tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90142030116193646462024-03-05T15:40:54.744+08:00macowLife as a bonesetter for the circus in China!Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-35172317375400185542012-06-15T09:54:00.000+08:002012-06-15T09:54:19.906+08:00New blog - Circus Conditioning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sorry it's been a few drinks between posts. I've been busy working on a new business and new blog since moving back to Perth from Macau almost 3-months to the day! <br />
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My new blog is <a href="http://circusconditioning.com/" target="_blank">Circus Conditioning</a>. <br />
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The blog is also a lead-in to my new business of the same name; I blog about Health, Wellness, Exercise, Fitness, Inspiration and the Circus, amongst other things. <br />
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A ping of sadness comes over me as I write this; the blog I started just before our journey to Macau back in June 2009. I may blog on here from time to time when I get the urge to write something different, like <a href="http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">this</a> post I did for <a href="http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">The Way of Least Resistance</a> martial arts blog. <br />
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A good jump-in point on the new blog for new readers might be the <a href="http://circusconditioning.com/?p=62" target="_blank">7 things I learned from working in the circus</a>. <br />
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Thanks for visiting, especially if you've been back often. Feel free to comment or PM me about anything now or whenever. <br />
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Thanks,<br />
Trevor Aung Than<br />
Perth<br />
June 2012<br />
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</div>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-50013865193874710932012-03-28T11:31:00.000+08:002012-03-28T11:31:17.882+08:00Tribute to Macau<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today we have a guest post by my lovely wife, Natalie Aung Than. Beautifully written hun!! xxx </span></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Macau - the only city in the world in which we could afford to live right smack bang in the middle of a harmonious chaos of people, vehicles, jackhammers - a land where nothing grows except for hotel-casinos. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A city comprised of three portions: the northern peninsula (walking distance into mainland China) and two small southern islands: expatriate-dominated Taipa and relatively untouched Coloane. From the peninsula three narrow bridges traverse a kilometer long marine dead zone into northern Taipa. Taipa and Coloane, once separate islands, are now joined by reclaimed land in the form of a casino-strewn isthmus: the mighty Cotai strip. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Altogether these three portions form a city so tiny that a taxi ride from the northern border all the way to Coloane’s famous black sand beach takes no more than a matter of minutes. (Fortunately for us Macau’s taxi drivers possess an uncanny ability to comprehend various mumblings in Mando-Cantonese). </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Macau – a city of contradictions: the view from one of our apartment’s windows looked out upon the colossal Grand Lisboa while another revealed a solitary fig tree surrounded by a rare patch of green. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGtBFWe68-TDp1TpZCNlJr6FjLfW0K0bUY1pyuE92u_K6wae7cXNtbOha66RciRp0mp9txRtC7TCztfDwN7DY30y1tdDv9K53QrkSFraiEcycsv2G8R8t5WRBbYPjlA-L8S4iCl16evo/s1600/iphone+photos+2011+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGtBFWe68-TDp1TpZCNlJr6FjLfW0K0bUY1pyuE92u_K6wae7cXNtbOha66RciRp0mp9txRtC7TCztfDwN7DY30y1tdDv9K53QrkSFraiEcycsv2G8R8t5WRBbYPjlA-L8S4iCl16evo/s320/iphone+photos+2011+024.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>The Grand Lisboa as seen from our streetfront. </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where we have had the opportunity to meet an assortment of great friends and colourful characters from all over the world: China, Portugal, Congo, Canada, USA, Thailand, Singapore, India, Taiwan, Mexico, The Philippines, Syria, Vietnam, Nepal, Australia and, of course, Macau. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp98qt6J8r7QZ4KzhHeSTDFXkUU4Lca_Lxm5py678TlAKcs0H8tq52iEcZNGLtgXE37z9dNlvxXKyLikSb1zIv6KPncS0JGzPnaK8mVqShBqY2gMD7qWTllZS-EyVC2SzqFCaYrTbOTM/s1600/iphone+photos+2011+133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp98qt6J8r7QZ4KzhHeSTDFXkUU4Lca_Lxm5py678TlAKcs0H8tq52iEcZNGLtgXE37z9dNlvxXKyLikSb1zIv6KPncS0JGzPnaK8mVqShBqY2gMD7qWTllZS-EyVC2SzqFCaYrTbOTM/s320/iphone+photos+2011+133.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Angie's best friend in Macau, Sofia. </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where I have had the opportunity to enhance my love affair of exotic, albeit all-imported, fruit and vegetables: tender, juicy custard apples, delightfully stinky jackfruit, never-before-encountered sapodillas and mangosteens, heavenly red pears, lotus roots and at least half a dozen types of mushrooms. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd93TrvflmZsEpXn3Pj3PsqbS9Rc8WMOyOPjaVN5INSYhIrto5BnPBl8Heu5DopYEF4PfpiLQEJ-V0fswbQkEaCuf5sMvrorh8LPddr9w4-kWuQoO_wHgRwYoPUJMaK-N50bPZxBmyR0/s1600/iphone+photos+2011+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd93TrvflmZsEpXn3Pj3PsqbS9Rc8WMOyOPjaVN5INSYhIrto5BnPBl8Heu5DopYEF4PfpiLQEJ-V0fswbQkEaCuf5sMvrorh8LPddr9w4-kWuQoO_wHgRwYoPUJMaK-N50bPZxBmyR0/s320/iphone+photos+2011+034.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Our local fruit and vegetable vendors. </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our favorite local market lady took advantage of my durian addiction. Every time I attempted to nonchalantly pass by she would catch my eye and subtly motion to the spiky mounds on her table. Now, after almost a year of buying whole maces of durian, I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur. I have sampled the famous dark yellow-orange pods in Singapore, and thought they were very good, but the Thailand durian I bought last year, during May and June here in Macau, was the best I have ever tasted. I will cherish my memories of those soft golden pillows of creamy goodness. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Back in the land of kiwi, apples and button mushrooms how will I feed Talia her favorites jack fruit, fresh coconut, dragon fruit and, recently, an anonymous seasonal fruit that resembles a loquat and mango in one? (If anyone knows the name of this fruit please let me know). How can we prevent Angie forgetting her impressive Cantonese and smattering of Mandarin?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What other memories will I take from the most densely populated region of the world? </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Carrying Talia up endless footsteps and sweating profusely in the stroller-impossible peninsula, dodging cigarette-puffing tourists and putrid vehicles on our way to Angie’s ballet classes. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The masses of people crammed into buses, the occasional hostility towards breastfeeding, the ubiquitous use of MSG, the inability to move through Senado Square during public holidays, having to rush across dangerous pedestrian crossings, the pungent noise of endless construction. Mould. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having to weave and squeeze past millions of others along congested arterial networks, hurrying along hazardous road edges in areas when the pathways become too congested. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I can’t quite put my finger on it but, in spite of Macau’s numerous quirks and irritations, there is something so strangely endearing about this place. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is not the ease of public transport, revitalizing excursions to Coloane or being able to walk home at any hour of the night and never having to look over your shoulder. It’s not only the fresh food markets, a few fantastic restaurants, one great wine bar (none of these anywhere near a casino) and Macau’s close proximity to Asia’s famous holiday hot spots. And it’s not as if Macau has the same intensity, or fantastic shopping opportunities, as its cousin Hong Kong. Spend an entire day in Hong Kong and you will find yourself hankering to decipher signage in Chinese / Portuguese in relatively laid-back Macau. There is something special about this place. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So many times, sitting in San Francisco Park, watching my girls play with the local children, under the shade of a few decent trees, I would find myself reluctantly falling in love with this place. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8pRopgIqWTPVhZ-EfSbXgZ87oHzbwYfn_grPw6MD_7NQcG53sccJ91lvy0YSAcdK74sMhh_HJAPU2SFG7hHI4vmINS0Qh1SlElQ3ZdRCApocNotw2i6peP0ONv0gDJpr3OpS3Wx7v4g/s1600/Macau+Jan+2012+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8pRopgIqWTPVhZ-EfSbXgZ87oHzbwYfn_grPw6MD_7NQcG53sccJ91lvy0YSAcdK74sMhh_HJAPU2SFG7hHI4vmINS0Qh1SlElQ3ZdRCApocNotw2i6peP0ONv0gDJpr3OpS3Wx7v4g/s320/Macau+Jan+2012+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>San Francisco Park - the oldest park in Macau. </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s the people of Macau: the expats, the eccentric mainland Chinese, the shy Macanese, the surprisingly sympathetic Portuguese, the Filipino helpers who helped keep me sane while living with two young, demanding children. The raucous Cantonese locals and their gorgeous, yet hopelessly spoiled, children. Everyone unquestioningly accepted and welcomed us to this city - this place so reckless it can be compared to the wild-west, so innocent I have never felt more secure, so packed one day soon there will be no more space to move. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGmvysVqZgxGM9BBQaq1xa4ClzMf_lcZnkiDjZf8Q43Wt_JlMimJB6_MIpKAmz5sBXDbrzkJe1vAzEYt-qfFQOwdrHMvibO5f7hiWQX4GEnSW2KPqsa5IKptTPmz1IwBCN48IWFuoe-Q/s1600/March+2012+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGmvysVqZgxGM9BBQaq1xa4ClzMf_lcZnkiDjZf8Q43Wt_JlMimJB6_MIpKAmz5sBXDbrzkJe1vAzEYt-qfFQOwdrHMvibO5f7hiWQX4GEnSW2KPqsa5IKptTPmz1IwBCN48IWFuoe-Q/s320/March+2012+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Belle - our Filipina neighbour and friend. </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Despite having lived in Macau for over two and a half years I never really became accustomed to forcing my way through crowds whilst simultaneously acknowledging friendly smiles at every turn. I always felt surprised when curious faces would stop to gaze admiringly upon the girls; shocked when people went out of their way to share their umbrellas in the rain; special when included in the morning greetings of ‘jo san’. Yes, this may be the land of concrete sanctuaries, first floor park areas, roof top gardens and crazy weather but, the patriotic people of Macau would not have life any other way. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And every night, in an attempt to make up for the fumes, the flu, the noise, the tourists and the stifling humidity, Macau summons all its glitz, glamour and excitement - the glittering lights of restaurants, shops, the Grand Lisboa and all the others – to dazzle me so completely that I can almost forgive Macau for being what it is. For what it has become. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For our last night in Macau we are staying at the Westin Hotel in Coloane. We have been generously upgraded to an ocean view room obstructed by fog. The sun has seldom been able to peek past the thick cover of cloud that has loomed thick since January. Macau Tower, lost in the smog, has been invisible for almost a week. Such is life in the Pearl River Delta region. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-5aI8nQZqvZQ8QJHyn-VZ2jV8V2bw5dkVM-7-XrzihFyKeST82EALjFaAYOy0T6yJ13scxAUZHW3GdpPzeML9fGPcYFPayg2T-c35GOaTB7B4KZbv8LMV67GFNKWmwAsAaRuOLMtJbE/s1600/March+2012+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-5aI8nQZqvZQ8QJHyn-VZ2jV8V2bw5dkVM-7-XrzihFyKeST82EALjFaAYOy0T6yJ13scxAUZHW3GdpPzeML9fGPcYFPayg2T-c35GOaTB7B4KZbv8LMV67GFNKWmwAsAaRuOLMtJbE/s320/March+2012+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Our ocean view from the Westin Hotel during our last day in Macau. </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With construction already encroaching on Coloane’s fringes this oasis will eventually be hacked raw and covered with concrete till it too is largely devoid of any, except human, life. I have often wondered what this small Portuguese colony of Macau was like before casinos boosted the economy and ravaged the land. Unfortunately nothing can halt the passage of time or development. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is a shame because if it wasn’t for the perpetual haze, the concrete, the absence of greenery - Macau would be... perfect. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div></div>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-23248274195329044602012-03-03T23:46:00.000+08:002012-03-03T23:46:52.758+08:00Aftermath<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
As the final days of packing/smashing/tearing/ripping down what was once the ZAiA theatre march nearer I think it is appropriate to pay our final respects to what was once our work/home/space, our <i>milieu</i>. Post-ZAiA life certainly will be unfulfilling for some; after you work in a circus can normal life really ever be the same? So, a photo montage of sorts of the last few days at the ZAiA theatre. It doesn't get me anywhere closer to my million words but I don't think mere words can do it justice....<br />
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</div>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-47139741526128662962012-02-25T14:46:00.000+08:002012-02-25T14:46:37.181+08:00Tales from the banana frondThe earliest memories I have of food are the smells of gently frying onion, garlic and ginger wafting from our Grandmothers' kitchen and watching her stir the onion/garlic/ginger 'paste' which forms the basis of Burmese hin, or curry (not strictly speaking a curry, but similar). I can imagine the smell right now as I type this, the smell slightly sweet as often in her hin she used some tomato paste or fresh tomatoes. My Grandmother's (bless her soul) cooking was heavily influenced by Indian cuisine as she spent many of her formative years in India, having made the long and deadly trek from Rangoon to India during WWII. The smells from her kitchen were often tinged with curry leaves and cumin seeds, especially if she was making her famous pepperwater (rasam) soup which was one of my favorites. <br />
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Other notable dishes of hers were; her pilau rice with Duck curry; her mince fry with rice (made all the more special as she made crispy potato triangles to sprinkle over the mince rice); her kala hin (Indian-style curry) with tamarind and vegetables; her meeshay (rice noodles with chicken hin)...the list goes on! Her cooking was a pseudo Burmese-Indian hybrid cuisine which I imagine is a similar style for any Anglo-Burmese of my generation anywhere in the world. If you haven't had Burmese food before, a lot of people say it's like Thai/Chinese/Indian food - I agree to an extent, but Burmese cuisine has a taste unlike any other. The mixture of saltiness (usually from fish sauce or ngapi - fish paste), tanginess (from lime, lemon or tamarind) and spice (fresh or dried chilli) are the cornerstone of most Burmese dishes and what makes it unique. There is a paucity of Burmese restaurants in most places in the world so most non-Burmese people would either have to befriend a Burmese family or travel to Burma (Myanmar these days) in order to get a taste of real Burmese food. <br />
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If either of those options are not likely and you just can't wait, here is a pretty straightforward recipe based on my Mother's Amehnat, or tender/stewed beef. There are many variations of this dish (As can be seen at any one of our family gatherings) but the basics remain the same - stewed tender beef in a rich gravy. Serve with steamed jasmine rice for a nice alternative to a curry night. <br />
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<i>Amehnat - Tender beef (Lemongrass/beef curry)<br />
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1kg Chuck Beef, cubed (doesn't have to be a good cut of meat due to the slow cook)<br />
5 peeled cloves garlic<br />
2 large onions or 8-10 shallots<br />
5 cm piece fresh ginger, skin removed<br />
3 stalks lemongrass, bruised<br />
3 tbsp Oil - canola/sunflower<br />
2 tbsp Paprika<br />
2-3 tbsp Fish sauce - good quality (Squid brand/Tiparos/Tra Chang)<br />
Splash dark soy sauce(optional)<br />
1 cup water<br />
<br />
(1) Pound the garlic, onion and ginger in a mortar and pestle (or food processor if you can't be bothered)<br />
till a smooth paste. <br />
(2) Place the garlic, onion, ginger paste plus beef, lemongrass, oil, paprika, fish sauce and water all together<br />
in a large pot. Give it a good stir so all the ingredients are well mixed. <br />
(3) Place the pot with lid-on on stovetop on slow-medium heat for 1-2 hours (till meat is tender). There should<br />
be a rich, brown/red sauce remaining in the pot. If the sauce dries out before the beef is tender, add water. <br />
If too watery, leave lid off and reduce for 10-15 mins. <br />
(4) Optional - add a splash of dark soy sauce towards the end of cooking process. This gives the dish a nice <br />
molasses colour and a kick of flavor. <br />
(5) Serve hot with jasmine rice and a vegetable dish. <br />
<br />
NB. I have done tests (as have many of my Aunts) and this style of "all in the pot" cooking produces more tender beef than frying the onion/ginger/garlic paste separately and then browning the meat. <br />
<br />
</i>Be brave and give it a try and let me know how it turns out! If you're keen on learning more Burmese dishes go to this excellent <a href="http://www.hsaba.com/">site</a>. <br />
<br />
For a more in-depth treaty on Burmese cuisine go <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/27178426/Burmese-Cuisine-Its-Unique-Style-and-Changes">here</a>.Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-63300726151870829542012-02-09T09:13:00.000+08:002012-02-09T09:13:06.041+08:00Era ending<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAexpgQzcFYuXcciH_uJWO4lreyS8x3CKRkEyLzN7Bt4oeC3yT26qRK0Rmi5Iv8vQRcUxKZjjutVQEKJChaamdh2HAt2wCYGFUSGetlS43PIUY4huS5JU3qNzgSWbBjX18K3pBRtLwjc/s1600/yin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAexpgQzcFYuXcciH_uJWO4lreyS8x3CKRkEyLzN7Bt4oeC3yT26qRK0Rmi5Iv8vQRcUxKZjjutVQEKJChaamdh2HAt2wCYGFUSGetlS43PIUY4huS5JU3qNzgSWbBjX18K3pBRtLwjc/s320/yin.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It is with great sadness I announce what we heard two days ago, that our show ZAiA at the Venetian Macau will be having its' final show on the evening of 19 February 2011. After over 1000 shows, 3.5yrs of blood, sweat and tears we will prepare to see it all finish - gone, vanish, become no more. It's been a tumultuous time for sure - we've come close to closing numerous times before, but nobody was expecting it this time around. The partner, Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS) and Cirque du Soleil had just invested millions in a show relaunch months ago, a new advertising campaign attempting to inject life into flagging ticket sales and disappointing houses. But it was all in vain. <br />
<br />
The hardest thing for me is saying goodbye - to all the people; peers, colleagues, friends, comrades, pengyoumen, amigos, artists. All stand-up people, from 25 or so different countries around the world - all brought together for this common purpose, this show, this event that will be all but a memory in less than 2-weeks time. But I know my comrades, my friends will not let this keep them down. I think we've all come to Macau with a commonality, a trait that makes us different to the rest: we love a challenge. We came to Macau for that in the first place - an experience, something that tests the soul. This will test our souls for sure, our spirits, our very nature. But when the finale rings out, for us it marks the signal of a new beginning. A rebirth from our experience. We'll show them. We won't let them beat us down. I know you guys won't disappoint me. Love you all.Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-81730500507033000322012-02-04T00:36:00.000+08:002012-02-04T00:36:55.366+08:00Space<b>"We're hoping to succeed; we're okay with failure. We just don't want to land in between."<br />
<br />
David Chang<br />
Founder of <a href="http://www.momofuku.com/">momofuku</a> restaurant empire<br />
</b><br />
If you've read my last two posts you're probably thinking - yeah, where's this screenplay, huh? Your last post was about Tony Bourdain and friggin cleavers...you're full of $#!t Trevor!!... Well, this may be true but I read somewhere (I know, I know..don't believe everything you read...) that after completing something that you've spent a decent amount of time on, you should take some space and lock it away in that bottom drawer for some weeks before you attempt editing/revising/reviewing it. Makes sense to me. You spend countless hours each day looking/making/creating this screenplay/novel/article/thesis for weeks on end, it becomes an extension of you; you think about it day and night. I don't think you could work on that thing honestly again without some breathing space. <br />
<br />
At first I found myself trying to read every book on 'How to write a Screenplay' I could get my hands on but in the end I realized; if you want to attempt to get good at something, just do it. A good analogy I could draw would be the ability to do a chin-up: you can do lat pulldowns and rows as much as you like but when it comes to the crunch, just do chin-ups! Sure, you may need to do negative reps and other variations to get your chin up over the bar the first time, but just do it! So I just started writing. Routine is hard to establish at first. They say you should try to write a set goal, say 500 words or 1000 words per day; set periods of the day that you should write whether it be AM or PM. I found it easier to write in the morning, just being that my work schedule tends to be the PM hours; it was (1) when I had the time and (2) I just found it worked better for me than the wee hours of the morning. <br />
<br />
Here are some notes taken from my notepad early November 2011:<br />
<br />
<i>4 Oct – 4 Nov 2011 – completed 80 pages of ____________ <br />
<br />
Finding writing outside of the house is much less distracting; coffee shops are good, just put in the headphones and write away. I don’t use wifi when I’m out and writing so I don’t get distracted, at home it’s too easy to do non-productive things like check email, Facebook and Gmail. If there’s anything I need to research for my script I write it down and look it up later. Good albums I’m listening to right now are; Common – Be; and various Erykah Badu – the beats are conducive to quiet writing and thinking. I’m certainly not prolific by any means but the slow grind is the way to get things done; I try to write a little every day. If I miss a day I try not to beat myself up too much and just start again the next day. Well, writing this is fun but I should get back to my real writing…. <br />
<br />
</i>So I'm not super strict with my schedule; I try to write when I can and at a few pages at a time. My rewrite is looking daunting, my story has more holes than a block of swiss. But I guess that's part of the fun. Following Seth Godin's blog I came across David Chang who is the owner and founder of the momofuku Korean restaurant chain which he started in New York and has now expanded across to Sydney. His ideas on <a href="http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1156-chef-david-chang-on-failure-thoreau-and-vegetarians">business</a> I find interesting; and I like the name momofuku which also happens to be the name of the guy that invented instant noodles, Momofuku Ando. One day maybe I can actually eat at a momofuku somewhere. I think the quote at the beginning of today's blog sums it up nicely - give it a shot. Why not? I also like this gem which I came across initially on <a href="http://rosstraining.com/blog/">Ross Enamait's</a> site, but from the mouth of motivational guru <a href="http://www.ziglar.com/">Zig Ziglar</a> <br />
<br />
<b>"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great"<br />
</b><br />
Go on, get started!Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-18900778764613363202012-02-02T01:33:00.001+08:002012-02-03T00:31:12.982+08:00Tony<i>"Just because you like Jimi Hendrix doesn't mean you can play like Jimi Hendrix" <br />
</i>Anthony Bourdain<br />
<br />
<i>“I don't have to agree with you to like you or respect you.”<br />
</i>Anthony Bourdain<br />
<br />
I discovered Anthony Bourdain quite late; I've watched most episodes of No Reservations but am only now reading (and loving) Kitchen Confidential, released in 2000, which made Anthony Bourdain the rockstar of the culinary world. My brother sent me the Youtube link for the HK episode of his new show, The Layover, a few weeks back but it seemed to me just an origami'ed version of No Reservations. Sure I love more Tony but it didn't really do it for me. I did like the fact that he visited Lamma Island in HK (we were just there a couple months back) so it was nice to see places I recognized; and I have to definitely get a new cleaver from the shop he visits in The Layover - <a href="http://www.chanchikee.com/">Chan Chi Kee</a> cutlery in Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon. <br />
<br />
Their cleavers are the real deal - highly prized around the world for being economical in both usage and price. After a bit of research I found a whole sub-culture of cleaver fanatics; people that buy these CCK cleavers and then add custom handles to them. I love my cleaver (sharp blades in general) but this cleaver-love was a bit over the top even for me! Sugimoto cleavers - the Rolls Royce of the cutting world - go for around $400 USD a pop. To see what damage one man can do with a cleaver, watch the video below of Martin Yan (of Yan can Cook!) - jump to 1:40 for the action..<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V37Pc45P4HA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
But I digress...<br />
<br />
Tony Bourdain came to popularity interestingly around the same time as UK chef Gordon Ramsay; another no-holds barred, F-bomb dropping chain smoking culinary auteur. What impresses me is the fact that Bourdain's shows are not scripted and he can be so grandiosely eloquent while funny. Bourdain can effortlessly spout off about anything and everything. Tony to me is what I need to have more of - the ability to say what I want, when I want. To literally have no reservations in life, to be able to act and speak without thinking too much. Life like that must be sweet; unexpected and spontaneous. Sure, you might get the $#!t kicked out of you from time to time but... c'mon! Live a little. <br />
<br />
In Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain talks of his love of home cooking vs high cuisine; the shenanigans that go on behind the counters of your favorite restaurant; of trying anything remotely edible at least once. From seal eyeballs to warthog rectum, Bourdain has tried it. Guess the most adventurous I've been is eating skewered balut (chicken fetus) in Xian, China. Can't say I went for seconds... But trying anything once in life is a good motto to have - we are only of this mortal vice for a finite period of time; maybe better to have lived and eaten eyeball/rectum/balut than not?Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-70473079731688054472012-01-30T19:43:00.000+08:002012-01-30T19:43:49.217+08:00Reminiscing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ehZ4NbE9Pb_FbFqi_LiM3qD67pEmHra4bCNG7amGPj3qnd-SHB61riKnh2SJvyZd9EduQcDfDh-UGo8e7OTFS7Vg1w2Z6tuZ62EsBQyr8tq30HhScISMyRWOTJhTFB3Dpu-5obLWzkA/s1600/thumbnailCA5ERWK4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ehZ4NbE9Pb_FbFqi_LiM3qD67pEmHra4bCNG7amGPj3qnd-SHB61riKnh2SJvyZd9EduQcDfDh-UGo8e7OTFS7Vg1w2Z6tuZ62EsBQyr8tq30HhScISMyRWOTJhTFB3Dpu-5obLWzkA/s320/thumbnailCA5ERWK4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
There IS a reason I haven't blogged for a while. Really, I'm not lying. I've written a screenplay. There's a saying that every writer has a million bad words in him or her, and that once those million bad words are out on the page, he or she can write something worth reading. Given my screenplay of approximately 20,000 words took me three months to write, that means I'll write something worthwhile in about 15 years... That's not all too bad, I'll be 48 years old; our eldest, Angie, will be nearing her 21st birthday and No. 2 Talia will probably be off on the back of some bikers' Harley Davidson raising hell. I'll most likely be jaded and cynical; my hands no good anymore from beating the hell out of circus artists and 65-year old arthritic knees. Let's hope my hands can still type by then. <br />
<br />
I would have probably given all of myself from 20 years+ of treating, my soul dried and spirit gone. Maybe it would be time for myself then, when I can do those things I want to do - some tai chi in the morning for meditation and centering myself; some yoga following my light nap after breakfast and gym time in the afternoon, finishing with a leisurely stroll with my beautiful wife on the beach. Or maybe I'll just want a bottle and a place to write my novel (thanks to The Roots for that gem..). I hope my novel will be written by then, I'll have something finished and accomplished instead of just talking/blogging about it. <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/">Seth Godin</a> talks about the age of the novel being dead, the publishing game now a washed up landscape of wannabees and has-beens, the future lying in the electronic age of Nooks and Kindles, iPads and tablet readers. <br />
<br />
What will publishing ACTUALLY be like in 15 years? Will paperbacks be a relic of the past like beta video and cassette recorders, our children's children visiting libraries as they would a museum and marvel at the dusty tomes? Maybe things will take more than a generation to change. But don't we all remember (showing my 'maturity') the times when we had to use a pencil to reel in the tape that was 'chewed' by our tape cassette player? I know Angie wouldn't have the foggiest if I handed her a pencil and cassette tape (what is THIS daddy?). She knows how to wipe the streaks off the backside of a DVD, as does Talia, but will that too be a thing of the past with streaming video and TV? Time will tell. <br />
<br />
Godin also talks about building a 'tribe' - if you have something to say then your 'tribe' are the people who are listening. Guess my tribe is you, if you are reading this. Come with me. I'll edit my screenplay (by end of Feb hopefully!) and you can read it if you are so inclined. Tell me it sucks - I can take it. I need to; no-one ever gets better at something if you pat them, just telling me it's great for the sake of. Fantastic, that's another 500 words of palaver. 989,500 words to go...Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-67237952944174334502011-10-07T11:50:00.002+08:002011-10-07T11:53:49.071+08:0010 Steps to Becoming a Better WriterI like this recent post from Brian Clarke on his <a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/become-a-better-writer/">Copyblogger</a> site:<br /><br />10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer<br /><br />1.Write.<br />2.Write more.<br />3.Write even more.<br />4.Write even more than that.<br />5.Write when you don’t want to.<br />6.Write when you do.<br />7.Write when you have something to say.<br />8.Write when you don’t.<br />9.Write every day.<br />10.Keep writing.<br /><br />And I thought there was some pill I could take for that...Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-57259965724209491972011-09-24T00:51:00.003+08:002011-09-24T01:04:31.529+08:00Whip StaffThe last few mornings at tai chi training i've been watching the regulars practising the <em>bian gun</em> or whip staff. The bian gun is a 4-foot staff similar to the <em>jo</em> in Japanese Kobudo or weapons system. It essentially is a short staff designed to strike, block, deflect, parry or poke an assailant or to defend against another weapon. These weapons tradionally were originally based upon farming tools in rural China or Japan - say you'd be out in the field hoe-ing and a group of bandits came to steal your harvest (or wife) and the handiest thing to use would be...you guessed it, your hoe! Bandits stealing your harvest may be a thing of the past but tradition is still sacred in some parts of the world so things like the bian gun and other weapon skills are still practised. <br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RYkV44l-lkQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />The bian gun they practise in the mornings here in Macau is not the same form as above but the music is almost spot on. Enjoy, and think back to your ancestors hoe-ing that field and beating off those bandits...Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-82288093937858555562011-08-20T10:40:00.008+08:002011-08-20T16:43:47.415+08:00The Standing Steak MethodI've been down to the square in front of the Sintra Hotel twice now to train with Sifu Leung accompanied by the little dynamo Jo, one of the trapeze flyers from ZAiA. His group meet every morning in front of the Sintra at around 7.30am. He began our study by introducing us to standing practise. Sifu Leung explained it is the most basic but most important basic training of tai chi. If you cannot hold your root while standing still how can you hold it when moving? When we're practising <span style="font-style:italic;">zhan zhuang</span> or the standing 'stake' method, we stand directly in front of the Macau Restaurant, staring at its' facade. On the front of the restaurant there are numerous pictures of Macanese style meals the restaurant serves; Portuguese fried rice, baked seafood rice and osso bucco steaks. I've found it difficult standing staring at all that food first thing in the morning. The patrons in the restaurant must have an equally interesting sight looking out the window seeing both Jo and I standing and staring at them in the restaurant.
<br />
<br />Yesterday there was a very funny occurrence. A man was watching Jo and I practise for a while and then came over, placed his carry bag down and began doing tai chi right in front of us. Weird. He completed his elaborate from (which happened to be also the Chen style but the competition form) and saluted us. He then loudly proclaimed that <span style="font-style:italic;">'song'</span> or relaxation is the key, that he has been practising every morning for five years for two hours at a go. His form was punctuated with the trademark Chen family <span style="font-style:italic;">fa jing</span> or bursts of energy. I looked over at Sifu Leung while the man was performing and could see he was getting annoyed. He came over to us and whispered "He's doing it differently. You can see he's not very relaxed. Oh well, too late now, you'll just have to watch him finish". Once completed Leung Sifu came back over with an annoyed tone "They've only been practising for two days. Leave them alone". The tai chi man was rambling on about something, I can't quite remember now. I think it was about him being from Zhejiang province. Sifu Leung didn't back down, something about the tai chi man not being relaxed. Jo and I thought they were going to have a throwdown. The tai chi man grumbled and walked off. We were left to stare back at our steaks on the facade of the Macau Restaurant, wondering if things had tended towards the physical what would have been.
<br />
<br /><iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zxxebP0u31g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><span style="font-style:italic;">Chen Xiaowang demonstrating proper relaxed Chen style fajing</span>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-2392195234391810612011-08-05T12:46:00.027+08:002011-08-13T21:02:20.226+08:00Taxi Driver'Alian' may not be Travis Bickle from the movie 'Taxi Driver', but he does drive one of the ubiquitous black taxi's here in Macau - unlike the real 'Taxi Driver' he lets his hands do the talking, or in this case, pushing. I first met Alian soon after I started practising at the park in the mornings. We didn't cross paths often as he started his training late in the mornings, probably because he was out ferrying one of the many casino gamblers to/from their gambling ventures till the wee hours the previous evening. Today was only the second time I got to practise with him but hopefully it is not the last. His skills are different to all the other push hands players in the park but he is also very effective at what he does. Alian uses chin na - 'grasping and seizing' - tied into his push hands seamlessly. But his tenants remain the same - relax and it will come. His hands touch with a feathers' weight when pushing and he uses this method so your opponent 'cannot sense what you are doing'. He also stresses light stepping in pushing hands, much more so than the other adepts in the park. Again his explanation for this is 'if your opponent does not know where your weight is, he cannot detect what you are about to do'.
<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXGG6OqSTPhdvsmQNYbBKYsAM_H_uXLh-QeSbB8duZ1D3_IUQ04L7J1LckR2TKfc2GdY_xUCVzJFXD8GEDUt6aplwMx0YesNXD3M8aPXzDngua7R447pqSCoeyRkFk2-CfjL-g0zpaiM/s1600/qinna.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXGG6OqSTPhdvsmQNYbBKYsAM_H_uXLh-QeSbB8duZ1D3_IUQ04L7J1LckR2TKfc2GdY_xUCVzJFXD8GEDUt6aplwMx0YesNXD3M8aPXzDngua7R447pqSCoeyRkFk2-CfjL-g0zpaiM/s320/qinna.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637232890165041794"/></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Chin na - Chinese wrestling</span>
<br />
<br />Starting practise with Alian today I was feeling pretty good about myself; we pushed for about 2 minutes with no-one getting the upper hand, or so I thought. Alian then decided to get a bit more serious and proceeded to push me sideways and lock my wrist and elbow without breaking a sweat. The uncanny thing about his method is that he moves ultra slowly and you can actually feel his technique coming but cannot change course - it's like moving in a dream. The other thing I noticed about his push hands is his shoulders, or more specifically, shoulder position. His shoulders feel like immovable boulders and he wields them both effectively aimed in at your midline. Alian is actually shorter than I am (probably only 1.65m) but with his rounded shoulders he feels like a man much bigger in stature.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2-dOIKB0IjfyUykCjY04V1XE9bQkiEIlzC1ZkK8bXM4H4tVb98KlJIrdRYOTFECDHym4JwMxJnmBFIenXNzNqPaP7NvmUzLXSKfNp8WF635X8VcDzr7dSoQUlNl3ZdcITZLHcc_nbBw/s1600/IMG_2338.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2-dOIKB0IjfyUykCjY04V1XE9bQkiEIlzC1ZkK8bXM4H4tVb98KlJIrdRYOTFECDHym4JwMxJnmBFIenXNzNqPaP7NvmUzLXSKfNp8WF635X8VcDzr7dSoQUlNl3ZdcITZLHcc_nbBw/s320/IMG_2338.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638145033482620722" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">The weapons rack at Lo Leong</span>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwitIuN2FGkFxxnMP-EFO4s-MbbTx4qKFW52PRcp2V8NYKuZrp_yu78v7n-eA2sDQtXYktQOboFHfsC0JAb70ZvHsmdgSrkiSP808yOIlLU7TZqxqzelZ_4cjbfVh6XGy61sWL-ZDxXI/s1600/IMG_2330.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwitIuN2FGkFxxnMP-EFO4s-MbbTx4qKFW52PRcp2V8NYKuZrp_yu78v7n-eA2sDQtXYktQOboFHfsC0JAb70ZvHsmdgSrkiSP808yOIlLU7TZqxqzelZ_4cjbfVh6XGy61sWL-ZDxXI/s320/IMG_2330.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640189546817969682" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Someone drummed a bit too hard</span>
<br />
<br />Tonight I was lucky enough to visit Lo Leong Kung Fu and Lion Dance school in Northern Macau; Macau's biggest and best school. I was introduced by James, one of my old Yaolin kung fu buddies, who is learning the Dragon dance drum while visiting from Singapore. While translating for James I was struck by the parallels between drumming and tai chi - sinking and relaxation are key elements in good drum playing. Like the writer Murakami writes in his memoir <span style="font-style:italic;">What I Talk About When I Talk About Running</span> of the similarities in solitude a fiction writer faces as does a marathon runner (Murakami is an avid marathon runner), I was drawn to the same between kung fu drumming and tai chi. The guy teaching James at Lo Leong was strict and would not compromise on style; James has learnt quite a different style of drumming; faster and lighter whereas the teacher was of the older school; strong stances and slower beats.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiZQuQRNKLWTcczYGJh0fZNkkELwpP7-5HTlWYrDmUadGBgOrSX_lzeFa0OuEBhTymozFcRWP6ci3coneJ1A95UMKyvsbymrVtCASZSti6B2yiswfoCnFH9rZdqfnq860ThZUJPXpfGI/s1600/IMG_2346.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiZQuQRNKLWTcczYGJh0fZNkkELwpP7-5HTlWYrDmUadGBgOrSX_lzeFa0OuEBhTymozFcRWP6ci3coneJ1A95UMKyvsbymrVtCASZSti6B2yiswfoCnFH9rZdqfnq860ThZUJPXpfGI/s320/IMG_2346.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638145466862313906" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">James playing the drum while carefully being watched</span>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEeDsqxxcBDahcJ_3bMIKw7Lr9yW_mr7xtZB09TarHHQW58kE9ocEOOdZvnFUEoNp__V_AVJ2Amx17NNX0Ndeey06io3GWxYoKdFqctMKxkfsqkealoWH6SnHhHSAXVmZ4pZcj02ibts/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEeDsqxxcBDahcJ_3bMIKw7Lr9yW_mr7xtZB09TarHHQW58kE9ocEOOdZvnFUEoNp__V_AVJ2Amx17NNX0Ndeey06io3GWxYoKdFqctMKxkfsqkealoWH6SnHhHSAXVmZ4pZcj02ibts/s320/IMG_2331.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638145718495689426" /></a><em>The Lo Leong guys preparing for a competition later this month in Macau</em>
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<br />On leaving Lo Leong we grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant nearby. As I bit into the pepper beef and bitter gourd I thought of the Chinese saying 'chi ku' which directly translates as 'eat bitter'. In English the meaning would be 'hardship' or to 'put up with hardship'. Drumming, tai chi, kung fu, writing or acrobatics - whatever it may be - we all have to eat a little bitter sometimes.
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<br />Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-39657986808240062112011-07-30T10:24:00.013+08:002011-08-06T20:05:44.632+08:00The man who wasn't there<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih56ekrVOCsnBUudkX3RAj-KYlCDf4a2h2pC9dt4sdgjTLzcHJHHey8ENh9-cSv0_UFvR-e8cKG60gGk01M1fYj0bxpaRILcpPNJ1neVWFfqrfTptf2BtQu3cpOzDckHf_CrWj-teQCds/s1600/pushing.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih56ekrVOCsnBUudkX3RAj-KYlCDf4a2h2pC9dt4sdgjTLzcHJHHey8ENh9-cSv0_UFvR-e8cKG60gGk01M1fYj0bxpaRILcpPNJ1neVWFfqrfTptf2BtQu3cpOzDckHf_CrWj-teQCds/s320/pushing.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635150194844070466" /></a><br /><br />Mr Zhang is a regular down at the park most mornings. Looking at him you wouldn't give him a second glance; skinny, almost gangly to a degree. About 65kgs soaking wet. But he is probably the most skilled push-hands exponent that i've crossed hands with. "Ethereal" comes to mind. He is most skilful at controlling your root so you literally don't have a leg to stand on - he has pushed me off my feet a number of times. Another sensation you get when playing with him is that he's there one minute, and in an instant his hands or arms are gone and you're pushing into thin air. He is also very open with his teaching and is quite unconventional. For one, he doesn't advocate long, extensive practise of forms. One of his mantra is "qing, qing de" which translates as 'lightly'. When asked how he developed this amazing skill he smiles and says "Just relax". I asked him about forms and the style of tai chi he practices and his response was "I don't have much time to practise forms. I just relax". One other noticeable thing about his push hands is that he doesn't use any fancy hand methods or techniques - it's all just push or pull and it's devastatingly effective. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6o17Ril5MOLuzshVn2HmjhrAUYNJEoIKhPbtTT1cBJqHfKK19bA0ZQxCbV90tw8qJGQ20KSEkCOuEFAwqQO3TUUeh1i_rOBbqB3yI-6DcPHjZXB51TJsCmVMsV3NXPFX9NWFGA3atlU/s1600/guo.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6o17Ril5MOLuzshVn2HmjhrAUYNJEoIKhPbtTT1cBJqHfKK19bA0ZQxCbV90tw8qJGQ20KSEkCOuEFAwqQO3TUUeh1i_rOBbqB3yI-6DcPHjZXB51TJsCmVMsV3NXPFX9NWFGA3atlU/s320/guo.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635149174136374866" /></a><em>Famous xingyi master Guo Yunsheng and students</em><br /><br />This morning I had the opportunity to speak to him at some length about his opinions on relaxation, on fighting and his opinion on internal vs external martial arts. When asked about using his push hands for fighting he replied "You can use the same principles. When you're relaxed you can respond quickly and effectively without any tension in the body". He continued "We practise slowly. See how when I push with you I don't move fast or use many hand techniques, but you can't balance. It's simple. Relax your <em>kua</em> and the rest will follow". In English the translation for kua is most closely the hips or hip crease. It seems my kua are way too tense and tight and is the reason I cannot 'root' to the ground effectively. I could blame genetics but they tell me it isn't so. On forms I asked how many years he has practised and with whom did he learn this from - surely there must have been someone with a white beard who taught him this?? His reply "I haven't been training this for as long as you think. You might think I've had to practise this for many years but not so. Once you have the correct alignments and softness it will come". On teachers: "I've practised under many sifu (master) but not a disciple of anyone. Many teachers would not pass on all their knowledge to their students. But I don't agree with this. I teach everything and anyone". <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAez9GihfbjYcjGvma-NrFGj4-cFF8K92Uy9sXZYVEQCPK4xNjf1nLP8lBb6vJvmLiQQlWY6Dkc8tSL9YUB266JRvIWOBngFQLRmlQnvDaDK_WSN7pEGQgLhWeqG6_F0x9iVNEc3LYBDs/s1600/wang.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 123px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAez9GihfbjYcjGvma-NrFGj4-cFF8K92Uy9sXZYVEQCPK4xNjf1nLP8lBb6vJvmLiQQlWY6Dkc8tSL9YUB266JRvIWOBngFQLRmlQnvDaDK_WSN7pEGQgLhWeqG6_F0x9iVNEc3LYBDs/s320/wang.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635164874763001954" /></a><em>Wang Xiang Zhai, founder of Yiquan in standing posture</em><br /><br />On external vs internal: "In external arts there tends to be a 'one, two' punch (he demonstrates a reverse punch with pullback) but with what we do you can strike or move from any position" (he then demonstrated a palm strike from above his head, from underneath and from the side). I asked if he thought that in both external and internal martial arts if we are trying to reach the same end point, his reply "Yes, I think so. But I think the internal way is faster. You see old kung fu/karate masters and they seem to be more relaxed later in their years - they are using internal power". On health: "By pushing hands it's like receiving a massage; you find your tight points in your body and work on relaxing them. You can cure many things by pushing hands". This was obviously of interest to me considering my line of work. Various bodyworks like yoga and other taoist qigong systems must work in similar ways. He left me with this gem "Look at me. I don't look very strong do I? But can you push me?" I concurred. He then asked me to try to push him while he stood on one leg. I tried but the same thing happened; his soft, springy arms easily countered my pushing. I just scratched my head. He pointed over at a small fern on the ground. "Be like this plant" He pushed the frond and it moved but sprung back to position as he let it go. "Be springy, responsive - be like the fern". <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tsjwvX-vwpPAoq9w7m5Kn-uxULJP2tCXFnFKdBRXvKKOEp4vQABmLYDgkjU3Oo2pU8QRAvlwIAtKTtaShdAjTfWM9CFyHQXxa8gokcm6KQPU4a0jl66apkPDG13NkEXGZ5Naq7k-Qz0/s1600/fern.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 241px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tsjwvX-vwpPAoq9w7m5Kn-uxULJP2tCXFnFKdBRXvKKOEp4vQABmLYDgkjU3Oo2pU8QRAvlwIAtKTtaShdAjTfWM9CFyHQXxa8gokcm6KQPU4a0jl66apkPDG13NkEXGZ5Naq7k-Qz0/s320/fern.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635339135837620930" /></a>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-70879177892036934712011-07-28T22:07:00.009+08:002011-07-29T22:30:48.808+08:00Humble as Pie - Part II<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V1W6IZklsXgcL-5-DAnphqhWQEBQ2P5EHNCEVeqTlzTRZy9kgpOfDkXP7Ve57lyhguKxQJX8GuDZcB1YCA9CGvphWDL2CwiRKXiTjEtgdQxcB_2olXIRu05fBfV-4__DDHAw10qakNg/s1600/yang.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V1W6IZklsXgcL-5-DAnphqhWQEBQ2P5EHNCEVeqTlzTRZy9kgpOfDkXP7Ve57lyhguKxQJX8GuDZcB1YCA9CGvphWDL2CwiRKXiTjEtgdQxcB_2olXIRu05fBfV-4__DDHAw10qakNg/s320/yang.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634769005159224002" /></a><em>Yang Cheng Fu, creator of Yang style tai chi</em><br /><br />I kept a mini-journal of sorts of my training over the last few weeks. Here are some snippets...<br /><br /><strong>Sat 9 July 2011</strong><br />8am - I tried to get down earlier today to see what the lay of the land was like. <br />It was certainly cooler earlier in the morning although the humidity is still ever-present; it was also quieter in the park at that time of the morning. Mr Tang - a locquacious gentleman with silver hair said "Jintian ni lai zenme zao" - today you're here so early! A reference to previous days me coming at 8.30am or later. There were a few men practising I hadn't seen before; some younger men - well, around my age - middle-aged I guess!! Ben suk was there hovering around the guys practising and correcting form as needed. Mr Tang invited me to push hands with him using his broken English. He said to push him as hard as I liked - he evaded me simply as all the others had. Try to relax. Again the tenants were the same "Our tai chi is soft, try not to use force". He said "Ben suk taught us this - you should learn from him" and led me over to him. Uncle Ben again laughed dismissively, with a "Who me?" gesture. He asked me to assume the tai chi posture "Strum the lute" seeing if I remembered his teachings from the day before. I tried to get my root together from the ground, relax into the hips as he pressed into my forearms. He slapped my shoulders "fang song" - Relax!! And I thought I was so relaxed!! I tried to let myself go even more. He said "Look at me, i'm over 70 years old and look at you, you're so young. But still you can't push me". It's not strength - you're stronger than me - it's the qi. It's all about the circle - rounded shoulders from the dantian and hips". He corrected my pelvic tilt to slightly anteriorly tilted; like a small "shime" in Japanese Karate or a very mild hip forward thrust. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRVvZIFO7ubaG5QgUSKd_sSQFVkVbxrbNzbVUA6Q9VNAos0xWR0vMlpylsHEw0eW8TPnhvHLaw-1hAgFk2emHDuqVEUSQlfI22yIkk5Zog1e3x7RDMPsabYXlx8eEWBDI1edQS3s_zcY/s1600/fu.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRVvZIFO7ubaG5QgUSKd_sSQFVkVbxrbNzbVUA6Q9VNAos0xWR0vMlpylsHEw0eW8TPnhvHLaw-1hAgFk2emHDuqVEUSQlfI22yIkk5Zog1e3x7RDMPsabYXlx8eEWBDI1edQS3s_zcY/s320/fu.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634769939371347602" /></a><em>Famous Bagua master Fu Chen Sung</em><br /><br /><strong>Tues 12 July</strong><br />Today I went again to the park at around 8am. Ben suk, Mr Tang and some other regulars were practising when I arrived. Uncle Ben pointed over at a man seated in one of the chairs and said "Ahh, he is a sifu as well. He is my sifu! I'm a sifu and he is a sifu also. He can speak Mandarin - Go speak to him". I went over to the seated man and introduced myself - he said hello. Mr Tang later explained that Sifu Leung is a famous tai chi sifu in Macau and has many students. He teaches at the Xin li hua jiu dian - Sintra Hotel courtyard every morning. Uncle Ben came over and said for me to demo something for Sifu Leung. I started the Yang 85 form. Sifu Leung and Uncle Ben watched and interspersed in Canto at various things, pointing at my legs and feet. I finished the first section, not a very good demonstration I might add. Sifu Leung said "Ni da de hen bu cuo" which was very flattering - your tai chi is not too bad. He then got up and said "But your legs and feet are not very relaxed". He asked me to demonstrate the pose 'ward off' - I got into stance. He said "See - here - he applied some pressure to my forearm and pushed. I tried to root but was pushed off balance. "You see" he said "Your feet, knees and legs are not relaxed so you have no-where to go". You need to relax each of your joints - straighten the spine and extend from the top of your head. He demonstrated. I tried to push him again but he wasn't there and I pushed myself off balance. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxYJTftocN1bvGos6A4CI-uRS8vVIwJVxTmtn-7k86R4LIHEWiszbTZC92-706rn5iu6Q4vwXoEJSbxjH8jtfw5wjFiO88m9cgJQJ-BDL1GlSWTSejTLBxJo394Wi7FFeHr_znpkTJUo/s1600/chen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxYJTftocN1bvGos6A4CI-uRS8vVIwJVxTmtn-7k86R4LIHEWiszbTZC92-706rn5iu6Q4vwXoEJSbxjH8jtfw5wjFiO88m9cgJQJ-BDL1GlSWTSejTLBxJo394Wi7FFeHr_znpkTJUo/s320/chen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634772446244117170" /></a><em>Physical Culture Society, Taiwan circa 1957</em><br /><br /><strong>Friday 15 July</strong><br />Pushing today I was eager to show what I had learnt but this only ended up with myself thinking too much and getting too tense. Thus I was pushed around a lot more easily. One of the pointers from today I remember distictly was "Feel as though you are rooting 1-metre below the ground". This visualisation in itself I found gives you a more rooted and stable sensation. Another one was "Feel your qi coming out of your fingertips" This I found harder to visualise. "When pushing with your forward arm in peng (wardoff)use your other arm (while holding your structure) and you will push the person away". Ben suk also today taught "Yi lian - using your "intention" -use your eyes to push past or behind the person". Today they also saw my Taizu long fist form; they asked if I had been training it a long while and that I should try to use more 'soft force' when I do the form to help develop my qi. Another older man invited me to push with him. I found out he was 78-years old but didn't look a day over 60. Age didn't matter in the contest though, as he easily had the better of me over the next five minutes. <br /> <br /><strong>Tuesday 19 July 2011</strong><br />The eureka moment I had today while pushing hands was Ben suk saying "Yong nide dantien he kua an wo, bu yong nide shou" - use your hips and centre to push me, not your hands. Using this method I managed to root slightly better. Another gem he shared was 'Use your middle leg' - less salubrius types might take this meaning somewhat jokingly but his meaning was to feel as you have an extra leg creating stability. He continued "This cannot be learnt over 2 or 3 months - it takes a long time". Probably reference to me seeming overly eager in my training. Finally one of the others came up and said "Mei you mimi" - translating to "There are no secrets". I looked around at the people training, laughing and joking and then down <br />at my sweaty t-shirt. Considering that only a few weeks ago I was an 'outsider' looking in, and given how open they were in accepting me to their 'group' I tend to believe him. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhhaM7dGRhDy6dJKKBMgG7Er-Golcu6sIPRcbNPIEL0YNJTkNOYyC6AR8qlj1xaNolzUJ64_Vy2nZuvQHsYdqfr6BaOPXviFyUXsP-BawlALCHUnogS6NLodeLHXOZalXcYP-QnghO94/s1600/sword"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhhaM7dGRhDy6dJKKBMgG7Er-Golcu6sIPRcbNPIEL0YNJTkNOYyC6AR8qlj1xaNolzUJ64_Vy2nZuvQHsYdqfr6BaOPXviFyUXsP-BawlALCHUnogS6NLodeLHXOZalXcYP-QnghO94/s320/sword" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634779538110923554" /></a><em>Fu Chen Sung with bagua broadsword</em>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-49708482708088307272011-07-07T22:34:00.026+08:002011-07-28T15:19:33.754+08:00Humble as pieMoving over to Macau has been good to us for many reasons; cheap markets, myself getting fitter by climbing 4 flights of stairs at least twice a day (we now live on the fourth floor, no elevator) and the fact that I've started training martial arts again. There is a park across the road from where we've moved to and in the mornings a number of people gather to practice tai chi, chi kung and other forms of exercise. Over the last few weeks I've been heading there in the mornings to practice on my own. This is something I love about China - you can practice whatever you like anywhere in a park (or elsewhere for that matter) and no-one will bat an eyelid. Back in Australia I would have the police there in a matter of minutes due to public disturbance. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuC5mtfJkXDlshBSPjzYocvd6ofCsxgxFaYQS-mjan6pvlTJ52pqC0BooFiODRVhFgGUoz_Z_vbDdZBhEz3XjDLVvv2D5NL0DULxsrRYVn4gZ0YXar2Wf1Ctivk4a6IgcHMtPt3vhDvU/s1600/s.+franciso.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuC5mtfJkXDlshBSPjzYocvd6ofCsxgxFaYQS-mjan6pvlTJ52pqC0BooFiODRVhFgGUoz_Z_vbDdZBhEz3XjDLVvv2D5NL0DULxsrRYVn4gZ0YXar2Wf1Ctivk4a6IgcHMtPt3vhDvU/s320/s.+franciso.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626622319931692914" /></a><em>San Franciso gardens - you can actually see someone practising in the bottom right corner</em><br /><br />San Francisco gardens are reportedly Macau's oldest garden and centrally located right behind the Grand Lisboa casino. The garden has grand old trees - Jacaranda, Mango (!) - which provide ample shade in the stinking Macau summer. Yesterday another man I had met and was training with told me to come earlier the next day and now I know why. I was going at about 8.45am the last few mornings but today I went at about 8am. A few people were there I didn't recognize and they were all doing push hands. Push hands are a kind of stand-up wrestling exercise central to the practise of the Chinese internal martial arts of Tai chi, Bagua and Xingyi. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK7MsakvP6jmF8UcNCoe1J5-XPc-_2HWaojBN259MS5rQNjXyQyCYkgWMHmw73Q-nlPROm2cNiVhyphenhyphenYYUjBNQlKS-4cA117-SgjE2BmUkV-IOj3Gwvnqr-FexPDc6pnu6qefkwegMJa_E/s1600/push+hands.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK7MsakvP6jmF8UcNCoe1J5-XPc-_2HWaojBN259MS5rQNjXyQyCYkgWMHmw73Q-nlPROm2cNiVhyphenhyphenYYUjBNQlKS-4cA117-SgjE2BmUkV-IOj3Gwvnqr-FexPDc6pnu6qefkwegMJa_E/s320/push+hands.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634213236338202610" /></a><br /> <br />I warmed up by myself, went over towards them and hovered - the eldest gentlemen looked over at me and then turned to his group and said something along the lines of "he wants to join, invite him over!". I said hello to one of the gentlemen from a few days previous that had invited me over. I pushed hands with a younger guy there who was very patient with me, push hands not being something i'm very familiar with. I said in mandarin "I don't really know how to do this" and he replied "no problem, just try". He pushed me around pretty easily and they kept commenting about my lack of centre and rootedness...how embarrassing. <br /><br />I then pushed with an older man who was a bit more aggressive and pushed me around like a rag doll, commenting once again how I had "no centre, no root". An older man approached saying "Our tai chi, we don't use force. Our master taught us this way - he pointed to the older, frail looking man who had initially called me out. They called him "Ben suk" - kind of like "Uncle Ben" - he introduced me saying I wanted to learn their "zhongding" which translates as 'central equilibrium'. The older man joked that he couldn't speak Mandarin, only Cantonese - I replied "it's ok, I will try to understand". Over the next ten minutes he proceded to profoundly show me what his training is all about; learning this 'equilibrium' - he asked me to pick a posture from bagua (I had come to be known as the bagua guy with no centre...sorry my bagua brothers!!). The first morning I had been invited over one of them said to me "hen hao kan, buhao yong; buhao kan, hen hao yong" - "your gong fu looks really good but is of no use; our gong fu looks really bad but has use". <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb-WEIIR1mDJnoi74ZiyeEQ5Tty6u_NqaD51vWIskki0XWU2KR1wAKIjBp8H0bOtBa8yGzjoA5hggeVXBBra5QilmgptENSV0OMvc9qp2J3D9zawFuwFnF2klsTZBSxJ6LuWzJCOr0fg/s1600/wang.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb-WEIIR1mDJnoi74ZiyeEQ5Tty6u_NqaD51vWIskki0XWU2KR1wAKIjBp8H0bOtBa8yGzjoA5hggeVXBBra5QilmgptENSV0OMvc9qp2J3D9zawFuwFnF2klsTZBSxJ6LuWzJCOr0fg/s320/wang.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634249808840465234" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Famous Internal arts master, Wang Shu Jin, practising his root</span><br /><br />I assumed the front-on guard position from bagua; he pressed into my hands and I felt resistance and myself tighten up - he said just 'relax'. He asked me to try on him...he held his hands up and I pushed into them. They initially felt very soft, relaxed. "An wo" - "push me" he said in Mandarin; his Mandarin turned out to be very good. As I exerted more force there was this hardness in his arms that felt like it was coming from the centre of his body and I couldn't push him, as hard as I tried. He then gave me a little push and I was pushed off balance. He gave me a smile as I laughed - this old guy was the real deal! (I later found out that Uncle Ben is 76 years old). He said "The power doesn't come from your arms - all your strength is coming from your arms - it comes from here (pointing to the dantien - a point just below the navel) and this transmits to the ground and then returns into your arm". He continued "But you should also focus with your eyes, and extend through the top of the crown of your head, pushing straight down your spine into the floor through the soles of both feet. Also your other hand - even though it is not in contact with anything - you should be focusing your energy through the other hand, out the finger tips. Your eyes should look past where you want to push - and relax your arms". This was going to be hard to remember I thought to myself...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtsrGg97M7a_EJ0aHk-QIrbm4NumLN3uxnMtJXghMG2wtBkj35xZWhKo3o_yI9TevTDb5SsVKejgZSSYYb14iS_FgzncE9UfDF5dnjFIRRqE9LfKeyamuswa8inZFD7W32ZZwhPHADyc/s1600/hung.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtsrGg97M7a_EJ0aHk-QIrbm4NumLN3uxnMtJXghMG2wtBkj35xZWhKo3o_yI9TevTDb5SsVKejgZSSYYb14iS_FgzncE9UfDF5dnjFIRRqE9LfKeyamuswa8inZFD7W32ZZwhPHADyc/s320/hung.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634256330563967426" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Hung I Hsiang, of Taiwan, practising with a student</span><br /><br />I tried again - he pushed into my forearms while I held the 'tree hugging' position. He said "Don't use force - fang song - relax". I concentrated, focused on my dantien and rooting into the ground - and he tried to push my arms - this time he said 'Ah, yes, a bit better..". In my 10 years plus of martial arts training this really felt like a 'eureka' type moment. By the time we finished 30 minutes later I was dripping in sweat; when it's 32 degrees and 94% humidity at 9am it doesn't take very long. "Man man lai" he told me as we were leaving, roughly translating to "It takes time". And with any great endeavour, to get to the end point (whatever that may be) we will learn along the way. To be continued...Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-51768300133029288582011-05-20T09:41:00.004+08:002011-05-20T12:37:13.355+08:00Video-mapping the Ruins of St Paul'sGeez it's been a long time since i've done this. I've started various blog posts over the last few months but just haven't been happy with what i've written. Think of the last few months as a sabbatical of sorts. I'm hoping to get back on the blog-wagon in a big way and we've got a lot of exciting things coming up over the next few months - moving apartments, going to Singapore for my brother's wedding in July and relaunch of the show. So to start with, here's some video of an excellent show we saw a few nights ago for the Macau Arts Festival - video-mapping the iconic Ruins of St Paul's in central Macau. <br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4gw3IFXbT8E?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4gw3IFXbT8E?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-1650360047021211532010-11-15T12:55:00.034+08:002010-11-16T12:36:37.051+08:00Phu Quoc IslandOn the way to the airport we knew we were leaving the big smoke behind; the high-tech telephone connections:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8MndEvID3rnA6Ufy2ti6Fyzb-2g6lQwl-OhaomGt6w_SdWV8iwLG_V4Xz2yJk75hCWaP2gZ31tTBiFNoQ7Drs2r5HroQ8AKdePWsiOsVfwmqfG5xVVw9zqEI2QtTGW1QMfyuPzcn0xM/s1600/121.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8MndEvID3rnA6Ufy2ti6Fyzb-2g6lQwl-OhaomGt6w_SdWV8iwLG_V4Xz2yJk75hCWaP2gZ31tTBiFNoQ7Drs2r5HroQ8AKdePWsiOsVfwmqfG5xVVw9zqEI2QtTGW1QMfyuPzcn0xM/s320/121.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539636252811272226" /></a><br />A city where only billionaires can afford to buy new cars:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2WYSVsGGeYYXlfViTfLjqa2EFtxbTlEQnJYMBNIqrE9TCIWJmL4cnpHTG_8ERW2NlJPTPisirNaAhyphenhyphenh8h18zvPI0A-wudXWSlu9HMo6yvfqQfRF5TzIoGv4-QFrlX5aQvVN_4ctZ2Dg/s1600/124.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2WYSVsGGeYYXlfViTfLjqa2EFtxbTlEQnJYMBNIqrE9TCIWJmL4cnpHTG_8ERW2NlJPTPisirNaAhyphenhyphenh8h18zvPI0A-wudXWSlu9HMo6yvfqQfRF5TzIoGv4-QFrlX5aQvVN_4ctZ2Dg/s320/124.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539636738692831746" /></a><br /><br />But we were going where the air is cleaner, the beaches long and white and the pepper and fish sauce the best in the world. Where the roads were congested but with a different type of beast. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77ZGS7Nqr17b834vw_G1YcqHZmypSeTJsuQ_e-QgW5Mcor8M0YUezh6r1JzPeW_rtwmXdnqWjav5j404p_uShOpkv08vN2A_vZ2VT9jAx56PbELJzoZzEq3n9sLVQTqKsS5TWwHyy8eE/s1600/156.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77ZGS7Nqr17b834vw_G1YcqHZmypSeTJsuQ_e-QgW5Mcor8M0YUezh6r1JzPeW_rtwmXdnqWjav5j404p_uShOpkv08vN2A_vZ2VT9jAx56PbELJzoZzEq3n9sLVQTqKsS5TWwHyy8eE/s320/156.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539637780394429170" /></a><br /><br />Phu Quoc island. The pearl off the coast of Southern Vietnam, known to the Cambodians as <span style="font-style:italic;">Koh Tral</span> and where the seat of choice is the hammock. We headed for <a href="http://www.freedomlandphuquoc.com/">Freedomland</a> because there is really no other place you should stay in Phu Quoc. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNElHXi2UQR7bOo6GMxJw5_vbuyc2AusVkMKsbq01-L1r2O-CZJrMoRouPjjgn8mwRwPtRqpqiKxUBMAuR_3RsAU5vLQn6-odX4eHnTCwlXNUWWQv3y_uohiMO8wwX-m4s_NafGWYyq0/s1600/171.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNElHXi2UQR7bOo6GMxJw5_vbuyc2AusVkMKsbq01-L1r2O-CZJrMoRouPjjgn8mwRwPtRqpqiKxUBMAuR_3RsAU5vLQn6-odX4eHnTCwlXNUWWQv3y_uohiMO8wwX-m4s_NafGWYyq0/s320/171.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539639977420387346" /></a><br /><br /><br />Freedomland is rated number one on Tripadvisor and it is easy to see why. Peter and Rita go out of their way to make your stay comfortable and make you feel at home. It is not your typical resort stay; it is more of a cross between a homestay and countryside retreat. We stayed in their Sunset bungalow which had two rooms and two bathrooms. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaYD6fP_712Rd1xz3hKMcbAS9f9XWE3fx70a0QlYmonj1YEONvqDveSi1-KeQBMeaOzTjbOvFJ5pZj6dHZPYmXjPmET2IwoyPPTs_F519lEBZrCshXmQ6geT8-6Fb-GoXa5e-KaOyaFw/s1600/218.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaYD6fP_712Rd1xz3hKMcbAS9f9XWE3fx70a0QlYmonj1YEONvqDveSi1-KeQBMeaOzTjbOvFJ5pZj6dHZPYmXjPmET2IwoyPPTs_F519lEBZrCshXmQ6geT8-6Fb-GoXa5e-KaOyaFw/s320/218.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539641351421873090" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Our bungalow</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mx2lIaOrmlofQBvV3_zl1LHHo9MutW3_lLJ2gO8Mfi8o9DzjPN3B6_6SSFt1oPl7dAgFEH7mtWvDvEovK-rL0Vt8I4ttKhK4rQ0VTeGXMX1z7zhzYzvSw4KpOaJiCuoFlEySxqPFB30/s1600/136.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mx2lIaOrmlofQBvV3_zl1LHHo9MutW3_lLJ2gO8Mfi8o9DzjPN3B6_6SSFt1oPl7dAgFEH7mtWvDvEovK-rL0Vt8I4ttKhK4rQ0VTeGXMX1z7zhzYzvSw4KpOaJiCuoFlEySxqPFB30/s320/136.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539642381962761698" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_SQfzS3VqRy8ShPd2FRedxPrQGNzClH0-ofqwmf1vTn0IgcTLVaSQq_uDIjkLo1_G9PQJO1PA8aqsamsERXt1U_Pj4fLoS0mR8qaR3dp_oZu3lIGeyg1ck3Sbe2yt0aafJgzOV3pC4Y/s1600/165.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_SQfzS3VqRy8ShPd2FRedxPrQGNzClH0-ofqwmf1vTn0IgcTLVaSQq_uDIjkLo1_G9PQJO1PA8aqsamsERXt1U_Pj4fLoS0mR8qaR3dp_oZu3lIGeyg1ck3Sbe2yt0aafJgzOV3pC4Y/s320/165.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539642769064633538" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">The girls bathing alfresco</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQZtQpfy02vmBmMxJ1wcJnL2RKy_hOfpS9f6tI3yrUyaOqZ0mMmC9p1rzQZkMJNt6FmV5sRa4p6IM3zunl23crRCtPnN48GXLp5rAQP_y_9sqX2FOYXB5Ai8s0uvoxId70U_2KVXR0NM/s1600/265.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQZtQpfy02vmBmMxJ1wcJnL2RKy_hOfpS9f6tI3yrUyaOqZ0mMmC9p1rzQZkMJNt6FmV5sRa4p6IM3zunl23crRCtPnN48GXLp5rAQP_y_9sqX2FOYXB5Ai8s0uvoxId70U_2KVXR0NM/s320/265.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539643432458851186" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Our beautiful outdoor bathroom</span><br /><br />Phu Quoc is a tear-shaped island 50kms north-south and 25kms east-west at its widest; rugged peaks and hidden beaches dominate the North while long stretches of white sand dominate the South. Freedomland is roughly smack in the middle of the island on the west coast, located in the forest but a short 15 minute walk to the nearest beach. Mango Bay was our local beach hangout; the sheltered bay there is ideal for a swim and relax on the beds by the beach. There is also a resort at Mango Bay where you can have a nice meal or massage after a hard day at the beach. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIz-PrFnSQgc84yx4zXn4kf-A7Y_OKlYWlJYINXG6VRIu0JDbH1KCT6vGrlkWFI4fiFAgRPbYTwrUS9tQTczGIYS1MJiLFFEpEohe9hhFfbTNCQJoUIsBGwcBqffBXuoWMw0JyQ96ES0/s1600/177.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIz-PrFnSQgc84yx4zXn4kf-A7Y_OKlYWlJYINXG6VRIu0JDbH1KCT6vGrlkWFI4fiFAgRPbYTwrUS9tQTczGIYS1MJiLFFEpEohe9hhFfbTNCQJoUIsBGwcBqffBXuoWMw0JyQ96ES0/s320/177.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539644945906893522" /></a> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeYVDezvO0fgq3sx9Bwcbbz2IC0xjpVHZ4NVfmOAaPGgp_IX_cAL2Ig9qIcknjnF3XyGIo40fQOBpIFELGQXYsK_T3nKKdFKS7Vyhyphenhyphen9BqdyjUFGhPJF9AWUUbZAVjFACJJnQHjj8V9Ww/s1600/289.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeYVDezvO0fgq3sx9Bwcbbz2IC0xjpVHZ4NVfmOAaPGgp_IX_cAL2Ig9qIcknjnF3XyGIo40fQOBpIFELGQXYsK_T3nKKdFKS7Vyhyphenhyphen9BqdyjUFGhPJF9AWUUbZAVjFACJJnQHjj8V9Ww/s320/289.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539645481386013058" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxW5gqTj3EdQQwEOMHZa19euVh5qHBwjSzh2-mKX1hG5ETnhQFoVZaygc4cJi5NSJcXIv9yM_ysDpvr38k788BDTucol2onc8WXFWAUm_EWavpdM8VYqxneWmv_rayojYVoQx6MGyIi74/s1600/181.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxW5gqTj3EdQQwEOMHZa19euVh5qHBwjSzh2-mKX1hG5ETnhQFoVZaygc4cJi5NSJcXIv9yM_ysDpvr38k788BDTucol2onc8WXFWAUm_EWavpdM8VYqxneWmv_rayojYVoQx6MGyIi74/s320/181.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539646718594644674" /></a><br /><br />What sets Freedomland apart from standard resorts or hotels are the nightly meals which are eaten together with other guests at the big blue table. The food is amazing. Peter being Vietnamese AND a foodie just means trouble. When he mentioned the first night that he was afraid there wasn't enough food I was a little apprehensive but as they brought the appetizer out, then the next appetizer and then the main course I was stuffed fuller than the proverbial turkey. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVBO_8SSfvk0ubt9aP7wSD6iyiHfWpoHxcYwMBlLjqPf1Ku3TqZmAKhMdMF62c7tqI4LViRCpm1W7FILTUbjYr8UcHgQVraiUw4GdpdihPrLlSQYM1rT1e-Gc0waQHY3yY5jXtRBlFK0/s1600/248.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVBO_8SSfvk0ubt9aP7wSD6iyiHfWpoHxcYwMBlLjqPf1Ku3TqZmAKhMdMF62c7tqI4LViRCpm1W7FILTUbjYr8UcHgQVraiUw4GdpdihPrLlSQYM1rT1e-Gc0waQHY3yY5jXtRBlFK0/s320/248.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539648536844012802" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuJfgyhwzSi2G_rfNGmaSSBMIUnZYwikU9PzFG-Fuhfg-gXCETGNcyjeFSiXDfMaiLbbJoTZ-Mh2WdQ__O4_HKw_TEdjlGJhhXhzlkbfF12ZNEcWHFel8JrLowgj5cxQFL7kFlpP7X9A/s1600/256.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuJfgyhwzSi2G_rfNGmaSSBMIUnZYwikU9PzFG-Fuhfg-gXCETGNcyjeFSiXDfMaiLbbJoTZ-Mh2WdQ__O4_HKw_TEdjlGJhhXhzlkbfF12ZNEcWHFel8JrLowgj5cxQFL7kFlpP7X9A/s320/256.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539648946414333538" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">BBQ night at Freedomland</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxWk6C6-QdL9C-huIhERTkzRNZ4pfNvEXZAIrv4-h8URyRf7-qyGZlXDUCZzjJdMLbSEdsWTHpgE_dsxN_KmF7YvBeF4RejTfQY0FkX3Rf9iKSg1De8AYTb3MC17IAMBFpHwWaMasd2c/s1600/212.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxWk6C6-QdL9C-huIhERTkzRNZ4pfNvEXZAIrv4-h8URyRf7-qyGZlXDUCZzjJdMLbSEdsWTHpgE_dsxN_KmF7YvBeF4RejTfQY0FkX3Rf9iKSg1De8AYTb3MC17IAMBFpHwWaMasd2c/s320/212.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539649600157220338" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Sashimi</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprDJOeaBJCAfYZ3KtNiwKbzvlx2gmZmco-L0Rl4NYwy6q-en1Vmf-rBNu7TSB5sbtgEjS3CeJV6jqD_BFT4tJxVBH2G9XQiCF94Yw3E_KSh5_6Gvw1zvB5HORBjpRVhyOXUlHRG-6u0Y/s1600/313.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprDJOeaBJCAfYZ3KtNiwKbzvlx2gmZmco-L0Rl4NYwy6q-en1Vmf-rBNu7TSB5sbtgEjS3CeJV6jqD_BFT4tJxVBH2G9XQiCF94Yw3E_KSh5_6Gvw1zvB5HORBjpRVhyOXUlHRG-6u0Y/s320/313.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539650562698650930" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdfVg2d2nXyEwIEiQ5sFMQwD9vj5TwWARFOtW5dzOXYS8z4zzn_N_7pPPmVv4yTdkOUm6ogucdy06aguo7dY_4dnjRlDnhwQug6zUt3foOmyiBbe8jJJDLXu5Atd-sj4tS8_nCWMiBBY/s1600/205.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdfVg2d2nXyEwIEiQ5sFMQwD9vj5TwWARFOtW5dzOXYS8z4zzn_N_7pPPmVv4yTdkOUm6ogucdy06aguo7dY_4dnjRlDnhwQug6zUt3foOmyiBbe8jJJDLXu5Atd-sj4tS8_nCWMiBBY/s320/205.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539998089469075682" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Angie helping out</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNq6EQW-uuG-w47uOWWSTvx0KbSEWBKn6SBekHSTfu6ZetXPB1UAjT3Y1S4ducytQdRwlp6Jx2WDlZE_LFgvWO4YVMOTStC44vCYPS4JhFIRLhX3nIB5YNTJOA9_QSLo7jP1RwA7EDUaA/s1600/251.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNq6EQW-uuG-w47uOWWSTvx0KbSEWBKn6SBekHSTfu6ZetXPB1UAjT3Y1S4ducytQdRwlp6Jx2WDlZE_LFgvWO4YVMOTStC44vCYPS4JhFIRLhX3nIB5YNTJOA9_QSLo7jP1RwA7EDUaA/s320/251.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539998747101312514" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Hing and Peter in the kitchen</span><br /><br />The BBQ nights were special; BBQ's were prepared with charcoal as you could take your pick of chicken skewers, fish, prawns, squid and have it cooked directly for you. Not to mention the numerous salads on offer, all washed down with a Freedomland cocktail or Saigon beer. Some produce was freshly picked nextdoor; we went on a pomelo hunt one afternoon. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxefPEyKQTKk0ZwIC_QWinG6RsrPIfTdwLwOCwuV9NGpZ59GbtSCCZhn6ORzrk-nmBaz_5ipQGxUFatSZZXj4yNMd4vJDbL0mz-F53z4c4G7IsmNHN9zJRt6DGpvtCXJh6-xeBBriZAE/s1600/302.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxefPEyKQTKk0ZwIC_QWinG6RsrPIfTdwLwOCwuV9NGpZ59GbtSCCZhn6ORzrk-nmBaz_5ipQGxUFatSZZXj4yNMd4vJDbL0mz-F53z4c4G7IsmNHN9zJRt6DGpvtCXJh6-xeBBriZAE/s320/302.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539652423359076594" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb10sIxvkuNFjxUd8ps1P1QpA-_edpHQTtfWJ4NnQQarTTG_19zJaTU0SRTMOsU7BgxR4vr2GO9RfEY8eaDJm62CsvtPoxyTAHVOka0P1YECix1E3bOrqy0E9qq2EjzpqwcrCRj5TH7s/s1600/301.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb10sIxvkuNFjxUd8ps1P1QpA-_edpHQTtfWJ4NnQQarTTG_19zJaTU0SRTMOsU7BgxR4vr2GO9RfEY8eaDJm62CsvtPoxyTAHVOka0P1YECix1E3bOrqy0E9qq2EjzpqwcrCRj5TH7s/s320/301.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539652753229091538" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Peter and Angie checking the produce</span><br /><br />And the pepper in Phu Quoc is top notch. We visited a pepper plantation in-between beach and hammock time. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxG3LU96H3YHBu42I3XX09AhO6myrGczh8uhsOpy3i9blXgyZrmi0L62P7TD1wOviz_i8ofKrDP6BKtrXWZ7EVcPDPk-BRoJsk0Rs7o2z6T2F1fp_fLAl9BE3zMMju13xAFr2I2XGyiQs/s1600/221.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxG3LU96H3YHBu42I3XX09AhO6myrGczh8uhsOpy3i9blXgyZrmi0L62P7TD1wOviz_i8ofKrDP6BKtrXWZ7EVcPDPk-BRoJsk0Rs7o2z6T2F1fp_fLAl9BE3zMMju13xAFr2I2XGyiQs/s320/221.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539654040791570210" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7ls9aLWH5zRhgzvJYznv6Cdv2svi-bvxsU99-ua_ThXun0q9mgjj0P1MgUy0n4b7laZY_trQ3-Yj0hNMlrhv2D2dXQC91BOHMCU9GgyeMtO0mkpIFk9RNZh3PQpXoDxeZ0lY35NSe6M/s1600/222.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7ls9aLWH5zRhgzvJYznv6Cdv2svi-bvxsU99-ua_ThXun0q9mgjj0P1MgUy0n4b7laZY_trQ3-Yj0hNMlrhv2D2dXQC91BOHMCU9GgyeMtO0mkpIFk9RNZh3PQpXoDxeZ0lY35NSe6M/s320/222.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539655125852031794" /></a><br /><br />We tasted the green peppercorns right off the vine. They have a very strong, fresh bite to them. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQh459meXpvJbIihnXWrIK7F84nZoPyYForxL-DPECITebATza5uI6vYgAsdGOKEhto9dVNTDJ-Z134HOCOmOm-bsqOwiKTXNMVonXFnpVgTY7YYgmhMi2DOwmCG9QXzH5JjUhN0G_JQ/s1600/190.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQh459meXpvJbIihnXWrIK7F84nZoPyYForxL-DPECITebATza5uI6vYgAsdGOKEhto9dVNTDJ-Z134HOCOmOm-bsqOwiKTXNMVonXFnpVgTY7YYgmhMi2DOwmCG9QXzH5JjUhN0G_JQ/s320/190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539995084752186514" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Got rice? Tali's fave food</span><br /><br />We visited the Tranh waterfall on the east of the island. It was a refreshing place to have a swim given that the waters off the coast weren't exactly cooling. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qiiw1PR5LI7kPWk75uD4w7eP0qKOJvpxq4GMfBAReLIPqcG67YOV4j2lXgNUZkjzbNBoVWylecWgO9rXNJEH9HrbGYXsSDZhHUGAsp9HUcdBB6UkpexRrL3dz6fDJfQn4WsqFyrk4Ao/s1600/336.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qiiw1PR5LI7kPWk75uD4w7eP0qKOJvpxq4GMfBAReLIPqcG67YOV4j2lXgNUZkjzbNBoVWylecWgO9rXNJEH9HrbGYXsSDZhHUGAsp9HUcdBB6UkpexRrL3dz6fDJfQn4WsqFyrk4Ao/s320/336.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539995884929700242" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAlr4U_AMRG0VqNtoFyXGqmXz22vjcx9cFdxErvmzxArvnGf8cJKeoR5WfQSPUMm0i7YZUG6SiaJR1kmqMyX5uHhgetOfB9KKDghyzFvmHnXXOEgeP2rROt0e3DhDmc45NAdw_0rXfFM/s1600/317.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAlr4U_AMRG0VqNtoFyXGqmXz22vjcx9cFdxErvmzxArvnGf8cJKeoR5WfQSPUMm0i7YZUG6SiaJR1kmqMyX5uHhgetOfB9KKDghyzFvmHnXXOEgeP2rROt0e3DhDmc45NAdw_0rXfFM/s320/317.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539996694072796530" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0saLvBO_fHCuTn8qeRdGya_IGRldCfDCvlNz4wIN4q9qSAuwHENTtwHpiv99ErppsOrCd5pchw6_HMyPvTSgcOGdWCTsXZcJZ6X7Ag7E9bxZqKjwH7oWYtzXOgotSlDtdf_IUsOzQxfw/s1600/162.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0saLvBO_fHCuTn8qeRdGya_IGRldCfDCvlNz4wIN4q9qSAuwHENTtwHpiv99ErppsOrCd5pchw6_HMyPvTSgcOGdWCTsXZcJZ6X7Ag7E9bxZqKjwH7oWYtzXOgotSlDtdf_IUsOzQxfw/s320/162.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539997158276170418" /></a><br /><br />Compared to the high intensity of Saigon, Phu Quoc was a welcome change. I imagine it's what Phuket or Koh Samui were like 20 or 30 years ago before the crowds came. Most of the roads on the island are not sealed so when there has been some rain the roads became really slushy. I guess that's part of the charm of Phu Quoc. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqUkCCFCRm_cBooTsSbpspf8Hxazn4Qv0WklXbNjBVm3pVkEUQD43qLiGJa9QXT4wt95sExbQFicFsAgR6TwGivELXYjXwfbCiAArBiILOAh4e_i3pdAfr1Vgd8Wf3l1_SSBAn4VD8bw/s1600/146.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqUkCCFCRm_cBooTsSbpspf8Hxazn4Qv0WklXbNjBVm3pVkEUQD43qLiGJa9QXT4wt95sExbQFicFsAgR6TwGivELXYjXwfbCiAArBiILOAh4e_i3pdAfr1Vgd8Wf3l1_SSBAn4VD8bw/s320/146.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539999479062471618" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Angie chilling</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjiIt9FQSojFLxuHNyXUCRq_4aNQSB66gK_hHWZsBJT01VuCmVVoZ0Vv4VIU70_Sqdy4TpJULghHyDrAzrH9fWxmwZ4V-6npiw82g0gBTENZvvMblmzJz2_j1OSdjyqvxExHxTUEaHGo/s1600/362.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjiIt9FQSojFLxuHNyXUCRq_4aNQSB66gK_hHWZsBJT01VuCmVVoZ0Vv4VIU70_Sqdy4TpJULghHyDrAzrH9fWxmwZ4V-6npiw82g0gBTENZvvMblmzJz2_j1OSdjyqvxExHxTUEaHGo/s320/362.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540000747911591874" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Bai Sao beach</span><br /><br />It was sad leaving Freedomland and Phu Quoc behind. We made some great friends there and it would have been easy to while away on the sand or in a hammock for a little bit longer.Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-46997632754898880522010-11-04T10:27:00.032+08:002010-11-11T11:38:20.475+08:00SaigonIf you were a motorbike I don't think you'd want to live in Saigon. I mean, if there are over 3 million of you on the road there are just too many options if you were looking for a motorbike partner. Much rather be in a place where there are less options..but that's just me. In a city of about 8 million people, 3 million motorbikes is not a number to sniff at. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId_ZbQ4n2KX2dxmogG-lHuZ1vHKVrnuSuroIsPhOsDNxG4s1gDKQT1b0mxaJvq0Ie2e4RViX6V3iZd3jiSC5Ac1NdcJBGHldP9zOYiEq-MyFrXDWXk3AoNYZ8izRHWy4qe9YAnR2CHOk/s1600/458.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId_ZbQ4n2KX2dxmogG-lHuZ1vHKVrnuSuroIsPhOsDNxG4s1gDKQT1b0mxaJvq0Ie2e4RViX6V3iZd3jiSC5Ac1NdcJBGHldP9zOYiEq-MyFrXDWXk3AoNYZ8izRHWy4qe9YAnR2CHOk/s320/458.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535517220091606546" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me seeing what the fuss is all about</span><br /><br />Taipei might try; Bangkok may get close; Beijing or Shanghai only pale in comparison. Saigon is where Honda is making bank. Flying into Saigon, rows upon rows of streets teem with what look like worker ants from a distance but as the plane descends further you can make out that the little black things moving very quickly are in fact motorcycles. It is one crazy city. But amongst the craziness, there is a certain order to the madness which you often find in Asian megacities. Then there is the certain buzz; you can see why Tony Bourdain finds it his favorite place on Earth. Oh, and I guess the food ain't too shabby either...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_iS6g9qUT6prbZeuAdrexOGgvKj2k4s7JxLIBAX2DsFivpd-S5mASDatawSmr3-4Xu2giP_z_euQk4Z0Xhr83dfnODHCkFpiwuBTsr7_nBGRUVfcibS3LlV4MjWW3kTMME_2diqJpQg/s1600/008.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_iS6g9qUT6prbZeuAdrexOGgvKj2k4s7JxLIBAX2DsFivpd-S5mASDatawSmr3-4Xu2giP_z_euQk4Z0Xhr83dfnODHCkFpiwuBTsr7_nBGRUVfcibS3LlV4MjWW3kTMME_2diqJpQg/s320/008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535520228278140322" border="0"></a><br /><br />Touching down in the city we felt that anticipation of discovery. We were met with a pleasantly empty immigration hall with super-friendly staff. The girls wasted no time in winning over the locals....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlSsOSFYB-cMcCymytXZupQFBJ9plrQEiB5w3xCu2dLuhWjFIuxfmF0a2YTo9kkpWPDOZm6nw5JiAcWxuGhXxBxOjGv4rUUhjhudw0MkdP9ClDqwS_Qpejx0an2f6kE6Zl6ndTugTFNs/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlSsOSFYB-cMcCymytXZupQFBJ9plrQEiB5w3xCu2dLuhWjFIuxfmF0a2YTo9kkpWPDOZm6nw5JiAcWxuGhXxBxOjGv4rUUhjhudw0MkdP9ClDqwS_Qpejx0an2f6kE6Zl6ndTugTFNs/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535521644181891266" border="0"></a><br /><br />A quick and reasonably painless wait for our visas on arrival and we were set to go. I felt mildly sorry for the girl in line next to me who didn't have USD or Vietnamese <span style="font-style: italic;">dong</span> to pay for her visa but she should have known... luckily they had an ATM nearby. We saw a familiar ATM on the way to our hotel. In fact, there were a large number of Commonwealth Bank and ANZ ATM's scattered all over Saigon. Guess they're not making enough money in Australia ..cough..cough. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWbLz2_39QhyKaw1b3eV4xI-R2KurZ7spgW9ZD1Q5ssrCX0Usm67RlPGpW7WLQPB3fP4l7JzDykBJ5ta6jEaLX-ToweODZF3JicNEVU2S9hz-VYBuDvkRZsH5y_RD0m66WgPqdeYkzBs/s1600/026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWbLz2_39QhyKaw1b3eV4xI-R2KurZ7spgW9ZD1Q5ssrCX0Usm67RlPGpW7WLQPB3fP4l7JzDykBJ5ta6jEaLX-ToweODZF3JicNEVU2S9hz-VYBuDvkRZsH5y_RD0m66WgPqdeYkzBs/s320/026.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538130782642892146" /></a><br /><br /><br />We stayed at the lovely Ma Maison hotel in District 3, off the crazy main road and down a few alleyways. It's about as quiet as you can get in Saigon. Natasha and her team at Ma Maison really go out of their way to make you feel at home; from the welcome juice to the fresh tropical fruits to the personalised service they are a class act. If you're looking for a small (they only have 12 rooms) boutique hotel in Saigon that is in a quiet, local area I'd certainly recommend it. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEt9Aw7AIeVLnBisMRn-4wQSZER1UgwGJg0dM4NK13JRmQG1Bpg2_E0TD5UdUoe1ShjVJbjlxgv3hg8pA1jtr7mhSxaMo0T_qP2isa8WhABU4uyt69f2uR1WMrKRiIWJebm0cKz9rEPU/s1600/117.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEt9Aw7AIeVLnBisMRn-4wQSZER1UgwGJg0dM4NK13JRmQG1Bpg2_E0TD5UdUoe1ShjVJbjlxgv3hg8pA1jtr7mhSxaMo0T_qP2isa8WhABU4uyt69f2uR1WMrKRiIWJebm0cKz9rEPU/s320/117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537394060377151970" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFN0CB2ZPRK93XZepLyenJ_hZDZC_T6H8H1gDym0oWRZC8qUwfZ8qWFt21RKV1uwc4Ficj2-uCRLNgzp5Zc5zYdWHHLiNCleoqTzKedGLq4yHPYaMCCmXI3svOBClQlD8Tb9gGHUoFIK8/s1600/057.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFN0CB2ZPRK93XZepLyenJ_hZDZC_T6H8H1gDym0oWRZC8qUwfZ8qWFt21RKV1uwc4Ficj2-uCRLNgzp5Zc5zYdWHHLiNCleoqTzKedGLq4yHPYaMCCmXI3svOBClQlD8Tb9gGHUoFIK8/s320/057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537394677680582466" border="0"></a><br /><br />Ma Maison is right in-between a <span style="font-style: italic;">banh mi</span> vendor and a <span style="font-style: italic;">pho</span> vendor so I knew we were at the right place. Banh mi is a Vietnamese baguette, essentially an Asian cold-cut sandwich. But boy is it good! There are a million variations but a standard banh mi would have some type of meat (roast pork, chicken), pickled radish and carrot, coriander, mayonnaise, pate and fresh chilli. Pho (pronounced 'fur') is beef noodle soup that has become a Vietnamese icon, traditionally eaten at breakfast but now is available 24hrs a day. Our banh mi vendor charged 10 000 VND ($0.50AUD) for a sandwich so I was in heaven... where else could you get this much goodness for 50 cents!! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMbUC_z3TTI9kxItXTg0NdlgmWAnP6ydV-Uyhisx-CJs33J-w12ek_pSXqYK6ntopfmJOP1yY-LrNm8Ictujph4u7zYYod5N6JAci5K_CN3Sr-k6oULSLsanBOLmI7ox060TdqiDZbQk/s1600/113.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMbUC_z3TTI9kxItXTg0NdlgmWAnP6ydV-Uyhisx-CJs33J-w12ek_pSXqYK6ntopfmJOP1yY-LrNm8Ictujph4u7zYYod5N6JAci5K_CN3Sr-k6oULSLsanBOLmI7ox060TdqiDZbQk/s320/113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537396381214127938" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmUKkFP8ZGX_m62OQuDftAT5OFIMc3EiyZyVrmZ6YnEAoBEJ2paedytTJpQg2OzpaA7TaBo_w3JZQjvQrx2nwvBjLy1zVsrKP4CJNr0aeM0mFmQ10iODoVjjazKEyCCm3hB102BT492s/s1600/112.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmUKkFP8ZGX_m62OQuDftAT5OFIMc3EiyZyVrmZ6YnEAoBEJ2paedytTJpQg2OzpaA7TaBo_w3JZQjvQrx2nwvBjLy1zVsrKP4CJNr0aeM0mFmQ10iODoVjjazKEyCCm3hB102BT492s/s320/112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537397067468732530" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">From left; cold cuts, chicken pate, pickled radish and carrots</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ934AGaKEIIUizbiOrBaQDY-3T-2uzRdLkBKIRo0guwcZE3rW-2BrcadiHIh3vaE4OGcE7nWB0Th9qpb1eVzgFgxkHYqLrBqMT0o1KRU6jy6CQONPLhrJIPdmu4yxY-GRwgOZGiX0bOE/s1600/114.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ934AGaKEIIUizbiOrBaQDY-3T-2uzRdLkBKIRo0guwcZE3rW-2BrcadiHIh3vaE4OGcE7nWB0Th9qpb1eVzgFgxkHYqLrBqMT0o1KRU6jy6CQONPLhrJIPdmu4yxY-GRwgOZGiX0bOE/s320/114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537397734707370498" border="0"></a><br /><br />Surprisingly I did not put on any weight over this holiday... Over the next day we visited the central Ben Thanh market, got a <span style="font-style: italic;">banh xeo</span>(savory crepe) fix and managed to also visit a day spa that my sis-in-law Bel recommended. Ben Thanh market is the main marketplace in central Saigon that sells everything; from durian to snake wine to chopsticks. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLEEViZ9jRZB-pxRAcwV1ptydtdNZhtN0_l6XCbIDU7nfX8PM0SreXugjSTRn7E1cbJOBt9kn7S4j1lzQ9WHdlb1qqFTXsDxAJ9xUIHu7bMQdbOzjoafLb-805T1KkBUs6SWT4fpSG3E/s1600/456.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLEEViZ9jRZB-pxRAcwV1ptydtdNZhtN0_l6XCbIDU7nfX8PM0SreXugjSTRn7E1cbJOBt9kn7S4j1lzQ9WHdlb1qqFTXsDxAJ9xUIHu7bMQdbOzjoafLb-805T1KkBUs6SWT4fpSG3E/s320/456.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537400054243580658" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Ben Thanh market</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhyphenhyphensCPm6oxMF0AkyeOzr73HHDoxEOBOHXFTNrxWklKkKLDWXUl_3jhEl0Ncp4pvF_02kMxOw1Gjdnib2EAHTwMG4amoFB1ai8n2MYFgdW4w7xguVKWWHgEmWiwusWU1gud6L8Qid9tbk/s1600/030.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhyphenhyphensCPm6oxMF0AkyeOzr73HHDoxEOBOHXFTNrxWklKkKLDWXUl_3jhEl0Ncp4pvF_02kMxOw1Gjdnib2EAHTwMG4amoFB1ai8n2MYFgdW4w7xguVKWWHgEmWiwusWU1gud6L8Qid9tbk/s320/030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537400472496676562" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwGAQz3juRpFeDGY_FwPcpw8LhjcFTwjmk_Dh3Ji8MByHL01SrGP5FnaXJmvD8x6lXUvNaBpF9D6QO_Jko0QFdgBkXEBr8XXhPTGpYELFXkXV2LgwRBhUtS5418RJMELCxeeMCp6rlXY/s1600/074.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwGAQz3juRpFeDGY_FwPcpw8LhjcFTwjmk_Dh3Ji8MByHL01SrGP5FnaXJmvD8x6lXUvNaBpF9D6QO_Jko0QFdgBkXEBr8XXhPTGpYELFXkXV2LgwRBhUtS5418RJMELCxeeMCp6rlXY/s320/074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537401345296847346" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Banh xeo! and cha gio - spring rolls</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1JoFAPBwrecyu5TYAzJ8rvujLJ1BrwFo7RD4oKrZRWcWuCkE21lnuZBrRXoghpu98MCUykXMQQdXQZvF3PSzm4KJQKokGoTcSpHfLbNKaDU_q7mcxsVV0JLg7_gPrRN_BH2PIU1d2Xc/s1600/078.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1JoFAPBwrecyu5TYAzJ8rvujLJ1BrwFo7RD4oKrZRWcWuCkE21lnuZBrRXoghpu98MCUykXMQQdXQZvF3PSzm4KJQKokGoTcSpHfLbNKaDU_q7mcxsVV0JLg7_gPrRN_BH2PIU1d2Xc/s320/078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537402537212361490" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Banh xeo cooked over charcoal</span> <br /><br />We managed to get to <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293925-d1122087-Reviews-Banh_Xeo_46A-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html">Banh Xeo 46A</a> in the afternoon for a Viet pancake fix. Banh Xeo are Vietnamese savory pancakes made out of rice flour and stuffed with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts eaten with lettuce dipped in a fish sauce 'dressing'. Banh Xeo 46A is 'THE' place for Banh Xeo in Saigon - there are many imitators in and around the main place but don't go for anything less. Their <span style="font-style: italic;">cha gio</span> or fried spring rolls are great too so we polished off a plate of them also. Call me a stickler but food just tastes better cooked over charcoal and that's what they do at 46A. No fancy Miele gas burners here....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpQwoxXN2LwD4vVm1Y_smjMnHtxWAkRUfFwwkgd8mZ2b7jhaYFQWWGCudRwlYQLqlAAJl3AJzNbaBLuzSQme5rJSpdZQ17q9Ob6nAnPvoBAPSJIGfLfs_PJeEiv1fZDKmK1w9YHpT3c4/s1600/069.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpQwoxXN2LwD4vVm1Y_smjMnHtxWAkRUfFwwkgd8mZ2b7jhaYFQWWGCudRwlYQLqlAAJl3AJzNbaBLuzSQme5rJSpdZQ17q9Ob6nAnPvoBAPSJIGfLfs_PJeEiv1fZDKmK1w9YHpT3c4/s320/069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537614683245448690" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlqlTDFeHZ3Z5z9RsLSXKUoqv9-AwGdI0lp4SVwbKeMiFCLuM5iy4hTT_a9to3jijce3BVjOFEJ0J8zq8QJqp3nRC-d1VKSU9g7ktHEsFIvWVYO7LTzrIxUCk_tY3x7TaENrmbjGN5FM/s1600/068.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlqlTDFeHZ3Z5z9RsLSXKUoqv9-AwGdI0lp4SVwbKeMiFCLuM5iy4hTT_a9to3jijce3BVjOFEJ0J8zq8QJqp3nRC-d1VKSU9g7ktHEsFIvWVYO7LTzrIxUCk_tY3x7TaENrmbjGN5FM/s320/068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537615246573243202" border="0"></a><br /><br />In-between Banh Xeo and Ben Tranh we managed to get to <a href="http://www.lapothiquaire.com/">L'Apothiquaire</a> day spa for a swim and scrub. Well, Nat went for the scrub and me and the girls went for a swim. The water was a bit cold but it was refreshing nevertheless. My sis-in-law recommended the place from her visit in 2009 and it was well worth it! We got to visit Notre Dame Basilica and the central post office which is a beautiful gothic remnant of French Indochina. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACsMSfsJY3L4XX0XI3BbYuUk81p5cJIZcgb7LQZWSXPeb68eQ_Dgt7poiX5ZzdK2iOFx2L-bXpvZg5GTvvmsdjVywU3QUSWnlDJ8cU9VWolDxiPcmnHDlnQb1qgQtmdUWacvZZxgm0sQ/s1600/436.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACsMSfsJY3L4XX0XI3BbYuUk81p5cJIZcgb7LQZWSXPeb68eQ_Dgt7poiX5ZzdK2iOFx2L-bXpvZg5GTvvmsdjVywU3QUSWnlDJ8cU9VWolDxiPcmnHDlnQb1qgQtmdUWacvZZxgm0sQ/s320/436.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537838411428099074" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Notre Dame cathedral</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3HOGsu8AYma5H15s-m1uWaFwhxgppdnWaH3ztmJFnGjsPHCp2_DzASAVctiOIWr38R0GirYGzv-j7zAuxXp8uL_tByffC5-ei5dZ03UzrXltEaE4NU1Qgiru4cNjwirTLB_s_Dpa2Yo/s1600/440.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3HOGsu8AYma5H15s-m1uWaFwhxgppdnWaH3ztmJFnGjsPHCp2_DzASAVctiOIWr38R0GirYGzv-j7zAuxXp8uL_tByffC5-ei5dZ03UzrXltEaE4NU1Qgiru4cNjwirTLB_s_Dpa2Yo/s320/440.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537838984215482658" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Central post office</span><br /><br />On our final day in Saigon we visited Cholon - Saigon's Chinatown. We payed our respects at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazu_%28goddess%29">Thien Hau</a> (or Tian Hou) temple which pays worship to the goddess of the sea. She is known here in Macau and Southern China as 'A-Ma' or grandmother. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVB2SEUwmlozIUpHt9__0GPi3kO8HnT316yJOQMyYWMq5sj8WV0dT66rNlpwxuJX-3C8ihxdLEoDh4yMl4IJYb1vBL21UFcAf1l9z7E1wuJ-eLzvX-puUZ8d5Hfr_IMbOLnGqEwiTeyg/s1600/428.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVB2SEUwmlozIUpHt9__0GPi3kO8HnT316yJOQMyYWMq5sj8WV0dT66rNlpwxuJX-3C8ihxdLEoDh4yMl4IJYb1vBL21UFcAf1l9z7E1wuJ-eLzvX-puUZ8d5Hfr_IMbOLnGqEwiTeyg/s320/428.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537887581699814370" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Thien Hau temple</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMIzm6uSf4uusj_uj8TzeCkbsz8cVLvwOJ_P7bFu9n9DrWSpXDnPlykUo-BIFAAnZbfFCYUvD-Yo_CDnq3KjmdOq2kGGYYE9XRi1sLtfGbvkzFGR_C5_S3JZLfln4RvD74npazCl23z0/s1600/429.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMIzm6uSf4uusj_uj8TzeCkbsz8cVLvwOJ_P7bFu9n9DrWSpXDnPlykUo-BIFAAnZbfFCYUvD-Yo_CDnq3KjmdOq2kGGYYE9XRi1sLtfGbvkzFGR_C5_S3JZLfln4RvD74npazCl23z0/s320/429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537888189961406290" border="0"></a><br /><br />There are many interesting murals within the temple depicting life in Southern China in the 19th century. Some show Lion and Dragon dancing and other murals depicting monks and European sailors. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMmEav7r9YDAESABdFJ15D_DXELCBOumP-A-o2bxutm-qE4mxIKTO5g7e_liTS8kf9j2Lt-CmflmbhjGTboLJOl3bXfVMr9ei1i6Kh8OskWhgrQhJxatO98BS16ZRE_XhLI2aWloRs8U/s1600/434.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMmEav7r9YDAESABdFJ15D_DXELCBOumP-A-o2bxutm-qE4mxIKTO5g7e_liTS8kf9j2Lt-CmflmbhjGTboLJOl3bXfVMr9ei1i6Kh8OskWhgrQhJxatO98BS16ZRE_XhLI2aWloRs8U/s320/434.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537889637087514802" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-6duD9ebXAiIZ_YSJF2myphVBjNA4MzXrtR5aNmNdgpKl4Wtyr5bGmMf3JSVU7w5ZDrwc2wvsGGMXmJVVwL3JB_o11oMptTD2lulv0nEtsWQ_drbnB31he08-jcklAGMvmhFxxyFSvI/s1600/432.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-6duD9ebXAiIZ_YSJF2myphVBjNA4MzXrtR5aNmNdgpKl4Wtyr5bGmMf3JSVU7w5ZDrwc2wvsGGMXmJVVwL3JB_o11oMptTD2lulv0nEtsWQ_drbnB31he08-jcklAGMvmhFxxyFSvI/s320/432.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537890114912121730" border="0"></a><br /><br />On our final night we visited the park across the way from our hotel. There were heaps of people exercising from playing feather shuttle hacky sack to jogging to dancing a strange form of 'Zumba' that i'm thinking of incorporating into our ZAiA exercise classes. After all the touring and eating and dancing we needed some decent R and R; next stop - Phu Quoc island! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTYiKeDrmGFmgF5yc_lb3fYfFZRAQ9Jl_C03EUfj8F-CqEtw9Pl0zQ6tsI1xmaj3vxQil8SqUQvE-YK19fUPJe15byx1DIJ10LJh6K_rS0TV7V4YO-3S168Vo4i33rvzajvq0L3sVYvs/s1600/472.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTYiKeDrmGFmgF5yc_lb3fYfFZRAQ9Jl_C03EUfj8F-CqEtw9Pl0zQ6tsI1xmaj3vxQil8SqUQvE-YK19fUPJe15byx1DIJ10LJh6K_rS0TV7V4YO-3S168Vo4i33rvzajvq0L3sVYvs/s320/472.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538129832576483842" /></a>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-18510846483139275422010-08-30T01:11:00.017+08:002010-09-08T22:17:51.428+08:00Home sweet homeA week at home is just not enough. After all that eating, visiting, (some) relaxing and attending courses there isn't much time for anything else. I didn't get to do a fraction of the things I wanted to do back in Perth but it was really nice to see family and friends after almost 13 months in Macau. Thanks to all the people who I managed to see for making the effort amongst work and the routine of normal life! <br /><br />Now....drumroll for some of the highlights of the week...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGym1vXktRBPWFolYqGyd_Mn0nTPQmOeQ-hIZOfViJuVHkVgZxR8YUPDWf8hF0d21u4CNm8IJkqkXucYWAFWt2HldD218YvULbaxXaDWumL4uATly8ouyIXKqORt4E2m__h1t7QxLugQ/s1600/007b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGym1vXktRBPWFolYqGyd_Mn0nTPQmOeQ-hIZOfViJuVHkVgZxR8YUPDWf8hF0d21u4CNm8IJkqkXucYWAFWt2HldD218YvULbaxXaDWumL4uATly8ouyIXKqORt4E2m__h1t7QxLugQ/s320/007b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514545838353628738" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Catching up with the folks and my bro while he was in town</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_t4K3llpxrRPsgTLboPp2xlxjUmL1GBnFJsRimgnO4wvfba0XarH9amIKYT3v9-cGwpJ8MU6OlStK_XIm1YfJJvmCUn2H4jjH7Pzm1fcjodCrXWloW6_CagqedQpFyBtpZvCGvkQYhA/s1600/039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_t4K3llpxrRPsgTLboPp2xlxjUmL1GBnFJsRimgnO4wvfba0XarH9amIKYT3v9-cGwpJ8MU6OlStK_XIm1YfJJvmCUn2H4jjH7Pzm1fcjodCrXWloW6_CagqedQpFyBtpZvCGvkQYhA/s320/039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510883648746353762" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Celebrating Angie's 4th birthday with family and friends</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKI5TvYgdaZvBAfYwqlSi2YonOG5S-suW0KRa5a-MC4kngfwrJk4qwADQD4PH5GPpOhLOb3QEG404qAuMRUyTwpijptYeriA4YFKslFetTXy8wtTwJlhss3Kr44u3q_nU7-kdKT52VC_w/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKI5TvYgdaZvBAfYwqlSi2YonOG5S-suW0KRa5a-MC4kngfwrJk4qwADQD4PH5GPpOhLOb3QEG404qAuMRUyTwpijptYeriA4YFKslFetTXy8wtTwJlhss3Kr44u3q_nU7-kdKT52VC_w/s320/013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510885040286573938" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">The blue skies!!!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsEXpBoWJ4ICd0yVTqMNJtslvOT7oLmaNoTzQsmcadBkeWVOMCVKJ07xp0uGwLZELod_euU3hHz0uTDavsonuLCO-kIlCkDTsLCOf-HebTTVhA_GS_XNX1DM14bNOfrDWzvTz5WvhkI8/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsEXpBoWJ4ICd0yVTqMNJtslvOT7oLmaNoTzQsmcadBkeWVOMCVKJ07xp0uGwLZELod_euU3hHz0uTDavsonuLCO-kIlCkDTsLCOf-HebTTVhA_GS_XNX1DM14bNOfrDWzvTz5WvhkI8/s320/014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510885458523639138" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">More blue skies!!!!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOGvD5Vo3ncrgnLf6nD4H-gXDOmFQC7rTWNLI9h4R9LwKtrxP2h6kqfSwkOSwZfceuXF_Ry9yIzIjPbeuPnTvPC8JO47IPznSpxepxWaOc-AZqjx5PZsowi1U0vNMgLozoytblzEegp0/s1600/080.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOGvD5Vo3ncrgnLf6nD4H-gXDOmFQC7rTWNLI9h4R9LwKtrxP2h6kqfSwkOSwZfceuXF_Ry9yIzIjPbeuPnTvPC8JO47IPznSpxepxWaOc-AZqjx5PZsowi1U0vNMgLozoytblzEegp0/s320/080.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510886800073168226" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Catching up with friends</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxJzdYFcOFrxcmuij_eq82lEfXHw68-bR2k76iTnR8-V46YnDzYIZEpD32rtGwZjwTDEn9TaHak5to9cqb10mxklcDBKICyp-HQeyLYB7ZBYDNZjhtKlPqygQr-A0sOgl8MmGvMfiXLs/s1600/angie+maya.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxJzdYFcOFrxcmuij_eq82lEfXHw68-bR2k76iTnR8-V46YnDzYIZEpD32rtGwZjwTDEn9TaHak5to9cqb10mxklcDBKICyp-HQeyLYB7ZBYDNZjhtKlPqygQr-A0sOgl8MmGvMfiXLs/s320/angie+maya.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514542367680809890" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Angie and her cousin Maya tramping it</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEign7jPUFFQG8ORMh_RLcbzVcQ-93n6ax-ifVjCvXrJ1zA4llq97lhlzsP6haWVP5qTU5UVo43CWV7Zz0GGjg6a899dajd9NSgkCxnDU6MfP32GLWe3Hdm-sMY_pSw6yxHtIz1hl785EaU/s1600/angie+tramp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEign7jPUFFQG8ORMh_RLcbzVcQ-93n6ax-ifVjCvXrJ1zA4llq97lhlzsP6haWVP5qTU5UVo43CWV7Zz0GGjg6a899dajd9NSgkCxnDU6MfP32GLWe3Hdm-sMY_pSw6yxHtIz1hl785EaU/s320/angie+tramp.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514542660548569074" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTNMhEM3z_dwtBrywo5vDON9C1dvK0CUXz3Dr_1B4dexaL1GfeDXoNHQw5WsEWlot8Wz20_7TUPdIMVNvTRZJ2Qn7alJXqzcx7UZ2ovb0tL3EghLTKrAOkNYEsSW2MZ5HHGE_w_4u794/s1600/girls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTNMhEM3z_dwtBrywo5vDON9C1dvK0CUXz3Dr_1B4dexaL1GfeDXoNHQw5WsEWlot8Wz20_7TUPdIMVNvTRZJ2Qn7alJXqzcx7UZ2ovb0tL3EghLTKrAOkNYEsSW2MZ5HHGE_w_4u794/s320/girls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514543060585346482" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZNg0b9e8MiInseuaeBm6EIJhnApIUXFIx2JuIVkc6wy_kB4r9hy_ntK4ESv2g-L5P50Vnrf_LGA8N_w-09zXX1p-KUm81fmXuZyffhSBgI6xyrXUitbfjQ79jNvf9xXdZv9wYcmYbbk/s1600/hot+mamma.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZNg0b9e8MiInseuaeBm6EIJhnApIUXFIx2JuIVkc6wy_kB4r9hy_ntK4ESv2g-L5P50Vnrf_LGA8N_w-09zXX1p-KUm81fmXuZyffhSBgI6xyrXUitbfjQ79jNvf9xXdZv9wYcmYbbk/s320/hot+mamma.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514543328281966274" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Hot mama!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQH1uP1McZT9XYgUywX27xvBfeKnlwGNUv4ZgzH0cHVWnWgxRDvtn0OtE_uKh6hgIiFhaZazad5wPHeJwYUWhNRBkxpvSpZcUNK_R_ifAI-0xrQpXDPQvGwfzLzwoWgrXCWA4tMmMbshE/s1600/tali+lara.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQH1uP1McZT9XYgUywX27xvBfeKnlwGNUv4ZgzH0cHVWnWgxRDvtn0OtE_uKh6hgIiFhaZazad5wPHeJwYUWhNRBkxpvSpZcUNK_R_ifAI-0xrQpXDPQvGwfzLzwoWgrXCWA4tMmMbshE/s320/tali+lara.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514543739659218706" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Cousin Lara and Talia</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaLiHk5bIe-DP8X9ImOhfXNzXVP2Wp6rioPe-ney0zou0x0-ERvf-tXS7jGbOLZBhckz0y5GjAHQ44nO9PXB-ONJ4ezCbCCSzd8GqEauAhA79Ot8KWsIlKER45wKUrdGrnEFZwYgguk0/s1600/talia+dan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaLiHk5bIe-DP8X9ImOhfXNzXVP2Wp6rioPe-ney0zou0x0-ERvf-tXS7jGbOLZBhckz0y5GjAHQ44nO9PXB-ONJ4ezCbCCSzd8GqEauAhA79Ot8KWsIlKER45wKUrdGrnEFZwYgguk0/s320/talia+dan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514544005499786002" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Uncle Dan and Talia</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fGJnLr14aXHrjIJrsQi82p5NwKYCZBHyOq2_fnHbFXRSK5XjHZ8bY8SGRVCNUuSa3-aJLhwUYJ16DBy7Yv3OylOFiB70N_hST5Mf6DSCgSt_gbxvU6ZwGQOKTamxBk8eZ5We8jyJ5lc/s1600/talia.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fGJnLr14aXHrjIJrsQi82p5NwKYCZBHyOq2_fnHbFXRSK5XjHZ8bY8SGRVCNUuSa3-aJLhwUYJ16DBy7Yv3OylOFiB70N_hST5Mf6DSCgSt_gbxvU6ZwGQOKTamxBk8eZ5We8jyJ5lc/s320/talia.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514544242100812578" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Beautiful Talia</span><br /><br />What a whirlwind! Now we're all back in Macau - 'home' for now. It's amazing to think over a year has now passed since I first started writing on here. We're still having fun so Macau will be 'home' for a bit longer.Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-29298398701552580482010-07-05T23:20:00.024+08:002010-07-09T12:51:52.795+08:00Bangkok - Phranakorn Nornlen Hotel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAe5GwPEFeYE2nyfqlFckAIaULcoybnAfoGkpYKfCDmiMXGawVddgyabOU1uPETJs-_T961eW6bzLcJVTIJLQDQz7OgxyuU4kiT9PRwOjD6xoHC2ii1BDOzTQQGmdrkWV_QBR9H0i46vw/s1600/173.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAe5GwPEFeYE2nyfqlFckAIaULcoybnAfoGkpYKfCDmiMXGawVddgyabOU1uPETJs-_T961eW6bzLcJVTIJLQDQz7OgxyuU4kiT9PRwOjD6xoHC2ii1BDOzTQQGmdrkWV_QBR9H0i46vw/s320/173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490448717045597794" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Inside Phranakorn Nornlen hotel - an oasis in the heart of Old Bangkok</span><br /><br />Unfortunately we didn't have much time in Bangkok; we flew out of Krabi and arrived in Bangkok around 1.30pm. The baggage service was a bit smoother this time around and the taxi service is a lesson in efficiency at Bangkok airport. There is a service counter where you line up alongside all prospective taxi drivers who must use a special ticket which features all their details, name, company details, taxi number, etc. That way if you have a complaint or forget belongings in the taxi they are easy to track down. It was a 30-minute taxi ride to our hotel which was located in the Thewet district which is considered a part of 'Old Bangkok'. We stayed just one night at the <a href="http://www.phranakorn-nornlen.com/">Phranakorn Nornlen</a> hotel but it made a big impression on all of us. From the relaxed vibe to the welcome herbal teas we really felt at home at Phranakorn - we were already looking forward to staying there from what we had read online and from their website. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23MoWhSCCSDlelaOtO77vUz2CzSbobvt79ZAORNhWhajhcjkNci9O5_aKQ_O9-EqMda-4VLumc9NN3Ad5vEtBfQDxwsu6X62wGsd321zTpRn_AcF0Khbfck3vBpQpBvqhD1jR2Jg1dw4/s1600/174.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23MoWhSCCSDlelaOtO77vUz2CzSbobvt79ZAORNhWhajhcjkNci9O5_aKQ_O9-EqMda-4VLumc9NN3Ad5vEtBfQDxwsu6X62wGsd321zTpRn_AcF0Khbfck3vBpQpBvqhD1jR2Jg1dw4/s320/174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490449338643726226" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Thai's make you feel very welcome</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbhyphenhyphenW0J5PXKF_TFduQTM2ipXZN70IYUmnB4d60dhiH5T4-M3Rveju-Bdj1sJTEVqtdSUP0qI1Xy4GcANELDg6W59axpY8KrwBpqBIadFe7DZxIeHN9kvgd0mp1lNK7R7q1Ik-TdIgEA4/s1600/164.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbhyphenhyphenW0J5PXKF_TFduQTM2ipXZN70IYUmnB4d60dhiH5T4-M3Rveju-Bdj1sJTEVqtdSUP0qI1Xy4GcANELDg6W59axpY8KrwBpqBIadFe7DZxIeHN9kvgd0mp1lNK7R7q1Ik-TdIgEA4/s320/164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490449951377484002" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Inside the girls' room</span><br /><br />Phranakorn is situated in a small <span style="font-style: italic;">soi</span> (sideroad or alleyway) in an older part of town, very close to the river and a short stroll to many local vendors and shops. We arrived to a lovely welcome at the hotel and were all a bit peckish so decided to visit the noodle vendor down the street we spied while we were in the taxi. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdL6BeGh0sHf1ImmvIVw8OmbNk5aQ0DjCqPvr_ZRaJxyZKhcXgD1lVdGpH-nsuJ-2zDNIxy37RdVjoHcyXmdH3NqA2NB6OVV_jXN014hoSED37NKhmv6tDQKDAQ-QXqsvQf9Qmkq_kZA/s1600/178.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdL6BeGh0sHf1ImmvIVw8OmbNk5aQ0DjCqPvr_ZRaJxyZKhcXgD1lVdGpH-nsuJ-2zDNIxy37RdVjoHcyXmdH3NqA2NB6OVV_jXN014hoSED37NKhmv6tDQKDAQ-QXqsvQf9Qmkq_kZA/s320/178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490452628936486162" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-b6tvqW5XJxxfCblA34XM-h7XjRmNghEDLh1qW3o16ZICYXM-isSgLaqrwWNHUgO-dOdVA0Q5vcj3V9lWcrxlfBf5MPI-chzN1TqO1NUihgEAeHMCgXBCKowFPOkfxjhPzf1W5McCqs/s1600/179.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-b6tvqW5XJxxfCblA34XM-h7XjRmNghEDLh1qW3o16ZICYXM-isSgLaqrwWNHUgO-dOdVA0Q5vcj3V9lWcrxlfBf5MPI-chzN1TqO1NUihgEAeHMCgXBCKowFPOkfxjhPzf1W5McCqs/s320/179.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490453241711622562" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Slurping some yummy rice noodles!</span><br /><br />The old lady behind the noodle cart looked like she had been there for aeons; it was one of those small cart vendors that serve only one dish and many locals were sitting and slurping so we knew it was going to be good. A bowl of rice noodles and soup was only $25baht ($0.80AUD!!!). While we were there a fruit vendor wheeled his cart by and we got a fresh coconut for $30baht ($1AUD) and 1kg of lychees for the same! Nat saw that just next to the vendor was a hairdresser and she wanted her fringe cut so she popped in for a quickie. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXQZvDhJKYz9F1JT0RXRSinWp0HKF8eNgMXP8ZAFnvr7pl3IQFre7MTSid7PWcqQVvJll4RphOmFpZZltGgNz2e5r85qqxXYu93-62IZN9wv8Cl7TX7hTuNlYwg_UPbiYbEA3ixlSKXg/s1600/176.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXQZvDhJKYz9F1JT0RXRSinWp0HKF8eNgMXP8ZAFnvr7pl3IQFre7MTSid7PWcqQVvJll4RphOmFpZZltGgNz2e5r85qqxXYu93-62IZN9wv8Cl7TX7hTuNlYwg_UPbiYbEA3ixlSKXg/s320/176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490841734148746818" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nat getting her fringe cut</span><br /><br />From there with full bellies we went back to our hotel which was a 1-minute walk away. The day was especially special as it was 29 June and was Talia's first birthday. Phranakorn organised a birthday cake for us in advance so we had a small birthday celebration in the play area. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3aN8XRgp4R71jmVLYCcNP82HH0UEiyG70jowsqaEwYr2STMdu7PrDzBSWV9mgwmROKWsTHxwVbQa22IDFPGlVtaaL8Tfkh-Q4idteKu1hYfitfOZhq0Llg5spNFGYqOLNd9wP_dEcdo/s1600/182.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3aN8XRgp4R71jmVLYCcNP82HH0UEiyG70jowsqaEwYr2STMdu7PrDzBSWV9mgwmROKWsTHxwVbQa22IDFPGlVtaaL8Tfkh-Q4idteKu1hYfitfOZhq0Llg5spNFGYqOLNd9wP_dEcdo/s320/182.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490842857357955698" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3uW82JSOlNk1LWv1CrACGVqQHuK1hScSSJR3IT_z8QAZ2Q9Cs43zX-CflX7p8Cx0v1ZQbfJrcucTCUOT9xaTxUCCbzSdaNVGFQrwja3ZhIvusjg1DbFCyOPtuz4xUw49RTxc1IRahnM/s1600/185.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3uW82JSOlNk1LWv1CrACGVqQHuK1hScSSJR3IT_z8QAZ2Q9Cs43zX-CflX7p8Cx0v1ZQbfJrcucTCUOT9xaTxUCCbzSdaNVGFQrwja3ZhIvusjg1DbFCyOPtuz4xUw49RTxc1IRahnM/s320/185.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490843320512936722" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Chocolate ice cream-custard cake!</span><br /><br />Phranakorn is really an oasis in Bangkok - the decor and ambience are unlike any other hotel we have stayed at. There are many <span style="font-style: italic;">trompe-l'oeil</span> featured on the walls...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzg-1T_k7fPeHpzOBtOwlFEygrx-u7_0JASIN9zqqLwbF6sNe7jlI2qhpsVsdGqB2WgqkOFnJM6RyvSMmNa5QQ1MXM5vtrctUczsU9-dFjtcM3UivKwedIdrtsx2PmpdFAiA7r38htWo/s1600/169.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzg-1T_k7fPeHpzOBtOwlFEygrx-u7_0JASIN9zqqLwbF6sNe7jlI2qhpsVsdGqB2WgqkOFnJM6RyvSMmNa5QQ1MXM5vtrctUczsU9-dFjtcM3UivKwedIdrtsx2PmpdFAiA7r38htWo/s320/169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490844845865121762" border="0"></a><br />And their play area for the kids is second to none...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4XltCMy9WSbXVpTY65iSoPih9zI_RQ2xO_nRwNPZM2rMp6r9Pdi5gV8Lg-1SIBbqpNx9UHRkpunQSsAmz-M64H-JVO8TR-NbErvsIJaYLpF6dyc-5iW8P_M2icpxiCKtlRvkysu1kjA/s1600/186.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4XltCMy9WSbXVpTY65iSoPih9zI_RQ2xO_nRwNPZM2rMp6r9Pdi5gV8Lg-1SIBbqpNx9UHRkpunQSsAmz-M64H-JVO8TR-NbErvsIJaYLpF6dyc-5iW8P_M2icpxiCKtlRvkysu1kjA/s320/186.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490845930832881650" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSy6m4DCEY9ZvaPPwqzqBoG1EUcxaAyPPTMWFGzbM5QexwJuOzsS-wxMBhUyc53Sq2rwEEeUg59LBvp7PqRL8OV56XXpkdT-uX5lsimXU6AgWsGBBvF822PZ5tOv8PmrVPKOPVcR6cwYo/s1600/192.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSy6m4DCEY9ZvaPPwqzqBoG1EUcxaAyPPTMWFGzbM5QexwJuOzsS-wxMBhUyc53Sq2rwEEeUg59LBvp7PqRL8OV56XXpkdT-uX5lsimXU6AgWsGBBvF822PZ5tOv8PmrVPKOPVcR6cwYo/s320/192.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490846820927560802" border="0"></a><br /><br />They even grow their own vegetables on their rooftop garden...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnPgeBUxqWtYUb36E_fkybT_Ms14ke9Jls4REIYqG7w_l5NcwgZIBUpoZkDQJhaABurLuRcBgrKPMmuXRI7gzp9Xaf1ErsDd2N8NJnc6cmobjMIL8LvBKEYkvVd6za9Btvn6bj-DJg0w/s1600/209.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnPgeBUxqWtYUb36E_fkybT_Ms14ke9Jls4REIYqG7w_l5NcwgZIBUpoZkDQJhaABurLuRcBgrKPMmuXRI7gzp9Xaf1ErsDd2N8NJnc6cmobjMIL8LvBKEYkvVd6za9Btvn6bj-DJg0w/s320/209.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491734089177679922" /></a><br /><br />After a short rest we decided we should head out and caught a <span style="font-style: italic;">tuk tuk</span> to the area around Khao San road which is a famous tourist street in Bangkok. We wanted to head to Paragon or a similar air-conditioned shopping mall but considering the time was around 6pm the traffic would have been chaotic so we decided to go somewhere close. <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzEKrR73-2CRc9m8y7aJERWJFRRnCh_wcTEW4q4G4kpG22rZiJsFPj9Dt5FEa6R5gN23TiWzyh7Kiy-FSEdoA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Bangkok tuk tuk</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JMTsVgWvzWp7c_Jb_kG44yEtjApThksIopDHEONASk6dmZgABuSdYPBPxz4YXnTntt8N20RzasUsBTXJTafBcvzjnQZJ3-gzHIXHnoi1-TYd6IHDgT7DIt5gSAL0cHYLg9hjeSvb6bQ/s1600/217.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JMTsVgWvzWp7c_Jb_kG44yEtjApThksIopDHEONASk6dmZgABuSdYPBPxz4YXnTntt8N20RzasUsBTXJTafBcvzjnQZJ3-gzHIXHnoi1-TYd6IHDgT7DIt5gSAL0cHYLg9hjeSvb6bQ/s320/217.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491730152604307842" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Khao San road - spot the local....</span><br /><br />Khao San road is pretty crazy; cheap clothing, trinkets and almost everything else can be found here and bargaining is essential. There are a heap of tourists but it is one of the most popular shopping streets in Bangkok. You can also sample items a little off the norm...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XINxahZFXYPsurhgi0rUFNhomBOEJ502cfQOZeiaFQus-Ohk1FEiy7cqD178Or4rvzTmWGvrKOCqDKeoOIdBrJRYsES8GugYplTRjLdwmI6xFoeyDmfwq2QikxTW-ckXleGqAVzrl7A/s1600/218.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XINxahZFXYPsurhgi0rUFNhomBOEJ502cfQOZeiaFQus-Ohk1FEiy7cqD178Or4rvzTmWGvrKOCqDKeoOIdBrJRYsES8GugYplTRjLdwmI6xFoeyDmfwq2QikxTW-ckXleGqAVzrl7A/s320/218.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491731561477271842" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindU9EZKCYz8TPm8cTD-eyL8DyGdis8jsoflbVu3eT0qEGec07gQquTwFJSvhGcOlbjPVfAypV8NegHpZjHJyMBouKjxl2PfUmiCxzD4-mbpmgP1YXMCmXdSlZSOf7n-0lZIzcbopvShs/s1600/219.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindU9EZKCYz8TPm8cTD-eyL8DyGdis8jsoflbVu3eT0qEGec07gQquTwFJSvhGcOlbjPVfAypV8NegHpZjHJyMBouKjxl2PfUmiCxzD4-mbpmgP1YXMCmXdSlZSOf7n-0lZIzcbopvShs/s320/219.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491732096046382882" /></a><br /><br />In the top picture from the back you can see scorpions, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers - basically anything you would normally squash with your flip-flop was fair game and for sale as a snack in-between a little shopping. How unfortunate it was that I was still full from the noodles we had eaten earlier... We did a bit of shopping and had a meal before retiring back to the hotel. <br /><br />The next morning we had a great breakfast at the hotel - an organic vegetarian meal which consisted of minestrone, mushroom and avocado bruschetta and wild mushroom fried rice which was fantastic. I'm a bit of a carnivore but was thoroughly satisfied. They also had a full service expresso bar so after a couple of espresso's I was set. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBivrBfuJET1d0Fsyb5WJyIAGdLg9zjoBVarhvuME6fXZv1z1cV9zZ3SyGL9Woyr5EJerzKh0hn9yd4Mlp1vFVrel_x-Qp3wB5yfbWy5ElK5T-iUaD-lXnfr207lMey5JHL5Y8EUHl5Q/s1600/229.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBivrBfuJET1d0Fsyb5WJyIAGdLg9zjoBVarhvuME6fXZv1z1cV9zZ3SyGL9Woyr5EJerzKh0hn9yd4Mlp1vFVrel_x-Qp3wB5yfbWy5ElK5T-iUaD-lXnfr207lMey5JHL5Y8EUHl5Q/s320/229.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491762202213448050" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Organic breakfast</span><br /><br />Angie finished the last of the chocolate cake from the night before as well as a serve of hotcakes before a final play in the playroom. Our taxi to the airport was arriving so we said our goodbyes. Phranakorn-Nornlen is not your typical hotel (they don't even have TV's in their rooms) but if you're looking for something different and special we wholeheartedly recommend it. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKD_ofxlo0_ImP0ekHbRVT_VMciSJBa2ues3FbUr9jY2J2FRNmse8gfB2ewR9-6ejWa02MY4940rvYcLMslLsolw88Kktnb8x5NqMemZqvUTpWceAi_iI43397MbFZadqZOYPPVHnBYg/s1600/221.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKD_ofxlo0_ImP0ekHbRVT_VMciSJBa2ues3FbUr9jY2J2FRNmse8gfB2ewR9-6ejWa02MY4940rvYcLMslLsolw88Kktnb8x5NqMemZqvUTpWceAi_iI43397MbFZadqZOYPPVHnBYg/s320/221.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491763566051115042" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">There's even a monkey on the keychain!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoy6Nfac-ouX0QmtnaSwKcUna53xaGkPwWx1xl2BhOLkt4Wh6tknJ5iBi6Wj8zVkKbk5R5JxQ6b3MZX_wNPtTXVvzPPmvlv_pBKoFP_kXWw5u0f0MQ07LkhgI8WbTZDgj56DVHONSOgc/s1600/204.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoy6Nfac-ouX0QmtnaSwKcUna53xaGkPwWx1xl2BhOLkt4Wh6tknJ5iBi6Wj8zVkKbk5R5JxQ6b3MZX_wNPtTXVvzPPmvlv_pBKoFP_kXWw5u0f0MQ07LkhgI8WbTZDgj56DVHONSOgc/s320/204.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491764000148334850" /></a>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-52843015389211804372010-07-01T09:49:00.046+08:002010-07-04T10:18:03.307+08:00Krabi ProvinceA few days ago we got back from a relaxing week-long break in Thailand. It was our first visit to the 'land of smiles' but i'm sure we'll be back at some point. We were all struck by how friendly everyone was - Thailand certainly lived up to its' reputation and every second person we passed on the street would tickle Talia's feet while she was snug in the baby-carrier or bend down to shake Angie's hand. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6r4m45mC2AOiqz3u7wAxdTLrugyBbJMR34hWIyP1CZ9i_RFVz4TDHUPuYnulbAj_O52qe7HDsaa3eT4HiJvjO1SnwZV_8XjHAErNmNLNo6k-fZWFGvEPsla_wiVjTfgwBhJQePdmOwtY/s1600/177.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6r4m45mC2AOiqz3u7wAxdTLrugyBbJMR34hWIyP1CZ9i_RFVz4TDHUPuYnulbAj_O52qe7HDsaa3eT4HiJvjO1SnwZV_8XjHAErNmNLNo6k-fZWFGvEPsla_wiVjTfgwBhJQePdmOwtY/s320/177.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488759318882533682" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Sweet old lady in hairdressers in Bangkok</span><br /><br />Our first stop was Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport and from there we caught a domestic flight to Krabi. Macau to Bangkok - 2hrs 20mins. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjl2NHBky0gnXwPkzbpAAzHkSlHT0kZqM4Z68HNVCptKuRcInrHCnCThbu0BZmUd0rjU6QGp40u5S5uI7F4l6U2jC8iyoKOfV_GBHsg6a8bNQBjUOkhqabDmm0s6U5_lMpTw411XO8ds/s1600/244.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjl2NHBky0gnXwPkzbpAAzHkSlHT0kZqM4Z68HNVCptKuRcInrHCnCThbu0BZmUd0rjU6QGp40u5S5uI7F4l6U2jC8iyoKOfV_GBHsg6a8bNQBjUOkhqabDmm0s6U5_lMpTw411XO8ds/s320/244.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488762775587541458" /></a> <br /><br />We had roughly 1.5 hours to catch our flight to Krabi which should have been straightforward enough but had to wait 30 minutes to get our baggage (that's one downfall of flying a budget carrier - no transit service!). By the time we got to the check-in counter they said they had closed and had to call the captain if it was ok for us to still get on the plane. Luckily for us the AirAsia gods were kind and it was a serious dash to get on the plane. Bangkok to Krabi - 1 hour 20 minutes. From Krabi airport we caught a taxi (we shared with Erick, my colleague from Cirque who was also heading to Krabi) to Ao Nang, the beach-side town that is jumping point to the more beautiful areas in the South of Thailand such as Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta and Rai Leh (or Railay) which is where we were heading. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMdFs6yS5ZiGxBH_mc80pD_5sLwOXkTQWPaaLKND-lXfAfdYJJXJLPIag6XgiaeYYQnnysF-kuQyxuRhcaOdlajJNto0hdFwOvlI5lAC4j0V8fIoGT3Nlx-X-n5L5ZOJP-b5ghI3k20U/s1600/map_of_thailand.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMdFs6yS5ZiGxBH_mc80pD_5sLwOXkTQWPaaLKND-lXfAfdYJJXJLPIag6XgiaeYYQnnysF-kuQyxuRhcaOdlajJNto0hdFwOvlI5lAC4j0V8fIoGT3Nlx-X-n5L5ZOJP-b5ghI3k20U/s320/map_of_thailand.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489118995083345394" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Krabi province is in the south-west</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicy-bJv1W4kZ8GoSZ0XgDIf-PYXMgXn3XDq7T09xMMLVYFzX6J8CqPpjlcBZ6StMjmK4sBZpYaGtYR8NolNdwf-qlvsx85VqbBP5pWAqcMw9hqx7e1yW_PrC8XyFxlnHC4vDIKZZm3ws/s1600/krabicoast.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicy-bJv1W4kZ8GoSZ0XgDIf-PYXMgXn3XDq7T09xMMLVYFzX6J8CqPpjlcBZ6StMjmK4sBZpYaGtYR8NolNdwf-qlvsx85VqbBP5pWAqcMw9hqx7e1yW_PrC8XyFxlnHC4vDIKZZm3ws/s320/krabicoast.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489120290441126498" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Railay Beach is a short 20minute long-tail boat ride from Ao Nang</span><br /><br />We said our goodbyes to Erick (not for long though...) at the Ao Nang Sunset hotel where we had booked to stay the night. The Sunset was a basic, clean hotel and I chose it because it got good reviews on Tripadvisor and was a short walk to the longtail boats we had to catch to Railay. One thing I overlooked was that the Sunset did not have baths so Talia had to make do with the sink. She probably could do this for a few more months before she gets too big. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNhPYuC_BBfUNMhsxAjncFKZ6qdh4m44wttAthcXIIof6e3UVdURODORPMRf7RncFy_FYZvWyx33Sirym1ftYiyBaKoE96Y4Wj-af9Wsko-HZrMEcXD82fDI7GM0mRfLZPhHEpjtOgW0/s1600/247.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNhPYuC_BBfUNMhsxAjncFKZ6qdh4m44wttAthcXIIof6e3UVdURODORPMRf7RncFy_FYZvWyx33Sirym1ftYiyBaKoE96Y4Wj-af9Wsko-HZrMEcXD82fDI7GM0mRfLZPhHEpjtOgW0/s320/247.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489122207769874898" /></a><br /><br />They had also prepared a babycot and extra bed for us in advance - the babycot was a throwback to the days when infants were 'imprisoned'; let's hope it's the only time that Talia is 'behind bars'. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39od2ilIEiTmD6x84FvNDwSaqIo8BvsVn-r_ud_uu4YOut-cqfbOG0yqqhD9OiMY8KgeH_DafrvYoBlztOHpRoFsojNJg2BTa7RECjPX2kbJI7s3UUOaSHIHRjjlhQXa0Xf_0F92BCOM/s1600/248.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39od2ilIEiTmD6x84FvNDwSaqIo8BvsVn-r_ud_uu4YOut-cqfbOG0yqqhD9OiMY8KgeH_DafrvYoBlztOHpRoFsojNJg2BTa7RECjPX2kbJI7s3UUOaSHIHRjjlhQXa0Xf_0F92BCOM/s320/248.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489123727171628498" /></a><br /><br />We had arrived at Sunset at about 7.30pm so it was actually 8.30pm Macau time with Thailand being 1-hr behind and Talia was needing to sleep. We grabbed a quick meal downstairs at the restaurant joined by Erick (who had opted to stay a few doors down - the Sunset rooms were quite big for a lone traveler) and said our goodbyes as tiredness got the better of most of us. I noticed that there was a massage centre adjoining the Sunset so after I put the girls' to bed I thought what better way to start my holidays than with a Thai massage. It was getting late and as I chose the 1 hour Thai massage for $250baht (about $9AUD) I noticed the girls eyes roll and a grunt of dissatisfaction as she realised her day was not over just yet. For those that have never experienced proper Thai massage before it is not your typical relaxing massage. It is an hour of pretty intense bodywork, yoga-like stretches and other interesting techniques performed on the floor with the 'patient' wearing loose clothing. I've had it done only a couple of times before and never in Thailand so knew it was going to be an experience. A very interesting and provoking technique Thai massage employs is the 'blood-stop' technique. It is similar to a pressure-point blood-stop technique used by first-aiders to stem the bloodflow along a major artery. This is done predominantly done along the femoral artery and is held for approximately 30 seconds. From my understanding it is performed with the belief that you are 'unclogging' the artery of any unhealthy deposits. For those with a basic understanding of anatomy and physiology this is a mistaken belief and the blood-stop technique could be dangerous if held for long periods of time. 30 seconds is probably the maximum amount of time I would want my arteries pressed, unless of course I was bleeding out. <br /><br />The next morning we headed out to Nosey Parker's Elephant Camp just out of Ao Nang for an elephant trek. The camp was set in forest at the base of some limestone karst peaks which are famous throughout Krabi. The plan was for Nat and Talia to hop on the back of a smaller elephant and Angie and I to ride a bigger elephant. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uRmJPO_f0H7GbxPlMc0zuPqhndNGQP6bBesMh1dTanZouGmL9PdNPr0pK7vMpuUqPFxrDXACoa5wvmZPGl15JIVqAdhFDNVMUTF2TUovkAa8an5P-ErUOtu6Uilc7sSMAxRDDZ8yKZk/s1600/254.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uRmJPO_f0H7GbxPlMc0zuPqhndNGQP6bBesMh1dTanZouGmL9PdNPr0pK7vMpuUqPFxrDXACoa5wvmZPGl15JIVqAdhFDNVMUTF2TUovkAa8an5P-ErUOtu6Uilc7sSMAxRDDZ8yKZk/s320/254.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489482892899184450" /></a><br /><br />Angie was beginning to look a bit sheepish and as we were about to climb on the elephant let out an almighty growl - after that, there was no way Angie was getting on. All this while Nat and Talia were already on their elephant and had almost returned (Nat had enough already... it was a bit difficult with a infant strapped to her chest...). So in the end I jumped on the smaller elephant and went for a bit of a trek. The <span style="font-style:italic;">mahout</span> (elephant rider/keeper) let me ride bareback which was pretty cool, albeit in a 'horsey' style rather than the 'lotus' style you can see the <span style="font-style:italic;">mahout</span> riding in Nat's picture. We also got to feed our elephant some cucumbers which were much deserved after having us on his back! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-t1Aupexsd-ZthAjWinRl7cJWCT3KhZV3o8JqwcLFS0LhoKvpsQ0noS1ABFQL2YtVKgy_3s9DpeZULg9XLaLJSqViRpB2bQoE0Vs21RbrAOBUn17owQfkmhgON8bFZqlasSeQZqovdv0/s1600/257.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-t1Aupexsd-ZthAjWinRl7cJWCT3KhZV3o8JqwcLFS0LhoKvpsQ0noS1ABFQL2YtVKgy_3s9DpeZULg9XLaLJSqViRpB2bQoE0Vs21RbrAOBUn17owQfkmhgON8bFZqlasSeQZqovdv0/s320/257.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489485205863136178" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyBZQ27kA4IHgSTpk415t3NqknjBblG6q82YF7tFWfo2-c0NDiTuVF2bxRdDQwmTN8zAM6aJocBAKeBoHqVkNhcsDfGftpBjuDh-Lf8mFadFGIcMg_5AeXNzgyci9CvyZaTPPbeGC_WI/s1600/261.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyBZQ27kA4IHgSTpk415t3NqknjBblG6q82YF7tFWfo2-c0NDiTuVF2bxRdDQwmTN8zAM6aJocBAKeBoHqVkNhcsDfGftpBjuDh-Lf8mFadFGIcMg_5AeXNzgyci9CvyZaTPPbeGC_WI/s320/261.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489486029553292098" /></a><br /><br />From there it was back to the Sunset to pack our things to head over to Railay Bay via long-tail. Long-tail boats are the main method of transport in the waterways throughout most of South-east Asia. It was low tide so we had to travel around to the west end of Ao Nang to catch our boat. The long-tails cannot get too close to shore so you have to get knee-deep in the ocean to get in/out which is fun...well, for Angie. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLcjcNzVi8_yxQVsmGuvGAfhBmvuWHob1RX2VlHVZikEBScHfKVMBynGfLiaOi7UYS1lVbiNoNtqsh2ebm1JdwKpgVffS5_f4UP1QGD1bH_E1JR2_R3f0Lhaj0-3pJ6b8wwopxQbGsA4/s1600/265.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLcjcNzVi8_yxQVsmGuvGAfhBmvuWHob1RX2VlHVZikEBScHfKVMBynGfLiaOi7UYS1lVbiNoNtqsh2ebm1JdwKpgVffS5_f4UP1QGD1bH_E1JR2_R3f0Lhaj0-3pJ6b8wwopxQbGsA4/s320/265.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489487679375136114" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vcC3CuASQgoAi6ZKDAnF9u5MpFS489KCLOPrXtGqtebcm_5rjL8Jj1Me_zLsM_rU43wmc4SEAqLBj9H_NMdNBX-ehbVsFRkjI_RSAMvdsUXIc0p2BQVM6dFDZfm1DE-9ET1CSOSPLDY/s1600/279.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vcC3CuASQgoAi6ZKDAnF9u5MpFS489KCLOPrXtGqtebcm_5rjL8Jj1Me_zLsM_rU43wmc4SEAqLBj9H_NMdNBX-ehbVsFRkjI_RSAMvdsUXIc0p2BQVM6dFDZfm1DE-9ET1CSOSPLDY/s320/279.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489488108555279186" /></a><br /><br />Railay Beach is famous for its' karst peaks jutting out of white-sand beaches and is home to some of the best rockclimbing in the world. There are two main beaches - the East and West beach. The West beach is the more beautiful beach and is better for swimming while the East beach is mainly mangroves but is where more of the accommodation can be found. We stayed at Railay Bay resort which is on the West side and was fantastic. The staff were great and the resort itself is not world-class but the setting on the beach alone is worth it. It currently is low-season so you can get pretty good deals on accommodation but Railay beach is still pretty quiet this time of year - all the better for our relaxing holiday!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eFnos0YbX6BFAHKKhmyVYl8kBP7q8oRcmQ6nhTWz2AbjoEHJkYuyIlmBPSV7Lg8-Vv4_V8V41PzAZuaNApxB84TbDT5WrJmoeo-QY15zc0iLzBaHOch1rdJEek84zqOMRZ3WxolIkqU/s1600/285.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eFnos0YbX6BFAHKKhmyVYl8kBP7q8oRcmQ6nhTWz2AbjoEHJkYuyIlmBPSV7Lg8-Vv4_V8V41PzAZuaNApxB84TbDT5WrJmoeo-QY15zc0iLzBaHOch1rdJEek84zqOMRZ3WxolIkqU/s320/285.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489490267770879330" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Our welcome!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7o4bBOv-m10vNmOV90lE-2wdPkEWGwznumjVKcwAbZpjG80dRw1Ou8QPg1CPOTM7otPAtlXvMNbT7QnL1gegOiqx0Y6UdUA9Us5Q-_1cUIpeiyTECJu1g7uCQAtXUT74f6VNVluFT05Y/s1600/286.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7o4bBOv-m10vNmOV90lE-2wdPkEWGwznumjVKcwAbZpjG80dRw1Ou8QPg1CPOTM7otPAtlXvMNbT7QnL1gegOiqx0Y6UdUA9Us5Q-_1cUIpeiyTECJu1g7uCQAtXUT74f6VNVluFT05Y/s320/286.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489490912286291074" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Playing on our beach</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCElYlPS3GDNx0C0gWwmyCo8ptWq1IwaRftSGH-gA5ngdNdfHzi4uQ_BcEGW-gutrvN_A4zZ4a0xMZSsq39weKHAC8AU51T1PCkg54gYNK8qtLWSO3IxdxxFRoCHzWwA_jjpewP32z2s/s1600/291.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCElYlPS3GDNx0C0gWwmyCo8ptWq1IwaRftSGH-gA5ngdNdfHzi4uQ_BcEGW-gutrvN_A4zZ4a0xMZSsq39weKHAC8AU51T1PCkg54gYNK8qtLWSO3IxdxxFRoCHzWwA_jjpewP32z2s/s320/291.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489491771209678754" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">The other end of the West beach</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9VlXw0D7suzxO5HCFH3KgV1hXATyvpBjfCXkW-Dsi_4pF7dBXOHYJ4NBbNODv88qTJVa5jQfUT-TG6MOifgkd-3gi24iJFEUylfAedgbnTepwbD7tpinXeuRoTZUkGphSU9jkQKYYH8/s1600/025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9VlXw0D7suzxO5HCFH3KgV1hXATyvpBjfCXkW-Dsi_4pF7dBXOHYJ4NBbNODv88qTJVa5jQfUT-TG6MOifgkd-3gi24iJFEUylfAedgbnTepwbD7tpinXeuRoTZUkGphSU9jkQKYYH8/s320/025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489492766640840834" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Morning beach</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT988l2dq7nRAKbWE57StQQ2dQ17CLhnEMqxTA52HMIOdrc514SlpbHEwWwC3It6BSeaf0OmFIgTHX_DxisyXcniq6l1G3tOQucoHj54Ngu3RgYSZY1SaCy3naOxDFY0xLmwaITW3cjDg/s1600/297.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT988l2dq7nRAKbWE57StQQ2dQ17CLhnEMqxTA52HMIOdrc514SlpbHEwWwC3It6BSeaf0OmFIgTHX_DxisyXcniq6l1G3tOQucoHj54Ngu3RgYSZY1SaCy3naOxDFY0xLmwaITW3cjDg/s320/297.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489493374885935714" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Beach at dusk</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0S1Hot3-YbWbWy_nXQAKMIFXLSRHt-ipNvaLKVinN_UZBnL_m1fhVu9PW2gMNZKsQrq89yMKfXcsuWw3_x2ZIs9GKPigxuaD1jevkhrtruPWpsPTgs7TDEl2GF_IfoSm5IJxRewA5Ww/s1600/023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0S1Hot3-YbWbWy_nXQAKMIFXLSRHt-ipNvaLKVinN_UZBnL_m1fhVu9PW2gMNZKsQrq89yMKfXcsuWw3_x2ZIs9GKPigxuaD1jevkhrtruPWpsPTgs7TDEl2GF_IfoSm5IJxRewA5Ww/s320/023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489493867936238786" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutXROzS45VVKemXFUR9t7lQ0fLq2c1i_uKi2etAkAzUBenAgsAdpj1vIzFauEWLrwL17lp_YFVl8ZOgHAs5epQjbszcoh4wUWYfcknMbazM4DiVLmTI0zHAapg58-T9BIf8hCdLYJkas/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutXROzS45VVKemXFUR9t7lQ0fLq2c1i_uKi2etAkAzUBenAgsAdpj1vIzFauEWLrwL17lp_YFVl8ZOgHAs5epQjbszcoh4wUWYfcknMbazM4DiVLmTI0zHAapg58-T9BIf8hCdLYJkas/s320/005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489494464150455170" /></a><br /><br />We were lucky the first few days as the weather was glorious. The last two days there was some rain in the mornings but it managed to clear up after lunchtime so we could still have our daily swims in the pool and beach. On our third day we did a day trip to Ko Phi Phi island - in retrospect we should have at least stayed overnight as it was a slow 1.5 hour ferry there/back so we only had a few hours at Phi Phi. Ko Phi Phi is a lot bigger and more developed than the Railay area but has a lot more staying and drinking options. Phi Phi was pretty busy with tourists but we managed to have a nice swim and meal by the beach, listening to Bob Marley played by Thai rastafarians through their loudspeakers. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26TNcTd0TFJZLfkHECMw7H1-ZqFTP-85ixPUU0EfcVyF7hzZbunBbIhRHwZqz0vX9r9VcJG5Oc7z54-PtgfzNHWkM0ohc3A477QBtv7zn5JxQgrghA0LBg4ft2mE5ZrdvloILn3VT62k/s1600/037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26TNcTd0TFJZLfkHECMw7H1-ZqFTP-85ixPUU0EfcVyF7hzZbunBbIhRHwZqz0vX9r9VcJG5Oc7z54-PtgfzNHWkM0ohc3A477QBtv7zn5JxQgrghA0LBg4ft2mE5ZrdvloILn3VT62k/s320/037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489497604055362722" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Ko Phi Phi</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6E39QKIeAyeuRThzqQlfBWAQQM-CqIfVrrd68BvbunuilL5rQqd1-ekTanu3GeQd1xbhbhU8R-f3Z3051J48I4TpvZkVDnwhJfOAJiIVRvBMx7TrccspYHfRcD8sUfGZ22WgbaM_x-o/s1600/047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6E39QKIeAyeuRThzqQlfBWAQQM-CqIfVrrd68BvbunuilL5rQqd1-ekTanu3GeQd1xbhbhU8R-f3Z3051J48I4TpvZkVDnwhJfOAJiIVRvBMx7TrccspYHfRcD8sUfGZ22WgbaM_x-o/s320/047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489498364867389170" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">One of the locals trying to win over Talia</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyy73gi5UQAH9ai0MH8zKkEUFniQVJ1ti5ioVXlpoxtIrx6eQhrAQ8LXBKKdFTagpS1VtZNEEODl7aVWzJUK59oiMVRxXWP6dojNyQmBL-VMPs4SSjIcnOELvCuBWIWFPcCWbgDERS3Kk/s1600/072.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyy73gi5UQAH9ai0MH8zKkEUFniQVJ1ti5ioVXlpoxtIrx6eQhrAQ8LXBKKdFTagpS1VtZNEEODl7aVWzJUK59oiMVRxXWP6dojNyQmBL-VMPs4SSjIcnOELvCuBWIWFPcCWbgDERS3Kk/s320/072.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489498838328525138" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">On the ferry back to Railay</span><br /><br />The ferry from Railay to Ko Phi Phi sets sail from the East beach and at low tide you have to first catch a long-tail out to the ferry as there is no jetty at Railay. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX4X_osDB2MaC5cxXQnSO0qC2UeYGwtQDu9HVdn6aWJ7J-WMK8tJp33Sw_RU40cPzZigG0zxdmX7kHfukBGdQUazddw5YkR0in9eLuB-7qJmRI4Xn3AduuNY7EYz5chMqpNqkDVr8Occ/s1600/077.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSX4X_osDB2MaC5cxXQnSO0qC2UeYGwtQDu9HVdn6aWJ7J-WMK8tJp33Sw_RU40cPzZigG0zxdmX7kHfukBGdQUazddw5YkR0in9eLuB-7qJmRI4Xn3AduuNY7EYz5chMqpNqkDVr8Occ/s320/077.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489499873729200610" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Railay East beach at low tide - notice the rockclimbing wall in the background</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8v3jUi29x49BTtPOqzEhyphenhyphen3rzgsvbedzW0vh_P4vxTk7gF29lSB7CG1QLaqvSaUBgtMtflOtgVm97irfY50MuuQu0nKMcfb1olrk8Tm1I5igHXLqEMb3dIKR1x3CWlzW2LFcoFTNBApYU/s1600/094.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8v3jUi29x49BTtPOqzEhyphenhyphen3rzgsvbedzW0vh_P4vxTk7gF29lSB7CG1QLaqvSaUBgtMtflOtgVm97irfY50MuuQu0nKMcfb1olrk8Tm1I5igHXLqEMb3dIKR1x3CWlzW2LFcoFTNBApYU/s320/094.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489500759610200706" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Other end of Railay East at high tide</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxy3oJXnUjvtiJTCmbnQEFT-DQVvJnlmKbZ-DBzeeoDk_EQ2rx3_g3xv5pobtsiTjDUQkVYTZLknkOu8FW1ltSToE4YLkpr9piydOqRQcLhkhhLyvZHUF95JEs23Aghst5NdIgE2yIPrU/s1600/099.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxy3oJXnUjvtiJTCmbnQEFT-DQVvJnlmKbZ-DBzeeoDk_EQ2rx3_g3xv5pobtsiTjDUQkVYTZLknkOu8FW1ltSToE4YLkpr9piydOqRQcLhkhhLyvZHUF95JEs23Aghst5NdIgE2yIPrU/s320/099.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489501466303438738" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Angie enjoying a Thai pancake, or roti</span><br /><br />With all the looming cliffs around I thought I should do some exercise after eating and drinking for 4 days so got in touch with one of the local rockclimbing schools. They offer half or full-day courses so beginners like me are able to climb with no prior knowledge. It was really cheap for a <span style="font-style:italic;">farang</span>- $600baht($20AUD) for a half-day which includes all gear and shoes. We headed out to the peaks of East Railay which you could see in the background in one of my previous pictures. The area was reasonably busy with a few other groups climbing the different routes. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I didn't get any pics of myself climbing but managed to climb the same route as the guy at the top in the picture below:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAGdugQB0BYDgJ6mMIvYRhFF0sZem9Ye1K4yUwOZuZY5k9MewceXqao3mpKB1VgIS8b3AaHsq8do1gnQlwfbl8nyYIljt4QOvIVSWsZMYy06jmbCm1ta9d8lEwK9Jywb29HKh77obkJU/s1600/104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAGdugQB0BYDgJ6mMIvYRhFF0sZem9Ye1K4yUwOZuZY5k9MewceXqao3mpKB1VgIS8b3AaHsq8do1gnQlwfbl8nyYIljt4QOvIVSWsZMYy06jmbCm1ta9d8lEwK9Jywb29HKh77obkJU/s320/104.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489505086012757666" /></a><br /><br />This was supposedly a 6b rated route, which is an upper beginner/intermediate level. I tried a 6c route which involved some difficult overhangs but only managed to get a quarter of the way up. It was a super hot and humid day and I was pouring with sweat even before I began climbing. I ended up using my shirt as a mock headband to stop the sweat from getting in my eyes while climbing. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjmfQ1ORdtFuudDbSraOqGEc_EF2Sr-FoOoh6BUYFoJ2pw9c5_OqL-pXwbCH7XRma2VPeOmmwtijOaiwq8Dcwvwhr9ZL0V8PCTGhWarQKRy9oixflMydH51jVnHSarjO_2D-ea4SBLJY/s1600/106.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjmfQ1ORdtFuudDbSraOqGEc_EF2Sr-FoOoh6BUYFoJ2pw9c5_OqL-pXwbCH7XRma2VPeOmmwtijOaiwq8Dcwvwhr9ZL0V8PCTGhWarQKRy9oixflMydH51jVnHSarjO_2D-ea4SBLJY/s320/106.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489506197873902146" /></a> <br /><br />One of our guides had to retrieve a carabiner from the 6c route so she decided to show us how it was supposed to be done - in her flip-flops! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0kz5VsiIa_JCWhS98xONr4Hho91sHkB-LZeMUJzWrbpCOWm9F7nriPxR9SL_lNA-Jz72ekYLCe1N_qoimC5_y9oqnkO9XUyaiew8pXE4xdMZd4sloOEJpqVJGb3bqrN9x1nJHT1iEqc/s1600/116.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0kz5VsiIa_JCWhS98xONr4Hho91sHkB-LZeMUJzWrbpCOWm9F7nriPxR9SL_lNA-Jz72ekYLCe1N_qoimC5_y9oqnkO9XUyaiew8pXE4xdMZd4sloOEJpqVJGb3bqrN9x1nJHT1iEqc/s320/116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489507166209191186" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Our guide climbing in flip-flops!</span><br /><br />With very sore fingers and forearms I headed back to the resort for a cool-off in the pool. The next day was our last full day in Railay before we flew to Bangkok. We went to Phra Nang beach which is on the tip of the peninsula, only a 10 minute walk from West Railay. It is a beautiful stretch of sand which has a huge cavern at one end that punches through the limestone peaks. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHe7WRq0ZmvFnsQy-H3Tk8cqA31Kq9MyXqI6XtTQk6v8mEWqGfDAsGfGKYZ-E3Z-wJMYJXru8PWpat6sFqYUkkyC9h9w3M011yDaJSKxyUQpEsHDr8Jprd3YaYqHfbf7Ub_2l5dYU1MJk/s1600/138.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHe7WRq0ZmvFnsQy-H3Tk8cqA31Kq9MyXqI6XtTQk6v8mEWqGfDAsGfGKYZ-E3Z-wJMYJXru8PWpat6sFqYUkkyC9h9w3M011yDaJSKxyUQpEsHDr8Jprd3YaYqHfbf7Ub_2l5dYU1MJk/s320/138.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489508753256115714" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Phra Nang beach - in the background is the cavern which punches through to the other side of the cliff</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvHXRrOc966J1Dar458XDRE8MUv92sNy-uVo8JNRc2QRvRqtXonpuqyuvx1zLTQoRLCqgFbr8sG-sP9Jb2GfvuPOim-IUXWKtU5Lh1byIsAQFIiFzQUxYpT2b0onYDh2BepdWWNEJYKk/s1600/144.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvHXRrOc966J1Dar458XDRE8MUv92sNy-uVo8JNRc2QRvRqtXonpuqyuvx1zLTQoRLCqgFbr8sG-sP9Jb2GfvuPOim-IUXWKtU5Lh1byIsAQFIiFzQUxYpT2b0onYDh2BepdWWNEJYKk/s320/144.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489509594123118242" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">The other end of Phra Nang beach</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uyEpNccw1C2qET3H64o-7cA2GAW-tMbMW8zjbzZU2cfAQ8l89TQBwNyD3uWiJDdS2wMpdhljbXDJZi3elWZ1qVKBXEBNoNNsaDqd_OAm1_f55JXLy7cUqz8HPYzIhAvQ0YX0-_CimiE/s1600/153.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uyEpNccw1C2qET3H64o-7cA2GAW-tMbMW8zjbzZU2cfAQ8l89TQBwNyD3uWiJDdS2wMpdhljbXDJZi3elWZ1qVKBXEBNoNNsaDqd_OAm1_f55JXLy7cUqz8HPYzIhAvQ0YX0-_CimiE/s320/153.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489510039481231218" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">From inside the cavern looking out to the beach - you can the girls on the beach in the distance</span><br /><br />Another distinctive feature on Phra Nang is a small temple in one of the small caves dotting the limestone cliff. It actually is a 'Phallus' shrine for the local fishermen that believe a sea princess inhabits the cave and by offering her phallic objects representing fertility they will have a bountiful catch. It is very bizarre. Have a look:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EXRgUBr2qmw5IW0IzQQqPAYUgiWby9eiHwaLtNtXHQwz2QiSTMOm11cKNN5rs6twtVRGgTshZ7mVh3WHexJ6HhQdcpH2hluCFRv3QBySulPP70LQ1AIU9jkHWHHiR1iVQG0eQcaGCn0/s1600/158.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EXRgUBr2qmw5IW0IzQQqPAYUgiWby9eiHwaLtNtXHQwz2QiSTMOm11cKNN5rs6twtVRGgTshZ7mVh3WHexJ6HhQdcpH2hluCFRv3QBySulPP70LQ1AIU9jkHWHHiR1iVQG0eQcaGCn0/s320/158.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489864565888551362" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVqoiaeJvUYWaOosL08OW3-uODCQzQU4H5KTiRCDhPljj0_jqHR_o1Us3q6wWUPN8GzS-L_Be5OYejcMFmqw9xaURPgh-OXUwxFEUk5jiLZFYup8EtuEOlMjSaXplk1Zx2uOUt5xAdOc/s1600/159.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVqoiaeJvUYWaOosL08OW3-uODCQzQU4H5KTiRCDhPljj0_jqHR_o1Us3q6wWUPN8GzS-L_Be5OYejcMFmqw9xaURPgh-OXUwxFEUk5jiLZFYup8EtuEOlMjSaXplk1Zx2uOUt5xAdOc/s320/159.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489864902610666642" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">The phallus shrine at Phra Nang beach - notice all the phallic offerings</span><br /><br />We had a long swim at Phra Nang and then walked back for our last dinner at Railay. Angie made a friend in her final days at Railay - a little cutie named Mia - who with her family were visiting from Singapore. The next morning we packed our things and had one final swim before heading to the East side to catch a long-tail to Krabi airport. The ride was reasonably quick - a 15 minute long-tail to a pier and then a 20-minute car ride to the airport. Our time in magical Krabi had come to an end. Next stop - the charming Phranakorn-Norlen hotel in Old Bangkok. To be continued....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLikxX1VN71MvxKfeCUGkMLLGxwtvKpgVugrk9mC3khe2bXGGi3PiWssgI0R0lKFITOFpoztOg6-Chdy_ooUMPlWvQTmnt-DrCcZfyUl-iEJXVrPb0NKuwmNWjRIAbRjazeNMSoBk8ak/s1600/124.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLikxX1VN71MvxKfeCUGkMLLGxwtvKpgVugrk9mC3khe2bXGGi3PiWssgI0R0lKFITOFpoztOg6-Chdy_ooUMPlWvQTmnt-DrCcZfyUl-iEJXVrPb0NKuwmNWjRIAbRjazeNMSoBk8ak/s320/124.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489866619721214466" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkJg4NJpRNX7XNVUdmDN1LM6K2A0nIOnI6PHlO75HSOMmWaIi_BdoHGNcwI1tkmi8VtCCMwD6OfiWQQS3avhh4U_ea_uhOeVVOnOd84edR2CxjQ5omSKiIwhwGKkjOSATFBYDRJn0f7w/s1600/119.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkJg4NJpRNX7XNVUdmDN1LM6K2A0nIOnI6PHlO75HSOMmWaIi_BdoHGNcwI1tkmi8VtCCMwD6OfiWQQS3avhh4U_ea_uhOeVVOnOd84edR2CxjQ5omSKiIwhwGKkjOSATFBYDRJn0f7w/s320/119.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489867040108247762" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP574-NEGJ1pV8x7xW_SfHXmbVmGLhWIXH9J_C7e1yKIoummRve1Nihu29ddba-YU_MXNs8z0HlKTJ0CxroE4lj4XvRBIK2u1DWzh-zDE2vkuQcH_aU8Uy_0woq0p0CI9tsnBxyF9lss/s1600/118.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP574-NEGJ1pV8x7xW_SfHXmbVmGLhWIXH9J_C7e1yKIoummRve1Nihu29ddba-YU_MXNs8z0HlKTJ0CxroE4lj4XvRBIK2u1DWzh-zDE2vkuQcH_aU8Uy_0woq0p0CI9tsnBxyF9lss/s320/118.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489867416366094226" /></a>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-6344157089903729372010-06-16T11:10:00.007+08:002010-06-16T11:22:08.855+08:00Musashi Website!Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Have been trying to work on a new site for our webcomic - Musashi M.D. Click <a href="http://musashi.gatoons.com/">here</a> to take a peek! I'll still keep this blogspot for family-related news and our upcoming adventures in Asia (we head to Thailand next week! - can't wait...). Here's some recent pics...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmhHJJkZYo97yb9uEJzACnZxKc9KwlccXuCgZ8orE6Yf8a2RgKkWn_9XHc8Ze46eJLqaT29hPoeulnxb4QFTlGQk36SYRXdOYwqhv1WDUqiZwLJJCrHS1N4x-UvliFoHsrL0oR1tehAk/s1600/Pretty+Angie+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmhHJJkZYo97yb9uEJzACnZxKc9KwlccXuCgZ8orE6Yf8a2RgKkWn_9XHc8Ze46eJLqaT29hPoeulnxb4QFTlGQk36SYRXdOYwqhv1WDUqiZwLJJCrHS1N4x-UvliFoHsrL0oR1tehAk/s320/Pretty+Angie+002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483205144006332034" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnY4BgF3yZnmhdOz-2HL6BlQBNBUex633Y-1-Ax9v0xnktVG7WTMRqsJmw7_gPrs00oJhOuR6lnz9HUiIe_e7xaWx-8PrseWqi8-28auRbbUeYzuHIiyTw2s7JcZ8QptFe4-QeSIwtqM/s1600/may+2010+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnY4BgF3yZnmhdOz-2HL6BlQBNBUex633Y-1-Ax9v0xnktVG7WTMRqsJmw7_gPrs00oJhOuR6lnz9HUiIe_e7xaWx-8PrseWqi8-28auRbbUeYzuHIiyTw2s7JcZ8QptFe4-QeSIwtqM/s320/may+2010+002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483205443720925106" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFcT_yOW-R2yba03ODYRtFsozdh6yQIK-mOV3vKgpbIh1ESofPmzWI3hmXz7x7MGat79DCNKG5WRvwDJPrjaaK4U9y2ljQVqthXDx3LHIq3QY3P7kBeLjm670brCZi00Ljma2BiColGs/s1600/may+2010+003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFcT_yOW-R2yba03ODYRtFsozdh6yQIK-mOV3vKgpbIh1ESofPmzWI3hmXz7x7MGat79DCNKG5WRvwDJPrjaaK4U9y2ljQVqthXDx3LHIq3QY3P7kBeLjm670brCZi00Ljma2BiColGs/s320/may+2010+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483205844176281058" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonW7qlAK-3MmjwaRAdBd3mgThtca6I1HC4EACYOCYDMd9Fodf2zFlgnqIobGfqniX105I2XwimZV7QgwFkZe_vgoxxuQtcN4w_soU2dNzWsffWbxXh1w7TBP_X55ltUUN_i-Vxcf27S0/s1600/may+2010+006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonW7qlAK-3MmjwaRAdBd3mgThtca6I1HC4EACYOCYDMd9Fodf2zFlgnqIobGfqniX105I2XwimZV7QgwFkZe_vgoxxuQtcN4w_soU2dNzWsffWbxXh1w7TBP_X55ltUUN_i-Vxcf27S0/s320/may+2010+006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483206342367631458" /></a>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-66881905906359423532010-05-03T09:47:00.008+08:002010-05-03T10:03:43.732+08:00Macau TimesSome recent photos at home....<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDk7QOtBBUQUv5O5zkIs-puU0NUDxQaT49-qRDpmaKeYcjiYIbSzuYi08sQC13jyr-sEHPXLEutLGJn1jnuUk60gVF5BEVQ9KZd3508inWJaKRvAd4vsaUALVe62US29ZKb7STpPF8GWk/s1600/maurice+040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDk7QOtBBUQUv5O5zkIs-puU0NUDxQaT49-qRDpmaKeYcjiYIbSzuYi08sQC13jyr-sEHPXLEutLGJn1jnuUk60gVF5BEVQ9KZd3508inWJaKRvAd4vsaUALVe62US29ZKb7STpPF8GWk/s320/maurice+040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466854952981155730" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hf4mCH1g00TZ323LRnpNYZ6MPkBLbcSBZXb9S4GBSVTyB2aJ-QW4JHWEfTJTMOFttL9d7l-JRqjEHLkzDlU5W5-mzDn00fRg-XvDfht68JCzZSd_GsHQkf0UQBnDKSOfsoXi9_ds5ow/s1600/maurice+035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hf4mCH1g00TZ323LRnpNYZ6MPkBLbcSBZXb9S4GBSVTyB2aJ-QW4JHWEfTJTMOFttL9d7l-JRqjEHLkzDlU5W5-mzDn00fRg-XvDfht68JCzZSd_GsHQkf0UQBnDKSOfsoXi9_ds5ow/s320/maurice+035.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466855441975202674" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ad7GzbfKSdfsmngQHZu4hlQR3J-y-kdoa27Uhd2fUMYzIw-XEPhEVXSubVb0nSJDIrF8x5v-NAeM3ckE7yoC3FOlRecH85QyeFjojC52KfC6euzLCXqjsfOOQx1M-ACnD7RDVk6JNzo/s1600/maurice+3+018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ad7GzbfKSdfsmngQHZu4hlQR3J-y-kdoa27Uhd2fUMYzIw-XEPhEVXSubVb0nSJDIrF8x5v-NAeM3ckE7yoC3FOlRecH85QyeFjojC52KfC6euzLCXqjsfOOQx1M-ACnD7RDVk6JNzo/s320/maurice+3+018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466855896006454434" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5LXJDj1y4plgKvv2v_7TC3I6BbteF4hnFQF7EMYkCsVIfPloStxCL6kdPP4eWluKgMmaSaif-Inmqc4ylyDHzC0tiHuXj5DirvXZjEmeGOTxVf9qiJf_pS6CG5amappguyKMA2SCsxI/s1600/maurice+033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5LXJDj1y4plgKvv2v_7TC3I6BbteF4hnFQF7EMYkCsVIfPloStxCL6kdPP4eWluKgMmaSaif-Inmqc4ylyDHzC0tiHuXj5DirvXZjEmeGOTxVf9qiJf_pS6CG5amappguyKMA2SCsxI/s320/maurice+033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466856357420628098" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7FeAVkT7UFZTbKaNu3UrIzK-BxO4Hcsd37Df6yEK8K3kaRgH80nvg6l3bszPgQMv8Poa9QKUKkacqaNL4aIQQxvwQGV0KlZPtXdD_FFr2XXYNvIEWzrfDOABFHPR-MLnk3_WyKRP7y8/s1600/Taipei+April+2010+014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7FeAVkT7UFZTbKaNu3UrIzK-BxO4Hcsd37Df6yEK8K3kaRgH80nvg6l3bszPgQMv8Poa9QKUKkacqaNL4aIQQxvwQGV0KlZPtXdD_FFr2XXYNvIEWzrfDOABFHPR-MLnk3_WyKRP7y8/s320/Taipei+April+2010+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466856726390191010" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri7PNgZCgMYTNJQAv4ZzNaiy8PcJSVG_gDLKEU2va5Hq_hdPuFL3v9k_M2wUhHgb8MOOo3NOh0B7VWGCTZlbEQfRiTdc-qUOGWbNTRreGE9sbiD7VGUjutdhnDNeuCTCEdzWaUwW82GA/s1600/Forth+year+anniversary+003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri7PNgZCgMYTNJQAv4ZzNaiy8PcJSVG_gDLKEU2va5Hq_hdPuFL3v9k_M2wUhHgb8MOOo3NOh0B7VWGCTZlbEQfRiTdc-qUOGWbNTRreGE9sbiD7VGUjutdhnDNeuCTCEdzWaUwW82GA/s320/Forth+year+anniversary+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466858337450420066" /></a>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-48987888088412884022010-04-19T10:50:00.005+08:002010-04-19T11:09:57.786+08:00Musashi M.D.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkrtel0C6pHlbjlp-RjxajdaKUQObvy3oPn0kTHnErAmLDOZple84nFS4dkQFbv65D0pz7XvB9dl5c767-DyHJudY3eBCvubs6ig_nGig64k8Aq7Fzo3sLPjc-KLTL6anhkkmvLwuE9A/s1600/enso.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkrtel0C6pHlbjlp-RjxajdaKUQObvy3oPn0kTHnErAmLDOZple84nFS4dkQFbv65D0pz7XvB9dl5c767-DyHJudY3eBCvubs6ig_nGig64k8Aq7Fzo3sLPjc-KLTL6anhkkmvLwuE9A/s320/enso.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461679598968393186" /></a><br /><br />My brother Gav and I have been working on a comic strip over the last few months. It's a bit of a goofball strip with the famous samurai Musashi working in his day-job as a M.D. and getting into all sorts of trouble. Gav proposed we come up with something together for a magazine which hopefully will be released later this year - I came up with the basic premise and basic script which we hashed out together while Gav did the rest. I've written a few Musashi scripts but Gav's a busy man with his other two on-going strips but hopefully he can find the time to weave his artistic magic! Check out <a href="http://gatoons.com/2010/04/16/musashi-m-d/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gatoons+%28Gatoons%29">MUSASHI M.D.</a> and let us know what you think!Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014203011619364646.post-7933821733817103172010-04-02T09:18:00.055+08:002010-04-08T10:04:43.289+08:00TaipeiHaving not really traveled all that much last year (except to Hong Kong and Zhuhai), we wanted to make the most of my three-day dark between 29 March - 1 April so decided to take a trip across the strait to Taiwan. Angie was, yet again, very excited she didn't have to attend school for a few days and wanted to take a picture with the Shanghai 2010 Expo blob at Macau airport -<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4dHFL-f9HO-S_AkmMSxMTVp8WqucygwRAtYwjW1Y0wucERQXWpfbpVWpgYPei7olFe12yppayKFobbCO8ZrPm3Se2_s1YE1faXkjY0TkVC0ubxmXx97y734PUTkOjCe8eFhWrlZ0NOI/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4dHFL-f9HO-S_AkmMSxMTVp8WqucygwRAtYwjW1Y0wucERQXWpfbpVWpgYPei7olFe12yppayKFobbCO8ZrPm3Se2_s1YE1faXkjY0TkVC0ubxmXx97y734PUTkOjCe8eFhWrlZ0NOI/s320/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455350667075839858" border="0"></a><br /><br />This was the first time we flew with Air Macau and we were pleasantly surprised with their excellent service, even though 'blast-off' was delayed by 20 minutes. We flew direct to Taipei, the capital and largest city, which is at the northern end of the island and only 1 hour and 50 minutes from Macau by air. Having arrived at a decent hour where businesses are actually open - read my previous blog about KK <a href="http://adventuresinmacow.blogspot.com/">here</a> - changing HKD into NTD (New Taiwan Dollars) was a breeze. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYHTBhT8YEN0rvtqXpQ0CHTmxt-2d0Jmf9yn6s1kFQkxkcCtCrdz2EDcVXeC12QIk9jHLQEoW6cFwf2bg47DwzQw8UxZwOcZJ7mR2hXZZNpNzI-i85zCAmvPn2R65eCkeRhCB5MKFOSk/s1600/taiwan_strait_98.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYHTBhT8YEN0rvtqXpQ0CHTmxt-2d0Jmf9yn6s1kFQkxkcCtCrdz2EDcVXeC12QIk9jHLQEoW6cFwf2bg47DwzQw8UxZwOcZJ7mR2hXZZNpNzI-i85zCAmvPn2R65eCkeRhCB5MKFOSk/s320/taiwan_strait_98.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455348165138998994" border="0"></a><br /><br />We arrived in Taipei just after midday and Nat's friend Patricia, with whom she went to highschool with in Johannesburg 15 years ago, was at the airport to greet us. The Taoyuan airport is in Taoyuan County which is about 45 minutes by car from the city and costs about $1000NTD (about $33AUD) by taxi. Nat had not seen Patricia for 15 years since they went to school together but had kept in touch via snail mail and more recently something called the internet which seems to be all the rage these days. The first thing we noticed in Taiwan is the politeness of the people and lots of open space - yes, Macau can get a bit claustrophobic at times. Our hotel, Wonstar Hotel, was located in the trendy Ximending district where there are lots of hip clothing stores and pedestrian streets selling renowned Taiwan <span style="font-style: italic;">xiaochi</span> or snacks. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uPxBGQ9xPvVZ3us3049v3EI1WvyzaNgVafxJzPhzO5HqtcoY5gGEYH8S8liY_mF9Dk9jHM6UCK_ir0PG0U_sYZs7-L56_iKHtllyGcAz2FMV8D15HRwZ_ClFgOcXYvM3bycbCBHowcM/s1600/221.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uPxBGQ9xPvVZ3us3049v3EI1WvyzaNgVafxJzPhzO5HqtcoY5gGEYH8S8liY_mF9Dk9jHM6UCK_ir0PG0U_sYZs7-L56_iKHtllyGcAz2FMV8D15HRwZ_ClFgOcXYvM3bycbCBHowcM/s320/221.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457580932419001346" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Trendy Ximending</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEmBogqqtwLOMuXZZr5wNJJy06EyMZRHZ57lx8cxA1CqKN0MgkGeUQ791-rtmbNOoQKdzztdkeStbi6KjuS2np7WBvSH7nH2jISvqB5Yi-9TIofjnsWGxyQJi0fOEzJHrjDviHCfFbLk/s1600/219.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEmBogqqtwLOMuXZZr5wNJJy06EyMZRHZ57lx8cxA1CqKN0MgkGeUQ791-rtmbNOoQKdzztdkeStbi6KjuS2np7WBvSH7nH2jISvqB5Yi-9TIofjnsWGxyQJi0fOEzJHrjDviHCfFbLk/s320/219.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457581379466958594" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitt9bPu9X0afTCorRB-uz3vauyLJYTE6E3wWCmzR0YbAc1qEuqNdWX-ZyLdxoS3QUKLBuheKC3573f9cX4Ua84Ge-2OCvxauZY4cOF50SNhNGgSbMumDWi_LwBQk0xxCOnaOOxINZNuzU/s1600/wonstar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitt9bPu9X0afTCorRB-uz3vauyLJYTE6E3wWCmzR0YbAc1qEuqNdWX-ZyLdxoS3QUKLBuheKC3573f9cX4Ua84Ge-2OCvxauZY4cOF50SNhNGgSbMumDWi_LwBQk0xxCOnaOOxINZNuzU/s320/wonstar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455355303559096450" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The confusingly named Wonstar Hotel</span><br /><br />We laughed when we saw the towels in our room that read 'Onestar Hotel' - it was good to see that Chinglish was alive and kicking across the strait. I would have at least called it the 'Three star Hotel'. Ximending was a very convenient place to be located, really close to great shops selling all kinds of stuff and some local food places just a block away. We were all a bit hungry so we found a local noodle shop so satiate the beast! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjietNRIyb4shr28ODmYKW2hHLj4IWVyK6v8l7yuQ5kNcu8zgOB8LuIvk6AMFjkrrP2lBzIysDBb1-yTYPlZGf2ZAYExrf0Q316fgzIhzBT8Q-iMHK8BMBZyZ0vvJ3xa809prQEtN3Z1oA/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjietNRIyb4shr28ODmYKW2hHLj4IWVyK6v8l7yuQ5kNcu8zgOB8LuIvk6AMFjkrrP2lBzIysDBb1-yTYPlZGf2ZAYExrf0Q316fgzIhzBT8Q-iMHK8BMBZyZ0vvJ3xa809prQEtN3Z1oA/s320/014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455357360737228754" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9Vsff4xx9oSzTDwXBS-wDIfA8J5xknda3cr0WAbHyzChJ0S2UPMocVnLSnkBZZIW62tnRVC10KjpZ8vhDLjX1zvZk7_JliI4ZM4fkVIgwT7_O25nDQ1IrVq7BGrMRIS4OrhLzGM8d2s/s1600/010.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9Vsff4xx9oSzTDwXBS-wDIfA8J5xknda3cr0WAbHyzChJ0S2UPMocVnLSnkBZZIW62tnRVC10KjpZ8vhDLjX1zvZk7_JliI4ZM4fkVIgwT7_O25nDQ1IrVq7BGrMRIS4OrhLzGM8d2s/s320/010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455357771983646018" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Patricia telling Angie that Taiwanese noodles are ok</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeL52wWcS3KRlafTOV1a9vbibDQGi3jzQMyD36IsJISSj_cOJf7wzJ1xXp3wNgWxX7qVES2bkaX6Gd7SAov1cdH7DgyT-hnkyS07wemZwXpWeRvQqfyeHHQrubsPBQD5T0HYhYRs07iQ/s1600/011.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeL52wWcS3KRlafTOV1a9vbibDQGi3jzQMyD36IsJISSj_cOJf7wzJ1xXp3wNgWxX7qVES2bkaX6Gd7SAov1cdH7DgyT-hnkyS07wemZwXpWeRvQqfyeHHQrubsPBQD5T0HYhYRs07iQ/s320/011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455358320785014658" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Niurou mian - Beef noodle soup</span> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlpNPpEIy3hrLfyn4Ebj-F1J2IyocXxvlWDdA0m5SCTUrkEh8MwdKtjQhi-oeB3tVG8xJyCxnQYSc1_CG8mQBlYIGTzvRUeqpTYP9rEoOzcCH96neNvEySFslUUv94kFsFGlEEAze2hI/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlpNPpEIy3hrLfyn4Ebj-F1J2IyocXxvlWDdA0m5SCTUrkEh8MwdKtjQhi-oeB3tVG8xJyCxnQYSc1_CG8mQBlYIGTzvRUeqpTYP9rEoOzcCH96neNvEySFslUUv94kFsFGlEEAze2hI/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455359473508801058" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The noodle flour mixer</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQHrVNDWkMC2Co3RBWmBWI6SMZ9w0fBLaNczAkPTdu7ifPXlp8Vc2jy90mEOJ6bmukILCMMXaG6h71UoTbRsuSwi39MD6XK31qjJwdZl0QAhtNrwfV9wR2v_23jVhgDtDb_Yeogq56KI/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQHrVNDWkMC2Co3RBWmBWI6SMZ9w0fBLaNczAkPTdu7ifPXlp8Vc2jy90mEOJ6bmukILCMMXaG6h71UoTbRsuSwi39MD6XK31qjJwdZl0QAhtNrwfV9wR2v_23jVhgDtDb_Yeogq56KI/s320/009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455360354913432850" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">So cheap - the most expensive dish on the menu was $160NTD, about $2.50AUD!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBHrbCIMeSp_q-eBPhATAuv0PJDtXwcd808d2BSiZuDyBN2RUs5uI8Y55nn3UDLhBirLERrSoYUdGQbRJLbQNTQ2SU0c1aMyCuXVliLd51qMbMy-J99yZHXVhS4xdm7qDUsvaY_y3y-4/s1600/008.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBHrbCIMeSp_q-eBPhATAuv0PJDtXwcd808d2BSiZuDyBN2RUs5uI8Y55nn3UDLhBirLERrSoYUdGQbRJLbQNTQ2SU0c1aMyCuXVliLd51qMbMy-J99yZHXVhS4xdm7qDUsvaY_y3y-4/s320/008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455728507503182914" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amazing what they can make from the simple soy bean!</span><br /><br />From there, Patricia wanted to take us to Yangmingshan National Park which is only 45 minutes by car from the city. YangMing 'mountain' is named after a Ming Dynasty military official and was the summer residence of Chiang Kai-Shek, where the former leader of the KMT (Kuomintang) could escape the heat of the city. It is famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs and walking trails. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJRdHVSRgMRgz8xzl8G_uvd7iGDs5_WqtVcXzXGqxB7M9aZLXIRAlCjk3JFUbY4QO8sONJbnzMFlaFzzlVIv6IO10w98f7Y-Zl-tpRnx1CJ5gDfUexvEOTeExjidWcz4RRGjspdzuato/s1600/033.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJRdHVSRgMRgz8xzl8G_uvd7iGDs5_WqtVcXzXGqxB7M9aZLXIRAlCjk3JFUbY4QO8sONJbnzMFlaFzzlVIv6IO10w98f7Y-Zl-tpRnx1CJ5gDfUexvEOTeExjidWcz4RRGjspdzuato/s320/033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455732103380256018" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3kx7Yajw4jq270PbrlAc4K3ESOrrnBHnseyHouu46b9zkeM08ut0Q01DbKOhmZSm8N0SZUChwBzHTiyWayPOd4ZhIRCHZSxcBYHa5qIn4spdTeo227ff7mCw8iBapB4IEm2iHULHXQk/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3kx7Yajw4jq270PbrlAc4K3ESOrrnBHnseyHouu46b9zkeM08ut0Q01DbKOhmZSm8N0SZUChwBzHTiyWayPOd4ZhIRCHZSxcBYHa5qIn4spdTeo227ff7mCw8iBapB4IEm2iHULHXQk/s320/016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455732851578288994" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Angie enjoying the greenery</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRqz74V97Kh-wVR8uP_kL3OKbmDxktNqQHYGC6gueju3tPVuzRc9omQnSrNmYKThpI23JLrr87h5oPHqo9itks_bOsRVK1FaXwoxwLJ1SmCR4VPVbZE35gsJUOuwIT7bmCTEoBNDJ2P8/s1600/020.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRqz74V97Kh-wVR8uP_kL3OKbmDxktNqQHYGC6gueju3tPVuzRc9omQnSrNmYKThpI23JLrr87h5oPHqo9itks_bOsRVK1FaXwoxwLJ1SmCR4VPVbZE35gsJUOuwIT7bmCTEoBNDJ2P8/s320/020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455734236298825106" border="0"></a><br /><br />Unfortunately the weather was not great and light was fading fast so we stopped for refuge at a makeshift restaurant in one of the many valleys. In this one valley it seemed there were 4 or 5 restaurants all selling iris flowers and making a living from people stopping for a pit-stop on their way up/down the mountain. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIDPkwTzFk7trevmtiuS2X9YN1yO10XXV60QtJJOZO9hbTOpwbIF6SMKNQtJUhuPyJ_EPs-eWW9y6_5k-RHf1zg5PfkLt4ZXtcOvNqwG1ffdNFaztAa9stsoZRgQquxMjtDFAwoMRwCs/s1600/035.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIDPkwTzFk7trevmtiuS2X9YN1yO10XXV60QtJJOZO9hbTOpwbIF6SMKNQtJUhuPyJ_EPs-eWW9y6_5k-RHf1zg5PfkLt4ZXtcOvNqwG1ffdNFaztAa9stsoZRgQquxMjtDFAwoMRwCs/s320/035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455736132796104594" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The mist clouding the mountain peaks</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNNO43T5uaON6ZS6vkZDgc8z17HZjyMX6rIJLTXN1Qr3jY168iOSx_J4kMaaM9qeGwbTW0paVv89XXVKP0Z8l77wij9Vo66n5IcThXxOTo0FVsb9ujWII1XZvexevo-WNaYewvNVE1sM/s1600/036.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNNO43T5uaON6ZS6vkZDgc8z17HZjyMX6rIJLTXN1Qr3jY168iOSx_J4kMaaM9qeGwbTW0paVv89XXVKP0Z8l77wij9Vo66n5IcThXxOTo0FVsb9ujWII1XZvexevo-WNaYewvNVE1sM/s320/036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455736887708925746" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Outside the makeshift restaurant</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzEhIGpySWDy7Vd7lrof0widw3RkkPrmxlqvnDRN74hSNfoRvwgwpw32CNqmH8DNrciMdMyu_b2DPCZqyfC1A8INzFt53h33EPtGNmiA0m_m1_3VmbPL0D1nkCJb53a8YFaDpLk1IfDI/s1600/039.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzEhIGpySWDy7Vd7lrof0widw3RkkPrmxlqvnDRN74hSNfoRvwgwpw32CNqmH8DNrciMdMyu_b2DPCZqyfC1A8INzFt53h33EPtGNmiA0m_m1_3VmbPL0D1nkCJb53a8YFaDpLk1IfDI/s320/039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455738492674286930" border="0"></a><br /><br />We had a light meal of some local greens and a type of small fish which was deep-fried and served with a pepper-salt mix which was pretty tasty. I say 'light' meal as Patricia planned to take us to the famous Shilin night market after Yangming mountain so I had to save some room for all the goodies that awaited us. Shilin night market is probably the most famous of all the night markets in Taipei - a city where night markets are an institution and eating by the roadside is the norm. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV3OL04iIS6GJf6_ujXrrgsMXC4TC-_DGewyiTXDy2JTFheFpVxyc6MEnObB_d5JyvXvCiGGC88z7Thxbtrv6gx75zrjqQI6Sm7Hueg2xBQIgrY_WNzeZXv5uTBr3dLAaPET-fSde9rM/s1600/044.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV3OL04iIS6GJf6_ujXrrgsMXC4TC-_DGewyiTXDy2JTFheFpVxyc6MEnObB_d5JyvXvCiGGC88z7Thxbtrv6gx75zrjqQI6Sm7Hueg2xBQIgrY_WNzeZXv5uTBr3dLAaPET-fSde9rM/s320/044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455749385824912146" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Shilin night market</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDQldv4LlTWQFiKkkqbrJuysQKErv18LYFxXQilZFFj_C76yPSf8hywLSFjRpmcZIeRjy1lbG4yc7xB0qWdRhb1ogENtjqawpmOkhSDzledPK-Q9uprkyEemW_3GiE7I1UHGcuVcgBJY/s1600/045.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDQldv4LlTWQFiKkkqbrJuysQKErv18LYFxXQilZFFj_C76yPSf8hywLSFjRpmcZIeRjy1lbG4yc7xB0qWdRhb1ogENtjqawpmOkhSDzledPK-Q9uprkyEemW_3GiE7I1UHGcuVcgBJY/s320/045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455750269497578738" border="0"></a> <br /><br />Taiwanese street food comes in various shapes and forms - from the notorious 'stinky' tofu, freshly cut fruits (maybe can't be classified as street-food as is too healthy?), noodles of all lengths and textures, oyster omelette, savory pancakes...the list is endless! Patricia recommended Ay-Chung Noodle House as a stall we shouldn't miss for their vermicelli noodles in soup. I thought 'how good could they be?' having eaten vermicelli noodles in soup a hundred times before. How wrong I was! Their noodles were silky soft and the soup was amazing - thick and rich - and just for good measure, some offal floating around too...ahhhh. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8JOIoO1CWd0X7n2xUXGK25XOVyRVsl300knLxtZA-Si0aFRWWA0t37bHk1Taa3f4C9JZA_HbzGIttfNA_oCMz-PddO7ILEYaBomR0VHkyBvSOEnUAta7nCWo1VsDQwdWTKy9mNKGT20/s1600/046.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8JOIoO1CWd0X7n2xUXGK25XOVyRVsl300knLxtZA-Si0aFRWWA0t37bHk1Taa3f4C9JZA_HbzGIttfNA_oCMz-PddO7ILEYaBomR0VHkyBvSOEnUAta7nCWo1VsDQwdWTKy9mNKGT20/s320/046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457229145640539554" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Man who has Ay-Chung noodle is a happy man</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8aJwQoI62Ow3eht5YOv5B1CbBMzZbO4hxsmQj9toLW1R_c1GXxAW9sLGbqRd5-7MF8Hy2Mo5-zO1JxubnJCvTJyf-gySgZ6mrNxKffctmq0UQeAdSK5-NDuqiHLjJUHqOPl2aqg5Zlw/s1600/049.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8aJwQoI62Ow3eht5YOv5B1CbBMzZbO4hxsmQj9toLW1R_c1GXxAW9sLGbqRd5-7MF8Hy2Mo5-zO1JxubnJCvTJyf-gySgZ6mrNxKffctmq0UQeAdSK5-NDuqiHLjJUHqOPl2aqg5Zlw/s320/049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457229955405485362" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Even Nat tried Ay-Chung!</span> <br /><br />Actually I should mention that the 'fresh fruit' is only an option in a Taiwanese street market...strawberries are usually served Wimbledon-style with sugar and cream/milk! We asked the vendor for just strawberries for Angie but found out later when I had one that they were covered in sugar. Oh well... So after having two kinds of stinky tofu and some shopping it was late so we jumped into a cab with full bellies back to Ximending. <br /><br />The next day Patricia and her uncle, Kenny, took us southwards in Taipei County to Sanxia (lit 'Three Gorges' - where Kenny lives) and to the Great Roots forest which is next to the Dabao river. Sanxia is a nice smaller town about 45 minutes out of the city that has a great old street which is very well preserved in colonial-style Japanese architecture. There is also the Zushi temple originally built in 1769 which is beautiful. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQyJmK5vNlW2r5P4EAROg5-9SPnJNahAaGRnNnFCbE4KhpLM8oUwKfarfQWkt483GKAFYibBaHh6MYd8Vv0Ng6w0mhcDHcv-oB1caKNQc_fANb_ZrratViQRfWK0a3uUEo-T4DIlfrdM/s1600/sanxia.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQyJmK5vNlW2r5P4EAROg5-9SPnJNahAaGRnNnFCbE4KhpLM8oUwKfarfQWkt483GKAFYibBaHh6MYd8Vv0Ng6w0mhcDHcv-oB1caKNQc_fANb_ZrratViQRfWK0a3uUEo-T4DIlfrdM/s320/sanxia.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457233707963459682" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkixjC2a3jbNoOAAm8-Bg45Us3EozhRDCBy9eVMkQmFmzs2oJTMLsuhgepU9azzPQShtjE19v-qk2ui-uHMyydgR8Miu5Yny_6Wz4xCAxNXuq74kkrmKHLNEPCskAW9pNX3Y-fLf6ylIo/s1600/zushi+temple.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkixjC2a3jbNoOAAm8-Bg45Us3EozhRDCBy9eVMkQmFmzs2oJTMLsuhgepU9azzPQShtjE19v-qk2ui-uHMyydgR8Miu5Yny_6Wz4xCAxNXuq74kkrmKHLNEPCskAW9pNX3Y-fLf6ylIo/s320/zushi+temple.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457234324597115186" border="0"></a><br /><br />Another thing Sanxia is famous for are its Bull-horn croissants which are pretty tasty. A smaller, more dense version of a typical croissant. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5Bg24uogmEy0VTB4y-Rc5MMvEbLAqYbiYKZCLp68vdcO03_hXL5tgNZAo63gl1VsrMmFX9HHo87-w9vc1u1SJmOuWzpwLJxRjNQC8a4g-hM0e_8DMVpo0h1yPtLQi090GAJZmxFL2sw/s1600/bullhorn.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5Bg24uogmEy0VTB4y-Rc5MMvEbLAqYbiYKZCLp68vdcO03_hXL5tgNZAo63gl1VsrMmFX9HHo87-w9vc1u1SJmOuWzpwLJxRjNQC8a4g-hM0e_8DMVpo0h1yPtLQi090GAJZmxFL2sw/s320/bullhorn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457235793857271314" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Shop selling Bull-horn croissants</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv084fD3t5-BnKAhKmJqY-FktK_khvFYrkeZh06Un8AJ0IoPUNnHvnmHIBoYgoz2_92Zrtq3uAu_R-tvbhMAcsEguahXz9p8ko43ZNdt32aUW6FTTlPTgMyiAjm95hwXbanFMvsj-MmE/s1600/210.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv084fD3t5-BnKAhKmJqY-FktK_khvFYrkeZh06Un8AJ0IoPUNnHvnmHIBoYgoz2_92Zrtq3uAu_R-tvbhMAcsEguahXz9p8ko43ZNdt32aUW6FTTlPTgMyiAjm95hwXbanFMvsj-MmE/s320/210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457236271413159058" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-e8FFriF-9IRW-_HzN0FBZDD2Ubh3-fV5XoQKUIbSiDwcsVBAjRSIley9GkdofrVElR_Lzshu6fFGSo0v3aySkA0IFL1kuHeFh8xgaPPaCvJ1hwHXgRTw9C6Obb_EHSOVfNwXfurReA/s1600/109.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-e8FFriF-9IRW-_HzN0FBZDD2Ubh3-fV5XoQKUIbSiDwcsVBAjRSIley9GkdofrVElR_Lzshu6fFGSo0v3aySkA0IFL1kuHeFh8xgaPPaCvJ1hwHXgRTw9C6Obb_EHSOVfNwXfurReA/s320/109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457243502463349826" border="0"></a><br /><br />Great Roots Forestry resort is located in the only tropical rain-forest in Taiwan and features some nice walks and the rare 'buttress-root' trees!!! There was also a rope bridge spanning a gully which was fun...Nat was terrified! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVayCUzzlHmbo3vKnisS4a_3IF49X1DJm-xtSQG2sS9JozKU_v7a-vWtq1ut1xVHGrXmNoLCgtG0hiIARx38PFMBFMlWhpiy7GJ5PJJv-Zv0aqNcW4iJN3Puq8CIwmPUFz9S7TubCiQ0/s1600/065.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVayCUzzlHmbo3vKnisS4a_3IF49X1DJm-xtSQG2sS9JozKU_v7a-vWtq1ut1xVHGrXmNoLCgtG0hiIARx38PFMBFMlWhpiy7GJ5PJJv-Zv0aqNcW4iJN3Puq8CIwmPUFz9S7TubCiQ0/s320/065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457266481332760850" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Centuries old butt tree</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDPaYuTz6bj3-BqUu0ZFK8s6nu_zJGCP7L3RG-NHfntTbEdRdmfvxq70Bmipyw-TEBbASJLWGev2qYMlye5HhNN7cilnSBjjjE2WNLogCrUm_U2y_J0d1tYMPAC7QQoG-Gg3tmUm-O4k/s1600/sanxia+03.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDPaYuTz6bj3-BqUu0ZFK8s6nu_zJGCP7L3RG-NHfntTbEdRdmfvxq70Bmipyw-TEBbASJLWGev2qYMlye5HhNN7cilnSBjjjE2WNLogCrUm_U2y_J0d1tYMPAC7QQoG-Gg3tmUm-O4k/s320/sanxia+03.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457267165821160146" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Angie enjoying the hammocks along the walk</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWFuuz7ppr7YAI7gljYrsX3O7_UrdSWaSZeghc0H50AJcv88HY7FkSbaHJVkI6PFnMKSUCceIRkbr4aUwYElSBOIX5w0ZEhQVjLAo9BaI7CGHsa_C8fYrP0BgdxNjK1cHB_DjnwnC9EI/s1600/066.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWFuuz7ppr7YAI7gljYrsX3O7_UrdSWaSZeghc0H50AJcv88HY7FkSbaHJVkI6PFnMKSUCceIRkbr4aUwYElSBOIX5w0ZEhQVjLAo9BaI7CGHsa_C8fYrP0BgdxNjK1cHB_DjnwnC9EI/s320/066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457268788389517298" border="0"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Just like out of Temple of Doom!</span> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D3FD79yeuGHevMa5CTkbDgJQs7P8qwREr3p6hjwd2F6MI_vxO-t7GFKmtXrQepRP777rrDpDd51CmQB7KATeYgEysKsN9rFY6taAtOO4vQu93O91zamMITOdHfTzeMMOWxbATlbeXpc/s1600/sanxia+04.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D3FD79yeuGHevMa5CTkbDgJQs7P8qwREr3p6hjwd2F6MI_vxO-t7GFKmtXrQepRP777rrDpDd51CmQB7KATeYgEysKsN9rFY6taAtOO4vQu93O91zamMITOdHfTzeMMOWxbATlbeXpc/s320/sanxia+04.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457269981166789522" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr5uXjW9ncAX6NF3Cxwa78WFhTLJPUvEZx7kt1QHpTaIAgyfze5IK5vqTyHJxJKoh_DnMhih-MaO4frx1ykUpNKJG9gPuaPwCV2sEYgwfXHE8PV-q0AU9qSsj8HbeebpoxzAYVYIWv0Y/s1600/074.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr5uXjW9ncAX6NF3Cxwa78WFhTLJPUvEZx7kt1QHpTaIAgyfze5IK5vqTyHJxJKoh_DnMhih-MaO4frx1ykUpNKJG9gPuaPwCV2sEYgwfXHE8PV-q0AU9qSsj8HbeebpoxzAYVYIWv0Y/s320/074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457270306607762194" border="0"></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyoV7q1dywwmqF79IswaTHRG7-fnLbYUhEHKB93PzeWb12M9G1Z6q2aFuNEwRH8U9ai1PeRBp0S3GVJJpOXCw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Angie doing a performance amidst the trees!</span> <br /><br />We were lucky enough to catch the cherry blossoms which were still in bloom...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCycaaUeHHf86hM9gwIBwYr0udV13vZ9-Ztcr0qzHz8k5iSYNGG7-sQ6VtP935rkhs2j9fEkZUVBVwdOEQpDS3LBiQhi1-cM6ZU8KvugBTg1u09yhm21S_jij4JZPIj6IDLpA9zWn_UoY/s1600/089.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCycaaUeHHf86hM9gwIBwYr0udV13vZ9-Ztcr0qzHz8k5iSYNGG7-sQ6VtP935rkhs2j9fEkZUVBVwdOEQpDS3LBiQhi1-cM6ZU8KvugBTg1u09yhm21S_jij4JZPIj6IDLpA9zWn_UoY/s320/089.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457352357125920834" /></a><br /><br />Taiwan is famous for its hot springs, or <span style="font-style:italic;">wenquan</span>, and there are many towns where you can experience a nice hot bath laced with sulpher dioxide! We went for a more sterile experience in a private bath. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfuc0WE-m-56LK4SdwwjgiKQ693onSujD9C5xFwuzoFDlj8Lzni_B1mB1TstMLFBd5BRcmHV5QaQy02HWhBNNQqNV_jq_iVrY3NHUFNhfsDfQ9Z0DXA8M5_uwGnAxY4w44MJcGSIj-SY/s1600/092.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfuc0WE-m-56LK4SdwwjgiKQ693onSujD9C5xFwuzoFDlj8Lzni_B1mB1TstMLFBd5BRcmHV5QaQy02HWhBNNQqNV_jq_iVrY3NHUFNhfsDfQ9Z0DXA8M5_uwGnAxY4w44MJcGSIj-SY/s320/092.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457355171241156674" /></a><br />It was a nice soak after a nice day. We all slept well that night. <br />The next day was our last full day in Taipei so we stayed in and around the city. We visited the Longshan Temple which is probably Taipei's most famous temple - a loud, colorful yet somehow serene place teeming with earthlings offering, chanting and divining to their gods. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZk0IsxQ_lQHtgkOTKrpo7pKLtHpUVZkydGQtU2UYrojh37xw4RZMvvHo9HDKiQXKu9bG8J2uFRORAC8R8Ll0x0ZpcpmlN0olJqsZ0V-4TBw5EWkZuCFzJG-m1yy4xxbMS6_7d3t4h6KQ/s1600/120.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZk0IsxQ_lQHtgkOTKrpo7pKLtHpUVZkydGQtU2UYrojh37xw4RZMvvHo9HDKiQXKu9bG8J2uFRORAC8R8Ll0x0ZpcpmlN0olJqsZ0V-4TBw5EWkZuCFzJG-m1yy4xxbMS6_7d3t4h6KQ/s320/120.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457385810318830034" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh92C-tUC_gMiRUPrc9f0bz3v4n2OJRQtM7Ij9j3eaSo3nUIky4ZbAmvkePBAkGmtPR4PpZasgc6LZpaPzDnGOWI93GovpFg7PxQ9vrZBx5CZVejwsBj3C09WznEUQFSlj9YskH8psQY/s1600/123.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh92C-tUC_gMiRUPrc9f0bz3v4n2OJRQtM7Ij9j3eaSo3nUIky4ZbAmvkePBAkGmtPR4PpZasgc6LZpaPzDnGOWI93GovpFg7PxQ9vrZBx5CZVejwsBj3C09WznEUQFSlj9YskH8psQY/s320/123.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457574998878605282" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9T-F2AbX2gZ_TPOqCxoZlKhZ8eZZl2MAldcmmNm4D34WhzP_4AzWufaEHxSjABt45YZ7noZGxwhaCGc7zQkpT1jSXrjuymOKmWt89TraV6owxjAlvS9UVoy6mepGW17l27B8V3RuIQD0/s1600/128.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9T-F2AbX2gZ_TPOqCxoZlKhZ8eZZl2MAldcmmNm4D34WhzP_4AzWufaEHxSjABt45YZ7noZGxwhaCGc7zQkpT1jSXrjuymOKmWt89TraV6owxjAlvS9UVoy6mepGW17l27B8V3RuIQD0/s320/128.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457575395575606850" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZko6P7mYdZiBU8LlTKS0oGVvf0YL4QjkDjl9dxaBFZEYoEsaTZ4vGxSTTPfnz52D0c-jLs2KjqUhDMzxL9zMJcYxs3cOqLA6i-BQx0ydqMKffhkLcDuiIvm9HoaPEV1oKOkuM5SO7bg/s1600/129.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZko6P7mYdZiBU8LlTKS0oGVvf0YL4QjkDjl9dxaBFZEYoEsaTZ4vGxSTTPfnz52D0c-jLs2KjqUhDMzxL9zMJcYxs3cOqLA6i-BQx0ydqMKffhkLcDuiIvm9HoaPEV1oKOkuM5SO7bg/s320/129.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457575778256772034" /></a><br /><br />From there we hopped onto the MRT - Mass Rapid Transit - to <span style="font-style:italic;">Jinhuacheng</span>, the 'Living Mall', maybe the weirdest mall in all of Asia...looks wise that is...take a look...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVzcCgoSiEVe06nuaVI5V1e4sFk7_cAgn1efyvjShFlh4N8j85HyuycQWovdXqBE_z5muwndiTxJyxDuS-Kz3vhGI15INtFv_cp064673SzyEypyoK6mt918zBDunTFsFBKISzOps0Wk/s1600/140.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVzcCgoSiEVe06nuaVI5V1e4sFk7_cAgn1efyvjShFlh4N8j85HyuycQWovdXqBE_z5muwndiTxJyxDuS-Kz3vhGI15INtFv_cp064673SzyEypyoK6mt918zBDunTFsFBKISzOps0Wk/s320/140.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457576666793584850" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazOGOzakc8PHe3zPep7gdkRIHj3diOMh_Rc49_vOk6yoO2FYhP4znx0Ny7exgJmZMjt60wbBRQa00O7lPBS4qI6uDMyLv1c23qFxhSKJriLEWeZ-QxV8QOm4YTMZ9sxl8SGgL5-ofAv8/s1600/141.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazOGOzakc8PHe3zPep7gdkRIHj3diOMh_Rc49_vOk6yoO2FYhP4znx0Ny7exgJmZMjt60wbBRQa00O7lPBS4qI6uDMyLv1c23qFxhSKJriLEWeZ-QxV8QOm4YTMZ9sxl8SGgL5-ofAv8/s320/141.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457577364281520322" /></a><br /><br /><br />It felt like being on a Klingon Bird-of-Prey (that's a big, mean spaceship for all you non-Trekkers). Jinhuacheng is also the home to Baby Boss which is just that - a place where your baby can be boss for the day. Well, almost. It's a mini-city that takes up a whole floor at the Living Mall where children can go to 'work' and earn Baby Boss dollars to spend on fun activities within the city, like going to the ice creamery or learning how make their own pizza. Angie played nurse, car mechanic and also did a stint at the milk factory complete with fake cows that you could 'milk' and moo'ed each time you squeezed their teats. Angie was in her element, although she tried speaking Cantonese to some of the other kids and they didn't understand her. But she had a great time nonetheless, 'playing' really is a universal language. I'll post more on Baby Boss in a separate blog, as I'm sure your attention is waning : ) Taipei was a lot of fun, it was a shame we only had three days to explore. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6wFH_j4RiE4io71FpovHknUdk4pwblw3T5h3F9vh8QgWepaLqS_nsZv9y0p8BGnOQXohvVkwDu4CLSwyLxzTAPf0NOTHFaW8SgsjmOVQqB0ekI_B5F6MmI82zZlt_JYhEYOx7n4ILxA/s1600/174.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6wFH_j4RiE4io71FpovHknUdk4pwblw3T5h3F9vh8QgWepaLqS_nsZv9y0p8BGnOQXohvVkwDu4CLSwyLxzTAPf0NOTHFaW8SgsjmOVQqB0ekI_B5F6MmI82zZlt_JYhEYOx7n4ILxA/s320/174.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457579124189997202" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVVKk5yc0MCuxRIdjJ9R-QnDXRj70SOFBqBD0utotm7C0V-RCI61TsUiQNy8zgUySF-y09mpKMtaojePaLKeitGY33PwSXDtzmtInVvJNAsqtxT5bh9ZaRqlTQCEBzNPEgD8hrhzPGzo/s1600/181.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVVKk5yc0MCuxRIdjJ9R-QnDXRj70SOFBqBD0utotm7C0V-RCI61TsUiQNy8zgUySF-y09mpKMtaojePaLKeitGY33PwSXDtzmtInVvJNAsqtxT5bh9ZaRqlTQCEBzNPEgD8hrhzPGzo/s320/181.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457580022471660114" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JB653ypXRTCkKQrG2nr3wMaO7DaxP0EaYQoHCNO8a9QYdtSY0E8d6-eMOEYdDktZfkG0CfUP2unF5E6kZnVkq7_rNmFIt_Uyv3VcUcrvtke1rpz72OIsjsh1HvNljMNskQ8F9X4Fe50/s1600/147.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JB653ypXRTCkKQrG2nr3wMaO7DaxP0EaYQoHCNO8a9QYdtSY0E8d6-eMOEYdDktZfkG0CfUP2unF5E6kZnVkq7_rNmFIt_Uyv3VcUcrvtke1rpz72OIsjsh1HvNljMNskQ8F9X4Fe50/s320/147.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457580585446348802" /></a>Trevor Aung Thanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679532221159805823noreply@blogger.com3