Random Connections - Northern Thailand

I decided to head up to Northern Thailand on the overnight train from Bangkok. What a great way to travel the country - it's wonderfully comfortable, the food is delicious and you get your own cozy little bunk. Definitely would recommend this over the buses anytime!

I got in touch with my aunt's friend who lives in Chiang Mai and works at Maejo University (about 30 min outside of town). You can never know too many people...I figure meet for coffee and get some advice as to what to do see. What a wonderful surprise when I walked out of the train station and saw 2 women with a sign with my name on it! One was her niece Sirikan and the other. I find out happens to be the granddaughter of my parents' hometown friends (my mom actually lived with them!) And to make things more interesting, I end up staying at the International Student dorm (follow me here...) and in the dorm next to me is my godbrother who is doing his PhD here. Oh I'm not done yet, as it happens, my dad use to coach the current uni president in soccer back in the 70s in the Philippines. How random is that?

Chiang Mai is a fantastically beautiful city with over 300 temples or 'wats'. The Old City (the main touristy drink hole) is around 2 by 2 km surrounded by canals and an old defensive wall that use to protect it. I walked and biked around, taking in all the beautifully ornate and intricate temples. I took the mandatory temple pics because there are amazing photo ops everywhere (check out the overkill number of temple pics) but honestly, it's crazy how quickly you can feel "templed" out. Somewhere after about 8 they all start looking the same! Although I don't think I'll ever get tried of seeing monks with their colorful yellow and orange robes walking around everywhere!

This is my favorite wat. I found it arrestingly beautiful.

Gold, intricate, beautiful.

They have the greatest Sunday night market - which they call the "Walking Street" market. Basically they shut down all the major roads and set up stalls that sell absolutely everything! They're quite artistic and creative with hand made bags, towel holders, scarfs, monk paintings, picture frames, clothes and other kitchy fun things. The coolest part is that they put the "food courts" inside the temples! So you get to eat your Pad Thai and watch monks at the same time. Wonderful.

Everyone should experience eating and seeing monks!

I'm kinda glad that I'm backpacking. I have no room to buy stuff!

The Elephant Show - Ok, I wasn't really sure how I felt about watching elephants play soccer, throw darts or paint...but Sirikan took me and I was amazed at how skilled and talented they are! I just don't think it's fair that an elephant has more artistic abilities than I do. It's actually unnerving how how good they are - very Van Gogh like. And some elephants really have their own personality. The baby one was quite the performing clown - is it bad that I enjoyed this?!?

Elephant hugs are awesome.

Can you see how seriously good that painting is?!?!

Meditation Retreat

The day began at the Wat Suan Dok Temple with a brief introduction to Buddhism given by the master monk. We're taught that Buddhism is not a religion but rather a way of life - a set of guidelines to help you have peace and happiness. I find it particularly resounding that the "Middle Path/Way" is fundamentally yours to interpret and integrate in your life - one that is suppose to be neither nihlistic or hedonistic. Our "phra"/monk is a happy man in his late 40s with a soothing voice that's calming, his whispered high intonations gives you the confidence that you're about to experience and learn some really amazing new things. His powerpoint and anecdotes are funny. He tells us that weneed to know the nature of our mind. We must train our 'monkey mind'.

The essence of what is taught in this 2 day retreat is learning and knowing about balance in yourself, others and nature. That through moral and mental training you can achieve higher states. It is about the right effort, observing and doing the "good thing". It's having a sense of Mindfulness and Self awareness. Basically Love all beings and wish everyone peace and happiness. Be good to your mind, with your words and your actions.

We drove out to the Medication centre - which is about 40 mins from town. Its a beautiful building built completely from donations. We're given our room keys and told to shower and change into our loose all white, non transparent clothes. Yes, at one point, I did think to myself "Don't drink the Kool-Aid". That funny thought disappears as soon as we're ushered into the dining room and find out that that it's actually a silent retreat as well. Makes sense given that you are there to learn about meditation, calming your mind and observing your thoughts. We were taught how chant in a beautiful melodic way before our meal and that we must contemplate on our food. I'm not sure if it's because you don't talk during the meals or it if was actually just plain delicious but food tastes differently/better when you sit silently and really think and feel and experience your food. Go ahead and try closing your eyes and actually think about what you're eating! It's more pleasurable.

The second day, you're woken up at 5am by the sound of the dong. The sun starts to break through the clouds as we begin our chants to the Buddha. We all stood outside in a line and gave offerings to the monk. After, we went back in our meditation room aka "the Happy Place" and learned a total of 4 different types of meditation - 3 types of walking meditation, 1 lying down and another sitting down. It's all about clearing your mind, focusing on your breathing and not letting your thoughts or feelings distract you. I really got into it. I honestly just wish I wasn't so sleepy being a night owl and all. But the whole experience seemed surreal. It was like being in a peaceful trance state - a place between reality and a dream like place of zen. In fact, it's been very odd these last couple of weeks - I feel like I've been floating high on a cloud "blissfully-out-of-it" (tm CB) but oh so very present. I've realized how fluid states of awareness and presence truly are in every moment. Sadly, the whole experience went really quickly. In fact it was a little bit too short...but it was a great introduction to something I'd like to explore further.

Wat Suan Dok - the place where I've learned to wish Peace and Happiness to all.

I'm so excited to be at a Meditation retreat! I now have meditation pants.

PAI - Randomly, I think it's really funny that I met Heidi as we both walked into the temple looking for the "monk chat" office. Officially my fave Australian that I've met traveling, we ended up celebrating our new experience over dinner, drinks, buckets and the dance floor. There may have been some chanting over shots and needless to say people fell in love with our energy. Having a great time = sexy. The random adventures continued when we traveled to Pai - a fun little town on a river in the north close to Myanmar. It's the kind of place where old Thai grandmothers jump in front of your motorbike trying to sell you ganja and opium on your way to see the waterfalls. Pai has the same atmosphere as any relaxing hippie town - a mixture of chilled out stoners, good munchies and hardcore partiers looking for cheap drinks ready to rip it up.It's nestled in the beautiful countryside with natural hotsprings and lush nature.

After a bit of a search (i.e. walking around for 2 hours), we found a perfect bungalow/d.o. den that had the world's most comfortable hammock, a big bed and right on the river. Everything we did was a "mission" of some sort and we succeeded in having some crazy funny moments. There were like a billion attempts at getting things just right but did we ever have the BEST food. Man do they know how to do spring rolls, ice cream, waffles and breakfast right in Pai. The Curry Shack and the old Thai style iced coffee was legendary. Along the way, we adopted Helena, our sweet German future documentary film maker. Laughed til 3 with an Irish comedian telling us about his slightly disturbing first Thai massage experience. Got great advice from a Hawaiin guy self medicating by smoking copious amounts of stuff because of his motor bike injuries. We scootered around town and got pelted along the way with painful drops of rain. Global change is NOT good - we couldn't believe how cold we were! But it was all worth it with our fun finds - a beautiful trekkable canyon that overlooks views of the many layered mountains, a night time drive that reminded us of home and I think we nearly died and went to heaven when we discovered The Bakery. Overall, Pai was an unexpectedly fun side trip!

World's Most Comfortable Hammock.

Pai = my fun distraction.

Off to Pai with Heidi, my fave Australian.

Most beautiful find = this canyon.

Cooking Thai

And back to Chiang Mai just in time for some festivities. Helena and I took a 1 day cooking course in a Thai Organic farm. It was amazing!!! I'm inpired to cook everything with a little bit of sugar, chilli and fish sauce now. There's something really cool about learning how to make your own curry paste from scratch with a mortar and pestle. I learned how to make Green Curry with Chicken, Tom Yam soup, Papaya salad, Pad Thai and Mango sticky rice! It was amazing and wonderfully delicious if I may say so myself! Now if only I can find the recipe book they gave me! Lol. It was really informative walking around the market - learning about coconut cream vs. milk (amount of water). The best is picking your ingredients from their organic farm and learning about the different types of spices that they use - the fact that there are 4 types of basil used, the diffrences between the types of curry is based on adding either red or green chillies or turmeric. It's unbelievablle how easy and quick it is to make Thai food...the only issue is, can you find all the ingredients that you actually need?

I think I gained about 5 lbs during the course of the day...at least a 1lb for each meal that we cooked! But was it ever worth getting fatter for!

I made this!!

I'm sooo into it!

Organic ingredients from the cooking school/farm.

Helena and I ready to pick some organic stuff...

Songkran - สวัสดีปีใหม่

This is hands down the most enjoyable way to celebrate a New Years ever! It's typically 3 days but from what I can tell - it pretty much starts early and lasts long. To bring it on the whole city gets into a gigantic water fight! No wonder they call it "Wet and Wild Chiang Mai" in the Lonely Planet. It's suppose to be THE place to celebrate and let me tell you - it did NOT disappoint. The splashing with water is a time for cleaning and renewal - a sort of metaphoric washing away your sins.

While the spiritual aspect may not be as strong, the fun part is in full force! The whole city turns into an insane street party/festival with locals and foreigners alike running around town with buckets to splash you (Helena's preferred mode of combat = one on one revenge) and water guns (my preference is aiming straight for people's faces and ears). It's crazy fun and the icey water is wonderful specially during the hot and sunny moments. So wicked but it's weird being wet for about 6-8 hrs a day! You are not safe anywhere or from anyone! Helena being blonde was the fave target of the locals and since I look Thai the backpackers loooooved trying to get me! I wish I had better pictures of how much life and fun is injected into the whole experience when everyone is driving around in trucks and tuk tuks with tubs of water. There's live music everywhere and booming dance music around the whole city. Stages have been put up to host dancing "pretties" (Thai women in sexy outfits) and even the "tourist police" get in on the action. For a bit more of a cultural moment, there's a parade of Buddhas with the locals throwing fragranced water so that it may bring them good luck and prosperity in the New Year. Miraculously the water fight stops at around 8pm and people carry on drinking the night away.

** Ugh, you know what's sad?! I have a ton of pics up on FB but this is the first time that I feel like I don't actually have any pictures that truly capture the moments I had in Pai and Chiang Mai! And I'm a bit gutted to not be able to fully share the magnificence of Northern Thailand (so I broke down and downloaded some pics - I might even be there somewhere! LOL. It's definitely in my MUST DO recommendation - well, at this time of the year **

Ok, not my pic but I might be in there somewhere!

If you see a wet Asian...um, wait...ya, we're ALL wet!

Wanna piece of me?? Bring it on Songkran! :D

Thailand has been amazing and will always hold a special place in my heart. Khop Khun Kaa. I think I've pretty much done everything that I would like...and now, I'm feeling the pull of Laos...

Itouched Bang-kok

Let's start by saying I had no intention of staying in Bangkok. A fun 12 days later I found myself not too excited about leaving the wonderful digs and hospitality of Jiggy, who I met during the clean up dive in Kho Tao. Her swank place had all the wonderful amenities of home and I took advantage of the chill out and break from lugging the pack. I got to have a taste of the city as a tourist, farang (foreigner) and as a quasi local expat. Highlights:

• Finally seeing some temples and testing out the itouch camera. The Grand Palace is grand and the giant reclining Buddha, is well, giant. Its amazing how easy it is to be templed out even though it was impressively beautiful. Vimanmek Teak palace was worth walking around for and so were the handmade art, gold and textile collections at Dusit Palace.
• Eating Thai spicy street food and feeling the burn on your tongue and lips (new trick learned - take plain rice and let your saliva break it down to alleviate the pain)
• Learning the Spanish sexy look, hanging out with cool Filipinos (complete with pop star and manager) and a sweet Natalie Portman look alike.
• Walking around street markets...ok Patpong (BKK's most famous road) is quite an experience cause you get accosted by people trying to get you to watch their ping pong show while you're trying to look for fake Raybans! Chatuchuck weekend market is so big you need to get a map to guide you from the food area to the furnitures and antique to the Thai silk textiles... Basically you should only fight the masses if you actually want to buy something and going after a Mexican party the night before is not so good. Chinatown ditto unless you want to eat as well. Fave place: this random street market on an abandoned railway track. They sold cool hip kitchy retro stuff from refurbished warehouses and so sold drinks and cocktails from old 60s VW vans which they converted into drivable bars.
• Other random moments I enjoyed were drinks at Khao San Road and the forgotten lap dance, having wine and great red meat again, eating good non Asian food and late night chats about men and boys (reminiscent of good ol girlfriend times)
• Ok so I did go to Soi Cowboy for their infamous "shows". I'd like to say that we went for a tamer and less disturbing experience...so no razor blades or fish or blue water thingy but I was oddly impressed with the darts! Like how do you even find out you've got that talent?!?!
• The oddly cool "climate change" weather was a nice break...seems that I left the islands and south just on time to escape the terrible floods.

So Bangkok was alright but what really made it for me? Getting Jiggy with it! ;) Thanks Chica!

Tons of people getting their Perv On - Soi Cowboy style.

Yup, you're readin that sign correctly! That's Patpong for ya!

Giant golden Buddha.

The Grand Palace.

Ornate and beautiful.

It's impressive as your first temple.

Italian dinner in Bangkok with Filipinos. Gotta love it.

Coolest hip street market everywhere.

Awesome company as always :) Thanks for showing me sides of Bangkok I wouldn't have!!

Islands on Fire - Thailand & Happiness

As soon as I crossed over to Thailand, I think it was the first time that I sat, took a look around and thought to myself, "Wow, now I'm really traveling!" I have no idea what's going on. I can't read the language, much less figure out this odd tonal language. I can't understand what this woman is saying to me and by the blank look on her face certainly had no clue what I was trying to explain.

But that confusion was soon replaced by getting myself on an overnight ferry, into Ko Tao - what I consider to be the "pretty people" island. Everyone was smokingly hot! I guess that's what you get for a renowned diving island on the Southern Gulf coast in eastern Thailand. I was excited to see Kat again (who I met in Bolivia) and I'm soooooo happy that I did! We had the BEST time together! She was superb company, the most awesome wing-woman and a fantastically great dive buddy! We did our advanced SSI together and well, let's just say that I freaked her out when I got lost during the night dive! In all fairness, there were about 30 people going down...I followed the yellow flippers (like I was suppose to) and there was a blond chick next to the guy that was suppose to be my instructor (buddy check done and done). I'll paint a clearer picture by saying that it's dark. I mean, it's pitch black ocean dark and we only have tiny little flashlights (dare I say rather ineffective). Anyhow, it took me about 30 seconds to realize that I was following the wrong group!! Basically, the guy turned around and when I saw that he had a beard (no one in my group did)...I thought, oh ya, not a good thing. Suprisingly enough, I didn't panic so I did my one minute check (and actually swam into 2 other groups of divers...I was definitely not alone!!) Anyway, all is good, I'm licensed and can plan and navigate my own dives! LOL. Seriously!!

*** Environmental note: My first dive was actually a clean up dive to help get trash out of the ocean - it was depressing to see how much garbage is out there. Let's try and be good and keep our oceans clean!!! Don't throw garbage out in the ocean, touch the corals or leave anything behind! ***

We met the coolest people to enjoy my first "bucket experience" with. It's an insane drink meant to be shared (specially while watching a fire show). The typical Thai bucket has a mickey of Samsong (local sweet whiskey/rum - terrible for headaches) and 2 red bulls (terrible for the stomach)! I think it tastes rather foul...so we moved onto Vodka buckets! Let's just say after a few of those there was an attempt at Fire limbo - I survived unscathed and unscarred...unlike most people! I mean, they create the most insane scenarios for people to hurt themselves. There's the fire limbo, the fire throwing, the fire jump rope, the ring of fire. There are a lot of FIRE!! I've never seen so many bandaged people in my life!

Koh Phangan - the BEST ever!

This magical island was my favorite by far. I can't even begin to explain or describe how I felt while I was here. I've certainly never smiled as much in my life and no, it wasn't "happy shakes". Neither was it the insane and legendary pool parties at Coral or even any of the Moon parties. I mean we even skipped the Black and Shiva moon party while we were there. We were all decked out with glow-in-the-dark body paint (a new fave - everyone should experience this) and we opted not to pay the 500 Bhat and just head to the beach and have our own party. Part of it are the wonderful characters that you meet and get to know. There's the quiet unassuming guy, deep and intelligent, who ends up being the most impressive under the radar party animal. There's crazy American out on a bender, letting lose from life's responsibilities who just wants to be accepted and loved by his family waking up the next day in a boat. The young innocent Brit traveling for the first time trying getting over a break up. The insanely sexy Israeli who reminds you there are great men out there. The cute Canadian girls who smile all the time with they're own box of wine. The crazy older travelers that still haven't grown up or stopped partying and is impressively or ridiculously still hardcore. The perpetually stoned Frenchman that looks like Kramer. The adorably charming Burmese men working in a party resort to support their family. The ditsy hot chick who starts off as dull but is apparently a geneticist with the quirkiest sense of humour. The German "playa" who's actually a really sweet and sensitive guy. There's so much about this island that I love. The tree house will always have a place in my heart with it's laid back atmosphere. When I close my eyes I can still feel the cool ocean breeze and hear the waves. We only got a chance to see a tiny bit of the island when we rented a scooter and went up and down those crazy hills. Thankfully the boys gave us their scooter with the brakes instead! We snacked at the market, had wonderful satay and Thai treats and ate donuts that taste like Hanukkah. There were moments of complete and utter bliss in the pool, on the beach, lazing about when I thought to myself "Life does not get any better than this..."

Then there was heading out west into Krabi and Railey - Rock climber's paradise. Even the trek to the view point and lagoon you needed to climb with ropes. That's the most ridiculously difficult "walk" I've taken to get to a tourist destination. We enjoyed eating Pad Thai from a boat = genius. Watching the sunset. The kayak flipping and losing my camera (and the fishing pole and snorkel that the ocean took) I could have done without because unfortunately all the pictures went with it...so gutted :( At least there are the memories and I'd like to keep it etched in my brain forever.

Next stop was Phi Phi - We stayed in the quiet part of the island on Long Beach in a Hillside resort with stairs that made your legs shake. You had to take a 100B taxi boat to get there so it was peaceful and quiet. The boat tour of the area showed us the picture perfect postcard were the waters are clear, turquoise and the type of blue that seems unreal. The snorkeling in Phi Phi Leh and of course the quintessential movie moment on Maya beach made me wish I still had my camera.

The whole thing was a mind blowing experience. I will forever be thankful for having been given so much. It's those moments when you feel alive and you understand all the stuff that movies and legends are made of. It's the ultimate traveling dream. I'm happy to be reminded that there are beautiful connections, fantastic friendships and so much more that you can go through in life and expand your horizons with. It's pursuing growth and learning to truly give in and enjoy these precious times that make everything worthwhile!

The Treehouse = my new Happy place.

My Koh Phangan smile. Unbridled and in its purest form.

Legendary Coral Pool Party.

Best Dive buddy ever!

Under water photo - one of my many new skills.

Oh ya I'm tanned and dark!!

Railey viewpoint. Hardest walk/climb ever!

Fire and Buckets!! ;)

Body paint and the Beach!!! :)

Yummy Pad Thai.

Oh it's meant to be shared ;)

Phi Phi Leh and the awesome colours of the sea.

Eating my way through Malaysia

To be honest, I'm not really sure I can say much about Malaysia other than the food. LOL. This is going to sound more like a food critique than a travel entry because quite frankly I'm seriously just enjoying all the culinary goodness this country has to offer!

I got on a train from Singapore and within 7 hours found myself in Kuala Lumpur. I barely had enough time to think about my first truly solo travel when I met a really great couple (German and Korean) who I was lucky enough to explore the city with.

KL

• Deceptively smaller than you would think. Seems large on a map but everything is within 1-2 Km and walkable. I've got the fun kitchy pics with the Petronas tower (a must) and I must say, it is even more beautiful at night. They're surprisingly environmental friendly because they turn off all the lights at midnight - I found that impressive.
• It was odd to see Arabic everywhere (it was almost like being in the Middle East in some areas) and then learned that Malaysia is officially a Muslim country. One of the things I'm impressed with is the ethic and religious diversity of the region. When you're walking down the street you'll see a Hindu temple across from a Buddhist one, which is on the same block as a Mosque with a Church in the corner! How's that for an example of religious tolerance?!
• I did enjoy was the start of my culinary experience (and incidental weight gain) - We ate Chinese food in Chinatown and great Indian food in Little India. The Roti Canai here is legendary. It's the kind of roti that I've been dreaming off since Kuwait. It's always made fresh, is ridiculously cheap and is seriously good!
  

Taman Negara

• Said to be the oldest rain forest in the world. I enjoyed a couple of massive hikes - which meant, after a hot and sweaty 5 hrs, we're just pretty happy that we weren't swarmed by leeches (almost disappointing, but not really) and most importantly didn't get lost.
  
• You'd think some jungle treks would be a good weight loss regime but then I discovered Mamak noodles - a wonderfully spicy, sweet and salty noodle dish topped with fried garlic, prawns and chicken. Oh and yellow pancakes/crepes - they put tumeric in it! Who'd have thought...yummy, although it looks kinda weird.
• Also took a scenic jaunt on apparently the longest canopy walkway above the forest.
• Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the way of seeing animals. No tigers or elephants, just some insects, scorpions, deer so I got out of the jungle and into cooler weather...
  

Cameron Highlands

• After the oppressive heat, Cameron Highlands was a welcome refuge. It was soooo nice to actually wear a sweater and not have heat radiate from my body!!
• Up in the mountainous region of Central Malaysia, you're surrounded by strawberry farms, fresh produce and the beauty of lush tea plantations. It's rows and rows of tea bushes, green as far as the eyes can see. It's beautiful and peaceful but I've realized that I really don't have the palate for differentiating quality tea...Being a coffee drinker, I don't know much about tea, so it was interesting to learn about how it's grown, the process to make it and the different variables that make "good" tea. Incidentally, I was having a starbucks coffee during the tour...I know, terrible, but I really needed my caffeine fix! :)
• Mossy forest - beautiful and serene, the best part of the tour I went on was learning about the different wild plants that could potentially save me if I got lost in a forest. You can eat tips of a young fern plant, wild cinnamon grow as thick as branches (and fetch a lot on the black market) and ginger has a ridiculous amount of healing properties (one I didn't know, apparently great for hangovers!)
• Food wise, let's see - I discovered these fried banana balls that were delish and a great pre/post hike snack, had one of the largest, most varied 'steamboat' aka hotpot and introduced a bunch of Germans to the Southern Indian eating experience...murtabak and curry anyone?
  

Penang

• I had no expectations about the 2nd largest city in Malaysia, in fact I didn't really know very much about it. What I saw was an interesting combination of colonial buildings from it's British empire days, mixed with a few skyscrapers, resorts and old dilapidated buildings set in a port city/island. I'm glad I stayed an extra day with the scooter...I really enjoy feeling the air, sun, wind and (slight) rain on my skin while I get to look around and see vistas from all parts of Penang.
• I really enjoy seeing temples (maybe cause I'm just beginning this leg of it). I'm not sure if it's being in Asia that gives it a more "authentic" feel, or the Buddhist chants from the monks, or the feng shui of the large breezy space, or the usually immaculate gardens but there is a sense of peacefulness that comes to you when are visiting temples.
• Known as the food capital of Malaysia - there was no doubt that I was going to end up here! Some things that I've discovered:

1. I think Malaysian food is now officially one of my favourites ever!
2. I can never be vegetarian. I find it odd to order something, and only realize after 5 bites in, that it's not meat and 10 bites later figure out that I don't enjoy it.
3. Too much of a good thing will make your stomach hurt (an odd feeling since usually I have the stomach of steel! Steel I say. Oh and yes, you will gain weight even if you're trekking everywhere.
4. My spice tolerance is significantly lower...I sweat (even more) when I eat the food, after 5 minutes you'd think it'd stop...no, the burning sensation really doesn't.
5. Even when you ask what is in the food or what it's made of and they answer in English, you still won't know what you ate.
6. Food is stupid cheap here. I think the most I've paid is 20 Ringgits ($7) and that was sharing 5 dishes between 3 people or 3 dishes with fresh fish between 2 (with a drink)! On average, things cause about $1-3/meal!

Yummy Laksa - spicy, salty and sweet from a Hawker stall.

I've never seen a mosque over an ocean before!

Giant golden Buddha in a Burmese Temple.

Mossy forest. Look I'm wearing a hoodie!

Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang.

High Tea anyone? Tea Plantation in Cameron Highlands.

Very large and jungle like.

My Tarzan moment in Taman Negara.

I think I almost look tall beside the Petronas towers!

So thanks Malaysia for the yummy goodness and now I'm off to Thailand to hopefully get back in better shape with some world class diving!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary in Singapore = Appropriately enough Happy Chinese New Year!

My blog has always been a little too politically correct (although that is what I am like and my Canadian sensibility makes sure that I'm fairly polite about everything). But what the hell, here's a more honest entry! As my official 1 year anniversary of traveling here's an uncensored blog - cause what's the point of feeling liberated if you don't completely describe everything (ok, who am I kidding, not everything)!

This was written feeling both my best and my crappiest = My running soundtrack: "If I ever Feel Better" - Phoenix. "Feeling Good" - Muse. "Flawed Design" - Stabilo. "Time of my Life" - BEP.

THE GOOD

• I'm having the effing time of my life!! It does not get any better than this. I really can't imagine a moment in my future when I would look back at this time and think - wow, I really shouldn't have taken time out to explore the world. Are you kidding me? Ya, I'm proud of myself for making this decision and yes I'm blessed!
• Coolness factor - Life is great when you can take the time out to explore and enjoy things. People are drawn to you, because you exude a confidence and happiness that comes from traveling. "So...what do you do?" Me: "Nothing, I'm just traveling the world" - comes with big happy grin, works like a charm ;)
• My 5 senses are overloaded with pleasures. I see amazing things - some of the scenery are arrestingly beautiful. I hear everything from nature untouched to sounds of joy and pleasure. I've touched/felt incredible sensations. I've smelled - ok, this one isn't always great! LOL But I have slowed down enough to smell the orchids. And as a foodie, my taste buds gets tantalized by wonderful culinary treats from different places.
• Freedom - I have never loved life this much! And what's not to love? I have complete and utter freedom to do/be/act however I see fit. It's liberating and I find it interesting how we still manage to censor ourselves and yet sometimes go a little overboard when you're intoxicated by it all. I'm trying a whole bunch of different approaches mainly cause I can...some have not been as successful, sometimes it's a bit of a wreck, but other times man, does it ever work out for you!
• Learning things - Different cultures, people, myself. I'm challenged and taught new lessons almost everyday whether it's patience with line ups in the Philippines, responsibility with family, a new language, emotional vulnerability, openness, infatuations, obsessions, trust, limits, fears, bravery. etc. I've never felt so excited and exhilarated by people, places, events - traveling puts you in a constant state of change and the need to adapt...and if you're lucky - you get to make the most of it!
  

THE BAD

• I MISS...
  
• Everyone :( I do. Thank goodness for FB, Skype and emails. I'd be lost without being in constant touch with people. I just miss people. Terribly. I'll keep it at that!
  
• The little and not so little things - my own "home", the smell of pine trees when I'm hiking in North Van, bickering lovingly with my parents, meeting up with the girls, driving my convertible, chillaxing, kayaking in Deep Cove, talking to my sisters, playing with my nephews and nieces, Stanley park, having a smoke/bbq with Duazel, shooting the shit with Yasmeen, drinking wine with Jen and Thorsten in their hot tub, traveling with Yuko and her keeping me sane, working out with Astrid, my Ai crew, being in the same city as Chrissy, having more clothes, wearing boots during fall. I dunno, there are tons of random stuff...
• Lack of normalcy - Sometimes you lose a bit of yourself because you're not part of the "real world". You're part of some weird alternate reality that you've created that puts you in all types of exciting adventures and you get to do some fun things but sometimes it does get too much. You can get lost cause you discover sides of you, you had no idea existed.
• My liver's health - I'm pretty sure she has not been this abused ever. I mean I completely laid low in my late 20s. Well apparently, we're making up for lost time (and why am I starting to forget things and have lapses in my memory...ugh...um, what was I saying?)
• Dwindling bank account - Although it is cheaper to literally travel around the world than to stay at home in Vancouver, not having money coming in is hard. But ya, I'll admit it, I'm trying to figure out how to keep this going for as long as humanly possible!
• Things getting stolen. It does not matter how careful you are, how responsible you think you are or even how safe something might be. Things go missing. Period. You will spend an hour or day cursing your brains out half mad and angry but it'll still be gone. Sigh.
• Learning some lessons about yourself the hard way. The following at one point or another has happened: I've been mortified, ashamed, unhealthy, selfish, self absorbed, anxious, lonely, uncomfortable, angry, belligerently drunk (not my proudest moment), bored to death, ridiculously hungover, freaking out at times etc (don't worry I've felt the opposite of all of the above as well). You feel the zenith of everything because you don't have anything else to distract you - you're not part of the rat race, you're just there experiencing everything in what is usually it's purest form and you react unusually as a result. I'm learning about silver linings, my own new boundaries, my wants and needs. It's definitely interesting to go through odd experiences. You just need learn from it and see what comes out of it...so far so good...although some lessons I'm sure I could have skipped! Ugh & LOL.
  

THE SEXY

• On the wonderful side, It's really nice to come into yourself. You feel on top of the world and just freaking great. It's sad that most people don't really know their own self worth and question that very core of themselves that they should be proud of. It's amazing how long it takes us to really feel comfortable with who we are. I know life is a work in progress but my gosh I'm sooo happy to be at a much better place. I'm pretty sure I'd come upon this lesson in due time but traveling speeds everything up. And thank goodness!
• Compliments - You hear some of the best compliments you will ever hear from some of the greatest and most fascinating people you'll meet - That is the ultimate flattery... even the alcohol induced comments are great and appreciated. lol. It's heady to hear how beautiful your aura is, or how inspiring you are, or how sexy or great you are a person - these are the moments you want to have seared in your brain. I think that's why I'm so vocal - I know the power of hearing things, it's nice and most people don't hear it enough or know it for that matter.
• Things that make me smile: Dancing in the rain, Pirate hunters, life coaches, beautiful young thangs, Brazilian speedos, mirrors, compliments, Encore, sleeping/passing out on the floor, sneaking out, swimming pools, Skype dates, supermodels, lychee martinis, FB chat, !!!, great new BFFs, great connections.

SINGAPORE

Marina Bay Sands = pretty and expensive just like the rest of the city!

Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil, See no Evil...Just get it done ?

Colours of little India.

Best. Picture. Ever.
Foreshadowing at its best/worst?
*Side note - re: Background. Punishment = Costly

Merlion the Symbol of Singapore.

Please give me Peace and Serenity.

Happy Chinese New Year in Chinatown.

Year of the Rabbit!
Oh sooo very many jokes there...

Yummy Chicken Rice, Brinjal, Fried Tofu with Tina.

The Urban Jungle/Shopping Mall of Asia.

I'm not really sure what to make of Singapore to be honest. Impressions - It's rich, expensive and clean (yes, I have stayed away from spitting anywhere!) What it looks like? An organized Asian city with lots of greenery and beautiful tall skycrapers with interesting modern architecture. When I first got here, it was raining... alot! So I took the opportunity to rest, get healthy and be lazy (thanks to the hospitality of Tina & Yvette!). I've stayed on much longer than planned (not that I have one...)

• It is literally the shopping mall of Asia. They weren't kidding when they describe this place as the mecca of shopping - for the love of goodness, there is one in every single MRT (skytrain) station! For me, as a person who doesn't really like shopping or malls - well, it makes it interesting. Man, it's hard not to be pretentious or materialistic in this city - it's practically geared for you to lust after the latest technology with free wifi everywhere or want the coolest trends and fashion when Gucci, Polo and YSL greet you in every corner. It's an urban jungle with everything that you can ever want, you just have to pay a premium for it. It's not cheap!
• Typical jaunts - I 've hit Sentosa - very resort-like beautiful, but very touristy and I got rained on in the man made beach. Orchard park - Just tons of shopping and shiny, beautiful people everywhere - I think I paid $5 to sit and have a coffee and people watch. Strolled through Clark/Boat Quay and enjoyed views of the restaurants and bars along the Singapore River, while checking out the good looking expats having their post-work drinks. I've meandered around Little India while taking pictures and eating samosas. I jogged around the Botanic Gardens and took way too many orchid pictures.
  
• Chinatown - What is it about Chinatowns around the world that gives it the feeling of familiarity and exoticness at the same time? At one point in time, walking around, watching people buy and sell crazy trinkets - I had my "Omg, I'm in freaking Asia" moment! It may have been eating garlic soya frogs, drinking Tiger beer and going into the temples to see the golden Buddhas, the ornate decorations and burning of the incense...
• Chinese New Year - It's the year of the rabbit and you see decorations everywhere of bunnies (it took me a while to realize this...hahaha...but once I did it all made so much more sense)! The holiday also means that everything is closed so really there has been a lot of aimless walking around. Dana came for a whirlwind weekend to celebrate it - we had a great CNY dinner that started with Champagne, Paella and tossed the Lo Hei for a year of good fortune. It was a huge night out going to a few different bars with great company (thanks Nadia & Stacey)...perhaps um, too crazy for/of me! Mmm...I still hope it's an auspicious year! Then there was another 'typical' open house = we just ate and ate and ate.
  
• The food - oh the gloriously spicy, tasty and delectable culinary goodness of Singapore. Now, this is my typa fare - The hawkers (cheap outdoor food stalls) sell yummy affordable food all over the place. Everything has a sumptuous kick to it I'm not sure how the Westerners manage. But it's just about perfect for me!

I've finally bought a Lonely Planet...that means that I might have a plan soon. LOL - Well, at least more of an idea of what's next. I'm thinking heading North to Malaysia...