Hours slept 7
Muffins sought 4
Reunions 2
Longest trance 0.5 days
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Tiger x6
Today is the end of my holidays. I fly back with Wolverine tomorrow at 07:45hrs. Holidays have done me good. I don't want to be old, looking back at the distant Holidays
I will frame photographs and put them up around the house.
Yes, it's been good. I must stress though: I haven't done any 'soul searching.' (angry voice) and I haven't done any 'naval gazing' either. Or found spiritual- [ fade out ] ...
To be continued
I will frame photographs and put them up around the house.
Yes, it's been good. I must stress though: I haven't done any 'soul searching.' (angry voice) and I haven't done any 'naval gazing' either. Or found spiritual- [ fade out ] ...
To be continued
Sunday, 21 June 2009
High Spirits
What superstition! Prevalent across Thailand are spirit houses, built outside homes and shops to keep any resident spirits happy. They are frowned on by some because they munch through valuable real estate. This one (left) has got a job on its hands. It has to look after the spirits for an entire 18-storey building.
Also today, to take your mind off the porn look at these further snaps. Top two: a Thai cookery course. Everyone else's brew is flaming correctly whilst mine, like Mildred Hubble's in The Worst Witch, is going all wrong. Bottom: elephant riding in Chiang Mai.
NB I don't know what 'real estate' means. Are there people who say it with a straight face? I asked Richard to explain -but it was no good.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Asia Grub Top 5
5. Vegetable mussaman - Thailand
Curried chunks of heaven
4. Apomalei - Malaysia
Translation: 'peanut cake thing.' Solves that angry early morning problem.
Translation: 'peanut cake thing.' Solves that angry early morning problem.
3. Sour and spicy noodles - Chinatown, Singapore
An orgy in a bowl
2. Fish amok - Cambodia
Baked fish chunks with coconut and local spices. Sweet, delicate.
THE WINNER
1. Penang laksa - Georgetown, Malaysia
Hot fish broth with tamarind and stuff.
Street hawker - 3 ringgit a bowl. That good I'm all confused.
Street hawker - 3 ringgit a bowl. That good I'm all confused.
Picture: Noodles on the street. Get me more!
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Lao-lao
And now for Laos. Cue Remote Border Crossing #18. We reserved enough dollars to pay off the cronies.
It's all nice here. Can I stay? I could start a new clean-up program -for removal of Annoying Sex Tourists.
Today's picture: 'Excuse me? Has anyone seen Richard? I seem to have acquired some Bee Gees member -with pineapples'
It's all nice here. Can I stay? I could start a new clean-up program -for removal of Annoying Sex Tourists.
Today's picture: 'Excuse me? Has anyone seen Richard? I seem to have acquired some Bee Gees member -with pineapples'
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Traveller's talk #2
It was 42 degrees yesterday in Hanoi. I have been exploring on a bus, admiring some buildings.
'Oh, look at these lovely buildings,' said a fellow girl traveller. 'Don't they look French?' But she didn't really know this. She was just reciting it from the Lonely Planet. I didn't know either, but I'd read the Lonely Planet too, so I agreed.
Sturdy old trees line the streets, and blossoms spill from crumbling balconies. The buildings here are unique. They don't really have floors, more just levels that appear here and there, one sometimes overlapping another, and often at odd slanting angles. When we go to eat we hunt down a cafe on some such level, so that we can perch among the leaves and watch the activity below. Motorbikes, people, people, motorbikes. Everyone is always busy. It doesn't matter which object a person may be carrying on their scooter - a herb garden, a TV... just as long as it's something, and its going somewhere.
How fat and awkward the Westerners look next to the Vietnamese!
'Oh, look at these lovely buildings,' said a fellow girl traveller. 'Don't they look French?' But she didn't really know this. She was just reciting it from the Lonely Planet. I didn't know either, but I'd read the Lonely Planet too, so I agreed.
Sturdy old trees line the streets, and blossoms spill from crumbling balconies. The buildings here are unique. They don't really have floors, more just levels that appear here and there, one sometimes overlapping another, and often at odd slanting angles. When we go to eat we hunt down a cafe on some such level, so that we can perch among the leaves and watch the activity below. Motorbikes, people, people, motorbikes. Everyone is always busy. It doesn't matter which object a person may be carrying on their scooter - a herb garden, a TV... just as long as it's something, and its going somewhere.
How fat and awkward the Westerners look next to the Vietnamese!
Monday, 8 June 2009
Traveller's talk
This week: Junk boat adventures at Halong Bay, near Hanoi, North Vietnam. We had to take a boat taxi en route. I got stuck right next to the stinky engine with someone from New Jersey, and I had one of those painful dead-end conversations I keep having with Americans. I said, 'well, we got the best seats on the barge, didn't we?'
He looked at me blankly for a full minute and then said, 'yeah, but it'd make a great souvenir.' I smiled politely.
Damn these cultural differences! I must sort them out soon.
He looked at me blankly for a full minute and then said, 'yeah, but it'd make a great souvenir.' I smiled politely.
Damn these cultural differences! I must sort them out soon.
Saturday, 6 June 2009
We found a TV last night. We hadn't seen one in ages - chaos could be erupting around the world. I've left Richard watching an episode of Massive Structures so I can blog for a while.
This week we visited the 'Cu Chi Tunnels,' used effectively by the Viet Cong against the Americans in the Vietnam War. You know when you wish you could go back to school where all the information is, and actually take it in? This is what's happening. The geeky dream is coming true.
Better go now. My sweet thing of choice has evolved into the Cream Filled Wafer (chocolate not sustainable in tropical climate) and I've a bagful I need to start on because the packaging says: 'Eating Directions: Eat Directly.'
This week we visited the 'Cu Chi Tunnels,' used effectively by the Viet Cong against the Americans in the Vietnam War. You know when you wish you could go back to school where all the information is, and actually take it in? This is what's happening. The geeky dream is coming true.
Better go now. My sweet thing of choice has evolved into the Cream Filled Wafer (chocolate not sustainable in tropical climate) and I've a bagful I need to start on because the packaging says: 'Eating Directions: Eat Directly.'
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Bia Hoi
We are going to be in Vietnam for two weeks. The Vietnamese are known for getting up early, like me, hence the phrase 'Good morning Vietnam.'
Such excitement! The border police charged us more than they ought to've, and they had a good laugh about it. I've been bitten by an interesting spider. Also, I've been violently ill. The Malarone is making fun hallucinations, and I feel so depressed. But these are just small details. I'm learning more here in S.E. Asia than I did in all the other regions.
We are in Saigon (Ho Chi Min), originally named for its tropical bounty: (loose translation) 'Sai' = fruit. 'Gon' = cotton. There are 4.2 million motorbikes here- and around 20 motorbikes for every one car. More to follow
Such excitement! The border police charged us more than they ought to've, and they had a good laugh about it. I've been bitten by an interesting spider. Also, I've been violently ill. The Malarone is making fun hallucinations, and I feel so depressed. But these are just small details. I'm learning more here in S.E. Asia than I did in all the other regions.
We are in Saigon (Ho Chi Min), originally named for its tropical bounty: (loose translation) 'Sai' = fruit. 'Gon' = cotton. There are 4.2 million motorbikes here- and around 20 motorbikes for every one car. More to follow
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