Travel Highlights: Once Upon A Time In Bangkok

All that glitters is ... really gold! At least on what's displayed inside Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Inside, security is tight, & they really pat you down to make sure you carry no hp or camera of that sort.

Oh, & ladies, make sure you wear long dress/skirt. Long pants are for men, Not women. Else, you'll end up like me, paying 50bhts for an unglamorous thick warp-around. Entry fee: 150bhts

                                   

A long tail boat in the famous (and murky) Chao Phraya River.  

One of the best hawker Thai food we tasted in Silom.

Ps: Hawker food in Bangkok is not cheap. I repeat, hawker food in Bangkok is not cheap. 

Ok, i admit. I was dreaming of glitzy dance entertainment in the likes of Burlesque (Christina Aguilera) Or at least some version of cabaret. Or at the very least some thing like "Hips Don't Lie".

At 400bhts i was curious to know more, except that this place is Patpong & i wasn't about to add on to my list of sins...

When it feels so halal but its (maybe) haram. Sigh....

Guess i just have to settle with free entertainment in our friendly hostel watching the hostel staffs doing "Hips Don't Lie" with the tv avatar. Double sigh... 

Bangkok traffic standstill. In downtown Silom. Especially after 4-7+pm.

Coconut ice-cream at Chatuchak Market. Yuuummm..... 

No matter where, no matter what, there is no place like Home...
Thank you God.

Travel Highlights: Halong Bay, Vietnam

Ms Saigon presenting the pride of Vietnam: The beautiful Halong Bay! 😄

Reality: Squinting in the 33 degree heat, with the strong wind in my face, & hoping to God my boatmates (& hubby) would not be laughing their pants off. But hey, where else would it look more authentic if not here? hahaha...

Bought the lovely Vietnamese dress for 600kVND just hours ago. In a tourist shop. Bleh. Well, I have to say, their selection is better (& cheaper) than the ones i saw in the shops downtown. So i guess, tourist shop ain't that bad after all. Furthermore, the shop girl said part of the fund would go to support the physically challenged people. Sold!

 Clockwise from top left: (1) After the trail through the touristy Sung Sot (Surprised) Cave of Bo Hon Island, from a scenic top; (2) Our boat! (3) (4) Kayaking in the dusk. The hub & I enjoyed this very much. And I didn't need my BetaSerc 😅 (4) Small room, with the bed occupies about 90% of the room space. Air cond on only from evening time to about 9am prior "check out" on deck. 

 Spectacular sun, approaching sunset. Looks like a pearl ball of fire with the cloud fringes! Love this. — in Gia Luan, Hải Phòng, Vietnam.

Clockwise from right: (1) You can find millions of pictures of Halong Bay. But not this. This one & only (so far from Google 😉) exhibiting an interesting phenomenon of the clouds encircling the upper part of the atmosphere. A heart-shaped silhouette of a moon. 😀
We slept under the stars for the better part of the night after simple activities like making Vietnamese rolls & squid fishing.

 Reality: We did sleep under the stars & clouds with the wind in our hair. ... and with a bright light shining on the deck with Vietnamese rap song (which... sounded pretty good, actually) & a "security guard" with us. 

(2) Presenting Ms Saigon in swimsuit! Looking (absolutely ridiculously) fabulous. HAHAHA...
Reality: OMG, thank goodness only 2 persons on deck. Bedhair, & OMG.. what big arm i have. ;P Tip: Ladies, never squeeze your arm to your chest/breast or you will look like Pandalela minus the Silver Olympic Medal. 😆

(3) Sunrise! Half awake... 😴😴😴 Worth forcing myself up... heheh...

Love, love this. Due to its wind velocity, the clouds get stretched like this. Like... a dragon tail!😀 Thank you Lord for supplying great weather. You know I am looking up. Thy faithfulness to the clouds! 💝💝💝

 Clockwise from top: (1) Drizzling a bit the morning after. But the view, still glorious;

(2) Lunch on board. Pretty good. If you like seafood. There were 12 of us on board (5 Koreans, 1 English, 1 Spaniard, 1 Singaporean, 1 Swiss, 1 Vietnamese, & 2 Malaysians). Our table of six had a vegan, 2 non-prawn person, so, there were more food for the rest of us; 

(3) Hub at the bow of the boat.

 Countryside en route back to Hanoi. Love the golden light on the fields.

Travel Highlights: Hanoi

  1. Of The Origin, History & Diversity Of Its People

Clockwise from top left: (1) A welcoming Dragon dance on the grounds of Hanoi Museum of Ethnology. We arrived on the Sep 16 weekend ushering in of the Mid-Autumn Festival; (2) One of the tribal village home, complete with impressive carvings & interior decor;  (3) Ceremonial totem pole in the hallway of the main building; (4) Exterior of one of village homes.

Free water puppet show during the weekends:

      

  2. Food, Glorious Food!

Clockwise from top: (1) Tai Nam Beef Pho & oil-fried kueh (ew cha kuih). At the infamous 49 Bat Dan Street. When in Vietnam, say "fur" for pho; (2) Coconut coffee! I was absolutely nuts over this. At Cong Cafe. Not cheap thou, 45,000VND (RM8.40) ; (3) Try Banh Cuon & the roast cinnamon pork at Banh Cuon Gia Truyen. I like Banh Cuon chicken & prawn. Yummy!; (4) They have 2 outlets: One in Hang Ga Street in Hoan Kiem, & another in Le Van Huu in Hai Ba Trung area. This one is at Hoan Kiem.

3. The Sights, Sounds, & Scene

Clockwise top left: (1) Woke up close to 6am & scrambled over to Long Bien Bridge. Why is that? To sample the genius of Architect Monsieur Gustave Eiffel. Yes, he is the same man who gave us one of the seven wonders of the world. 😃
As the morning wore on, it became an extremely busy bridge (Read: Danger). One motorcyclist dropped a packet of ? food & immediately a pedestrian nonchalantly picked it up & continued his journey like nobody's business.  😮 Hub had to stand almost in the middle of the busy narrow lane to watch the bike while the owner went in hot pursuit after the thief! Luckily, the story ended happily. And us, safely. 
(2) Farmer ladies selling fruits at the center of a bigger road. Actually. 
(3) Oh, this is legendary. Traffic in the Old Quarter is about as lawless as a cow country. Narrow streets filled with a million honking motorcycles & cars. Busy intersections with no/non-functioning traffic lights. Everyone, every thing, edging within inches from each other. A Quality manager's nightmare. Hahaha.
 Forget helmets, these people are Rambos of the mini road. Four or more on a bike, ladies who sit cross-legged on a bike, even a motorbiker one hand on the handle with the other pulling a poor mongrel along the busiest road on a leash at 25km/hr! (Poor dog!) ; (4) Old lady sitting in front of an old shoplot in the Old Quarters.

Busy, busy intersection of a street leading to a pasar malam (night market) with cars, motorcycles, trishaws, & walking people.

Night scene at the Old Quarter of Hanoi. This old part of Hanoi is vibrant (lau jiet) especially in the weekends. Narrow food shops with widths of 10 feet or less lining up side by side. And always, with short tables & stools right up to the edge of the pavement. Often, amidst the crazy traffic just inches away.  Over here is no traffic zone at night, so you have to squeeze yourself with other pedestrians through the man-made stool & table congestion

4. The Hotel...

Clockwise from top left: (1) Clean cups, to the left. Used cups, to the right.; (2) Hanoi Little Diamond Hotel; (3) 2st Floor, 3st Floor! :P (4) Hm. I wonder where is the RACE in this fire safety instruction?

5. The Church

A trip to the Old Quarter will not be complete without celebrating Mass here.  Ladies & gentleman, the oldest church in Hanoi - St Joseph Cathedral, courtesy of the French in 1886. It has even got the same "Year of Mercy" emblem above the arch doorway.

Interior of the lovely cathedral.

6. Weasel! Coffee, I mean...

Apparently, civet or weasel coffee is known as one of the most expensive coffees in the world. According to Wikipedia, it sells from USD100-600 per pound in 2010.  We got our (cheaper) 3-in-1 instant brew for 125kVND. Taste is good! Recommend.

7. Parting Views

The plains. Stretches of paddy fields looking like patchwork.

Hanoi from the airspace.

Cloud Album 1

I will give thanks to Thee,

O Lord, among the people,

I will sing praises to Thee,

Among the nations,

For Thy steadfast love is great,

Is great to the heavens,

And Thy faithfulness,

Thy faithfulness to the clouds.

Driving back from work along Jambatan Tun Abdul Rahman Ya'akub. Yeah, don't try this stunt while driving. Not unless you are the Leafiewonder. Heheh...25 Nov 2011 @ 4.46pm,

Been driving this highway almost on a daily basis since Feb 2001, the date I serve in a private hospital. Mundane, mundane.      But the Lord always knows how to cheer my day. Look up, & what a feast we've got there. 25 Nov 2011 @ 4.46pm

Driving after work along Jalan Tun Datuk Patinggi Hj Abdul Rahman. I'm pretty hopeless memorizing Geography lessons, & I still cringe thinking about memorizing the many countries with its rainfall, temp ranges, weather, etc. But if it is one thing I do remember, its Cumulus Nimbus. :D Look left.  20 May 2016 @ 6.19pm

Close up of the beauty.

Pigeon in mid-air. And the wind in my hair. Glorious, just glorious.
Lord, you are an artist.  
20 May 2016 @ 6.24pm. 

  How can I count the ways that You love us?  29 Apr 2015 @ 6.51pm

The brilliance of a sunset, different over the minute, diverse & unique every day. Capture outside home.  25 May 2015 @ 6.53pm

 Truly.
Literally.
 Thy faithfulness to the clouds!
29 May 2015 @ 6.51pm, home.

Highlights: Taipei In Pictures

This is a trip the hub and I took in May 15. I know, late post. 

Taiwan had been ranked by Lonely Planet as among the top 10 places to travel with its rugged sea cliffs & mountains, food & culture. Never mind that it is among the 20 most densely populated places in the world, that lone leaf-like island was worth a visit with AirAsia's flight ex- Kota Kinabalu. 

Taiwan's Taipei Rail Map:

Navigating around Taipei was straightforward enough. Use prepaid rail passes for fast access & convenience. Upon trip completion, card refunds can be done at select locations, but not in the airport. Alternately, you can keep the card with leftover balance for an indefinite time before coming back again. 

 The Sights:

First stop: Tamsui Wharf. Notice the hordes of people on the bridge? Yeah, Taipei is crowded alright. Especially on a holiday or weekend. Hence, best to visit off-peak weekdays. Or get on a kampung trail. Or coastal trail. 

There has been a lot of talk about Taipei's Night Markets, & although we do have Pasar Malam (night market) as well, it's still something to observe in this version of their culture. We visited 5 locations.

Um, I guess they were not kidding when they said Taiwan was densely populated

The infamous village of Jiu Fen 九份 (Nine Portions). By dusk, the area would have been mostly vacated. Good place for a retreat, if you desire a certain level of isolation & mistiness. Just make sure you have made prior online booking, or be prepared to be "fleeced" if you walk-in situ. Or stay in, in this case. 

The explorers on the misty mountain side. :P

View from the Swallows Groto in Taroko Gorge National Park (太鲁阁国家公园). Try wrapping your head around the sheer magnitude & proportions of this place.
Ps: Bus as reference. 

Hualien town. We ended up here for a night as our first attempt to visit Taroko was delayed - amateurs didn't know train system (eye roll). But it was not in vain as i got my wish to watch the Avengers in Taiwan. With clothes on our back, we stayed in a very cozy "Big Bear Hostel" for RM80 per person. :D 

Top left: Generally, Taiwan is a great place to explore on a bike. Follow a loop trail to go to this side of Fulong from the village & through a km long cool tunnel. Bottom left/right: Sand art display of talents from around the world on Fulong Beach. To see the  annual summer "Toys UN Sand Sculpture Art Festival", go between May-mid July.

Riding through Fulong village. It was a most serene, multi-sensory experience. A great last day on our 5-day Taipei travel.

A bygone-days of a home entrance in Fulong Village

A telephone booth inside an old shed in Fulong village. 

The Culture:

An outdated photo of Taroko aborigines on display at mini museum at Taroko Gorge.

Porridge, anyone? Morning breakfast at the roadside of Taiwan's 2nd oldest street, Datong. One thing interesting we note was that restaurants & eatery places had a lack of drink varieties & they mostly came to eat. Not eat and drink. Quite possibly for digestion purpose.

True to the saying that a dog is a man's best friend, so, in Taiwan, you can bring your pet dog to most places. We witnessed them on people, in strollers, food stalls, on the beach, everywhere. Coming from a country that represses even the use of a guide dog for the blind, it is indeed a heart warming perspective.

Man's best friend, with another best friend.
Tamsui river.

They say friends and family come in different sizes & shapes. And species, too. Apparently. Northern town along Tamsui River.

Public facial, anyone? Face threading has been a Chinese traditional beauty method to remove facial hair. At a night market.

Shilin Night Market: Playing mahjong bingo. Turns out, it's a night of food & fun at Taiwan's pasar malam.

  

The Food:

Taiwan's trademark stinky tofu, 臭豆腐. Hmm...tried it. Tolerable, but it sure stinks. :P At Jiufen Village Market.

Forget crabby patty. Try the fried crabs. Shilin Night Market. 

How about jumbo sausage? Personally, i love the spicy ham rolled over kangkung on stick. Can you see it?

Oyster Pancake. I think ours taste better. 

Fruity lollies that are guaranteed to give you a sugar hike.

Taiwan's infamous beef noodle with side dishes. Large bowl go for TWD125. At Hualien town. 

Braised pork on rice, 滷肉飯, stir-fried kangkung, kueh tiaw, & the delicious cold dish of seaweed, beansprouts & shark meat. Cost: About RM 34.

Taro balls. My favorite! Somehow, by frying & squeezing the tiny lump of mashed taro + something else, you get these lovely balls popping up. At Keelung Night Market. 

Cartoon cookies. At a night market.

Fried vermicelli & other portions of food. Night market.

Vege-pork rice porridge with tofu & fried shark meat for breakfast. Seriously good.

And we stumbled upon this. 

And then met the friendly cook who cooked the said porridge & condiments. 

Overall, Taiwan offers an assortment of adventure & pleasure with its nature walks, mountainous landscapes, hot springs, cool breezes, calming views & a shoreline endowed with cultural interests. Great for individuals, & families. Don't miss it!