were buried with the dead.

Mycenean pottery. The intricate artwork and the use of earthy colors are very distinct - they often tell stories of gods, heroes and wars.

Next to it is a bronze Spartan shield. It's quite an impressive shield, but I can imagine that it was also a very heavy one that may not have been advantageous in close combat.

Here's one of my favorites - it's a pottery potty! Keep your baby on that stool till he's done! (yes, notice how the kid can't get out unless he's lifted out).

(Man) perfume bottle - I wonder if it was for women to have different scents for different men? Or for men to have musks like other men???

And here's another one of my favorite Greek inventions. "The klepsydra was a simple type of hydraulic clock used for timing speeches given in the law courts of ancient Athens. [They] were in use in Athens from the end of 5th to the end of 4th century B.C." Basically, you fill up the top pot with water and let the water drain through the hole at the bottom (similar concept to a sand clock). "An experienced speaker adjusted his speech to coincide with the last drop." These were usually for 6 minute speeches - no fillibusting allowed!

The kleroteria - a jury selection device where all the citizens dropped in their bronze identification tickets into the slots. There is a pipe and slot on the left-hand side of the kleoroteria, and a white or black bronze ball would be cranked out at random. This would determine if a whole row of citizens were to report to jury duty or not. Interesting system.

And don't forget the nightlife

We were looking for a nice restaurant and found this menu. Greek citizens are very much anti-Iraq War. (In light of the recent anti-Condi riots, this graffiti protest is rather "cute" in comparison).

There were lots of places where you could listen to greek music and enjoy your Greek meal. In fact, it was hard not to run into a taverna with musicians. Whether the food was good or not, you were guaranteed a great ambiance. (we had some of those, unfortunately)

Some graffiti on the walls in Monastiraki, right by the Roman Agora and the Temple of the Wind. A juxtaposition of ancient ruins and modern doodles in the same neighborhood.

Syntagma Squre becomes a hub for skaters and couples taking a stroll at night.

We had a short trip to Paros Island. When we came back to Athens, the receptionist at the hotel (a jolly Armenian man named Dimitri) said, "Ah, you're back! I have a surprise for you."

Dimitri, my good man, indeed had a surprise for us. He knew we were coming and gave us the rooftop - there's only one room on the very top floor, and it has a first-class view of the Parthenon. Totally ecstatic, we breathed in the open air.

No words necessary.

Yamas! Ouzo is a must for such an awesome view.

I didn't know what to expect on my way there, but I came back fascinated by the land, the history, and the people. That's what keeps me going and wanting to see more in this world.

Good bye, Greece! You are so beautiful!

St. Patty's - I had some good craic in Ireland!

2008-12-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

I failed to do real-time blogging because I was too busy pouring Guinness down my system or seeing as much as I could in 3 days. It was a terrific weekend with a good mix of people. I say two thumbs up for nomadfest Dublin :)

Ceili Mor - probably one of the biggest highlights this weekend for me - seeing hundreds of people dancing to the Irish tunes in the street of Dublin

Approximately 38 Aiesec-related people showed up at this event. Great turn out, I'd say.

More photos and comments on this trip are available here. I landed in London at 9 this morning, tired as a rag, but smiling ear to ear.

Signing off.

Not quite West, Not quite East - Graz, Austria

2008-12-06T21:01:00.001-08:00

I stepped into Graz on Wednesday afternoon and rushed back out on Friday. But in the brief time that I was there, I saw a glimpse of the charming snowy mountains, gluttened my stomach with Austrian cuisine, and strolled in the maze-like cobblestone paths of city centre that conjures Diagon Alley from Harry Potter novels.

Mel being the ever-accommodating host, gave me a lovely tour of Graz. From the glass elevator ride to the top of Scholssberg Castle to sneaking into the opera house and sipping aperol spritzer at an elegant cafe, we strolled through the streets of Graz with ease and melted into the night.

Caption reads:
"You have OIL in your sh*t country?"
"No, no - ah, yes, yes KERNOIL from the Styrian country behind the Semmering."
"Wath, KERNOIL behind the Semmering? You have 48 hours to bring all all OIL to me, or WAR, WAR, WAR - understand me?"
(KERNOIL from the Styrian Country it's better than OIL from Saddam.)

*Kernoil is pumpkin oil

Indonesian Gulasch? - who'd thought?

The funny thing is, we always take pictures together that never really tells you where we are. We could have taken this picture anywhere.

Hit by a small spell and missing the loveliness of Graz, I am back in England.

London

2008-12-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

An unexpected reunion – Duncan was in town, so I had to go see him. He was my flatmate in Hong Kong. Can’t believe it’s already been a year! We just picked up as if we’ve never parted (Aww...).

From the misadventures in Wan Chai to the beachy weekends in Sai Kung to even the tumultuous tsunami holiday in Phuket, we make a pretty good duo in almost any occasion. I smell another reunion coming up when he visits again in July.

Rainy London. Baa... Dunc models my polka-dot umbrella. (Isn't he adorable?)

Musicians at Covent Garden.

Jen was kind enough to take my clueless bum out to the sophistafunk place that is called London. It was a nice and relaxed day (although chilled us to the bone!) and we surprisingly did a lot, although we only started mid-day.

Westiminster - got to see the Big Ben and hear the 'Bong!' It's a really beautiful building, and makes you contemplate running for politics for the sake of getting to hang out there. haha.

It was a gorgeous day.

We walked along the River Thames to see what interesting things we could find. Lo' and behold, there were a dozen street performers (those still, mimes who only move when you give them coins).

This guy was all right. But I felt jipped when I gave another guy a pound, and all he did was sneeze a little and then go back to being still. What a rip off!

Ah - and then there are the chalk arts - pretty amazing stuff!

Graffiti art rules the little corner of the Queen Elizabeth Music Hall. Teenage skaters are also whizzing by in this area (although I have to say, they weren't all that good).

Jen and I reach our destination: the Tate Museum of Modern Art. A classy way to enjoy the river view - from the 6th floor of the museum's members cafe.

There was something about the sky that day that made the scene so picturesque.

St. Paul's Cathedral is right across the Thames from where we were sitting

And I got to see the Gherkin too. Such an interesting looking architecture in the middle of bland and blocky buildings.

Restaurant Cubana - great mood and excellent food. I regret not taking my camera to the bathroom, because they had great adverts and communist slogan posters on the wall.

Creole chicken, fried plantains, and fried bean rice - mmm...

Change of scenary - we're at Tabernacle in Olde Street for some house & club music fun. We were pumping away to the music until closing.

Great weekend with great company. And we topped it off with a roast lunch the next day. Yum yum. My purse is hurting a little, but I guess that's a norm in London. I'm tucked back in Northants again with "White Mhugals" on my nightstand (I bought it half-price at an outdoor used-book stand - there's something about being around Londoners that makes you want to read a whole lot more). Ah... can't wait till my next adventure.

Northamptonshire, England

2008-12-06T20:58:00.001-08:00

The details of my life are quite inconsequential... Very well, where do I begin?

I am starting to get the hang of driving in England and reduced the incidence of being honked at to only twice a day. I’m less freaked out, but still, the British driving is fairly confusing to me – there’s a whole bunch of police speeding cameras, so you need to drive slowly, yet most people are hell on wheels at every chance they can speed. And as an added bonus, most roads only have single lanes. I’m not being paranoid or crazy – there were a couple cars that left me in the dust at 80mph at a 40mph zone yesterday morning. And then I got stuck behind a lorry, going at 30mph today.

The Nissan Micra – my little powder-blue buddy. It's cute, isn't it?

Ah... yes, the countryside. I’m definitely in the Old English countryside. It’s really peaceful and green. I’m staying in a small town called Cottingham at the moment. It really has the cozy and quaint farm community feel.

The cute homes along the road. I pass by here every day.

I love this sign. Don’t know why, but it makes me smile.

And what’s a countryside without the natural shag carpet grazing the field?

A view from the top – a local church.

And the ever-so-symbollic red telly booths.

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more.

So, it's been a good 2.5 months since I moved to England. I'm starting to get used to the quirky phrases and left-side driving.

In the beginning, I used to ponder how sheeps could survive the dreadful rainy weather. Being the naive city girl that I am, I thought their wooly coats weighed a ton against adverse weather. However, I was corrected by my colleague who said that sheep have naturally oily coats, and with one shake, they can get rid of 80% of the percipitation. That's why sailors have greasy, wool sweaters. Being the simpleton that I am, I was amazed by such trivia.

English phrases are still a bit foreign to me. I submitted a proposal to my boss, to which he replied, "well, I want you to crack on with it." Excuse me? Do what? Now I know that it means "go for it with enthusiasm."

What I also didn't understand was the phrase "Are you all right?" It's used as a greeting similar to "How are you?" in the US. But being asked if I'm all right every time I see someone makes me feel as if I have a huge zit on my nose or something.

I love the way store clerks and the lady at the deli always says, "Is that all, my love?" It's so endearing.

Speaking to several people here, it's amazing how the English and Australians have a tendency to just pick up and go... to a completely foreign country. My colleague lives with a 40+ year-old lady who decided to work in France and then Spain, because she wanted to learn French and Spanish. My flatmate had a house and a long-term girlfriend, but woke up one day and got a ticket to Thailand (and he didn't even know where Thailand was on the map at the time) and became a DJ at Ko Samui area for Full Moon parties. Obviously he came back, and he's now my landlord/flatmate. And I was just sipping wine with Holly the other day, the Australian girl from Perth, who can't be contained in the corner of the world. Without any guarantees for work, she moved out to London and is now working as a temp. I'm sure she'll find her niche in no time. Their ability to uproot and explore the world is purely inspiring and calls for a novel to be written by each.

Today, a new flatmate moved in to our house - a Hungarian engineer. I made lunch and he offered me beer. An English DJ, a Japanese-American corporate associate, and a Hungarian engineer - sounds like a sit-com in a making.

Harrisburg, PA

2008-12-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

It's almost surreal how you can find a whole new country within the very one you thought you lived in. I mean, southeast-Pennsylvania, to be more precise.

Randy and I set out for Harrisburg to a Thanksgiving gathering. We all held hands in a circle and prayed to the good lord for our health, happiness, and the feast which we were about to devour. Dinner table conversations consisted of Amish weddings, hunting, Africa, more hunting, and how grey trucks are more prone to deers running into them.

We were pleasantly surprised by the video footages of wild animals that can be seen in the area: the bald eagle, red fox, elk, deer, and plenty of pretty spiders. I was not so pleasantly surprised when Randy's cousin-in-law brought in the head of a deer, which he had hit a couple weeks ago on his truck. It pays off to have a sturdy truck, because on average, you hit 4-5 deers per year.

Everyone owns a rifle around here. Everyone. Popo showed us his collection of rifles - one of which was (most likely) used in the Spanish American War. He bought it for $90, but he reckons it could be worth a lot.

I didn't get to see the Amish folks in their buggies, but I hear that there's buggie hitches at stores in Lancaster. People assume that they are repressed and backwards in many ways, but the exceptions to the rule make me believe otherwise. I hear that some folks can be spotted sunbathing at the beaches and some Amish teenagers even own cars (which they are technically not supposed to do?). But the story that takes the cake is about some Amish daughters hosing each other down naked in their backyard (according to neighborhood gossip). I'm sure that's a special case. But still... weird.

Chungking Express

2008-12-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

Watching Chungking Express was like getting a much needed fix of Hong Kong through your veins. Granted this film was from 1994, I could still smell the stench of the bustling streets and the humid, in-your-face steam of the Hong Kong I know. I loved everything about the film - the scenery, the busy-ness of the plot, the subtle humor that doesn't impose.

Enter: blonde Asian Greta Garbo operating an illegal drug trade in the subcontinent island of Chungking Mansion - known to many as a shady building filled with the largest Indian/Pakistani density. Knock-off items, chachkies, and sari shops.

I've been there (and so have Devrim and Kirk) - the narrow concrete walls are like a maze, and decades old porn are shamelessly displayed in the stores along with the cheap calling cards. You cram into the small tin-can elevator like sardines, hardly escaping the body grind and pungent odors that punch through your nostril. Once you arrive at your destination (most likely, you were attacked by a dozen salesmen outside giving you pitches about their restaurant - and you just pick one out of the groping hands and ask him to take you there), which is nothing more than a floor full of apartments. But, as soon as the door opens, you are welcomed into a reasonably organized eatery, fuming with mouth-watering Indian spices.

Fading in: the down-right seedy bar, jukebox with spinning CDs and all. Kaneshiro Takeshi is seducing Brigette Lin in Cantonese, Japanese, English, and then Mandarin.

What can I say... but 'Bonkers'? 2 hours of a drink buffet for less than US$12 is never a good idea. The mood of the place was none other than "seedy," with the black couches, faded red velvet carpet and the big-screen TV, usually showing the races at Happy Valley. Bonkers was a regular activity during my first couple months - and then we ran out of Bonker virgins (see, most people never go to Bonkers after their first time. So Lars and I would have to recruit newbies every once in a while).

Tony Leung is fooling around with his flight attendant girlfriend - you can see people passing by from his apartment. When the girl takes off, she waves goodbye to him from the escalator.

So Tony Leung's character lives right next to the escalator. When you talk about "the escalator," there's really only one place in Hong Kong - which is the Central Escalator (the world's longest escalator) in Lan Kwai Fong. No expat can live without stepping on this escalator. It goes from the bottom of Queen's Rd., through SoHo, even further up Robinson Rd. - I forgot where it stops, but I had to take it to get to Courtney's place (Courtney Estates II & III).

Faye Wong is a short-haired, lanky girl who loves to listen to "California Dreamin" way too loud. She works at a kebab stand near LKF/SoHo.

Kebab stand! Haha. It had completely slipped my mind that this movie evolved around this one eatery, Midnight Express, and the characters who somehow intersect there. Midnight kebab trips were pertty much a constant at one point or another in our lives. My favorite midnight munchie story is when Helen and I went to "home" - a trans/rave gay club and she got this Italian guy to buy drinks for us (he was convinced that he had met Helen somewhere else - she recalled no such memory). Around 5am, Helen goes to the Hotdog stand to satiate her craving, only to find the guy at the stand too. She wanted to get away as quickly as possible. She dribbles ketchup down her white top, and exclaims "Ooo! Gotta go!", takes off her shoes and ran down Hollywood Rd. all the way back home. Brilliant.

Faye Wong is dragging basket full of vegetables through a wet market, bumps into Tony Leung who is eating at a cheap outside eatery with orange plastic chopsticks and plastic plates.

There's much to be said about the "streets" part of HK - the wet market is just fascinating for the fact that you are in one of the most modern cities, yet you have this beat-down-bargain bazaar of fresh vegetables, fish, and raw meat (with huge meat cleavers and the joint-breaking "whack!" sound) one alley over. And you learn to haggle, shouting "gei dou chin a?" "n-mai, n-mai!" - it's just a given, if you want to experience HK.

Then, there's the cheap food, like the HK$10 (US$1.25) wonton noodles and rice dishes with lots and lots of meat - duck, succulent pork (knuckles), chicken, beef... Mmm... They aren't the cleanest places, but you need to have an attitude adjustement if you want to immerse into a different culture.

It's hard to describe, but I definitely gravitate to Hong Kong.

Eating my way through Japan: Shikoku

2008-12-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

When my cousin and I first wanted to take a "short weekend trip," we were determined to see the Japanese sakura (cherry blossoms).

The famous Sakura at Yoshino Mountain in Nara - this is what we wanted to go see

Unfortunately, it had been unusually cold in Japan this year (I was there late March - early April) and the flowers were to blossom much later than my stay. It's actually quite humorous how the entire nation is on edge about when the flowers are going to blossom (there are even people who observe the blossoms as their profession - and the Prime Minister declares the official blossom in Tokyo).

So... my cousin and I decided to head South, still hoping that we could see a glimpse of the blossoms. We headed to Shikoku, one of the four major islands of Japan (others being Hokkaido, Honshu, and Kyushu). Of course, we wouldn't be able to see everything, but we chose some "meisho" (famous places) of interest and let our stomach determine where to stop.

Saki & Hiroe's Route:
Nagoya --> Okayama --> Takamatsu --> Naruto --> Tokushima --> Ooboke/Koboke --> Takamatsu --> Nagoya

Legend of the Peach Boy (Momotaro)

We stopped in Okayama only because it was the last bullet train stop that went to Shikoku (if we went further, we would have been in Hakata). To be honest, the only thing this city is known for is the legend of the Peach Boy. We even found out that the "Ogre Island" in the fable was actually closer to the Takamatsu side (along with "Woman Island" and "Man Island" - I'm not quite sure why they were called that).

On to Takamatsu...

Tsukimi Udon ("Tsukimi" means "to see the moon" - like the egg in the middle)

One of the major reasons we chose to travel in Shikoku is because my cousin absolutely loves udon. The Sanuki region (in Northeast Shikoku) is a major udon region. It can definitely pride in the variety and the quality of the noodles.

Udon Buffet - get in line and choose your ingredients

Tempura Udon - the tempura was too big to fit in the bowls

Including the return trip, we ate a total of 6 bowls of udon between the two of us. And then we bought udon as souveniers at Takamatsu on the way back. Uf... deliciously full.

Naruto

Naruto is known for several things - kintoki yams, seaweed, "Uzushio" (or the whirlpool), and the land of historical romance (Minamoto Yoshitsune and Shizuka Gozen).

You can go across the bridge at the hour of the tides to see the two different currents come together - the calm Seto Inland Sea and the aggressive Pacific Ocean collide to make the natural phenomenon

The Uzushio is quite a spectacle, especially at high tide. If you fall in, you will never be able to swim out of it.

After udon hunting and seeing the Uzu, we decided to stop for the night in Tokushima

We had been looking through guidebooks for a good restaurant, and we thought we would give this 'Shishikui' a try. As seen in this picture, the women (with no diving gear, just their own pair of good lungs) dive underwater to gather the fresh seafood (this is called 'Ama-ryori'). It's a bit pricy because it is a dying art, but it's also nice to know that the tradition goes on.

To tell the truth, we were also drawn to the "Setta Ebi" (the red shrimp that's in half at the top), which is a shrimp that has a flat head. It tastes sweet but its meat is more refined than a crab. Some abalone sashimi and a little shrimp is also pictured here. The little sucker on the top right was actually alive when I ate it - it protested in my mouth and put up its last fight down to the esophagus.

The Ise Ebi is considered a real delicacy - although with an exterior much like a lobster, I think it is much tastier and sweeter than a lobster. What was particularly interesting about this one was - yup - it was still alive. Despite of us eating his insides, his nerves were still intact and his whiskers and legs were moving.

*Disclaimer: It may seem very cruel and odd that we are eating all these creatures alive, but in Japanese culture, we believe that we are receiving life when we are eating live food. It is the freshest and purest way of receiving an energy of an animal - and we are very grateful for them giving us life.

The Setta Ebi are getting a grilling here

Manpuku~ ^_^ (full & happy)

And of course, you can't forget some nice sake with good food! My cousin and I decided to try every sake on the menu, one by one. We actually found a liking to a local citrus sake called "Sudachuu," which tasted like gin and tonic concoction with a kalamansi-like fruit.

And as long as we are on the topic of alcohol, we shopped at a convenience store after dinner (to look for more "Sudachuu") and picked up this drink. I just liked the name of it - "Reggae Punch"!

One thing that I really like about traveling in Japan is the train rides. You can definitely go everywhere by train.
Train station in rural Japan

You also get some interesting trains, like this Anpanman Train. It's a children's cartoon character. When we went to Hokkaido a few years ago, we took the Doraemon Train in the undersea tunnel.

Another good reason to take trips on trains - buying bento with food of the region and eating them on your way to the next destination. Mmm... sushi.

We didn't really know what to expect in Ooboke. This was the last leg of the trip, and I wanted to go to a hot spring. This was probably the best part of the entire trip.

Ooboke Station

Japan is full of puns - "Ooboke" literally means "A very dangerous place to fall," but if you heard "Ooboke," it also means "Big clutz" or "Big looney". Without knowing the literal meaning, I thought that the people living here had quite a sense of humor. (In reality, people back in the days found the steep and slippery cliffs to be very dangerous).

When we approached Ooboke, we saw the rivers turn from a mossy color to this brilliant hue of glossy blue. It was unlike any water I had ever seen. Everyone on the train stood up, mesmerized by the sight that passed them by outside the window. We couldn't wait to get to Ooboke and walk around.

Yoshino River and Sakura at Ooboke

We got to see sakura afterall...

This hot spring was called "the hidden waters" - meaning that it was a little known secret. Well, thanks to advertising on guidebooks, it wasn't that much a secret.

The hot spring was relaxing and made our skins 100 times smoother. We also enjoyed the outdoor hot spring and the calm mountain scenery.

Hiroe and I wanted to walk around until the next train, but the weather was very bizarre - rain one minute, sunshine the next, a thunder in the distance... When there was a sudden down pour, we stopped in front of a house. A man who was walking, who also happened to be the owner of the house, approached us and lended us his umbrella. People are so nice and trusting here.

Koinobori - these fish-shaped windsocks are for Children's Day (May 5). When families do not have small children anymore, I guess they donate them as decoration for the valley.

The black one is the father, the red is the mother, and the small blue one is the child.

There is so much to do in Japan, but I think we did pretty well for a 1night/2days trip. It may seem like we were searching after good food all the time... well, actually I can't refute that because Japan is full of delicious spots. I can't wait to travel more in this beautiful country.

Californication

2008-12-06T20:38:00.002-08:00

It's the edge of the world
And all of Western civilization
The sun may rise in the East
At least it settles in the final location
It's understood that Hollywood
Sells Californication

Pay your surgeon very well
To break the spell of aging
Celebrity skin is this your chin
Or is that war your waging

Firstborn unicorn
Hard core soft porn
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication

A while back, we celebrated Mother's Day a day early in Monterey and Santa Cruz, California. What a beautiful day! We strolled around at Cannery Row and paid respect to the Steinbeck statue (author of Grapes of Wrath, amongst other great American novels).

Monterey is a beautiful, cozy place that embodies peace on earth. You can spot the seals swimming around freely here.

Hanging out with Drake at the LBC - it was sublime. Picture this - as one of the major ports facing the Pacific, all your products from China come in from Long Beach. (well, there's Oakland too)

El Toro (Lake Forest) - My brother and I decided to take a little trip down memory lane, where we lived for a year. Sad to say, there weren't any live koalas at this school.

Torrey Pines Beach in San Diego with good 'ol Manuel.

Pacific Beach was a great highlight of the trip. Beautiful beach, beautiful waves, beautiful people. I couldn't tell you what those two girls were doing in the middle. But they were definitely attracting attention.

I definitely need to make a trip down to San Diego again.

Sicker than the rest
There is no test
But this is what you're craving

Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication

World Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan

2008-12-06T20:38:00.001-08:00

What do you get when you get countries in the world to exhibit their culture, futuristic technology and lots & lots & lots of people wait in line to see them?

The World Expo.

The World Exposition: Ai Chikyuhaku is being held in Nagoya, Japan this year from March 25 - September 25. I was lucky enough to be in Nagoya to attend the expo for 2 days. What impressed me the most was how far visual and transportation technology has come over the years (*see comments below).

The first World Exposition was held in London in 1851, celebrating the Industrial Revolution. Since then, major cities around the world have bid for their part in hosting the multi-cultural and progressive technology fair.

>>Click here for the history and location of World Exposition 1851-2010.

"Ai-Chikyuhaku" = Love - World Expo

Everybody needs mascots

The World Expo has 2 mascots, Morizo and Kiccoro, which represent the forest spirits. Did I mention that the theme of this expo is "Nature's Wisdom"?
The big dark one - Morizo
The little light green dude - Kiccoro

I found the mascots to be a bit odd and creepy at first, but for some reason, they grow on you (or perhaps it's the excessive marketing everywhere you go).

Company Pavillions - New Technology

I guess you can say that the World Expo is split into 3 main parts: Nature, Global Village, and New Technology. The flashiest exhibits were put together by the major Japanese firms: Toyota, Mitsubishi, Chunichi Newspaper, Hitachi, Toshiba, Mitsui, to name a few.

Mitsubishi Future Pavillion - 'If there was no moon...'

Mitsubishi based their pavillion on a study by an astrologist named Dr. Neil Comins - 'What earth would be like if there was no moon.' The point of this exhibit is to show the miracle of earth and to conjure a desire for preserving the one and only earth.

The Mitsubishi IFX Theater - the walls, ceiling, and floor expand to become the entire screen. The beautiful images of life on earth are portrayed in a dramatic stereo surround sound environment.

The evolution of earth is fast-forwarded through the Giant Impact, dinasaur age, etc. There is an abrupt pause and a question is posed: What would it have been like if there was no Giant Impact?

If there was no "Giant Impact" meteor that chipped a part of the earth to create the moon... there would be no moon... then, there would be no gravitational pull to slow down the earth's rotation... the earth would be a desolate desertland with unfavorable conditions for evolution...

*I really liked this pavillion for the beautiful images (especially the huge whales swimming across) and the cute robot narrator in the beginning.

Mitsui-Toshiba - Grand Odyssey

What if everyone who came to the park could star in a movie? At this pavillion, computer graphics technology was employed to scan your face to cast you in the movie that you were watching.

Scanning process

You can be a sci-fi movie star too.

*I guess I'm just not too thrilled about sci-fi movies. It was a bizarre experience to see myself on the screen.

Hitachi - Nature Contact

This was probably the most interesting pavillion at the expo. Hitachi introduces 3 of their products through the Nature Viewer to allow entrants to learn about endangered species in the world. There is also a virtual reality ride that allows you to hold the animals on your hand.

Nature Viewer -the liquid battery is environmentally friendly; iVDR is a mobile HDD; the mu chip reader allows you to scan in information into the HDD. When you scan the device over the indicated posts (over the mu chips), you can access interactive images, texts, and videos about the endangered animals.

Virtual reality ride - put up your binoculars and strap on your VR sensors on your hands. You are off to the safari, the jungle, and the underwater world where you can feed bananas to monkeys, feel the giraffe breathe on your cheek, and flip a sea-turtle on your hand.

*This was my FAVORITE pavillion. The technology was amazing, the VR ride was fun, but most of all, it's such an awesome idea to increase awareness and to allow people to interact with endangered species without actual contact. Very creative and entertaining.

JR (Japan Railways) - Linear Motor Car

For the longest time, Japanese people have been anticipating the arrival of the linear motor car age. The technology has come far enough to run frequent tests. What's most impressive about this is its ability to run at 581 km/hr without negative effects on humans (this is the best record - usually, it runs at 500+ km/hr). The bullet train currently runs at 210 km/hr.

Two main physics applications are: 1) the use of absolute zero condition (using immediate refrigeration technology) to achieve "pinning" (makes things stay in their place) and 2) use of magnetism to levitate, accelerate, and direct the train.

You can experience the speed of the linear motor car in the 3-D theater.

Domo-Arigato-Mister-Robotto

How can you speak of the future without conjuring images of a sophisticated robot that performs gazillion tasks? Actual practicality aside, there were some amazing robots that paraded throughout the World Expo site.

Toyota's "Partner" robot - this one has actual lips for playing the trumpet. There are other robots that play various musical instruments.

NEDO Helper robot - one of the few robots that can walk upright. It is being tested as personal helper robots. NEDO is a new energy development organization, created by the Japanese government in 1980. Its current major project is carbon nanotubes, which has a possible application as paper thin and flexible computer screens (imagine a Harry Potter newsletter in real life). NEDO also has an experimental lab at the expo site to create recycled energy from the garbage produced at the site.

Wakamaru - Mitsubishi's cute guide. Since it has wi-fi capabilities, you can access the internet on this robot and it also responds to daily conversations.

Computerized cars in the park - If you look closely inside, you'll find that there's a stuffed animal in the driver's seat!

One may question why companies are investing so much in humanoid robot technology. Some are not even related to the core business (e.g. - Toyota's Partner robots only play music). But if you can create a snazzy robot, you get a lot of publicity, I think. Unforutnately, I didn't get to see the robot that flatulates and blushes - I have no clue why it would even have those functions.

Art and Nature

At the expo, there were plenty of parks, benches, and picnic areas to make you feel like you were surrounded by nature. You can tell that the pavillions and exhibits were carefully planned to cater to aesthetics.

"Daichi no Tou" = Tower of Land. This was produced by Fujii Fumiya (a popular singer who started in a boy band) and has been certified to be in this year's Guiness Book of World Records as the world's largest kaleidescope (47m tall).

View from inside

"Nihon Kan" - This was also one of my favorites. This is a 360-degree globe-shaped theater where you see a movie from inside a sphere. You get dropped from the sky for an aerial view of earth, then into the ocean to see life under sea, and then finally you are standing in space with the stars and clusters of universe all around you. It was an amazing feeling.

Speaking of nature, there was a very agressive effort to be environmentally friendly and energy/material efficient. Here, you can see 12 different trash bins for recycling and separating garbage.

There's one for throwaway chopsticks only.

Actually, many of the pavillions are built from recycled/recyclable materials. For instance, the walls of the Mitsubishi pavillion are built from recycled plastic bottles. Also, the toilets use re-purified water from a nearby water purification site. There are also various sites that use solar, wind, and recycled natural energy (still in R&D stage).

Global Village - Around the World in 4 Days

Girls from Aremenia and Georgia dress up in their cultural dress - a favorite for the camera-shutter happy Japanese

The Lithuania pavillion had an interactive robot. This would have been really cool, but it never quite understood my questions.

Italy proudly covers their Fiat in white chocolate

Belgium was all into art - they exhibited a painting opera which was a unique form of modern art, and they showed off the best of their country side and architecture via an aerial movie on a looooooooong screen.

Switzerland had one of the longest lines for people waiting to enter the pavillion. You learn so much about Switzerland within the 30minutes by carrying around an interactive mp3 player and flashing it at the exhibits. This picture shows a modern art performance by a Swiss woman who rubs her face back-and-forth against the glass.

Large shouts perked my interest and I found this. The Maori tribe from New Zealand performed their dance for the crowd. Their scary expressions and makeup were comical and some brave souls dared to take pictures with them afterwards.

One of the auxiliary exhibits included an all-star line-up of sumo wrestlers. It's quite impressive to see all the sumo wrestlers stacked in a line. It was a great opportunity to introduce Japan's sport of sumo wrestling to an international and young crowd (contrary to common misconception, sumo wrestling is not about fat guys bumping into each other. It's an actual sport).

Yokozuna: Asa Shoryu - 'yokozuna' is the highest rank in sumo wrestling. Asa Shoryu is currently the Michael Jordan of the sumo world. Interestingly, he is Mongolian, which is hurting a bit of national pride (so I hear).

This photo is somewhat misleading. These guys are pro-sumo wrestlers, but they are not from Azerbaijan. The two guys on the left are from Belgium and the tall guy on the right is from Russia. Sumo goes global - how cool!

Now, this guy should pick a fight with someone his own size. 5-year old kids from the Nagoya international school were chosen to join the pro sumo wrestlers for the auxiliary fight. There were even some kids who got picked up by their underwear (it's a long piece of cloth wrapped around like a thong, called 'fundoshi') - but there's also a traditional belief that kids who are picked up by sumo wrestlers become strong.

Did you know that sumo wrestlers are quite flexible?

So I conclude my report here. It was a great opportunity to peer into an awesome global event. I really enjoyed the new technologies and was especially in awe of the visual exhibits. I was also quite impressed with how "Green" everything was and am crossing my fingers that the expo in Shanghai in 2010 will be as environmentally friendly, or even more.

And if anybody is thinking of going to the World Expo in Japan this year, I can give you tips on how to get there and how to maximize your day (since you line up for the popular pavillions).

DECEMBER 26, 2004: PHUKET, THAILAND

2008-12-06T20:37:00.001-08:00

First of all, I am alive and uninjured. Nothing could have prepared us for what had happened. But it did. And we move on.

I was on vacation in Phuket, Thailand from Dec.24, one of the locations that suffered severe casualties from the Southeast Asian earthquake and tsunami. 5 friends and I were on this vacation, and we all escaped disaster by a hair. I cannot help but believe that some unseen force had protected us and timed our survival. It was that close.

On December 26, I was in the lodge lobby in Patong at 6am, waiting for a van to pick me up for a 2night/3days snorkeling trip to the Similan Islands. The van arrived at 7 and we headed North towards Taplamu Pier in Phang Nga. It was around 9am when the speedboat left the pier and we headed towards the Similan Islands.

Later, my friend told me that she heard the windows rattling and felt an earthquake at 8am - most likely when I was on the road, but well away from the West coast of Phuket.

The speedboat jetted away for 1.5 hour and hesitated several times before approaching the Similan Islands. The driver kept on shouting on the radio in Thai but we eventually motored close enough to a bigger junk boat. As we peered overboard, I was a bit surprised. The water had patches of murky yellow-green and branches and trash was floating around, which was not expected from a beautiful snorkeling/diving site. The Similan Islands is one of the least touched and best preserved waters in Thailand (and ranked amongst the top 10 diving spots in the world). Something was wrong. Very wrong.

On board, an American couple looked a little distraught, and had told me that their tents and passports had been washed away in the morning. When I investigated further, the people who had stayed on the island the night before told us that a high tide had swept away the camp at 10am. One Englishman said that the water level had reached the windows and everything got flushed away. Most people were diving or snorkeling when this happened, and the snorkellers described that, "The water suddenly got cloudy. Poof - zero visibility." 3 scuba divers had been swept away, and raised their emergency signals. Everyone was saved and no one was seriously injured.

We, being the new comers, looked around the Andaman Sea to find it speckled with various debris: shoes, mattresses, water bottles, tents, bushes, trees - and even a turtle. However, the crew later told us that this was a taxidermies sea turtle that had been decorated on the lodge wall, and we were very relieved.

No one really knew what was going on, but we waited patiently on the boat. We eventually heard bits and pieces of news: "the piers on Phuket had been destroyed," "earthquake in Sumatra this morning," "cannot go back now." Since we were on a big junk boat, speedboats congregated to our boat and dropped people off. There was a boatful of people who started from Koh Phi Phi on a 3 hour speedboat trip. They had all fallen ill from the choppy waves and the small speedboat bouncing on water. At one point, we must have had about 60 people on board.

We did not know how serious the situation was, and believed that we would at least wait the night and still enjoy the rest of our snorkeling/diving trip the next day. We saw some tropical fishes swim by the boats and some flying fish on the water. To our disappointment, we were told that the boat was turning back to the mainland. We begged to at least swim in the water, but it only provided us with 5m visibility, as if the coral reef had been shaken like a snow-globe.

We did not understand HOW fortunate we were until a Danish girl received a text message from home. At the time, we heard "possibly 2000 dead on Phuket." More news came through as we learned "5000 confirmed dead in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia." We began to see things in a different light. We were extremely lucky to have been on a boat in the Similan Islands.

I had stubbornly sought my adventure, leaving my friends behind in Patong. Having heard that Phuket was hit hard, especially along the beaches, I became increasingly worried about their state of being. Where we had stayed, Patong Lodge, was a good 500m away from Patong Beach and a little up the hill. Nothing was certain though.

After 3 hours on the junk boat, we finally began to see some lights - but only from other boats and a lighthouse. There seemed to be no light on land and we could only barely make out the silhouettes of mountains from the beams of the full moon. We feared that the infrastructure had been hit severely.

When we disembarked, we saw boats piled on top of one another in 60-degree angles. One boat was completely turned over, making bubbling noises as the last bit of oxygen escaped from its hollow cavity. As we waited for the tuk-tuk to take us to our accommodation for the night, we saw a Thai man sitting on a ledge eating his dinner and sipping whiskey. He pointed his finger straight ahead to the wreckage and said, "Those... were my two boats."

From the openings of the tuk-tuk, I could not see much disaster except the flooded ditches. Electricity was up in Phang Nga, and people seemed to be going their own way - until we stopped at the evacuation camp. Before the tuk-tuk could turn into the driveway of the temple-turned-evacuation-camp, a frantic woman zigzagged across screaming, "Peto! Peto? Where are you!?" All of us groaned in sympathy.

AT THE EVACUATION CAMP

The 2 Danish couples and I, whom I had become close friends with, got off the vehicle despondently and set our bags down at the steps of the temple. I knew that we could not expect anything more than an uncomfortable lay on the stone floors. None of us could remotely consider eating or sleeping. We were wide awake and alert for any news. Most people were on edge, but I was surprisingly calm - an acceptance of the situation and dismissal of panic, knowing that it would not improve the situation. I wished I could have helped in some way, but I did not understand the situation and did not have much to offer but to oblige to the recommended actions. Vivika (the Danish girl) and I kept on talking about our incredible luck and smoked away to calm our nerves down.

Then, a man in shorts approached us for a cigarette. "Thank you. I needed that," he said. "I was at the beach this morning and my wife was sleeping in the hotel. I saw the waves coming towards us, grabbed my son, and ran. I had to hold up my son above the water in the lobby to keep him from drowning. My wife was pulled out of the rubbles. I was told that half the hotel was dead - 200 people. Dead. I'm just glad to have a cigarette."

Taking Vivika's advice, I walked around the camp a little. We were in a Buddhist temple, and some people were praying in the back. When I stepped upstairs, the entire floor was packed with people lying on the ground and talking - some severely injured and on a stretcher with IVs. Many had received First Aid at the station below. Most injuries were caused by the cuts created when they were washed away or by the stampede of people. Many were limping and would not have been able to escape quickly if an aftershock were to strike. What was most noticeable was their forlorn expressions - "I came here for a vacation. Why, oh why?"

The lack of information suspended everyone in fear and uncertainty. The volunteers (mostly tour company staff) tried to explain unsuccessfully in broken English. Inability to communicate was irritating many, including the usually smiling and amiable Thai people. Another noticeable fact was that the camps felt like a Western Europe Diaspora - there were remarkable amounts of Danish, Swiss, Swedish German, Fins in the camp, which I thought also contributed to the language gap.

When I returned to my new friends (at this point, I became an adopted Danish), the 4 were talking to a German lady who had been rescued but could not find her husband. In the morning, her husband had rushed to their bungalow and had told her to get out immediately. But before she could reach the entrance, the water had rushed in, pushing her against the ceiling and making her lose consciousness. She was still looking for her husband, but was not really in any condition to do so - physically and mentally. At this point, a lady with a newspaper in hand came to borrow a lighter. "I promise to return it," she said. "A baby is going in shock over there."

The hours seemed to drag on - we were at the temple from around 8:30pm. Vivika's husband let me use his mobile phone to call my parents. The network was congested for a long time, but I finally got through. My mother was still asleep, but I quickly blurted, "I'm okay. There was an earthquake in Indonesia and Thailand has been affected. But I'm okay." Until then, I had stayed unbelievably calm, but deep down inside, I was just as scared. Just as uncertain of what would happen and how bad it could have been. 5000+ dead in all of Southeast Asia and probably many more - it was a chilling realization of how incredibly lucky I was.

LOCALS AND TOURISTS

One of the Thai girls stayed close to us. She was a staff at the snorkelling/diving trip company; but I don't think her motive for staying was for customer satisfaction. For one, her house was near the pier and had been completely washed away. She told us that the only thing she had today was coffee in the morning, when the radio started buzzing and the boat drivers started asking what was going on in the mainland. She was very sorry that we tourists had to experience this. I actually worry more about the local Thai people who have to deal with the aftermath.

Starting from the fishing community to ecotourism and the lucrative tourism industry in general, Thailand had taken a giant blow. I don't mean to deemphasize the other countries that suffered from this disaster, but this is what went through my mind at the moment. Thai people are known for their smiles and warm hospitality, but their faces had been clouded by glazed looks of devastation and many many tears. The surviving tourists will at least be able to go back to a sturdy home and a stable economic structure.

But this is not a story of we vs. them. Locals and tourists alike, there was great suffering and grief. I sincerely hope that wary foreigners will not turn away but look into the opportunities of discovering Thailand again in the near future.

Koh Similan - this is the closest I got to it.

LOVE IS ALWAYS APPROPRIATE

There was great kindness amidst all chaos - everyone extended a helping hand and became alert to the needs of others. The Englishman whom I encountered earlier on the boat was helping two injured women throughout the night. He made sure they could be as comfortable as possible and offered to be their human crutch until they were transported to another camp or hospital. People huddled - couples snuggled closely while strangers formed small circles for security, determined not to leave anyone behind or alone.

When we were back at the temple last night, the Thai guide had secretly brought us a flashlight and said that her mother was looking for a better place for us to stay. We were extremely grateful and thanked her many times as we took a power nap on the temple floor. Normally, we must take our shoes off at temples out of respect, and only the holy monks could use the temple cushions and embroidered mats - but this was an exception, as the tired people sought comfort for their aching bodies.

The girl's mother arrived in a truck, and we packed ourselves onto the trucks, legs dangling out the back. We could see the main street, and the Mom pointed out that some people in the houses had death in the family.

She was a petite and energetic Thai woman, who had an air of strength. She explained to us that she had been looking for her sister all day in Phuket, but had no luck finding her.

"Today, she was driving her truck along the beach to pick up her son. You know, the wave just went away and took the sand and the pier with them. Loose. And then, BAM! the wave suddenly came crashing back. My sister was driving along the coast and her truck got washed away. We found her truck, damaged, but she wasn't inside. I looked around every hospital in Phuket, but I could not find her."

Despite her story, Mom had a sense of optimism and was not going to give up until she saw some concrete evidence. And even though her sister was missing, she was helping us getting settled in evacuation camps.

Truckloads of military men came, unloading food, clothes, and water. We shared scarce resources - global roaming phones, painkillers, and toilet paper. Some were prepared and others had just barely escaped death with nothing but themselves.

When we ate our lunch at the camp the next morning, a little Thai girl brought an armful of distilled water in cups, more than happy to help the peculiar foreigners. She was delighted and her younger brother (age 5?) tried to follow suit by trying to bring the rationed food from their family's picnic area (which we already had our own). This made us smile. The kindness never seemed to stop, as everyone looked out for one another.

Thai kids playing at the camp. I got to see Thai boxing after all.

YET ANOTHER EVACUATION CAMP

Once we arrived at our new destination - a school down the road - it felt more crowded than at the prior camp. Everywhere we looked, bodies were packed, filling all space that was dry and under some light. When our group looked for some space upstairs, the wooden floor creaked suspiciously, making us wonder how many people the structure can really hold until the floor gave out.

We shuffled the school chairs and desks to find some space to sleep. We lay 2 people to an aisle, trying to cover ourselves with towels, jackets, T-shirts, and sarongs to protect ourselves from the mosquitoes and the cold. The Germans chatted loudly and we stuck our heads beneath the desks to avoid the halogen beams above. Although it was annoying, no one dared turn off the light in fear of the unknown.

Surprisingly, I managed to fall asleep (although only for 4 hours total). At least enough to feel disturbed when woken up. Everyone was jumpy, and we had several abrupt nerve-jerking moments when someone screamed about the rats, and eventually, a hopeful cry that a bus had arrived.

It was December 27 - around 6am.

Skeptic of where the bus was going and also if it could possibly take all of us (100+ people), Vivika and I smoked and watched the scene below from the balcony.

Ultimately, we strolled down the hill, lining up in front of the buses - still uncertain whether it would take us, because we heard rumors that it was "For Germans only, arranged by the German embassy." Frankly, I did not care if I did not get on the bus, as long as it was taking the injured or others who were still looking for missing family members.

But disappointingly, the bus took neither - it was for a German tour group "Thomas Cook" only, so all who had got on the bus were kicked right back out. Hearing that it was a German bus, the German lady looking for her husband had excitedly stepped on. Instead, she was rejected adamantly and left in great stress and tears. Even in her fragile state, she was trying to stay optimistic - until this had happened. We looked on bitterly at the 3 empty Thomas Cook buses - all but with 1 or 2 passengers.

We heard that there was a possible aftershock coming at 10am, so we all cleared the buildings and sat outside. The network and our spirits picked up again with the daylight. I had a chance to call Patong Lodge, where my friends were staying. I had no idea if they were safe, evacuated, or if the lodge had survived at all.

I got through, and found out from the receptionist that everyone at the lodge was okay. In fact, my friends were in the lobby contemplating to leave for the airport! After hearing their voices, we confirmed each others' safety with great relief and promised to meet in Hong Kong, if not at Phuket Airport. I also heard that another party from our group was still stuck in Karon Beach, however, because the hotel told them that it was unsafe to leave.

Aftershock or not, my group at the evacuation camp were determined to leave for Phuket (we were still in Phang Nga at this point) after the aftershock was predicted to come. But we did not have to wait long before buses and vans were arranged to head to the Phuket side.

Some were still hesitant to board the vans and decided to stay to see if a missing family member would show up. A Danish group we met had one girl in the hospital and her mother was still missing. Fortunately, the boy in the group was thought to have drowned, but had made it back. They were hopeful.

At the airport, I parted ways with my Danish friends and we wished each other luck in getting home safely. It was quite chaotic in the airport but I miraculously bumped into my friends who had gotten a tuk-tuk to drive up from Patong. We were to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible - after staying overnight at the airport.

Phuket Airport
My friends called me "the worm"

AT PATONG BEACH

My friends' experience is worth mentioning - as they had been closer to the disaster location than me. They showed me the photos on their digital cameras of Patong Beach, where we had been the day before. We had walked along this beach on Dec 25, where the shops, restaurants, and parasols had decorated the shoreline. Strangely enough, the Buddhist shrine at the corner of the street (only 50m from the shore) was left unscathed, making us wonder what holy power or durable construction material it was made of. But everything surrounding it was completely obliterated.

Patong Beach on the west coast of Phuket - we had been here the day before. Now everything is gone.

Most things were destroyed, but the Buddhist shrine (photo right) remained untouched by the tsunami.

150m down the road from our lodge (other side of Patong Beach).

My friends actually did not feel the shock and sensed that something was wrong only when people started running wildly in the hallway shouting, "The waves are coming!" Then, everyone had to evacuate to the mountains where they stayed for 6 hours. According to my friends, they were able see the waves crashing high, as seen on the CNN footages.

My friends had seen the impact of the tsunamis as the tuk-tuk drove up to the airport. The driver was hesitant to bargain, but suggested a rather high price, knowing that their business was very high in demand now and would dry up severely in the following week. My friends obliged and paid him 200% higher than the normal rate.

SOMEBODY IS WATCHING OVER US

Some stumble upon luck accidentally. In the airport pub, I met a French man who had signed up on a scuba diving trip to Koh Phi Phi on the day the disaster struck. However, he had overslept and had stayed in the hotel, avoiding one of the worst struck areas in Thailand. He had indeed avoided a great danger, as we found out from a British couple in the ticket cue that everything in Koh Phi Phi was in ruins. The couple was one of the fortunate ones who escaped the destruction.

On Koh Phi Phi, we heard that all the resorts had been uprooted, leaving only the base structure intact. The diesel from the boats had leaked into the water, and some people had drunk an unhealthy dose of blackened seawater. If you have ever seen the photos of Koh Phi Phi (the location used for the DiCaprio movie "The Beach"), it is one of paradise with such beautiful wildlife under the sea. Now, it is all gone and poisoned - a site of terror.

My friends and I would have been on Koh Phi Phi that day, if it had not been fully booked. Another reason to make me believe that we had escaped death by a slim chance. Alice and Dav, who were on Karon Beach had originally planned to go to the beach early that morning - but changed their minds at the last minute and went to the hotel pool. They saw the waves crashing from the poolside. Patong Lodge, the place that my friends were staying at, was unharmed and it was a budget lodge that we had booked last minute. It was slightly on a hill and did not have a sea view. I was in one of the safest places in the area that day - I remember the Thai Mom saying, "Anyone on Similan Islands today was a very very lucky person."

I sat in Phuket Airport writing this entire narrative on the advert pages of The Economist - not having bathed over 48 hours, sleep deprived, and aching from sleeping on the hard floors. But it had given me much to think about. Something that Vivika said sticks to my mind about this particular incident: 'Timing is Everything.'

Natural disaster is violent, ruthless, and unpredictable. All of us who were here amidst the disaster were touched in some way. Our priorities in life had shifted and connections had formed to test our moral values among already close ones and strangers.

* * *

AFTERMATH - IN HONG KONG

When I got back to Hong Kong, I thought that I would be much better off. I received many worried phone calls, SMS, and e-mails from my friends and family. I had not given myself a proper chance to reflect, though, and the backlash came last night.

My body had become weak and I experienced a bit of a stomach flu and delirium as the adrenaline had worn off and my immune system took a nosedive. This was accompanied by a nightmare of being in the evacuation camps in Thailand again, doing some relief work. Somehow subconsciously, I felt guilt for not being able to do more to help. I will most likely adjust back into the normal life slowly, but a part of me is affected, and a part of me is still in Thailand.

My prayers go out to all those affected - and I sincerely wish that they will have the hope and faith to live on after this tragedy.

Roughin' it In Northwest Vietnam

2008-12-06T20:36:00.002-08:00

One of the exciting things you can do while in Vietnam is to visit the Northwest region for the beautiful scenery and visiting minority tribes. Tourism has been booming in this region in the last couple of years, and there is an interesting infusion of culture between the outside world and the ethnic minorities today (e.g. - minority youths have their own hotmail accounts which they can check at Sapa when they come to markets).

I did a 2 night/3 days trip to Sapa and got to do a homestay in the villages. It was an experience I won't forget (I'm quite shattered from the 3 days of mountain trekking though).

Cozy sleeper cabins that take you on a 10 hour train-ride along the Song Hong (Red River)

The hills are definitely alive - the neatly organized fields look similar to the hilly farms in South America or tea farms in Japan. The main crop grown here are rice, and since the altitude is so high, they can only get one harvest a year. The other main crop is cardamon, which can be sold at five times the price of coffee (which is already a cash crop) in the market.

Five different types of tribes live in these hills: the H'Mong, Dzao, Dazi, Thais, and Saphils. The H'Mong is the majority of inhabitants, accounting for 52% of the population. Our guide, Nam, told us that the H'Mong people are known for their kungfu fighting and excellent hunting skills. The moral is: don't mess with the H'Mong.

When we stopped for lunch, H'Mong children came to sell us accessories. You can see that the girl is a Black H'Mong because she is wearing mostly black attire. There are also the Flower H'Mong who have beautiful flower embroideries on their skirts.

The Vietnamese government fully supports the infrastructure construction (e.g. - roads and bridges) and provides social health care. All children in Vietnam receive basic education. With tourism as an added industry (plus, these people don't pay taxes), the life of the villagers are not too shabby. Even the H'Mong tribe gave up their nomadic lifestyle and became subsistent farmers. In fact, life is getting better with tourism. "It brings more good than bad," said Nam.

Moo...

Ironically, I saw more chickens in North Vietnam than I have in my entire life.

These water-powered rice mills are quite amazing.

Water fills up one end until it spills out. Then, the arm acts like a see-saw and drops down on the pile of rice, removing the husks.

Once we approached a village, the H'Mong girls rushed out to greet the foreigners, trying to sell handmade crafts.

They are little entrepreneurs in learning. "What is your name?" "Where are you from?" "How old are you?" "How many brothers and sisters do you have?" "Buy from me?"

Their English is superb (even better than what you hear in the streets of Hanoi) and some of them even knew Japanese. They go to school in the morning and sell handcrafts in the afternoon.

They played an interesting game of 'Hand Badminton' with us. The shuttlecock is made of chicken feathers and you hit it at the palm of your hand.

A little cultural present from me - I taught them how to make origami. They loved the pretty papers.

We did a homestay at this house. Since it was cold at night, the lady of the house gave us some of their home-distilled rice wine. Quite potent and definitely kept us warm. Then, we watched a really bizarre Jet Li DVD on their big-screen TV. Ah, life in the countryside...

The interior is quite nice and cozy

View from the house - it has everything you need: the mountain view and a fresh stream right in your front yard!

Our next destination was Thac Bac village. Unfortunately, it rained the day we were trekking. No, let me take that back. It was POURING, POUNDING, HAILING - cold, wet, and slippery. I took some nasty dives in the course of all this, looking like a mud-doll at the end of the day. I also had a terrible cold, which sent me straight to bed when I got to the village. Brr... it's not recommended to trek in Spring here - I would wait till the Summer next time.

Thac Bac village

Laundry by the stream

One last look at the valley

Our awesome guide, Nam. He was chef extraordinare and the trip wouldn't have been interesting without him.

The Crew - we survived. Whew!

Awesome experience in Sapa and the villages beyond. It was such an interesting peek into the livelihoods of the minority tribes, and I hope to go back again some day.

Halong Bay: Battling Chinese Invasion and the Cold

2008-12-06T20:36:00.001-08:00

Water Puppet Show
I was told that one of the "must see"s in Hanoi was the water puppet show - a distinctly Northern Vietnamese cultural entertainment. Magically choreographed by 9 puppeteers and accompanied by a live orchestra , this art transcends language barriers and tells the stories of the countryside and Vietnamese mythology.

The puppets dance across the water to the lively music and captivates the audience with their sophisticated moves. There's simply nothing comparable to this art.

The Dance of the Fairies

Faces behind the bamboo curtain

You gain a newfound respect for the comical-looking puppets after seeing the show

Here's a sexy fishmonger couple

Some Good You Can Do While You Travel
Traveling through a country with poverty can make one feel guilty at times. But there are ways to enjoy the trip as a tourist while contributing to the community. It may be hard not to be skeptical sometimes, but if I get more information about what the organization is trying to do, I think it's worth a try.

One restaurant that has been receiving attention from guidebooks and TV programs is

This restaurant was founded by a Vietnamese-New Zealander who wanted to help get kids off the street. So with his business acumen, he built KOTO - 'Know One Teach One'. A class of kids are recruited from all over Vietnam (both the city and country side) to live and work at KOTO. There, they learn how to work as waiters, chefs, and store clerks - the graduates go on to work professionally in the hotel and tourism industry. The US$6+ you spend there will go towards the room & board and helping keep KOTO open. And the food there is really good!

Our cyclo driver knew KOTO immediately and took us there. One funny thing about this guy is that he didn't have a bell - so whenever he wanted to signal, he yelled "Peaap! Peeap!"

Pumpkin dumplings in vegetable chili soup - Mmm...

When I went to Halong Bay, we stopped by a handicraft shop. All the handicrafts sold there were made by handicapped kids. 80% of what you pay goes towards their room & board.

Beautiful embroidery art

The girls work on the embroidery art at the store - what you see is what you get

Halong Bay

I can't say that the weather was best, but the landscape is awesome. No postcard or photo can do justice to see the 343 major limestone islands and rocks that emerge from the glassy emerald waters in Halong Bay. Since it was one of the sea borders to its age-old territorial enemy, China, some of the caves have history related to the battles.

Hang Dau Go - the caves here are amazing... except maybe they should refrain a bit on the florecent lights. It was almost like Peter Pan and Alice and Wonderland on crack. Still, the giant fang-like stalagmites and stalactites are natural wonders that take you by surprise.

Here, the military hero, Tran Hung Dao, hid bamboo stakes to win against the Mongolians during the 13th century. Using their knowledge of the tides, the Vietnamese army crossed the waters over the stakes at high tide. But the Mongolians were caught in the middle at low tide, leading to their defeat.

The floating villages in Halong Bay are another wonder of Halong Bay. They fish and go to nearby islands to cultivate land. They are mainly subsistent farmers and will continue to live their lives on water.

The government determined that children living in the floating villages must receive education too. A teacher commutes to these floating schools (yellow house in middle) every day from Hanoi.

Some friends I made along the way: Kohei (Japan) and Nelly (France)

Aviv and Boaz (the crazy Israeli backpackers)

One of the things I love about traveling is meeting amazing people. We exchanged interesting information about traveling through Southeast Asia. To me, it was an introduction to a new breed of people: backpackers. They don't mind leaving home for months to even years, flexible about being alone or traveling together with anybody who wants to join their company.

The two Israeli guys were especially adventurous - when I went kayaking (yes, I went despite the freezing weather - and it was so worth it!), the two guys called us over... from a floating house. The villagers had invited them over for tea and tobacco - which the Japanese guy and I joined as well. It was truly a cultural delight to be able to see the house of the floating village people and to meet them, even for a brief moment.

Various vendors come to sell fruits and fresh seafood

Cat Ba Island
After sleeping on the boat the night before, we headed out to Cat Ba Island and hiked up the mountain to get a gorgeous view of the bay. It took us about 5 hours and it was especially hard after the rain, but we all made it.

Village on Cat Ba Island

We reached the summit! The Austrian student and the 3 Italians with a local man who wanted to climb the mountain with us.

We were huffing and puffing, but this guy was singing (he learned an Italian song, singing "Ciao! Ciao! Ciao!" all the way back) and skipping his way up in sandals.

The aerial view of the village

100s of islands in Halong Bay

Acid rain had made the rocks jagged

The 3 Italian guys play pool - for the first time, and won!

Back in Hanoi. Off to Sapa to do a homestay in ethnic villages tomorrow. Keep on trekking!

Good Morning, Vietnam - Hello, Hanoi!

2008-12-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

So, I am finally here - one of the last Communist countries in the world, a wonder of the East and a peculiar headtwister to the West. There is so much to see and do that it is almost impossible for me to describe everything here. But one thing is for sure: you have to be here to truly understand the transformation that this country is going through.

My visit to Vietnam is focused only in the North, but I am determined to make the best of it. Hanoi is the first stop.

***If anyone wants my advise or account of traveling in Hanoi, please contact me: saki_takasu1@yahoo.com - I went through some logistical ups & downs, and would love to give some tips on choosing hostels, tours, and places to shop to make your life easier. Lonely Planet is a great guide, as EVERYONE in this city is carrying one. Second opinion may supplement the guidebook that everyone is reading.

Colorful Pho Hang Chieu with Chinese New Year goods

A bustling intersection in Old Quarter Hanoi. Fusion of Chinese and French architecture - but don't dare call it either of these. It's distinctly Vietnamese.

They sure start motorcycle licensing early.

Fruit vendors are everywhere, and you can buy the familiar bananas and oranges, to the exotic starfruits and kanas.

Burning fake money is a traditional way of paying respect to your ancestors - or - it's to wish success for your business. It's supposed to be done every 10 days, especially during Tet (Chinese New Years).

New Places, New Faces
Part of the fun in traveling is meeting new people. I have already met great companions, who have made my travel much more interesting.

Believe it or not, I met another Saki. Sakuna (her nickname is Saki) is an aspiring Physician Assitant (PA) who lives in Seattle. She has been traveling on a medical mission in Laos and is heading to Bangkok before returning to the US. She has juggled a job with a newspaper, her private health massage practice, and studying to become a certified PA. Here, she models the Vietnamese brand beer, Halida.

Judith is a visual communications student from Berlin, who will be taking Vietnam by a whirlwind for the next 3 weeks. She has traveled through Cambodia and Laos, providing an interesting perspectives to our discussions (I am actually the Southeast Asia traveler novice here).

Although backpackers come and go, I was really lucky to bump into these awesome travelers here in Hanoi. During the city tour, I met some people in their 60s with all sorts of backgrounds, (Israeli, Canadian, Czech, French, German) who have done the Anapurna trek in Nepal and backpacking in Myanmar. Their tales of adventure definitely pull you into another world - leaving me a little jealous, but inspired to do more.

And of course - the faces of the Vietnamese people are warm and friendly. As tourism is increasing in Hanoi, it is not rare for the children to see foreigners.

The Touristy Part
It's definitely worth it to do the tours, but be ware of tours that just take you to places and provide zero historical background. Unfortunately, our guide ("Open Tour") spoke such poor English that it was like pulling teeth every time we tried to understand her. This is not standard, as we saw many other groups that gave you the historical significance and mythology related to the places.

You can also try to get a cyclo driver to give you a tour of the place, as he may be reading up on those guidebooks, memorizing the text. Either way, the pro of having someone show you around is the transportation and the ability to cover a lot in a single day (we covered about 8 or 9 different things). And you can always go back to your favorites.

Ho Chi Min Mausoleum - it's a very restricted area: no cameras, no bags, and definitely no hands in your pockets. The walk through the mausoleum is surreal, and you wonder what Uncle Ho is really thinking (well, he can't be rolling in his grave). One trivia is that he actually wanted to be cremated, but the Vietnamese people wanted to preserve the national hero (like the other Communist leaders). What irony.

The Presidential Palace - it's very yellow and French. I don't know what else to say about it.

Hoan Kiem Lake - The serene lake is the center of Hanoi. To the Northeast of it lies the Old Quarter, where many of the market and tourist buzz takes place.

Legend has it that Emperor Ly Thai To sailed out on this lake one day after defeating the Chinese with a magical sword he received from a god. A golden turtle then appeared and took the sword from the emperor, restoring the sword to the rightful owner. Since then, the lake has been called the Hoan Kiem Lake, or the "lake of the restored sword."

Food
Food in Hanoi has been quite a refreshing contrast from the Cantonese food I was used to in Hong Kong. So far, I have been lucky to not be sick - in fact, I am really enjoying the fresh vegetables and herbs in every meal (think basil, mint, dill, lettuce, shiso leaves, chili). In fact, I ate on the streets the first night I was here - the entire meal cost me less than US$0.15, while water was US$0.25.

The Vietnamese breakfast of champions - Pho.

Cha Ca La Vong - After Judith found out about this restaurant in not only her guidebook but also in her German shortstory book, we had to check it out. This restaurant serves only one dish: the Cha Ca (fish). Grilled on a skillet over a charcoal pot, you throw in fresh long onions and dill and then serve it over fresh vermicelli. Pour peanuts, more onion, and shrimp paste at your discretion.

Just say, "Cha Ca La Vong!"

You can easily buy fruits off the street with the fruit vendors. We 3 were drawn to the sweet smell of jackfruit and chased after the lady to grab 1/2 kg of the finger-licking good fruit (costs about US$0.60).

Mmm... jackfruit...

Local restaurants are not the cleanest establishments (some of the women in our tour group had a hissy-fit about the lettuce not being washed by purified water), but the experience is definitely fun and enjoyable.

Unfortunately, I was told by a Vietnamese woman from Houston that Saigon has much better food than Hanoi. However, she was more than delighted by the scenery and calm of Hanoi over the hub-bub of Saigon. I guess the North and the South both have their strengths and weaknesses.

I am dying to discuss the culture and the Vietnamese sentiment towards the different colonial influences and economic development. However... I must get back to the adventures as I head off to Ha Long Bay.

Until next time...

Malaysia - Taman Negara - Welcome to the Jungle

2008-12-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

'Taman Negara' means 'Park National' in Malay. 6 hours busride up North from the urbanesque Kuala Lumpur, it was a treat to see all the green. This is an aside, but I always connect "Malaysia" with "green" - flying over Malaysia from Ho Chi Minh, all I saw was luscious broccoli-like landscapes with narrow red-dirt trails. When driving on the highways, you see endless expanse of palm trees and tropical vegetation. Green.

In order to get to Taman Negara, you have to take another 3-hour boat ride from Jerantut to Kuala Tehan. This is only the beginning:

... and for the next 3 hours, you see this (on a 16-people long boat):

What's interesting about Taman Negara is that you can do the touristy 2nights/3days casual lodging or the hard-core 7-9days hiking/backpacking to the center of the jungle. There's no in-between. Of course, I didn't have 7-9 days nor the spare cash to hire a private guide, so I was on the usual package deal.

Canopy walk - my expectation was deceived, and I didn't get to see any monkeys. But it was still nice to walk on top of canopies that sometimes went as high as 45m off the ground. You are surrounded by the sound of tropical insects and exotic birds.

Excuisite view from the top

I wonder how old this tree is... since it has no tree rings. I had forgotten that tropical areas don't have seasons, hence, no tree rings. Just one of those interesting realizations you have when traveling (that there are places in the world where it is 38-degrees C year-round).

Our guide carved a piece of a root and gave it to me - he told me that Americans use it for drinks. Sure enough, it was a piece of sarsaparilla (the herb used in root beer). It was fascinating to think that so many natural secrets could be hiding here in this jungle.

Donkit Ali - natural viagra of the forest. The Orang Asli men told us tongue in cheek that it gives you "three legs" when you drink it in the morning before going hunting. Someone told me that it translates as "Ali's leg."

Orang Asli Settlement

One theme of my travels was to see something "exotic" and "out of the ordinary" - I didn't really mean it to be a minority tribe tour, but there was an opportunity to meet the Orang Asli tribes in Taman Negara. Eh... I have mixed feelings, because touring minority villages has become all too commercialized. It's such a strange feeling to have people peer into your living room (which is a blue plastic tarp hanging from a clothesline) and flashing their cameras.

The settlement that we visited had about 30 people. Each settlement has a chief, who is the strongest hunter and the wisest medicine man. His wife automatically becomes the medicine woman of the tribe as well. When women in the tribe are about to give birth, the pregnant woman, the chief and his wife go to a private area in the forest to deliver the baby. They are midwives of the tribe as well.

The chief demonstrates how to make a poison blowdart.

We saw a peculiar-looking mailbox made out of grass. In fact, the guide told us that it was a miniature model of an Orang Asli burial site. When someone in the tribe dies, the men carry the body to a sacred site that nobody knows and hoist the body into the trees so that the birds can eat the body - very much a circle of life/return to nature concept. The Orang Asli people are very spiritual (in both an animistic and ancestor worship way), so they will pick up and go if they feel that the spirits are angry or in disagreement with their settlement (e.g. - if someone in the tribe is ill for a long time, they will attribute it to the spirits telling them a message).

Hunting is a way of life for the Orang Asli. The blowdart is one of their main ways of hunting, using the potent poison from Ipoh trees. They have to immediately cut off the animal part hit by the dart so that the meat is not affected. They say that monkeys runaway quickly, so they have to cut off an entire arm.

And they let silly tourists try too...

A couple of guys from our group tried to hit the target, but missed. So I gave it a try, and bam! Yup, maybe I should become a blowdart hunter. The chief gave me a dart as a souvenier (without the poison, of course).

The poison is on the first 2cm of the dart. The poison is melted in the fire and painted on the tip.

It's important to know how to make fire in the wild, so the Orang Asli gave us a demonstration.

Now, the funny thing is, the guy giving us the demonstration came with a hand-made cigarette in his mouth... and takes a lighter out of his breast pocket, lights his ciggie, and says, "I make fire now." He did the demonstration with rubbing sticks and huffing and puffing, eventually creating a flame, but we weren't truly convinced that they did this all the time.

Just Chillin' in the Jungle

One of the things we did at Taman Negara was riding the long wooden boats to 'shoot the rapids,' which is kind of like white water rafting, only in wooden boats. Unfortunately, it was dry season, so the ride wasn't very long, but we still had fun in the water. (Actually, it was a good thing that it was dry season, because wet season = leeches).

Natural face paints

I met this Zimbabwean girl, who is now living in the UK. It was interesting to hear her experience and perspective of being a white woman growing up and living in Zimbabwe.

Sometimes traveling is as interesting as the mixed company you get. A couple of blokes from Australia, a pair of young German girls, a sweet New Zealand couple, a Muslim pair (we didn't see much of the girl), and a retired couple from the British Royal Air Force.

It was especially interesting to listen to the old British couple, who were in Malaysia during Merdeka. What struck me about their opinion is that they didn't feel that Malaysia had necessarily become more peaceful after independence. Muslim Malays, Hindus, and the Chinese had existed as separate communities, and upon merdeka, they had been artificially lassoed into a single state that had to find common threads of unity. It's not an easy answer, because the demand for independence from the British (and the Japanese during WWII) had been enough to offset this uncomfortable unity. But I'll save this debate for another day.

Wild life

This is what I looked forward to the most - the prospect of spotting exotic critters that are out of this world. But I guess it takes years of training and tremendous luck in order to really see the amazing leopards, tapirs, and other cool wildlife.

Nocturnal Bug Watch

The stick insect. I missed the shot of the leaf insect (a lot more elaborate and fascinating), but these creatures are only active by night and tend to be hidden cleverly in the woods during the day. And as always, the female is bigger than the male. This one is obviously a male.

Scorpion - ooo... ahh... Being a scorpio myself didn't really help much - they are just darn scary. But then again, we kept on disturbing them by tantalizing them with twigs (they hide underneath logs and go after small moving objects at the entrance of the holes. So keep that in mind when you next step into a rain forest).

We saw some spiders and timber ants (the largest ant I have ever seen - their bite can break through skin, and when contested with another ant, they will fight to death). Other than that not much. Although one night, a girl and I crept quietly to a hide (kind of like a salt lick) and we saw a mother-offspring pair of eyes. We couldn't figure out if they were tapirs or wild boars.

We had more luck on the boat ride back to Jerantut.

Water buffalos! - eh, we saw a whole bunch of them actually (and I saw plenty while I was in Borneo).

Unfortunately, I cannot show the other animals we saw (monitor lizard, river otters, monkeys, kingfishers) because my camera couldn't capture them. It was an enjoyable boat ride, much like a treasure hunt.

This looks like a nice photo, but what you don't see is the chain on the leg of this elephant. She is a working elephant for some touristy deed or lumber project. It's sort of sad in a way.

Some monkeys I was able to capture on camera :) Orang Asli kids playing in the river.

After thought: Compared to the adventures I had in Vietnam, my time in Malaysia seemed to pass much slower. Much like the long wooden boats gliding on the green green water. When I returned to KL, a pretty nice event was waiting for me (I'm still kicking myself that I lost the photos). I still need to make it out to the pristine Malaysian beaches (Palau Tioman, Palau Perhentian) - I will be back.

Singapore

2008-12-06T20:32:00.000-08:00

Let's rewind.

I actually skipped an entry from my trip to Vietnam, because I had so much to say about Malaysia (mainly my rant about our travel circumstances).

This was my second time in Singapore. Well. Let me be straight-forward: you can spend one day in Singapore (as a tourist, mind you) and you would have seen everything.

But that's not to say that I didn't have a good time - my slightly sonorous stay in Singapore was spiced up with meeting old friends from Berkeley, the AIESEC DHL people, and my flatmate from HK who was in town for the weekend.

The mythical merlion. There's supposedly a total six of them in Singapore - gotta catch 'em all!

The Esplande - I still think it looks like a durian.

The Botelo Chicken of Happiness. This disproportionate poultry signifies prosperity and happiness of Singapore (don't worry - I didn't understand that either).

Hindu temple in Little India. The colorful gods are intriguing and tells tales of Indian mythology.

This one's for you, Surya.

While my friends in Singapore worked hard at their offices, the tourists frolicked through town. Duncan was in town for the weekend with his friend (yay!). It was so great to see him again (yeah yeah... it's only been 2 weeks, but I still miss our crazy HK life together).

Having a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel - so touristy, I know. But a great way to cool off from the tropical heat.

Raffles Hotel

The DHL building. The lobby has this wicked bar - Paris described it best when he said, "There's a thin line between obnoxiously gaudy and extravagant. It's walking on that thin line." If you request a bottle from the very top shelf, a waitress dressed in fairy costume will be pulled up on a rope to retrieve it.

Like Mahbod, I got rejected from this posh bar. Dress codes. Schma.

So we went to the bar at the Intercontinental (a DHL hangout). And this is what we said to the DHL lobby bar:

Lars and Nick - blue steel and a deer caught in headlights (sorry Nick!).

And that is the story of Singapore. Other than getting hit on by a random Nigerian on the streets, it has been a pretty smooth trip.

In sum, I had a good time, but my adventures happened in Malaysia (like seeing DJ Grand Master Flash perform at a bar, receive a gift from the medicine man in the jungles and see Lauryn Hill, Black Eyed Peas, and Boyz II Men in concert).

The journey continues...

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

2008-12-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

So many things went wrong this weekend - but somehow we triumphed over the curveballs in life.

TOP FIVE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG:
5 - I lost my contact lens (again), suffering from 4-eyes syndrome and a loss of US$90 (these contacts are expensive. grr...)
4 - Singaporean taxis avoided Digs and I at all cost. Not even the vacant cabs would stop for us.
3 - We had the wrong date for the bus ticket. The bus agent wouldn't let us change the tickets and told us to come back the next day (of course, we said "screw that" and figured out another way)
2 - I almost got rejected at the border - ran out of pages on my passport. grr... grr...
1 - We couldn't get a hold of Cheong once we got to KL (luckily we got a hold of Vishen :)

But let me reiterate - we prevailed.

I bought temporary contacts. We finally called up a cab and got to the station 10 minutes before departure time. The wrong ticket became a sunk cost, but a nice bus driver took us to the border (for free) and arranged another bus to take us. The immigrations officers gave me a lecture and eventually let me pass. And Vishen kindly invited us to his house at 4:30am.

Other than that, Malaysia has been a very cool place - and I had the best guides to tour me around the KL hotspots.

KL's very own tower - the Petronas Twin Towers. It wouldn't be KL without it (although owned by the sultan of Brunei, since financing it became difficult after the Asian financial crisis). And this photo of Christina, me, and Vishen was brought to you by...

... this guy in the grass. (I swear the glasses make him look like a 70's pornography movie director)...

It's quite a sight in the evening

Vishen also took us to the Batu Cave, which is a Tamil religious ground which gained its fame and significance from the sighting of 5-legged cows in the past (Vishen claims that he has seen this genetic wonder himself, but the cows have died off and do not exist today).

Feed the monkeys

The Batu Cave is also a pilgrimage site for Thaipusam - a Hindu festival of pentance and celebration. Some of the men will decorate themselves with flowers and head-dress, and then pierce themselves with hooks, spears, and other objects that break through their skin. Interestingly, the self-mutilating acts seldom let blood, and the men can endure the pain because it is a holy and magical festival. Women are also said to go into trances, where they turn into snakes and four-legged animals that are holy in the Hindu religion.

Christina, the snake charmer

Saki, not so elegant with the python scarf.

Hindu phallic symbol

And what do you know - I'm at an authentic Malaysian restaurant:

Margaritas, baby.

And guess who else was in town?

@US reunion in KL - Vishen, Saki, Cheong, Devrim, Kai

The nightlife in KL is pretty good - we'll just see how it can handle Saki.

One of the nice things in Asia is the abundance of good and cheap massage places. So far, I have had excellent massages in China, Singapore, and Malaysia - I'll have Chinese foot reflexology and Japanese shiatsu any day.

But I had never really seen this:

Supposedly, cupping sucks out the toxins in your body and helps your qi or something like that. From Cheong's "ouch" behind the curtains, I was a bit doubtful.

And the results are a bit frightening.

I think Vishen wants to sell them off to the circus or something.

I said farewell to Vishen and joined Cheong & Adelle's humble abode in Bangsar. They get along really well, and their cozy apartment remind me of my life with Duncan back in HK. That night, we went to the hawker street, where the ordinary street magically turns into a delectable Southeast Asian streetfood fair on Sundays only.

Cantonese steamed food stand. You boil whatever you want on the stand and eat the piping hot food with satay, chili, or sweet sauce.

Adelle takes a bite out of the braised tofu stuffed with cucumber

Peanut butter pancakes, smeared with hot butter - (an artery clogger for sure - but it's oh-so-good)

Mmm... delicious! Malaysia definitely has some really good and cheap food that whet my appetite. Indian, Malay, Chinese - it's all here in an interesting mix of culture.

I am enjoying my time here so far - and my encounters with people have all been good. However, the news is somewhat gloomier than what I see in Singapore and Hong Kong - crime statistics and religious tension catch my attention more in Malaysia.

I'll be off to Taman Negara (the national park in the Northeast) tomorrow and the Tioman Islands on the weekend - the adventure continues...

Manila

2008-12-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Philippines is a place that I would have liked to stay much longer to explore the full extent of the culture. I only got to see a glimpse of it, and my experience was limited to that of a business traveler. However, the last 4 days had been quite an adventure in and of itself, leaving me with much to say about the people and the culture.

The flight from Hong Kong to Philippines is approximately 2 hours, making the travel bearable, even in economy class. The weather was at 30-degrees C, sunny, with a smudge of humidity. I was half distracted, though, as I stepped off the plane. I had not paid attention to the news, so it was only through the Tuesday newspaper on board the plane that I had learned about the Valentine's Day bombing in Manila.

Terrorist threats had been made to President Arroyo for the last couple of weeks, and two buses had been blown up in Makati and Davao, killing 7 and injuring 140 on February 14. What alarmed me even more was the tightness of security in Manila. My bags were checked at every hotel, mall, and business office, and other safety measures such as metal detectors and drug-inspection dogs were at all entrances.

However, if you ask the local Filipino, they will tell you, "This security has been in place since the bombings a couple of years back. Now, the terrorists have to resort to buses because they can't get into major buildings."

The traffic is unpredictable in Manila. I was told that a cab ride to downtown Makati can be anything between 10 minutes to an hour from Pasig City, where I was staying at. The inefficiency arises from congested traffic and the pedestrian norm of crossing wherever they want to.

I had been forewarned about the poverty in Manila but encountered much less than what I had expected. Children will rap at the car windows, asking for money or food. I also saw children (5-7 years old?) who were begging on the streets. Personally, I choose not to give money to beggars because I believe that it is unproductive labor. But feeling more charitable than usual, I bought a couple of bread and water. When I returned to the spot where the children were, they were gone. Instead, I saw them on the sidewalk, talking to a 15 year old who was looking into their cups. I sighed and hesitated, but gave them the bread and water. My behavior, in general, is not something of kindness but of ambiguous cruelty. Being rewarded for begging only induces the behavior and brings disincentive to find a better way of living. Oh well - they at least ate something that night.

Religious remarks are made at large in the Philippines. This was from a building near the hotel.

Staying at the Shangri-la la la. Nice :)

McDonald's delivers!?! - boy, they are really trying to make people fat.

Supermarkets seem well-stocked - but the display of it all was a bit overwhelming. Neatly placed and most things seem to be on the shelves by the hundreds.

Found

At the Mandarin Oriental wine & cigar bar

My trip would not have been as enjoyable if I did not know anybody. The Philippine office manager was too busy this week to go out with me, so I was pretty much on my own. Fortunate for me, I had a couple of contacts up my sleeve.

By chance, Gaurav happened to be in town on his regular commute between Hawaii-Tokyo-Manila. It was great to catch up with him. Work. Planning to build a house on Borocay. Partying like crazy in Roppongi. Bay Area days living with trainees (btw, our two Sri Lankan trainees, Dilantha and Dilantha, recently became fathers-awesome!).

It was nostalgic to look back, but also exciting to see how far all of us have come. Chau & Jim are a power consulting couple, working for BCG and Accenture. Sudhir is at the Kennedy School in Harvard. Donata and Tariq are in Dubai. Scott is in San Francisco at a CSR NGO but is temporarily stationed in Guangzhou. BeeLee is in a lucrative financial position in a Texas industrial cement company. Calgary is in Germany. Vishen and Cheong are in KL starting up their business. I'm in Hong Kong at a Fortune 500 company, and Gaurav is a successful office manager in Asia for an HR and Marketing company. It would be extremely difficult to get everyone together in one place again, but it's oh-so exciting to know your friends have dispersed around the world.

The next evening, I called up Bart, a Polish trainee I met in Hong Kong who is now stationed in Manila. I also met his boss, and we all had some good laughs over cold San Miguels out on the terrace. Bart's boss raved about AIESEC and wondered why he had not found it earlier. Bart and I just smiled. I learned some slangs in Tagalog from them and played (or tormented, depending on your POV) with the turtle.

It's a hard life...

Office Culture
I really enjoyed the office culture in Manila. I don't know if it was particular to our company, but everyone was so lively and friendly. By the end of my stay, I had a personal superman, whom I went to for all sorts of technical issues. He would drop everything to help resolve all sorts of things without a single frown.

The office, in general, was much like the Drew Carey Show. Filipinos love to sing and they would break into song, taking others along in the sea of karaoke. Employees were also listening to Linkin Park, Alanis Morisette, and Def Lepard at their cubicles, as they typed away on spreadsheets and reports. "Your job is to stare at the computer screen all day. You need something to keep you on your toes, right?" said the manager. He listens to classical music in the morning and occasionally jams on his guitar in the office. He has a fantastic voice too (this, we confirmed when we took him out to karaoke in HK).

It's such a shame that I only had less than a week in the Philippines. I haven't even been to Cebu, Borocay, or Cebu! I had such a great time, and I would definitely love to go back to the land of colorful Jeepnies, hamboogers, dalandan, green mango smoothies (yum!), Bohol monkeys, and amazingly nice people.

HK - Chinese New Year's

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This post is way over due. While many expats seek an escape in the frenzy of this auspicious holiday, I decided to stay in Hong Kong to enjoy the holiday (and to save some money). For the Chinese, it is about reshuffling the 1 billion + people (note: I am also including Greater China - Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.) to see family and to celebrate their new year. Everything basically shuts down.

Most HK Chinese remain in Hong Kong to visit their family, who generally live only an hour away. However, the holiday is the rare occasion that EVERYONE comes together for a blood & kin pilgrimage (for the Western culture folk, think Thanksgiving or Christmas).

Street near my apartment, decorated with lanterns, flowers, and gourds.

As Naaz and Mel have mentioned, the red pockets (lycee) are an important part of the holiday, where the singles and youth receive "good luck" money from the married and the elders. In an interesting contrast, people in Taiwan will give money to the unemployed or the ones who need it most (like a couple who recently had a child). I guess it is a more economic way of looking at this Chinese tradition. In my office, people still gave out lycees, but this year, we decided to forego the one from the company and donate to UNICEF instead.

Flower Market

Aerial overview of Victoria Park when the Flower Market was open - but this picture represents only 1/50th of the entire park.

Scott came over from Guangzhou and transitted through HK briefly, on his way to Taiwan for the holidays. The daffodils smelled so sweet and fresh.

I had never seen so many orchids lined up like this. I attempt a Georgia O'Keefe shot here:

Mini red pineapple plant

The Flower Market is also a place where vendors sell Chinese New Year's good luck paraphanelia.

... and some political goodies.

I love this one. It's so Hong Kong/China:

Happy Year of the Chicken :)

Chinese New Year Parade
It was uncomfortably crowded, but I guess it is a must-do when you are in town for the holidays. Hong Kong's claim to internationalism can be seen in the invitation list of the parade attractions.

From Dutch men on stilts, American cheerleaders, Brazilian carnival dancers, Elvis, British Marching Band, Caribbean Cavana DJs, Hong Kong Disneyland promotion float to the Chinese lion dances, there were many different cultures parading throuh Tai Tam to Wan Chai.

Dutch invasion (plus French) - Teebo, CK, Niki and Clement pose for the camera. Would you have guessed that they were Dutch by looking at this photo?

Fireworks
Exhausted from fighting for space in a tightly wound crowd and extending my vertically-challenged self to see the parade, I was glad to be able to see the fireworks the next evening from a more comfortable location. My company resides in the Central Plaza, one of Hong Kong's tallest buildings that overlooks Victoria Harbour.

I invited Victor, former MCP of HK, to come along for the show. One thing that Hong Kong has amazed me, is the use of public goods. When they hold a firework show, they don't hold anything back, and they do it really well.

Me and Victor at a beautiful Chinese flower and bridge display in Pacific Place mall.

Wong Tai Sin
I was fortunate enough to have a visitor who persuaded me to go to Wong Tai Sin, a popular temple where people go on the Chinese New Year holiday to pray for good luck during the year and to have their fortunes told.

Judging from the crowd in the past days, I was quite hesitant to go. And it was crowded. But it was definitely worth it.

This was quite impressive - all that smoke is coming from the incense but people kept on lighting them up to "feed the spirits."

Some offerings

Patrcyja had convinced me that I needed to go. Here, she models to show how to light the incense.

This man is holding up decorative pinwheels. Last year, I visited "Che Kong Miu," which is known for these pinwheels. The more the wheels turn with the wind, the more you will have luck.

The architecture was quite nice - something you would definitely expect out of Chinese culture. I liked the small figures on the roof, especially the man riding the chicken in the front.

Hong Kong

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Asian financial capital. Land of Jackie Chan. The most dazzling skyline. Savory Cantonese cuisines. East meets West. Hong Kong : a lively place that's like a Disney Land for adults.

A view from the top - Victoria Peak is one of the touristy spots you go to for the aerial view of Hong Kong. You can also take a nice walk, so it's not all about tourism. You just have to be really rich to be able to live near the Peak though.

Hong Kong Park - a little oasis in the concrete jungle.

Hong Kong has a modern side and a very Chinese market side. Either way, they are filled with lots and lots and lots of people.

Hong Kong takes pride in its skyline - best seen as a panoramic view from Tsim Satsui prominade or with a cocktail in hand at snazzy bars like Felix or Aqua.

"There's something about Hong Kong," many have said. Reading Erica's final words about Hong Kong, I was sold on that very idea. I have lived there for the last 1.5 years with a goal to immerse myself in a different culture. Being a suburbia girl most of my life, running amock in a big city was truly an out-of-this-world experience.

Lan Kwai Fong - where all the magic happens. Clubs, bars, and people congregate - spilling out on the entire street on Fridays and special occasions.

Lady's Street Market in Mong Kok - you can find all the knock-off bags, clothes, and wallets here. Who needs to go to China when China comes to you?

This has to be one of my favorite photos, because it has the 'ding-ding' (the tram) on it. For HK$2, the tram takes you the full length of Hong Kong Island, regardless of where you hop on and get off. Sure, it's slower than the bus, taxi, or the metro, but sitting on the second-story open window seat gives you this "I'm in Hong Kong!" sensation. It's quite a nice ride, especially when you go past the Central district in the evening and you can see the lasers and fireworks above you. This photo was taken just in front of my apartment at the North Point depot.

I entered this ex-British colony just as the wave of SARS was receding. It's almost embarrassing how little I knew of the outbreak, but I also learned that my attitude closely adhered to the 7 million other people living in Hong Kong. Unemployment was a bigger headache for HK at the time.

Hui Family - my host family.

I was extremely lucky to begin with. I lived with a host family for the first 3 weeks, which allowed me to peer into the family life in Hong Kong. A real treat.
One of the biggest culture shocks I first had was dining - the Mom would make the meal and the Dad would set the table. The Dad would take heed of when our plates were empty and offer us a second serving. He even offered to do my laundry, which was hard for me to understand at first, coming from a very patriarchical family where the father did almost none of the domestic chores.
But the real kicker is this - we would spit out all the bones and whatever we didn't want onto the table, directly. You don't use napkins - just spit out on the table, and then wipe it all at the end.

The best Cantonese lesson I had was actually when I was house arrest during a typhoon. Hong Kong actually has a coding system for the different degrees of typhoons.
1 (amber) = warning for a typhoon in near area. Go to school/work.
3 (red) = go home or a safe location within 2 hours.
8, 9, 10 (black) = do not leave the building you are in until warning signal has been lowered.
Some expats actually have "typhoon parties," where they leave work and go to a bar, hoping that the black signal goes up while they are there.
In any case, my host mother taught me Cantonese phrases such as, "ngo dapche basi" (I ride the bus), "aujaifu" (jeans, literally translated "cowboy trousers"), and "momentai" (no problem).

Cantonese Cuisine

'Dim Sum' ('Small dish') is one of the Cantonese must have tea time snacks. Also called 'Yam cha,' which means 'To drink tea'.

Chicken's feet - mmm.... er... not exactly my favorite. Duck's feet is also another delicacy in HK (think 'webbed feet').

I've been told that Cantonese have the best food in Asia and are the most inventive. Inventive, I give them credit for. In reality, food is a hit or a miss depending on how much you are willing to spend. My all time favorite was this authentic Cantonese restaurant in Causeway Bay - when I was there with my friends one evening, the waiter excitedly told us that Jackie Chan was having a family dinner in the VIP room.

Mmm... hot pot. Step 1 - get raw food. Step 2 - dunk them in boiling broth. Step 3 - fight for the food with 10 other people at the table. Best garnished with loads of garlic and chili.

I take the fifth on the taste critique, but there were lots of hawker stand foods on the streets. You can especially recognize stinky tofu a mile away.

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
... so of course, we had plenty of fun. My favorite past time in Hong Kong was junk boats. Half a day of the beach, music, sunbathing, water sports, bbq, drinking, chilling - with 30 other people. It's a recipe for a nice little get-away.

Sai Kung - most of the time, we ended up asking the drivers to take us here.

And as fun-loving people, we also put on some classy party of our own.

Fire & Ice Party @ the P&P Rooftop - we especially had Lars fly in from Singapore to bartend. This rooftop hosted many more amazing parties, including the 'Soddy Farewell to New York' and 'DEVOTION' party.

And you can read about the infamous Passout Passport Party here.

I had the pleasure of living with Duncan for an amazing 6 months. We both had the same lust for life and the right amount of lunacy to keep things fun. We also threw some really good parties.

This one is for you, Dunc. We somehow always ended up here for the free vodka and dancing on top of the bars.

Hong Kong was a fun place to be while young, with strange names, karaoke time, and some friends visiting. I even got to experience Chinese New Year twice (you get days off, bonuses, and a whole load of Chinese culture!). It was also a great way to get into China (that was a whole new set of adventures in of itself).

There's so much more I would like to write about this amazing place, but I would never finish. Ahh... Hong Kong, lived it. Loved it!

China

2008-12-06T20:13:00.000-08:00